#whoa short tags today... feels weird

[attleboy]

Oh my goodness I love love love the illustration of Pomni and Caine laying down on the grass!

Can we get a closer look at your design for Caine? I like how you added black and gold accents to him :>

thank you!! and i'll GLADLY share a better look!!!! :D i'm very happy for an excuse to get out a solid reference for one of my more altered designs andddddd to yap a little hehehe i'll stick the "change log" so to speak under the cut...

added black and gold accents via epaulettes, cuffs and buttons as well as changing some pre-existing accents to gold (for pizazz and to really emphasize the ringmaster thing... makes him look a bit more "in charge"? also i really like yellow so i wanted more of that)

higher heels and more bowtie (just exagerrating design aspects i was fond of... stylish!! :))))

3d shirt collar that pops out (i felt like making this empty and "cut off" draws attention to the fact that his head is just a floating pair of teeth, which i think is jarring and i like that!! it's also just fun to draw)

in summary i wanted more pizazz, more of my favorite color, and more fun stuff to draw!! ^-^ very self-indulgent but that's what art is for i guess...

[lucid-dreams-turned-storys]

Rootbound

Chapter 2: Into the Thicket

“What the hell—?”

The thing was short. Real short. A kobold? No��some kind of hybrid. Fur and mismatched brownish scales, soaking wet and grinning like he’d just won a game of dice.

Brax tightened his grip on his axe and stepped instinctively between the newcomer and the Dragonborn, just in case. His muscles were already tired, but this new presence sharpened his instincts like a whetstone on steel.

The kobold raised both hands high in the universal language of don’t kill me. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Not here for a fight! Unless you’re fighting those bastards—then I’m very much here for a fight. But not with you.”

His voice had the charm of a rusty hinge—raspy, quick, layered with nervous energy and a bit too much enthusiasm for Brax’s comfort. He didn’t relax.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Same thing as you, probably. Tracking those smugglers. Bandits. Whatever you call them. You’re not exactly subtle, you know—left a trail even a blind troll could follow. So... I figured I'd gamble.”

Brax squinted at him. He couldn’t tell if this creature was clever or just completely out of his mind. Maybe both.

“You always talk this much?”

“Only when I’m awake.”

Gods help me, Brax thought.

The Dragonborn hadn’t moved. Still watching. Still as calm and unreadable as ever. Brax shot him a glance.

“You know this guy?”

“No.”

“Great,” Brax muttered.

The kobold bounced lightly on his toes, despite the mud. “Name’s Zex, by the way. And you two are clearly on some kind of doomed quest to find very bad people in a very bad place during a very bad storm. Which means I’d like to tag along. You know—safety in numbers. Maybe I can help. Or at least distract something long enough for you to run away.”

Brax crossed his arms, annoyance creeping into his voice. “Why should—” he glanced at the Dragonborn, unsure whether or not to lump them together—“we trust you?”

Zex shrugged, stepping toward a tree to lean on—only to immediately slip and flail to regain balance. “You shouldn’t. Trust is for warm fires and good food. But the way I see it, three cold bodies are harder to rob than one. That’s just math.”

Brax exhaled through his nose and looked at the Dragonborn, eyebrows raised. “You gonna say anything helpful?”

The Dragonborn’s eyes narrowed slightly, like he was weighing the moment with all the seriousness of a judge. Finally, he spoke. “The trail is fresh. If you intend to find them, I can lead you. Otherwise, you will be lost by nightfall.”

That caught Brax off guard more than he cared to admit. He blinked. “You’re... helping us?”

“I am helping the forest.”

Zex leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “That’s a yes.”

Brax shook his head. This was already turning into a weird day. He wasn’t even sure if it still counted as today. Morning felt like yesterday. Maybe it was or maybe it only felt that way because of the awful company he found himself with.

“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “But if either of you slow me down, I’m leaving you behind.”

Without another word, the Dragonborn turned and started walking, silent as shadow, deeper into the woods. The forest seemed to open for him, just slightly, as though recognizing something in his presence.

Zex jogged to catch up, practically skipping through the muck. “You know, you two make a great first impression. I think this is going to be the start of something wonderful.”

Brax rolled his eyes and followed, muttering under his breath, “Should’ve stayed in the damn tavern.”

And so, beneath the endless rain, with steam rising from their breath and mud caked to their legs, the unlikely trio moved into the heart of the forest. The trees seemed to close behind them, swallowing their trail.

Brax still didn’t trust them. Probably never would.

But he had a feeling the forest didn’t care.

[spilledkauffie]

Meet Cute

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x DogMom!Reader Word Count: 1.8k T/W: fluffyyyy A/N: I know it’s a trope, but I love it!

Can you imagine Bucky with a puppy?!?!

Managing six dogs at once wasn’t exactly easy, but you did it rather gracefully, at least most of the time. Today however, you fumbled with your keys at your apartment door when two dogs suddenly, and swiftly wrapped around you, pulling opposite directions. With a small shocked squeak at being squeezed, you accidentally dropped both your keys and a leash, one out of six wasn’t bad, but it was still a loose puppy, trotting around the apartment hall like he owned the place. 

“Peanut!” You yelled out of sheer concern as the baby dachshund gallivanted towards the stairs, as if it were his prison break at last, “Peanut, sweetie, come here!” You called again, eyebrows furrowing during your attempt to untwist the other leashed from around you, as he got closer and closer to that first step which was far too steep for him to comfortably and safely make wihtout tumbling down the rest. 

You watched in sheer panic as his short stout front legs took the leap of faith with ears flying freely in the air like he was Dumbo. You anticipated the little yelp that would absolutely break your heart— Thankfully there was a soft landing platform neither of you had prepared for. Underneath Peanut appeared two hands covered in black gloves. The small dog fit perfectly in the hands as he wagged his tail, beyond proud of the heart attack he nearly gave you. Sighing, you leaned into the door of your apartment for support. 

“Whoa there,” the saviour said, bringing the pup up with him as he stood, having had to dip to catch the pup on the stairs, after glancing at the shining silver bone shaped name tag he met the dog’s eye line, “Peanut, was it?”

As the stranger made his way up the last few steps, you couldn’t take your eyes off him. While you didn’t know him personally, you had seen him around the apartment complex before. Heart still pounding, you shook your head at the pup who was plenty happy in the hands of his rescuer. 

“Peanut Butter Brittle Biscuit,” you full named the dog, causing him to tuck his tail, still wagging it though. Setting your hand, which was still being tugged on by the other five other dogs, on your hip, “you know better than to just run into strangers, it's rude.”

“Well, Peanut,” he looked to the pup in all seriousness, “I’m Bucky. There, we aren’t strangers anymore,” he affirmed, shaking the dogs tiny little paw gently, “and so we’re not strangers,” he looked to you, “I’m Bucky, and you are?” You smiled at his flirty tone, “unless you’d like to go by 4C? Keep it professional?”

“Four- C?” You gave a puzzled look.

Bucky pointed above and behind your head, with the hand he was not literally cradling Peanut with. Quickly glancing you realized it was your apartment number. Now feeling a flush of embarrassment, you took a moment to face him again, squeezing your eyes closed. 

“Oh yeah,” you nervously laughed, before giving him your name as well, you liked the way he repeated it to himself, “and you’re 2E, right?”

“Do we know each other?” he asked, tilting his head with a smirk.

“Oh no, I just, sometimes I see Yori go down there, and- I’m not stalking you, I promise,” you frantically explained, waving your hand, wrapped in dog leashes. 

“No,” Bucky smiled, letting you know that was not what he was thinking, “I think I’d hear you if you were though,” he looked down and around at the literal pack of dogs sitting and standing around you. The pack ranged from a German Shepherd to a Golden Retriever to a Dachshund to a Pomeranian to a Corgi to, lastly, a dopey Great Dane.

“Most definitely,” you laughed, trying to calm your nerves, “we’re not the most graceful bunch, you had a display of that just a moment ago, which thank you so, so much.” You placed your hand over your chest, as an expression of relief. 

“No problem,” he said with a sincere nod and smile, petting back the dog’s ears, “looks like Peanut here is a real daredevil.”

“You have no idea,” you glanced at the puppy, “he’s a troublemaker and thinks he’s invincible.”

With that Peanut interjected giving the most babyish attempt at a deep roo, sassily from where Bucky held him still.

“Talker too, huh?” Bucky gave a shocked glance at the Dachshund who was still resting comfortably with his chest being cradled by Bucky's hand.

“Yeah, well we’re 40 minutes late to D I N N E R,” you spelled out the last word in a whisper, “Fridays are always long days,” you gestured around you to the bigger dogs with toys covered in drool, they just stared up at you, sighing you collected yourself, “they’re park days.” 

“Ohh, I see,” Bucky nodded, “I'd hate to keep you any longer then.” 

With a soft ‘okay’ and a smile, you held your hands out to take Peanut back. There was a brief moment in the exchange where your hands touched his and he gave a ‘sorry’ knowing it was probably cold against your skin. As Peanut hovered with both your hands on his chubby little sides. Your Dane tugged one way again, while the Retriever was determined to go the other, pulling you and Bucky closer together. Practically chest to chest, save Peanut being the barrier between the two of you.

“Oh my gosh,” you whispered, looking down immediately, even though there was hardly room between you two to do so, literally feeling the heat rise to your cheeks, you closed your eyes, “this is not happening.”

“I’ve been in worse situations,” Bucky remarked cooly, keeping his gaze focused on you, finding it surprisingly cute at how flustered you were around him. It’d been a long time since he had felt someone had real genuine human emotions regarding him. 

Neither of you took your hands away from the other’s. Standing there you bit in your lip, calming your rising pulse as you were now close enough to smell his cologne. 

“I’m-” you started, finally looking up, “so sorry.” 

“It’s really okay,” Bucky chuckled, not wanting you to feel as worried as you were, but you just knit your brows together and gave another apologetic look, “honestly, I could- I could do this all day.” There was a pause, then you smiled, ducking your head to hide your face against Peanut who was really becoming a star matchmaker, “I think Peanut and I are going to be very good friends by the end of this.”

Lifting your head with a nod, you sighed, stroking the pup’s ear, for a moment before you guided the other dogs around to give you some more space. Bucky respectfully took a step back, somehow still holding Peanut after all that. You opened your apartment door and the dogs rushed in, you let each leash fall off your hand as they entered. You said their name with each one to keep track of them.

“And lastly,” you exhaled, reaching your arms out again for the troublemaker of whom Bucky surrendered, though he was getting fairly fond of him, “well, at least let me invite you in? Have a drink on me? Something?”

“That’d be great,” Bucky said, gesturing for you to lead the way. 

Once you were both in and Bucky shut the door behind him, you let Peanut loose and immediately he ran to his dinner bowl, waiting in anticipation. Offering Bucky to sit at the bar, you set two cold bottles on top of the counter, but before you joined him you got out six dog bowls, making him smile.

“How long have you had them?” Bucky asked, opening his bottle relaxedly with his hand.

“They vary, some for years, but the most recent,” you nodded to Peanut, “only a few months.”

“So uh, why so many?” Bucky inquired. 

You squeezed your shoulders up, looking around at all of them, “they needed a home,” you said, soft smile, “each of them came from a broken place, of hurt and pain. That’s all they knew before I took them in, and,” you shook your head smiling wider, looking over to Bucky, “if I could be a part of their healing, I knew I had to be. I can’t think of leaving something to suffer if there’s something that can be done to help.”

“That’s-” Bucky looked to the floor as you rounded the counter, to sit next to him on another bar stool, having just set all the bowls down, “that’s a really great mindset.” 

“What about you?” you took a sip, “any pets?”

He swallowed shaking his head, “no, I have a weird work schedule,” he squinted at his own reasoning, hoping it didn’t sound too dumb.

“Oh gotcha,” you nodded, before gesturing with the top of the bottle, “well Rodgers seems to like you.”

Your gesture drew Bucky to look down, sure enough set atop his thigh was your German Shepherd's head, looking up with big eyes and slowly wagging his tail. Bucky pet the dog’s ear, “Rodgers?”

“Yeah, you know after Captain America? He’s ex-military himself so I thought it was fitting,” you bent down to pet the dog yourself.

There was a quietness, Bucky looked away from the dogs and you for a moment. Biting the inside of his lip he felt something he hadn’t in a long time, though he tried to repress it. A part of him felt it was a sign, another part of him told himself to ignore it. Takin another swig, he made his choice

“Hey, if you ever. . . need help with them, I’m,” he hesitated, “I’m usually free Fridays, or- park days.”

“I’d love that,” you smiled leaning back up, “how bout I get your number so we can plan a da-,” you quickly changed your sentence, “a park day.”

While you got up to grab your phone, he flipped open his, seeing the very few contacts and the messages from only one person. Wincing he was a little nervous, this meant opening up. You returned, asking for his number, to which he willingly gave you. Finishing the drinks he said he really should head home, you completely understood, already surprised that he stuck around that long after the incident earlier. 

With casual goodbyes, you shut your door and he headed back downstairs. Taking his gloves off, he suddenly felt his phone vibrate. Sitting on his couch he took it out of his pocket. Seeing your name pop up with a “hi 4C here, texting you like I said I would” and a smiley face with a dog emoji made him smile to himself. 

He opened it-- it was time to start answering messages, it was time he found his healing.

[wrestlezon]

aew dynamite 11/16/22 liveblog containment zone

startin' today's show like 45 mins late (again)

claudio & danielson vs jericho & sammy

is this a tornado tag bcc elbow time oh it was just them being wild, this is a regular tag match claudio is so strong. big lift i still need to buy the ppv… the idea of telling my friends to wait until its on the crimesites to see max become aew champ is pretty funny though itd be funny but theyd rip me limb from limb danielson lookin good and doing cool moves. im not a danielsonsuperfan (he doesnt do anything for me) but i can appreciate the man im glad he doesnt spraytan classic Baseball Bat Move sammy yelling at danielson again: "I hate you! i hate you so much" sorry last time was so fucking funny. "i hate you you stupid dragon" LMAO i love it when they do a forward roll into a tag. sometimes it feels so extraneous bullying danielson… claudio out here Tossing Guys around oooo bowens vs swerve is up next lmao i thought danielson was going to slam sammy into the cameraman. but no it was the corner post slam slammy danielson yes kicks! sammy biting all match cool lionsault by jericho crowd sounds weird. are they just quiet or are the mics off not that i blame them for not being hype for the nth bcc vs jas match mesmerized by claudio spinning jericho... woo the bcc win

video promo of moxley vs mjf

very cool. i liked moxley's evil laugh my friends are crooning about their favorite special guy mjf now

commercial…

darby short film

darby being a black and weird film weirdo is a cool thing. too bad about the everything else tho

backstage with lethal's crew and jeff jarrett is here too

theyre hooting and hollering

bowens vs strickland

we getting raps im hip and with the times and i understood the references to current events oh its music video time! lmfao stokely used up their dick word allowance for the rest of the year. itll be bleeps from now on that certainly was a rap. im nodding and clapping, max caster my friends pining for visual confirmation of maxwell and caster being the same room together

we starting the actual match off with looney tunes shouldertapping man bowens is good so is swerve. i love watching swerve wrestle throwing bowens right into the front row!! cool pose swerve. thanks oof. bloody lip pushups… aew fight forever game winning "best sports/racing game" at gamescom and i got confused and wondered why they put a racing segment in this wrestle game yeowch that arm kick swerve won! but did he kill bowen's shoulder… is there Lasting Effects...

video promo of jade vs nyla

i love the conflict between these two. tbs champion vs "tbs champion" is such a good bit. i hope nyla wins she is SO good on the mic and also funny. if nyla loses i will go insane. what else is there for jade to do!

samoa joe! promo in the ring

ring of honor time oh yeah he needs to explain himself for turning on wardlow huh i mean its pretty cut and dry. hes a serious tough guy and doesnt take any guff. why would he take guff from WARDLOW. hes SAMOA JOE oh! its powerhouse hobbs telling joe to get in line he's been kicking wardlow's ass this whole time! oh now its wardlow's turn to come out the classic sneak up from behind attack lmao the locker room runs out to stop them! not even bothering with security when samoa joe, powerhouse hobbs, and wardlow is involved wardlow slams all the security off him and the dark order are just like hmm actually go ahead we're not gonna stop you (this is good and i love the dark order) whoa cool flip out of the ring by wardlow

commercial... 2!!

backstage promo by britt baker

oh she mad doesnt baker have the uhhh owen hart championship thing? remember that? i forgot about it. it feels like its been a very long time since ive seen it serious britt baker dmd promo itt. preddy good

top flight + ar fox vs death triangle

oh HELL Yes im glad darius is back. im excited to see him wrestle! death triangle has SUCH a cool and stylish intro wow! arizona and san fran aew shows? :)c wrestling ar fox with the tumbling and rolls. hell yeah! hes smooth his ringpost flip has such movement on it pac just sits and they fling him into the air for ar fox's attack! that was a cool bit! death triangle triple team move on ar fox in retaliation ah its pip time. everyone chill down the commentators are goofing again penta jumping off the corner to do his special move: Ultimate Taint Dropkick the areola, or as taz likes to call it: the Dot on the Chest whoa loud kickhit on ar fox from penta the commentators are still being cheeky. taz: if youre 23 years old-- nothing should be rusty! EVER! top flight leapfrog moves :)c whoa that dante-flip-over-darius-dive move was cool i could barely perceive ar fox's insane top rope somersault nooo theyre gonna make ar fox take the pin?? hes cool though! well… i guess someone has to whoa rey fenix's insane tope pac's special move: Big Spinny Flip. and a pin! they win!

whoa. whats pac on about. is he talking bout the bucks oh! yep. its kenny and the bucks i was JUST thinking about how theyve been holding the belts for kenny and the bucks, but doing a great job of it because their matches rule oh!!!!!!!! theyre all having a match at full gear, not just a return! yay!!!!!!! the elite are back!!!

ethan page vs bandido

its ethan page! yay im glad hes gettin a push. i think hes cute, charismatic, and good on the mic. its also funny that hes such a heel because hes so dang cute bandido got a shiny aew logo on his tights whoa. bandido also very strong. what a slow lift even tony talking about bandido's big muscles. lmao ethan page gettin the big boos lmao the commentators having Height Talk excalibur telling a despondent taz "if you stand on your wallet, you're taller than us both" that was a cool bandido corner counter flip hes got good moves but loses in the end! ethan page time! we want to see a stokely vs mjf promo so bad. theyre both good talkers

promo about the jurassic express cagematch

:0

backstage with saraya

saraya is tired chitchatting. she just wants to fight

commercial! 3

video promo of ortiz and kingston vs jun akiyama and konosuke takeshita!

im so excited for this match on friday :)c

toni storm vs anna jay

shame about the bunny gettin sick. i was really looking forward to that :( oh anna is bein goofy. hee hee someone in the crowd doing the longest yee haw ever oh thats why the crowd sounds so weird. crowds are usually chanting, right? the absence of chanting is odd wait there they are. toni! toni! toni! well, they tried. ok even the commentary are bored by this match theyre out here talkin bout crowd signs during the pip anna jay taps out to the texas cloverleaf! what the. hayter is approaching! toni bumps chests at her. cool

more match announcements

lee moriarty vs hook! athena vs madison rayne! lance archer vs ricky starks! the kingston/ortiz vs akiyama/takeshita match!

the full gear matches! aew champ, tag team champ, woman's champ, roh 4 way, tbs champ... darby n sting vs lethal and jarrett, britt baker vs saraya, samoa joe / wardlow / hobbs three way fight for that championship, trios match of death triangle vs the elite

in ring promo with jon moxley

huh! are they ending the show with a long promo, then? i dont think theres enough time for a match after i wonder whats going to happen then... will there be shenanigans? conflict?? interruptions??? my friends just want to see their guy who the hell is booing moxley in the crowd!!!! moxley you really are the baddest bitch in all the lands. go moxley "im messed up. im a sicko. i cant get enough of violence and fights. its not a good thing. im fucked up in the head" loving the idea of moxley typing out "mjf" into google to do research moxley got a point. mjf does not wrestle CALL HIM OUT MOXLEY!!!!!! MJF IS A WRESTLER COSPLAYER SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT MJF!!! lot for him to live up to-- oh!! its stokely!!! the firm is kicking moxley's ass mjf is here :)c oh my god he is so shaped. like dorito mjf kills everyone in the firm. actually that seemed almost too easy huh will? first name basis now huh? lol "you can make me bleed buckets" oh? bloody mjf at the ppv? pwease? :)c mjf is convincing me that he is sufficiently motivated for this belt oh mjf is using that "convincing the world the devil doesnt exist" bit to cover for him not wrestling a lot moxley takes the mic before mjf can finish his catchphrase oh my god moxley pausing to ask if the ppv is on sunday or saturday LMAO moxley rules nobody would be able to get away with being so nonchalant my friend pointed out at the end that mjf was wearing platforms... man's gotta be tall for the staredown

[soundtrack-scribe]

Ocean Currents

A/N: Since how SOMEONE had to go looking all cute after I already posted a fic about his dumb ass, here’s a part 2 to Ocean Currents that no one asked for. Reading Part 1 is not technically necessary, but highly encouraged.

Word Count: 1k

And away, and away we go!

__

30 minutes didn’t give you a lot of prep time, which meant that you didn’t have a lot of time to overthink things as your replacement came in and you quickly changed in the small bathroom inside the lifeguard tower. As you changed you were glad you opted to grab a sundress today rather than your usual shorts and tank top. 

“Whoa, got a hot date?” your coworker asked as you stepped back onto the landing of the lifeguard stand.

“Something like that, yeah,” you smiled.

“Give me the details tomorrow, yeah? And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Or do!” they called out as you made a beeline for the pier.

Ashton had his back turned, arms resting against the railing of the pier as he stared out at the water. He looked a little different as he had changed into a regular pair of shorts, and thin long-sleeved white button down shirt. “Hey, you,” you said softly, walking up to him.

He turned, smiling. “Hey! You look… wow.”

“Friends ditch you?” you asked, looking around.

“They’re around somewhere I’m sure. I’ll find them later. Or I won’t. Not a big deal.”

You laughed. “I take it you guys took separate cars. Or still a little butthurt at their teasing you earlier?”

“Little bit of both maybe,” Ashton laughed a little. “Anyway… you ready?”

“Yeah of course! There’s a great little diner here at the other end.”

“Sounds great.” As you fell into step with each other, his hand bumped into yours before he interlaced your fingers, the corner of his lips going up in a sly boyish smirk. And you couldn’t help the small giggle you let out at the teenage antics of it all. “So… how long have you been a lifeguard?”

“Uh… about 10 years total. But a beach lifeguard for only the last 4 or so years.”

“Was the transition hard? From pool to beach?”

“Yes, and no. I was never a pool lifeguard. I was with our parks and rec department, so I was lifeguarding lakes. Which operate enough like pools, but you still get a strong current from time to time.”

“Very cool.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely different from your traditional job I guess. But never a dull moment. What do you do?”

“Oh, I’m a drummer.”

You faltered for a half step, not expecting that answer. “A drummer? I thought you were a swimmer.”

“I said I used to be a swimmer. When I was a kid and in high school I was. And did the typical summer jobs lifeguarding public pools. Until I became a drummer and left home, that is.”

“Oh? Where is home and how long ago did you leave?”

“Australia. And uh, we left about 9 years ago. Stayed in London for a few years. Then settled here… God, I can’t remember how long it’s been. The years kinda blur after a while.”

“That they do,” you laughed as you reached the diner at the end of the pier and he got the door for you both.

“Hi! Table for 2?” the hostess asked.

“Yes, please,” Ashton told them.

“Would you prefer to sit inside or outside?”

“Um… outside?” Ashton asked, looking at you.

“Outside,” you nodded with a smile.

“Follow me,” the hostess chirped.

After you had taken your seats and ordered drinks, you picked up where you left off in the conversation. “So, drummer? Famous?”

Ashton giggled, his smile in full effect. “Some people would say that, yeah. I mean, if you Google me, I definitely show up.”

“So I bet that you’re used to people telling you that you have a really cute smile then, huh?”

His cheeks blushed and he giggled more. “Uh, surprisingly not the compliment I usually get. But yeah, it does happen from time to time.”

“And what compliments do you usually get?”

“Ones too inappropriate to say in polite company, or related to my drumming.”

“Oh!” Your eyes went wide. “That’s, um… actually kind of terrible. Never understood the oversexualizing of celebrities. The way the general public acts like you’re meant only for our entertainment, and that you’re not real actual people yourselves.”

He shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. “You learn to tune it out, sexual and hateful comments alike.”

“That’s still a terrible thing to have to learn.”

He shrugged again. “It helps that the nice comments heavily outweigh the not so nice ones. And having supportive band members going through the same thing helps you to not feel isolated in it, too.”

“Mmm, and your friends from earlier? Friends or band members?”

“Mix of the two. The guys are my band mates. And the girls are fiancées. Although Sierra, Luke’s fiancée, the brunette, she’s also a musician.”

“And Luke was one of the blondes, yeah?” you asked, trying to remember from earlier.

“Yes. The taller blonde. The shorter blonde was Michael, and he’s engaged to Crystal, the other woman we were with. And then you more or less met Calum.”

“You guys all seem really close. Like you became each other’s family almost.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I mean, we basically did. People used to think Luke and I were actually brothers. That was a weird year.”

“That’s actually kind of sweet.”

“Yeah. But enough about me and them. I wanna learn about you.”

“Well that might be a problem, because I wanna learn about you. And not from Google.”

~~~

Food dishes and water glasses laid scattered about the table, as you and Ashton spent the better part of 2 hours swapping stories and trading scars like you’d never not known each other, the sun sinking lower behind him, casting him in a heavenly glow of soft sunshine that held the smells of an ocean breeze.

He sighed, propping an elbow up and cupping his chin in his palm, a lazy smile on his face.

“What?” you giggled nervously, wiping at your face with a napkin.

“Nothing. I’m just… really enjoying myself. And kinda kicking myself a bit.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, one of my friends, not any of the ones I came with today unfortunately, is a photographer. And I kinda wish he was because he’s the only one I trust to capture how breathtaking you look right now.”

“Breathtaking, hmm?” you asked, leaning forward across the table.

“Absolutely stunning,” his breath fanned across your face from how close you were to him.

“You sure do know how to charm a woman, Ashton.”

“Wait until you learn how I kiss.”

__

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[tooruluv]

Tooru Oikawa x F!Reader ( part 11 )

❝ my love for him is much like winter, a skeleton for the world to see. too bad he never liked the cold. ❞

description: being the neighbor and lifelong best friend of tooru oikawa definitely had it’s perks. you were never an outcast, always had a seat at lunch, got into volleyball games for free. the problem was, however, that being in love with him outweighed those perks. you would never tell him that, though, even if it hurt like hell.

genre: best friends to lovers, angst, unrequited love, fluff if you squint hard enough

word count: 2,611

warnings/notes: the next part is the final part. i feel weird that it’s coming to an end! anyway, i hope you all enjoy. i do want to put a small warning because there is mention of a “crash” in this, but it is only a small part and not anything crazy. love you all! <3

tag list: @afuckingunicornn​​​​​​​​ @maii-flowers​​​​​​​​ @clandestinerays​​​​​​​​ @brownandchill​​​​​​​​ @readeretal​​​​​​​​ @wedojustbevibin​​​​​​​​ @shigarakiskitten​​​​​​​​ @shittykawaa​​​​​​​​ @saeranoppa​​​​​​​ @srirachibi​​​​​​​ @tpwkatsumu​​​​​​ @sempiternal-amour​​​​​​ @bokutos-h0e​​​​​​ @pinknugget​​​​​​ @intheawks​​​​​​ @tori218​​​ @seikamuzu​​​ @alexthe80swhore​​​ @ghostly-toastie​​ @bumbledunce​​ @pineapplelantern​​ @ella-solei​

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You had been spending a lot of time alone, again. To sort your thoughts, to avoid seeing Oikawa for the rest of the weekend, you didn’t know. Either way, you were laying in bed and contemplating how askew your life (your love life in particular) had become.

It never was this complicated before.

In fact, it still wasn’t very complicated.

You had been in love with Tooru Oikawa for as long as you could remember. And apparently, he loved you too. The problem was, he was being a dick. And he hadn’t even realized this “love” until very recently, if the man even knew what it felt like to be in love.

The answer should be incredibly easy: tell him you love him and be together. Because at the end of the day, he was the one you wanted.

Kuroo called you just then.

“Hello, hoodie.” He greeted through the phone. “I know you said you wanted some time to yourself today, but I’m bored.”

“Hello, Tetsurou Kuroo.”

“You sound sad.”

“Oh, you know, just another midlife crisis.” You told him. You didn’t even have the phone in your hand, the device on speaker laying beside your pillow.

“Midlife crisis? Aren’t you a bit young for those?”

“You don’t know how old I’ll be.”

He chuckled. It was short-lived, though, his tone turning serious. “Do you want to talk about it? Meet at the hill?”

“You actually want to listen to me rant about Oikawa?”

“Sure, why not? I told you that I was bored.” A movement behind the microphone. “I’m making sandwiches! Meet you there in 20.”

The hill was beautiful even in the daytime. The city life hectic and full of car horns and chatter below, yet it was quiet there. When you arrived, Kuroo was waiting on a blanket with a plastic bag of sandwiches.

“Now that I have the guest of honor,” He moved over so you could join him. “Tell me everything.”

And you did. You told him about how you have loved the volleyball captain, how you were going to tell him but somehow ended up finding out your best friend was gay, how Oikawa dated Sana, how Sana is cool as hell, how Oikawa had ignored you and broke every tradition and completely threw you off, how you got humiliated by said captain and then kissed by him, how you got drunk and made out, and you even told him how you met someone else who had saved you from drowning yourself multiple times, how confused you were.

Kuroo didn’t interrupt, didn’t ask questions. He just sat and listened until you were done. He gave you subtle nods of understanding during it, but that was more for your sake so you knew he was listening.

Once you finished, Kuroo finally asked a question.

“Okay, I think that there’s only one question I can ask.” He turned to you, eyes gleaming in the sun. “Is it really that complicated, or are you trying to make it complicated because you’re scared that actually going through with your feelings would change things even more?”

For that, you didn’t have an answer. You just stared at him, eyes staring into his as though he knew the answer you were searching for. Which he did.

“Kiss me.” Kuroo said suddenly.

Your eyes widened in confusion. You spluttered, “I don’t… why would I… what..”

“It’s for science.” He said, not once moving an inch from his spot.

You scoffed. “For science.”

“If you kiss me and feel either nothing or guilty, it means you want Oikawa and I was right.” Kuroo spoke as if he was giving a presentation and not literally asking you to kiss him. “If you kiss me and you like it and I’m a better kisser than Oikawa, looks like you have obtained a new and extremely good looking boyfriend.”

“You’re ridiculous.” You didn’t move from your spot, either. “I just. I don’t want to kiss you and leave you hanging or like… lead you on? I know that…”

“Babe, I’m literally asking you to kiss me.”

“I know but…”

“Seriously I’m not going to be mad or expect you to…”

You kissed him. You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his. He was sitting cross-legged, and you had put your hands on his knees to give you that extra height to reach him. It only took him a second of surprise before he kissed you back, hands immediately going into your hair and on your neck.

His lips were soft, softer than Oikawa’s. Kuroo was soft in general, his kisses small and many instead of long and passionate. His hands were hovering over your jaw when Oikawa’s were everywhere he was offered.

You were comparing him to Oikawa. You were the one who pulled back.

A breath of air. Your stomach churned.

“…So?” Kuroo asked, chest visibly showing his beating heart. “What did you think?”

“I think you’re a good kisser.” You smiled. “But…”

“But you feel bad?”

“No it’s not that.” You stayed beside him, looking at his hands in yours. You played with his fingers. “I was comparing. Like it was a competition.”

“Comparing me to Oikawa?” Kuroo nodded, thinking. He looked back to you, smile plastered on his lips. “Who’s better?”

“Don’t ask me that!” you threw his hands back into his lap.

“Oh, c’mon. I need to know.”

“Too different.” Was your only explanation.

“Can I tell my friend that you said I was better? He would literally pee himself in happiness.”

“Fine.”

Suzuki Sana arrived at Oikawa’s house that day. It was a quick visit, to give him back some things and get back a couple of things she had left at his. They may not have dated for long, but they had done… a lot. Even before.

“Sorry for bringing you into all of this.” Oikawa told her.

“I’m sorry for being your first girlfriend when your first girlfriend should’ve been the girl next door.” Sana replied.

The friendship between Tooru Oikawa and Hajime Iwaizumi was never complicated, at least between them. Oikawa was the flirty, arrogant, leader and Iwaizumi was the one who brought him back to earth when his head got too inflated. It had always been that way.

Even back when they were kids, just throwing around volleyballs and running around on the playground Iwaizumi was always the one.

When Iwaizumi first met him, Oikawa was standing on the playground’s monkey bars claiming to be the King of the Playground. Iwaizumi told him that he wasn’t and to let the other kids play. To which, young Oikawa replied “There is a princess in need of saving! Help me save her, Jester!”

The princess being you.

You sat in the circle tower on the playground by the slide, pretending to beg for help. Oikawa only left the monkey bars to come “save” you, bringing you down the slide with him. Iwaizumi was at his side, actually laughing when they all got stuck in the middle of the slide and having to scoot the rest of the way with their feet.

“What is your name, Jester?” Oikawa asked.

“Hajime Iwaizumi!”

“Iwa, you are now our friend!” Oikawa introduced you to him.

That was the start of it all, for the most part. After that, the three of you were inseparable, your parents easily greeting Iwaizumi’s into their Adult Friend Group. There were play dates, birthday parties, summer trips, long volleyball tournaments, all together. They say, “two’s company, and three’s a crowd”, but the three of you made nearly a perfect unit together.

Things were different now, full of weird unsolved emotions and secrets that are no longer secrets. And Iwaizumi was so tired.

“Hey, Oikawa.” Iwaizumi said during the end of practice. They had stayed back, practicing a little more just the two of them.

“Whoa, you called me my actual name.” Oikawa replied, grabbing the next ball from the basket. “What’s up?”

“Are you actually in love with her or did you just say that to make her feel better?” He paused. “Or to make yourself feel better?”

Oikawa froze in his spot, ball empty in his hand. His voice was the smallest Iwaizumi had ever heard it. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Because she’s been in love with you for forever, and you have never been in love before.” Iwaizumi said simply, shrugging. “I don’t want to see her hurt anymore.”

“Iwa.”

“Listen, all that I’m asking is do you actually love her?”

“Yes.” It was a fast response, quick and final. “I didn’t know it before, but I know I am now. I heard that she cried over me and I felt like digging my own grave. Whenever she smiles at me from the bleachers at the games, or when she fixes my tie, it makes me want to giggle like a little schoolgirl. I know you’re worried, I know that. But I’m trying to fix things. I’m trying to make up for a lot of lost time I didn’t even realize I was missing.”

Oikawa looked back to the ball. “She hasn’t told me herself that she’s in love with me too. I fucked things up, I took out frustration and confusion out on her that I shouldn’t have. I’m waiting for her to come to me first.”

“Okay.” Iwaizumi grabbed his own ball. “Okay, okay. I needed to know, to be sure.”

“I know.”

You went on a walk with Kuroo through the city streets after the picnic. He put the empty bag and blanket into his backpack, taking your hand to help you up. It was a beautiful day.

“You should come to the tournaments this Wednesday.” Kuroo said. “Nekoma is versing Seijoh, you get to see me beat the love of your life’s ass.”

“I don’t know about that.” You joked, nudging him. “I’ll definitely be there. You can’t be mad if you see me cheering for both teams, though.”

“When she supports you.”

“Shut up.”

You walked for a bit more, taking the longest way home you could. You talked a lot, joked around and pointed out shops and restaurants to try. You even went by the Sakanoshita Store. Your favorite man wasn’t even working at the time.

It was nearly sunset when you ended at your doorstep. You suddenly had a realization that you were wearing his hoodie.

“Oh, shit.” You started to bring your arms through. “Do you want your hoodies back? Now that you…”

“Babe, nothing has changed between us.” Kuroo shoved the red back onto you. “Friends before all else. And you get to keep the hoodies. As friends.”

“Friends before all else.”

As soon as you walked through the doors, your mom announced that your family would be eating BBQ with Oikawa’s as a “Family Sunday Fun Night” (her words, you cringed). Usually these dinners were planned, but sometimes your mom liked to “switch things up, keep things spontaneous” (also her words).

You tried not to be awkward around Oikawa, but it was a bit hard when he wouldn’t stop staring at you and not coming to you. His brother noticed, of course, because he notices everything.

“You two did something, didn’t you?” His brother asked from behind you.

“You would be the one to say something about it.” You felt him put his arm around your shoulders (it runs in the family, Oikawa’s mom does it too). “Is it that obvious?”

“It’s a little obvious to someone who knows.” He brought his head a little closer just in case. “Did he finally find out he loved you, too?”

“We kissed.” You confessed. “Multiple times.”

“Oh, even better. Next question: why aren’t you together?”

“I thought it was complicated.” You leaned closer to him. “It isn’t, though.”

“Send me the pinterest board for the wedding.” He said to you at the same time Takeru ran to him.

“Daddy!!” Takeru jumped into his arms. “Uncle told me to run over and ask what you guys are talking about.”

“Of course he did.” He took a step back and turned around, looking at you over his shoulder. You sent him a look as he went back into the house.

You had crashed into Iwaizumi’s house before. It was nothing crazy, just a kid on a four-wheeler for the first time.

Oikawa’s older brother had gotten two four-wheelers for his birthday and gave you and Oikawa a (very brief) run down on how to drive it before sending you both off in them. The four-wheelers only went so fast, and it was very easy to start and brake, it was made for kids of course.

However, you happened to get the one that didn’t run the best. The brakes didn’t work as well as they should’ve.

So, as you tried to catch up to Oikawa (who just drove full speed into Iwaizumi’s backyard to show off), you couldn’t stop in time and crashed right into their gutter that drained the water from the roof.

Iwaizumi’s parents rushed out, promising you that it was perfectly fine and not to worry about it. But you were on the ground, covered in mud.

Oikawa was the one who rushed to your side like he was an active doctor, asking you if you were okay and telling you to stay awake like you were dying. He always was the dramatic one.

Sometimes, you can still see the small spot where you crashed into the corner of Iwaizumi’s house. Oikawa had always been your knight in shining armor, even if he was the one who got you into a majority of the messes you ended up in.

You sat in Oikawa’s room for the millionth time, feeling out of place as if it was the first time. Like you had to ask permission to breathe his air or look at his generic blue plaid bed comforters.

He noticed.

He patted the place beside him on the bed, and you obliged. The entire room smelled like him, overwhelming your senses. Oikawa always smelled like mint and flowers.

“I kissed Kuroo today.” You said. The first thing you’ve said to him since your little… movie night.

“Okay. You…kissed Kuroo today.” Oikawa repeated. He didn’t have any emotion in his voice but you knew him better than that. “I guess I can’t really say anything about that.”

You rolled your eyes, sending him a smile. You placed your hand on top of his, in his lap. He looked down at you.

“It wasn’t like that. Kissing Kuroo made me realize something.”

“Listen, if you want to date him I’m not going to blame you. I’ve literally come to your house in the middle of the night to escape some girl in my bed while you were in love with me and…”

“I’m going to stop you there, overthinker.” You focused on your hands, rubbing your thumb along a vein on his hand. “Now it’s you who’s saying that I was in love with you.”

“Hm?” He was lost.

You looked up at him again. “You used past tense. As I was going to say, kissing Kuroo made everything very clear for me and I realized that I haven’t told you something that I really should’ve told you years ago.”

“Oh god, it’s happening.”

“I’m in love with you.”

“Well, that’s fortunate.” Oikawa sighed, bringing his hands to your face and tracing the outline of your lips with his thumb. “Because I happen to be in love with you, too.”

[jaycewrites-192000]

Growl: Chapter 5

Warnings: None

Tags: @theravencawsatmidnight @etroman

Your P.O.V

I wasn't really feeling class today, well at least one of them, and the worst on in my opinion. So I decided to hide out in the gym, none of the team would be there this early in the day so it was perfect. I walked into the gym, not expecting to see Kyotani, he was practicing alone. "W-what are you doing here?" I curse myself for shuttering like I did. Kyotani turned to me, the same angry expression on his face. "Didn't feel like going to class." He tells me before going back to what he was doing. "Oh, guess the same goes for me." I say as I stepped into the gym and closing the door. "Do you want me to pass you a few?" I might as well do something while I hide from class. "Sure." Kyotani tossed me the volleyball, much lighter than he normally would. I was sure it would knock the wind out of me as well as break a rib if he threw it at his normal speed.

I try my best to remember how to properly serve a volleyball, but while doing so I mess up, and the ball went lopsided and way off track. Kyotani chuckled before picking up the ball. "Sorry..." I rub the back of my neck. 'His laugh is cute...' I think, feeling my cheeks turn red. "I never even touched a volleyball until recently. Maybe you can show me how it's done? But like, not the whole slapping the air out of the ball." I giggle. "Right. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it." Kyotani holds the ball up. "Watch carefully." He tosses the ball up and hits it over the net as soon as it was in line with his hand. After a few more tries, I finally got it down. "Whoa! I actually did it!" Why did I get so hyped about that? It's just a ball and a net. But, it felt strangely rewarding. I turned to Kyotani, who's harden expression lightened a bit. I suddenly felt the awkwardness close in. "So uh, why did you skip class?" I asked. Kyotani shrugged. "Just didn't feel like going. What about you?"

"I didn't like the class I had. It was really boring." I tell him. Kyotani hummed in response. God I hate this, don't kill the conversation you idiot! Say something, anything! "Do you have a dog? I remember you said you liked them?" I question. "Shiba. His name is Killer." Well, I was wrong about the intimidating dog part, by the name makes up for it. "I wish I had a dog. My mom doesn't really allow dogs in our house, she says they make things messy." Kyotani looked less than pleased by that, I couldn't blame him. Dogs did make things messy sometimes but everything else about them made up for it. "You...you can come over to my place, to see my dog that is...If you want." Kyotani murmurs. I could have sworn I saw a tiny blush on his face. My heart did a flip. "O-ok! That sounds nice." I smile. The sound of the bell interrupted the nice moment we were having. With a sigh I grab my bag. "I should get going. I have class with Iwaizumi next." Kyotani nods. "I wouldn't make him angry if I were you." He says. "Right? He'll have my head if he finds out I'm skipping." I laugh. "Well, uh-"

"I'll come get you after class." Kyotani cuts me off. I smile softly and nod. "Ok, I'll be waiting." With that, I left the gym. The entire walk to class I couldn't stop thinking about Kyotani. My heart just wouldn't stop thumping. "I can't believe I have a crush on him."

"Have a crush on who L/n-Chan~?"

"Ah! Shittykawa don't sneak up on me like that!" I snap. "And I don't have a crush on anyone, dummy." I mutter. "That's a lie! Come on, tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell meeeee!"

"No! Shut up!"

"Oh wait! L/n-Chan~.Could it be you have feelings for me after all?" Oikawa smirks.

"Not if your life depended on it." I growl. "Now leave me alone or I'll have Iwaizumi beat your ass." I walked into class. "Keep lying to yourself L/n-Chan. You can't hide from your true feelings!"

"Iwaizumi!!"

"No wait, I take it back! I take it back!!"

Normal P.O.V

You waited by the school gates for Kyotani, still your heart was beating wildly at the thought of walking with him to his home. While it was a nice feeling, the feeling of liking someone, it was also scary. You weren't sure if this was such a good idea deep down, sure you've had crushes when you were a kid, but never on this level. What if he didn't feel the same? You would end up getting your hopes up just for your heart to be broken. What was it about Kyotani that made you want to chase this feeling? You've only known him for a little while, and yet you've fallen for him. "I guess I'll find out." You say aloud. "Find out what?" You turn to see Kyotani, his school bag slung over his shoulder. "Uh, find out how I'm going to convince my mom to let me get a dog." You lie. He seemed to have bought it, as he didn't press you further. Oikawa could learn a lot from him. "You ready?" He asks. "Yep." You smile walking beside him. Once again, the walk was silent. You didn't know what to say, your mind was swarming with different thoughts, you couldn't focus on just one. You stole a few glances from Kyotani, handsome as always. And like always, you couldn't tell what was on his mind. It was like he was annoyed by everything all the time, why was he always so on edge? So angry?

"You know." You started. "The first time I saw you, I thought you were going to murder me." Kyotani glances at you curiously. "You looked so furious that I bumped into you, and...you growled? What was up with that?" You asked. "...I do that sometimes...a bad habit." He says under his breath. "Oh. Well, I guess it fits your nickname. Mad Dog." Kyotani nods. "Yeah. Guess so." You look up and notice the way you two were walking. "Hey, I live by here." You say. "Just a few houses down."

"Oh yeah? I live just down the street from there. Guess we lived close to each other this whole time." Kyotani shrugs. "I wonder why I never saw you."

"Yeah same."

Fuck this was awkward.

Your P.O.V

We made it there sooner than we thought, thank god. Kyotani was right, he only lived a short way away from me. "We're here." Kyotani takes out his keys unlocking his door before stepping in. "My mom won't be back until later today." I followed in after him and took a second to admire the interior of the house. It was pretty decent. Not less than a second later, I heard the sound of rapid tapping. It was getting closer and closer. Barking followed my ears as a shiba dog ran up to me. I braced myself invade he would pounce on me, but instead he just stood before me and wagged his tail. He barked again, wanting my attention. "Take it easy Killer." Kyotani pet his head. Killer licked Kyotani's hand a few times and barked again. "This is Killer? But he's so sweet!" I crouched down to his height. Killer sniffed at my hand before licking it. "Don't let that fool you. Killer can be a cold blooded canine." I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, either way, this dog was adorable. "Aw, who's a cute little beast? Huh?" I pet his fluffy cheeks, Killer barks in response as if he were answering me. "Yeah! It's you boy!" I giggle.

Normal P.O.V

Kyotani watches as you continue to fawn over his dog. He had to admit. It was pretty cute...but really he meant you were pretty cute. And it was weird. Not weird that you were pretty cute. Weird because, he's never cared enough to think of someone as pretty or cute. "So uh, since you're here, you wanna like, do something? I invited you over after all." Kyotani puts his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. You look up from Killer. "Oh uh, sure." You stand back up and straighten out your skirt. "What did you have in mind?"

"Follow me." Kyotani walks further into the house and up the stairs, you and Killer followed. He lead you to his room, inside, was exactly what you thought it would look like. There were some pink posters here and there, his bed was a little messy, and was that a bass guitar in the corner of his room? "You play bass?" You questioned. "Yeah, occasionally." Kyotani walked over to his desk and played some music, it was a little loud from the last time he played it. He turned it down enough for you both continue talking. Kyotani then went to his bed and flopped down on it, his arms behind his head. Killer jumped on his bed and laid down. "Come on, stop standing there and sit down."

"O-oh right." You walked over to his bed and sat next to him. "Sorry for being so weird. I just, never thought that you would be so opened to me. I really thought you hated me." Kyotani kept his eyes on the ceiling. "I abs not opened up to you. Trust me." He eyed you. "And I didn't hate you, but yeah, this is a little weird. I didn't think I would befriend you this easily. I don't do that often, as you can imagine."

"What about the guys on the team?" You asked. "I tolerate them." Kyotani mutters, his face scrunched up in disgust. You giggled. "So you must really tolerate me to let me into your home, huh?" Kyotani turns his head away from you, he was silent for a moment before letting out a quiet. "Sure." You smile softly and leaned back until you were laying in your back like him. "So I've been wondering. Why do you respect Iwaizumi so much? Other than him just being your senior. He's not even the captain, and yet you listen to him more than Oikawa."

"Iwaizumi...he's cool I guess. He's good at a lot of things, he proved it to me when I challenged him." He answers. "And Oikawa is just stupid."

"Couldn't agree more!" You laugh. Kyotani laughed along with you. You turn your head towards him. "You're pretty cool to, Kyotani." Kyotani clicked his tongue. "Whatever. I should be saying that to you, you're my senior too you know?" You chuckled. "Yeah but, I haven't done anything that special. I hand out towels, and you play a sport. And you play it well too."

Kyotani finally met your gaze, all seriousness present in his eyes. "If we didn't have you, our team would be a hot mess. You're like...the team mom I guess? You keep everything in check, and that's pretty cool." You felt your cheeks turn red. "O-oh. Thanks Kyotani." You stutter. "I mean it. Thanks for being out manager L/n." There it goes again, your heart beat getting louder. It was driving you crazy. Not to mention you both were only a few inches apart, you could really see every detail of Kyotani's face. His intense golden eyes, his flawless tan skin, his perfect jawline. He wasn't just looks either. In this moment, he made you feel really special. When you first met him, you never thought that he could be this nice to someone. It was like everything about him was so...perfect.

"Kyotani..." You say softly, leaning ever so closer to him. You watched him carefully, making sure he was comfortable with what you were doing. It seemed so, as he didn't pull away from you. Just as your lips were about to brush against his own, the door to his room opened. "Kentaro, I thought I told you to take out the trash while I was gone-Oh!" A older woman who resembled Kyotani was standing in the doorway. You and Kyotani both sat up quickly. "My my, is this a new friend of yours?" The woman smirked.

"Ma!" Kyotani yelled. "I told you know before coming into my room!" His face was bright red. "Oh hush. Introduce this young lady." Kyotani rolled his eyes. "She's my senior, L/n Y/n." He mutters. "Nice to meet you young lady." Kyotani's mom smiles. "You call me Kaori."

"N-nice to meet you too." You nod. "I'm so glad my son actually made a friend, and your so pretty too! Proud of ya boy!" Kaori laughs. "I swear to god..." Kyotani murmurs. "How would you like to stay for dinner Y/n?"

"Oh, that sounds nice but, my mother is expecting me to be home tonight. Maybe next time?" Kaori gives you a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan. Don't forget to invite her over next time Kentaro. And walk her home, it's getting late."

"Yeah yeah. Sure." Kyotani gets up. You followed Kyotani out of his room, his mom silently cheering her son on.

Kyotani had walked you home, which was only a short way from his own home. "I had a good time. Thanks again Kyotani." You give him a soft smile. "Yeah. It was problem. And sorry about my mom she can be really pushy, you don't have to come over again if you don't want to." You shook your head. "No it's fine. I'd like to come over again, uh if that's ok with you of course."

"It's cool with me." Kyotani said with a slight nod. "Sounds like a plan then. Well, I'll see you later. Goodnight."

"Night."

You waved before walking into your home. You sighed heavily as you lean back against the door. "Holy shit, I'm in love..."

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[stovetuna]

This is for @bardingbeedle who yelled at me in the tags and then on messenger and ultimately inspired me to write some “lorge soft steve” and tbh who am I to refuse. (also high-key inspired by this masterpiece of fanart I RBed [again] earlier today)

(takes place shortly after the events of Avengers Assemble episode 2x07, aka the best fic none of us ever wrote)

(heed the READ MORE!)

***

Tony is hustling from one meeting to the next, all but literally running into the kitchen for a cup of afternoon coffee, when he spies Steve Rogers bent over the communal living room coffee table. That in and of itself isn’t exactly outside the realm of normal Steve Rogers activities—the man does love a good brood, even if he won’t admit it and doesn’t do it as often as he used to.

But Tony wracks his brain for possible reasons why Steve would be hunched up around the shoulders like he’s expecting a body blow any minute and keeps coming up empty. Not even fresh coffee makes his synapses fire faster. Did they forget his birthday? Impossible. Did someone send Captain America hate mail? Uh, doubly impossible, especially because Tony’s got lawyers screening their mail for that kind of stuff (they’ve got more than enough pressure in their day-to-day lives, time-slip dinosaurs and age regressions notwithstanding).

Maybe Steve found a piece of upsetting news, or some fact of modern history that isn’t sitting well with him? That’s a lot more likely.

Before he can remind himself that Pepper’s waiting in his office to put him on a call with the president of MIT—something about a commencement speech, if memory serves—Tony is sauntering into the living room, nonchalant, tongue already prickling with some smart remark. He’s got it all written out in his head like a perfect line of code up until the moment he’s standing in front of Steve and sees the expression on his face.

“Whoa, who ran over your puppy?”

Tony winces, wishing for the millionth time that his mouth and his brain could work together simultaneously, but no. Worse, Steve doesn’t even answer him—he just frowns harder, if that’s even possible, and folds in on himself like his shoulders alone don’t take up half the length of the massive couch. Tony lowers the hand holding his coffee and blinks.

“Steve?”

“Oh!” Steve jumps upright, and quick as a flash moves something vaguely folder-shaped behind his back. “Tony! I didn’t hear you walk in—don’t you have a meeting right now?”

Something in Tony’s chest squeezes at the sight of that smile and at Steve’s impeccable attention to detail. But really, ever since the incident with the Time Stone, when he’d jolted back into his adult body and come to in Steve’s arms, he’s felt completely knocked off-balance. Now everything about Steve Rogers—the man, not the superhero—is a revelation. Every smile, every word, every look has Tony tripping over his own feet, tongue, thoughts. He may be back in his adult body, but he’s never felt more like a prepubescent teenager with a crush, fidgeting in place under Steve’s gaze.

“It got postponed,” he lies, because whatever has put that pinch between Steve’s eyebrows is way more important right now. “What’s up?”

“Nothing!” Steve replies, too loud and too quickly. Tony gives him a look. Steve flushes, shrinking in on himself even further, like he wants the couch to devour him. “Uh, nothing important. Just an anniversary I forgot about.”

Now it’s Tony’s turn to frown. He likes to think he’s got a solid mental calendar of important dates for all of his teammates memorized at this point—Natasha’s move-in, Bruce’s lab incident, Sam’s SHIELD acceptance, Steve being found in the ice—but none of those are today.

“Got room for one more?” Tony asks, nodding at the scant space next to Steve on the couch when the man gives him a questioning look. Steve’s cheeks immediately go a charming shade of pink, which churns the coffee in Tony’s empty stomach with a vengeance. Steve shifts to press himself against the arm as Tony moves to sit down next to him, almost crushing the folder Steve had hidden earlier in the process. There’s a gasp, and a lightning-quick hand, and then Steve, pale and breathless, is holding a manila folder against his chest like it’s the secret to the Super Soldier Serum.

It’s weird—Tony knows Steve trusts him, and vice versa. They wouldn’t have solved the riddle of the Time Stone if they didn’t trust each other. So to sit next to Steve, who’s gone from morose to terrified in the three minutes since Tony walked into the room and feel a wall between them is jarring. And upsetting. He’s only been nursing this crush for a few days, and Steve’s not that perceptive…is he? Maybe he is. Maybe this is Steve weeding out Tony’s feelings before they’ve even had a chance to grow.

Tony shakes his head at the thought. No, Steve’s a lot of things, but cruel isn’t one of them.

“Care to share with the class?” he asks, gently so he doesn’t spook Steve. It seems to work: Steve relaxes, tension falling from his shoulders as he eases into Tony’s presence. He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, but keeps the folder pressed securely against his sternum. Tony tries hard not to steal a glance at the way Steve’s shirt pulls across his broad, thick chest as he breathes.

“It’s nothing.”

“Cap, if it was nothing, you wouldn’t be trying to Honey-I-Shrunk-Myself into the couch right now.”

Steve Rogers in active wear doesn’t cut quite the same figure as Steve Rogers in full Captain America regalia, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean he’s small. Like this, he’s just as large and has just as much presence as he does in uniform; it’s just…more human. Less Captain, more Steve. Both are devastating in their own way, but only Steve—friendly, blushing, awkward, unassuming Steve—makes Tony acutely aware of the distance between their bodies, down to the last electrified hair.

Catching his own breath, Tony puts his full mug on the coffee table and drops his hands into his lap, turning his head to watch Steve chew on whatever words are fighting to come out. Be patient, he tells himself. Whatever this is, Steve’s struggling with it, and Tony can have some tact when he wants to.

Finally, Steve closes his eyes and sighs. When he lowers his hands, the folder goes with them. Tony glances at the cover and almost swallows his tongue.

“Is that—?” Steve makes a noncommittal sound, like a ‘yes’ but softer, uncertain, like he’s not sure Tony’s reaction is a good one. Tony swallows his excitement with a wince. “Is that the Project Rebirth file? I told Fury to give it to you a long time ago, but I wasn’t sure he did.”

Tony is so preoccupied looking at the folder he doesn’t hear Steve’s gasp or notice his eyes lock onto him. “He did,” Steve replies quietly after a pause. “But that’s isn’t…that’s not what this is about.”

That’s kind of a surprise. The sudden appearance of the Project Rebirth file would explain Steve’s face and body language, but if it’s not that…

Steve hands the entire folder over to Tony without another word.

“Uh,” Tony gapes, too awestruck to achieve any kind of higher brain function.

“Look at the date,” Steve says. It’s not an order, just a gentle request, but it doesn’t prevent a shiver from rippling down the length of Tony’s spine. If he was hyperaware of the space between their bodies before, it’s even worse now with Steve leaning every-so-slightly toward him and reaching out a hand to point directly at the date written on the faded label.

22 June 1943

Tony blinks. “It’s the anniversary…of you?” He opens the folder without a second thought, and the first thing he sees is a picture of Steve. There are other things in the file—sheaves of what look like medical reports, heavily redacted memos, and carbon copies of typed letters—but the only thing Tony can focus on is Steven Grant Rogers circa 1943. The Steven Grant Rogers of before.

He’s touching the photo before he can stop himself, being so, so careful as he traces the narrow shape of the man in the photograph while the real, supersized thing sits next to him.

“It’s the first time I’ve really had a chance to sit and think about what it was like, before,” Steve says, unprompted. “Everything happened so fast once I got the serum, I didn’t have time to just…take it all in. And then I went into the ice and—well. You know the rest.”

All skin and bones, this man, back then. But the jut of his jaw is the same; the serum didn’t change that, or the flinty stubbornness in Steve’s eyes, or the proud set of his shoulders, just daring the world to try and fuck with him. Tony smiles—Steve before the serum is like a matchstick, short and thin and always one spark away from bursting into flame. He really didn’t change a bit.

When Tony finally looks up from the photo (not gazing, of course not), he sees Steve’s expression has gone pinched again, his arms now crossed in front of his chest.

“Alright, there’s that face again. Out with it, Cap.”

Steve really shouldn’t bite his lip—it’s bad for Tony’s health. But Tony’s comment does get him to smile a little bit, which is good. “I guess…it’s been over seventy years since I got the serum, but most days I still feel like that skinny guy in the picture.” Tony watches him as he speaks, taking in the faraway look in Steve’s eyes, the shrinking posture, the downward turn of his mouth—who says I can’t be observant, Tony thinks—and wishes he and Steve were the kind of friends who hugged outside of catastrophic cosmic events. God knows it looks like Steve could use one, as wound up and tense as he is right now.

“I’ve broken so many things by accident because I keep forgetting I’m this, now,” he says, gesturing broadly at himself with one hand. Frowning, Steve uses that same hand to brace his forehead, elbow dropping down onto his thigh. The man is the picture of misery, and Tony aches to comfort him. It’s a physical pull in the pit of his stomach, urgent and needy—like if he doesn’t get his arms around Steve Rogers right this second, something important inside him is going to malfunction.

Tony shoves his hands under his thighs and nods. “Dr. Erskine could turn you into a super soldier,” he says softly, “but he couldn’t erase the first 27 years of your life.” He doesn’t speak his next thought aloud—that if there was in fact a way to erase those years, Tony would have signed up for the very first clinical trial. It’s a grim thought, and not something Steve needs to hear right now, but it’s been on Tony’s mind ever since his brief return to adolescence, and it’s a hard one to shake.

But what Steve heard seems to help. He peeks at Tony through his fingers and swallows loud enough even Tony can hear it.

“Yeah,” he rasps, “something like that.”

“What else?”

“What?”

“What else is bugging you? About this?”

Steve lowers his hand and stares at Tony. Stares. It’s such a feeling, being stared at by Steve Rogers, Tony can feel the heat climbing up from underneath his t-shirt. Even the arc reactor feels a bit warmer in his chest.

“How could you tell?”

“You’re still doing your level-best impression of a Shrinky Dink, Cap,” Tony replies. “Kind of hard not to notice.”

“I have no idea what that is,” Steve laughs, a hoarse, dry sound, “but you’re not wrong. I guess…I don’t know. It’s hard to put into words.”

“Try.”

Seriously, when Steve looks at him like that—like he did when Tony soared through the air as Iron Kid, all awe and pride and warmth—Tony feels capable of anything. Anything. He’d bottle that feeling, if he could, just like he’d bottle the color of Steve’s hair in the afternoon light coming in through the living room windows right now, all warm, pale yellows shot through with gold. If the photo in the file were in full color, Tony would bet his fortune Steve’s hair would be the same shade it is now.

Because Steve Rogers has always been perfect. Damn him.

“I still feel small,” Steve says, and any thoughts of hair and perfection derail abruptly. Looking into the middle-distance past his nose, he continues, “I don’t fit in this body. That doesn’t make sense, but—it’s like the super soldier is a mold, and I’m just there rattling around inside it, too small to fit. Does that—does that make any sense?” He looks at Tony imploringly, begging him with his eyes to understand. Tony feels that tug again, worse now, to wrap his arms around Steve and hold him tight. Call it returning the favor for the other day with the Time Stone, call it acting on his crush, whatever.

No one so large has ever looked as small as Steve Rogers does right now.

“It does,” Tony croaks.

“Really?”

“Really. I mean, how do you think I feel inside the suit?”

Steve makes a sound at that—not a whimper, not a gasp, but something hovering between the two that splits Tony’s heart right down the middle. “I never thought of it that way,” he whispers. “But that’s it. That’s exactly it.” Visible relief fills Steve’s lungs and makes his entire body go lax, leaning closer to Tony in the process. Tony, of course, is hyperaware of Steve’s size—everyone except Thor and Hulk is small compared to him—but now he’s equally aware of who’s operating the Cap-suit, so to speak.

“The only difference is, I can take my super-suit off,” Tony says, pinching the underside of his own thigh to cut off a laugh—Steve hasn’t seen The Incredibles yet—and continues, “you can’t. That’s bound to make a guy feel uncomfortable, even you, Mr. ‘I can handle anything you throw at me.’” He elbows Steve a little, good-naturedly, for emphasis, and gets a full, beautiful smile for his efforts.

God. Skinny or huge, Steve Rogers is gorgeous. It really shouldn’t be allowed.

“Yeah, good point.” Face still split by a smile—I put that there, Tony preens—Steve leans against the back of the couch and sighs. “There are things I miss, though. About being small. I didn’t think I did, until…” He glances at Tony, then, and there’s no missing the blush creeping up his neck.

“Until?”

“The other day,” Steve replies. “When you de-aged, and I—when we—” Tony bites his tongue so hard he’s pretty sure he tastes blood. Don’t interrupt. Let him get it out. Steve laughs breathily. “When I hugged you, I was so glad I was in a position to protect you, physically, like that. But later on I kept thinking about how much I miss being the protected one, sometimes. Not always, but. Sometimes.” Steve looks at the photo and sighs. “I keep thinking about what it felt like when ma looked after me when I was sick, or when Bucky put himself between me and the bigger guy because he knew I couldn’t take another hit…sure I resented it a little, being so weak, but I liked…that.”

“You liked being cared for.”

The look Steve levels at Tony could drive away a storm.

“Yeah,” he husks. “I did.”

“And now that you’re—” Tony waves a hand at Steve’s everything, “—this, you think you don’t, what, deserve care?”

“Maybe?” Steve blinks. “I don’t know.”

“Cap—Steve,” Tony says, putting his hands palms-up in his lap so Steve can see all of him. No threat, no judgment. “Everyone wants to feel cared for. It’s human nature. And just because you’re superhuman doesn’t mean you’re inhuman.”

Damn if those therapy sessions Pepper forced him into aren’t paying off big time right now. If the sheen in Steve’s eyes is anything to go by, Tony’s hit the nail right on the head.

“Oh,” he breathes.

“Yeah,” Tony smiles. Butterflies be damned, he moves the project file onto the coffee table next to his now-cold mug and turns toward Steve. Slowly, he opens his arms. “C’mere,” he says, so quiet only Steve would hear if anyone else was around. As it is, they’re alone in the tower, and Steve doesn’t hesitate—one moment Tony’s arms are empty and the next he’s got 240 pounds of solid muscle curling into his chest and Steve’s tucking his big head under Tony’s chin like the world’s neediest Bernese mountain dog.

Thankfully, Tony’s arms are just long enough to fit all the way around Steve’s massive shoulders. And even if they weren’t, he’d find a way to make it work.

Knees knocking together, feet brushing up against each other on the carpet, Steve shifts and adjusts until he can wrap his arms around Tony’s waist. Once he settles in, he sighs right into the notch at the base of Tony’s throat. “Thank you, Tony.”

“Anytime, big guy,” Tony replies, softly with a warm smile he thinks Steve can’t see.

[blueskiesandstarrynights]

Whatever Happens I'ma Stand Tall- Jatp time loop au, Chapter 2: Loop 2, Didn't We Already Do This?

And here's chapter 2! I'm glad to get this one done, it's been bugging me for a bit.

Word Count: 2120

Tag list: @enby-chaos-fox @lagoonaaa

If anyone else wants to be added, just let me know!

Masterpost of chapters (x)

Looks like today is gonna be another sunny day, with temperatures in the low to mid eighties.

Julie awoke with a gasp and scrambled to shut off her alarm and wipe away her damp cheeks from her tears, trying to figure out what had just happened. She nearly knocked her phone off her nightstand trying to grab it, but once she got it she checked the date on her phone and nearly started crying with relief when she saw the date: Saturday, March 7, 2020.

It wasn’t real.

It wasn’t real.

Whatever she thought she had just experienced was just a dream. A nightmare created from her fears that today’s plan didn’t work. It was ok. They’re going to play the Orpheum and her band is going to crossover. She’d still lose them, but she had already accepted that.

But she had to be sure. Had to be sure it really was just a nightmare and her boys are still here. She quickly got dressed and dashed down to the studio only to find the guys a few seconds from poofing away.

Reggie noticed her first and called out, “Oh hey Julie! We were just about to-”

He cut himself off once he saw that Julie’s eyes had filled with tears and asked, “Whoa, Julie are you okay?”

She wiped her tears with a soft smile before saying, “Yeah, yeah I’m okay. I just had this really vivid dream that you guys were jolted out of existence and I couldn’t save you.”

“Well you don’t have to worry, it was just a nightmare, we’re right here and not going to go down without a fight.” Luke smiled at her.

Julie nodded and wiped the final tear tracks from her face before smirking and saying, “Don’t you guys have a gig to secure? You’re not crossing over without it.”

“We were just about to go and check on Wil- the gig,” Alex replied, looking anxious to leave and check on someone who she assumed to be Willie, Alex’s ghost friend who was going to be helping them get the gig for tonight. Julie wondered if he was more than just a “ghost friend” and filed that piece of information for later as Luke gave her a salute and a “See ya later boss,” before poofing away with Alex and Reggie in tow.

Julie took a deep breath to steady herself and push down the anxious thoughts and worries that had pushed their way to the front of her mind since the guys had left.

But every second that passed meant they were one second closer to being jolted out of existence. Every second that passed brought them closer and closer to their doom. Every second brought them closer and closer to that horrifying nightmare she had.

But it was just a nightmare, she tried to remind herself. It wasn’t real and she was going to help the guys peacefully cross over tonight. But then why was her dream so vivid and detailed? Was it-

No. She steadied her breathing and made her way back inside the studio, worrying about this wasn’t going to do anything, anything good at least. She decided to spend the morning in song writing in the studio, but when the guys came back with info about the Orpheum, the events of the day started unfolding in an eerily familiar pattern. A pattern suspiciously like her vivid nightmare from the night before. By the time she was at the Orpheum and the guys were once again running late, she brought up her concerns to Flynn.

“Have you ever had deja vu? Or had an oddly vivid dream that came true in real life?” Julie asked abruptly, causing Flynn to pause munching on the snacks that had been left in the room.

She gave Julie an odd look before replying, “Closest thing I can think of is a vague sense of deja vu when I was younger, but nothing vivid. Any particular reason you’re asking me this?”

Julie sighed. “Kinda. Last night I had this super vivid dream of today that ended with the guys being jolted out of existence. I failed and they experienced pain up until the moment they were just erased from all existence. And normally that wouldn’t scare me, because it was just a dream, but every single thing that happened in the dream has happened, and I’m terrified I’m going to have to watch them die all over again!”

Flynn placed the snacks on the table so she could move closer to Julie and give her a hug.

“C’mon that’s not going to happen. It’s not going to play out, it’s just a dream. And even if it did, they’re going to cross over, this is their unfinished business. My guess is the part in the dream where they die was simply your brain creating what you fear is going to happen. As for the rest of the day...well I can’t really comment on that, I’m neither a psychic nor a psychologist.”

There was a knock on the door followed by the stage manager calling out, “Hey Julie! It’s time!”

“Just a second!” she called back.

“Look, not to sound weird for using a dream of all things as a source of valid information, but what happened in the dream at this point? Did they come?” Flynn inquired.

Julie looked like she was holding back tears as she shook her head and said, “Yeah, they come in partway through the performance, that’s not even my main worry right now. I just-” she rests her forehead against Flynn’s. “I don’t know if I can-”

The stage manager once again knocks on the door and announces, “Hey Julie! You’re on!”

With too many emotions swirling around, Julie pushed her way out the door and into the alley at the side of the Orpheum, ignoring her best friend's shouts behind her. As she takes a breath of the stink of Hollywood Boulevard, she finally lets out the tears she had been holding in.

“I don’t know if you can hear me mom, but I don’t think I can do this. If I was supposed to help the guys, I don’t think I can. They’re not here, and I’m scared that even if they do come, it won’t matter. I’m worried they’re not going to come, but I’m terrified that I’ll have to watch them die; I don’t know if I can do that a second time. I just-” she gives a soft sniffle before saying, “I miss you so much. Every day. And it hurts every day that you’re not with us. The guys have helped, playing music with them makes me feel closer to you. Every time I look into the audience, I can see you smiling and cheering me on.

I miss you Mom. More than you can ever know. I miss being held in your arms and being told everything’s going to be okay, because even when all the odds say it’s not, you still made me believe it anyway.” She’s trying to wipe her tears from her eyes when she notices a woman next to her offering her a flower. It’s a dahlia. A red dahlia, like the ones Mom used to love. She hugs the flower to her chest and she feels like she can feel everything that made her mom who she was. She can hear her mothers laugh ringing in her ears, right next to the beautiful melody that is her voice, and she can feel the warmth of her hugs, can smell the flowery perfume she always used, and she can almost see her mom’s signature dark curls.

With the dahlia in hand, Julie barrels back through the Orpheum side door, heading straight for the stage, stopping only to show Flynn the dahlia and declare, “Signs,” before rushing onto the stage, not even thinking about what she was doing. Seeing the dahlia had reminded Julie of Flynn’s theory that her mom was behind everything, and took the flower as a sign to go up on stage. To keep going. To stand tall.

And she did. She performed the Orpheum, and her boys came and being up on that stage gave her a ridiculous amount of euphoria. After the guys disappeared and she was hounded by her family and Flynn backstage, the adrenaline from the night almost caused her to forget about the guys. Almost.

Once they get back home, Julie wants nothing more than to go to the studio, but is stopped when Carlos asks her, “Hey Julie, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Uh, sure just give me a minute.”

“Ok, I’ll wait up. Don’t ghost me,” he responded, adding a completely unsubtle wink at the end, causing Julie’s eyes to grow wide in shock. Had he figured it out? If so, how? Or was this just another one of his theories that didn’t hold any merit?

She shook her head, deciding to deal with that later, before turning to her dad and saying, “Just a minute,” and headed for the studio.

She opened the doors and stared inside the darkened room, taking a large shuddery breath, scared of what she’d find if she turned on the light. Scared that the guys’ didn’t cross over, but instead are here, collapsed on the floor, moments away from dying a second time. Not wanting to prolong this any further, she reached over to the switch on the wall and turned the light on, and lo and behold, there they were piled on top of each other just as she feared, and seeing them like this caused her breathing to grow more ragged, which wasn’t helped by a jolt that simultaneously racked the boys bodies.

They coughed and moaned from the jolt but forced themselves up once they saw Julie and all tried to put on brave faces for her.

“Julie what are you doing here, why didn’t you just go straight to bed?” Reggie asked.

“I said she’d come out here, but nobody ever listens to me,” Alex complains.

Julie sniffled and pointlessly tried to wipe her eyes before saying, “I, uh, wanted to say goodbye and to thank you guys.”

Watching them now feels so much worse than the dream. She knew playing the Orpheum wasn’t going to work, yet she still performed there anyway. Now there was nothing she could do. They were being forced to relive the pain of dying over and over again, until they were wiped from existence entirely. There were so many things she wanted to do with them, and things they wanted to do. In fact, there was something they needed to do, considering they were ghosts in the first place and therefore had unfinished business. They had so much ahead of them, yet their time was being cut short too early, just like their lives in ‘95.

She collapses onto the floor and tries to get as close to them as she can without passing through them; doing so would just be another painful reminder of the separation between her and them, and how much they’re about to be separated permanently.

She numbly listens to them as they list off their final requests just as they did last time, before they’re finally killed and she is left in an empty studio, left with nothing but instruments that won’t be used again and her tears. Oddly enough, just like in her dream she finds the world being taken over by a blinding white light accompanied with still quiet before-

Looks like today is gonna be another sunny day, with temperatures in the low to mid eighties.

Julie’s eyes shoot open and quickly shuts off the alarm trying to make sense of what just happened. Why was she back in her room? What was that white light? Her theory about a dream turned out to be garbage since you can’t have a dream within a dream right? Confused, Julie reached over to her nightstand to grab her phone to check the date and what she saw nearly made her choke on air.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Saturday, March 7, 2020

That was yesterday’s date. And now that she thought about it, it was the date for the day before as well. Panicking now, Julie goes straight for Flynn’s contact and texts her:

Julie: 911

Julie: Flynn

Julie: Get here asap

Julie: Somethings wrong

Flynn: What

Flynn: Jules whats wrong

Julie: Idk

Julie: Its weird

Julie: Just come here itll be easier to explain in person

Flynn: Alright be there in 5

Julie closed her phone, sighed, fell back into her pillows and groaned. This was going to be a long day. Again.

[bellatrixxue]

Xue’s Supernatural Dare: Wendigo (S1 EP2)

Hello, everyone? How did everyone feel about the finale? Yes? Yes? Oh. Oh. Oh my. Oh, dear.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell that half-assed homophobic chicken-shit fuckbucket’s not gonna stop me, since I strapped myself onto this roller coaster already and I promised I’m not getting out until the ride’s over, so here we go, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Also, those who are in this roller coaster with me, ready? Tag list is: @fangirlxwritesx67​ @amazingiam00​ @kalliravenne​ @indecisive20something​ @2musiclover2​ @impossibletosleepthrough @there-must-be-a-lock​ @wingedcatninja​ @arvit​

Oh my gods this recap is so cheesy I actually can make a fondue out of it. 2000s, everybody!

A WHOLE MINUTE AND A HALF FOR THAT FONDUE

FUCKJUMPSCARETITLEFUCKYOU

So we’re starting the episode with the murder scene first, eh? Is that gonna be a trend?

Oh come on, Chads, you’re out in nature and you’re playing video games? Absorb the nature...before it absorbs you!

Waitwait. Holy shit is that...is that Cory Monteith? Oh, bless his soul...

If the wendigo eats his dick as he’s peeing I’m immediately giving Jensen Ackles $100. For no real reason, I just feel like giving him money for already carrying the show on his back.

I can’t tell if it did or not, so I’m not paying yet.

Aw, Sammy...

"I should have told you the truth.” *Vine voice* BUT YOU DIDN’T

FUCKYOUINTHEASSHOhnightmare. Nightmare. So did he visit her at her grave or not? I need answers.

A week? Goddamn. Poor thing. That man-eating tree’s fucking good at his job, man.

“There’s nothing there, it’s just...woods,” Sam, I don’t know if Jess’s death hit you hard or if you got into law school by eating some ancient dick and/or pussy instead of earning that high score fair and square, but the woods “in the middle of nowhere” (your words) are known to be one of the top places full of weird-ass creatures. Even kindergartners know that.

Ehehehehehehehehe he’s so smol next to his lil bro my lil shit

At least you’re coming up with decent covers this time. No Agent Mulder and Scully ruining things for you this time around.

“Bull” oop-

Oh Dean’s a smoooooooooth operator. Good going, buddy.

AND HE GOT A COPY OF THAT DOCUMENT TEAM DEAN TEAM DEAN

Oh that death really got to Sam. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be a trigger-happy psycho. Or eat the man-eating tree and become one himself.

Oh, Haley’s a cutie! Which one’s her brother? Cory? Discount Enrique Iglesias?

Do you have a card for EVERY profession, Dean? And how do I get them too?

That is a very pretty car. I bet they wasted half the budget on that thing.

Okay, sonny boy, little bro, Broseidon, calm down.

Ah, fuck, Haley and Broseidon is gonna go into the woods, that’s more heads to worry about.

How the fuck does Sam find information this fast? I’m impressed, I take five hours to get to one article for my research paper. Or maybe I’m just lazy. So he really earned his law school interview without having to eat dick and pussy, huh.

Every 23 years? What is this, Pennywise? Are we going to see the wendigo do his best Tim Curry do his best scary clown impression? Honk honk?

“Whatever that thing is, it can move.” And the sun rises on the East, Sammy. Why are you so smart and dumb at the same time? Is this his character trait? It might grow on me.

Ahhh, so Sam’s go-to move at interrogation is doing puppy dog eyes and sympathize with the person. He’d make a good lawyer, shame that man-eating tree.

Go Grandpa Exposition, go!

Go Grandpa Exposition, go, give us information and none at all!

OH GEEZ THAT SCAR. PENNYWISE WENDIGO IS VICIOUS.

Skinwalker, Back Dog...Ooh, those all sound cool! I hope we get to see them soon!

‘Corporeal’ doesn’t sound like a real word, but then again, English doesn’t sound like a real language. Sorry. Moving on.

Sam’s gonna eat the wendigo with that attitude, Jesus Christ.

AND HIS BROTHER, AT THIS RATE. If the real villain turns out to be inside Sam all along I’m gonna flip. Is that why women keep dying and burning on ceilings where he sleeps? Is he secretly Lucifer’s spawn or something?

“Oh sweetheart I don’t wear shorts”. They queer-coded him from the start and they tried to make you believe he was straight for fifteen seasons straight? And some people bought that?

Oh, crap, another crappy death treatment for Cory before he got into Glee...No, I wasn’t into Glee, I just watched a few episodes and I might hate Rachel Berry...And Lea Michele...ahem...

Dean is totally flirting with Roy shut upppppppp

OOP AND THERE ROY GOES OH THE SEXUAL TENSION IS HIGH IN THESE WOODS TODAY

“It’s probably the most honest I’ve been with a woman. Ever.” See. Bi. Bi bi bi.

So...why the coordinates, Daddy Negan? Is this a portal to Hell? A place where man-eating trees grow?

*carefully places death flag on Roy*

Ooooh the campsite is very...haunted house-y. You know what I’m saying?

That’s not Discount Enrique Iglesias, but Pennywise wendigo, yes? Those things can mimic human voices, right?

*Google searches*...There are so many versions of this tale I can’t even confirm or deny it. Dammit.

Maybe Pennywise wendigo just wants some snacks and a nice phone and GPS? Maybe he misses his family in uh, Canada or something?

Daddy Negan’s journal is  a e s t h e t i q u e .

I’m so sorry, but the way Sammy smirks as he speaks with those dark, dark voids for eyes? My boy’s a demon. He’s a demon, I’m telling you.

At least Haley has some sense to her. *puts another death flag on Roy*

*PUTS YET ANOTHER DEATH FLAG ON ROY*

True, that. What the heck is Daddy Negan up to with all of this?

“Saving people, hunting things, the family business!” Okay, the way Dean said it gave me chills.

I can actually empathize with Sam here...As whiny and bitchy as he is, he has his reasons to be this way. I guess if I were in his shoes, I’d be less of a Dean and more of a Sam, too. We deal with our losses quite similarly.

Ah, the brotherly bonding moments like these little talks make the show worth it. It’s so heartwarming.

Pennywise wendigo! I didn’t miss you, why’re you here to burst my happy bubble?

I’m starting to see a slight parallel between Haley and Broseidon and Dean and Sammy. Hmm.

Nice meeting you, Roy. Zoop you go.

Haley and Broseidon are taking this rather well, I’m glad they do.

Okay, actual exposition time, thank you.

Whoa, Broseidon speaks! Donner Party! Please don’t remind me of that! Those poor people!

Hibernation and food storage. Delightful, just delightful.

TORCHING? *CALLS RAMMSTEIN*

Somehow, not being able to see the wendigo is scarier to me than what I will probably see itself. Limited budget horror can actually work well.

Oh, dear, Roy literally did a death drop. Badum tissssssssss.

FUCK IT TOOK DEAN THE ONLY CHARACTER I CARE ABOUImean I love you too, Sam! Come on, let’s find him before it’s too late!

A trail of M&Ms! Yes, Broseidon! And Hansel and Gretel refercalled it. Sammy, you and I share the same wavelength?

SHITSHITTHEYTRIPPEDANDFELLINTHEFUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Thank the gods the Pennywise wendigo kept them right there. Chances.

DISCOUNT ENRIQUE IGLESIAS IS STILL ALIVE GEEZ BUT ALSO PHEW

Ah, Dean Winchester, I love you so much that I can’t even begin to describe it.

Also how convenient that the flare guns are there. Deus ex machina!

Haley would bode well as a hunter, look at her courage, her will. There are more hunters around than Daddy Negan and the brothers, right?

Yeah, seeing the actual wendigo makes me less scared of it now. It’s unnerving, but still.

TEAM DEAN YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW

Graphics are...alright, but it’s the thought that counts!

Running with the grizzly bear story. Smart Broseidon. Ben. Sorry, you deserve to be called by your real name. I think with practice they could become good hunters, along with their Discount Enrique Iglesias brother! Is there a fanfiction for that? Can I write it now?

...

I AM WILLING TO DIE TO PROTECT DEAN WINCHESTER I

Haley’s a lesbian, that’s why she kissed him on the cheek only. Headcanoned. Also I have a crush on her, she’s really pretty? Like? Heart eyes???

Ah, the siblings parallels again. Let’s hope neither of the two brothers end up in the bed like that.

“Man, I hate camping.” Really. Really really. Really.

“I’m driving”

...

SAM WINCHESTER I’M SORRY I EVER SPOKE ILL OF YOU I WILL PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE TOO I PROMISE YOU I WILL

It’s just a sassy bisexual brother and his little snide bisexual brother on the road to kill evil creatures and find their father and I love this show? Help? Help???

I really, really see the charm of Supernatural now! I’m fully invested in both brothers and their story, and I’m cheering them both on! Let’s get Daddy Negan back and get rid of that man-eating tree once and for all!

Six stars out of five!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This dare is introducing me to a whole new world, and I really, really am glad I took that jump a few days ago, man!

Thank you everyone for reading my ramblings, and I’ll see you in the day after with the next review! Thank you for sticking with me! Buh-bye!

- Xue

[timextoxhajima]

Playlist Feels

Member: lee jaehyun aka hyunjae from tbz cause i feel like there are too many jaehyuns around now ;_; my heart can’t take too many perfect men of the same name

Genre: COLLEGE... CRUSH? idk this is probably gonna be my most crack piece (you can already tell by the track)

Word Count: 4.3k

A/N: I wrote this at like 1.30am so please bear with me lol my inspiration always come in the middle of the night because it’s so quiet and conducive 

this will be a one shot cause i’ve got no fucking clue how to make it into a series/short novel without an actual conflict/angst/drama involved :”) if you’re a writer and you see this and you want to make a 2nd part or something, BE MY GUEST

lee hyun jae. 

who was he to me?

oh, i don’t know.

just the prettiest but handsomest man alive. if that’s even a word. 

he’s always surrounded by like, eleven other boys who are also good-looking and talented in some way or another. 

god must’ve invested his entire life into crafting these fine, fine specimens of men to be placed on earth.

maybe there was a mix up somewhere and they were supposed to be angels or demi-gods and god just fucked up. 

but i’ve got no complaints. 

i’m satisfied that i get to feast my eyes on such a gorgeous, rare, one-of-a-kind version of a person i’m sure exists nowhere else in the world. 

he’s known for being one of the most caring ones of the group. he’d make his friends laugh but watch out for them at the same time. he’s so easygoing, i wonder if he’d smile at me if i tripped him over or something. 

you might think i’m exaggerating. 

well,

i’m not.

so who am i to him?

sadly, nobody.

harsh truth.

there was absolutely nothing wrong with the man. there was a lack of flaw, and that was literally the only flaw he had. if it could even be considered as a flaw. i could spend my seconds, minutes, hours, days, just staring at him. it was so unfair that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM.

sometimes it pisses me off.

it kind of pisses me off that he doesn’t have a girlfriend despite half the school simping over him.

i mean, who wouldn’t? just look at him.

there have been rumors flying about that he was gay or something. 

doesn’t matter if he is gay though.

it simply hurts to know he’s not dating anybody.

it’ll be such a waste if such a man ends up living a life alone. a waste indeed.

so what was it that was stopping me from putting that destiny of his to a screeching stop?

well, there was just one problem. 

“hELLO, earth to y/n?” the sudden waving in your face with the heaviest textbook in your curriculum snaps you back into reality. 

“which one of the twelve are you thinking up some magical fantasy over now?” your best friend frowns at you, the vein on her arm popping from the weight of the fat textbook. 

“ah-- it doesn’t matter who i’m daydreaming about, let me have my moment, would you?” you lean back in your seat, disgruntled at her telling you what not to do with your own imagination. sometimes it was difficult to look at her without seeing all the little hints of lee hyunjae in her.

they had the same nose, but that was it. honestly, it was a miracle you just happened to make friends with one of the prettiest girls in school, and good for you, she ended up becoming your friend and stayed in that position for more than a decade. naturally, she was upgraded to the ‘best friend’ title. 

the biggest issue you had with lee hee jae was that she hated her brother getting so much attention, and she has always condemned him about it. 

which was pretty ironic, given the number of love letters that show up in her locker everyday.

but thanks to her cold, a-little-more-than-mean superficial personality, most guys don’t have enough of a pair to talk to her in person. sure, she won’t hesitate to stab a bitch, but you knew her well enough to know that if the love of her life, son young jae, were to suddenly sprout feelings for her and confess, she might just nose bleed and pass out. 

but does she know you have had the biggest, fattest crush on her older brother?

no. 

she’d kidnap you and torture you and brainwash you to unlike him. 

maybe that’s why he hasn’t got any girlfriends.

“you’re zoning out again,” she snaps her finger in your ear and the sharp click jumps you. you bare your teeth in annoyance and feign a hit towards her, but she doesn’t flinch. 

your little high school crush on her brother wasn’t getting any weaker as the years went by. in fact, it’s been getting stronger. now that you’ve seen the way he treats his friends, how kind and considerate he was, not to mention that body-- well--

let’s just say you went from just appreciating his face, to everything in general. it was only a matter of time before she finds out that the one man you were simping over out of the eleven boys was her brother.

of the eleven boys, it just had to be her brother.

“hee jae,” you pull out a pencil and start to randomly doodle in your notebook. “haven’t you ever considered talking to eric?” 

she shoots you a death glare, but you’re used to it. 

“i thought we agreed not to speak of this in school!” she leans into you and hisses, eyes piercing right through your head. if her eyes had lazers, your head would’ve been blasted off completely after years of her angry glaring. 

“no, but eric just seems so... chill, y’know? he’s either cleaning his table and packing his stuff or outside playing baseball, there’s literally nothing stopping you from talking to him.”

she rolls her eyes and snatches your pencil away from you in a bid to piss you off so you’d stop talking.

“give it back--” you snatch the stationery from her and hiss at her like a cat. “you’re literally in the damn baseball team with him. it’s not that difficult to make up a story and start a conversation with him.”

“ha,” she’s finally mastered the art of fake laughter. “easy for you to say. you simp for all eleven of them and can’t choose one for you to worry about it like i do.”

that was fun to hear.

“well, forget eric,” she waves it off. “are we doing anything after school?”

anything but going to your house. i don’t want to be stuck under the same roof as your brother, my heart would get a seizure and i’ll probably die on the spot.

“my mom’s making crepes today, and i know you love that shit,” hee jae snickers, pulling out a baseball from her bag and throwing it into the air and catching it. 

“aw, man... not the crepes,” you pout and side eye her, leaning back into your seat. 

“why are you so uptight about going to my place? you’ve been there a billion fucking times, you literally live there now.”

that’s cause i’m only over when your brother isn’t around!

“ugh, okay fine. but i gotta dash home first to grab some homework. i left some of it at home ‘cause i wasn’t expecting an invitation today.”

she squeals, showing you a part of her that nobody else has the privilege of seeing. “sick,” she gets out of the seat she dragged to yours and brings it back to where she took it from. “call my home number and tell me you’re on your way before you leave your house!”

you nod un-enthusiastically, waving her off before she leaves the classroom and returns to hers. 

you were finally back at home, showered and changed into comfortable clothes while you shoved all your homework into your bag. you leave your parents a text to tell them that you’d spend the afternoon and evening at heejae’s so they don’t have to worry about your dinner, then you dial her home number.

the phone was on it’s eighth ring, and you were already one foot out of the door. usually, it doesn’t take her that long to pick up the phone.

“this little bitch invites me over and doesn’t pick up the damn--”

“hello?”

your grip tightens around your phone and you stumble out of your house, the door swinging shut behind jumps you and you process the voice on the other end of the line. 

“uh--”

“is this y/n?”

“uh... yeah, this is she.”

he knows me?

shut up, of course he knows you. you’ve been friends with his sister for a decade!

“oh, okay, cool. heejae’s in the toilet right now and she said she’ll get it but i couldn’t stand the sound of the phone ringing.”

“ah...” your voice trails off, unsure of how to respond. you were just preoccupied with how soothing his voice was, and just imagining his face with the phone to his ear on the other line was just so--

“hello? y/n? you there?”

“yeah, yeah, sorry i was... crossing a road.” you weren’t even moving; you were just planted into the pavement like a tree. 

“actually, why don’t i go and pick you up? your place is on the way to the shopping mall and my mom just told me to go get some groceries, do you want to tag along? we can head back to my place afterwards and you can get the crepes you like.”

where in the world was he getting all this information from?

“uh--” you stammer into the receiver for the billionth time. he must think you have some kind of speech problem by now.

“you know what? just hang tight for a few minutes. heejae’s still in the bathroom so she doesn’t get a say in what i do if i decide it without her presence,” you hear him walk around on the house and call out for his mom to tell her he was leaving for the shopping mall. “you live on 31st avenue, right? the white house with the blue roof?”

“uH--” you really need to get a grip on yourself.

“i guessed. hang tight, i’ll be there in a sec! see you!”

hyunjae doesn’t bother to wait for you to hang up before he does. the line goes dead and the beep nearly deafens you, but you couldn’t believe your ears. you were about to be in the same vehicle as lee hyun jae. one of the most popular boys in school, the handsomest man alive, the love of your li--

whoa.

too fast.

you shake the nonsensical daydreams out of your head and walk back to the steps of your door. while waiting, you can’t help but to let the quiet crush on him run your mind recklessly. 

what if he was just messing with you and he’s just chilling at home? what if he knows that you have a crush on him and he’s just having fun? what if he thinks you’re weird for hanging out with his sister? what if he’s caught you staring and he thinks you’re a creep? oh my god, what if heejae’s told him embarrassing stories about you and now he’s going to poke fun at you with that? 

you stare blankly at the little weeds in the cracks of the pavement, the thoughts in your head running wild as you slowly convince yourself he’s not going to turn up. 

but the familiar silver family car rolls up at the end of the pavement, and the windows roll down to reveal hyunjae in sunglasses wearing a simple white tee-shirt. 

“did i keep you waiting?” he pushes down his sunglasses and looks at you over the rim, one arm dangling outside the window. 

you shake your head, suddenly losing all ability to speak. 

“alrighty then, get in. we’re heading for the shopping mall.” he nods his head towards the car, retracting his arm back into the vehicle. 

your heart was thumping so aggressively and so loudly you were sure he could hear it. hell, he could probably see it. 

“how’s school? i haven’t seen you around back in my house after... what, about five years? you were always around when i was out, if i didn’t know better, i’d think you were avoiding me,” his voice was so alluring, you had to constantly remind yourself that he was actually saying something.

“uh-- well....” 

come on, say something. anything.

“i guess god just doesn’t want us to meet.”

no, it’s because you were avoiding him. what the flying fuck was that?

he laughs heartily, his teeth catching the light of the afternoon sun and glistens in your vision. “if that’s the case then god really needs to give me a break.”

your little-crush-on-him morphs into a tiny character in your head and it starts yelling at you. did he just say what you think he just said?

“no, i mean,” he glances at you, hands still on the steering wheel once he notices you’ve gone eerily silent. “i would’ve spoken to you and tried to be actual friends with you sooner, but heejae never wants me talking to her friends. you can imagine how she is with her best friend.”

you sigh heavily, the mention of your best friends’ name loosening some knots in your stomach. “lee hee jae is just something. not sure what, but something.”

“it does baffle me to think about how you put up with her for what, nine years now?”

you were looking out the window, and the idea of being in the same car as hyunjae doesn’t seem as tormenting as it seemed once you realise the best support you’ve had for the last ten years was lee hee jae. 

“eleven, actually,” you say without looking at him, eyes zeroing on a couple walking a dog on the pavement by the road. “yeah i guess she can be a handful sometimes, especially with how cold and mean she is on the outside...”

the car stops at a traffic junction.

“but put her in front of one guy and she’ll pass the fu--”

“‘one guy’?” he interrupts.

your eyes widen and you suck your lips between your teeth, wincing a little to yourself when you realise what you just said. 

“lee hee jae has a crush on someone?” you hear him scoff and a brotherly chuckle rushes out his lips. “do you know who it is?”

you were about to protest and stop him from trying to dig the information that you nearly disclosed, but he interrupts you again.

“y’know what? don’t tell me. i’ll guess. i’ll just watch your reactions while i’m at it.”

you grit your teeth and tighten your temples. you don’t realise how sweaty your palms were until your phone slides out from underneath your skin when the car starts to move. 

“is it kevin? no wait-- doesn’t feel like it.”

is he going to just start talking on his own until he finds someone he thinks suits her and then look at my face to read my expression?

“i don’t think she’s the kind to go for someone older than me or my age. so that takes sangyeon, jacob, younghoon-- is it younghoon? no, it’s not... ah, no matter how i think about it, someone nearer your age pops up. haknyeon, sunwoo, eric. it’s one of the three.”

that wasn’t so hard. hee jae must be easy for her brother to read.

“are you really going to let me play this elimination game alone?” he raises a brow and turns the wheel, driving into the car park of the shopping mall. the little gesture causes your heart to involuntarily skip a beat, and you could see his eyes folding even behind the sunglasses when he turns his head.

“your sister would kill me if she knew i even started this conversation, so i’m just refraining from deepening my grave.”

you hear him laugh through his nose. “relax, i’m not going to tell her you said this. i’ve seen the way she looks at us whenever we’re in school. she gives me a look of disgust but she always reserves a blush on her cheeks for someone. i just can’t put my finger on who it is.”

“you mean you notice the way she looks at you and your friends? that’s a little weird.”

the car starts to reverse into a parking lot and he pulls the gears into parking mode. there was a short silence in the air as he lays his finger on the start up button of the car and he turns to look at you, now without the sunglasses to block your view of his eyes.

“you’d be surprised that i notice a lot of things.”

he flashes you a smile and reaches for the door on his side, pushing himself out as if he didn’t just expose both you and your best friend. 

you were just tailing hyunjae while he told you what was on the grocery list, and you start filling the basket. he doesn’t stop guessing though, but the entire time spent with him only made you feel like he was so comfortable to be around.

besides his pretty face, of course. 

you were waiting for him to pay for the items while you stood outside when heejae’s caller ID showed up on your phone screen.

“where the hell are you?”

“hello to you too,” you roll your eyes. “your brother said he was going to get me and now we’re shopping for groceries before we return to your place. didn’t your mom tell you?”

“what? no, she didn’t. she just told me he went out to get groceries.”

“huh?” you look over your shoulder to see hyunjae paying the cashier. “are you saying that your mom lied about me?”

“now, why would she do that?”

“she’s your mom, not mine. why don’t you ask her instead?” 

hyunjae picks up the grocery bags and walks towards you, looking into them and making sure he didn’t miss out anything. 

“this is so fucking weird. where’s hyunjae? pass the phone to him,”

“we’re done, let’s go.” hyunjae stops by your side, noticing that you were on the phone. 

“don’t you dare hang up on me, pass the phone to him!” hee jae screams into the receiver. you wince and pull it away from your ear, shooting hyunjae a look of slight confusion as you hand him the phone. 

“it’s your sister.”

he sighs and places the bags on the floor, wiping his hands on his pants before taking it. 

you could hear hee jae screaming at him on the other end, but hyunjae’s face doesn’t change one bit besides that sweet smile plastered to his lips while he let his sister berate him. hyunjae got bored extremely quickly, and he was already removing the phone from his ear while he repeated the word ‘bye’ into the receiver. 

he hands the phone back to you and hangs it up for you, picking up the bags and heading back to the car. 

by the time you reach the road right outside their house, heejae was standing on the porch, anxiously tapping her foot on the wooden boards. 

“oh, no,” he groans, looking out the window and observing heejae like she was a lion in the savannah. “well, just another day for us people who have to deal with miss lee.”

he says so coyly, pushing himself out of the car and going to open the door of the backseat. you help yourself out, and heejae storms toward you, fists balled by her side and steam coming out through her ears.

you thought she was going to scream at you for accepting a ride from hyunjae, but she dodges you and opens the backseat door opposite hyunjae to yell at him in the car. 

“what made you think it was a great idea to pick her up? didn’t we have a deal that both our friends were out of bounds to each other?”

wait what--

“yah, lee hyunjae!” she yells at the top of her voice as he ignores her, pulling out of the car and walking towards the house. “we had a deeeeeaaaaaaal!” 

you grab onto heejae and turn her around, trying to peel her attention away from her brother and to you so you could get a grasp on what she just said.

“did you just say what i think you just said?!” you blink in surprise at her, and the thought of hyunjae finding an excuse just to spend time with you melts you into a puddle of hopeless goop. 

“no,” she says with a stern face, lifting a finger and pointing at you in the face. “no.”

“well--” she yanks herself out of your grip and turns to the house. “what’s so bad about dating your siblings’ friends? you like eric.”

she literally screeches to a stop and turns around with eyes that were burning. honestly, it was pretty funny to see her so riled up, knowing that she wasn’t angry at you. she was angry with hyunjae for... whatever he did, and the fact that she just had to fall for someone in hyunjae’s circle of friends. it was a slap in her face, or whoever thought about the no-dating-siblings’-friends pact.

“is that why you don’t want to talk to eric? because of this... deal?” you raise a brow, entertained, completely forgetting that there was the slightest chance that hyunjae might’ve been looking for an excuse to hang out with you, and he had just succeeded.

she had no words, but her silence was enough to let you unpack the situation.

“ah... i see,” you fold your arms across your chest and smirk at her. then you remember you were standing right outside lee hyunjae’s house. this was your chance to dig the information out from her. “so if this deal is stopping you from talking to eric, then is it safe to assume that it’s similar for hyunjae?”

you could see her bottom lip quivering upon your question, as she realises that you’ve finally found out why she was keeping a distance from her own teammate. but her silence also pushes you further into confusion. does that mean--

“look, you can’t date hyunjae, okay? i forbid it. the last time a girl dated someone in that group of friends of his, they broke up because she got bullied by other girls in school. i told hyunjae he wasn’t allowed to date any of my friends so i wouldn’t need to beat the fuck out of any bullies and get myself expelled,” she huffed and hugged her torso. “and i made him agree to that deal by promising him that neither i nor any of my friends would date his.”

you shake your head, fingers pressing into your temples and hair while you let the story unfold from her narration. 

“my mom didn’t tell me about him going to get you because... well... he--”

“i like you!”

your heart stops and you think your blood stopped flowing through you as well. heejae’s head snaps back to look at the house and the source of noise, and she pulls out a shoe to hurl it at hyunjae. 

“ah--!” he starts yelling once she reaches him with the shoe. “let me at least try, god damn it! sunwoo only let his girlfriend get bullied because he’s a dumbass-- ow! but i’m not gonna let her get bullied, i promise!”

you slowly turn your head to see hyunjae trying to dodge every hit, and he starts running away from her and toward you. he pulls you in front of him so you were standing between him and heejae, who was holding onto the shoe so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. 

“y/n, take a chance with me, would you? i’ve always noticed the both of you looking at us but it always bothered me that i have no idea who either of you are looking at--”

he dodges a side swing, and your view of heejae trying to reach him was pretty hilarious, if you weren’t acting as his shield. 

“what makes you think she’ll say yes?! she can’t even choose--”

“i do, heejae,” finally, you’ve decided to shoot your shot. heejae freezes with the shoe in mid-air, and hyunjae’s hold on your shoulders tighten. “i’ve only said i can’t choose only because i didn’t want you to know that it was your brother i liked.”

you couldn’t believe what was coming out of your mouth. all that effort to keep it hidden only to expose yourself infront of both heejae and her brother at once?!

she looked like she wanted to slap you with the shoe now, and you flinch when she shifts, closing your eyes to brace for impact. 

but it doesn’t come. 

you open one eye and look at her, and she looked like she’s completely resigned to fate. she shakes her head like your mother would when you did something stupid, and she squats to get her shoe back on her feet. 

“i give up,” she grunts, shoving her feet into her shoe and tying the laces messily before standing up again. “of all eleven of them, him?” she raises an agitated brow and points to the boy hiding behind you. 

“it wouldn’t have been so annoying if it had been one of his friends, but him?!” 

you turn back to look at hyunjae, who was giving you puppy eyes as if he was already your boyf--

too fast. 

“does it look like i chose to like him?” you pout, hands reaching out to her and trying to play for affection. 

“for fucks’ sake,” she groans, face palming herself. “now i’m going to look like a shitty friend and sister if i don’t let you two date.”

“on the bright side..” you pull her into a hug and tighten your hold, knowing that whatever you were going to say next was going to warrant another violent outburst from her. “if hyunjae and i date, that means the deal’s broken and...”

“you can talk to eric now.”

“AH! SO IT’S ERIC?!”

[creativeashproductions]

Instant Connection // Male!reader x Alex

Summary: Reader finds the blonde-haired drummer from the surprise performance at the spirit rally to be cute. So cute he gained your full attention at a school function you could barely tolerate, especially when Carrie and her clones performed some over the top number.

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, this is a male!reader

Words: 1.3k

Pairing: male!reader x Alex (JATP)

A/N: For all the guys that don’t get represented enough in fandoms. I really hope I did this justice and didn’t insult anyone because that wasn’t my intention.

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX PLEASE!

Masterlist

Blasting music from your phone bought with the hard-earned money you sketched out a new season concept. Feet kicked up on the bench your focus on your hand smoothing over the paper in the latest sketchbook. Music was as loud as it could be to block out another performance by Carrie and the Mimics or whatever they were called. A tap on your shoulder brought your attention to one of your best friends, Nick.

“Hey, man. Guys are meeting up after school?” Nick spoke leaning down from his bench level, “I know it’s been weird with your switching to baseball but-“

“Don’t you have a new leash to pick out with Carrie? You should get pink to make her pop culture rip off.” You spoke, pushing one hand through your short locks of hair settling your gaze on Nick, “Besides Jason just doesn’t like that I’m into guys.”

Jason was a close-minded pig that had harassed you after seeing you miss another guy like it wasn’t 2020. You didn’t regret leaving the lacrosse team other than losing time with your best friend. Nick was by far the most accepting out of everyone.

“What did you think?” The bubbly tone asked, leading you to see that Carrie had snuck into the general vicinity of you. You had nothing really against the girl, you were flattered when she had pursued you romantically before clicking with Nick, “Hey Y/N.”

“Carrie.” You spoke, placing your art tools into the opened backpack at your feet. Climbing to your full height, you started out the door with the bag slung over your shoulder.

You were halfway to the door when the keyboard came to life on stage, unexpectedly causing some students to slow their movements. Turning to the stage, there was a girl nervously sitting scanning the room. Julie Molina was a childhood friend with a passion for music, although it was locked away after she lost her mother.

“C’mon Julie.” You breathed stepping closer to the stage just as she gained the confidence to play. The pride was growing, but It altered with the sudden appearance of three very attractive guys playing alongside her.

“Whoa.” Nick spoke, stepping up beside you in complete surprise, “Julie’s playing again.”

You mutely replied, meeting the gaze of the blonde-haired drummer having the time of his life with energy so breathtaking. God, you had a thing for blonde guys. The drummer met your gaze with an electric gaze that you swore caused goosebumps.

“Of course it’s the blonde guy.” Nick snickered shoving his shoulder against your side as you were taller than the lacrosse player. The entire school crowded around the stage as everyone lit up more than they had in years. Music wasn’t like this anymore, and you actually enjoyed it.

“Damn they are good.” You breathed scanning the three guys boosting Julie into performing, “It’s about time.”

Nick nodded, “It’s nice to see she’s getting back to normal.”

“Go, Julie!” You shouted with cupped hands earning a surprised look from the Latina girl having the time of her life on stage. Julie hadn’t realized how much she missed performing until this moment where everyone connected to the music.

You, like everyone else, gasped when Julie walked right through the guy in the cutoff muscle tee with the arms of Adonis. Yet no matter how attractive the guitar players were, you couldn’t help but gaze at the blonde.

“What the hell?” Carrie’s preppy voice demanded with her closest backup dancer right beside her enjoying the show more than Carrie.

“Just let it go for now.” You told the dirty blonde haired girl pleading she let the moment be precisely how it should be. Not stained with jealous, toxic and pitiful feelings as it had also been with Carrie on the subject of Julie Molina.

“Seriously? Y/N, you’re my friend! My best guy friend! You should be on my side!” Carrie demanded crossing her arms as the song started to come to an end.

“Uh, no. I’m Nick’s friend, and you happen to be part of the package.” You snorted crossing your arms stretching the denim jacket with some paint marks. You found Carrie to be amusing but over the topmost of the time.

Ignoring the scoffs and words from the popular Wilson you took in the last bit of the song before they bowed and the band disappeared. Your eyebrows raised as the startled expression of Julie’s face while the school whispered among itself.

“Holograms?” Nick spoke, shaking his head as he joined his lacrosse friends in heading to the hallways of the school.

Catching the tail end of Julie getting back into the program, you waited for her, “Congratulations, Julie.”

“Thanks Y/N.” Julie murmured with a content smile that slowly faded as Flynn came into her view, wearing a sullen expression. Reading the room, you fled to your math class across the school, leaving the best friends alone.

Around the corner you found three guys lounging, guys from the performance which was odd given they were supposedly holograms. You could confront them, but if you were late Mr. Bryan would have your head, so you pushed it to the backburner.

“Stupid fucking calculus,” You muttered walking around the trio barely looking at them on your walk. Your shoes slapping the linoleum flooring the cool janitor had freshly waxed before the school year; he was a tap dancer too.

You could, however, feel the gaze on your retreating back.

“He was eyeing you up.” Reggie poked Alex as they watched you turn a corner from their view. Alex jolted out of his thoughts with a faint blush and feeling awkward that Luke had seen that.

“Oh shut up.” Alex rolled his eyes glancing to where you had left his view. Luke had a smile at the apparent crush Alex had on a guy in a denim jacket with paint splatter, “I’m dead. He’s not.”

“He might be dead inside.” Reggie supplied earning deadpan looks from his bandmates already done with his jokes, “Okay time to shut up.”

Even as Julie came around the corner startled at the sight of them as usual, you couldn’t leave the blonde drummer’s head.

Alex was excited with the new revelation in his life following playing The Orpheum; they were taking a small break. Julie and Luke were still writing songs, but Alex was exploring the city. He was humming when he bumped into a person. Standing close to his height was you. A guy that made his heart flutter and his palms sweat; it wasn’t like this at the beginning with Luke.

“Hey Alex.” You grinned amusedly as his cheeks matched the pink shirt he wore, “I was wondering when I would get to see you again.”

“Uh…you wanted…to see me?” Alex stuttered blinking at your sentence taken aback at the straightforwardness you had.

“It’s that not okay?” You trailed off. Your eyes then widened, “Oh god, you aren’t gay, are you.”

“No! Gay! Me!” Alex practically shouted frantically shaking his head further embarrassing himself in front of the way he was almost in love with as this point. You thought it was adorable, “I mean, yes, I am gay.”

“Cool. Wanna go out sometime?” You questioned nerves coating the sentence as you waited to hear his response. The adorable, shy smile appearing on the blonde drummer’s face before he hesitantly grabbed your hand.

“How about now?”

“I’d love to.” You replied tugging him after you with your hands intertwined just as much as your hearts were starting to. Alex would figure out a way to tell you about the whole ghost thing, but for today he wanted to be a regular guy on a date with a cool dude with a paint-splattered denim jacket.

Tag List (PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED!)

I’m just tagging those who asked to be for Luke just to get this out there since there is no little fics for Alex 🥺

@safehavenmuse​ @siennanoelle01​ @whiterose291​ @mell-bell​ @blackhood5sos​ @ficrecsideblog​ @ifilwtmfc​ @deadpoolgirl23​ @crappy-unicorn​ @sunsetcurve-h​@elioelioeli0 @lovesanimals​ @popcrone818​ @lolychu​ @deepsleepnat @tenaciousperfectionunknown @aunicornmademedoit​ @just-a-writer-here​ @simp4reggie​

[kanerallels]

Congratulicitations on your eleventy-first follower, vod'ika!!!!!!!

For the writing asks: Runo for four hundre-- whoops sorry I went Jeporady for a minute there.

Runo + Modern AU + Imagine your OTP for six hundred, plz.

My pleasure, vod!!!

Pairing: Noah St. Claire x Ruya Lewis

Word count: 1,274

Warnings/tags: Rated G (for the giant crush Noah just got)

With the benefit of hindsight, Noah thought, the whole thing had been very badly thought out.

He’d been in class, pretending to listen to his incredibly boring teacher, and doodling in his notebook. Which was for school, obviously. If anyone looked inside, that’s what they would see. School stuff. Not drawings. However, if anyone tried to look, he’d cram one of his textbooks down their throat.

Anyways, he’d been in the middle of that when a student to his left asked a question. For whatever reason, Noah had glanced over at them, and his heart had nearly jumped out of his chest. It was a girl, around his age. She had reddish brown hair, with blonde highlights along the tips, light brown skin, and a look of curiosity in her eyes that Noah liked the look of.

He wasn’t saying that she was drop dead gorgeous, but he definitely wasn’t not saying that.

As the professor kept talking, Noah surreptitiously flipped to a new page in his notebook and started drawing, keeping his gaze on the girl. She had her chin propped on one hand as she listened, the other holding a pencil that she tapped against her desk to a rhythm Noah could swear he recognized. There was something about the slight smile she wore that was totally entrancing, and Noah concentrated fiercely on getting it right, his pencil moving quickly.

Finally, he had a rough sketch of her completed on the page in front of him-- and just in time. The bell signifying the end of the class rang, and Noah got to his feet, closing his notebook and wondering how he was supposed to survive a few more hours of monotony.

He took a step forward, and crashed straight into the girl, who’d just leapt to her feet. Both of their books and notebooks went flying, and she let out a gasp. “Oh-- I’m sorry, I didn’t see you--”

“You’re good, it’s on me,” Noah assured her, quickly scrambling to pick up some of the books she’d dropped and wondering what on earth was up with him today. Usually, he’d just shoot the perpetrator a glare, pick up his stuff, and keep moving. And yet, he found himself handing the girl her a few notebooks as she shot him a quick smile.

The smile was enough to make his heart rate double, and he stood stock still as the girl shoved her books and notebooks into her bag and headed for the door. Finally, Noah shook himself out of his daze and glanced down at his notebook, which he was still holding.

Except that he wasn’t. In his hand was the spiral bound green notebook that he used for actual notes. It also looked nothing like the brown leather book he carried with him everywhere. What-- how-- Noah flashed back to a few minutes earlier, when he’d handed a few notebooks to the girl, completely unaware of his actions.

And one of them had been his. Which had a sketch of her in it.

Oh, CRAP. Indulging in a few more venomous curses, Noah bolted out of the classroom, barely stopping to scoop up his books before he raced down the hall, scanning for any sign of the girl.

To his relief, he finally spotted her heading out of the building, probably towards her next class. Which is nowhere near mine, Noah realized with a groan. Well, he was failing math anyways. May as well double down and skip class to avoid a lifetime of embarrassment. He headed after the girl, wondering how the heck he was supposed to broach this conversation.

At first, she didn’t seem to notice him behind her. This did not last long, because Noah was neither short nor remotely subtle, and he’d cultivated his “mess with me and you will regret it” vibes too long to give them up for a little bit of embarrassing subterfuge. She glanced back at him at one point, and Noah instantly pretended to be absorbed in one of his textbooks without really reading a word of the text, loitering next to the wall.

After a few seconds, he peeked over the top, and she was still there, hands on her hips, an unamused expression on her face. “Why are you following me?” she asked.

“...I’m not?”

“This isn’t the way to your class, because I’d know if I’d seen you there before,” she said. “Also, you’re reading that textbook upside down.”

“Huh?” Noah looked at it, and realized that it was, in fact, upside down. “Uh… I like to do that?”

“Not convincing. Tell me what you’re doing or I’ll call security.”

“Whoa, whoa-- please don’t do that.” Sticking the textbook under his arm, Noah braced himself, then said, “You have my sketchbook.”

The girl’s eyebrow shot up. “What?”

“When I bumped into you earlier, I accidentally handed you my notebook with your stuff,” Noah said, praying no one else was hearing this conversation.

Frowning, the girl asked, “Then why didn’t you ask for it back?”

“Um. Reasons.” He saw her skeptical expression and sighed. “There’s… maybe kinda a picture in there that I didn’t exactly want y-- anyone to see.”

The hostility in her expression faded, and the girl started digging through her bookbag, saying, “Okay. But I’m definitely looking.”

“What?” Alarm flooded through Noah. “Why?”

“I want to make sure you’re not just some creeper who’s using this as a dumb excuse,” she explained, which made sense. “And I’m also very curious.”

This could go well. “Maybe don’t--” Noah started, but she’d found his sketchbook and flipped it open to the most recent page before he could finish his sentence.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment she didn’t speak. Noah was desperately trying to figure out what to say when she said, “This is… really good.”

Hmm. Unexpected, Noah thought. “Thanks?” he said cautiously.

“I mean, it’s a little weird that you started drawing me when you don’t even know me,” she said, handing him back the notebook. “But I’m gonna choose to be complimented.”

Exhaling, Noah tucked the notebook under his arm, and shot her a quick smile. “Well, there’s one way to fix that,” he said. “I’m Noah St. Claire.”

Returning his smile, the girl said, “Ruya Lewis.”

Noah felt his heart beat a little faster at the smile, and managed to keep his expression nonchalant. “Nice to meet you, Ruya,” he said.

“You, too,” Ruya told him. “Although I have to ask-- do you meet every girl you know by stalking them after you’ve drawn them?”

“Well, you didn’t exactly give me much of a choice when it came to drawing you,” Noah said, feeling his grin turn into a smirk. “Not with that Mona Lisa smile of yours.”

Ruya’s eyes widened again, and to Noah’s delight, she turned slightly red. “Okay, charmer,” she said, grinning. “Why don’t you let me get to class, and I’ll talk to you later.”

“How do you plan on finding me?” Noah protested.

“Oh, it’ll be easy. Everyone knows about the infamous Noah St. Claire, who got suspended in the first week of college because he punched out a professor,” Ruya said, smirking.

Whoops. He’d honestly forgotten about that. “Don’t let my reputation scare you off,” Noah told her, and she laughed.

“Duly noted. Uh, you should probably get going-- aren’t you late for class?”

Noah glanced at his watch and discovered that he was, in fact, nearly late. “Worth it,” he said, flashing her a grin, and then bolted down the hallway as fast as his feet could carry him, hearing Ruya’s laugh behind him.

[swan--writes]

For the song asks; could you write one using “Lost in you” by khai dreams? Please and thank you :)))))

We do love our fluff here. I’m grinning like an idiot.

Warnings: none

Words: 995

Normally, your days off with your partner were the least boring affair in your agenda. Dewey was the most rambunctious, creative, fun person you knew, and you loved spending weekends with him. You had been together for months, though you had known each other for much longer. In all of that time, after the highs and lows of the week, having a couple of days of quality time with him was always exactly what you needed.

This weekend had been different though. All through Saturday, he had been quiet. You woke up late to find Dewey staring at the ceiling, and while he hadn’t exactly ignored you, he wasn’t nearly as talkative as he normally was. Saturday night, you had both gone to a music event at your favorite café/bar – an independent musician was performing from her new self-produced album. Dewey loved events like that, where he could groove to something fresh. But all night he had seemed preoccupied.

Today was no different. Usually you would be cooking or finding a restaurant to go to, making the most of your Sunday evening. Instead, he was sitting on his armchair and tapping away at some report on his laptop while you sprawled out on the couch all alone. Dewey hated seeing you alone on the couch, he always said there was something missing before flopping right down on your stomach. And he never, ever did work on the weekends.

You had been doing your best to distract yourself, but after watching your twenty-seventh cooking video, you couldn’t take it anymore.

Without a word you dropped your phone, stood, strode up to Dewey’s chair, and sat down in his lap. You knocked his laptop aside with your knee, gently enough that you wouldn’t do any damage, but strongly enough to let him know you meant it.

“Whoa, hey!”

“I know, I’m sorry, but what’s up with you?”

“What’s up with you?” Dewey countered. You shook your head and pulled your sweater sleeves up over your hands.

“No, I mean you’ve been acting weird all weekend.”

You could see a defense rising in Dewey’s eyes, but before he could speak, you gave him a look. He looked down and sighed.

No, I’m not tryna complicate none of this, none of this…

You had landed straddling his lap and you lifted his chin with a sweater-covered finger before draping your arms over his shoulders.

Let me just come tell you how I feel.

“What’s up, teach?” you asked. Dewey swallowed.

Okay, um…

“Right, so, I’ve been thinking a lot about us.” He gestured between the two of you as best he could with the limited space left to him. “I know we haven’t been together real long, but…I don’t know.” He sighed.

I’m just looking for some balance and some trust.

“I mean, you know what my last relationships were like.”

“Shitty.”

Dewey laughed, letting go of some of his nervousness. “Yeah. Yeah, they were. But we’re different.”

I’m just looking for some mutual love.

“Not, I mean, that you’re different. You are, but, like, our vibe is different, ‘cause…” He trailed off, then groaned and hung his head. You laughed and nudged his forehead with your nose.

“We work well,” you said, taking pity on him. He nodded a few times, then looked up at you again.

“Yeah, we do,” he agreed. “I don’t know, maybe we both grew up.” You raised an eyebrow. “What? I’m mature,” Dewey said defensively. You raised your other eyebrow. “Mature-er,” he mumbled. You smiled. “Whatever, what I’m trying to say…” he gave you a soft accusing look, and you held back another laugh. “…is that, um…this is good.”

I'm just tryna take it slow, see where it goes…

“Why didn’t you just tell me that yesterday?” you asked.

Dewey looked away from you. “I don’t know, I just did want you to feel like there was any pressure or anything.”

“Why would there be pressure? You’re right, this is a good.”

“I didn’t say ‘a good,’ I said ‘good.’” The quotes were evident in his voice.

You tapped his back. “Don’t make fun of me, you know what I mean.” He laughed, then kissed your nose.

‘Cause you know that you'll never really know…

“I mean, I’m never sure when you’re supposed to have this conversation. I didn’t wanna have it too soon.”

“And what conversation is this?”

Dewey poked you in the side. “You know what it is.”

“I don’t though,” you insisted.

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Even though I can feel it in my soul, but you never know why.

Dewey sighed. “I don’t wanna scare you off.”

“Okay, now you’re just making me nervous.” Your partner gave you a slightly alarmed look. “Well, stop dragging it out! Sweetheart…” Dewey looked down again, and once again you lifted his chin. “What are you trying to say?” you asked softly.

Dewey took a short breath through his nose. “I don’t know, that you make me happy? That I feel okay when you’re around? Like, everything’s gonna be fine and good and I love you and--” For a moment, Dewey’s eyes went wide. You could feel yours doing the same as you took in his slack jaw and the rigidness with which he was now holding himself. But when the moment was over, he relaxed and said, “I love you.”

You leaned back and relaxed your brow, still hanging on to his shoulders. “Oh.”

Dewey’s eye twitched. “‘Oh?’”

“I–”

“I tell you I love you, and you say ‘oh?’”

“No, I mean I don’t get why you didn’t just tell me that before!”

“Because I was afraid you’d say ‘oh!’”

“No! I mean, I love you too!” Dewey leaned back now, but not so far that you had to let go. “I…I love you too.”

Oh all the silly things we hide…

“Well, why didn’t you just say that?”

You smacked his shoulder gently. “Shut up.”

Just to keep our peace of mind.

“Is that any way to talk to your true love?” He poked you in both of your sides now, and you couldn’t control the way you spazzed.

“Ah! Don’t be mean!”

No I never know…

“You’re one to talk.” He poked you one more time.

“I’m sorry! I love you, I’m sorry.”

Dewey grinned at you. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

No I never know…

You groaned and rolled your eyes.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hm?”

Dewey nudged your nose with his. You tilted your head. He kissed you.

No I never know why.

.

.

Tags List: @skiddyyo @a-okay-rj @geeky-marie @darkblueeyedperson @hannah-de-lioncourt @ironmansuucks @missihart23 @ballerinafairyprincess @thewolfisapartofmysoul

[vicunaburger]

Admittedly, I’m Hard to See

Fandom: Beetlejuice the Musical Chapters: 10/? Pairing: Beetlejuice x OC (Holidae) The Players: Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz, Holidae Bell Word Count: 1,563 Warnings: M for Language and Suggestive Content

Notes: …angst angst angst angst...

Chapter 10- In Which Occam’s Razor is Proven Correct

In the almost two months since moving into the house with Lydia and Beetlejuice, Holidae had yet to venture beyond the second floor.

She was aware there was a massive attic space, that Lydia’s family had a few things stored up there for safekeeping, but it was wholly underused in the grand scheme of the floor plan. Holidae vaguely remembered Lydia saying something about wanting to convert it into a dark room at some point, but nothing else. It was just there. A set of steps leading off into the abyss as far as she was concerned.

So it was quite the surprise when Lydia sent Holidae up to the attic to rummage around for photo props for her latest brilliant scheme.

“Just go find something… I dunno. Haunted looking.” Lydia had instructed before retreating back into her bedroom.

Holidae trudged up the surprisingly steep set of stairs, barely even touching the doorknob before it swung open, almost beckoning her inside. She was getting used to the creepy nature of the house by then, merely shutting the door behind her with a quiet click.

The space was huge, but not as empty as Lydia had claimed. An old, patched up sleeper sofa was unfolded into a bed in the far corner, accompanied by a dresser and a large mirror. A rack of clothes was stuffed up against the wall, doing a poor job of hiding the piles of meticulous marked cardboard boxes that lined the walls. Unfinished works of “art” sat collecting dust on the opposite side of the room. With a little work, it could have been converted into a rather spacious guest room, but it was far too shabby to house anyone now.

Holidae’s attention was drawn to the clothing rack, seeing an array of colorful dresses - Delia’s, no doubt - and some smaller, darker clothes: most likely Lydia’s old hand-me-downs. She sifted through the clothing idly, making the occasional face at the more gaudy ensembles, until she came upon… a man’s suit. It was hidden so well in between the other garments, she would have passed it by completely if she hadn’t been paying attention.

She pulled out the suit, shaking some dust off of the lapels, and inspected it carefully. The jacket and pants were a deep, but loud, red color; stained with grime that turned patches of fabric a sickly gray, stitched with thread that didn’t match any color on the suit. A ruffled shirt completely the look: again, a garish red, but a rusty hued stain had soaked into the front of it, a good sized rip disrupting the button line.

Furrowing her brow, Holidae stood in front of the mirror, holding up the suit next to her for height reference, “Hm. Too short for Mr. Deetz…”

A small whiff of tobacco smoke was the only warning she had before the suit was ripped from her hands, and she was shoved backwards toward the center of the room with force. It took some ungraceful, wobbly steps, but she managed to regain her center of gravity. Beetlejuice stood in the place she once was, crushing the suit against his chest in a vice-like grip, his hair matching the red of the fabric, his expression terrifying.

“Who the fuck gave you permission to come up here and go through my shit?” His gravely voice was low, reverberating deep in his chest.

Holidae held up her hands in defense, “Whoa, wait! I had zero idea of your stuff being up here! Lydia told me to get something for her, that’s all.”

“She told you to get this?” He held up the suit, “This specific thing that was hidden from view?”

“Well, no…” She started to chew on her bottom lip, feeling the pit of her stomach drop. “She said to get something haunted, so I was looking around through the clothes because most of them are frankly hideous, and it was on the rack. How was I supposed to know you wore anything besides stripes for god’s sake? I don’t think you have the right to be so angry about something like this.”

Beetlejuice didn’t seem impressed with her ramblings, putting the suit back in its place before advancing on her like an animal, “I don’t have the right?”

Despite him now looming over her, she stood her ground, “It was an honest mistake.”

His hands wrapped themselves around her neck, his thumbs pressing up into the bottom of her jaw, “Honest mistake, she says, like I would just believe you. You know what else could be called an honest mistake? Snapping your neck before you could even take a last breath. Oh no, what a shame, I didn’t mean to murder her. It was an honest mistake.”

“N-no, an honest mistake would be more akin to forcing your bestest best friend to marry you under duress and then realizing the whole affair was a waste because if you would have just sat down and talked things over you could have been happier faster.” Holidae could feel her pulse pounding under her skin, pressing against the force of his hands. “I know a tuxedo when I see one.”

Beetlejuice squeezed harder, earning him a gasp from his captive, “You are so mouthy today, Holli. Where’s all this coming from, huh? Do you think we’re friends Holli? That we have some sort of understanding? What makes you think I haven’t been fucking with you this whole time because I’m bored out of my skull? Wait wait… don’t tell me… you think I feel something for you other than utter contempt, right? You’re alive. I exterminate living things as a job.”

“…did anyone ever tell you that you can’t lie for shit?” Holidae choked out, her eyes starting to water with effort to breathe.

The muscles in his jaw twitched, and he eased up on his grasp, “…I lie all the time, babes.”

“Exactly, but you’re bad at it.” She reached her hands up, grabbing hold of his forearms. “If you didn’t care about the living as much as you claim, you wouldn’t have kept a constant reminder of a time when you were one of us.”

“Ugggh, damn.” Beetlejuice released her completely, walking over to sit on the edge of the fold-out bed.

Holidae waited a moment before following him, watching as his coloring turned from red to a dull violet, sitting with his face in his hands. Still leery, she crept over, standing over him in quiet contemplation.

“…don’t tell Lyds.” He finally spoke, running his hands down his face with a sigh.

“About the suit?” She asked, gesturing behind him to the clothing rack.

“No, about the fact I haven’t dusted up here in weeks. Yes about the suit.” Beej groaned, leaning over and resting his head against her thigh. “I know she already feels bad about the whole… stabbing thing. I don’t want to make it worse for her.”

“Tell you what; no more murder attempts, and I’ll keep your secret.” One of her hands reached down and patted him on the head; surprised by how soft his hair felt despite it’s messy nature. “Deal?”

Almost instinctively, he leaned into her soft touches, “Deal. Weirdo.”

“Me? I’m the weirdo? Uhh, pot calling kettle there, sir.” Holidae protested, tapping on his skull with her fingertips, “Mind elaborating for me?”

Beetlejuice put his hands around her waist, pulling her down onto the bed beside him, and rested his head on her soft stomach. Holidae made a small noise at the sudden shift of view, but let him do as he pleased for the moment. Her hand went back to absently petting his hair, seeing pink mix with the violet.

“I’m a literal demon who just threatened your life again, and you didn’t have the self preservation to like… run away. You’re weird. Like Lydia is weird… but you’re different weird.” His clawed fingers, unsubtle as he was, slipped under the hem of her shirt, feeling the warm skin underneath.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. Ahh~ cold hands.” She squirmed uncomfortably.

“Cold hands? Where?” He sat up, pulling her shirt up and over her bra to expose more of her skin, rolling her back and forth to check all sides of her. “I don’t see any cold hands under here. I think you’re losing it, Holidae; finally going mad! It’s the curse of this house.”

“Or maybe it was a jerkass ghost.” Holidae flailed helplessly, completely undone and laughing until she was out of breath, “S-stop!”

Beej continued running his hands all over her exposed flesh, pinching and dragging his claws to leave little white marks, “I’m trying to get those cold hands off of you, hold still! You’re clearly in distress and need my help, babydoll, your face is all red… you must be terrified, right? Don’t you worry about a thing. Aha!”

He dove down as he lifted her midsection off the bed, catching some skin between his teeth and biting sharply, the flesh immediately red and starting to bruise when he pulled away. Holidae couldn’t hold back the noise that left her throat; a soft keening whine breaking through the laughter. It startled her, and she clamped a hand down over her mouth to muffle herself, watching as those molten gold eyes of his turn dark.

“Oh? Care to repeat that, Holli? Didn’t quite catch it…” Beetlejuice grinned wide, leaning down for another attack.

Knock

Knock Knock

“Holli? Didn’t know if you got eaten by the monster octopus that lives up here. Should have warned you about Captain Tentacles, my bad.” Lydia’s voice echoed from the other side of the door, just as the knob started to turn.

Writing Tags: @mr-geuse @paxenera @leiasolo77 @go-commander-kim @ashemspirit

[shikai-the-storyteller]

WFC: Siege watch!

Part 1: Episodes 1, 2, and 3

[Part 2] (Linking because Tumblr isn’t even showing the post on my blog or on my dash 🙄)

As a side note: every single person in this fandom is horrible at tagging their spoilers, you guys really need to do a better job at that because I’ve got a bunch of blockers on and I was STILL almost spoiled multiple times. Come on you guys...it literally came out today, be better about this.

Alright going to try and keep expectations low because I feel like the target audience for this is G1 dudebros who take a series about transforming cars way too seriously, but I’m still cautiously optimistic because a friend vetted for the dudes working on this show so WE”LL SEE

Episode 1

Aw man there’s only 6 episodes??? Bummer, I wonder if they’re already working on Season 2 or if they’re going to see how this does and let it die in the water if it’s not popular enough.

Things I know going in: Skyfire / Jetfire is in this, Megatron has big lips, and Elita is in it. That’s literally it, I’ve managed to avoid spoilers thusfar (though a few of the promo images implied Skyfire’s a Decepticon, so you KNOW that’s gonna break bad eventually)

WHEELJACK Wednesday THURSDAY

OH MYG OSH IS THAT SKYWARP??? EXPECTATIONS ARE NOW SKY-HIGH

The transformation sequences look so reminiscent of those stop-motion videos people do of their Transformer toys transforming. This isn’t a dig at the animation style, I think that’s rather charming and I wonder if it’s intentional.

Wow Bumblebee sounds like a jerk. I’m instantly on-edge, please don’t make all the characters ~hyper-masculine mean guys who don’t know how to have fun or talk about their emotions~

“The Autobots aint paying you for attitude” YOU TELL HIM WHEELJACK

Yooo Velocitron exists!

Ahh so Bumblebee IS just a mercenary, not an Autobot

OHOHO HERE”S JETFIRE

Wow Jetfire you’re really going the bad dude route huh

Ayyyyyy there’s Starscream

YOOO THERE”S THUNDERCRACKER

Thundercracker I appreciate that you’re using fancy tech to identify wheeljack but his Autobot badge is literally Right There

WTF

WELL THAT DIDN”T LAST LONG HUH...that’s a bit disappointing

OH NVM THAT WASN”T A HEEL-TURN THAT WAS JUST A STRAIGHT UP “I”M THE BOSS” MOVE

huh so they’re making Skyfire the target of Starscream’s desire for power. hmm

WHY ARE YOU GUYS RUNNING JUST TRANSFORM INTO CARS unless they’re too low on energon to do it??

There he is...Mr. Big Lips

Well that’s a surprising take Megatron

Isn’t that Cybertron and Luna 1 in the sky though?? Are they on Cybertron rn or not??

Megatron’s voice is really throwing me off, if it weren’t for his helmet and color I’d really think that was Overlord

ITS TRUCK DAD

OHOHO HE SAID THE THING!!!!

Why does bumblebee have lips too

“What do you know of slavery?” Alright that line did make me go “OHHHH”

“Alpha Trion would be ashamed!” “Of us both, I think” ouch, but nice to see Alpha “Grandpa” Trion back in a series

Megatron PLEASE don’t say “I’m enjoying this, Prime” in that voice while I can hear Optimus groaning in the background

AYYY ELITAAAAAA

Why are the Seekers chasing these guys, who are running on foot, ON FOOT??? CHANGE INTO YOUR DANG ALT MODE

WHEELJACK SWORE

man I’m only like a few minutes in and I’m already bored. I’m going to watch the whole thing, but I feel like this is really lacking soul or personality so far. It very much feels like the script was written by people who aren’t familiar with these characters, so they’re writing them how they EXPECT them to sound, not writing them as they actually are. It’s more than a little disappointing, but this is only the first episode, so I’ll keep going and see if this is consistent throughout the series.

Oh man, just listening to Elita you can tell she was written by a dude. Oof.

There’s the Ark!

Dang everyone’s running low

Jeez Optimus and Elita wouldn’t just walk by all these injured Autobots!

And Optimus wouldn’t brush off his officers!! Agh!!!

YO Ultra Magnus!

Chromia!!!!!

oh my gosh is THAT Red Alert??

Hey where’s Ratchet though

Gosh the writing is so STIFF!!!! I can’t stand this, if I wasn’t a die-hard Transformers fan I would’ve bounced a few minutes ago

 It might also be the way the VAs pause between words, please speak normally, these constant pauses between words are frustrating

Ok but where the frick is Soundwave

“His arrogance I actually like” pfft

Annnnd here comes Ultra Magnus to accept the treaty on Prime’s behalf, where he’ll get held hostage and probably wind up beefing it.

Episode 2

SOUNDWAVE!!!! BABY

And Shockwave!!! 

YO SKYWARP ACTUALLY GOT A SPEAKING LINE

I want to know where Megatron got all this fabric for those stupid flags and where Ultra magnus got that cloak

Is. Is that Prowl with a weird paint job

Wow bad aim dude

Ultra Magnus you dummy....

Ok but if it was a battle then who were they fighting against???

Wow you’re really just gonna stand there and take that Magnus?

I know they’re on a time-crunch because they only have 6 episodes, but they have to do more to make me care about the characters. I’m inclined to care about them already because I’m familiar with the series and because as a stand-alone, even I’m like “Ok. So?” whenever new problems come up for them. I’m not invested!

Not to compare the two, because I feel like this entire liveblog will turn into a comparative essay, but Cyberverse got me invested in characters within the first episode! They were on an even TIGHTER time-crunch because their episodes were only 10 minutes, and yet they did a great job weaving a tight narrative and making good use of their time to tell a story and have characters charm the audience.

Optimus: Til All Are One Rodimus, coming out of nowhere: TIL ALL ARE ONE

WELL THAT”S NOT THE VOICE I WAS EXPECTING FOR SHOCKWAVE he sounds a bit reminiscent of his TFA version

What does de-rez mean

Ok but that’s assuming that this thing will automatically reprogram them?? Reformatting doesn’t automatically mean someone will turn into a Decepticon!

You know, there’s a lot of talking in the show but the dialogue doesn’t actually say a lot. It doesn’t reveal much about the characters or tell me who they are.

YOOO THERE”S SOUNDWAVE

AUDIO BOOB

It really annoys me that characters always pause after saying “I”. It’s always “I.........[long pause] rest of their sentence.”

what do you mean “Teams” Optimus there’s like 5 of you guys

I love you Soundwave!!!

Whoa wait was that Impactor in the background?

ughHHHHHH I HATE THAT MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE IS “what have you done?” SAID UTTERLY MONOTONE WHEN IT’S NOT EVEN A BIG DEAL!!! YOU CAN”T FLIP THAT LINE OUT WITHOUT ACTUALLY PUTTING IN THE FOOTWORK TO EARN IT!!! AGH!!!

Again, it feels very much like the writers read the wikipedia page for Transformers and maybe the first sentence of each character’s bio page and then wrote the entire script from there. It’s frustrating. I hate being so severe in my reviews because I hate dunking on my fellow writers because they don’t always have final say in what happens, but this is astonishingly poor writing.

Like, I can see what they’re TRYING to accomplish, but it feels like they whiff so badly.

YO IT IS IMPACTOR

oh thats Barricade that’s why I thought that was Prowl

Chromia!!!! My darling!!!! I can’t believe there’s only two girls in this show so far

Oh that’s Cog, I wasn’t sure if that was Beachcomber or what

Nice one Chromia

Oh is that Mirage?

Ugh ANOTHER WRITING PET PEEVE: Constantly having characters start to say something but then then their dialogue gets cut off. It’s fine if it’s once in a while but over and over it’s annoying

I also feel like a lot of the VAs lack...emotion. They don’t emphasize the lines. Like, “Get him into the repair bay” is one example. Depending on how you emphasize certain words in that sentence, you can infer a lot! Emotion, the state of mind of the character, etc. But when it’s delivered in such a bland way, it’s a bit like “ok whatever”, which is how I’m starting to feel about this whole show. This doesn’t go for all the VAs or all lines, but it’s consistent enough that my mind’s wandering.

RAVAGE??? RAVAGE???? RAVAGE?!?!?!??!?!

It was probably Bumblebee.

Not to be nitpicky but it should be “Neither we nor the Autobots”

The idea of reformatting is so stupid!!! It implies that Autobots and Decepticons are inherently different, which is stupid!! It’s so dumb WHY DO YOU GOTTA GO THAT ROUTE IT”S SO STUPID (ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY”RE TACKLING THE TOPIC OF OPPRESSION??? THEY”RE SAYING THEY”RE LITERALLY DIFFERENT SPECIES AND USING IT AS A PLATFORM TO SAY ONE GROUP IS INHERENTLY BETTER THAN THE OTHER. THAT SUCKS)

Episode 3

RATCHET!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lmao love your lipgloss Megatron

Ohh is Ratchet going to fix Impactor??

PROWL??? HE”S SO SHORT

Gosh please, please don’t have humans in this show

lmao Skyfire called Starscream a tool

RATCHET!!! :D

I’d like to see who was on the writing team of this show

Isn’t that Mirage?

YEAH THAT IS MIRAGE

Again with the sentences consistently being cut off....

Is that Sunstorm?

Points to Chromia and Mirage for showing the first bitof personality in this show.

Yooo Ratchet! Oof he’s not chummy with Prime huh

YOO CAMINUS EXISTS TOO

LMAO FEISTY GRANDPA

Oh Mirage come on

Actually no, don’t shut Impactor up he’s right

“I didn’t patch you up just so you could blow a valve here” *snorts*

Wouldn’t it be frickin hilarious if Magnus just popped open a panel and Minimus came out and just dipped outta there

lmao nice lightsaber Jetfire

LMAO “PULL THE TRIGGER MAGNUS”

JEEZ JUST PUNCH HIM RIGHT IN THE FACE WHY DON”T YOU 

Ratchet is the ONLY character they’ve given personality in this show so far.

Jeez Mirage cool your jets

Oh for frick’s sake Optimus be cool

Megatron please stop torturing your ex boyfriend

Ok but who did they rise against??? Were there Quintessons in this universe too?

oh come on you guys

Oh boy something tells me Skywarp isn’t going to survive the rest of this episode

Oh jk, Skyfire just let him go. Well alrighty then

I’m not sure how they found the Autobot base, they implied that it was because of Impactor but that doesn’t make sense

This post is getting long so I’m going to spit it between two posts