#4 da evening crowd

[splatashahowlett]

missing piece

logan (james) howlett x reader

the record player was playing One piece at a time, your favorite song, occasionally letting out a soft sound of scratching against the vinyl. the bar was crowded and everybody seemed to have a good time. the 70's may become your favorite decade. you've been alive for over a hundred years now but you liked everything about this era; the music, the clothes and the recklessness of it.

you were currently seated at the bar, drinking whatever the bartender had offered you. the guy had been hitting on you all evening, and you figured that free drinks couldn't hurt since your healing factor would keep you from getting drugged. you liked the attention anyway, your ex lover had disappeared on a random tuesday and never came back home. it had been four years since you had last seen him, you weren't mad at him anymore, but more at yourself for thinking a man could keep his promises. so some compliments were always welcomed.

you were watching people dance, the festive atmoshpere filling a void in your chest. whenever you felt alone you would go to a bar, or a pub just to feel something. in those places, time seemed to stop, you could be invisible. nobody cared about you or asked anything from you. sometimes you would dance with a random girl or guy and end up in their motel room just to sneak out the second they fell alseep. you were conscious that this lifestyle wasn't for everybody. in fact, you didn't enjoy it in the slightest. but you didn't have a choice. you didn't have any family anymore, and the only person that counted took off 4 years ago. you didn't work and your only hobby was drinking. you weren't living, but barely surviving. but with time you get used to it, right?

right as when you were about to get up to dance, someone sat next to you. too close for your liking. you turned your head and were met with a drunk looking guy, staring at you like you were some piece of meat. you gave him a look that meant "get the fuck out of here and leave me alone" but he didn't seem to want to comply.

"hello pretty girl, need some company?" he said, or at least that's what you understood. his breath hit your nose and you almost threw up; your heightened senses could really be a pain in the ass sometimes.

"go fuck yourself" you said, walking toward the back door. the guy following you.

"I think I'll need some help with that, my girl" he said, trying to catch up with you. you ignored him, or at least he thought so, and went through the back door, making sure he was still behind you. once you found yourself in a small alley, you grabbed him by the collar and pushed him brutally against the wall.

"I am not your girl" you threatened. the dickhead tried to answer but with your hands on his throat the task seemed more difficult than usual. you hated this petname, it reminded you of things you wanted to forget. you let go of him, letting him fall to the ground and kicked him in the stomach. that wasn't necessary but he deserved it.

you went back inside, planning on gathering your things and then finding a place to sleep. you folded your jacket on your arm and put your pack of cigarettes in your pocket. but as you turned toward the door, your heart stopped. a familiar face looking at you from the crowd. at first you thought you were hallucinating, the fucker was dead. you hoped he would be. it would hurt less. but when he started coming closer you scoffed.

you couldn't do it without a drink, so you sat back and asked for straight tequila. you missed this vanishing feeling the night procured you.

logan sat next to you and asked for a drink. you refused to look at him. you wanted to punch him in the face, alright maybe you were still a little mad at him. seeing him here, and so close to you made you mad. you wanted to kill and kiss him.

"I missed you" he said, looking afar. out of all the things he could have said you weren't expecting this. you scoffed and tightened your grip on your drink.

"shut your damn mouth" you gritted through your teeth, still holding onto your drink for dear life. you had imagined what it would be like to see him again and promised to yourself that you would tell him you moved on and leave him speechless. you never thought you still loved him so deeply. you hated how he made you feel, you hated feeling weak. but you loved everything else about him, and if feeling vulnerable was the price to pay to be with him then you wouldn't think twice about it.

"I didn't have a choice" he added, this made your blood boil. you knew he was telling the truth and you had already forgave him, you just needed to hear him say it. you didn't say anything, didn't ask about the reason of his departure. you kept your mouth shut, hoping he would take the hint and leave. no you didn't want him to leave, you wanted him to think that you wanted him to leave.

"I’m sorry” he muttered. this was your last straw, your glass broke between you fingers, shards of glass flying all over the counter and cutting into your hand. you jumped, startled at your own doing. logan reached for your hand immediately but you moved it away before he could even brush it.

"fuck you" was the last thing you said before running to the bathroom. your healing factor was already pushing the glass out of your flesh but it still hurt as hell.

“let me help you” you hadn’t even hear him coming in. you smiled, amused at the situation. you terribly wanted to give him your hand but your pride told you otherwise.

“why are you here?” you whispered, almost scared that if you spoke louder he would disappear.

“I told you, I miss you”.

“of course you do, that's why you came back so quickly” you said, washing the blood off your hand. “I just know you were bored to death without me" you joked, trying to ease the tension.

logan approached and slowly put his hands on your waist, your back facing him. he then delicately planted his chin on your shoulder. “I know you won’t believe me when I tell you I did this to protect you and that’s fair but I need you by my side, I need my girl” you swore you heard a sob in his voice. you looked up, staring at your reflection in the mirror, you could see logan’s head next to yours he was looking at you. this was the first time you’ve look into his eyes since he left. and they felt like home.

you turned around slowly, facing him. you hands claimed back their place on either side of his face. wiping his tears. seeing logan cry was rare, extremely rare. you felt your heart broke at the sight. he put his hands on yours and closed his eyes, enjoying how your touch felt like after so many years. nothing changed, not his love for you nor what he felt around you.

“let me take you home” he begged

“where?”

“doesn’t matter, home is whenever I’m with you”

you knew that your james was telling the truth, and you knew that you still loved each other.

"I need time, james" you answered, even if your mind was already made you had some self respect. you were about to say something else but logan beat you to it:

“I love you” he breathed.

you kissed him passionately, making up for all the lost kisses.

"I love you most"

you were still upset about what he did, but at the end of the day, you knew he did it for a good reason and that it hurt him maybe even more than it did you, and you certainly couldn’t imagine life without him.

you both cried into the kiss, silently promising to always be on each other's side.

"come on, let's get out of here"

[bountydroid]

Darlin' pt 11

pt 1 / pt 2 / pt 3 / pt 4 / pt 5 / pt 6 / pt 7 (SMUT) / pt 9 / pt 10 (SMUT)

Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x reader

Description: Cooper exposes his jealous side as they find out Moldaver’s location.

TW: swearing, canon typical violence, slut shaming?

I woke up in the morning sprawled across Cooper with a wide smile on my face. He looked so content when he slept, like all the things that had hurt him over the years had never happened. I wonder what he looked like before he turned ghoul. I imagined how handsome he probably was because even after ghoulification, he was still stunning. He must have felt my stare as he slowly opened his eyes and turned his head towards me.

"Mornin', sugar." He mumbled out before yawning. 

"Mornin', Coop," I responded, smiling at him before kissing him on the head. "Ready to head out?" 

And so, another hike started. I hoped once we found Moldaver we could maybe take a couple of days' break. Honestly, I had no idea how I kept walking after weeks of nonstop hiking, it felt like my legs were going to fall off.

Eventually, we happened upon another town, bustling with life. I didn't try to hide the smile on my face as we squeezed our way through the crowds. I tightly fisted Cooper's tattered duster jacket to make sure we didn't get separated. As usual, he was quiet, he wasn't used to sharing his plans with anyone.

As we approached a small bar, he finally spoke with a stern look on his face. "Stay close, darlin'."

I gave him a small smile in response and happily nodded my head. We slowly entered the tavern, trying our best not to turn any heads. I had no idea if ghouls were welcome here, but considering our past experiences I highly doubted it. As he headed to the bar I let go of his jacket, mesmerized by all the different people I was seeing. Maybe someday I could convince Cooper to stay awhile in a town like this.

"Well, hello beautiful." I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around to see a tall, skinny man with shaggy brunette hair and dark brown eyes.

I hesitated. My first instinct was to tell him to fuck off, but maybe I could get some information out of him so I gave him an award-winning smile before responding. "Hello. Maybe you can help me? I am trying to find out where I can find someone named Moldaver." I batted my eyelashes at him, giving him my best doe-eyed expression.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise as her name rolled off my tongue. He briefly looked me up and down as if trying to ascertain if I was friend or foe. After a brief pause, he asked, "You lookin' da join er?"

I nodded quickly, trying to hide the fact that I had no idea what I was talking about.

"Well," He continued. "Today is ya lucky day. I could take ya to er. We are real close." He boasted. The lie about their relationship was clear on his tongue.

"That's amazing!" I faked amazement, trying to milk his attraction for more information. "Where is she?"

"In da hills." He continued to spill information like a fountain without a second thought. "My name is Roofus, by the way."

I hummed for a moment before responding, "Nice to meet ya." I mumbled while looking around for Cooper. Our eyes finally locked as I found him leaning back against the bar. His arms were crossed and his hat was tilted down, I could barely see his eyes peeking out from behind it. Anger radiated from his form, causing those around him to instinctively find somewhere else to stand. I gulped nervously as I took him in.

"Hey-" Roofus waved his hand in front of my face, catching my attention again. 'That guy scarin' ya?"

'No." I answered quickly. The last thing I needed was for this guy to confront Cooper, but he seemed to have a mind of his own.

Puffing up his chest as he started to make his way towards Cooper's imposing figure and ignored my pleas to stop. "Don't ya worry sweetheart, I'll get rid of  im’."

I gave Cooper a nervous glance as I saw him straighten his back and move his hand to rest on his gun belt, suspiciously close to the gun itself.

"Hey. Ya scaring my lady." Roofus accused Cooper confidently. 

"Your lady?" Cooper laughed loudly at the thought. "She ain't yours."

"This is Roofus," I said quickly, interrupting their conversation. "And Roofus, this man is my friend." I made sure not to say Cooper's name, knowing how protective he was of it. However, this just seemed to piss Cooper off more.

"Your friend?" Roofus asked, surprise clear on his face. 

"Roofus, huh? Stupid name." Cooper sneered.

Roofus prickled with anger, but before he could start yelling at the ghoul in front of him, Cooper interrupted him. “See, I heard somethin’ about a Roofus while at the bar here. Said your movin’ some cargo.” Roofus’ anger switched to confusion at Cooper’s words. “Movin’ cargo for Moldaver.” Cooper finished as he stepped closer.

At the mention of Moldaver, Roofus looked back at my nervous form. “Who da hell are ya people?”

“People you should be afraid of.” Cooper growled. “Now, you are gonna tell me how to find Moldaver, or I’ll rip your guts out.”

Roofus’ hand move instinctively over his coat pocket and the noise of crumpling paper was heard underneath, “I ain’t telling ya shit, ghoul.”

Cooper hummed, his venom turning to amusement as Roofus unknowingly gave him the information he needed. Her location was on that paper in his jacket. “Have it your way.” Cooper said before a gunshot rang out in the busy tavern. I squealed in surprise as Roofus’ body hit the ground. The room went quiet as Cooper belt down to pull out the letter from the dead man’s pocket. I looked around nervously as all eyes were on us.

“Cooper,” I whispered.

Ignoring me, Cooper stood back up eyeing the paper. “Damn.” He mumbled as he studied the hole in it before folding it and sticking it into his jacket pocket.

“Cooper.” I hissed loudly as I saw some people start to get up from their seats, anger clear on their faces.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, boys.” Cooper said looking up at the angry men. “Just a bit o’ business, and I got none with you.”

“You better get the hell out of here, ghoul.” One of the men growled before spitting on the ground in front of us.

I knew this would piss Cooper off, so I quickly grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the door. He ripped his hand from my grasp but continued following close behind me. When we finally made it out of the village, I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. However, before I could register what was happening, Cooper roughly grabbed at my shirt collar pulling me close to him. “What the hell was that?” Cooper growled, staring down at me angrily. “Flirting with other men in front of me? Acting like a slut?”

I squeaked in surprise. Never in a million years did I think he would ever speak to me this way. “Coop, I was just tryin’ to help.” I pleaded, but he wasn’t listening.

“You are MY slut. You understand me? No one else can touch you. No one else can even fuckin’ look at you.” He ranted as one of his fists flew to the hair on the back of my head, tugging harshly.

I gasped loudly at his actions. I never took him for the jealous type, but here he was completely overtaken by it, and much to my surprise I liked it. I pressed my thighs together while I complied, “Yes Coop, I am your slut. Only yours.”

This seemed to appease him as his grip loosened on the back of my head as he pressed his body against mine. “Good,” He hummed. “Never do that again.”

“I wont. I wont ever.” I responded as my hands trailed up his chest and cupped his face softly. “I’m sorry I upset you.”

He studied my face for a moment before pulling away with a grunt. It was clear he was still angry with me. I watched intently as he pulled out the letter from Roofus and read it. I didn’t know it was possible, but his face soured even more.

“Well I’ll be damned.” Cooper mumbled. “I shot right through the damn location.” He said sighing.

“Roofus was the son of an old friend of mine.” He said before looking up at me. “Let’s pay him a visit.”

-

It didn’t take us long to find the man’s house. As we entered, however, only a little girl was home.

“Well, hello darlin’. Your daddy home?” Cooper asked nicely.

The girl just shook her head in response. Much to our surprise she didn’t seem scared of us. She just stared up at us with a blank expression.

“What is your name, sweetie?” I asked as I bent down to her level.

“Sandra.” The small girl replied.

“I’m an old friend of your daddy,” Cooper said while looking around the small home. “When will he be home?”

“Soon, it’s almost dinner time.” Sandra responded.

At the mention of dinner, my stomach gurgled. My face reddened with embarrassment as I looked down at my feet. “Well, my girl and I have traveled a long way so why don’t you get us some dinner too?” Cooper said while putting a hand on my shoulder.

The girl just nodded in response before heading to the kitchen. I slowly stood up from the ground, giving Cooper a sheepish expression before looking around the home. It was a nice little place. The walls were covered with wood panels and metal sheets, but it was homey, much nicer than the one I grew up in.

As if he could sense my thoughts, Cooper asked, “Remind you of home?”

“This ain’t nothin’ like my home.” I responded quickly as I studied the shelf on the wall. “Much nicer.”

He hummed quietly before sitting down at the table and placing his hat down next to him. I waited there in silence for a bit, the only noises to be heard was from Sandra puttering in the kitchen. “What are you gonna do?” I asked as I sat down at the table next to him.

He studied my face for a moment before responding, “Depends on them, darlin’.” I just nodded while I picked at my fingers. I understood what he meant. Whether he would kill them or not depended on if they complied or not. A feeling of dread settled in my stomach as I thought of Sandra.

Before I could say anything, Sandra returned with two plates of dinner. I looked up at her in surprise at the contents. Wonderful smelling meats graced the plate in from of me, brahman maybe? And definitely some chicken. “Thank you, Sandra!” I said excitedly as I grabbed the silverware from her hands. I can’t even remember the last time I had a meal that looked this good.

Sandra didn’t respond, instead disappearing back into the kitchen quietly. I quickly started cutting up the meat, a grin plastered over my face. I heard Cooper chuckle next to me, no doubt amused at my excitement, but I paid him no mind. He slowly followed suit, cutting up his meat slowly as he watched me. As the brahman hit my tongue I moaned with happiness. After weeks of iguana and jerky, this felt like a meal fit for a king.

The door swung open as a man and a young boy entered the building, a look of confusion on their faces. I ignored them as I continued to eat happily. I trusted Cooper to handle it, but he stayed quiet as well, just staring at the man and slowly bringing the meat to his mouth.

“Sandra?” The man called out only to be greeted with silence. I looked up at him and then over to Cooper who was maintaining eye contact with him. Before he could call out again, Sandra’s footsteps could be heard as she entered the room with two glasses of water in her hands. She quietly put them on the table. Her father visibly deflated with relief at the sight of her.

“Thank you, darlin’.” Cooper said to her before looking back up at the father, “Oh, wait. You thought?...” Cooper said smirking as he held up a piece of meat on his fork. “Come on now.” He said laughing.

“Sandra, wait outside.” The man said, his voice wavering with fear. The girl quickly did as she was told.

“Lead farmin’, huh?” Cooper said, continuing the conversation. “Why, hell, I probably still got some of your lead in me somewhere. But today, I am just lookin’ for information.”

“I’ll tell you anything, as long as you leave us in peace.” The man said. I could tell he was trying to act confident, but his voice continued to waver.

“Say, am I out of date, or did I hear you had three kids?” Cooper asked as he pulled out the letter from his jacket.

“I had an older son, but he’s gone. He took up with that madwoman in the hills two years ago. We haven’t heard from him since.” The man explained.

Cooper smirked as he looked down at the letter, “There’s always some new little faction, ain’t there? Brand new team of believers with their own dumbass ideas about how they gonna save the world. What did you say the name of your eldest was? Was it Roofus?” At the mention of Roofus’s name I instinctively winced, remembering how mad Cooper was at me for talking to him. This didn’t go unnoticed as Cooper’s eyes flickered towards me for a second before returning to the man.

“I didn’t say-“ The man started to respond.

“That must make you Tommy.” Cooper interrupted.

The man looked over at his son before angrily asking, “What did you do? What is that envelope?”

“Well, you see, daddy-o, from what I can tell…” Cooper says clearing his throat. “… Old Roofus got Tommy here mixed up with that madwoman, too. Now according to this. Roofus sent Tommy a stash of caps to pay a courier for the safe transport of an Enclave defector, to that very same madwoman in the hills. Moldaver.” Cooper explained with a smirk plastered across his face.

“Now the problem is, by the time I got this letter off your brother,” Cooper said addressing Tommy, “It was a little bit hard to read.” Cooper held up the letter, peaking his eye through the bullet hole. “For some reason I can’t make out her location.” He looked back over at the father before saying “You really should’ve taught your boy to not play with toys that aren’t his. Maybe you���d still have two sons. Now you give me that location, and I’ll be on my way.”

The man and his son looked at each other before Tommy said, “I’m sorry.”

“Tell him, son. Just tell him.” The father pleaded.

“I didn’t want to spend my life digging through dirt.” Tommy explained. “I want to build something, and we have the chance-“

“Tell him what he wants to know or else he’s gonna kill us all!” His father yelled, interrupting him. “Including your little sister.”

Tommy stared Cooper down. “Huh.” Cooper hummed, surprised by this turn of events. I had stopped eating at this point, my attention turned fully to the men in front of us.

“You should tell him.” I said softly, giving the boy a reassuring look. “Listen to your father.”

Tommy looked between me and Cooper before surrendering. “She’s… she’s at the Observatory.”

“Now please, leave us.” The father pleaded.

Cooper sighed deeply before saying, “So, what you think, Tommy? Am I really walking out of here today, or are you gonna draw on me for what I did to your big brother?”

Tommy’s eyes darkened at Cooper’s words as rage filled his expression.

“He won’t.” The father responded.

“Maybe not today, but someday.” Cooper said, eyes never leaving Tommy. Understanding the threat Tommy reached for the shotgun next to him, but he was too slow. Before I even realized what was happening, Tommy was on the ground, a gunshot through his chest.

“Tommy!” His father yelled as he crouched down over his son’s body.

Cooper stood up and slowly started to collect his things, signaling me to follow. As we passed by the father, I gave him a sad expression but said nothing.

This was just how the Wasteland worked. Kill or be killed.

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[ask-maxie-boy]

Goonion's Ghoul (Part 4)

Bruce does a little digging. This one's a little more serious, but dont worry, the shenanigains resume next chapter <3

Part 1 & 2 Part 3

The pool hall was fairly quiet tonight. It was a dim place who's customers were the only thing shadier than its corners. The smell of smoke lingered in the whole building, but the usual cloud that held over the room seemed to be gone.

The "No Smoking" sign on the door was new, and it seems like people were listening. Bruce fiddled with the stick match between his fingers - he wondered if it was going to be a problem.

"8 Ball, side pocket" Clack!

"Tch. Good game, whatever."

As the men and small crowd around them get their bet earnings, Bruce approached with a predatory grin. "Hey fellas, mind if I get in on a game?"

Most of the men seemed to be sizing him up, but one in particular (the one who won the last match) inhaled sharply. "Matches fuckin' Malone, I haven't seen you 'round here in a while! You sonofabitch, where ya been?"

'Matches Malone' pulls his titular match out from his teeth, and puts on an annoyed face. "Bah, deal went south, had to lay low for a while." Someone handed him a pool stick, prompting Bruce to nod and grab some pool chalk.

"I getcha. We can go a round, Matches. Loser buys a round at the bar for everyone."

"Jeez, I said I was just layin' low and thems are the stakes?" Matches' grin comes back, a gleam rolling along his aviator shades. "Guess I could use a free drink, so why not?"

The other guy rolls his eyes. "Well, aren't you confident. Promise that'll changes once the game starts."

The game gets set up quickly, and they let Malone break. He lines up his stick, but isn't too concerned about exactly how to hit this shot.

"Say," Bruce asks, "I heard there's a new way of gettin' some help around here. Any'a you know about it?" The cue ball slams into the triangle of other balls.

"Oh, you're askin' about the Goonion? You don't gotta beat around da bush. Even if you weren't in good company, there ain't no need to be hush about it." The 7 ball rolls into a corner pocket, a solid color sunk.

Its an easy shot to the 5, side pocket. "Wouldn't expect that from a big band 'a criminals," Bruce says, casually lining up the hit, "but I guess that's Gotham for ya. So, how do I get in contact?" *Clack!*

"There's a big place on 29th street, down by Proctor Ave." The 5 cleanly rolls into the next pocket. "They put up a big sign just yesterday, you cant miss it."

The next shot is a bit more tricky, trying to get the 3 without hitting the 10 in. "No shit? A big ol' sign that says 'Hey, a buncha lackeys here!' right out in the open?"

The other guy snorts. "I mean, the cops don't give a damn, and the criminals are already in on it. That just leaves the bats, but between you and me? I hear the robins are in on it."

Not only does Bruce miss the 3, he knocks the 10 in, closely followed by the cue itself. A scratch. "Well, now I know you're just fuckin' with me."

His opponent grabs the cue ball with a chuckle, and puts it just by the 12 for a clean corner pocket hit. "Like how you were with that last shot? Yeah, yeah, I'm messin' with you... kinda. There's a runnin' joke that the robins should be considered one of us."

Second stripe down, Bruce's eye twitches, hidden by his large sunglasses. "I don't see whats so funny about it, considering how many times we've had our ass handed to us on a black-n-blue platter by 'em."

Its a more difficult shot to hit the 9 in the side pocket, but the opponent aims anyway. "Yeah, Danny's got this big ol' thing about how Vigilantism's a crime and Batman's a crime lord. Ya kinda have to hear him say it, but damn if it isn't funny." He makes the shot, but the cue ball slides in the pocket with the 9, as Bruce bites back a grumble.

Its his chance to get back in the game, and clean it up. Bruce puts the ball on the table, and lines up a shot that should also get him in position for the next few. "Danny, eh? Whats his deal anyway? Everyone seems all buddy buddy with the guy, but I can't find out a thing about him. He some kinda "

The normal sound of a pool stick hitting the cue is clean, crisp, and short. A satisfying ricochet right to where it was aimed, sealing a calculated move into victory.

That is not the noise that echoes through the hall.

Instead, the stick bounces off of the cue strangely, shaking awkwardly as a much harsher CLACK! attacks everyone's ears, as the ball rolls slowly in the wrong direction, and hits nothing.

His opponent, and everyone with and without money on the game, look right at him. Some are giving dirty looks, some seem angry, others just discontent. A few look ready for a fight to break out, as the sudden tension ensnares him. He gets the feeling its not the bum shot they're upset about. "Uh... any chance I can try that hit again?" He asks sheepishly, analyzing exits, preparing for the brawl that might happen, and a cover story for how Matches got out of being attacked by this many people.

Bruce winces as his opponent places their hand on his shoulder, but doesn't strike back just yet. His opponent still seems tense, but not rearing back an attack. "Matches, you'se a good guy, so I'm gonna let you off easy on this one. But for 'da future, dont go askin' around about Danny. He doesn't like people poking into his business.”

The crowd seems to calm down a bit, but there's still a few bad looks being sent towards Bruce. He puts some hint of worry in his voice, dusting off his suit to sell the idea that that shook him up. “I.. I see. Caposh.”

His opponent goes back to the table, picking the cue off the table after Matches' bad hit. “...He's just a kid, Matches. Smart, kind,” he lines up his next shot on the 11, “I'd call him naive if he didn't prove he knew what he was doing.” A clean shot, into the side pocket.

“If you're goin' to the Goonion, you'll meet him and see.” Another easy shot, 13 into the corner. “He does good work. The Hood may have started the union, but Danny stoked the flames, kept us together when we wanted to fall apart.” A hard hit, the cue ball stopping dead as it strikes its target, knocked straight into the pocket. “He fought for us, went up against some of the most dangerous people in Gotham and told them to kneel.” Someone in the crowd murmurs, “Stronger together,” which has him roll his eyes. “Yeah yeah, we all did it, sure. But someone needed to face 'em down, and not only did he bite the bullet,” 14 ball, corner pocket, “he spat it right back out at 'em.”

“He got us dental!” Someone cheers, and most of the crew cheers with him, clinking beer bottles together.

“Point is, he's a good guy who does a good job, and the least we can do is stick our noses out of his business.” 15 ball, opposite corner. “We don't need him getting hurt because we couldn't do that.”

Something flickers in Bruce's eyes at that last comment, noting the slightly somber tone. “...he didn't ask you to stay away, did he?”

“He didn't need to. I told ya, you'll get it when you meet him.” He points out his last shot, “8-ball, corner,” and hangs over the table to aim his cue. “People like him don't usually stick around Gotham, and not by their own choice. If someone finds out you're the one who made him leave, whether you meant it or not...”

The 8 ball rolls cleanly into the pocket, a promise fulfilled. “You'll be lucky if you're found with a bullet to the head.”

An open secret. One that puts him in harms way if the details get out. Details people are purposefully avoiding, out of gratitude. Makes things difficult for him.

“...Well, a deal's a deal. A round on me, everyone!”

@akikkobara @thegatorsgoose @addie-lover-of-stories @apointlessbox @screamingtofillthevoid @semiprofessionaldumbass @sailor-goddess @malice-of-the-sunrise @savaton @spikedlynx @emergentpanda-blog @starlightcat04 @demented-trashcan @vehan-tikkun-olam-and-stuff @soren1830 @vixen-uchiha @rowanaway-fromthisbs @space-dreams-world @wolfeyedwitch @the-legal-shipper @gmkelz11 @dannyphantomphan @idkmrpianoman @somuchyikes @blankliferain @thatonegirl10 @thewondersoflebanon @cass-brightwood @coruscateselene @hallowsden @avelnfear @ultimatebluff @kryzs2000 @blep-23 @jaguarthecat @all-mights-asscheeks @meira-3919 @ricekristytreaty @illya-roma @mentalcarebear @wackyattack @fisticuffsatapplebees @love-has-no-labels @dat1angell @igotafewbadideas @thordottir45 @idfk-man10 @choppedphantomsweets @dragonfirefeather @smol-book-nerd @randomkiddoscrewingaround @alinmenttreasure @queen-of-the-grapefruits @cyber-geist @bianca-hooks123 @gaelic-holiday

[one-piece-aus]

Unbottle Your Emotions

Eustass Kid x Reader (Part 2)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Ahoy, here with Part 2 of this series. Quick A/N that if Apoo is ooc, I don't care. This story is about Eustass Kid :3 Enjoy ^-^

"Yo yo yo! How are my favourite non-party people doing?"

"Hi Apoo," you greeted the DJ who slung his long arms around you and Hawkins.

Apoo's the extrovert friend that adopted you and Hawkins. At first, you didn't understand why he decided to hang around you guys until he admitted he felt excluded by the social crowd in school. You and Hawkins had let him be a part of the conversation and he liked being around you guys after getting to know you. He invited both of you to a few of his parties but then realized you weren't party people, hence the nickname.

"Greetings Scratchman, are you planning to join us for lunch?" Hawkins asked Apoo while you closed your locker.

"You know it," Apoo replied and took his arms off your shoulders, aware you didn't like physicalness for too long. "Where we heading?"

"We're going to the vegan restaurant Hawkins wanted to try," you answer as the three of you head out of the school.

"What?" Apoo look at you dumbfounded. "I thought you didn't like that stuff [N/n]."

"[Y/n] had been partnered with Eustass in English and their last conversation left her not wanting to face the redhead again, so she asked me to get her stuff and we're going to the restaurant as her returning the favour," Hawkins explained to Apoo.

"Oh, you're partnered with Kid?" Apoo looked to you for a response. Seeing you only nod, made him switch topics. "... Hm, to the restaurant we go. What's going to be served there anyway? Salads?"

"You are aware vegans eat more than just vegetables," Hawkins stated with an unamused expression, though to those who pass by, he still kept the same face.

"My bad." Apoo held up his hands in defence. "But you can't blame a guy for thinking vegans just eat rabbit food."

Hawkins would've glared at the DJ if not for you giggling, seeing you amused made him let it slide for now. "Rest assured, there are a variety of dishes you'll be able to choose from."

"We'll see about that," you said.

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

"Yo, the coconut cheese nachos were da bomb!" Apoo exclaimed as he exited the restaurant. "Who knew vegan food taste so good!"

"Ehhh, I still prefer my burgers," you teased the blond who held the door.

"I'm at least grateful you gave it a try, even if it was for paying back a favour," Hawkins said, letting the door close and joining your side.

"Yeah, yeah." You waved it off.

Your mood has picked up since this morning, practically forgetting what had happened in the first place. You suppose you could thank Apoo for his infectious upbeat vibe. Despite how annoying he can be, it's nice to have someone who can distract you from stressful things in life.

"Next time I'm picking where we eat!" Apoo declared walking backwards in front of you and Hawkins.

"Sure, do me a favour sometime and we'll go." You smiled. "Just as long as it's not you trynna sneak us into a club with a bar again."

"Aw right!" Apoo threw his arm up. "Trust me guys when I say, you are gonna love- Oof!" He stumbled forward when he bumped into something, or rather, someone.

"Watch where you're going," a blue-haired guy said.

"Yo-" Apoo turned around, his defensive mode switched on. "Maybe if you didn't stand around blocking the sidewalk I wouldn't have to," he "countered".

You deadpanned, it's not the first you've seen Apoo puff his pride to where you can hardly tell the difference between him and a barking chihuahua, it just gets old after so many times. Perhaps this attitude of his is the main reason he's excluded from the social crowd at school. Though, it never bothered you much since you knew it wasn't real beef, and Hawkins... tolerated it? Well, he never brought it up so you can only assume as much.

Hawkins rolled his eyes and passed by the two. "Leave it, Scratchman."

"Come on, Apoo." You walked by him and patted the other's shoulder. "Sorry about him."

"Yo, can't you see I'm not the one at fault here?" Apoo questioned you guys.

"People who don't watch their surroundings get killed." The guy glared at Apoo, and that's when you recognized who this guy was. He's Heat from Kid's gang, which means the rest are nearby.

No... no no no. You already didn't want to bump into Kid again, being in range of his anger is so much worse. The thought alone caused stress to weigh on your mind. Haistly, you spun on your heels.

"You threatening me or some- hey!" Apoo didn't finish when you grabbed his arm and scrambled to get away. "Ayo, what gives [Y/n]?"

"Go. Go! Before-"

"What's the going on here?"

Fear ceased your haste, and colour drained from your skin. You knew the voice belonged to Kid before you turned around, though it didn't surprise you that the rest of his crew followed in company. Seems like they came out of one of the restaurants.

"Nuh- nothing! My friend just accidentally bumped into your buddies, sorry about that." You bow to show your respect as you apologize, nudging Apoo to do the same.

"What? I ain't apologizing." Apoo frowned at you.

Kid got ready to pick a bone when he saw you throw a deadly glare at Scratchman while gripping the guy's arm and not two seconds later it had Scratchman saying sorry. He eyed you, intrigued, the actions you just displayed shined a different side of you he had not seen in English class. You gave off the impression you were an academic scatterbrain, then he found out you listen to metal which confused him. You seemed too submissive and agreeable to be into something so hardcore. That glare you threw at Apoo told another story. You were strange, he couldn't figure you out. Perhaps there's more to uncover.

Kid narrowed his eyes at you as if staring at a puzzle. "You should hang out with other classmates, [L/n]."

"It's not like anyone else wants to be around me," you muttered to yourself, not knowing Kid picked it up. "We'll be leaving now, have a good day Eustass." You flashed a soft smile at him.

Little did you know the effect your smile would have on Kid would start something.

[korraofthereef]

Holy shit. TIMEBOMB FANS STRAP IN FOR THIS.

(lots of you have probably already seen this video before, but here’s a quick reminder)

First let’s start with the pinned comment that breaks down time stamps in the video:

Introduction (Ekko did not just have a SLIGHT crush on Jinx lol) : [0:00]

RIOT geniously hiding stuff about Timebomb till the reveal : [1:32]

The timelapse (lots of uncorrect lines in the audio cause we didn't know they met at that time, so it was just me theorizing, but I guess I wasn't wrong now lol) : [2.35]

Ekko-Jinx background, Timelapse + what we know from LORE, and how RIOT been playing with our sanity : [3:20]

✨ WALL ANALYSIS [starting with the easiest ones to see, most interesting parts are near the end]

Intro : Ekko's Wall painted in a RORSCHACH Art style [patchwork graffiti] - being full of Powder & Jinx, Ekko being in love representations, and references to Arcane : [7:28]

Jinx's heroe number and Ekko having her X and her signature all over him : [10:09]

(!) Please see the threads in description to see it all pointed out (!) The video didn't really say it right but these pictures and explanations will definitely make you see what I mean, and also, what I mean about the hair-clip and the Firelight symbol might be theory but I have explained in my thread all the things I discovered that make me thing the Firelight symbol, seeing how it changed, might have a link with Jinx in the first place when it was invented by Ekko.

RIOT playing with us and hiding the fact Jinx was on the wall : [12:14]

This is NOT hypothesis : [12:58]

The developers pointing out the forms we need to see with the thunder hextech energy : [14:54]

Yes, Ekko was in love, and he represented himself 6 times looking at her with bewildered eyes, heart in his eyes, blushing or spying on her during their teenage days : [15:18]

✨ SUMMARY FOR THE THE PAINTINGS --------

NOTE : sometimes you will see the paintings I’m pointing out even better in the next paintings I will point out. By exemple, the Firebomb and the Ekko blushing drawing described in N°2, are clearer and more easy to see in the screencaps pointing out painting N°3! Just try sticking till the end of the video to see them all! ;)

First observations & How I started my Analyze : [16:11]

N°1 - Arcane Jinx main painting on the left - representing Ekko’s Hope to get her back : [16:41]

N°2 - Powder main painting on the right (double faced Powder-Jinx + Ekko blushing + Jinx Chumper bomb) : [17:44]

N°3 & N°4 (I apologize for the lame quality of this one but it was quite hard to make it stand out!) - Screaming/crying Powder, teenage Powder-Jinx drawn K/DA style boxing + teenage Ekko with his Firelight jacket standing on the other side : 5 scenes painted in one and moving along with the seconds! (SIDE NOTE : the cube design on the painting represents the Arcade place in which Jinx boxes the machine, I forgot to mention it in the video!) : [19:19]

N°5 - Vi abandoning Powder - exact Arcane scene : [21:28]

N°6 - Get Jinxed scene from Arcane and Ekko spying on her : [22:14]

N°6, 7 & 8 - Ekko representations watching with bewildered eyes, blushing, with his Firelight mask AND A HEART around the 2 middle Powder & Jinx paintings : [25:20]

Back on N°7, beautiful painting of teenage-adult Jinx with shimmer eyes on top of the wall : [26:26]

N°9 - Little Powder from Arcane & Ekko blushing next to it : [27:47]

N°10 - Doll Jinx with Arcane's clothes : [28:28]

N°11 - Black & white picture of the same screaming/crying Powder represented on painting N°3 : [28:50]

N°12 (that you can see more clearly later in the screencaps of N°27!!) - Ekko in GILDED skin & Jinx with untie long hair drawn in negative mode : [29:04] (!) in the video I said Firelight jacket but now that I discovered all the Ekko-Jinx matching stuff in the Gilded universe (and them hiding in the crowd side-by-side on the Caitlyn’s Gilded artwork lol), I realized it looked like Gilded Ekko in that painting!

N°13 - Young Ekko with unknown person on his side but seeing how the rest of the wall is Jinx, it is probably Powder : [29:19]

N°14 - Young Powder & Ekko talking, probably the talk they had after Powder was taking in by Silco, seeing how Ekko is represented like a skeleton (dying inside) : [29:37]

N°15 - Jinx blue smoke/cloud tattoos representation (!) this cloud I'm pointing out is actually part of the ''cracking the hextech scene'' I've discovered later on, and is located on her shoulder! I will show the painting of that scene later in the video don't worry ! ;) [30:25]

N°16 - Symbols next to the Get Jinxed painting, that have different meanings in the next scenes I will show when the wall will be upside down (singing, crying + hextech symbols) : [30:32]

N°17 - THREE PAINTINGS IN ONE : Powder's red eye when she looks at Silco at the end of Act 3 + Jinx's face/mouth when she looks at Ekko before she made her bomb explode : [30:45]

N°18 - Representation of baby Powder's trauma on the bridge : [31:54]

N°19 - Lighting the flare scene drawn negative mode again, being represented in every way/side you turn the wall : [32:12]

N°20 - Random elements, like Ekko's young blushing face, giving the shape of a heart when you turn them upside-down : [32:29]

N°21 - Young Powder with Arcane's clothes, but looking more fierce as the Powder we know. Perhaps one Powder from Ekko's memory, or the Powder from the Timelapse : [32:40] (!) You can see this painting more clearly in the screencaps of N°27 (!)

N°22 - Jinx drawning/reborn scene with Silco : [32:56]

N°23 - (sorry I have deleted this one since I couldn't point it out in the video, but here's what it was : the black canvas on each side of the scene, also have Jinx & Powder's representations on them, but you'll have to zoom in and improve lighting + the quality yourself to see them cause it can't be shown in a video ToT/)

N°24 - Powder’s leather bag + teenage Ekko staring + blue & pink hand palm : [33:17]

N°25 - Big Jinx monkey-bomb from Arcane, near the other paintings of that exact same scene : [33:37]

N°26 - Drawn negative mode : ''Devil'' Jinx from the bridge scene : [34:08]

N°27 - Two paintings in 1 - Teenage or adult Ekko & Jinx + Ekko’s Gilded skin again ? : [34:31]

N°28 - Jinx ''cracking the Hextech'' scene : [34:57]

N°29 - Firelights representations, same as the ones Jinx drew in her Diary : [35:40]

N°30 - end [36:05]

MORE INTERPRETATIONS & BETTER QUALITY OF SOME PAINTINGS :

N°12 - Ekko & Jinx with untie long hair drawn in negative mode but also, if you look at it at [34:55], you'll see it way more clearly AND also see that it gives Jinx lighting up the flare scene with Ekko on his overboard flying around her.

N°27 - at [34:37] you'll see the young Powder from N°21 way more clearly!

The Jinx Monckey-bomb. At [30:58] ; [31:55] and [34:13] you might see the Jinx Monckey-bomb more clearly as the pictures are in better quality or more focused on this area !

N°22 [32:06] : I forgot to mention it in the video but in that drawing-reborn scene with Silco, you can actually see fingers/a hand (drawn by the Jinx mouth from N°28) pushing on Jinx’s skull/in her hair which seems to be pulling her under water.

More stuff about the Get Jinxed painting and the Devil Jinx one : on top of the Get Jinxed painting, there is a scary white mask/face that I believe to be representing Silco. When you turn the picture upside down, and try not focusing on that mask, it then gives off the Devil Jinx I showed earlier.

Also, the big yellow/bewildered eye in the middle of Jinx chest in the Get Jinxed painting could be representing the Eye of Zaun, as this a tech-nerd Jinx being represented here, and as Ekko is represented staring/spying on her, it could imply that Ekko has recognized Powder in her in that moment, the Zaunite child with whom he grew up with and whom he loved.

End note : I forgot to mention it in the video but there are also 2–3 Vi representations on the Jinx paintings, one from the scene where she left her on the street and went to calm herself away from her, and another with her head and shoulders down, on the main Jinx painting on the left, that looks like the Vi introducing scene from Episode 4 in the prison.

OKAY INSANE. Next I’m gonna give you some screenshots I took so y’all can get some visuals to the stuff you just read. Also, WATCH THE VIDEO!!! The creator does a lot better at exposing than I do—never mind the fact that this is literally their findings! (I didn’t find any of these, just watched the video and now spreading it to tumblr). I have absolutely no recollection of which N• photo these images belong to so you’ll have to play connect the dots lmao

A lot of the images also already have text on the screen explaining, I’m just gonna paraphrase what the voice in the video (not the text) is saying.

These two photos are telling us how Ekko’s down bad ass based the entire firefly logo off of Jinx and her logo… and for the context in the first image about the emboldened Z, here it is:

PRACTICALLY IDENTICAL.

This is the video creator explaining their level 1 billion brain power on thinking outside the box and how the idea of the painting was to go back to an Ekko origin short that came out YEARS before Arcane did. They’ve been planning this entire time, and when the description pasted far above talking about the different photos it was talking about the images painted on a wall in an Ekko origin (will show screenshots next)

The creator of the yt video found almost FORTY Jinx paintings and references to Arcane (which hadn’t been anywhere near its release date when the origin came out.

These ones on the large wood slab are CRAZY. The artists and develops had loads of fun because in the last photo you can see jinx screaming/crying if you focus on all the colours in the photo.

However, the YouTuber blurred Jinx’s face to hell you focus on the blues and pinks where the developers/artists made kind of like a moving mini scene that moved while the video itself moved. To my understanding you can see Jinx boxing and at some point Ekko shows up, too.

(I’ll repost this so I can add more images 👍)

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 381 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 士傑高校ヒーロー科現見ケミィ しけつこうこうヒーローかうつしみケミィ shiketsu koukou HIIROO-ka Utsushimi KEMII Shiketsu High School hero course [student] Camie Utsushimi

2 つーかアレAFO⁉︎顔あるくない？ つーかアレオール・フォー・ワン⁉︎かおあるくない？ tsuu ka ARE OORU FOO WAN!? kao arukunai? “S’that AFO!? Doesn’t he not have a face?”

3 士傑高校ヒーロー科肉倉精児 しけつこうこうヒーローかししくらせいじ shiketsu koukou HIIROO-ka Shishikura Seiji Shiketsu High School hero course [student] Seiji Shishikura

4 父の　仇敵 ちちの　あだかたき chichi no adakataki “My father’s bitter foe.”

5 殺してやりたいが ころしてやりたいが koroshite yaritai ga “I would like to kill you, but...”

6 士傑高校ヒーロー科夜嵐イナサ しけつこうこうヒーローかよあらしイナサ shiketsu koukou HIIROO-ka Yoarashi INASA Shiketsu High School hero course [student] Inasa Yoarashi

7 ………憎悪と厭悪に溺れはしない…！ ………ぞうおとえんおにおぼれはしない…！ .........zouo to en’o ni obore wa shinai...! “.........I will not drown in hatred and loathing...!”

8 それこそ奴の思う壺だからだ…！ それこそやつのおもうつぼだからだ…！ sore koso yatsu no omou tsubo dakara da...! “Because that’s exactly what he’d want...!”

9 父が看守として守ってきたものを ちちがかんしゅとしてまもってきたものを chichi ga kanshu to shite mamotte kita mono wo “That which my father protected as a jailer”

10 私はただ繋ぐ‼︎ わたしはただつなぐ‼︎ watashi wa tada tsunagu!! “I will just connect!!” (Note: This is a continuation of the theme of all these people connecting to one another for the sake of a larger goal: defeating AFO.)

tagline 加勢、来る‼︎ かせい、くる‼︎ kasei, kuru!! Help arrives!!

1 死柄木・デクが雄英から離れた模様‼︎ しがらき・デクがオリからはなれたもよう‼︎ Shigaraki ・ DEKU ga ORI (kanji: yuuei) kara hanareta moyou!! “It seems that Shigaraki and Deku have left the cage (read as: UA)!!”

2 シシクロス※‼︎OB・OGもいるぞ シシクロス※‼︎オービー・オージーもいるぞ SHISHIKUROSU※!! OOBII・OOJII mo iru zo “Shishicross※!! OBs and OGs are here too.”

※肉倉のヒーロー名 ※ししくらのヒーローめい ※Shishikura no HIIROO mei ※Shishikura’s hero name

3 状況は混沌だ！なんとしても止めるぞ!!! じょうきょうはカオスだ！なんとしてもとめるぞ!!! joukyou wa KAOSU da! nanto shitemo tomeru zo!!! “The situation is chaos! I will stop you no matter what!!!”

tagline No.381 闇　　堀越耕平 ナンバー381 やみ　　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 381 yami   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 381 Darkness   Kouhei Horikoshi

4 手遅れになる前に「ト���」を封じつつ ておくれになるまえに「トガ」をふふじつつ teokure ni naru mae ni 「TOGA」 wo fuujitsutsu “Before it’s too late, contain Toga“

5 遠距離攻撃を総てAFOへ‼︎ えんきょりこうげきをすべてオール・フォー・ワンへ‼︎ enkyori kougeki wo subete OORU FOO WAN e!! “and [direct] all long-range attacks to AFO!!”

1 無事か⁉︎ホークス‼︎ ぶじか⁉︎ホークス‼︎ buji ka!? HOOKUSU!! “You okay!? Hawks!!”

2 塚内さん つかうちさん Tsukauchi-san “Tsukauchi-san“

3 増援タイミングナイスっす ぞうえんタイミングナイスっす zouen TAIMINGU NAISU ssu “Nice timing with the reinforcements.”

small text 命助けられました いのちたすけられました inochi tasukeraremashita “[That] saved my life.”

4 いや！我々が要請する前に いや！われわれがようせいするまえに iya! wareware ga yousei suru mae ni “No! Before we made that request”

5 彼らが動いてくれていた！ かれらがうごいてくれていた！ karera ga ugoite kurete ita! “they were already moving in!”

6 AFOの肉体が"戻って"いる事は聞いた…だがーーっ オール・フォー・ワンのにくたいが"もどって"いることはきいた…だがーーっ OORU FOO WAN no nikutai ga “modotte” iru koto wa kiita...da ga--- “I heard how All For One’s body is ‘returning’...however---”

7 群訝の抑えが勝敗に直結する そこのおさえがしょうはいにちょっけつする soko no osae ga shouhai ni chokketsu suru “crowd suppression is directly linked to victory or defeat.”

8 なんとしてもAFOを止めてくれ‼︎ なんとしてもオール・フォー・ワンをとめてくれ‼︎ nan to shitemo OORU FOO WAN wo tomete kure!! “Stop AFO no matter what!!”

9 "個性"は「本体」に触れる事で奪う "こせい"は「ほんたい」にふれることでうばう “kosei” wa 「hontai」 ni fureru koto de ubau I steal quirks by touching bodies.

10 僕に数で挑むリスクは考慮していた筈だが ぼくにかずでいどむリスクはこうりょしていたはずだが boku ni hazu de idomu RISUKU wa kouryo shite ita hazu da ga I should have been considering the risk of their challenging me with numbers.

1 これまでのリスクヘッジを放り出してでも止めたいと これまでのリスクヘッジをほうりだしてでもとめたいと kore made no RISUKU HEJJI wo houri dashite demo tometai to “Even if I throw away the risk hedging I’ve done for far, if I want to stop...”

2 そうかそうか… sou ka sou ka... “I see, I see...”

3 フフ… FUFU... “Heheh...”

1 ぐああ!!! guaa!!! “Gwaah!!!”

2 更に多くの"個性"を併用し始めた…‼︎ さらにおおくの"こせい"をへいようしはじめた…‼︎ sara ni ooku no “kosei” wo heiyou shi hajimeta...!! He started using even more quirks together...!!

3 免れた者は手を緩めるな‼︎防御持ちは押されるな‼︎ まねがれたものはてをゆるめるな‼︎ぼうぎょもちはおされるな‼︎ manegareta mono wa te wo yurumeruna!! bougyo mochi wa osareruna!! “Don’t lose your hands to those who escaped!! Those who have defense, don’t be pushed!!”

4 見ろ！奴は"止まって"る‼︎攻撃し続けろ‼︎ みろ！やつは"とまって"る‼︎こうげきしつづけろ‼︎ miro! yatsu wa “tomatte”ru!! kougeki shi tsudzukero!! “Look! He’s stopping!! Continue attacking!!”

5 この期に及んでまだ このごにおよんでまだ kono go ni oyonde mada “Up until this point, you’re still”

6 どうにかなると思っている どうにかなるとおもっている dou ni ka naru to omotte iru “thinking you’ll be able to do something.”

7 僕に唯一届いた男を欠いて尚！ ぼくにゆいいつとどいたおとこをかいてなお！ boku ni yuiitsu todoita otoko wo kaite nao! “[Yet] you’re still missing the one man who could reach me!”

1 勇敢なんじゃない… ゆうかんなんじゃない… yuukan nanja nai... “You’re not brave...”

2 僕の黄金時代を知らぬからだ ぼくのゴールデンエイジをしらぬからだ boku no GOORUDEN EIJI wo shiranu kara da “It’s because you don’t know of my golden age.”

3 物心が付く頃にオールマイトが台頭し始めた世代…！ ものごころがつくころにオールマイトがたいとうしはじめたせだい…！ monogokoro ga tsuku koro ni OORU MAITO ga taitou shi hajimeta sedai...! “The generation when, just as you were coming to your senses, All Might began to rise...!”

4 産まれた時からオールマイトが台頭していた世代！ うまれたときからオールマイトがたいとうしていたせだい！ umareta toki kara OORU MAITO ga taitou shite ita sedai...! “The generation that, since when you were born, All Might [already] had risen...!”

5-6 何も見えぬ闇の中しかし誰もが「そこにいる何か」に怯えた時代 なにもみえぬやみのなかしかしだれもが「そこにいるなにか」におびえたじだい nani mo mienu yami no naka shikashi daremo ga 「soko ni iru nani ka」 ni obieta jidai “The era when you couldn’t see anything in the darkness but everyone was still frightened by ‘something in there’...”

7 猜疑と怨嗟 さいぎとえんさ saigi to ensa “Suspicion and resentment.”

8 搾取と差別に塗れた さくしゅとさべつにまみれた sakushu to sabetsu ni mamireta “Painted with exploitation and discrimination.”

9 黄金の闇を！ おうごんのやみを！ ougon no yami wo! “The golden darkness!”

1 ？　いや知ってるっす ？　いやしってるっす ? iya shitteru ssu “? No wait, I know that!”

2 あんたは知らんかったけど!!! あんたはしらんかったけど!!! anta wa shirankatta kedo!!! “I didn’t know about you though!!!”

3 その辺は近現代史でちゃんとやってるんで‼︎ そのへんはきんげんだいしでちゃんとやってるんで‼︎ sono hen wa kingendaishi de chanto yatterunde!! “We properly [covered] around then in Modern History!!”

4 俺は親友の轟とその父親を"見て"応援すると決めた！ おれはし���ゆうのとどろきとエンデヴァーやを"みて"おうえんするときめた！ ore wa shin’yuu no Todoroki to ENDEVAA (read as: sono chichioya) wo “mite” ouen suru to kimeta! “I decided to ‘watch’ and support my close friend Todoroki and Endeavor (read as: his father)!”

5 その血潮が恐怖に勝ってるだけっス!!! そのちしおがきょうふにまさってるだけっス!!! sono chishio ga kyoufu ni masatteru dake SSU!!! “That hot-headedness will win against fear!!!”

6 風の牢に"個性"を乗せてーーー…… かぜのろうに"こうげき"をのせてーーー…… kaze no rou ni “kougeki (read as: kosei)” wo nosete---...... He’s riding on the attack (read as: quirk) that’s a prison of wind---......

7 …"奪って"…行くか…… …"うばって"…いくか…… ...”ubatte”...iku ka...... “...shall I...steal it......”

1 ぐはっ!!! guha!!! “Ghagh!!!”

2 イナサ‼︎ INASA!! “Inasa!!”

3 手を緩めるなトガを巻き上げながら吹かせ続けろ‼︎ てをゆるめるなトガをまきあげながらふかせつづけろ‼︎ te wo yurumeruna TOGA wo makiage nagara fukase tsudzukero!! “Don’t back off, keep blowing while rolling up all the Togas!!” (Note: [immature giggle])

4 ええ‼︎…俺の"個性"は強風の時程強くなるっス…!!! ええ‼︎…おれの"こせい"はきょうふうのときほどつよくなるっス…!!! ee!! ...ore no “kosei” wa kyoufuu no toki hodo tsuyoku naru SSU...!!! “Yes!! ...My quirk gets stronger when the wind is strong...!!!”

5 あんたの旧い栄光より あんたのふるいえいこうより anta no furui eikou yori “Instead of by your old glory,”

6 応援してる方のつくる未来が見たいんスよ俺はァ‼︎ おうえんしてるほうのつくるみらいがみたいんスよおれは���‼︎ ouen shiteru hou no tsukuru mirai ga mitainSU yo ore waA!! “I’d rather see a future made by supporting [each other]!!”

7 エンデヴァーさん…‼︎ ENDEVAA-san...!! Endeavor-san...!!

1 進展ならありますよ しんてんならありますよ shinten nara arimasu yo No progress? I disagree. (Note: This is a flashback from chapter 325.)

2 ここにあったんだ koko ni attanda We’re seeing it here.

3 OFAは人々の心が紡いできたーーー… ワン・フォー・オールはひとびとのこころがつむいできたーーー… WAN FOO OORU wa hitobito no kokoro ga tsumuide kita---... One For All spins together people’s hearts---...

4 OFAだけじゃない ワン・フォー・オールだけじゃない WAN FOO OORU dake ja nai It’s not just One For All.

5 あなたも確り繋いでる！ あなたもしっかりつないでる！ anata mo shikkari tsunaideru! You are surely also connected!

6 …嫌な目だ …いやなめだ ...iya na me da ...I don’t like those eyes.

7 僕を見ていない光を失わない… ぼくをみていないひかりをうしなわない… boku wo mite inai hikari wo ushinawanai... They won’t lose that light as if he’s not looking at me...

8 いや　失ってはいるのだ いや　うしなってはいるのだ iya ushinatte wa iru no da No, he’s losing something.

9 薪を焚べるが如く まきをくべるがごとく maki wo kuberu ga gotoku [They’re] like burning firewood

10 継ぎ足されていく つぎたされていく tsugitasarete iku turning into coals.

11 だが…"個性"が奪われる事を恐れ近付けない だが…"こせい"がうばわれることをおそれちかづけない da ga...”kosei” ga ubawareru koto wo osore chikadzukenai “However...you’re afraid of having your quirks stolen, and so you can’t get close.”

12 もういい君たちの行き着く先はーーーー もういいきみたちのいきつくさきはーーーー mou ii kimi-tachi no ikitsuku saki wa---- “That’s enough, don’t you all [realize] where you’ll end up----”

1 この感覚ーー… このかんかくーー… kono kankaku--... This feeling--...

2 避けなければならない攻撃だ よけなければならないこうげきだ yokenakereba naranai kougeki da It’s an attack that must be avoided.

3 そういう事か そういうことか sou iu koto ka Is that how it is?

4 闇ニモ やみニモ yami NI MO “When it comes to the darkness,”

5 色ンナ味ガアル いろンナあじガアル iroNNA aji GA ARU “there are many flavors.”

6-7 おまえが闇を語るな おまえがやみをかたるな omae ga yami wo kataruna “Don’t you speak of the darkness.”

8 おまえが生んだドブのような味の闇ならーーー おまえがうんだドブのようなあじのやみならーーー omae ga unda DOBU no you na aji no yami nara--- “If it’s a flavor of darkness like the sewage that birthed you---”

1 皆デ　モウ食ッチマッタ みんなデ　モウくッチマッタ minna DE MOU kuCCHIMATTA “I’ve already devoured it with everyone.”

1 急激に立ち込めた暗雲が光を遮った事で きゅうげきにたちこめたあんうんがひかりをさえぎったことで kyuugeki ni tachikometa an’un ga hikari wo saegitta koto de With the light blocked by the dark clouds that rapidly rushed in,

2 "力"の持続時間が延びる "ちから"のじぞくじかんがのびる “chikara” no jizoku jikan ga nobiru the duration of my power is extended.

3 炎は ほのおは honoo wa The flames

4 木々ごと吹き荒れる交戦の中で小さくなっている きぎごとふき��れるこうせんのなかでちいさくなっている kigi-goto fukiareru kousen no naka de chiisaku natteiru are growing smaller with the battle raging through the trees.

5 俺を土で覆ってくれ おれをつちでおおってくれ ore wo tsuchi de ootte kure Cover me with dirt,

6 闇を溜める‼︎ やみをためる‼︎ yami wo tameru!! and I will accumulate darkness!!

7 オールマイトが言っていた……「エンデヴァーの炎を掴んでも オールマイトがいっていた……「エンデヴァーのほのおをつかんでも OORU MAITO ga iite ita......「ENDEVAA no honoo wo tsukandemo “All Might said...... ‘Even if you grab Endeavor’s flame,’”

8 彼の"個性"が奪えるワケではない」… かれの"こせい"がうばえるワケではない」… kare no “kosei” ga ubaeru WAKE de wa nai」... “‘there’s no way you can steal his quirk’...

9 俺がホークス達のサポートに選ばれた理由だ おれがホークスたちのサポートにえらばれたりゆうだ ore ga HOOKUSU-tachi no SAPOOTO ni erabareta riyuu da “That’s the reason I was chosen to support Hawks and the others.”

10 黒影全開放 ダークシャドウぜんかいほう DAAKU SHADOU zenkaihou Dark Shadow Fully Unleashed

11 士傑の増援からすぐ　この状況に備えたのか！ しけつのぞうえんからすぐ　このじょうきょうにそなえたのか！ shiketsu no zouen kara sugu kono joukyou ni sonaeta no ka! Just after Shiketsu’s reinforcements... Are you prepared for this situation?!

12 押せええ おせええ oseee “Subdue [hiiim!]”

13 常闇くん‼︎ とこやみくん‼︎ Tokoyami-kun!! Tokoyami-kun!!

14 追い風っス!!! おいかぜっス!!! oikaze SSU!!! “A tailwind!!!”

1 俺も君に少しでも繋げられてるなら おれもきみにすこしでもつなげられてるなら ore mo kimi ni sukoshi demo tsunagerareteru nara If even I can connect with you just a little,

2 この汚い羽があって良かった このきたないはねがあってよかった kono kitanai hane ga atte yokatta I’ll be glad to have these dirty feathers.

3 深淵闇躯 ブラックアンク BURAKKU ANKU Black Ankh

4 光明!!! バルドル!!! BARUDORU!!! Balder!!! (Note: This is a reference from Norse mythology.)

tagline 叩きつぶせ‼︎ たたきつぶせ‼︎ tataki tsubuse!! Crush him!!

[chevvy-yates]

OC INTERVIEW

got tagged by @alphanight-vp. Thank you sm 🤍

As I got four boys I will only pick Ryder for now, as I assume he's the secret crowd favorite. If it happens I get tagged again I'll pick another as I do not have the energy to do all four atm.

—

Decided to let Ry answer. All in italic is what he thinks for himself as further answers as he usually doesn't like these sort of rather boring and timewasting questioning and even more so doesn't tell that to strangers. So it's not a must to let the oc speak but I felt like doing it for this one. It's just Ryder thinks a lot for himself especially with strangers. He holds back his true wants and interests very often and only gives harsh answers to them that don't tell much about him.

—

///_NAME?

"You scanned me, right? It says 'Ryder' — and that is how you are allowed to call me. No last name, Just Ryder. Is all you need to know." — I'm a fucking von Scharfenberg, some high royal German Corpo. If I would spit that into your face you would probably only laugh and your answer would be "This is a joke right?". Kein Scherz, I'm the son of the CEO of Militech. The useless boy who disappeard several years ago. I had reasons enough to leave this shitty live.

///_NICKNAME?

"You are a rando so for you I am still 'Ryder', ist das klar?" — My nickname is 'Ry' but I only allow my closest friends and loved ones to call me like that. Thyjs calls me 'snoep' and I think that sounds beautiful. He only says it when we are just for us. So ein Süßi.

///_GENDER?

"Cis male."

///_STAR_SIGN?

"It spans 210–240° ecliptic longitude under the constellation of Scorpius, so it's Scorpio." — Sometimes though I feel like a cancer in a leather jacket rather than a true Scorpio.

///_HEIGHT?

"I'm 1,88m tall. Translate it to inches, feet or whatever you count in by yourself." — Why can't this world have a consistent meassurement system? Geht mir so auf die Nüsse! Apple hat's doch auch vor gefühlt 50 Jahren geschafft Thunderbolt dem USB-C Standard anzupassen und heut' gibts das nicht mal mehr!

///_ORIENTATION?

"Gay. Top only."

///_FAVORITE_FRUIT?

"I rarely eat fruits. They are expensive as fuck these days."

///_FAVORITE_SEASON?

"Clearly Fall. I like the wet rainy air way more than hot sweaty summers."

///_FAVORITE_FLOWER?

There we go— the standard questions are popping up once again. Wieso jetzt Blumen? This is getting lame. — "I always forget the name. Ask Thyjs, not me. He knows it for sure. It's pretty. Dark purple is all I can remember."

///_FAVORITE_SCENT?

"The smell of a thick dark and green German forest. Cedarwood, moss and earthy scents. That paired with rain? Beste!" — I miss that a lot. — "If you want to know a fragrance instead: Aramis. Its notes? Like the way I'm smelling for you right now minuse the cigarette smoke." — I see you start sweating. Unübersehbar. Aramis never fails.

//_COFFEE_OR_TEA?

TEE? — "Brudi, Tee kommt mir gar nicht in die Tüte! Give me a fucking beer! Faust. Astra. Or a Tannenzäpfle. Man, I even take your lousy American beer or a Heinaken if I have to but please — no fucking tea!" — Coffee in the morning is alright though and gets me going.

///_AVERAGE_HOURS_OF_SLEEP?

"Man, why always these lame questions? Fucking hell. I do not track my sleep. If I sleep, I fucking sleep! If it's 4 or 8 hours – I do not care!" — To be honest, I rarely got a good sleep – not before Thyjs came into my life as he distracts me a lot. I mean if I found sleep, i slept, but there's been a time I slept like two hours and I needed booster meds to stay awake. Beast pounds almost 24/7 in my head — try find some sleep with it. almost impossible …

///_DOG_OR_CAT_PERSON?

-Sighs rather agressively- These questions are getting on my nerves. — "Dogs."

///_DREAM_TRIP?

SEH ICH SO AUS ALS WÜRD ICH DAS NEM RANDO WIE DIR MITTEILEN WOLLEN!? -tries to stay calm- — "Just be somewhere alone with my soldier visiting several spots in Europe. Where is none of your business." — I would love to show Thyjs where I've grown up and played as a kid. Back then life was easy and carefree. I would love to see Amsterdam. Love to travel up to Sweden or Norway and see the Aurora Borealis, have a great look at the stars as Night City's massive lighting during the night blocks nearly ever star up there. I miss Berlin and the clubbing there. Want to go back and lay down onto the old tarmac at Tempelhof. Explore old ruins along the Rhein and I want to do it all with my soldier.

///_FAVORITE_FICTIONAL_CHARACTER?

"None. Don't read. Not much of a tv or movie fan either." — I wasn't allowed to read or watch anything that has to do with 'fandom' as it was only distraction and nonsense. I was told TV programs are there to keep people dumb and busy from looking away from what happens in the world and from edjucating themselves. But once I met V and he did his 80s retro movie nights I liked Indiana Jones a lot.

///_NUMBER_OF_BLANKET_YOU_SLEEP_WITH?

"Next question!" — Only one blanket and Thyjs in between. At least for a bit because we separate fast as the heat, our bodies emmit, becomes too much waking us up all the time. But I love to fall asleep with him this way. He calms me and it's like he pushes Beast into a corner, silences it for a while just by his presnece. No one else is able to do that.

///_RANDOM_FACT?

"What would you do if I told you I am a cyberpsycho?" — -stares at you with a steady gaze and bared teeth- Now, pack your things an go before it gets worse. I'm holding back already.

—

tagging:

@imaginarycyberpunk2023, @elvenbeard, @morganlefaye79, @ouroboros-hideout, @aggravateddurian, @dreamskug, @wraithsoutlaws, @gloryride @cherryrockpops and @streetkid-named-desire

as always not a must and idk if u been tagged already or not, but feel free to do anytime, especially if you got more blorbos than one!

[okwritingandpain]

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: The Beatles x Reader

Chapter 2

What happened? Everything felt hazy and fractured. She was laying on something soft, a bed perhaps. Sitting up, she looked around. Everything looked odd. It reminded her of what her grandparents had described their houses looked like. Colorful wallpaper, strange furniture, and odd clothing that was hanging in the open closet. She got up to look through the selection. Dresses of all different colors plagued the interior room. Red with white polka-dots, the palest pink, and a housewife's aprons littered the closet. It made her heart skip a beat. Where was she? Where was Paul? She remembered him saying that she could save the Beatles, but what did he mean? Looking down she noticed her outfit had changed to a light blue dress. How did that happen? Suddenly a knock came from downstairs. She rushed downstairs to answer it. Opening the door revealed a skinny, handsome man. His eyes were brown and he had a very particular angular face. His dark brown hair glistened in the light. She suddenly realized she was in an apartment of some sort.

"Hiya there I'm George!" He smiled, handing her a flyer. "My band and I are playing this weekend and we're trying to build some awareness." It was strange seeing George so young and alive. He had passed before she was even born.

"You're George Harrison, right?" She asked, reading the flyer. He nodded.

"In the flesh!" He remarked, in a jittery way. "You remembered my name from the last few gigs?" He looked at the ground shyly.

"Of course! You're the lead guitarist! You know, in the Beatles--" wait what year was it? Were they still the Quarrymen? Honestly, she didn't know a lot about the Beatles. Obviously, this was during a time when they weren't crazy famous.

"You seem like a true fan!" He laughed with a slight blush. "What's your name?"

"I'm Y/N." She twisted her hair shyly.

"That's a beautiful name." He remarked with a slight smile. Looking into his eyes, her heart fluttered.

"Will I see you later?" She asked, smiling at him.

"I have a feeling we will. I hope maybe the boys will like you..." He said, turning to leave.

"The boys?" She muttered, closing the door. Was she going to meet the Beatles? Is this what Paul wanted? He barely knew her and now she was back in the 1960s! Deciding to go to their show, she checked the time. The band started at 7 pm and it was currently 4 pm. She had some time and quickly got to work on her appearance. Anything she could find she applied. Makeup, hair products, and so on. She checked the time again. 6 pm time to go. Scavenging for a key, she locked her apartment door. Heading out, she checked the flyer for directions. She had no idea where anything was, so she asked around the best she could. Finally, she arrived at the restaurant they would be playing in. George was standing with three other men looking around. He quickly noticed her. He waved childishly. The others got on and waved at her.

"Hiya, Y/N!" George yelled over the crowd. Smiling, she walked over.

"Hey, George." She softly said. The other boys were staring at her wide-eyed.

"Did you score a girlfriend, George?" The round-faced one laughed. He had dark eyes and hair. His eyes were the shape of almonds.

"Shut up, John!" George crossed his arms blushing. The others snickered. John smiled at Y/N as he looked her up and down.

"Haven't seen you around before," John smirked. She rolled her eyes.

"Guess I only caught your eye now." She joked, with a small laugh. John's face became stern before he burst out laughing.

"You got a good one, George!" He bellowed. George blushed harder.

"She's not my bird!" He chirped. The others laughed harder. Taking a glance at the other two boys, she saw a familiar face. A young Paul McCartney was smiling and laughing along with who she assumed was Ringo Starr. Ringo had the bluest eyes and rings on his fingers. Paul was bright and cheery with a certain glow to him.

"You must be John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr." She smirked, looking at the other three. Their faces had a look of shock.

"She's a true fan!" Ringo cried. He jumped up with glee. Of course, she was a true fan...at least for knowing their names. Paul looked at Y/N suspiciously, though he hid it through a warm smile.

"We got to start soon." He said, turning to leave. The others nodded.

"See you after the show?" George asked, with a cute smile.

"Of course!" She said, going over to an open table. Paul waited for George to catch up to them. He glanced at her with curiosity. Did he somehow recognize her? Were the rules of time travel, young Paul and old Paul shared memories? It was confusing. Putting it off her mind, she waited for the band to begin playing. Girls lined up around the stage excitedly. A young woman around Y/N's age sat at her table.

"You a fan?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink. Y/N shrugged wondering what to say.

"I would like to believe so." She responded as the girls began to scream. Oh, no here they come. Ringo twirled his drumsticks in his hand, Paul warmed up his left-handed bass, John adjusted the microphone, and George played a quick rift on the guitar. John announced the song before he started singing.

"Oh darling, please believe me I'll never do you no harm Believe me when I tell you I'll never do you no harm..."

The girls kept screaming.

"Which one do you like the best?" The woman asked, placing her head in her hand. Thinking for a moment, Y/N realized she couldn't make a good judgment yet.

"I'm not sure..." She trailed off. The woman laughed.

"Oh, come on! Which one is your favorite?" The woman pestered her. Pressing her lips together, she said the first name that came to mind.

"Paul." She said, plainly. The woman smiled.

"He is cute." The woman looked at Paul with dreamy eyes. Y/N looked at the band. Paul got her eye. He looked at her, still suspicious. Seeing the other girls screaming at him, he laughed a little to himself. He looked back at her and winked. The girls immediately turned to look at her. They all screamed with jealousy making Y/N jump back.

"He winked at you!" One of them screamed.

"How could he wink at her!? I'm far prettier!" Another said.

"Ladies please, I just wanted to wink at my lovely gal." He sneered. What was his deal? The girls stormed around her. They were yelling questions and the woman next to her stared shocked at her. George noticed the commotion and after their song, he got down to pull the ladies away from her. John and Ringo helped as well. George glared at Paul.

"What were you thinking!?" George spat at Paul. Flicking the saliva off his face, Paul crossed his arms in defense.

"You're broad was distracting me," Paul said his face tightening. John's fist clenched.

"You could have asked her to leave after we finished the song, or ignored her! If you want to be in this business you can't just make a fuss because one girl is distracting you!" John snapped at Paul. Ringo rolled his eyes, trying his best to stay out of it. The other three continued to yell at each other. Y/n stood there, waiting for a chance to speak.

"Alright," Ringo finally said. The others kept yelling. "I said, 'Alright!'" He pushed the group apart. They stopped to look at him. "We're not breaking up the band over one small fluke!"

"S-sorry." George hunched below the others.

"Sorry, Ringo," John said, looking toward his friend.

"Don't apologize to me," Ringo said, looking at Y/N.

"Yeah, sorry..." Paul muttered. They turned towards Y/N.

"We're kind of crazy, aren't we?" John laughed looking at his friends. George giggled his heart out while Ringo slapped him on the back. Paul stood distant from the group.

"I guess you are." Y/N laughed. The girls were still around them, staring.

"That's it for tonight everyone!" John yelled for all to hear. People started shuffling out of the room. The guys went to put their instruments away, except for Paul.

"I'm sorry if I distracted you," Y/N said, walking up to him. He glared but cooled down after a moment.

"It's not your fault, Luv. I just needed to blow off some steam I guess." He mumbled. She looked at him worried. Was she causing the Beatles to break up even sooner?

"Do you want to talk about it over dinner or something?" She asked. Oh, no why did she ask that? It sounded like a-

"Are you asking me on a date?" Paul asked, with a slight smile. They both blushed as red as roses.

"If that's what you want it to be." She smirked, winking at him. He paused with a smile.

"See you on Saturday at 1?" He asked, heading towards the band.

"It's a date." She laughed.

"A date." He smiled.

[wa-i0101]

😵‍💫❤️

1.小悪魔な後輩は、彼女の柔らかいお腹に僕の手を無理矢理当てがい、爆音の空腹音と圧倒的な振動と愛おしい感触を僕だけに披露してくれる。

2.お互いのことを思い合っているが、あまり話したことのない2人は、同じ電車で学校に行く。しかし、今日の電車はとても混んでいた。

女の子は昨日の夜と朝ごはんを食べていなかったため、とてもお腹が空いていた。満員の列車が揺れた時に2人のお腹がくっつき、鳴らないように我慢していた女の子のお腹は男の子のお腹の上で大きな唸り声を上げてしまう。

女の子はあまりの恥ずかしさで泣きそうになるが、男の子も好きな子の不本意な恥ずかしい音を聞き、思わずド��ドキしてしまう。

3.好きな人の前で素直になれない女の子は、「お腹が空いて、今にも大きな音が鳴ってしまいそう」といった状況でもつい強がってしまう。

「大丈夫？」と聞かれてもお腹を小さく鳴らしながら「何でもない」と答え、こっそりとお腹を押さえている。

しかし、飢餓状態の身体は彼女の気持ちなどつゆ知らず、大音量のお腹の音で周囲に助けを求めてしまった。彼女はビクッと身体を硬直させ、悔しそうに顔を赤らめた。

4.ダイエット中は家にいてもお腹がぐうぐう鳴って何もする気が起きないので、図書館で読書をすることにした。

本を読み進めていると、なんだかお腹の様子がおかしい。今にも、家にいる時とは比べ物にならない程の音が鳴ってしまいそうだ。周りは静かだし沢山の人がいる。

冷や汗をかきながら「お願い…鳴らないで…」と祈るも意味はなく、静かな空間に食べ物を乞うみっともない大きな音だけが響いてしまう。

ああ、周りの人々の視線を痛いほど感じる。私は、「恥ずかしい音の犯人です」とアピールしていることに気付かないまま、必死にお腹を抱え込むことしかできなかった。

5.私のお腹は、沢山の食べ物を喜んで吸収して沢山の食べ物を大きな声でところ構わず懇願する。そんな肉付きの良い大きなお腹が恥ずかしい。

6.自分の空腹音に興味がある女の子は、こっそりと通販で聴診器を買った。わざとご飯を抜いたお腹で試してみると、あまりの音の大きさに驚くと同時に恥ずかしくなってしまった。

7.甘えん坊な友達に膝枕をしていると、急激な空腹感に襲ってきた。友達の耳元で爆音が鳴ってしまいそうで、この場から一刻も早く離れないといけないのに身動きが取れない。

でも、万が一お腹が鳴っちゃったとしても…友達は寝てるから聞かれないのでは…？という一縷の望みが頭をよぎったのも束の間。誤魔化しきれないほどの音を轟かせてしまった。

不幸にも友達はお腹が鳴る少し前に起きてしまっており、恥ずかしい音の最初から最後までを全て耳にしてしまった。その後は、2人とも気付かないふりをして過ごした。

1. The little devilish junior forcibly places my hand on her soft belly and shows me the explosive sound of hunger, overwhelming vibration and lovely feeling only I can feel.

2. The two of us, who have feelings for each other but have never talked much, take the same train to school. But today's train was very crowded.

The girl was very hungry because she had not eaten last night and breakfast. When the train shook in the crowded train, their bellies got stuck together, and the girl's stomach, which was trying not to growl, growled loudly on the boy's stomach.

The girl is so embarrassed that she almost cries, but the boy also hears the unwilling and embarrassing sound of the girl he loves and is involuntarily thrilled.

3. A girl who cannot be honest in front of the person she likes will end up being strong even in a situation like "I'm hungry and I'm about to make a loud noise.

"Are you okay?" When asked, she replies, "Nothing," while making a small rumbling sound in her stomach and secretly holding her stomach.

However, her starving body, oblivious to her feelings, called out for help with a loud tummy rumbling. She stiffened and blushed in frustration.

4. When I was on a diet, my stomach grumbled and I didn't feel like doing anything at home, so I decided to go to the library to read a book.

As I was reading a book, something was wrong with my stomach. Even now, it seems to be making a lot more noise than it does when I'm at home. It's quiet around me and there are lots of people.

I pray in a cold sweat, "Please…don't ring…" but there is no point, only the loud, miserable sound of begging for food echoes in the quiet space.

Oh, I painfully feel the stares of the people around me. I could only clutch my stomach desperately, unaware that I was appealing to them that I was the culprit of the embarrassing sound.

5. My belly happily absorbs a lot of food and begs loudly for a lot of food everywhere. I am ashamed of such a big fleshy belly.

6. A girl interested in the sound of her own hunger secretly bought a stethoscope by mail order. When she tried it on her stomach, which had been deliberately skipped, she was surprised and embarrassed at the same time at how loud the sound was.

7. As I was kneeling down to my pampered friend, I was overcome by a sudden feeling of hunger. I felt like I was about to be blasted in my friend's ear, and I couldn't move, even though I needed to get away from this place as soon as possible.

But even if my stomach rumbles… my friend is sleeping, so he won't hear it…? I had a ray of hope that my friend would be asleep and would not hear me. I let out a sound that was too loud to be fooled.

Unfortunately, my friend had woken up shortly before my stomach rumbled, and heard the entire embarrassing sound from beginning to end. After that, we both spent the rest of the day pretending not to notice.

[katsheadinclouds]

chapter 7

Joel Miller x gn!/f! reader

series masterlist  -  chapter 6

summary: The annual end of summer celebration in Jackson brings people together, you and Joel included.

rating: mature

chapter warnings: slight angst, insecurities, mentions of eating and drinking alcohol, mainly fluff, autumn vibes, no use of y/n

word count: 8.8k

divider by cafekitsune

4 months later

“Do you want anything?” Ellie asks from her group of friends, Kit, Juno, Robbie, Jesse and Dina, as she stands up from their blanket on the ground. They all want more snacks so she goes to get them, while cradling her own mug in her hand.

It was funny walking to the town center with Joel carrying their mugs. Apparently last year too many glasses from the dining hall were broken so this year people had to bring their own glasses or mugs if they wanted to drink something, like the apple cider that had been made from the apples that had fallen from the trees that Ellie had fallen in love with in the past two hours.

The smell of apples is everywhere. As is hay and various other crops that are now cooked for the huge end of summer cookout. The whole town is here, celebrating the warm months coming to an end and giving room for the rain and colder days.

Ellie’s tan is still fresh on her skin, her freckles even darker than before. She makes her way slowly through the crowd, people saying hello to her and asking if she has had the roasted pumpkin or if she has tried the cauliflower salad. She tells them no but recommends the marinated carrots in return. She stands at the end of the long line waiting to be served their drinks and to get snacks.

A few of the horses are out for the smaller kids to pet and try sitting on them with their parents or guardians keeping a hold of their other leg to prevent them from falling off the animal. Ellie is going to go horseback riding again tomorrow, as her patrol training is slowly looming in the horizon and becoming reality. She won’t be able to start her training properly until next year when she finishes school, but it’s good for her to have some of the basic skills already when she’s going to need it eventually anyway.

There’s a child who seems nervous about the huge animal, but still holds his hand out for the horse to nuzzle against. He smiles and gets braver, when he notices how gentle the horse is and the softness of its warm skin against the child’s hand.

The sound in the town square is deafening from all the laughter and talking, a band playing music for people to enjoy and maybe even dance to already even though most of the people won’t hit the makeshift dancefloor until later when the sun has gone down, the atmospheric hanging lights have been turned on and people have downed more alcohol. A group of kids run chasing each other, laughing the whole time. They pass the picnic table where Joel, Tommy and Maria are sitting, almost five-month-old baby Matilda in Tommy’s arms. Ellie likes to call her Tilda because it makes the baby smile when Ellie is slowly bouncing her in her embrace and chanting “Til-da” over and over again.

She sees how Joel looks at her, that warm glint in his eyes and dimpled smile on his face. Matilda is holding his finger from his outstretched hand, looking at him with wonder in her huge brown eyes. Tommy is swaying her slowly as he talks about something with Maria, but Joel has completely checked out, his attention on the baby and the way she’s looking at everything around her.

Ellie never saw that look on his face before Matilda was born. There’s a smile that’s reserved only for Ellie and then there’s a smile that he only gives to Tilda. Like he’s years away, remembering something, yet still here, hardened, and soft at the same time. The baby has cracked something open in him, she can see it, but she can’t pinpoint what. She’d had to have known him before people got sick with cordyceps to really understand him and the look he’s giving the baby.

She turns away and swallows hard. Of course she knows he looks like that because Matilda reminds him of his daughter. His real daughter. Ellie will never know her or know what Joel was like with her, but the way he’s enraptured by Matilda, she can imagine the baby bringing up a lot of memories and his fatherly side.

She feels the jealousy gnawing in her mind even though she’s trying to push the crawling tentacles of envy away. No reason to be jealous, she tells herself. They’ve already established that Ellie is like an adopted daughter to him even though there are times when it’s painfully clear she’ll never be like a real daughter to him. Or at least that’s something she believes. He talks about Sarah sometimes and every time Ellie feels like she’s being compared to someone who she’ll never compare to. Not in Joel’s eyes at least, Ellie knows it.

She looks at Matilda again, the smile on her face and how Joel swings their hands in the air gently. Her thoughts sour in her mind. Tilda is going to grow up in this world and she’ll lose that pure innocence at some point. If there could just be a cure, a vaccine that would let her be a child as long as she likes and grow up without having to worry if she’s going to lose someone in her life like Ellie has.

“You’d never lie to me, right?”

“No.”

“More marinated carrots?” John asks behind the food tables. Ellie is shaken from her thoughts and she nods and smirks when he scoops up a plateful of the crispy, salty and sweet smelling, garlicky treats.

“Do you also want more…” Ellie is already handing her mug to John before he can finish the sentence.

“Wait,” he checks something under the table, lifting the table cloth, and shakes his head as he gives her an apologetic smile. “I have to get a new container out, just a moment,” he points his thumb behind his back, somewhere towards the closed off backroom.

Ellie turns back towards the party, taking a carrot and popping it into her mouth. She nods her head to the music the first band is playing, seeing some of the members from the second band sitting by a table enjoying their food and drinks. She heard them practice some of the songs they’re going to play tonight for the real celebration. She can’t wait to see what the party is going to be like later when all the kids have gone home and the adults are let loose. She taps her foot against the floor, humming silently to the song that drifts over the joyous cacophony of people having fun.

Until a familiar face stops her completely.

She hasn’t seen you since that one time in passing. It’s been just a bit over six months since you were picked up from her garage. She assumed you were doing better, at least you didn’t seem to be in such distress like all those months ago when she last saw you.

She also knows Joel hasn’t seen you or heard from you. Now that she thinks about it, it’s a miracle she hasn’t ran into you anywhere or even heard of you around town. You’ve been sheltering at Diana and Brenda’s but it seems like you’re ready to step back into the life of Jackson.

After what went down at her garage, she heard that Diana had ripped the town doctor, Joshua, a new one after you moved in with her and her wife. After that some of the people in Jackson had turned to Diana instead of Joshua. Ellie can’t blame them though. She has heard enough stories from her friends about how Joshua is more adept at tending to people’s physical than mental injuries.

She can’t help but stare at you. And you haven’t seen her. You’re clearly uncomfortable in the big crowd, shifting your weight first to your left foot, then to the right, and back to left. Your eyes scan the crowd and your head turns from side to side when different sounds catch your attention.

Ellie can see that you’ve changed since last spring as well. You hold your chin high, you stand tall, there’s curiosity in your eyes. Even through your nervousness there’s a delighted look on your face and you say something here and there. You’re with Diana, Brenda, Dan and Sasha, listening to their fast-paced conversation.

You take a sip from your cider cup, cradling it in your hands, drawing a slow circle against the surface with your fingertips. The flannel you’re wearing looks comfortable and the jeans look new, the denim still crisp and there’s minimal wear to them. They have to be from Sleeve and Stitch, the clothing and sewing room, that’s down the street.

They manage to make clothes look new with the way they patch them up and repair them. Then Ellie realises it. You’re not taking in your surroundings just because you’re curious about what’s happening around you or to see who has come out to celebrate tonight, no. You stop moving when you see what you’ve been searching for.

You step a little closer to the small circle of people around you, hiding behind Dan’s tall figure. You dip your chin down but keep your eyes towards the same picnic table where Maria, Tommy, Joel and baby Matilda are sitting. But now Tilda isn’t in Tommy’s arms anymore, she’s in Joel’s lap, his arms protectively around her middle. He’s talking into her ear, pointing at something on his mug. His owl mug.

Ellie looks at you and then at Joel, going back and forth until she’s completely sure you’re staring at him. There’s a sparkle of a smile on your lips, making your eyes glint in the orange sunlight. When Tilda starts to giggle at something, making Joel chuckle against the child, you bow your head down. Ellie can see faint crinkles next to your eyes as you grin at the ground.

“Here you go,” John startles Ellie, making her twist towards the man who has her full cider cup in his hand.

“Thanks,” she takes her mug and the carrots and starts her way back to her friends. But she can’t help but take one more look at you. As she moves away, she sees you staring at Joel again behind Dan’s shoulder, a melancholic look in your eyes.

“I think you can do better than that,” Maria snickers, cocks her brows at him and it’s a clear invitation for a challenge. He takes her hand firmer into his and pulls her closer. Her other hand rests on his shoulder as he sways her to the rhythm of the music.

There are people playing guitars and one playing the banjo, and two singers are harmonising their singing. The sound of a harmonica cuts in from time to time, making the music sound even more western than it already was. Maria is grinning the whole time as Joel gives his best. It’s been a while since he has danced, let alone danced with someone. As he twirls her around and then closes her against his chest before dipping her back, she’s laughing with her eyes closed.

Tommy left with Matilda a while ago, giving his wife a night without baby duties. He might’ve made a mistake as the strong alcohol has been brought out and all the patrollers are letting loose. The hanging lights above the street twinkle as the evening darkens and turns chillier. There’s laughter and people sing along, dancing in couples or small groups.

He checks on Ellie from time to time, making sure she’s still securely sitting with her friends by one of the hay piles, only drinking the apple cider from earlier and nothing more potent. Her cheeks are pink and her smile hasn’t left her face the whole day. She’s leaning against Jesse’s shoulder, Dina’s head on her lap as they all sway to the music while talking and basking in the glow of the party.

“I knew you had it in you,” Maria pats him on the shoulder. He shakes his head but deep down he’s pleased with himself.

“Want a drink?” His accent is coming through thicker now after having spent so much time with Tommy and especially after having a couple of drinks in him. Maria gives him her mug and asks him to fill it up, he’s going to be walking her home anyway.

He nods his head and gets to the makeshift outside bar, asking the woman behind the counter to fill the mugs with their fall mix. He knows it has apple in it, of course, but it’s also warm, a little smokey and a little sweet, like it has been aged for a few years.

He leans his elbows against the counter and looks out towards the street filled with people unleashing their dance skills and letting their hair down. Some of his patrol partners wave at him and he nods back at them, a lazy smirk on his face as he relishes in the cheery atmosphere and peaceful thrum of his content thoughts on this golden night. All the pieces that seemed to be in a messy pile in his head have clicked into place, making him worry less and enjoy living a bit more.

There’s that ache of sorrow in him, it never leaves, but it’s not pulling him down all the time. He’s made friends with his memories, his ghosts, his grief. He’ll always carry them with him, but he lets himself live again as well.

He breathes and his lungs fill without feeling like they’re going to explode. He hears laughter around him, not just cries of pain or agony. He sees people living their lives, realising that’s what he’s here to do as well even when sometimes he feels like his life stopped a long time ago. But still he pushes through, welcoming the small wonders and joys of life back into his heart.

And he sleeps, oh he sleeps through most of the night. Sometimes his nightmares come to the surface, remind him of all his failures and violence, but he knows how to calm himself now. He’s actually living for the first time since the outbreak.

Who could’ve known that would happen in the time of cordyceps when there’s that daily reminder that everything outside this town is nothing like it used to be. He’s letting himself rest tonight, lets himself enjoy the celebration and take in the soft feeling of joy. Moments like these remind him that there can still be something good out there, some fun to be had.

“Here ya go, Joel,” the woman tells him and he turns to take the mugs with him. He stops dead in his tracks, his eyes landing on you. Smiling, swaying to the music, talking with Brenda.

Your eyes glint in the warm twinkling lights, your hand protectively around your ribs. You sip something from your mug and close your eyes as you swallow. You tap your fingers against the mug and when Diana appears out of nowhere, taking part in the conversation as well, he sees you mouthing the words to the song that the band is playing. He didn’t even notice before that he too remembers the song, even some of the lyrics.

He remembers they listened to it in the car with Sarah many times during their drives and Sarah always sang along a few words here and there, humming the rest. He can’t hear you from this distance. Instinctively he steps closer, only to be met with the bar counter.

He feels a hand on his elbow and when he turns to look, Maria is standing next to him. She has also seen you.

“They’re going to start working at the stables again next week,” she nods at you and then shifts her eyes to Joel, a gentle expression on her face.

“If you’d like to go and say hello,” she nudges her elbow against him before she takes her mug.

“C’mon, lets drink these and then I want you to show me some of your other dance moves,” Maria takes a step towards the swaying and shimmying people, encouraging him to disappear into the crowd. He gives you one last look, noticing how you duck your head down, twisting away just the slightest.

He fills his mouth with the alcohol and lets the warmth spread through his throat as he swallows it in one go. He senses Ellie’s eyes on him. When he looks at her and her little group of friends, Ellie lifts her brows questioningly at him, before her eyes dart towards you. Joel shakes his head, motions his head towards Maria and leaves the bar. He follows his sister-in-law into the mass of people, his heart stuttering on its roots.

“Does Joel have the hots for them?” Dina asks Ellie, who has just pointed out how you both were staring at each other, managing to avoid being caught by the other.

“How the fuck should I know,” Ellie shakes her head, her voice dismissive with an edge of humor. Her friends chuckle, Jesse changing the subject to talk about his dad, who had tried to show him some dance moves from the time before.

Apparently they had gone to some places called clubs where they had danced until the early morning hours, doing different moves that have ridiculous names like the sprinkler or the running man. It didn’t make any sense. Did people just run around these clubs?

Ellie listens to her friends but smiles to herself, their voices drowning out as she keeps an eye on what’s happening outside her group. She sees you locate Joel again, who’s taken Maria on the dance floor once more. Ellie has never seen him dance, let alone move like this, twirling her around and letting the music lead them.

And she has never seen him look at someone like the way he looks at you, eyes wide and like someone had taken his breath away. Another new look he gives to people other than Ellie.

He has his friendly side, the one who listens to acquaintances around town and smiles and nods. Then there’s the patrol side, hard and focused, clear, and alert. With Tommy and Maria he’s relaxed, mostly settling into easy silence or slow flowing conversation.

He’s funny and warm with Ellie, with a side of strictness that doesn’t suffocate her or force her to do as he tells her. Just advice here or there, looking after her and making sure she’s safe. She sighs with the sadness tugging in her chest, how she wishes he could just be honest with her. With Matilda he’s somehow younger and still him, but once again someone new.

You follow his moves, swinging to the music yourself. Your head tilts to the side when you take in the way he’s making Maria twirl or leading her in the middle of the other swaying bodies. Ellie rolls her eyes when she sees him doing something they saw in a movie a few weeks ago.

But you smile and take a sip of your drink, hiding your mouth behind the mug. You try to focus on the conversation around you, but it doesn’t take long until you’re following Joel holding both of Maria’s hands, nudging her to take a step back before he pulls her back to him and spins them in a circle to the upbeat, easy tempo. Diana hugs you to her side and you lean your head against her shoulder. You look happy.

And then Ellie sees it again. The song ends and another one is about to start, when Joel finds you in the crowd, just when you turn your back and weave your way out of the town center with Brenda leading and Diana following the both of you. Ellie can see the gentle wistfulness on his face ways away as he stands still, Maria saying something into his ear. The song starts and he pulls his shoulders back and fixes his brown checkered flannel in the back of his jeans. He takes Maria’s hand and the harmonies envelope them into another dance.

“I’m gonna stay out a bit longer,” Ellie hollers from the door, a hoodie hanging from her arm.

“Isn’t it a bit late already?” Joel questions, glass of water in his hand as he steps out of the kitchen to see her open the door. She doesn’t face him, just shuffles her feet, her hand coming to play with the strings of her hoodie. He takes slow steps towards her, the alcohol draining out of his system after spending so much time outside and the sobering walk home.

“Who are going to be with you?” Tension builds between them and Joel can’t stand the disconnect between him and Ellie. He doesn’t understand it either. Things seem to be fine with them most of the time, and then other times there’s discomfort and awkwardness that he can’t explain. He wasn’t expecting tonight to be one of the nights when she gives him the cold shoulder. She sighs and finally looks up, hardness in her eyes.

“My friends,” she dismisses the question, pure annoyance clear in her voice. “They’re coming to the garage, you can come and check on us if you don’t believe me.” The sharpness in her tone makes his skin prickle. Everything was fine at the party. And now it’s all going downhill. Nothing has changed and everything has changed at the same time and he has no idea how he could mend things between the two of them.

“Okay fine, but take the key, don’t stay up too late and no funny business!” He has to yell the last words when she’s already stepping out the door after the okay leaves his mouth.

He stands still, heaviness settling into his chest. He knows when his anxiety makes itself present and this is once again that moment. He stares at the water in his glass, takes a sip but the coldness makes his throat only tighten. He sets the glass on the kitchen counter and leans against it.

What on earth has gotten to that girl? She spends most of her time with her friends and it seems like the only times he sees her are at Tommy and Maria’s during their weekly dinner or during one of their movie nights, when she seems to be either incredibly invested in the movie or deep in her own thoughts, the movie flowing by her without her knowing what it was about. Or when she gets something to eat from the fridge before she escapes into her garage again.

Sometimes he gets home from town or patrol when she’s doing her homework at the dining room table after school, but she wants those moments to be quiet and he can’t bother her. And then she’s once again out the door or giving herself space by being in the garage. Maybe it’s a teenage thing? He was a teenager once and he wanted his own space, have fun with friends or with his high school sweetheart.

Maybe Ellie has found someone special and he just doesn’t have a clue. Maybe he just needs to make more of an effort into spending time with her, reassure her she can always talk about anything with him even if it’s something embarrassing. The thought about having the talk with her passes his mind. He doesn’t know what kind of sex ed they gave at the FEDRA school she was at and even though she’s already 15, he just wants her to remember to be safe.

He sighs, makes his way into the living room and throws himself on the couch. He covers his eyes with his arm, the heaviness of the alcohol still seeping through, making everything a bit blurry at the edges, a bit numb in his mind. He takes deep breaths and lets his body relax against the worn leather of the seat.

She can trust him. He just needs to show her that.

A soft knock at the door makes him groan. Ellie must’ve forgotten the key again. He really needs to put a spare one under a rock or hide it somewhere outside so she can find it the next time. He stands up, rubbing his hand against his face to get himself a bit more awake.

“I told you to take the key,” he’s already calling out when he trudges to the door and opens it forcefully. He freezes, all words leaving him. His mind goes totally blank, his hand squeezing the door handle. He can’t look anywhere else either.

“Hi,” you say quietly, a neat bundle in your hands. “Sorry, I don’t have the keys, I just… don’t have the keys to your house,” you chuckle at your own joke but your smile drops the longer you look at him. Not a single crack to his exterior, just a statue of a man keeping the door open.

“Sorry I’m here so late, I wasn’t really tired and… Well I remembered I still have your clothes and wanted to bring them over.” Your arms squeeze the bundle a bit tighter against you, hesitation spreading into your thoughts.

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe you should’ve met him for the first time since spring during the day and somewhere more neutral, not at his home. He shakes his head, blinks his eyes a few times and he inhales his lungs full of the cool night air.

“Come on in,” he moves aside and lets you step in.

The mood is incredibly awkward and neither of you really know what to say. You both stand opposite each other, plenty of space between the two of you as you stand on either side of the hallway. You reach the clothes to him, letting go of them when he secures his hands around the pile.

“You want anything to drink? Water, something stronger?” He asks and you gasp out a laughter.

“Definitely not anything stronger, I’ve drank enough already. Water is fine, thanks.” You feel like you can’t stop the words once they start to flow out, your nerves taking the best of you.

You watch him walk into the kitchen and your stomach tingles with insecurity. You drank way too much tonight. The buzz you still felt when you got home to Diana and Brenda’s was the reason why you dug out Joel’s clothes you’ve been keeping neatly folded in your dresser. You thought it would be a good idea to bring them over when you still had that courage to do so. But when you were walking here, the buzz started to fade and it didn’t seem like the greatest idea anymore.

You feel foolish standing still so you take your shoes off and follow Joel into the kitchen. Nothing has changed since the last time you were here. Yes, the last time… It’s fresh in your memory and at the same time so blurry that you can’t be sure what actually happened. You just know it all went to shit and it’s been a long journey to get from that to here, to how you’re now, to you feeling like a functional human again.

Joel takes a glass and pours it full of cold water from the pitcher in the fridge. He hands it to you and you take it with a smile but your shoulders tense up and you can’t look up. The silence around you stretches into almost uncomfortable quietness.

He stands right in front of you, his back straight, and you can’t dare to face him. You feel your whole body filling with nervous energy as your mind wants to remind you what actually happened the last time you saw him. You try to shut it out, but it’s all there, right in front of you.

It was always so much easier to address what went down when you were making sense of it all to yourself or talking about it with Diana. Now that you’re here with the person, who you’ve wanted to talk for a while now, who you’ve been preparing to talk to, it’s somehow incredibly hard. You fill your lungs with the air and scent of his home and your tongue runs against your lips to wet them. You’re consciously making yourself ready to open your mouth, reminding yourself of what you’ve wanted to say to him all these months.

“Did you have fun tonight, at the party?” Joel asks suddenly, walking past you and his arm brushes against yours. You lift your gaze to face him when his voice fills your ears and lose all composure, when he turns his back to you. You follow him once again, like an invisible string is pulling you to him, making you go wherever he goes.

“Yeah, it was nice. Though, I was really nervous before we got there. I wouldn’t have wanted to go at first, even the thought about being there in the middle of everybody freaked me out. Brenda, you know Diana’s wife, told me that she can leave early with me whenever I want, but luckily when we got there and stayed there a while it wasn’t as bad as I first had made it out to be…” You ramble on, your voice getting quieter the longer words flow out of your mouth.

You feel like you’re losing a battle against your nerves and they’re making sure you feel as ridiculous as you now do after blabbering for a solid moment. You clear your drying throat and tip the glass against your lips, sipping the cold water and letting it soothe you.

Joel stops in the middle of the living room. You keep your distance, cradling the glass between your palms. You’re not sure what’s happening as he just stands still. Should you stay standing or should you maybe take a seat on the couch? Suddenly he turns towards you and you swallow hard when you see his face. He looks different.

Some of the hard lines on his skin have smoothed, even though they’re still there. He looks well rested, his eyes bright and mouth soft. There’s no tension on his face, like the last time you were here. He takes a tentative step towards you, then another, before he passes by you again, avoiding your eyes.

“Wait here,” his rich voice fills your ears, making you shiver. The atmosphere is interesting to say the least and you don’t know what to make of it. The longer you’re here, the more you think about how late it is and how much of a mistake it probably was to come here. You don’t see where he went but you’re alone and you’re trying to calm your jittery thoughts.

You make your way towards the couch, but right when you’re about to sit you take a turn and make your way to the bookshelf. A few of the books are missing, clear gaps between some and the different titles are leaning against each other for support. You see a stack of DVDs on one of the shelves and you look towards the TV. An open, lonely DVD case rests in front of it. Joel and Ellie must’ve watched it together, or at least that’s what you figure out when you remember what you heard Tommy tell Maria in the dining hall, when you sat behind their table one day last week.

You kept your head low. The whole idea of going to the dining hall for lunch was like a challenge you wanted to set for yourself. If you were able to go there to have lunch and sit without having the urge to leave right away, you’d be able to do almost anything. You told yourself to eat calmly while you sat alone by one of the tables. You don’t think they saw you. The hall was calm anyway at that time that day.

You hear Joel’s footsteps in the kitchen and your nervousness soars once more. You move to the couch and sit down but you don’t know what the most natural pose would be. You lean your back against the cushions but you don’t feel comfortable. The glass in your hand trembles and you reach to place it on the coffee table in front of you. You straighten your back and cross your ankles, but you feel too official in that position. You uncross your legs and lean your elbows to your knees, but it’s even more unnatural than the position before.

You hear Joel’s footsteps getting closer to the living room, slow and soft against the wooden floor under his socked feet. You try to sigh as silently as you can but even you can hear how frustrated your breathing sounds flowing through your mouth. Right when Joel appears behind the corner, you stand up and stare at each other for a moment. You look at his hands and see a neatly folded pile of clothes and shoes he’s carrying in his other hand. Your clothes.

He places the shoes on the floor closer to the front door and then closes the distance between you two, sitting on the sofa. You sit down at the same time. He stretches his arm out to you, offering your clothes back and you look at them like they’re some alien object when you finally take them into your hands.

Your fingertips brush against the back of his hand. You hadn’t even thought about how your clothes would still be here, though where else would they have been? You thought only about the clothes you had on when you were brought to Diana’s. Joel’s clothes. You go through the pile, recognising the shirt, sweatpants, and socks.

“They’re clean,” he says, as if you were just assessing that. “Don’t worry, Ellie didn’t wash them.” His voice is low and quiet, the gentle humor peeking through. When you look up at his face, there’s a smirk on his lips that he’s directing to your clothes on your lap.

“Does Ellie ever wash clothes?” Your question makes him chuckle.

“That kid has better things to do than laundry.” He relaxes against the couch, his arm reaching over the back, reaching closer to you, and his elbow buried into the arm rest, as he rests his head against the knuckles of his fist. He keeps looking at you, self-consciousness making home in your body.

You had forgotten how broad he is, how he takes up space in the room, making you feel small in comparison in the process. He has his undivided attention on you, looking at you, assessing you, waiting for you to do something, say something. But when you look at him, you lose all words from your head.

The way he commands you with his quiet presence is disarming, something you haven’t noticed before with him. He's somehow different even though you two have spent time together, just the two of you. But that was months ago. And you were so completely lost. You gravitated towards him because he seemed safe. He meant safety. Now you’re not thinking about safety or who can protect you. You seem somehow equal.

At the same time, in a weird way you don’t feel like you’re equals at all. He’s dominating in his own home. This is his space. And you’re sitting on his couch holding onto a pile of clothes that you left here, clinging to them for support. The clothes he washed. And they still smell like that pine detergent people make here.

You feel small and scared. And awfully powerful at the same time. He’s giving you space to do whatever you want. You just don’t know what to do with that space. You’re like a completely different person around him, like you’ve just met, and he doesn’t know a thing about you.

You feel open, soft, you’d tell him anything if he asked. Your therapy sessions with Diana have helped but they’ve also made you realise how you’ve missed your old self. That person who knew when to trust their gut, knew where to stand, what to say, be confident. You’ve come to understand you’re still those things, and so much more now. Or maybe it’s the alcohol that you consumed tonight, making you tingle with gentle heaviness, making you a bit reckless, a bit braver than you might normally be.

You have to look away from him. He’s held your stare long enough. Your cheeks and neck sting with heat spreading across your skin. You lay the clothes pile on the table, being careful not to knock over the glass of water. In the farthest corner of the room, in the shadows, you see something familiar. You stand up without a word and walk towards it.

“You play this?” You ask as you touch the neck of the guitar. You turn to look at him and he leans forward very slowly. Your thumb touches one of the strings, giving it a strum. It hums with a deep sound, the melodic instrument demanding your careful touch.

“I did, but it’s been a while. Tommy found it a while back, I just haven’t had the…” He stops and when you look back at him in interest, he shifts his eyes away, a deep sadness crossing his features. There’s a darkness that you recognise immediately.

“My sister used to play the guitar. She was so talented, she wanted me to learn it too. But I didn’t learn it as quickly as she did. So she played it and I sang,” you tell him, playing a quiet melody on the strings, your fingers supported against the neck while your thumb works the strings. You offer him a piece of your history, your grief, that you hope will ease his pain. The guitar clearly holds a significance. That’s why he hasn’t been able to play it.

“You sing?” He suddenly asks and you snort out a laugh.

“I’m not a great singer, but it’s always been fun in a weird way. Don’t ask me to sing, I will not,” you clarify and leave the guitar alone. You walk slowly back to the couch and sit down.

“Who would’ve guessed you sing when you weren’t able to even talk a few months back.” His voice is full of that same humor from earlier, but also uncertainty, like he’s not sure if he’s crossing a boundary and this is something he can joke about with you.

“Ouch,” you laugh and look at him incredulous with dramatic flare by bringing your hand against your chest, making him know you’re not really offended. “Did you really just make fun of me and what I went through?”

“Sorry, it was just too good to pass,” he’s watching you incredibly carefully, ready to take it back.

“Uh huh, too good, yeah.” You roll your eye at him.

“Sorry… I mean it, sorry, it wasn’t funny.” His voice lowers and you look at him under your brow.

“It’s a bit funny,” you admit, your warm smile melting him as well.

You lean against the couch, some sort of a relief washing over you. The mood isn’t as tense anymore and the ice has been broken. The sound from the instrument has faded, but somewhere in your memory you can hear your sister picking away at her guitar that she had in the QZ.

She was a magician with a guitar. She learnt new songs incredibly quickly and if she heard something, she might’ve known how to play it by ear the next day. She came up with all these silly lyrics to songs that she composed herself, making you and your brother laugh until you were all hollering the song.

She left her guitar when you all left the QZ. You didn’t hear her play it again.

“I promised Ellie I’d teach her to play the guitar, but she hasn’t asked even though it has been sitting here for weeks. And I just haven’t been able to pick it up because…” He swallows hard. He’s building his courage up to something, it’s so visible in the way he speaks and stops himself right before he lets you in. It’s hard to bring those barriers down, to let someone in to let them see the good and the ugly, the laughter and the pain.

“Maybe she doesn’t know how to ask, when she hasn’t heard you play it?” His eyes flash on you and you instantly feel like you’ve overstepped.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like you have to play it or that I’m forcing you to play it, I’m— I’m not saying that you have to, ever, if you don’t want to, I get it, it can be painful if there are memories or… you know I didn’t mean…” You can feel yourself choke and your eyes getting wider. You hide your face in your hands, forcing yourself to stop talking.

You take a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself down. Why is this so hard? Why are your nerves and anxiety coming and going in waves, uncovering your insecurity around him in the oddest way. You feel like a teenager who doesn’t have the mental maturity to have these conversations or express your thoughts.

You feel the lightest of touches on your shoulder and your breathing hitches in your throat. With a final sigh you dare to reveal your face again and look at him. You see his arm on the back of the couch retrieving as he’s pulling back from you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You’ll play it if you want, or you don’t have to play it ever. Forget what I said, I’m just…”

“Nervous?” He fills in instantly and there’s a warmth in his voice that calms you down.

“Yeah,” your voice squeaks in resignation. The hum from his chest accompanies the sensitive smile on his lips, his eyes cast downwards.

“The guitar…” You dare to settle into watching him, giving him your full attention like he has been giving you. His attention has drifted to the instrument in the dark corner though, his fingers tracing endless figures against the worn leather of the couch, something you could see him do to soothe himself.

“I used to play it a lot, to my daughter. She used to love hearing it and she tried to learn it, but she didn’t have the patience that you have to have when you get used to playing it. So she usually just listened.” The tone of his voice makes your insides ache. It’s so gentle and far away, like he’s not even here with you but with his daughter.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” you match his voice, keeping it quiet and gentle.  

“Very few people do,” he looks back at you, his head leaning back against his knuckles and his lashes frame his half lidded dark eyes. His admission explains a lot to you.

“What was her name?”

“Sarah.”

“Beautiful name.”

“She was.” The back and forth between you two is in a way comforting, like a curtain that is opened to let daylight in. But in this moment, there’s only darkness on the other side of the windows and you’re enveloped with dusky oranges and browns, the ceiling light working with the power it’s given.

It’s like you’re inside a small, comfortable pillow fort, where things can be said and admitted and they’ll stay hidden until someone wants to bring them to light. A quiet settles on the both of you and you let it sit in your chest. It brings up the numbness of your own grief for your siblings.

“Why did you come here?” He finally asks, and it’s not an accusation. You can see it on his face. He’s purely curious.

“I wanted to apologise, for last time.” You bite the inside of your cheek, your nerves bubbling back up, but stay on a manageable level for you to not completely lose yourself to them.

“What is there to apologise?” His brows draw together in confusion, a deep crease forming between them. You can see that the answer is like a reflex because he needs that apology. You need to give that to him.

“A lot, actually. You basically saved me, in every way.” You can’t help but let out a laugh. “And the last time I was here, I was really at my lowest. I didn’t even know I could feel that way. I hadn’t slept properly for a couple of weeks and I just replayed everything in my head. It all just came to a head.”

“What are you apologising for then?” He’s actually perplexed.

“How I…” You fill your lungs with air and let it flow out between your lips and look him straight in the eyes. The strength from earlier flows back into your veins and the way he’s waiting for you to say what you want to say makes you surprisingly calm. He’s not expecting you to finish saying what you want to say, he’s giving you the time to collect yourself and make sure you say what you truly mean. And you do.

“I’m sorry that I poured it all on you. We don’t know each other and I feel like you had to endure my panic attacks and trauma even though I had no right to do so. And I apologise for that.”

He doesn’t say a word for a long moment and his silence makes your bravery drain out and uneasiness settle in your mind. What if he doesn’t accept your apology? What if he doesn’t want to hear this? What if you’re really crossing a boundary, by coming here and then apologising?

You try to tell your head to shut up and stay calm. You reason with it by reminding yourself that he gave you time to collect your thoughts, you should be able to give him the same chance. The longer the moment stretches, you realise you’re trying to understand the emotions that are crossing his face.

Joel doesn’t look angry, not at all. There’s the hint of his brows pulling together, and then relaxing and his eyes look at you with such intensity that someone who hasn’t been around him before might find it unnerving or even scary. But it’s not something to be scared of or him trying to show you that he’s in control. He looks like he’s trying to figure you out, to understand you and why you felt like it was important for you to apologise in the first place. He seems to come to some sort of a resolution quietly and slowly, the look in his eyes softening and there’s a smallest glint of a genuine smile on his lips before he relaxes again.

“I think we’ve all been there at some point,” he finally says and the delicate earnestness in his eyes doesn’t let you turn away. You know exactly what he means. You know why he was so easy for you to rely on. Because you know he has seen it all. He has been there himself. Maybe even worse.

“You’re forgiven,” he nods forward and looks at you under his brow, his dark eyes in shadows in the dim lighting, a glint in them sparkling in the deep brown.

“Thank you,” your voice breaks and is barely audible. A door you’ve waited to walk through for months is in front of you and as your words leave your mouth, it happens. You step through it and the door closes. A part of yourself that you’re ready to let go of and move forward from separates from you. You sigh and your shoulders relax.

You see the clock on the wall and the ticking of the pointers tell you that the time has flown by and midnight has passed a long time ago.

“I should get going, it’s getting late.” You pick up the pile of clothes from the table and stand up. He follows you to the door and watches you, as you pull your boots on. You tuck the clothes closer to your body.

“Thanks for keeping my clothes here,” you tell him when you’re at the door, ready to turn the handle.

“Where else would I have put them?” He raises his brows, more as a joke than in question.

“Good point,” you laugh gently and open the door.

“Goodnight,” you wish him, looking back. He comes closer and leans against the door frame. You almost feel his body heat radiating off of him against you as you breathe in the mixture of the freshness of the autumn air and him.

“Goodnight.” His voice matches the night, balmy and full of quietness. You turn from him and step out. You hear the door close with a quiet click when you’ve stepped down the porch stairs. Your feet slow their movement until you’re standing completely still.

The inky sky is full of stars. They look so far away, making you feel incredibly small and incredibly conscious of your existence in the vastness of the endlessness the sky offers.

Without a second thought you turn back around and step the porch stairs back up. You lay the clothes on the floor with your shoes and knock on the door again. You see Joel’s figure getting closer through the windows in the door and when he opens it, he’s surprised. Some of the soft greying waves on top of his head are sticking out, like he had just ran his fingers through them.

“Hi,” you offer your hand to him and he looks at it in confusion.

“Hi?” He brings his palm against yours slowly, enveloping your hand into a handshake.

“I’m a neighbour from a few streets away. I live with Diana and her wife at the moment. I might be moving out at some point though, not yet, but sometime soon hopefully. I start working at the stables next week. Just wanted to come and say hi, get to know the neighbours.” You talk and talk, nerves spiking. His face relaxes, a smile grows on his cheeks. He can definitely feel your palm getting sweaty against his warm skin, but you don’t let go.

You tell him your name, hoping for him to catch on what you’re trying to do. Like you said before, you don’t know him and he doesn’t know you, even though you’ve shared your troubles and nightmares with him. It’s time for you to actually introduce yourself properly to him. You recognise the hope inside you for him to want to do the same.

He looks down at your joined hands, and then right into your eyes.

“I’m Joel,” his voice reverberates into your ears and through your body, the low drawl crawling into your chest and staying there, making your pulse pick up speed.

He squeezes your hand gently. You squeeze back. You take a small step forward, without even realizing you’re doing it. You just know that he’s just slightly closer to you suddenly. You’re really just holding his hand at this point, not knowing where to take this.

You hadn’t planned this, definitely hadn’t thought this through and you didn’t even know if this was a good idea. It seems like you’re doubting all your decisions tonight. Coming here proved to be the right move. Maybe this will go your way as well. You sense yourself getting empty, emptier still, the longer you look at him and the confident smirk that’s growing on his face.

“Well, I got to get going, maybe I’ll see you later?” You ask, the hopeful note making you cringe inside. You don’t want to sound desperate or too eager, so you hide them with your hushed voice. He’s suddenly very close, closer than before, like he would’ve just taken a step forward as well. His fingers brush against the inside of your wrist soothingly and tap against it a couple of times in time with your pulse.

“I’m counting on it.” He pulls his hands slowly away, his fingertips running from your wrist to your palm, against your own fingers and fingertips, until you let go. You can feel his touch all over your hand, like he’s still holding it, wrapping your hand with his large one. You skin is sensitive in the wake of his touch. It sparkles and tingles, like electricity.

You pick up the clothes and shoes and smile at him, turning back around. You let out the shakiest breath when you step down the porch stairs and walk to the street. All your nervous energy bursts out of you and you shiver as you can still sense his hand against yours. You walk away and never hear the door close behind you.

[mymovingfingerwrites]

okay, so I did talk about the kiss in your DMs, but I'm sending an ask about the other things in that end part of the chapter:

THE KIDS PROTECTING PERCY.

throughout the story, we see Percy trying to protect the kids - he consistently thinks up ways to keep them out of certain dangers and how to influence them to work more on their defenses, etc.

but here, the kids are holding him, and standing in between Percy and Tom. Harry might not have meant to protect Percy in that way, but he shows a resistance to Tom wanting to get closer to Percy.

and Percy, oh dear Percy, he is exhausted. simply drained. but he is still trying to protect the kids. he is literally on the ground. his soul has just been messed with, and he's spent countless weeks sleep deprived and likely malnourished.

Percy is just. constantly Older Sibling his way out of things. if he doesn't like a situation involving his younger siblings, he puts his own discomfort and pain behind his need to Protect.

and he managed to get Tom to apparate them away. taking the danger away from his brothers and sister (I know technically he isn't related to 3/4 of those kids, but cmon. that's his bonus brothers and sister right there).

but does this speak to Percy’s ability to wrap Tom around his pinkie finger, or Tom’s care for Percy? I think both. Maybe Tom knows what Percy was doing, or at least suspects. but Tom also was about to, if he hadn't already, come to the conclusion of his feelings. he had his own agenda, especially with the confusion on how Percy could've felt any pain from the horcruxes fighting, to get him away from a crowd.

yeah honestly I love the original kids. I love Hermione of course but I also love these idiot boys—Ron, who I think is the quintessential Weasley, loyal and brave and so caring of his family; Harry, whose first instinct is always to put himself between anyone and danger; and even Draco, who in this story is slowly learning what it means to be part of something greater than himself (that doesn't involve a sadistic Dark Wizard, ofc).

And in ASOR I always felt like the kids would love Percy back, or at least like him. Even in the original, you can tell how much Ron cares about and is hurt by Percy. He sits next to them at dinner and talks to them about their classes and their professors and he checks in with them at the Yule Ball. And in this story he helped them with the DA and he dipped into their story and he guarded them from harm. I just love the idea that Percy has no idea that they care about him back (that he cares about them too). In ASOR I had everyone else realize that Harry and Ron trusted Percy before Percy realizes it himself because. Isn't that just classic Percy behavior???

No comment re: Tom and Percy. Keep reading :)

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Meet Strange: What's the most memorable way your OC has ever met a new person? Was it a good experience? Bad experience? Just plain weird? How's their relationship with that person now?

Past: Does your OC have any past partners? How did the relationship(s) end? Are any of their exes still in their life, and if so, do they get along?

I’m curious if Diane had partners pre-hobie

Yay I love these!!! Especially the first one AAAAAHHHH

Also I'm sorry this is seriously so long don't feel forced to read it all if you dont wanna i just like having it typed out also a lot of reaction images

Meet Strange:

Hobie & Diane's First Meeting

Meet Strange: What's the most memorable way your OC has ever met a new person? Was it a good experience? Bad experience? Just plain weird? How's their relationship with that person now?

Hobie and Diane's first meeting would most likely be described as 'mortifying'. (In her eyes) Because of their proximity in era, Hobie was actually the one sent to recruit her. The usual protocol is simple - follow them home from patrol and give them the whole 'joining pitch' - very boring. Hobie hates doing it. But he follows Diane and instead of going home after patrol - she goes to the club. Like - was just beating a purse-snatcher's ass in an alleyway to changing in the discotheque bathroom. Hobie is like '?? okay. i suppose. WEIRD choice but okay' and he hadn't planned on trying to approach her in a CLUB but sure They come across each other in the club, and by the time he's spotted her in the crowd and they're face to face, she's drunk. She's plastered and she wants to dance and she cannot hear him or understand his accent for the life of her but she's vibing tho. Has no idea what's happening or who he is but all she knows is a hot guy is standing in front of her and he's handsome and tall and british and she needs no more information He has to buy her a drink just to get her to sit still and then when he even tries to explain she's like

Thinking 'this man is fine as hell but he be talking a lot'. Cuts him off mid-sentence just to be like "yeah, yeah i can dig it -btw how tall are you? You like 6'5? Anyone ever told you you're pretty?" cause WHY ELSE would he be approaching her in the club?? She spends the whole time flirting and Hobie is like 'luv, ur adorable but imma need u to focus.' Finally he gets her outside and she's thinking she's gonna score. But instead to finally get her to understand he uses his webslinger in front of her but instead of mystified realization Diane is like

She's immediately sober and screaming like 'How did you do that?! That's impossible!'

And Hobie is like "How's it impossible??? You can do that-" And Diane goes "How'd you know I can do that?! That's impossible!"

Good. Now she's drunk and freaked out. At that point Hobie is ready to give up and he's just like 'you know what we need to get you home'. Meanwhile Diane is dazed, drunk and confused cause since when are there British Spiderpeople????

Eventually he does get her home and she passes out asleep. Wakes up the next morning - starts screaming again cause she thought she was on psychedelics and dreamt him or something.

After everything he finally gives her the pitch and heads back to HQ - heads to Miguel - and she's mortified the whole time.

Can't look him in the eyes, deathly embarrassed that she spent last night hanging off of him and saying x-rated shit to her new coworker.

Miguel is already pissed cause he's like 'what took u two so long'

and Hobie, thinking this is all hilarious just goes "We slept together."

Meanwhile Diane's about to die of embarrassment in front of her NEW BOSS

and she's like "YA'LL He means in the same apartment. I don't know why he said it like that- We slept in tHE SAME APARTMENT-"

thus starts a cycle of his tourment. He don't even call her 'luv' he call her 'Daiquiri' or '4 Daiquiri Diane' because that's what he had to buy her to get her to sit still. She can't live it down.

"Oi, there you are, Daiquiri Darlin'."

__________________________________________

Past: Does your OC have any past partners? How did the relationship(s) end? Are any of their exes still in their life, and if so, do they get along?

Yay I love this one. Yes! Diane has been through (kinda speed-ran) all of her 'canon' romances, except one. Hobie kinda has a Scott Pilgrim situation on his hands (yeah right) because a lot of them still hang around her

Betty Brant - a.k.a Brian Bett - A high-school sweetheart she dated for a couple-years. Currently goes to ESU, journalist student, plays it straight and dislikes Diane's "black extremism". She thinks he's a chump

Gwen Stacy - a.k.a Glenn Stacy - a guy she met shortly after joining the society (back when her and Hobie didn't know each other fairly well). They dated for about 8 months and were thinking about engagement. Hobie tried to disrupt Diane's canon event but was unfortunately too late to save him. He helped her with that trauma a lot

Mary-Jane Watson - Martin-Jean Watson - THIS GUY. A couple months after Glenn's death, Diane finds out through Margo that her Mary-Jane canon event is coming up. She's over the moon! Tells Hobie how excited he is, gets all dolled up And she runs into him and it's just..NOT IT. He's punk like Hobie, and a Guitarist, like Hobie. His humor is the same as Hobie's - a vest like his too. Except he's an arrogant manchild. He's like Hobie - but he's what she would've been into if she hadn't met Hobie. And it's like just knowing Hobie has dirupted her canon event. Because she's just not into this guy. And if she didn't know Hobie. She would've been. She tries to dates Martin for a couple of weeks before he does something and Hobie is like '...damn he's doing you wrong you should throw him out.' and she does. Funny thing is Martin KNOWS about Hobie and has met him at Diane's shows. And they would get along AMAZING, but Martin hates his guts and Hobie thinks it's funny as hell - so he instigates. After Diane and Martin break up her and Hobie start getting more serious and exclusive and since Martin is her guitarist back on her Earth he just has to deal, which Hobie can't get enough of.

thank you so much for this and if you read this far please let me know id love it if anyone read this far cause this is a LOT okay thanks byeeee

[sariahsue]

Let Me Count the Ways

Chapter Thirteen - The Ice Cream Da- Uh, Platonic Outing. As Friends.

[Ch 1] [Ch 2] [Ch 3] [Ch 4] [Ch 5] [Ch 6] [Ch 7] [Ch 8] [Ch 9] [Ch 10] [Ch 11] [Ch 12]

Andre was thrilled to see them. He gave them both complimentary ice creams, so tall Chat Noir was sure they would fall over before they had a chance to melt, and of course based on each other's costumes. Strawberry, black raspberry, and blueberry for him. Banana, mint, and black vanilla for her.

As they strolled across the bridge and away from the crowd Andre's cart had attracted, Ladybug grabbed his hand, and Chat Noir had his first out-of-body experience.

Mechanically, he kept walking like nothing was wrong. Internally, he was on at least three different planes of existence simultaneously.

One was existential bliss. Their hands fit together perfectly. The sun warmed his face. Their steps echoed down to the water in perfect harmony.

The second was a detached "huh, that's weird" state of calm.

The third was frothing-at-the-mouth hyper analysis. Was he not walking fast enough and she was afraid their ice cream would melt? Could there be a hidden meaning? Did she simply not want to be separated, so she was leading him? Was he squeezing her hand too hard? Was she wishing he was someone else? Were other people seeing this? Was she becoming self conscious?

"Here," she said when they reached the far end of the bridge. She slipped her hand out of his (and took his heart with it) and handed him her ice cream. "Hold this for me and I'll lift us up."

He took it, then registered her words. "What?"

But Ladybug had already grabbed him around the middle and thrown her yoyo. The ground fell away under his feet and his stomach dropped with the sudden lurch, but he thankfully dropped zero desserts. He would have blamed the swing of the yoyo if he had. The press of her hip into his side would have truly been to blame.

From their highrise vantage point, the Seine was wide and dark. The streetlamps below flicked on one by one, creating tiny bubbles of light. The best part was they were much too high to be expected to interact with anyone else. A few people stopped and looked up, but they were too far away for even Chat Noir's enhanced hearing to pick up the camera clicks and yells of hello.

It was nice to sit with her, and to be seen sitting with her, quietly licking their ice creams, knees occasionally bumping together.

It almost felt like a date.

Except for the fact that she had no romantic interest in him whatsoever. He took a big bite of his ice cream, so cold his teeth ached, to keep himself from sighing like the lovesick idiot he probably was.

Ladybug didn't talk much. At first he thought it was because she was eating, but her dangling feet kicked against the side of the building, and whenever she wasn't holding her cone with both hands her free fingers started to drum her leg. She was jittery, and the longer they sat in silence, the worse it got.

So he talked to fill up the space between them. About what he thought Paris looked like tonight and how dumb the latest akumas were and about his favorite desserts. It helped. The longer he talked, the more natural the slope of her shoulders became and the slower the drumming of her fingers.

Even if she didn't return his feelings, hanging out with her like this was nice. For a few minutes, the girl of his dreams gave him her undivided attention and shy smiles. (Maybe he could let his imagination sweep him away a little. Just this once.)

When the sun was completely set and their cones were long gone, it was time to leave. Chat Noir was the first one to stand up. Someone would probably check on him soon, if only to tell him to go to sleep.

"I had fun tonight," Ladybug said, getting to her feet.

"Me, too. Maybe we should do this again sometime?" He motioned to the space between them, in case his meaning wasn't completely clear.

The nightlife of Paris lit up the streets far below them. Ladybug's eyes sparkled in the reflected glow. "I'd love to!"

Two feelings hit him in rapid succession. One was the swoop of excitement, as if he didn't get to see her almost every day already. The other was worry. Why was she so excited to spend time with him? She wasn't feeling lonely in her civilian life, was she?

"Great, it's a date then." He put his hand on her shoulder (instead of her cheek like he wanted to). "I love spending time with you, and I can't wait to see you again." He hoped she heard his sincerity, that it was something she could carry with her when she felt alone. That she would know there would always be someone longing to see her.

Ladybug took a step closer, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He leaned in.

And he turned to offer his cheek for a farewell kiss.

Ladybug's nose rammed into the side of his face.

"I'm sorry!" she squawked. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She danced back, holding her hands over her nose, and then covering her entire face. "I thought you–"

"It's okay," he said, rubbing his cheek. "I must not have turned enough."

"No, no! You– I didn't think–" Her eyes peeked over the tips of her fingers. The skin above her mask was flushed bright red, all the way up to her hairline. "G-goodnight!"

She left him with many questions. The biggest: He'd been French his whole life. How had he managed to mess up la bise?

---

A/N: I love how they're living in two completely different realities. XD

Tag list: @clawsout83​ @trippingovermyfeet​ @tbehartoo​ @yoonjae20​ @random-cartoon-fangirl​ @jasvalka 

[acertainmoshke]

Falling Petals

So. I am working on 4 projects right now, and I swore I wouldn't start another until one of them is done. So I won't. But I couldn't stop thinking about my next project, Falling Petals, a generational story about autism and trauma, and so I'm writing ABOUT it so I can move on and go back to actually writing a current project.

It takes place over 4 generations, and exactly 100 years.

We start with Ira, a Jewish boy born to immigrants right at the start of the Great War. A boy who sees the beauty and the poetry in the world around him, but not in the people. A clever boy who loves learning but has little use for school. Who doesn’t feel pain right and outwardly uses touching hot pots as a party trick to make the other boys admire him, but internally is always seeking sensation. Whose blunt honesty and humorous comments have a certain charm, who knows strange facts and can talk for hours about minute details until the people he initially had laughing and hanging on his words get bored and wander off.

Ira, a boy who came of age during the Great Depression and got left behind as friends went to college or got married. Who told himself he was happy to write poetry, take pictures, and read endless books while working in his father’s store. He charmed the girls who came in but never got past a first date. His few real friends were gone and the neighbors avoided him. He was really alone with only his books, camera, and mitzvot for company. Because, yes, he went to shul every week. He struggled to understand human reasoning, but the rules made sense to him and he followed them more stringently than his parents.

Ira, who his parents gave up on ever marrying until he started to spend time with Joy. She was from his synagogue and, unlike the other girls, she debated him back about philosophy. She wrote her own poetry and read enough to keep up with him. They were soon married, and Ira kept obliviously talking about his own interests and making jokes at her expense, not noticing as she got quieter.

Ira, who amidst the terror of World War II—which he was not drafted into—had four children, three boys and a girl. Ira, who adored the beauty and frozen moments of their lives but himself froze up when trying to connect to them, who wrote poetry and took pictures but then mocked them and criticized them if they ever showed the weaknesses that had failed to serve him.

Ira, who would one day be known as a crotchety old man for doing the same things he had always done.

And then there’s Daniel, born in the middle of the Shoah and always aware of that terror though an ocean separated them. A sensitive child who cried too much for a boy, whose first tormentor was his father trying to make him stronger and whose second was his older brother. A boy who longed to belong with other boys, but found no matter how he tried he didn’t. Who found solace in stories, who devoured comic books and looked forward to shul services every week in a way his siblings didn’t. The people in the stories there felt more like a family to him than his real one.

Daniel, who was eager to grow up but also smart. Who was able to learn and hide his less desirable traits. Who stopped crying and forced all his emotions down, until he began to feel low-level anger all day every day, made worse by loud noises and crowds and new situations. Who carefully watched and mimicked other people until he could come across as friendly and charming on a surface level. Who never let anyone get closer than that.

Daniel, who came of age amidst anti-war protests and the civil rights movement. Who wanted so badly to be involved but had learned never to shake things up. Who wanted to work in a library but became an architect because his father wanted it. Who wanted to be loved so badly he latched onto the first woman to show him affection, a teacher named Poppy, who buried himself even deeper than usual to earn her love, praying he would never blow up in uncontrollable anger this time.

Daniel, who swore he would be better than his father, and was. Who at least spent time with his daughters and never mocked them, but who had never learned to cope with noise and chaos and would unpredictably yell at them for it. Who always hated himself for that after but never told them that. He worked long hours because he had been taught that he could never assert himself for his needs, and this only made him less able to handle life at home. He rarely yelled at Poppy, but took it out on the girls. Especially Shoshanah, who he saw as giving in to the weakness and laziness he had always fought not to have.

Shoshanah, born amidst a time of change and reckoning and standing up for oneself. Who was a sensitive child, but that was allowed as a girl. Who was clever and full of imagination and struggled to make friends but successfully kept one school friend and played constantly and happily with her sister.

Shoshanah, who came of age in a new age of computers and arcades and neon lights. Who still seemed a child, still played with Barbies. Who read a lot and recited lists of facts but got poor grades in school, where she was overwhelmed and bullied. Whose one friend had abandoned her when their interests diverged and whose Wrongness was stark in comparison to her sister who wore hairspray and lipstick, read magazines, and went dancing with boys. Shoshanah, who still wanted to play games and make up stories and was too old to be this sensitive and hated going out in public and covered her ears at loud noises. Who found solace in novels, in writing stories, and in the familiar prayers at shul with the familiar tunes that made her feel safe and loved.

Shoshanah, who went to college all excited to learn about psychology because she didn’t understand people but was fascinated with them. Who dropped out in shame 3 years later because she couldn’t handle the social aspect or keep up with the homework. Who had to go to her sister’s law school graduation while she still lived at home and worked as a stocker at the grocery store. Who still collected Barbies and wrote novels on her grandfather’s old typewriter and spent her time alone. Whose clothes never quite matched and were always too loud.

Shoshanah, who discovered independence by living with a roommate at 30, found that she could handle responsibility when it was shared and friendship when it wasn’t teenage. Who got an entry-level position at the library and never wanted to leave. Who knew she could never handle having children, but eventually found herself love with someone who got her.

Shoshanah, who saw herself in her baby niece and swore she would never learn to hate herself for who she was.

Naomi, born into a world of rapidly changing technology where there was not even a family computer in the house the year she was born but by high school she would own her own laptop and iPod. Who never seemed able to keep up with the speed of things she wasn’t interested in, but argued rapid-fire when she understood the details. Who grew up too sensitive to sound, to light, to the way people looked at her when she didn’t know the right answer in conversation.

But also Naomi, who learned to wear headphones with no music so the world didn’t hurt. Who lived in pajama pants and long skirts and never jeans. Who cut her hair short at 12 and never went back. Who learned from her aunt that this was ok, that she was clever and beautiful. Who never felt so clever as when she went to Torah study and argued with grown adults about the finer details.

Naomi, who came of age in a world of smartphones and accommodations and who learned to advocate for herself, who got a degree in philosophy but became a book illustrator. Who shaved her head so she never had to touch her hair again, dated several women until she found one she never wanted to hide from. Who set reminders on her phone for every little part of her life, wore “actually autistic” pins in public, was never afraid to spin around when she was happy.

[levy120]

Foreign

Rating: PGWords: 790 (Complete) Genre: Slight Whump, Introspection, Speculation, AU Lore: Rayman 2, Captain Laserhawk speculation

Characters: Rayman, Razorbeard, unnamed manager

Summary: Rayman arrives on Eden. Warnings: Trafficking

AN: This is just wild speculation, probably not what's going to happen, likely not even up to my usual standard, but I'm vibing and I need to get the wriggles out :D

Read also on: [dA] | now also on [ao3] ❗❗❗ See also: [You are here] | [Part 2] | [Part 3] | [Part 4] | [Part 5]

More like this: [Rayman Oneshots Masterpost]

"Razorbeard," the voice on the other line crackles, "What have you got for me."

The robot cackles with confidence.

"Depends what you're looking for," he smirks, "I got a whole slew of new slaves to offer! Need physical labor? I got a bunch of kiddy hands just waiting to be put in a sweatshop!"

"Ah…. no," the voice on the other end replies fairly quickly, "My problems right now are a little more delicate. The rabble is unhappy. Do you have something… exotic for me, to keep the crowds entertained? And... distracted?"

Razorbeard slinks in his chair with a thoughtful hum.

"You know," he drones, "I just might! But that one's gonna cost ya, pal."

"Oh really," the voice on the other line sounds intrigued, "What are we talking about?"

"One of a kind," the robot laughs, "You'll have to see it to believe it."

---

"Well, yes, but no…." the assistant comments as they regard Rayman's cell.

"It looks unique yes, but it kinda seems a little dead inside, don't you think?"

Razorbeard waves her nagging aside with a "Pshaw! Then pamper it a little for all I care. Tell you what," he waves a finger at the secretary, "It took me some buckling to get him this way! You'll thank me later for his obedience."

"If you say so," the secretary comments before the flash of a camera startles the Limbless to look up at his visitors.

And suddenly the secretary can't help but smile.

"For all it's worth, it is rather cute," she says, "I cannot imagine it being as much trouble as you claim."

"And that makes him perfect for your cause! Don't you say?"

A thoughtful hum. Another flash of light that has Rayman recoil.

"Maybe."

---

"Chin up, little one," the assistent prattles as she guides Rayman through a large building. Doors upon doors rowed together next to ear, white walls. It would be easy to get lost in here.

Not like trying to escape is very high on Rayman's list, what with being stranded on a different planet. Far from a home that's burning. His friends, gone, dead likely, for trying to keep up the fight.

One of the doors opens. Rayman takes note that it doesn't creak or jar. It's almost surreal.

"This will be your room. Take a moment to get comfortable. You'll have to be in a better mood when the boss comes around next. He did pay a hefty sum for you."

Rayman makes a derisive sound of acknowledgement, but doesn't respond otherwise.

The assistant raises a brow at him, muttering under her breath about mistakes and wasted money as she brushes through her notes.

"I'll be back later today to bring dinner. Anything we need to know?"

Rayman's head turns to look up at her in cautious distrust.

"Are you a vegetarian?" she asks with a hint of annoyance, "Vegan? Any allergies?"

The hostility in Rayman's eyes fades, giving way to honest surprise.

"Oh," he startles at his own voice almost before replying with a humble "No preference."

The secretary jots down a note with a hum and a patronizing "Oh goody. It speaks. See you later."

Then she brushes past him. The door behind Rayman closes… and locks. Not like that would stop Rayman if he still had his powers - but even then, he has no desire to see that bleak corridor again.

With a sigh he slowly starts to explore his new quarters. He's not delusional about trading one cell for another. Even though this one has a bed and a large window - he's towering above a noisy cityscape with even more machinery and not a single plant in sight…

A golden cage is still a cage.

He doesn't know why he's here yet.

But he doesn't want to think about it. It's been a long time his mind has been running with so many thoughts. It's riveting, but exhausting.

He'll have to put all his mental energy into learning what this place is. What is expected of him. It's not like he can just leave (yet). Trying to cling to that thought is just going to hurt.

But the memory still invades his mind, of when he'd first washed ashore on the Glade. Of how he'd been first scrutinized, then welcomed by the most lovely friends he could have imagined…

But they're gone now. And they're… not coming back.

He hangs his head in his hands. If ever he were to be so lucky to have companionship again, there's no way it could measure up to or replace what he's lost.

So for now Rayman will just have to do, what he does best -

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

When Rayman looks up next, there's a fire in his eyes.

___

/Edit 09-28 ...Ooops, I made a sequel

[commenter2]

"Cabin Fever" review

Here is my review on episode 4 of Murder Drones. A camping, slasher flick themed episode! Let’s see if Uzi and the other will survive.

Again Glitch Productions, please make a longer intro theme.

Now at first I wondered why the Drones would think bringing a bunch of teen Drones to the surface is a good idea given how dangerous it is for them, when I realized that they only know of the 3 Disassembly Drones and since Uzi killed J, and N and V are good (or controlled in V’s case) logically there really isn’t anything for them to be afraid of about the surface…until J 2.0, Tessa, and potentially other Disassembly Drones appear, likely in this episode.

Given their robots, the idea of vehicles being animal like makes a bit of sense while still being funny. Does that make the pods N and the other DDs came in birds XD

So these must be the new cannon fodder I MEAN characters for the episode. We have a stoner, female nerd, the jock/bully and his girlfriend, and the self-centered jerk. I wonder how they will change as the series goes on…XD

THAD AND LIZZY ARE HOLDING HANDS! BLASPHAMY! Though I do see it adding tension to the love triangle/quadrangle ideas I’ve talked about in the past.

Uzi’s backpack has wings, making her a bit like a Disassembly Drone. Foreshadowing? :3

Uzi’s mom is strangely happy about the core blowing up. Also what Khan said seems to confirm my theory from my last episode review about how this 3rd drone type was able to blend in with the Worker Drones.

Khan: Your mom was a catch!

Uzi.EXE has stopped working XD

Khan’s room has various door designs XD

If the idea of Khan immediately proposing to Uzi’s mom after she told him to make doors doesn’t become canon, we should boycott the show!

This singularity thing will be cool to learn about later. One quick prediction I have is that it’s some kind of electrical hive mind system that connects all machinery, and it’s a part of robots like Uzi and others. It also seems to give them visions. That or some kind of BATDR like vibe given some of the drawings.

If you can ignore the the cool S drawings (a difficult challenge, I know) you'll noticed that Khan is 3 for 3 of being a better father then he was in the pilot.

Seeing the teacher wearing a stereotypical tropical outfit may seem odd given its snowing, but I bet this kind of weather is pleasant for robots trying to relax. Same with the nerd robot making a cross symbol but Uzi did mention a robo Jesus in the pilot.

We better get camp counselor N and V plushies in the future!

WOAH! Poor robot guy. I feel bad for whoever has to tell his parents.

The book the nerd girl is carrying is called “Final Girl” XD

Nice to see Thad and Lizzy being nice to N and V WAIT DID Lizzy just pickpocket the dead drone’s watch!

Sad to see how the others are scared of Uzi to a point they would befriend robots that were killing them some time ago, or seconds in V case.

Cool to see that Uzi seems to have gotten use to her powers.

At 4:51 you can see that mystery human girl from N’s dream from episode 2.

It is funny seeing the other drones trying to use the canoes on a frozen lake and again having fun with N and V given they use to be afraid of them.

Since we haven’t seen N or V overheat yet, but see Uzi and Doll do so (more Uzi) does this mean the 3rd drone type overheat faster?

Bitch move V, scratching Uzi’s screen..face..whatever. It’s a good thing Uzi can heal herselWAIT A MINUTE!!!

A green bug! AND IT “TALKS”. It also seems to think Uzi is her mom. This plus how it seems to be a key to a lab, makes me wonder what the future of this series holds.

Even in the distant future audio to text features still suck.

Doll is back.

Where is Thad in the crowd?

Uzi has the power to turn inorganic matter into living things! This is some big Internecion Cube shit here. Fitting since Murder Drones and Internecion Cube are both made by Liam Vicker. It also seems to give us the main reason why the DDs are there, as robots like those could be very dangerous if they were to attack humanity. Heck Uzi seems to have caused a big problem without even trying! Also that thing she made looks like that image in the pile of papers near the dead drone where she found the green bug.

Now we get to the slasher stereotypes, starting with the couple going somewhere to make out.

Uzi is turning! Also totally called the backpack as foreshadowing!

While N is trying to turn on the computer, you can see a pair of red eyes (likely Dolls) behind him!

From analyzing the visions N sees, it looks like a robot went rouge and ate something organic, a severed organic arm was being held on by some lab equipment, and a giant black hole (likely the singularity) is near a house that looks like the one from N’s dream and the season 1 trailer. This gives me a small theory but more on that at the end.

Uzi’s unpopularity actually saved her from being exposed to the others. It would be funny if it wasn’t a bit sad.

Wait is Uzi’s tail organic? IT IS, and she has human arms on her wings! This is a nice change for the usual DD design and it reminds me of what J’s backup systems did in episode 2. This gives me hope that we will see different designed DDs later on in the series like I have been hoping will happen for some time now.

Lizzy is sassy even on the verge of death XD

The freefalling scene is a great moment. We get to see N’s caring side as well as some good Uzi X N content.

V is jealous :3. Please writers, gives us a love quadrangle. I mean if you can make me want to see one (and I usually hate that trope) then it has to be good.

Oh…Lizzy is alive…that’s good, I guess.

V likes the idea of being a diva.

So vehicles aren’t animals, there just hot-wired and when it acts up, they need to be treated like animals.

There’s Thad! I was wondering what happened to him.

It’s interesting to see V cover for Uzi. It also makes me wonder if at some point, because of V’s actions, the drone society will try and kick out N and V (maybe Uzi as well) for all the killings V have done…. Only for them to want them back when J and the other new DDs appear.

Uzi and N technically held hands!

Can’t wait to see what is on that tape. Actually Zombie Drones sounds like another nod to Internecion Cube.

That was an intense episode, as all slasher films are. I mean we now learn that if Uzi loses control she turns into a monster and why it seems the DDs were sent to the planet, we have a new “character/plot device" in the form of the robotic bug, N stumbling upon a tape that will likely explain everything, and we see V being jealous of how close Uzi and N are which I think could make her start to remember his life before she became a DD.

Only time will tell on what will happen next but I have some new theories based on what we saw.

After seeing Uzi’s ability to turn inorganic things into organic, I have this new theory that Doll is the mystery human girl we saw in this episode. See there was this old theory that went over the possibility of the drones being originally human or used human parts and something like this seems to be true, especially after seeing the lab machinery holding a human body part in N's visions. Maybe Doll’s mother was originally that girl in the flashback who use to own J, V, and N but died which made her father want her back as a robot. However, the inorganic and organic components resulted in their dangerous powers and had to be taken out, but failed and the the girl was able to escape where she had a robot daughter of her own AKA Doll. Also after seeing Uzi turn inorganic into organic matter, maybe Doll could do something similar but on a bigger scale as she could make herself look very much like a human.

I also have this theory that whatever gives Uzi and Doll their powers, its being used slightly for the DD’s. I mean thinking back to episode 2, that heart thing that came out of J gives me a similar vibe to the techno-organic substance Uzi was making in the episode. For all we know after the exoplanet incident, the tech behind it was perfected on Earth and they gave it to N and the other DDs to give them a fighting chance against the 3rd kind of drones. It would explain how they can make all those weapons and regenerate quickly.

What did you think of the episode? What did you like about it and do you have any theories of your own about the series?