#<333333 ty

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Hii, I hope you're doing alright :/ Burnout's a bitch.

If you have the capacity for it, I'd like to request some Mafia Restaurant again. Enjoy the crunchy leaves and have a lovely week <3

WIP Wednesday (11/6) | Mafia Front Restaurant AU (Part 246)

"Jean, you okay—" Nathaniel is cut off by a pair of large, warm hands on his face. Jean yanks him in for a kiss and his entire body lights up like a fucking Christmas tree. He's bewildered at first, but kissing Jean was always easy. So easy. He lets himself return the kiss, arms winding around Jean as their mouths meld together.

He clutches at Jean's back, rumpling the fabric of his suit in his fist. And when Jean pushes his tongue into Nathaniel's mouth, he moans around it. Nathaniel's hand slides down and it's suddenly wet. He yanks himself away from his partner and Jean's pupils are huge, his mouth slack, his chest heaving, his face flushed with want.

With willpower he didn't know he possessed, Nathaniel ignores all that to look at his hand. It's smeared red with blood.

"Jean, you're hit?"

Jean blinks down at Nathaniel's hand. "Oh. That makes sense."

"Holy shit. Fuck," Nathaniel rises to his feet and pulls Jean up with him. As he does, Jean sways on his feet and Nathaniel is immediately alarmed at the amount of blood soaking through the back of his shirt. A smaller patch near his elbow indicates he's taken two bullets, not just one. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," Nathaniel mutters.

"Is it bad?"

"You've been shot, it's pretty bad."

"On a scale of Kevin's departure to Kengo's death?" Jean asks. It's not on on the scale. Riko never had a gun. Nathaniel doesn't bother to answer, just drags Jean back to the car. He has to get Jean home. Now. He has to—

[birdietrait]

trying out a different cas lighting !!

[kaysdenofchaos]

Ur art makes me YIPPE

YYIPPEEEEEEEEEE <33333

[prismaticpichu]

I made these for you. :D Zack showing his buddy around in his hometown. :D

I think Seph likes it :)

Sbsbbdbdbdbhdhdhdhdhhdhdhdh SCREAMING, SOBBING, EXPLODING!!! 💖💖💖💖💖

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Thank you for sharing these with me, friendo!!! I feel blessed that so many mods/edits exist with these two!! They are FRENS!!!! 😭❤️

[queenofbaws]

Hi!! I've read your last prompt and I wondered if you could do one in which Jess is the sole survivor?? Maybe how she felt and what she thought after getting rescued from the mines?? Thanks, I hope you're doing okay ;)

It didn't bother her that no one believed her story. Truth be told, she...well...wasn't really sure she believed it, herself.

Maybe she had the first time they'd asked (the officer pale as the helicopter took off, switching between yelling at her and the medics, the medics and her, demanding over and over again that she explain how she'd gotten into the mines in the first place while struggling to meet her eyes), or even the second (that light in her face, so bright it blocked out the others', the sheriff repeating the words 'monster' and 'dragged' until they'd stopped sounding like words at all), but now? Now it had faded at the edges, gone wibble-wobbly as a bad dream she'd woken up in the middle of.

No, the believing wasn't the problem; the believing wasn't what bothered her.

The gaps were.

She'd had a lot of time to sit and think about what had happened - she'd had a lot of time to lie down and think about it, too - and some days it was literally all she had. Between IV bags, she'd close her eyes and work backwards, starting at the helicopter hovering against the grey-gold sky and ending at the nauseous ride up the cable car. After physical therapy, she'd will the tears away by replaying the snowball fight beat by beat: the rush of adrenaline when she dodged just in time, the air cold in her lungs as she laughed, Mike's weight on top of her there at the end, his hands cold but his lips warm, his jacket still smelling faintly of cologne. When the nurses were late with her nighttime meds, she'd struggle to pin down everything in the middle, sorting out what was fact and what was mush.

There'd been a bear, she thought. Or...had she just seen a sign about that?

She'd lost her phone for sure, but...then she'd found it. Where, though? And how? Wait, had it been Mike who'd brought it back to her? But that didn't make any sense, because he'd said they couldn't go outside.

There'd been a bear...no. Well. Maybe. There'd been...something.

And then she'd woken up in the mines. Alone, hurt, and mostly naked. She'd forced herself up, forced herself to move. She'd tiptoed through the darkness until she'd seen the faint light of dawn peeking through an opening ahead, and then...

There'd been a bear.

No.

No, it hadn't been a bear. Because bears were big and bears were fast and bears could open doors (she'd seen it on the internet), but bears weren't that pale or that bony or that long or that angry or that loud or that full of teeth. Bears didn't look like people, she didn't think. Not even if you shaved off all their fur.

But maybe they did. Maybe they did, or maybe she was just remembering it wrong. The police said she was, the sheriff said she was, the doctors said she was, so...that must've been it. She'd hit her head too hard, she'd had some kind of awful nightmare down there in the mines, and when she'd gotten out and heard there'd been a fire, that no one else had made it out of the lodge, that even though he'd come for her once, Mike wouldn't be running through that door to save her now...the nightmare had just gotten bigger, that's all. Her brain had made up a scary story to fill in the scarier gaps. That was all.

That was it.

So when the nurse came in, smiling and saying she had good news, Jess forced herself to let it go, to stop thinking about it, to blearily return her smile and ask if she'd be going home. She wasn't surprised when the nurse's mouth tightened and she said no, not yet anyway, but she was surprised when she held her phone out to her, apologizing for the crack in the screen, explaining that the police had found it as they'd scoured the Washingtons' property, that they'd thought she might want it back.

She took it, and she smiled, and she thanked her, and when she was alone again, she held her breath and booted it up, and...felt her breath catch when it did. Through the spiderweb of cracks, the dead pixels and warped displays, she watched as one, two, three, ten, twenty, fifty, ninety-nine, more messages pinged, filling her messenger, her email, her voicemail, all of it. How many were from her friends, she wondered? Not the ones checking in on her, not the ones safe and warm back home, but the ones she'd never see again - the ones she'd barely even seen in the first place? Her finger hovered over her texts...

Only to open her photo reel instead.

Suddenly all she wanted was to see that selfie again, that horrible, blurry monstrosity she and Mike had taken at the start of their walk. They'd giggled over being sexiled, they'd squinted in the light of her flash, and they'd -

There was a video she didn't remember taking. There was a video she couldn't have taken because she was in it, the briefest flash of her and Mike seen through the window of the Washingtons' guest cabin before the view spun, moved, jetted impossibly high. Now there were shingles (the roof?), now there were trees, now there were stars and the fat, full moon. And then it dropped again, showing a sliver of grey skin. A hand capped by fingernails gone yellow and curly.

Jessica sat up a little straighter in her hospital bed. Before long, the nurse came running back with a partner in tow, the high-pitched beeping of her heart monitor suggesting to them what she already knew. Something was wrong; something was very, very wrong.

The video ended on a black screen. "Uh, Jess?" she heard Mike say as if underwater, the phone's speakers ruined beyond saving. "Found your phone." And then nothing. And nothing. The end.

Yeah, the gaps were what bothered her. The gaps were what scared her most of all.

[jax-interacts]

Here have this pic of my cat

[aztarion]

JEZ!! what was your favorite song off perverts?? 👁️👁️

ezra you know this is cruel…. i genuinely adore the entire album in every way — narratively, lyrically, musically… like it’s just one huge hour+ song to me. i thought it was gonna be punish for the longest time before the actual drop, then i would’ve said thatorchia on my first listen, then onanist literally an hour ago but im relistening to housofpsychoticwomn and there is an incredible amount of detail to that track. the loop and reverb shouting no no no no then help help help help then screaming in pain while ethel just calmly, dissociatively, says “i love you” over it (and in amber wave's saying she swear she won't scream T_T). being able to register the first notes of “i am (punished by love)” from punish layered through. the way it feels like a buzzing swarm in your head (pulldrone mutilation foreshadowing?) until the protesting is so indistinguishable it may as well just not exist . the fact that it leads and blends into the very physical vacillator. you’ve been so bled mentally and emotionally the thumping is a pleasant catharsis when in any other case it and the lyrics should be jarring or upsetting. the contrast of housofpsychoticwomn being so draining that vacillator almost feels romantic when it’s anything but. PERVERTS IS JUST…. i dont have words. album that is instantly so deeply precious to me :( every single song but for now i think this is one of the tracks that has me in awe at the artistry. cinematic experience

WHATS YOURS 🎤

[noir-ish-bee]

HERMMM SCRITCHES CHIN... how about u try drawing a pizza tower character u usually dont draw!! idk which that is for you but yeah.!! just try and draw em if u like ^_^

OKAY so this is like. My first EVER time drawing pepperman and like the third ive drawn vigilante idk why i just refused to draw them both theyre not that bad......

ft gustavo and my oc madeleine because i miss her

[non-un-topo]

queer quartet and their differing relationships, how they show love to each other in different ways, how quynh loves nico is different from how she loves yusuf is different from how she loves andromache; how they are all so full of love that it bursts out of them in all different ways; how it takes a while for them to puzzle out that they are even loved at all

YESSSS. This is one of my favourite things to think/write about, because it would be that way! We can even see the subtle differences in Andy's relationships with the boys in the movie, when she hugs them.

Sometimes I try to comprehend what a centuries-long relationship would feel like, and my brain explodes. This is going to be headcanon HELL btw, because we don't have a lot of source material to work with here, but bear with me. I've extrapolated little things and turned them into ideas over the last four years. I've crunched the numbers. Hoping tog2 won't include any flashbacks of the four of them and subsequently destroy my impression of them gfhfds

(Not including the couple dynamics, because we know those! Or we all have interpretations of them.)

Andromache & Yusuf

I think about Andy and Joe's movie hug so much, and their little "You look great." "You look okay!" Like it's such a tell to me that they're both sort of goofy with each other. I like to think that it's Joe who really brings out Andy's goofy side, since we see how sarcastic and wry his humour is in the movie vs Andy's clear pessimism and fatigue at the world. I think that, in the old days before they lost Quỳnh, they were both rather lively and funny. I imagine them play-wrestling, or spending many mornings sparring.

In my early days in this fandom, I experimented with writing Andy and Joe's relationship as almost a mother-son dynamic, but now they definitely seem more like siblings. Still, it feels reductive and just incorrect to compare their relationship to a single thing.

One thing I always zero in on is the fact that despite their huge age difference, they are technically the oldest woman and man in the world (The difference of 3 years between Joe and Nicky is another thing I like to imagine them all poking fun at, because to immortals it's so trivial, and that is exactly why they milk it lol). I think they have a unique relationship due to being the oldest woman and man in the world, one that comes with certain responsibilities. I think Andy motivates Joe to fight and stay strong, and Joe reminds Andy that strength can look like many things besides fighting. They keep each other level, and they know exactly what the other needs to be picked back up.

I also think that Andy taught Joe every move he knows (the Merrick headbutt, hello), and he holds her in very high regard. I think he's protective of her because she is protective of him. Joe reciprocates that love and loyalty.

Andromache & Nicolò

I usually picture these two as intellectual equals. There's something about the way they hug in the movie, soft and tender, like they've been through a lot. They don't need to use any words to understand each other. I feel like this would be the dynamic for all of them together, but what makes Andy and Nicky's relationship unique, in my head, is that Nicky can pretty much mould himself to match Andy like a mirror. This makes arguments really difficult, and means that Nicky can also see right through Andy's defences, which I imagine she does not like.

Not sure exactly where I got this idea (maybe the comics), because they have a pretty clear dynamic in the movie where Nicky (faithful) pushes back against Andy's faithlessness. But maybe it's because of the way he can get through to her, idk.

I've also dabbled in writing Andy as a little disproportionately protective over Nicky (x, x), and the reason I imagine is because she really sees him as a younger brother. Not helpless, by any means, but maybe she sees her younger self in him, and no one was looking out for her when she was younger. And Nicky is loyal to her above all, but he is not afraid to challenge her. I like to imagine them butting heads, but this never causes any long-lasting tension in their relationship because it's just that strong. I think they've survived many, many arguments between each other, and see themselves in the other.

Quỳnh & Yusuf

So we don't know a lot about Quỳnh, but I've always interpreted her as having a personality that's a healthy mix of goofball and wise warrior. In my head, she can switch on a dime. I like to think that, with Yusuf, Quỳnh's serious side makes an appearance more. Ofc no one sees it more than Andy, though.

We all imagine that the four of them travelled the world throughout the centuries, but travelling aside, there's no denying that these two would find themselves ostracized from most places they visited. I think for this reason they would have a type of relationship unique to only them, as they're able to understand/empathize with this experience more than Andy or Nicky could. Maybe this is also why, in my head, they're so silly with each other. They understand each other's points of view, and their humour is perfectly matched.

I also imagine them as both enjoying the finer things, being art lovers, and getting into trouble a lot. I like to give them similar hobbies. I also think that they would enable each other in both good and bad ways, being so alike.

So, I think Quỳnh would see Yusuf less as a younger brother than Andromache would, but more on an equal level to her. She definitely would feel protective over him, but I think it's his youth that would make her feel young as well, rather than old.

When they lost Quỳnh, I imagine that she left pieces of herself with each of them. Yusuf got her fiestiness (pit viper!) and her sarcastic humour, as well as her sincerity.

(See what I mean, like I hope to god that the sequel doesn't have a completely different idea of Quỳnh)

Quỳnh & Nicolò

Possibly my favourite queer quartet dynamic, and it's ALL in my head lmao. It is very hard to pick a favourite, though. To me, this dynamic has major sibling energy, mostly in the realm of Quỳnh lovingly bullying Nicolò, because she's the only one he really reacts to / who can fluster him.

One of the most central components to their relationship, to me, is the (heartbreaking?) headcanon that Quỳnh taught Nicky how to use a bow and arrow, thus instilling in him a lifelong love for long-range weapons. Now, Nicky is Genoese. There's a possibility he would have known how to work a crossbow, and been good at it, before meeting Quỳnh and Andromache. Regardless, I like to imagine that Quỳnh properly taught him.

But there's more to using ranged weapons than learning how to aim. I like to think she taught him his legendary patience, and the serenity he seems to carry everywhere. I also have a headcanon that Quỳnh was a very experienced healer, adept at using medicinal herbs, and she taught Nicky all she knew about health and caring and compassion. When they lost her, these were the qualities she left with him. I've explored the medicine thing quite a bit in fics, and even though it's essentially a headcanon stacked on top of a headcanon (Quỳnh the medicinal healer/midwife, Nicky the doctor/nurse/medic), it's become a fundamental part of the way I write them.

If I were to split the queer quartet into "most like each other" pairs, I would probably put Andy with Nicky, and Quỳnh with Joe. And I think this is also what makes the relationships between Andy and Joe, and Nicky and Quỳnh unique. They remind each other of their lovers.

But again, we can't really sort them into separate pairs. I imagine they all have these unique dynamics, but the love they have for each other is all the same, and totally overwhelming.

[sillyunicorn]

ok @facewithoutheart I think tumblr ate your ask??? at any rate I can no longer find it. But! You requested song #61 (<3) which is Kisses On My Cards by CHERYM. First line: “I don’t know who you see / but I can’t tell if you like me”. And you said dealer’s choice for pairing so I picked snowbaz <3

“Wait, you like me?”

I frown down at the roses in my hand.

“Is that not clear?”

“Baz, you pushed me down the stairs. You said I wrote like a concussed snail. You brought me sour cherry scones every day for a week!”

“I – wait, I thought you liked those.”

He grins.

“I do.”

Should I deck him? Or kiss him? I take a breath.

“And the other stuff?”

He shrugs. “Well, I know the first was an accident. And that paper was shit – I got an A thanks to your edits. So...”

I wait. He smiles.

“I like you too.”

[twodiamondhoes]

SLAMS DOOR OPEN hello!!! I hear you're looking for lil ficlet ideas!!

I would love to see your take on jimmy and grians relationship 👀👀👀 I simply wish there was more content of them in the world (shippy or non-shippy!!)

If u would like any additional prompts maybe the aftermath of grian taking jimmy out in wildlife????

No pressure at all if the thought doesnt appeal to you, saluting you so much as a fellow traveller on the writing strugglebus right now. GOOD LUCK!!! <3

Hi Theo!! Welcome in, please have a seat! :D

as for Jimmy & (/) Grian I totally agree, I love their dynamic so much!! Time to be the change we want to see in the world XD

Take my hand, we will get through this rough patch together!! <3333

I haven't actually finished either of their WL POVs (Blasphemous as a self-proclaimed Jimmy Main, I know) so IDK how well I can touch on that one, but I did see that clip of Grian joining their phasmo thing late that's floating around and I lost my mind. Have this modern au?? Phasmo au??? IDK but here you go!

Grian sank deeper into the couch cushions, watching some rerun of an ancient Top Gear episode on the TV in front of him. The sound is so low it might as well be muted in favor of listening to Jimmy off in the kitchen, rummaging around in cupboards as they waited for Joel to arrive.

On the screen, Hammond spun out just in time for Jimmy's voice to peak, some offended crescendo about the story he was telling. Something about someone at work.

For the first time in days, Grian felt his lungs fill, untrapped by the vice of panic or stress. He made some sort of noise in response to Jimmy asking if he could believe all of that. He tried to focus on the words, knowing that Jimmy would be more offended at him not listening than he had been at the lady in his story, but relaxation was stealing over him in waves, pulling the steel and the energy from his limbs the longer he sat there.

Jimmy's voice was much closer when he snorted, placing down a mug on the table in front of Grian. He didn't remember telling him what he wanted in his tea, but the label that spun in front of them was his favorite brew. Warmth steeped through him.

"Budge up," Jimmy said, the words floating down through the syrup of Grian's mind instead of crashing through and jarring him back to consciousness. He shuffled back into a mostly upright position, "are you falling asleep on me?"

“No,”Grian scoffed, leaving Jimmy more than enough time to settle in before he slid sideways again so that he could lean heavily on Jimmy’s shoulder. He hooked a grin up at him. “Now I’m falling asleep on you.”

“You utter-I'm not that boring, am I?” Jimmy groused, reaching for the remote. Grian kicked at the coffee table with his foot, scooting it enough that the remote was out of reach.

“As boring as you always are,” Grian said, if only because he couldn’t seem to untangle the emotions caught in the warm mixture in his chest, at least not in a way where he could pull them apart and explain them to Jimmy. “Maybe I’m just tired,” he said, trying to call up a haughty tone, “maybe it’s got nothing to do with you.”

Jimmy grumbled something more under his breath, but shifted so that Grian was resting comfortably at his side, instead of just smushed against him.

"Go on, then,” Jimmy said, settling back against the armrest so they were both halfway to horizontal. “Joel can wake us up when he gets here.”

Grian hid a smile against Jimmy’s shoulder.

“Glad you see things my way.”

[pup-pee]

ur bartkon art legendary

TYSMM!!!!! IM GLAD U LIKE ITT!!!!! <33

heres a silly sketch i prolly wont color :3

[leonelmolinari]

ASDFGHBKANSÑDLOBSALNOUDN

I LOVE THIS SM RAHHHHHH

GO FOLLOW MY POOKIE @wisk2009 FOR THIS AMAZING BIRTHDAY GIFT ART OF MY FAV PHIGHTIN SHIP

[prismaticpichu]

omg you asked for this 😅 💗 so please if you have inspiration, write some domestic fluff where sephiroth is already part of zack's family. i have a soft spot for sephiroth finding a family 🥺 🥰

Shdhdhhdhd SCREAMING AND SCREECHING!!! TY FOR INDULGING MY ZACKSEPH GONGAGA HEADCANONS, ILY 🤣❤️💖

(This may or may not be turned into a series!! If so, then this would be the first fic <33)

~

✨ Sephiroth Fair: Fic #1 ✨

Sephiroth glanced up at the sound of soft, approaching footsteps, streaks of fresh starlight braiding through his hair as he turned towards the stairs, surprised yet unbothered to see Mary Fair descending into the moonlit den—tousled black hair and a sleeprobe telling him that the woman had just gotten out of bed.

"...Is everything alright?" Sephiroth asked instinctively, his voice a purposeful whisper, a vise of anxiety quietly gripping his heart. Could there be a monster in the area, a threat? Should he warn the town? Should he wake Zack? Should he...?—

But a single smile from the other diminished all his paranoia at once.

"Everything's fine," she assured, assuaged. "Just wanted to grab a glass of water."

...Ah, right. Of course. Relief immediately flooded through the man's chest, veiling the vague sheepishness behind his bangs. It was all still raw, the whole situation... He still didn't even think he swallowed all his incredulity yet, or even fully digested that this was his reality—his life. It wasn't a fantasy; it wasn't a dream; it wasn't something that would go away when he opened his eyes, finding himself back in his quarters at ShinRa, back on a mission, back in the lab...

He would wake up the next day, and it would all still be here.

He wasn't going to lose this place.

"My goodness... he's sleeping like a log."

Mary's smiley, amused whisper reined Sephiroth back to the present. He blinked, staring for a beat, then glanced back at the younger man slumped against his shoulder—breathing rhythmically, draped in a blanket, sound asleep...

His anxieties drifted away, budding a soft smile in their wake.

"...Heh. Yes." Sephiroth gazed fondly at his dear friend. "He decided my shoulder would make for the most convenient pillow."

Mary chuckled, leaning a bit against the banister. "How are you going to move him?"

Sephiroth's answer was immediate, knowing: "I won't."

"Oh, but it's so late... Don't you want to get some rest, dear?"

"Believe me..." Sephiroth gently shook his head, the silver strands brushing against Zack's valley of quills. "This isn't my first time."

"...Oh?" Now her voice carried an air of question, interest.

Sephiroth nodded. "Mmhmm. Several nights he would come to my quarters, drained, and insist on staying. Perhaps we would watch a movie, or whatever slop was on the television…" The emerald eyes seemed to glint as he canted his head, fondly observing Zack as he shifted and squirmed and murmured some sleep-drenched nonsense in his slumber. "And it wasn't much longer after I turned on the television that I found myself serving as a bed..."

The fondness could not be bridled in Mary's voice, her laughter rippling murmuringly through the half-sleeping house, her eyes impossibly soft and sweet and grateful as she continued to gaze at the precious sight before her—an almost magical spectacle, a bond so sincere and whole that it could set the whole alight with its warmth, could serve as the sun, and nobody would know the difference...

Her smile broadened, gazing at the man who had once stood nothing more than a splotch of ink on their kitchen table, gazing at the man who had taken such good care of her son. She watched as Sephiroth pulled the blanket tighter around Zack's shoulders, as his own smile softened, as his eyes glinted with a protectiveness and love so profound that she thanked every star in the sky that Sephiroth was with them now—that Zack had snatched the morning papers from her husband's hands, that he gaped and awed at the SOLDIER who posed in those photographs, that he declared then and there that he was going to join ShinRa...

Everything happened for a reason, she always told herself—a common Gongagan belief.

And that belief had been unfolded so beautifully in front of her.

"...He's so lucky to have you, Sephiroth..."

Sephiroth again blinked, suddenly grateful that he was facing Zack instead of Mary—if only because, that way, the onlty person to see the swell of warmth that flared (unbidden) onto his cheeks was sound asleep, dreaming. His hair curtained the rest.

...Lucky? Had his presence ever been described as such? Certainly a burden, a dream, maybe even an honor—

What are you talking about? You nearly...!

Suddenly, Sephiroth's eyes flared with memory, his cheeks and chest blazing with ice, alight with horrid images.

You hurt him...

You could have killed...

You...—

Then, just as abruptly, Sephiroth closed his eyes..

...No. It was over; it was scabbing.

He focused, just like Zack had taught him

The town was healing... Strife was safe; Tifa was safe; he was safe...

He breathed; he inhaled, exhaled even slower...

Zack was safe...

One... two........ three.

He opened his eyes, and he was still here.

He wasn't going to lose this place.

"...Mmn," he finally said, returning to Mary's statement just some short seconds later, the fond smile thawing back his expression as he gazed back at Zack—scarred cheek pressed against his own, "...And I am blessed to have him..." He paused, his swallow much thicker than expected, turning his gaze toward Mary, "...as well as this family."

Mary's smile could have turned the night to daylight. "Oh..." She reached out, gently ruffling Sephiroth's hair through the railing. "And we are blessed to have you, too, dear..."

Sephiroth had to clear his throat to avoid... whatever sound wanted to break through it.

Smiling still, Mary withdrew her hand, sensing the overload of affection still needed to be gradual, exposed to. "Try to get some sleep, Sephiroth. I'm sure Zack would be angry if you didn't."

"...Heh,” Sephiroth couldn’t help but chuckle, pillowing his head against Zack's feathery, harmless spikes. "...That he would.” He closed his eyes, sighing peacefully.

“Goodnight, Sephiroth.”

“Goodnight.”

By the time Mary returned from the kitchen, a glass of water in hand, the two brothers were sound asleep.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Hey! Could I get a little bit of Arsonist Neil? I desperately wanna know how this phone call will go! Thank you for sharing your beautiful writing Aerie!!! I wish you a good week!

WIP Wednesday (4/17) | Arsonist Neil / Firefighter Andrew AU (Part 147)

When Neil hangs up the phone, there’s a warmth in his chest that he’s never noticed before. It’s nice to have someone to talk to after a horrid memory disguised as a nightmare. He fondly strokes his phone screen with the pad of his thumb and sighs. Andrew was angry at him, but still answered when Neil needed him. 

He can’t recall ever having that sort of friendship his entire life. Of course, talking to Andrew meant having to hear about that movie… But, even that was nice. Andrew’s voice is nice. He should narrate books or something. Neil double checks that his door is locked and barricaded with the chair before kicking off his shoes and sort of making his bed enough to crawl into it.

As he starts to jam the charger into the side of his slider phone, Neil notices he’s got an alarming amount of missed messages. He opens his text thread with Andrew and scrolls to the top, back to that angry ‘leave me alone’ that had him ripping the battery out.

Andrew I didn’t mean it. Tell me why you didn’t stay.

Neil lets out a breath. If only he could.

Andrew I apologize for jumping to conclusions. Obviously I’m not good with people either.

They’re a couple of idiots, it seems.

Andrew You know, technically, you did deliver on the coffee. I just didn’t drink it. I guess this means I’m paying next time. What should we do? I noticed there are a couple of movies playing that might be alright. We could catch a matinee. But, be warned, I will be sneaking candy in because I’m not a goddamn Rockefeller. Do you like M&Ms?

Andrew was trying to make other plans with him? With Neil? He can’t fucking believe that.

Andrew There’s a bunch of kids at work today. A field trip was arranged behind my back by my friend Renee. It’s just as fun as it sounds. One of the kids heckled me, then another asked how strong I was. So I was made to carry my very large coworker across the room. What’s new with you?

Neil knows firefighters have to be strong, but he’s suddenly wondering just how large Andrew’s co-worker was. Andrew seems quite sturdy, despite being even shorter than Neil.

Andrew I’m about to go to the movies with my brother who hates me. Well, I’m not sure if he still hates me. He used to. Wish me luck, firebug.

The nickname has a smile forming on Neil's face.

Andrew The movie was terrible, just so you know. I hated every second of it. My brother enjoyed it, but he’s stupid. Did you know a large soda costs like $50 now? I’m joking, obviously. But the prices are ridiculous, so I suppose I won’t be doing that again for a while.

Neil hasn’t been to a movie theater in… He counts back years in his head and thinks of the time he and his mother ran into one to hide from one of Nathan’s people. They’d hunkered down in a crowded theater playing some sort of kiddie movie about a little Hawaiian girl.

He didn’t get to watch it because Mary kept shoving him down into the seat and watching the doors behind them, but the tune of the song was catchy even if it was in a language he didn’t know. He hums what he remembers of it and taps out replies to almost every message Andrew had sent him. Then he rolls around and goes back to sleep.

[triona-tribblescore]

HUG!?!

IM- IM- IM- *SOBS*