#skittles where did u come from.

[teemhaunts]

dont let me cook late at night i will continuously add random things until my eyes start bleeding

[damiianismwayne]

damian: what did you draw

dick: a dog and he's bored.

dick: what did you draw?

damian: a stick.

dick: a stick?

damian: a stick from the park WHERE YOU PROMISED TO TAKE ME TODAY

dick: name a country beginning with V :)

jason: venezuela!

tim: vinland-

dick: huh??

jason: vinland?

tim: vinland

jason: OH MY DAYS! LOW IT! DONT CHAT TO ME! YOU SAID WHAT-

tim: i said vinland...

jason: VINLAND?!

jason: YOURE ON SOME JOKE TING

tim: he said F blud!

jason: whatchu said-

dick: 'V'!

jason: V.

tim: venus!

jason and dick:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

dick: fuck you. I HOPE YOUR WHOLE FAMILY HAS A NICE CHRISTMAS.

jason: i'm sorry, but i just cant support the existence of white people. thats not right.

damian: oh really? whats that.

tim:

jason: an exception.

damian: would you... still... love me.. if i was ga-

bruce: hm? if what?

damian: no that was the question-

dick: what did you get tim for his birthday?

jason: i got him a kitten.

dick: really?! me too!

stephanie: i also got him a cat!

duke: looks like we had the same idea!

jason: duke, please... tell me you didnt get tim a cat as well..

bruce: i got him... a kitten.

tim with the 5 cats around his room: THIS IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER

dick: i'm also dressed, and- i made BREAKFAST.

dick: wait, where are my eggs-

damian: in my belly.

tim: why do you have a jojo siwa backpack?

damian: why are you such a fucking bitch.

tim: jesus fuck...

criminal running away from batman:

tim: look at this guy runnin.

tim: tf you runnin for?

tim: somebody chasin' u or something??

tim: ...

tim: OH FUCK WE CHASIN HIM-

damian: sis is this you right here in this alley?

jason: sister if you see a bitch in the alleyway with a dome-shaped red helmet over his head that is NOT me. GO. THE. OTHER. WAY.

joker as red hood:

damian: who is thissss-

dick: those are my favorite roast potatoes :)

jason: ill have you know...

jason: dick grayson.

jason: that those are actually MY favorite roast potatoes.

jason: so ill let ya off easy this time, dick grayson.

jason: with just this lil warnin.

jason: they cant be both our favorites, now, can they?

batman: what the-

terry: im batman. i need you to come with me

batman: who the heck are you?

terry: i just told you- listen. im from the future.

batman: how dare you point at me?

terry: you were pointing first

batman: rude to point.

terry: YOU ARE BEING VERY RUDE YOURE NOT EVEN FROM-

dick: which one pointed first?

damian: batman pointed first! obviously!

terry: YOURE POINTING AT ME RIGHT NOW!

batman: youre pointing.

terry: LOOK AT YOUR FINGER. LOOK AT YOUR FINGER RIGHT NOW-

batman: its different from normal pointing.

terry: YOURE ACCUSING ME OF POINTING WHY-

jason: alr important question for our friendship. when you go to the movie theatre do you ask for extra butter or regular butter? or no butter?

dick: i put skittles. not skittles- m&ms with the popcorn

jason: alr im gonna remove richard from this call-

dick: HOLD ON PLEA-

jason: something devilish has been brewing within me for years on end that will only escape through the means of physical violence.

[thedvilsinthedetails]

rosekiller microfic band au pt3

heyyy pt3 is here yayyy

I haven’t rlly read it thru again and I’m feeling pretty tired today so if there’s a quality dip that’s why but also we have some nice Barty POV which I find easier to write sooo balances out ig

also we have some Marlene in this one (u can thank @good-oldfashioned-lover-girl because I wasn’t gonna put her in but she loves Marls [not that I don’t] to and yk she’s the boss so 🫡🫡🫡 Marlene is in the fic and I’m actually glad bc I love her part in this)

oh also Reg is autistic in this [in my mind] so when I mention him wearing headphones it’s bc he wears headphones on public transport/often in public/during gigs to help block noise <3

oh also all the skittles have matching nail polish and little tattoos on their wrists (idk if I actually mention it here but just so u have it in ur mind)

Tags for ppl that (I think?) wanted to be tagged <3 : @depressedtheatrekiddo @blu3stars @picklerab23 @lady-stardust-incarnate @always-reading @no-names-work @y0url0verb0y @2bluetwo85 @idk-what-to-put-here-123 @weirdtinkerbellversion @lulublack90 @nikholascrow (please please do tell me if you don’t want to be tagged bc idm and obviously won’t be upset but I just don’t want to tag ppl that don’t actually want to be tagged so I’m just sort of guessing by who commented last time so um yeah)

Link to previous part

link to part one

link to next part

(Cw: lil bit of homophobia in here sorry)

***

By the time the train arrived at their station both Barty and Evan had dozed off. Arms wrapping around each other, bodies curled into one another like a jigsaw puzzle. Evan didn’t wake up as gently as he fell asleep though because he was woken by Regulus kicking his seat aggressively. Once he finally opened his eyes he turned to face him. He was wearing his headphones, big and black originally but covered in splodges of spray paint from when Barty had offered to ‘customise‘ them for Regulus. He’d pushed them back though, now that the majority of people has filtered out of the little compartment.

“Hurry up and get your stuff.”

Regulus ordered before following Pandora and Dorcas who had already left.

Evan turned and tapped Barty gently to wake him up. Then when that didn’t work he shook him till he opened his eyes with a start. 

It took Barty a moment to realise where he was but even once he did he just grumbled.

“Ev don’t make me get up, please.”

He pouted, eyes wide and dilated in some kind of cheap attempt at cuteness.

“Come on you know you have to get up baby- Barty!”

Evan gaped, realising his mistake just too late. A slip of the tongue and he’d gone and fucked everything up.

“D’you just call me baby?”

A grin spread on Barty’s face and he poked Evan gently and laughed.

“You’ve been single too long Rosier.”

“You- you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad, baby?”

Barty winked, clicking his tongue as he got up and shuffled past Evan with a wicked smirk.

•••

Barty was going insane. 

Evan had called him baby. Baby. And fuck his reaction had been visceral. But like…in a good way? It made him want to bite down on something hard but that thing was the muscles on Evan’s arms. Or bruise something but that thing was Evan’s neck…with a hickey or two. 

Something about the way it had slipped out so naturally, so warmly. It just made Barty’s heart flutter. Made him want to grab Evan and shake the sense out of him enough to like Barty. Something along the lines of ‘kiss me, ruin me, dear God I’m begging you.’ Ah well, nothing you can’t really do about these kinds of situations except get on with it. Lying was something Barty had gotten very good at from a young age and not stopped since. Some might call it acting but those were the types of people who were just trying to convince themselves they were good and moral. Barty didn’t really care enough about that kind of stuff to bother. White lies this and how it contrasts with malicious lies that, like someone trying to section off a gradient in two. You can’t, it’s all the same monochrome blur in the end. 

Barty was lost in this little daydream when he heard Pandora roar.

“WHAT?!”

Now Pandora didn’t often roar, maybe laugh maniacally every now and then yes, but yell? Scream? That was never her type of thing. Save for some rare occasions that Barty could probably count on one hand. Pandora yelling meant it was time to stop daydreaming about Evan’s curls or Evan’s hands with their chipped green nail polish or Evan’s fucking tight t shirts. Yeah time to stop thinking about that and listen up. So he did.

“I do not intend to offend anyone by it.”

Riddle raised his hands up defensively with a cheap sleazy smile that immediately made Barty dislike him.

“I’m just saying that this venue prides itself on a distinct lack of…untoward behaviour. It’s not a massive deal, I think your lead and backup singers can use separate microphones for two nights of a six month tour. 

“What the fuck man?”

Barty stepped forward immediately hands curling into fists, Riddle was pretty short, he could definitely take him if that’s what it came to.

“Barty stop, that isn’t the right way to solve things. Come on let’s just- let’s come back later ok? See if we can talk to someone else, not this piece of shit.”

Dorcas spat out the last three words as she pulled Barty back to the group.

He was going to argue till he felt Evan put a hand on his shoulder, instead he just left Evan guide him away after the rest of the group.

“We’ll figure it out ok?”

“Fucking- Ev we can’t play there. They’re fucking homophobic.”

“Barty the O2 has been your dream since-“

“I DONT BLOODY CARE!”

“Barty shut the fuck up. I said we’ll talk about it and we will, we will figure it out but stop acting like a goddamn CHILD.”

Barty looked over at Evan who had his teeth bared, slightly wild look in his eyes. He was seething too, clearly. Just more mature than Barty.

“Ok, yeah.”

He breathed in.

“I’m sorry Ev.”

“Hey it’s alright. It’s just important the band shows a united front against this you know? We can’t split up or in fight because then, well then we all lose.”

“Yeah. Yeah you’re right Rosie. But we will do something.”

“I promise you they’re not getting away with this.”

Evan nodded. He tossed a hand over Barty’s shoulder, pulling him in just a little bit closer as they walked. Barty wasn’t complaining. 

•••

“You don’t get it Marls, we can’t just not play the O2. We’d lose way too much money off it, probably too much to be able to continue with the rest of the tour. Plus venues will think we’re unreliable and might cancel or pull out. Riddle is such a fucking dick, he only told us when we went there for a tech practice literally today.”

“Fuck yeah that’s shitty.”

Marlene was sat next to Barty on the floor of his hotel room, helping him repaint his nails. The entire band had them matching, a bright toxic green, his had started to fade though. 

“What if you just…ignore them? Do it anyway?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not like they can drag us off stage mid performance.”

“Not without exposing their homophobia.”

“Still…I wanna make a statement. Something big you know? Show them they can’t straight wash us.”

Marlene looked up at Barty, eyes twinkling mischievously.

“I might have an idea then.”

•••

Evan was sat in an alcove in the hotel corridor watching Regulus patiently braid and unbraid Pandora’s hair on the sofa opposite him. It calmed them both down whenever they were stressed. And Barty and Marlene, locked up together in Barty’s hotel room. Both raging homosexuals dead set on never following rules talking amongst themselves just before the biggest gig of the band’s history? Yeah that was a reason to be stressed. That’s when he heard the tell tale clump of Barty’s docs down the corridor. And he was walking with purpose.

As soon as he came into view Evan noticed the way his eyebrows were knotted together yet his eyes were glimmering with excitement. Evan had no clue what Barty was going to say next but it wasn’t that.

“Marlene thinks I should kiss you.”

Barty announced and Evan dropped his jaw, staring at him agape.

“What?”

“And I agree with her.”

“What?”

***

OK HOPE U LIKED IT

xxx BYEEEE

pt4 probs gonna come soon bc I swear this fic has a life of its own

[youre-amazing-say-it]

hi! can you do something with any mcu member (maybe chris or seb or anthony) where the reader is feeling peer pressure to have sex and she talks to one of the cast and they listen to her and hear her out and tell her it’s okay to take her time etc? i could use hearing this lol🤍 thank u

Am I Ready?

Warning: Talks of Sex, making out, talks of losing virginity, and manipulation.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x teen!reader, Anthony Mackie x teen!reader

Taglist: @chrisevansdaughter @slutfortaylorswiftandzendaya @dumb-fawkin-bitch

“Happy six months babe,” your partner Jack said seductively into your ear. The two of you were in a hotel room celebrating your anniversary. Jack flew in to celebrate as you were in Atlanta shooting Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The past six months with him have been incredible, and he has always been a kind and safe person to talk to. Except recently, when things have become a little award around a certain topic. 

You and Jack were in the middle of a heated make-out session when you felt him grab the hem of your shirt. Like always, you grabbed his hand and put them back on your hips. “Seriously babe, can we not do this tonight,” you said as you let go of the kiss and leaned against his forehead. He threw his head back against the couch and let out a groan. “Y/n, we have been together for six months. SIX MONTHS. Why don't you trust me?” Jack said. You got off and moved to sit next to him as you took his hand. “Jack, I keep telling you that sex is a big deal, and I'm not ready for it yet. I don't know when, but I'm asking you for patience.” Jack leaned over and kissed you on the lips. 

“You know I love you right?” Jack said looking at you. You gave a subtle nod to him, “and I really want to have sex with you. Don't you want to have sex with me?” he asked. “Jack, I don't know yet, okay?” you said as water lined your eyes. Jack got up from the sofa and headed for the bathroom, “where are you going?” you asked, not even looking at him afraid the tears would start falling. “To jerk myself off 'cause you won't fucking do it,” he spoke with a raised voice as he slammed the door.

Those events all transpired last night. 

Now you were back on set, and your tension has been weird since then. You sat in your chair, drinking water on the hot Atlanta stage when you heard two voices come through the stage doors. 

“The red ones are the best, no doubt.” you heard one voice say. “It's obviously the green ones Mack; you just have no taste,” sassed the second voice as they got closer to you. “Hey Y/N! What's the best skittle flavor?” Anthony Mackie asked as your other costar Sebastian Stan stood next to him. You quickly put on a small smile, responding “Yellow obviously.” The boys shook their heads and continued arguing for each of their flavors until they noticed you weren’t inputting yourself into their shenanigans like usual. “You okay Buttercup?” Mackie asked with a thoughtful look in his eyes. 

You trusted these two like brothers, always being there for you in times of need. Taking a breath, you continued saying “Can I talk to you guys later, maybe?” you asked looking at these men hopefully. Seb smiled and wrapped the metal arm around your shoulders, bringing you into a side hug. “Oh, course Y/n. How about during lunch, we chill in my trailer and chat,” he proposed looking down on you. You smiled back at him; “Sounds perfect.”

By the time lunch rolled around, you, Seb, and Mackie were on the floor of Sebastian's trailer. Craft’s Services had a taco truck for lunch, and each of you had your water by your side. “So,” Seb said as he had a piece of lettuce hanging out of his mouth, “what's up in that brain of yours?” he spoke with a smile on his face. You finished sipping your water before wiping your mouth and speaking. 

“When did you guys lose your virginity?”

It just so happened when you said that, both men had water in their mouths and some trickled out. “Um,” Sebastian chuckled,” well I was a senior in high school. A girl I meet at Stagedoor Manor. And I lied about being a virgin and we both had absolutely no clue what we were doing.” You turned to look at Mackie. “It was in my first serious relationship. I knew sex was important to me, and I wanted to wait till I was ready.” You looked up from your taco when Mackie spoke. “Did you feel that you were ready to lose it?”

The boys looked at each other and then looked at you. They knew about you and Jack, and only met him a couple times but from how you described him to them, he seemed like a good guy. Or so they thought. “Is Jack pressuring you to be ready?” Mackie spoke to you quietly. You set your taco down as you leaned back against the couch cushion you set up on the floor. 

“Kinda. I keep on telling him that I need time to think about if I want to have sex, cause its a big deal to me. And every time we make out, he always tries to initiate it and I keep on saying no. and he did it again last night when we were celebrating our anniversary, and he Keeps on talking about how I don't trust him. and how if I love him I would have sex with him.” You said in rant-style toned. 

“First of all, he shouldn't be pressuring you at all. It's not HIS place to say when YOU are ready.  got that?” Mackie responded quickly. You nodded your head as he waited for him to continue. “Have you guys talked at all since last night?” Seb asked politely. “I tried reaching out to him, but we haven't spoken. And it hurts cause I do love him, but annoyed he doesn't respect my boundaries.” 

“Break up with him,” Seb said bluntly as he took a huge bit of his taco. “That’s not your place to say,” you spoke angrily. “Look, you are asking us for advice, and I'm giving you some. Is he making you uncomfortable in this situation?” Seb said looking at you. “I mean kin-” you said before Mackie spoke up. “Do you think he will ever respect your boundaries?” Mackie questioned. “Maybe ov-” 

“EHH! Nope wrong answers. You should be able to answer those with a confident yes. Otherwise, he isn't worth your time.” Mackie continued over you. You know they were right, and you have been thinking about it for a while. But this talk really helped you solidify your decision. 

“I'll think you guys are right,” you spoke as you took a final bite out of your taco. Mackie scoffed, “Damn right we are.” he added as he got up to throw away his trash. “We just care about you, Y/n, and don't want to see you in an unhealthy relationship,” Seb commented. You gave them both a soft, warm, smile. “Thank you.” 

“Now,” Seb said as he took the giant jar of skittles from behind his back and placed it in the circle, “let's really figure out which flavor is the best.”

[gay-dorito-dust]

i’m literally begging you to write just anything fluffy with bully batson PLEASE

U ask and u shall receive.

‘Where are you taking me y/n?’ Billy asked, ‘you’re not going to kill me are you?’ He instinctively smiles when the choirs of heaven that was your laugh reached his ears; followed shortly by small curses of ‘shit’ and ‘fuck’ when you caught your foot on a rug or the top of the stairs, which only added extra few inches to Billy’s smile.

With how unintentionally happy you were making him- especially with the week he had recently- Billy could only be appreciative of you with every fibre of his being in that moment and every other moments you’ve willingly given him thus far. For all the times he spent thinking of all the bad in his life, you were there right by his side to remind him of the good. You always told him that he was the best thing to ever happen in your life and while he was adamant in accepting that as your truth; you were the greatest thing to ever happen in his life and that was a truth he was more then happy to admit.

You’ve truly dug him out from the darkest depths of his mind on his worst of worse days and Billy would forever be thankful of you every damn day he was blessed to have you, not only in his life by his arms as well.

‘I’m taking you to your final resting place Batson.’ You replied in faux seriousness before snorting, ‘fucking hell, If I was ever a villain I wouldn’t be able to take my self seriously enough, never less when the situation calls for it.’ You added, unable to keep the smile off of your face for longer then an minute. You couldn’t help it when being in Billy’s presence made you giddier then a school girl, even more so from all the fuzziness warming your insides when you were within proximity of the beautiful boy.

‘What do you mean? I’m already scared out of my wits, absolutely terrified,’ Billy played along, ‘so please don’t hurt me almighty y/n, I’ll do anything you ask of me.’ You laughed, smacking his shoulder lightly, causing him to chuckle.

‘Anything?’ You asked once the shared laughter subsided.

‘Anything.’ Billy replied in all seriousness, making the edges of your lips perk upwards, smitten.

‘Then I guess you wouldn’t mind spending the evening with me, sweets, a movie and a blanket fort that almost collapsed on me four times?’ You asked, lifting your hands from his eyes just before he could inquire you even more, allowing his eyes to adjust and focus on the aforementioned fort sitting at the base of his bed; fairy lights strung up along the outsides, allowing the linen an almost heavenly glow as it’s insides was covered in pillows whilst bowls of skittles, sour patch kids, gummy worms laid about in front of the fort as the menu to the movie of your choosing played out on the screen of the tv.

Billy looks to you, his eyes practically gleaming. ‘You did this all for me?’ He asked in an almost whisper. You shrugged, ‘with a little bit of help of course.’ You gestured to Freddy’s empty bed and everything started to price together for Billy. All those times you and Freddy were seen huddled into a corner together, barely speaking above a whisper, standing a little too close for Billy’s liking and the sudden last minute ditches. All of that lead to this, and it was all for him.

Gods you were too good for him.

‘I’d thank him but his ego is big enough already for that to be added to it.’ Billy said whilst thinking of his best friend and brother, knowing well enough that if he was to thank Freddy; he’d hold it over him for weeks on end, using it as his bragging rights. ‘But you,’ he added, gesturing to you now, ‘I’d thank you for every day for the rest of my life.’ Billy admitted, watching on with pride at the smile that blossomed across your face before grabbing your hand in his, protectively and tightly as though you’d slip through his fingers like sand.

‘Now come on, I wanna watch a movie with my favourite person.’ He says, dragging you to the blanket fort as you followed after him willingly, much like you did in every aspect of your life. ‘Only as long as you don’t end up eating all the skittles.’ You said, getting yourself comfortable whilst reaching out for the bowl of skittles. ‘That wasn’t me! That was Darla and Freddy!” Billy cried when you tucked the bowl against your chest as he tried to reach for a piece.

‘Hmm yeah sure, I believe you.’ You mused, chuckling at his pout that quickly turned into a smile when you rested yourself cozily into his side and his arm instinctively reached over your shoulders, squeezing you tight. He internally thanked Freddy for insisting on pulling that cliche move sooner or later; For he wasn’t ever going to thank him for it personally. This was something Billy would rather stay between the both of you.

[doostyaudi]

this is a masterpost for my Rave-n AU for madness combat! information is below the cut cuz theres so much! '^^

what is the Rave-N AU?

its a madcom au where people fight to the beat of music, and what music they use depends on what genre of music they're assigned. basically its just madness combat but if it was a rhythm game lol. the lore is different in many aspects, but in general things play out exactly to how it plays in the canon series.

where did you get the idea?

it originally started at Rave-N Hank (rnank), my hanksona. he was just a standalone hanksona before i decided to expand his universe a bit, and here we are now! rnank is STILL my hanksona btw

what can and cant we do?

well, im very lax with this au, i dont have many restrictions other than to just be mindful of the lore and be respectful of my decisions when it comes to the story and characters, thank you!

oh, btw, do NOT treat these characters like their canon counterparts, treat them like u would treat someone's oc as that is what they are. All canon characters within this au are my ocs.

and yes you can put ur ocs into this, as well as making ocs that are exclusively within the au. the only thing to keep in mind when adding an oc to this universe is that if theyre an official citizen of Nevada, they NEED a spiked collar (employers and higher powers are the only ones who are exempt from this rule), doesnt matter how it looks at all, they just need one!

also yes you can ship characters together (oc x canon is welcome and encouraged!!) idc who u ship with who (maybe i will in the future but rn idc)

if you have any additional questions, feel free to ask in my inbox! ill be more than happy to answer! if i find it important enough, ill update this segment with that question added!

characters

main cast: sanford, deimos, doc, tricky, auditor, sheriff, jeb, and phobos

why isnt hank included? he is my hanksona, he is a completely different guy lol. if you want to get a could reference pic of him, look at his artfight page (sorry if you dont have an artfight acc, ill make a new ref for him soon enough!)

literally everyone else: the machine (redesign needed), the maker, conductor, deliberator, stygian, skinner (redesign needed), the sun, torture, white hank, happy hank (skittles), dr.crackpot

misc: aahw guys, alternate rnaudi design, alternate rnaudi design 2, moon (idk if i should keep her in or not..)

my ocs (not canon btw): yara, 04, charlie, maudi, yara but in a different timeline, bank (old old old hanksona), manager

honorable mentions (other ppls ocs/own rave-n designs): redge, explorer

any characters you want to see in the au? my inbox is always open! :3

random assortment of information abt/relating to the au

rnackpot's odd music taste , how music works during fighting (part 1), why are there 2 keystone fragments?, rambles abt rnaudi (part 1), madcom hc that applies here, polyamory? in my madcom? more likely than you think, rnygian hates rnank but cant do anything abt it :(

that is everything, for now! ill try to update it as things go on! feel free to ask me any questions u have!! thank you for reading!

Have the entire twilight movie in a stamp, as a treat!

[druidessgeek]

Meeting Emma Meyer

Okay ya’ll. This is my take on an Emma/strong girl reader. Girl deserves a halfway healthy romantic relationship.

•you of course meet at God U.

•both being millennials, you have social medias for your supe careers. You both have followed each other for years but it never prepared Emma for seeing you in the flesh.

•you’re on different career paths, you on track to be the next Queen Maeve if you play your cards right, Emma a blossoming actress and it takes her a bit longer than she would have liked to figure out if she wanted to be you or be with you.

•you have no idea but your first thoughts when you two see each other on campus for the first time were “wow she’s so hot. She’s way out of my league.” Pretty much all at once.

•no one knows it but you have a penchant for stand up comedy and when she sees your name on the open mic night at the school’s comedy club, she can’t help it. She goes to see you on the freshman newbie night. It’s supposed to be a harsh night where the upperclassmen come and boo and throw stuff at the freshmen. She tells herself she’s just bored and has nothing better to do but go.

•she halfway expects you to flop when you go on stage. You’re a little stiff with the lights and skittles being thrown and eyes on you at first but you loosen up after you get a few chuckles out of the crowd, Emma included.

•by the end of your set, you have the whole room laughing with your situational comedy about the first time you found out you had powers. A whole crazy story involving a shattered toilet, the water company, the Deep and a bit of constipation.

•Emma called for an encore. She was impressed. And more importantly she thought you were so hot on stage minus the talk about constipation.

•after comedy night one of the other actors that Emma knows invites her to the after party.

•”is Y/N gonna be there? I didn’t see her leave and I wanna tell her how awesome that was.”

•of course you are.

•and you’re hoping to hell and back that that Cricket, the Cricket, the girl you’ve been eying on campus all semester who laughed the whole way through your set would be there.

•Emma enters the dorm where the after party is to a strong smell of weed and people. It’s so crowded but she spots you sitting on the futon with an oversized blunt in your hands while chatting up another group of girls.

•oh thank god you smoke weed.

•it takes her 2 whole blunt rotations and a shot to work up the courage to finally approach you.

•she’s a nervous wreck. What if you don’t like girls? What if you do but she isn’t your type? What if you think her powers are gross? It all flashes through her mind as she approaches but continues anyway.

•she snatches the blunt from your fingers as you pass it, takes a hit and then sits on your lap, her confidence surprising even Emma.

•she wishes now she’d thought of some cute or witty one liner to say but the thing that came out with her exhale of smoke was “your set was amazing.”

•you stare at her in a surprised daze for what felt like forever. Finally you snap out of it and take the blunt back from her coolly, other hand snaking to Emma’s lower back, just above her ass.

•“This how you talk to all comedians or just me?” You ask, referring to her perching on your lap.

•her sly expression tells you everything while you ponder her pretty face.

•you talk all night. Way past when the party ended and you two talked the whole way back to her dorm.

•you both get pretty drunk so you’re mostly holding the tiny adorable girl up the whole way too. You made jokes about your strength on stage but it really did make Emma hot thinking about how strong you are. When you get to her door you both hesitate.

•”so? You coming in with me?” She says with a cute pouty expression that you almost can’t say no to. Almost.

•you explain that you’re both drunk and it isn’t a good idea. When she’s about to object, you clarify it isn’t a good idea for you, mostly. Your strength is dangerous when you’re drunk. Even being a supe, you’re afraid of hurting Emma.

•this really just makes her want you more but she understands. Instead, she kisses you on the cheek.

•“We’ve got time babe.” She whispers into your cheek then turns to unlock the door.

•before she can walk in you grab her hand and pull her back to kiss her on the lips. She fell into your arms like a puzzle piece that fit perfectly while your lips connected. Time stopped. Everything around you melted away.

•until Emma’s roommate Marie called half asleep from their open dorm door “god get a room!”

•you pulled away from each other, breathless and drunk and happy.

•”so uh, I’ll see you around?” She asked, unabashedly hopeful.

•”see you tomorrow?” You reply.

[indigosunsetao3]

A Reason To Try

Chapter 5 - Mountain Pass

Masterlist of Chapters

Warnings: 18+ - No minors Please read the tags on AO3 for any of your triggers

Alex Keller X Original FMC 8.3k words - AO3 Link

The sound of groaning met Madeline’s ears as she took another step back into the store before the unmistakable ping of metal on tile followed. Gripping the basket tighter in her left hand, keeping her right hand free for some sort of defense, Madeline looked back over her shoulder at the SUV as the automatic store doors slid shut behind her. There was no one out there, and the SUV was still sitting right where they had left it so she knew Everett was safe. Turning back, she stared into the overly bright store to try and figure out what to do next. It was too quiet save for the groaning and she hissed out Alex’s name again before nearly coming out of her skin as the sound of boots hitting the floor met her ears and Alex appeared at the end of an aisle.

“Why are you still in here?” Alex asked as he shoved his newly acquired revolver into his back waistband. Alex had moved ten times faster than the guy had. Alex’s first shot hit him in the chest and after the man fired a retaliatory bullet that exploded a box of cereal, Alex dropped him with a second shot to the head.

“I heard the gunfire and I thought,” Madeline started as she rushed toward him spotting the blood that was all over his sleeves. “Oh God did he hit you? I’m not any good at-” she babbled, her free hand moving to grab at his arm as her head grew a bit light. Blood was not something she handled well and after seeing so much that night the smears on Alex were almost enough to tip her over the edge.

“I’m fine, Madeline I’m fine,” Alex assured as she grabbed at him, her hand scrabbling up over his neck sweeping through the collar of his shirt in a panic. “I’m not hit, he missed,” he stated as he grabbed her wrist and yanked her freezing fingers from his skin a bit impatiently. “We have to go now, before his friends, or those things, show up.” His voice was an order as he all but dragged Madeline out the front door.

“Is he…” Madeline asked, turning to glance over her shoulder for a second already knowing the answer.

“He’s dead,” Alex said flatly as he unlocked and pulled open the passenger door of their vehicle practically shoving her inside. He went around to the driver's side, sweeping the area as he did so, then grabbed the full gas can and threw it into the netting on the roof. He hoped it held because he didn’t have time to try and find something to tie it down tighter. He saw someone run into the store and he didn’t look long enough to see if it was someone with the guy or one of those things.

“What the hell happened?” Madeline asked as Alex climbed back in and started the car up, practically peeling out of the parking lot as he struggled with his seatbelt. Everett had popped his head up when Madeline was unceremoniously shoved into the car by Alex and demanded his Skittles which she tossed back to him. The green 7-Eleven basket was still in her lap overstuffed with things but she didn’t move to get it out of the way.

“I warned him,” Alex said as if he were already mid-conversation and Madeline had an idea of what he was talking about. “I told him to give us a minute to leave but he went for his damn gun,” he sighed as he yanked the revolver out of his waistband and threw it angrily on the console. He then reached down and pulled one of the side straps by his stomach loose on his vest on the right side then the left. “And I wasn’t about to let him take me out, then you,” he reasoned as he shifted forward in the seat to pull the vest up over his head, trying to do it one handed while driving was making it difficult.

“I don’t understand why. He had the whole store he could ransack, enough gas cans and gas to fill up multiple cars,” Madeline said horrified as she grabbed at the wheel to steady the car without being asked. Alex looked at her for a second before reaching back to use both hands to pull the vest over his head, fixing his shirt that rode up a bit with it. She could see he had an outline of sweat on his back where the vest had sat on him, despite the cold weather outside. He was wearing impossibly lightweight clothes for the winter and was sweating while Madeline was cold down to her bones in her thick sweater and jacket.  He tossed the vest behind him and Madeline winced hearing the things in it rattling around as it hit the gun on the floor.

“Guys like that just want what others have. He saw my gear, assumed I had a full arsenal and he wanted it…among other things,” he let that implication hang in the air for a second before changing the subject to abate the anger simmering underneath. “Also, his car was a piece of shit,” Alex answered as he cut his eyes over at her. “Probably banked on us being amateur preppers, like him,” he reasoned before settling back in the seat more comfortably and reached for his seatbelt clicking it into place. “Good thing I don’t miss,” he muttered as he took off his bloodied gloves, throwing them down into the cupholders.

“If he didn’t hit you, why do you have so much blood on you?” Madeline asked as she eyed him, her gaze darting from the bloody gloves to his light-colored shirtsleeves that were streaked with it.

“I disarmed and patted him down. I don’t have revolver bullets so I needed to see what he had. Only had enough for a couple of reloads on him,” Alex answered looking over at Madeline and noted the faint green sheen on her face. “Blood not your thing?” He asked quietly as he snatched up the gloves and shoved them into the door cupholder and hastily pushed up his shirt sleeves to hide some of it.

“Not particularly,” Madeline answered quietly as she stared at his tattoo covered arms before glancing back at Everett to make sure he wasn’t listening. He was all the way in the back popping Skittles in his mouth, looking none the wiser to everything that just occurred. “I broke my nose as a kid, saw the blood, and passed out promptly giving myself a concussion in the process.” Madeline explained with a small shrug, “Everett made me have to get over it, kid is always getting scraped knees and busted lips. He likes to climb,” she rolled her eyes a bit. “Tonight has just been…a lot.”

“Noted,” Alex said simply as he flicked his gaze up to the rearview mirror to make sure he didn’t have any blood on his face or neck. “Can’t say it’s my favorite either but you get used to it,” he tacked on before reaching over to the radio to do another flip through of the stations. All of them were emergency broadcasts but then one caught his attention and he scrolled the dial back to the local AM station.

“…the police are telling us to remain indoors, to not panic, and stay off the roads…but what else are we supposed to do? I can hear the helicopters and the sirens have been nonstop for over an hour now. We need more information. The local news stations haven’t gone on air yet, just reruns of old shows. My coworkers are talking about leaving but I don’t know what else to do.”

“Who is that?” Everett piped up which caused Madeline to turn around in her seat to look at him.

“Not sure,” Alex answered as he started fiddling with the controls to pull the radio to the front. “Someone that works at the radio,” he found the setting he needed and pulled the sound to the front speakers. “Nothing to worry about. They’re just talking.”

“Should we be inside?” Everett asked as he clutched at his seatbelt, his eyes locked on Alex’s in the mirror. “The police said we shouldn’t be out.”

“No, we have permission,” Alex stated which, while it wasn’t the truth, it wasn’t exactly a lie either. “We won’t be in trouble,” he tacked on as Everett looked at him apprehensively as if that were his biggest fear at the moment.  “Why do you lay down? We’re going to be driving for a while. I always find sleeping makes time go faster,” he reasoned, and when Everett nodded and settled back Alex darted his eyes over to Madeline who had watched the whole exchange.

“He’s on a police officer kick currently. Used to want to be a firefighter but now we’re on police officer,” Madeline explained as she peered at Everett as he shifted to lie down. “He’s always afraid of breaking the real law, but has no problem not listening to me,” she huffed a small laugh before finally staring at the basket in her lap to look at the things she had picked.

“I think most kids go through that phase,” Alex answered as they listened to the woman on the radio continue to babble but not really giving any new or helpful information. “CIA wasn’t my first goal as a kid. Pretty sure I wanted to be a rock star for a good portion,” he grinned at Madeline who seemed shocked at his profession.

“CIA? I thought you were military?” Madeline stated as she looked at him, her hands pausing their delve into the snacks.

“Military was my career for a while,” he looked past her to adjust the passenger mirror before going back to the driver. “I was in the Army. Climbed the ranks, joined Delta,” at her face of incomprehension as to what that was, he explained further. “Elite taskforce. We’re the guys the President calls in personally. After that I moved over to CIA and worked for them in a special division for a few years…then I defected,” he smirked. That was a mild explanation as to what he had done but she didn’t need all the details. “And now I’m back at it. Sort of. My handler didn’t really give me all the details of how that worked.”

“You have a handler?” Madeline asked as she held up a green gatorade as an offering and Alex nodded reaching a hand out to take it from her.

“That’s your question after all that?” Alex asked with a laugh as he cracked the seal. “Yes, her name is Laswell. She called me to bring me in on this. I was over in Urzikstan but needed my assistance because of my, ah, connections,” he glossed over exactly what his connections were.

“And who is Farah?” Madeline asked casually to keep the conversation going. She had heard what the man Graves had said and the way he talked made it seem like she was someone important to Alex, calling him her white knight. “Wife?” She asked, unconsciously looking over at his hand to see if she saw a ring there now that his gloves were off. Nothing there but that didn’t mean anything.

Alex swallowed hard on the sip of the drink he had taken before setting the bottle down in the cupholder. He knew that question was going to come up at some point, Madeline and Everett didn’t miss a thing and Graves had been sure to make a point of bringing Farah up.

“No, not my wife,” he explained, his tone a bit stiff as he shifted in his seat a bit. “She’s the commander of ULF. That’s where I defected to when the United States decided to stop offering them our help,” he continued before moving to mess with the GPS on the console to put in the address for the CDC. He was looking for some sort of distraction because this was not a topic he was ready to discuss, or even think about himself. Up until this moment he had just been driving down a main road that was running south but they did need some sort of direction. “Can you put in the address? Make sure you tell it to avoid highways. They are going to be packed before long.”

“Oh, right. Makes sense,” Madeline replied quickly. She caught the change in body language from Alex and figured out rather fast it was not something he wanted to discuss. So she went with his request, busying herself with entering the address that was saved in her phone. “Well, your life sounds much more interesting than mine. I’ve barely left the country…but I have been all over it.”

“Interesting is one way to put it,” Alex answered simply as the person on the radio continued to babble about what they should do. People were calling in and giving their opinions but he was more listening to the information between the panic. What they were seeing, how the local government was responding, and how bad things were actually getting. “I figured you weren’t from Boston, no accent,” he grinned looking over at Madeline who gave him a small smile back as she handed him a granola bar. “What brought you there? Sister?”

“Well we grew up in the Northeast but the second I could I left and just traveled everywhere I could,” she shrugged. “Sort of flying by the seat of my pants. Had no money so I hitched rides, and scrounged up money from working gigs. Mostly waitressing, housekeeping, and things that pay cash so I could keep moving. I didn’t stay anywhere very long because I got bored and just wanted to see more, do more. No idea what I wanted really so I just kept going until I found it,” she paused to take a sip of her own drink, popping a few painkillers for her headache. She peered out the window where the hints of the dawn were streaking the horizon as she tore open her granola bar. “I was out in California when Josephine called almost a year ago and said her husband was a piece of shit so I came home. It’s just the two of us now.”

“Hitching rides with strangers is dangerous,” Alex admonished, a tease, before laughing a bit as Madeline cut him a look with a tilt of her head. “You never know what they could be thinking or planning.”

“Yes, well, I’ve made it this far, haven’t I? You never know, I could be the serial killer in this scenario,” she joked and returned the laugh. She was glad for some levity after all the heavy shit that had just happened. “I learned a few tricks anyway, single woman on your own makes you savvy. Plus living on a commune for a few months, I can handle myself.” She hesitated at the eyebrow raise, “I wasn’t in a cult if that is what you’re thinking.”

“You know who says they weren’t in a cult? People in cults,” Alex answered, chuckling as she threw another snack bar at him. “I was in the CIA I’ve seen many and communes always end up being one.”

“Typical CIA,” Madeline answered with an eye roll. “They were raided after I left. I guess it turned into a religious extremist group,” she paused as Alex scoffed in a told you so way. “It wasn’t like that when I was there! Things changed which is why I left.”

“Right, of course,” Alex said in a matter-of-fact way, nodding his head and trying not to smirk. “So, you’ve been with your sister for almost a year. After moving around so much is it weird to be in one spot for so long? And having a kid to watch?” At that he peered in the rearview mirror to see Everett was passed out, his face pressed against the window, the seatbelt under his cheek holding his head up.

“I got a bit stir crazy, yeah,” Madeline admitted. “But some stability never hurt anyone,” she shrugged a little. “What about you though? All over the world for your job, sounds like you’ve been at it for a while. You don’t sit still for long either.”

“No, not really. I’ve been in Urzikstan for a long while now,” he was careful with his words not wanting to delve into too much detail. “But I do prefer to keep on the move, see new things, new experiences. I haven’t been back home in years. Not a whole lot to go back to anyway,” he continued turning the wheel as the GPS told him to make a right. “Just me these days,” he explained as he used his knee to hold the wheel when he straightened back out to open up his second snack bar Madeline had thrown at his head.

“Sounds like Urzikstan is home now,” Madeline ventured as she shifted to remove her jacket. The heat of the car was finally warming her up and she felt extremely restricted sitting in it. She had to undo the seatbelt, careful to move quickly, before yanking it off. Taking the moment of freedom, and nothing on the road, she leaned over the center console to put the basket and jacket into the back seat. She took an extra second to watch Everett to make sure he was good and asleep and not just faking it. He didn’t move and his breathing was deep and even and she shifted to sit back front again.

“I thought it was as well,” Alex answered before he really thought about it. He watched Madeline maneuvering around in her seat as he shoved his spent snack wrapper down in the door cup holder with his gloves. She bumped into him lightly as he took a curve and he reached over with his left hand to carefully brace her side as she stretched to shove the basket away. He felt his fingers lightly brush over the exposed skin of her waist and he quickly adjusted. “Not so sure anymore,” he finished as she turned back around again and he snatched his hand away.

“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. The universe has a way of making everything work out in the end,” Madeline answered with a small smile. It was obvious that something was going on with him and this woman Farah. He was struggling with it and was keeping himself mostly guarded so she was doing her best not to pry. “Hopefully my sister has the answer to all of this so the universe has time to work,” she sighed and settled back into the seat a bit, wringing her hands in her lap. “If they get to her,” she tacked on even more quietly.

“John Price has never not completed a mission,” Alex answered, moving on from his own mental morose quickly as he heard the quiet fear in Madeline’s voice. “They couldn’t have sent a better team to get her. Hell, even Graves. Prick that he is, he doesn’t let anything stop him from accomplishing a mission. They’ll find her and get her back.” He settled a bit more comfortably in his seat as a light pink began to spread across the sky, with the sun up it would be easier for him to see while he drove. “Why don’t you lay back and get some sleep. It’s going to be a while,” he suggested as he peered over at Madeline.

“Are you sure?” Madeline asked, a question about both of his statements. Sleep did sound wonderful though, she was exhausted and sore and the headache was pounding behind her eyes. “I just need an hour or two. But wake me up if you need me,” she reasoned. “I mean I know you’re trained for this but,” She smiled.

“I’ll wake you up if I need you. I’m good for now,” Alex answered as he shifted the radio over to just the front driver speaker. “I’ll have to fill up in a few hours anyway,” he tacked on, “so I’ll need you up for that.”

“No problem,” Madeline answered as she yawned as if her body knew she was finally going to get some sleep. Hitting the button on the seat she reclined back and fished her hand around for her jacket before pulling it up to the pillow under her head. She rolled a bit to the side, snaking her arm up to hug the overstuffed jacket against her and bury her face under it to block out the steadily rising sun. Despite the fear, the anxiety, and never-ending thoughts Madeline managed to fall asleep rather quickly. The rumbling of the car rocked her to a deep and heavy slumber.

Alex remained quiet as he drove, his eyes locked on the road as he continued to listen to the radio. The person they had picked up on the AM radio eventually fizzled out as they got out of range. He twisted the dial a few times finding other sources, other people talking, and even a news station for a bit. It would have been nice if the car had the satellite radio that Josephine’s had but the government wasn’t going to splurge for something like that. Everything that was being said was exactly the same; stay inside and remain calm. No one was listening to that and Alex could tell each time they were getting close to a populated area, more cars on the road, and more things.

Two hours in he had to take a hard detour that sent them over a grass median that woke Madeline up. There was a wreck not far up the road and as he went to go around it a car came flying up behind them and would have smashed directly into the back of them if he hadn’t adjusted.

“It’s fine,” Alex said quickly as he righted the car back, “just had to avoid a wreck,” he reasoned as she turned over to face him. Her eyes were heavy as she rubbed them and she fought with her jacket to get it on her left side to prop under her head. “I’ll have to stop in about an hour,” he explained to her half-asleep state as he checked the gas mileage then the GPS. He wanted to stop in what looked to be the middle of nowhere.

“Okay,” Madeline muttered as she burrowed back down a back into the seat. “Everett?” She asked tilting her head back up as if to move to check on him.

“He laid down across the seat not long ago,” Alex said as he looked at the rearview mirror. He had adjusted it to keep an eye on the kid, using his side mirrors for traffic. “Still out.”

“Thanks,” Madeline answered before sleep began to drag her back under again. She felt Alex shift to gently cover her eyes from the blazing sun with her jacket sleeve, the light reflecting on the snow around them. She reached up to pat his hand in thanks before she was out again.

“Madeline,” Alex said into the silent car. The radio had completely gone down about thirty minutes ago, not a single station was up it was all white noise. The emergency broadcasts had even stopped. “Madeline, I need you to wake up,” Alex said a bit gently so as to not startle her but it didn’t work. She jolted up hard in the seat having sensed the car had stopped.

“What’s going on?” Madeline asked quickly as she scrambled to set up, getting twisted in the seatbelt and jacket in her half-asleep state. “Everything alright?” She asked pushing her hair off her face as she got her bearings. “Why are we stopped?”

“I told you I needed to stop to refill,” Alex reasoned as he watched her scramble to hit the button to sit up the seat. “And it looks like we have some weather coming,” he added as he leaned forward to look out the front windshield. The bright sun of an hour ago was gone, replaced by thick grey clouds and he had heard the ice pellets bouncing off the hood on and off for about fifteen minutes. They were up in the Catskill mountains so the temperature was even colder up here, it was a trade off going up the mountain versus taking the highways. It meant the trip was longer but hopefully fewer people.

“Where are we?” Madeline asked as she looked at the GPS screen which had the error of searching for satellites on it before it came back again.

“New York, somewhere in the mountains not too far from Pennsylvania,” Alex answered as he pointed toward the window to show the overlook he had stopped at.

“We,” Madeline muttered as Everett whined, he was hungry. “Is that ice?” Madeline asked as Alex killed the engine and grabbed his pistol. Madeline quickly pointed to the basket for Everett to dig into and he went for it quickly, grinning as he picked through all the horrible junk food.

“Yes, we may have to stop for a bit. I don’t know how long this will last,” he answered, “radios are all down. Lost it a bit ago and nothing has come back. GPS has begun to struggle too. Tried calling Price but signal was too weak,” he explained, leaving out that he had also tried Farah with the same results. He rotated in his seat to look around the area again. No one was up this far into the mountain range, he hadn’t seen another car in a long while. He was hoping he had enough gas to get back down the mountain but that would just mean finding another gas station. A bridge he’d cross when they got there. “I haven’t seen anyone for a while but keep an eye out. I am going to fill up so we can keep moving and discuss our next steps.”

“Right okay,” Madeline nodded as she undid her seatbelt so she could move better. When Alex hopped out she watched him go to the back of the SUV and drag down the gas can before moving to fill back up. It was remote all the way out here, the mountains were not a popular place in the winter after everyone had their “Christmas in the mountain cabin” fill. This was not an area for skiers either, too many trees though it was gorgeous.

“It’s freezing,” Alex muttered after he climbed back in, breathing into his hands and rubbing them together. He hadn’t dug out his gloves, knowing they were covered in blood, and didn’t want to upset Madeline. “Already getting slick, my boots were sliding,” he explained as he turned the engine on and began moving immediately. He had to be strategic with their gas now, the can didn’t even get them to the halfway mark.

“So what do we do?” Madeline asked as she looked out over the overlook before Alex pulled them back onto the road.  “We can’t drive in ice,” she reasoned but stopping made her even more nervous. “Pull off and wait it out?”

“Too cold,” Alex answered, “I can’t leave the car running, we’ll run out of gas. We can’t stay in the car without heat, we’ll freeze,” he huffed. He was now doubting this plan of his, he may have avoided the people but now they were so far out of the way he could have effectively stranded them in the middle of nowhere to freeze.

“Okay, okay,” Madeline said as she looked at a brown wooden sign that indicated hiking trails to the right. “People like to go to cabins out here. Hunting, family trips things like that,” Madeline reasoned as she peered at another sign that they passed; more trails. “Maybe we find a cabin? I know we need to keep going but,” she sighed feeling her hands shake with nerves.

“We can’t drive in ice,” Alex repeated back to her. This was his fault. Time was of the essence and he had just stalled them for who knew how long. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” he said frustrated as he saw the fear all over her face. “I should have gone a different way,” he said as they continued to seemingly climb the mountain, no other way to go.

“It’s fine, we made it this far,” Madeline reasoned. “You should rest anyway and I doubt we’ll see anyone…thing…out here,” she added as they continued on. They were quiet for a while, the only sound in the car was Everett digging into his snacks. Madeline didn’t bother to tell him to maybe ration it, she didn’t want to think that far into it. The frustration was palpable coming off Alex as they seemingly just kept going deeper into the forest and it was making Madeline squirm a bit.

“Wait stop,” Madeline said suddenly almost twenty minutes later as she spotted a broken sign. It was splintered, as if it had been hit by a car and just never repaired, and was almost completely buried in snow. Rolling down her window she leaned out a bit, her breath fogging the air. “Go left,” Madeline said as she leaned back in again. “Park ranger cabin,” she grinned a bit at Alex who seemed shocked. “They tend to put them off the beaten path so people don’t find them, probably why they didn’t bother to fix the sign.” She pointed to the left for Alex to take, which looked like a dirt path. “I, ah, one of my many adventures,” she explained, not venturing further with little ears around.

“And you said your life wasn’t interesting,” Alex answered with a grin, feeling a little more hopeful. Park ranger cabin meant there would be supplies like food and clothes. He had lost his duffle back in Boston and his desert clothes weren’t going to cut it out here. If he was lucky there could be some ATVs, or other vehicles, he could siphon gas from. “You sure this way?” He asked as he shifted the SUV into a lower gear to climb the steep incline that was just gravel.

“Yes,” Madeline said, trying to sound surer than she felt. “They need to be off the main road, high enough to have a good vantage point but not too far from the tourist area,” she sighed as Alex glanced at her. “I lived with one for a while,” she muttered and quickly adverted her eyes out the window. “They usually take ATVs not cars,” she reasoned as to why the road was so bumpy and uneven.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Alex answered as he felt a tire slip before it caught traction again. It was a rough ride up the gravel but Madeline had not been wrong. The cabin was up behind a bend in the makeshift road and his eyes locked on the carport to the left of it that had an ATV and by the looks of the fresh tracks in the snow there had been another one parked recently but it was gone. “We may have company,” he muttered as he threw the SUV into park and cut the engine.

“Well park rangers tend to be helpful,” Madeline reasoned, trying to sound cheerful. “Surely they won’t mind us waiting out the weather here, right?”

“End of the world tends to change people,” Alex answered. How many times had he seen it in warzones, people turning on friends even their own family to survive. Friendly people turn into frightened animals, and people with already bad intentions capitalizing on the fear. “Let me go first, alright? Make sure it’s clear.”

“Alright,” Madeline agreed as she watched him grab his vest slide it on, and reach down for the M16.

“Get in the driver’s seat,” he instructed as he opened the door and hopped down. “Watch me and be prepared to go if I tell you,” he added and Madeline nodded before just climbing over the console versus getting out and walking around. When she was settled in the seat, hand hovering over the ignition he shut the door and walked up to the cabin. He looked down at the set of footprints as he walked, they were leading away from the cabin, with no blood, and weren’t exactly fresh. They were fresh enough since the last snowfall but the ice and light snow that was falling was filling in the indents.

Madeline stared at Alex’s back as he climbed the few steps to the cabin’s front porch and then went to the door and knocked. He kept his gun down but ever ready and she held her breath waiting for someone to answer. They didn’t. He knocked a few more times before trying the door handle and it swung open. He looked over his shoulder at Madeline and nodded before stepping inside, disappearing into the dark cabin within.

“Anyone here?” Alex called out as he raised his gun now, walking carefully around the small space. There was a living room that connected directly to the kitchen on the right and the back had another room which he guessed was the bedroom. Luckily the place wasn’t huge, not a lot of places to hide. He was able to walk and clear it in a matter of minutes before he was back at the front door, waving at Madeline with the all clear.

“Oh thank God,” Madeline stuttered as Alex appeared again. He was only gone from her sight for three minutes, she had timed it, but it felt like an eternity. “Go to Alex, Everett. Watch your step it’s slippery,” she instructed as Everett grabbed the back door and hopped out. She saw him slip a bit, having ignored her warning, but he caught himself. He walked carefully to Alex in his still mismatched sandals and Batman pajama pants.

“Inside,” Alex said as Everett held his hand out for help up the slick steps. When Everett was in he watched Madeline as she hopped out and went around to grab their bags and the basket of food. Her hands were full and he headed over to help her, the silence of the woods enough for him to feel comfortable he’d hear anything coming.

“Thanks,” Madeline said as Alex took her duffle and offered her his arm to help her over the uneven ground. The ice pellets were bouncing off her arms, she hadn’t bothered to put her jacket on for this short walk, and she could hear them pinging off the car and roof of the cabin as they walked. “Hopefully we won’t be here too long,” she reasoned as she looked up at the sky before heading up the porch steps and inside as well.

Everett had found the television already and was trying to find something to watch and Madeline stared at the screen as well as she shrugged off the backpack and set the basket of food on the small kitchen table. It was white static or colored bars; nothing was coming across. He continued to flip through until he came back to the first channel after a very short amount of time.

“Could be the weather,” Madeline reasoned, “just antennae up here,” she said pointing to the rabbit ears on top of the television. “Looks like they have movies though,” Madeline tacked on as she spotted the small rack that was overflowing with DVDs. “Find something,” she said as Everett bounced off the couch to start digging.

“Fire’s still got coals,” Alex said as he opened the woodstove and peered in. They were nearly dead but they were still giving off some warmth and a light orange glow. He wasn’t exactly comfortable with this situation. They were trespassing and whoever was the resident of this place could be back any moment and rightfully kick them out, or worse. “They could be back any minute,” he said as he grabbed some wood threw it into the stove, and stoked it to get it back up. The cabin wasn’t freezing but it was still a bit chilly.

“Then they’ll be happy you kept the place warm,” Madeline reasoned as she went over to the door, flipped the lock, and slid the chain, just to be safe. While she was hoping for the best out of this other person, she also wasn’t naïve. She wasn’t going to risk them just barging in on them in there unannounced, even if it was their property. “We’ve got nowhere else to go. We just wait it out and as soon as it’s safe to go we go. Hopefully, this person went home themselves, or something,” she said stated as she began laying all their provisions out on the table to take an actual stock.

Everett found a movie he wanted and popped it in, settling back down on the couch under a blanket he pulled off the back of it. Kids were never worried about proper social decorum and she envied him for his lack of concern about the situation as the DVD menu came up. He hit play and stared rapt at the movie he had seen at least ten times that Madeline was aware of but that didn’t seem to bother him.

“When the weather lets up a bit I’m going to check out the ATV,” Alex said, “as long as they don’t come back. I’m hoping its tank is full. See if they have anything else lying around that we can use.” He reasoned as he stared down at all the items Madeline had dumped out. There was a hodgepodge of things in there from Gatorade and water to cereal bars, candy, women’s pads, and even a bottle of lotion with some Pepto and ibuprofen. “We should see if they have anything we can eat while we’re here. Little more than just gas station snacks,” he said. They had already come this far, he would just have to reason with the person when they came back, if they came back if they had an issue.

“Yeah good idea,” Madeline said as she stared at the meager selection of food. “You should get some rest,” she stated looking up at him and she saw him open his mouth to protest. “I’m going to hear an ATV from a mile away up here, you haven’t rested and who knows the next time you’ll get the chance. I have a feeling we’re going to be alone for a while. A park ranger is not going to try and travel in this weather, they know better.”

Alex crossed his arms across his chest thinking. He didn’t want to sleep, he needed to keep watch, but she was right. He hadn’t slept in over a day and who knew the next time he’d get to rest. “In all your adventures did you ever learn how to use a gun?” He asked after a second and he saw her eyes widen a bit and glance at the M16 that was still strapped over his back. “A pistol,” he explained further.

“Yes,” Madeline answered, “I mean I went to some ranges. I’m no ace shot or anything,” she said as she watched Alex unclip his pistol from his thigh holster before handing it over. It was heavy in her hands as she took it and looked it over, turning it in her hands.

“Full clip in there, one chambered,” Alex said before grabbing her hand and twisting it lightly. His hand fully enveloped hers and he moved his thumb over hers and pressed down to slide it over the safety to take it off. “This is the safety. Keep it on unless you intend to use it,” he said before sliding her thumb again to put it back on again and letting go of her hand. “Aim for the biggest spot on the body, you don’t need to kill just incapacitate,” he reasoned, “I can do the killing.”

Madeline did her best to not shiver at his comment about how he could do the killing. She knew he could, he had already killed someone for her, for Everett, and she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. “It won’t come to that,” she stated confidently as she set the gun down on the table and stared at it for a second. “Go lay down for a bit, I’ll find some food.

“Still not a fan of this plan,” Alex answered as he shirked off his vest and draped it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. “Only a few hours and you wake me up if you even think you hear something,” he stared hard at her and she nodded. “And if the storm lets up and I’m still asleep wake me up anyway, I don’t want to linger too long.”

“I will, now go,” Madeline said as she looked at the door she suspected was the bedroom. “Everett and I will be fine watching a movie.” She looked at Everett who was still locked in on the show and then moved to the small pantry to see what she could put together to eat. When Alex walked off to the bedroom, leaving the door open, she put her full attention to the food there. Lots of dry goods, canned items, and soups. Soup would be a good option and then she found bread so she could do peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as well.

Busying herself with making some sandwiches, for now and the road, Madeline glanced at the television screen a few times to watch the movie. By the time the movie had ended she had bagged all the sandwiches up, portioned out some chips she had found as well, and even made Everett eat a banana. Trying her best to give him something besides all the candy and sweets he had been eating the past little bit.

“Find another movie,” Madeline said as Everett asked her what they could do because he was bored. She glanced into the bedroom to see Alex was passed out on his stomach, still in his clothes on top of the blankets. He had propped his gun on the small nightstand and the revolver she hadn’t even seen him take from the SUV was also sitting there. As if he was ready to jump up and fight at a moment's notice. “Or a puzzle, or read a book,” she added as she browsed the shelves of books and board games. Everett didn’t seem too impressed with those ideas so he went shuffling through the movies again and found another while Madeline selected a book.

The snowstorm outside was kicking up and Madeline peered out the window after a bit before going to the woodstove to add more wood to it. Alex had been asleep, or at least lying down, for almost three hours. She knew he didn’t want to sleep long but there was no point in waking him when they were all just sitting around, there was no going out in this. Settling back down in a chair that gave her a good vantage of the front window, the television, and the bedroom Madeline flipped another page in her book.

Alex woke up with a jolt as if his body knew he missed an alarm or an important meeting. He pushed up on his arms and quickly rolled onto his back peering around the unfamiliar room as he got his bearings. Rolling his wrist, he looked at his watch and groaned, he had slept for nearly six hours. He heard noises coming out from the main part of the house and then realized he could smell food.

“What happened to a few hours?” Alex asked as he set his gun to lean against the counter as Madeline poured soup out for Everett.

“We’re fine. Stopped snowing about an hour ago but it’s getting too dark to do anything now,” she said nodding her head at the window where the sun was setting. Winter really made the days too short to do anything productive with them. “Made dinner,” added nodding her head at the bowl she set out for him. “We’ll all rest and head out in the morning,” she reasoned as Alex took a heavy seat and rubbed his eyes a bit. “Maybe you should shower,” she said her eyes darting over the dark red stains still marring his clothes.

“Yeah,” Alex said as he took a bite of food, “thanks for dinner.” He added as he ate realizing just how hungry he was the more he ate. Madeline had finished her food a bit ago, Everett had asked for thirds and she had made another can that she split between him and Alex before cleaning up. She disappeared into the bedroom and Alex gave her some time to clean up in the bathroom before he finally walked in after Everett had settled back down on the couch again.

“I found a few things,” Madeline said as she pointed to the bed. She had washed up in the bathroom, cleaned her face, and brushed out her hair a bit, taking a few minutes to herself to just breathe for a second and fight off a breakdown. When she poked her head out of the bedroom to find Alex helping Everett find another movie she decided to dig around in the closet for clothes. “I think whoever was here is your size, or close enough,” she said as Alex picked up an undershirt, then mused over the flannel. “I may take a few things,” she added as she showed her own flannel shirt and a beanie cap on the chair.

“Close enough,” Alex agreed as he kicked off the boots he still wore. “Quick shower then you two need to sleep,” he reasoned. “Sleeping in a car is only so much rest,” he explained as he undid his thigh holster and removed his belt tossing both on the small dresser. “Bed’s big enough for you two to share,” he said as he scooped up the clothes, she had laid out for him.

Madeline watched Alex begin removing his things and felt herself swallow at the image of him removing his belt. She twisted away so he wouldn’t see the smirk she knew was threatening behind her lips, despite herself. It was the end of the world, her sister was in imminent danger, people were dying everywhere and here she was ogling a taken man like a teenager. All those thoughts caused the guilt to hit her like a punch to the gut and she actually found herself biting back a sob she had been fighting off for hours now.

“Hey, you alright?” Alex asked as he threw the clothes he had just picked up off the bed back down and walked over to her. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he tentatively grabbed her shoulder to get her to turn back around and look at him. His eyes darted out to Everett to make sure he was still engrossed in the movie before going back to Madeline. He didn’t need the kid seeing his aunt upset, it would only upset him.

“Nothing,” Madeline said as she turned to face Alex looking up at him, “everything?” She amended before sighing and wiping at her eyes. “I’m terrified Alex, guilty, angry,” she huffed and wiped more at her face. “My sister is out there with those…things. And I’m here, safe, with her son. Why am I safe? She’s the more valuable one, the smart one that could fix this whole thing. I’m just, fuck, I’m just another person. You should have just gone with your team to get her. Taken Everett and left me,” she cut off for a second. “She deserves to be the safe, not me.”

“Stop,” Alex said swiftly as he pulled her away from the doorway and shut the door quietly with his foot so Everett wouldn’t hear. “Guilt is not going to solve anything,” he said as he looked down at her. “And you deserve to be alive as much as the next person. You saved our asses finding this place, and you think your nephew would have been fine leaving you?” He knew his words were only going so far as she blinked back more tears and let her eyes dart around the room to avoid looking at him.

“I guess,” Madeline muttered as she blinked the tears away. “Sorry, you don’t need to deal with this on top of everything else. I’ll let you shower,” she gestured vaguely at the bathroom door but Alex didn’t move.

“I don’t mind,” Alex answered quietly. “I know what guilt feels like, more than I’d like,” he explained with a small sigh. He knew she was closing off, tucking away the feelings as she ground her palms into her eyes as if it would shove the tears back in. “But just know, I wouldn’t have left you. Even if that meant signing my own death certificate,” he did his best to not laugh at her look of surprise. “I’ve been known to have that ‘white knight’ issue remember?”

“You don’t even know me,” Madeline answered a bit shocked. “Why?”

“It’s my job,” Alex answered with a small shrug. “And I know enough,” he added, grinning at Madeline’s puzzled look. He opened his mouth to explain when he heard Everett call out to Madeline.

“What’s up bud?” Madeline asked moving to open the bedroom door, her tone a bit frustrated because she desperately wanted to know what Alex meant by saying he knew enough about her.

The frustration leaked away quickly when she caught sight of vehicle lights shining on the living room wall. Alex had moved to stand right at her back, his chest pressed up against her as he took in the scene since she had only opened the door a crack.

“Get the pistol,” Alex said as he moved away from Madeline and snatched up his rifle, "and make sure the safety is off."

[creatureesque]

pt 2 of my attempt at reference sheets for hgtg characters, this time its Ford Prefect! Yay!

books 1-3

First of all, lets adress the elephant in the room: where did this moustache even come from? My answer is: i have. absolutely no idea. I do not remember why i started drawing him with a moustache at all, but if you look at my first ever post with hgtg fanart the moustache is already there and thriving. I guess it was some kind of a calling from somewhere beyond. I do not regret that design choice a single bit, though. It adds to his character a lot imo and its fun to draw

Another weird thing you might notice is the rainbow freckles, what in the skittles is it . Again, dont really know. It was added for fun when my friend and i were sad that he looks like a human so i decided to try and give him weird but slight (if u can even call it that) unhuman traits. That how the tail thing happened, too. However i think ill get rid of the taik because i just cannot make it look good, it looks weird and im very unsure about it. But hey! it was a fun idea! I think.. i thought its kind of silly

The clothes is loosely based of off the tv show like with Arthur

books 4-5

This is where it gets fun, i just went crazy with his design because why the hell not!!!

In book 4 design i gave him a mullet and a new wardrobe(which is almost identical to his og outfit lol, i tried) which honestly kind of has cool butch lesbian vibes, i think its because of reference i used.. anyway he is a little more tired but still doing his thing, good for him

Book 5 design is honestly just very random (no pun intended), i jokingly suggested ford with long hair but then i drew it and was kind of amazed so it stuck. Glad i finally gave him a hawaiian shirt like any normal person who draws him would already do. Something about him going to work wearing a hawaiian shirt AND a neat little tie is just so silly to me i had to include it

[bluepeachstudios]

A new update from you, and a new "Fusions" chapter at that too (which, from my last comment(s), u know I am loving a lot! So ofc I would be excited for any new updates of it); what an awesome Christmas present. And u give us cute Mystic Forest Christmas art too? U spoil us.

I try my best to feed everyone well. I meant to have the next LeoSagi art out too, but I must first draw furiously to finish Ibby's present before tomorrow night. So late LeoSagi but on time Ibby gift :D

I'm SO glad people are enjoying Fusions! It was a silly thing me and Ibby thought of and I just HAD to write it, and it nearly never saw the light of day. Thank the people in the TMNT Pit Discord for it. And also Skittles, to be honest. Honestly everyone enables me way too much.

I'm also very very glad people enjoy seeing Mystic Forest art, because man that's me and Ibby's thoughtchild and I adore it with my whole heart and seeing other people enjoy it too is great.

I'm not really used to people seeing my stuff. I haven't posted stuff online since like... 2018? A little in 2019, but I really just haven't done it. Even before then, the people who saw it was just my friends, and I started posting on here just for Ibby to find all my art, so it's WILD that I have over 300 people (WHERE DID YOU ALL COME FROM????) wanting to see me draw ninja turtles.

[sanrioluversincebirth]

3.am rush!

Characters: Bakugo, Denki, Sero, Aizawa, Dabi!

Content Warnings: Fluff, Kissing, Smoking, Gender Nuetral reader

Bakugo

All started out when you and him where sneaking around the dorms.

Just being little kids doing little kid things.

It was a big movie night and everyone was getting ready.

As you were putting your pajamas on you got a call from bakugo saying yall need some snacks.

Yall wasn't allowed out after midnight and it was 2:55...

So ya'll snuck out to the nearest supermarket.

"I'm soooo bored" you whined as you were driving towards the closest market near you. After a couple of U-turns and lots of getting lost and yelling, you finally made it! "Hurry, I'm trying to get back so I can watch the movie" You rolled your eyes and jogged into the store quickly. "So what do we need?" Bakugo looked down at the list his friends made. Cringing at Denki's terrible handwriting. "Gummy worms, Gummy bears, Sugar cookies, 2 drinks of water, 3 Kool-aids, and a big pack of skittles." "Gosh, this is gonna be a lot." "It's ok Shoto gave us his dad's credit card, he said max it if we want." You sighed in relief as you both separated to go get the different stuff. It had been 20 minutes and you both met up at the checkout. You grabbed a Coca-Cola for you and an Arizona for him. Once ya'll made it back to the car yall was jamming to the radio until yall got back to the dorms. "Y/N YOUR BACK WE'VE BEEN CALLING YOU!" Mina exclaimed. You checked your phone and saw that it was on silence this whole time. "Oh... uh what did yall need..." You muttered out in embarrassment. "WE NEED POPCORN! HOW ARE YOU GONNA HAVE A MOVIE NIGHT WITHOUT POPCORN!" Denki yelled. You mentally facepalmed at yourself. "Well, I guess Yaomomo can make it right?" You suggested. "Didn't think of that..." "YAOMOMO WE NEED YOU!" Jirou screamed. At this point, the trailers for the other movies were done and the movie had come on, everyone sat down and focused on the movie. You turned your head to see Bakugo glaring at you. "What..." You questioned with an attitude. "You forgot the popcorn idiot" Then you started arguing about whose fault it was until Mina told you both to shut up while the movie was playing. Yall eventually stopped mean-mugging each other and finally paid attention to the movie.

Denki

Your mom is so cool.

Literally had a house party for her friends, your friends, your friends friends, neighborhood friends, your childhood friends, and who ever wanted to come in.

Your mom and dad are having so much fun while you and your friends are in your room playing truth or dare.

Everyone is having a good time until you and denki (who is your crush right now) is dared to take a trip to the convienence store

It would be mina 😒 (always in somebody buisness)

You and Denki had been dared to take a trip to the convenience store alone. You've had the fattest crush on him since you first met him. But how every cheesy movie goes you're too scared to confess 🙄. The convenience store is not far away from your house, just a 5 to 8-minute walk. You and Denki were already really close so yall was talking and joking around. Halfway to the store, you got tired. (lazy) Gladly a bench was nearby so yall both took a break. It was 3 in the morning so of course yall are gonna be sleepy. Yall are just babbling to each other hen something unexpected happened. "Ya know Y/N... I like you a lot..." He smacks his hand over his mouth almost immediately after. Your jaw drops in awe hoping he really meant it. You turn to look at him to see him blushing. Gosh if you COULD blush you'd be red as a watermelon. (#quirky) You realized how awkward it is without you answering. "Well, I like you too..." His face becoming relieved after hearing you say that. "Well, uh, do you wanna go out with me..." He asks hesitantly. "Of course, but don't tell anyone..." You say shyly. Well nobody would know if everyone wasn't hiding behind the bush next to the bench. Surprisingly they hadn't caused any noise. But once they heard that Mina jumped up and cheered her loudest. "YES, FINALLY I CAN STOP LISTENING TO HOW MUCH Y/N HAS A CRUSH ON DENKI AND HOW MUCH Y/N LIKES HIM." Yea you'd definitely be red right now. Denki looks at you with a very ego boosted smirk. "oh really~!" He said confidently. "Don't get your hopes up we're not dating surprise and disappointment" You said jokingly. "I-" Denki said out of Everyone laughed including you, Denki seemed to notice this and began to smile. You were the one thing that made him happy.

Sero

Yall didn't expect to stay for this long...

Yea you practiced longer on purpose but it was because of ✨him✨

So now its 3 in the morning, and y?our practicing for your skateboard tournament in a couple of days.

Of course sero, your guy friend CRUSH, would help you out being the gentleman he is 😌

Gosh, you were so weak. You've been practicing since 10 last night with Sero and you still haven't gotten your tricks mastered. At this point, you might as well unsign your name from the registry because you needed this to even qualify. Luckily your awesome friend is a pro and can teach you how to perfectly get that trick down. But it's been hours since you've tried or at least put effort into it. "Y/N your so lazy, you keep taking breaks every two seconds." Sero wailed. "Whatever it's not like I'll get this stupid thing anytime soon anyway..." Sero was tired of your stubborn, bratty, lazy attitude, so he grabbed you by the arm and got you up. "We are skating to the store quick, come on." You rolled your baggy eyes tossing your Monster Energy drink, that you finished hours ago, into the trash (#imnotlikeothergirls🤪) You picked up your F/C Skateboard and skated behind Sero. Once you arrived at the store you both got some more energy drinks and a lot of snacks. Both of you are exhausted. The lines seemed so long, it took forever just to get some drinks and some candy. When yall skated back it felt like you guys were on a forever pathway to nowhere. Both of you are dazed by the lack of sleep and the amount of caffeine you'd have to consume to get back awake. If sleep wasn't a thing this would be done in no time. By the time ya'll get to the park again your both warn out. But Sero is determined to help make you win. "I have an idea. Every time you try, you get a reward" You immediately lookup. "Like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" "Hmmm, you'll have to try to find out," He said with a smirk. After that, you never worked so hard in your life for a man. 💀 After trying your hardest all night you go to Sero for your reward. "So what's my reward!?" Out of nowhere soft lips connect to yours. Wow, you didn't expect his reward to be a kiss. But are you complaining, NO! After you pull away you confess your crush to him and of course, he likes you back! Ever since that day you've always trained your hardest, never knowing when he might kiss you again.

Aizawa

You and Aizawa have been married for a while

Your quirk is teleportation.

You both work at UA so...

The teachers and some heros are having a huge party appreciating all of your hard work

Students had been off all day so the teachers could get ready.

It wasn't top secret but it was a private event

But of course a certain someone has to ruin that.

Wow, you really thought you could get a day off. But no, they had to invite you and your very anti-social boyfriend. You both had been sleeping all day, waking up at 3 in the afternoon. You didn't even realize your phone had been going off since 8 this morning. Aizawa sighed lazily as you told him about the huge party that's happening at 10. You were about to get up, but he dragged you back down into the bed so he can stay resting longer. "Get off meeeeee, we gotta go." You said also just as drained of energy. "Noooooo, come back," Aizawa said. He lazily succeeded in bringing you back to the comfy bed, his warmth heating you up as you drift off back to sleep. Bad idea... very bad idea. Because when you got back up it was 8 pm. Not to mention Hawks was banging on your balcony window trying to wake you up. Looking outside you see the night sky realizing how late your "quick nap" was. "UHH Y/N YOU AND AIZAWA ARE GONNA BE LATE YOU BETTER GET UP!" Hawks spoke. You gave him a nod and shooed him away. You looked over to Aizawa who is still asleep. You shook him as hard as you could and tried your best to awaken him. When he did wake up you were rushing to get ready, trying to find a matching outfit. "Ugh, why all of a sudden our clothes don't match?!" You said frustratedly. "Let's go to the mall," Aizawa said. You agreed and teleported to the nearest mall with matching suits and dresses. It took you about an hour and you're just now getting home. You got dressed and made your way to the party. At this time it was midnight and you just arrived. "Y/N YOUR SO LATE!" Mirko exclaimed. "heh we woke up late ya know..." you said very embarrassedly. After a couple of hours, you and Aizawa left. It was around 3 and you were too hungry to pass up the gas station. Of course, you wouldn't normally see pro-heroes in a gas station, but you were so desperate and hungry. But you didn't realize which gas station you went to. This was the gas station that Aizawa confessed to you at, back when ya'll were teens. It was so euphoric to be here right now. "Y/n come on we gotta go home," Aizawa said. "I think I want to stay for a while." You said happily. You both sat on the curb and talked mindlessly to each other. You didn't even realize that the sun was coming up. "I guess we can go now." You said. "Yea come on." He replied. ya'll leave and went back home where you both got plenty more rest than yesterday.

Dabi

You and are very close colleagues (lovers)

You knew him before he joined the league

You both would alwas go the nearby pond at night

But tonight you have to make a quick stop at the store for some cigarettes

"Y/n, you want a pack?" Dabi said quietly so nobody could hear him. You both were wanted villains so of course, you had to be in disguise. "Nah I don't smoke." You said. You were trying to get out as soon as possible, not wanting to get caught. He stuffed a pack in his pocket while u put a drink in your jacket. You guys were headed out until you heard a gasp. You quickly turned around fearing you had been caught and ready to flee. Before you could Dabi grabbed you by your hoodie and ran. You hopped into a car and drove off immediately. You didn't plan on fighting today but it looked like you had to. Speeding down the street as sirens blared across town. Swerving in and out of traffic, going lane to lane. You hadn't joined right after him, but you did eventually about a month ago, so you weren't accustomed to this type of life yet. Dabi is a natural at this, makes a turn into a gated area leading the police off-road. He sticks his hand out the window letting flames rip out of his hand, burning the cop cars to pieces. Slowing down you realize where you are now. The pond looking the same as usual. One thing Dabi knew how to do was turn bad situations good. (me when I lie) When you both got closer to the pond he put his arm over your shoulder. "Remember when we met here," Dabi said. "Yea, we came here almost every day." You said, remembering when you both stumbled across each other. "I'm glad I met you-" Dabi said interrupted by his phone vibrating. "Hello?" Dabi answered. "You and y/n just caused chaos on tv..." Shigaraki said. "Yea what about it..." Dabi said with a bratty tone. "They have your license plate number, so they can track you'll down now..." Shigiraki said disappointingly. You and Dabi looked at each other. "Well I guess we're walking back..." you said wearily. "Yea, plus I need ya'll right now so make it quick," Shigiraki said before hanging up the phone. You both stood up and got to walking, hoping the base wasn't as far as you thought.

[nightfall-kachiniko]

Heya, I hope you’re doing alright. May I request some headcannons of the Aot girls, plus Hange, with a s/o with a massive sweet tooth, like almost to the point where they would fight over the smallest piece of chocolate? (God knows I would)

||| AOT GIRLS PLUS HANJI WITH A S/O WHO HAS A SWEET TOOTH

- Mikasa finds your obsession with sweets adorable. She’ll constantly buy and or make you some sweets which makes your heart melt lmao. Mrs. Cakerman *cough cough I mean she got that cake tho* Enjoys making brownies with you and see you eat up all the batter before it’s even in the pan lol. She thinks is so sweet *pun intended 😏😏*

- Always shares her sweets with you, I mean ALWAYS. You never have to ask or take she’ll just hand you some. And she knows when something is up when you don’t eat any sweets. She reads you like a book, always taking down mind notes of what your favorite sweets are and some new ones she should try making. And she hella makes sure you brush your teeth good she don’t want her babayyyy gettin annay cavities 😏 (Mikasa you can f my cavities)

A

- Bro annie got a sweet tooth aswell. Not to your crazy GIVE ME THIS BITCH OR ILL SLICE OFF YOUR PENIS type crazy. Just like if you holdin a donut home girl gonna get a bite.(plus I hc that’s her favorite food) Annie thinks your obsessive Behavior can get annoying at times (or so she says) but she stills love you but CHILL THE FUCK OUT IM GOT GIVING YOU MY FUCKING DONUT AND YOUR NOT CUTTING OFF MY NIPPLE! *ahem* sorry. I’m getting a bit to carried away.

- Doesn’t mind baking for you but doesn’t do it a lot. Mostly buys you sweets. And she isn’t gonna sit there and just let you devour a whole 12 box of donuts until you’ve lost all sanity but will limit you on how many sugary things. Plus it gets annoying everytime she kisses you she feels like she just gave head to that fukin lucky charms guy, like shit taste the rainbow, fuck wait that’s skittles. Her favorite phrase is “catch a break or catch these hands”

-oh hanji baby 😩😩😩 Damn.. them cheeks is the only sweet thing I wanna taste rn. This got so inappropriate so fast. They’ll sometimes buy you sweetsss and themself to bro. THEY HAVE TO FUCKIN HIDE IT FROM YOUR ASS BC U SMELL THAT SHIT FROM MILES AWAY LIKE FR.

- Hanji will fight you aswell for the last peice of chocolate, you think you being their partner will automatically mean you get babied? I mean duck yeah but like they don’t play around when it comes to food, like shitzzzzz they will in to bite a chunk outta dat ass if you’re willing to aswell (I’m sorry they just keep on coming like how my dad did, without a condom, why tf was I born)

-okay this situation is like death. Like u enter it, you already see Jesus like. homie will beat you for food. Homie will suck your tiddies for food, ESPECIALLY SWEETS BRUH- Like this is a death or death situation, either way of y’all gonna die.

-well now you get all the sweets to yourself cus she kind of.. ya know.. like 😵 :/

- pieck with dem cheeks 🤤🤤 She loves you to death she really does BUT DAMN IS SHE WORRIED. She thinks tahts probably bc of everything you went through as a kid is why you eat sugary foods. Weird logic. Okay pieck. Trauma with a little bit of.. spice.. no sugar-

- She likes baking you cakes alot :D and is surprised when you eat it all in less then 5 minutes :d. Honestly mom- milf material like hell yes

YOO I MIGHT DO A PART2 IF YALL WANT WITH HITCH, YMIR, AND HISTORIAAAA

[kyodzuken]

domestic headcanons - death the kid

aka; you move in with kid and he’s kinda ooc but also cute so let me have my fun.

- moving in with kid was literally one of the most stressful and yet rewarding parts of your life. lots of boxes falling down the stairs as you and death the kid run hastily to try and salvage your belongings, only to slip on the hardwood floors and fall on your ass.

- he wanted (needed) absolutely everything in your house to be symmetrical, and that was expected, so you left most - if not all - of the decorating to him.

- a lot of compromises,, which eventually turned to kid slowly changing everything into how he liked it

- and you didnt complain, because seeing the soft blush on his face, and a small content smile as he stared at your first house together, that was enough.

- the first week you'd moved in, kid got sick, and you'd spent the entire week locked away in your house, taking care of your boyfriend.

- and the little shit wasn't making it any easier.

- you'd make him soup and he'd refuse to eat it unless you fed it to him

- 'babe! no! i'll get sick!!' you'd whine

- '(y/n), do i look like i care? now c'mere!' he'd state, the temper tantrum breaking through his usually cool and calm tone, as he made grabby hands from the bed, his nose red and his face pouty.

- and even if death the kid was sick, didn't mean he was quiet during your movie marathons - that week settling for twilight as you were sprawled out on the couch, trying your best to avoid the warm embrace of your (sick) boyfriend.

- 'oh my god, did he SERIOUSLY name their kid RENESMEE??'

- 'kid i- bAHAHAHHA'

- his antics were one of the many reasons you fell in love with him, and you genuinely did your best to take care of the reaper boy.

- sometimes when you'd be making some soup or dinner for him, he'd sneak up behind you, before locking his hands around your waist and laying his head on your shoulder, mumbling sweet nothings as he thanked you for taking care of him.

- in the mornings you'd get up to get ready and he'd grab onto your waist and pull you back into bed with him, as you struggled to escape his grasp.

- 'kid, you may be sick but i still have school...'

- '(y/n), in case you forgot, my dad is literally lord death. you can miss a week. and a day. eight days. perfect.'

- you wouldn't even argue with him about it either, because he was just that convincing.

- once y'all had settled in, he made it a mission to cuddle and watch movies every single night.

- 'kid i have homework-'

- '...that doesn't change anything.'

- cuddling with kid is great because he insists that both of you have equal amount of blanket and pillows; for the symmetry, of course.

- he's the type to let you lay on his chest, and he'd play with your hair while you watched so-bad-it's-good romcoms; sprawled out on the couch as he fed himself (and occasionally you) some skittles or popcorn, your eyes too fixated on the tv to notice his fleeting glances at your form.

- sometimes you'd watch a horror movie, just to have the boy jump into your arms during the scary bits.

- 'you can't blame me, (y/n)! pennywise jumped out of NOWHERE! how do you expect me to notice-’

- you two have found yourselves falling asleep on your living room couch one too many times ngl, and you aren't complaining bc falling asleep with kid is when you sleep the best!!

- sometimes you'd forget to fold the toilet paper in a triangle

- you never hear the end of that one

- but you genuinely try your best, and kid sees that, and his heart swells seeing you adjust a painting to be perfecting in line, or see you buy two towels instead of one, so they'd be perfectly symmetrical.

- ngl you've tried dying kid's hair a few times

- '(y/n) i'm literally a shinigami dont you think i've tried already-'

- 'babe, it's a bONDING EXPERIENCE.'

- 'i think we can bond in other ways dont you think-'

- 'no.'

- your parents knew you'd moved houses, and it took you a lil while to tell them it was because you and kid moved in together.

- but he'd met your parents before, and they loved him.

- you were on a call with your parents - facetime to be exact, walking around as you showed them your new house, a collection of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' erupting from your mobile phone.

- that was until kid accidentally (totally not accidentally) entered the room.

- '(y/n)!! what are you cooking for dinner tonight?? also please help me unpack these boxes it's been weeks! oh-OH!'

- and your parents were literally shook

- '(y/n)... is this the roommate you were talking about...'

- you were very scared at first because you thought they'd be mad,

- but no, they literally booked a flight to death city right then and there. like literally on facetime your dad just booked a ticket

- 'mom- dad- no i-'

- yeah,,, needless to say, they're like your number one stans.

- dates are always perfectly planned

- so dinner dates and nights out are not very common.

- kid has to plan everything perfectly; he just loves you so much and would hate for you to experience anything less than perfection, and yet somehow SOMETHING goes wrong.

- like a dog will run past and splash water on your dress

- or he'll get salmonella in the middle of the date from last night's chicken (that HE COOKED LORDD)

- and you'll have to reassure him it's fine and you had a great time, as the boy nearly breaks down in the expensive restaurant he had to pull strings to get into.

- and you wouldn't have it any other way.

- the gang has come uninvited one too many times

- once you two were making out, his hands running through your hair as you shared fleeting kisses in your bedroom, until you heard the (very) familiar

- 'hELLOOO! IT'S ME, BLACK STAR! LITERALLY THE GREATEST AND BIGGEST STAR EVER I-'

- and you emerged from your shared bedroom like-

- 'PLEASE... what do you want'

- and he didn't answer your question, obv

- and your hair was all messy and some not well hidden hickies were on your neck like

- chile erm... what the hell we gon' do now...

- 'yeah sorry guys i was doing something-'

- 'is *he* something?????' soul asked, snickering whilst pointing to a certain monochromed hair boy behind you.

- who was frantically trying to fix his hair.

- you've also kicked them out one too many times.

- grocery shopping dates are always fun and unpredictable, for kid would have a whole list of what to buy and what quantity, and you'd just be running around like a little kid - eyes glistening at the wide array of candy that stocked the shelves

- '(y/n)- no, you can't ride in the cart i- goddammit.'

- mornings are a whole other story though.

- soft kisses shared as you're entangled in his embrace, the sun seeping through your blinds as you play with soft strands of black and white hair, staring at the sleeping boy infront of you.

- moments like those, where you feel as though nothing in the world matters, they're when you truly realise how whipped  you are for kid, especially when he opens his eyes to mumble a soft

- 'good morning, (y/n).'

- before placing a fluttering kiss on your forehead, as he pulled you in closer.

- once you'd come home, exhausted and on the verge of tears.

- you'd gone out on a mission and your partner had gotten incredibly injured - you genuinely weren't sure if they were going to make it, despite the constant reassurance from stein.

- and kid noticed that, his eyes following your hunched over form as you walked into the bedroom exhausted, tears threatening to spill out any second.

- so he dragged you out of the house for a drive

- which was meant to be for maybe an hour,, so you could get your mind off of things

- but you ended up wandering into the city and just driving

- eventually it was six am

- and you just got home, and immediately fell asleep on the couch

- all in all, moving in with death the kid was one of the best decisions of your life.

- mwah i hope u enjoyed xoxo

[ellzblue]

Muse Associations tag game,,, i went overboard and did four. oops. thank youuu @nemo-my-name-forevermore :))))

Bonnie 

SEASONING: Paprika, she just burns no matter how much or little you add. 

WEATHER: The below freezing winter day, where the air hurts your lungs and makes you cry but you can't cry cause then your tears will freeze. That cold, dead winter day that reminds you how much you miss the summer, that is Bonnie.

COLOR: Navy, Gold and Off-White.  

SKY: The pitch black winter sky with seldom any stars lighting it and the moon still too low in the sky at 4pm.

MAGICAL POWER: Perfect accuracy. Shes close now but why not make it magical.

HOUSE PLANT: Those spindly ones that don't require anything but somehow thrive. She's a gremlin that doesn't need much and looks like a mess.

WEAPON: Her giant ass old gun. She likes range and to bludgeon. 

SUBJECT: Geography, she's well traveled, likes cartography and can sing the Animaniac's Country song. Just to annoy others. 

SOCIAL MEDIA: She doesn't have any, get all her updates from post shared with her. If she had to have on though, probably Facebook cause she's secretly an old lady.

MAKEUP PRODUCT: A brow pencil since I can never decide what her actual eyebrow shape is.

CANDY: Jawbreaker. 

FEAR: She has none. lol jk, hardass's fear is losing her fam. 

ICE CUBE SHAPE: Crushed. Monch, cronch 

METHOD OF LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL: Boat or ship. Most her contracts are sea travel based now and she's gotten accustom to the ocean. Earned her sea legs if you will. Also if the crew annoys her she shoves them overboard and chances of them getting back on? slim. Don't get that with a car. 

ART STYLE: Old american traditional sailor tattoos. shes stark, hard and rare deviates from what shes good at.

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: 

PIECE OF STATIONERY: A dirty Bic Pen you find on the side walk. 

THREE EMOJIS: She refuses to use emojis.

CELESTIAL BODY: Northern star. A marker for those lost and goddam is she lost most the time.

Jae

SEASONING: Cumin, down to earth, versatile and taste like literal dirt if you add too much.

WEATHER: That disgustingly hot humid summer day that makes you regret life. Like the air is thiccc. There's no escaping the heat or this dumbass. 

COLOR: Green, Red and Black. All on the desaturated side. 

SKY: Cloudless afternoon.

MAGICAL POWER: Immortality. He just won't die or stay dead. 

HOUSE PLANT: A succulent you forgot you bought and thought maybe it was fake but no turns out its alive and somehow thriving with your minimal care but dies immediately once you realize this and actually tend to it. Oddly specific i know. Not from experience or anything....

WEAPON: Bombs, seals and blades. Mostly seals. He usually doesn't want to hurt the critter or evil magical creature. 

SUBJECT: Studying the animals and magical critters. 

SOCIAL MEDIA: Tiktok, he'd do the stupid ass dances and trends. Also Twitter cause he has a lot of thoughts. 

MAKEUP PRODUCT: 2008 NOT waterproof liner and mascara, he wants it to bleed. 

CANDY: Starburst or skittles or anything that is straight sugar and rots your teeth. 

FEAR: vulnerability? rejection? taxes? one of those. 

ICE CUBE SHAPE: The long one you can fit in a water bottle. Has its uses but will also deep throat choke you if not careful. 

METHOD OF LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL: He likes bus or train. Mainly so he can nap and not worry about getting there. Planes are too cramped and require so much prepping ew. Dirty greyhound at 3am is so much better...

ART STYLE: Jackson Pollock spatters. Chaotic but a vibe.

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: 

PIECE OF STATIONERY: That dirty Bic Pen you found on the sidewalk but also has a bunch of teethmarks on it.  

THREE EMOJIS: 👀🍆😩 i hate him too.

CELESTIAL BODY: Venus, its small, volatile, goes by the beat of its own drum and also green.  

Kasimir

SEASONING: Mint. Comes across as sweet and you think you like it but definitely can be overwhelming and too much and damn girl can u not?

WEATHER: First semi warm day of spring, where its still a little chilly but the sun is finally out and you're just ready to embrace it. 

COLOR: Pink, Mint and Lavender, honestly just pastels. 

SKY: That pale pink right before sunrise, its not as overpowering as the sunset but still stops you. Probs cause you stayed up too late or its too damn early.

MAGICAL POWER: Telekinesis, they can read minds but are like polite about it. 

HOUSE PLANT: Orchid, requires so much maintenance but incredibly pretty. Is it worth it? some argue no.

WEAPON: They don't really use...weapons? They chomp? Does that count. Teeth? 

SUBJECT: Etiquette or Business. Either way they need to be bullied.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram. What a thot. 

MAKEUP PRODUCT: Concealer, don't feel....er

CANDY: Chocolate covered cherries. You think youre getting a sophisticated treat but nah bitch, its overly sweet and syrupy and a hot mess to eat.

FEAR: Losing autonomy.

ICE CUBE SHAPE: Spheres. Its spherical, like the whisky balls. Classy but also like hilarious when idiots drink too quick and it smacks them in the face. theyre  fun i highly recommend everyone get a mold. 

METHOD OF LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL: Planes. They like watching Charlotte play her game and sharing headphones. Even if the concept of Terraforming in Animal Crossing confuses them. Overnight flights just have that heavy ambiance of silence but so much white noise. 

ART STYLE: Rococo painting. we get it theres enough details you can stop...

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: 

PIECE OF STATIONERY: Fancy quill pens on thick nice paper...and hello kitty stickers all over. 

THREE EMOJIS: 😬🥺🥹 god i hate them too.

CELESTIAL BODY: Pluto. Doing their mf best okay? 

Charlotte

SEASONING: Rosemary. Not for everything but definitely has a home holiday feeling about it.

WEATHER: The last warm days of Autumn, where the days are bright and sunny and warm making you think this great weather will never succumb to winter. 

COLOR: Neon Purple, Blue and Magenta. 

SKY: The shade of blue right before the sunrises, the blue hour of light opposite of golden hour, just before the sun breaks the horizon. The telltale sign yo ass needs to get to bed asap. 

MAGICAL POWER: Invisibility. She already feels kinda invisible so might as well make it magical. 

HOUSE PLANT: A flowering cactus. All she needs is a little attention and she'll bloom.

WEAPON: Charlottes not confrontational, so no weapons. But in games she is a fan of range fighters so theres that. 

SUBJECT: she likes the soft sciences like psychology and sociology. stuff that relates to her and lets her help others.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitch,,, she's a streamer yo. 

MAKEUP PRODUCT: Liquid liner. Its light enough that she doesn't feel it.

CANDY: Sour Gummy worms. 

FEAR: She's terrified of putting herself out there and accomplishing nothing or being written off. She got that real bad social anx. 

ICE CUBE SHAPE: Ice bad. No cold. 

METHOD OF LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL: Plane rides. She likes snuggling up in the seat, putting her knees against the chair in front of her and sharing headphones. Rip to that person ahead of her.  

ART STYLE: 1980 and 1990s patterns, you know the designs you see in skating rinks and most bowling alleys. 

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: 

PIECE OF STATIONERY: Glitter gel pens on taco bell napkins. 

THREE EMOJIS: 🎮🙅‍♀️😺

CELESTIAL BODY: Probably a Jupiter moon. She's small, super small, compliments those around her and has an air of mystery surrounding her being mute and all. 

taggin: well anikin and mazi are already tagged. i expect those twinks and rascals of yalls soon enough.

[eviclair]

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of your actual thoughts(tm) on khr, so what’s your constructive review on the series as a whole? Like some positives and negatives w/ the writing, characters, etc. If u don’t feel like answering, feel free to ignore this LOL.

 tl;dr because this is 800 words of nonsense. i think you should know i would not know a constructive review if it bit me in the ass.

my guy i have not done a full read of khr in maybe two years and i know that does not sound like a long time but i have the long-term memory of a fruit fly. please bear with me. luckily for both of us i liveblogged the last time i read so i at least have my own sparknotes jdflaksjddaf

first off! khr is a satire manga!!! i cannot stress this enough, i can and will fight you to the death about this!!! “oh but it gets serious later” it grows a PLOT, thats not the same thing. khr is stupid as hell and that is both on purpose and my favorite thing about it.

i fucking love shonen man!!! its all about FIGHTING and LOVING YOUR FRIENDS and HAVING EMOTIONS and. bro im a water sign. my mars is in gemini, there is nothing i can do about this, god made me and said “get that bitch some found family and also some incredible violence” and we all just have to live with that. 

khr is so much all of those things that i did not realize they were being made fun of until very long after the fact so my current opinions are very much not the ones i started with jaldkhjdfhd but man. once i clued in i both loved it so much more and became 100% incapable of interacting with fandom in any meaningful way L M A O

i just. the main conceit is that theyve weaponized the deus ex machina eleventh-hour shonen power up. the “my dead family came back to life to kill me” trope is used three separate times. the big bad student body president is a delinquent. theres an entire subset of above magic god powers thatre just

the tyl bazooka was just ripping on the Timeskip Arc until the Timeskip Arc actually happened?? like fuuta’s special thing is that he can communicate with the Meta Planet to divine Character Rankings, i dont know what to tell you!!! the truth is out there!!! 

like DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER that time tsuna experienced a villain’s flashback sequence FOR HIM because i fucking do, i think about it every day,

so in the sense of “please critique the writing”, i cant do that because im pretty sure 98% of all the tropey bullshit is by design. do i wish people like the kokuyo gang got more characterization outside of being ride-or-die villain sidekicks?? of course i do but thats my own damn fault for seeing cool side characters and losing all higher brain function. on the other hand, hibari being the person he is and having absolutely no backstory or motivation beyond “get out of my school” is really fucking funny and keeps me warm at night, so. win some, lose some.

(the 2% of the writing that isnt tropey bullshit that i CAN critique is whatever is happening with kyoko. Bad Female Cast is definitely a shonen trope but its a shitty one and i want it to die. within maybe four minutes of kyoko being introduced she tries to body a man and then thats just never spoken about again?? wheres that energy queen?!!! let kyoko say fuck!!!!)

((this applies to haru too in the sense that all she really does is make moon eyes at tsuna but the way in which she does so is honestly so fucking funny and unhinged that it comes back around to being great. like yeah yep yes ma’am thats 100% bonafide Girl Who Throws Skittles In A Puddle And Calls It Potion right there please may i have another))

If khr took itself even 4% more seriously it could be really deep and compelling and i think that frustrates a lot of people, but i think i like it better this way?? half the fun for me is reading in between the lines!! the subtext, however unintentional it may be!!

examples: yamamoto is one of my favorites just because theres SO FUCKING MUCH to unpack about him!! canon gives us a lot of information about him just by virtue of the fact that he’s a Main Character, but paradoxically he himself is never really the focus. he just Does Shit and you have to figure out why on your own and i LOVE DOING THAT.

i dont love mukuro because he’s a fleshed out and nuanced villain, i love him because he says shit like “i went to hell six times” and never expounds upon that or “i can definitely trust the information i got from this magic monocle called Demon Spade’s Super Evil Murder Eye or whatever the fuck” and then expresses surprise when daemon spade is an asshole. he goes and willfully fucks up the only job anyones ever given him (impersonate 80 year old leonardo lippi) because he Just Has to shapeshift into a young hot dude and hand deliver byakuran, the boss of the Flower Family, the Family that names all its members after Flowers, a bouquet that means “i am in disguise ;) cant catch me bitch ;)”

like WHAT THE FUCK!!

i dont know man. i just like puzzles and khr is a gift that keeps giving.

(sidenote that should’ve maybe just been the subject of the post but re:i cant shut the fuck up about anything ever, i love tsuna so much. so much. his personality!! his relationships!!! his growth!!! his growth!!!!! his growth!!!!!!! khr has its claws in me because i see tsuna do something cool or brave or even deeply stupid actually and my whole heart goes AAAAAAAAA bc thats him!!! thats my son!!!!! my baby boy whom ive raised since birth!!!!!! suit me up and call me a reborn kinnie, fuck!!!!!!!!!)

[annab-nana]

Stupid Cupid - Colby Brock

Normally, y/n and Colby spend Valentine’s Day together because they are both single, but this year, y/n has a boyfriend. Her Valentine’s date takes an unexpected turn, ending with her night spent crying in Colby’s arms.

Warnings: some curse words

Word Count: 2.7k+

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

"Colby likes skittles, right?" I ask Sam as I hold my phone to my ear with my shoulder. My hands were full of a few stuffed animals and a cute basket that I had found and filled with several kinds of candy. Normally on Valentine's Day, Colby and I both are single, and we stay in, order some food, and go get discount chocolate the next day. This has been our tradition for the past few years, but last March, I started dating Josh and we've been together ever since. I decided to get something together for him since all his best friends have girlfriends and I have a boyfriend. I think it will brighten his day and make him happy.

"Yes, he does. Who doesn't like skittles, y/n?" I hear Sam's laugh bellow through the speaker of my phone. I giggle along with him at myself.

"Leave me alone, Samuel. I just wanted to make sure, so I decided to call his other half. You two are basically married at this point." We chuckled together before I heard a beep on my phone. I sat down my basket before looking at my phone. Josh is calling me.

"I got to go, Sam. Josh is calling me." I say quickly.

"Okay, bye," Sam says before I end the call to answer Josh. I press the green button and place my phone back where it was so that I can grab my basket and continue shopping.

"Hey, babe!" I say excitedly. I haven't talked to him since last night when I fell asleep on him on FaceTime.

"Hey princess, I was just calling to let you know that I am picking you up at six tomorrow for dinner." I heard his sweet voice tell me. A blush rose to my cheeks at the nickname. He calls me that all the time and every time, I feel butterflies.

"Will you please tell me where we're going?" I whine into the phone as I look through the Valentine's Day cards, trying to find one that's perfect for Colby.

"Nope but dress nice." He's been aggravating me all week by not telling me where we're going, but tomorrow night, I will finally find out.

"I hope you know you're annoying," I inform him, and he chuckles in response.

"I know, but you love me anyway." I smile and nod my head, forgetting he can't see me.

"Yes, I do. I do love you." I tell him as I smile like an idiot in the middle of this store.

"I love you too, but I got to go. Jackson needs help getting his Valentine's shit together for Ava. I'll talk to you later, princess." He tells me before we say our goodbyes and hang up.

I love how Josh is always there for Jackson. Those two didn't have the best life growing up, but Josh was always there for Jackson no matter what. Jackson is Josh's younger brother. Jackson is a senior in high school and Ava is his first serious girlfriend, so I know Jackson wants to make it special for her. Ava is a super sweet girl in Jackson's math class. He asked her for help on a problem that he already knew how to do just so he could talk to her. They started studying together and eventually, he asked her out. They are so cute together. I love it.

After a while of looking around, I finally got everything together and checked out at the store. I loaded it all into my car and headed back to my apartment building. I got off the elevator and passed the guys' apartments to get to mine which was right next to Colby's. I quickly ran into my apartment, in case Colby decided to walk out right then. I didn't want him to know it was me. I want to surprise him.

I pulled everything into my office and set the basket up, filling it with all of the little things I got him. Once I was happy with how it looked, I took a picture of it and sent it to Kat.

Y/n: Do you think he will like it?

Kat: Of course, he will y/n! You know he will love anything if it comes from you.

Y/n: I know, I guess I just feel bad because we aren't doing Valentine's together this year 😩

Kat: Yeah but this will really brighten his day. We both know he hates Valentine's Day.

Y/n: He does lol. What are you and Sam doing for Valentine's Day tomorrow?

Kat: Idk, he hasn't asked me to be his valentine yet 😠

Y/n: Really? Valentine's Day is tomorrow. He doesn't have much time left lol. Josh won't tell me what we're doing. He just said dress nicely. Should I wear my black or red dress?

Kat: THE BLACK ONE!!!!!!!! It looks so good on you. And if you wear red lipstick and your red heels with it too, I don't think Josh will be able to resist you.

Y/n: okay 😂 thanks girl!

Kat: you're welcome babe!

...

I walked into my office and grabbed the basket I made for Colby. I tiptoed to his door and sat the basket down. I rang the doorbell and dashed down the hall, so I could watch him open the door. I could see him, but he couldn't see me.

He opened the door and a smile spread across his face. He looked around outside his door and then looked around in the basket for any indication of who left it for him. He pulled out the card, but I didn't write anything in it because I knew he would be able to tell my handwriting. After seeing that there was nothing to give away who sent the secret Valentine's gift, he shrugged and picked up the basket, taking it inside.

I giggled lightly to myself and took the long way to my apartment, in case he was spying through his peephole. As soon as I walked in, I got a twitter notification. Colby had tweeted. It said, "to whoever left a basket of chocolates and teddy bears at my door.. i 🖤 u" A small smile crept its way into my face. I left Twitter and started to play music as I got ready for tonight.

After my hair was curled and makeup was done, I slipped into my black dress and put on my red heels like Kat suggested and let me tell you, she was damn right when she said I looked good in this. I couldn't stop looking at myself. I've never looked this good before. I can already imagine the things that Josh and I will be doing later.

A knock at my door broke me from my thoughts. I hurried to the door and opened it to reveal my handsome man with flowers in his hands.

"Awe Josh, you didn't have to do all this," I told him as he smiled widely.

"Yes, I did. Wanna know why?" He giggled.

"Why?" I question as he hands me the bouquet.

"Because I love you, princess, and there is more where that came from." He tells me as he takes my hand. "Now let's go put those in some water in a vase and then we can go to dinner." I do as he said, and we leave for dinner.

"Hey guys!" I hear and my eyes meet my best friend.

"Hey, Colbs!" I say as I run up to him to hug him. I haven't actually seen him in a few days. We've texted and stuff but that's it. We pulled away from our embrace and I stepped back, grabbing Josh's hand. Seeing Colby made me ten times happier if that was even possible.

"I know this is a weird question, but did you see anyone out here earlier today?" Colby asked me as he leaned against his doorframe. It looked like he was coming back home from somewhere. I couldn't help the sneaky smile that showed up on my face, but I shook my head.

"No, I've been in my place all day. Why? What's up?" I asked. Maybe that would help him not think it was me.

"Someone left something at my door earlier and I was wondering who it was, but I don't know," Colby informed us. By the look on his face, he appeared to be pretty confused.

"Sorry, I haven't seen anything," I tell him. I feel a tug at my hand and look up at Josh. He bends down slightly to reach my ear.

"I hate to break you two up, but we need to hurry." He whispers in my ear and I nod at him.

"Okay Colby, we have to head out, but I'll see you later, okay?" I tell him as I go in for another hug. He smiles and nods before waving at us. We head down the elevator, to the car, and then to the restaurant. When we arrived, we were set off in the back away from everyone else. It was beautiful back here. Little string lights illuminated the place with a soft glow. Nice music played lowly in the background and being here with Josh made it all the better.

We talked about many things as we ate. He told me about helping Jackson yesterday. We talked about old memories of when we first met and started dating. As we laughed, I felt a buzz comes from my phone. I pulled it out to see a text from Colby.

Colbs: it was you wasn't it?

Y/n: maybe 😉

"Who is it?" I looked up at Josh who was looking at me strangely. I could hear a tinge of jealousy in his voice. I don't know why I felt a sudden surge of guilt run through my body, but I felt like I was doing something wrong or that Josh thought I was doing something wrong.

"It's Colby. You know how he said someone left something at his door earlier?" I asked him and he nodded. I explained to him that I got Colby something for Valentine's Day and left it at his door because we weren't doing anything together this year like we always have.

After that awkward moment, we continued to eat and talk until Josh pulled out a cute gift bag and handed it to me.

"Happy Valentine's Day princess!" He said as he gave me the gift. I shot him a huge smile before going through the bag. It was filled with candies, stuffed animals, pictures of us from the last year together, and a card. I opened the card and began to read it out loud.

"Y/n, these past eleven months with you have been amazing and I can't wait to see what our future together holds. As you know, love hasn't been an easy thing for me to acquire, but you have shown me that I am capable of being loved and I can show that I love someone too. I love you princess and I will continue to love you for as long as I can. I want to love you for the rest of my life if you will let me. So, will you let me?" My brows furrowed over my teary eyes and I looked up to where Josh was sitting previously. But he wasn't there. He was beside me, on one knee, with a ring in his hand.

"Y/n, I love you so much so will you do me the honor of marrying me?" He asked me. My tear-filled eyes met his and I don't know why but I hesitated. What should have been an easy question became so hard. I love Josh with all my heart, but I don't know what's stopping me from saying yes. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"Princess?" Josh looked at me, worried. He was probably very sure I would say yes too. Damn it, y/n say yes. Just say it. It's not a hard word to say. You probably say it every day. Just say it.

"I- I don't know," I choke out. I regret it instantly when Josh's face falters. He looks so upset.

"It's not that I don't want to. I just don't think I'm ready for that yet baby. I love you. You know I do. It's just I don't think now is a good time." Josh gets up and sits in his seat.

"Are you sure that's the reason? There isn't anything else?" He questions me. What is he getting at?

"I don't know what you mean, J. What do you think it is?" I ask him, kind of pissed at him. Does he not believe that I'm not ready for that yet? That is a pretty big step to take with someone.

"Damn I'm an idiot. I should've seen what was right in front of me. Y/n, you're in love with Colby. I thought I was wrong, but I don't think I am." He confesses.

"I am not. I love you, Josh. I'm just not ready to get married. I'm 21. I don't want to get married now." Anger, sadness, and confusion swirled through my body. I'm not in love with Colby. I love him because he is my best friend but I'm not in love with him. I'm in love with the man sitting in front of me. Maybe I should've just said yes to save all this trouble.

"Y/n, I love you too but something's not right. You love both me and Colby, but something stopped you from saying yes to me. If you were really in love with me, we wouldn't be having a problem right now. I think you are in love with him, whether you see it or not." He seemed upset but I could tell he was speaking exactly what he felt.

"Can you take me home or should I call an Uber?" I say as I stare off through a window in the side of the room. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I want to be at home.

"I'll take you home if you want me to, princess." The nickname that used to make me feel like the best person in the world is now bringing more tears to my eyes. I just looked at him and nodded. We left the restaurant and got back into his car. The ride home was silent and thought-filled. I'm guessing that our relationship is over, but I don't want to lose Josh. I want him to stay in my life. We pull up to the outside of my apartment complex and Josh grabs my hand.

"I want you to know that I still love you princess and I will always be here for you." A few more tears slipped out as we shared one last kiss together. A kiss goodbye.

"I love you too," I whisper before opening the door and walking inside. Once I get on the elevator, the tears I had been holding back for so long came flowing out. I reach the fifth floor and the doors open, revealing my best friend.

"Y/n, what's wrong?" That question broke me, and I fell into his arms, crying. He held me as he pulled me out of the elevator.

"Let's go to my place, okay?" He asked and I nodded. Once we were in his apartment, we sat on his couch and I explained to him all that occurred tonight.

"He thinks you're in love with me?" Colby questioned.

"Yes," I answer quietly.

"What do you think?" He asks me and I look up at him.

"I don't think I'm ready to get married," I tell him.

"Yeah, but if you wanted to marry him, you could be engaged to him for however long you needed until you were ready to get married. I think he's right. You didn't want to marry him."

"You think I'm in love you too?" I ask him, sitting up straighter to get a better view of his answer.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping you are. Y/n, you are gorgeous, kind, funny, everything that a guy wants in a girl. And did you see the way you looked tonight? If you were mine and you came out looking like that, we wouldn't have made it to the restaurant. You are beautiful. How could I not want you?" His honesty took me by surprise. I never knew he felt this way.

"Maybe you and Josh are right," I whisper without thinking and Colby's eyes light up.

"Maybe stupid Cupid shot his arrow at the wrong people?" I chuckled at his response but nonetheless agreed.

"Maybe"