#suggestions or decide that they wanted to branch off he’d completely lose his shit because in his mind they’re all stronger together and he

[tariah23]

Outside of all of… that happening to Gojo, and finishing Snowfall the other day, eek……..

[egcdeath]

campers’ quarrel

pairing: steve rogers x reader (ft. mentions of other avengers)

summary: who would’ve guessed that a camping trip with your team and a man who you couldn’t stand would go south so quickly? (that’s a rheotical question.)

warnings: mentions of a broken bone, kind of enemies to lovers, swearing

word count: 2.4k

author’s note: i’ve honestly never gone camping before. hopefully that’s not to obvious. enjoy! 

You and Steve never really clicked. From the start of your work as an Avenger, he’d clearly been wary of you, and being new, you didn’t want to make his disdain any worse than it already was.

This didn’t go unnoticed by your teammates. The more adjusted you became to the team, the more the teasing from them grew. And unfortunately for you, it mainly revolved around your tense relationship with Steve.

Tony constantly paired the two of you up on missions, specifically ones where you’d have to pretend to be in a relationship. Sam and Nat would tease you relentlessly at parties, sitting the team down, looking at both you and Steve, then declaring that playing spin the bottle was a necessity.

With no thanks to your teammates behavior, Steve’s wariness towards you quickly turned into animosity. At least once a week, you’d both butt heads over something as small as leaving cupboards open, or as severe as not carrying your weight during a mission.

When this tension came to a head, Tony suggested that the team go on a ‘bonding’ trip to the woods. You were not completely thrilled at this, but you were a team player, and you knew for a fact that if you refused, you’d be accused of not wanting to be around Steve for an extended period of time.

That’s how you ended up in the back of a Subaru, looking at the window aimlessly while attempting to drown out the intense conversation between Natasha and Bucky over the efficiency of some gun you’d never heard of with the music in your headphones.

“Hey,” you felt a little tap on your shoulder, and you lifted one of the earbuds out of your ear. Steve gave you a right smile, “Can you turn it down some? I can hear your music from over here.”

You sighed softly. It was always something with the super soldier. “Sorry, Steve. Not all of us have super hearing.” You turned your music down regardless, but sent a bitchy text about Steve to Wanda after doing so.

“It doesn’t take a super serum to hear all of that,” Steve muttered quietly to himself. Fortunately, for the peace of everyone in the car, you didn’t hear the comment. However, you did notice Sam looking back and forth between you and Steve, and it did make you ask yourself what exactly you’d missed.

You really were not looking forward to this trip.

——

Soon after your car arrived, the camper containing the rest of your teammates made it to the campsite as well.

“All right guys,” Tony announced while rounding everyone up in a circle, “We need to experience the full camping experience. That means no powers to create whole campsites, looking at you Wanda. It also means now crushing small game with metal arms to feed the rest of us.”

“Wonder who that’s directed at,” Bucky muttered.

“Now, everyone has a part to play in setting up shop. Take it away, Pep.”

You couldn’t help but to giggle at the fact that Tony and Pepper were treating this like some sort of Keynote presentation.

“Thanks, Tony,” Pepper looked down at the clipboard she was holding. “Okay, Bucky and Sam, you’re on tent duty. Nat, Wanda, find us something to eat. Y/N, Steve, grab some firewood for us. Banner, Rhodey, once the firewood is here, you’re responsible for starting the actual fire. Good luck everyone!” Pepper said cheerily, before waving a dismissive hand to send you all off.

To say you were pissed about being paired with Steve was an understatement. But you refused to make a scene. You silently began walking behind Steve, who seemed to not want to interact with you either.

That’s how the majority of your trek for wood went. Silent and tense. You really just wanted to find any piece of wood, but it was just your luck that the ground was extremely damp, and all the wood that you came across was similarly damp and unusable.

It was strange, because time seemed to be going by very slowly, yet extremely fast at the same time. You swore that in a matter of moments, the sun was already making her way down, indicating that night was near.

“Jesus Christ, Steve,” you broke what felt like the century long silence between the two of you. “Can we just give up already? I mean, we’re clearly not gonna find any good wood, and we keep getting further from camp, and we’re about to be in complete darkness.” “It’s fine, Y/N. I brought a flashlight and I’m sure that we’ll find something somewhere. Stop being such a downer.” You swore you could hear Steve roll his eyes as he went about crouching in the dirt in his search for fallen tree branches.

“I’m not being a downer, I’m being realistic. We need to go soon. We can just explain to the team that all the wood was bad,” you stood up straight, pacing around the area Steve was searching in.

“You really wanna let everyone down?”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“You’re not being dramatic enough. Look, I just found some dry wood. Come’ere and help me find some more.” He beckoned you over with his hand.

On your way over, you failed to notice a rather large log, and tripped rather forcefully over it, twisting your ankle dramatically in the process.

A sharp, searing pain traveled up your entire leg, and you yelped out in pain before falling onto Steve’s back, which hurt almost equally.

“OW! What the fuck!” You yelped before rolling onto the damp forrest floor.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Steve quickly turned around, and leaned over your sprawled body.

“I swear to God I just broke my ankle. And then your back decided to cripple me some more. Did you even feel it?”

“Of course I felt it. Hey, get up. Let’s see if you can walk. It’s probably not even broken,” He stepped back then stood up, extending a hand down to you to help you up. You hesitantly took his hand, somewhat nervous of what holding this man’s hand could awake in you, then attempted to stand up.

The moment you felt the weight shift to your left foot, you collapsed back onto the floor with a groan. The pain made tears well in your eyes, and you quickly became embarrassed with the emotions you were displaying in front of Steve.

“I can’t Steve. Can you call 911 or like, Tony or something?” You turned your face away from Steve’s eyeline so that he wouldn’t see you cry, but you knew the waver in your voice was betraying you.

He slipped his phone out of his pocket, then shook his head, “No reception. I’m sorry, Y/N.” The apology felt genuine, and it was kind of throwing you off. The air of annoyance that had seemed to always be between the two of you felt like it had faded away, for just a moment of seriousness.

“Can you, uh,” you awkwardly rubbed your warm cheeks at the thought of what you were about to ask. “Can you carry me back to camp?”

“I guess we don’t really have any other option.”

“Let’s just… not mention it. If anyone ever asks, this never happened. And you need to forget about it ever happening too,” as Steve began to scoop you up, you  added one more thing. “I’m not even joking, Steven. I swear to God I’ll make Bruce make an amnesia serum so you forget this ever happened.”

You could feel the laugh vibrate from Steve’s chest as he carried you bridal style. You just hoped he couldn’t feel the butterflies fly throughout your stomach.

----

A few hours into being carried, the situation began to lose its novelty, and you were beginning to become more annoyed as you realized that Steve was very lost.

“Steve, do you have any idea of where you’re going?” You questioned.

“Of course I do. Just have a little patience, okay?” He glanced down at you with furrowed brows.

“Mhm.” You said sarcastically. “I swear I’ve seen this exact tree like, three times already.”

“I’m sure you have.” He responded drily.

“What’s up with you and that attitude, Steve? You’ve always had a problem with me, and I never did anything to you.”

Steve scoffed, “what attitude?”

“That attitude!” You gestured wildly with your hands.

“Well, you’re no better. It’s not like you ever tried to be my friend or anything like that.”

“That’s not true at all. I remember during one of our first team bonding nights, I kept trying to talk to you, and you kept shrugging me off.” You pushed a finger into his chest.

“That’s because you kept asking me stupid shit, like if I’d heard of Beyoncé before or if I knew what garlic powder was. Put that finger away.”

You obliged and shrugged, “maybe I don’t remember that night as well as you do. But asking you questions like that can’t be the only reason why you dislike me so much.”

“I don’t dislike you,” Steve began while walking up a new path.

“So why do you act like that to me? How was I supposed to know that?” You looked up at Steve, and in the dark, you were still impressed by his sharp facial features.

“Can we talk about something else?” Steve glanced down at you.

“Yeah, let’s talk about how this is all your fault. If you weren’t so stubborn and just gave up on finding this damn wood, I wouldn’t be here with a broken ankle and spine. And I wouldn’t be feeling your heart racing like a hummingbird’s against my back.”

Steve blushed at this, he hadn’t considered that you could feel his heart racing. If your eyes weren’t deceiving you, you could almost make out a light red tint on his face.

“Shut up, Y/N,” Okay, Steve was definitely blushing. “If my heartbeat is annoying you so much, would you rather me leave you out on the ground for the bears to find you, and for you to become worm food?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.” He stopped in his tracks, then began to lower you down, excruciatingly slowly.

“Steve! Okay, okay. I’m sorry for pointing out your heartbeat. I just wouldn’t want your geriatric ass having a heart attack on me. Now hold me.”

The both of you erupted in laughter. You honestly wondered if you and Steve stopped being such sucks to each other, if you could actually form some kind of relationship. You could see yourself being good friends with the man.

Once you both stopped laughing, a comfortable silence flooded the air. It was late, and exhaustion was clearly beginning to plague both of you. “I’m so tired,” you whined, breaking the silence.

“Me too. Should we sit down somewhere and call it a night?” Steve’s pace began to dwindle.

“I guess. It’ll probably be easier to find our way back to home base in the sun.” Steve nodded at this comment.

“I’m gonna set you on this log while I roll out the tarp. Give me a sec,” Steve followed through with his statement, then looked through his backpack to find the blue tarp for you two to lay on.

You waited patiently for Steve to roll it out, then when he did, you slid onto it, wincing in the process at your throbbing ankle.

“You okay?” Steve asked, a genuine concern in his voice as he sat down next to you on the tarp.

“‘m fine.” You mumbled, throwing your arm over your face and sighing.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you to the campsite.” Steve said softly beside you. “Really.” He closed his eyes and turned his head away from you as you turned your head to look at him.

“It’s okay Steve. I’ll probably be fine. Nothing a night in medbay can’t fix, right?” You smiled a bit, even though you knew he couldn’t see it.

Even in your uncomfortable position, sleep was quickly overtaking your body. Your brain was barely functioning at this point.

You reached a hand over onto Steve’s chest, and you once again felt his heartbeat pick up. “I’m sorry that I act like this,” you mumbled, your words slurring together. “I think you’re really great.”

Steve’s hand landed on top of yours. “You’re not so bad either,” he slurred sleepily. “You know, the reason why I act like I don’t like you is ‘cause I like you a lot. You’re pretty… cool. You’re pretty and cool.”

“Aw Stevie,” you sighed happily. Steve turned his head to you and gave you a smile that you could only faintly see in the dark. “Are you cold?” you asked abruptly, interrupting the moment you two were having.

“Yes! I thought it was just me. It’s like negative 500 degrees out here-“

“Spoon me. Let’s conserve our warmth,” you hummed out, and Steve quickly and happily obliged. With that, the both of you were out like lights.

——

“Fucking finally!” Bucky cheered, making your eyes open abruptly.

“And to think we thought we’d lose our lovebirds forever.” Rhodey laughed.

You had to blink a few times before your vision (and brain) finally cleared enough to acknowledge what was happening in front of you.

The sun was up, and your whole team had showed up in front of you and Steve, watching you two spoon affectionately in your sleep.

“Ew, what?” You scooted away from Steve, then groaned at the persistent throbbing of your ankle. At this point, Steve shot up as well.

“What is going o-“ his eyes practically bulged out of his skull when he saw his teammates. “Oh shit.”

“You two have lots of explaining to do,” Sam laughed at the situation.

“Let’s start with this: I think I broke my ankle yesterday. So who wants to help me get back to camp?”

——

You sat at the kitchen table of the camper on your way back to the compound, a mug of lukewarm coffee sitting in your hands while you contemplated the weird ass night you’d just had.

While deep in your thoughts, a seat was pulled out, and none other than Steve Rogers sat right down in it.

“So, are we gonna talk about what happened yesterday?” He asked you with a bit of a smirk.

“No. I don’t think we will.”

[theyre-just-blocks]

Star Wars x Dream SMP

Pt. 1

I saw some fanart of a Mandolarian Dream and my brain went brrrrrrr

Anyways, here are some ideas I have for a potential Dream SMP in the Star Wars universe.

Let's say this is all during the prequels/originals?? Like between them or somethin.

They'll most likely be all over the place and some of it will likely not be accurate because I'm new to the Dream SMP and I don't have an extensive knowledge of Star Wars but just think about their OUTFITS.

Anywho-

The Dream Team

Dream:

MandolorianMandolorianMandolorian

He's definitely some kind of Mandolorian bounty hunter who's really made a name for himself

Was he born on Mandalore? Mayhbe??

He's got a green beskar armored suit and is known for speed running his bounties

He's just insanely good at his job and usually just takes up whoever's willing to pay him the most

Currently he's being hunted down though by a Jedi and his crew so he's not too happy with it

He doesn't really give a damn about the Empire or the Rebels so he kind of does his own thing

I'm thinking he's part of the Death Watch branch of Mandos because he refuses to take his helmet off

He's actually a decent pilot, ngl, and his favorite weapon to use is his harpoon

He also has a jet pack he occasionally uses and prefers close combat weapons to traditional blasters

Even though he's being hunted down, he enjoys messing with the people who are hunting him down

He gets caught by them though but they decide to team up and create chaos for the galaxy

Dream works for the Empire and does some bounties for them because they pay him a lot

He then convinces George and Sapnap to join him and work for the Empire just because they pay them good

George:

JEDI GEORGE

He has a blue lightsaber

AweSamDude was his master (more on him later)

He managed to escape Order 66 just because he was luckily not around for it (he slept through it)

He was hunting down the Mandolorian so he was safe from troopers

However the lost devastated him and he wasn't sure how many Jedis still remained

Change the glasses into some cool goggles or some shit that help with his color blindness

Currently he's tasked with hunting down a Mandolorian because his master said so?? (I really don't know why he is, this is just manhunt but Star Wars)

He's not too skilled with the Force to be honest :// but he's getting there!!!

Along the way he meets Sapnap and gets him to help him hunt down Dream

Let's say eventually they do capture him but since Order 66 happened, George isn't sure what to do with him

So they form a pact/deal and team up despite their ancestors being enemies

They decide to look for more Jedis and cause chaos for the Empire while doing so

However, Dream convinces them to join the Empire as bounty hunters

But since Geroge is a Jedi he stays out of it as much as possible because he doesn't want to be found out, so instead he continues his search for other Jedis

Sapnap:

Bounty Hunter/Smuggler Sapnap

I'm sorry, I just,,, Han Solo but it's Sapnap

Hot headed pilot who's quick with a gun and has nothing better to do so he joins a Jedi on his hunt for a Mandolorian who likes messing with them

Let's give him a blaster

He was trained by BBH!!!

BBH runs the Badlands, an Outer Rim group who trains smugglers and Sapnap is one of them

He's quick witted and even quicker with a blaster but he wishes he could use a lightsaber

He's the one with the ship and isn't that bad of a pilot tbh (George is definitely worse at it)

He doesn't really care for the Rebellion or the Empire, so long as he gets paid, he's good

So that's why he decides to help George hunt down the Mandolorian, because George is supposedly going to pay him

Once they finally catch the Mandolarian though, they decide to team up and Sapnap wants his money

Later on he agrees to join the Empire with Dream because Dream assures him he'll be paid

He works as a cargo pilot for some time before they let him work alongside Dream to hunt down rebels

Sleepy Bois Inc

Philza

JEDI MASTER PHILZA

Let's say he escaped Order 66 and smuggled out his padawans

He got away and hid from the Empire so he could continue to raise/train his children/padawans

GREEN LIGHTSABER

He's really great with the Force and his lightsaber skills so he's someone to be reckoned with

Hahahahahahaha,, imagining Wilbur's death but instead of a sword it's a lightsaber-

Like Han Solo's death but reversed

Once his padawans were older though he kinda disappeared and went into hiding until he was needed

That's when he showed up because he heard Wilbur was causing some trouble

Eventually I would think he abandons the traditional Jedi ways and becomes a Grey Jedi with white saber like Ashoka's

Wilbur

JEDI WILBUR

At first, Wilbur was all for the Rebellion, he fought alongside the Rebels and helped with his Jedi abilities

I want him to have a yellowish lightsaber

He was basically adopted by Philza and had been training under him for years

Basically he was Philza's padawan

He was a strong Jedi but after falling in love with Sally and having Fundy, he was shamed by the Jedi Council because they aren't allowed to have relationships

So he left the temple and joined the Rebellion with Fundy once his son was old enough to fight

HOWEVER

He decides to switch sides after he starts to lose hope in the Rebellion and is betrayed by Eret

Eventually him and Fundy switch sides and join the Empire later on

When they realize he's a Jedi he's granted a red saber or somethin

And in order to keep his title he completely disregards Fundy and basically leaves him on his own

He takes charge of his own fleet and goes mad with power, taking over planets and whatnot, and is eventually slain by Philza who came to try and talk some sense into him

Technoblade

He was adopted by Philza, but when he did, Techno was a little too old to be trained as a proper padawan

So Philza trained him in secret alongside Wilbur since Techno was Force sensitive

When it comes down to it, Wilbur is strong with the Force and Techno is strong in his swordsmanship

His family was killed by the Empire so he has a strong dislike for them

When Wilbur ran off after Fundy was born Techno stayed with Phil to train Tommy for a bit before deciding to join the Rebels

Soon he became radicalized and realized he didn't like the rebels and their ideals

So he broke off from the rebels and decided he would do his own thing

Most likely became a bounty hunter but he doesn't work for the empire

He felt betrayed when Wilbur joined, but he didn't do anything to try and stop him

Tommy

One of the strongest Jedis Philza has ever encountered

And Tommy knows it so it just fuels his ego

He wants a red lightsaber because it's "cool" but he's stuck with a blue one

Technoblade trained him until he left, shortly after Wilbur left, and a few months before Order 66 happened

After that, Philza continued Tommy's training

Tommy was one of the padawans at the temple who grew up there, but when Order 66 happened, Philza had to get him out

He's very headstrong so Philza thinks that makes him dangerous

He prefers to use his saber more than using the Force

After his older brother's left he was eager to join the Rebellion and Philza let him

Philza knew he'd be hunted down so he told Tommy to join the Rebels while he escaped to the Outer Rim

So Tommy joined and quickly gained ranked, thanks to his older brothers

However, he notices that they start to act different and that they've changed, so relationships start to break

The final breaking point though is when Techno supposedly kills Tommy's friend, Tubbo, after the Rebels find out he's a double spy, which is not entirely true

Tubbo

Tubbo was an orphan who was picked up by Philza and Tommy one day

He wasn't Force Sensitive but they let him stick around anyways

He spent a lot of time with Tommy and not so much the older two

When Order 66 happened, Philza took him as well, afraid of what the Empire might do to him

He helped Tommy with his training a bit but he couldn't do much since he's no Jedi

However, Philza suggested being a pilot and Tubbo wasn't that bad at it

When the older brothers left, Tubbo stayed and did the errands for Philza and Tommy so that they'd be safe and hidden

He was offered a job by some Imperials who thought they could use a pilot like him for cargo deliveries

Thinking he could be a double spy, he gladly took the job and didn't tell anyone

It didn't get him into trouble until after he and Tommy joined the Rebels

Someone found out (quite possibly Wilbur) and Tubbo was interrogated but no one but Tommy believed him

The had Techno execute him, but since Tubbo was somewhat of a brother, Techno made sure Tubbo would survive somewhat

Tubbo did, but suffered several permanent wounds

It wasn't till after Tommy's fallout with his brothers that Tubbo revealed himself as alive to him

[clumsyclifford]

bella! I don't know if you're taking requests/prompts? but if you ever feel like writing anything based on just friends by saint morgan, that'd be cool? xD (whichever ship you think it fits, but it reminds me of that cake fic you wrote based on "silent confessions at the foot of your bed") anyway yeah that's all

shal !! it took me two months but i finally got around to writing this. since you mentioned g&c cake i made it cake, and yes i did loop the song the entire time i was writing it (29 times!). also i have to say, EXCELLENT taste. listening to that song 29 times really made me love it. also i recommend listening to it while reading for optimal experience. anyway i hope i did it justice <3

- 

They go to the river.

River is a generous word for what’s really a racing stream, but the ambience is nice. It’s a warm Tuesday in December, and Calum’s restless for adventure. Luke can tell — somehow Luke can always tell; Calum doesn’t think he’s an open book but Luke only needs to give him a critical once-over before he’s got Calum figured out — so Luke suggests they go to the river, and Calum eagerly agrees.

Neither of them bothers to put on better clothes for swimming. They’re not really planning to swim, though it might happen anyway. It’s just nice to be outside on a gorgeous day like this. And Calum will take any and all opportunities to spend time with Luke.

“Dare you to go in,” he says as they approach the bank. Luke laughs.

“Darers go first.”

“Fine.” There’s no way Calum’s getting in; it’s warm but not that warm, and he doesn’t want to be cold the rest of the afternoon. Maybe he can manipulate Luke into getting in, though. He’s seen Luke caught in a rainstorm before, so he knows from experience that nobody looks quite as pretty while drenched. 

It’s too late for Calum to pretend he’s not thinking it, or convince himself that he doesn’t have the world’s worst crush on Luke, so he’s learning just to let himself indulge when he can.

“You so won’t,” Luke scoffs. Then he shrugs. “It’s nice out, though. Maybe in a little bit.”

Calum concedes this with a tilt of the head, and in tandem they sit down on the grass nearby, claiming a shady spot under a tall tree. Luke leans back, stretching his arms behind his head like a pillow, and closes his eyes. Calum props himself up on his elbow and watches Luke.

Some people are winter people, best framed against clean white snow and wrapped up in layers. Luke is a summer person. His skin gleams under the sun, eyes and sky competing to be bluest. T-shirts and shorts suit him best, and even hidden in the shade of the tree, he’s dappled with sunlight through the leaves. Pretty is hardly sufficient; he’s one of the most beautiful people Calum’s ever met, ever seen in his life.

They don’t talk for a minute. Luke’s eyes flutter open, as if by accident, but when he sees Calum they stay open. “What?”

“What, what?”

“Don’t stare at me,” Luke says, pink-cheeked.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“No,” Luke says immediately, and then, “but just — don’t.”

Calum shifts so he’s on his back, side by side with Luke but not quite touching. “Fine, weirdo.”

“You’re the one who was staring!”

“Well, you’re the one who made it weird.”

“It’s weird to stare at your friends.”

“I don’t think it is. Not when they look like you.”

Luke is quiet. “Still,” he finally says, and that’s a soft rejection, but it had been a soft attempt anyway, so Calum takes it with a grain of salt.

Another couple minutes pass. It’s not humid, but the warmth lingering in the air makes Calum feel a bit drowsy, so he closes his eyes also, allowing them both to soak in the summer silence.

Luke breaks it by saying, “Um, this is a stupid question, but we’re really friends, right?”

Calum frowns without opening his eyes. “Of course we are,” he says. “That is a stupid question.”

“I guess you wouldn’t tell me if we weren’t,” Luke continues, like he hasn’t heard Calum.

“I wouldn’t be friends with you at all if we weren’t,” Calum argues. He opens his eyes and turns once again onto his side to look at Luke, who’s now gazing up at the branches above them. “What are you even saying?”

“I don’t know,” Luke says. He’s blushing deeply. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“Why do you ask?” Calum presses. “What are you thinking about?”

Luke shakes his head. “Nothing. Never mind.”

It’s obviously not nothing — Luke’s leg is bouncing, the way it does whenever he gets nervous — but Calum can’t imagine he’ll get any further with the third degree, so he backs off.

“I’m gonna get in the water,” he decides. He’s not totally sure what makes him say it, but it gets the result he’d hoped for: Luke purses his lips and says, “Me too, then.”

They both get to their feet and brush themselves off. “Is there dirt on my back?” Calum asks, turning out and attempting to look over his shoulder.

Luke steps behind him. “A bit, yeah,” he says. With one hand he braces Calum’s shoulder, and the other brushes the dirt off Calum’s t-shirt. Calum swallows, trying not to squirm under Luke’s firm grasp. As soon as he’s done, Luke moves away, and Calum reaches for the collar of his shirt and pulls it off.

Luke makes a noise. “What are you doing?”

Calum turns to him. “I’m not getting my shirt wet, I’ll just be colder,” he says, drawing his eyebrows together.

Luke bites his lip. “Oh. That makes sense.”

It does make sense, but it also does exactly what Calum had intended. After a moment’s hesitation, Luke also tugs his shirt off, and they both head for the stream.

The current is slow today, and when Calum trudges into the water it goes up to the middle of his stomach. He bends his knees and watches Luke slowly wade in after him, staring once again. Luke is skinny, but there’s something sculpted about him, like none of him is by accident; like someone built him, or sketched him with a ruler and then brought him to life, clean lines and sharp edges. Calum is dying to touch him, just to see if his skin is as hot as the sunlight it’s made of, if dragging a hand down his arm makes him bleed, if his hair is as soft as it looks. 

More than all of that, Calum wants to kiss him, so much he thinks he might lose his mind if he doesn’t get to.

Luke sinks low in the water, digging his heels into the riverbed so he doesn’t drift away. Calum lets the current bring him closer.

“Kinda cold,” Luke says, giggling. Calum looks at him and can’t look away.

“Kinda,” he says. “Bet you’re glad you’re not wearing a shirt now.”

“I am,” Luke acquiesces. “You’re a genius, Calum.”

“That is true. I am a genius.” There’s a pause. “You should dunk your head,” Calum says. “We should both. On three.”

“Really? You want to put your head in this water?”

“It’s just water.”

Luke ponders this but fails to come up with a decent counter-argument. “Fine,” he says. “Promise you’ll actually do it?”

“It was my idea,” Calum says, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I promise.”

“On three, then.” Luke bobs up and down. “One, two — three!”

True to his word, Calum submerges himself completely, then surfaces and shakes his head out. Luke has also kept his word, and his hair is plastered ridiculously to his forehead until he reaches up and pushes it back with one hand. The light is threading itself through the sheen of water over Luke’s shoulders and chest. Calum is helpless against it; Luke was made to be gazed at, and Calum is just a lucky spectator.

“You’re staring again,” Luke says quietly. Calum smiles and floats nearer to him.

“Yes I am,” he says easily. “You’re very easy to stare at.”

Luke’s cheeks turn red. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” Luke says, flustered. “Because — I don’t know.”

“Do you want me not to?”

“Not to…what?”

Calum bites his lip, waving a hand underwater and sending the flow this way and that. “Whatever it is you’re telling me not to do.”

Luke shakes his head. “It’s just — never mind.”

“You can tell me, you know,” Calum says. Luke’s not moving away, which is a good sign, so Calum straightens up. He feels like he’s towering over Luke until Luke also straightens up, and then, hesitantly, Calum takes a step closer. One more step and they’ll be touching; one more step for Calum to be the first person ever to make contact with the sun. “You don’t have to say never mind. I want to know.”

Luke looks away, down at the rocks and sand under their feet. “My mum says she thinks you’re trouble.”

That’s not what Calum had been expecting. “What?” he says, strained. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Luke mumbles. “She says she thinks you’re going to be one of those people who takes the shy kid under their wing and then just ditches him a few weeks later. Like, one of those popular kids.”

Calum makes an offended noise. “I would never do that!”

“She’s looking out for me,” Luke says, and he sounds tired. “I mean, I…I’ve never really had close friends, so I think she’s just being overprotective. I don’t know. She got in my head. That’s why I asked you that, earlier.”

“Luke, I’d never. You know I’d never. We’re really friends. You’re one of my best friends.” Calum takes a deep breath. “You believe me, right?”

Luke finally lifts his gaze to meet Calum’s. “Yeah, I do. I just don’t think my mum will. I tried to tell her that and she wouldn’t listen.”

Calum is itching to take that last step, but there’s something stopping him. Maybe it’s just the look on Luke’s face. “Is she — does she hate me?”

Luke shrugs. “It’s more like she really doesn’t trust you. So…I guess that’s the same. Sorry, Calum. I mean — I like you, though. And I know she’s wrong.” Something occurs to Calum. “Does she know you’re with me right now?”

Luke laughs a bit, though it’s clear he doesn’t find it funny. “No, uh…I told her we’re not friends, anymore.” He winces. “I know that’s — I know that’s not — I’m a coward, you know? But —”

“It’s okay,” Calum says with difficulty. “You don’t want to upset her.”

“It’s more like I just wanted her to stop shit-talking you,” Luke says. “She doesn’t talk about you anymore, so.”

“That’s good.” Calum bites his lip, hesitant. “I thought you were going to say it was something to do with, like, hanging out with the gay kid or something.”

Luke’s face twists into an expression of horror. “No! Calum, no way.” He breathes a nervous laugh. “She couldn’t have a problem with that anyway. I also, um, like boys, and she’s never said anything about that.”

Calum blinks. “You do?”

Through the water, Calum can see Luke kicking up pebbles. “Yeah,” he says. “I thought I said.”

“You didn’t. Just boys, or…?”

“And girls,” Luke says. “But, um, it’s a bit — it’s not like I’ve ever dated anyone, or kissed anyone, or anything, so, you know, I could be wrong.”

“You’ve never kissed anyone?”

Luke blushes with his whole body, Calum notices, with distant amusement. It creeps up his neck and tints his ears before crossing his cheeks. “Uh, no.”

There’s a beat of silence, and Calum does a quick pro-con analysis, but in the end it’s nothing but hope and recklessness that makes him ask: “Do you want to?”

“Obviously I want to,” Luke says, rolling his eyes.

“No, I mean.” Calum licks his lips, which feel suddenly dry. “Do you want to right now. With me.”

The quiet that follows is the heaviest Calum’s ever been in. It stacks itself onto Calum’s shoulders, daring him to cave, to back down even an inch, but Calum just stands still and watches Luke. If he doesn’t want to, he can always say no. He has to know that Calum will back off if he says no.

Luke swallows hard. “Really?” Calum nods once, holding his breath. There’s another moment of silence while Luke studies his face, and finally he says, “Okay. If you’re sure.”

Calum’s never been more sure of anything in his life. At last the invisible barrier breaks down, and Calum takes the final step to bridge the distance between them. “Stop me if, um, whenever,” he says. Luke nods. Calum settles his hands delicately on Luke’s shoulders — electricity racing up his arms — and Luke moves his hands uncertainly around for a second, so Calum grabs his wrists and settles them on his own waist. “Okay?”

“Sorry,” Luke mutters. Calum shakes his head, a small smile on his face.

“It’s all good,” he says. “Can I…”

Luke nods slowly, so Calum wastes no time. He leans in and Luke meets him in the middle, and for a second everything in the world stops moving, stops existing, except Luke’s mouth on Calum’s, clumsy and unsure but decidedly Luke, who Calum’s wanted to kiss basically since they met. 

Not only is it exceptional for a first kiss, it’s exceptional for a kiss at all. Calum quickly wraps his arms around Luke’s neck and Luke’s wind around Calum’s waist, pressed together at almost every point. Despite the chill from the breeze catching on their damp skin, Calum feels like he’s on fire. If this is what it’s like to touch the sun, Calum never wants to stop. He’d burn himself up to kiss Luke forever.

Though Luke had been tentative at first, he surrenders immediately when Calum slides his tongue over Luke’s bottom lip, with a small sigh that makes Calum’s heart skip a beat, or cease altogether. Around them, the current pushes the two of them impossibly closer together; when Luke’s tongue finds its way into Calum’s mouth, Calum fails to suppress a shiver, and immediately Luke breaks away, concerned.

“Are you cold?” he asks breathlessly.

Calum laughs and shakes his head. “Not even a little bit,” he says, and pulls Luke back in.

The feeling of Luke under his fingertips is overwhelming, and Calum is sure that without the kiss grounding him, he’d float away entirely, or disintegrate, or burst into flames. He feels like he’ll do one of those things as it is, or maybe all three. Kissing Luke is also overwhelming, but in a completely different way, because it’s a two-way street. He’s kissing Luke, but Luke is also kissing him.

(Shamelessly, hungrily, lips and teeth and tongue against Calum’s. Calum has a hard time believing that this is Luke’s first kiss. Nobody should be this good on their first try.)

Eventually, and with a gasp, Luke breaks it again. Calum chases his lips for a last kiss, something soft, because as far as he knows he’ll never get to kiss Luke again. It fills him with dread to think it, but this had ostensibly only been a first-kiss offer, and now they’ve checked that box.

(They’ve destroyed the box. The box is in tatters. The box isn’t even recognizably a box anymore.)

Both of them stand there, unmoving as the stream brushes up against their skin, breathing heavily in each other’s space. Calum can’t think of anything at all to say, and Luke says nothing either; for a long time they just stay there, reluctant to separate and equally reluctant to shatter the silence. If they acknowledge it, then they have to move past it. Calum doesn’t want that. He wants to live in this moment for the rest of his life, to always be suspended in the moment just after kissing Luke, when he can still taste him.

Luke opens his mouth finally, and what he says is, “Oh. Um. Thank you.”

Despair floods Calum. “It wasn’t a favor,” he blurts out. Luke frowns in confusion. “I wanted to. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time. We don’t have to again if you don’t want to, but you should know.”

Luke exhales. “Oh.” His gaze skids lower, away from Calum’s eyes. Calum becomes hyper-aware of how close they still are. Luke hasn’t made any effort to move away, and Calum certainly doesn’t want to. That has to be a good sign, right? “I — um.” He takes a sharp breath. “My mum…”

Fuck. Luke’s fucking mum. Calum’s never hated anyone more. “So don’t tell her,” Calum says. 

Luke looks up at him. “I couldn’t do that to you. I don’t want to be with you like that.”

For a second, Calum’s throat closes up with the bulk of words building up, question marks all trying to force their way between his teeth, tangling up his tongue. “Wh— do you want to be with me at all?”

“Of course I do,” Luke says timidly. “I’m just. I don’t know.” He shakes his head. “It’s kind of scary.”

“Yeah,” Calum says, infusing his voice with as much comfort as he can muster while reeling from the force of Luke’s answer. Of course I do. “Yeah. It’s scary. Sure. Especially if it’s a secret. If it’s too, um, too much — I don’t want to put you in a position —”

“No, no,” Luke says. “I’m saying I want to anyway.” The blush has taken up permanent residence on his face, but somehow Luke’s voice is clear and unflinching. “If it’s okay with you, then it’s okay with me.”

Calum wavers. “Are you sure, Luke? It’s kind of a, you know.”

“I’m sure,” Luke says firmly. His eyes flit around Calum’s face, maybe searching for something. “We should probably, like, get out of the…the water.”

Calum tightens his arms around Luke’s neck, leaning his forehead against Luke’s. His heart is beating irregularly, and it might be from the cold, but it’s probably not. “Or we could not.”

Luke chuckles weakly. “We’ll catch cold or something.”

“It’s December,” Calum says, barely a breath. “Live a little.”

Luke doesn’t answer him, but he surges forward and kisses Calum with none of the reservations he’d had minutes earlier, and if the current washed them both away right now, or sunk them under and mysteriously claimed their lives, Calum knows he’d die happy.

[thiswasinevitableid]

I have another Indruck prompt if you’re still taking them/interested: In Indrid’s absence from Kepler after the tree abomination, and in the wake of losing his powers, Duck finds a Gyspy Moth caterpillar. These moths are a problem in the Monongahela Forest because they cause deforestation, but Duck can’t bring himself to kill it. Instead, he takes it home and raises it from caterpillar to moth. He now has to explain to everyone (including Indrid when he returns) why he has a pet moth.

This turned out to be just what I needed to write today.

Duck spots the caterpillar. It’s a Gypsy Moth, bad news for the trees in his beloved forest.

Whelp, the little fella will have to go.

He picks up a small rock, perfect for squishing. But he can’t bring himself to actually squish it. His soft spot for critters doesn’t usually extend to ones that are pests, and for a moment he’s worried that Minnie’s disconnection means he can’t be tough in literally any way, be it physical or emotional.

Then again, a more likely explanation is that the word “moth” conjures up different images than it used to; a pair of red glasses, a strange face, an utter inability to handle cold. Dried blood on the face, tied up by the Cottonwood.

God, he’d felt like he’d been punched, seeing Indrid with the injuries from whatever scuffle happened with the goatminion.

Indrid is gone, flown away to who-knows-where, a string of “what-ifs” trailing behind him. Duck will never get to know him better, never figure out what the little prick of warmth in his chest whenever he saw the man meant. He hasn’t come back in months, and Duck can’t say he blames him. Kepler didn’t exactly prove safe.

He searches for a few stray leave, piles them on the seat of the jeep. Scoops the caterpillar into his hands and then deposits it on the pile.

“Alright little guy, let’s head home.”

———————————————

It’s a week later and he’s placing leaves into a shoe box for his new pet to munch on.

“There you go, dinner time.”

He’s managed to keep the caterpillar alive, in part because the cat is deeply uninterested by it. The kids book he found at the library has also helped.

Now one else knows about the shoe box or its occupant. Right now, it’s his little secret, and something about that calms him. He can keep this little fella safe, even though the rest of his life is shuddering and shifting under his feet in ways he doesn’t like. His once predictable world gets more fraught by the week. But his friend here will always need leaves, will eventually pupate, will eventually fly. How comforting to know things go on day by day even when disaster is around every corner.

Jesus, he’s waxing poetic about a moth. He really needs to sleep more.

—————————————

The days are consistently warm when his new pet finally pupates. It’s latched to a branch in the aquarium tank Duck found at a garage sale. Something about it being in this stage makes Duck anxious; he can’t see what’s happening, he can’t see if it’s okay and yes he knows, he knows how moth life cycles work and that it will be fine.

He’ll come back to him.

There’s a Pine Guard meeting tonight, and so he drives up to the lodge, more tired than he cares to admit.

The commotion in the lobby doesn’t strike him as odd, he just figures Aubrey is showing off a new trick. He steps up beside Barclay to see who he’s talking to.

Red glasses. And a wide smile that takes on a new depth as he appears.

“Hello, Duck. Nice to see you again.”

———————————————–

It’s movie night, and Duck is hosting. His friends are curled on couches and nestled on pillows on the floor.

Indrid is among them, having used his weeks back in Kepler to grow closer to the Pine Guard, spend more time at the lodge and around his fellow Sylphs.

That Duck has gone to his Winnebago on more than one occasion just because he wanted to see him has not escaped anyone’s notice. Duck is still trying to convince himself it’s solely to hang out with a friend.

“Uh, Duck, why do you have an empty fishtank?”

Everyone’s heads swivel towards where Aubrey is looking.

“I believe it’s not entirely empty.” Indrid says softly, voice suggesting he’s only half-present in the room.

Ned, Dani, and Aubrey crowd around the tank.

“It’s a butterfly cocoon.” Dani points at the purple-brown shape.

“It’s actually a-”

“HOLY SHIT it’s moving!” Aubrey gives a delighted cheer and Duck nudges Ned aside so he can see too.  They stand transfixed as little by little wings and body appear until at last they reveal…

“A moth? Interesting selection, my friend.” Ned peers at it.

“Isn’t that kind invasive or something?” Dani looks at Duck, who shrugs before speaking.

“Yeah, they ain’t good for the forest. But I found one as a caterpillar and just, uh, just, fuck, decided to, uh, hold onto, no. Fuck.”

“It’s a bit drab.” Ned muses.

“I rather like the color.” Indrid murmurs and Duck realizes he’s standing beside him, regarding the moth as it flaps it’s wings to dry them. He looks back at his pet and his breath catches in a way he hopes only Indrid (but ideally not even him) hears. The colors on his little friend are similar to colors he remembers from Indrid’s Sylph form.

“Did you name it?” Aubrey gives a small wave to the moth through the glass.

“Indrid.” It slips out before Duck can stop it; he’d called the moth that in his head. But when it slips out it’s to only him who says it as Indrid’s voice layers beneath his.

“Awwwww.” Aubrey says, giving Duck a look that he knows all too well. His cheeks are burning, and worse Indrid has gone silent.

“Oughta let him get adjusted to havin’ wings and shit. C’mon, let’s start the movie.”

The movie passes uneventfully, but Duck catches Indrid giving him odd looks during it.

And when everyone else departs, the slender, white-haired man remains. When Duck finishes waving goodbye to Aubrey and Dani, he shuts the door and finds Indrid seated in front of the tank.

He sits down next to him.

“You know I’m not really a moth, right?” It’s teasing, but there’s something else going on in his voice.

“Course I do. Just, the day I found him I was missin’ you somethin’ awful.”

“You missed me? Goodness, we’d barely gotten to know each other.”

“That’s just it. I wanted to get to know you better and then there was the tree and the goatman and then whoosh you were gone and I thought I was never-”

“-Going to see you again.” Indrid’s not looking at the tank anymore, his gaze fixed completely on Duck.

“I like you, Indrid, I like you more every day that passes, and apparently I liked you a whole fuckin’ lot before that because I couldn’t kill a fuckin’ moth larvae because whenever I thought the word moth I saw your face.”

Indrid blinks at him, head tilted to one side.

Duck smacks a hand over his eyes, embarrassed by the confession.

“Please tell me there’s a future where I sink into the ground.”

“No” a chilly hand moves his own from his eyes while the other cups his cheek, “but there are many futures where something else happens. If, that is, it’s something you want.” His smile is soft as he strokes Ducks cheek with his thumb.

“Please.” He whispers.

Indrids lips are as cold and as chapped as he expected them to be and he couldn’t be happier, wraps his arms around him and pulls him closer.

“More?” Indrid grins at him when they break apart and Ducks hands shoot up into his hair to pull him into a kiss and down onto the floor.  

“The answer is yes.” He’s panting now, staring down at Duck with delight.

“Can I at least actually ask the damn thing?”

“Sorry, go ahead.”

“Can I take you out sometime?”

The answer comes in yet another kiss, one with far more heat behind it.

“Do you, uh, wanna move this somewhere else. Don’t wanna scandalize the moth.”

“I’m his namesake, I can scandalize him as I please.” Indrid kisses his nose, “but yes, the couch will be far more comfortable.”  He stands up, offers Duck a hand, pulls him into and embrace once he stands and just holds him for a moment. As he does, Duck smiles.

Bringing home that caterpillar is one of the best things he ever did.

[rmg91]

The Woes and Antics of Living Together-16

Aaaahhhh!!! I can't believe I finally made it to this chapter!! I've had the idea for this part since like the very beginning! Also, fun fact, I actually got this idea from watching so many mini-golf video's on youtube. Then I found that the mini-golf episode of TTBGO existed, had to watch, got addicted to the show and well that's it XD So I made a few references to the episode which helped flesh this chapter out a little/make it more fun!

Anyway, enjoy!

Previous Chapter/Next Chapter; AO3/FF.net

@writerofberk-Lots of fun Broppy goodness is this one! They’re doing what they do best-Being little shits to one another XD

                                             ~*~*~*~*~*~

Friday hadn't come soon enough for Poppy but now it was here and it was bright and sunny, perfect for an afternoon date. Poppy had hurried home after her class to get ready for when Creek picked her and now she sat on the table, swinging her legs back and forth as she played on her phone, waiting for him to pick her up. She grinned excitedly and giggled, completely pleased with the outfit she had chosen the night before. A white off the shoulder peasant top paired with her favorite teal blue skater skirt and mint green sneakers. Her hair was pulled up in a jaunty ponytail and she had even thrown on one of her flowered headbands. Everything was topped off with aquamarine stud earrings, heart pendant necklace, a light smattering of make-up and, of course, her infamous bangles. Poppy felt incredibly cute and hoped Creek would think so too.

Branch, meanwhile, was in the kitchen washing dishes and trying to keep his jealousy at bay, at least until Poppy left. All week he had heard nothing but how excited she was for this date and if he had to hear about how 'amazing' Creek was one more time, he was going to yell at her. And then possibly say something he shouldn't and reveal his feelings and then ruin everything and she'd hate him and-Branch stopped his thoughts there. He'd let them spiral once he was alone so for now he'd attack the pile of dirty dishes with as much as vigor as he could without alerting Poppy that something was wrong.

He heaved a heavy sigh as he rinsed the plate in his hands, wishing just once the universe would leave him alone. He knew he wasn't good enough for Poppy and no where near worthy of her love but somewhere deep, deep down he wished for it. He wished he could just tell her how he felt about her and he wished she'd return those feelings however he knew that would never happen. And it was useless to wish for it. Nothing ever came from wishing except heartache. Branch growled quietly to himself and shook his head, he could wait another few minutes until Poppy left before moping around the apartment.

“Oh...”

Blinking, Branch looked up at Poppy's soft tone and watched as she suddenly deflated, shoulders sagging as she stared down at her phone, “Poppy?” She had just been so excited, what had happened?

Poppy stared sadly at the text she just got, even as she answered Branch, “Creek...can't make it. There's some emergency at his work and they need him. We're...we're not going.” And she had been looking so forward to this date. Now it wasn't happening and she didn't know how to feel. Okay, yes she was sad but she couldn't be upset with him, things sometimes happened and it couldn't be helped. But she also wasn't sure what to do now, the Pack had all made other plans for the day because they knew she was busy and she wasn't about to ask them to just drop them because it turned out her plans fell through.

Poppy sighed sadly, maybe she'd just scrapbook for the rest of the afternoon...

Branch pursed his lips as he watched Poppy, how could that jerk just cancel on her? And he knew the rest of her friends said they be busy today which meant she wouldn't ask them to hang out and there had to be something he could do. Seeing Poppy sad...Branch just couldn't stand it and it was Creek's fault. Thinking what he could do, an idea hit him and he sighed, unable to believe he was going to suggest this.

Drying his hands, Branch turned the water off and threw the hand towel on the counter. He then walked over and grabbed his keys from the side-table by the door before facing Poppy, “Come on.”

“What?” Poppy looked up, confused.

“I said, come on.” Branch tucked his hands in his pockets and glanced to the side, unable to look at her, “...Do you want to go mini golfing or not?”

Poppy flashed him a sad but grateful smile, he was sweet to offer, “...It's alright, Branch.”

He huffed and looked at her, “No, it's not. Now this offer isn't going to last all day. Do you wanna go or not?”

Poppy bit her lip as she looked at Branch before looking back at her text messages. She had really wanted to go with Creek and have the perfect date but...she supposed getting to go with Branch would still be fun. She had to quirk a tiny smile, thinking back on the times they used to go and how she'd always beat him. And it had been a long time since they played together. She glanced back up before jumping off the table, “Okay.”

Branch gestured toward the door with his head, “Then let's go.”

                                       ~*~*~*~*~*~

Poppy had still been a little subdued when they left but the closer they got to the new mini golf place, a few miles out of town, the more excited she became and by the time they were pulling into the parking lot she was bouncing in her seat, grinning ear to ear. The entrance building was painted a bright cheery green with various nature murals on the walls and large windows boasting about the new place and all their attractions. A large sign on top was that of a huge daisy with a grinning face and the name 'The Peril Patch' in blocky letters beneath. They could also see a bit of the course peaking out from behind the building.

Branch scowled up at the sign as he parked the car, “Why in the world did they name this place 'The Peril Patch'?”

“Oh, who cares?!” Poppy squealed, already unbuckled and climbing out of the car, “Let's get to golfing!”

Sighing, Branch followed her lead and got out of the car before trailing behind her as she skipped inside the building. Inside was decorated just as the outside with nature colors and big, bright fake plants attached to the ceiling and walls. There was the check-in counter up front and an arcade tucked to the left, music from games overlapping with each other and music playing from the speakers. Just past the counter was possibly the most surprising thing to Branch, a milkshake bar. Poppy cooed over it in excitement after he voiced his surprised, saying they'd have to get one on their way out before they went to purchase a round of golf.

After choosing their balls, baby pink for Poppy and dark blue for Branch, they went out the backdoor to see the main golf courses. Outside held more large, man-made flowers mixed in with the live landscaping all around which held the impressively large golfing range. The sounds of water from various fountains and waterfalls filled the air alongside the many cries and cheers of the few groups of people there. Two course's were advertised not far from the sitting area around a snack bar, the one on the right for an easy play-through VS the left one for a more difficult time.

Poppy hopped up and down as she took in the scenery, so excited at being at a new place and just in general at having an opportunity to do one of her favorite activities  after so long. She'd really have to take advantage of this place more often now that it was here. Grinning, she started down the path that led toward Course A, unwilling to wait any longer to see what sort of holes and obstacles the establishment had in store.

Until Branch's voice called out, “What are you doing?”

She turned a raised an eyebrow at him, “Um, going to the golf course. Where else?” That's what they came here to do after all.

The blue haired man crossed arms with a scoff, “Since when do you go for the easy courses?” Poppy always, always went for the more difficult option if there was one. The only times she didn't was if it was a special request from her friends.

The pinkette blinked at her roommate before smirking and striking a sassy pose, a hand on her hip, “Oh? So...what? You want me to kick your butt into next week? Cause I will if that's what you want~”

“Psh, I'd like to see you try. It's been ages since you last played mini golf. I doubt you're that good anymore.”

“Excuse you!” Poppy poked him, bright nail polish glittering in the sun, “I was the nine-time middle school champ, Mister! I have trophies that prove it!”

Branch scoffed again, “That was a long time ago, Poppy.”

“Ooooh! I'll show you!” Poppy pouted up at him as she stomped her foot. She then gestured with her finger, “Let's make a little wager, hmm? You win, I'll do whatever you want. But if I win, you have to come to Guy's party tomorrow night!”

Branch glared at her for a moment before a contemplative look came over his face, “Whatever I want, huh?” He then flashed his own smirk, “Even if it's staying home tomorrow and studying for that upcoming test on Monday?”

Poppy crossed her arms and tossed her nose in the air, acting as if she didn't care about his terms, “If that's what you want.” She shouldn't be worried, she was confident in her skills to take this boy down.

Branch stepped back, realizing they had been standing awfully close, and held out his hand, “Then it's a bet.”

Poppy shook his hand with an evil grin, “Then prepare to lose, my man!”

                                        ~*~*~*~*~*~

After a short walk, the duo made it to the first hole of the more challenging course. It looked fairly simple at first but on closer inspection there were little hill bumps scattered throughout the green. Poppy decided she was going first and dropped her ball down on the indicated start spot. After adjusting it and making sure it would stay still, she held the club down, gave a little hip wiggle and hit the ball. The pink sphere rolled across the green turf, twisting around as it hit a few hills and rolled just past the hole.

Branch snorted and Poppy glared at him, “Oh, don't give me that yet. It's the first hole, still plenty of time for me beat you.”

“Whatever you say, Poppy.” Branch said, placing his ball down and gauging his angle on how to hit it.

Poppy rolled her eyes as she held her hands on her hips, “Oh, not this again.” She remembered vividly how when they were younger, he'd always take forever to make a shot. Measuring angles and any other variable he thought was necessary. “Branch.”

“Hush.” He said, getting up and lining up his club. He took a few practice swings, switched his angle a few times, more practice swings and just when Poppy thought he was going to take his first real swing, he bent down and adjusted his ball.

She groaned, “Oh, come on, Branch! We'll be here all day if you take forever on each hole!” Did he not remember her advice on staying loose?! “I'm gonna sing the song if you don't take your hit!”

Branch groaned, hanging his head down, He did not need her to sing that stupid little song. “Don't sing the song.”

“Oh, I'm singing the song!” The pinkette held her finger to her chin for a moment, “Now how did it go again...Oh yeah!” She cleared her throat before humming a tune and wiggling her hips and shoulders in a little dance, “Go on loosen uuu-Uuup~ Yeah~!” She grinned at Branch as she began dancing around him, “Don't you wanna have a little fun? Don't be afraid, it never hurt no one!” She bumped her hip against his as he glared at her, “It's only way to get it done. I'mma count to one. Let me see you loosen up! Nothing is serious enough to interrupt this good time~!”

Branch waited until she was done singing and dancing around him with the stupid, adorable smile on her face before growling and just hitting the ball. It shot off and bounced over one hill before rolling off another and straight into the hole. He blinked before smirking at Poppy, “Hole in one. Not looking to good for you.”

“Oh, please, Branch. It's too early for you to get smug.” Poppy sashayed down the green and knocked her ball into the hole, “And, you know it was the song that helped with that shot. So you can thank me and it.”

Branch rolled his eyes and grabbed their balls from the hole, tossing Poppy hers, “I will do no such thing.”

                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~

The next few holes happened in much the same matter, Poppy hitting hers all willy-nilly and Branch taking his time to calculate his shots. Sometimes it worked out for Poppy as she managed to almost always come close to the hole, although she had yet to get her first hole-in-one. She must really be out of practice but she wasn't worried, Branch hadn't gotten any more after the first hole and so far their scores were pretty even. She had faith she'd be able to turn this game in her favor soon enough and then Branch would have to come with her to the party and maybe actually have a good time!

But then, Hole Thirteen happened.

Poppy really wasn't sure what had happened but she did know she hadn't liked it. The hole it's self was designed with two waterways you had to get passed and then the actual hole was inside a large volcano like hill. And this was where Poppy's score took a major hit. She had managed to make it over one waterway but then her ball had continued to roll and fell into the second, which meant she had to take an extra stroke after she fished it out. Then, after Branch managed to only clear both water hazards with a single hit and make it into the hole after only about three hits, she had just been unable to roll her ball up and into that volcano! She had tried and tried, she kept hitting it either too softly or too hard, but then after about six tries it finally went in. Although that was a total of eight for this hole which meant she was definitely losing.

She felt a little better at the next hole when the same thing happened to Branch. Her roommate growling every time the ball missed.

Finally they reached the final hole, a complicated looking one that had them not only having the choice between hitting it around the colorful raising and lowering flowers but also having to hit it across a small bridge over another stream. Poppy set her ball down and tried to gauge, just a little, how much she'd have to hit it to at clear the obstacles and get to that hole first. Branch meanwhile was tallying up their scores.

“Hmm...” He hummed before frowning, this wasn't good. Poppy had managed to somehow have one less stroke than he did, stupid fourteenth hole, so if she somehow managed to get a hole-in-one she'd win and then Branch would be dragged to some ridiculously loud party.

“All right,” Poppy spoke up, club ready as she did her little hip wiggle, “Be prepared to be amazed by the master!”

“You haven't had a hole-in-one all day,” Branch said dryly.

“That doesn't matter! I'm gonna blow through this hole, just watch!” And then she swung and hit her ball.

It flew down the straightaway, hitting only one flower that managed to give it a boost of power as it bounced up and rolled over the bridge. However just when it looked like it was going to fall right into the hole, it stopped. Poppy pursed her lips while Branch mentally did a victory dance, if he somehow managed to get this hole in one shot, they would tie! Which meant he had a chance of convincing her to not make his go to the party!

Dropping his ball down, he watched the moving flowers waiting for the opportune time to strike. Poppy rolled her eyes and was about to say something before Branch suddenly hit the ball. Like hers it flew down but his pin-balled around the flowers, which by some stroke of good luck gave it more power to roll across the bridge and knock Poppy's ball out of the way before falling into the cup. Poppy blinked, unable to comprehend what had happened as Branch cried out.

“Ha!”

The pinkette huffed and placed her hands on her hips, “Alright, fine. I admit that was a pretty good shot.” She then walked to the other side of the hole to tap her ball in only to have it roll around the rim to the other side. Pouting at it, she moved and tapped it in again, only for the same thing to happen once more. Growling a little she tried once more and it finally fell in.

Branch couldn't help but chuckle at the turn of events, “Looks like the champ has lost her edge~”

“What?! No! What's the final score?!”

Branch grinned and held of the score card, showcasing how he had a score of fifty-two and she had a score of fifty-four, “I win~”

Poppy fumed, she couldn't believe she had lost by one! There had to be a way for her to still win! “That-that doesn't count! There's still the Nineteenth hole!”

“That one doesn't count!”

“Yes it does!” She crossed her arms, “You're just afraid you'll actually loose.” She grabbed their balls and then dragged Branch up the path that led back toward the main building and the Nineteenth hole.

Branch ripped his hand away from hers and crossed his arms, “This still doesn't count. You're just being a sore loser.”

Poppy gasped dramatically, “Am not!” She dropped her ball on the starting mat as they arrived at the final hole. It was simple enough in design, it was a replica of the places mascot, the large daisy, with a hole right in the center of it's giant smile. Underneath it was a grate with varying scores, you'd get a two if it fell in the first slot and a three if it fell in the bottom. It also acted as the ball return, so they wouldn't have to worry about that.

Poppy smirked, confident she'd make this, because there was no way Branch would ever get another hole-in-one right after the previous one, and then they'd hopefully at least tie. A little wiggle of her hips and Poppy hit the ball only to watch it bounce off the face of the daisy and fall right into the three scored grate.

Branch couldn't help but snicker at her shocked expression, even if he also got a three, he's still win. Nudging Poppy out of the way, he placed his ball down and just to show up Poppy because he couldn't resist, he gave his own little hip wiggle and simply hit the ball. And to both their amazement, it made fell right into the hole, causing the flower to light up and sing.

Branch laughed and placed his hands on his hips as he grinned smugly at Poppy, “Ha! Still win!”

Pouting, Poppy crossed her arms before sticking her tongue out at Branch, “Yeah, yeah. You win...”

Branch rolled his eyes at her before grabbing her club, “Go get that milkshake you want. I'll return these.”

Poppy's smile was back then, bright and cheerful, and she gave a little giggle, “Okay~ You want one?” Branch nodded after a second and then she skipped off ahead of him before turning around, “Good game, by the way!” And then she turned back and continued on her way, starting to hum along with the music playing around.

Branch watched her for a moment before shaking his head and following her.

As Branch went over to return their clubs, the pinkette happily went up to the milkshake bar and looked at the menu. There were so many yummy sounding choices she wasn't sure which one to get! She danced a little in place as she went down the menu, reading all different ingredients in each milkshake. Finally one stood out to her and she hummed as she imagined how good it would be. She then saw one she thought Branch would enjoy and grinned.

“Hello there~” An employee greeted, drawing Poppy's attention to her, “What would you like?”

“Hi~!” Poppy chirped, “I'll take one large Rainbow Unicorn shake, extra sprinkles,” It was a mix of seven different ice cream flavors with three different syrups swirled in, “And one small Peach Dream, extra whip-cream, please!” She was sure Branch would like that one.

The worker giggled and nodded, “Coming right up!” She quickly mixed the two treats up, spraying a mound of extra whip-cream on Branch's and topping Poppy's with a cherry, “Here you are!”

“Thanks!” Poppy pulled out her wallet to pay, “They look great!”

“Thank you~” The employee giggled, “And I just gotta say, you and your boyfriend are adorable. I saw you two out there earlier.”

Poppy blinked and felt her cheeks warm up slightly, “Oh...Ha. He's not boyfriend, just my best friend.”

“Oh, my mistake then.” The worker handed Poppy her change with a smile, “Have a good day.”

Poppy nodded, trying to ignore the sudden feeling of embarrassment by taking a sip of her milkshake, “You too!” She and Branch? Dating? That was a silly idea. She quickly shook her head and skipped over to where he was waiting for her, deciding not to dwell on it. It had been a misunderstanding, no big.

She handed over his milkshake, to which he nodded his thanks, before they left through the front door. Poppy hummed happily as they walked toward her car, enjoying her milkshake. She took a glance at her roommate and smiled as she watched him take a sip of his as he looked ahead of them.

She then wrapped her arm around his and gave it a squeeze, the most of a hug she could give him without spilling the drinks, “Thanks for today. I had a lot fun.”

Branch blinked at her before looking off to the side, cheeks turning pink, “It wasn't a big deal...”

Poppy giggled, “Still...” She glanced down, feeling suddenly a little bashful, “Thanks.”

Branch took a deep breath, shoulders lifting before relaxing, “You're welcome.”

They continued to the car, Poppy's arm still intertwined with his as she rested her head on his shoulder. Once they had approached it, Poppy glanced up at Branch with a small pout, “Do I still have to stay home and study?” She asked in a simpering tone.

“What?” Branch suddenly realized just how she was hanging onto him and he shook her off, cheeks blazing to life with a blush, “Yes! A deal's a deal!” He glared at her, “And I won our little bet.”

“Fine...” She sighed before glancing at him again, “Can I at least play some music while we do? It's so boring without some background noise.”

Branch rolled eyes and made to get in the car, “Fine. But nothing distracting! Pick something mostly instrumental if you really have to.”

"Yay!" Poppy giggled, happy with her little victory, and slipped into the car, waiting for Branch to take them home. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all?

                                        ~*~*~*~*~*~

Poppy, honey, I think you're in denial a little bit. It's okay, we know you like Branch and just haven't realized it. And hooo was that a exciting chapter! Mini Golf antics! And yes, I had to add in 'Loosen Up' cause it's one of my fave songs from the series XD

ALSO THAT FEEL WHEN SOMETHING DOESN'T WANT TO END NICELY!

Next time well...You'll have to wait a see XP (but it's not them studying, that's boring and I have no inspiration for it XD)

'Loosen Up'-TTGBO/Dreamworks

[saxonspud]

Outlaw - Born and Bred

Excerpt from Chapter 15

For @whumptober2019 #no11 Stitches

The wagons left Clemens point, and headed to Shady Belle, a big house in the middle of the swamp.

Casie lay in the back of one of the wagons. Tilly sat next to her. Every so often her eyes would open, a glazed look in her eyes, and they would dart around like a scared, wounded animal.

The fever hadn’t broken, which worried Tilly. She was used to nursing the wounded members of the gang, and Casie didn’t look good. She was pale. and her skin was cold and clammy.

Bill was driving the wagon, and every so often one of the wheels would hit a rock, or a branch, causing it to jolt badly.

Every time this happened, Casie's eyes would open momentarily, and she would groan in pain.

Tilly yelled at Bill, “for Christ-sakes Bill, will you be careful, this ain't doing Casie any good!”

Bill looked over his shoulder and glared “If you fucking think you can do any better, be my guest!”

“I could,” she retorted, “but you’d do a lousy job of looking after Casie, so I’m best back here. Just slow down a bit will ya!”

“If we slow down, we’ll lose the others, and I have no idea where we’re headed.” He growled.

Tilly looked at Casie’s bandage. There was an ominous, deep red stain, and it was getting bigger.

“Fuck” she said “You better had slow down Bill, or else Casie's gonna bleed out!”

Bill glanced over his shoulder, and looked at Casie. He saw the deep red colour of the bandage.

“Fuck.” he said, as he reigned in the horses, to slow them down.

Dutch was riding alongside the wagon train. He saw the wagon dropping back. He turned The Count, and headed towards the rear wagon.

“What's goin’ on, why are you going so slow” he asked Bill.

“We gotta problem Dutch.” He nodded in the direction of Casie and Tilly.

“Every time this wagon lurches or hits a stone it gets worse.” Tilly remarked, pointing to the bandage on Casie’s shoulder. The deep red stain on the bandage was growing, and the centre was wet, where the blood had completely come through the bandage.

“Shit!”Dutch growled under his breath. “Stop the wagon, I’ll stop the others, and talk to Hosea.”

Dutch galloped along the line of wagons yelling at them to stop. He finally reached Hosea.

“We’ve got a problem Hosea, Casie is bleeding out.”

Hosea jumped off the wagon, and headed to the wagon where Casie was laying. He jumped in the back.

“Every time the wagon jolts, it gets a bit worse.” Tilly said to Hosea, in a panicked voice.

Hosea shook his head. “This needs stitching. We can’t do it here, it’ll take too long. If she gets many more jolts...”

Hosea looked at Dutch who was sitting on The Count, looking in the Wagon.

“I warned you Dutch, she shouldn’t be travelling.”

“That's not very helpful now, is it, Hosea!” Dutch replied, trying to control the panic in his voice.

Hosea sighed, “Find out from Lenny, how far out we are? Tilly, go up to the front wagon, I’ll take over here.”

Tilly jumped off the wagon, and ran along to the front wagon, jumped up, ready to drive off, as soon as she was given the signal.

Arthur and Micah arrived at Shady Belle. It was dead quiet, nothing going on in the grounds.

“We better check the House, I’ll take the upstairs, you take downstairs” Arthur suggested.

Micah nodded in agreement.

Before long the house was cleared. They started clearing the bodies out of the house, and dumping them in the swamp.

Micah kept glancing at the track leading up to house.

“They should be here by now.” He said, looking at Arthur.

Arthur nodded, “I agree. Maybe one of us should go and check where they are?”

“I’ll go”, Micah said “I’ve saved that kid twice, I’m not about to let her die on a wagon train!”

Arthur smiled to himself, was this really the Micah he knew. The crazy bastard who only thought of number one! Or maybe he had misjudged him. He really didn't know any more. Could one little kid change people like that. Look at Dutch. Adoption papers! He’d never bothered about that before. Was that why John had gone, because Dutch hadn’t adopted him when he was around the same age. Then there was Sean, a womaniser, who’d been tamed by a thirteen year old, only to have his brains blown out.

What a mess. They’d been in a mess since Blackwater, now the mess was getting worse. Where would it end.

Micah mounted Baylock, and headed back the way they had come. He hoped they were close, and that he was panicking for no good reason. How had this happened. How had that kid got to him. He must be going soft, but he couldn’t help it. Everyone she came into contact with, she had some sort of affect on them. They either loved her, or hated her. Nothing in-between. Thankfully, for the kid, most of ‘em loved her.

Micah was nudged out of his thoughts as he saw the wagons ahead, but why had they stopped?

“What's going on?” he yelled. As he headed towards the convoy.

Dutch waved Micah over, to where he and Lenny were talking.

“Casie’s in trouble, we’re trying to decide what to do.” He said, a worried look on his face. “Hosea, is with her now.”

Micah rode up the line of wagons, until he saw Hosea, sitting in the back of one.

He looked in the back of the wagon, and saw Casie. She looked a lot worse than she had, when they had left for Shady Belle.

“Give her to me, Hosea” Micah demanded.

“What! We can’t move her, she’s bleeding out!” Hosea exclaimed.

“If you leave her, she’ll die. I don’t know about you, but I’m not gonna to let that happen, Now hand her over!” He growled.

Hosea lifted Casie up, and passed her over to Micah, who held her in his arms.

Micah pushed his leather gloved had into Casie's wound. Casie let out a loud moan and opened her eyes wide, and gasped.

“Stay with me, Casie. You god-damn stay with me” He growled.

“Hosea, get the supplies you need, find a horse and follow me.”

Charles, who had watched the scene from a distance, rode up and dismounted.

“Hosea, take Taima!” He said.

Hosea quickly grabbed some medical supplies, jumped out the wagon, and mounted Taima.

Micah pushed Baylock into a gallop, closely followed by Hosea.

As Hosea rode past Lenny and Dutch, he yelled, “get these wagons rolling.”

Arthur decided to get a fire going, whilst he was waiting for the Wagons to arrive. He could at least get a pot of coffee going. Arthur started to drink the black liquid.

Arthur heard the sound of hooves, and pulled his rifle from his shoulder. He was surprised to see Micah and Hosea, galloping flat out towards the house. Even more surprised, to see Micah carrying Casie.

Hosea yelled at him. “I’m gonna need some boiling water, Arthur, and quick.”

Micah pulled Baylock up near the front door of the house, swung his leg over Baylocks neck so that he could jump on the ground, still carrying Casie, his gloved hand, still pressed into the wound, trying to staunch the flow of blood, coming from the hole that the bullet had made.

He kicked the front door open, headed for the kitchen, where there was a flat table.

He laid Casie on the table. He grabbed his knife, and cut the blood soaked bandage off her shoulder, then ripped off her blood stained shirt.

Hosea ran into the house, followed closely by Arthur with a pot of boiling water.

“Micah, you’ll need to hold her down, I’m sorry.” Hosea said, apologetically.

Micah stroked Casie’s cheek. “You’re gonna have to be brave now sweetheart.”

Casie stared at Micah, fear in her eyes, and tears ran down her face unbidden.

“Micah...Just let me go...” She pleaded.

“Sorry Honey, I can’t do that.” The outlaw whispered. He pulled a wedge of wood out of his pocket, and doused it in whiskey. “Bite on this, it’ll help.”

Casie bit down on the wood. Her eyes wide with fear.

Hosea dug out a needle and thread and put the needle in the boiling water, for a few moments to sterilise it. He then grabbed a cloth, and doused it in whiskey and hot water, before wringing it out.

He nodded at Micah, who held Casie fast.

Hosea pushed the rag into the wound to get rid of the excess blood. Casie stiffened and wailed through clenched teeth, as the whisky seared into the wound. Hosea started to stitch, every time the needle went into her flesh she screamed, trying to move, but being unable to, as Micah held her fast.

At one point Casie tried to push away with her legs, so Arthur moved to the table and held them down as well.

Casie screamed in agony, through clenched teeth. Her eyes screwed shut. Why were they doing this to her. She wanted to die, why wouldn’t they just let her die. Through her own screams she could hear voices. Her fathers voice saying, “say anything, you’ll be joining your whore of a mother” then the sheriff, “your gonna burn in hell..”. Casie shook her head from side to side, trying to get the voices out of her head.

The convoy headed up to the gates of Shady Belle. As soon as Dutch saw the house he pushed The Count into a gallop. On reaching the courtyard, his ears were blasted by the screams of Casie, coming from the house.

He jumped off his horse, and ran into the house.

He looked at the scene in the kitchen, and held his head in his hands.

“Oh Casie...What have I done” He cried.

Hosea looked at Dutch, “your guilt can wait,” he said sternly, “Casie needs you now.”

Dutch walked to to the other end of the table and spoke gently to Casie, stroking her cheek.

“Hold on baby girl. It will be over soon. Just hold on, we all love you.” Tears welled up in the gang leaders eyes, but he didn’t care.

The voices in Casie's head were blasted away, by a voice she recognised..Dutch. Casie opened her eyes, everything was a blur, but she could make out the shape of the black haired man.

Dutch wiped away his tears and kissed Casie on the forehead. “Hold on Casie. We’re nearly done. You are Casie Van Der Linde now. You are strong, and you can get through this. Do you trust me?”

Casie managed to nod.

“Be brave for just a little longer. I know how brave you can be. Dig deep.” He whispered.

Hosea finished stitching the wound. “OK.” He said, breathing heavily.”There's a bandage in my bag, Arthur. Can you get it for me.”

Arthur grabbed the bandage out of Hosea’s satchel, and handed it too him, so that he could finish up.

Micah gently released the pressure from Casie, and took the wood from her mouth. He grabbed her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Susan Grimshaw walked into the house, she was already organising the new camp.

“I’ve made the rooms upstairs for you gentleman and Casie. I suggest you get her comfortable, and I’ll send one of the ladies up to help.”

Micah, looked at Dutch. “I’ll carry her up.” It was clearly a statement, rather than a request.”

Micah picked up Casie and carried her upstairs to a largish room, which had 2 beds setup in it. Whoever was nursing Casie, could at least be comfortable.

Micah laid her on the bed. Casie looked up at Micah, her eyes, now beginning to come back into focus.

“Micah...I,” tears welled up in Casie's eyes.

“Sshh...get some rest sweetheart, I’ll come and see you later.” Micah kissed her on the forehead.

He turned to leave the room. Dutch stood in the doorway. He placed a hand on Micah’s shoulder.

“I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for Casie.” Dutch whispered.

Micah stared at Dutch. “Yes you will” he snarled, “when we find Marston’s whore, and his bastard.”

Dutch nodded and let Micah leave the room.

[write-havoc]

This Is How I Disappear Ch. 18

Summary: A girl named Chuck finds herself in the exact place she doesn't want to be, living with violent men in a desolate nursing home. After her former gym teacher finds her, will he be the savior she was looking for?

Fandom: The Walking Dead AU

Pairing: Negan/Original Female Character

Status: Completed (story continues in The Flame Is Gone, The Fire Remains)

Contains: swearing, violence, sexual assault, blood, smut

Readers 18+ of age only

Masterlists in my bio

Negan and Sherry reenter the rec room after Sherry’s smoke break to the rest of the women talking about their pasts. Sherry finds a chair at one of the tables and sits down as Negan sets Lucille on another table and leans against it.

“I had this lady come in and want platinum blonde hair and her hair was jet black!” Tonya continues on with her horror stories from her old job. “I told her it would take several sessions, but that bitch wasn’t having it. She told me I was just trying to get more money out of her. A week later she comes back in with fried to shit, bright orange hair and asked me to fix it. She tried to bleach it at home, by herself, in one sitting!”

“Did you fix it for her?” Chuck asks with a chuckle.

“She fucked her hair up so bad the only thing I could do was cut it into a pixie cut. It was cute, though. I made it work. But I probably should’ve told her her to fuck off after she was such a bitch.”

“You think that’s bad. You can’t even imagine how many guys get wood during a massage! And they were never the kind of guys you would want to see that way.” Frankie starts with her own horror story, “This one guy-“

“Alright, alright,” Negan interrupts. “I don’t want to hear about fuckin’ gross ass boners.”

“Come on Negan.” Kayla giggles. “We’re just exchanging war stories from our old jobs. And I bet you have some good ones about the kids you used to coach.”

Negan shoots Chuck a look before he turns to Kayla. “My past is my fuckin’ business,” Negan growls.

“I’m sorry,” Kayla says quickly as her face drops.

Chuck’s face instantly blushes at his icy words. She tries to sink into the couch she is sitting on, hoping Negan and the wives would let the topic drop.

“Negan. Don’t-“ Sherry begins, but is cut off.

“Shut the fuck up, Sherry,” Negan barks out. “I’m sick of your mother hen shit,”

“Jesus Christ, Negan!” Tonya exclaims. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem?” Negan spits back as he paces the room. “You fuckin’ women seem to be fuckin’ allergic to following my goddamn orders!” He stops in front of Chuck and points his finger right in her face. “I fuckin’ told you not to tell anyone. And you couldn’t even do that,” Negan hisses coldly.

Chuck can barely even look up at him. She feels anger, embarrassment, and guilt all at once. Tears start to well up in her eyes no matter how hard she tries to fight them.

“Hey!” Frankie yells, getting his attention. “You told us before that you worked in a school. And we told Chuck that. All she did was confirm what we already knew!”

Kayla and Chuck are both sitting on the couch, tears running down their faces. The other women are in various states of shock at the turn of events.

“Jesus fucking Christ! This is why I don’t spend my fuckin’ time with you girls.” Negan rubs his face and looks to the ceiling.

“Then don’t! Find someplace else to sleep tonight. We don’t need you here,” Tonya bites back.

“I’ll sleep where I goddamn want to, Tonya. You don’t fucking dictate my fuckin’ decisions. None of you do!”

“Fuck you, Negan. You son of a bitch,” Tonya spits out.

Negan goes over to Tonya and gets in her face. “I’m sick of your shit. So why don’t you -and everyone fuckin’ else here- mind your own goddamn business when it comes to me and Chuck. That would be fuckin’ great.” He ends in sarcasm.

“You’re the one that brought Chuck into this,” Frankie responds as she points at Negan. “Not Tonya or Kayla or anyone else.”

Every time Chuck hears her name, she cringes. She hates that everyone is so angry because of her.

“What-the-fuck-ever! What I said stands. If you guys have a fucking problem with how I treat Chuck then you can get the fuck out! Join the fuckin’ workforce!”

“Hey. Calm down. Don’t take this out on them because you’re angry at me,” Sherry says as she moves toward Negan.

“Why is he angry at you?” Tonya asks Sherry, trying to get to the root of what is going on here.

“It doesn’t fuckin’ matter. So just drop it,” Negan dismisses.

“I asked him about his relationship with Chuck,” Sherry answers, ignoring Negan completely.

“Goddamnit! What the fuck did I just say?! And why the fuck do you even care?!” Negan yells.

  That’s it. I can’t take them fighting over me anymore. I’m not staying here a second longer as they talk about me like I’m not even here.

 Chuck gets up and makes her way to the door with her head down, hoping everyone is too busy fighting to notice.

“Where the fuck are you going?” Negan barks as she passes him.

Chuck doesn’t answer, but continues to the door. She opens it slightly, but a large hand comes crashing down on the door above her head, slamming it shut.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Negan growls out and Chuck turns to him hesitantly.

“I’m not staying here anymore,” she answers meekly.

“Where the fuck would you go, Chuck?” Negan moves his arms to cage her in place.

“Somewhere,” she says with a hitch in her voice.

“That’s convincing,” Negan replies coldly.

Chuck musters up the courage to answer him more directly. “The barracks.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? There’s no way in fuckin’ hell I’m letting you share a goddamn bunk with god knows fuckin’ who!”

“I don’t want to be here to listen to you all fight over me!” Chuck yells, losing her cool.

There is a soft knock at the door and Jose’s voice came from behind it. “Everything okay in there, sir? ”

“Everything’s fuckin’ peachy. Back to work,” Negan calls out roughly.

“Chuck? You okay? ”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she answers as evenly as she can.

Negan lets out a little growl, seemingly irked at Jose for wanting Chuck to answer. Both Sam and Jose take their jobs protecting the wives very seriously. Even if they have to protect them from Negan, so it seems.

Negan and Chuck stare at each other for a few moments before Negan pulls away. He walks over and sits on the couch, running his hands through his hair with a sigh.

“This shit is done now. I don’t want to hear another fuckin’ word about it. We’re all gonna fuckin’ stay right fuckin’ here, no one leaves until this bullshit storm passes and then everything goes back to fuckin’ normal. Everybody under-fuckin’-stand that?” Negan looks around to all of the women.

Everyone nods, though not enthusiastically. Tonya leans back on a table, arms crossed, gaze cast anywhere but Negan. Sherry, however, glares at Negan like she is willing him to do something different. Frankie sits down beside Kayla and wraps her in a hug. And Chuck moves away from the door and curls up in an armchair in the corner of the room, discreetly wiping her tears off her cheeks.

Everyone is quiet for a long while. Eventually, the squawking of Negan’s radio breaks the silence.

“Sir. Part of the fence is down on the west side. Tree branch got it.”

“Shit.” Negan groans as he stands from the couch.

“Oh my god!” Kayla exclaims in fear.

“Any biters coming through?” Negan asks into the radio.

“No. We haven’t seen any since the storm began. We figure the wind and rain are keeping them down.”

“See. Nothing to fucking worry about,” Negan throws out to the wives. “I’m coming over to see,” he says into the radio and leaves.

The women remain quiet until dinner comes. They all sit around the table and begin to eat their meals.

“Negan is such a dick sometimes,” Tonya starts.

“Please don’t bring it up, Tonya,” Kayla pleads. “I’m sorry I asked him about his past. I didn’t think he’d get so upset. This is all my fault,” she says into her chest.

Chuck grasps Kayla’s shoulder. “No. It’s my fault for telling-“

“It’s Negan’s fault for not being able to deal with his emotions,” Sherry interrupts.

The women all nod in agreement.

“Let’s just drop it like Negan said,” Frankie suggests.

“Of course. Like we always do,” Tonya mutters and rolls her eyes. “Every time he gets pissy and blows up, he has to have the last word. And he never compromises! He has this way of making it seem like you get what you want, but you really don’t. He never changes.”

Chuck has the sudden realization that Tonya is right. “Wow. He does do that.”

“How do you even deal with him all the time?” Tonya asks Chuck. “I can only deal with him long enough to cum and that’s it.”

Even though Chuck is still hurt by what Negan said, she feels the need to defend him. “He’s not that bad most of the time.”

“Do you guys just fuck 24/7? Because that’s all he’s good for,” Tonya states with a smirk, lightening the mood a bit.

“No! We don’t.” Chuck giggles a little. “We... hang out, I guess. Like friends.”

“I can’t really picture him doing friend things,” Frankie says.

“He’s mostly a normal guy, I think.” Chuck shrugs. “He puts on his ‘Negan’ persona when he’s out, but he’s just... normal... all the other times. I’m sure you guys see that, too, when you’re alone with him.”

“Not really,” Kayla answers. “I guess he treats us a little differently than the workers or saviors. He makes sure we’re okay, but that’s really the extent of it.” Kayla looks to the other wives for confirmation.

“You’re the only one that gets cuddly, kissyface Negan,” Tonya says to Chuck in a light tone.

“Oh.” Chuck isn’t sure how to take this information.

The women finish up dinner and decide to play more games to pass the time. Sherry finds a deck of cards and some chips and the women sit at the table to play some poker. It soon becomes apparent that Chuck has absolutely no poker face.

“I fold,” Tonya says.

“Me, too.” Frankie sets her cards down.

“Yup.” Kayla folds, as well.

“Yeah. Me, too. Chuck obviously has a good hand,” Sherry comments with a chuckle.

“Aw. Come on, guys. I actually could’ve won big on that one.” Chuck sets her cards down, a full house, and picks up her measly winnings.

“Oh shit! You girls are playing poker,” Negan calls out excitedly from the doorway, like nothing had happened earlier. “Deal me in!” He comes further into the room, closer to the table.

“No way. You’re not taking over this game,” Sherry says to him as she deals.

“What!? You want me to just sit my ass on the couch by myself with nothing to do?” Negan pouts.

“There are books to read,” Tonya replies, not looking up from her cards.

Negan lets out a huff and walks up behind Chuck to peek at her cards. He leans down and brings his hands around her to reorder the cards in her hand and sets two of the cards down.

“Do you mind?” Chuck says with no real bite as she turns to look at Negan.

“Not at all. You’re shitty at poker. I’m doing you a fuckin’ favor.” He takes the cards Sherry puts in front of Chuck and places them in her hand, pulling her hands, and the cards, close to her chest to hide them before she has a chance to see them. “You’re fuckin’ welcome.”

“I didn’t even see what they were,” Chuck whines as he keeps her cards hidden.

“That’s the point, sweetheart. Those fuckin’ cards are written all over your face.”

“Have you even seen her play, before?” Kayla asks.

“She has like four chips left.” He points to her very small pile. “I’m pretty confident her poker face is severely fuckin’ lacking.” He grabs two of her chips and throws them in the pile.

“Call,” Sherry says.

Everyone shows their cards and Chuck wins with three of a kind.

“There you go, sweetheart. I won you some chips,” Negan says as he moves away to grab a book from one of the shelves.

“That doesn’t count!” Tonya teases.

“Let her take the chips,” Sherry says with a giggle.

“Yes! Pity winnings! I love it!” Chuck jokes and gathers her chips.

The women play a few more hands before Negan’s radio squawks to life. “It’s clearing up outside. Storm seems to be on its way out, sir.”

Negan brings the radio to his lips. “First floor, report.”

“We got a couple of inches of water down here, sir. Nothing seems to be too damaged though.”

“What’s it fuckin’ look like outside?”

“One part of the fence is down. We already sent guys out to work on it. No dead in sight. There’s shit all over the grounds, though. It’s a real mess, sir.”

“What about the outposts?”

“They got shit to clean up and some repairs, but nothing too major.”

“Good. First thing tomorrow, everyone fuckin’ pitches in to get this place back up and running. And I mean fuckin’ everyone. I want this fuckin’ shit cleaned up pronto.”

“Copy that, sir. ”

“Does that mean we can sleep upstairs, tonight?” Frankie asks.

“No. We’re all staying here until the fuckin’ morning,” Negan answers.

Kayla clears her throat. “And then we’re going to help with the cleanup, too?”

“Fuck no! You ladies will go back upstairs. There’s no way I’m having you wives traipsing around unattended with every other motherfucker here thinking he can get away with shit because people will be distracted. That’s a recipe for fuckin’ disaster if I ever saw one.”

“I want to go downstairs to help,” Chuck responds.

“The fuck did I just say?” Negan bites back.

“I’m not a wife. I’m just a worker. And if everyone needs to pitch in, isn’t it my job to help out?”

“I think you should stay with us,” Kayla interjects. “It’ll be safer.”

Negan gestures to Kayla and looks at Chuck. “See! She gets it.”

“I would really rather help out any way I can. Please.” Chuck looks up to Negan with wide eyes.

“Fuck...” He rubs his beard and looks back to Chuck. “You’re glued to my fuckin’ hip tomorrow. Understand.”

“Yes.”

“I mean it, Chuck. You never leave my fuckin’ sight.”

“I won’t.”

 The next morning, the wives move back upstairs and Negan leaves to make sure everything is on track for the day. When he gets back, Chuck and Negan leave the rec room to go downstairs to help with the clean up.

“Where are we headed?” Chuck asks.

“Outside. It’s a fuckin’ mess. That’s where most of the fuckin’ people are working,” Negan answers.

They walk through the halls of the first floor, trying to avoid the people sweeping away mud from the floors. At least Chuck is trying to avoid them. Negan just walks through, never pausing or moving out of the way. He opens the doors to the outside and Chuck is taken aback at the sight.

“Oh my god! It is a mess!” she exclaims.

There are tree limbs, bits of metal, and other debris all over. People are moving back and forth, moving the trash into pickup trucks to be dumped somewhere. Some people are patching up the walls and fences, but most are just clearing the debris from the yards.

“We’re headed to the back.” Negan leads Chuck around the building to the gardens.

There are several people working in the area including a group of middle aged women who are kneeling in the dirt tending to the plants and soil. Negan and Chuck make their way closer to them.

“How is it, ladies?” Negan asks to the women.

“We lost some plants, but I think overall it’ll be okay,” one of them answers.

“Good. I know you ladies don’t like strangers fuckin’ handling your plants, but I brought you another worker to help. And she’ll be real fuckin’ gentle. I promise,” Negan says and pushes Chuck forward.

“Oh, hi.” Chuck greets shyly. “I’m Chuck. So, uh... what do you need me to do?”

The women introduce themselves as Patty, Irene, and Natalie. Chuck kneels down in the dirt as Negan walks off to help clear debris nearby. She follows all of the women’s specific directions closely, but looks up from the dirt every once in a while to check up on Negan as he helps to clear debris.

Well, not exactly to check up on him.

“Oh, yeah. He needs to lose the jacket more often. He looks absolutely fine in just that T-shirt,” Natalie says with a growl and the others giggle.

Chuck looks back from Negan to see that all the other women are staring in his direction, also.

“He’s too skinny for me. But I admit that him all sweaty and lifting things is pretty hot,” Patty offers.

Chuck looks back down to the dirt, hoping the women won’t see the blush crawling across her face. She can admit to herself that Negan is a handsome man and she very much enjoys looking at him, but her shyness keeps her from being able to talk to anyone else about it.

“Don’t be so shy, Chuck,” Irene says. “You can ogle all you want. And if you work out here in the gardens with us, you’re gonna hear some girl talk. So join in.”

“Girl talk?” Chuck asks with a smile. This isn’t like any girl talk Chuck is familiar with. And she certainly isn’t confident enough to talk about Negan or any other man in the ways that they are.

Patty points to Simon who is walking by. “Ooh yeah. Like look at him. Sex on a stick! I like ‘em big and muscle-y.”

“Simon?” Chuck calls out to the women in a startled tone a little too loudly causing the man to turn to her and come in their direction.

“Shit, Chuck! He heard you!” Patty whispers harshly.

Simon walks over to the garden and looks down at the women before focusing on Chuck. “Heya, angel. What are you doing down there in the dirt?” he asks with a smile.

“Uh...” she looks around to the women who all look shocked at Simon’s familiarity with her. “I’m helping with the garden.”

“Yeah. I see that. You need something?” he asks, obviously thinking that Chuck had called him over for some reason.

“No,” Chuck replies unconfidently.

“Ok, then. Don’t work too hard,” he says with some confusion as he pats Chuck on the back and turns to walk to Negan.

Natalie lets out a gasp and points at Chuck when Simon walks far enough away. “You’re sleeping with Simon!”

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Irene jokes.

“No! Nonono! I’m not sleeping with Simon. He’s just a friend.”

“Friend? How did a girl like you become friends with Negan’s right hand man?” Patty asked. “That was literally the first time I’ve ever seen him talk to a worker, you know, casually.”

“Uh...” Chuck isn’t sure how to explain it. She doesn’t really want to say that she is close with Negan and that’s how she got close to Simon. In the two and a half months she’s been at The Sanctuary, she’s managed to keep her friendship with Negan quiet. Mostly due to the fact that she isn’t close with anyone outside of the top floor. And the saviors that are aware of her closeness to Negan know that it would be a mistake to spread it around.

Chuck inadvertently looks to Negan in her nervousness. When her eyes find him, she sees that he’s already staring at her. The women around her follow her gaze, seeing Negan for themselves.

“Holy shit. Are you with Negan?” Irene asks in astonishment and the other women gasp.

“What?” Chuck snaps her gaze away from Negan and back to the women. “No! I’m not with Negan. I’m not a ...wife. Obviously.” She holds her dirty hands out, showing that she is a worker and not a wife.

“Well, he’s looking at you like he wants to pounce on you,” Natalie responds.

“Shit. He’s coming over here. Shush,” Patty whispers quickly and the women go back to working the soil.

Negan, carrying his jacket and Lucille in the same hand, saunters toward the women and looms over them before he speaks. “Getting the job done, ladies?”

“Yes, sir,” Irene answers quickly, with the others nodding.

“Well, that just tickles my balls!” Negan laughs. “There’s a fuckin’ meeting in the main hall in an hour. Be there,” he directs to the women as he holds his free hand out to Chuck. “Come on, sweetheart.”

Chuck looks around at the knowing smirks on the women’s faces and blushes furiously. She takes his hand and stands from the ground, walking away from the gardens by Negan’s side.

“What’s that look for?” Negan asks as they walk, heading to Negan’s room.

“Nothing,” Chuck answers.

“No. It’s not nothing. You’re all blushing and your fuckin’ face is all scrunched up.”

“Those ladies. They, uh... They were asking about you.”

“Asking what?” Negan inquires with a smirk.

“About you... And me,” Chuck says quietly.

“I see,” Negan scratches his beard. “So the secret’s out, huh?” he questions in a somewhat joking tone.

“Well... I said I wasn’t with you. Which isn’t a lie, technically.”

“Did they believe that?” He looks down at her with a smile.

“I don’t know.” She looks up at him. “Probably not.” She shrugs. They start up the stairs to the fifth floor.

Negan lets her go ahead of him. “Don’t worry about what they think.” Negan pinches her butt with a chuckle.

“Negan!” She bats his hand away then looks around to make sure that no one is around. “We’re still in public even if no one is in the stairwell,” she growls at him.

He laughs and the pair continues to his apartment in comfortable silence.

“We’ll grab a shower and head down to the meeting,” Negan says and starts to strip his clothes off.

“Shower together?” Chuck asks.

“You getting fuckin’ shy on me, now? It’s not like we haven’t seen each other fuckin’ naked before.”

“We’ve never showered together, though.”

“So?” Negan, now naked, moves toward Chuck and lifts her shirt up and over her head to get her started.

“Showering is kinda... private. You know?” She begins to assist him in taking off her clothes.

“If you want to rub one out when we’re in there, you have my fuckin’ permission,” he jokes.

“Oh my god, Negan! I didn’t mean that kinda private.” She hits his shoulder as she lets out a chuckle. “One track mind.” She shakes her head and walks past him and into the bathroom.

After showering and redressing, Chuck leaves for the main hall without Negan, allowing him a little bit more time to prep his speech. Chuck maneuvers her way through the crowd of people standing in the main hall to a spot that is a little less densely populated. Everyone waits for a few minutes before the door on the catwalk above them opens up.

Negan walks forward toward the railing and everyone kneels down on their knees. Chuck follows suit, not wanting to look disrespectful around the other workers.

“On your feet!” Negan calls out and everyone rises. “I am pleased. as. punch with the way y’all fuckin’ hustled today to get this place spic and span and back to fuckin’ normal! This hurricane shit could’ve knocked us on our motherfuckin’ asses, but we all worked together. We all stayed fuckin’ calm and we came through the other side of this shit tornado smelling like fuckin’ roses!” He gestures to the crowd. “As a reward for you guys being so fucking awesome, everyone is getting a fuckin’ surprise at dinner tonight. We are having fuckin’ cake for dessert! No points necessary!”

Everyone erupts in applause at the words, including Chuck. Desserts are incredibly rare and usually very expensive.

“Dismissed!” Negan yells out and everyone starts to leave.

Chuck holds back, waiting for the crowd to clear out before she leaves, heading back up to the fifth floor with nothing but sugary confections on her mind.

[frankumoefoetv]

Preference: Clueless Campers

The boys meet you when they’re out camping and they happen to know nothing about it. || (e/c) is eye color. Requests are open! :)

Ian:

It’s been awhile since Ian has last went camping. Although he is often outside, venturing into storm drains and parks near his house or the deep in the Australian woods; he hasn’t went camping since his childhood. When a few of his buddies suggest going camping, Ian is very much excited. He thinks of all the ideas he could do for a video, but they insist that he just enjoy the time spent away from his computer and relax. They even give him a nature guide as a gift, telling him, “Look for some flowers or shit, dude. Just relax.”

What does that even mean?

Anyway, his friends were starting off the bonfire, drinking their beers. All that typical guy shit that wasn’t really Ian’s style. He was only halfway done with his first beer until he decided to volunteer to look for some firewood. Anything to avoid his drunk friends singing horrible mainstream songs. One of them throws the book they gave to Ian as job, telling him to have fun. “Thanks.”

As he continues collecting random branches, he can’t help but to look through his book in hopes that it can bring him some sort of entertainment as he looks for these stupid branches. He flips through the flower section of his book. He recognizes some of the plants that were more common in California, such as salvia and manzanitas. He begins to get fascinated finding all these plants, to the point where he decided to make it into a game. He had to find at least ten of the plants in his book or he would not get his prize: two s’mores that he wanted to treat himself with later that night.

He just needed to find one more plant, the flannelbush. At this point, he completely forgot about his search for the firewood. He was deep into the woods, determined to find the plant. It was annoying him as he kept seeing the ones he had already found or no interest in looking for. Eventually, he found the plant and he couldn’t help but to touch the leathery and fuzzy leaves. He caressed the yellow flower, until he heard footsteps near him; causing him to accidentally yank the flower off the shrub.

“Dude, you know the leaves can cause skin and eye irritation, right?” the stranger, who happened to be really fucking adorable, said.

He couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment, remembering what his nature guide had said about the leaves. He gave you a small smile, a hand out to offer the flower as he realized that he abandoned his “responsibilities” and was lost. “Here’s a pretty flower for a pretty girl. Can you help me find my friends? I’m kinda lost.”

Max:

Max probably doesn’t go camping or do a lot of nature related activities, but if he does, he would need pointers or rather someone to keep tabs on him. He’d obviously come off as someone who wouldn’t know much about the outdoors since he’s such as gamer, but he would love the scenery more than anything he could ever get from his backyard (except his cats). So when him and the friends he came along with go out hiking, he can’t help himself but record and take photos of all the things he sees. “It’s so exciting being one with nature!” he’ll think to himself. Although he tries not to let the camera take control of his camping experience, he feels that it’s one of those “once in a lifetime” experiences. He enjoys recording and taking photos of the simple things: birds, plants, cool shaped rocks, anything. He has so much fun, up until he stops taking dozens of photos of a tree and realize that his pals are nowhere in sight.

Of course, Max starts growing paranoid since he’s never really been hiking before and he’s never been in this area either. “Oh god, oh god, I’m gonna die. I’m in the fucking woods and no one’s gonna find me, fuCK.” He tries to remain calm, but he grows more worried the more he thinks about the possibilities of how he could die. From a bear attack, falling and breaking a bone, being eaten by an unknown creature, etc. He tries to distract his thoughts by taking photos of some nice flowers he keeps seeing, but then he goes back to being worried since he is positive that he passed that shrub twice.

He decided to keep going straight, in hopes that maybe one of his friends will pop out to scare him but that didn’t happen. Max starts thinking about living life in the woods like a modern Tarzan until suddenly he hears a weird rustling. He starts sprinting in fear until, fuck, he bumps into a girl. A pretty girl with pretty (e/c) eyes. Is this his Jane?

“Fuck, I’m so sorry. Can you please help me, I lost my friends and I think I just heard a bear,” he says with a smile. Though despite the friendly smile, he is scared shitless. And you can’t help but laugh and agree to help this cute stranger as he shows you all the cool photos he took.

Joji:

Joji loves the idea of nature but probably doesn’t get in touch with his nature side like Max. He’s more not used to nature, probably, since he’s always lived and been in the city. But when he goes camping, he gets excited because it’s nice to finally see the stars more clearly that he ever would in the city. He’d really take in the fresh air and the tranquility of his surroundings. In fact, he’d enjoy embracing it alone. So he’d go out in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep in their tents to enjoy the peace that is, honestly, long overdue. He’d decide to walk to the fairly large pond he remembers seeing when they drove by to the camp site. He figured it was a few minutes away from where they were camping out, so he’ll wander off.

As he wanders off to look for the pond, he takes advantage of the opportunity to admire his surroundings. The way the stars look so clear and shine so beautiful, the bright moonlight guiding him to his destination, and the only noise that he could hear was the sound of crickets and the rustling of the leaves through the wind. He was lucky he brought his oversized black hoodie because it was starting to get cold. But it didn’t matter, he enjoyed his surroundings and the sound of nature. It was odd but comforting, as he was so used to the sound of cars in the city.

He hates when he gets lost in his thoughts because he ends up losing himself in the process. He ends up tripping over a rock, mumbling curse words in Japanese in irritation.

“Are you okay?!” he hears a voice call out. “Here, let me help you up.”

He lets the stranger help him up. The whole scene was like it was a cheesy romance movie. He looked into her sparkling, (e/c) eyes, the moonlight shining on her perfectly. His heart was beating in sync with the chirping of the crickets. He realized that he hadn’t answered your question. “Yeah, I’m okay. I was just looking for the nearby pond but I think I’m lost.”

“Yeah, you’re going the wrong way, it’s at the other side of the campground,” you responded, pulling away from Joji’s hand, much to his dismay.

“Can you help me get back? I kinda got distract from the beauty of nature that I don’t even know where I am.”

You agreed, as you listened to him tell you everything he found beautiful about the forest.

[directorscutandsomeotherstuff]

A Prologue

(And welcome to Director’s Cut, the show where we find old, terrible fanfiction and try to make it better by making fun of it, and today, we’re apparently going back to the beginning. Naming these posts after the titles of the fics in question has given me some choice ones, so far. Anyway, it’s One Piece time.)

(One Piece is an anime about pirates. It’s also a show in which kick-happy chefs face off against cross dressing ballerina men and in which the greatest marksman of all time carries around a slingshot. The protagonist, a Mr. Monkey D. Luffy, (referred to in this fic as “Ruffy” because of shitty localization) ate a cursed fruit that gave his body the properties of rubber, at the cost of completely losing his ability to swim. Being a sensible and level headed sort, he immediately pulled up tent stakes and made the harrowing journey from his island home to the mainland, where his eccentric powers made him a valued and much beloved member of his community. Actually, no. He became a pirate. On the ocean. Setting out for adventure on a rowboat. You’d think I’d be mad, but honestly, the show ran with that level of insane stupidity all throughout, giving it a charming level of absurdity that I can’t help but smile at.)

(Which brings us neatly to our author for today, Shaoli. Shaoli has decided to grace us with a fanfiction appropriately titled “A Prologue.” According to the description, there was never any real intention of making anything beyond it. I guess they just wanted practice? Who knows? Let’s get down to business.)

"My hat!!!" It was a cry the crew of the Goin' Merry heard several times a day. A tattered straw sun-hat bounced like a ball of tumbleweed across the swaying deck, driven swiftly by a lively breeze. (Why its owner didn’t think to use string or otherwise fasten it on board a ship powered by the wind was anyone’s guess.) Bouncing along right behind and grappling for both hat and foothold was the ship's captain, a most unlikely figure, a spindly youth with wild hair and wilder eyes. (The return of young Willem DaFoe. He sure was popular among early 00′s fanfic writers, eh?) "Ruffy!!!" That was also a cry heard several times a day, aimed this time at the scrambling, screaming persuer of the straw hat. (As opposed to all the other times, when it was leveled at the other people named Ruffy.) Ruffy had just barrelled past the Merry's most unusual feature, Nami's tangerine garden. Nami herself had been kneeling in the soft soil, pruning the lower branches of the largest bush. Leaping up and reaching with an arm that seemed, just for the slightest moment, too long for his smallish frame, the captain had nicked a bright orange fruit from that bush, sending leaves, branches and several ripe tangerines flying in the backlash from his wild grab, some battering an enraged Nami, others falling toward a figure reclined on the deck below (who was resting, with the air normally reserved for decadent aristocrats, like a boss, and this is not an attempt, on my part, to double down on the longest sentence in history, which is this sentence, that you’re reading, at this very moment). Zoro had long learned to sleep through all the ship's common commotions, but a spattering of ripe fruit in the face was quite another matter. The crew's only swordsman winced as the mildly acid juice trickled off his stiff green hair and stung his eyes. Grumbling a vague curse, (”Ah... some kind of shit from, like, an animal or what the fuck ever. I don’t care.”) Zoro scrubbed the offending liquid from his face and watched with a resigned air as Ruffy continued his hat chase. Breath coming hard through his nose (ah... um, no. Sorry. Now is definitely not the time to do my usual “twist somebody’s awkward phrasing into something funny” shtick. That’d just be nasty.) and a large tangerine crammed into his mouth, Ruffy's fingers closed around the rim of his hat just as it went over the rail at starboard quarter, the momentum slamming him into the rail itself. The youth's jaws clamped shut at the impact, and he was left with a mouthful of bitter, fragrant rind as the rest of the tangerine plummeted into the churning sea. "Aargh! No!" It was no idle protest the boy made, (after all, scurvy was an omnipresent problem aboard pirate ships, and the loss of any citrus flesh was a tragedy.) as this time his right arm did stretch many times its normal length, like so much chewed bubblegum, plunging into the water in pursuit of the fruit. The arm came up two seconds later with a vicious fanged fish gnawing at the end of it, and its owner in another screaming fit. (”Dammit!” screamed the owner of the vicious fanged fish. “You leave Chumblebutts alone, you hooligan! Can’t you see he needs that tangerine more than you do?”) Nami continued to prune, and Zoro curled up where he was, fighting a vague and creeping sense of despair which disappeared with his fist snore. The door to the ship's cabin swung open, and an irate voice carrying a vaguely french accent drifted out. "What in heck is going on out there?"  The voice's only reply was a howl as the captain sped past the garden again, hat restored on his head and a fish with needle spines and bulging eyes and huge teeth at the end of one arm. (”Ruffy!” the owner of the fish continued, “Just hold still! All you’re doing is freaking Chumblebutts out even more!) As Ruffy wrestled with the rabid fish on the deck, a trail of smoke wafted its way out of the cabin door, followed by the ship's cook, a blond-haired young fellow with a cigarette clamped between his teeth, who took a moment to adjust his tie and to smile adoringly at Nami, (which he did literally every time he ever saw Nami ever, at least according to fanfic writers.) who ignored him, before turning to frown at his captain's undignified thrashing. With a sigh, he began to make his way over the rail, when a skinny figure elbowed past him, clambering onto the wooden beam. "I'll save you, Captain!" It was Ussop, youngest of the crew next to Ruffy, and the ship's best gunman and carpenter (in that he was the only one who did those things on the crew of about five or six. It wasn’t exactly stiff competition.). Standing astride the beam, he snapped his prized goggles into place, and, taking aim with his slingshot, released his homemade bullet with an unneccessary flourish. (”Rubber Band of Doom!” he cried, smirking as the rubber band bounced harmlessly off the fish. He then fired something actually useful.) Ruffy, who had been thumping his stubborn little attacker repeatedly on the floor, looked up just as the shot connected with the source of his--present--distress, and engulfed the fish, as well as Ruffy's arm, in a ball of yellow flame.

(And then the Going Merry went entirely up in flames. The tangerine bushes, especially. The crew all drowned. The End.) The fire lasted merely seconds, and Ruffy emerged only slightly singed. (Seriously? All these attempts at slapstick, and a fishy fireball just gets “Oh, and Ruffy gets first degree burns, whatever?” It’s a fishy fireball, man! Embrace it!)  Now he sat calmly munching on his former assailiant, which had been fried to a crisp, as the rest of the crew (save the still-snoozing Zoro) milled about the ship, making adjustments to the sail, the wind having picked up again after a brief lull. "I don't like the look of this weather," called Nami to no one in particular, basket of gardening tools in one hand as she scanned the sky. "We'll see a storm within the hour." No one questioned this suggestion, clear as the sky seemed. Nami was never wrong.  "Sanji, get the tarp for my garden, will you? The rest of you keep the sails up for now, we need to make as much headway as possible before the storm hits." "Yes, my love!" was the cook's giddy reply as he descended obediently into the hatch to get the plastic covering Nami requested. Ruffy tossed the remains of the unforunate sea creature, mere bone picked completely clean, overboard, and wondered about dinner as he went to help Ussop with the rigging. The rising wind was whipping the skinny sharpshooter around the pole as he tussled with the ropes, doing a maypole dance with the mast without ever touching the ground. Zoro snored.

(The owner of the vicious fanged fish gathered up the bones of his precious baby. Beaten, burned, and thrown to the sharks. And for what? Citrus? Truly, a pirate’s greed knew no bounds. He sank beneath the waves, muttering dark promises of revenge for his beloved Chumblebutts.) ******************************************* The green-haired swordsman awoke with a sneeze. Rain fell like a translucent curtain from the black sky, sloshing about the deck and drenching him in salty cold. He sighed. There had to be some sort of cure for this ridiculous habit of his. He'd sleep through anything if he felt no threat in his immediate surroundings. (This made Zoro notoriously vulnerable to ninjas, diseases, and farts of the silent, but decidedly deadly variety.) Usually it was on board the Merry. The only other time in his life he'd had such unguarded comfort was back at the dojo; back home. Zoro had to smile as he picked himself off the deck and squelched towards the cabin. Home was here now! He grinned wider at the thought. He liked life simple, and thus he strove to keep it so. Running into Ruffy had been an accident. Life had never beem more exciting, (Special attack! Life Excitement Beem! PREEEOW!) and at the same time, so wonderfully uncomplicated.  One never could depend on circumstance for simplicity, not with a name known across the two seas; not with a price big enough to purchase a small village on your head. (Being wanted by the government was the best way of keeping life simple.) It was Ruffy's path through these strange situations that never wavered from its certain course: beat up the bad guy, and aid the helpless. His sharp hearing picked up the sound of a voice over the hammering rain, and Zoro cast a glance toward the ship's bow. Outlined against the storm- darkened sky was (the owner of the vicious fanged fish, sword drawn and murder in his eyes. Zoro sprung into action, a sword in each hand and a third clenched between his teeth, and began a fight that would surely make for much more interesting reading. However, we choose instead to focus on) the captain and his straw hat, sitting on the ram figurehead at the ship's bow. Behind the figure to the right stood Nami in her yellow raincoat, shaking a finger at Ruffy whilst her other hand struggled to keep a water-proof map open and a compass upright at the same time. For no reason he could put into words, Zoro began to hum a tune he had heard in his childhood as he turned once more toward the dry comfort of the cabin (where he would clean the blood off of his blades and wonder what on earth could bring a man to such depths of hatred as he saw) . He could not quite remember the lyics, someone had wrote about his childhood hero, the kind who always beat the bad guy and got the girl, (not that Zoro would ever admit to being a Dante fanboy. The world at large did not look kindly to grown men who still played Devil May Cry.) but to him they went something like this: "And the reason that she loved him, was the reason I loved him, too. 'Coz he never wondered what was right or wrong, He just knew. He just knew..." ******************************************** "Did the devil fruit make you immune to disease, too? You'll catch a cold out here!" Nami shouted over the storm. (”Oh, and also, if you fall into the water, you’re literally dead. It’s hard enough saving a man overboard in a storm, when they don’t sink like a stone because of devil fruit powers.”) "I like sitting here!" was Ruffy's stubborn answer. The youth clung like a possum to the smiling figurehead, glaring at Nami as if he expected her to challenge him for the spot. Nami sighed, and went back to reading her map. A most curious expression flitted across Ruffy's normally wide-eyed countenance. (5/10. Could have used more ponderous ten-dollar words.) He shuffled from his precariously dangling position on the ram head, sliding down the length of the neck so that he was only about two feet away from Nami. His voice carried that innocent tone only he was capable of. "Nami, are you happy?" Nami looked up and sneezed, a corner of the map whipping her in the face and her feet and hair soaking wet despite the raincoat. (What? The map whipped her in the face, the feet, and the hair, despite her raincoat? Fucking hell, that map must be a whiz at Tekken.) "What??" was her incredulous answer. "Um..."Ruffy searched for words. For a while he didn't find any. Nami was suddenly nervous. The youth seemed a little distant for a moment, and for good measure his bright, black eyes had settled upon her face as he searched his seldom-used and not-too-extensive vocabulary. (Unlike me, the author, who bases their entire identity on the extensiveness of their vocabulary. Why, I’m indubitably loquacious, you inadequately educated varlets.) "Don't you ever leave, ok?" he chirped, leaping over her head and onto the swaying deck. "I promise never to make you cry." And he went below deck, stretching and yawning. Nami stared after her captain, and smiled. (And that was the last thing she did before the owner of the vicious fanged fish clambered over the gunwale one last time from behind her, delirious from blood-loss and seeing only one last gasp opportunity to avenge his beloved Chumblebutts.)