#the way that when Sally sneaks into this girl’s room right after talking to her

[daydreamerdrew]

Spicy Tales (1988) #20, reprinting a story from the August 1939 issue of Spicy Detective

[eunkimmie]

i have always loved you

anonymous: How about about Sal and fem!Y/N raising a baby together? The two were FWBs, but then a slip-up resulted in Y/N becoming pregnant so they ended the sexual relationship and opted to co-parent. Thankfully, they were graduating from uni soon at the time of their slip-up. As the years roll by, Sal and Y/N grow closer and slowly fall in love. They get together after realizing their feelings for each other are genuine and eventually have another baby.

(had to reupload)

warnings: she/her pronouns, pregnancy, FWB, nsfw, non-canonical Sally Face plotline word count: 3.6k Sal was a sentimental guy. He had a lot of feelings swirling around in his heart. Big feelings for a small guy. As true as that was, Sal was never one to see sex as anything sacred or sentimental. He didn't believe in "saving himself" for anyone—it just wasn't something that was for him personally. To him, sex was just something that came to those that experienced sexual attraction. Arousal wasn't a foreign feeling to Sal, he had been a teenager once, too. Sal was attracted to her. This girl—Sal barely even knew her name, god—was just hot to him. His type, for sure. You were Niel's friend and greeted the group with a smile. Sal was twenty-one now. Twenty-one years old, never had a girlfriend, and a virgin. Sal supposed that his teenage years weren't exactly spent pining over girls or having sex. To Sal, virginity wasn't anything more than a social construct. So why was it that he was suddenly so aware of his own virginity as this girl—(Name)—laid below him with her brows furrowed in pleasure. It was dark, pitch-black almost, to the point where you couldn't make out the scarred features on Sal's face. Very much intentional. He was sure he looked like a fool, anyway. His eyes rolled back in ecstasy, lips parted as grunts and breathy moans came from his lips.

Sal's shaky hands came down to grab the sides of your hips, angling his own hips to thrust into you and pull your body back down on his dick. It was hot in every way, Sal felt like his entire body had been set on fire. His hair that had been messily pulled up into a bun was barely tied up anymore, blue strands stringing down from his ears. You screamed as Sal moved his hands up to your back, pulling your entire body up to manage a new position. You rode him as Sal's hips snapped back up in sharp rhythm to meet a steady pace, moaning loudly, shamelessly, as his cock buried deeper inside you with each thrust.

"F—uck. Fuck!" you screamed, arms wrapping around Sal's neck as his teeth bit every so gently down into the curve of your neck. Your nails ran down his back, no doubt leaving scratches behind, which made Sal groan. Maybe he was a bit of a masochist.

"Fuck. Fuck, fuck fuck—" Sal pushed you down to lay on your back, pulling out quickly and pumping the tip of his cock hastily before finishing on your stomach. The two of you breathed in quick rhythm, Sal eventually collapsing down on the mattress of his bed. He felt his face burn hot, realizing the rash decision he had made. He hadn't even asked. "S-Sorry," he gasped between breaths. You didn't seem to mind, giving him an honest "it's alright" before wiping your stomach off with a few tissues. You dismissed yourself to go take a shower after putting your clothes back on, the two of you suddenly hyper-aware of Sal's roommates.

Sal pulled his boxers back on as well as his prosthetic and laid out on his bed feeling embarrassed. He hadn't exactly...made you finish. Fuck, you probably thought he was some kind of loser. His first time and he finished in probably five minutes. All Sal could do was groan in mortification and get dressed, shamefully, of course.

He had already settled back into his bed with a video game by the time he heard a knock on his door. You made your way in after his go-ahead, hair wet and chipper.

"Hey," you said plainly. You pointed to a spot on his bed, and after his approval, you sat down comfortably. Sal felt embarrassed all over again. "Um...sorry. About that. I don't really—I mean, I've never—"

Your laugh cut him off. It seemed harmless, and Sal felt his shoulders relax a bit as you waved a dismissive hand. "Hey, don't worry about that. Seriously. I'm not going to judge you over sex." He gulped, staring at you beneath his prosthetic. You seemed awfully understanding, but your reassurance did make him feel better. A beat of silence passed before you spoke up again. "Maybe...we could keep doing that? If you'd want to? Sorry if that sounds intrusive."

"Like..." Sal paused, setting his game down and watching as your body language showed signs of bashfulness. He felt a bit surprised at your own timid nature. Hadn't you realized how bad he was at the sex stuff? Really, he only copied what he had seen in porn. Copied it poorly, that is. "Like some kind of friends with benefits thing? Even though I suck?" That made you laugh, and it was such a beautiful sight to behold. The bed shook as you turned to face him properly, legs crossed on his mattress. "I don't think you suck. Fuck, I sound like some kind of pervert...But, still. You don't have to say yes, of course...I just thought, well. I thought I would at least ask."

Sal would've been an idiot to say no.

The two of you continued like that for a while, probably for longer than you should've as just two friends. You were close friends, friends that fucked every once in a while. It seemed to satisfy the both of you, but you two were by no means careful. Usually, the two of you had sex on a whim—he could recall the riskiest time was when the entire group was out shopping and the two of you got one out in a bathroom. Still, Sal just...never really considered the risks. Besides, the two of you had been doing it for this long, and nothing had happened, so the chances must be low, right?

...One morning you showed up at Sal's little shared house.

"...Hey. Are you the only one home right now?" Sal opened the door to let you in, eyes widening just a bit as he shrugged. Perhaps your relationship had gotten too casual, but he just hadn't ever stopped to even ponder the situation. Sure, he had a little crush on you when Niel introduced you to the group, but that turned into a sexual relationship. Maybe Sal had feelings for you. Maybe they were buried so deeply that Sal never even realized. But he knew that, even outside of your sexual relationship, that he cared for you regardless.

"Yeah. It's a little early, isn't it?" You breezed past him, sitting down at the dining table and sliding a wrapped breakfast sandwich across the table, a gesture for him to sit. He watched as you bit into your own, curious. "Did you just want to talk?" You offered him a smile, one that signaled that you were here not to have sex, but instead to just be a friend.

Sometimes Sal couldn't help but wonder. He'd get lost in his thoughts, listening to ambient music in his room, what would life be like if you two had just stayed friends? Maybe that could've lead to a real relationship. Maybe. And the two of you weren't in a situation where it was awkward, or where they would have to sneak out of the other's room after a night of sex. They could cuddle and wake up next to each other, have some breakfast, and carry on. Sal always felt butterflies when he woke up and you were sleeping next to him. In some ways, he felt wrong for feeling that way. He didn't know what to feel. Perhaps a part of him figured that this was the closest he would ever be able to get to have a real romance with you. Sal didn't know. It hurt his head if he thought about it for too long, so really, why even bother pondering the possibilities?

But when you sat across from him, so mundane, eating a breakfast sandwich and looking sleepy, how could he not feel these things?

"Is that bad? If I just talk?" you looked up at him, hoping you hadn't caught him in the middle of anything important. It wasn't bad. It was never bad. Sal always had time for you. "No, I was just laying around. Todd and Niel went off to the supermarket, and I think Larry is out in the shed."

"Right, well..." you paused, biting your lip. "Okay, so you know how we always promised to be open with one another? Like transparency?" Sal quirked an eyebrow, nodding and gesturing for you to go ahead. "Yeah, so like. Fuck, man, I'm just gonna come out and say it. I missed my fucking period." At this, he saw your hands clench a bit harder down on the sandwich you were holding. Your eyes gathered tears in the bottom lid, and you sucked in a sharp breath. "A-And I don't know if that means anything, like shit. It couldn't, and I would be here just freaking you the fuck out, but I dunno man. I'm just...Shit, I don't fucking know what the hell I would do if I were..." Sal stayed silent, the cogs turning slowly in his head.

"A-And I don't know, like, I'm twenty-two. I know a lot of people have kids by now, but I just—I don't know, and it's not like I'm asking you to be super involved it's just—"

"What? I would want to be involved." Sal's lips seemed to move on their own, but it was just so painfully obvious to him. Obviously. Obviously, he wanted to be involved. It wasn't a question, really. The two of you had known each other for about a year now, and even though nothing was truly going on...Truth to be told, Sal couldn't help but think about you even after you were gone.

After about five positive pregnancy tests, the two of you agreed to stop your situation. There were a lot of tears, more so from you with Sal rubbing circles on your back. You would cry to him about how you weren't ready, or how you were going to fuck up, and all Sal could do was be there for you. Sal didn't see him as much as a father type. In fact, the two of you hadn't even ever worked out what the situation was. He wasn't even sure there was a situation.

It was strange. Sal wasn't a father. He didn't look like a father. He didn't know how a father was supposed to behave. Sal spent his weekends playing video games and learning Pokemon themes on his guitar, that wasn't what a father was supposed to do. At the very least, Sal had already moved his bed and belongings to the basement of the house and made a makeshift nursery in his bedroom.

A baby girl, chubby and crying had come after months of going back and forth on what to do. It was strange. Sal never saw himself as an adult. He'd grown in height and gained some tone in his body, yet still he couldn't differentiate the person in the mirror from the kid who used to wear pigtails every day and get pushed around in school.

What was probably worse is that Sal didn't feel a connection with his child. The child was his, undoubtedly, but he didn't feel much. He had read and heard about parents being so enamored and parents who just immediately felt love for their child, but Sal didn't. He stared back at the baby girl, her features taking after yours for the most part, yet hair as blue as the sky, and furrowed his brow. You, on the other hand, held the child close to you, foreheads touched together as the baby cried and you let out shaky breaths. Parents didn't always have that immediate connection with their children, but, even still...Sal could open his heart up just this time for a child. For you. Even though he had seen the worst of what the world had to offer, he would try.

Try he did. Sal couldn't see any other reason to do anything but for his child. Diane. That was her name. There wasn't any other option, and you had almost instantly agreed. Henry cried, the recollection of his late wife and his memory as a father had come forward as he sobbed when Sal's baby had touched his face for the first time, tugging at his beard. Sal's dad hadn't been there for him when he needed it most, coming around in an attempt to make things right when it was almost too late, but Sal refused to make that mistake. He did everything for his daughter. He was taking online college courses to get a degree in graphics. He did so much, too much, maybe, as in the wake of his determination the two of you hadn't even discussed your own relationship. In fact, it never even came to mind until Larry had asked. The two were sitting outside after having met up at the lake. Larry, moved out by now and living in a shared apartment closer to his community college, and Sal, still living with you, Todd, and Neil, sat in the grass drinking sodas.

"So...I don't know, man."

"Huh?" Sal had looked over at him. The sun had just barely dipped down beyond the horizon, the sky a pale purple. Larry shrugged, pursing his lips together in thought. "You know, a lot of people who have a kid and live together are at least dating. In most situations." Sal continued to stare, the realization of his words sinking in. Larry was right. Sal knew he was right. Perhaps Sal had forgotten. And that was truthful, too. It was so easy to forget when the two of you were living together, raising a child, and maybe just every once in a while waking up next to each other like you used to.

"And don't get me wrong, I'm not judging. In fact, I couldn't be happier for you. Ash too. You haven't really been this happy, this grounded, since you got here. To Nockfell. It's just...I dunno. Haven't you ever thought of, like, marriage?"

Marriage. Yeah, Sal had thought of marriage. The first time he saw his child he thought of it. The first time he held her, the first time he had taken off his prosthetic and his little girl just stared up at him in the same way before her little hands reached up and grabbed at his nose, he thought of marriage. Even before that. When your stomach was swollen, seven months pregnant, and Sal had caught you staring down at your stomach with a swirling mix of emotions behind your eyes, he thought of marriage. The two of you slept in the same bed. Every time he'd wake up next to you, he thought of marriage.

Sal Fisher was so undeniably in love with you. He had been so undeniably in love with you, maybe even from the first time he laid eyes on you. It hadn't ever been about sex. It had been about you. About how you smiled at him, and how your arms would wrap around his shoulders as you kissed him deeply. It had always been about you. Sal had been so blinded, he truly thought sex was the only way to keep you around. But now...Well, shit, what now?

"...I have," Sal finally responded. "I love her."

Larry stared at his friend, Sal's eyes roaming over the moon's reflection in the water.

"Isn't that answer enough?"

. . .

Little Diane was two, now. Sal finished his basic courses and graduated from the two-year school. The two of you were busy packing up your daughter's belongings into boxes, a moving truck waiting outside.

"Are you sure we cant convince you to stay?" Niel joked, hand intertwined in Todd's. Todd nudged his husband, laughing a bit with a furrowed brow. "Yeah, it's not like they have a kid or anything." You laughed, smiling brightly at the two. It had been a long journey of memories in this little house. It wouldn't ever be a place you nor Sal would forget. But it was time to move on. Sal had gotten accepted into a college to finish out his degree, and you had managed to get a job with a lot of flexibility in the same area.

"Yeah, but...California. It's just so far. And so different from Nockfell."

"True, but I think that's a good thing, honestly. This town is so strange...I could never figure out why, but it just gave me this feeling...And I don't want Diane spending her childhood years here." Todd exchanged a knowing look with Sal, the two remaining silent about the shared knowledge. Todd cleared his throat, ridding his head of the foul memories. "I suppose you're right. We'll have to come and visit sometime."

Larry and Ash had come over to the house as well, all helping you and Sal move and disassemble furniture. Gizmo was purring happily on the couch, content to watch the rest of you do all the heavy lifting until it was time to go. Henry and Lisa had even come over, Diane resting in her grandfather's arms. With all of the helping hands, you and Sal were about ready to get moving in just a few hours,

The two of you stood outside the house, your daughter asleep in her car seat in the back of the moving truck. It was strange. Sal had spent years in this town. He was just a kid. A kid that played guitar and a kid that loved video games. A kid that would search for an hour with his best friend Larry for quarters hiding around Addison Apartments just to buy a bag of chips from the lousy vending machines downstairs. A kid that had gotten mixed up with the supernatural that he would be sure to protect his daughter from. A kid that simply met a friend of a friend and fell in love with her smile. Sal couldn't help but wonder how different his life would be if not for you.

You and Sal exchanged your goodbyes tearfully with your friends and family, promising to keep in touch. And finally, with a turn of a key, you were off to a new life. It was a long drive in which Sal reflected on his life. He could've been a nobody. He could've been that weird kid with some weird mask and from a weird town. Just another picture in a yearbook. Maybe in another life, he had been a murder. He chuckled...how unlikely. He couldn't have ever imagined his life like this. Sal Fisher, the family man. He wasn't too sure that his face would fit in at a PTA meeting.

After hours on the road and multiple stops, the two of you arrived at a neighborhood with a row of brick townhomes lining the road. They weren't the best or the most luxurious, but they were within walking distance of schools and a good driving distance from Sal's university and your job. Maybe it was a bit cliche, and in sincerity, all too normal for Sal's life. He was the guy who had talked to ghosts, and yet he was about to move into a cookie-cutter neighborhood with a kid.

The two of you stepped into the house, the smell of dust being the most prominent. It would need cleaning and hard work, but it was yours. Sal didn't think he was exactly cut out for the whole "white picket fence" family, but a family nonetheless.

A family. A husband, a wife, and a daughter. Except, that wasn't his situation. He had a friend and a daughter.

Sal stared at his life. Twenty-five. Years had gone by, probably in the most unexpected way that Sal could ever imagine for himself, yet he still felt as if he hadn't moved very far with you. But you were here. In a house that you two had bought together, with eyes he had stared into for four years. His daughter with his mother's name and his hair was in your arms, giggling and squirming around, eager to crawl around the new environment. He looked over at you, eyes shining bright with hope of a new adventure and lips upturned in a smile.

"Can you believe it? Sal, our own place. This is insane. Can you believe it?" your head turned to meet his gaze, tears gathering in your eyelids. Sal stared at you, eyebrows furrowed. "Sal?"

"Marry me."

The words came out fast, but the same nonetheless. The weight of them wasn't something Sal was aware of. He had been thinking of this for years. Never the right time, never the right place. But everything seemed right. Standing here, seeing you smile the same way as you did at that first meeting years ago. It was different now. He couldn't imagine a life without you in it. Sal wanted to see you smile as he slid a wedding band on your ring finger. He fantasized about his little girl walking down and throwing petals. It was silly, but it was what he wanted. He was sure of it.

"W-What?"

"Marry me. I love you."

You stared at him, mouth agape as the breath was taken from you. This was Sal. The father of your child. It was Sal, the one who had refused to leave your side when you were pregnant. Who stayed calm when you couldn't. Who had played with your daughter and refused to stop smiling for her. Even before that, it was the same Sal who had kissed you like there was nothing else in the world to do. Sal Fisher was full of love to give and wanted nothing but the best for everyone around him despite the world throwing so many challenges his way. What other response was there to give?

Sal took your hand after lowering his prosthetic, eyes staring seriously. "Will you marry me?"

"...Yes."

[zamoimagines]

There’s Your Trouble

Word Count: 3,529

Pairings: Billie Dean Howard x Reader, Sally McKenna x Reader 

Chapters: 1, 2

Summary: You and your girlfriend, Billie Dean Howard, are staying at the Cortez for the weekend but you meet a pretty ghost. 

A/N: Chapter two is finally here! Hope you guys enjoy :)

The rest of your night wasn’t what Billie had promised. You remember telling her how excited you were to spend time with her at a hotel because it meant you both could maybe have a little alone time. She was constantly working on her show, or traveling, or doing interviews, or signing autographs on the street. This was a chance for the two of you to actually spend some quality time together. 

How wrong that assumption was. The rest of the day was spent interviewing different residents who obviously didn’t want to be filmed, and some of them even looked as if they were the ghosts themselves. Billie was so focused on learning the history of the building and asking the owners about James Patrick March. She cared more about her crew than anything you had to say. Any time you would try to speak, someone would cut you off and Billie would completely ignore that you had said anything at all. You were an afterthought to say the least. It had been this way long before you’d arrived with her at the Hotel Cortez. This seemed to be a pattern that never ended. 

Night fell rather quickly. You didn’t realize that it was dark out until you glanced out one of the windows of your room. Billie was still going on about all that needed to be filmed before Devil’s Night to her worker bees. 

“Uh.. Billie?” you tried to interject. 

“I’m thinking we can get a couple shots of the front for dramatic effect? I talked to Liz as well, she said we could see the basement if we really wanted to.”

“Billie-”

“Oh! And what if we got a scene in front of that creepy empty pool?”

“Billie, can I please talk to you for a second?”

The blonde finally turned in your direction. She gave you a wild smile. 

“Yeah! Sorry, honey. What is it?”

“Are we gonna go to the bar and get some alone time? I figured tonight would be perfect since we just got here.”

“Of course!” she replied happily. The sound of that brightened your world. 

“I’ve just got to get a few shots first.” Your heart sank in your chest. 

“Oh… okay.”

“Honey, I promise we’ll go on a date when we get the footage we need.” Billie pressed a small kiss to your forehead. “Do you want to come with us? You could see all of the chilling content first hand!”

“I-I’m okay. I think I’m gonna wait here until you get back.” 

“Are you sure, baby?”

“Yeah, I gotta unpack anyway.”

“I’ll film as fast as I can. It won’t be too long, right guys?” Billie looked to her crew for reassurance, though all they did was glared coldly back at you. They barely knew you and couldn’t give less of a shit about your romantic endeavors. She stood up while grabbing her mic before leading everyone out of the room. 

“Why don’t we just go out tomorrow night?” you offered.

“It won’t be too late, Y/N, I promise-”

“I’m just tired. It’s no big deal, really.”

“Okay, then. I’ll try not to stay out too late. I’ll see you later, sweetheart!”

“Bye, Billie.”

Alone. Yet again. Your own girlfriend cared so much more about her damn TV show than about spending the evening with you. It stung quite a bit, though you wouldn’t dare to ever let her know. She worked hard to get where she was. You just wished she would care about more important things sometimes.  

Instead of wallowing, you figured you would change into something more comfortable. You changed out of your travel outfit and immediately ditched your bra before slipping on some shorts along with a big t-shirt over your head. A sigh of relief escaped you. Folding your old clothes, you began to unpack your bag and put your belongings into the drawers of the dresser. You switched on the tv just to have a little background noise as you finished putting everything away. The only thing left was your makeup bag and a small carrier full of hygienic products. Taking the last two bags, you sauntered into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

As you started to brush your teeth, your mind wandered aimlessly about Billie. You only agreed to come because she told you that she had so many things planned for you. Every business trip turned out to be all about your girlfriend and she’d always happened to just forget about every promise she made to you. This one was only proving to be the exact same. How could a damn TV show be more important than your own relationship? You didn’t understand her thought process whatsoever. 

You finished up before making your way back to the bed. Though, there was something off about the room. Something felt incredibly eerie but you couldn’t quite place what it was. Perhaps it was just your mind playing tricks on you. After all, you were spending your week in a haunted hotel, so it was probably normal to feel a little creeped out by your surroundings. 

Just as you sat down on the bed, you heard a soft humming sound. Your head quickly turned in the direction of the bathroom door. Was someone in your room? 

“My, my… You’re even prettier than I remember, Princess.” a familiar voice spoke. You nearly jumped out of your spot as you let out a gasp. 

There standing in front of the doorway was the woman you’d met from earlier. The one in the elevator. You thought you’d locked the door but perhaps you actually had forgotten to and it slipped your mind. She was still as gorgeous as ever, only now she was just dressed in a simple black nightgown. Her fingers were laced around two glasses and a bottle of some brown liquor was in her other hand. You noticed large rips in her fishnets as she made her way closer to you. 

“H-How long have you been standing there?”

She shrugged as she inhaled the lit cigarette hanging out of her mouth, “Just a minute or two. The walls are paper thin here, though, so I heard your little conversation with the girlfriend.” She paused to take a longer drag. As she exhaled smoke, she raised a brow.

“Saw her leave too. She seems a little… Prissy.” Sally added in a disgusted tone. 

“Billie isn’t prissy. She’s just well-rounded!”

“Keep telling yourself that.” She plopped down next to you on the mattress with a sly grin on her face, her cigarette draping smoke all around your body as she nestled in closer.

“Just because she’s high maintenance doesn’t mean that she’s a bad person.”

Sally handed you one of the glasses before popping open the bottle. Pouring some alcohol into your cup, she chuckled in disbelief. 

“I’m not sure I believe that. The bitch is more infatuated with her camera than her own girl.” 

Those words definitely stung. You stared blankly down at your drink as you tried hard not to think about it too much as water pricked your eyes. Sally poured her own glass then glanced back up at you. 

“Look, I’m not trying to be a debbie downer or anything. I just think it’s fucked up that she’d just leave you here.” 

“She’s… She’s just very professional. She takes a lot of pride in her work.” You tried to explain, “Besides, she said we could go on a better date tomorrow.”

She raised a brow. “A bit too professional, don’t you think? How could she pass up a night with a gorgeous girl like you?”

There was a thick silence that hung in the room.Your vision grew fuzzy as more tears welled up in your eyes, though you were quick to wipe them away to appear like you had everything together. “Oh, my poor baby girl.” Sally cooed as her index finger lifted your chin. You could see that her own eyes were watering but you weren’t entirely sure what for. She offered you a soft grin that caused the skin on your cheeks to flush; it had been so long since you’d received this sort of affection from anyone. “Why don’t we have a drink, hm?”

You looked down at the glass skeptically. Was this a trap or something? 

“I’m not sure I should-”

“Oh come on, you were gonna go to the bar earlier anyway. What’s one little glass going to do?” 

She was right. It wasn’t like you had anything better to do with your night. Rather than waiting for her to pour you a glass, you simply took the bottle from her and screwed off the cap. Your lips pressed against the mouth as you quickly took a huge swig. 

“Straight to it.” Sally chuckled as she grabbed the liquor back from you, “What a good girl you are.” 

Your whole body felt warm. So warm that you couldn’t notice that damned blush on your face was becoming more apparent. It was probably just the effects of the alcohol and not the fact that her remark had been incredibly smooth. 

Nearly two hours had passed in which you both kept passing the bottle back and forth. Each swig from the bottle made you significantly more inebriated as you both talked about everything under the sun. You told Sally about your life, and in return she told you more about herself. You’d learned that she used to be a musician, that she had been dealing with a drug addiction for decades, and that she lived here at the hotel. She even made you crack a smile or two. 

There was so much alcohol in your system now that you were completely relaxed. It was as if Sally took every problem you ever had and melted it away with simple conversation. You had to admit, no one had ever made you feel this way before. Not even your own girlfriend. 

“Can I ask you a question?” You asked, your words slightly slurred. 

“Only if I can ask you one in return.” Sally replied with a sly grin. 

“That sounds like a fair trade.” “Then go right ahead, gorgeous.”

You took a deep breath as you tried to summon the right words. It might’ve been stupid, but you had a sneaking suspicion that there was something paranormal about this woman. You could’ve sworn you felt something deep in your gut telling you that it was true. The worst that could possibly happen was that she’d think you were crazy. “I’ve noticed that you’re rather unique.” You gulped, “This might sound stupid to ask, but uh, are… a-are you a-” Before you could finish your sentence, she cut you off completely. “Are you asking if I’m a ghost?” Your brows furrowed as your eyes widened slightly out of shock. It was as if she had taken the words right out of your mouth. The blonde chuckled to herself when she saw your reaction, then inhaled more smoke from her sixth cig of the night. “Yeah. I’m a ghost. Been dead for fucking years now.” She paused briefly, a fire in her eyes now. “Does that scare you?” So it was confirmed. Sally wasn’t alive… If you were honest, you weren’t sure how you felt about that. You’d seen enough of Billie’s work to know all of the signs but you didn’t figure you’d be the one that would have a run in with the dead. Shaking your head, you could feel yourself growing dizzy from this new information. You weren’t about to act like a wuss in front of her now. “Not at all.” You muttered maybe a little too quickly. Sally raised a brow at your response. “Do you believe me?” You shrugged. “I mean, you practically walked through the wall when I wasn’t looking. And you took me for a spin in the elevator earlier, which was a little eerie.” “So is that a yes?” “Yes… I believe you.” Sally looked rather pleased with you as she took back the bottle. “Good… You’re not a skeptic.” She took a swig and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I fucking hate skeptics.”

You simply just nodded along as you listened to her. If you were honest with yourself, you were still on the fence as if you actually believed her or if it was the alcohol getting to your head. You had been overthinking the matter so much that you had barely missed the other women speaking directly to you. “Shit- Sorry. What did you say?” You asked. 

“I said it’s my turn.”

“For what?”

“To ask you a question.” A mischievous grin appeared on her pretty pale lips. 

You gulped. It was just a question, and surely what she had to say wasn’t too terrible. 

“R-Right. Go right ahead, ask away.” 

Sally paused for a moment to fully pivot her body in your direction. She leaned forward a bit before asking, 

“Why do you stay with a woman who doesn’t give you the time or day?”

A much more loaded question than you were expecting. Instead of responding, you simply took the bottle from her lap and took a very long swig to avoid saying anything whatsoever. The blonde chuckled to herself as she watched you chug the liquor down. “We had a deal, Princess.” She sang out. There had definitely been a deal, and you needed to hold up your end of the bargain. 

“Billie does care about me. I promise… She’s just really busy.” You set the bottle back down before continuing, “She’s been waiting for months to get coverage on this place. There’s a reason she’s so preoccupied.” 

“I’m sure that’s what it is.” Sally scoffed. “I don’t mind, though. I’m just very happy that you like blondes.” She gave you a wink as she ashed her cigarette into the glass bottle. 

You were at a loss for words. No matter what you said, your new acquaintance never believed a word that you said despite explaining yourself over and over again. In a way, you felt completely defeated. You were defending a cause with not a lot of evidence to back you up. Sally could tell you were getting upset, for she got even closer and let out a whine of sympathy. 

“Awe, don’t pout. Here, I’ll make a bet with you.” She began, “If this Billie chick comes in here tonight and fucks you when she sees you in this number, then I’ll keep my distance and respect your relationship. But if she goes straight to bed?” She paused for a moment to discard her cigarette completely, “You have to come by my room and let me show you how pretty you are.”

The immediate flush upon your cheeks was enough for Sally to chuckle darkly to herself. You were sure you had never blushed this hard in your life. You couldn’t remember how long it had been since someone had flirted with you like this, let alone your own girlfriend. 

“U-Uh- I’m not so sure about that-” You stammered. 

“Let me put it this way; When will you ever get to tell someone that you got to make a bet with a ghost?” 

She had a fair point. Surely the drinks weren’t helping you to make any logical decisions. Your head felt like it was spinning as the words fell out of your mouth,

 “Fine. Sure, why not.” You were sure that the blonde was just bluffing, what harm was one little bet going to do? 

But oh how you would regret ever saying a damn words. 

“Good.” The next moment, Sally’s face was only an inch away from your own and those deep brown eyes were staring directly into yours. 

“How about you let me give you a sneak peek?” She whispered. 

Your breath caught in your throat. Her stare put you into a trance, though you did your best to stay grounded. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Mm, it’s only a kiss.” Her fingers reached out and danced upon your shoulder, “Maybe two.”

Before you knew it, you were paralyzed under her touch. Your eyes shut tight as if to try and wake yourself from some sort of dream, but as you did so, something hot pressed to the side of your neck. Her soft lips brushed against your skin, your heart beginning to beat rapidly in your chest. Her hand traveled up to caress your cheek and her forehead rested upon yours as you slowly opened your eyes. There was no denying there was a heated passion building inside you. 

“Come on, Princess. Let me taste those pretty lips of yours.” Her voice was so dark and inviting. You couldn’t help but swoon into her touch. 

“Sally…” You tried to protest, but you were finding it hard to resist. Your vision grew hazy the moment she captured your mouth into a tender kiss. 

You felt as if you should’ve been beating yourself up for not stopping her, but you craved the amount of affection she was offering you. After the first, she kissed you again with much more confidence. Her tongue slid against your bottom lip as if to beg for entrance. Your mouth opened with ease as she eagerly deepened the contact between you both, slowly but full of lust. A low groan escaped her which in turn caused you to whimper against her. You could tell how bad she wanted you, but more importantly, you were starting to realize how badly you wanted Sally.

You pulled away briefly to catch your breath though you managed to stay close. The other woman let out a soft laugh before practically moaning, “I could eat you up.” She bit her lower lip as her gaze studied your mouth and back up to your eyes. 

“I can’t imagine what your pussy tastes like.”

“Sally- jesus.” You hissed.

Thankfully, she rose from where she had been sitting before picking up the bottle of liquor and the two glasses she had originally come in with. Her hip was cocked out to the side as she watched your every move. 

“You just wait,” She said as she pointed toward you, “You’re gonna lose.” 

“I will not!” You rebutted. 

“We’ll see about that.” 

You moved to protest her words, but in the blink of an eye, she had completely vanished. The room had seemed to change as well for everything seemed much darker than a moment ago. The window revealed a black sky full of stars. How much time had passed? 

The faint sound of clicking heels echoed down the corridor outside your door. Billie. 

At least she was finished filming so you could forget this night had ever happened. You made sure to freshen up your hair and get into a position that looked inviting for your girlfriend to walk into, for you were sure you wouldn’t lose your end of the bet. Billie loved you, and that was a fact. She wouldn’t deny the chance to spend a sensual evening with you. 

The door swung open. In the doorway was Billie Dean, her posture slightly slouched as she flashed a winning, yet sleepy smile to you. 

“Hey, Honey. How was your night?” She asked, her voice groggy as ever. 

“It was fine.” You replied immediately. Your head was still woozy from all of the alcohol. “I missed you, though.”

Billie plopped down on the opposite end of the bed as she kicked off her heels. She shimmied out of her skirt, then worked at the buttons of her blouse to reveal her silk slip. You did your best to appear sexy but it was proving to be difficult when she wasn’t even paying attention to you. 

“I missed you too. I’m so exhausted, we spent hours wandering this place and didn’t find a damn thing.”

“That’s too bad.” 

“Yeah. We’ll try again in the morning.” Once she was situated for bedtime, Billie got under the covers next to you. She leaned over to press a soft peck to your cheek before turning around to turn off the lamp beside her. 

“Goodnight.”

“Wait, don’t you want to spend some time together?”

“I’m sorry baby, I’m so tired. Why don’t we grab breakfast in the morning? I promise I’ll make it up to you after I���ve had plenty of sleep.” 

“But-”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

She turned completely away from you and didn’t notice a damn thing. Not what you were wearing, or what you looked like, or how she had made you feel so lonely. Instead of fighting her on the matter, you sighed sadly to yourself. 

“Goodnight, Billie.” 

You turned off your own lamp before curling up under the blankets and faced where Billie’s back had turned. Tears stung your eyes once again, though you managed to stay completely silent to try and drift to sleep. You were nearly asleep when you felt a familiar sensation upon your neck; hot breathing and a soft pair of lips. A warm kiss was placed upon you as you heard Sally’s voice faintly whisper in your ear,

“I win.”

[bipercabeth]

48 for percabeth! I hope u feel better about the show

Annabeth has known that Percy was going to die from the moment she met him. Four summers. Best case scenario. 

Twelve-year-old Annabeth wasn’t particularly concerned about falling in love with the trouble-making son of Poseidon who drooled in his sleep. Freshly sixteen Annabeth sometimes wishes she had opted for the quiet life some children of Athena prefer: strategize, keep your head down, live a comfortable and unremarkable life. She hardly would’ve crossed paths with Percy outside of the occasional class or Capture the Flag. He and Grover could’ve found someone else to be their best friend, or maybe they would’ve bonded as a pair. And Annabeth would have kept her distance from Percy in the name of self-preservation, knowing they would only have four bittersweet summers together at best. 

The summer before the Titan War is not the best case scenario. Percy is hardly ever at camp except for quests and Kronos-related meetings. He chooses to spend what they both know is his last of their four measly summers away from Annabeth. Grover is nowhere to be found, Thalia is with the Hunters, Luke is hosting the Titan Lord, and Annabeth feels more like a scared little girl than she has in a long time. At least she isn’t the runaway. That title fell to Percy. 

It feels like an insult to Annabeth’s love for Percy to wish they hadn’t met. She is so much better for having loved him. For loving him—present tense. But she says this while he’s still here. His smile may not be directed at her that often, but he still smiles. Sometimes Annabeth can even stomach the jealousy of Rachel being the cause of that smile, because at least someone is giving him joy before this all goes to shit. When it does, maybe Annabeth will understand what it means to wish him away, if only to end the pain of having known and lost a person like Percy Jackson. 

The feeling isn’t new. Annabeth’s gut has twisted in previous conversations where someone would bring up high school and college plans. Percy would talk animatedly about getting his license at sixteen, and Annabeth was left with a dry mouth she could not twist into a smile. He would beam at Beckendorf’s plans to attend NYU in the fall and make the older boy promise to swing by Sally’s sometime. Even Beckendorf, who had never heard the full Great Prophecy, could not stop the microexpression of pity. 

When Annabeth first heard the prophecy, it was too much for her ten year old mind. There was no face to connect to the doomed fate, no cursed blade to reap the hero’s soul. Sometimes her young brain conjured an image of Thalia, but that was a nightmare of its own. Every night, Annabeth would watch Olympus fall at the hands of someone she hoped never to know. 

She still gets those nightmares, only the visuals have improved. Percy is in every single one of them, saving or razing Olympus depending on the night. He never survives. You cannot outrun fate. Annabeth has tried. 

Still, she is a daughter of Athena, and Athena always has a plan. When Percy dies, Annabeth will fall to pieces. In a lucky string of events, she might fall alongside him. It’s a war, after all. But she has a sneaking suspicion that she will outlive him. She has a plan for this as well. The shroud they made when he was stranded on Calypso’s island was nice and communal, leagues ahead of the one the Ares cabin shroud that still makes Annabeth’s blood boil. But deep in her soul, Annabeth knows that she alone will make his shroud. Just as she’ll burn it; just as she’ll care for Sally in his stead; just as she will lay blue roses on his headstone every time she’s in the neighborhood; just as she’ll be there for Grover, for Clarisse, for all of camp when he’s gone. She will do it alone. Annabeth held the sky, once. She will shoulder this as well. How much heavier could losing her best friend be than the weight of the world? In her anticipation, they feel the same. 

She will build a monument for him, something to last the ages as he was supposed to, as permanent as the love he has given her. It will overlook the gods on Olympus, a reminder of the boy they failed. The boy who was too good for them all. Regardless of how the war goes, this will always be true. 

He was never built to last. Nothing good ever can, and he’s been burning the candle at both ends for a while now. He was meant to burn bright, not long. 

Annabeth sits in the dark of the Big House rec room, the only quiet space now that camp is in full war preparation. Well, the only quiet space apart from the beach, but Annabeth knows the smell of salt air and the sound of waves will be her undoing. That is another key feature of her plan: never go to the ocean again. 

She curls her knees into her chest, feeling every inch the child that she is. But children are not supposed to have plans for their best friend dying. Children are not supposed to have their first kiss out of fear that said best friend will die before their four summers are up. 

The door opens, throwing the room into harsh shadows and blinding light. 

“Um.” Annabeth can’t see who’s talking, but she’d know his voice anywhere. “Chiron said there was a war council meeting today.” 

She raises a hand to block out the light and give her eyes time to adjust. “Yeah, later.” To Annabeth’s horror, her voice is hoarse. Her throat is clogged with tears. 

Percy’s sneakers stop shifting in the carpet. “Are, uh... are you okay?” 

He sounds hesitant to ask, like he’s expecting vitriol to spew from Annabeth’s mouth. And, in fairness, sometimes it does. But Annabeth doesn’t have vitriol in her right now. The awareness that she does not have many days left with Percy is painfully acute. To spend them angry feels like a waste. 

“No, I’m not.” By now her eyes have adjusted to the light, and she looks at him through bleary eyes. 

Percy stills when he sees her face, looking ready to bolt. He points to the door. “Do you want me to...?”

Annabeth sniffles. “I don’t want to be alone.” 

What breaks her is how quickly he is by her side. For all their faults, it is the one thing she can count on. As long as she lets him, Percy will come to Annabeth when she’s hurting.

She doesn’t tell him how deeply that statement is carved into her, that she is carved from loneliness the same way he is carved from guilt—the pitfalls of pride and loyalty. 

A kid carved from loneliness cannot plan to be held the way that Percy holds Annabeth. Such a selfless love was unfathomable as a little girl; how could she ever have accounted for it? He just... holds her. He doesn’t try to talk or look at her face. He’s just there, unwaveringly. It kills Annabeth to know he won’t always be. It hurts to be with him, but it will hurt so much more to be without him. 

The dam breaks, and Annabeth sobs into Percy’s shoulder. He’s taller than her now, grown only to be cut down young. Still, he is steadfast, grounded, secure in his roots. The way a towering oak has no reason to fear a chainsaw until the cutting has already begun. 

“You’re my best friend,” she tells him, because she’s not sure she’s ever said it and it’s something he deserves to hear. “No matter what, you’re my best friend.” 

Percy strokes a gentle hand along the back of Annabeth’s head. “And you’re mine,” he assures her. He doesn’t say you’re my best friend too. Just you’re mine. As if the fact doesn’t haunt her. She is his, irrevocably. 

A gentle knock at the door interrupts them. Annabeth recognizes Silena’s quiet footfalls and almost withdraws from Percy, but he makes no move to. 

Silena’s voice is soft, not smug like Annabeth expects. “War council in fifteen. Figured I’d give you two a heads up.” 

Annabeth meets her eyes over Percy’s shoulder. “Thanks.” 

The older girl ducks her head in something resembling shame. “It’s the least I can do.” She leaves. 

“How much longer?” Percy asks when the door clicks shut. It isn’t an impatient question. In fact, Annabeth doesn’t know exactly what he’s asking. 

She gives an honest answer. “However long we have left.” And the sun begins to set on the fourth summer. 

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

AUs that live in my head rent free

*multiple ships*

Jercy sports AU where Percy is a basketball player, Jason is a soccer (football) player. They meet at a sports awards show and both get Player of the Year awards in their fields. It's inevitable that they challenge each other to their pertaining sports and laugh hysterically at the attempts. Because their sports seasons are at different times in the year (don't come at me if they aren't in real life I don't give a shit about sports) they go to each others games and every goal/basket scored they point at each other and it's like the whole world narrows to that single moment. They are legendary in the sporting world. When they retire they open up a sports school and recruit fellow friends from other sporting professions. Annabeth is an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Frank is unbelievable at tennis.

Valjackson childhood best friends AU where Percy's mom and Leo's mom were best friends their whole lives and therefore their children spent a lot of time together. Leo and Percy used to terrorize Sally's sweetshop and Esperanza's workshop. They learnt how to be the cutest troublemakers and could not be separated by the strongest forces in the world. They had girls falling all over them but neither was interested. Despite Percy being bi and Leo being pan. It seemed every relationship they tried to enter into didn't work out. There was always something missing. They realize what it is 2 months before they go to college. Percy gets accepted into one across the country and they both panic at the thought of being separated. They have a fallout and it is miserable for both of them. It takes some needling from their mothers, and giggles over coffee later, before they realize why they're so upset. They both storm our of their houses at the same time, just down the street from each other as it had been their whole lives, and slam together. "I don't want you to leave. I love you. I am in love with you Jackson." Percy chokes, tears blurring his pretty green eyes. "I know. I love you too. But we will see each other again. And I will come back. And we will be together." It seems the fates were on their side because although they didn't promise commitment to each other through the college years it felt unnatural to be with anyone else. So they stayed single, and met during the vacations and loved each other from a far. And when college was finally over they fell into each other so naturally it's as if they had never been separated. Now they live a few streets down from their mothers, who ended up moving in together as best friends who had wanted to do it all those years ago. Family dinners and full of cringy memories and soft looks. They were born already together. They die that way too.

Pipabeth coffee shop AU, where they both work at the cute Cafe on main Street. Piper is new and Annabeth, who is busy and impatient, has to show her the ropes. For the first two weeks they open up shop together. Annabeth is not a morning person. Piper most definitely is. They eventually fall in love in the break room and it is horrible how cute they are. The cafe patrons either give them filthy looks or coo. They're both university students when they meet. It takes them 3 years to get together. It takes them 2 to marry. Piper goes on to become a school teacher. Annabeth opens her own coffee shop. They still do the morning shift together.

Percabeth theater kids AU where percy is the shy accidental lead in the play because he was messing around in the auditorium of the school and the drama teacher heard him sing and demanded he sign ip for auditions. Annabeth is part of the tech crew and cannot help but be mesmerized everytime Percy is on stage. They learn of each other when Percy has a costume emergency during the first dress rehearsal and she's in the wings to help him about 30 seconds before he goes on stage. He gives her roses to thank her and it is the end. They're together from that moment on. Who knows if they last, they live on forevermore in the wings of the stage.

Valgrace teacher AU where Jason is the new history teacher at a high school and Leo, the maths teacher, takes great delight in having his student prank Jason's classroom on the daily. It is especially fun when the blonde comes storming in all red in his golden face and then immediately schools his expression into one of pointed calm when he sees Leo has students. It's always a clipped "Can I please talk to you Mr Valdez." Leo has never been able to hide his grin. One prank goes a little awhol though and Jason's classroom is a mess. Leo helps clean up after school and the tension of three months of back and forth turns electric in an instant. They become the couple the students giggle over. Jason refuses to partake in any affectionate activities during school hours. Leo takes it as a challenge to sneak as many forehead and cheek kisses in as possible. They spend their evenings grading papers and sipping tea. Leo eases his husband's glasses off his face and grabs a blanket before squishing himself onto the couch with Jason. They fall asleep like that many times a month. It never stops.

McJackson theme park workers AU where they challenge each other to the scariest Rollercoasters right after lunch and whoever throws up first has to do park rounds. They're at a tie but Percy is determined to win. So he challenges Piper to ride their two scariest rollers one after the other for half an hour. Piper who can never say no to a dare does it. She throws up so violently Percy has to take over her shift for three days. He brings her soup, and bland toast, and peppermint tea. She laughs at his doting and he mumbles apologies for the guilt of making her bedridden. He says he'll do any dare she asks, so she has some justice. She gives him a glittering smirk and says "any dare?" He should have known then he'd be in trouble but he nods anyway. "I dare you to kiss me." They've been happily terrorizing park guests ever since. And now they both go on terrible rides and get sick and egg each other on. And they are best friends with the added bonus of kissing each other thrown in. When Percy proposes it is so on brand for then their friends groan when they hear the recount. "I dare you to marry me." Piper has never been so happy to complete a dare in her life.

Leobeth as stressed out engineering students AU. They meet in the library when they both go to the printer at the same time and find out its broken. It's 2am and Annabeth just wanted to print her notes so she could start on the grueling process of actually studying them. Leo laughs when she kicks the machine and then fixes it with ridiculous speed. She's grateful enough to throw her arms around him and buy him coffee. They end up studying together often and help each other with theories and concepts they aren't quite grasping. They kind of fall into love, tinkering their friendship just as Leo tinkered with the printer. One day they were groaning over notes and the next Annabeth was kissing Leo because she got an A on her test and she was so happy she was beside herself. He pulls her in for another one and the kiss promised forever. They did everything together after that. Studied, graduated, succeeded. And when they got married Leo printed his vows over her study notes, and gifted her a little printer pendant that she wore on her necklace of beads. Annabeth laughed herself silly and never took it off.

[amwritesitall]

The Sarahs as Songs from Folklore and Evermore

Masterlist

Link in the names are the Spotify playlists I have for each character. These playlists are a never ending work in progress. Some posts can be found on a few of them on the Masterlist link above.

The reasoning for these songs vary. Some are like I’m pitching you a thesis for an essay and others are just little blurbs. Also, I apologize for any grammatical errors! A lot of this was worked on after midnight, so there might be a few errors I missed.

Billie Dean Howard

“cowboy like me”

I've got some tricks up my sleeve Takes one to know one You're a cowboy like me Never wanted love Just a fancy car Now I'm waiting by the phone Like I'm sitting in an airport bar You had some tricks up your sleeve Takes one to know one

You're a cowboy like me Perched in the dark Telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear Like it could be love I could be the way forward Only if they pay for it

You gotta love Billie Dean. This song gives me Billie vibes in the way that the narrator never was really looking for love, they just kind of stumbled upon it. Billie Dean was never really looking since she was focused on her show and her career in general, wanting fame and fortune. Settling down for love wasn’t in the cards, but then she finds the perfect person and the person she ends up falling for is someone similar to her, never wanting to settle down. 

Long story short, two lady killers meet and fall for each other.

“august”

But I can see us lost in the memory August slipped away into a moment in time 'Cause it was never mine And I can see us twisted in bedsheets August sipped away like a bottle of wine 'Cause you were never mine

A lot of folklore gives me teen au vibes for a lot of these characters. This one makes me think of teen summer romance au with lady killer Billie Dean. For teen Billie, I just picture her having a whirlwind summer romance that doesn’t last long, but it leaves such an impact on her and the other person even after they’ve returned to someone else at the end of the summer.

Lana Winters

“betty”

Yeah, I showed up at your party Will you have me? Will you love me? Will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends? If you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed it? Will it patch your broken wings? I'm only 17, I don't know anything But I know I miss you

I know this song isn’t gay, but I want it to be, so here we are. Pretty much my only reasoning for this one is teen au vibes.

“cardigan”

Sequin smile, black lipstick Sensual politics When you are young, they assume you know nothing

But I knew you Dancin' in your Levi's Drunk under a streetlight, I I knew you Hand under my sweatshirt Baby, kiss it better, I

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan Under someone's bed You put me on and said I was your favorite

Secret relationship with Lana and her giving her lover all the love she deserves. Lana Winters is such a loving person and from her trouble with her family and others in her life, she knows what it’s like to feel like “an old cardigan sweater under someone’s bed” and she doesn’t want her lover to ever feel like that.

Another thing about this is in the first three lines. Lana is a young woman working in a mainly male dominated field. All the men (most of them older as well) look down on her because she is a young woman assuming, as the lyrics suggests, that she knows nothing. I might be crazy, but I feel like these first few lines some up some of the Lana we know and see throughout season two and her multiple appearances in other seasons as well.

“dorothea”

Hey Dorothea Do you ever stop and think about me? When we were younger Down in the park Honey, making a lark of the misery You got shiny friends since you left town A tiny screen's the only place I see you now And I got nothing but well wishes for ya

Dear reader, I propose to you this, the narrator talking about our Lana Winters. Specifically, I’m referring to Lana towards the end of season two where she has gotten fame from her book and her newfound fame goes to her head a little bit. The spin is that along with this she’s got a lover back home that wishes her well, but misses her, yearns for her if you will. So, we’re going to pretend there’s an AU where Lana’s got a lover back home and watches this all occur.

Cordelia Goode

“my tears ricochet”

And I can go anywhere I want Anywhere I want, just not home And you can aim for my heart, go for blood But you would still miss me in your bones And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky) And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same Cursing my name, wishing I stayed You turned into your worst fears

CORDELIA HAS BEEN DONE DIRTY BY QUITE A FEW PEOPLE IN HER LIFE. Sis has been done dirty by Fiona, Hank, and problem a few other people we don’t even know about. 

This song makes me think of a few different things with Cordelia. The Fiona aspect is 1) Fiona’s anger with Cordelia for being the Supreme instead of being happy and proud of her daughter and 2) Fiona’s overall poor treatment of Cordelia.

You could also interpret this as Cordelia’s awful relationship with good ol toxic Hank. Cordelia didn’t deserve the awful treatment from Hank and Fiona. Cordelia is trying to deal with all of this and she loved these people, but they treated her so poorly and in the end it’s going to come back and bite them in the end.

“tolerate it”

I wait by the door like I'm just a kid Use my best colors for your portrait Lay the table with the fancy shit And watch you tolerate it If it's all in my head, tell me now Tell me I've got it wrong somehow I know my love should be celebrated But you tolerate it

Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life Drawing hearts in the byline Always taking up too much space or time You assume I'm fine

This song HURTS me. You can interpret this song a few different ways, but the way I interpret it for Cordelia is to look at it as a mother/daughter relationship between her and Fiona.

As a child, Cordelia always wanted to impress her mother. Her mother was the Supreme after all, so she had a lot to live up to (makes me think of “Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life”). She’s giving it her all like the lyrics “Use my best colors for your portrait / Lay the table with the fancy shit.” The first line from the excerpt above also points to Cordelia still seeking this approval even now that she’s an adult. She does all of this for her mother, but in return her mother just merely tolerates it. It never seems like enough to impress her even though Cordelia is a successful and overall incredible woman. She always feels like she’s not enough, merely getting in the way (”Always taking up too much space or time”).

“ivy”

Oh, goddamn My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand Taking mine, but it's been promised to another Oh, I can't Stop you putting roots in my dreamland My house of stone, your ivy grows And now I'm covered in you

I wish to know The fatal flaw that makes you long to be Magnificently cursed He's in the room Your opal eyes are all I wish to see He wants what's only yours

AU AU AU AU AU

Picture it: a historical au with a forbidden love between Lady Cordelia Goode and a normal working class gal, however, Cordelia has been promised to marry another, say Hank. Secret relationship ensues.

I have so many thoughts on this au

Bette and Dot Tattler

“seven”

Sweet tea in the summer Cross your heart, won't tell no other And though I can't recall your face I still got love for you Your braids like a pattern Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs The love lasts so long

This song just captures the innocence that I think fits Bette and Dot really well. It’s hard to find songs to fit these two, but I really think this one has their vibes.

“willow”

Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind Head on the pillow, I could feel you sneaking in As if you were a mythical thing Like you were a trophy or a champion ring And there was one prize I'd cheat to win The more that you say The less I know Wherever you stray I follow I'm begging for you to take my hand Wreck my plans That's my man

Like “seven,” this song captures the innocent, sweet vibes that these two have. This one adds to the hopeless romantic aspect that both Bette and Dot have as well.

Sally McKenna

“hoax”

This has broken me down My twisted knife My sleepless night My win-less fight This has frozen my ground

Stood on the cliffside Screaming, "Give me a reason" Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in Don't want no other shade of blue But you No other sadness in the world would do 

Sally is a sad bitch. Poor girl has been heart broken and I elaborate on this next part more later. With her love, Sally doesn’t want to move on from that person since she believed they were the love of her life, however, now they’ve betrayed her and are gone and she’s alone once again.

“right where you left me”

Everybody moved on, I I stayed there Dust collected on my pinned-up hair They expected me to find somewhere Some perspective, but I sat and stared

Right where you left me You left me no Oh, you left me no You left me no choice but to stay here forever You left me

AHHHH THIS IS A SALLY SONG! I’ve had this post in my drafts since evermore came out and I was worried I wouldn’t have much for Sally, but then this bonus track came out and I couldn’t not think of Sally when I listened to it.

This is another one of those songs that you can interpret literally or figuratively. In Sally’s case you could definitely interpret this as her being trapped as a literal ghost in the Cortez after her lover leaves her but you can also look at it in terms of Sally’s personality. In love, Sally seems like the person to hold onto someone long after they are gone and moved on. She loves hard, so it is extremely hard for her to move on. I think that if she found the person she believed was the right person and they ended up leaving her, she wouldn’t move on from them at all. She’d be holding on, waiting for them to come back even if they never do.

Audrey Tindall

“the 1″

But we were something, don't you think so? Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool And if my wishes came true It would've been you In my defense, I have none For never leaving well enough alone But it would've been fun If you would've been the one

Audrey looking back on a love from another time. Basically I want all of the AUs. I wish I had more to say, but vibes.

“mirrorball”

And they called off the circus Burned the disco down When they sent home the horses And the rodeo clowns I'm still on that tightrope I'm still trying everything to get you laughing at me I'm still a believer but I don't know why I've never been a natural All I do is try, try, try I'm still on that trapeze I'm still trying everything To keep you looking at me

This song makes me think of Audrey having to be different versions of herself for everyone through her career path and being a celebrity because she wants so desperately for people to love her and everything she does. She loves the spotlight with “I’m still on that trapeze / I’m still trying everything / To keep you looking at me,” and she’s such a people pleaser that she’ll do anything to get people to continue to like her even if sometimes there’s nothing you can do (”And they called off the circus / Burned the disco down”). I come to this conclusion through Audrey’s insecurities about her age that we see in the second half of season six with her relationship with Rory. 

“champagne problems”

Because I dropped your hand while dancing Left you out there standing Crestfallen on the landing Champagne problems

Your mom's ring in your pocket My picture in your wallet Your heart was glass, I dropped it Champagne problems

I’m not gonna lie, I don’t have a huge interpretation for this one. This kinda just makes me think of angsty au with Audrey.

“’tis the damn season”

So we could call it even You could call me babe for the weekend 'Tis the damn season, write this down I'm stayin' at my parents' house And the road not taken looks real good now And it always leads to you in my hometown

Out of everyone, Audrey is the person I picture going back to the ex for the holidays. She wants get cuffed for the holiday season even if it’s only for a little while.

“invisible string”

Green was the color of the grass Where I used to read at Centennial Park I used to think I would meet somebody there...

Time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?

Audrey is definitely the type of person to believe in fate. To her everything happens for a reason and one day she’s going to find her soulmate. Overall, big Audrey Tindall vibes.

Ally Mayfair-Richards

“mad woman”

Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy What about that? And when you say I seem angry, I get more angry

And there's nothing like a mad woman What a shame she went mad No one likes a mad woman You made her like that And you'll poke that bear 'til her claws come out And you find something to wrap your noose around And there's nothing like a mad woman

You cannot tell me that Ally did not ghost write this like damn this song screams Ally. This song is literally all about how society has a habit of gaslighting women and that’s exactly what happened to Ally for most of season seven. The entire season focused on Kai’s cult working to convince Ally that she’s going insane and when people wouldn’t believe the very real terror’s she was suffering from, it pushed her closer and closer to madness until she nearly breaks from it all.

“no body, no crime” feat. HAIM

Good thing my daddy made me get a boating license when I was fifteen And I've cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene Good thing Este's sister's gonna swear she was with me ("She was with me dude") Good thing his mistress took out a big life insurance policy

They think she did it but they just can't prove it They think she did it but they just can't prove it She thinks I did it but she just can't prove it No, no body, no crime I wasn't letting up until the day he died

We love a homicidal queen. Ally isn’t in SCUM for nothing. Also I’m pretty sure this is my favorite song from evermore because I’m in love with the vibes.

“marjorie”

Never be so polite, you forget your power Never wield such power, you forget to be polite

This bit of the song just makes me think of how Ally holds herself at the end of the season. It’s a simple, but still expresses the perfect message.

“closure”

It's been a long time And seeing the shape of your name Still spells out pain It wasn't right The way it all went down Looks like you know that now

Yes, I got your letter Yes, I'm doing better

ALLY DOESN’T NEED YOUR APOLOGY! SHE’S A BAD BITCH

Wilhemina Venable

“exile” feat. Bon Iver

All this time We always walked a very thin line You didn't even hear me out  You never gave a warning sign 

All this time I never learned to read your mind I couldn't turn things around  'Cause you never gave a warning sign

For these lyrics I’m picturing Mina’s lover saying/thinking them. Mina isn’t used to love, so when she finally falls for someone and they reciprocate those feelings she gets scared. She shuts them out without any warning sign because she’s not sure how to handle all these intense feelings for this person.

“illicit affairs”

Make sure nobody sees you leave Hood over your head Keep your eyes down Tell your friends you're out for a run You'll be flushed when you return Take the road less traveled by Tell yourself you can always stop What started in beautiful rooms Ends with meetings in parking lots

And that's the thing about illicit affairs And clandestine meetings And longing stares It's born from just one single glance But it dies, and it dies, and it dies A million little times

The connotation of these lyrics is everything in my interpretation of it with Wilhemina. The story line is similar to the song “ivy,” but the connotation of the affairs taking place is completely different. “ivy” is all about a forbidden but loving relationship, while “illicit affairs” has a more negative connotation to where the affair is tearing the person apart. This song makes me think of a secret relationship with Wilhemina where her lover wants something more than just a secret affair, but Wilhemina isn’t willing to open herself up enough for that. This affair turns into something that isn’t working well for the lover, but they want Wilhemina so much that they put up with whatever they can get.

Mildred Ratched

“happiness”

Honey, when I'm above the trees I see it for what it is But now my eyes leak acid rain on the pillow where you used to lay your head After giving you the best I had Tell me what to give after that All you want from me now is the green light of forgiveness You haven't met the new me yet And I think she'll give you that

I don’t have much in the interpretation department for this one, but this song does make me think of Mildred’s personality. This song has the vulnerability and a bit of bitterness that I feel like Mildred would have in a situation like this. I’m not exactly sure how to describe it but this makes me think of her outlook on love and heartbreak.

“evermore” feat. Bon Iver

I rewind the tape but all it does is pause On the very moment all was lost Sending signals To be double crossed

And I was catching my breath Barefoot in the wildest winter Catching my death And I couldn't be sure I had a feeling so peculiar That this pain would be for Evermore

This girl has been “double crossed.” My woman Mildred has been done dirty. This makes me think of angsty Mildred getting betrayed by someone who she trusted in love. And I don’t it’s sad and I thought of some sad vibes with bb millie.

“epiphany”

With you, I serve With you, I fall down, down Watch you breathe in Watch you breathing out, out

Something med school did not cover Someone's daughter, someone's mother Holds your hand through plastic now "Doc, I think she's crashing out" And some things you just can't speak about

Nurse Mildred Ratched. That is all folks.

“gold rush”

But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you Walk past, quick brush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush Everybody wants you

At dinner parties I call you out on your contrarian shit And the coastal town We wandered 'round had never Seen a love as pure as it And then it fades into the gray of my day old tea 'Cause you know it could never be

Call me crazy BUT this song makes me think of Mildred. She’s the type of person that isn’t really comfortable with love. She doesn’t like to be vulnerable and this pushes her to be uncomfortable with little things like someone making her blush. Love is new to her.

She is also envious of the effect this person has on her and, in turn, the effect that person has on everyone else because they are so stunning. When they do get together it is the type of love that poetry is written about. Witty banter and fiery gazes but also the gentle caress of a hand while walking along the shore. 

This love is perfect in every way, but of course there must also be a level of angst to nearly all stories and the angst with this one is the fact that the time period Mildred is around in does not allow her to love her lover openly and freely. Overtime this might cause a strain on the relationship with the line “And then it fades into the gray of my day old tea / ‘Cause you know it could never be.” Her and her lover both know that society would condemn them for who they are.

Harriet Hayes

“peace”

'Cause there's robbers to the east, clowns to the west I'd give you my sunshine, give you my best But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me

But I'm a fire and I'll keep your brittle heart warm If your cascade ocean wave blues come All these people think love's for show But I would die for you in secret The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?

Harriet is a big celebrity. She has paparazzi hounding her all the time and once she’s in a relationship they start hounding that person too. It’s a lot for a person and a relationship. Harriet can change that aspect of their relationship (”But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me”), but she can provide her lover with as much love she can give. She will always try her best for the person she truly, truly loves her. There may be some bumps along the way (like the next song) but she will do her best and hopefully that’s enough for her lover because she can’t ever completely give them peace.

“this is me trying”

I've been having a hard time adjusting I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting I didn't know if you'd care if I came back I have a lot of regrets about that Pulled the car off the road to the lookout Could've followed my fears all the way down And maybe I don't quite know what to say But I'm here in your doorway

I just wanted you to know That this is me trying I just wanted you to know That this is me trying

They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad

The last line gives me hella Harriet vibes because I feel like when she’s angry she’s kind of blinded by it. She’s the type of person that says some really hurtful things that she doesn’t mean when she’s angry. 

Looking deeper, I get Harriet vibes from the beginning in the sense that Harriet is just trying to do the best that she can in a relationship, but it’s just not really working out. She has her career the “shiniest wheel,” however, now that’s slowing down and she’s lost on what to do with her relationships. She wants everything to work out like how she did so well so quick with her career, but everything isn’t working out like that.

[dastardlydandelion]

I wish you would write a fic where Susan got to keep her baby for once.

well. hm. what would this look like in my hands. okay, okay, so in this particular scenario, i actually imagine neil was putting 2 + 2 together and finding out susan's preggo right after the move. like, even before susan does. and she's all kinds of alarmed but neil is?? oddly excited?

he's all like, "isn't this great? we get to have a new baby in this new town. what a perfect way to cement our brand new life, huh?"

and susan doesn't want to be hopeful but with neil's positive reaction, she tentatively feels hope anyway. maybe things rly will be different, right?

continues under the cut bc this got fucking long.

yeah, well, neil's good mood lasts until it's actually born and responsibilities ensue. he never had to deal with billy as a baby rly, bc billy's mom took care of that part and also, like. in this 'verse at least, billy was a low-maintenance baby. didn't cry much. maybe he did at first but like, after being dropped on the head a couple times, he just went quiet and didn't rly bother anybody after that. wouldn't get loud again until elementary age. and max didn't come into neil's life until she was even elementary age, so defo past all the baby stuff.

the new infant tho screams like a mofo. everybody in the house is on edge. sleep is hard to come by for the whole household. the care and keeping responsibilities mostly fall on susan but neil holds it against her every. single. time. he has to change a diaper or hold a bottle, as if it's some major failing on susan's part that he should ever have to do anything like this at all.

max tries to help but she can't even hold the baby tbh. it makes her v uncomfortable, she never gets it right and doesn't know what to do when it squirms!! what if she drops it!? plus she thinks baby smells weird even when it's got a clean diaper, an unappealing mashed food and powder combo with a lingering whiff of wet rubber. and billy. is billy. he has to watch it sometimes, naturally. if it's just him and baby at home, he'll blast his stereo to cover up the crying, as long as he knows its other needs have been tended to. like, yk, the "it'll cry itself to sleep eventually," approach. which works actually. metallica becomes the go-to baby lullaby.

but lo and behold, when it's like, let's say 6 months or smth, baby gets an ear infection. like babies do. won't stop wailing. just. will NOT stop. v much in pain and has no other means of communication. neil and max are home. billy is on a date. susan's stuck in a long line at the grocery store. neil had a shitty day at work and he's already aggravated. pacifier isn't working, lil thing just keeps hollering, so. in a burst of frustration, he starts throttling baby. max is in her own room but hears it the second the noises change and hurries to help, blood ice cold.

she stops neil from killing baby sibling but gets a black eye and a bloody nose for her troubles. this is what susan comes home to. i've written a lot of susan kills neil scenarios but i think this is the first one that comes to mind where in this round, it really is out of anger and not fear. both are present, ofc. but the actual act on her part is one of anger. bc she feels stupid that he ever had her the slightest bit convinced a new baby would make anything better. that neil ever made her feel like he'd be better and instead, he chose to be even worse. susan ties him to the bedposts under the guise of a sex thing, convincing neil she wants to treat him to smth special bc he's been oh so stressed out lately. bashes his brains in with a hammer at least 20 times, a la sally challen style.

alas, reality commences and susan goes to prison. ig a long time ago there was this made for tv movie abt this lady killing her abusive husband by setting the bed aflame that gave the public the misconception that women who kill their abusers are typically acquitted, but uh, that's not true. yeah, it was true for the lady whom the movie was based off of, but usually they're convicted and serve unduly harsh sentences for their "crimes." but if i get on that soap box, we gonna be here the whole fucking day, so, moving on now. susan's off to the big house. albeit both baby and max's injuries are documented and considered mitigating circumstances so her charges are reduced from first degree murder to voluntary manslaughter with the potential for early release.

billy's close to 19 so he's an adult, if only technically speaking. has custody of baby and max. i've decided baby in this 'verse is amab but will eventually come out as trans when she's abt ten yrs old. billy tries his best. max tries her best too. baby's nickname is ducky bc the rubber duck?? by far the favorite toy!! baby p much lives in the bathtub, playing with the rubber duck. billy, who would move them back to cali in a heartbeat if it wasn't so far from susan's prison, defo relates. he's also aquatic by nature.

okay, so the move back to cali does happen. over the months of her kids coming to visit her in prison susan can see how exhausted the teenagers are and she's p much just like, 'u guys gotta go. get outta this rural heckhole u hate, stop bringing urselves n my bby to this dismal place.' and they don't think she's serious but the next time they come to visit, she doesn't meet them, so. yup. serious it is. billy, max, n baby take neil's life insurance money and head off to cali.

this is a modern au, okay, inmates sneaking smartphones into the prison n all that. so susan makes deals and friends and does favors, and gets some help from the ones who are good at bitcoin and scams and counterfeiting and what have you. this enables her to do discreet online "shopping." so she gets ducky all kinds of rubber ducks, at least a handful of times a year. the ducks get more unique and less childish as ducky grows. susan apologizes almost every time she talks to the older kids on the phone for like, five yrs. max isn't rly angry with how things ended with neil tho, more so has that residual anger that susan ever got together with neil in the first place. billy doesn't rly know what to feel tbh, accepts the apologies p numbly bc he's too damn exhausted with being the primary caregiver in over his head to even think abt how he feels at the end of the day.

susan gets released on good behavior around the same time ducky comes out, announcing she's a girl. it's an adjustment for billy and max to get used to bc they never rly suspected, but they're 100% supportive. susan is...oddly excited? not for selfless reasons (tho she is earnestly supportive) but bc it's like. not only does that mean trashing the masculine deadname neil had adamantly declared for ducky, but it means all in all, she got out at the perfect time bc she gets to be introduced to the authentic version of her child along w errbody else. makes her feel less left behind, like she didn't miss out on errything despite being put away for a decade. susan moves in with all of them, obvi, in a small house by the seaside filled to the brim with rubber ducks (billy and max also contributed to ducky's collection on birthdays and holidays, the first duck billy ever got has skulls, and the first max ever got is a frankenstein monster duck). home is cluttered, awkward, and tentative but free of fear and ripe with *genuine* new beginnings.

believe me, anonymoose, i am just as surprised as u are at how fuckin long this got.

[harry-potter-fics-stuff]

Anonymous asked:

ooh femslash fics please. maybe some hcs on hogwarts girls in love, and how they survived during the umbridge era

Here’s the thing: we all know Dolores Umbridge is homophobic. She’s the type to be prejudiced and this is just one of the many beliefs she holds.

She genuinely does not think through the loophole of the decree declaring that boys and girls remain eight inches apart. When she sees same-sex couples floating around the hallways, she makes a decree declaring that nobody can be within eight inches of each other.

But Hogwarts is a school of magic and soon the female students band together in a show of solidarity against the most foul, horrid woman (whom they shudder to share the same gender with) who has ever walked its halls.

Parvati and Lavender are beautifully in-sync as always. When Trelawney is fired, they lie together in their bed (which bed? their two beds are basically one) and dream up future universes. They start planting tea leaves on Umbridge’s desk, shaped like all sorts of weapons and curse movements, and pour the tea itself on the floor. They break crystal balls and leave glass shards on her chair. They carve Trelawney’s initials into her cat pictures with their perfectly painted nails. Their love for the only teacher who has never mocked their overt femininity and interest for Divination turns out to be the thing that makes them realize their love for each other.

Luna and Ginny balance each other out. One is calm and serene, and the other feisty and fiery. Umbridge makes the mistake of insulting Xenophilius Lovegood in front of everyone in the class. Luna does not react, but later that evening she lets loose a series of creatures previously thought non-existent in Umbridge’s office (both at Hogwarts and the Ministry). Ginny steals all of Umbridge’s quills and replace them with ones that don’t cut into students’ skin, but mails the blood quills to the French ministry of magic (being the future sister-in-law to the Delacours has this one advantage).

Hermione and Pansy are unlikely allies. They bond together after Umbridge hurls insults at Pansy’s habit of mouthing off to everybody and makes comments about her mother. Pansy is enraged, but she is a Slytherin beyond her rage, and she decides to join the Squad when Umbridge offers. She meets up with Hermione in the library and asks for help in taking the pink-clad woman down. Hermione takes little time to realize that Pansy makes a very good spy. She can always be sure to avoid Umbridge and Malfoy and their cronies. It turns out, too, that Pansy is great at DADA when Umbridge is not here - and she helps Hermione annotate textbooks to distribute to other students. And if Pansy demands a kiss for her service? It’s the least Hermione can do, after all.

Marietta, in this timeline, is not recruited into any group. Cho knows that she wouldn’t join. Instead she is to give Cho information about the Ministry, so Cho can keep others safe and think of ways to counteract against the Ministry’s propaganda. She talks a lot about Cedric’s death, and though it hurts her, she knows it’s ultimately best that others know about the bravest and sweetest boy she’s ever had the honor to know.

Padma, Lisa Turpin and Sue Li hide behind their books as befits a Ravenclaw girl. The thing is, though, nobody really checks to see what they’re reading as long as the cover isn’t anything too suspicious. They sneak copies of the Quibbler while disguising it as Witch Weekly. They bring in books that Umbridge had banned and give it out to other students, making sure to have translation spells for those who read best in their mother tongue.

Hannah, Susan and Megan Jones benefit from the reputation of their house. Nobody suspects them of anything, since they’re the quiet ones at the back of the room who don’t do much. They’re the ones who secretly rearrange Umbridge’s belongings, shifting them slightly to the left or right. They also ensure to befriend Peeves, keeping him a vital ally.

Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, and the Greengrass sisters are the most terrifying quartet who have ever thrived together in Slytherin. The most close-knit group of female friends in the nineties. They all infiltrate the Inquisitorial Squad and take it down from the inside, causing chaos. Plus, with Death Eaters for close relatives, they know best how to cause pain discreetly.

Lily Moon and Sally-Anne Perks are the ones nobody see coming. They are the ones who bring everyone together. The soft-spoken peacemakers who grew up in households where women wielded power through appearances of docility. They’re the ones who attract Umbridge’s praise and take up her time. They’re the ones who calm any disagreements.

Romilda Vane and Leanne, who finally confessed their feelings for each other, are the ones who keep everything running. They distribute Skiving Snackboxes, Dungbombs and Fanged Frisbee’s. They write anonymous, threatening letters to Fudge and Umbridge. Romilda, the most talented potioneer of her year, brews all sorts of non-fatal but terribly inconvenient potions to be slipped into Umbridge’s food. Leanne, who has a criminal record in the Muggle world for stealing, nicks all of Umbridge’s Veritaserum and Spellotape and cat plates. She also plants a little artifact in Umbridge’s fireplace so that smoke blows at her face each time she attempts to contact anybody.

Angelina, Alicia and Katie (the queens of Gryffindor, the cutest ship and the third wheel/captain/may or may not be with them) run Quidditch practices for anyone who wants to hone their skills or pick up a new sport. They get brooms from Merlin-knows-where and make sure that everybody’s safe and that nobody gives anything away. And ultimately the trio are so nice that nobody really wants to anyway.

Minerva McGonagall, Aurora Sinistra, Pomona Sprout, Charity Burbage, Bathsheda Babbling, Septima Vector and Poppy Pomfrey (or as the students call them, the seven wonders of the castle) may or may not be working to help them as best they can. Poppy heals all the injuries, Charity instructs the girls who were raised by Muggles how best to blend into the wizarding world, Pomona gifts them plants and teaches them the coded language of flowers, Minerva transfigures the evidence of what goes on into innocuous things (and helps a lot herself), Septima and Aurora keep a lookout for Umbridge and those that sympathize with her, and Bathsheda is the one to teach runic codes to help students communicate.

Ultimately, Dolores Umbridge leaves. She never sees the girls working behind the scenes, whispering in darkness, writing coded notes, kissing and holding hands and loving each other and blossoming in adolescence. It’s only when she’s in Azkaban, reading articles from days-old newspapers, that she realizes just how much she has underestimated the majority of her former students.

[bikkinibottom]

Can’t Walk Without You

Here’s a little something I wrote to celebrate 100 followers! I got the idea based off of this post here.

This is my first time writing fanfic so I’d love for some feedback! Hope you all enjoy it!

Summary: It’s the 90’s and Percy makes mixtapes for Annabeth. She listens to them when she misses him.

She took it with her everywhere now, constantly listening to whichever song that played through the Walkman. It got to the point where even if she was having a conversation or in a meeting, the headphones rested around her neck playing music just loud enough for her to still hear and whoever happened to be right next to her. Some may call it rude, but people knew to never question Annabeth, especially with everything going on now.

Annabeth remembers the first mixtape Percy had made for her when they were fourteen. It was not too long after the battle on Mount Othrys where Percy and the group had rescued her and the goddess Artemis from Luke’s imprisonment. She smiles fondly too herself as she remembers the encounter with Percy:

Christmas was just around the corner and Annabeth begrudgingly decided to spend the holiday with her family in San Francisco. Percy and she had agreed to meet up to exchange gifts at Half-Blood Hill before she left. She stood near the Big House, which was adorned in colorful holiday lights, waiting for him. Behind her led to where the cabins were, the hearth at the center of the U-shaped formation seemed to glow brighter than ever, warm and inviting just like a fireplace at Christmas-time should be. The sky was clear save for a few clouds, the constellations piercing and bright. Fresh snow lay all over camp, some of the year-rounders just beginning to take advantage of the fresh snowfall. She looked up to see Percy approaching her, his ears looked pink without a hat on from what she could tell in the dim light.

‘Seaweed Brain’ she thought, thinking of the winter hat she knit him for his gift. It was a simple beanie that was baby blue, with one black stripe cutting across.

“Took you long enough. I got a flight to catch tomorrow, Seaweed Brain,” she jokingly said to him.

Clearly something else was occupying his mind because the scowl he attempted to make wasn’t sincere and looked more like fond exasperation. Annabeth tried not to look too into it.

He stopped walking and begun to turn around dramatically.

“Well if you’re gonna have that attitude about it I’ll just be on my-” but Annabeth cut him off with a laugh and shoved his arm.

“Come on, Percy. I’ve been waiting for this,” she told him with a bit of mock irritation in her voice.

“You have?” the boy before her asked timidly. And for the first time that night, Annabeth noticed Percy actually looked anxious for whichever reason she could not figure out yet. His eyes looked more of a golden from the reflection of the Christmas lights shining off the Big House.

Annabeth looked away from his eyes as she casually said, “Duh, we’re exchanging gifts. It’s like the best part of the holiday season,” though she wasn’t too sure of her response seeing the gloomy expression take over his face.

Percy looked away as he let out a simple, “Right.”

Not wishing to dampen the mood on what was supposed to be a pleasant occasion, Annabeth quickly asks, “Do you want to go first?”

“Uh, I- no. You go first,” he responded quickly as well.

Annabeth presented him with his gift bag filled with sea-green tissue paper and he dug around in it until he pulled out the gift card she had gotten him. He flipped it over to see what it was for and he smiled appreciatively.

“That’s the skate store you go to a lot right? The one by your apartment?” she asked just to double-check and make sure.

“Yeah! I- Thanks Annabeth,” he told her genuinely then paused. “Uh, how much is on it?”

“A hundred dollars,” she replied.

His eyes seemed to pop out of his head before he stuttered for the next few seconds. Annabeth just looked at him with a confused but amused smile on her face.

“This- this is more than enough for a whole new skateboard. I- I don’t think I can accept this,” he blurted out in shock.

“Skateboards are expensive. I thought that was a good amount,” she said matter-of-factly. Annabeth had briefly forgotten that Percy and his mom didn’t have a whole lot, meanwhile, her family was more than well off and Annabeth could afford to splurge on her friends.

“There’s another gift in the bag,” she pointed out.

He gave her an incredulous look before digging around in the bag. He pulled out the beanie wrapped in a layer of tissue paper and unwrapped it. He held out the hat in front of him with a neutral expression.

“You hardly ever wear a hat, let alone own a proper winter one so I figured you could use a nice one. I made it myself,” she said, her voice laced with pride. It had taken her a couple of tries to knit a hat before she managed to perfect it. Athena wasn’t the goddess of crafts for nothing. Annabeth was proud of her handiwork.

“You made this?” he asked softly. The tender look in his eyes made Annabeth’s face a little warm but she nodded genuinely.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Annabeth said. “It’s your turn.”

“O- oh. Right.” Percy cleared his throat and placed the gift bag on the snowy ground with his presents inside. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card with a smaller rectangular box attached to it. Annabeth didn’t know what the box could be seeing as it was wrapped but she opened the card and read it to herself first.

The card itself didn’t have many words and with the low-lighting, she couldn’t exactly make it out with her dyslexia. But underneath the message of the card, she noticed Percy’s chicken scratch hand-writing where he wrote out in Ancient Greek, ‘Hope you have a good new year. Merry Christmas, Wise Girl. Your friend, Percy’.

She smiled up at him and gave him a sweet thank you.

“Um, the uh, the gift. I made it myself. I don’t know if you’ll like it but um, if you give it back I understand. It’s kind of lame, actually-” Percy stammered out, and she could tell the red on his face wasn’t coming from the Christmas lights. With a roll of her eyes, she tore open the wrapping and was presented with a cassette player. Written on one side in Percy’s hand-writing it said: ‘Songs I Think You’ll Like (vol. 1)’.

“It’s a mixtape,” Percy blurted out, “I was thinking about how we’ve barely ever talked about music so I put a bunch of songs I figured you’d like. You can listen to it whenever you want.”

Annabeth was at a loss for words. Picturing Percy in his room toiling with the radio on, waiting for hours for the right song to come on to record, or maybe using some of Sally’s old records to record music from... It was a little too much for Annabeth.

Impulsively she jumped towards Percy, wrapping her arms around his neck in a quick hug. Backing away she looked him in the eyes.

“Thank you, I love it,” she told him. At that point, she didn’t need a mirror to know that both their faces were red now.

“Really?” he asked, relief in his voice and body language.

“Yes, I can’t wait to listen to it,” she answered genuinely.

A goofy smile broke out onto his face and Annabeth felt herself smiling as well. After talking for a bit more, they eventually said their goodbyes and parted ways.

As Annabeth boarded the plane the next morning, she had a brand new Walkman stuffed in her pocket that she had bought as soon as she left the campgrounds last night. She couldn’t wait to listen to it on the plane.

Recalling the memory brought a melancholy smile to her face, but it was very dim. Annabeth remembers how nearly every month after that she received a mixtape from Percy in the mail, each with a different purpose but all equally good. When they had started dating, the music became a lot more romantic and he would gift her one at each monthly anniversary. She would’ve received a new mixtape soon for their five-month anniversary, but now he was missing and Annabeth wasn’t sure if she’d ever get to hear it. The thought made her chest ache painfully, and she blinked back tears.

Rolling onto her back in her bunk, Annabeth thought back to the events of the day and let out a frustrated sigh. Just when she finally had some type of lead to where her boyfriend might be, she was met with three demigods at the Grand Canyon with more questions than answers. Not to mention her least favorite goddess seemed to be involved in all of this somehow. Realizing she needed to get actual sleep tonight if she was going to leave early in the morning to search for Percy, the daughter of Athena put on her invisibility cap, grabbed her Walkman, and snuck out of Cabin 6 to head over to Cabin 3.

Inhaling the ocean scent that Poseidon’s cabin had, Annabeth made her way over to Percy’s dresser, where he always kept extra clothes. Grabbing one of his hoodies, she put it on and laid down in Percy’s bunk. It wasn’t the biggest secret amongst her siblings that she would often sneak out to his cabin at night but since he went missing she made it her new unassigned sleeping quarters.

If the bed weren’t cold, Annabeth could almost imagine Percy there with her. Surrounding herself in his ocean breeze scent helped put her to sleep but there was some dull ache lingering inside her tonight. It was as if there was nothing inside her; her heart, her lungs, everything just- gone. Instead, a dark void seemed to eat at her from the inside out, and all of her senses felt numb.

Putting on her headphones and pressing play on the Walkman, her favorite cassette plays out. Once they’d started dating, Percy gave her this one and told her the songs sounded a bit like the one they had danced to on Olympus all those years ago. She recalls Percy telling her that to him the song sounded a bit sad, but a little hopeful too.

Annabeth cries herself to sleep that night.

[reydelcastill0]

Between Dirt & Water

Word Count: ~3530

Characters: Fundy, Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, Tubbo_

Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Fundy

About: Wilbur Soot is told one day that he has a kid. Being a responsible dad, he takes in the young fox kit he's told is his and swears to protect them. He just want to protect his son, Fundy, and he'll ensure that, within and out of L'Manberg walls, he'll make his son happy.

Other: Fundy is Trans; Fundy uses all the pronouns; he goes from it to them to her to he; tubbo is blonde because of his skin!; Wilbur has a brown fox tail because i said so; sally the salmon is NOT canon-compliant /hj

Truthfully, he hadn't expected to have a kid. Not at the cusp of war and certainly not with a salmon. But it happened. The salmon told him about the baby one morning and how surprised it was to see that the baby was not like other salmon spawn. Confused, Wilbur followed the fish up the river, ignoring the curious eyes of all the other fish who swam around. Wilbur nervously flicked his tail. The eyes of the salmon are very prying and knowing. He does not like it.

Wilbur is very careful as he follows the fish to go see his kid. He doesn't want to step onto SMP land. Without established L'Manberg boarders, even straying far from his caravan is risky. He expects to be ambushed at any moment of every moment of his life. He doesn't even know if he can trust the salmon. It might be lying about a kid. Dream is the type to try and use anything against his enemies. A fish who once meant something to Wilbur would be a great opportunity.

"How old is it?" Wilbur asks quietly.

The fish peaked out of the water to speak, "A few suns," it replies. Wilbur lets out a noise of acknowledgement. He isn't even sure if he wants to meet his child. But he'll take responsibility for it, because that's what father do, right?

"How long did you know?" He asks. It seems unfair and really suspicious to have sprung this on Wilbur. They've stopped walking by now so that they could talk. If this is an ambush in the end, Wilbur wants to stall it.

"I knew I would have my spawn around this time, but I assumed all of them would be like any other salmon," it tells him, "I wouldn't have even known if any of my spawn were yours."

"So you didn't tell me-?"

"So I didn't tell you," the fish interjects. Its black and beady eyes stare at Wilbur unamusedly. Wilbur makes note that it sounds like this kid is an inconvenience. "But one of my spawn is very clearly yours. It has your eyes."

They walk in silence the rest of the way. When Wilbur sees the child, Wilbur thinks as to how the salmon only made comment on the eyes. The child, a young fox kit, bears not even a single resemblance to the salmon surrounding it.

"A fox?" He questions the validity of this being his child. The kit looks like any other fox kit, so he can't even be sure it's his kid. Yeah, he is part fox himself and he has the tail to prove, but this fox kit is so generic and so much more like a fox than he is...

"You're the only one who could even have fox kits," the fish states sternly, "and it certainly wasn't abandoned here. You're the only fox around here." He wants to correct the salmon and say he isn't even a full fox, but he supposes that furthers its point.

He still barely believes that this is his kid. It's a fox, that's for sure, but it could be any old fox. The salmon says that it knows no foxes though, Wilbur being the closest thing to fox as there can be around her. So it has to be his kid, despite the fox remaining mostly submerged in water. If it's a few days old, it probably can't even see and he certainly doesn't expect it to get up and walk. It might not even have eaten since its own birth, which provides Wilbur half a thought to go get it some food. He ignores the urge to do so as soon as possible once the salmon starts talking.

"I can't take care of a fox, Wilbur." Wilbur should have expected that. What could a salmon do to provide for a fox? If anything, the salmon should fear for its life. Its child is a threat to its own family.

Sighing, he simply says, "Ok." He finally moves, not having done so when he arrived to the spawn area. Without a word, he steps into the river to get closer to the kit. He realizes too late that maybe he should have taken off his boots, but it doesn't matter any more. He wades in deeper until he is right beside his kid. All the salmon in the area swim swiftly away.

He picks up the fox slowly, mindful of how it becomes panicked. It lets out a little cry, and something within him decides then and there what his future holds. Bringing it to his chest, he makes his way back to dry land, hushing the baby in his arms. It barely looks human or salmon-y, but he can take care of it. He'll make everything better for it. He'll build this nation if it means his kid is safe. Yeah, he's reluctant about being a father, but he'll do it. No matter the cost.

Wilbur finds himself a bit stressed. The fox kit cries a lot, and really loud, too. Tending to it is very difficult, but making sure the surrounding area is safe is the difficult part. If Wilbur leaves for too long, he's afraid that the kit will get hurt. It needs him almost all hours of the day.

So Wilbur ignores border maintenance for a bit and hopes the SMP doesn't take notice. Dream is ruthless. He would take any opportunity he is given to destroy L'Manberg.

Wilbur lays his kit on his bed, laying down beside it, curling up to keep it warm in the late hours of the night. He barely sleeps. Worries of what could happen keep him up. He is upset to have had a child in the middle of war. To atone for his biggest mistake, he will protect his kit with his life. He'll dedicate every day to it if he needs to.

It takes a week of sleepless nights and calling his kit every variation of infant he could think of before he comes up with a name. They're too young for him to tell what they are, so he settles for any name. The first he thinks of is Fundy. The name reminds him of his family and he think it suits the kid. Fundy Soot, the first citizen to be born in L'Manberg (he'll claim the river as his land later, just to make it official).

Wilbur often takes Fundy out to the lake his caravan is beside (but never to the river, he thinks it's too risky). He doesn't ever dip them into the water, but he dips his own feet in. He's raising a fox, his child, but also the child of a salmon. To think he would ever form a connection to the water was baffling, but that doesn't matter. Fundy isn't treated any less because of their other parent. Wilbur doesn't care about that, he only cares about Fundy.

Months later, when Fundy starts walking on their hind legs, does Wilbur decide to finally check what he should start calling them. He almost sticks with calling them 'them', but he figures he should make more of an effort to understand them. 'They,' 'them,' and 'theirs' sounds impersonal in this context, in his opinion, for the simple reason that he just doesn't know much about his own kid. After checking them, he comes to be happy to say that he'll make this nation great for his daughter.

Now that she is walking around on two legs, though she does switch between two and four legs, he decides now is as good as a time to get her clothes.

"Fundy," he starts firmly, "I need you to be a good girl for papa, ok? I need you to stay inside and to stay quiet, ok?" His voice cracks at the end, fear of what may happen to her in his absence.

She whines in response, but nods. He smiles, his worries easing up slightly. He puts a finger to his lips makes a shushing sound. She tries to repeat it, but she can't quite do it, so she only presses a finger to her muzzle.

Wilbur packs a bag and heads off. His goal is kid's clothes. Anything he could manage to grab, but a dress or a big shirt would do good. He doubts any pants he'd be able to find would even fit Fundy. He'll learn to tailor some if he needs to, but he doesn't have time for that right now.

He wonders if anyone in the SMP has kid's clothes he can sneak off with. He doesn't dare set a foot near the main houses, though. He may be on good terms with a few people, but Dream would sick anyone on Wilbur and every SMP member would have no choice but to comply.

He comes across a dirt shed eventually, at the top of a hill. It almost seems abandoned, but the nearby carrot farm is too maintained and the inside of the shed is too... Lived in? To be abandoned. He rummages through the first chests he sees. There are a lot of shirts there. Lots of identical white shirts and even a couple green button-ups. He stuffs one of both into his bag and quietly closes the chest. He tries to find other rooms with chests, but it seems the storage area was the main room...

While he's about to leave, he hears a couple young voices talking to each other. Neither sound like any members of "The Dream Team," thankfully, but the unfamiliarity leaves him uneasy. He tries to sneak out, but he only knows of one exit out of here and the voices are just where it is.

He doesn't have time to hide when two blond kids are at the front door. One of them pulls out a sword quickly, the other not doing so quite quick enough. Wilbur should have brought a sword of his own. He hopes these kids are nothing like Dream.

"Who are you?" One of them shouts. He pushes the sword forward slightly, urging Wilbur to talk. He gets the point, but Wilbur only stares at the doorway. He won't answer.

"I didn't know we were having a visitor," the other one says after a few seconds. His sword is also pointed to Wilbur. A quick look at the kid and he sees no malice behind his eyes, but the kid seems like he is still ready to make a swing. If anything, Wilbur could take them on, but he's unarmed and these kids are the opposite— fists against swords, Wilbur would be at a disadvantage.

"I—," the first kid lowers his stance a moment and turns to the other one, "We're not supposed to have visitors, Tubbo!"

"Oh," the other one, Tubbo?, responds, "You didn't invite anyone?" He, Tubbo, takes a glance to the lowered sword and subtly lowers his own.

"No, Tubbo, I didn't invite anyone." The unnamed kid takes a moment to sigh and fully lowers his sword. Tubbo looks down to it and then glances to Wilbur (he knows what he was doing). Tubbo repeats the dejected sound from earlier, but he doesn't sound disappointed. The not-Tubbo kid runs a hand through his hair and, with no effort, points his sword to Wilbur.

"Who are you?" He repeats.

Wilbur figures he'll get home sooner if he complies. "Soot," he says. He's sure Dream would have warned everyone of Wilbur, the one L'Manberg citizen (Dream likely doesn't know about Fundy).

"Soot?" Tubbo asks, as thought he's connecting dots, "Like Wil-" Wilbur is sure Tubbo says his full name, but the other kid speaks over him.

"Soot? You mean like Wilbur Soot? Oh Dream would be so proud of me if I caught you," the kid says, "He would be like 'Tommy you are so cool.'" Wilbur knows Dream would never even say anything remotely close to that. The kid, Tommy?, stiffens his grip on his sword, changing from relaxed to serious.

"Listen, no— I'm not, uh," Wilbur thinks for a moment, before he finishes what he was saying, "I'm Fundy Soot. Have you heard of me?" Wilbur becomes very aware of his tail for a moment. Dream would probably have mentioned that Wilbur has a tail. He keeps it as still as he can and fights back a whine of worry. He just wants to get back to his daughter.

"Fundy?" Both boys inquire and, with immense disappointment, Tommy lowers his sword once again. Wilbur nods and they shake their heads.

"Why are you in our house, Soot," Tommy says, his tone accusatory. Wilbur doesn't think Tommy believed him one bit, but he'll take this over a fight.

"I was just looking for some clothes for my daughter," he answers honestly. He lets his shoulders sag to further sell the truth.

"Ooh, how old is she?" Tubbo asks, "Maybe I can help you!"

Tommy pulls Tubbo aside for a moment. Wilbur vaguely hears a 'we don't work with the enemy.'

Wilbur takes that chance to try and sneak by. He goes behind Tommy, noting that Tubbo is very aware that Wilbur is taking off.

"Um, Tommy," Tubbo starts. Wilbur's eyes widen and he realizes how dumb it was to think escape would be that easy.

"What, Tubbo?"

Tubbo takes another look at Wilbur and then looks back to Tommy, "If he's a dad, why wouldn't we help him?" Tommy stops for a moment. Wilbur can't tell if Tommy is is genuinely thinking or if he's staring at Tubbo like Tubbo is crazy.

Wilbur is gone before Tommy notices he left. He makes it home before sunrise, but all he scored was two shirts. Slipping the red and white t-shirt (that Wilbur is sure must belong to the Tommy kid) over Fundy, Wilbur thinks back to how lucky he came across those two kids and not Dream or his team.

Wilbur coos when he sees Fundy in the shirt. She's so adorable! His heart won't last long if his daughter is just so cute.

Fundy makes a happy noise back and makes grabby motions to be picked up. Someday, the world will be perfect— just for her.

Months later and Fundy says her first words. "Flower," she yips, and Wilbur almost falls apart at hearing her talk. He loves her so much. He exclaims happily and picks her up. She laughs with the same enthusiasm and pats her dad's head.

He makes more of an effort to teach her English. As Fundy's schedule shifts to a more manageable one, Wilbur begins writing songs for her. He sings them to her before she sleeps, or while they're eating by a campfire, or when she plays in the water. He makes an effort to teach her some of his songs. She seems to greatly enjoy the music. He's glad to pass that love down to his daughter.

She even starts making her own songs, humming mostly, but he's so proud of her.

One night, as she's singing to Wilbur, she suddenly stops and scatters behind the log she was standing on. He hears her try to dig.

"Fundy?" Wilbur whisper shouts, worried as to what scared his daughter. He stands up quickly, but hears a twig snap behind him. He grabs for his sword (he keeps it around in case he was ambushed) and swings it behind himself.

"Woah there, Fundy," a young voice hurriedly says. Wilbur immediately recognizes Tommy and Tubbo.

"What are you doing here?" Wilbur growls out. They didn't act so maliciously last time, but they weren't acting according to Dream's orders. Wilbur can't be sure if they're here because Dream told them to be. He doesn't think rationally, for if he was he would have noticed they were unarmed.

"We came to visit!" Tubbo says, "Was that your daughter? Is she Fundy Jr.?" Tubbo is trying to change the subject. He isn't sure if he is doing it to calm Tommy or Wilbur down.

"Yeah... We came to visit. Your name isn't Fundy, is it?" Tommy says, straight to the point.

"Why are you two visiting?" Wilbur deflects.

Tommy eyes Tubbo for a moment before speaking. "We wanted to listen to you sing," he says. Wilbur isn't sure if it's honest, but Tubbo emphasizes Tommy's statement by sitting on the log Wilbur was sat at.

"My daughter is scared of you guys," Wilbur states plainly.

"What's her name?" Tubbo asks. He whispers, clearly aware that being loud might be startling.

Wilbur hesitates. "... Fundy." Tubbo tilts his head, but he smiles and whispers out the name. "What's your names?" Wilbur's sword is still pointed, but not really at the boys. He takes a moment to really understand the situation. The boys are unarmed, but Fundy is still cowering behind a log. These boys are the first players, beside Wilbur, that Fundy has met. This could be very stressful for her.

As the boys introduce themselves (he already knows their names), Wilbur goes to get Fundy.

"I'm Tommy the Coolest Man Ever, and they're name is Tubbo," Tommy says. Wilbur takes note that maybe he should switch the pronouns he uses for Tubbo. "And your name, Mr.Soot?"

"Wilbur," he tells the two. It doesn't matter. If they're on his land, they probably already know. Dream must've told him.

"Right, well, Big Dubs, we figured that out," Tommy says, his tone implying an underlying 'ha I was right!' Tubbo nods. Wilbur expected this. He picks up Fundy and whispers to her, telling her that the boys are nice. She cautiously looks to them and waves. He expected this shy behavior. He was just like her when he was younger. Shy and cautious of everyone. It's the fox in them. Strangers are unwelcome. It takes a good bit of convincing to accept a new person.

Or constant conditioning to take away the shy.

"Hi," Fundy mumbles.

It doesn't take long for Fundy to get used to the boys. They stick around more often, so Fundy has a lot of time to get used to them. Tommy and Tubbo sneak out often to go visit Wilbur, and sometimes Tubbo brings new shirts or even dresses for Fundy (WIlbur doesn't know where they get them). They come around a lot, to the point that the boys proclaim themselves Wilbur's little brothers, not before claiming themselves to be Fundy's uncles of course.

They play with her a lot. She's growing fast. At this point, she's almost as old the boys (Wilbur almost thought they were twins, but it turns out Tubbo is nearly two years older), but just shy of. She hangs out with them so much and kind of takes after them. She especially gets along with Tubbo who shares a passion for music as well.

Tommy likes the music, too, but his passions for it aren't as strong. He does, however, take pride in a music disc he has. Tommy takes it to L'Manberg. They have fun listening to it. Tommy then goes on about how much he loves this disc. And that devolves into a night of rants, confessions, and the boys seem to trust Wilbur enough to confide in him.

He's glad. He wonders if he and the boys would be as close as they were if they met under different conditions. If he never formed L'Manberg, would he have even met them?

Fundy, too, confides in Wilbur. He takes a moment to wonder if he would have still have had Fundy if he never formed L'Manberg.

"Dad" Fundy starts. She tugs at Wilbur's shirt. Maybe's she's tired. "I'm a boy. Like Tommy and Tubbo." She— no, he— He pulls Wilbur with him, leading him to the caravan. "I'm tired."

Wilbur's mind had blanked for a moment (the bluntness took him off guard), but Fundy snaps him out of it when he insists that Wilbur unlock the door. In a rush, he picks Fundy up and looks into his eyes (he thinks that maybe they do look like his own). "Look at my son!" He exclaims to the world, "Look at my son!"

Fundy is confused for a moment, but then he yips and hugs his dad tightly.

Wilbur swears to make life as perfect as it can be for his son. It takes some four to five years for Fundy to be grown big. He looks older than the boys now. Wilbur thinks that Fundy is about as old as Wilbur was when Fundy was born.

Regardless, Wilbur hopes the world is good enough for Fundy. He grew up so fast and the war isn't finished yet. He hoped it would be. He hoped he'd be able to have ended it by now. But he's made L'Manberg safer. Tommy and Tubbo officially moved into L'Manberg. An embassy was established (it's the dirt shed Wilbur stumbled into that one day).

Truthfully, he hadn't expected to have a kid. Not at the cusp of war and certainly not with a salmon. But it happened. And he doesn't regret it. Fundy is his pride and joy. He would gladly do anything for him. Through thick and thin, through blood and tears, it doesn't matter. He'd do anything for his son.

[chaos-and-sparkles]

Percabeth Wedding Headcanons

They considered not getting married as a fuck you to Hera, but decided a better fuck you would be to not let her rule their lives. 

Annabeth wore a white suit with a blue tie and Percy wore a black suit with a grey tie. 

There was a huge fight over who got to be whose bride's/groom's bitches. Eventually Tyson was Percy's best man, with Jason, Frank, Hazel, Nico and Leo in his crew. 

Annabeth's maid of honour was Thalia, with Reyna, Piper, Magnus, Clarisse, Rachel and the Stoll brothers in hers. 

Chiron officiated. Estelle was flower girl. Grover was ring bearer, and he began chewing the cushion halfway through the ceremony, while sobbing the most.

 Coach Hedge held his club up threateningly, but his eyes were suspiciously moist too.

 Calypso was the next big crier, sitting with her arms crossed stubbornly in a white vintage T-shirt and faded jeans, tears seeping out through the corners of her eyes.

Almost all the gods came. 

Aphrodite was jumping up and down and cooing over them, giving Percy looks that made him turn bright red. She looked exactly like Annabeth to him now. 

Apollo was sprawled in a front seat that he was not supposed to be in, and had dragged Will and Meg with him, Will smiling awkwardly while Meg chatted with Artemis about how annoying Apollo was.

 Hermes appeared to Percy in the dressing room ("Do you gods have NO respect for privacy?") because he 'had a message for him.’ A message from him, George and Martha, for once, wishing him good luck. They chatted, and then Percy asked if he'd met Annabeth too, but Hermes stiffened and left. 

Afterwards tho he and Annabeth came face to face during the reception, and it was awkward and silent. It ended with both of them in tears about Luke, but it was healing for them both. Hermes gave her her dagger back, and Annabeth was surprised and asked how he got it back from Tartarus. Hermes said Bob had found it and sent it up, and was on the lookout for her laptop too -

But he didn't get to finish, because Annabeth hugged him hard, and after initial shock he hugged her back.

The tension between Athena and Poseidon was palpable, and they were seated as far apart as possible. 

Poseidon thumped Annabeth on the back so hard she almost toppled into the lake, booming "I should have known! My son and I seem to have yet another thing in common - a love for queens among women." And Percy turned red again. Poseidon gave Percy a huge hug, and went on to meet Sally Jackson. Poseidon took his son marrying a daughter of his rival better than Athena did, though. 

When Annabeth and Athena met, there was some tension. It was difficult for Athena to admit she was harsh and unfair with what she said to Annabeth in HOO, and to apologize, but Percy put his hand on Annabeth's shoulder and stood behind her, even when Athena turned her piercing gaze on him and asked that she talk to Annabeth alone. He only went when Annabeth asked him to. 

Athena told Annabeth she was proud of her, and added that there was a chance she might be as great, and even greater, than Daedalus. Annabeth knew this was her best attempt at showing affection, and appreciated it. 

Athena then accosted Percy, on his way back with drinks, and gave him a once over and humphed. Percy didn't flinch or show any signs of being intimidated, and she raised and eyebrow and finally said, "I will admit, Perseus Jackson, that I did not think you a good choice for my daughter. I still have my doubts... However you have proved yourself more than worthy, and so I gave you permission to marry her. But make no mistake - if you hurt her, I will crack your skull open and extract every brain cell you have left, until you are a drooling, gibbering mess." Percy replied, "If I hurt Annabeth, she'll break every bone in my body before you even get to me. So I don't think you have to worry about that." They parted on fair terms. 

Artemis met Percy and Annabeth together, and they had a short conversation about the merits of being turned into a Jackalope, vs the merits of being married. "Life as a Jackalope is more enjoyable than it would seem. However, you have chosen your bane, and against all odds, I hold hope for you both." she concluded. 

Hestia was tending the flames when Percy and Annabeth went to meet her, both respecting her as the most helpful goddess of legit all time. She smiled and simply said, "Hope is stronger than ever now, Percy Jackson, for you now build a new and loving home - a rarer place than you would expect."

Mr. D insisted on making a speech, and making it out to Perry Jorganesson and Annie Bell.

The only god not present was Zeus. In fact, he'd banned the gods from going when it became clear that everyone wanted to go, but the gods' respect for him after the way he handled the HOO fiasco was in negative numbers so every single one of them sneaked out of Olympus. Even those who normally wouldn’t have gone went to spite him.

Hades and Persephone went as a couple. Hades sniffed and smirked, saying only that he was glad Percy was 'not my son's type, or I'd have to deal with you' (but he low key ships Percabeth). Persephone though, smiled radiantly and was one coo away from fangirl squealing. Before they left, Hades gave them a note from Bob.

"Bob saw two stars already. They were next to him in Tartarus. Bob says hello." Percy and Annebth sobbed for fiat that, holding each other tightly. They made a point of mapping every single constellation that night. They almost cried again when they saw the Huntress above them.

Hephaestus's eyes twinkled, and he said, "I see that trap in Waterland worked after all - even if not in the way I'd intended."

 Ares just grunted that Annabeth had a better weapon (the dragon fang sword) than the last time he saw her, and took his sunglasses off to glare at Percy. "Now there are TWO goddesses who'll kill me if I snuff you out."

The highlight though was Hera waltzing in, smiling smugly like she'd set up the whole thing, and eating a slice of cake, turning a seashell-and-flower arrangement into a cow because it 'looked better, and brought back memories'. She left soon enough, but not before the cow had left a warm gift.  

Grover gave his blessing as Lord of the Wild, Rachel gave hers as the Oracle, and the gods fully expected Percabeth to ask for one of their blessings next, but instead the two turned to Sally Jackson and asked for her blessing as the 'supreme goddess'.

The ceremony was in the pavilion, and the reception was around the canoe lake at twilight. The trees around the canoe lake were hung with fairy lights, and Juniper and the dryads had ensured that the sweetest, most fragrant flowers grew. Seashells decorated the venue. Calypso had brought moonlace that began to glow and smell even more beautiful as night began to fall. The Hecate cabin had enchanted sparkling butterflies to flutter around them both after it got dark. The naiads sang in voices nearly as beautiful as the sirens, although lighter and airier. The pegasi flew in formation.

Bessie the Ophiotaurus as well as the Hippocampi were in attendance.

Percy and Annabeth did their first dance underwater, and kissed before resurfacing. Everyone looked around for the dance floor, but couldn't see a thing, when they realized - the lake was the dance floor. Percy had managed to magic the lake, with favours from the naiads and Poseidon, into a liquid dance floor that rippled different colours with each step.

Their wedding day had been on the last day of camp, with the whole camp invited, so with nightfall came the camp traditions, but even better. 

There was the fireworks display of course, but with Leo's help it was doubly glorious and even began to tell Percabeth's story. Annabeth looked like she'd die when it began showing the Thrill Ride of Love part of the story, because "It doesn't matter if we're married Percy! It's still embarrassing!"

Camp fire was even more cheerful, what with the gods and mortals allowed in for the first time, and of course Piper+Leo and the Stoll brothers played pranks - it was funnier than it would have been because their pranks overlapped and backfired on each other instead.

Instead of wedding bands, Percabeth were married with camp beads - an owl and a trident artistically intertwined in a silver thread carved heart, designed by Rachel. Hazel summoned the silver and some jewels to embellish them - and this time, she knew, somehow, that they weren’t cursed.

Of course the cake and all food and drink was blue, as well as the flowers, the wedding party's outfits, and (on Annabeth's request as a surprise for Percy) the guests’ clothes. Aphrodite went super overboard with that, and even Artemis succumbed to a small blue flower and fang accessory in her hair.

As soon as the dancing and music ended (as soon as they could get the mic away from Apollo), the activity underway was Capture the Flag with Percy and Annabeth leading opposite teams composed of their bridal parties+friends. Coach Hedge and the Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite and part of the Apollo cabins along with a bunch of minor god cabins went on Annabeth's team, and Will, Meg, and the rest in Percy's. The gods sat it out (some had to be physically restrained) as did Grover, the nature spirits, animals and mortals (Rachel had to be dissuaded from entering armed with plastic hairbrushes and improv lighter-and-spray flamethrowers).

Nobody won. Instead of crossing over the boundary line when they met with each other's flags in hand, Percy and Annabeth started making out. Clarisse could be heard grumbling about it later.

Grover and Thalia stayed back long after everyone had left, and the four of them spent time together until four in the morning.

BTW Annabeth proposed to Percy right before he was about to propose to her. They both looked at each other in surprise for a solid minute, and then burst out laughing. It was impossible to tell who said yes, or if any of them did, but they didn't need to. 

They’d both gone to Tyson for the engagement rings. Tyson was confused at first, but promised to keep their secret from each other.

Grover on the other end of the link just stopped mid conversation with the Council of Cloven Elders and Dionysus, and bleated loudly in relief, "FREAKING FINALLY." out of nowhere, and while everyone looked bewildered, Dionysus though just took a sip of diet coke and rolled his eyes, sighing, "Took them long enough."

They proposed to each other on Percy's birthday. Annabeth had baked another blue cupcake ("I'm getting better at it, too!") and they were cuddling/play fighting/sprawling on the sofa late at night in Sally's apartment, talking. They sat with their legs crossed together, devouring the cupcake with their fingers, talking about their plans.

 Annabeth mentioned that she'd designed this new building for New Rome that she was SO excited to build (Reyna had contracted her as New Rome's architect), and asked if Percy wanted to see the design. Percy agreed, and she retrieved a roll of paper. Annabeth began to explain enthusiastically, and, pointing at the center of the design, said, "And this is my favourite part." Percy leaned in further to see what she was pointing at - at the heart of the temple, where the altar should be, was a blue-silver ring with a wave design over the words "will you marry me?"

Annabeth looked almost anxiously at Percy, but he looked blank. Finally, Percy uncapped Riptide, which she hadn't noticed was poised in his hand as if he was going to point or correct something on the sheet, and instead of expanding into a sword, it remained a ball pen - with a simple silver ring etched with the words "Wise Girl" around its tip.

They stared at each other, stumped, before exploding in laughter. 

Sally and Paul came running from the next room, Estelle copying them and giggling in Paul's arms, worried that it was a monster attack. When instead they saw Percy and Annabeth laughing and hugging, each wearing a ring on fingers covered in blue frosting and looking as if they couldn't quite believe it, Sally burst into tears right there and had to explain to her concerned kids, laughing, that these were happy tears because secretly she still couldn't believe that they had all found their happiness and it was something she'd only dared to dream of because it was everything she ever wanted for her son and she was happy to and oh how long had she waited and worked and hoped for a happy ending for all of them but never really expected it and this was too much - 

[osterfieldshollandgirl]

Meant To Be

Prompt:

Harrison’s Character’s attitude is fictional.  

Were you ever going to tell me?

You did not call. You did not text, nothing.

I am fine thanks for asking.

Harrison and you have been dating for 3 years now and it is what you call a perfect relationship to the public but at home, things were a little off making you emotionally unstable around him. It started one day where Harrison came home from hanging out with the boys at Tom's house and normally it would be okay, but he had just come home from filming and you missed him. "Haz, is that you?"  you called out as you walk out of your shared bedroom and go towards the front door watching him come in. As he takes off his shoes and puts his jacket on the hanger, I see how tense his body is making me concerned. "Baby, are you ok? Did something happen at Tom's?" you asked gently, no response comes from him as he walks to the fridge to grab a beer and goes to sit down on the couch. I sit down next to him and go to grab his hand; he lets me but does not hold it back like he usually does. I ask again slowly "Harrison did something happen? Why are you not talking to me?" and face him to see his response. So I tried the next thing that I know will get his attention and so I face him and gently cup his face and tried to kiss him expect he turns his head so I end up kissing his cheeks instead of his lips. I move my hand away and get up from the couch as I am walking away I try my final attempt to make him feel better and say" Fine I see how it is when your ready to talk to me I am in the bedroom" I slowly walk to the bedroom and when I am about to step into the bedroom I hear Harrison mumble to himself "Finally I am alone." I start to tear up so I shut the door and turn on the tv to drown the noises of my sobbing. Its been a few hours now and I realize I have not had dinner, so I walk out after freshening up and making myself presentable. I have not forgotten that Haz is home, but he still has not come to talk to me yet so I will make food and eat in the room. As I am walking by the living room I see that he is now playing video games with his headphones on talking most likely to the boys, I feel better now I can make food without worrying he might come into the kitchen. I start to warm up my food as I hear "I am fine Thank you for asking, you are not going to make me any dinner" in an accusing tone and I see that he has gotten up from the couch and was standing in the kitchen doorway. "Would you like me to make you dinner?" I  ask even though he is not being the Harrison I know "No, I had dinner at Tom's", I snap at that comment "then why did you ask me that if you already ate." I retort. "well a good girlfriend cooks for her boyfriend" He talks back as he walks towards me. I back up a little as I sassily say "Well It would be nice to get a call or text saying hey I am going to eat dinner don't wait up for me. But not You did not call. You did not text, nothing." "Well, I don't have to tell you what I do or where I go. I only tell you, so you don't get hurt if I post anything if I go out with you." I gasp shocked he is bringing it up again, remembering the one time I got upset that he went to the pub with the boys and I had thought we were going to have a date night so I had asked him if he was coming over and he had said he is busy. Then during the evening Tom posted a picture and when Harrison came home, I confronted him about it, and he overreacted.  I hear the buzzer go off from the microwave and so I get my food not saying another word to Harrison as I walk by him. He laughs cruelly "wow, you would just walk away. Not even defend yourself. This is not who I loved" I shake my head and walk faster towards the bedroom and slam the door as I sit down to eat. I heard the past tense of him saying loved and did not want to believe that he didn't love me anymore.

That night goes off rough as I get ready for bed expected him to sleep on the couch for, he acted but he would not do that he is too proud to say that he wrong. I lay on my side of the bed and could not fall asleep, so I stayed awake for a little bit getting lost in my thoughts. I hear the bedroom door open and can hear Harrison walk towards the bathroom and then felt him climb into bed, usually he would wrap his arms around me and wish me good night but he just slept on his side his back towards me. I know that I can not sleep if I not in his arm's, so I move closer to him and wrap my arms around him. I feel him grab my hands and kiss them gently whispering "I am sorry, I am being rude you don't deserve it, the movie was just tiring don't think this is about you." "It is okay, just please to make me feel small I do not need to be treated like that." He turns around so your laying on his chest while he held you close and you both fell asleep.

The next couple of weeks things got better except one Saturday night, we were supposed to have a movie date night, but he said the boys needed help with something and he had to go. He saw my face drop and said "I can stay home with you if you want" "No, go you are needed, it's okay" "okay baby, I will be back as soon as possible" He says and kisses me softly as he walks by to walk out the door. I go on upon my evening like a normal day and got bored, so I decided to drop off some Nando's to the boys so that they did not have to cook. After picking up the order I headed to Tom's excited to see the boys. I rang the doorbell and heard Tom yelling "I got the door" and as he opened the door, he was surprised to see me with a bag full of Nando's. "Come in Y/n/n it's been a while I missed you." I smile and hug him once the food is placed in the kitchen. "look who's here and she brought us dinner." "Omg, it has been too long" Harry claims and comes to hug me. This feeling of being missed is amazing, but I was wondering where Harrison was. "Where's Haz tonight?" you asked casually as you set the table. "I should be asking you that, I have not seen him since that one weekend he came back," Tom replies happily. It suddenly clicks and I try to stay calm knowing something is going on because if he has not been coming here every time, he leaves the house than where has he been going. My thoughts turn negative thinking the worst and I snap myself out of it knowing I am surrounded right now by two boys that love me. Tom senses something is wrong and as he is about to answer I run into the bathroom with tears streaming down my face. I hear the door open and hear Tom say" Harrison what are you doing here?" I hear Harrison say, "I told Y/N that I would be coming here, and I just finished a great date with Sally." After hearing that I washed my face and left the restroom to go to the backyard to calm down.

Tom realizes what is going and signals Harry not to say anything. Tom" Who is Sally again?" "Sally is a wedding planar that I have been sneaking off to see and she is helping plan my proposal," Harrison says with a smile on his face. Tom stands frozen for a second and then realizes that you might think he is cheating on you, so he quickly runs to the kitchen and sees that you are not there. "tom what are you doing?" Tom hopes that you had not left then he saw you sitting on the steps of the porch. "Harrison listens to me Y/N is here in the back yard; she came here looking for you and she may think that you are cheating so I would go and propose now or make something up on the spot." "OK, I will do it now I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her," Harrison says as he holds the ring box in his hand. "Good luck bro, next time tell what you're doing then you will not get caught," Tom says and winks as he walks away. Harrison hesitantly walks to the backyard where you are located as he approaches you closer his heart beats faster and he is suddenly nervous. He opens and the door and sees you look up at him then down where you are playing with the bracelet he bought you for an anniversary, he smiles happily that you are still wearing that special present. He sits down silently next to you and you start by saying" Were you ever going to tell me?" I look at him as I finish, and he looks nervous as he stands up and walks in front of you, you stand up confused and wait for him to say something. " I know you are thinking Sally is a mistress but baby you are wrong, she is someone who is helping me with something important that you always seem to know is about to happen. I know that things have been kind of rough between us at times, but we always come back to each other at the end of the night. I knew the minute we got together I would marry you. You are my best girl and it will always stay that way." He stops talking and kneels on one knee and says" will you make me the happiest man and be my wife?" I stand shocked for a moment and look Harrison in the eyes seeing that he meant every word. "You are the most stubborn and infuriating man but at the same time handsome and sweet. I cannot even imagine living without you. Yes, I will marry you." I say wholeheartedly. He cheers wrapping his arms around my waist and I wrap my arms around his neck. He places the beautiful ring that has gorgeous small ruby is surrounding the diamond. As we walk towards inside the house hand in hand, I see Tom and Harry smiling and high five each other when they see the ring on my finger. We walk towards the car after thanking the boys for the wonderful night to celebrate our engagement. 😉

@peachyxholland​ @parkerpeter24​ @littlekidsteve​ @tom-holland-is-spiderman​

@fanficparker​

[sinagrace]

I think I like my Haunted Mansion graphic novel more than I’m supposed to… When thinking about the idea of doing a Haunted Mansion book in abstract, I should have been set up for a stressful experience: taking a fan-favorite attraction at Disneyland and adapting it into a comic meant working with a corporation that is known for upholding a certain quality for its brand, and the Mansion has a particularly passionate group of fans who also have their opinion about what they want to see with anything related to the ride. I should have been intimidated, and you’d think I should have left the experience with stories about endless re-writes or tense conversations about minor story points… but I had a frickin’ blast! The premise of my story is about a ghost named Sydney who makes her way to the mansion, seeking a new home after the hotel she was haunting (and used to manage in her lifetime) got demolished. She’s tasked with improving how the mansion operates as a hazing ritual, and she takes on the challenge with optimism and zest. It’s a great way to have the reader learn how the mansion works for its ghastly residents, and it also allowed me to lean into the only prompt Disney gave prospective writers pitching for the job: for the tone to be similar to The Office. They wanted a workplace comedy, so I gave them more of a Parks and Recreation vibe, because I love stories about a group of people rallying around an overzealous-but-lovable protagonist. Sydney was my version of a toned down Leslie Knope, with Maggie from Grey’s Anatomy’s demeanor, and a friend of mine in hospitality all rolled up into one go-getter of a ghost. From there, it was a matter of working with Disney to sort out which of their fantastic cast to use, and give fans fun details to pore over. Have you read any of those stories where actors talk about joining the MCU, and needing to read the script in a room so they can’t make copies? Same, girl. After the project got a greenlight, I was invited to one of Disney’s offices in Burbank to review the Haunted Mansion’s rich history and all of the assets surrounding the ride. I was only allowed to take notes and only had an hour of everyone’s time to ask a million questions. It was exhilarating! Everyone’s energy helped boost my confidence to move forward with the story I proposed-- we were all huge fans of the ride and we wanted to do right by it. I am still so grateful to my editor Elizabeth Brei for giving me an extra day to turn in the second chunk of script pages because I was at Disneyland doing “research.” She’s an unabashed fan of the Haunted Mansion and the Disney parks in general, so she understood what a grave mistake I made telling myself I could drive down to Anaheim, ride the Mansion twice, and head home to tweak my pages (I was literally on Instagram stories scarfing a Mickey popsicle replying to an e-mail from her with some nonsense about my creative juices flowing). In all honesty, the biggest challenge I faced was really figuring out how many familiar faces to sneak in without clogging the momentum of the story. It was a no-brainer that Constance (aka “The Bride”) had to be an antagonist… Everyone loves that character, plus she seems the type to be easily threatened and quick to exact revenge. From there, I picked characters who piqued my interest, or ghosts who would offer a variety of tone in jokes. Of course I had to make Sally the best friend everyone wants when they’re in a new environment… a pure sweetheart with a little bite. These kinds of fun problems are what I call “exciting challenges,” and they make the work I do all the more engrossing. Disney was always open and amenable to helping me sort out the logics of the world, like explaining how a haunted mansion would work in the real world, and what the ghosts’ roles are within the building. It wasn’t until recently that a friend kind of smacked me in the face and was like, “Dude, you added to the canon of the ride!” If the audience embraces what I’ve added to the history, all I can say is… Whoa. We had to delay the book because finalizing Sydney’s look ended up slowing the art process a bit, and everyone decided it was best to wait for the Mansion’s next birthday in August. Cut to 2020- we are grappling with a pandemic and finally confronting the painful truths of the Black Lives Matter movement. Disneyland remains closed, and all of our plans to promote this book have been cancelled. I’m all the more proud of it, given our current circumstances. Having the protagonist be a black woman wasn’t 100% political- I just LOVE Maggie from Grey’s Anatomy wanted Sydney to embody her, but now there’s a story where an intelligent and capable black character from Baton Rouge is up against problems where the odds are against her, and she still perseveres. Sydney’s solutions to improving the Mansion come from my own approach to telling the story: sheer reverence for the mishmash of macabre and humor that the attraction manages to balance. It’s my love letter to every nook and cranny I adore about the Haunted Mansion, and this book is all I have to revel in the joy until the park opens back up. It may be a little nugget of a book, but I’m so happy that the Haunted Mansion: Frights of Fancy is finally making its way out into the world. Egle Bartolini and Nicoletta Baldari did such a great job bringing charm and joy to the artwork. They took every little thing I asked to be crammed into the artwork and then put their own extra something on top. I made a friend out of Elizabeth Brei, and felt like I did right by Denton Tipton when he called and asked me, “what do you think of the haunted mansion?” Everyone worked so hard to make this graphic novel something that we all as Haunted Mansion fans would adore. If you’re looking for a little escape, or need a little dose of your favorite attraction at Disneyland, give the Haunted Mansion book a shot. It will be available in comic stores and book stores by like 8/18, from IDW.

[amwritesitall]

Dating Lana Winters as a Teen Would Include

Masterlist

I had some thoughts about Ms Lana Winters as a teenager so now I guess I’m making a series for Dating ___ as a Teen Would Includes??

Also I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I would risk it all for ponytail Lana Winters.

Lana Winters

Lana Winters is quite the trouble maker in high school

At least when it comes to outside of school

In school, she is pretty studious

The best writer for the school paper, but isn’t the editor yet because she’s still an underclassman

Straight A’s in English classes

Lana has taken almost every English class offered by the time that she graduates

All the teachers love her 

But outside of school, she’s almost always in trouble 

Constantly sneaking out

Drives a cool convertible

Her parents are always mad because she can’t meet their unreachable standards

Her parents are very religious and Lana’s not really down with that because she doesn���t see why she should be when their church seems to be so against her

At this point Lana’s not out, but she knows how she feels

You are the popular good girl who seems to do no wrong

You make good grades

You’re also involved in tons of extracurricular activities

Pastor’s daughter at her parents’ church?? And you’re like the only reason Lana goes

Lana has had a crush on you since middle school

At first she thought she wanted to be you, but then she realized she wants to be with you

The longing gazes she gives you from across the lunch room

Lana feels like you are way too far out of her league

She feels like you are unreachable

And definitely straight

Until sophomore year when she’s sent to interview you for a student spotlight article in the school paper

Lana is very nervous when she sets up the meeting with you

And of course she’s even more of a flustered mess when you tell her to meet you at your house after school

The interview goes really well after Lana gets past her initial nervousness

“You’ve learned all about me, so now I think it’s time I get to learn about you, Lana Winters”

Lana blushes and shrugs, “There’s not much to learn about me.”

“I’m sure there has to be something you can tell me. Hm,” you hum, “How’d you get your sweet ride?”

“My aunt and I were always close so she gave it to me when she passed” Lana explains

For the next couple hours, Lana finds herself revealing more information to you than she has to anyone in a while

Before Lana leaves you suggest that you and her should meet up again sometime

The next day you surprise Lana by sitting down at her lunch table with her

It takes a second before she notices, but when she looks up from her notebook she is pleasantly surprised to you sitting in front of her

You also continue to surprise Lana by stopping by her locker to talk to her between classes

And catching after school and inviting her back to your place

Through out the course of the school year, the two of you become close friends

Lana still has a crush on you, but she convinces herself that she’s fine with just being friends

Lana and you spend most of your summer together

One summer night, Lana is staying over at your house while your parents are gone for a few days

Lana sneaked a bottle of liquor from her parents’ collection

It’s safe to say that the two of you are a bit tipsy

You and Lana discover that, like most people, alcohol leaves you with no filter

And you’re also an affectionate drunk

You wrap your arms around Lana

Kissing her on her cheeks

Lana is trying her best not blush the whole time

“You know Lana I think your the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen”

“I don’t know about that”

“No, no you’re amazing and you’re really cute when you do that thing where you bite your bottom lip”

“(Y/N), you’re drunk”

“But I’m telling the truth!” you pout causing Lana to chuckle

Lana brushes off your compliments, making you even more insistent about how great you think she is

“You should kiss me. Like right here,” you point to your lips

Lana’s eyes widen, “What?”

“I want you to kiss me,” you insist

“You’re not thinking straight right now.”

“But I never think straight!”

That is how you come out to Lana Winters

“Are you coming out to me?” Lana asks shocked

“Maayyybbee”

Lana Winters is dumbfounded

“Does this mean you won’t kiss me” you ask before adding “because I like you a lot”

Lana swears that she must be dreaming

“You like me?”

You nod excitedly

“You’re not just messing with me?”

You shake your head, “Nope. I like you a ton”

Lana smiles, “I like you too, but I’m not going to kiss you right now. I’ll kiss you tomorrow if you still feel the same way.”

You groan, but ultimately agree

The rest of the night is spent with you and Lana eventually putting the alcohol away and talking until you fall asleep

The next morning, Lana wakes up first

She gets out of bed and gets you and her a glass of water and some headache medicine in case you need it when you wake up

You wake up a little after Lana and sure enough, you do in fact need the headache medicine

“Do you remember last night?” Lana asks once you’ve woken up a little bit more

“My head is killing me, but yeah I remember it all,” you look over at her with a smile, “and I do believe that you owe me a kiss, Lana Winters.”

“Do I?” she asks, feigning innocence

“Mhm,” you hum leaning closer to the brunette

Lana meets you the rest of the way and places a soft kiss on your lips

The two of you pull away and Lana worries her bottom lip

You reach over and cup Lana’s cheek

“Can I kiss you again?” you ask causing Lana’s heart to flutter even more than it already was during the first kiss

She couldn’t believe that she kissed you once and now she was even more surprised that you wanted to kiss her again

“Please,” Lana says barely above a whisper

The second kiss turns into a third then a fourth and so on

That was the beginning of you and Lana’s official relationship

The two of you keep your relationship a secret from everyone

Sneaking around

Lana sneaking out of her house and you letting her in your bedroom window

Late night drives in Lana’s car

Going to the movies together

Late night meals at the local diner

Her coming over every time your parents leave you home alone

Hurriedly putting on/fixing clothes when parents get back home

So many make out sessions because you guys are teenagers and teenagers are like that

Even more sleepovers than before

You like to lay in bed with Lana as she reads you whatever book she’s reading

Or whatever she is currently working on writing

Lana totally wrote you a poem or two

Lana spends more time at your house than her own

Going to school dances together “as friends”

Reading all of Lana articles for the school paper as she works on them

She attends every concert, performance, game you’re in

Celebrating when she becomes editor of the paper

Working on college applications together

Definitely the couple that goes to the same college

Going far away from home

Getting a place together so you can have your own little safe haven

-

You might like:  Lana Winters Dating a Younger Woman Would Include or  Dozing on a Deadline

-

Dating as a Teen Would Include: Billie Dean Howard, Lana Winters (you are here), Cordelia Goode (Part One) (Part Two), Bette and Dot Tattler, Sally McKenna, Audrey Tindall, Ally Mayfair-Richards, Wilhemina Venable

[rainbows-fanfics]

Our Nightmare (Chapter 5)

Summary:

Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there  is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like  living with The Pumpkin King.

A sequel to Two Dearest Friends,  where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many  ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as  they start to spend their deaths together.

Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel

–

Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.

–

On a Tuesday morning, Sally sits herself by a window to practice her knitting while letting in fresh air. It is a beautiful time to look outside, as the pumpkin sun lightly warms her skin as she listens to the sounds of children playing from below. Every time she glances up from her work, she can see the town and its people in clear daylight. Not such a horrendous day by Halloween Town's standards, but she finds it relaxing, nonetheless.

Halfway into her work, the front doors of the manor open. She turns her head and finds Jack coming through the doorway. He promptly sets the papers he's holding aside when he finds her in the room. He smiles and gets closer to see what she is doing. She lets him see the scarf she is currently working on. It was yellow in color - the only yarn she could find at the moment.

"Prepping for winter already?" He asks. She glances down and shrugs.

"Just practicing, for now."

He leans down to kiss the top of her head, moving around her to sit down in his chair. He starts to work, setting some papers on a table and beginning to scribble on them using the end of a feather dipped in ink. She pays no mind as she tends to her scarf, humming as the movements become easier. The two of them relax in this peaceful moment - working together in close proximity, with nothing interrupting them.

Sally sighs in delight. Everything about this feels right.

Her gaze soon comes down back to the streets of Halloween Town. She finds a batch of familiar, blonde hair within the crowds. Her body stiffens as she recognizes the figure. They're working their way down to the market, with a basket held in the crook of their arm. Sally's eyes follow the woman as she disappears into one of the shops. She starts to lose focus with her knitting, and has to set down her work on the window sill.

Jewel.

It has been over a week since the deadly nightshade incident happened. Jack's consolation eased her from the memory of the ordeal, making it not cross her mind again until now. Things have gone so peacefully from then. She hadn't any reason to remember it. She was getting more comfortable adjusting to her life here - even if that meant taking certain precautions, like moving the deadly nightshade jar out of the kitchen and ensuring all the cleaning supplies were left in their rightful closet. This gave her more room to focus on other things, like practicing sewing and knitting again, even taking up a new book in her free time.

But, now, seeing the Doctor's new creation again makes Sally remember it all. What exactly happened over a week ago, and everything that led to it. No matter how happy she seems now, this will always linger in her memory. Any small thing that can remind her of what the Doctor did to her - it will haunt her for mind for hours, and possibly her whole death. She curls her fingers in her lap in thought. This part of the manor isn't facing Finklestein's tower, but she doesn't need to see it to think of it. She takes a deep breath as she finds herself strangely calm - making a bold decision in these few seconds.

She turns to the skeleton man behind her, who glances up from his work. "I think I'm ready."

---

The walk to Dr. Finklestein's tower feels much longer than she remembers.

Jack was confused when Sally virtually brought this up out of nowhere, but he was very supportive regardless. He asked if she was sure she was ready to make this decision, and after much thought and consideration, she insisted she was. The Pumpkin King quietly takes them on the longer route to ensure they won't be appearing too soon. He can tell she needs some time to work up some encouragement, and there is also the fact he hadn't called the Doctor to inform them they were coming in the first place. He hopes they'll be there to answer once they've arrived.

The two of them find the sight of his tower coming into view. When the gates are only a few feet away, his girlfriend suddenly stops in her tracks. She looks back at him and plays with her fingers, looking at the ground nervously.

"Jack?" She asks quietly. "Can you give me one of those pep talks, again? The ones you're really good at?"

He places a hand on her shoulder and grips it softly. "You don't have to be afraid of him. You don't even have to listen to him anymore. This is about what you want, not him."

She places her hand over his and holds it for a few seconds. She still looks conflicted. "...You really think I can tell him?"

"You're one of the most assertive people I know, Sally. I know you have confidence. Don't let him think you don't. You have every right to do what you're doing; asking for what you want. And if all else fails, we'll leave and we won't come back."

She sighs in relief. "Thank you...." Her eyes turn teary. "I'm so glad you're here. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't."

He cups her cheek and leans forward to kiss her. He tells her, "I'm always going to be by your side, now and forever."

She coos.

They go through the gates and he assists her up the stairs. Her gut starts to ache with how familiar this feels. Once they're on top, Jack rings the doorbell. They wait a few seconds before hearing Finklestein's voice from the other side. It gives her unpleasant chills. The doorknob suddenly twists open. They come face-to-face with Jewel, whose gray eyes blink in surprise. There is a small moment of silence - neither of them sure on what to say. Jack opens his mouth to greet her while the ragdoll continues to fiddle with her fingers in the background.

"Good afternoon! I hope you excuse our sudden visit - but we're here to see the Doctor?"

Jewel smiles in glee and holds her hands together, stepping aside and motioning forward. "Oh, please, do come in!"

They go to help themselves inside, but Sally is hesitant to bring herself in. She is encouraged forward with a skeletal hand on her back, allowing him to lead her inside. They are brought onto a couch in the sitting room, which she finds has more wilted flowers than usual. The taller figure watches the two of them get comfortable and gives a warm smile.

"I'll let him know you're here! I'm sure he'd love to see the both of you."

Sally holds up a hand quickly. "-Actually, I wanted to talk to him...Jack is just here for support."

"Oh! Well, I'll let him know that right away."

Jewel hurries out of the room and towards the laboratory. In this time, the situation starts to settle in. Just seeing these familiar walls she had been stuck in not so long ago, and the ramp she's had to sneak down so many times...her hand desperately finds its way for Jack's. He can feel her squeezing it tightly once it's in her grasp. He squeezes back gently and brings a hand through her hair, looking at her in concern.

She's getting worked up again.

"Are you sure you're ready for this..? It is quite soon you're talking to him again-"

"I know I'm ready." She gestures vaguely around them. "I just...don't like seeing all of this again..."

He looks up and realizes she means the tower they're in. He can only imagine all of the unpleasant memories surfacing for her. He truly does sympathize with her - it can't be easy walking into the same home she was practically trapped in, and asking for a new relationship with the one who imprisoned her. He can only hope the Doctor is willing to listen and become a little more sensible about this. He seemed decent enough when he asked if she could move in with him...

He goes to console her, but is interrupted by various noises coming from the hallway. The familiar sound of a wheelchair makes Sally sit up in her seat right away. A second after, Dr. Finklestein emerges into the room with Jewel by his side. He must have been in the middle of an experiment, judging by the pair of goggles sitting on his head and his unusual pleasant mood. His expression doesn't change when he sees Jack, but the moment his gaze goes on Sally, the smile on his lips begins to fall. The same can be seen on her face - a troubled look growing on her features.

Things are silent for a few minutes.

"You really are back." He says in astonishment. She nods slowly.

"I am."

The skeleton offers to help her stand, and she takes his hand before slowly walking to the Doctor. Her movements feel tense as she stands before him. She inhales deeply to steady herself. Now she can't be afraid of him. She is her own person. Someone he can't control anymore.

"I want to talk with you alone. About some things." She says confidently. She momentarily fears for his reaction, but is surprised when Finklestein takes the goggles off his head and nods.

"Alright, my girl. We can go ahead and do that."

He starts to lead her back towards the hallway. She takes one last look behind her shoulder and finds Jack smiling at her encouragingly. It's the last thing she sees, and gives her a last boost of confidence before disappearing behind the frame. This leaves the Pumpkin King alone with the Doctor's new creation - who is still standing idly in the room. He opens his mouth to politely break the ice, but she beats him to it.

"Would you like some tea?"

--

Things are completely silent during their short walk into another room. She keeps her distance from him as they sit down at a table, ensuring her chair is as far from him as it respectably can be. It's nerve-wracking to be alone with him like this...without Jack to be right by her side, to speak for her and protect her. 'I'm becoming independent now,' She reminds herself. 'He can't do everything for me. He's already done so much...'

Finklestein breaks the silence by clearing his throat. "Now, what is it that brought you back here..?"

She taps her fingers together. How can she put this without being abrupt? "I've been thinking about some things while living with Jack, and there's something I need to take care of."

"And this involves speaking with me..?"

"It does." She lets herself sigh. Time to get answers. "Doctor, I just wanted to know...what is it like, living without me?"

He adjusts his glasses. "Do you want me to be truthful with you, Sally?"

"Yes. That's what I'm here for."

He pauses for a long time. Almost like he doesn't want to say. "...Frankly, I thought it would be much better than it is. I don't have to constantly worry about Jewel sneaking out or poisoning my meals. She seems happy living here, which is not something I could ever say for you." She looks down at this. "-Regardless, I still find myself...missing you, I suppose. Thinking about you from time-to-time."

"But you wanted me out." She brings up.

He nods solemnly. "Yes, that is true...which is why I'm baffled to feel this way. You were nothing but trouble. But Jewel can't quite make meals like you could. And she's not as experienced with cleaning as you are."

"-Is that why you're thinking about me? Because my chores aren't done the same?"

He goes quiet. Her lips fall into a frown. Of course he would only miss the things she did, instead of for her. She hadn't expected him to change at all...She has to remind herself of Jack's words. That she's only here to assert herself and what she wants. She may as well get it out of the way now.

"I'm going to get to the point." She says quickly. "Doctor, you were cruel to me and I hated it here. All we did was fight and yell at each other. You said some terrible things to me, and the things you've done...they haunt me, still. And not in a pleasant way." She begins shaking in her seat and has to rub her arms to keep her composure. "-I was so scared when I lived here. All I wanted to do was get away from you. At times, I thought I hated you..."

"-I deserve that."

She blinks a few times before looking at him. He's hanging his head low, averting his gaze.

"Sally, I'm sorry. For everything I had done to you and the things I said. This wouldn't have occurred to me if you hadn't said it countless of times before. But like the stubborn old man I am, I just didn't listen." He shakes his large head. "Living without you has opened my eyes to a few things, besides what you did here. Jewel is nothing like you. I thought what I needed was someone who understood me, and so I gave a part of myself to her. I've never felt so happy."

The ragdoll remains quiet.

"I already lost you. I knew that could happen again if I repeated the things I did from before." He begins to fidget with his hands in his lap. "So I've taken good care of Jewel, the best that I can in my state...I've found that by listening to her, she feels obligated to speak with me more. We have so many conversations. More than I've ever had with you, as of matter of fact. The biggest challenge was letting her go off on her own. I let her visit the town today, hoping that she would return to me...and she did."

Finklestein finally brings his attention to her. They make eye contact for a second, and he can sense the sorrow in her eyes. He holds his breath. "What I'm trying to say, my girl, is - Jewel is teaching me to be better. She may not be aware of it, but...things are different than they were with you. I know this is something I should have done while you were around....and I'm sorry."

Hearing all of this makes Sally feel conflicted. On one hand, she feels...happy to hear a proper apology, and that he's treating Jewel differently. But, on the other hand, does he even know all the things he had done that were wrong? For these past few years, he always insisted he was in the right...the last thing she wants is for him to get away with what she has to live with.

"I forgive you...but I want you to listen to me. This time, and every other time we speak from now on." He is surprised at the authority she's displaying, but goes along with it anyway. "-I want to tell you the things that made me want to leave you. So you don't make the same mistakes with Jewel. I may not know her that well, but I care about her being safe here..."

"If you think that's necessary..."

She takes a deep breath. "You did a lot of things to me that were cruel and violent. The times you locked me in my room for days on end, when you refused to let me go outside at all, never letting me have my own interests, and threatening to 'fix' me by replacing my brain..." He looks uncomfortable. "-Those are only a few out of everything that's happened..."

"Yes, I remember them."

"If you want to be better for Jewel, then keep letting her go outside. Let her get interested in Halloween, or whatever other things she's going to like. Don't make her think there's something wrong with her that needs to be 'fixed'...because all of those things made me want to leave you."

"....I see."

There's another moment of silence as he takes all of this in. For Sally, she feels cold. Reliving these memories and having to tell them to the man responsible for them...and, yet, she's forgiven him. Simply because he's telling her that he wants to be better. A part of her feels gullible for believing this. He's never bothered to change even though he's made so many promises to her in the past. But maybe, since he is finally with someone who makes him happy..he can?

"-Was this all you came here for?" His voice interrupts her thoughts. "You pointing out all the terrible things I've done?"

"Well, no." She moves uncomfortably in her seat. She's not sure if this is the right time to ask, but what choice does she have? "I wanted to ask you if...we can ch-change our relationship?"

He looks confused. She elaborates, "I don't want what we have to be broken...avoiding you all the time, that is. Jack talked with me about it, and I think....I think I want you as a father, to me..."

This time, the silence feels deafening. She can't exactly read his expression past his glasses, but she can sense he's surprised. At a lack of response, she decides to continue on, nervously explaining:

"You created me. You were the first one I saw when I was brought into this world...and I looked up to you. I didn't understand love or marriages, or anything until I met Jack. Before then, I just thought you as my guardian and someone who looked after me...and I still feel that way. I still want you in my life. But not as someone I love the same way as I do with Jack. I...want a father."

He is still speechless. But her point has been made. She waits for his response as he looks away, rubbing his chin in thought. After a few minutes, he asks, "...You think of me as your father?"

"I do. I know you've moved on, now, with Jewel. And I have with Jack. So I think whatever went on in our past, we can simply forget about and start again..."

"You were always special to me, girl. I just didn't know in what way. For so long I believed you were meant as a partner for me, because that was my intention on making you...but things clearly didn't happen that way. If only I had realized sooner." He chuckles slightly. "I was so jealous of Jack taking you away. But it seems that was the best thing for both of us. I've always looked to him as a son, so....the idea of you as my daughter isn't too far-fetched..."

Her eyes light up at his words. "You want to be a father to me, then?"

"It makes perfect sense to me." He pauses before offering her his hand. "-I still love you, Sally. But only as my daughter, from now on."

She's shocked at those words. Hearing him say he loved her without any force or romantic implications behind it...it was like she was hearing her own father saying he loved her for the first time. She's overcome with tears of joy, and in a moment of relief, she lunges forward and wraps her arms around Finklestein, giving him their first true embrace after all these years. In her grasp, he actually feels warm this time around.

"I love you, too."

His jaw hangs open in alarm as he suddenl finds himself in a hug. His hands linger in the air for a few seconds before he comes to terms with what is happening. Hearing how happy she sounds, and the tears he can feel falling on his neck...he does nothing more but hold her back, closing his eyes and relishing his first true contact with his creation - no, his daughter. The longer they embrace, the more moist his eyes become. He soon realizes a few tears are falling from behind his glasses, but he doesn't mind them.

----

"-I hope you don't mind poisonberry, it's the only flavor I can find in this kitchen..."

Jack watches as Jewel sets down a cup of tea in front of him. He is sitting at the head of the table - the usual spot he always sits in whenever he visits. He thanks the ragdoll and gives a polite smile, taking a quick sip of the tea and humming at the familiarity of the flavor. He recalls the last time he drank poisonberry tea when he was over here - how time has flown since then, and now Sally is living with him instead of here....it feels almost odd not to come around just to see her anymore.

Jewel sits to the side of him and takes a drink out of her own cup. She smiles before drumming her gloved fingers along the glass. Things are quiet for the first few minutes - neither of them sure how to start conversation. Jack is a natural at conversing with people, as his Kingly duties are to be sociable with his citizens, but knowing that this woman is Sally's replacement gives him...an unsettling feeling in his bones.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" She suddenly asks him. "I know it's not polite to think of other people's businesses, but I'm curious..."

"It's a little personal for Sally. She's wanted to have this talk with him for awhile, I'm sure." He takes another drink and shifts his gaze. She nods along in thought.

"Yes, I bet you're right..."

Again, they're met with silence. He thinks this is far too uncomfortable to pass the time with. He sets down his cup and clasps his skeletal hands together, deciding to talk to her properly. It can't hurt to get to know the Doctor's new wife.

"So, Jewel, how is it living here? Are you happy?"

"Absolutely awful!" She responds in delight. "Finklestein is very kind to me. He lets me decorate around the tower, read all of these books, and cook and clean for him! Just today, he let me go out and buy some rotted apples..."

"-He isn't forcing you to do these things for him, is he..?"

"Oh, no! It's just polite because it's not easy for him to do. I think helping him out like this is my duty more than anything."

The skeleton smiles, but feels a little conflicted, deep down. Hearing such positive things about the Doctor after receiving the opposite from Sally for such a long time is...new. Despite that, he's relieved to hear Jewel is happy. At least he won't have to worry about checking in for any concerning reasons like he had to before...He can only assume the Doctor must have learned SOMETHING from Sally's departure if he isn't outright forcing these chores on Jewel.

"...What is Sally like?"

Her voice brings him out of his thoughts. He thinks he's misheard. "Hm?"

"I don't know much about her besides what the Doctor does. A little bit of that, anyway." She explains uncertainly. "He hasn't been too keen on talking about her with me. I know I was made as her replacement. But she seems very kind."

"Oh, Sally is. Very much so. She's also resourceful and smart. She's quite skilled with her talents and passions, too. I think you two could get along well, if you ever sat down and talked with her."

"You think so?"

"Of course! She's a little shy on the surface, but friendly once you get to know her."

Jewel looks happy as her eyes go onto the table. She begins fidgeting with her gloves in thought. After a moment, she tells him, "It's a good thing you took her in when you did."

"Is it?"

"From what I can remember." She sees the confusion on his face. "Since Finklestein gave me half of his brain, I can retain half of his memories...this means I recall a lot about him and Sally. Their relationship, from what I see....seemed very rough. And not quite happy."

He shakes his skull. "It wasn't."

"For the first few days, it was hard for me to distinguish things the present from the past. I kept getting these flashbacks to what the Doctor and Sally had. I remember their arguments, their fights, and disagreements...none of those memories are pleasant in the slightest." She frowns. "I have one very clear memory of them fighting before she ran off. The Doctor felt so heartbroken, and the things that were said...I can tell there were many problems between them I just don't fully understand."

Jack is quiet. He's not exactly sure what to say to this. A response apparently isn't necessary, as she glances up and smiles again. "-Deep down, healways cared about her. Maybe a little too much for his own good...and that's why he felt so badly hurt. But he cared about her. And behind everything he did, it's because he didn't know how to live without her."

"Hmm."

"I try to learn things from his memory. I'm gifted with science because I share his knowledge. We get along well. We seem to have the same hobbies, the same interests....but after learning his true feelings, I want to help him become a better person. Just the other day, I tried to talk to him about seeing Sally again...and he didn't want to do it. That's why I was so happy to see you two here."

"I had to encourage Sally to come. She didn't want to, either." He folds his hands on the table. "I thought it'd be the best for them to sit down and talk properly for once. It'll be good for the both of them."

"Finklestein is getting better. He lets me do things he didn't let Sally do. I can see why she'd feel the way she did; I'd be the same way if I ended up in her position." She rubs her wrist. "-What I'm saying is, it's a good thing you're taking over, now. You know how to take care of her. And if you hadn't, I don't know who else would." She ends this with another shrug. "-Then again, that's just what I assume from these memories..."

He smiles, and Jewel returns it. This talk hadn't been so bad after all. They start to finish their tea and speak a little more, this time, about Halloween and the town. He finds her curious about the holiday and people like Sally was, and he's more than happy to enlighten another person about it. Jack's opinion has definitely changed after hearing more from her - she's quite enlightening, and seems to be as caring as Sally is.

. . .

The two of them are soon interrupted by the sound of a wheelchair and footsteps coming from the other room. The moment Sally and Dr. Finklestein appear in the doorway, both Jewel and Jack stand from their seats. The skeleton walks past the table to meet with his girlfriend, giving her a kiss on her forehead and brushing her hair off to the side. She doesn't seem upset at all..rather, happy.

"How did it go?" He asks her quietly. She glances over at the Doctor and closes her eyes.

They had spoken a little more after their hug, about how sorry they equally were with how things went in their relationship. Although he had done made of the cruel actions and decisions, she understood how some of the things she did and said hurt him as well. She really was rebellious and went against even his harmless wishes at times. Despite that, the rest of their conversation was enlightening, even speaking of how this father-daughter thing will work. She promised him she will make future visits, and that she's going to put an effort into getting to know him better. As a parental figure rather than a husband.

"It went perfect..."

Jewel comes over to pat Finklestein on his shoulder. He puts a hand over hers before turning over to Jack and Sally. He seems to be just as happy as she is. He takes a deep breath before slowly exhaling, motioning to Sally with a gloved hand and a smile.

"We had a wonderful talk, my dear. Thank you for coming today."

"Thank you for listening to me, and wanting to do this." She sounds relieved talking to him for once. "I promise I'll come back someday."

"Please, do! I'd love to have my daughter visit me again." He looks at Jack and bows his head. "You're obviously free to come by, too, m'boy."

The Pumpkin King looks astounded at his words. 'Daughter'? Had things truly gone according to plan..? He looks over and finds Sally grinning. The two of them decide to leave and say goodbye to the Doctor and Jewel. Jack feels enlightened as he shakes their hands, and Sally feels strangely calm as she hugs the Doctor goodbye. Their embrace still feels warm this time around. She's already liking this so much better.

"Take care, you two! Have a horrendous day!" Dr. Finklestein calls to them as they leave. They wave their hands in return.

When the couple look at each other, they sense something new in their gazes. Already can he tell Sally will have plenty to tell him, and he can't wait to mention the things he's learned in return. He offers her his hand, and she doesn't hesitate to take it. Their walk back to the Skellington Manor is quiet, but nothing is needed to be said. They'll be returning to their home together, where they have all the time in the world to talk and hold each other in their arms...

----

They take a few minutes to get situated in the Manor. Sally gets comfortable in one of the chairs while Zero rests peacefully in her lap. She brings her hand to pet the ghost every few seconds, smiling as she listens to the peaceful sounds of the wind outside. Jack eventually comes into the room and joins her, sitting in the chair next to her and listening as his dog snores away. He fishes for something in his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper with various numbers scrawled on it. He hands it to Sally to observe, and she reads it without a word.

"Jewel wanted me to give this to you. It's the number to the Doctor's tower. I have it memorized, but I think it'll be useful for you to have. In case you don't want to go all that way to see him, you two can talk using the telephone."

She stares at it a bit longer before putting it aside. "I think I'll try that, sometime...I'm not very good with telephones just yet."

"I'll have to teach you how to use mine, then."

She dips her head, still coming to terms with everything that's happened. It's nearly been 2 weeks since she's moved in with Jack. It's hard to believe she fixed her and the Doctor's relationship so soon. Slowly, she says, "I have a dad now..."

Her boyfriend smiles. "That you do."

"I thought he wouldn't agree. But he did. He told me he loved me again....but it was different. I knew he was talking about family love this time."

"See? Talking to him wasn't the worst thing in the world. As a matter of fact, things might be better now that you did."

"You're right. And I want to thank you. Again." She leans forward to lay a hand on his arm. "If you hadn't talked me into it, I don't know when would've been the next time I'd have spoken to him..."

He lays his hand over hers and squeezes it tightly. He frowns for a moment. "I won't have to see you worrying about him or what he did to you again, will I?"

"No." She shakes her head with a smirk. "He told me he was sorry for it all, and it sounded like he meant it this time."

"It's a good thing Jewel's around now, isn't it?"

"I think so. He told me she was teaching him to be better. And seeing how I didn't get yelled at or blamed for anything...I think she's doing a good job."

He mulls over something for a moment. "You know...I got to talk with her while you were in with the Doctor. She told me interesting things. About him, and all. It turns out they share memories and feelings together. She told me that Finklestein has always cared about you, and he just didn't know how to live without you."

She looks down, recalling what he told her about her chores. "I guess that makes sense..."

"-Jewel is a lot like you. She seems to be sweet and caring...I told her I think the two of you would get along." He hums. "Maybe you can have a relationship with her, too....like what you're going to have with the Doctor?"

"You mean, Jewel as my mother?" Her eyes widen. "-I don't know what it's like to have a mom."

"I think she would be a terrific one! Think about it. The both of you want Finklestein to be better, and you two can certainly understand what it's like to live with him...maybe now that he wants to have you as a daughter, Jewel will feel the same way, too."

She brings her gaze back to Zero in her lap, scratching under his ears. "I'll have to think about that..." A thought comes to her and she smiles at him. "You know what the Doctor told me..? That he's always looked to you like his son."

His eye sockets widen in surprise. "Really?"

" I always wondered how close he was to you. But now that he sees me as a daughter, he said it wasn't very far-fetched."

Jack is quiet for an awfully long time. She doesn't question it and continues to pet Zero in thought. After a few seconds, she leans over to rest her head on his shoulder. Her mind is finally at peace for once. The troubling thoughts of the Doctor are no longer surfacing in her mind. Instead, all she thinks about is the fact that she has a dad now. Jack, meanwhile, is holding the side of his skull in thought. He brings an arm over Sally so she can get comfortable, but his gaze is elsewhere.

He's always been close with the Doctor, ever since he was young. They've had plenty of history together through these years. Jack got his interest in science watching Finklestein work in his lab, and learning about chemistry and experimenting from him. He had grown to look at him as a friend and a sort of inspirational figure. He never thought he'd end up falling in love with one of his creations. But knowing that she is his daughter...that can bring the possibility of him truly becoming Finklestein's son in the future. That is, if he were to marry Sally...

His gaze comes over to her, and finds her falling fast asleep. He chuckles and leans forward to kiss her cheek. As her marvels at her beauty, those three words come to mind again. He thought he had enough of them after what happened with the witches, but now the subject has found its way to him again. A Pumpkin Queen. His bones start to tingle again. The longer he stares at her, the more he starts imagining it - witnessing her as his bride, becoming his Queen, and starting a married life with her...It is a peculiar thing for him to fantasize about at a time like this, but he finds the thought strangely enticing...

[smellycinnamonthundahfudge]

here we are, folks, mama's gonna write another one of these things so sit down and enjoy some post-hoco peter starts to fall for mj shits

sigh why do i even bother

Caught Stealing

Peter likes to think he's been doing pretty good at this whole superhero thing for quite a while now; saving people, giving directions, catching thieves. Things have been going pretty great.

But the one thief he didn't expect to show up on his radar was one that didn't even show up when he was in spidey-mode, oh no, this one showed up when he was regular ol' peter parker for crying out loud. Just one day at another one of these acadec meetings, Peter Parker saw MJ try to steal a glance at him while he was on a call with Happy, and his brain was left on buffer for the rest of the call, the meeting, and pretty much the entire week after.

"Hey, Ned, hav you ever seen MJ like... look at me?" Peter asks Ned in the cafeteria while MJ wasn't there yet (he's brave enough to go through flames with a broken leg to save Liz's supervillain dad but hell if he's brave enough to talk about a potential crush just mere feet near said crush).

"Yes," answered Ned without even looking, and just continued eating his tuna sandwich lunch.

"What!?" Peter exclaims slightly loudly making him take a look around him to see if anyone (MJ) might have noticed. To his relief, no one did what with all the conversations happening in the cafeteria and MJ still wasn't there. "When were you going to tell me?"

Ned swallows the bite he just took, "I thought you did know."

"Well, clearly I didn't. I've been pretty busy with ~something~ as you know."

"Pfftt yeah and you were also crushing pretty hard on Liz if I can also recall."

"Okay, okay fine whatever, we've already established I've been busy. I just- how long have you known? Or how long have you noticed it was going on?"

"You seriously haven't noticed?" Ned asks genuinely a bit shocked that Peter didn't know.

"Dude, I'm telling you I haven't-" Peter repeats for the nth time, frustrated he still doesn't know how long this has been going on. "How long?"

Ned lets out a chuckle of disbelief, "Pretty much since halfway through freshman year, bro. Wow, I can't believe you really haven't noticed. Some Peter-tingle you've got there."

Peter lets out a huff of frustration, "It doesn't work that way. And ugh can you please not call it the Peter-tingle? I already get enough of that from Aunt May."

Ned turns his hands up in defeat and just proceeds to continue eating his lunch again.

"I can't believe this, has it really been going on for that-"

"Hey, losers," MJ greets to their table, finally showing up to their usual spot.

"MJ!" Peter almost shouts from shock. Man, Ned might be right, his (ugh) Peter-tingle just wasn't working right now.

MJ snorts from Peter's reaction, "Yes, Peter, it is me, MJ, the girl who's been sitting next to you guys for the better part of a year now,' MJ mock explains. "You doing okay there, Pete?" MJ asks finally taking a seat.

"Yeah, yeah, just a bit jumpy, I guess..."

"Alright, whatever. What can't you believe has been going on for that long?"

"What?"

"When I got here, you were saying you can't believe it's been going on for that long. What has?"

Peter looks to Ned in a panic and he blurts out "Spiders!" in response, making Peter face palm himself on the table.

"Spiders?" MJ still asks, being what Ned said did nothing to explain anything.

"Yeah... Peter's had this really intense phobia of them ever since we went on that fieldtrip. He accidentally slipped in the bathroom this morning cause he saw a spider and he couldn't believe he still hasn't gotten over his phobia," Ned explains lies so casually, but by the end of it sighs and gives Peter a not really that subtle thumbs up.

Peter on the other hand is semi-frustrated over having to lie to MJ about TWO things in his life now and the fact that his best friend just made him seem like a scaredy cat that actually slips in the bathroom from seeing a spider. His frustration doesn't last though cause he's just waiting to see if MJ actually buys Ned's load of spider phobia bs.

"Oh, okay-" MJ thinks about how they were probably talking about spider-man things before she came but decides to just go along with their excuse and thinks about a possible cause of the phobia on the very highly unlikely (at least in her opinion) chance that Ned was actually telling the truth, remembering Peter's uncle dying just a few weeks after the fieldtrip and feeling bad for Pete so she offers up a solution or maybe just something to comfort him.

"You know, they say that to get rid of a phobia, exposure therapy works, so maybe it'll make you feel better to know that humans swallow up to like 10 spiders in an entire year," MJ jokes a bit awkwardly and pointedly that she just proceeded to eat her meal after finishing her sentence.

It makes Peter chuckle for a bit though so MJ releases that breath she didn't know she was holding and continues to avert her eyes to her meal and just continue eating.

"Wow, MJ yeah sure, nothing'll make me feel better like knowing there's probably like hundreds of tiny spiders inside me right now," Peter remarks sarcastically making MJ laugh as he fake shivers.

"Glad I could help," MJ winks and then averts her eyes again to get her book so she could read while eating, signalling she was ready for this convo to end (she wasn't going to be able to talk after what she can't believe she just did).

And Peter's kinda glad she does end it because holy sh- did, did MJ really just wink at him right now? Did that just happen?

Peter looks to Ned for confirmation who could only shrug in response being just as unsure about what to make of it as well.

Wondering what the hell just happened is the last thought circling inside Peter's brain while Ned just changes the subject to something else that didn't even register to Peter.

MJ may actually ACTUALLY like him, and Peter doesn't have a single clue what to do about it.

Nothing as it turns out, cause as the rest of the week passes without fanfare, it seems like Peter's finally regaining his sanity again as he thinks that maybe MJ looking at him was just MJ being MJ and he goes back to thinking of MJ as his friend and not the smart funny pretty girl who might have a crush on him, which she doesn't.

Until, yet again, Happy interrupts Peter at this week's acadec meeting and he steps outside to take the call.

"What, Happy? I told you I was busy during saturdays with acadec, what do you want?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know I was talking to Mr. Bigshot here. You know, I started on Stark Industries as a dri-"

And with that, Peter just proceeded to wince and hit himself with his phone, knowing he just made this phone call twice as long as what it probably would have been. He starts to just block out what Happy is saying and takes a peek at what he's missing at acadec.

Flash is asleep at the sidelines, must have been that party Peter saw he was having posted and streamed all over social media, it was so annoying. Ned, Cindy, Sally, and Abe were all on a roll tossing out answers back to back, Eddie was blanking and swearing the answer was at the tip of his tongue, and MJ as usual, was running the drills.

Yet again, Peter was thinking about how wonky his brain must have been to actually think that MJ, don't give an f what anyone thinks acadec team cap MJ, actually liked him.

But it seemed Peter must have been staring for too long because MJ noticed and glanced at him too, making Peter panic and immediately avert his eyes to a different direction, any direction at that. God, why was he this awkward?

But god help Peter Parker who must just be an awkwardness masochist because he couldn't help but just sneak a peek once again, only to see MJ was still looking at him and he must have had some ridiculous shocked expression on his face because the slightest grin started to appear on MJ's face and she looked away with almost- was that- A BLUSH?? a blushing expression on her face??? did that? she just? whattttt????

But before Peter could even get himself together, MJ looked back at him again only to grin over the fact Peter was still looking at her and roll her eyes over how ridiculous this wordless convo they were having across the room was, that she just snickered and gave a silent hi and subtle wave hidden from their team mates just below the podium.

Peter found himself grinning like an idiot too and could only give one awestruck wave which made MJ snicker and avert her eyes back to their team mates with a barely noticable flush on her face and a blink and you'll miss it, moment where MJ had to think about what she was saying before she and Peter began this cutely wordless reparte across the room.

MJ had to think about what she was going to say. Cool, suave, witty retorts and comebacks MJ seemed to have a moment of speechlessness.

okay.

And so as Peter could only hear a faint "Peter? Peter, are you still listening to me?" from his phone, he knew that he was absolutely, one hundred percent without a single doubt in his mind, truly, and utterly, fucked.

Maybe MJ wasn't the only one who had a crush.

heeyy yooeesss i missed writing mah anxious boi's pov yallssss. i miss writing for them in general huhu. also im probs gonna write a bunch more of these how they fell for each other fics cus i think this version of em/phase of their relationship is pretty underrated hehe

plus i still cant get over ffh pj disapproval so fine i'll just write the middle man fics myself then. it's just so easy to see how pete could fall for mj, i just cant

toot toot and i hope yalls enjoyed dis folks. it's good to be back. rlly missed em, ya know?