#they’ve both endured so much bullshit

[girlvinland]

The Lore/Cov RP is picking up again and I’m so excited I need to express the emotion here too. They’ve been separated for sooooo long and finally finally finally about to reunite I cry and scream.

[querenciasturniolo]

guest ⮕ m.s.

word count: 1.6k

warnings: swearing, awkward flirting, embarrassment

summary: request

a/n: this was requested by @rainsoakedphoenix, and i had SO much fun writing it (even though it took ages) ! sorry for the mix up, i hope this works 😭💓 i wrote this while watching the new season of heartstopper, which is AMAZING by the way

(this is like 89% dialogue, which i’m sorry if it wasn’t your vision, but i tried my best 🤞🏻)

everything written is completely fictional. the people i write for are written with characteristics and mannerisms that i made for them, this is in no way depicting what would actually happen in real life.

“Good morning campers, and welcome to the Cut the Camera podcast. I’m Nick Sturniolo.”

“I’m Matt Sturniolo.”

“And I’m Chris.”

Your eyes flickered between the three of them, reaching your hands up to adjust your headphones. Nick finally turned his head to you.

“We have a special guest for this episode, introduce yourself.” He said.

You looked at one of the cameras and smiled, lifting your hand to wave.

“Hey, I’m Y/n.” You said, wincing slightly. “Jesus, that was awkward, someone else talk now.” Matt pulled a face, you looking over at him and mocking him playfully.

“Like some of you know, Y/n is one of our good friends from home. She hasn’t been in much of our content because she doesn’t know what the fuck she’s doing, but that’s fine, we love her anyway.” Nick said. You scoffed and leaned back in the diner seat, pulling the mic with you.

“It’s not that I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just an awkward piece of shit.” You said, shrugging your shoulders. “S’not my fault your fans love watching me suffer.”

“Well that turned dark. Anyway, Y/n, why don’t you introduce the topic.” Chris said. You sighed and crossed your arms over your chest.

“Today we’re talking about how the four of us met, and how I’ve continued to endure their torture for so long.” You paused, Matt’s jaw slack as he looked over at you. You grinned and shook your head. “No, I’m kidding. They’re pretty great, I’m glad they’ve tortured me for this long.”

Chris scoffed. “You love us and you know it.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I said, but if you want to get all mushy already, then yes, I love you guys.” You said.

Nick awed next to you, Matt leaning over and bumping your shoulder with his.

“You’ve always been the lovey-dovey one. Y/n has called me at like six o’clock on a random Tuesday before just to tell me she was thinking about me.” Nick said. You covered your face with your hands and groaned.

“God, why must you expose me? Let them think I’m dark and gloomy.” You grumbled.

Matt scoffed then, the audio coming through your headphones clear enough for you to peek an eye through your fingers. “None of them think you’re dark and gloomy, they’ve seen you in videos before, dude. Accept the fact that you’re a softy.” He teased, your jaw practically hitting the floor.

The conversation went on like this for about twenty minutes, the four of you talking and bickering back and forth. The conversation ran off the tracks quite a few times, and Matt tried reeling it back in as best as possible.

“So, back to the topic at hand—”

“Nick, what did you say?” Chris asked, completely cutting Matt off.

“I was just saying that was bullshit.” Nick said.

“Guys, what are we even—”

“How is what I just said bullshit?” Chris asked, the both of them in their own little world.

Matt sighed and looked at you, shrugging his shoulders. You turned to face him fully, resting your arm on the back of the booth. “So anyway, what’s an average day in the life of Matt Sturniolo?” You asked. Matt frowned and adjusted himself to face you completely.

“What?” He asked, pulling the mic towards him.

“What’s an average day in your life?” You repeated, raising your eyebrows.

Matt’s frown relaxed as he thought, shrugged, and finally spoke. “I’d say; wake up, shower, eat, go to meetings, come home, go to bed, repeat.” He held his hands out to count on his fingers, your eyebrows raising as you listened, no emotion on your face.

“Wow, riveting.”

Matt scoffed and shook his head, opening his hands and gesturing them towards you. “Please, tell me about your extraordinary day to day schedule, I’d love to hear it.”

“Of course you would. I happen to have a day packed full of important tasks.” You said, lifting your chin sarcastically.

“Oh, really? Name one.” He said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, I work.” You started, Matt nodding and pursing his lips.

“Oh, you work, do you? And what do you do after that?” He asked, your eyebrows lifting and your jaw going slack.

“Well, if you must know, after work I go home and eat and then shower and go to bed.” You said matter of factly, Matt staring at you completely unamused.

“That has got to be the most boring play-by-play I’ve ever heard.”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh, and yours was better, Matt?”

“I think so. What do you do for work?” He asked, the corner of his lips turned up in a half smile.

You sighed and shrugged your shoulders. “Retail. It’s not the most glorious job, but it gets the bills paid.”

“Yikes, customer service.” He winced, to which you shrugged your shoulders again.

“Like I said, not the most glorious job. I deal with a lot of dickheads, but the regulars are nice.” You said, grabbing your cup and taking a sip of it. You jutted your chin at him. “It’s your turn to ask a question, I don’t think they’re gonna stop any time soon.”

Matt hummed and thought for a moment. “Um, what’s your favorite color?”

“That’s really the best you could come up with, Matt?” You said, a laugh leaving your lips as he looked at you in mock offense.

“At least it’s not as mundane as ‘what do you do everyday’, Y/n. Cut me some slack, I’m trying here.” He retorted, your hands going up before you answered.

“It’s blue.”

“Lame.” He said, your eyebrows furrowing.

“Matt, that’s literally your favorite color, too.” You said, Matt scoffing.

“You don’t know me.” He mumbled, a laugh bubbling out of you as you adjusted in your seat, scooting the slightest bit towards him.

“I’ve known you my entire life, you dork. That argument is invalid.” You said.

Matt pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head, really studying him for the first time in awhile. You reached forward and lightly pinched a lock in your fingers and twirled it. “Your hair is getting long.” You said. There was something in Matt’s eyes that you couldn’t quite place, but the apples of his cheeks were tinged pink.

“Yeah, I need to cut it soon.” He said, his voice quiet.

You nodded your head, letting go of the lock of hair and resting your hand back on the booth centimeters away from his. “If that’s what you want.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he lightly jabbed the tips of your fingers with his.

You paused, realizing how passive it had sounded. You immediately shook your head. “No, oh my God, nothing! It was just an observation.” You said, resting your hand on his.

“So you wouldn’t care if I shaved my head?” He asked, mischief glinting in his eyes. Somehow, your fingers ended up entwined, but both of your palms were resting on the back of the booth. It was comfortable, but new, and you didn’t know exactly how to navigate this. You shrugged your shoulders and pulled your headphones off of your head and rested them around your neck.

“I wouldn’t care, no. Just because I think your hair looks cute long, doesn’t mean I’m going to freak out if you change it.” You said honestly. Matt blinked, processing your words before he replied.

“You think my hair looks cute long?” He asked. You nodded your head, ignoring the burning in your face.

“That is what I just said, yes.” You said, trying to sound like it was no big deal

“Wow, admitting you think I’m cute on recording? That’s crazy.” You could tell he was teasing, and by the color of his cheeks, you could tell he didn’t mind.

You cocked an eyebrow, tilting your head to the side as your smile grew. “Are we just going to ignore the fact that you’ve been practically holding my hand for this entire conversation?”

“I haven’t?” He said, immediately pulling his hand from yours and resting it in his lap, his eyes darting downward. You smiled and shook your head, teasingly gesturing around the room.

“Matt, it’s literally on camera, from multiple angles.” You said, Matt’s eyes meeting yours. He studied your face and eventually smiled and rolled his eyes, the awkward tension he was radiating before slowly dissipating.

“Yeah, okay, whatever.” He mumbled, adjusting his headphones before meeting your eyes again. You opened your mouth to speak, but were quickly interrupted.

“Oh my God, this is honestly disgusting.”

You whipped your head around to Nick, your eyes wide as he met you with an incredulous stare.

“You guys have been flirting like, the entire time. I’m surprised I haven’t thrown up yet.” He finished, your face on fire as your eyes flickered to Chris’ amused smile.

“Honestly, Nick and I stopped arguing like, five minutes ago. We just wanted to see how long it would take the two of you to notice.” You looked back at Matt, who was awkwardly laughing into his hands and shaking his head. “Clearly, way too fucking long. Can we get back to the topic of our joint childhoods now?” Chris finished.

You cleared your throat and nodded, adjusting yourself in the booth so you were facing forward and your shoulder was to Matt.

“Where were we again?” You asked, Nick jumping into the conversation effortlessly.

The rest of the podcast went smoothly, the four of you in almost perfect harmony for the rest of the time, the little embarrassing interruption nearly forgotten.

It was nearly forgotten until Matt’s hand rested over yours under the table and entwined with yours. You felt your face heat up and the corners of your mouth twitch, but you didn’t say anything or make anything obvious.

Matt was your best friend, and as affectionate as the two of you were, hand holding was never on the list until now—and honestly, you didn’t mind.

[navnae]

Steddie Soulmate AU

prompt: a clock counts down until you meet your soulmate

Prompt from @phantypurple !!! ❤️

Read on AO3

-

At a certain age everyone is assigned a small clock and when it counts down to zero your supposed to meet your soulmate in that exact moment, at least that’s what Steve has been told for majority of his life. Ever since he got his clock his parents were always attached to his hip to see if it finally went to zero after having an encounter with every girl he’s met. They were extremely disappointed when they looked at the clock and it was still counting down, even Steve started to wonder when will he find his soulmate. Fast forward to him meeting Nancy in high school, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t madly in love with her and he genuinely cared for her. They’ve spent so much time together that he was certain that she had to be the one for him. For awhile he never checked his clock because he assumed that it had already went to zero, that was until him and Nancy got into this huge fight at a party leaving both of them in a terrible state of mind. When he left the part he felt the need to take a look at his clock because the way things happened between them it just didn’t seem like they would ever recover from that. Steve pulled the tiny clock out of his pocket, he let out an exhausted sigh when he saw it still counting down and it wasn’t even close to zero in the slightest. He let out a bitter laugh, Nancy was right about their relationship being bullshit. Steve started to believe that this whole soulmate thing was bullshit too.

Steve started working at scoops right after high school and honestly he started to give up when it came to looking for the perfect girl. As much as he doubted his clock he would still check it to see if after every encounter he’d finally see zero, of course with his luck that never happened. Steve felt hopeless, he started to feel worse once he remembered that Nancy’s and Jonathan’s clocks went to zero as soon as they broke up. Then the kids somehow beat him to a better love life than all of the years he’s spent trying to find at least one girl that could be his. He put all that to the side when he had to focus on fighting the Russians and Hawkins was suffering once again because of these monsters that has been summoned by a darker presence. Through all of the beatings he had to endure Robin, his coworker, was there by his side. Steve never thought about Robin differently until Dustin brought up the conversation, because of his pride he tried shutting down the possibility that they would ever be together. They were so different and to him soulmates had to fit you perfectly but in hindsight she did. Robin was able to get him in more ways than his older friends despite growing up together. She got his humor, she was easy to talk to, and she actually made him laugh without even trying. Steve had been blinded by his own reputation to realize that she was everything he needed no matter what their statuses were.

Steve thought about that as the night continued then both of them ended up in the bathroom high off the drugs that they were given prior. They were in separate stalls letting out everything they’ve eaten earlier in the day, not the most proudest moment for either of them but they couldn’t control how their bodies reacted to substances they’ve never had. During this Robin and Steve still managed to laugh at everything leading up to where they were now, maybe it was because they still had drugs in their system who knows. Steve took it upon himself to ask Robin a silly question about peeing herself and to his shock she admitted to doing it making him laugh at her honesty. He’s never met a girl who could say things like that and not feel ashamed which was why he slowly found himself catching feelings for her because she wasn’t like any of the other girls he’s met. Then it came down to Robin asking him a question ‘Have you ever been in love?’ and to that his response was a yes, the person he felt that strongly for was Nancy. Steve pushed that to the side so he could focus on what he wanted to say. Maybe talking to Robin gave him a little bit of a confidence boost to finally tell her how he felt or he was just completely out of his mind and he started talking without thinking. Steve went down this path of confessing his feelings for Robin while explaining why she was great and he had this idea in his head that this would be the moment. He waited for the ‘I feel the same way!’ coming from the other stall but it never did, only silence fell over both of them making things extremely awkward mostly for Robin.

Nothing else was said between them, Steve didn’t understand any of it. Did he approach her wrong, was his tone too much or she couldn’t hear him clearly. ‘Robin?’ Steve said loud enough for her to hear him, worried that she overdosed without him knowing. A huge weight was lifted off his shoulders when he heard her voice again, this time he wanted to make his point clear. Sliding underneath the stall wall to see Robin and ask her what was her thoughts on what he said, her thoughts on him. Robin frowned barely giving Steve eye contact like she wanted to avoid this entire situation and conversation. Steve saw how she was thinking of ways to tell him that whatever he felt for her would never be received. Robin took a deep breath before looking at Steve again, with a soft smile she explained to him that she wasn’t like other girls but not in the way he thought. She went on further to tell him that in high school she couldn’t stop herself from feeling bad because for him it was easy to get the attention of Tammy Thompson who she had a crush on for a long time while he wouldn’t even give her the time of day. Steve looked at Robin with confusion not understanding what she was getting at, if she didn’t have a crush on him then why would she be upset that Tammy was looking at him? None of it clicked to him until Robin subtly spelled it out for him…oh.

Steve couldn’t help but feel like an idiot most importantly he didn’t realize how big of a deal this was for Robin to tell him something so personal. When she thought that the worst was about to come Steve showed her that she had nothing to worry about. It made Robin feel better when they easily went back into a joking manner as if nothing happened and they continued laugh until their stomachs hurt. In the back of Steve’s mind having a strong friendship with Robin meant way more to him than whatever the dumb clock in his pocket had in store for him. Steve pulled it to see if anything changed, he thought that soulmate didn’t necessarily mean romantic in most cases so maybe it went to zero because Robin was platonically his. His eyes gazed upon the clock to still see it counting down, Robin laughed lightly before pulling out her own clock and she turned it towards him.

“Mine is still counting down too.” Robin joked. Steve laughed and he felt a little bit better. Both of them were waiting for that someone to come into their lives but they had no idea when that was going to happen.

A year had past with Steve constantly checking the clock and to no supremely was still counting down. Robin’s stopped awhile ago when she met Vickie so Steve was the only one in the friend group that still had his clock ticking but he noticed that the numbers weren’t that far away from zero. He kept his expectations low though because it seemed like the universe was playing one big joke on him. Steve’s focus had been directed else where when the news showed that Chrissy Cunningham has been killed and there was a lot of conspiracies leading to Eddie Munson. Steve wouldn’t say that he was very fond of the guy not because he gave off freaking vibes, part of the reason being that but Dustin found him interesting for some reason. Steve didn’t find the appeal in the guy especially after seeing him on the news, Steve wanted to stay far away from him. Of course with Dustin being his friend the kid wanted to figure out what happened and prove that Eddie was innocent. Steve had his suspicions about Eddie but Dustin swore out that something supernatural did this even max vouched for him, he was still skeptical of this entire scenario but he was willing to help out with whatever the kids needed.

They went to find Eddie at the boathouse during the night while the chaos in Hawkins was getting worse. Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Max checked out the place to see if he was there. At the time Steve didn’t really care about the way he went about things, that would explain why he would pick up an oar to poke around for Eddie. He knew that it wasn’t the right thing to do and he’d pay for it within a second. Steve’s life flashed before his eyes as his back hit the wall with strong hands holding him down. Once Steve gathered himself now everything started to become clear and standing right in front of him was Eddie. His eyes were glossy, a broken beer bottle in his hand, that look in his eye that could’ve killed Steve if he had the chance. Dustin called out to Eddie to reassure him that they were there to help, now it was Eddie’s to be skeptical. Steve noticed that Eddie looked at him with very little trust in him. If it wasn’t for Dustin neither of the boys would’ve been in the same room to say the least. After a few seconds of Eddie glaring at Steve he eventually loosened his grip on him and backed away from him. Steve let out a breath that he didn’t know was holding until the interaction was over. He watched Dustin comfort Eddie, Steve didn’t know him that well but just from the way his voice cracked while trying to explain that he was innocent made Steve’s heart ache. They listened to his story as he went into detail from start to finish and didn’t why he was so intrigued by Eddie, at a certain point Steve stopped listening to story and his attention was more on… Eddie? Steve snapped out of his thoughts when everyone called it a night, he shrugged off whatever he felt a few seconds prior it was probably nothing.

Steve left the boathouse feeling stranger and he didn’t know why. He tried to ignore it but he kept having thoughts about his clock. Something told him to check it, Steve prepared himself to still see the clock counting down like usual and he reminded himself that if his expectations were low then he wouldn’t be disappointed. He pulled it out giving it a quick glance thinking that his eyes were playing tricks on him he stared at it. Steve’s jaw dropped at the sight of the numbers on the clock.

00:00

“This… has to be a mistake.” Steve mumbled to himself. He got everyone’s attention and they looked at him with raised brows.

“What?” Max asked. All of them watched him stare at the clock with his mouth open. Steve couldn’t think straight, this couldn’t be real life.

“My clock…” Steve trailed off as he ran a hand through his hair. Robin rolled her eyes before taking the clock out of Steve’s had to see what was making him act so weird.

“Let me see this.” Robin examined the clock then her eyes widened once she saw the numbers. Now she understood why Steve was freaking out.

“Can you guys please tell us what’s wrong.” Dustin said clearly annoyed. Robin showed Dustin and Max Steve’s clock, both of them gasped in unison. They caught on to what that meant.

“Steve, you probably don’t want to hear this but if your clock is done counting down and the last person you talked was-“

“Eddie,” Steve finished Robin’s sentence, ‘that means Eddie’s my soulmate.”

-

Part 2

This took way longer than expected and thus definitely will need a part two. For everyone who sent a prompt I will get yours for right now I’m going in order. Hopefully this was enjoyable despite how the clock concept kind of doesn’t make sense but hey I tried. Don’t be shy send more prompts!!! :)

[projectmoonlightproductions]

I saw ur post/ask about epic-legend privilege and common-rare hate and let me tell you the pain is REAL. ESPECIALLY with the ancients specifically getting away with so much bullshit over the years. Some of the kingdom fandom is super dope and some of it is more toxic than Chernobyl

my specific gripe with *that* part of the community around kingdom is just… how much of the nuance of the stories are erased and ignored when you give someone who failed English class an iPad. I don’t like being one of those “I’m smarter than you and ur headcanons are stupid” ppl (from first hand experience they are horrible to deal with good god I’m never logging in to fandom.com again), but the lack of media literacy has produced some dog water takes about the stories of the legends + ancients especially. And I’m emphasizing legends too, cuz OvenBreak community is much less guilty of this in my experience but we gave Sea Fairy’s flaws a pass for YEARS and I’ve only ever seen it called into question when I got back into cookie run late 2023. And the post was from April this year we were tripping for a long time 💀

but yeah anyways! The god cookies have pulled some dodgy shit since launch and I’ve rarely seen it explored within fan works or as part of a character analysis.

Take what you were saying about Pure Vanilla and his involvement of Gingerbrave in the BeastYeast plot line for example. How fucked up is that? Pure vanilla is 1. A grown ass man, 2. Fully recovered from the injuries from whatever story mode shit he was in at this point, and 3. A LITERAL GOD? And guess who he brings to solve his problems. 3 RANDOM ASS KIDS

dude wizard and strawberry didn’t 100% have to go (but let’s be real they’ve been so conditioned to do this quest crap that they’d probably choose to go anyway) but brave? They’re a HEAVILY disordered kid who has endured such fundamental developmental trauma (Almost no one talks about the oven and witch when relating to brave btw and it’s insane but that’s for another day) that it’s morphed into him basing their whole identity on 1. Being brave, and 2. Helping people. Even if pure vanilla didn’t sense anything off with the kid’s debilitating dependency on being brave and Not Being Alone and eagerness to fight and kill and die for people she’s known for barely a minute, you’d think the *adult* man could at LEAST say “hm. This is a dangerous god mission. I shouldn’t bring these kids with me.” There is much more I can say but I think u get the general jist.

PV is not a saint. Him, along with every other ancient, is a cookie with both immense power and important flaws who makes mistakes. While everyone has flaws and everyone makes mistakes, these guys have had more time to grow and power over their lives than almost all other characters in this setting ever will, and the sheer weight of some of these, dare I say, juvenile mistakes have had devastating consequences on families, friends, kingdoms, and even the cookie species as a whole. With great power comes great responsibility, but the ancients have been living life as if no one paid the electric bill, when in reality, they’re running the city’s generators.

YES THANK YOU

Especially the part with Sea Fairy because her obsession with Moonlight literally keeps putting the world at risk

Also if an epic cookie has too simple of a design or a basic story they’re forgotten immediately. Like Lime, Sandwich, Macaron, or Salt.

[doorsclosingslowly]

oh OH OH too many to choooose from aaaaa ok ok can i get the directors cut of sweating off the chest notes cos that’s from before we were friends plssss

So. Cheat Notes.

The central idea was this: Jesper pretends to be much less complicated than he actually is. He desperately wants to be loved but he also experiences his very self as so chaotic that he cannot imagine anyone understanding him enough to actually love him, and so he does the next best thing. He pretends to be a simplified version that can be grasped and thus, embraced, but by that very pretence he’s also denying himself the chance to be actually accepted. A lot of that is conjecture and guesswork and drawing on my experience of being neuroatypical, obviously, but I think I’m right and even details like the way he uses humour support it, like when he plays up his ego and beauty to smooth the conversation. Anyway. Simplifying yourself is a defence because it *hurts* to be asked for who you are and realize you can’t answer because you don’t know the words, or you’re changing quicker than you can process. It *hurts* to have others argue with you about yourself, using your own past answers that now you disagree with. And it *hurts* having someone ask you who you are and then forget again because it doesn’t make sense to them or because the nuance doesn’t matter. I realized that a lot of that is similar to my own experience with gender. So, highlight this thorny identity bullshit, I made Jesper agender! Like me! And, to make me able to write about this shit without cringing in terror, there’s also jokes and a tentacle dildo.

You’re really going for the jugular here because this story is the closest I’ve ever come to writing about myself instead of *about other people but based on my sense of what details matter*. It’s also just me working out the bones of the AU Crows ideas that I started with Undoing and that I’ve used in many, many later fics, most of which is jokes about anarchism bc I think Inej would be an anarchist and bc I’m an anarchist and like making jokes about anarchism.

A ton of the details are just me. The Eritrean food, the spiky stress ball and the articulated brass pill bug, the slightly deformed ribcage from unsafe binding… Some are my personal terrors. The resolve to endure it if Kaz considers himself heterosexual—and therefore stuffs Jesper in the girl box—Maxine’s *arguments* for why Jesper isn’t who they confided they are. Kaz calling Jes out on the fact they’ve never confided what they actually need to anyone, which is both a dream and a nightmare  to me personally bc, obviously, I was only able to tangentially talk about my gender thru the medium of having Kaz bite into a tentacle dildo. Which was not a honesty thing, except I like biting and off-kilter sex toys and I am still doing my private challenge of Kaz and Jesper having sex without touching in as many ways as possible. But to me, writing it, the sex was a way to distract from the vulnerability of Jesper’s dialogue.

Kaz as amateur horror writer: this is kind of a within-story version of what I was doing, writing it, to be honest. Layers of metaphor and distortion mean that you can articulate things you don’t have words for. And Kaz’s attempt to express his own inexpressible insides is one of the ways that prepare him for Jesper’s own inability to express themselves in words. I generally write Kaz as working from what he can see instead of archetypes, ideas, norms though, which both makes him good at manipulation and at meeting Jesper where they actually are. It’s also pragmatic: after all, punishing Jesper for their ADHD is much less efficient than just keeping Jesper’s ADHD in mind when making a plan.

Everything else was a joke.

PS! I don’t know whether anyone noticed that Inej is trans in this fic haha (“You want to—Kaz, have you ever sucked a dick before?” / Kaz doesn’t reply, but the way his lovely sharp cheeks grow an even lovelier, blotchier red is answer enough. /“Damn, congratulations to Inej, the luckiest woman in Nieuw-West!” like. Whose dick was he sucking J )

PPS If I haven’t talked about a thing you’re curious about pls ask!

[coffee-in-veins]

Day 1: Trick

an entry for darkest prompts promptober 2022

now available on ao3 too

Trick HERALDRY - sketch (a coat of arms) in outline, with the colours indicated by letters or signs.

* * *

It was a weird town. The one he spent his whole life in, and sometimes he felt as if that life wasn't even the first or the last one, and yet was determined to never remember much about it or the motley part of its denizens. It was easier that way, for everyone included - he didn't remember faces or names, opting instead to distinguish preferences and calloused hands that held his steel-bodied children, much like those who came in his spark-filled abode never bothered to remember his name. They came and went, sometimes never to be seen again, and yet he remained, a seemingly-integral part of Hamlet's mill that churned adventurers instead of grains; he remained to keep parchment sketches of their weapons and gear measurements in an ever-growing stash that, to him, was far more morose than hastily cobbled crosses added to the Graveyard.

How much of his craft remained in the Estate...? On most days, he was too dreadful to actually count. 

Especially so after the parchment pile reached his waist.

The morning was still young and ripe for work when the door creaked, distracting him from tending to his forge. He took the gloves off and, to retain the dilapidated veil of politeness, wiped his calloused hands before offering one of them to the weapon which returned to his heated domain.

"Straight dirk, diamond cut, wedge profile. Custom pistol, guilder-rose engravings in silver," those weren't easy to forget. They've been here for a while, enduring longer than most. And while the blade was fixed and re-forged many times, the pistol has been guarded fiercely, and the most that the smith had the pleasure to do for it were the intricate hand-engraved carvings, based on provided sketches. Still, he knew the Dirk-and-Pistol good enough to chuckle, puffing out pipe smoke. "Isn't it too early for you?"

The recurring weapon wrinkled his once-broken nose - or at least, that part of it that the smith could see.

"Don't rub mo' salt in m'wounds, old man. Getting up at the ass-crack o' the day was bad enough."

Lush beard and moustache hid smith's smirk. The sun was up for a few hours at the very least, more than enough for him to start working on yet another blade, but he saw no reason to argue. Instead, he turned his hand palm up, waiting for the Heiress' crest to be dropped there. This set of arms was one of her bloodsucker hunters, and those always got good gear. He even started thinking about what could be changed in the blade to make it more efficient when a splash of colour interrupted his calculations.

Gemstones. Curious, he moved to his table and added oil to the lamp, watching as the glassy glint shimmered and shone against his blackened fingers, too clean to even be here, really, amidst the soot and mud. Part of the personal cut. So the request was from the man - not Heiress' weapons.

Peculiar.

He looked up from the gems, meeting the heavy gaze of dark bloodshot eyes. The expression was subtle, but they both had to deal with each other for long enough to understand some things without stating the obvious.

“Good. Now listen, I feel like I had to learn t’ spew fucking eldritch t’ convey this all t’ ya, so maybe ye’ll understand mo’ in this bullshite.”

“You have my curiosity.”

Dirk-and-Pistol... no, the man with them stepped forward, placing a piece of parchment near the lamp. The smith squinted to hide his surprise as he took in the sketch and the letters tricking it. Not satisfied with his lack of immediate response, the man continued:

“Party per pale Or and Sable, a lion rampant counterchanged, bordure Argent. The shield is eared top, French base. On top of it, affronted Argent knight’s helm crested with horsehair plume Gules.”

The description matched, which was even more peculiar. He wouldn't have assumed a brigand knowing blazon.

“Anything else?”

The man rubbed his temple in an obviously tired gesture and nodded after a moment:

“Two swords saltire, Argent.”

“Where?”

A finger in a battered red glove tapped another sketch, rougher and smaller, beneath the proper one:

“Behind the shield.”

The smith hummed, taking his own charcoal pen and after an affirmative nod from the thug, added his own notes to the parchment.

“Unusual.”

“Tell me ‘bout it,” the man grumbled in the tone of someone who was done with the world's bullshite about half of his life ago. "Should be 'bout a palm in size. We have a deal, ol' man?"

The smith nodded absentmindedly, checking the waiting list:

"Come back in a month," but a bag of coins landing on it cut his comparison short. He looked up again, only to be immediately met by irritation and a hand pressing the trick down and pushing it right in front of the smith with pointed stubbornness.

"Befo' All Saints day."

Now the crest made a bit more sense, even if the deadline was looming.

"The Long Crusade."

His only answer was tired grumbling.

They looked each other in the eye for a long moment, the weaponsmith made more impartial than even Death by his craft and the weapon he was suddenly reminded of having a fatal flaw of being a human.

Barely three minutes later, the brigand had already left. The smith held the parchment with the trick, eyeing the lines of something so unlike his usual orders. There was a bitter understanding somewhere on the bottom of his grey head that sooner rather than later, this parchment will meet others in the pile of "discontinued" order lines that were slowly devoured by time and dust.

Still, he thought, selecting the blank.

Still, this could let him see people again instead of inanimate weapons.

If only for a little bit.

[infernalodie]

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐋 (𝐩𝐭.𝟑) || 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯”

(Just want to say that I have loved writing for this. Whoever gave me the request, thank you. This has been the best writing experience for me simply because the freedom and the overall dreams I have on going on a road trip and experiencing all of this first hand. So, in a way, it felt freeing and I thank you all for the love and support on this story. I know that this had come out of nowhere, but I felt the need to say something as I am currently in tears writing this. As well as the fact that I can’t stop playing Florida by Dominic because it just gives the vibes for this type of story. Same with Misses FL. But long story short, thank you for giving me the chance to write this and you all are fucking amazing.)

Pairing: Maddy Perez x Male!reader

Summary: On the last few minutes of the car ride, Elliot practically outs your feelings to Maddy with a song you two had made. But that doesn’t take your mind off paradise that awaits you where you will hopefully finally announce your love to the girl who you need to have for the rest of your life.

Warnings: Fluff

Part One - Previous Part - Final Part

Words 3813

Somewhere down the road, you had moved to the back with Lexi taking the passenger seat with you moving to the very back. Both you and Maddy having unbuckled your seatbelts with you pressing your back against the side of the vehicle and her pressing her back against your front. Staring out the window and sharing few words and topics amongst one another.

And along the way, Jules had started dancing to the music, causing the whole van to break out into song. You couldn’t contain the laughter that tugged at your heart, along with Maddy. Everything just felt so right for you being here. It all just seemed to make sense for you. This is why you wanted to make this road trip happen.

To just help each of these girls have the best summer they could imagine. In the grand scheme of things, your priorities for confessing your love for Maddy was near the bottom. Not that it wasn’t important, because it was. But you knew how much bullshit they’ve had to endure being in Highland. So, you wanted to try and make it better for them. Your happiness had to come last and you weren’t bothered by that.

This was all about them, not you. You had accepted that a few minutes after picking Maddy up. Glancing at her and in the rear view mirror to find all your sleeping friends. Something about that had made you tear up a bit. You didn’t know why, but it just did. For years now, you have been alone. Avoiding people for your own selfish heart that was afraid of getting hurt. But now, you had your cousin and all of your friends going on a fucking road trip.

You were giving the chance to free them from all the stress going on in their lives and give them something to remember. The responsibility of that should’ve weighed heavy on your shoulder, but it didn’t. You just felt a genuine gratitude that you had the ability to give them this. They all meant something to you in their special way and you couldn’t see only you and Elliot going on this trip alone now. It was better this way.

“Yo, Y/n!” Elliot called from the driver seat. “Should we play them some of our tracks?”

That caused you to nearly jump up in your seat. “Uh, no, no, no,” you stammered. “No, the radio will be fine, Elliot.”

“Ooo, is Y/n hiding something emotional?” Jules teased as you groaned, covering your face with your hands.

“Play it!” Rue yelled and soon the whole van was filled with the chant. Leaving you a shy and blushing mess that Maddy found incredibly cute.

“Alright, alright,” Elliot said, fiddling with his phone. “How about something uplifting, yeah?”

The song, Westcoast Collective, began to play through the speakers with everyone’s ears perking up at the sound of Elliot’s voice. “What did you do on the track?” Maddy mused, shifting in your position to lay her side against your chest. Her head resting on your shoulder and looking up at you.

“I played the guitar and I’m about to kill Elliot,” you said hear the girl giggle. “Elliot, just put the radio on, man.”

He didn’t listen, deciding to talk to Lexi in hushed voices whilst everyone bobbed their heads to the music. You watched your cousin grin and nod before leaning back in his seat and eyes looking through the rearview mirror to make eye contact with you.

“Alright, Y/n,” he said loudly so everyone’s attention shifted to him. “Which one do you want first; Like You’ll Never See Me Again or Silver Lining?”

You felt your jaw drop, a dark look in your eyes that had Elliot grimacing. “Well, he’s going to kill me later,” he whispered to Lexi who covered her mouth, trying to hide the grin. “If you don’t chose, I’ll let the others pick. Up to you, man.”

Deciding to just hide, you grabbed Jules sweater from the back of her seat and placing it over your head. The gentle laughter filling the air at your suspense as the others started to shout the names to the two tracks. And soon enough, Elliot had silenced them with Silver Lining. Turning the volume up with a large grin, flashing it towards Lexi who mirrored it.

The soft keys from a piano played through the speakers, causing your body to tense. Maddy sat silently, lips slightly parted in awe that if this was your song, you must’ve played the piano as well was the guitar. There was still so much that she had yet to discover and the mystery she thought she cleared carried on longer. But it was starting to clear and she was dumbfounded by the sight.

I'm a wrecking ball at best

Maddy pulled the hem of the sweater and tucked her head underneath. Greeted by your soft features with your eyes shut. You may have been destressed a few moments ago, but you now looked relaxed. Or tense from the true implications of the song and who they were meant for.

I make house with empty photographs

“Is that about your parents?” The sudden question had you barely opening your eyes. She received a nod in return and she pressed her chest against your shoulder. Arm wrapping you and listening to your voice gracefully sing through the speakers.

You are my only souvenir

A few of the girls had glanced back, smiling warmly at the sight of the two you hidden underneath the sweater. Especially Elliot who’s entire intentions was not to give away how you felt completely, but leave a little mystery behind the song. Leave it open for Maddy to try and discover. Neither him nor you just realized how easily it was for her to figure it out.

You are my silver lining

The song carried on and thankfully, when it shut off, Elliot put on another one of his songs. Giving you time to regroup mentally and expect the worse. But it never came and everyone carried on like it was just another song, including Maddy. But she felt her arms grow tighter around you, the song endearing and warming her heart.

She loved you. She didn’t doubt that now. Nothing in her mind said otherwise. Never had someone made a song about her and never had she seen a guy become so nervous and shy about it. Jules and Rue had told her how you would grow incredibly quiet whenever they asked you to play something. But seeing it first had only made her heart crack slightly and transfer to you where she trusted it to be.

Conversations in the van carried on for a while before finally, you guys arrived in Naples, Florida. You had moved yourself closer to the window, Maddy sitting on your lap as you pointed out places you passed. Giving her little pieces of information about what you did there with your old friends when you were younger. It allowed her to know that you were a rebellious kid. Constantly getting in trouble with the law and getting into fights whenever the time called.

But she also was let in on the beautiful sights. Having already imagined your cute little face taking in the views. Just the genuine look of happiness in your eyes warmed her heart. The soft smile that played on your lips, silently reliving each old memory. It was the most precious thing she had ever scene.

It was short lived with Elliot pulling the van into the parking lot of a hotel that sat near Naples Beach where tomorrow would be likely spent and wherever you and Elliot had planned. Which was a lot of places you remember going to with Elliot when you two were kids.

The group of seven teens stepped inside with you walking up to the counter. The receptionist‘s nearly bulging out of her head at you. But plastering a smile. “Hi, what can I do for you tonight?”

“Uh, three rooms, please.”

Maddy had quickly taken note to the woman’s eyes flickering across your body momentarily. It was enough to have steam bellowing from her ears as Kat snickered in amusement. “Are you going to fight the receptionist because she has the hots for your man’s?”

“Yeah,” Maddy deadpanned. “Especially if she makes any sudden moves on him.”

It was safe to say that Kat was ready to grab her best friend if she was on the cusp of freaking out.

“Will there be double beds or singles?” The woman asked. You glanced back at the group talking amongst themselves. Making eye contact with Elliot as he raised a brow.

Oh, payback is going to suck for you, fucker.

“Two rooms with singles, please.” The woman nodded. Quickly typing across the keyboard as you pulled out some cash and just handed it to her to pay for the rooms.

When she was done, she held out three keycards. “Your guys’s rooms are all on the same floor and right beside one another,” she explained. “Room 136 is the single bed. 137 and 138 is yours. Let me know if you need me for any more assistance or call me.”

Of course, you were too guliable to realize the innuendo that came from the woman. Only offering her a thankful smile as you looked at the keycards, turning away from the woman. But Maddy was fuming at this point, ready to launch herself over the desk and strangle the woman.

But you spoke up, grabbing her attention in an instant. “Alright, kids,” you announced. “We have three rooms and one would have to be three of you. So, I took the liberty of deciding.”

Handing one card to Elliot, you smiled. “You, Jules, and Rue will be sharing a room together.”

“Oh, you fuckin’ asshole,” Elliot grumbled, taking the card

“Shouldn’t have showed my songs,” you shrugged. “Lexi and Kat, you are together-“

“And the love birds are together!” Rue’s words had Maddy blushing. You smirked, holding onto the last card and motioning them to the elevator.

The elevator ride was long, and the walk to the rooms even longer. But the relatively good mood from everyone did make it better. Walking down the carpeted and we’ll lit hall, you stopped at 137 and pointed to 138.

“Lexi, Kat, this is you,” you pointed. “Jules, that’s you guys.”

Maddy watched the others open their doors and enter. But before she could even follow you inside, you grabbed her arm and yanked her inside. Shutting the door quickly with giggles escaping your lips.

“Y/n, what the hell?” She hissed. “What's the problem?”

Timing was on your side perfectly as you could hear to your left in Jules’ room Elliot’s muffled voice yell, “Y/n, you sonofabitch!”

Maddy’s jaw hung slack, the corners curled into a grin as she covered her mouth to mask her giggles as you grinned. “That’s why,” you commented.

She followed you deeper into the apartment and found the single bed in the room. Her heart slightly picking up speed as she watched you toss you duffel bag of clothes onto the dresser with a sigh.

“So, you got us a single?” She asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. You looked back at her and then at the bed innocently.

You let out a huff, hands landing on your hips. “I didn’t even notice,” you quipped. “I’ll give that woman a piece of my mind for thinking of such an idea.” You scoffed. “Single bed? With Maddy Perez? Is this woman fucking insane or dumb?”

There was no saving Maddy as she let out a fit of laughter at your words. Somehow you managed to look obnoxiously adorable without even trying. You were just this tall and brooding giant that had the funniest and cutest personality she had ever seen.

“Oh, please,” she said. “Don’t waist your time on my account. I’m sure we can deal with the lack of space.”

You felt your cheeks heat up. Staring at the girl for a few moments before clearing your throat, instantly regretting the stupid idea you had made in a split moment. “I’m going to go have a quick shower.”

“You want me to join you?” Maddy called as you entered the small space.

“No!”

Maddy’s laugh could be heard beyond the door. The music that played through your phone filling in the silence in the small bathroom. It was enough to prepare you for the long night of having to share a bed with the girl you liked. Dare you say, love.

But it was worth the anxiety because maybe you could make something happen. Probably not because you always became a flushed mess when Maddy threw flirty comments your way. So, you’ll probably opt to do something romantic like Lexi had suggested.

Exiting the bathroom, you sigh heavily as you walked back to your bag. Maddy silently taking over the bathroom as you fish through your bag for your cigarettes and lighter.

When you do find them, you retreat to the tiny balcony and light your cigarette. Looking out on the ocean and the small fire happening at the beach. A crowd kids around your age drinking and hollering.

A tiny smile tugged at your lips, remembering doing that last year with all your friends. Staying up to the late hours of the morning, either acting like a bunch of maniacs or swimming in the ocean. It had been the one thing you did with all your past girlfriends. And as much as you tried to think of something else, nothing else romantic appeared in your mind.

But you wanted it to be special Maddy. Make it something she’s never experienced ever in her life. You know how badly her relationship was in the past and it just seemed like he bought her things to try and make up for his toxicity. You wanted to change that for Maddy. Have her set a new standard for guys if she was to deny. Because I’m the end, unless they were rich, there was one beating the commitment you have created for this girl.

“This is beautiful.” Maddy’s voice alerted you, turning halfway from the balcony to watch her fill the empty space beside you.

She was right. The view was something else. From the moonlight, the sight of the waves moving towards the shore and outwards was noticeable. The night peppered with stars that glowed a bit brighter that night. Constellations hidden within, needing the attention of curious eyes to line the pieces up.

You finally nodded in agreement, sitting down in one of the old chairs on the balcony. Sighing as you motioned to the view. “This is easily one of the best at night. When the sun is going down, there’s a huge car parkade that me and Elliot used to hit up for weed. Go to the top of that thing and you get a view of half the entire city.”

“Will you take me?” Maddy asks, moving over to you and seating herself on your lap. Maybe it the fact that you were extremely tired, or that you haven’t slept even when given the chance, but you didn’t feel embarrassed. You simply rested an arm around her lower back, large hand resting on her upper thigh.

That was enough to have Maddy’s lips parting, mouth salivating at the possibility. “Depends,” you smile, exhaling a cloud through your nose. “Do I get your love and affection?”

She scoffed. “I think you get enough of that on a daily basis.”

“There’s always room for more.” You slowly take a deep inhale off the cigarette as the girl stares at you in shock of your fast counter.

Maybe you were getting through your shy side and actually going to start putting the moves on her.

Maddy took the opportunity straddle your thighs and hug your large frame. Face stuffing itself in your neck as you ashed your cigarette over the railing. Feeling your attention shift towards where Jules, Rue’s, and Elliot’s balcony. The faintest sound of music had you smiling. It was one thing to show it to Rue and Jules, but not Maddy. That was something you could live with and their teasing wasn’t even that bad at the end of the day.

“D, GET THE FUCK OVER HERE, MAN!”

That familiar voice had you poking up, eyes wide and scanning your surrounding’s quickly. Maddy, who had begun to nearly fall asleep, whined in protest, arms tightening around you. “Yea’, I’m coming!” Another voice yelled.

Tossing your cigarette into the small ash tray, you cupped Maddy’s bare thighs and lifted her. Immediately, her legs hooked around you waist. “Do you want to go to the beach?” You suddenly asked, making Maddy pull away with a frown.

“Why, what’s down there?” She asked, looking back to see the huge fire still crackling with kids loudly laughing.

“Some people I would like for you to meet,” you said. “Here, crawl around onto my back.”

She did so and you carried her out of the hotel room after grabbing your guys phones, the keycard, and your cigarettes. Maddy was curious and was willing to go anywhere with you if you asked. But what also intrigued her was that there was someone down at the beach from your past.

When you two made it out onto the street, crossing it to the path leading down to the beach, Maddy shivered. If she knew you wanted to go out in public and by the ocean, she may have not picked a specific type of booty shorts. Now, she looked like a girl asking for some guys to comment on her ass. But you kept a protective grip on her underside of her thighs.

A ukulele could be heard with a small group letting out a drunken cheer. But before the song could carry on any longer, you smiled. “You think you pogues can have a drinkin’ night without me?”

The group turned and all their jaws dropped. “Y/n!” All of them said in unison. Davie, Keeley, Parker, and a few of your other friends got up to greet you. Each one you had to stop because Maddy, who stared at this group of friends.

They weren’t like anyone back in Highland. They all looked...poor? It didn’t sound right, but she couldn’t find the right word to describe this band of misfits. What she did know is that they looked like rogues, much like you. And the fact that they were different was definitely refreshing to see. She had become used to the spoiled rich kids, it was nice to be around people who didn’t care about that shit.

“So,” Davie smiled, glancing at Maddy. “Who is the lucky gal?”

You laughed, looking over your shoulder at the girl. “Maddy Perez, meet Davie Druthers,” you introduced. “Don’t let the bleached blonde hair fool you. He’s a real asshole once he gets comfortable with the girls.”

That had earned a jab in the stomach that was accompanied by your soft laugh. “Don’t mind him,” Davie reassured. “Call me, D. Davie just sound humiliating.”

Maddy smiled in amusement as you carried her over near the fire where she dropped down. But wasn’t able to make it far before she was pulled into the space between your legs. Her chest automatically leaning against your chest with your arms wrapping around to her front.

She watched as you interacted with your childhood friends. Taking to how natural everything felt for her to intently listen to each of them. They were so different from the people she was used to. Their humor, their personalities, their outlook on life, everything was different and she loved it. If she had the choice, she would move here and live out the rest of her life. Maybe even with you by her side.

“So, how did you guys meet, Y/n?” Maddy finally asked and Parker let out a laugh, placing her drink down.

“Should we tell her the truth?” D asked, glancing at Keeley who grinned.

“It would only be right.”

“Don’t tell her the truth,” you groaned pleadingly, but you knew your friends. You knew they wouldn’t listen to you.

Davie took a puff off the joint before passing it to Keeley. He rubbed his hands before exhaling. “Alright, you’re going to have to imagine this vividly for you to understand the situation,” he explained. “Close your eyes, and follow the sound of my voice.”

There was quiet snickers of amusement as Maddy sighed, closing her eyes. “Okay, it’s a sunny day here on Naples beach,” D starts. “The place is filled with people and there are even a few surfers out in the ocean. So, I need you to picture Y/n walking towards shore, but sitting down near the edge.”

“I love this part,” Parker laughed.

“And I hate it,” you replied.

“I’m walking down the beach, minding my own business,” D continued. “But then I hear the quiet voice, almost like a little dog whining-”

“Okay, fuck you, dude.” You laughed.

“Don’t interrupt the story, Y/n,” D scolded like a mother. “Your girl needs to hear this. As I was saying, this little voice calls for me. I turn to find Y/n who is looking around in a panic. Come to find out this dude ripped his swimming shorts.”

Maddy’s jaw dropped, tilting her head to look up at you. “What the hell did you do?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“He ripped them on his board,” Keeley informed.

“He says he needs my shorts,” Davie chuckled. “But, me being the craziest fucker to walk this earth, I offer to take my shorts off and we practically flash everyone on the beach as we run somewhere to grab some shorts. Long story short, Y/n here has a huge cock. So good on you, man.” Davie teased, patting your shoulder as you stuffed your face in Maddy’s hair.

For the next hour or two, there had been drinks that had gone around, joints, and jokes. Maddy got hear about stories that had included you when you were younger. She also got to know your friends a bit better. But after a while, she had yawned and you took the liberty of hoisting her into your arms and telling your friends you would be at the beach tomorrow and hopefully, they would come by and surf with you again.

The walk to the hotel felt short and elevator ride shorter. She laid tiredly in your arms up until you gently placed her down in the bed. Pulling the blanket over her shoulders where she hummed in content. Feeling your soft lips press against her temple. “Good night, Mads.”

(okay, so I may have just decided to do a fourth part where it might tie things up perfectly. If you didn’t, please read the large message I left at the top because it would mean a lot to me for you to see it.)

[restapesta]

23. Don’t you get it? You’re the only one I can be honest with.

Mickey takes being alone with Ian for granted. He really does.

It's quite sad he only realizes that when he's not alone with his ginger life companion—specifically when he's stuck in a moving car with him and fucking Phillip, feeling like a pussy for not having the guts to just open the door and jump out.

Did Ian put child's lock on his door, what the fuck?

He can't do this. It's a fifteen-minute ride to the Gallagher house and Mickey won't be able to survive it. No fucking way. Why did Ian have to say yes to picking Lip up from work? Did he know what hell he would be putting his poor husband through, huh?

If college bitch says something about his shitty delivery job one more time, he swears to God—

"And you know what the best part about this shitty delivery job is?" No. Please, God, make him stop. "Bathroom? Doesn't even fucking exist,"

If Mickey had a gun, he'd stuff it in his mouth.

From the corner of his eye, Mickey sees Ian's gripping the wheel slightly tighter, his knuckles turning white, his tongue bitten between his slightly clenched teeth. Sadly, only Mickey can see him be so frustrated from the passenger seat. He wishes Lip would lean over from the back and see how fucking annoying he really is with his constant babbling.

Maybe it's good he didn't bring a gun with him—Ian looks like he'd wanna stuff it in his mouth, too.

Does he have child's lock on?

"Anyways," Lip breathes out and Mickey focuses on the buzzing of the AC so he wouldn't have to endure the brainwashing his brother-in-law's—why him?—voice is doing.

Ian seems to be thinking the same thing, his eyes rolling discreetly to the back of his head, staying there for a moment or two.

Mickey's torn between telling him to keep his eyes on the goddamn road or just letting him crash their new car into a pole. At least then they wouldn't have to listen to the yapping that's filling every nook and cranny of the fresh interior.

Their car had never seemed so small. Since when is Mickey so claustrophobic? There used to be so much room.

Oh right, Lip's ego is taking up most of it. How could Mickey forget?

"Oh, yeah," He says suddenly, and Ian and Mickey share a look. What now? Will he ever stop? "I meant to ask you about your meds, Ian. You told me you were visiting your doctor or some shit like that."

Mickey reclines back in his seat, lips pursing as he waits for Ian to fill Lip in on the new prescription and its side effects, and whatever other shit Mickey's already got written down in the notes on his phone from when Ian told him in detail about it.

He had been pretty down when he came home from seeing his doctors, listing off all of the shit he was worried about with the new therapy and adjusting to it. He even had a couple of sleepless nights that resulted in him seeking out different pharmacies to buy sleeping pills, which ultimately led to a night of sleepless vomiting because the cocktail of pills didn't really bode well for Ian's stomach.

Mickey doesn't mind reliving it. Doesn't mind listening to his husband talk about the things important to him and things that Mickey should know about.

And, truthfully, Mickey's already come face to face with the fact that he likes knowing about all of Ian's shit—they're already living, sleeping, and working together, so the prospect of knowing that new meds give Ian diarrhea if they're taken on an empty stomach doesn't really seem like a TMI-type of thing to know.

When Ian's related, nothing and everything is pretty much TMI.

"Oh," Ian responds after a moment of silence. His eyes aren't focused when Mickey turns to look at him. It seems as if he's racking his brain around for the proper words, yet can't seem to find them. Eventually, he just lets out, "Everything's the same. Nothing new."

Mickey knows that's not true.

"Didn't you say you were being put on some new shit?" Lip's confused. Mickey is too.

Ian was put on new shit. Shit that landed him with a week of goddamn exhaustion and a fucked-up stomach.

"No. It's the same."

"Oh," Lip mutters. "Okay then."

And he continues to go into another monologue about why being a delivery boy is such a shitty job to have with a mind of his.

Mickey stares at Ian's side profile for as long as it takes him to turn around and meet his eye. It takes him long—in fact, Mickey's pretty sure Ian won't be turning around any time soon.

Why would he lie? Why would he hide the fact he did change his meds when it's really not that big of a deal?

Mickey's even more confused by it because Ian had ranted about his doctor's appointment the day of it, nearly talking Mickey's ear off. He had been annoyed, relieved, and worried, all at the same time, and the entire Tuesday was just spent with them talking about bipolar like the mundane thing it was.

So, why wouldn't Ian just want to retell that shit again? It wasn't as if he didn't still have frustrations over it. Not like he wouldn't fucking jump on the chance to talk about his biggest concerns the second the opportunity presented itself.

Why then?

Lip's still talking and Ian's still not looking at him.

Mickey places a gentle hand on his thigh, trying to get his attention. In response to Mickey's thumb running over his husband's jeans, Ian just places a hand on top of his, picking it up and raising it to his mouth until the rough skin meets the smoothness of his lips. When he finally looks at him, there's a plead in his eye. An answer to Mickey's unasked question.

Later.

"Ugh, can you guys not do that here? Since when did you become that couple?"

They both ignore the dumbass in the backseat of their car. Ian turns to look ahead, and he pushes his foot down visibly on the gas pedal, and Mickey knows that the time until they're able to drop Lip off is cutting shorter.

"You guys are really annoying with that mind-reading shit, you know that?"

Mickey breathes in deeply.

Five more minutes. Just five more minutes and they'll be alone.

Ian's hand doesn't disentangle from his, but Mickey does move them so they're laying on top of his leg, palms pressed tightly together. He squeezes at it once.

Ian squeezes back.

There's a faint mumble from the back.

"I fucking hate being the third wheel."

Mickey barely stops himself from jumping into Ian's lap, just in spite.

Instead, with his free hand, he just flips him off.

---

They're driving to their place when Mickey finally asks the question. They've been alone for a couple of minutes now, after a prolonged—much to both their dismays—goodbye to Lip in front of the Gallagher house. As soon as it was appropriate to, Ian peeled out of the driveway, putting as much distance between him and his family—his annoying-ass brother—as he possibly could in a record time.

At first, Mickey fiddled with the radio until he landed on some radio station that played pop-shit music, lowering the volume until the Taylor Swift song—he hates that he knows it—was just a hum filling the silence. Ian isn't speaking, but he doesn't seem tense.

He seems just as always, shoulders even further relaxed—slumped, actually, because he has the posture of a question mark—now that Lip is out of the car and in the hands of the others to deal with.

"So," Mickey starts casually when his weirdo of a partner starts singing lowly to Lover on the radio. It's a song they only listen to when they're feeling sappier than usual, but Ian tends to always be sappy, so none of this sweet singing shit was a surprise for Mickey. The lyrics coming out of Ian's mouth still make his chest swell pleasantly, despite him barely holding himself back from rolling his eyes. "What was that?"

"Hm?" Ian's eyes momentarily move to eye Mickey. They go back almost immediately. "What was what?"

"What was that thing with Lip?" The question isn't meant to be judgmental nor accusing. Mickey really is just curious.

It wasn't him whom Ian had lied to. But why did he lie in the first place?

Ian shrugs, lowering the volume with the switch on the wheel even further until they can barely hear the soft voice.

"I just didn't feel like telling him." Is the simple reply.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Ian."

"Mickey—"

"Come on, man, don't give me that bullshit."

"I'm not—I don't," He exhales roughly as if finally forcing himself to admit to something he doesn't want to admit to. "I don't like anybody knowing about it. It's nobody's business but my own."

Mickey makes a face, still confused as fuck. He gets the reasoning behind the words, but it's just not clicking in his brain. Maybe Lip really did brainwash it. "You say you don't like anybody knowing, but you told me."

Ian glances away from the road and sends Mickey the type of look that says he thinks what Mickey just said was the dumbest thing possible. It's incredulous.

"You're not anybody, Mick."

And that's sweet and all, but—

"Lip's not anybody either."

Ian sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, dramatically exasperated. "Don't you get it, Mickey? You're the only one I can be honest with. Completely transparent."

Mickey doesn't know why he's still pushing, but fuck, there's no way. "You can be transparent with Lip. He'll hear you out, give you advice. Won't judge you." Why is he defending Lip again? "I'm not the only one who understands."

"Yeah, but you're the only one who isn't annoying about it. If I wanted Lip to know, I would've called him straight away. But instead, I talked to you. Mickey, you're a dumbass if you don't see that you're the only one I want to tell."

Well fuck.

Mickey blinks. He actually is a dumbass, but that's already been genetically proven. This is something else.

Mickey feels Ian's words deep in his chest. His heart jumps to his throat—it's one of the best things Ian could've said to him. It doesn't feel fucking real.

"Really?" He asks pathetically. It's not like Ian would lie; he's always had a knack for saying everything that's on his mind. Mickey loves that about him right now. It's just that—Mickey? He wants to tell Mickey about it and nobody else?

Ian smiles at him. "Really, babe," Mickey blushes as the nickname. "You know just how many questions to ask. When to listen and when to talk. When to give me advice and when to tell me to get out of my own head." Ian's eyebrows furrow. "Lip doesn't know how to do that. Not like you—"

No. Mickey will not cry. No. It's just eyeball sweat.

"—With you, I know that I can say whatever is on my mind and won't feel like shit about it. It's fucking liberating, having somebody like that."

Mickey breathes in deeply. Fuck Ian for using his words like this and making his heart squeeze impossibly. Why is he so fucking perfect all the fucking time?

How did Mickey get so fucking lucky?

"Yeah," He responds dumbly, out of breath—because it legit is logged up in his throat at the moment. He clears it. "I guess that's what best friends are for."

And the grin Ian sends him in response to the sheepishly-said sentence is enough to make butterflies explode inside Mickey's belly—ugh, no, he's supposed to be past that stage, for fuck's sake.

Ian's still grinning as Mickey's whole face probably turns the shade of Ian's favorite vegetable—maybe that's why Ian likes it when Mickey blushes—and he has to avert his gaze so he doesn't go even redder than Ian's hair.

"Best friends? I feel honored, Mick."

"Shut up."

"No, for real."

"Shut up."

Ian laughs and spares Mickey the embarrassment by raising the volume up on the radio, the song now booming loudly through the space.

Ian glances over at Mickey right as he starts singing it joyfully, a wide smile on his face. This is the Ian Mickey knows and loves—happy Ian.

Mickey's favorite Ian after the horny one.

Mickey's chest swells with pride. He ended up with Ian. The Ian who loves him unconditionally; who knows just the right to say and when to say it; who just told him Mickey's the only one he can be real with.

I can only be honest with you, too. He wants to tell him. I only am honest with you.

Instead of saying the words, he starts singing himself, and the screeching voices of two men stupidly in love are seeping out of the slightly opened windows, the wind whooshing them away.

I can only do this with you, Mickey thinks. I'm only this free with you.

Judging by the way Ian's smiling, Mickey guesses he's thinking the same thing, too.

"Darling, you're my, my, my, my lover."

[rpmemes-galore]

the last of us ... sentence starters

“Pffft, that’s stupid.“

“Man, you hit hard.“

“Endure and survive.”

“None of that is on you.“

“Okay, don't be a dick...“

“You’d just come after her.”

“Holy shit. We actually made it.“

“There is no other choice here.“

“You have no idea what loss is.“

“You listen to me, you little shit...“

“I'm scared of ending up alone...”

“Come on. Make this easy for me.“

“Yeah, well, I was trying to kill you.“

“I shot the hell out of that guy, huh?“

“How is it that you're never scared?“

“I'm scared of that happening to me.“

“But, man... you can't deny that view.”

“They've been gone a long, long time.“

“We're not murderers. We just survive.“

“I will not turn into one of those things.“

“Well, is that everything you hoped for?“

“It's called luck. And it is gonna run out.”

“Our luck had to run out sooner or later.“

“I could give two shits what you're up to.“

“What are we doing here? This is not us.“

“I struggled for a long time with surviving.”

“They sacrifice the few to save the many.“

“Do I need to remind you what is out there?“

“I'm just saying, I'm glad you're on my side.“

“Just take it easy. Drugs are still wearing off.“

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that bullshit.“

“You see? Everything happens for a reason.“

“I'm not going anywhere. This is my last stop.“

“You're treading on some mighty thin ice here.“

“Yeah, well, just try not to let your guard down.“

“That was plan A, B, C, all the way to fucking Z!”

“You're gonna be really happy you didn't kill me.“

“(Name) saw the world one way, I saw the other.“

“I'm sure your ‘friend’ will be missing this tonight.“

“Why didn't you just hang back like I told you to?“

“Still trying to save the world? Good luck with that.“

“I pretty much lost everything. And then you show up.”

“I'm so tired. I'm exhausted and I just want this to end.”

“Hold your horses, I wanna see what the fuss is about.“

“No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for.“

“Ssh, ssh! It’s okay! It’s me, it’s me! Look, look… it’s me.“

“Hearing them talk, it's good to know they're scared of you.“

“Well, I guess we're both disappointed with each other then.“

“Swear to me... swear to me that everything you said is true.”

“Y'know, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together.“

“I’m getting you outta here, girl. I got you… I got you. Come on.”

“I guess no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape your past.“

“Now, I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but it's --- “

“Guess what, we're shitty people. It's been that way for a long time.”

“And just so we're clear about back there... It was either him or me.“

“You wanna know the best thing about my job? I don't gotta know why.“

“You're right. You're not my daughter... and I sure as hell ain't your dad.”

“Running off like that, putting yourself at risk... it's pretty goddamn stupid.”

“And in this world, that sort of shit's good for one thing... getting you killed.“

“Okay, first of all, we’re a team now, okay? We’re gonna help each other out.“

“Listen to me, if I get in trouble down there, you make every shot count. Yeah?”

“Whoa! How the…? How the hell would you even walk around with that thing?“

“After all we've been through, everything that I've done... It can't be for nothing.”

“So you know what I did? I wisened the fuck up. And I realized it's gotta be just me.“

“I can't imagine losing someone you love like that. Losing everything that you know.“

“Everyone I have cared for has either died, or left me. Everyone --- fucking except for you!“

“You know, as bad as those things are, at least they're predictable. It's the normal people that scare me.“

“I get it. But, whatever it is you think you're going through right now is nothing to what I have been through.“

“Really? Just gonna leave me hanging? All right. I see how it is. It’s just a high-five. It takes like 5 seconds.”

“Is this really all they had to worry about? Boys, movies... deciding which shirt goes with which skirt? It's bizarre.“

“You know what? No. How about ‘Hey, I know it wasn't easy, but it was either him or me, thanks for saving my ass.’ You got anything like that for me?”

“Everyone I have cared for has either died, or left me. Everyone --- fucking except for you! So don't tell me I would be safer with somebody else, because the truth is, I would just be more scared.”

[breadclubrising]

I swear if kota tweets ONE MORE unhinged teasing-golden-lovers-reuniting tweet I'm going to walk into the ocean

I'll be honest... when I first read this ask, I was like "calm down, Anon, we have a long road ahead."

I read those tweets soon after he tweeted them, and I was just [scruffy ben affleck with cigarette], because, sure, it's a nice thought, but we have no way of knowing how long it'll take, or what kind of absolute horseshit he/they/we will have to endure in the interim.

Like! Remember! Forbidden Door! Remember how, when it was first announced, we were in a place where it actually would have been a little weird if they didn't do something with the Golden Lovers for that show? And then by the time it arrived they were both injured and Omega was talking in interviews about how awful he felt physically and spiritually, and Ibushi was trying to ragequit his NJPW contract?

BUT! ANON! I am NOT saying ‘there is no reason to hope anything nice like that will happen, and you should be sad about wrestling like I am.’ Because you're right! Ibushi tweeting about a Golden Lovers reunion like it's just a thing that's obviously going to happen in the next few months is indeed a reason to get cautiously hype! I’m not going to, but only because I’m already at my personal ideal level of cautiously hype (which, because of the above bullshit and so much more, is admittedly low).

My initial response up there? Is totally based on the absolute assumption—that I at this point have taken for granted—that it IS going to happen. Ibushi's tweets will continue to be unhinged, and more importantly, the Golden Lovers will reunite, eventually! The reason Ibushi is tweeting about it like that (aside from the fact that he has chosen to stop giving a shit about most things, very much including kayfabe) is that it's a matter of when not if.

Nothing is ever certain in life, and I can think of a few things that could stop it from happening, but they’re all catastrophic and (hopefully) pretty unlikely. It’s gonna happen! Whether it will be soon, or satisfying, or which wrestling promotion(s) (if any?) will be involved, is more uncertain. We can assume they have a little more control over the story than they have in the past, but last time it took years for stuff to come together in a way they were cool with. 

But this thing is so important to both of them, and they are so important to each other. Like the Golden Lovers story is so important to them that they kept their irl (little-r) relationship a secret, even backstage at shows, for like 5 years, for the sake of kayfabe. They’ve both made career decisions with each other and the Golden Lovers as a big factor. Kenny has made that story the narrative frame for his entire career, and while Kota is less of an architect about stuff, the Golden Lovers has been his home base—he even made sure to keep Golden-Lovers-ing when he was considering going to WWE. I mean, like... almost all of their gear has references to the other! They care! If they both retired tomorrow, they’d find a way to tie it all up.

I guess what I’m saying is, yeah, I’m a little jaded; I can see ample places where there could be hella bullshit to endure. So! Please protect your feelings, sweet Anon, and stay away from the ocean! But also I am taking a moment to appreciate that we don't have to worry about whether it will happen, because there is some good in the world still, and the Golden Lovers actually big love each other irl.

That's a lot of trust to put in performers of media that you really care about, and especially in pro wrestlers. I still feel [ben affleck smoking while suffering] when i think about what might be between now and whenever they reunite, but I am also incredibly grateful that they’ve made it so clear for so long that as much as fans care about this story continuing, they care more!

[charthanry]

BBS EP12 preview thoughts

I usually wait a few days and after a few re-watches to put my thoughts into words, but fuck it, I’m way too deep into my emotions right now and need an outlet to get all of this out. I’m literally shaking as I type this.

If everything in the EP12 preview is to be believed (which P’Aof and co. have clowned us before, so who knows?) how are they gonna have PatPran come home and act like everything they've done for and meant to each other was a mistake....Pat even apologizes and his fucking dad says “you did the right thing (by breaking up)” and Pran’s mom is all “I’m sure you’ll meet lots of (other) great people.” Like, that is so disparaging to what PatPran have (I refuse to use past tense here) together? Like, oh this was just a blip, a college experiment, we knew you’d eventually come to your senses? The fuck man. Way to belittle your children’s feelings?

So Pat’s probably apologizing for running away but my point on the parents still stands. Like, I’m totally expecting the next words that come out of the parents are: “yeah we allowed you to both run away for a few days because we knew you’d wake up from this fantasy eventually, once you realized how difficult life is without family or money.” Like it’s some demented form of TOUGH LOVE??? GAH! The boys have minds of their own, they fell in love despite all the bullshit they had to endure over the years, why take away their agency and minimize their feelings because of your own wacked agendas. I hate this SO MUCH.

Like, how does this change anything? What did PatPran learn from any of it? If they’re just back to where they started? Back under the parents’ control. What was the point of going through all that? For the beautiful memories? Fuck that. So what, they’ll just continue pining for each other until the timing is right? They’ve already lost THREE fucking years when Pran got sent away. How much more do they have to lose? Damn you, show. I REALLY, REALLY HATE IT HERE.

[sinclairsolutions]

6, 32, 35, 36, 46, 50 this ship is so fluffy thanks !

FLUFF TIME FLUFF TIME

6. What random everyday object/activity makes them think of each other?

Aside from the obvious clocks, Dan finds that ridiculous flea market kitsch reminds him of Clockwork—Clockwork is fascinated by useless shit like that. He does, in fact, have an entire room in his lair devoted to kitsch from different eras. (Some of these things are even weird novelty clocks!) Sometimes Dan sees something unbearably ugly and tacky and thinks, “Goddamn, Clocky would love that shit,” and he’s usually right.

And every time Clockwork sees a flame, he gently puts his hand up to it and ponders its warmth, how it sparks just like Dan’s hair but feels different, too warm and much less solid. But it makes him smile nevertheless; even without the heat of a fire, Dan makes him feel warm.

32. How do they comfort each other?

Dan’s bad at words. He knows this. But he’s very good at wrapping Clockwork up in his arms, or sometimes a blanket (and sometimes on bad nights, even the special blanket Nocturn gave him after the Mess Clockwork Does Not Talk About—the one that grants dreamless sleep). And when Dan is the one who needs comfort, Clockwork offers gentle touch and gentler words, threads his fingers through Dan’s hair and strokes it softly as he fills the silence with words, some meaningless, some not. Somehow, that is a comfort in itself: it is a reassurance that Dan isn’t alone.

35. How do they deal with being away from each other for a long time?

Clockwork mostly tries not to be—given that Dan is the only person in existence whose future he cannot see, it’s very stressful for him to be away from Dan. (What if someone corners him and attacks, kills him, and Clockwork won’t know until it’s too late?) But he gently reminds himself that Dan survived alone for 10 years without his help (and sometimes despite him) and then buries himself in work to keep the worry at bay. Sometimes it even works.

Dan doesn’t much like to be away from Clockwork, either; it reminds him too much of all those years he spent wreaking havoc, destroying and killing and then curling up, still covered in blood and utterly alone, to recharge his core in some half-wrecked hovel. He could never actually fall asleep in those days—he had to be constantly watching for threats, and he had no one to watch his back. (Not that he’d ever thought he wanted that, back in those days.) After they core bond, it gets easier. Dan can rest, because he knows if he’s ever attacked, Clockwork will feel his core crying out and will come for him.

36. What is their favorite place to kiss the other? (Cheek, hand, closed eyelid, neck, nose, etc.)

Dan’s favorite place is just over the scar on Clockwork’s face. It’s the mark of a survivor—precisely what it is Clockwork survived, Dan doesn’t know, but he knows Clockwork had to be strong to endure something terrible enough to scar him permanently. And he finds that strength beautiful.

Clockwork’s favorite is the soft peck on the cheek. Doesn’t it seem odd to kiss Dan the Destroyer on the cheek like he’s some soft, lovestruck fool? Isn’t that the fun of it? (Isn’t it cute to see him blush from such simple affection?)

46. How do they make each other laugh?

With unimaginably terrible puns and all manner of other bad jokes that irritate everyone around them. They’re That Couple.

50. Who would protect who in a dangerous situation?

Both, one hundred percent. They’re both the sort who pretend they don’t need protection, but they’ve also both got a talent for seeing through each other’s bullshit. So even though Clockwork declared that he didn’t need Dan’s help facing off against Pariah, Dan knew it was a lie, and he showed up anyway and fought like hell to protect the one he loved. And when the Observants began plotting to end Dan’s existence… Clockwork ended that idea (and several Observants) real fast.

[imagine-loki]

What About Trust, Chapter 11

TITLE: What About Trust CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 11 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki owns a bookshop on Midgard. He had to do something there to try and avoid getting any attention. But he’s not fond of having customers, is rather grumpy and guarded. But then he meets a bright, bubbly and trusting young woman who doesn’t recognise him. To his dismay, he finds himself becoming rather fond of the mortal.  RATING: M

  ‘My god, just how many records do you actually have?’ Loki asked in disbelief.

‘Uhm… I have no idea.’ Cleo said, she and Loki were sat on the floor amongst a sea of records.

Loki had come across a trunk full of them, then there were all the ones she had around her place too. So Loki surprised her by getting her a beautiful large wooden cabinet, all shelves the right height for her records. Now they were sorting through them all, into alphabetical order.

Cleo groaned and leaned back against the sofa.

‘Come on, darling. We aren’t even a quarter of the way through them yet.’ Loki said as he slid another pile towards her.

‘Seriously wish you’d just let me put them all in, sorting them into order is ridiculous. Not like I’ll keep them that way.’ She huffed.

Loki raised an eyebrow and glared at her. ‘You better keep it in order, or you’ll be in big trouble!’ He growled low.

Cleo responded by sticking her tongue out at him, making him chuckle as he shook his head.

They ended up ordering in pizza, as by dinner time they were still organising. They were more than halfway through when the food arrived. They sat down on the sofa next to one another to eat, with music playing of course. They had an extra, extra-large pizza to share. A half and half one, as they couldn’t decide on a topping together.

‘Hmm, not as good as your home-made pizza.’ Loki hummed after his first slice.

‘Glad to hear it.’ Cleo grinned. ‘It’s still awesome pizza though, but if you don’t want your half, I’m sure I can manage it…’

Loki shook his head quickly. ‘I never said it wasn’t awesome.’

Cleo laughed and made sure she picked up her own slice. Leaving Loki’s side well alone. But she found she couldn’t even finish all of hers, she groaned and put her hands over her stomach. Loki slid the pizza box fully onto his lap and chuckled.

‘Seems it will be me eating your slices now.’

‘Don’t you dare. That can be my breakfast tomorrow.’ Cleo said, though she could barely move as she felt so full.

‘For breakfast?’ Loki asked, repulsed at the thought.

‘Hell yeah. Have you never had cold pizza for breakfast?’ Cleo turned her head towards him.

‘Cold pizza for breakfast? That all just sounds utterly ridiculous.’ Loki scoffed.

‘Not at all. You seriously need to try cold pizza, it’s the best.’

Loki rolled his eyes, not believing her. But that evening once the records were all neatly in order, finally, he tried a bite of her leftover cold pizza and was pleasantly surprised. When he tried to sneak a few slices away with him, he had to endure a swift smack on the arm.

Giving in and opting for some chocolate instead, he went back to the living room with Cleo and when she went to sit down, he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap instead of letting her sit on the sofa next to him. She squealed in surprise when he caged her in his arms.

‘I feel like I should take you out on a date this weekend…’ Loki hummed as he slid a hand up into her hair.

Cleo grinned and leaned against his shoulder. ‘Yes, I think you most definitely should.’

‘Oh, you do, do you?’ Loki chuckled.

‘Hell yeah. I’m a classy bird, I need to be wined and dined.’

‘You are far from classy, love.’ He snorted. ‘Even I know that already.’

‘Well, that makes you just as not classy if you’re dating me.’ Cleo grumbled and poked his stomach, a little annoyed when it didn’t seem to affect him in any way.

‘Touche.’ Loki chuckled.

They ended up putting the TV on for a bit, just to watch something mindless while they snuggled. Though they ended up talking most of the time, anyway. There was a brief news bulletin about an incident that had happened in America, but The Avengers had saved the day.

Cleo scoffed.

‘What is it?’ Loki queried while he glided his fingers through her hair.

‘I dunno if I believe in all that crap. I mean, superheroes? Seriously?’

Loki frowned. ‘But they just saved hundreds of Americans.’

‘Yeah, exactly. They’ve never done anything here in the UK. We’ve never seen real proof that they exist, it could be a huge hoax. America trying to make out they have all these superheroes. Do you believe in it all?’ Cleo tilted her head back to look at Loki, who looked a little sheepish.

‘Well, yeah. I mean, why not? I’ve never thought to question it.’ He shrugged.

‘I tend to question things a lot. If I ever go to America and see them in the flesh for myself, then I will eat my hat.’

Loki chuckled and gave her middle a squeeze. ‘Better find a nice hat, then.’ He grinned, making her laugh.

‘Will you read to me for a while?’ Cleo asked him and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her and hummed. ‘Why?’

‘I uhm, I really love to hear your voice.’ She blushed slightly, making Loki smile.

‘What do I get in return?’ He teased.

‘A warm bed for the night?’

‘I already have a warm bed at home.’

‘A warm bed and a hot girlfriend to snuggle up to?’ She tried.

‘Hmmm…’

‘Lots of kisses?’ She suggested and then started peppering kisses all over his face, making him laugh when she didn’t stop, getting all over his face.

‘Alright, alright. That’s good enough for me.’ Loki laughed and managed to grab her face in his large hands, but she managed to give him one last kiss on the lips, to his delight. He growled against her and moulded his lips against hers more firmly, moving them slowly together.

They ended up making out for a while, a little heavy petting too. Cleo squirmed on his lap when he copped a sneaky squeeze of her bum, making her giggle against his lips. They were both rather flustered and flushed when she snuggled into the crook of his neck again comfortably. He picked up a book that was within reach next to them and he began to read to her, calming himself down.

-

Loki was a man of his word. That weekend, he took Cleo out on a date.

She had no idea what the date was, since he kept her in the dark. All he told her was to wear something comfortable, but nice, and he would pick her up at six.

Loki was outside waiting for her at six and she was bang on time which made Loki smirk. ‘You’re excited.’ He commented as he slipped his arm around her and leaned down to kiss her.

‘I sure am. I love surprises!’ She said giddily as she linked her arm through his and they made their way down the road.

‘Well, we are going for something to eat first. But that’s not the surprise, the surprise is after.’ He couldn’t stop grinning as she looked at him curiously and began guessing.

‘Cinema?’

‘Nope.’

‘Star gazing?’

‘No, but nice idea. I’ll make a mental note.’ He grinned and bumped her with his hip.

‘Bowling?’

‘No way.’

‘Ice skating?’

‘Not a chance.’

She was about to open her mouth to make another guess, but Loki quickly covered her mouth with his hand. ‘No more guessing, just wait and see.’

Cleo licked his palm, but he just narrowed his eyes at her instead of removing his hand. She huffed when he did let her go and she said nothing as they continued walking to the restaurant Loki had booked them into.

‘Dancing?’ She said randomly when they were almost there.

He glared down at her. ‘You are so close to being in so much trouble. Stop. Guessing. You’ll find out soon enough.’ He said firmly, making her pout.

Cleo almost, almost, forgot that dinner wasn’t the main part of the night. It was so nice and romantic. The food was delicious, she had never been to that restaurant before. She wanted to order pudding, but Loki wouldn’t let her.

‘No time, darling. Next time, I promise.’ He was grinning from ear to ear as he took her hand and guided her outside to a taxi that was waiting.

She thought she would get to know where they were going before they set off, but the driver just started driving as soon as they got in. She glared at Loki, making him chuckle. He had pre organised it, of course.

But when they pulled up at their destination, her heart started racing in excitement. She looked at Loki, joy written all over her face.

‘Luke… Is this… seriously what I think it is? Do NOT mess with my heart!’

‘It is.’ He confirmed with a nod.

‘How? How did you get tickets? They sold out in seconds!’ She screeched excitedly as they got out of the taxi, Loki had to grab her hand as she tried to rush up towards the music venue.

‘I have my ways.’ He said cockily as he pulled the tickets out of his pocket when they reached the door.

When they got inside, Loki was blindsided by her launching at him and hugging him so tightly he thought she was going to squeeze the life out of him. He chuckled and buried his face into her hair as he hugged her back tightly.

‘Thank you, thank you. So much! I’ve always wanted to see him live.’ She beamed up at him.

‘You’re welcome, love.’ He grinned.

They rushed through to the stage, Loki managed to sweet talk his way for them both to get right to the front. Cleo was utterly amazed that everyone believed the bullshit Loki fed them to get them to move so they could get to the barrier.

‘What the hell… Normally if I want barrier I have to queue for hours!’ She said as she leaned on said barrier, bouncing up and down on her tiptoes excitedly.

‘Not with me you don’t.’ He purred into her ear as he moved behind her and held onto the barrier at either side of her, caging her in safely in his arms. He could see over the top of her head easily, and could rest his chin on top of her when he wanted. Making her laugh.

The support act was good, but Cleo couldn’t wait for the main show. Her heart was pounding in her chest as it usually did at the start of gigs.

The eruption of screams almost burst Loki’s ears, but he couldn’t stop smiling at how happy and excited Cleo was. She screamed just as loud as everyone else when Tom Walker walked out onto stage.

Loki enjoyed his music, after hearing his album with Cleo the other day. She had mentioned briefly about how gutted she was that his show was sold out so quickly. That’s what gave Loki the idea.

When the song ‘Just you and I’ came on, Loki slid his arm around Cleo’s middle then and kissed her cheek as they moved together slowly. He pressed his cheek against hers and she smiled, leaning into him more.

Cause you're the best thing, that ever happened to me

Cause my darling, you and I Could take over the world One step at a time Just you and I, Just you and I Cause you're the only one Who brings light just like the sun One step at a time Just you and I, Just you and I

[a-world-in-grey]

Galahd-Lucis Fealty and the Situation Post-Burning

@secret-engima more Lucis worldbuilding!

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Alright, if you haven't read this post regarding oaths of fealty and the ones Galahd swears to Lucis, I recommend it, since I'll be jumping directly off those headcanons.

First however, establishing the situation of the Galahdians in current day Lucis.

Short version: Not great.

Long version: Little Galahd is very clearly not the wealthiest part of Insomnia. One could even call it the slums (though I'm sure in-verse it's merely referred to as 'the bad part of town,' no need to acknowledge why it's that way).

We also see significant anti-Galahdian sentiment in Insomnia, even in just the little bit in the Kingsglaive movie, which means there's probably a whole lot more off screen that we don't see.

So the Galahdians are likely living from paycheck to paycheck in substandard housing (barely up to safety code if at all), with difficulty getting jobs that pay enough, all the while enduring racism from the native Lucians.

We don't know how ugly that treatment gets - if the Galahdians have to deal with corrupt police, hate crimes, discrimination from vendors, educators, medical professionals, etc. That is entirely dependent on the author.

In the various SoHL-verses, two members of Lucis' ruling council actively discriminate against the Galahdians - the Lord of Housing/Urban Development and the Lord of Finance. You can probably imagine how that affects the Galahdians.

So where does Galahd's oaths of fealty come in?

Their treaty with Lucis when they submitted to the Lucian Empire and how it relates to the Great War and the Burning.

Specifically, it relates to the clause where the Galahdians promise to stay in Galahd. And Lucis promises to stay out of Galahd.

I don't doubt there was a very detailed clause that specified how much of the population had to remain in the Isles for it to count as Galahd staying in Galahd, and may have included a number of clauses defining exactly who counted as Galahdian, rather than Lucis assuming 'people from Galahd,' and Galahdians assuming 'One of the Clans.' (Then again, maybe the treaty didn't specify, which could lead to some spectacular misunderstandings. And by spectacular, I mean messy.)

I also expect there were specific clauses defining what it meant for Lucis to stay out of Galahd, or rather defining who was allowed in Galahd for certain purposes and just where they were permitted to go without explicit permission from the Clans. Which can basically be boiled down to 'merchants are allowed at these specific ports for the purpose of trade,' with more clauses in the event of a shipwreck.

Now, the important question is if the treaty included a clause detailing what would happen if one of Lucis' enemies invaded Galahd, or what would happen if Galahd became uninhabitable.

The former is very likely, especially given the clause that Galahd will only fight wars on Lucis' behalf, which makes them a military target even before one considers their strategic location.

The latter, on the other hand, I find far less likely to be included. If only because I doubt anyone would have thought Galahd would be razed to the ground or made otherwise uninhabitable. The Galahdians are no strangers to disaster, hurricane season is probably a nightmare for Clans, but there was probably the assumption that they'd be able to fall back on aid from other Clans, like they've always been able to do.

I doubt anyone thought something could happen to displace everyone.

So, Galahd promises to keep at least the majority of their population in the Isles. Lucis promises to stay out of Galahd, but also to aid Galahd if they are invaded by the enemy. For centuries, this works out (mostly) fine.

Then the Great War happens.

And Mors pulls the Wall.

Suddenly, Niflheim is occupying Galahd.

Now, there are a couple different paths to take with the occupation. It could be a full military occupation with the intent to bring Galahd into the Empire. Or, it could be Niflheim corporate interests moving in to exploit Galahd's natural resources, bringing along private mercenaries that are technically civilian.

(I suppose it depends how you want to define 'invade.' And if you would have Lucis count 'armed civilians' as an invasion.)

At this point, depending on the clauses in the treaty, Lucis breaks their fealty to Galahd if they fail to sufficiently aid them against enemy invasion.

(And even then, one could still argue that Mors broke fealty when he pulled the Wall, because he failed to defend Galahd after they swore loyalty even though he was capable of doing so. Because I fully hc the Mors did not have to pull the Wall all the way back to Insomnia.)

Which means Galahd is no longer required to hold to their oath of fealty to Lucis.

Then the Burning happens, and everyone in Galahd is displaced to Lucis. At which point Galahd breaks the treaty, and Lucis is no longer obligated to hold to their agreements.

Now, at this point in history, it has been centuries since Lucis and Galahd signed that treaty. How long has it been since anyone truly read the thing? Who has read it, both in Lucis and Galahd?

How many Galahdians who know the details survive the Burning?

How many of the Galahdian copies of the treaty survive?

Few, if any, surviving Galahdians know the specifics of the treaty their oaths of fealty are based on. The surviving Chiefs and Keepers will manage to keep their oaths yes, but those oaths are more along the lines of 'I the Chief swear fealty on behalf of me and my Clan to the King of Lucis, by the terms agreed to by our forefathers' than anything truly specific.

And in Lucis, it's likely equally few actually know the specifics, because it's been so long since anyone truly needed to consult the thing. Sure, the King and certain council members will have read it at some point during their schooling/training, but they won't have it memorized.

It could be that everyone's forgotten the whole 'Galahdians stay in Galahd, Lucians stay out' part anyways, because modern day trade between the two is fairly bustling, and there could be some tourism on both sides too. And I doubt they'll think to consult it when the Galahdians come to Lucis - after all, the Galahdians are technically Lucian.

Unless some skeevy corrupt politicians do look at the treaty, to see exactly what loopholes they can exploit.

So we've got two potential scenarios here.

One is that Lucis broke fealty first, and therefore no Galahdian is obligated to uphold their oath of fealty, which includes submitting to Lucian rule. (Those in the Kingsglaive would be different, because they are swearing themselves to service instead of fealty as well as swearing service after Lucis broke fealty.) This means that any further corrupt bullshit from Lucis is Lucis' fault and the Galahdians can rightfully demand reparation or legally revoke their oaths.

Which means if the Galahdians ever get access to the Lucian copies of the treaty, they could take the government and probably no few individuals to court and likely win.

The other is that Galahd is the ones who break fealty first when they violate their agreement to stay on the islands. Which, yeah, extenuating circumstances, but it still counts. Which means Lucis can legally disregard their agreements in the treaty, which could very well include the Galahdians' status as Lucian citizens.

(Because I hc that Iedolas was only able to spend so long trying to conquer Lucis because Niflheim holds a grudge from when Lucis conquered them, and likely kept them as second-class or noncitizens of the Lucian Empire. And by willingly submitting to Lucian rule, Galahd was able to avoid that.)

In this case, it means that any skeevy stuff certain corrupt politicians and other individuals get up to are completely legal, depending on what said skeevy stuff is.

At least until new laws are passed because I doubt Regis would stand for that if he knew about it, but any corrupt stuff before that wouldn't be able to be prosecuted.

Regardless of the political situation following the Burning, we eventually get to Regis' treaty with Niflheim. And despite both Regis and Niflheim knowing it to be little more than a sham, it still counts in regards to Galahd and their oaths of fealty.

Because one could argue that Regis broke fealty when he failed to defend Galahd, instead surrendering them to Niflheim. There is a little room for debate here, since you could also argue that Regis was not capable of defending Galahd when he surrendered the islands to Niflheim. But Galahd could argue that Regis did not try, and use that as justification to legally revoke their fealty to Lucis.

Which means that every Galahdian not under an oath of service to the Crown - such as the Kingsglaive or the Crownsguard - could not betray Lucis as they did not owe loyalty in the first place. This includes Libertus and any other Galahdians who left the Kingsglaive before the Fall. They were no longer part of the Kingsglaive, and as such their oaths of service no longer applied.

And unless Galahd renewed their oaths to Noctis, they would no longer have to bow to Lucian rule.

(Though the point sort of becomes moot when the Long Night happens.)

So, tl;dr, depending on the specifics of the treaty between Lucis and Galahd, either Lucis or Galahd broke fealty first. Depending on that, the treatment of the Galahdians in Insomnia could be legal to a certain point, or could justify the Galahdians revoking their loyalty to Lucis altogether. Regis' surrender of Galahd to Niflheim could possibly justify the same, leaving only the current Kingsglaives who owe loyalty to the Crown.

[mariaiscrafting]

You know, what think I like when you are critical of a content creator is that you know how to separate a fact from especulation, unlike a blog out there that took especulation as facts.

Example, that night when we were critical of Karl, or any instance you have discussed about him, a lot of anons were saying that he gave them clout chaser vibes to them, and despite your opinion, you expressed that those were only especulation and not the truth, and to keep that in mind. That's good critical thinking.

But this blog had some similar anons, saying that he only is friends with the Feral Boys gro clout- In fact, they said the Feral Boys were only in it to benefit from clout and money. And they took it as a truth. I know you instance on them is neutral, but come one, they are friends. All of them. Karl isn't friends with them for clout. Like today Karl was playing golf with salad gang plus Sapnap and George at first and then Quackity and Dream joined bc they had spared time and it all devolved into typical chaos (Poor Corpse and Tina and Brook, had to endure those children lol/lh /j). Like, the stream wasn't planned with the 5/5 yet they joined, missing Karl and just having fun.

Idk, I guess that blog's superiority (They were a SBI focused blog) just irritated me. It's as if they were putting both groups at each other as if those streamers aren't friends or close. They were singing prayers of one while shunning the other based from especulation. Criticissism is fine, in fact recommended to be critical of your interests, but taking rumors as facts to base your crit is yikes. It's as if I wanted to crit SBI and base it only of "Philza hanging only with people younger than him is kinda weird ngl.." or "Sbi doesn't care about Tommy cuz he joined late" like that dumb Tumblr post did or some fuckers in Twitter imply.

The main reason I take so much care to separate speculation from evidence-backed theories and confirmed truths is because I feel like that separation is what distinguishes us from mcyttwt the most. One of the main reasons for mcyttwt's toxicity, imo - for its relentless cancelling of everyone, for its bandwagon campaigns - is that people oftentimes criticize and defend based on their personal feelings rather than rationale or evidence.

For example, I complain a lot about Dream stans on here, but you know the reason I didn't stop watching Dream directly after the cheating scandal broke loose, even though I thought he cheated? Because of mcytblr Dream stans. Mcytblr Dream stans engaged with me in discussion, both publicly and in DMs, about the cheating scandal, and even those who eventually came to the conclusion that Dream didn't cheat accepted the facts and statistics they were given and kept a healthy skepticism throughout the process. On Twitter, Dream stans were defending him before he even made a video following up to the mods' initial accusations because they felt that Dream wasn't the kind of guy to lie or cheat. They were replying to screenshots of statistical analyses from subreddits and to articles from mathematicians and staticians with extremely reactionary responses because of that feeling, which they believed in so adamantly, they had accepted it as fact. The thing is, to believe that Dream didn't cheat in the face of all the statistical and rhetorical evidence to the contrary is, in itself, speculative. Usually we think of speculation as a baseless theory that something is a positive truth- that is to say, that something did happen. But speculation also applies to those theories of someone not having done something, when the opposite has been nearly proven to be true.

For this same reason, I chose not to ignore the anti-technotwt threads with screenshots of Techno's old tweets in them. For me to have simply ignored these screenshots and continued supposing that Techno never expressed bigoted beliefs and/or currently doesn't would have been speculative on my part, and to boot, blatantly wrong, given the evidence to the contrary.

People in this fandom, and in all RPF/RPF-adjacent fandoms need to understand that almost everything they believe about the CCs they watch is speculative, at least to some extent, because of the nature of the content they make. Even if someone, in your opinion, displays evidence of some aspect of their personality - whether that be some form of bigoted, sweet, rude, clout-chasing, or anything else - because of the extremely one-sided nature of sharing one's life through a screen, that theory of ours will almost alwyas only ever be speculation, not a solid conclusion that can be drawn. We will never know these people's true intentions behind something shared to us via the Internet.

That vagueness leads to virtually every viewer creating a different theory in our heads about the CCs we watch, and we can't treat those theories as facts, especially not when sharing them with the rest of a fandom. I'm not a very big blog, but I consider even over 50 followers to be way too many people to spread a theory too, without at least clarifying that what I'm posting is speculation. If I have evidence, I like to list it or, if I can, provide sources; but otherwise, I take care to qualify most things with phrases or disclaimers that will clue followers into the speculative nature of whatever it is I'm saying. This is because theories and "feelings" can blaze through a fandom like wildfire, especially somewhere like Twitter, where so many things are word-of-mouth or based on summary due to character limitation.

You know why mcyttwt was cancelling Andi? Only a handful of original Tweeters under the cancel Andi hashtags actually knew what clips or tweets to criticize her for, or tried to elaborate on that criticism. But because every other mcyttwt user was getting bombarded by their mutuals hate-posting about Andi on their TLs, the "negative feeling" towards Andi grew and grew, even if most people didn't even know what they were supposed to feel negative about, exactly. Our judgement works on a quick trigger on the Internet because of the amount of information we're receiving, and so, even a single bad word against someone you don't have too strong of an opinion on can fundamentally alter your perception of them, usually subconsciously. If the first thing you see about Andi, who you've only seen on a couple LOH's or a couple Punz streams before then, is a tweet along the lines of, "disappointed in Andi for her homophobia and joking about suicide," despite you having no context, you will most likely be pushed to the negative side of her. Thus begins the cycle of hatred, building up and up, leading to you searching for more and more criticism about Andi, whether speculative or not, until you solidly and genuinely believe she is a Horrible Person. It all starts with the vaguest fucking feeling, because that's all speculation has to go off of, and it snowballs into a fucking wildfire across an entire fandom. I'm not about to be another person to let feelings snowball and spread like that.

Now, I don't know what exact blog you're referring to, but as an adamant SBI enthusiast, let me flip the argument many SBI stans have for their speculation upon the genuity of Karl's friendship with the Feral Bois, onto SBI. What do we have to go off of for the genuity of SBI's friendship, anyways? Our perceived brother dynamic between Tommy and Wilbur could very well just be Tommy capitalizing on Wilbur's brand and continuing the charade until now because it's been profitable. Maybe Techno only continues to associate with SBI because he knows how much his fanbase likes headcanon'ing about SBI, so he puts up with streams with them so he can continue to feed his fanbase with dynamics he knows they're obsessed with. Maybe Phil would rather play MC with people his age, and actually dislikes that he's friends with a teenager, but sticks around because he profitted so much off of Dream SMP and SBI-related content. And what could any SBI stan have to argue with me on any of these theories? Just because SBI laughs around each other and seems fond of each other doesn't mean they're actually like that behind the cameras. They so seldomly stream or make videos together anymore, anyways, so maybe they've grown tired of keeping up the dynamic.

Everything I said could be interpreted as utter bullshit, and that's because it fucking is. I don't actually know what Techno wants to do with his life, or how Wilbur and Tommy actually feel about each other, or who Phil wants to fucking befriend. The same goes for Feral Boys. There's nothing wrong with stating your theories or speculation, but to treat them as fact or not at least qualify such posts with the fact that this is all based on your bias and opinion, and no substantive evidence, is irresponsible. Just because you feel like one or more of the Feral Boys is "clout-chasing" doesn't mean you have the right to tout that feeling as truth. I feel a lot of things about a lot of CCs, both negative and positive, but no matter how strong my feelings, unless they have substantive evidence backing them up, I have no right to treat them as facts with my followers.

[deniigi]

Hi Dr. Matt! What is your fav thing about Luke, din and their marriage? I’m loving this verse so much!

My favorite thing??

Their vulnerability, I think.

Like I love how Din brings out the worst in Luke (max drama, max silliness, max argumentative tone), and I love how Luke’s bullshit gives Din something to laugh about. But I think if I had to pick something it would be how both bring each others’ insecurities to the foreground.

Din and Luke are multifaceted people who are hypercompetent and extraordinary in so many ways, and they’ve endured a lot in their lives that they haven’t really been given the time or space to process. In the finding the lost verse, their getting together is an extension of the pressures that they’re both under from each of their cultures.

But the thing is that when the storm finally calms, they’re left having to deal with the fact that they’ve both unintentionally stumbled upon an ‘after.’

Neither of them thought this far ahead. It’s always been ‘acquire the child’ ‘return the child’ ‘protect the children’ ‘maintain the Creed’ and ‘learn the force, protect the force, rebuild the religion.’

But what happens when you’re in that long, long middle stretch between missions accomplished? You have all this time and all this space to think now.

Din and Luke’s marriage fits nicely into that gap because it anchors both of them where they’ve been un-tethered before. It gives both a stable point to revolve around and necessarily requires them to start processing.

And it’s not pretty. Because war isn’t pretty and sacrifice leaves scars.

Luke and Din, simply by being around each other more and having no reason not to trust the other person, slip up and say and do things that they can’t take back, and with the other there to suddenly call them on their bullshit (intentionally or unintentionally) they’re forced to reflect and really take the moment to realize what they’re doing, what they’re hiding/why they’re hiding it, and how heavy the burdens they’ve been bearing are.

That makes each touch and laugh and moment of honesty and intimacy that much more meaningful.

Maybe what I’m after in writing their marriage is exploring the process of slowly becoming known from two different perspectives (Luke as a person who is essentially famous and Din as a person who is essentially nameless).