#the bottom shelf is mainly hers and some shared ones

[unleashedsonic]

more collection pics <3 furby + robotic toy edition

[cwwv9]

Hello hello are you open for request? I like your writings sm especially the recent one since, hiori's included. So id like to request a oneshot for hiori. Scenario: So first it would take place in the early stage of relationship/dating and stuff, then at one time hiori saw his s/O have a let's say merch of a video game he likes, when hiori asked about it, his s/o starts yapping happily saying she likes the game and she's very into the story line and worldbuilding and and shes also a fan of many video games with some of them hiori likes too, saying that she plays games mainly on her phone (PvP, moba, be, fps, etc. ) also adding that since she can't afford having her own pc and stuff to play games(shawty is broke lol), she only plays on what's available on phone and of course free. Even though she doesn't play the game herself she watches playthroughs even if it takes many hours and staying up late. So, hiori finds it exciting(like points increased) to learn that they share the same interests , and he suggested that they could play together and try the games she wants or watch him play. Here's my idea, if you ever consider this, thanks in advance. ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡

-craving for fics that include hiori fr fr.

«Our world on the screen»

— Without gender!Reader x Hiori Yo

Genres: romance, fluff, everyday life, first kiss, light sensuality.

Warning: the fanfic contains a soft novel, emotional intimacy, scenes with rain, running in the rain and warm physical contact.

Note: I love to write about the hiori, he’s my favorite boy! I hope you enjoy this drawing!

I want to thank you again for writing such a request! This helps me a lot to know which characters I can confidently include in the request on a permanent basis. because I don’t know who the readers are waiting for ((

mailbox open for queries!!!

You were sitting on the floor of your room, cross-legged, leaning into the phone screen.

The sun was already setting, shining a soft orange light, and you didn’t even notice how fast time flew by. Next to you lay an old pillow, a couple of open packs of snow chips and headphones, one of which had fallen out of your ear several times. You watched the game you loved - the one you once loved and dreamed of playing.

There was a quiet knock outside the door.

- Hi... can I? - said the familiar, warm voice of Hiori.

You immediately pulled out the headphones, smiling.

-Sure! Come on in!

He walked in, a little unsure of the threshold - as if he was afraid to disturb your world. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie, with a little bit of loose hair and an attentive look, which immediately fell on the small shelf at the wall. There was a figure from the same game - one of the iconic characters.

Hiori frowned with a slight surprise, came closer.

- That’s... do you know this game? he asked cautiously, as if he were afraid of being intrusive.

Your eyes are on fire.

– Oh, yes! I love it! - you rose sharply from the floor and close to the bottom, smiling wider than usual. - Plot, characters, world... everything is just crazy cool! I have seen so many walks that I know almost every location by heart!

Hiori blinked without concealing a slight surprise.

When you saw his reaction, you got even more excited, as if someone finally understood the passion that you were hiding in yourself.

– I really don’t have a computer... - you added slightly quieter, almost apologizing. - I play mostly on my phone. Everything you can: PvP, moba, battle-royals, shooters... anything that holds my poor phone.

You chuckled, showing off your battered machine with a cracked back cover.

- But I always keep track of my favorite games! I watch streaks, I spend the nights in a flying show... well, you know.

Hiori was silent for a few seconds. There was a new, strange gleam in his eyes - not cold, not neutral as usual. Something war...

- So... do you like games too? he finally asked a little softer, as if he was afraid the answer would be a dream.

You nodded so forcefully that your hair went up.

– Then... - He squeezed his hands in his pockets, as if he was gathering with spirit. - Do you want to... play together? Or I can show you something. Something you’ve wanted to try for a long time.

Your eyes widened, and a child’s stupid smile flashed across your face.

- Seriously? You really want to?

He nodded slightly, smiling softly, allowing himself for the first time a genuine smile - one you rarely saw

- I would like to. With you.

At which you shouted and began to grunt, squealing joyfully, that knocked Hiori off his feet.

After a couple of days you were sitting in his room.

His laptop was slowly loading the same game, and you, leaning against the screen, waited impatiently. Hyory watched you stealthily, with a slight embarrassment on his cheeks. He had never seen you like this - alive, bright,

You talked nonstop, talking about your favorite characters, about the moments that gave you the creeps and the moments that gave you the tears.

Hiori caught every word you said.

He was unaccustomed... so warm.

He felt that there was an invisible connection between you - not only through the screens and game stories, but through the real feelings.

When you first picked up the mouse, he carefully covered your palm with his, directing movements.

You’ve been a little bumpy, feeling how close he is.

- It’s all right, he whispered, his voice was soft as silk. I’m there.

You turned to meet his gaze. For a moment, time stood still.

And then you both laughed quietly.

Just, like a child. Clean. As if there was nothing more important than this moment.

Since then, the shared evenings have become your little tradition.

Sometimes you played what you loved. Sometimes he showed you his favorite games. And sometimes you just sat around watching long streaks, chuckling with quiet phrases and laughing at funny moments.

And every time Hiori looked at you, excited and happy, he felt like he was doing the right thing.

He chose you.

And I would like to make this choice again and again.

Over time, it became something more than just shared evenings.

Sometimes you went to the city together - without a plan, without clear routes. Just walking around discussing the latest game updates or arguing about which of the characters deserves more recognition.

Today was special.

Hyory first offered to go to a small video game store, which, according to him, «only those who really know the subject» knew about.

You gladly agreed, anticipating how you will rummage together in the shelves and find rare things.

The store was tiny, drowned in an alley among cafes and shops. Inside smelled of old paper, plastic and something... warm, almost homely.

You wandered for a long time between the shelves, picking up posters, discs, figurines. You found things that you once dreamed of seeing live, and Hiori quietly watched your reactions, each time more deeply penetrating some new, unexplored feeling.

In the end, you chose an inexpensive figurine - a character that you both liked. Hjori insisted on buying it at his own expense.

- Consider it... the beginning of our collection, he said, turning away slightly, as if embarrassed.

You only smiled warmly, unable to find the right words.

The evening has fallen quickly.

You walked through dark alleys, illuminated only by dim lanterns.

In the bag you had in your hands quietly ringing figure. In the air smelled of damp, and somewhere far away lazy rain splashed. It hasn’t started yet, but it was hanging in heavy drops above its heads.

- Today was great, said Hiori quietly, breaking her silence.

- Yes... - you said. The voice was softer than you expected. Almost unconsciously, your hand held the bag tighter. - Thank you for calling.

He nodded, and you continued to walk in silence. But between you there was a strange shiver, as if from an electrostatic discharge - something that was stronger than words.

Hiori suddenly slowed down, and then stopped altogether.

You stopped, too, turning to him.

The damp air enveloped the skin. The wind tingled the hair slightly.

Hoori stood in front of me without saying a word. In his eyes, the reflection of the lanterns was glistening - timid, almost unsure, but at the same time so frank that the breath caught me for a moment.

He came half a step closer.

You felt his warmth, heard his breath.

- May?.. he asked a little.

Your heart has missed its beat.

The answer was obvious.

You nodded.

Barely noticeable, almost hesitantly, Hiori approached. His hand gently touched your cheek - a slight, almost weightless touch. He leaned forward, slowly, as if giving you time to change your mind, to distance yourself... but you didn’t make a move.

His lips touched yours - at first awkward, timid.

A short, warm, moist kiss, smelling of rain and late evening.

He’s gone for a split second, and he looks at you again. And then, bolstered by courage, he came back with a deeper kiss - already a little more confident, a little more greedy, as if he understood that there was nothing to lose.

The rain has finally touched the earth with the first rare drops, mixing with the heat of your breath.

And in that sudden, almost unreal moment you realized:

Even if the whole world were to collapse, you have already built yours.

On a blinking screen. In quiet evenings. On soft touches.

Reciprocated.

The drops of rain became thicker, heavier on the skin and clothes.

You only got away from Hiori when the sky suddenly shook, and the first large drop rolled down his cheek.

- We should run, he exhaled, laughing a little.

You nodded.

He grabbed you by the hand - unexpectedly strong for someone who had always seemed so soft - and pulled.

You ran away.

The asphalt quickly became slippery, the air was heavy with moisture. Water poured into the hair, trickled down the cheeks, absorbed in the cloth of clothes.

But neither you nor he cared before.

You heard Hiori laugh. Real, carefree - not quiet, not hiding a smile, but loud, happy

His hand held yours, warm, alive, real

You turned into an alley, hiding under some kind of roof ledge. The rain was rattling on iron over your heads, creating a melody that could not be repeated

You leaned against the wall, breathing heavily from laughter and running. Hjori stopped close by, hair stuck to his forehead, eyelashes wet, shirt stuck to his shoulders.

He looked damn beautiful. Real.

Hoori reached out his hand, put the wet line behind your ear.

Touched my chin with my fingers, sliding them down my cheek, as if I didn’t believe you were really here, close to me in this rain.

- Thank you,' he whispered, leaning back again.

This time the kiss was slow. Warm, despite the wet clothes.

Your hands have wrapped themselves around him, drawing closer, obstinately, demanding.

He answered, clinging to the whole body, giving himself entirely to you - with all that quiet trepidation, slipping away tenderness and desperate courage.

There were drops falling nearby, crashing against the rocks.

There were people walking around laughing under the umbrellas.

The light of the apartment windows warmed behind me.

But your whole world was here now: in his hot fingers on your waist, in his trembling breath, in his kisses, in his quiet whisper that you could hear with difficulty through the rustle of rain:

- I want more nights with you.

You smiled through the kiss and clenched his palm tighter in yours.

- Then we have an eternity ahead of them.

[unseededtoast]

Turtle Doves | Joel Miller x F!oc

Part One

Chapter Directory

Series Summary: In which two broken souls connect so deeply, that if one should perish, the other would surely die of a broken heart. (slow burn, timeline changes. After TLOU1, before TLOU2, assumed knowledge of infected, uses elements from both show and game)

Series Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, and sexual content.

Also cross-posted on Wattpad and AO3. Link to my masterlist for everything else I’ve posted!

wc: 2.9k

a/n: Thank you for checking out this story! This is by far one of my favorites that I've ever written and I am beyond ecstatic to finally be able to share it with you all. I will be uploading a new part every week, and let me know if you'd like to be tagged! Once again thank you so much!

"What do you think of all this?" My voice is unusually hoarse as I take in the images before me. There have been reports of some sickness going around, mainly in the bigger cities, far enough from here to make us feel safe, for now.

(use this link for geographical reference points)

Upbeat music sounds through the house, bright sunshine beaming through the open windows. The crisp breeze whips in every few seconds, blowing the sheer curtains and cooling the house. It all makes it seem more real that summer is finally here. I lightly bob my head to the beat, enjoying the first day of warmth and excited for our first cookout of the year. I hear a few of the guests in the back yard already, laughing and clinking bottles together.

I turn around and open the freezer door, grabbing the ice tray off the top shelf and breaking up the frozen water inside, so that I can dump the cubes into the glass pitcher sitting on the kitchen counter. The ice clings as it falls to the bottom of the pitcher, and I go to fill it with water to finish the lemonade. With another gust of wind, the smell of grilled burgers floats in, making me all too excited to get back out there.

The doorbell rings out and I quickly turn the water off so that the lemonade doesn't overflow into the sink. I set the pitcher off to the side and dry my hands on the towel laying on the counter. Quickly, I make my way to the door and open it, greeting the next arrivals with a wide smile on my face.

"Thank you guys for coming, please make yourselves at home! I think the burgers are just about done out back." I say and close the door behind them, grabbing a dish from my friend's full hands and placing it on the counter. Her daughter toddles through the house, mumbling about something that's apparently very important to her. I smile softly at the little girl and turn my attention to my friend, who I haven't seen in forever. Her husband quickly finds his way to the back yard with the other guests.

"Sorry we're late, someone did not want to wear shoes today." She breathily laughs, setting down a diaper bag as she watches her daughter walk around the house.

"I understand, shoes are a pain." I joke with her and open the fridge to grab a chilled bottle. I hand the wine cooler to her and she pops the cap, taking a sip. I look at my friend, who I notice looks tired and stressed, more than usual. There are dark circles under her eyes and her hair is haphazardly thrown up into a bun. Her appearance is out of character for her, she's typically always primped and dressed for the occasion.

"Tell me about it. I was half tempted to just let her come barefoot. How's Lucas?" She asks about my son, taking another sip. I turn my head to look out the back door, seeing my son being held by my husband.

"He's loving all the attention out there, that's for sure. How are things going, Lisa? I feel like I haven't seen you since last year." I inquire, casually grabbing the lemonade pitcher and setting it beside the veggie tray I took from her. She sighs,

"Things have been better. John has been working more hours lately. Which is fine, it's just that I feel like I never sleep anymore." She tries to joke, but I can sense the exhaustion in her. Her husband works as a physician at a local hospital, and has been on call for the past two weeks. I offer her a small smile and put a hand on her shoulder,

"You and little miss Amelia are welcome here anytime. Lucas would enjoy the company and I know you'd enjoy the rest. I mean it, I don't mind watching her." I tell her, knowing that she will likely never take me up on the offer. Lisa doesn't like to impose on people, though she wouldn't be imposing at all.

"I appreciate it Noelle, thank you." She nods gratefully. Amelia finds her way to the back door and puts her slobber-covered hands on the glass, mumbling nonsense but making it clear she wants out there with everyone else. I laugh at her silliness and balance the veggie tray in one hand and grab the lemonade in the other.

"I think Amelia wants to get out there. Feel free to just relax, we can watch over her. Enjoy yourself, mama." I say and make my way to the backdoor and expertly open it with my elbow. Amelia squeals and runs out onto the grass with the other kids.

Lisa goes to sit on the couch, taking another drink, and I close the door behind me. I set the veggie tray down on a foldable table where the other side dishes are and place the cold lemonade beside the other beverages. The burgers smell amazing and I can't help but glance over to the grill to see if they're done yet. To my disappointment, they're not ready, so I walk over to my husband Ryan, who has Lucas in his arms.

"Do you want me to take him?" I ask, knowing that even though Lucas is a small kid, he gets quite heavy after a while. Ryan nods and hands him off to me, kissing me on the forehead before he goes to grab a beer out of the cooler. Lucas lays his head on my shoulder and I can tell he's ready for his afternoon nap.

I go back in the house to find Lisa chilling on the couch, her drink empty in hand and her head resting back on the cushion with her eyes closed. Quietly, I make my way to Lucas' room and lay him down in bed. Of course, as soon as he's on the mattress he's starts to throw a fit, because he's so obviously not tired.

"Shhh, it's okay." I soothe him, running a hand through his short hair and tucking a light sheet around him while he curls his tiny little hand around my fingers. He always likes to be holding someone's hand as he falls asleep, I think it must be some sort of security thing for him. And thankfully, he's out in just a few minutes. Skillfully, I wiggle my hand from his grasp and close his door softly, hoping he'll sleep for at least an hour or two.

Lisa is now sitting up on the couch, her elbows resting on her knees as she leans forward, listening intensely to whatever is on. Something on the TV must have caught her attention.

I go to the fridge and grab a drink, wanting to indulge a little since Lucas is down for a nap. The words on the TV pique my interest, and I go to sit beside Lisa, who only glances at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Los Angeles is the latest city to be placed under Martial Law. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed two hundred. And according to a leaked report from the World Health Organization, recent vaccination attempts have failed." The reporter seems uptight and rigid as she speaks. Absentmindedly, I take another sip of my drink, feeling uneasy about what I'm hearing. The upbeat music from the yard starkly contrasts the severity of what's on the television.

The news broadcast switches to a helicopter view of Los Angeles and shows a temporary military camp being set up. Large armored trucks line the streets and soldiers instruct people where they need to go. There's smoke in the air from fires that have been set, and it looks like some foreign, war-torn country.

"What do you think of all this?" My voice is unusually hoarse as I take in the images before me. There have been reports of some sickness going around, mainly in the bigger cities, far enough from here to make us feel safe, for now. But seeing the devastation and panic of those in New York, Detroit, and now Los Angeles is making me more uneasy about the whole thing.

"I don't like it. John says we shouldn't worry about it. Whatever it is, they'll find a cure for it soon. He says he hasn't seen anything come through the hospital yet and that we're okay. But I don't know, I can't help but worry, you understand." Lisa's voice is soft, but serious. She tears her eyes away from the screen and looks to me as she finishes her sentence, and I nod my head.

"I understand. Ryan says the same thing. But we aren't that far from Detroit, really. I mean what, a few hours by car? I told him we should at least stock up on some canned goods, just in case." I say, knowing that we share the same anxiety about this mysterious sickness. The back door slides open quickly,

"Burgers are done!" Ryan's voice calls out into the house, snapping Lisa and I out of our contemplation. I clear my throat and take another drink before standing and offering Lisa my hand. She takes it and I help her up as well, and we both go outside, trying to forget what we just saw on the screen.

We join the others in the back yard and Lisa makes quick work to fix Amelia a plate. I urge others to get a plate before I do, feeling unnerved from the news report. After everyone goes through the line, I grab a plate as well, but can only bring myself to put some fruit on it, and that's just for show.

I join Ryan at the patio table and he's tucking into his burger with all the fixings. I take another drink and try my absolute best to act perfectly normal and unperturbed. Ryan swallows and looks between my plate and my face, his eyebrows scrunching together.

"Only fruit?" I nod my head, knowing it's out of my usual to not load up with a burger, chips, and some type of sweet.

"Just not feeling too well." I passively offer as an explanation and take a strawberry into my mouth. He takes another bite of his burger, keeping his eyes on me. I know he can see through my lie, but I know he won't push it in front of people. He puts a hand on my thigh and gives it a squeeze, and I place my hand on top of his.

I take another strawberry and look out into our back yard, seeing Amelia happily nibbling on a bun Lisa gave her. Another little kid sits beside Amelia, Ethan is his name, and he is content with his bowl of chips his mother gave him. Ethan's mother, Rebecca, met Lisa and I at a birthing education group a few years back and we all clicked together instantly. Rebecca's husband, Tim, fit right in with our husbands as well.

Others mill about the yard, associates of Ryan who I don't know very well, but they're friendly enough and I don't mind them. I've never been able to connect with them too well, seeing as there's a sizable age gap between me and the majority of them. Plus, they're all lawyers and I'm a florist, there's not much common ground between the two. Sometimes I wish I had more in common with Ryan's friends, but over time I've accepted that it's okay for us to have differences.

My eyes drift from the people to my flower beds, which are all manicured to perfection. Luckily, all the flowers are vibrant and full, adding more life to the yard it sometimes lacks in the colder months.

After a while, I go about collecting plates and cleaning up the food as the sun begins to disappear behind the horizon. Ryan is entertaining a newly energized Lucas as Lisa and I pack away the leftovers and hunt out the s'mores supplies. No Allen family cookout is complete without s'mores.

I turned the television off as soon as we started bringing things in, not being able to bear the words and images that were sure to be there. If I can just push those thoughts from my mind for another couple hours and make sure people enjoy the cookout, then I can worry about it for the rest of the night after they leave.

Lisa hands me a platter of leftover burgers to put in the fridge and breaks the silence,

"Your flowers are beautiful this year, I really like the tulips you have here." She compliments my fresh pink tulips on the counter. I had picked them this morning before everyone got here so they looked their best. I smile, appreciating the compliment.

"Thank you, I tried to pick the best ones. You can take those with you if you want. I have plenty." I say, motioning to the backyard. It's true, I have an abundance of flowers to choose from, and I want Lisa to have something nice for herself, she deserves it.

"Oh no, I couldn't. You worked hard on those." She dismisses with a wave of her hand, but I give her a stern look.

"Lisa, please take the flowers or I will make sure John takes them." I say, pushing the vase across the counter to her. She knows she's not going to win this argument and concedes, taking the vase in her hands.

"Thank you, Noelle." Her voice is quiet, and I give her a nod.

"Don't mention it. Now let's get these kids full of sugar before bed!" I laugh and hand her some of the s'mores ingredients to take out.

A few of the men had started the fire and have it at a nice height, it should last us long enough to get the s'mores made and for people to say their goodbyes for the night. I hand out the skewers and place the ingredients on the foldable tables, allowing people to help themselves.

Lucas waddles over to me with a marshmallow in his tiny hand, and I smile, knowing he wants me to toast it for him. I grab him in my arms and take his marshmallow, placing it on a skewer before sitting us on a chair close to the fire. Lucas is on my lap as I watch the marshmallow to ensure I don't burn it, but toast it perfectly for him. Lucas is kind of a marshmallow snob, he won't eat one that's been burnt or under-toasted, he only wants the golden-brown ones.

After rotating the marshmallow with patience, I think it's finally good enough for his standards. I grab it off the skewer and blow on it so that he doesn't burn his mouth on the hot sugar. His hands reach towards it, but I lean away to cool it off as much as possible. I can tell he's getting frustrated, and so as soon as I'm sure it's an acceptable temperature, I give it to him. He wastes no time in shoving it in his mouth, a wide, gummy smile on his face with tiny little teeth barely visible.

I watch him lovingly, enjoying seeing him so happy with something so simple. As Lucas finishes his marshmallow, some people begin filtering out for the night. I wave goodbye to them and take Lucas inside to clean him up before bed. His hands and face are sticky with marshmallow fluff, and the last thing I want is for him to touch everything in his reach and get everything coated in stickiness.

I set him up on the counter beside the sink and grab a fresh rag, wetting it lightly so I can get the gross off of him. Rebecca, Tim, and Ethan are the next ones to leave, and I wish them a safe drive home, and thank them once more for coming. Lisa, John, and Amelia are the last ones to leave, and I make sure Lisa takes the tulips with her despite her protests.

After Lucas is cleaned up and Ryan has tidied the back yard, I'm ready for bed. My eyelids are heavy with sleep, and I can't wait to get underneath my warm covers. Lucas fights his bedtime as per usual, but finally lays down for me after minutes of whining.

I close his door and turn off the main lights in the house and ensure the night lights are on, just in case Lucas gets up in the night and needs to get to our room. I rub my eyes as I enter my bedroom and go to the bathroom to do my nightly routine. Ryan is already in bed, flipping through channels to find something.

I rush through my routine and get underneath the covers, sighing with relief as I feel my spine decompress from the day. Rolling over into Ryan's side, I rest my head on his shoulder and look at the television screen. Immediately, I'm displeased with what I see. A bold headline is front and center and it reads 'Death Toll Rises, When Will This End?'. Luckily the TV is on mute so I can't hear what the news reporter is saying.

"I think we need to stock up on things tomorrow. I don't like how this is looking." I say, standing my ground this time. Ryan can believe whatever he wants about this sickness, but I won't risk Lucas going without food or any necessity if things get bad.

"First thing in the morning we can go." Ryan's voice is raspy, and he turns the TV off, not bothering to watch anything else. He adjusts his position and pulls me into him, kissing me goodnight before he rolls over to turn off his bedside lamp.

I cuddle into his side, enjoying the safety I feel in his arms and close my eyes, ready to fall asleep. As I feel myself drifting off, I hear muffled sirens in the distance.

Part Two

[thepaintedsable]

Uh oh, who let me into a fandom again? Who left the niche within a niche door open??? Y’all should know better.

@sm-baby’s Carnival AU for The Amazing Digital Circus grabbed me by the bootstraps with??? Inspiration??? Not only have I dodged most fandoms and the motivation to draw fanart (not that I don’t want to show support; just no ideas in the noggin), but I genuinely don’t think I’ve sat down and put a non-ironic, genuine OC for a media I like on paper since my Warrior Cats/Creepypasta era. This AU didn’t just get me to sit down and make an OC that fits with the original media, but one that fits with their derivative. I saw other people doing it and it looked like so much fuunnn.

First, have standard TADC version! Either that or a player.

This is Tuus! They’re mainly based on the beanie baby dragon to fit that sweet sweet 90s theme, but generally a mixture of beloved childhood toys I have sitting on my shelf. She’s scruffy, worn, and kinda dirty looking and that’s on purpose. She’s bottom heavy, and I wanted her wings to give off the texture of that basically-plastic shiny fabric you used to see on a lot of toys.

No mouth, but a randomly appearing lizard tongue. For fun.

Tuus deals with the circus by sleeping. A lot. Too much. If you don’t need to sleep, then you don’t need to be awake. If she’s doing to be trapped in a digital hell, she might as well be catching up on her naps. And she will sleep in the worst places. Time for a digital feast? She’s on the table. Caine wants to have an adventure in the lake? Girl is at the bottom. Sleeping with the fishes fr fr. And you need to find her one day? Nowhere to be seen, probably on the roof.

It’s playing on the whole big, lazy, sleeping dragon thing that used to be in a lot of children stories I remember. But also how well loved childhood toys seem to pop up and disappear, there when you aren’t looking but gone when you are. Her name also means “Your” or “Thy.” Your dragon.

BUT AT THE CARNIVAL?

What amusement park is complete without a gift shop? What game doesn’t have a place to buy goofy digital goods? Tuus is the big lady in charge of the gift place of the Carnival! Her room is what should have been a shop of sorts, to buy whatever products that darned company would have tried to push. Cosmetics, virtual toys, digital snacks, whatever. But, uh, I don’t think anyone told them dragons don’t like to…. share. Becoming sentient did wonders for the attitude. You should be just fine if you don’t make too much noise, though! She’s a lazy lizard, and often sleeps sprawled around the place. I imagine the level would be set up like a maze, or a labyrinth. Isles and isles of things, with peaks of a tail or smoke every now and again. Toys, clothing, and even random things that shouldn’t be in there just trash the path. It’s your job not to step on anything! It’s different each time, though (a speed runner’s nightmare). One level you might get lucky and have a straight shot with a sleeping dragon, the next there might be so many things it’s physically impossible to reach any exit at all. Potentially can get out of trouble with some digital coin™, but you’ll have to have found enough hidden in the room to forgive each “damaged item.”

Here she is much, MUCH larger and far cleaner. An oversized display never meant to be bought. A collectors item far too expensive for a child. Think “I used to be a beloved toy and now I’ve been forgotten, even forgetting myself, and this is how I cope” favor VS “I have never known the touch of a person and have been trapped on this shelf only to be abandoned and have the personality of an unsocialized dog” flavor.

She has no mouth, but she bites.

I want to draw more of her :) She’s a goof.

[kyeree]

Okay y'all liked the Stormborn headcanons so here's my headcanons/don't forget to add this to the drawing list from drawing Leomunds Tiny Duck.

- There is no door, they enter through his mouth like walking into a cave with a caravan layout inside. Foster mainly lays down in this form but can get up and waddle around like Howl's moving duck castle. Fosters collar turns into like car keys! He quacks when it locks

- Post campaign when they all live together happily ever after, trust me. They travel Bahumia in the tiny duck when they're not walking.

- Make everything you can into a duck

- Basic caravan layout, end bathroom, bunk beds, compact kitchen with small table, sofa bed.

- Mostly duck themed things but a few personalised items for Dteam, frog bedding, snowflake towels.

- The sofa bed was intended for Calder but he crawled into the small bottom bunk because it looked his size and it would be rude to take the big bed from the host, Callie, he'sa guest.

-Calder either is used to sleeping in smal spaces or ends up rolling out the bunk half way through the night. Someone always wakes up to put a blanket over him

- Sol takes the top bunk. He can just jump up there and reach things in bed with his tongue rather than climb down. Probably does pull up exercises off the rail.

- Big ol' Foster plushie for Callie to hug and hold while Foster is being the hut. Umbrella stand by the entrance with umbrellas and swords

- They made a Smeg joke on the short rest. Add a SMEGG

- Fruity Pebblepots! Bc Emily said she could only eat them on Xmas or something

- Hardwon in the bath finally doing some self care after however long. Add shower cap to beard.

- Add boy wizard comic, maxim mag, Hurwitz beans

- All the accommnodations in the tiny duck are thought of/conjured by Callie for her guests when casting the spell. The bigger bed for Calder, the yarn for Sol and Jessica Simpson maxim for HW. She cannot add more things after casting the spell, so when Calder ends up taking the tiny bunk bed she cannot make it bigger.

- Shelves at the foot of the bunk beds and a window along the wall of the bunk beds. Sol had a small mushroom terrarium on his shelf, a Boy wizard comic or two, graduation pic with Albin and his current knitting project. Calder has a picture of his family, the flower, a Boy wizard comic he's borrowed from Sol trying to catch up and some ice sculptures he preserves.

-There'sa window behind the sofa bed where Callie sleeps and a small shelf. General things are kept on top and her personal things are kept in the shelves below. A few self help books, a book on how to care for ducks that aren't ducks. Ajar of paper stars she made with things written on the paper, a picture or an actual sunflower like the one she spoke to in the Feywild, her diary.

- Add some Ollies! Aka inverted Foster.

- Add liquorice!

- Sol is usually the one to cook. He's used to meal prepping for Albin. There's a tiny pull out stepping stool below the oven for him. Callie washes the dishes and Calder dries them.

- During HW's brief stay he definitely cooks them up a delicious jambalaya he's learnt from staying at the crick

- When Kenna joins the party she shared the big bed with Callie before she realised Callie can easily adjust the Tiny Duck to add more space. Now she has her own bunk above Sols. She's used to morning drills so she's one of the first awake and makes her bed perfectly, does morning exercises before assisting Sol with making breakfast. Sol usually joins Kenna in her morning routine but occasionally sleeps in longer.

- for flavour✨ the hut is actually self cleaning, Fantasia style. Callie or Foster can activate the cleaning and the little Foster items animate and begin tidying. Mugs stacking themselves, rubber duck rinsing the suds out the tub, plushie sweeping, paper towel holder mopping up spills.

- Board games! Foster chess, blue fosters vs yellow Ollies! Snake but will the serpents and one long necked Foster. Hungry Hungry Fosters.

[cryptidsurveys]

Saturday, July 13th, 2024.

Are you going to be busy tomorrow? Not really. I'll be at the animal shelter from 7-11am, but after that I'm free to do whatever.

What was the last topic you read about on Wikipedia? I rarely ever look anything up on Wikipedia, so I have no idea what it would have been.

Have you ever donated money to Wikipedia? No.

Is your country part of the Commonwealth? It's not.

Around what time of the year do you start your Christmas shopping? Last Christmas was the first time in years that I did any gift-related shopping. My dad and I don't exchange gifts, but I've been back in touch with my mom since last summer, so I decided to get her a few things. As for decorations, I started shopping (as well as putting things up) around October. I know that's basically anathema to some, but I just know how fast the holiday season flies by and I actually wanted a chance to appreciate them. :') Additional info that no one asked for: many of the holiday decorations we own are from my childhood, so they're rather old, dusty, broken, etc. I decided last year to start building up my own little stash, and last year's focus was Xmas. This year, I'm going to focus more on Halloween or Thanksgiving, so they'll hopefully get their chance in the spotlight this upcoming season.

Do you have blinds or curtains on your windows? There are blinds on most of the windows, but there's a small curtain in the kitchen window.

What are the most common birds you'd see around your home? Mourning doves, grackles, robins, sparrows, hawks, bluejays, etc.

Did you sleep well last night? Yeah.

Did you live within walking distance of school when you were a kid? Technically yes. It probably would have taken me around 30-40 minutes to walk to my elementary school, but I took the bus.

What board games did you play when you were growing up? Monopoly, Parcheesi, Trouble, Mousetrap, Checkers, Yahtzee…

Do you know any sign language? No.

When was the last time you bought new clothes? What did you get? Three polo style shirts - two black and one light blue. Mainly for wearing to the animal shelter if my shelter shirts happen to be dirty or if I just want to change things up a bit.

What, other than books, do you have on your bookshelves? A ceramic pipe that my dad painted when I was a teen, a branch of dried cottonwood leaves, an unknown bone, a clamshell that often holds my rings, a sprig of fake lilacs, and a stuffed kitty doorstopper (it used to have a brick in the bottom, but that ripped out; now I just use the brick by itself and the cat is stashed on the bottom shelf).

Do you ever watch streamers on Twitch? No.

How close are your nearest neighbours? I live in a pretty typical suburban neighborhood, so…just imagine that level of closeness, I guess…?

Has your house ever been broken into? How did you find out? In a sense, but it's not a story I feel like telling.

What do you usually eat for breakfast? Oatmeal with fruit, peanut butter, carnation instant breakfast, and chocolate syrup. It's pretty much always some variation of that; I hardly ever eat anything else.

What's the first thing your hand touches if you reach to the left? A travel coffee mug. It's got a sort of marbled design on it.

Describe your favourite mug or cup. I have this huge red mug decorated with gingerbread houses that I use for my oatmeal, as well as another white mug with a kitty on it that says "Meowy Christmas."

If you could teleport to any country right now for a holiday, what would it be? Japan. Except I wouldn't want to go right now; I would prefer to go in spring or autumn.

Are you overwhelmed right now? Not exactly. It's more like I'm on the verge of feeling overwhelmed because I'm constantly pushing my physical/emotional/social limits in order to strengthen them. Like, I'm generally fine, but if I were to pile even a couple more activities on top of what I'm doing now, I think I would approach burnout.

Did you share a bedroom with someone when you were growing up? I did share a room with my mom when we lived in an apartment when I was a teen, but as for my childhood, I had my own room.

Have you ever had anything dry cleaned? I don't think so.

How many group chats are you in? Do you participate in them much? I'm not in any. That is one of my reservations when it comes to one day working at the animal shelter, though - the constant, off-the-rails group chats. Cassie was saying the other day how she was getting texts at 7am on her day off and she was just like…I don't want to see a picture of a dog in a pool; I'm trying to sleep! And frankly, I don't blame her. That dog photo would be a whole lot cuter in the middle of the day, but if I'm trying to sleep, fvck absolutely off, lmao. You're practically tethered to your phone, though, just in case something comes in that's actually relevant.

What's the best concert you ever went to? I've never really been to any memorable concerts.

Do you like to watch subtitled movies? I don't watch a whole lot of movies, but I don't mind if they have subtitles.

Are you still in touch with any of your exes? No.

How old were you when the first American Pie movie came out? I'm not sure.

Do you know how to change the oil in a car? What about a flat tyre? No.

What do you do for work? I volunteer at an animal shelter, in their cattery. I clean colonies/kennels (which involves wiping down surfaces/cat towers/etc, refreshing food and water, cleaning litter boxes, changing blankets, and that sort of thing). I also do basic housekeeping stuff like washing dishes/scoops, sweeping, mopping, laundry, taking out trash… Oh, and on Fridays, we have to weigh everybody, which is always an adventure. :')

[harryhandstan]

onding

onding (n.)-a heavy fall of rain or snow (in this case snow!)

this was inspired by this request and I thought it would be perfect to include in the A Very Merry Styles Fic Challenge! I cannot take full credit for this one as @tbslenthusiast​ helped guide me as my wonderful creative director, @taintedwonder​ was my amazing editor, and @bfharry​ was my lovely beta reader! honestly owe the title to miss tanya @sunflowers-styles​ cause she was a huge help with that! I appreciate you all so much ❤

hope you all enjoy!!

word count: 1.6k

writing tag | masterlist

//

Snow falls rapidly from the sky as you and Harry drive to your destination, neither of you noticing just how fast at first. You were both too excited at the idea of getting away from your busy schedules to celebrate the holidays with Harry’s family for the week.

His hand rests on your leg as he drives, fingers tapping along to the Christmas music playing from the radio. Occasionally offering a gentle squeeze to your thigh and a sweet smile; relaxation already flowing through his body and wrapping around you like a warm embrace.

The snowflakes seem to get larger and fall faster as you get closer to your destination and, as much as you don’t want to burst through his bubble of contentment, you begin to worry about the quick escalation of them. Your mind starts running through all the many possibilities that could go wrong at the idea of the weather worsening the further you travel.

“Harry..are you sure we shouldn’t stop for the night? It’s getting a bit late and those snowflakes aren’t getting any smaller..”

He ducks his head down slightly to look out the windshield and a deep sigh falls from his lips as he returns to his upright position. You don’t miss the way his fingers grip the steering wheel a bit tighter when he says, “Hate to admit it but, maybe you’re right.”

He still hums along to the songs filling the space, but there’s a significant drop in his mood as he takes the next exit with the most promising hotel options. Your hand trails upwards to work over the knot you can already feel forming on the back of his neck from the stress of the situation as he decides which place would be better suited for the two of you to stay in.

You know his source of frustration only lies with the fact that you’re supposed to be at Anne’s house for Christmas dinner the following evening. You can only hope that the weather permits you to be able to still make an appearance on her doorstep at the time she requested you be there. You know she would be just as happy to see her baby boy a day later than he promised, but it would hurt Harry’s heart deeply not to live up to his word. 

The clerk flashes Harry a knowing look when he hands over his card and tells him he only needs one bed for one night. It has Harry’s own smirk returning to his face and a blush spreading across yours at the implication. You suppress a giggle as the rest of the transaction is processed, but it bubbles up out of you the second you’re in the elevator on the way to the 4th floor where your room waits for you. Your laughter rings through the tiny space and only stops when you let your head fall against his chest. He loops the arm that isn’t supporting his duffel bag around your body to pull you even closer, smacking a kiss to the top of your head.

“Someone’s sleepy,” He mumbles into your hair, “Y’only get this deliriously happy when you’re tired.”

You pull your face away from his chest to look up at him, “Or when I’m spending the weekend snowed in with my rockstar boyfriend.”

“Y’really think we’ll get snowed in?”

You shrug, “Maybe. Would it be so bad to be stuck here together for a few days?”

He scrunches his nose at you, “Nah..we’d miss dinner and presents at Mum’s though.”

“Anne’ll forgive us.”

He nods in agreement, “Yeah, know she would. Can’t control the weather, can we?”

You try to restrain the yawn that creeps up but you fail miserably and cover your mouth as it stretches across your face. It had been a long day; an early morning flight and the new international time zone making your eyes drop closed just until the ding indicates you’ve reached your intended floor.

You keep yourself pressed close to Harry’s side as you make your way down the hallway to your room. He fiddles with the key for only a moment before you almost tumble through the open door and his hand catches your waist quickly to steady you. Luckily the bed is close by and you plop down across the bottom of it, your own duffel tossed aside on the floor, arms extended wide across the cream colored duvet.

He tugs on your wrist and you quietly whine before you peek one eye open to look up at him. Before he can say anything, your stomach growls, outraged at the idea of not being fed since the quick lunch you’d been able to grab much earlier in the day.

“M’hungry, Harry, think we could find some dinner before we crash for a few hours?”

“Doubt anything’s open this time’a night. Let’s do a shower first and then we’ll raid the vending machine, yeah?”

You’re both too tired to do anything much more than actually get clean under the spray of the hot water. It feels like a blessing on your skin and you let it rinse away any worry you might still have about the weather outside. His long fingers work over your scalp to ensure all the suds from your shampoo have disappeared and your eyes droop closed without your consent. You have to splay one hand firmly on his chest to keep from falling into him and knocking you both down in your exhausted state.

He steps out first, careful to keep his eyes on you as he works a towel over his body to dry off, grabbing another one off the small shelf mounted on the wall to wrap you in before he lifts you lightly up and over the edge of the tub. 

“Arms up.” He’s already dressed himself quickly in a loose pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt and you silently curse yourself for being too tired to enjoy the view. He gently assists you in completing your own nighttime ensemble by slipping your oversized night shirt over your head and guiding your arms through. You sink into the soft piece of clothing as your fingers dance across the hem of the shirt.

“Hey. Y’forgot something,” He chuckles when you look down at your outfit, confused by what he means. “Up here, love. Kiss?” He requests and bends down so you don’t have far to reach up and indulge his offer. It’s a quick peck, mainly to the side of his mouth, but he doesn’t complain; fingers gently guiding your chin to center his lips over yours, a satisfied hum vibrating through his chest just before he pulls away.

You’re more alert now as you make your way to the small vending area that the two of you had passed earlier on your way to the room. He digs some change from his pocket with the hand that isn’t laced with yours, transferring some of it over to your free hand, before jingling his portion around while he surveys the options in the machine. You’re already loading your coins in, poking the numbers on the keypad, and you eagerly await your snack as it makes its way out of the coils to drop down into the slot.

“Knew you’d go for those.” There’s a lazy smile working its way over one side of his mouth as he watches you bend to retrieve the bag of pretzels.

“They’re my favorites,” You mumble and you tear the bag open, unable to wait until you get back to the room. You rest your head on his shoulder while you wait for him to decide on his own snack, “What’re you gonna get?”

“Well seein’ as you snagged the last bag of those, ya g’nna hafta share.” 

“Gladly.” You pluck one from the now partly empty bag and bring it to his lips. He bends to accept it, crunching as he finally adds his coins in the machine.

“I’ll get somethin’ sweet for us to split, how’s that sound?” 

You hum in agreement, exhaustion working its way through your body again, your brain too tired to form words at the moment. The coils around his selection unwind, dropping it with a clatter, and you move with him when he bends to collect it.

You’re again thankful for the short distance back to the room and a whispered “oof” falls from his lips when you trip over nothing but your socked feet. His hand loosely clutches a handful of the fabric of your shirt to help steady you until you’re falling back on the bed and scooting up to the top. You tuck yourself under the heavy layers of the sheets and duvet and don’t bother waiting for him as you burrow as deep as you can to get warm.

You don’t make it to dessert, passing off the now half eaten bag of pretzels to him, preferring the comfort of the pillow against your cheek over the bite of chocolate he offers you.

“Reckon y’were right about us stopping when we did,” He mutters as he stares down at his phone, the weather app casting a glow onto his face in the now dimly lit room, “Pretty big snow storm blowin’ through. We might be here a lil’ longer than one night.”

“Hmm.” 

He knows you’re mostly gone, sleep overtaking any conscious response you may have been able to provide, and he shakes his head at the sleepy smile on your face. Just as your soft snores fill the space between you, his heart swells at the sight of you resting peacefully; knowing there’s no one else he’d rather be snowed in with than his sweet, sleepy girl.

[pleaseleavemetowrite]

Potions Class | Sirius Black

reader has she/her pronouns but there's nothing that explicitly states the reader's gender apart from that. Also this is my first Marauders era fic so please give me feedback and stuff!

Requested: yes/no

requests are open!

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

Summary: In which Sirius unintentionally falls for a half-blood he met during potions class.

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

(Y/n) will never forget the day she became friends with Sirius Black. It was their fifth year and (Y/n) knew who Sirius and the rest of the Marauders were, they were practically unavoidable but it's only highlighted when you're in Gryffindor. However, just because everyone knew them, this doesn't mean they really knew anyone besides who they chose to. So, when Slughorn practically insisted on assigning partners for a potions project, (Y/n) and Sirius finally became (formally) introduced.

(Y/n) could practically feel the mild level of annoyance in the air around them and Sirius, she wasn't sure if she should be offended or not. It seemed to feel like she was unable to tell if it was being paired up with her or being assigned a partner in general that bothered Sirius. But, (Y/n) wasn't one to pry and just left him to do his thing while she read over the potion instructions. Once she finished, she finally made an attempt to talk to Sirius.

"Hey, can you go get this list of ingredients while I prep the cauldron, the quicker we get this done, the quicker you can go back to ignoring my existence." Her tone came off as more passive-aggressive then intended when they passed Sirius the small list of ingredients she had written out. But it seemed to work as he wordlessly took the list and left (Y/n) alone to relax her shoulders and gently roll them back before preparing the cauldron. And before she knew it, he was back. He seemed less annoyed then before but not happy either, it was a neutral medium of indifference but (Y/n) couldn't really blame him, she wasn't exactly thrilled to find out she had to work with Sirius.

(Y/n) began the process of chopping, crushing and measuring the ingredients for the potion when Sirius spoke up. "So...you come here often?" (Y/n) had an expression of mild amusement as she gave him a look to say really? Sirius lightly shook his head laughing, "Well what do you want me to say? We don't exactly know each other" (Y/n) breathed out a laugh as she replied, "Maybe not "you come here often" when we are literally in a classroom." Her tone was light-hearted as the potion suddenly became irrelevant. Sirius seemed to share the same idea as he slightly moved closer to (Y/n), leaning on the worktop. "So, tell me about yourself." He sounded genuinely interested, and while (Y/n) knew of his reputation she couldn't help but begin to tell him anything and everything that came to mind.

She told him all about her muggle friends at home, how hard it is to tell them that she isn't ignoring them she just goes to a "strict boarding school." and how her mum used to always take her to park after Primary School if she had been good, since she seemed to always "accidently" cause trouble by making a mess or being somewhere she wasn't allowed to because she couldn't control her magic yet. She told him about the book her aunt would read to her about a puddle duck named Jemima. and although (Y/n) was sure Sirius had stopped listening long ago, he hadn't. He hung onto every word of every story. In return, he would tell her stories about the backstories and reasoning of some of their most infamous pranks around school, and about some of James' more outlandish ways of confessing to Lily.

Before either of them knew it, the lesson was almost over, and Slughorn was assessing their potions. Suddenly, all their laughter ceased as they locked eyes and just began throwing random things into the cauldron and stirring it in hopes of something. However, it seemed like this wasn't the best idea as the concoction before them exploded right as Slughorn walked over. Successfully earning themselves detentions of organising the store rooms and cleaning the classroom for a few days. But neither of them could contain their laughter as their stupid idea literally blew up in their faces. In her laughter, (Y/n) tripped over her own robes and fell onto Sirius, who luckily caught her, but it only made them both laugh harder. Slughorn was fed up and dismissed them early so they could, "compose themselves." (Y/n) caught her breath and adjusted her robes as Sirius asked, "Where have you been all my life?" (Y/n) responded sarcastically, "What literally or...? Because if so up until 1st year I was in the muggle world. and past then, I was literally right in front of you." Sirius lightly rolled his eyes at her response.

"This was our last lesson, so do you want to walk back to the common room?" Sirius asked her, (Y/n) agreed. The pair made light conversation, exchanging stories and joking. Until they reached the common room as they realised they had to part and go to their respective friendship groups, with Sirius obviously with James, Remus and Peter and (Y/n) with Lily, Alice and Dorcas. It would be strange for Sirius to join (Y/n) and (Y/n) wasn't going to just leave her friends the second someone else gives her attention. The pair settled on just saying they would see each other later at dinner. But before they parted Sirius asked, "If your Evans' friend, how come I hardly knew you." "Because you only knew me as "Evans' friend"." (Y/n) then proceeded to give Sirius one last smile before Alice walked in and (Y/n) left with her. Leaving Sirius to think over what she had said.

The worst part was the longer he thought about it, the more he realised she was right, he had never thought to think past her being friends with Lily.

The thought stayed on the back of Sirius' mind as he went about his afternoon and early evening as he would on any ordinary day. After they had both finished, Sirius and (Y/n) walked down to the dungeons to organise the stores rooms as Slughorn had ordered them to. The walk was quiet and (Y/n) was growing uncomfortable with it and spoke up, "Hey, about earlier. What I said was rude and-" "What are you talking about, you were right." Sirius cut off and paused before continuing, "I won't lie what you said did bother me, but not because it was rude. It's because you were right. I never did think to look past the fact you're Evans' friend. I did the others and I just assumed you were like them, and no offence to them but they aren't really my type of people and-" "Sirius it's fine, I get it, really. I would be a hypocrite if I said I had never only saw you as what your reputation made you out to be." The both were now stuck in a limbo where neither of them had an issue with other but neither had anything to say.

So they laughed, they laughed all the way down to the store room. "What are we laughing about?" "The fact that we were both wrong." Their laughter died down as they entered the store room. "What a tip! No wonder it needs cleaning, no one's even thought about organising anything since 1896." (Y/n) sounded annoyed and almost astounded about how disorganised the room was and wondered how Slughorn even found anything they needed for lessons.

Sirius seemed amused by (Y/n) apparent distress at the state of the room and threw his arm around her shoulders and said in a teasing tone, "You were around in 1896 well you don't look a day over 50." (Y/n) rolled her eyes but didn't remove his arm. It was almost comforting to smell his cologne and how it mixed with smell of firewood that followed him and the dust in the air. Sirius also made no attempt to remove his arm as he could smell the lingering tones of her perfume and the muggle bubble-gum she had showed him earlier.

"Well you two better get to work you have a lot to do." The pair were snapped out of their daydreams by Slughorn suddenly entering and upon seeing the position they were in, he gave Sirius the task of bringing the boxes of the highest shelf and (Y/n) to begin to organise the ones on the bottom shelf. This seemed like an attempt to physically separate the two.

The first ten minuets were productive, mainly because they didn't want Slughorn to walk in again and deem that they weren't working hard enough. But all it took was Sirius either accidently or purposely nearly dropping a box of ingredients to make the pair start talking and joking around again. As the monotonous and tiresome work progressed, the two were becoming increasingly aware of how much they really did enjoy each other's company, even if they were in a somewhat cramped and definitely dusty potions store room.

It past curfew when they had finished so they didn't dawdle in the halls, as much as Sirius could probably get away with it, neither of them were willing to risk it after the mind-numbing task they had of alphabetising the store room. Once they reached the common room, they both collapsed onto the sofa as their exhaustion set in. "At least it's only cleaning for our next few, and not that. " (Y/n) tried to joke but her eyes were dropping by the second, Sirius seemed to notice this, "At least go to bed before falling asleep, these sofas aren't comfortable enough to sleep on, trust me." (Y/n) weakly nodded and muttered a small goodnight to Sirius as she borderline dragged herself up the stairs to her dorm.

In the following weeks, (Y/n) and Sirius spent more and more time together, not just in detention or class but outside of class as well. Somewhere along the way, their feelings for each other had manifested into something more. The lingering eye contact felt more intimate and when their hands brushed it felt like butterflies had swarmed into their vicinity and sent nerves down their backs. Although, it was obvious to everyone but them that they liked each other as something more, they were both adamant that their feelings were not reciprocated.

It wasn't until their final detention together that their friends decided enough was enough and took matters into their own hands, as it seems they had also grown closer based on their shared feelings of frustration of their respective friend's obliviousness. Lily and Remus worked together to quickly had Amortentia brewed quickly enough so that it would be in the potions room and James used his cloak to hide in the hallway while Alice and Dorcas distracted Slughorn long enough for him to not notice James tampering with the lock on the door.

(Y/n) and Sirius entered the room and closed the door, and that signified the success of their friend's plans. They both started with the first part of the routine they had curated for themselves from previous detentions. They began with clearing the desks, cleaning off any mess made, putting away the equipment used and then making their way to the unfinished potions at the back. The routine was simple but effective since they couldn't use magic to speed any of the process up. They went about the routine like they had all the previous sessions, making jokes and just talking.

Until they reached the potions and (Y/n) suddenly began to smell Sirius' cologne, it was unmissable for her, it reminded her of the boy she had unintentionally fallen for. But then the smell began to mix with the smell of butterbeer and the common room. "Really Sirius? Did you have to spray your cologne now? It's so bloody strong." Then without missing a beat, Sirius responded, "Says you I can smell your perfume from here, and that gum you keep complaining about because your mum won't send you more."

There was a silence that weighed in the air, as both of them were processing what this meant. Then it simultaneously dawned on them, Amortentia. Without any hesitation, they met in the middle of the room and pressed their lips together. The kiss was gentle but passionate, it release all the longing and yearning they had been holding for so long.

They then broke away from each other and smiled, relieved that they no longer had to hold the dread of fearing rejection.

"Sirius?" "Yeah?" "The quicker we get this done, the quicker you can go back to ignoring my existence." Sirius smiled upon hearing the passive-aggressive statement before replying, "You can't get away from me that easily, love."

[megalony]

Teacher’s pet- Part 17

I haven’t written this series in a while but it feels so good to get back into it, thank you for all the lovely messages asking about this series, I hope you will all like this next part. Feedback is always appreciated.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem​ @butlegendsneverdie​ @langdonzvoid @jennyggggrrr​  @radiob-l-a-hblah​ @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6​ @rogertaylors-lipgloss​ @sj-thefan​ @omgitsearly​ @luckytrashgooprebel​ @scarsout​ @deaky-with-a-c​ @killer-queen-ofrhye @bluutac​ @vousmemanqueez​ @jonesyaddiction​ @rogahs-drowse @milanosaurus @httpfandxms​ @saint-hardy​ @7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls​ @mrsalwayswritex​ @rogerina-owns-me @hellsdragon​ @im-an-adult-ish​ @crazylittlethingg​ @allauraleigh​

Series taglist: @im-an-adult-ish @gwilymleeisbae​ @k-k0129​ @haileymorelikestupid​ @glittrixvibe @youngpastafanmug​ @ultraviolencezs​

Series masterlist

Summary: (Y/n) teaches at the school Ben’s boys go to and they soon start a relationship. But they have their ups and downs with the problems Ben faces with his boys and how quickly the relationship progresses.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When daddy gets back, we go home?"

(Y/n) turned on her heels to look behind her when Finn's voice could just be heard over the radio. The four-year-old had been pottering around upstairs for a while but (Y/n) had started to focus more on the songs playing on the radio than the sound of her youngest boy hurrying about, unsure what he should do.

(Y/n)'s eyes glanced over to look at Gwilym before she headed over to where Finn was standing in the doorway, either too anxious or simply unsure about whether he should enter the room or not.

This was the family's fifth day in their new house but both Carter and Finn needed more time to get used to it. Carter didn't like change, it unsettled him and a new house meant getting used to a new room and different surroundings. The living room had a strange layout, he had to get used to the utensils in the kitchen being in different drawers, the dining room was different and so was the garden. (Y/n) and Ben were wallpapering and painting the house so every room was new and foreign and Carter didn't like it yet.

He got to choose what colour he wanted his room, where he wanted his bed and his tv and where he should have a shelf for his figurines and books. But it was figuring out the right place for everything that was unnerving Carter. He didn't know where the right place for everything was, he had to work it all out and have it looking perfect.

For the last four days Carter had scarcely come out of his room, mainly staying put to watch tv and rearrange everything. His room was the only one in the house so far that he was getting used to so it was the only room he wanted to stay in.

With Finn it was different.

He didn't mind that the house was being decorated or that things were in different places and it was new surroundings, he cared that it wasn't home. Finn had been too young to remember the first house he lived in with Ben and Lucy and his brothers but their old house was the one he had grown up in, it was a safe place for him and he had to feel safe. This new house was somewhere he would have to get used to and try and make it feel safe, he wanted to go back to their home, he didn't want to stay here.

Getting the house and moving into it had been done quickly but quietly, the boys were told they would be moving but Ben and (Y/n) had sorted everything and started moving things before telling the boys exactly what day they were moving to try and make it easier. They didn't overthink or panic about it because they didn't have much time to panic.

"Baby, I know you want to go back to the old house, but this is our new home, when it's all finished it will feel better I promise. Why don't you stay in here and help decorate with me and uncle Gwil?"

It had been a little easier for Finn to try and adjust because he was still sharing a room with James. Someone had to share a room and Carter needed to be on his own so he didn't lash out and the baby could hardly share with any of the boys because it wouldn't be fair. James and Finn were close and James didn't mind helping Finn when he was unsettled or panicked so it was the best option for them to share a room. Carter had one of the smaller rooms to himself, the boys shared a bigger room, (Y/n) and Ben had their room and then there was another small room that was for the baby.

Finn looked around the room as he stayed stood on the threshold like he was too afraid to actually take a step forward into the room. The boy's rooms had been decorated first to try and help the three of them settle in, now they were working on the baby's room before doing their own room and then working their way downstairs. It was going to take a while to get the whole house decorated the way they wanted it but at least if they got the bedrooms done it would be easier and more settling for the boys.

With Ben being called into work today due to being short staffed, Gwilym had offered to help with the decorating. The baby's room was being painted dark cherry blossom with one feature wall that had already been painted magnolia to give a bit more light into the room.

"No." Finn shook his head, staying put in the doorway. He wasn't too keen on painting, it seemed rather boring and very time consuming.

If James was still at home today then Finn would have been more settled, he could have watched tv or played games with him but James was with Ellie for the day since he hadn't seen her in over two months. And Finn knew better than to try and play with Carter when he was unsettled as it was.

"Why don't we take a break and get something to eat?" Gwilym spoke up, putting down the paint roller in his hand. They were about due a break by now and it might settle Finn if they watched some tv and had something to eat. "You go down and pick something out to eat and I'll come down in a minute."

They watched the youngest boy nod, looking a bit calmer as he turned and headed to the stairs and disappeared from sight.

"One more coat of paint and it should be done." (Y/n) spoke quietly as she rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead. With Gwilym being taller than (Y/n) it was easier for him to paint the top of the walls where (Y/n) couldn't reach, stretching up wasn't an option either with the weight of the baby. Both Ben and Gwilym had tried telling (Y/n) to take it easy but she wanted to paint because the quicker it got done the sooner they could get on with the rest of the house.

"I think another coat should do it, but I think you need a break. Me and Finn will make some dinner, you sit down."

Gwilym ran his hand through his hair, brushing the curls out of his eyes before he moved to put his glasses back on that had been stuffed into his pocket to prevent them from being coated in paint.

"I'm fine-"

"Ben said you didn't feel well this morning, you think I want the wrath of him if he finds out you've been overdoing it today? Sit down and rest, please."

Gwilym and (Y/n) had been friends since she started at the school and he and Ben had been friends for years, they were both close to Gwilym's heart. On the one hand he knew that (Y/n) would stop and rest when and if needed, she wouldn't push herself too far. Gwilym would never want to try and control her or tell her what to do. But on the other hand he knew that sometimes she would push through phases of feeling unwell or under the weather and he knew how protective Ben was about his family. Gwilym wouldn't want to be around if Ben got annoyed that (Y/n) hadn't taken it easy like she should.

"Hmm, fine." (Y/n) narrowed her eyes playfully with a tired but playful smile as she took a few steps over to sit down on the rocking chair in the corner that was draped with an old paint-stained sheet.

(Y/n) wouldn't admit it but it did feel better to sit down and rest for a bit, stretching up to paint the walls or bending down to get the bottom near the skirting boards was tiresome. And she couldn't allow herself to stop until the first coat of paint was done or it would dry funny and patchy and that would grate on her nerves.

Her eyes followed Gwilym as he raised a brow at her before he made his way out of the room, leaving her to sit and listen to the radio which she had forgotten was still playing in the background. She leaned her head back until the wooden back of the chair was resting lightly against the base of her neck to support her head. Her eyes fell closed to try and relieve the headache slowly beginning to form behind her eyes and she slowly shifted her weight from her heels to her toes to slowly rock the chair.

All morning (Y/n) had felt her headache come and go like it was testing her, visiting her to see how she would react to the intrusion and it didn't help matters how much the baby was shifting like she couldn't seem to get comfy.

A sigh passed through (Y/n)'s lips before she pushed herself to stand up, wondering if having a drink might take away her headache in case she was starting to get dehydrated. Weaving around the pots of paint and rollering boards, (Y/n) moved to get her drink that rested on the windowsil next to the radio. The room was starting to look more homely now that the first coat of paint was finished and (Y/n) knew once they'd got some pictures put on the walls and everything in its place, the room would look much better.

The one thing that (Y/n) didn't like about moving was how impatient she became. She wanted to paint and decorate the whole place in one day, she wanted to put up pictures and place books on shelves and make it feel like home. Downstairs wasn't even started yet so there was no way (Y/n) could start putting up pictures yet which made her agitated and impatient.

There were three canvas pictures that (Y/n) was desperate to put up in the living room, they were of Ben and the boys and all four of them were smiling and laughing in the pictures and they were something that would make it feel more like home for them all.

(Y/n) also knew that once their girl was born, she wanted to get a canvas picture of her and have it on the wall above the cot.

Putting the glass back down, (Y/n) took a moment to look out the window which showed the drive and front garden. Her hand moved to rest on her lower stomach when she could feel the baby shifting again proving that she simply couldn't get comfy today which in turn made (Y/n) uncomfy.

Her eyes focused on the light grey carpet she knew they needed to change and her feet slowly padded around the paint, not wanting to spill any since they had gone ahead and painted without any sheets being put down on the floor to protect the old carpet. But her free hand quickly reached out for the cot resting unused on her left when she could feel the room starting to spin.

Tilting her head down, (Y/n) tried to breathe deeply and see if it would take away the feeling that was as if a fog was clouding her mind and stirring trouble behind her eyes. She slowly shuffled her feet to try and get to the rocking chair, knowing it would be better to sit down than to keep standing and let the blood drain from her head.

(Y/n) didn't know what her foot got caught on, she didn't see what snagged at the toe of her slipper but whatever it was made her toes bend completely under her foot which felt like it snapped in half as it folded over itself. The top of her foot scraped against the carpet as the bones clicked either into or out of place before her body was suddenly tumbling forward off balance.

There was nothing around that she could use to steady herself and her eyes immediately snapped closed from both the pain and shock and from instinct when she started to fall. Some sort of gasp or even a screech instinctively left her lips before it felt like everything was turned off.

She could hear the static in her ears like the radio had lost its signal but turned its sound up to the max. Her eyes were tightly closed to the point they were stinging but it took (Y/n) a moment to realise she was no longer falling.

She knew for certain that she was motionless now and she was no longer flying forwards through the air, but she didn't remember stopping.

Opening her eyes was a struggle, they felt like they were weighed down like coins were pressed down on her eyelids to prevent her from seeing something. And the rest of her body felt heavy and was trembling like she was feeling the after effects of an electric shock. She could see the painting tray a few feet in front of her and the curved foot of the rocking chair was next to her. Everything felt numb and heavy but (Y/n) forced her arms to move so that she could shakily grab the seat of the rocking chair, she needed to pull herself up from the awkward way she was laying. She had to get up and check herself over to make sure she was okay, she couldn't lay here like this.

"Mum, did you knock something over again?" Carter's voice barely reached (Y/n)'s ears that still felt like they were full of static.

The eldest boy walked out of his room and up the three small steps that led to the upper two rooms. He leaned his head around the room on the right before moving towards the nursery room since he knew they had been painting that room this morning. But Carter froze in his tracks, his eyes blown wide with confusion and fear when he looked at (Y/n).

She was on her knees in front of the rocking chair which her arms were heavily resting on and she was trembling. It looked as if she was going to be sick or even faint and Carter could see that her eyes weren't seeing everything properly like her vision was blurring.

"Mum?" There was a lot of concern in Carter's voice but his expression was rather neutral. He didn't seem able to express any emotion but anger in his face and right now he looked unfazed but sounded scared and was stunned and unmoving.

(Y/n) wanted to talk, she wanted to try and tell Carter she just felt dizzy and had tripped. She wanted to calm him down and reassure him she was fine, but the only thing she could do was close her eyes and let her head fall onto her arms that were resting on the chair. Her throat was constricting and her head couldn't formulate a sentence or allow her to even move any more than this.

Carter's brows sank down until they were almost resting in his eyes as he pressed his lips together tightly. What was she doing? He could feel a bout of anger burning through him because she wasn't telling him what she was doing, she was kneeling like she was praying but she looked ill. Curling his hands into fists, Carter huffed his next breath before he turned on his heels and jumped down the three steps to get onto the hallway. He took long strides and rounded the corner to the right before he stormed down the stairs and swung round the bottom of the bannister.

He skidded a few times when running through the hall to reach the kitchen where he could hear Gwilym and Finn chatting away.

"Uncle Gwil, mum's sat on the floor and she won't talk to me. It sounded like she kicked something but she won't move."

A frown etched onto Gwilym's features and his eyes narrowed at Carter behind his glasses. It was always necessary to take Carter's words with a pinch of salt, especially when he tried to explain something because he could never say what he meant or explain what he had seen. He sounded cryptic a lot of the time like he did right now and he looked angry as if (Y/n) was purposely ignoring him which Gwilym knew she wouldn't do.

"Um, right... Finn why don't you sit and eat at the table? I'll go talk to your mum."

Gwilym didn't know what was going on but he knew he didn't like the sound of it, there was a bad feeling in his gut telling him that this wasn't going to be good. He headed over to Carter, resting a hand on his shoulder before he bypassed him and made his way upstairs to go and see (Y/n).

The moment Gwilym reached the nursery his body recoiled in shock and his lips parted but no words came out. He moved like he'd been pushed into the room, stumbling forward but catching himself before he moved to bend down on his knees beside (Y/n) who felt more awake than she did moments ago. He cautiously moved his arm to wrap around (Y/n)'s upper back and placed his other hand on her arm, trying to coax her to look at him and tell him what the problem was.

"(Y/n), what's wrong?" He sat back on his legs and leaned up a bit straighter when (Y/n) slowly straightened up and moved so she was no longer resting her head on the chair.

"I- I tripped a-and fell..."

When her eyes locked with Gwilym's it was like he was trying to have a silent conversation with her because he knew Carter was stood in the doorway, but (Y/n) couldn't work out what he was trying to say.

"Let's sit you down and make sure you're okay." Gwilym took it as a good sign that she wasn't sobbing in pain or cradling a part of herself that was hurt but he still didn't like how she seemed like her mind was somewhere else. She looked drowsy which told him she had blacked out or fainted even if it was only for a few seconds. He knew that look well, he had experienced it a few times in his life.

Moving his arms, Gwilym made sure they were securely around (Y/n)'s waist as she slowly moved her trembling arms until her hands were holding Gwilym's upper arms. She nodded and closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to plant her feet properly on the floor so she could stand up. Gwilym took most of her weight to help stand her up but he froze in place when a moan left (Y/n)'s lips and her head fell forward into his chest.

"Does something hurt?"

"N-no... oh no..." (Y/n) breathed through her words before it sounded like she was choking on a sob. Her words sparked worry in Gwilym and he shifted her in his arms so he was holding her against his chest, not wanting to risk her falling to her knees and hurting herself again. But he could feel himself starting to shake when he saw that (Y/n) had moved her hand to press to her stomach.

She didn't?

"Gwil i-it- oh, it hurts."

She'd fallen and hit her stomach on something. She could have hurt the baby, the pain might be something to do with the baby.

"Okay, (Y/n) listen to me it's okay, let's get you sat down and then we'll take things from there. You could have just grazed yourself, it might be nothing." She may have just caught her stomach on something very lightly, it might just be something that would bruise and cause no problems so there might not be a reason to panic yet. If they got her sat down and calmed down, they could see if the pain got worse and then take things from there, probably go and get her seen by a doctor just to make sure.

When he felt (Y/n) nod against his chest, Gwilym took a deep breath before slowly shuffling (Y/n) back and carefully setting her down in the chair she had been leaning up against moments ago.

"Carter, why don't you go-"

"No! I wanna stay with mum." Carter took a few steps into the room to show that he didn't want to leave in case (Y/n) wasn't well but at the same time, he didn't want to get too close in case she didn't want him to be here. She might be like Ben and wouldn't want Carter to see her in pain, he didn't want to go but he didn't want to upset (Y/n) either.

"Why don't you go and check on Finn and then bring me my phone so I can call your dad, let him know what's happened?"

Carter debated Gwilym's words, wanting to stay desperately but he also wanted Ben to come home. Ben always said that he took care of everything and that he looked after them all, if (Y/n) wasn't well then she needed Ben here so he could look after her. He pursed his lips before he nodded and turned to hurry downstairs, the thought of Ben pressing on his mind more and more.

"Can I take a look?" Gwilym crouched down beside (Y/n) before he motioned to her stomach, not wanting to touch her or try and check her over if she was in too much pain or felt too uncomfortable.

When (Y/n) nodded through gritted teeth, Gwilym slowly moved her shirt up so he could see her stomach. He pressed his lips together into a thin line as his nails dug into the palms of his hands so he could trya nd remain calm. The left side of her stomach was starting to mix red and white in an odd but large shape. If he had to guess, Gwilym was rather sure that she had fallen hard and smacked her stomach straight into something. There was no graze and no cut but she was bleeding under the surface of her skin, but there was no way for him to see if it had done any damage to the baby except for the pain that seemed to be getting worse.

"I think we should get you checked out, just to be safe."

(Y/n) didn't have the will or the nerve to argue because the pain was getting worse and when the baby moved it only made the pain increase and an uncomfortable feeling start to arise. It felt like her side and her lower stomach were on fire and the fire was slowly starting to spread and get worse. It was overpowering the pain in her foot which was throbbing from how awkwardly it had bent when she fell.

"Finn's watching tv, can we call dad now?" Carter's sudden interruption made them both jump before Gwilym nodded and reached his hand out for the phone in Carter's grip.

"Yeah, I'll call him now but I need to stay up here with your mum while we sort a few things so can you go and stay with Finn please? If he comes up here and sees your mum's hurt he'll get scared and we don't want that."

If they were going to take (Y/n) to hospital then they needed to sort out the boys. James would be coming home later this afternoon and none of the boys could be here on their own. If Ben couldn't come home from work then Gwilym needed to take (Y/n) to get checked out and taking the boys with them wouldn't be the best idea. Gwilym didn't want Finn finding out just yet because he would get unsettled and frightened and he also didn't want Carter listening to him talking to Ben because that would unsettle him too.

Gwilym pushed himself to his feet, trying to smile at Carter to calm him down before the eldest left the room, slamming the door behind him to show he wasn't happy about being told to leave.

Anxiety started to dwell up in the pit of Gwilym's stomach, he'd never had to call Ben before when he was at work. (Y/n) had only done that once and that was a few weeks ago when he had to come straight from work to the school to talk to Carter. Gwilym had no idea if Ben would actually answer or if he would be too busy and if he didn't answer then they would have to find someone to look after the boys so Gwilym could take (Y/n) to get checked over.

If that happened then Ben would be a nervous wreck when they got through to him and said they were at or had been to the hospital.

A sigh of relief left Gwilym's lips when he heard Ben's voice on the other end of the line, he had answered.

"Hey mate... look, I know you're at work but something's come up... no, the boys are fine, um, (Y/n)'s had a fall... well I think-"

Gwilym stuttered through his words, trying to stay calm and not overpanic Ben because they didn't know if something was drastically wrong yet or not. But he stopped himself short when (Y/n) made a noise that sounded like she was stuck between crying and wanting to scream. When he looked at her, she was doubled over in the chair to the point she was surely going to fall off and land on her knees. Her right hand was pressed tightly against her stomach and her other hand was gripping the arm of the chair, her chin tucked tightly into her chest.

He tried to follow her line of sight, pulling the phone away from his ear so Ben's concerned words didn't deafen him. But when Gwilym tried to see what was wrong and he looked to where (Y/n) was looking, a shiver ran down his spine and he jumped when (Y/n) started to sob.

"Ben, I think (Y/n)'s water just broke."

[werezmastarbucks]

amalfi again

honeymoon masterlist

word count: 3500

music: give me novacaine by green day

warnings: kai is being cold-blooded (duh)

“What’s the worst thing that can happen here?” you asked. You were pushing the shopping cart with Kai in it. It was called Grab Racing: you were supposed to push him as fast as you could, and he could only have whatever he managed to grab on the way, and then cook whatever he can out of the food he picked. After several dinners consisting of gummy cakes with mashed gummies and gummy based lemonade you changed the rules slightly, including some necessary healthy ingridients. You picked them yourself. If your prison world diet depended on Kai wholly, you’d soon get ulcer, even though your stomach couldn’t hurt because it reset back to normal every time after midnight.

He tried to reach for the shelf, but you passed it by already. Should’ve been quicker. You heard creaking and shuffling behind your back.

“Hey! No magic!” you stopped the cart.

“Stop wasting it”.

While at the stop, Kai nicked a pack of crisps from a shelf.

“Italian supermarkets are weird as hell”, you complained. “I wanna leave”.

“I thought you liked the sea air”, Kai argued.

“There are many other places with sea. What’s your favorite one?”

Kai paused, thinking. You both had to listen to ‘94 Italian supermarket music for a while. Supermarkets were by far the eeriest places on this abandoned Earth. Perhaps it was about the time you personally grew up with; they have been commercialized; they have been shown as places raided by zombies and aliens in the movies you watched as a child; they were lit in a specific way and had that special kind of symmetria, a calming system to them. Supermarkets, artificial, plastic and glass, were the manmade labirynths created for confusion and gluttony. The amount of twists and turns you had to do to find whatever you needed, the fact that you got lost every time no matter how many times you visited one and the same supermarket, the long aisles with colorful packages distracting a person from the realization the line they walk on represents their life and death... at first, it’s baby stuff: baby food, mashed fruits and stuff, baby clothes... then there’s cereal, milk and candy; then, all kinds of bathroom things, pads, shampoos, tooth brushes... followed by thick bars of chocolate, greying slowly and invisibly underneath the paper packaging... then, vegetables and fresh fruit, and finally, shovels. It’s hard to decipher it. It’s a wonderful experience, to visit a supermarket, even in a normal world. Here, they turned into absolutely magical, meaningful, empty witch spaces. You always expected something to happen at the supermarket.

Kai had no idea about how deep you thought about it.

“I don’t like water”, he said finally.

“How come? Afraid?”

“I’m not afraid of anything”, he said proudly. You gazed down at his stubborn dark hair, his head and shoulders in jean jacket. Kai loved his jean jackets. While all you did was hunted down crop tops and long earrings in here, he started possessing quite an impressive jean jacket collection.

“That’s not true”, you murmured.

“What am I afraid of?” he asked. He sat with his knees close to his chest, the tips of his bacon Converses against the cage of the cart. Together with all the goods he already picked, the whole carriage was quite heavy. Every time you carried something heavy, or pushed him around, or climbed a hill, you thought bitterly that it’s no use. You don’t do anything to your body. Tomorrow, which is going to be today, your muscles will be completely oblivious of all the hard work you did.

The only thing you could train here was your mind.

“You’re scared I’ll leave you“.

“You’re mortified of this place”, he said with certainty. “That one time you thought I left? When I fell into the ditch?”

You recalled it like it was yesterday. This was a big joke now, you laughed at it a lot. Whenever you didn’t feel like doing something you’d say, I’ll do it tomorrow, and laugh like two complete assholes, in the middle of an empty street, which was either spectacurlarly hilarious, or tragic.

That one time you thought Kai left was when he literally fell into a ditch on one of the twisted, narrow Pisa streets. The ditch was more like an underground tunnel open on the top, deep and dark. You were walking down parallel streets, searching for a nice coffee shop. Apparently, he started climbing a stone wall, desiring to look inside a window. Maybe back in the medieval times, they have dug that very ditch specifically with the thought in mind, that some voyeuristic idiot will want to peek inside someone’s house. Centuries have passed, and Malachai no middle name Parker has tried climbing the stone wall, fell and broke his neck without making a sound. He was lying on the bottom of the ditch until dark while you ran down the streets calling him all the names you could think of, as your mind ran even faster. Has he been kidnapped? By whom? Aliens? Werewolves? Witches? Italian ghosts? Consumed by the ground? Has he left? Why would he do that to you? Was it a prank? Was he watching you and laughing? As he resurrected and crawled out back onto the street, you sat on the same street catatonically, your head in your hands, numb with horror. That was the day when you realized, this world was only tolerable if he was near you.

“You are so stupid”, you hissed through your teeth. You wanted to tell him how stupid he was, with his stupid white smile, and his monkey limbs that called him to crawl and climb everything, his stupid black hair and river grey eyes, and his stupid white neck with two birthmarks, soft like drops of chocolate. And his stupid... everything, he was so stupid sometimes you wanted to kill him yourself.

“You dig me so much”, he echoed instantly. “Going back to your question, I think the worst thing about this place is being locked somewhere without a chance to get out. Like, buried alive”.

You stopped pushing him for a second, and he noticed.

“Because you can’t really die”.

“Yeah. You suffocate, suffer, then return. You’re hungry all the time, your throat is dry, it’s completely dark, you’re alone, and you can’t get out. And you’re just there, for years. Or maybe even centuries”.

You nodded.

“Yeah, that must be it”.

You still had that ingrained instinct to head for the registers after you were done shopping.

After a little detour, you finally pushed him outside, into the sun, and looked up at the sky. The time of eclipse was coming, but every day it made less and less sense. At first it was kinda tragic. There it goes again, your chance to get out of here. You have no ascendant, no Bennett blood. The eclipse winks at you, gloating, scolds you, and goes away, and you’re still here.

After a couple of months, it made less sense and hurt less. You were preoccupied with something else.

He was giving you looks which you knew wouldn’t let go. Kai had nothing else to entertain himself with here: he’s been here before. He couldn’t share your amazement at the stars at night, the stillness of the cities, the emptiness of the landscape. He didn’t care for completely silent, glowing, crowdless New York standing over the Hudson. He couldn’t pretend he was even mildly touched by a thousand miles long California beach, with the waves crashing on the white sand, and bringing no jellyfish. He was over it. As much as you were curious about every little corner of this world, he despised it; he found incredible worth in studying you instead. Following the advice you gave him (not to get bored (again), he was crawling up to you slowly, like a snake. He learnt all your glances and the way you liked to sleep. He learnt the pace of your heart. He knew what you ate, and what you didn’t. What time you took showers. What colors you never wore. He had nothing else to do here, but you.

So now, he knew he had striken a nerve, unknowingly, and of course, he wanted to know everything at once.

“You still don’t get it, do you”, he chuckled, standing idly by, as you loaded the trunk of your new, bottle-green BMW, with food. You bit your lower lip because you found it usually helped you keep a straight face.

“All you have is me”.

You hummed, almost amused. You somehow liked the sound of it.

“I am all you have. You don’t tell me, you tell nobody. You keep it to yourself. You go crazy. There’s two crazy people. We kill each other and there’s no happy end”.

“We can’t kill each other permanently”.

“I know, but we can do it many times and turn everything into... Starving Fest?”

You lost, letting a giggle out.

“Hunger Games”.

“Yeah, I know. What was it?”

“Oh, Kai, you’re so invasive”.

“I know, I’m a virus”.

“I do get it, by the way. I’m keenly aware you’re all I have”, you said, looking him straight in the eye. You understood it well the day he broke his stupid neck in Pisa. You could not even fathom that terror completely, to say nothing about explaining the feeling to him. You were afraid some deep feeling of attachment was developing here, right beneath your forehead.

“Then tell me”.

You sighed. Telling stories was, obviously, a big source of entertainment. People told stories from the beginning of times. Mainly dark stories, frightening ones. So that the fire seems warmer.

“You remember that golden slender crabtree in the Salvatore yard?”

“Yeah”, he nodded, already delighted. He knew it was going to be something hurtful for you, and enjoyed it all the more. The glint in his eyes made him look very alive, the way he looked when he was in his killing mode.

You got into the car, and Kai followed you, buckling up, out of habit now.

“And Katherine? Katherine Pierce? Do you remember her?”

“Damon’s chick who looks like Stefan’s chick”, he nodded again.

“Well, it’s fair to say Elena looks like Katherine. She’s her double after all”.

“Eh”.

“But yeah, Damon loves her very much. Still”.

You looked at the empty parking lot, and started the car. Kai groaned.

“Don’t tell me you love Damon Salvatore”.

“I used to. When I was, like, sixteen. If you were a sixteen year old girl, you’d love him, too”.

“I really doubt that. I’m more into rocker guys”.

“Whataver you say, Kai. Anyway, their romance was turbulent, he chased her for many years, and she barely gave a fuck about him, but Damon loved her so much; he practically ended up a vampire because of her. The whole Salvatore thing started because of her when she started dating both of them...”

“How’s it connected to you?” Kai asked.

“It is. I’m trying to give you the full story”.

You took on the street. Now you knew the town of Amalfi very well, to your own surprise. Would you ever guess, even a year before? This was bizarre. You drove along the trickly weaving serpentine roads almost like a pro, having lived here for almost a month. The view was divine. Deep blue in the morning, the sea was heating closer to four in the afternoon and was losing the color gradually, until the evening made it navy under the violet sky.

Prison.

“The full story is dull. I hated that whole town specifically for their neverending drama. Who’s in love with whom? Who cheats on whom? Everybody fights for Elena, but I mean, have you seen what she’s wearing all the time?” Kai rambled lazily, “What the hell? And who cares, as well? I was baffled at how much drama they’re able to handle. If you like someone, why not just fuck them, and move on?”

You swayed your head, already quite used to his blunt view of attraction. He was being a little hypocritical, though. In the way he spooned you diligently, every night, there was way more than his straightforward sober calculation.

“Anyway”, you interrupted him, “the bottom line is, Katherine and Damon, although they both will deny their more or less mutual feelings, do tend to do stuff just to cause a reaction out of each other. Katherine, surprisingly, more so than Damon. He at least admits he’s still simping hard about her, which I find totally adorable and very cinematographic”.

“Why?”

“Well, Kai, he’s loved her since he turned. Which is, like, about two hundred years”.

“You’re so bad at math”.

“And yes, they had slept together, so it’s definitely, obviously not just an extreme case of trying to get laid. He really loves her. After all she’s done. If that doesn’t make you believe in love, I don’t know what to do with you”.

He frowned a little, looking ahead. You took the wheel with both hands as the car started climbing up the mountain. The laughably luxurious villa you occupied had two pools, insane city view and was on the top of the highest mountaint. If you can have anything, why not take it all.

“Princess, I still don’t get how it’s all connected with your eternal dread of enclosed spaces and that fucking tree”.

You ignored his impatience.

“Back at school, when I befriended Damon, because I was friends with Elena, and Elena dated his brother, he got some crazy idea I’m his project or something. He was trying to mentor me, even took me together with him when he needed to do something. There was a time I was working as his Door Girl”.

“What’s that mean?”

“Vampires can’t enter homes. If he needed to get inside someone’s house, I’d step on the porch and push the owner a little, so that they step out, and he broke their neck”.

Kai whistled really quietly.

“You are vile”.

“I was sixteen, and I was completely in love with him, and really wanted him to think I was badass and it never occurred to me that he was using me”.

“Wow”, Kai said slowly.

“You sound very judgmental for a psycho killer (by Talking Heads)”.

He tilted his head, and you just had to look. He looked so handsome. Maybe it was the biological thing, the last guy on the planet and whatnot. Every day, he seemed prettier and prettier to you, the stupid bastard. All his smirks, his cocky attitude, his stupid rubber neck bending sideways, the eyes always targeting you with the deadliest accuracy, it all was calling for you, and the depths of you replied.

“At least I never pretended to be a good person”.

“I never told you I was”.

“You all think that by default”.

“You claim to know me and yet...”

He smiled.

“Okay. Go on”.

“Damon started thinking of me eventually as of his very little sister, or something. Who was also his drinking buddy occasionally. I’m still very proud that a vamp like him considered me somewhat of a friend”.

You knew Kai would sniff with contempt, and he did.

“So, I became a person of interest. Of course, everyone knew I’m his buddy. It’s a little town. When Katherine came, and she always comes, and it seems to me, she even comes back sometimes - when she came, she really wanted to sting him somehow. So she took me, and she put me inside the earth in a chunk of a concrete drain pipe. She buried me alive”.

Finally, there was no opinionated comment. The utter silence in the car suddenly made you aware you forgot your phone at home. Kai watched you, almost mesmerized, clearly trying to picture it as graphically as he could. You wondered if your suffering was arousing to him.

“She obviously closed it on both ends. It’s way worse than a coffin, I can tell you. Have you ever been buried alive?”

“No”, he said simply.

“She buried me right under the windows of his room. In the yard. So that when he realizes I’m dead, it haunts him that I was right under is nose. Concrete pipe, six feet under the ground, you know, even a vampire ear would have hard time hearing me scream”.

“Did you scream?”

“Of course. I split my forehead and my elbows, I broke all my nails. I was sixteen, I gave in to panic and almost lost all the oxygen. For some reason, I decided to kill myself by breaking my own skull, not to suffer, and started banging my head on the pipe”.

Kai’s face was unreadable. You looked at him and then turned back to the glass smooth sunny asphalt. Every patch of asphalt reminded you of that pipe. Every concrete thing reminded you of that, always.

“How did you get out?” he asked. You were glad Kai didn’t ask for gory details or the uncomfortable, uneasy questions.

“He did hear me. Turns out, I’m very good at screaming”.

“I reckon”, he replied quietly.

“You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?”

He shrugged.

“Those experiences are very telling. If I’d known you could take so much and go on, I’d be harsher with you. How did it feel? Worse than now?”

“Nothing has ever been worse than that, to be honest”, you said, and had to clear your throat, because you suddenly lost your voice a little.

“This is not an invitation, Parker”.

He chuckled.

“Oh, dear Y/N. You think I’m some kinda maniac?”

You side eyed him with a smile. He grinned, too.

“And what with the tree?”

“Damon brought like... a seed he had found somewhere in Persia or whatever, and planted it on the spot I’d been buried. What a douche. Like I need to be reminded about it every day. That’s exactly what happens when you soulless jerks try to be sensitive”.

“That hurts me, when you say that”.

You sighed and let go of the wheel with one hand, feeling for his head.

“I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you have feelings now”.

“I have feelings for you”.

“Right. This crabtree was supposed to be usual, but it turned out some magical witchy fairy tree, it never brings apples, but it blooms when other trees don’t. And the trunk is golden. And the leaves, too. So, boo, Y/N survival tree. Wonderful. I made him cut it once, and what do you think. It grew back the next year”.

“Katherine is still alive though?” Kai reasoned.

“Yes, she is”, you responded, a bit louder, “she’s simply sleeping in the Fell’s old tomb. Apparently, bad guys don’t have to die if they’re cute”.

“Good for me”.

“He has betrayed me”, you noted, “he has chosen her over me, the girl he was supposed to take care of. I was a child, Kai”.

His hand laid on your lap, which you asked him not to do many times. You wouldn’t shrug him off this time, though. It didn’t matter anymore. You liked it when he touched you, and Kai knew it.

“Well, you said yourself he loves her. You just gotta find yourself a guy who loves you as much, and he’ll avenge you”.

You hummed. Tension settled in the car. It was so thick you didn’t even notice the sun blazing right into your eyes. You already knew the road pretty well. Soon, there’ll be a very sharp U turn, and after it, the most beautiful bay will make itself visible. Ghost ships with summery scarlet and orange sails are forever stuck there, swaying peacefully on water. Wooden pier with creeking planks, emerald green weed fluttering near the shore. It was quite a sight, and many times already, you almost sent the car down off the cliff, hypnotized by the sight. The cliff was rocky, completely vertical down there. You got your foot ready to push gently on the breaks.

“Have you ever loved anyone?” you asked. Here, now, as your car traveled on the serpentine, with around four hundred packs of frozen chicken nuggets in the trunk, it sounded a bit silly.

Kai clicked his tongue, already preoccupied with something new. Just like that, the conversation was over.

“Kai, I asked you the question”.

“Yeah, yeah, I have”.

The bay turned up. You realized the car isn’t obeying you like it did yesterday.

“What the...”

The turn was now speeding up to you as you pushed the breaks into the floor, but nothing happened. The car was rolling down the hill, gaining speed, on ice-slippery road.

You knew at once he was behind it.

“Kai, what the fuck?”

Your spine went numb with very natural, very animal fear. You could see the edge now.

“I cut the breaks”, he replied, and took your hand. He interlocked his fingers with yours.

You had no idea what he was trying to tell you.

[jett-dawson]

i posted this story on my main instagram but i thought to share it here. it’s abt doll hunting for series 2 + kia hart

so i went to my local target. it’s basically the only target in my town but i’d like to think my town is very big and populated so... rainbow high dolls would be a must in my area. anyways. i asked my gma if she could bring me to target to search for the dolls. i mainly was in search for kia bc i have the money for her and shes a definite must. my next goals are krystal, stella & bella. anyways.

i didn’t have my hopes up too much. i figured that the website wasn’t lying when it said they had no series 2 dolls. plus it’s after the holidays, stores must be wiped out. ofc there were a ton of people there. so i get there and i check the RH section and it’s basically empty. there were only a few ruby’s, poppy’s, sunny’s and jades. that’s all. the rest of the shelves were empty. and same goes for the barbie section, the lol surprise section, the disney section & lego section. so i went off to get some food but i came back just to double check. maybe someone found a series 2 doll and just put it back on a wrong shelf.

so i was walking over and found a scanner and was like ooo! let me scan the DPCI codes i saved (thanks clawdeena!) and literally NONE of them were in stock or in the back. but like. they were in the system, so kia had to be coming soon. i went back to the RH section and read the little price tags on the shelves. they had ones labeled “fuchsia” “indigo” “pastel” etc. etc. and bottom shelf was labeled “Kia Hart”. i was like. OMG.

so i ended up asking a lady abt the dolls and she was like oh yeah bc of the holidays they are totally wiped out etc. etc. we probably won’t start to see new shipments up until feb. and i was like. oh?? what?? and i told her abt the DPCI codes and how there’s already sections for these dolls on the shelves. like. if they are to be coming in a month... they would not have the sections already labeled for them? idk

but she was like “oh rly? wait which specific are u looking for?” so i said kia. and we went over to the kia shelf and she scanned the code with her personal scanner. and she really said.. “oh! okay so we will be getting a shipment of 3 Kia Hart dolls on sunday! you can come early in the morning if you’d like so you could be the first to get one! the trucks come at like 4am so they might not even be in the shelves yet but you could always ask who is working here to check the back. tell them i sent you”

and like. okay yay this is so helpful! and i’m so happy to know kia is coming! but like. THREE? why only three? like ik people won’t be buying dolls as much as they would in comparison to christmas time and holiday season but like. you’re telling me you’re only getting three kia dolls? what does that mean? am i getting too into it? literally. what. but hopefully i can run over there super fast in the morning to get kia. my grandma ended up getting confused in the situation thinking we were talking abt “the other pink doll” (which is bella) and so now i’m rly unsure if the lady was referring to bella or kia. i mean she did say she suspects her to be coming for february but then scanned kia and was like oh wow we get her this weekend

idek. i thought this was semi interesting and i’m just trying to tell people abt my day sndndndt this has been the most eventful week day since like. ever. minus christmas lol

[toplinetommy]

Refrigerator Door - Tyson Jost

Word Count: 1.7k Synopsis: You, Tyson, and your family reminisce some of the best parts of yours and Tyson’s relationship A/N: Inspired by Refrigerator Door by Luke Combs, italics are flashbacks!

“Mom! Hi!” you exclaim, embracing your mom in a hug. “Welcome to our new home!” You gesture your arms showing off the newly and finally completed living room. You and Tyson had just bought your first, official, “married couple” house together a few months ago in the Denver area, and this was the first time your family was able to come out and see it for themselves.

Tyson stands up from the couch, making his way over to hug and greet everyone. He hugs your mom last and proceeds to ask if anyone wants something to drink. The small group that was your family follows the two of you into your kitchen, a few “ooo’s” coming from their mouths at the sight of the fully updated kitchen.

As he shuts the refrigerator door, your family all find seats around the kitchen island. “These are really nice cabinets. Nice countertop, too, whoever designed this did a really good job.” Your dad analyzes, admiring the soft white cabinets and the butcher block countertops that are littered with greenery.

A soft scoff comes out of your mouth at the comments your dad makes, “Always gotta comment on the construction.” Your mom and brother laugh at your comment, knowing the way your dad always got about that kind of stuff.

“You guys already have so many pictures hanging on your fridge!” Your mom exclaims, getting up and moving towards the silver refrigerator to get a closer look. You share a wide smile with Tyson, knowing that pictures were something the two you never had enough of.

“It’s covered with the best days of our lives.” You admire, leaning into Tyson's side as he places a kiss to the crown of your forehead.

A polaroid of the two of you at Red Rocks Amphitheater

“That one’s when we saw Kygo at Red Rocks. It’s one of Tyson’s favorite artists.” You say, leaning into Tyson’s side a little, thinking back to that night.

“y/n! Walk faster!” Your boyfriend exclaims, grabbing your hand and pulling your smaller body closer to his. You giggle at your excited boyfriend, a wide smile covering both of your faces as you walk hand in hand to your seats.

As the two of you make it to your seats Tyson wraps his arms around your frame, kissing the top of your head. “Thank you for coming with me, means a lot.” You smile into his broad chest, pulling away slightly to give him a quick kiss. The two of you hadn’t been together that long, only for about four months, and this was the first time you really let Tyson spend any type of money on you.

As the concert goes on and the two of you sway to the bass of the music playing, there has been a definite shift in your guys’ relationship. “Hey,” He whispers into your ear, “I love you, you know that?” You turn your head to look further at him, wide-eyed at the statement that had never been said to the other yet. The music around you fades as you yell an “I love you” right back at him.

“That was the night Tys told me he loved me for the first time.” You grinned, a similar grin forming on your mother’s face at the sentiment, while a gagging sound comes from the island where your brother sat.

A picture of you, Tyson and your brother at a bar

“Oh, that one’s old!” Your brother says loudly, pointing at the beat-up photo in the top left corner being held up by your college magnet. You laugh loudly, your brother joining you as you look at the picture. The three of you are sitting at a table, you’re practically in Tyson’s lap and your brother is standing behind the two of you.

“That’s when Tyson made a point to come visit me my last semester at school so he could get to experience the ‘party-girl lifestyle’ that he so begged to witness.” You mimic Tyson’t tone as you do finer quotes around ‘party-girl lifestyle’.

“And I was there because y/n had just gotten back from spring break and I hadn’t seen her in weeks.” Your brother explains to your parents.

“Tyson, you seriously want to go out to some dingy college bar that’s going to be full of frat guys?” You ask, raising your eyebrows at your pouting boyfriend.

“Yes! I didn’t really get to experience the college party scene that much and I know you enjoy the bar scene here so you should show me your ways.” Tyson elaborated, puppy-dog eyes in full effect.

You let him tag along, him and your brother chatting while you did your hair and makeup. Once you guys had gotten around to the bar after a pretty laid-back pregame, that’s when all hell broke loose.

Tyson couldn’t believe how cheap the drinks were and tried to convince your group that you guys weren’t actually drinking alcohol because it couldn’t possibly be $3 for a double.

“Just drink your shitty rum and coke and get drunk and let loose,” You say into his ear. “It’s the way of college!” You finish with a laugh. Tyson laughs along with you, throwing his head back, then downing the rest of his drink before getting up to get another round.

The night progresses and the two of you, alongside your small group, continue to take turns between dancing and playing card games at the table and getting way too drunk off of bottom-shelf liquor.

A picture of you, Tyson, Andre Burakovsky, Mikko Rantanen, and Mark Barberio at the X-Games

“That one’s from this past year during the bye week. Y/n and I went to Aspen with a few of the guys for the X-Games.” Tyson explained, pointing at the picture briefly.

“Oh yeah! She kept sending me pictures from it to make me jealous!” Your brother complained, followed by a scolding look from both of your parents.

“Next time we’ll invite you. I already told you that.” You defend, freeing yourself from Tyson’s grip to go sit down next to him.

“I don’t think I could ever try or even want to attempt flipping that many times in the air over har, frozen, snow.” You admit, watching the snowboarding half-pipe event. Tyson is standing behind you, his arms slouched around your neck, the other guys standing around the both of you. “Like, I thought what you guys did seemed hard and ridiculously dangerous, but I take that all back.” A loud laugh emits from Tyson behind you and you feel the rumbles in his chest against your back. The rest of the guys were laughing alongside him.

“Hey! What we do is hard!” Tyson whines, pulling you tighter into his chest. You giggle lightly into your scarf before turning to look at your boyfriend. Your eyes meet, his eyes giving you his signature puppy-dog look, to which you sigh at.

“I love you,” You sing-song, going to poke his pink nose. “And what you do impresses me every day, don’t you ever forget that.”

A candid picture of the two of you with his family, Tyson’s holding the Stanley Cup above his head and instead of looking at the camera he’s looking at you

“I haven’t seen this one before!” Your mom says with glee, reaching out and touching the photo being held up by the Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Champions magnet. “The magnet is a nice touch, too.”

“One of the best days of my life.” Tyson admits sheepishly. His smile widens and his cheeks turn a little pink from the memory of that night.

“You’re a fucking Stanley Cup champion, Tyson!” You yell, running a little too fast over the ice to your boyfriend.

“I’m a fucking Stanley Cup champion, baby!” He yells right back as you reach him. His arms wrap around your body tightly, and he lifts you up into the air with a squeal. He sets you down, grasping your cheeks with his calloused and clammy hands, giving you a kiss.

“I love you so much. Thank you for being here and for always being there for me.” He thanks, his lips only a few millimeters away from your own. You can see his eyes starting to turn glossy, causing the same reaction in yours.

“I love you, I’m so proud of you.” You say, a hiccup coming out at the end from your overwhelming emotions. You wrap your arms around his neck once more, hugging him impossibly tighter.

Tyson pulls away “C’mon, we gotta go take some pictures with that beauty and the rest of my family.” He grabs your hand, skating slowly towards where his mom, sister, and grandparents stood waiting for the two of you to have your moment.

Even more hugs and congratulations are exchanged as you wait for the cup to be passed to Tyson for his turn to take pictures. Once JT skates it over and passes it to Tyson with a cheer, you wait for him to take some pictures with just his family before he waves you over to join him. You stand between him and his grandpa, a look of pure adoration in your eyes as you look at the love of your life having his dream come true.

An ultrasound picture

“We actually have one that we still haven’t put up there yet.” You say, eyeing Tyson. He understands where you’re going with the statement and moves to the next room to grab the photo you’re talking about.

The tone in your voice and Tyson’s sudden exit from the kitchen causes your family to all exchange weird looks as they wonder where he went.

“What picture are you guys talking about?” Your dad asks for everyone in the room. He’s leaning on the kitchen island with knitted eyebrows. A tightness pulls in your stomach at the anxiety of the conversation that’s about to happen once Tyson comes back.

As if on cue, Tyson walks back into the kitchen, small photo in hand. Instead of putting it up on the fridge right away, he opts to bring it over to your family. As he reaches the kitchen island where you all are located, he pulls you into his side and sets the small, mainly black photo onto the table.

You look around the island, watching everyone’s reactions once they comprehend the photo laying in front of them.

Your mom’s eyes flick from the photo to you and back to the photo with her jaw dropped and eyes wide until she speaks up. “You’re pregnant?” She sheepishly asks, hope filling her facial features.

You nod your head, smile widening on your face as you answer her, “I’m pregnant.” You say it so softly, it’s almost a whisper, as Tyson rubs your arm softly.

“Oh my God! You’re pregnant! My baby is having a baby!” She shrieks jumping from her stool and running around to pull both you and Tyson into an airtight hug. Your dad and brother join in on the group hug before pulling away to give you individual hugs. Once your dad finishes shaking Tyson’s hand, Tyson moves to stick the new addition to the front of the fridge where it joins the other pictures.

The pictures covering your fridge create somewhat of a contrast to the rest of the kitchen aesthetic, but the both of you don’t mind and you enjoy the daily reminders of the best days of your lives.

[winebleeds]

@bnjmin    sent    ❛    5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. for all :)    ❜

⤑   TAKE A PEAK

you’re really making me add this to a read more again, huh.

5. closet

raleigh: his button up shirts & nicer tee shirts on clothes racks with sweaters on the top shelf and shoes on the floor below. he doesn’t have too much room in it otherwise. liz: her closest is too complicated, fuck that. but, while the majority of it is white, the clothes are organized by shades based on the electromagnetic spectrum. surprisingly, most of her shirts are her nasa polos & the only consistent outfit within the closest. because she usually has less than 10 outfits at a time. she swaps out clothes during the seasons, and resales clothes after wearing them a couple times. her sweaters, her personal ones or stolen ones, are kept in drawers within the bedroom alongside jeans & workout attire. like clothes, she has a selected amount of shoes on a bottom shelf. while it won’t be as big as this closest, this has the general vibes. jamie: like raleigh, his button up shirts and any suits. maybe some of his track wear that shouldn’t wrinkle. nicer tee shirts his tennis shoes... and of course his horse gear hiding in the corner :3 maddie: her clothes are just swung on racks when in a hurry to actually clean. if it’s in order, it’s because liz cleaned maddie’s room. most of her shirts are band shirts and leather & jean jackets.

10. pantry

raleigh: box pasta (he loves bow ties because they look like bow ties), rice, cereals (mainly honey nut cheerios, and he’ll try all the flavors), chips (like pretzels, cheetos, popcorn), and kraft mac n’ cheese. then basic baking stuff like cake mixes, sugar, salt, like, typical foods that’s mixed around where he has to scan for a bit to find what he wants. only his teas are organized. and dog food on the bottom. liz: her apartment does not have a pantry. rip. but they way she has food organized is precise.  jamie: his studio does not have a pantry. but it would have box stuff similar to raleigh... but vegan versions... alongside having the most spices out of everyone else and protein stuff. and his would be organized like liz’s. maddie: her apartment does not have a pantry. it would probably be empty besides her box of animal crackers if she did tho. thank goodness she lives with liz. 

15. bookcase

raleigh: his bookcase holds some of his prized possessions and is one of the few thing he actually keeps organized in his place. and here’s how the bare bones would look like. those science fiction books from his piano instructor, a completed lego models of the millennium falcon and the enterprise as “bookends” with some of his preferred star wars & star trek books, though the models take up more space on that shelf. then everything else is just books with some other trinkets that are vague in my head for now. liz: so she has two bookshelves. the first one is in the living area that most to hold themed books and props to whatever theme caitlyn or liz arranged, though now it’s a combination of whatever maddie and liz want to share in that space. this is what that one would look like, though different items. within her bedroom, liz has a plain shelf with image of it here with several books ordered by the dewey system. she may swap out books when she fells it’s too full, but some of her prized book, like her little women book from her childhood or her engineering textbook from her first class with dr. kumar, will always remain. even if liz may read more on her phone (considering it’s cheaper with the library app), she likes to have physical copies of ones she does enjoy or preorder. oh, slightly off topic, but she’s definitely one of those that reads all the books in bill gates or obama’s book lists every year; she should really join a book club. once liz gets a house, you bet that her bookshelf will look like this one in her study. jamie: this dumbass doesn’t read. maddie: while she doesn’t have too many books for a bookshelf, she does have a vinyl rack. or well, something liz built for her that’s similar to this but maddie would paint lighting bolts on the sides because the sides reminded her of lighting bolts. but she has a simple vinyl rack to store her vinyl that will become canvas for her paintings. and, as for the living room bookshelf, she has one of her 70s cameras she found at an antique store that liz cleaned up for her alongside some of her favorite vinyls to show off or, well, not necessary favorite favorites but ones people will recognize & fit with liz, like fleetwood mac rumors. then, there’s a succulent that liz doesn’t touch that maddie keeps care for; his name is pumpkin because of the orange pot.  

20. refrigerator

raleigh: leftovers from takeout, since normally one takeout plate lasts for two meals. then there’s ketchup, soy sauce, milk, eggs, butter, yoghurt (blueberry or oreo preferred), jelly & jam (mainly blueberry or apricot & there’s even blueberry orange marmalade because why not) some veggies, mainly bell peppers & mushrooms, cheeses, chicken, & hot dogs for his dogs. liz: since maddie & liz would share one, i’m listing things that mainly liz’s here. so she has the meal prep meals in containers throughout the work week. leftovers also last longer for her, about three meals. then there’s meats, mainly chicken & salmon (her favorite), basic things like eggs & milk etc, apple butter, jelly & jam (mainly blackberry & grape), worcestershire sauce, & ketchup. jamie: like, all the veggies you can think of. vegan cheeses, oat milk, cilantro, pickles, jam & jelly (mainly strawberry) leftovers. maddie: the avocadoes in the fridge is because of her. there’s also bbq sauce, sriracha, & leftovers. oh, the the mango habanero jam is hers too. 

25. five most recent google search history

raleigh: 1. names for shades of yellow / 2. beekeeping in urban setting / 3. bee species in california / 4. the most common bee in the world / 5. bees in winter  liz: her google search history has been cleared so i can’t share it :/ jamie: 1. football season updates / 2. how much irrnekg (accidental when holly laid on the keyboard / 3. how much is 8 m in feet / 4. inheritance issues / 5. manage a farm long distance maddie: 1. fairy wings reference / 2. fabric paint in local stores / 3. sour candy lyrics / 4. blinking guy meme / 5. keyboard sale

30. netflix watch history (or just clumping all the streaming services here)

raleigh: the mandalorian, david attenborough’s animal documentaries, x files, dr. oakley yukon vet and yes he cries at every episode don’t judge, indiana jones trilogy no fourth liz: downton abbey, fixer upper, pride & prejudice, the biggest little farm, i am greta, and i guess space documentaries... oh, and the lotr trilogy like, three times already :/ jamie: the office, gilmore girls, flashdance, like all of audrey hepburn’s movies but he tries to hide all of this with fast & furious and cobra kai and action stuff maddie: halloween, nightmare before christmas, the chilling adventures of sabrina, glow, the get down, sailor moon, wayne’s world, magica madoka, the breakfast club

[colourful-void]

SHSL Hope’s Peak AU Labs

I spent hours on this please look at it

Because this is my AU and I do what I want, Hope’s Peak Academy has labs! However, due to number of students at Hope’s Peak, they have to share. Each student is assigned to a lab once they’re enrolled, and they spend most of their time there. Some labs (SHSL Zoology Lab) are open for everyone to see, and others (SHSL Fighters Lab) are not. 

Some students (Himiko, Ryota) spend more time in other people’s labs than their own, or choose other labs as ‘theirs’ even though they’re technically assigned to a certain lab. The staff doesn’t really care as long as they’re developing their talents and stuff. 

(I put the graduated class and teachers separately, at the bottom)

There are 12 main labs, as well as some assorted groups of people, and those who don’t have labs. These labs are:

- SHSL Technology Lab - SHSL Leadership Lab - SHSL Entertainers Lab - SHSL Fighters Lab - SHSL Zoology Lab - SHSL Athletic Lab - SHSL Costume Lab - SHSL Detective Lab - SHSL Magicks Lab - SHSL Luck Lab - SHSL Creativity Lab - SHSL Science Lab

Ive got lots of details on each lab, but its long, so ill put it under the cut. (names that are in brackets mean that the character is either not officially part of the lab, or doesn’t really spend time there despite being part of the lab)

Ultimate Technology Lab: Chihiro, Miu, Kiibo, Souda, Chiaki. (Ryota)

The room is very industrial, pipes in the ceiling, cement floor, grey brick walls, florescent lighting.

It's a huge mess.

Theres wires everywhere, all across the floor with basically no organization.

A big shelf of scrap parts, metal, oil, mainly stuff for Miu and Souda to work with.

One corner is semi closed off and has a dozen screens. Thats where Chiaki and Chihiro go. Chiaki has every game system in that corner.

The screen corner has a carpet, pillows and beanbags. Also a gaming chair that only Chiaki is allowed to sit in.

Kiibo likes to chat with Alter Ego.

They stuck a few cots in there because someone always ends up asleep while working on a program or invention or something, so they get tossed onto the bed.

Ryota isn’t part of this lab, but spends a surprising amount of time there with Chiaki and Chihiro, so they set up a table for him in the screen corner with a drawing tablet.

He cries when he finds out, and hangs around there much more often afterwords.

All together, everyone in the tech lab is really close to each other, they get along great, and sometimes work on big group projects.

Ultimate Leadership Lab: Kokichi, Sonia, Fuyuhiko, Byakuya. (Mondo, Taka, and Nekomaru)

The leaders lab is the most complicated

There are a total 7 students who were catagorized as leaders by hopes peak staff. They aren’t all comdapiable with each other, and they find that out pretty quick.

So they split up.

Mondo and Taka went together because they’re dating, and Nekomaru went to the Athletic Lab.

The lab isn’t really a lab, more of a meeting room. There’s a big table in the centre that everyone sits at. 

One wall is a touch screen

One wall is a white board

One is a blackboard

And one is a corkboard 

Sonia sits in front of the cork board, Kokichi sits in front of the white board, Fuyuhiko sits in front of the blackboard, and Byakuya gets the touch screen

They share the walls, but each of them mainly uses the one they sit in front of.

The room is used by the student council to plan meetings, but the main 4 who use the leaders lab pretty much *are* the student council.

Meetings with the entire student body are held in the entertainers lab since it has a stage and enough seating for everyone.

Cork board has pictures of everyone taken by Koizumi, schedule for the school, a few other things Sonia likes to hang there, like letters from her family. it’s lined with LED lights.

White board is 90% doodles by Kokichi, and whoever came in there. There’s also a few stray magnets.

Blackboard has notes on students, mainly to make sure ppl are turning in homework, or not getting bullied/being bullies.

The touchscreen is synced to Byakuya’s laptop. School files are kept on there.

Lighting is on a Slider so can be dim/low for the touch screen. Also Kokichi just likes the lighting darker.

Kokichi makes Sonia an honorary member of dice and Sonia is thrilled by this fact

Sonia is the most sociable so she handles most of the students problems, Byakuya schedules and talks to the staff, Fuyuhiko deals with the underground stuff and the general student body, Kokichi is comic relief and makes sure the actual council doesn’t keel over dead from overworking.

Sonia is always first to arrive, being 13 minutes early to every occasion.

They have meetings regularly.

Altogether, they get along well, not as well as the tech lab but pretty good! No one really expected them to get along as well at they do. Since they’re all focused on the common goal of leading the student body, they work together, and they balance each other out pretty nicely. 

(Mondo and Taka)

They couldn’t convince the school to give them another lab

They hang out in Mondo’s dorm room.

They don’t do anything.

Taka however help Fuyuhiko with a lot of his policing, and spends a bunch of time in the halls helping people get to class and directing visitors and stuff.

Taka joins the student council for meetings sometimes, they have an extra chair for him.

He spends more time in the halls than planning so he doesn’t really need a lab.

Mondo and Taka are dating, so they get along great.

Ultimate Entertainers Lab: Sayaka, Ibuki, Kaede, Hiyoko, (Himiko)

Himiko was invited, but because she does real magic, she preferred to set up camp in the magick’s lab

The room is basically the music room from THH

There’s a decent amount of instruments and a grand piano on the stage.

How they move the piano back and forth no one knows.

They have a whiteboard with the number of days since Hiyoko has said something mean and gotten kicked out.

That number has never gone over 2

Microphones, a nice light system, very velvety curtains

Nice chairs to watch as well

Backstage is a mess of props and set.

School plays are put on in this lab, and meetings with the whole student body

they also have a projector and do movie nights during spring and winter break, or on weekends!

The entertainers get along pretty well, except Hiyoko. They like to show off their music to each other and play songs together. Sometime they watch Hiyoko dance if she’s being nice.

Ultimate Fighters Lab: Tenko, Peko, Maki, Sakura, Mukuro

Its a BIG room

Theres a whole rack of swords

A bunch of weights

A bunch of guns, locked in a glass case that only Maki and Mukuro have a key too

Knives cupboard, also behind lock and key

The entire room is under lock and key

Theres replica/training versions of each weapon

Luckily no one in the room would share their key, and stealing their key is a BAD idea

Theres a large mat area in the centre

Its got a circle in the middle

They have a first aid kit

Theres a lot of mats

You’d think things would go wrong, but everyone is really nice and loves each other and such

Sometimes they invite other people to work out and such

But its mainly just them

Maki and Mukuro spar together and bond over murder. Peko and Sakura spar together and bond over honour. Tenko vows to protect them all as her blood sisters, and all of them thank her for it despite not needing her help.

They all get along amazingly and are amazing and badass, I love them.

Ultimate Zoology Lab: Gonta, Gundham

Anyone can enter the room during visiting hours

When you enter, its a sitting room with lots of books and chairs and such.

All the animals and bugs are kept in a backroom with the food. Only Gundham and Gonta and whoever they allow are allowed back there.

Gundham doesn’t like to keep animals locked up because ‘wild beast spirits are weakened by the dangerous walls of this academy’

Lots of animal food, research on how to take care of animals, books and things

There are a few animals in there and some bugs, but theres more research then actual animals.

Bunnies, the deva’s stay there sometimes, but rarely cause Gundham gets sad without them, only when they get sick or something.

Theres a patch of grass in there for the animals that eat grass

Its a nice calming place

Lots of animals

Gundham has a therapy dog in there that students can go pet.

Lighting is on a cycle that follows the sun, since thats best for the animals 

Gundam brings animals into the sitting room for people to pet (like the therapy dog)

Gonta and Gundham get along really good, they bond over people not understanding them sometimes, and their love of animals. It’s very sweet.

Ultimate Athletic Lab: Aoi, Leon, Hoshi, Akane, (Nekomaru)

Hopes Peak cycles out the equipment depending on the students there that year.

Aoi uses the swimming pool, so its just weights for her and other various training things.

Also a batting cage, mini tennis court, balance beam and rings.

Its a large room.

They also have mats like the fighters.

Altogether, they just do their own things, not really talking to each other. 

Ultimate Costume Lab: Junko, Tsumugi, Imposter

Its a really big closet.

A third is replica clothing of other people, a third is costumes, and a third is high fashion

They have to mark things really carefully so Tsumugi doesn’t get mixed up with Imposters stuff

Hifumi hangs around to look at Tsumugi’s costumes. Junko kicks him out a lot.

Theres also a bunch of fabrics and matierials, and a big desk for sewing and such.

Floor length mirrors, one of those thats like 3 mirrors so you can see yourself from every angle.

They don’t really get along... Tsumugi admires Junko a bunch, and Junko doesn’t like anyone. Imposter uses it for storage, and doesn’t spend much time there. 

Ultimate Detective Lab: Kyouko, Shuuichi

Literally just the lab from V3

But with the yearbooks for hopes peak

And a computer linked to the hope’s peak database.

Theres not a lot to add here.

But Kyouko and Shuuichi are very close, and help each other out and I must mention that.

Ultimate Magicks Lab: Hagakure, Himiko 

Himiko left the entertainers lab and came here to do real magic.

No one is sure what happens in there

Theres props everywhere

And crystals, and various fourtune telling devices

They both have mini booths where they can perform magic and read the future, respectively.

dim lighting, likely string lights or something

They have a fog machine

They have broken it several times

Hagakure takes Himiko in as his little sister and its really sweet. They get along good.

Ultimate Luck Lab: Makoto, Komaeda, and Hajime

A glorified, bulletproof, fireproof, and bomb proof break room. Also a panic room.

Hajime isn’t a strictly a lucky student, but they had no where else to put em so they stuck him with the lucky students. He wanted to be there anyway.

They have a pool table.

None of them know how to play pool.

Well Hajime does, but he doesn’t want to.

They just kinda sit there a lot of the time.

Makoto walks in to see Komaeda and Hajime kissing on the couch and gets really flustered, but it just keeps happening and eventually he gets used to it.

Theres some school books and bean bags in there.

At one point they get a console from Chiaki and play some games.

Nagito’s luck breaks it.

Basically a classroom without any desks.

The three of them get along well! Nagito and Hajime are dating, so Makoto is a bit left out, but the they do some stuff together.

Ultimate Creativity Lab: Koizumi, Angie, Hifumi, Ryota, Touko

The most chaotic lab.

Koizumi uses it for storage and nothing else. There is a little side room she uses as a dark room, but beyond that she hates being in there.

Hifumi had some of his things in there but Koizumi made him take them out for ‘pubic decency’

Its just his drawing tablet now, with a strong password on it.

Ryota has his drawing tablet too

Sometimes they talk, but not for long because Hifumi makes Ryota nervous.

Angie uses the space the most, as she doesn’t fear death and doesn’t care what anyone else does so long as she can paint and things.

It loos basically like v3 but with what I described and mixed with the art room from 1.

Touko has a desk in the corner and she does not use it. 

They really don't get along well. No one likes Hifumi, everyone dislikes Touko, Koizumi doesn’t wanna deal with anyone’s bull, Ryota is nervous all the times and these people make it worse so he goes to the tech labs since he’s friends with Chihiro. 

Everyone really likes Angie though. Well not Touko, but Angie either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

Most of them work in their own rooms and are happy to use the room for storage and let Angie take the space.

Ultimate Sciences Lab: Kaito, Rantaro, Korekiyo

Its actually pretty organized.

Theres a globe, a large map, a travel book, a cork board for Rantaro.

A library full of books on anthropology

Star maps, space stuff

The ceiling is dark, but always has a projection of the night sky that reflects the current position of the stars from where they stand.

They have a bunch of nice comfy chairs

Kaito would spend more time in the gym or pool if he wanted to train, since this lab is more focused on research.

Low lighting, mainly candles. 

There’s books for sciences that aren’t Kaito, Rantaro, or Korekiyo’s speciality, sometimes people use them for research. 

The detectives come in for research sometimes.

The three of them get along pretty well actually, it’s very nice. They’re close to each other in a unique way, and talk to each other about their problems and things. Very nice.

People who don’t really have a lab:

Celeste: Hangs around the Rec Room. She smuggled in better things to gamble with.

Kirumi: Takes students requests and goes around the school to fulfill them.

Mikan: Works in the Nurse’s Office, taking care of students who get hurt.

Teruteru: Works in the Kitchen, making whatever food he wants and sometimes meals for students who come in asking for food.

Syo: Isn’t allowed a lab.

Graduated Classes:

Daisaku: was in the zoology lab with Gundham. they got along alright, though not as well as Gundham and Gonta.

Ruruka: was in the kitchen, with Teruteru. they did not get along. 

Sonosuke: wasn’t really a lab kind of guy. assigned to the tech lab, but didn’t really mesh well with everyone else in there so just didn’t go in. he had a little place to do his smithing off campus.

Seiko: worked in the nurses office with Mikan. they were close, but quiet. Seiko kind of saw Mikan as a little sister.

Teachers and Staff:

None of the teachers have a lab, but they do supervise some.

Chisa teaches her class as normal

Munakata watches the student council 

Sakakura watches the fighters and athletes

all of them are extremely proud of their students and would kill for them.

Elementary School Division:

The elementary school doesn’t have labs. However, I feel like this is a good time to mention that Hope’s Peak elementary does take volunteers, and Komaru spends most of her time volunteering at the elementary there. 

And I think that covers everything!

I think I've missed a few people, and im not sure where to sort *anyone* from zero, seriously it is very confusing. If there’s anyone I missed you want me to put in lemme know. (also this took hours so please reblog)

and like, thank you to anyone who read through this monster of a post.

[saibh29]

Lucky Charms and Coffee (Part 1/2)

Pairing: Kelly Severide x Reader

Warning: 1 Night stands, Swearing

AN: A request from a lovely anon. Hoping they don’t mind that I’ve changed it a little. I couldn’t write a ‘reader’ who would let Kelly kiss them knowing he’d brought another woman home... 

One with Severide please where he has one of his friends with benefits over but realises it’s you he wants and comes down the stairs and kisses you up against the wall🤤 thanks!! You’re the best I look forward to reading your uploads every night🥺

*****

You couldn’t decide, it was too hard a decision and what if someone got hurt because of your decision. You hated making choices, it was way too difficult. Your eyes darted back and forth between the two boxes trying to pick.

From somewhere on the upstairs mezzanine a girlish giggle rang out followed by the much deeper voice of a man.

Jesus, not again.

Choice made for you, you pulled the box of lucky charms off the shelf along with the chocolate crunch and got your bowl from the cupboard, the bowl was clearly yours as the inside was decorated with pink cupcakes and rainbows. You mixed the two cereals together coated them in full fat milk and carried it over to the breakfast bar to devour.

You’d gotten yourself perched on a stool by the breakfast bar shovelling sugary cereal into your mouth when the girlish giggles got even louder and soon enough a blonde-haired barbie was tottering down the stairs into the living room still wearing the sparkly sequin number from the night before. Kelly following behind her had a pinched expression on his face that normally meant he was getting a headache and needed everyone to shut up and leave him alone.

The blonde reached the bottom step of the spiral staircase and stopped dead, mouth opening in a pretty little ‘o’ when she locked eyes with you.

Kelly almost ran into the back of her, eyes jumping to where she was looking, he spotted you as well.

“Morning” you waved your spoon at them both in greeting but otherwise ignored them, much more focused on injecting sugar into your system with cereal.

You’d seen this walk of shame way too many times to count. At first, when Kelly had first wheedled his way into your spare room, you’d tried to talk to them. Then when you’d begun to realise that you’d never see the same woman more than once you’d slowly given in.

Now it was a wave at most and mainly you scampered before they even came down.

You hadn’t heard the usual noise coming from his room last night though, didn’t have any clue that he’d even got a woman in there.

You could hear Kelly trying to gracefully extricate himself from the blonde at the door, and a few minutes later the slam of the front door.

Kelly came back towards the kitchen, rubbing at his temples.

Before the cereal choices had started to ruin your morning, you’d flicked the coffee machine on and you pointed to it now.

“Should be done”

“My angel” Kelly sighed grabbing on of the larger mugs from the shelf and filling it to the brim before coming to sit beside you.

“She seemed nice”

“Really?”

Shrugging you put one more heaped spoonful of cereal in your mouth. “Could be”

From the drawn expression on Kelly’s face and the slightly green tinge to his skin he’d drank more than usual last night as well. He pushed his coffee mug further away so he could lay his head down on the counter. “Her laugh went straight through my brain”

“It was rather high pitched, but then again I doubt it was her laugh that attracted you to her last night” he turned his head to open one eye, that eye looked fairly pissed off. “Those were some very bright… sequins”

Kelly pushed himself back up again. “You jealous?”

“Of what? Barbie?” snorting in derision you scowled at him. “Why would I be jealous of that?”

“Because she actually looks female?”

“Excuse me?”

Kelly took a deliberately long look at you, eyes processing the leggings you had on shoved into fluffy socks with pictures of Garfield on. Then moving up to the over sized jumper you’d gotten from one of your brothers. It was bright pink with little sparkly stars covering it. Your hair bundled up into a messy bun and not a lick of make up on your skin.

“Don’t worry angel, some men like the quirky look”

“Get lost Kelly” you finished up your cereal quickly, dumping the bowl in the dishwasher and coming back to stand beside him. “Just because not all of us are happy to jump into bed with the first person to speak to us”

“Angel…”

“Stop calling me that. How many times do I have to tell you?” you’d worn angel wings for one Halloween more than 5 years ago now and Kelly still wouldn’t give up on that stupid nickname.

“Y/N…” at this point even Kelly seemed to have registered that he’d screwed up. He’d gone past the usual level of banter that the two of you shared and veered into seriously insulting. “I didn’t mean, I'm still semi drunk, just ignore me”

“I ignore you most of the time Kelly. Trust me” reaching out you took the still half full coffee mug from him. “You don’t deserve my expensive coffee anymore”

Leaving him sat at the breakfast bar you went back into your own room.

Stupid Kelly and his stupid Harem. What was wrong with the way you dressed? Sure you didn’t look like sequinned barbie, but you were… comfortable.

Damn him.

You stared in the mirror at yourself. Maybe you could make more of an effort. The baggy sweater did nothing for your figure, and you couldn’t remember the last time you’d worn a bra with a wire. Why would you? Wires we’re so uncomfortable. You bet barbie wore a bra with a wire, probably one of those fancy lacy monstrosities that pushed your boobs up to under your chin.

Did it really matter what Kelly thought though? You’d gotten over your stupid crush on him years ago. Happy to accept the fact that you would never be the type of woman he went for.

However, an evil thought started to take root in your brain. Would it be so bad to prove, at least for one night that you could do… sequins just as well as the next barbie.

Grabbing your phone, you found Gabby’s number calling your friend and the reason you knew Kelly in the first place.

‘Y/N? What’s up?’

‘I need to borrow a dress’ you said without preamble ‘and possible a bra, one with a wire and that push up effect’

‘umm, ok. What’s going on?’

‘I have something to prove, mainly to myself, but also possible a little bit to Kelly’

‘What’d he do now?’

‘Doesn’t matter. Can you help me?’

‘Sure. Come over and we’ll see what we can find’

With Gabby on board you felt a bit more confident. Gabby always looked hot; she could fix you up in not time. You were going to prove them all wrong.

****

@lifesaclimb-buttheviewisgreat  @lclb13 @moli1497   @clementines-x @the-chosen-one-time-lord @no-other-names-availible-blog @angelaiswriting @selldraug @angryares @thenovarose @georgiagrl1990 @mindofthescattered  @dontstopxx @iamabeautifulperson18 @madelinecraig03 @ka-x-in @mesmericbell  @weirdpotato-14 @putinontheritzz @soulslaststand @fuckthatfeeling  @ember1201 @morganlb23 @tomhopperarms  @fakingintrest @artprincessbree  @dreamer-lover-laughter @artprincessbree @rime-warrior @captainvaneswife @kapolisradomthoughts @thingsandstuffienjoy @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @aya-fay  @itsbubbaog @hp-hogwartsexpress @emmykinzs @thatbadassunicorn @sassywingednightmare @weirdnewbie @goyawriter @shipperfangirling @nathaliabakes @stillreadingfantasy @waywardblueshun @give-jack-a-lightsaber @shipatheart @itsdesiree86 @coffeebooksandfandom​

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Stark’s New Intern” Chp. 3

Summary: Erik has lunch with Tony and gets a new roommate...

"Don't let your young life get you down It always had a certain mystery Many changes come to everyone About the time that they turn seventeen Grandma said at times you'll feel a sting There'll be sharp turns and uphills and closed doors Then she said hold onto your faith 'Cause in this world you've got to go and get yours

So you stand up Be strong go out there Hold on to the real things that matter 'Cause no one's gonna hand it to you on a silver platter..."

The Brand New Heavies—"Brother Sister"

Pepper Potts glared at Tony like he stole cash from her purse.

"What have I done now?" Tony asked.

He placed his hands on the table in an open palm stance. A waiter walked up behind Pepper holding a martini and Erik watched Tony shake his head and the waiter slunk back to the bar. Clearly Boss Man wasn't supposed to be at Durangos. And it appeared that he wasn't supposed to be drinking either. Erik grabbed a menu and stuck his nose down in it to figure out how much of Tony's money he was about to use up. He was hungry and bold enough to spend hundreds at that moment.

Pepper ignored Erik and pulled out a file from the charcoal gray attaché case she had slung around her shoulder.

"I told you I needed these physically signed, not electronically, before you left the office. I told you this three times yesterday and now I have a defense contractor in Germany up my butt because of you. You never listen to me."

"You look lovely today, Pep—"

"Save it. Just sign."

She jabbed a pen Tony's way and he quickly signed several forms before handing her back the pen.

"Lovely to meet you, Erik," Pepper said with a little bite in words. She stormed out of the restaurant.

"So...about her..."

"No need to explain to me," Erik said.

Another waiter approached the table.

"The Lobster and filet mignon for both of us. Medium. One dirty martini...two dirty martinis and a Shirley Temple—"

"Coke," Erik interjected putting down the menu. "I'll have the lobster bisque and glazed duck sliders too."

The waiter took the menus and Tony looked at Erik with humor in his eyes.

"How did you like the morning portion of the tour?"

"It was alright."

"Just alright? State of the art décor, cutting edge tech and all you give me is 'alright'?"

"It was cool, man. Whatchu want me to say? I ain't like them other dudes tripping over themselves to get next to you."

"Yeah, you turned down doing this internship twice...seriously...what do you really think?"

Erik took a sip of the soda the waiter brought over to him and sat back in his seat.

"I was impressed."

"Have you decided what department you want to be in?"

"Cybertech."

"Emphasis?"

"Biometrics."

"Good choice. Perfect for your interests. Who is your hotel roommate?"

"Tyler. The dude from Canada."

"Getting along?"

"He's quiet. Keeps to himself."

"When we move you all over to the Oakwood next week, do you want to keep him as a bunk buddy?"

"You can stick me with anybody—"

"No, you don't get just anybody. You are here for three months and I need all my interns focused at the office and not having problems at night."

"Stick me with whoever. I don't care. I'm here to learn and keep to myself."

"See, that's not how this works at Stark Industries. The lone wolf mentality is not conducive to below the line teamwork. I am building a future team. Ten people are going to be kept on, and I want you to be one of those ten. You have to get rid of this individual crusade you got going on."

"It's worked for me so far—"

"At Annapolis?"

Erik looked at his glass of soda.

"They break you down and build you up to be the Borg. I know the drill, Stevens. Cut the crap."

"You gotta stop separating me then."

"I will do that. This is just a little formality to make sure your head is straight."

"I'm straight—"

The lobster bisque and glazed duck sliders were set before Erik by a different waiter and he tucked in right away. By the time he had wolfed down his first course, the lobster and steak were in front of him, and he ate his meal in peace.

Tony sipped on his martinis and checked his cell from time to time. Erik ordered dessert, chocolate bread pudding with French vanilla bean ice cream. When they were finished, he followed Tony out to the valet stand.

"Do your best and your place here is assured, Stevens."

Erik nodded.

But he wasn't there to get a career. He was there to learn what he could use in the future. A future writ in his father's blood.

###

"Fuck."

Erik stood in the lobby of the Oakwood Apartment office staring at his cell phone.

Maria's name and picture stared back at him. They were partnered as roommates. Apartment key card in his hand, Erik rolled his large suitcase and duffle bag to the furnished upstairs unit he was assigned. It was near the pool and jacuzzi and Erik felt his mood sinking even lower because he knew this was going to be the party spot, and he didn't want to be around loud noises. He went back to the apartment office and tried to get re-assigned, but the woman there said there were to be no changes without Mr. Stark's approval. Erik already knew Tony did this to him on purpose. Stuck him with the most annoying person he had met so far.

When he tapped his key card to the entrance and stepped in, Maria was already standing in the middle of the living room with her three bags.

"Roomie!" she said.

He rolled his eyes at her and closed the door.

"I wanted to wait until you arrived so we could choose rooms."

"Whichever one doesn't face the pool."

"Cool! Because I want the other one that does!"

Maria took off to find her room. The good thing about the layout was that the bedrooms were opposite one another. He planned to spend as little time around her as possible.

Unpacking in the slow methodical way he had always done since he was a child, he took time to organize his living space and changed clothes. He was happy to be in a t-shirt and baggy jeans again. He grabbed the bottle of Gullah Red Rooster hot sauce he had wrapped in his suitcase. Slipping his feet into some comfy black slides, he headed into the kitchen to see what they had as far as cooking utensils.

Maria was already there digging in the cupboards.

"They have a rice cooker!" she squealed.

He nodded, happy that he didn't have to buy one. He was always eating rice. At least they had that one thing in common by the way she was pleased by the discovery.

"I cook a lot," she said.

"I do too."

She stared at him as if she didn't believe him. Cooking was something that was instilled into him early by his father. His Mom was a great cook, but his father was exceptional. It was a skill that was passed down to him, and he planned on using the kitchen a lot to get comfortable. If he had to suffer this living arrangement, he would at least eat well and stuff his pain with good food. He opened up the cupboard closest to the stove and stuck the hot sauce on the bottom shelf. Maria stared at him with a smile on her face.

"What?" he said glaring at her.

She held her hands out to him. A bottle of Louisiana's Finest sat in her palm. Erik couldn't help the smile that crept across his lips. She stepped next to him and placed her bottle next to his in the cupboard.

"Pedestrian," he said staring at her bottle.

"Look who's talking with that mild stuff you're depressing us with—"

"Mild?"

"Watered-down pepper sauce—"

"I know you not talking trash 'bout my Nana's shit—"

"Put up or shut up!"

They both grabbed their bottles and snatched spoons out of a kitchen drawer.

"You first," Maria said.

She opened up her fresh bottle and shook a drop onto the spoon. Erik took the spoon and stuck it into his mouth. A subtle smoky-sweet flavor, a slight tingling in his gums—

"Shit!" he said as his eyes watered and his mouth gaped open from the wicked heat.

Maria cackled. Once Erik could see again and his tongue prepped to create a new layer of skin for his burned off taste buds, Maria took his bottle and shook two drops on her spoon.

"Yo, you might wanna go easy—"

Maria stuck the spoon in her mouth with attitude. Three seconds later she was crying and sticking her mouth under the kitchen sink trying to wash away the taste.

"Told ya," Erik said watching her struggle. The sauce burned away the whites of her eyes turning them a watery red mess, and she kept panting as she rubbed her fingers across her tongue. After a full display of histrionics that Erik felt was overexaggerated, Maria leaned against the kitchen stove and wiped more tears from her face.

"You win," she said, her tongue stuck out for him to see.

"Don't bring no knife to a gunfight, girl," he said putting the bottles into the fridge.

"Keep that away from my stuff!"

He placed their sauces on separate shelves.

The rest of their time was spent at the kitchen table going over house rules. Mainly Erik's rules. No talking or loud noises before ten a.m. No house guests without two days' notice. Shared spaces had to be immaculate. No dishes left in the sink under any circumstances...clean as you go. No touching or eating another's food. Bathroom and toilet had to be cleaned daily. No traces of shaved hairs in the sink or bathtub. No hair ties or traces or hair after washing in the tub/shower. Phone conversations shouldn't be heard by a third party. Shoes off in the apartment at all times. Trash taken out every three days even if it wasn't full. No loud noises after nine at night. No smoking indoors unless it was weed.

Maria stared at the list he had emailed to her.

"You have anything to add?" he asked her staring at his own cell.

"Am I allowed to breathe or fart at any time?"

Erik quirked his lips at her and she giggled.

"Can we play music?" she asked.

"Yeah. Just be cognizant of the other person if they are working on something. Use headphones at appropriate times."

"Have you always been this anal?"

"Anal?"

"I know military training is imprinted on you, but jeez dude—"

"I just want to keep the peace. I need order and cleanliness, Ma. For reals. I can't stand living with nasty ass people. Can you deal?"

"I can deal."

They heard music blaring from outside. Maria jumped up and ran to their tiny balcony window throwing back the drapes.

"People are out at the jacuzzi already. We should go down!"

Erik let out an exasperated sigh.

"You are such an old man! Lighten up, Erik. God, I love this song!"

Maria grabbed his hand and dragged him out the front door.

Five interns sat inside the jacuzzi while an additional ten stood around with beers in their hand. Someone already made a beer run? They all wore swimsuits.

Erik glanced around. No Giselle or Curtis.

"Hey look, it's Stark's boy!"

Wesley Bretts. Boston. New money. Ultra redneck vibes masked under an upper-middle-class persona. Trouble.

"I ain't nobody's boy," Erik said with a little thunder behind his tone.

"No harm no foul, man. Just pointing out your favored status."

Wesley grinned with perfect bleached teeth and a phony all-shucks demeanor. Erik could feel all eyes on him again. He was younger than everyone else there, but he wasn't about to let no Boston bum talk to him any ole kind of way. Erik sauntered over and stood toe to toe with him.

"Watch how you talk to me and there won't be no problems in this bitch—"

"Hey, Erik, have a beer," Maria said.

She grabbed one from one of the women there and shoved it into his chest. Someone splashed water on Wesley from the jacuzzi and he wrenched his eyes from Erik's.

"You are so in trouble for that!" Wesley said dropping down into the jacuzzi and splashing water back at a blonde who had her eyes on Erik.

Erik opened the tab on his beer and gulped down the bitter brew.

"He's a dick. Ignore him," another blonde said to him. Her smile was sincere.

"I'm Hayley, that's Irene and Valentina—"

Erik took in their names and faces. Maria introduced herself to them and he stood there feeling uncomfortable, wishing he had stayed inside the apartment. If he couldn't get through a beer bash at an impromptu party, he was going to be on struggle mode the rest of his time there. Better to man up and push through the dumb shit.

"You and I will be under the same project manager," Valentina said.

"What?" he said tuning into her face.

Valentina was a raven-haired beauty with the lightest milky blue eyes he had ever seen up close. They almost looked fake. Her dark hair and tanned skin made her look Mediterranean. She stood out among the bleached blondes and suspect red-heads in the bunch.

She held up her cell to him.

"The team list was just posted," she said. Her smile was genuine and Erik felt himself lighten up a bit.

"Ohmigosh, I'm with you guys!"

Maria gave a little jump. Why was she so excited about every little thing? She held her phone up to Erik. He took it from her hand and scanned the other names. He found Giselle listed with a design and innovations team. He wondered where she was staying in the complex. Why couldn't he be living with her? Or teamed up with her at the office?

Other interns began showing up at the pool and the noise level rose. He was about to excuse himself when he saw Giselle walking into the pool area with a big Swede named Roland. She was caught up in an intense convo with him, and when her eyes caught Erik's, she waved but kept right on talking to Roland.

"See you guys," Valentina said.

"Where you going?" he asked, curious to know her since they would be around each other for three months.

"The pool is heated," she said, "we're getting in."

"We should go get our swimsuits," Maria said clutching his arm. Erik watched Giselle pull off the shorts and shirt she had on revealing a red string bikini underneath that had heads turning.

"Bet," he said. He followed Maria back to the apartment. He threw on an old pair of OP trunks and grabbed a towel from the bathroom.

"Whoa," Maria said when she saw him. Her eyes flitted up and down his body, "You must work out...a lot," she said.

He saw her cheeks turn a little red. He looked at her green one piece. She had a cute shape although she slouched a bit like she was trying to hide her little round body. A swimsuit that worked with her curves instead of against them would probably help her confidence.

"Maybe I should forget the pool," she mumbled throwing her towel around her shoulders and covering most of her body.

"You suggested this, so now we're going," he said.

He headed toward the door and she hesitated following him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Now you wanna be shy all of sudden?"

"Look how you're built. Did you see Valentina's body? Giselle's?"

God yes, he saw their bodies, and he played it off like he didn't, looking hella slick while doing it too.

"Stop trippin' girl. You got a cute shape. Go show it off. Thick thighs save lives too."

Maria started laughing.

"Wait...you think I have a cute shape? You're not just saying that to be nice right? I shouldn't care because men always make women feel like shit if they don't meet some ridiculous beauty standard, but this is real life and I have to deal with this bullshit even if I don't want to."

"I'm not going to lie to you. You really do have a cute shape. Cute face too."

"Thank you. I do think you're lying, but if I walk out with you, they won't notice my frumpy—"

"Listen. If we are going to be on the same team, I can't be with someone who has no confidence. Fake it 'til you make it, Ma. C'mon. Don't be dragging me down with your poor self-image. I'm telling you...you look fine. Act like it or else stay in the apartment. My Nana always told me that a closed mouth don't get fed. So if you want to make a good impression, get out there, mix and mingle and stop worrying about how you look. Let these bitches know who they fuckin' with."

"Easy for you to say when you look like a Greek Adonis and have the brain of an Einstein."

"African Adonis. And better than Einstein. Get it right."

He opened the front door and he felt her rush behind him.

"I'm sticking with you if that's okay," she said.

"When have you not?" he said while locking their front door.

###

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4  Chapter 5

Tag List:

@fonville-designs​ @soufcakmistress  @cherrystainedlipsbaby @tclaybon  @thadelightfulone @allhailqueennel @bartierbakarimobisson @cpwtwot @shookmcgookqueen @yoyolovesbucky @raysunshine78 @the-illllest @terrablaze514  @l-auteuse @amirra88 @jimizwidow @janelledarling @chaneajoyyy @sweetestdream92 @purple-apricots @blackpinup22 @hennessystevens-udaku @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @bugngiz @stariamrry  @honeytoffee