#when you ask him about romantic cliche stuff nightmare says it’s stupid

[jann-the-bean]

Romantic cliche

Fluffynightkiller week day 1

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A violet skeleton sighed as he sat on the couch wrapped in a thermal blanket. It was a chilly day outside, temperatures had dipped overnight causing frost to cling to the trees overnight. It was beautiful sight, the trees were crystal like when the dim rays of the sun bounced off.

Even if it was a beautiful sight, this skeleton preferred to admire the scenery from the warmth of his home. Being half fire-elemental, he couldn’t casually waltz outside like his partners. He’d have to dress in layers, thermals, and with a thick jacket as an extra precaution to ensure he wouldn’t lose too much body heat. He’d seen first hand how dangerous that could be.

He shifted in place trying to find the most comfortable position. Since he couldn’t go out he opted to watch a movie until his partners returned home. He selected a dvd that killer had left out laying on the coffee table, just a typical romantic movie, with all the predictable outcomes, and the annoyingly excessive tears.

Nightmare wasn’t a fan. He’d always found it a waste of money to shower your loved one with flowers and chocolates, to have the spouse announce their arrivals with “honey I’m home.”

He could never understand why Killer enjoyed this genre of films. Well.. perhaps he just found it ironic that Killer actually enjoyed these so called films.

Killer had a notorious history of being a playboy. A flirty jerk who had countless sexual partners, an expert in bed, who wanted nothing more then sexual satisfaction. No strings attached and no feelings involved. At least that’s what Nightmare had gathered after sleeping with him the first few times.

“……….”

But he supposed he couldn’t necessarily blame Killer. Nightmare wasn’t exactly the best at comprehending his own feelings, nor was he good at expressing said feelings.

Just like the actors in the movie, he and Killer had been oblivious to each other’s feelings. It was truly cringeworthy how foolish they were. Surely everyone else could see it unfold.. how close they’d gotten.. yet they both continuously denied it.

There had been times Nightmare had wished things had unfolded like they do in the movies. With one party going to the others house, finally realizing their feelings, confessing their love. Then the two would get their happy ending.

Yet their relationship was unstable and volatile. So fragile that a gust of wind would tear everything apart. So, even after confessing their feelings…. more or less, their relationship ended in flames. Tearing each other down.. embedding words of hate into each other.. inflicting a pain so deep that you’d never be able to escape it.

But, somewhere along the line destiny seemed to bring them together again. The violet skeleton couldn’t deny there were lingering feelings within his soul.

However.. with the second attempt they pursued a different approach.

Nightmare had wished he could’ve kept Killer to himself.. and it wounded him deeply when he realized that was nearly impossible. But.. if it weren’t for that reason.. they’d never have met their wonderful fluffy barista.

Ccino-

A gentle soul who managed to bring him and Killer closer than ever before. After countless years of banter and witty remarks, it was easy for the violet and eyeless skeleton to work each other up.

Playful banter turned to snarky remarks-

To light insults-

Which lead to full blown arguments.

But the baristas soft nature managed to ground them. Often times being the mediator between Nightmare and Killer. Actually the whole reason they were able to confess to each other.. saying they loved each other was thanks to Ccino. Of course it still wasn’t the best situation… but Nightmare was certain if Ccino hadn’t been in the relationship… things would’ve ended differently.

The movie continued.

This time the actors were kissing under the rain, whispering how much they loved the other and couldn’t live with the other.

He scoffed.

So cliche.

“…… Damn it.”

He came to a realization. Hadn’t his life mostly been a romantic cliche?

Smart serious business man falls for a playboy sleep around who doesn’t want any commitment. But as their relationship progresses they both realize they have feelings. They have a huge fight that seems it won’t be resolved… until years later they meet again. The two clearly love each other but cannot have a stable relationship… until a kind natured boy comes into play.

And they live happily ever after.

He groaned. Oh looking at it like that the plot of their relationship seemed so predictable. He wondered how many people would be interested in something so-

“Moonpie! My hot sexy warm cozy man! You don’t know how much I looked forward to seeing you today!” Killer’s voice interrupted nightmares thoughts, as he made his way over to the violet skeleton.

“What? Hey no!! Killer I am not your personal-

No!! Killer stop it- you’re cold!!! I’m not-“

Nightmare sighed in defeat as Killer had slipped inside the blankets and pushed Nightmare further into the couch to where they were somewhat laying on one another.

Killer smiled as he purred nuzzling his face into Nightmare’s chest.

“So waaaaarm” Killer voice was muffled by the fabric on nightmare’s chest.

It had become a usual occurrence now… Killer would always snuggle up with Nightmare on chilly days. Sometimes Nighty wondered if all that Killer saw was as a personal heater.. but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the physical contact.”

A few moments later the door clicked shut.

“I’m h-home! I b-b-brought some baked g-goodies from work!” Ccino chimed as he walked towards the kitchen setting down a few items.

“I’m g-going to brew some c-c-coffee! Anyone w-want any?”

“Mmmm~ I’ll take some marshmallow.” Killer responded.

“I’ll take some as well.” Nightmare added on.

Nightmare couldn’t help but feel as though most of his life had been a romantic cliche… but… I guess he could see why Killer enjoyed such silly films.

Who wouldn’t want to have their personal happily ever after?

Even if it was cliche… or if it wasn’t perfect.. Nightmare would never trade this for anything else in the world.

Some studioverse FNK for ya!! This writing contains some bits and pieces of different headcanons that gayfish and I have come up with! So if you’re curious feel free to ask us!

FNK week by @help-im-a-gay-fish

Original Ccino by @black-nyanko

Original Killer by @rahafwabas

Original Nightmare by @jokublog

Studioverse @zu-is-here

[lordoftherazzles]

For the commentary thing! That reunion scene at the end of your latest chapter of May Your Forge Burn Bright 💖 I'm still living for that

May Your Forge Burn Bright - Chapter 9 The Reunion, you got it!

Commentary & scene under the cut - spoilers ahead

It was easier to walk with the wind than against it, but regardless of how fast Bilbo’s feet carried him, he was no match for a thunderstorm. Between the bone-shaking rumbles overhead and the blinding rain, it would be a miracle to make it halfway back to Ered Luin without crumbling or being swept away by the wind itself.

Wiping his sleeve against his eyes to try and get some of the water out of them, Bilbo wasn’t sure whether it was rainwater or tears that he was swiping away, but he certainly looked like a picture of perfect misery, and felt like one too! Soaked to the bone, stuck in a terrifying situation with no shelter, but there was a determined streak about him. Regardless of what he was putting up with now, he had all intentions to fix things with Thorin. If that meant they never completed their hillside conversation, then so be it. So long as the dwarf was in his life, then that was what mattered.

Another strike of lightning, that was far too close, hit one of the trees overhead, causing the tree to split down the trunk and for a good chunk of branches to start falling in Bilbo’s general direction. Not that he could hear or see it thanks to the sounds of the storm.

With his eyes screwed closed so tightly and keeping a sleeve over his face to protect himself from the rain, Bilbo didn’t see the oncoming form that got a firm grip on the front of his waistcoat and yanked him forward several paces and out of the way with a mighty yelp. It almost felt as if a wild animal had gotten a hold of him and Bilbo immediately tried to scramble, but the loud sound of part of a tree hitting the ground behind him had him prying open his eyes. Not to mention, he had been enveloped into a grip he was only vaguely familiar with.

Me, thinking to myself, how can I really make Bilbo M I S E R A B L E? Throw him into a storm, because we all know by now that he hates the damn things. This is probably his worst nightmare. YES, GOOD. I know, I know, I'm a monster. I've been told this a time or two.

Me, who doesn't watch romantic movies or read romance novels, etc. What's the best way to set up a reunion? See above. Put Bilbo in a terrifying situation and let him get saved at the last second. First I was thinking of like, maybe a wolf or orc attack, but if you've read Dragonhearted, Thorin already got to save Bilbo from wargs.

This whole damn scene was made up on the fly and I'm insanely proud of it. Moving on.

Hazel eyes tried to fight against the rain, but the water stopped for just a moment as a coat was being held over his head to block some of the weather, and it allowed Bilbo to look at what could have been his end. Being crushed under the force of falling branches...and yet…? “Thorin!” How? Why? Did Bilbo actually get knocked around so hard that he was stuck in a dream?

No, dreams didn’t feel that warm.

“You’re a foolish creature and should know better than to storm off by yourself!” Thorin scolded over the howling of the wind, a scowl to his face as he looked just as Bilbo remembered whenever these moods struck the dwarf. Unpleasant. “You could have been killed, I promised to keep you safe…” And Thorin would not let that promise fall through.

“You came for me…” Bilbo murmured, though unable to be heard over the sounds of rain and wind. Thorin’s coat might have acted as a decent enough shield against the actual rainwater, but it was nothing for the sounds. “I was on my way back! I needed to apologize for what I said, and I’m not sure how else I can express that. From the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry-”

“Maralmizu, Bilbo."

Bilbo’s ears twitched before dropping. Now was not the time for secrecy, they could play that game once they were out of this vicious weather. Not to mention, Bilbo had been trying to give a heartfelt apology. An annoyed huff came from the hobbit as he continued to stare at Thorin, caring less and less about thunder and lightning as the seconds ticked by. “What does that even mean, Thorin?” Though asking a dwarf to reveal their secrets was like trying to move a mountain with your bare hands.

“I love you,” Thorin was far gentler this time than the scolding he had started with, staring at Bilbo’s wide hazel eyes. “And I have for some time now and just...too afraid to say it. Too afraid that being me might scare you off, and it did...but I-”

“Oh, you really are a stupid dwarf!” That bold Tookish behavior was finding its way to the surface once more, no longer hiding in fear from a few unsavory blokes from Bree. Wrapping his hands around both of Thorin’s braids and standing on his toes, it didn’t take much guidance from Bilbo’s small tug for their lips to meet with eyes fluttering closed.

It felt like a missing piece had finally been slotted into place.

FINALLY. I'm so glad this hurdle has been addressed. Even I was getting like...okay boys, it's time to be honest here, have that talk, give the ol' smoochy smooch and let's move on! I wanted it to be something I hadn't read before, and maybe it's a little cliche with hollywood but hey, rain kisses are cute, aren't they?! Let them kiss - THORIN USING HIS WORDS. Look, I don't wanna sound cocky or complacent, but this scene had even me melting into a puddle of goo.

It's always nice when the writer loves their work, right???

I needed a memorable scene. Bilbo's afraid of storms, his life gets saved, and rain kiss. All perfect things for a perfect scene and it is one of my finer moments. Sometimes all it takes is a terrifying push to get someone to take that step. We got the kiss that I denied everyone in a few chapters previously, though let's be real, the fireflies would have been much better than lightning and rain water.

All that mutual pining and worrying about baggage and burdens was for nothing. It was irrelevant and could be tossed down the mountainside. Thorin wasn’t sure when the last time he had felt so light was. Was this what tossing your cares aside felt like?

Still keeping one arm up with the side of his coat as a shield from a good portion of the rain, Thorin’s other hand carefully cupped just below Bilbo’s jaw, rubbing a thumb across the small and barely visible cleft of that smooth chin.

Bilbo was the first to pull back, and found his cheeks aflame with Thorin inching forward as if to chase those lips before their eyes locked again. “As romantic as a kiss in the rain is…can we please go home?”

Was it too sappy to declare that a location didn’t make a home, but a person did?

“You’re my home,” Apparently not sappy enough for Thorin to spill the words. Funny how one small gesture removed an entire emotional blockade that he had been trying to keep up all this time.

Bilbo hummed slightly in delight at the words, giving a firm nod in agreement. “You’re my home too.” Dropping back to his normal height instead of being raised on his toes, Bilbo moved to lace his hand with Thorin’s free one. “Let’s get out of this storm then. I’d rather not catch a cold in all of this.”

Thorin couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the idea of being sick. “Alright, but only because I’m not sure how susceptible hobbits are to colds. We dwarves are made of sterner stuff.”

Somehow, Bilbo didn’t quite believe that.

THE THEME OF THE STORY HAS HIT.

Home is where the heart is - it's one of my favorite themes to follow, or messages to send. Home isn't a place, it's the people you surround yourself with that make you the happiest. Whether that's family, a significant other, your best friends, that's what makes home. For these two, home has never been 'The Shire' or 'Ered Luin' or whatever places they've rested their head. I'm glad they both finally see that, and it's a message I like to put in a fair amount of my pieces, alongside some others.

And of course, another consistency that I love bringing into my pieces, Made of Sterner Stuff - based off of a one shot I did early on when posting my fics. Sick Thorin? Yes please. Plus, it's very fun to make fun of as he most certainly is not made of sterner stuff. Bilbo being the realistic one though and urging them to get out of the storm even thought it's "romantic and rainy"? That would be me.

This is nice and all, but...how about no?

As I said before, I wanted a scene you could picture, and one that would be remembered. Something that lived up to the epic expectations of Bagginshield and them finally spitting out the words we've been cheering them on to say. It might not be FIREFLIES and NORTHERN LIGHTS, but I sure as heck and happy with it and enjoy rereading it.

[limbokid]

Kenny and Bebe for the domestic ship memes 🖤

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ @sugarbebe​ ♥ sent an ask meme!! || status: accepting. 

SEND ME A SHIP AND I WILL TELL YOU: 

( THIS POST IS FUCKING LONG, I’M SORRY )

—who’s more dominant: I think they’re almost equally ranked on this, though since Kenny has much more patience than Bebe does, I believe he would be more passive about things than she would. Unless he’s sees something as unfair/unjust, he could be pretty assertive and confrontational so in a sense pretty dominant. But openly Bebe would be the more dominant of the two.

—who’s the cuddler: They’re both affectionate but I think Kenny would be more of the clinger here. He primarily uses affection to show his love. When it comes down to it though, he’s more physical than he is verbal. Bebe likes being showered with attention and affection from what I know, so i think this works out well for the both of them.

—who’s the big spoon/little spoon: Haha, honestly when these two come together their actions/choices are usually different from traditional standards. I'm pretty sure even though Kenny’s like SIX inches taller than Bebe, she would probably big spoon him. Often. He also lowkey prefers being held.

—what’s their favorite non-sexual activity: I think they would enjoy simple activities that would allow them to communicate without feeling claustrophobic. Something like, exploring areas they’ve never been before; slow walks in natural environments; the cliche car on hilltop- listening to music. They would probably take a lot of pictures together or of each other making stupid faces or just plainly goofing off. I’m sure they occasionally do movie marathons in their spare time. I also think they would enjoy a fair share of aggressive activities, as they’re each competitive in their own right. It could be anything from a Karaoke Duet to Laser Tagging, Ice Skating to out doing each other in Carnival games. Basically two extremes, really chill or no chill.

—who uses all the hot water: Kenny’s used to his water heater malfunctioning. He’s showered in cold water hundreds of times, I don’t think it would faze him much anymore. So. Bebe, no doubt about it.

—Most trivial thing they fight over: If it’s a domestic issue?? Taxes..?? I’m not sure tbh?? Maybe, messiness?? Kenny has a habit of never putting things back in their rightful places. That might start an argument?? IDK???

On the other hand, if it’s a relationship issue, I believe it would be absence and or lack of trust from either party. There’s something about loving someone tremendously and then having them leave you with nothing but a letter; never seeing them for another fifteen years -COUGH- that could potentially fuck with someone’s psyche y’know?? ALTHOUGH, when someone you love is in constant danger, and frequently disappears for days to weeks, without any explanation that’s also pretty fucking shady LOL. The reasons are valid at least..!!

—who does most of the cleaning: Aha, I think we’ve discussed this HC before, huehue. They’re pretty equal here. They sometimes team up and purge the entire fucking house together. 

—what has a season pass on their dvr/Who controls the netflix queue: LMAO, “DVR.” MY MUSE IS TRIGGERED. Anyway, I think Bebe controls the Netflix queue ( or y’know.. Cordelia probably hogs up the whole fUckin account ) since Kenny doesn’t really care. He just wants to spend time with her when he can. Possibly cuddle, possibly bang, possibly O.D on leftovers. -Unless they promised to binge a specific show together. THEN “BRING THE POPCORN AND SCOOT OVER BITCH, LET’S FUCKIN’ DO THIS.”

—who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: Hmm.. I not sure. I have a feeling that Bebe couldn’t be fucking bothered to talk to the landlord. Honestly, she probably hates them haha. Either she’s best friends with the landlord or YEET. In short, it would  T R I G G E R  Kenny, but I think he would do it.

—who leaves their stuff around: Hahahahahaha. Kenny. Maybe even Bebe?? I still think Ken would win this round by a LOT. Back home, his room would stay messy for months, until sooner or later he had a SUDDEN urge to clean it all up. He was really good with laundry though!! At least.. after he ran out of it. Washing everyone’s laundry was actually one of his many  chores. Unless their washer broke down, which it would.. constantly. If this occurred the whole family would just collect their piles of laundry, and take it to the public Laundromat together. He’s just used to being messy- and then… tidy.

—who remembers to buy the milk: Probably Bebe. Kenny never… really.. got to buy groceries.. so.. In all seriousness, groceries weren’t a part of his chores, so he never made it a habit to apply this rule to his regimen. No matter who he lives with. He’s just used to missing a meal, so he doesn’t worry about it.

—who remembers anniversaries:  Both!! Even though Bebe sometimes acts like a t’sundere, she totally loves romance. And luckily, Kenny is the type to pay attention to things that matter to his S/O’s. I think they’re both romantic’s and know how to woo each other well. So all that’s left is WHO SAYS “happy anniversary!!” FIRST.

—who cooks normally: Well, Kenny passed Home Ec with flying colors, and he’s actually a decent cook so. I suppose Ken would?? I can remember if Bebe was bad at cooking or not, but i think she tries anyway. Which Kenny finds extremely adorable, whether she fails or not.

—how often do they fight: I honestly don’t think they fight unless the problem is UNAVOIDABLE. I think they both kind of don’t mention anything until it get’s really bad. Like “well shit. you almost died, i think this might be a sign…”

—what do they do when they’re away from each other: I think they’re either working or indulging in their favorite hobbies. There’s also that whole concept called a social life, friends and shit. Crazy, I know!! It’s so weird how their entire existence doesn’t revolve around each other and that they haven’t surgically SEWN THEMSELVES TOGETHER. They’re such a strange & quirky couple!!!!

—nicknames for each other: UM. -SWEATS- HA, HAHAHAHAHa. HAHAHAHAHA. ( inside jokes are gr8 )

—who is more likely to pay for dinner: Kenny would try to pull that chivalry shit, because my boi is a gentleman, but if Bebe wants to be an independent  woman who doesn’t need some hobo’s money, then Ken won’t fight it. He likes being pampered anyway.

—who steals the covers at night: Kenny is a pretty calm sleeper. He doesn’t move much, and he doesn’t really snore either. He does get hot easily, and he sometimes has recurring nightmares, he’s also a light sleeper but that’s about it. I think bebe wins this round. Ken wouldn’t mind this though, he would probably pull her in and big spoon her cocoon fortress.  

—what would they get each other for gifts: Ummmmmmmmm. I think Bebe would notice how he’s constantly tense and probably book a spa day for him. He’s never been to a spa, so I can imagine him being very uncomfortable at first but then ADORING it afterward. Kenny on the other hand would put on a costume from a her favorite movie character and make up their home to look like her favorite scene and play out her fantasies, no questions asked. “oh, you like drama bebe?? i’ll give fucking give you drama.” ( the movie could be about WW3 and HE STILL WOULDn’T GIVE A FUCk. “this is a little weird but sure babe i’ll cosplay hitler.” )

 —who kissed who first: According to our HC’s… We never decided.. Though, my gut is telling me that the first kiss was mutual. Mostly cause’ YOU KNOW HOW MY BOi FEELS ABOUT CONSENT. Unless they were shitfaced. Then my gut is probably wrong HAHA. Yeeeah, I’m gonna hit you up after this..

—who made the first move: Honestly Ken is a naturally flirtatious person, I think he probably made a move waaay into the friendship stage, but since it’s usually his default, Bebe probably didn’t even notice it. HAHAHA RIP.

—who remembers things: NO ONE. IT’S CANON AND MY MUSE IS FUCKING  T R I G G E R E D. Nah but, I think Bebe is probably that chick that has a really aesthetic planner with color coordination and everything, that she never really bothers to fill out and she just owns it and leaves it on her desk to feel proficient LOL. I’m just gonna give this one to the both of them. I think they can both be responsible when it’s needed. But of course, everyone has their mishaps.

—who started the relationship: I wanna say BEBE SO BAD. Things would be so much more IRONIC and hilarious.

—who cusses more: Probably Kenny, he’s got a SAILORS mouth yo. He’s not embarrassingly bad.. He knows when and where it’s the right time to say stupid shit. Usually..

—what would they do if the other one was hurt: Drop EVERYTHING. It doesn’t matter what they’re doing. I think they would be at each other’s side as soon as possible. They would heal each other, mentally and physically. Whether they’re in a romantic relationship or not. I believe that they care about each other immensely  

—who is the dirty talker: As I’ve said before Kenny’s more physical than verbal. He is a sexual person, but he’s MUCH more LUSTFUL if he loves/cares for the person. I think Bebe would probably take the cake here. Whether or not she does indulge in dirty talk. He really only does it upon request. ALTHOUGH…. If you get him drunk, there are no limits, he’ll say things that would drop Bebe from 1st to 10th place.

—a head canon: They text each other sweet, positive and fluffy messages when they’re away from each other. Just in case the other is having a really bad day.

[sandyferal]

Carmine and Mark chapter 2

I’m writing this partially for school, so I’m going to keep posting these chapters.

Here’s the first part of you wanna read it: http://sandyferal.tumblr.com/post/157065307074/carmine-and-mark

    As Carmine opened the door to his house he heard giggling coming from the the living room. When he walked in he saw his sister Amanda sitting on the couch with a laptop on her lap next to a boy who Carmine hadn’t seen before.     “Oh dios mío! Am I interrupting something?” Carmine said with an overly shocked tone.     His sister looked up at him in annoyance.     “I thought mom said you were working.” She said.     “I was,” Carmine said placeing his backpack on the coffee table. “But since I’m in-between clients I don’t spend all day with them.”     Amanda scowled. The boy next to her waved at Carmine.     “Uh, hey man.” He said awkwardly.     “Don’t acknowledge him Brent,” Amanda said. “He’s just going to start asking uncomfortable questions to embarrass both of us.”     “Hey I haven’t done anything yet!” Carmine raised his hands in a mock defensive position, then lowered them. “Speaking of questions, I have a question. Does mom know you brought your boyfriend into the house?”     Brent blushed and shot a sideways glance at Amanda, who wasn’t looking at Carmine, and instead focused on the computer in her lap. She spoke up after a second.     “Remember when you brought that one boyfriend to dinner unexpectedly?”     “Ye-”     “Then he implied you were fat multiple times,”     “Yeah-”     “And he said he usually didn’t date Hispanic girls and implied he was settling for you, so I had to punch his teeth in?”     “Fair point.” Carmine finally agreed. He sat down on a chair across from the two.     “Besides,” Amanda said. “Mom isn’t here.”     “I saw. Her car wasn’t in the drive.” Carmine replied. “Plus seeing as she leaves at this time EVERY Saturday I could figure it out on my own.”     “I don’t want to get you in trouble.” Brent said, beginning to stand up     “Don’t,” Amanda put her hand on his chest. “I know what I’m doing, I won’t get in trouble.”     “Have you done this before?” Asked Brent sitting down again.     Carmine laughed. When Brent shot a glance at him Carmine shook his head.     “Our parents barely know half the stuff she does.” Carmine said. “Sure they caught her a couple times, back when she was sloppy. Nowadays they barely have a clue. Y'know her internet history on that laptop​ is basically non-existent.”     “Can you stop telling everyone that?” Amanda sounded annoyed again. “You’re about as subtle and secretive as a train hitting someone in the face.”     “Hey, if you’re dating him he might as well know.” Carmine said.     “When did I say I was dating him?” Amanda asked.     “Come on, you never bring any friends into the house unless you’re dating them.”     For a moment Amanda looked like she was about to argue, then shrugged.     “I guess that’s true. Oh wait a minute.” She snapped her fingers. “There’s, there was something mom said you needed to do. I think it was a paper or something.”     “Oh!” Carmine jumped out of his seat. He grabbed his backpack and headed towards the stairs. “I forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me.”     Carmine took his sister’s silence to mean that he WASN’T welcome and entered his room.

…

    Mark sat in his tank watching a small screen on the other side of the glass. He had already seen this movie 19 times but his DVD collection was limited. It was the second part of an romance/comedy/action movie that was about… well, it would take too long to explain.     It was unusual for him to watch movies with romance subplots but, even though he didn’t realize it, he was getting lonely. It was easy to believe Mark was single. He’d never dated anyone. And whenever he watched these romance movies he could never relate to the any confident male characters. He more identified with that side character that people liked, but the marketers never paid attention to.     As usual with Mark’s late night movie watching, the later it was, the sillier the movies. “Maybe that movie wasn’t as cliche as I remember” he said to himself. “Maybe these characters are well written” he might think later on, “Maybe this could happen in real life,” he would think at two thirty in the morning.     He would sometimes ignore the movie all together, and start daydreaming. But that never went far. Nice romantic things may be able to happen to other people, but not him. Never him     Soon he felt his eyes closing. He told himself to move, but  found out he really didn’t want to.     “Maybe if I sleep just a little bit,” He thought. “maybe it won’t be so bad.”

…

    When Carmine saw Allice, she was even more stressed than before. She kept dropping things while she talked, and was barely looking at him.     “He had one of his episodes yesterday and he threw up in his tank!” Her pace quickened. “We had to take him out of the tank and we’re still replacing all the water. Since you’re one of the first people to get a positive reaction from him we thought that you should take care of him today.”     This time Allice led Carmine to a different room. It was smaller and had multiple tanks that were interconnected by tubes. Mark’s tank was closed off, and there was a curtain between him and the other tanks.     “He’s right there.” Allice said. “Just try to make him feel better, and make sure he eats again.”     “They dragged you back quickly.” Mark said when he saw Carmine approaching him. “Usually they don’t make people come back for a while.”     “No one dragged me here.” Carmine said, smiling at Mark. “Mi amigo was in trouble so I got asked to come back. I accepted because I wanted to come back cariño.”     “I barely know you, you’re getting paid to spend time with me! I wouldn’t call myself your ‘amigo’, or… whatever cariño means.” Mark said.     “Hey,” Carmine said in a mock offended tone. “Are you suggesting that I can be bought? That I don’t care? I’m shocked!”     “Kinda yeah.” Mark said, almost looking for a second like he was going to smile.     “I actually was starting to like you!” Carmine said, keeping the same joking tone. “But if you’re going to make such accusations I might have to re-evaluate my opinion of you.”     “OK, you can stop that now.”     “Stop what?” Carmine asked.     “The whole ‘I’m so offended’ thing that you’re doing, even though you’re obviously not offended.” Mark said.     Carmine smiled. Then he sat on the ground next to the tank and took out a small book.     “To be honest I’m genuinely interested in what’s going on with you and how to… uh, help.” With this, Carmine wrote something down in the book, then turned to Mark. “So I wanna know what happened last night.”     “Nothing ‘happened’ last night.” Mark said, avoiding Carmine’s eyes. “I was perfectly fine on my own.”     Carmine raised an eyebrow. “You sure? Allice told me something happened.”     That got an eye roll out of Mark.     “Allice over-reacts to everything. I just had a nightmare that’s all.”     “And you threw up.”     “Yeah.”     Carmine looked around until his eyes landed on a bucket of fish. He scooted over to the bucket and picked it up.     “Speaking of which, you hungry?” Carmine asked.     “Hhhmmmm…” Although Mark’s eyes darted to the fish, he took a minute before he responded.     “I… I guess.”     With a grunt, Carmine stood up. After standing on his toes for a bit, then eventually just grabbing a chair and standing on that, he poured the fish in through the top of the tank.     Mark sank his teeth into the fish, just like before he seemed hungry. But this time he seemed to restrain himself a bit, glancing at Carmine every once in a while.     “So you had a female horse in your room last night?” Asked Carmine.     Mark stopped eating for a couple seconds. The look he shot at Carmine was utterly confused.     “I didn’t say anything about a horse.” Mark said slowly.     “It’s-it’s a joke” Carmine’s response got nothing but a blank stare from Mark. So he continued, trying to explain.     “You see, a mare actually is actually the word for female horse, so it’s a night-mare. A female horse at night.” Carmine chuckled to himself. He smiled. “Yeah, nobody gets that one. I guess I could’ve phrased it better.”     It looked like Mark wanted to smile but was trying to hide it. He spoke with a slight laugh in his voice.     “That was the worst attempt at humor I’ve ever heard.” Mark said.     “Thank you.” Carmine gave a little bow.     “I mean it, that wasn’t even phrased like a joke. Like it wasn’t even a bad joke it wasn’t a joke at all.”     “Yeah, I have no idea why I said that.” Carmine said.     “Me either, that was really stupid.” This time Mark let himself smile a little bit. “Keep your day job, I don’t think you were made for comedy.”     “This IS my day job.” Carmine said with a laugh. “I was hoping I could keep it.”     It took a minute for Carmine to find his notebook again. Before continuing the conversation he made a few notes on one of the pages. Smiling to himself, he inspected what he had written, then closed it. He shot a concerned look at Mark.     “So about that nightmare?” Carmine started, only to be cut off by Mark.     “I told you it’s nothing. I get nightmares all the time.”     “That doesn’t mean it’s nothing.” As he spoke, Carmine leaned against Mark’s tank. “You know I had a nightmare once where woodpeckers pecked out little holes in my skin and laid eggs in them. Dios Mío I was so scared of woodpeckers for like, a year after that.”     “What the heck, that’s freaky.” Mark said, his face scrunching up at the thought. Then he looked at Carmine eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, you were seriously afraid of woodpeckers?”     “Yes. But only because of that nightmare. Have you ever thought about eggs in your skin?” Asked Carmine. “Like there’s little holes in your skin and when you look in them you can see the eggs and you think about your skin growing around the eggs so they’ll have to burst back out of-”     “Please stop talking about that.” Mark said, cringing. “That’s like, really really freaky.”     “What was your nightmare about?” The way Carmine switched topics so quickly was suspicious, but Mark was too tired to care at the moment.     “Well it was about… fishing.” Mark said, sounding embarrassed.     “Fishing?” Carmine asked.     Mark continued, beginning to describe the dream in vivid, but kind of confusingly unfocused, detail.     “Well I was out of the water, and I was watching two people kissing. I didn’t want to watch them anymore so I went into a nearby kiddy pool. You know the ones at the carnival where people pretend to fish for ducks? Oh wait I forget to mention we were at a carnival. Anyway, I went the pool, and suddenly the pool was deeper. Now it was the ocean I think, and a fishing net came down and caught me. They were deciding how to eat me and I kept saying ‘yes, kill me eat me’ but I didn’t want to die. Then I woke up.”     Carmine had been writing this down, but paused.     “That’s it?” He asked Mark.     “It was longer,” Mark admitted. “With a lot more being chased. You were there at one point.”     “Really?” Carmine sounded interested. “What was I doing?”     “I don’t remember.” Mark said, looking away. His face was turning a darker shade of blue, and his lure glowed brighter.     Carmine looked at Mark sceptically, but didn’t probe further. After adding a couple more details into his journal, he frowned.     “Wait a second…” He muttered to himself. “Allice wrote something about fishing.”     “Can we not talk about that?” Mark said. His breathing was heavier, and his voice was shaking.     Carmine looked up at Mark, looking startled and concerned. He snapped his book shut. 

   “Are you ok?” He asked.

    “I-I don’t know?” Mark sounded confused. “I’m n-not sure. I feel like I’m gonna cry but I’m fine.”

…