#trent and robin through the years

[ladykailitha]

Of Butterflies and Backstrokes Part 15

And here we are at the end! It's been a wild and fun ride. Thank you to everyone who came with me on this journey!

@cryptid-system I hope my solution is as easy as yours ;)

We have the fallout from the cliffhanger, Steve taking that final step, and the truth comes out.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

~

When they got there, it was already a mess. Eddie had caught Jason at his locker and when Chrissy provided evidence that he was told to do so by Billy, that pretty much stopped the whole fucking event.

It took two days to untangle the whole shitshow, but at the end, Jason was replaced by an alternate and Chrissy allowed to continue, but with strict instructions that if she so much as toed the line she would be removed too.

Chrissy readily agreed. She wanted to compete, she didn’t want to cheat.

But that got Eddie thinking and he discussed his theory with the judges. They agreed to look into it but that the games would continue as scheduled.

Eddie agreed that would probably be best.

When it was time for the first meet, for real this time, Eddie made a show of checking his starting block for any sign of sabotage.

“Eddie Munson, checking his block for any signs of tampering,” the announcer said. “With his coach being Steve Harrington and the attempt to get him out of the races for drug possession, he has a lot of reasons to be cautious.”

The other announcer burst out laughing. “Did he just kick it? Like one does a tire of a used car one is buying?”

“It appears he did,” the announcer said, grinning from ear to ear. “It makes for some good entertainment, though.”

“It does that, yes.”

Eddie looked up at the stands and gave Steve a thumbs up and Steve burst out laughing.

Then Eddie put his goggles on, lowered himself into the water and grasped the starting block. He settled in and waited for the horn. No gun shots here.

Then the horn blared and he was off like a shot, arching into the water the way that Steve always loved.

He was graceful and fluid. And he was way ahead of his peers.

Steve was on the edge of his seat. Wayne and Robin each had a hand on his shoulders as Eddie kept his lead. Steve glanced up at the timer, but it was no where near a world record. But at this point it didn’t matter. Slowly the three of them rose to their feet as he neared the end.

Then he touched the pad and the entire stadium roared to life.

“What an incredible performance!” the first announcer crowed. “First time Olympian, Eddie Munson has taken the first gold of the swimming games!”

“And what an amazing gold it was,” the second announcer agreed. “We have USA teammate Trent York in silver, and bronze medal to Itsuke Tohsaka for Japan!”

“Great work to the USA for that double win,” the announced concluded.

~

On the winner’s podium, Eddie took a bite out of the gold to make sure it was real and then held it above his head.

Steve was so excited, he was jumping up and down. Then he did the unexpected. He ran out to the field and kissed Eddie senseless as he hopped down from the podium and into Steve’s waiting arms.

Steve spun him around excitedly and then kissed him again.

“If that’s the reaction I get when I get gold I’m going to have to win a lot more of them,” Eddie teased.

“It won’t matter,” Steve murmured into his ear. “I’ll kiss you no matter how you fare.”

Eddie smacked his arm. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna watch my teammate propose to his girlfriend of three years.”

Steve turned to where, sure enough Trent York was getting down on one knee to ask his girlfriend to marry him.

“Ah...” he said with a deep blush. “Nothing to be jealous of there, then?”

Eddie gently pulled Steve’s gaze away from the happy scene. “Never, lover boy.” And kissed him to the roar of the crowd.

The poor Japanese kid was looking around because he didn’t know what to do. Then a fan came tearing through the crowd and promptly kissed him on the mouth.

The announcers were calling it the love games, much to Steve and Eddie’s absolute glee.

~

Eddie medalled in all five of his events with talks to see about joining some of the medley teams for greater diversity of his form.

After Eddie’s last gold medal, his third, he was approached by the Olympic community for the swimming. His other two were silver, beating out Steve’s first time.

“Mr. Munson,” the French judge said, “we wanted to thank you for bringing to our attention your suspicions of the 2008 games.”

Steve looked at Eddie in confusion. “What suspicions?”

“Steve,” Wayne said gravely, “it’s been the long-held belief of a lot of people for awhile now that your accident wasn’t an accident at all.”

“Of course it was,” he said, frowning. “They looked into it afterwards and there were no signs of tampering.”

The Olympic members looked around at each other abashedly.

“That’s not quite true,” the English Olympic member muttered, “it was deemed inconclusive.”

Steve’s eyes went wide. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“With Billy sabotaging Mr. Munson with the drugs,” the French Olympic member said, “he asked us to see if there was any indication he had done such things in the past.”

“Billy?” Steve said, feeling the rush of blood around his ears. “Oh god. I always thought there was more to what happened, but Billy?”

He sank to a crouch and put his head between his legs to ward off a faint. They led him over to a bench and Robin rushed to get him water.

“When we started looking into the matter,” the English Olympic member said, “a maintenance worker immediately came forward because he feared that he would lose his job if he didn’t.”

“Holy shit,” Eddie said, sitting down hard next to Steve. “I really didn’t think anything would come of this. But it’s assault, right?”

“Technically it’s battery,” the French Olympic member murmured, “but while the Olympic Community has the authority to strip Billy of his two bronze medals, we cannot do anything else because it happened in Tokyo.”

Steve shook his head. “No, no. I get it. Just knowing he’s to blame is enough. Knowing that I have answers for the first time in my life to what happened to me, is–is plenty.”

Just then Billy came storming up to them. “This all your fault, Harrington. You’ll pay for this. I’m the superior swimmer, you fucking coward.”

“So put your money where your mouth is,” Steve growled getting to his feet. “Right here, right now. You and me, 150m. They’ll judge,” he pointed to the two Olympic members. “But I am and will forever be your god.”

Robin and Eddie shared shocked glances. They both wanted to jump in and ask if Steve was sure, but Wayne put a hand on Eddie’s chest and shook his head.

Robin opened her mouth to protest, but she saw the firm lines of Steve’s jaw and knew. He had this.

“Go suit up,” the English Olympic member said with a curt nod. “I think Mr. Harrington deserves a rematch, don’t you Marie?”

The French Olympic member nodded. “Yes, Theodore, I do believe he does. I will send someone to get you the appropriate gear.”

“Steve would you mind changing in the women’s dressing room to prevent trouble?” Theodore asked.

Steve nodded. “That’s fine. It makes it easier because my assistant coach is a woman.”

The two members nodded and everyone went their separate ways, leaving Wayne and Eddie alone in the bleachers.

“I’m so worried, Uncle Wayne,” Eddie admitted as he clasped his hands together, leaning on his knees. He dropped his head between his shoulders with a heavy sigh.

“He’ll be fine,” Wayne soothed, rubbing Eddie’s back. “He needs to do this otherwise he’ll always be afraid. But if you’re so worried call Rhys.”

Eddie straightened up. “I didn’t know you were on a first name basis with Gareth’s dad.”

Wayne scoffed. “Kid, I’m on a first name basis with all your friends’ parents, considering how much trouble you lot tended to get up to.”

Eddie cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, okay that tracks.” He picked up his bag that Wayne had been holding on to.

After the incident with Jason and Billy, Eddie refused to use the lockers at all and just handed Wayne his stuff before every meet. He dug around his clothes until he found what he was looking for. His cell phone. He called up Dr. Hughes.

“Eddie!” Dr. Hughes greeted cheerfully. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

So Eddie told him.

“I’m with Wayne on this one,” he said when Eddie was done. “But I appreciate your concern was enough that you reached out. He’ll be fine. Congrats on your relationship, though.”

Eddie snorted. “Of course he told you. But yeah, thanks. We don’t know what’s going to happen going forward, but we’re going to figure it out together.”

“He didn’t tell me anything, Ed,” Dr. Hughes said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure the whole world saw that kiss.”

Eddie blushed and shoved a strand of hair in front of his face even though Dr. Hughes couldn’t see him.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Forgot about that little tidbit?” Dr. Hughes asked, slyly.

“It was a really good kiss,” he murmured.

Dr. Hughes laughed again. “Fair enough. Tell Steve good luck for me.”

“Will do.”

Eddie nearly dropped his phone when Steve came out. It was not the Steve he knew. The man in front of him oozed confidence and charm. The man who would be king.

He trotted up to him and licked his lips. “You don’t have to do this. You know you’re better than he is.”

Steve smirked. “Oh I do, but he doesn’t.”

Eddie huffed a laugh and helped him get all his hair under the cap. Then they walked over to the starting blocks. There was space between the two that Billy and he would use. It looked as though they were taking this very seriously.

“Butterfly?” Billy sneered. “I want to beat you at your best.”

“Butterfly it is,” Steve said with a nod. He pulled his goggles on and Billy pretended to rush him, but Steve didn’t even flinch. “I’ve faced scarier things than you in the last four years, you’re nothing.”

He turned on his heel and got up on the starting block. Billy did the same, without the swagger from before. Eddie would swear for years, he saw sweat bead on Billy’s temples as they waited for the horn.

Then it went off. They both dived into the water. And instantly, Eddie could tell the difference. Not just in form, but style too.

They watched and waited as they did their laps. Steve keeping a body’s length between Billy and him. Then it was the last lap and Steve surged ahead, outstripping Billy even further.

Steve tapped the plate well before Billy did and yanked off his goggles, whooping and cheering.

“Oh my god!” Chrissy screamed.

“Steve look up!” Robin called out.

At first Eddie didn’t understand what she was screaming about. Then he spotted it. “Steve, baby. I need you to look at your time.”

Steve looked at the judges first who were in shock. Then he looked over at Billy who looked completely devastated. He finally looked up at the time clock. A new world record.

“It can’t be counted because it wasn’t an official race,” Marie said. “But if you can replicated it, you have to have to come back to the sport. Especially with a time like that.”

“Hell yeah!” Steve cheered, pulling himself out of the pool. “I’m back, baby!”

Eddie rushed over and kissed him senseless the moment he was on his feet.

“Mr. Harrington there is the small matter of being Mr. Munson’s coach,” Theodore said, pained.

Robin raised her hand. “Hold on, what is the biggest concern with an athlete/coach relationship?”

The two judges exchanged glances.

“The power imbalance,” Marie said. “And especially considering the large gap between their ages it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“But if we take into consideration Steve’s trauma and phobias,” Robin continued, “it wouldn’t be an imbalance.”

The judges didn’t look sure, especially after that performance.

“Trauma can crop back up at any time,” Robin said, “so this doesn’t mean he’s fixed.”

“Rob!” Steve chuckled. “There’s an easier way to do this, without upsetting these good people.”

She blinked at him for a moment. “Huh?”

“You coach us both!” he said with a laugh. “If we’re peers then there can’t be a power imbalance at all!”

“Oh!”

Everyone laughed.

~

Joyce handed Robin a box in front of Max, Eddie, and Steve. She opened the box and inside was a coach’s jacket with BUCKLEY in silver and black bold letters. She tried to hold back tears as Steve helped her put it on.

“You earned it,” he whispered, before going and standing next to Eddie.

“Just one more thing before you get started,” Joyce said with a smile. “Robin has decided to also have an assistant coach. May I introduce you to Coach Cunningham.”

Chrissy stepped out of the women’s locker room with a smile and shy little wave.

“I trust there won’t be any difficulties?” Joyce asked with a raised eyebrow.

Everyone shook their heads no.

Eddie put his arm around her shoulders. “So what made you decide to become a coach?”

“I decided I wasn’t cut out for the competition racket,” she said with a grin. “Billy showed me that.”

Eddie nodded.

“Plus there’s the fact that there are no rules against dating a fellow coach.”

Eddie barked out a laugh as Robin turned bright, bright red.

Oh yeah, Chrissy was going to fit in just fine.

Steve grabbed his arm. “Come on, I’ll race you to the pool!”

Eddie threw his head back and laughed and laughed, all the while Steve took off running. He shook his head and chased his boyfriend to the pool.

Thank god for Jim Hopper.

~

Tag List: STORY COMPLETE

1- @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog @gloomysoup

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @eriquin

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @chameleonhair @sadisticaltarts @dreamercec @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @mac-attack19

10- @aol19 @tartarusknight @morallyundefined

[seolhe]

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag 2024

Wasn't tagged or anything, just thought I'd give this a go. Books read so far: 55 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024? Probably gonna have to give that to Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb. While I still vastly prefer the Farseer trilogy over the Liveship Traders, her writing and character work are just far superior to most of the books I read in any given year.

2. Best Sequel you've read in 2024 so far? In truth, I would probably have to repeat my first answer, but because I'm not repeating answers, I'll say In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan, book four in her Memoirs of Lady Trent series.

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to? Hm... I had to go through my tbr list, because nothing really jumped out at me, but a few 2024 releases on my radar include The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson, The Missing Thread by Daisy Dunn and Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2023? The only one that comes to mind is The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri, the third and final part of her Burning Kingdoms trilogy.

5. Biggest disappointment? Probably Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan, the fifth and final(ish) book in the Lady Trent series. Because I had loved the entire series, I was really disappointed by the turn this book took. There's a big revelation in this one, and while it wasn't a big surprise, I really didn't like it. Not the worst book I read, but probably the most disappointing.

6. Biggest surprise? I would probably say What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher. I mean, I tend to really enjoy her books, so that wasn't a surprise, but I really didn't think What Moves the Dead needed a sequel, so I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked for me.

7. New favourite author? I don't know if I have a new favourite author per se... I would say the best new (to me) author I read was Octavia Butler.

8. New fictional crush? I don't get fictional crushes

9. Newest favourite character? Oh, hm... I don't know if there were any "new" characters that really stood out to me. All the characters I liked the most were from series I started reading prior to 2024. I guess I would say that Kennit from the Liveship Traders really grew on me in book two and three. I didn't love him in the first book, but he certainly grew to become a favourite as the series continued.

10. Book that made you cry? I don't know if I actively cried, but Night by Elie Wiesel was devastating. I read it in one sitting, but more than once I had to put it down just because something hit me so hard I needed a moment to process it and collect myself.

11. Book that made you happy? This is a little bit of a cheat, because I usually don't count rereads, but because this is a book I haven't read since my teens, I think it counts. I reread Pawn of Prophecy, the first book of the Belgariad by David Eddings, and it was such a delightful little nostalgia trip! I was absolutely obsessed with this series when I was like, idk, 13-14 year old, so it was great revisiting it now in my 30s.

12. Favourite book to movie adaptation you’ve seen so far this year? Nimona, definitely.

13. What book do you really need to read by the end of this year? He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan, for sure! There are other books I really want to get to this year, but I *need* to read this one.

[desirepathzine]

A couple of months before the Covid 19 pandemic sent me home from college, I was unable tot listen to anything but Head Like A Hole by Nine Inch Nails. Walking to and from class, sittng by myself, pounding through the blackbox speakers at 1030 at night when I could just lay on the floor and listen.

I'd been on the fringes of trad goth music for some time (the on-repeat listening prior to Head Like A Hole was A Letter to Elise by The Cure), but something about the mechanized anger of industrial was breaking me open in a different way. Powerful, vulnerable, LOUD.

I had been familiar with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' soundtrack work. One of the most foundational films of my youth was The Social Network, David Fincher's 2010 piece about the founding of Facebook, a movie that on release felt cutting edge and has only grown in prescience, feeling like an apocalyptic prophecy from a time before the site became synonymous with conspiracy theories and election fraud. The score to The Social Networrk was like nothing I had ever heard before. I, a homeschooled, deeply neurotic, deeply Christian tween was not in an environment conducive to listening to Nine Inch Nails yet (my mother regularly admonished me for the 70s punk that filled my iTunes library). But those sounds, sometimes desolate, sometimes manic, always compelling, were on constant rotation for years. I wrote many school papers and stared out many car windows to The Social Network score over the years. And always just kind of put the band itself off for another time.

That time arrived. I was 21, and feeling more and more like a person with something to say, ready to graduate into a world that I was eager to be a part of. That did not happen. In March of 2020, I was sent home for a two week spring break that turned into a forever spring break.

With nothing holding me together, confined to a house I had not wished to return to, and in circumstances that literally comprised my worst nightmares (I have long been a hypochondriac who used to have real and actual panic attacks about the outbreak of a new virus), one of the only effective ways I had found to cope was throwing myself into the music of Nine Inch Nails.

NIN as a band seems remarkably suited to pandemic times. Songs like "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" and "We're In This Together" felt almost too on the nose in the everyday banal struggles of the early Covid era in America. But for me, the most catharsis came from the bombastic rage of their famous Woodstock 94 set.

Trent Reznor and co. took to the stage absolutely coated in mud, fighting weather and faulty equipment, and smashed through a set of their early work, becoming the talk of the festival, and setting a high watermark for the culturally explosive year of 1994, perhaps the only time in history a band like Nine Inch Nails could chart as high as they did. The set features a rabid performance of Happiness in Slavery, two songs that were featured in classic films from the year (their cover of Joy Division's Dead Souls as featured in The Crow, and Burn from Natural Born Killers), Trent saying fuck on PPV TV and being quite pleased with himself, a sound issue riddled performance of their Grammy award winning "Wish" in which Trent still manages to scream the infamous "fist fuck" line into the mic, a tech team scrambling to dodge Yamaha DX-7s, guitarist Robin Finck getting tripped up in guitar chords and eating shit during Down In It, and in general, the sort of controlled chaos that I most strongly associate with Nine Inch Nails. The first time I watched this set, I was spellbound. Pretty Hate Machine, NIN's first album, was absolutely made to be heard live. As soon as I heard Trent option up into a scream on Terrible Lie's last verse, I was sold forever. To say nothing of the whirring rage of Sin, which remains my favorite Nine Inch Nails song most days.

I watched this performance, at minimum, twice a week. I too felt like a small screaming Trent Reznor, covered in mud, rolling around on the stage. It was cathartic, captivating, and a good way to mosh it out between zoom classes to finish my degree and anxiously watching the Covid case counter march steadily upwards.

Shortly before all hell broke loose, Nine Inch Nails was announced as an inductee into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Normally, this entails an induction ceremony with a performance by the bands. (The 2020 class would have been particularly strange, seeing as three of its most famous entrants had passed on, Marc Bolan of T-Rex, Whitney Houston, and The Notorious B I G) . But nonetheless, I was looking forward to it.

Just as I did not to have a graduation ceremony in December of 2020, there was no cathartic reunion of past members for Nine Inch Nails. Just as some guy I didn't even know read my name from a list on a livestream, so Nine Inch Nails was given a slickly produced video package and a pre-filmed introductory message from Iggy Pop (it would've been cool if Iggy Pop read my name at graduation though).

I felt a sort of kinship, however small, in this fact. Culminations of years of hard work and promised celebration postponed and reworked again and again and again.

In 2021, as the vaccines rolled out and events little by little started to reappear, the Rock Hall museum reopened, and installed an exhibit for the 2020 class. There, right next to a Depeche Mode display, was enshrined a tribute to the Woodstock 94 performance, lovingly rendered with mud and all.

I immediately knew I had to see it. After some discussion, I begged it off as a graduation trip a year in the making, and in June of 2021, after vaccination, during a dip in cases prior to the Delta variant arriving in the states, my dad and I took a roadtrip to Cleveland. My dad, not a NIN fan by any means but a music lover who knows the kind of impact a band can make on a person, graciously escorted me up the country and listened patiently as I infodumped about my favorite band and made him listen to a lot of goth music in the car.

The day we arrived at the museum, I calmly took in the multitude of sights at the Rock Hall, moseying through relics of music history and reading all the plaques, but I was abuzz. I knew what floor the new inductees exhibit was on, and I knew when we were approaching. I sprinted off the escalator and there was the alcove, there was the installation, and blasting loudly in the little room was "We're In This Together". I had made it. I cried.

That in and of itself would have been a good full circle moment, but unbelievably, the story gets better. I ended up in Cleveland again a year later, seeing a q and a with NIN at the Rock Hall, where members past and present got together to celebrate the band's legacy, and the next day got to see all of them perform together, some for the first time in years, at the Blossom Center in Ohio. Sitting in a small lecture room with the folks who had made such a strong impact on my life and kept me going through some of the roughest times I had ever known was incredible. They were older, wiser, and all extremely gracious and very funny.

They resurrected the NIN Woodstock installation for the occasion, but I was too busy getting coralled into a VIP line to go to the Q and A and catching my best Discord friend after they tripped down the escalator to hug me to go see it. I hope other folks got to see it and have their full circle moment. It's crazy to think that a mannequin in raggedy clothes covered in fake mud with a DX-7 could have had such a big impact on my life, but every time I see a picture from my trip, or just the image itself out in the wild, I am overcome with emotions.

And now, as I enter yet another era of my life where things are uncertain and hard, I hold my two road trips very dear. As ever, thanks Trent.

[notsanguineatall]

N - Nothing Changes. Everything Changes. by boundbyspells (How I Met Your Mother, Barney/Robin) They don't want to fall in love; it's against the rules. A wonderful exploration of why Robin and Barney work better than what canon gave us.

O - On this ground by @praycambrian (Ted Lasso, Trent/Ted, locked on AO3) I've never read a better portrait of all that family reunions encompass -- love and anger, delight and sadness, private jokes and secrets.

T - Taken by the Kraken by @squidsquadlove (NHL Seattle Kraken, locked on AO3) Turbo sees ghosts, but a cryptid? A hilarious and kind of creepy glimpse into the inner workings of the team.

S - Sleeping Arrangements by @1derspark (The Old Guard, Yusuf/Nicolo) Joe and Nicky have history together. History together. Beautifully evocative of decades, of centuries coming together.

A - all the words that i know by abvj (Leverage, Sophie/Nate) Yes, I have a thing about couples with history. abvj does such a good job of showing how their relationship has evolved, and how Sophie changed over the years. They were never easy, but they were always fun.

N - Need You (When I Do) by @navaan (DC, John Constantine/Zatanna) The author captures everything I love about Zee and John together. Magically. (I know, I had to make the obvious joke. But this is one of my favorite pieces about one of my favorite pairings.)

G - Get Up by TheGaroStudios (Multifandom) I don't think anyone writes crossovers better than vidders.

U - (Un)Mending by elfladyarwen (Band of Brothers, Johnny/Bull) Johnny is not nice, not soft, not sweet. A wonderful portrait of the incongruities of waging war and being human.

I - I Want You To Be There For Me by @soinspiredbyyou (Argylle, Rachel/Aidan) A fix-it fic for Rachel and Aiden, because waiting is so damned hard. I love the Aiden voice -- smart, practical, and utterly infatuated.

N - Notes on a Nondescript Vegetable by @adnirod (Master and Commander, Jack/Stephen) "Something made them do it" is a wonderful trope for prising long hidden desires out of characters who might not otherwise acknowledge them. The Stephen voice is magnificent. I've read this multiple times.

E - everything we do is stitched with this colour by @singlecrow (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Bashir/Garak, Kira/Keiko/Miles) Julian and Garak and everyone else on DS9 are on the edge of war, but in that liminal space life goes on. And Julian learns many things from Garak, not the least of which is how to sew. A perpetual re-read.

A - The Art of Adjustment by @changingthingslikeleaves (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) I love that Chris bonds with his crew through food. Maybe it is just too human of Chris to try to do the same with T'Pring, but attempting to show her why he thinks Spock is exceptional seems so very Chris. Perfect characterizations all around!

T - Trial Run by jessebee (Supernatural, Castiel/Gabriel, Gabriel/Sam) Yes, one of my all-time favorite Gabriel/Sam pieces is nominally Cas/Gabriel. It is Cas/Gabriel and it's beautiful. It is also very much Gabriel/Sam and it breaks my heart every time. Oh Gabriel.

A - and all the lovers are the song (The Bear, Sydney/Carmy) A 5 Things fic with mutual pining? Yes please! Sydney learns a lot from Carmen, but she's strong and sweet on her own and maybe just what he needs to learn how to be a person again. Awwww.

L - Leader of the Pack by @astolat (Supernatural, Dean/Sam) Probably my favorite Dean/Sam fic (it hurts so good, baby) plus Sam trying to manage a pack of hellhounds will never not be funny, and also very, very Sam.

L - The Long Dark Bath-Time of the Soul by @andthepeople (Knives Out, Benoit/Phillip) I don't really know how an author manages to get the voice of a character we see on screen for a minute so utterly right, but such is the magic of a talented writer. Of course Blanc, brilliant idiot that he is, fell in love with this man. They are perfect.

Whew! I need a shorter username. And probably ought to organize my bookmarks by Title rather than Author-Title. Heh.

Are you reading this? Tag, you're it.

Username Fic Game

Tagged by @shadowmaat. Take each letter of your username and rec a fic whose title starts with that same letter! Then feel free to pass it on to your friends.

--

S - Slings and Olive Branches by Gibraltar - The first tale of the Starship Reykjavik. If you love awesome characters with many layers and also some supremely badass moments, Sam's the author you wanna read. Every bit as skilled at character, world and plot building as any professional, Gibraltar's stories of the Reykjavik are funny, heartfelt and Nandi Trujillo will just win you over literally in this first, short story.

L - Land of Song by @b-radley66 - Generally, you know that when B writes anything, it's going to be plot-heavy, dense and guaranteed to require at least one spreadsheet. But the ability to keep all of that not only in-line but also moving forward is a skill not many authors can claim, and B is an expert at it. Plus, his OCs are so good that you'll be hunting various wikis going, "But wait, they're not canon??"

W - When the Lights Come On by @btwxsixesandsevens - A beautiful little original tale set in the Star Wars universe. I love the atmosphere of this one; the way that it correlates so much to memories of my own childhood. Some things are pan universal, I think. And the author is a master worldbuilder who did stunningly cool things with zabrak culture that I still think about regularly.

A - A Higher Power When You Look (Also on Ad Astra) by @daraoakwise - An absolutely, mind-blowingly epic retelling of a lot of the Original Series cast's tales for the AOS. Dara takes a lot of the sillier premises in the AOS line and makes it all make sense. Her character work and world building and plotting are out of this world.

L - Lost… and Found by @shadowmaat - SURGE SQUAD!! Shadowmaat's OC clones (and jedi!) are incredibly charming and this is where the tale begins. Guaranteed if you read it, you'll knock out the whole series and want more. (And I am still excited for the Blackbirds crossover that will one day happen!)

K - Kaminoan Copyright by independent_variables - Awesome world-building, which seems to be a thing for me. LOL! But it's a short, punchy tale about what the chips entailed for the clones and how things change when Anakin -- of all people, but it makes perfect sense! -- finds out about them and word spreads. Sweet ending, too.

E - Every Moment a Step Forward by alyyks - Bail/Bre/Maul is one of the ships/tags I pioneered, so it's an outright thrill everytime someone writes it. And alyyks is an awesome author in general, so not only do you have an awesome author writing my own faves, but the story's excellent. It touches on a Maul who is very much living with his damage, and how important the steady love and support of a family is to his quality of life. Just a psychologically excellent tale.

R - Rest and Ruckus (archive locked) by @sharpest_asp - A gift that made me beam, this one is Corry and Scotty going camping up in the woods of Maine, with all the inherent chaos that usually accompanies those two. Sweet, funny, in-character and atmospheric, it's a quick and lovely jaunt with a bunch of excellent mental images.

--

Tagging: Everyone who sees this. Because spreading love of your favorite fics and authors is important!

[power-strength-appetite]

Trent and Robin onstage through the years, starting with shitty screencaps from Closure

Fragility Tour - slightly more pixels!

We're into the 21st century - pixels no longer a problem

Here's a rare moment you actually see them talking onstage

2018 version of Burn.

There are many great moments in the CBI version of Piggy. This was their last show together to date, 15 December 2018.

[chelseeebe]

can you see me? (the way i see you)

summary: steve harrington had been your best friend for years. you had been there for every failed relationship, picked him up and brushed him off. all while being head-over-heels in love with the boy. but now things were getting more serious with his newest girlfriend and yous trent sure if your heart could handle it.

an: hey i literally hate this :D but wanted to write SOMETHING because it’s been so long !! i have a few more ideas i wanna hash out but life is so crazy at the mo! also side note: nancy wheeler i love u soz for making u the enemy<\3

!!: no use of y/n! a teensy bit of angst i suppose and very very brief eddie x reader

steve was your best friend.

was.

you still considered him your best friend but you weren’t sure that that feeling was reciprocated.

the pair of you used to spend pretty much every waking moment with one another. up until he started dating nancy.

quite honestly, you regretted even pushing him to ask her out. if you’d known that you were never going to see your best friend again you would’ve never been so encouraging.

if you’d known just how much your heart would ache seeing them together, how his doe eyes softened at the sight of her and his lips curled up into a smile at the mention of her name, you would’ve just kept your mouth shut.

the only times you ever really got to hang out with steve was at work, and even then sometimes nancy would be there.

you’re restocking one of the displays with robin, arm full of tapes when the bell dings and nancy walks through the door.

you barely give her a glance before steve is practically pouncing over the counter to get to her.

‘she’s here again?’ robin leans over and whispers to you, narrowing her eyes at pair of them kissing.

robin knew partially of your crush on steve, you hadn’t exactly told her just how much their relationship was hurting you but she had got the gist of it after your visible look of defeat you gave steve after he announced they were dating.

you roll your eyes, ‘they’re in looove, robin,’ you mock, watching as nancy giggles at something he whispers.

‘are you actually gonna do any work today, dingus?’ robin calls across the store, hands on her hips to show her disapproval.

steve straightens up, still holding onto nancy’s waist, ‘yes, yes i am.. but right now i’m going on my lunch break, is that okay with you, boss?’

‘you have thirty minutes, and i’m counting!’ she taps her watch as the couple traipse out the door, nancy clinging onto his arm.

‘god they make me sick,’ robin fake heaves, climbing to sit on the counter.

you chuckle, it was reassuring that you weren’t the only one with a distaste for their relationship.

robin gestures for you to join her, her eyes look pitifully at you, feeling bad for your unrequited love for steve.

you oblige and jump up onto the counter, leaning against her and sighing.

‘we need to find you someone else.. someone new and exciting,’ her hand finds yours, giving it a small squeeze.

‘rob.. i don’t want anyone else.. i’ll get over it eventually..’ you shrug, biting down onto your bottom lip.

‘hmm.. somehow i don’t believe that,’ she shakes her head.

you were extremely grateful for robin’s friendship. you’d only really connected after getting the job at family video but now you wouldn’t trade her for the world. especially with steve’s recent little escapade.

the day very slowly rolls on and steve eventually rocks back up, well over his allocated thirty minutes with his hair all messed up and flushed cheeks.

you ignore his very obvious demeanour and get on with your work, counting the minutes until you could go home.

-

robin slams the stiff door shut and clicks the lock, letting out an over exaggerated sigh of relief.

you follow steve into the parking lot where he turns to look at you, hand on top of his maroon car, ‘shit.. i can’t give you a ride tonight, i’ve gotta go and pick up nance.. but next time, definitely.’

you weren’t exactly ecstatic to be getting a ride with steve but it was a million times better than the bus and was now the only time it was ever just you two, how it used to be.

‘oh.. right,’ you stare at him, willing for him to just disintegrate in front of your eyes, ‘guess i’ll get the bus,’ you bite the inside of your cheek and spin on your heel towards robin who was watching your encounter.

‘i’m sorry! next time i promise i will!’ he calls out behind you before getting into his car and speeding off.

robin shakes her head, ‘what an asshole!’ she joins her arm with yours, heading towards the bus stop, ‘now are you ready to ditch him?’

‘ugh, i wish,’ you sigh, holding onto her arm and dramatically leaning your head on her shoulder in pure exasperation.

-

it had been a week since you’d seen steve, he’d called off from his last two shifts. a mysterious illness had meant you and robin were left to pick up his slack. much to robin’s dismay.

‘someone needs to give that boy a good smack, if you won’t i’ll do it,’ she groans as she rearranges her pile of vhs tapes into alphabetical order.

you were both stood waiting to see if steve was going to actually show up today or not, keith was starting to get aggravated with steve’s behaviour and for some reason you still felt the need to defend him, promising that he’d make up his lost shifts.

you couldn’t really explain why, he sure as hell wouldn’t have done the same for you but at the end of the day, he was, or once was your best friend, and you were undoubtedly, terribly in love with him.

steve steams through the door, pulling on his green vest and huffing and puffing that he was here.

‘nice of you to show up,’ keith quips, looking over at the flustered boy with a stern expression.

‘i’m sorry! my car.. i had to get gas and then there was traffic.. but i’m here! i’m here!’ steve practically screams, speed walking through to the back to clock in.

robin shoots you a look, rolling her eyes at his tardiness.

you can hear keith loudly reprimanding steve, complaining that he had to stay late to cover for him. in reality, he stayed twenty minutes later than he should to stand behind the counter and bitch about steve, either way you slyly appreciated steve getting told off.

keith eventually storms out of the room and out of the front door, you widen your eyes at robin and slink over to the back room to speak to steve, leaning against the wooden door frame as he angrily stuffs his stuff into his locker.

‘you good?’ you ask, eyeing his tense posture.

he runs a hand through his hair and turns to loom at you, ‘he’s a prick, i’m like.. five minutes late, not that big of a deal.’

‘hmm, try half an hour.. but yeah he is,’ you agree.

‘i was busy.. it’s just been..’ he sighs, his shoulders relaxing, ‘doesn’t matter, how have you been?’

‘i’m okay.. i wanted to ask you if you were still coming on friday? i know you’ve been sick and all..’ you tentatively ask.

friday was your twenty first birthday and you were finally going to host what was probably your first and last party at your new apartment.

‘err.. coming to what?’ steve asks, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

the date had been drummed into his head for months, with plans being discussed for weeks about who you were going to invite and what you were going to wear.

‘..my birthday? same day every year, steve,’ you scowl up at him.

his mind had been somewhere else entirely since getting with nancy, so much so he had forgotten his own best friends birthday.

‘oh shit! yes, yes of course i am,’ his eyes widen as he suddenly remembers why that date was so important.

‘you forgot, didn’t you?’

‘no! how dare you say that?’ he jokes, walking over and placing his hands on your shoulders, ‘i could never forget your birthday.. i’ve just been sick.. my brains all foggy.’

his attempts to redeem himself shouldn’t work, but they do. his big brown doe eyes gleaming down at you absolutely do not help as you’re already putty in his hands, ready to accept his apology.

you never could stay mad at steve. one time back in school he had genuinely forgotten to pick you up one morning, the same morning hawkins had decided to have torrential downpour, so you turned up to school resembling a drowned rat, soggy and miserable. but when steve had seen you storming towards him and realised his mistake, he dropped to his knees in the corridor, hands clasped together and already pleading for your forgiveness.

which you gave, of course. you were in love with the boy for christ’s sake, how could you not?

you attempt to hold onto your anger, jutting out your bottom lip but when he flashes that stupid cheesy grin you can’t help but return the smile and have to turn away before he notices how flushed your cheeks had become.

robin looks on in disgust and you scrunch up your face in return, getting back to your work and trying not to catch yourself staring at steve.

-

friday rolls around and there’s a steady stream of people entering your apartment, music blaring and drinks flowing.

you’d told everyone to get there for nine.

it was now bordering on ten and steve still hadn’t showed his face, which you try to not let damper your mood but it inevitably does.

robin is the first to notice, handing you a red cup full of a mysterious liquid that she practically forced you to down.

‘he’s an asshole, don’t let him ruin your night!’ she shouts into your ear, her hand on the small of your back.

you go to reply, being interrupted by the boy himself walking towards you, nancy in tow with a stoic expression painted on her face.

you don’t even mean to but you jump up, reciprocating his hug, ‘you’re late!’ you say into his ear.

‘i know.. i’m sorry.. we uh- happy birthday!’ he pulls back slightly, leaving a short kiss on your cheek.

you grin, letting go of his body and giving nancy a slightly awkward half-hug, thanking her for the birthday wishes.

‘let’s get you a drink!’ you pull steve into the kitchen, followed by robin attempting to make small-talk with nancy.

your pour a bottle of clear liquid into a cup, slightly over pouring due to your own intoxication and hand him the drink.

there’s some chatter with the couple before she inevitably takes him away, moving to their own corner of the kitchen.

maybe if you weren’t so drunk you wouldn’t have felt your heart sinking when his hand tenderly touches her arm, leaning in to whisper into her ear.

robin yanks you away from the kitchen and into the living room, ‘no! not tonight,’ she holds onto your hand, forcing you to move along to the music.

at some point someone suggests a game of spin the bottle and you groan, ‘i didn’t think we were still teenagers?’

‘oh stop it, it’s fun,’ robin says, taking a seat on the sofa and turning the music down a notch so you could all hear each other.

you end up sat next to eddie, who you knew back from high school, he ended up having to repeat a couple of years so ended up in a few of your senior classes.

the empty glass bottle is placed on the floor and you all look around, willing someone to go first.

‘well if none of you pussies are gonna do it, i will,’ eddie announces, leaning down to spin the bottle.

it spins and spins before stopping.. on you.

‘guess i gotta show the birthday girl some lovin’,’ he turns to face you and you roll your eyes but move towards him.

again, if not for the alcohol, you would’ve been a hell of a lot more bashful about this very public display of affection but you lean into him, his lips landing on yours.

your eyes flying shut and your hand resting on his cheek as his hand moves to the back of your neck, holding you in place.

you’re interrupted by someone loudly clearing their throat and you pull apart, hand still caressing his cheek.

you look up to find steve and nancy had entered the room, ‘what the hell have i just walked in on?’ steve asks.

you giggle, shuffling away from eddie, ‘s’just spin the bottle.. duh,’ you respond, shaking your head at him.

‘oh, duh,’ he remarks sarcastically, ‘can i speak to you for a sec?’

you furrow your brows but stand up from the sofa, eddie’s hand still lingering on your back, flashing him a small smile before walking over to steve.

you felt so silly. you were kissing a genuinely nice, attractive guy, and enjoying it too and yet you would still drop everything as soon as steve asked you to.

‘i think we’re gonna head out.. i just wanted to say bye before we left, have a good night,’ he murmurs, nancy standing stone-faced beside him.

‘you’re joking! i’ve hardly seen you.. you literally just got here!’ you frown at him, slightly infuriated that your supposed best friend couldn’t even hang around at your birthday party for at least an hour.

‘i know.. nance isn’t feeling too well.. we just wanted to come and wish you a happy birthday and that..’ he gives you a small, apologetic smile but disregard it.

‘you couldn’t even show up on time and now you’re leaving after barely being here an hour?’ you reply, slightly louder than expected.

‘i’m sorry.. i’ll make it up to you, chick,’ he reaches out to touch your arm but you recoil, the use of that nickname, one that had been given to you in high school and now only came came out when steve was apologising or trying to get his own way, making you pull back.

‘no.. don’t bother, it’s fine,’ you grit, tensing your jaw in an attempt to not say anything meaner to him.

‘c’mon.. don’t be like that.. you looked plenty occupied when we walked in anyway,’ he remarks and if it weren’t for nancy standing literal millilitres away from him, you could’ve sworn there was a twinge of jealousy in his voice.

‘what’s that supposed to mean?’ you glare at him.

his mouth opens and promptly shuts, leaving him looking like a gawping fish, ‘nothing.. look i’ll see you soon, okay? i’ve gotta take nance back..’ he places a hand on her back and basically pushes her out of the front room.

you exhale, spinning around to find that luckily everyone had gotten back to the game and ignored whatever the hell had just happened between you and steve, everyone except robin, who’s eyes were planted on you, that sad, pitying look.

she’s quick to jump up, already forcing her cup into your hand, ‘don’t even think about it.. it’s your birthday and that.. he’s not ruining your night, okay?’

you nod, appreciative of your best friend’s kindness and down the cup of liquor she’d handed to you, ready to squash the thought of steve out of your mind.

-

you wake up to robin poking your arm, groaning at the feeling in your head.

‘rob.. please no, i’m fragile,’ you grumble, but rolling over to face her, that cheeky grin on her face.

‘how ya feeling, buttercup?’ she asks.

‘like shit,’ you complain, curling up into the blanket.

‘well i’m not surprised, i’m glad you had a good night though,’ her hand reaches out to brush the hair from your face.

‘please tell me i didn’t embarrass myself?’

‘uh.. nah..’ she replies, slightly hesitant.

‘oh god… what did i do?’ you close your eyes, bracing for whatever embarrassing story she was about to relay.

‘well uh.. you remember kissing eddie, right?’

‘yeah.. just about..’

‘well.. you called him steve and then i caught you showing him to your room.. and that’s when i put you to bed.. see it’s not that bad,’ she tries to reassure you but she can’t stifle her smile.

you groan, pulling the duvet up and over your head, ‘no.. oh my god,’ you cringe at your own actions.

‘look, he was definitely way too drunk to remember.. don’t worry about it,’ she yanks the duvet down, exposing you to the harsh light.

‘i’m never drinking again, seriously,’ you complain, pouting at robin.

she laughs, ‘it’s really not that big of a deal.. trust me.’

‘i don’t believe you but i’m going to ignore all of that because i’m starving.. shall we get food?’

‘i am very down with that.. but you need to brush your damn teeth first,’ she giggles, moving away from you.

‘bitch,’ you joke, rolling out of the bed.

you were hoping to god that by some grace of god that eddie had forgotten. robin was the only person who knew of your unrequited love for steve and you were hoping that it’d stay that way.

-

you’re basically shaking as you walk into work, not wanting to face steve. it wasn’t exactly an argument but you were still pissed off with him and definitely didn’t want to stare into his grovelling eyes as he begs for your forgiveness.

there was no way you could stand up for yourself against him, no way you could ever tell him how much his and nancy’s relationship was hurting you, not without ending up telling him that you were head over heels for him.

you don’t see him as you walk into the store, waving at robin who flashes you a warning glance.

you look back, puzzled until you reach the back room and find steve on the phone, his knuckles white from his death grip on the piece of plastic.

he glances up at you before putting his other hand on the wall, ‘nancy, i have to go… no… i’m at work for fuck’s sake… look-… i’m going now… i’ll call you when i’m done,’ he slams the phone back onto the wall and sighs.

you silently place your things into your locker, your back to him.

‘well that didn’t sound great,’ you mumble, faffing about with your bag.

‘i just- i can’t.. every single day there’s something, i’m always in the wrong,’ he says, lightly hitting the brick wall.

you close your locker and look at him, ‘honeymoon phase has worn off, huh?’ you wanted to be kind but you were rightfully still pissed off at his disappearance on friday.

to be fair to steve, most of his relationships seemed to fizzle out by the second or third month, so to now only be experiencing this with nancy was an anomaly. girls got tired of his flirty nature and decided they’d had enough, or steve got bored, the excitement of a new relationship wearing off.

he scoffs, ‘yeah you can say that again.’

you raise your eyebrows, going to walk out of the room when his hand grabs your wrist, stopping you.

‘i just wanted to say i’m sorry.. i wanted to stay but nancy was complaining about something and if i’m not immediately jumping to her assistance then i get it in the neck,’ those soft eyes once again working their magic.

‘yeah.. it’s fine steve..’ his hand his still wrapped around your wrist and the simple feel of his fingers on your skin is enough to make you crumble.

‘no.. i’ve been a shitty friend- best friend, i wanna make it up to you, how about we do something after work? my treat?’ he blinks down at you, the corners of his lips twitching into a small smile.

‘no nancy tonight?’ it leaves your mouth without a second thought to how jealous it made you look.

he chuckles, ‘no, just me and my best friend.. like the old times.’

‘well.. if you’re paying, sure,’ you smile at him.

he rolls his eyes, dropping your wrist, ‘yes.. of course.’

before you can reply, the bell that resided on the front counter dings rapidly and you spin to see robin standing there abusing the metal dinger.

‘could use a little help out here, if you’re not too busy,’ she raises her eyebrows.

you walk out into the store, smiling to yourself for the duration of your shift, knowing that you were finally going to get some steve alone time.

-

sat in steve’s car after work, music playing out of the stereo and he’s quietly humming along and it feels exactly how it used to, before nancy was around, before your feelings had become incredibly complicated for him.

‘where are we going?’ you ask, still in your family video uniform, not wanting to have to be out in public in the green waistcoat.

‘i thought we could go and grab some food and then.. movie at yours?’

‘sounds good to me,’ you smile, ‘.. i’ve missed hanging out with you.’

you didn’t just miss hanging out with him, you missed him as a whole. how comfortable he’d be with you, how easy conversation just slipped off your tongue with him, sharing soft touches that now felt too awkward.

‘i missed you too.. i really am sorry that i’ve sorta just.. ditched you,’ he turns down the volume and pats your knee, causing your heart rate to go through the roof.

‘yeah.. you kinda did,’ you admit, shrugging.

he sighs, ‘i thought nancy was the one, you know? different than those other girls..’

‘you don’t think so anymore?’

‘i dunno.. she’s just always mad at me for something.. like i can’t do anything right,’ his shoulders slump.

‘maybe she’s just.. projecting.. i dunno, like she feels like she’s messing up and that’s how she’s showing it,’ it hurts to defend her, but you saw how much he was pining for her before they began dating, coming into work everyday with a new plan to make her agree to go out with him.

‘nah..’ he shakes his head, ‘i don’t think so.. like on your birthday she wanted to go, so we left and then we got back to her house and suddenly she was upset saying i should’ve stayed since it was your birthday.. like what the fuck?’

‘hmm.. i don’t know then,’ you shrug, looking down at your lap.

‘weird, right? anyway.. this is not about my relationship.. let’s stop talking about it,’ he pulls into the parking lot of your favourite burger chain.

-

the pair of you are lazing on the sofa, chatting over the movie playing on the tv when your phone rings causing steve to jump and knock over the half-empty can of beer.

‘nice one doofus,’ you say as you get up to answer the phone.

the voice on the other end takes you by surprise.

‘oh.. hello, nancy.. how are you?’ as soon as steve hears the name he shoots up from mopping up the liquid, shaking his head and motioning across his neck.

‘i am not here,’ he mouths.

‘uh… no, haven’t seen him since we finished work.. why is something wrong?’ you ask, glaring over at steve.

‘oh.. okay, well if i see him i’ll let him know… yeah, you too.. bye,’ you put the phone down and place your hands on your hips.

‘what the fuck, steve?’

‘what did she want?’

‘she wanted to know where you were.. apparently you were supposed to call after work,’ you stare at him, stern faced.

‘ohh shit, i forgot.. i’ll call her when i get home.. not that deep,’ he sits back on the couch and you join him although now further apart than you were before.

‘steve,’ you tut, ‘she sounds pretty pissed..’

‘when does she not?’ he rolls his eyes, ‘probably wants to yell at me for some shit i did or didn’t do right.’

‘i think she was just worried.. you better call her later and do not ever make me lie for you again, okay?’

steve turns his head to look at you fully, trying but failing to stop the laugh from coming out of his mouth, ‘you sounded like my mom then.. with your hands on your hips all bossy.’

‘oh shut up,’ you shove his shoulder, but can’t help the smile forming on your face.

he shuffles closer and leans his head down on your lap, eyes still looking up at you, ‘i’ve really missed this.. i hadn’t even thought about nancy once until then..’

you gaze down at him, trying to resist the urge to confess your feelings for him, wanting nothing more than to lean down and kiss his perfect pink lips.

‘it’s been nice.. you’re always nicer when you don’t have a girlfriend..’ you murmur.

he pouts up at you, ‘that’s not true.. i’ve been wanting to ask, what’s going on with you and eddie, huh?’

‘what? nothing,’ you shake your head, suddenly terrified of the possibility that those two had seen each other and eddie had told steve about your little freudian slip.

‘i’m just asking, you looked pretty close at your party.. that’s all,’ he sits up, leaning on his elbows, now only inches away from your face.

‘it was just a game, that’s it,’ you assure him, if only you could tell him just how much you didn’t want eddie, and wanted him instead.

‘so you don’t want me to put in a good word for you?’

‘no! besides, why would i want a boyfriend when i already have to put up with you?’ you joke, trying to change the subject.

‘you don’t put up with me you love me and love spending time with me,’ he smiles.

if only he knew just how much you really did love him.

‘hmm.. i suppose so,’ you admit defeat, he hadn’t broken eye contact once and quite frankly his stare was becoming quite intimidating.

you look back up at tv, hoping that he couldn’t feel the pounding in your chest, ‘you’re missing the movie.’

‘it’s boring anyway, i’m trying to talk to you,’ he pokes your arm, attempting to pull your attention back to him.

‘well i want to watch the film,’ you say pointedly, one more stare away from confessing your feelings for him and ruining years of your friendship.

‘look at me..’ he murmurs, another poke to your cheek which causes your eyes to flick back to his.

‘steve..’ you were seconds away from the words tumbling out of your mouth, his chocolate eyes softening at the use of his name. if this was how he acted with other girls when he was in relationship, there’s no surprise that it never worked out.

‘i just.. want your opinion on something, and be brutally honest,’ he shuffles closer, his back now leaning on your outstretched legs, ‘what do you think i should do about nancy.. truthfully.’

you sigh, ‘you really want me to be honest?’

‘yes,’ he nods.

you swallow, ‘i think.. i think you should end it.. i don’t think you’re happy and i don’t think she is either.. you’re only gonna end up hating each other if you keep dragging this out,’ it was entirely everything you wanted to say but it was your partial truth, sparing him of the details of your love.

‘okay,’ he exhales, ‘i feel like i’ve dated every last girl in this godforsaken town and i just.. i dunno.. it’s stupid.’

your heart beats faster, except me, ringing in your head.

‘you haven’t dated everyone.. maybe the one isn’t in hawkins.. how would you know?’ you say, biting your bottom lip.

‘i think she is.. i just.. don’t know if she knows it yet..’

you furrow your brows, puzzled, ‘what?’

‘i’m talking about..’ he trails off and breathes out before moving closer, softly placing his lips on yours.

you freeze for a second, unsure of what to do next. you’d thought about this exact situation many, many times but still had no idea how to react.

he pulls back, ‘shit.. i’m sorry..’ he goes to move away from you but you place your hand on his chest, causing him to look back into your eyes.

his lips crash onto yours again, slightly harder this time as you return the kiss, trying to pull him closer.

he sits up properly, not once breaking the kiss and moves his hand to caress your cheek.

‘mmm- no- steve..’ you pull away but his lips chase yours, lingering over your mouth as he groans.

‘w-what?’

‘i can’t.. i can’t do this,’ your hand attempts to push him back but he doesn’t budge.

‘why? what’s wrong?’ his eyes now open and looking back at your eyes brimming with tears.

you shake your head, ‘don’t do this to me if you don’t mean it,’ the lump in your throat growing.

‘i’m- sorry.. have i got the wrong idea here..’ he stumbles over his words, eyes searching your face.

you frown, unable to stop the tears from sliding down your cheek, ‘steve..’ here goes nothing, ‘if you’re just using me because you’re mad at nancy.. then don’t, god knows i’m far too in love with you to handle that..’ the lump finally dislodges and a sob escapes your lips.

‘i’m not.. you’re.. you’re in love with me?’ his face drops slightly and your heart sinks, immediately regretting ever saying anything.

you should’ve pushed him off. should’ve sent him home telling him to apologise to nancy. should’ve never kissed him back.

you nod, scoffing at the absurdity of it all, how your best friend, the man you were painfully in love had just kissed you and now you were admitting to your feelings in the strangest of situations.

he stares up at you, mouth agape and you want to just shove him away, completely unprepared for the inevitable rejection about to tumble out of his mouth.

‘i.. uh- i wish you’d said something..’

you look back up at him, wiping away the stream of liquid coming from your eyes, ‘what do you mean?’

he chuckles slightly and you freeze, was he going to laugh in your face? was he going to tell you that you were fucking stupid for ever thinking this could ever work?

but he just smiles up at you, ‘god.. i thought i was so stupid.. you know, i thought there was no was no way you would feel the same way.. you don’t give much away,’ he says.

you blink back at him, still digesting his words, trying to fully comprehend what he had just said, that your feelings weren’t just one sided.

you swallow, unable to find the correct words to reply to him.

‘are you okay?’ he dips his head down to touch his forehead with yours, maintaining the deep eye contact.

‘i-i.. oh my god.. i thought you were going to hate me..’ you stumble over the words, moving your hand to clasp his cheek.

your heart beats a thousand miles per hour in your chest, honestly surprised it hadn’t ripped through your skin by itself.

‘i don’t think i could ever hate you,’ he says, his breathe tickling your cheek.

he doesn’t believe you when you tell him how long you’d felt this way about him, you were so so sure that you’d given yourself away a multitude of times but steve wasn’t exactly the brightest nor the most observant.

and he sits there remembering all the times he was going to tell you about his feelings but chickened out, ‘you were so.. adamant about nancy.. so i just thought you weren’t interested.’

it really couldn’t be any further from the truth, only wanting to push him towards nancy to stop yourself from being hurt.

but now you didn’t have to, he was undoubtedly yours. there was no need to hide away or pretend that you were pleased about whichever new girlfriend he was bringing around this time, your best friend was yours.

[rantreader]

I went through my house and collected most of the books that I have not read. There are more, but I wrote a list of the 100 books that I want to read relatively soon. If I start the challenge today, it can progress throughout this year and go into next year. By the end of 2023, I want to have read all these books.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

A History of the English Language by Albert C. Baugh & Thomas Cable

The Power of One by Byrce Courtenay

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche

Criminology – A complete Introduction by Peter Joyce and Wendy Laverick

The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Tarzan of the Apes and the Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twainn

When Fashion Really Works by Marnie Fogg

Go the Distance – A Twisted Tale by Jen Calonita

The Museum of Things Left Behind by Seni Glaister

Trinity by Leon Uris

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Makers of Rome by Plutarch

A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin

Difficult Women by Helen Lewis

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham

The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius

Traitors by Frank Walker

A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey

Traitor to the Blood by Barb & J.C. Hendee

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Great Expectation by Charles Dickens

Heddy & Me by Susan Varga

No Silver Spoon by Katie Flynn

The Dance of Death and Other Stories by Algernon Blackwood

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Carrie by Stephen King

My Royal Story – Marie Antoinette by Kathryn Lasky

Theories of Race and Ethnic Relations by John Rex and David Mason

The Little Book of Psychology by DK

The World’s Greatest Idea by John Farndon

Don Quixote by Cevantes

The Survival Handbook by DK

Yes Yes Yes – Australia’s Journey to Marriage Equality by Alex Greenwich and Shirleene Robinson

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Wonder Woman Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

The Fire of Joy by Clive James

Monsoon by Di Morrissey

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Conquerers’ Road by Osmar White

The Art Book by DK

How to Garden by DK

How Science Works by DK

German for Everyone by DK

The History of the World by Alex Woolf

Cathy by Cathy Freeman

Song of Survival by Helen Colijn

Pet Semetary by Stephen King

The Crime Book by DK

The Bone Collection by Kathy Reichs

Basic Mandarin Chinese by Kubler & Wang

A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Woolstonecraft

Joyland by Stephen King

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Gulliver’s Travels by Johanthan Swift

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Japanese Myths and Tales by Epic Tales

Eleni by Nicholas Cage

Psychology of Human Behaviour for Nurses by Dennis

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

More Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan

Watership Down by Richard Adams

The Little Book of Politics by DK

Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel

The Road by Cormack McCarthy

A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell

Jurassic Park by Michael Chrichton

Dracula by Bram Stoker

English Grammar Usage by McGraw Hill Education

Night at the Circus by Angela Carter

The Confidence Booster Workbook by Martin Perry

Ancient Egyptian Myths by Catherine Chambers

The Girl in the Picture by Denise Chong

Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life by Miles Kelly

The Prince in the Heather by Eric Linklater

Simple Astronomy by DK

How to Kiss a Crocodile by Max Walker

The Fitness Instructor’s Handbook by Mark Coulson

Mool-nya-moonya Dreaming by Julie Tuckey

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Shortest History of England by James Hawe

Mental by Dr Steve Ellen and Catherine Deveny

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Work by Louisa May Alcott

Deranged Marriage by Sushi Das

Stranger the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Emma by Jane Austen

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman

321 Seriously Smart Things You Need to Know by Mathilda Masters

Wish me luck.

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey

Halsey’s evolution across her career has been quite something to witness. Having begun her career in pure pop territory, her artistry has developed over time with each new record seeing the American singer-songwriter up the ambition and scope of her music. Now with this her fourth album, Halsey has gone bigger than ever, teaming up with Nine Inch Nails members and Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for her boldest work to date.

Produced entirely by Reznor and Ross, Halsey describes this new record as “a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth.” Naturally with any concept record there is going to be a cinematic feel, however Halsey has gone one step further and even delivered a full theatrical film to accompany the album, the trailer for which you can watch above. Although I am yet to see the film, there is no doubt that the musical portion is a mightily ambitious and accomplished project, with each song seamlessly segueing into the next despite the array of styles and genres across each track.

It may still be a pop record at the heart, but with the masterful touch of Reznor and Ross, Halsey also brings in some industrial rock elements, as well as a bit of pop punk in places too. However, it is not just sonically that Halsey pushes the boundaries but also thematically as well, using the album’s concept to press the issue of feminism and misogyny within the lyrics. Arguably what’s most striking about this record though is how tightly constructed everything is here – under the watchful eye of Reznor and Ross, the dramatic production is inch-perfect.

Most importantly, the songs here are just fantastic, from the religious imagery and glistening synths that lace the wonderful melody of Bells of Santa Fe, to the raw, grungy guitars of You asked for this. There’s also the atmospheric piano ballad 1121, where Halsey really flexes her impressive vocal cords. Pulsating, stylish electro-pop single I am not a woman, I’m a god is another standout. Once you have been amazed by all of this, the gentle plucking and raindrop like xylophone of stunning closer Ya’aburnee arrives to really blow things away.

In a year packed full of outstanding pop records, Halsey has delivered, for my money, one of the best of the lot. With Reznor and Ross holding the reigns, they help Halsey deliver on her epic vision with both style and control. It’s one thing to attempt a record like this, it’s another thing to pull it off as expertly and vibrantly as this – hats off for this one!

Listen here

Screen Violence by CHVRCHES

Also delivering their fourth album this week was Scottish synth-pop group CHVRCHES who, whilst predominantly maintaining their vintage sound, have lyrically pushed themselves into darker territory on this new record. Probably their finest work since their debut, frontwoman Lauren Mayberry takes no prisoners as she tackles sexism and misogyny, calling upon her own experiences within the industry to really illustrate the issues being put front and centre.  

This is highlighted best on electric single Good Girls, a track Mayberry wrote “after listening to some friends arguing about the present-day implications of loving certain problematic male artists – I was struck by the lengths that people would go to in order to excuse their heroes and how that was so juxtaposed to my own experiences in the world.”

Other highlights include He Said She Said, a glistening synth-driven pop banger that’s contrasted against razor-sharp lyrics with a defiant message at its core – catchy, but also powerful and thought-provoking. There’s also the superb collaboration with The Cure legend Robert Smith, How Not to Drown, which is a moody, atmospheric, and synth-soaked belter of a track. Although it is incredible right the way through, the real spine-tingling moment comes during the song’s outro thanks to the ghostly vocals of Smith being cast over some hauntingly melodic guitars. Outside of the singles, the rawness of heartbreaking closer Better If You Don’t leaves the biggest impression.

All in all, this album ranks amongst their best work and although it may not be quite as dramatic or impressionable as Halsey’s album, there’s still plenty to which you’ll want to digest and ultimately keep returning.

Listen here

How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? By Big Red Machine

The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon have certainly kept themselves busy over lockdown. It seems they weren’t satisfied with just taking Taylor Swift’s music to incredible new heights on 2020’s folklore and evermore, as they have now also released their second album under their Big Red Machine guise. The most noticeable thing about this second record is that the duo have extended their collaboration further this time around, bringing in renowned artists such as Ben Howard, Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and Fleet Foxes, as well as two more collaborations with Miss Swift herself.

Given the talent involved, it is no surprise that this makes for a really special and stunning collection of songs. There’s wonderful electro-folk track Mimi, which sees singer-songwriter Ilsey Juber join Justin Vernon on lead vocal duties. Phoenix sees Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell join in for a wonderful, horn-backed number. This track in fact isn’t the only time Anaïs Mitchell steals the show, as her beautiful, soothing vocal performances on opener Latter Days and closer New Auburn arguably provide the two best moments of the entire album.

The two tracks with Taylor Swift are also fantastic, with Renegade offering a sweet, pop cut that wouldn’t be out of place on either of Swift’s last two records. The better of the two though is Birch, a piano-driven, string-tinged ballad which sees Swift simply providing back-up vocals to Vernon’s haunting folky croons. It’s stunning and possibly my new favourite collaboration between the three artists.

Ultimately this is just a superb album, with Dessner and Vernon thriving alongside their chosen collaborators for a collection of songs that will frequently both move and astound you.

Listen here

Donda by Kanye West

Easily the most talked about album of the week, after several launch events and many, many delays, Kanye West finally released his long-awaited tenth studio album, Donda. Now anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of excessive, bloated albums, so with Donda clocking in at almost 2 hours long it was always going to struggle to win me over.

As expected, this is another West project that struggles with inconsistency, with moments of brilliance balanced out with plenty of moments that ultimately underwhelm. Although it has more high points than Ye and the production is more polished than Jesus Is King, there is no track as good as Ghost Town and sonically I found it less inspired than Jesus Is King in many ways. I’m not sure just yet if this is indeed the worst West album, but it is certainly down there in the bottom half for me.

That said, there are still some great moments to be found here. Once you get passed the massively irritating Donda Chant opener (honestly, so painful!), the Jay-Z featuring Jail offers an anthemic rock-influenced gem to get the album started properly. From there The Weeknd featuring Hurricane, the Lauryn Hill sampling Believe What I Say, the heavenly melody of Kid Cudi feature Moon and the organ-backed closer No Child Left Behind provide some of the other highlights. However possibly the finest moment comes in the form of Jesus Lord, a 9-minute epic that sees West deliver some of his best bars in years, returning to the social-consciousness that made him a star in the first place.

If you are a fan of West’s recent gospel-influenced work, then this album will reward you for your patience if you stick with it. For me, although there are some moments I enjoyed, the length was just too much, with this album having the same inconsistency problem that The Life of Pablo had but without reaching the same heights as that album did when it was at its best. Disappointing, but still somewhat worthwhile.

Listen here

The Awesome Album by Mouse Rat

And finally on the albums front, if like me you are a big Parks & Recreation fan, you’ll be pleased to hear that Chris Pratt’s fictional band from the show, Mouse Rat, have finally released their debut album this week. Featuring classics such as 5,000 Candle In The Wind and The Pit, this one is a lot of fun for fans of the show.

Listen here

Tracks of the Week

Good Ones by Charli XCX

Coming off the back of the definitive lockdown album How I’m Feeling Now that earned her both a Mercury Prize nomination and a place in my Top 5 albums of 2020, Charli XCX has returned with a new synth-driven banger that packs in an insanely catchy hook and wonderful 80s vibes.

Listen here

Family Ties by Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar

Also making his return this week was King Kendrick who delivered a fantastic new collaboration with his cousin Baby Keem. Over a brilliant horn-driven beat, the two family members go toe-to-toe and bar-to-bar across this concise hip-hop banger.

Listen here

Alone by Rag N Bone Man & Nothing But Thieves

A remix of a track from Rory Graham’s latest album Life By Misadventure, this version sees Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves join in on vocals, along with some triumphant rock production that replaces the stripped back nature of the album cut.

Listen here

Spirit Power & Soul by Johnny Marr

The brilliant first track from his forthcoming new EP, Spirit Power & Soul finds legendary guitarist Johnny Marr in fine form, sonically calling back to his days with Bernard Sumner in Electronic. Built on a masterful central riff, pulsating synths and a big anthemic chorus, it’s a belter!

Listen here

Nothing Else Matters by Chris Stapleton

And finally this week, we’ve had plenty of great, unique covers of Nothing Else Matters by Metallica already this year, with Miley Cyrus and Phoebe Bridgers already offering their own take on the classic song. However, I’ve always got time for another and this 8-minute epic from country singer Chris Stapleton is just as dazzling, thanks to some amazing bluesy guitars and his textured vocal performance.

Listen here

[scaryscarecrows]

Child Safety 101

AN: Continuation of ‘I Think I’ll Just Collapse Right Here, Thanks’, found in Why Do They Kick Me?

Note: Mark is a trauma surgeon, not a GP, but he’s also the only one Jason will let within doctoring range, so.

* * *

The Knight has been down and unresponsive for literal days. The first day was the diciest, because even Mark hadn’t been totally sure if he’d pull through, but his fever had gone down enough to remove him from the danger zone.

Once it had become apparent that he wasn’t going to die on them-because Antoine’s sorry, but no way is he continuing this crusade in the guy’s memory or whatever, if the boss dies, he is leaving-, they’d had a meeting and, essentially, made a chore chart for who had Knightwatch, who had Armywatch, and who got to nap.

It’s a fairly efficient rotation. And so far, at least, they’ve managed to keep the news of, well, everything under wraps. All the men know is that the boss is down but that he will be fine, carry on as normal. They don’t know that the helmet’s off.

And. Oof. Of all the crackpot theories they’ve jokingly tossed around, this wasn’t one of them. Antoine’s not sure which one he’s more stuck on: the fact that the boss is a teenager, or the fact that the boss is-was-Robin. They’re so intertwined that it doesn’t really matter, it’s just…

Antoine is not a parent. He’s happy to keep it that way; the best part of uncle-ing is dosing them up on sugar and releasing them back to the parents. So he doesn’t really get the whole ‘electrical outlets are a Great Danger’ thing. But he does get, maybe a little better than your average parent, the sick, twisted fucks of society. He’s worked with a handful. Spoken with more. He still remembers, years after the fact, that one guy...he ate people. Literally. He’d put a toddler in the oven-alive-and…

Yeah.

But this is a little different. This is...it’s one thing to hear about it. It’s another thing to be faced with it. And it’s another thing entirely to see it. That fucking tape, man…

He stretches out a bit, pops his back and rubs a hand over his side, feeling rough scar tissue. What a week. What an absolute hell of a week.

He’s on Knightwatch now, because everything outside is moving smoothly without him and Frank really, really needs the nap. The boss is finally sleeping peacefully, curled up on his side with one arm flung up to shield his face. He’s still shivering on and off, and he sounds congested as all get out, but the worst of it is over. No more screaming, no more pleading.

What now? He supposes they’ll stay the course, but he’s not sure, not really. Maybe this is the end. Maybe the boss will vanish in the middle of the night.

Jesus, that explains so much. Batman taught him all this weird shit. Batman...this is, arguably, entirely Batman’s fault. What sort of weirdo...never mind. Never mind.

As ever, he figures, this is a nasty combination of neglectful adult and opportunistic predator. This is the same thing as that one girl in his sister’s apartment complex that got kidnapped. Six years old, mother said, ‘yes, yes, go play by the road alone!’ and she got abducted and murdered. Somebody should have been watching her.

Somebody should have been watching the boss.

Doesn’t matter. People are watching him now, at least, whether he likes it or not.

He coughs and rolls over, one arm slipping off the bed. Antoine sighs and puts it back, straightens the sheets out like he’s seen Frank and his sister do, and wonders what’s going to happen now.

They could, he supposes, figure out who he-and by extension, Batman-is. Jimmy could run a facial recognition at the minimum. But they haven’t, and they don’t really intend to. Curious as they are, they owe him their lives and...and no matter how this turns out, he’s their boss and they won’t.

Antoine’s sort of lost in thought, caught up in memories of that little girl (what was her name?) and the cannibal and the utter confusion of everything, when the Knight suddenly jerks upright like he’s gonna make a break for it.

“Shit--”

He twists over and only feels a little sorry for forcing the Knight back down. The sorry feeling vanishes when the boss tries to fight him.

“No--”

“You gotta be kidding me--” It’s not much of a fight, but he’s still trying, which is incredibly unfair. “How even--there.”

Okay. There’s no easy weapons in here, which is all he can ask for. He’s not interested in being held at gunpoint again, thanks.

“You back with us, sir?”

The Knight’s quiet, breathing hard and seemingly very interested in the ceiling.

“We have an intruder,” he says, voice carefully flat. “I want every available unit search--”

Uh-huh.

“You wouldn’t have held this intruder at gunpoint, would you, sir?”

Silence. That’s what he thought. They’re professionals, for heaven’s sake. People don’t just get into their super-secret hidden base. That just doesn’t happen. Their own people have gotten lost trying to find their way back to it! Intruder, humph. That hurts.

…

Yeah, okay, he’s trying to maintain the facade of normalcy. Like. The helmet’s off, man, any weird-ass theories anybody’s had have now been put to rest in favor of the truth. But both of them are probably going to be happier if they just pretend that nothing has changed.

(Which is half-true. Baby Robin or not, the guy’s still scary.)

“What day is it,” he finally says, voice scarcely above a whisper. Antoine hits the call button.

“March third, sir.”

“Shit.”

Yup.

There’s no good response to that and the boss goes slack, one arm flung over his face. A minute later, Mark throws open the door with a grumpy, “What the fuck was that.”

“I--”

“Went the fuck down in the middle of the day thanks to a one-oh-four degree fever,” Mark seethes. “You have. The goddamn. Flu. People die from the flu, straight-up die, and you didn’t think to mention it! I’m not asking for much here. Just a little heads up. Y’know, ‘hey, Jones, I’m feelin’ pretty crappy, think you can poke your head in to make sure I didn’t die in the night?’ ‘Oh, sure thing, boss, happy to help, feel better!’” The smile he plasters on is frightening. The boss doesn’t like it, not one bit, and to Mark’s credit, he drops it pretty quick. “What were you thinking? Anything? Really, I’d love your thought process.”

“‘ve handled worse on my own,” the Knight mumbles, somewhere between sheepish and stubborn. “Thought a walk would clear my head.”

Sad thing is, Antoine believes him. The brand alone is not pretty, and while Mark hasn’t said much, what he has shared is disturbing.

And. Well. It’s not like the boss has been totally silent for the past few days. Once or twice he’d woken up screaming, the kind of awful sound Antoine associates with three-feet-thick walls and Professionals. Hell, Mark had collared Trent to come and look at something, and while neither of them are sharing, that’s Bad. Trent’s not a doctor, but he knows how to hurt people...and what they look like after.

“Well, it made you worse. You’re lucky you didn’t kill someone or yourself, parading around like that. Aight, you sit up, you clear out.”

Gladly.

“Feel better, sir,” he says. “We’ve got things handled out here, so just get some rest.”

“Oh, he doesn’t have a choice. Come on, up-up...be lucky if I let you out of my sight again after this...f’I have to give you weekly check-ups, that’s what’ll happen…”

Fuck Batman, Antoine thinks tiredly. This is his fault, things never should have advanced to the point that his...sidekick...kid...whatever ended up like this. How is Gotham not screaming about kids and guns anyway, huh? That just seems like Child Safety 101. He certainly makes sure all his toys are locked up tight when the niblings are over. He sure as hell wouldn’t give them a dull knife and tell them to, like, fight a trained mercenary. That seems like a terrible idea.

Whatever. It’s not going to go any farther. Boss he might be, but he’s just not going to be allowed to be an idiot, that’s all there is to it. No more vanishing off somewhere for three days, he’ll just have to check in or something. Frank can bully him about that. It’s for his own damn good.

THE END

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 10

Hello! So I’m wondering if people aren’t seeing my posts, I got someone on one these (don’t remember if it was this one or Roads...but they said that somehow they had missed the last three). I also noticed that a couple of the writing tags *I* follow didn’t update when they put out a new part of their story, I only noticed that they put it out because I dig through the #steddie tag several times a day.

So let me know if you’re still seeing my tags or not.

The application process has begun! Just a note on Argyle’s last name. The fandom doesn’t have one for him and they usually don’t give him one. It took a lot of research (the character looks Native American but the actor is an American born to two Mexican parents.) So after some seriously thought I landed on Rivera.

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3  Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8  Pt 9

***

The first guy’s name was Keith Langston and he had been learning to tattoo through buying large swaths of pig skin. The guy’s portfolio was entirely of pig skin tattoos.

“Have you ever tattooed human skin or on a live person?” Steve asked looking over the portfolio turning each page slowly. “It can even be yourself. Or even just drawing on yourself?” He added, because that’s how he got into tattooing.

Keith scoffed. “That’s what I’m here for. To tattoo other people. I only go to the best to get my body tattooed.”

Steve smiled. “And who are your favorite artists?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Like only the greats. Leonard Killgrave, Ollie Peterson, Trent Sullivan. You know, those guys.”

How Steve managed to avoid wincing, he could only attest to years of customer service. Because he had never heard of any of them. And Hopper was no slouch in the social aspect of being a tattoo parlor owner. He knew most of the shop owners and good portion of the artists under them. They weren’t from Indy that was for sure.

And then it hit him. They weren’t from Indy. They were probably from Chicago or New York, maybe even Boston. This prick was traveling out of state to get his tattoos.

“I see,” was all Steve said. They talked some more about Keith’s abilities and where he hoped to be in five years.

“Well, you got to where you are in five years,” Keith sneered. “I fully expect to world renowned in that time.”

Steve’s eye twitched. “Thank you so much for your time.” He handed back the portfolio and didn’t even bother to stand.

Keith stormed off muttering about asshole douchebags who thought they were still in high school.

Yeah, Steve was not hiring Keith.

The next one was Eden Bingham. She was the Goth chick with the fluffy black hair and the piercings.

“Hello,” she greeted as Steve stood up to shake her hand.

“Hi,” he said, “tell me about yourself.”

Turned out she was Suzie’s older sister. She had moved out from Utah to get away from her strict parents and to be closer to Suzie after she married Dustin. Suzie was the one that had told her that he was looking for an apprentice and to try for it.

During the course of the interview, Steve was a little disappointed. Eden was good. Damn good in fact. And had been tattooing her friends and roommates for the last year, indie style. But he knew their personalities would clash so hard. And it wasn’t about the aesthetic. It wasn’t.

But he knew where she would flourish though and made a note to have Robin call Hop. Hop’s most recent apprentice had moved up to a chair and chose to move to Chicago to purse their career there and needed a new apprentice.

He thanked her for her time, stood up and shook her hand.

“Hey, look,” he said gently. “I don’t think you would be happy apprenticing under me.”

She smiled. “Probably not.”

“But I know someone who’s just barely had a spot open up,” Steve explained. “He hasn’t had time to put out feelers yet. I think you’d two would be a better fit.”

Eden’s eyes went wide. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

Steve nodded. “And not just because you’re Suzie’s sister, either. Because I think you’re good and deserve a shot. Even if it isn’t with me.”

“Thanks!”

He walked out with her to get Hopper’s number and address. She walked out talking excitedly to Suzie on the phone.

Robin bumped his shoulder. “That was nice of you.”

Steve blushed. “Hop will love her.” He looked at the remaining two. “Who’s next?”

“Argyle Rivera,” she murmured.

Steve turned to him. “Argyle, come on back.”

Argyle leapt to his feet. “Brochacho! I’m super excited.”

Steve smiled and led him to the back room. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Argyle handed him his portfolio. “I think it’s so cool you asked for a physical portfolio, dude. Most cats only want a link to some website.”

Steve grinned. “I don’t mind those, it’s just harder to talk while scrolling.”

Argyle grinned back. “Yeah.”

Steve opened it up to see the most beautiful Mexican styled tattoos he had ever laid eyes on in his life. Growing up in Hawkins made for a very thin Latino or Hispanic population so he didn’t see much of this kind of work, but he had always admired it.

“This is amazing,” he breathed. “How long have you been doing this?”

Argyle blushed. “I haven’t really done much. I used marker for the most part because permanent isn’t really my style, bro. But I’ve done a couple stick and poke stuff that was fun. And I am all about the fun. So a friend suggested I should try for this.”

“So you’ve never used an ink gun?” Steve asked.

Argyle shook his head. “Nope!”

Steve and Argyle talked for a bit longer and Steve was really impressed with how open and outgoing he was.

“How do you feel about doing tattoos not in your usual style?” he asked. This was the kicker for most artists.

Argyle lit up. “That would be awesome to learn how to do, dude! I love my style but branching out is what life is all about.”

“And how would you feel about starting off only doing simple tattoos, like the small ones or basic designs?” Steve asked.

Argyle’s face spread out into the biggest grin. “Everyone’s got to start out somewhere, my man!”

Steve was really leaning towards Argyle now. Which was too bad, because he really liked the spunky blonde. No, no, not like that.

He led Argyle back to the reception area and then Robin called the last out. “Chrissy Cunningham.”

Steve smiled at her. “Come on back.”

She jumped up and followed him. “You aren’t going to murder me for the no tattoo remark, are you?” she asked with a grin and a wink.

Steve burst out laughing. “If I killed everyone that thought that, Indy would be down three-fifths of its tattoo artist population.”

She laughed too. “Fair enough.”

“And since we’re on the topic,” he said, indicating for her to sit down, “you don’t look the type anymore than I do.”

She grinned. “I got my first tattoo when I sixteen. My mom didn’t want me cutting my hair so much so that I told her either let me cut my hair or let me get a tattoo, she let me get the tattoo.”

Steve’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit! I’ve never heard of that. It’s hair. It grows back.”

Chrissy grinned. “Her words were ‘At least a tattoo could be covered up, I’d have to look at the terrible hair cut!’.”

“That is fucking insane!” Steve said. “Can I see it?”

She nodded and pulled up her shirt sleeve. Steve could see the nine (yes nine, Pluto counts) planets and at the top was a howling fox.

“That’s cool,” he said. “Can I see your portfolio?”

She handed it over and Steve looked at it. She didn’t seem to have a firm style yet.

He found out they had both gone to Hawkins High. “Wait, no way.”

She nodded. “We all knew who Steve Harrington was. The basketball players all wanted to be him and all the cheerleaders wanted to be with him.”

Steve blushed into his hands. “Oh god that’s awful.”

Chrissy laughed. “Well, most of the cheerleaders anyway.”

“Not you?” he guessed.

“Kind of a large lesbian,” she said with a grimace. “Makes it a tad difficult.”

Steve laughed. “Fair enough.”

He talked with her a bit and then led her out like he had done with Eden and Argyle. He said goodbye and locked the door up behind him.

He turned to Robin. “What did you think of them? Be honest. They probably said a whole lot while they were waiting their turn.”

Robin nodded. “Argyle got Eden’s number.”

Steve burst out laughing. “Yeah, okay I needed that. Did he really?”

“Oh yeah,” Robin said. “It was mildly hilarious how well they hit it off. You couldn’t find a weirder couple.”

Steve put his hand over his heart in mock protest. “Have you supplanted our relationship as the weirdest ever? I’m hurt. Hurt I say!”

Robin laughed so hard she snorted. “All right you drama queen, weirdest romantic couple. How’s that?”

Steve beamed at her. “Perfect!”

She laughed again, shaking her head. They talked about the two candidates and both were really good.  

“I don’t want to pick between them,” Steve whined, hitting his head on the desk.

“So don’t.”

Steve lifted his head. “What do you mean?”

Robin licked her lips slowly. “Steve, I’ve been doing the numbers, if we add in the potential of what they can bring in, by the time school starts back up again not only will we have enough to pay for both of them to stay on, but Erica too, and the new receptionist.”

Steve jerked back. “Wait, what?”

She nodded. “I’m not lying, dingus. I’ll swear on it. In fact, we could probably hire the new receptionist by July.”

His eyes went wide. “Really?”

Robin took his face in her hands. “You are open and friendly. First timers and people who are just nervous in general love coming to you because you put them at ease. People who just want to get a tattoo as memorial or just as a one-time thing, love coming to you. There is this whole untapped market that you accidentally slid into and made it your own. We just need more people so you and I can enjoy our lives for a change.”

Steve blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Robin said. “You are so good at this. Don’t sell yourself short. You deserve this.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Let’s do it. Call them both and have them come in tomorrow at nine so that we can go over a few things and have them learn how to open.”

Robin nodded. “Sounds good.” She picked up the phone and started doing just that.

Steve watched her with a growing smile on his face. He had a really good feeling about this summer.

***

Part 11 Part 12  Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18 Part 19  Part 20  Part 21   Part 22  Part 23  Part 24  Part 25 Part 26  Part 27  Part 28  Epilogue

I figured as controlling as Chrissy’s mom was in the show about her weight, she would be controlling about the hair too. And ngl this is exactly what my oldest sister did to my youngest niece. It’s hair. It’ll grow back. Nope. The tattoo on my niece’s arm is the one I described here.

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[teawizard-n-coffeewitch]

The Staffordshire Spell

1. Spilled Coffee

The actress moves with grace as she proceeds to walk up the stairs and accept her Emmy. The audience clap and cheer as she smiles softly at them. The scene then unfolds to her walking down the red carpet, after the award ceremony and her red dress helping her stand out from all the other celebrities.

"Exquisite footage of Tina Goldstein-- the great movie star of our time -- an ideal -- the perfect star and woman -- her life full of glamour and sophistication and mystery." Newt mutters to himself as stops looking at the shop's teli (television) and continues on his way.

We follow him as he walks down Manor Drive Road, carrying a brown briefcase in one hand. It is spring.

"Of course, I've seen her films and always thought she was, well, fabulous -- but, you know, million miles from the world I live in. Which is here -- Staffordshire -- not a bad place to be..." Newt tells himself, exciting Manor Drive Road and entering Burton Market Hall.

"It's a full fruit market day." Newt thinks to himself, observing the countless of people swarming in both the inside market hall and outdoor market.

"There's the Outdoor Market on Market Place, Burton. Open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Selling every fruit and vegetable known to man..." Newt points out, as he studies the cabbages when he walks beside the veggie stands.

Existing the market hall Newt notices a man in denims walking out of the tattoo studio. Newt shakes his head solemnly. "The tattoo parlour -- with a guy outside who got drunk and now can't remember why he chose 'I Love Ken'..." The man looks at his arm and has a confused face, and frowns, as if he were experiencing a headache.

Newt continues walking and passes the hair salon. "Ah, the racial hair-dressers where

everyone comes out looking like the Cookie Monster, whether they like it or not..." Newt teases and sure enough, a girl exits the salon with a huge threaded blue bouffant. Newt coughs back a laugh and walks quickly.

Before he knows it, it's Saturday and the Weekend Antique Market is in full swing. Newt smiles softly at the smiles of the tourists and locals, all shopping. "Then suddenly it's the weekend, and from break of day, hundreds of stalls appears out of nowhere, filling Burton upon Trent with a frantic crowd in the market... and thousands of people buy millions of antiques, some genuine..." Newt thinks, walking down the stands, studying the antiques.

His eyes settles on a stall selling beautiful stained glass windows of various sizes, some featuring biblical scenes and saints. "... and some not so genuine." Newt thinks, frowning a bit.

As Newt continues his walk, he passes by a familiar door. He smiles proudly. "And what's great is that lots of friends have ended up in this part of the United Kingdom -- that's Jacob, soldier turned baker from New York, who recently invested all the money he ever earned in a new bakery..."

Newt waves at Jacob as he's proudly setting out a board outside his bakery, the sign stating; Today's Special is Pumpkin Juice and macaroons! Jacob waves back at Newt with a huge smile.

"So this is where I spend my days and years -- in this small village in the middle of the U.K -- in a house with a Robin egg blue color door that I bought after best friend left me for a man who looked like Callum Turner back in London. That man being my older brother..." Newt thought to himself before he arrived outside his blue-doored house just off Peel's Cut.

"... and where I now lead a strange half-life with a lodger called..." Newt shuffles his keys back in his pocket as he yells, entering the house, "Credence!" Newt walks towards the large kettle in the house.

The house has far too many things in it. House plants, some dishes scattered, and a few clothes on the floor. Definitely two-bachelor flat.

Credence appears. An unusual looking fellow. He has his black hair in an unusual haircut, and an unusual Welsh accent: very white, as though his flesh has never seen the sun. He wears only shorts.

Credence smiles at Newt. "Even he. Hey, you couldn't help me with an incredibly important decision, could you?"

Newt smiles crouching down and puts on his gloves before he begins petting his temporary companion platypus, named Niffler. "This is important in comparison to, let's say, whether they should cancel third world debt?" he asks looking at Credence.

Credence nods, snapping his fingers happily. "That's right -- I'm at last going out on a date with the great Nagini and I just want to be sure I've picked the right t-shirt."

Newt closes the kettle and nods at Credence. "Alright then. What are the choices?"

Credence smirks proudly. "Well... wait for it..." He pulls on a t-shirt and shows Newt. "First there's this one..."

The t-shirt is white with a horrible looking plastic alien coming out of it, jaws open, blood everywhere. It says 'Avada Kedavra.'

Newt stays silent. Just eyeing the shirt. He smiled awkwardly as he stutters, "Yes -- might make it hard to strike a really romantic note.

Credence hums as he thinks. Nodding, he replies, "Point taken." He heads back up the stairs... and talks as he changes. "I suspect you'll prefer the next one." Newt smiles, intrigued at the next shirt Credence will show him.

He re-enters in a white t-shirt, with a large arrow, pointing down to his flies, saying, 'Get It Here.' Credence has a huge smile as he says smugly, "Cool, huh?"

Newt laughs softly before answering awkwardly, "Yes -- she might think you don't have true love on your mind."

Credence nods, taking Newt's advice. "You are right. Wouldn't want that..." he says and back up he goes up the stairs. "Okay -- just one more." Newt hears him speak loudly.

He comes down wearing the last shirt. The shirt has lots of hearts, saying, 'You're the most beautiful woman in the world.' Newt smiles approvingly.

"Well, yes, that's perfect. Well done." Newt says, holding a thumps up. Credence laughs happily. "Thanks. Great! Wish me luck!" Credence says.

Newt salutes him with two fingers, "Good luck."

Credence turns and walks upstairs proudly. As he does so, revealing that on the back of the t-shirt, also printed in big letters, is written 'Fancy a fuck?'

Newt chokes back a laugh before turning around, shaking his head. He puts on his long blue coat.

Newt then walks up towards a house plant and picks up his pet Phasmid. A green stick insect, whose name is Pickett. He grabs him on his hand and gets his brown brief case with his other hand. "Come along now." Newt tells Pickett as he opens the door and yells a farewell to Credence.

And so it was just another hopeless Saturday, as Newt sets off through the market to work, little suspecting that this was the day which would change his life forever. As Newt walks down the busy street a woman, with short dark hair and a dark long coat, dashes pass him. She covers half her face with her coat and Newt just gives her an odd look.

Finally he arrives. In front of a small corner bookshop. This is work, by the way, Newt's little Zoology book shop...

A few years ago he was a Zoologist at the London Zoo but now he owns his own Zoology bookstore. The reason being was because after his best friend left him he was devastated. Being in London hurt so much he moved far away and kept close to himself. When the opportunity presented itself, a small bookstore just a few houses down his home was perfect.

Thus why a small unpretentious shop... named 'Magical Creature Books' was in the street. The book shop, well, sells creature books -- and, to be frank with you, doesn't always sell many of those. Newt enters and sets Pickett down on the shop's bonsai tree. He studies his small shop. It is slightly chaotic, bookshelves everywhere, with little secret bits round corners with even more books.

Bunty, Newt's sole employee, is waiting enthusiastically. She is very keen, an uncrushable optimist. Perhaps without cause. She's a pretty small young woman with frizzy blonde locks and a sweet smile. Like Newt, she has a passion for zoology as well.

A few seconds later, after Newt has hung his blue coat, he stands gloomily behind the main desk.

"Classic. Absolutely classic. Profit from major sales push -- minus 347?" Newt mutters, punching in numbers on the calculator. Bunty frowns sadly at her boss's sad state. "Shall I go get a butter-beer? Ease the pain." Bunty suggest with a small smile. Newt smiles back.

"Yes, better get me a half. All I can afford." Newt sadly jokes as Bunty shakes her head with a soft laugh. "I get your logic. Butter-beer coming up." She salutes and bolts out the door. As she does, a woman walks in. Newt only catches a glimpse of her.

He continues working before he looks up casually and finally he sees her. His reaction is hard to read as he awes the woman. It's the same woman who dashed past him earlier. She takes off her shades and places them on her head. After a pause... Newt breaths calmly.

"Can I help you?" Newt asks, a bit nervously.

The woman who just entered is none other than Tina Goldstein, the biggest movie star in the world-- here -- in his shop. The most subtle woman on earth in his opinion. Newt is speechless. This cannot be happening. How? Why? In his shop? When she speaks she is very self-assured and self - contained.

"No, thanks. I'll just look around." Tina replies softly, her eyes with a spark of hesitant. Newt nods, "Alright then." He watches as she wanders around and picks out a small book on the coffee table.

Newt doesn't know how or why he did it but as Tina proceeds to open the book and skim through it, he can't help but blurt out, "That book's really not good-"

Tina stops and raises an eyebrow at him. Newt flushes awkwardly as he stammers, "J-Just in case, you...you know, boring turned to buying. You'd be wasting your money." He curses at himself for acting like such a fool.

"Really?" asks Tina, slightly finding Newt's red face amusing.

"Yes." Newt flushes before embarrassing himself more by adding, "This one though is... very good." He picks up a book on the counter.

"I think the man who wrote it has actually studied Komodo dragons, which helps. There's also a very amusing incident with its hatchlings." Newt stutters out, scratching his back neck nervously.

Tina just stares at him before she replies, "Thanks. I'll think about it." Before he can apologize for acting like a fool Newt suddenly spies something odd on the small TV monitor beside him.

He gives Tina an apologetic look as he mumbles, "If you could just give me a second." Newt then walks out of his main desk. Tina's eyes follow him as he moves toward the back of the shop and approaches a man in slightly ill-fitting clothes. She studies at how he'll approach the situation.

"Excuse me." Newt begins, a bit nervous. The man raises an eyebrow at Newt. "Yes?" he asks, giving Newt an odd look. Newt winces, knowing this won't be easy. "Bad news." Newt begins.

"What?" the man asks in an annoyed tone. "We've got a security camera in this bit of the shop." Newt says. The man tries to keep it cool as he shoots back a, "So?"

Newt crosses his arms, trying to act a bit confident. "So, I saw you put that book down your trousers." The man just stares at him.

"What book?" he challenges. Newt sighs. "The one down your trousers." he adds embarrassed.

"I haven't got a book down my trousers." the man snaps to which Newt's ears turn red. "Right -- well, then we have something of an impasse. I tell you what -- I'll call the police -- and, what can I say? Er -- If I'm wrong about the whole book-down-the-trousers scenario, I sincerely apologize." Newt offers to which the man stays silent for a moment.

"Okay -- what if I did have a book down my trousers?" asks the man to which Newt replies, "Well, ideally, when I went back to the desk, you'd remove the Mythologies of Basilisk Snakes from your trousers, and either wipe it and put it back, or buy it. See you in a sec." Newt says before returning to his desk. In the monitor Newt glimpse, seeing the book coming out of the trousers and put back on the shelves.

The man drifts out towards the door. Tina who has observed all this, is looking at the book on the counter, the one Newt suggested.

"Sorry about that..." Newt apologies to Tina as she walks up to the cash register and places the book she was skimming through.

"No, that's fine. I was going to steal one myself but now I've changed my mind." she lightly teases before seeing how the book she was about to purchase had a signature. "Signed by the author, I see." she points out to which Newt replies with a soft laugh, "Yes, we couldn't stop him. If you can find an unsigned copy, it's worth an absolute fortune. That's Gilderoy Lockhart for you."

Tina gives him a small nervous smile.  Suddenly the thief man is there, standing right beside Tina.

"Excuse me." he begins. Tina looks at him. "Yes?" she answers. "Can I have your autograph?" he asks, making Tina look a bit uncomfortable before nodding. He gives her a piece of paper and pen and she gets it.

"What's your name?" Tina asks him boldly. "Tom." the young man replies to which Tina nods. She signs his scruffy piece of paper and gives it to him. He tries to read it before asking, "What does it say?"

"Well, that's the signature -- and above, it says 'Dear Tom -- you belong in Azkaban.' " Tina says without missing a beat.

"Nice one. Would you like my phone number?" Tom asks to which Tina smiles and acts as if she's thinking deeply. "Tempting..." she begins breaking out of her thoughts, "but... no, thank you."

The man, Tom, then leaves, leaving Newt and Tina alone.

"I apologize about that." Newt begins, making Tina shake her head and hold her hand out to stop him from apologizing.

She hands Newt a twenty euros note and the book he said was rubbish. He talks as he handles the transaction. "Oh -- right -- on second thoughts maybe it wasn't that bad.  Actually -- it's a sort of masterpiece really. None of those childish mythology stories you get in so many books these days." Newt word vomits out nervously as she looks at him with a slight smile.

He gives her the book she just purchased with a small smile. "Thanks." Tina says and walks out the shop quietly. And leaves. She's out of his life forever.

Newt leans on his desk, a little dazed. Seconds later Bunty comes back in, with two butter-beers at hand.

She gives Newt his. "Thanks. I don't think you'll believe who was just in here." Bunty's face breaks out with a shock expression as she asks, "Who? Was it someone famous?"

But Newt's innate natural English discretion takes over. He knows better than to expose Tina's whereabouts.

"No. No-one -- no-one." Newt replies causing Bunty to frown. They set about drinking their butter-beers.

"It be exciting if someone famous did come into the shop though, wouldn't it? Do you know -- this is pretty incredible actually -- I once saw Grindelwald. Or at least I think it was Grindelwald. It might have been that broke from 'Pirates of The Caribbean,' John."

"Johnny." Newt corrects Bunty as she snaps her fingers. "That's right -- Johnny." Bunty repeats the name with a smile.

"But Johnny Depp doesn't look anything like Grindelwald." says Newt as he finishes his butter-beer.

"No, well... he was quite a long way away." Bunty points out. "So it could have been neither of them?"

"I suppose so." Bunty says slowly. "Right. It's not a classic anecdotes, is it?" asks Newt. "Not classic, no." she says.

Bunty shakes his head. Newt takes her empty butter-beer cup and throws it in the garbage can, along his.

"Right -- want another one?" Newt asks her to which she nods. "Yes. No, wait -- let's go crazy -- I'll have an ice coffee."

Newt groans but obeys her order. And so be it, Newt sets off to the only place in the street that makes coffee; Jacob's bakery.

Entering the bakery Jacob pulls him into a hug and decides to catch up on their morning. Newt desperately desires to tell Jacob about Tina but in the end, decides to not. Jacob gives Newt two ice coffees and teases him about finally acting like an American. Newt rolls his eyes as he collects his coffee.

He swings out of Jacob's bakery, biding him a farewell and as he turns the corner of the road he accidentally bumps straight into someone.

That someone being Tina! The cold coffees, in its paper cups, fly out of Newt's grasps, soaking Tina.

"Oh Mercy Lewis!" Tina gasps as her white button shirt is soaked in black coffee. She tightens her hands on her brown bags.

"Oh I am so so sorry. I really do apologize!" Newt stutters as he tries helping Tina.

"Here, let me help." Newt offers as he grabs the paper napkins that came with the coffees and tries to clean the soaked coffee off -- getting far too near her breasts in the panic of it...

Tina jumps back as she snaps, "What are you doing?!" Newt jumps back, realizing his stupid mistake.

"Nothing, nothing... I swear! Look, uh..I live just over the street. Uh... you could get cleaned up." he offers awkwardly as she glares at him.

"No thank you. I need to get my car back." Tina replies, trying to wipe the coffee out of her shirt.

"I also have a phone." Newt mumbles. "I'm confident that in five minutes we can have you

spick and span and back on the street again... in the non-prostitute sense obviously."

In his diffident way, he is confident, despite her being genuinely annoyed. She sighs before she turns and looks at him.

"Okay.  So what does 'just over the street' mean -- give it to me in yards." Tina orders, placing her hand on her forehead, as if she were experiencing a headache.

"Eighteen yards." Newt automatically replies, surprising himself. He points to his house's blue door. "That's my house there. The one with the Robin egg blue color door."

Tina's eyes follow his finger and she sees that he doesn't lie -- it is eighteen yards away.  She looks down, debating if she should allow him to escort her or not.

She looks up at Newt and nods softly. He nods and together they walk towards Newt's house.

They pass by many people but no one seems to recognize Tina. She is once again, hiding her face with her black coat and shades.

They both enter Newt's house and stand in the corridor. She carries a few stylish bags. She gives Newt an uncertain look.

"Come on in. I'll just..." he begins and walks in further -- it's a mess. He kicks some old shoes

under the stairs, picks up Pickett's scattered food and hides a plate of Credence's breakfast in a cupboard. Tina enters the kitchen slowly.

"It's not that tidy, I fear." Newt apologizes, as he stands nervously.

Tina doesn't seem to mind and realizing why she's in his house in the first place, he guides her up the stairs, after taking the bag of books from her and settling them down the stairs. On top of a small coffee table.

"The bathroom is right at the top of the stairs and there's a phone on the desk up there." Newt tells Tina as he tries gesturing with his hand where the bathroom is. Tina nods and she heads upstairs.

The second Newt hears the bathroom door close he enters the kitchen and goes mad. He's tidying up frantically; from throwing dishes in the sink, to wiping the long wooden table clean, and sweeping. Then he hears Tina's movement on the stairs. Newt stops and sees as she walks down, wearing a new set of white jeans and a blue silk shirt beneath her black coat. Newt is utterly dazzled by the sight of her.

"Would you like a cup of tea before you go?" Newt asks, trying to cut the awkward silence.

"No thanks." Tina replies.

"Pumpkin Juice?"

"No."

"What about coffee -- oh- er-probably not." Newt says as he moves to his very empty fridge -- and offers its only contents. "Something else cold -- soda, water, some disgusting sugary drink pretending to have something to do with fruits of the forest?" he offers as Tina stares at him.

"Really, no." she insists.

"Would you like something to nibble -- apricots, soaked in honey -- quite why, no one knows -- because it stops them tasting of apricots, and make them taste like honey, and if you wanted honey, you'd just buy honey, instead of apricots, but nevertheless -- um -- they're yours if you want them." Newt stutters holding the glass jar of apricots soaked in honey.

"No." Tina answers, as she observes Newt make a fool out of himself.

There is a moment of silence before Newt, stupidly but boldly asks, "Do you always say 'no' to everything?"

There is a pause. Frankly because Tina did not expect Newt to ask her a question so... striking. She looks at him deep and cocks her head to a side before replying softly, "No."

There is silence again but it's not awkward. It's a moment of peace before Tina breaks it, saying, "I better be going.  Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome and, may I also say... heavenly." Newt says as he closes the fridge door, leading Tina back to the corridor, "It has taken a lot to get this out loud.  He is not a smooth - talking man." Newt takes a deep breath before says daring, "Take my one chance to say it. After you've read that terrible book, you're certainly not going to be coming back to the shop."

Tina looks at him and smiles. She's cool and well amused at his opinion for that book she bought.

"Thank you."

Newt looks down nervously, "Yes. Well. My pleasure."

He guides her towards the house's blue door. "Nice to meet you. Surreal but nice." Newt reveals causing Tina to silently laugh. In a slightly awkward moment, he shows her out the door. She gives him a nod before stepping out. He closes the door and shakes his head in wonder. Then slaps his forehead as he mutters, " 'Surreal but nice.' What was I thinking?"

He  shakes his head again in horror and wanders back along the corridor in silence.  There's a knock on the door. He moves back, speaking up, "Coming."

He opens the door and is surprised. It's her.

[power-strength-appetite]

Trent lassos Robin during the Piggy solo on 12.07.18 at the Palladium. Video from here.

Happy 50th birthday, Robin.

[blainederson]

A Night to Remember (Seblaine)

Who: Sebastian Smythe (@sarcasticsmythe) and Blaine Anderson Verse: Frozen Candle Location: Lima, Ohio Summary: Seblaine go out to drink at Scandals after Blaine is dumped by his boyfriend, Trent. After drinking a little too much and going back to Sebastian’s house, the two get frisky and sleep with one another in a drunken haze. The following day, they agree this was a huge mistake since they have been such good friends and have never crossed that line before.

NSFW - Sex

Sebastian Smythe:

After getting the green light from his best friend, Sebastian was more than just a little excited that they’d be going out to Scandals together for a night of drinking. They didn’t go all too often-- especially whenever Blaine was tied down by someone. Blaine was kind of a simp whenever he was in a relationship and Sebastian hated seeing his friend bending over backwards for someone who didn’t care for him as much as he knew Blaine did for them. Alas, Blaine was single once more and that meant more days and nights together where they could hang out again. Sebastian was never the type for relationships so he and Blaine always meshed a little better when the latter was single, too.

Sebastian pulled up to the driveway of Blaine’s place, sending his friend a text before getting out of the car and leaning against the side to wait for him. He knew that Blaine’s parents were fogeys when it came to underaged drinking so they weren’t privy to their nighttime antics.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine knew that drinking wasn’t the answer to life’s problems, but he did always feel better when he was out with Sebastian. The hangover the next day would be bad, but it was a small price to pay for a night of fun and forgetting yet another heartbreak. He could always count on Sebastian to lift his spirits and make him feel better, and it was nice. He liked having a consistent friend that he could lean on whenever he needed someone.

He was just finishing up on his hair when his phone lit up on the counter, signaling Sebastian was there. He grabbed his overnight bag, said a quick goodbye to his parents, and he was off. A smile tugged at his face when he saw his friend waiting for him outside. “Hey you,” he said, walking past Sebastian to throw his bag in the backseat before giving Seb a once over. “You look nice, you don’t plan on ditching me tonight and finding someone else to spend the night with, do you?” He joked.

Sebastian Smythe:  

Sebastian’s eyebrow quirked as he shamelessly checked out his friend in his cute, tight-fitting outfit. Blaine always cleaned up well and it’d be a loss for Sebastian to overlook that fact. “You’re one to talk, big guy. You look like you’re dressed to go out on the prowl with that get-up,” he noted the way Blaine’s chinos hugged his ass just right, though didn’t care to specify out loud to his friend. “But I’m all yours tonight, B. There’s a throng of boys out there waiting to bed me but tonight it’s all about you.”

With the chivalry Sebastian knew Blaine appreciated, the former opened the passenger door for Blaine to get in before rounding the vehicle and setting way for their favorite little bar. Scandals was a slightly run-down gay bar but the people there were usually nice and the staff even nicer. Even with their phony fake ID’s, the two were never turned away because the owner knew that Scandals was sometimes the only safe haven for the young teenage gay in their podunk little town.

Blaine Anderson:

“Please, I am definitely not on the prowl for anything.” Blaine let out a chuckle as he took his seat in Sebastian’s car, thanking him for opening his door. Sebastian’s chivalrous ways were never lost on Blaine. “Well, I’m just so flattered that you’d sacrifice having a boy in your bed to have me in the guest room.” Blaine shook his head, looking fondly over at his friend as he settled in the car for the short drive over to the bar.

Letting out a soft sigh, Blaine rubbed at his face gently. “I’m looking forward to just...spending the night with you and letting loose a little.” He nodded. “I feel like it’s something I really need. Since I’ve been with Trent we really haven’t spent that much time together.” Blaine observed, giving a little shrug. As they arrived at the bar, Blaine didn’t wait for Sebastian to open his door to get out, meeting the taller around the front of the car, slipping his arm through Sebastian’s. “First round is on you, right?” He grinned.

Sebastian Smythe:

Letting loose with a few dozen rounds of drinks with Blaine sounded like Sebastian’s ideal night. They would leave Blaine’s stupid ex in the dust as they drank him into oblivion. As they made their way to the front doors of Scandals, Sebastian wore a wide grin across his face. “Oh, but of course,” Sebastian nodded, already having it in his mind to pay the tab for tonight’s drinks.

They handed their fake ID’s to the bouncer, who greeted both of them with a mirthless smile as he let them through. The music was loud and there was a throng of bodies strung across the dance floor jumping up and down to the beat. Grinding up on the dance floor against a tipsy Blaine sounded like a great idea, but Sebastian wanted to make sure they were hydrated first. The two made a beeline for the bar and Sebastian waved the bartender down, greeting him by name before ordering their first round of drinks. When their drinks were served, Sebastian held up his glass to Blaine’s, for a toast. “To best friends,” he smirked.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine settled onto one of the stools at the bar as he took his drink, smiling at Sebastian as they clinked their glasses together. “To the best, best friends.” He scrunched his nose before taking a generous drink, letting out a breath as the alcohol warmed him from the inside out. He reached over to pick a few bites out of the shared bowl of nuts on the bar, popping them in his mouth. He was feeling okay so far, he knew he’d probably hit a wall of sadness at some point and wallow for a bit before he’d be good again and having fun.

“Mmm- okay, so a couple of drinks, then we hit the dance floor and show all of the old fogeys how it’s done, yeah?” Blaine nodded towards the dance floor as he took another drink. “You are my favorite dance partner, after all, co-captain.” He nudged Sebastian gently, knowing that those words got under Sebastian’s skin. Sebastian liked to think of himself as the head Warbler and Blaine his inferior but in reality they were equals. Blaine loved reminding him that they were equals, it was funny to watch him get worked up.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian took a swig of his own drink, relishing the burning aftertaste. “Ah, yes, my trusty sidekick: The Co-Captain,” he phrased it in such a way that made him seem like he was the star superhero. He puffed out his chest as he started his next sentence. “The Robin to my Superman-- the Barnacle Boy to my Mermaid Man,” Sebastian laughed at his own jokes before he took another sip.

In reality, Sebastian would probably throw more of a fit if he had to share the title with literally anyone else. Although he would’ve preferred being the sole head of the Warblers, he was glad that Blaine was the one running the team with him. “For the record, you’re my favorite dance partner, too. Doing a duet together is our best bet to winning at Regionals. This is the year we finally get to Nationals, or I’m going to die trying.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine let out a musical laugh as Sebastian puffed out like a peacock. “Of course it is,” He agreed with Sebastian’s sentiment of them duetting being their best chance. “It’s imperative that we duet so we can win. I’m not losing to that Jesse St. James guy ever again.” He rolled his eyes, grimacing at the thought. “And you’re ridiculous if you think I’m a sidekick. I’m no one’s sidekick.” He sipped his drink. “If anything - if there was a head Warbler we all know it would be me.” Blaine raised his eyebrows as he looked to Sebastian, there was a beat and his face fell to a look of confusion. “Wait- what? Superman doesn’t have a sidekick. Robin is Batman’s sidekick. What in the world- where are you from?” He asked, shaking his head as his forehead wrinkled.

Blaine looked past Sebastian to the bartender, pointing at his almost empty glass, with a thankful crinkle of his nose. “I know it hurts your giant ego but it'll make the trip to Nationals much smoother if you’d just get off your high horse and admit that if not for me, you’d have nothing.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian smiled to himself when Blaine caught that he’d paired Superman with Batman’s sidekick; Blaine was too much of a nerd to let something like that go without correcting him, and Sebastian thought that was cute. “Puh-leeze,” Sebastian rolled his eyes with a chuckle as the ice in his otherwise empty glass shifted when he placed it down on the bartop. “I’ll admit that you’re an incredible asset with an incredible ass, but we all know I have the looks and the dance moves to rock the pants off of every guy and girl in the audience-- literally.”

Soon both boys’ empty glasses were refilled. “But having you on the team and in the spotlight guarantees our trip to Nationals. You make my job a lot easier by being the talented dreamboat that you are.” Liquor made the compliments flow with ease, which wasn’t ever necessary but with what little inhibitions Sebastian had lowered, they seemed to come one right after another. “C’mon, any idiot can see how amazing you are,” he complimented again as he leaned closer into Blaine’s personal space. With a sly grin, he continued in a lower voice, “Almost as amazing as me, even.” Sebastian laughed at his own comment as he pulled back to take another sip of his drink.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine leaned against the bar a little as he sipped his drink, a cheesy grin pulling at his lips as Sebastian complimented him. It was never unusual to have Sebastian complimenting him, flirting was Sebastian’s constant state of being after all. He never really thought anything of it- they were friends. They’d been friends for so long it seemed, and of course the thought of the two of them together had danced around his head every so often, but Blaine couldn’t bear to lose Sebastian’s friendship. He was the best friend he’d ever had.

With a low chuckle, Blaine placed his drink on the bar, fiddling with the glass a little. “You, uh, do know that flirting with me will absolutely-” He turned to face the other as his space was invaded, it wasn’t uncomfortable even if the closeness made his heartbeat a little quicker. He wasn’t noticeably phased. “-not make me admit that you’re my superior on the Warblers. I’ll let that ‘almost amazing as me’ slide because we both know in a sing-off, I would win.” Blaine winked.

Sebastian Smythe:  

Sebastian appreciated that even though he and Blaine were entirely different creatures-- Blaine was polite, charming, and kind of a goody-two-shoes, whilst Sebastian was crass, rude, and kind of an asshole-- that the two of them had a repartee that Sebastian hadn’t yet found anywhere else. Blaine was witty without being mean, which was a stark difference from Sebastian’s usual default. “Oh, I wouldn’t dare challenge you in a sing-off, Blaine Anderson… We both know your perfect record couldn’t handle that loss.” With nearly two drinks in his system, Sebastian could feel a slight buzz working in his system that he only wanted to feed. He always felt at his happiest when he was drunk or when he was with Blaine, and right now he had both right at his fingertips. “Now if we’re talking about a dance-off, I think that could be a competition for the ages. Some would say we’re evenly matched but…” his line of sight wandered from Blaine over to the relatively-empty dance floor. He downed the rest of his drink and hopped out of his seat, motioning for Blaine to follow.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine followed Sebastian’s line of sight to the dance floor, finishing off the rest of his second drink as he let out a gentle laugh. “I would admit to us being evenly matched in the area of dance.” he said, taking Sebastian’s hand and spinning himself once as they made it to the middle of the floor. “But I would never admit to you winning a sing-off.” He said just loud enough for Sebastian to hear as his body automatically started grooving to whatever song was playing through the bar’s speakers.

“You’re very talented, Seb. You’re my other half-- my best duet partner-- no one else could hold their own with me. I may be outwardly humble to most but I’m well aware of my talent, sir.” He chuckled, pulling Sebastian closer to him to dance. “I would win that sing-off and we both know it.” He whispered, his face close to Sebastian’s so he could hear him over the music.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian grinned from ear to ear as Blaine paid compliments his way, boosting his already inflated ego. He was already matching the tempo of the other boy’s movements as the music flowed all around them. A thrill tingled down his spine as Blaine whispered in his ear, and he liked it. As their bodies seemed to get closer and closer to each other, Sebastian put a hand around Blaine’s waist and their hips were practically touching as they continued to groove to the beat. They seemed to dance together effortlessly, as if they were both on the same wavelength, reading each other's minds.

“We’re both extremely talented… even now, all eyes are on us, B.” Sebastian spoke into the shorter man’s ear so he could be heard over the music. It was true-- seemingly almost everyone in the club was looking at the pair. Although it was uncertain if the other patrons watching did so out of jealousy or checking them out, Blaine and Sebastian were the center of attention. Even though Blaine had teased him about winning this fictional sing-off, Sebastian couldn’t seem to bring himself to care much about that right now. All he cared about was that Blaine was in his arms and they were having the time of their lives there on the dance floor of Scandals.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine glanced around the room as he melted a little into Sebastian’s embrace, feeling the comfort of their closeness mix with the alcohol to warm his body all the way up to his cheeks, flushing them a gentle red. “Mmm, I think they’re definitely looking at you wondering who on earth you’re dancing with. They want their chance with you.” He placed a hand on Sebastian’s chest. “I feel bad for them, really. Usually when you walk in it’s like a sigh of relief to all of the lonely boys- someone handsome to fight over is fun for them.”

Slipping his arms up around Sebastian’s neck, he looked up at him as the song morphed into something a bit slower. “You’re off the table today, they’re definitely jealous.” He smiled, sighing softly after a beat. “I really appreciate you taking me out, Seb. I feel better than I did earlier-- not a lot better, but definitely better.” He glanced down at the taller’s chest, shrugging one of his shoulders. “I-being broken up with again is a bit of a downer.” He chuckled a little sadly.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian was no stranger to physical intimacy and when Blaine’s hand was placed on his chest, it felt like an intense warmth was seeping through the material of Sebastian’s shirt. He laughed quietly when Blaine talked about how all the lonely boys wanted him. As Blaine’s arms came up to wrap around the back of his neck, Sebastian’s circled his arms around Blaine’s waist. In this positioning, their height difference was highlighted and it almost felt like Sebastian was protecting Blaine whilst in his hold.

“You know I’m always going to be here to cheer you up, or get drunk with you, or even beat up whatever asshole breaks your heart… if you’d actually let me,” he chuckled along as he leaned his forehead against Blaine’s. “I don’t think any of those assholes at school are good enough for you but one day you’re going to find a decent-looking, vaguely-talented guy who finally recognizes what he’s got in front of him and do his best to not fuck it up.” Sebastian took a beat as he stared down, admiring the color of Blaine’s eyes. They were like gold filigree in starlight and if he started for too long, he’d get lost in them. His voice was quiet as he all but whispered his next words, “You’re a special guy, Blaine. You deserve someone special.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine felt considerably warmer the more that Sebastian spoke to him and the closer that they danced. As he looked up into Sebastian’s eyes he shook his head bashfully. Sebastian was always the best at making him feel better and good about himself. But with his track record of dating it was getting harder and harder to believe him when he spoke such things. “Oh, c’mon, I’m not really that special. There’s clearly something wrong with me if I keep getting dumped.” His forehead wrinkled as he dipped his toes into the beginning of his pity party- he knew it had been coming all day, but between the alcohol he’d already had and Sebastian’s words it was beginning already.

With a heavy sigh, his feet stopped swaying to the music and he looked at Sebastian’s chest again. “Sometimes it feels like I’m never going to be enough for anyone.” He said honestly.

Sebastian Smythe:

Even though Sebastian knew it was but a matter of time before Blaine started on the disparaging comments about himself-- it always happened after a break-up-- this time it felt particularly bad. Sebastian hated seeing Blaine get so down on himself and basically blaming himself for whatever Trent’s deal was and their break-up. “Hey,” he tried to speak in a stern tone so the sincerity in his voice wouldn’t be misconstrued, “First of all, there’s nothing wrong with you. You can’t help it that no one can match up to your level. You’re smart, talented, and a hell of a performer. You can out-sing and out-dance anyone in the Warblers and if anything, you’re so much that anyone with a masculinity as fragile as Trent’s wouldn’t be able to be with you without feeling threatened.”

Sebastian let out a little breath of air after his mini-tirade, and looked at Blaine’s facial features, attempting to get a read on what his friend was thinking or feeling. “You’re more than enough, Blaine.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine didn’t take his eyes off Sebastian as he spoke, his heart skipping a beat when Sebastian told him he was more than enough. It was funny that out of all the people he’d ever been friends with, or dated, or met in general, Sebastian was the only one who could ever manage to make him feel worthy enough of anything. The mixture of the buzz he had going on from the strength of those first two drinks he had and the feeling of warmth from Sebastian’s words made him feel even more vulnerable than he was already feeling.

Sebastian was so sweet to him and it meant so much because Sebastian wasn’t sweet to anyone else and it didn’t go unnoticed that Blaine was the exception to all of his rules. He let his fingertips graze the back of Sebastian’s neck and before he knew it he was melting into Sebastian’s hold and pressing their lips together in a soft, needy kiss. It wasn’t the first time kissing Sebastian had crossed his mind but it was the very first time he acted on his impulse.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian kissed back instinctively, his head emptying itself as soon as Blaine’s lips touched his own. He reciprocated with ease, almost as though the feeling had been right all along. Blaine’s lips were soft and even with the alcohol taste, it was somehow still sweet. He could feel the slight urgency behind the way Blaine kissed him and it took him a few seconds to snap himself out of it and pull himself away from what was arguably the best kiss of his life. “Uh, sorry, I shouldn’t-- I mean,” Sebastian began to supply an excuse, but came up short. He was a little breathless in the way he spoke and his heart was beating so loud he swear he could feel the vein in his neck throbbing. Truth be told, he wanted to keep going, but he wasn’t going to take advantage of his best friend when he was in such a fragile state. “Listen, why don’t we both cool off a bit with another drink?”

Copping out by going to the bar for another drink felt really awkward but Sebastian forced himself to wave down the bartender for two fresh drinks. His mind was reeling at what had just happened, but he knew it was only because Blaine had just been dumped and he was tipsy. He diverted his attention to his drink, taking long sips as he mentally told himself Blaine probably would’ve been kissing any cute guy who was being nice to him.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine was breathless when Sebastian pulled back from their kiss, his head foggy, pulse pounding. Shaking his head to attempt to clear the fog, Blaine just laughed nervously. “R-right, we definitely shouldn’t- I’m sorry.” He blushed, his face burning red with the feeling of embarrassment. He gladly accepted the distraction of another drink to give him a minute to process what he’d just done.

As he continuously swallowed down his drink, he also toyed with the thought that he would’ve kissed literally anyone who would’ve been nice to him in that moment but something in the back of his mind reminded him that nice words meant nothing when they had nothing behind them. It was because it was Sebastian saying them that he kissed him. Glancing over to his best friend, he felt the impulse again as his eyes wandered down his face. He wanted to do it again. He partially felt like an idiot because he knew they were just friends, as he’d talked himself out of it many times. He and Sebastian wouldn’t work as anything else, and being intimate would just ruin their friendship. Setting down his now-empty glass, Blaine straightened up on the bar stool, trying to rid the thoughts from his mind but there was an obvious wall of tension bubbling up between them. The sweat on his palms and the fire under his skin was definitely not just from the alcohol.

Somehow Blaine managed to get another refill and it was empty once again before he spoke another word, afraid of what he might say as his thoughts became a little cloudier with every sip of alcohol. He glanced over at Sebastian once again, the urge to kiss him again was stronger than moments before. It has just felt so damn good, unlike anyone he’s ever kissed before, he wanted to feel it again. “I-I think i probably shouldn’t drink anymore.” He said, letting out a soft giggle as he went to stand up from the bar stool, bracing himself on the bar so he wouldn’t have the chance to stumble.

Sebastian Smythe:

As the two of them had become quiet compared to earlier in the night, Sebastian was alone in his thoughts as his mind ventured back to the way Blaine’s lips tasted and felt. If Blaine had been a different person-- someone who wasn’t a dear friend who believed in committed relationships-- they would be in a much different situation right now. With their drinks refilled and emptied once more, Sebastian was definitely feeling much more drunk than before and he had a fleeting thought that maybe drinking even more after kissing wasn’t the best idea. Unfortunately, it was too late to go in time to undo anything.

Sebastian watched the way Blaine stood up from the bar and it was clear he was more than just a little drunk. “Lightweight,” he teased, pulling out his phone to get a Lyft sent to them. He waved the bartender for one last drink, figuring it wouldn’t hurt since he was already drunk and wouldn’t be driving anyways. “We’ll get you all tucked in bed tonight so you’ll be well rested for McDonald’s tomorrow-- chicken nuggets and those crack-laced fries you love so much.” Sebastian wrapped an arm around Blaine’s waist to keep him steady, this time being a little more aware to keep his lips away from Blaine’s. In his mind he just had to not kiss him, and they’d be golden. Kissing was off-limits.

“C’mon, some cool air will make you feel better,” he asserted after he’d paid off the tab with his credit card before walking practically hip-to-hip with Blaine out the door to wait for their ride.

Blaine Anderson:

“Shh,” Blaine giggled when Sebastian called him a lightweight. He leaned into Sebastian’s hold easily, the feeling of their bodies close to one another not helping the tension Blaine was feeling. He somehow only felt hotter as they stepped out into the chilly night air, the alcohol from his last drink catching up to the rest. “Mmm, McDonald’s. I love that you know me so well.” He said, looking up at Sebastian as they waited for their ride. “You’re my best friend, you know.” Blaine turned into Sebastian just a little, not making it easy on himself to not kiss Sebastian again, he glanced at the taller’s lips and swallowed.

Before he could give in to his impulses again, their Lyft pulled up, causing Sebastian’s phone to chime to alert that it was there. Clearing his throat, Blaine nodded towards the car with the pink sticker. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.” He took his hand to tug him towards the car, pausing only for a moment to look back at Sebastian, barely tripping over his shoe as he stepped off the sidewalk. “I mean, sleep, not necessarily let’s go to bed.” He chuckled nervously, the blush on his cheeks noticeable even in the faint glow of the parking lot lights.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian followed Blaine’s lead, trying his best to stay mostly upright as they somehow stumbled their way into the car. With Blaine’s face flushed red, Sebastian assumed that they must’ve drank a little too much. They sat practically cuddled together in the backseat, both leaning against each other. Sebastian’s hand trailed its way up and down Blaine’s bare arms, almost as if it had a mind of its own. Blaine’s skin was so soft and warm and feeling him just made Sebastian want to get even closer. “Bed and then McDonald’s in the morning,” Sebastian reiterated, feeling the urge to close the gap between them and kiss him again. It was all he could think about-- Blaine was right there in front of him, like low-hanging fruit. Delicious, deletable fruit.

It was only when they arrived at the Smythe house did Sebastian break himself out of Blaine’s spell. After exchanging pleasantries with the driver and leaving, Sebastian all but pulled his friend out of the car, holding him close as they clumsily made their way to the front door. “C’mon, I’ll make sure we get to bed,” he mumbled after struggling to open the door and close it quietly behind them. Sebastian did his best to lead the way but somewhere along the way he must’ve forgotten he was supposed to lead Blaine to the guest room because they ended up in his bedroom instead. “Bed,” Sebastian motioned as he continued to lead the way and sat heavily into the plush comforter of his bed, bringing Blaine right along with him.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine was never one to shy away from affection but in his drunken haze he was always more affectionate and it felt good to be cuddled with Sebastian in the backseat of the Lyft. Sebastian’s fingertips left a trail of chills behind as they caressed his arms, it felt really good. He made sure to stay close to Sebastian as they stumbled into the Smythe household. When Sebastian tugged Blaine into the bed with him, the shorter let out a soft giggle. The entire way home all Blaine had been thinking about was the kiss and how his lips were still on fire. Looking at Sebastian, he ran his fingers through the taller’s hair, letting his hand trail down his face to brush his thumb over his cheek. “Seb,” he leaned in a little closer, whispering as if there were people in the room. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Before he even got a response he moved to stand up again, kicking off his shoes and tugging at the bowtie around his neck, tossing it aside. His body felt like it was on fire and he could burst into flames. Pulling his shirt up to untuck it, he stumbled a little.

Sebastian Smythe:

“A secret?” Sebastian parroted, watching in a haze as Blaine pulled back and began to get undressed. “You can always tell me anything, B,” he said honestly, his fingers moving to undo the first few buttons of his own shirt. “You know the only person I blab secrets to is you.”

As Blaine stumbled and struggled with undressing himself, Sebastian leaned forward to volunteer his assistance. He completely untucked Blaine’s shirt with a forceful tug, grabbing next to undo Blaine’s belt. Sebastian wanted his guest to be comfortable when he slept, after all. He chuckled a little to himself as he threw all caution to the wind. Any concern for the state of his and Blaine’s platonic friendship went completely out the window as soon as Sebastian caught a glance of the other boy’s midriff.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine grinned as Sebastian helped him to undress, biting on his lip as he was tugged closer as the other undid his belt. The way his best friend assured him that the only person he tells secrets to is him, made Blaine feel that same special feeling he’d felt at the bar when he kissed Sebastian. He secretly loved being Sebastian’s exception, even if it wasn’t so secret on this particular night. After fumbling over a few buttons on his shirt, Blaine stepped closer to Sebastian, with the taller on the bed their height difference was perfect in that moment. Blaine took a breath and glanced at Sebastian’s lips. “I really want to kiss you again,” he confessed, before doing just that.

His fingers curled around the fabric of Sebastian’s shirt as he captured his lips in another needy kiss. Blaine was drowning in the feeling that came with kissing Sebastian, the soft sparks he could feel popping underneath his lips, spreading all throughout his body. The alcohol he’d consumed was the least intoxicating thing compared to that moment and he wanted more. More of Sebastian, more of that feeling. Pressing his body against Sebastian’s, Blaine cupped the taller’s face, before the kiss came to an end so he could catch his shuddering breath briefly. His eyes fluttered open, not moving his hands from Sebastian’s face, he attempted to assess Sebastian’s reaction through his clouded judgment.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian hadn’t been expecting Blaine to be so bold yet again but when he heard those words and watched as Blaine’s eyes darted down to look at his lips, he had no intention of putting a stop to it this time. When Blaine kissed him, Sebastian kissed back with fervor and desire. It felt like every fiber of his being wanted this and any and all doubt was nowhere to be found. Sebastian’s fingers curled into the fabric of Blaine’s shirt before snaking underneath where he could simply feel the bare skin of his torso.

When Blaine pulled away ever so slightly, Sebastian’s eyes fluttered open-- he hadn’t even known he’d closed them-- and he stared up and found himself lost in those gorgeous eyes once again. “More,” Sebastian whispered, all but lunging forward to bring Blaine in for another kiss. He was hungry, practically starving for Blaine. His body buzzing as if telling him over and over again: more, more, more!

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine’s body shuddered when Sebastian whispered more, a soft noise escaping him as their lips were reconnected in another kiss. Waves of electricity shot through Blaine’s entire being as he kissed Sebastian eagerly. His hands roamed freeling over Sebastian’s frame, tugging and pulling at the rest of the buttons on his shirt, pushing at it so it fell from his shoulders. Blaine’s fingertips grazed over the other’s bare chest. He shared the same sentiment as Sebastian’s earlier statement with a whiny “More” against Sebastian’s lips as he moved to straddle the taller’s lap.

His heart was pounding against his chest, his pulse thumping loudly in his ears. He had never let himself realize how badly he wanted Sebastian until that moment. It would be a regret in the morning that they had crossed the line of their friendship but right then and there he couldn’t have cared any less. “Want you, Sebastian.” He breathed against Sebastian’s mouth, whimpering softly. “Need you.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Unable to pull back on the proverbial reins any longer, Sebastian rushed to get Blaine as naked as possible as quickly as possible. With Blaine straddling him and kissing him feverishly, Sebastian blindly pulled Blaine’s shirt off of him, leaving his entire upper body bare. Sebastian’s hands felt all over, making themselves familiar with Blaine’s body. His fingertips just barely grazed over the other boy’s nipple and Sebastian’s couldn’t help the smile forming across his face even as he continued to move his lips against Blaine’s. Until today, touching Blaine like this only seemed like a fantasy.

Hearing Blaine’s needy voice, whimpering for him with wanton desire had blood shooting directly to Sebastian’s cock, a hard erection forming a tent in his slacks. “B, what you do to me,” he murmured against Blaine’s lips as he undid his slacks and tugged down his underwear to free his unflagging erection. He’d never exposed himself to Blaine like this but he didn’t feel like anything was amiss. If anything, in that moment he wondered why they hadn’t done this sooner.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine did his best to not break their kisses unless he absolutely had to as the two worked around each other to rid themselves of clothing until they were completely naked with one another, the feeling was invigorating and Blaine shared the same sentiment of why haven’t we done this before. The reality of the answer to that particular question would be lost on him until morning came and they were alone with sober thoughts and memories of the night. It hadn’t even dawned on Blaine properly that Sebastian returned Blaine’s advances just as eagerly- clearly Sebastian had these thoughts swirling around the back of his mind as well.

The way Sebastian touched him and kissed him, the words that were uttered into the dark room, it all made Blaine feel wanted. Wanted and desirable. It was addicting and he wanted more. During the moments they were finally shedding the last articles of clothing, Blaine had managed to pin Sebastian between his small body and the bed below them. “Mm, you make me feel so good.” Blaine hummed as he ran his hands down Sebastian’s body. The feeling of their naked skin touching caused a shiver to run up Blaine’s spine as he moved his kisses to trail along the other’s jawline, peppering kisses along the freckle trail down his neck.

Sebastian Smythe:

The moment Sebastian was pinned between the bed and one Blaine Anderson hovering above him, he felt that Blaine could literally do anything he wanted with him. Blaine was small, but the guy was strong-- especially for his size. Sebastian lifted his head to give Blaine better access to his neck, the faint hairs along his body all standing at attention. The way each kiss left behind a tingle that seeped from the surface of his skin all the way down to the core put a smile on Sebastian’s face. Blaine was giving him chills in the best way possible. “Speak for yourself,” Sebastian quipped as his body arched into Blaine’s touch. He was beginning to feel desperate and that Blaine was teasing him.

“How do you want me, baby?” he asked, the pet name coming out naturally as he looked at Blaine. He ran his hands down along Blaine’s back, just wanting to feel as much of him as possible. “Tonight I’m all yours.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine grinned at Sebastian’s words, continuing to leave a trail of kisses down his neck and chest before coming back up to capture his lips in another kiss, allowing his hips to grind down gently so their erections brushed together. “Mmm,” He hummed, his body aching for more friction, more Sebastian. There was a part of Blaine, even if sober he didn’t admit out loud, that had always fantasized about having sex with Sebastian. Some lonely nights under his covers he’d think about being underneath his best friend until he was panting alone in his room.

With that thought in mind, Blaine managed to smoothly flip them over so he was now pinned between the bed and Sebastian, placing his hands on the back of Sebastian’s neck to bring him down for a desperate kiss. “Want you to take control, wanna be yours for the night.” He mumbled against his mouth, letting one of his legs hook onto Sebastian’s hips as he pushed his hips upwards. He let out a soft groan as his body trembled with anticipation of what was to come.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian gladly obliged when Blaine shifted them on the bed. He continued to kiss him, grinding his hips down as their erections rubbed against one another. Having been given the reins, Sebastian was ready to jump into action. He was especially experienced and knew it was well within his capabilities to rock Blaine’s world. He already knew none of the guys Blaine had ever been with was anywhere near his level.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m gonna take care of you so well,” he boasted, pulling away for just a moment to procure a small bottle of lube from his nightstand. He took a moment to run his hand down Blaine’s body, gently feeling the dips and curves of his torso and committing the feeling to memory. “Do you even know how gorgeous you are right now? Like this?” Sebastian asked as he squirted some of the lube into his hand and slicked himself up. He used what excess lube that was on his hand to circle the tight entrance of Blaine’s ass. “Perfect and ready-- just for me?”

It took only another moment before Sebastian was lining up his stiff cock with Blaine’s ass, maintaining eye contact before delving in with one swift movement. With his mouth falling slack, a broken moan followed by a shudder fell from his lips as he was very quickly surrounded by the tight, intensely hot feeling of Blaine.

Blaine Anderson:

All of the pet names falling from Sebastian’s lips only fueled the already burning fire inside of Blaine’s body as he looked up at his lover, biting down on his lip as he waited with bated breath for Sebastian. “Just for you,” he whispered. He liked the way Sebastian spoke to him, he wondered briefly if that was how he spoke to his other sexual partners. With his leg spread and Sebastian’s pushing into him, Blaine’s eyes fell closed as his forehead wrinkled with the welcome feeling of being full. Blaine wasn’t inexperienced by any means, he definitely enjoyed the feeling of bottoming but with Sebastian, it felt different. A soft groan escaped from his mouth as it fell open ever so slightly.

Digging one of his heels into the bed below, he moved his other leg higher up on Sebastian’s hip. “Seb,” he groaned once again. “Feels really good.” He whined, moving his hips down a little, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “I’m not a virgin, don’t go easy on me.” He slid his hand down his own body to wrap his hand around his erection.

Sebastian Smythe:

“Yeah?” Sebastian chuckled softly, his fingers pressing into Blaine’s thigh as he gripped to steady himself. “I won’t hold back, then.” With that, Sebastian slowly dragged his cock out of Blaine, letting his entire length feel every little squeeze before roughly shoving himself back in, all the way to the hilt. He did it again, then again, each time entering Blaine better than the last, until he had formed a steady rhythm.

Sebastian looked down at Blaine laying there on his bed. He could feel the haze in his brain from all the alcohol he had consumed but it was as if he had tunnel-vision through the fog and Blaine came through, bright and clear. Even in the darkened room with just the light from the street lamps streaming in through the heavy blinds, Blaine was his sole focus. He watched his best friend’s every reaction to his moments, wanting to be sure he was feeling good. The way Blaine’s brows wrinkled up when he whined, or how his soft lips parted as his body opened itself for him, little by little.

Blaine Anderson:

As Sebastian found his rhythm, Blaine let go of his erection to grip onto the sheets below. With every movement Sebastian managed to hit the right spot every time, increasing Blaine’s feeling of pleasure with every thrust. He let out a series of uncontrollable sounds that would convey how good he felt, not able to string any actual words together.

His forehead glistened as sweat began to bead up along his wrinkled brow, feeling as if any moment he could quite literally burst into flames and burn right through the sheets of Sebastian’s bed. “God,” he managed to moan through gritted teeth. “Sebastian- yes baby, yes-” The volume of Blaine’s voice increased with every word he whined, moving his body ever so slightly in tune with Sebastian’s.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian let out a soft sound of approval, the sound of skin slapping against skin seemingly echoing throughout the room. It felt like a heat was coiling itself in the pit of his stomach that could come undone at any given moment. “You feel so fucking good,” he said through gritted teeth. “Wanna make you feel good, too.” Sebastian reached down, wrapping his slippery fingers around Blaine’s hard cock and began stroking up and down.

Sharp, little breaths of air came out of Sebastian’s mouth as the rhythm of his hips picked up speed. He hit hard and deep, his ego inflating just a bit every time he hit Blaine’s sweet spot. The feeling was almost too much, too fast. “B, I’m not gonna last much longer,” he warned, almost embarrassed that he couldn’t hold out, but Blaine just felt too good.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine was extremely impressed with Sebastian’s skill of being able to hit the right spot with every single movement he made, causing Blaine’s tiny frame to tremble as he got closer and closer to his own orgasm. His breath caught in his throat when he felt the other’s hand around his throbbing erection, a guttural moan crawling from the depths of his throat. “Oh god.” Blaine didn’t think anything of the fact that Sebastian was already losing it so quickly, he was toeing the line himself. It was too good, he was too overwhelmed, and he was drunk.

Blaine’s eyes rolled back and his back arched as he attempted to shake his head. “So good, so good Sebastian. Please.” He babbled, followed by a string of profanities as his knuckles turned white from gripping the sheets. He called out Sebastian’s name as his entire body felt like it was exploding and he tripped over the edge of his orgasm, painting his own stomach with stripes of white.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian’s erratic movements went into overdrive as Blaine called out for him. When Blaine finally let go, Sebastian let out a little gasp at the sight before him. With ropes of Blaine’s come spilling over onto his toned body, the burning coil in the pit of Sebastian’s stomach finally came undone and he let loose what felt like everything he had. He had finally chased his orgasm off the cliff and came hot and heavy into Blaine with a shout. He rode his high until he had become flaccid, his hot come dripping out of Blaine’s ass and spilling onto the sheets under them. “Fuck…” he whispered, his voice shuddering with his unsteady breath.

Very carefully, Sebastian eased himself up and off of Blaine before plopping himself down onto the bed. He was still trying to catch his breath as he searched with his hand for Blaine’s. Once he found it, he wrapped his fingers around and gave it a little squeeze. “You just rocked my world, B,” he said as he turned his head to look at Blaine’s profile. He was still a bit drunk and coming had only made his thoughts cloudier.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine didn’t recognize his own voice as more profanities fell from his lips, his body shaking from his very core as he came until he couldn’t anymore, until he was too sensitive to touch. It was the first time he’d ever experienced the cliched fireworks when having sex with someone. His body trembled from the intensity of his orgasm, so much so he feared it might spontaneously combust.

As they both rested side by side, Blaine’s chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as he tried his best to calm his heart rate. Giving Sebastian’s hand a squeeze right back, he turned his head and chuckled through his heavy pants. “Yeah? Well, right back at you.” He brought his free hand up to rub his face gently, shaking his head. “That was incredible.” Blaine whispered before moving to get closer to Sebastian, closing the space between them again. This neediness of Blaine’s kiss hadn’t subsided at all, but he did kiss Sebastian slower that time, relishing in the way their lips fit perfectly together.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian felt like he had just managed to catch his breath when suddenly Blaine was taking it away once again. Kissing Blaine back with ease, Sebastian relished in the alcohol mixed with sweet tastes. When their lips broke apart, neither one made a move away from each other and Sebastian lingered as he breathed in the scent of sweat, sex, alcohol, and notes of Blaine’s cologne. Aware that there was a quite a mess painted all over Blaine’s torso, Sebastian hazily grabbed at a portion of the blanket, doing his best to wipe it off. It probably would’ve been better if they showered but he was too tired and spent to care all that much. That was a problem for Tomorrow-Sebastian, not Now-Sebastian.

“You’re incredible,” Sebastian murmured as he closed his eyes, draping his arm over Blaine’s torso as he nuzzled against him. Whenever he had sex, Sebastian was never the type to cuddle with his lover but he didn’t see the problem tonight since Blaine was his friend. This was different, so cuddling was allowed-- at least, that was how he convinced himself in his head.

Blaine Anderson:

As Sebastian cuddled close to him, Blaine immediately let out a content hum. He slipped his arm around the taller and nuzzled their noses together before burrowing his face against the crook of Sebastian’s neck. He took a deep breath in to inhale the comforting scent of his very best friend. Completely oblivious to the complications he’d face in the morning when a sober mind woke up naked next to his best friend.

“Mm, you’re my favorite.” He exhaled against Sebastian’s next as he already began to succumb to sleep.

Sebastian Smythe:

It didn’t take but a few moments longer for Sebastian to drift off as well. However, what was a peaceful slumber was broken suddenly, when a noise outside woke him up with a start. Sebastian sat up suddenly, hissing as a pounding headache hit him like a freight train. “Fuck…” he groaned, massaging his eyes and the bridge of his nose with his fingers. It felt like he'd only rested for a few minutes judging from his headache, but the sun was already streaming through the window. He stumbled out of bed with his eyes still closed, just barely blinking them open to maneuver himself to the bathroom. After the night of drinking he’d just had, he felt like he needed to piss like a racehorse.

After doing his business and washing his hands, he splashed some water on his face to help him wake up. Judging from the amount of sunlight pouring into the room, it was already midday. He walked back into his room, rubbing his eyes and that’s when he saw Blaine, fast asleep in his bed. Suddenly, fuzzy memories came rushing back: drinks and grinding bodies on the dancefloor, kisses and needy hands roaming over naked bodies. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered to himself as he rushed over to pull on his boxers before kneeling on the bed and urgently waking Blaine up. “Wake up, wake up, wake up,” Sebastian said under his breath, his brain going a mile a minute as he tried to wrap his head around what happened. He needed Blaine awake for this.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine slept soundly and peacefully the entire night next to Sebastian, it was probably one of the best nights of sleep he’d had in a long while, even. That was until he was woken up by Sebastian shaking his arm and whispering to him, bringing his throbbing headache to the forefront of his mind. “Why with the shaking?” He whined, trying to turn over, trying his best to stay asleep and not fully wake up. But with Sebastian not stopping, it finally woke him up to realize that he was naked. Opening his eyes, his face scrunched in protest of the brightness in the room. “Wh-”

He moved slowly to sit up, looking at Sebastian as the nausea from his hangover started to settle in his stomach. “What’s?” He looked down and then over at his half-naked best friend. He was in Sebastian’s bed, naked- even hung over he could put the pieces together fairly quickly. “Oh-oh.” He looked up at Sebastian, clearly more awake than the few seconds prior. It was very clear that the two of them had not just slept in the same bed together. “Seb, why am I naked?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. He knew it was a stupid question but he couldn’t form a proper sentence.

Sebastian Smythe:

“I’ll give you one guess,” Sebastian replied with a quip, his tone somewhere between stressed and frustrated. His head was throbbing and he knew he had effectively fucked up his relationship with Blaine. He looked around the floor of his room before picking up what he only guessed was Blaine’s underwear before tossing it to him. “I, uh-- I mean, we were both clearly drunk and not thinking straight.” He picked up other pieces of Blaine’s clothing, trying his best to not visualize how he’d helped Blaine undress just a few hours prior. He threw all of Blaine’s clothes on the bed before taking a few steps away and turning around to allow his friend some privacy. As he heard the bed creak and the shuffling of sheets, Sebastian guessed that Blaine was probably moving to get out of bed and he couldn’t be there right now. The air between them was tense and Sebastian didn’t even know what to say. “Um--” he started speaking, taking a few steps towards the door. “I’m going to make a pot of coffee to help us shake this hangover.”

Sebastian wasn’t a fan of awkward conversations-- especially ones that involved his best friend and a drunken night without clothes. He grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans before bolting for the door, making a beeline for the kitchen.

Blaine Anderson:

As Blaine hurried to dress himself, flashes of the night before played through his mind becoming less fuzzy the more awake he got. “I-right, not thinking," He stuttered, standing up from the bed to pull on his pants. The tension in the air was nothing like it had been the night before, and it only thickened when Sebastian left the room. Standing there in Sebastian’s room half-dressed, Blaine placed his hand on his head and took a deep breath. “Dammit.”

It took Blaine a few long moments to finish getting himself dressed and cleaned up. He washed his face in the bathroom, looking at himself for a minute, trying to wrap his own mind around what had happened. He had sex with Sebastian. He had sex with Sebastian. The one person in the entire world that was off-limits to him, and he’d had sex with him. He felt like he was going to hyperventilate. “Great, Blaine, great. You just have to ruin everything don’t you?” He groaned, turning off the light as he finally emerged, slowly making his way to the kitchen to tell Sebastian goodbye; there was no way they were going to lunch now, and there was no way they weren’t going to be awkward with each other. The one person in the world he didn’t have to ever feel awkward around. “H-hey,” He said quietly, shuffling his feet a little. “I should probably just...go home.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian had been in the kitchen, having put on some casual-fitting clothes along the way. His mind was still racing as he focused solely on making some coffee. It didn’t seem like his parents were home at the moment and that wasn’t out of the norm; if anything, it made the morning a little easier because he felt like he had a lot on his plate as it were.

When Blaine’s quiet voice cut through the silence, Sebastian turned to look at him and his brow furrowed slightly. He felt bad that he put Blaine in a position to feel uncomfortable in his presence. “Hey, no, you don’t have to go,” he frowned and pulled a thermos from a nearby cabinet. “I’m not about to let you foot it home from here and I still need to get my car from Scandals…”

The coffee pot rumbled softly as the coffee brewed, and Sebastian pulled a second thermos from the cabinet and placed it down on the counter. “I’m still me, Blaine. And you’re still you. I can at least drive you home and get McDonald’s on the way. I promised, after all.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine hesitated where he stood as Sebastian spoke, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the tension that he had caused; the memory came back loud and clear of who started it. He had no one to blame but himself. “I--” He didn’t know what to say. He was afraid of saying anything. It was a delicate situation that could go horribly wrong if he wasn’t careful. “Okay,” was all he managed to get out before he fell silent again, smiling a little when Sebastian mentioned McDonald’s. “I guess McDonald’s wouldn’t hurt,” he admitted, not knowing if that were actually true.

He was a little worried about spending any more time with Sebastian that day. Though it was true that they were still them… They had completely jumped over the line in their friendship and Blaine had no idea how he felt about it.

Sebastian Smythe:

The car ride over was silent and maybe that was good in a way since they both had splitting headaches, but Sebastian was uneasy with this particular quiet. Before last night, the two of them could sit in total silence and there was never a moment where Sebastian felt pressured to fill the silence with conversation. Usually the silence was comforting, even-- being with Blaine put him at ease. Now it was different; Sebastian felt like he had so much he needed to say but he still held his tongue. When they arrived at the nearly-empty Scandal’s parking lot, they switched from their Lyft ride over to Sebastian’s car to get them to McDonald’s.

When they pulled up to the drive-thru, Sebastian looked at Blaine. “You want your usual? 60 chicken nuggets and twelve large fries?” he joked, though the sound of so much food turned his stomach a bit. For some reason greasy food seemed to help with a hangover in the long-run; it was a fact that was actually revealed to him by Blaine himself. “I figured we’d just eat in the car so we don’t have to deal with people.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine had a hundred different thoughts swirling around in his head, only making his head throb harder. He wanted to speak, the silence was deafening and he wanted to break it but it felt as if he couldn’t physically open his mouth. It wasn’t until they were in the drive-thru that Blaine gave any sign of being aware of his surroundings. Sebastian made him laugh even if only gently when he joked about the food. “Make it 70.” The joke made the tension ease for a brief moment, but it rapidly built right back up once they were parked with the food in their hands.

Blaine kept quiet again as he scarfed down his food, surprisingly starving considering the current climate of the car. Even as he ate all he could think about was Sebastian and how they’d just probably ruined their friendship and he didn’t want to lose his very best friend in the whole world- he started to feel the beginnings of a panic attack when he just blurted out, “This is stupid.” He wanted to drown out the doomsday thoughts. This didn’t have to be a big deal. Right? “This doesn’t have to be some big deal.” He looked to Sebastian, shaking his head. “It was just sex.” He was more trying to convince himself than the other.

Sebastian Smythe:

It was just sex: A statement that Sebastian had both heard and said multiple times. He was all too familiar with the statement and Blaine was the last person he'd ever expected to utter it. But here Blaine was, cute and beautiful as ever, clearly looking to him for reassurance. "Yeah," he replied, with a single vigorous nod of the head, brow furrowed. "I'm totally used to drunken nights with meaningless sex. Like, I just feel bad because I know you're not like that; you want a relationship and all that crap."

Sebastian took a break from eating to get to the core of the issue. He knew he could be upfront and honest with Blaine-- they were best friends, after all. "I just… I feel like an asshole because I took advantage of you. You just got dumped and you were vulnerable and sad last night." Had it been literally anyone else, Sebastian wouldn't have felt an ounce of remorse being another man's rebound. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you, B."

Blaine Anderson:

Meaningless. Blaine chuckled with a nervous shake of his head. “Right, no, don’t feel bad. It’s okay. I mean, obviously I don’t do this often but it’s not like I haven’t.” He assured Sebastian as he took a drink. With a shrug of his shoulders Blaine looked down, he felt a little bad himself that Sebastian had taken it upon his own shoulders to be responsible for ‘taking advantage’ of Blaine when Blaine knew better. “No, don’t feel like an asshole either, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He looked to his best friend-- for the first time that day. “You’re not responsible for this- not solely responsible.”

Blaine let out a sigh as he nudged Sebastian, smiling gently. “Hey, you’re my best friend. It’s okay. We got carried away and you took care of me for the night-” He blushed, the thought of the two of them together causing him to glance down. “I’m sure it was great.” It was great-- he remembered more of it in that moment than he had when he first woke up. It was the best sex he’d had in his life and he wasn’t sure why just yet. “We don’t have to talk about it ever again if we don’t want to...but it happened and it’s okay.” He said in an attempt to convince himself further. He wasn’t sure how easy it would be to just continue on the way they always did but he wasn’t about to lose Sebastian because of whatever he may or may not be feeling internally. “As long as you think we’re fine, then we’re fine as far as I’m concerned.” He punctuated his statement with an uncertain breath.

Sebastian Smythe:

Blaine was right; this was a mistake that the two of them had made together. They were both consenting young adults who knew the repercussions even if they were both drunk. Even if in the drunken, hazy moment, both of them had wanted this. Sebastian mentally cursed at Yesterday-Sebastian, wishing that he would’ve had a little more consideration for himself before dropping this mess for him to navigate.

“I think we’re fine,” Sebastian replied, a little more stilted than he would’ve liked but it was difficult to lie right in Blaine’s face. He cleared his throat before he clarified, “I mean, shit’s gonna be awkward for a little bit but it’s not like we’re not friends or I’m not going to be in your corner when you need help.” Or a body in your bed when you get lonely again. Sebastian chided the rogue thoughts and did his best to focus on the conversation at hand. “It doesn’t feel like it now, but I bet this’ll be something we’ll laugh at when we get older and you settle down with a boring gay orthodontist or something, and I’m living it up with my harem of strippers.”

Sebastian just wanted things to be normal again and if pretending last night didn’t happen helped, then god willing he was determined to do his best.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine pressed his lips together and nodded his head as Sebastian spoke. They were at least as fine as they were going to be there at that moment. It was a lot and it had all just happened not twenty four hours before- it was going to take a bit to feel any sense of normalcy.  “Right, it’s not I’m not going to be in your corner either. Who cares if we had sex?” He swallowed hard as the words being said out loud again were a lot for him to handle. I care.

“It’ll just be a funny story one day that means nothing. You were here for me and we were drunk.” He said aloud only to further convince himself. He looked to Sebastian, smiling at him and nodding his head. “Your strippers will think it’s funny, probably not so much my orthodontist.” Blaine laughed gently, taking a deep breath and rubbing his face. “Good, this is good, I feel good.” He lied through his teeth but he wanted it to feel normal again and he just had to fake it long enough until they actually made it. They would make it. They had to. “I’m glad we had this talk...and thanks for being there for me last night- regardless of what happened. I just...will be more careful when I drink.” He joked in an attempt to speed up the process of getting back to normal.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian chuckled awkwardly as Blaine played along with his little jokes. Hearing Blaine say that they were good and they could agree to still be friends regardless of what happened last night. "Yeah, from now on I'll have to watch how much I drink or we need to start bringing a third with us to be our DD," Sebastian added, though he honestly didn't want to bring a third wheel into the mix. He liked when it was just him and Blaine, even with the weird tension.

Looking down to the spread of junk food, Sebastian didn't feel particularly hungry anymore and he really just wanted to curl up into bed and pretend yesterday didn't exist even though his brain would play it on repeat for the rest of the day. He wanted to tell Blaine he'd gladly give himself over again, let Blaine have his way with him because last night was mind-blowing and he wished Blaine was more like him so he could have exactly that. He would gladly be Blaine's rebound guy forever if he could get that kind of sex on the regular. Yet, Sebastian was infinitely more grateful that Blaine wasn't that person; Blaine cared about relationships and in turn cared about him. Even if last night didn't mean anything, Sebastian knew that he meant a lot to Blaine as his friend.

"So, same time next week?" Sebastian joked with a genuine laugh this time, doing his best to laugh off their horrid mistake.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine immediately shook his head at the idea of a third person, he didn’t really trust anyone else the way he trusted Sebastian and he would prefer it just be the two of them even if something were to ever happen again between them. “Ugh, no, no third. You get weird around outsiders.” He chuckled as he began to gather up their food trash, not feeling too hungry anymore himself. “No, we’re fine, we’ll be fine. We’ll just...not do it again.”  Blaine shrugged. “I mean, we managed for this long. We’ll be fine.” Blaine felt weird. He felt weird about the night before and about them and it was upsetting. It was no one’s fault but his own.

In reality it was the best night of his entire life and he would do it again right then and there but Sebastian was off-limits to him and he had always known that. He’d set boundaries with himself a long time ago to not fall for Sebastian because he would just get hurt. He knew Sebastian better than anyone and he wasn’t about to ruin their relationship over feelings that he wasn’t even sure he had.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian laughed at Blaine’s reaction, both very aware that if a twosome in bed was already so bad, a threesome would be an unmitigated disaster. “We’re definitely fine,” he parroted as the word sounded weirder and weirder the more they repeated it to each other. Even if it didn’t feel it right then and there, he wasn’t going to let some drunken fling together tear apart their entire friendship.

As they cleaned up their trash and Sebastian drove Blaine home with the radio playing music very quietly so as to not worsen their hangovers, he couldn’t help but to think that try as he might to forget what happened last night, it’d be a night he’d never forget.

[cricketexpert]

Iplpredictiont20

The most-anticipated cricket competition is back! Welcome the game that is adored by numerous *drumrolls* Indian Premier League – The IPL! Everyone needs to know the last groups for IPL 2021. As we will see every one of the players from around the globe, the fervor of all the cricket fans will take off high.

Each fan need to know the insights regarding their #1 players and groups. Which players will be delivered and which of them will be held, it involves outrageous interest, particularly for an in-your-face cricket fan.

All the eight IPL groups have reported the rundown of players that will be held for this period of IPL.

Given underneath are altogether the groups, their held and delivered major parts in IPL 2021.

1. Regal Challengers Bangalore

Regal Challengers Bangalore gave an extreme battle to the wide range of various groups and made it till the qualifier in the last season. Given underneath are the held and IPL 2021 delivered players rundown of RCB.

Held players: Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal, AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Mohammed Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed, Kane Richardson, Josh Philippe, Pawan Deshpande.

Delivered major parts in IPL 2021: Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Parthiv Patel (resigned from all types of cricket), Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Chris Morris, Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn, Isuru Udana.

2. Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals had a decent season in 2020. In spite of the fact that, they were out very early, they have probably the best players who can take the group to the finals. Given beneath are the held and IPL 2021 delivered players rundown of RR.

Held players: Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Shreyas Gopal, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi, Mahipal Lomror, Andrew Tye, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, David Miller, Anuj Rawat, Robin Uthappa, Manan Vohra.

IPL 2021 delivered players: Steve Smith, Oshane Thomas, Ankit Rajpoot, Akash Singh, Tom Curran, Varun Aaron, Shashank Singh, Anirudha Joshi.

3. Chennai Super Kings

The 3-time victor of the IPL prize, CSK consistently put the best game before any group they are playing against. Given beneath are the held and IPL 2021 delivered players rundown of CSK.

Held players: MS Dhoni, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, N Jagadeesan, KM Asif, R Sai Kishore, Shardul Thakur, Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Sam Curran.

IPL 2021 delivered players: Shane Watson (resigned), Kedar Jadhav, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Monu Singh, Piyush Chawla.

4. Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capital was the subsequent best group of IPL 2020. We will expect extraordinary endeavors from all the colleagues this year. Given underneath are the held and IPL 2021 delivered players rundown of DC.

Held players: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Marcus Stoinis, Anrich Nortje, Chris Woakes, Shimron Hetmyer.

Delivered players: Mohit Sharma, Keemo Paul, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Lamichhane, Jason Roy, Alex Carey.

5. Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad gave an extreme battle to every one of the groups and made it to the qualifier in the IPL 2020. With all its best players, we can anticipate that this team should get to the finals this year. Given underneath are the held and IPL 2021 delivered players rundown of SRH.

Held players: David Warner, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem.

IPL 2021 delivered players: Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen, Sanjay Yadav, B Sandeep, and Prithvi Raj.

6. Lords XI Punjab

Lords XI Punjab has had its high points and low points all through the last season. We don't know, how much endeavors we will see this year from the entire group. . Given underneath are the held and delivered players of KXIP.

Held players: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Deepak Hooda, Mohammed Shami, Prabhsimran Singh, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin, Darshan Nalkande, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Harpreet Brar.

Delivered players: Glenn Maxwell, K Gowtham, Sheldon Cottrell, Mueeb ur Rahman, Hardus Viljoen, Jimmy Neesham, Karun Nair, Tejinder Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith.

7. Mumbai Indians

The five-time champ of the IPL prize, Mumbai Indians have a solid group. Here are the rundown of players that have been held and the ones that have been delivered.

Held players: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Aditya Tare, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Anukul Roy, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jayant Yadav, Mohsin Khan.

Delivered players: Lasith Malinga, James Pattinson, Nathan Coulter Nile, Mitchell McCleneghan, Sherfane Rutherford, Prince Balwant Rai, Digvijay Deshmukh.

8. Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders nearly made it to the qualifiers in the last season. In the event that the entire group will show similar endeavors, they can win the IPL prize once more. Given underneath is the rundown of held and delivered players of KKR.

Held players: Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Ali Khan, Tim Seifert.

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[fluorescentpipedream]

A blip about Revolver Records and its summer tour. 

I’ve been posting for a while about the bands that are currently on Revolver Records but never really explained what that is. Jeremy Valois (Donovan) and Scott Christopher are the bassists and lead singer, respectfully, of an old 80s/early 90s rock band called Static. Static toured throughout most of the mid-to-late 80s and were a recording band until about 1997 when they broke up for what was supposed to be a permanent break. Scott was a heavy drug user and Jeremy suffered a heart attack and an issue with his liver that caused their tour in ‘97 to rather epically fail. During the last show their guitarist, Thomas Kincaid fell off the stage and fractured his spine and after that, the band was pretty much done. There was a lot of in-fighting with them all as well so for a while it was best for them all to go to the separate corners, figuratively speaking. The final nail in the proverbial coffin was the announcement that Static’s drummer, Cray, was silently battling HIV and lost the battle in December ‘98. 

In 2002, after multiple stints in rehab for both Jeremy and Scott (Thomas is still a heavy drug addict, his crutch seems to be his cocaine and Vicodin) the two came together again and started throwing around an idea that all of them had in the late 80s when they discovered they were not the owners of their own music. Together, in 2004, after two years of discussing and planning, Revolver Records was born. Backed by several silent partners, including Funny Farm studios (Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue) and Nothing Records (Trent Reznor), Revolver’s main goal was to be a company for musicians made by musicians. Jeremy suggested to Scott that they bring on Quinn Talbot, a freelance photojournalist who had worked with the band several times in the late 90s and was close to Jeremy in particular. 

Revolver’s slogan was originally “Will hire anyone” though, after a first failed lineup on the record involved music to make your ears bleed, it was changed to “By musicians, for musicians”. The first band to be signed was actually Static itself, as with the release of a music video at 9am on TRL (remember when that was a thing?!) they announced that there was going to be a final, official album and tour to kick off the creation of their new record label. The next was a band called Spyral, headed up by heroin addict Eric Stryker (just called Stryker). After that, Revolver blew up with Jeremy and Scott both having their hands firmly on the project seeking out the best they could find and wanted to showcase as much as they could. 

Revolver is very diverse in what it has signed to it, ranging from country music acts like Lorelei and Ford Knox to pop queen Star (who is also Jeremy’s wife), and even a few rappers. Their contracts are highly appealing to most musicians as they allow the musician to maintain their original tracks and have full control over what they do with it. Should someone decide to leave Revolver, the files are held for 1 year and then everything is released to the musician and Revolver only receives a small cut of royalty checks from the distribution/media sharing of the previous music but has NO attachment to anything that may follow. 

The Revolver Summer Tour is a massive showcasing of all the bands on the Revolver label, starting in mid-April and continuing through late November, ending right before Thanksgiving. The tour is set up like a festival in each town and allows a more interactive experience for fans of the musicians. For each show, special pre-sales become available for what is known as the Ultimate Revolver VIP package: this includes a selection of either a specialized merchandise pack containing items from one band OR a selection of random items from each bands’ merchandising, VIP tickets to the show and the opportunity to have meet and greets with four selected bands. There are also meet and greet packages available for specific bands but only about 25 to 30 meet and greets are sold at a time so there are not too many people all at once. This also means the bands can spend a bit more time with their fans and interact with them. 

Following several more addictive pitfalls, both for Scott and Robin Morelli of Triple X, the tour becomes a dry tour, meaning no alcohol or drugs of any kind. Some of the bands on the label include: 

Gothic Demolition, Raven’s Fall, Static, Spyral, Lucky Starr, Tiger Daniels, Memento Mori, Triple X, Silex, Classical Disaster, appearances by Star Knight-Valois, Sixx AM (These guys actually tour with the band but they aren’t directly signed onto Revolver, sort of like how NIN goes on tour with them for a few shows but remain a separate entity), Tiana, and many others. 

Revolver Records’ office is in the heart of downtown Manhattan in NYC

[hollowbon3s]

anyway @gemfyre tagged me

Put your music player on shuffle and answer the questions about each artist. You can skip any repeats if you’d like, but you don’t have to, all the questions are original!

1

What is this artist? architects What genre of music do they play? metalcore How old are they? well they’re a band. not sure how old they all are by now but their first record came out in 07 i think. Have you ever heard them on the radio? no Have they released any new music within the last year or two? yes Do they have a male or female vocalist? male

2

What is this artist? nicole dollanganger Would you recommend them to someone else? yeah sure Do they write their own music/lyrics? yes What are their album artworks like? spooky and pastel usually If they stopped making music, would you be sad? i mean maybe? i only just got into her Do you know what they look like without searching? only recently bc i’ve only rly seen her in her music video for lemonade

3

What is this artist? in this moment Are they popular and well-known? uh i mean in the metalcore subgenre yeah Have you ever seen them perform live? no How did you find out about this artist? my irl bestie leah is obsessed w/ them What is their sexuality, if known? i don’t know about any of their sexualities for sure Is their music easy to dance to? i mean i guess considering they usually have dancers onstage

4

What is this artist? john 5 Do they play instruments? several but y’know, mostly guitar Would your mother/father listen to them? my mom loves that he loves hee haw and plays some country stuff cuz that’s what she grew up on. but she also loves the DLR band album john did. Are they still making music today? yes i love my son Would you want to meet this artist? i have and i want to meet him again because he is the best How many songs by this artist do you have? uh all of them i think. i haven’t downloaded crank it yet but that literally just came out

5

What is this artist? motionless in white When did you discover this artist? i’ve been aware of them since like 2010 i think but i didn’t start listening to them till 2016 How many albums do they have? full lengths, 4 i believe Do you think they are attractive? oof yes Have they gone through any line-up changes? they literally have one original member left lmao Is their music more fun or serious? i mean u got serious shit but then they have these fun bangers like dead as fuck that are not serious at all

6

What is this artist? nine inch nails Do they play your favourite genre of music? uh i guess? i don’t really have One favorite genre What gender are they? they’re men Are they someone you’d want to be friends with in real life? i don’t know if i’d get along with trent but i love scorpios so i wanna be bffs with robin Did somebody recommend this band to you? nah i just heard em growing up from my mom. Would you play their music at a party? sure i’ll ruin the mood by playing hurt

7

What is this artist? green day How many people are in this band/group? three When did they start making music? late 80s Do they have any songs that are well-known? quite a few Do you listen to this artist regularly? not anymore but they were my favorite band when i was in like 5th and 6th grade How would you describe their music? melodic punk

8

What is this artist? my chemical romance If they use a stage name, what is their real name(s)? they don’t use stage names Do they regularly make popular charts? they used to :-) i’m hurting Have you ever met this artist? NO :-)  If they toured in your city, would you go see them? i saw them 4 times but i would fucking die to see them again but i CAN’T because they BROKE UP

9

What is this artist? marilyn manson Are they known for anything else? being a shit disturber What is their nationality? american Would you be embarrassed to admit you like this artist? lmao no Are they older or younger than you? older Has this artist ever toured in your country/state/city? they have and i saw them last year

10

What is this artist? skold Do you know much about their personal life? a weird amount sorry Have they ever gone on hiatus and did they return? he’s never really been on hiatus but he’s had long periods between records. but always when he was working on some other project. so he doesn’t really take hiatuses. What instruments do they use? he plays guitar, bass, keys, does programming, is kinda shitty at drums but can play them, sings, makes weird noises using construction equipment and assorted household items What city are they from? skövde sweden Do you think this artist has a lot of fans? he has 25k insta followers. in my experience very few people know him but a lot of people have enjoyed his work and the people who do love him are die hards

uh ok tagging people. this is low pressure don’t feel required. @reznor-gasm @shotgunmessiahs @arrestzelle @curbstompfetish @frank-ieros-left-arm @ratcoven @drtylttlehrts ??