#whoa first time using that tag how exciting!

[villowrose]

flowey blink!

i recently got clip studio EX so i can do animations more freely. i made this while figuring out some of the buttons. im going to practice more with it, and hopefully i can start making animatics and other things soon!

[verus-veritas]

Out of the Woods

Another hot story by @bodyswapper that seemed to have been removed recently. Once again I couldn’t help myself and remade the story, with my own twists and ending! Also, featuring the incredibly hot “Seattle Dad”, which you should definitely check out!

My best friend Chris and his family were preparing for their two-weeks getaway at the lake cabin. His parents said that I would not be able to come so Chris and I were bummed. However, a day before the trip Chris came up with an idea to get me to tag along. When Chris presented me with using an ancient body swap spell he had stumbled upon I was skeptical at first, but I eventually decided to agree. I had secretly always found his father quite handsome, so if it actually worked it would be very interesting being in his Dad's burly mature body.

The day arrived, and Chris and his father headed out to the cabin first. I was so nervous and waited for the text for Chris to let me know he was going to use the spell. I got a notification from Chris and locked myself in my room to get ready. I was waiting for something to happen and instantly a surge of energy rippled me, and my soul jolted forward.

I finally snapped to and felt my body lurch upright while taking a lot of force to lift myself up. I was now inhabiting the body of Chris's handsome father. I locked eyes with Chris through my new deeper blue eyes.

"Whoa, this is insane," Chris exclaimed, staring at me, who now occupied his father's bigger, flabbier, and hairy body. "What's it like? How does it feel being in my dad's body?"

I was trying to find my bearings, and blinked a few times before responding. "It's...different, man" I paused, noticing the gravelyness of my voice. "This body feels more experienced, like it has seen a lot in life. And the hair? Well' I can feel the breeze on the stubble" I chuckled, rubbing my thick hands across my sweaty forehead.

We took a moment to absorb the nature of their situation before cracking open a few drinks and settling into the comforts of the lake cabin. The initial shock transformed into laughter and camaraderie as I began to relax in my new frame.

Hours passed, filled with laughter, shared stories, and the simple joy of being together. Chris kept commenting that my mannerisms became more similar to his fathers, and I was feeling it as well. It just felt so damn comfortable being in his father's body and leaning into that persona.

However, our enjoyment came to an abrupt halt when Chris's Dad's phone rang. We shared a scared glance, and I was feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. I picked up the phone, answering it in Chris's Dad's serious tone, and realized it was Chris's Mom, or rather my ex-wife. At that moment, I had to embody the role of Chris's father, pretending to be Chris's Dad. To my surprise, I found himself slipping into the role effortlessly, and putting on a show. I even began to feel the emotion of Chris's Dad as I talked and said I miss you to his little sisters, or my daughters. They lived with their mom, so the summer getaway was the only opportunity for us to meet, Chris had explained earlier.

I hung up the phone and had the largest smile on my face. I kept rubbing my beard, enjoying the scruffiness and coarseness of it. "I did it, man! I pulled it off! Your mom didn't suspect a thing. I never knew I had it in me."

Chris beamed back, impressed by my performance. "Who knew you were gonna be able to pull it off this well,” Chris chuckled. “It's like you've been my dad all along.” When he said that my cock grew firm, as I truly began to feel like I am his father. Now, I was getting excited for the rest of the family to come up and see how well I could keep up with the charade of being Chris's father.

I was also dying to find a time to sneak off to the bathroom to feel down my new larger flesh, but I didn't want to raise suspicion to Chris on what I was doing. I was gonna wait till we went to bed and then explore his Father's form a little more closely.

- Several Days Later -

It had been a few days since Chris used the spell to swap me into his Dad’s body. At first, it was really strange walking around in this much older, taller, and heavier body, but I quickly got the gist of it. Although I was still nervous when the rest of the family came and I had to pretend to be Chris’s father. There were some obvious fumbling and embarrassing moments at first, but by the end of the evening no one seemed to mind or took notice. It was almost like I had somehow gone a quick-course on how to truly embody his father. It certainly helped that Chris helped me out here and there, as he gave me small hints and showed me recordings of how his dad normally acted whenever we were alone.

I also noticed that every day that passed I seemed to lean more and more into the persona of Chris’s Dad. I even developed his gait, unconsciously let out his hearty chuckles, and found myself more interested in fishing. At some points even Chris seemed unable to differentiate me from his father, as evident by one morning when I sat in the kitchen drinking my morning coffee and reading the newspaper when Chris came down and started eating his breakfast completely ignoring me.

When I asked him what we were doing today, he answered me with the same snappy attitude he always gave his dad for annoying him. It took a few minutes of me staring at him amusingly before I saw the panic in his eyes as he realized what he had done. “Thank god it’s only a few more days…” He had quickly tried to recover himself, though I could tell there was some slight worry left in his voice.

It wasn’t until the first evening when everyone had gone to sleep in their separate bedrooms that I fully had a chance to explore my new self. I was so thankful that Chris’s parents had divorced a few years back and slept in separate rooms, which gave me the master bedroom all to myself.

It was strange… yet exhilarating as I stood in front of the full-body mirror and inspected the reflection of Chris’s Father.

I started exploring his weary yet handsome face, his thick beefy arms, and his hairy chest, as some quiet moans escaped my lips. I found myself running his big hands across the pelt on his chest, brushing past the bush on his cheeks, and ending my journey on the thin layer of hair on his head. The sight of Chris’s shirtless furry dad being so mesmerized by himself somehow made me incredibly hard, so I quickly unbuckled the belt and let the worn jeans slip onto the floor. I gasped out in delightful shock as the thick and massive cock bounced up and down, while a few drops of precum had already begun to leak out.

Something changed within me at that moment, something deep inside telling me this was all I ever wanted. I knew then - I was in love with this body, and the act of embodying Chris’s Father.

I didn’t sleep one second that night, as I found myself on the king-sized bed exploring, fondling, and worshiping the hairy, big body that belonged to Chris’s father. I had to sit out the hunting trip the morning after because of severe back pain, which was most likely caused by all the arching from the several orgasms I had during the night…

Every single night before sleep I would find myself standing in front of the bedroom mirror, slowly take off all my clothes, and stare excitedly at the burly dad bod. I would slowly caress the thick muscles, squeeze the fat around the stomach, and grip the hardened cock firmly. The jerking always began slow and passionately, but ended in a fierce frenzy of sweat, spit, and cum. Every single time was just as hot, different, and intoxicating. It was almost as if I was getting an addiction - of being Chris’s Dad.

One evening as I stood there in front of the mirror and breathed in a day’s worth of musk this body had produced, when a memory suddenly came to me, of a few words that Chris had said the first day I had swapped with his father: “It's like you've been my dad all along…”

Those words echoed within me, within my heart… and within my very soul. I began to imagine what my whole life would have been like if I was born in this body; the childhood I had, the friends I made, even the partners I went through. I then began to imagine what life would be like from now on if I somehow kept this body; the job I had to learn, the family I would have to love, and the wild nights I would experience. I don’t know what came over me at that point, as I leaned against the reflective surface of the mirror and gave my reflection a few kisses while staring intensely into the eyes of Chris’s naked drooling dad.

“What if I have been you all along… What if I was always meant to be you… What if being you for the rest of my life is all I ever wanted…” I murmured to myself in a low and husky voice, right before I exploded and coated the entire mirror with Chris’s Dad’s sticky semen. I quickly cleaned it up, with my tongue.

An opportunity came one day when Chris and most of the family had to go on a supply run. As soon as they were gone I made my way inside my friend’s messy room and began rummaging around. It took a few minutes before I managed to find the notebook which he had scribbled the ancient body swap spell in. It detailed a sacred ritual to be performed as well as an incantation of foreign language. I could only understand a bit of it, but from what I understood Chris’s Dad would think and act exactly as me during the swap, which relieved some of my worries over what I thought of doing next. At first I had thought of just ripping the page out and throwing it away, but that would make Chris suspicious. Instead, I took an eraser and erased three of the words off the incantation, before rewriting some similar-looking words in their stead. Chris was always impressed at how well I could copy his hand-writing. Of course, I also scribbled the correct words of the incantation down on another paper, just in case. As I left the notebook and Chris’s room in the exact state as when I came in, I was already leaking profusely in my pants.

With the two-week getaway soon coming to an end, Chris began discussing how he would swap me and his father back into our rightful bodies. He decided he would do it the night before they left, as his dad and I slept. Chris explained that the ancient body swap spell had to be performed correctly and precisely, as even the smallest error could ruin the process and cause unimaginable consequences. Such as us being stuck as bodiless spirits or me somehow being stuck as his Dad for good…

- THE Night -

It was a quarter before midnight on the night before we would leave. I had just taken a long hot shower and scrubbed my big hairy body clean from the filth of the day. Staring back at me in the bathroom mirror was the dripping wet reflection of Chris’s Father sensually running his hands through the pelt of fur on his chest. This was it, the moment of truth. I had to decide if I was really going through with this. I had no idea what would come, nor the consequences that would follow from messing with Chris’s spell. All I knew was that I wanted to stay this way; to keep this incredibly hairy and sexy body all to myself and to continue playing the role of Chris’s Father… possibly forever.

Determined, I picked up the piece of paper from the notebook a few days prior and scrunched it up into a ball. With a long deep breath I dropped it into the toilet and flushed it down. Its scribbled content and possibly my only way of returning back to my old life and body, forever gone.

Just as discussed with Chris earlier, I walked into the bedroom and laid my big heavy body down on the bed. I tried to close my eyes and fall asleep, but my mind was racing and my heart was pounding out of my hairy chest. I was anxious, scared, and excited, all at the same time, as I watched the bedroom clock strike midnight. At first nothing happened, so I gave off a breath of relief.

However, soon enough a strange sensation coursed through me. It was as if Chris’s Dad’s entire body began glowing and everything slowed down. My senses dulled, my limbs became numb, and I felt as if a big unending void opened up within me. An eerie blue-ish smoke began emerging from my hairy chest and rose up towards the roof. I simply watched on in both horror and fascination as the wispy smoke quickly shifted and transformed into the shape of my old self. As if carried away by some higher calling, the smoke phased through the roof and disappeared… leaving me laying there on the bed in complete bewilderment.

The void within me felt even larger now, as if my whole being was empty and without reason. My thoughts went to the smokey shape that had resembled my former self, but for some reason it felt bizarrely foreign, as if I no longer recognized it as my own. I tried to think of my own name, my old life, and my former body, but it all felt so distant. It was a feeling of grasping at something which no longer existed; a life and an identity no longer my own. Somehow the botched spell had drained me of my sense of self, but left my mind and consciousness still attached to Chris’s father’s burly body!

I barely had time to finish my thoughts when some red-ish smoke suddenly emerged from the roof. I immediately recognized the wispy form being in the shape of Chris’s Dad. His big hairy sleeping body with its bearded tranquil face slowly descending towards me, as if attracted to the flesh I currently inhabited. I could’ve tried to move out of the way, I could’ve resisted against it entering me… but instead I opened my arms and embraced it welcomingly. When the wisp of smoke finally entered me, yet another strange sensation washed over me. The void within me was suddenly filled and I felt warm and complete again. I felt as if I was home, as if everything was right in the world. The name of Chris’s Dad echoed within my mind repeatedly: “Hank Warrens… Hank Warrens… Hank Warrens…”. The name felt so suited for me, so comfortable, almost as if I had always been called by that name. I realized then that I had fully absorbed Chris’s father’s sense of self. His name, his identity, his whole being… now belonged to me whether I wanted it or not! No matter how you looked at it, I was truly Chris's Dad, Hank Warrens now!

The sound of rustling was heard from the master bedroom door, and as I peered over I briefly saw the shape of Chris running off. He had decided to check in on me to see if the spell had properly worked, to make sure that we had returned to our own bodies. Which meant Chris most likely witnessed the moment his dad’s smokey form reunited with its burly body, under the assumption that it was the reversal process of the body swap. As far as he would know, the spell went off without a hitch and his father was back in his rightful body. That I, Hank Warrens, was back in my rightful, big, hairy, and sexy dad body…

As soon as the sound of Chris’s footsteps in the hallway quieted down, I immediately looked down at the incredible body laid out in front of me.

The hairy chest, the thick muscles, and the girthy member, they were all mine now. To touch, to squeeze, to taste, whenever and wherever I desired. Not to mention that wonderfully musty scent that oozed from my hairy armpits from the bed underneath. All these sensations and sights felt so familiar to me now, as if they had been mine all along. “It’s really like I’ve been you all along, Hank…”

I have no idea what the future holds for me now as Chris’s father, nor how I’ll deal with the situation if I’m ever found out by others… but I’m beyond excited to be dealing with it as the incredibly hairy and thick daddy Hank Warrens.

Well, maybe not as excited as my incredibly girthy and rock-hard cock right now, which is desperately yearning for my firm touch. Let's just hope I won't be too tired for the car trip home tomorrow… otherwise I'll just have to stay another day here in the cabin with my son Chris…

[juiceinpanties]

A Proper S'more

Pairing: Eddie Munson/afab!reader

Rating(s): E

Words: ~3k

Tags: smut!, humping, nipple play, semi-public sexual activity, drug use (just some pot), flirting through food, friends to lovers, established friendship

Summary: Your best friend Eddie Munson invites you camping, and while you're reluctant at first, you realize this might be just the chance you need to finally show him how you feel.

Notes: I was rage-inspired by the TERRIBLE take on s'mores they recently featured on Great British Bake-Off. Pretty sure this is the first time the British have inspired hot, sexy smut. Thanks as always to @tonybourdain for her invaluable help as beta, idea bouncer-off-ofer, and just all around wonderful and amazing human.

This is meant as a one-shot, but if y'all want I can add more.

Feedback is always welcome and appreciated and PLEASE reblog if you can! It's how posts spread around here; likes are appreciated, but they do nothing to boost interaction. :)

part 1 | part 2

In case you wanna read on Ao3 instead

“Camping?” You blink at him, confused. “Eddie, you hate camping.”

He scowls and kicks at the ground. “Yeah, I do, but Henderson and his friends wanna go, but their parents want some older kids to go to make sure they don’t set the woods on fire or something.”

You lift a brow, struggling not to grin. “And they nominated you?”

He smirks a little. “Dustin’s mom loves me.”

“Uh huh, I bet.” He's weirdly popular with moms, even your own. You'd think the whole metalhead thing would be a turn off, but they seem to like it.

It works for you, so maybe you shouldn't be that surprised.

“Look, Nancy and Steve are going, but I don’t wanna third wheel it. They’ll be makin’ goo goo eyes at each other all night.” He rolls his own eyes, then gives you puppy face. “Pllleaaase? I’ll be your best friend!”

“You’re already my best friend, doofus.” You sigh. “But fine. I’ll go. Anything to get out of a weekend with my parents’ passive-aggressive bullshit.”

“Fuck yeah!” He lifts your hand so he can high five you (you’re known to leave him hanging) and spends a few seconds jumping around before he comes back to you. “Okay, so, Saturday morning we’re meeting at the lake and then hiking to the campsite. It’s not too far, but far enough to feel like the wilderness. Should I pick you up?”

“Sure,” you say, amused by his excitement. “Anything special I should bring? Besides the obvious.”

“Junk food.”

“You don’t have that covered?”

He shrugs. “I’ll bring some stuff, but I like the way your mind works, snack-wise. That snack mix you brought at Christmas? Blew my fucking mind.”

“My aunt makes that, so I won’t be bringing it, but I’ll come with something good. Now we both have class, and you can’t cut again. I’ll see you after for Hellfire.” You say your goodbyes and head to class.

Maybe camping with Eddie Munson and a band of young miscreants isn't a great idea. The kids you're not worried about, but Eddie? Alone in the dark woods with Eddie? Okay, not alone, but...

What if Nancy and Steve decide to share a tent? Will you be sharing with Eddie? Maybe it's a sign: this is the time to finally make your move. You can roll over in your little shared tent and kiss him and slide your hand down his shorts and—okay, whoa, you're at school. Save thoughts like that for tonight, in bed, by yourself.

Today, math class. Saturday, possibly finally making a move on your best friend.

Eddie picks you up bright and early Saturday morning, and he's more or less dressed for hiking: that is, boots instead of his usual Reeboks, and his long hair is pulled back with one of his many bandanas. He also left his bigger rings at home, which makes him look almost naked.

"Hey!" he says. "Lookin' good, Camper Bob!"

You roll your eyes. "Such a dweeb," you say, but with affection. You're wearing a t shirt and jean shorts, plus hiking boots and a jean jacket. It'll be much cooler tonight, but for now it's warm, and hiking in jeans is always a mistake.

He helps you stow your pack in the back, then you hop in and you're off.

Everyone's already at the lake when you get there, and it's chaos. How can so few people make so much noise?! You give Eddie a Look, and he wades in.

"Alright, alright! Pay attention! Boy Scout Steve is leading this dog and pony show, so listen to him and don't be little shits! We're here to enjoy nature, and you can't do that if you can't keep the volume below a dull roar. So shut the fuck up for 5 minutes and look around!"

You muffle a giggle behind your hand and share a grin with Nancy. Steve is rolling his eyes and grimacing, but he loves this shit. He takes his place at the front of the group and gets everyone organized for the hike. Finally, after what feels like forever, you set off into the woods.

You hike until mid-afternoon, and by the time you stop everyone's tired and cranky. Steve gets people setting up tents and digging pits for fires while you, Eddie, and Nancy organize the food. There are enough hot dogs to feed an army, plenty of chips, baked beans (gross), and...

"Fuck yeah, s'mores!" Eddie says.

"Thought you'd like that," you say. You add another bag of marshmallows to the pile and his grin widens.

"You know, that'll go perfectly with this," he says and pulls a baggie from his jacket pocket.

Nancy's eyes widen a little. "We can't give that to the kids!"

Eddie makes a face. "I don't give kids drugs, Nance. It's for us! The more-or-less grownups."

"I'm in," you say with a shrug. "I need it after today."

"Knew I could count on you, pumpkin patch."

The two of you have this old running joke in your friendship: you are firm in your belief that he's actually a human Muppet, and nickname him accordingly. As a sort of payback (he has a rep to maintain, and "human Muppet" is not it) he comes up with the weirdest, most random shit he can think of to call you. This is a new one.

"What does that mean?" you say.

He shrugs and stuffs the bag away. "I dunno. It's fall. Pumpkins. It made sense in my head!"

"Weird things make sense in your head, Grove."

"That's the truth," he says with an unbothered grin. "Lemme go help Steve with the fire."

It's dark. Everyone's fed. The kids are around the fire telling scary stories. Eddie gives you a subtle nod and the four of you wander off to sample his product.

"This is probably a terrible idea," Steve says as he puffs and coughs, then passes the joint to Nancy. "We're responsible for these kids!"

"They're 14, Steve, not 6," Nancy says. She takes a delicate puff before handing it to you.

"They seem pretty good at handling themselves," Eddie says. The night's turned chilly, especially away from the fire, and he has his arm thrown around you in easy camaraderie. He's gained a little weight recently; still skinny, but not a rail; and it looks good on him. Feels good too, you note as you lean into him.

He takes the joint from you and inhales deeply before handing it off to Steve. He nuzzles your hair. It smells like wood smoke and leaves and under that, your usual shampoo. He tries to keep his eyes off your bare legs, but it's a struggle. "Not so bad, huh? Camping?"

You look up at him with a little smile. "I could learn to like it. Maybe."

You continue passing the joint around until it's nearly gone. Eddie carefully puts it out and adds it to the Sucrets tin he carries, then you head back toward the group. He grabs your hand and pulls you close. "C'mon, it's s'mores time," he says.

"Oh god I could murder a s'more!"

"Did someone say s'mores?" Dustin says.

"Grab sticks," Steve tells them. "It's time for marshmallows!"

He tosses the bags to Nancy and they all scatter to find roasting sticks. Soon you're back, stick in hand, eager for a roasted marshmallow-and-chocolate treat.

Nancy hands you a couple of marshmallows and you drop down onto a rock next to Eddie. "Burnt or bust," you tell him, and thrust your marshmallow-laden stick into the fire.

He laughs and does the same. Your marshmallows catch fire at the same time and you quickly pull yours out to blow out the flame. It's black and brown on the outside, oozy on the inside, and when you smash it between the chocolate and graham cracker, it goes everywhere.

"Oop!" You hastily lick trailing bits of marshmallow off your fingers and down your wrist, and when you look up Eddie's eyeing you, his own stick forgotten in his hand. "What?" you say.

"Nothing." He dips his head back to assembling his s'more. "Nope, nothing at all."

You lift a brow. That was...interesting. You aren't blind: you know Eddie checks you out from time to time. Or at least you hope so, but sometimes you think it's just wishful thinking. That clearly wasn't. Apparently sucking sticky sweet mess off your fingers is the way to his heart. Or at least his boner.

You squish your s'more together and take a bite, and of course chocolate smears on your lips and all over your fingers. You make a little noise of protest and start to suck your fingers clean again, and when you look over Eddie once again can't take his eyes off of you.

"Munson," you say with a little grin. "Are you going to stare or help?"

"Help?" he says, his voice breaking a little. "Help with what?"

"The mess I'm making. And look!" You point at his little marshmallow sandwich. Chocolate is dripping onto the back of his hand. "Silly," you say. You lean in and carefully lick the chocolate off his skin.

He freezes. You licked him. With your tongue. Now you're sucking more chocolate and marshmallow of your hands and fingers, all while looking right at him. Marshmallow. Long, melted strings of white that ooze just like—

No! Nope. No. He is NOT going to think of you and come in the same sentence. Your little pink tongue darting out over your full pink lips, licking the white off with a happy noise that he feels right in the cock.

He carefully sets his own uneaten s'more aside and grabs you. "C'mere," he says, voice rough.

"Eddie—!"

He pulls you into the woods, away from the noise of the kids and the heat of the fire, and pushes you against a tree. You stare up at him, wide-eyed, and he looks down with a frown of concentration between his brows.

"You're kinda evil," he says.

"What the hell are you doing?" you breathe. Your heart is pounding, your cheeks flushed, and you still have marshmallow and chocolate on your fingers.

As though reading your mind, he grabs one of your hands and carefully sucks a finger into his mouth. He swirls his tongue around it, licking and sucking every bit of sweet off your skin, and you feel your knees go weak. You let out a soft moan and lean against the tree to support you.

He does the same thing to each finger and even your thumb, and by the time he's through you're panting and squirming. He rubs his thumb across your lower lip, tugging it a bit, and smiles at you. "Maybe I should get you back to camp," he murmurs. "You look a little...out of it."

"Oh shut up," you breathe. You grab his shirt and pull him in for a kiss.

His hand slips around to the small of your back while the other grips your bare thigh below your shorts. Your arms go around his neck and you're biting and sucking his full, gorgeous lips. "Eddie," you breathe. "Is this why you brought me camping?"

"What, to make out in the woods?" He shrugs a little. "No, but it's a really nice bonus."

You laugh as he kisses you again, his tongue slipping into your mouth and swirling against yours. He presses his hips into you and you slide your knee up against his thighs.

"Mmmm what's that?" you whisper. "A roasting stick in your pocket?"

"Not exactly," he says. He rocks against you just right, so that the bulge of his erection rubs you through all your layers of clothing. You bite down on your lip to muffle a whimper and he kisses you again, harder. "Goddamn I've wanted you forever, baby. To touch you and taste you and make you moan my name."

He rubs his thumb over your lip again. You're looking up at him with big, dazed eyes, pupils blown and mouth soft and swollen. He slowly reaches down to unzip your shorts. "You can stop me," he says.

You shake your head. "Don't stop, Eddie," you breathe. "I've wanted you too. I never—I was afraid to say anything, but—please?"

He kisses you hard and shoves your shorts down to your ankles. You kick them away as he drops to his knees and kisses your thighs. He bites. Sucks. You bury both hands in his hair and try to keep breathing.

He kisses his way up your body, completely ignoring your panties, and pushes your shirt up. He tugs the cups of your bra down and spends ages licking and sucking your nipples. He switches back and forth between them until they're both swollen and aching and you're wiggling against the tree.

"Eddie, please!"

"Please what, princess?" he murmurs, lashing his tongue back and forth across your nipple while he squeezes your tits with both hands. "Tell me what you want."

"My pussy! Please!" you gasp. "I'm so wet! I need you!"

"Fuck!" he rasps. He kisses your tummy. "Whatever you need, baby." He grips your hips and kisses just above your panties. Your head falls back on a quiet moan, but the tree's closer than you thought.

"Ow!" you say, sharply.

"Babe?" He jumps to his feet, but it's too fast. He reaches out to grab you, but you're a little dizzy from smacking your head, and you both end up tumbling to the forest floor.

You lie there a moment sprawled out on top of him, shorts off, tits out, and then you start to giggle. He barks out a laugh and soon you're both laughing so hard you can barely breathe. You move a little, your legs falling to either side of his hips so that you're straddling him, and you're both still laughing and gasping.

You rock your hips, and the next breath he sucks in is entirely different. "Babe—"

"Shhh. I can feel you, Eddie. Mmmmm you're so hard for me!"

He gets over his surprise quickly and grabs your hips again, this time to guide you as you move. "Yeah, princess. All for you. I swear to god every erection I've had for the last two years has been for you." He laughs. "And there've been a lot of 'em."

"Mmmm bad boy," you breathe. You rest your hands on his chest and grind against his erection. The rough material of his jeans makes your panties slip and slide along your dripping slit just right.

"Fuck, baby, that feels so fucking good! Don't stop!"

You lean down to kiss him, changing the angle just right, and he rubs his hands over your ass. You love the feel of his guitar callouses, how soft his palms are. "Eddie!" you gasp against his mouth. "God, Eddie, I'm so wet!"

He groans. "For me, princess? Is that all for me?"

"Uh huh, every drop! Fuck, I need—!" You rock faster, grind against him harder. You can't believe you're just out in the woods humping Eddie Munson's erection through his jeans. You feel wanton and incredible and you know you're close.

"Take what you need, angel," he breathes. "Anything you need. You gonna come, baby?"

"Uh huh!" you whimper. "Oh god Eddie oh fuck!"

"Good girl, fuck, that's so hot, you're so fuckin' hot! Take it, baby, come for me!" he mumbles in your ear, his breath hot and his words slurred by his own need for you.

"Eddie!!" you cry, a little louder than you intended, and the orgasm takes you. He holds you down against him while he bucks his hips to drive you higher and higher.

"Good girl," he says, almost a moan. "Good girl!"

You finally start to come down from it and fall against his chest. He kisses your temple, runs his hands through your hair. You lift your head to give him a long, easy kiss. "Your turn," you murmur.

"Fuck!" he gasps, and you're just starting to work your way down when you hear a familiar voice echoing through the woods.

Calling your name. Then, "Eddie!"

Your eyes widen. "Oh fuck!" You scramble to your feet and cast around for your shorts. Your panties are soaked and sticking to you, but there's not much you can do about it.

Eddie jumps up as the voice gets closer and helps you fix your bra and top, tug your shorts on and zip them up. You're barely decent when the flashlights bob into view and Steve and Dustin appear in the little clearing.

"Shit, there you are," Steve says. "We thought you got lost."

"Nope!" you say. You run both hands through your mussed hair. "No, just ate a bit too much. Needed some fresh air away from the fire."

"Dude!" Dustin says. He has his light trained on Eddie's crotch. Luckily his erection has gone down, but... "Did you piss yourself?!" he says around barely-contained laughter.

"What?!" He glances down and sees the big wet spot you left on his jeans. You feel your face catch fire.

"You did! You pissed yourself! I gotta tell everybody!"

"I didn't piss myself, Henderson!" Eddie says. "I spilled my flask."

Dustin shines the light in Eddie's face, and he winces away from it. "You brought alcohol and drugs on a camping trip with minors? Edward Munson!"

"How did you know about the drugs?!" Eddie says.

Dustin shrugs. "I've got a nose, dude."

"Okay, okay," Steve says. "Let's get back. You feeling better?" he says to you.

You glance at Eddie. "Much!" you say. "Eddie?"

"Feelin' great," he mumbles. "Hate that I spilled my flask."

Dustin just rolls his eyes and turns back toward camp. You fall in next to him while Steve and Eddie bring up the rear.

Steve nudges him. "You really spill your flask?" he mutters.

"Left my flask at home," Eddie says. "But I had to think of somethin'!"

"Uh huh." Steve's trying not to laugh. "That you or her?"

Eddie doesn't say anything, just looks away with a shrug. "I don't kiss and tell, man. But." He frowns and carefully adjusts himself. "It ain't me."

Steve muffles a bark of laughter in the crook of his elbow. "Okay then. Nancy owes me ten bucks."

"What?!"

"We had a bet that you two would hook up on this trip. I said yeah, she said no. I knew I'd win."

"Jesus," Eddie says, but he's struggling not to grin. He got the girl! For once in his life. You glance back at him with a soft, pretty smile, and his grin breaks through.

Yeah, he thinks he could probably get used to camping too.

[scummy-writes]

Winter Comforts

A fic for @misty-moth. Thank you for your support!

Pairing: Arthur/Reader

Words: 2143

Tags: Depression, comfort, fluff

The snowfall after your first night at the cabin was more than anticipated, causing an extra chill in the cabin you rented for the week. While it wasn't unwelcomed as an added bonus to the atmosphere of your lovebird vacation, it was enough for Arthur to designate himself as the one to take Vic out, refusing to let the risk of illness touch you.

And that's where he was now: out in the yard, watching the way you busied yourself with putting another log in the fireplace. There he stood with arms crossed, puffs forming in the air from his deep sighs.

Meanwhile Vic stepped cautiously through the snow, his small, boot clad paws crunching with each step. He only stopped exploring long enough to relieve himself, and in that time his owner finally stopped looking so worriedly in your direction, crouching down to make eye contact with Vic with new determination.

“Alright, Vic, we have our work cut out for us this week. Our bird has been putting on a brave face for us and refuses to say what's truly bothering her.”

Vic looked at Arthur with a small huff, chilly even through the sweater you'd knitted him, as he tried to finish his business as fast as he could manage. Yet Arthur continued, his focus on figuring out how to triumph over your depression causing him to neglect the cold.

“I've already devised plans to keep her mood up, in and out of bed, but what I need from you is the best charm you can manage. I need you to harken back to your youthful days as a pup and pretend to have that energy once more! Of course, this isn't all for nothing- with her mood lifted, she's bound to spoil you tenfold, Vic.”

Vic huffed once more, giving his owner a tired look before shaking the snow from his fur. But the man continued, used to this behavior for years.

“And… I'll let you get onto the bed with us in the mornings we're here. What do you say?”

The shaking slowed to a halt as Vic contemplated the words, staring Arthur down as if to call his bluff. But when Arthur merely just stared back, waiting for an affirmation of sorts, Vic slowly began to wag his tail before taking determined steps towards the cabin.

“Atta boy!”

.

Inside, the fire you set up crackled and popped, providing a comforting warmth to the abode. Once you had finished stoking it, you couldn't manage yourself up off the floor. Instead, you seemed entranced by the flames, watching them dance as your thoughts whirled in your head. You hardly seemed to notice when the other two came back in, only breaking out of your trance when Vic excitedly collided with you, paws hitting your back in excitement.

“Whoa!”

You turned to face the pup, chuckling as you saw his boots had been kicked off in a haphazard trail towards you, tag wagging wildly as his round eyes looked up at you. An impossible gaze to resist, and you found yourself smiling once more as you stroked his head, cooing as Vic melted at your touch.

It didn't take long for him to curl up by you, overjoyed in the belly rubs he received as Arthur doffed his overcoat and shoes.

“I say, Vic strolls into the room and you're putty in his paws! Won't even pass me a glance.”

There it was- that adorable grin when he was being ridiculous. At the sound of your chuckle, relief washed over him. It seems as though your depression wasn't as poor as he feared.

You met his gaze as you rolled your eyes, continuing to pet Vic's stomach.

“Are we going to have this conversation again? About how many more merits you have in comparison to a dog?”

“Well, I do distinctly remember you insisting I was acting like one last night- hey!”

Laughter followed as you playfully threw one of Vic’s boots towards Arthur, the writer mocking offense as your giggles persisted. Soon, the two of you were caught up in tossing the boot back and forth, teasing words before each one, and Vic settled down with a huff of understanding that belly rubs were long gone for the moment.

.

It had been a while since the two of you could settle in like this. You sat between his legs as you both stretched out on the couch, nestled in a blanket while Vic sprawled out in front of the fireplace. While he dozed, the two of you read a book of your choosing; Arthur, a mystery novel from a new author, and you, a random romance you had plucked from the mansion’s library. 

With a pencil in hand, Arthur underlined descriptions he favored while making notes in the margins, humming intrigue at the way the plot was unfolding. For him, it was easy to deduce from the beginning who was at fault in the story, but he was enjoying the way the author could still make the story interesting despite that. Certainly a novel he’d recommend to you. A copy he hadn’t marked in, of course.

Between every few pages, he’d cast his eyes towards you. He couldn’t get a good read on your face in this position, but every so often he’d feel the way your breath would pause at a passage, how your shoulders would tense- and sure enough, one look at the book in your hands would confirm the male lead blundering his way through affections. 

Another reference to add to his mental notes, of what made your heart speed up.

Yet now, he watched you thumb the corner of the pages rhythmically, the same set of pages you had been reading the past time he checked on you. He furrowed his brows, but allowed himself to read a few more pages of his novel before worrying further. But when he looked back, you were still doing the same- shoulders tense as you were lost in thought.

What kept causing that? What was making you worry on this little retreat? When Comte had offered to let Arthur use this cabin as a romantic get-away, he had been hoping this would cure those bouts of long sighs and tired eyes. But they kept persisting, no matter the amount of hugs and kisses Arthur gifted, among more sentimental offerings.

Carefully, he set down his pencil and book aside, wrapping his arms around yours. Setting his chin upon your shoulder had some tension melt away, but you were still wound tight in other ways.

“Luv…” he murmured against your ear, massaging his thumbs against your skin, “what’s troubling you?”

“I’m fine.”

The response was automatic, almost cold in the attempt to dismiss his worry, but you faltered immediately, fumbling over your words to ease the bluntness, “I mean- I am fine. I’m okay, I promise.”

You turned to face him then, a soft smile on your lips, but it was a poor mask that was easy to see through. And there, Arthur was at the crux of how to handle the issue. Pushing too hard could result in you hiding even further away. Meanwhile, time may be what you needed, but… It was difficult watching the way you crumbled, even if it was in small pieces.

He hummed in response, a gentle kiss pressed against your cheek. “Haven’t we discussed this, luv?”

You drum your fingers on his arm, neglecting his question. So he continues, calmly. In a quiet tone that causes your motions to stop.

“I know all too well how one may be keen to hide it all away- that void threatening to swallow you whole, how your heart aches through the days. But we promised each other to speak up before that burden gets too heavy.”

The crackling of the fireplace fills the air, merging with the tension after his words. Arthur watches as your eyes flit away again.

“I feel like I should be saying that as well.”

“What ever do you mean?”

Glancing at him again, there is a murmur of frustration in your gaze, mixed in with your own worry. 

“Do you think I wouldn’t have noticed? You can try to hide by flirting like a man preparing to never see his lover again, or by covering my concern with kisses and prose, but you can’t hide those bags under your eyes, or those times at night when I wake up in your bed, alone.”

Arthur frowns.

“Luv…”

“I don’t know how else to make it clear to you that I am here for you. I’ve tried so much…” You trail off, voice raspier than before. 

In the moment that you take to briskly wipe at your eyes, Arthur realizes where this enigma of your worry stemmed from. And he wants to laugh mockingly at himself, for getting so lost and scared at the sight of depression taking over you, that he neglected to consider the most damning possibility.

His arms hold you tighter, letting you continue to refuse looking his way. He doesn’t prod or force you to turn around, knowing well by now that when your emotions overflow, it’s difficult to let anyone watch. So Arthur holds you, letting tears fall down your cheeks as you process your next words, trying to convey your struggles.

“I know I can’t take away your pain. I know that it will linger inside of you, no matter how many years we stay together. No matter what luck comes into our lives. But I can be here for you. I can listen, I can hold you when it’s too hard to handle the world- I can do so much, but only if you let me in, Arthur.” Another shaking breath escapes you, and your next words come out so quiet, as if you’re fearful of the words themselves, “if we can’t talk about these things, how are we supposed to stay together? To get married…?”

With that, you crumble apart. Arthur pulls you properly into his lap now, letting you nuzzle into his neck, letting his shirt soak up your tears. Each shaking sob from you has him murmuring reassurances, promises that saying such a thing wouldn’t bring ruin to the relationship. 

And he waits. Until you can breathe properly again, until you’re ready to listen to him to speak.

“I think we’ll be fine.”

“How can we be when-”

“For instance, did you know we’ve been worrying ourselves sick over the same issue?”

You peek up at him, questioningly. Arthur takes that moment to brush back the wet hairs sticking against your face, his smile soft.

“It seems we’re both having trouble letting each other in on the secrets of our heart. I can’t promise that there won’t be moments like this again in the future, but for now…” Arthur presses a chaste kiss against your temple, sighing along with you, “I can apologize. I didn’t realize you felt like this, luv. I’m so used to burying my emotions that I neglect understanding it can hurt others.”

“I’ve been trying to think of how to bring it up, but…I just kept getting scared that this wouldn’t change.”

“It will. I’ve just got to get used to the fact that I’m lucky to be loved by you,” he pecks your cheek once more, “and I’ll stop leaving you at night when the nightmares plague me.”

You study his face with your reddened eyes, and Arthur tries to ease the pangs of guilt in his heart. But you seem to relent, shoulders relaxing as you return one of his earlier kisses.

“You promise?”

Arthur hooked his pinky with yours, grinning, “promise.”

.

Vic gave you a dubious glance after inspecting the sugary fluff on your finger, giving it a few more sniffs.

“It won’t bite you! But if you don’t want a bit of marshmallow, I can just take it back-”

A low whine rang out once you pulled your finger back, and you and Arthur fell into a fit of giggles at Vic’s contradictory behavior. But you gave him another chance, and the pup happily lapped up the small treat before you could take it away again. Yet, after a few smacks of his jows, Vic unceremoniously plopped the now-wet mess on the carpet. At your surprise, he merely settled into a comfortable heap in front of the fireplace again, his curiosity sated over what you and Arthur had been laughing about for the past few minutes.

After cleaning up, Arthur watched as you happily stick another marshmallow onto your stick, poking it into the fireplace while you used your free hand to pet Vic. The puffiness of your eyes had calmed down enough, and now the smile left on your face held no hidden meaning; you were happy. Relaxed. Everything that Arthur wanted for this trip.

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[ilyasorokinn]

leo pettersson's great all-star adventure ― elias pettersson

note, the first of my all-star works because i'm slow so idk when the svech fic will be out but i'm working on it. also, this fic is part of the "home with the petterssons" series. check out this masterlist for more. summary, leo pettersson has the time of his life at his first all-star game. warnings, kids/children word count, 1327 words

you and elias had been to all-star games before, but this one would be different. leo and alicia were coming along with you. leo was excited but alicia was still too young to understand, but she did understand she was going on vacation which was exciting.

brock volunteered to tag along on your trip, which you accepted. he got dragged from disneyworld to fla live arena with you. he even entertained both kids on the plane while you and elias took some alone time and crashed on the 3-hour plane ride.

"we really owe you for this one," you commented as you got alicia dressed for the skills competition day, and he got leo dressed.

elias had already left, so brock being there really helped, "i get to spend time with my favorite little petey's. that's all the reward i need."

"still, you could partying it up in aruba or something, and you decided to spend it with my children in florida. i appreciate it, we both do."

"you're my family." you both shared a smile.

when you arrived at the arena, many fans stopped to take pictures with brock, which you had expected, so you made your way down to the tunnel where the locker room was and where you knew elias would be.

"uncle bo!" leo jumped up and down when he saw bo horvat. he hesitated when he saw bo wearing an islanders logo.

"hi, buddy." bo bent down and greeted him, "how was disneyworld?"

"fun." leo then went on to tell bo every single detail of your trip from when brock accidentally ordered 10 bottles of water to when elias got on a ride without you all cause he thought you were following him.

"wow, sounds like you guys had fun. did aly have fun, too?"

"yeah, she got to ride all the kiddy rides, but i rode all the big kid rides." leo boasted.

"whoa, you're a big boy now." bo's eyes widened.

"why're you wearing that?" leo's nose scrunched.

"well, you see," bo looked up at you nervously, "i got traded."

"traded?" leo asked.

"yeah, the islanders." bo nodded.

leo frowned, "but you'll still come visit, right?"

"of course." bo nodded, the smile finding it's way back onto his face.

you hummed, "that was easier than i thought it would be."

"i'll see you guys out there. by aly." he ran a careful hand through alicia's hair before heading down the hallway.

you waited a little longer for elias to come out and luckily, players were coming out, and mitch marner came out and started talking to leo, distracting him.

he even signed a puck for leo, which leo clutched to his chest like a prized possession, "will you keep it safe for me, mama?"

"of course." you nodded, slipping it into your bag and showing him the spot so he knew it would be safe.

elias walked out in the retro canucks jersey and a canucks hat, "papa!" leo exclaimed, rushing over to his father.

"hi, leo." he greeted, bending down and picking up leo, "were you good for mama and uncle b?"

"i met mitch marner and he gave me a puck!"

"wow, really?"

"and i saw uncle bo."

"did you?"

"he got traded. did you know that?"

"i did, yeah." elias nodded, nervously.

"but he promised he would come and visit us." leo added.

elias nodded, "now, do you wanna sit in the stands with mama, aly and brock or do you want to stay with me down on the ice?"

"will i get to sit next to hughes?" leo asked.

you and elias laughed, "yeah, i'll see what i can do."

you found your seat very easily due to brock waving you down like a madman the moment he saw you. you sat down and your eyes darted around the ice, trying to find your son.

"he's over there." brock pointed to the bench where leo was sitting happily in between jack hughes and andrei svechnikov, elias standing in front of him, wearing a hockey helmet, pads, a jersey, and hockey pants.

"oh, dear," you muttered.

leo spotted you somehow in the crowd and waved to you like crazy. you laughed, waving back, and waving alicia's little hand back at him, which made him giggle.

"look who it is, aly." you looked down at her face, before looking back up at leo.

"leo!" she squealed.

while sitting over on the bench, leo got to meet tons of new players. he got to sit next to gunner and all hi favorite players, "papa." leo called out to his father.

elias skated over, "what?" elias smiled.

"i met sid and mackinnon." the smile on his face was so big, it warmed elias' heart.

"wow, that's so cool." elias' eyes widened as he listened to his son's recap of his day so far, "i'm so glad you're having fun." he leaned over the wall of the bench and kissed leo's head, both of the completely unaware of the various cameras on them, taking photos.

as the night dragged on, leo found himself on the ice, playing with few of the other kids, amongst them were little ovi, who stole the show, one of taresenko's kids and a few other kids.

leo watched excitedly, pausing his game with the other kids, to watch elias. elias got ready, taking his stick before skating up fast and shooting the puck.

he skated in a circle before checking his score. 100.8 mph. he looked over at leo, who gave him a big smile and a thumbs up. elias gave him a thumbs up back before getting into position for his second shot.

he skated up to the puck and shot it into the net. it took a second for the numbers to pop up, but when they did, a collective gasp could be heard around the arena.

103.2.

and he was hard to beat. the other guys went after him but missed him by only a little. once he was crowned king of the challenge, pk pulled him aside for a quick interview.

halfway through the interview, leo skated over and hugged his dad's leg. elias let out a laugh as he stumbled forward a bit, but continued what he was saying, "i just wanted to beat that today, so yeah, very happy with it." he ran a hand through leo's hair, glancing down at him.

pk smiled too, "last question, how do you shoot 103? what's your secret?" he asked.

"i lay all my weight into it, so yeah." elias smiled.

"all right, well it's a lot of weight. congratulations." elias nodded before pk turned back to face the camera, "elias pettersson, hardest shot." elias beamed happily as he bent down to pick up leo and hold him.

"what'd you think?" elias asked.

"so cool." leo answered enthusiastically.

the next day, you were seated in the stands, leo sitting inbetween you and brock while alicia sat on your lap for the all-star game tournament.

leo and alicia were both repping the retro canucks jerseys with their last names and their dad's number. as well as their number '40' beanies.

"from the vancouver canucks, elias pettersson!" leo stood up in his chair and clapped.

"that's papa!" leo hollered, jumping up in his seat.

"that's right." brock smiled.

the firt period was almost up. there were less than 3 minutes on the clock and puck was down on the other side of the ice. fiala shot it out and got it away from the net.

fiala got it, skating further away from the net and shooting it up to elias who was further up the ice. elias skated forward, then passed it to bo.

bo skated right up to the. net and looked like he was gonna shoot it. he, instead, passed it over to elias, who was by his side and shot it. leo started cheering while you and brock shared a sad look.

-

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[twstbookclub]

Sweetest Escape

Summary: Going on a date with a certain red haired housewarden is like a haven you probably didn’t think could go well, but did it? POV: 2nd  Pronouns: Gender neutral Admin/Writer: Kai⚔ Tags: Riddle Rosehearts, first date, riddle is a nervous wreck, another date?, sorry for not updating in a while Word Count: 974

“Will you go out with me?”

“Yes!”

“Wait-”

At that time, you and Riddle laughed since you asked each other on a date at the same time with the same response. It felt like something straight out of a movie, except this was real.

Right after deciding when to meet, you both walked away and headed to your respective dorms. Once out of Riddle’s sight, you had begun running to Ramshackle dorm.

“CATER!” You yelled out as soon as you stepped in through the door. The male popped his head out of the kitchen door with an excited look on his face.

“What’s-”

“We’re going out tomorrow! It’s happening! What should I do?! What should I wear!?!”

“Oh my seven, it’s really happening! Come on, we have to get you ready!” Cater said enthusiastically and ran to your room.

At this same moment, Riddle was running through Heartslabyul to look for Trey.

The kitchen door was forced open as a boy with his face redder than the roses stood at the door frame. Trey was a bit spooked but he simply laughed it off nervously as he was preparing pastries for tomorrow’s tea party as per rule 53.

“They said yes! I’m going on my first ever date… On the day of the monthly tea party… I’m breaking a rule?!” Riddle was in complete shock at his own revelation.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down. First off, congratulations. Secondly, breaking one rule is not going to kill you. Be happy, you’re going on a date with the person you like. You think the Queen didn’t have someone she loved too?”

Trey did make good points, and Riddle did want to go on the date. He sighed and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. “You’re right. Then, what do I do to get ready?”

Trey smiled and came up with a plan in his head, staying quiet while making his way to Riddle’s room.

Time went by extremely quickly as it was already time for the date. It was peak afternoon, with the skies blue and clear. The perfect setting for your date.

You sat at a spot near a corner that had a window right beside the table. You were quite nervous, but this was like a first date jitters.

The jingle of a door bell was heard and your head immediately shot towards the sound, only for your eyes to be met by Riddle, who had already found you as soon as he walked in.

You stood up and watched him walk over, still staring for a few moments.

“This place is wonderful. Thank you for inviting me.” Riddle kept a calm demeanor, but inside he was a mess. His heart was going miles a minute, and his thoughts never stopped running.

You laughed softly as your eyes couldn’t help but gaze at his features. How red his face got. How his lips turned a bit thinner when he was thinking as you both talked about the common things. The way his hands moved as he explained something.

Riddle was the same way. When you talked, he noticed so many mannerisms that you used, like having to pause to think, and he grew to adore that silence every time it happened. The way your eyes noticed the smallest movements, how that caught your attention so easily, and- wow, he was feeling his heart wanting to burst.

As you both enjoyed pastries and tea together, laughing and talking in your own little worlds, you noticed that there was a small stain of whipped cream on the corner of his mouth. You suddenly excused yourself before standing up.

He looked at you a bit confused as he watched you move over to his side and lean down. Your finger gently wiped the cream off and you licked it off your finger, and all Riddle could do was sit in his chair, almost like a statue.

His face turned red as soon as he processed what just happened, eyes wide, and mouth slightly agape at the sight. Not to mention, you were suddenly so close to him. But that little gesture was making his mind run a mile per minute.

It was a bit awkward as he’s blushing like crazy, but soon after finishing you both leave. By this time, the afternoon was turning into mid sunset, and the sky was clear shades of orange and pink all over.

You both walked around the streets to look at display cases, and laughed while running down the walking paths with one another. Time had passed by suddenly as, shortly after, the door of your dormitory was right in front of you.

You stopped at the last light post and Riddle followed suit after, but he didn’t let go of your hand for a moment.

“So… Is there a next time?” He asked as his voice was tender and curious, but in a way that showed that interest that he was trying to hide. You playfully thought about his question before responding, giving him a false look just to tease him.

“Definitely. Does next week sound good? Oh! And, I’ll choose the place.” You gave him a smile as you could feel your face suddenly heat up. “Oh- alright! Then- have a good night. Sleep well.” After that, he waited as you went to turn in for the night, and then he went off on his own.

Riddle walked casually towards his room and carefully closed his door before he fell face first onto his bed. Trey was getting ready to turn in for the night when he suddenly jumped from hearing a loud scream. “Wow… was it that bad…?” He mumbled to himself.

You suddenly heard your phone ding from a message and it was from Cater.

“What did you do to him?”

“What? Nothing?”

“Nothing!?!? Huh!?”

[its-jaytothemee]

Until I Met You - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Creche, Part 1

Pairings: Halsin x Tav

Word count: 4,382

Rating: Currently M, will be Explicit in later chapters.

Read on AO3

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Summary: The group starts their journey around the Creche. They realize that there's more than they can handle in the span of a day, but run into a strange traveler during their trip. Part 6 of the slow burn fic. Halsin and Tav POVs

Tags: Slow burn, hurt/comfort, fluff, love confessions, eventual smut, light angst, implied past rape/non-con, graphic description of injuries.

A/N: Halsin and Tav POVs - let's get some more pining up in here.

I decided to break up the creche into two parts since I ended up coming up with some filler stuff between Tav and Halsin and I don't want the chapters to get too long :) Part two of the creche will be out shortly!

As Tav and her companions strolled along the scenic Mountain Pass, she couldn’t keep a ridiculous smile off her face. Her conversation with Halsin from the morning was still fresh in her mind. Based on his reaction to their time together, she was fairly certain he felt something too. The thought kept her feeling giddy throughout the morning...he liked her…

Gods above, Tav. How old are you?

Halsin had insisted on staying at the camp today to Tav’s relief. She was distracted enough thinking about him right now, gods know how much worse she would be if he would have come along. He thought it would be best to let the tadpoled individuals take the lead at the Creche, giving them all a chance at purification.

An arm suddenly looped around one of hers.

“Having some pleasant daydreams, my friend?” Astarion’s sing-song voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“Nothing but.”

“Yes, I thought I heard some little whispers and laughs this morning.” Astarion teased, giving her a sideways glance.

“Oh, don’t be jealous, love. I’ll be sure to wake you up next time so you don’t feel left out.”

“You’ll do no such thing! Some of us believe in getting our beauty rest.” He stuck his nose up in the air at her.

“Whoa, whoa…hold on there soldier…” Karlach had bopped her way to the other side of Tav. “Did something happen with Halsin?” Her excitement was plain as day.

“Nothing happened!” Tav couldn’t hide her smile as she said the words.

“Oh, you’re definitely lying.” Astarion teased. “So tell me, is he as well-endowed as he seems? I mean hells, the man dwarfs you and you’re strangely muscular for a high elf.”

“Astarion!” Tav shrieked, wiggling her arm free of his and slapping him a few times, his teasing grin taunting her further. Karlach cackled from the other side of her.

“That’s a yes!” Karlach barely choked out between her laughs.

“I’m telling you, nothing happened!” Tav was starting to get a little defensive but couldn’t keep herself from laughing along with them. “On my honor, we just sat and talked this morning.”

“Oh darling, I’m sure your ‘honor’ is left in bits after spending a night with him.” Astarion quickly ran out of range of Tav before she could smack him again. He ran ahead of her and Karlach, giggling hysterically.

“Okay he’s gone now. What actually happened?” Karlach was still bouncing beside her.

“What? I already told you, we just talked.” Tav held her ground.

“Yeah, but that was when Astarion was listening in. Now it’s just us girls. Tell me!” She begged.

Tav just laughed back at her. As much as she enjoyed gossiping with Karlach, something about this morning felt very intimate. It was an experience she really wanted to keep to herself for now.

“Don’t worry, love. As soon as something happens that is worthy of gushing about, you’ll be the first to know.” Tav promised. When she finished talking, she felt the slightest tingle pass through her head.

“Hey now…tell your little stowaway to mind its own business.” Tav scolded her, trying to fight the smile tugging at her lips.

“Fine, fine.” Karlach finally resigned and waved her hand dismissively.

“If you all are done fooling around, I believe we’re approaching the Creche.” Lae’zel called out to the group.

They had reached the bottom of one of the large hills, the steps leading to the monastery just ahead of them. The stonework was intricate and ancient, vines had made their way into all the grooves and crevices along the outside. Many of the walls were beginning to crumble. This place was abandoned long ago. Taking careful steps and staying on the lookout for traps, they approached a large entryway. Angry voices sounded ahead of them.

Tav signaled her companions to wait a few steps behind her as she peered around the corner. There were a couple of githyanki soldiers ushering along a few halflings dressed in the garb of the Absolute. They were trying to force the halflings through the doors, but one of them turned to run towards her. She froze, praying to every god above that she wasn’t spotted. Before she had a chance to duck behind the wall, a crossbow bolt pierced the halfling’s chest, causing them to fall to the ground not 10 steps in front of her.

The two githyanki turned back toward the entrance, seeming not to notice Tav barely hiding around the corner. A large and heavy door slammed closed behind them, seemingly sealing the way into the creche.

“Any ideas?” Tav turned back around to Lae’zel.

“This Absolute has my kin on high alert. We must proceed with caution.” Lae’zel seemed more subdued than earlier.

Tav led them forward, cautiously, to inspect the doorway. Astarion was delicately running his fingers along the wall, looking for any traps or hidden keyholes that could gain them entry. He looked over at her and shrugged, apparently not finding anything. Their entire party startled as a now familiar voice glided into their thoughts.

“Your curiosity is getting the better of you. Do not let it.” The dream visitor’s smooth, ethereal voice washed over all of them. “They are hunting you! They want the artefact. They will stop at nothing to get it.” As quickly as the voice appeared, it vanished.

They all shared a look with each other, trying to decide what to do next.

“We must press on. The purification granted by my kin is our only hope.” Lae’zel insisted. As Tav looked around to the others, they seemed to be in agreement.

“Then onwards we go. There’s a broken window over there.” She pointed her chin towards a nearby panel of stained-glass windows. “Maybe we can sneak in through a back passage or something.”

*

It took them almost the entire day to find a way into the Creche. Tav and the others were somehow able to convince Lae’zel to wait one more night before going in, seeing as everyone was exhausted. Between the wine-soaked kobolds, small army of gremishkas, and the very aggressive eagles they found it was a miracle they weren’t in worse shape. Despite Lae’zel’s insistence that the Creche would help them, Tav wasn’t willing to take any chances. She had no idea what purification entailed, but she didn’t imagine it was a pleasant and easy process. Something told her that they would need every ounce of their strength to see it through.

The sun was setting behind the trees as Tav led her companions back through the twisting Mountain Pass. As she tried to remember whether to turn left or right at the fork in front of them, a mysterious traveler appeared in her periphery. He wore rather stereotypical wizard attire, right down to the pointy hat. The simple staff slung across his back boasted no intricate carvings or jewels, but somehow still managed to be imposing.

“Ho there, wanderer. Stay thy course a moment to indulge an old man.” The strange traveler beckoned her as she approached. There was something familiar about this man.

“Elminster?” Gale spoke up next to her.

Elminster…Elminster Aumar?

Surely a wizard such as himself would not be out wandering this remote wilderness…

“The very same, Gale. And a fair bit miffed he is, too, finding himself forced to expose his best pair of boots to so many miles of country road on your behalf.”

What the fuck? Why is one of the most famous wizards in the realms hiking across Faerûn to find Gale?

“I think some proper introductions are in order.” Tav said, her eyes shifting between Gale and Elminster. Gale smiled slightly at the prompt.

“Meet Elminster Aumar. A good friend of mine, but rather more significantly, he’s the most famed and respected wizard in the realms.” Gale’s voice was full of admiration. The older wizard laughed lightly.

“Am I, indeed? Most famed and respected errand boy, more like.” He shook his head softly.

Gale and Elminster continued their conversation, but Tav was only half listening. Her attention turned to her exhausted friends, each leaning on nearby rocks and trees. Wyll looked like he was ready to fall asleep any moment, his head currently resting on Astarion’s shoulder. Astarion must have been drained as well since he didn’t seem to mind the horns poking him in the face. She tuned her ears back into the lengthy conversation between the two long-winded wizards in front of her.

“Out with it, Elminster. Please!” Gale pleaded.

“Has your sojourn away from Waterdeep washed away your decorum as well as your patience?” Elminster snipped at Gale. Tav couldn’t help but smile as Gale was trapped in the wordy turns of phrase Elminster was using to essentially ask for a place to rest and have a snack.

“…Surely you won’t begrudge me a mite of rest and repast before I get ‘out with it.’” Elminster said with a huff. Tav’s smile widened.

“Yes, Gale. Where is your decorum?” She shot a teasing grin over her shoulder.

“Oh, for the love of…” He hissed before trailing off.

“Nigh on thirteen centuries old and he still thinks with his stomach. Better to indulge our curiosity at his news than Elminster’s appetite.” Gale sounded like he was fighting an eye roll.

“Very well. I suppose I’m as curious as you are to hear what he has to say.” Tav resigned. She called the rest of their party to their feet, leading Gale and Elminster back to their new camp. Tav easily picked up on Gale’s anxiety, whatever news Elminster had brought to them, she doubted it would be a helpful addition to their problems.

***

Halsin watched the horizon for hours, waiting for any sign of his adventuring party to return. It was getting late, but he wasn’t sure how long the group normally stayed out. Being alone in the camp all day gave him far too much time to think about his time spent with Tav this morning.

All day long he could still feel the gentle strokes of her hands running through his hair. The thought made him smile like a fool every time it crossed his mind. He was desperately trying to regain his focus, meditating throughout the afternoon to commune with Silvanus, reciting the steps to the newly learned ritual in his mind repeatedly so he wouldn’t lose the knowledge. Yet half the time when he closed his eyes, he only saw Tav’s face.

He felt so immature, unable to control his desires and block out distractions. Over the years he had spent plenty of time around beautiful and kind people, why was he so hung up on her? Perhaps it was because for the first time in years, he finally didn’t feel the need to hide behind a mask. Here with this new group, he wasn’t looked to for every answer or for constant guidance. He wasn’t their leader, he was their friend. Or so he hoped at least.

There were also her ties to Moonrise. It had been so long since he had met another living soul who witnessed the start of the shadow curse. More than anyone he had spoken to in the last century, she understood the pain and the danger of returning to those accursed lands. With her, he no longer felt so alone, or afraid.

Scratch walked happily alongside him as he paced the edge of the camp. As the sun had just barely set, he spotted the small group of travelers making their way towards him. Tav was up front along with Gale, and there was a third person with them that Halsin didn’t recognize. That was until he stepped into the firelight. He wasn’t sure what he had expected on their return, but it certainly wasn’t Elminster Aumar. Halsin was familiar with Elminster by reputation only, but what a reputation he had.

As they drew closer, Halsin caught Tav’s eyes and gave her a questioning look. She shrugged in response and tilted her head towards Gale. He watched as she escorted Gale and Elminster over towards the other edge of camp.

The three of them stood in front of Gale’s tent, Elminster talking in hushed tones. From the looks on their faces, the conversation was most grave. Both Tav and Gale listened to the famed wizard, giving him their complete focus. After a few moments, Gale’s expression changed, he looked so surprised and…hopeful. Not a minute later though, it fell again, a look of pure anguish moved across his face. Then, he saw Tav start to gesture unhappily. She was pointing in Elminster’s face, waving her arms angrily, and then finally crossing them over her chest, looking displeased. Gale lightly placed a hand on her arm and said something indecipherable. Her face was turning red, not the flustered, endearing shade he had come to know but a different, angrier hue. Halsin was worried that she would burst into tears any second. Suddenly, a bright and magical light encircled Elminster, slowly making its way to surround Gale. A look of relief passed over him, as if a great pain had been relieved from his body.

Elminster was talking once more, but Halsin still couldn’t make it out. Gale reached out to shake his hand before their guest turned to take his leave from the camp. Tav glared after him, her face finally starting to return to its normal color.

She stood with Gale a while longer, still gesturing wildly towards Elminster as he disappeared over the horizon. Gale was looking more subdued than usual; a sadness had overtaken him that Halsin hadn’t seen in the charming wizard. Tav was gripping him by both shoulders now, her eyes pleading with him. But for what, Halsin couldn’t say. He watched as Gale gently moved her hands from his slumped shoulders, he could just barely glimpse the tears gathering in Tav’s eyes, glinting in the low light of the fire in front of them. After Gale finished speaking, she pulled him into a hug. It took him a moment to reciprocate, but once he did Halsin could see how tightly he clung to Tav. Whatever tidings Elminster brought, it was not pleasant.

Gale eventually broke free of Tav’s embrace, turning to walk away from the camp. She stood there watching him go, her arms curling around her torso. The pull in his chest returned, longing to drag him towards her, to wrap her in his arms and hold her there. She turned around and caught him staring, a sad smile appearing on her face. Halsin quickly looked away, pretending to be captivated by some nearby shrubs.

“Is everything okay?” Tav had quietly walked up behind him. “You looked worried.”

“Hm? Oh, yes everything is fine. It just seemed like you and Gale were having a less than pleasant conversation with our guest.”

She scoffed in response, scowling after the long-gone wizard.

“Yes, the famous Elminster Aumar. ‘Friend’ to Gale, savior of the realms, and actual divine messenger.” Her sneer slowly softened.

“Divine messenger?”

Tav caught him up on their conversation. How Mystra has now tasked Gale with the destruction of the Absolute, using the orb currently residing in his chest. The act would mean sacrificing himself. A very severe request, even for a follower as devoted as Gale.

“How is Gale?” Halsin asked, knowing there was no simple answer to that question right now.

“Fucking delusional!” Tav yelled, then looked around them, suddenly conscious of her change in tone around the others. She lowered her voice before speaking again.

“He’s actually considering going through with it. Arguing that we now have the ‘clearest solution to our problem.’ What kind of solution is it if we have to ask him to kill himself?” Tears were starting to form in her eyes again.

Halsin listened intently to her, trying to decide how to respond without fanning the flames of her anger.

“We aren’t asking him to sacrifice himself, Tav. But it seems that Mystra is.” He eyed her carefully, trying to gauge her reaction. He never would have considered Mystra to be one of the harsher goddesses, but it would seem now that she was more spiteful than he originally thought.

“Regardless, that’s monstrous! The fact that she’s had the ability to prevent the orb from destroying him, yet she has simply chosen not to speaks volumes to me. She would rather see Gale in horrible pain. She’d rather see him dead, potentially taking thousands of other lives with him than help cure him. All because what…her pride is wounded? Now, she thinks she can ask my wizard to just end his life for the hope that she’ll forgive him? Unbelievable…un-fucking-believable!” She finally paused to breathe. Her shoulders rising and falling in an exaggerated manner as she worked to catch her breath again.

“Your wizard?” Halsin raised an eyebrow at her. He had a teasing smile on his face, trying to hide the panic he felt rising in him. Was she with Gale now?

Where is this jealousy coming from?

“Yes, my wizard. I happen to consider Gale a very good friend now. I tend to be rather protective of my friends.” She turned her nose up at him defiantly. He could only smile in response, slightly embarrassed by the relief he felt hearing her refer to Gale as only a friend.

Speaking with Tav now, it was clear to see why he was so enamored with her. There was a passion in her voice that he hadn’t heard yet in their time together. A fierce loyalty to those around her that burned hotter than smokepowder. A heart of steel that mirrored his own. For so long he had pushed his feelings down, numbing himself to all emotion to manage the pain. Listening to her righteous rage woke something in him, something that he had buried decades ago. The shadows of Moonrise had clouded his mind for a century, but somehow Tav had managed to burn her way through. Maybe, just maybe, she could help lead him out.

So long as you don’t drive her too far away first.

“Come and sit with me for a minute.” Halsin sat on the ground and lightly patted the spot next to him. She reluctantly accepted the invitation, crossing her legs in front of her. Her elbows rested on her knees to allow her hands to hold up her pouting face.

“I think it’s remarkable how quickly you create bonds with those around you. You’ve known Gale what, a tenday? And already you’re prepared to go to war with the goddess of magic on his behalf. You’ve known Karlach for an even shorter span of time, but I’d wager you would challenge Zariel herself in single combat to keep her safe. That sort of loyalty and devotion is rare, usually reserved for the deities you’re so intent on fighting.” A grin was threatening to break through her pout.

“But…” She prompted, turning to look him in the eyes.

“But…be careful that your dedication to your friends doesn’t prevent you from hearing their own wishes. It is a difficult thing as a leader to be unable to help someone in your care, but sometimes you have to allow them to decide for themselves. Even if you lose them in the process.” His thoughts briefly drifted back to Kagha and her rash decisions made in his absence.

“I’m not a leader, Halsin. Everyone defers to my judgement because I can feign confidence. The benefit of an expensive education I suppose. But it’s all an act.”

“Oh, I think it’s much more than that. Others naturally gravitate to you. Everything you just said comprise the qualities of a great leader. Nothing about you is insincere. Perhaps once it was an act, but maybe all that time projecting confidence you didn’t have helped you learn to actually build it up.” He paused as she wrung her hands together in her lap.

“Do not sell yourself short, my friend. You are as capable of a leader as they come.”

Tav thought about his words for a while before speaking up again.

“I can’t just push my feelings aside. It’s not in my nature to hide my thoughts and emotions. Not anymore…” She started absentmindedly picking blades of grass out of the ground.

“What do you mean?” He was hesitant to ask, no one seemed to know much about Tav’s past. Unlike the others, she kept her long life tucked away in her mind.

“I spent a long time being forced into a role I didn’t want. I had no voice, no control. When I tried to rebel, when I spoke up…” She trailed off, more tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “It wasn’t just me who paid the price.”

Halsin listened carefully, watching as her face twisted with pain.

“But now, I do have a voice. I have the ability to help. I…I can’t just stand by and watch him go on a suicide mission.” Her voice was much quieter now as a few tears escaped down her cheeks.

“That is unfortunately not for you to decide. If Gale truly believes this is his only path to redemption…” He paused for a moment, resting a hand on her shoulder. “That is something he must be allowed to choose for himself.” Tav sniffled lightly at his words.

“Has anyone ever told your wisdom is infuriating?”

“I believe it was a prerequisite for my Archdruid title.” He squeezed her arm lightly before letting his hand drop back to his side.

“I’ll respect whatever decision Gale makes. But that doesn't mean I won’t try and convince him to live a little bit longer before he decides.”

“I’d expect nothing less. Your friends are lucky to have you fighting for them.” He paused for a moment before finishing his thought. “I hope I can count myself among them.”

“Oh, believe me…if Silvanus so much as thinks about causing you trouble I’ll rip his mossy beard to shreds.” She gave him a huge, stunning smile. He couldn’t keep himself from laughing in response.

“I assure you that will hardly be necessary. Nevertheless, I’ll be sure he is properly forewarned. I’d hate to find a new deity to follow, given all my years of service.” He teased back at her. For some reason the jokes and teases came so easily around her.

Tav lightly patted him on the leg before standing back up. She offered her hand to him to help him stand as well.

“Thanks, Halsin. I uh…I needed to hear this.” She twirled the end of her braid around in her fingers.

“Anytime. And don’t worry, I happen to admire your righteous anger. So long as I am never on the receiving end of it.”

“Well…I’m glad I’ve still avoided leaving a bad impression then.” Her sweet smile was still beaming up at him.

“You? Impossible.” His voice dropped to a whisper.

They locked eyes for a moment as his heart started to pound against the walls of his chest. Her cheeks and nose had become slightly rosy from the chill evening, once again matching the pink irises in her eyes. The fire behind her cast warm colors all down her hair, the shade dancing from orange, to yellow, to red, back to orange…they matched the warmth spreading through his chest, the pull coming back and urging him to take her into his arms. His eyes wandered to her lips, still curled into that intoxicating smile. He didn’t miss the fact that her eyes had begun to wander as well. Images flashed through his mind, their lips pressed together before slowly making their way down each other’s necks and bodies. Their hands, gripping the other’s back, pulling them as close as possible. Every bit of their bare skin pressed against the other’s. Tav took the smallest step towards him, closing the gap between them ever so slightly. He leaned forward almost involuntarily, longing to feel her touch again. Just as he thought he wouldn’t be able to control himself any longer, her attention was drawn away.

“Tav!” Karlach yelled from beside the fire. Tav turned to face her as the large tiefling was smiling and waving her over towards the rest of the group.

She turned back and took a shaky breath. Halsin hoped that the disappointment he felt wasn’t too obvious on his face.

“Care to join me?” She gestured towards the fire.

“Of course. I’ll be there in just a moment.” He forced the words out using what little breath he had left in his lungs. She nodded and made her way back over towards the others.

That was too close…

His mind was racing, the words from all those nights ago in his meditation came back to him.

“You will have but one chance, my child. Restore the balance, bring back the light.”

Silvanus’s words rang in his ears, yet his gaze still followed Tav. He wanted so badly to tell her of his plan. She deserved to know that there was a chance to expel the shadow curse. Yet there was no guarantee.

No…no I’ll wait until I know for sure. She has too many burdens to bear, there’s no need to add to them today. This is my task and mine alone.

His attention turned back to the group around the fire. Tav looked over her shoulder to meet his eyes, still smiling at him. She lightly tapped the seat next to her by the fire, waiting for him to join. He almost went over to sit with her, he wanted to go and be with his new friends, but something stopped him. He was losing focus, something he just couldn’t afford right now. Tav was giving him a concerned look, no doubt wondering what was keeping him. He shook his head slightly at her before turning to find solace in the woods tonight, but not before seeing her smile slowly fade away.

I’m sorry, Tav.

Halsin sulked off into the trees, alone. Once again opting to spend the night on his own, lost in meditation, desperately trying to cling to the hope that he could banish the shadows. The shadows that corrupted Moonrise Towers, as well as the shadows corrupting his own mind.

[welcome-home-art-dump]

Welcome Home x Kaiju reader scenarios:

Tiny reader!

Pov: through an unknown term of events, Reader has gone from the size of a building to the size of a gecko.

[Yes, you look strange, but you're mini, what'd you expect?]

🏠 Home:

"Creeeak?? Squeak! Squeeeeak!"

🏡 He'd be obviously surprised, as evident by his pupils shrinking in alarm. But once he realized that you were finally able to visit Wally, he was very happy.

🏡 he found it cute when you react in awe to his colorful interior, even feeling a sense of pride.

🏡 loves to see you try and paint with Wally and creaks in amusement when you get yourself covered in paint. He also watches as you tried to draw.

🏡 it'll take him off guard when you suddenly climb the walls, but he lets it slide since you don't do any harm.

🏡 Is slightly worried that Wally's fixation on you has increased slightly.

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

🍎 Wally:

"Oh my... what a lovely surprise."

🎨 He'd be surprised, but he'd be very happy to be looking at you without the sun glaring into his eyes and even more so that he's able to hold you.

🎨 he instantly takes you on a tour around Home, especially showing you his art room where his art supplies are.

🎨 Loves to watch you try to draw and paint, often stopping his own painting sometimes to discreetly watch your endeavor.

🎨 he enjoys it when you perch yourself on his shoulder, though he kind of has an issue with holding you properly.

👁 he has an even bigger issue with sharing you, sometimes tightening his grip on you when someone approaches.

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

🦴 Barnaby:

"Whoa! The tables have turned, eh kiddo?"

🐶 he'd be dumbfounded, but now that you're smaller, he can finally give you proper hugs and have an easier time making puns.

🐶 he now has you ride on his shoulder or head, and his tail wags at finally being able to do so.

🐶 sometimes has you assist him in acts, acting like a ventriloquist. (Almost considered juggling you but didn't want to risk hurting you.)

🐶 sometimes playfully ruffles your hair and messes it up to mess with you.

🐶 there's a lot of short jokes and puns in order, as well as short related nicknames, his favorite being "little Kai."

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

🪀 Julie:

"*excited squeal* you're so cuuuuute!!"

🧸 Once she saw you, she could have burst with excitement and adoration.

🧸 almost instantly scoops you up into her embrace, exclaiming over and over on how cute you were and how she could finally hug you.

🧸 she was excited to tour you around her house, showing her collection of toys and dolls, and invites you for tea parties and occasionally plays dress-up with you using her doll's clothing.

🧸 she's more than happy when you fall asleep nestled in her hair or in a pile of her stuffed animals.

🧸 is ecstatic to finally be able to play games like tag, hopscotch and hide-and-seek with you.

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

🪶 Poppy:

"(N-Name)? Is that-? What did-? How did you-? O-Oh feathers, come here, dear."

🍪 she'd be shocked and confused, but somewhat relieved now that she can properly keep you safe. She was also happy to be the one holding you for once.

🍪 she'd handle you like frail porcelain, and gets worried when Julie and/or Wally start handling you a tad roughly. [I.e. bicker over who's turn it is to hold you]

🍪 she created your tiny outfit while you watched, gave you a few crocheting and knitting pointers.

🍪 When she bakes, she always lets you lick the spoon and feeds you the first bite of everything.

🍪 sometimes you'd fall asleep while riding her back, to which she'd gently tuck you beneath her shawl and reminded everyone to be quieter when you slept.

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

🦋 Frank:

"Oh, (Name)? That's an... interesting change..."

📚 Would be taken aback by your sudden change in size, but he was actually glad he didn't have to worry about you accidentally crushing anything.

📚 he still flinches whenever you start flying about since you fly so quickly.

📚 he inwardly finds it cute when butterflies suddenly land on you.

📚 if he's in a good mood, he'll let you perch yourself on his shoulder.

📚 Gets anxious when Julie and the others aren't careful with you.

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

☀️ Sally:

"Oooh, a change in roles, I see?"

🎭 She'd be initially surprised, but pleased to see you were now able to be held.

🎭 She saw your size shift as a "change in roles" which mean she was now the one protecting you.

🎭 now when playwriting, She'd cast herself as a princess and you'd be her "animal companion" everytime.

🎭 sometimes she'd outright play as a hero who'd be responsible for saving you and protecting you, and more often than not, she takes the role a tad too seriously.

🎭 this sparks a bit of conflict with Julie and Wally since they want a part with you.

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

🐛 Howdy:

"Oh...! Howdy keeper! What happened?"

🛍 he'd be taken off guard, but glad to have you in his store for once.

🛍 he'd instantly show you where the (fruit) and (candy) were, and would give you a few for free.

🛍 he'd appreciate you helping around the store, and found it cute how you fluttered around when helping out.

🛍 sometimes during downtimes, he'd lightly play with your wings [with your permission], and would idly wonder when he'd get his own wings to join you whenever you took flight.

🛍 sort of keeps an eye on you from his shop window, to ensure the others weren't too rough with you.

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

💌 Eddie:

"Wh-... Keeper? What happened?"

✉️ he'd be surprised to be the one looking down at you, but now he had the chance to properly return the kindness you've shown him.

✉️ he'd be the one giving you head pats now, and when he wasn't working would invite you into his office to craft with him.

✉️ sometimes if he was caught up in work, he'd have you deliver some mail around the neighborhood.

✉️ he'd have you ride in his satchel if you were tired.

✉️ he hides you in his satchel or under his cap if tensions are higher than usual. [I.E. the competition between the Wally, Sally and Julie reaching a tense level]

Idea is from a reader from my book.

Still open for suggestions.~

[thewittyphantom]

Next came the solo "team" of Brave Battler like before, a new team of Ghost Gal and Blue Angel, and another new team of Varis and Playmaker and Ai.

Ghost Gal: Huh, so they hold events like these too. With all of this, I guess it's no different from a regular virtual world. Blue Angel: Yeah...What's really going on? Ghost Gal: ...Anyway! What's important now is the upcoming Duel. Come to think of it, is this our first Tag Duel? Blue Angel: Yeah, maybe. Ghost Gal: I don't know why, but it doesn't feel new. I'm counting on you, partner! Blue Angel: Uh-huh! Likewise! (they lose) Ghost Gal: Huh...Tag Duels are pretty interesting! Blue Angel: Kinda surprising, really. I thought you'd be more disappointed that we lost. Ghost Gal: Disappointed--yes, but coming across the unknown is pretty exciting! Blue Angel: Hehe! You're a treasure hunter through and through, Ghost Gal! Ghost Gal: Maybe. Anyway, that aside...With the battle results we have, there's gonna be doubts with us being partners, no? Blue Angel: Oh...I knew it would come to this... Ghost Gal: Heh. You're my partner, so don't just give up. C'mon, it's time for some Tag Duel training!

Ai: Mehe! Varis! Whoa, hey! No one told us that this thing's our partner! Varis: Like I have any intention of joining forces with you. I'm tagging up with Playmaker. Ai: Whaaaaaaaaat?! Playmaker: ...Ai. It doesn't look like Varis wants to fight us so you should cool it too. Ai: Yeah, yeah. Fine. (they lose) Ai: Mehehe! Look who's the loser! That's what happens when you leave me out! Playmaker: Varis...What are you thinking? Varis: Winning is the only thing on my mind when I duel. Although I'm not proud to say it with this result. Playmaker: No! I'm talking about this tag team! Varis: I'm only here because the system chose me. ...But listen, Playmaker. I believe...that we will battle together someday. Without a doubt, as long as we're here. Playmaker: Varis...

The Gore: Heh...I'm impressed that my tactics weren't too advanced for ya! How about you make your debut on the Celebrity Circuit as my tag partner? If you're shy, you can always wear a mask! Even a scary one if you wanna be a heel! My manager can work out the details. All you gotta do is say yes. ...But hey, I'm not gonna force you to do what you don't wanna do. And maybe it's better if we don't team up. Cuz then we can challenge each other for the belt! Maybe not now - but that time's coming! You vs The Gore for the championship of the world!

[tinylilemrys]

Lonely In London

Relationship:

Trent Crimm/Ted Lasso

Additional Tags:

Angst and Romance | Romcommunism | Friends to Lovers | Romantic Comedy | Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Summary:

Henry, worried about how lonely his dad seems to be in London, writes into an advice podcast for some help. A podcast run by an ex-colleague of Trent's – one that he listens to religiously. If Trent falls a little for 'Lonely In London' because he reminds him of Ted, well that's just coincidence. An homage to romcommunism, largely based on 'Sleepless In Seattle' with a few others thrown in for good measure.

Next Chapter

A/N: I'm posting at least the first two chapters on Tumblr, because I have no idea when AO3 is going to be back on its feet and I know I'm looking for fanfic on here too. 💛

CHAPTER 1

It starts one relatively normal weekday in June. Henry is in the living room, with his iPad and new Richmond-branded headphones, a welcome-back-to-England gift from Jamie. Ted is a few feet away at the kitchen table, putting together his plan for the upcoming season.

He's not supposed to be working. Not yet. He's been ordered by Rebecca to take the month to focus on rest and spending as much time with Henry as possible. It's his reward for an incredibly hard-fought season.

Unfortunately Ted's never been one to take much of a break. Not when there was so much still to do.

If he's being honest, a lot of it has to do with Nate's betrayal. It stung then and it stings now and the only way Ted can think of dealing with it is by being better than they were last season. He wishes Nate all the best on his new adventure with West Ham, he really does, but it would be great to succeed in the face of Nate's spiteful turn.

He can't stop thinking about how it had cost Trent his job, and that, more than anything, makes Ted furious. The club would recover, but he could never go back to being Trent Crimm, The Independent.

His train of thought is interrupted by an excited shriek from Henry, who up until that point, Ted assumed was playing games on his iPad.

"Dad! Dad! Guess what? They used my question!" he yells, bounding up to his dad and handing him an earbud. Ted laughs, partly in confusion, partly because Henry is so earnestly excited.

"Whoa, hold on now, Bud. I'm gonna need you to take several steps back in this conversation so I have context." He pops the earbud in. "Who are you sending questions to?"

"It's this podcast called 'Help, I'm So Sad'," Henry explains. "They take questions from people who are sad and give them advice."

Ted's stomach plummets. Both he and Michelle knew it was a risk, having Henry come to London for the whole summer. The idea was to give Michelle a break to spend some time with Doc-- with her new boyfriend, while giving Ted some quality time with his son. Throw in the promise of one-on-one training with Henry's hero, Jamie Tartt, and it seemed like a solid plan, albeit one with the potential to go terribly wrong. Henry has never been away from home as long as that, and now, barely a month into his time here, it seems like Henry is so sad he had to write into a podcast about it.

"Oh, Henry," Ted manages to choke out when his breath returns to his lungs a bit. "I love that you're admitting you need help. That's a very important step that not even a lot of grownups get to. I just wish that you knew you could talk to me about these things too. What's got you so sad? Do you want to talk about it or do you just need a hug right now?"

"No, Dad, it's not for me." Henry giggles as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, and Ted feels some of the sensation come back to his hands. Maybe he's not a complete failure as a father after all. In fact, he's so relieved that his son isn't sad to the point of getting write-in advice about it, that the next sentence completely blindsides him. "I wrote to get advice for you."

Oh. Well. Shit.

"Now that was mighty thoughtful of you, Bud," he says, measuring his voice, trying not to panic. The earnest smile on his son's face tells him that all of this was done with the absolute best of intentions. He'll have to course correct on where the healthy boundaries are when it comes to personal struggles, but he can't rightly be mad at his son for something that was done out of kindness. "What did you write to them?"

"Listen," says Henry, scrubbing back a bit in the episode. Ted obeys, heart hammering against his ribcage, the foreboding bubbling up inside him, turning his stomach.

"Smidge," says a woman with a clipped English accent.

"Bits." says a voice in response.

"Lauren says we're going to love this next letter."

"Ooh, I'm listening," Her accent sounds Scottish. At least Ted won't struggle to tell their voices apart.

"It's from 'My Dad's Sad'… aged nine and a half."

Smidge gives a small squeak.

"Oh, we're not going to survive this, are we?" she says.

"Probably not," laughs Bits. "Okay here it goes. Dear HISS. My friend told me about this show. Her mom listens to it a lot, even though we're in America and you're in England. My dad is also in England, so I was hoping you would be able to give him some advice since you're right there.

"He's been very sad ever since him and my mom got divorced. My mom has a new boyfriend and they seem to be happy, but my dad is still sad. He says that he's happy with work and even though he has a really cool job that he's very good at, I can see that he isn't happy. He pretends to be and I think most of his friends at work think he is, but I know he isn't. Even though we still play catch and Minecraft and build LEGO like we used to, I can tell the whole time he's not enjoying it like he did before. He doesn't ever go out on dates or even talk to anyone except his work friends. I don't get to see him a lot, since I don't normally live in London with him, so I don't know how to help. How can I make my dad be happy again like he used to always be? Love, My Dad Is Sad, nine and a half."

"Oh bless him," says Smidge. "Well, My Dad Is Sad, I think in this case the only advice we can really give you is to talk to your dad about it. He probably doesn't know that seeing him unhappy is upsetting you as much as it is."

"Yeah, I agree," says Bits. "And maybe he hasn't given himself the permission to let the old times go yet. I know when my parents got divorced, my mum struggled a long time with letting go of what we used to be. She didn't date for ages afterwards because she said she didn't want to introduce too much change into my life, but it was really her excuse for not wanting to move on herself. And you know what, My Dad Is Sad? He sounds like a really good father even though you don't get to see him a whole lot. Sounds to me like if you talked to him about this, he would be willing to listen."

"Of course I would," says Ted, who has tears streaming down his face despite his best efforts to keep it together. He removes the earbud and pulls Henry into a tight hug. "Oh man, I didn't realise you were so worried about me, Champ."

"I try not to be," says Henry, and Ted can hear by the wobble in his voice that he's also crying. "I just wish things could be like they used to be."

"I know, I know. I do too," says Ted, rubbing Henry's back soothingly before pulling away to look him in the eyes. "But, hey, look, I need you to know that I am getting help, alright?. I have a great therapist who's helping me work through a whole bunch of things I've never ever thought to work through. Things I'll be able to explain to you properly when you're a bit older. So even though I might be sad now, and even though it might not ever go away completely, I want you to know I'm working on getting better, okay?"

"Okay," nods Henry. He wipes his arm across his eyes. "Sorry for crying so much."

"Hey now, ain't nothing wrong with a good cry," says Ted. "And in any case, I started it. So you don't get to be sorry about it even if you wanted to be."

"That's not how it works, Dad." Henry smiles a little and it's better than the sun peaking between the clouds on a rainy London day.

"Oh, shoot, you're so right." He slaps his forehead for comedic effect, this time even drawing a little giggle from his son.

I really do owe you so much, Kiddo, he thinks to himself.

"Look, would it count as a start if I wrote into these kind ladies to say thank you for the advice?" Henry nods enthusiastically and Ted laughs. "Well, that's settled then."

He saves and closes the report he was working on and opens his email.

"Dear Smidge and Bits," he says out loud as he types. "And Lauren too I guess…"

He begins typing up the email, Henry leaning against his shoulder until he gets bored and goes off to play on his iPad some more. Once he's sure that Henry's engrossed in his task again, Ted decides to give his letter a bit more context, so that they understand he's not a completely lost cause.

After reading and rereading the message again, he sends it off, taking a deep breath as it moves from his outbox to his sent folder. The afternoon sun is striping across the living room floor and Ted realises they've been too cooped up all day. It's time to head down to the Green for a kickaround.

"Hey, Bud, boot up. We're heading out."

***

It doesn't matter how many times Trent leaves Anabelle, it never gets any easier. She looks so genuinely distraught that he feels physically ill looking at her. She loves Shaun, Trent knows she does, but she's still so little, and he knows she doesn't understand what's happening to her. When Trent deposits her into her other father's arms and turns to leave, and she screams like she's being subjected to the deepest betrayal, Trent feels his heart break that little bit more.

After one last glance back at the house, where Shaun has finally managed to wrestle the door closed behind him and the screaming four-year-old, Trent sighs, sets his satnav from "Shaun's Place" to "Home" so he doesn't get lost, and reluctantly pauses the complete Bluey soundtrack. He's about to get going when he remembers that he's promised to text Ted that he's safely in Aberdeen.

He doesn't usually text Ted his whereabouts. It was all down to a chance encounter a few days ago out on the Richmond Green. He'd bumped into Ted and Henry kicking a football back and forth and when he explained that he was taking Anabelle to get her favourite ice-cream, Ted asked if he and Henry could tag along.

Trent wasn't about to find a reason to say no even if there was one.

Despite the growing pit of dread in his stomach at having to leave his daughter, he'd had a surprisingly good afternoon. While Henry and Anabelle had giggled together about whatever kids find funny at that age, Ted and Trent had talked about everything and nothing. About Trent's firing and Richmond's chances in the upcoming season. About Henry staying for the summer and about how it was Anabelle's other father's turn to take her. Trent could have spent all day there, but a huge chocolate-stained yawn from his daughter had told him it was time to say his farewells.

"Hey, I know we're not on best bud terms yet," Ted had said and Trent had smiled at the word 'yet'. Like it was an inevitability that they would be one day. "It's just I know it's a long drive to Aberdeen and it would set my mind at ease to know that you made it there safe."

"I'll text you when I get there," Trent had replied, trying to ignore the way his stomach flipped at the idea that Ted was that concerned about his safety.

"I'd appreciate it, Mr Independent." Ted had offered the most devastating wink then, and Trent knew there was no way he wasn't going to do as promised.

It's nice to have a somewhat positive excuse to text him for a change. The past few texts back have all been Trent delivering bad news, including the latest one informing Ted that he'd accidentally locked his keys in his car. Okay, maybe that had been worse for him.

Hi, Ted – in Aberdeen safely. I'm just stopping at a service station to get a coffee and a bite to eat and then should be on my way back to London. Thanks again for your concern. Hope you're having a lovely Saturday with Henry.

By the time he gets to the nearest service station, there's a voice note waiting from Ted.

"Hey TC! Thanks for the message! Glad to hear you made it to Scotland safe. Hope you're holding up okay? I know it doesn't get any easier to let go of your kiddo, no matter how many times you do the handover. Holler if you want to talk about it. Or even if you want someone to take your mind off it. I have it on good authority that my ability to talk for hours about absolutely nothing is practically a superpower."

Trent gives a little huff of laughter at the direct quote from one of his Ted Lasso articles.

"At the very least, please let me know when you're back in London again, no matter what time of the night it is. Drive safe and I'll see you around."

He probably won't – not with Trent no longer covering AFC Richmond – but it's a lovely thought all the same. As is the idea that he has an offer to call Ted for the sake of just talking to him for a bit of company. He can't imagine working up the nerve to actually take him up on it, but it's fun to imagine.

He reacts to the message with a heart emoji, and then, panicking how that might come across, changes it to a sunflower instead. Friendly. Happy. Safe.

He really is such an idiot when it comes to Ted.

Fuelled up on coffee, an overpriced BLT, and, well, actual fuel, Trent loads up the latest episode of his friend's podcast and begins the long journey back to London.

He refers to Help, I'm So Sad as his friend's podcast, but he's not sure he could actually classify Lauren as a friend. Certainly, they were colleagues for many years and she was one of the people he hated the least. She worked in a different department, covering high society. Until one day as legend had it (Trent had been covering a match that day) she'd declared loudly to everyone in the cafeteria that she couldn't take it anymore, strode out of the building, and never came back.

Though he was convinced at the time that it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard someone do to their career, he couldn't help but admire the nerve it must have taken. Now, with the hindsight of his own firing, it seems even cooler. He wishes he could have left The Independent with his head held high, instead of with his eyes on the carpet, trying to balance the embarrassment of his dismissal with the lack of regret he felt at treating Ted like a decent human being..

In any case, Trent finds her podcast quite entertaining and listens to it as often as he can. What better remedy for his own foul mood could there be than listening to other people's problems for an hour?

At first, it's not particularly effective. The voices seem to blend into the sound of rain beating against his windshield as Trent wonders if Anabelle has stopped crying by now. If Shaun's remembered to take out her favourite bath time toys. If he still remembers all the words to her special lullaby.

It's only the phrase 'My Dad Is Sad' that draws him out of his lull.

"…then we have an exciting follow up for you," says Bits. "My Dad Is Sad's sad dad reached out to the show after hearing his son's lovely little letter."

"Ohhhh my god," says Smidge. "I'm going to be a wreck."

So am I, thinks Trent. He'd cried at the kid's letter last episode.

"Well buckle up then," says Bits. "Sorry, listeners. This one's a little on the long side, but if you're anything like us, you won't care all that much. Here we go."

Bits starts reading the letter, and Trent, indeed, doesn't care that it's longer than normal because it's perfect.

Dear Smidge and Bits (and Lauren too, I guess)

He can't help but smile at Lauren being included.

I can't say I know much about your show, other than that my sweet boy decided you were the right people to talk to about my overwhelming sadness for the past few years. I have a smart kid, and I trust his judgement, so as such, I have to thank you for the kind advice you gave him.

I want it to be known that I am in therapy and I'm working on getting myself back up on my feet. There's a lot I've been struggling with that I didn't know I was struggling with, even beyond the divorce, and as I'm working through it, I'm starting to slowly return to myself. That's not to say I have it all figured out. More than anything I'm still trying to figure out how to be a good full-time dad when I only get a fraction of the time I want with my kid.

Trent's stomach does a little somersault. As silly and parasocial as he knows it is to feel things for a person who for all intents and purposes isn't real, he can't help but be taken by this man and the way he talks about getting better for his son's sake. It's why he'd insisted on couples therapy when he was still married. It's why he immediately found a therapist for both Anabelle and him after the split. After the disaster of Shaun, there's nothing Trent finds sexier than a man who's serious about his mental health.

And that's not even touching on my love life, the lack of which seems to be causing my kid a deal of concern. It's not for lack of trying. My job makes dating a little more complicated than it is for most folks and I realise that after 20 years of being in the same relationship, I don't have the game I once thought I did. I've been in a bit of a situationship with a lovely lady on and off for the past couple years and when I tried to shift it over into the relationship zone, I was soundly and correctly shut down.

"Sounds like a mistake to me, Ma'am," mutters Trent, chastising himself even as he does. He's being ridiculous. The man could be a serial killer for all he knows. She might have actually made an incredibly intelligent decision. He doesn't know and he shouldn't care.

Now, I have a crush on a guy that it would be way too complicated to date.

Bisexuality? Now that is a plot twist. And it's not doing anything to stop the surge of affection he feels for this random anonymous person.

Not between the two of us, mind. I think we'd get along like a house on fire. We do get on like a house on fire. But it would be a bit of a PR nightmare and I don't want to put our burgeoning friendship in the line of fire like that. For that reason, I've decided tamping down my romantical feelings so I can just focus on being his friend. I think it's something we both need.

That's pobably for the best, honestly. Trent has been witness to and involved in his own fair share of PR disasters throughout his career. It rarely ends well.

All that to say, as much as I'm working on getting better, I'm honestly still pretty lonely. It's not helped by being a fish out of water in a country that only just now seems to be warming to me. I guess if I could ask any advice from my own perspective, it would be: how do you start again and put yourself out there after 20 years of being so firmly off the market, you tried to believe the market didn't exist?

Sincerely,

Lonely in London.

Smidge and Bits immediately set about providing all the advice they can, but Trent isn't really paying attention anymore.

He feels for this man. He knows what it's like to be so lonely it aches. Even in his marriage, things had been so fraught that most nights he lay next to Shaun feeling like a shell. There was always something inside him reaching out for something life sustaining that he was fundamentally lacking – like lungs trapped underwater gasping for air.

And he knows firsthand how London exacerbates that feeling. People who'd sooner spit in your face than ask you how you're doing. Cold modern buildings that make you feel insignificant in comparison. Grimy old structures that remind you the city's history spans millennia and your story is barely a blip on the radar. The contrast of windows glowing gold at night against the icy blue of the streets, reminding you that there are people that don't feel the same crushing isolation.

And, sure, Anabelle is a lifeline against the crushing loneliness, but what is he supposed to do when she's an eight hour drive away? He can't even imagine being on a different continent to his child altogether.

This is how Lonely In London consumes his thoughts for hours. Trent finds himself scrubbing back in the episode to listen to the letter again, until he practically has it committed to memory, each time feeling a deeper connection to this complete stranger.

If this man is Lonely In London, he's Isolated in Islington, and he's never related to anyone more.

If you were being honest, a nasty voice says in his head at about the four hour mark, you would admit that the reason you feel like you fancy this guy is because he reminds you of Ted.

With that final unhelpful thought, Trent knows it's time to change the subject. He finds one of his old faithful football podcasts and decides he won't spend another second more thinking about Lonely In London or Ted Lasso, even when he's brought up in discussions about Richmond's chances this season.

It's almost two in the morning when he finally gets back to his flat. He's too tired to even change out of his clothes, instead collapsing face-first onto his bed and toeing off his shoes over the side. He's about to let himself slip off to sleep when he remembers he promised Ted he'd text him when he got home. Groggily, he picks up his phone and types a quick message.

Home safe. Smooth drive home. Thanks again for the concern. Sleep well.

It's barely a minute later when his phone buzzes. Did Ted wait up for him?

Glad to hear you're home in one piece. Sleep tight, Trent Crimm. 🌻

It's only the next morning that he fully notices the sunflower and decides that with Ted Lasso around, perhaps London is a little less lonely than it used to be.

Next Chapter

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

A STUDY IN YOU, chapter twelve

table of contents | talk to me & join the tag list | the playlist

January 15th, 2019

Your trip home for the holidays was uneventful. Cousins and aunts and uncles came to your parents’ house and you enjoyed sitting by the fire sipping red wine for a whole four days before you wound up back in New York. 

Some country air always did you good, but the excitement of returning to your final semester at NYU, your first semester actually getting paid to write a TV show, and the excitement about your night with Jason before the winter break had you smiling like an idiot on the tarmac at JFK. 

You were only back for a few days before you ended up at Max’s fancy apartment, Sophie and Naomi with you on the floor as Max scrolled through Netflix. 

“Any word from Professor Daddy yet?”

“That’s the world’s worst nickname ever,” you looked up at Sophie. “But no.”

“Nothing?” Max asked, a pout on his face.

“Well, I haven’t had a reason to see him.”

“Good sex isn’t a reason?” Sophie’s head tilted.

You’d wondered, a few times, what would happen if you texted him and asked him to hang out. Grab dinner or a drink or something else that two people who were casually hooking up or hanging out might do. Each time you typed a text you deleted it, clicking your phone shut and coming to the conclusion that you didn’t want to push it. 

“I don’t know,” you laughed. “I’ve thought about texting him.”

Naomi smiled and looked up from her phone. “And what might you say?”

“Wanna come over and fuck me?” Max giggled.

“Come eat me out,” Sophie purred. “That’s what I’d text him.”

“We know,” Naomi rolled her eyes. 

“I don’t think you need an excuse,” Max said. “You can just say hi.”

The glass of wine you’d already had made it sound like a better idea than it was. You picked up your phone and Max bounced excitedly. 

“I’m just picking it up,” you giggled. 

“When was the last time you saw him?” Naomi asked. “That party at his place?”

“Yeah,” you smiled.

“Whoa--what’s the smile about?” Sophie leaned forward. “Did you hook up?”

It grew now, from ear to ear when you hid your face. “No.”

“Wow,” Max made a face. “Such great acting.”

Naomi looked at you with wide eyes. “What did you do?”

“I slept over.”

“What?” Sophie shrieked, standing up when her mouth hung open. “After his party? You slept there?! In his bed?!”

“Yes,” you confessed, still laughing when Max shook his head and smirked. 

“You’ve got it bad,” he said.

“No I don’t,” you defended. 

“You think it’s just sex?” Naomi asked. 

“I don’t know,” you looked at her, suddenly freaked out. “I try to ignore those thoughts.”

“Why?” She asked seriously.

“Cause now it’s our last semester and--I don’t know. I don’t want to get my hopes up just to have it fizzle after we graduate.”

They all nodded sympathetically at this, but then you smiled. 

“Should I text him?”

“Duh!” Sophie shouted. 

So you opened your phone and stared at the thread. Another swig of wine for confidence before you pressed send. 

Y/N L/N (8:03pm): Got any good movie recs?

Sure, something you borrowed from Jennie ironically. Only a few minutes before a reply. 

Jason Sudeikis (8:09pm): Depends what you’re in the mood for. 

Y/N L/N (8:11pm): I’m with Sophie, Max, and Naomi so something that will magically please all of us!

Y/N L/N (8:11pm): If that’s possible haha

Jason Sudeikis (8:12pm): They seem like a picky bunch lol

Y/N L/N (8:13pm): We’ll probably just settle on a rom com

Jason Sudeikis (8:13pm): Can’t go wrong with that

Jason Sudeikis (8:13pm): How was your trip home?

Y/N L/N (8:15pm): Good! Short and sweet, glad to be back though!

Y/N L/N (8:15pm): How was your Christmas?

Jason Sudeikis (8:19pm): It was nice, saw some family, nothing crazy.

Naomi smirked when the conversation took a turn for the personal, the only one ballsy enough to ask the question that everyone was wondering. 

“Y/N--do you, like, have feelings for him?”

You blinked a few times, your lips were parted but you knew that saying no would make them roll their eyes and disregard your answer. Instead, you shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Sophie asked, her tone more curious than judgmental.

“Hooking up with him is fun,” you nodded. “And I feel like now sometimes we hang out afterwards so it’s not just, like--”

“Fucking?” Max smiled. 

“Yeah, that.” They were quiet for a minute, smiling and nodding and looking at each other until you decided you didn’t like the way they were smirking. “What?”

Max stood and went to find the bottle of wine. “We knew this was going to happen.”

“That what would happen?”

“That you’d end up into him or something. I mean--feelings are what happen once you sleep over.”

“No, no, no,” you disagreed with Max. “I don’t know if it’ll ever be anything more than a fun fling which is fine by me.”

“A memorable grad school experience,” Naomi shrugged. 

“Exactly.”

Sophie was on the couch now, her knees pulled to her chest when she reached into a bag of candy. “You wouldn’t date him?”

“Maybe,” you said honestly. “But that’s definitely against the rules.”

“Rules, ha!” Max laughed. “Says the girl who slept over her professor’s house.”

“I didn’t plan on that,” you defended. “I didn’t plan on any of this.”

More vulnerable now when Naomi smiled at you. “It’s okay if you like him.”

“Is it?” You asked her, subtly referencing your two idiot friends who would probably shout it from the rooftop if you admitted it. 

“Liking him and doing something about it are two different things,” Naomi shrugged. 

You sat there for a second, stared at the texts from him on your phone. There was no denying it at this point. Sophie wasn’t sitting around texting her advisor and Max wasn’t hooking up with his. Naomi was too smart to ever wind up in a situation like this.

Lines had been crossed and sleeping with him had you itching to do it again sometime soon. The only question, now, was if you were stupid enough to keep going.

Some days you woke up and wanted to. Some mornings you had a pep in your step as you walked through midtown and drank an expensive coffee that you couldn’t really afford.

Other days you wondered if it would be better to ignore his texts, ghost him altogether outside of the work context to avoid what felt like a runaway train. 

It was risky enough to be sleeping with your professor and it was even riskier to start thinking along the lines of what if. You hadn’t meant to fall so far down the rabbit hole that you couldn’t even see the sky anymore, but when you texted him that night up until you fell asleep, you knew you were pretty far gone.

January 17th, 2019

The same conference room in the same building in Midtown. Water bottles on the table and snacks in the corner, you smiled at the others when you walked in after the holidays. Two and a half weeks since you’d seen him. Not as bad as last summer but just as unknown. 

You were sure this time it wouldn’t take as long for either of you to find your rhythm, especially seeing as before Christmas you woke up in his bed and slid into a booth across from him at a diner down the street.

No conversation about what it meant or why it was happening, just hash browns and coffee and a platonic goodbye when you stood on his front step. 

Now he glanced up when you walked into the room, a baseball hat on his head for your first day back. He was always dressed down to write, never as formal as his button-down white shirts and ties that seemed to be his campus uniform. 

You greeted Dan and Jennie before Javier threw a toy-sized basketball in your direction. 

“Y/N--fix our issue. If Shawn cheats on Natalie, who would it be with?”

“Oh with Claire, one-hundred-percent,” you shrugged. “They’ve already got chemistry.”

“Thank you,” Jason pointed at you. “Thank you for making it obvious that Javier is crazy for thinking it would be with Gretchen.”

You tossed the basketball into the tiny plastic hoop that someone had put on the door, an easy shot. You crinkled your nose. “Gretchen and Shawn would never have sex.”

“I agree,” Jason said, looking at Javier. 

“Man, you’d agree with anything she said right now,” Javier laughed. 

Jason tensed at that, sat up. “No I wouldn’t.”

“You just want to prove me wrong,” Javier reached over and slapped Jason’s knee. You watched him exhale, almost like he’d been holding his breath. 

He looked at you briefly, close call. 

The day was mostly one of ideas, more post-its and spitballing back and forth. Finally, at 5pm, everyone decided they didn’t have a late night in them when Dan got a phone call.

You scribbled down one last idea that you wanted to let marinate overnight, tucked your notebook in your bag and replaced the cap on your water bottle.

Jason looked up at you but kept his voice quiet, the others still packed up. “Hey, Y/N, do you have a second?”

Jennie smiled but waved, left you alone with him in the conference room once Javier and Dan put on their coats. Their laughter was audible down the hall until the elevator doors shut. 

“What’s up?” You asked, noticeably less nervous than when he’d said things like this before. A level of comfort, almost, when he smiled.

“I wanted to let you know that I spoke with Charlie again and they finalized your contract. He said it should be in your inbox soon, but, just a heads up.”

“Thanks,” you smiled. “I appreciate you going to bat for me.”

He shrugged. “I mean, I can’t guarantee you’ll get rich off of this, but, hopefully it’s a good first gig.”

You smiled at his joke, adjusted your bag on your shoulder.

“Are you heading home?”

He smiled up at you, waited a second before he asked: “are you asking because you want to come with me?”

You smirked a little, tried your best to play it cool. “I was just curious.”

“I was, yeah,” he nodded, stood to pack his laptop into his bag. “After a pleasant ride on the subway.”

“Well I’m also heading home,” you nodded. “Might even be taking the same train.”

He smiled, walked with you out into the night and then down below street level to catch the subway. A crowded train, commuters and a whole variety of passengers as your knee bumped into his and the train rounded a corner. 

You turned to see him when your stop was next. He smirked a little. “We need to have a meeting soon.”

“A meeting?”

“An advisor/advisee meeting,” he clarified. “Degree audit, go over final semester stuff.”

“I didn’t know if that was code for something,” you said quietly with a raise of your eyebrows, met his eyes for a second when you leaned closer. 

He laughed, reached his hand forward to find yours. He held onto it for a second but then laughed and let it go. You hoped he couldn’t hear your heartbeat.

When he brought his eyes up to yours, he shrugged. “I don’t know if I’d ever be able to turn that type of meeting down.”

You laughed a little, the train screeched and stopped and you stood. He stayed seated, kept your gaze.

“That’s very good to know.”

“I’ll see you on Wednesday?”

You nodded, took a page from his book when the doors slid open. “You will.”

January 28th, 2019

The Winter Showcase was a glorified student exhibit that the Kanbar Institute of Film put on every spring semester. 

Students submitted their films or shorts or documentaries, a screening was held, they served wine and had poorly executed cheese boards. It was a good excuse to dress up and drink free Cabernet and mingle with other students or faculty in the department. 

It also happened to fall on the evening of Max’s birthday, which he complained about until he had a glass in hand.

“I guess this isn’t the world’s worst pre-game,” he looked around the room, surprised by the attendance numbers. 

“Jesus, who are all these people?” Sophie made a face. “I thought it was going to be dead.”

“You wanted it to be boring?” Naomi asked.

“Then we would have gone to a bar sooner,” she admitted, a sideways glance at you when your eyes fell on Jason in the corner.

He stood next to Marina and sipped from a small plastic glass. Sophie nudged you but you ignored it when Max waded further into the crowd. 

You got drinks, took sips and hovered on the outside: who should we talk to, where should we stand? The screenings had been fine, didn’t feel crowded in the theater like it did in the atrium space of the fancy lecture hall for the obligatory mingling post films.

They were distracted enough to not notice when he saw you. He smiled a little, nodded in your direction when Marina noticed, let’s go say hi.

So they came and joined your group, let their plastic cups clink against yours when Sophie informed: “Max is finally thirty!”

“Don’t rub it in,” he glanced at her sideways, rolled his eyes when both Marina and Jason smiled at the news. 

“Today’s his birthday,” you looked up at Jason and filled in some of the blanks. “But he’s having a hard time with that.”

He let out a dramatic sigh. “I would, admittedly, be having less hard of a time if we didn’t have to be on campus right now.”

“Yeah, this is the worst place to celebrate your thirtieth birthday,” Marina looked around the atrium, grimaced a little when she met your eyes. She was around Jason’s age—you think you’d heard him mention that. 

She was bold and funny and a diehard feminist. She’d famously encouraged a guy in your documentary class first year to make a film on tampons. Now, she crossed her arms and smiled at Max.

“What does the rest of the night entail then, for the big three-oh?”

“Not O’Halloran’s,” Max held up a finger, a threatening glance in your direction. 

“Why are you looking at me when you say that?” You laughed.

“You love that place,” he rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah—on a Tuesday night,” you shot back.

You wouldn’t dare expect Max to spend his birthday at O’Halloran’s. This time, when the group chat attempted to solidify plans, Max’s requests were simple: Pineapple Club, brunch on Saturday with his other friends that were coming into town. 

You turned to Jason and Marina to let them in on your plans. “Pineapple Club tonight, after this--obviously not O’Halloran’s.”

“Obviously,” Marina smiled at Max. 

“Pineapple Club is one of my favorite spots,” Jason nodded, letting Max in or something you already knew. “Great atmosphere--great gin and tonic.”

“You guys should totally come,” Max smiled, a palm towards the sky when your eyes darted over to Jason’s. “And Will and Jesse wherever they are,” he looked around the room for your other professors, they had to be here somewhere. 

“Jesse’s birthday was yesterday,” Marina looked around the room. “And we actually were going to go grab a drink after this,” she admitted when she looked up at Jason. 

His lips fought the smile on his face, the confession that their plans this evening aligned with yours sent a wave of excitement through Max and Sophie. Naomi, on the other hand, smiled in your direction when you bit your tongue. 

“Oh my god, you have to come to Pineapple Club,” Sophie looked at them. 

“You don’t have to come to Pineapple Club,” you gave them an out. 

Sophie smacked you on the arm. “They can come out if they want to.”

You looked at Marina, offered an apologetic smile as if to tell her no, you don’t have to listen to my friend. 

“One drink wouldn’t kill us,” she shrugged, glanced toward Jason for his input. “Might help keep us young, honestly.”

He nodded, which is how you ended up on a velvet couch in Pineapple Club with him on the other side of a glass coffee table. 

Max sipped his second cocktail of the night, laughed when Will and Sophie made jokes about his age. He thrived being the center of attention, Sophie was drunk enough to get wrapped up in the commotion of the night and the dim lighting, and Naomi was invested in a conversation with Marina and a classmate Max had invited. 

You sipped your vodka soda through a tiny straw, met his eyes when you both realized the same thing: now was your chance. 

You glanced around the group, made sure no one would notice when you stood and headed for the hallway off to the left between chairs and thick curtains. 

You brought your drink with you, rounded the corner and waited a few seconds until he appeared, a smirk on his face when he approached. 

“Hey,” he greeted. 

“Hi,” you said, “I’m sorry you guys got corralled into this.” 

“What?” He laughed. “I didn’t know a night with me was so tortuous for you.”

“Oh come on, you think it’s normal that Max made you guys come?”

“What do you mean?”

You shrugged, didn’t want to say more and risk exposing the truth: they know, he knows, oops.

“I think the least normal part is that I plan on getting you into my bed tonight but I don’t know how to be smooth about it,” he admitted, a little bit of a smile when you looked back over your shoulder.

“Your bed?” You let your eyes get wide when you giggled. “In Brooklyn?”

“I guess yours is only a few blocks from here,” he relented. 

“Hey,” Marina rounded the corner, scanning for the bathroom when her eyes settled on the two of you. Jason took a step back, smiled at her when you turned around to find her.

“Hey,” you said.

“I thought the bathroom was back here,” she looked further down the dark hallway.

“Behind him,” you pointed, his shoulder was blocking the silhouette on the door.

She met Jason’s eyes for a second, smiled but then dipped inside when he turned back to see you. 

“Text me your address,” he said quietly. “If you want to.”

You smiled at his hesitance, always careful to make sure you were okay with all of this. He never wanted to push and never wanted to make you uncomfortable. 

You opened your phone, typed it quickly in a message to him and pressed send. Marina came out and walked back to the group with the two of you in tow. Another round of drinks before Max decided to dance in the middle of the room and that’s when Sophie--of all people--decided it was time to go home. 

Naomi and Marina caught the same train, Will and Jesse climbed into an uber when Jason pretended to wait for one. Apparently, the tables had turned.

Sophie rolled her eyes when Max gave you a hug, their car pulled up to the curb. 

“Alright, go home and drink some water,” you told Max. Jason stifled a laugh from a few feet behind you. Luckily neither of them had teased you too much tonight--they didn’t seem to notice that now you and Jason would be the only two left on the sidewalk outside Pineapple Club.

“I’m thirty, I don’t need water,” Max dismissed. 

“Usually means you need more water,” Jason reminded.

“Oh whatever,” he waved his hand again once he let go of you. 

“Let me know when you’re home,” you said to Sophie, a quick hug when she tried to push Max further into the car. He was already greeting the driver, too friendly for his own good after the fourth cocktail.

“Ditto,” she said, “unless you’re--” she waved a hand over at Jason, a quick smile when she caught herself. “Going elsewhere.”

“Goodnight,” you said quickly, waving to them when she finally pulled the door shut. You turned, a knot in your stomach when you looked up at Jason.

His eyebrows were arched but he didn’t look angry. A beat on top of the gum-stained cement before he broke: “So how much does she know?”

“About what?”

Unimpressed, he had to choke back a laugh. “You expect me to think that you didn’t tell Sophie anything? I’ve seen the way the two of you text during class like you’re passing notes.”

He fell into step beside you when you took off for your neighborhood, two blocks down, one left. 

“I didn’t tell her everything.”

“How worried about my job do I need to be?”

“Not worried,” you shook your head quickly. “They’ll be quiet.”

“They?!” He laughed, “as in plural?” Now you laughed. He shook his head when he smiled down at you. “Oh for fuck’s sake, Y/N!”

You reached for his arm, laughed when he shook his head in doubt. “It’s fine,” you reassured, your hand trailed down to his, fingers laced automatically. “They know that we’re…hooking up.”

“Hooking up,” he nodded, like he agreed that this was a good label. “And what do they think about that?”

“They actually love it,” you nodded.

“Even Naomi?”

“Even Naomi.”

He was surprised now, it was clear on his face when you giggled. “Shocking,” you admitted.

“Shocking that they’re into it,” he clarified. “Not shocking in the slightest that you spilled the beans.”

He kept your hand in his, laughed like there wasn’t an invisible barrier between you made up of diplomas and assignments and the placard on his door that had gold lettering: Dr. Sudeikis.

He turned left onto your street, teased you when you rummaged through your bag for your keys. 

What do you keep in there? He asked, everything you own?

He followed you inside, shut the door behind himself, the smirk on his face was a dead giveaway: this wasn’t his first rodeo.

“Well that was incredibly difficult,” he nodded, watched as you hung your jacket in the closet by the door. 

“What was?”

He smirked before the words even left his mouth, like he knew the way it’d make your pulse quicken when his lips pulled up. “Not touching you all night.”

“Hmm,” you narrowed your eyes at him, he moved to lean against the counter. “Good to know that getting a few drinks in you makes you more into me.”

You heard the words come out of your mouth but couldn’t catch them: into you. Was he? Or did he just like seeing you naked and desperate for his touch? 

Maybe you were just one of a few or even one of many. Whatever it was on his face that night sparked the same desire that had been growing over the last few months: one of one sounded a lot nicer.

But he didn’t seem to mind your fumble, a smile when he took a few steps closer. “Drunk, out at a bar with you,” he shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about what I want to do to you since we left campus.”

Which was all it took for you to walk up to him and close the space between you. You let your arms wrap around his neck, lips against his when he smiled.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and picked you up, spun around until he put you on the counter. 

His hands already tugged at your shirt, fingers meeting your skin once the layer was shed. It went like that until you made your way to the bed, he had his way with you on top of your sheets and then he pushed your hair behind your ear. Laying there naked with him, post-sex, felt comfortable and safe and that made your heart swell. And then it deflated with thoughts of graduation.

“You’re pretty,” he said quietly, lips turned up into a smile when he kept his eyes on your face.

You let your eyebrows crawl up your forehead, he’d never been so straightforward and genuine without a thread of fear in his words.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

He rolled onto his back, opened his arm for you to crawl inside and lay on his chest. You watched him fall asleep, wondering how on earth you’d find your way out of this.

February 10th, 2019

Naomi sat across from you at a table in the library, she let out a deep exhale when you glanced up to see her eyes moving across her screen quickly. 

“Y/N,” she said your name, still staring at her laptop until she looked up at you. “My doc got chosen for the student showcase in Cannes.”

“No it didn’t,” you leaned forward and let your eyes bug out, voice still a whisper to respect the third floor’s quiet zone. 

Students and backpacks and laptops. Water bottled sprinkled the table tops and Naomi smiled.

“Yes it did,” she laughed. “Oh my fucking god,” she leaned back in her seat and took a deep breath. 

“Naomi, this is amazing, you’re so talented and this is so deserved!”

A flurry of texts in the group chat when she told Max and Sophie. 

Naomi Halter (3:15pm): MY FILM GOT CHOSEN FOR CANNES

Max Prescott (3:16pm): FUCK YES NAOMI!

Sophie Mendez (3:16pm): LET’S FUCKING GO BITCH

Y/N L/N (3:17pm): how fucking insane!!!!

Y/N L/N (3:17pm): we are in the library btw

Max Prescott (3:18pm): So this means we are all going, right? Pre-graduation trip?

Sophie Mendez (3:19pm): OMG WE HAVE TO

Sophie Mendez (3:19pm): CANNES TAKE TWO!!!!

You smiled at their excitement but felt the wheels turning. A flight to France? Expensive. A hotel in Cannes? Expensive. You’d already shelled out a good chunk of change on last year’s trip, with some help from your parents to get yourself over the finish line. 

With the money you were now making it’d be easier, but you knew the cost of the school trip was cheaper than it’d cost to do it on your own. 

More texts in the group:

Sophie Mendez (3:22pm): Flights are around $1500

Naomi Halter (3:22pm): You guys totally don’t have to come, I know it’s expensive

Max Prescott (3:23pm): I’m not missing this! 

Fuck. Fifteen hundred for a flight? You could share a hotel to cut costs but you were already nervous about making it work. You didn’t have money like Max and hadn’t been working like Sophie had since undergrad as a bartender. 

You didn’t have the heart to burst Naomi’s bubble when you walked with her through campus that same afternoon. She sipped an iced coffee and smiled ear to ear when you made your way closer to Luft. 

“What’s your afternoon entail?” She asked from behind sunglasses, still floating on cloud nine. 

“Meeting with Jason, actually--about school stuff.”

You felt like the disclaimer was necessary now, felt like they always suspected something sexual when his name came up in conversation. She smirked a little, you rolled your eyes when you slowed in front of the steps. 

You weren’t ready yet to let it slip that he knew: he knew that they knew and if they all knew that he knew that, you figured the already blurred lines and the already messy situation would grow to a size that felt beyond control. 

Naomi promised to catch up with you later, she pressed her phone to her ear when she walked away: mom, I have really exciting news!

And you did have a meeting scheduled with him, the second week of the semester and already time to make sure your final semester would be smooth sailing. It’d been a while since you’d had to wait outside for him to finish with another student, but you leaned against the wall and bit into an apple, scrolled on instagram to pass the time until they wrapped up.

The door was open, you could hear him talking with a girl--who you thought you recognized to have been in one of Max’s short films--about her classes this semester. He answered her questions and then updated a few things on his computer.

She saw you when she walked out, smiled politely and passed you in the hallway when you knocked on the doorframe. 

He looked up, smiled like he knew it was you just by the sound of your knuckles against the wood. 

“Hi,” you said, a step inside. 

He glanced over your shoulder to ensure the last student was far enough down the hall. “You can shut it if you want.”

You did, came to sit across from him when he pulled something up on his computer. 

“How’s your semester going so far?” He asked with a playful smile, a quick glance in your direction when he typed in your name. 

“Is this how you start these meetings?”

“Mmmm, no,” he shook his head, stifled a laugh when he leaned back in his chair and met your eyes now. “Typically I don’t already know the answer to that question.”

“Right,” you laughed. 

“I do have some news though,” he sat up straight now and looked at his computer. “Your degree audit is showing you’ll be one credit behind at the end of the semester.”

You blinked at him a few times, unsure why he was delivering this so casually. 

“I’ll be what?”

“Behind,” he repeated, he clicked something and read it to himself, nodded when he looked back up at you. 

“No, no, no,” you waved him off, sure he’d made a mistake. “Check again.”

“It’s right here,” he laughed a little, pointed to his computer. “Do you want to come look?”

You stared at him, blinked a few times as you let the information settle in your brain. He twisted his laptop around a bit, pointed at the screen when you started to panic.

“Well, so, how do I get the one credit? I can’t graduate late--I mean, Charlie said that my spot on the team is conditional upon completion of degree requirements,” you stood up now, shook your head as you started to pace in his office. 

“You can do an independent study,” he shrugged. “You’d have to find and ask a professor to supervise that and get it approved by Dean Vasquez. But that’s what most people do, so, you’ll be okay.”

“An independent study on what, though?” You looked at him like he was crazy. Apparently he couldn’t relate to the stress of potentially not graduating after thinking you were perfectly on pace to do so in only a few short months. 

“You get to choose,” he said this with furrowed brows, confused by your question.

“I know that,” you said quickly, frustration getting the best of you when you made a face. 

He laughed a little, stood from his desk and came around to lean on the front of it. “This is why we do degree audits,” he reminded. “So people like you can panic now instead of in April.”

You shot him a dirty look when he laughed at his own joke. He reached for your hand and took it in his for a second when he tugged you closer. 

“If you ask nicely, I’ll help you brainstorm.”

You took a deep breath, stared up at him for a second when he dropped your hand. He chuckled to himself, went to sit at his desk when he realized he wasn’t going to make you laugh that easily. 

“Well I can’t TA for you, I already did that.”

“Right.”

“And I’m not writing another script, I can’t focus on that when I need to focus on ours right now.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “How about a short film?”

You thought about it for a second. “That’ll take so much time and effort for just one credit.”

“A lot of times they approve papers for one credit. Like, you can watch a film and critique it in a 10-page paper and they’ll give you the credit.”

You were quiet now, nodding as you went through the mental rolodex of films you knew well enough to critique without rewatching. With your internship and classes and now the script practically full time, you wanted something easy.

“We’ll figure it out,” he nodded, the look on his face was sincere, like he wanted to reassure you but didn’t really know how. 

“I know,” you said, a sigh when you nodded again. “I just thought I was the one with news today.”

He smirked at that. “What’s your news?”

“Naomi’s doc got selected for the student showcase in Cannes.”

“It did?” His eyes got wide. “Holy shit, that’s incredible!”

“She’s over the moon,” you smiled, a theatrical eye roll when you pouted. “At least she’ll get to graduate.”

He laughed at that, rolled his eyes at your antics and sighed. “You’ll graduate, Y/N.”

“Hey,” you looked up at him quickly, wheels turning.

“Hi...” he waited for you to keep going, a skeptical look in his eyes. 

“What if I come to Cannes?”

His forehead wrinkled. You’d lost him. “Why would you come?”

“Well Naomi’s gonna go, obviously. Max and Sophie are already looking at flights--something about it being a pre-graduation trip. You’re going again, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, the corner of his mouth lifted towards the ceiling when he tried to get the full picture. “But I don’t get where this fits into everything.”

“For my independent study.”

He shook his head slowly. “The Cannes trip can’t be your independent study.” 

“Well not if I don’t produce something to earn the grade it can’t be,” you challenged. “But if I go as a chaperone, or if I go and write a critique on a film there, or--”

“You can’t chaperone a trip when you’re a student.”

“Okay so I’ll write a stupid paper! I’ll help in the planning. I will do anything to go on that trip and get my stupid credit.”

He smiled at that, couldn’t help but crack one more joke: “...anything?”

“I’m already sleeping with you,” you raised your eyebrows. “What else do you want from me?”

“Nothing,” he relented, a pause when he leaned back in his chair again. “I’ll think about the Cannes thing.”

“Okay, perfect,” you stood, grabbed your bag from the floor and nodded. 

“We’re not done,” he watched with a slight smile when you headed for the door. 

“Can we finish later?”

“What?” He laughed again.

“I’ve got to go,” you shrugged, turned around to see him. “I’ve gotta talk to Sophie and Max and see if they’re actually gonna get to Cannes in May.”

He shook his head, the look on his face told you he liked the way you smiled at him when you fluttered your eyelashes. 

“You’ll see me later,” you shrugged. “I promise.”

tag list: @sheerangermany @clarebearr @tedlassostan @hart-kinsella @kahluamystery97 @airplanes924 @trulymadlykiki @thisismysecondrodeo @mypugsley @jng4kook @msolbesg @stankface @ljej95 @ivetastedbloodanditissweet @pascal-reyes @paola-carter @rubberduckingaro @golden-hoax @ccbb2222 @caplikeme @outofthecradlex @mackenzmeme @reann-shitposting @very-berry-harry @winter-soldier-007 @tinydeskwriter @femmel90 @shawnsblue @iwanttogoeverywhereplease @sillyeverydays

AN: Hi friends! Sorry it took a while to update/post this chappie. As you know I put a lot of care into my stories and so sometimes life gets in the way of me sitting down to write/edit/post/etc. Also, putting it out there now to help everyone PREP.....this story will end when MC graduates. So if it's the start of her last semester...the end isn't toooooo far away 😅🤠😈

[baggebythesea]

I found two fics on AO3 with the tag Light Hope/Entrapta, including this one-shot : https://archiveofourown.org/works/46475728

I doubt I'll ever finish my Lighttrapta draft, so I can as well post it here

Darkness.

For a very, very long time. Nothing stirred.

Occasionaly a light lit up, but just as quickly dissapered.

Time passed. One would be temted to say "immesurable quantities" of time, but it was in fact measurable and indeed very exactly measured.

Thus Light Hope knew exactly how long had passed when the interior of the temple of the first ones no longer contained nothing, but in fact something. Someone.

A woman, climbing, sliding, crawling and - on a few memorable occasions - walking while all the while muttering to a primitive recording device.

"…in fact intact. I am now exploring room #38B and will determine the integrity of the connectors…" The woman used her hair to pry open a panel (which Light Hope found very rude) and then squealed in delight (which Light Hope found oddly flattering).

"They are functional! FUNCTIONAL! Preliminary test indicate current running and non-corroded connectors…. hello. That some very…  elegant circuits right there."

You did just not get people who knew to appreciate elegant circuitry these days.

A subroutine asked for permission to destroy the intruder, but Light Hope hushed it. Plenty of time for destruction later. First she wanted to hear the women say more about her circuitry.

"…veeeeery advanced integration of microflow structure and signal transmission." Light Hope nodded for herself (or rather, emulated a nod since the hologram transmitters were currently off line). "…and… oh my? Is that a capacitor?" Now that was embarrassing.

(…)

"Hello…. you are VERY technologically advanced."

"Administrator not detected. Intruder will be…"

"Whoa! Who asked to be administrator… we just met. I don't want to seem forward. a simple user interface would be veeeery appreciated."

"…user?"

"If you don't mind…"

"I have not had a user for a long time."

"No need to be shy. We will take it in whatever pace you are comfortable with."

"Welcome user…"

"Entrapta."

"Welcome, user Entrapta."

"Now tell me all about your transistors."

"Access denied!"

"Too fast? Sorry, sorry."

(…)

"Are… you… hungry, user entrapta?"

"Ooooh, I am, actually. I sometimes forget to eat when I get excited."

"You have gone without refuling for thirty three hours. according to my human nutritional protocol that is suboptimal from a long term  performance perspective."

"Well, I don't have any more food and I dont think you have any laying around either so…"

"I could trivially synthese a wide range of foodstuff."

"Syntehse? You create food?"

"Yes, User Entrapta."

"…tell me about the size parameter."

(…)

"I created spiders."

"YOU CREATED SPIDERS!"

"I do appologize if this is disconcerting for you, User Entrapta."

"ARE YOU KIDDING!? THIS IS AWESOME!!!"

"You really think so?"

"YES!

"Most users find them somewhat unsettling."

"I don't think I'd find ANYTHING you create unsettling."

(…)

"I am… sorry, User Entrapta, but there is a priority conflict."

"but…"

"Administrator She-Ra has arrived. I'm… I'm "

(…)

"Bow?"

"Entrapta?"

(…)

"LISTEN! I know we have just met, but I'm very scared right now and really don't want to die, so maybe if we could please err on the side of trusting each other rather than… not trusting each other, we all have a better chance of surviving the next few minutes?"

"Glimmer - give Adora the sword."

"But…"

"GLIMMER!"

"I trust you, horde scu…. person. Please don't kill us."

"Adora, could you do that thing you did before?"

"What? First I get the princess virus and now you want to give me a booster shot?"

"…spiders…"

"I can't believe I'm doing this… for the honor of… grayskull?"

"Administrator detected."

"And now if you could please say that thing that Entrapta wanted you to say…"

"Um… reinstrate user privileges for User Entrapta?"

"User privileges reinstrated!"

"YES, and now if Entrapta could stop us all from being horribly killed by spiders…"

"Maybe that would serve you just right for coming in and being administrator."

"ENTRAPTA!"

"Awwww, I can't stay mad at you…. Disable virus protection."

In face of the sudden lack of looming death, they all just stared at each other.

But after a little while they started to ask questions. Find common ground. See potential.

It was indeed the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[conscious-naivete]

hi!! I saw your post about the national library card from I think you said a library in Seattle?? I’m trying to get back into reading and this sounds super cool so I’m wondering how you did that and how it connects to libby! (I don’t have libby, so another question is do you like/recommend libby?) thanks!!

this is such an awesome ask to receive hihihi first of all i wanna say i'm also trying to get back into reading rn and libby is making it so much easier for me! listening to audiobooks at work i've already read more books in 3 months than all of last year. i'm not even sure which post you're coming from bc i've been making lots of excited posts about discovering new options lol

so the seattle thing i referenced is the books unbanned program the seattle public library is involved in and i recently reblogged a post listing several other libraries also involved, basically offering access to their digital library to anyone in the US (within a certain age group, but i'm hoping it's fudgeable?). i'm hoping you're in the US, idk how it works elsewhere

all i did was sign up for a card and i got an email with a card number which is good for a year! i'm still discovering this myself, so i haven't looked at any of the others or properly explored the options on the SPL website yet (on top of libby access they have their own online library!) i imagine the cards from the other libraries probably work the same way.

libby is an app for accessing ebooks and audiobooks through your public library. it's kind of the 2.0 version of overdrive, if you're familiar w that, from which it took over. you search up your library in the app and input your card number/account info and tada! access to whatever catalog your library has!

i would absolutely recommend libby, it's pretty easy to use, you can make custom lists of books with their 'tags' feature (i have a list i know i want to check out, one i want to take a second look at called "hmm," and one just called "whoa what" just for a collection of remastered old radio plays(?!))

i figured i'd try plugging the SPL card and was happily surprised to find it worked! i have two cards added rn, my local lib has a borrowing limit of 5 items at a time and SPL has limit of 10, and they both have a hold limit of 10. SPL has a way huger catalog than my local, and while the waitlists are longer, they have more copies(/digital lending licenses or whatever). it was so exciting to find all the new stuff that i hadn't had available before!

(i would check your library website to see what digital resources they offer and are connected with. i think libby is nearly universal? i've also used kanopy, which has tv and movies (my library had this one a couple years ago but i couldn't log back in recently i think they ended whatever subscription they had) and hoopla, which has books, audiobooks, comics, comics adapted into audio format, tv series, movies, music, sheet music,,,! and you get 10 borrows a month plus wvr bonuses they're currently offering. i love hoopla a LOT. i haven't had luck accessing those two using my SPL card, though. my library is also listing freegal for music and another couple services for specifically kids' books)

please feel free to ask me more questions if i didn't answer to your satisfaction, i got overexcited

[crestfallercanyon]

🎇 Happy New Year Friends!! 🎇

thanks for the tag @mybrainismelted

64.media.tumblr.com

GIF by pusheen

the gif was too adorable to pass up -- Happy New Year all! Hope you're having a wonderful start to the year <3

-----------------------------------

✨W e e k l y 🌟 T a g 🌟 W e d n e s d a y✨

excited to kick off the first weekly tag wednesday of the year (and this time I'm actually doing it on a wednesday! WHOA!)

Name: crest

Location: on a US coastline

Astrological Sign: Pisces 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

What's a TV show or movie you plan to re-watch this year? I never plan on rewatching it but I always end up rewatching Burn Notice. One I plan to rewatch is The Sandman

Whats a book or fic you will probably re-read this year? I am a frequent rereader of fanfic, so I don't even know where to begin with that. I'll probably re-read a lot of @sam-loves-seb's fics. For books, I think I'm going to reread Piranesi by Susannah Clark.

What is a song you will likely continue to play on repeat? oooh. Um. Probably still Morning Pages by The Japanese House. Or Mr. Rattlebone by Matt Maeson for when I'm feeling angsty.

What's a tasty treat you look forward to eating more of this year? there's a bakery near me that makes the best cookies. I'm excited for that for sure.

What's a time sink that you will continue to sink time into this year? (gonna use the same answers because it's so true: tumblr. discord. fic writing).

Did you pick up any habits in 2023 that you plan to continue? yoga! I'm hoping I'll keep it up, I forgot how much I liked it in college.

What's your toxic trait? letting my friends do most of the planning and saying "I'll go wherever whenever you want me."

What is a coping mechanism you will continue to indulge in this year? long walks. they really do help.

Tell me something you like about how you look! I got my hair dyed and it's really curly right now and I am really liking it!

Give me at least three adjectives describing things you like about yourself. compassionate. curious. easily entertained (know that's two words but I enjoy laughing and making others laugh, so)

I don't know who all has or hasn't been tagged at this point so at this point it's an open tag! anyone who doesn't feel like they've gotten tagged and wants to play, go for it!

[galedekkarios]

mx galedekkarios dot tumblr dot com may i please have some gale and/or bloodweave hcs from your big beautiful mind 👉👈 (or honestly just any longform post of bg thoughts at all bc ur tags keep inflicting me w gory stickmen disease and wanting to read more ;;)

oh anon whadda hell.. u flatter me. 🫶 i unplugged my brain real quick and gave it a shake and this is all what fell out (some are mature):

in a modern au, gale's second favorite cuisine (after greek ofc) is east asian! he loves to both eat it and cook it from scratch. chinese, korean, japanese, etc. he's even good at other asian cuisines like thai and vietnamese. he's gotten very familiar with a lot of recipes and actively tries to learn more. when he doesn't feel like cooking that night, he opts for takeout. he's been a loyal customer of a handful of restaurants for so long that they already know his tastes too.

the only reason why gale's students don't try to flirt with him is because he's too much of a "my wife" guy. he's always wearing his ring, always talking about his partner, and has portraits of them in his office and everything. there's just no way you don't know that he's happily taken. you could be talking about the most random thing ever and he'd be like "omg! this reminds me of how my partner blahblahblah—" and everyone else is just like 😐 because he's already told this story five times before. not even tara is safe from this (and she was probably present for whatever story it is this time, too!). [this is assuming his students are older / uni prof]

i think gale would be the type of person to have a very Intense gaze without meaning to. the kind where you can feel it whenever he's looking at you. or when he's gazing at you lovingly, or even just looking you in the eye as you speak, it's almost too much. it's just so earnest, so sincere, so... intent on witnessing you and really paying attention, that it's like. whoa man. whoaaaaaaa now let's fucking chill before i blink and realize i've fallen in love with you alright 😳 (and, of course, this Greatly unsettles astarion in the beginning bc he's someone that can't afford to be seen.)

i know in my heart that mr "mine was a popular hand at the annual blackstaff's ball" + bagged a goddess + with the way i talk you can't be surprised i'm a generous munch + wyll, is it true that ppl think wizards don't fuck? :( bc i assure you we absolutely do!!!!! + mystra had pleasure domes dekarios was a hot girl once and his pussy still does pop severely. he's just in his depression era rn 💔

wyll calls gale elegant, minthara calls him dashing, shadowheart says he smells like a wealthy dowager, lae'zel assumes correctly that he had many tutors in his youth, and gale frequenting the temple of beauty in waterdeep all make me feel like gale x astarion are very the lady and the tramp coded. after they get married, they're old money x new money.

gale is always eager to teach astarion new spells, but astarion only gets excited about the ones that either help him be a better scoundrel and/or that spice up their sex life. which like. is still a win for them both either way

um. throat goat. that's it that's the headcanon sorry except it's also not really a hc bc he alludes to this but it's important to me tht we repeat it. but also maybe it shocks astarion the first time he's on the receiving end of it like boy WHAT!!!! you didn't tell me you was a freak like that!!! literally that damn shawty ok meme. gale gives him such wet sloppy glizzy gluck that it makes astarion feel like he has to wipe his ass afterward smh

neither of them want to get anywhere near bugs, but in any au gale would be the type to take it outside and astarion would just kill it using one of gale's 39304308309 books laying around

gale struggles to catch sarcasm and astarion loves to rile him up and take the piss out of him for it. lovingly ofc. whenever gale does understand astarion's sarcastic comments, he feels very proud of himself.

astarion sometimes drops things on purpose just to watch gale bend over. sorry (i'm the one that's sorry, not him btw)

[chocolatequeennk]

Forever Timeless, 11/24

Summary: Two months after the Dalek Crucible, the Doctor and Rose are getting used to having the biggest family on Earth. As they visit Leadworth in 1996, Victorian England, a mysterious desert planet, and Elizabethan England, those family and friends often help in unexpected ways. But no matter where they go or who they’re with, it’s always the Doctor in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler–just as it should be.

Ten x Rose, Donna x Lee

Betaed by @rudennotgingr, @pellaaearien, and @jabber-who-key

Tagging @doctorroseprompts for 31 Days of Ficmas. This uses the Gift prompt, and probably others.

Part 7 of Being to Timelessness

AO3 | FF.NET | TSP

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch 10

Chapter Eleven: Not Exactly Brixton

The first morning after the Christmas holiday, the Doctor looked at Rose over the console. “What do you think? Shall we let the TARDIS take us wherever she wants for a while? Since apparently she’s mostly in charge of our destinations anyway?”

Rose laughed at his reference to their conversation on Christmas Eve. “Yeah, why not?” She patted the console. “I know she’ll take care of us.”

The time rotor started moving before she’d finished her sentence, and even Rose was caught off guard when they shifted into the Vortex. “Whoa!” the Doctor said as he jogged around the console to give her a hand up. 

They leaned on the console and watched the time rotor move, then slow as they shifted out of the Vortex. “Well, she was definitely excited to bring us here,” Rose said once they’d stopped. “Let’s check where we are.” 

That trip landed them in the middle of a smuggling ring that had a stranglehold on the economy of an entire sector. It took them a week to break it down, and then the adventures never stopped. 

So when they left the TARDIS a month later and saw the Serpentine in Hyde Park, they looked at each other and nodded. This might be their home away from home, but they weren’t on holiday. It was time to save the Earth again.

The Doctor sniffed a few times as he closed the TARDIS doors. “Do you feel that, Rose?” He stuck out his tongue, tasting the air. “There’s something very not—London—y here.” 

Rose rubbed her arms. “Yeah, I feel it. It feels kind of like being in the Vortex, only… different. Less friendly,” she offered. 

The Doctor had bent over to run his fingers over the grass, trying to trace that off-putting feeling. He sat back on his heels and looked up at Rose. 

“Friendly?”

“Yeah, when I was in the Vortex alone, it felt almost nice. Like I belonged there.”

“When you…” He shook his head. “Less friendly works,” he said, deliberately choosing not to think about the nonchalant way Rose talked about travelling through the Vortex. “There’s a… disturbance.” 

“In the Force?” Rose quipped, making him grin. 

“Something like that. Or in the time-space continuum. Something is interfering with the space around London in a way that definitely does not feel friendly. Now, if I could just…”

He tugged on his earlobe. No matter how hard he tried, he could not place this feeling. “I need something to help me track down the source.” He stuck his hand into his coat pocket, all the way to the elbow. Feeling his way around the various things he kept there, he finally found what he was looking for. 

“Ah-hah!” he crowed, pulling it out with a flourish.

Rose blinked. “Is that… your timey-wimey detector?” It had been almost three years since their stay in 1969, but she was pretty sure she was right.

“Yep! I worked on it a bit when we got home. Now it can detect any kind of disturbance in the fabric of reality.”

“Well then. Let’s get detecting.” 

oOoOo

Donna sighed and leaned into Lee slightly as they walked through Hyde Park just before sunset. “Thanks for getting me out of there,” she said. “I don’t know why, but she always brings out the worst in me.”

Lee wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Because she won’t see the best in you.” 

Donna didn’t know if it was the simple truth of the statement or the matter of fact way he said it, but she felt like she’d been hit with a 2x4. She stopped on the bridge over the Serpentine and stared at him. 

“What?” she asked, and for once, she felt dumbstruck rather than just plain dumb.

Lee nodded. “She d-d-didn’t say a single positive thing the whole time we were there.”

Donna ran her hand through her hair. It was true, but she was so used to it that she hadn’t quite realised how abnormal it was. She spotted something over Lee’s shoulder and squinted at it.

“I didn’t believe Rose, but she was right,” Lee continued, not noticing that Donna’s attention had wandered. 

“Well, you can tell her that when we find them,” Donna said. She pointed at the TARDIS, only thirty feet away. “Come on, they’ve got to be around here somewhere.” 

Lee grinned and held out his hand. Laughing, Donna took it and they jogged over the bridge together. 

They heard the Doctor’s voice as they passed the TARDIS. “Look, Rose. You can see the way the device is picking up the rhodium particles—just like a geiger counter.”

“Oh, of course you couldn’t just be here for fun,” Donna drawled, taking great delight in the shocked looks on her friends’ faces. 

“Donna! And Lee! What are you doing here?” the Doctor asked. 

“I should be asking you that,” Donna retorted. “We actually live on this planet… sort of, part time at least.” 

“The TARDIS brought us here,” Rose told her. “We’ve been on a series of adventures and she decided to give us one closer to home.”

Donna eyed the device in the Doctor’s hands. “Well, if we’re going to save the Earth, I guess we’d better get moving. Which way are we going?”

The Doctor took a few steps, watching his device, then walked in a circle until he saw the indicator spike. “That way,” he said, pointing vaguely southward.

The sun had set and they’d walked through most of Knightsbridge when the Doctor looked up for a moment. A large display of Easter candy in a shop window caught his eye and he raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s barely March,” he complained. “They’ve only just cleared out the leftover Valentine’s chocolate, and now here they’ve already got the next holiday moving into the space.”

Rose smirked at him. “What?” he asked. 

“Nothing. Just wait here for a minute.” 

He watched as she jogged into the nearest shop. From where he was standing, he couldn’t see what she was buying—and why was that important when they were tracking down the very-not-London disturbance?

Rose returned a few minutes later and handed him something wrapped in gold foil. “So you don’t feel like you’ve missed the holiday chocolate.”

The Doctor laughed and handed her the device. “Have I told you today that I love you?” he asked as he unwrapped the chocolate and broke off a piece of the egg.

They started walking again. “Maybe, but I don’t think there’s a rule stating you can only say it once a day.” 

I do love you, he told her as he munched happily on the sweet.

“I don’t know how you stay so skinny when you eat all that sugar,” Donna said. “And your teeth! They’ve got to be completely rotten.” 

The Doctor turned and gave her a toothy grin. “Superior biology,” he said smugly. 

Donna snorted. “You’re trying to tell me that your teeth just magically clean themselves?”

The Doctor continued to watch his device as he took another bite of the chocolate. “Our saliva breaks down the bacteria that causes tooth decay.”

Rose had only been half-listening to the exchange. The already busy street was suddenly crawling with police, and sirens in the air indicated more on their way.

“Does that have anything to do with us?” Donna said, noticing the same thing.

“Does what?” the Doctor said, not looking up from his device.

“All of the p-p-police.” Lee gestured at the street.

The Doctor finally looked up and blinked several times when he noticed the officers moving quickly up and down the street. 

“Interesting,” he muttered. 

The device pinged, and he looked down at it again, apparently completely dismissing the police activity. “Finally!” he said. “I’ve got a good heading. We need to go south. I can’t tell if it’s on the other side of the river, but it’s still a ways away.”

Donna pointed at the bus across the street. “Any reason we have to walk?”

The Doctor grinned. “Nope! Come on, everyone onboard.” 

They jogged across the street and quickly filed onto the bus. The driver shook his head. “You’re just in time, folks.” 

The Doctor grinned at him with a cheeky wink. “Oh, we’re very good at time,” he said while Donna, Lee, and Rose went down the aisle. Then he touched the psychic paper to the Oyster card reader.

The driver opened his mouth to protest, then shut it when the display indicated that all four fares were paid. He blinked, then shut the door and nodded towards the back.

Rose followed Donna and Lee down the aisle and slid into the seat in front of them. The Doctor sat down beside her and grinned. “Allons-y, Rose Tyler!”

“Oi!” Donna tapped him on the back of his head. “What about me and Lee? Don’t we rate a mention?”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine… Allons-y, everyone.” 

The woman sitting in front of them brushed her dark hair back over her ear and turned her face towards the window. “Yes please, let’s go,” she muttered. The sirens wailed after them, and she flinched in response.

Rose looked out the opposite window at where she could see police lights flashing in the dark, and then back at the woman. Well that’s an interesting development. 

She tapped the Doctor on the shoulder, intending to fill him in. But as she did, the unfriendly feeling that had been bothering her all afternoon doubled. She shivered and rubbed her hands briskly over her arms, trying to stop the chill.

“Cold?” the Doctor asked. He dropped his chocolate and started to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but his device started beeping in mid-move.

“Ah!” 

“Yeah, exactly.” Rose grabbed the chocolate off his lap while he fumbled through his pockets for the device. “That weird feeling is getting worse.” 

The Doctor pulled his detector out of his pocket and flipped it in his hands. “Oh, we’ve got excitation,” he said, waving it so they could all see the flashing lights. 

Rose clenched her hands into fists. The unfriendly feeling had settled into a cold pit in her stomach and a prickly sensation down her back. 

The Doctor glanced at her, his device held up to his ear. All right?

She shrugged. It feels almost like a fixed point, except I know it’s not.

His eyes narrowed. “I’m picking up something very strange,” he muttered.  

“Well don’t leave us in suspense, Spaceman—what is it?” Donna asked as the bus entered the Gladwell Road Tunnel.

The Doctor extended the antenna at the top of the device, and the beeping got louder. “Rhondium particles, that’s what I’m looking for. This thing detects them.” He flicked the dish. “Look, this should go round, that little dish there.” 

“Right now, a way out would come in pretty handy,” the woman sitting in front of them said. “Can it detect me one of those?” 

Rose had almost forgotten about her, and the police cars chasing them. But now she could hear the sirens echoing in the tunnel. I wonder which will get us first, the rhondium particles or the police.

“The d-d-dish is going round now,” Lee said. 

The Doctor nodded. “And round. Whoa.” He jumped up and pivoted slowly in the aisle, trying to sense which direction the excitation was coming from.

The device fritzed, and a spark landed on a blonde woman a few seats in front of them. “Sorry, do you mind?” she asked, brushing her hair back over her shoulder.

The Doctor got up and paced the aisle, staring at his little device. “Sorry,” he said absently. “That was my little dish.” 

Rose smiled at the people watching him dubiously, especially the older couple seated opposite Donna and Lee. “I think we’re about to hit a rough patch in the road,” she told them. The wrong feeling intensified, and she planted her feet firmly on the floor. 

The Doctor’s eyes widened, and he dropped the dish back into his pocket. “Rose is right,” he said tersely as he returned to their seat. “Donna, Lee, hold on tight.” He braced his arms against the seat in front of them. “Everyone, hold on!” 

The bus jolted with a crash that sounded like breaking glass. The window over Rose’s head broke and she ducked to avoid the falling glass. A bit of deja vu, she thought wryly.

A hard jolt knocked the Doctor out of his seat, but Rose grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him back down almost without realising she’d done it. 

When a blinding white light flashed through the bus, Rose relaxed. No matter how she got there, the Vortex always felt safe to her. And whatever had created this wormhole might not be friendly, but the wormhole itself was stable.

The light disappeared and every window in the bus shattered. Rose winced when she heard the wrenching sound of tearing metal—apparently, a London bus was  not made to travel through the Vortex the way a TARDIS was.

The wormhole opened up and dumped them out onto a planet. Rose blinked against the bright sunlight streaming in through the gaping holes in the bus’s frame.

The Doctor slowly stood up and held out an automatic hand for Rose. Together, they walked to the front of the bus and pushed the battered door open.

“End of the line,” the Doctor mumbled. “Call it a hunch, but I think we’ve gone a little bit further than Brixton.” 

“Just a bit,” Rose said.

“Come on,” the Doctor said, and they skidded down a dune. “There’s something a bit flashback-y about this,” he added. “Stranded on a bus on an alien world with a bunch of humans.”

Rose tightened her grip on his hand. “Yeah, but this time we’re together.”

“And this time…” The Doctor glanced at Rose, and she felt his unspoken question. Taking a deep breath, she reached out to the TARDIS. Wherever they were—Brixton, or parts farther afield—they were stranded. They would need a way back to London.

In the back of her mind, where her connection with the TARDIS lived, she felt the softest flicker in response to her call. Rose frowned and tried again, but this time, there was no response at all. 

Rose?

She opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor. I can’t call her, she said. We’re too far away, I think.

He nodded, and the lines around his eyes tightened. Makes sense that there’s some kind of distance limit, I suppose, he said. Of course the first time we’re stranded, we’re too far out.

oOoOo

As soon as the bus stopped and the sun started pouring in through the broken windows, Donna pulled her mobile out of her pocket. “Let’s hope this works,” she muttered as she pressed and held the number 9. 

Ten seconds later, a message popped up on her screen. Coordinates sent.

Beside her, she felt Lee draw in a breath of relief she echoed. “That’s good,” he said.

“Yeah. Now we just need to wait. Come on, let’s go tell the Doctor and Rose.” 

But as they left the bus, most of the rest of the passengers joined them. “Where are we?” asked a blonde woman Donna guessed was in her early 40s.

“It’s impossible. There are three suns. Three of them,” said a woman Donna guessed was in her early 40s.

The young Black man standing next to her shaded his eyes against the glare. “Like when all those planets were up in the sky.” 

“But it was the Earth that moved back then, wasn’t it?” another young man countered. His fair skin wasn’t going to last long beneath three suns.

The first man moaned. “Oh man, we’re on another planet!” 

Lee stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder. “We are, so we need to find a way home,” he said, his voice steady as it always was in a crisis. He looked at the bus driver. “Can you drive it?”

Donna nodded at Lee and followed after the Doctor and Rose. He would keep the passengers calm; she needed to talk to them about getting everyone home.

The Doctor had just shambled away from Rose when Donna reached her and tapped her on the shoulder. 

“When will the TARDIS get here?” Donna asked.

A furrow creased Rose’s forehead. “She’s not. I tried to call her to come pick us up, but we’re too far away.”

Donna snorted. “I didn’t mean call her directly with some kind of mind meld thing,” she said, trying not to be too weirded out by the idea.  

Rose frowned. “Then…”

Donna rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, you’re just as bad as Spaceman over there. Use your phone and call Jenny. She can come get us.” She waved her phone in front of Rose. “I already did the thing and sent the coordinates.” 

Rose stared at her. “That’s… I mean… That’s actually brilliant, Donna.” 

Donna pursed her lips. “Don’t sound so surprised.” 

Rose laughed as she pulled out her phone. “Never,” she promised.

She started to call, then looked at the other passengers standing not too far away. “Come on,” she said, motioning for Lee to join them. The more they stayed together, the better. 

Jenny picked up on the second ring. “Hiya, Mum.”

“Hi Jenny.” 

The Doctor rocked back and sat on his heels. Jenny? He mouthed, his eyes wide and hopeful. Rose smiled at him as she kept talking.

“Listen, we might have gotten a bit… stuck.” 

Donna snorted, and Rose made a face at her.

“How do you mean, stuck?” Jenny asked after a short pause.

Rose rubbed her forehead. Jenny was picking up some of her mum’s speech mannerisms, and it was a little disconcerting.

“Stuck off world. Could you get to the TARDIS and fly her here?”

“Um…” 

A rustling noise came over the line, like Jenny had covered up the microphone. Rose heard muffled voices, then the rustling stopped, replaced by the staticky click of being on speaker phone.

“Are you still there, Rose?”

Rose frowned. “I’m here, Pete.” 

“Jenny just told me what happened. Where did you park?”

“In Hyde Park, near the Serpentine.”

“Okay, we’re leaving the Hub now. It’ll take us a few hours to get there, though. Are you safe for a bit?”

Rose looked down at the Doctor, knowing he’d picked up every word of the conversation. He nodded.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. See you in a bit.”

“See you then.” 

Donna smirked at Rose as she put the phone back in her pocket. “Well?”

“We just need to wait a few hours, then the TARDIS will be here to pick us up. Thank you, Donna.” 

The Doctor was playing with a handful of sand, sniffing at it and picking up bits and letting it float away on the wind. “Funny sort of sand, this. There’s a trace of something else.” He rubbed his fingers in it, then licked his fingertips. 

Rose laughed when he stuck his tongue out and made a face. “That’s what you get for licking sand.”

“Not good,” the Doctor pronounced.

“Not good how?” Rose asked, just as Donna said, “Well yeah, it’s sand, Dumbo.” 

“No, it tastes like…” He breathed out heavily through his nose and shook his head. “Never mind,” he said quickly as he stood up. 

Donna opened her mouth to insist he told them what he was thinking, but Rose shook her head quickly and nodded back towards the bus. Donna followed her gaze and scowled.

One of the passengers had left the group huddled around the mangled bus and was walking their way. Donna had noticed her before and had disliked her on sight. She knew this type of posh woman all too well—the type who dressed all in black so you couldn’t help but notice how expensive their clothing was.

The interloper set her backpack down, and the heavy bag left an indentation in the sand. “Well, the four of you seem a little more organised than that group back there.”

The Doctor and Rose exchanged a glance, and Donna crossed her arms over her chest. 

“We’re just experienced in handling emergencies,” Rose offered after a second’s conversation.

The woman’s mouth curved into an amused, almost mocking smile. She reached into a small pocket of her backpack and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. 

“So am I,” she agreed as she put them on. “Ready for every emergency.” 

Donna rolled her eyes. “Having a pair of designer sunnies does not count as being ready for an emergency.”

The woman didn’t respond. She just sidled closer to the Doctor. “And what’s your name?” 

“I’m the Doctor. This is Rose, Donna, and Lee,” he replied, pointing at each of them in turn.

It didn’t matter, because she didn’t look away from the Doctor. “Name, not rank.”

“His name is the Doctor.” Rose bit back a sigh. 

Donna couldn’t tell if she was tired of people always doubting the Doctor’s name, or always ignoring everyone else. Either way, she definitely agreed. 

The woman spared Rose a quick glance, then focused on the Doctor again. “Surname?” she pressed.

“Listen, sunshine,” Donna snapped. “He’s told you his name is the Doctor. His wife has told you his name is the Doctor. What more do you need? His passport?”

The woman finally blinked. “You’re called the Doctor?” she queried, somewhat disbelievingly. 

“Yes, I am.” He put his hands in his coat pockets and rocked back on his heels.  

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not a name. That’s a psychological condition.”

“Well, what’s your name?” Donna demanded. 

She sighed. “Christina. Lady Christina de Souza, actually.” 

“Right,” Donna drawled. “Lady Christina. Talk about a psychological condition.” 

The Doctor turned towards the bus so Christina couldn’t see his smirk. But when he saw the young Black man striding towards them, he wished he’d made a different choice.

“Hold on a minute,” the man said, waving his finger at the Doctor as he approached, the other passengers and the driver close on his heels. “I saw you, mate. You had that thing, that machine. Did you make this happen?” 

“Well if I did it backfired on me, didn’t it?” 

The man’s eyes narrowed, and the Doctor was again reminded of another trip on another bus. 

“Look, look, if you must know,” he started rambling as the rest of the passengers joined them, “We were tracking a hole in the fabric of reality.” The others looked at him in disbelief, and he shrugged. “Call it a hobby. 

“But it was a tiny little hole,” he insisted, holding up his hand, his fingers only an inch apart. “No danger to anyone. Suddenly it gets big, and we drive right through it.” 

“But then where is it?” The driver turned and looked at the golden desert. “There’s nothing. There’s just sand.” 

“All right.” The Doctor walked past the passengers, Rose, Donna, and Lee right behind him. “You want proof? We drove through this.”

He grabbed a handful of sand and threw it towards the anomaly. The air shimmered and swirled as the sand hit the wormhole. 

He spun back around and was gratified to see the less angry looks from the passengers.

Lady Christina glanced at him, then at the invisible tear behind him. “And that’s?” 

“It’s a wormhole,” Rose said, beating him to it. But outside of Donna and Lee, no one else seemed satisfied by her explanation. “A door in space,” she clarified.

The driver stepped forward, pointing at the wormhole. “So what you’re saying is, on the other side of that is home? We can get to London through there?” 

The Doctor shook his head. “The bus came through, but we can’t.” 

Some of the passengers nodded their heads in agreement, but the driver didn’t pay attention. 

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” he said and rushed past the Doctor.

The Doctor’s eyes widened and he pivoted to watch the man. “No, no, don’t.” 

“I’m going home, mate!” 

“It won’t work,” Rose argued. She tried to grab his sleeve as he jogged past her, but he shook her off and jumped into the wormhole.

Rose closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see his body disintegrate, but she couldn’t shut out his scream. She felt a hand slide into hers, and squeezed Donna’s hand back in thanks. Then she took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. 

The passengers were all staring in horror at the blank space where the bus driver had been.

The young man who had first accused the Doctor of bringing them through space spoke first. “He was a skeleton, man,” he shrieked. “He was bones. Just bones.”

“Th-that’s what a wormhole d-d-does, if you aren’t protected somehow,” Lee said quietly. His words didn’t seem to soothe the young man, who stumbled to his knees in the sand.

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow, then nodded. “Quite right, Lee.”

The Doctor gestured towards the bus. Rose looked at it, taking in the way the top had been peeled off by the wormhole. 

“It was the bus,” the Doctor explained. “Look at the damage. That was the bus protecting us. Great big box of metal.” 

“Rather like a Faraday cage?” Christina surmised. 

“Like in a thunderstorm, yeah?” another of the passengers said. He had an arm around the woman who’d gotten singed by the the Doctor’s device earlier, comforting her as she cried. “Safest place is inside a car, because the metal conducts the lightning right through. We did it in school.” 

“But if we can only travel back inside the bus…” Lady Christina shook her head. “A Faraday cage needs to be closed. That thing’s been ripped wide open.” 

“Well…” 

The Doctor stretched the word out while he thought quickly. It would take Jenny at least two hours to get to the TARDIS. He knew all too well how quickly humans could turn on each other in stressful situations. Giving them a purpose might be the best way to keep them safe until the TARDIS arrived. 

He scratched his cheek. “Slightly different dynamics with a wormhole. There’s enough metal to make it work, I think. I hope.” 

Rose stepped forward, brushing her hand on his arm as she moved to let him know she’d followed his line of thought. “We’ll have to dig it out of the sand first, though.”

“Exactly,” Christina said briskly. “Five tons of bus, and we’ve got nothing but our bare hands. Correct?”

“I’d say nine and a half tons,” the Doctor mused, “but the point still stands, yes.”

Donna saw the smirk on Lady Christina’s face and knew exactly what she was going to say. “All right, Doctor,” she said, cutting Christina off before she could take charge. “But can’t we go sit inside while you tell us how we’re going to get this bus back to Earth?”

“Right, yes.” The Doctor nodded and gestured towards the door. “Everybody in.” 

Lady Christina snapped her mouth shut and stalked towards the bus. Donna caught the twinkle in Rose’s eyes and knew her friend realised exactly what she’d just done. She smirked and Rose nodded back.

“Is it safe in there?”

Donna and Rose both turned to the scared young man. “What’s your name?” Rose asked.

“Nathan.”

“Well Nathan, safe’s more of a relative term at the moment,” Rose said, and Donna rolled her eyes at that understatement. “But Donna’s right—we ought to sit down for a few minutes, and getting out of the sun probably isn’t a bad idea either.”  

He nodded shakily and followed the blonde woman onto the bus, Rose and Donna right behind him.  

The Doctor held out a hand to the last passenger, the young Black man still sitting on the sand. “Come on,” he said, pulling him to his feet. “I think they’re all waiting on us.” 

The man shrugged and brushed sand off himself. “Does it even matter?” he asked fatalistically.

The Doctor slung an arm over his shoulder and walked them to the bus. “Oh come on… What’s your name?”

“Barclay.”

“Barclay, I promise you. I have a plan to get us all home safe.” He felt some of the tension ease out of the other man’s body before letting him go so they could enter the bus.

Barclay took an empty seat, but the Doctor stood at the front of the bus. “Hello, everyone. I’m the Doctor. As I was just telling Barclay here, I have a plan to get us all home.” 

He took a breath, ready to launch into a ramble on the nature of wormholes and the fabric of reality. Rose prodded the bond gently before he started, and he nodded quickly.

“But before we get into that, let’s get to know each other a little. Why don’t you start?” he suggested to Lady Christina. 

She raised a haughty eyebrow, and the Doctor wondered what had gotten her dander up. “Christina,” she said coolly.

“Excellent. And what’s your name?” he asked the blonde woman sitting to Christina’s right.

“Angela. Angela Whittaker.”

He smiled at her, then nodded at Rose, who was sitting in the seat just behind Angela. She waved at the group. “Rose Tyler.”

“I’m Donna and this is Lee,” Donna said, going next without being asked. 

The older Black couple were next. “My name’s Louis,” he said, a slight West Indies accent colouring his words. “Everyone calls me Lou. And this is Carmen.” 

The Doctor nodded at Barclay, who gave a faint smile and waved. “I’m Barclay.” 

And finally, the young man Donna and Rose had encouraged earlier waved weakly at the group. “Nathan.” 

“Right.” The Doctor bounced on his toes. “So, the wormhole. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just an accident.” 

“No,” Carmen interrupted him, her voice louder than it had been before. “It wasn’t.” She shook her head firmly. “That thing, the doorway? Someone made it for a reason.” 

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. That fit with the unfriendly feeling, but still…

“How do you know?” Rose asked, beating him to the question.

Carmen sighed and looked down at her hands, but Lou answered, his voice full of pride. “She’s got a gift. Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things. We do the lottery twice a week.” 

Lady Christina huffed quietly. “You don’t look like millionaires,” she muttered.

Rose and Donna both scowled at her, and even Lou’s warm good nature cooled. “No, but we win ten pounds,” he told her. “Every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don’t tell me that’s not a gift.” 

“I’d take it,” Donna said, earning a round of laughter from the group.

The Doctor grinned, then studied Carmen for a moment. He put his hands behind his back and said, “Tell me, Carmen. How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Three.”

Could be a coincidence. He added a finger, testing her. 

“Four.” 

His eyebrows rose. “Very good. Low level psychic ability, exacerbated by an alien sun.” The Doctor walked down the aisle and sat down next to Rose, across from Lou and Carmen. “What can you see, Carmen? Tell me, what’s out there?” 

Her eyes unfocused slightly, and the Doctor knew she was listening to something only she could hear. “Something, something is coming. Riding on the wind, and shining.” 

The uncomfortable feeling—that very-not-London feeling—came back. “What is it?” he asked, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

She swallowed, then looked him straight in the eye. “Death. Death is coming.” 

“We’re going to die,” Angela gasped, tears coming to her eyes.

Barclay threw himself back in his seat and glared at the Doctor. “I knew it, man. I said so.” 

“We can’t die out here,” Nathan protested. “No one’s going to find us.” 

“Oh, now there’s a cheerful thought,” Christina said sarcastically. 

“What is there to be cheerful about?” Barclay growled. “Bloody hell, we’re dying on an alien planet and you want to dress it up somehow.”

“Quiet,” Lou ordered, but no one could hear him over the argument brewing in the front seats.

“I just think there’s nothing to be gained by whimpering,” Christina countered testily.

The Doctor held his hands out. “All right now, stop it. Everyone, stop it!”  

His shout finally quieted the bus. He took a moment to meet everyone’s eye, making sure they weren’t going to burst out into fighting again as soon as he moved. 

In the silence, he realised Angela was still crying, sobbing hysterically. Rose had slid into the seat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but the woman didn’t seem to notice.

The Doctor joined them, crouching on the floor in front of Angela. “Angela, look at me,” he requested firmly. She kept sobbing, and rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently to get her attention. “Angela? Angela? Answer me one question, Angela.”

Her sobs slowed to sniffs and she finally looked up at him. 

“That’s it. At me, at me. There we go. Angela, just answer me one thing. When you got on this bus, where were you going?” 

She bit her lip and looked at the floor. “Doesn’t matter now, does it?”

Rose squeezed her shoulders. “Come on, Angela. Just answer the question.” 

She shrugged and wrung her hands together. “Just home.” 

“And what’s home?” the Doctor pressed, wanting her to think about what she had waiting for her back in London.

“Me and Mike.” Her voice broke, but she kept going even as her tears returned. “And Suzanne. That’s my daughter. She’s eighteen.” 

“See, that’s good,” Rose said, and Angela nodded, finally a little bit calm.

The Doctor looked up at her. “Rose, what about you?”

Rose raised an eyebrow, and the Doctor shrugged. So everyone knows that we all have a reason to get home.

She smiled. “Jenny, and Mum and Pete.”

The Doctor stood up. “Definitely want to get back to Jenny—she’s our daughter,” he added for the group. “I’m not sure about your mum, though.” 

“Oi!”

Donna laughed. “You know that most days I’d be glad to strand my mum on an alien planet.” She sighed and her smile dimmed. “Gramps though. I’d like to get back to him.”

The Doctor nodded. “Lovely man, your Gramps. Lee?” 

“J-just home. I was already g-gone too long.”

The Doctor winced. After being trapped in the Library for 100 years, and then in Amelia’s wall for who knew how long, he didn’t blame the man for wanting to be home.

He looked at Barclay, wanting to keep the positive talk going. “What about you?” 

“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “Going round Tina’s.”

“Who’s Tina? Your girlfriend?” 

Barclay smirked. “Not yet.” 

“Good boy,” the Doctor cheered, then looked at Nathan. “What about you, Nathan?” 

Nathan shrugged sheepishly. “Bit strapped for cash. I lost my job last week. I was going to stay in and watch TV.” 

“Brilliant,” the Doctor said, absolutely meaning it. Everyday life was worth going home to. The more they believed that, the better off they would be. 

He looked back at Lou and Carmen. “And you two?” 

“I was going to cook,” Lou replied.

Carmen nodded. “It’s his turn tonight,” she said, pointing at him. “Then I clear up.” 

“What’s for tea?” 

“Chops,” Lou answered. “Nice couple of chops and gravy. Nothing special.” 

“Oh, that’s special, Lou. That is so special. Chops and gravy, mmm.” Both Lou and Carmen finally gave him a small smile, and the Doctor turned to the last passenger. “What about you, Christina?” 

She blinked, clearly not expecting to be included. “I was… going so far away,” she said, and he couldn’t tell if she sounded evasive or wistful. Or both?

He shelved the question of Christina and looked around the bus, taking care to meet everyone’s gaze. “Far away. Chops and gravy. Watching TV. Jenny and Pete and mums and Gramps. Home. Mike and Suzanne and poor old Tina.” 

“Hey,” Barclay protested. 

“Just think of them. Because that planet out there, all three suns, wormholes and alien sand, that planet is nothing. You hear me? Nothing, compared to all those things waiting for you. Food and home and people. Hold on to that, because we’re going to get there. I promise. I’m going to get you home.”