#we’re having very complicated room switches.

[snirtsnirkarts]

Uhhh forgor about that part.

[girliism]

senior year was all you and your best friends art and patrick dreamed out. but since you’re threesome became a twosome senior was not what you dreamed.

art spent the first month ignoring you and patrick which was hard given you all had the same classes. patrick was trying to pretend it didn’t hurt him as much as it did but you can only pretend for so long.

the two of you were at his house doing homework. patrick sitting on his bed and you in his squeaky desk chair. “can please stop squeaking.” patrick said very annoyed. you stop your movement. “sorry” you mumble. patrick sighs upset at himself for his outburst. “i didn’t burst at you tennis just sucked today.” you spin around in your chair and crawl onto the bed to take place in his lap. “what happened?” you question pushing your forehead against his. “art traded me for someone else to double with.” art and patrick have been double partners since forever. they never switched not even when patrick kissed art when they were 12 and art punced him in the face and didn’t talk to him for weeks.

you were getting sick of the silent treatment. you missed your best friend you missed art. you missed being with the both of them.

“ok class, today i don’t feel like teaching you so we’re gonna play dodgeball. girls to the left boys to the right.” dodgeball was supposed to be banned in school for promoting violence but your gym teacher could care less. “have we as a society been pushed so far back that you must still separate us by gender in game used as an excuse to be violent.” some girl in class complained. your gym teacher got in her face. “either get to the left or fail my class. now remember nothing below the waist and nothing above the neck.” his whistle rang throughout the gym, and your body moved faster than your mind immediately picking up the ball and chucking it at arts face. “oh my god.” you rush over to him. “what the fuck?” art’s holding his bleeding nose. “what did i just say! jesus someone get this kid to the nurse.” “i’ll do it.”

the two of you walk side by side to the nurse in complete silence.

“you’re our third dodgeball incident this week. hold this i’ll be back.” the nurse leaves. the ticking from the clock cuts through the silence. “so um, how was your summer? is your grandma doing better?” you speak first. “it was fine and my grandma’s fine too. she asked about you and pat.” art’s voice was muffled by the tissue he held on her face. “what did you tell her.” art cocked his head up at you. “that the two of you ripped my heart out and stomped on it.” he said sarcastically. the two of you. art realized this summer that’s his feeling about you and patrick were a lot more complicated. maybe he wasn’t completely upset that you guys were sneaking around maybe it was the fact you guys were doing it without him.

you kicked art in his shin. “ow! will you please stop hurting me.” he lightly kicked you back. “will you please stop being so annoying about this or does a nearly lifelong friendship mean nothing to you?” art wants to forgive you guys it kills him inside, watching the two of laughing and hanging out when it’s usely the three of you. “i’m not ready for that yet.” the nurse walks back in. you and art just staring at each lips saying nothing but eyes saying so much.

“boyfriend.” you smile walking out of your house to patrick’s car. “girlfriend. you ready.” patrick hooks his arm around your neck placing a kiss on your cheek. it was senior ditch day and something you guys always wanted to do for senior ditch day was to go paintballing.

“you guys get an hour in the arena if you run out of paint balloons there’s extra room on the side.” the worker instructed us. “room for one more?” a voice says behind you. “art.” you and patrick say in unison surprised but happy to see he came. picking up on the weird tension the worker added. “also no sex in the arena.” the three of you share a look before heading in.

it’s been five minutes and no one has moved. each seated behind their own pillar waiting for the other to move. “will someone please throw a balloon.” you huff. “i’ll go first. art why don’t you stop being such a jealous pussy.” patrick chucked a ballon at art hitting his arm with paint. “why couldn’t you keep it in your pants.” art threw a ballon back hitting patrick leg. “why can’t we just have a fun time.” it’s your turn to throw ballons at them. “not until he admits that he’s jealous.” patrick steps out into the open. “what the hell would i have to be jealous of.” art steps out too. the two standing face to face. you peak your head up to watch the interaction. “i’m glad you traded doubles partners with me, now i don’t have to do all the work.” patrick stares at art. “only cause you can’t breathe without all the attention being on you.” art smashes a ballon right in the middle of patrick’s chest. “you little shit.” patrick tackles art.

patrick and art roll around on the ground fighting like children. “maybe if you weren’t so scared of your own feelings you would be with us instead of moping around like a lost puppy.” patrick says rolling on top of art pinning him down. art knees him in the back cause patrick to fall over. “fuck you, you don’t know anything.” sick of the both of them fighting you come out from your hiding spot. “would the two of you shut up.” one of them accidentally knocks you in the ankle causing you to fall on top joining in on the rolling. “and what about you huh kissing both of us and making everything confused.” patrick accuses, elbow digging into your side. “don’t blame this on me. it not my fault i want both of you.” the three of you stop rolling and lay on your backs looking up at the sky.

“what does that mean.” art ask even though he knew exactly what it meant. “means she wants to date both of us. freak.” patrick says adding the last part jokingly. you punch his arm. “but you can’t date two people just because you can’t make up your mind.” you groan coving your face. “that not what i meant.” you whisper. the implication of your words float through the air. “oh. i mean i wouldn’t mind you know dating both of you.” patrick understood first cause he too has thought about it. this was all too much for art. “you guys are insane.” art stands up staring down at you and patrick still on the ground. “why are we the insane ones? what’s insane is still after all these years you ignore what you feel for me.” patrick scoffs getting up to confront art. art feels like he can’t breathe and he breaks down crying. “shut up. i don’t have feelings for you i-i can’t.” you and patrick pull him in for a hug letting him cry out everything he’s been bottling up since middle school. “it’s ok art.” you whisper squeezing him tight. “my dad would kill me.” art speaks. “we’ll take care of you.” patrick says. the three up you stand there for a while just hugging before going to get milkshakes.

it took a while for art to get comfortable with the whole throuple thing. you guys told yours and patrick’s parents but were waiting tell you were in college to tell art’s parents though his mom had a feeling. “it’s so good to see the three of you together again.” arts mom set a plate of cookies in front of you guys before leaving you to eat them. she turned around suddenly remembering she had to tell art to call his grandma later but stopped when she saw how the three of you huddled together. your arm looped lightly with arts and how patrick ruffled his hair letting his hand linger longer than normal.

days blended into months and before you know it you and art were pack his car up to drive to stanford for early set up. “you know it’s not to late to join us pat.” you say wrapping you arms around his waist. “yeah i’m sure your dad has contacts there he could get you in easily.” art adds slamming the truck shut coming up to hug you from behind sandwiching you in between them. “as tempting as that sounds i fear life on the road to the pro tennis league is calling me.” you and art pout breaking away from him. “you’ll come visit us right.” patrick looks offended you’d even ask. “my two favorite people in one place together, i’m gonna be there every weekend.” patrick places soft kisses on yours and arts lips before pulls you guys into a hug. “call me when you get there.” you tell him ok getting in the passenger seat and art in the drives as you ride off sticking your hands out the window to waving until your out of sight.

maybe adulthood won’t be so bad now.

(and that is the end. the throuple continues to live happy and healthy forever ☺️.)

[yns-world]

art imitates life, life imitates art

part ii of the euphoria au!outer banks series

part i part iii part iv

title: art imitates life, life imitates art

pairing: euphoria au!rafe cameron x reader

summary: lexi's interpretation of your relationship with rafe was very...interesting.

words: 2.3k (this is the first long fic i've written in literal years...i'm not even exaggerating either 💀)

warnings: toxic relationship, slight dv, mentions of murder, attempted murder, rafe cameron as his own warning, euphoria craziness

a/n: it makes my heart overflow with so much love and appreciation when i saw everyone's reactions to the first part of euphoria au!rafe 😭😭 i can die a happy woman knowing that someone said that i wrote rafe in a canon way 🕊️

fem reader, racially ambiguous, any size reader

italics = scenes in the play

Y/C/N = Your Character Name

R/C/N = Rafe’s Character Name

Lexi peeked behind the curtain, astonished at the full auditorium. She still couldn’t believe the number of people who showed up. Seated near the front was Maddy and her gang. While Cassie and Nate sat further away in the middle. Rafe and Y/N sat a few rows behind Cassie and Nate.

Lexi walked on stage, her nervous jitters noticeable but she still kept a smile on her face.

“Our Life is a lot more complicated than adults would make it seem. We’re going through our most important developmental years, this is the time where our personalities shift and form. This is also a time where we experience our most memorable relationships.”

Actors that represented Maddy, Cassie, and Y/N entered the stage, laughing and walking in sync. 

“Is that supposed to be us?” Maddy scrunched her face in confusion. “I don’t even look like that.”

Lexi continued her narration.

“During these fleeting high school moments, we solidify friendships and create new ones.”

While the three girls are talking in the prop hallway, a tall, blonde actor treaded on the stage, making an exaggeration of biting his nails. He kept his gaze down and bumped into Y/N’s character. 

“The girls swore that they would never let a boy come between them, but it seemed as though Y/C/N had other plans. It’s almost as if her plan all along was to let a boy come in between her and everyone else.”

Maddy’s and Cassie’s characters were visibly heartbroken and betrayed as Y/C/N gazed lovingly up at Rafe’s character, not paying her friends a second glance. 

Cassie turned her head to glimpse at Y/N but Y/N kept her eyes glued to the stage.

“But was the relationship worth it? Y/C/N cut off her friends to have more freedom with her new boy toy-- or so she thought.”

The backdrop changed to a classroom and Y/C/N’s phone rang and rang until she finally picked it up and put it on speaker.

“Where the fuck are you?! I’ve texted you 57 times! Why aren’t you answering me?!” R/C/N spat accusations left and right, but Y/C/N just rolled her eyes before hanging up mid-sentence. 

A couple chuckles were heard in the audience, some even from Cassie, and Rafe visibly tensed. His jaw was clenched and his grip around Y/N’s hand was tighter, almost to a point where it hurt. 

“You call it love, but I call it Stockholm syndrome. You’re not the sweet, innocent angel that everyone believes you are. Sometimes I think R/C/N could’ve been normal if he hadn’t met you.”

The scene switched to Y/C/N’s room, where Y/C/N and R/C/N were in the middle of another fight. 

“WHY CAN’T YOU OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES?!? ALL THE GUYS SEE YOU AS A SLUT.” 

“You’re so fucking crazy R/C/N! I wasn’t even flirting with him! And don’t you EVER call me a fucking slut, you psychotic piece of shit!” Y/C/N jabbed her finger in R/C/N’s face with each word. R/C/N tried to smack her hand away but Y/C/N reacted quicker and slapped him across the face. 

The scene went silent and the actors remained in their places. R/C/N’s hair fell over his face, covering his expression. Y/C/N didn’t move an inch. 

A hush fell over the audience. Some dared to sneak a glance at Rafe and Y/N but one look at Rafe’s fuming face scared them back into place. 

“This is absolute bullshit. This is what she fucking invites us to? She’s supposed to be your fucking friend.” Rafe started his heated rant and Y/N knew all too well what came afterwards.

“Shh baby, it’s okay. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She never had a boyfriend before, what would she know?” Y/N brought Rafe’s hand to her lips and planted a reassuring kiss on his knuckles. She then reached her hand behind his head and began massaging his scalp to ground him.

After a few beats of stillness, Y/C/N broke out of her daze and carefully approached R/C/N.

“I’m sorry, baby. I was scared.” Her voice was soft and calculated. 

R/C/N slowly raised his head to look at her and was frozen to his spot. He didn’t try to move when Y/C/N brought her hand to rest on his red cheek, the same hand that hit him. 

If anything, he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. 

“Puppy Love” by Paul Anka started playing in the background. 

They called it puppy love

Oh, I guess they’ll never know

How a young heart really feels

And why I love her so

Silent tears rolled down R/C/N’s face. 

I cry each night

My tears for you

My tears are all in vain

“You made me hate myself. Sometimes I wish I would’ve just dated myself.” R/C/N whispered, his voice thick with tears. He still leaned into Y/C/N’s hand.

Y/C/N wiped his tears with her free hand and leaned up to plant her lips on his. The light focuses on them as their kiss lasts for a few moments, before the entire stage goes black.

The audience is quiet, still trying to process what they just saw. Y/N glimpsed at Rafe out of the corner of her eye and his gaze was focused on the floor. Tears stung in the corners of his eyes but he was quick to wipe them away; but not quick enough for Y/N to notice. 

“Rafe….” For the first time, Y/N didn’t know how to comfort him. She had no words to offer him. She retracted her hands off him and placed them in her lap; she was scared to touch him, to break him further.  

This isn’t who she was, right? This is just a show of theatrics. None of this was real. 

Various degrees of self-awareness, disgust, and sadness flashed across Y/N’s face in a matter of seconds until she wore a common face of fury. 

“That Lexi bitch had no right to make a play about real people, she didn’t even fucking ask.” Y/N thought. “She has no fucking clue what the fuck she’s talking about.”

Just as Y/N was about to get up from her seat, Rafe grabs her wrist and pulls her back down.

Rafe applied more and more pressure onto Y/N’s wrist as the seconds passed. The two were dead silent, staring back at their reflections on stage. 

Is this how the world saw them? Was this really them? 

Maybe out of ignorance, or maybe out of pure denial, the couple was glued in place, unable to move a single muscle. But their rage was a silent one, a terrible storm waiting for the perfect time to strike.

The lights return back on stage, this time lighting up Lexi who stood on a prop football field. 

“R/C/N and Y/C/N certainly had an unusual form of love. It was a deadly love, a love that could kill you if you weren’t too careful. Interestingly enough, no matter how much R/C/N showed his devotion, it was never enough for Y/C/N. She was always looking elsewhere.”

The light shined over Y/C/N flirting with some random football player. They cracked jokes and Y/C/N laughed a little too loud and a little too hard. She threw her head back and placed her hand on his firm bicep.

“God, you’re so funny! I never knew you were such a jokester.” The football player reveled in the attention, getting high off her compliments. 

Simultaneously, a light shined above Lexi, who stood on the other side of the stage, by the fake bleachers. Next to her was a furious R/C/N, who had a brick in his hand.

A heavy blanket of silence fell on the audience, a silence so loud that you could hear the actors breathing into their mics. 

Everyone knew what this event was referring to, but no one dared to speak a word of it. 

Instead of the usual anger that Rafe wore throughout the entire play, a cheshire-worthy smirk graced Rafe’s lips, a low chuckle erupting from his throat as he waited for what's next. 

He locked eyes with Lexi, daring her to say the next words. 

Lexi was about to fold under his scorching stare, a stare that only saw red-- but she had a show to run. 

The show must go on. 

Lexi cleared her throat, and spoke each word while maintaining full eye contact with Rafe.

“Nature versus nurture, a debate as old as time. In this case, was R/C/N always this crazy or did Y/CN create this monster? Was R/C/N born this way or did she groom a killer?”

As soon as that last word left her mouth, Rafe was already out of his seat and half-way down the aisle before anyone else could react.

“Y/N, put a fucking leash on your mutt!” Maddy jeered. 

Initially, Y/N was going to try and stop Rafe but Maddy’s comment put a halt on that plan. Instead of trying to put a lid on the atomic bomb that is her boyfriend, she let him roam free. Rafe always was her greatest weapon. 

“What good did leashing your boyfriend do for you? Oh wait,” Y/N laughed, turning to Cassie. “You lost your boyfriend to your best friend.”

“Let me at this whore!” Maddy struggled against her friend’s restraint. 

While Maddy, Cassie, and Y/N were thrashing it out in the seats, Rafe was already on stage and cornering Lexi. 

“You think you’re real smart, huh?” Rafe wrapped his hand around her throat and pushed her against the wall. He brought his mouth to the side of her head and whispered in her ear. “Do you wanna know how I killed that son of a bitch?” 

Lexi’s eyes were turning red due to a lack of oxygen, and her attempts to claw at his hand were futile. 

“I had him in my hands, just like this.” Rafe applied more pressure to her throat. “I squeezed until his eyes popped out of his sockets.”

But before he could go in for the final kill, Nate pushed Rafe off of Lexi, who collapsed onto the floor and tried to catch her breath. 

“You’re a real fucking pussy, Cameron. You’re nothing but Y/N’s bitch.” 

Rafe shoved Nate back.

“At least I’m not fucking the whole school. Who knows what kind of STDs you got?”

That was all it took to rile Nate up. The two boys threw punches that rang through the entire auditorium-- everything was audible, the fist-to-face contact, the cracking of jaws.

While the boys were breaking each other’s bones and the girls were clawing each other’s faces off, the police were called and arrived at the scene. After a few attempts to break up the fighting, all the perpetrators were escorted outside, placed far enough apart and with plenty of enforcement to prevent another altercation.

As the police were taking statements from the witnesses, the main group sat on the curb of the school-- bloody, bruised, and beaten. Each person lost in their own thoughts and regrets until Y/N finally spoke up. 

“How did we end up like this? We’re unrecognizable.” Maddy and Cassie remained silent, only sending each other glares.

“It’s all his fucking fault,” Nate gestured at Rafe, who sat a few feet from him. “You should’ve never come to this fucking town.”

“Rafe’s not completely at fault.” Lexi defended. “You still would’ve slept with Cassie regardless if he came to East Highland or not.”

“I don’t want to hear you fucking speak, you sick bitch.” Y/N groaned, holding her head in her hands. The conversation fell into a beat of silence before Cassie spoke up.

“In a sick way, this is like a bonding moment for us.” Cassie noted, looking at the group.

“What. The. Fuck. Cassie.” Maddy was so over Cassie’s bullshit, but Cassie continued.

“No matter what happens, we’ll always come back to each other, It’s like we’re all connected.”

Rafe scoffed while Nate just shook his head.

“This crazy bitch.” Nate muttered under his breath.

“Who wants to get something to eat?” Y/N asked, still holding a tissue to stop her bloody nose. Her question was so out of the blue that everyone thought they hallucinated it, until she repeated herself.

“I’m starving. It’s up to y’all, but I’m getting some food.” Y/N extended her arm to her boyfriend-- who had a black eye and bruises littered all over his face-- but he was quick to help her up to her feet. 

“I’m going.” Rue answered, appearing out of nowhere. 

“Me too.” Jules added, wrapping her arm around Rue’s shoulders. “Why not?”

Maddy looked at her friends and shrugged. “Fuck it. Let’s go.”

As the group began walking away and discussing possible food options, Cassie, Lexi, and Nate rushed to catch up. Meanwhile, Lexi strayed a few paces behind everyone else.

She took in the sight in front of her-- a group of teenagers, surely flawed, yet they still have so much to experience. 

Cassie is right. Lexi thought. We are all destined to be intertwined, for better or for worse. 

Lexi would be sure to start working on the sequel of her play when she got back home.

a/n: if you enjoyed reading, please consider reblogging and tipping, they help my account more than likes :)

DON’T BE A GHOST READER!!!!! let me know your thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc in the comments!!! i love talking with y’all <333 

like i mentioned in the previous post, don’t hesitate to send me any ideas/requests for rafe or euphoria au!rafe <3 (just read my request rules in my pinned post before you do)

i have an idea for a sequel to this specific oneshot but idk….lmk if y’all want me to write it 🤭 (spoiler: the sequel might include the euphoria au!pogues….but y’all didn’t hear that from me 👀)

[mastermindmiko]

The Malfoy sister (Part 4)

Pairing: Harry Potter + Fem!reader

Word count: 3015

Summary: Winter break is approaching and with the prospect of being away from you, Harry’s emotions go crazy causing him to make some decisions that he will later regret. 

Trigger warnings: shouting, underage alcohol consumption, kissing, affection?, arranged marriages, running away, fighting, jealousy, crying. 

Part 5 and my masterlist

Requests are open

“Y/n Narcissa Malfoy! You better have a great ass explanation on why and how Granger just came and told me that Potter claims that you have the tightest pussy in the world!” You could see him visibly gag at the last part. You turned around on your chair, abandoning your potions homework. Theo watched the interaction curiously from behind you as he tilted his head to the side in agreement to Draco’s statement.

“First of all, spitting his name won’t make him hate you more. He can’t, he’s not in the room. Second of all, don’t ever talk about my pussy again. Lastly, what the fuck?” You said. Theo started sipping on his peppermint tea as he listened attentively.

Draco marched towards you and said, “Yeah, Granger told me that while Potter was celebrating his win, he got drunk. Apparently drunk Potter is very affectionate about you. He got all mushy. I do not want him to be all mushy about my sister!”

He screamed that last part while slamming his hand on the desk. He was fine with it until it actually happened. The desk shook and Theo’s tea fell. He became sad because he found for the first time the right tea to honey ratio. It was the best tea he’s ever made.

Draco was mad, furious. He thought that once Potter put your father in prison therefore forcing him to take the mark, your feelings would end. You didn’t know this, no one did; but Draco had a conversation with the Dark Lord after he got the mark. He told him about his task and what would happen if the task wasn’t completed. You’d die and so would your mother. He was told not to tell, not that he would’ve anyway. The entire school knowing, once again about you and Potter would complicate the situation greatly.

“Draco, I care about you more than anyone; but I-” You hesitated and you sucked in a breath before you said, “I love him a lot, and I think that I should at least do something for me in my life at least once. If the roles were switched and it was you and Astoria, wouldn’t you have done the same. We’re careful, I promise we are.”

Theo was enjoying the show even without the tea. He knew about your feelings and excursions. It was fun to watch Draco react to it all. Draco nodded along with your explanation, and he let out a huff. He folded his arms and rolled his eyes. “Don’t let anyone see you.”

You had a smile on your face and you hugged him while you chanted “Thank you thank you thank you!” He wrapped his arms around you and he said “I’m serious.” You pulled away and you smiled at him again. You returned back to your chair and you started dipping your quill in ink. “Use protection.”

Theo choked on air as you groaned at Draco’s statement. “Stop. Stop.”

He shook your head and he said “I’m not kidding.”

“Ugghhh. Why do you do this to me? You never said anything with Theo.” You said and Theo’s eyes flickered to Draco and he pushed his chair from the desk. He lifted his hands into the air and he started to stand up. He didn’t want to be pulled into this.

“Yeah because having a baby Nott wouldn’t be bad. You were already almost engaged, but having a baby Potter-” You cut him off by screaming and waving your hands around frantically. “Stop. Stop. Stop.” You shouted as he gave you the talk that you thought you had escaped from. Theo was dying of embarrassment and laughter in the background.

***

You sighed as you watched the sunrise. “It’s beautiful.” You whispered as you tighten your grip around Harry. He squeezed your hips in reassurance and he kissed the crown of your head. “Not nearly as beautiful as you,” he replied.

You blushed and you could feel the twitch of his lips from your hair. You could handle flirting, especially if it’s sexual but you could not take a single honest, kind compliment. He leaned down and nuzzled his head into the crook of your neck. His voice was already soft but it was muffled by your skin when he said, “I’m sorry about what happened with Hermione and Ron.”

He had the weight of the incident on his shoulders since it happened. He had a stern talk from Hermione and he replied telling her it was simply none of her business. Also, that instead of trying to ruin your relationship they should’ve been happy for him. He knew they were worried, not as much as last year with Voldemort plaguing his mind but worried. They were a bit relieved that he had the capabilities of loving something other than a book.

He pulled you over his body and you noticed for the first time how wet the grass was. Your body was flat on top of his. His hands played with the hem of your shirt while you played with his hair. “Don’t worry about it, just try not to tell the entire castle about my pussy next time, or you might not be able to keep me then.” You winked at the end and he felt his cheeks heat up.

You brushed your hand over his cheek. It was the last day before winter break and you both stayed up in each other’s company. If he couldn’t have spent summer without you, now his heart burns with the idea of not seeing you for a long time. He had no idea what he was going to feel that summer. Your hand trailed towards his chin and you tilted it upwards towards your own lips. It was an innocent kiss, you both had enough sex that day to last all of the break. He disconnected your lips and he said, “I found a new spell.”

You rolled off of him and you heard him chuckle. You leaned against the tree as you sat up right and Harry copied your position. Your shoulders were touching and he held your hand. You fiddled with the ring on his finger. It was silver and if you looked inside it you would find your initials carved inside of it. He wanted to get you the same thing, but he knew people would inquire about it, so you decided it was for the best. It was a constant reminder that he was yours and you reminded him every second that you were his

He grabbed the book that was almost covered in snow from the tree above you both. You knew you had snow all over you and you saw Harry’s face covered in it. You enjoyed wiping away the snowflakes that landed on his eyelashes. The black lake was frozen in front of you both. Last night, at almost the exact same time as now, You both ice skated on it. Harry kept falling until his clothes were wet and because you kept laughing at him, he decided that he was in desperate need of a hug.

He opened the book on a page he had the side of doggy eared. You cringed at the page, but you didn’t care as much. The book was already old with scribbles and torn edges. He tapped the word sectumsempra. You furrowed your eyebrows and you said, “Don’t know it. What does it do?”

“Dunno.” He replied and he leaned his head on your shoulder. He wrapped his arms around your waist and he nuzzled into you like a bear. You laughed at him, but you couldn’t say that you didn’t feel the butterflies in your stomach. You told him he could check in the library, he told you he was too lazy. You chuckled and ran your hands through his hair. “I love you.” He whispered.

“You say that at very odd times.” You said as your fingers trailed down to the nape of his neck and you started playing with the short strands, occasionally accidentally tugging on them. He pulled your leg closer to him, he never felt like you were close enough to him. That’s how you so much time having sex, it seemed like every part of his skin needed to be on yours for him to feel safe and loved. He needed reassurance that you were there and you wouldn’t leave him. “I say it when I feel it.”

You hooked your leg around his thighs and you continued to play with his hair. You told him you loved him. He said who wouldn’t. You slapped his head. He sat in a few moments of comfortable silence. His head was on his chest and he could feel your heartbeat. He also loved your tits. He ran his hand up and down your back. The smell of his shampoo comforted you and he knew that. He made sure not to use any other shampoo.

He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, but Hermione and Sirius had told him before how Purebloods loved arranging marriages. So he asked, praying that the answer would please him, “You don’t have an arranged marriage or anything like that, right?”

He heard you take a deep breath, and as the seconds passed without an answer, he started to become more sure that he wouldn’t like the answer. “Theo.” You replied and he didn’t need any more explanation. He pulled you closer to him, he couldn’t lose you. He couldn’t watch you marry someone else. He’ll never get over you. You’re perfect for him and even if you weren’t he doesn’t want anyone else. He needs you. “Can you break it off or something like that? Maybe have the other Malfoy marry him.”

You chuckled at his suggestion. He put it in to lighten the mood, he was breaking inside and you knew that. “I don’t think I can, and if I did, they wouldn’t let me be with the boy who lived.” he tried to exhale but his breath hitched and was uneven. He reached to scratch his scar. Something you noticed he did often. Often when something bad happened because of it or when he didn’t like what having it caused him. The place where it was more than not, red from his itching. You pulled his hand away and you pressed a kiss to where it was, “Hey, it’s not because of your stupid scar, it’s because of my parents. Don’t scratch like that. You get hurt enough as it is.” You said sternly.

He nodded his head but you knew that he didn’t believe it. He felt his eyes sting and he felt pathetic. He was glad to have his head buried in your chest because he wouldn’t want you to see him cry. He kept blinking his eyes to push the tears that wanted to flow out of his eyes. He took in a deep breath and he started to think of something, anything to fix this. “Run away with me.”

“What?” You asked, you weren’t sure if you heard him right.

“Run away with me.” He repeated. He looked into your eyes and they had so much hope in them.

“What?!” You repeated, this time out of shock.

“Run away with me. Not now of course. After we finish school, we’ll graduate and we’ll already have our trunks packed and we’ll leave to wherever we want. We both have enough money to last us fifty life times. Let’s do it. We’ll be together, away from everyone else. We’ll go anywhere you want, I don’t care where the hell I am, If I’m with you. You could pick a volcano and I wouldn’t say no.” He rambled and he grasped both your hands tightly into his.

“Harry, we can’t do that. We can’t just leave everyone and everything.” You tried to reason with him. He couldn’t just make life changing decisions out on a wim like this. He shook his head furiously, and he said, “No we can. We can. There isn’t anything to leave. After Hogwarts, we’ll have nothing. You even told me that you hate the manor, so screw it all. You can send letters.”

“I’m not going to leave my brother.” You said. Of course damn the stupid manor. You didn’t care about that piece of junk. You cared about your brother and about Theo. Your mother wasn’t always the most caring person, but you couldn’t leave her. “And what about you? You have the Weasleys, are you just going to leave them too?”

“I’ll send letters, you’ll send letters. Isn’t that enough?” Harry was pleading as you started to pull away from him. His eyes started to sting. He can’t lose you. He already lost so much. He can’t lose you too. You stood up and you said “No it isn’t. I don’t want to leave my brother or my mother or Theo.”

The tears in his eyes were lost. He stood up, his lips in a thin line. He saw red. He folded his arms and he looked at you for the first time like he did almost a year ago, with so much hate. You felt your heart beat up to your throat. “So that’s what this is about.” He chuckled humorlessly. He raised his voice to a higher octave and he said in an annoying voice, “Theo.” He rolled his eyes and you started to furrow your eyebrows. “You don’t want to leave Theo. You love Theo. You don’t even want me, you just want Theo. You’re a pathetic liar. Saying that you love me. Being forced to Marry Theo is better than being with a person you love.” Every time he said Theo’s name he mocked it. He raised his hands into air quotes when he said ‘love’.

Your mouth was wide open at his accusations. Your expression was filled with hurt and confusion. You were about to tell him that all he said was wrong and that you love him so much and you want to be with him more than anything. You wanted to reassure him that you only saw Theo as a friend, nothing more. You have already done this, Harry’s insecurities got the best of him at times. He didn’t mean this, you thought; he’s just angry right now.

“You know what, I never even loved you. All of this-” He waved his hands around frantically and his finger pointed between the two of you. “It’s just a joke. I never wanted to even do this.” You felt tears prick your eyes and your heart began to break. “Dumbledore told me to. Go distract y/n Malfoy, and try to get information out of her. If her father is a death eater then she must know something about Voldemort. That’s what he said to me.”

Crack.

“And I did. Nothing I did with you was real. It’s all just fake!”

Crack.

“Did you honestly think that I would love you? You’re pathetic!”

Crack.

Tears were streaming freely across your cheeks and down your neck. You pressed a hand to your mouth to try to contain the sob that wants to be heard. You bit your lip as your hands went around your body to wrap yourself in a hug. You wiped away your tears with your sleeve. You can’t believe that you were crying in front of somebody. “Well then, I guess I was right not agreeing to run away with you after all.”

You started running back towards the castle. Harry took deep breaths to control his anger. He watched as your body became smaller and smaller, more out of sight; and his eyes trailed after your footstep from the snow. He swallowed thickly as he remembered all the events from the past minutes and he realizes how much he fucked up. “Shit.” He whispers as he runs a hand through his hair. “Y/n! Come back please! I’m sorry! Y/n!” He shouted as he started to run after you.

You heard him but you couldn’t look at him. He made you feel like you were soaring this past term and then in less than a minute, he broke your heart. You didn’t know what you did to deserve this pain but a part of you wishes that it knew better. You bullied him along with your brother since first year, nothing you do can erase or turn back time. You heard his footsteps after you and how he was shouting your name. You hid behind a wall until you could no longer hear his shouts. You hadn’t slept in more than 24 hours and before that you didn’t sleep much either, you were exhausted. You walked back to the common room with tears in your eyes.

You pumped into someone and that person put both hands on your arms. You couldn’t see who it was from your blurry vision. They pulled you closer to their chest. It was Draco, you recognized him from his distinctive smell of mint. He kept smoothing your hair as he kept muttering “shh shh, it’s okay. It’s okay, I’m here. Alright?” You wanted to pull away and tell him nothing happened, putting up that stone cold façade you had; but you were tired and hurt. You didn’t pull away. You cried your heart out as he whispered calming words into your ear. You would never leave him.

[kailsssss]

Stars and scars

Hunter x reader

————————————————

————————————————

So you’re a criminal.

Weird way to start this off, but it’s the truth, now it is at least. This might be a bit confusing so let’s backtrack!

A few weeks ago: you met this… human, Luz. She was weird to say the least but she was nice and funny. Over all, she was fun to be around and Willow and Gus liked Luz so you did too! The four of you had a load of fun, then this girl joined: Amity Blight. At first, you were skeptical but she proved herself as a good person.

Surprisingly, you grown attached to Luz and her guardian, Eda. (Idk what to call Eda so Ima call Eda Luz’s guardian <3). Throughout time you started spending more and more time at the owl house since life at your house was… traumatizing to say the least whether that be unappreciative guardians, homophobic/transphobic family, or something else. You decided to stay with the Owl Lady.

Life was simple, you guys went on small missions and had your fun. Eda even helped you with your magic abilities! Then of course things got complicated. Lilith. You guys met her when you all switched bodies, more specifically you did. You learned a lot that day…

And then of course the petrifaction… you guys don’t talk about it but good news Lilith was now an ally and not a foe! (Sorry for not explaining this well, but this isn’t the main story).

Oh and Luz and Amity are dating.

Great now we’re all caught up! Let’s get going with this silly little story.

———————————————————————

You’re a criminal, a wild witch, and he’s the Golden Guard. So why was he in your room. Eda, Lilith, King, and Luz’s girlfriend Amity were a few rooms away and he’s in your room! On your bed with you. Titan, what were you thinking?! Oh, but you couldn’t help yourself…

Ever since you started talking… due to the whole Flyer Derby incident. You still haven’t forgiven him for that. Point is: you two have gotten close. Closer than you should have. Yet, here you were.

One of his arms around your waist, the other firmly at his side. Even while spooning you he was so formal. It was so stupid that you two were together… so, so stupid yet the two of you were.

At first, Hunter would have always worn his mask around you but then you took it and wore it and he got all flustered by that… he couldn’t let you know how he thinks you are the cutest being alive. So, he stopped wearing it.

“Hey, Hunter?” You finally spoke up, probably because of some silly, stupid idea. He knows, how? That smug smile you had, the same smile you always had before you ask about or do something stupid.

“Yes, Y/N?” He replied, tiredly. He was exhausted from his missions and also because he had to chase you around all day. You forgot he was your boyfriend again. It’s getting tiring. Very tiring.

You looked outside, at the pretty stars. You loved stars and he did too, ironically that’s how you two got together.

“Could you take off your shirt?” You asked, of course you would. You horny bastard.

“No.” Hunter replied, firmly as per usual.

“Please.” You begged, apparently you were desperate and horny. Two in one tonight, huh? Wow.

“Still no.” He groaned.

“PLEEEEEAAAAAAASEEEEE.” You whined. Loudly. You forgot the others were in the other room, but he didn’t.

Hunter’s free hand clamped down on your mouth. “Shhhh! I will, jeez, just be quiet.” He sighed, you licked his hand which got him to quickly pull away. He was gobsmacked, a look of sheer terror and shock etched on his face. It was that: ‘Holy shit, did you actually do that?’ Kinda look while you looked as smug as ever. You were a jerk.

“I don’t know why I date you.” He said, disappointment laced in his tone but his cold, serious gaze softened when looked at you. Titan, you were so adorable he wanted to punch you as hard as possible. So cute.

“Shirt off, pretty boy.” You said, completely ignoring his last comment because you can. You little fucking gremlin.

Hunter complied but he made sure to take his shirt off slowly, probably to piss you off.

“Hurry up!” You whined.

Hunter ignored that comment but finally taking off his shirt, a look of shame etched on his face. Not of the beautiful muscles that came from only hours upon hours of working out, something you couldn’t relate to, but he was ashamed of something else: the scars he gained from missions and… Belos.

You didn’t say much, but it was clear as to why he refused to take off his shirt off. A pang of guilt overwhelmed you, was this too much for him? Was he insecure? Did you make him feel shitty or something? Ugh, now you feel bad for wanting to simp over your boyfriend! A clash came from the other room and then a lot screech. “That’s King don’t worry.” You sighed, causing Hunter to smile slightly.

You decided to admire your boyfriend’s beautiful body, nothing too much but come on, you gotta admire a good body! Duh. But unfortunately, you weren’t so subtle and he kinda noticed… “You like what you’re seeing, darling?” He teased, there’s that confidence. You swear he loves teasing you more than he loves you.

“Shut up!” You whined, your face all flustered. He wrapped an arm around you which got you to be more embarrassed, he’s topless and cuddling you! It was shocking. He laughed, revealing that adorable tooth gap of his. Titan, he’s so adorable. “To think this is the same person some coven scouts fear.” He joked, causing you to roll your eyes. You decided to ignore that comment.

Talking about the Emperors Coven wasn’t something the two of you often do, especially since your views are completely different. You despised anyone who was in it for hurting Eda (except Hunter) and he loved it, he was loyal to Belos. It was a dangerous topic.

“Jerk.” You mumbled, yawning. You started to trace the scars on his back with your pointer finger. Your head rested on his shoulder. You two started to feel more and more drowsy. To the point where it became a fight to stay awake, maybe a competition to see who fell asleep first.

Hunter was fighting to stay awake, not wanting to lose to you, he was always so darn competitive but he ended up closing his eyes. The feeling of your finger gently tracing each scar was so comforting.

Your eyes drifted to the stars, watching them in the sky. A shooting star passed and you made a small wish, who knows what it was. You pulled the covers above your head, since you liked it like that. Your free hand reached up to feel Hunter’s dirty blonde hair, fluffy as ever. You kissed the scar on his cheek and fell asleep as well.

————————————————

This took… a lot of motivation…

Sorry I took a long ass break, a family member died and a lot of drama with my dad has kinda happened sorry to pull a AO3 writer on you all.

Anyway, I will try to write more! And please request stuff! I can only be so creative before I explode.

Anyway, I might make a part two! Where you two get caught by everyone since there is a huge lack of Luminty in this story.

I will be on vacation while making this and also other stories are coming up!!!

Anyway, I’m making a board of what is okay and not okay with me! I will say I’m okay with smut… just nothing too weird and not with anyone below sixteen and with sixteen it can’t be with adults. Nothing weird too!

[systemic-stupidity]

https://www.tumblr.com/systemic-stupidity/756203930375143424/im-so-bored-someone-plz-send-me-asks-lol?source=share for this ask game

🩷 📻 ⚡️ 🌳 🍰

Omg our first ask!!! Thank you!!

🩷- do you have any subsystems?

Yup! We have one: Corvo is the host of a subsystem of two alters, himself and Orev.

Their existence and relationship to one another as well as the greater system is complicated; Corvo split due to our nightmare sleep disorder and one particularly stressful month of nightmares which all followed the same character (him) and storyline. So he came prepackaged with a backstory and abilities like shape shifting into a secondary form, which we referred to as his ‘nightmare form’. That nightmare form was a weird raven monster that was indeed just another shape for Corvo to take, and then… Well. Over time, they gradually became more and more distinct from one another until they split into a subsystem, with the human host Corvo and his nightmare form, now known as Orev. (I hope that all makes sense, I know it’s confusing- feel free to ask more questions about them and we can try to clarify!)

📻-does your system have any in-sys relationships? (Familial, romantic, platonic etc.)

Also yes! We have quite a few lol. Addy and Alex (who we don’t mention much since they’re purely internal nowadays) are a married couple who act as moms to the younger alters. Two of said young alters consider each other brothers. Ushejiel and Corvo are dating, and Ushejiel has a platonic relationship with Reno. I think that’s all of them?

(Damn we really need to make like. A master post of all of our alters so we don’t just throw names at you lol)

⚡️-what does switching feel like to you? Does it vary between alters?

Oh god, it varies between alters, between what triggered the switch, how tired we are… it changes a lot. Generally, it’s pretty subtle, like a very slow shift in hue between colors, where you can’t quite pinpoint *precisely* when that purple became green, but you can identify at the very end that yup, that was purple and this is green now. That or, for deliberate switches, we conceptualize of it as literally taking someone’s hand (or gently guiding them by their shoulder, waist, etc) and pulling them away from front and taking their place, a similar motion and sensation to helping someone through a doorway or stand from a sitting position. In those cases, we can quite literally feel the sensation of someone’s hand and our head feels a little like we did a half-turn, even if we’re completely stationary.

🌳-do alters have their own rooms/areas in the headspace?

Yup! We actually have a map of our houses around here somewhere… but our headspace is made up of a grouping of houses in the middle of a dense forest, plus a library. One home is for Addy, Alex, and the younger alters;Ushejiel, Corvo, and Reno share another home. Our gatekeeper, Simon, lives in the library. Everyone else either has their own homes or kind of float between guest rooms.

🍰-are you ‘out’ as a system to anyone?

Another yes! Some of our close friends know, as do our partners. Actually, so does one of our professors who is also our advisor for our master’s degree- we had to explain to her why we kept changing topics and why settling on a thesis was so difficult. We ended up actually writing an award winning essay about having DID, although remained anonymous when submitting it for safety.

Sorry this was so long 😅 evidently we have a lot to say today!

-M

[latenightsleeper]

Interesting fact about Tank is that they actually play the violin, very interesting for someone who’s covered in scars and can deal devastating damage to people and places. Tank grew up loving their violin, played and played and played as they grew up. Even winning a few trophies and medals because of it, every Asian parents dream ya know?

Even as their magic manifested and things got more and more complicated and more..painful, they still found great comfort in playing it. Sadly, they started to stop playing in front of people. Only playing in their empty house the older they got. When Christian and Tank got closer and they started to hang out more and more, Tank would sometimes play. In an empty room and away from Christian but they’d play in his presence.

He was so confused to first hear classical violin music suddenly echoing in the house but stayed quiet, playing on their tv but peeking where the music was coming from. He never got up thought, he felt like if he moves that magical music would stop. Christian felt like their air during those moments were so fragile, like spun sugar that would shatter should he even breath too heavy.

As it kept happening and they got more and more used to it, Christian would sometimes get up and slowly walk to where Tank was. Quietly standing against the wall next to the door, hearing how Tank would play and how the music would seep out and echo against the wooden floors. How their music made his core warm and fuzz in his chest, his eyes closed as he lead his head back. Then he’d slowly walk back to the living room, waiting for his Tanker to come back so he could switch out and let them play.

Then one day, Tank gently tugged his hand and slowly walked him to the room he had grown to know as their music room—maybe not officially but he knew that’s here they’d play their music. Christian remembers how they looked into his eyes, dark dark eyes looking into his mix matched blue ones, a question in them that they didn’t have to ask him. A soft squeeze, one of the softest touches He’d had ever given them at his point before Tank turned the door knob open and all Chrissy could see for a while was gold.

It was a small room all things considered, there wasn’t a lot to say about it. Just two chairs, a small table, a tiny bookcase and a music sheet stand with a window in the wall facing the door. The window that was open and letting warm golden light bath the room in its hue.

It was like Christian had stepped into a piece of amber when you’d hold it in the sunlight, that’s how the sunlight seemed to blanket the room. The window was open and letting cool air flow in as tank pulled him in, as Christian blinked himself back to his body he saw green.

So much green—plants there were so many plants in the room as well, on the bookcase it was like the plants that seemed to keep going we’re trying to eat the bookcase. Their bright green leaves a welcoming sight as they seemed to preen and bloom under the golden light.

“ I..wanna play for you..”

The thing about Tank that Christian had always found funny and—don’t tell Tank about this—liked was how..soft they were despite how they looked and were seen by others. Tanks voice was soft, always so soft even when they were angry, low in volume and monotone but he still found it appealing. Even when they first met and they hissed at him while he chided them for shit they could both care less about now. Tank was alway soft and gentle, in a way you’d never expect from them. How they always handled everything they touched with care, warmth in their fingertips.

Even now as they pulled him along and set him in front of the second chair as they stood in front of him, their hand on his hand was light, soft and full of a care and affection he didn’t question was there. Christian nodded, no snarky words there to say as he sat and look at them.

Looked at how they seemed to brighten at his nod, picking up the violin that they’d been playing behind the door he too was behind now. Watched as Tank gently rested it on their shoulder, their arms gracefully moving into position, a soft breath leaving them as Tank closed their eyes before their arms started to move.

Christian would never forget that day, he doesn’t think he could even if he tried. The sight he saw as Tank played for him was something he held close to his heart, something he’d covet for the rest of his days.

Tank bathed in a golden light as they played their music, in a tiny room filled to the brim with life and warmth as Christian listened. The light of the setting sun descending on then all, the plants shinning and glowing, a cool breeze blowing in through the cracked open window.

And if Christian started to listen to more and more classical music, that was no one’s business but his.

[univvrse]

the coven (chapter 13)

reader x bakugou x shinsou x kaminari x kirishima (just reader and shinsou in this chapter)

Coven- a formation of at least three or more vampires

He told you they were dangerous- why didn't you believe him?

previous parts can be found on my masterlist

on my ao3 if you'd prefer

1k words

You were eventually woken up several hours later by the shifting of blankets. Whoever had been moving the sheets stopped quickly and the room went silent again and yet you couldn’t get back to sleep. As far as you could tell there was only one other person still in bed with you, you cracked your eyes open a smidge and sure enough your peripheral vision was filled with purple hair. Hitoshi noticed the change in your breathing immediately and rolled over to face you. “Good morning.” You rubbed your eyes- trying to figure out if you were still dreaming or if the striking man in front of you was just a part of your reality. “Uh- morning,” you replied- still completely dazed from sleep. “What time is it?” He sat up- turning round and switching on his phone, “11AM, you must’ve been pretty tired last night, you slept like a baby.”

His statement filled you with concern, “were you watching me sleep?” “Only for lack of other things to do- I probably would have woken you up if I’d gone somewhere, Eijiro only just left and I’m assuming that woke you up?” That must’ve been what all of the blanket moving was. “Yeah; thank you for staying then, I slept really great,” you laughed- trying to cover the fact the fact that you were terrified you had snored and drooled in your sleep. “That’s okay baby, don’t sweat it- we’re really good at staying still and not doing things for long periods of time- one of the perks of growing up in the 1800s,” He snickered. “Do you have work today?” “Not until way later- I picked up a night shift the coffee place I work at is 24 hour.” “Oh that’s cool, I’ll drive you there later.” “Thanks, you’re so sweet,” you held back the urge you got to boop the vampire on the nose.

“We want to go on a drive later anyway, we spend most of our nights going on drives through cities anyway so it’s no hassle at all.” “If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you guys all meet?” His face serious, not like he was upset to be asked the question but like he was thinking of his answer. “Kinda complicated and kinda foggy (your human life kinda becomes a blur once you turn)- you prepared to listen for a while?” You nodded your head.

“Okay so some point I think early 1800s I lived on a farm with my parents- we had some of the coldest weathers ever. Seriously cold I got very close to losing my fingers a couple of times to frostbite. It rained constantly; I don’t remember a single time in my human life where it wasn’t raining. Everywhere was flooded with sub-zero water for example we had to keep rebuilding our house was so it would be further up the hill on our land so it was further up the hill so it wouldn’t flood so easily, pretty sure I spent most of my childhood doing that.

Cause of the famine our farm couldn’t grow any crops- my family died in the famine- I however was found by a wandering vampire community when I was right on the brink of death, they had been walking across where I lived. They found me and turned me. There was 15 of them- that’s a ton for our kind, most covens only consist of 3- technically we’re over the average. I spent my first hundred or so years with them,” he swallowed- pausing seemingly to catching his breathe even though that wasn’t possible. “We were never officially a coven though- and we kinda just drifted apart. I was alone for a while and I kinda just travelled around the world for 20-ish years until I came back to Japan and bumped into these guys at a club in Ni-Chome. I’ve been with them ever since- they were already all together when I came along, they’re all super welcoming; even Kats.” He smiled.

There were a few seconds of silence as you thought of what to stay. What were you supposed to say after a guy tells you his whole life story so casually? Luckily, he spoke before you got the chance. “Denki and Eijiro were both turned by Katsuki- Eijiro was Kats’ boyfriend before he turned him and I’m pretty sure turning Denki was just an impulse decision- kinda messed up but Katsuki just pulled Denki into an alleyway to fuck and sunk his teeth into him instead, but hey no one ever called vampires morally good.” He sighed, slumping back onto his pillows. If you were stumped by what to say before you most certainly were now. You wanted to reply with a sarcastic comment about Katsuki’s treatment of the others however you were forever conscious that they could all hear you regardless of where they were in the house, and you would have been lying if you weren’t curious to have a real conversation with Katsuki.

“Jesus Christ you’ve had one hell of a life for someone who looks the same age as me,” you said and, the two of you both laughed. “Katsuki wants to talk to you today, he’s finally gotten over his tantrum and now he’s interested in talking to you- he thinks you’re just as pretty as me and Eijiro do,” he planted a kiss on your head. “Where’d Eijiro go?” you asked, trying not to sound like you preferred his company over Hitoshi’s. “Talking to Katsuki and Denki downstairs, not about anything interesting or anything you’d care to know about, trust me.” He paused for a moment like he was listening to something “Denki wants me to tell you that I should’ve included him in the previous statement about him thinking you’re pretty.” “Tell him thanks from me,” you smiled, a small blush framing your face. You could already tell that Denki wasn’t attracted to you- you’d presumed he was gay from first meeting him and his behaviour around you compared to the other men had done nothing but confirm your assumptions.

Hitoshi laid a kiss to your forehead before sitting up, "You wanna go see the others?"

[aeoki]

Tri-Light: The Tower: Chapter 6

Location: Seisou Hall Common Room Characters: Sora, Tsukasa & Madara

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< Some time after ice skating. In the Seisou Hall common room. >

Sora: ♪~♪~

(Collect information if you’re in a pickle!)

(Master and Senpai both went back to their rooms, but Sora still has a lot of energy left, so Sora will read sports fashion magazines and study them!)

(You can read anything on a tablet in this day and age.)

(But Sora thinks you can get a lot of information by feeling the pages and reading it that way~♪)

(Hmm… Oh? “Mr Giant” is the model for this magazine!)

(“Mr Giant” is wearing a warm piece of clothing with fur – it looks very toasty. Maybe asking “Mr Giant” for help was the right thing to do.)

(Sora thinks “Mr Giant’s” “colour” is the closest to what the fashion company is looking for the most.)

(Sora has a feeling that we’ll be able to find new sides of us if we spend more time with “Mr Giant”~)

Tsukasa: What are you reading, Harukawa-kun?

Sora: Oh, Tsuka-chan. Hey, there!

Sora is reading a fashion magazine! There are a lot of new things, so it’s a lot of fun!

Do you wanna read it together, Tsuka-chan? Sora thinks we’ll have twice the amount of fun if we read it together~♪

Tsukasa: It’s rare to see you reading a Fashion magazine.

Hmm. I see there’s Casual and Street-style clothing. Do you have an interest in these clothes?

Sora: Nope. Sora’s reading it for work!

“Switch” will be taking on a new challenge and we want to show a sporty side to us~

Tsukasa: A Sporty “Switch”, you say…?

That’s rather surprising as it’s in a completely different direction from the “magicians” theme you’ve had up until now.

Keeping your wits about you when it comes to new challenges is a necessary skill in this Idol industry.

I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines, Harukawa-kun.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. We are fellow classmates who are affiliated with NEW DIMENSION, after all.

Let’s do our best so we don’t lose to the other agencies.

Sora: Thanks a bunch, Tsuka-chan~ Sora will work hard!

Oh, could I ask you something~?

Tsukasa: ? What is it? I’ll be happy to answer to the best of my abilities.

Sora: To tell the truth, we don’t have much experience with sports clubs, so we’re unsure about a lot of things.

Tsukasa: Inexperienced and don’t have the knowledge…?

That’s news to me. Is “Switch” attempting to challenge themselves in an unfamiliar field?

I think it’s great to challenge yourself, but you’re adept in playing Video Games, aren’t you, Harukawa-kun? Would that not have worked?

Sora: It’s complicated.

This project is a threat from the past!

Tsukasa: A threat from the past…? Could you explain it in detail?

Sora: Of course! Sora will summarise it for you~

The “threat from the past” is the reading Master got from his tarot cards.

There was a proposal made when “Switch” was just created that said that the “S” in “Switch” stood for sports! That proposal was accepted and we agreed to take on the job.

Tsukasa: “Switch” and “Sports”? How baffling…

Sora: Hmm~ Did Sora do a good job summarising it all? Communication is hard.

Tsukasa: You did fine. I think I have understood the gist.

Just like how “Knights” started their activities based on “Chess”...

There was a time where “Switch” was going to be a Sporty unit and one of those old proposals was dug up, correct?

Sora: ! That’s right! As expected of you, Tsuka-chan – you’re so smart~☆

Tsukasa: Ehe. Well, it’s all thanks to my studying every day.

…It’s not the time to be overjoyed like this, though. Back to the topic.

Sora: ? Tsuka-chan, you have a serious “colour” about you~

Tsukasa: Right. If that’s what you perceive, then I’d say you are very much correct.

If this was a light-hearted chat, then you could have praised me a bit more but…

Based on what I’ve heard, it seems there is something strange involved.

Sora: ………?

Tsukasa: You wanted to talk to people that have experience being a part of a sports club, right? Then it should be fine to use my experience from being in the Kyudo Club.

But I don’t think you’ve noticed the most important thing, Harukawa-kun.

That proposal must have been created around the time you had just entered Yumenosaki Academy, correct?

If I remember correctly, I think that’s when “Switch’s” activities began.

Sora: Yes. Master asked me to join and Sora accepted. Sora knew Master a bit back then.

Is there something weird about that…?

Tsukasa: There is. I would understand if you were the one who created the proposal as you’re the most athletic member in your unit.

But the proposal was submitted right after you had just joined. “Switch” was supposed to be a unit with a “Sports” image, right?

Neither Aoba-senpai nor Sakasaki-senpai seem like the Sporty type of people.

So why did they create “Switch” based on that image? Doesn’t that seem odd?

Perhaps they’re hiding something – some sort of reason behind why “Switch” was created.

Sora: A hidden reason…?

(Master and Senpai are lying?)

(...No! That’s not possible!)

(We promised we would talk things out properly and be “Switch” together.)

(That’s why I think they must have just forgotten the difficult days back when “Switch” was just created…)

Tsukasa: What’s wrong, Harukawa-kun? You’ve gone all silent all of a sudden…

Sora: S–Sora’s okay. HaHa~ Just doing some thinking!

Sora was a bit taken aback by what you said, Tsuka-chan.

But Sora isn’t the old Sora who would just worry about their “colours” and not do anything about it.

Tsukasa: …Hehe. I had thought I was the only one who had matured.

But I see you, too, have grown, Harukawa-kun. I’m sure the current you can definitely find out why “Switch” decided to go in another direction.

Sora: HiHi~♪ It’s exactly as you say, Tsuka-chan~♪

The current Sora will definitely be okay!

Sora will prove that “Switch” is different this year…☆

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< That night. >

Sora: “Mr Giant”, thank you so much for today!

Madara: You’re most welcome. If anything, I should be thanking you for giving me the chance to learn about so many things.

We share the same room and are under the same agency. You can ask me for help whenever you need it, alright?

Sora: …Actually…

There’s something I need your help with. Can you help Sora?

Madara: Oh…?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[stewardofningishzida]

Chapter 13: On Jewelry and Eyes

The first Meta-Fic is coming to an end! Chapter 14 is effectively finished as well and then we’re working on the sequel. Here’s the penultimate chapter! This one is soft and fluffy. Enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNING: Eye injury, alcohol use, language

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Stephen enters Trix’s house and grabs her Sling Ring prop.  He looks it over curiously before heading back to my house.*

Stephen:  Okay, I have the replica.  

Me:  Go in my room and take some of my jewelry to melt down.  It’ll save some money.  I keep them in their original boxes.  So, you can see which ones are silver.  The souvenir bottle of gold is on my bookshelf.

Stephen (gentle):  Steward, I can’t-

Me (firm):  Yes you can.  I can’t give energy right now and time is of the essence with your abilities fading.  It’s the least I can do.  So, please take it.  Things can be replaced.  *I’m clearly not going to change my mind.*

Stephen (grateful):  Thank you.  

*He goes and gets some pieces for melting down.*

Stephen:  There’s copper that can be mixed in at cost in the store.  We won’t need the lab’s supply.  That’s one less complication.  The rest of the gold and silver can be purchased at the store as well.  How are you feeling, Trix?  Any better?  

Trix: Doing a bit better but running at probably 60%

Stephen:  Okay.  Rest until PrettyWitch and I get back.

Tear: Call me if you guys need anything while you’re out. I can pass the phone over to Steward too if you need more help at the store.

Stephen:  All right.  Will do.

*He checks on Trix one more time before heading to the car with PrettyWitch.  His nerves spike again as usual.  The sorcerer takes a deep breath before getting into the passenger seat.*

Stephen (preparing himself):  Be careful, please.  *He’s anxious.*

PrettyWitch: You got it.  

*They get to the jewelry store and request the more accurate remake of the Sling Ring replica.  Stephen’s hands are shaking rather badly now.  So, he lets PrettyWitch show them the text logs from Trix as proof before they swing by the grocery store for some snacks and head back to my house.  He goes to check on me.*

Stephen:  How are you feeling?

Me:  My eyes are burning a bit, unfortunately.  Where are the eyedrops?  

Stephen:  I’ll get them.  

*He goes to get the medicated eyedrops, but struggles with undoing the cap due to his loss in dexterity.  Stephen lets out a frustrated sigh.*

Tear: Here. *I hold my hand out in a silent request for the eyedrops* Would you mind helping me fetch some tissue paper for Steward too? You know how annoying it is when the drops run all over your face if you miss. *I keep my eyes fixed on his and keep my attention away from his hands, hoping the offer to switch chores will help reduce the sting of his current situation*

Stephen:  Thanks…*He hands Tear the bottle and goes to get some tissue with an appreciative glance at her.*

*I accept the bottle and clumsily put the drops in before feeling around for a tissue to clean up the excess.  The sorcerer helps me.  Despite the shaking, he’s very gentle.*

Me:  Merci beaucoup.  *I smirk slightly, trying to amuse the group.*

Trix: Très bon

PrettyWitch: (Turns to Stephen) So how long until the new Sling Ring is ready?

Stephen:  The store will take a few days to make the new Sling Ring.  

Me:  Anyone got any other plans or things to try in the meantime or should we just wait?

Trix: Storytime? *eyes the group eagerly* Nothing too bad or traumatizing of course, but I say we go for our weirdest story that describes who you are the best!

Tear: Hmm, you say that as if my life was ever weird or exciting before Stephen popped by for a visit… *I still take a seat and curl up on the couch, expression relaxed and open. I’m curious to hear what everyone has to say*

Me:  Heh. That, I think we can all do.  C’mon, Tear.  I know you have a few good stories.  *I encourage her gently.*

PrettyWitch: I have some good stories.

Stephen (amused):  All right.  Who wants to start?

Trix: I have a fun one! So back in elementary school when I was in sixth grade, I ended up being a bus buddy for the kindergarteners so they were fine and someone would make sure they got off at their stop fine. There were five of them and they ended up liking hanging out on the bus with me and would find me at recess and things. I ended up drawing pictures of Pokémon for them and they treated them like trading cards because the actual cards were banned. Well word got around the kindergarten classes and my little buddies got popular for their ‘trading cards’ and asked for some for their friends. Well, that led me to drawing at least sixty pencil and notebook paper Pokémon cards and handing them out to the kids. This also meant I had a herd of 60 or so kindergartners who would follow me around at recess and do whatever I suggested. I, of course, had bullies back then like most do and after a rough morning, I may have had the idea of sending my apparent army after the two bullies to scare them. I will never forget them running from their lives from an army of kindergartens across the playground like Captain Jack Sparrow running from the tribe in the Pirates movie. Random story, I know, but honestly it makes me laugh remembering that through the power of friendship I gathered an army to defeat my foes like the cartoons used to always promise you could do.

*I laugh at the mental images that conjured up.*

Me:  That’s a good one!  All right.  Well, back in my senior year of high school, one of my classmates had badly broken her leg.  She still wanted to go to prom and such despite not being able to dance.  I’m not much into dancing either and didn’t know her as closely as some of my other friends.  However, I always carry a deck of cards with me because I enjoy the games.  Prom was no exception.  Since I had a deck in my purse, I cleared a table, invited my classmate over, and started dealing blackjack while using some candies as poker chips.  We really started getting into it and having fun, which got my friends’ attention.  Eventually, I even got the teachers in on it and basically turned a corner of the prom into a makeshift casino.  We were dealing blackjack and Texas hold ‘em all night while others danced.  At one point, we ran out of candy and started betting small items like phones, bracelets, etc.  I even won a guy’s car keys during a round!  Boy, was he nervous after losing that one to me.  Heh…Yes, we gave each other our stuff back at the end of the game.  It was one hell of a time and I think that’ll stick in our classes’ memory for ages to come.  With how things went, my classmate managed to go to prom and still have a lot of fun despite her situation.  Totally worth it just to see everyone happy.

Trix: That’s so sweet!

Tear: It sounds like you guys had some really fun times! You make this sound easier than it is… *I think hard about what to share and shift on my seat so that I can hug my knees* I’ve visited quite a few places and met some really extraordinary people, but I think the weirdest thing I’ve done…I’d say it was meeting my best friend. It happened back in 2009 in an old forum where she’d post her drawings. I liked to comment on them, and she was very sweet when replying to me. We exchanged messages for almost two years before we tried calling each other, which was insane because we lived in different countries. That evolved to video calls when they actually became a thing, and before I knew it she had invited me over so that we could meet face-to-face. It was the first time I traveled on my own, so I was terrified. My parents even made me come up with a backup plan in case it all turned out to be a big scam. It all went smoothly, thankfully, and I visited her many times afterward. Now, 14 years later, she’s asked me to be the godmother of her first child. The amount of sheer blind trust I had back then to dare make such a huge leap of faith still baffles me. Maybe it was stupidly naive, but I don’t regret it. If the concept of soulmates existed, I believe she’d be mine.

Stephen:  You’re a very kind person, Tear.  I’m glad that you found such a dear friend.

Me:  Awww.  That’s wholesome!  You’re very lucky.  Who’s next?

PrettyWitch: Hmmmm, what’s a good story?...Ooh! I know! So, it was the summer of 2005; I was thirteen, on vacation with my folks, and one of our destinations was New York City. We stayed in New Jersey, though. Now I don’t know if any of you remember, but 2005 was the hottest summer on record at the time, and we were going into the concrete jungle that is Manhattan…in the daytime. Well, let’s just say that between walking around all day and being at the top of a tour bus with an upper deck, my brain was cooked. It also didn’t help that we went up Canal Street, a.k.a. Bootleg city USA. I don’t know if it was a busy day or it was summer, but there were so many I was afraid we’d get split up so I was trying to hold onto my brother for dear life while trying to make sure we all held hands. Needless to say I was exhausted. So once we got to Battery Park, my mom took my hat off, poured water into my hat and dunked the hat on my head. It was…refreshing, to say the least. I cooled off after that, thankfully. But yeah, that’s probably one of the better stories I have.

Stephen:  So far so good.  How many of you have been to New York City before?  

Trix: I have once!

Tear: I haven’t had the chance to. I’ve done connections there before, but I’ve never left the airport.

*I shake my head to indicate “no”.*

Prettywitch: Ah, don’t be embarrassed, Steward. I’m sure you’ll get to visit the Big Apple, someday.

Me:  I’d like that.  My mom goes on and on about it and she wants to see NYC too one day.  Admittedly, it’s a bit intimidating, but I’ve been to Los Angeles.  So, how much different could it be?

Stephen:  Very, but you’ll get used to it quickly.  You all seem like an adaptable bunch.  *He smiles gently.  Unfortunately, I can’t see it, but I can hear the softness in his voice.*

Prettywitch: Well, if I had my pick I’d go back to New York. I’ve only been to L.A. once and I hated it. I much preferred San Diego.

Me (teasing):  How dare you.

Prettywitch: (sticks my tongue out, playfully) Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Stephen (amused):  Be nice, you two.

Prettywitch: Ah, alright. *Her tone indicates she’s playing along.* So what about you, Stephen? I’m sure you have lots of fun stories growing up in Nebraska.

Stephen:  I do.  Bittersweet, but a few good ones.  Lemme think…Well, when it was calving season, we had some of the new calves go out to pasture with their mothers.  After a few weeks, they were already starting to get adventurous.  One day, we were herding the cattle back into their barn and were short one head.  A male calf was missing.  My dad sent me out to look for him and I searched everywhere and couldn’t see him until I heard distressed mooing coming from a thicket of thorn bushes along the edge of the property.  He had trapped himself in a thorn bush on the steepest part of the hill next to the fence.  So, I carefully positioned myself and descended to the bush to rescue him.  He was scared and had no clue what was going on, which made him start struggling.  I had been out there for half an hour trying to get him out and my dad found us and helped pull back the thorns so I could get the calf out.  It was about to freeze that evening and we were all wet and covered with scratches by the end.  However, the calf and his mother were more than happy to see each other.  He ran over to her and she spent the next several minutes cleaning him up.  Despite how difficult the situation was, it was worth seeing those two reunited.  

Prettywitch: Awe! That’s cute!!! So you were a big old softie even back then.

*He grumbles in a half-hearted protest, yet can’t help but smirk.*

Prettywitch: *She giggles. *

Me (teasing):  Yeah, yeah, tough guy.

Tear: Not gonna lie, I thought for a moment there that you were going to say you stumbled across a tree on fire and heard a voice commanding you to go speak to the pharaoh.

*I snort, amused at Tear’s remark.*

Me: So, anyone want dinner?

Prettywitch: Yes!

Trix: Absolutely.

Me:  Tear, could you help us, please?  Erm…I could try to heat something up, but someone will have to tell me what I’m about to grab or touch.  *I get up, still trying to do stuff even if this is my first evening being blind.*

Tear: Oh! It’s okay. I offered to cook you all dinner tonight… *I spring out of my seat, ready to block the way to the kitchen if necessary*

Trix: Oh no, you are not on kitchen duty, Steward.

Prettywitch: Ah hun, why don’t we just order in, tonight? That way, you can rest.

*I hang my head, but agree.*

Me:  I just don’t want to be helpless…I should carry my own weight.  *I’m frustrated about the situation, but don’t want to make the same mistake that Stephen did.  So, I’m being gentle with my friends.  Though I’m lowkey taking it out on myself.  Stephen gently puts his hand on my shoulder.  I can feel it trembling, but warm.*

Stephen:  You’re doing the best you can.  Letting others who care help you isn’t a sign of weakness.  I don’t know how this accident happened exactly, but you can’t take it out on yourself.  

*I sigh.*

Me:  Basically, the new guy forgot to close the ether container when he finished his dissections and didn’t put it back in the fume hood where it belonged.  It gassed the entire lab and I got him out because he had passed out at his station.  Ether can explode or knock people out or even kill if in gas form.  So, I went back in to turn on the vents and get it out of the air safely.  I was already half-conscious from exposure, but was doing my best to fix it.  Then, the stupid part.  As I turned the vents on, I saw the cell culture hood was open and the UV lamp too.  The shield should be down because the lamp’s radiation burns living tissue.  I went to pull the shield down to protect my labmates when they eventually come back in later, but got the full blast of UV light to the face.  I was already loopy from ether and that slowed my reaction time down while lowering the shield.  Hence, how I got burned…So stupid.  I tried to protect my labmates and got myself toasted in the process…*Irritated huff*

*Stephen looks at me for a while, processing what I said and how I’m reacting to the situation.*

Stephen (gently):  No, it wasn’t stupid. You risked your life to save your labmates.  Doing something like that takes a lot of courage and you rose to the occasion perfectly. You deserve to take some time and heal your injuries.

Me (thinking this over):  …I suppose.  I just did what I thought was the right thing at the time.  

Trix: Here, why don’t I order us some food instead?

Tear: *I sigh and rub the back of my neck* That might be the fastest option…

*I sit back down.  Stephen hands Trix her phone so she can call for takeout.*

Trix: It shouldn’t take that long to get here.

*We have some dinner and call it a night.  The next day, it’s Prettywitch’s turn to cast the protection spell and everyone meets at my house again.*

Stephen:  Morning, Prettywitch.  I was thinking about something a while ago.  Would you like to receive some additional training?  I’d like to see if you can strengthen your casts.  

Prettywitch: Really!? *Clears throat.* I mean, really? That would be great.

Stephen:  Seeing as your methods have been working, you may have some inherent affinity for magic.  I want to see what else you can do.  

Prettywitch: Okay! So what do we do first?

Stephen (raising an eyebrow):  Be careful, all right?  Mystical forces aren’t something to be trifled with.  Now, are you ready?  Follow my movements.

*He demonstrates some hand gestures meant as a component of a power-boosting spell.*

Stephen:  First, I want to see if you get the signs right.  Then, I’ll walk you through the steps of the spell itself.  This one is to tap into the energy of the nearest leylines and channel it through yourself to boost your abilities.  Since the magical fields in this universe are so weak, I’m not sure how much this will help.  However, anything we can get will improve your casts at least a little bit.

*Prettywitch nods *

Prettywitch: Okay.

*She performs the same hand gestures as Stephen, doing her best to copy him. *

Prettywitch: Well?

Stephen:  Almost.  Be sure to keep your arm movements fluid.  Magic is practically a living force in and of itself.  It moves with whoever or whatever channels it.  One more time.  *He watches her.  After she finishes the movements, he teaches her the incantation, correcting her pronunciation gently and patiently.*  Okay.  Now, try the incantation together with the hand gestures.

Prettywitch: *Performs her movements while reciting the incantation.* How was that?

Stephen:  How do you feel, first of all?  If the spell was done correctly, you should feel more energy coursing through your body.

Prettywitch: I don’t know…I feel a bit of twitching in my hands. Does that count?

Stephen:  Hm.  It’s hard to say with how weak this universe’s magical field is.  Try casting the protection spell now and tell me how you feel afterwards.  The power-boosting spell should make it so you’re less drained after casting other spells.

Prettywitch: Okay. *Places her hands up to make it look like she’s conjuring a ball.* Protect Stephen Strange, who I deem needing. As I say it, so mote it be. *She pushes the ball out into the ether, then carefully returns any other magic she has into the air by brushing her hands of it. She notices a surge of energy, but it’s not tingling or the kind she gets from a coffee rush, it just feels…normal.* Well what do you know, I actually feel a lot more awake.

Stephen (curling his lip, impressed):  It seems my suspicions were correct.  You would have made an excellent sorceress in my universe.

Prettywitch: Really? Oh my God! That’s amazing! I always wanted magic powers and now I can! *She hugs him.* Thank you, Stephen!

*He’s surprised and a bit startled by the hug initially, but lets her hug him and gently pats her back.*

Stephen (soft, warm tone):  Happy to help.  Thank you for the energy.

Prettywitch: *smiles* No problem. You’re worth it. *Gives him a little peck on the cheek and walks off into the kitchen to get a snack.*

*The sorcerer turns slightly red and rubs the back of his head before going to check on Trix and me. I’m still half-asleep over my cup of coffee, holding it so I don’t lose track of it.*

Trix: Okay, so don’t be mad but I brought gifts. The others I’m currently working on but for you two, I have them done! *holds up incredibly large bag*

*I turn to try and face her, guessing where the sound is coming from.*

Stephen:  Trix, you didn’t have to.  *He’s humble.*

Trix: My love language is gifts and I made these to help! *pulls out two tie blankets where the different fabrics are tied together using cut strips around the edges* Dark red and blue for our resident sorcerer and dark blue and forest green for our commander in chief. Extra warm and fluffy! And I brought my zodiac sign and astrology one for myself while we enjoy the best movie of all time!

*I carefully reach out to grab the blanket and give a warm smile in what I hope is Trix’s direction.  Stephen accepts his gratefully.*

Me:  Thank you very much, Trix.  That was incredibly sweet of you.

Stephen:  It really was.  *He smiles at her.*  So, what movie are you talking about?  *He’s curious.*

Trix: *holds up the DVD of the original Blues Brothers movie* We’re about to be on a mission from god to put the band back together. *She’s grinning ear to ear* I grew up in Wisconsin but only about an hour away from Chicago so there’s a big fondness there for me. Plus the music is god tier and the comedy is amazing.

Stephen:  You’re kidding!  Your universe has the “Blues Brothers” too?  Who was in the cast?  I’ve got to see this now.  It was one of my favorite movies back in my universe.

Trix: John Belushi as Jake, Dan Ackroyd as Elwood, Carrie Fisher as Jake’s ex, and a whole hell of a lot of musicians like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Reverend James Brown, and more. Is that the same for you?

Stephen:  There are a few who seem to be universal constants for us.  Not everyone, but some of them.  Who’s Carrie Fisher?  There are a few others who are different too.  I’m curious to see how the songs and performances compare.

Trix: Carrie Fisher is best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars for us but she was a hell of a lady. Now we absolutely have to watch this!

Stephen:  “Star Wars”?  Never heard of it as a movie.  There WAS a series of interplanetary conflicts that our universe has documentation on, but no sci-fi or fantasy films made of it.

Trix: ….it will be a crime to not send you back to your universe without some of our greatest pop culture movies. Even if you don’t watch it here I am sending you home with CULTURE! …And only the original trilogy because you do not need to get into prequel and sequel movies. Basically, treat it like a sci-fi soap opera and it’s awesome.  Enough about my brother’s favorite series, we’re here to see the band get back together!

Stephen (intrigued):  All right.  Let’s see.  Anyone want to join us?

Me:  I love the music.  So, I’ll happily sit nearby and listen.

Prettywitch: I’m game. I haven’t seen Blues Brothers in forever.

Tear: Sure. I’ve actually never seen it before.

Stephen:  Okay, then.  Let’s put it on.  

*He lets us sit on the couch next to him.  After all that we’ve been through, it seems I no longer mind getting close and even enjoy letting my friends sit next to and/or lean on me.  Feeling the warmth of my new blanket and the closeness of my friends is very comforting.  I seem relaxed for once.*

Trix: Alrighty! Here we go! *puts disk in the dvd player and settles down in the cuddle pile with the remote and presses play*

*I can’t help but sing along softly to some of the songs.*

*Trix is trying not to quote too many of the lines out loud but is failing to do so.*

*The Cloak, though sluggish, affectionately tousles Trix’s hair.*

Trix: This is probably one of my favorite things ever. Just saying~ Favorite movie with great people!

*I’ve curled up, much like a large cat.*  

Me (from the depths of the pile):  Agreed.

*Stephen watches the movie, fascinated by the subtle differences between his universe’s version and our version.*

Trix: Fun fact, part of the car chase scene where the other car launches off the bridge and is suddenly falling thousands of feet: the bridge they launch from is actually filmed up in Milwaukee before cutting back to Chicago!

Stephen:  Huh.  For ours, it was shot in a soundstage and then the falling car was greenscreened in.  The effects weren’t as good in ours.

Trix: I’m pretty sure this movie held the highest record for cars crashed or destroyed. Almost all of it was practical effects.

Me:  Yep!  Trix is right.

Stephen:  That’s interesting.

Tear: Movies should go back to doing more practical effects for sure.

Me (dumb grin):  Amen to that.  *Making a stupid joke related to the “Mission from God” line.*

Tear: *I giggle at the joke and crawl my way out of the cuddle pile.* Anyway, thanks for the movie, Trix! I’ll go ahead and get started on some chores around the house.

Me:  Thanks, Tear.  Seriously.

Tear: No problem! You just worry about getting more rest. *I wave a warning finger at the others playfully.* You better keep her there a little longer or so help me Thor.

Trix: So what do you think of our version, Stephen?

Stephen (impressed):  The music is still excellent.  Though the casting in some parts threw me off a bit, it didn’t take anything major away from the movie.  Your universe’s special effects are beyond anything in mine.  Our movies and other entertainment tend to be a bit more…campy.

Trix: That honestly makes sense. We don’t have much going on with powers or magic here so it’s a case of creating things to make up for it!

Stephen:  I can see that.  So…Since your universe thought that mine was fictional, how were we portrayed?  *He’s morbidly curious.*

Trix: Honestly, you look just different enough to not be identical from the actor who portrays you. Otherwise, I would say that you are pretty similar to what we’ve seen except maybe a little less of an asshole and a lot more caring now *Teasing him good-naturedly* Also, Wong absolutely has a cult here because the man is awesome. As for everyone else, I wouldn’t know how they’re really like versus how they are at home. It seems like our versions of you are sort of pulled apart between comics and movies because the rights were distributed between different companies early on so the X-Men or Fantastic Four or others aren’t in the movies because they can’t be for now. It’s very complicated. Don’t even get me into the Mississippi River deal between theme parks because you guys show up in those too.

Stephen (taken aback slightly):  …That’s really…something.  

Me:  Heh.  There are documentaries all about this.

Stephen:  I should bring some documents, recordings, or other evidence of this back home.  The Defenders, Avengers, and others will be very curious about all of this.

Trix: I mean, you’re the expert in determining if things are spoilers or not. We may need to get illegal downloads of the streaming only things but we should be able to do it. As for comics, there’s like 60 years worth of stories in there and they reboot stories every so often.

Me:  You can borrow and take pics of our comic books if you want.  

Stephen:  Hmm.  Okay.  Though please don’t break the law on my behalf.  *He’s not necessarily a goody two shoes like Captain America, but he still doesn’t want us to get in any more trouble for his sake.  Stephen is becoming more protective of our little group.*

Trix: I mean, considering pirating media is often the only way people can archive content for historical purposes because media companies control almost everything in terms of things only being streamed and no physical copies being made, one could say we’re helping to conserve history!

*I smirk knowingly.*

Stephen:  …Just don’t get caught.

Trix: They almost never crack down on people unless they’re reuploading it online for a profit so we’ll be fine! There’s a whole bootleg market for media for the military overseas that the government pretends doesn’t exist. We’re good! *grins*

*I decide to peer out from my lair beneath my new blanket.  Stephen carefully checks my eyes.*

Stephen:  Stay put.  You need to put your eyedrops in again.  I’ll get them.  

*He gets up and has Trix help him unscrew the top before handing it to me.  I put them in.  Stephen gently dries my face.  I subtly lean into his touch as a silent “thank you”.*

Stephen (warmly):  You’re welcome.  Do you need anything else?

Me (tired, but grateful):  Not right now, dear.  I appreciate it, though.  Maybe go check on Tear?  It’s been a while since we’ve heard from her.  I’m just going to rest for a while.

Stephen:  Okay.  Call if you need anyone. 

*I nod, curling back up, and Stephen goes to find Tear, quietly retrieving a small plate from the fridge beforehand.  He looks for her.*

*After making sure we had food ready to prepare lunch with, Tear moves out to the garden to pick berries from the bushes I harvest almost daily. With the fright from the accident, we skipped a couple of days so new berries are ripe for the taking. She is playing her music on her phone, upbeat songs in all sorts of languages shuffling unpredictably. She sings along quietly to the ones she knows and shuffles goofily in little bursts of happy dances whenever the rhythm gets to her.*

*Stephen notices Tear in the yard and goes out to check on her.*

Stephen:  How are you doing, Tear?  Do you need any help?  

*He can’t help but smirk.  She had been singing and dancing a bit as she worked.  It’s cute and amusing to him.*  

Stephen (gentle teasing):  Nice moves.

Tear: Eeep! Stephen! *I squeak in slight surprise. With the music and the grass cushioning his footsteps, I never heard him approach. I grin widely at his teasing and rub the back of my head, trying to play off my embarrassment.* Can’t help it if the music makes it hard to sit still.

Stephen (amused):  Mhm.  *He looks awkward for a moment.*  I…Erm…Tried to make something last night out of one of Steward’s cookbooks.  I don’t know if it came out any good, but I wanted you to try it since you seem to really enjoy baking.  *He offers the plate with a small flan on it to her with a spoon.*  

Tear: *I immediately go starry-eyed at the sight of his sweet creation and leave the bowl of berries on the ground so I can approach him. I’m trying really hard not to squeal in sheer joy.* You made this? It looks so good!

Stephen (shrugging):  I just followed the instructions.  It was one of the easier recipes so I didn’t have to strain my hands too much. 

Tear: *I chuckle* You say that and still my sisters cannot make a flan to save their lives. Caramel is one of the toughest things to get right. I’m very impressed, Stephen!

Stephen:  Really?  Huh.  *He’s surprised.*  

Tear: Master of the Mystic and the Culinary Arts, who would have thought? *I carefully take the plate and dessert spoon before scooping a bite.* Have you tried it yet or did you ask me to be your guinea pig in case it’s poisoned? *I send him a teasing, squinty look.*

Stephen (blushing slightly from the compliment while giving her an amused smirk):  I tried a bit of one of the others in the fridge since the recipe made multiple servings.  It’s been a while since I’ve actually had flan.  So, I wasn’t entirely sure if it came out right.   

Tear: Well, there’s only one way to find out~ *I eat the spoonful and hum happily at the flavor.* Oh, that’s tasty alright! Not overly sweet, and your caramel didn’t burn. Is this really your first time making flan? The texture might need a little bit more work, but this is really great, Stephen! *I can’t help myself and happily munch on a second bite of the flan.*

Stephen:  Yeah.  I normally just order takeout.  Otherwise, Wong cooks most of the time.  Heh…Thanks.  So, how would I fix the texture?  

Tear: Hmm, if Wong discovers you can make stuff like this now, he’ll never let you go.

Stephen:  Damn.  Now he might put me on kitchen duty.  *He’s half-joking, but happy to have discovered a new hobby.*  

Tear: If that happens then you’ll be able to make him the perfect flan. *I cut another piece of the flan and poke it slightly with the spoon.* These bubbles here suggest the oven might have overheated while they were baking. Gas ovens are a little finicky though, so sometimes it’s just a matter of getting to know your oven well. *I pause as a thought springs to mind.* The oven in the Sanctum is not some sort of portal to a hell dimension or anything of the sort, right?

Stephen (sheepish):  …Erm…*He grins.*

Tear: *I gasp and weakly smack his arm.*  Stephen, no.  No feeding cakes to any demon babies.

*He chuckles guiltily.*

Stephen:  Well…It’s not *technically* a demon “baby”…Just a lesser fire spirit.

Tear: Right. That’s more acceptable, then.  *My amused grin dims slightly then as I look down at my half-eaten flan. I remember what Stephen said about making it late at night and can’t help but worry.*  I’m sorry you couldn’t rest well last night. You know we’re all here for you if you need anything. 

Stephen (gentle):  Don’t worry.  I’m used to it.  It just comes with my job.  I really do appreciate all of the help and support the group has given me.  So, it’s fine.  *He puts his hand on Tear’s shoulder comfortingly.*  

Tear: *I nod and send him a fond smile, letting the issue go. I resist the urge to hug him and instead motion with my head back toward the house.* Come on. Have the others tried your amazing flans yet? I want to go steal a second one before they’re all gone. Maybe Steward will have an idea for what to do with all of these new berries, too.

Stephen:  It does seem like she enjoys cooking and baking judging by all of the tools and books she has.  All right.  Let’s see if she’s awake.  

Tear: Yeah! We try to do little baking sessions together whenever work allows us to. 

Stephen:  That sounds nice.

*He walks with Tear back to the house, carrying the basket of berries.*

*I raise my head to “look” in their direction when I hear the back door open.*

Me:  So, guys, how are the crops doing?

Stephen:  They’re in good shape.  Tear picked a basket of blackberries and she was wondering what to do with all of them.

Me:  We could always try making some jam.  I think that would be nice.  

Tear: Sure! I can get started on it after a small break. *I walk over to perch on the armrest of the couch Steward is sitting on*

Stephen:  How are you feeling?

Me:  All right.  Can see blurry shadows moving around now.  Before, it was just whether or not it was light or dark.  

Stephen:  It’s something, at least.  

Me:  Is there anything I can do to help out?

Stephen:  You can wash the berries if you want.  I’ll guide you to the sink.

*I’m grateful to hear this.  I do appreciate all of the help from my friends, but I also still feel badly about not doing much since the accident.  So, I’m happy to help in any way that I can.  Stephen helps me get to the sink and I wash the blackberries, feeling around to make sure no leaves, stems, or bugs are on them.  While there, I chat a bit.*

Me:  So, what’s the first thing you’re gonna do when you get back home?

Stephen:  Well, damage control would be a start.  I don’t know how trashed Greenwich Village got after Shuma-Gorath threw me here.  Wong will never let me hear the end of it.

Me:  Heh…I can imagine.  

Stephen:  Admittedly, I’m not sure if this will even work.  I have to keep trying, but in case this fails, I’m trying to figure out my next move.

Me:  I’m thinking about a plan B too.  Don’t worry.  Though I want to stay hopeful.  I know it looks bad, but at least we can still do a little something.

*Stephen shrugs.  Although I can’t see it, I can feel it instinctively.*

Me (light reprimand):  Stephen Vincent Strange, we’ve all worked hard to uncover and brainstorm all of these methods.  If you can get in here, then there has to be a way out.  Pessimism isn’t going to get you or anyone else anywhere and it never has.  Yes, it’s rough.  Yes, your abilities are fading.  However, for whatever weird reason, we’re starting to have magic and interdimensional monsters coming in here.  So, whatever this is, we’ll find a way to harness it and get you back home.  I don’t care if we have to start sacrificing goats on a blood moon.  Whatever this is, it WILL work out.  This, I promise you; I will not rest until we find the way.  *I look brave.*

Stephen (grateful):  You’ve got heart, Steward.  I’ll give you that.  *He smiles a bit.*  Heh…I notice that you and the others are music lovers too.  What’s with the microphone in the corner of the living room?

Me:  Oh, that.  It’s part of a karaoke machine.  You can try it if you want.

Stephen:  Trust me, you don’t want to.  I can’t sing to save the multiverse.

*I grin.*

Me:  Mhmm…C’mon.  Humor a blind woman~  *I tease him a bit.*

Stephen:  Really?  You’re playing THAT card?

Me (smirking):  I’m not above it.  

Stephen:  I’m sorry I asked…*He reluctantly sets up the machine.*

Me (to the group):  Hey, guys.  Wanna join us for karaoke?

Prettywitch: Yeah!!!! Let’s get shitfaced and sing!

Me:  Trix, Tear, are you in?

Trix: I’m in!

Tear: Yeah! I’m always up for karaoke nights.

Stephen:  Just don’t get too crazy, all right?  We all still have things to do tomorrow.

Me:  We’ll be careful, Doc.  *I smirk.*  Okay, guys.  The good stuff is in the fridge in the garage.  The mic and machine are in the corner.  Just hook it up to the tv.  I’ll be the sober one since being blind AND drunk is just asking for trouble.  *I curl my lip, amused.*

Prettywitch: Alright. You do that, I’m gonna go grab something. You got any Stella?

Me:  Yep.  Stella, some of the nicer imported beers, sake, a few bottles of wine, limoncello, and some various liquors for cocktails.

Prettywitch: *Gets sparkly-eyed* Yay! *Runs to the fridge and grabs a Stella*

Me:  Heh…Admittedly, I haven’t touched the absinthe in the back for a while.  Especially after last time.  Whoo…*I had underestimated how strong it was and got really loopy after a bit too much.  The group members remember it.  I kept laughing like an idiot at the smallest things while also wanting to fight everything.  The poor pillows and furniture never stood a chance.*

Trix: Good for you guys I’m a permanent DD and don’t drink.

Tear: Well…since I’m spending the night, I won’t say no to a few drinks. Takes a lot to actually get me sloshed though, so let’s see if you can keep up~ *I send a playful wink at Prettywitch as I follow her to the fridge in the garage*

Prettywitch: *chuckles* Nah, I get it. Lucky for you, I’m a fun/loopy drunk, so worse case scenario I’ll just do and say things I don’t have the courage to do when sober.

Stephen:  I’ll probably play it safe too.

Me:  It’s okay, Stephen.  Two of us will be keeping an eye on things.

Stephen:  I’m good for now.

*I give him a respectful nod in what I hope is his direction to indicate that I won’t pressure him.*

Trix: If anything, we can take video for ourselves while they drink so they have something to jog their memory later. *nudges Stephen jokingly*

*I get an evil grin at Trix’s words.*

Me (singsong):  Hellooo, blackmail!~

Stephen (curling his lip):  You two are a real piece of work, you know that?  *He’s teasing.*

Trix: Yeah, like a painting that could be shown at the Louvre *sticks out tongue at him*

*He shakes his head with a lopsided smile as he goes to set up the mic and machine.*

Tear: *I come back with Prettywitch, carrying plenty of bottles of all kinds and placing them on the kitchen counter.* Alright, I’m setting up a small cocktail station if anyone wants one later on. You’ll only get me full instead of tipsy if I only have beer, and by the Vishanti I’m too sober to embarrass myself singing in front of Stephen twice in the same day.

*Stephen looks at Tear, amused.*

Me:  Sounds awesome, Tear!  So, what song do we wanna try first?

Trix: We could do some songs individually then move onto duets?

Me:  Sounds good to me.  Everyone agree?

Tear: Eh, I’ll have a go at anything as long as I know the lyrics. Any language goes!

Me:  All righty!  Let’s do this!

Trix: So, quick question: what happens when Stephen finds songs that are different here than from home? I vote he sings his universe’s version.

Stephen:  I’ll follow along as best I can.  If it’s really different, I’ll go with my universe’s version.

Me:  Fair enough.  Who wants to go first?

Prettywitch: Oooooh!!! I’ll go first! *Runs up and takes the mic in hand.* Okay, how do you work this thing?

Me:  Just use the remote to flick through the songs and click one.  It can also work with YouTube.  So, if the song isn’t in the machine, it can play YouTube lyric videos too.

Tear: Neat! There’s nothing worse than a karaoke machine that only plays songs you don’t know.

Prettywitch: Oh, sweet! *Starts flipping through the songlist until she comes across “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul* Perfect! *Starts singing.*

*When the song ends, we cheer Prettywitch on.*

Me:  Whoo!  Good one!

Tear: *I whistle loudly and clap with the others.*

Trix: *clapping wildly*

Prettywitch: Thank you! Thank you!

Me:  I’ll go next.  Someone put on “What a Feeling” by Irene Cara.  

*Stephen turns it on and I go, putting everything into it and having fun.*

Tear: Go Steward!

Trix: Woo!

Stephen:  You really go all in, huh?

Me (flopping back onto the couch a bit clumsily):  All in or not at all, hon.  *Grinning.*

Stephen:  So, who’s next?

Prettywitch: Why don’t you go next?

Stephen:  …On second thought, maybe I’ll have a beer first…Just a minute.

Tear: Eeyy, that’s the spirit! *I grin and lift my own glass toward him in a cheer*

*He goes to get a drink.*

Me:  So, got an idea of the song?

*Stephen downs half of his beer.*

Stephen:  “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd.

*He flips on the song and does his best.  His voice is deep and gravelly and he does well.  Definitely doesn’t have any training in singing, but he hits the notes.  A few of the lyrics are slightly different from his version.*

Me (cheering):  Go Stephen!~

Tear: Who said sorcerers couldn’t party? *I clap and cheer for him along everyone else*

Prettywitch: *Is squeeing and, being two Stellas in, tries to not giggle like a schoolgirl too much.*

Trix: Honestly, this is the greatest thing.

*Stephen is blushing hard this time, but seems to be enjoying himself.*

Stephen:  This doesn’t get out to Wong, got it?

Tear: *I hiss through my teeth and tease him with a big grin* Keeping secrets from the Sorcerer Supreme already? I don’t know, Stephen. Sounds like we might need one more song from you to be convinced.

*He groans.*  

Stephen:  I’ve just walked right into it, haven’t I?

Prettywitch: Pretty much.

Me:  I think the eyedrops are just artificial tears to help my eyes heal.  Can anyone check to see if they’re medicated and if alcohol interferes with them?  I’m not going to have much, nor get drunk.  Though I WOULD like some limoncello.

Prettywitch: I’ll do it. *Takes the drops and reads the instructions.* Looks like they’re medicated, doesn’t say anything about alcohol interference so you should be good.

Me:  Sweet.  I’ll just slowly nurse my drink throughout the evening to be safe.

Stephen:  I take it you’ve memorized the song lyrics, then?

Me:  Force of habit.  *I shrug.*

*He smirks as he pours me a shot of limoncello and puts it in my hand.*

Me:  Thanks.  So, Trix is next, I think.

Trix: *sings I Need a Hero from Shrek 2*

*We cheer for her when she finishes and pass the night having fun, singing together, and generally enjoying ourselves.  The replica Sling Ring should be fully made by tomorrow afternoon.*  

***To be continued***

[foolondahill17]

Cesar is a good-looking guy – both he and Jesse are – but Cesar has the thick dark hair, crow’s feet, piercing eyes thing Dean usually goes for. Something about him feels rough like Benny. Strong.

If it was fifteen years ago, Dean would have flirted with him. Don’t eat where you shit is a common adage, and, as a rule of thumb, Dean stayed clear of hunters in case word ever got back to Dad. But Dean can’t say he’s always been good at following rules. That’s how he and Lee started hooking up. He had a raging crush on Dad’s old army pall, Deacon, for the month he spent with him when he was a teenager. He even tried kissing Caleb once when he was very drunk and very lonely, but Caleb put a stop to that real quick.

I’m twice your age, kid, he’d growled, even though Dean had been holding his own on hunts since he was seventeen. But Caleb never told Dad, so he was a decent guy in more ways than one.

Except Dean strangely has no desire to flirt with Cesar, now. It’s not just the idea that the other man might reject his advances – or worse. But it’s also that Cas is working this case with them, and Dean doesn’t really want to hook up with someone with Cas literally in the room next door.

"So, how'd you and Jesse start hunting together, anyway?" Dean makes conversation, winding Baby through the backroads, tires crunching against old snow and slush.

Cesar huffs a laugh as if recalling an amusing memory, "Chupacabra. Wasn't pretty."

Dean laughs, too. "Nasty suckers. My dad, brother, and I went after one back in '95. Hell of a thing. Picking chicken feathers out of my hair for weeks afterward."

Dean feels Cesar's eyes heavy on him from the passenger seat. "You were young, then, when you got into this?"

"It was a...family business of a kind," Dean shrugs. "My dad taught me and my brother everything we knew."

"Jesse was young, too," Cesar replies, voice somber. "Me - I was already an adult, and I grew up in a household already well-acquainted with the supernatural world. But to be introduced to it as a child, I can't imagine."

"Never really knew much else," Dean says, trying to keep his voice casual. Talking about his childhood with strangers isn't exactly his idea of a good time.

“Your brother and father, are they…?”

Dean’s all-too aware what Cesar is asking.

“Dad died on the job…Jesus, ten years ago, now. My brother’s still in the game. Doesn’t, well, doesn’t take as many cases anymore. It’s complicated.”

“He doesn’t mind that you found a new partner?” Cesar asks with a swift smile.

Dean matches his smile. He likes talking about Cas. “Nah. I trust Cas with my life. Sam does, too.” Dean’d like to talk about Cas more, but he finds himself weirdly bashful. He switches gears, “You and Jesse always hunt together, then?”

Cesar laughs like Dean’s missing out on some joke, “It’d be difficult for us if we didn’t. We’re married.” He pulls a ring out from a chain around his neck. "Too risky in this line of business to wear them. Don't know if you've ever seen a degloved finger?" He shudders.

“What – oh,” Dean stammers. Jesus, is he glad he didn’t flirt with the dude.

"We're careful who we tell," Cesar says with a significant look, like he’s waiting for Dean to lash out. Dean’s been there. He’s taken more than his fair share of punches because he said the wrong thing to the wrong guy at a bar.

"No - yeah - of course,” he rushes to say. “You don't need to, ah, worry. I - one of my best friends is a lesbian. It's, ah, cool." Before he adds something stupid, something like: I also sometimes like sucking cock, he makes himself ask, "So, what's that like? Settling down with another hunter?"

Cesar laughs, relief evident in his voice. “It’s frustrating. Terrifying more often than not. You’ve got twice as many reasons to worry about getting everyone out safely. Jesse’ll send me into cardiac arrest one of these days – the stunts that boy pulls.”

“I know what you mean,” Dean laughs, too, despite the scratchy feeling in his throat, like he’s having an allergic reaction. “Cas drives me crazy sometimes. He doesn’t always, ah, understand what he’s heading into.”

“You and Cas seem close,” Cesar says slowly. “But you’re not…?”

Funny, Dean and Cas have been mistaken as a couple before. Diner waitresses or hotel managers. But it feels different. It feels like Dean’s wearing it like a neon sign around his neck to be perceived like this by Cesar, an actual, living, breathing homosexual man with a husband.

Is it that fucking obvious? Dean wants to ask in his sudden, near-panic. And he and Cas have talked about it. Almost talked about it. Alluded to something, but Dean can’t afford to think about it in more depth. He and Cas –

They can’t. They just can’t. It’s too complicated. Dean won’t risk ruining the good thing they’ve already fought so hard to get.

“No,” Dean says. “Cas doesn’t exactly work like that.”

“But you maybe wish he did?” Cesar guesses.

It’s bold. Doesn’t matter that he’s right, it still ticks Dean off. Or maybe it ticks Dean off because he’s right.

“So, Jesse,” Dean says pointedly. “He’s obviously got skin in the game. Why’s this case so important?”

“Jesse’s seen these things before,” Cesar moves with the change in subject as if he didn’t even notice it. Dean’s part annoyed and part grateful for his charity.

“Twenty-seven years ago?” Dean infers. “And you said he got into hunting when he was a kid?”

“It isn’t my story to tell,” Cesar says. “But suffice to say, Jesse won’t back down from this hunt. If we fail to put it to rest this time….” He trails off darkly.

“Yeah, well, there’s four of us now,” Dean reassures him. “We’ll smoke these sons of bitches.”

“It’ll eat him alive if we don’t,” Cesar says, and Dean feels the real weight behind his words. Cesar loves Jesse – really loves him. Dean wonders if people have ever been able to feel Dean’s love for someone else, just by listening to his voice.

Another chapter of this nonsense just dropped

I didn't even make you wait 3 months this time.

[thefvllsun]

more than one

❥ switch the chains

actual name: switch (m)

preview: “You’ll never guess who I have a date with tonight.” Your mom exclaims. Jamming her breasts into a garment tearing at the seams.

“Is that my dress?!” You shriek, ignoring her excitement.

“Shut up. When have you ever paid for anything in that closet, hmm?“ she reprimands. Smoothing the too tight fabric gathering at her waist. “You’re going to be so jealous. The hottest single dad in town finally asked me out.”

“..wait, you mean..” you near gag. Sitting up from your bed, gawking at her tawdry appearance with disgust.

“Yup.” She goes on boasting. “Finally snagged Johnny Suh’s eye.”

actual name: chain (m)

preview: “They’re just kids..” Johnny sighs. Rubbing his temples enough for skin to gather in folds between his eyebrows. Evidently annoyed and frustrated after listening to your mother scream for the last hour.

“How can you say that?!” She shouts, pacing around behind him ripping at chunks of hair.

Jeno smirks by your side, drumming his fingers against the dining room table. “We’re adults, and we fuck. Get over it.”

❥ hush, hush.

actual name: hush, hush

❥ maybe you should chip in

actual name: chippin’ in

synopsis: Finding solace in bad decisions probably isn't the best way to get over your cheating ex-boyfriend, but as you watch the strings of fate intertwine themselves with the four members of SAMURAI, you're starting to think the universe is sending you a sign to do just that. A drummer with a sex addiction, an alcoholic with trust issues, a stoner who's always high and the responsible leader who brings them all together – your mother taught you to never be greedy, but you can't stop yourself from wanting all four. Question is, how bad do you they want you?

❥ just so you know

actual name: just so you know

summary: you’re kinda with jeno, but when you realize his best friend jaemin is in love with you too, well it complicates things

❥ “you gotta watch me”

actual name: watch me | l.jn & l.dh

synopsis: Your gamer boyfriend has a love for watching you melt under his touch,

but when his best friend suddenly joins in the show, you’re in for a ride (literally).

❥ “saturday drip”

actual name: saturday drip (m)

summary: it’s already too cliché to fuck one of your roommates, so what do you call it when you end up getting fucked by both of them

❥ “for me?” “yes, you.”

actual name: for you?

synopsis: childhood bffs turned superstars, within their years of success the bond of friendship has never been broken, outings to let loose are vital in order to withstand the pressures of being a celebrity.

What will happen when you unintentionally push your body’s limits on a night out?

actual name: for you?

synopsis: We finally get some insight on what really happened the night you all went out… Oh, by the way, how was breakfast with Mark?

❥ nct dream - “quiet down”

actual name: quiet down pt. 1

preview: Snorting on the inside you watch as Haechan attempts to seduce you. He must not have learned his lesson the last time he tried to get you to cave into him. Having little sleep last night, both excited and dreading this little long weekend getaway and the fact that Haechan is right, you are stuck with Renjun — you may be more affected by his advances, but considering your dead tired…there was only one option, to throw it back in his face and hope he leaves you alone.

“If you saw me, why didn’t you come over and talk to me instead,” you lean into him keeping your voice to a whisper. “I mean, it was hard not to notice you. You looked very handsome,” you place your hand on his chest, feeling his racing heart. “Your golden skin glistening in the sun. You were so,” placing your lips to his ear you giggle. “Yummy,” you whisper.

❥ differences

actual name: differences - masterlist

summary: The individual stories of four young men who each have one thing in common. They are struggling with life. Not that they’d like to admit it to anyone though. With one struggling with his inner demons of mental health while making money through doing illegal street races. One a drug dealer who refuses to let anyone in emotionally, struggling with his own addictions and habits.

One a struggling young father who finds it hard to balance his social life and being a good father to his infant daughter. And the other one struggling to keep off of the law enforcements radar which is easier said than done when you have raging anger issues and earn your money through illegal underground fights. They each have their own story to tell, and cope through difference methods. How will they balance love on top of everything else they are going through?

❥ 00’s line’s no nut november

actual name: no nut november masterlist

summary: The Rules of No Nut November:

You cannot have sex, masturbate, or nut in any way, shape, or form.

Watching pornography and having boners are allowed, but you can’t nut.

You are only allowed one wet dream. If you have more than one, then consider yourself out.

You do not have 3 strikes; you only have one shot at it. If you miss it, you’re out.

If you have passed the month with a total of 0 nuts, you are a victor and you shall qualify for Destroy Dick December (Not Recommended).

Look man, just don’t nut in 30 days.

❥ beast mode

actual name: beast mode | nct series (M)

preview: welcome to Hel. this city, your hometown, is ruled by heroes and villains, constantly at war with each other for power. here, there is no right and wrong. only loss or gain.

❥ pick

actual name: THE PICK ME CHRONICLES — M.L

preview: when a night of drinking and games leads to a heated discussion on which boy fucks best, you decide to figure it out for yourself

❥ 가위 바위 보

actual name: rock, paper, scissors

summary: five friends rent a house together for a few weeks to enjoy summer like they used to do when they were younger, thinking that nothing could change their friendship. But teasing leads to pent-up tension and tension leads to problems. Problems that can’t be fixed by playing ‘rock, paper, scissors’ like when they were young.

❥ opposites

actual name: day and night

summary: after being kidnapped, the last person you expect to find responsible is haechan: the cute boy from the school baseball team that you tutor. but when you realize that he’s merely the partner-in-crime to jeno, captain of the baseball team, you find everything less surprising - considering your kidnapper’s are stark opposites.

❥ can you handle it?

actual name: can you handle it?

summary: Johnny drags her wildest fantasies out of her mouth, or to be more precise, out of her phone.

But can she handle it?

❥ 𝕹𝐄𝐎 𝕾𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝕮𝐋𝐔𝐁

actual name: 𝕹𝐄𝐎 𝕾𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝕮𝐋𝐔𝐁

preview: neo seoul is an underground club where fraternities and sororities from different specializations and programs take a few breathers and entertain themselves after dark. it was founded by the ‘Neos’, a brotherhood of infamous young enticing men ranging from freshmen to post graduates. hence, the club was named and described after them, electrifying, ruleless, untamed and crazy.

apart from that, it wasn’t the typical club nor a lit party hosted by the frat wherein an ordinary living soul could get in, a membership should be bought that obviously comes in reality simply as for formalities. however, what if the contrast happens? an uncalled invitation lands straight to your palms?

❥ saturday drip

actual name: Saturday Drip (M)

preview: Can you believe while we were sitting swamp ass in misery— Jaemin was fucking my favorite cam girl?!” Jeno blurts out before his roommate can recall the actual events that took place.

“We didn’t do anything like that, but..” Jaemin takes in his friends intrigued stares, nervously mumbling.

“She’s looking for Alphas..”

Renjun’s brows twist, inching closer with interest. “For what?”

“To film content.

❥ too long

actual name: game over

❥ option two

actual name: gorgeous ii | lmh (ft. ldh)

summary: ever since your shower tryst with mark, donghyuck has been feeling left out, and he’s been hinting at it. not so subtly. pretty damn explicitly, actually. after multiple failed attempts at reassuring him you’re all still a well-oiled machine of a team, you’re left with only one solution.

interestingly, it’s not an option anyone seems to be too averse to.

[doctors-journal]

2 July

We’ve got a new case. I don’t think I’ve stared at so many figures since I was in school.

It started this morning with a visit to a retired middle-aged woman—she wasn’t that old, really, and was in good health. She lives in a flat in a quiet neighbourhood and met us at the door. The detective had declared my own suit to be good enough for the occasion, and he went in something similarly conservative.

“They were really pearls that you got in the mail?” the detective asked like a neighbourhood gossip—apparently he had found out about it online somehow.

“Yes,” she said matter-of-factly, “thankfully it all got sorted out and they’re with their rightful owner now, but it was awfully strange. I knew it had to be a mistake, though part of me wondered of course—you hear about these sorts of mysterious inheritances and the like. And they were packaged so strangely, not like precious jewels at all, though they were quite big. Not that it does to pry into my neighbours’ business.”

“They were actually meant for your neighbour?”

“Yes, a quiet young man. He’s a financial advisor, I think it’s called.” She lowered her voice. “With the returns he gets, I’m surprised he’s still living in a little flat. I have a small pile invested with him, and he’s a magician, though it’s taken a bit of a dip recently. But still, if you want a good investment, that’s where to go.”

“Thank you, ma’am, I’m much obliged,” the detective said, “and I’m relieved your little mystery sorted itself out.”

As we returned to the street and she closed the door behind us, the detective said, “What, would you say, Doctor, a simple stock-broker might want with pearls?”

“There are pearl necklaces, aren’t there?”

“An admirable attempt, but I expect these would make for a gaudy necklace, and they were delivered surreptitiously over the course of months, as you heard in ill-suited packaging. No, I expect their true purpose is less charming, and I have my suspicions… I fear our stock-broker is indeed involved in a deeper matter than even he knows. But I don’t believe it would do to warn him just yet.”

From there, we went to the stock-broker’s little office; just one suite rented out of a building in what must be the financial district. He met us at the door himself and led us over to his desk, which was surrounded by shelves of dense financial books.

The detective motioned for me to follow his lead.

“What can I do for you gentlemen?” the stock-broker said. “If you’re looking to invest, I can tell you that now is the time. I have a very promising portfolio.”

“It’s that portfolio we’d like to see. We’re here to do an audit of your books, pure routine you understand.” The detective’s voice was uncharacteristically mellow.

“An audit? But why?”

“There’s no reason to worry. Thousands of firms are routinely audited each year, mostly as a deterrent. It’s just the luck of the draw, nothing serious as long as you have nothing to hide.” The detective fixed him with a pointed stare.

“No, of course, it’s no problem,” he said hastily. “I can show you everything.”

It was so easy, I wonder if this is how he got involved in whatever he’s mixed up in.

We all sat down around his desk, and he turned his computer screen so that the detective and I could see.

He pulled up a complicated spreadsheet that I could only just begin to process. “Here are all of the funds that we have investments in. You can see that they’re doing very well.” He switched to another spreadsheet. “And these are all of my clients’ individual accounts. And my own profits, which are just a percentage. Is there anything else you want to see?”

“That will suffice very well,” the detective said. “We’ll need copies of all of these documents, and then we will be on our way.”

“Of course.” The stock-broker quickly printed out the files for us, and as promised, we took our leave.

When we got back to the flat, the detective laid out all the files across the living room table. “What do you make of these, Doctor?”

I bent over the spreadsheets, scanning the columns of numbers and codes and the detective joined me, so our shoulders brushed together. It didn’t take long for my back to protest, and so we ended up sitting down on the floor, the pages spread out around us. I took a pen from the table and went down the columns, adding and subtracting and multiplying—the detective lent me the calculator on his phone so I didn’t have to do it all in my head.

The detective examined it all over my shoulder, his chin nestled against it and his hair tickling my ear. I presumed he was doing his own calculations in his head, but if he was he didn’t say anything. Eventually, he got up to make us both some much-appreciated tea, and then returned to drape himself across my back. By the time I was ready to take a break, he had dozed off.

I think he’s still sleeping now. I just wanted to compose my thoughts while I had the chance. I should probably wake him so we can both have a bite to eat, and then I’ll get back to the numbers. I think I might be onto something, though as the detective says, I shouldn’t theorise until I have all of the facts.

[imagineabuttercream]

Pink Cake (Jack x Reader)

Sitting in the back of an Uber car, you couldn't stop the tears from streaming down your face.

"Are you alright, miss?" The older gentleman driver kindly asked.

Smiling and making eye contact in the rear view mirror, you started nodding. "I'm great, actually. Definitely happy tears."

"Well that's good to hear." the driver chuckled, seeing you lift the small ultrasound picture so he could see it in the mirror. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." you stared back down at the picture.

You had found out you were pregnant almost a month ago, but the doctor had warned you that there may be complications. He was unable to get a heart beat and he couldn't get a clear image of the baby. You had hesitantly told Jack, but the two of you had kept it to yourselves and tried your hardest not to get your hopes up.

You hadn't told Jack about your appointment today, but you were beyond excited to tell him the results. After worrying for another month, your baby girl was healthy and happy at 18 weeks.

You sent out a group text to the rest of the boys. "Hey everyone. If Jack is by you right now, don't read this text until later. I have a huge surprise for him BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR MOUTHS SHUT. We need everyone to come over tonight (I'm telling Jack we're having a movie night) and I want everyone to bring a pink food or drink. Anything. The pinker and girlier, the better! [you can probably tell what his surprise is] Everyone should arrive around 8:30. Love you guys! See you later!"

You replied to a load of congratulations texts you had received back and everyone was in. Joe suggested he invite a few more of their YouTuber friends that weren't on the group text. You agreed knowing the more of you that got together, the better time you always had. Joe had practically doubled the number of people showing up.

After straightening the flat, you sent Jack to shower. Filling in Conor on the plan, the two of you hid cameras all over the flat.

Sitting in the living room watching the boys play Fifa, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." you said, letting in the first group of guests. Joe, Caspar, and Oli all walked into the flat, greeting the boys on the couch.

"Oooo, what'd you bring?" Jack asked, staring at the TV trying to beat his brother.

"Ice cream, cupcakes, and a bottle of Rose." Joe called out, taking everything to the kitchen and joining the boys in the living room.

The doorbell rang again straight away. Josh got up and let Simon, JJ, and the Cals into the flat, pointing to the kitchen. "Just put the food in there." he said smiling.

"Holy shit. We're going to have so much food left over." Conor said, causing Jack to look up.

"Ay! Haven't seen you guys in a while." Jack called out, still focused on the video game.

Simon handed his food off to one of the other guys and walked over to watch Fifa. "Ooo, your team is shit, mate." Simon commented, making the boys in the living room laugh.

Cherries, a few more bottles of Rose, strawberry jello shots, and pink chocolate covered strawberries had been added to the food. Your kitchen was looking very pink. Zoe, Alfie, and Marcus joined the group followed by Abe and Alex and a few of the boy's non YouTube friends. This added Strawberry Lemonade and vodka, pink cookies, a tray of watermelon, bags of different pink candies, and raspberry sorbet.

You loved that the flat was full of your friends. Between JJ's loud ass laughter, knowing Jack was going to freak out, and watching your friends catching up with each other, you couldn't keep a smile off of your face.

Jack beat Conor in Fifa and they switched out controllers with JJ and Simon. You had left a Pink frosted cake in Mikey's fridge as a way to get Jack out of the flat for a few minutes. "Hey babe, can you go get the cake I made? It's in Mikey's flat."

"Why can't Mikey get it?" he fake whined.

"Do you really trust LP to not drop it?" you laughed, going up on your tip toes to kiss Jack. "Please?"

"Oh, alright. I'll be back in a few. Where is it?" He asked, grabbing Mikey's keys from him..

"The fridge. Thanks, love." you called, shutting the door behind him.

"Alright. He'll be back in a few minutes. How can we make it to where he knows right away?" you said, watching the boys pause the game and put the controllers by the TV.

"I think we should all be holding one of the pink foods when he walks in." Caspar suggested.

"He's going to shit." Conor laughed, helping you hand the food out. "I'm not going to hold anything so that I can grab the cake before he drops it."

"Perfect." you said, waiting by the door. "I'm so nervous." you couldn't sit still.

Conor pulled you into a hug. "Don't be, love. He's going to be so happy."

You could hear footsteps approaching the door. "He's coming." you whispered to everyone standing in the living room.

When Jack opened the door, you could tell he was focused on not dropping the cake. When he saw you standing there waiting for him, he asked "Babe, why did you make a pink cake. You hate pink." He laughed and tried to hand it to you.

"No reason." you answered and told him to hand it to Conor instead. When he rounded the corner and handed the cake to Conor, he saw everyone standing there facing him with big smiles on their faces. "What's going on..." he laughed and started asking, but froze when he realized that all of the food was pink.

Jack turned to face you with his mouth hanging open. His eyes dropped to your stomach and then back up to your face. "Are we...? Is everything...? It's really..." Jack stuttered, tears threatening to fall from his watery eyes.

You had already started crying again. Nodding, you tried to wipe the tears from your cheeks. "You're gonna be a dad."

Jack ran back to you and pulled you into his arms, spinning you around. The whole room was cheering, shouting out congratulations and laughing. "She's alright?" he asked once he had sat you back down, his voice muffled by your hair.

"She's perfect." you replied. Everyone had started setting down the food and had surround the two of you in one massive group hug.

When you finally broke apart, you were congratulated by everyone individually. Some of the boys opened the alcohol and had pulled Jack out onto the balcony, everybody pulling out their vlogging cameras.

The rest of the night was perfect. You were happy that so many people had showed up. You did end up ordering pizza so that no one died of a sugar overdose. Games were played, your friends vlogged, and you got to catch up with some of your favorite people.

After making sure everyone had a safe ride home and sending most of the left over food home with people, you guys set about cleaning up. Jack was silent the whole time, but he had a huge smile on his face. "Lets go to bed, love." he said, walking up behind you and slipping his hands over your tummy.

"Sounds good to me." you smiled, putting your hands over his.

After changing into comfy clothes and finishing your nightly routine, you crawled into the bed and waited for Jack. When he finally joined you, he immediately pulled the covers down and snuggled his face against your stomach.

"Is she really okay?" he asked, softly running his fingers back and forth across the skin of your bare belly.

"She's completely healthy." you said, smiling but yawning. "Lets go to sleep, love." you started running your fingers through Jack's hair.

Crawling back up to kiss you, Jack pulled you to lay across his chest. "Sweet dreams, mommy."

"Sweet dreams, daddy." you replied, letting the rhythm of Jack's chest rising and falling lull you to sleep.

[bike42]

Imiloa Retreat. Monday January 2, 2023

After a relaxing morning, we took the hotel shuttle to the Domestic Terminal, where we were to meet our group for a 3:30p charter flight to Quepos. The terminal was very small, but it is a small country so how many domestic flights are there? The answer is a lot, but they’re mostly 8-12 seat prop planes! Having arrived early, we decided to find a place to sit outside but there were no benches. We sat on some pipes near the taxi stand where we read our books, ate some snacks, but mostly just watched people. While it was great to soak up the warmth, after awhile it was too much diesel fumes and we went in to the air conditioning.

Our people watching changed to a new game as it got closer to our departure time, and that was “guess who’s on our retreat.” It got easier once I figured out that the boarding passes for the flights were different (ours were large tan plexiglass chunks). The thought of flying on small planes used to freak me out, but after our experiences in Alaska, Idaho and most especially, Tanzania, this was a piece of cake!

3:30p came and went, and I was a bit concerned that the planes that matched our boarding passes didn’t look big enough for our group? The What’s Ap chat lit up and basically said “no worries, the skies are a busy travel day today.” About 4:15p, they started calling names of people that matched our boarding passes - one group for gate one, one for gate two, but that left 5 of us! Daniel said no problem, we’re getting the best plane for you! Fifteen minutes later he was ready for us, and walked us out to a 8 passenger prop plane. He offered us water from a cooler as we were climbing the steps, and beer once we were seated (later we learned we were the only group to be offered beer so we were indeed lucky)! Our pilot was a gregarious fellow - love for flying and pride for his country! We were his 13th flight of the day, and probably the last because they don’t fly in the dark and daylight was waning by then.

Jeff and I sat in the seats facing backwards, which was a first experience for me but it was ok. The views out the side windows were spectacular and I decided it was better for me to not be watching the pilot with all those complicated dials and switches. We had a view of downtown San Jose with big buildings, then were quickly over the mountains with rain forests. We were in and out of clouds a bit, and the plane was a bit of a carnival ride, but in a fun way - sliding sideways, going up, going down. In about 15 minutes, we were over the pacific coast and we flew over Manuel Antionio National Park where we’d hiked with our REI group 11 years ago. We flew lower over acres and acres of palm forests (planted for the fruit), then a paved landing strip appeared and we were on the ground. We walked past a tiny terminal (at least they had toilets!) and were greeted by staff from Imiloa. We got into the SUV with Jesus, the facility director for Imiloa for the 20 minute drive to the retreat site.

During the drive, it started raining, and didn’t let up all night. We turned off the main road and started climbing. Jesus switched the car into 4WD, and we couldn’t believe the way we climbed and bounced over the steep rutted road. It was dark and wet, and we couldn’t see much else. We arrived at Imiloa and were greeted by staff with umbrellas. They ushered us into the main pavilion (the Heart) and offered wet scented washcloths and fancy smoothies. It took me awhile to comprehend that there were many SUVs arriving and we arrived first! I guess the others that flew out earlier had been waiting in cars at the airport!

We had snacks and a welcome speech from the proprietor and his staff, then we were shown to our rooms (we were given headlamps and umbrellas). Jeff and I are in one of the Bali suites - a remarkable structure reputed to be over 200 years old and transported from Bali. It’s very spacious with a massive king size bed draped in mosquito netting, and large beams that I’ve nearly ran into many times already. We have two day beds, a kitchen, a closet and a nice bathroom. It’s exceeded my expectations for what we’d find here, and I love the way it’s set above the jungle and not exactly in it. Can’t wait to see the view tomorrow!

Back to “the Heart” for a 4 course dinner, and then we gathered at the “House of Masters” for a brief session with Andrea, setting the stage for the week. We headed out from there up the hill - following a group in the dark with our headlamps and umbrellas. We climbed a hill with no idea where we were going, but ended up at our place. Turns out the others were lost, but we were found! It’ll be great to get the layout of this center figured out in the daylight.

[purelyfiction]

Crossfire -----✈︎ 3

Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x F!Reader | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 |

Word Count: 4,887

Summary: With weeks of work under your belt, the mission grows near. You are given your assignments and you're not happy with them. Instead of putting aside your emotions - you let them drive, which makes things far more complicated than the actual mission you need to endure.

Content Warning: This is a successor to the first part, please read that first! || This story will have TopGun: Maverick plot line elements to it and will possibly spoil the movie for you. Please be aware. This - and all of my stories - is 18+. By continuing to read you agree that you are 18 or older and that any content you come across is by your own decision. 

Author Note: Well, well, well, look what we have here! It’s the next part and honestly one of my favorite parts if you ask me. We’re really getting into the nitty gritty now. I’m having so much fun with y’all I hope you enjoy this part :D

                                                       ✈︎  ✈︎  ✈︎

With the timeline for the mission having been pushed up, it made you that more tense and emphatically stressed. You had two days before Maverick was picking who’d be flying. 

Which is why you’re sitting in the dark in the common room, F-18 manual in your lap. Unable to sleep from nerves, you put the energy towards studying. Studying what? Valid question. You knew the book inside and out, had gone through emergency training, water exercises, you’d had an engine fail on you for cripes sake. Yet, here you are with seven different colored highlighters and a fresh copy of the manual you’d tattooed to your memory. 

Sipping at your (now cold) tea, you highlight the proper section with the corresponding color. You’re about to dig into the gummy bears at your side when you hear someone clearing their throat. Your head shoots up, only to be greeted with a very sleep deprived Bradshaw. Very shirtless... Bradshaw. He’s got a pair of leather sandal flip flops on and some sweatpant style shorts, rubbing at his face.  

“Is this tied to the callsign or… just being weird?” He asks, rolling his wrist to check the time. “Because it’s currently 4:30 in the morning.” Soon, he’s shuffling over to the couch you’ve made home the past four hours, making room by pulling pillows off the cushions. 

“Just… being weird, I guess. I couldn’t sleep.” You admit as he lets all his weight fall to the couch, looking at the book in your hand. Rooster reaches over, taking the manual and then shutting it. You’re about to dispute his actions as he takes it from you, but he's moving far faster than you can react. A whine leaves you and he looks at you, holding the book up above you with a look that says ‘really?’ 

“Do you remember what Mav said, day one? They’ve got this book memorized just like you do, sweets. That’s not gonna help.” He’s quickly switching the book from one hand to the other, setting it on the other side of the couch. Once there, he’s letting his arm drop around your shoulder, slowly bringing you in, letting you get comfy against him. ”Practice is the best you can do, and you had great exercises this week.” You glance up at him and see his head is resting on the wall behind the couch, eyes closed. He looks exhausted...

“Why are you awake?” You question, shifting to get comfy as you pull a blanket over both of you. 

“I woke up, grabbed a drink and saw the common room light was on. Figured I’d double check that someone wasn’t binging on gummy bears.” You roll your eyes as he speaks, but you also hear the crinkle of the candy wrapper, only for a few of the gummies to make their way to his mouth. 

“Hey.” You whine, which wins you an eye peeking open and looking down at you. He smiles as he chews, pulling you closer. 

“My point is, you’re gonna do just fine.” His hand is now reassuringly making a soothing path up and down your arm, both of you curled up on the couch, reaching to the gummy bear bag every now and then. It’s a few more minutes before you speak again. 

“What if it doesn’t go fine? You heard Admiral Simmons. You need not one but two miracles to pull this off.” The male doesn’t give you an answer. You think he’s sleeping, honestly, but when he shifts you can tell he isn’t. 

“Don’t think. Just do.” Unknown to you, Maverick had told him the same bit of advice, mere hours earlier. As the two of you sit in the common room, he begins to hum a tune, making you smile, closing your own eyes. It’s not long after that he’s patting your arm. “Hey, grab a coat, I’ve got an idea.”

You pick up all your stuff and navigate to your dorm, dropping everything off, grabbing the first jacket you see, a streak of denim blue following you as you make your way to the parking lot again. Once there, Rooster opens your door before jumping in. It doesn’t take him long to find his destination, a parking lot right along the shore, not even off base. It’s the Commander’s Beach, which meant it was for the Navy’s use only. But, he backed into the spot, guided you to the trunk, and curled you both up in blankets just as the orange hue of the sun began to come from the shoreline. You’re laid back on his chest, resting comfortably as you watch the colors transform the sky, the darkness of the night slipping away as the colors melt together. Rooster glances up at the sky every now and then, but he’s solely watching you. Your reactions, how your face breaks out into a smile when you spot dolphins surfacing just off the shore. You’re pointing them out and then looking up at him, finding that he’s looking at you instead. Your joint gaze is held for a while, before he’s initiating a kiss, one that stood out from all the others. Not only was he upside down, giving you a new experience, but he had you in his arms, carefully wrapped around you almost in a protective wall. When he pulls away, he pushes hair from your face, the pad of his thumb lingering over your skin. You give him a small smile before looking back to the sun. His eyes don’t shift away from you. He’s not thinking. He’s just doing what he wants to. And that’s looking at the girl he loves. 

———————————————— ✈︎

The night before was always the worst, no matter what was going on. Before leaving for an assignment, before a test, really anything where you didn’t know the outcome? You would be up all night despite preparing in any way you plausibly could. 

So you laid in bed tossing and turning, making mental notes and lists of what you needed to finish packing before you were sent out of the country to board a ship in the middle of the Atlantic. It wasn’t going to be a long stay, well… at least you weren’t planning on it being long. It could easily turn into an eternity on a dime. 

You’re still awake when your alarm goes off, signifying it’s time to move forward. Up and out for the day. Which, you take your time readying yourself. Putting your hair up, getting your things together. As you exit your dorm, Phoenix is quick to your side, grabbing your bicep. “Morning, champ. You ready for this?” Maybe she doesn’t share your nerves. Hell, she seems excited out of all things. Mentally, you’re telling yourself to share in her excitement, yet the pit that’s growing in your stomach reminds you of the gravity of it all. 

“I’m not sure… it just seems like it came so fast.” You suggest, which gets her shrugging. 

“That’s life in the navy I suppose. C’mon, I’ll walk with you.”

The two of you arrive at a very different looking hangar than the first day you had all arrived. There’s no chairs, no whiteboards or projector screens. Not even a lectern. It’s empty. A clean slate. The lights were out, all except one or two toward the front of the building, and the doors were shut, giving a very intimidating feel. One by one, sailors arrived, each of you having something to add to the conversation. Rooster arrived not looking like himself. His head stayed down in thought for most of the time prior towards the looming discussion. All of you were nearly walking on eggshells. Six of you would fly. Six of you would sit on the carrier and wait. Wait and listen. 

When the Admirals arrive, they’re the ones with the first announcement. “Captain Mitchell will be announcing his decisions in a moment. But first, we are here to inform you, that after his impromptu performance of demonstrating the anticipated outcome of this mission - he will be the squadron leader and fly with those chosen. It has been a pleasure overseeing you all. Make our country proud.” Halfway through the announcement, Maverick had snuck in with the hope of staying hidden. As he approaches the group, he seems to look out over the twelve of you. 

“I have had the most incredible privilege of being your instructor these last four weeks. Each of you has a terrific skill set to offer and I have enjoyed watching you each flourish under the most rigid conditions. Before I list the members that will comprise this squadron, I want you each to take a moment to reflect on where you began when you entered this hangar on day one. None of you are the same pilot that you were that day. I would even dare to say that none of you are the same people. I’ve gotten to know each of you and it… has been incredibly difficult knowing that I am sending you into the best challenge of your career but also possibly your final one.” He takes a moment, collecting the best set of words to put together what he was attempting to say. “I… am so proud of the individuals you are. The pilots you are. The people you are. It’s been an honor.” Maverick clears his throat. “When I went through these assignments, I took my time. I contemplated, I looked… at your strengths. Your weaknesses. Your dedication to your team. It took me a damn long time, but.. I am confident in this team. I am confident in each of you.” 

The way he looks over you… it’s calming. Almost as if paying his respects one final time. It’s eerie and simultaneously thrill inducing. 

“Flying on my back in Dagger 2-”

You catch your breath. This is it, the payoff. The hours of studying, the first one at the lecture hall, the countless hours of training, the memorizations and the protocol recitings. This is your position. Your redemption. 

“will be…Rooster.” 

If you weren’t at attention, you’d be having a conniption. An aneurysm. You’d be rioting. And if you didn’t have respect for Maverick - you’d be right on his chest, screaming in his face. Your fingernails are digging so deeply into your palms that you nearly think there’s blood being drawn. 

“Dagger 3 will be Moonshine and Payback. Following on all of our tails will be Phoenix and Bob.” He gives a nod that is reciprocated by each of you. “Those of you who are flying, take care of yourselves the next few days. Get good rest. Those of you who will be on deck - same goes to you.” A nod from all of you before Maverick gets a wild smirk on his features. “This has been your captain speaking. Thank you for flying with us.” 

When you are released, you’re making a beeline to your dorm. With the rest of the day free to do as you please, you’re going to finish packing and get the hell away from base. You needed a release and a way to just forget this for now. So you go to your dorm, keep the door shut and blast your music as loud as physically possible while also not being a hindrance to those around you. It’s so loud that you barely register the knock on your door. You throw the door open only to be met with Rooster looking at you with a grin. 

“Phoenix and crew are headed to Hard Deck for one last round of pool and beer before we head out tomorrow, I was wondering… are you packing?” The original statement gets lost when he recognizes the bags that have piled up on your bed. He’s leaning against the doorframe, already out of his issued uniform, in standard fashion of a vest, a Hawaiian shirt and aviators on top of his head. You had turned away from the door the second it was open, a quick roll of your eyes at his mischievous grin, quickly resuming your task of folding things somewhat sloppily, trying to complete the task with speed.

“Yes, I’m packing.” Short, simple and to the point - hopefully, he takes the hint.

“We’ve got plenty of time for that later, c’mon, Bob was even going to do a shot or two.” There’s humor in his statement, a smirk on his face as he speaks. Rooster takes a step further into your room, making you stop and turn toward him. 

“I want to get packed and the hell out of here. So if you wouldn’t mind.” You’re about to move past him toward your ensuite bathroom when he cuts your path off, forcing you to freeze in front of him.

“Okay, what the hell is your deal? We’re about to go on this huge mission and want one more day before we get shipped out and you’re in here packing like you’re going to fucking Disney World.” Each word is sharp, a sense of offense in his tone, as though he was contagious and that was the reason you were making haste.

“Well that’s certainly what it is to you, now isn’t it?” You snap so quickly, not even sure where the stinging venom in your voice is coming from. Your attitude is soon being reflected right back at you as though you were staring in a mirror. 

“Oh that’s what this is about??” In rapid succession, Rooster is boomeranging the same attitude back to you. “Moon, you heard what Mav said, he went through hours to plan that out, it’s not a ranking.” He tries to console you on it, stepping forward toward you, an outstretched hand in your direction. However, you shrink away from him, avoiding his touch.

“No, no, it’s most definitely a ranking. One that I was working my ass off to try to top again, yet there he is in all his glory: Rooster Bradshaw everyone. Do you even know-” You speak mockingly and witness frustrating building as a hand pulls itself into a fist before he interrupts you. 

“It’s just a ranking, seriously, I’m rather certain there is far bigger fish to fry here-”

“I thought it wasn’t a ranking?? So which one is it, because I’m getting mixed signals here. If they are rankings-” You ignore Rooster’s groan as you cross your arms over your chest. 

“God, you are making this so difficult! Just let it go, alright? C’mon, we’ll get a drink and we can all forget about it. It’s really not a big deal-” Once more, he’s trying to grab your hand, making contact which forces you to wrench it out of his grip.

“Let it go? Like the last time I ended up second to you?!” You whine, throwing your hands up and turning to grab your open bag, shifting it on the bed - doing something aside from having to look at him. “Phoenix was right I -”

“What was she right about?” His tone is firm, irritated, and hoarse. “Huh? Please show me the light, because clearly she knows so much more than either of us.” Rooster’s gaze on you stays firm, his jaw clenching as he waits for a response from you.

Finally you’re snapping at him, unable to dance around it. “As if you didn’t know what game you were playing. From day one you’ve been planning it, trying to distract me again so that you could come out -” 

“Distract you??” His voice bellows over yours, drowning out your attempts to speak. “ If I wanted to distract you I would’ve been a whole lot fucking more forward, I think I can tell you that much!” 

You’re starting to grab more things from your dresser in a feeble attempt to avoid looking at him. The last thing you want to do is see him, yet here he stands in your bedroom. He’s scoffing, a hand running through his hair as you turn to face him. 

“I can’t believe you’re seeing this as a bad thing, Moon. You were chosen out of the top candidates in the last five years - one of twelve airmen. One of two women in a very small group of individuals, and to top it off you were placed SECOND to them. Out of the twelve which is a like - like - like zero point seven something or some shit. You worked overtime to get here. Absolutely busted your ass, so you acting like -”

“Acting like what?? Like a fool? ‘Cause that’s exactly how I feel right now-”

Exhausted, Rooster pushes fingers through his hair, gripping the ends of them with exasperation before releasing them, letting a few strands drift across his forehead. “Why the hell would you feel like a fool?? It’s not like you-”

“You’re not even listening to me! I can’t get more than two words in-” 

“Because there’s nothing to listen to!! You should be so proud of yourself and you’re acting as though this is the worst thing in the world-”

“It fucking feels like it!! I wanted your spot! I wanted to be at the head of it all, I worked my ass off, and you tricked me and pulled me away-” There’s a weak attempt to voice your concerns, yet he doesn’t give you the opportunity.

“I didn’t pull you away from anything! You were the one who insisted we try to get along-”

“For the sake of our jobs!! You’re the one that kissed me! As if that wasn’t going to fuck with my head-”

The brown haired pilot is nearly screaming over top of you now. “Well sorry!! Is that what you want?? Sorry that I kissed you? Sorry that I showed you attention and some civility as we march towards what might be our deaths?? I don’t know what you want-”

“I want Dagger 2 and I can’t have it!! You know that! That’s all I’ve wanted the whole-”

“Enough, enough! I’m tired of this! You’re too in your head, Moon! This is such a big deal and you’re not looking at it that way, I don’t know why you can’t see that! You should be so damn proud of getting here-”

“Oh, so you’re my dad now?? Is that what this is?!”

It’s suddenly quiet.

All the energy from your voices has filled the room, making the air thick as he recoils, stepping back. Rooster’s face is tight, an emotion you can’t place fills it, leaving him frozen. 

“Roost, I-”

“Good afternoon, Lieutenant.” He avoids your face as he turns to the door. With the way he grips the handle, you could have sworn he was going to rip it right off its hinges. Following him, you step into the hallway even though he’s already halfway down it.

“Rooster, I’m sorry, please- Rooster!” You try again, but all you hear are his firm steps, each of them echoing in the hall. “Bradley!” One last try, only to watch him disappear out the door into the sunlight that spills over the base.

After everything you’d both done to get to a common ground, to be able to work with one another without being absolutely repulsed at each other - it had suddenly vaporized into the air while the two of you argued.

It’s easy to hear the words repeat themselves in your head, despite the hustle of the airport around you. You didn’t fly commercially that often, since most times the Navy would get you a seat on one of the commercial charters and you’d get around that way. But this was different, you were headed out of the country, on a one way ticket. Once you’d landed you’d sit and wait for one of the pilots on-deck of the carrier to come and collect you, and then you’d be in the middle of the ocean, ready for what might be your final flight. 

Someone pulls you out of your thoughts, making you tug off your headphones in the most unprofessional manner. “Sorry to bother you, we just wanted to thank you for your service. God bless you.” You give them a nod and smile in response before you’re sliding your headphones back on. You’re rarely in your Service Whites - save for Admiral Kazansky’s funeral - especially while traveling, but this is different. 

It’s making you stand out more than you’d like to, interruptions happening every so often, being pointed at by young children and having their parents scold them - it makes you uneasy. It’s the last thing you should be feeling right now. What you should be feeling is long gone. Confidence, honor, dignity…

Pride. 

You can hear his voice saying it. It makes you shiver, causing you shift in an attempt to readjust yourself, something you’ve already had to do multiple times in this uniform. It’s stiff and it’s not the most comfortable thing, primarily because it’s tight to your skin. There’s nothing you wanted more than a huge sweatshirt and leggings right now. 

Boarding the plane first was also such an odd standard of practice, yet you do so. And as you sit while everyone else boards, you continue to get thank yous and words of encouragement. Not that any of them resonated. These were strangers, many of them thanking you out of obligations that society had instilled. To make matters worse, the flight attendant decides to highlight the ‘military service member on board’. If you could hide in the checked baggage compartment you would happily do so. Anything had to be better than this.

The flight is long and you still can’t sleep. Primarily since training had accustomed you to feeling awake when you felt an active engine - which you most definitely could through the floor of the cabin. With little sleep and more nerves than when you started the trip with, the plane lands and you’re quickly getting off of it. Your phone comes to life with text messages from a familiar name. You smile as you read it over. 

‘Hey Sailor, I heard there were big things in store for you. Some of the very best pilots are with you - which includes yourself. Don’t doubt your skills. I can’t imagine how nerve wracking going away must be so I am sending you all my luck. Come back home soon.’ 

Natalie always seemed to have impeccable timing. 

‘Hey stranger, just landed. Haven’t been able to sleep. Some of the best pilots indeed. Some *very* familiar faces too.’ 

‘Oh shut up, is he there?’

‘Not actively but he’s in the squadron, yes.’

‘I’m sure that’s been fun.’ 

You know she means it as a jab at Rooster, but honestly… the last few weeks had been fun. Growing closer with the team, with Maverick - finally getting along with Rooster… it had all been rather gratifying. It’s idiotic when you think about it. 

Even if Rooster had been distracting you, you’d enjoyed every minute of his distractions. You’d grown fond of being around him which was such a crazy change from when you’d initially returned to Miramar. When seeing him made your blood boil, where now when you saw him your skin was on fire. Any time he was close you felt so strangely at home, so reassured…

You needed to apologize. As soon as you could. 

The hours of lead up to this mission left you nearly following him like a lost stray. You would track him down to his location on the ship and when you did find him, he’d turn the other way. Mealtimes you’d sit at his table, just for him to get up. He was rarely in the gym, probably because he knew you’d be looking for him. When all other avenues had failed, you’d tried to ask Bob or Coyote - hell you’d even stooped so low as to ask Hangman for help. All of them gave you the same answer: he wasn’t listening. 

So when you climbed into your bunk the night before the mission, you laid down with defeat and nerves blazing. Hours felt like minutes as you imagined every possible scenario that could occur tomorrow. You were directly putting a team of six into the fire with hopes they weren’t flammable. No fire alarms, no extinguishers - facing the heat dead on. Before you can even register how much time has passed since you crawled under the sheets, your alarm is going off, forcing you to grab the device and silence it before it wakes up your bunk mates. 

Getting dressed, you’re up and attempting to prepare yourself. Yet, when you look in the mirror, you’re far from ready. Your hair is all over the place, the normal pristine hairstyle you’ve been doing for years is gone, instead, it’s a mess of an attempt at a ponytail. You can’t put yourself together. You had to retie your boots nearly four times and lost your name badge in between the time of going to bed and getting out of it. Your nerves had you all sorts of frayed like a wire. 

You needed a level head, you didn’t want to bother anyone else who was also flying, but you really needed the advice. So, somewhat shakily, you’re knocking on the private quarters door. When the door squeaks open, you find Maverick still in his sleep shirt and boxers. “Moonshine? We’re not meant to be up on deck for like-” He pauses and rapidly looks to his watch, almost wondering if he’s overslept.

“We still have two hours. I just.. Needed to talk.” Maverick nods and holds up a finger. 

“Alright, ‘kay, gimme like.. A minute. We can go get coffee.” He’s clearly not used to being up this early - that much was clear. There’s not windows in this hallway, but you can tell his room was still pitch black thanks to the early hour. He shuts the door and is quickly moving to dress. Soon enough, he’s on his way out to the mess hall where a coffee shop stood. He orders his usual coffee, but leaves the order ticket open so you can order. You weren’t sure you could eat anything, but you order a coffee anyway - hoping it would help. 

Once your cups are in hand, the two of you grab a seat, Maverick sipping at his desperately seeking the caffeine. “Okay, kid. What’s going on?” With a sigh, you’re trying to get out the words. 

“I- well, there’s a lot more to it than just this but- I don’t think I can fly.” You nervously look at him, yet he’s looking at you like you told him the sky was blue. With a slow sip, he puts his cup down. 

“And why’s that, Shiner?” He’s unimpressed, and you begin to ramble. 

“I haven’t slept, Maverick, I haven’t been able to eat, I barely could get dressed this morning, I haven’t had caffeine until now and my hands are shaking - I don’t even know how to start the damn plane if you’d asked me right now, I’m just panicking and scared-”

“There it is.” He has a pointed finger in your direction, cutting you off. His gaze meets yours, holding his cup with both hands as it sits on the table. “You are scared. And that is beyond logical. You’re about to do something that could possibly get you killed. It’s not an easy feeling and from what I know… there’s no real solution.” You shrink at this admission. 

“I- but Ma-Captain,” you’re switching his name as you see a higher ranking officer walk by, “how the hell do you expect me to fly a jet properly when I’m terrified?”

“You’d be surprised.” This confuses you. “Fear can make you do incredible things.” It’s then that he’s reaching out and taking your hand. “I think you have what it takes to do this, Moonshine. You’re here because I know you have the skills, the reaction time and the wherewithal to get through this.” You shake your head, beginning to disagree:

“I wasn’t good enough for Dagger 2, how on earth would I be good enough for this eith-”

Maverick’s turn to cut you off. “You think you weren’t good enough for Dagger 2? No, no, kid, I chose you for Dagger 3 for a reason. I thought you would be able to hit the target, no matter where it was.” He’s using his coffee cup and his hands to talk as he launches into his explanation. “If both Rooster and I miss this target, you are the last line to have the chance to hit it before Phoenix can take her shot. If we fail, you are the only person who can ensure we have a chance to get below ground. You’re in Dagger 3 because I have full confidence in your shooting skills.” A wave of clarity floods over you at his words. 

You hadn’t come second. You’d came first. Before Maverick. You’d been given the most difficult position. While you were the fallback, you were the last line of defense. If everything went wrong, they were relying on you. 

“Oh my god.” You scoff in surprise, a hand moving to your forehead. It’s a mixture of pure shock, and heavy realization. 

You’d fought with Rooster - for no reason. And he wouldn’t talk to you, wouldn’t even let you get a message to him.

———————————————— ✈︎

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