#;; you'd bet on me? [mike]

[bylrndgm]

MIKE WHEELER IN EVERY EPISODE [12/42] 2.04 Will the Wise

[artists-ally]

{Flatline} OFC x Harvey Specter {Pt. 1}

I got the title from this song called Flatline by Jared Benjamin. I added it to this playlist of very Harvey Specter vibes if you'd like to listen. There will be multiple parts, around three so be sure to stick around for those. As always comment and tell me what you think, or pop by in my asks. Anyhoo enjoy my loves!

Word count ~ 10,619 (it is a very fast paced read I promise)

Warnings ~ Age gap, smut (18+), handjob, no real BDSM but Dom/Sub concepts, language, alcohol, anxiety/anxious thoughts, probably really inaccurate lawyer terms idk man.

Summary: Harvey has taken notice of the hardest working first year associate, Claudia Martin. Despite being petrified of the infamous closer, she tried her hardest to not let it get the best of her. Harvey has a few ideas on how to increase her confidence.

Tagging : @maxdamax @ashcosmo @rosedpetal (This is basically just dedicated to you three so I hope you enjoy it the most!)

~~~~~

“Alright, everybody stop,” Harvey announced. I put down my file and sat ramrod straight in my seat, eyes darting at the other associates as they put theirs away too. “We have been working on this case now for four hours and no one has brought me a single thing that I can use as evidence. Now, if someone doesn’t put a file in my hand in the next ten minutes, we’re going to lose. And those of you who don’t want to get stuck doing whatever bullshit Louis is going to punish you with, you better come up with something fast.”

I looked at the blue file in my hands, heart hammering in my chest as I saw Harvey leave out of the corner of my eye. With a deep breath, I pushed up out of my chair and followed after him. 

Circling around the office a few times, I made up reasons and excuses not to go see him. It was stupid, I knew that, but I didn’t want to bring him something and then immediately be called an idiot for bringing him shit he already knew.

I saw how he treated Mike. And Louis. Even Donna from time to time.

There were two things you did in this world: die, and respect Harvey Specter. As a first year associate in this god awful firm, you didn’t dare break his trust or waste his time. 

“Is Mr. Specter available for a moment?” I asked Donna. I hadn’t talked to her much, but I’ve heard her speak to Harvey a few times around the office. She was someone I wished I knew better, someone I wished I could ask for help, but I didn’t want to bother her either. 

“Yeah, he’s in his office going over the statements from the mock trial,” Donna smiled, pointing over her shoulder. I nodded, willing my feet to move in the direction of his office. I knocked before pushing the glass door opening, keeping my head down. 

“Claudia, now is really not a good-” “I have something for you,” we spoke at the same time. “I’m sorry to interrupt, I can come back and-” “Is that for the mock trial?” He asked, and I nodded. “Hand it over.”

I placed the file in his outstretched hand as he came around to sit on the corner of the desk. My hands were trembling with dread as his eyes raked over the words on the page. The lines in his forehead creased, eyes narrowing.

“Claudia, this is brilliant,” he had a very confused expression when his eyes met mine. “Where did you find this?”

“Well, I figured if Mrs. Thompson said that she didn’t pay her rent that month, because there wasn't money in her account, then there had to be some kind of a trail. Some clue. There was, but it was only an amount, and it didn’t say which account it came from. When I did some digging, I found out that she uses Capital One banking and when I looked at her bank statement-

“There was a draw for the exact amount that Mr. Saros used to bet on that game,” Harvey finished before I could get the words out of my mouth. “Claudia, this is genius. Come on, we’ve got a case to win.”

____

“...Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this compelling evidence reveals that Mr. Saros was in fact fraudulent and used his ex- wife’s funds to continue gambling. Thank you.” Harvey closed the argument, taking a seat besides Donna, who represented the client. Jessica looked to the opposing counsel as if to say ‘do you have anything?’. Louis had nothing. Not a sliver of hope. 

“Then it is decided, Mr. Saros will be charged with a misdemeanor and face a prison sentence of one year in county jail.”

With a crack of the gavel, the case was over, and applause rang through the office for Harvey and his team. I had a tiny smile on my face as I left the conference room to go back to the bullpen. There was an endless stack of reports to run, motions to file… it never ended when it came to Louis. And now that I was on the winning team I’m sure that-

“Claudia, where are you going?” Harvey called out. 

“Oh, I was just going back to my desk. Why, is there something that you need?” God I hope he didn’t need anything. I was sweating bullets by just standing next to him. 

“I just wanted to congratulate you on your first win,” he gave a small smirk. His brown eyes were sharp, but not as intense as they usually were. 

I flushed, “Well, it’s not really a real case.”

“No, it’s not. But seeing what you did today, how would you like one of your own?” He extended a blue file back to me, a stack of papers covered inside. I could feel the gaze of the other associates on me as I hesitantly took the file. 

“Mr. Spector, I’m honored, but I’m not-”

“Yes you are,” he cut me off. I bit my tongue. “You are a lawyer, Claudia. And you clearly have an outside the box approach to your tactics which we don’t see very often. I haven’t seen someone able to compile and order evidence like you since Mike came to work for me a decade ago. I’ll be supervising your case, you report to me with any questions you might have, but otherwise this is all you.”

My first case… given to me by Harvey Specter himself.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered. I flipped through the file, seeing that this wasn’t just some pro-bono case. This was against a big time client and the SEC. The SEC meant Sean Cayhill, who, from my understanding, was already on the rocks with this firm and has been for a very long time. 

“You can thank me when you win it,” he extended his hand, and I shook it, hoping that they weren’t sweaty. “Look over the file tonight and come ready to swing tomorrow morning.”

Harvey’s hand was warm, and significantly larger than mine. Everything about him was bigger than I was, especially his ego. And his personality. Lord help me…

My nod was the only confirmation that I would meet him there. As he walked out, I met some of the eyes of the associates and they scowled at me. At the file in my hand. At the fact that I hadn’t said a word the whole meeting today and then came up with the winning piece of evidence. And now I was working alongside Harvey. 

The infamous closer at Pearson-Specter-Litt. 

____

“Claudia, what’s wrong?” Donna startled me so bad I dropped my coffee on the floor with a shout. “Something’s really wrong.”

“Oh, it’s just you Donna,” I sighed in relief. I could feel the coffee seeping into my shirt and chilling against my skin. “Great.”

“What has you so skittish?” She asked, worry gracing her features. 

I didn’t want to admit that it was because of Harvey and the fact that I had to work alongside him on this case. I hadn’t been able to sleep much last night because I was up thinking about him, wondering how he’d handle this case himself. What he would do, how he would do it. Sure, I admired the guy, how could I not? He was a perfectionist and always found a way. I wish I had half the confidence he did. 

“It’s Harvey, isn’t it?”

“How did you know that? Nevermind, you’re Donna. But… Yes it’s because of Harvey.”

“Did he say something to you yesterday after you guys won the mock trial? I saw he handed you a case file, what was it all about?” “That's precisely what’s wrong,” I groaned, bending over and picking up the dropped paper cup. “He gave me a case of my own as a 'thank you' for finding the evidence that won the trial yesterday. I’m terrified of him, Donna. I-I don’t know how to act around someone with that kind of personality. He is so abrasive and forward and harsh and-”

“A total jackass?” She finished for me. 

I chuckled nervously, “I’m afraid to even think of that word in association with his name. I mean, how am I supposed to work alongside someone that intense? Plus, I’m a first year associate, how am I supposed to compete with what he as to offer and-”

“Hey, it’s okay. No need to get yourself all worked up, Claudia. Harvey is a lot of bark, and only some bite.” “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

“What I’m trying to say is that there is some heart inside that cold dead chest of his,” she smiled, a genuine, friendly smile. “For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen him give someone a case after a mock trial. Not even Mike. Up until yesterday I’m not even sure he knew you existed.” “Wish it was still that way,” I rolled my eyes, folding my arms against my chest.

“Claudia, listen to me. Yes, Harvey can be rude and obnoxious, but he is the best damn attorney in the state of New York. He didn’t get to the top by being nice and sweet. He was impressed with your willingness to bring him the evidence yourself. Now he knows he can count on you to get things done in a pinch when he needs them.” “I had that evidence for an hour,” I emphasized. “I was trying to build up the courage to give it to him long before he came and ripped us to shreds for not having anything. I just didn’t want him to think that it was a stupid idea or to be in a bad mood and turn me away because I definitely wouldn’t have done it at all after that. I don’t know how to deal with someone like him, Donna. What am I supposed to do? I should just give the case to Griffin or Thomas-”

“No no no. You are definitely not going to do that. That will only show Harvey that you aren’t serious about becoming a lawyer.”

“I am serious about becoming a lawyer.” I was mildly offended that she’d even say that to me. “Of course I want to be a lawyer, it's all I’ve ever wanted.”

“And Harvey will only know that if you work on this case with him.”

I inhaled and exhaled, leaning my head back and looking at the ceiling. “Fine.” “That’s my girl,” she grinned. “Now, come on. I have an extra dress you can borrow because I am sure as hell not letting you walk around covered in coffee stains.”

“I appreciate it, but I don’t think what you have will fit me.” Donna jerked her head over her shoulder and I followed to a closet in the back of the file room. When she opened it, it was like a full blown wardrobe. There were dresses and shoes and purses and hair supplies lining the walls. “Woah…” “Don’t ever underestimate the power of Donna,” she winked before rummaging through the office closet. 

After searching for a few moments, she pulled out a lovely royal blue dress that was, as she hinted at, a perfect size for me. How she knew that it would fit, I’ll never know. But I did know that I wouldn’t ever underestimate the power of Donna ever again. She’s magical. 

“Now, what do you say?”

“Thanks, Donna,” I smiled sweetly. 

“Actually I was looking for ‘you are an ethereal goddess who makes all my dreams and wishes come true’ but that works too,” I knew she was teasing, and I gave her a small shove of her shoulder. “Go get dressed, come back here and let me do your hair.”

“What’s wrong with the way it is?” I turned to look in the mirror on the back of the door and grimaced. “Oh…” My messy curls from yesterday looked more like a rat wrapped around a bunch of fishing line.

“Hurry up, Harvey will be back soon and I want you in that office, file in hand, ready to go when he gets here.”

I quickly shuffled to the bathroom and changed into the form fitting, very Donna-style dress. It didn’t look half bad, and I actually somewhat tolerated the dress. Normally I’d find a pants suit far more flattering and business appropriate than a dress, strictly because of the over sexualized nature of women's business clothing. 

I hate the corporate world. 

I did one more glance in the mirror before heading back to the break room to grab the file. I must’ve set it on the counter while I was pouring my coffee. Hopefully it wasn’t ruined. 

There was no blue file on the counter. Or the table. Or on top of the microwave or the fridge. I even checked inside the microwave. Nothing. It was nowhere. Oh shit.

“Do you want curls or for me to straighten-” “It’s gone,” there was a clear panic in my voice. “The file, it’s not in the break room, Donna. It’s gone.”

“How can it be gone?” 

“I-I don’t- I don’t know I thought I set it on the counter while I was getting coffee and it’s not there.” I felt a cold sweat break out onto my skin. My forehead was damp to the touch. 

“Okay, take a deep breath. Let’s go look again and then check your desk. Maybe someone found it and put it there, or maybe left it with me or Gretchen. It didn’t grow a pair of legs and walk away, we’ll find it.”

“I’m gonna get fired,” my voice was almost a silent whisper, tears building behind my eyes, prickling my nose. “Donna, Harvey is going to kill me.”

“Worst comes to worst we get a new file, Harvey will never know.”

“No no no he will because he had notes of his own on the papers in there.” “Shit,” she swore. “Let’s just go look.”

We speed walked through the bullpen, earning some odd looks as we practically sprinted through the office. She checked the break room for me again, and I went to my cubicle. Nothing, not a blue folder anywhere to be seen. 

Donna came up empty handed in the break room, checking with Gretchen on her way by Louis’s office. We met at her desk. Nothing. 

“Fuck fuck fuck this is bad.” My hands were shaking, heart thundering against my ribs. I felt faint, like I could’ve fallen to the floor at any moment. “Donna, what am I gonna do?”

“Maybe somebody mistook it as their own file,” Donna blurted out after a moment of silence. She took off towards the bullpen and I followed after her, right on her heels. She marched through there, unapologetic as she invaded the other associates' work spaces. 

Still nothing. No blue file labeled ‘Devlyn Inc. Vs. Fulton Dynamics’. 

“Where the hell could it be?” She murmured to herself. 

“What are you guys looking for?” An associate, Benson, asked. 

“Oh, you know, a leprechaun pissing pieces of gold,” Donna’s voice was full of sarcasm. “Claudia set down a file in the break room for three minutes and forty-two seconds and now it’s mysteriously disappeared. Know anything about it?”

“No,” he pressed his lips together. “Not really.” “Not really?”

“There are a million case files floating around this office, you really expect me to pay attention to every single one and where it’s going?” “As an associate of this firm, yes, actually. I do. Now I want to know if you know who took her file and I want to know right now. You have one chance to tell the truth, otherwise the bottom of my stiletto and your ass are gonna be great friends.”

Benson swallowed, “I truly don’t know. I’m sorry, I can keep an eye out for it. Is it the one Harvey gave Claudia yesterday?”

“Yes, and he needs it in twenty minutes,” Donna said, an undeniable urgency in her voice. “If you find it, do the right thing and give it back or so help me god you will find yourself jobless faster than you can get down on your knees and beg me to let you keep it.”

Donna beckoned me for her to follow and I did, my heart sinking and sinking into my stomach. It had to be around here somewhere. It had to be. 

I did another lap around, rummaging through all the drawers in the desk and thensome. Still nowhere. How could I be so stupid? So irresponsible? This is exactly why I didn’t want to take this case in the first place.

Despite all Harvey and Donna said the other day, I’m not ready to be a lawyer. Not really, anyway. I know I have my license and I’ve passed the Bar. I’ve done all the hard work, but this was… this was hell. A living nightmare. Not only was this firm constantly on the verge of collapsing, but it seemed like I made new enemies every other week by simply doing my job quickly, quietly, and efficiently. 

I don’t know how or why I piss everyone off all the time. I just do my work, I quite literally don’t bother another soul in this building unless I have to. Occasionally I’d ask Donna a question that she could ask Harvey or Mike to see what they thought about it. I’d never speak to them directly, just through her which didn’t make me feel good, either. 

I’d eat by myself, working through my meal. It took me two months of being here to finally use the break room because I was too nervous about taking the last tea bag or power bar from the cabinet. I just took a disposable coffee cup and filled it with tap water. And then kept that cup because I didn’t want to take the others because I figured other people needed them for coffee and I didn’t want them to be all gone-

“Claudia,” Donna interrupted my mild panic. “Harvey wants to see you.”

Oh no… no no no not yet god please not yet. I swallowed, or tried to at least; there was no moisture in my mouth whatsoever. I stood, knees trembling as I smoothed out the skirt of my dress.

Before I went on, she ran a brush through my hair, taking out the knots. It lay sleek and flat against my shoulders, a major difference from the low bun I always kept it in. My hair always made me so hot; I never understood how anyone could get anything done with it swaying in their face all day.

I could see him in his office, eyes staring us down as we rounded the corner. His gaze was locked on me and I felt my body tighten and constrict around a breath. Harvey was sitting on the corner of his desk, fingers toying with the cufflink on his left wrist.. 

“Hey, look at me,” Donna spoke softly, hands coming to my shoulders. “Give Harvey the truth, and nothing but. He will understand, if not, I will make him.”

I nodded.

When I pushed open his glass door, tension was thick in the air. My palms were clammy, still shaking. My mind was going a million miles a second. 

“What can I do for you, Mr. Specter?” I asked, trying to keep my cool despite almost throwing up. 

“Please tell me you have some good news about the case that I gave you,” he sighed, pushing off the desk and standing in front of me. 

Welp… here goes my career. 

“Actually, Mr. Specter there is something I need to-”

“You were looking for me, Harvey?” I whipped my head over my shoulder, seeing Griffin knocking on the door. 

“Yes, Griffin come on please, shut the door as well.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I can come back and we can discuss the details of-”

“No, Claudia. Stay for a moment,” Harvey gave a firm nod, full attention slipping from me to my fellow associate. “Griffin, I see you have something for me.”

“Yes,” Griffin threw a wicked grin at me before handing over a blue file. I could feel the sick rise in my throat. That was my blue file. “I would just like to go over the details of my case with you to get your input.”

“Your case?” Harvey questioned, sharing a glance between me and Griffin. “Where did you get this? Who the hell gave you a case?”

“That’s not important. I was hoping we could actually-”

“No,” Harvey cut him off. “It’s very important, actually. Because I can recall that just last night this exact file, with my handwriting, was in Claudia’s hands. So whatever act you’re putting on, I suggest you cut the bullshit right now.” “Okay I found it in the breakroom,” Griffin rolled his eyes. “Maybe if she were a little more responsible, which she clearly isn’t because she left her documents in a public space, then she’d be more equipped to handle a real case. Like a real lawyer should.”

I could see the muscle in Harvey’s jaw clench and contract several times. 

“Claudia, care to explain how our case got in this thief’s hands?” “Thief?” “I had spilled coffee,” I started, taking a deep breath when Griffin cut me a gaze so threatening I almost crumbled to my knees. “I spilled coffee and Donna offered a change of clothes for me. I didn’t even notice I left it. When I came back it was gone.”

“Well, I think that about settles it. How about you get out of here before you cause yourself a real problem. And If I ever catch wind of you stealing another one of Claudia’s files, or anyones for that matter, I will personally make your life a living hell. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” he ground his teeth, refusing to look at either of us. 

“Now get your ass back to your desk and pray to whoever you believe in that I don’t have you fired and disbarred for the shit you pulled today. Get the hell out of my sight.”

Griffin was out of there far faster than he walked in, head down, hands shoved in his pockets. I let out a shaky breath. 

“Are you okay?” Harvey asked me. “I’m so sorry,” I completely ignored his question. “Griffin was right, I was extremely irresponsible and shouldn’t have let that file out of my sight. If you want to give it to another associate I completely understand. Again, I am so sorry and understand that there are consequences to my actions for letting such important information go missing-”

“Claudia, slow down,” he eased. “It’s okay, you are not the one I am pissed at.”

“You’re not?” I didn’t understand why. “But- but I completely misplaced a case.”

“No,” Harvey shook his head. “No Griffin is the only one to blame. You spilled coffee, went to go get cleaned up, and he stole it. He should know better. And seeing that he clearly doesn’t, I know I’m right in my decision on who to bring onto this case with me.”

I could feel my blush creep up my neck. “I appreciate that, Mr. Specter.”

“Of course, Claudia. And please, call me Harvey.”

I just gave a subtle nod, taking the file from his hand. I followed his gaze from my face to my hair where he took a strand between his fingers, letting the end curl around his digit.

“I’ve never seen your hair so long,” He added, dropping it from his grip. My breath was caught in my throat. Words were vacant shadows in my mind as he surveyed the dress I was wearing. “I bet that’s Donna’s, isn’t it.”

I had to clear my throat before I could speak. “She wouldn’t let me walk around with coffee stains all day.”

“It looks good on you,” He complimented. Harvey’s eyes, again, went from my head to my toes. There was nothing I could do but fall victim to his… I didn’t know what to think of how he looked at me. Couldn’t decide if it was good or bad. 

“Time for the case then?” I needed to get his attention off of me. Now. I was flushed and losing my mind. Harvey didn’t really seem to acknowledge my words at all. 

“Sure.” Was all he gave me.

____

I barely escaped with the skin on my teeth after our consultation. No, he didn’t rip me to shreds, but he would not take his eyes off of me for even one second. It was so… so potent I couldn’t focus. It was almost lunch when Donna came in and saved my ass. 

I couldn’t have gotten out of there fast enough.

“So, how did it go?” Donna asked as I sat in my cubicle. When she came around, or maybe she just followed me, I didn’t know. 

I put my face in my hands. “It was a disaster, Donna. I was a stuttering mess and I kept forgetting everything I was going to say because he would not stop staring at me. Like, he would not stop.” “Well, you aren’t exactly ugly, Claudia,” she snickered. 

“Donna, this isn’t funny,” I groaned. “I’m being completely frank with you.”

“How can I be expected to work alongside him when I can’t stand being in an enclosed space with him for more than four minutes without turning into a bumbling idiot? It’s like he enjoys watching me get flustered.”

“Claudia, I think you are making this a bigger deal in your head than it actually is.” Donna came around and sat on my desk, crossing a knee over the other. “And besides, Harvey understands what it’s like to be a new associate. It can be nerve wracking, especially when you have Louis breathing down your neck.”

I chuckled gravely, “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“You’ll figure it out.” “Why can’t you just tell me?” I whined as she stood up. 

“Because I am the Yoda to your Luke Skywalker. Wise you are, patience you must have, my young Padawan.”

“I am not a Jedi who is going on a self discovery journey to start using the Force,” I countered. “I am a nervous wreck who can’t handle being alone with Harvey Specter.”

“Then you need to get over it because Harvey is not going to berate you on your first case!” She argued.

“Did you not hear what he said to Griffin? Or-or to Thomas when he suggested that we consider taking the deal that Mr. Saros had offered during the mock trial? He cracked them wide open and left them to bleed. What about with Mike? How many times has he almost sent him to the curb for not being able to find what Harvey needs?”

“Mike is different and you know it,” Donna lowered her voice. “Plus he always says shit like that to light a fire under his ass. Harvey can see that you are nervous to work with him. He isn’t going to hang you out to dry, I promise. He stood up for you, Claudia, in a way I’ve only seen him do with me and Mike. You know how much he cares about us.”

“Well, yeah of course. But you’ve worked for him for fifteen years and Mike almost seven now. You have a relationship with him and established trust. How am I supposed to have that with him when I can’t even look him in the eye?” “It comes with time, Claudia,” she rubbed my shoulder. “But if there is anything I can say to get you to trust the process, Harvey is loyal, almost to a fault sometimes. He will stop at nothing to make sure the people he cares about are taken care of. I can see that he wants that for you because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have given a shit if Griffin stole the file or not.”

Donna walked away after smoothing down some of the hair on my head, disappearing behind the corner. I let out a huff. She was right, I was being a little over dramatic.

Harvey had a reputation, though. How was I supposed to know if- no. This is unrelated to anything going on. Sort of. I just need to focus on the case. 

I pulled out the files and looked over them again, compiling all the notes into one space for easy recall. As I was looking through it, I found a loophole in one of the contracts that unbound our client from having to give up half of her company.

____

I paced up and down Harvey’s office, tapping my file in my hand as I went through all my key points in my head for today’s trial. I needed to lure, or bait rather, the witnesses into my questions to get them to admit to trespassing on our clients property. We had everything we needed; security footage, witnesses to testify on our behalf… Everything was all lined up. I just needed to blow it. 

I could do this, right? I had only spent all night doing a fake run of how today would go in my mirror, but then again anything could happen when I got into that courtroom today. Maybe they had another leg on us, maybe there was another witness they had to testify against us.

God dammit, if I screwed up today I wouldn’t get another case. Probably not ever again unless I packed up all my shit and moved to Iowa. 

Having Harvey there didn’t make me feel better. I thought it would, but as we worked together I realized he only made me more nervous. I couldn’t help it, he just looked at me this way I couldn't describe. It was incredibly annoying, I don’t know how Mike does it. Or Donna. Or Jessica or Louis or-

Jesus focus, Claudia. I rubbed my eyes with my thumbs. Just focus focus focus. I’ve been over it a million times. I could do this. I didn’t have a choice, court was in less than half an hour. 

“Claudia,” Harvey ripped me from my concentration, making me jump. “Sorry to startle you. Are you ready for today?” “Not really,” I admitted. “I am kind of freaking out, to be honest.”

“It’s okay,” he eased me to sit next to him. “What are you so nervous for?”

I chuckled, “Everything.” “Okay,” he gave a half-hearted laugh. “What specifically? Just name one thing that you are worried about.”

“I don’t know- forgetting cross examination questions? Screwing up the order so it doesn’t lead him into our trap? A billion things could go wrong and I’m not sure what to do if I freeze or stutter. What if the jury or the opposing counsel laughs at me?”

“That is not gonna happen, Claudia,” Harvey reassured. “You have prepared some amazing questions, you’ve got this in the bag.” “You know, I much prefer to stay in the background and do research. I don’t think I’m cut out to handle court stuff this is-”

“Hey,” he said so softly I almost didn’t hear him. He grabbed my trembling hand and held it between his own. My body went completely rigid, chest puffing in and out with heavy breaths. “You are going to do great today, I know it, Claudia. You are prepared, capable, and even more prepared. This is always what you’ve wanted to do, isn’t it?” I just nodded. Over the past week and a half of working together, I had told him what made me want to be a lawyer in the first place. About how I saw my best friends’ parents' business completely ruined by a group of robbers and their insurance did nothing to help them.

It made me so sad for them, made me feel so sick that I knew I had to do something to help them. I did my research and then brought it to them. They brought it to their lawyer and ended up getting a settlement for far more than they were ever gonna get. All because of me and my discovery that I made on my computer when I was thirteen.

“Okay. Think back to teenage Claudia for a moment. I bet she dreamed of being in this exact position. Where she can help people and give the sorry bastards who put them there a taste of their own medicine. Well, Claudia, here you are. Your very first case. Your very first helping hand. Your very first entrance into the world of the law. And you are going to absolutely shake up those witnesses, blindside them so hard they won’t have a choice but to tell the truth. This is your moment, Claudia’s moment. Don’t let fear take it from you, okay?” Again, all I could do was nod. And think about how warm his hand was in mine. We stood and he let go, leading me out of the office and down to his car waiting for him in front of the building. Ray, his driver, greeted me sweetly as I settled into the back seat with Harvey.

I flipped through my cards over and over and over on our way to the court house. Harvey snatched them from me. “Hey!” “You know the material,” he gave me a pointed look, sliding them in the breast pocket of his jacket. 

“I know but-” “There is no but,” he shrugged. “Have just one ounce of confidence, Claudia. Trust yourself.”

All of whatever I had been reading was swept from my mind as he placed his palm on my knee. I hadn’t realized it was bouncing up and down until he pressed against it to stop its movements. I tried to sit still, but I just started picking at my nails instead. 

“Claudia,” he said in a stern, commanding voice. I stopped my fidgeting, laying my hands flat in my lap. “Good, just relax. Everything will be alright.”

Highly doubtful. He was playing a dangerous game, and we both knew it. But neither of us said anything as he left his hand there the entire car ride. 

____

“After the conclusion of today’s trial, the jury here finds Fulton Dynamic guilty of trespassing and breaking and entering with intent to steal inside information.”

I felt the tension deflate from my body, eyes fluttering shut as the judges whacked the wooden disk on his stand. He said something, but I couldn’t even hear over the roar in my ear. Holy shit we won…

“Claudia,” Harvey shook my shoulder. I snapped my eyes to him. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. 

I rested my head back against the seat, eyes focused on the window outside so I wouldn’t throw up. Man did I hate getting car sick every time I looked at my phone when in a car. The city lights were bright and fierce, unrelenting all hours of the day. Why on god's green earth did I decide to move to New York? Out of all the places I could’ve gone to work as an associate in this state, why did I choose the city? I hate the city. I’ve always hated the-

“Yoo-hoo,” I heard from my side. I lifted my exhausted head and gave Harvey a look. “Did you hear anything I said?”

‘Oh… n-no I’m sorry,” I stiffened, giving him my full attention. “What were you talking about?”

“I was just saying that you did a great job today, Claudia. You kicked ass in there,” he smiled.

“Thanks, Mr. Specter.” I just let out a sigh.

“You don’t think so?”

“Not really.” Anxiety swirled in my chest. Tears pricked my eyes and nose. 

“Why not? Claudia, you gave one of the best cross examinations I think I’ve ever seen. And the way you handled Cayhill? Defended Devlyn from those accusations? It was masterful.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

Silence hung between us. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “You did great today.”

“I was a complete idiot when I was defending Devlyn. I was way too animated and let my emotions get the best of me. For Christ's sake Judge Peterson gave me a warning.”

“I want you to take a guess at how many warnings judges give me when I’m the one in there leading the case.”

“You’re Harvey Specter, of course you… get a lot.”

“You right, I do get a lot. But that isn’t a bad thing. And I’ve been doing this a hell of a lot longer than you-” “That’s the problem,” I snapped. “You have been doing this for seventeen years and I’ve been doing it for ten days. I’ve barely got my toe in the water and I’ve already shown other lawyers and firms that I can’t keep my cool.”

“Claudia, you are passionate. I don’t see that as a huge problem in the courtroom. There needs to be a level of pushback from attorneys because if you, of all people on someone’s legal team, aren’t going to fight back, then you might as well be fired. Because you are the only person some people have hope for. You have to be aggressive and assertive sometimes to get the job done.”

“I don’t know how to do that.”

“I am going to teach you,” Harvey’s words completely short circuited my brain. 

“What do you mean?”

“Claudia, I think you’re going to be a great lawyer, even without my help. I know you struggle with confidence and that is all I want to help you with. To get some leverage over these other associates so you can climb that ladder.”

“I can’t just magically pull a wagon load of confidence out of my ass overnight,” I shook my head, folding my hands tightly together. “I don’t see how you can help me.”

The car pulled up outside the building and Harvey let out a sigh. Great. Now I’ve pissed him off, too. That’s exactly what I needed to do was piss off Harvey Specter after a great win. In all honesty, it had been a good day. I didn’t fumble the ball like I was going to, but this was completely taking away from them.

My door opened. Harvey looked down at me from outside and extended his hand. When did he get out of the car? I hesitantly took it, getting out and shutting the door behind me.

“Claudia,” Harvey started. “You need to learn to let go. To put the bad moments behind you.” “I can’t.” “Which is why you and I are going to go back up there and have a drink. Get to know each other a little bit so we can start building that trust. I know I intimidate you, and I try like hell to be as calm as I can around you, but one day Louis or Jessica or Donna is going to come into my office and give me some bad news. You might be there and see how I handle it. You might not, but I don’t want you to be afraid of that happening to you.”

“And how can I be sure that if I come up with a plan one day, and it falls through and goes to shit, you won’t flip out on me or fire me or-or-”

“Because I won’t. I give you my word. But I need yours as well.”

“Need my word, why?” “I need to know that you won’t think I’m a monster if you’re in the room and I lose my cool.”

I’ve never thought Harvey was a monster to begin with. I’ve always admired his ability to shut off his feelings and get the dirty work done. Of course I’ve seen that side of him a time or two, but never catastrophic like some of the stories I’ve heard from the third and fourth years.

“You have my word.”

The elevator chime brought me out of my spiraling momentarily to walk to Harvey’s office. The firm was empty, not even Jessica was here. He led me to his office and got to work on the drinks. My eyes wandered from him to the view through the window. This was the only part of the city I might’ve let myself enjoy from time to time. 

“Donna was right, you do have a lot of music,” I noted, taking in the wall filled with vinyl records. She mentioned it when I was caught with my head buried in a book in the library, some random Beatles song blasting so loud she could hear it down the hall. 

“You’re just now noticing that?” “Well, I haven’t exactly been in your office for anything other than to work on this case so… no I guess I never really noticed.”

“You can pick something to listen to, if you’d like.” He was gonna let me touch his records? This place was like a museum; autographed basketballs and baseballs, art hanging on the wall. “Or you can just stare at it.”

I flushed, picking up a record at random and handing it to him. In exchange, he handed me a glass a third full of whisky. I smelled it, it kind of made me scrunch my nose. I didn’t drink often; most of the time I was too tired to even feed myself let alone consume alcohol.

When I took a sip, I actually didn’t mind the taste. It was smooth, simple in flavor and didn’t burn too bad. Quite nice, for all it’s worth. 

There was a couch along the wall of records that I fixed myself on, Harvey taking the time to remove his tie and lay it across his desk before sitting across from me on one of the chairs. I toed off my pumps and set them on the floor beside the table. God damn did my feet hurt. 

“Do you do this with all the new associates?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs while I took up the couch. 

“I mean, when you think they’re ready, do you give them a case and help them get their foot in the door?”

“No, no I don’t,” Harvey admitted. “Louis is in charge of the associates. You know that.”

“Yes,” I nodded. “But I just thought that there was some deal between you guys: you have a mock trial with the new associates, whichever team wins gets to give a case to the best performing associate.”

Harvey laughed. I didn’t even know he knew how to do that. “Oh, Claudia, you really are that innocent, aren’t you?” My throat collapsed on itself. What did I say?

“Relax,” he set his glass down, swallowing his sip. “Yes, we do a fake trial every year for the first years, but we don’t just give them cases when they win. No one in their right mind would give a first year associate, fresh out of law school, the time of day. Normally they have to prove themself down the line, after years and years of loyalty to this firm to get their first case. And it’s usually pretty easy pro-bono shit.” I had to stop and think for a moment before I could speak. “You keep saying normally, usually… What are you saying?”

“What I’m saying, Claudia, is that in my decade plus of working here, I’ve never seen an associate who busts their ass quite like you. Who takes every ounce of bullshit from Louis and turns it into the Mona Lisa.”

“I think that everyone does tha-”

“No,” he cut me off. A stern look in his eyes, lips in that crooked line. “No they don’t. Not like you. You put your head down, get into it, and don't come up until you’ve found what you were looking for and thensome. You go above and beyond every time. You don’t go to Louis begging for more work, he brings it to you, and only you, because he knows he can count on you. Which means I know I can count on you, too.”

I honestly didn’t know what to say. I kind of just wanted the ground to swallow me whole. To make me evaporate and never see the light of day again. 

“Thank you, Mr. Specter. But I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not but I am not very good in the spotlight. I don’t do well with… all of this.”

“I know, but I’m glad that you are trying anyway,” his smile was very charming. In a way that made his eyes crinkle. “So, besides giving a hell of a cross examination, what else do you like to do for ‘fun’?” 

“Well, for starters, your definition of fun, and mine, are going to be very different. I am a very solitary person, I don’t need to be around people to have a good time. Most of the time I prefer to go do things by myself because I find when I ask, people already have plans, or they’re faking having plans so they don’t have to hang out with me. I can’t tell what is the truth and what isn’t so I stopped asking… that was totally not what you asked. Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble.”

“Go ahead, talk about whatever you want. I won’t judge you.”

A small part of me believed that he wouldn’t. A tiny, microscopic part. 

“There is nothing like the feeling of getting lost in a good book. I’m a complete sucker for a cliche rom-com where the bad guy gets the good girl.”

Harvey let out a dramatic puff of air, laughing into the space around us. 

“You said you wouldn’t judge!” I chuckled. 

“I’m not, it’s just lame. Come on, what do you really like to do for fun?”

“That is what I really like to do for fun,” I let my hand fall to the cushion beside me. “I told you, I am not a very interesting person. I don’t have time for a whole lot of anything other than working here so… Most of my hobbies have been put on the back burner through grad school and working nonstop.”

“If you could be any type of sea creature, what would you be?” 

“What does that literally have anything to do with anything we were just talking about?”

“It doesn’t,” Harvey smiled. “I’m just curious.”

“I don’t know, a jellyfish?”

“Really?” He questioned, one brow rising higher than the other. “I’d be a great white shark.”

“Of course you would,” I snickered. “Harvey Specter, the Great White of New York. If you wanted to be a real predator that no one fucks with, you should be an Orca.” “A whale?” “The killer whale,” I corrected. “They put sharks in the obituary for fun, you know. They sink yachts for fun, too. If you really want to be on top, be an Orca. No one in their right minds fucks with an Orca. They’re intelligent and not afraid of anything.”

“Aww, you think I’m intelligent and not afraid of anything?” Harvey mewled. 

“Well, duh you’re Harvey Specter.” Everyone knew it. Harvey was the baddest cat in the sky, you didn’t approach him without giving him your respect. Cause if you didn’t, a whole boat load of shit will be coming your way. 

Harvey rolled his eyes. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but there is more to Harvey Specter than the title my name comes with.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “Harvey Specter, badass attorney and the best closer New York has ever seen, killer whale of the corporate world.” Harvey couldn’t keep his laugh inside, sending the rumbling noise into the office. I made Harvey laugh, and I have for the past however many minutes. 

“You left out the part where I’m devastatingly attractive and charming,” his smirk was nothing short of either of those things. Devastating and charming. It cut through me like a hot knife. I knew I blushed because his eyes went to my cheeks and that spot at the base of my throat that always gives it away. 

My fingers tapped away anxiously at the glass in my hands, fingernails rattling against its crystal surface. 

“It’s late I should… I should go.” Great, now I’m flustered and stuttering. As quickly as I could, I threw my heels back on and reached for my coat. 

“Claudia-”

“Thank you for the drink, and for all your help on the case,” I hurried out, trying to not let my voice break and give away all the things I wanted to say. “Have a good night, Mr. Specter.”

“Claudia.” His voice commanded, stopping my movements. I held still on the couch, drinking in his stare. “Stay.”

“Mr. Specter I really should-”

“Harvey,” he bit out a little harshly. “Stop calling me Mr. Specter.”

“I’m sorry. Harvey, it’s late.” He just nodded, taking a sip from his glass. “And?”

“It’s been a long day and I think we should both go and get some much deserved rest,” I spoke quietly, resuming my nail picking from earlier. 

“Do you really want to leave?” 

It was such a loaded question. Yes, absolutely I wanted to fucking leave. But there was something deep in his eyes, deep in his voice that made me want to stay and explore. My heart was hammering in my chest. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, no matter how much I wanted to look away. It was impossible. 

“I don’t think you do,” he answered for me. “I told you I was going to help build your confidence.”

You never told me how, jackass, I thought. I swallowed, nothing going down, but I did it anyway. Harvey threw back what was left of his whisky and sat back, knees far apart, fingers drawing patterns on the arm rests of the chair. 

“Come here, Claudia.” What? “You heard me.”

Shit, I must’ve said it out loud. If I thought my heart was racing before, it sure as hell was halfway around the world now. Legs trembling, I rose. Why the fuck did I stand up? It wasn’t too late to make a beeline for the door and pray he didn’t catch up. Then again, it wasn’t like I could escape him, we worked in the same fucking building. On the same floor. 

When I came to a halt, a few feet in front of him, he held out his hand, palm up. As I put my fingers in his grasp, there was nothing I could do. Harvey yanked me to him, other hand catching my hip as I collapsed into him with a yelp. 

“Straddle my thigh,” he ordered. Something about the way his voice went down my spine made me obey. With extreme hesitance, I moved one leg on each side of his, lowering myself. I didn’t dare put all of my weight down. And he knew it because his hands came up to my hips and forced me all the way. 

“Sir, what are you-”

“Do not call me Sir unless you are ready to deal with those consequences.” His fingers dug into the exposed skin on my thigh, eyes full of his pupils. 

“Harvey, what are you doing? We shouldn’t be doing… whatever this is,” I tried to defuse the situation as best I could, but there was such a seriousness written in his features I wasn’t sure I could sway him. Maybe I didn’t want to, either. 

“How does it feel?” He asked.

I blinked, “H-How does what feel, Harvey?”

He smiled at the use of his name on my tongue. I hadn’t really ever called him by his first name.

“To have one of the most powerful men in the city underneath you, bent to your will?”

When I did look away from his face, to where I was seated on his lap, I felt my stomach start to twist and mold into something new. I did have Harvey Specter underneath me. Granted, at his own command, but still…

“And before you even think about it, no. I don’t do this with all the other associates.”

“Then why me?” My voice was a barely there whisper, gaze averted from his until his thumb caught my chin and made me look into his eyes. 

“Because I see something else in you that I don’t think anyone realizes. And I know the world will never see it unless you start believing in yourself and take control of the cards you’ve been dealt.”

I took a moment to steady my breath, and my uncontrollable thoughts. “And you think that whatever this is… you think this is going to help with that?”

Harvey shrugged, “I am in no way forcing you to be here, am I?”

My blush came creeping back. Of course he wasn’t forcing me to be here. I shook my head, my face just inches from his. I felt oddly relaxed under his touch.

“And I am not stopping you from getting up and leaving right now. It’s your choice, Claudia, but I think you want to be here, on my lap. Because if you didn’t, you would’ve already left.”

God dammit I hated this cocky son of a bitch. Was he right? Yes. Of fucking course he was. But the way his mouth curled up was dangerous. This was dangerous, and utterly a horrible idea. Was I really about to sit here, on one of my bosses thighs? He did look pretty good under me, shirt unbuttoned the top three, cologne wafting into the air every time he moved his head. 

Harvey’s hands came back to my hips as he leaned up.

“So, are you going to get up and leave? Or, are you going to ride my thigh while I tell you how pretty you look?” His breath tickled my ear, his lips trailing the space just below. I couldn’t help the shudder that went through my whole body, and I knew Harvey felt it because he cooed.

As I adjusted myself, I couldn’t help the movement, his breath on my skin was making me flutter, Harvey moved my hips back and forth. I felt the air take from my throat. The material of his pants against my core wracked through me. So unexpectedly I found myself pressing closer to him so I wouldn’t fall off. 

“That’s it, Claudia…” His voice was sickly sweet with praise. Harvey moved to fiddle with the front of his pants, and when I went to look, he caught my chin. “Eyes up here, sweetheart.”

“Harvey this… this isn’t the best idea,” I kept trying to reason. Not necessarily with him, but with myself. Obviously he wanted it, so why was I trying to convince myself to go?

“So?”

“This could have some serious implications if we don’t-”

He laughed against my neck, placing a few kisses right over where I always blushed. “Claudia, Claudia, Claudia. This is exactly what I have been talking about. You are wound far too tightly with concern. You need to let go, need to be out of control with something in your life.”

“Let me guess, that something is going to be you?”

“Only if you want it to be,” he said. “Look Claudia, I know we don’t exactly always see eye to eye on things, and we sure as hell haven’t really worked together, but that doesn’t make me less sure about this. About you. If you are having doubts, and this isn’t what you want, then walk away and we never have to talk about it ever again. But I think there is a part of you that really likes seeing me under you. That likes knowing you can make me this way.”

“And what if I do?” Harvey was right. God dammit he was right and he knew it. I looked and saw just what I had been doing to him. 

“Then just let yourself enjoy it because I know I want to.”

Man, he was quite the smooth talker. My resolve crumbled and I gave in. No, I didn’t give in, I made the choice to let this happen. Harvey wanted this too, for some reason known only to the great mother and beyond. This was not going to end well, I don’t know why I thought so, but I just know this is going to cause a problem down the road. Maybe it’ll be a good one, maybe it won’t– Jesus I need to get out of my head before I start thinking into oblivion. 

Harvey rolled his eyes, hand cupping the side of my face before his lips met mine. The gasp I let out… I could feel his smile. He guided my hand into the front of his pants, but did nothing else. Just left it there. 

When I tried to pull away, he bit my lip and pulled me right back in. Finger pressing into the front of my throat. In a commanding, possessive way that made my stomach burn with desire. 

I slowly traced around the outline of him. My fingers were trembling so fiercely that I wasn’t sure they were moving at all. As best I could control them, I made my way up to the waistband of his briefs, just… testing the waters. 

“You’re so close to where I need you,” Harvey purred, eyes looking at my surly swollen lips. “Go on, sweetheart, don’t be shy.”

I guess there really was no turning back. As my hand ventured further, I ducked down and swept my tongue into his mouth. He approved very enthusiastically. Harvey continued to guide my hips back and forth and back and forth across his thigh. All too gently, all too slowly. One of his hands kept working my hip, the other camp up around my throat.

How could he know that was one of my weakest sides? It didn’t prevent any air, but it was a firm reminder. 

His breath broke our searing lips when I moved my thumb over the tip of his cock. Harvey’s grip tightened on my throat and a noise slipped through my mouth. There was little I could do to keep my eyes from lulling back, head going with it. He made an effort to weave his fingers between my locks and pulled. A lot harder than I think he actually meant to. 

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured against my ear, sending goosebumps down my neck and arms. “I can’t help myself when you make such pretty noises. I’ll be gentle.”

I huffed out a laugh, as best I could with the straight against my neck. “I don’t mind.”

“Those are dangerous words, Claudia,” he warned, bringing my head back up. His eyes were dark in a way I couldn’t process in that moment. His lips were red and his hair was a mess from my fingers. 

I tugged at him as emphasis for my earlier words. “I don’t mind you being rough with me.”

His eyes closed, and his jaw clenched. I continued my motions, slow and long, drawing divine noises from him. Even with his hands away from my hips, I still moved them, picking up pace with my hand. I took the liberty to occupy his mouth with my own, hopefully filling him with euphoria. It was fast, and quite messy. My hair was sticking to the back of my neck with sweat, and I could taste it on his skin when I couldn’t help but trail my tongue up his throat. 

Harvey murmured my name, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t now, not with the constant moans and praise from his tongue. ‘Just like that sweetheart’, ‘I know that pretty mouth of yours will feel so much better wrapped around my cock’, ‘Can’t wait to take you apart’.

With his release, warm and wet over the back of my hand, he stilled my hips. Fingers digging in. At some point my skirt rode up, or he tugged it over my ass, and his nails left long lines of scratches. I hissed, and Harvey was breathing deep.

Harvey’s grin was nothing short of animalistic as he looked at where my hand still connected us. “Look at that, sweetheart. Look how well you’ve done.”

I could do nothing to keep my blood from rushing to my face. When I moved my hand– not entirely sure if I should get up and clean it off– Harvey snatched my wrist. 

“Open.”

I was going to question him, but I watched his eyes flick over my surely swollen lips. I flushed deeper. And deeper again as he moved them into my mouth. Bitter, but not in a bad way. And If I had been thoroughly fucked, I’d undoubtably find it irresistible. 

“Good girl, Claudia.”

There would be no way to recover from hearing that. I shuddered, so hard I clamped his thigh between my own, and whimpered. Like I had never before. And his stare… the way his eyes watched my tongue circle over my fingers. As they watched me swallow him down. 

“I bet you didn’t even realize,” he tilted his head, tucking hair behind my ear, flopping it behind my shoulder. 

“Realize…what?”

“How you took control. How confident you were with your hand… with that wicked tongue of yours. It was like it was second nature for you, wasn’t it? I didn’t even have to tell you to keep moving your hips. You just did it.”

I didn’t even know I was doing most of it… It all just happened. At some point or another. 

“I wouldn’t say that I was confi-”

“Yes,” he interrupted. “You were. And that feeling, of being in control, is what you need to feel when you are in the courtroom. You were able to do it here, with me, to me. It was the most powerful and direct I’ve ever seen you.”

“Sex and being a lawyer aren’t exactly the same thing.”

“No, but you were able to feel safe and let yourself go. To release all that potential and work miracles.”

“You’d consider me giving you an orgasm a miracle?”

He chuckled, leaning so his lips brushed against mine. “Your hands do miraculous things to me, Claudia. I don’t normally give myself to someone the way I did with you. I didn’t have any second thoughts about it because I knew how willing you’d be to please me. And god damn do I love watching you pleasure yourself for me.”

In the minutes that followed, Harvey stood me up and straightened out my skirt. He did give me some hand sanitizer until I could go to the bathroom. I watched as he tucked in his shirt, buttoning his pants and rolling the sleeves back up his arms. 

“Harvey?”

“Yes, Claudia?” His voice was much more mellow. 

“How often is this… you know. Gonna happen?”

He smirked, “Why, already picturing yourself on your knees for me?”

I wasn’t, but I sure as hell was now. One thing that I needed to learn to do was control my facial reactions because judging by the way his stepped closer, he could see that I was, in fact, picturing his hand in my hair while he forced me to take it down my-

“Oh sweet sweet Claudia,” he chuckled, tilting up my chin. “You really are that eager to please me.”

“I was just wondering when you were going to return the favor.”

Harvey seized my throat, tighter than he had before. “Don’t you worry, sweetheart. I will have my name dripping from your tongue for so long you will forget it completely and beg for mercy. And when you beg for it, just know that you won’t get it until I say you do.”

[cybunii]

WAITER !!

a/n: This was a little bit longer than the other one, I had so much fun writing him idk

Pairing : Mike Schmidt x F!reader

cw: porn with plot, unprotected sex, denial/handjob, maybe sub!mike, riding/cowgirl

+18 !!

-

You stepped into the small empty diner, sitting in one of the booths next to a window. It was late, but time had gotten away from you and you didn't feel like cooking. So the ‘cheapest diner near me’ search brought you to Sparky’s Diner. 

It had decent reviews, but considering you've never heard of it before- It couldn't be too popular.

A waitress walked over to you and handed you a menu, saying she’ll return later to take your order. You squint your eyes at the menu and scan its items, settling on getting waffles. The picture looked nice enough and was described as having fruit, powdered sugar, and even a little whipped cream. 

You send a quick snap of the menu to your friend Amber, asking if she’d like to meet up. You knew she was still awake as a notification from TikTok popped up on your screen a few minutes earlier, saying she sent you another video.

After a few minutes of back and forth, she agreed, sending you a picture of her steering wheel.

-

The sound of the door opening got your attention, and you turned your head to see Amber walk in. She waved and walked over to your booth, sitting across from you. 

“Missed me?” She playfully asked, blowing a kiss. You grin, rolling your eyes and shaking your head. 

You slide the menu over to her. “On me,” You say, and she instantly lights up. Quickly picking it up and picking what she wanted.

A different waiter walks up to the booth, his nametag reading “Mike.” You look up at him and your eyes lock, almost making your heart race. He looks over at Amber and starts taking her order, and you take this time to get a good look at him.

His dark, almost black hair stuck to his face, his light brown eyes practically shimmering in the overhead lights. His body is athletic and toned, and something about him is calming and peaceful. He is handsome, but there is something mysterious about him that draws you in as if he has a secret to tell.

“....?”

You look over to hear her laughing, and you look back at Mike feeling embarrassed. A shy smile reaches his face and he clears his throat. “What can I get you..?”

“Uh, the waffles- How they come, please,” You say, grabbing the menu and holding it out to him. His hand brushes over yours as he takes them and walks away, disappearing behind the kitchen door.

“Like that wasn't awkward,” Amber smirks, raising her eyebrow. 

“I didn't know I was staring for that long…” You mumble, rubbing the back of your neck. She laughs again. 

“You gonna pass out if he comes over here again?” She asks, her eyes widening a second later. 

“...”

“.. I bet you'd like that,” She says, laughing again, this time even harder than last time. You smile and hit her arm.

“Don’t even..” You say, pretending to shake your head in disappointment. 

“I kinda get it…” She says, her face turning serious as she nods a few times. Her eyes light up and she pulls out her phone. “I need to find a video, it has the perfect quote for this..”

She mumbles, furiously swiping through her likes. 

“Do you remember any part about it?” You ask, raising your eyebrow.

“Something about a waiter, it's on literally every edit I sent you…” She mumbles back again, looking through the reposts now.

You think for a moment, mentally going through a few edits in your head. 

“Oh uhm!” You say, the words on the tip of your tongue. You close your eyes to focus, placing your hands on the sides of your head.

“...”

Your eyes shoot open and you point at her. “I’m not a waiter, but I'll gladly take his tip!” You say, a little louder than you had hoped.

She laughs and nods her head a few times. “That’s it! That one fits you perfectly” You roll your eyes again and shake your head.

You look up to see the waitress from earlier bringing over your food, setting it down, and talking for a few seconds. You look closer to read her nametag before she walks off.

“Aww, you ran him off..” She says fake pouting, taking a bite of her food.

Your eyes dart over to the kitchen door and then back at her. “I guess I did..” You mumble, taking a bite of your own food. 

-

“Thanks for taking that..” Mike says, his face still red from the interaction from earlier. Jade laughs and nods her head. “Didn’t want you to trip and fall in front of them, that would've killed you” She says, patting him on the shoulder.

He frowns and shakes his head up and down. 

“But- I did hear something they said before I walked up to their table,” Jade says with a small smirk on her face. He looks over at her with a confused expression. “What?”

She leans down and whispers it in his ear, laughing at his reaction before walking away.

-

“...They said what?!” You hear someone yell from the kitchen area. 

You look over to Amber with a puzzled expression, the same one on her face.

“Wonder what that was about…” She mumbles, taking a sip of her drink. You nod, taking another quick glance at the kitchen door, this time locking eyes with someone peering through.

They disappear and you look back at Amber, giving her a puzzled expression again. She looks confused before looking over at the door and back to you.

“..What?”

“Nothing” You reply back, almost laughing. 

“Okay, well are you ready to go?” She asks, looking at the time. 

“Oh, sure. I'll just pay at the front…”

You grab your phone and shove it in your pocket, walking with Amber to the front counter. A small grin reaches your face as you realize that Mike is there.

“..Are you ready to pay?” He asks, obviously avoiding eye contact with you. Amber nudges your side and laughs again, walking out of the door.

“Yeah..” You say, grabbing your wallet and handing him the cash. 

Some awkward silence passes and you look around the front, your eyes trying to find anything to focus on. 

“Here's your receipt…” He mumbles, basically shoving it in your extended hand as fast as possible. 

“Thanks,” You say, nodding before walking out of the door over to where Amber is standing. “Aw, nothing? Not even a number or anything?” She asks crossing her arms, a frown on her face. 

You hold up your receipt and shake your head. “Nope, just this..” 

She smirks and shakes her head. “That's such a shame, well text me when you get home!” She says, swiftly getting into her car. You wave your hand, walking over to your own car before hopping in. 

You throw the receipt in the seat beside you and sigh, looking back into the diner. 

You look at your hand, noticing something smudged on there. You wipe it off on your pants and look back at the receipt, thinking the ink is bleeding. You flip it over to see a now smudged number scribbled on there with M after it. 

You grin shaking your head, entering the number in your phone under ‘waiter mike’. 

-

You sit on your couch, flipping through the TV channels. Knowing nothing is on, you sigh, taking a quick glance at your phone.

You pick it up and open his contact, drafting up a message before sending it. 

You: Hey! It's the girl from the diner, is this Mike?

You set it down and immediately hear a noise alerting you that he responded. “..That was quick,” You mumble.

Waiter Mike: Oh uh yeah that's me!

…

You text back and forth for a few hours, talking about his job, and his sister, to your interests and then diving into more personal topics. 

Mike brings up the idea of you coming to his house, then awkwardly backtracking and asking again if you'd like to. 

You laugh and text back a yes, knowing it'll be a fun time. 

-

You pull up to the address he sent you, checking your phone again to make sure you're at the right house. You walk up to the door and knock a few times, the door quickly swinging open after.

“Oh uh- hey…” Mike mumbles, trying to seem casual- and failing miserably. He gestures for you to come in and you walk into his living room, glancing at his TV to see a weird overpriced ring. 

“Can I get you something to drink?” He asks, pulling out a drink for himself. 

“Oh I’m okay, thanks,” You say, giving a polite smile. 

He nods and walks back into the living room, sitting on one end of the couch. You join him and sit down on the other end, taking a look around at all of the drawings. 

“Abby drew those, she's really talented…” Mike says smiling, looking at the same one. 

“Oh yeah! You mentioned she liked to draw a lot..” You nod, thinking of the conversation hours ago. 

An awkward silence fills the room, and your eyes dart around, trying to find something to look at. Your eyes land on Mike, and he's fully focused staring at the TV. 

You check him out again, his shirt hugging his broad shoulders, not leaving much to the imagination. His tight-fitting sweatpants had a way of complimenting his toned thighs and calves. His thighs held in check by the snug material, but still able to hint at a shape under the fabric. 

Mike quickly looks at you and notices you staring, his face instantly flushing red. 

You hear him take a deep breath and you look up to meet his eyes. 

“...You know, uhh- I heard what you said in the diner,” Mike mumbles, his eyes darting around the room, avoiding eye contact with you. 

You pause for a moment, opening and closing your mouth a few times trying to say something, but no words coming out. ‘Let's try this way…’ You think, scooting a little closer to him. 

‘Yeah? What about it?’ You ask, carefully placing your hand on his leg. He jumps at your touch, his eyes going from you to your hand. 

“I…uhh,” He stammers, his face as red as a tomato now. 

You slowly glide your hand up to his clothed erection, making sure to take as much time as possible. You barely touch him and he's practically squirming.

You press your palm into him and he groans, bucking his hips. 

“Can I take these off..?” You ask, looking up at him. 

He quickly nods, and you think you hear a small ‘please’ come out of his mouth. You scoot closer to get better access and you pull his sweatpants and boxers down, freeing his erect cock. 

He moans as you wrap a fist around him. 

His pleading eyes meet yours, practically begging you to do more, to go faster.

You bring your hand up to your mouth, making a show out of it before spitting in your palm. You wrap your hand around the base and pump a few times, using his precum and your spit as makeshift lube. 

His whines and moans fill the room as you continue stroking him, speeding up a little faster as his noises change. 

You pull your hand away before he can release and he whimpers, giving you the most desperate look ever.

“Not yet…” You say, unbuttoning your pants hoping he gets the idea. 

His eyes widen and his hands quickly help, nearly ripping your pants and panties off. 

You crawl on top of him and you hear him take a deep breath, his hungry eyes all over you. You grab him and position him into you, audibly sighing as you feel him slowly filling you up.

“..feel so so good” he babbles, his eyes practically glued to you bouncing up and down on his cock. 

His hands roam and grab your hips, thrusting into you at an even faster pace. 

“..'m gonna cum,” He mumbles, his eyes meeting yours begging for approval. You nod your head up and down, unable to form coherent sentences.

It didn't take too long after that for him to thrust into you one last time, filling you up with his cum. The feeling making you orgasm soon after. 

You lean your head into his shoulder, not wanting to move any.

“..maybe we should get cleaned up” Mike mutters, looking down at the mess you two made.

You lean back and look at him, thinking of another idea.

“We could shower together?” You ask, a clear smirk on your face.

“...”

“How could I say no to that…” He mumbles, laughing as he picks you up and takes you with him.

-

word count: 2.1k

[quinsixtridrupled-k]

Disney TVA Platform Fighter

Last December, I thought it'd be neat to have a Disney-focused platform fighter especially since Nick had some success with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2. So I figured... why not a Disney one? For those who don't know, platform fighters are a sub-genre of fighting/party games - the most famous and primarily example being Super Smash Bros.

And so, with that idea, I asked a friend to assist me in aiding with creating a graphic for this hypothetical game's roster, lo and behold:

Pretty neat, eh? Now you might be asking... why Disney TVA specifically? For one, focusing on the animated tv production side might be more feasible compared to the whole Disney library, that, and it allows some spotlight on very interesting and varied roster choices.

And for another... I just like the animated series side of Disney better. Now, the most important thing to remember is that this encompasses strictly the Disney TV Animation production label only, so any animated series not created under that studio will not be included (more so to keep consistency). I've also elected to choose some more unconventional picks (Yzma, Genie, Bonkers, for example) just to give some variety.

And what's a fighting game without DLC characters, eh? So here are the three waves of it:

(Wave 1, featuring Stitch, Wasabi, Kick Buttowski and Shego)

I'll admit that Shego's placement as DLC over base roster in favor of Drakken is purely thinking from a marketing standpoint, but it does make sense on the long run. In Stitch's case... I mostly forgot Lilo & Stitch had an animated series while making the base roster lmao.

Wasabi was left out of base roster because of limitations, and I felt Hiro, Go Go, and Fred offer a more balanced variety of size and playstyles but I still didn't want to leave him out, so I figured DLC is his best bet.

(Wave 2, featuring Mike Wazowski, Marcy Wu, Spinelli and Zurg)

Color me surprised that Monsters At Work is a Disney TVA production - Mike was chosen over Sulley or Tyler as the main rep for that series because he feels like he'd have a lot more interesting potential and material to work off of with his general slapstick and comedy routines.

Figured I'd complete the Calamity Trio with Marcy as DLC - just like Wasabi, she was left out of base roster because of limitations.

I figured people would want a Recess fighter, so I chose Spinelli since she's one of the more popular character and she'd serve as an analog to Helga in the first Nick All-Star Brawl.

Zurg was originally meant to be a boss character only, but I opted to put him as DLC because well... it is Zurg. I feel like you could incorporate a lot of Dr. Doom's MvC moveset on to him and they wouldn't feel out of place lmao.

And finally, they're here for you - they're the third wave of the DLC crew!

(Wave 3, featuring Oscar Proud, Simba, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Oswald)

This is... definitely the most experimental of the DLC waves. I think I've exhausted a lot of the picks I wanted at the time so I figured we could do with a more different direction.

Oscar is definitely there to ride on the coattails of Hugh Neutron in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 1 as a funny joke pick. I haven't actually watched The Proud Family so I don't think I would know if there are better picks, but still... I enjoy the wacky picks, they make a fighting game a fighting game.

Simba was gonna be in as far back as Wave 1, but I held off because... I'm not really sure why, but I forgot about him until I was making the third wave, so there he is now!

Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur are definitely there for being the main Marvel series under the Disney TVA label (alongside Big Hero 6, by technicality), and would definitely make an interesting choice considering Devil's size - you'd probably have to shrink him down to a point where he still manages to be big, but not... gargantuan big, which may seem like a disservice to a character who is a large T-Rex but I think you can still make it work (it worked for Ridley in Smash, and Iron Giant in MultiVersus).

Oswald is included by a mere technicality, due to having a small cameo or two in the Paul Rudish Mickey Mouse shorts, and I figured he has a big enough fanbase to warrant an inclusion, so yeah there he is.

And just for fun, we also have a bonus character:

Powerline! From A Goofy Movie!

Powerline seems like a very out there choice, but I figured you could make a moveset for him entirely out of his theming of electricity! And if you think he'd overlap with Megavolt... then, yeah I guess you are right on that part. But I figure you can differentiate them with how they play (Megavolt being a zoner, Powerline being a rushdown). Note, this doesn't mean he's only available through pre-order, but you'd get him free with it - otherwise you'd have to pay, but he's separate from the DLC characters.

So yeah that covers the playable roster. I understand that there are still a lot of series I didn't rep mostly because of limitations, or I forgot to put them in (Fish Hooks, for one) but I'm only human in how I make these, mistakes do happen so please understand...

I do hope that Disney takes a dabble on this someday, although I'm not sure how keen they are on their characters fighting each other in a silly fighting game. Still, it'd be an interesting thoight, what do you think?

[ohquail]

SBG Voltron Au - Part 2!

Chapter 1 <- Found here Continue for Chapter 2: (FAQ: No, this is version is not on ao3, I don't have ao3 nor have I ever. Yes, feel free to write your own versions of the AU or draw them. Tag me if you'd like because I'd love to seem them :D )

“Princess, you must eat. It's been 10,000 years.” Alex held out a plate of green goop.

“I'm not hungry.” Ashlyn brushed Alex off, continuing to type away on her little control station.

“Man, 10,000 years? That's like one thousand plus ten,” Aiden held out his fingers.

“That's times ten,” Taylor corrected.

Aiden rolled his eyes, “Whatever, dropout.” Taylor just chuckled and shook her head.

Logan looked over Ashlyn’s shoulder, “I can't believe your civilization created such advanced technology 10,000 years ago.” Logan praised Ashlyn and Alex.

“It must have been an incredible place.” Tyler added.

Alex nodded, “Yes, it was but now it is gone and we're the last Alteans alive.”

A squeaking came out of Ashlyn’s cryo-pod. “What is that?” Logan asked, slightly hiding behind the red headed princess.

Ashlyn gasped, “Looks like we're not the last, after all!” She pulled four mice out of the cryo-pod.

An alarm started blaring, a screen popped up in front of them. “A Galra battleship has set its tracker to us!” Alex sounded panicked.

“How did they find us?” Logan asked, looking at Tyler for guidance.

“I'm not sure, but I bet it's Taylor’s fault.” Aiden pointed at the girl.

“Hey!”

“Stop!” Tyler snapped, “It’s not the time to place blame. It’s time to prepare for this. Alex, how long before they arrive?”

“At their speed?” The man started to count on his fingers, “Oh, well, carry the two I'd say probably a couple of days.” The brunette Altean didn’t look too sure but it was better than nothing.

“Good. Let them come. We’ll get the other lions and be ready to take them on,” Tyler turned to Ashlyn, “Princess, if there are five lions, where do we find the other four?”

“Follow me,” Ashlyn lead the five earthlings and Alex to a different room. “Welcome to the bridge,” Ashlyn told the earthlings.

Alex turned to the kids, “King Mike connected the lions to Ashlyn’s life force. She alone is the key to the lions' whereabouts.”

She put her hands on two little pedestals and a hieroglyphic map expanded around the room.

“Whoa! These are coordinates. The Black Lion looks like it's in the same location as the Blue Lion,” Logan pointed out, reaching up to touch the icons of the lions.

“Look at your primitive synapses firing away in their little brain cage,” Alex complimented.

“Uh… okay,” Logan pulled his hand back to his side.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes, “Very observant, Logan. That's because the Black Lion is in the castle.” The kids gave her a confused look, “To keep the Black Lion out of Maverick's hands, King Mike locked it in the castle. It can only be freed if the other four lions are present.”

She continued to talk, “As you have found, the lions choose their pilots, as the blue lion picked one of you,” Taylor raised her hand. Ashlyn nodded and kept going, “It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain,”

“Quin-what?” Logan asked, looking confused.

“Quintessence is the purest form of energy a person can produce,” Ashlyn told Logan, “Anyway. Moving on, The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why, Tyler, you will pilot the Black Lion,” She pointed at the little black lion hieroglyphic and moved it in front of Tyler.

She moved onto the green lion, “The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Logan, you will pilot the Green Lion.”

“Me?” Logan asked but Ashlyn ignore him and keep talking.

“Taylor, you already know that you are the blue lion’s paladin,” Ashlyn smiled at the girl as the blue lion hieroglyphic moved towards her. Taylor smiled back, wringing her hands nervously.

Ashlyn kept going, “The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you, Ben, will lift the team up and hold them together,” She directed the hieroglyphic towards Ben, who turned around before looking back at her and pointed at his chest.

“The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone. Aiden, you will fly the Red Lion,”

“Awesome!” Aiden cheered with a grin on his face.

“Unfortunately, I cannot locate the Red Lion's coordinates yet. There must be something wrong with the castle. After 10,000 years, it might need some work,” Ashlyn frowned.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it back up and running,” Alex assured Ashlyn.

Tyler turned to the rest of the pilots, “We don't have much time. Logan and I will go after the Green Lion. Taylor, you take Ben and get the yellow one,” He turned to Aiden, “Aiden, you stay here. If you locate that Red Lion, go get it,”

“By myself?” Aiden asked, looking slightly worried.

“Is that a problem cadet?” Tyler asked, slightly glaring.

“Nope, not at all!” Aiden gave a smile and thumbs up.

Alex coughed, getting everyone’s attention, “In the meantime, I'll get this castle's defenses ready. They'll be sorely needed.”

“I'll ready a pod and load the coordinates so that you can reach the Green Lion.” Ashlyn started walking off to the pod bay, “Come along Tyler and Logan,” ———— Thirty minutes later, Tyler was guiding the altean pod and Taylor was guiding the blue lion, into the wormholes that Ashlyn had produced for them.

“We can only keep the wormholes that lead to the other lions open for two of your Earth hours, so you'll have to be quick about your work.” Alex told the earthlings, “The good news is that according to my readings, both planets are relatively peaceful. So, if you do get stuck, they could be relaxing places to live out the rest of your lives.”

The earthlings processed this information, “Enjoy the trip!”Alex ended on a cheery note.

“Wait! What? No!” Taylor turned as the comms call ended.

“I did not receive the memo on this!” Logan protested, his voice echoing in the pod.

———

Tyler and Logan walked up to a broken bridge structure where a sloth like alien sat in a boat. “Look!” Logan pointed at the sloth alien. He gripped the lion tracker in his hand, “It's just a whatever that thing is.” The sloth alien groaned, and started to prep to move his boat. “I think he wants us to get in his canoe.”

“Then I guess we should go.” Tyler started walking towards the boat.

“Huh?” Logan looked confused.

Tyler stopped and turned to him, “I've been locked up by aliens for a year.” He smiled at the brunette, “This is nothing.”

After a few minutes of riding on the canoe, Logan turned to Tyler. “I wonder if Taylor and Ben are having as good a time as us,” ———

Taylor screamed as Galra troopers shot at the blue lion. Ben grabbed onto her in panic, a silent scream.

“I thought Coran said these planets were peaceful!” Taylor grunted, "Maybe ‘peaceful’ means something else in Altean!” She complained, directing the lion down to a small mine.

“I’m gonna have to drop you off!” She told Ben, “You’ll have to get your lion by yourself!”

Ben shook his head, disagreeing with her.

“Well, we don’t have much of a choice! I'll cover you!” Taylor swooped the lion down to the entrance of the mine, “This is where the coordinates Ashlyn gave us say the lion is! Be safe!”

A few seconds later, Ben rolled out of the Lion’s mouth and into the cave. Yeah, sure, just drop me off in an alien planet. He thought as he fiddled with some wires for the mine lift. That's cool, Taylor. It's only occupied by mean purple aliens that want to kill us, but whatever. Just ignore them and go connect with a big, yellow, mechanical cat.

The mine shuddered and the lift started to descend. It dropped him off at the bottom of the mine. Ben looked up to see a large decorative circle engraved into the side of the mine’s wall. How am I going to get through that? Hmm? He looked around. His gaze landed on a small ridable drill. Hmm.

Back outside, Taylor dodged and weaved in and out of the Galra troop’s fighters. One of them shot at the cave entrance and Taylor watched in horror as the entrance collapsed. “NO! BEN!” She screamed in distress. ——— As the boat ride continued, Logan started to mumble out loud. “I know that Princess Ashlyn said this is supposed to be my lion, but what if she's wrong? She's probably not wrong. She's a princess, but I'm not a pilot, even though I've always wanted to be a pilot. I read all the fighter manuals, but never got to fly the simulator. But I can't be that worse than Aiden. He would get in trouble for being to reckless,”

“Dude, breath. It’s not that deep, I’m sure Princess Ashlyn knows what she’s talking about and you’ll be fine,” Tyler smiled at Logan with a genuine smile.

“What if I get in there and it doesn't respond? What if I get in there and it's too big and my feet don't touch the pedals? What if there aren't even pedals?” Logan panicked, grabbing onto the side of the canoe.

“You’re rambling and working yourself up,” Tyler told Logan, leaning forward to seem more sincere, “Listen, our commander on the Kerberos Mission is the smartest man I ever met, and he always said, ‘If you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great.' Just take some deep breaths and calm down,”

Logan turned to Tyler and smiled, “Thanks Tyler,”

The canoe bumped into the shore, Logan gasped as he jolted forward. “Go on, little buddy. Go be great,”

Logan jumped out of the boat and ran up to the pyramid structure that was just a bit away from shore. He carefully climbed up the over grown vines and looked down into the open top of the pyramid. The lion responded, Logan jumped down into the building. “Whoo-hoo!” Logan cheered.

Tyler scrambled out of the boat and got onto the shore. A few seconds later, the green lion shot out of the pyramid. Tyler laughed in amazement.

——— “Ben buddy! Come on!” Taylor dodged and weaved her lion through the fighters. “I can’t hold these jerks off by myself forever!”

A energy beam hit the blue lion, Taylor screamed, “Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Going down! We're going down!” She yelled as the blue lion started to take a nose dive towards the planet’s surface.

Suddenly, the yellow lion erupted from the side of the plateau. “Ben!” Taylor yelled in relief. “Thank god you’re alright!”

Ben maneuvered his lion to jump in front of Taylor’s, saving her from the onslaught of energy beam.

Ashlyn appeared on their screens, “Paladins, please hurry back. I can't hold the wormhole much longer.”

“Let's get out of here!” Taylor told Ben and they both took off towards the worm hole.

A fight hit Ben’s lion cause him to lose control and crash into Taylor’s lion. “Ben! Stop messing around!” Taylor cried out. “The wormhole is closing!” ——— Taylor rubbed her back as she and Ben made their way back onto the bridge. “Oh good, You made it.” Ashlyn greeted as Taylor and Ben walked up and rejoined the group.

“Yeah, just barely. That was a nightmare.” Taylor groaned, stretching out her back, “I almost puked out there.”

“Oh gross,” Logan gagged.

Tyler playfully nudged Logan with a smirk. "We had a tough time, too," he teased. Logan chuckled in agreement, his laugh echoing through the room. “Well, did you guys find the Red Lion yet?”

“Ashlyn just located it,” Aiden told Tyler, “We have a bit of a problem,”

“What problem?” Taylor asked.

“Well, there’s good news and bad news,” Alex took over, “Good news is, that the lion is near by. The bad news is that it’s on the Galra ship that’s now orbiting Arus,” Taylor, Ben and Logan groaned.

“But wait! Good news again, we’re Arus!” Alex smiled but the earthlings just glared at him.

Ben pulled out his phone and typed out a message, “They're here already?” His phone read out loud. Aiden sighed, nodding in response to Ben's question.

“Yes. Guess my calculations were a bit off. Finger counting-- It's more of an art than a science,” Alex chuckled to himself.

“You gotta be kidding-” Logan started to say but was cut off by a video call popping up.

“Princess Ashlyn, this is Commander Charlie of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Maverick, Lord of the Known Universe. I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me, or I will destroy your planet,” The Galran man on the screen instructed before the call ended.

“All right, let's not panic.” Ashlyn started to walk away from the bridge.

“Not panic? The scary purple alien thing is driving his battleship toward us.” Logan said as he and the others started to follow her.

Aiden reminded us, “We only have four lions.”

Logan quickly corrected him, “Actually, we only have three functioning ones.”

“That's right. Thank you, Logan.” Aiden didn’t see amused, “Three working lions and a castle that's, like, 10,000 years old.”

“Actually it’s 10,600 years old. You see, it was built by my grandfather-” Alex started to go on a tirade.

“Thanks but no thanks Alex,” Aiden interrupted, See? Now is the perfect time to panic!”

“Wait! This castle has a particle barrier we can activate.” Ashlyn turned to Alex. “Alex, can you please work on turning that on so I can make a plan with the paladins?”

“Of course princess!” Alex ran back to the bridge, leaving Ashlyn with the earthlings.

“Come along,” Ashlyn demanded of the kids before walking down the stairs to a different room.

“Are we escaping? Running? Gonna live another day?” Aiden asked, following her.

“Not going to happen,” Ashlyn declared, shaking her head. “We'll trick them instead.”

"What?" Logan questioned, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure that's a wise decision?"

“How long have you dealt with the Galra?” Ashlyn asked, her tone snippy but demanding respect at the same time.

Ashlyn opened a door to the armory, “Come along in here. Your suits of armor,”

“I WANT THE RED ONE!” Taylor ran over and stood in front of the case holding the red suit.

“You can’t have the red one! You’re the blue lion’s pilot!” Aiden ran over and pushed her away gently.

“Oh my god,” Ashlyn stared at the two. “They’re just idiots,”

“They’ll get along one day,” Tyler promise her, “But for now,” He turned his attention to the blonde and his sister, “Cadets!”

The two instantly straightened up, snapping to attention at Tyler's command. “Are you really arguing over the color of armor? They all look the same,”

“I look better in red,” Taylor assured Tyler.

“I could care less, put on the blue paladin armor,” Tyler instructed.

Taylor grumbled under her breath, but complied, pulling on the shimmering blue armor. Ben looked at the suits, then back at Ashlyn. “They adjust to the size of the paladin. Don’t worry,” Ben looked relieved and moved towards the yellow armor.

After a few minutes, all the paladins were donning their armor and looked ready for a fight.

“And your weapons. These are special weapon that will take a distinct shape for each paladin,” Ashlyn opened a case and five sleek metallic devices, one of each color of paladin, arose. “The bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron.”

"Wow," Aiden breathed, eyes wide as he reached for the red bayard. It shimmered and shifted in his hand, transforming into a broadsword. His face lit up with awe. "This is amazing!"

“An altean broadsword,” Ashlyn gasped for a moment before shaking her head and turning her attention to the other paladins.

Logan’s bayard turned into an assault rifle, “Ah!” he gasped as he adjusted it in his hands. “Why would I be given a gun? Do I look like I know how to use a gun?”

Taylor’s bayard morphed into a small weapon. “What is this?” She asked Ashlyn.

“That would be a whip sword, a very good weapon,” Ashlyn smiled at Taylor.

Ben, without a word, moved towards the yellow bayard. As he picked it up, Ashlyn looked on curiously. The device instantly transformed into a weird looking sword. Tyler wrapped his hand around his bayard as it approached, it turned into a sword as well.

“Looks like sword win in this group,” Aiden teased Logan and Taylor. “And Taylor’s got a cute little bayard,” Taylor punched Aiden in the stomach with her bayard.

“It’s very cute,” Taylor smirked, watching Aiden bent over in pain.

“Alright, the plan,” Ashlyn crossed her arms over her chest. “You'll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Charlie’s ship.”

“That's a pretty big ship.” Aiden frowned, “How are we gonna know where the Red Lion is?”

“It’s not a matter of ‘we’,” Logan interjected, “It's a matter of ‘you.”

“Logan is right,” Tyler turned to Aiden, “Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel its presence and track it down.”

Aiden blinked, glancing down at his broadsword bayard. "So… what? I just walk in and it finds me?"

“No, you have to be patience and focus on your goal,” Tyler told Aiden.

"Great, patience. My strong suit," Aiden quipped, swinging the broadsword lightly in his hand. He sighed and looked at his teammates, their faces filled with both uncertainty and determination. “Fine, I’ll try,”

“Aiden, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental.” Ashlyn interrupted the paladins’ conversation, “You'll have to earn its respect,”

Aiden nodded, his grip tightening around the hilt of his broadsword. "Respect, got it."

Tyler nodded, “Alright. Here’s our plan of attack,” ——— Per Tyler’s instructions, Taylor and Ben flew their lions towards the Galra ship. “This is such a bad idea,” Taylor sighed, she opened up a hailing frequency, “Attention, Galra ship. Do not fire. We're surrendering our lions,”

After a soon minutes of waiting, Taylor used the private comms to ask Logan about their ETA. “We’re in!” Logan whispered, careful not to attract the attention of any Galra soldiers.

A glowing light started to appear in front of Taylor and Ben. “And that’s our signal to get out of here!” Taylor shouted, before pulling the blue lion out of the tractor beam’s radius.

Ben followed suit, both lions were safe out of distance of the tractor beam. After a few seconds, Galra fighters started to take off out of the cruiser. Ben popped up on the screen inside Taylor’s lion. “Ben, you dismantle the ion cannon while I take these jerks on a space ride!”

Ben gave a thumbs up before sending his lion off towards the side of the ion cannon.

Taylor charged headfirst into the swarm of Galra fighters, drawing them away from Ben's lion. She activated the blasters and began taking them out, one by one. ——— Tyler looked around the hallway that the trio dropped into. “I've been here before. After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here,”

Logan looked taken aback, “So, that means your other crewmembers, they might be held captive here. W-we’ve got to rescue them!”

“Logan, we don't have time. We have to get the Red Lion and get back to Arus.” Tyler frowned.

“But we can't just leave prisoners here!” Logan protested, a frown forming on his face.

“Look, no one understands that more than me, but, in war, we have to make hard choices.” Tyler tried to reason. “Now, let's get moving.”

“No!” Logan interrupted, “Commander Fields is my grandfather.” Logan’s face got hot. “He and my friend Noah were the ones on the Kerberos Mission with you.”

“Commander Fields is your grandfather?” Tyler asked, shock evident in his voice.

Logan nodded curtly, “Yes. I've been searching everywhere for him and my friend.” Logan stared at Tyler, his gaze unwavering. “And I'm not going to give up looking when I'm this close. I won't!”

“I'm coming with you,” Tyler decided.

“What?” Logan and Aiden exchanged looks of disbelief, their brows furrowing in confusion.

“I remember where the prisoners are held. Aiden, you go find the Red Lion.” Tyler turned to the blonde.

“You want me to run around the enemy ship by myself?” Aiden asked, “To find a lion that I don’t know where it is?”

“Minor change of plans.” Tyler assured Aiden, “You'll be fine, just remember to be patient. Don’t jump the gun,”

Doors opened down the hall, “Run!” Tyler whispered loudly and the trio sprinted away from the incoming Galra soldiers. Aiden peeled off towards the direction Tyler had indicated, while Logan and Tyler took a different path.

——— “We need to get that particle barrier up before the cruiser can fire on us!” Ashlyn panicked, she put her hands on the two pedestals. “Particle barrier up!”

The particle barrier went up for a moment before coming right back down. “What is wrong with it?” Ashlyn asked Alex who shrugged.

"I'm not sure," Alex admitted, hurriedly scanning the panels of blinking lights and code. He bent down and opened the lower circuit board, squinting at the intricate wiring. Ashlyn rushed over just as Alex’s eyes landed on the problem.

“One of the crystals is disconnected!” Alex pointed into the massive tangle of wires, where a tiny glint caught Ashlyn's eye.

“We’re both too big to reach in there and fix it,” Ashlyn scowled, looking around for a solution. The mice started squeaking as they ran up into the panel.

“What are they doing?” Alex watched in astonishment as the mice skittered over the circuit board, their tiny paws deftly navigating the mess of wires.

"They're trying to reconnect the crystal," Ashlyn gasped, “I can hear them talking to me. I think our minds are connected.”

“It must be from sharing the sleep pod for 10,000 years,” Alex pointed out as the mice ran into the crystal and it snapped back into place.

“Yes!” Ashlyn cheered before collecting the mice in her hands as they ran out of the panel, chattering excitedly. Alex closed the panel as Ashlyn ran over to the pedestals.

"Particle barrier up!" she commanded again, and this time, the shimmering field of energy sprang to life and held firm.

———

Back on the other ship, Aiden found himself standing in front of large doors. “Where is this lion?” He grumbled, before hearing centuries approaching.

“Crap,” Aiden booked it down the hall in the opposite direction, he ran for a while before finding himself at what appeared to be an impasse. He closed his eyes and tried to reach out to the lion. “Be patient,” The blonde muttered to himself, “Don’t jump the gun,”

Aiden's thoughts were a frenzied whirlpool as he waited, his heart pounding in his chest. His thoughts cleared before a vision of the lion down a hallway rushed through his mine.

“Gotcha,” Aiden grinned before turning to run down that hall.

Meanwhile, Logan and Tyler were running down the hallway, their footsteps echoing loudly in the sleek metallic corridor. They turned the corner when a drone swung into view, its blinking red sensors zeroing in on them.

Logan raised his arm and shot a electromagnetic pulse towards the drone. “We should get out of here. That thing saw us,” Tyler went to grab Logan's arm, but he shook him off.

“Not yet,” Logan replied, his gaze fixated on the drone which had fallen to the ground, sparks flying from its disabled circuits. He stooped down to inspect the drone, his fingers deftly prying open a small panel on its side. “I think I can get it to work for us,” Inside was a few circuit boards, a mess of wires, he messed with some of the wires before shutting the panel.

Suddenly, the drone whirred into life, its sensors flickering a gentle green rather than the threatening red. Logan stood, a satisfied smirk etched onto his face. "I do love it when a plan comes together. I’m gonna call you, ‘Phantom’," he said, patting the drone on its metallic head before turning to Tyler.

"Come on,” Tyler urged, “We need to get out of here before centuries start showing up,”

Logan nodded, his eyes still gleaming with satisfaction. "Alright, let's move," he said, striding confidently down the corridor with Tyler on his heels.

Phantom hovered over Logan's shoulder, its sensors casting a green glow across the polished metallic floor. After a while of running, they approached a door.

“The prisoners should be behind this door,” Tyler told Logan as

Logan turned to his drone, “Open up,” Phantom whirred in response, fluttering over to the door and shooting out a small energy beam. After a few seconds, a mechanical clicking sound echoed through the corridor as the door's locking mechanisms were overridden.

The door slid open and the boys stepped in. Inside the room, a dim light flickered, revealing a group of huddled figures. The sight was disheartening - they were malnourished and had hollow, vacant looks in their eyes. "Grandpa?" Logan asked softly.

He scanned around the room, his heart pounding in his chest as he searched for a familiar face among the prisoners. None of them matched the face he was looking for.

He sighed. “Come on, let’s help you get out of here,” Tyler interrupted Logan’s thoughts, his voice low but firm. He moved around the room, releasing the shackles that held the prisoners captive. One by one, they gingerly rose to their feet, their bodies frail and weak, yet a spark of hope had ignited in their eyes.

Logan, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically silent as he moved to help Tyler.

——— Aiden sprinted into the room where the Red lion was being held. He ran up to the alien ship and touched the energy shield around it. “Found ya! Alright open up and let’s get out of here,” Aiden commanded. The shield stayed up. “Come on!” Aiden pounded on it, “I’m your paladin! Open up so we can leave!” The Red Lion seemed to ignore his plea.

The shield remained stubbornly intact, shimmering in response to Aiden's desperate pounding. Frustrated, Aiden took a step back, his eyes glinting with determination. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" he muttered under his breath.

At that moment, centuries flooded the room and started shooting at the blonde. Aiden summoned his shield and bayard sword. “This is crazy! I didn’t ask for this. Open up!” He demanded of the lion.

The centuries continued to shoot at him. His shield flickered as each energy blast hit, but Aiden held his ground, “Oh you are so not getting this lion!” He yelled before rushing over to attack the centuries. With a swift movement, he slashed his bayard sword through the air, deflecting the incoming energy blasts. His adrenaline was pumping as he fought fiercely, moving with a speed and agility that he normally couldn’t.

The blade sliced through the air with a whistling sound, meeting the sentry's arm with a resounding clang. The blade pulled through the sentry and it fell to the ground in a heap of metal and wires. The other sentries paused, momentarily taken aback by the ferocity of Aiden's attack. But their hesitation was short-lived.

With renewed vigor, they retaliated, their shots coming faster and more relentless than before. Aiden danced around them, his movements quick and effective.

His bayard sword slashed through the air, cutting off streams of energy before they could reach him. But the sentries were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless. Aiden's breath grew ragged as he fought, his body aching from the intensity of the battle.

"Open up already!" he yelled at the Red Lion again, before his eyes landed on a control panel. With one final glance at the advancing sentries, Aiden turned the lower half of his helmet on and made a dash for the panel. He slammed his fist on the eject button and grabbed on to the panel.

The blonde barely hung on as all of the centuries were ejected from the bay. The vacuum of space yawned open before him, a terrifying void that seemed to stretch on without end. The sentries were sucked out into the void, their metallic bodies gleaming briefly in the harsh light of the distant stars before disappearing into the blackness.

Aiden's hand tightened on the panel, he could feel his knuckles turning white. He grunted as he tried to hit the bay doors closed but he lost his grip and went spiraling into space.

His body tumbled aimlessly, spinning in the cold void. The stars around him blurred into streaks of light as he hurtled through space, his heart pounding in his chest.

His vision blurred as he plunged helplessly into space, the image of the Red Lion growing smaller and smaller. “No, no, no!” Aiden screamed, turning on the jetpack on his suit to try and stop spinning.

But the jetpack sputtered, gasped, and then gave out entirely. "Crap, crap, crap!" He swore to himself, his voice echoing in the silence of his helmet. Suddenly, the red lion appeared in front of him, mouth open. Aiden's eyes widened at the sight, the lion collected him up.

Aiden quickly moved to the cockpit, he sat down in the pilot seat and “Nice job Red. Now let’s go help the others,”

——— “Get these guys off my rear!” Taylor shouted before whipping her lion around and shooting at some of the fighters. “These guys just don’t know how to leave anyone alone!”

Ben slammed his lion against the large canon. A force field appeared, and Yellow bounced off. Ben grunted and frowned.

How am I meant to take this down? Ben thought, before blasting at the force field. He intensified the beam until the force field finally went down.

Ben slammed his lion into the ion cannon, denting the weapon before he flew away to examine it. The green and red lions zoomed past the yellow lion and met up with the blue one. “Come on Ben! Let’s get back to the castle and get Tyler his lion!” Logan appeared on a screen in Ben’s lion.

Ben nodded, his fingers deftly activating the lion's thrusters. All four lions zoomed back to the castle. “I hope Ben stopped that cannon. He seemed to barely be able make a dent in it,” Taylor mentioned.

“I’m pretty sure he did,” Logan replied, his eyes fixed firmly on the viewing screen in front of him. “We just need to get back to the castle and regroup.”

——— Ashlyn bit her lip as she watched the 4 lions roar to unlock the black lion’s hanger. “Come on,” She prayed, "Come on," her breath hitching in her throat as the doors creaked open, slowly revealing the majestic form of the black lion. The beast of legend lay dormant, its hulking silhouette barely visible in the dim light.

Tyler grinned up at the lion before slamming his helmet on his head and rushing to get into the black lion.

Five minutes later, the five lions were sat outside, each pilot looking up at the galra cruiser. “Uh, Logan, Taylor. Didn’t you say Ben put a dent in the canon to stop it?” Aiden asked, pulling up a zoomed in picture of the galra and sending it to everyone’s lions.

“Those galra guys fix things quickly,” Taylor frowned, “What’s the pla-” She was cut off by the ion cannon firing at the castle. Thankfully the particle barrier stopped the ion cannon, but not without taking critical damage.

“We can’t take another hit like that,” Alex told Ashlyn.

Ashlyn scowled, “Paladins! I can give you cover with the castle defenses for a while, but you have to form Voltron now or we'll all be destroyed!”

“Geez, no pressure,” Aiden scoffed. The ion cannon fired again.

“Listen up, Team Voltron! The only way to succeed is to give it all you've got! This looks bad, but we can do this! Are you with me?” Tyler asked, his voice resounding in the intercom, his tone a blend of determination and urgency. A chorus of affirmatives echoed from the other lions.

"Then let's do it!" Tyler roared, taking control of the black lion, steering it toward the Galra cruiser with fierce intent. The other Paladins followed suit, “Does anyone have any ideas of how to form Voltron?”

Aiden looked around his dashboard. “I don't see a "combine into giant robot" button anywhere on my dashboard.”

"Neither do I," replied Taylor, her voice tense as she navigated the blue lion through a stream of incoming laser fire. “Can these guys lay off for two seconds so we can figure this out?” She grabbed a ship with her lion and flung it into another.

“We've got to do something!” Logan’s lion skidded before whipping around and shooting at two more galra fighters.

Taylor rammed her lion into Logan’s, “Combine!” Logan’s lion went flying for a few feet.

“HEY!” Logan protested.

Taylor pouted, “Okay, that didn’t work,”

The ion cannon shot at the castle again, “Quickly, Paladins! Our energy levels are getting low!” Ashlyn called out to them as the castle shook around her.

“Maybe if we fly in formation, we'll just combine,” Tyler suggested, “Take off on my cue,”

"Alright," Logan muttered, "Let's try this then."

"On the count of three!" Tyler commanded. "One… two… three! Voltron!"

With a roar of engines, the lions thrust forward together. They swerved and danced across the battlefield, their movements mimicking each other in perfect synchrony.

“Come on, come on!” Taylor gritted her teeth as they flew upwards towards the ship in the sky. “Nothing's happening!”

“Hey, wait, wait, wait! I feel something!” Aiden called out.

“I do, too,” Logan agreed.

“It's like we're all being pulled in the same direction!” Taylor acknowledged the boys.

“Uh, guys, I think I know why,” Tyler interrupted, “Look up,”

The galra ship had activated it’s tracker beam and was now sucking up the paladins and their lions. "Are you kidding me?!" Taylor exclaimed, her lion struggling against the force of the beam. "I thought we were supposed to be doing the combining!"

The lions groaned and strained as they were dragged ever closer to the galra ship. Everyone started screaming simultaneously, Tyler closed his eyes.

“STOP!” He demanded, “Stop, stop, stop! We can do this, everyone just calm down!” There was a tense silence that stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Tyler continued, “We have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up. We are the universe's only hope.” He pressed on, “Everyone is relying on us. We can't fail! We won't fail! If we work together, we'll win together!”

“YEAH!” The team chorused, their voices overlapping each other, their spirits lifting.

Five minutes later, a large explosion rang out as Voltron was formed and blasted through the tractor beam holding them, rocketing towards the galra ship. The robot grabbed into the ion cannon, ripping it off the ship and throwing it into the distance.

The arms stuck into the ship and set off their laser cannons. “THIS IS AWESOME!” Aiden cheered excitedly.

“Stay focus cadets!” Tyler instructed, “Let’s take down this ship for good!”

They moved as a single entity, every action and reaction guided by pure instinct. Like Voltron, they were no longer five separate beings, but an fusion of purpose and will. Their movements were fluid, synchronized, a biltz of devastation aimed at the galra ship.

The arms blasted through the hull and the ship exploded and the wreck crashed into the earth.

"YES!" Aiden roared triumphantly as the debris rained down around them. "That's how you do it!"

Logan laughed, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. "I've never felt anything like that before!"

The lions separated, landing smoothly on the ground near the castle. The five paladins exited their lions, and ran up to Ashlyn and Alex who had made their way down from the castle to greet them. “You did it!” Ashlyn cheered, “Congratulations Paladins! You won your first battle against Maverick and most importantly you formed Voltron!”

“How did we do it?” Tyler asked, removing his helmet from his head.

“Probably the stress of losing control of our lions,” Taylor removed her helmet before wrapped her arm around her brother’s shoulders.

Everyone chuckled, “I’m glad you paladins know what you’re doing,” Alex crossed his arms over his chest, “Because you’ll have to form Voltron over and over again,”

Aiden threw a triumphant punch into the air. "Bring it on! We're ready for anything." He too pulled his helmet off his head as well as Ben.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Logan said as he pulled his helmet off, “We barely survived forming Voltron this one time,”

“And you only had to fight one ship!” Alex gave a belly laugh, “Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them! It's not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Universe.”

“Defenders of the Universe,” Tyler repeated, “I like the sound of that,” the five paladins turned and looked at their lions with smiles on their faces.

Word Count: 6,288

[magicicephoenix]

Line - The Ink Demonth 2024 (Day 8)

In which someone stumbles over their words.

ao3 link

— — — — —

"In the end, all those years ago, Joey Drew finally succeeded! He created life." The memory of Joey Drew said, staring down the teeth-filled maw of the giant Beast Bendy. "But Audrey," he continued, his voice ringing firm with passion. "you're so much more than that. You were his family, his daughter. My daughter. And I love you so very much."

The beast rose up on its fists, stalking closer to Joey until it towered inches away from his face. "Be quiet!" the voice of the Ink Demon hissed, gurgling with growing fury. "The wretch is mine!"

"Remember who you are, Audrey," Joey begged. "Remember!"

"Your words are wasted!" the demon growled, and the beast snatched Joey tight in one of its claws. The sickening sound of cracking bones filled the air. "The failure of Joey Drew dies here." He squeezed harder, sharp talons compressing around Joey's torso.

Joey gasped as his ribs strained against the force. "I know you're in there," he said, wheezing as he forced his words out. He held the End Reel in his shaking hands, his face screwed in pain and desperation. "You don't have to do this anymore." He swallowed, gathering his strength. "It's— you— hold on." He paused, eyebrows drawn together, and the pain abruptly dropped from his expression. "You don't have to be this anymore. Ugh, damn it." 

Joey dropped his forehead onto the inky skin of the beast's claw, which ceased its movement, now rigid and unalive. "Cut!" he shouted, voice muffled in the synthetic substance.

"Forgot your line again, Joey?" Henry called from the ground, amid a flurry of groans and sighs.

"It's not my fault this part of the script is so dialogue heavy!" Joey retorted, spreading his arms as the animatronic hand slowly lowered him to the ground. "And so passionate! It takes a lot of effort to pull it all together into something believable!"

"You don't have to tell me that," Henry chuckled, coming forward to help Joey readjust his outfit. "You're preaching to the choir, here."

"How was my line?" Audrey asked from her spot off-screen, microphone in front of her and the script in her hands. "Was it alright? I've never done a voice-over before."

"Maybe ease off on the sobbing," Ben said, the echoing filter now turned off on his mic. He leaned back in his chair across from her, crossing his legs. "At least while speaking. The pause in between the two sentences would be a better spot."

"You were great, Audrey," Henry assured her, straightening Joey's tie. "Besides, you'll have plenty of time to practice since Joey keeps stumbling."

"You can only say that because you have only one big speech. I have three!" Joey grumbled.

"And he was also the main character of the last movie," Ben snarked, grinning. "Give it a rest, Joey. Say your lines right."

"Says the person who doesn't have to give any expressions," Joey retorted. "You just say stuff and Bill or Mike does all the acting!"

Ben's expression darkened. "Uh-huh. So you're saying you'd be perfectly fit to be the voice for the Ink Demon?"

"I bet it'd be easier than Mr. Drew, by all means!" Joey huffed, crossing his arms.

"Guys, c'mon," Audrey cut in before Ben could stand up. "We all have our strengths. Let's all chill out, okay?"

"How about you nail your lines before you start going after Ben's, eh?" Henry added, patting Joey on the back.

"Places!" the director yelled, and Henry walked off set as Joey reassumed his position and the animatronic handlers moved Beast Bendy back to its mark.

"You sure you don't want to head out until you're needed?" Audrey asked—not for the first time—as Henry settled into a chair beside her and Ben. "Must be boring, watching all the action instead of being part of it."

"Are you kidding?" Henry said, grinning at her. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Sentimental old man," Ben remarked, startling a laugh out of Audrey.

Henry sighed with a smile. "I suppose you're not far off the mark." He turned back to the set as the second assistant camera came forward with the clapper.

"And… action!"

[orbleglorb]

so after trying and failing to fit "you've reached the voice mail box of megan ito and no one else. leave a message!" into my ask box title, i've come up with garages queue puns. bc that's where my brain went afterwards?

first queue do it for the money (etc...) - firewalker with me

if queue've ever felt alone in a crowd that screams your name - firewalker with me (i'll admit, "queue've" doesn't fit into the song very well)

when i'm the last one standing, will queue still be proud? - firewalker with me

queue can lead a team to water but queue can't control the strike - sidelined

just thought queue liked me better, up to bat and standing in the light - sidelined

don't queue free me, i know it'll happen again, my friends... - needs of the many

tiana cash, queue were gone too soon - tiana cash

that's not the way this works, queue can't just lift the ones we love away from us like it doesn't matter - fight gods (probably far too long to be a tag)

cause then we get angry, and everyone queue know is going to feel it - fight gods

queue gotta learn how to yell before queue learn how to speak - bones to ohio

do queue think it'll sting, do queue think it'll hurt? - bones to ohio

good morning, are queue listening in / hope this message finds queue well / bet it's strange, for something new to begin / when queue found comfort in farewells - brand new day in ohio (again, you'd have to make it shorter, but i like the whole thing together)

if the stars look different / from the other side of the rift / promise queue'll hold them close - brand new day in ohio

queue wake up and it's the same / queue never bet on winning games / queue do what you love, and get what queue hate /and that's fucking nothing - long haul (and a long tag)

and before queue forget, queue voted for me to rejoin the living - top 10 tillman henderson moments that actually happened

i watched queue burn to ash on live TV / i watched queue crawl your way back out of the ground - shutout

and i admit i got a little caught up / cause after all, queue didn't disappoint me that much - mike townsend (is a credit to the team)

if queue need respect, queue just might earn some / it's a journey queue might not return from - mike townsend (knows what he's gotta do)

when i look queue in the eyes, i will start to realize / you're not goin' anywhere, goin' anywhere - pathetic/spineless

no one queue look up to is better than queue are - pathetic/spineless

-> (alternatively: no one queue look up queue is better than queue are, no one you look up queue is better than you are)

i don't wanna let queue go in the feedback / cause i don't know i'll get queue back / i don't know i'll get queue back - in the feedback

man i need more hobbies. or like. a job

[thollandsgirl2013]

𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

Parings → Danny Sullivan x Reader

Warnings → Personality disorder, 18+, violence, language, blood, angst, fluff

A/N : This fanfic series does not follow the original series.

Summary → Danny Sullivan, your best friend, who has personality disorder. After you find out about his disorder you try to help him as much as you can.

Masterlist / Chapter 3

It all started subtly—just a few changes in Danny's behavior that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. He’d been distant lately, not in a way that made you feel pushed aside, but as if something had shifted in him. He mentioned two new friends, Mike and Jonny, people you'd never seen or heard of before. He talked about how great they were, how he’d been spending more time with them, even canceling a few of your usual hangouts to be with them.

At first, you brushed it off. Maybe Danny had met them through a new class or while wandering the city with his sketchbook. But the more he talked about them, the stranger it felt. No one else at school mentioned these two, and whenever you asked to meet them, Danny gave vague excuses. Something about Mike being busy or Jonny having a chaotic schedule.

Finally, you couldn’t take it anymore. “Danny, I want to meet Mike and Jonny. You keep talking about them, but I never see them around. I want to be friends with them too,” you said one afternoon as you sat together in the park.

Danny’s face lit up with a smile. “Yeah, sure! I think you’d like them. Mike’s a real charmer, and Jonny—he’s a bit of a troublemaker, but in a fun way. We could all hang out tomorrow.”

You were relieved, happy that you would finally meet the friends he’d been spending so much time with. It was good to see him excited about something, and you wanted to support him.

--------

The next day, you arrived at the park at your usual time, expecting to see a group of three. But when you got there, Danny was sitting alone on a bench, his back to you. He turned around when he heard your footsteps, but something was off.

He flashed you a grin—one that wasn’t Danny’s usual shy, quiet smile. This one was confident, almost cocky.

“Hey,” he said, his voice a little deeper than you remembered. “You must be Y/n. I’m Mike. Danny’s told me a lot about you.”

You blinked, completely taken aback. “Wait, what? Dan, stop messing around. Where are Mike and Jonny?”

He chuckled, leaning back on the bench, arms spread across the top as if he owned the place. “You’re looking at Mike, sweetheart. You sure you don’t want to hang out with me instead of Danny? I’m way better than Danny.”

Confusion surged through you. This didn’t make any sense. You knew Danny inside and out, and this… this wasn’t him. “Okay, seriously, Danny. Cut it out. This isn’t funny.”

But just as you were about to say more, his posture shifted. His playful smirk vanished, replaced by a mischievous grin. His hands moved as if mimicking a magician, and his voice lifted into something more upbeat, almost childlike. “Nah, nah, Mike, you’ve had your turn. It’s Jonny’s turn! I bet I can make you laugh quicker than Mike can. Wanna see a magic trick?”

Your heart pounded in your chest, panic rising. “Danny, what the hell is going on? Are you drunk? Why are you talking like this?” You asked, voice sharp with frustration and concern.

Then, in an instant, his expression softened. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes flicked back to the familiar softness of Danny’s. “Wait, what? Y/N? What happened? Why do you look mad?”

You couldn’t hide the anger bubbling inside you. “Are you kidding me right now? You’ve been acting weird all day! First, you said you were Mike, then Jonny. I’m seriously starting to get worried. What is this? Some kind of joke?”

Danny blinked, confused, his eyes wide as if he didn’t even remember what had just happened. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Frustrated and feeling like you’d just been toyed with, you shook your head. “You know what, forget it. You’re acting crazy, Danny. If you want to be a jerk, fine. I’m done.”

You stormed off, not looking back even when you heard him call your name. Part of you wanted to turn around, to ask him what was going on, but your anger had already taken over. You needed space to clear your head.

----------

The next day at school, you tried to move past the strange encounter, telling yourself Danny had just been in a weird mood. Maybe he was joking, or maybe he was dealing with something and didn’t know how to talk about it. But when you saw him between classes, your concern grew tenfold.

He stood by his locker, seemingly talking to someone. At first, you thought maybe he was on the phone or speaking to another student, but as you got closer, you realized he was alone. Alone, but having a full conversation.

You hesitated, hiding behind the lockers, trying to listen without being seen. His voice shifted back and forth as if he were three different people.

“Yeah, Mike, I know! But Y/N’s not gonna like that,” you heard him say, his tone nervous and apologetic—Danny’s voice. Then, it deepened again. “She’ll come around. I mean, look at me. I’m irresistible,” he continued, sounding just like Mike from the park. And then, a third voice joined in, playful and mischievous, “Or we could just prank her! She’ll chill out, I promise.”

Your blood ran cold. He wasn’t talking to anyone. He was switching between voices, like different personalities, like last night. How is this even possible? Something was seriously wrong.

As the day went on, you kept an eye on him from a distance, watching the way he seemed to drift between these different versions of himself, never staying as just Danny for too long.

Something wasn’t right, and you were going to find out what was happening.

─── ༓･*˚⁺‧ ꕥ ༓･*˚⁺‧ ───

[queenofbaws]

Ohh, never sent anything like this your way and so I don't want to take the reigns too much! But I loved some of the prompts you RBed. Maybe "I keep thinking that something must be wrong with me. Even right now, it feels like I'm ten feet away from myself." In relation to anything Supermassive (UD/Quarry maybe) because I love love how you write fics for those games; take it anyway you'd please. I just super enjoyed the prompt lol

not-quite-six sentence weekend :P

The whole thing had seemed like a joke at first, just another way that the universe could grab them by the ankles, give them a good hard shake, then grab up all the loose change that spilled from their pockets while their heads were spinning. Things had been normal before camp - things had made sense. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and the things that went bump in the night were usually just your imagination or one of your pets knocking into something in the dark.

But now there were monsters. Now it was impossible to tell where reality ended and make-believe began. Now...

Well, now they were in a dingy little basement that reeked of burnt coffee, sitting on uncomfortable foldout chairs. It had to be the strangest support group that'd ever existed, bar none, and even that wasn't going the way it should've been...not with the other quote-unquote survivors doing what they were doing. Most of them were fine, but the Blackwood Bunch?

Oh. Oh, the Hacketteers were pretty fed up with them.

"So there I am, soaked to the bone, wearing someone else's clothes, I'm tired, I'm hungry, everything hurts, and it's like...every time I thought things were going to be okay, I...I ended up alone again. It was just...way too much. Insult to injury, you know?" Emma let the rest of her breath out in a heavy exhale, anxiously tucking her hair behind her ears. Per the usual, she hadn't let stage fright stop her from going at the first opportunity she was given, working her way through her story with tight smiles and shallow laughs. She licked her lips, took another breath, and -

"You think that's bad," Jessica spoke up from across the way, the collection of chairs a little too sloppy to be called a 'circle,' per se, "try having frostbite. And a concussion. And being in your underwear for most of it."

There was a ripple of low chatter from a couple of the others - not the Hacketteers, not the Blackwoods, but the others, the ones who'd been watching with slow-growing amusement and exasperation as their strange turf war had developed. In voices too low for the (warring factions) rest of them to hear, a man missing a suspiciously clean chunk of his ear leaned over to murmur, "Bet this is the one where they start throwing chairs," only for a woman with a garishly bright red pixie cut to dip her chin and respond, "Twenty bucks and you're on."

At the forefront, Emma's smile tightened, becoming something automatic. Automatonic, really. "I was in my underwear for a lot of it, actually."

"No frostbite, though," Mike cut in, happy enough to take over Jess's argument for her. "Seriously, you guys don't even know what you're talking about, okay? Like, yeah, sure, I know you got scared or whatever, but until you're fighting for your life out in subzero temps? Pfft. You don't know what it means to survive."

"Says the guy who stuck his hand in a bear trap," Jacob shot back, not bothering to lower his voice.

Mike had been ready, though. "Says the guy who stepped into a snare, then stepped into a bear trap, then...wait, wait, how'd he put it last time?" he asked, making a show of turning to Emily, then Jess, then craning his head around to Sam. "Oh! Right. Got dragged into a hillbilly sex dungeon. All in one night. Rip on the bear trap all you want, my guy, my one moment of dumbassery hardly stacks up to you going full fucking Loony Tunes. Walk off any cliffs while you were at it? Try and blow out a stick of dynamite thinking it was a birthday candle?"

"Hey man, that's not fair!" It was then that Nick threw his hat into the ring, sticking up for Jacob's case without a moment of hesitation. "You guys weren't down there! You have no idea what it was like, being in those cages all night!"

"Uh, hang on. A-a-agree to disagree." Chris was the one who spoke that time, but Ashley had lifted a finger beside him, the two of them seemingly lodging their complaint as a unit. "If we want to talk about dungeon experience, you...you really don't have a leg to stand on here, man. Sorry. You don't. Ash and I were in a fucking Saw movie, okay? So, I-I-I'm sorry that like, you got to sit for most of the night, but - "

"I was a fucking werewolf, dude!" Nick fired back, actually getting to his feet. "A monster! You don't have the first idea what that's like! My body exploded, I almost killed Abi, I...things still feel wrong! I still feel wrong! It's like...sometimes I don't even think this is my real body anymore, like I'm here, but I'm also standing ten feet away from myself! You don't get to just act like you've been there, done that - fuck that!"

A clearing of a throat. An unnecessarily loud, pointed sniff.

And then Josh entered the fray.

"Yeah. Know what? True. True that. Not a one of us - and I mean this, Nicholas - not a single one of us has any idea what it's like to be possessed by something otherworldly, flung around according to its whims, changed beyond recognition, and then woken up to realize, aw shit, it's Monday isn't it? I need to get to work pronto, but I'm just covered in all this gross, sticky blood!" Slowly, moving with deliberation, he straightened in his seat, the reconstruction scars on his face almost gone but not quite, his left eye catching the light in that eerie way human eyes weren't supposed to. "Shit. Wait. Hang on. That's not what I meant to say. Sorry, haven't had any of that coffee burbling away on the counter yet, and you know I'm not myself until I've had my coffee, hee hee, ha ha, hoo hoo. What I meant to say was - eat my whole, entire ass. Get back to me when you can describe the taste of human flesh to me, how's about that?"

She'd been quiet until then, but Abi raised her hands in a silent plea for them to stop, scrambling to take hold of the back of Nick's shirt when he took a single step forward towards Josh. "Guys! Guys, hey, this...I...fighting isn't helping stuff, okay? We should just - "

"Okay. Honestly? Sorry, not sorry, I'm on their side with this one," Laura piped in, the Blackwood gang sneering as the Hacketteers whirled. "You guys have...no idea what a hard time is, okay? Yeah, wow, yikes, werewolves. Try being in a jail cell for two months, never knowing if the weirdo who kidnapped you was going to let you go, kill you, bring you something to eat, or just stand outside your cell breathing too hard. On top of the werewolf thing! On top of it!"

"Yeah, like, not for nothing, but we didn't even get to make friendship bracelets, you know?" agreed Max, still nodding right along with Laura.

"They didn't even get to make friendship bracelets," Emily repeated, sadly shaking her head.

"Big talk. Real big talk. I'm sorry, did any of you walk away from your weird little winter getaway missing a limb?" Dylan asked. "No. Didn't think s - "

"Chris messed up his knee!" Ashley snapped. "Mike's missing fingers! Sam's, like, almost totally deaf in her one ear now! You can't just - "

"Yeah, I'm sorry, you didn't get fucking mauled," Emily cut in, speaking over Ashley as she yanked her shirt to one side, revealing the massive scar on her shoulder. "Don't complain about - "

"Pretty sure I got mauled, actually! Pretty sure a few of us got mauled, in fact! You don't - "

"You guys weren't lost underground for hours, trying to find your way out." Matt, that time, his usual stoic silence thrown by the wayside. "Pitch black. In a maze. Hearing something hunt you - "

"Wow. All due respect, dude? You weren't listening to our story at all, were you?" Ryan accused. "We - "

And with that, the meeting devolved the way it always did, all of the younger survivors pointing fingers and shouting, comparing wounds and battle scars, stacking their traumas on top of one another's like Pokemon cards. It wasn't the most therapeutic of ways to go about things, of that there could be no doubt, but...it must've been doing something, because they kept showing up every week.

The world was a strange place, after all. It only made sense that they'd be strange now too.

[reluctanttrabbit]

its secret santa time!! woo!! @hearts4ggy BOO CAROUSEL JUMPSCARE 💥💥💥💥

originally i planned to make a fic AND draw a scene from the fic. but my dreams slowly crumbled as i realized i would have so much homework this month AND i also really just wanted to get this fic out before christmas bc i know many people are with family at this time

so heres the fic instead!! maybe i can finish up the art part of the gift this week.. :3

the full fic is also below the cut incase u wanna read it this way ^_^

Carol of the Bells

3,347 words

3:56. 3:57. 3:58.

Every time Michael glanced at the clock, it stared right back. Almost like it's taunting me, he thought.

Out of all of the days in the year, why did William Afton have to work on Christmas Eve and leave Michael to look after his siblings?

To be fair, it was a lose-lose situation either way. He could either spend the day stuck with his stupid siblings, or ditto but with his stupid father.

So here he was, baking cookies with Elizabeth and Evan in the afternoon.

"I.. I think we used too much sugar," a small voice piped up. It was Evan, who had just grabbed the egg carton out of the fridge and peered into the bowl the siblings were using. Sure enough, sugar was littered all over the kitchen counter. Evan guessed that was Elizabeth's handiwork.

"Good! Maybe you'll get some cavities from it, and you'll talk even less, then," Elizabeth jeered at her brother.

"Liz, these cookies are for all of us. if anything, you're getting cavities too." Michael sighed as he pushed her aside to swipe the eggs out of Evan's hands. she let out a small yelp of annoyance, which Michael had ignored. He turned to his phone propped up on the counter with the recipe on his screen.

"Ok, eggs and vanilla extract." he said aloud to himself. Michael looked to the counter, but the vanilla extract was nowhere in sight. What? That couldn't be right.

"We got vanilla extract, right? who has it?" Michael instantly turned to Evan, who jumped a little and showed Michael his hands. Empty.

Next, he turned to Liz, getting more agitated at the second. Once he looked in her direction, he noticed three red cups set on the counter, as Elizabeth wore a suspicious smile and eyed the cups. Michael simply wasn't having it, and knocked all 3 cups off the counter as if he were a cat. He deadpanned towards Elizabeth as she watched the vanilla extract fall out of the middle cup and onto the floor.

"Hey! What's your problem today?!" she cried, as Michael went to pick up the extract.

"My problem," he growled, "is that I'm stuck with you two today, because our father can't even manage to take the day off of work for CHRISTMAS EVE."

"Well, maybe he's getting some last minute gifts.. or something!" she said, trying to excuse her father.

"Bullshit, theres nothing open today! It's a holiday, he shouldn't even be at work in the first place!"

"Don't swear at me!"

"I'll do whatever I want! Dad isn't here, I'm in charge."

"Y'know, i bet you the reason you don't wanna spend Christmas Eve with us is because you'd rathe-"

The house phone started ringing, and the two stopped fighting. Michael sent a cold glare to Elizabeth, as if he was telling her this wasn't over, and he walked over to pick up.

"Hey, is mike here?" a voice rang through the speaker. it was Charlie!

"Uh- yeah, what happened?"

"What do you mean what happened, its Christmas Eve! we're coming over for a bit, so we can keep you guys company.. since your dad isn't here, y'know." there was a slight laugh in her voice, but it settled once she mentioned that William wasn't home. Right, how could Michael ever forget.

"Oh, well.. sweet. See you guys in a bit, I guess. bye." Michael put the phone down. He hoped Charlie couldn't tell that there was still hints of anger in his voice, despite their call being so short. He let out a sigh, which somewhat turned into a growl, and turned around to look back at his siblings. Evan had started to pick the extract up and clean it with some paper towels. Good. At least he was managing to be helpful.

hearing the news that Charlie and Henry (and hopefully Sammy) were coming over eased Michael's thoughts. maybe Henry could be the one to deal with his siblings, and Michael could get a break from these brats. Evan offered the extract to Mike, and he picked it up, turning his phone back on and reading over the recipe once again. Liz had left to go sit on the couch and cool off from her and Mike's previous squabbling. Hey, I'm not complaining, Mike thought to himself.

"Cass, you wanna grab the mixer for me?" he asked. Evan nodded, and went to search the cupboards until he pulled the machine out, with the cord dangling and nearly tripping him.

Evan hauled the machine up onto the counter. He brushed his hands off on his pants, and stood idly waiting for Michael to do the next step. He fidgeted with his sweater sleeves, and peeked around the corner of the fridge to look at Elizabeth. she had a pillow in her hand as she hit it repeatedly against the floor.

Evan had a hunch that pillow was supposed to be michael.

He turned back to face Michael. the boy jumped as the mixer started and the ingredients splashed onto his face. He grumbled, but held the bowl steady and let the mixer do its job.

Evan took advantage of the loud whirring from the mixer, and snuck off into the living room to stay with Elizabeth. Her eyes narrowed as he walked into the room, and put the pillow down.

The mixer slowed down and Michael went to wash his hands. He looked around for evan, only to find that the boy wasn't there.

"Hey, I still need help here!" he shouted.

"…"

"Fine."

-------------

Michael cringed with each bite he took of the cookie. Something had definitely went wrong once he was left alone to bake. Was it too sweet? Or too bitter? Were the ingredients expired?

"Ok, these… these cookies taste like shit." Michael put the cookie (could it even be called that?) back down on his plate and took a sip of water. he heard Elizabeth and Evan laugh, as they had already rejected their cookies.

"When will Charlie and Henry get here?" Evan asked, blankly staring out into the window. There were slight flurries outside- the thought of a white Christmas made Michael subconsciously smile. It had reminded him of better days - days where all he would do in school was make crafts and bring them home to his mom and dad. He remember the way his mother's nose would crinkle as she smiled and put the poor excuse for an ornament up on their Christmas tree.

"…"

"I'm gonna go get my sketchbook. Just… do whatever." Mike nearly bolted up as he dodged the question and tossed the tv remote to Elizabeth, heading for the stairs. She turned on the tv and started to flip through channels. There was nothing that interested the two. News channels, baby channels, reruns of old movies, the shopping channel; and a few kids channels, but none of them were playing anything good. Elizabeth decided on one that was about these weird CGI Christmas dogs.. it wasn't like she would actually pay attention to it.

"All of these shows suck!" she huffed in frustration. "Why aren't they playing, like, My Little Pony or something?" she went to lay back on the floor and stare up at the ceiling.

Evan had wanted to answer, because its Christmas and the only thing that's on right now are Christmas movies. But he was too lost in his own thoughts to interject. He remembered the look in Michael's eyes as he went up to grab his sketchbook. The teen looked like he was on the verge of tears. Evan felt as if he had seen a cryptid.

"Liz, um.. do you ever think about why Mike gets angry at us?" he turned to his sister.

"..Well, I don't think about it on a daily basis, but I know the answer. You should too." she sighed, crossing her arms.

"I mean, obviously I know why, but… why does he get angry? We only fight with him because he fights with us. Why does he get to be the angry one? Why does he see us as brats and then get to act like that?"

Elizabeth stayed silent. They both did for a minute.

"Maybe he never moved on. I don't know." she sighed, now giving more thought to the conversation. "I don't remember much of her. Maybe the problem is that he remembers too much."

Maybe the problem is that he remembers too much. The words repeated in Evan's mind. what did that even mean? It got louder and louder, and-

"Charlie!" Elizabeth cried as she shot up to run towards the window. She was careful to not scratch herself on the Christmas tree right beside the window, and peered through the snow, which had begun to fall faster than a few minutes ago. The headlights of Henry's car disoriented Liz, but she tried her best to get a good look.

Evan stared at the ground for a few more seconds, before getting up and opening the door for them. Henry and Charlie stepped out of the car, gift bags in each of their hands. Elizabeth nearly pushed Evan out of the way as they came in the door.

"Merry Christmas, you two!" Henry said, imitating the voice of Santa Claus. He definitely has the beard for the role, Evan thought.

Elizabeth jumped into Charlie arms, giving her a hug.

"Hey Liz!" the teen said, ruffling her hair. "Guess who these are for?" she said as she held up the bags in her arms. Elizabeth gasped and reached for them, but Charlie swiped them away.

"Hey, not until tomorrow." she laughed. Her and Henry walked towards the tree to put their gifts down and take off their coats. Henry paused as Charlie set down her bags.

"You kids only got 5 presents?" Henry asked, concerned. "Now I don't want to shame your dad, but I know he has more than enough money for you guys. There's no way he's putting all that into the mall..." the man trailed off as he answered his own question.

"Well, good thing we delivered, huh?" Charlie said, trying to keep the mood up. "C'mon Liz, let's go find a Christmas movie to watch." the 2 girls walked to the couch as Charlie flipped through their DVD collection.

Henry and Evan sat in silence as Henry looked around and rubbed his hands.

"So, where's your brother?" Henry asked, looking around the house.

"He ran upstairs." Evan answered, looking up at them as if Michael would appear there in seconds. But Evan knew better. He was probably locking himself in his room for the rest of the night. He turned back to look at Henry, but couldn't quite read his expression as the man grumbled something to himself.

"..Well, I see you made cookies! Mind if I take a bite?" Henry grinned as he walked over to the plate on the kitchen counter. He had moved too fast, as Evan was just about to respond until Henry took a bite out of the poorly iced mess. His face went sour, and Evan couldn't help but snicker.

"We- we didn't do the best, I'm sure you can tell." Evan said as he watched Henry put the cookie back down on its plate.

"No worries, kid. I guess it's Santa's problem, not ours." Henry sighed and walked off into the living room. But Evan stayed put as his gaze wandered to the stairs.

He wasn't actually going to stay upstairs, was he?

-------------

Evan walked down the hall, peering in each room. Every step he took made the floorboards creak, making Evan walk lighter than usually. He passed by his room, and the door was closed. He looked at all the drawings scattered on his door, some drawn by Michael and some drawn by himself.

Elizabeth's door was decorated with stickers and one of those "no boys allowed" signs -- a gift that she put up as a joke. Evan continued walking. The bathroom doors were both open, and Michael's door was locked shut. his door held no drawings, or no stickers. Just a door handle and peeling paint. Evan held his ear close to the door, but couldn't hear any signs of Michael. He was most likely in there, but Evan had to be sure.

..That left only 2 rooms to check.

If Evan wasn't stepping lightly before, he was definitely floating by now. Even just standing by the door of William's office was enough to make him remind himself to breathe. The door stood tall and foreboding, somewhat like his dad. The light was off, so Michael couldn't be in there. Evan turned to the room at the end of the hall.

William's room.

Of course, it had never been just William's room. It used to belong to their mother too, once upon a time. Or more like a few years ago. but it seemed like Evan's instincts were right, as the lamp on the bedside drawer was on. Michael was right beside that drawer leaning against the bed and burying his head in his arms. There was a book by his feet, sitting upside down with pictures falling out of it.

Something told Evan that the book wasn't Michael's sketchbook.

Evan walked closer to Michael, and the boy lifted his head up.

"Screw off Cass, get out." his throat was raspy; Michael sounded like he was tired. His voice was the quietest it had been in years.

Evan stayed silent. He moved closer.

"..Are you deaf, I said--"

"I heard you, and I'm not going to let you yell at me anymore!" Evan's voice wavered as he spoke.

"Oh, what, did you--"

"All day you've been rude to me AND Elizabeth, and you're always just rude in general! Why do you get to just- why do you not realize that when mom died, it.. it hurt us too. But you don't get that, because you're mad at our father, and.."

Evan felt tears welling up already. Why was he such a crybaby?

Evan and Michael both fell silent as the two thought of what to say.

"..You really suck at yelling." Michael grumbled as he picked the book up. Evan wiped his tears and tried to compose himself so he could continue his rant, but he finally noticed what the book was.

It was a photo album.

Evan took a breath as he moved closer to sit beside Michael.

"In a way, you aren't wrong. I am mad at our father. Because he doesn't give a shit about us or about mom's death-"

"Liar! Dad talks about her all the time! You wouldn't know that because you barely try to talk to him."

Michael ignored him as he flipped through the pages. Their parents didn't take many pictures of themselves, but there were lots of family photos. A picture of Michael on a high chair as he eats baby food. His hair sticks out in every direction. Carol is cleaning his face, smiling for the camera as she tries her best not to laugh. A beach day photo where she's putting sunscreen on a younger Elizabeth as Michael and Evan splash around in the water. Michael and Carol at a school dance.

Slowly but surely, Michael and Evan's mom started to appear less and less, until the last picture was of William and Henry at the opening of the Pizzaplex.

"It's like she's.. slowly disappearing. From the book, from us-- And somewhere deep down, I WANT her to. So I don't have to think about her everyday. So the pain is easier." Michael sobbed. Evan's eyes widened as Michael was crying real, live tears. Was this a prank?

"I can't remember anything else from our childhood except her."

As awkward as it was, Evan shifted closer to rest his head on Michael's shoulder. Michael didn't push him off. He didn't yell at him. It just happened. And that was enough.

They sat in silence for a good while.

"..It feels weird to see you cry. It's like our personalities were swapped or something. Like 'Freaky Friday'." Evan muttered in a soft voice. Michael sniffed and wiped his eyes as he let out a genuine snicker. It wasn't in a mocking or sarcastic tone, for the first time in a while. Evan still wasn't used to this.

"Maybe it should happen more. For the both of us. I can... cry more, and you can stand up to me more." Michael admitted. He sighed and rested his head on Evan's, like they were 2 brothers who actually liked each other.

Someday, maybe that could happen.

-------------

The rest of the night flew by. Evan and Michael finally went back downstairs to join everyone else and have a movie marathon, along with some TV dinner. They talked, and danced, but eventually Henry and Charlie had to drive back home. Henry allowed them to open at least one Christmas present before they left, and Elizabeth made sure to pick a big enough gift. Because of course, Henry wouldn't allow her to pick the box that DEFINITELY wasn't a new toy playset.

Michael got a set of watercolors, Evan got a set of pajamas, and Elizabeth got a 16" Glamrock Chica plushie. The Emilys went back to their house, and the Aftons got ready for bed.

William Afton was still nowhere in sight.

Falling in and out of sleep, Michael lay in his bed, snuggled up in a pile of 3 blankets with the fan running. It was peaceful.

That was, until Elizabeth creaked the door open and poked at Michael. And when he didn't respond to pokes, she rocked him back and forth.

"... What, Liz? It's.. I don't even know what time it is, why are you still awake?" he mumbled.

"Me and Ev can't sleep," she whispered, Glamrock Chica plushie in her hands.

"Well, that's not my problem, is it? If you're awake, Santa won't give you any presents. He knows when you're sleeping," Michael told her.

"Exactly! We need you so we can fall asleep, and then Santa can come! Get up already!" she dragged the boy out of his blanket nest as he protested. Evan had been waiting by the stairs, with a nightlight in one hand and a Fredbear plushie in the other. The 3 siblings walked down the stairs as the Christmas tree shined as bright as a fire.

"Why are we going in the living room?" Michael nearly tripped on his feet as Elizabeth led him around the house. He looked down at Evan, who was just as confused.

"Aw, wait... Michael, I'm gonna go take your blankets. Help Evan move the chair closer to the tree, okay?" she said in a hurry as the girl ran back up the stairs. Evan set his nightlight down, and Michael finally understood what Elizabeth was planning.

"I'll get some chairs," Michael muttered to himself.

Soon enough, Elizabeth had hurried back down with blankets in hand. Evan had knocked over a few things while he pushed the chair, but they'd fix it in the morning. Michael spaced out the chairs, and Elizabeth draped them all on top of each other.

It wasn't the best, but it was a feasible blanket fort. Michael took the pillows off of the couch and threw them into the fort, as the 3 settled in and got comfy. Michael propped up one more pillow for his head, and closed his eyes.

"Now go to sleep," he told his siblings. In twin movements, Elizabeth and Evan rested their heads on Michael's shoulders. He could have pushed them off, but he was getting more tired at the second. He listened to their breathing get slower, and Michael laughed at the thought that 'visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.'

Michael started to feel himself drifting away, and just before he fell asleep, he swore he heard the jingling of bells and something on the roof.

Maybe he made that part up in a sleepless haze. Maybe it was really his father's car engine.

[totaldrama-showdowns]

Submissions for the Non-Human Showdown! Including ones that are invalid!

Fang (x2)

“🦈🦈🦈”

“He's Fang ❤”

Cody Jr (x2)

“Cody Jr! No! Not Aunty Heather!”

Mr Coconut (x2)

“The og. Should have won every season /serious”

vince the alligator (x2)

“SWEEEEP”

“The lore… so immaculate”

the don box (x2)

“bzzz i have a stupid fucking clue for you. ah fuck the interns put me in a lame outfit again”

“what id don on about he's slaying in that shirt”

wt pineapple (x2)

“ALEPINEAPPLE FOREVER!!!”

“👅🐍🐍🐍🐍”

Irene the fish (x2)

“shes so beautiful i’d kiss her too”

“The final remaining member of Team Victory after DJs elimination, Irene went on to win the million and the hearts of many.”

the chrarry baby (x2)

“Goo goo gaa gaa”

“ive got my eye on u chris mclean”

Princess Beth Doll

“I WANT TO BUY ONE SO BAD IRL!!!!! Also, this too is yuri”

Old Jester from reboot S2ep9

“I love when Damien hugged him! That's scene is soooo cute. Also I love fluffy animal!”

Bobo :)

“SEASON 2 SPOILERS Bobo is the name of the bear that had the Raj mask in season 2 episode 12 :) idk I just think he’s silly”

DJ’s bunny

the Chris-shaped cake that Julia's group made

“I wanna eat that thang”

Dramarama Cody

“He's an alien”

Theodore (MK's stuffed unicorn)

(the arts and crafts) Shed (from season 1)

“shed sweep”

that evil little seal from wt

“sooo little and evil. who can hate him”

caleb rock

“possibly the best version of him out there”

the skull duncan carved for courtney

“you cant deny how iconic it was”

eva’s mp3 player

“the most important character in td history”

heather’s various hairstyles

“possibly the most diverse and versatile entity in td historu”

pahkitew island

“The best one”

Myself

“:^)”

ryan seacrests car

“very fast”

chef's car (total dramarama and gen 4)

“MY CAR!!!!!”

alien clone cody

“AAAAAAA*explodes into green goo*”

chris's wig

“wiggin”

heather's wig

“wiggin”

total drama yum yuk happy go time candy fish tails

“You ate it!”

trents five finger shirt

“5”

princess courtney CD

“all the greatest hits!”

owens butt

“fart”

anne maria’s hair style

“Ey im walkin here”

bridgettes surfboard

“BONK”

the fake antlers from the paintball ep

“Duncney”

manitobas fedora

“served!”

beary <3

“it’s LITERALLY beary”

ripper’s world record breaking fart

“he did it”

the portrait of cody as blue boy in wt

“funny looking”

sierra’s pizza box-cum-laptop*

“she uses the internet AND eats witj it. shes a genius”

*Mod Note: this refers to cum meaning: combined with; also used as (used to describe things with a dual nature or function).

waynes accent

“Eh we play hockey eh”

mal ventriloquist doll

“aaah im evil mal doll”

alejandro puppet

“we do a little trolling”

Chef 2.0

“He made him from a cashew”

Mt. Kīlauea

“She has the mercy to have her lava not hot enough to kill Alejandro, Ezekiel, and that random intern like... Everyone say "thank you" or somethin idk. Do you think she feels bad that Alejandro ended up in a robot suit because”

Immunity idol s4-5

“They ruined it's design in the reboot boooooooo”

MK's infernape

“Listen, she's a gamer and she's based. She would totally pick chimchar in bdsp. She probably hates people who tells her to "play platinum" because that was a game made for old people.

Try and exclude this submission, I dare you. There's nothing that says I can't submit theoretical non-humans. There's a non-zero chance that MK has an Infernape and I know it's been raised to have some awesome sneaky move. If you exclude this, I bet you'd allow "Mike's Torterra" because only a grass type fan would be a fire type and MK hater!!

Julia would keep her piplup unevolved and beat her console into tiny bits when she gets to Cynthia btw”

the drone of shame

“[picks up victim and flies away] wheeee”

that giant bowl of rice they fall into in japan

“mm giant bowl of rice”

noah’s dog

“his epic dog”

celine dion cardboard cutout

“love fucking wins #duncney”

the face huggers from Area 51

“rip tyler”

ezekiel MISSING milk carton

“Sad! He died.”

the eagle chris shot and killed

“someone arrest this man. again”

the confessional

“it’s always there for you”

geoff’s splinter

“OW”

the bread from codys pants

“man i need to rewatch island. i fucking love the pants bread”

That ice cream snowman from SMS

“LISTEN. JUST BECAUSE HE IS FROM THE EPISODE THAT SHALL NOT BE NAMED DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN NOT GIVE HIM HIS RESPECT”

bear

“the one from raptear specifically. let's go lesbians”

that pizza chase threw the challenge for

“clearly he should be with it rather than emma. chemma? chipper? chazee? nope never fucking heard of them”

Momma's Spice

“*sprinkles it on op's head* mmmm tasty”

The Gilded Chris award

WT barf bags

“give a real f to those guys. never appeared after episode 7.”

the toxic marshmallow of loserdom

“killer of staci's hair”

The lavatory confessional

“bitch is iconic. 6/8 is a passing mark!!!”

Courtney's PDA

“why wouldnt they call it a phone idk but its so camp”

The Cassowaries

“Male cassowaries are responsible for raising the young. We love an involved father.”

Fire-breathing winged mountain goats

“You could make an Undertale reference with this (also they're really cool)”

Giant Beetle

“Dott shippers will like this one”

Mutated Maggots

“They're pretty cute!”

Six-Legged Rats

“ADORABLE EEEEEEEP!!!!”

scott bird

“what a beautiful bird”

Chef's car

“It may play a role in mkulia canon”

Gethin

that rainbow porridge in episode 8 of the reboot

“aw hell naw chris cookin up the gay porridge”

The cassowary that fell in love with Zee

“We love an iconic single mother looking for love”

The rat in the cargo hold that appears on screen for 0.5 seconds during Ezekiel's solo in "Come Fly With Us"

“That rat really carried the whole song. Iconic. Astounding. Never before seen talent. Lady Gaga is shaking in her Demonias.”

The Erymanthian Boar

“It wrecked Duncan's shit in Greece.”

The dock of shame

“So many teens walked on her, i think she deserves some recognizion”

gwen's blender necklace

Zoey's hamster (Miss Puffycheeks)

“It's cute and can punch a cat, need I say more?”

[genuine-wrestleboy]

the attraction (4/5)

((here on ao3))

this chapter starts with a read more trust me

"You know," drawls Springtrap, teasing your clit in idle circles. He doesn't finish the thought, and you shudder and writhe beneath him, the attention bordering on overstimulation. You've already come once on his fingers, grasping between moans for coherent thought as he grilled you on everything you'd learned from Mike. You can't remember any specifics of what you'd told him, only that you'd answered every question without hesitation.

Now, every touch is a bellows to the embers in your belly, fanning a steadily rebuilding heat. Your limbs feel languid and loose, heavy with syrupy pleasure.

"What do I know?" Your cheek is chafed from the seat and tacky with your own drool, and you grin into it like an idiot.

“Do you know, I think you must be the only person to have gone through that tasteless little place with no idea of what a springlock is?”

“Really?” Your friends had known, but they were into this sort of thing. To be honest, right now you’re a little more interested in why his hand has stopped moving. You roll your hips, seeking friction, but he doesn’t react, even when he bends over you, even when you feel the thick, blunt shape of him at your entrance.

“Do you want to know?” asks Springtrap. Something about his tone sends an unexpected prickle of fear along your nerves. “I could show you. I’d bet you none of them have ever seen one.”

“I don’t know,” you tell him honestly, the cold cobweb of fear on your palms. Your heart gutters under your ribs.

"Oh but you've been so good for me. It's the least I could do."

The praise catches on the rising tide of unease in your chest, blunting the sharpest edges and flooding you with warmth. You whimper pitifully into the upholstery of your backseat, your pussy clenching on empty air. 

Springrap laughs. He ruts forward, and you feel the hot curving length of him slide against you, thick as four of your fingers and slick with shared arousal. A moan stutters up from your stomach and tumbles through your lips as you press back into his touch. 

Then, without warning, a hand slams down next to you, filling your line of sight. You startle, flinching away, but there's nowhere for you to go. Springtrap cages you in, heavy and huge and reeking—a sharp, burnt chemical smell; damp, moldering rot. The hand by your face twitches, sinks its fingers into the seat, and you stare in open horror.

Sad, scorched remnants of greenish fur, the sleeve of the suit hanging in ruined tatters. Exposed, a mangle of flesh and steel, raw red muscle trellising a frame of blackened metal and yellow bone. Wires knit through the carnage like veins, frayed beyond function.

Part of the suit, you remember with a thrill. Your heart is pounding so fast and hard you can no longer tell where fear ends and excitement begins.

That line has always been thin for you, anyway.

"Do you see?" Springtrap twists his arm, and the light catches several slats of steel that bite sideways through the bone like broad flat teeth.

"Yes—oh, oh, yes."

All the breath in your body leaves you all at once, a gasping, begging syllable of sound. Springtrap’s cock breaches your hole, sudden and sweet, and you feel your body immediately fight to pull him in deeper. A deep, snarling sound rolls through him, control clung to by the sharp points of his fingers. 

He thrusts once, shallow and slow. Your skin feels like it's on fire.

"Please," you beg, "please, god, please," and even as he ruts another shallow thrust into you he gives no indication of having heard.

"This is no ordinary mascot costume, you understand. Its design is almost perfectly unique, both suit and animatronic as the occasion requires."

As he speaks, he presses forward, fucking you open with agonizing, unhurried deliberation. You whimper helplessly, overwhelmed by the stretch, the fullness. He feels huge inside you, carving himself indelibly into your body like something you'll never really recover from.

"An impressive trick, I think you'll agree. When the animatronic is in use, it uses a sophisticated endoskeleton for support. Naturally, while the endoskeleton is in place, there's no way for it to function as a suit."

 Springtrap's hips bite into you as he bottoms out, the pinch of metal joints, tiny pricks of pain fading into harmony with the pleasure.

"Fuck," you gasp, forgetting yourself.

A tsk of disapproval. Without missing a beat,  Springtrap rears back to swat a sharp blow on your ass. Without the skin on skin contact, it lacks the sting of a spank, but the intention comes across clearly enough.

"One of these days," he tells you, sweet as rotten fruit, "I'm going to have to teach you a lesson about that mouth of yours."

He pets your neck in little circles with his thumb, coarse fur catching your skin. You press back into the touch like it doesn’t choke you. Leaning forward, Springtrap picks up speed, finding a heady, relentless rhythm, grinding against your ass with every thrust. Slick wet heat paints your thighs and pulses through your core, wave after wave, wringing a string of high, thin keens from your throat. Thank god for the middle of nowhere, because if you ever had a head for how loud you’re being, it’s long gone now.

 "Now, where was I?” wonders Springtrap aloud. “Ah, yes. When the costume is ready to be worn, the endoskeleton isn't taken out—no, you see, it's wound aside and locked in place at the sides of the suit by a complex series of springs specially designed to hold its component parts in place. I imagine you can tell where this is headed, now, can't you? Can't you?" he adds when you fail to respond, the grip on your neck tightening. 

"Yes, sir," you insist emphatically, though you could not for the life of you guess where this is headed. 

Springtrap hums, pleased.

"It's not a foolproof process," he admits, "though heaven knows fools have attempted it. The springlocks can be…fickle, for those without the proper hand to use them."

He leans further forward, enough weight on your neck to send your vision swimming at the edges. Growling low and gravel-addled in his throat, he pulls back, then slams himself home, hitting something inside you that sends a shock of pleasure up your spine. You feel your pussy throb around him, and he lets out a harsh, scraping breath, hips stuttering.

"Good," he praises breathlessly. “You're taking me so well. How does my cock feel in that tight little hole?"

"God,” you gasp, “so good, it feels—ha!—please, you feel so good."

"That's right, darling," he soothes. "You understand, don't you?"

You choke out a moan and grope, thick-fingered, through your thoughts, but any sense of promised understanding eludes you. All you find is static—hazy, airless pleasure, the merciless pace of Springtrap’s thrusts shaking your mind to useless grey slurry. You can barely think past the drive of his hips, the sweet spreading ache of his cock filling you until there’s no room anywhere inside you for anything else. It's him, and him, and him like thick rising smoke, coiling through your body as you burn.

"I am so much more than I was, and not yet even all I could be. Look."

The pressure on your neck eases, and you pull in a breath that feels like glass in your lungs. Bruise for bruise, Springtrap fists his hand in your hair instead, and you gasp at the sudden pull of pain, the shiver of pleasure that comes with it.

“Look,” he repeats fiercely.

Your eyes flutter open to gristle and steel, that vivid, bloodless gore, as impossible as it is inescapable. The stringy muscle remnants flex and relax as Springtrap fucks you roughly into the seat, his breath fraying quickly at the edges. His cock feels like it’s pulling you apart, unspooling you with the ease of something dissolving out into a warm bath.

"That is total springlock failure, the compressive power of a hundred kilos of steel versus the infinitely fallible human form. It is a death sentence.”

He snarls it directly into your ear, a hungry, panting pride that throbs in the warm clutch of your core. His teeth scrape your shoulder, the harsh hiss of his breath drawing gooseflesh down your neck.

“And I have survived it twice."

He bottoms out, and your thighs clamp, trembling, shut as your orgasm rockets through you white-hot and screaming. Springtrap groans, low and loose, his pace unslowing but erratic, dragging you through the dregs of shuddering aftermath until you’re sobbing from pleasure.

"Still my sweet little slut," he hisses affectionately. "You just want to be filled, don't you?”

“Yes." Fuck, you have never wanted anything so badly. "Yes, sir, please, yes, I need it, please."

Weak, desperate tension coils in your belly, snapping suddenly free as you feel him start to come inside you. Springtrap pumps himself once, twice, hands snapping to your hips with fierce, unrelenting strength as he pulls you flush against him and holds you there. With a ragged moan, he empties himself into your needy hole, thick spurts of pooling heat. You whimper breathlessly at the sensation, too overcome to do more than lay there and take it.

Maybe you'll never have to move again. Maybe the rest of your life can be this single, blissed-out moment, facedown in the backseat of your car, sated and spent.

"What do we say?" prompts Springtrap, his voice still returning to itself.

"Thank you, sir," you manage in return, and he hums and runs an appreciative hand up your thigh.

"Good."

It hurts most when he pulls out, the bruisey tenderness between your legs causing your breath to hitch. Springtrap runs a knuckle through your folds, over your sensitive clit and up again. Discomfort blooms; you feel him press his spend back inside you with two thick fingers, twitching with the simultaneous urges to rock back and jerk away.

“What a remarkable thing you are,” he says quietly, almost to himself.

The space around your heart lights up, and you laugh, a little fuckdrunk. “You don’t have to butter me up, I’m a sure thing.”

“I’ve noticed.” Springtrap sounds thoughtful. He’s silent for a moment, and then the car lurches and shifts as he lifts himself out. Without the weight of him, without his hands on you, you feel shapeless and small, a crushed insect bleeding out on the sidewalk. Gingerly, you roll onto your side, catching your breath properly for the first time in what feels like hours.

When you trust your body to support its own weight again, you haul yourself into a seated position and reach for the nearest tshirt to clean yourself up a little. A beat passes, and then another, but Springtrap doesn’t come back.

Alone with the vacuum of his absence, your spinning thoughts spit out the possibility that maybe you’ve done something you shouldn’t have.

Then you hear the susurrus of heavy returning footfall through the leaves, and a palpable relief leans with him through the open door.

“Come here,” says Springtrap, holding out a hand. You rest your chin obediently in the crook of his palm, and he lifts your face up and to the side, examining the bruises on your neck with an air of delight. A lick of fear rises and dies in your stomach, and you realize you’re half waiting for the prick of fangs. 

Things would be so much simpler, you think, if he was only after your blood.

“What do you want from me?” Your voice is soft with fear and sandpaper-sore, and out of the corner of your eye, you see Springtrap’s head tilt to one side.

"Everything," he replies, as though it should be obvious. He turns your face, forcing the two of you eye-to-eye, and you squirm self-consciously under the silver spotlight of his stare. "You're mine. Would you offer me less?"

"No," you assure him, and mean it, "no, of course not, I just—"

Springtrap nods, all sympathy. "You're still afraid of me—no, I like it. You should be."

You don't know how to respond to that. You are afraid of him, but you sense it might not be entirely in the way that you should be. It’s a keen-cut gem of a feeling, something bright and gleaming you could turn and turn in your hands and never really see the true shape of, shadows thrown from every flickering facet. Something that could cut you straight to bone with one wrong move. You look at Springtrap and imagine blood in your palms, your mouth. There’s a question on your tongue that has its iron taste, and you don’t know how else to get it off but to ask it.

"What happened to your daughter?"

Springtrap freezes. Tension tightens the hand on your face.

"My daughter." His displeasure is a palpable thing, creeping and cold, and you rush to fill the silence as if you could ward it back with the right words.

“Mike said—”

Springtrap scoffs. “I’m sure he did.”

You can feel the narrow-eyed scrutiny he levels at you. He starts to pull his hand away, and you clutch at his wrist with both of your own to stop him. The open joint catches painfully on the web between your thumb and forefinger, but you don't let go. 

The scrutiny shifts, sharpens into a long look of appraisal that simmers under your skin. Then, slowly, Springtrap pulls his hulking frame along the seat until he’s crowding you against the opposite door. His shadow swallows you whole, the pad of his thumb pressing gently against the seam of your lips.

"Listen to me. It was a terrible tragedy, what happened to Elizabeth. Not a day goes by that I don't regret it. But when I realized what she had become—how could I have stood aside and let her death go to waste?”

“What she had become?” you ask thinly.

“Hmm,” he says, almost disappointed. “I take it Michael didn’t tell you about that?”

"He said you were keeping her prisoner,” you reply, and Springtrap bites out a sharp, frustrated sound. 

"I was keeping her safe. Children so rarely appreciate the difference. Did Michael tell you that I killed her?”

“He, um, sort of implied it,” you confirm.

"Predictable,” he sneers. “He's always had such a talent for martyrdom.” 

Springtrap pauses, head to one side, then adds, “Did he tell you what he did to his brother?”

"His—?” Something cold stirs at the back of your chest.

A tsk. "Neglected that particular detail, did he? Shame, it's quite a story.”

You'd honestly feel less scrambled if he put you in a bottle and shook you at this point.  You’re still trying to process the last three minutes of this conversation, flinging your brain in a dozen different directions just to keep it all up in the air. This new information feels like suddenly having a knife tossed into your already precarious juggling act.

“Will you tell me?” you ask hopefully.

His eyes find yours, sharp and bright. “No, I rather think you should ask him yourself. You’ve been here a while, he must be worrying.”

“He thinks you want to hurt me,” you say, guilt rankling in your gut.

"I don't suppose you've done anything to disabuse him of that notion, hm?"

Embarrassed heat floods your face. "I—no," you admit. “I haven’t.”

Springtrap strokes your cheek with his thumb, the metal warmed by its long proximity to your skin. “I wonder, does Michael think that I wouldn’t go through him to get to you? Or is he relying on the opposite?”

"I don't—you think he's using me as bait?"

“Does that surprise you?” asks Springtrap. “Why? You can hardly know him well enough.”

“I—right.” The idea sits sideways in you, but it does, horribly, make you feel a little better about lying to Mike. If neither of you were completely honest, then you’re sort of even. You force a laugh, a harsh huff of air. “Some bait I turned out to be.”

“Nothing is over yet,” says Springtrap. You can hear the grin in his voice.

Nerves prickle along your skin. “What do you mean?”

The muzzle of the mask follows the path of his hands, butting up along your jaw, grazing your cheek. Tension fizzles out of your muscles everywhere he touches, leaving behind a pleasant, pliant warmth. When he nuzzles into the crook of your shoulder, you melt against him, scritching a hand up to rest between his ears. Springtrap touches you gently under the chin, turns your face to his.

“You didn’t lure me to Michael,” he says, “but you can still lure Michael to me.”

His fur leaves a black residue on your hands, ash and grit and grease.

“You want me to bring him back here?” Damn it. Maybe you’re a soft touch, but you like Mike. Decency pours off the guy in waves; it can’t all be put on. “You aren’t going to hurt him, are you?”

Springtrap turns to ice in your arms. “He tried to burn me alive.”

You have no idea what to say to that. Part of you still wants to defend Mike, but part of you also wants to flick yourself in the back of the head.

Springtrap sits back, holding your face with both huge hands and studying it with knifelike precision, as if his eyes could peel back the layers of skin and watch the muscles that make your expressions.

“Perhaps it's too much to ask." He shakes his head. "This is a family matter. Michael should never have involved you.”

But it’s too late for that, isn't it? You're as involved as it gets. You reach out, touching the hinge of Springtrap’s jaw with hesitant fingertips. The suit is burnt here, too, fresh dark gashes where fur has curled away from the metal beneath—and beneath that, a glimpse of bone, punctured by steel and half-obscured by papery purpled skin. Fascination holds you with a fist, scarcely letting you breathe.

“I’ll do it,” you hear yourself say, and you watch with rapt attention through a tangle of loose wires as the corner of his lipless mouth curves up over his teeth. 

“My sweet thing. I knew I could rely on you.” He makes a sort of aborted nodding gesture, muzzle scraping your skin, then jerks away with a bitten-off snarl.

“Meet me at Fazbear’s. Try not to keep me waiting.”

The car creaks and sags again under his shifting weight, and it isn’t until he’s gone, slouching away through the rapidly darkening trees, that you realize he’d just tried to kiss you.

You stand barefoot in the dirt by your car for a long time, your heart doing cartwheels while your stomach sinks into your heels.

The drive to Mike’s takes twice as long as it should, partially because you can barely concentrate on the road, but mostly because your phone has vanished into the bowels of your car, and making your way back by memory is a feat that doesn’t exactly play to your strengths. By the time you pull into the lot, you're shaking with exhaustion and half-nauseous with the anxiety churning in your stomach. You can feel your heartbeat in your teeth.

God, what are you even doing here? How did it come to this? Caught between the wolves and the cliff, an unwitting participant in the plans of two immortal men trying to kill each other. Mike was apparently willing to risk your safety to keep his parts moving smoothly, but you don't want him to die for it, do you? You don’t know—there’s so much you don’t know. What happened here? Death and Remnant and secrets and accidents and you with your hands full of questions with no answers. It’s like trying to put together a puzzle in the dark, feeling your way along the edges in the mad hope that things will eventually start to fit together.

Only, you know what you want that picture to look like, don't you? The moment flashes again through your mind, piercing silver eyes and mitted palms cradling your face, metal hips pinning you down and your heart in your throat. Considering…everything, it's ridiculous to be this hung up on something so small, a kiss that didn't even happen, but here you are, grinning into your hand hard enough to make your cheeks ache.

A knock on the window startles you out of your reverie, and your elbow jabs the car horn as you jolt away. On the other side of the glass, Mike raises a hand, wincing apologetically. A twinge of guilt tests its cold teeth on your insides.

"Hey!" you say shakily. "Hold on, I'll—"

You fumble, suddenly clumsy, and all but fall out of your seat, biting down on whatever you can muster of a smile. Mike's forehead creases in concern, which you pretend not to notice.

"You weren't answering your phone," he says, slightly out of breath.

"Oh," you say, "sorry, I sort of lost it. Did something happen?"

He straightens, tugging at the brim of his hat. "Nothing important. How was the hospital?"

"Fine," you lie. "My friends were already gone, but that nurse from last time found me. We talked for a while, I must’ve lost track of time.”

“Nurse Gruesome,” confirms Mike. “I remember."

"Yeah, she really hates your guts," you tell him, and he laughs.

"I did get that impression. I’m sorry you missed your friends.”

You shrug. “I’ll see them eventually.”

The moment hangs awkwardly in the air between you, a strange sort of tension that reminds you, abruptly, that you and Mike are still technically strangers. You can tell that he’s looking at you, his eyes unreadable in the dim streetlights that buzz overhead, his shoulders set stiff and both hands shoved down into his pockets.

“I’m just gonna—” you begin, gesturing towards your bags in the backseat.

Mike lets out a breath. “You’re sure you’re alright?”

That catches you off-guard. “I—yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

He studies you for another wordless moment, the hair prickling on the back of your neck, your heartbeat in your ears and a brief, seeping certainty that he knows. He knows and—what? What do you think he’d do? Should you be afraid? Maybe it’s to your own detriment, but you can’t imagine being afraid of Mike. You can barely imagine him angry.

“Do I not seem alright?” you press, your voice pulled taut as catgut.

“You seem tired,” says Mike finally, and there’s no lie at all in your response.

“I guess I am. Today was, uh. It took a lot more out of me than I was expecting it to.”

He nods, scratching idly at the side of his bandaged neck. “Would you like a hand bringing anything in?”

An unexpected surge of tears roars up the back of your throat, your whole face suddenly tight and hot. You turn back towards your car to hide it, blinking rapidly and scrubbing a casual hand across your face.

“That would be great, thank you,” you reply thickly.

Mike takes the bag you pass him without comment, slinging it over his shoulder and glancing away politely. Your backpack got itself wedged under the seat during…previous activities, and as you yank it free, something falls from one of the flaps and clatters to the pavement with a horribly familiar cracking sound.

“Oh hell,” you mutter.

“Was that your phone?”

"Sure was." Hopefully it still is; you stoop to assess the damage, but aside from a new crack in the corner of the screen, it seems otherwise unharmed. The lock screen informs you that you have a couple missed calls and unopened texts, both from Mike, and from the looks of it also a dozen accidental pictures of the inside of your pocket. At least, they're probably just of the inside of your pocket, but you refrain from checking any of them in front of Mike, just in case.

"She's alive," you announce cheerfully, waving the phone in celebration. 

Mike offers a smattering of congenial applause, his bandaged hands muffling the sound, and you take a little bow. Something in your chest starts to loosen, comfort settling back in through the cracks of unease.

"Ready?" asks Mike.

"Lead the way." You hitch up your backpack and follow him inside. “So what have you been up to while I was gone? Anything fun?”

Mike gives you a sort of bemused look. “I don’t know if I would call it fun. I’ve been checking local news sites for the most part. A few of them have reported on the fire, but nobody seems to have noticed anything strange about it. Which is good for arson purposes,” he muses, “but it doesn’t exactly do much for me otherwise.”

You chew the inside of your cheek and make interested noises and think it would be so easy. He wants to find Springtrap, all you would have to do is point him in the right direction. 

The opportunity comes, and it passes, and you don't say anything. In the end, it doesn't matter either way. You get inside, and Mike flicks on the lights, and the double-take he does when he catches a proper look at you would almost be funny under different circumstances.

“Shit—shit, what happened?” He extends a hand like he’s about to touch you, fingers curling in on themselves. “I thought you said you were alright?”

"I look that bad?" You'd given yourself a cursory once-over in your car window, but your reflection had been mostly obscured by the coming dark. Still, you can feel the scrapes and bruises he’s seeing now, even if the worst of them are hidden by your clothes. The sting of déjà vu makes it hard to meet his eyes.

Maybe Mike feels it too; maybe it’s something else that gives you away. He sways on his feet, the bright pinpricks of his pupils slicing you neatly down to the bone. The déjà vu of that is another thing entirely.

“He found you.”

“He didn’t hurt me,” you say, maybe too quickly. “I know how it looks, I—it’s complicated.”

“It always is, with him.” Even with the mask, you can see Mike’s expression slam shut, his knuckles whitening on the strap of your bag. He says your name, and it isn't angry, it isn't even disappointed, it's just sad. “Have you been helping him?”

“No—I don’t know.” Does fucking him qualify as helping? He’s really only asked you for one thing, and you’re struggling to do even that.

“You can’t trust him,” Mike tells you softly. “He’d say anything if he thought it would get him what he wanted. If you believe nothing else I’ve told you, please, believe that.”

“I don’t want to,” you admit. Anger flares, ugly and sharp, but it goes as quickly as it comes. You’re too tired to maintain it.If Mike is asking you to pick sides, he’s not going to like your answer, but you can’t really harbor any ill will towards him.

He pulls in a quick, tight breath and glances away, his eyes glassy and dark. “Right. I think we should talk about this, but I sense I may be alone in that.” He pauses, like he’s giving you the chance to contradict him. You don’t.

“He’s at Fazbear’s Fright,” you hear yourself say.  It’s like you’re looking at your emotions through a thin sheet of ice, a cold, distant distortion that numbs your fingers when you try to touch it.

Mike’s eyes snap back to you. You stare down at your hands. 

“I’m sorry, I need a moment to think.” His voice is a thousand miles away. “Would you–?”

“Yeah,” you say, “sure, I need to clean up anyway.”

“Thank you.”

You slink off towards the bathroom with your tail between your legs. As soon as the door is shut behind you, you fling your backpack at the wall as hard as you can, leaving a scuff on the beige paint. Two grey, threadbare towels hang by the shower, and you all but stuff one into your mouth and scream. Your poor abused throat gives up quickly, abandoning you to hoarse hyperventilating and a taste like cheap soap on your tongue. You try to imagine the smell of rust, of smoke, sucking them down into your lungs like water until you’re in over your head, cradled in comfort, swimming and still.

You emerge some time later with your face washed and your clothes changed, every new injury scrubbed and stinging. Your bag is on the couch, but Mike isn’t. From where you stand, you can see enough to tell that he’s not in the kitchen either. The only other room in the tiny apartment is the bedroom, and you don’t want to go barging in on him if he still wants to be alone, but the door is hanging open far enough that it feels like an invitation.

“Mike?” Your knuckles meet the flimsy plywood hesitantly, barely a knock. “Mike, I can talk now, if you still want to?”

There’s no response. You open the door by degrees, ready for him to stop you at any second, but no word of protest comes. Peeking around the door, you’re met by a very small, very dark, very empty room. Mike is gone.

Tires screech out in the parking lot, and understanding yanks you by the scruff into motion.

[babyxbunnyx]

Summary: Going on a date with Donnie

Relationship: Rottmnt Donnie x gn Reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 1117 words

Explanations: (h/c) = hair color, (e/c) = eye color

A/N: *throws something cute in here* Take this as an apology for my last Donnie Angst! Some follow up parts for it are in the making but for now have this here!

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

"Hey brother where are you going?" Leo asked as Donnie was about to sneek out. As if summoned, Raph and Miked walked up to them. "Oh? You're going out? Where are you going?" Raph asked, crossing his arms. "That is none of your concerns. Now would you excuse me please?" Donnie tried to leave again, only to be held up by Mikey this time. "You're wearing some pretty nice clothes Donnie. Why's that?" Leo analyzed his twin. "You're right.. he is wearing way to nice clothes. Where are you going Don?" The purple ninja sighed. "I'm going on a date with (Y/N) okay? Would you please leave me alone now?" He regretted telling his brothers as soon after, Leo began smirking. "A date you say? What are you going to do with them? Where are you two going?" Mikey's eyes began to sparkle. "SO YOU FINALLY ASKED THEM OUT?!" He screamed, while Donnie covered his ears. "No.. they asked me out." Donnie scratched his neck. Curses were heard before both Mikey and Leo handed over some money to Raph. "Really?" Donnie asked shocked while his oldest brother smiled apologetic. "Sorry Dee but Raph dissagreed with us that you'd ask (Y/N) out.. guess he was right tho." Mikey pouted. "Unbelievable that you would bet on this matter!" Donnie crossed his arms. "Anywayysss you still need to tell us what you planned to do!" Leo chirped in. Donnie sighed, before telling them his plans. When he took a look at the clock, he cursed. "I really have to go, I'm already two hours late! See you!" And with that, he rushed outside, unable to notice his brothers forming a plan. It was midnight by the time Donnie finally left the lair. The purple loving turtle needed to find the right words to explain why he was late.

Meanwhile (Y/N) was close to calling it a night and leaving the ally they were supposed to meet Donnie. The (h/c) already waited for 2 hours and it was getting chilly outside. They were angry and dissapointed about getting stood up after it took them nearly 2 months to ask the turtle out. As (Y/N) was about to leave, said turtle landed in front of them, starteling the (e/c). Before they could start their rain of insults, Donnie began to speak. "I know I'm 2 hours late and I'm very sorry about that. My DumDum Brothers kept bugging me about where I'm going and they wouldn't stop bothering me until I told them I was going on a date with you. Then they botherd me again, asking what we'll do until I told them. I am so sorry let me make it up to you with the best date you'll ever had." He smiled apologetic while (Y/N) crossed their arms. "If you can't make it up to me, I will cause chaos in your lab with Mikey and Leo." They looked at the other with a stern face and Donnie knew they were serious about their threat. "I can assure you I will, my dearest." The turtle smirked and (Y/N) rolled their eyes. "Lets go then?" The human asked, rubbing their arms. "Well of course. Allow me." Donnie wrapped his hands around the others waist before taking off, flighying into the night. (Y/N) squealed before clinging onto the turtle. "Donnie!!" He just smirked, holding his date closer.

Soon enough they arrived at their destination. Donnie landed, letting go off the (e/c). Once they felt land under their feet, (Y/N) relaxed and looked around. The two were on the same roof the human first met the turtles. But this time it was decorated with fairy lights, blankets and pillows. A few inches away from the edge, a white board could be seen with a projector in front of it. The (h/c) eyes grew wide while Donnie smirked next to them. "I have allowed myself to make a list of your favourite movies and snacks and prepared a movie night with exactly those movies and snacks for us." (Y/N) smiled happily. "Thanks Donnie this is amazing!" Donnie smiled proudly, before sitting down with (Y/N). He handed over the snacks and something to drink before turning on the projector and selecting the first movie.

During the movie, the (e/c) kept glancing over at Donnie, who seemingly didn't notice. 'Would he be fine with cuddles?' (Y/N) asked themself, not sure of the awnser. Donnie sighed before wrapping his arm around the others waist, pulling them close. "You could have just asked if you wanted physical contact." (Y/N) blushed while the turtle smiled. Still hesitate, the human placed his head on Donnie's shoulder, enjoying the feeling of their crush being close to them.

One movie turned into 3 and by the time it ended it was 6am already. The human yawned, before stretching. "I think we should call it a night. Its 6am already Donnie." The turtle nodded. "You're right. I'm quite tired, I will remove all this later. Its not like anyone is ever up here." They picked up their trash, putting it into a bag Donnie brought for it. The turtle handed it over to (Y/N) before gently picking them up. He took off, flying in the direction of the humans appartment.

Meanwhile 3 shadows could be seen, following the two lovebirds, seemingly unnoticed by them. They landed on a roof nearby, watching the actions of their brother and his date.

Donnie landed in front of (Y/N)'s apartment complex, setting them down. "You held your promise, guess your lab can stay safe for another day." The human smirked, silently implying they had their best date now. "I am glad my lab is safe for now. I really enjoyed our date tonight, my dearest (Y/N)." Donnie smiled softly before placing a kiss on the back of (Y/N)'s hand, making them blush. "Oh if you want to kiss me do it right, you douche!" Before the turtle could react, (Y/N) had already pulled him close, pressing their lips together for a sweet kiss. Donnie stiffened at first, having not expected the others actions, before relaxing into the sensation. They broke apart once they heard some loud cheering, coming from a rooftop close by. When they looked up, Donnie could make out the silhouettes of his brothers. "I'm going to kill them.." he muttered under his breath before giving (Y/N) yet another sweet kiss. "See you tomorrow Sweetheart." The nickname left the humans heart racing and after saying their good bye, Donnie flew off to scold his brothers about spying on him and (Y/N).

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: THEM -Danny Words: 1,956 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'If It Wasn't (For You)' -by Jacob Noah

XXIX: Emotionally Repressed by Day, Socially Inept by Night

Leo makes a beeline to the control panels and sets the Archimedes sphere back in place. Ara hangs her Octopi over one shoulder and makes her way to the stairs, but then she spots Nico.

He's usually at the top mast or in Hazel's room until it's time for bed and he leaves to... wherever he sleeps. But he's leaning against the stern's handrail today, looking right at her. Ara lets out a heavy sigh, he wants to talk to her, and it won't be fun. 

"What?" She asks.

Nico eyes her before replying. "You got your stuff back?"

Ara leans on the railing and stares at the sea. "You ate?"

"Yeah, the birthday cake they made for you," he replies sarcastically. "I thought you'd died so I didn't want to waste it."

Ara lowers her gaze. "Did you tell them?"

Nico snorts. "I thought you would've told them all about you by now, that's how it always is with you."

She makes a face. "Some of it, not all. But Leo knows it all. He was always asking for stories and Jason had no memories, so I had to give him context."

Nico looks at her with a sarcastic smirk she's grown to loathe. "Bet it felt good to be someone's hero at last."

"Can we not do this today?" Ara groans. "Tomorrow we can do the whole thing all over but... it's the worst birthday of my life, man. I'm already going through it. Can't you enjoy in silence?"

That seems to bother Nico. "I take no pleasure in seeing you suffer, Ara. It annoys me that you try so hard to be something you're not."

"What are you talking about?"

"You can be who you are unapologetically and for some reason, you prefer to walk around in that stupid cloak, completely unlike you, and it makes you miserable—"

"The cloak gives me purpose—"

"Nemesis talked to you, right? Hazel said you never told them who you saw, so who was it?"

She hates having to look up when talking to Nico, he's a year younger than her and yet he could get half the things she's gained way easier. He could be happy, and he could've been the friend Lily needed when Ara failed her. Now both of them left their friend alone, standing on the remains of their broken promises.

"That is none of your business," she says tensely.

Nico's gaze is unwavering. "I talked to Achilles before taking Percy, and what he said—"

"Let me guess," Ara tilts her head, an ironic smile on her lips. "Something about ambition being our worst enemy or whatever? You're too late, Hercules already warned me about it."

The boy frowns. "I can't believe you chose to follow their path. Every win they got sent innocent people to their early graves."

Ara's heart stings at his comment. "Don't talk about them like that."

"I'm talking about you, you should know better," he glares at her. "You saw Percy take risks for nothing, you saw Mike die thanks to it. Beckendorf, and Bianca—" He cuts his speech short, turning away, then clears his throat forcefully. "You and Lily treat your birthdays like they don't matter, and all I can think is... she can't even have that."

He lets out a dry laugh and shakes his head.

"'Course—she joined the hunters before dying, so she would still be twelve years old no matter what." Nico runs a hand over his face and squeezes his eyes shut. "She wasn't allowed to grow old, but you are, and don't want to."

It would be easier to stab his soft spots until he shows his fangs again, but she can't bring herself to do it. Ara's lost her brother, Annabeth, and Leo is next. She's tired of the fights.

Ara moves slowly to make sure he knows what she's doing, giving him the chance to step back. He doesn't. The boy takes a shaky breath, keeps his eyes closed, and lets Ara absorb some of his hurt. As soon as she does, her heart squeezes in a way that takes the air out of her lungs, she tries to talk, but her throat is tight with grief. 

Nico relaxes only enough to keep talking. "I know it sounds... cruel... but I'm glad she's not with them. I prefer missing her than resenting her my entire life."

"I regret not convincing her to stay," Ara admits hoarsely. "We were the same age, but Bianca was braver. If I'd taken my lessons seriously since the start, I could've shown her what camp could offer us..."

"Us?" He opens his reddened eyes, still scowling at her.

"Orphan kids." She looks down in shame. "I wasn't a hero, Nico, you're right. I chose what was best for me. I'm sorry." 

It's the first time she apologizes to Nico. It might be the grief she's absorbed, but Ara couldn't phantom the extent of Nico's pain until now, it feels just like when she lost Mike. She never showed regret, if anything, she'd made it clear that she thought nothing of Bianca. Now her words are coming out like they had been lying there for ages, rotting her core.

The way Nico reacted when Percy told him about Bianca, now that he and Annabeth are in Tartarus, she understands it. He's the only person on this ship who shares her anger and doesn't treat it like a scary thing.

The girl cleans her nose with the back of her sleeve. "I shouldn't say it now that I have their blessing, but I hated them for a while too. When Jason came and Thalia found him I realized it was you and Bianca all over again. My fate is to watch everything fall apart."

Nico stares at her, sighs tiredly, and dries her tears, his knuckles are cold against her skin but surprisingly gentle, which makes her feel even guiltier for all the times that she's punched his face. For the first time, he looks worried for her.

"It's okay if you don't want cake," he says. "But you should eat. The Kerkopes handed your ass to you."

Ara sniffs again. "I'm taking this conversation as you wishing me a happy birthday, so I'll say 'What the Tartarus you mean by 'happy', you jerk? Read the room', then I'll walk away and you can insult me and we can pretend this didn't happen."

"Tu sei sciocca."

Someone clears their throat in front of them and Ara looks back, spotting Leo. He's looking at them weirdly. Ara realizes she's holding Nico's hand. "You had issues putting the sphere back in place?" She asks, letting go of the boy.

Leo glances at Nico before replying.  "Came to ask if we should hold a meeting now or wait until tomorrow."

It's not like she's enjoying her birthday, but she's not in the mood to hold a second meeting today. "Let's call it a day. I'm tired."

Leo nods, unable to shrug off the jealousy. "Yeah, I'm tired too."

Nico walks past them. "I'll take the night watch."

"Thank you," Ara says kindly. Her boyfriend frowns at their behavior but says nothing.

Leo comes to her cabin before sundown, and Ara makes room for him to sit. The boy enters reluctantly, like he'd rather be somewhere else.

"What you saw," she starts right away. "It's nothing."

Leo pulls out screws and wires from his belt and braids them to avoid her eyes. "Looked like something..."

"I can explain it," Ara pouts.

"Forget it," When he smiles it looks genuine, but the girl knows it's not real. "Came to give you a present."

"Oh?" She blinks. "You didn't have to..."

"You thought I'd let the day pass by?" The boy raises a brow. "I'm better than that!"

"Well, it was a busy day," Ara chuckles. "What is it?"

"I'm new to this whole getting-presents-for-my-girlfriend thing, and you're not easy—you don't have hobbies outside pretending to watch movies with me," he teases her.

The girl tilts her head with amusement. "So?"

"So... I'm a mechanic and an inventor. I could build you the weapon of your dreams," he makes a face. "Then I realized Almighty is pretty much it—I was going through my options and it wasn't looking great..." Leo rambles.

"I don't care for presents," she admits. "I spend all my birthdays in camp, so it's more like a day to do whatever I want—"

"I know," he interrupts her. "I know you're all about practicality and utility."

He pulls an item out of his tool belt: a black hair tie. It's decorated with a bronze dove, the wings spread open like it's either taking flight or landing. Leo holds her hand and places it around her wrist.

"Then I thought, Ara is always losing her scrunchies, her hair is always on her face while we're fixing stuff—and I know it drives you crazy. So I made you this."

He presses on the dove's breast and moves back when it expands, creating a large shield with an Omega engraved at the front. Ara turns her arm to examine it, her mouth falling open. "What!"

"Hercules and Achilles had stuff made for them. You needed a shield," he says, fidgeting with scraps from his belt as he waits for a full reaction. "I know your compass turns into a shield but if you needed to also use it as a sword you'd be... though you aren't helpless and also have Lily's dagger but..."

While Leo rambles, Ara turns her arm and spots a bronze buckle on the leather strap. She snaps it open and the shield goes back to being a hair tie. The girl throws her arms around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Leo stops talking and laughs, vividly glowing. It's like the setting sun is shining directly on him through the porthole window. His arms wrap around her waist. "Don't mention it."

Ara cups his face, a bunch of annoying butterflies making her mind fuzzy. "It must've taken you ages, I don't know what to say..."

He smirks. "Took me like a month, it wasn't that hard—but if you insist I wouldn't mind a few kisses if you're that grateful."

Ara kisses his face and neck effusively, making him giggle like a little kid, then she finds his lips and Leo makes a vastly different noise at the contact. This day doesn't seem so bad now.

"Y'know..." he mumbles in between kisses. "If you really feel like thanking me, you can give me my present in advance?" He pulls her close, and Ara blushes down to her neck. 

"What?" She squeaks.

Leo laughs. "I'm just messing with you."

"Don't joke like that!" She tries to escape his grip.

The boy grabs her chin and gives her another kiss, falling back with her on top. "Sorry, doll. Can't help it! I love how flustered you get."

Ara leans down and gives him a butterfly kiss, making him squirm a little bit. He's always been a big fan of small affectionate gestures, of any affectionate gesture, as long as it's Ara doing it. She pushes herself up and smiles. "También te amo. Now get out of my cabin."

Leo's eyes brighten. "No! Let me—let me hear you say that again!" He begs while Ara gets to the door. "Sunshine, let me stay over! It's your birthday!"

"Yeah, exactly. I want to sleep alone. Your birthday is in two days, if you want to sleep with me then, I'll comply."

Leo looks at her with a huge smile. "For real?"

"Well, I'm learning Spanish, which must mean I don't joke about commitment," Ara gestures at the exit again. "Now leave me alone."

"You're so rude," Leo says, though he sounds delighted. "I'll respect your autonomy today, but on my birthday, I'll have none of that. Be ready to have a Leo Valdez all over you on the 7th!"

The boy kisses her cheek effusively when he walks past, and Ara leans into it laughing. "The warning should go to the rest of our poor crew, not me."

"I don't love them enough to warn them."

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Superstar Fame - Steve Harrington X Female (Celebrity) Reader

Title: Superstar Fame

Steve Harrington X Female (Celebrity) Reader

Additional Characters: Robin, Max, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Reader's mother, Reader's father, Molly Ringwald (Mentioned), and Random customer (Mentioned)

Requested by Anon (but you know who you are!)

Part 2 - Frost Palace

WC: 3,553

Warnings: Cursing, anxiety, nervousness, sot of love at first sight, slight change in storyline cause I love Max, reader has a mom and dad, All Of Me mentioned, The Breakfast Club mentioned, V mentioned, E.T. mentioned, Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi mentioned, teasing, arguing, small verbal fight? and Molly Ringwald mentioned

You let out a happy sigh as you stepped off the bus. Setting your two patchwork-patterned duffle bags down on the sidewalk, you looked around. The town seemed a bit small, definitely different than L.A. Picking up your bags again, you found the familiar family car pulled up beside you, smiling as you greeted your parents. Your father rolled down the window, a smile on his own face. 

"Don't regret taking the bus?" He asked, as your mother just continued to smile.

You shook your head, "I'm a big girl, dad. It was fun. It's not like it was a long trip, less than half an hour." You traveled to the back seats, opening the car door to toss your bags in, and shutting the door after. You walked over to the driver's side, leaning against the open window. "It's nice to finally do things on my own."

"I'm happy you got to go through that experience, hon." Your mother commented.

Your father nodded, gesturing to the back of the car with his head, "We're heading to the house. Hop in." 

You quickly hopped into the back seat, pushing your bags to the other side and buckling in. Your mother turned in her seat, giving you a smile, "You know, now that you're not acting, you'll have more time to do more things. Maybe you could get a job around here. I bet they will have a few openings." Your mother mused; looking out the window as your father drove down the street. "I hope you like the house as well, dear. I know this is a huge, strange change in your life, and I hope you're not angry about the sudden move." She continued, as you looked at her.

"No, mom. It's fine. I think this will be a great experience. Instead of going to sets all days of the week, I get to live my young adulthood in a normal town and have a regular life." You shrugged, making your mother sigh in relief.

"I was worried you'd hold this against us or something. Your father and I know how much you loved acting." 

You nodded, sighing a little as you reminisced. "Yeah, I loved it. But, I think I'd like to try something new. I have been acting since I was ten. I think I deserve a break." You joked as your father laughed.

"You definitely do, kiddo!” He pulled into the gravel driveway, "Home sweet home!" He exclaimed as he shut down the engine, stepping out of the car and rushing around the other side to open your mother's car door. She thanked him, walking up the stone steps up to the door as your father opened your door, helping you out and grabbing your bags. You wandered up the steps slowly, taking the house in. It was nice, and a large enough place that you wouldn't feel cramped and crowded living in. Your father let out a soft groan as he sat your bags down in the entry hall. "Alright, why don't you pick out your room, get settled while your mother and I get the rest of the bags, and wait for the van?" Your father thought as you picked up your bags. 

"Yes, dear. Afterwards, if you like, you could skate around the town. See if there are any good restaurants nearby for dinner." Your mother spoke as you climbed up the stairs. 

"Will do!" You called down.

The floors were plush against your feet as you slowly walked down the hall. Passing room after room, clean and empty. But, yet, it gave you a sense of calmness. Finding a room at the end of the hall, you entered. The floor was the same as in the hallway, the walls the same white. You knew you'd have to paint them sooner or later, the thought excited you. It was a pretty spacious room, with large windows on the far wall. A door to what you thought was either a bathroom or closet. Setting the bags down by the door, you walked around it. Spying out the window at the world around you, spotting a couple of kids riding their bikes down the street. 

You sighed, sitting down in the middle of your room, and shutting your eyes as you laid down on the floor. "This... Is gonna be a lot to take in, isn't it?" You questioned yourself softly, opening your eyes to look at the ceiling above you, finding a small glass light above you. Taking another deep before you stood back up, adjusting your belt as you went over to your bag. Crouching down, you unzipped it, pulling out your cherry-themed roller skates. Holding them gingerly to your chest, you skipped down the hall and down the stairs. Sitting on the bottom step of the stairs you slipped off your red converse and slid on your skates. Fixing the tongue and tightening the laces, you stood up, heading to the door. Weaving past your parents with bags and boxes, you waved goodbye as they called out to you to be careful. 

Skating down the sidewalk, you sighed with a smile on your face as the soft breeze brushed your hair around; tucking strands behind your ear occasionally. The sun shone high overhead and warmed your skin a bit as you pushed forward. As you made your way downtown, passing by shops and stores with people inside. You took note of passing a small grocery store, an electronic shop, and a burger diner. Weaving past a few people, you noticed they stared at you. Either because you were new or they knew about your acting career. Whichever, they stopped whatever they were doing and watched curiously as you passed. You have been in a few movies in your ten years of acting. More appearances in shows than ever. You wanted to audition for the new Full House show coming out that year, but when your mother brought up the idea of moving, you took it. You loved acting, it was one of your favorite things to do, but you wanted and needed a break.

You had been a bit nervous at first. You never moved as a kid, staying in L.A. for as long as you could remember, but you did travel a lot. Going from set to set. Audition to audition. It was nice to be able to get away from all of that. But, you would miss acting. It was fun and something you had longed to do since you were a kid, but it was time you had a chance to do other things too. Like go shopping, eat ice cream whenever you want. Wear what you want. Anything. Not having to wake up early to head to set or live in a trailer for weeks to months at a time. This was like a breath of fresh air.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

Skating to a stop, you spot a video store. Reading the large sign, Family Video, you shrug. Might as well find a movie to watch for your first night in your new room. Stepping inside, you looked around the room as you skated forward. Sliding your hands on the counter to stop. Looking up, you watched a guy your age type away on a computer. Unknowing in your presence. You smirked lightly, before speaking. "Hello…" You glanced at his name tag, "Steve." 

Looking up at the sound of his name, Steve's eyes immediately widened. His jaw dropped slightly, not believing his eyes. He was stunned, bewildered; speechless. He couldn't believe his celebrity crush was standing right in front of him. You were wearing light blue jeans with a black studded belt. You also wore a cute blue, pink, and purple windbreaker over a Black Sabbath shirt. His cheeks started to turn a soft pink as he stared back at you with wide eyes. "Uhm..." He cleared his throat, "Yeah, hi. Wh- What can I help you with today?" Steve stumbled over his words.

"Well, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of your Rom-Com section?" You asked, raising your brows.

Steve stammered slightly in shock, clearing his throat again, and feeling his heart practically beating out of his chest. "Right, uhh... follow me." He offered a friendly nod before leading you toward the section labeled 'Romcom.' Once he found what he was looking for, he turned to you. “Do you... Want something specific to watch?"

You shook your head, placing a finger on your chin in thought as your eyes scanned the rows of movies. "No, not really. Do you have any recommendations?" You then asked, looking up at him. 

"Huh? Oh, uh... Sure, yeah." He stuttered out as you tried to fight a smile. 

As Steve's own eyes scanned the rows of movies, you took a peek at the young man beside you. He was tall, with brown eyes and amazing brown hair. Wearing the store's uniform vest, the first button of his striped shirt undone. He was quite handsome. If you hadn't known better, you'd think he was a movie star himself.

Seemingly settling on a movie, Steve grabbed All Of Me off the shelf. Turning to you, he found you already looking at him. Averting your gaze, you cleared your throat, pressing your fist to your mouth briefly as you realized he caught you staring. "Thanks." You murmured shyly, accepting it, as you looked back up at him with a nervous smile. You both stood there awkwardly, staring at each other. "So... How much do I owe you?" You asked softly, fingers fidgeting with the movie's case. 

"It's on the house." Steve smiled gently, as he gestured to the movie in your hand.

"I can't let you do that. Please, let me-" You went to reach for your wallet only for Steve to cut you off.

"No, no, please. I insist." He insisted before you could argue further.

You bit your bottom lip before looking up at him with an idea, "Fine, but for the next movie, I'm paying." You spoke with determination. 

Stevie blinked in surprise before chuckling softly, "Okay, deal." He nodded before leading you out of the aisle "So, I'll see you around, right?"

Smiling gently, you nodded, "Yeah, I'll..." You twirled in your skates once, "Be around." Before skating backward, "Thanks, Steve." You called as you slid out the door, and down the sidewalk. 

Steve let out a sigh, waving out the door even though you were already gone, "Bye, Y/N." Dropping his hand to his side, Steve let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair before he went back around the other side of the counter. Hitting himself on the forehead, he cursed, "Good job, Steve." He scolded himself. "Couldn't even speak to her correctly." Sighing in defeat, Steve leaned against the wall. He blew his chance of acting cool. Now, what was he going to do? His heart felt heavier than usual and his cheeks blushed in embarrassment as he remembered how close he was to you. So close he could smell your strawberry shampoo.

You were just as he imagined. Sweet, funny, caring. He wasn't sure why he was so drawn to you. Whatever it was, it was making his heart race every time he saw you. He couldn't keep his mind off of you. And that scared him. You were a celebrity. He didn't know you. He didn't know how to act around you. Why did he suddenly become attracted to you like this? Yes, he had always had a crush on you ever since he watched The Breakfast Club with Robin. But, seeing you, interacting with you... He felt like his world shined brighter. He sighed, shaking his head before heading back into the storage room.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

"I'm telling you, Robin, she's here." Steve tried to convince her, leaning against the counter. 

Robin rolled her eyes, "It's really hard to believe you, Harrington. Considering the fact that she's probably filming some big movie in California." She scoffed, shaking her head.

Steve ran a hand through his hair, "But, she is here! I swear! She came in and rented a movie I recommended. She’s been coming in everyday for the past couple of days." Robin raised a brow at him, crossing her arms across her chest, giving Steve a skeptical look.

"What did you recommend?" She asked and Steve threw his hands in the air as he let out a dramatic sigh. “And how come I’ve never seen her?

"You’ve been out sick. And why does that matter? I wouldn't lie about this."

Robin gave him a deadpan look, "Really? You wouldn't lie about meeting your celebrity crush? Sounds childish, Steven."

"This is not a Dustin and Suzie situation here, Buckley. I'm telling-" The bell jingled. Steve and Robin turned, Robin's eyes widening as you walked through the door. "... The truth..."

You walked up to the counter with a smile on your face, "Hey, I have the movie." You slid it onto the counter, scooting it over to Steve. "And I loved it! You are on a roll with the movies here." You complimented as Robin just continued to stare at you.

Steve let out a nervous chuckle, "I'm glad you liked it." He answered back, before glancing at his friend who was still awestruck. "Oh!" Steve grabbed Robin's arm, pulling her over, "This is my friend, Robin. Ignore her staring." Steve introduced the short-haired brunette. “She’s usually not like this.” Steve muttered as Robin snapped out of her daze. 

Robin offered out her hand to you, a bright excited smile on her face. “Hi, I'm a huge fan. I loved you in The Breakfast Club. Did you really get to meet Molly Ringwald?" She asked quickly, her words almost mashing together at how fast she was talking. 

You took her hand, shaking it, "Of course, I did play one of her best friends." You brought your hand back, "And thank you, it means a lot.” You smiled warmly at her, "And I love your hair by the way."

Robin smiled brightly, her fingers brushing the ends of her hair briefly. "You do? Thank you." She gushed, her cheeks tinted a soft pink.

You turned back to Steve, smiling up at him, "Hi, Steve." You spoke gently, Steve returning your smile.

"Hi, Y/N." He muttered happily back, his smile growing wider. 

Robin smirked slightly, looking at the two of you knowingly while you both kept smiling at each other, until you heard the bell chime and turned to look at the entrance again, where you spotted someone coming in. Looking back at Steve, you gave him an apologetic smile, "I should go. You've got customers." You spoke, but Robin shook her head, her smirk turning into a grin. 

"No, it's fine. I got this." She spoke, giving Steve a wink before heading around the counter and up to the customer.

"So..." Steve began, wandering around the counter to stand before you, "What genre today? Or are we sticking with Rom-Com?" He asked, and you shrugged.

"As long as you don’t give me another horror one then I’m good." You glanced around the room, "Surprise me." 

Steve pursed his lips, nodding, "Surprise you..." He muttered in thought, before turning and going down an aisle, "Surprise you..." You followed close behind, excitement bubbling within you. With his finger pointing to each movie as he walked, Steve stopped at one, picking it up off the shelf. Turning to you with a smile, he handed it to you. 

"Star Wars: Return of The Jedi?" You asked as you read the title. 

Steve nodded, "Yeah, it's my favorite. I love the teddy bears." He spoke, mentally cringing at his words.

"Ewoks, Stevie. Ewoks." You corrected and Steve gave you a sheepish laugh, nodding slowly, feeling his cheeks warm up. "I love this movie. Thanks for picking it out." You told him gratefully, and Steve smiled.

"Anytime." He said as the two of you walked back to the counter.

"Hey! Steve! Your brats are here!" Robin called as she gestured to the door. 

Steve turned and his eyes widened in fear, "Oh shi-"

"What's wrong?" You asked, turning to see a small group of kids wander over. They were all chatting about something, laughing with smiles on their faces. They looked around fifteen, sixteen tops. "Who are they?"

Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I used to babysit them, still friends with them..." He turned back to see the kids standing around a cardboard cutout of a character, "Unfortunately..." He finished.

You hummed, glancing at the group with a small frown, "They seem nice. Might say hello."

Steve shook his head rapidly, "Oh, god, no. Dustin and Max both love The Breakfast Club." He tried to warn you, as you turned back to him. “They’ll just annoy you.”

You raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms, "Do you love The Breakfast Club?" You asked, and Steve nodded.

"Yeah, it's a good movie." Steve replied, watching as you gave a playful shrug.

You smiled sweetly at him, "Then I doubt they'll be any less than kind." You said before walking towards the children.

Steve bit his lip as he watched you walk over, hoping to god that Dustin wouldn't say anything.

"Hey," You spoke up, stuffing your hands in your windbreaker pockets as the four teens turned around. Immediately, the red-headed girl and the curly-haired boy's eyes widened. 

"Holy sh-" Dustin spoke up as Max interrupted him.

"You're Y/N L/N." She spoke, jaw dropped slightly.

"This is the best day of my life." Dustin breathed out as Lucas and Mike looked on confused.

"Uh, sorry, but who are you?" Mike asked, gaining your attention.

Before you could answer, Dustin spoke up, "How could you not know who she is? She is the Y/N L/N. She was in The Breakfast Club, E.T, and she was also in season one of V!" He exclaimed as Lucas and Mike continued to look at him blankly, only to turn their gaze over to you, confusion on their faces.

You tilted your head as you stood there awkwardly, "Is he usually like this?" You chuckled and the two boys just laughed.

Lucas nodded slowly, "Yes."

"Hmm, well. What are your names?" You asked, and Dustin jumped at the opportunity to say his first.

"I'm Dustin!"

"My name is Max." The redhead spoke, and you smiled at her in return.

"I'm Mike and this is Lucas." Mike introduced, as Lucas gave you a small wave.

"Well, it is nice to meet you four. Steve told me that he used to babysit you." You brought up as Dustin scoffed out a laugh.

"Pff, did he tell you that he-" Max cut Dustin off by punching him in the arm. "Ow!"

Your furrowed your eyebrows, "What?" 

Dustin gave you a smile, rubbing his hurt arm, "Nothing. Misspoke." 

You hummed, clasping your hands before you, "Oh, uh, alright..." You spoke, as Dustin just simply nodded before pausing, and looking up at you.

"Actually, uh, could I have your autograph, please?" He asked sheepishly, as your face lit up in delight.

"Sure!" You exclaimed happily, taking out your notebook from your over-the-shoulder bag and pulling out the pen that you always had with you. Scribbling your signature, you turned to Max. "Do you want one too?" You asked her as she looked up at you with wide eyes, nodding. Scribbling down your signature again, you ripped off the pages and handed them to the two. "Here ya go!"

Max smiled widely, "Thank you so much!"

Dustin nodded with a huge grin, "Yeah, thank you!"

"It's no problem, you two." You waved your hand dismissively, "I'd do anything for my biggest fans."

"Alright, let's not bother Y/N anymore, alright? Are you guys going to rent a movie or not?" Steve spoke up, walking over to 'save' you from the teens.

The teens seemed to ignore Steve's words and headed down an aisle without another word. You smiled, crossing your arms as you glanced up at Steve. "They seem like good kids. I don't know why you were so worried."

Steve blushed lightly, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "Well, they could be worse..." He trailed off, "Uh, so... I was wondering if... Maybe... We could…" He trailed off, before clearing his throat, Keep it together, Steven. "Maybe. Uhm. Would you maybe wanna have dinner with me?" He rushed out before taking a deep breath, "If you wanted."

You looked up at him with a shocked smile, "You want to have dinner with me?" You asked, "As like... A date?"

Steve blushed, "Um. Yeah, yeah, I mean, not that I would mind that! If that's what you'd like!" His voice sounded higher pitched than usual.

You let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, I'd like that. I would really like that." You reassured, causing Steve to smile and nod, his heart fluttering in his chest.

"Thank god, I mean, cool... Yeah. Uh, I could pick you up? Do you like milkshakes?" He asked as he handed you your movie.

You sputtered out a laugh, "Steve, who doesn't like milkshakes?"

[fandoms-in-law]

Stories Chapter 9 - final chaper

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6 chapter 7 chapter 8

Summary: The redecorating is done, and all that's left is getting used to it. So Steve arranges a movie night for everyone

Authors comment: I had so much fun writing this and cannot thank everyone enough for all the support you've given me.

/\/\

 According to Eddie all the kids were thinking about now was how Steve had decorated other bits of the house and if he'd let them see it all at some point. That, at least, was the reason Steve gave for arranging a family movie night with everyone invited, from all the members of Hellfire, to Joyce, Hopper and Murray and even Argyle if he managed to get back to Hawkins for it. 

It wasn't a lie, just not the full reason because the bigger motivation was that Steve had finally got the carpet changed, and the furniture switched out with the old things put in storage. He was hoping not to store all of it for long, and was going to offer to the adults and young adults of the group that they should have a look through and decide if any of them want some of it. As long as the kids didn't steam-roll the evening he'd make the suggestion while everyone is together.

"There's no mural?" Dustin asked, staring around the living room as if one would appear on the walls. "I was sure that you'd have asked for one in here since you got one in the dining room along with that painting." 

Steve huffed a laugh, "Good observation Dustin. Thanks for a quieter reaction though. Did any of you actually think of films you want to watch or was everyone focused on how I've changed the living room?"

"We can watch films whenever. You'll surprise us with redecorating only this once. Of course that's what we want to judge." Mike stated as if expecting anything else was stupid. "But at least you kept the TV. That would have been a waste to get rid of."

Max scoffed form where she'd pulled El and Lucas down onto one of the massive cushions slightly shaped to be sofa like. "And you're not even judging it right. Like the mix up of these cushions and proper sofas is so weird. Couldn't just pick one type, could you?"

"So you want us to throw these out, right?" Steve countered, not even needing to glance at Robin for them both to grab an end of the cushion the trip were on and start pulling it towards the door.

He got squeals of laughter before Lucas and El were taking Max's words back for her. "Guess I'll have to keep it then."

...

Steve smirked when he saw Hopper quietly stepping away from the noise of his living room when they were between films and Robin was corralling the kids into actually making a decision on the next one.

"You finding parenting them all a bit hard." He asked, following and a teasing tone in his voice.

"Not sure how you manage it, even with all the energy of youth to help you." Hop grumbled, grabbing one of the beers he'd brought over.

Steve shrugged, "It's a gift."

"By the way, you had any luck getting hold of Owens?" The chief asked, keeping an eye on the door in a clear desire to not be interrupted asking about it.

"I think the number is either disconnected or he's got a way to block our numbers cause I can't get through." He answered, disgruntled. "But I'm still ready to put it right using that page to claim the money off Mr Harrington if you and Joyce will let me."

"Just call him the asshole. People round town are already calling you 'that young Mr Harrington' sometimes like this is some Austin nonsense. And no, we're not letting you risk him trying to fight back if he's not realised what he signed. You just got your place safe and made it a home." Hopper insisted.

"Then at least go through the furniture I'm getting rid of and take some of it, even if it's just to sell on. I bet a fancy bed could do wonders for your back." Steve segued easily. He'd hoped he could do something like that just to make Hopper more likely to accept.

There was still a moment where he was stared at as if Hopper knew what he'd tried to do and was trying to decide if he should reject the offer just in principle. "I'm paying you something for anything I decide to take. Don't care if you don't think you need it or shouldn't ask for it, and God knows I'm not going to get close to however much the asshole paid for the stuff, but you're taking something." Hopper sighed after a moment. 

"I'm offering to just give it to you though." Steve protested, but stopped at the flat look he was given.

"And I'm saying you shouldn't just give this stuff away. At least tell me you're going to properly sell the rest of it."

He was nodding before the sentence was finished. "I've gone to the auction house in Indie to get them to resell it. Plus Robin is scheming to get Hawkins High kids informed of this to see if some of the furniture gets brought back."

It was clear Hopper was going to say something more but both men picked up some call saying they couldn't explore. "Guess there's still some curiosity among the brats for all they hated not getting lifts from you."

…

Robin and Eddie were laughing on each others shoulders when they re-entered the living room, near the other door to the room.

From the look of Dustin and Lucas it was clear they were the ones to stop the laughing pair, which honestly made Steve start laughing too.

"It wouldn't be exploring when they were my main help in getting everything done,but how about I give everyone a tour, settle your curiosity before we eat and the next film is put on?" Steve decided. 

"Two rules: Judgement is okay, telling Steve what he should have done when it's really just your preference is not. Go through the shelves or cupboards and be sent back here. If that's not enough to stop snooping we can take tips from 'Charlie and the Chocolate factory'. Consequences are exaggerated and plausibly deadly." Robin cut in, grinning at the noises of complaints nobody actually voiced.

"No deadly or plausibly so consequences, including no throwing my kids in the pool." Steve countered, snapping his fingers back at her before leading the way upstairs. "I will let you see my room. Will's mural deserves to be shown off, but no brats are allowed in without supervision."

"Come on Steve. It fits with how they're acting." Robin goaded, still laughing as they all followed behind him. 

…

“Hang on a second. That's freaking metal!” Gareth stated, one of the last of the group to enter Steve's room and now frozen staring at the mural Will had painted covering the wall behind the door. “How do you dress all prep and pretentious, when you want something so – so metal on your walls? I thought Eddie convinced you to do it for the dining room, but here? What?”

The other elder Hellfire guys had pushed forwards while Gareth spoke to see and were nodding along with his words. The kids instead just stared at them for a moment, before Dustin scoffed. “I told you, Steve is metal. He's like awesome. Why does no-one believe me when I'm always right?”

“Ego check.” The groan came from Steve, leaning in the door frame before he shrugged at the other teens. “And this is what I'm used to wearing. That's what I keep ending up doing and we all protect each other. It's just life, with a twist Will gave it to make it look cooler.”

Eddie snickered, nodding at his friends, “And I am trying to convince him to have a makeover, try out a better style. It's slow work though.”

“One group of big changes at a time, Eds. Let's get used to the house being redecorated before redecorating me.” Steve countered, nudging him.

Gareth was still looking from Steve to the mural, before finally deciding, “You had better include trying out DnD at some point. If even half of what the shitheads say, and that mural shows, is in you then you'd be a great player.”

“Don't encourage them trying to make me join.” Steve groaned over a chorus of agreement from the kids to the words.

...

Since they'd actually changed the furniture of Steve's room, he'd spent a month sleeping in the guest bedroom. He liked it in his room during the day but adjusting to having all his things around him openly felt terrifying, even more so after he decided the shelves were a good place for his notebooks of stories.

The thought remained in his head that his parents would see and destroy everything was too ingrained in Steve to simply be shaken off. If he wasn't staring at it while trying to sleep it was easier to believe he was as safe from his parents as everyone was finally beginning to believe they were safe from the Upside down and government torture.

Robin and Eddie still haven't been allowed to look in the notebooks since the kids found them. They hadn't asked, nor really pished him to share his storytelling. The most that had been done was Eddie asking him for ideas on where he could take campaigns next and that Steve was happy to offer suggestions for. He'd never gotten in trouble for helping someone else share a story so it was safe to do.

Eddie begged for a sleepover after everyone had headed home from the movie night. He dragged Steve into his room as soon as he agreed, insisting they go to sleep cuddling on the bed, atop the covers since Steve didn't let go long enough after being pulled in for them to be pulled over after getting permission to cuddle.

It's that night that he finally starts to relax. He had spent the evening here with his family and their friends all around him, and even people he was still getting to know felt safe enough to comment and invite him into things, most people wouldn't imagine he'd enjoy.

With Eddie there now, his room must seem alive and welcoming to his friends, that meant it could be his now. He had his own space that he could decide when to share it and other people actually wanted to help him.

That meant some of his stories happy endings were real and as much as he denied it, wanting to believe in happily ever after but struggling to was the precise reason why he never shared them or tried to join in with others.

This felt a lot like a happy ever until the next change and Steve was happy with that. His friends would be with him through whatever came next regardless.

"Can you read me a story?" He asks, not trying to escape Eddie's arms until he pulled back to look for a book.

Eddie wouldn't find any, but that was fine cause Steve was already reaching for the notebook he wanted.

"Sure Stevie, anything particu-" It was clear when Eddie recognised what he was doing. "Are you sure?"

"We've got a happy ending so I want to hear about my friends getting one too." He shrugged, silently asking that there isn't a big deal made out of this.

Nothing is as the notebook is taken from his hand, Eddie flipping through the pages to a bookmark he'd watched Steve replace while moving his things onto the shelves.