#sing your heart out little fucked up turtle boy

[sugarpasteltmnt]

Chapter 25 prediction

okay but like.

you're kinda close lol.

[dreamgothgirl]

So She Goes: Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x Fem! Reader

A/N: listen, this is probably going to be so fucking bad but I was high and found an old Lana Del Rey song (Prom Song (Gone Wrong)) which is 1) what you sing and 2) idk it made sense in the moment and I didn’t wanna delete anything :((

So She Goes by Geskle also feels like how Simon would see the reader who’s drunk as shit.

Warnings: fluff, angst, mentions of blood, alcohol, suggestive touches and descriptions, Ghost being confident out of anxiety.

I really hope you enjoy this one, the next will be better! This is something I just couldn’t resist writing even if it was on a whim ÓwÒ”

POC friendly as always 💕

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“Oi! Get back in the truck, you’ll die of cold before a bullet can get you!”

You inhaled bliss while the wind’s veil covered your face in godly euphoria. A wide grin stretched your gorgeously plush and shiny lips from the lip balm you’d rubbed on them. Thick, cold drops of rain showered your body and soaked your black thermal long sleeve. Ghost kept a close eye on you as he drove the truck through the muddying dirt road as the storm’s rain began to cloud his vision.

After finding and examining a stray phone while investigating an abandoned civilian house, you’d taken it upon yourself to have a taste of nostalgia. A comfort you haven’t been able to experience since you were enlisted. Music. A tool to revive your daydreams instead of replacing them with brutal memories. Your special morphine. Tomorrow was said to be a brutal mission. One where Price shouted and prayed for the team to win.

The chances of making it out with no casualties or deaths was incredibly low. It was hard to process at first. You never expected to not get hurt or die…but having it almost being certain for once, even with the best of the best, was the hottest and messiest bullet to ever pierce you.

The boys headed to the bar. A mournful but loud last hoorah. The atmosphere, though melancholy, was as upbeat and hopeful as it could be. You smiled as you listened to Soap and Gaz talk about things only they would really understand. Price and Ghost conversed quietly next to you while the music of the bar filled your hyper sensitive ears and the lights became amplified through your tipsy eyes. 

Feeling a slight wobble, you leaned on Ghost’s shoulder to which he didn’t resist. Instead, he’d protectively wrapped his arm around your shoulders, holding you firmly. You closed your eyes and smiled, hearing a stupid song you loved way back in high school. It always made you dream of your ‘perfect man’ so vividly that your heart would ache of yearning.

You took in his scent mixed with the smell of the cups of scotch and whiskeys across the bar. It sent a fiery warmth in you that was equivalent to drinking a whole bottle of Ghost’s favorite liquor. You muttered its tune to yourself, “You will never see my face, if you don’t get me out of this place.”

Ghost’s ear perked up a little, thinking he heard you drunkly mumbling. He looked down at you and questioned, “You alright, Y/N?”

You loved when he said your name. He made it a hymn while you wanted to turn his into a sinful choir. The song of the devil’s temptations taking over. Beautiful, glossy e/c eyes stared up widely at him. A look that unexpectedly made his stomach twist and his boxers shift in his pants.

Ghost would never be as grateful as he was now for the mask as his face became flushed underneath. Price looked at you and chuckled, “I think she’s out of it already, mate.”

Ghost nodded as you giggled dumbly and stood up, “I’m fine, thank you,” you began to hum as you covered your mouth from the side and softly sang into the internally panicking man next to you, “I’m leaving, are you coming with me?~”

You can guess where that led.

Now, here you were. Sitting in silence and staring at Simon with dripping features and drunken eyes from the sips of beer you’d taken from a brand new can that was floating around in the truck. His jacket swallowed you as he sat in a thick black turtleneck on the side of the road. The water ahead flooded the dip in the road, creating a pool that the two of you would never be able to go through. He put his half sleeved arm around your headrest, “I’ll have to turn around.”

You pouted slightly, “Mmm. Why’d you turn my music off?”

He hummed, “Because you’re too excited and we’ve heard it 3 times already.”

Your cold fingertips touched his warm, untatted forearm, “So then you know the tune already, right?”

Ghost rolled his eyes as he straightened himself out but paused, “You’ve got to be bloody fuckin’ kidding me.”

Quickly, you turned around in your seat and internally shouted in excitement. The other dip you’d just gone over was flooded as well. You laughed a little and hugged Ghost’s forearm, “I guess we’ll be here for a while then.”

He reached for the walkie on his jacket, placed perfectly between your breast and your shoulder. His face heated again at the thought before you huffed and held his hand, “Why’re you so eager? Are you scared of me or something?”

In a way, yes. He was.

Ghost sighed, “You’re drunk and bloody soaked through to your teeth. If you were sober, I wouldn’t be in such a rush.”

You stared blankly before heavily sighing and straddling his lap. Ghost’s eyes widened as he quickly held your unstable waist, “Th-…The fuck are you doing, Y/N.”

“They say a person’s drunken babble is what they wish they could say sober, Lieutenant. Is that why you’re scared? Because you don’t want me to s-“

“Stop,” Ghost commanded.

Your brows furrowed and your lip pouted in an innocent, begging look, “Why? If you wanted me to, you would’ve thrown me off already and connected with comms. Don’t lie, Lieutenant, it hurts my feelings.”

Ghost’s body tensed as he stared at how your soaked shirt stuck to your body. He could already imagine the beautiful damp sheen covering you from head to toe. He already saw the yearning lust and need in your eyes yet he was praying you couldn’t see it in his. But being a man was bound to be a death sentence in this situation.

You giggled in his ear, something that made his heart melt and his fingers twitch, before whispering, “I can feel you.”

He already felt like he was being edged. Ghost gripped your waist and sighed deeply, “Y/N…we can’t do this. I don’t want to lose you tomorrow. I can’t…I can’t let you give me something I don’t deserve. And not like this, on a whim. That’s not what I want for either of us.”

A heavy weight made your heart sink into your stomach and your nostrils burn. You couldn’t control the warm tears streaming down your cheeks now. Instead of getting off, you wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your head in its crevice, “Ghost…I understand. But…if we die tomorrow, I want to die happy. Not in agony from gunpowder or watching you sacrifice yourself. You’ve…you’ve always made me happy. It’s you, that’s kept me going. You’re my heaven on earth and all I want in life is for you to tell me all the things you wanna do.”

Ghost didn’t know what to say anymore. He didn’t know wether to touch you, kiss you, or call for help. Never did he allow himself to enjoy the simple pleasures of human life. It was always ruined by the grim thoughts of upcoming missions or what he wanted to do next to appease his past sins or lost comrades. You held his face and stared tearfully, whispering, “If I could run away with you to somewhere better, I would.”

“That’s quite childish.”

You nodded, “Isn’t it? I miss having that freedom. But when I’m with you…,” you sniffled and laughed a little, “You fill me with a childish joy that no one can beat. So, why not let yourself have a little fun, right?...”

Ghost’s heart raced at the tension filling the car. You stared at him while you leaned back against the steering wheel, careful not to set the horn off while you turned the radio back on. He kept a hold on your waist and massaged your hips with his thumbs and mumbled, “You’re fuckin mad.”

You gave a tear stained grin at him as you stretched, letting him paw at your tight stomach, “I haven’t heard this song since highschool. Sorry, I know you’re tired of it but it’s so pretty, y’know?”

Ghost watched you cling to him as you sang. You weren’t a professional but to him, you were quickly becoming his favorite radio. You massaged his hair over his mask while staring into his clear, stormy blue eyes. If the sun was out, you were confident the skies would be in his eyes like the world you always saw in them.

You stroked and traced every art piece on his tattooed forearm as you sang with the radio, “I know that they think I’ve come undone. But I’m in love, I wanna run run run away,” sweetly you spoke against his covered lips as your forehead pressed against his, “I’m leaving, are you coming with me?”

Without really thinking Ghost stroked your cheek shyly, afraid you’d shatter under his touch, and chuckled breathlessly, “If I knew you back then, I’m not too sure I’d be here.”

You hummed, “I’d rather fight with you than wait. I can take care of you here. And love you all you want.”

Ghost’s brow twitched as he quickly looked into your eyes, “you…what?”

You rolled your eyes and laughed, “I love you, Ghost. You think some horny friend would say what I said just to say it? Really?”

He stayed silent while you turned the radio down and skipped to a new song. A soft string of acoustic cords softly rang through the truck. You spoke with a blank face and slowly pulled up the bottom of his mask after he nodded, “I’m not gonna force or beg for anything from you,Simon. But if we die tomorrow…I want you to know I always cared about you.”

Ghost’s heart felt like it was going to pop from the amount of emotions he was feeling all at once. An overwhelming mix of confusion, disbelief, hope, shock, and a desperation for you to stay like this. For both of you to stay just like this. There was no tomorrow. No death. And for once in his life, there was peace. Temporary peace. But peace.

The use of his real name rolling off your tongue almost made him feel like he’d been reborn again. A new man determined to protect than avenge. A weight was lifted off of his shoulders, now being replaced with the comforting warmth and weight of your body instead of the world.

He remained silent. You closed your eyes, “Have you ever been kissed?”

Ghost bit back a small smile, scared you’d be weirded out, “Have you?”

You chuckled, “No. Not by you.”

This time, he did let it slip. Your eyes widened and a sleepy looking grin filled his body with an intense heat, “You can smile. It’s beautiful.”

Simon’s hand cradled the back of your head while the other remained at your damp torso, “Not as beautiful as you.”

When you woke up, you squinted at the sunlight burning your face. You looked around, noticing the sandy planes around and ahead of you. You quickly looked over at the drivers side and shot up at the missing body.

“GHOST?!”

Just when you shouted, your door whipped open while a large skull faced man pulled you out, “I’m here, love. There’s a vehicle heading our way right now. Lets get ready for them.”

You furrowed your brow and looked around, relieved but breathless, “What…happened?”

Ghost stared through his binoculars in the truck’s trunk, “You fell asleep on me. Got a headache?”

Confusion contorted your features, not feeling even a tinge of pain, “Actually…I don’t…?”

Ghost nodded, “Good. I snuck some hangover medicine into you. Did you know you sleep with your mouth open?”

“WHAT?!”

“They’re here.”

His nonchalant statement was all you could think of as you sat by his side in the infirmary room. His blood on your face while your own stained his bicep.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Bowser

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Most of the time, saying a character needs no introduction is a bit of an exaggeration, because there is always the chance, however slim, that someone has not heard of that character. That’s not the case here, though; you could go to the deepest, most isolated jungle tribe on Earth, ask the villagers if they’ve heard of Mario, and they’ll all start singing out the Mario theme music. With that in mind, today’s subject absolutely needs no introduction, but out of respect for the King of Koopas I’ll give him one anyway: This is Bowser.

Bowser is not simply a video game villain. Bowser is THE video game villain. Like Mario, Peach, and Luigi, this big old turtle is pretty much a household name, loved far and wide for his iconic design, simple yet effective boss battles, and his inexplicable yet somehow still understandable sexiness. The question is, can I make it through this review without making some sort of crude comment about the raw sexuality the King of Koopas exudes? Lets find out!

Motivation/Goals: Bowser from day one has always been a pretty simple man. All he wants in life is those peaches, peaches, peaches… And I mean, really, can you blame him?

Yes, his motivations and goals are pretty simple and shallow, but he always manages to make something as trite as rescuing a damsel in distress fun and refreshing. His strict adherence to basic formula leaves a lot of room for mixing things up though, and this same adherence makes the times when he breaks tradition and does something like fight on Mario’s side all the better. And sometimes it’s clear Bowser just wants to relax and fuck around by karting, playing board games, or competing in some sort of sport.

It’s a fun little twist on that old “Knight rescues a princess from a dragon,” except the dragon is a giant turtle and the knight is an Italian plumber (a more powerful force than any knight could hope to be). Of course, the fact Bowser is incredibly obsessed with a woman despite her wanting nothing to do with him means that Bowser is—you guessed it—a

Performance: Hoo boy, are there a lot of Bowser voice actors.

The cartoons used Harvey Atkins, who delivered a fun and cartoonish take on Bowser; Marc Graue voiced him in Hotel Mario, but this isn’t shocking as he was basically every male character in that game; Peter Cullen technically voiced him from 1996 to 2006 due to archival roars he provided for the 1976 remake of King Kong being repurposed for Bowser’s own roars; Charles Martinet provided his iconic evil laughs for 64; Kenny James is his current voice actor; Jack Black turned in a very against type performance in the Illumination movie; and Dennis Hopper of all people portrayed him in the live action film from the 90s. And these are just the ones I wanted to highlight! There are a few English voice actors I skipped as well as his extensive Japanese voice cast! Here’s the complete list, just so I’m not here all day:

The point I’m trying to make is this: Bowser’s iconic status is completely a group effort, and each of these dudes helped contribute to Bowser’s status in our hearts and minds in their own unique ways.

Final Fate: It really depends on the game or movie or whatever, but he is always defeated by Mario at any rate. Sometimes he’s simply defeated and sent on his way; sometimes he’s captured and imprisoned, like in the animated movie; and sometimes he just fucking dies, like in the live action movie and New Super Mario Bros. Don’t worry, he gets better.

Best Scene: Bowser in the earlier games had rather simple boss fights, though they weren’t completely unmemorable. Still, out of his early days it’s hard to deny his epic battle against Yoshi in the finale of Yoshi’s Island, where his child self is grown to gargantuan size and ominously lumbers towards you from the background while a hardcore boss tune blasts through your speakers, is the peak of his NES/SNES days.

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Then we have his early forays into 3D, and it’s inarguable that the boss fights he has against Mario in the timeless classic Super Mario 64 are some of his best, even if they are rather simplistic. I mean, this is where we got “So long, Gay Bowser!” from, can you really deny its place in Mario history? And those are just a couple! We could probably sit here all day talking about his great battles in games like Odyssey, New Super Mario Bros, Galaxy, and so on.

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Bowser’s most impressive showing outside of the games is The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The initial teaser for the film, which showcased his opening fight against the penguin kingdom, really helps establish Bowser as the threat he is, and the final battle and the wedding scene in the movie are some of his greatest villain moments to date. But I’m going to be cliché and give the spotlight to his villain song, “Peaches.”

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Here’s the thing, though: As a song, “Peaches” kind of sucks. It’s just Jack Black saying “Peaches” fifty times in a row and then making Jack Black noises. But that’s also what makes it so genuinely great; in the hands of a lesser actor/musician, this really would just be the dumbest shit imaginable, but in the hamtastic hands of Jack Black the song has become an instant legend. I think the visuals and the beautiful piano playing really help, not to mention the official music video where JB dresses up as Bowser and tosses peaches around. Lyrically it’s nothing to write home about, but man does the performance really sell it.

Oh yeah and there’s this too:

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Final Thoughts & Score

It is near impossible to overstate how iconic, important, and downright awesome Bowser is.

Like, this guy is the final boss. He pretty much codified what that means in terms of video games, being one of the first iconic big bads of gaming and the first adversary a lot of gamers fought. It’s kind of hard to believe today, but the original Mario games were genuinely some of the most groundbreaking games of all time, and the only reason it’s hard to believe is because video games have been building off the groundwork they laid down back in the 80s. Bowser is no exception; every single video game villain, especially platformer villains, owes a debt of gratitude to the king of the Koopas.

I think part of the reason Bowser has managed to survive and thrive through console generation after console generation is because he, much like the rest of the core Mario cast, is extremely versatile as a character and can slip into any situation with relative ease. He can be an evil overlord, a bratty child, a loving father, a kart racer, an Olympic champion, a platform fighter combatant, the owner of a Coney Island disco palace, a giant skeleton, a board game player, it doesn’t matter! Bowser can do it all! He can be a goofy, bumbling comedy villain or he can be a galaxy-destroying threat that would make Thanos shit himself, he has range like you wouldn’t believe!

It helps that both times he has shown up in a movie he has managed to be a scene-stealing smorgasbord of ham and cheese. Dennis Hopper’s madcap, in-it-for-the-money-but-not-half-assing-it performance in the live action film is so delightfully over the top that he manages to make the mere act of saying “Monkey” and “Bob-Omb” memorable and meme-worthy. While he’s a bit far off from what you’d totally want from Bowser, and his saurian form gets relegated to a two second cameo before his death, it’s hard for me to really give him less than a solid 7/10. He’s just too damn fun.

Meanwhile, Jack Black delivered a performance so good that it makes it easy to overlook the many problems the movie has (like its terrible needle drops). He’s just so fun, funny, and even genuinely intimidating, perfectly mixing all of the traits that make people love Bowser into one big, juicy package. I think everyone knew this was going to be a 10/10 performance right from the moment it was announced, but still it was pretty impressive just how well Black was able to slip into Bowser to the point he was almost unrecognizable at times.

No one would argue that Bowser deserves less than an 11/10; he is genuinely one of the single most important characters of the 21st century, and has made a mark on gaming that very few villains could match. He is to final bosses what Dracula is to vampires, what the Wicked Witch is to witches, and what Fu Manchu is to racist caricatures of Asian people. Other villains have more depth and complexity than Bowser, but that doesn’t really matter when he kidnaps Peach for the thousandth time and throws an army of freaky mushroom men and crazy turtles at you, because you’re gonna be there helping Mario stomp those Goombas to get to him. Bowser is just an icon, and his place in video game history is absolutely, utterly gargantuan.

JUST LIKE HIS DICK!

[littlemisslol-fic]

Not to continue screaming in your askbox but FUCKING QUIRIN!!!! I FORGOT TO TOUCH ON HOW FUCKING BRILLIANT YOUR USE, OR MORE TECHNICALLY BRILLIANT LACK THEREOF, OF QUIRIN IN SILENT OPERA!!! His only spoken lines are in the first bit before Landis or the song or anything like that is a problem. Once problems start arising, Quirin is only mentioned a couple of times and even when he's "on screen," he has no dialogue. He's just kind of not there. BECAUSE VARIAN WON'T LET HIM BE JUST LIKE HUGO WON'T LET VARIAN BE THERE BY SINGING FOR HIM!!! HOur bois are jagged in all the matching ways, Hugo keeping himself silent and Varian keeping his loved ones silent!!! Come to think of it, I can barely remember any interactions between Varian and people other than Landis and Hugo ie the problems. SERIOUSLY SUCH FUCKING BRILLIANT WRITING HOLY SHIT

RJGJSJFJF AHHHHHHH 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Okay 100%, cards on the table, that was intentional!! Varian is the type, to me, to push people away a lot. When he knows he's in a bind he'll push people back going "EVERYTHING IS FINE DONT WORRY" and hoping he can stamp out the fire before someone notices!! Dudes got trouble asking for help!! Or even accepting help when it's offered!!

I absolutely think that in the context of SO Quirin would have, at one point, sat Varian down and given him the basic "even if you don't have a Soulmate I just want you to be happy" kind of talk, and for Varian to know that a match with Landis is very much *not* going to do that.... well, it would break Quirin’s heart!! Like I said, songless people at a young age are pretty rare so they almost always end up as either a social pariah or in an arranged marriage--so 100% that's what Quirin would fear for Varian. AND!!! LOOK WHAT ALMOST HAPPENED!!

So a very long and convoluted story short, absolutely Quirin is *Sir Not Appearing in this Film* because of that. Same reason Varian keeps pushing Rapunzel away, same reason he pushes Hugo away at the start. He's turtling HARD and hoping he can fix things himself.

But you're right that's a thing that Varigo have in common. Hugo's more brash and aggressive about it (I don't need people, everyone sucks except for me, they won't understand anyways) but that's absolutely what he's doing. They both tend to shove others away in either fear or panic and it shoooowsssss

They both get small moments with Raps, but you're right that by the end they've learned to lean on others through leaning on each other. They!!! Work together!!! And get through stuff together!!! Let people help you you fucking idiots!!! And that's why at the end Varian especially let's rapunzel (and Eugene) take the wheel and lets go of the urge to try to fix everything on his own. He learns to focus on his own wellbeing for more than a passing thought!!! He learns to be a little selfish when it matters!!

I'm glad that came through tbh!! I was worried it was kind of unnoticed under all of hugos whining shfjdjdd which wouldn't be the end of the world but I try hard to make sure that there's always little tidbits of underlying angles for people to pick up either on a second reading or just in general!!

THANK U FOR SAYING SO THO DUDE!!! I'm so glad you had fun with it ❤️❤️❤️

[cosmetichorror]

Too old for this, first chapter rewrite!

.

.

.

To say he was too old for this would be and understatement. He's died multiple times, fought Ganon twice, and fought every monster on multiple occasions. Some would say he's not that old, and he's decided they're all wrong. He's 149 technically, and he sure as hell feels like it. Yet Hylia herself had this bright fucking idea, an absolutely GENIUS PLAN, to put him on another adventure 30 years after his last one ended. Yeah, Mhm, quick question, your grace. What the fuck???

It all started one sunny morning, a morning like every other morning, really. It should have been a great morning, what with how lovely it was outside, but something was off. Link could smell something in the air, something that wasn't there yesterday. It left a foul taste in his mouth and made him rather uneasy. A strange feeling has rooted itself deep in his chest, gripping tightly around his soul. He initially brushed it off as him being paranoid, but when he looked outside of his little cabin and heard dead silence, he knew something was incredibly wrong.

In the wilderness, it's never silent. There's always some bug humming, a bird singing, the soft scampering of squirrels running up trees, but never silence. Especially not in the mornings. The only reason the animals and insects would be silent, was if there was something out there, something that was dangerous or frightening, enough so that all the animals went in hiding. Usually this only happened when bokoblins came running around, but there hasn't been a bokoblin on the great plateau since the blood moons stopped. There aren't any other predators on the great plateau either. Something is wrong.

In fact, the peacefulness and lack of danger was one of the reasons he even moved up to the great plateau. When hyrule started booming in population things got crowded, and people rushed to make more houses and more towns, and even to rebuild old ones up from the ashes. Initially, he aided in the building of hyrule. He bounced from place to place supplying wood, stones, food, anything they asked for. He didn't even stop to think if it was necessary, and found himself being taken advantage of in rare cases. Thankfully, most of hyrule greatly respects him and would call out those that did take advantage of his kind hearted nature. He recalls one name, who's name he can't remember, asked him for five diamonds and two rubies to see if he'd actually bring it. For and when he did, he made it a habit of asking Link to bring him rare gems so he could sell them off to merchants. It took three days for someone to catch on, and when they did, oh boy. Let's just say the other residents were not happy. Afterwards, he got lectured by Zelda about thinking before accepting something.

Moving to the great plateau was more of a last resort, actually, but kind of poetic in a way. This was where everything started for him, and this is where it'll end. Zelda didn't like the idea of him being so far away from civilization, but to him it was exactly what he needed. Don't get me wrong, he loves how welcoming and

Grabbing his beloved cane, he makes his way through the house, putting on his black turtle neck, needing to roll the sleeve up on his right arm as it won't get past the golden hoops that decorate his arm, at least not comfortably. Over that he puts on his grey and green robes that he got during his second adventure. They're surprisingly comfortable. Putting on a belt and slipping on his sandals, all he needs to do is grab a bow and some arrows so he can go find whatever it was that spooked the animals away.

He may not be as good as he used to, especially with his bad leg, but he sure as hell can shoot a bow. It's not his skills he's worried about, it's finding whatever creature is out there. Could be yiga, could be a passing rito. Who knows?

As he passes through the woods, keeping his eyes and ears out, a sudden rumbling fills the sickly silence. Right, he hasn't ate breakfast yet. Well, he did get shock arrows, might as well do some fishing while he's out.

The good thing about the silence is every little noise stands out all the more, making it all the easier to hear whatever's out there. His hearing isn't as good as it used to be, but it's still exceptional, especially for being half deaf in one ear, courtesy of the calamity.

He treks silently, and wishes he put on his sheikah stealth outfit. Well, too late to go back now. With every snap of a twig and crunch of a leaf he winces, hoping whatever's out there can't hear him.

Anxiety pools in his chest, seeping deep into his veins. He hates to admit it but he's not used to dealing with genuine danger anymore. As mentioned, there aren't any predators on the great plateau. And when he does leave the plateau, it's only for short periods of time, and even then he's surrounded by his friends who all are conveniently well versed warriors, so he never feels at risk. He almost misses the feeling. The feeling of being truly alive. Running from a hinox, just barely dodging a swipe from a lynel, tumbling down a hill after your shield breaks during shield surfing. The feeling of being young. What he doesn't miss, however, is the feeling of dread that comes along with it. The fear that you might not make it out alive. The fear that you might get hurt. The sooner this is over, the better.

He treks through the plateau, only stopping to catch some fish for breakfast. He goes through the entire forest surrounding his house, but finds nothing. He hasn't given up his search, but he has decided to take a break to actually eat the fish he caught.

Returning back to his cottage in silence, he hopes whatever's out there is not very dangerous. He can't have it killing all the game and terrorizing the small woodland creatures.

Recently, thanks largely to Zelda hyrule has been prospering and creating new things, like strange appliances called "stoves". Well, call him old fashioned but he prefers the good ol' cooking pot. Sure, it can't be hard to flip the food in there at times and even harder to make pastries, but what's life without a few good challenges? Besides, it holds so much nostalgia in it. He recalls fondly way back when he'd be traveling for days off road before finding a stable, and finally being able to just relax and cook a nice warm meal. As he got more well known, people would gather around and ask for recipes, or sometimes even to make extra for them. He never minded, he enjoyed the attention at the time. He was so starved for praise he'd do just about anything, even if it meant chasing bugs across hyrule for a handful of rupees. Nowadays, he doesn't rely on praise to feel worthy, and the attention has began to make him uncomfortable. He doesn't like being in the public eye too much, he just wants a nice relaxing life where he can live out his days peacefully. And hopefully, once this whole ordeal is over he can get back to his normal routine.

Starting up a fire under the pot, the silence is all the more deafening. He keeps his ears out, just in case.

He walks inside to grab some butter and salt for seasoning, and by the time he makes it back outside the pot is hot enough to start cooking. Popping the butter in there and watching it melt, he wishes Zelda were here to share this meal with, but she's not due to come by till tomorrow. Maybe they'll have time to visit Sidon?

Placing the fish in the skillet and listening to the sizzle, he sighs. He feels on edge, that strange feeling in his chest has only grown stronger.

The sound of soft chatter fills the void, making Link jump up. Swift as the wind, he places the half raw fish on the window sill, grabbing his bow and cane he starts to make his way towards these voices. The closer he gets, the more he can make out.

"——— —— - —— ——— —!"

"——— ——— ———ing ———ver!"

"Wi— —— pati——"

"— has a ———"

"— —— — vet! —— sense of adven——"

"Can -e not ——t? I'm —- tired and my —— are sore."

"-our feet are alwa— sore, Sky."

"Didn't you say she said we're close? it can't be much longer now."

His breathing was as steady as it could be, and he kept his eyes focused on this party of eight. How in Dins name did they all get up here? The youngest appears to be fourteen, and the oldest can't be any older then thirty. Overall a rather young group, maybe just an adventurous family looking for some thrill? But the one in heavy armor said they're close. Close to what, exactly? Are they looking for something? Or perhaps, someone?

He narrows his eyes as he examines them all. Three of them are wearing vibrant blue, the youngest is one of them. He has short blond hair, and his tunic is bright blue with white embroidery of a lobster. Distantly, he recalls seeing a similar tunic somewhere. He'll need to look through his chest of old clothes he got during his journey to see if he can find it.

The other young one of them has a multicolored tunic with a patch of blue on it, but it's a deeper shade then the classic royal family blue. He looks rather short, but his face looks like that of a teen. Perhaps around sixteen to nineteen?

The last one is wearing a deep, vibrant blue scarf that almost works as a cape, with golden embroidery at the end. He knows he can't gatekeep the color blue, but hylians don't wear that vibrant of a blue except for Zelda and him! It just seems so out of place, and he can't put his finger on why.

It could be that blue is the color of the royal family, and even now most people respect that. Even though it's not the exact shade of the royal family, it's still rather unnerving. If you dye your clothes bright blue, you get weird and judgmental stares (unless you're wearing gerudo clothes, in which case people don't seem to mind) he knows he got a lot of them when he dyed his clothes bright blue, even if they weren't the exact shade of the royal family. And oh boy, the angry looks he got when he regained his champion tunic! Without the mastersword, no one knew he was the hero. All they saw was some scrawny kid dressed up as a dead champion. He even got a few comments about him being disrespectful, even though he couldn't fathom how he was being rude at the time. Now, he understands.

Getting back on track, perhaps they're from another culture, similar to the gerudo? Ohhh, maybe even outsiders not from hyrule? Even nowadays you don't see many of them, stories and rumors of hyrules dangers seem to keep others away, but you'll still catch the occasional brave adventurer.

Another person that particularly sticks out is the brunet that wears the wolf skin. Something about him screams of familiarity, and looking at him leaves him with this strange feeling, but he can't decipher why. He's never seen these men in his life, yet they all look so familiar. Like he's known them all his life, as strange as that is.

The men continue to discuss the area, making it clear they're searching for someone, but it doesn't take long for him to decide they don't have any ill will.

"What do you think he'll be like?" The young one in the bright blue tunic asks, a smile on his face.

"Hopefully he'll have some sense of self preservation, unlike everyone else." The one with dusty blond hair and a green tunic speaks with the shake of his head.

"Hah! Good luck with that." The one in red with no pants laughs, nudging the other playfully.

The one with the white cloth around his shoulders shrugs. "Some of us are cautious when it comes to health!" He defends.

The one in the blue scarf shakes his head. "Don't lie to yourself. I've seen Time blow himself up, and I've seen you fling yourself off of cliffs. No one in this group is even remotely safe. And the new guy won't be either." He decides

He was so engrossed into the conversation, he completely missed a root sticking out of the ground. His bad leg gets caught on said root, sending him right into the ground. If it had been before his fight with dark beast Ganon, he probably would have just stumbled a little bit. But now that his leg is messed up, he can't properly catch himself. He goes face first into the dirt with an undignified yelp, landing painfully across his cane.

He tries to get up, pondering if he should make a run for it. (If he did, he probably wouldn't make it far with how much his leg is burning) but before he can even get half way up, there's a hand outstretched for him to take. He looks up to see the wolf pelt guy, looking at him with those big, beady eyes of his that make him feel both safe and uncomfortable at the same time. He stares up at him, cautiously taking his hand.

"You okay, sir?" He asks, helping him up with a tug. The man wraps his arm around his shoulder to keep him steady. Though his legs shake softly he still manages to stay up right, likely only cause of the help from wolf pelt boy. It takes him a few moments to find his words, and he unconsciously finds himself resting all his weight on his good leg and leaning onto the man.

"Just dandy." He lies, and everyone can tell that was a lie. He was most definitely not dandy. Not dandy in the slightest.

The group eye him wearily, and he can understand why. He looks rather strange. He has nasty scaring covering half of his face, leaving one eye mostly out of commission. His arm looks.. how does one describe it? It looks like it's been burnt to a crisp and decorated with golden hoops. His hair is long and free, already growing gray at the roots. And not to mention his bad leg, that looks like it's missing large chunks of flesh and muscle with strange purple discoloration.

The one with the dusty blond hair and green tunic runs up. "Oh no, your leg! That looks so bad, what happened?" He cries out. "Is there any was I can help?" He asks.

Though Link leans back a bit, he appreciates the thought. "Nope, been like this for years. if there was something to be done, someone would have done it by now I'm afraid." He tells him, his voice grainy and rough.

Green tunic boy nods solemnly. "I see, here let me grab your cane, sir." He offers, bending down and grabbing said cane. He takes a second to admire it, it is quite the piece of craftsmanship. The wood is smoothed down perfectly, and along the side there are five beautiful carvings. That of a bird, a lizard, a camel, an elephant, a sword, and the triforce. A carving for each of the champions and Zelda. Where the eye in the divine beasts carvings would be is a small luminous stone. Not just for decoration purposes, they help him find the cane in the dark should he need to get out of bed in the middle of the night. It's not much, but it works wonders. On the

opposite side, are words. "Wether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the spirit of the hero." The writing is rather small, but not small enough to where you can't read it. The handle is carved perfectly to fit his hand, and at the bottom for traction is an odd substance called "rubber" previously thought to have been lost forever. Zelda herself had commissioned the cane as a gift for him on his twentieth birthday.

It's very extravagant, and he didn't use it often at first due to just how much it stood out. But after a while, he grew to absolutely adore it. It's now one of his most prized positions.

The green tunic boy stares at the writing on the side, before finally handing the cane over to him. "It's very pretty." Is what he says. "Say, your name wouldn't happen to be Link, would it?" He looks at him nervously.

He pauses, how does he answer this? They already saw his cane, and everyone knows the symbols of the divine beasts, even outsiders know what with how large they are. Besides, what are the chances of the yiga coming back? Not very high, but still a possibility. Wolf pelt guy looks at green tunic guy, then back at him with wide eyes. He opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it immediately. He continues to stare at him with those big beady eyes of his and those strangely familiar markings on his face.

"Uh," Link sighs, giving in. "Yeah, that's me." He answers fearlessly. Perhaps they're fans of his?? He knows he had quite the fan club back in the day when he was young and spry. If so, he doubts that he's who they were expecting.

The youngest steps up. "Are you the hero?! As in you wielded a cool sword and fought a beast named Ganondorf or demise or something else?!" He exclaims, unnecessarily loud. He can hear them perfectly fine, no need to scream at him.

"Yeah, back in the day." He responds, eying the kid wearily. "Haven't done much hero stuff as of late, I'm sure you already know that, though." He tells him.

The entire group gapes at him, looking in between themselves. "Geez, how old are you?" The guy in red clad asks, and the one with one eye and heavy armor smacks the back of his head disapprovingly.

Link decides to ignore that question for now, because he has questions of his own. "How did you all get up here? Did you know I was up here?" He glares at them lightly. The only people that know he's up here are Zelda, Paya, Sidon, Riju, Yunobo, Kass, Teba and Tulin. They wouldn't just go giving his location away all willy-nilly.

The one with the strange white cloth around his back steps up. "Uhm, I have a feeling you aren't going to like this, but..." he reaches around his back, pulling out a sword. He tenses up, reaching around his back to grab his bow, until he sees what sword he wields.

It's the mastersword.

His jaw nearly drops, he hasn't seen her in years! She looks so... different. She feels young and spry, nothing like how he knew her to be.

"By Hylia... who are you?" Is all he can make out. All other words fail him as his hand clenches and unclenches in front of her blade, too nervous to actually touch her.

The strange man chuckles nervously. "My names Link, just like you. We're all Link, and we're all hero's. Hero's from across the ages, that is." He speaks. "We go by our hero titles, my name is Sky for example, as I am the hero of the skies. Over here we have Four, Twilight, Hyrule, Legend, Warriors, Wind, and Time." He tells him, pointing at each one in turn. "Hylia has brought us together to defeat an evil greater then anything we've faced before. In short, we need your help." He explains as simply as possible. "You should put your hand on her- the master sword- she'll give you your hero title and new name."

Link stiffens up. A new adventure? Time travel? How does he even know they're the real deal and this mastersword isn't just a replica? Sure he's heard of these hero's before, he's heard of them in children's story books. Tales of bravery to lull small kids to sleep, making them feel safe and protected. While it was theorized some stories might have some truth to them, it was largely agreed half of them were fake, and those that might be real were largely changed to pander better to kids. Time traveling ocarinas? The minish? Talking boats? All fairytales to tell to kids. And yet here he is, standing in front of literal legends, most of which he didn't even believe in! Hero of the Winds? How does he even exist? He wonders what he would think about people telling kids he had a talking boat. What about the hero of Warriors? It's simply not possible for him to exist! His story was surrounded by impossible things! Bringing in people from across time? Not a possibility!

Sky, upon noticing his hesitation, decides to move things along by gently placing her blade to his hand. A blue glow fills his vision, and nostalgia swells in his chest. A familiar chime fills the silence of the woods, and a voice he hadn't heard in years invades his mind.

"Welcome, hero of the Wilds." She speaks. Sky smiles at this.

"So, hero of the wilds? That would make you Wild!" He tells him. Link, the newly dubbed Wild, is left speechless.

"I- uh- what??" He stumbles out, unsure of how to react to this. Okay, so that's definitely the mastersword. So that would also mean these guys are the real deal.

"Link, Wild, it would be an honor if you would travel along side us, helping us defeat this great evil." Sky speaks, offering his hand.

Truly, the answer was as clear as day.

"No."

And just like that, he turns and walks away from all this bullshit, not sparing a second glance.

The ground stand in stunned silence at first, before chasing after him. Not that they necessarily needed to "chase" as with his cane and limp he wasn't very fast.

"Sir, wait! We need you!" Wind begs, walking along side him. Wild does not look at him.

"Wild, Link, please at least consider!" Sky speaks, walking on the other side of him. "This evil- we need all the help we can get." He explains.

Wild sighs, stopping in his tracks. "I'm not who you want. I'm old, and I'm rusty. You're far too late, maybe try asking me about thirty years ago. Hey, even better! Go back another ten thousand years, there was a great hero then, go find him!" He tells them, glaring daggers at the group.

"It doesn't work like that, Hylia deems you right here, right now a perfect fit!" Sky counters. Wild simply shakes his head and continues walking.

Time is next to speak up. "I know you don't want to go on another adventure, believe me none of us want this. I have a wife at home, this is the last thing I wanted. But we don't have a choice." He tells him with the shake of his head.

Legend nods. "I tried running from this too. Didn't work, if you couldn't tell. She'll still sweep you away, y'know." He warns, but Wild doesn't respond.

They follow him all the way to his little cottage, continuing to beg him to at least consider, but he doesn't pay them any mind. Instead he tries to focus on the surrounding forest. It's kind of hard to do without all the animals, though. Still, he makes do.

He spots the half raw fish still on the window sill, and the fire still going. "I'd appreciate if you'd leave me be now." He says, walking inside and locking the door behind him.

"Wild- Link, please! We need you!" Sky begs.

Wild shakes his head, even though they can't see him. "There's eight of you already, you don't need me." He responds.

"But we're still struggling! We need all the help we can get!" Wind calls out.

"Besides, you don't really have a choice. Hylia will find a way to bring you along." Warriors warns.

Wild glares at the door, as if the group could actually see him. "Then Hylia herself better drag me out by my hair herself or else I'm not going." He responds.

Legend groans. "Look, don't make this more painful then it has to be. If there was a way to avoid this journey, I promise you I wouldn't be here. I tried to hide away in my house, too. What would you know a portal popped up right underneath me." He warns. "And trust me, it's not fun."

Wild open the door, glaring daggers at the group. "I. Don't. Care! Leave me alone!" He yells, slamming the door shut a little too hard, shaking the wall and rattling the picture frames, leaving them crooked. He sighs and goes to fixing them. A photo of him and Zelda before their second adventure, a photo of him in his gerudo outfit and Riju, but most importantly, the group photo of him, Zelda and the champions. Daruk claps the group together with a wide smile, Mipha and Revali are tumbling forwards, looks of surprise forever plastered on their faces. Urbosa leans back with a small smirk on her face, and Zelda and him stare in shock, eyes wide and mouths open as they're watch it all unfold.

A small smile tugs at his face as he adjusts the frame, before making his way to his room, ignoring the sounds of knocking and chatter outside. On the wall proudly hangs his champions tunic, now too small and torn to be worn. Another reminder of his past. With a small sigh he plops onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His stomach growls in hunger, but he ignores it. He'll be fine.

Minutes turn into hours, and those other hero's have yet to leave, and it's really starting to get on his nerves. And he's hungrier then ever. Sure, when he was younger he could go days without eating, but now he's gotten into the habit of a proper, healthy routine, and he just cant do it anymore.

That strange tugging at his chest has suddenly spiked, leaving him gasping for breath. The knocking on his door has become more frantic.

"Uh, Wild? The portals here. You miiiight wanna come out now." Hyrule calls out, peering through the window.

Wild doesn't answer, instead he's far too busy clutching at his chest, confused and distressed by the strange tugging at his soul.

Taking in deep breaths, he instead covers himself in the blankets, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Wild, this is your last warning, just come outside." Time calls out, jiggling the doorknob with a worried look on his face.

"Go away!" Wild yells out, though it's hard to hear through the blankets and doors.

"Your funeral." Legend responds. Four sighs and nudges the others towards the portal that summoned. With groans and complaints, the group filters out, and Wild finally feels at peace.

He lays in bed for a while, just trying to ignore the tugging at his chest. But as time passes, it becomes harder and harder to ignore. It's not necessarily painful, but it is annoying. Like someone's tied a rope to his ribs and is yanking it every other second.

Finally, he decides to stand up. Grabbing his cane he walks through the house, making his way to the kitchen. But as he walks, he feels the world spin and sway under his feet, until there's nothing holding him up. The ground disappears from under his feet, and he finds himself falling into a pitch black void. He cries out as his house vanishes from sight, leaving only the black void. Eventually, colors filter through. Purples and yellows, blues and reds, and the smell of salt fills his senses. The blue and yellow take over his sight, until he hits the ground, landing on his feet with a pained yelp. He falls onto his rear, and then rolls onto his back, squeezing his eyes shut.

When he opens them, there's eight figures standing over him worriedly.

"We warned you." Four speaks, shaking his head. Though he himself looks a little green.

"Welcome to outset island, Wild. Sorry for the rude welcome." Wind speaks, looking around.

Twilight offers him a hand. "We told you, Hylia does what she wants." Wild sighs in response, but takes his hand, wincing at the throbbing pain in his leg. Twilight reaches and grabs his cane, handing it to him.

"So I really am stuck with you lot? A third adventure?" He complains, shaking his head. "I'm too old for this." He mumbles under his breath.

"Hey, it won't be too bad!" Hyrule speaks, patting his back with a remorseful look on his face. "I'm sorry we have to drag you into this."

Wild looks off to the side. Zelda's gonna be so worried about him! She's supposed to visit tomorrow!

"I'll live, I guess." He mumbles.

Well, the only way out is forward, he supposes.

[girlwiththereapertattoo]

begin again - part four

Jax Teller x female!Reader

Summary: After the return of her abusive ex-boyfriend, the reader plots her escape

Word count: 2,9k words

Warnings: bad language, alludes to the death of a minor character, physical & verbal abuse & kinda angsty

Author's note: Enjoy the fourth installment and all feedback is welcome! :)

If you’re in an abusive relationship or you suspect that someone you know is being abused, speak up and reach out to the correct people!

Beta read by @crucifixedbitch

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

💀💀💀💀💀

You examine your face in the mirror, pleased with the job you’ve done to conceal the marks left by B/N. Last night was brutal and you would do anything to erase it from your memory. To never have it happen again.

“Toots!” A loud pounding sounds on the bathroom door, “Come on, sweetheart, we’ve got to go.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I-I’ll be there in a second.” Moving quickly, you pack your makeup back into your cosmetic bag. “I just need to grab my bag.”

“Five minutes, okay?” he sounds irritated with you. “We’ll wait outside.”

With a shaking hand, you zip the bag closed and leave the bathroom for the bedroom. Your handbag is on the bed but your phone’s not on its usual spot at your bedside table and you just know B/N has something to do with its disappearance. And you know that it’ll be a while before you see it again. You’re so upset, it brings tears to your eyes but there’s no time for them. He’s waiting for you and being late will lead to trouble.

S/N and B/N are on the small patch of grass outside the house, kicking around a ball.

“You gotta kick the ball to me, okay kid? You gotta kick it hard.”

S/N scurries towards the ball and kicks it so hard, it zooms between B/N’s open legs and bounces off of the fence. They both cheer from excitement, and S/N runs straight into B/N’s open arms.

“That was amazing, buddy!”

You clap your hands, drawing their attention to you.

“Did you see that, Mommy?”

“I did, ace, and it was so good.” You walk over to join them on the grass, “Hey, sweet boy.”

You haven’t seen your son all morning. You lift him off the ground and hug him to your chest, it feels good to hold him so close to you, and for the second time in the last five minutes, you feel you might cry. The three of you make your way over to B/N’s rental SUV parked on the small driveway.

“Mommy, are you feeling cold?”

You briefly glance over to B/N who’s prepping the baby car seat. “A little. Mommy’s not feeling too well.”

“Do you need chicken soup?”

You chuckle and press a kiss to his forehead, “Will you help me make it when we get back?”

He pinky promises you to. You hand him over to B/N who buckles him into the car seat. It’s not his intention, but you can’t help but feel humiliated by S/N’s question. A turtleneck and jeans in the dead of the summer in Charming, California? That’s sure to raise suspicions.

“Baby, do you not think I should stay behind?”

B/N turns in his seat, brows furrowed in confusion. “Why?”

Pointing at your turtle neck, you explain, “It’s going to draw attention. It’s summer and I’m dressed for winter.”

“And you care what these people think of you?”

Yes, a lot. It’s your fucking hometown, of course, you care! You want to scream at him, claw at his face, but you’re weak. Pathetic. You can’t even muster the courage to get away from him.

“Sweetheart, no one’s going to be looking at you. Trust me.”

Ouch.

“Don’t ruin this outing by being so self-obsessed.” He starts the car’s engine and backs out of the driveway, “Do you want to listen to some music, buddy?”

Today’s your last day in Charming, B/N’s orders. Later on today, you’ll embark on a five-day road trip back to North Carolina. The idea of being trapped in the car with B/N has you regretting every decision you have made in your life that has led you to this point. Forty fucking hours? The car just isn’t big enough and no amount of eagerness from S/N can change your mind.

“When we get back, I need to see Mabel.”

Mabel’s a friendly neighbor who lives down the street from your mother’s. She moved to Charming a few months before your escape to Charlotte, and since your return, she has been a great help.

“Who’s Mabel?”

“She lives down the road.”

“Why do you need to see her?”

To use her phone to call Jax. “I want to give all my mother’s old furniture to charity. She offered to help me organize it.” It’s a believable lie, “It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.”

After a dragged-out silence, he murmurs a soft ‘okay’ and warns you not to do anything stupid. “I might not be able to stop myself this time around.”

The chilling part is that it’s not an empty threat. You look back at S/N who’s softly singing along to ‘Old MacDonald Had A Farm’, gazing out the car window. Leaving Charming was a decision you made for his sake, to protect him from his father’s world. To give him a shot at a normal childhood, to raise him away from gangs and violence. Instead, you found yourself in the clutches of a wicked man who will one day kill you.

“Mommy, will we see Abel before we leave?”

“No,” B/N responds before you can.

God, you fucking hate him. Your feelings towards him are violent, and you’ve got to come out of the car before you act recklessly.

“Stop the car.” You unbuckle your seatbelt prompting the seatbelt alarm to go off. “Stop the car, B/N, now!”

He pulls into the empty parking space in front of a bridal shop. You frantically open the car door and stumble out of the vehicle, gasping for air. So glad to have distance from the devil you call your boyfriend.

“Toots, what’s wrong?”

You take a step away from him, needing the space. “I need to breathe, B/N.”

That upsets him. “What are you trying to do? Huh? Get in the fucking car so I can drive to the grocery store.”

You pace around in a circle on the sidewalk, contemplating your next move. You can’t run off, B/N could easily catch you and S/N’s still in the car. You can’t leave him, even though you know B/N would never harm him. He loves him too much. Think, think, think! You have a moment of clarity when you look across the street and see who you believe to be Bobby Munson sitting at an ice cream shop. What are the odds?

“Ice cream and candy!” You spin to look at B/N who’s shooting daggers at you. “I want ice cream and we need candy for the road trip, don’t we?”

“What are you doing, Y/N?”

You walk back to the car to open S/N’s door and start unbuckling him from his car seat. “D’you want ice cream, ace?”

His face lights up. “Ice cream! Ice cream!” he chants.

“Alright. Come on.” You shut the car door, S/N clutched tightly in your arms, “It’s just a small pit stop. Do you want any?”

B/N looks furious but there isn’t much he can do to you out in the open. He’s starting towards you when his work phone starts ringing. He has to take the call and so he tells you to go ahead, he’ll meet you inside the shop. You flash him a smile and make your way to Scoops & Sweets. Now that you’re closer, you’re certain it’s Bobby, and he’s standing behind the counter with his arm in a sling, drinking beer.

“Bobby?”

“Y/N?” His stony expression morphs into a smile, “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Bobby.” For the first time in the last 12 hours, you feel safe. “I thought it was you.”

“Who’s the kid?”

“This is S/N,” you look proudly at your son. “Say hello to Bobby, ace?”

Bashful, he waves awkwardly at Bobby before concealing his face in the crook of your neck. You casually look over your shoulder to check if B/N’s still on his call before you turn back to Bobby.

“Bobby, is there a phone I can use? I want to call Jax, there’s something I want to tell him, and my phone’s broken.”

He looks out the window to B/N who’s pacing next to the rental. “Why didn’t you ask your friend to use his phone?”

“He doesn’t like to share.”

Bobby looks back at you. “Jax’s upstairs. Come, I’ll take you up to him. Bring the kid.”

Bobby calls for Chuckie who emerges from what you assume to be the staff break room. When you last saw Chuckie, he had fingers.

“What happened to your fingers?”

“Chinese cut them off,” he holds up his prosthetic hands. “These were a gift from Gemma.”

You regret asking. Bobby orders him to keep watch of the shop and starts leading you towards the flight of stairs.

“Uh Chuckie, a man will come in here looking for me. Could you tell him I went into the bathroom?”

Chuckie nods and you continue on your way with Bobby.

“Is this the new clubhouse?”

“Somethin’ like that.” Bobby leads you and S/N down a short hallway and stops in front of a closed door. He knocks once before he opens it, “Visitor for Jax Teller.”

The men in the room, consisting of Jax, Chibs, Tig, Happy, and Juice, all turn to the door. From their expressions, you’d swear they’ve just seen a ghost. You might as well be a ghost.

Jax raises off his chair and crosses the space to join you at the door. “Is everything okay?”

“Hi, boys. I’m sorry for interrupting your meeting,” suddenly, coming to Jax seems like a bad idea. But B/N. You put S/N on the ground. “I just wanted to see you before we leave this afternoon.”

Jax scowls.

“We’re headed back home to North Carolina. Driving.” You throw your arms around your ex, wincing at the discomfort you feel at the contact. “I’m so glad I could see you again.”

He returns your hug, holding you flush against him and you don’t care that you’re in pain. You’re vaguely aware of the fact that the bottom hem of your sweater’s risen, probably exposing the bruises on your lower back. There’s a pang of pain in your heart when he releases you. The tears blur your vision. God, you hate that you’re so emotional today.

“How are you getting home?”

“B/N arrived last night, he’s waiting for us downstairs.” Probably impatient and suspicious. “We should probably get going.”

Downstairs, B/N’s at the counter listening to Chuckie recount the time he had his fingers cut off by Lin’s men. S/N leaps out of your arms and runs over to B/N.

“Here’s your candy.” Chuckie slides two bags of candy to you, “Don’t worry about paying, it’s on the house.”

You smile at him. “Thank you.”

B/N snatches the candy from the counter and the three of you make your way out of the shop. It’s a short trip to the grocery store and luckily for you, there aren’t a lot of people buying groceries whilst you’re there. The tension from earlier has subsided, and the ride back to your mother’s house is a sing-along with S/N leading you. You’re helping B/N unload the bag of groceries from the car when you spot a familiar van at the end of your street.

“When will you go to Mabel’s?”

“After lunch,” you start unpacking the groceries, “I’m sure you boys are hungry.”

“Starving.” He leans over to press a kiss to the side of your head, “I’ll have a beer with my lunch.”

He leaves you in the kitchen to join S/N who’s building Lego in the living room. You’ve just finished laying all the lunch ingredients on the counter when you hear the thunderous roar of a motorcycle outside your house. Shortly after, a knock sounds.

“I’ll get it,” you call from the kitchen.

Unfortunately, B/N beats you to the door. He angrily signals for you to go back into the kitchen.

“Do as you’re fucking told,” he warns through gritted teeth. “Go back to the kitchen.”

You open your mouth to protest but he marches over to you, grabbing your arm harshly, and drags you through the kitchen to the laundry nook.

“You’re hurting me!” you complain, struggling in his firm grip.

The sound of the back of his hand connecting with your cheek bounces off the walls of the small space. You forcefully shove him away from you and try to escape but he hooks a strong arm around your waist and hauls you back into the nook.

“Let go of me!” you claw at his arms and the pain causes him to release you.

“You little bitch!”

He lunges towards you but you’re quicker than him. You grab the first item in your reach which happens to be an iron and whack him on the head with enough force to make him cry out from the pain. You dash past him and run to open the front door at the same time Jax is about to shoot at the door.

His scowl deepens at your disheveled appearance. “Where is he?”

“In the laundry nook. I hit him on the head but he’s still conscious.”

“Where is the kid?”

S/N! You run into the living room, your eyes frantically searching around the space for your little boy. His Legos are strewn on the floor but there’s no sight of him. “S/N?”

“Mommy!”

He’s behind the couch. You find him curled up, his eyes closed and his hands covering his ears.

“My baby.” You scoop him in your arms and carry him towards the front door. “Jax?”

He calls back from the kitchen and tells you to go outside. “Rat’s got the van out front.”

“But Jax–”

“Go!”

You rush out of the house, S/N cradled in your arms. You’ve just stepped onto the patch of grass when you hear grunts coming from the house. Ratboy meets you at the gate and takes S/N from your shaking hands to carry to the van. He helps you into the vehicle before he climbs into the driver’s seat.

“Where are you taking us?”

“Gemma’s.”

💀💀💀💀💀

S/N and Abel are asleep in Jax’s old bedroom and you’re sitting at Gemma’s dining table staring blankly into space. If you had been told a week ago that you’d be seeking asylum at Gemma Teller’s home, you wouldn’t have believed it. You replay the last twenty-four hours in your head, you’re somewhat in disbelief of all that’s happened.

Gemma places a gentle hand on your shoulder, drawing you back to reality. “Here you go sweetheart,” she places a steaming mug of herbal tea in front of you, “it should help calm your nerves.”

“Thank you.” You place both of your shaking hands on the mug, watching as Gemma takes her place across the table from you. “Have you heard anything from Jax?”

“No,” she reaches for the box of cigarettes on the table. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

You nod, your eyes dropping to the mug. “Did he… did he tell you why he had Ratboy bring me here?”

“Psycho boyfriend,” she takes a pull from the lit cigarette. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

The shame brings fresh tears springing to your eyes. It makes it worse to know that this time around, S/N was awake to hear it all. You feel like you’ve failed him, exposed him to the very thing you vowed to protect him from when you left Charming all those years ago.

“What do I tell S/N?”

“Nothing,” she stubs out the cigarette in the ashtray. “You shouldn’t worry yourself with that right now. You should try get some sleep, you can worry about that tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t think I’ll be getting much sleep tonight.” You take a small sip of the hot tea and sigh, “This is all my fault.”

“Sweetheart, no.”

“It is and now I’ve gone and gotten Jax involved in this mess.” The frustration is eating at you, “I just–”

You’re cut off by the kitchen door opening. Jax’s back. Thank the heavens! Gemma rushes over to greet him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Are you okay, baby?”

“I’m fine, Mom.”

Joining you at the table, Jax pulls you into him and tenderly strokes your back. All your fears and concerns are alleviated once you’re in his arms.

“Did he hurt you?”

He chuckles and presses a gentle kiss to your forehead. “You shouldn’t be worrying yourself with that.”

“I can’t help it,” you laugh through your tears.

“You should get some rest.”

“All my stuff is back at my mom’s.” The thought of returning to the scene of last night’s brutality has you shuddering. You pull away from Jax and roughly dry your tears. “I don’t… I can’t–”

Jax pulls you back into him, holding you tighter than before, and gently rocks you. “He’ll never hurt you again.”

Guilt. You feel a tremendous amount of guilt. Is he dead? Possibly, and your guilt deepens when you recognize a small part of you overjoyed by the possibility. He deserves it. How could you even think that? No one deserves to die — not even B/N.

“How are you going to get rid of the body?”

He doesn’t respond to your question, instead, he tells you that he’ll get Rat to bring yours and S/N’s bags to Gemma’s.

“Jax, don’t leave,” you plead, the surge of panic hits you like a freight train and has you fisting the hem of his shirt. “Stay.”

He presses a kiss to your covered shoulder. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” he assures you.

💀💀💀💀💀

PART FIVE

tag list:

@princesssterek @derangedcupcake @furiouscopshepherduniversity @crucifixedbitch @holl2712 @sweet--catrastrophe @marvelsmylife @brittjulianne97 @few-proud-emotonal @zozebo @lovinnholland @adaydreamaway08

[cocoswriting]

lee wilbur, ler techno? maybe smth where wilbur’s being chaotic so techno takes him down a peg? you dont have to tho— /gen

Chaotic Mf

Summary; Basically what the ask says; Wilbur was being chaotic/creepy and needed to be taken down a peg. [PLATONIC. DO NOT TAG AS SHIP.]

Warning(s); This is a tickle fic! If you don’t like that kind of stuff, then I recommend you just scroll past.

“You put ecosystems in jars?..”

“Yeah,” Wilbur responded casually, laying upside-down on the couch opposite Techno. He had his legs curled over the back of the couch and his head was dangling off the edge—it was a wonder how he hadn’t gotten uncomfortable enough to shift positions yet. Wilbur seemed to have a strange habit of never sitting correctly when he was in one of his “chaotic” moods, always finding some weird way to rest instead. “I go out and collect mud, rocks, soil, and I put them inside the jar.” he explained, and Techno scrunched up his face both in confusion and mild disgust.

“And... this is a normal thing?” Techno asked disbelievingly, flipping a page in the book he had in his hands, though it wasn’t as if he was paying much attention to the text anymore. Wilbur nodded happily from across the room, grinning as he opened his mouth to continue explaining, only to get cut off by Techno. “Wil, I don’t really care. I’m tryn’ to read right now.”

Wilbur huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting in fake dismay and staring at Techno almost expectantly, even though the piglin was very clearly no longer looking at him. “Well, you should care,” the brunet replied with a sassy tone of voice, sounding akin to an annoyed child. “I swear I’m not the only one who does this! Ranboo does it too, or at least he did...”

“Ranboo did that—?... No, Wilbur, really, just talk about literally anythin’ else. I do not care about your jar ecosystems,” Techno was already used to dealing with Wilbur’s chaotic moods. They’d come in at random times, last a couple hours, and then eventually he’d lose all the excess energy he had and go back to “normal.” So it wasn’t as if he actually expected Wil to stop when he was told to—Techno knew he wouldn’t—but he figured he might as well try to change the topic that Wilbur would ramble on about. Honestly, Techno just wanted to read his book. “Can’t you bother someone else? It isn’t that late, Phil and Tommy are still up.”

Wilbur let out a loud, dramatic sigh followed by a shake of his head and a couple tutting sounds. “You’re no fun,” his tone was playful, indicative of the grin that was on his face, despite his words suggesting otherwise. “But fine! I’ll talk about something else.” Wilbur rolled himself over on the couch, sitting upright and then standing up to make his way over to the man sitting across from him. Techno tore his eyes away from the book and glanced up when he realised Wilbur had approached, raising an eyebrow and glaring half-heartedly at the musician.

“What?” Techno’s voice sounded tired, more tired than usual, but bore no real malice as he impatiently awaited Wilbur’s response.

“Have you ever seen Doctor Who?”

“Oh my god,” Techno looked down and rubbed his temples, dropping the book beside him and running one of his hands through his hair, groaning loudly. He heard Wilbur’s shrill laugh at his reaction, which was shortly followed by the sound of shuffling as he sat down next to the piglin and crossed his legs, seemingly prepping himself to start telling whatever story he wanted to tell Techno about. “Please.”

“I already told Phil about this one,” Wilbur began, biting back another laugh at Techno’s long sigh which came straight after. “So, there are these things called ‘weeping angels—!” Wil was quickly cut off by a rough jab to his side. He managed to force back any verbal reactions he might have given to the sudden electric tingly feeling that spread all throughout his side, but he couldn’t conceal the very obvious flinch and curling of his lips.

“You good?” Techno asked, having removed his hands from his face to shoot his brother a concerned glance. Wilbur felt heat rush to his face, but he couldn’t tell whether he’d paled, or gone red. “Did you...” He shifted closer to the brunet, cocking his head to one side. “You flinched,” The elder stated quite obviously, expression a mixture of curiosity and interest.

“You caught me off-guard,” Wilbur quickly stammered out, a sheepish half-smile spreading over his face. Techno frowned—and it was clear from just that gesture that he wasn’t buying it.

Techno placed one hand on his side and left it there, unmoving. Wilbur didn’t flinch that time, but he wanted to, his flustered state having raised his hypersensitivity to the point where he wanted to squirm even just imagining that Techno might find out. “I was just tryin’ to shut you up, you needa’ tell me what happened or I’ll assume that you’re hurt,” Techno said, beginning to slowly rub two(2) fingers in small circles on Wilbur’s side. The last part of his sentence came off as more of a threat to his brother—he didn’t want to worry Techno, but at the same time, getting found out like this would be so embarrassing.

“I-I’m not—“ Wilbur was cut off by a quiet gasp, but not quiet enough for Techno to let slip. One of Techno’s ears twitched at the sound and he made a gruff huffing noise, now reaching down to tug up the hem of his brother’s sweater, exposing the bottom half of his side. “Hey, I’m not hurt, okAY—!” Techno, being the oblivious bastard he was, began to rub gentle circles on Wilbur’s bare side, which elicited a comical noise sounding like a mix between a squeal and a yelp from the man. As Wil managed to squirm away from the tingles, butterflies erupted in his belly when he thought; there’s no getting out of this now.

Silence filled the room for a couple seconds, the gears turning in Techno’s head before it finally clicked, and he couldn’t help the smug expression that formed on his face when he realised what Wilbur had been trying to hide. “You’re ticklish,” he emphasised the ‘T-word’, causing Wilbur’s face to heat up even more, and the fact that Techno’s hand still remained hovering just ever-so-slightly above his side, was not helping. “How come I didn’t know this before? You keepin’ secrets from me, hm?” Techno shoved both of his hands up Wilbur’s shirt and gently ran his nails up and down his skin, eliciting a few snickers along with squeaks and he tried to muffle his giggles.

Wilbur frantically shook his head ‘no’ and looked down, his hair falling in front of his face and (thankfully) hiding his bright pink cheeks. Tingles and shockwaves of tickly sensations shot up his sides, the feeling only increasing the longer Techno’s fingers lingered in the same spot. “Well— you’re definitely much quieter now,” Techno remarked, and Wilbur opened his mouth to give a sassy response, only for a loud squeak to come out instead as the gliding nails began to gently scratch at each side of his back. He arched forward but shifted backwards, resting his back against the armrest and laying down. Wil had hoped this would quell the sensations at least a little, but it only made them worse, the little scratches becoming rougher as Techno’s fingers got trapped. “This seems like a good way to take you down a peg whenever you’re in one of your ‘chaotic’ moods.”

“N-no—hohahahaa!” As Techno moved his hands up to Wilbur’s ribs, he couldn’t hold it back anymore. High-pitched giggles flooded from Wilbur’s lips as he wriggled and squirmed, throwing his head back as his hands switched between trying to protect the targeted spots and trying to push Techno away. It wasn’t exactly working out for him, and eventually he just curled up, hoping to drown out the tickles somehow. It only got worse once he felt Techno begin to drill his thumbs into the spaces between each of the bones. “NOHO! DOHohon’t dohoho thahahat, plehehehahase!”

As Techno gazed down at the giggling boy, he’d be lying if he said his heart didn’t melt at the sight of his bright, carefree smile. “Why not?~” His tone of voice was still deadpan, but it had a sing-songy edge to it this time. If Wilbur had the guts to muster up insults at the time, he would’ve called him every name in the book just as revenge for the horrible teases. “Does it tickle too much? Surely you can’t be that ticklish, right?~” Every time the T-word was mentioned Wilbur felt the pit in his stomach fill with more butterflies, and his blush began to slowly spread out to his neck and ears. “It’s your own fault for bein’ annoyin’.”

“Ihihihi wahahasn’t beheheing ahahannoying!” Wilbur insisted, his giggles slowly increasing as Techno’s fingers danced their way up his ribs, heading for his armpits. But before they could reach the spot, he instinctively slammed his arms down to protect himself, blocking the offending hands just in time. It seemed that Techno took this defensive action as provoking, because his immediate response to that was to sigh disappointedly and start skittering around Wil’s neck and shoulders, causing him to scrunch up like a turtle and begin to wriggle side-to-side in a weak attempt at escaping the tickles. “Nohohoho! Fuhuhuahahack ohohoff— yohohou’re sohoho mehehehehahan!”

“Mean? This isn’t mean,” Wilbur could hardly make out Techno’s words anymore, considering he was much more focused on the shocks of tickles and his own embarrassment. But once he heard those words leave his brother’s lips, he couldn’t help but start squirming even harder on top of squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn’t process what the words meant in his state—but he’s heard that tone before. And that tone means ‘you fucked up’. “You wanna see mean?” Techno asked rhetorically and Wilbur began frantically shaking his head, letting out giggly little “nononono”s as he tensed, prepping himself for the inevitable attack that would come next.

“AAAHAA!” Wilbur shrieked as he felt Techno’s lips make contact with his tummy, quickly followed by an explosion of tickles as he blew a raspberry, shaking his head during it to make it even worse. Wil bucked, cackled and squealed, only for his hips to get held down and mercilessly drilled into by two(2) of Techno’s fingers. All of his nerves felt like they were on fire, and he felt everything—every last pinch to his hips, every raspberry that was blown, and it was almost too much for him to handle. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t loving it. “NAHAHAHAAA! TEHEHEHAHAHAHA—!”

Even after Techno ceased the raspberries, he still seemed fully intent on being as merciless as possible. He continued to drill right into the dip of Wilbur’s hipbone, using his other hand to rapidly squeeze his tummy, never letting up and never slowing down. Wilbur had completely given up on trying to fight back, his arms were too tired for that now and he knew it was no use, so instead he began using his hands to cover his bright pink face with. “Oh, poor Wilbur,” Techno began, a very obviously feigned sympathetic tone in his voice. “Being tickled is just such a hard job.”

“SHUHUAHAHAT UHUHUHUP!” Wilbur forced out through his hysterics, helplessly rolling his torso back and forth, attempting to focus his attention on literally anything else other than the tickles he was receiving. He couldn’t decide if he loved or hated it—it was unbearable and maddening, he felt like he was being driven up a wall, but at the same time he had to admit that he was having fun. He was soaking up all the attention like a sponge. It didn’t take much longer before his laughter became wheezy and strained, though, and he’d decided he had enough. “O-OHOHOKAHAY! STOHOHAHAHAHAP, THAHAHAHAT’S ENOHOHOHOUGH—!”

Techno listened straight away, ceasing the tickles and backing away as Wilbur curled in on himself, hugging his midsection while trying to rid of the after-tingles that still remained. “You alright?.. was it too much?” Techno asked, reaching over to deliver a couple, comforting pats to Wilbur’s head. He would’ve leaned away if it weren’t for how exhausted he was from all his laughter. “...sorry,”

“N-noho, noho... it,” Wilbur knew he should be careful with his choice of words there. He didn’t want to give away how much he’d actually enjoyed himself, but at the same time, he was well aware he’d likely given that fact away while being tickled. He supposed there was no point in lying—especially if it would risk making Techno worry over nothing. “...wahas nice.”

There was no response for a couple seconds, but then the silence was interrupted by a snort coming from Techno, and Wilbur instantly knew what he would have found amusing. But as Techno gently ran his fingers through his hair, practically soothing Wilbur to sleep, he found he didn’t care as much as he did before.

They should do this again sometime.

[buc3t4l0v3r]

HEADCANON: THE TURTLES WITH A BRAZILIAN S/O

Hello! Uhm well, I really love tmnt (obviously) but I feel I'm not represented in the fandom as a Brazilian if that makes sense. I don't wanna sound offensive at all and sorry if I say anything wrong, I just wanted to write how the guys would act having a Brazilian s/o, since brazil and usa have so many cultural differences, anyway I hope you enjoy and also thank you very much for my amiga @foreignbrunette aka @shadow-ninjas aka @greenrenascentista :)

Leo

he's not very impressed

it's not that he doesn't care, he just doesn't think it's something so special

he won't ask about your country unless you bring the topic up

he thinks your culture is interesting and love learning new things about the place you're from (of course if he feels comfortable asking)

the way you show affection is kinda awkward for him

he's not very into PDA

but you'll have to figure it out by yourself because he won't talk about it

he simply doesn't want you to feel disrespected

he finds so cute when you talk about your family and friends in Brazil

Brazilian music are not very his thing, but he appreciates your efforts to find a song he'll like

he'll end up enjoying Pitty and Kell Smith

rarely he'll try to say something in portugese

in a certain day you managed to record him singing "Na sua estante" proudly

the guy is a fucking ninja and noticed you recording, if turtles could blush he would be as red as Raph's bandana

you told him you deleted the video and he's relieved

you didn't

10/10 boy😎👍🏻

Donnie

listen here, the guy's a nerd

he'll try to impress you so he starts searching everything he could about Brazil, in a way he feels like a super professional

so when you're around the guy will throw at you a random fact about brazil out of nowhere

and most of them you already know

"hey pop tarts! Did you know [insert a Brazil's fact here]?" "Uhm wow how interesting, love"

he just wanna show you he's interested in everything about you

he also enjoy learning new things

you think it's adorable, except when it becomes a little tiring

Donnie can talk a lot without noticing when he's engaged with something

but after a while he'll be back to his normal self, but he'll still looking for new info at times

who he's trying to fool? He just loves discovering about new cultures and customs

He'll obviously look for learning portugese so he can impress you

And you wasn't expecting when both of you were just chilling on the sofa watching some TV and Donnie says a "te amo, pop tarts" while playing with your hair

You felt like your heart missed a beat

You couldn't help but smile at him and say "também te amo, Don"

About music, Donnie enjoys more the old rock bands like "Legião Urbana"

He also finds "Mamonas Assassinas" pretty neat

You hope he never finds out what the songs mean

50/10😎❤

Raph

Raph is much like Leo, the difference is that he's more interested in your place and not ashamed of asking if he's curious about anything

He's very into sports and probably has a Twitter account were he follows Neymar, even if he has no idea what he says most of the time

Has watched "Tropa de elite" on Netflix and will obviously talk to you about the movie, and if you haven't watched it yet, well, you guys are having a movie night

Wants you to teach him curse words

Won't stop calling Leo "corno"

You decided to fool him saying that things like "fruta" (fruit) is a super heavy curse

He'll start calling him a piece of "fruta"

You couldn't help but laugh

Didn't knew anything about brazil before he meets you

Only knows brazil on movies

You had to told him Brazil isn't like that Rio movie

"No Raph there's no rare birds walking around the streets"

*confused raph noises*

He ends up understanding

But he's disappointed

from time to time you need to travel back to Brazil for an annual family reunion, you send him pics of your visit

When you're back the two of you are together sitting in his bed while looking at the other photos you took in your trip, one of them was a pic of you and your parents, aunts and cousins, all of you hugging each other and smiling at the camera

It made him wish he was a human so he could know your family

Loves Brazilian music, especially funk (I don't need to say why)

Favorite singers are Anitta and Pablo Vittar

He didn't believed Pablo was a man at first

20/10 🥺❤

Mikey

Brazilian 💫 food 💫

You were at the kitchen when you had the idea to cook something for mikey

You end up making a few coxinhas

Because they remind you of your childhood :)

You send a message to mikey telling him to come because you had something for him

Obviously he's at your house in a short time

So you offer a coxinha and he accepts without thinking twice

Omg

Mikey.exe has stopped working

"This is SoOoOoOoO gOoOoD"

When he's back at the lair he'll run to his room and Google some others recipes

After waking up and brushing your teeth you grab your phone and there's more than 20 messages from mikey with links of cooking sites

You guys end up having so much fun trying this recipes

It give you some memories of your childhood

Speaking of childhood

You show him "Turma da Monica" (Monica's gang)

He's obsessed about it

You bought a sansão for him and he loved it and it's so cute 🥺

Thinks Brazilian cartoons are super cool

Also loves the music, he doesn't have a favorite genre he just enjoy anything

Laughs so hard every time he watches that video of Whindersson imitating international singers

But at the end of the day they all love you no matter were you're from :)

[goldensstateofgrace]

First kiss.

based on this  // Requests // Masterlist 

warnings: none. 

word count: 1k+ 

Hope you enjoy!! Happy reading!! <3

-

-

Present Day

Laying in bed, you and Luke are cuddled close together. Your faces inches from one anothers, eyes flicking between each other’s. 

You couldn’t believe that you were with the man of your dreams. Sure, it took you a minute to come to your senses and actually go on a date with him but, look where that led you. 

You’re in bed with the love of your life, petunia, snoring from the end of the bed, and the life you only ever dreamed of having. 

“I love you, y/n,” Luke whispers, his hand coming up and cupping your jaw. His touch is so gentle and sweet, his thumb stroking the apple of your cheek as you gaze into each other’s eyes. 

“To infinity?,” you tease. When you guys first said ‘I love you’ to each other, you jokingly said ‘to infinity’ and from then on, that’s what the both of you always said after saying ‘I love you’. It was a cute little thing that was just between you and Luke, nobody else understanding it. 

“To infinity, baby,” capturing your lips in his, he grasps the back of your head as he deepens the kiss. The sparks and butterflies never fail to be there. It’s just like the feeling you had when he first kissed you. 

God, that feels like yesterday. 

Flashback

“Luke!” you choke out while you’re doubled over in hysterics. 

He’s singing at the top of his lungs, but not normally. He’s trying to sing like an opera singer. Your chest and mouth hurt with how much you’re laughing and smiling. 

“What,” he sings out, dragging out the “wha” in a deep but also high pitched voice. 

You finally catch your breath, “you gotta stop, I’m gonna have a heart attack from laughing too much,” you breathe out, your head falls on to the head rest of the seat you're in. 

What makes it worse it’s his band's song, “Permanent Vacation” is not supposed to be sung like an opera singer, Luke's attempt just cements that. 

“Hey, I'm doing fine

And I know I'm out of line

So let's sing this one more time

It goes

Destination, permanent vacation

Na-na, na-na-na-na” he starts again. 

Your laughter starts again, your hand falling over your mouth. You throw your head back, yor stomach hurting from all the laughter. 

“Lu- luke!” you laugh, by now he’s making hand gestures. His arm waving around as he draws out a long note. 

You and Luke have been on a total of almost 10 dates, this is your tenth date. You’ve been seeing each other for a while, almost  two months. You guys are taking it slow, slower than a turtle apparently. You haven’t kissed yet. 

It’s not like  you haven’t tried either, you either get interrupted by the boys or someone else. You also aren’t together 24/7, he’s been on a promo tour. So he’s super busy. 

All that said, you love him. 

You haven’t felt this happy in a long time. He treats you like you hung the moon and stars. He never yells, he’s always calm and ready to work things out. He’s amazing to say the least. 

Coming up on a stop light, his foot eases off the gas and onto the breaks, “I love you,” he blurts out, the car stopping at the stop light. 

You freeze, your mind trying to process his words. The words you didn’t think were allowed to be said this early in your relationship, for christ sakes, he hasn’t even asked you to be his girlfriend. 

His body is ridged, his shoulder tense as his hands turn white from gripping the steering wheel to hard. 

“Wha- what?” you ask carefully, voice soft and filled with shock. 

He stays quiet for a second, his grip loosening on the steering wheel. He turns in his seat, leaning over the middle console and cupping your face, “I love you,” then he captures your lips. 

Sparks run up your spine and the butterflies that never seem to calm, flutter in your tummy. You love him, you haven’t loved anyone this much ever. 

“To infinity?” you question, your tone light as you pull back from him, a smirk taking over your face. 

“To infinity, baby,” he mummers, his lips recapturing yours in a slow, sweet kiss. 

‘I love you, Luke,” you say, your hand cupping his on your face, “to infinity,” you giggle.

Present Day 

“Baby, do you remember when we said “I love you’ to each other?” you ask him, now resting with your head on his chest. 

“Yes of course i do,” he says, his hand rubbing up and down your back, “When I serenaded you with that horrible opera version of ‘permanent vacation’.” he laughs. 

“Yeah! You’re such a goof,” you laugh, thinking back when you couldn’t catch your breath you were laughing so hard. 

“Your goof,” he mumbles, “I only did that because I love the sound of your laugh, baby” he tells you.

You sit up, turning over and folding your arms over his chest, your chin rests on them, “really?” you ask him, a soft smile splayed across your face. Your eyes hold nothing but love for this man. 

“Yes, your laugh is so cute. The way you snort when you laugh is my favorite part,” he laughs. A look of horror crosses your face. 

“I don’t snort!” you slap his chest, only making him laugh harder. 

“You do, baby. But it’s cute,” he says, his hand moving hair out of your face and behind your ear. You look at him sheepishly, embarrassed. 

“You want some lunch, baby?” you ask him, you both have been in bed all day. Only getting up this morning to use the bathroom and brush your teeth. 

He nods, “Ok, i’ll go make some sandwiches,” you peck his lips, getting up and throwing on one of his shirts. 

Walking down stairs, you pull out the bread and meat, as well as mayo and mustard. Quickly, you make up the sandwiches, grabbing two bottles of water you head back upstairs. 

Opening the door to the room, “Ok, i made turk-” you halt, your gaze landing on him. 

His knee bent, and his hands holding a black velvet box. 

“Marry me?” 

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

Luke’s pov 

She looks shocked. 

It’s not how i planned to ask, i wanted to go big and show her how much i love her. But it feels right, so right. 

“Luke, baby. What are you doing?” she questions, she quickly places the food and water on the dresser, coming back over to me and kneeling so we're eye level. 

I take her left hand in mine, squeezing lightly, “Y/n i love you,so fucking much baby. I don’t want to live another day without you being mine for infinity, I want to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep next to you at night. You mean the absolute world to me, and i don’t know what i would do if i ever lost you. Will you marry me?” 

Her eyes well up with tears, on falling down her flushed cheek. Wiping it away with my thumb, I kiss her cheek softly. 

“Holy shit,” she mutters, letting out a chuckle. She wipes her tears, cupping my jaw a huge smile on her face, “yes, baby. A thousand times yes!” she goes to say something else but my lips have already captured hers. 

All the memories come rushing back, our first kiss in my car after I told her I love her, the awful opera singing just to hear her beautiful laugh. The times when we would get interrupted by the boys. 

Everything comes rushing back, and I couldn't be happier. I love this woman deeply and I couldn't imagine being with anyone else. 

Pulling back, a huge smile is covering both of our faces. I pulled the ring I had custom made out of the velvet box and placed it on her finger.

“Baby, it’s beautiful!” she gushes, her eyes wide with wonder as she stares at the ring. 

“You’re beautiful,” I smile. 

“I love you so much, Luke,” she kisses me, “to infinity,” she mutters only pulling back slightly, before she reconnects our lips. 

All the sparks and the butterflies, they’re all still there. After almost three years together, they’re still there and I hope they never go away.  

“I love you, y/n. To infinity, baby.”

Tag list: @vividstyles23 , @harrystylesandharrypotter​ (if you wanna be added let me know!!)  Feedback is highly appreciated!!!!

[teenage-mutant-ninja-freak]

Show me yours and I’ll show you mine

Mob! Leo x fem reader

Summery: You’re a sex worker working at the infamous Red Room (R&R) brothel in New York city when you run into Leo who’s there not on business. He, somehow, takes a liking to you and your adventure ensues.

Warnings: NSFW, sex work mentions, fist fight/violence, alcohol mentions, violence mentions.

((A/N: This doesn’t have much of a plot, just a fun idea I had and I haven’t written a mob fic in so long so here ya’ go!!))

It wasn’t a slow day at Red Room, Clients had been in and out all day and it was nearing 7pm. The smell of perfume and cologne hung heavy in the air and the place was starting to get messy. During the day the brothel is mainly used for men to drink and be kept company but when the night hits, it comes alive.

Women roaming around in lingerie of every kind, singers and dancers to entertain those who are just here to escape their wives or boys trying to become men chasing down pretty women who only show interest after they flash their cash. Security is pretty tight, too. Can’t have minors getting in, as much as they try, or anyone throwing off the atmosphere with drunken brawling.

It’s a beautiful September night, the air is still warm the remnants of summer and sun beans are streaming in through the ornate glass windows. Classic, beautiful furniture covers the main room where men get to know their chosen girl before she takes them back to her room and the bar is crowded with the usuals who are just here to watch and have a good time.

You walk through the vast room, smiling and making chit chat with as many of the men as you can before picking up your drink and retiring to one of the chairs. For a busy day it was still slow for you. You adjust your thigh highs as you sit and take off your heels. A small rest wouldn’t kill you. There were all sorts in tonight including, or so you’d heard, one of the mob boys. You hadn’t laid eyes on him yet but there was a certain tension surrounding the place that only the turtle boys could create so even if you hadn’t seen him, you could feel him. They weren’t strangers to R&R, sometimes they’d bring business associates here to butter them up, buy them a girl for the night and talk business where she kissed their neck or they’d come for their own pleasure. 

You take another look around the room, most of the men were focused on Starla who was singing a blues version of “how to be a heart breaker”, her voice slightly deeper than usual and full of sensual promise and her bright red, lacy bra and panties are particularly stunning. Praying that no one will approach you for at least another 10 minutes you take a sip of your whiskey and sit back to enjoy the show- when you hear it.

From a more distant corner of the room there are raised voices and harsh words being thrown about, something that is not accepted in the Red Room. Putting down your drink, you pick up your heels in your other hand and go over to see what all the fuss is about.

“I want what I fucking paid for!” comes a voice from a heavily intoxicated man who is standing on the last step to the stairs. Cherry stand in front of him, clearly distressed and looking slightly dishevelled. You can only assume that something went wrong in the bedroom and she had to run. Bastard you thought to yourself.

“Not if you won’t wear a condom! There are fucking rules!” she bites back. She was right, R&R had very strict guidelines to keep their girls and patrons safe and condoms must be worn for any and all sexual activity as well as regular STD checks.

That’s when he finally loses his cool completely, grabbing Cherry by the hair and trying to pull her back up the stairs. You don’t know exactly what came over you but before you know what you’re doing you drop your heels and rush over, prising his hand from her hair and socking him in the jaw. His head flies back from the impact and hits the wall, ricocheting off it before he falls down cold on the stairs which is met by a round of applause from the crowd that has gathered around you both. You turn to a now crying Cherry.

“you ok? What did he do? You alright?” you ask in quick succession. 

“I-I’m-” she sobs and holds on to you, you wrap your arms around her bare waist and move her slightly to the side as the ever late security deals with the unconscious guy. You decide it’s better to get her away and instead take her outside where some of the other girls have crowded round and offer her drinks and cigarettes as well as their sympathies. They stroke her hair and comfort her so you venture back inside, leaving her in their very capable hands. 

Once back in the main room, the madame for the night walks briskly over to you with a hard expression on her face.

“And just what was that?” She half whispers

“I know right, that jerk was trying to make her go bare back even though we’re super specific that we don’t do that here” you reply

“Not that!” She snaps “That little brawl you had with him. What do you think you were doing?”

“...Defending my colleague?” you’re confused, this isn’t the first time one of the girls here has had to step up for another, it probably won’t be the last either. 

“We have to crack down on you- you girls getting into fights! It’s dangerous and irresponsible and I think you should go home for the rest of-”

You both stop when you sense a presence to your right. Looking over you come face to face with a towering figure: Leonardo.

The madame clears her throat and smiles

“Ah, Mr Leonardo! How- how may we help you?” she beams at him. You’re not sure if it’s out of respect or fear, probably a mixture of both.

“How much for this one?” He says point blank.

“Excuse me?” The madame’s jaw almost hits the floor

“How much for this one for a few hours?”

You smile and give him big doe eyes as he talks price with her and she still attempts to send you home. Eventually it’s settled and allows you to take him back to your room.

He’s silent on the walk up there even as you chat idly about how handsome he is as you usually do with clients and making sure to sway your hips extra heavily to give him a good view as you walk up ahead of him.

Once tucked inside your room, you kneel on the bed and face him.

“So, how do you want me, big guy?” you say in a low, seductive voice.

He sits in a chair by the door in the corner and lights up a cigarette which isn’t technically allowed but acceptations are always made to accommodate the mob boys so you let it slide. 

“You can cut that shit out now” he says bluntly.

“what shit?” you’re confused again

“The ‘big guy’ and ‘you’re so handsome’ practically drooling over me shit. It’s overdone and, honestly, you’re not very convincing.”

“I’ll have you know that my acting skills are top notch but if you want realness lets go. How do you wanna fuck me and how long do I have to put up with you for?”

He smiles at that

“Atta’ girl”

You both sit in silence for a few minutes as he looks over you, drinking in your form. His eyes always linger on your hips and the garter belt around your waist so you can safely assume these are your best features in his opinion. 

“What possessed you to take on that drunk guy?” he breaks the silence

“My friend was in trouble, besides, I’ve got a solid right hook and wanted an excuse to use it” you reply. He smiles again. Not to be cocky, but I think I’m winning him over you think to yourself.

He’s rented out your room for two hours and all he seems to want to do is talk. He doesn’t even get up from his chair apart from once and only then it was to look out the window as he asked you about how you ended up here. You assumed it was some kind of saviour complex, the whole “how did a nice girl like you end up in a dump like this” routine but the truth is you like the Red Room. You love the attention and praise it gets you, your family knows what you do for a living and are proud of you and you’ve made some good friends here. 

“...Besides” you continue “it’s the only place around here where it’s not impossible to make 5 grand in a night if you try hard enough. Most other places can’t say the same.”

He was decent conversation although he was reluctant to tell you anything about himself, but he listened and appeared genuinely interested in what you had to say. You even made him laugh a few times. You didn’t know the turtle boys even had a sense of humour. 

Your 2 hours with him were coming to an end and, after pouring him a final drink, you said your goodbyes, It wasn’t completely unusual for a client to simply want to talk for their time with you, but from what you’d heard the turtle boys have an insatiable appetite for women so it doesn’t quite sit right with you that he didn’t want your body. Oh well.

_________________

The next morning was your day off. You woke up before your alarm and took a few minutes to hug your pillow closer to you and breathe in the fresh morning air from the window by your head. Your apartment was modest but not dingy in the slightest, the Red Room paid well and your home reflected that to some extent although you never wanted to be flashy about it. Last night was still on your mind, the way Leo (as he had asked you to call him) looked at you was still burned into your memory. His scent and the way he raised each drink to his lips. Everything he did commanded authority and was done with such grace and composure. Your thoughts were rudely interrupted by your alarm, only, it wasn’t your alarm. 

Confused, you look at your phone and see the madame is calling. What does this old bitch want? you think before answering the call.

“Hello?” you talk into the phone, trying to hide your distaste at being bothered on one of your precious days off.

“Hi, y/n, I really hate to do this but I need to get straight to the point. You have an outcall today.” the voice replies

“Oh, I’m sorry, you must be mistaken, This is my day off and I don’t do outcalls anymore. That’s been cleared with you guys for months.” the annoyance was beginning to shine through your voice. 

“Yes, I’m aware, but special allowances have to be made when certain clientele....Desire your company...”

“Who the fuck do you think is special enough to get me out of bed right now?” you hiss into the phone

“Leonardo...”

You didn’t hear the rest of her sentence as you take a second to let that sink in. Half of you was pissed as hell that these rich boys get whatever they want and whoever they want just because they practically run the town through fear, but another small part of you was...Flattered. 

“What time and where?” you ask

The madame gives you all the information and you hurry out of bed to get showered and ready. You only had an hour and a half to make yourself look presentable and actually get half way across town to his mansion. 

Five minutes before you need to be out of the door, you take a second to admire yourself in the mirror. You had done a good job with your cat eye makeup and you were pretty sure your have him eating out of your hand with the little baby pink slip dress you were wearing. Underneath was another garter belt, thigh highs and a small heel. You could have gone bigger considering you were only average height and Leo must have been about 6′7 at least but you decided a small heel worked better with the aesthetic you were cultivating. 

____________________

The uber pulled up the the enormous house that towered in front of you, driving carefully between the ornate and ancient statues that seemed the guard the entrance to the driveway. Opening the door and stepping out, the almost overwhelming aroma of roses filled your nose from the thickets by the front door. Everything was beautiful and clearly meticulously designed and placed. You felt your heart drop. What the fuck do I have to offer this guy who has everything? You swallow the lump in your throat and go to ring the door bell. 

A small, round man dressed in a white shirt and black waistcoat answers the door and smiles at you as if you ask why you’re here. Running a hand through your hair in an attempt to compose yourself (you’re a professional after all) you use your most confident voice to say:

“I’m y/n, and I’m here for Leonardo. He should be expecting me”

Realisation washes over the man’s face as he asks you to “please come in” and you take a seat in the foyer. You take a second to look around. The entrance hall is magnificent, a huge chandelier hangs above you with crystals or even diamonds (you weren’t sure but they were rich enough to afford such luxuries) casting glorious rainbows around the room as the light from the windows shines through it. The furniture had to be custom made, you’d never seen anything like it before and in the centre of the foyer is a round table with the most beautiful vase you’d ever seen and a carefully constructed bouquet of flowers sitting in it. You’d started to realise that maybe you were in too deep, but there was no getting out now.

It’s not long before you here footsteps coming down the stairs behind you. Leo and his older, and somehow taller, brother were walking down and seemed to be deep in conversation. They were still a little too far away to hear and they spoke in hushed voices but you could make out the purple suited one say

“She’s not talking” in a feverish voice to which Leo replied

“That’s not my problem right now, deal with her before I deal with you!”

it sounded serious.

Once at the bottom of the staircase and spotting you, he posture relaxes a little and he puts on that charming smile which reminds you that you need to do the same. That’s what he’s paying for, but he has such beautiful deep blue eyes that it;s difficult to not get distracted by them. He wore a black suit with very thing white lines going down it and a baby blue handkerchief in the breast pocket, his signature colour. He looked to die for.

He approaches and greets you with a warm hug and kiss on the cheek while telling you how beautiful you look. What a silver tongue he has. 

He takes you on a tour of the house and garden, it’s clear that he’s only doing this as a formality, to get you comfortable around him and it isn’t to brag. He almost seems indifferent about his extreme wealth. There were a few rooms with heavy locks on the doors and he didn’t show you into those or one entire wing of the house; telling you that was under construction. You saw Donatello go through to that area, though but, you didn’t want to rock the boat by asking questions.

Eventually he took you out to the patio, it was stunning. More roses and other potted flower stood all around and the table was set with silver cutlery and beautiful wine glasses. He pulled a chair out for you to sit, like a true gentleman.

As waiters came and went, bringing you both lavish meals and more wine, you talked for hours. Well...You talked. He mainly listened and asked questions. You couldn’t help but feel entirely comfortable around him, something about his presence was so non-judgemental and sincere that you felt you could answer everything honestly and not put up a front like you usually would on other “dates”. The only trouble around when you spoke next.

“So I’m been rattling on for ages. Tell me about you. What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you like living with your brothers? Where did you grow up?”

That last question seemed to hit a nerve as he looked as if he winced slightly  at it. He didn’t answer.

You put your hand on his

“Did you hear me?”

He pulled his hand away and looked you in the eyes

“I didn’t pay you to interrogate me. You’re here to sit and look pretty, not open your fucking mouth”

You were stunned. This sudden turn seemed to come from nowhere and that’s when you felt the anger rise up in you. You’d never been one to hold your tongue and you weren’t going to start now- consequences be damned.

“Well excuse the fuck me!” you began “Why is it that every guy feels so entitled to my life but so unwilling to tell me anything about their own? Oh yeah! Maybe it’s because they’re so boring an insignificant in this world that they have to pay a woman to come talk to their sorry ass because no one would do it for free. I thought you were different but it’s all for show, isn’t it? The house, the cars, the money... Nothing behind that, just another pitiful, sad little man who has to pay for a quick fuck. I’m outta here”

You throw your napkin down on the plate and walk away. You almost make it to the front door when a hand grips your wrist, turning you to face them.

Leo looks sorry for himself. It’s clear he knows the magnitude to which he’s messed up but he doesn’t say anything right away.

“Well?” you say impatiently? “Look, you wanted me here. I just go where the money takes me but for a second I thought there might actually be some kind of connection. You want a real date, then you have to tell me about yourself at least a little. That’s what real people do. But if you’re just going to be a giant douche with no respect, I’m leaving.”

“It’s not a happy story” he finally says through gritted teeth, hand still firmly around your wrist. “But if you want to hear about it, follow me”

He takes you upstairs a through a few more hallways until you reach what must be his room. It’s just as beautifully designed as the rest of the house but with a few more personal touches. As opposed to the slightly Italian looking architecture and design of the rest of the house, his room has katanas hung up on the wall and a small nook in the corner of the room where a tea maker sits. It’s more homely than the rest of the place. More his own.

He sits you down on the bed and slowly begins to explain.

He doesn’t go into too much detail, you imagine that would be too painful for him.He tells you how he was found in a sewer with his brothers and then made to wear chains and perform for sick crowds of smiling a grimacing humans and how he hated them. He mentioned the beatings and the torture, the hunger he felt everyday. He spoke on the anger his father harboured and how they would dream of a revenge so bloody and raw that he hoped god would look away while they did it. He told you about their escape and how it was the first time he’d know the touch of a human that hadn’t left a scar. It was all horrific and you couldn’t believe he survived that.

“...We still don’t know what Mikey saw that night but whatever it was, he didn’t talk for three weeks and now he’s...Well, now he’s the new Mikey. I don’t talk about it because who would want to know? And I don’t want pity, I don’t want your sympathy just because ‘boo hoo, he had a tough childhood’ ”

You place your hand on his cheek and turn his face towards you, he didn’t look at you the entire time he spoke.

“I don’t pity you” You began “I admire you. Going through all that and still being a functional person? That takes a strength I couldn’t muster”

You lean in to kiss him on the cheek, he turns his head and kisses you on the lips slowly, as if to savour every second of it. You hands go to his face and he lightly grips the back of your neck as the kiss intensifies. You lie back and he takes his place on top of you, between your legs and he trails one hand up your thigh to your hip, going just underneath your now bunched up dress.

He begins to kiss down your jaw line and towards your neck and your breath hitches in your throat at the pressure of his lips on your skin. His attention turns to your cleavage, he looks up at you as if you ask for permission and you nod before his head delves between your breasts, kissing and lapping at your tender flesh. You roll your head back and begin to pant slightly. The way he’s so attentive and gentle yet composed and in control is a nice contrast that few men can do successfully. 

Cupping one of your breasts as he kisses it, you put your hand under his chin to return his mouth to yours and your tongues swirl together in ecstasy as you moan into his mouth.You can feel him hardening through his tailored trousers. Pulling back, you begin to unbutton his shirt as he takes off his blazer before reaching down between the two of you and cupping his bulge through his clothes. He almost growls at that and takes the top of your dress in his hands, ripping it down the middle. You look up at him wide eyed and he simply smiles and whispers

“I’ll buy you ten new ones”

You can’t see too well in the room as the sun is beginning to set but you can still make out how toned and muscular his chest is even in the half light. You run your fingers over his abs as he pushes up your dress and pulls down your underwear. Leo begins to kiss down your inner thighs, nipping gently as he gets closer to your sex

“No” you say suddenly. He stops immediately and looks at you “I want you. I just wanna feel you”

Pushing himself up onto his knees, still between your open legs, he undoes his belt, unzips him pants and pulls them down. His hard, thick cock bouncing free from its previous restraints. He takes a quick second to reach into his bedside draw and pull out a condom that he puts on with ease. He leans down and puts one hand firmly on the bed next to your head and with the other lines himself up at your already soaked entrance. You ready yourself for whats about to come, he’s bigger than your usual clients. He slowly pushes himself inside you and you gasp at the pleasurable agony of how torturous it is. Eventually he bottoms out and kisses you on the lips before looking into your eyes.

“are you ready?” He asks, you nod in return

His hips start at a slow but hard pace, obviously warming you up for whats to come. He nibbles at your ear and his hand becomes entangled in your hair, pulling it lightly as if to test the waters of how you feel about that. The more you moan the faster and harder he goes while whispering how much of a good girl you are in your ear and telling you how you take him so well.

All you can do is breathlessly moan and beg him not to stop, he looks into your eyes with a devilish mischief and says

“Stop? We’re only just starting”

He pulls out and flips you onto your front, pulling your hips up to meet his and enters you again from behind. He grabs one of your arms and pulls it behind your back, gripping it there to stay and place and with the other he gathers up the lengths of your hair and pulls so that you’re facing forwards. His pace is punishing and your eyes begin to tear up from just how mind blowing he is. Occasionally he would let go of your arm to give you a quick, sharp slap on the ass or to caress your hips a little but eventually he would always grip your wrist again, keeping it in place.

His pace begins to slow and he looks down at himself sliding in and out of you.

“Baby, you’re being so good. Look how well you’re taking me. Such an angel” he coos 

“I- I can’t take much more” you whisper but he hears and chuckles to himself. Letting go of your arm his hand slides between your thighs and begins to play with your clit, each circle he rubs is in time with his thrusts and it’s driving you crazy.

“Leo, Leo! I-” you can’t take anymore as a full body orgasm rolls through you and you almost collapse if it weren’t for his arms holding you up. One more smack on your ass and a few more thrusts and you can tell he’s almost at his own release.

“Fuck baby” He purrs and he explodes inside of you before leaning down the kiss the centre of your back. He gentle places you down on the bed so that you don’t just falls that way and quickly goes to dispose of the condom.

You get under the sheets of the bed, still panting slightly and a thin mist of sweat is lining your forehead. Leo gets into bed beside you in the now dark room and you push yourself closer to him as he wraps an arm around you. You lean in and close your eyes against his chest. Sex always made you sleepy, well, good sex did. He looks down at you, kisses your hair and whispers

“You’re gonna need that sleep. I just know I’ll need to have you again in the morning”

You smile against his skin as he rubs small circles on your back as you drift off. The last thing you remember is him whispering, and you’re not sure if it was to you or himself

“It felt good to finally tell someone all that shit. I’m glad you’re here”

Feeling appreciated and satisfied you let sleep take you, only left to dream about what pleasures the morning had waiting for you.

The end

[purrincess-chat]

Okay, so I know I said I wasn't gonna comment, and I'm not getting into the discourse, idc, everyone shut up for a minute because I have ideas.

Canon would probably never, but I posted my akumabug LadyNoir set up yesterday, and I've got another one after this episode, so just hear me out:

Feel whatever way you wanna feel about he-whom-I've-forgotten finding out, but as I've sat and pondered what the overall fucking message is here for Marinette after all of these microbetrayals from her friends this season coupled with the building tension between Chat and Ladybug, I've realized that things are not looking great for Marinette. If all of these things came to a head. If she found out that the people she trusted lied, after everything she has been juggling, with how fragile her mental state is rn, she would break. And likely not trust anyone.

So, scenario, say Chat finally snaps at her after a battle and reveals that he doesn't feel included or needed anymore, like they're no longer partners, and runs off. Ladybug on her way home catches Nino welcoming Rena Furtive home on her balcony and is like she didn't tell Nino what we agreed! But she tries to give her bff the benefit of the doubt because that's her mans. He-whom-I've-forgotten notices her being a little sullen at a group hang later and approaches her to talk. She admits that someone she cares about told her recently that he feels like she's shutting him out, and now she's discovered that someone she thought she could trust lied to her. HWIF is like wow oof. That's a shame. Marinette looks up at him and is like "you'd never lie to me, right?" And he's like shit. So, he decides to tell her the truth finally, and Marinette is appalled that he lied to her and has been putting her at risk unknowingly all this time. He tries to apologize, but she transforms and storms off, hurt and betrayed.

Ding dong, guess who's ready to party? It's Shadowmoth, bitches. And boy is it his lucky day. All of Ladybug's most trusted allies failing her all at once. It's akumabug time.

When Alya discovers that Ladybug has been akumatized, she's like ah, fuck, and rushes to Marinette's house to get the Miracle Box, but it's already gone. Alya is like FUCK!

HWIF sees akumabug and is like ah shit, and runs to Adrien. Adrien is also sulking in his room, and HWIF is like, broski, my dude, my guy, Ladybug needs you. I fucked up and found out who you both are and didn't say anything, and now she's an akuma. Adrien asks why Viperion doesn't just go save her then. They don't need him, and HWIF is like, you fool. You two are made for each other, and she needs you more than ever. Please, do the thing. Adrien is like how made for each other? "You love Ladybug. She loves Adrien." Adrien is like okay, that's fair. Let's go get this bug.

Anyway, Ladybug's power can turn the Miraculouses in the Miracle Box evil, so when she hands them out, the users fall under her command, so when Chat and Rena show up, they're like oh fuck.

Chat tells Rena to handle the minions, he will try to break through to Ladybug. Rena singles out Carapace first, dodging through his attacks and appealing to Nino. Vesperia and Ryuko show up to back him up, but Carapace encases himself and Rena inside a shelter to talk. Rena is able to break through to him, and he agrees to help. Together they defeat Ryuko by hitting her with Vesperia's venom, and swiping both of their Miraculouses. Cat don't make your stupid beeatrix pun

Anyway, Rena fuses the fox and the bee and Carapace fuses the turtle and the dragon. Next they take on, Roi Singe and Pegase with a tad bit more ease, shoving both of them through Pegase's portal, then hitting Pegase with Roi Singe's banana and trapping them there.

Next they have to fight Pigella and Tigresse Pourpre, and I'm too lazy to think of a clever solution for them right now. But they both get defeated and become integral to the next phase of the plan.

Meanwhile, Chat has been fighting Akumabug, who is absolutely spiralling. She can't trust anyone, and the only way she can ensure her allies don't betray her again is to have total control over them. Chat tries to reason with her, but she points out that even he turned her back on her. Chat admits that he let his hurt feelings get the better of him, but that he felt like she was keeping secrets and shutting him out. He was just scared that "you and me against the world" was turning into "you and everybody else." He doesn't want to lose their partnership or her.

Akumabug subdues him, pinning him to the ground, and he surrenders. "Being Chat Noir by your side has meant the world to me, m'lady. Nothing will ever change that."

Beeatrix god dammit Cat and Dragonturtle arrive with Pigella and Tigresse Pourpre, now on their side, and Pigella and TP (that's actually an unfortunate abbreviation I've just discovered) use their powers to show Ladybug what her heart really wants and convince her to give in. Ladybug looks around at all of her friends and allies there to fight for her, and breaks loose of Shadowmoth's influence. Rena apologizes for not being honest with her after Ladybug trusted her. She gives back the bee as well as the fox and says that maybe Ladybug was wrong to trust her. Ladybug forgives her and says that secrets are hard to keep, all of this is proof of that. From now on, they'll be more honest with each other, including her and Chat Noir. She apologizes to him for keeping him in the dark, and Chat apologizes for quitting on her when she needed him most. Just because their team has grown, doesn't mean they have to trust each other any less.

Shadowmoth is like fucking hell, so he goes to fight them himself and try to at least steal the Miracle Box, but Ladybug and friends have all regrouped and recharged, and it's time for them to open a can of whoop ass on Shadowmoth once and for all.

Anyway, that's the story about how Shadowmoth gets his ass handed to him by a group of teenage furries, and everyone apologizes for their mistakes. But most importantly, Gabe goes to jail, and Nino adopts Adrien.

I will not be taking questions or criticism at this time. Fuck off and write your own angsty scenario with a happy ending.

[imaginesandall]

ACExOC Headcanons cuz im bored and sad

BASICS

Her name is Queen.

She is part of the Heart pirates.

Law saved her life once and she devoted herself to him and the crew.

Queen had a bounty before she met the Heart pirates.

'Queen of hearts ♔'

She may have had a thing for ripping out the hearts of a couple of assholes that did wrong on her eyes.

No devil fruits, no powers, just raw force.

Pure coincidence that she ended with the heart pirates after she got her nickname, but the crew loved it and liked to tease her about it.

'It's destiny our dear queen!'

'Shut the fuck up Penguin'

The crew also loves to call her 'queenie' (minus Law ofc)

ACEEEE

When the crew gets to land they separate to get supplies, or whatever it is they need (sometimes what they needed was just getting drunk).

Queen loves her family but she also likes her personal space (sometimes it gets a bit suffocating on the sub).

So being on her own and exploring a new island, she found the cutest freckled boy she has ever seen.

Unconscious.

On the middle of the street.

And well she may be a murderer but she was not heartless (pun fully intended).

So while the people gathered around him whispering what could have happened she took it upon herself to check if the boy (man?) was still alive.

He was.

He just opened his eyes and she almost died of a heart attack.

Like a gentleman (that makino teached him to be) he offered an apology.

But Queen wanted a compensation so she dragged his ass to a trip around the market for supplies.

Queen does not take a no for an answer(just from Law cuz when he enters the DOCTOR MODE then she may as well be doomed).

They went around town on a shopping trip and well... it was nice, and the conversation was funny.

Later that night the Heart pirates and the second commander of the whitebeards were drunk on a small bar singing and dancing.

Law is still not THAT famous so Ace doesn't know him at all, but Law can recognize Ace from the wanted posters and the news (Law is a very well informed man. He has to be).

The crew likes Ace.

Queen likes him even more.

THE BEGINING

After their first meeting it seemed like they were always on the same places.

They parted on an island? Well they are gonna see each other on the next one.

The heart pirates don't interact much with him but they do tease Queen about it.

'ohh there is your boyfriend'

'geez Ikkaku not you too'

'are you gonna get married?'

'Shut up Bepo'

'I'm sorry :c' (this poor boi)

So every time they see each other they have a small activity together.

Both of them are too stubborn to call them dates.

Both of them are also dorks and blush almost at anything.

Ace has trouble trusting people and has self-esteem issues so the even though he likes Queen he thinks he doesn’t deserve anything that makes him happy. And she does make him happy.

So Queen is the first to confess. It takes her a week on the sub (and Ikkaku yelling at her to stop being so dumb) and two days on an island with him to actually confess to him.

‘ I... I wanted to... but Uhh I mean’

‘Please promise me nothing will change after this...’ she kept quiet after saying that.

Queen refused to look at him in the eyes, was shaking like a leaf and then... she ran.

Cue a poor confused boi.

So for everyone else it might have been obvious what was happening.

But this boi thinks he doesn’t deserve love so he just thinks queen catched a bug or something.

The next day she finally confesses and while poor Ace is stunned, he likes her too.

It takes Ace a couple of month to fully accept that yes, Queen likes him and yeah she is being sincere.

Sometimes he still feels like it’s gonna end on a horrible note.

Queen reassures him that she indeed likes him and she is not going anywhere.

THE RELATIONSHIP

Both of them are hopeless romantics but new to relationships.

While ace has had casual flings he never had something serious, as for Queen, well you can’t have a lot of time for anything of that nature while you are running from your life.

Ace always gets Queen small trinkets that makes him think of her.

Little turtles craved on a rock, small shiny rocks(like a bird), food, and other stuff that sometimes he has no idea what they are but they reminded him of queen.

Sometimes Ace feels self conscious that they are not enough and he is fucking things up.

But Queen loves every single weird thing he gaves her and keeps it on a drawer on the polar tank.

Queen also likes to give him gifts but she finds it hard to get something he would like (jokes on her Ace would love anything she gets him).

They love to cuddle.

She loves to trace his freckles, she finds him absolutely adorable.

They get drunk together quite often.

They are the fun™couple.

THE BIG REVELATION

So it took Ace some time to get the courage to tell Queen about his dad.

He tried to make it as natural as possible.

'So what would you say if Gold Roger had kids?'

'The pirate king? Well I mean... I don't know "

'Was he even the kind of pirate that just goes around leaving women pregnant?'

'I mean what kind of woman would like to... well he was the pirate king so...'

'Jeez Ace why would you ask me about his sex life?!'

'I ASKED ABOUT HIS KIDS NOT HIS SEX LIFE'

'HOW DO YOU THINK BABIES ARE MADE?!'

it was not subtle at all.

They were both very red and embarrassed.

Ace had to be very direct with Queen.

He had a breakdown.

He started yelling at Queen about his cursed blood and yelling at her to leave.

Queen stopped him by grabbing his cheeks and giving him a small smile.

'For a guy so smart you sure are dumb huh?'

Queen had to give him a big talk.

'Who gives a crap about who your dad is Ace?'

'You are the things you love, your family, your crew, your friends, the sea, your freedom. The only reason why your dad has such a hold on you is because you let him'

Ace cried for hours while Queen held him.

It broke her to see such a trivial thing in her eyes hold him down like this.

Ace felt better but even after that he had been carrying that burden for so long that it was not gonna dissipate just that easily.

But it made thing easier in their relationship.

'You do look a bit like him tho, I'm guessing you got your pretty looks because of your mom'

[moonlightflower21]

Has mafia Leo ever almost lost a brother? Bloodied, on the brick of death, trying to keep him awake until help arrived?

twice. raph and mikey though the latter hit a little closer to home. and i'll show you that one.

it was a horrible brutal battle in the mafia, knives and guns were the only thing that could be heard. blood painted the walls and the floors, shirts had been ripped and thrown about. wails and cries echoed throughout the room but leo's sole objective was to find his brother and go. he didn't know how bad it went.

donnie secured raph but the youngest turtle was missing and with every second that ticked by, the pain in leo's heart twisted further. the fear coursed his veins, adrenaline pushing him forwards through the mountains of bodies. he didn't know if they were dead or alive and he certainly wasn't sticking around to know.

"mikey! mikey where are you?" his voice is rough, thick with emotion trying to find a shell. to find a figure of green anywhere but he can't. while a normal level headed person, the idea of his brother being alone and bleeding out makes his anxiety spike up to the stars.

"bro..." a weak whisper calls from the other side and leos heart drops to his stomach. first with relief and then horror.

"nonono... no fucking way...." he doesn't know whether to cry or scream, running to cradle the terrapins head close to his lap.

"donnie?? i need a medic pronto. get the ambulance here now!" the commanding voice of leonardo fills mikeys ears but his eyes are so heavy. his body simultaneously feels every emotion and then numbness. was this how he went? down in battle, surrounding by one of his brother?

"don't you dare close your eyes, mike. you hear me?? keep them open" leo jolts him awake, his teeth clamping down in his bottom lip to reduce the emotions threatening to drip down his eyes.

"i don't know if i can do this..." mikey wheezes, harsh breaths being taken in but it seemed none of the oxygen reached his lungs.

"you can and you will. this isn't how you die, not like this" leo tries to remain calm but the stupid medic still hasn't arrived and it's scary how he can see the life being sucked out of mikey by the minute.

"fuck, where are they??" the fear is obvious, leo's eyes brim with unshed tears. and for the first time in a long time, mikey can see the sheer panic on the leaders face. he wants to reach out and comfort him but his arm doesn't cooperate.

"remember.... remember that album?" how mikey is still talking blows leos mind but its a welcome distraction.

"yeah, the christmas album. you made me make a cover art for it" despite the tears rolling down his face, he chuckles. the singing was off key and horrible but it was their home. it was their comfort, their distraction

"will you finish it? i want it to be finished" mikey looks up to see the leader look confused and worried.

"no. you're the one that's going to finish it. we made a promise that night, all those years ago, to protect one another. and i'm not going to let you go easily" leo applied some more pressure to mikey's plastron but the blood continues to spill through his clenched fingers.

"but if i-i don't, i need you to finish it... promise?" mikey's cough rattles leo's heart, the blood staining his cheek makes him feel like a small boy all over again. helpless and vulnerable, something he promised himself he would never feel.

"i promise..." leo murmurs, his shoulder softly shaking as sobs overcome his body. the walls were closing in, the sickening smell of iron filled his nostrils and the once strong body of michelangelo was weakening with every breath.

"i love you bro. tell raph and donnie that too" he tugs at leo's sleeve, something he used to do when he was a young child afraid of the dark. afraid of splinters wrath. and it hurt just as bad as it was seeing this all over again.

"i will, i love you too" leo's fingers stroke his brothers head, his tears falling on the skin. the grip mikey had loosened, a content smile on his lips. one last breath and his body had stilled, prompting leo to nudge him again.

"mikey?? mikey! michelangelo this isn't funny, awaken at once!" leo's voice wavered, the lump in his throat threatening to cut off his oxygen supply too. heavy sobs racked his body, his lip no doubt bleeding from the intense pressure applied to it.

"medic!!!" he roared over the ear piece, his hands shaky while he tried to stop mikey's wound. the rest of the clan ran through the doors, sprinting to the duo. the medical team took mikey from leo's arms, placing him on the floor.

the brothers watched the youngest of them all so pale and so small, so damaged and broken. and they couldn't even help him.

[shhhlikeme]

Hello, could I request tendou with an S/O who never wears revealing clothing suddenly surprises him one day wearing a virgin killer sweater? Thank you!

I HAD TO SEARCH WHAT THE SWEATER YOU SPEAK OF WAS AND WHEN I SAW IT 😳😳😳😳🥵 WHEW BOYYYYYY—I SEE HOW IT GOT ITS NAME, BECAUSE FAM—

(Pictures below & I love Tendou so much HE’S SO FINE to me 💦like sir plssssssssssssss)

————————————

Tendou Satori Seeing His S/O In A Virgin Killer Sweater For The First Time! 👕

(NSFW) 18+

————————————

Tendou is the most supportive and motivational boyfriend in the world....everybody knows that

He’s literally always lifting you up (mentally and physically) and calling you cute and perfect

He loves the fact that you’re always fully covered because he doesn’t have to kill every guy who turns your way because he knows they’re only wishing you were naked, which was kind of better, if that makes sense

You have no reason to dress the way you do you just do because you like the style. If you can look sexy while fully clothed it was much more chic to you

And your man agreed that you looked sexy all the time in your turtle necks and lose high waisted boyfriend jeans >>>

One day you went to his apartment knowing your red headed baby was probably bouncing off the walls awaiting your arrival

You invited yourself over for the first time because you just finished a full spring cleaning at your apartment and your boyfriend’s could definitely use one too even though he was pretty clean

You packed a big bag of cleaning supplies and headed over to his place

Bby met you at your car and carried everything up for you, insisting on holding your hand with his free hand the entire trip to the 4th floor and swinging your linked hands

“Babe, you’re embarrassing me.” You try to hide your face behind your hair as a family looks at you two grown adults acting like 4-year-olds.

“Oh Y/N, where is your LOVE spirit hmmm???”

“In the house. Where no one can see us.” You said seriously and your boyfriend only started humming happily like you hadn’t said anything.

You both loved being in eachothers company

Your boyfriend’s infectiously overjoyed and odd personality was addicting and he knew it, despite what you said

15 minutes in, Satori had been trying to help you spring clean but he was doing the most trying to dance with you and name each dish so you ordered him to just sit on the couch until you were done

Your initial plan was to have him literally sit on the couch and stay out of your way anyway but he rarely if ever listened

You had to tell him again and again

He fought you on the not helping front but you promised him a reward when everything was complete if he did it and Satori LOVED rewards so he made friends with the couch and turned on the tv

Phew 😅

You put your hair up and opened all the windows in case of dust. you were about to put on your cleaning gloves when you realized you were still in your nice outfit

Luckily in your cleaning bag you packed an extra so you rummaged through the bag where you placed something you’d never ever wear, something you don’t care about because those are fine if they got destroyed with bleach

You find the random sweater that your bestie had gotten you for your birthday that you placed in there. She’s always trying to get you to spice up your wardrobe but you threaten to fight her when she does so now she just buys you things and puts them in your closet

You secretly wear them for paint night or spring cleaning days like today

Knowing you’d never wear something that shows so much skin on a regular day, you slipped it on. it’s a rather odd knit sweater with no sleeves and it fit almost like a short dress. It defied all fashion laws and you thought it was hideous:

Perfect!

While your boyfriend is watching television, you slip back on your gloves and begin with watering his plants

Your cute lanky boy was bobbing his head to some singer on The Voice, cheering his fave on like it was a sport

He jumped on the couch to sing along and dance to the show knowing good and well you hate when he does that because he has broken a lot of furniture that exact same way

“Satori! What did I—oh my goodness!”

Your boyfriend had turned to you mid jump when you yelled his name but because he saw you in the sexiest outfit ever made, he lost his footing and balance on the descent and fell fast to the floor.

“Oh my God!!” You dropped the empty plant watering pot you were holding and raced to your boyfriends side. His eyes were closed for dramatic effect and he was waving his hands in front of him as if he didn’t know that the reason he couldn’t see is because his eyes are closed.

“Satori, baby, are you okay?!” You pat him down to ensure no broken bones and you caress his face. He grimaced.

“My head.......I can’t seeeee.....owww.....”

Your boyfriend groaned with his eyes still closed.

“My poor Tendou! Did you hit your head on the floor?! How many fingers am I holding up?!” You held up four fingers in front of his face while you slipped your other hand under his head so that it was resting on something softer.

Your boyfriend shakes his head and shrugs, his face contorted in pain.

“Open your eyes and maybe you’ll see how many fingers, Satori.” 😑 you say, fighting an eye roll.

“I need.......a doctor..........it hurts to open my eyes!” He exclaimed, clutching his head.

Your heart dropped and your face fell, uber worried that your boyfriend had a serious concussion. “Please open them and try, baby. I need you to identify 3 things in this room and if you can’t then we will go to the hospital. 3 things for me baby, try.”

Tendo squinted his eyes open barely. “I see.....” he cringes and you clutch him tighter. Your heart was beating so fast. Satori moved his head in your hand, looking over at the fallen watering jug.

“I see.....jugs.” He said.

You let out the breath you had been holding in, so happy that your boyfriend was able to identify something correctly. This was a good sign. “Oh my God Satori baby I really thought I’d need to bring you to—wait. Jugs? As in the plural?? How many jugs do you see Satori?”

Your boyfriend shook his head in displeasure at your loud voice. “I see three.” He finished while clutching his head again.

Your internal panic returned. He must be seeing triple since that is a symptom of a serious concussion! This was bad.

“Okay, come on I’m calling Ushijima we are going to the hospital—“

Your spaced-out sounding boyfriend felt the need to elaborate on his answer. He was speaking so softly you had to lean in closer just so you could hear him. “I see one jug over there...” The red head used both his hands to double point to the jug you dropped across the room.

“And two more jugs................................................here.”

His pointing hands moved in a semi circle that you followed with your eyes in confusion, until they landed on your boobs when he said ‘here.’

Gapping at your boyfriend like a fish, you went silent. You looked down at his hands, to his now smiling and very alert face, back to his hands and then back to his face that gave you a wink.

YOU.

WERE.

GOING.

TO.

KILL.

HIM.

Seething, you took a deep breath,

“TENDO SATORI YOU ARE SO DEA——mmmm.”

You started to yell at him but you were stopped because your boyfriend began to massage your boobs in your sweater, knowing that was your utter weakness. You moaned and bit your lip, all the anger you had toward killing him relinquishing from your body and replaced by pleasure.

Your boyfriend smirked as he lifted to sit up on his butt. “Oh no. You cannot get mad at me, little lady.” He tsk-ed, ever the broadway actor. “I still fell because of you, so it’s really your fault, hmmmm?” Through your sweater Tendo pinched your newly hard nipples and flicked them. It felt so nice and soft with the cotton material touching your sensitive areoles but it wasn’t nearly enough.

“Do you even know what this sweater is, beautiful? What it does?” He looked into your lust filled eyes with even darker ones. You shook your head, pressing your boobs into his attentive, so attentive hands.

“Fuck me, of course you don’t.......” He looked you up and down and licked his lips as he went back to groping your boobs pleasurably. “It’s called a virgin killer sweater, you inexperienced princess.” He tweaked your nipples again and came in close to you to kiss up and down your neck. When he pulled back to see you again and saw that you were still in the sweater and not fully covered as always, his semi boner grew to full length.

“Oh, am I going to have fun with you....” Your boyfriend captured you in a heated kiss and slipped one of his hands between your legs to softly massage you through your panties.

When he pulled away you asked him while dizzy, “A what-a what sweater? Virgin? Murder? Huh?”

He chuckled darkly, moving his body so that he was on top of you and you were laying on the carpet. While on top of you he caressed your smooth exposed legs with his hand and then bent to their level so he could land kisses on your inner thighs.

“Legend has it,” he began between kisses as he covers your thighs in hickeys, “That if your girlfriend wears this sweater it automatically kills any virgin man because he would just have to make love to you after seeing you in it.....”

You sighed in pleasure as your boyfriend removed your panties. He always became so serious when it came to sex and it was a parallel to his jokester personality.

But you loved it, especially when he was kissing your inner thighs so close to your needy spot like a damn professsio—

“Oh my G-God Satori,” you moaned as you felt your boyfriend’s long, purposeful tongue lick you from one end of your slit to the other. You were drenched down there from the nipple attention he started with and your boyfriend moaned in satisfaction as he tasted you on his tongue. You arched your back because of the vibrations of his sound.

“S-Satori.... we-we’re on the gr-ground.....”

Ignoring you, your man made a “W” shape with his tongue and dove in, paying special attention to stimulating your clit by encircling it which made you tug on his red hair.

He pulled back to softly blow cool air on your clit and you almost pulled out your baby’s hair because how good it felt!!

“F-fuck—“ you moaned.

After blowing on it to make it cold he replaced it with his warm tongue as to shift you from cold to hot sensations. Your toes curled. He was incredible at oral sex and he knew it.

Your boyfriend reached a hand up the inside of your sweater and grabbed one of your bare boobs, massaging it the way you loved. Usually your boyfriend spread the foreplay out in long sections, using his key ‘cum right now’ techniques like the boob play, the blowing, the moaning on your vag and the “W” at different points to draw out your orgasm, but right now he was combining all of them at once just to turn you on. To make you beg for him now so he could fuck you sooner. He couldn’t wait already, and he knew just how to get you to the same place as him in arousal.

He’s smart.

“I-I need you now, Ten, please—“

You grip his hair trying to pull him up so his dick would replace his perfect tongue. You were about to cum. “I need you inside me now.”

Pinching your nipple and blowing on your clit one more time before sucking it into his mouth, letting it go slowly and then kissing you there (to which you screaaamed his name), Tendou looked up at you with a winning smile. “Oh, that is music to my ears, baby.”

He unbuckled his pants and removed them, along with his shirt.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tongue fuck you and tease you longer, my love. I had to pull out all the stops right away because I need to be inside you right now. You have no idea what seeing you in that sweater is doing to me, princess.” Fully naked in all his glory, you look down to see your boyfriends hard cock standing at full attention.

“Tendo, I don’t care it felt amazing. I-just put your dick inside me—“

He grinned, circling his dripping precum all over his long dick. He leaned forward on you so that he could use your vaginal juices as lubricant. He rubbed his length between your pussy lips back and forth slowly not entering you yet, groaning as he did so. He was teasing himself like no tomorrow in the process.

You bit your lip and shut your eyes tightly as your orgasm approached without him even being inside you yet. Him lubricating himself on you manually felt too great and your toes curled and your back arched as you screamed his name over and over, riding out your first orgasm of the night.

“Oh my God, Princess.....” Still rubbing his dick in between your soaked and sensitive lips, your boyfriend stared down at you the whole time, only a little surprised that you climaxed so early.

To Tendou, seeing you orgasm while wearing a virgin killer sweater was absolutely the hottest thing HE’S ever seen!

“Y/N you looked unbelievable cumming right now........ Fair warning that I’m not going to be able to pull out. Not today—“ using his hand he spreads your wetness on any area still left uncovered. He stared at your chest in the sweater. “This looks perfect on you......it highlights your every feature. Your tits, your hips, your legs? How did I get you?” His eyes twinkled because he was so proud for managing to court you that he was going to make sure you two enjoyed this.

“The moment I saw you in this sweater my mind told me to stick my dick inside you.... I don’t know. I—“ Satori groaned as he witnessed you spread your legs open for him, wrapping them around his waist, inviting him inside.

“Let the sweater work it’s magic then, Satori.” You coo impatiently. Your seductive voice went straight to his dick as it pulsated on your lips.

He was about to explain to you just how fucking sexy you looked laying splat on the floor, dressed in a virgin killer sweater, face looking as kinds of seductive, but he couldn’t wait any longer. You looked too hot. He guessed he’d just have to show you.

“Fuuuuuuck Y/N.......”

Satori moaned loudly as he pushed inside your gripping walls.

He lifted your sweater up a tad so he could see your naked hips and tugged you closer to him. He was sitting on his knees with your legs wrapped around him.

Satori took three, maybe four slow testing thrusts that made you shudder before he began pounding into your heat rhythmically. Your combined juices were probably making a mess on the floor but neither of you cared because it felt so fucking good. While you and Tendo have fucked before this time was different. Your boyfriend was pounding into you as if he had no control over it and you loved it. It was like he was put under some spell when the sweater came on and you would like to thank the Genie 🧞‍♂️ who sprinkled their magic on this sweater design because you were happily reaping the benefits of its powers.. You moaned so loudly the plants must have heard you.

“You.....can’t....wear.....this.....around....me.” said Ten, matching his words to his thrusts. Seeing you look so sexy being fucked by him dressed like this, Tendou felt his balls tighten. You felt extraordinary inside but the look of you alone was driving him to the edge.

“You.....look......too......fucking.....good.....”

He reached down to rub your clit with his skilled fingers, hoping you were going to come over the edge with him. You arched your back in that sweater when he touched you there and you took it upon yourself to bunch the sweater material between your boobs so that they were naked and free. Satori felt like he was going to pass out by how hot you looked.

“Fuck, princess. You’re so beautiful. I don’t know what’s happening. I can’t even last because you’re wearing this? Shit, I’m gonna—“ Still thrusting and massaging your clit a bit harder now, he reached up to roll your hard nipple between his fingers again with his the other hand.

HOLD UP CAUSE I NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS TO YALL:

THIS RED HEADED SEX GOD HAD BOTH HIS HANDS BUSY STIMULATING YOU AND HE WAS STILL GIVING YOU LONG DEEP THRUSTS: He was a jack of all trades and you were here for it huntyyy!

Moaning like you’ve never moaned before, you screamed your boyfriends name.

Satori was already there but he just knew that you had to cum with him. He was a very giving lover and he always made sure you came before him during penetration, despite whether you came earlier due to his tongue or not. But, now......with you dressed like that.......he wasn’t prepared for how much more turned on he’d be and consequently how much faster his tidal wave of an orgasm would hit him.

It was YOU, and it was THAT FUCKING SWEATER—and then it was you IN that sweater—that made Satori go from playing a joke on you because he only caught a glimpse of you in that: to fucking you silly on the ground when he saw you fully. You in that sweater made him want to empty his balls deep inside your heat over and over every time you wore it until you decide to throw it out.

As you gripped him deep inside your hot box as you always did, the pleasure was enhanced for your boyfriend due to your sexiness in that sweater. It was Satori’s toes’ turn to curl as his head fell back because he couldn’t handle the maximized erotica of watching you AND fucking you.

“I’m.....going.....to........cum........so........fucking......much.... Y/N—“ he moaned sexily.

One more deep stroke was all it took for Tendo to release a 15-second long orgasm inside you. Of course, his orgasm and his deep moans triggered your second one and you also rode out the longest orgasm you’ve ever had.

Still inside you, Satori collapsed with his back leaning on the back of the couch. You moved so that you were straddling him and leaned the entire front of your body on his front. You both panted like you just ran two 50K marathons.

Still trying to catch your breath you said,

“Wow. You’ve never cum that long before, babe. So you mean to tell me that our usual mind blowing sex had another level?!” You ask incredulously as your boyfriend peppered kisses on your shoulder.

“You mean to tell me that I can make you feel even better just by wearing this?! I’m not taking this off then.”

Tendo who had oddly already caught his breath, stood up with you still in his arms. He was usually all up for cockwarming after sex but that would be a no-go right now when you were looking so delectable. His dick hardened inside you as he walked you both around to the other side of the couch.

“Be careful what you wish for, Y/N.” your gorgeous red head warned as he placed you down on the couch and started sucking on your neck. You moaned as Tendo’s length twitched inside you. “Because you’re still wearing it now, and one of the side effects of this sweater isn’t only longer... stronger.. orgasms—“ He pulled out to thrust deep inside you, earning a moan from you both. Ten was horny again. “—It’s also its ability to make your boyfriend want to go again, and again, and again.....”

[alarriefantasy]

Hi, all! So it seems that the wonderful AO3 user - objectlesson - aka on tumblr as - horsegirlharry - has sadly deleted their fics. I have only a few saved in my files, but there are some I would really love to possess, if anyone has them? I would really appreciate it if you would message me and let me know! :)

Also, I am posting the whole list of amazing stories they shared for our fandom, and I am marking (with an asterisk*) the ones that I have myself, in case anyone else would like them too! <3

Silver White Winters

by objectlesson

In which Louis catches a cloud and pins it down.

Words: 5106, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

I Must Confess (I Still Believe)

by objectlesson

Louis shrugs, eyes on the road. “You look cute in the blazer, too,” she says nonchalantly, and what the fucking fuck, what is Harry supposed to think?

“You probably do, too, but I wouldn’t know because I don’t even think you own one? Do you ever actually wear the entire uniform?” she asks, deflecting.

“Not since freshman year!” Louis boasts proudly. “They stopped giving me demerits because it’s, like, a lost cause. I literally haven’t seen my blazer in three years, I just borrow Veronica’s when I walk into Mass.” Her grin is very cheeky and bright, and she’s squinting in the sun, aviators pushed up into the overgrown auburn shag of her hair. The horizon is hazy and pink-orange as dark sneaks up on them, the air smelling of sprinkler water and BBQ smoke from people leaching the last warmth of October before summer’s gone for good. Harry feels alive with possibility, eyes watering as she smiles at Louis, unable to stop. She wrinkles her nose like it’ll somehow hide the way it looks on her face to be in love.

Or, Harry is the new girl at an all girl Catholic Girl’s School, and Louis is the unattainable, dashing senior who changes her forever.

Words: 44304, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Powerless (and I Don’t Care It’s Obvious)

by objectlesson

“Oh no, Lou, don’t make me laugh,” he whimpers. His Ribena-purple mouth twists into a glorious, breakable shape, and Louis’s heart stops. He should not be getting turned on by Harry’s full-bladder discomfort, his little twitches, his hips-stuttering. And yet.

Words: 4090, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

The Pink Ghost of Princess Park

by objectlesson

The thought of the vibrator does not go away. It’s sitting there collecting dust all through January, and every time Harry and Louis have to leave town for a press event or a show or to record or what have you, they come back home, and it’s still there, the Pink Ghost of Princess Park, the fucking glittery haunting that Harry cannot stop thinking of Louis stuffing up his arse.

Words: 7556, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

*Life Saver

by objectlesson

Nerd Boy’s giant, dorky, adorable hand shoots into the air. Louis notices he has chipped red polish on a few of his nails and some tattered friendship-looking bracelets, like the sort you make in camp, and he might hear the distant chime of wedding bells. He thought he didn’t even believe in marriage because it’s, like, oppressive and heteronormative or whatever, but that was before Styles, Harry (Harry Styles!!! What an absurd, wonderful name! What a perfect thing to scrawl in the margins of all his notebooks surrounded in hearts!) appeared in the bio lab at his new school and ruined all his principles forever.

or, Louis is a sweetheart punk with a theater background and a heart of gold, Harry is an inexperienced nerd who plays by the rules. Classmates, lab partners, and eventually friends, what happens when Louis knows he’s in love, but doesn’t know how tell Harry?

Words: 14809, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Even Your Honey Dew

by objectlesson

It probably says something about Harry that he’s so obsessed with another omega’s arse.

Words: 9512, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

What a Heavenly Way To Die

by objectlesson

She’s thought about it a lot, and two big things seem to be holding her back, aside from the uncontrollable paralysis that overtakes her body every time she so much as tries to sneak a hand under the waistband of Harry’s knickers.

Or, Louis is afraid to do stuff to Harry, who has done a lot of stuff to her.

Words: 8052, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

A Firm Believer and a Warm Receiver

by objectlesson

a few months ago, Louis had his first heat. It was no big deal, aside from it being awkward and weird and all the other things it was supposed to be. He figured he would present as an omega, so he wasn’t exactly surprised or anything.

But then, last week, Harry had his first heat, too.

Or, the omega/omega sleepover fic no one asked for but y'all really, really need.

Words: 10895, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

You’ll Know What Makes The World Turn

by objectlesson

Sometimes, when things are messy and they have more than a few weeks apart, they need the reminder. It’s comforting to have stars to map your course by.

or, Harry’s blue bandana is a day collar.

Words: 4624, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Sing You Butterflies

by objectlesson

Louis stares for a moment before some primal sympathetic force in him activates. He has to help this boy. He can hardly walk, and he seems so young (yet ageless, beyond age, like a sea turtle or a parrot or a tree or something else odd and magical), and on top of all that, he has body glitter clinging to his skin, like that roll-on stuff his sisters used to use as preteens, only pink-gold and twice as thick. It’s, like, professional grade. He’s also wearing grass- and dirt-stained pink silk women’s underwear, so maybe he’s from London. Maybe he’s a drag queen who crawled all the way from a nightclub in Soho just to save Louis from his horribly mundane and woefully heterosexual neighbours out here in the middle of nowhere.

or, Harry’s a clumsy unicorn who accidentally stomps on a witch’s garden and is turned into a human as punishment, so he wanders into a nearby village covered in glitter, still figuring out how to walk on two feet, and meets the fairy-tale-fine Louis, who has to teach him how to live as a human and stop him from eating soap.

Words: 22701, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Holy

by objectlesson

She deserves not to be so goddamned put together all the time. Being in the world’s biggest and highest exposure girlband means she’s never seen without a flat stomach, a spray tan, contouring, eyelash extensions, the whole of her body inescapably toned and plucked and waxed so frequently she genuinely forgot what fucking color her own pubes are. Louis wants to eat burgers and smoke weed and be twenty three. She wants to wake up with Harry and spend the whole day in bed fingering each other because they finally don’t have to have goddamn acrylic nails for once. She wants to grow her pubes out. She wants to lounge around in a posh, red-velvet High Hefner robe.

Or, Louis is dressed like a fucking queen, Harry’s begging please.

Words: 6608, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Only One I Dream Of: A Drabble Collection

by objectlesson

A collection of all the m/m One Direction drabbles and timestamps I’ve written on tumblr, so my readers on here aren’t missing out!

Words: 5164, Chapters: 5/13, Language: English

Diamonds in the Moonlight

by objectlesson

The 70s au where Harry is a rich girl stuck in the suburbs who thinks she loves Shaun Cassidy, and Louis is the skater who breaks into her backyard and changes everything forever.

Words: 16136, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

In the Heat of the Night

by objectlesson

“You’re sleeping with me, obviously,” Harry says then, pausing to regard Louis with a funny expression, nose wrinkled and brows drawn tight. “Don’t tell me you thought that I’d let you freeze out here!? Absolutely not! C’mon, the bedroom’s cozy, I dragged a space heater out.”

Louis wants to protest about as badly as she wants to sleep next to Harry Styles, which is a lot. Too much.

Or, Louis is the only butch in London with a truck and Harry needs to move a couch.

Words: 7726, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Once Upon a Dream

by objectlesson

“M’not gonna half-ass our fake relationship,” Louis almost snaps, voice sharp with a defensive edge, like Harry wandered too close to a bruise with needy fingers. “Now kiss me again. We’re gonna make every shitty tourist here wish they had stayed in the Midwest. We’re gonna burn Disneyland down with our gay. ”

Harry shuts his eyes and opens his mouth, because he can’t fucking say no to Louis.

Or, a fake dating AU where everyone is lying and they happen to be at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Words: 16643, Chapters: ½, Language: English

From Now Until Forever

by objectlesson

The girls go to Britney Nite and Louis wears Juicy track pants and Harry is not ok.

Niall takes the pint glass back from Harry and takes a swig, regarding her over the rim knowingly. “You’re nervous,” she observes with a grin. “Because you’re gonna get drunk at a gay bar with Louis, and you haven’t told her yet that you wanna marry her.”

“Oh, my god, stop,” Harry scolds, hiding her face in her hands, everything suddenly hot and shivery. “It’s not that,” she adds, even though it most definitely is.

“Then…you’re excited to see Louis in a schoolgirl skirt and bra? Covered in that body glitter that smells like cotton candy?” Niall presses, waggling her eyebrows, making Harry blush at the mere thought of Louis’s golden skin shimmering and sticky under club lights.

Words: 9223, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Hello, Heaven (you are tunnel-lined with yellow lights

by objectlesson

“Oh, yeah?” Harry asks, playing dumb as he helps Louis out of his coat before hanging it up. “A new phone charger? Mine’s still broken, the electrical tape didn’t work.”

Louis makes a face at him, all arched brows and tongue pressed into cheek. “Oh a phone charger? Is that what you need?” he quips lightly, voice high and lilting in this sing-song way that’s so, so high and gentle that it’s scary. He’s putting on a show for Harry, and Harry’s thrilled with it, already shivery and hot-cheeked because Louis got him something naughty, and they’re talking about it without really talking about it, wrapping it up in layers of mundanity and domesticity, still so excited to play the role of two Adults living in their new Adult flat in London that they bought with their own money from the X Factor. Harry’s living an unimaginably glamourous life so suddenly, and Louis and his gifts are right in the middle of it, the heart of his every dream.

Or, Louis buys Harry things sometimes.

Words: 2988, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Dream About That Casual Touch

by objectlesson

And that was the first thing Louis noticed about her. Not her nipples, or not only her nipples, anyway, but the fact that she was so confident with her body and didn’t seem to care that her tits were sort of soft and floppy and uneven or that she had a little roll of pudge around her hips that poked over the top of her jeans when she wore crop tops. She wore what she wanted to wear whether or not it was in fashion or technically even flattering; her hair was always messy, she only wore makeup half the time, and she seemed to like heeled boots even if she was already fairly tall and they made her tower over the boys. Louis always thought it was so fucking sexy how unconcerned Harry seemed with what people thought of her, how comfortable she was in her own skin. That by itself seemed like a sort-of gay thing, so Louis kept a remote, careful eye on her, hoping to one day see something else that blipped her radar.

Or, Louis and Harry fuck up two dates before they finally get it right.

Words: 7678, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

*Smoke Dreams from Smoke Rings

by objectlesson

“When I get a craving?” Louis says, “You have to help me chase it away. Distract me”

Oh. Harry can think of about one hundred different ways to distract Louis Tomlinson. One hundred better uses for his mouth, for example. “Erm,” he squeaks, well aware of the fact that he’s grinning and dimpling and blushing all at once, his whole face a suddenly mortifying warzone of transparent emotion. “How?”

“By hitting my arm as hard as you can,” Louis announces, holding out the arm in question. It bridges the gap between them, stiff and expectant, and Harry stares, not entirely sure if Louis’s being serious, if this is some prank that he isn’t clever enough to understand, or if the promise of touching Louis under any circumstances is so titillating that he just can’t process it. Louis rolls up the sleeve of his hoodie then, revealing his pale inner arm in maddening increments, pushing Harry somewhere between drooling and vomiting, he isn’t sure which. He just knows that his mouth is flooded, and the barely-there ghost of Louis’s veins through his skin is the prettiest thing that he’s ever seen. “Go on, hit me,” Louis orders. “Don’t be shy,”

or, Louis enlists Harry to help him with his bad habit.

Words: 18116, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Black Stars and Endless Seas

by objectlesson

Or, A Star Trek Original Series AU where Lt. Styles is a young science officer on his first away mission, and Louis is the headstrong ensign assigned to his security detail, and maybe they would be able to function together professionally in a normal setting, but not when their shuttlecraft crash-lands and they end up marooned together on an improbably and unfairly beautiful planet.

Words: 32246, Chapters: 3/3, Language: English

Rose Garden Dreams

by objectlesson

Harry thinks it’s a fever-induced delirium, at first. After all, she’s been sick in bed for a full forty-eight hours following the Best and Most Important beach trip of her entire life because fate is a cruel and jealous bitch who doesn’t want Harry to go on a date with the girl of her dreams.

or, Harry is sick and Louis comes to visit her.

Words: 9464, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Palms Reflecting in Your Eyes

by objectlesson

Harry visits Louis at his campus and finds a crop on the wall.

Words: 6496, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Wrap You Up in Daisy Chains

by objectlesson

Ten minutes later, an awkward, long-legged, curly-haired, so pale she’s reflective, and so obviously gay-looking Harry Styles is sitting shotgun next to Louis in a bikini, denim cut-offs, and heart-framed sunnies.

Or, Harry and Louis and a too-small bathing suit.

Words: 10613, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

To Keep the Night From Ending

by objectlesson

It doesn’t always feel real to kiss in the dark, Harry guesses. He wants it to feel real. He wants it to be the realest thing, burnt indelibly into his skin.

Or, Harry and Louis take a night swim.

Words: 5036, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Good Enough to Eat

by objectlesson

“Fuck,” Harry mumbles, shuffling. “You won’t give me shit for it? It’s sorta weird.”

“No,” Louis breathes. “Promise.”

“Okay. I just…fuck, I can’t believe I’m telling you this,” Harry whimpers, and he must be blushing because Louis can feel waves of heat coming off him, his embarrassment a hot, palpable thing. “So, like…I love rimming videos. Nothing makes me come harder,” he admits, covering his face with his hands so his voice comes out muffled and strangled.

It takes Louis a few seconds to process, to mentally rifle through his Pornhub search history and remember what rimming even is; Harry has him so stupid he can’t keep stuff straight. His ears ring, and then it hits him, and, oh, fuck. His stomach turns and tightens so quickly he’s gasping, an audible and shameful scrape of air in the dark. “You…really?” he chokes out.

Or, Harry is convinced he’s never gonna be able to try his favorite porn fantasy on a real boy, and Louis offers to remedy this.

Words: 6722, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Grenadine Sunshine

by objectlesson

Harry’s only sixteen, it shows right now, and Louis wants…he wants so many things. He wants to taste the faint, sugary ghost of lip gloss, he wants to cup Harry’s face between his palms and swipe the shimmery wet shadows from beneath his eyes. He wants to show him everything he knows, even though he doesn’t know anything about this, about kissing boys or flirting with them or doing their makeup or even showing them it’s okay to want to wear makeup in the first place. Still, Louis just wants, wants and wants and wants. It’s what Harry does to him.

Words: 18067, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Only Angel

by objectlesson

Louis pops his hip out, looking down at Harry from beneath the cut of his fringe sassily. “How do I look?”

Harry…Harry doesn’t have words, not really. He sits there on the floor with a half-hard cock, gazing up at this taller, scarier version of Louis with wide eyes. “Like I want you to spin-kick me in the face,” he admits after a moment, shakily inhaling. “You look…really good.”

Or, Louis finds a pair of heels that fit, and Harry wants to be ruined, as per usual.

Words: 6599, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Someone Who Knows How To Ride

by objectlesson

Harry gives Louis a lap dance. Or, at least, he tries to.

Words: 5114, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Copper Kiss

by objectlesson

Harry’s not allowed to fly back to the UK without marks to remember Louis by.

Words: 4604, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

You Drive Me Crazy ( I Just Can’t Sleep)

by objectlesson

The first time Louis ends up in Harry’s bed is a total accident.

Words: 18520, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Christmas Without You

by objectlesson

It’s Christmas Eve and Harry misses Louis so badly he might be going little crazy.

Words: 5639, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Vinyl and Lace

by objectlesson

Harry tries on a skirt in the X Factor dressing room as a joke. Louis doesn’t think it’s very funny.

Words: 7541, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Touch of My Hand

by objectlesson

Words: 3104, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: One Direction (Band)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Additional Tags: Tour Bus Sex, Bus Sex, PWP, Up All Night Tour, Uan era, Canon Compliant, baby boyfriends in love, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Established Relationship

Born to Make You Happy

by objectlesson

Harry makes a quiet vow to himself that he will be the very best girlfriend Louis has ever had, even if he never actually gets to be Louis’s girlfriend.

Words: 25662, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Taste of a Poison Paradise

by objectlesson

Louis notices Harry’s mouth right away.

Words: 9894, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

A Little Love (is better than none)

by objectlesson

It’s supposed to be no strings attached sex, but Harry’s in love with beauty and tragedy and Louis Tomlinson so there might actually a few strings they’re not talking about.

Or, alternately, the four times they fuck and don’t kiss, and one time they fuck and do (with a few more times thrown in because I’m a mess and know how to write short fics).

Words: 15074, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

*Take Me Under the Blue

by objectlesson

Louis hasn’t even seen his legs yet. He doesn’t know how they work or how long they’ll be. Maybe they won’t suit the rest of Harry at all, and he’ll have to grow into them or something. It doesn’t matter; Louis has loved Harry for a year with scales, so he can’t imagine wonky legs putting a damper on his attraction. 

He supposes he’ll just have to find out. In the meantime, he wonders how the fuck he got here, in his squelching wellies about to save the love of his life from the sea and take him to bed and bang him for the very first time.

It’s sort of a long story.

Words: 19011, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

[allsassnoclass]

unmute: 2011

Hello friends here is chapter 1 of unmute, aka the off-screen prequel!

Fic tumblr masterpost

Read on AO3

warnings for this chapter: there is one mention of alcohol and there is one slight instance of homophobia (a microaggression)

thank you to bella @clumsyclifford for reading this over for me

Luke first meets Ashton on a normal Friday afternoon.  They’re in Luke’s garage to give Michael’s granny flat a break, the door open to let the spring breeze in to occasionally ruffle their fringes.  They’re messing around with a blink-182 song just for the heck of it when a bike skids to a stop on the sidewalk.  Luke doesn’t even notice at first, too caught up in positioning his fingers correctly on the fretboard and getting the words right, but once they finish singing someone outside starts clapping and Luke startles bad enough that his cheeks immediately feel like they’re on fire.

“Wow, you guys are really good!” the cutest boy that Luke has ever seen says.  Even from this distance, Luke thinks he can make out dimples at the corner of his smile.

“Thanks, mate!” Calum says.  The cute boy gives a thumbs up and pedals away, and Luke tries to trade the embarrassment of being caught singing with the boys unexpectedly for the pleasant burning of the compliment instead.

It happens again the next week.  The boy comes to a stop on his bike at the end of Luke’s driveway, and Luke notices him right away this time.  He sends a small smile as he finishes the chorus and the boy beams, bopping his head along.  When the final chord fades away, he claps, compliments them again, and then is off.

“Huh,” Michael says as the boy bikes away.

“What?” Luke asks.

“I’m pretty sure we’re Facebook friends.  We met at a party.  His name’s Ashton.”

“Invite him in next time, then,” Luke says.  It ends up being futile, because Michael’s parents let them back in the granny flat after that and there’s no more practicing in Luke’s garage following school.

-/-

He runs into the cute boy again unexpectedly at the movie theater.

It’s embarrassing, because Luke had just been minding his own business waiting for popcorn and hoping that he doesn’t see anyone he knows when a few boys from his school spot him.  Normally this would be fine, but Luke just got a haircut that he hates and he’s wearing his really dorky glasses, and these boys aren’t exactly bullies but they’re also not the nicest.

“Hey, Hemmings, how are you going to be a rockstar with those glasses?” one of them says, and the rest snicker, and Luke can feel himself closing in on himself instead of putting on his thick skin and acting like that doesn’t bother him.

“Maybe he’s trying to be a trendsetter,” one of the others says, glancing at him quickly.  The boys scoff and Luke knows that he should say something, but he’s desperately hoping that Jack appears from where he ran off to the bathroom instead.

“Popcorn for the guy in the awesome green glasses,” someone says, voice strong and melodic, and when Luke turns it’s not Jack that’s come to his rescue but the cute boy, fringe sweeping across bright eyes and tan skin, wearing the uniform of the movie theater and holding out a tub of popcorn across the counter.

“Thanks,” he says, stepping forward to take it, and the boy smiles widely at him.

Luke had been right.  He does have dimples.  And straight teeth.  And his eyes are hazel.  His name tag says Ashton, so Michael wasn’t lying about having met him before.  Luke wonders what he was doing when this party took place.

“Don’t listen to them,” Ashton says.  “With a voice like yours, they’ll be eating their words soon.”

“I hope so,” Luke says, and then, because Michael says they have to advertise the band better, “I’m in a band.  We’re called 5 Seconds of Summer, if you ever want to look us up.”

“I’ll do that,” Ashton says.  “I’ll admit I’ve been disappointed when I bike by that house and you guys aren’t practicing.”

Luke’s heart does an excited little twirl at that, because Ashton seems genuine.  Luke knows that the band is okay, otherwise he wouldn’t have put anything out on YouTube or let Michael and Calum invade his channel, but it’s nice to hear it from someone who isn’t an immediate family member.

“We’re practicing at Michael’s now,” Luke says.  “Maybe--”

He stops, because that’s a silly idea.

“What?” Ashton asks, tiling his head slightly.

“Well, we haven’t done any official gigs yet so I can’t invite you to those, but it might be good to play for someone else who’s not related to us, if you wanted to sit in on a practice or something.  But you don’t have to!  It’d probably be weird and I don’t know if Michael and Calum would be okay with it, although neither of them minded you watching from the driveway…” he trails off, chewing his lip.

“I’d love that!” Ashton says enthusiastically, startling Luke out of the unfortunate swirl of thoughts centering around how awful it is that he’s still so awkward.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Ashton says.  “If your bandmates are okay with it, of course, but I’d like that a lot.”

“Oh.  Cool.”

Luke is trying to figure out if he should give Ashton his number, or ask for his, or how to go about coordinating this when the popcorn is snatched from his hands.

“Come on, Luke,” Jack says.  “Movie’s starting.”

He doesn’t wait for him, just sets off for the theater, and Luke scrambles to orient himself and follow.

“I’ll have Michael message you on Facebook!” he calls over his shoulder, throwing out a wave.  Ashton calls back a confirmation and returns the wave and then goes right back to smiling at the next customer and preparing concessions.

“Who was that?” Jack asks once they take their seats, thankfully before the previews have started.

“His name’s Ashton.  He likes the band.”

“Wow, a fan,” Jack says without the proper amount of enthusiasm Luke thinks being in a band that has real fans out in the world should warrant.  Luke elbows him and snatches the popcorn bucket, but not before Jack grabs a handful to stuff in his mouth.

Luke rolls his eyes and settles in for the movie.  When they leave afterwards he looks for Ashton, but doesn’t see him behind the concession counter.

-/-

Their next rehearsal dissolves pretty quickly into Michael and Calum playing video games while Luke pretends to do his homework instead of watch them.  He has a few assignments that need to get turned in to keep his grades up to his mum’s standard, but Michael and Calum are loud and vibrant and very, very distracting.  Luke is laying on the floor to avoid any stray elbows that get thrown, but he can’t let his guard down just in case.  As such, he’s done exactly half of a math problem.

When there’s a quiet moment he clears his throat and says “Hey, you guys remember Ashton?”

“The guy who was watching from the driveway?” Calum asks.

“Ashton from the party?” Michael adds.

“Yeah,” Luke says.  “I ran into him at the movie theater.  I think we should invite him to sit in on some practices.”

“Why?” Michael frowns.  Luke shrugs.

“It’ll be good to play in front of an audience, even if it’s just one person.  He seems cool and he likes the band.”

“Are we ready for that?” Calum asks.  Luke shrugs again.

“We already put out stuff on YouTube.  How much different can it be?”

“Yeah, but we mess up a lot before we upload the videos,” Michael says.  He looks at Luke critically, squinting in a way that makes Luke want to retreat like a turtle, except he can’t even effectively do that because it’s spring and he’s in a t-shirt.  Then Michael grins, wide and teasing.  “Does he really like the band, or do you just have a crush on him?”

Luke feels a blush flare up on his face, the type that stings.  

“Fuck you, I’m not gay!” he says, and a voice inside his head screams liar!  He stamps it down viciously.

He isn’t gay.  He might be bi, but that’s not relevant right now and he’s not going to make it relevant for a while, not when he doesn’t have to.  All of the boys at their school are tools, so it’s not like he’s going to have the chance to explore that side of himself here, anyway.

Maybe if the band actually goes somewhere he will.  But then again, maybe having a bi member would hurt them.  Maybe he’ll end up keeping this between him and the poster of All Time Low in his room forever.

Either way, it’s not relevant right now.  Luke likes flirting with girls and holding their hands and the few dry kisses he’s had, so he’s just going to focus on that.

“Aw, you do have a crush,” Michael says, catapulting him back to the real world, and his tone is teasing but it still makes Luke panic.  It’s not even true, because Ashton is super cute and he seems nice but that’s not-- Luke’s not trying to get to know him because of that.

“Are you jealous?” Luke asks, switching tactics because the more he fights against them the more Michael and Calum will clamp down on this line of teasing like dogs sinking their teeth into a particularly good bone.  Michael wrinkles his nose and recoils.

“Ew.”

And yeah, that stings a little, too.

Calum gets a look on his face that typically means he’s up to no good.

“I think I need to meet this Ashton guy,” he says.  “See if he’s any good for our little Lukey.”  He reaches over to ruffle his hair and Luke swats his hand away, which leads to a small tussle that ends in half of the pages of Luke’s textbook getting folded over.

“Fuck you guys,” Luke says once he has Calum in something resembling a headlock, a little out of breath but triumphant.  “He just seems cool.  I don’t have any cool friends and thought it’d be nice.”

“Hey,” Calum complains, then jabs him with his elbow and escapes.

“He says he’s free on Saturday,” Michael says, looking at his phone.  “I don’t want him at our practices until I know he’s okay, so we’re going bowling.”

“No one who goes bowling is cool,” Calum says.

“Shut up, Calum,” Michael says, then begins the next round of their game with no warning, leaving Calum scrambling to get ready.  Luke huffs a laugh and tries to get his textbook back to rights, even though he knows he won’t be getting any more homework done today.

-/-

On Saturday, Luke feels inexplicably nervous.

He shouldn’t, because Ashton isn’t special.  He’s just a guy that they met and now are going to hang out with a little.  Luke has already botched one conversation with him and survived, and he’ll have Michael and Calum with him this time for backup.  Besides, if it turns out that Ashton is awful they simply won’t ever invite him over.  If it turns out that he’s not, Luke could have a new friend.

He has friends.  He’s not an outcast at school or anything, and Michael and Calum are amazing most of the time, so it’s not like he’s hurting for friends.  Still, another one would be nice, and he really does think it could be good to get an outside perspective on their music.

His mum drops him off in front of the bowling alley where Michael is already waiting, running a hand through his fringe in a way that makes Luke think he might be a little nervous, too, which is unfortunate because Michael is typically the most boisterous out of them and Luke was counting on him to drag him through this if it starts to go sour.  When necessary, Michael is really good at muscling through uncomfortable situations for the sake of Luke or Calum.

“Call me when you’re done,” his mum says.  “Have fun.”

“Thanks,” he says distractedly, already partially out of the car.  Michael immediately brightens when he sees him.

“Hi,” he says.  Luke waves and jogs over.  “Cal’s going to be a little late and I have no fucking clue when Ashton’s going to show up.”

Oh no.  What if Ashton doesn’t want to come in general?  What if he changed his mind and doesn’t think the band or Luke are hot shit? Then not only will Luke be sad, but Michael and Calum will never let him live it down.

“Mate, you look like you’re going to be sick,” Michael frowns.  “Don’t barf on me.  Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Luke says.  “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“It was your idea,” Michael says slowly.

“Yeah.  Maybe it was bad.”

“Luke, he’s just some guy.  It’s not like we’re proposing marriage.  It’s not like he might join the band or anything.  Relax.”  He knocks their shoulders together, throwing Luke off-balance and then catching him with a hand on his arm when he doesn’t bounce back right away.  Luke shrugs him off.

“I know that,” he says.

“So why are you being weird?”

He’s about to try to muster up an answer when someone calls their names.  Luke whips around fast enough that Micheal has to steady him again, but Ashton either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, because he continues steadily walking towards them and his smile doesn’t waver.  Luke waves and hopes that that negates the fact that he just almost tripped over his own feet.

“Hey,” Michael says when he’s close enough.  “How’s it going?”

“Good, good,” Ashton says.  He rocks on his heels when he comes to a stop, and Luke feels inexplicably nervous again.  It’s different from seeing him with a driveway or movie theater counter between them.  Here there’s no distance or buffer, just Luke and Michael and Ashton.

At least his shirt is a pretty ugly purple.  No one can be too intimidating when wearing a shirt like that.

They exchange pleasantries until Michael suggests they go inside and get themselves sorted while they wait for Calum to show up.  They step into the air-conditioning and Luke immediately feels more at ease.  He loves bowling alleys.  He loves the gaudy carpet and the loud music and the weird lights and the funny shoes and the stacks of neon bowling balls by the lanes.  He especially loves this particular alley because he can pinpoint the carpet stain where he spilled his coke while here with his family then didn’t tell anyone so it had time to set before it got cleaned, or the lane they used when Calum broke one of the bumpers because he doesn’t like bowling without them but threw the ball too hard.

“Can I tell you something?” Ashton asks while Michael is paying for the lane rental and getting shoes, leaning close to be heard over the music and crash of pins being knocked down in the background.  He’s got his hands shoved in his pockets and a little smile on his face, and Luke is instantly convinced that he’d probably let Ashton say whatever he wants and hang off his every word.

“Sure,” Luke says.

“I’m shit at bowling.  I don’t remember the last time I actually played.”

“It’s okay.  Calum is, too,” Luke says.  “That’ll make him like you.  We’re not using the bumpers, though.”

Ashton frowns.

“Do you usually?”

Luke gets called up to the shoe rental before he can respond.  While he’s kicking off his sneakers Calum arrives, prompting another flurry of greetings and introductions and small talk, then they finally all head to their lane and can begin the game.

Ashton is not nearly as bad at bowling as he had implied.  He’s not great, and Luke is glad that the only real competition he has to worry about is Michael, but Calum still decidedly comes in last for their first round.  He vows to take Ashton down for the second, which isn’t likely, but Luke likes the teasing it prompts between them.

Conversation flows naturally with none of the awkward pauses or weird adjustments that Luke had been preparing himself for.  Honestly, it’s extremely easy to get along with Ashton.  He fits into their little group seamlessly, cracking jokes and asking questions and keeping up with their topic changes like he’s been doing it for years.  Luke’s not sure if he’s stopped smiling the entire time they’re bowling, and his smile is great.  It takes over his entire face, wide and infectious, and Luke has to remind himself to stop staring multiple times.

It’s still not a crush, but Ashton is cute, okay?  It’s an objective fact.  Luke is allowed to notice cute people without having a crush on them.

After their time at their lane is up, Luke’s stomach grumbles and convinces them all to stop by the Macca’s next door before they have to call their parents.  Luke wants to order one of everything on the menu, but he settles for some chicken nuggets and hot chips.  All of them get a large fry, so Luke is pretty sure he’s going to get to eat Calum’s leftovers since he won’t have to fight Michael for them, anyway.

“So Ashton,” Michael says once they’re sitting.  “Luke says you’re a fan of the band.”

“Yeah, you guys are pretty good,” he says, then pops some chips in his mouth.

“Do you play drums?” Calum asks around his own mouthful of burger.  “‘Cause that’d be convenient.”

“No, I wish,” Ashton says ruefully.  “I’m not very musical.  My forte is visual art.”

“Really?” Luke asks.  “Like, drawing and painting and stuff?”

“Yeah,” Ashton says, straightening up.  “I want to study it after school.  I actually really want to go to college in America for it.  I’ve been looking at places with scholarships for international students.  They don’t start their school years until September, so I could work full time for most of the year to save up since I graduate in December.”

“Wow,” Michael says.

“That’s cool,” Luke says, because yeah, wow.  Luke can’t imagine leaving behind everyone he knows to go to a different hemisphere, but Ashton seems excited for it, eyes shining.  He must really love art.

“If you guys ever make it to America, hit me up,” he says.  “I’ll be in the front row at your show.”

“When,” Michael corrects.  Ashton grins at him.

They manage to almost finish their meal before Ashton gets a text from his mum requesting him home.  As soon as he’s gone Michael turns to the other two, fast enough that Luke’s a little worried he’ll get whiplash.

“That shirt is fucking ugly.”

Luke and Calum dissolve into laughter.

“What?  Am I wrong?” Michael asks.

“No, it’s ugly,” Calum says around giggles.  Luke nods around his own laughter and Michael leans back in his chair, satisfied.

“Besides that I like him, though,” he says.  Luke feels warmth blossom inexplicably inside him, pleased on Ashton’s behalf.

“Me too,” Calum says.

“Yeah, me three,” Luke says.  Michael nods decisively and Luke’s heart starts beating a little bit faster in anticipation of their next band practice.

-/-

When Ashton arrives for the next band practice, Michael, Calum, and Luke are all playing Fifa in the granny flat.  Michael’s mum must let him in, because one moment Luke is in the zone and the next there’s a prickle of awareness giving him goosebumps and Ashton is there, existing in his periphery.

“Hey Ashton,” he says, not breaking eye contact with the screen.  Michael and Calum ganged up on him for this round and Luke is determined not to lose.

"Hey," Ashton says.  "What're you guys doing?"

"Fifa!" Michael says in his best sports-announcer voice.  Calum scores a goal and crows right before the game ends, throwing his hands up.  Luke considers throwing his controller but settles for a very loud groan and scrubbing his hands over his face instead before taking his first good look at Ashton of the day.

He's not wearing the ugly purple shirt, but rather a green v-neck that hugs the tops of his arms and ensures Luke can see his collarbones.  Luke tries not to make it obvious that he's looking at Ashton's muscles, following the line of his arms down to bracelets knotted around his wrists and a black book in his hands.

"You can join Luke's team," Calum says.  "He sucks though, fair warning."

"Hey!  I do not!"  He tries to smack Calum, but he has to reach over Michael to do it, which means both of them shove him away and he almost topples over.

"I don't play Fifa," Ashton says.

"What," Michael squawks.  Luke stares incredulously, but Ashton just shrugs and adjusts his fringe before flopping down on the ottoman.

"I don't really like Fifa.  I'm not big on video games in general, but Fifa isn't one of the ones I play."

"We can't be friends anymore," Michael sighs dramatically, falling backwards with an arm over his eyes like a fainting maiden.  Luke pokes his stomach to make him jolt.  "How can you not like Fifa?"

Ashton shrugs again.

"I just don't."

"You're lucky you're not actually in the band," Calum says, brandishing his controller.  "This would be grounds to kick you out."

"It's true," Luke says.  "The only band rule is that everyone must like Fifa.  That's why we haven't replaced Michael yet."

"Hey!  There wouldn't be a band without me!"

Michael tackles Luke to the ground, knocking the wind out of him with an oof.  He flails, but Michael digs his fingers into his side, making him shriek.

"Ashton!  Calum!  Help!"

Ashton sighs, then turns to Calum, who shrugs.

"I'm not getting involved in that."

"Betrayal!" Luke calls between giggles, uselessly kicking at Michael but unable to make satisfying contact.  Michael finally relents once Luke feels like his lungs are about to burst from the lack of a good inhale.  He pants on the floor for a few more moments, then heaves himself to sitting and runs his fingers through his hair to set it back to rights.  Ashton gives him a wry smile.  Luke ducks his head, cheeks still flushed from the tickling.

"Is this how band practice usually starts?" Ashton asks.

"Only when Luke's being annoying," Michael huffs.  Luke flips him off.

"Well, we do usually start with Fifa, yeah," Calum says.  "Sometimes we just hang out instead of practicing, which is probably why we're still kinda shit."

"Hey," Luke says.

"Yeah, hey," Michael frowns.  "Don't shit-talk the band."

"You guys do it all the time!"

"Not in front of a guest," Michael says, gesturing at Ashton.  "Besides, we're never going to make it out of Sydney if you keep believing we're bad."

"I didn't say we were bad, I said we're kinda shit.  You can be a good band and still be kinda shit."

Luke frowns, but Michael launches into a quick rebuttal before he can and Luke decides to stop following.  He glances at Ashton and shrugs.  Ashton smiles, pressing his lips together in a way that Luke hopes means he's holding back a laugh instead of being uncomfortable.  His eyes are dancing too much for it to be a bad thing, though, so Luke returns his smile full force.

It's nice to have someone else here for when Michael and Calum go off on their tangents.  Luke never feels left out or anything, but sometimes it's obvious that they have their own language and dynamic bred from years of history that Luke is still catching up on.  They all understand each other in different little, intricate ways, but it's nice to have someone to share his own secret smiles with when the others are in their own world instead of him staring off into space and waiting for them to jump to a conversation he can be involved in.

Ashton drums his fingers against the black notebook in his lap, drawing Luke's full attention to it while the others squabble in the background.

"Hey, what's that?" he asks.

"This?" Ashton asks, holding it up.  It's a hardcover, with thick black loops binding it together.  Luke nods.  "It's my sketchbook.  I figured it'd be better to have something to do than just stare at you guys while you practice."

"Can I see?" Luke asks eagerly.  Ashton pulls the book closer to his chest, a small subconscious movement, smile cracking with nervousness at the edges.

"Not yet.  I'll show you when I have something good, though."

Luke deflates, but nods.

"They're unfinished," Ashton explains.  "They're messy.  I don't try very hard with my sketches, and I want your first impression of my art to be a good one.  Sorry."

"It's okay," Luke says.  "I get it."

Luke doesn't point out that showing him the sketchbook would probably be like Ashton sitting in on a practice, because maybe Ashton’s not there with him yet.  He wants to reach that level, though.  He wants to sit on Ashton's bed and leaf through his art with him, letting Ashton explain what he wants and drawing his own ideas from moments of silence.

"Hey," Michael says, clapping his hands a few times.  "Are we going to practice or what?"

Luke rolls his eyes, because he wasn't the one arguing with Calum about whether their band is bad or shitty, but goes to get his guitar anyway.  He takes him time tuning it, waiting for the others to get ready as well, and Ashton gets comfortable, lounging back.  They bicker a bit about what song they want to do, but not as much as usual because Luke made them all talk about it at lunch so they don't look like fools in front of Ashton, although it's probably much too late for that, and the first play-through is always a little rough, but it's fine.  Ashton's gaze is a gentle weight on his shoulders, and Luke smiles while he sings.

-/-

Luke waits anxiously by the door, glancing out the window every so often to see if he can spot Ashton making his way up the block to Michael's house on his bike.  He's coming straight from work, and they delayed practice a bit today so that he could be there for it.  They've started factoring Ashton's schedule into their practices a bit more, and Luke likes it.  It's maybe not as productive, but band practices feel better when all four of them are there.  Having Ashton sitting in the corner bent over his sketchbook or, in more dire cases, doing homework and revising for exams puts Luke more at ease, and even though he claims not to be musical he has good suggestions for dividing up parts of songs and is willing to tell them when they can do better.

He always phrases it that way, too.  Not "that wasn't good," but "you guys can do better."  Luke likes that he has standards for them.  He likes how sure he is that the band is worth something.

"Luke, sit down," Michael says, picking up another piece of pizza and trying not to lose all of his toppings on the way to his mouth.  "Waiting for him isn't going to make him appear faster."

"I'm too excited to sit," he says, snagging another piece of pizza for himself.  They're supposed to leave some for Ashton, just to be polite, but at the rate they're going that won't happen unless Ashton pulls up right now.

"I still can't believe it," Calum says, awestruck.

"Me neither," he says.

"I can't believe they said yes," Michael confesses.  "I hoped they would, obviously, but I wasn't sure if they would like the YouTube videos."

"This is big," Luke says.  "Like, this could be life-changing."

"Yeah, you said that earlier," Calum says.

"Because it's true."

The doorbell rings and Luke scrambles to standing, basically sprinting to the door to answer before anyone else and effectively cutting off the rest of the conversation.  He throws the door open wide, greeting Ashton with an exuberant smile that he tiredly returns.  He's always a little tired after a shift, shoulders slumped and everything worn at the edges, but Luke's glad that he still comes over when invited.  Luke likes to think that they rejuvenate him a little.

"Hi," he beams.

"Hey," Ashton says.  "You're in a good mood."

"Hey Ashton!" Calum calls from inside.  "There's one piece of pizza for you if you want it before Luke or Michael take it!"

"Oh," Ashton says, perking up.  Luke steps aside to let him in and follows him to the main room.

"Pizza?" Ashton asks, sinking to the floor and taking the offered piece while Luke takes a spot next to him.  "What's the occasion?"

Michael, Calum, and Luke exchange giddy looks, excitement palpable in the air until Luke can't take it anymore and blurts, "We have a gig!"

Ashton freezes, looking at all three of them before one of his signature grins splits his face.

"No fucking way!" he exclaims.  "Seriously?  Where?  When?  Holy shit, congrats!"

"December third at the Annandale Hotel," Michael says.  He's practically vibrating.  Luke thinks the three of them are probably holding enough energy to power a small city right now.

"A real gig," Ashton breathes.  "I'll be there, obviously."

"Obviously," Luke repeats.  "We can't do our first official gig without our biggest fan."  Ashton gives Luke a smile, the type that makes something warm blossom in Luke's stomach.

"Do you know what you're going to play yet?" Ashton asks.

"No, we just found out today," Calum says.  "We were going to try to make the setlist tonight."

"And we still need to find a drummer," Michael says.  Ashton hums.

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

They all shake their heads.  The Drummer Issue, as it has been officially dubbed by the band, is becoming a bigger and bigger thorn in their sides.  They feel good as a three-piece, but you can't play a gig without a drummer.  Michael fills in on percussion sometimes when they really need it, but he likes guitar much better and it's a little late to make him learn how to be a proper drummer when they don't even have a kit to use.

"I might be able to help," Ashton says.  "One of my friends plays drums.  He's not looking to join a band or anything, but he's a quick learner and could probably play at the Annandale at least if you don't have someone more permanent by then."

"Who is he?" Michael asks, reaching for the laptop they upload all of their covers on.  "Pull up his Facebook."

He elbows his way between Luke and Ashton so he can lean over Ashton’s shoulder and Luke scoots over to Calum instead, content to munch on his pizza and leave them to do whatever internet-stalking Michael deems appropriate.  Michael's approval is the hardest one to get in the band, so if he thinks the guy looks good they'll probably end up using him, and Ashton's recommendation carries a lot of weight.

"A real gig," Calum says reverently, staring at his pizza like it's the greatest gift in the world.  Luke knocks their shoulders together and continues leaning against him while the other two talk.

A real gig.  Luke has always put a lot of weight into being in a band, but there's something more official about it now.  They're a real band, not just a band to themselves and a handful of people on YouTube, but to people who will see their name on the marquee and everyone who enters through the doors that night.  5 Seconds of Summer is going to get a chance to play in front of a real crowd, not just Ashton.  This is the start of something huge, he can feel it.

If he had to pick anyone in the world to share this moment with, he’d pick the three people in this room right now.  Luke leans his head against Calum’s shoulder and lets himself imagine the possibilities.

-/-

The night before they're meant to perform at the Annandale, Luke can't sleep.  He tosses and turns, trying to find a comfortable position and failing, flipping his pillow over to the cool side and readjusting his covers and still staring uselessly at the ceiling.  The clock on his side table reads 3:43, red letters blinking mockingly at him as every second ticks by.  He sighs, turning back to look at his ceiling.

He could try to text Michael or Calum, but he doesn’t want them to know how anxious he is, stomach already tied in knots with over twelve hours before the performance.  They might be dealing with their own nerves and he doesn’t need to add to them, or they might be fine and think he’s being stupid.  He could keep laying here, but the longer he does that the more he starts thinking about how everything could go wrong.

What if he forgets the words?  What if his voice cracks?  What if he doesn’t tune his guitar properly and everyone cringes at the first strum?  What if he loses all of his picks?  What if a string breaks?  What if no one even shows up and it’s just the three of them and Ashton’s mellow drummer friend playing to an empty room and then no one lets them do a gig ever again?

He could try texting Ashton.  He might not even be awake, but if he does reply he’d probably say something reassuring that would have Luke’s shoulders unclenching and quiet his racing mind.  Ashton is good at stuff like that, but he doesn’t say things unless he means them.  If he tells Luke that things are going to be alright, things are probably going to be alright.

He grabs his phone from the nightstand, squinting at the brightness.

Luke: U up?

He cringes when he realizes how much that sounds like a come-on.  Whatever, it’s not like Ashton expects him to be doing that, so hopefully he’ll brush it off.

He’s about to try willing himself to sleep again when his phone lights up.

Ashton: yeah whats up

Luke: nothn whats up w u

Ashton: nothing lol. u excited 4 tmrw?

This is his chance.  Ashton has given him a clear opening and all Luke has to do is tell him that the thought of going out onstage is giving him a stomach ache and he’s going to die if he doesn’t get to sleep soon.  Ashton might think he’s silly and dramatic and a baby, but if Luke works himself up any more over this he’s not going to be able to look at his guitar tomorrow, let alone pick it up, and he needs to be able to do that.  He can’t let the band down.

Luke: scared

Ashton: y? u guys r going to kill it!

Luke: what if i suck

Ashton: u dont ur a rockstar! i have gd taste in bands u deserve this opportunity& will be awesome

Luke: what if im not

Ashton: its ur first gig youll only get better frm here uv put in 2 much work 2 b scared u will be amazing

Luke: what if no 1 shows up

Ashton: ill b there! u can play 2 me ppl will come

Luke takes a deep breath.  Ashton’s probably right.  This is their first gig, and he seems convinced that there will be others.  Even if they bomb tomorrow or it’s only Ashton in the crowd, they can bounce back.  They’ve put a lot of work into the band, and he can’t let one shitty performance define them, especially when he doesn’t even know if it’s going to be shitty yet.  Ashton seems to think they’ll be alright, and Ashton is usually trustworthy.

Luke: thx

Ashton: no prob :)

Luke looks at his clock again and wonders if this will be enough to let him sleep, but something niggles at his mind.

Luke: y r u awake rn?

Outside, one lone car drives down the street.  Luke tries to imagine himself in the center of some big city like New York or Los Angeles instead of a suburb outside of Sydney.  He tries to imagine Ashton at a college town in the United States, living in a dormitory with all his friends and staying out late regardless of if he has classes in the morning.

Ashton: cant sleep sketching instead

He sends a picture with it and Luke waits patiently for the image to load.  When it finally does, he's greeted with a horizontal photo of Ashton's sketchbook, yellow light from a lamp barely illuminating the page.  It must be the scene outside Ashton's window, an empty street with houses lining the pavement and a rough sketch of a streetlight at the end of the block.  It's just graphite against creamy white paper, but Luke wishes he were seeing it in person so he could trace his finger over the lines.  They're rushed, but confident and bold.  Ashton has shaded most of the page to give the illusion of nighttime, and Luke imagines him sitting at his window, glancing up every-so-often for reference as he recreates what he can see on paper.

Luke: wow ur really good!

Ashton: <3 ty

Luke bites his lip, trying to figure out something else to say.  After a few minutes of silence, Ashton texts first.

Ashton: get some sleep luke. see u tmrw

His stomach sinks, but it’s probably for the best.  He’d keep talking to Ashton all night if he could, but he needs to sleep.  He has a gig tomorrow.

Luke: gn

He puts his phone down and lays back in bed, taking a deep breath.  To avoid thinking more about tomorrow, he tries to imagine what other creations could be in Ashton's sketchbook, black lines drawing themselves on the blank canvas of his mind until he finally falls asleep.

-/-

Luke paces anxiously as well as he can in the cramped “backstage” space.  They're about to begin the set, and it's just as nerve-wracking as he thought it was going to be.  Ashton's drummer friend is a picture of calm, twirling his sticks with a bored frown, but Michael and Calum are both jittery, too.  Calum is picking nervously at the bass he's holding, about to make his official debut as a bass player, and Michael keeps tapping his foot restlessly.

There's a few people here.  A group of girls is huddled by the stage waiting for them to start and Luke is supremely grateful that they showed up, but it brings up a new set of anxieties.  They're playing original songs for the first time, and it's one thing to be able to sing a cover, but it's another to present people with new material and ask them to like it.  They can't let these fans down, no matter how tiny the crowd might be.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and Luke digs it out.

Ashton: break a leg rockstar :)

Luke doesn't have time to reply before the lights are dimming, the crowd is cheering, and he's following Michael onstage.

The show is amazing.

Like, objectively it's probably not, but Luke has the time of his life anyway.  He's shaky and nervous for the first minute, then he actually looks up and sees Ashton standing off to the side with a camera in hand, million-watt smile on his face, and suddenly things are easy.  They mess up and they're awkward and they give it everything they've got.  The crowd is small but mighty, the music is messy but sincere, and Luke starts to figure out how to be a rockstar on a tiny stage in a hotel in Sydney, Michael and Calum blossoming into their own stars next to him.

He tears up a little during "Everything I Want," which should probably be super embarrassing, but mostly he's just happy.  He can't believe people came.  He can't believe this is real and not a dream.  He can't believe he's lucky enough to do this with his two best friends.  It's only up from here, and Luke already feels like he's on top of the world.

When they take their bows and exit the stage, Luke is buzzing.  He pulls the other two into a hug, the kind that’s so fierce it feels like he’s suffocating, and they all laugh and cheer and maybe Luke cries a little bit again.  He tearily thanks their drummer, who looks marginally less bored now that the show has actually been played, and accepts hugs from his parents and pats on the back from his brothers.  He talks to a few of the fans that have lingered and even signs his first autograph, which is insane to think about.

When he finally has a spare moment, he finds Ashton and throws his arms around him.

"Hey!  Amazing job!" Ashton says in his ear, holding him just as securely.  Luke tucks his face in his shoulder and squeezes.

"I thought you wanted to be in the front row," Luke says once he makes himself let go.

"I figured I'd let the other fans get a chance.  I have a front row seat at every practice, so it only seemed fair.  I got some good pictures, though."

He holds up his camera and Luke brightens even more, if possible.  He feels like he's glowing brighter than the stage lights already.  He feels like he's probably glowing more than all of the stage lights in all of the big stadiums around the world combined.

"Can I see?" he asks.  Ashton doesn't get a chance to answer before Michael and Calum appear in an enthusiastic, all-encompassing storm, pulling both of them out of their corner because Karen promised to buy pizza in celebration and both of them were too nervous to eat before and are starving now.  Luke is, too, and he tugs Ashton to follow them out to the cars.

"Wait, shouldn't this just be band and family?" Ashton says, dragging his feet.

"Don't be stupid," Michael says, taking his other hand and helping Luke pull him forward.

"Yeah, you're basically part of the band," Calum says.  "As much as our temp drummer, anyway, and Mum invited him along."

Ashton's drummer friend declines, so it's just them and their families.  Ashton sits sandwiched between Luke and Calum and Luke's mum jokes about that side of the table needing four pizzas just for themselves.  When the adrenaline finally wears off part way through the meal, Luke slumps against Ashton's side and sighs contentedly.

He's pretty sure this is the best day of his life.

-/-

Ashton graduates in mid-December.  Luke texts him a quick congratulations, but they don't see each other until a few days after.  The band decided they need to celebrate (or maybe they just want the excuse to get ice cream along with the usual pizza), but Ashton spends a few days hanging out with friends from school and his family.  Luke thinks it's ridiculous that they have to wait almost an entire week to see him, but they decide to all stay over at Michael's when they do, so Luke can't pout too much.

They pick Ashton up instead of making him bike over, which they make a big deal out of as his graduation present.  They leave the passenger seat open for him, at least, so he doesn't have to squish into the back, and he graciously thanks them with a lofty voice, like a king talking to his royal subjects.  They make a big deal out of ordering Ashton's favorite pizza, too, which is just one of their usual orders, then grab some chips and pass around goon and put in Iron Man, because Ashton wants to watch the Marvel movies and Michael has all five of them.  The wine goes down easy in the way cheap wine usually does, and soon Luke has a pleasant buzz, enjoying the way the room fuzzes at the edges from his place squished between Michael and Calum on the sofa.  Ashton is alone in the arm chair, and Luke wishes he were squished in here with them, too.

Calum dozes off first, so after Iron Man 2 they set up blankets and sleeping bags.  Michael claims the couch because it's his house, so Luke watches Thor from the floor, propped against the front of the couch so he can see the TV better, Calum on one side and Ashton on the other.  Calum falls asleep again quickly, and near the end of the movie Michael starts breathing deeply, the kind of breathing that's close to a snore.  During the credits Luke blinks at Ashton and finds him already looking back.

"Hey," Ashton says.  "Want to watch Captain America?"

Luke nods.  Ashton carefully picks his way over to the TV, crouching to exchange the DVDs.  Backlit by the screen, Luke can see the way his hair is starting to get slightly wavy at the ends now, hours and hours since he last straightened it for the flat-iron fringe they all sport.  Luke wonders what his natural hair is like.  He likes that he's going to get to see it in the morning, but that also means that Ashton is going to see his bedhead, too.

"Hey," Luke says quietly when Ashton returns.  "The others are asleep."

Ashton glances at them, then grins.  "Do you have a marker?"

They give Calum a mustache, which is hard because the smell of the marker right under his nose keeps making him shift, then giggle their way through drawing a dick on Michael's cheek.  Ashton clamps a hand over Luke's mouth at one point when Michael hums and moves, and both of them hold their breath until he settles again, smacking his lips.

"Shhhh," Ashton says in his ear.  Luke shivers at the proximity, then nods.  Ashton moves his hand, so they continue to give Michael a few more doodle-tattoos before deeming themselves done and returning to their sleeping bags.

"They're going to hate us in the morning," Luke giggles.  Ashton snickers next to him, and they turn back to the movie.  It holds Luke's attention for the beginning, but now that he's aware of it, Ashton's presence as the only other one awake takes up the room.  Luke hears his huffs of laughter and every rustle of his sleeping bag hidden between the dialogue and backing soundtrack.  When he grins, it's still bright even though the TV is the only thing illuminating the room.  It creates weird shadows on his face, valleys of black amidst the blue-lighted highlights, but it doesn't make him look strange or unfamiliar.  If anything, it assures Luke that he'd be able to recognize Ashton in any context.  He’s not the artist out of the two of them, but he wonders if he’d be able to draw Ashton from memory.

"Are you going to miss us when you're in America?" Luke asks.

Ashton drags his attention away from the movie to look at him again.

"Yeah, of course.  You guys are some of my best friends."  Luke tries not to show how happy that makes him.  Sometimes he thinks that Ashton must thing that they're all stupid and immature kids.  Ashton has graduated and has plans for his life and takes care of his family.  Luke draws dicks on his friend's faces when they fall asleep.

"You're one of my best friends, too," he says.  "I'm really glad you talked to me at the movies."

"I'm glad you invited me to go bowling."

"It was technically Michael who did that," Luke says, ducking his head.

"No," Ashton says with a small smile.  "He sent the message, but I know you told him to."

Luke hums and settles deeper into his blanket.

"Are you going to miss me when your band makes it big and you're on tour all the time?" Ashton asks.

"Yeah.  I think I'm going to miss you a lot."

Luke can already feel the phantom pain deep in his chest where he's going to miss him.  He once again wishes there was some way for Ashton to stay with them without sacrificing his own dreams.  It's strange; he's so excited for the band to take off, but now that it's a real possibility that their dreams are coming true and they'll move on to bigger and better things, it hurts a little.

Well, it hurts to think of leaving his family, and it hurts to think of Ashton leaving him.

"Besides, you're the one who's getting out of here,” he says.  “5sos has still only played one gig."

"You're going to be huge," Ashton says.  He states it calmly, like an accepted fact.  It's in the same way he'd say that the sky is blue.  "You'll get out of here and get to see the whole world a thousand times over."

Luke nods, curling into his blanket a little more.  On screen, Steve asks Bucky if he's ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death.  Bucky says, Hell no.  That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight... I'm following him.

"Are you scared of leaving?" he asks quietly.  Ashton stays silent for a long time.  Luke watches him blink in the dim light, eyes toward the TV but too still to be watching it.

"I'm more scared of being stuck here forever," he confesses eventually.  "I love Australia, but... I don't want to turn into my mum, and I don't know how to prevent that unless I get out of here.  I love my family, I really do.  You know that, right?"  Luke nods.  "I love them, and I feel like I've always been taking care of them.  Even just wanting to leave is selfish, but filling out the applications for the schools was awful.  I felt so guilty, but... I don't know.  Australia has a great art scene that I probably should focus on instead, but I keep thinking about America.  If I don't go, I'm going to spend the rest of my life regretting it."

Ashton traces a thread on his blanket.  Luke wants to take his hand.

"I don't think it's selfish," Luke says.  "You can't let your entire life be determined by them.  They understand, right?"

"Mum does," Ashton says.  "I don't think Lauren and Harry get why I want to go so far away."

He sighs.  It feels heavy in the darkness.

"It doesn't matter yet, anyway.  It depends on if I even get into any of the schools I applied for and if we have the money.  I've been saving as much as I can, but it might not be enough.  America is so fucking expensive."

"You'll get there," Luke says.  "If our band is going somewhere, you definitely will, too."

Ashton shoots him a grateful smile.  Luke wants to tuck it in his pocket.  He's already saving pieces of Ashton in preparation of when they'll be halfway around the world from each other.

"Next year will be good for us," Ashton says.  "2012 is going to be a big breakthrough for us both."

"Yeah," Luke says.  "I believe you."

They watch the rest of the movie in silence.  When the credits roll, Luke realizes that Ashton fell asleep while he was distracted by the story, eyes closed peacefully next to him.  It’s strange to see him so relaxed and still, like some sort of marble statue.  He rarely stops moving when he’s awake, but here all of the stress lines he carries with him are smoothed out.  Luke didn’t know that they were there, but now the absence of them is obvious.

The movie menu screen reappears, loud music and bright colors startling him.  He grabs the remote and turns off the TV, plunging the room into darkness.  He tries to get comfortable, tossing and turning a bit on the floor and adjusting his blanket a few times, then closes his eyes.  Sleep doesn’t come easy, and he stays awake for a long time listening to Ashton, Calum, and Michael breathing.