#we need more game night shenanigans of them its always so goofy

[sneeb-canons]

heart is extremely competitive (literally canon) and this extends to board games also, obviously. however the few times he’s convinced anyone to play monopoly with him it took hours and ended with him crying. no he has not learned from this. yes, he still has delusions (colloquial, not literal delusions) that he will win against The Logical One and The One Who Is Banker Even Though He Always Cheats (because soul doesn’t care and thinks it’s extremely funny how both of them will unite against him to defend monopoly’s sanctity. he is still banker every time anyway because it will devolve rapidly into cheating accusations otherwise)

Headcanon #247

[the-lincyclopedia]

* adapted from @librajiminn on twitter

A fun game to celebrate 2020 ending! The rules are simple: recommend your favorite OMGCP fics so everyone can enjoy them, while trying to fill in enough slots to get a bingo!

This is going to get long, so I’ll put it under a cut. Also, I’m too orderly to try to shoehorn my favorite fics into these particular prompts, so I’m just going to go right to left, top to bottom, taking the prompts literally, until it’s bedtime. 

1. first fic you bookmarked: “Here Comes the Sun” by @doggernaut, 19k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

For the past month, the man with the baby and the sad blue eyes has been stopping in for a cup of coffee an hour before closing. He always sits in an overstuffed chair in the corner and drinks his coffee while his baby sleeps next to him in the stroller. Sometimes he pulls a book out from the diaper bag he carries with him; other times he just stares straight ahead as if in a daze. He never asks for a refill, always respectfully gathers his things and leaves ten minutes before the shop officially closes. Eric desperately wants to ask him what his story is. 

My notes: I read Check Please over the course of two days in June of 2019. On the second day, right after catching up, I looked at @peppermintfeminist‘s AO3 bookmarks and found a fic by @doggernaut. Then I read just about everything @doggernaut had ever posted. It was glorious. This fic in particular is so cute. 

2. most recent fic you bookmarked: “Flight Check” by @edgarallanrose, 15k, E, no warnings (though there is a creepy/handsy guy at a club to watch out for), primarily Zimbits with most of the other popular pairings in the background

Flight attendant Eric “Bitty” Bittle has been working his way up at Samwell Airlines for the past four years, and his new promotion has provided him the opportunity to work with a brand-new crew. Unfortunately for Bitty, that crew includes an incredibly handsome but equally grumpy pilot, Captain Jack Zimmermann, who seems to want nothing to do with Bitty. Even worse, Jack refuses to eat any of Bitty's baked goods. Will Bitty be able to win the captain over? Or is there another reason Jack has been avoiding Bitty?

My notes: There are a lot of great things about this fic--Jack’s character arc, Lardo’s dialogue, that scene in Seattle--but the reason I bookmarked it is the scene where Bitty’s basically slut-shaming himself and Jack gently but firmly tells Bitty not to do that and that it was the creep’s fault. 

3. a fic that made you cry actual tears: “a little bit more” by @ivecarvedawoodenheart, 14k, T, no warnings, Holsom

“I just wanted,” he says, “a perfect day. With you. Because it’s our last day together and our last day being here as undergrads and we’re kissing the ice tonight, and the weather’s supposed to be beautiful, and you’re moving tomorrow and Holtzy I just — I don’t want to be missing you already.” Holster wipes his eyes before he even realizes he’s crying. Behind him, Ransom sighs. “One more day where everything’s the same,” he says, feeling around blindly for Rans’ fingers. He feels Rans nod as he laces their fingers together. “Yeah. Yeah, Rans. I’d like that a lot.” __________________________

Holsom after graduation and throughout the subsequent six months after Holster signs to an expansion team in Oregon, and realizes his feelings for Ransom too late. Holster's POV :) kinda angsty, but there's a happy ending :)

Inspired by shitty-check-please-aus: "Holster moves to Oregon while Ransom stays on the east coast. The time difference makes it difficult to talk and one day they wake up and realize they aren’t best bros anymore."

My notes: I almost never cry at fics. I searched “tears” in my fandom email account and only a handful of my fic comments came up, but Syd is a literal master of Holsom angst, always. 

4. longest fic you’ve read: “Like Real People Do” by @xiaq, 153k, M, No Warnings, Kent Parson x OC

Parson gestures with his spoon toward Hawke. “So am I allowed to ask about the service dog or is that not PC?”

“My medical history is more of a 3rd date conversation," Eli says.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because. No one sticks around afterward and I like to live in glorious denial for a short period beforehand.”

It comes out more self-deprecating than he intended.

Parson looks…thoughtful. “Well, does this count as one or two?

“Pardon?”

“This. Ice cream. I mean, technically it’s a second location, but still the same night. So is this one date or two?”

“One,” Eli says firmly. “If it’s happening within the same three-hour period.”

“You’re the expert,” Parson says, which, he’s really, really, not, but ok.

“So still two dates to go then?” Parson continues.

“I—what?”

“We’ve got a roadie coming up but then we’re home for almost two weeks. When does your semester start?”

“You want to do this again?” Eli asks.

Parson stops idly twirling his spoon.

“You don’t?”

He does, Eli realizes. He really does. Because apparently he actually likes Kent fucking Parson.

My notes: Okay, this fic has my whole entire heart. I’ve read it multiple times in its entirety, and it’s almost twice as long as the full-length novel I’m querying. Eli is one of my favorite OCs I’ve ever seen in a fic (probably tied with Damian Navarro and Ari Paxton, both brainchildren of @fozmeadows). Anyway, this is probably going to be the next thing @themeaningoflifeischeese and I read out loud to each other. 

5. a fic you almost didn’t read: “when all else fails (i’ll still be right here)” by @whoacanada, 6k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (and I don’t remember if I think there’s stuff to warn for, sorry), Zimbits

The National Hockey League is resurrecting the Quebec City Nordiques, and the expansion draft hits the Falconers much harder than expected.

My notes: Given that this was for @omgcpheartbreakfest, I was worried this would be all angst--all hurt and no comfort. Which made me sad, because I love @whoacanada‘s writing but I wasn’t up for reading unresolved angst. But @doggernaut reblogged the fic, so I asked if the ending was sad, and it’s NOT! There is quite a bit of angst but the ending isn’t sad. 

6. a fic that convinced you on a ship you didn’t ship before: “it drops with the gravity of rain” by @geniusorinsanity, 16k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (attempted sexual assault by an OC), Nurseydex

It happens like this:

“I don’t--this is a bad idea,” Dex says, his lips still tingling, his hands shaking on Nursey’s hips where he’s shoved him away. “This is a really bad idea, Nurse. I can’t--We can’t do this.”

And there’s hurt in Nursey’s eyes and his bottom lip is swollen from Dex’s teeth, but he says, “Okay.” And then, “It’s chill, Dex. Just friends, then.”

It happens like this:

“Actually,” Nursey says, talking more to his granola than to them, “I kind of have a date.”

It happens like this:

When Nursey calls, Dex almost doesn’t pick up the phone.

My notes: So I was really confused and a little disturbed when I first found out people shipped Nursey and Dex. Like, Dex just wasn’t someone I trusted. But then I was moving out of the house I’d been living in, and I needed stuff to listen to as I packed and cleaned, and @khashanakalashtar‘s podfics came in clutch. I gave this one a try even though I didn’t like Dex, and @geniusorinsanity blew. My. Mind.

7. a fic from an unusual POV: “Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy” by @porcupine-girl, 8k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

Jesse Snowden knows all the best restaurants and gourmet food shops in Providence, so when Jack Zimmermann starts bringing in incredible baked goods, he's eager to find out where the new bakery is. When he meets the man behind the pies, he decides that there's no way Jack could really appreciate this guy's talent the way he does, even if they are friends. He starts hiring Jack's chef on the side, in the hopes that maybe once Bitty's done with college he'll come work for Jesse.

Good thing there is absolutely no way whatsoever that Jesse could possibly be misinterpreting this situation.

My notes: Oh my gosh this is so funny. The secondhand embarrassment factor is huge, but like, the hilarity. 

8. a comfort fic: “Don’t Need to Compromise” by @khashanakalashtar, 11k, E, no warnings, PB&J

“Hey,” said Kent, unknowingly setting off a chain of events that would change his entire life, “you said that like you know from experience. Have you done this before?”

Jack and Bitty have not done polyamory before, but they do know Ransom and Holster’s polycule, which contains March.

And March?

March is trans.

My notes: I’m in love with @khashanakalashtar‘s entire Directionverse series (and honestly a lot of their other writing), but “Don’t Need to Compromise,” which is the second fic in the series, just makes my heart swell especially much. The gender feels are so good, and all the characters are so good to each other, and when I listen to this on walks I have to actively try not to arm-flap. 

9. a fic you wish could be a movie: “Ice Crew Please!” by @petals42, 61k, T, no warnings, Zimbits

Jack Zimmermann was drafted first by the Providence Falconers when he was eighteen years old. He is good at hockey. Very good. His team won the Cup his second year and now, in his third year, they are looking good. Jack should be on top of the world. And some days, he manages to convince himself he is.

He’s not, of course.

Enter the Ice Crew.

AKA: The Ice Crew AU

My notes: This fic has its tender moments, but what I love most about it is the sheer goofiness. Ransom and Holster and Shitty are HILARIOUS in this one. I’d love to see their shenanigans in movie form. 

10. a WIP you read as it was updated: “Something Borrowed” by @fozmeadows, 48k, M, no warnings, Kent x OC

All things considered, Ari did his best to prepare himself for the advent of Kent Parson, Potentially Difficult Housemate and New Star Liney. The problem was that his best was an idiot.

My notes: So technically I didn’t start reading this until the first 19 chapters were posted. But there was still plenty of anticipation for the final few chapters. And like, @fozmeadows (as mentioned above) makes EXCELLENT OCs. And I love how their fics consistently convey that having bad things happen to you does not mark the end of your story. 

Okay, it’s bedtime, so have 10 excellent fics. I got bingo twice, because I went straight across on the top two rows.

[wxnnabe]

may I please request hcs or a little fun scenario with Narancia, Fugo, Mista and maybe an unfortunate drunk Abbacchio who is at the wrong place at the wrong time and their female stand user partner they all have a crush on at some degree playing spin the bottle/ truth or dare/never have I e. on a loose night?Most of them teenager after all, maybe Fugo never played it, Mista and the crush thought it's dumb but why the hell not and Abba is tired, crushing, kinda drunk and getting dragged into it.

I aged everyone up for this which is loosely implied-Narancia’s in school and l/i is the newest member. Thank god its not no simp september rn bc NONE of these boys would be passing smh

More under the cut! 

“Spin the bottle? Isn’t that game for t-twelvies?” Fugo slurred at Narancia’s suggestion as you sat next to the two boys. They had been celebrating after a successful mission, which was why you didn’t shy from a fifth scotch, but if Mista and Narancia planned on trying anything tonight…

“You haven’t played it before, have you?” Narancia teased him with a mischievous smile. He looked to you as if deliberating whether he should hold back his snarky remark or not. Narancia laughed, giving him a playful jab in the side and he took a breath before replying.

“And I doubt you’ve had a better experience,” Narancia’s grin soured, and he was about to retort when you stepped in.

“Then why not make this a good one? C’mon, it can’t hurt! What’s the harm in having some fun?” Narancia piqued up at your suggestion, and Fugo relented with a frustrated sigh. Mista shrugged, and sat down next to you, placing the glass bottle on the middle of the table.

“Then it’s decided! Kisses can be wherever the spinner wishes, but you can’t get out of it! As soon as the game’s begun, anyone on this table is playing.” He gave a pointed look at Abbacchio, who glowered back, pulling his chair slowly and muttering about how stupid it was to be playing such a childish game. You stood up as well, stumbling as you did so.

“Abbacchio, please stay? it’s a s-stupid game, that’s true….but we’re so drunk we’ll forget all about it tomorr-hic! ah, tomorrow,” Narancia chimed in.

“Won’t be a game without five!” Mista, suddenly realizing what Abbacchio leaving might mean, banged his fist on the table, getting everyone’s attention.

“We can’t play as a four! C’mon an sit back down, ‘Bbacchio. We gotta…gotta make this interesting, riight? We’ll be in biig trouble tomorrow if you leave…” Fugo gave Abbacchio a pleading look as Mista continued to ramble with a butter knife in hand. 

“You heard the man, hic-! Abba…cchio,” Abbacchio, seemingly overridden by the majority, let out a dramatic sigh and sat back down and rubbed his temples.

“Goddamnit…I’m only playing for a couple of rounds, got it?” Narancia let out a cheer and Mista a sigh of relief, relaxing in his chair and beckoning you to do the same. You felt giddy and nervous at the same time; you can’t say your thoughts around the boys were wholly professional, lest platonic as they should be.

In your defense, the boys in your team were attractive, there was no doubting that. But they each had a part of them that drew you to them.

Fugo might have a short fuse and a dangerous temper, but it certainly wasn’t all that he was. He was smart, and had a kind streak-he truly cared and respected his teammates, and he had demonstrated it to you time and time again. You always looked forward to the rare occasions he would smile at you from his book, sitting it down to have a conversation with you. Most of the time it was about the book he was reading, or a news happening of some controversy; occasionally he would ask how you were and whether you needed any assistance with any part of the gangster life. If he looked like he needed a break from Mista and Narancia you would step in, much to his relief. He looked like he could use it at times.

Narancia was hard to keep up with, you’ll admit; it took time for him to really trust you and to see you as a friend and less like an associate of his friends’, but soon enough you found yourself being pulled into whatever crazy shenanigans he had planned for after and on his breaks from school. It was fun, really-he just tired you out sometimes. You’d find him relaxing with you, complaining at first at how boring it was to be sitting around napping when you could be out “ living your 20’s to their fullest”-then five minutes later, you’d come back with some cold drinks to find him passed out on the sofa.

Mista was goofy, but he had a confident easy-going charm that was endearing enough to withstand his suspicions on luck. He would flirt with you when you were first introduced into the group, and even though you’d tease him lightly you really were grateful for him sometimes, even if just to ease the tension of your new life. Once you were in combat though, he seemed cool as the steel of his gun; he was untouchable in his element. It freaked you out at first, but you began to find trust in that cool composure of his, and relied on it to calm yourself down and focus when things got out of hand.

And Abbacchio, though a fair bit older than the lot of you, also drew you in. You hardly expected that stubborn man would ever soften his barking tone and cold eyes to you- you realized very quickly after being introduced into the group he had no intentions of making you feel welcome. You were patient with him, though. After hearing his story one night after ten too many drinks, (Abbacchio was still his grumpy self when drunk, maybe more so, but he was also quite chatty about his woes) you were determined to make him see otherwise. You knew he had a heart, somewhere-you could see the subtle way he still cared for his team, even if he did bluff by simply taking the fourth slice of cake at dessert to avoid Mista’s whining. 

Actually, this night you were all a little inebriated- the goth man included. It would certainly make for an interesting night.

“Alright then! Shall I start?” Narancia, ever the eager one, shot you a cheeky grin as he lounged in his seat. Abbacchio cursed and took a long swig of his wine, and Fugo…was he blushing? You’d better save yourself from being stabbed by that butter knife he had twirling in his hands and keep that to yourself. Narancia reached out and spun the bottle, and as it spun your stomach suddenly filled with nervous and excited energy. What if it did land on you? Would any of you actually remember what happened tonight? If nobody else did…did you really want to remember it? The bottle stopped, and everyone’s gaze shot up to Abbacchio who was sitting the closest to the end of the bottle. Narancia groaned, and set you, Fugo and Mista into a fit of laughter. Abbacchio looked ready to murder someone, but Narancia nonetheless got out of his chair, faltering as he made his way to where Abbacchio sat.

“I can kiss you wherever I want, right?” Abbacchio glared daggers at the boy as Fugo snorted back even more laughter.

“Try anything stupid and I swear to god…” Narancia rolls his eyes and kisses Abbacchio, just on the crown of his head, a little more rough than intended. As he staggers back to his seat, and Abbacchio grumbles about how crumpled his hair is, your eyes turn to Fugo.

“Your shot, Fugo!” You giggled as he tsked spun the bottle with measurable force. You could have sworn you saw his eyes light up, for almost a second, until Mista pulled his chair out.

“Alright! C'mere and gimme a kiss, you!” Fugo shrugs and reaches over the table, giving Mista a kiss on his cheek. Mista gives him a dopey little smile, and suddenly it’s Abbacchio’s turn to spin. He looks grumpy (probably dreading the idea of having to kiss one of his team members), but gives it a lazy spin. 

Your heart skips a beat, then, when it lands on you. It was bound to happen eventually, but Abbacchio? The others seemed to have similar reactions of shock.

“Seriously?! What kind of luck am I getting today?” 

“Damnit! I-I mean, why do I gotta be the one to kiss Abbacchio?”

You interrupt them, clearing your throat.

“Hey, c’mon Abba-hic! C’mon over here,” Abbacchio gave you a smoldering look you couldn’t describe in this state-like he would march other to your seat and either throttle you or kiss you. Thankfully, he did the latter, holding your chin with one hand and giving you a hasty, rough kiss-right on your lips. 

Your drunk mind was whirring, and you immediately tasted the wine on his lips, and something savory-perhaps the last meal he ate? Despite your shock, you didn’t hesitate in kissing him back before he ended the kiss, which ended almost as quickly as it started. A still silence fell on the table as Abbacchio made his way back to his seat, leaving you blinking and a little out of breath. Just how eager were you to kiss him back? That shouldn’t be normal, if the one sober-ish part of your brain had anything to say about it. You could still feel his lips on your own; was it time you gave those feelings of yours a raincheck? He flashed you a smug smirk as he tapped Mista on the shoulder.

“Your turn,” Mista was frowning at you-or was it your expression? He seemed off, all of a sudden-almost like when he encountered a multiple of four in the corner of his eye. It concerned you, and if you weren’t so drunk off your face, you’d ask him if everything was alright. You brushed it off for now.

His spin ended on Narancia, and with a groan from Narancia and a chuckle from Mista, he walked over to the boy.

“Where do ya wanna get a kiss, hmm? cheeks, nose, I can even do lips if you’re that eager!” Narancia pouted at Mista’s pointed retort and thought for a moment, and pointed to his nose. Mista nodded, almost solemnly, and gave him a lingering kiss.Narancia pulled back, wiping his nose quickly.

“Shit, you got your spit all over me!” Mista looked slightly upset by this, and he staggered back to his seat next to you and whined how he doubted Narancia was any better. Like that, his turn was through and it was your shot. You took another sip of your drink and reached over to the bottle, giving it a good spin. You were suddenly excited; you didn’t care who you landed on, but you wanted to be bold. Hell, if Abbacchio had the nerve to kiss you (and a part of you willed the bottle to land on him again) on the lips, what was stopping you? If they seemed disinterested, you could give them a quick kiss and be done with it.

As the bottle slowed, it stopped, dead on Fugo. You gave him an easy smile, but the butterflies that had burst into your stomach told you that you were anything but easy about this. As you stood up, you felt a rush of dizziness hit you. God, you really were drunk, weren’t you? As you stumbled your way over to Fugo, you noted Narancia with his arms crossed. He was glaring very intently at the bottle in the middle of the table-but you don’t recall it doing him any wrong. (He did have to kiss Abbacchio and watch Abbachio kiss you, you remind your inebriated self when you’re tucked in for bed that night)

Fugo gives you a sort of longing look as you come closer, like he’s hoping you’ll kiss him properly. He didn’t ark up when Abbacchio kissed you, though you could see he was pretty annoyed. God, are they all after you? As much as the thought excited you-tomorrow’s gonna be an icky day.

Regardless of what was to happen when the sun came up, you tilted Fugo’s head slightly so that he was looking up at you and dipped down. You stop yourself just in time before you actually fall on him, and gently press your lips to his. You could tell he was surprised, but he returned the sweet kiss. He seemed like he was holding back, though-the way he followed and matched your pace, just with a little more vigor than you expected. As much as you wanted to deepen the kiss, you were suddenly more aware of the other men on the table-and their possible mixed feelings toward you. You ended the kiss as you stood back up, and gave the stunned boy a soft smile, leaning on the table before making your way back to your seat. 

The rest of the game seemed to drag out, but you managed to kiss Narancia-and, conveniently, earn a kiss from Mista. When you turned to Narancia, he gave you a cocky grin.

“Make it a good one, yeah? That way I can forget all the other kisses I’ve gotten tonight!” The comment was pointed, and you were surprised Fugo hadn’t lost his temper at this point. Talking about a silent Fugo…you could faintly recognize the soft snores next to Narancia, and as you glanced in your peripheral you saw his slumped form on the table sleeping soundly. He looked so serene…but you turned your attention to the boy next to you as he inched closer. He looked slightly nervous, now that the two of you were close enough to really see each other. Come to think of it, you’d never seen any of the boys faces this close before-Narancia, the boy who you were to kiss next, had a cute little beauty spot just next to his mouth you hadn’t seen until now. 

You took as a cue to lean in the rest of the way, closing your eyes as your lips touched his. His kiss was fast and passionate, and though you knocked teeth a couple of times you managed to match his pace sooner than expected, melting into the kiss. As you broke off to catch your breath, Mista banged on the table. 

“Oi, it’s a kiss, not a damn make out session!” Narancia seemed distracted by Mista, and stood up from his chair. 

“Hey, there’s no rules saying otherwise, is there?” Narancia looked to you for back up, and your eyes darted from the bottle to Narancia and to a less than happy Mista. Fugo was still asleep, it seemed, and Abbacchio had long ago left the table, disappearing after excusing himself for another glass of wine. An idea popped into your head (You were really going to regret these drunken lightbulb moments when you woke up tomorrow-or later today, whatever the time was) and you grabbed the bottle, preparing to spin.

“Fugo’s asleep, so I’ll juss spin for him! Once the bottle is spun, there’s -hic! no more arguing!” At this point, you were yelling (rather, slurring) loud enough to wake the poor boy, but as you spun the bottle once more the two boys surprisingly settled back into their seats. The bottle stopped halfway between Abbacchio’s spot and Mista, but before Narancia could rebuke it you turned to the only boy you had yet to kiss.

“Alllright, pucker up, Mistaa!” He shot you a smirk as he grabbed your cheeks and brought you closer to him. Up close, the faint smell of cologne wafted into your nose as you realized how much more inviting his close proximity was. Maybe it was simply that you were blind drunk, and all the other kisses you had received that night were far from innocent, but when he leaned in and kissed you, you couldn’t help sighing into the kiss. He was a bit sloppy-but nothing you could complain about, considering how comfortable you felt with his arm snaking out to cup your waist. You felt like you could melt in his embrace in that moment, but the sound of a cleared throat interrupted the kiss. Mista pulled away, seeming a little too satisfied with the flustered mess he had made of you. He frowned, and gave you a sheepish smile.

“Ahh, sorry…guess I forgot it was your shot ‘n not mine. Ya can still kiss me though, just to be fair ‘n all?” At this, Narancia banged his fists on the table, jolting a now annoyed Fugo to consciousness.

“No ff…fucking fair!” You however, had zoned out from the argument that had arisen on the table. You had enjoyed each and every boy’s company, a little too much. You felt like you were caught in between a reverse harem-four love interests? That seems a bit too much, and all for you… If their kisses were anything to go by, this night wasn’t just a revelation for you.

…Your hangover would be horrible, but you hoped Bruno had a solo mission for you to pursue tomorrow-maybe it would give you a break from whatever storm was coming your way.

[lilacivories]

following the rules

characters: Deceit, Patton, Roman

pairings: none

summary: Deceit is a sore loser, but Roman and Patton simply won’t have any of it.

word count: 1,449

a/n: I changed the prompt a little bit but it’s not really much different besides the fact that Logan isn’t in it.

“And...Uno!”

“Wow, again! You’re really good at this, sport!”

Deceit glared at Roman, who sat smugly next to him on the carpet. “Oh, yes, you’re a card master. I have never met anyone so ingenious before.”

The prince gasped. “Oh, why thank you! That last play was pretty excellent it, wasn’t it?”

Patton frowned at Deceit’s eye roll. “Aw, no need to sulk, Dee. You can’t always be a winner!”

“Unless you’re me!” Roman sang; Deceit hunched his shoulders and let out an annoyed hiss at him.

“Hey, now,” Patton interjected. “We all promised no fighting. Why don’t we play another game?”

Deceit crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch, the beginnings of a pout forming on his face. “Oh, yes, let’s play another dull game of chance so that I can lose another five rounds in a row.”

“I wouldn’t encourage you to be such a downer,” Roman chided, his smile turning sly. “We have certain rules in place about that.”

“Oh, I’m terrified,” Deceit drawled, but Patton was giggling and shooting a few knowing glances his way; if he wasn’t terrified, then he was at least a bit worried, and it showed in his tight posture and fidgeting tongue.

Patton wagged a teasing finger his way. “You’re on thin ice, kiddo! I’d be careful if I were you!”

Deceit couldn’t take it any longer. “Or what?” he demanded.

Roman’s strong arms were suddenly wrapped around his waist, and Deceit’s back was pulled flush against the prince’s chest. He let out a shout and kicked haphazardly, but he had been thrust into quite the vulnerable position, with his attacker behind him.

“Release me immediately!” he hissed, a flush finding its way to his cheeks.

“Oh, it’s just a bit of fun, Dee!” Patton assured. “We just don’t want you to be so gloomy!”

Deceit had an inkling of what they were planning, based on how he often was privy to the other facets’ idea of fun. They had only just begun to invite him to their ‘family events’, including their weekly movie nights. But before that, Deceit had only been able to listen to their vast multitude of tickle fights, one-sided or no.

He’d be lying (as was his job) if he said he didn’t feel as though he was missing out; receiving affectionate touch was a rare opportunity for him, so literally being in someone’s arms was not something Deceit really wanted to fight. However, admitting this would be heavily embarrassing, so he was at a loss on whether to feign hatred of the situation or to allow himself to embrace the moment.

“Like I said, we have certain rules about having an attitude,” Roman teased into his ear. Deceit wasn’t sure he’d be able to move even if he wanted to at this point, because he was attempting to keep himself from jittering with excitement. “So we have a little warning punishment set up just in case you don’t feel like complying.”

A ridiculous, goofy smile had already forced its way on Deceit’s face before Roman even started tickling, but once he did, the poor thing was near hysteric almost immediately.

“Merlin’s beard!” Roman exclaimed. “I had no clue if you were even ticklish at all, but it looks like I hit the jackpot!”

Dee snorted in between belly laughs as the prince squeezed and prodded at his sides, wiggling half-heartedly in his arms. The other two facets couldn’t help but laugh along with him, not expecting Deceit to have such an infectious laugh.

Patton moved over to kneel between Deceit’s legs as Roman tickled him expertly from behind, kneading his fingers up and down his sides, sometimes teasing at his ribs before spidering back down over his quaking tummy.

“Maybe next time you won’t be such a sore loser,” he admonished with a giggle, and then reached over to tickle behind their victim’s knees.

“I’m nahahahahahaaa!” Deceit tried his best to speak, but words were eluding him in favor of mindless cackles, especially with the added sensation behind his knees (he really hadn’t known that they could even be ticklish).

“You’re too much of a gloomy goober, Deceit!” Roman insisted. “But lucky for us, you’re a very ticklish one! I can’t believe we ever thought you posed any sort of threat!”

Deceit felt his ears burn hot at the teasing, but he didn’t have a chance to try to defend himself when Roman’s fingers managed to find the edge of his shirt and start to tickle underneath, and when Patton decided to start squeezing at the soft flesh of his thighs just above his knees. He scrabbled at the prince’s arms and kicked his legs, cackling with abandon, but his actions were weak and uncoordinated, and he gave up altogether soon after. Deceit was absolutely, without a doubt, trapped.

After a few more minutes, a break was administered, and Deceit was left panting and red-faced in the prince’s arms.

Roman was chuckling. “I never thought I’d say it without reluctance, but you’re full of surprises! I’ve never seen someone struggle so little while being tickled.”

Deceit stiffened in his hold, realizing his mistake far too late.

“He was probably just having tons of fun! Weren’t you, Dee?” Patton cooed, wiggling his fingers at him with a laugh.

“No!” Deceit spluttered out; his ears were the color of tomatoes in a new record. “I was not having fun. I did not enjoy that at all. I– I hate all of this– this– whatever you call it–”

“It’s called tickling, Sir Hissy Fit,” the prince corrected. “Just something else I happen to be a master of!” He proved his point by vibrating his fingers in between Deceit’s ribs, who shrieked and melted back into his chest, barely attempting to wriggle away.

“Aw, he does like it!” Patton cried. “Gosh, you’re so darn cute, Dee!” He pushed up Deceit’s shirt a little before spidering his fingers all over his bare tummy, beaming at the snorts he was rewarded with.

“No!” Deceit squealed.

“Yes you are!” Patton cooed in a baby voice. “You’re a cutie with a ticklish little tummy! Cootchie cootchie cootchie coo!”

Deceit finally managed to cover his face with his hands, muffling his squeals. The other two laughingly discouraged it, but finally let up once again when he was wheezing more than laughing to let him breathe. Roman released his grip around Deceit’s waist, and let him just settle against his chest as their victim giggled himself calm.

Roman rubbed Deceit’s arms to soothe him. “I do hope you had fun with that. At least, it sure looked like it.”

Dee crinkled up his nose and ducked his head to hide his flush. “I absolutely did not,” he grumbled. He supposed he had been wrong to believe that they would all treat him like a friend, but it certainly didn’t seem to have taken them long at all to find something to mock him for.

Patton slouched down to try and meet his gaze. “Oh, kiddo, we’re not laughing at you! There’s no need to be embarrassed about anything! If it wasn’t obvious, we were enjoying ourselves just as much as you were!”

It took a second, but Deceit finally glanced up at the other facet. “...Really?”

“Absolutely, kiddo!” Patton assured. “We wouldn’t tease you like that.”

“Oh, no, certainly not!” Roman added. “We’re always willing to tease you in other ways, though!” Patton wriggled his pointer finger into Deceit’s belly button, and the poor thing squealed, jerked away, and lost his balance; he toppled out of Roman’s lap and onto the floor, scrambling to pull his shirt down.

Once his composure had returned and the laughter had finally died down, Deceit returned to his previous seat in front of the couch on the floor. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to choose another game,” he said.

“That’s the spirit!” Roman exclaimed, rushing to the closet for a board game.

While Patton cleaned up the mess from their Uno game, Deceit crossed his arms, watching him for a moment before looking down at his lap and speaking.

“Patton. I...would like to mention that I definitely am not interested in...doing that again.” He tried to ignore the faint blush that was rising on his cheeks again.

Patton looked at him, confused at first, but a sunny smile quickly spread on his face. “Aww, kiddo!” he squealed. “I’m sure we can make a habit not to include you in any of our usual shenanigans from now on.”

Roman and Patton were both happy to see Dee smile for the rest of the day, both voluntarily and with a bit of help. They were all glad that no one complained about the noise, at least.

[liw-the-melancholic-apple]

How it may have gone - Humble Beginnings

A fic taking place in the marauders era. While the political climate seems to head to a conflict, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter are still just teenagers. Dealing with typical teenage problems.

But this year their little group grows. Who would have known that more prefects would be a good thing?

Masterlist

Seven: New Year's Eve II

I slept in the next morning and called the Crickets right after breakfast. Mrs Cricket told me that Crick had lost his phone privileges and that he was also grounded. That did not sound good for our plans. I kindly asked if she knew whether she and her husband would still be mad at New Year’s Eve, and through a chuckle she said that they didn’t know yet. She did tell me that I didn’t need to worry too much, but she couldn’t make any promises. 

I relayed that information to Potter in a quick note, in which I also told him and the other boys that most of my plans had been cancelled but his answer that came only fifteen minutes later only told me to keep him up to date. No mention of any kind of invitation to join them in their shenanigans. Something about his note was off, I thought. It was funny and polite but it seemed to … correct. I wondered if I had offended him by getting involved in his argument the other night. Milla, whose owl arrived that afternoon, would’ve probably known whether I had stepped on his toes but I didn’t want to burden her with my petty problems while she was on “the best holiday ever”. Instead I asked her what she had gotten Remus for Christmas. 

That evening I mostly spent on the couch with my parents and Felix. 

The next three days were rather uneventful. After deciding that the dress I had worn to Slughorn’s Christmas party and on Christmas Eve at my grandparents would probably get ruined at a noisy and messy pub I had organised some jeans, a skirt and several t-shirts and jackets on my bed to figure out my outfit for New Year’s.  As I couldn’t decide at all those clothes just travelled from my bed to my little armchair and back every day. 

We fell into the routine of having breakfast together, playing board games – Felix won every single one of them – and watching a lot of TV. As much as I loved my family, I’d had better Christmas breaks. Milla’s letters informed me about the fact that none of the boys she’d met in Austria came even close to Remus and that she had gotten him all kinds of chocolate, a snow globe and a warm, woolly cardigan in his favourite colour.  

She wasn’t sure whether he’d be offended at that because most of his clothes were fairly old and distressed. I wrote back saying that a cardigan was a cardigan and his favourite colour was a good choice. Besides, I thought but didn’t put down on paper, he had blushed at the mention of her gift and smiled. I reckoned he was rather touched by her spending some money on something he liked and needed rather than just getting him the goofy snow globe. It was high time those two had a heart to heart and got their feelings out there. They’d be a great couple. 

I told myself that the boys had planned this holiday as an elongated boys’ night and didn’t that I’d only be in the way if they had invited me. Especially, if they planned any more “normal Tuesdays’. 

The morning of the 31st I moved my clothes back onto the back, stared at them for a bit, was uninspired and decided that it wasn’t too early to call Crick and ask if he was going to the party with me. 

“Cricket” 

“Jonas?” 

“The very same. That you, Jette? 

“ Indeed it is. I was wondering whether your brother got his phone privileges back.” 

“Guess, you don’t mean Tristan?” He laughed. 

“I was thinking of Crick.” 

“Well, he’s out with Dad and I don’t know when he’ll be back. But I would be willing to take a message.” 

“Oh, would you just have him call me back? My parents only agreed to let me go to that party because he was going to walk me there and back. If he doesn’t get to go I need to come up with a plan B.” 

“I see. Mum?...Mum!...”It’s Jette on the phone. She wants to know whether Nate goes to the Raven tonight…He’s supposed to walk her home…Right, mum. She’s fifteen…uhu…hmh…thanks! 

Mum says she and Dad talked about it and they’ll let him go but he doesn’t know yet. He’ll probably call you this afternoon and you’re supposed to act very delighted. But there’s no need for a plan B.” 

“Tell your parents, they’re the best, yeah? And thanks for getting that done for me.” 

“Anytime. See you tonight, then?” 

“Tonight. Bye. 

“Bye.” 

I hung up the phone and skipped back to my room to write to Godric’s Hollow. It was a quick, barely legible letter in which I mainly stated that I didn’t need to make use of Potter’s kind offer. I could have told them a whole lot more and asked when exactly they planned to show up at the pub but since they hadn’t reached out to me, I didn’t really feel like it. 

Crick called somewhere around four in the afternoon and told me he was allowed to go to the Raven. As instructed I reacted with delight and we made plans. I would walk over to Crick’s around nine o’clock and then we’d take the pathway to the pub. The Crickets lived at the very edge of Marlowe’s Creek, closest to Godric’s Hollow, but the walk would still take us at least half an hour. We had briefly thought about going earlier but we both figured there was no reason to arrive hours before midnight. 

After everything was organised I ran back into my room and chugged the skirt back into its drawer. Thirty minutes – or more – in a snowy December night was not calling for skirts and tights. The rest of my legwear options were all very similar: Jeans in various shades of black and grey. In the end I opted for black and decided to wear my new charcoal grey “The Who’- shirt that one of my cousins had given me for Christmas. I would pretend to be cool, rather than pretty tonight. I put the rest of the clothes back in the various drawers and cupboards and waited for it to be time to go to my first real New Year’s Eve party. 

It took forever until mum called us for dinner. In honour of dad’s Dutch family she usually made appleflap for a midnight snack. It was one of the best variations on donuts anybody had ever thought of. Baked apples and donuts and powdered sugar. Since I wasn’t going to be home to wish them all a happy new year and munch down on way too many appleflaps she had decided to fry them in advance and serve them as dessert which I was chuffed about. After we were done eating and chatting and eating some more I got dressed, packed my back and spent quite some time in the bathroom to deal with my hair and face. 

I looked at myself in the mirror. Usually I never wore my hair down. It was always crafted into a fairly impressive bun on the top of my head to not be in the way. Now, that I looked at my hip-long dark brown locks, all brushed and shiny I thought that it would add a little umph to me if I had hair to swing around. A high ponytail it was. 

And to that I added my usual make-up of mascara and dark lipstick, though I went for a dark maroonish red instead of brown. The result made me rather proud. I looked old enough to go out on New Year’s Eve. I looked cool.  

“Don’t you dare go home without Nate, you hear me. I know that you’re responsible enough to not get in trouble but I don’t trust any drunken teenagers or twenty-somethings”, mum said for the third time. 

“Why would I go home without him. It’s a pretty boring walk.” 

“She’s just worried, cause you’re growing up. Cut her some slag, kid”, dad chuckled, while hugging me. “You look very nice. Don’t drive those boys too crazy, huh.” We both laughed, while Felix rolled his eyes and mum got flustered. 

“Don’t give her ideas, Wim!” 

“She’s allowed to have fun, right? Calm down, honey, all will be well.” He kissed her on the top of her head and pulled her to his side. I hugged Felix one last time and promised I’d made sure to wish everybody a happy new year from him, waved at my parents and quickly ran out the door, just in case mum changed her mind last minute. 

Generally, it took about ten to fifteen minutes to get to Crick’s house and generally, it didn’t bother me but the wind was fairly icy and the coat I had chosen to wear was not necessarily made for winter. But it looked great. When I finally rang the doorbell at the Crickets’ I was already shaking. 

Mrs Cricket opened and gave me on of her hyper-happy smiles before pulling me into a hug and the house, leading me into the livingroom. 

“Run! She’s gone absolutely mental!”, Crick yelled before we had even entered the room and tried to pull me right back to the door. 

“No way to speak to your mother, young man. Not after she was generous enough to let you go to a party with alcohol after what you did last time you saw beer.” 

“Can’t we at least agree that you overreact a little?”, Crick asked with a pained reaction. On the couch to our right I saw Tristan, Alanna and Jonas laughing behind their hands, trying hard not to make any sounds. I tried to silently ask them what was going on, but they all just shook their heads. 

“Now, I’m sure Jette won’t mind me taking a few pictures. To commemorate your first big party.” 

“Uhhmm… okay?” This I had not expected.  

“Why would we need to commemorate this?” The couch erupted in laughter. 

“Oh shut up, you!”, Mrs Cricket chuckled and went to fetch her camera. 

“Ugh!”, moaned Crick and sank into a chair. “This has been going on all day. She’s gone mental, I tell you.” I took off my jacket and sat down. 

“Why are you so happy?” 

“Because this has been going on all day. Since you called this morning to ask whether you should go with someone else mum’s been all flustered”, Tristan explained. 

“I think she’s rather proud that your parents trust Nate this much. And maybe she has a slight case of empty-nest-syndrome. None of us had to take pictures when we first spent New Year’s somewhere else”, Jonas chipped in. 

“She’s so cute!”, giggled Alanna. 

“It’s not cute, Al. It’s annoying and frustrating and takes up a lot of time”, Crick hissed when his mother returned. 

“There we are, lovelies. Won’t take long. Now, how about one picture of you alone, Nate, and one of Jette alone and one of you together and one with Jonas. He’s going, too, after all.” 

“Why do you need four pictures of us not doing anything?”, Crick whined, while the sofa had gone back to stifling laughter. 

“Don’t be a spoilsport! The longer you argue, the longer you’ll stay here…” 

“Ugh, fine!” Crick got up and stood in front of the decorated window, not looking happy. 

“Come on, smile!” 

“Mum!” 

“Smile for me, Nathan.” Crick pulled his face into a weird grimace and his mother snapped a shot. Then, she waved me and Jonas to join Crick, she took another picture and in the end she took one of me alone, in which I was very uncomfortable and understood Crick’s irritation. This was not necessary and pretty strange. 

“See, that wasn’t so bad. Now come here, I’ll give you a warming charm.” 

“Brilliant idea, Mrs Cricket. Thank you!”, I cheered while she waved her wand over me. We both put on our jackets, wished the giggling sofa and a grinning Mr Cricket a happy new year and left. 

“I’m sorry, Libby, I don’t know what got into her”, Crick started as soon as we had reached the street. 

“No big deal.” 

“Still…I’ve already made an arse out of myself once this week I didn’t need another round of humiliation.” 

“You’re mum is the sweetest. No need to be humiliated.” 

“Tristan said your night was pretty eventful after I left.” 

“Well, yeah, Potter got into it with a troll of a muggle. Thought they’d throw punches but he managed to talk the idiot down.” 

“Did he seriously snog some 21-year old?” 

“I didn’t ask her how old she was. But yeah.” He nodded and trotted in silence. 

“Did they make a lot of fun of me?”, Crick asked after a few minutes. 

“Fun of you?” 

“For getting pissed to the point of no return before eight.” 

“No. They didn’t make fun of you.” 

“Please! It’s their job to badmouth others!” 

“I will never understand why you can’t stand them. Potter said he had expected you to last longer and that it was a weak outing. The others agreed. That was it. Nobody laughed at you, nobody made fun of you.” 

“Weak outing, huh. D’you think that, too?” 

“No… I was just confused by it. And worried. Didn’t seem like you.” 

“Worried? You were worried about me?” 

“Yes, I was. When Tristan came back and said he’d take you home, I figured you felt pretty miserable. And you’re parents would be fairly mad, So, I worried.” 

“Hmmhmm” 

The question why he had gotten so sloshed burnt on the tip of my tongue but I didn’t know how to ask it. 

“Jonas said you were drowning your sorrows that night.” No reaction he just looked at the snow covered path that led us through a field. A little to our right was the forest, right to our left the creek. 

“I didn’t know you were unhappy. You okay? Anything I can do?” He smiled. 

“No, everything’s fine. I was just…the group was…and…” He stopped, took a moment and started again. “I might have been thinking that the Market was our thing. You, me, Tristan, Jonas and Milla. We didn’t even let Felix come. But Alanna got herself invited and then there was dancing and then Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew tagged along.” 

“So, what?” 

“It’s our thing, Jette! Without us going to the market it’s not really Christmas.” 

“I know! But it doesn’t have to be exactly the same every year, does it? I mean Alanna and Tristan seem serious and very slowly approach appropriate wedding-age. She might end up a part of your family, why not have her join in on the traditions. And the dancing is just as much an addition as the beer tent or the rum-spritzed hot chocolate. If nothing ever changed or evolved we’d end up at the merry-go-round every year.” I smiled at him. 

“To be honest I’d love it if in like twenty years we’d still do this after the holidays. Each of us with the husbands and wives, children of our own… You can’t expect it to be the same forever.” 

“I’m not expecting it to be the same forever. And I’m fine with wives and husbands joining in.” 

“But?” 

“But Potter and his friends are not wives and husbands.” 

“You’re not seriously telling me that you drank yourself off your trolley because those blokes were there?” 

“I didn’t plan to throw up!” 

“I know”, I whispered. Shouldn’t have brought it up.  

“Point is, I made an arse out myself over nothing, and I’m not feeling too good about it. And it didn’t help that I imagined all of you pissing yourselves laughing over how dumb I’ve been.” 

“We didn’t do that.” 

“Thanks.” He put his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head like he always did. “Now, let’s talk about something more fun.” 

“Have you heard any further details on Jonas’ little vamp from that night?” I looked up at him in pure excitement. 

“You mean Valerie?” 

“I don’t know, do I?” 

“Think you do.” 

Apparently, Valerie was a Ravenclaw whose grandparents lived in Godric’s Hollow and who had had an eye on Jonas for a while. She stayed with her grandparents for the entire holidays  and was friends with a friend of a friend’s of Jonas’ which meant that they would run into each other at the preparty that they both went to. 

I asked whether Crick thought that it would get serious between the two of them but he shook his head. In his mind Jonas was still very much under Elaine’s spell. 

“He’s talked about her over the holidays. Tried to make it sound casual but it wasn’t. She’s really done it to him.”  

We tried to think up an elaborate scheme to get Jonas and Elaine together and were pretty surprised when we found ourselves in front of Morgana’s Raven.  

The music was pumping through the air, vibrating the ground and entering my body. Some people stood in the shadows smoking and drinking all kinds of potion looking drinks. We looked at each other and Crick gave me a knowing grin. 

“Have at it then. One quick cigarette.” 

“That’s why you’re the best!”, I grinned back at him and found a spot under the little pavilion next to the entrance. I lit my smoke and looked around. I had only ever seen the Raven when it was closed during the day, this was the first time I got to actually experience it. And an experience it was. 

The building itself had probably been built in the 1800s, white with brown beams and the big sign over the double door reading Morgana’s Raven in black gothic letters, two ravens at both sides. There were statues and images of ravens all over the little front garden that also had three tables with benches around them and a bar table. I spotted some giant kibbles next to the doors and figured that they had flowers or other plants in them during the spring and summer months. 

The tables, benches, pavilion and doors were all black as the night and gave the whole building – despite the white walls – a spooky and haunted vibe. I loved it. The fact that it was an all magical pub and invisible to muggles only made it all more important, cool and exclusive. 

Crick watched me watch the place and laughing people with a vague smile. 

“You look amazing by the way. Love your hair like that”, he said in a soft voice when I was done taking in all the impressions. I felt myself blushing. I never blushed. 

“Thanks…” I looked him up and down. He had cut his hair again and wore a black dress shirt with blue jeans under his winter coat. 

“You look quite dapper yourself, if I may say so”, I regained my emotional balance, smiling up at him. 

“I hoped you’d be impressed.” 

“And impressed I am. Wanna go in?”  

“Yeah, let’s do i…” 

“Oi, Goods! Mind if we join?” A group of four approached us, cigarettes in hand. 

Remus was the first to pull me into a short hug, then the rest followed.  

“Cricket!”, Remus shook Crick’s hand. 

“Glad to hear you got to come. My parents would have grounded me for ages… How bad was it?”, Pettigrew said while shaking Crick’s hand. Crick didn’t seem all too happy to see them but was surprised by their genuine approach. 

“I was grounded all week. No phone. No TV. No fun. Mum told me this morning that I could go.” 

“So, de Witt said”, Potter answered. “Wait, no fun? I thought de Witt was supposed to hang out with you every day.” 

“That was the plan. But I kind or ruined that by getting smashed…” 

“So, what have you been doing the past couple of days” Black looked at me. 

“Oh you know, enjoyed the time with my family, tidied my room, organised Christmas presents…” 

“Why didn’t you tell us you had nobody to go to? Could’ve come over to ours”, Potter asked with the most confused face I had ever seen on him. 

“Euhm… I thought you were mad at me for interfering in you fight… Dunno…Didn’t want to make you any angrier…” 

„Mad at you?“ 

„You got involved in a fight?!“ Crick stared at me in utter shock. 

“No”, Black answered for me “James here got into a fight and Goods defended him.” 

We quickly told Crick the whole story about the giant man and his cheating girlfriend. 

“Thanks, man”, Crick said, one hand on Potter’s shoulder. 

“Come again?” 

“For making sure she didn’t get herself in any trouble. I appreciate it.” 

“Sure.” Potter turned to me. “Why on earth did you think I’d be angry?” 

“Just.. your letter seemed so… polite. I didn’t trust it…” 

“And you hate pissing people of which means that you always assume you do”, Crick added. All the boys chuckled for a second. 

“Look we’ve crashed your traditions last time already”, Black said throwing his fag to the ground and stepping on it. “Won’t do that again. Find us at midnight, yeah?” He waved his friends to follow him and they all went inside. 

“See, there not at all bad.” 

“Guess so. They didn’t invite themselves to tag along all night. And anybody who keeps you from getting slapped is a good person in my book.” 

“You do realise I can look after myself?” 

“Yeah, yeah…” 

He pulled me by the hood of my coat and led me to the double doors to finally get to the party we had both been looking forward to for weeks. 

The inside of the raven was even better than the outside. The whole place was covered in knee high fog that I suspected was conjured with the help of a well-executed sculptile charm. For all I could tell the floor was made of black marble, there were no windows, they had real crows and ravens flying all over the place in the high ceiling that was completely covered in black satin. The walls displayed different paintings and renderings of Morgana, Merlin, Avalon and Excalibur, the first goblin sword that was ever kept by wizards and – if I remembered correctly – one of the reasons for the goblin riots. 

The room was gigantic and hexagon shaped, a bar at every other wall. Directly opposite the double door we had just come through a silver podium had been erected on which a band played live music. I had to do a double take but it really was Baba Yaga. One of the hottest new wizarding bands of this year.  

Crick and I both squealed at the idea that we would see them live before we remembered that we were very cool teenagers that went to concerts of popular bands all the time. 

“Tickets!” A woman roughly the age of my parents stood next to the door and held out her hand. We put our tickets in it, she took out her wand and mumbled something, then a silver raven appeared on both our left wrists. 

“Have fun!” The woman smiled a lot wider and warmer than I had expected and pushed us into the room, to let the next group of people in.  

Despite the 100 or 200 people in the room it wasn’t hot, but warm enough to want out of the jackets. We through them in the pile on one of the window sills and let the crowd sent us to one of the bars. 

“Fancy anything in particular”, Crick yelled in my ear over the music. I studied the menu that was written out in silver chalk on a huge blackboard. They had the typical wizarding drinks like Fire Whiskey, Giggle Water and Butterbeer. But I also spotted my mum’s favourite drink: Daisy draught and several kinds of mead that were all listed above an array of cocktails I had never heard of before. 

“Think I’ll have the Daisy Draught”, I finally said. 

“Like mother like daughter”, Crick laughed and ordered the draught for me and a Raven Mead for himself. I was going through my handbag to get the 15 sickles I owed him but he wouldn’t take them.  

“My treat”, he said. “Cause I left you alone all this time.” 

Drink in hand we fought our way through the crowd and to the stage where Baba Yaga now performed their number one hit Soul Eater and we went absolutely crazy. 

Jonas and his friends – among which vamp Valerie – arrived roughly an hour after us, positively inebriated and up for a good time. Jonas instantly found us and forced us to follow him to the bar where he treated us to shots of Gigglewater and a Glass of Master’s Brew each. It tasted like a holiday in Tahiti and I decided to never have more than one of those. The alcohol was not detectable although the menu informed me that there was rum, firewhiskey, gillywater and gold leave brandy in it. This was one of those drinks that my dad referred to as dangerously unsuspicious and headache inducing. But it was so good. 

Jonas introduced us to his friends, some of which I knew from my own common room or the great hall and some of which I had never seen before. Valerie was the sweetest girl I had ever met which absolutely clashed with her mysterious ‘come-hither’- appearance. She was just a year older than me and told me how jealous she was that I got to spend my time with so many gorgeous boys. 

“First you grow up with all the Cricket boys and get to be the apple of their eye – from all I hear – and then you work your way into that group around Potter. Please, tell me you’ve snogged at least one of them!” I admitted that I hadn’t and hadn’t even thought about it which led Valerie to hit her head against the wooden bar top. 

“How is that even possible? Do you have eyes?” 

“I do. And they work fine.” 

“Are you into girls? I mean those girlfriends of you don’t look too shabby either.” 

“Nope, not into girls. I used to have a crush on Crick when I was in second or third year but that’s been over forever.” 

“Which one’s Crick?” 

“Nathaniel. Nate. You probably have classes with him, right?” 

“Right, right… Why don’t you call him Nate?” 

I explained to her that Milla had a phase when she was about four or five years old where she would refer to everybody by their last names. She herself had become Scibbyderson, I was Devit and Crick became Crick. Why only his botched last name stuck as a nickname I didn’t know but it was how he’d gotten it. 

Valerie leaned in even closer and yanked my ear to her mouth. “You know Jonas well, yeah?” 

“I guess…” 

“You think I have a chance with him?” 

“Didn’t you already take him home? I’d say that constitutes… 

“”I mean in the long run”, she interrupted me. I bit my lip. 

“Honestly, that’s not the kind of stuff I talk to him about. I reckon Crick might know, but it’s most likely that Jonas takes Tristan as his confidant. Sorry.” 

“It’s just that I think he doesn’t fancy me. He doesn’t seem interested in me.” 

As if he’d heard us talk about him Jonas threw one arm around each of us. 

“Ladies! Time to dance dance dance! Let’s not waste the last fifteen minutes of this year standing at a bar sipping stale drinks and talking about nail polish” we both shot very disapproving looks at him “let’s spend it laughing and twirling and shouting and celebrating.” 

He dragged us into the middle of the dance floor where we also found Crick and the rest of Jonas’ group who all instantly welcomed us in their little circle. Given that I had never talked to any of these people aside form Jonas and Crick I felt surprisingly at home. Older students didn’t necessarily give younger ones the time of day, so I their welcoming manner was baffling at first, but then I realised that I had spent most of this school year with older students – either Crick, Magnus and Toby or the Potter-posse and realised that maybe I had just let down my guard and was more approachable. 

About two minutes before midnight Crick took my hand and followed the moving crowd outside. I had neither an idea where my jacket was nor time to grab it and the cold December air hit me like a wall of ice. But I didn’t complain. The flyers for the party had advertised “the biggest firework display in the history of Morgana’s Raven, sponsored by Dr Filibuster’s Fabulous Fireworks” and I really didn’t want to miss that. 

In the last minute before midnight the lady who had taken our tickets conjured a giant grandfather clock, made out of silver, encrusted with Ravens and knights from the round table to let us all count down together. I reached for my cigarette case and inhaled the last smoke of this year. Crick noticed my shaking and put an arm around me. 

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year!”  

Light and colours and explosions everywhere around me. I turned to hug Crick and wish him a happy new year to then enjoy what had to be the grandest firework extravaganza ever and then everything went wrong. 

[pinksweatergettingbetter]

alright so we’re back with chapter three - the Great Witch

-

i wonder how much of their memories Nick and Maya have actually recuperated 

the whole thing seems a little dodgy...

-

“This bench looks like a torture tool– shall we try it out on you, Nick?”

why is Maya so bloodthirsty in the game?? i mean she’s mischievous, but...

-

ahhh their widdle walking sprites are so cuuuute!

-

hang on– is that a picture-picture of Barnham with his dog?? if so, that should raise a lot of questions...

also why is the only person who *doesnt* comment on the painting Phoenix? he’s the art major.

-

you know, ive seen plenty of Phoenix X Barnham, and Darklaw X Barnham, but I’ve never seen any Phoenix X Darklaw 

i wonder why...

maybe Ive just never come across it

-

“Mr Wright, are you alright?”

(no response)

he's dead guys the fucking dog killed phoenix wright 

-

luke: I can talk to animals maya: haha omg cool! phoenix, laying in a pool of his own blood: hurgle

-

wait did maya just call Barnham adorable by proxy 

-

things layton likes: puzzles, stone lanterns 

-

oh fuck i forgot about the puzzles

also what the FUCK muffet

-

Patty: I believe in your Phoenix

Phoenix, trying not to cry: cool cool cool

-

aww. its nice to have a moment to just talk about feelings, especially between the sidekicks. 

...

...dont go into the forest you little fuckers

-

maya likes helms..??

-

“I used to come here with Nick. He’d carry the water pots, and I’d cheer him on!”

that reminds me, theres no plumbing. in fact, since its the middle ages, theres not even any outhouses. maya and phoenix have canonically shit in the streets

-

DOGS AND CATS, LIVING TOGETHER–

-

its 12:30 on a school night and I've spent over an hour trying to help a dog deliver mail 

oh maya solved that one! thats the first AA solve of the game. ...er, to me.

-

i dont understand how piccarats work

like, the previous puzzle was 30 piccarats and it was ridiculously easy. this one’ twenty and ive already lost ten points

maybe its to do with how my brain works– the 30 one was a pattern/colour puzzle, and I'm an artist. this one’s about directions, and I'm ASS at directions.

-

darklaw what are you WEARING

you look like a skimpy medieval furry

seriously what is with the metal skirt on bare thighs 

is that supposed to be comfy 

-

man these backgrounds are so beautiful 

-

why did she specifically tell Maya to be wary of witches

-

“You certainly both love your food. Personally, I’d just like a little more sleep...”

amen bro

-

oh fuck

Drosselmeyer wants to see Layton. dont let him brainwash ya!

-

“So this is the deathknell dungeon? Looks more like solitary confinement to me.”

considering the fact that she can see out the door, i doubt its solitary nick. solitary is a sealed box from hell.

-

Maya: you were just scared that nick would fuck up like always!! because he's an enormous fuck up haha!! Espella: i... no, i think he's really great

Phoenix: ...hey can i change assistants please

-

OH HO

CLIFF HANGER 

-

one does not simply

visit the storyteller

-

“come to think of it, during that parade, the storyteller did seem to be held in high esteem by all the townsfolk...”

guys have you not realized that youre literally meeting god yet???

ah see Layton’s got it

c’mon luke keep up

-

pfft they think Layton’s a hatter 

just wearing a tophat does not a hatter make 

-

ah the knights garrison

this is where Chucky stopped playing on his second third-space save 

I wonder why...

-

“And so the travellers finally arrived...”

yeah well first of all??? if you wanted me to get in there faster maybe dont make your door a fucking puzzle maybe 

fuck you old man you aint shit 

(btw i managed to solve it accidentally in the recommended 4 turns by pressing 3 random buttons and then realizing id somehow succeeded)

-

Storyteller: [farts suspiciously]

-

Storyteller: you guys are bad because you stopped me killing children

Layton: 

-

“OOPS”

DUFLUS SHFLS 

LUKE ITS OK 

I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH TO BE MAD

-

Espella: it’s true... that the towns folk look at me in a different way

well for one thing youre a different art style than most of them without being anything usually associated with said art style 

-

oh ok that i was not expecting 

she’s,,, jesus???

-

Maya spitting truths here 

-

wait hang on a second 

first of all– “the great witch is just a character of myth” yeah well EVERYONE is a character, Espella

also, she says she came to live with Patty 5 years ago... which is also what Phoenix and Maya said

when their memories all got altered to include phoenix and maya, does that mean they like, had a whole growing-up-together for five years roster of memories?

13 y/o Espella and Maya meeting, bonding over stuff, wondering why only Maya had to make bread and Espella didnt 

Phoenix–– hell, in the time frame, he’d be ‘Pheenie’ being their older brother. Acting like his 25 y/o self, or harkening back to those days and acting accordingly??

and how shitty it must’ve been when they realized none of it ever happened.

-

“Were these things... My memories?”

well probably not considering im pretty sure that tiny kid being flown over was you

-

i feel bad for nick’s... wherever is getting bitten, but this does lend credence to my headcanon that animals hate phoenix so 

also the inquisitor office theme needs to chill the fuck out

-

“Exactly what are you doing over there on all fours”

dont do that 

“He just sits back and lets his dog bite people, err... I mean, me”

he’s lucky nobody flips the fuck out and bites back. i suppose nobody would dare if they knew it was his dog, but still. not very responsible.

-

“Dr. Delduke” eh

well now

-

“He was no witch.” “Why?”

“HE was a man.”

( Welp, can’t argue with that. )

hey!!! equality to witches!! boys can be witches too!!

-

“Maya... can you get this mutt away from me? I can’t feel my leg.”

“Aww... So soon? I was hoping he’d use you as a blue chew toy just one more time.”

ok, seriously, what is UP with Maya? I can’t remember her ever being this violent in the original series. Like, she hit Nick over the head with the shichishito that one time, but she wasn’t constantly wishing harm on him??

-

as much as i appreciate seeing a tiny maya model i fucking hate the cloud puzzle fuck you for doubling up on it

-

oh i lucked into the answer awesome

this seems to be a running theme...

-

every time someone looks at the bell tower, they always comment on the bell never being heard. it must be foreshadowing.

-

wow Jean is very short

...also I'm calling it now, HE DID IT

-

hmm Greyerl’s voice actress is a little more noticeable than Luke’s...

also OH OK. the fucking bell tower just MANIFESTED OUT OF PURE FLAMES

THATS COOL

-

“He reacted in a moster peculiar way. Unlike others who saw it, he seemed unsettled, as if he was truly afraid of something” 

oh i dunno, maybe the DEMON BELL TOWER???

-

Maya: only YOU can fuck up that badly, nick!

ok... genuinely, utterly, seriously, why is Maya so malicious in this game? She does tease Nick a lot throughout the series, but its usually in a more playful or goofy manner. A lot of the things she says in this game seem sort of unnecessary or weirdly hurtful... especially since phoenix hasn’t done much to warrant any of them.

-

hmm

well, I know what happens to Maya

but what the hell is he doing to Nick?

also I do hope there’s a reeeeeaaaaally good reason for all this...

-

layton flings out his arm to shut luke up skdgkafajkf

-

wait why did the owl bring them that

-

“Luke, my boy... We have the need... to rent a steed.”

LAYTON

oh and they fucking did

-

“You think that’s bad? You should see Nick try and do the laundry– Now that’s a major blunder!”

see that seems a little more in character somehow

especially since its something that seems like he would fail at.

still, weirdly insult heavy...

-

hey hey 

100 coins

-

“in an alchemy sense”

shouldn’t that be an ‘alchemical’ sense?

-

“I guess you’re more suited to small, dark, damp places.”

is that a reference to the mushroom thing??

-

phoenix, in someone else’s abandoned basement: oh no their house plants are dying :( ill water them 

this man??? is pure??

-

“Well well well. If it isn't a well.”

NICK

-

“Come to think of it... I haven’t noticed any plumbing here in Laborynthia.”

HA 

I WAS RIGHT

THEY SHIT IN THE STREETS

-

“As things stand, Mr. Wright is in serious danger!”

uh the story said Maya would die, not Phoenix. It said he’d be cursed, but Maya would be tried and burnt. You should probably be more worried about her...

-

great witch: sup guys I'm gonna fuck shit up

game: the following is too horrifying to look directly at; here, have some shenanigans with Luke and that other bard Bardly was complaining about.

-

“Birdly”

fuck you perhaps

-

NO

WHY IS EMEER THERE

NOO

-

also hi Layton you’re looking a bit uh 

a bit 

...well this hardly makes any sense

doesn’t Layton appear not long after this? also, it’s easy enough to prove Maya’s not a witch; just hand her the staff and ask her to politely turn Layton back. 

that or just cry on him real quick; worked for Ash

-

bweuuuhhh dont cry luke pls

luuuuke

its ok luke magic isn’t real luke

...though from what I’ve heard of your universe, someone could have used Science to turn him into gold and that could be totally real so

just 

c’mon in for a hug lil guy

also see yuh all next time for part... four? i think?

[p1-fanfiction-blog]

Give Me Just One Night

Pairing: Kenny Omega x AJ Styles

Summary: As AJ is settling himself into living in a foreign country, he doesn’t realize someone else is also becoming fairly comfortable with him as well (I kinda suck at summaries, but I also dislike giving TOO much away).

Warnings: None really? m/m smut, porn without much plot. A little bit of fluff here and there. Again, if you don't like slash pairings then don't read this fic.

•••

Its been a few months now and AJ was finally becoming accustomed to living in Tokyo, Japan. His run with NJPW had been a wild one so far, and even more fun now that he was with The Bullet Club. He has to admit he was pretty intimidated when he accepted the offer to wrestle in a foreign country but was grateful to be having many sponsors who could also speak English help him along the way (although most were hard to understand). Life in Japan was pretty great so far, until a new recruit for the Bullet Club came along.

When word got out that Kenny Omega would be joining it wasn’t a huge deal to AJ. He was a fantastic wrestler, he was incredible on the mic, and his promos were top notch– all three main points made Kenny the perfect addition to their brotherhood. As for getting to know him on a personal level, AJ was mostly impressed by how much they had in common with video games and music, and also at the fact that his new friend was fluent in speaking Japanese (which saved his ass in more ways than he could count). Pretty much every time they got to hang out together was spent playing in arcades, shopping for more games, and eating at various Japanese restaurants. AJ was quite glad that they were becoming really close friends and it’s something he needed to distract him from missing home too much, so he was thankful for that.

AJ hadn’t noticed anything different about Kenny’s behaviour until Matt pulled him aside before their six-man tag match that evening. They both discussed the run-down of what’s to happen with their opponents as usual, and when it was time for the two to be alone was when he finally had the chance to bring it up. “So I can’t help but notice that you and my boy Kenny have been getting awfully close lately,” Matt said in a teasingly voice. AJ scoffed and turned around to face his tag partner. “What the heck do you mean by that?” AJ replied, confused with the tone of Matt’s voice. “Well it’s just that whenever your back is turned Kenny is staring at you. I thought maybe you two had a thing going on. I mean you hang out with him more than anyone else in the crew.“ AJ laughed, thinking this was some sort of weird joke that the two brothers always seemed to play with him. “Oh yeah! We hold hands, have romantic walks, we even had our first kiss last night while playing Street Fighter! It was too cute, you shoulda been there.” AJ nudged Matt’s shoulder as he had a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.

“I’m not kidding around, man. I legitimately thought you two were seeing each other, and of course I would never judge it. Kenny’s like my brother and I support whatever choices he makes. He just seems happier after he comes home from chillin’ with you..” And before Matt could continue on Kenny had walked right around the corner towards them, of course his expression was instantly lit up as he saw AJ standing there instead of Nick as usual. AJ took notice of this but brushed simply brushed it off.

“Where’s Nick at?” Kenny asked, mostly surprised but also somewhat confused. “The fucker wasn’t feeling up to par tonight so I brought AJ here to fill in for us,” he replied as he gave the southern man a quick wink. Kenny nodded in approval and was the first to make his entrance as his music began to play. “Sounds good! It’s been a while since we got to wrestle as a team,” Kenny beamed as he threw AJ a two sweet, giving him a warm-hearted smile before he made his way out– the simple gesture leaving AJ quite flustered at that and Matt trying to hold back from laughing at his reaction.

AJ however, wasn’t amused in the least bit. As soon as Kenny disappeared through the dark curtains he grabbed Matt’s wrist before he could follow suit out after him. “I’m still legally married. There’s nothing going on between him and me. And not only that, we both know I’m as straight as they come.” The other half of the Young Bucks, wasn’t having it as he still had that same smirk on his face. Matt laughed as AJ let him go free, but not without giving AJ a quick slap against his manhood– leaving AJ slightly wincing in pain and cursing at his partner. “Oh gosh darn, that really sucks. You two would look soooo cute together!” Matt sang. He quickly dashed out onto the entrance ramp before AJ could get back at him. That little fucker is gonna get it when he ain’t expecting it. He made a mental note to get him back for later when he was least expecting it. There was no way Kenny saw him in whatever way he was thinking, so he ignored whatever ‘look’ Kenny gave him and convinced himself that he was reading too much into it.

The match went well as usual, and to AJ’s surprise there were no mistakes made as he couldn’t wrap his head around what Matt had told him prior. Each time he was tagged to go into the ring he felt like someone was fixated on watching him wrestle the entire time. And when it was his turn to tag Kenny in he could’ve swore he saw a some sort of ‘glimmer’ in his eyes before they switched spots. He watched Kenny wrestle but more so was focused on his body. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, he could admit to that. It’s not like it wasn’t in the norm to look at another man while wrestling so there was nothing weird about it. But even if Matt was telling the truth he convinced himself that it was just another rib against him and shoved any thoughts (or hints he may have realized before now that he thought of it) of Kenny actually being interested in him to the back of his mind. He doesn’t like me, and I’m not into guys. This asshole is just playing me. It was time to focus on the match. AJ was just glad when it was over so he could go back to his hotel room and sleep it off. He wasn’t really in the mood for the usual shenanigans with the rest of the guys, so he bid them all goodnight and was just glad that he was able to avoid seeing Kenny while doing so.

But he spoke too soon as he nearly dropped his bags when of course, as his luck would have it– Kenny was also checking into his room at the front desk. They both looked at each other dead in the eyes as AJ walked into the lobby so he didn’t have the chance to turn around and find another hotel. If there was anything AJ hated it was facing awkward situations that he couldn’t control.

“AJ! Our sponsor payed for our hotel rooms but it looks like we’re sharing the one tonight.” Kenny said as he thanked the lady afterward in Japanese. AJ tried to play it off like it wasn’t a problem at all and shrugged it off. But inside his mind began to race again. “It’s alright. We can game out tonight anyway, right? At least I’m not sharing a room with Gallows all week again.”

“Damn right we are. Just don’t be playing your fucking porn all night and we’ll be okay,” he replied as he tossed AJ one of the spare key cards. “I’ve heard stories, Uncle Allen.“

•••

As soon as AJ saw the hotel beds he tossed his luggage aside and instantly collapsed down onto the closest one from the door. It always felt so good to lay down after a match. His muscles were sore and his feet were killing him. It made him think of his old job back home and how easy it actually was, but of course he couldn’t put up with that bullshit company any longer, and he sure as hell didn’t want that shit pay check anymore. Which brought him here where he was really making a name for himself. He inwardly thanked Finn for inviting him out here and also accepting the opportunity to become leader of the Bullet Club.

“What’s on your mind, big guy?” Kenny chimed in, interrupting AJ’s inner thoughts as he took a seat on the spare bed next to his. AJ looked over at Kenny but couldn’t exactly give him eye contact as he was still feeling a tad bit uneasy with the tone that Kenny used earlier. Was he being goofy ole Kenny or was he actually flirting with him?

“Ahh, I’m just thinking of home is all,” he lied. He needed something to take this whole ordeal off of his mind.

Kenny responded with a sigh. “Yeah I know how that is sometimes. It took me a few months to get over being lonely for home.. but someon-” he paused for a brief moment before he continued on, “-picking up some hobbies really helped with that.”

AJ turned away and stared at the ceiling. He kind of knew who he was talking about as Matt and Nick informed him of Kenny’s previous relationship at one point. AJ himself never had a problem with it as most people liked to think. He was accepting of everyone and pretty much open to his friend’s lifestyles. The rest of his friends liked to party and he was glad Kenny was one of the sober ones he could hang out with but it didn’t make the rest of them any different to him.

“Wanna game out for a bit?” Kenny asked. He peeled his shirt off and this made AJ look up at the ceiling again, not realizing that his friend took notice to that. Kenny smirked and picked up a controller.

“I’m uhh, I’m actually real tired from the match. You can play if you want though I don’t mind.”

“I’m kinda spent too, actually. Just thought you’d like to take your mind off some things.” Kenny got up to shut the rest of the lights off and made his way to the bathroom. It wasn’t too long before AJ dosed off.

•••

It didn’t seem like AJ was out for very long as he was being nudged repeatedly until he was finally awake. He looked over at the clock and it read 3:30 am, then finally looking back at Kenny (who was sitting on his bed for some odd reason) as he rubbed his eyes. "What the hell, man?”

“Are you alright?” Kenny sounded concerned, but more so with curiosity in his voice.

AJ rolled over to face him, trying to adjust his eyesight in the darkness of the quiet room. “I was until you woke me up. Why the hell-”

“You kept calling me, but then I realized you weren’t awake..”

He was about to question him further on it until he suddenly felt the other man’s lips being planted on his own. AJ didn’t move at all. He wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming or if this was actually happening. At first the kiss was soft, Kenny parting his lips to welcome AJ’s tongue into his own but pulling back as it dawned on him that the older man wasn’t responding at all. Maybe he shouldn’t have made that first move but it was too late to back out of anything he's done now.

Kenny sat up but didn’t hesitate to continue on. “You were also moaning. I thought maybe you wanted to make it a reality,” he chuckled. “I really like you AJ.”

As for AJ he was completely speechless because he now realized this wasn’t a dream at all. “I don’t know what to say. I mean.. are you sure I was? Oh Jesus.. I’m not gay. I mean, no offence to you.. I just-” he was now stumbling with his words. He didn’t know what he was at the moment. But discovering the tent in his boxers that wouldn’t go away was telling him a different story. “…Matt told me earlier and I can’t get it out of my mind.”

“Oh AJ,” Kenny sang. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that. After all, we’re good friends aren’t we? Don’t be afraid of this.” He lowered his head back down again, hovering his mouth over AJ’s again and so far he wasn’t pushing him away. Kenny darted his tongue across AJ’s bottom lip ever so gently and he could swear he heard the older man inwardly sigh at that. “You know how many times I imagined this happening? The things I would like to do, the things you could do to me.. just name it and I’m yours.”

“I’m not gay,” AJ protested. As much as he wanted to just tell Kenny to forget this whole ordeal and go back to bed, his own body was betraying him. And it has been awhile since he felt another person’s touch and it felt good. “I mean, the thought has crossed my mind a few times in my life but.. I’m straight. I think..”

Kenny placed his hands above AJ’s shoulders as he moved over to kneel in between his legs. His rock hard erection slightly dragging across his own and this made AJ outwardly shiver. He leaned down for the third time but this time Kenny began planting light kisses along AJ’s jawline, slowly making his way up to graze his teeth along his earlobe causing his breath to hitch. AJ involuntary lifted his head, allowing his friend more access as he pushed his hips up to feel more friction. “Are you enjoying this as much as I am, baby?” Kenny whispered huskily. AJ nodded and gripped the soft bedsheets below him. “Yes..” was all he could muster out. It boggled his mind as he had never been turned on by a man before, let alone his close friend but he pushed that away as he wanted this to happen.

“Good. Then I will continue on then.”

AJ quietly nodded as he let Kenny take control. He wasn’t sure how to go about fooling around with another man and seeing as Kenny was experienced he trusted him as he was more knowledgeable. He had gotten curious in the past and watch gay porn once but never actually sat and watched the whole thing. His thoughts were briefly cut off as he felt Kenny bite down on the flesh between his neck and his collarbone, grinding his member down on his as he did so.

“FUCK..” AJ groaned. He began slowly thrusting his own hips and spread his legs wider so he could feel more of Kenny. Eventually his eyes closed as he relaxed under Kenny’s touches and a faint moan of pleasure came as he planted another love bite slightly above the previous one he has made. “You’re gonna pay for that,” AJ breathed. The rhythm of their hips now speeding up as moans of pleasure were getting louder in the hotel room.

It took AJ a moment to gather up the courage, but he pushed forward and crashed Kenny’s mouth against his own and he was happy to accept it. It was all a strange but lovely sensation. AJ’s heart was beginning to race and his cock was starting to swell to the point of discomfort. He needed more than just what they were doing.

“Lemme see what that pretty mouth of yours can do,” AJ whispered. This made him smile although AJ couldn’t see it in the dark. “I thought you’d never ask,” Kenny mocked. He reached down and pulled AJ’s boxers down until his member was within Kenny’s grasp. His hand was noticeably bigger than a female’s as it closed around his shaft (and rougher too) but that didn’t stop AJ from letting out a sigh of contentment. At first, fingertips teased along the underside of his hard-on before fully gripping it, but not too hard and not too delicate for his liking. He felt right to AJ and he was glad it was Kenny who he decided to do this with. He kept this up for a number of minutes, gazing down contentedly at AJ as he gazed up contentedly back before Kenny leaned down and took all of AJ’s length into his mouth.

He released his grip and wasted no time slowly lowering his head until AJ felt the tip of his cock reach to the back of Kenny’s throat, making him gasp in surprise. His head began to bob up and down and it made AJ groan with delight as he opened his legs wider for him. He had never been able to do this with any woman for very long before since they always ended up gagging or complaining that their jaw was too sore. “Holy shit, Kenny.. I’m gonna come soon if you keep this up..” AJ warned.

He nodded in acknowledgement without pausing in his movements and then AJ realized that it was Kenny’s every intention to let him come inside his mouth. As he got closer he found Kenny’s fingers began exploring around AJ’s balls and rolled them within his hand, running lightly around his perineum almost as far as his entrance before retreating to stroke his scrotum once again. AJ wasn’t sure about that one. Seeing as how nobody has ever touched him there before and he instantly thought of it as out of bounds. That is, he thought of it as out of bounds until the moment he felt Kenny’s mouth release his cock and use his tip of his tongue deliberately circle AJ’s entrance. He then immediately changed his mind and moaned in encouragement. It felt so strange but damn erotic, with his tongue sliding up and down as Kenny’s hand started to pump his rock hard member.

“I’m getting close,” AJ warned him once more. This time he didn’t even nod or act like he heard him, but instead took his length into his mouth again as he teased his anus with his fingertips. He didn’t understand what Kenny was doing at first, but then soon understood as he then took his wet finger to AJ’s entrance and gently wiggled it inside– using his saliva as lubricant. AJ was not expecting it and found himself gasping in surprise. Truth be told, if the older man hadn’t been on the verge of orgasm he would’ve objected strongly, but somehow it seemed to fit. For a second or two AJ teetered on the edge of coming, being held back by his instinctive opposition to being fingered, but then, as Kenny’s hot, wet mouth plunged down on him and once more that wonderful sensation of hot pressure increasingly built up in his lower abdomen.

“I’m coming!” AJ gasped out, wanting the other man to be ready.

Kenny was ready, in more ways than AJ could have imagined. Because just as AJ groaned at the feeling of his first spurt racing within his cock, Kenny wriggled and pushed a second finger deep inside his rectum and making AJ instinctively thrust up into Kenny’s mouth. God, did it ever feel good. AJ hatred to admit to it but it was true. Each time he shot another spurt of come into Kenny’s awaiting mouth he pushed his fingers harder inside of him and he fucking loved it. Never, ever, had AJ imagined enjoying someone invading him in such a way– but it added so much to his climax that AJ actually felt dizzy from the pleasure of it all.

It wasn’t until after every drop of cum had emptied from AJ that he slumped back into the sheets below him, trembling and panting, that he had even thought to remember it was Kenny doing this. He then felt his finger slide out of him and his mouth release his cock and wondered how well Kenny had dealt with his orgasm. AJ looked down as Kenny sat up on his knees, a smile across his face now visible thanks to the sunrise peeking through a tiny opening through the thick curtains. He licked his lips and noticed that not a drop of cum was spilled and AJ knew he must’ve shot like a pressure jet. It was an understatement that AJ was really impressed.

“So I see you’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” he asked, thinking of his adventurous finger.

“Only in my mind,” Kenny assured. “Although I’ve done it before a thousand times. But with you I thought about how to make it work seeing as how you never explored with the same sex as we are.”

AJ nodded in understanding. He too has thought about it a thousand times but again, never in his mind had considered it. Kenny pulled himself up and stretched out beside AJ as he turned to his side, propping his head up so he could turn to face him. “I was also curious to see if you were a bottom or not,” he mused.

AJ was confused. “A bottom?”

His innocence towards the whole ordeal caused Kenny to laugh. “You know, the male that receives it. A bottom!” AJ’s expression changed from confusion to intrigued. He wasn’t really sure if he could handle it or not, but it did feel really nice– and he DID want to continue further but he didn’t feel comfortable about he, himself topping another man.

“Did you wanna take this further?” He asked. AJ looked down at Kenny and noticed he was hard as a rock. For a moment he didn’t realize what he meant, but he soon took it into consideration seeing as how he’d gotten him off. And his finger did feel amazing and AJ couldn’t take his mind off of it. He simply craved more of Kenny’s experienced touch and wanted him to take control of his own body. Although AJ was the dominant one when it came to sex he felt like he needed to submit to his younger friend. It was more than a need, it was a hunger for it-- It was a strange but welcoming feeling and he felt no desire on pushing it away.

“I want you to fuck me,” AJ demanded. This made Kenny smirk as he wasted no time crawling back on top of him again. “So you are a bottom, like I always suspected.”

AJ scoffed, trying hard to show that he was confident of this on the outside. “Quit trying to be a cocky bastard and show me what you got.”

Kenny rested his forehead against his as he snaked his hand behind AJ’s head, grabbing a fistful of his hair and he pulled on it hard. AJ hissed but never broke eye contact. “I know you like to play tough when you’re nervous, Styles. Don’t tempt me,” he growled.

They both didn’t hesitate. They knew what they both wanted, and Kenny reached over towards his nightstand and grabbed the small bottle of lube from the top drawer. AJ cocked an eyebrow at this. “I see someone was planning this all along.” Kenny chuckled at his comment. “Well, when the guy you have a crush on is having wet dreams about you, a guy kinda has to jump at the chance and be prepared.” Kenny quickly gave his himself a liberal coating of lube, then squirting a bit more onto his fingertips coating the outline of AJ’s entrance and moved into place outside of him. As soon as he did that AJ shakily placed his hands on either side of Kenny’s hips as he opened his legs a bit wider for him. This was it. The point of no return. I guess he could’ve pretended for the mutual wank– or even a mutual blowjob and settled with that, but this was gay sex and AJ couldn’t deny it. But in the turned on mood they were both in, that wasn’t good stop them for just this one time.

Kenny took his cock into one hand, using the other beside AJ’s head to steady himself as he leaned forward until the tip was up against his entrance. For a moment he waited, and asked his partner if he was sure he was ready once again and AJ impatiently nodded his head. “Just let me know whenever you wanna stop,” he reassured. Kenny applied more pressure and wondered if it would be able to fit himself inside of AJ. As for him he kept himself still and relaxed, not saying a word as he guided Kenny’s hips more toward him. His anxiety was clear as day but he wanted to show he was ready for this. Then, almost unexpectedly, the ring of muscle gave way and the head of Kenny’s cock pushed itself in. He pressed a little harder until he was about halfway in, and AJ couldn’t help but hiss in pain as he threw his head forward into Kenny’s chest.

“Just relax, baby,” Kenny reassured. He ran his fingers through AJ’s hair as he planted light kisses on top his forehead, trying to help him relax as he struggled to contain himself. For a while he just held AJ, slowly pushing forward inch by inch until he was almost completely buried inside of him. He kept himself there completely still, savouring the moment as he waited for AJ to be ready. He wanted to fuck him so bad.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” AJ replied. “Keep going.”

And fuck if AJ didn't make the most delicious sounds as Kenny worked his way open. AJ's eyes snapped open and met with Kenny's own matching blue ones, watching his face as he eased into getting used to the burning feeling. He was grateful that Kenny was considerate enough to wait for him. His hands clutched at the bedspread, and Kenny's body shook as he forced himself still, waiting for the signal from AJ to move.

AJ was sure his ass would never be the same after tonight. He was torn between the pain but now growing pleasure of having Kenny fully seated inside of him. Right now, the stinging and burning was winning. His eyes began to water and he hoped that it was dark enough so that Kenny wasn't able to notice it. He knew it would get better and he was willing to get past that part, so he told his best friend to move. "Fuck me, Kenny," AJ pleaded. What seemed like an eternity for Kenny, he complied and pulled out slightly-- thrusting shallowly as he leaned down to plant kisses along AJ's collarbone, feeling the body beneath him finally begin to relax.

"How long exactly?" AJ managed to breathe out.

"A little over 3 months," he replied, increasing the pace a little more.

AJ moaned, his hands moving up to grip Kenny's biceps at the sudden change in pace. He pushed his hips forward to meet up Kenny's thrusts, causing yet another delicious moan from him as the force of impact caused him to see stars.

"Fuck..!" AJ replied hurriedly, when his pleasure fogged his brain he could feel his growing hard on finally come back to life. Kenny took notice of this and twisted his hips, making AJ throw his head back with a louder moan as he dug his fingernails deeply into the muscles of the younger man's arms. "You fucking asshole.." AJ cursed. Untangling his leg from Kenny's hold as he wrapped it around his smooth, tanned waist.

Kenny wasn't sure if it was AJ's cursing that did it, but the conversation died in an instant because he surged forward in and out of AJ at what seemed to be an inhuman speed, neither of them able to contain their noise level. Flesh slapping against flesh filled the small hotel room, Kenny answering AJ's moaned pleas built into a crescendo as they raced towards completion.

When Kenny's hand closed over AJ's aching erection and began pumping roughly, AJ gave up all hope at coherency. After a few passes of that hand and a large dick in his ass constantly stabbing at his prostate, he had his toes curling. He tried to hold on to that feeling but only teetered at the edge of it for a second before he tumbled over, spilling his seed all over Kenny's hand and both their abdomens with a sharp cry. The tightening muscles from AJ's orgasm had Kenny soon follow suit, coming hard inside the other man with a feral groan.

Kenny did his best to support his deadweight onto his forearms, resting his forehead on AJ's shoulder while he tried to catch his breathe. They both came so hard it almost hurt. He realized he was sweating profusely and his chest was heaving like he'd just run a marathon and AJ didn't seem to mind it all one bit. His hands roamed over the taunt muscles of Kenny's back until his breathing evened out as he slowly eased himself out of the man he was finally able to fuck.

AJ sat up slowly, wincing a little at the soreness from his read end. He frowned as he looked down at the bedsheets below him. "We probably shouldn't have done this without a towel or something. Fucking lube and cum everywhere, what the hell are the guys gonna say if they see this tomorrow?" Kenny couldn't help himself and laughed. He was nervous that AJ was gonna have sentimental feelings seeing as how sensual they had both acted at the end of their little session. Kenny himself still wasn't over his ex boyfriend, and AJ was was separated, but none the less still married. "I wouldn't mind doing that again," he broke the awkward silence between them.

"Yeah?" Kenny's face lit up. "And here I thought you'd be regretting it, Mr. I'm A Straight Guy, Leader of the Bullet Club." AJ punched Kenny's arm with a scowl on his face and it made him burst out laughing even more.

"I am straight!" AJ protested as he ran his fingers through his sweat coated locks.

"Uh huh, and I'm still in the closet," Kenny teased sarcastically. "But I agree. You're a fantastic lay."

A loud banging was suddenly heard on the other side of the wall just above their bed stand, and from what they both recognized it was Matt Jackson's voice. "C'mon you guys, it's almost daylight out! Do that shit some other time!" AJ instantly felt his face heat up as Kenny couldn't help but smirk at his embarrassment. He placed a hand on his knee and gave him a reassuring pat. "Don't worry about them, they won't say shit. Trust me."

"They probably won't look at me the same way as before, that's for sure," AJ dreaded.

"You think too much, man. They were actually convinced that we had already been fucking before. Now let's hop into the shower. You can sleep with me on my clean bed."

Okay so that ended up being way longer than I intended to write. XD ..I hope you enjoyed it! There's barely any Kenny x AJ out there and I wanted to add to that fantastic pairing. Feel free to reblog, like, and especially COMMENT! I enjoy both good and bad criticism on my work. Thanks everyone!!