#says it to scar and scars like oh alright yeah me too just lemme know !

[solargeist]

something abt the watchers raising grian and telling him "I'll kill anyone for you" and grian growing up to say the exact same thing to people he cares abt

[insomniwillow]

Hey! Codebreakers taking care of each other after sparring or doing a dungeon?

you got it boss! i had a bit of a delay on this because i was doing yet another exchange, but i hope you enjoy!

"You see what I meant about the scythe man? You were big chilling there for a second."

Phil couldn't help the laugh that spilled out of his mouth, breathless and on the verge of exasperation at the joviality in Etoiles' tone. He was still splayed out across the ground where Etoiles had knocked him down, the aforementioned scythe lying a couple feet away where it'd been knocked from Phil's hands. The sky above them was a beautiful blue, cloudless, like it normally was on the island, with warm sun and a cool breeze to compliment it. His chest was still heaving and he ignored Etoiles' offered hand up to remain laying down for a moment more.

"Oh, you won't even take my help, Philza? You say I'm too shit to even be touched?" Etoiles said loudly and Phil laughed again, his chest aching a bit with the lack of air as he rolled onto his side.

"Oh fuck off with that shit." He coughed and then sighed, rolling back onto his back because getting up right then felt like too much effort. He hissed a bit as the motion pulled at the large cut along his upper arm- a place where he'd blocked a little too late. He could feel the pleasant burn in his arms and legs, could feel how his muscles were shaking- it'd be fun to deal with tomorrow, that was for sure. "I'm tired, alright? but- jesus man, you were fucking right about this thing. It's so nice."

"Yeah, It's nice." Etoiles said, sitting himself down beside Phil and idly scrolling through his inventory. "Now you just need the shield too and no one will be able to touch you. Goodbye to totems, shield is my best friend now."

"Yeah?" Phil asked with a grin.

"Yeah, man. It's cool." Etoiles returned, turning to look at him with those gleaming white eyes of his, the dark leaves of his hair falling over his forehead. "You need a potion or something man? I did not think I was going so hard- though perhaps I have been fighting codes too often."

"Nah, I'm alright. 'sides, it's good for me if you're ever not around, you know? Means I'll have a better chance at defending my kids if the code decides to show up again."

"Hmhmhm." Etoiles hummed playfully, withdrawing a little tin and some bandages. "You say that like I have a life, Philza. I think I will always be awake when the code shows up, because seeing his stupid face revitalizes me you know? If I see him I get to smash him into the ground and that is much better than sleeping."

"True!" Phil exclaimed with a laugh, finally hoisting himself up into a sitting position and offering Etoiles his arm, though he eyed the mark he'd left on Etoiles cheek as the other dumped a bottle of water across the gash. Etoiles made quick work of patching him up, his hand's quick and the motions clearly well practiced as he smeared salve before wrapping the wound snugly. Then Phil plucked the salve out of Etoiles' hand before he could fit it back into his inventory, offering a light laugh and a smirk when Etoiles groaned at him. "None of that shit mate, here, lemme see."

The cut wasn't deep enough to need its own bandage, but it was enough that it was going to leave a scar, and there was something about the thought of leaving a mark like that on Etoiles that rubbed him the wrong way.

Phil took Etoiles' face in his hands, his skin cool and smooth just like a vegetable’s would be, though rougher where little leaf springs clustered around his jaw and mouth, like beard hair might. This close Phil could just make out a faint yellow star pattern in Etoiles' eye, serving as a pupil that was solely fixated on him. His mouth twisted a bit as he gathered some of the salve on his thumb and swept it across the cut on Etoiles' cheek before letting him go and dropping the little pot of the stuff back into Etoiles' hands.

"There we are. All better!" Phil cheered and Etoiles hiccuped a laugh at him, head falling forward just enough to knock against Phil's shoulder before he stood again, and this time when he offered his hand down to Phil, he took it without a moment's hesitation. "Thanks for that, mate."

"No problem, my bro." Etoiles said easily, picking up Phil's scythe and handing it off to him. "Now, do you want to do a dungeon with me? Since we have nothing better to do with our lives until the code shows up?"

Phil laughed again easily, knocking his fist against Etoiles' shoulder. "Sounds like a fucking plan, mate."

[felice-jaganshi]

Alastor's Leash

Chapter 7

(We're in the end game now~~~)

They managed to drag Vox to the hotel, and Charlie was successful in getting Rosie to join. Everyone was surprised when they saw Vox, Angel even getting out a gun. 

“You outta your mind Z?! What's wrong with you? Vox is literally his worst enemy!”

 

“Did he actually call me that?” Vox grinned and blushed a little, like a teen girl asking after their crush.

Zariah rolled her eyes, “Dusty, calm down! He's helping, that's what matters.”

Charlie smiled, “She's right, this could be the start of Vox's path to redemption, and we need to be supportive and give him a chance!”

 

Vox visibly cringed and whispered to Zariah, “So this is the princess? And Alastor willingly follows her?” Zariah elbowed him in the side.

“Be polite.” She whispered back, before addressing the group. “Alright, now we have enough firepower to stand a chance. Let's get to planning…”

 

 _-_--_-_-_-_-_-_

The rest of the day was spent scheming and arguing, everyone getting more and more frustrated. By the end of the night, they were no closer to a real plan, so Vox and Rosie agreed to stay the night in the hotel.

 

Vox went to the bar, and Husker poured him a glass of whiskey, neat. “The way the boss likes it.”

Vox sipped it, “Yeah, I know. I was his drinking buddy before he ever fucking met you…” 

 

Zariah came over and sat beside Vox, Husker making her a screwdriver. “I've been rejected before too, you know.”

Vox looked over, confused, “Where the fuck is this coming from?”

 

“Oh shut up and lemme speak… I had a friend in highschool, my very best friend after moving states… she… was my first girl crush. And I told her one day. She said if I ever said ‘that gay shit’ to her again, she'd have her brother put a bullet in my head.” Zariah had tears in her eyes now. “It still hurts to think about, even if I don't like her anymore. It left a scar that will never heal. I know it won't.” 

He frowned, “Is this your way of saying I'll never get over the pain of his rejection? Because I already fucking know that.”

 

“No, I'm just saying I see you. We're like a mirror, in this at least.”

“A mirror… huh. Yeah, maybe. Except you're the ‘good side’.” He sulked.

“Then how about I pull you through? Then we can both be on the good side. I mean it.” She offered Vox her hand.

He turned away, “Let's just get our damn deer back. Then I'm going back to my tower where I belong.” He finished off his drink and left for his room.

~The next morning~

Alastor came back to reality as an icy chill gripped his soul like sharp claws. Shit, Lilith was back for round number… ah hell, he'd lost count already? He took a deep breath and faked a yawn, like he was just sleeping. He smiled pleasantly at her, “Ah, I see you've returned, my queen.”

“Hmph, quite the attitude shift. Have you decided to behave, my pet?” She looked him up and down.

“What bidding would you have me do, my queen?” He asked, acting sweet as he could. She leaned in close to his face, and whispered.

 

“Your new orders are to kill Lucifer and Charlie.” She smiled as she said it. Feeling nothing for the family that moved on without her.

“Hm, I see.” He looked contemplative for a moment, then spit in her face! “There's my rebuttal to your orders.” 

She growled and clawed across his eyes, blinding him. Alastor only grunted in pain, gritting his teeth in a tight smile.

 

“You worthless-” Suddenly, there was a loud boom drawing her attention away, the sound of distant explosions. “Ah, a rescue party? How nice it must be to be so loved.” Her tone was bitter, filled with jealousy. “I'll leave you for now, I want you to hear the screams as I kill your cute little friends.”

She then turned on bright white lights in the room, further blinding him if his eyes regenerated. “Stay put, my little fawn.”

--_-_-_-_-_-__--__-_-_- 

 

“Good job with the bombs Cherri! That's sure to get her attention, now get the hell outta here before she sees you.” Lucifer smiled at her. 

She laughed, “Yeah fuckin right! And let the rest of you get all the fun?! ‘Sides, heroic sacrifice got that snake boy topside… who's to say it won't work for me?” She looked away with a slight blush for a moment, before shaking her head and slapping her own cheeks to refocus herself. “Now let's dance with this crazy bitch!” She grinned.

Lucifer was surprised, but smiled back. “You sinners are as crazy as ever, but it's an honor to fight beside you.” The earbud he had in one ear buzzed on and Vox's voice could be heard in it.

 

“Alright, looks like Rosie is in position to back you up should you need it. Charlie and Vaggie are with her. The rest of the cannon fodder-”

“Oh fuck you!” Angel yelled into the mic attached to his suit.

“Ugh, team hotel , is that better? Are you fuckers in your positions?”

 

“Yeah, we're golden.”

“Great, then as soon as she comes out, Zariah and I are gonna sneak in while you all distract her. We'll have to go silent on the comms until I can assess her security systems. Once we've secured the objective, Z will heal him and we'll meet you outside to wrap her up in his freaky tentacles and my cables so you all can get the kill shot.”

 

Lucifer's face fell at those last words… kill shot… on Lilith… could he really do this to her? He had loved her for ten thousand years. He fell from heaven for her!! But… she betrayed him. Took away his friends and family. Now he had someone who truly loved him, and didn't just want his status or power. Yes. He could do it. He would do it.

 

The doors to her lair opened, and a figure stepped out…

[orangeaurora]

Scarlet | Chapter 6

masterlist

pairing: Steve Harrington x reader!

Summary: after a falling out with her childhood best friend Nancy Wheeler due to her hatred for Steve Harrington, Y/N goes on a journey of discovering she has powers and that the goosebumps she gets around Steve Harrington aren’t actually from hatred. Though these new found powers are difficult to deal with, nothing is harder than dealing with the creatures of the upside down.

SLOW BURN AF

TW: cussing, mentions of using powers, I think that’s it for this one :)

word count: 2536

A/N: THIS CHAPTER TOOK FOREVER BUT ITS MY FAVORITE ONE 💞💞 if you would like to be a part of the tag list, lemme know! happy reading! <3

————————————————————————

Steve was nice enough to walk me back to my car once I was calmed down to drive. He was so… gentle with me. The walk was silent, but not uncomfortable. It was similar to the silence I have with Eddie at times. It’s just peaceful. When we got back to my car, Steve grabbed my arm. I flinched a little bit, I wasn’t used to his touch. “You’re gonna be alright, yeah? The kids are hanging out at the school. Dustin says they have AV club every day, so I’m counting on them being there,” I nodded, “I’ll be fine, Steve. The school is not too far. I’ll honk at you if there is a problem.” He gave me a soft nod before letting go of my arm. “Okay, I’ll see you soon. Follow close behind!” He said while walking away towards his car. “You act like I don’t know where the school is!” I yell out to him, but all he did was wave his hand at me signaling a “yeah yeah” without even turning around. I sighed as I entered my car. I sat there for a minute, allowing myself to zone out and just think for the first time since I ran out of the locker room. I felt as if life wasn’t real. I remember feeling this way the night that I got my dreadful scar, and somehow the feeling was stronger. I wanted more time to gather my thoughts but Steve started honking his horn, indicating he was getting impatient with me. I blinked rapidly to come back to reality, let out a heavy sigh, and put my car into drive.

As I drove to school, following the tail of Steve’s lover (his car), I thought about what these kids that Steve was bringing me to had to do with any of this. I knew that Will Byers went missing last year, he was the talk of the town, you had to be living under a rock to not know that he was gone. But somehow, he has even more people talking about him now that he was found alive and well. I remember the headlines in the newspaper: “The body of missing child Will Byers found in the local quarry” were plastered everywhere. And then, last year on the night that we battled the demogorgan, he was found. The town didn’t know how to explain it and let’s just say Hawkins isn’t the nicest to outcasts. I hear the words “zombie boy” being thrown around every day to describe the young boy, and it breaks my heart. I’ve talked to him a few times. There were many days that I would be hanging out with Nancy and hear her younger brother Mike and his friends down in the basement of their house. It was a comforting sound. The laughter of a group of friends who were like brothers. It was nice.

I missed the days that Mike would hug me goodbye when I would leave the Wheeler’s home. He would pull my arm down so my ear was at his level and whisper “I wish you were my sister too,” and it always tugged at my heart. I grew up without siblings, so seeing those boys meant everything to me. I hadn’t seen them for over a year and couldn’t stop thinking about how awkward this conversation at the school might become. Like, “Hey Mike, how are you? Hope all is well, oh this scar? Super cool, huh? Oh, also I have powers now!” Yep, sounds like it's going to be a great conversation.

All of these thoughts allowed my drive back to the school to go quickly, and I was parking next to Steve’s car in no time. As I turned off my car and got out, Steve followed and did the same.

“See Stevie, I made it here with no scratches,” I said in a sarcastic tone, mocking how worried he was about me driving only a few moments ago.

“Hm, no new scars either?” Steve said as he looked over my face and body. My face dropped as I rolled my eyes, “Don’t push it, Harrington,” I said as I closed my car door and began walking towards the school and Steve followed my lead. “Hey you know I’m only joking Y/N,” he looked at me with sympathy behind his eyes, “Mmhmm,” was all I could mutter out before Steve interrupted me.

“By the way, I do remember you taking me home last night,” my head shot up to look at him as I stopped in my tracks thinking that earlier he was lying just to get a reaction out of me, Steve could tell I looked offended, “bu-but only in pieces. I started remembering when I was driving into the woods. It’s all…really blurry but I remember you giving me a blanket? Did you do that?” I nodded. “Okay, yeah, so I do remember. Just…not a lot,” he seemed almost ashamed for not knowing what happened last night but I couldn’t blame him. I knew this would happen, and yet I still got upset. Part of me wanted him to know every detail of what happened last night to see if what he was saying was true, and so, like word vomit I said “You called me beautiful,” his eyes widened, “oh” he whispered under his breath. Ew. I hated this. I wasn’t trying to have a sentimental moment with him, I had enough of those with Steve Harrington for one day, but I needed him to know. I needed to lighten up the mood. I started walking again, letting him know everything was fine, “Yeah you started crying like a lil’ baby, said sorry multiple times about calling me scar face at the party, and uh told me I was beautiful,” Steve started laughing, “yeah that uh, sounds like intoxicated me for sure,” I started laughing with him, “let’s just say even though it wasn’t for you, it was quite the memorable night for me,”

“Oh yeah I bet! Not every girl gets the luxury of a night alone with the one and only. AND I called you a term of endearment? Phew, Nance better not find out,” he said in his cheeky little voice that he did as he put his hands up in surrender. I was about to come back with something snarky when I saw a young girl with beautiful auburn hair sitting outside the AV club room. She stood up super fast when she saw us approaching the door, “Do you know them? Those stupid boys?!” She asked us frantically. Steve and I looked at each other, eyebrows furrowed, then back at the girl, “If you mean Dustin and the other dummies then yeah, we are here to talk to them,” Steve said to the girl. She looked irritated and sighed, “Well good luck, they won’t let me in and if they let you in I swear,” Steve scoffed and knocked on the door and the boys voices behind the door fell silent until a “WHAT MAX?” Came out of one of their mouths. Mike. I could recognize that voice anywhere.

“What? No. Look, it’s Steve. I have Y/N with me, we need to talk to you guys,” Steve was yelling through the door to ensure the boys could hear him. “Y/N? As in Y/F/N Y/L/N?” I heard Mike question through the door before all three of us outside could hear the boy’s panicked fidgeting, and within a few seconds the door flew open and revealed an anxious looking Dustin as he fanned us all into the room and was muttering lots of “quick”s and “hurry”s. After we all scurried into the room, Dustin slammed the door behind us, and locked it as quickly as he could. Steve walked in first and went around the table that was in the middle of the room. He was standing across from me, along with Mike and Will. We all stood in a circle around the table, but Dustin was standing behind me in order to guard the door.

“Amazing timing, douchebag. Just so you know, we only opened that door for Y/N, not you, Harrington.” Mike spit out at Steve. Steve made a face to indicate that he was offended as he took a step back, “Ouch Wheeler, so much pent up anger in such a little body.” Mike squinted his eyes and put a fake smile on his face to mock Steve as I stepped in “We aren’t here to fight,” I looked at Steve and then back at Mike who now looked like a dog with its tail between their legs, “Look, something is happening and Steve thinks that you guys are the only ones that can help me.” They all looked at me, Dustin and Will looked concerned as Mike looked at all of his friends before saying “W-well what is it?” I looked at Steve, he could feel how nervous I was from across the table that was between us, he nodded his head at me, indicating an ‘it’s okay’. I took a long beat before looking back at Mike and saying “We think I have powers…” Steve scoffed at my lousy confession “THINK? No, no. This girl almost just killed me with that shit. We know she has powers.” He said as he looked at me and pointed at my hands. Lucas was the first one to speak up as he rolled his eyes, “Oh, come on. Y/N you have nothing to do with any of this. And, if you did have powers, where were you last year when we all needed help?” Mike looked upset that Lucas would question me and he hit Lucas on the arm and said, “She wouldn’t just lie, Lucas. Give her a chance to explain herself. Maybe she could show us?” Mike’s sentence ended as if he was asking me to show them at this very moment.

“NO,” Steve and I both yelled at the same time, “I-I mean… no I can’t. I quickly tried to calm my voice, “I can’t risk hurting you kids, plus I don’t even know how to use them. The feeling only comes at certain times. I-I don’t know how to control it.” I admitted while looking back and forth at all the eyes on me in the room. Will looked at me with soft eyes filled with sympathy and said, “Well, there’s gotta be something that triggers them, right? What does it feel like when you feel them coming?” This made me think for a minute until my eyes shot up to look at Steve, and then back at the kids. Steve looked confused at my sudden eye contact with him. “It’s always when I’m around um, Steve.” I didn’t want to say it, but it was the truth. My powers were only triggered when I was around, or thinking about Steve Harrington. “That’s disgusting.” I heard Dustin say from behind me. “No, no not in that way, gross. It’s when he pisses me off. Look, the first time I ever felt like that was last night. I’ve felt tingles in my fingertips before but nothing more. I took Steve home last night because he was drunk, so drunk in fact that he called me Nancy and that’s when I felt the tingles for the first time. But, they went away quick enough for me to not think anything of it,” I went on to tell them all the other times that Steve riled me up enough to trigger a reaction like that, and then told them about what happened in the woods. “Red? Just like, exploded out of you?” The auburn haired girl questioned, “Like-Like the Scarlet Witch in X-Men?” Dustin said with so much amusement in his voice that I couldn’t tell if he was excited or mocking me. Lucas scoffed. “No way, the Scarlet Witch isn’t real, and she is way too powerful to exist.”

I looked over at Mike to see if he had anything else to say. “El was powerful too, ya know? We didn’t believe her at first, we can’t make the same mistake with Y/N.” All of his friends looked at him, at Steve, and then at me. Everyone was staring at me until the weird box that the boys had on the table started moving. “Oh, shit” Dustin said as he went to grab it but Lucas smacked his hand and shook his head aggressively at him. Steve stepped forward, “Whatcha boys hiding in there, huh?”

“No-nothing!” They all said in unison as the girl holding her skateboard rolled her eyes. Mike picked up the microphone on the table and held it up like a weapon as the box fell on its side. “Don’t hurt him!” Dustin said. Him? “Only if he attacks.” Mike responded. “Guys, what is in that box?” I questioned as Steve came from around the table to stand by my side. “Just open it already!” Lucas yelled. “You idiots, what is in there?!” Steve asked affirmatively, demanding an answer. Dustin rolled his eyes, grabbed a little remote from the table, and opened the box to reveal a slimy, tiny looking creature. “Holy…shit.” Lucas, Steve, and I all said in unison. The creature started to crawl towards Dustin and in front of the 7 pairs of eyes in the room, sprouted an extra set of legs. “Oh, shit!” Lucas screamed as Mike went to hit the tiny monster with the microphone. But, he missed and the creature started running towards the closed door. I don’t know what came over me, it wasn’t Steve this time but suddenly all the kids' attention left the creature, as they all looked at me. Steve grabbed my shoulders and stepped in front of me to hide me from the kids.

“Y/N, your eyes, stop.” I started to blink rapidly to try and get it to go away but that thing was still in the room with us and I was terrified. It was like my arm had a mind of its own as it flew upwards towards the door, and the same red glowing ball of energy that hit the tree in the woods earlier, came out of my palms and caused the door to the AV club to fling open, allowing the creature to escape. “Y/N, snap out of it, look at me.” Steve shook me a little bit as I blinked one last time, looked at him, then at the kids in the room with me and just whispered “I’m so sorry…” but the boys had already started running towards the creature before I finished getting my words out. “What was that?” Steve asked, still holding onto my shoulders. “Dart!” Mike yelled, annoyed. “And because you brought her here, he escaped.” Mike was never hostile towards me, it was a terrible feeling to see him upset with me. “Well, why did you attack him?!” Dusting argued with Mike. Mike ignored his question as he yelled a quick, “Come on!” to his friends and we watched them all split up to look for…Dart.

tags; (thank you for supporting) @mochminnie @smellanieeee @pinkangelskies @alexa4040 @tattooedkiss13

[danses-with-dogmeat]

I'm feeling a little melancholy at the moment, how would Hancock comfort/cheer up a lady sole survivor who is feeling down in the dumps? This can be a headcanon or a drabble, whichever your muse wishes to write and it's a romantic Hancock who's pining for the sole. Both have low self-esteem and sole is shy. Thank you in advance!

Thank you so much for the ask, anon! I love this prompt, and I think I’m going to do headcannons for all the companions based on it at some point, but for now, here is a drabble! Hopefully this is the kinda thing you were looking for, I think I might’ve gotten a little carried away, but I hope you enjoy!

Hancock surveyed his bar, looking over the patrons, and back up to Magnolia as she began her rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night,” and the ghoul's smokey gaze once again fell to the seat in the corner of the Third Rail. 

She was there, nursing an iced beverage in her hand; the amber liquid appearing to be whiskey.

"Tell me Fahrenheit, do people drink whiskey when they're happy?" He turned to the redhead lounging on the couch beside him.

"Depends how much." She stared ahead, absentmindedly swirling the gin and tonic in her hand.

"Three or four glasses in the last hour." He said. She followed his gaze to where it rested, rolling her eyes at him.

"You've been staring at her for the past hour? Tell me, why haven’t you gone over there yet? I know you enjoy a healthy dose of masochism every once in a while, but the self-induced suffering seems pretty constant whenever she’s involved.” Fahrenheit gestured with her glass towards the corner by the bar, where Sole was seated, already close to being finished with her beverage.

“Always so quick to judge. Sole’s a popular gal, I thought she might be waiting for someone. If that was the case, then who am I to-”

“Ugh, if you don’t get your ass over there and talk to her, I’m locking you out of the State House.” Hancock’s hat tipped forward as his gaze migrated to the floor of the bar.

Fahrenheit shifted to sit up from her lounging position. “Alright, what the hell is it with this chick? It’s like she turns you into that kid on the radio. All scared and awkward.”

“I know. Listen, I don’t know what it is either. She’s just… different. I actually give a shit about what she thinks of me, you know? And I don’t wanna lose her as a friend because I was coming onto her too strong.”

“I think you’re just being a pussy about having real feelings for someone.”

“Shit, red, that’s cold. Even for you.” At that, Hancock pushed his hat back to its correct position on his head and stood, rolling his shoulders as he prepared to face the person he had “real” feelings for.

“Fine,” he turned to glance back at Fahrenheit one more time, “You win. But if this goes south, I’m holding you responsible.” He turned and started towards the bar.

“And what it if it goes north?” Fahrenheit called after him, uttering a soft chuckle as he walked away. 

Hancock noticed Sole’s eyes fall on him as he approached the bar and tried not to be too obvious as he ordered another whiskey on ice for her, and one for himself. He was still coming off a mentats high, but he needed something to take the edge off. Grabbing the drinks, he turned deliberately to her.

“How you holdin’ up, sister? You looked a little low there.” He gestured at her now empty glass, reaching out to hand her the new drink.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” She said, smiling weakly at him as she took it.

“That seat taken?”

She looked to her left and shook her head.

“All yours, if you want.”

“Course I do, who wouldn’t wanna sit next to a lovely little thing like you?” She let out a feeble chuckle at his words, and the ridge above his eyes knitted together as he noticed the lack of light behind her eyes as she stared down at the floor.

He took a swig of his whiskey, draining half of his glass in one gulp. Sole looked over and drew her own glass to her lips, grimacing slightly at the bite of the whiskey. The two sat in silence for a bit, listening as Magnolia’s song came to an end and the conversations around the bar grew to a dull roar. 

“Sorry I’m not better company, Hancock.” She uttered quietly. 

“Nonsense. I could sit silently beside you all night, and you’d still be better company than half the commonwealth. But hey, if you wanna talk about it, I know it doesn’t look like it, but I got two good ears over here.” She laughed a little more genuinely at that, and Hancock felt a little flutter in his chest.

“Thanks, but really it’s- Okay, it’s just… nothing.”

“Hmm. Yeah, seems like it. Real convincing there, sister.” She finally looked up to meet his gaze. “C’mon, Sole,” he whispered softly, “it’s okay, you can tell me. After all I done, you think I’m in any position to judge you?” Sole looked away and downed her drink, before placing her fifth empty glass on the table beside the others. He drained the remainder of his own beverage in response, hoping the gesture might help settle her nerves a bit.

Sole took a deep, shaky breath. 

“It’s not… something.” She stopped, looking at him with desperation behind her eyes, willing him to understand without her having to say it. Hancock was many, many things, and he would become almost anything if it meant pleasing Sole, but he wasn’t a mind reader. Instead, he smiled at her and nodded for her to continue.

“It’s… God, it’s just everything. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I used to feel like I had made it so far. When I saw the world after leaving that vault, I just, I don’t know, I just adapted. I moved on and I survived. Even when I learned that 200 years had passed, and I realized that everyone I ever knew was dead, I persisted. I pushed through. I was sad, of course, but at least I could function. Then, when I found out about Shaun and the Institute, when I saw him and... and he was older than me, when I found out how he felt about me, the way he saw me as nothing more than an experiment, I just…” Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, punctuating the end of her sentence. No words were needed now, he understood. He wanted to reach out to her, to pull her into his arms and hold her tight, to let her know she wasn’t alone, that he was here for her, and would be as long as he was living. Instead, he reached a scarred hand towards her own that rested on the arm of her chair. She shuddered slightly as his fingers made contact with the back of her hand, and he was afraid she would pull away. But she just dropped her gaze to watch as he settled his hand atop hers, his thumb gently stroking over her knuckles.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re goin’ through, Sole.” He said, his dark eyes meeting hers, “But no matter what, I’m here for you. Anything you need, it’s yours, you hear?” She sniffled slightly, and Hancock thought he heard a soft “thanks,” but he couldn’t be sure.

“You remember the day we met?” He said, his thumb still brushing softly over her hand.

“How could I forget? You killed a guy.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I sure did, heh.”

“What was his name again?” She asked him, a little bit of life returning to her strained voice.

“Finn.”

“Oh yeah, I remember now.”

“Yeah, real jackass, he was.” Sole grinned at that, and Hancock's eyes lit up, reveling in the fact that his words managed to bring a smile to her face, meager as it may be, it beat tears any day.

“You remember why I killed him?” He asked her.

“Cuz he was a jackass?” The ghoul chuckled at that, his hand squeezing hers ever so slightly.

“Close, but that’s not all of it. He was a jackass to you, sweetheart. And that didn’t sit right with me, even then.” Her eyes met his as she began to understand where he was going with this.

“But lemme tell you something, how I cared then? Shit’s nothing compared to how I care now.” He whispered the last sentence, leaning in closer to her. Hancock willed himself to say more, to tell her how much he cared for her, tell her everything he would do for her, he wanted to make a move to hold her hand tighter, or to lean into her even further, to eliminate the gap between them altogether, but he was paralyzed by her unbroken gaze.

“You mean it?” She whispered so softly, he almost didn’t hear it over the buzz of the bar.

“You kiddin’? Every damn word. And just for the record, there’s nothing wrong with the way you’re feeling right now, Sole. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, and if anybody else went through the shit that you have, they wouldn’t have made it through day one. But you? You haven’t just survived out here, you’ve made a difference. You didn’t have to, background like yours, you coulda become a fuckin raider or crime boss or some shit and I wouldn’t have blamed you, but no. Here you go, one-upping everyone else who thought they had a tragic backstory and becoming the best damn person in the Commonwealth. Really ruins it for the rest of us rabble, you know.” Sole’s eyebrows creased together and her eyes began to glisten again as tears threatened to spill over. Shit. What did I say? Hancock’s heart pounded in his chest as he tried desperately to think of a way to undo whatever he just did. That feeling soon vanished as Sole fell forward, arms draping around Hancock’s shoulders, as she buried her head into the crook of his neck. He released the breath he had been holding and brought his own arms around to envelop her, squeezing tightly as warmth spread through the expanse of his chest.

“Thank you.” She whispered softly. And Hancock was sure he’d heard it this time.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Scarred: Part 1

Seriously Miu, it’s not a problem. Trust me.

Miu: Oh, and how do YOU know that!? What if everyone laughs at me!? What if they think I’m hideous.

It’s honestly amazing that you’re worried about it this much. The Miu I know has self-confidence in spades, especially when it comes to her body.

What are you guys doing?

Oh, we all agreed to go and meet up at the lake today and play around together. I just got finished changing late.

But...Miu’s worried about coming out in her bikini.

Miu Iruma? Worried about flaunting her body in a tight bikini?

I know, right? That’s what I was worried about...But I also understand why...

How many people know about it?

Miu: Keebo’s seen it...Shuichi knows about it...I think Gonta might too...

You’ll be fine...I promise. It’s just me and Kuripa here and we won’t judge.

Unless you grew a second belly button or something.

...!

*Kaede nudges him.

What? That’s not natural no matter how you conceive it.

You aren’t helping!

Miu: Ok...Fine, I’m coming out...

*Miu leaves her room.

W-Well?

...Well what?

Uh...

You...want a compliment? Or something?

You’re...not bothered?

By what?

This shit!

*Miu points at all her burn scars.

Oh that! Didn’t really notice.

You didn’t?

Who cares? Everyone’s got ‘em.

So unless you got those from doing battle with Gorgon the Destroyer, I have no reason to care.

For some reason I feel kinda offended.

Look, point is, no one should have any reason to care.

And if anyone starts on you, just let me know. I’ll knock their lights out.

See? Nothing to worry about.

Hm...I guess...Hehe...

Yeah! I knew it! Haha! Even burnt food can be delicious, so what makes my bod any different?

That’s more like it.

Anyway, why aren’t you wearing a swimsuit Kurafto?

I’m not coming.

Why not?

Don’t wanna.

Nope! That’s not gonna fly! At least come and supervise us supervisor.

What!? Hey, lemme go-!

*Before he can protest, Kaede and Miu drag Kuripa out of the lodgings and through the forest to the lake.

I hope you both know I could pick you both up and carry you back without breaking a sweat, right?

Yeah, but you won’t.

Try me bitch.

*Despite his complaints, Kuripa goes along with it for the sake of being nice.

Hey guys! We’re here.

Nyeh! Finally! What kept you?

I took a while to change. And Miu was a bit worried about coming out.

Huh? Why-

Oh...right...

*Tenko cuts herself off as she notices Miu’s bodily scars.

Ah. Those from Miu’s car accident, yes?

Most of ‘em are gone, but they were pretty deep. Do I...look bad?

Not at all! In fact, you look pretty damn metal!

...?

N-Not you Keebo...

Psh! What’s with the floaty? I’d hardly call that a swimsuit.

For your information, I need this to stay afloat in the water. I’m wearing it out of necessity, not style.

I have inner tubes and rafts available for you two as well if you would like them. Ryoma and Shuichi are using them right now, but I’m sure they’ll give you a turn.

Did someone mention my name?

There’s the man of the hour. Hmhm...

Ah-!? Hey-!

*Kuripa grabs Kaede by the shoulders and pushes her towards him.

Well? What do you think?

Ah...um...

Jeez...!

*Kaede smacks Kuripa, who smarmily backs away.

Don’t listen to him Shuichi. Just say it looks great and don’t make a big production out of it.

Y-Yeah. It looks great. Blue’s a good color on you. 

Hehehe. You look fine yourself. Very neat and tidy.

Yeah...thanks...

Wow...way to make us all feel single...

You really need to learn some common decency.

Oh...sorry...

I was talking to Miu, not you.

Hey!

Alright, forget that! What’s on the agenda for today?

We’ve got water volleyball set up early. If you wanna go for a swim, that’s fine an’ all, but you should totally join our game later.

We were going to sort out teams as well. Kaede, could you be on a team with me, and Kaito?

Of course! Not to brag, but I was a pretty mean volleyball player in middle school!

Sure pal. Whatever you say.

Nyeeh!

*Himiko, after dipping her head under the water, surfaces and beams.

The water’s so clear!

Hrrggh...

*Tenko shudders, unable to take in how pretty she is.

Zzzz...

Here. This is the one you like, right?

Bitchin’! Thanks dude!

*Kuripa, under the shade of a parasol, takes a nap on top of a towel. Keebo hands Miu a cold slushy.

There’s no sand or sun, but with the way this looks, you’d think we were at the beach.

This is the good life, I’ll tell ya.

Hey guys.

*Himiko and Tenko go up to them. She indicates to the sleeping Kuripa.

You thinking what I’m thinking?

What’s that?

Well, this might not be the beach, but we’ve got a lot of gravel and dirt around here. Think we could make ourselves a sand sculpture?

*Miu stands up.

We’re in.

Gah! Dammit!

Hah. Better luck next time.

*In the game of volleyball, Team Kaito, Shuichi and Kaede get absolutely wrecked by Team Kirumi and Ryoma.

We really need to rework these teams to be a little more fair. 

Fair? There’s two of us and three of you.

Yeah, but with how skilled you both are, we might as well have been playing against three or four!

Look, just be lucky you weren’t playing against Gonta.

That would be pretty challenging. Hey, maybe we can get Kuripa to be on our team in that case?

Hm...I’m not sure about our chances against Kurafto-san.

Yeah, he’s definitely scary.

Really? I think he’s pretty cute when he’s sleeping.

When he wakes up, I’m gonna make him join our team.

...

*Meanwhile, Maki decides to dive under the water. 

...!

...?

...!

...?

*Gonta, who is also diving, waves his hand to call her over. Maki notices and swims over to him.

...

*Gonta points to some pond froth, with a mother frog next to her baby tadpoles.

...

*Maki can’t hold back a smile in the face of Gonta’s innocent excitement.

[1 hour later...]

Zzzz...

Hm?

*Kuripa eventually stirs awake from his nap, and opens his eyes to see all the kids surrounding him.

Crap! He’s awake.

Morning~

Did you have a nice nap Kuripa-nii?

Alright, what did you guys do?

Take a look.

Huh?

*Kuripa looks down to see that the gang have buried him in dirt and sand, having shaped it to look like a mermaid sitting on a seashell.

Hm...How about that.

Voila!

Kurafto look very pretty.

Snrk...pfpfpf...

*snooooooooortt*

*Kirumi tries to stifle her laughter. As does Tenko, but she fails horribly.

You like it?

Hm...yeah...it’s pretty great...

for a bunch of DAMN KIDS!

*BOOOOM!*

RUN!

*Everyone scarpers with Shuichi’s shout.

GET BACK HERE YOU BRATS! I’m gonna put you all in the obituary section!

*Kuripa bursts out of the ground and chases the group, all who try to run away from him. However, he runs out of breath very quickly.

*pant!* *pant!* I’ll bet you guys think you’re REAL funny.

Bitch, we’re hilarious.

*sigh* Like hell you are...

What’s the point of hanging around if you’re not even gonna play around with us?

I wouldn’t have come if those two hadn’t dragged me along. I’m here to work, not play.

Since when have you ever taken your work seriously?

Look, I just have a lot on my mind after the day before. Can I not just rest? I don’t even have a swimsuit on me.

Then why don’t you swim in your underwear?

Fuck THAT! Not when I’m with you! You’re like...12!?

I’m 16! Come on, just give in to peer pressure!

Get your hands off me!

*Himiko grabs Kuripa’s shirt and sweater vest. Kaito also grasps it.

Come on! Just have some fun with us!

Uh, guys? I don’t think you should be doing that...

What’s gotten into you today!?

We wanna have fun with you Kuripa-nii!

*They successfully get Kuripa shirt off.

There you go-

!!?

!!?

*As soon as they see him however, they both freeze.

GIVE THAT FUCKING BACK! RIGHT NOW!

S-SURE! Sorry!

!!?

!!?

!!?

!!?

!!?

!!?

!!?

!!?

!!?

*Kuripa’s body is riddled with burns, scars, cuts and bruises, and his skin is a dark shade from physical trauma. He snatches his clothes back from Kaito, and gives him a disturbing look.

You really are just a bunch of degenerate brats, you know that? See if I ever do you any more favours.

Sorry man...W-We got carried away...

Sorry...We’re really sorry.

Hmph...

*He puts his clothes back on.

There are some things that just aren’t ok, ok?

*With nothing more to say, Kuripa leaves.

What...was that about?

Those were no car accident wounds...

I feel like we just saw something that we weren’t meant to see...

[your-cryin-fool]

Married in Vegas

Pairing: Tom Petty x F! Reader

Request: I wish I had copied it down because unfortunately I do not remember it. But I would like to thank @run-down-that-dream​ for requesting it and for being so understanding that it took me until now to finish it

Word Count: ~1.6k

Warnings: Mentions of Tom smashing his hand while making Southern Accents 

Rating: T

Notes:  If you enjoyed this please lemme know! Just a like would be fine, but if you can comment or reblog, or even shoot me an ask about it I’d be so grateful! As much as I am writing this because it makes me happy, I also like to know how it’s being received by all of you! Thank you for reading!!

Tags: If anyone would like to be tagged in my fics please let me know :)

Going on tour with Tom and the band wasn't anything new to you, you'd been with them on their previous tours, but this one seemed risky to say the least. It hadn't been long since Tom had recovered from shattering his hand, though you worried that going out on tour right away would mess something up, but when he assured you he would be okay, you believed him.

You sat next to him on the tour bus, he had his arm around you, your head was turned so you could look out the window and watch the dusty horizon, and he idly twirled strands of your hair.

"You okay?" He asked after a noticeable silence grew. "Seem awful quiet."

"Hm?" You turned to look at him, "Sorry I was zoning out a bit. I'm alright, though."

"Just makin' sure," he smiled then kissed your forehead.

"Be nice to get out of this bus though, I need to stretch my legs."

"Shouldn't be too much longer. You wanna take a walk when we get there?"

"Yeah I'd like that."

He moved his hand from off of your shoulder and held yours instead. You smiled and leaned against him, gently stroking his hand with your thumb. 

You eyed the thin pink line running down the back of his hand, and as you stared you remembered the circumstances that resulted in that scar. Mike calling you from the hospital telling you not to worry while Tom waited for an x-ray. And of course Tom telling you it wasn't a big deal when you burst into the waiting room looking for him. Then, what you remembered most of all and what you never wanted to see again, the pain in Tom's eyes. Not just pain from the injury, but pain from the doctor telling him that they could fix his hand but he may never play guitar again. Pain he hid behind a smart-ass comment. He didn't accept the possibility, you recalled him saying 'Fuck that' and you knew then that he was determined to prove the doctor wrong, and he did.  

"(Y/N)?" 

You snapped out of the memory, "Hm?"

"I was wondering if I could ask you something." Tom's voice was quiet, shy. Not a tone you were used to hearing when it wasn't just the two of you.

"What's up?" 

Just as he was about to speak, the bus stopped. 

He fumbled, almost as if he was counting on the engine to muffle whatever he was going to say.

"Well it's just--"

"C'mon lovebirds, we're here!" Mike beckoned the two of you as the band headed toward the exit.

"Guess I'll ask you later." He sighed, but a smile stayed plastered on his face as he got up from his seat, and helped you up after.

You stumbled slightly as your legs woke up, but Tom just held you tighter to stop you from losing your balance. You smiled at him, then headed toward the exit. When you stepped out you immediately felt the contrast between the nice cool bus to the dry desert heat, but it was only temporary as you headed into the hotel shortly after. 

Once you'd checked in, everyone went up to their rooms to rest from the drive. Your mind was preoccupied on what Tom could have possibly wanted to talk to you about on the bus, to a point where you didn't even notice him leave the room. 

Was it something bad? Had you done something? No, Tom would have told you then and there if there was something wrong between the two of you. Neither of you really believed in going anywhere angry, so if you'd fight, you'd always be quick to make up. And there was a lot of fighting when he was in recovery. 

His frustration with not being able to play anything or do anything, and your inability to help him. To say your tempers and stubbornness would clash was somewhat of an understatement. You knew neither of you meant anything you said, but you still said it, and you both would always apologize as soon as you realized you had said something that hurt the other. 

In all the years you had been with Tom, that was probably your most difficult time as a couple, but through patience and understanding, and beyond all things, love, you got past it.

"Hey, you ready?" Tom asked you after he had come back in, once again snapping you out of your thoughts.

You nodded and took his outstretched hand, then once again headed out into the arid city air.

The two of you walked hand-in-hand along the strip, pointing out the fun looking buildings and funny signs and taking pictures in front of them. 

It wasn't very often that he could go out while he was on tour, but one good thing about Las Vegas was that everyone there was too preoccupied with sight-seeing to pay attention to who was standing in front of them. It was a nice break. 

"So," you began, "What were you going to say on the bus?" 

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh right, well I…" 

You couldn't help but think that he seemed nervous.

"It's just that you mean the world to me, you know that?"

You laughed, "I had a hunch."

After a pause, you continued. "Was that what you wanted to say earlier?"

He shrugged, "It's part of it."

"You gonna tell the rest?"

He laughed, "I might." 

The two of you continued walking, and eventually he spoke again.

"What would you say Vegas is pretty known for?"

You looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, casinos?"

"Yeah, but anything else?"

"Strip clubs, tourism, cocaine... wedding chapels."

"Right..."

He stopped suddenly and you looked at him. "Is this still about what you were gonna tell me on the bus?"

"Sort of." He pointed up at the sign on the building you stopped in front of.

You looked up to read it, then looked back at him.

"Wait are you-?"

"Do you want to?" 

You grabbed his face and kissed his lips. "Let's go." 

The two of you walked in and were greeted, not only by someone dressed as Elvis at the end of the aisle, but the rest of the band waiting for you.

"Are you kidding me?" You asked him, "You set this up?" 

"Well, I figured we might as well." He grinned.

"And if I said no?"

"Then I'd be pretty embarrassed I guess. Good thing you didn't."

You stood hand in hand at the altar, listening as Elvis spoke to you about what you were agreeing to, and then Tom asked to say a few words. 

"(Y/N), you helped me through one of the hardest times in my life. Having to go through surgery and relearning to play, I don’t know if I'd have ever been able to do that on my own. I know I probably wasn't much fun to be around, but you stayed by my side the whole time. Without you, who knows what I would have done, maybe I'd have done what the doctors said and stopped playing. But you believed in me, you've always believed in me. And I wanna return the favour, I promise to be there for you when you need someone by your side," he chuckled quietly, "And even when you say you don't. I know you're strong, but you don't have to do everything alone. I'll always be in your corner, I'll always believe in you, and most of all, I'll always love you."

You were fighting back tears, you thought this was a spur of the moment decision, something brought up just because you were going to be here, but he was speaking like he had it written down long in advance. As you dabbed at your eyes with a tissue, he pulled out a small box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a ring you recognized.

"Wasn't that your mom's ring?"

"She loved you, she would've wanted you to have it." He smiled.

The tears you were fighting back almost came out right then and there. You knew how much his mother meant to him, and you knew how heartbroken he was when she had passed away. So for him to give you a ring with such importance to him meant everything to you.

"But how... Did you plan all of this?"

"The guy dressed as Elvis is a surprise." He shrugged then slid the ring on your finger. 

Soon, the two of you said your 'I Do's' and Elvis declared you married. 

You kissed Tom and the guys cheered from the audience, and without really having a plan to do so, you'd just married the love of your life. 

––– 

That evening, you laid in the bed with Tom, tangled up in a cuddle.

"So, we're married," Tom said, a smile growing on his face.

"Apparently." You wiggled your ring finger and smiled.

"Can I talk about it at the show?"

"What, like, tell the whole world now?"

"Not the whole world, just a couple thousand people."

"And the press."

He frowned, "So that's a no?"

"It's a 'not yet', you know my parents, they'd kill me, well they'd kill you, if they found out we got married in Vegas."

"Yeah, I didn't really think of that. My folks would've probably been a little pissed too." He shrugged and his smile returned. "You know what that means, right?"

"What?"

"Means that we have to get married again, just not in Vegas. I'd rather not be killed because I couldn't wait."

"Well, if it spares your life, I guess I can agree to that." 

He pulled you close to him, "I'm glad that I'll get to call you my wife, even if no one knows."

"Well, the two of us know, and the boys."

"And Elvis!"

You yawned. "Right, can't forget Elvis." 

He kissed your forehead, and smiled at you, "Goodnight, Mrs. Petty." 

Just as you were about to drift off to sleep, he spoke up again.

"Can I tell the crowd I proposed?"

You laughed sleepily, "Sure." 

[strabbyshortcake]

the truth about snaktooth

Gramble finally tells his partners what befell him and everybody else on the island.

“Whatcha doin’, Gram?”

The screen door clatters as it shuts behind Boots. It’s a nice summer night, one of the rare ones they got with little humidity, so Gramble had left the main door open, the sound of katydids and crickets drifting through from the outdoors. He looks up from the hand towel in his paws, shoulders hunched guiltily.

There’s a large cardboard box sitting on the floor, full of bits of kitchen décor. Ceramic plates with fruit stenciled on them, prints of vintage ads for bread and desserts, towels with produce embroidered on them. All the kitschy things Boots knew he liked decorating his spaces with, and Gramble spent more time in the kitchen than either her or Piesha, with how much he enjoyed cooking.

“Oh, evenin’ Boots,” he greets her, expression softening into a smile. “You remember we talked about Lizbert and Egg visitin?”

“Yeah…?” She pads over, frowning a little at the bare spots on the walls and shelves. Boots was acquainted with the two from attending expedition reunions with Gramble, and while she made it no mystery that she disliked Lizbert���s invasive style of exploration, it was all in the past. Liz had retired from that life after the whole Snaktooth stunt to become a museum curator. “What’s the matter, they allergic to tackiness?”

Gramble laughs at her affectionate teasing. “No, well… Actually, funny you should say that. Egg’s fine, but Liz has got… I guess you could say she’s got kind of a hang-up over food imagery. And while she’s doin’ well these days, might just make her a lil’ more comfortable to not feel so surrounded, y’know?”

“Yeah, yeah, I get you.” Boots nods, reaching up to take the clock off the wall. It’s a piece of painted wood in the shape of a strawberry. Nollie had made it in an art class. “Place is a little dusty, anyway.”

Together he and Boots work to mostly strip the place of any food-related decoration, leaving only a couple little accents up so the place didn’t seem too bare. Gramble sighs at the empty walls, leaning into Boots’ touch as she places a paw on his shoulder.

She and Pie had always been so understanding when he told them he couldn’t talk about what had happened on the island, but he hated to keep his loved ones in the dark. Not simply for the fact that there might still be danger lurking out there, but that he knew he could trust them, and yet, just telling them what had happened was almost as terrifying as the thought of being back there. The idea that just speaking of it would somehow make it manifest, bring it back into his life when he’d worked so hard to escape it, haunted him, but so did keeping it bottled up inside.

“…I need to tell you both what really happened,” he says quietly. “It’s been long enough. Just, after Liz and Egg are gone. Then we’ll talk about it.”

Boots blinks down at him in surprise. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

--

The visit went well. This was the first time Lizbert and Eggabell had seen the new house and the refurbished barn, the first they’d met Cardi and Dember, and Nollie had only been a year old when they’d last come around. They’d caught up, shared stories, enjoyed Gramble’s cooking and chatted about where their lives were going and where they’d been.

After they’d waved goodbye, gotten in Eggabell’s car and driven off to see Wambus and Triffany, after the dishes had been cleared and cleaned and the kids were all in bed, Gramble sat Boots and Piesha down on the porch swing in the back while he took the rocking chair.

“I need to tell you,” he says, fidgeting with his paws where they rested on his chest. “about what happened on Snaktooth.”

“Alright.” Pie nods slowly, leaning into Boots’ cushy side. Boots gives him an encouraging smile, rocking the swing back and forth slightly with her heel.

Gramble swallows, licking his lips. “So… Not all of what I told you was a cover-up. We did run outta food and I did almost starve to death. But… Geez, I dunno where to even start.”

“Why’d you go in the first place?” Boots asks.

“Oh, that I didn’t lie about either. My mama really did up and leave while I was at college. I went cuz… Cuz I guess I felt like I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I saw Liz on TV say she was gatherin’ people up for her team and I just… I wanted somewhere to go that wasn’t home.”

She nods solemnly, gesturing for him to go on.

“Well, Snaktooth… Liz said she found somethin’ there. These creatures she was documenting. D’you… Have either of you ever heard of bugsnax?” Gramble nearly whispers the last word, even though it’s just the three of them out here, just the three of them and the crickets and fireflies, the kids sound asleep.

Piesha tilts her head, thoughtful. “Mm… Maybe a long time ago,” Pie says. “One of those things they got lots of fairy tales about. Critters made of food, right?”

“Right.” Gramble nods. “But they’re real. And please- I know how it sounds,” he stammers, even though neither of them looked skeptical. “But I swear. I saw them, I picked them up and held them, I had a whole barn full of them that Liz and Buddy caught for me. I had names for them, and… and everybody said they were the most delicious things they’d ever eaten. B-but there’s a reason for that. Sorry, lemme go back a bit and explain.

“When we got there, we thought we’d be able to farm. That was Wambus’s thing, but no matter what he tried, the crops would wither, or the bugsnax would get in and destroy them. The only thing he could grow was the sauce that grew on the island, and that wasn’t anywhere near enough to live on. Pretty soon we ran outta food, but that wasn’t a problem for most folks. They’d just eat the bugsnax.”

“And I’m guessin’ you didn’t?” Boots asks.

He shakes his head. “No, I didn’t want to. I already didn’t eat meat, and the snax were always so cute and friendly and I couldn’t bear the thought of hurtin’ them. So I just… didn’t. I tried to live off the sauce, and I ate dandelions and weeds, I ate damn near anything that was edible, but it was never enough.”

“That’s awful, Gram.” Boots says, her brows knitted. “Why didn’t you leave?”

“Well, I… I thought about it,” Gramble wraps his arms around himself. “Even though I didn’t have nowhere to return to, I figured it might be better than starving. But it wasn’t too long after that Lizbert up and disappeared. Her and Egg, there was an earthquake and after that they never came back to town. Some folks thought they died, others thought they ran off, but without her nobody was bringin’ in bugsnax to eat and they started to eat mine, so I ran off with the rest of ‘em and that made everybody mad and I really did start to think there was nobody who cared about me but the snax and Wiggle, and… and even she was eatin’ them too, but I let her cuz I didn’t have nobody else... I was so afraid she’d leave me too that I put up with it.”

He pauses, taking a deep breath. “So, um… I guess a couple weeks after that, Buddy finally showed up. We’d been on the island almost a year at that point. They wanted to interview Liz, figure out what happened, and they managed to get all of us back into town within a week or two. I was really doin’ poorly though.” His claws absently scratch at his belly over the scar that the rake had left, concealed beneath his fur but never fully faded.  “Didn’t care much whether I lived or died. Nothin’ I tried worked, and one of the big snax I asked Buddy for nearly killed me. And then…”

Boots holds Pie’s paw between both of hers, stroking it, both of them patiently waiting for him to gather his racing thoughts. It had been so long since he’d even thought about all this, and much of the events were a haze of hunger and pain, he was amazed he could keep the basic timeline coherent.

“Then, one night… When we were all back in town, Filbo decided he wanted to throw a party. That was when everything… That’s when it all fell apart. There was an active volcano on the island, and it erupted. Eggabell suddenly showed up back in town and told us she knew where Liz was, and she and Buddy and Filbo ran off to get her while the rest of us tried to get to safety. B-but… You remember what I said before, about the bugsnax?” He lifts his gaze to the two of them.

Pie nods at him. “Yeah. They taste good, right?”

“They also…” Gramble holds his paws out, curling his fingers into fists. “They change you. Whenever you eat one, your body parts become it. I know it sounds silly, but everybody was walkin’ around with arms and legs made of strawberries and corn and cinnamon rolls and you kinda just… got used to it. I only ever ate one when I was sleepwalkin’, and I don’t even remember what it was like, but everybody else except Shelda ate ‘em all the time. You get used to it and then you start believin’ that they’re the only thing that can make you feel good anymore. Sorta like drugs, but sorta like… Wiggle used to say they inspired her, and Chandlo thought he could get stronger with them, it was whatever you wanted. I guess even I was fallin’ for it, thinkin’ they could replace my family, and I never even had to eat ‘em.

“But that’s the trick. You get dependent, but you don’t realize that… That they’re parasites. And I’m kinda fuzzy on the details, but according to Buddy, Liz was somehow stuck down in the main… meat of the hive,” Gramble brings his paws together, looking down at his intertwined fingers. “And that’s where she’d been all along, down in the darkness with all those food bugs crawlin’ all over her and into her mouth and… that’s why she’s got such a thing about food.”

“Ah…” He can’t blame Boots for looking a little numb, covering her mouth with her paw as Pie stares blankly at him. It was a lot to take in. “Yeah, I guess that’d do it.”

Gramble goes on. “They attacked us not long after Buddy and the others left, tryin’ to force themselves into our mouths, or kill us, either or. I guess they knew the jig was up, then and there. No comin’ back from that. But we all got away, in the end… And that’s what happened.”

He falls silent. The porch swing creaks slightly as Boots lets it come to a stop, letting the singing of the insects fill the air between them for a long moment.

“S’this place still out there…?” Piesha speaks up softly, glancing out into the darkness as if the snax might be watching from the trees.

“Far as I know,” Gramble says, slipping off the chair to walk over and take one of their paws in each of his. “But you gotta promise me you will never, ever go there.” His expression is grim as he peers up at them. “And you’ll never breathe a word to any of the kids about it, or to anybody else. Nobody should ever step foot on that awful place again.”  

“Gram,” Boots squeezes his paw in return, then leans over to scoop him up and pull him into her lap, the swing groaning in complaint as yet another grumpus is piled upon it. “…there’s gotta be somethin’ we can do-”

“No.” Gramble shakes his head, desperation creeping into his voice. “I- I don’t know. Maybe there is somethin’ that someone out there can do, but it can’t be any of us. I don’t want nothin’ to do with it ever again and if word gets out, it’s just gonna be more people goin’ there and that’s exactly what it wants. Please,” he tilts his head up at her, the porch light glimmering in his eyes. “Just leave it alone. It can’t get us here and I want it to stay that way. Promise me.”

When she hesitates, he repeats himself, teeth glinting as his lips peel back. “Promise me, please-”

“I promise.” Boots leans down to kiss him on the nose, wrapping her arm around him as the other draws Pie in closer. “I won’t tell nobody if that’s what you want.”

“That’s all that I want,” he murmurs into her fluffy chest, suddenly very tired despite the mental weight that had lifted. He’d spoken Snaktooth’s name aloud, finally uncorked what he’d kept bottled up for nearly two decades now. He should feel better-prepared, now that they were all on the same page, so why did he still feel like he was only summoning the beast? Perhaps he just needed to sleep, let this new information digest, and they’d face whatever came tomorrow together.

Hundreds of miles away, the island remembers them too.

[ragingbookdragon]

Just A Scratch

Asra x M!Apprentice

Word Count: 1.5K Warnings: Slight Angst

Author’s Note: In this house we stan lip scars because they’re enticing and hot. Enjoy! -Thorne

           It had been a long three months for Asra. A long and tiring three months away from the man he loved more than the world itself, and even if he didn’t remember Asra’s love, it still hurt to be away from him. By the time he’d reached the outskirts of Vesuvia, his heart was aching to see his face, to hold him again. And while Asra’s trips were usually to get away from his feelings, though he could never outrun them, even if he ran to the ends of the earth, this time, he’d actually had a legitimate reason for leaving: adventuring to find a book that he had specifically requested of Asra, the Grand Arcane Tome of Elemental Magic.

           The tome was huge and bound with thick, sapphire colored leather, and buckled with a silver fastening. Its pages were old and weathered, and Asra could feel the deep ingrained remnants of magic from where it sat in his bag. He worried a bit over giving the book to (Y/N). Not that he was worried that (Y/N) couldn’t handle it, but Asra knew well that magic was the husband of chaos, and every spell had a chance to go awry, all it took was one simple miscalculation and it could blow up in your face. The last thing that Asra wanted was to come home to the shop destroyed and (Y/N) seriously injured. Or worse dead, again.

           He shook the dark thoughts from his mind as he entered the Marketplace of the Center City district. It was a familiar sight that relaxed him from the distressing feelings he’d conflicted himself with, and took a moment to look around, eyes falling on Selasi’s bakery. The intoxicating scent of fresh pumpkin bread reached him, and his stomach gave an obnoxiously loud gurgle. His cheeks flushed as he started to glance around, hoping no one heard it, but before he could make a move, a wriggling lavender serpent popped out of his shirt.

           Hungry!

           Asra chuckled and reached up, scratching underneath the snake’s chin. “I bet you’re hungry too, huh Faust?”

           Want a fuzzy rat!

           He laughed again and headed for Selasi’s shop. “Well, knowing (Y/N), he’s probably caught one and has it waiting for you.”

           Excited to see friend!

           Asra had barely made it within ten feet of Selasi’s bakery when the baker himself stepped out and waved, a grin growing on his face.

           “Asra! You’re back!”

           He waved in return. “Just got back into town actually. (Y/N)’s book took longer to track down than I thought it would.” He pulled out his coin purse. “Can I get two loaves? I’d like to surprise him when I get home.”

           Something flashed in Selasi’s expression. “About (Y/N)…”

           Asra’s heart dropped to his feet, fingers numbing on the spot as his voice raised just a bit from concern. “Is he okay?” he asked, taking a step forward. “Did something happen while I was gone?”

           He was almost downright hysterical and Selasi gestured with his hands for Asra to relax. “Calm down, Asra,” he advised, explaining, “It’s nothing serious, but a couple days ago, he stopped a few hooligans from extorting me.” He smiled. “Saved my life, if I’m honest.”

           Asra’s brows furrowed. “What happened?”

           “Oh, fickle thing,” Selasi waved off. “Every now and then we’ll get a few ‘visitors’ from Goldgrave who think they can bully the lot of us around.” He gave Asra a knowing look. “You know how it is.”

           “And (Y/N)?”

           “Oh, right! Well, he was here delivering some supplies I had from the docks. Told him he didn’t have to, but you know how he is, always looking out for everyone.” Asra’s heart swelled, knowing (Y/N)’s heart of gold all too well.

           “Well, he was leaving when the three of them came in, demanding coin and goods. The ringleader had a knife.” He sighed. “I was just going to hand it over, no sense making a fuss, but (Y/N), bless him, stepped in and told them they needed to leave.”

           While (Y/N) was always there to help someone in need, he hadn’t put himself in harms way since before he di—since before Asra left. While he was the same person he’d always been when he came back, quiet, reserved, and always kind, Asra had noticed that he walked away from trouble when he could, only involving himself if he had no choice. So, to hear that (Y/N) willingly put himself between a knife-wielding ruffian and an innocent civilian, was surprising, but not unexpected.

           “What happened when he told them to leave?” Asra inquired.

           Selasi inhaled and started fixing two loaves to go. “They started laughing and mocking him, asking him what he was going to do about it. The ringleader waved the knife in his face, but (Y/N) didn’t even flinch, he just said, ‘Get out or I’ll make you.’.” He looked at Asra. “I’ve never seen (Y/N) look so serious in all the time I’ve known him.”

           Handing over the packaged bread, he added, “They all tried to take him on, but he held his own and sent them packing. Didn’t even use his magic either! Just took ‘em on barehanded! Got banged up a bit, but he was okay afterwards.” Selasi smiled at Asra. “(Y/N)’s a fine young man.”

           Asra let go of a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and took the bread, returning it with coin. “That he is,” he answered softly and nodded before making his way down the street just a little faster.

***

           He frowned as his eyes flit between the little box in front of him and the list in his hand. His fingers trailed over every little bottle, mumbling the names as he went down the line.

           Two bottles of Sphinx’s Extract, four pinches of Fairy Wing Dust, seven Daydream Blossoms, one pinch of Mound Bindweed, two vials of Werewolf Blood, eight Aromatic Belladonna bulbs, two stalks of Goldho—

           The little bell above the door rang, and though his back was to the door, he tipped his head, calling, “Give me just a moment to finish this order and I’ll be right with you!”

           A familiar chuckle made his heart thump. “I’m gone for three months and an order takes priority over me, (Y/N)?”

           He spun around, a smile crossing his lips as he caught sight of Asra, and Faust sticking out of his shirt. Just as fast as the grin had come across his face, it dropped and he let out a hiss, bringing a hand up to his mouth. Asra set down his bag and the wrapped loaves on the counter, hurrying over. He raised his hands to (Y/N)’s face, worry etched into his expression.

           “Are you alright?” he worried, and (Y/N) lowered his hands, nodding with a frown.

           “Yeah, just a little scratch.”

           He let Asra take his face in his hands and gently examine him. “It looks a little more than just a scratch.” Before (Y/N) could say anything, he added, “This must be what Selasi was talking about.”

           “You know about that?” (Y/N) doubted, disbelief in his tone.

           Asra snorted. “Please, the entire market is talking about it.” He ran his thumb softly over the scabbing cut that went through the left side of (Y/N)’s top lip. Something flickered in his eyes as he met (Y/N)’s gaze. “Did it hurt?”

           He shrugged. “Meh, didn’t even notice I was really injured until Selasi was frantically throwing a towel at me and yelling for a doctor.”

           Asra huffed a laugh. “Lemme heal it—”

           “Wait!” (Y/N) recoiled from his grasp as if he’d been burned and covered his mouth. It took everything that Asra had in him to not let the pain show. For a moment they stared at one another, not really knowing how to follow through.

           It pained him to speak, but Asra did, barely holding it together. “(Y/N)?” He responded, but Asra didn’t catch it. “What did you say?”

           Sighing, (Y/N) lowered his hand and mumbled, “I want it to scar.”

           Asra’s brows furrowed, and he questioned, “What? Why?”

           (Y/N) cleared his throat and shifted on his feet as the heat climbed up his neck and ears. “I want it to scar because it’ll make me look rugged and handsome.” He finished quickly, cheeks hot to the touch and turned around.

           “Anyway, I have to finish this up. You should go and unpack. I’ll have dinner ready soon.”

           Asra watched him for a moment, a fond smile coming across his lips as he moved back to his bag and gathered it in his arms. He passed (Y/N) who was going between the list and box again, but a closer inspection told Asra that he was so embarrassed that he wasn’t really doing  much of anything.

           As he reached the steps and took the first one, a devious though crossed his mind. He turned and called, “(Y/N)?”

           Looking up, he caught mirthful eyes. “Mhm?”

           Asra smirked. “It does make you look rugged and handsome.”

[thessalian]

Molly!Warden vs Last Errands

On return from Vigil’s Keep

Molly: Hey, Herren! You’ve made some spiffy shit. How do you feel about crafting something out of this?

Herren: Is that dragon bone?

Molly: Spectral dragon bone.

Herren: *squeeing at a pitch only mabari can hear*

Molly: So you can make me a really spiffy sword, is what you’re saying. So I’ll let you work on that and ... Justice? Here.

Justice: This ring sings! And many of these things belonged to this Kristoff. I ... have some of his memories, you see.

Aura: Where. Is. My. Husband?!?

Molly: Those memories ... did they involve a wife at all?

Justice: This is a moment for mortal profanity, isn’t it.

On the way to Amaranthine

Justice: Thank you for agreeing to go with me to see Aura. I feel as though I should do something to alleviate her pain. It is only just.

Molly: No problem. Sorry if I ask you to keep the helm on in town, though. People might freak out, a bit.

Justice: Understandable. And it would be unjust to have my presence in this body taint the mage’s reputation in some way.

Anders: Wut.

Molly: ‘Cos they might think you’re an abomination or a maleficar if you’re walking around with a corpse, I guess?

Dragons: RAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sigrun: What - and I cannot stress this enough - the fuck.

Molly: Hey, these ones aren’t nearly as big as the one made of lightning, okay? We’re fine.

Justice: And the scars and dragon blood on our armour will distract from my physicality. Wonderful.

Molly: ...You do you, salroka.

In Amaranthine:

Aura: Avenge my husband!

Justice: That was the plan, yes.

Molly: Well, that was easy. Lemme just sell some stuff and then we can get back and see what Varel and the others make of all the pieces we’ve been collecting of Puzzle of Darkspawn Stupid.

Back at the Keep, again

Molly: Oh, Oghren; got you this.

Oghren: A toy horse?!?

Molly: You said you wanted a pony.

Oghren: You always did give people the damnest things because of some offhand comment or other.

Molly: And of course, if you don’t want it, maybe you can send it to your ‘nugget’. With, I dunno, a letter now and then?

Oghren: Yeah. I should probably do that.

Molly: Seriously. My own dad vanished to fuck-knows-where and it’s not a thing a kid forgets.

Oghren: Well, if the nugget turns out like you ‘cos I’m not around, maybe that’s a good reason to stay away.

Molly: First of all, princess consort. Second, now you develop charm? And third ... just write the poor nugget, Oghren.

Oghren: *grin* Heh. Aye, Commander.

Molly: Right; that situation sorted and ... there’s nobles all up and down the throne room. Varel? S’up?

Varel: Darkspawn on the way.

Molly: Because of course there fucking is. At least they’re not coming up from the basement this time. I wonder if it’s Architect or Mother pulling this shit.

Noblewoman: Darkspawn army heading for Amaranthine!

Molly: Oh, nug-fuck. Um. Okay. The brothers say this place is really secure and we’ll have a few good Wardens to hold the place but Amaranthine’s got squat. We go bolster things in Amaranthine.

Sigrun: Take me! Take me! Take me!

Molly: Was planning on it, salroka. Also, Justice and Anders. Nathaniel, I need you defending your old home this time. And you know why you’re staying, Oghren.

Oghren: We’ll try to save some for you if you do the same for us, Mols.

Velanna: I would rather defend this place than a shemlen city anyway. Creators smile on you.

Nathaniel: Try not to die, alright? I know how odd it seems for me to be saying that, since we met with me trying to kill you, but--

Molly: I get it, I get it, but hey, come on. This isn’t even an archdemon. We’re all going to be fine if you just remember the on-the-job training. And remember our motto.

Varel: In peace, vigilance; in war, victory--

All Wardens: You Learn To Cope.

Varel: ...Oh. That too, I suppose.

Amaranthine

Molly: Oh, come on; this is barely even a workout!

Aiden: The city can’t be saved! I say we burn it so the darkspawn can’t have it!

Molly: People can survive more than you think and I’m not burning the city over their heads so deal with it! Seriously, compared to Denerim, this is nugshit work.

Aiden: But there’s an ogre and one of them casts magic and--

Anders; Sigrun; Molly: *hysterical laughter*

Justice: All I glean from Kristoff tells me that I would be laughing too, were I able. She killed an archdemon, Captain Aiden. Do her deed justice by respecting her experience.

Aiden: You ... are all made of weird.

Molly: HEEEEEEEEEEERE DARKSPAWN DARKSPAWN DARKSPAWN!

Stabnation: *ensues in such a way that Aiden looks more than a little stupid for worrying*

Later

Aiden: Um ... more darkspawn on the way in less than a day. You should rest up with the refugees in the Chantry.

Molly: ..................The one you wanted to burn down over their heads?!? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?

Anders: Great. You want her to get some sleep and then you set her off. And here’s us without Oghren’s booze.

Aiden: Well, you won’t like hearing that some of those darkspawn are coming from the inn, then. So that’s even less chance of booze.

Molly: And of course I fucking murdered the moonshiners. Great. Never mind. Sleep now, then the inn. ...Wait. There’s that door into the smuggler tunnels from the-- SONUVANUGHUMPINGSANDSNIFFING-- *continues profanity*

Anders: *sleep spell*

Molly: *keeps ranting*

Sigrun: Forgot that dwarves are pretty resistant to magic, huh?

Anders: Knickerweasels. MOLLY! Rest up your stabbing arm and then go solve the problem, alright?

Molly: FINE. But someone better have smuggled in coffee!

[thiswasinevitableid]

for the meet ugly asks, 08 with the ot4 if that’s ok? (the note in the locker one, in case I have the wrong number). rating up to you! :)

Here you go! I went NSFW

Joseph is not missing his chance. Not again.

If he’s keeping count, which he’s certainly not, he’s missed fifty-two chances between fifth grade and now.

Barclay’s family moved next door in the summer of 1951, causing eleven year old Joseph to learn very quickly what it’s like to have someone whose side you never want to leave. Lucky for him, Barclay felt the same way; they were in the same boyscout troop, were each others first choice for sleep overs or outings where they were allowed to take one friend. When they hit high school, Barclay went out for football because Joseph did (and Joseph did because that’s what upstanding young men do). They played together all four years, Barclays growth spurt rendering him doubly dangerous on defense and the dominant source of Joseph’s late-night fantasies. Joseph did debate club alone, but Barclay joined him for chess club. And when Barclay bought his car, his first stop was to take Joseph cruising, just the two of them.

Unluckily, Joseph’s never worked up the nerve to tell Barclay how he feels. This may be why he hasn’t had a date since the spring hop two years ago, while Barclay’s had quite a few (cheerleaders and band boys alike can’t seem to resist his physique and general gentleness).

That all changes today. Joseph slipped a note into Barclays locker right before lunch that conveyed all relevant information.

Dear you,

Drive in on Friday? We can park in the back row.

Love,

Joseph.

He’s sitting in his normal spot on the bench near the cafeteria, doing his best impersonation of someone who’s heart isn’t in his throat.

As he’s scanning the crowd, none other than Duck Newton begins weaving his way over to him, leather jacket reflecting the sun and his black hair combed back as always. Joseph was wary of him for years--as any good square is of kids from the rough side of town--until they got paired together in biology their senior year. Duck, who seems not to give a shit about school the rest of the time, is incredibly good at science. And he’s funny, nearly got them both kept after class for cracking a joke that made Joseph lose his breath laughing.

The problem is, right now he’s waving a very familiar piece of paper.

“Gotta say, I’m pretty fuckin flattered, Joe. But, uh” he leans on the table, smiling playfully, “I gotta make sure ‘Drid is okay with me playin backseat bingo with someone who ain’t him.”

“Um.” Joseph shakes his head, trying not to focus on the idea of Duck holding his head in his lap in the dark corner of the drive in, “I, I’m so sorry. I must have been nervous enough to put the note in the wrong locker. Not, not that you’re not a catch.”

Duck raises his eyebrow, “1650 or 1652?”

“1652.”

“Huh. Well, I got shop class with Barclay. You want me to just give it to him?”

“No.” Joseph holds out his hand.

Duck places the letter in it with a shrug, “Suit yourself, slick. See you later.”

Joseph rips the letter to shreds, tosses it in the trash, and hopes that’s the end of this humiliating error.

It’s not.

“Hello, Joseph.” Indrid Cold rests a shoulder on the locker next to his. There’s no one in Kepler High quite like him; his family moved from California three years ago, which most people use as the explanation for Indrid’s red glasses, crystal necklace, and pale hair that is always a quarter-inch shy of the principal writing him up for it. He’s never struck Joseph as the kind to fight, but he did mistakenly proposition his boyfriend three hours ago.

“Indrid. How can I help you?”

The taller boy hands him a folded slip of notebook paper, “By taking me up on this invitation.”

Before Joseph can ask any questions, Indrid is disappearing down the hall. The paper contains a hand drawn map to an X, under which is the word “Bash” but nothing else. Joseph has never been invited to any kind of party that needed a secret map. He mostly just gets invited to get togethers because he’s the captain of the football team. No one talks to him once he’s there. Well, except Barclay.

He stares at the map; he doesn’t have to be home until ten. He’s never going to get a chance to make the scene like this again.

Joseph shuts his locker and hurries to his car.

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

Indrid’s remarkably accurate map leads him to a dirt parking lot beneath the sign for Amnesty Point. As he follows the signs for the “beach house,” a Coaster’s song drifts through the air, underscored by splashes from the lake to his right. He’s deep in the woods on the wrong side of the tracks, but even so he’s unprepared for how everyone lounging around the weathered picnic tables on a shaded patio stops talking and stares at him.

“Who the fuck invited the square?” Someone whispers, making him wish he hadn’t left the map in the car.

“Joseph?”

He turns so fast the gravel flies. Barclay, clad in a grease-stained apron, is smiling so bright it evaporates his nervousness.

“Hi, big guy.”

His friend hoists him in a hug, “I’m so glad you’re here, Indrid said he invited you but I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“He piqued my curiosity. Um, is this the new job you were so cagey about?”

“Yep. Mama--she runs this place--pays real well, but tries to keep Amnesty Point kinda secret. Cops just love busting places like this up for no reason.”

Joseph nods, still a little hurt Barclay didn’t trust him enough to share where he worked. His friend must notice the dip in his smile before he hides it, because he adds, “It’s gonna be even better working here now that you know where to find me. Listen, um, I gotta get back before Jake sets something on fire, but the burger stand closes at eight. I’ll come find you after that. Duck and Indrid are down by the dock, if you want company.”

He absolutely does, since the alternative is looking even more out of place by being the only person here alone.

When he hits the grey sand, Duck is just pulling himself back onto dry land. The half moon scars on his chest are the only reminders of the trip he took to San Francisco last summer.

“Glad you showed up, slick. Day like this, the water is the only nice place to be.”

“I wish I’d known, I would have brought my swim shorts.” Maybe if he rolls up his pant legs he can get some relief from the heat…

“Could just go in your boxers. I won’t tell.” Duck winks.

“Nothing is also allowed.” Indrid lilts, floating past on his back.

Joseph looks at him, then at the planks of the dock because Indrid is also demonstrating that second option without a care.

Duck snickers, “sugar, put somethin on, you’re scandalizin’ the poor guy.”

“Very well. But I demand help with the sunblock in payment for quashing my self-expression this way.”

“You’re soundin like your pops there, ‘Drid.”

“....ugh, you’re right.” A splash and the soft fwup of a towel, “alright, Joseph, I’m decent.” He is, but his swim shorts leave very little to the imagination. Joseph stares a moment too long, notices Duck smirking when he looks away.

The greaser holds out a bottle of sunblock and they get to work.

“Goddamn, this wouldn’t take so long if you weren’t so fuckin long everywhere.”

“You’ve never complained about that before.” Indrid grins, red sunglasses hiding his eyes. He doesn’t lift a finger to help them, but Duck seems to get a kick from it. Joseph wonders if he spoils Indrid like this in everything they do. If Indrid ever does it back.

(If either of them would do it for him).

They spend the evening talking, Duck skipping stones and Indrid sunning himself while Joseph dangles his legs in the water. When they get back to the beach house Joseph receives fewer stares, Duck and Indrid’s company substituting for cool. He and Duck get a real dinner, but Indrid opts to down three Cokes in place of a meal.

When Barclay closes up shop, he’s immediately at Joseph’s side. Joseph is about to suggest they all go for a walk when Indrid winks at Barclay and steers Duck towards the trees with a promise to see Joseph at school tomorrow.

“You get on okay while I was working?” Barclay starts them on a path towards the edge of the point.

“I did. It was actually really nice just to spend time talking with people who like me. Or at least don’t hate me enough to shove me in the water fully clothed.”

“Nah, they’re not those kind of guys. Hell, it was their idea to invite you here. I was, uh, I was too shy.”

He stops, turning to face Barclay, “what do mean?”

“Duck told me about the note.”

“Oh lord.”

“Not on purpose, he just mentioned he’d seen you and when I asked how you were doing, well, you know he can’t lie for shit. So Indrid suggested we invite you out here.”

“Out of pity?”

“No.” Barclay frowns, sets his hands on Joseph’s shoulders, “Joseph, why didn’t you just ask me out in person?”

“I was too nervous. I thought it might ruin everything.”

“Not a chance, blue eyes.” Barclay rumbles. Then he’s kissing him, gentle and slow, whimpering when Joseph kisses back and cups his face. When they part, he’s certain there’s nothing but air under his feet.

“Can we do that again?”

“Not tonight. Your curfew is still ten.”

“Shit, you’re right, if I don’t get on the road I’ll be late.”

“Lemme walk you to your car. I gotta hang around since I’m Indrid and Duck’s ride home tonight.”

“Do you want to go get them so we can all leave together?”

Barclay chuckles, tips his head towards the woods where a faint, rhythmic grunting cane be heard.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, not gonna ruin their fun.” He pulls Joseph into a much more heated kiss, then sighs, “get home safe, blue eyes.”

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

Joseph suffered through both the personal hygiene class at school and his father’s lecture on what to expect now that he was truly a man. But nothing in either of those taught him what to do if he’s so hot under the collar he can’t focus but the guy who’s causing it won’t just fuck him.

He and Barclay have gone out every Friday for the last month, steaming up the car windows with their kissing sessions. They tried to work out who was supposed to give who their varsity jacket and settled on just trading, Joseph smiling whenever he spots Barclays name on his back. And Barclay tells everyone Joseph is his boyfriend with a level of pride he never gave their state football wins.

But he won’t go all the way with him. One Sunday afternoon they were listening to records in Barclays room when the larger boy rolled across the rug to straddle Joseph. His hands were hot and a little rough on his cock, Joseph moaning into his mouth as he came in under a minute. Before he could reciprocate, the front door banged open, announcing the return of Barclay’s parents. His boyfriend told him not to worry about it and kissed him on the cheek.

He’s worried Barclay loves him but doesn’t want him. He’s worried that if he ever does, Joseph will embarrass himself, be so inexperienced and inelegant he’ll turn him off forever. He wonders if he can entice Barclay to ask him to fuck so he doesn’t have to admit the embarssing intensity of his desire.

“Duck? Do you, um, do you think I’d look better if I dressed like you?”

The greaser looks up from his notes, “Maybe? I mean, I dress like this because I dig it. You wanna try it, go wild.”

Joseph nods, intending to drop it. Instead, he slows his stride by Duck during their laps in gym.

“It’s just, I’m worried I’m too square for anyone to be really into me.”

“Joe, what the fuck is this about?”

“Newton, I heard that! That’s an extra lap.”

“Son of uh, hold on, are you worried about Barclay? Because he’s so into your goody-goody thing I’m surprised he ain’t asked you to fuck him with your report card.”

“Stern, you’re done, get off the track!”

He jogs to the bleachers, Duck’s words rattling around long after he’s hit the locker room.

“You’re really worried about this, ain’t you? You’re smart, slick, but I swear sometimes you can’t see what’s right in front of you.” Duck is behind him, still in his gym clothes while Joseph is half changed out of them. They’re both dawdling, the locker room empty save for some other stragglers near the bathroom.

“Duck, if I were in high demand, I’d be getting more, um, attention than I-”

His sentence is cut short by Duck yanking him down into a kiss, lips salty with sweat and so demanding Joseph wants to get on his knees.

Duck pulls back, pats his cheek, “Like I said; right in front of you.”

With that he waves and leaves the room the back way. Joseph can’t even be mad for cutting school; right now, he’s almost ready to follow him.

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

“I really must thank you again.” Indrid clears the low table of his math notes, “my focus is such that I struggle with math much more than I’d like. Having someone sit and walk me through it in a calm setting helps a great deal.”

“I’m always happy. Barclay can too, if you ever can’t get a hold of me.”

“Oh, I know he can. He helped me last year.” Indrid stretches his legs; they’re on the floor of his VW Westfalia. His parents let him live in it on the property behind their one-story house as long as he continues to be a cooperative member of the household.

“I didn’t know that.”

“It was only a few times, though he often lingered when we were through.” Indrid’s emphasis makes Joseph blush.

“Duck and I weren’t going steady yet. And my cocksucking skills are not the stuff of legend for nothing.” Indrid smiles, dreamily.

“Oh. Um.” Joseph shifts his notebook into his lap.

Indrid sits up straighter, “I apologize. I, ah, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not sure that’s what this is.”

Indrid cocks his head, “No? Envy perhaps? After all, you’ve had years to dream about him, to hope you’d be the first, and here comes a skinny little freak from the coast to beat you to it.”

“You’re not a freak” Joseph says softly, “I, I can’t say I blame Barclay for taking you up on it.”

“He does have excellent taste” Indrid looks pointedly over his glasses at him. The heat under his skin doubles as Indrid crawls forward, “you know, Duck and I have an...understanding. But if you and Barclay do not, I can stop. I mean, I can stop regardless, if you don’t want this.” He lowers to his belly between Joseph’s legs, nuzzles his fly with a hum.

“I, I--ohlord” He moans when Indrid mouths at his slacks; he’s getting hard, if he had his way he’d lay down and let Indrid suck him off until he came on his glasses. But he knows he won’t enjoy it if he isn’t sure how Barclay feels.

“I, we should stop. Please.���

Indrid sits up, smiling, “Of course. Would you like to stay for dinner? My mother is making fish stew instead of tofu salad for once.”

“...I’d love to.”

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

“I didn’t know Amnesty owned all this.” Joseph let’s Barclay guide him through the trees.

“Yeah, Mama’s family bought it years ago and she’s hung onto it through some seriously nasty shit. Hah, there they are.” Barclay waves to Duck and Indrid, resting against each other on a massive, checkered blanket. His boyfriend sets the picnic basket down and then, confusingly, turns off the lantern Duck brought.

“Okay, baby, there’s something I’ve got to ask” Barclay looks at him, “do you think I don’t wanna make it with you?”

“Truthfully? Yes. You, you’ve barely gone beyond some heavy petting, meanwhile Indrid was offering to blow me.” He slaps a hand over his mouth; there go all three of these relationships.

Barclay shrugs, “He told me about that.”

“Honesty is important. Most of the time.” Indrid grins.

“Blue eyes, I’m crazy about you. I’ve just been going slow because I was afraid I’d stress you out. I know how you get, Joseph. You put so much pressure on yourself to do everything right, I was worried you’d try so hard to be perfect for me that you wouldn’t enjoy it at all.”

Joseph stares into deep brown eyes, eyes he’s loved since he was a boy. Then he laughs softly, rests his head on Barclay’s shoulder, “You really do know me well, you know that.”

“Oh, oh baby” Barclay holds him closer, “you really think there was a way of touching me that’d disappoint me? Fuck, just getting to kiss you makes me the happiest guy in the state.”

“That being said” Duck drawls, “aint there somethin about practice makin perfect?”

“I, are, is this really what you three want?”

“Yes” Indrid nods, “but if you don’t, well, we shall never speak of it again.”

“I do. Sweet fucking christ I do.” He kisses Barclay ferociously as the other two scoot closer.

“Hmm, I believe we should let seniority decide. Barclay, what’s your preference?”

His boyfriend pulls back, kissing his jaw, “Do you wanna blow me, blue eyes?”

“So badly.”

“That settles that. Duck, what about--ah, I see you’re already taking off your pants, so I guess you’re fucking hm. He’s fucking you? Ah, semantics.” Indrid waves his hand dismissively.

“Wait, does, do we have a rubber?”

Duck pulls one from his wallet, “never leave to see this one without one. I know how he is.”

Indrid pecks his cheek, then grins, “I believe, Joseph, that leaves me to help you with your hand jobs.”

“Fuck, yes.”

“On your back, baby.” Barclays nudges him and he falls onto the blanket. For a moment only the trees and stars look down on him; then Barclays face fills his vision as his hands open his fly and guide his cock out.

“AHshit, shit that’s good.” He bucks as his boyfriend jerks him off steadily, his cock standing at attention in a matter of seconds.

“Okay big fella, you go get your dick sucked.” Duck straddles him. He’s down to only his undershirt, his muscular thighs, soft belly, and strong arms on full displays as he rolls the condom down.

“You’re so handsome” Joseph sighs.

Duck seems to blush, “Thanks, slick. Not bad yourself.”

“I mean it, really, you’re incredible” he paws his legs, grabs his shirt and pulls him down into the kiss. Duck giggles into his mouth, then sinks down onto his cock. Joseph decides he is never, never letting go of the man above him; his weight is so comforting, his body so perfect, the way his laughs morph into moans so charming.

“G-great thing about this position” Duck gasps, “is you don’t gotta do much besides let me ride you. That’s why it’s ‘Drid’s favorite.”

“Second favorite; you on my face is my first. Speaking of which” he kneels, gently lifts Joseph’s head into his hands while Barclay sits cross-legged on the other side of his head. His cock is thick and long, so mouthwatering Joseph opens his mouth without being told.

“Fuck, baby, wanted this so long.” Barclay guides his cock between his lips when Indrid turns his head. The skinnier man keeps supporting him as his tongue registers skin, sweat, Barclay and he whines for more.

“Easy, blue eyes, fuck, you’re doing great.”

“I’ll say. Fuck, can’t believe you been keepin this dick all to yourself, Joe.”

“I got my haAAnds on it once.”

“Clearly you should have done it more” Indrid purrs, hips moving slightly, “as soon as someone plays with it, he sucks cock very nicely.”

“No fuckin kiddin. Baby, baby, yeah, suck like that.”

Indrid shifts behind him, “Barclay, hold him a moment, there’s been a change of plans.” A zipper goes as Barclay cradles him. Then Indrid’s fingers are back, turning him to face a second, narrower cock.

“Handjobs can wait.” Indrid pulls him forward, moaning high when he sucks the head, “oooh, yes, that’s it.”

“Fuck, I’m gonna fuckin combust watchin you do that.” Duck bounces more deliberately and Joseph yelps joyfully around Indrid’s cock. He’s already close to cumming, the feeling of Duck around him and Indrid inside him flooding the rest of him with pleasure.

Indrid pulls his head back, starts to turn him towards Barclays, when it punches through him. He moans, pushes up into Duck as the shorter man laughs.

“I, I came first, I’m sorry, this is one of the things-”

“Shush” Barclay helps him up as Duck climbs of him, “that was fucking incredible, and you’re not done yet.”

“On your knees, facing us. Unless, sweetheart, do you-”

Duck’s hand is already between his legs, “I’m gonna enjoy the show.”

“Mmm, which means I get to enjoy you enjoying it. Barclay, turn slightly, like this.”

“Why, oh, oh I got it, fuck, you’re a fucking genius.”

Joseph agrees, though he’s going a bit cross-eyed. So he closes them, lets first Indrid and then Barclay press their cock into his mouth. It’s a stretch, his jaw aching instantly, but it’s the best he’s ever felt. They can’t push more than the heads in, so he concentrates on sucking and licking, pre-cum collecting on his tongue and spit seeping down his chin. Duck grunts behind him, offering running commentary on Indrid’s appearance and Joseph's voice. Barclay shoves both hands into his hair while Indrid keeps one on his cock.

“Fuck, fuck, Joseph, baby, this is fucking aces, gonna paint your whole fucking stomach white.”

“Ahnnn, agreed” Indrid pants, “your mouth was made for this, ohyes, that’s it, mmm, this is even better, feeling your cock against mine dearest, oh, oh” Indrid cums, bitterness hitting his tongue, and when he tries to swallow he gasps and gags instead.

“Fuck” Barclay grunts and then another burst of cum fills his mouth. He gasps for air as they pull out, sending some down his chin. He wipes ineffectively at it with the back of his hand.

“Here” Duck, underwear back on, cleans his lips with a napkin.

“Th-thank you.”

“Of course.” Duck kisses him as Indrid flops on his belly and Barclay curls his arms around Joseph.

“Gotta say, blue eyes, don’t think you got anything to worry about when it comes to making it good for me. Or, uh, us.”

“No, I don’t think I do.” Joseph rests against him, then jolts up, “shit, what time is it?”

“Ten.”

“Shit!”

“Don’t worry” Indrid nestles next to his knees, “we’ll say I had car trouble and you two came to my aid.”

Joseph relaxes back among his boyfriends, “Good call. Just, um, don’t let Duck talk?”

“Only if I get an extra kiss for keepin my mouth shut.”

“Deal.”

[clonecest-bin-account]

Some Dogma/Hardcase getting back together sex, where Hardcase is treating him good and slow and being possessive and loving? (Hardcase POV?) The AU is awesome and I want to read more 😋

(Oh yes! Probably not as possessive as you would’ve liked, but I’ve discussed already somewhere else that possessiveness makes me uncomfortable, so enjoy them being fluffy with each other instead ✌️)

It’s taken a long, very long, time, for them to get to where they are now. After deciding to restart as friends - both of them had regretted deeply the way they acted and didn’t want to keep avoiding each other - Dogma and Hardcase have started to spend more and more time together.

Of course it wasn’t always easy, not with the resentment that sometimes still bubbled up, or guilt on Hardcase’s part, but they managed to push past that.

 Falling in bed with him now feels more natural than it did the first time, maybe because they know each other better now. They can’t deny that they have both changed since Umbara; that damned place has left scars on all of them, though Hardcase supposes things could’ve been worse - hell, he could’ve died!

None of this matters now however, not when Dogma opens his legs almost shyly - such a contrast since the first time - beckoning him to come closer, which of course Hardcase does immediately, carving some space for his body.

They kiss slowly, without any kind of rush, wanting both of them to take their time exploring each other’s bodies. Hands begins to slide against skin, soft touches begin to be exchanged; it’s everything they could ask for.

Hardcase gently pushes Dogma by the shoulder until he’s completely lying down on the bunk; he drinks in his flushes expression - so pretty - before leaning down as well, beginning to leave trails of kisses starting from Dogma’s mouth then going down on his neck, shoulder, chest, stomach, all without leaving his eyes from Dogma not even for a second. Speaking of Dogma, he’s biting his lip now, watching Hardcase as he goes more and more down at each kiss, making him shiver, until…

 Dogma throws his head back, groaning, when Hardcase begins leaving kisses along his cock, arriving at the tip, which he lavishes with circular movements of his tongue.

“Hardcase…” His voice is full of urgency; it brings a smile to Hardcase’s face.

“Sssh, relax,” he replies, “Lemme take care of you.”

He doesn’t even wait for Dogma’s response before beginning swallowing down his cock inch by inch. Soon he feels a hand on his head, holding tightly, though Dogma makes not move to direct him, which is good because, for once, Hardcase wants to go slow, and going slow he does, taking his time bobbing his head up and down.

It must speak about how wound up Dogma has been all this time, because soon however he has to stop Hardcase.

“I can’t-- If you keep going… I want more.”

“Everything you want,” Hardcase mutters, crawling up Dogma’s body again in order to kiss his lips, cupping his face between his hands. A shiver runs down his spine when Dogma closes his arms around his shoulder, keeping him close; he never thought he’d get to ever feel this sensation again, but here he is now. He couldn’t be happier.

 When he brings his hands back to Dogma’s ass, he’s wetted his finger in lube. Even now though he still takes his time teasing his hole, to the point that Dogma squirms under him, begging him to go on; only then, he presses further.

He wants to talk, say something, but he also can’t get enough of Dogma’s lips, so he keeps kissing him - they have all the time they want, he can always tell him everything later. Still, he tries his best to convey how grateful he feels in the way he keeps worshipping his body, licking and biting and leaving marks wherever he can. He wants Dogma to belong to him as much as he does.

The second finger goes in easily, which makes Hardcase suspect that Dogma has been playing with himself in his absence. He wonders if he’s been thinking about him…

 “Hardcase… Hardcase please.”

If he begs him like that, how is Hardcase supposed to resist him? He pulls his fingers away immediately.

“Alright… Alright…” he says, more to steel his nerves than anything else. This is really happening. Ok.

Dogma must notice that he’s nervous, because he shoots him a worried gaze.

“Everything’s alright?” he asks. Hardcase nods.

“Yeah… Just a bit nervous,” he admits in the end.

Dogma gently cups his face between his hands, pulling him closer until their foreheads touch.

“Don’t be. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Hardcase chuckles, though he does feel better, having heard those words.

 When he finally slides inside Dogma, it feels like home - ugh he’s spending too much time with Fives, he’s getting influenced by his flowery language.

“Dogma, I…” he begins, thinking that for some reason this is the right moment for everything to finally come pouring out, but he can’t: it’s too much, it’s overwhelming.

“Sssh, I know, ‘Case, I know,” Dogma soothes him. What he knows, Hardcase has no idea. Maybe he truly doesn’t need to say anything. Maybe yeah, they both know it, whatever it is.

 He lets his hands slide along Dogma’s arms, gently grabbing his hands. When their fingers intertwine, he can’t help but to smile.

Yes, he’s truly home.

[jungledubs-archive]

more golden incorrect quotes featuring characters that haven’t even shown up yet

Pendrick: English is a difficult language. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though. Nedd: You need to stop.

-

Nedd: How do I deal with my enemies? Pendrick: Kill them Nedd: That's a bit extreme, I was hoping for a more passive solution Pendrick: Kill them only a little? 

-

Nedd: How petty can you get? Pendrick: I once edited a Wikipedia article to win an argument I was wrong about.

-

Nedd, tending to Pendrick's wounds: How would you rate your pain? Pendrick: Zero stars. Would NOT recommend. 

-

Jamie: WHAT’S YOUR TYPE Sam: Anything, honestly, but nerds especially Jamie, desperately, as Sam bleeds out: YOUR BLOOD TYPE Sam: Oh! B positive. Jamie: DONT TRY TO CHEER ME UP JUST TELL ME YOUR BLOOD TYPE Sam: 

-

Jamie: So that’s my plan. Sam: Are you alright with constructive criticism? I don’t want to sound mean. Jamie: No, go ahead, I want to hear it. Sam: It fucking sucks. Jamie: That’s not constructive criticism. 

-

Jamie: Treat spiders the way you want to be treated. Sam: Killed without hesitation. Jamie: No. 

-

Max: Do you ever want to talk about your emotions, Rox? Rox: … No. Kal: I do! Max: I know, Kal. Kal: I’m sad! Max: I know, Kal. 

-

Max: WHY. why did you give Kal a KNIFE?! Rox: I’m sorry. They said they felt unsafe. Max: Now I feel unsafe! Rox: I’m sorry. Rox: ... would you like a knife? 

-

Max: Kal, can I talk to you for a second? Kal: Yeah, what’s up? Lemme guess. You and Rox are having problems and you want me to teach you how to kiss? Max: What? No, stop that. I know how to kiss. I’ve read books.

-

Sam: On the count of three, what's your favorite cake? One, two, three- Sam and Corsair, in unison: Chocolate cake peanut butter frosting with chocolate chunks! Ash: Our turn, Lex! One, two, three- vanilla! Lex, deadpan: I've never had cake, what is cake. 

-

Sam: Have you seen a person named 'Corsair' around here? Ash: Ugh, yes. They made a horrible mess of the blood fountain. Lex: It looks fine to me? Ash: IT USED TO BE WATER!!!

-

Sam, setting down a card: Ace of spades Corsair, pulling out an Uno card: +4 Ash, pulling out a Pokémon card: Jolteon, I choose you Lex, trembling: What are we playing

-

Cyrus: Pyotr... Pyotr: Oh no, 'Pyotr' in b-flat. Pyotr: You're disappointed. 

-

Cyrus: *Walking in to a room* Sorry I’m late... I was... doing things. *Sounds of running footsteps progressively getting louder* Pyotr: *Out of breath* THEY PUSHED ME DOWN THE FUCKIN’ STAIRS. 

-

Cyrus: Bad things keep happening to me, like I have bad luck or something. Pyotr: Cyrus, you don't have bad luck. The reason bad things happen to you is because you're a dumbass.

-

Colt: I’ve come to a point in my life where I need a stronger word than fuck 

-

Raymond: If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. Hugo: What if it bites me and it dies!? Ezi: Then you’re poisonous. Jesus Christ, Hugo, learn to listen. Major: What if it bites itself and I die? Amanda: That’s voodoo. Meg: What if it bites me and someone else dies? Hugo: That’s correlation, not causation. Major: What if we bite each other, and neither of us die? Amanda: That’s kinky. Raymond: Oh my God.

-

Raymond: Who the fuck added me to a fucking group chat? Hugo: >:O language Ezi: Yeah watch your fucking language Major: OKAY WHO TAUGHT EZI THE FUCK WORD? Amanda: 'The fuck word'. Meg: Are you stupid? You guys use the f word all the time Ezi: Oh my god they censored it Amanda: Say fuck, Meg. Ezi: Do it, Meg. Say fuck.

-

Raymond: Hugo... How do I begin to explain Hugo? Ezi: Hugo is flawless. Major: I hear their hair's insured for $10,000. Amanda: I hear they do car commercials... in Japan. Meg: One time they punched me in the face... it was awesome. 

-

Raymond: Would you guys be there for me if I was going through something? Hugo: Nope, absolutely not. Ezi: I hope it sucks, whatever you're going through. Major: I hope it emotionally scars you for the rest of your life. Amanda: I hope you reach out to me so I can ignore you. Meg: I can't wait to go to your funeral, knowing I could've changed that outcome. 

-

*The squad right before Raymond's wedding* Hugo: Well I have to go, I have a wedding to attend. Ezi: Wait... Oh! I have a wedding to attend too! Major: Oh, I have a wedding to attend as well Amanda: I THINK WE ALL HAVE WEDDINGS TO ATTEND Meg, panicked: I THINK I HAVE A WEDDING TO OFFICIATE 

-

Dex: i went through an entire character arc during quarantine Dex: i became more evil if you’re curious Mav: We're still in quarantine, don't worry, there's time for a redemption arc still! Dex: i’m going to get worse on purpose

-

Dex: I can explain. Mav: Can you? Dex: If you give me thirty seconds to think of a lie.

-

Dex: I learned some very valuable lessons from this. Mav: I’m guessing they are all horrible distortions on the lessons you actually should’ve taken away. Dex: Death isn’t real, and I’m basically God.

-

Dex: Mav was banned from the chicken shack, so we had to go out of town to get some. Mav: Well, they shouldn’t say “all you can eat” if they don’t mean it. Dex: Mav, you ate a chair. 

-

Dex: This is such a bad idea. Mav: Then why are you coming along? Dex: One of us need to be able to talk the cops out of arresting us when this inevitably goes wrong. 

-

*Amelie and Ramsay skipping stones on lake* Amelie: It’s such a beautiful evening. Ramsay, whispering: Take that you fucking lake 

-

Amelie: *Accidentally hits Ramsay in the face* Amelie: *Trying to decide between saying 'I’m fucking sorry' and 'Are you okay'* Amelie: ARE YOU FUCKING SORRY?! Ramsay: What’s wrong with you?! 

-

Ramsay: What’s up guys? I’m back. Amelie: What the- you can’t be here. You’re dead. I literally saw you die. Ramsay: Death is a social construct.

-

Amelie: You're 'the second worst thing to ever happen to those orphans', what does that mean? Ramsay: It means i was second worst thing to happen to those orphans. Amelie: but what’s the first worst thing? *Awkward pause* Ramsay: Amelie, they...they weren’t always orphans. Amelie:

[darwindrawz]

GTFO Team 729 AU fic (no one should read this except Sky)

@skyllion-uwu here it is, sorry it took me so long to figure out how to get it here lmao

Some notes:

- if you are not Sky, please save me the embarrassment and don’t read this. If you do read this, don’t make fun of me for it.

-Tore is Italian-American and has extreme anger issues, Bright is a stuck up ex-spy German asshole, and they both hate each other (at least at first).

-The team is currently trying to find a way to a lab on the upper levels to retrieve a dna sample, but Tore insisted on navigating even though Bright is the scout and he got them lost. Bright then took the map files from him to prevent any further confusion, and they are still fighting about this.

Warnings: lots of swearing, some light angst, Flea being too pure for this world (or the gtfo world I guess)

——————————————————>>

The crackling of the team’s campfire nearly drowned out the screams of sleepers behind a nearby wall, but not enough to put Flea at ease.

He kept one hand on his gun, careful not to let the others see, lest they find out he wasn’t as tough as they all thought he was.

“I’m tellin you, we’ve been headin the wrong way for days now! We’ll never find our way outta this shithole if you don’t fuckin give me the map files!”

He rolled his eyes under his helmet. Tore and Bright were arguing again. Not that it was anything unusual; they were all under stress, and it didn’t help the two’s ongoing feud to be trapped in the same seemingly endless hallway for four days.

“Oh of course, because you know what you’re doing more than any of us do.” Bright snapped back. “Get a grip. You’re acting as immature as that mangy little kid.”

Flea perked up at that. Where was the kid, anyway? He had seen them while they were setting up camp, but now that they had a fire going it seemed that he had skulked off somewhere in the darkness surrounding them.

He stood up, eliciting a glance from Tore and Bright but no questions. “I’m gonna go find...” he trailed off as he realized neither of them were listening, his deep voice muffled by the sound of them chewing each other’s heads off.

“My fuckin rank is “tech”, dumbass! What do you think that means? THAT I’M IN CHARGE OF THE TECH.”

“Ach, verpiss dich!”

“CHE NE DICI DI FOTTERTI?!”

Flea sighed, picking up his gun and stepping into the shadows. Idiots. And he was supposed to be the big strong dumb one.

It wasn’t long before he heard Teeth’s raspy breathing coming from somewhere up ahead in the dingy hallway. Knowing better than to call out to him, he pulled out his flashlight and clicked it on and off several times, shining it at the opposite wall.

There was a pause, and then Flea heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming toward him. Just in case, he put a finger on the trigger of his combat rifle.

“Flea?”

Flea felt his shoulders relax as the kid came into view, holding his helmet in one hand and a nutrient block in the other.

“Hey kid. What’re you doing out here? It’s not safe.” He asked, lowering his flashlight as he realized it was shining directly in Teeth’s eyes.

He barked a gravelly laugh, his sharp teeth exposed. “This whole PLACE isn’t safe. Here is just extra not safe.”

Flea chuckled, shaking his head. Weird kid.

“What are you doing out here?” Teeth asked, spreading his scrawny arms to gesture at the dark hallway.

Flea sighed. “Tore and Bright are-“

“Fighting again.” Teeth groaned dramatically. “Yeah, yeah. What else is new.”

Flea smiled. “Yeah.”

“Hey!” Teeth exclaimed suddenly, making Flea jump. “You wanna see something cool?”

“Uh... sure? Whoah!” He yelled as Teeth grabbed his arm, dragging him into the dark shadow he had come out of at as fast of a pace as he was able.

Well, technically Teeth wasn’t dragging him. Flea was letting himself be dragged by someone half his height, mostly out of confusion and amusement.

Flea couldn’t tell where they were going, but before long he knew they had walked further than he and the others had scouted. The hall looked unfamiliar here, and the screams of sleepers gradually became distant and hushed.

Suddenly, after what Flea judged to be around 20 minutes of stumbling through the dark, Teeth stopped, bouncing on his toes as he grinned up at Flea. “TADA!”

Flea frowned confusedly, looking around. As far as he could see, there was nothing but a dark, empty, grey room with a large pile of old rubble in the center where the ceiling had caved in.

Even if there was nothing, at least there weren’t any sleepers.

He grunted as he felt Teeth’s sharp elbow dig into his side. “No, you big dummy! Up there!”

Flea followed his friend’s gaze, squinting against the light.

Wait, light?

“How...” he murmured in awe and confusion.

Teeth beamed. “Isn’t it great? And it’s MINE, cause I found it. If you climb on top, you can even see the sky-shiners!”

Flea looked down, confused. “Sky-shiners..?”

Teeth nodded vigorously. “Yeah! C’mere, lemme show you!” He said, grabbing Flea’s arm again and “dragging” him up the pile of concrete chunks and metal.

He let go of him once they had reached the summit of the tiny mountain, practically shaking with excitement as he pointed at the hole in the ceiling where the shaft of pale light streamed in. “There! Look!”

Flea took off his helmet, breathing in the fresh air that had somehow, miraculously, found its way to them. He looked up, his mouth falling open in awe as he looked from Teeth to the night sky above them. They must have gotten so lost they somehow ended up in one of the upper levels.

Which explained a lot. Tore had the sense of direction of a blind cow.

“That’s somethin else.” He smiled, feeling peace for the first time in days uncountable as he observed what Teeth had called the “sky-shiners”.

Stars. He means the stars. Poor kid probably either has never seen em, or doesn’t remember what they are.

He glanced at Teeth, who was squinting at the light with a look of pure, unfettered joy on his face. “How’d you find this place?”

Teeth’s face fell and he hesitated, shrugging. “I dunno.” He mumbled. “Just sorta bumped into it I guess.”

Flea raised an eyebrow. “You just happened to bump into a room half a mile away from camp?”

Teeth squirmed under his gaze, picking at the scar that ran across his face without giving an answer.

“Teeth...”

“Alright fine!” Teeth gave in, sighing as he plopped down on the rubble pile cross-legged. “I was tryin to run away, but I got distracted.”

Flea’s eyes widened in surprise. “Run away? To where???”

Teeth shot him a look. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead, ok?!”

Flea stared at him, half in shock and half in sadness that Teeth would just run off like that. They were friends, so he had thought.

He sat down next to him, thinking for a moment before speaking again.

“Why’d you wanna run away?”

Teeth glanced at him. “You wouldn’t get it.”

He scoffed, smiling gently. “Try me, kid.”

His friend sighed, planting his chin in his hands as he stared at the sliver of navy sky above them. “I... I guess I just got sick of it all. Y’know, Tore and Bright fighting, non being able to spit without hitting a sleeper, bein scared all the time... d’you not get tired of all that shit sometimes?”

Flea paused, thinking about his answer. “I do... but we have no other choice. We do what the Warden says, or we’re not around to receive it’s orders. And... even if Tore and Bright are a bit much sometimes, they’re all we’ve got, y’know? You’re all I’ve got. I can’t just give that up.” He finished, smiling passively at the sky.

Teeth was silent for a while, before he burst out laughing. “Wow.” He said in between cackles. “You’re a big cheesy idiot, y’know that?”

Flea laughed. “Maybe. That’s just my opinion though.”

They both went silent for a while, before finally Teeth spoke again in a quieter voice.

“Flea.”

“Mm.”

“D’you think I’m a mutt?”

Flea looked at him confusedly. “What?”

Teeth shrugged, chewing at one of his fingernails. “I dunno. Bright and Tore talk ugly. They say I’m some kinda animal.“

He raised his eyebrows, making a mental note to pound the others into a bloody paste later. “That’s just stupid.”

“Nah. Maybe they’re right. I only got one brain cell, according to Bright. Whatever that means.” He said, flopping down onto his back with a sigh.

“Kid, that’s not true. You might be a little... charismatic at times, but you’re not a mutt. Tore and Bright are the ones with only one brain cell. Whatever that means.” Flea added, smiling at him.

Teeth sniffed. “You’re pretty cool, Flea. Maybe I’ll stick around a while, since you’re not goin nowhere. Besides, how am I gonna prove I got uh... a lotta brain cells if I never see the others again?”

He laughed. “That’s a good point. Maybe you’ll even teach them a thing or two.”

“Yeah.” Teeth grinned.

“Do you want to go back to camp now?”

“Depends. D’you think they’ll be done fighting?” He shrugged.

Flea laughed. “Heh. Never. Maybe they’ll have their panties in less of a twist, though.”

Teeth stood up, dusting off his hands. “Well c’mon then. I got places to be, the team’s not gonna annoy itself.” He joked, looking at an imaginary watch on his wrist and cackling.

He smiled, standing and putting his helmet back on. “Lead the way.”

As his friend took off enthusiastically down the dark hallway, Flea turned and savored one last glimpse of the moon. He missed it; being on the surface. The fresh air, and trees, and no constant petrifying fear of whether or not you’d make it to the next day.

But as he followed Teeth down the twisting concrete passage, and heard the sound of Tore and Bright’s bickering accented voices begin to grow louder, he felt the longing and sadness drain from his weary body. They were his family now, and it was his job to keep them together. And if he was going to die in a dark, filthy, sleeper-ridden shithole, he was going to do it fighting for them.

“Where were you?” Bright asked impatiently, looking up as he and Teeth stepped back into the comforting circle of warmth around their fire.

Teeth snorted. “That’s real sweet, Bright. I didn’t expect you to notice we were gone.”

Flea shot him a silencing look. “We found a way forward.”

Teeth frowned. “We did?”

“Are you serious?” Bright asked, raising his eyebrows.

He nodded. “Teeth found a way to the upper levels. Just where we need to go to get to the labs.”

Bright turned to Teeth skeptically, looking him up and down. “This mutt found a way up that we couldn’t find in four days of scouting?”

“He’s not a mutt.” Flea growled, causing Bright to look back away with a frightened expression on his face. “And yes. Now are you two gonna sit here squawking like an old married couple, or are we going to get out of here?”

Bright glanced at Tores, who flipped him off briefly before nodding at Flea. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”

He looked down at his friend, who was shifting uncomfortably under the multitude of eyes locked on him. Flea patted him on the back, smiling even if Teeth couldn’t see it through his helmet. “You’re in charge, kid. Lead the way.”

Teeth grinned, puffing out his chest slightly as the power visibly went straight to his head. “Follow me, assholes!”

Bright and Tore reluctantly followed him as he took off sprinting down the hallway, nearly tripping several times in his excitement. Flea brought up the rear, stomping out their fire as he followed after them, smiling.

Back on the move again, and no sleepers chasing them this time. It looked like everything was going to be ok.

For now, at least.

[remmushound]

Lita's legacy, part 5!! @brightlotusmoon @scentedcandlecryptid

Mondo was heated with rage he had no idea how to express. Never before in his time as a human or a mutant had he felt any emotions near as intensely than he felt anger now. His skin felt hot, his stomach felt sick, and he felt like crying. But Lita was there still holding his hand and she was watching him intently, so he had to put on a smile while he got her to someplace safe and protected; as usual, it was on a rooftop.

“Lita, I need you to stay here while I go find a payphone or something.”

Lita frowned. “Why didn't you just use that other mutant's phone?”

Mondo blanked. Sure, he could say that he had been so mad that the thought hadn’t occurred to him, and he could admit his mistake and go back to ask to use an actual phone. Or he could find a payphone and pray to whatever higher beings there were for it to still work. He looked to the streets.

“He uh. Didn't have one. Stay here!”

Mondo gave Lita one last, comforting pat before jumping from the roof and landing with a painful crash in the dumpster below. “Ow.”

“Why didn't you use the ladder?” Lita called down, pointing to the fire escape.

“I have a technique!” Mondo grunted as he forced himself out of the dumpster and to his feet, risking a quick glance around both corners of the alley before falling to all fours and running across the street as fast as his starved body could carry him. He scrambled into the phone box, pulled a loose quarter from his pocket—he kept a bunch of change, just in case he could ever find anything worth buying— and pressed it into the slot. He hoped that was how it worked, like it did in the old movies he watched. He took Repo Mantis’ card from his pocket and, in quick glances between the card and the buttons, he dialed the number and held the phone up to his ear. He heard strange, beeping noises, and hoped that was a good thing.

“You are conversing with Donatello!” Came a confident, bold voice joined with the strange sound of clicking keys, “Are you friend, client, or evil brat come to ruin my day?”

“Suh dude! Uh.” Mondo Gecko cleared his throat and tried to sound professional. “Repo Mantis gave me this number.”

“I know a Repo Mantis.” Was the reply, and then a long pause.

“He… said you could help me?”

“Well, first, you can help me.” Donatello said, “What you need, kid? I got gadgets and gizmos aplenty and a brain that won’t let me sleep. Seriously. It’s been two days.”

Mondo stuttered. “Uh. That’s rough buddy. I… me and my friend tried to get a place in Repo Mantis’ junkyard.”

“Oo. Bad choice.” Donatello laughed, “Lot of crooks living in there, you know. That place is for the desperate and the destitute.”

“Um. I— guess I’m both.”

“Oh. Unfortunate.” He smacked his lips, “What can I do you for, mister desperate and destitute?”

“Repo wouldn’t let me and my friend stay in his junkyard because my friend, like, has this medical condition.”

“That doesn’t sound like Repo. He don’t discriminate by anything more than how much money you have in your pocket. What kind of condition does your friend have?”

“I’m uh… not like, entirely sure what it is, if I’m being completely honest.”

“Physical or mental?”

“Physical…”

“Any medicines she should be taking?”

“I— I don’t know…” Mondo hated not knowing the answers to the questions he was being asked, but what could he do? He had to answer honestly! He put in another quarter to give himself longer to talk.

“Mm. Current place of residence?”

“We… don’t really have one anymore.” Mondo admitted. “I told you— we were supposed to be going to Repo’s place.”

“Right, right. Name?”

“I am Mondo Tubular Gecko.” Mondo gave the sound of a strumming guitar out of habit before remembering what he was talking about. “And uh. My friend’s name is Lita.”

“No last name?”

“No.”

“Alright, Mondo Gecko.” Donatello cleared his throat, “Where are you currently?”

“Uh, lemme check!”

Mondo left the phone and ran out into the streets to check the nearby signs, then ran back and reported them to Donatello.

“Fan-freaking-tasking. You stay there with your friend, and I’ll be there in just a mo’ with a medic to give her a once-over and give the all-clear to our mantis friend. Don’t move.”

Mondo froze.

There was a pause before. “You can move away from the payphone, just don’t leave the area!”

“Oh, right on, right on. Wait. How’d you know I was on a payphone…?”

“I know and see everything. Tah tah!”

Mondo returned to the rooftop to wait with Lita. Only a few short minutes later, both of them were surrounded by three average-sized mutants and one giant, their muscles chiseled and defined by years of hard labor and faces that said they were in their early twenties, if that. Mondo Gecko tucked his tail between his legs and hugged it for support. He hadn’t been expecting so many to show up, but he couldn’t back out now.

“You the one who called?” Asked an unfamiliar voice from the brightest mutant in a blue bandana.

Mondo Gecko nodded slowly.

“Where uh. Where’s your friend?” The largest one gave what Mondo Gecko supposed was meant to be a comforting grin, but it came off as predatory and malicious.

“She’s right here. It’s okay Lita…” Mondo Gecko grabbed Lita by the arm and gently guided her out into the open.

“Aww.” The orange-spotted mutant cooed, “You’re so cute!”

Lita whined and pressed her carapace into the crook of Mondo Gecko’s arm for security. A purple-clad mutant split from the group and approached Lita, pulling goggles down over his eyes and scanning her with a red and blue light for a moment before he pulled the goggles up and his mouth fell open.

“Woah…” Just from the tone, Mondo immediately knew it was the one from the phone. He stood up, walking over to the blue-clad turtle and whispering something to him. Mondo strained to listen. “...major ectopia cordis, possible thoracic insufficiency. Pericardium is still intact. Also suffering from oculocutaneous albinism OCA1 and what appears to be second-degree burn scarring on her face and hands. Accompanied with her ectopia, it may allude to significant lung tissue damage.”

Lita looked down at the pink burns on her hands, and then back up as the purple and blue adorned turtles made their way over to her and Mondo with attempts at gentle, comforting smiles.

“Hey Lita…” The blue-dressed turtle kneeled and offered a hand to the albino turtle. “I’m Leonardo. Do you mind is I take a look at you…?”

Lita looked at Leonardo’s three fingered hands, then held out her own matching hands and looked down at them with a curious glint in her eyes. The new turtle was still smiling, his hand still outstretched. Lita accepted it and let herself be guided away from Mondo.

“I’m just gonna take a look at your heart and lungs, okay?” Leonardo asked, and when Lita nodded her consent, he took out a flashlight and shined it in the center of Lita’s chest, watching the beat of her heart with a soft curiosity. “Wow… okay, this might feel a little cold, but it’s going to help me hear your lungs, okay?”

Leonardo pulled out a device that Lita didn't recognize, letting her look it over for only a few seconds before bringing it to her chest to listen to her breathing. He kept the cold tool there for a moment before pulling away and walking back over to whisper to Donatello, who took quick notes of his brother's words. While they talked, Lita’s eyes couldn’t help but explore the sight of the other two mutant turtles that stood nearby. They were shoulder-to-shoulder with each other, staring at Lita and whispering softly in serious, curious voices. Lita felt unbelievably small compared to them.

“Lita.” Leonardo’s voice came again, “My brother here is going to take some measurements of his shell to see if he can’t get you fitted with something.”

Donatello stepped forward, standing unlike his kneeling brother, and addressed Lita like an equal. He pointed to the straps over his shoulder, “See this?” He turned around to show her his battle shell before turning back around to face her, “This is my battleshell— aka, my livelihood! Since there are no surgical options to help you with current technology, I am going to make you something just like this, except on your plastron instead of your carapace. It will cover your heart, so you aren’t just… hanging out there and give you additional protection against brunt force trauma.”

As Donatello continued to rant, he finally kneeled, but not to address her face to face; he started to measure the area of her plastron with careful, calculated measurements while metal arms coming from his battle shell scribbled down the notes he needed.

“I can design it to grow with you, but you will have to come back every two years to get a replacement fitting, so it doesn’t get too worn down and become structurally unsound.” He finished his measurements and stood back up, “We can arrange a meeting in two months to get you suited with your brand-new plastron. How’s that sound?”

“Good.” Lita squeaked softly.

“Do you guys have anywhere to go until then?” The biggest brother asked in the softest voice.

Mondo came back over and wrapped a thin, lanky arm around Lita and gave her a comforting squeeze. “Um… we can go back to the vent I guess.”

All four turtles immediately shook their head and voiced their disagreement.

“No.” The red brother insisted, “No— we ain’t letting you leave here until you have a safe, comfortable place to stay! Like our place!”

“Yeah!” The orange-spotted turtle chirped, “You guys can have my room!”

“And it would be better able to keep an eye on her condition.” Leonardo added, walking up behind the two of them and wrapping supportive arms around the two children. “Trust me, niño y niña! You’ll love it at our place!”

“Think dad’ll let them stay?” The orange turtle chirped.

“You kidding? Dad would never turn away a couple’a kids!” Leonardo declared, “You can stay with us until we get you decked out someplace nice! How’s that sound?”

Lita smiled softly. “It sounds amazing!”

~~~

Two hundred years passed since that day, but Lita remembered it so clearly. She was sure she would be able to find her way around the past city even without the aid of Donatello’s maps, but still he insisted on her having one. She didn't think it was important enough to argue— it was only a day trip. Just get the egg and get out. She didn't know why her friends were all acting so weird about it though; she had gone on tons of missions into the past with the time scepter, and this one would be no different.

When she arrived in the city, the first thing she did was take a long, deep breath of the clean city air. Clean, at least, compared to what she had grown used to. She couldn’t spend long enjoying it, though. Tokka needed to be brought back home. Though she was reluctant to admit it, Donatello’s map had indeed helped her just as he said it would. Squeezing herself into the sewer was harder than she would care to admit, but she made it work. Then she had to swim, which was of little concern seeing as she was built to be aquatic.

She emerged in a place that sparked an odd memory and made her heart give a strong pang. She knew this place— and she knew those two creatures staring back at her as they held her little Tokka.

“Holy shell…”

[neerasrealm]

POV: Jeff the killer kidnapped you and is venting to you about his internalized homophobia

I COULDN’T THINK OF AN ACTUAL TITLE SO I WENT WITH THAT

Anyway hi this is a jeffxben fic told from jeff’s POV. a little bit angsty but mostly just cuddles and comfort. and one-liners. lots of one-liners. The ending is a lil messy and idk man I didn’t know how to finish the fic so- ignore that

Based on one of these story starters.

Word count: 1907

There are three things you need to know before you read this.

One; hi, I'm Jeff. Nice to meet ya.

Two; I killed my parents three and a half years ago. I know that's a lot to dump on you immediately but it'll be important later.

And three….I'm...gay. There. I said it. I like guys. I'm attracted to men. I want to kiss guys. Or specifically- one guy. 

He has blonde hair, dark skin and bright blue eyes. And also pointed ears. He's a ghost, specifically one that's latched onto a Nintendo 3DS and a cartridge of Majora's Mask 3D. He looks like Link- but I'm not attracted to Link. Link is a twink and that's not my style. 

His name is Ben and Ben? Ben is a bro. He's my bro. He's everyone's bro- he has that natural charisma that makes everyone like him. He's friendly, polite, funny and laid-back. He's always down to hang out with you or invite you into his room to play videogames. Everyone likes Ben. But me? I love Ben. As in- love love him. I want to kiss his goofy face. His lips probably taste like cheetos and beef jerky. Gross. I hate how much I think about how his lips would taste. 

So now you're probably thinking "hey Jeff, why are you just vomiting your gay thoughts on me? Go tell him you love him."

But There's A Problem.

My parents- the dead ones- were really homophobic. Being gay just wasn't something you did. And it still feels wrong to me- which is weird considering the fact that my new adoptive parents are two gay men and my foster siblings are mostly homosexuals. But it still feels wrong. No matter how much I'm exposed to it I still feel that slight guilt whenever I catch myself admiring Ben while he trash talks someone, and I want to punch myself whenever I wake up from a dream about cuddling him. 

So that brings me to this situation. 

Picture this, okay? I'm sitting on his bed with a controller in my hand. We're playing smash bros and having a great time. I'm having...not a good day. You remember the dead parents thing? The trauma I mentioned? Yeah that's been haunting me all fucking day and I'm not feeling good. At all. And of course I'm not gonna tell anybody about it, because that means I have to address the problem. And I never, ever, address problems. Ever. They'll fester in me till the day I die. Like maggots.

That's gross I apologise.

But- yeah. I'm not feeling good and I'm hiding this fact from Ben because he cheers me up way better when he doesn't know I'm sad. 

"Hah! Gotcha!" 

"Shit-!" I swear as my character (king k rool, in case you wondering) flies off the stage. Ben laughs and woops beside me in victory. I shoot him a glare.

"Man you suck at this game." He laughs.

"I don't suck." I spit back. "You're just really good."

"Suuure you are." The smug look he gives me makes me wanna punch him. My hand curls into a fist in my lap. I grunt at him in response. He laughs and nudges me. "Hey it's alright Jeffy," I hate that nickname with the burning passion of a thousand suns. "You'll learn how to play soon enough."

"Lay off, man." I mutter back. I drop the controller and he snickers.

"Aww c'mon don't tell me you're rage quitting on me."

"Shut up dude just-" I shoot him an agitated look. "Just shut your stupid mouth okay?"

His smile drops. "Hey, you okay man?" Shit. He sounds worried.

"I'm fine." I grunt back. He puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it. "Get off."

The hand withdraws. I hear him shift on the bed next to me. "Hey, dude-" he frowns. "Are you feeling alright today? Do you- need to talk or chill or…?"

I glare at Ben. He's being nothing but supportive and kind and what am I doing? Being an ass. "No I don't need to fucking chill." I growl at him. "I'm fine, alright? Just fine."

"Alright…" it's quiet for a bit while Ben turns off the game. Eventually he speaks again. "You wanna watch a movie or something? I'm tired so…"

This is a trick. He's tricking me into taking care of my mental health. Fuck you Ben, I'll be as mentally ill as I want. 

‘’I’m gonna go to my room.’’ I stand up and immediately get YANKED back onto the bed by my hood. Ben’s noodle arms wrap around my waist and hold me tight. ‘’Dude-!’’ this is getting a little tOO HOMO-EROTIC, BENNY BOY.

‘’Stay.’’ he murmurs. ‘’I wanna keep an eye on you.’’

‘’Why?’’ I snarl. ‘’Because I’m a stupid kid that can’t look after himself?! Huh?!’’

Ben flinches. ‘’Jeff-’’ he murmurs. ‘’It’s not that I don’t trust you it’s because I know that you need the company right now.’’ he frowns. ‘’Just- lemme keep an eye on you, alright…?’’

Fuck.

Fuck.

fuuuuUUUUUCK.

Why does he CARE SO MUCH. I HATE IT. I’m gonna slam my head into a wall. Gimme a minute.

…

Okay wall slamming accomplished. Back to my predicament. 

‘’Fine.’’ I grunt. He (unfortunately) lets go of me. It’s silent. And uncomfortable. I pick at my fingers. He tilts his head at me.

‘’So- anything you wanna do?’’

I wanna hug you and kiss you and tell you I love you please Ben I’m gay and homophobic at the same time. ‘’Not really.’’

Ben puts a hand on my shoulder and scoots closer. He rests his hand on my other shoulder and...oh god I can fucking smell his hair from here- that’s creepy. Why am I creepy. Actually don’t answer that one. He looks up at me, bright blue eyes shining with kindness. ‘’You wanna talk about it…?’’ he asks gently. Normally I wouldn’t talk about my problems. Ever. But Ben is giving me puppy dog eyes.

‘’...I’m just thinking about mom and dad.’’ I mumble. He nods. ‘’They- treated me like shit. And I keep thinking about the shit they’d say to me-’’ I look down at him. He nods encouragingly. ‘’It’s like...they fucking hated me for all the shit I did- and now I’m here and people are understanding? And Slender- is actually trying to learn why I’m like this? Like- diagnosing me and shit to try and help…’’ I frown. ‘’And I’m just thinking like- if they’d sent me to a therapist would it be different? If I’d just gotten diagnosed or something-’’ I shake my head. ‘’I dunno man…’’

He sits up a bit. He hugs me, pulling me against him. My face goes fucking red. ‘’Maybe things would’ve…’’ he murmurs. ‘’But we can’t change the past...there’s no magic ocarina to take us back in time unfortunately.’’ of course he made a zelda reference. Of course. ‘’We just gotta accept what we got now,’’ he smiles. ‘’And we got each other, right? That’s something to be happy about, isn’t it?’’

Oh god Jeff don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. Not here. Not in front of the man you love. 

…

And you’re crying. Good job Jeff.

I’m not a loud crier. But I am a gross crier. I get all snotty and stuttery and can’t get my voice out properly. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes and silently roll down my gross scarred face. Ben reaches over and brushes them off with cold fingers. He feels cold as he hugs me but I don’t care. I wrap an arm around him and tug him closer. I can feel his breath on my neck as he gently shushes me. He sounds so caring, so...loving. Like a parent should treat their mentally ill kid. 

‘’B-ben-’’ I stammer out. He’s rubbing circles in my back. ‘’I lo-’’ wait what am I saying. ‘’I l-love-’’ WAIT HOLD ON- ‘’I love you…’’

SHIT

FUCK

NO

WAIT-

He hugs me tight and I shiver in the coldness of his body. ‘’I love you too…’’ his voice is soft and gentle. I believe him. I believe that he loves me. Genuinely- like I actually matter to him. He’d miss me if I was gone. And that- that’s a lot. I’ve spent my whole life feeling like it wouldn’t matter if I disappeared off the face of the earth. You wouldn’t care, my parents wouldn’t have cared. But Ben? Ben cares…

Which is why I proceed to squeeze the life (or lack thereof) out of him and sob into his shoulder. He holds me tight until I’ve (kinda) calmed down. He pulls away and tilts my head up to look at him. As gentle and as loving as I’d dreamed him, he wipes tears out of my eyes. I sob horsley and stare at him. He cups my face in his cold hands and smiles down at me.

‘’There you go…’’ he murmurs. ‘’See? I knew you just needed to get it out.’’ he smiles at me. I just- told him I love him. And he’s not making a big deal of it. That’s good, right?? That means he accepts me- right?

Right...yeah. Yeah, Ben accepts me. Ben doesn’t judge. 

‘’Yeah…’’ I gulp and look away from him awkwardly. ‘’Hey uh- do you wanna-’’ I fiddle with my hands again. ‘’Do you wanna...watch a movie or something? Together.’’

He nods and smiles. ‘’I’d love to.’’

And so- we end up watching not one, not two, but three movies, late into the night. And the entire time he’s curled up in my lap, comfy as can be. As the credits on our last movie roll, he looks up at me.

‘’Hey Jeff?’’

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’I love you.’’

My face goes bright fucking red. I don’t need to see it, I can feel it. I bury my face in my hands out of embarrassment. I hear him laugh at me like the bastard he is. I shoot him a glare from in between my fingers. I want to say it. I really do. I want to tell him I love him back but- it’s- it’s hard. He reaches up and pulls one of my hands away, letting him see me.

‘’You don’t have to say it back. It’s okay. I know.’’ He hugs my waist and rests his head against my chest. ‘’I can wait...until you’re ready.’’

It’s at this point I start crying. Again. 

Ben shushes me gently and runs his hand through my hair. And...as I looked down at him- it finally clicked. I don’t have to put the shield up- not around him. Ben is different. Ben...Ben is good.

Yeah.

Ben is good.

I guess...the reason why I’m telling you this- well...not telling, I guess- writing. The reason why I’m writing this is because...I feel like it’s something important. I need to remember it because...it’s a step. A step in me learning to accept myself. It sounds corny yeah but- fuck off okay? I’m full of trauma and insecurities. I’m allowed be a little sappy.

I don’t know who’ll end up reading this- I mean I’m literally scribbling it into a notebook I found in his drawer. There’s only two people who I really want this to be seen by. Ben, because he deserves to know how much he’s affected and helped me, and two...my brother. Though I doubt he’d ever find this- heh- 

I...love Ben. And that’s okay. At least- to me, I think it is.