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seths-rogens · 1 year

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cardboard houses, cardboard hearts | M | 1.9k | ao3

should’ve been finishing my infidelity au, but instead the cardboard joe cutout i was given inspired me to crank this out in one sitting,, anyway, please enjoy :)

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Eddie often thanks God that he took the leap and moved to Indianapolis after he finally graduated high school. Not that he really believes in God. Just… figure of speech and all. Though, maybe he’d believe in God if they were a metalhead with tatties and an eyebrow piercing, but he thinks that might ruin their image honestly.

He’s getting off topic.

Eddie often thanks God for Indy in moments like these. Moments where he has a fucking beautiful man pinned to his own front door, strong, thick fingers tangling in his hair as Eddie desperately tries to fit his key into the lock. He shoves his thigh between Pretty Man’s legs - he didn’t catch his name - and presses upwards. Pretty Man whines, grinding down and making it all that more difficult to unlock the goddamn door.

“Hold on, Sweetheart. I just gotta-“ Eddie bites back a groan as Pretty Man kisses down his neck, sucking a bruise over his pulse as the key finally slips into the lock. Chrissy’s never gonna let him live the marks down.

He’s surprised he picked anyone up tonight at all. He’d gone to a concert alone for once, as Chrissy was staying at her new girlfriend’s place, and Gareth and Jeff weren’t the biggest fans of his guilty pleasure artist ‘King S’.

And honestly? In any other world. Eddie wouldn’t be either.

King S isn’t his usual style. Where Eddie usually loves a hard drumline, thrashing guitars and lyrics you can only scream, King S is all soft melodies and crooning vocals set to slow drum beats.

He’d stumbled upon him completely by accident, honestly. It’d been a slow day at the record store Eddie manages. He’d been there for nearly five hours and so far he’d only served maybe three customers - and two of those customers were an old couple shopping for their granddaughter. So he’d picked the first magazine he could reach off the stand by the counter, and flipped it open to a random page.

It’d been an interview with King S, who’d just released his first album at the time. He was talking about his inspiration for making music - his best friend and little brother who, he’s quoted as saying, ‘always ragged on him when he played his pop shit in the car’ - and the meaning behind his stage name - reclaiming an old high school nickname he’d been given after his brief stint as a bit of a mean girl, though now he promises he’s using it for good.

He’d flipped the page to find a double page spread of King S curled up in a bathtub. His eyes were squeezed shut through the lacy masquerade mask that was supposedly his staple (no one knew his real identity after all). His hair was messy and flying all over the place. He was…

He was naked. Or at least that’s how it seemed.

His arms and legs were bare, the black and white photo only emphasising the toned curves of the muscles in his arms and back and the dark hair covering those lush thighs.

Call him obvious but Eddie had been intrigued. He knew they’d received a new shipment of records that morning that weren’t supposed to be hitting the shelves until the next day, so he figured what the hell!

Ten minutes later, elbow deep in a shoddily painted green wooden crate, Eddie emerged victorious with King S’s debut album ‘Robins and Tadpoles’ in his hands.

The album cover was two people’s hands clasped together, matching ice cream cone tattoos on both wrists. There was a little dedication on the back. To R & D.

He took it out to the turntable on the shop floor and dropped the needle. When the soft music started, he was hesitant, but as the album moved on he quickly realised he was hooked.

He’d gone into the shop bright and early the next day - on his day off no less - and bought the album. Only slightly laughing at the look on Mike’s - part time Lit student, part time cashier, full time grump - face.

That had been two years ago, and Eddie had been solidly on the King S train since.

Sure, Gareth and Jeff - and Grant too when he was in town - would tease him about abandoning his people, about betraying the freaks and the weirdos, but really they supported his love for the artist, even if they didn’t quite get it.

So when King S announced a stop in Indy on his second album tour, the guys (and Chrissy) had banded together to get him tickets as an early 26th birthday present. Except when the day came, they were all busy, so he went by himself.

He didn’t mind really, was just happy to be there to appreciate the music. (And the man himself, Eddie has eyes, come on now.)

Elated and feeling just a little self fulfilled after the concert, Eddie had gone to his favourite queer/metal bar, Crash. He’s picked people up there before, sure, but they’ve all been metalheads, just like him, and as many of his friends have said in the past, he’s cursed to have the hots for the preppy jock types.

Usually, that’s not the type of guy he’d find in Crash. Tonight was different.

Eddie had been sat at the bar, thinking about King S’s arms beneath the crimson sweater he wore on stage, when a gorgeous man had stepped up beside him to buy a beer. The man was wearing a dark, charcoal coloured t-shirt under a light grey Members Only jacket, paired with light blue levi’s.

Eddie kinda felt his jaw hit the floor. Could this be the perfect end to the perfect night?

This brings us back to now. Eddie finally pushes the door open, swings Pretty Man around and pushes him back against it.

He drops his keys somewhere. It doesn’t matter. He’ll find them tomorrow.

They’re grinding fast against one another now, only their harsh, panting breaths filling the silence of Eddie’s apartment. Eddie slides his hand into Pretty Man’s hair, tugs on this side of too hard. Pretty Man moans, loud, almost echoing, and tilts his head to the side, baring his neck for Eddie to defile.

Eddie leans in, presses his lips to those two little moles, and—

“What the fuck?”

Eddie pulls back to look at Pretty Man’s face. He’s still, not looking at Eddie, instead staring with wide eyes into the open plan of Eddie’s living room.

Eddie follows his gaze and… Oh. Yeah. He forgot about that.

See the King S tickets hadn’t been Eddie’s only birthday gift. He knew this would come back to bite him in the ass, but his friends thought it was hilarious. Eddie thinks they’re assholes.

Because Pretty Man is staring at a life size cutout of King S, standing by the wall.

Eddie winces, pulls away. This guy might not look like a metalhead, but he was in a metal bar, there’s no way he listens to King S. He’s gotta come up with an explanation for this, and fast.

“Um, yeah… About that… would you believe me if I said I didn’t buy it?” He asks sheepishly, avoiding Pretty Man’s eyes.

“You’re a fan?” Pretty Man asks, except he sounds dejected, which Eddie thinks is weird. And actually? Fuck this guy. He’s allowed to like whatever he wants.

“Yeah, man. What’s wrong with that? Maybe it’s not for everyone but King S actually makes really good music.” He gets more than a little defensive, takes a step back and crosses his arms over his chest.

“No, no… that’s not what I meant.” Pretty Man raises his hands placatingly.

“Then what did you mean?”

Pretty Man sighs, rubs a hand over his face. “Don’t you recognise me?”

Eddie furrows his brow in confusion. “Do I like, know you or something?”

Pretty Man raises his eyes to the ceiling like this is difficult. “Really? Nothing?”

Eddie shakes his head. “I don’t…” Pretty man nods, sighs, and then walks past Eddie further into the apartment. “Hey, you can’t just—“

“How about now?” Pretty Man asks, stopping right next to the cardboard cut out.

Eddie flits his eyes between the man and the cut out, trying to understand what Pretty Man is getting at until he sighs again, pulls down the sleeve of his jacket to reveal…

A tattoo of an ice cream cone, and suddenly it all clicks.

Oh. Oh no. That’s… oh holy ever loving fuck.

“Holy shit!” Eddie exclaims, pointing frantically between Pretty Man and the cardboard. “You’re King S!”

“Yeah. It’s uh, Steve, actually.” Pretty Man, King S, Steve nods, seeming much more shy than he was ten minutes ago. He’s curled his arms around himself, trying to make himself shrink. Eddie feels bad.

“Did you think I was trying to sleep with you because you’re famous?”

“I mean, weren’t you?” Steve won’t meet his eye. Instead he’s staring around the room, taking in all the little details of Eddie’s life.

Eddie takes a step towards him. “No, man. I just thought you were pretty, that’s all.”

“You really didn’t know who I was?” Though he still looks unsure, Steve finally meets his eye.

Eddie shakes his head, coming to a stop in front of Steve. “I didn’t even buy that thing, dude. My friends thought it would be funny because you’re like, the only non-metal artist I listen to.”

Steve smiles at that. He really is so pretty, Eddie can’t help but think. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, man. Heard your first album right after it came out and I was hooked!” Eddie laughs softly. “I used to be a little bit narrow minded when it came to music, but I heard yours and it’s like the world of music blasted wide open.”

A pretty pink blush spreads its way across Steve’s cheeks. “Oh, uh… That’s really cool. I’m glad you like it.”

“I was at your show tonight, actually.”

“You were?”

“Yeah!” He shrugs. “I used to play in a band in high school, we were never very good but I liked to think I had good stage presence, right?” Steve nods and Eddie grins, leaning in a little. “I was nothing compared to you. It was fucking electric, I felt like my skin was buzzing.”

Steve’s smile seems to grow even wider. He sways forward into Eddie’s space, almost unconsciously. “This might be crazy, but do you wanna start over? Forgo the one night stand and just, I don’t know, get coffee or something? I know this cute little 24 hour place, Victoria Street, it’s only a couple blocks away.”

Eddie narrows his eyes a little. “Stevie… barely anyone knows Victoria Street. Are you, dare I say it… local?”

Steve’s cheeks darken even further. “Maybe.”

Eddie laughs. “Then, I’d love to start over. I wanna get to know you as Steve, not King S.”

Steve slips his hand into Eddie’s, tugs him

back towards the door. “God, how much do you know..?”

“I may have read a couple interviews.”

Steve groans, embarrassed, as the door clicks shut behind them.

Then, a few moments later. “Shit! My keys!”

The date goes well. As does the second, and the third, and so on, and so on. They’re officially exclusive by date 7.

Steve meets Chrissy and the boys on date 20. Eddie meets Dustin and Robin, right before date 45.

On date 94, Steve presents his third album to Eddie. There’s a different dedication on the back cover this time.

To E, my love.

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taglist: @judasofsuburbia @gothbat99 @cheatghost @flowercrowngods @fastcardotmp3 @simplebtromance @gonzofromspace

lemme know if u wanna be added to a permanent taglist for anything i do in the future, i’m thinkin’ that might be funky :)

#zee writes #steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie fic #the adventures of cardboard joe #<— starting that tag just in case 👀

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theblasianwitch · 1 year

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So I've been spending the last few monthes reading, watching, walking, and just overall researching foraging safely and the types of plants in my area. Today was the first day with my spouse and son that I was able to identify some plants confidently... so of course with my direction we began foraging.

It saddens me that one of the main motivators for foraging today is knowing that my neighbors and my mother in law would be getting their lawns mowed soon and most of what I gathered today would've been lost. People just don't know what they have.

We pay to remove plants, herbs and even fruits growing naturally in our lawns, only to go buy the same plants from our grocery stores.

Plants found:

Dandelion: the whole plant is edible if you can spot it from its copycat. The leaves can be used the same way as most greens, it's roots when dried can be used to brew Dandelion coffee, and the flowers can be used for tea and to make honey

Chives and Onions: a common herb and garnish its stalks grow back once cut. If left to grow long enough they absorb nutrients better and can produce bigger onions but for now these chives were found before being mowed over and the onions are quite small but very strong and flavorful

Dead nettle: this one was new to me learning about it near the end of winter and seeing the small purple flowers growing. The flowers and leaves droop downward almost making a closed umbrella shape. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is used in salads and smoothies for garnish and flavor. They are high in nutrients and vitamins. Left to grow in the sun the purple turns almost pinkish and the leaves get lighter but still useful

Pine (cones, needles and seeds): I didn't forage the cones or needles today cause I knew I'd be busy, but baby pinecones can be cooked and eaten and the needles when cleaned and placed into an airtight container with water and sugar make a soda. I managed to find a few seeds in some of the fallen cones and saved them to plants in our future home

That's what we foraged. We are waiting for some more plants to develop and managed to convince my mother in law to leave certain sections of the lawn left uncut as some plants are still just starting back. Plants were waiting on are plantains, honeysuckle, and violets. Some plants are still too early to identify.

Using the dandelion greens tonight and making a pesto with some of them combined with the dead nettle and onions to use for a future pasta.

#witchblr #witches of tumblr #witch community #baby witch #green witch #green witchcraft #foraging #the blasian witch

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bonezone44 · 5 months

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but pervy roller derby coach joel and seasoned derby girl fucking in joels truck after a bout when ezra finds them with the windows all fogged up… ofc he joins in

You fucking know it!

Roller Derby Coach!Joel Miller x F!Reader x Boyfriend!Ezra

tags: unprotected p-in-v, double creampie, Ezra and Joel being spiteful towards one another. praise, degredation, use of the word "whore" but in a sexy way

He wanted to offer you a personal congratulations after helping your Jammer get point after point, resulting in your team's win. 157 to 163. It was a close one and your offense is what made the difference. Joel lost count of how many times you knocked the opposing Jammer off the track, running them back and killing their spirit. He's surprised you still have any energy left after all that work.

But here you are in his truck with him, bouncing on his cock like it's nothing. You got nothing on but your sports bra and youre soaked in sweat with your gear airing out in his flat bed.

Then Ezra’s wandering around the parking lot outside the rink, wondering where the hell you are because there's an after party to go to. And he already smoked a couple joints with the referees, and you still hadn't appeared. Then he sees the foggy window, the way the truck is bouncing, and he can't help but creep closer. His whole body floods with heat when he sees your gear. He looks around, sees if anybody has eyes on him before opening up the passenger door.

"Shit!" Joel curses.

You both stop in a panic. Your hands gripping his biceps to stabilize yourself.

Ezra's all smiles. "You don't think she's done enough work tonight, Coach?" He chuckles at your silent, shocked faces. He climbs inside and shuts the door behind him. "Our superstar here requires appreciation. Not more strain on her supremely effective musculature." He crawls closer.

"How 'boutchu--" Joel begins.

Ezra wraps his hand around the back of your neck, pulling you in for a kiss.

Joel’s hands are still tight on your hips. Watching Ezra's tongue meet yours makes his cock twitch and pisses him off at the same time. He grunts.

Ezra's hazy eyes slide over to Joel's after he pulls away from you. "How 'bout I what, Joel?"

Joel snarls and shoves Ezra back with a broad palm to his chest. "How 'boutchu see with your eyes and not with your hands?" He turns back to you. "She's mine right now, and I ain't gonna let you touch her 'til I'm done with her."

Ezra chuckles and undoes his pants, pulling his hardening cock out. "Go ahead and fill her up good, then." He smirks and begins to stroke himself. "Patience is a virtue, and although I am far from a virtuous man, I have been known to wander briefly on the path of the principled." He breaths deeply through his nose, taking in the smell of sweat and sex. "A path more easily endured when enticed by heavenly rewards."

Joel rolls his eyes. "Does he ever shut the fuck up?"

Ezra chuckles again. "You best make haste, old man, before that little blue pill wears off and you go softer than an ice cream cone in the Fourth of July sunshine."

Joel smirks at Ezra and shakes his head. He turns back to you, his hands slide up your sides, grip your breasts through your bra. "You ever seen me take a pill?"

"No," you shake your head. You're so overwhelmed by the situation, you're surprised you were able to say anything at all. And Joel's strong fingers are working your chest, working the muscles in your hips and thighs.

"I don't need no pill," he says with a haughty grin, thrusting up into you. "I don't need her to ride me, neither," he adds for good measure. "I can make her come with my cock alone." He holds you still and you angle your hips slightly as his own hips jump in the seat. "Come on, baby. Show 'im how good this cock is. Come on, now."

You wrap your arms around his shoulders and dig your face into his neck, moaning and keening with every strong thrust. You hear Ezra moaning, too. You turn your head to the side and see him panting, biting his lips. He goes from jerking himself off to squeezing his cock at the base and shaking it, staving off his orgasm with a desperate look on his face. It's all so much, you're sent over the edge--your orgasm barely noticable amidst Joel's relentless assault. How can you come down when everything around you is still building and escalating?

"Gonna fill this pussy up, now," Joel groans. His meaty claws close and spread your asscheeks as he begins to grind into you.

You try to remind yourself to breathe as you squeeze him tighter, whimpering and panting.

"Gonna give you all this come," he groans again and you feel a rush of warmth inside of you.

"Come here, baby," you hear Ezra speak up. "Lemme feel that." And before you know it, you're in Ezra's lap. His cock slides readily into yours and he pants and moans pathetically. "Oh fuck, oh shit, oh shit, baby. That's so good." His hips are barely moving as he holds you close against him, but the squelch of your messy pussy is loud. "Mmmm-that's so good. that's that good shit right there. Oh fuck, baby. Gonna fill you up, too. Mmhmm--gonna give you that sloppy cunt, huh? You like that, baby?" His eyes go wide and you're locked in, nodding and agreeing to whatever he says. "You like bein naughty? You like being filthy?"

At this point, it doesn't matter what either of them say. You'll agree to just about anything that comes out of their mouths--and their cocks.

"Fuckin filthy," he mutters with a snarl and brings his hand down to your ass with a harsh, solid slap. "Fuckin filthy whore. Nnnngg---" He comes inside of you.

You feel dizzy. Spent. Tired. Dazed. You should probably hydrate soon. And you wonder if anyone else on the team is looking for the three of you. You hope Joel has some napkins somewhere in his car, but you're not too worried because you have a pack of wet wipes in your gear bag. You never thought you'd use them for something like this, but... so it goes.

No one suspects a single thing at the after party. You throw back a few shots with your teammates and leg wrestle on the bar floor. You dance to the salsa music someone is playing on the juke box. You consider doing those pelvic floor exercises you saw on youtube once.

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a/n: I love life and I love being alive.

#joel miller x f!reader x ezra #the ask task

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sanchoi21 · 1 year

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Night Rides

Toji Fushiguro x reader, fluff.

Tonight Toji took you on a night ride. It was a regular occurance for you both as you found the night time very calming. Days were good and filled with office works for you both but nights were yours. You both could enjoy yourself however you want, under the moonlight.

Since before you met Toji, you always had a fascination for night rides. You only dreamt of going on one because yours parents never let you out after night falls. Because it's too dangerous. They are right in one way, but now that you had a strong husband to protect you by your side, there is no such fear anymore.

Toji was the one who first fulfilled this dream of yours. He was someone who always used to find comfort in night times as it was quite and all the noises from morning were now nowhere to be found. The empty streets which were lit up with a few street lights, the sleeping city filled with silence and calmness, the tranquil wind which was cool to his skin, the dim lights of shops and restaurants, the millions of stars in the sky, along with the moon which shone brightly above him, Toji loved it all. That's why he wanted to share this joy with you so he invited you on a night ride for the first time. You were nervous as well as excited, you trusted your husband to keep you safe. And that first night ride with him was the most memorable and beautiful, even better than what you had dreamt off.

Today too, you both decided to go on a night ride, as tomorrow was weekend. By now you had tightly hugged his waist while he was driving his blue motorbike at a good speed. It wasn't a dangerously fast pace, but good enough to make you feel electric. As the night air brushed past your face and hair, you felt calm again. You unconsciously were gripping him very tightly and feeling his smooth abs under your touch. Touching him wasn't intentional, it's just that your habitual to it. Toji smirked, feeling your hands going up and down his entire figure while he was riding the bike. It was hard to focus on the road ahead as you tightly gripped him from behind. So he commented, " Sweetheart, if you keep that up longer you are gonna knock the air outta me!! I can't focus on the road ahead. So can you please grip me a little softly??" Hearing his question you zoned out of your daze and blushed furiously at his comments. You replied," Y-Yeah s-sure!" Toji replied cockily, " You know, we can continue later right?" You could definitely tell that he was smirking just by hearing his voice, you just hummed shyly and hugged him softly now.

He stopped by a small restaurant which was open at night. You both sat there and placed your orders. You took corn dog and a ramen bowl. While Toji ordered his favorite takoyaki and kimchi rice. You both shared your dishes and had a nice talk about your worklife and other personal things. After finishing dinner Toji payed and you both began you ride again.

This time Toji headed towards other road, which you thought he took by mistake. But to your very surprise, once the dimly lit road ended you saw the waves clashing on the shore. There was a vast ocean in front of you, of which you didn't had the slightest idea that it was this close to your neighborhood. But in reality it was quite far away, because of Toji the time that had ticked off was not noticed by you, being too lost in him, had it's own demerits.

There were many food stalls around near the road. Toji quickly parked and asked you to wait for a bit. He soon came with a small bag in his hands and started riding towards the beach.

At night there weren't many people at the beach. It was peaceful and quite. Toji selected a spot where the was no one to disturb you both. You helped him put a mat on the soft sand and you both sat down on it. Toji handed you icecream which he had bought just a while ago. You stared at the cone in your hand thinking how thoughtful he is, as you wanted this flavour a week ago when you couldn't find any at grocery store last monday. You both simply sat there savouring the delicious taste of your ice cream.

The street lights reflected in the ocean water with the night breeze running wild, you found yourself leaning on his shoulder. To which he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer. The dark waves hit the shore making clashing sounds. The moon which adorned the sky, looked like million pieces of diamonds in the inky ocean water, with street lights adding to its sparkle. The only sound you could hear was the waves and your lover's heartbeat. His heartbeat was gentle and it somehow always calmed you down giving you a sense of security and safety around him. The silence around you was truly refreshing. It felt like not a single soul existed around you two, as if you both were alone in this entire world.

As your eyes met Toji's, you found yourself lost in his emrald gaze. Those eyes which held only affection for you, shone more brightly than any other stars ever could. You just stared af him lost in his beautiful eyes. He gently traced a finger along your cheek and tugged a lose strand of hair behind your ear.

Y/n: Toji... This is really very beautiful. Thankyou for bringing me here.

Toji: I always wanted to bring you at night here. It's truly beautiful isn't it?

Y/n: You know what Toji, it indeed is very beautiful and quite here but for me you are the most beautiful one. This scene wouldn't be as beautiful as it is now, without you in it.

Hearing your comments, it was now Toji's turn to blush, he looked so cute when he blushed roses, it was indeed an rare occurrence but not an impossible one.

He gently pulled you forward and kissed your lips, to which you responded with passion. After staying in eachother's presence for a while, as sleep overtook you, Toji woke you up and asked you to sit in front of him while riding back home. You comfortably sat in front of him while leaning your head back on his shoulder. He carefully rode you both back at home.

Toji was your home. He had made your four walls of house to be called as home. Once you both had returned, you straight headed towards the bed after changing into your night clothes. He did the same. After shutting of all the lights in the house Toji returned to the bedroom to see you fast asleep on your bed. He smiled to himself thinking that how cute you look fast asleep like that. He laid beside you kissing your forehead. Before he could turn to his side of bed, you hugged him tightly and snuggled in his chest. "Still wanna hold me tightly, love? Ok then I'll do the same!" Saying this Toji engulfed you in his embrace and soon drifted off to sleep with you following you to dreamlands.

#toji fushiguro x reader #toji x y/n #toji fushiguro #jjk fushiguro #Night rides #Sleep #Comfort #Fluff #Toji x reader

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maelstrom007 · 1 year

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I've got the @ghouljams Fae!au brainrot, and I needed to write more about my OC Mal. This time, featuring ghoul's OC Love, and Fae!Ghost. Thank you so much for letting me borrow them! I hope I do them justice, and they're not too out of character. While it's implied that Mal already knows Witch (I think their friendship started well before this) I thought this was an interesting way to bring Mal into the darlings and 141's sphere of influence.

I hope you enjoy!

Mal stood at the far wall of their crafting space, studying their old leather bound notebook. It was an account of every project they’d ever undertaken here at the shop, filled to the brim with notes. Currently, it was open to the last commission on their list for this quarter, someone wanting a garment that would fill them with confidence after a particularly difficult time in their life. Before them stood several cones of yellow and orange cotton that they had dyed with this intention in mind. Now to decide what it would become. Mal closed their eyes, imagining the customer in their head, how their shoulders had hunched and neck sunk involuntarily. They needed something to straighten up, bring some height back into their frame. A jacket would do them nice.

Mal took the cones to their warping board, a square frame with pegs hanging on the wall, and readied the yarn. Before they began Mal closed their eyes once again, taking deep breaths and pressing their bare feet firmly into the floor as they grounded themselves. Once they were settled, they imagined in their mind what their customer would look like in this new jacket. How their face would be full of warmth and joy, how much taller they would stand, the swagger and spring in their step as they walked. Mal let the feeling wash over them, filling themselves up with the giddy confidence. Full of energy, Mal began the warping process, tying an orange yarn to one peg and wrapping it around sequential pegs until it was as long as their fabric needed to be, then doubling back and following that same path back.

Maintaining this confident headspace Mal continued on, occasionally switching between colors to create a shimmering ombre across the warp. This warp will act as the vertical threads when they weave the fabric later on tonight. Already they could see the gentle halo radiating off of the threads as the intent gets buried deeper and deeper. By the end it’ll be radiant like the sun.

The slight jostle of someone attempting to open the front door made Mal accidentally skip a peg, breaking them out of their concentration. Immediately the halo of the current length they were working on dimmed, forcing them to backtrack and do their best to bring themselves back into the confident headspace. They didn’t really care if someone was at the door, there was no reason for anyone to be there and thus no reason to give them the time of day. Pick up was always reserved for the last week of the month, and they hadn’t pulled aside the heavy curtains hanging from the gutters that prevented humans from seeing the shop, and warned Fae from entering without an invitation. No, those get pulled when Mal’s commission list was empty and ready for new customers. Which it wasn’t.

The jostle returns again and only a well timed breath keeps the bubbling anger from making its way into the warp. They tied it off and stepped away with a sigh. They couldn’t afford to keep having their concentration disrupted by the mystery person at the door.

Opening the door reveals a girl, smiling brightly, “Hey, I think your doors locked.”

“It’s not,” Mal replies. Not in the physical sense anyway. Witch’s wards are strong and clever like that. Although they will have to check up on the curtains outside. Nobody should have been able to find their shop with them pulled shut, although now there was a clear section that was pulled to the side where the girl seemingly forced her way through. Those damn Moth’s were probably nibbling on it again.

The girl stares at them for a moment, as if expecting them to say more. Evidently the silence becomes too long as she presses on, “Aren’t you going to let me in?”

“Why would you want in?”

“Because you’re a business? And I’d like to do business here?” The exasperated look on the girl's face is enough to set Mal’s teeth on edge.

“Pushy aren’t you?”

“Yes. Now come on, I want to get something nice for my boyfriend and he’s going to pick me up any minute now.”

Something about the girl’s big, insistent eyes made Mal’s resolve crack, “Fine. You’ve caught me in an indulgent mood.” Mal turned around, walking back towards the counter, “What are you thinking of?”

When the girl didn’t immediately follow they turned around again, only to see her seemingly stuck mid stride, foot unable or unwilling to touch the hardwood floor of the storefront. Curious. The girl seemed perfectly human to them, but looks could be deceiving.

“You’re welcome in, for this transaction,” her foot fell with a solid thump, and she continued walking in as if nothing had happened.

“So I’d like to get something for my boyfriend.”

Mal settled in and flipped their notebook to a new page, “So you’ve said.”

“Yeah, well I know that he likes to cover up a lot, but recently his gloves have been falling apart and what with Winter coming up I don’t want his hands to be cold-”

As the girl talked, Mal kept a close eye on her chest, watching for any tethers that shone brighter than the others. Humans, and sometimes Fae, had a hard time deciding what their real intent was for a gift, and sifting through their tethers was always easier than getting it out of them through words. Except that the more this girl talked, the more her chest started to light up like a god damn christmas tree. She was tangled and pierced and snared on so many hooks it was almost distressing, and one in particular burned so bright it almost hurt Mal’s eyes to look at.

“Excuse me,” Mal interrupted her, “but may I?” they said, pointing towards the brightly glowing tether at the center of her chest.

“Uh, sure,” she said, slightly confused but trusting all the same.

Reaching out they gently snagged the tether with the tip of their pinky finger. Even with that small amount of contact all they could think of was LOVE LOVE LOVE. So much love, and passion, and desperation, and protectiveness.

Within the next second, Mal’s ears popped as air that used to be in the space behind the girl forcibly vacated in favor of someone apparating there in its place. Mal stumbled back, eyebrows raised in shock as the absolutely massive fucker came into focus. Piercing brown eyes peered out through a pale white skull mask, with one hand wrapping protectively around the girl's chest and the other landing solidly on the table creating an effective barrier between them and Mal.

“What’s wrong, Love?” The man's voice was deep, and although he was addressing the girl, (the capital L was obvious in his tone) his eyes never left Mal’s.

“Well I was going to get you a surprise gift, but I guess that’s not happening anymore.”

“Why were they touching you.”

Mal straightened, “I received permission, if that is your concern. I was only attempting to see what her true intent was for this gift.” Despite the way he was glaring, Mal could tell this man didn’t think they were a threat, at least not physically.

On closer inspection the guys gloves did look as if they were threadbare, ready to fall apart if a stiff breeze came through. He was fae, no doubt about it, and even his human form commanded respect. Mal could see the shimmery effect of the fae’s obscura, hinting at a much larger and much more. . .sinister silhouette. They could do better, break up the outline of his body like camo on a soldier's fatigues, but something told them that he wouldn’t appreciate being upsold at the moment.

“And what was my intention?” Love looked almost giddy to know, leaning over the counter top with a manic grin on her face.

Mal quickly looked between Love and the man, trying to gauge the pro’s and con’s of this whole interaction.

“Go on,” he said.

“Well, it seemed like Love here wanted to stake a claim on you. To possess and protect you as much as you do her.”

Like a seesaw, Love rocked backwards into the man's embrace, wrapping her arms up around his neck and giggling, “Yeah, I guess I am a little obsessed with you.”

For once he looked a little bit out of his depth, and once again Mal almost had to shield their eyes from the sun that seemed to light up between the two. Jesus these two were co dependent as all hell.

“So,” Mal said, desperate to get this conversation over with, “any design you want in particular?”

“Oh, right, I think his gloves should be dark black, with white details that look like finger and hand bones. And can you make them really warm and soft? Am I asking for too much? You’ll tell me if it’s too much right? Also-”

Mal dutifully took notes, not even attempting to get a word in edgewise as Love rambled on. Briefly looking up, Mal saw the masked man curled contentedly around and over top Love’s much smaller form like a mountain sized cat. It was hard to find him intimidating now that his eyes were full of love and adoration.

What a strange pair indeed.

#fae!ghost #ghouls fae!au #fae!au #oc: mal #maelstrom007 #maelstromsfic #cod mw2 #cod mwii #simon ghost riley #call of duty #I imagine that Mals energy and vibe #is really neutral when they're not crafting for something #they're basically like a vessel for intent #theres another version of this that's more angsty #where Mal doesn't get permission #and ends up getting a hook in them similar to when Konig went snooping on Love wayyyyy back when #i think i like this version better though #i hope you like it ghoullllllllllllll #cod fanfic

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posttexasstressdisorder · 9 months

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Dynaco Repair Post No. 6: The Glow Renewed

Tuesday evening, 12-26-23

I was completely caught off guard by the box by the front door when I got back from Bunny Duty/Safeway/Post Office errands today. Things are supposed to be delivered starting tomorrow, three different packages, but nothing was scheduled to come today.

Busted out in a big grin as soon as I saw it was from my bud in SC: The EL34s got here two days early! So...I was completely (and delightedly) doing something much different this evening than I had planned!

In the box were five tubes, all of them "good spares" I had personally pulled out of working ST70s I had. I'd de-tubed them before I sold them on eBay. They went to afore-mentioned friend who was going to use them in HIS Dynaco, but hadn't yet. He sent 'em back to me, four of the square-bottled Mullards (three of 'em original Dynaco-branded actual Mullards), and one "Winged C" (the Russian iteration), and a JJ as a spare. These had been in one of the systems I'd set up for ANOTHER of our buddies (my bestie who died in 2021). Old, but good, solid tubes with lots of life left in 'em.

The 5AR4 I have is the original one. The silvering at the top is almost non-existent. It's a US-made Mullard clone:

Gorgeous, ain't it?

SO...I got the ST70 ready for relaunch. Put it on the bench and hooked it up to my trusty old Micronta variac, set to "Zero Volts", got the fuse in, and switched it on.

Started out slowly turning it up to 10V, and waiting 15 minutes, and then turned it up another 10V to 20V, and waiting 15 more minutes, lather, rinse, repeat, until I got it up to about 117V.

At about 40V I began to see the barest glow in all but one tube (that Winged C). At 50V, it began to glow as well. So far so good. After about an hour, I'd nursed it up to 70V, every tube glowing strong. I let it sit at 70V for about a half hour, and then just slowly turned the knob on the variac up to 117.

Every tube came up like a champ. The ST70 Glows once again!

I let it sit and burn for about an hour, and checked the bias voltages. I had set the two adjustment pots to their center point. The left channel needed the slightest of increase (probably due to the Winged C) to get it up to the correct voltage, but the right channel was dead-set-centered on 1.56V. Boom. Rock solid. Done.

Now that the repairs are done, and I know everything is working, I will start tomorrow on re-connecting and re-arranging all the components in the system. I'm kinda spent at the moment...it's been quite a day! I'll post more tomorrow, but for tonight I call it a victory. All of the thanks go to my buddies @misfitwashere (who got me the parts) and our old compadre "Harbourmaster" on the East Coast, who sent the tubes.

More tomorrow, and to all a bitchin' Good Night.

Wednesday Night, 12-27-23

Well, it took awhile, but I finally got things re-wired and in position. Got the turntable and the FM3 hooked up and both work splendidly. I found a super-shielded RCA cable for the turntable specifically, and it sounds better...there's almost no need for the turntable ground wire now!

First, tho', I have to show off my speakers. These started their lives as Pioneer boxes, Model CS-44, to be exact. I got them at the thrift store for $25.

BUT: the 8-inch woofers and tweeters in them were garbage, so I replaced them with new components: A pair of 8" butyl-rubber surround, poly-cone woofers (they will never need reconing), and a pair of genuine Danish SEAS Tweeters, salvaged from a working pair of Dynaco A-25s.

The result? The 8-Inch Dynaco Speaker That Never Was! The A-10s had 6-inch woofers, and all the others had 10-inch woofers.

And the sonic result? A pair of mid-sized bookshelf speakers with rock-solid bass and the clearest, most well-defined mids and highs you could ever want to hear! And they don't look bad, either!

Here is everything finally in place:

And that about wraps it up! I've finally got my music back. I'll finally be able to continue my vinyl transcribing, and won't have to worry about my equipment for another good long while.

Many thanks again to my bros @misfitwashere and Harbourmaster. I couldn't have gotten it accomplished without y'all's help.

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ru-fiction · 1 year

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Playground Rivals: Ken x Male Reader

Chapter 2

Raquelle watched Barbie pull her younger sibling in, whispering something she couldn't hear. It bothered her to see them close, she knew they were friendly towards each other but her brother would tell her if he was friends with Barbie....

Right?

Raquelle watched as the smile on Barbie's face fell.

Raquelle had never seen a Barbie that wasn't smiling.

She found it annoying how they could be so happy when everyone else wasn't.

But she had never known her brother to hurt anyone.

At least not maliciously.

Barbie slowly drops Y/n's hands, backing up slowly. For a small moment she looked embarrassed but she quickly covered it up with a smile.

Kens usually did what the Barbies asked no matter what the task was, It was rare for them to say no but when they did, Barbie would just ask someone else.

Raquelle ignored this specific Barbie all the time, other Barbies mostly avoided her.

They had to have been friends. Raquelle wasn't stupid, that was too strong a reaction for them to not be.

Ken noticed Raquelle watching the two dolls in front of her. He tapped Y/n's shoulder nodding his head to the brunette. The boy turned to look at his sister, Her eyes widened at what she saw, he had covered it up with a smile and a wave but for a split second he looked....

Sad?

She lifted her finger gesturing for him to come back. Y/n gave Barbie a sad smile before heading back to his siblings, Ice cream in hand.

Raquelle stood as her brother and Ken approached. Ken took one of the plastic sundaes from Y/n and handed it to Raquelle, Y/n took the plastic ice cream cone away from him and handed the other sundae to Ryan who gave it to the Midge he was talking to.

"Thanks, Ken. Appreciate your help."

Ken smiles at Y/n, happy to have someone noticed his help.

"Happy to help."

Raquelle puts her arm around her brother.

"Alright. We're headed out."

Ryan turns to his sister annoyed, she was interrupting his conversation with Midge.

"Really, Raquelle. You wanna leave now."

"Yes, let's go."

"Ugh."

He gave her an annoyed look before shrugging, he smiled at Midge getting a smile back.

"You said it was tonight right?"

He gives her a wink and earns a giggle in return.

"Yeah, I hope I'll see you there."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The drive to the house was quiet. Ryan kept trying to turn the radio on but stopped the moment Raquelle turned her icy stare on him.

Once they pulled into the lawn, Y/n quickly exited the car and headed to his room. Raquelle walked towards her cheetah printed couch, falling into it and letting out an exasperated sigh. Ryan made his way over to his twin and sat next to her.

"What's up sis?"

"Do you think we're being controlling?"

"Pfft, Pfft."

Ryan looked at Raquelle, one look in her eyes and he could see she was really battling with this.

"How could you think that?"

"How could you not think that?"

Raquelle was an insecure doll.

She tried hard to hide it but every now and then the mask slipped.

Ryan tried everything he could to talk her down when moments like this happened but sometimes even he couldn't help and that sucked.

Raquelle's face fell into her hands and her shoulders started to shake. Ryan got closer and pulled her into him, placing his head on top of hers.

People didn't cry in Barbieland and why should they? this was a happy place.

This should be a happy place.

"I just wish there was something I could do to make you guys feel better."

"This is enough."

"What about Y/n?"

Raquelle pulls back from her brother, a little glint in her tear soaked eyes.

"I think...I think I have an idea."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Knock Knock

Y/n looks up from strumming his guitar watching the door to his room open revealing his brother.

"Hey little bro. I'm going for a little drive before the show and wanted to know if you wanted to ride."

The (h/c) haired boy thought about it for a second, He started to climb out of his bed and played his guitar back in its case. He went to his closet choosing to wear a dress shirt that was half red and half black, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a pair of black jeans and some dress shoes.

The boy headed towards the door, ready to leave. Ryan stopped the younger boy and handed him his plastic cologne bottle.

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

Ryan chuckles pushing his brother towards the front door.

The two climbed into Ryan's car and pulled out of the driveway. The sky was dark when they left the mansion.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Y/n looked out the window with a smile on his face, Barbieland was beautiful even under the moonlight. As the car pulled into the beach, Y/n looked around in confusion.

"What's going on?"

Ryan just smirks at the boy, exiting the car and motioned for the other to do the same.

"Seriously Ryan, what's going on?"

Ryan rolls his eyes before sending the boy a playful grin.

"Well... Raquelle and I got tired of you moping around in your room so we decided...Why not have dinner at the beach?"

"The beach. You and Raquelle?"

Ryan just grins when his brother sends him a suspicious look. The two keep walking on the long, pink beach until they reach a small table that was dressed in a blue picnic blanket, two chairs at the end of each side. Ryan points at the table, motioning for the boy to sit.

"Where's Raquelle?"

Ryan starts checking the watch on his wrist. He looks up for a short period then looks back down again.

"She's taking care of some business."

A brief moment passed when a shadowy figure started heading towards the two, the figure getting taller and taller. That was definitely not Raquelle. Y/n looked up at his brother who was pacing back and forth, Ryan eyes never strayed from the approaching doll.

"You really like to take your time don't you Kenny boy."

The blonde boy frowned at Ryan's comment then smiles again when he sees his favorite doll there as well.

"You literally set this up last minute. It's a long walk from Barbie's dream house."

Ryan grinned at that. He was happy the blonde could make it at such short notice, when he and Raquelle went to the party he looked miserable and instantly agreed to meet up with Y/n. He didn't like Ken, he seemed like a little puppy dog but Ryan could see there was a darkness there though he respected that he cared just as much as the twins did about the (h/c) doll.

Ryan looks at his watch again, he takes it off and throws it to Ken then throws his keys to Y/n.

"Soundcheck's in 30, I can deal with that all on my own. As long as you're there for the show on time, we're good."

Y/n looked surprised, he was slowly catching up on what was going on. His eyes glowed up in excitement.

Ryan was a perfectionist, He needed things to run smoothly.

The two always had to be at the venue early. Lights were checked at least ten times and sound was checked on repeat.

He worked hard to make sure his shows were as perfect as could be.

Too bad no one was ever there to see it.

Ryan ruffles the younger dolls hair before walking off leaving the two dolls to their own devices.

"Your brother's kinda intense."

"Yeah, he is."

Y/n frowned a little causing Ken to worry.

"He said dinner, there's not even any food here."

Y/n waited a little longer until he was sure the other doll had fully left the beach before turning the blonde with a mischievous look in his eye. He lifted the keys up and pointed his eyes to the direction of the car on the other side of the beach.

"Alrighty, we're headed to my house."

Ken looked panicked.

He had never been to Y/n house. It's not that he didn't want to.

But he knew how Ryan felt about him and he didn't want to step on anyone's toes.

"They won't be mad about me being there."

"Nonsense Raquelle likes you and Ryan..."

Y/n thought about it for a second.

"He'll get over it."

"If you say so."

Ken was still hesitant but he felt safe with the doll in front of him so why not. He tapped his fingers against the table, looking nervous.

"Do you think I could drive?"

Ryan was gonna kill him for this.

"Why not."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After a hectic ride courtesy of Ken, the two found themselves on the couch talking about Barbie's Party. It was something they did everyday since Y/n never went but the details Ken gave always made him feel like he was there.

"Then he was all like, 'I bet you can't do a backflip Ken.' And did his annoying hair flip thing with the sparkles."

Y/n just listened to him, watching as he told his story with exaggerated hand movements and eye rolls when it came to Ken.

"Sounds fun."

Ken looked at Y/n, eyes shining as he recalls the memory.

"It was for a while. I wish you could have been there though."

Ken grabs one of the boy's hands and starts playing with his fingers.

"Barbie was a little sad you couldn't make it."

Y/n looked down a little, he felt a little guilty that he turned her down but he didn't want to upset his sister.

"Hey now, none of that."

Ken starts to rub the back of the boy's hand.

"She understands. Plus she had the other Barbie's to keep her company."

The two sat in melancholy silence, Ken's eyes scanned around the room to see if there was anything he could do to cheer the other boy up. His eyes landed on a Keyboard in the corner.

"You own a keyboard?"

Y/n's eyes followed the direction of the other doll.

"It's Ryan's but I know how to play it a little."

Ken looked at Y/n with adoration and excitement. It made Y/n's heart melt when he looked at him like that.

"Can you show me how to play?"

"Why not."

The two smiled at each other before getting up and heading towards the instrument. Ken kept pumping his fists, excited to learn something new from his favorite doll.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ryan was backstage pacing, nervously looking at the clock on the wall. The backstage door opens to reveal the dolls he was waiting for laughing their little hearts out, He lets out a breath of relief.

"Alright you two, to the dressing room."

Ryan grabbed each of both boys forearm and pulled them to the dressing room, there was three outfits ready for them to wear.

"Why are there three?"

"Why am I here?"

Ryan pats Ken's back with a lot of force.

"How good are you at playing guitar?"

"Pretty good."

"Great, hope you have good stage presence Kenny boy."

Ken looks at him confused. Ryan walks to the clothing rack and throws Ken one of the outfits, Ryan sends his brother a smirk before getting dressed.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The stadium was dark but filled with different Kens each brimming with excitement. Raquelle looked around a satisfied smile on her face watching all the faces Light up when the stage started to glow in a red light, the blonde girl beside her was already bouncing on the heels of feet before the show even started...

Raquelle was proud of herself, it didn't take much convincing to have the Kens come since the Barbies only ever had girls nights but to be able to pull the girl beside her away from said night was no easy feat, lets just say the other Barbies definitely aren't pleased with her.

"I can't believe he didn't tell me about this."

Barbie looked at Raquelle with a big smile on her face. She actually smiled back.

"I mean you are a busy woman."

"Yeah, but.."

Raquelle puts her finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet before pointing to the stage.

The flat screen on stage lit up, playing silent videos of Ryan playing his instruments. She rolled her eyes a little at that when red smoke started filling the stage. The platform at the bottom of the stage lifts up revealing Ken with a red electric guitar in his hand. He wore a mesh see-through long-sleeve shirt with a denim red cropped shirt that opened up and some black pants and platform boots, his hair was messy and had red glitter in it.

"Wooooo!!!"

"Let's goooo Ken!!!"

He smiled bigly hearing his name get called out by his friends, he starts playing the start of a tune when the spot light lands on him.

The lights around the stage start changing colors between red and orange. The other Kens start to get more hyped.

"I turn my cheer music up and I'm puffing my chest. I'm getting red in the face, you can call me obsessed. It's not your fault if they hover, I mean no disrespect. It's my right to be hellish..."

"I still get jealous."

A platform above the stage comes down slowly. Y/n stands on the platform with a black guitar that had small pictures of him and his siblings on it. He wore a red shirt with a black leather jacket and black leather pants and some black boots. A picture of him and Ryan now plays on the screen. Once he makes it on the stage Ryan runs out of the smoke filling the stage. He wore a black shirt with a red band jacket on top with black pants and some red dress shoes.

"You're too sexy beautiful and everyone wants a taste. That's why..."

"I STILL GET JEALOUS!!"

"You're too sexy beautiful and everyone wants a taste. That's why..."

Ken stomps his foot on the stage and it glows blue under his feet spreading towards the side of the stage and around. It surprised him that his color was represented on the floor, he looked at Ryan who only smirked at him.

"I STILL GET JEALOUS!!!"

Everyone starts clapping as the beat changes. Lights flashing white in the background. Y/n smiled as he played, this was the first time the Stadium had ever been filled up, let alone had people there to watch. Ryan walks up to Y/n and leans his forearm on the boy's shoulder.

"Oh no. See you walkin' 'round like it's a funeral."

The two boys walk up towards the front on the stage and down the stairs, Ryan motions for Ken to join them.

"So serious, girl, why those feet cold? We just gettin' started, don't you tiptoe, tiptoe, ah"

Ryan walks up to Raquelle who motions for him to pull Barbie on stage which he does. Y/n looks surprised to see his other friend here but happy none the least.

"Waste time with a masterpiece, don't waste time with a masterpiece."

Ryan motions to himself before winking at the audience then placing his arm around Barbie.

"You should be rolling with me, you should be rolling with me."

Ken looks at Y/n ready to sing his part. He may have learned this in the last ten minutes or so but he thought he was doing pretty good.

"You're a real life fantasy, you're a real life fantasy."

Y/n winks at him when he notices his stare.

"But you movin' so carefully, let's start living dangerously."

Y/n remembered writing that part about Ken cause he was always worried about what other people would say about them.

"They won't understand."

"What would they say?"

Y/n didn't care about all that and after a while Ken started to care less about it too but there was still a little voice inside that he couldn't get rid of.

"TALK TO ME BABY!!"

The lights started flashing between red and orange again. Little golden flakes started falling from the ceiling.

"I'm goin' blind from this sweet, sweet cravin'"

The screen starts showing a video of Ryan and Y/n learning how to dance for the first time.

"Let's lose our minds and go plastic crazy."

"I-I-I-I-I, Keep on hopin' we'll eat the cake by the ocean."

The group goes up the stage again with Barbie this time. Ryan pulls her into a little waltz as Y/n and Ken dance by each other. Ken's hair glitter going everywhere.

"WALK FOR ME BABY."

"I'll be Diddy, you'll be Naomi."

"Let's lose our minds and go plastic crazy."

"I-I-I-I-I KEEP ON HOPIN' WE'LL EAT THE CAKE BY THE OCEAN!!"

Ryan holds a note spotlight on him. Y/n shakes his head at his brother before changing the beat again. Golden glitter spreads from a cannon to the stage, the background changes orange, the screen now shows Ryan and Y/n's names in big glittery letters.

Ryan goes to his brother's side and pulls him in a side hug, shaking him as he does so.

"We go together, Better than the birds of a feather, you and me."

He ruffles his hair.

"We change the weather, I'm feeling heat in December when you're 'round me."

Ryan tries to moonwalk, it looks so goofy but the audience loved it. Y/n does the moonwalk too, actually nailing it and getting a bigger reaction. Ryan frowns but there's a playful look in his eyes and Y/n smiles at that.

"I've been dancing on top of cars."

"Stumbling out of bars."

"Follow you through the dark, can't get enough."

Barbie starts doing the Shakira hip shake and Ken starts stomping and clapping his hands, guitar hanging off his shoulder.

"You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain and baby, you know it's obvious."

"I'm a sucker for you."

The lights start flashing again, Red, blue, orange, pink, purple.

"Say the word and I'll go anyway blindly."

Barbie puts her arm around Ken, jumping in excitement.

"I'm a sucker for you."

"Any road you take, you'll know that you'll find me."

A video of a firework starts playing in the background.

"I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things no one knows about you."

"About you."

Barbie starts acting out the song.

"About you."

"And you're making the typical me, break my typical rules."

Ryan makes eye contact with Ken as he says that.

"It's true."

"I'M A SUCKER FOR YOU."

The show ends with glitter flying from the cannons again, the audience cheers as the lights go out. The four on stage laughing but clearly out of breath.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"OH MY PLASTIC!!!"

Raquelle runs up to her brothers backstage pulling them both in a tight hug.

"Ugh, I'm so proud of you two."

She pulls back and hits Ryan upside the head.

"Ouch, what was that for?"

"No reason."

She shrugs and winks at her other brother getting a small laugh out of him and a glare from Ryan.

"We should celebrate. Yeah?"

"Hell yeah."

Raquelle turns to the other two and pulls Ken in a hug.

"You were awesome."

Ken smiles at her as she pulls back, she gives Barbie a nod before motioning to the door.

"Alright, Dinner at our house."

"For real this time?"

She nods causing the (h/c) eyes to light up and joy, he quickly runs out of the building in the direction of the car with Ryan on his tail. Raquelle heads to the door before turning back.

"Aren't you coming?"

The two dolls point to themselves getting a head nod in return. They smile at each other before racing to the cars themselves. Once there everyone gets in.

"Can I drive?"

"No!!"

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"Hahaha"

#barbie #barbie 2023 #ken x reader #camila mendes #margot robbie #ken x you #raquelle barbie #nick jonas #ryan gosling #ryan barbie #Spotify #ken x male reader #ryan gosling x reader

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muuum-am-i-adohhhpted · 1 year

Text

Let Me Be Your Light (Empires SMP)

Summary: Twin orphans, Gem and fWhip, are the newest hires at Circo de Fantasia, a travelling circus filled with performers who have various magical abilities. However, the Mad King has been following the circus around for decades to steal the powers of various performers to take for himself. Recently, fWhip has been the most recent victim. Gem, who was born without powers and who only joined the circus to be with her brother, consoles fWhip while also realizing she may be integral to defeating the Mad King and getting everyone's abilities back.

AO3 Link

Word Count: 6797

Thank you to @mcytblraufest for hosting the event! Also absolutely huge shout-outs to my incredible artists @yoshiintheweb (art link)and @pidgedee (art here)!! The pieces look amazing!

~~~

Chapter 1

The Circo de Fantasia was a whirl of activity an hour before sundown—the time when the circus would officially open to the random city they had chosen. They were planning to stay for a week; it gave people living outside city limits time to travel to see the circus, but not too long that the performers got restless.

Multi-coloured striped tents littered the flat plot of land in organized chaos. The red-and-white big top, where the trapeze and tightrope apparatuses were set up, sat in the heart of the circus; all paths ended up there.

Gem hefted up her box of popcorn kernels further up her hip to keep it from slipping. She was heading in the opposite direction of the big top, towards the front entrance where the snack tent stood. Katherine, the strong woman, passed by with two large metal poles balanced on her shoulders like double fishing rods.

The snack tent was hard to miss. It was built to catch the eyes of anybody who passed through the main gates. The glass display was already filled with cookies, cupcakes, cotton candy, and slices of cake of all kinds of flavours. The choices were so vast that options had to be switched in and out on different days of the circus. Tonight there were oatmeal cookies, strawberry cupcakes, blueberry cotton candy, and carrot cake. The latter Gem had to be careful with—she was allergic to carrots.

There were other more exotic treats baked by the witch, Shelby: gum that, once chewed, made the consumer’s tongue a random, glowing colour; ice cream that made steam come out of a person’s ears and nose, the cone able to act like a goat horn to make various loud noises; and brownies that caused the person’s hair to float as if there were no gravity.

As Gem was putting the box of kernels away in the back as extra, Sausage appeared at the other end of the display case, Mittens the large boa constrictor twirling around his neck. The ostrich named Pippy was to his left.

Mittens let out a hiss, her tongue flicking out. Her triangular head bobbed in Gem’s direction.

“Mittens says you should check on fWhip,” Sausage translated, pursing his lips. Then, after a pause, “Tell him that, if he wants, he can help me out with my acts. I could always use more hands.”

“Thanks.” Gem gave a curt nod as Sausage continued on his way. She finished straightening out the snack tent before heading in the direction of the personal tents, way in the back of the circus.

The personal tents were much smaller and made of black material as they only had to house a bed, a dresser, and maybe a couple pieces of belongings. fWhip’s tent was right next to her own.

“fWhip,” she called out to her brother as she stood just outside his tent. “Can I come in?”

There was a muffled grunt from the other side that Gem took to be a “yes,” and so she entered.

The tent was sparsely decorated, which was to be expected. She and fWhip had only arrived at the circus two months prior, a little after their fourteenth birthdays, and they had been orphans living on the street. Not many personal belongings to spruce up the tent with. Gem’s only possession was a family picture of herself, fWhip, and their parents from Before.

fWhip himself was curled up in his bed, his red hair pointing in all directions. His face wasn’t nearly as pale as it had been a week ago at their last city, so Gem supposed that was one positive. Still, fWhip had been unusually quiet on their trip here. Gem couldn’t really blame him though—he was going through a lot.

“How are you feeling?” Gem asked quietly, sitting at the end of fWhip’s bed.

fWhip grunted again and dug his head into his pillow even more. He had mostly stayed in bed all day and the Ringmaster allowed it, saying that fWhip was grieving and needed a little more time to get back on his feet.

“Sausage told me that you could help him during his acts,” Gem said. “I know you like helping him care for the boars.” She tried to keep her voice as soothing as possible.

fWhip rolled over onto his back and his eyebrows were drawn down. “I don’t want another act,” he snapped. “I want my own one back.”

“Well, sleight of hand—”

fWhip grimaced. “I do not do sleight of hand—I mean did.” He stumbled over his words, the past tense clearly paining him to say. “There ought to be a way to get my magic back.”

Gem decided not to engage with more talk about the Mad King. Instead, she pivoted. “Just look at everybody who's lost their powers. Katherine might not be inhumanly strong anymore, but she’s worked out so much that she can still lift more than the average person can. False used to be able to fly, but now she does the trapeze. Jimmy could adjust his height at will, now he’s our contortionist.”

“But that’s the thing,” fWhip said. “Everyone already had those talents before the Mad King stole their powers. Katherine consistently exercised even when she could single handedly lift an elephant, False already swung around the forest like a monkey, Jimmy’s limbs were always freakishly flexible. Martyn didn’t grow up afraid of fire, so he can do non-magical fire acts. And Joel didn’t have to change much out of his act—just had to go on a tightrope without electricity pulsing through the rope.”

Gem had been wracking her head for an exception then finally landed on one. “Joey! He used to be able to control water and now he throws knives.”

“I don’t want to learn a new skill. I want my old one back.” fWhip finally sat up and he frowned, his eyes blazing. “You don’t understand, Gem. The magic that was inside of me, it was always there ever since I was born. I could always replace things with other objects, could always pull a pen out of someone’s pockets, put a coin in someone else’s. And now it’s just gone. You don’t have powers so you don’t understand.”

Gem blinked rapidly, not expecting her brother’s words to hurt as much as they did. Her lack of powers had been something she’d grappled with when their parents had still been alive; fWhip could do literal magic, she couldn’t. As they got older, the difference hurt less and less. Regardless, the bruise was still there.

Gem’s hands turned to fists in her skirts and she rapidly stood up. “Fine. I’ll just leave then. I’m trying to be nice and offer you some ideas on other acts you can do without your magic. And sure, I might not understand what it’s like to lose your powers, but I sure do understand what it’s like to be powerless.” Her nose crinkled as she grimaced. She yanked open the flap of fWhip’s tent. “It’s not so bad, you know, but you make it seem like the Mad King stole your life rather than your magic.”

Gem stomped away.

Chapter 2

By the time Gem changed out of her regular clothes and into her wizard’s costume (it was Circo de Fantasia; fantasy was in their name and the Ringmaster took it very seriously), the circus was about to open.

Above, dark clouds threatened to rain. Gem hoped it would hold off, at least until the end of the circus. However, despite the lack of natural light from the moon, the circus was properly lit up. Fire torches and electric lamps and fairy lights decorated the paths and tents. There was no shadowy area within the circus grounds, not even among the personal tents—especially among the personal tents.

Even though everything was well-lit (probably too lit for a night-time circus), Gem was still on edge. What if the Mad King found them again? Although he usually showed up one every two or three cities, the Ringmaster said the king was becoming more powerful due to all the magic he was stealing from people.

Scott, who was able to see a person’s magical aura due to his magical eye, said he could feel the power radiating from the King. When the Mad King had arrived last, stealing fWhip’s power, Scott had said the king’s flame burned bright and large—unnaturally strong. When Gem had questioned Scott about this when she’d just arrived at the circus, she’d asked him how it had all worked.

“It’s as if everyone has a candle inside them,” Scott had replied, looking at her with his blue eye and yellow crystal one. It had creeped her out at first; his yellow eye reminded her of a cat’s. Now, Gem was pretty used to his heterochromia. “Most people have regular flames. You know, tiny drops of fire that flicker every so often. However, others have a brighter flame, more immoveable. It’s hard to describe the difference, but those are the people with magical abilities. Those who have these abilities can train to make their fire within them stronger, but there’s a natural stopping point when it can’t get any bigger or more radiant.” Scott had shrugged.

Martyn, who had been previously rocking in his rocking chair, spoke up. His grey hair poked around his cowboy hat. He was the oldest performer at the circus by a long shot and his wrinkles grew deeper as he smiled. “Not me, though.”

“No, not Martyn,” Scott admitted. “Martyn used to be able to create and wield fire. But fire is alive and has a mind of its own. Without care, it can catch and grow out of hand. It actively fights against anything or anybody trying to control it. And, because of that, Martyn’s inner flame was much weaker since a part of his magic was fighting against the nature of fire.”

Martyn had laughed. “Now I just have to be extra careful when wielding fire; I’m not automatically fireproof nor can I douse fire with my mind!”

Returning back to the present, Gem sighed as she put in a bunch of popcorn kernels into the bright red popcorn machine behind the display of foods. Already, popcorn smell was wafting around the tent, all thanks to Shelby’s popcorn-smelling potion being released around the circus’ grounds.

The light jingle of bells announced Oli’s arrival, wearing a multi-coloured jester hat decorated with mini bells. His ukulele (dressed as a lute) was strung behind his back and multiple other instruments were hanging off his person. Trailing behind him was seven-year-old Hermes on a unicycle and wearing a similar court jester’s outfit.

“Gem!” Oli greeted with a kind smile and wave. He was a year older than Gem and that probably was one of the reasons why they got along well. “Ready for another night?”

“Of course,” Gem smiled, just as the popcorn began popping. She poured out a small cup and gave it to Hermes who took it eagerly.

Oli then became a little more serious. “And how’s fWhip doing?”

Pursing her lips, Gem responded, “Not exactly well. He’s missing his powers quite a bit. Lashing out.” She decided not to get into the details and what exact words were said.

“Dad was angry when the Mad King stole his powers,” Hermes said. “He tried to hide it from me, but I could tell it really upset him that he couldn’t do his usual tricks on the tightrope. He couldn’t clear the storms that could close the circus for the night.” The young boy frowned. “He’s happier now, I think.”

Oli patted Hermes on the back before pulling his ukulele around. He strummed out a chord and hummed along with it. He began picking at the strings, creating lyrics on the spot. Something about losing a part of yourself and never really being the same afterwards.

Tears pricked in the corner of Gem’s eyes and she sniffed violently to stop them from falling. She swatted Oli’s hat. “Stop that! You’re going to make everyone who steps inside the circus burst into tears.”

Oli placed his hands along the four strings of the ukulele to stop their vibrations before starting up a new song, much more upbeat than the last. A grin spread on Gem’s face as she felt the tune raise her spirits, joy rushing through her body.

“I wish the emotions you created stayed after you stopped your music,” Gem said with a sigh. fWhip could use some happiness in his life right now, even if it was fabricated and would evaporate as soon as Oli stopped singing or playing.

Oli shrugged, just as the first people entered the circus. “I’m only really good at temporarily changing emotions. It wouldn’t be healthy if it was permanent.”

“You’re probably right,” Gem said, readying her hands to fill bags of popcorn and hand out food for most of the night.

It wasn’t too bad, really. She liked seeing the people who entered the circus and, on the nights where they were opened multiple times in a single city, she enjoyed recognizing the people who came again and again.

People of all ages walked through the gate. A lot of the people entered were families with younger children, but older folks and adult couples oftentimes came too.

And it wasn’t as if Gem would be behind the snack tent forever. False was teaching her some trapeze moves and soon they could be a double act, flinging each other around in the sky. Gem wasn’t quite there yet, but it was exciting having future plans that weren’t just popcorn girl.

Abruptly, every light and flame in the circus went out. A dark fog appeared, making it so that the city’s light pollution was completely gone as well. There was only blackness. The brownie in Gem’s hand she was about to give to a child dropped to the ground.

Gem’s knees went weak and her mind began to race. Somewhere nearby, a kid began crying. Gem’s heart thumped, suddenly thrown back into her childhood where monsters lived in her closet and under the bed, and she had to sleep with a little light plugged in to ward away anything evil.

Panicking, she felt around until she was out of the snack tent. Light, she needed light. Blood was rushing in her ears and Gem began to run, hands out in front of her. She knew it was dangerous, that she could possibly run into someone or even a pole holding up a tent, but Gem couldn’t think straight; the only thing repeating in her mind was light. She was a moth frantically searching for a lamp.

Heat built up inside of her chest and Gem fell to her knees, gripping at her heart. Pain burned through her body, tears forcing their way out of her eyes. Was this what a heart attack felt like? Was she going to die here, in the unnatural darkness? Then, all of a sudden, there was a bright burst of golden light and Gem passed out.

Chapter 3

When Gem opened her eyes, fWhip was peering down at her, his nose practically touching her own.

She jumped, nearly smacking heads with her brother in the process. “fWhip!” she exclaimed, her voice slightly hoarse.

fWhip stood back, slightly sheepish. “Sorry,” he muttered, and Gem realized they were in her tent. “I wanted to see if you were still breathing.”

Gem squinted around the tent, in search of her clock. She finally found it, the hands telling her it was early morning. “What—what happened?” she asked. She remembered the darkness, the fear, and then the bright light.

There were footsteps outside her tent. “May Scott and I come in?” the Ringmaster said. “I can answer a few of your questions.”

“Sure,” Gem said, and waited until the Ringmaster and Scott entered.

“Are you feeling better?” the Ringmaster asked.

“Tell me what happened, please,” Gem said.

The Ringmaster sighed. “The Mad King has clearly grown stronger. He must have planned for a mass theft of magic last night. Douse all lights, steal the rest of our magic.” The Ringmaster worried his bottom lip and dark circles ran under his eyes.

Gem remembered her and fWhip’s first time at Circo de Fantasia, listening intently when the Ringmaster explained the circus’ purpose: to be a safe haven to those possessing magic.

“While having multiple magic wielders in the same space might not be ideal, the circus keeps us up at night, when the Mad King is the strongest,” the Ringmaster had told them.

“How does he find them?” Gem had asked. “How does he know who to steal from and who not to?”

The Ringmaster hadn’t said anything for a long moment. His eyes had gone far off, to a place Gem didn’t know, before finally responding by saying, “A type of hunting. Watching for inhuman abilities. Our witch, Shelby, casts a protective spell that follows the circus around and lasts a varying amount of time. She never knows when it fades away and, while she does try to reinforce it, the magic drains her a fair amount.”

Gem had furrowed her eyebrows, finding a rather large hole in the Ringmaster’s plan. “Then why are you placing yourselves all together? The Mad King has all of you in one place.”

“The Mad King steals powers easiest when his victim is asleep or unconscious—the magic flows freely then. In a circus, we’re up the whole night. Not only that, but he’s the most powerful at night when he can travel and manipulate the shadows. By day, we’re asleep and under Shelby’s magical protection.”

This conversation ran through Gem’s mind as she stared at the Ringmaster. Her eyes travelled over to Scott for a split second who was looking at her strangely and then to her brother who seemed to have decided that they were on good terms once again, their argument on the previous night forgotten.

“Okay, and? What was the bright light?”

“You,” Scott said, his eyes fixated on Gem. “Your candle’s flame is stronger. It doesn't flicker like it used to.”

Gem and fWhip instantly met each other’s gazes before Gem broke away to look at Scott. “Wait, what? Does that mean I unlocked a magical ability? Is that even possible?” The world spun; she felt like her tent was a ship’s cabin and she was seasick.

“Her power is light?” fWhip exclaimed, and Gem could hear hints of jealousy and awe in his voice.

The Ringmaster glanced over at fWhip and shook his head slowly. “Not just light. The sun.”

At this, Gem chuckled a little. “The sun?” she repeated. “It was nighttime when the bright light occurred. The sun had been down for hours.”

“The moon only shines because the sun’s rays reflect off of it,” the Ringmaster said.

Scott’s blue eye was frantic as he said, “you could be the key to defeating the Mad King. His original power is darkness and shadow, right?” He turned to the Ringmaster. “This could be a turning point. We wouldn’t have to worry about him stealing our powers.”

“If the Mad King dies, will I get my ability back?” fWhip said, his eyes lighting up; Gem hadn’t seen such hope on his face in weeks.

There was a slight lull in the conversation and Gem watched Scott’s yellow eye flick over to her once again.

“It’s possible,” the Ringmaster said slowly, turning to fWhip, clearly not wanting to get his hopes up too much. “But it’s also entirely possible that, once defeated, everyone’s powers die with him.”

The light in fWhip’s eyes suddenly dimmed and his mouth drew down in a frown. Gem wanted to say something to make him feel better, but what was there to say? He had recently lost his power and was now learning that his twin sister did have one when he’d previously thought otherwise. And, even if the Mad King was defeated, there was still no guarantee of getting his own ability back.

“At this point, the best we can hope for in killing the King is that no one else’s abilities are stolen,” Scott said. “We’ll have to get you training right away. You’re lucky False has been training you in the trapeze—being physically strong will help immensely. But Martyn might also be useful; he knows what it’s like to fight against the nature of fire. For you, Gem, you’re fighting against the nature of the sun.”

The Ringmaster rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If you could somehow focus a light blast similar to last night’s, aiming directly at the Mad King…that could be the end. Your light might be able to be the killing blow against his darkness.”

“This is perfect,” Scott said, and his voice sped up as he continued. “The Mad King has been able to extinguish any kind of light, fire and electricity, but with Gem’s power—he can’t take out the sun—we might actually have a chance of not running for our lives for an eternity.”

“There’s only one problem,” fWhip said blandly from the corner of the tent. Both the Ringmaster and Scott swivelled their heads to look at fWhip as he pointed to a bottle on the bedside table Gem had had Shelby create to glow for three hours after being shaken. “Gem’s afraid of the dark.”

Chapter 4

Gem truly thought she had grown out of that particular fear. When she thought about being scared of the dark, she remembered padding out to her parents bedroom until they bought her a mini nightlight and, even then, she’d keep her curtains open so the light emanating from the nearby buildings would keep the imaginary monsters at bay.

To be fair, Gem was no longer scared of monsters with horns and sharp teeth and one eye; it was the fact that she couldn’t see. She was completely vulnerable in the dark, unable to do anything about a hypothetical danger. Like a power-hungry king, for example.

When her and fWhip’s parents died and they were orphans on the street, Gem had just assumed the trauma of losing them overrode her fear of the dark.

Now, looking back, Gem just realized that, living on the streets, she was never truly in darkness. No matter how dark the alleyway was, there was always a streetlamp, or a building whose light was still on, or the moon and stars. Even if it was mostly dark, she was never in true darkness.

The next afternoon, Gem visited Shelby’s work tent where strange herbs and ingredients on tables were lined up in bottles and a handful of brewing stands were bubbling and steaming away.

“Do you think you could make a night-vision potion for me?” Gem asked, watching as Shelby ground up a pink flower. She was wearing a green apron with multiple pockets in the front, holding various tools and other ingredient bottles.

Shelby winced, brushing the pink dust into an empty glass bottle on the table in front of her. “It’s not going to be able to help you see when the Mad King comes back.”

Gem sighed—this was what the Ringmaster had told her earlier that day. “Still, it might give me some peace of mind, you know?”

With one hand, Shelby reached into her apron’s pocket for a bottle of mushrooms, with the other she flipped open a heavy book. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” Her eyes ran through the words on the page as she unstoppered the bottle in her hands. “I have all the ingredients, nether wart…golden carrot—”

A lump formed in Gem’s throat. “Carrot? Like, an actual carrot?”

Shelby nodded offhandedly before realization dawned on her face. Her hands stopped moving and she placed all her attention on Gem. “Wait, you’re allergic to carrots, aren’t you?”

~~~

“Were you ever afraid of anything?” Gem asked False as they stretched below the trapeze equipment. “And did you get over your fear?” Gem didn’t think False could be afraid of anything—not when she flipped and spun around in the air without a net and her power of flight stolen from her.

False thought about this for a moment, her legs straight out in front of her, her body bent forwards so that her head was touching her knees. “I used to be afraid of cats.” She turned to look at Gem with a wry smile. “If I thought I saw one out of the corner of my eye, I’d run the other way.”

Gem’s eyes widened. “Really?” she asked. “And you’re no longer afraid of them? How’d you do that?”

“It took me a long time to get over that fear,” False said, then must have noticed Gem’s pinched face. “Fears don’t go away easy. You have to work at them constantly. And, even now, sometimes a cat catches me by surprise and I find myself taking steps backwards.”

Gem flopped down on her back and sighed. “Then how am I supposed to get over my fear? The Mad King could be here tonight and I need to be there to defeat him.”

False pursed her lips and put a comforting hand on Gem’s arm. “You aren’t alone in this fight. When the Mad King comes, everyone will be there. My advice for you? Go talk to Lizzie; she might be able to help. She did for me, and not just because she has cat characteristics.”

Gem still wasn’t sure. “How? Even if fortune telling could help me, she’s not actually a real one.”

“I know, but she gives solid advice. I think she might be helpful.”

“Well, if you say so.” If False said Lizzie could help, Gem would take her word for it. Clearly something had worked if False got over her fear of cats with Lizzie, a woman who was like a cat.

Gem and False then spent the next hour flying on the trapeze, letting go and catching each other in mid-air. She could feel the wind in her hair, her stomach dropping when she let go of the bar of a split second, then the satisfaction of connecting with False’s hands. It was nice to get her mind off of something that wasn’t related to the Mad King.

~~~

On her way to Lizzie’s tent, Gem passed the Ringmaster, hurrying in the opposite direction. When Gem turned the corner and walked a couple more steps, Sausage and the Ringmaster were speaking together in low tones, head bent together. While Gem didn’t know the specifics of the Ringmaster’s power, perhaps it was teleportation? Although, she had never seen this happen before.

Deep in thought, she almost bumped into fWhip.

“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” fWhip asked. While her brother’s complexion was a little less sickly, there were still dark circles under his eyes.

Gem desperately wanted to go to Lizzie’s as soon as possible, but she couldn’t find it in herself to brush off her brother. She was so in her head about her own issues, but fWhip was also going through difficulties. “I’m heading to Lizzie’s for advice. Wanna come?”

fWhip looked just as skeptical as Gem felt, but shrugged. “I suppose. Nothing else better to do.”

As they walked shoulder-to-shoulder, Gem asked, “so, did you take up Sausage’s offer?” She felt like she knew the answer, but she hoped nonetheless.

fWhip snorted. “No.”

Gem sighed, but didn’t push further. She didn’t want to get in another fight. She needed her brother to be here with her, just like she knew fWhip needed her as well (despite thinking otherwise).

Lizzie’s tent was an elaborate deep pink and, during the nights, a fine fog emanated from it (curtesy of one of Shelby’s potions). Out front, “Mystic Mary’s Fortune Telling” was written on a sign.

Inside, there was a little table filled with strange objects, a glass ball, and a stack of cards. Lizzie herself was curled up in the back, in a nest of blankets. As soon as Gem and fWhip entered, her eyes shot open, showing off her vertical pupils.

“Oh, it’s just you two,” Lizzie said, and she unfurled herself so she could stand. She was shorter than both Gem and fWhip. “I assume you aren’t here for a reading.”

“False told me you helped her get over her fear of cats,” Gem explained as Lizzie sat down on a stool behind the table. Gem decided to take the other chair, leaving fWhip standing. “She said you might be able to give me advice about my current...issue. You see, I’m scared of the dark. I don’t think I’m going to be strong enough to handle being completely in the dark and focus a blast powerful enough to kill the King.”

Idly, Lizzie picked up the stack of tarot cards, beginning to shuffle them. Gem could see how people thought Lizzie was a legitimately skilled fortune teller. “Well, that’s easy.”

“It is?” fWhip said, and Gem turned her head slightly to see that her brother’s eyes were focussed entirely on Lizzie’s hands, moving the cards around. Yearning was clear in his gaze.

“Well,” Lizzie amended, “it’s quite difficult to get over fears quickly. There’s not exactly a way to shortcut those kinds of things.”

Gem deflated.

“But that’s not what I’m talking about,” Lizzie continued. “The Mad King is the strongest at night, right? So just don’t fight him then. Lure him out and then when it’s day—when you’re the most powerful—land the final blow.”

Chapter 5

Gem didn’t have to wait long for the Mad King to strike. In the two weeks leading up to it, her days consisted of being with False and becoming physically stronger, and being with Martyn to become mentally stronger and able to create balls of light between her hands.

“You’ve got to believe in yourself,” Martyn had told Gem, out in the back field behind the circus one afternoon. “You’re fighting against the sun; you’re taking light for yourself. Even using a miniscule amount needs willpower.”

Gem who, at that point, hadn’t been able to conjure more than foggy beams of light since that night she realized her powers was close to quitting for the day. “Why can’t this be easier? Why can’t the sun just let me take some of its light?”

“The sun ain’t exactly listening to your prayers,” Martyn had replied with, and he’d adjusted his cowboy hat on his head that he wore, even outside of his fire performance. “It’s a game of tug o’ war and you have to come out victorious.”

“Well, what did you do in the beginning to create fire and control it?” Gem had asked. “How did you even start?”

Martyn had given Gem a wry grin. “Anger. I focussed all the emotion I felt about being supplanted in my town into the palms of my hands. Fire really reacted to it; it crackled and popped so much so that I burned down a forest. But it was a start.”

Gem had frowned. “Doesn’t exactly seem very healthy.”

“Well of course it wasn’t. But it was the match strike I needed. Now I just think about the adrenaline I feel during each of my performances.”

It had taken a moment to search for anger, something to latch on to. Gem wasn’t a naturally angry person. fWhip had come to mind and the fact that all he wanted to do was wallow, but that really wasn’t fair. Gem wanted what was best for her brother and she couldn’t expect him to just get over it.

Finally, Gem had found something. The Mad King. The man who had taken so many people’s powers—probably too many to count now. Who had stolen from so many good people; who had taken from her brother. Who would continue taking until he had consumed all of it. And, if it ever got to that point, would the Mad King even be satisfied?

That had been the turning point. A great ball of light formed above her open palms.

~~~

Everyone knew distracting the Mad King until daylight would be difficult, but they all had a plan.

And so, when the circus descended into darkness, everyone was ready. All the patrons ran off once they realized it wasn’t a part of the show, afraid out of their wits. Lizzie, with her uncanny sense of who was around her, led half of the performers with powers away from the King while Scott, whose eye gave him the ability to see everyone’s flames—shrouded by darkness or not—took the other half.

Everyone else was on distraction duty.

The only exception to this rule was the Ringmaster and Sausage, who asked help from bats so they could navigate without seeing. The two of them went off on their own and Gem didn’t question it at the time, although now she was wondering if it was safe to do so.

Gem had tried to persuade the Ringmaster to have fWhip be with her; she didn’t know what she’d do with herself if something happened to him. But the Ringmaster assured her that fWhip was in good hands. Katherine’s hands to be exact.

Somewhere to Gem’s left, she could hear Oli humming a song under his breath, her anxiety about being thrust into the darkness once again lessening.

“Shhh,” Lizzie hissed, and Oli instantly stopped and Gem felt the hairs on her neck rising, her heartbeat speeding up. She gripped onto Hermes’ hand as tightly as he was holding hers.

Suddenly, there was a lot of jostling as people tripped over each other’s feet and, over the slight din of the nearby city, Lizzie said, “quickly. Turn left.”

Gem followed the group as best she could, feeling everyone around her adjust to Lizzie’s instructions. That was when she heard fWhip’s voice nearby. Gem couldn’t exactly make out what he was saying, but her body went stock still when she heard the next voice.

“You’re the little boy who I stole from last time at this wretched circus, aren’t you?” The voice was gravelly and deep.

Instantly, Gem yanked herself from Hermes’ grip and ran blindly towards the Mad King and her brother. She knew this wasn’t a part of the plan; the plan was to keep moving around the empty field and outskirts of town until the sun broke through the horizon. But the Mad King did not mention Katherine, and Gem needed to be there with fWhip if Katherine wasn’t.

Gem kept the layout of the circus in mind, forcing herself to take quiet breaths and knowing she was coming upon a turn. Slowly, she crept forward with her arms outstretched until she felt the smooth material of the side of Oli and Hermes’ clown tent.

“I see,” the Mad King said once again. “The silent treatment.”

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” fWhip’s voice came out hard and almost annoyed. “Haven’t you ravaged this circus enough? Aren’t you powerful enough?”

The Mad King laughed—and Gem stopped in her tracks. His laugh was terrifyingly confident, as if he already knew what would happen. That he would consume Gem’s power and he’d be able to steal people’s abilities for an eternity. “Boy, there’s never enough. There will never be enough powers to take. Nothing will ever be enough for me. Just how nothing will ever be enough to satiate the space in you that was previously filled by your powers.” There was a pause. “But I can make you a deal.”

Gem felt rooted to her spot, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of fear. It was dark, the Mad King was just over there, and he was speaking to fWhip, one-on-one. She could barely hear her own tumbling and twisting thoughts.

The Mad King continued. “I can give you any power you want, however many you want. Your old powers back, telekinesis, super strength, shapeshifting…” Another pause. “All you have to do is bring me your sister.”

Gem’s heart dropped to her feet. fWhip wouldn’t…would he? Ever since her brother’s powers were stolen, just how many times had he complained? How many times had he told her that he wanted his powers back?

“Any power I want?” fWhip’s voice was suddenly meek.

Gem’s mouth felt impossibly dry.

“Your wish is my command.”

There was a third painstakingly long pause before fWhip replied with a snort. “Yeah, no thanks. I’ll get over my lack of ability, but I could never forgive myself for giving Gem up to you.”

The Mad King didn’t seem all that upset. “Plan B, I suppose. A lot less dramatic, but it’ll have to do.” And there was a snapping sound.

The darkness dropped away. One moment, Gem was surrounded by nothingness. The next, the beautiful sky, stars, and moon, and the tents of Circo de Fantasia.

Gem, who had been at the edge of the tent, suddenly came face to face with the Mad King, floating a couple of feet off the ground. He was wearing all-black armour and only his mouth was visible. It curled into a satisfied grin. “Hello Gem.”

fWhip’s head spun around and his eyes widened. “Gem!” he exclaimed, and ran towards her.

Gem came to the too-late realization that the Mad King had wanted her to overhear him. If fWhip agreed to the King’s terms, Gem would have been beside herself and therefore an easy target. And, if fWhip hadn’t, Gem would still be within distance.

Like she was right now.

The Mad King still wasn’t moving, although his smile was more than a little unnerving. “It’s time for me to snuff out your light,” he said.

“Oh no you don’t,” the Ringmaster’s voice said, coming out from the tent Gem was standing next to. And he let out an ear-piercing whistle.

Another Ringmaster came out of the tent to Gem’s right, and the other tents lining the pathway. Sausage’s llamas came bounding around a corner, Sausage himself riding one with a sort of wooden staff in his hands, a cyan gem between the curved top.

Gem rubbed her eyes as a dozen Ringmasters appeared.

The Mad King looked at them all thoughtfully. “Do you like each time I consume a Pixlriffs’ power, my time travelling ability will grow stronger—?”

Sausage raised his staff and a blue light shot directly at the Mad King’s back, immobilizing him.

The Ringmaster closest to Gem turned to her as the rest of the Ringmasters began to surround the slowly descending King. “The Staff of Sanctuary, an old relic from Sausage’s past, won’t last long against him—he’s consumed too many powers. I know we wanted to wait until day, but it’s just not possible anymore. You must defeat him now.”

Gem shuddered and glanced up before looking over at fWhip who looked just as bewildered as Gem felt. He gave her a thumbs up. Gem returned it with a strained smile.

She was grateful the King’s darkness was no longer a factor. She was surrounded by friends—multiples of friends—and her brother. She was standing within circus grounds, with its comforting light and brightly coloured tents. This was her home.

Gem took a deep breath, feeling her palms grow hot. Instead of finding anger within herself to unlock her light, she found something else. Something harder to find, but stronger.

Hope.

She could do this. Even if it was dark, Gem had a feeling she could conjure light even then. Her brother would never betray her, despite being at first doubtful. But she never should have been skeptical of him.

Gem felt her eyes flutter closed. She didn’t see the light, but she felt it as it blasted out of her hands and into the Mad King. Her eyelids flashed a bright orange.

When she re-opened them, Ringmasters were gently fading into mist. Gem’s head pounded, her hands felt raw and dry.

“What’s happening to them?” fWhip asked to no one in particular.

The Ringmaster closest to Gem replied, “going home. They’ve been stuck here for years. Every time I’ve tried to see past the moment the Mad King tries to bribe you, I couldn’t see. It fogs up. Stuck in this moment.” He smiles. “Now everything’s changed.”

“And everyone’s powers?” Gem asked, feeling a yawn coming on.

fWhip grinned and Gem suddenly felt a heavy rock appear in her pocket. “Guess,” he said.

Gem smiled back, letting out her yawn.

“Alright let’s get to bed,” fWhip said, and the rock disappeared from Gem’s pocket. He steered her shoulders in the direction of her tent. “You should definitely rest.”

And, as Gem closed her tent’s flap to collapse into bed, the sun began to rise.

#mcytblraufest23 #empires smp #roseblings #empires smp fanfic #empires smp fanfiction #geminitay #fwhip

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star-shard · 2 years

Text

Bullseye

Elvis x Y/N

Premise: It’s another day at your summer job at the amusement park. But when night hits a certain celebrity rents the whole place out. And you find out he’s taken a lot of interest in the shooting gallery, and in you.

Warning: NSFW: Oral (male receiving), Semi public, Gun kink

Word Count: 3k

Note: Takes place in late 1950s

Starpark is known for it’s lights, fun, and like any amusement park worth it’s salt: occasional screams of terror from the thrill rides. This place has been a mainstay in Memphis, everyone knows that instant relief from a hot summer day that only a Starpark snow cone can provide. And to you, it’s become a pretty perfect summer job.

And a few weeks in, you’d gotten used to the occasional catastrophe. For example, a little kid getting stuck on a ride or that one fateful day the hot dog stand caught fire and burned to the ground. But you learn tonight especially was to be exciting in a different way.

You knew it’d be different when your boss said he needed a handful of night owls to run a special shift. A high roller had rented the whole place out to pal around with some buddies. Now, you’d read some magazines about celebrities organizing glamorous parties, or special movie showings, but this kind of outing made you curious enough to lean into employee gossip you usually avoided.

There were whispers about it being some oil tycoon, another said that it was a famous model. But the one rumor that came from the most trusted ferris wheel operator east of the Mississippi, swore by his cigarette that it was going to be Elvis Presley.

That was a whole other world of exciting compared to a flaming hot dog cart. You became an official night owl right then and there.

—

You’re already on your third coke by the time midnight comes around. You can’t nod off at a time like this after all. It’s surreal to see the park empty, the usual lights twinkling way past their bedtime. Working at the park, everyone knows a bit of each other’s job here and there, but right now you’re stationed with the games. It’s the usual suspects, ring toss, bottle bash, balloon pop, and of course the shooting gallery.

Keeping yourself busy setting up isn’t easy as whenever a car drives by you pop your head up to see who’s coming. You heard Elvis’s records, had even seen him on the television. Maybe you weren’t apart of a fan club but you would plead guilty on writing about him in your diary.

Just as you mindlessly stack teddy bears prizes against the walls of the booths, that’s when you hear it. Two cars pulling onto gravel. Duel Cadillacs to be specific, one red, one white, both new. Some bouncy radio can be heard form the cars but it’s pretty overpowered by the hollering of the band of VIPs inside.

They pop out one by one, some guys, a gal or two, and from this distance it’s hard to make out who’s who. Your area is a ways away. By now you’re straight up staring and leaning closer for a better look. Leaning… leaning… until you go ass over teakettle. Right over the edge of the booth. Its enough to make your face redder than that Cadillac, praying no one saw that.

But someone does. The someone. Now you can make out his face. Yep, Elvis Presley sees your little foible. And you quickly get yourself up and brush yourself off. When he smiles in your direction, you just about die of embarrassment on the spot.

—

Well, your first celebrity encounter being a disaster. You wondered if you could just head to the back section of the booth where all the extra teddy bears were stored so you could bury yourself there. It wouldn’t be the worst way to go. Your previous hope that Elvis might stop by was now matched with just as strong a feeling that he wouldn’t. At first it seemed you’d get your wish. He and his gang seemed most attracted to the rides.

You leaned up against a crude painting of a clown in the ring toss booth. “You and me, Bozo, couple of jokers,” you muttered against it, “who knows how he sees me now…”

“You could ask if you like.” A low drawl breaks your pity party and you turn to see him. Elvis. He seems more amused than anything else at your little chat with an inanimate clown. But, you now find death by teddy bear burial even more appealing. “Don’t you worry a thing, everyone falls off a stage now and then.”

It’s a response you didn’t expect, but you’re grateful. Grateful that it seems he didn’t point you out to his buddies like some boys in your high school would have. “Well, uh, I do usually try to stick the landing,” you have a sheepish expression as you laugh it off with him. You realize that he’s up closer now, that black shirt you saw in the distance is confirmed lace, really contrasting those pink pants he has on. And you can see he really is more gorgeous up close in person. “But, right.” You clear your throat, you are working after all… “Can I help you with something, Mr. Presley?”

“Just Elvis is alright.” His hand sets in his pocket, leaning and relaxed. “Well since I got good company,” he nods your way, “may as well play a game. What’s on the menu?”

You smile and start to gesture, “we have things like ring toss and well that one you try to get bean bags in the hole,” you’ve been kind of distracted by him that only now it dawns on you his friends hadn’t come up to join him. “Would… your guys want to play too?”

Elvis shrugged, “they’re having fun in the mirror maze right now, that’ll keep ‘em busy for a while.” He added on, “besides I see enough of myself as is, you know?” Its said humorous but for a moment it does have you wondering what it’s like to be like that, to just have your face on just about everything. Frankly you’re glad to have it right here. “I think I’d like to try out the shooting gallery,” his head gestured to the booth at the very end.

You had a feeling he’d go for that. Young men loved that one. Of course you have to leave the booth you’re in first. And just as you lift yourself up on the counter to slide to the other side, he takes your hand. He has a knowing smile and you share a laugh as this time rather than falling to the ground, you land right toe to toe with Elvis. You feel a little pink, and you gesture for him to follow you down to the end.

It’s quieter down here, a little more private.

The game is pretty easy to catch on with: hit the target. You give the usual rules, three shots and if he gets a bullseye then he gets a prize. Usually you’re explaining it to a young man that has his girl attached to his hip. This set up is a little preferable. As you get into position of the vender of the booth and settle in a safe corner, he picks out a gun to use.

“Good luck,” you say, a usual line before the game but, it’s said a little different this time. This time you’re way more invested.

He nods your way and settles into the mounted gun. It looks good on him, the sight makes you feel different in a way you can’t place. The gun is not lethal of course, just pellets in there, not bullets. But damn if it doesn’t look real. It ring off, pop, pop! And, you have to hand it to him, for a game that’s semi rigged he actually has good game. And bam, last one hit right in the center.

“Bullseye!” you smile his way and head for the prize wall that is overwhelmed with fluff of all kinds. Though you guess it’s a little silly to give one of these out to someone like Elvis, a guy that probably already has everything. But, you’re wrong about that. He doesn’t have exactly everything handed to him. Sometimes he has to be forward about it.

He gives the wall of toys a look up and down, “They look cute, hmm, mind if I get a better look?” With a gesture to the counter you look left and right, to see if anyone is going to notice you letting a guest on in but. Come on, surely your boss wouldn’t mind a rule bend for Elvis. When given the okay he slides on over to be right there next to you. When he goes it, it’s effortless. “Yep, I knew it, cute,” he confirms like it’s a fact which makes you giggle. But it’s then you notice he’s not looking at the prizes at all.

No doubting it, his gaze is on you. The Elvis Presley, taking an interest in you. It dawns on you that maybe he didn’t come over here for any game an amusement park might offer.

“Well, I suppose you can pick out whatever you want then, Elvis.” You swallow and realize your mouth has done a little dry. “I mean, what else would you… come over for?” You can now feel your heart in your chest.

He nodded, pleased by your expressing that you’re catching on. “Just for a little fun.” He takes a few steps forward and your back now hits one of the mounted targets. And now it’s like you are completely in his sights and truly a deer in headlights. Yet he doesn’t go in for the kill right away, as if waiting to see if you’re scared.

But, you’re not. You realize that beating in your chest isn’t fear at all. It’s excitement. So you say it. “Well... Have fun.” It’s all he needs. He leans in eager and kisses you like he’s been waiting. And it’s better than you could have even thought. His hand goes up to your hair to cradle your head and encourage you to give right back and you have to brace your hand on the front of his chest to keep yourself steady. It’s all lights and color.

It was hard to think at a time like this, but you’re just warm and wanted. It’s as simple as him thinking you were cute and it was just a bit of messing around. But, even if it is only a casual it’s one heavy with desire. You could wonder where it came from but a feeling this intense often bloomed from something there that had been waiting. And when his lips goes from your lips to your neck, it becomes clear this was going to be more than just a moment.

Thank god.

Your breath hitches as soon as your mouth is free and you overhear some bustling. Co-workers? His friends? Either way you didn’t want to be on display right now. He notices your fidgeting. “There’s,” you honest to god whine when he gives your skin a nip, “better prizes in the back if you… wanna see.” You’re way past coy but you can’t help yourself. Elvis did say he wanted fun.

—

An assortment of various plush and fuzzy faces is as good as any makeshift bed. It’s where you land when you two slip away to the back. With just beyond the thin fabric walls between you and the rest of the amusement park. The only thing to absorb any sound being the teddies and a few junk guns that stopped working properly all stacked up. But you focus in on the view. And what a view from down here, him standing above you. His black lace shirt blends in with the shadows behind Elvis and his skin looks just like the light coming through the curtains.

It’s as private as a shower at the beach. And yet it feels like you’re alone together. The occasional joyful shout from the company just outside feels far somehow.

You can tell he’s ready, but he seems to take some enjoyment out of watching you dazzled. Maybe finding it sweet, the clumsy girl suddenly ready for a man’s full attention. For a second you feel like a gazelle about to be pounced upon but when his hand glides over one of the used up guns, his gold ring tapping against it. “Isn’t it a little dangerous having these all piled up, sugar?”

You remind yourself that the worst a game gun could do is give a nasty bruise at far range. But hell, the imagery alone has you swallow thickly, “those are dead guns, that one right there jams, only fires after every third trigger pull.”

“Then I’d better stop at three.” He muses, easy toned. But, he doesn’t pick anything up. His hand hovers over the black metal. Now, he had his fun, just as it was afforded to him. But, Elvis wasn’t about to involve a little lady if it scared her. He wasn’t about that. A game wasn’t a game if one player wanted out. And depending on the reaction he could just play it off as a joke.

But just seeing him like that brought you from aroused to something more like… horny. Parents all around town were calling him bad news, saying he sang devil music, that he was a menace. And well, like for many girls, that was doing it for you. Being a little dangerous, a little different, that was all the fun of working at an amusement park, right? “I’ll be counting,” you nod.

“You want out, you say uncle,” he nods back your way. He means that. The gun now fits in his hand and points it just slightly in your direction. “Now. I wanna see you.”

Where his eyes land on you, it gives you all you needed to know. You unbutton your blouse. One by one, they came open and it seems Elvis is particularly pleased with what he sees because when you reveal your white bra the gun in his hand raised higher and now you felt it’s sights on your head. And the first trigger sounds off. “One.”

He kneels on down to you. His free hand first gliding up between your legs and brushing and giving a quick rub where they meet, just before his knees sink down on other side of you. You shiver, he’s right on top of you, perched now just below your hips. And a distinct black metal barrel is now against your cheek. “I got an eye for talent, you know,” he mumbles, the gun just starting to trace your jaw and go near your lips. “I love to be impressed.”

And that gets your tongue practically asking for the gun to be in your mouth. Ready to show off. Like those girls that would crowd around the water fountains instead of going to class, or those free living ladies posing in dirty magazines. A bad boy’s girl. When he obliges you give him a preview of just what you could do, gliding the barrel against your cheeks and licking as it nears your throat. You cough just once, but it passes quick. The metal is cold and harsh but his burning gaze warms you right back up.

His free hand has gone to his pants now, and you can see him gripping at his belt. With him jostling himself on top of you, even with the layer of a skirt and panties you get a feeling from the pressure and movement he provides. You feel dirty, filthy, it’s wonderful. You want him inside you right now and you don’t care where. Your groan lines right up with the second trigger sound. “T-two,” you say, mouth full.

When the guns comes out you’re met with the sight of his front zipped down . He’s hard. “Real thing now…” he chuckles, his once perfectly combed hair looks wilder now, wild as his eyes. When he shifts up to get closer to your face, that free hand hooks down between yours legs and gives his fingers a quick twist before leaving you wanting. God.

He’s in your mouth. He’s careful about it, waits for you to chase him before he starts easing his pelvis forward and damn this was different from a gun. Warm skin, thick. Elvis keeps a close eye on your expression and pulls himself out, waiting for you to give any kind of word, but you don’t. You just want this. He keeps an even pace, his trigger finger itching. “Look at you, don’t you love it…” he chuckles, pushing some of his hair back, giving a slight buck. “I knew I picked a good girl.”

Your thighs now desperately close and rub to get some more friction for yourself, because you’re plain wet now.

You’re deep in the heat of it when the outside world gets suddenly closer. Some words like, “E, where are you?” And other calls for where he’d gone. And that somehow just ups it. And it seems Elvis is aware too because he pulls out his cock from your mouth. But you can’t have it end like this. Not when he’s close. Not when you’re close.

“We’re almost done,” you whine louder than you thought you might which gets him worked up, one of his friends could have heard that. The gun goes back to your head, and the dick back in your mouth. Your now muffled voice against him is all it takes. A click. You both cum.

One swallow later and he’s limp against the outside of your cheek. “Three.”

—

“Hey Elvis, where’d you go, man?” A younger teen gets up beside Elvis, not long after he’s stepped out from the booth. Elvis’s hair tells a story that this guy is apparently a little too naive to catch on about. “What, did you ride the spin-a-round again?” He asks jovially as he gave Elvis’s hair a fluff, which got some boyish push back, as a friend might do.

As you yourself reappear on the opposite side of the little structure, most everything resembled. Well except your underwear, that had to go. It looks like no one is the wiser. Still you couldn’t help but listen in on Elvis and his boys near by.

Elvis strode on to see his buddies, acting cool and casual as they dug in at him and made fun, “you should have seen it, EP, Jerry got all lost in the maze, Red had to fish him out. You missed all the fun!” And you had to cover your mouth to keep your laugh from getting out.

As you peered over at the group heading to their cars to head out, just before getting in, Elvis stood back just long enough to catch your eye contact. He raised up his hand, positioning a finger gun and popped it in your direction. Oh, he’d be back many other times after this. And if you’d ever fool around again? Well, you were feeling pretty game.

#elvis #elvis fanfiction #got a little wild

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fiftytwotwentythree · 10 months

Text

Wellness Wednesday:

Looking to Finish Strong

I, for the most part, completed my main objectives and goals for the year - but by some strange test of fate I could slip up.

So...

For the next 4ish weeks (26 Days - 4 more posts) my plan is to be easy going, but mindful of diet and exercise routine. With widely surpassing my objectives I could tank/skip my workouts or diet and still come out on top of my goals, but I would like to end on the highest note possible - I would like my last weight to be the lowest I've ever weighed AND I would like to be able to say 100% confidence that I went a whole year without a chip, slice of pizza, or an ice cream cone - let alone a single order of take out.

As well - I would be excited to see my final stats on my exercises. To my current knowledge I think I have only missed 3 or 4 workouts - that's 3 or 4 days out of the last 340 days. I'd like to keep that stat below 5 for the remainder of the year if I could... again... for gloating purposes (don't worry... I have no friends so this sentiment probably won't leave the sanctuary of this post - gloating averted).

49th CHECK-IN:

Current Goals:

Lose 52 lbs Completed

Loss 52 lbs as of 4/12/2023

Milestone: Loss 100 lbs as of 11/01/2023

New Goal: Maintain or Continue on The Weight Loss Path

Avoid "Junk Food"

Minimize Take-Out / Fast Food Consumption

Short Term:

Vegetarian-ish Diet: Completed

End Date: 4/09/2023 - 46 Days Total

Groundhog's Day Diet: Completed*

10/01/2023 - 10/31/2023

Stats from November:

Food:

Bags of Popcorn: 38

Cans of Soup: 12

Leftover Meals: 8

Salads: 4

Oranges: 0

Take Out: 0

Candy/Sweets: 0

Workout:

Jumping Jacks: 18,400

Push-Ups: 4,600

Glute Bridges: 4,600

Reverse Leg Lifts: 4,600

Leg Kickbacks: 4,600

Sit-Ups: 4,600

Leg Lifts: 280

Plank (mins): 370

6 Inches (mins): 140

Squats: 0

Assisted Push-Ups: 0

Weight Loss:

Weightloss This Month: -1.4 lbs

Average Weightloss per Week: -0.35 lbs

Total Weightloss: -101.4 lbs

Entertainment:

Movies Watched: 11

Favorite from the Month:

Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain

Hours of Television Watched: ~ 12.5 hours ( Selena + Chef, Modern Family, The Leftovers, Ink Master, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)

Books:

Books Completed This Month: 2

Book Title(s) Completed This Month:

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Changed by Chuck Palahniuk

Book Total for the Year: 4

Comics:

Comics Completed: 3

Trades Completed: 18

Comic/Trade Titles Completed:

Venom by Donnie Cates Vol. 1: Rex (Venom (2018-2021))

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 1

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 6: Who Runs The World? Squirrels (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015-2019))

House of M

Lumberjanes Vol. 3

King Deadpool Vol. 2 (Deadpool (2019-2021))

Chew Vol. 5: Major League Chew

Giant Days Vol. 1

Spider-Man/Deadpool Vol. 2 Side Pieces (Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016-2019))

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Vol. 5

Batman (2016-) Vol. 2: I Am Suicide

She-Hulk by Rainbow Rowell Vol. 1: Jen, Again (She-Hulk (2022-2023))

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1 (of 6): Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life - Color Edition

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - The Lost Years #2 (of 5)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - The Lost Years #3 (of 5)

James Bond (2015-2016) Vol. 1: VARGR

Funny Creek (comiXology Originals)

Darkwing Duck #1

X-Men '92 Vol. 1: The World Is A Vampire (X-Men '92 (2016))

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 1: The Hunter

Bone Vol. 1 Out Frime Bonneville

Favorite Comic/Trade Read:

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 1: The Hunter

Magazine(s):

Magazine(s) Completed: 0

Meal Tracker:

THURSDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Pepperjack on Wheat Toast

Starkist Smart Bowls Barley & Beans with Tuna: Tomato Basil

Snack:

Serving of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

Serving of Kirkland's Signature Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoned Almonds

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews Glazed Mix

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Flavored Pistachios Glazed Mix

Supper:

Small Plate of Rana's Gnocchi

- Dusting of Parmesan Cheese

- Classico Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

FRIDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Pepperjack on Wheat Toast

Starkist Smart Bowls Quinoa & Beans with Tuna: Latin Citrus

Wild Planet's Wild Tuna, Bean, & Corn Salad

Snack:

Serving of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

Serving of Kirkland's Signature Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoned Almonds

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews Glazed Mix

(4oz) Bag of Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Flavored Pistachios Glazed Mix

Bag of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

(2) Bowls of Wonderful's Shelled Salt & Pepper Pistachios

(3) Small Oranges

Supper:

Can of Progresso Italian Sausage and Potato Soup

- 10 Crackers

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

SATURDAY

Lunch:

Meat, Cheese, and Crackers

- (12) Slices of Summer Sausage

- (12) Ritz Crackers

- (3) Pieces of Pepperjack Cheese

- (3) Pieces of Monterey Jack Cheese

- (3) Pieces of Mild Cheddar Cheese

- (3) Pieces of Marble Jack Cheese

- Hot Mustard

Snack:

(2) Small Oranges

Supper:

Large Plate of Fettuccine Alfredo

- Classico Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

- (6) Diced Sausage Links

- Dusting of Parmesan Cheese

SUNDAY

Lunch:

Birds Eye Garlic Sesame Veggie Stir Fry

- Bag of Yakitori Chicken with Japanese Style Fried Rice

- Planters Peanuts

Snack:

Meat, Cheese, and Crackers

- (12) Slices of Summer Sausage

- (12) Ritz Crackers

- (3) Slices of Pepperjack Cheese

- (3) Slices of Monterey Jack Cheese

- (3) Slices of Marble Jack Cheese

- (3) Slices of Mild Cheddar Cheese

Supper:

Can of Progresso Broccoli Cheese Soup

- 10 Crackers

MONDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Pepperjack on Wheat Toast

Cup of Del Monte Diced Pears

Snack:

Serving of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

(4) Slices of Cheese

(5) Slices of Summer Sausage

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

Can of Progresso Rigati Pasta and Meatballs Soup

- 10 Crackers

(1) Slice of Buttered Bread

TUESDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Pepperjack on Wheat Toast

Cup of Del Monte Diced Pears

Snack:

Serving of Good &Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

Can of Progresso Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

- 10 Crackers

WEDNESDAY

Lunch:

Turkey & Pepperjack on Wheat Toast

(4) Slices of Assorted Charcuterie Cheese

(1) Bowl of Wonderful's Shelled Salt & Pepper Pistachios

(1) Small Orange

Snack:

Serving of Kirkland's Signature Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoned Almonds

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(1) Small Orange

Supper:

Birds Eye Teriyaki Veggie Stir Fry

- Annie Chun's Sticky White Rice

- Individual Bag of Planters Peanuts

Workouts:

THURSDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

FRIDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(10) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(10) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SATURDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SUNDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

MONDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

TUESDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

WEDNESDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges[4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

WEIGHT TRACKER:

Starting Weight (Noon, 1/01/2023): XXX.X lbs

Weight at Last Check-In, 11/29/2023: -0.4lbs

Weight As of Noon, 12/06/2023: -1.4 lbs

Total Weight Loss: -102.8 lbs

Closing Thoughts:

The Good:

I decided to simply my workout - and I am still seeing the same/positive results with the simpler workout. That extra stuff I did in November was unnecessary.

The Bad:

It's that time of year where the air is dry and my sinuses and unobstructed breathing is collateral damage.

The Ugly:

My sleep schedule has been trash since my Thanksgiving Break/Vacation. Feel like a walking zombie. There times where I have passed out in the middle of the day.

#52 in 23

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archesa · 2 years

Text

Hope you will enjoy this ^^ This is set in druid Anwen’s verse, as you shall see and can be read as a continuation to this fic ^^

(A little something I had written during the holiday season and felt like posting now 🥰 Originally promoted by @i-mybrunettelady from the Wintersday prompts ❄)

Quick summary : Anwen usually makes evergreen and holly grow for Wintersday but this year all she manages to bloom are mint and mulberry.

Wintersday miracle - A speck of life in the realm of death

The manor stood high on the hill, garlands and lanterns hanging from the windows ledge and ornamenting the pediment of the house. The Faren's winter's ball was an event looked forward to by everyone, the young and old, meek and the bold.

The party would start in a matter of hours and the household was buzzing with effervescence, masters and staff rushing about to prepare for the soirée. In the reception room, the servants busied themselves with the latest accommodations, a change in the traditional decoration of the hall — holly and evergreen noticeably amiss, as they were replaced by dark emerald leaves and coiling thorns of mint and mulberry. A touch of colour, in the shape of unripe blackberries, and a shimmer of fantasy in that of a few gold trimmed pine-cones were added in hope to make best of the unusual situation. A speck of light in the darkest hours of the year, the triumph of life in the realm of death.

Every year, Lady Anwen bloomed the decorations the very morning of the ball — evergreen, holly, mistletoe — and oversaw their arrangements for the rest of the day before it was finally time for her to don a dress for one of her infamously brief appearance at the party.

But this year, despite her best efforts nothing would bloom under her touch but these two plants.

Mint and mulberry.

Virtue and death.

Wisdom and self-sacrifice.

Poets would deem that the darkness of Orr still clung to her, or that perhaps her heart lingered on these distant shores...

"My dear daughter...", Lady Violet smiled, her eyes glistening knowingly, as Anwen ruffled the garland on the chandelier for the fifth time in a row, and, with a flick of her wrist, tried to bloom yet another ornament, only to be met with more emerald leaves exhaling fresh peppermint. "You really needn't trouble yourself... You simply have love on your mind."

The young woman almost tore her gown stumbling off the ladder she was perched upon.

She did have someone on her mind, someone who had expressed his regrets and declined the invitation, staying with the men in garrison at Fort Trinity. The post had surely been delivered by now, and she hoped he would like the content of the parcel she had sent this very morning. But surely the fact that her heart tightened in her chest when, despite all reason, she looked towards the threshold in hope to see him whenever someone pushed the door, had nothing to do with...

Love...

The night was dark and the spirits high when Anwen arrived at Caer Aval, leaving the strong scent of liquor and the sound of celebration far behind when she noticed the visible absence of the one person she sought.

She took in a deep, shaking breath, willing the trembling of her hand to still before she knocked on the metal door, thanking the cold air whipping the fort from over the bay for an excuse to justify her tremors.

The door cracked open, revealing a most surprised face.

"Commander..."

"Happy Wintersday, Marshal. I... apologize for intruding like this, I know you weren't expecting me..."

"I am always happy to see you, friend. What do I owe the pleasure?”

“I-... I received an unexpected gift tonight... some clarity... Wintersday is a time we're meant to spend with those we hold closest to our heart. And I realised there was nowhere else I wanted to be and no one else I wanted to be with..."

She willed to hold his gaze, a shiver running her through as he stepped forth, the cold nipping at her exposed shoulders all but forgotten in the warmth of his smile and the shimmering glow enlightening his features, setting her heart ablaze.

"And there is no one I hold dearest, Anwen."

The sharp whistle of a kettle shattered the moment. She let out a breathless chuckle and melted in his arms as he pulled her in a tender embrace.

"You must be cold. Can I offer you some tea?"

She nodded slowly, basking in the warmth of his glow and the scent of mint and mulberry. "Tea would be lovely."

#trammander #trahearne #anwen emrys #aka druid!anwen #pure self indulgent fluff #i don't know if I'm perfectly happy with the end but tumblr posted this in its own TWICE #so I'll take it as a sign and leave it like this 😅#wintersday #wintersday miracle #wintersday prompts #wintersday 2022 #archesa writes #flower language? in my trammander ship? it's more likely than you think

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dansnaturepictures · 2 years

Photo

19th November 2022: Denny Wood, New Forest

I had a great time here this afternoon, a day with a more typical temperature for the time of year again where steamy breath was visible. I was delighted to see some eyelash fungi on the bare wood of a fallen tree that my Mum had seen here in the week. It was waxy, precious and delicate, distinctive, well coloured in red and black and a charming sight. I’ve seen them three years running here now which is great and it always amazes me how small they are. I took the third picture in this photoset of them. Another gem in my best ever autumn and year of observing fungi which I am really enjoying. This log was brimming with interesting things, bits of moss and some other fungi including some candlesnuff fungi as shown in the fourth picture in this photoset another mysterious little one which was new to me today and was memorable to see. I also saw turkey tail and some other great little and large mushrooms on the walk this afternoon. I took the seventh picture in this photoset of some big bits of white shelf fungi clinging to a log which stood out today and was nice to see. Lichen, thistle leaves and others and hardy daisies were lovely to see this afternoon too. Pine cones, sticks and fallen leaves scattered across the grass concentrated in one area was a nice autumnal image which I took a photo of and tweeted on Dans_Pictures tonight.

It was brilliant to observe and feed the woodland birds at the car park gathering here as they do through the winter, allowing for such intimate views. Busy Blue Tits, gorgeous Great Tits and marvellous Marsh Tits which I got especially strong intimate moments with today all came down to feed, with another exciting glimpse of a Nuthatch here lately I photographed that and am enjoying a good run of seeing them in the autumn with sightings at Blashford Lakes and Lakeside too getting photos on all but the Lakeside one, Dunnock one I’ve had a good week for seeing one in the garden on Thursday too, Coal Tit and Robin coming down too, with Chaffinch enjoyed nearby. It was really good to connect with the Marsh Tits especially but all of the birds, hearing the flickering beat of their wings and that being a dominant sound and pure main focus for those few minutes was mindful. I took the eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset of Marsh Tits. Elsewhere on the walk we got a smashing view of an eye catching Redwing.

Roe Deer was nice to see too as well as Grey Squirrel heard and seen whilst out here today. I took the fifth picture in this photoset of our dog Missy on the walk, two days before her fourteenth birthday.

There were some beautiful views of the rich woods gripped by autumnal colour, soft sun illuminating the woods I saw a lot of sun through tree scenes today and pretty sky scenes. I took the first, second and sixth looking over the heath pictures in this photoset of views here today.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: One of my favourite mammals the Roe Deer, Redwing, Robin, Dunnock, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Starlings seen nicely on a bare tree, possibly one of my favourite birds the Jay seen quickly flying through trees and Grey Squirrel.

Seeing garden birds House Sparrow, Blue Tit again, Goldfinch and Starling really well feeding on the balcony and beautiful autumnal colour in the beautiful sun as I was unusually downstairs in the morning/early afternoon as my Uncle visited today were highlights at home today. I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of a view out the back with the golden birches behind the buildings looking nice again. We’ve certainly been thrust into a time where bare branches are starting to dominate with some striking red bare branches I enjoyed today and it’s amazing how quickly some trees have become quite bare. I also enjoyed a quick moving spider in and out of a crack in the hallway tonight. I really liked seeing a large Grey Heron flying as we passed the lovely Lower Test on the way home tonight it’s always enjoyable seeing things going past here.

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casspurrjoybell-33 · 8 months

Text

Wreckless - Call me, darling

*Warning Adult Content*

Emmett Locke didn't expect the knock on his door so soon and when Finnegan Walker walked through the door, he knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay?"

He was wet but it was more than that, he just looked absolutely drained.

"Take off your jacket at least," he suggested when he got no response.

Finnegan heard his words and they were all perfectly reasonable but the weight of the day had settled on his shoulders and he couldn't seem to form a response except for...

"I should go."

For a million reasons, number one being that he wasn't going to be any sort of company tonight and if he was going to go into the office tomorrow and make anything happen, he needed to recharge, somehow.

"I don't think you should," Emmett said, slipping his hands underneath Finnegan's lapels and pushing his wool suit jacket over his shoulders.

He placed it gently over the back of the chair and still, Finnegan hadn't moved at all.

"What's wrong?"

Emmett's voice was comforting and melodic and his eyes showed nothing but concern. Finnegan had wanted to crumple at least three times during the afternoon but had stayed strong. This time he did.

"Everything," he sighed, his eyes downcast.

"Have you eaten?" Emmett asked.

He had obviously just come from work, his tie wasn't even loosened yet.

"I... no. There were bagels in the break room for lunch but that's it."

Emmett was surprised by that, didn't the vice president have someone to handle that for him?

"I can order you something or I might have leftovers in the fridge. I'm sure I have a can of soup in here somewhere and I always have frozen pizza."

At the word 'pizza' Finnegan perked up a bit.

"Pizza sounds really good."

It wasn't exactly a healthy dinner like his parents preferred but sometimes you just need what sounds good. Tonight definitely qualified.

"I'll order the good stuff if you're that excited. What do you want on it?"

"Anything is fine."

Because it was... he would just pick off anything he didn't like.

"Help me out here, Finnegan. Supreme? Veggie? Mountains of cheese?"

He was too mentally exhausted to not be honest for once.

"I like plain cheese but I'll eat anything."

He watched Emmett turn and grab his cell-phone was still standing next to the door when he returned. Emmett gave him a look but he wasn't sure exactly what it meant and then he slowly reached out, gently unfastening his tie and sliding it from underneath his collar. Expensive silk, no doubt. He placed it with Finnegan's jacket.

"Would you like to get out of the monkey suit? I can loan you some sweats."

He watched as Finnegan's eyes darted towards his couch and the fuzzy blanket laying across it.

"Just a t-shirt would be great. I'm fine in my boxers, unless it'll bother you."

Emmett decided he couldn't possibly be serious. What about that could possibly bother him?

"I'll be right back. Sit down and get out of those shoes. They're making my feet hurt just looking at them."

His shoes were comfortable but the belt he was more than ready to lose and his starched shirt came in a close second. He wasn't sure what to do about his socks. His feet were always cold but dress socks and boxers were a definite violation of the sock gap rule. He took them off and tucked them into his shoes and was just shimmying out of his pants when Emmett returned, handing him a boring t-shirt. It was better than nothing. Emmett certainly hadn't expected hot pink boxers with ice cream cones on them but given Finnegan's mood, he didn't think it was the right time to make a joke about them.

"I don't think it's ever taken me that long to pick a t-shirt before, Finnagan. I wasn't sure if I should bring out something that I liked, something well-worn and loved or if it should be like new because that would gross you out. We don't know each other well enough to share clothes yet. I hope this one works."

He was a little bit startled by Emmett sharing his insecurity so freely.

"It'll work but I like fun."

That shouldn't have surprised him. Why did he have this mental image in his head of Finnegan being so straight-laced when his tattoos and everything he was learning about the man so far, seemed to point in a totally different direction?

"Next time then."

He watched as Finnegan pulled on the shirt and curled up on the couch, tucking his feet up onto the cushion before pulling the blanket over himself. He picked up the remote and handed it to Finnegan because it was more than obvious that he didn't want to talk.

"Feel free. Find whatever you'd like."

"Thanks Emmett. I'm sorry for ruining your evening."

That wouldn't do... Emmett felt around to make sure he wasn't going to squash Finnegan's feet and then set on the end of the couch.

"I was going to watch TV and play with my ferret, you're not ruining any grand plans."

Finnegan couldn't help but smirk.

"Play with my ferret sounds really dirty, Emmett."

It did, he couldn't deny it.

"Lucky for you I already did it," he teased.

"Or unlucky," Finnegan sassed right back.

"Is this a smart TV?"

He looked at the remote to try to figure it out but it was a different set up than the one in his apartment.

"Wait... this one?" he asked, pressing the menu button.

"Yep, what are you looking for?"

"YouTube."

Finnegan found it quickly but when the search screen came up, he paused.

"Do you hate cartoons?"

What kind of question was that?

"No. I don't love them madly but what cartoons do you mean? I mean there's like South Park and the Simpsons which are very different from Dora the Explorer."

Finnegan was saved from answering by a sharp knock on its front door. He couldn't believe the pizza was here already but he could smell it from the couch and Emmett had a huge box in his hands. He wanted to offer to help but since he was pant-less he stayed exactly where he was... besides, it was chilly. He waited until Emmett closed the door and then followed him into the kitchen.

"Can I help?"

He needed to remember to drop a twenty dollars on the table before he left since his wallet was in his pants.

"Yeah. Eat something and talk if you want to darling, tell me why everything is wrong. If you don't want to talk, that's fine too. I'm going to steal a piece of your pizza."

He got a plate out for Finnegan but didn't bother getting himself one, just held the heavy slice with two hands.

"Sometimes toppings are overrated."

Finnegan almost answered with a dirty comeback about topping but he was too busy shoving pizza into his face. When he finally did speak it was only to moan.

"This is so good."

"It's literally a block and a half away. Tiny little hole in the wall but so, so good."

After his second piece Finnegan leaned back in the chair and wiped his hands off.

"Not everything sucks but work is a disaster right now. I've spent four months and three million getting ready for Monday and today it all went to shit. Plus, Megan is out because her kid's sick which makes everything twice as hard. I really don't know what I'm going to do."

Emmett barely knew the basics about what Finnegan did and certainly couldn't be of any help.

"I'm sorry. I would help if I could."

But he was.

"This helps. I had to get out of the office but for some reason I just couldn't face going home. I guess because I thought that if I went home then I would eat and go to sleep and it would be tomorrow already. That doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Makes perfect sense to me, routine can really get you down after a while."

The monotony of the Army had nearly driven him crazy on more than one occasion.

"You asked me about cartoons, what do you want to watch?"

He had several favorites but not all of them were available on YouTube and he wasn't sure how much he wanted to try to get away with tonight.

"Have you ever seen Space Ghost? Coast to coast," he added.

"I have, what's that evil dude's name? The praying mantis?"

Finnegan laughed.

"Zorak."

"Yeah and the other dude who sings the funny songs. Bric?"

"Brak," Finnegan corrected, laughing.

His songs are the best.

"I love beans, is a classic."

"A dude in my platoon loved that show, used to play it at night."

He struggled, trying to hum the song in his head that he couldn't quite remember.

"Wait, the days song. How does it go?"

"What day is it? Let's find it, I love that one."

"I can't believe I forgot," Emmett lamented.

"The days used to blur together in the desert and every time someone asked what time it was or what day it was, Phillips would break into song. Sometimes under his breath in formation. Even when we couldn't hear him, you knew he was doing it and people used to get in trouble for snickering and laughing all the damn time. He was funny."

While Finnegan played with the YouTube app, Emmett pulled the cushions off the back of the couch and laid down on his side.

"You've gotta share the blanket."

Finnegan glanced back once he found the right video. He had never snuggled on the couch with someone while watching cartoons but it seemed perfect. He did his best to get comfy and then whispered...

"Are you okay back there?"

"I'm good darling, relax."

So he did. For the next hour they went through video after video, laughing and snorting and generally enjoying themselves. He loved when Emmett's arm came down to wrap around his chest and snuggled in.

"Your couch is perfect. The one in my apartment is so hard."

"I like my couch too. Even more with you on it," Emmett answered.

Finnegan yawned so wide that his eyes watered.

"It's getting late," he whined, not wanting to go.

"It is," Emmett agreed, wondering if he should offer.

But hey, why not? Who ever turned down a blow job? The question was, how?

"Finnegan?"

"Yeah?"

"I know this is awkward but I'm more than happy to help you out tonight if it would help you relax, if you get my drift."

Finnegan understood right away but then second-guessed himself, replaying Emmett's words in his head.

"What are you offering?"

"A blow job or a hand job if you prefer. I thought it might make you feel better."

It would, of course. Even more than that, it was really thoughtful.

"I... I mean how can I say no?"

Without it being awkward he found himself on his back, Emmett above him and slowly sliding down towards his waist. He gripped his bicep, halting him, then pulled him down for a kiss.

"I've never gotten a BJ from someone with facial hair. Should I be nervous?"

"No one has ever complained."

Not that there had been many. He wondered briefly if Finnegan might be pierced because it was just something that this complicated man might do but no, he had a perfectly nice circumcised cock and was trimmed neatly.

"Nice," he murmured, teasing Finnegan with his tongue before taking him into his mouth.

He didn't waste time, simply did his best to make Finnegan feel good. He thanked his lucky stars that Finnegan was vocal and responsive and used the gorgeous noises coming out of his mouth to help get him off.

"Jesus Emmett, that was so good," Finnegan half gasped, still catching his breath.

"Your turn?"

He couldn't remember the last time he had turned down an offer but he knew how rough Finnegan's day had been and it really was getting late, considering that he still had to drive home.

"I'll take a rain check. It's getting late."

Hopefully he could cash it in soon. Finnegan didn't argue, just sat up and started pulling on his pants.

"You know what they say about guys who don't have sex on the first date?"

Emmett could only shrug.

"They say they have tiny dicks."

Emmett's eyes widened.

"Is that so?"

He followed Finnegan to the door and kissed him hard, grinding himself against Finnegan's hip.

"Does that feel tiny to you?"

"No, no," he replied, grinning.

"Feels pretty damn perfect but I just needed to check."

He casually reached down and palmed Emmett through his pants.

"Perfect. I'm glad you're not a racehorse either."

"Nothing porn worthy in there, no."

"Good. I was a little bit of a slut in college but isn't everyone? Anyway, went out with a guy and he kept bragging about the great time I was going to have. Yes, he was creep. Anyway, long story short, you know what having a ginormous dick got him? A blow job, Emmett, a blow job. I had things to do the next day, like walk."

Emmett had covered his mouth with his hand about halfway through that story and at the end all he could do was laugh.

"You crack me up, Finnegan."

"Good. Thanks for tonight... for everything."

He walked Finnegan to his car, holding onto the door as he climbed inside.

"You're welcome. Drive safe, darling."

It wasn't the first time Emmett had called him that but it seemed to be slipping out more and more frequently.

He'd never really liked pet names but...

"You know what, Emmett? I think I like you calling me that."

"Good. Text me when you're home, please."

"I will. Good night Emmett."

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