#so hopefully I'll be back to active in the next few weeks or so

[serenanymph]

Heads Up Seven Up

Tagged by @faytelumos um.*looks at smudged notes* a while ago. Find his post over here. Gently tagging uhhh @space-writes, @macabremoons and @scribbling-stardust, pulling from Beast book 2, Witch's Book:

It’s later in the night – when they’ve brought out the cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’, and Zephyr has blown out all six candles (one of them larger-sized) – that Madge wanders out of the kitchen where mama and baba are divvying up the cake to track down Zephyr and Kas, who’ve somehow vanished in that short amount of time. The backyard feels quieter than before: peaceful, now, as if all the world is fast asleep. Madge inhales, again, the same way she did earlier with the cake, breathing in the scent of spring – stretching her arms out to the side, her fingertips straining, her head tipping back to look up at the sky. The longer she looks, the more stars seem to appear, spreading out and multiplying, thousands of tiny glittering diamonds spilling across the black. The breath she takes in morphs into a yawn. Murmuring, from up on the roof. She spins towards the ladder leaning against the side of the house, and ah – they must be up there, then.

taglist (lmk if you want to be +/-): @deer-in-headlights-stare, @allianaavelinjackson, @arctic-oceans, @space-writes, @reneesbooks

[starsandskies]

Emergency Ko-fi Event - Headshots OPEN!

45€

Accepting two characters this time!

Order and pay through Ko-fi.

So, guys, I haven't been really active here (or almost anywhere else) these past years because as many of you know, life around me got a bit messy. Finally, after almost two years since I was forced by circumstances to come back to live at my mother's house, I'm gonna be moving out and starting from anew in a completely different country!

From Spain to Italy. The problem? My PC is almost 8 years old, it's a kinda broken desktop PC I won't be able to take with me. Well, PC, drawing pad, monitor... I'll have to buy basically everything again. Drawing is still my only income so I decided to open a few Ko-fi headshots and try to make everything a bit easier.

I'll be traveling next week, so if you order one, please note that I won't be able to start working on it until I receive the new stuff (hopefully early July).

Also, if you're not interested in getting a portrait but still want to contribute, donations are welcome too!

Signal boost is appreciated <3!

[gregorygerwitz]

apparently this is the year for this...

Please Help Us Out With Bills

Currently, I'm virtually unemployed due to health issues and my employer all but refuses to give me short term disability pay because I don't have a diagnosis yet. I'm doing DoorDash as much as I can, which brings in ~$150 a week if that. It leaves my roommate, @kitthekazoo, to cover most of the mutual bills - like rent - virtually on her own. But that does mean she can't pay her own bills (like car and insurance) after paying the second half of our rent this month.

Like I said, I'm doing DoorDash around doctor's appointments and other activities, like school (which is paid for by my employer, who I still technically work for, I'm just on an extended medical leave - it's excused time off, but I don't get paid at all), but that doesn't bring in much. My checking account (where my DD money goes) is negative almost $400 because things keep taking out and every single one of those charges also incurs an insufficient funds fee of $31.

I would need ~$750 just to get positive enough to pay Kit back for my half of this rent payment. Plus I have my own bills to pay - car insurance, credit cards I'm desperately trying to catch up with the payments on, gas so I can keep doing DD, etc.

I know it's a lofty goal, but getting $1k by the end of the month will keep us sane and housed while I navigate my medical issues. Hopefully, after we run a few tests next week, they'll have a better idea of what's going on and when I'll be able to go back to work, and these money issues won't keep coming up...

I'll link my accounts below, including my etsy where you can buy some crochet projects from me if you want something in return for your donation! Or feel free to message me here or on etsy if you want something made that isn't listed in my shop.

Thank you in advance for any little bit, even if you can just reblog to spread the word. 💜

paypal venmo: amwallace95 etsy

so far: 230/1000

EDIT: I fixed the links!

[bookskeepers]

surprise surprise - bokuto kōtarō

pairing: timeskip ! bokuto kōtarō x gn ! reader

word count: 1,392

content warning: sad bokuto (but only for a bit i promise), fluff, surprises, lovie as a pet name, hopefully cute, established relationship, kōtarō is, in fact, emotionally immature but we love him for it (he is my husband)

a/n: this idea came to me in a dream (oops) so i hope you all enjoy it as much as i did (p.s. who knew writing self insert fics on tumblr was so self indulgent (me. i did))

A FEW WEEKS AGO

The two of you were seated on your shared bed, a position you often found yourself in whenever Bokuto was down in the dumps. He, of course, was unhappy with the news that he'd have to go abroad for his next set of matches with Japan's national volleyball team. When he was telling you about it, there were tears in his eyes and his hair seemed to droop to reflect his downtrodden mood. His large hands had clasped yours, holding them against his chest, and you felt his heartbeat through the material of his shirt.

"Kō," you had said, freeing one of your hands to gently caress his cheek. "It's only a few weeks, lovie. It's not that long."

He let out a whine at your words, clearly in much more distress than you were. "But a few weeks without you feels like forever!" he complains, taking the chance to scoot closer to you and rest his head on your shoulder. "And... and you're my good luck charm, so what if we do badly? And the last match will be on my birthday and it'll be my first birthday without you in a while!"

You gave him a soft smile, rubbing your thumb across his cheekbone (at least, you hoped it was his cheek -- you couldn't quite see what you were rubbing since his head was on your shoulder). "I'll watch from the TV and send you texts! I'll be there in spirit," you promised. "And you'll get to come back to a birthday present, isn't that awesome?"

This seemed to alleviate his mood somewhat, as he lifted his head off your shoulder and looked into your eyes. Hope gleamed in those beautiful golden eyes of his. "You promise?" he asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

"Pinkie promise," you replied, removing your hand from his face to hold out your pinkie. He twisted his own pinkie with yours, nodding resolutely.

He departed the next day, and, while you weren't as expressive as he was, you could feel your heart sting a bit as his large frame left your apartment. Every temporary goodbye was the same with him, but that's how it was when you were used to sharing the same bed every night.

A FEW DAYS AGO

An idea popped into your head while you're at your job. You could feel the exhaustion weighing on your limbs as you go through the motions, doing the tasks that were expected of you. Every time Bokuto had to leave for some form of volleyball-related activity, you found yourself sleeping less -- and this time was no different.

However, what was different from previous trips was the idea forming in your mind. Bokuto loves surprises in any form, and the lightbulb going off in your head would be the biggest surprise of all. When you're finally free from your occupation, you rushed home, willing the metro to run faster. It doesn't, but being in a hurry makes it feel like it was crawling at a snail's pace.

Upon your arrival, you barely managed to kick off your shoes before you're sitting in front of your computer, opening a new tab to start planning your surprise in detail.

PRESENT

Another miss is all that runs through Bokuto's head as he spikes the ball on the opposing court, only for it to hit out of bounds. It feels like every shot that Atsumu set for him's a waste, since he can't seem to land any points. Every single blocked spike and out-of-bounds fail is met with a resounding, "Don't mind!" from the rest of the team. It's even worse when Atsumu switches out with Kageyama, because the black-haired setter fixates a glare on him whenever he doesn't succeed.

It's only halfway through the first set, with the Japan national team being ahead despite Bokuto's fumbles. Anyone could see that the #4 outside hitter is off his game, but only his teammates actually knew why -- it was his birthday, and he isn't spending it with you.

After several more failures on his end, he starts getting into his own head. His mood drops to the point where the coach swaps him out with Hoshiumi, and that's when Bokuto really feels his spirits vanish. He slumps on the bench, ignoring the attempts of the coach and the manager to cheer him up. Insults aimed at himself run rampant through his mind, and he can't seem to make them stop. The missed shots, compounded with not seeing you on his birthday, create a volatile mixture that resulted in his depressed state.

He wishes he could check his phone to see if you texted, to see what unique commentary you always send him whenever you're watching him play on the television. But, alas, he's stuck on the volleyball court, glued to the bench, eyes on the floor.

So deep in negative thoughts that he doesn't quite notice when your familiar figure stands at the sidelines, nor does he notice it when you call his name several times. It takes the national team's coach giving Bokuto a rather harsh shove on the shoulder to snap him out of his spiraling.

It looks like it's taking him every ounce of his strength to lift his head up to look at the couch, who then gestures in your direction. A soft smile etches itself onto your face as he slowly turns his head to look at you, and you can see the gears working behind his eyes when the two of you make eye contact. His posture slowly straightens, and a furrow appears in his brows.

"Is... is that really you or am I hallucinating?" he asks, half to you and half to himself. You can't really hear him from where you're standing, but you've been with Bokuto long enough to guess what he was saying.

In response, you hold your hands out, your smile widening as he jumps up and runs over to you. "You're here, you're really here!" he exclaims as he easily hops the divider and hugs you tightly, lifting you off your feet and spinning you around. He plants a big kiss on your lips, and you have to prevent yourself from melting into it before he separates. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to surprise you, Kō," you reply, watching as his smile grows even wider. "Happy birthday, lovie."

He gives you another big hug before a shrill whistle pierces the air, in which he whips around to look at the court. "Okay, okay, don't go anywhere! I'll be back to shower you in hugs and kisses when the game's over!" he calls over his shoulder as he hops the divider, beaming as the coach puts him back in the game.

Your appearance seems to reinvigorate him, as he's suddenly slamming spike after spike within bounds, either via insane line shot or even crazier cross shot. Within no time, the Japan national team beats its opponent in both the first and second set, leading to its victory. Bokuto cheers the loudest out of his entire team, exchanging high fives with Atsumu and Hinata before running back over to you. You're still standing in the same spot you chose after your arrival, but your grin is as wide as his.

He holds his hands up for a high five and you enthusiastically give him two. "You did amazing, Kō!" you exclaim, dropping your hands from high-five position to his shoulders.

He turns bright pink, as if that's the first compliment you've ever given him (it was not). He mumbles something under his breath, and you have to somehow get closer to hear him, despite your proximity.

"What was that?"

"I said, you're my good luck charm, of course I did amazing!" he replies -- a little too loudly -- before wrapping his arms around your waist and holding you close. "Did you book a hotel room?" he murmurs into your hair, and you have to strain your ears to hear him over the din of the crowd going crazy.

"No, I kind of assumed we'd be staying in the same room?" you respond, your pitch increasing at the end to indicate your hopefulness.

"Of course we're staying in the same room," he responds. "After all, I can't spend my birthday without you!"

[actual-changeling]

We need to talk about the Archangel Michael.

No, seriously we NEED to talk about Michael because I think she's going to be way more important than we currently think.

(quick side note: I will be jumping between pronouns for everyone involved because I go by vibes and also bc I'm trans and I like doing it. Hopefully it won't be too confusing, but I'll try to make it clear who I am talking about.)

So! Welcome back to Alex's unhinged meta corner. In accordance with the usual essay rules, let's begin with my hypothesis before we go down a long, probably very unhinged spiral.

I completely underestimated how thorough I was going to be, so to not overwhelm everyone with a miles long post, I will be dividing this meta into parts and will post them as I finish them.

A lot of small details have been fluttering around my mind over the last few weeks, and I think I am finally starting to put all the pieces together—and there are a LOT.

Part 1: Season One and Michael's Rank

We know them as one of the three (four—but that's another post) Archangels next to Gabriel and Uriel. While Gabriel's title was that of the Supreme Archangel, Michael's is explicitly stated in episode one of season two as 'duty officer', which, broadly speaking, makes them the Watcher, the one in charge in the case of Gabriel's absence for whatever reason, taking command where he can't; usually that probably meant him simply being busy and not him being unemployed and naked.

Their position is further signified by their ring, which resembles the Ophanim, the many-eyed angel wheels.

They are the one to keep a literal eye on things—they find pictures of Aziraphale and Crowley in S1 in the Observation Files, they watch over the heavenly hosts, they oversee plans, everything.

Michael even takes it a step further and (presumably created) the grapevine with hell, having direct contact to higher ranking demons such as Ligur, most likely also Dagon, and Beelzebub.

This is where we get to my theory: Michael is actively working with demons against both heaven and hell. It doesn't mean that they care about preserving earth, though they might later on, but that whatever plans heaven currently has are to be stopped.

I'm going to take this one step further and say that Michael also knew about Gabriel and Beelzebub, and helped him escape.

Now to the fun part: the evidence!

In season one, they are interested in stopping Crowley and Aziraphale from preventing the apocalypse, but that does not mean that they agree with the plans heaven has for said event—only that they need it to happen so their own agenda can stay on track. She has information she technically shouldn't, like, well, literally all the details about how, when, and what is going to go down

This is due to heaven and hell's general cooperation, which is its own post, but all of that runs through them.

That 'apparently' is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, it's the basic and plausible deniability that's required for them to not be in trouble. She is also in charge of ORGANIZING the troops, fulfilling her role as a navigator.

On top of that, the way she talks to Ligur highly mirrors the way two covert operatives might talk to one another, using phrases like 'our man' and 'working for you'. The mere assumption Michael makes here, that Aziraphale could be a spy, implies that there ARE already spies and angels working for hell.

Consorting with the enemy is allowed as long as it is done within a very specific framework, so Michael and Ligur are free to do so, while Aziraphale and Crowley are working outside of it, which gives heaven & hell the basis to punish them for it.

I think the phrasing of this sentence is also quite interesting.

Not "time to come back to heaven" or anything along the lines that takes Aziraphale's ethereal status into account, no, she simply says he needs to 'choose sides'—and who is to say that he needs to choose heaven or that heaven and hell are the only sides one can choose? Additionally, Michael is the one to bring the holy water to hell while they send one of the Erics, and while the trial as a whole holds a certain tension, there does not seem to be any open animosity between him and the dukes of hell.

In short, Michael is working with hell behind the scenes, likely pursuing their own goals, and standing in opposition to heaven.

Moving on to season two, and here it gets REALLY fun.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

(hopefully it will just be five. it was supposed to be two. then three. but here we are)

[thezombieprostitute]

Dandelion

A/N: Part 2 of this Ask; Reader is AFAB, Tall & Plus Size;

Word Count: ~2.7k (holy wah!)

Warnings: Ex-boyfriend angst, Insecure reader, Talk of body image issues. Please let me know if I missed any.

The next day, Hal joins you for lunch. You generally sit at your desk because there's no such thing as a work-free break. He grabs a chair and sits backwards on it, grinning at you as he sets his lunchbox on your desk.

“What are you doing, Hal?”

“What every straight man dreams of,” he says. “I'm having lunch with a pretty lady.”

“Please don't,” you whine. “I told you yesterday, I don't want your pity flirting.”

“And I told you, it ain't pity.”

“Then why are you eating at my desk?”

“Well, as I said, I was treating you differently because I wanted you to know I thought differently about you from all the other pretty faces. But my methods only made you think I wasn't interested. So now I'm doing something different.”

“And what if I don't want the attention?”

“If I'm genuinely making you uncomfortable I'll get up and go. But if you only want me to leave because you still think I'm feeling sorry for you, I'm sticking around and eating my lunch. Hopefully having a conversation with you as well.”

“How would you know the difference?”

His grin widens, “because you're a horrible liar, Dandelion.”

You roll your eyes, “fair. But if someone else shows up you're not interfering with my work.”

“Oh yes, I am,” he retorts. You give him your best glare but he doesn't back down. “You're at lunch. No one gets to ask you to do any work.”

“You do realize I'm not union?”

“We should fix that.”

The rest of your lunch passes with more back and forth. Every time someone starts approaching your desk Hal cheerfully states, “out for lunch! Come back later!” They leave before you can counter what Hal said.

After lunch, the two of you clean up and get back to work. Hal keeps it professional during work hours and you're grateful for that. You don't want to be mad at him, he's just trying to help you feel better. But the fact that he thinks fake flirting is “helpful” hurts you.

The next couple of weeks you find a small gift at your desk every morning. You receive some of your favorite candies, new pens in your favorite style, and even some cutesy post-it notes that you enjoy using. And every day you would thank Hal at lunch for the gift. As you got more comfortable around him he became more of a menace. It had started with him telling people you were at lunch and it escalated to a game of turning your monitor on and off. You wanted it on in case of important emails or notices but Hal insisted on turning it off because you’re supposed to not be working.

“You’re fighting a losing battle here, Dandelion,” he grins. “I have a major advantage in that I have no shame.”

“Yeah, I’ve picked up on that,” you groan. “So how about lunch away from my desk? Would that be okay?”

“You’ve got alerts on your phone, don’t you?”

You sigh, “yeah. But it’ll only chime for notices that are actually marked as ‘important’ okay?”

“Hmm,” he licks his lips. “I suppose that’s enough of a compromise for now. But we’re going outside to eat, okay?”

“Sure,” you nod. “It’s a nice day outside.”

“And I’ll get to take off my shirt!”

“Wait, what?!”

He runs outside, with your lunch in hand, before you can stop him. 

Only a few minutes into the lunch and Hal can tell something’s wrong. You’re actively not looking at him, at least since he took off his shirt. 

“Am I making you uncomfortable,” he asks. “What’s going on with you?”

"Look, Hal, it's not a big deal," you plead. "Can you just let it go?"

"No, I need to know what I'm doing wrong," Hal argues. "Otherwise I'll keep doing it and it'll become a bigger issue."

"You're not doing anything wrong," you assure. "The fault is with me, not you. I'm the one who needs to do the correcting."

"Well maybe I can help. I just need you to tell me what's going on."

You take a deep breath and steady your nerves before confessing, "the reason I look away every time I see you without your shirt on is because it just reminds me of how much I need to work on my own body."

Unable to bring yourself to look at him, knowing there would be hurt in his eyes, you continue "I'm too big and I need to either slim down or 'get toned' or whatever the terms are. But every time I try nothing works. I just end up getting bigger so I give up. And seeing your perfectly toned body just reminds me of my own failures."

Taking a deep breath to try to keep from crying, you try to assuage Hal, "none of this is on you. It's entirely on me. I'm the one who needs to change. You worked hard for that body and you have every right to be proud of it, every right to be comfortable walking around without a shirt. I need to either not be so damn sensitive or to get off my ass and work it off."

“I’m happy to help you with either one,” he promises. “But I’ll only help you with ‘working your ass off’ if it’s something you genuinely want for yourself and not something you feel you have to do for others to acknowledge your prettiness.” You chuckle but it fades quickly when you see the seriousness in his face. “I know it ain’t as easy for others as it is for me. I also know one of the reasons these things fail is because people mix up their goals for what they want with the goals they actually want for themselves. I love your figure as it is, but if you want to work on it for you, I’m happy to help.”

“You’re gonna start taking me to the gym?”

“If that’s what you want, but we’re starting you out small. Another reason these things fail is because people push too hard too fast.”

“I promise I’ll think about it.”

“Just remember, you’re pretty as you are because of who you are.”

“You really need to stop that,” you sigh. “I get that you want to be more than work friends and you’re a good guy, but I still can’t believe you’re actually interested.”

Hal leans back and grins, “I’ll have to up my game, then, Dandelion.”

“I’m not even sure what you could do to convince me, Hal. How are you going to succeed when there’s no known means, methods, or benchmarks?”

“We’ll figure it out together,” he beams. 

“Or you could just give up and admit you’re not interested in me like that.”

“Not gonna happen. I’m no liar, Dandelion.”

You find yourself succumbing to Hal’s charms. You feel comfortable, even safe around him and look forward to your lunches together. You’re able to let some of your guards down and, while you’re not matching his energy, you’re able to return the playfulness he sends your way.

“You need to be careful, Hal,” you laugh during one of your lunches. 

“Why’s that, Dandelion?”

“Because at this rate you’re gonna see me at my…well, ‘Manic Pixie’ isn’t the right term but I hope it conveys what I’m trying to say.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time! I’d love nothing more than to see you let loose.”

“You say that now,” you shake your head. “It can be a lot for people.”

“People that don’t deserve your attention,” Hal comforts. “So, does this mean you’re ready to let me take you out on a date?”

“You know what, Hal? Yes. I trust you and you’ve been nothing but kind and patient with me this entire time.”

“YES! This Friday, I’ll take you out after work. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Hal has been looking forward to a date with you for months now. When he first realized he had feelings for you unlike the other girls he met. And getting to know you even more only fueled his desire. He wants, needs, to make sure that you have a good time. He even breaks out his good button up shirt. He’ll put it on after work so as not to get it covered in sweat. He can’t remember the last time he was so nervous about a date.

When he met you for lunch he was awed by how you had dressed yourself up. A dress that showed off your legs and, given the cardigan you were wearing, showed plenty of cleavage. He asked for a peek but you giggled and told him he had to wait for the actual date to start. The giggly conversation warmed his heart and he wanted, so desperately, to kiss you. But he’d promised himself he’d let you lead on that front. You were the one who was healing and growing so he’d move at your pace.

He actually clocked out a little early because he wanted to clean up in the bathroom before getting you into his truck. It wasn’t anything fancy, but he knew that wouldn’t matter to you. It’s one of the things he really appreciated about you; you didn’t judge others based on looks or money. It’s why he was happy to help you learn to give yourself the same grace. 

You’re shutting down your computer as he walks up to you. You smile at him and, as soon as your computer is quiet, you stand up and unbutton your cardigan. Hal gives you an appreciative whistle as he sees you’re wearing a spaghetti strap, midi length dress that shows more skin than he’s ever seen you show before. You duck your head, feeling the heat on your face, but you’re smiling. You haven’t felt this hopeful about a date in a very long time.

Hal takes you to the local botanical garden. You delight at getting to see the beautiful flowers and trees in the twilight hours, the pink and purple sky enhancing the natural beauty. You’re practically running from garden plot to garden plot and Hal is loving every second of it. You’re not well read on flora but you appreciate their beauty and could spend hours looking at them. 

But the moment Hal’s been waiting for is coming soon. As the sun sets lower, he pulls you close and points to one of the grassy areas. It takes a few seconds but then you see the telltale glow of a firefly. Then another! And another! You’re jumping with joy and giddiness. 

You look at Hal to see if he’s enjoying this too but he’s only looking at you. Feeling a rush of courage, you pull him in for a kiss. He responds exactly how you hoped he would, leaning into it, with an eagerness you delight in. You giggle and it sparks a giggle from him as well. You break the kiss but you keep your face close to his. His steel blue eyes sparkling with happiness. 

The peace of the moment is broken by someone loudly complaining about everything. You freeze as you recognize the voice. Hal gives you a worried look and you whisper, “we need to get out of here. Please.” Not needing an explanation, Hal starts walking you back to his truck.

You hear the loud voice yell out your name, Hal does too. You try to ignore it and keep moving, though you know it won’t do any good. Lloyd is damned persistent and he catches up to you, smiling like he’s genuinely happy to see you. You know better. You’re just an old favorite toy of his. 

“What a pleasant surprise seeing you here, baby,” he grins wickedly. “And here I thought this place had nothing good to look at but, damn. How come you never wore anything like that when we were together?”

“Because every time I tried, you’d point out all of the flaws that those clothes would show off,” you say through gritted teeth. “And you didn’t want me embarrassing you in front of your friends.”

“Well I was definitely young and stupid because, holy hell you look tasty,” he licks his lips and you fight the urge to vomit. “Maybe I just wanted to keep that fat ass all to myself.”

“Lloyd, please leave me alone. We’ve been done for a long time and I have no interest in rekindling whatever the hell it was that we had.” You pull Hal’s hand, silently asking him to go with you and he does so. You’re in charge of the situation and he won’t step in unless he needs to. No matter how much he wants to punch the mustache off that smug asshole. 

“Hey, I’m being damn generous here, baby,” Lloyd yells. “I’m giving you compliments. Hell, I’m giving you my time! No way you’re gonna just walk away from me.” 

The second Lloyd touches your arm you and Hal turn. Hal punches him in the face while you stomp on his toes. Clearly not expecting the double attack Lloyd backs off, shouting obscenities. He looks at the both of you, his nose bloody and his blue eyes storming with rage.

“Fine! Be a bitch like that! We could’ve been something great,” Lloyd shouts before storming off. 

You and Hal turn back and head towards his truck. You’re shaking by the time you sit down, nearly in tears. Hal holds you, asking if there’s anything he can do, anything you need, anywhere you want to go. He’s got you, he’ll take care of you. Whatever you need, he’ll get it for you.

As much as you want to go home and cry, you’re not going to let Lloyd ruin the best date you’ve ever had. You take a few calming breaths and give Hal another kiss, even more intense than the last one. Again, he returns your enthusiasm. You feel his hands roaming and you moan, letting him know you’re enjoying what he’s doing. 

You whine when he breaks the kiss. “I’m not one to take advantage of a lady’s emotional state,” Hal explains. “If you still feel this way after some dinner, I will happily take you wherever and however you want. But I need to make sure you’re okay to do so.” Rubbing your hand against his cheek you whisper your thanks and tell him that dinner sounds like a very good idea.

The dinner is definitely restorative. Nothing fancy, just how you like it. Eating together in the bed of Hal’s truck, looking up at the stars. You feel a peace you’ve never felt before. You snuggle up to Hal and thank him for a wonderful night.

“Though, I do have to ask, why do you call me ‘Dandelion’?”

“Dandelions are some of the most resilient flowers,” he replies. “Everywhere there’s a chance they can grow, they do so. No matter how much people try to get rid of them, calling them weeds, they keep doing their thing. People think little of them but dandelions don’t give a damn what people think. They’re beautiful, strong and have a lot to give if you treat ‘em right.”

“You are too damn sweet, Hal.”

“Only for you.”

“Would you care to make the night last longer,” you ask cautiously.

“What are you thinking, Dandelion?”

“My place. I can make breakfast in the morning. Or afternoon, depending on when we wake up.”

He searches your face for any sign of hesitation or forcing yourself to do this and he finds none. Smiling, he says, “I’ll be the one to cook breakfast. Because by the time I’m done you won’t be able to walk.”

“Challenge accepted, Hal.”

Tagging @alicedopey and @icefrozendeadlyqueen because I promised I would

[the---hermit]

Nothing better that a over the garden wall rewatch while crocheting to put me in the best autumn mood.

13|09|202

It's been a couple of very low energy days, my mood has been going up and down, and I am in one of those weeks in which I would just like to wrap myself up into a blanket like a human burrito and hybernate. I've embraced feeling low and I have been doing as little as I can, trying to ret since I feel so tired. It's honestly better if I feel like this this week instead of the next, since I will be back into my studying routine.

cozy hobbit autumn activities of the past few days:

cleaned up the house

sat down to write letters (I still have a few to write and I think I'll be doing that in the next couple of mornings, taking my time and putting as much care as I can in writing them)

reawatched over the garden wall

continued working on my crochet cardigan (I finished the back panel and I am now working on the first front panel)

got new yarn and asked the store if they can order a bit more because it wasn't enough, the good news is they can the bad news is that it might end up being a slightly different colour (hopefully what I have left at home now is enough to make both the front panels, so if the colour is different it will be on the sleeves and that could work well anyway)

replied to lots of texts, but I have been good with myself and I simply waited a bit more when I was feeling overwhealmed and had no social batteries

continued practicing Irish on duolingo before bed

tried my best to read a bit before bed (it's an habit that comes and goes for me, and lately I have no been that good with it, but last night I read for over half an hour, so that's a win)

📖: The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

[sunflowersandsapphires]

From Bright Light

When Skies Are Gray, Chapter 5

Series Masterlist             Next Chapter

pairing: Frank Castle x fem!reader 

summary: Frank’s life has reached a crossroads: he can either continue to seclude himself and pursue a dark, lonely future, or he can open himself up to connecting with someone again and maybe achieve happiness. Being the grump that he is, Frank has already committed to the lonely path, but his curious new neighbor might just turn that around. 

warnings: swearing (as always), very general descriptions of dissociation, Frank is clearly hurting and not handling things well, small descriptions of violence, last fluff chapter before angst

a/n: I am finally a few chapters ahead on both my WIPs! Hopefully I can start posting more regularly this spring/summer. As always, reblogs and comments fuel me!

w/c: 5.3k

Gritting his teeth as a rogue biker almost knocked him to the pavement, Frank ignored the man’s irritated screaming and stalked forward down the block. Despite the early hour of the morning and the lack of activity in the city, it seemed that the disgustingly high temperature had already put everyone in a mood. He certainly wasn’t a fan of the way the heat coated his skin and drew beads of sweat from his pores, soaking his freshly washed shirt all the way through before he even reached the cafe. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, but stopping at your workplace for coffee had become his new normal. And, given his deteriorating mood this week, deviating from his routine was sure to ruin his day.

So he persisted. Yanking his beanie further down on his forehead and shoving his hands into his pockets, he stared straight ahead and soldiered through the remaining few minutes in the heat before clasping his hand around the handle on the glass door, pulling on it hastily—and nearly falling to the ground when the door didn’t budge. The smirking face of your coworker Leo appeared through the tinted glass shortly after.

“Sorry about that,” The kid apologized, shoving the door open for him and stepping aside. “We technically don’t open for another hour.”

Staring at him quizzically, Frank threw a thumb over his shoulder. “Shit, I can go, if ya want. I didn’t—“

“You kidding?” Leo gave him an incredulous look. “The princess would have my head if I turned her prince away. C’mon in. I’m sure she’s expecting you.”

Rolling his shoulders, the marine straightened his spine and set his jaw, expression stuck in an embarrassed grimace. Stepping over the threshold and into the bakery, the air around him seemed to suddenly grow colder, a shiver running down his back. Glancing upwards to find the offending vent, he frowned when his eyes met a stretch of blank ceiling. Your coworker's smug voice brought his eyes back down.

“She's in the kitchen, Pete.” Though the kid wasn't meeting his gaze, Frank had the sneaking suspicion that he was trying not to laugh.

Flushing, he gave a curt nod, stepping around the counter and into the back room. It wasn't his first time past the batwing doors, but the scene felt surprisingly intimate nonetheless. Through the maze of steel tables and rows of ingredients, he found you. You were perched on a stool in the back corner, away from the dingy windows that peeked out front. Your back was turned to him, displaying the lopsided bow cinched around the waist of your dress. Spine hunched, you were gesturing wildly with one of your hands, the other holding a phone to your ear as you spoke in a hushed voice.

As the kitchen doors whooshed shut, you looked up, eyes wide like a fawn's. Giving him a tiny wave and a strained smile, you spoke with a bit more clarity.

“I gotta go, mom. I'll see you soon. Ok, bye.” Making a big show of hanging up the phone and slipping it into your apron pocket, your smile widened, finally meeting your eyes as you exhaled forcefully. Standing from the stool, you traipsed over to him, skirt swishing around your calves.

“Hey Frankie! Sorry about that,” You wrinkled your nose at the mention of the call. Finally reaching him, you wound your arms around his waist. While he normally melted into your warmth, his nerves were still on edge after the interaction with Leo—his body stiffly returning the embrace but maintaining a small, emotional distance for his own sanity.

Withdrawing from him, you frowned, brows curving inward with confusion. “Is something wrong?”

Blinking as he tried to form a coherent thought from the symphony of anxieties screeching in his brain, he shook his head. “Nah. All good.”

Narrowing your eyes, you moved away skeptically, headed for the front of the shop. “Alrighty then. Let me start a pot of coffee and—”

“D'you usually open early for me?” He blurted out, face itching as it was overtaken by his furious blush.

Your expression remained bemused as you shrugged. “Depends on when you get here, I guess. Why?“

”You shoulda told me.“ He murmured, heart pounding as your face began to fall. What he meant to say was that he didn't mean to put you out. That he had no idea why he'd been blessed with someone who was sweet enough to open her shop an hour early every day for weeks just to make him a cup of coffee. That he felt like an idiot for thinking that you were just especially slow in the mornings and not even considering that he'd been receiving special treatment. That he felt awful for interrupting your morning preparations for almost a month now because he was a sorry sack of shit who couldn't handle being restless and alone in his own apartment, so he decided to bother you every morning instead.

But all that his exhausted and anxiety-ridden mind could come up with were those four words. And his throat was so tight with emotion that they sounded gruff and angry.

Watching you swallow roughly and avert your eyes, he ached to apologize, to correct himself, to wipe that horrible expression of hurt from your beautiful face—but he was cemented in place, awaiting your response.

”I'm sorry, Frank. I saw you out there weeks ago while I was baking and I let you in without thinking. After that, I just never corrected you. I didn't want you to feel bad. I'm sorry.“

As if you'd flipped a switch, the life returned to his body, his posture sagging as you apologized. The pained expression you wore shattered his cold heart, driving him to finally explain himself.  

”Shit, no, don't be sorry, sunshine.“ He cursed, striding over to you and pulling you into a second embrace, a real one this time.

Sighing into his chest, your arms tightened instinctively around his waist as he kneaded a circle into your back with his palm. ”Are you mad?“

Resting his nose in your hair, his heart sank at the fear in your tone. ”Course not, honey. Next time I’m early, tell me to fuck off, ok?“

A few giggles burst out of you and you squeezed your arms around him one more time before pulling away. ”Not a chance, tough guy. Did you still want that coffee?”

“I mean, if it’s bein’ offered,” He shrugged, the barest hint of a smirk gracing his lips as you grinned and dashed out of the kitchen.

Grabbing a stool and yanking it across the floor, he set it next to the station you appeared to be working at. Straddling the metal seat, he studied the array of items strewn across the bench, trying to decide what you'd been working on before he arrived. Before he could decipher what half of the ingredients were, you'd returned with his coffee and a latte of your own.

Handing him the paper cup, your eyes crinkled as you smiled softly. “Here you are, sir. Your disgusting, unedited, hot black coffee.”

“Ya know, I don't think I'd get this much crap from the cafe down the street.” He scoffed, taking a sip of the scalding drink to hide his smile. “Maybe I oughta start goin' there instead.”

“That's always an option,” You shrugged, handing him a danish wrapped in thin brown paper. “But then you'd have to jump through those same hoops again to get free breakfast. Court the baristas, and all that. Whole lotta effort for someone who's already a fan favorite at another bakery.”

“Fan favorite, huh?” He tilted his head at you, poorly hiding his amusement with a raised brow.

“What can I say, Frankie? You've really grown on us. Even though you have shit taste in coffee.” You grimaced dramatically, eyes dancing with humor.

A laugh tumbled from his lips mindlessly. He shook his head before raising the danish. “Thank you. For the free breakfast.”

You responded with a clumsy curtsy. “Why, of course, sweetheart.”

“So,” Frank said around a mouthful of the danish, “What are you workin’ on?”

Beaming at him, you jumped up and down gleefully. “Eek! I’m so glad you asked. So—“ 

As you launched into an energetic dialogue about the myriad of new ingredients you were hoping to work with this week, Frank felt at ease. Somehow, your presence always seemed to have that effect, pushing away his negative thoughts and anxieties until he relaxed fully. You brought out a side of him that he’d locked away for years. Your voice was a soothing melody, washing over his head like ripples on a beach. The soldier inside him–that was constantly on high alert–was content turning away, resting while you were there to watch his back. Sighing deeply, he felt a smile creep across his face as you kneaded dough in front of him, narrating the process and answering his questions as they came. 

But, of course, the divine bubble you’d created for him was destined to pop. 

“Hey, lovebirds. We've got a line.” Striding right past you to the walk-in, your other coworker–Stacy–looked a bit exasperated with Frank’s presence, prompting him to blush sheepishly.

“Fuck, I didn’t mean to distract ya, sunshine. I’ll head out.” Standing inelegantly, and nearly bowling his stool over in the process, Frank avoided your gaze as he started to exit. 

“Oh no you don’t,” You scoffed, snatching him around the waist and burying your head against his chest. “You almost forgot your goodbye hug.”

Cradling your waist in his rough hands, he returned the embrace. “We couldn’t have that, could we?”

“Absolutely not.” You giggled, releasing him from your hold. “Have a wonderful day, Frankie. We still on for dinner tomorrow?”

“Sure, if you ain’t found better company.” He smirked at your resulting eye roll. 

“There’s no such thing, sweetheart. I’ll see you then. Take care of yourself please.”

“You too, sunshine.” He gave a limp wave, ducking his head as he braved the rush of customers out front. 

Curling his fingers tighter into their respective fists, Frank inhaled deeply as his fellow New Yorkers sped by him. The mass of bodies writhed along the city streets, blurring together as each person invaded his space, leaving as quickly as they came. 

Frank pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth to keep from retching. The amount of time spent in close proximity to strangers, even in the short walk to the restaurant, was enough to make him physically nauseous. His skin itched, the sensation flaring as each individual nearly barreled into him. 

The pinpricks of other people’s gazes dotted along his cheeks and neck, and he refrained from looking over his shoulder again to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Nostrils flaring he rounded the corner and marched down the sidewalk. His eyes were glued to the red awning attached to his destination. Just a hundred more yards. Eighty. Fifty. 

As he closed in on the building, his breathing was rapid, his muscles tense with adrenaline. He gave a stiff nod to the man holding the door and slid past him, into the overly air-conditioned restaurant. 

You’d warned him the place was uppity. A friend of a friend was the head chef, or something, and you wanted to support them during their grand opening. 

He wasn’t in the mood to be well-mannered, or consciously think about what utensil he needed to use at any given moment. And he sure as shit wasn’t in the mood to be surrounded by drunk, wealthy people complaining about the quality of their meals that cost more than a month of rent in Queens. But you’d invited him. So he came. 

He wasn’t dressed well enough. That much was made obvious by the look he got from the hostess as he stepped through the door. His dark jacket and worn jeans stood out like neon orange on a hunting trip. As he began stammering out his intentions to the uptight brunette, he heard your voice. 

“Hey Frankie!” Smiling as always, you were quite dolled up. You were wearing an ankle-length dress that he’d never seen before, and it accentuated your figure in a way he was incapable of processing in his given state. Your lips were coated in a shade of gloss darker than you normally wore, your hair styled and jewelry immaculately placed. He let his eyes roam fully over you before catching himself. 

“Shit. Sorry, honey. Hi.” He greeted, lamely. “You, uh, you look…good. Real good, sunshine.” 

Giggling, you looked at the ground bashfully. “Thank you, sweetheart. I wasn’t quite sure what to wear, to be honest.” 

“Me either.” He huffed, looking down at his clothes with a frown. 

“Well, I think you look very handsome, Frank.” You chuckled, beaming at him. 

“I’m under-dressed, I—“

“Hey,” You rested a hand on his shoulder, halting his words. “I think you’re perfectly dressed, ok? Don’t worry.” 

Narrowing your eyes slightly, you studied his face. He could feel you reading him, flipping through his metaphorical pages as you searched for the answer to your question. 

“Frankie, are you sure you want to have dinner here? I know you had a long day, and—“

Frank scratched the back of his neck. Long was an understatement.  The universe, ever determined to undermine the progress he made, had apparently decided he'd had enough peace for the month. Sleep, which had finally been coming easier for once in his sorry life, was once again escaping him. Night after night he jolted awake as the sounds of his wife's screams echoed in his ears.

Usually, his nightmares included his children too. Their disfigured bodies riddled with gore, haunting him well into his waking hours. Recently, his dreams consisted of Maria and Maria alone. Her manicured nails clawing at his chest as she choked on her own blood. Screaming for him, and sometimes at him. Because he didn't save her. He could never save her.

The disturbing imagery had compelled him to stay out of the house more often than usual, taking out his building rage on the cement and drywall of his team's current construction site. He was averaging a 12 hour work day in the hope that wearing himself out physically would force his mind to tumble into a dreamless sleep. It had yet to do anything more than accost his aging body with pain, add to the tab he was racking up at the dog boarding place currently watching Max, and make him almost late for his dinner with you.

Brushing off your concern with a shrug, he shifted his weight from foot to foot. ”'M alright, sunshine. Too hungry to turn back now.“

You smiled at his joke, leaving the space between you open for him to follow as you turned to move.

Petrified by the various stimuli his brain was trying to process, he didn’t tread after you. Giving him a once over as you stepped back, you gently pried one of his hands from his pockets, tugging him out of the doorway and towards a table in the back corner.

It was away from the windows and within sight of two exits, settling his uneasy nerves a bit. The restaurant was filling up as the minutes ticked by, but the tables were spaced far enough apart that Frank could continue to breathe. As he focused on your hand in his, and the way your eyes shone in the flickering candlelight, he could feel his stiff muscles slackening. Your soft thumb drew a line across his knuckles as you slid into the chair across from him. 

“Say the word and we’ll bail.” Your expression was adorably serious, bottom lip protruding with concern. 

“I ain’t bailin’, honey.” Frank forced a chuckle, biting back a sigh as you took his other hand across the table. “Did ya have a good day?”

Face brightening, you nodded as your smile wormed its way back onto your face. Launching into a story about a squirrel you’d saved from a busy street that morning, Frank found himself being lulled into a state of half-consciousness. Internally, his soldier instincts and logic battled fiercely, apparently too viciously for his brain to handle. After moving a mile a minute for hours, his mind had short-circuited when presented with safety. 

He wanted to lean into the comfort you always provided. 

To indulge in the stillness and feel content. 

To stop. Fucking. Fighting. 

To find a new home.

“Frankie, you ok?” Your soft question brought him back to reality.

Eyes flicking to meet yours, he tried to speak, the words catching in his tight throat. Coughing around the emotion clogging his esophagus, he nodded. “Fine. Why?”

Tilting your head, you raised one eyebrow at him. “You just seem...” You waved a hand around his face as if that would clear everything up.

“Sorry, sunshine.”

“Don't be. Did you want me to be quiet, or..?”

Shaking his head frantically, he squeezed his hand around your fingers. “No. Keep goin', honey. I like listenin' to ya.”

Biting your bottom lip, you looked at the table with a pleased hum. “Ok, well, you know our neighbor in 213B? Ms. Kaminzki?”

Nodding, he could feel his focus drifting once again, though you seemed more comfortable with the idea the second time around. You were too perceptive. It scared him sometimes, if he was being honest. He hadn't had a connection this deep since...

Before he could finish that thought, a waiter approached to ask for your order. Grateful to let you take the reins as he regained control over his frazzled mind, he watched with an amused fondness as you bonded with the newcomer over a love of root vegetables. 

Following your server’s arrival, dinner passed without incident–though you and Frank agreed that the prices were far too high for this to become a regular spot. Despite the fact that it was far from the best meal he’d ever eaten, he was happy to spend time with you.

Which is why he let you clasp your delicate fingers around his broad hand as you walked back to your apartment building. You were uncharacteristically quiet as the two of you strolled down the sidewalk. Given his actions over the last couple of hours, he wasn't in any position to scold you for being distant, but the behavior worried him slightly.

Letting his eyes drift sideways to study your face, the corner of his lips twitched upwards at your focused expression. Your face was contorted into a small scowl, pinched in a way he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before. A small, but distinctly annoyed, huff parted your lips as he watched. Clearly something was on your mind.

Bumping his hip against yours, he stifled a smile. “Ya plottin' my murder over there or somethin'?”

Nearly tripping as your concentration broke, you looked up at him sheepishly as he pulled you into his side to steady you. “Sorry, Frankie.”

“It's a'right, sunshine. Why's the cat got your tongue?”

Sighing, you stared at the cracked pavement beneath your feet, placing each step carefully so you wouldn't stumble again. “It's nothing, Frankie.”

“Fuck, you're startin' to sound like me, honey. That ain't good.” Frank frowned as you chuckled sadly. Your usual bright giggles sounded pensive and hollow.

“Just thinking.” You shrugged.

Internally groaning, he tried again. “Work with me here, darlin'. Thinkin' about what?”

Your lips quirked with a smile, lashes fluttering as you looked up at him. “Family stuff. I don't...I don't wanna bug you with it.”

“Would ya tell me if I swore I wanted to hear it?”

A glimmer of sass shone through with your smirk. “Maybe.”

Throwing a hand up to show the distance you still had to walk, he looked at you with a raised brow. “We got time. Hit me with it.”

“Fine. But know that it's stupid.” You pointed a finger at him with a stern look, inspiring a smile of his own.

Exhaling, you chewed on your lower lip between words. “Um, so I haven't told you much about my family. But they're, er...complicated. To say the least.”

Frank listened intently, squeezing your hand encouragingly when you hesitated.

“My mom and I still keep in contact but she's...difficult. She makes me kind of miserable, to be honest. But she's all I have left, so I put up with it. Unfortunately, that means she visits from time to time and I always sort of…” You trailed off, eyes becoming misty as your words failed.

“Sorta what, sunshine?” Frank prompted softly.

“Shut down, I guess?” You looked up at him, lips pursed. “Not to burden you with the details she just...she makes it really hard to not fall back into bad habits. And she's planning on coming up in a few weeks, so I was just lost in thought about it.” You gave a halfhearted chuckle.

“When's she comin'?”

“Three weeks from tomorrow.“ You whined, shaking your head. “It'll be fine, I just need to prepare for it, you know?”

“Would it help if you had company?”

Frank's question caught you off guard. “What?”

“I was wonderin' if it would help, if I was there I mean.”

Shaking your head furiously, you frowned. “Oh I can't ask you to do that, Frank–”

“Last I checked, you weren't askin'.” Frank snorted. “If ya don't want me there…”

“No Frank,” You turned to look at him earnestly. “That would be amazing! I just...you would do that for me?”

Nodding slowly, he brought his free hand up to cup your cheek. “In a heartbeat, sunshine.”

Giggling, you shook your head gravely. “What would I do without you?”

The rest of the walk back to your apartments was spent joking about things you could buy for Frank and slowly start placing around his house. You reached the front door to your building as he was finally talking you out of replacing all of his so-called “boring” glasses with vulgar mugs.

“Look, Frankie! This one is perfect for you!” You squealed, turning around your phone to reveal a poorly photoshopped white mug with the words “Moody Bitch” written on it.

“Fuck off.” Frank grumbled, strutting into the building ahead of you, not hiding his smile as you cackled gleefully.

You scrambled up the stairs after him. “Wait! I found a better one!”

“Nope. I'm done lookin' at your shitty mugs.” Fishing his keys out of his pocket, he unlatched the door, giving Max a scratch as the dog poked his head out in greeting.

“Hi, Maxie!” You cooed, your voice igniting Max's overactive tail. Crouching in front of him, you happily let him kiss your face as Frank slipped his shoes off.

“Ok bud, let her up.” Frank scolded gently as the massive canine began to tip you over in his eagerness to kiss every inch of you.

Standing with too much difficulty, you giggled as you finally managed to drag yourself upright. “Yikes. Pretend you didn't see that.”

“See what?” Frank asked, smirking.

“Thanks for a good night, Frankie. Oh, wait before we part ways for the evening...” You trailed off, shoving open your own door and dashing inside.

Still standing in his own doorway, Frank chuckled to himself as he heard you banging around in your kitchen. “Ya know, I was hoping to go to bed at some point.” He called down the hallway.

“One more second!” You called back.

Pretending to have fallen asleep against the doorframe, Frank's eyes were closed when your footsteps tread back down the hall.

“Ha ha. Very funny.” You deadpanned. “If you don't want this dessert, I can absolutely eat it myself.”

“Dessert?” Frank opened his eyes enthusiastically, accepting the plate you handed him.

The slice of whatever you'd handed him was thick and smelled of cinnamon. Its bread-like texture and swirl of filling looked painfully familiar...

“You promised to try the babka I made! So, here you go.”

Dread pooled in his stomach as his shaky hand grasped the fork you handed him. The enticing smell of the cake suddenly turned to something sinister, drawing acid up in this throat.

“I, uh...I what?” He stammered out, staring at the plate like the pastry had pulled a gun on him.

”The babka I made for Ms. Kaminzki? I mentioned it at dinner and you said you would try it for me?“ Your eyes were shining with anticipation, your tone edged with an anxiety that caused his own heart rate to spike.

His mouth remained shut, drying out as if he'd eaten a bowlful of sand. Spearing the slice of cake, he nodded as he took a small bite.

The blend of spices was something he'd tasted many times before, and he felt like someone had smashed a bottle over his head. Adrenaline surged through every vein, his hands trembling viciously. Bile was clawing up his esophagus, chills suddenly wracking his body.

“It’s great, sweetheart.” He muttered, still staring at the bread.

“Yah?” You asked eagerly, dress swirling around your ankles as you bounced on the balls of your feet.

“Mmmhmm, I love it.” Prying his eyes away from the ceramic plate he held, he glanced at you. Your face seemed to flicker, briefly—another familiar face forming a mask over your wide eyes and small smile. As his nausea suddenly became unbearable, he opened his door. ”I gotta go.“

“Oh, ok! Have a good night, Frank!” You called. He gave a limp wave.

Stepping backwards into his apartment, he locked the door behind him, chucked the pastry across his counter, and bolted to the bathroom.

Using your thumb to steady the piece of tape, you pressed it against the serrated edge of the dispenser to tear off a piece. Carefully draping the adhesive side onto the brown paper, you folded the final edge of the parchment over the babka. You couldn’t help but smile at the beautifully wrapped loaf.

All things considered, you’d been having a great week. The bakery had seen steady traffic, one of your favorite market booths had given all their regulars a huge discount on seasonal fruit, and your adorable elderly neighbor had been so thrilled about the babka you made her that she’d paid you to make one for her knitting club. Speaking of… A quick glance at the clock was enough to hurry you out the door to prevent being late.

Cradling the weighted parcel to your chest, you rushed out the door and down the steps—thanking your lucky stars that you didn’t break an ankle in your haste to make the delivery.

Ms. Kaminzki was an adorable older woman who lived on the floor below yours. You had offered to help bring her groceries in after she’d gotten hip surgery a few months ago, and the woman had been downright motherly to you ever since. She was constantly bringing you home cooked meals and complimenting your outfits, it was about time you made her something in return.

Of course, she’d tried to pay you for the first one and refused to accept a second for free—but there was only so much you could do to combat her sweet stubbornness. Which meant that this time, unfortunately, you needed to let her press a crumpled 20 dollar bill into your hand as you passed her the babka.

Accepting her cheek kisses and endless praise for your “baking talents” more readily than the cash, you ushered her into a taxi so she'd make it to her meeting on time. With the promise to visit her for dinner this week, you waved her off—nearly smacking someone behind you in the process.

“Oh fuck, I'm so—” Tilting your head as you took in the hooded figure in front of you, your brows shot up. “Frank?”

The man looked rough, to put it simply. Deep purple bruises sat under his puffy eyes, his posture hunched and face swollen around a split lip. He was avoiding your gaze, and he visibly flinched as you stepped into his space.

Straightening your fingers, you displayed your palms in a gesture of harmlessness. Though he was still curled in on himself, he met your gaze as you rested a hand on his bicep. “Sweetheart, what happened? Are you alright?”

Frank nodded curtly, recoiling from your light touch as he yanked open the door to your building. “Fine, sunshine.”

Huffing as he slipped into his old habits, you trailed after him.

“Thought we were past the whole 'pretending to be fine' shtick but, ok.” You muttered, nearly tripping over your skirt as you chased him up the stairs.

“I ain't 'pretendin' to be fine'. I am fine.” Frank snapped, not even sparing a glance at you.

“Sure,” You nodded, unbothered by his bad attitude. “Seems like it.”

Scoffing, Frank whirled around on the landing. His glower softened as he registered your furrowed brow. Deflating like a helium balloon, he flushed pink. “Sorry, sunshine. I'm just...havin' a shit day.”

“You sure it hasn't been a shit week?” You asked with narrowed eyes, hand coming up to cup his stubbled cheek. “This cut doesn't look fresh.”

Frank usually leaned into your touch as if it was the only thing keeping him together. While others made you feel self-conscious about your love of physical contact, your grumpy neighbor seemed to be as starved for it as you were.

Today, however, he remained rigid in your hold. His eyes were hollow shells, not holding the range of emotions you'd come to expect from his beautiful irises. Wherever his mind was, you were confident that it was not here with you.

Withdrawing your hand, you nodded your head toward the final flight of stairs. “C'mon, sweetheart. Up we go.”

His stare remained blank, but he followed your direction, marching up the stairs as if he was ready to drop—which, you realized, he probably was.

As he fumbled with his keys, you ambled towards your own apartment, trying not to look like you were prepared to catch him if he collapsed. As he tumbled over the threshold into his apartment, you caught a glimpse of the trash accumulating on his coffee table and counters. If you weren't worried before...

Eyes narrowing as he noticed you staring into his apartment, he gave a small wave. “Have a good night, sunshine.”

Though his words were sweet as always, his tone was flat and you weren't quite sure whether he meant what he said.

“You too, Frankie.” Before he could slip inside his apartment, you pressed a quick peck to his cheek. As your lips made contact with his scruff, one of his rough hands wrapped around the curve of your waist, squeezing gently. Smiling as you retreated, you let his hand linger on you for as long as he needed.

“I'm right next door if you need me, ok?” You promised gravely.

Finally dropping his hand, he nodded, a spark of the warmth you usually found in his expression finally igniting behind his eyes. Shoving lightly at him with an exaggerated frown, you pointed a finger at his chest.

“Go get some rest, Castle. You need it.”

He chuckled softly, finally disappearing behind the chipped white door.

Pondering for a moment, you could practically feel the cartoon light bulb pop out of your skull as the epiphany struck you. Flexing your hands in anticipation, you rushed into your apartment and beelined for your freshly washed mixing bowls.

Thanks for reading!! Please comment/reblog!

Taglist: @cheshirecat484 @xxdrixx @smhnxdiii @mattmurdocksstarlight @danzer8705 @mjsvinyl @softieekayy

[bloggingboutburgers]

Sorry guys, I guess it's time for a shameless tie-in TwT But also an apology... I haven't been very active at all lately because I've been very busy preparing for Japan Expo, which is taking place in Paris at the end of this week (July 13-16), I'll be selling art at booth P716 with my buddies from @better-together-art !

So I'll be quite busy with that in the next few days still, but after that I should be back to draw more comics TwT Hopefully I'll have more energy and inspiration by then!

And if you're in Paris and at the con at that time by any chance... Y'know... Venez dire bonjour ce serait cool TwT

[caeli0306]

No pressure! But do you have another snippet of jealous Xaden that you could share with us?👀

unfortunately I do not! some people have probably noticed that I haven't been as active on here as I normally am. life has been super crazy over the last few weeks and the prompt fics have taken a bit of a back seat as a result. I haven't even started the next chapter of cc yet bc of how much I've had going on since I finished the last chapter. I probably overcommitted with the number of prompts I accepted, so it is taking me much longer than I was hoping to get through them. sorry bestie! hopefully once things calm down a bit I'll have a little more free time to work on prompt fics.

[silenzahra]

I'm afraid my brain is a bit fried today (I feel extremely sleepy even though I allowed myself to sleep in...), so I'm just gonna inform you about something and go have a very lazy rest of my Sunday 😅

I don't think I've ever said this publicly, so here's the big news: I'm moving! It's not gonna be an apartment for myself yet (can't afford that at all), but at least I'm moving out from a place that's been hurting my mental health for the past few months, and it's a change I'm embracing with open arms and that has really lifted my spirits since I made the decision.

It's been a slow process, but finally, this week I'll take the last big steps and hopefully by the weekend I'll be totally settled in at last. This means, though, that I have to interrupt my internet connection for about 5 days so it can properly be transferred into my new home.

So, as for next week, I'm not gonna be active on Tumblr. Perhaps I'll occasionally check my notifs from my phone, but I won't be able to properly get to all of them and leave feedback and such, simply because I feel way more confortable using my laptop to do so (and because I'll be busy moving, too).

In any case, I've left a post programmed for next Wednesday with the last of my old stories I have left to bring into this new blog (except for Anything for him but that one will need more work). Thank you so much to each and every one of you who have reblogged the fixed posts for Biggest fear, Flying together in the sunset light and Wordless love, by the way! If I haven't responded you yet, I'll do so as soon as my internet connection is back 🥰

Obviously, this will also affect my side blog. I intended to post one last translation today before the big change, but as I said, my brain is way too groggy, so I'm not gonna force myself. In any case, I hope you'll get to enjoy the seven songs I've translated so far, and again, if you've left feedback on any of them and I haven't responded yet, I'll do so as soon as possible 🥰

So with that said, I'll be leaving probably until next weekend! Of course my asks and PMs are open for anyone who'd like to reach out, but please keep in mind I'll be slow answering (same as with notifs).

In any case, I'm wishing you a wonderful week, dear friends! See you very soon! 💖

[bellaxgiornata]

I still haven't forgotten about the last few asks from the celebration the other week! I will absolutely answer them all, but I've randomly been back on a writing kick so I'm just going with that at the moment while I still have time and inspiration! Currently Frank is on my brain again and I'm trying to get a draft for Neighbors finished this week and hopefully one for You're Safe With Me afterwards.

But I've got some important information about story updates and my upcoming writing hiatus below the cut for those who want to know what'll be going on with me for the next few months!

Now is probably a good time to mention that once baby finally comes, I'll be taking a little writing hiatus. I'll be 38 weeks on Saturday which means little dude is coming any day now. For a few weeks after that I'll be focusing on baby and my family and recovering. I also realistically know I'm going to be soooo sleep deprived between a toddler and a newborn for a bit. Though my hope is that a few months later, especially when my son starts preschool, I can maybe get back into writing slowly. And obviously as baby gets a bit older he will hopefully start sleeping better so I can get back into things again--because you can guarantee I'll still be feral waiting for Born Again to come out and then afterwards.

But that's why I've been stockpiling rough drafts of stories for a little while now. I'm currently at 8 rough drafts and I've got probably 8 more in varying states of being written. My hope is that I'll be able to occasionally work on editing something up and eventually posting it for y'all. I won't have a schedule though because it'll just be whenever I have something ready and time to post it. I'm also hoping to maybe read some more fics finally and work on a fic rec list to spread the love while my brain is tired (if I can manage reading...).

I appreciate all the love y'all have given me and my stories and I appreciate those of you who will still be patiently waiting for updates while things are changing over here for me! 💖 I still plan to be active on tumblr, too, so I'm not disappearing!

[victoriousfidelity]

i wasn't sure if i was going to say anything about this here, but i've realised it'll probably keep having an impact on my activity here, so: i'm going through a bit of a health scare at the moment, and that coupled with some other stuff that's going on is really throwing me for a loop. i probably won't be around on the dash very much for a little while. i'll be fixing some stuff behind the scenes (updating sig's verses, doing new tag drops), and adding posts to my queue (which will start posting again on 12/08). you'll also probably see me popping up here sporadically. please don't take it personally if i'm difficult to contact ooc over the next few weeks. discord is probably the best bet for getting in touch with me, and you're welcome to message me here to ask for my username, but again: responses will likely be a bit all over the place. hopefully i'll be back with another ooc post soon saying that everything is fine! look after yourselves 🧡

[ell-arts]

Just some talking

Not quite a life update, but not quite an activity post either lol, just a plain post about some general things I guess?

I've slowed down quite a bit on content and activity on here. Ever since graduating and moving back in with my parents, I've been hit with art-lethargy and burnout fully settled in, and so I just kinda allowed myself to be stagnant for a while, recovering from the harrowing year that was 2023. It's been helpful. Of course, I couldn't rest for too long because I had to finalise my portfolio/CV and prepare for the working world. Good news is that starting today I'm working on a concept art/storyboard internship for an animation company for two weeks. I don't know if I'll stick with them after the internship ends, but I do have my eye on some other job offerings. We'll see.

I also just realised that 13 Jan was the 1-year anniversary of me returning to being active on Tumblr again. Since then, I believe I've made more content for PMATGA than ever before, and its all thanks to your support! Hoping for another year of PMATGA fanworks.

That being said, I want to get to the main point of this post. In the next few days (weeks?) I won't be talkative or very active for a bit.

If I may be honest, there's been a heck of a thing going on with my family and in my personal life right now. It's sucking at all of my energy and driving me to the point of having an anxious/depressive episode. Outside of work, I really don't have the motivation or will to work on any content at this point in time.

I've been trying to at least do small bits of writing, hoping to get a few fun drabbles out. But they're uninspired and being done haphazardly, because of emotional lethargy and feeling drained regarding irl drama. I am still barely recovering from last year's burnout from uni. So I'm not going to force it. My drive will come back in time, I just need time to readjust to a new work schedule and deal with personal issues first.

I know that Call Me Cyli is much anticipated. I know that The Veil has now gone precisely a full year without an update, equally as anticipated, if not more. I know how much you guys love these stories.

I am not giving up on them. I just need some time.

Hopefully, after I've landed a permanent job somewhere, I'll be able to have a bit more stability in my time and schedule.

Thank you all so much for being so kind and supportive during my first year back on Tumblr 💙 I'll see you when I see you :)

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

Imagine King growing attached to you

Kaido: go find King and give him this note.

You: *new to the crew* okay, who is King

Kaido: he... He's the one dressed head to toe in leather, you'll know him when you see him.

After wandering around Onigashima

You: *after asking for directions from Sasaki, you spot him* I take it you're King?

King: yeah, who's asking?

You: I have a note from Kaido for you.

King: that's Kaido-sama to you... This says you're the new assistant I requested. I need to go talk to him. *Storms off leaving you behind*

You: sir? *Can't keep up, so you sit and wait for him to come back*

In Kaido's room

King: you made a human my assistant, I don't want them. You know how I feel about humans.

Kaido: yes, I know, but I need you to look after that one though, I have a gut feeling they'll be useful later. They're also a non-combatant, so you need to also guard them, I figured I'd make them useful to you while you do that, by making them your assistant. Where is (y/n) by the way?

King: *wasn't aware you didn't follow him* I don't know?

Kaido: better go find them then, they're your responsibility.

King: ugh! *Runs off to go find you only to find you sitting on the floor where he left you* why didn't you follow me!

You: I couldn't keep up with you.

King: why didn't you try and find me?

You: I don't know my way around yet, and I was already lost. I was always told if you're lost in a building to stay put and wait for someone to find you.

King: *exasperated, but is glad you were easy to find* alright come with me.

Over the next few months

You: *proves yourself a very capable and attentive assistant and pleasant company*

King: *still vaguely bitter about having a human assistant but has reluctantly accepted your occupation of space in his life* we're going on an expedition next week.

You: *has pneumonia* hopefully I will be better by then.

A week later

You: *still sick* alright, I have prepared everything for you, your bags are packed and waiting for you in your cabin. I was told that sometimes it's difficult to get a decent meal the first day out, because of double-checking stuff, so there are some rice balls waiting for you as well. I made sure you have plenty of blank treasury reports for the haul. Is there anything else you'll need?

King: my assistant

You: the doctor didn't clear me for active duty, so I'm afraid I'll have to stay here. Plus someone has to hold down the fort. Although I can't promise it'll be in one piece when you get back. Yamato is a lot stronger than I am.

King: ugh, fine see you in a few months.

That afternoon

Queen: I'm starving

King: *munching on the food you left him*

Kaido: where'd you get those?

King: (y/n) left them for me in my room.

Jack: so that is why they were making in the kitchens this morning.

Queen: those look so good, what flavor are they?

King: spicy tuna, and I think there's a shiso one in here. (Y/n) is always trying to get me to eat more vegetables.

Kaido: I bet you're glad I assigned them to you to look after.

Jack: *mutters* looks like they look after him more.

King: *punches him*

Two days into the voyage

Kaido: *going over scouting reports in the ship's office*

King: *making arrangements for which ships take what supplies*hey, (y/n) get a load of this, Queen wants to take any gold we find as cargo on his ship. The audacity

Kaido: ... Who are you talking to?

King: (y/n), * points in the direction your desk usually is back on Onigashima*

Kaido: they're back at base

King: ... Oh right

Over the course of the trip

King: *realizes he doesn't like you being so far away from him* damn it

Kaido: is it just me or is King grumpier than normal? He snarled at me earlier for drinking before noon.

Queen: he's been more aggressive, and morose lately.

Jack: I think he misses (y/n).

Kaido: I'm not going to lie, I kind of miss them too. I'm tempted to fly back home, to see if they have recovered.

Queen: I already called, doc Bloomington said they're still on bed rest, but they should be fully recovered by next week.

When the crew returns home

King: *spots you in the crowd, waiting at the docks, so he flies over and scoops you up, and finally feels complete and at ease*

You: how did the expedition go?

King: well enough, have you recovered from that puny illness?

You: yes sir

King: good, you're not allowed to get sick for that long again.

You: I have flying fish sashimi and a bath prepared for you in your room for you, sir. We can get to sorting the treasure tomorrow morning.

King: *has missed this* good idea, remind me to let you pick something nice from the haul tomorrow.

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[shelbgrey]

Bones Halloween Special

Paring: Lance Sweets x Hodgins!Reader x others(Platonic)

Summary: y/n Hodgins and her friends go to a haunted attraction for Halloween and they find something unexpected but not surprising for them.

A/n: this is a re-telling of an old greys anatomy fic I wrote, hopefully this one is better.

MasterList

Halloween was among us, I for one loved the holiday but with our job every day was Halloween. When I was a kid I loved dressing up and watching horror movies. None of my friends really cared for Halloween expect maybe my brother Jack and my fiance Lance.

But the last few years our group of friends started a tradition where we'd go to someone's house and watch a bunch of horror movies and eat junk food.

When we all got off work we headed to Temperance and Booth's house. While me, Cam and Angela were getting snacks, Jack and Lance were looking for movies.

While everything was getting set up we waited for the other guests while Booth and Aristoo watched the news for some reason.

“why are you watching the ne-”

“shh” Booth said cutting me off and turned the volume up. There was a lady standing infront of a haunted house on the TV.

“Tonight's is the opening night of DC's Great Balls of Fire, a haunted attraction that has caused some controversy in recent weeks drawing from local urben ledgends and actual serial killers... One maze is actually based on H. H Holmes, is this in poor taste, of just good old fashioned fun?”

Booth sighs and turns off the the TV. “sounds like just a bunch of over sensitive a-holes trying to shut down everyones Halloween fun”

“but if these are based off actual murders around here they could have families” Cam said. “hell, we probably solved a couple of them” I added.

“dude... What if it's haunted? Like haunted haunted” Jack said getting excited, Temperance was quick to rain on his parade. “actually, it's not possible for paranormal activity”

“well, we should still go” I said putting the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. Angela rolled her eyes and stood up as the air fryer dinged “I'm gonna get the pizza rolls”

“I'll go with you” Cam added

“Aw, common Ang” Jack called out.

Not a second later Angela’s screams erupted through the houses then a cash sound followed along with what sounded like Cam's cackles. We all looked over to where the sound came from, confused. Angela came racing in shaking while Wendell followed, rubbing his head. He had crumbs in his hair and red sause on his face from the pizza rolls.

“What happened to you?” I asked, chuckling.

Wendell turned around and looked at Angela. “You hit me in the head with an air fry basket” Angela whipped back around. “Well you snuck up on me, what do you expect?”

“Where's the pizza rolls?” Lance joked as Angela sat down next to Jack with her arms crossed, Jack chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. “Aw, come on babe, it's Halloween everyone's entitled to a good scare”

“so we going or what? It'll be alot more entertaining than y/n and sweets' horror movie collection” Booth joked. “hey..” me and Lance both said.

“going where?” Wendell asked. “The Halloween amusement park thing just outside of the city” Cam said.

Temperance rolled her eyes. “it's just a bunch of cheep rides and haunted houses that aren't even scary. It's a waist of time”

“you scared Bones?” Booth teased, she just rolled her eyes. “with the stuff we see everyday nothing should faze us now”

“soo...” me and Lance both said looking at everyone.

“Sure, why not” Jack said looking at everyone for confirmation. “you in Wendell?” he nodded.

“cam? Arastoo?” I asked turning to the couple. She nodded with a big smile. “I've been in for a while.”

“yeah, it should be fun” Arastoo nodded.

“Come on Bones, it'll be fun” I said. Temperance soon gave in with a smile. Shee nodded making everyone cheer.

After transportation planning and a few extra details we all separated into three cars and headed out.

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“we made it!” me and jack cheered as the the both of raced in leaving the group behind.

“wait up guys! We still need tickets!” Angela shouted making us sighed and walk back.

The line was long but thankful we were towards the front. “lot of weirdos” Cam mumbled. A guy in a clown costume that was behind her and Temperance in line tried to scare them, It didn't work. Temperance didn't even flinch and Cam rolled her eyes.

“boo, so scary” Cam said sarcastically, Arastoo put his arm on her shoulder turning her away from the clown. Booth wrinkled up his nose and subtly moved closer to me and Lance.

We all finally got in with our VIP passes and the place was a sight to see to say the least. Before we set off Lance came up to me with a creeped out expression as he took my hand.

“Sweets we just got here, what's the problem?” Booth asked. He looked around a shivered.

“please tell me the ticket guy licked his lips at all of you and not just me?” I scrunched my noise up in discussed and Booth started laughing.

“would it make you feel better if is said yes?” I asked sweetly, his looked slightly annoyed now. “no, because I don't want so random dude doing that to my fiance” I chuckled which made a smile creep on his face.

“come on, let's have some fun” I said as all of us set off to explore the place.

Booth looked over to Temperance who just looked around slightly board but still trying to look like she was having fun. “this really isn't your thing, is it?” I asked her.

She shrugged with a smile. “I'm just happy to do something with Booth and you guys” Booth was about to lean down and kiss her head, but a guy in a clown costume scared us. Booth jumped in to Temperance's arms and Lance flinched and held on to me, me and Temperance both laughed.

“okay, that was fun” Temperance laughed. I chuckled and pulled Lance along to catch up with the other.

“haunted house?” Wendell asked. We all agreed making our way in. Arastoo and Cam went in first cleaning to each other. The first guy that popped out was bloody, cannibal like doctor making Angela jump into Jack's arms with fear.

She pushed him away like nothing happened. “and... That's just insulting” Temperance said pointing at the doctor as she walked by with Booth.

Strob lights and blood surrounded us as we walked into a canbilist farm themed room. The place was based off. The text chain saw mascara movies obviously.

“ew, that looks so real” Cam said looking at a dummy that was gutted to piece. I looked at it and decided to screw with her.

“that's probably pig intestines, it's what they used in Day of the dead” I said pointing at the dummy. Arastoo wrapped his arm around Cam and looked at me disgust. “how do you know that?”

“same reason I know that I know they used corn syrup for pigs blood in Carrie” I shrugged and Lance wrapped his arm around my waist.

Next we walked into a pitch black room. “okay... Something is gonna pop out” Angela mumbled clinging to Jack.

“hello?” Temperance yelled.

“they aren't gonna respond” Booth said as he looked around.

Strob light suddenly turned on and a bloody clown, taller then Booth came charging at us with a ax. Booth screamed and ran for it while Temperance laughed.

The final room was a back room full of maquines with wolf masks. “one of you are real” Lance mumbled. We successfully made it to the other side without getting scared which made Angela feel confident to walk through. As she went one of them moved and grabbed her scream bloody murder.

She ran out with Jack and the rest of us chacing her.

“that was so badass!” Jack cheered as we made it out to the end. Me and jack high-five then turned to our friend group, everyone seemed shaken up except Temperance.

After that we hit the cheeply made games. Booth and I went up agint each other while Lance and Jack went to a ring toss booth. Surprisingly I won and I wasn't gonna let Booth forget it. “yes! Suck on that!” he laughed and gave me the win.

“here you go” Lance said from behind me. I turned around to find my fiance Holding a little fox plushie he won. I smiled and thanked him with a quick peck on the cheek.

Angela, Cam, and Arastoo then came back with giant preziles and funnel cakes. “What did we miss?” Arastoo asked handing me my funnel cake.

“y/n whipped Booth in a Shooting game” Jack laughed. “yes, that's my girl!” Angela said high-fiving me as Lance took the paper plate and ate some of the funnel cake.

The dude running the Booth gave me my prize, which was a panda bear plushie. I thanked him and gave it Lance.

“i saw another haunted house when I was getting drinks... Sounds pretty scary” Cam said. “i think there's alot of clown crap, so it's probably based off IT or something” Arastoo added.

Booth's eyes bugged out in fear from behind me and Lance. Cam noticed and chuckled. No one knew of his fear expect me and Temperance. He reluctantly agreed as we headed off.

“you alright?” Lance asked, Booth pushed his shoulder slightly. “it's your day off Shrink”

“God, I hate clowns” Booth mumbled. Temperance stopped and grabbed his hand. “We don't have to go in if you don't want to... I'll stay out here with you while the others go in” he shook his head and pulled her along.

“no, let's go” Temperance rolled her eyes and tired to stop him but no dice.

We all went to the entrance which was old, rugged door with very scary written on it. “how scary is 'very scary'?” Angela asked walking towards it. I shrugged when she stopped and looked at me for confirmation.

“it's a haunted house Angie” Wendell said opening the door. Cam, Arastoo, and Jack went through first. Angela sighed and walked in with Wendell.

“ladies first” Lance said to me and Temperance. Booth nodded and pushed me forward. “yup, we're gentleman around here”

Me and Temperance rolled our eyes and went in before our husbands. Lance garbed my hand as we walked through a room full of glowing mirrors. The light flashed on and off giving it an eary feeling.

It went pitch black for a few minutes then the blue lights came back on. A Pennywise actor jumped out and pounded on the window. “holy shit!” Booth said grabbing on to Temperance.

“I don't like it here!” Lance added, hiding behind me.

“Awsome” I said as we watched Pennywise run around.

We rounded a corner and ended up in a room full of clown statues and plushies. “oh you got be fucking kidding me” Booth mumbled as he watched every single clown making sure one of them wasn't gonna move. All the clown Dolls then started to shake and their eyes glew as we walked pasted.

As we exited we saw everyone was waiting. “that was very disappointing” Temperance said as we continued to walk around, Booth's eyes bugged out as he tried to recover from his 'trauma'.

“yeah I expected a bit more fear” I said. The others came out after words and Angela looked just as terrified as Booth.

Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and motioned to another attraction. “welp, there one more... Might as well get our money's worth” Angela sighed and followed him.

I tunred to my fiance and my best friend. “you two gonna be alright?” Lance nodded and so did Booth. “as long as there's no more freaking clowns.” he mumbled.

The four of us walked In the last building, it was The smallest one and looked like the haunted mansion from Scooby-Doo. We walked through a couple of hallway that made it feel like an actual Scooby-Doo themed attraction.

It wasn't really scary, meaning it didn't even bother Angela. “I think this is the end” Arastoo said.

As he said that the ceiling started cracking, something fell through making dust fill the area. “that smell is disgusting” Angela gasped as familiar stinch filled our noses.

“that's a rotting corps smell” I said covering my mouth and leaning into Lance.

“that looks really real” Arastoo said making us look down, it was clean skeleton that was stained red. Temperance knelt down and looked at the Skelton. “y/n, do you have your flashlight?”

I nodded and dug it out of my bag, Temperance shined it on the Skelton. “why would they put a real skeleton in a haunted house?” Angela asked.

"who knows, the 60s through the 80s were known to use real skeletons in horror movies” I said shrugging.

Jack took out his phone light and studied the now crime scene. “yup, look here sis” I looked and saw a couple of magets and a few termites.

“it looks like she's been here for almost four days” I said.

“call it in Booth it's real” Temperance said standing up. “looks like a female in her late 20s”

“thank God... Let's call it and get out of here” Booth mumbled and pulled out his phone and left the building, Lance followed pulling out his phone too. As they left a scare actor stopped them. Booth wasn't having it, getting into agent mode.

“Hey, this is a crime scene now” he barked and pulled out his badge. The scare actor's shoulders slumped and he pulled off his mask, he was just a teen.

“really man, I just got this job” the boys ignored him and called the Bureau.

“one normal night... That's all I ask” I sighed and stoped the other visitors before they could see the dead body.

“let's get her back to the lab before it catches too much attention” Temperance said.

The part of the park that we were at got shut down so the FBI could get through. Temperance and Jack left with them to get evidence.

“well that killed the mood” Angela said as we continued to walk after everyone was evacuated from the crim scene. “not really” I said.

“well, I'm beginning to believe this place is haunted” Cam added, I sighed. “well let's get to the lab, we're not going to bed anytime soon”

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

We spent most of the night cleaning the Bones and checking for injuries. We found out the victim was strangled to death with one of those plastic chains that's used for decoration. The victim was killed and left about three day ago, three days before the Halloween park opened.

Lance came into my office about two hours later with tired eyes. I smiled softly as he plopped down on the couch that was in there. “did you get the killer”

Lance rubbed his face and nodded as I lyed down with him. “it was that kid me and Booth ran into when we were making calls”

“why did he do it?” I asked resting my head on his chest. “he wanted the part the victim had, apparently he worked at the attraction for years and the victim got the job right on the spot”

I shook my head. “the girl was so young”

“all her friends said she was so excited to get the job” Lance said.

We talked until we fell asleep, I don't know for how long but we were suddenly woken up by my brother. “What?”

“you guys should go home, the case is over” I sighed and looked at my watch and saw it was not only the next day but time for work too.

“no because our shift just started” I mumbled and sat up carefully. Lance ground and rolled over and fell back asleep. I let him sleep and went into the lab.

Everyone was setting around with energy drinks and coffee. “I'm starting to hate Halloween” Cam mumbled and downed her coffee.

Jack wordlessly handed me a monster and sat down next to him, as I sipped it the lights went out suddenly.

“son of a bitch!” I sighed and we just set there in the dark too tired to do anything.