#(( And hey he made a brief cameo!! ))

[hellizens]

"Fuck."

[edsbug]

I just realized I don’t think I've ever requested a fic from you and I'm???? appalled???? Please forgib 🥺🖤 I'd love to see how Eddie x reader deal with a big storm coming into Hawkins; currently holed up bc of Hurricane Beryl at the moment. 🌀🌩

hii steph!! i hope you made it through the hurricane alright. thank you so much for requesting this, it was so fun to write! i hope you like it<3

thunderstruck

pairing: eddie munson x gn!reader.

summary: eddie and reader prepares for a storm. (wc. 1.1k)

contains: horror films, uncle wayne makes a cameo, pure fluff.

The first rumbles of thunder rolled through Hawkins as the sky darkened, heavy clouds gathering in an ominous, bruised mass. You looked out the window of Eddie's trailer, watching the branches of the old oak tree sway in the rising wind. Eddie sat at the small kitchen table, fiddling with a string on his acoustic guitar, his usual energetic demeanor subdued by the approaching storm.

“Hey,” you said softly, stepping away from the window. “Need any help with that?”

Eddie looked up, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Nah, just trying to get this thing to stay in tune. But thanks baby.” He set the guitar aside and reached for your hand, pulling you gently into his lap.

As you settled against him, the first drops of rain began pounding the roof of the trailer. “Looks like we're in for a big one,” you remarked.

Eddie glanced up, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Perfect night for a horror movie, don't you think?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “You're impossible. But yeah, sounds good.”

The two of you spent the next hour fortifying the trailer for the incoming storm. Eddie found a stack of old towels and you helped him roll them up, pressing them against the bottoms of the doors to prevent any water from seeping in. You checked the windows, making sure they were securely latched, while Eddie double-checked the flashlights and gathered some candles and matches, just in case the power went out.

As you worked, the wind picked up, howling through the trees and rattling the metal siding of the trailer. The sky was almost black now, flashes of lightning illuminating the landscape in brief, eerie bursts.

You and Eddie settled on the worn-out couch, a stack of VHS tapes and snacks spread out on the coffee table in front of you. The opening credits of Nightmare on Elm Street had just started when the phone rang. Eddie jumped up, nearly tripping over the coffee table in his haste to answer it.

“Hello?” he said softly. “Oh, hey, Wayne.”

You could hear Wayne's voice faintly on the other end, his tone filled with concern. Eddie glanced at you, his expression softening.

“Yeah, we're okay. Just getting ready for the storm,” he said, his voice reassuring. “I've got everything under control. Don't worry about us.”

Wayne's voice rose slightly, and you could make out the words “stay safe” and “call me if you need anything.” Eddie nodded, even though his uncle couldn't see him.

“Thanks, Wayne. We'll be fine. You stay safe at work, okay? Yeah, talk to you later.”

Eddie hung up the phone and turned back to you, a sheepish smile on his face. “My uncle wanted to make sure we were alright. He's stuck at work until the storm passes.”

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you at the concern in Wayne's voice. “That's sweet of him.”

“Yeah, he's a good guy,” Eddie said, plopping back down beside you. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Freddy Krueger.”

As the movie played, the storm raged outside, the sound of rain pounding against the thin roof and thunder cracking in the distance creating an eerie soundtrack. You and Eddie huddled together under a thick blanket, his arm wrapped around your shoulders. The flickering light from the TV cast strange shadows on the walls, adding to the spooky atmosphere.

Every now and then, the power would flicker, the screen going black for a few seconds before the backup generator kicked in. Each time, Eddie would squeeze your hand, his touch reassuring.

“I've got you, sweetheart” he'd whisper, as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head.

As the last credits of Nightmare on Elm Street rolled off the screen, the exhaustion from the night caught up with both of you. Eddie's arm around your shoulders felt warm and comforting, and the rhythm of his breathing lulled you into a peaceful state. The flickering TV screen provided a gentle glow as you and Eddie drifted off to sleep on the couch, wrapped in the warm, thick blanket.

Outside, the storm continued to rumble, but it was a distant sound now, more soothing than threatening. The rain had lessened to a gentle drizzle, and the occasional flash of lightning was just a dim flicker on the horizon.

The first light of dawn seeped through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the drenched landscape. Wayne pulled his truck up by the trailer, the engine’s low rumble mixing with the distant sounds of birds starting their morning calls. He stepped out, stretching his tired limbs after a long shift, and glanced at the trailer. The sight of it standing unharmed brought a sense of relief.

Wayne quietly let himself in, careful not to make too much noise. He walked into the living room, a smile creeping onto his face as he saw the two of you on the couch.

Eddie's head was tilted back, mouth slightly open, one arm draped protectively around you. You were curled into his side, your head resting on his chest, the blanket cocooning you both. The TV was still on, a static-filled screen casting a dim light over the room.

Wayne shook his head fondly, moving to switch off the TV. The sudden silence was almost jarring, but neither of you stirred. He then picked up the empty snack bowls and soda cans, placing them quietly on the kitchen counter.

He stood for a moment, just watching the two of you sleep, a sense of pride and affection filling his chest. Eddie had always been a handful, but seeing him like this, so caring and protective, made Wayne’s heart swell.

When you woke up, it was to the smell of coffee and bacon. You blinked, momentarily disoriented, before realizing you were still on the couch, nestled against Eddie.

Eddie stirred next to you, his eyes fluttering open. He gave you a sleepy smile, his hair a wild mess. “Morning,” he mumbled, his voice rough from sleep.

“Morning,” you replied, stretching. “I think your uncle's home.”

As if on cue, Wayne appeared, a mug of steaming coffee in hand. “Morning, kids,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “Hope you two slept well.”

Eddie sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Yeah, we did. Thanks, Wayne.”

Wayne nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. “Good. There's breakfast in the kitchen. Figured you'd be hungry after a night like that.”

You and Eddie exchanged a grateful look before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

“Think it's safe to say we survived?” you asked, a teasing note in your voice.

Eddie chuckled, pulling you closer. “Survived Freddy Krueger and a thunderstorm. Not bad for a night in Hawkins.”

[sfznyxio]

❝ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 ❞

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒. following the success of the recruitment process and their first concert, this odd combination of a band becomes busy these days. thus, they hired a manager to keep track of their schedules. and to an extent, deal with their shenanigans that may or may not feature on the news.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒. argenti, aventurine, jingliu, kafka, robin

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓. gn!reader. celebrity au, musician au, modern au. comedy, fluff. 1.1k wc. inspired by the concert animated commercial: “before the show begins”. canon elements (jingliu - powers; aventurine - cake cats; robin - halovian features). reader’s the straight man in this chaos. cameos from yanqing (argenti, jingliu), stelle (argenti, jingliu, kafka) and caelus (aventurine, robin). brief mentions of ruan mei (aventurine) and sunday (robin). word vomit for the most part.

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀. happy pride month, bitches. what a good way to start off the month watching the haikyuu movie, seeing volleyball boys stare at each other intensely and metaphorically stab their friends in the neck. all i can say is that the animation was insane. speaking of insane, the hsr concert was released to celebrate the game’s first anniversary. “sway to the cosmos” is my favorite out of the setlist, and i even made it as my train jam. imagine seeing it live though… i die. i had to look up what instrument jingliu plays and i strongly believe it’s an erhu based on how it looks. i kinda don’t like this; i have no idea what i wrote. it’s my worst attempt at being funny lol.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. ARGENTI

< drummer argenti preaches ‘scripture of beauty’ to fans >

“hey! what’s the ‘scripture’ supposed to be? actually, who is idrila? look, you can’t spout names like that and not expect a scandal to not happen.” argenti seems to be in the zone while dancing with his fans at the park, so he most likely didn’t hear what you just said. you glance at stelle and yanqing to get him to snap out of it, but they’re completely drained, on the floor from being dragged into the spotlight earlier.

“my lovely manager! since you’re here, you must be interested in being a follower?” not at the very slightest, but the name argenti throws out and about drives news outlets and his fans up on the walls. that may put the drummer at risk of being a subject of misunderstandings and fanwars, which is why you’re here in the first place. you can feel the stares of his audience burning into your skull, so you extend your hand to “express” your interest.

“wonderful. now, let us dance under the name of beauty!” throughout it all, everything blurs out. not even five minutes in, you’re exhausted out of your mind, unsure if argenti has given you useful information about his charade. in the end, you gather more questions than answers, and practically leave the drummer to handle the potential messy aftermath. he’s an enigma; anyone can tell you he’s the eighth wonder of the world, and you’ll believe it.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. AVENTURINE

< guitarist aventurine adopts scientist’s ‘sweet’ creations >

“rise and shine. your cats won’t stop bothering me until you wake up, by the way.” all the feline pastry lifeforms on your head, shoulder, and feet mew in agreement. caelus somehow has collaborated with the scientist who created them, making some that resemble his friends, one of which is aventurine. the guitarist adopts his lookalike for fun at first, and now his house is their haven, which makes his issue of organization worse.

“hey, pretty boy! you better wake up, or i’ll sit on your face and suffocate you!” the synesthesia beacon in your phone picks up a translation from under aventurine’s arms. there’s a cake cat that resembles you, but do you actually sound like that when you’re upset? never mind that; the most important question here is why does he have a cake cat version of you here? well, he’s already behind schedule, so out of curiosity, you try out its suggestion. 

“okay, okay. i’m up.” the cat cake version of yourself huffs at him taking forever to get ready, but seems proud of making its threat happen with your help. aventurine sees five pairs of eyes staring at him, with one in particular full of disappointment for being inconsiderate. he promises to keep track next time, but you aren’t sure he’ll truly follow through if he’s convinced to expand his cake cat kingdom.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. JINGLIU

< erhu player jingliu unleashes ice blades at passersby >

“for the last time, the people who watched you perform gave you strales because they appreciate your talent. this is the fourth time this week of scaring them with your sword.” you note a careful distance between the passerby and jingliu, who resumes playing her erhu like it’s none of her business. stelle has learned it the hard way so luckily she has you to deal with the erhu player. the first victim of her powers slips out from a tree to wish you luck with a thumbs up.

“ah, has that young man come yet? i would like to have a spar with him.” jingliu’s referring to yanqing, another swordsman. he loves competition, so this entire street, or the entire city even, is screwed into becoming an icy wonderland. telling her that he’s not here, she returns to performing. you notice a brilliant idea coming into fruition as soon as she stops her bow halfway, and it already doesn’t sound good.

“manager, why don’t you spar with me? let’s see who will fall first.” you immediately refuse without a second thought. jingliu would win anyway as she’s more skilled with the sword and you have no powers, so it isn’t a fair fight to begin with. you’re just relieved that she didn’t unleash her icy blades for the fifth time, and that you make it alive throughout the confrontation.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. KAFKA

< violinist kafka sends many clothes stores bankrupt >

“listen… i get that you look great in everything and all, but do you think this is way too much?” you gesture to the cart overflowing with concert outfits. kafka hums in contemplation as she examines her next purchase in the mirror, then nods in approval which seals the deal.

“oh, you think so too? alright then, i’ll have stelle handle all payments as usual.” stelle averts her gaze away to avoid your temper, pretending as if she didn’t enable the violinist’s unlimited shopping spree. you can sense the employees fearing for their livelihoods that are at stake, and you can feel like yours will be at the state soon if this keeps up. scolding kafka to unload everything in the cart, the wave of relief in the staff washes away when she reveals a special trick up her sleeve.

“what about your wardrobe? surely you can’t wear the same exact thing everyday, don’t you think?” kafka jabs into one of your weaknesses: the lack of variety in your closet. it’s important to appear presentable as the band manager, but your uniformity gives you not a lot of room to try out different combinations. the only hope of this store is gone, and so is the store itself as soon as the credit card is swiped.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. ROBIN

< singer robin disappears once again from photoshoot >

“when your brother finds out you snuck out again, he will kill me in the most painful way possible.” whenever you bring that man up, always in the worst case scenario, robin responds with a smile as reassurance that he won’t hurt you when she’s around. but it’s more like she won’t get in trouble, leaving you to shoulder the blame.

“don’t worry! caelus will take care of everything. ah, i hope i wasn’t too late.” the self-proclaimed master of stalling strikes again. knowing that man, robin’s confidence in caelus is astounding. because sooner or later, he’ll find out that she’s at a toy store with you to buy the limited edition of a clockie figurine. the singer will be happy, and you’ll end up dead in a ditch probably.

“oh no, photographers are here. can you cover for me?” robin tucks her wings beside her face so they can fit under her mask. while she browses through the aisles, you direct the photoshoot team outside, hopefully far enough from the store to remain off radar from her brother’s watch. you pray that caelus comes back in one piece as well as yourself. the cost of making a halovian’s day brighter, especially if she’s a famous singer and has a control freak of a sibling, is quite risky.

[callmelola111]

my summer of you ♡ part two

✄ - - - -   part 1 , part 2   - - - -   inspo track (till there was you)

synopsis: being sent to your grandparents for the summer was supposed to be a punishment, but when you came face-to-face with your neighbor, you knew it’d be quite the opposite.

      | 𓆣 | pairing & wc: loser!ellie williams x neighbor!reader. wc: 4.5k

      | ❀ | cw (by part): 18+ themes (MDNI), modern au, fem reader, lots of fluff, marajuana use, profane language, mentions of tense family relations and childhood trauma (brief), joel cameo, ellie is so loser nerd it's actually adorable, ⭑ SMUT ⭑ … soft dom!reader, sub!ellie, mommy kink, fingering (e receiving), oral (e receiving), pet names (baby, special girl, etc.). MINORS DNI !!

a/n: hi lovelies, last part!!! ellie is just a sweet little angel baby who deserves to be taken care of!! sorry not sorry. i know dom!ellie is a fan favorite (trust me i love her too) but i feel obligated to write loser!ellie as an actual inexperienced, obsessed, space loving loser. kinda unplanned, but the end just turned into me living out my mommy fantasies tbh. ha i need her so bad, anyways... thanks 4 the love ♡~ lola

A twinge of anxiety hit the pits of your stomach as you stood, fist at the ready, face-to-face with your neighbors white front door. A deep exhale finally sent your hand into motion producing a loud knock on the wood— one you repeated 4 times before finally being answered.

The door handle rattled a bit before completely twisting to the right and revealing an older gentleman. His hair was brown, short and messy. The man's face was shrouded in a thick beard full of grays and his brows seemed permanently furrowed. You would’ve been a little fearful if it wasn’t for his sweet southern greeting that immediately softened you.

“Well, hello there little lady. What can I do for you?”

“Uh, hi… I live next door. You’re Ellie’s dad right?” you questioned.

“Mmm… kinda, I’m Joel. But um, if you’re looking for Ellie she’s still at work.” he replied, quickly moving past your question. It felt odd but you could see that asking him to elaborate wouldn’t be in your best interest- or his for that matter. 

“Oh okay… do you know when she gets off?”

“Six I think. I’m sure she’d love to see you though. Girl hasn’t stopped smiling since you moved in next door.” His answer made your cheeks hurt from the widest grin you’d ever made. 

“I guess that makes two of us.” You looked at the ground feeling somewhat bashful as you admitted how smitten you were with his “kinda” daughter. “Well uh, thanks Joel, it was really nice to meet you.”

“No problem kiddo, you too.” The man waved you off down the concrete steps and you waved back before he shut the door behind him.

Without a 2nd thought you trekked 4 blocks over to the bookstore where Ellie works, practically skipping the whole way. That sweet little bell rang once more as you pranced inside. A comforting smell of old paper immediately wafted through your senses.

Running your fingers along the yellowed edges of tattered books, you waited for Ellie to detect your presence. The girl seemed to be completely consumed by the small paperback resting against the edge of the counter she was positioned behind. The intentional clearing of your throat is what finally broke her focus with a slight startle. 

“Hi Els.” 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” she attempted to question nonchalantly, but the excitement behind her voice was clear. The frantic taming of her auburn locks and crimson colored cheeks was also a dead giveaway, and just as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, it quickly fell back to its rightful place- in front of her lovely face.

“Wanted to see if you’d wanna go to the boardwalk after your shift?”

“With you?” Ellie could hardly believe it.

“Of course with me… But, I mean that’s only if you wanna go.”

“Yesyesyesyesyes.” she slurred out frantically at a volume that was definitely not suited for a bookstore.

“Knew I could count on my special girl. You’ll be done at six right?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” You almost lied to Ellie, as the topic seemed like the kinda thing that was supposed to go unsaid. But you didn’t.

“Uh, Joel told me…” 

“Oh? You talked to Joel?” Ellie seemed to withdraw at his mention, fidgeting with the pages of her book.

“Yeah… just for a second. I went over to see you and he answered the door.”

“Gotcha…” She lingered on her words like there was more to say but ultimately refrained from speaking out. You couldn’t help but pry just a little, it was in your nature.

“You seem kinda off when he’s brought up. Can I ask why?” Your bold question made you wanna squeeze your eye’s shut until the moment was over, and the growing silence made it even worse.

“Another time?” Ellie answered begrudgingly. You felt bad for even asking.

“Yeah yeah of course. I- I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” All the sudden your hands were clammy and the long thread hanging from your top was wrapped around your index finger, restricting circulation. Anything to distract from your social slip-up.

“No, no, don't feel bad! I promise you did nothing, I- it’s just me.” She gave you an apologetic smile and suddenly everything felt okay again.

“We’re still on for the boardwalk though, right?” you questioned, motivated by the need of reassurance. 

“Yes. Please.” she affirmed. “If you want you can just hang here with me until then? I’ve still got like half an hour left.”

“Okay, yeah.” you gave a shy smile feeling less in control than in your usual interactions with Ellie. The fast growing feelings had suddenly clouded your incessant need to flirt and tease 24/7. What was this girl doing to you?

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - - 

As the sun set south in the watercolor sky, the green tinted waves crashed just past the dock where you stood. Ellie was positioned beside you with both hands awkwardly in the pockets of her distressed jeans. Nerves were obviously eating her up.

“Chill out Els, this is gonna be fun!!” you smiled all teeth and nudged at her tattooed arm which she eventually released from the denims tight hold. You snatched her free hand, which was concerningly wet, and dragged her through the crowds of people. Ellie didn’t complain once and if you had asked her to jump off a cliff too she probably would have done it right then and there. 

You looked up at the towering ride in front of you and then turned to give Ellie some puppy dog eyes, “Can we pleaseee ride the ferris wheel?”

“Yeah of course, whatever you want.” And she meant it. The only thing Ellie asked of this night was to see your gorgeous smile and hear the symphony that was your giggles. She wanted you to be happy– happy with her.

After waiting in a short line of babbling kids and adults, a small blue pod sheltered by white, plastic roofing swooped down to load in more passengers. You slid onto the bench attached to the left side and Ellie situated herself opposite, hand anxiously gripping the edge of the seat. The wheel began to move as you sat face-to-face, only a thin white pole separating the two of you. You gripped it between your hands before peaking around to question her.

“Are you scared of me or of heights?”

“Huh? Wha- what do you mean?” 

“I meannnn… you’re huddled up in that corner like I’ve got Covid or something. Come sit with me Els. I miss you.” You batted your eyelashes and gave a pout like you were a sick puppy who only Ellie could cure. She could barely keep her composure when you flirted like this and was of course already embarrassed enough for sitting so far away. But how could you blame her? The poor girl was so anxious and had basically zero play to go off of.

In frantics, she scurried over to the other bench causing the apparatus to rock back and forth with a screech and you let out a little squeal in return. Ellie came to your protection leaving only centimeters between each other and you essentially lost all brain function.

With a sheepish laugh she apologized, “Sorry I’m so fucking stupid sometimes.” 

“Hey don’t say that!” You scooted to the right, closing the gap between her jean-clad thigh and yours. “You are not stupid Ellie Williams.” 

“I kinda am.”

“What makes you think that?” you asked, placing a comforting hand to her tense shoulders.

“I don’t think you wanna know…”

“I do Ellie. Seriously, you can tell me.” 

“Well, uh- I guess I just feel stupid cause… I can’t tell if this is supposed to be a date.” She looked down in shame at her confession. “And I- I feel even more stupid for wondering that.” 

Moving your hand to her thigh you gave a long sigh, “Oh els, don’t feel stupid for my shortcomings. I know it’s childish, but even now I can never seem to find the courage to say how I really feel.” Ellie’s face was teetering on the verge of surprise at your admission.

“Well, how do you really feel?” she appealed.

With slight hestance you spoke the truth, “I feel like… I also want this to be a date.” The girl smiled wide and patted your knee with care.

“I guess we’re on a date then, huh?”

“Yeah I guess we are.” you poked back. But before you could even take in the view from your spot on the ferris wheel, your pod had already reached bottom and the metal door swung open to exit. Maybe another time when you weren’t so captivated by the girl in front of you.

After a few games and an ice cream stop, the sun had set and crowds dissipated. Although it was obvious that neither you or Ellie were ready for the night to end.

“Sooo, what now?” you looked all around trying to think of an excuse to stay out longer.

“I have a joint in my bag… if you’re up to smoking. We can light up on the beach.”

“Ellie– I’m always up for smoking.” Problem solved.

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - -

Sitting cozy in the sand, Ellie reached into her navy blue backpack to grab the weed and you watched dotingly. As she zipped the front pouch back up you noticed a small pin– a rocket ship

“What’s that?” 

“Just a pin. I’m into space shit.” she answered, pulling out a forest green lighter from her back pocket.

“Ooo tell me more!” Ellie released the joint that was about to be lit, genuinely stunned at your interest in her nerdy fixation. 

“Well, I wanna be an astronaut. Kinda like Sally Ride. That’s why I’m a STEM major.”

“Hell yeah, women in STEM! But ummm, who’s Sally Ride though?”

Her eyes went wide, “You don't know who Sally Ride is??” This spun her into a long tangent about the famous astronaut, and the strides she made for women, and how it’s even cooler because as Ellie put it, “she was gay!!”. As she rambled on you felt your feelings multiply. You had never seen her talk so much, and with so much passion too. It was a sight to see– one that you’d save to memory.  

“Sorry, am I talking too much?” she questioned.

“No, not at all Els! I love it. I love hearing you talk.” You gave a reassuring beam as Ellie finally lit the joint that had been rolling around in her lap after the conversational detour. The salty air picked up making it hard to ignite the paper so you offered a helping hand to shield the wind. Ellie accepted graciously, eventually taking the first inhale and passing it over to you. Sitting criss-cross in the sand, you held the burning substance between your pointer and thumb before taking a savory puff. 

“God, it feels like ages since I last smoked.” 

“Have you not been able to find a good plug here?” Ellie wondered.

“Not exactly…” you took a pregnant pause considering if you even wanted to mention it. “I haven’t been completely honest about the real reason I’m staying with my grandparents.” Ellie didn’t seem to phased at this. She had suspected something was up after the odd cigarette incident with your grandma. 

“You know I’d never judge you ____. You can tell me, really.” 

“It’s embarrassing but… my parents banished me here for acting out at school.” you admitted.

“Really? What’d you do?” she questioned, taking another drag from the lit joint.

“My smoking and drinking habits were a little ‘out of whack’. And apparently so were the little escapades that those habits got me into.”

“What do you mean by… ‘escapades’?”

“Umm, sex. With girls.” You plummeted your finger into the sand, feeling way over the situation already. “My parents swear they’re not homophobic but sometimes I wonder if they would’ve reacted the same if I was hooking up with some frat dude instead.”

“Damn I’m sorry. So they must be really mad then?”

“I guess, they rarely even call. But I’m not sad about it anymore so it’s okay.” Ellie noticed a gloss form on your eyes and refused to believe that there wasn’t at least a little part of you that was still hurt. Like instinct she roped you into a tender hug and you reciprocated with your hand around her neck. When she pulled back a small tear fell to your cheek and you quickly wiped it trying to stay tough.

“Now you owe me an explanation after that one.” you sniffled once more, eventually moving past the momentary sadness.

“Fine.” Ellie almost had to convince herself to keep talking. “Joel isn’t my dad, but he’s like my dad, and everyone thinks he’s my dad which just makes things weird.”

“Not to pry, but uh could you maybe elaborate?” Ellie stared off into the sea as she dumped her heart out.

“My real parents didn’t stick around for long. I was bouncing from home to home for a while until I turned 14. Joel found me, he was a family friend, and we’ve kinda been inseparable since. I hate when it’s brought up though. It’s a reminder that the people who were made to love me just didn’t. I had to find it elsewhere. And even now, years later with Joel, I still sometimes feel so void of worth.” Finally looking back to you she was met with streams of your tears. 

“Ellie what the fuck. That’s heavy... I’m so fucking sorry.” You just wanted to hold her for eternity and tell her that everything was gonna be okay. Tell her that she was worth something– she was worth everything.

“Hey, hey no need to cry. I’m alright now, I promise. Joel is awesome.” she reassured, using a rough thumb to brush away the drops littering the apples of your cheeks. You placed your hand on top of hers feeling the comforting warmth. 

“Els, I-” Before you could even finish her lips had met yours in a spur of the moment kiss. You reciprocated as both of her hands flew to the sides of your face to pull you in deeper.

It felt like you were the only 2 people in the world and this moment was all that mattered. Passion rose as you slid your tongue into Ellie's mouth, playing a game of tag with her own pink muscle. The girl—more confident than you had ever seen—found your wrists and sent you back into the sand with purchase, obviously hungry for something.

But just as things were getting good your phone began going off like crazy. After about 7 buzzes and Ellie’s lips traveling down your neck, you had to swiftly roll out from under her to see what was up. The poor girl looked like a kicked puppy at the loss of your touch. She watched as you read through messages and immediately jumped to your feet, grabbing your bag along the way. It was Grams. And she was mad.

“Fuck fuck fuck!! I’m sorry Ellie, I have to leave. Like now.” you blurted anxiously.

“Wait what?” 

“I’m sorry! I promise to explain later but I have to go.” Ellie sat confused and unresolved as she watched you disappear into the darkness with only the moonlight to guide.

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - -

The night after coming home late, Grams had smelt the weed and in turn confiscated your phone, along with all freedoms you once possessed. “As much as it hurts to do this, I promised your parents I’d enforce some rules” she had told you as you pleaded for mercy. You were officially fucked and didn’t even have your phone to explain it to Ellie. What was she gonna think? How could you get around this? But as you lay on your bed a certain book catches your eye and that’s when it hits you. 

With a pen and a brightly colored index card you scribbled out a simple note. It read...

Dear Ellie, if you’re receiving this then my plan has worked. I’m currently writing from the confines of my bedroom which I will be isolated in for the next week. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to communicate this but my grandparents weren’t too happy about breaking curfew to go “smoke pot” (which i reeked of). I don’t have my phone either, but god I miss you Els. So… if you can ever forgive me, come knock on my window late tonight and maybe I’ll let you in ;).

You slipped the small, highlighter-yellow note into the pages of The Bell Jar and handed it off to Grams to run next door, arguing that “Ellie needs it back immediately” and “it just can’t wait”. She eventually gave in after some well thought out begging and delivered the borrowed book to Joel. He then handed it back to the green-eyed girl who at first didn’t even wanna touch it.

Ellie was convinced you’d purposefully abandoned her– just like everyone else in her life. Her heart was broken and all she had done since that night was play Valorant, high out of her mind, while ignoring the rest of the world. Luckily, Joel noticed the bright yellow peaking from the paper and urged her to crack it open and take a second look. And after a quick thumb of the pages she fell upon your note which practically gave her a heart attack as she read. Ellie instantly dropped the controller at your whim and hopped in the shower to get ready for that night.

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - -

The girl sported some heather gray Champion sweats and an oversized band tee as she slipped through the back door of her house. She opened the back gate to a small strip of grass that was the space between your house and hers, but just as the clock hit 12:00, the automatic sprinklers shot up to do their duty. Ellie was pinned to the edge of the fence as water began spraying at all points of the yard. There was no way she was getting to your window– at least, not dry. Assessing the situation, the only thing left to do was run straight through the line of fire and hope you were keeping a close ear. 

She bent her knees, digging the toe of her converse into the moist dirt and then bolted over to the glass. Ellie was being pelted left and right as she knocked on your window to be let in, but you were taking your sweet damn time, and those polite taps soon became desperate ones. After about 8 chaotic bangs you eventually opened up, scolding Ellie for the loud noise and then taking note of her current state.

“Sprinklers–” she gasped, out of breath. “You never told me about the sprinklers.” 

“Ellie- oh my god.” you put a hand to your mouth trying not to laugh but miserably failing. She climbed inside, rolling her eyes.

“Hey! I did this for you, fuck off.” 

“Sorry, sorry I know!” You traveled to your closet still laughing as you grabbed a spare towel and clothes. “Sit. Let’s get you changed” you commanded.

Ellie placed herself on the very edge of the bed, eyes locked on your figure. She raised her arms up and peeled off the drenched T-shirt leaving her in a simple sports bra which you couldn’t help but ogle at. Then followed her sweats which stuck to the flesh of her toned thighs before finally dropping at her ankles. She wore the sweetest plaid boxers, and now naked before you, she looked so shy.

Towel in hand, you straddled her knees which dangled off the mattress just slightly. Any thoughts of self doubt had left and all she could think about was you and how close you were to her heat. You ruffed up her dripping locks of hair with the soft linen and soaked up what you could. Ellie’s arms fell back into the bed, trying to fight the urge to grip both of your thighs in her strong hands, right then and there. The silky, sheer pajama shorts adorning those thighs were not helping her case either. 

“There, all better.” you smiled, doing some final scrunches to the ends of her hair. “Wanna put on some dry clothes now?” Ellie gulped down some fear and slipped her hands to your waist.

“No, not really.” she muttered.

“Oh yeah?” you teased, slinging your hands over her shoulders and connecting them at the back of her neck. 

“Yeah.” Ellie affirmed and then slid her hands down to the fat bunching at the crease of your thighs. She pulled forward till your crotch was on hers and breaths became irregular. 

“I missed you Els.” you said, before planting a juicy kiss onto her slightly chapped lips. 

“Missed you too ___” she murmured between lips locking. “I was starting to think you hated me.” You pulled back quickly, both hands on her face. How could you ever dislike someone as perfect as Ellie? And how could you ever let her think that?

“Never baby, never.” you said, smooching the damp hairs on her head. “Let me make it up to you, okay?”

“Okay.” She agreed and the kissing resumed but this time on her neck. Wet, purple marks of your doing sent butterflies to Ellie’s stomach, and as you started to roll your hips her head flew back with a gasp. She quickly caught on, gripping your sides to assist the fervent grinding. Your fingers traveled down her abs, tracing the v-line, before finding themselves in the vats of her boxers. 

“Is this okay Els?”

“Yes, yes please” she gasped. You dipped down further and were greeted with strings of slick and Ellie already bumping against you for pressure. 

You gave a sly smile, “All this for me?” She nodded, almost proud at her quick arousal. “Here lie back and let's take these off. I’m gonna take care of you tonight.” Ellie of course followed in suit, scooching against the headboard and revealing her bare cunt. On all fours, you climbed towards her with the intent to please and only that. She slammed her lips into yours as soon as you were in reach, it was impatient and primal– a side you rarely saw from Ellie. Through breaks of tongue, teeth, and spit you discarded any and all clothes covering your flesh.

The sight of your breasts quickly shifted Ellie’s attention. Goosebumps exploded up your body when she soon took them in her grabby hands. She twisted at your hard nipples as your hands found their way back down to her anticipating folds. Your fingers split between middle and ring then gliding through Ellie’s slick, capturing her bundle of nerves with each pass. The pleasure was indescribable except through the gasps and moans she was making into your mouth. Coated in Ellie, you couldn’t help wiping her mess across the expanse of your tongue and sucking it clean.

“You taste fucking perfect.” you elated and Ellie went red. She wasn’t used to dirty talk like this. In all honesty, she wasn’t used to any of it. But god was she willing to learn. With a short preview of her taste, you inched down to try the real thing. You couldn’t wait any longer and pushed up and open at the girls knees to get a better angle. Her hole clenched in prospect as you playfully ghosted your lips past her clit a couple of times.

Finally taking it between your lips Ellie’s eyes completely rolled back, jaw going slack. You gave a gentle suck before sticking out your tongue to make slow, tight circles. This one really drove her wild which you noted from the arch of her back and guttural moans echoing off the walls.

“Els baby, you gotta be quiet for me.” She whined at your request, however complied. There’s no way you were getting caught with your tongue inside the next door neighbor, but god were her little noises music to your ears. 

Next came your fingers and she squirmed with the insertion of the middle one. You pumped in and out slowly and it was obvious that Ellie was trying her best to keep quiet. She was practically drawing blood from the strong bite she had on her bottom lip, whimpering ever so often.

Rubbing circles at her thigh and adding another finger, you praised, “You’re being such a good girl for mommy.” Ellie’s hips jolted, and olive-colored eyes went wide at the name– something she never thought would turn her on. It was something that had just slipped from your lips, too caught up in the moment, but now that it was out in the air it just made you all the more wet. Your pace picked up and it grew harder to penetrate through the desperate clenches of her walls. You took it as a challenge and added your mouth back into the mix, really trying to push her to the limits.

“Ahh f- fuck” she cursed out with ramblings of your name. Knowing how good you made her feel drove you crazy, and through swipes of tongue and fingers you found yourself grinding into the stiff mattress below. Ellie was obsessed with the way you rocked your hips and even sat up a little bit to get a better view. This, combined with the work you were doing on her core, forced her to the brink of satisfaction. Her stomach sucked in tight, feeling the build-up of pleasure inside. 

“J- just like that, a- almost there-” she sobbed through the wet squelches of her folds.

“You gonna say please for me?” you questioned, slowing down your movements just enough to make her listen.

Stuttering through it she obeyed, “P-please mommy, please c- can I cum?”

“Go ahead baby.” Just hearing those words made you almost gush right along with her so you rewarded the girl with an unfaltering pace. Ellie was right where you wanted her, clenching every muscle at the bliss you so graciously gave her. With your thumb on her clit and fingers curling up to hit just the right spot, she buckled along with attempts to muffle the groans she couldn't hold in any longer.

“Shit, I- I’m cu-cumming.” Her thighs flew shut but you quickly parted them back as you coached her through the euphoric feeling.

“You’re doing so fucking amazing Els.” You planted kisses across her thighs as she rode out her orgasm to a limp state. Ellie had yet to open her eye’s after the second finger and was still coming back down to Earth. Climbing up the bed to lay next to her, you brushed all the hair stuck in the girl's freckles, occasionally giving a slight peck of comfort. She finally fluttered her lids open and her pupils exploded with love. No one had ever taken care of her so well, and she’d thank you for it until the end of time.

✄ - - - -   masterlist   - - - -   ♡

taglist...

@endureher @gold-dustwomxn @alexpritch @4rt3m1ss @robinismywifee @sophlovesbooks @97cityy

(taglist is for all callmelola111 works, if you'd like to be removed just kindly lmk)

[colibrie]

Mosaic Moments

Prompt 3, Leo: Not made of stone.

Art by @trilobitepunch

3. Not made of stone (Leo, Casey Jr, brief Donnie cameo)

"Woooowe! Now that was a great run!" Leo exclaimed, chest heaving gently as he skidded to a stop. His muscles throbbed with a pleasant burn, chest gently heaving with the welcome effort of exertion. A thin veneer of sweat cleansed his skin, gently pulling at the slight breeze that blew by the roof.

"Hah yeah," Casy huffed as he came up from behind, face flushed and hair stuck to his face. The humans thin shoulders jumped as he folded over, hands braced on his knees as he sucked in deep breaths of air.

"You good bro?" Leo asked, only half teasing as he stretched his arms above his head, casually nudging Casey Jr with the side of his foot. "Way you're sucking wind someone would think you were the one stuck in bed for over a month and a half."

"Hey, not all of us get to be freaky strong mutants," Casey shot back, a broad grin taking any away any heat that may of existed as he pushed himself upright. "You definitely don't run like someone whose been bed ridden. Then again, you always did heal fast. It was useful for the resistance but it drove uncle Tello and Master Michelangelo crazy trying to keep Sensei in bed long enough to meet minimum rest standards."

The shift was barely perceptible. If he hadn't been raised by older versions of the turtle he was sure he would have missed it. The suble tightness that crept into the corners of Leo's smile, forcing them wider in a way that was to plastic to be genuine. The way the light in his eyes dimmed ever so slightly, even as he let out the perfectly light chuckle to cover.

"Yeah, future me is like six kinds of amazing. Must have been a crazy time."

"It was the apocalypse," Casey replied slowly, mentally trying to make sense of these shifts.

Had it been mentioning sensei? In the aftermath of the Krang invasion Leo had initially had a hard time hearing Casey mention his future counterpart. But they had worked through that. They had talked, under the cover of night when the rest of the lair had been at rest. He'd apologised to the younger turtle for putting so much pressure on him. Leo had accepted with apologies of his own, and had eventually coaxed him to give more details about his life with sensei, stories both good and bad. They'd laughed, they'd cried. They were good...weren't they?

"Must all seem pretty tame now in comparison," Leo said casually as he leaned into his stretch.

"Yes and no," Casey responded, watching carefully as he pushed his hair away from his face. "There's certainly less explosions, and the lack of zombie krang chasing us on our morning run is nice. But other things are crazy. Like how rich everyone is. Uncle Tello used to tell me stories about it, and he had a million folders of ideas and inventions that he'd imagined but lacked the materials to make. Seeing how easy it is to get things here, I get it now. He'd be over the moon, and probably lock himself in the lab for a whole year!"

There. A slight flinch, shoulders hiking a few centimeters up towards his tympanum.

"Heh, once an egghead always an egghead I guess. Anyway, we should-"

"Leo, what's wrong?"

"Uh...Nothing?" Leo replied questioningly. "I mean, I'm kinda hungry. Wanna swing by Run of the Mill on the way back? We can-"

"I thought we were past lying to each other," Casey challenged, a tiny bud of frustration building beneath his ribs as he pinned the turtle with a look.

"I'm not lying Cas, everything is fine now, right? Apocalypse averted, city is in repairs, everyone is healing, and Donnie finally paused updating the security system long enough to eat something other than caffeine and applesauce. Everyone is happy."

"You're avoiding my question. Master Michelangelo said you'd..."

He did not even need to look for the flinch this time. Leo turned away.

There was something here he was missing. Something in his words. But what? It wasn't like he'd never told red eared slider about the future. About the family he'd lost.

About Master Michelangelo.

About Uncle Tello.

About how...

"They all die!"

His heart hit the floor, stomach doing flips as he stared at the mosaic of barely healed pain spiderwebbed across Leonardo's shell. They had talked about a lot of things in the aftermath of the apocalypse, but they had never discussed what had happened in the tunnels beneath the tower. About the fate he'd revealed.

"They all die!"

"Every single one of them."

"The world needs Master Leonardo, and all we have is this guy."

"Leo, I... I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what man? Everything is fine." Leo replied, voice smoothly polished. He did not turn around.

"I've been talking about the future this whole time and..and we never really talked about it like that."

"Sure we have. You were telling me about it yesterday."

"I was talking about Sensei yesterday," Casey corrected, "we've only discussed the...others... once."

A falling pin could have sounded like a gun shot in the quiet that followed.

"There's nothing to talk about there," Leo said eventually.

Gone was the polish, the glitz and the glamorous glow of humor. Leo's tone was flat, a blank slate for this single fact to be engraved.

"I think there is," Casey replied carefully, biting his lower lip hard as he sought the for words that would fix the situation. "The way I told you about what happened to them was... not ideal..."

"Hey, you did what you needed to do to get the message through my thick skull. I don't hold it against you Casey. "

"Yeah, that's partially why I did it. But...I think I also did it because I was mad at you."

The atmosphere between them felt tense enough to explode, and Casey found himself tripping over his words in the haste to get them our before the fireworks could begin.

"I was angry at you for not being Sensei, and I was scared that I was going to fail the mission he and Master Michelangelo sacrificed everything to give me. The mission that could make uncle Tello and Raphel's death mean something. I threw their deaths in your face, and it was...I didn't mean to... I didn't think it would still be effecting you this badly..."

"You didn't think learning my whole family died because of my stupidity would effect me? Jeez Casey, I know I'm an self-centered idiot sometimes, but I'm not made of stone either. "

The words were light, but underneath them was brittleness, fine cracks poised to shatter at the next misstep.

"No!" Casey panicked, desperately backpedaling for the a way to sooth the hurts he'd intentionally and unintentionally afflicted. "I just meant that-"

The soft beeping of Leo's com cut him off mid sentance, and the young terrapin answered it before he could regather his scrambled thoughts.

"What's good Dee?"

"I need to go to the junkyard for some parts, but Raph won't let me go alone incase Repomantis "shows up for a showdown". To appease him I volunteered you for the buddy system. Tell Junior to head home and meet me there in ten minutes," Donatello replied, his voice that perfectly painful bend of familiar irritation, excitement, and affected disinterest.

There was something else there too. Something Casey had never had a name for beyond donnieandleo. He'd grown up hearing donnieandleo in good times and in bad. In the early hours when Sensei would grumble and drag the soft shell into his own bed to ensure he got at least four hours of uninterrupted rest. In the curses that had flown from his uncles lips when he'd fought to keep Sensei from bleeding out after amputating his arm. It was like a secrect code that only they could speak, one that remained uncracked up until the day his uncle had died.

Whatever Donnie was saying now, Leo read loud and clear.

"Fine, but you owe me a smoothie after. Extra large."

"Says the guy who still owes me pizza for that bet from last week."

"Uuuugg fine, but I'm gonna need some serious food to make up for this. On my way."

"Leo, we need to-"

"Sorry Case, duty calls," Leo cut in, never looking back as he walked towards the edge of the roof. "You head back and get some lunch. I know Mikey has a new recipe for you."

"Leo stop! Just let me explain."

"No need. Heard it loud and clear, I promise."

[thatfanfictionchick]

Roommate Wanted

╔═══°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═══╗

[time skip]Kei Tsukishima x f!Reader

Rating: 18+; Explicit

Warnings: oh shit okay Tsukki being a charming ass; Reader gets carried; Brief cameo of a toxic ex boyfriend; Brief description of a toxic relationship; We have to cuddle to stay warm trope; oh shit I forgot Pet names like nobody's business (sweetheart, angel, princess); Vaginal fingering; Unprotected vaginal intercourse; Light choking; Spit kink if you squint and don't blink;

Word count: 10570

Notes: *yeets this bitch like I'm angry* MY GOD TAKE THIS FUCKER OFF MY HANDS HE HAS BEEN TAKING UP SPACE IN MY MIND AND MY DRAFTS FOR WAY TO FUCKING LONG. 10k words might be child's play to some but to me it is HOLY FUCK the longest thing I've ever written. Yes I made him unnecessarily slightly taller than in canon because I can. It's almost 3am just take it and go. There might be fuckups and plot holes but that's your problem now.

╚═══°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═══╝

Kei Tsukishima hadn’t been your first choice of roommate. 

When you arrived on campus it was only to be told that due to a system glitch you had not been placed in the student housing like you’d anticipated, and every room was full. You had been approved for the part time job you wanted, but it definitely didn’t pay enough to afford a place off campus on your own.

You spent hours in the counselor's office to no avail. Stepping out into a glorious spring afternoon you decided to call your older sister, nearly bursting into tears when she answered the phone. “What am I gonna dooo?!” you wailed, leaning dramatically against a tree lining the walkway after having told her the whole terrible story.

“You know what?” You could hear her tapping thoughtfully on the other end. “If I remember right a friend of mine’s brother is attending there too, and he’s got a place off campus. His roommate moved over the summer so he might need a new one!” There was a brief pause and then “Would...that be okay with you?”

“YES!” you yelled. “As long as he’s not a creep I don’t mind! Just help meee!”

With a hurried goodbye your sister hung up and you wandered campus aimlessly, bouncing nervously on your toes as you walked. You’d never lived with a guy before. You’d stayed the night and long weekends with previous boyfriends, but never anything serious. And when you started to get nervous you tried to remind yourself that, if this were to work out, your sister was friends with his brother, so it wasn’t like just moving in with a total total stranger. You were contemplating lunch when your phone rang, an unfamiliar number popping up on the screen. You nearly dropped it in your haste to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey! This is Akiteru. Your sister tells me you’re in need of a place to stay?” His voice sounded familiar. You know you’ve seen this guy before, but you can’t quite remember his face.

“I am!”

“Cool.” he said. “My brother has a room at his place, it’s about a ten minute walk from the school. He’s home now, if you want to go check it out.”

You were nearly vibrating with anticipation as Akiteru promised to send the address and let his brother know you were coming. Everything was going fine until just before he hung up. “Don’t let Kei’s rudeness put you off, he’s actually got a heart of gold in there somewhere.” Akiteru said with a laugh. “Good luck!” You stared at your phone, the dial tone still ringing in your ears.

“I guess rude is better than creepy, right?” you muttered to yourself.

The walk was pleasant, taking you past a convenience store and a small coffee shop, through a vibrant neighborhood to a three story apartment building. The apartment was on the top floor and next to the street, so it was easy to find. You knew you were fidgeting as you knocked on the door and took a deep breath, letting it out in a forceful huff. A moment later the door swung open, and you were very sure your mouth briefly fell open before you managed to snap it shut.

Tall. Taaaalll. You forced yourself to look away from the long limbs, eyes flicking over the lean torso to land on the passive face looking down at you. “Hi,” you breathed rather stupidly. The goldenrod eyes narrowed ever so slightly behind the half rim glasses as he cocked one brow and you cleared your throat to try again. “Tsukishima, right? Your brother-”

“You’re here for the room.” He stepped back and gestured for you to come in, closing the door behind you while you took your shoes off. There was no emotion in his voice to indicate how he felt about your arrival. You’d be lying if you didn’t admit you thought he was intimidating right off the bat. He didn’t say anything as he led you through the living room and you took the opportunity to survey the neat simple furniture. The TV was on the large side, which was nice. The living room opened up into a small kitchen and dining area and from there was a single hallway. There were four doors; the farthest on the left and the one at the end of the hall were closed, the one on the right was a bathroom, the open one on the left was the bedroom. It was a little on the smaller side with a plain wooden dresser and a simple white bed frame with a bare mattress.

"If you want a new mattress you'll have to buy it yourself." He leaned against the door frame and folded his arms across his chest. His glasses glinted in the light and you were distinctly reminded of an anime villain.

"That's fine." You stepped into the room and opened the closet. It was tiny, but you weren't in the position to be picky. "How much?"

"32000¥ plus your share of utilities. You're responsible for your own food. The laundry is on the ground floor." He was talking like you'd already agreed to move in. Well he wasn't exactly wrong, it wasn't like you had any other choice at this point. Your eyes flickered over his face again. His blond curls could almost fool you into thinking he had an angelic nature. 

"Kay, I'm in." You threaded your fingers together behind your back and stepped closer to him. "What are the rules?"

"Easy." Hands in his pockets he stepped closer too, forcing you to look up at him. "Leave me alone, don't make a lot of noise, clean up after yourself, and don't fuck anyone on my couch."

You were so caught up in thinking about how rude rule #1 was it took you a moment to process rule #4. "Excuse me?!" you choked. "On your...has that been a regular problem for you?"

“Only if I make it one.” The words spoken in his deadpan tone nearly had you wheezing. Then you spotted the way his lips curled the smallest bit at the corner and your eyes narrowed. Was this lanky fucker really taking shots at you like this before you’d even moved in?

You returned his miniscule smirk with one of your own. “I don’t know that I like you, Kei Tsukishima.” 

“Good.” His smile broadened. “Where did you leave your stuff?”

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck you and your eyes unfocused as you tried to wrestle with the blossoming realization of your inattentiveness. “I...left it at the school.” Tsukishima laughed and turned on his heel to walk away.

“You have fun with that.”

Rude didn’t begin to cover it. Tsukishima Kei was a certified Grade A asshole.

〖✰〗

Between school, homework, work, and reconnecting with friends you didn’t see Tsukki again for several weeks. If it weren’t for the revolving food that you saw in the fridge and the occasional piece of mail he left on the table you wouldn’t even be sure he actually shared the same living space.

It was the first weekend in March when you finally decided to make actual use of the living room instead of going out with friends or losing yourself at the library. After a long bath you dressed in loose sweatpants and a tank top and turned on the TV. Tsukki was apparently subscribed to several streaming services, but what caught your eye was the name of the DVD currently inserted: Jurassic Park.

“Poggers,” you muttered excitedly as you pushed play. Hurrying to your room for a blanket you then ducked into the pantry to grab a white peach castella cake you’d picked up at the convenience store a few days ago and hadn’t had time to eat. It was your favorite and you were always on the lookout for them. However you were so quickly absorbed in the movie that you’d hardly touched it when, as the T-Rex savaged one unfortunate bloodsucking lawyer, the front door opened. You didn’t look away from the screen, instead catching sight of the tall frame of your roommate from your peripheral as he took off his shoes and hung up his jacket.

“Hi, Tsukki.” You were so focused on the carnage that you didn’t realize you had called him the name you reserved in your head. He paused, lips pressing together like he wasn’t sure whether to correct you or not before deciding to let it go, just this once.

Momentarily forgetting who you were living with you weren’t surprised when he joined you, sitting on the opposite end of the couch and resting one long leg on the coffee table. He eyed the cake in your hands, wondering if he should chastise you for eating on the couch. “What is that?”

“Peach castella.” Out of habit, as if he actually were your friend, you offered him the quarter eaten cake. “Want some?”

“No.” He didn’t even try to conceal the disgust in his tone.

"Rude!" But he noticed the way your lips curled as you lifted it to your mouth. "Girls don't actually have cooties, ya know." you chided playfully a minute later.

"With you I'd rather not take my chances."

"Dick!" You burst into laughter and the sneer on his face only widened when you snorted, nearly choking on your own saliva.

Tsukki was absolutely the meanest-for-no-reason person you'd ever met, and you'd only had all of two brief conversations with him. But he also radiated some kind of ridiculous charisma, and after you settled back down, making a vulgar gesture in the process which he pretended not to notice, the silence that fell between you was comfortable. Even after being insulted, something about his presence had a relaxing effect on you.

"I don't like peach cake." He said abruptly 20 minutes later. It took you a moment to realize he'd actually spoken. He was relaxed into the couch, his jaw propped on his fist as his gaze remained on the television. His profile looked soft in the afternoon light through the gauzy curtains.

"What kind do you like?" you asked.

Tsukki was chewing his tongue. He honestly wasn't sure why he'd suddenly volunteered that tidbit and he didn't want to offer you any more information about himself. He didn't need more people involved with his life. "None of your business." 

"Tsukishima!" He was caught off guard by your sharp tone, turning curious amber eyes on you. "C’mon, man." You looked half amused, half exasperated. "I've been a good, quiet, clean roommate. I haven't even fucked myself on your couch." His eyebrows lifted but you ignored it. "I don't think asking what kind of cake you like is overstepping."

He didn't say anything. Instead he stared at you, his eyes hard and searching. Like he was actually looking at you for the first time. He didn’t answer, just turned his attention back to the movie and you followed suit. You were curious but weren’t willing to pry. If he wanted to maintain a hard wall then you’d just get used to it. The silence remained until the end of the movie when you stretched widely as the end credits began to roll.

“Such a good movie!” you exclaimed. “We totally need the rest.”

“I have the rest.” Tsukki mumbled. Your head snapped in his direction, your eyes wide.

“Can we watch them?” There was such juvenile excitement in your voice and when he looked over the sparkle in your eyes made his ears feel hot.

“We?” he said haughtily.

“You got anything better to do today?”

He huffed and rolled his eyes, looking surprisingly elegant given his mile long limbs as he stood up and walked away without a backwards glance. You shook your head watching him go, assuming this was his way of dismissing you. With a sigh you sagged onto the couch, grabbing your phone to scroll through Twitter for a bit when suddenly Tsukki came back, a large dinosaur emblazoned box in his hand. It was one of those fancy box sets, the metal of the box glinting in the light. Your mouth formed a small ‘o’ before breaking into a grin as he knelt in front of the entertainment center, his long fingers carefully changing the discs in the blu-ray player. You fluffed the decorative pillow and snuggled into the corner of the couch as he rejoined you, your glee unrestrained as he started the second movie, this time kicking both legs over the coffee table.

But Tsukki had one more surprise in store for you. As the opening scene played out, the low tone of his voice caught your attention once more. “It’s strawberry shortcake.” You turned wide eyes on him but he refused to look away from the screen. “My favorite cake.” he clarified after a moment. A small smile softened your eyes.

“Was that so hard?” you cooed.

“Shut up.”

〖✰〗

A few days later Tsukki, having picked up dinner after volleyball practice, went to put the leftovers in the fridge and was surprised to see a whole strawberry shortcake on his shelf. There was a small note taped to the lid:

For Saltyshima

(Don't get all bigheaded it was on sale)

A smile tugged at his lips. You were such a pain in the ass, he thought. Why you wanted to try so hard to be friendly he didn't understand. So bothersome, just like the others in his life.

Two days after that you came home in a terrible mood. You'd been late to your first class, you'd rolled your ankle when you slipped on some stairs, you'd forgotten your wallet so you hadn't been able to buy lunch, and to top it all off it had started to rain on your way home. All you wanted was to take a long hot bath and maybe cry, you weren’t quite set on that yet. Slouching into the pantry to grab a quick bite you were surprised to find a small stack of peach cakes in the basket that housed your assorted snacks. They definitely had not been there the day before. There was a post-it note stuck to the top, Tsukki’s small neat writing gracing the paper.

Who needs a sale when you’re this cheap.

You snorted and started giggling, which quickly turned to full on gut-busting laughter. Leave it to Tsukki to be salty as hell even when doing something nice.

〖✰〗

You discovered Tsukki’s “secret” by accident. You decided to cut through the gym building one day on your way to meet a friend for a study date, the sharp squeal of rubber on the gleaming flooring and the occasional loud smack of something hitting the ground with force drawing you the opposite direction down the hall to see what was going on. You peeked around the door, head tilted at the chaotic scene of moving bodies. They all moved so fast, a sort of grace to the sheer force of their actions. Your eyes ping-ponged around the room, trying to get a good look at the blur of faces to see if you recognized any of them. And then a face wearing a pair of athletic goggles caught your attention, and you felt the momentary slack of your jaw.

“Tsukki?!” Those mile long arms and distractingly large hands were doing one hell of a job blocking the ball, and without a second thought you dashed down the hall to the door for the stairs leading up to the gym seating. Trying not to trip you pulled out your phone and texted your friend, telling her to come meet you a.s.a.p. There was a scattered crowd watching the practice and you picked a seat right at the front, leaning forward on your knees to watch intensely. So this is why Tsukki was almost never home, you realized. He was practicing. You barely noticed when your friend slid into the seat next to you.

“I didn’t know you like volleyball?” she said.

“I didn’t know Tsukki was on the team.” You looked over in time to see her brows pinch together.

“Tsukishima?” she asked, confused.

“Uh, yeah?” You tilted your head at her. “My roommate Tsukishima?”

Her eyes opened wide and she grabbed your knee. “Your roommate is the Kei Tsukishima?!”

You made a face and threw your hands in the air. “Girl how many Kei Tsukishima’s do you think are wandering around this school!”

A rise in yelling from the court had you looking back down just in time to see Tsukki spike the ball over the net, the force of it hitting the ground like a small explosion. Before you could stop yourself you’d jumped to your feet, throwing your arms in the air and yelling “Hell yeah Tsukishima!” His entire being physically convulsed as he reeled around, eyes swiping across the seats before landing on you.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he yelled, looking as ruffled as you’d ever seen him. His already curly hair was downright unruly, a bead of sweat dripping off his chin. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it to wipe his face and against any measure of decorum your eyes went straight to the distinct lines of his abs. You immediately righted them to his face but it seemed the damage was done and he was smirking at you in an infuriatingly knowing way.

“That your girlfriend, Tsooks?” Another blond called. His bangs were a dark brown in comparison.

“Absolutely not.” Tsukki yelled back, his eyes still watching you intensely. You dramatically wilted and pressed your hand to your chest.

“Kei! I thought our love meant more to you than that!”

“Do not call me Kei.” His voice was flat but there was an unmistakable perk at the corner of his mouth. You rolled your eyes and made a shooing motion with your hand, causing laughter from his teammates as you plunked back in your seat. 

Unfortunately for Tsukki, you were so taken (by the sport, you insisted) that you started showing up several times a week to watch them practice, and it became increasingly bothersome for him to deal with his teammates heckling. Thankfully you always ducked out just before they finished though, and for the time being none of the other team members had figured out that you were his roommate. At the very least he was spared that teasing.

〖✰〗

You didn’t show up to watch them practice and Tsukki was annoyed to find he wanted to know why. When he unlocked the door of the apartment, the first thing he heard was an annoyed growl and you cursing angrily. He took his time taking off his shoes and hanging his jacket on the hook by the door before looking around the corner. You were sitting at the small kitchen table, your laptop open in front of you. Your fingers were buried in your hair and your back curled dramatically over the top of the chair.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!” you whined. “And if I fail this midterm there is a very real chance my teacher will throw a chair at my face!”

“Drama queen.” Tsukki sneered. You glared at him upside down before sitting up, stretching your arms over your head and resuming a furious search of the class materials. You were vaguely aware of his approach behind you. Suddenly, without warning, one long arm reached in front of you and you jerked back, your head hitting his abdomen. He didn’t even wait for you to move your hand, his fingers nearly tangling with yours as they moved lazily over the trackpad.

“You're using the wrong formula for these questions.” He bent down but leaned the opposite way, effectively caging you against the table in his arms. His voice was low and so close to your ear that goosebumps erupted down your neck and arm. He tapped on the trackpad several times. "See?"

"Uh huh." You weren't looking at the screen. You'd never seen his hands this close up before. His fingers were so long and graceful. His palms were wide and could easily fully cover your own. Even his nails were short, smooth, and carefully shaped. They were pretty.

"Come here." He pulled away and started down the hall. He’d never asked you to follow him before and you hurried behind him. You’d never seen inside the other two rooms before either so when Tsukki opened the door on the left your eyes opened wide as saucers.

It was a little study room. One wall was nothing but bookshelves, stuffed full. A few shelves had books stacked two deep. On the opposite side was a small desk with a laptop and a stack of notebooks and a high backed office chair. Three sleek curio cabinets stood against the wall, a seemingly random assortment of objects on the spotless shelves. There were slices of agate and broken geodes, flora pressed between thin pieces of plastic, various insects carefully pinned to small boards, what appeared to be rough gemstones and a hundred other things you would need a lot more time to properly recognize.

“This is so cool!” Hands pressed between your knees, you bent forward to look at the cabinets closer. What looked like a two headed rodent was suspended in yellowish fluid in a glass jar. “Do you just like collecting this kind of stuff?”

There was a momentary pause and since you were looking at the shelves you didn’t see the uncharacteristic way Tsukki’s eyes softened or the genuine smile that crossed his face. You looked absolutely precious surveying his humble collection with big eyes brimming with so much curiosity. “Next year, after graduation, I’m going to work at the Sendai City Museum.”

“That’s really cool, Tsukki.” You stood in time to see him grab a worn and faded notebook off his desk. He held it out to you, his face back to smooth and passive. Brows furrowed you took it and rifled through the pages, glancing over them before realization dawned as you looked over the same formulas that were confusing you easily broken down on the pages.

“You can borrow this.” Tsukki said. “Since you clearly need the help.”

You scowled but chose not to make a snarky comment since this was by far the nicest thing he’d done for you since you’d met him. “You’re so smart, why don’t you just help me with the homework?”

He smirked. “Not a chance. Figure it out yourself.”

〖✰〗

You were supposed to be eating. But Tsukki was sitting across the table from you and you kept finding yourself staring at him instead. Finally he’d had enough, his spoon clattering against the bottom of his bowl. “What’s your problem?”

Without answering you reached across the table, taking his hands in your own and pulling them toward you. His eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline but he didn’t pull away, mostly because he was too surprised to.

You turned his hands over, brow furrowed as you critically eyed his fingers. “Is your pinky crooked?”

“Ah.” He drew away and fanned his right hand out between the two of you. It was subtle but if you looked you could see that his right pinky was definitely crooked. “Noticed that huh?”

“What happened?”

“Spring high preliminary my first year of high school. It was dislocated so they taped it to my ring finger so I could keep playing.”

You hummed thoughtfully. “Aaand I take it it didn’t just stay ‘dislocated’.”

His smile was lopsided and adorable. “C’mon, you’ve seen us play. Not exactly gentle is it.”

“You’re crazy. That had to hurt like mad.” You shook your head and picked up your bowl, slurping at a coiled noodle. Tsukki shrugged and went back to fishing bits of carrot out of his soup.

“We won. That’s all that matters.” 

〖✰〗

The fact that it was autumn and therefore colder at night was not going to stop you going out with your friends.

“Really?” Tsukki looked you over from his spot at the table as you emerged from your room, his brows drawn together in a look of dissatisfaction. Even if you caught him he’d never admit he watched you, in your tiny strapless dress and spiked high heels, as you crossed the living room to grab the purse you’d left on the couch. The way the fabric clung to your ass was...distracting. “You know it’s supposed to rain tonight.”

“Yes dad." you huffed. "But we'll be inside, that's the outside's problem." You were going to be in the club, what did it matter to you if there was a little bit of rain?

Annoyingly, predictably, that “little bit of rain” was a positive downpour. Which would have been fine, if not for you and your friends drunkenly deciding that embracing your inner child and playing in the rain, in the almost freezing temperatures in the middle of the night, would be a great idea. You were shivering and frozen to the bone by the time you got home, only taking the time to change into your pajamas before collapsing in bed, wet hair and all.

You spent the next day in bed and come nightfall you felt the very tell-tale settling of pain in your limbs that could only mean one thing.

The morning after you barely managed to get out of bed, shuffling into the kitchen and practically hanging off the fridge door, staring blankly at the food within. You didn’t even notice your roommate coming up next to you.

“You look like shit.” Ugh. The last thing you wanted was to deal with Tsukki being a smug mean asshole.

“Nobody asked-” the rest of your sentence trailed off as the world shifted dramatically. Tsukki caught you as your legs buckled. Your unfocused eyes fluttered and even through your feverish haze you couldn’t help but think about how pretty he was up close.

“I told you.” His voice was soft, equally concerned and exasperated. You only groaned in response, grabbing his shirt when he lifted you bridal style against his chest and carried you back to your bed. Okay, maybe he set you down a little firmer than necessary, but it was the thought that counted. You shivered and curled in on yourself as he set to untwisting your tangled bedspread. He spread it over you, tucking it gently around the edges and you mumbled something that may have been a ‘thank you’ but not even you were sure.

Your eyes drifted closed and you were ready to sleep for a fortnight but then something cool was poking your cheek. Tsukki’s finger dragged along the skin and he simply commanded: “Open.” Too tired to fuss you did as he said, opening your mouth trustingly. You grimaced as the bitter taste of medicine spread across your tongue. Swallowing felt like hell, all fiery pins and needles. He laughed softly at the way your nose scrunched.

By the time he came back with a wet washcloth in hand you were fast asleep. Shaking his head he adjusted your hair the best he could to lay it across your forehead. You grumbled, your head briefly turning to press your cheek against his palm.

〖✰〗

It was finally winter break and you were looking forward to some much needed time to rest. You had driven Tsukki mad by putting up holiday decorations everywhere, including colored strands of lights over every window and doorway. A candy cane composed of bells hung on the knob of the front door and while you adored the jingling, Tsukki was about ready to throw the abomination down the stairs. 

By now Tsukki had taken to leaving the door to his study room open on account of how often you would pop your head in to ask him a question or just lie on the floor and scroll on your phone. You could hear the sound of his music floating down the hall from your prone position on the couch as you watched TV. An emergency alert came on and you watched intently before rolling off the couch and jogging down the hall calling “Tsukkiii!”

“Yeah?” He didn’t look up. He was building some kind of model, a long pair of tweezers manipulating a thin piece of string. You stepped closer to watch, momentarily forgetting why you’d come to him in the first place. It wasn’t until he paused and looked at you that you spoke.

“Right, sorry. There’s supposed to be a huge storm coming this weekend. They’re saying like a foot of snow. I’m gonna go to the store and get some things, do you want to come?”

“Sure.” He finished setting the string and got his work to a good stopping point. When he stood up he stretched and his fingers brushed the ceiling. You were very aware of the way you swallowed as your eyes followed the line of his arms down to shoulders, your gaze lingering on the exposed strip of stomach from where his shirt rode up. He was surprised when you suddenly turned on your heel and sped out of the room but shrugged it off and followed. You were strange enough without trying to make sense of it.

You were putting your boots on when he reached around you for his coat. You lost your balance and yelped in surprise and he grabbed you, his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his chest. You laughed, a little embarrassed, and quickly righted yourself stammering “thanks”.

Outside was cold and your breath rose in little clouds as the two of you walked to the bus stop. There had been a small storm the day before and the ground was still covered in icy patches. You hopped on them, laughing at the little slide you would get out of each one. Tsukki rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips all the same. You were nearly at the stop when you jumped on a long thin patch of ice and you would have been fine if your boot hadn’t caught on dry concrete. You pitched forward with a shriek and suddenly the whole world rolled around you as Tsukki grabbed you. Unfortunately you had too much momentum and the best he could do was slow your fall, putting you down as gently as possible while bracing himself to keep from squishing you. You looked at him with wide eyes, shocked to see how close he was. All you needed to do was lift your head an inch or so and you could be kissing him. You quickly banished the thought from your mind before dissolving into nervous giggles. “Uh, thanks.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” he grumped, picking himself up and dusting the grit off his gloves before offering you his hand and pulling you to your feet.

“Kill off the best roommate I’ve ever had? Perish the thought, dear one!” You dramatically tossed your hand in the air and he shook his head, laughing. “But no seriously thanks for saving my ass.”

“Guess it was the least I could do for the most tolerable roommate I’ve ever had,” he said. You shot him a look of disbelief that made him laugh again.

“Tolerable?!” you wailed. “I don’t get to be the cutest? Or the nicest? Or even the cleanest?!”

He didn’t reply, because as he looked down the street he saw that the bus was approaching and grabbed her hand to pull you along before it passed by. He kept hold of it even as you both tapped your phones to pay the fare and only let go once he’d slid into the seat after you.

“Okay,” he said after a minute. “Second cutest.”

“You know what?” you said. “With how difficult you are, I’ll take it.”

Fortunately the small market wasn't far and the bus stopped right out front. As you went to step off the bus Tsukki offered you his hand. "I don't have it in me to take another fall for you." You laughed and accepted, holding his hand all the way to the front door. You both removed your hats, gloves, and scarves, and while Tsukki only unzipped his coat you took yours off and draped it over the side of the cart. “So what are we getting?”

“This, definitely.” You grabbed a case of water from the stack by the door and hefted it into the cart. Tsukki groaned with disappointment; he knew he was going to be the one who had to carry it home. You stuck your tongue out and continued. “I don’t think we need a lot, okay? We’ve got a lot in the pantry. Water, maybe some of the self heating meals. Oh, we should grab some baby wipes too.”

“Ha?” Tsukki stopped mid step. You stopped too, looking up at him in confusion. His eyes flickered to your belly and back. “Uh, something you wanna share with the class?”

Your hands flew to your mouth to stifle your burst of laughter. “Oh my god, you idiot!” Your shoulders shook and your face was on fire. “No no noooo oh my god!” You wiped a tear from your eye and leaned into his side. “It’s just if we can’t take a shower, okay?! They’re way cheaper than those stupid shower wipes. And you get way more.”

Truth be told he felt stupid immediately after saying it. He wasn’t even quite sure why you saying ‘baby’ caught him so off guard. “As long as I’m not expected to take on any sort of parenting duties.”

You looked at him, your eyes narrowed with mischief. “Liar. I’ll bet you like being called Daddy.” He shoved you with his elbow and you burst into another round of maniacal laughter. “Okay, okay, you go get the food, I’ll get the wipes and meet you by the register.” He walked away shaking his head and you nearly skipped to the baby aisle while humming.

You made it to the front first. In your arms were two packages of wipes, a handful of candy bars, some canned coffees, and two warm sesame balls. Given that you had wandered to so many different places you were surprised you beat him. You turned your head, wondering where he could be, when an unwelcome face came into view.

Chikao was the last boyfriend you’d had, a few months before school started. He was attractive enough, and funny and charming at first. But the closer the start of the semester came the more sullen and aggressive his personality became. He didn’t understand why you’d want to leave him. He complained that obviously your relationship was just a fling because he certainly wouldn’t go so far away if you’d said no (these complaints were doubled because you’d not slept with him no matter how much he pushed). Eventually his little jabs led to an argument where he said it’s not like you needed to go to school anyway, you might get a degree but it wasn’t like you were actually smart enough to do anything with it. That was the last time you’d seen him, simultaneously telling you to accept the truth and begging you not to leave because he loved you. He was lucky you hadn’t broken his nose. His behavior was so despicable that it was largely the reason you had refused to date or entertain anyone since. Also, though you didn’t like admitting it, you were embarrassed. In retrospect it was easy to see how toxic the relationship had quickly become, but you had been so charmed by his handsome face and sweet love bombing that you’d blinded yourself to what kind of person he really was.

You hoped to walk away quickly before he noticed you, but no such luck. He spotted you immediately and made his way over, that fake smile on his face. “Well look who it is!”

You had to force the words out. “What are you doing here?”

He ignored the ice in your tone. “Oh, just here to meet a girl.” He watched you like a hawk, sizing up your reaction. You hummed vaguely and he continued. “Look, I know the last time we saw each other didn’t go well, but I really only have your best interest in mind, you know?” Mistaking your continued silence for interest he lowered his voice and continued. “I forgave you for leaving ages ago. I have a room downtown for the weekend, come over and we can talk things out.”

Making a scene or not, you were ready to tell him exactly where he could stick his room when an arm wrapped around you, pulling you into the warmth of a familiar lean body. “Everything okay, angel?” 

You positively melted with relief into Tsukki’s side. His coat had lifted your sweater and he had grabbed the exposed skin near your hip. Instead of fixing it he took advantage of the opening, letting his fingers slide further under the fabric to rub circles on your skin. Goosebumps raced down your leg and your entire back tingled from the contact. “Yeah,” you responded breathlessly. “Just fine.” 

Across from you Chikao’s face had twisted into something more befitting of his personality. You braced yourself but the diatribe you expected didn’t come; instead he seemed to chew on his bottom lip before uttering an angry “oh”, his eyes flickering from Tsukki’s face to the floor and back again. You turned your head, wondering what could be giving him such pause and - oh, indeed.

It wasn’t a smile, exactly. But it wasn’t really a scowl or glare. It was, most importantly, unnerving. It was easy to imagine that some great bird of prey might have a similar look on its face as it dropped from the sky onto some poor small stupid animal. And as if the murderous look on his face wasn’t enough, the fact that Tsukki stood at least a foot taller than both you and your ex-boyfriend only made him that much more frightening in the current situation. A shiver ran down your spine. Chikao muttered something about being late and turned sharply before fleeing the store. Clouds were gathering outside, darkening the sky. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding that trailed off into a suspiciously disappointed sounding sigh as Tsukki removed his arm from your waist while you dumped the contents in your arms into the cart. 

“Thank you.” You smiled up at him, your hand resting on his arm for a moment.

“Who was that?” Tsukki asked. When he’d come walking to the front of the store he’d seen you standing there, your entire body shrunk inward as someone with one of the most unpleasant faces he’d ever seen loomed over you. 

You gave him the spark notes version of your relationship with Chikao, your eyes on the floor the whole time. When you finished Tsukki didn’t say anything so you looked up only to find his face was turned away from you. After a minute he finally met your gaze and then abruptly put his hand on the top of your head, ruffling your hair. You squealed with laughter and tried to duck away but he caught you, pulling you into a one armed hug. You immediately gave up trying to escape. You told yourself it definitely wasn’t because you needed the sudden closeness. You were fine. His hand was on the back of your head and you felt the rumble in his chest when he spoke. “You’re okay.” 

You weren’t sure if he was saying you were okay in general, like as a person, or if he was offering you some kind of reassurance after what had just happened. Regardless, you were just as surprised as he was when you grabbed him around the waist, pressing your face into his chest to stifle your sudden sobbing.

〖✰〗

The next night you woke with a start. You laid there in the dark, wondering what could have woken you so abruptly when you realized you were cold. Not just cold, freezing. Your fingers and toes and nose actually ached, your ears uncomfortably numb. Groping for your phone you flinched when you grabbed it, the cold of the case biting against your palm. It was 2am.

Locating your slippers you shuffled to the window, vigorously rubbing your arms. You blinked rapidly before realizing it wasn’t your vision that was blurry; snow was falling outside. Thick and heavy, it looked like it had already accumulated into several inches. There were no other lights on. Slipping your phone into your pocket to keep it from freezing you shambled down the hall to Tsukki’s room, knocking on the door. You heard him groan, then curse, then the sound of his feet on the floor before the door opened.

“Th-the power’s out,” you stuttered.

He rubbed his face. “Clearly.”

“Let me come sleep with you.”

Even in the gloom you could see his eyes widen. “What? No.”

“Oh come on,” you whined. “It’s f-freezing!”

“So get some more blankets.” His response lost all its bite when he shivered.

“You’re cold too!” you said. “Come on, for real, a person could freeze to death.”

He shivered again. “Pretty sure I’d be fine.”

You hissed and stomped your foot. “A frozen roommate can’t pay rent, Tsukishima!”

His head fell back with a long groan but he stepped aside and opened the door for you. “Fine, you win. Come on.”

You practically dove into his bed. Your doorway conversation had barely lasted a minute but that was all it took for the cold to sap whatever heat he’d left behind and you whimpered, bundling his blankets up to your nose. They smelled like he did, like rain water and grass, and you inhaled it deeply. Tsukki closed the door, rummaged in his closet for another blanket to throw over the bed, then crawled in behind you. You expected that he would just lie next to you so you were quite surprised when he grabbed you around the waist and dragged you against him as the little spoon. You shrieked when he buried his frozen nose in the back of your neck and he shushed you. “Be quiet or I’ll throw you out.”

“Monster!” you hissed, snuggling as close to him as you could anyways. 

“We tell no one about this,” he warned. You could feel his lips against your skin and it was distracting to say the least.

You snickered. “Not even Kanji?” you teased, thinking of his adorably loud and nosey teammate. He huffed and buried his face deeper into the curve of your neck and for just a second you thought he might bite you. Then suddenly his fingers dug into your ribs, tickling you, and you screeched with laughter.

“Especially Koganegawa.”

With another threat to keep quiet ("you were tickling me!") you fell quiet and tried to get back to sleep. Despite his stoicism Tsukki was shivering just as much as you and was pressed as close to you as possible. Even his lanky legs were folded up behind yours. It took a few minutes but eventually the two of you made enough body heat to warm the little pocket under the blanket and you stopped shivering. Eyelids too heavy to keep open, you felt along his arm for his hand muttering “thanks, Tsukki.” 

You must have been more tired than you thought because just before you fell back to sleep you could have sworn you heard him whisper “anything for you.” But that couldn’t be right, because there was no way he’d say something like that.

Come the next morning you’d forgotten. Hell, when you woke up it took you a minute just to remember where you were. The arm around your waist and the very present stiffness against your ass nearly had you hurtling out of bed. Then the cold hit you, and you realized that through the slivers in the blinds you could still see snow falling, and you relaxed with a small sigh. It was Tsukki, and that was okay.

Wait.

Tsukki moved, his hips rolling against you.

Holy mother of - ! You swallowed the noise that tried to escape your throat and your face was on fire. Okay this is normal you told yourself. Don’t make it weird. But his morning wood was all you could think about. Should you get up before he did? Should you pretend to be asleep until he got up so that he didn’t know you had laid there in bed kinda sorta secretly enjoying the feel of his hard-NO STOP IT! Fortunately for both your heart and your mental health that’s when Tsukki chose to wake up, groaning as he rolled away and tried to stretch the cold-induced stiffness from his limbs. He got up and shuffled away to the bathroom (you presumed) and after a minute you groped around in your pants to get your phone out of the pocket. Your social media was filled with your friends freaking out about the power outages and news alerts on how to take care in such a dangerous situation. You kept glancing at the window, wondering how much snow was actually out there.

When Tsukki came back you were standing in front of the window with the blinds pulled open. You looked at him and simply said “that’s a lot.” He joined you, his mouth momentarily dropping open in surprise. Everything outside was smooth and white, still-falling snow sparkling against the backdrop of the gray sky. The snow drifts across the street were so deep that they completely covered the windows of the bottom floor apartments. Still, the scene was beautiful in its own way. Eyes roving the white hills you said “I don’t think we’re getting out for a while.”

Tsukki looked at you out of the corner of his eye. You were so enthralled with the winter wonderland outside. “Could be worse things.” 

You declared yourself a temporary-permanent member of his room and ran to grab your pillows and blankets, ignoring his protests. Just after 11am the power came back on and you seized the opportunity to charge your phone, take a hot shower, and make a hot meal, the two of you cradling steaming bowls side by side in his bed. Just before 2pm the power went out again and from the looks of the alerts you were getting it would be out until the next morning. The two of you spent most of the day in his bed having reached a silent truce as you cuddled and played on your phones.

You let Tsukki use the bathroom to get ready for bed first, unwilling to leave the cocoon you had made in his bed. He locked the door behind him but left the light off. Thumbs slipping into the elastic of the pajama pants he hadn’t bothered to change out of he slid them part of the way down his thighs, freeing the cock that had remained more or less erect for most of the day. He wrapped his hand around the base and stroked, lips pursed tightly to keep from making any noise. It really sucked being snowed in. Usually when he couldn’t stop thinking about what you’d look like with his cock buried inside you he could just leave, but that wasn’t an option now. The thought of what noises you’d make folded up beneath him were becoming entirely too intrusive.

As the sun had gone down the room had gotten progressively colder and even wrapped up with Tsukki under a small mountain of blankets could hardly warm you. “This sucks,” you whined. “How am I still this cold?!” You tried to scooch closer to Tsukki but there was simply no more contact that could possibly be made. He grunted as you tried to pull his arm tighter around yourself.

“We literally cannot be any closer,” he groused. “The only possible thing we could do at this point is get naked.” You froze in your attempts to cover yourself with him, pretty sure that he heard you audibly swallow at his words. That…was a thing, right? Like, it was legitimate advice offered to those in, uh, similar situations. You tried not to think about his erection pressing into that morning. No, it would be fine and totally not weird. It was survival, that was all. Imagine Tsukki’s surprise when you suddenly started squirming, grappling with your shirt. “What are you doing?!” He leaned away, momentarily thankful that without his glasses he couldn’t see clearly.

“Just shut up and take your shirt off,” you hissed, your face burning with embarrassment. 

“You’re not serious.”

“I don’t want to freeze all night, alright?” You shoved your shirt under the blankets to keep it warmish and folded your arms over your chest, facing firmly away from him. “Just…hurry up!” Speechless, Tsukishima did as bid, also shoving his shirt somewhere under the blankets behind him. But when he resumed his position behind you it was with an obvious gap between your torso and his. “Oh don’t be a chicken,” you said when you realized he intended to stay that way.

There was a long pause before he replied, his voice softer and somehow disarming. It was like he was measuring his words carefully before speaking them. Unbeknownst to you Tsukki was carefully laying the path to an end goal he had been eyeing for some time. “I’m the chicken?” he taunted. “I said the only thing left was to get naked, and here you are too scared to go all in. But I’m the chicken?”

“I’m not scared!” you blustered. “I’m - it’s just…” you trailed off and Tsukki waited for you to continue.

“A chicken,” he said decisively when you failed to do so.

Well. You weren’t about to take that lying down (actually you kind of were, since you were literally lying down, but that was beside the point). With an offended huff you shimmied out of your flannel pants, leaving them wadded up at your feet. “Fine.” You shivered. “There. Happy?”

He was. Delighted, actually. Lying on his back so as to not touch you until he was ready he slipped off his own pants, his cock already half hard. He was careful when he resumed his previous position, taking care that no part of him touched you. Then, before you could complain again, he slowly slid his hand along your back to rest at the curve of your waist.

You were shivering like mad. You had 100% let your pride take the reins and now here you were, naked, in Tsukki’s bed, with him, who was now also naked. Then he touched you, his hand resting heavily on your waist and it was all you could think about, the entirety of your existence focused on that point of contact. He laughed quietly. “I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

“Excuse you!” You were definitely feeling warmer now for very different reasons. Unfortunately that’s where your brain stalled out, failing to come up with any kind of clever comeback. He snickered and it made you pout.

“Well you got me naked, princess,” he teased. “Now what?”

You squawked in a rather unbecoming way. “It - this was your idea!”

His hand was dragging most distractingly over your waist and down to your hip. “All I did was point out that we couldn’t get any closer.” His fingers traced the dip of your pelvic bone. “You’re the one who started taking clothes off.”

“That is such a lie, Tsukki!” It wasn’t, not entirely, but you didn’t want to admit he was right.

He shifted, his shoulder touching yours. His breath warmed your skin as he leaned close. “A little too eager to get me out of my pants weren’t you?” 

You made a small noise in the back of your throat. “You…” you faltered, struggling to find the words. “You are the worst kind of tease, Tsukishima.”

"You know that's not my name." His voice, suddenly low and rough, so unlike its usual smooth self, had you clenching desperately on nothing.

"You...never want me to use your name." Your voice shook. It was no surprise really, you were trembling like a dry leaf caught in a bitter autumn wind and for once not because of the pervasive cold. His hand was rubbing ever so slowly along your hip, the tickling sensation of his fingertips near overwhelming as he got so close to where you wanted them before pulling away.

Hot, open mouthed kisses decorated your shoulder and up your neck, your skin tingling as goosebumps textured your flesh. His tongue darted out to lick along the shell of your ear before he pressed closer. His cock, hard and hot, so, so hot, dug into the cleft of your ass and you moaned, nearly missing the words he hissed into your ear. "I do when I'm about to fuck you."

Oh. He definitely was not just teasing. That would be too cruel, even for him. "Kei…" you breathed, voice cracking. "Kei," you said again, louder, a whimper catching in your throat as you clawed at the sheets. "Kei, please…"

He groaned. The desperation in your tone, the way you choked back emotion when you said his name. "Good girl," he growled. His teeth sank into your neck and you cried out, shrinking against him only to jerk and arch away as long fingers finally pushed between your legs. You were so wet, slick squelching noises making his eyes close as he pushed two long fingers inside you. "I can't wait to break you, princess."

He might as well have been speaking in tongues as far as your brain's ability to decipher the words you heard. As his fingers filled you over and over again, curling and stretching and rubbing, you rolled on your back, glazed eyes fixing on his face as you wrapped trembling fingers around his neck. His lips were surprisingly soft, his tongue slipping smoothly between your lips to eagerly meet yours. Your legs fell open as you ground your pelvis up against his palm. He chuckled softly, his thumb swiping over your clit. “So needy,” he teased. But the way his cock throbbed against your thigh gave him away, though you could only manage a hiss before pulling him down to kiss you again. 

He certainly didn’t seem to be in a hurry. No matter how you whined or twisted he persisted like you were a new toy he wanted to methodically learn. His lips moved down your neck to your chest, sucking hard along the way, before taking a peaked nipple in his mouth, rolling his tongue around it slowly. His fingers moved inside you just as methodically, seeking the places that had you making the most noise and focusing his attention there.

“Tsu-Kei, please-!” you whined, gripping the pillow so tight your fingers hurt.

“Ah ah,” he chided softly. “You don’t want to be done already, do you?”

“N-no…” you panted. More you thought desperately. “Maybe…fuck!” The ghost of his laugh warmed your skin and you grabbed at his hair. The wet sounds that reverberated in your ears as he fucked you with his fingers was so lewd but you wanted more. “I need…I just - want you inside.”

His tongue dragged a wet path up your neck. He kissed you deeply, sucking on your tongue and groaning when you bit his lip. “But I am inside you,” he said, his fingers stirring your pussy for emphasis. Stars flashed through your vision and you shuddered. Clutching the quilt and the back of his neck you arched upwards.

“Do that again,” you begged. So he did, swirling his fingers in the same motion until you were free falling off the edge, panting into his mouth around his tongue. His fingers, drenched with your release, dug into your thigh roughly as he moved between your legs. His other hand wrapped around the back of your neck, pulling you into another feverish kiss. You clung to him, whining as the length of his shaft slid along your slit, dragging against your swollen clit. He rutted against you until his cock was drenched with your slick and you were brokenly begging for him to put it in.

“Can I have you?” he hissed against your lips. He shifted his hips and the velvety head of his cock caught just at the entrance of your throbbing cunt. You inhaled sharply and held your breath, a shocked ‘oh god’ gurgling from the back of your throat as he continued. “Like this?”

“Yes, please, God yes!” You clawed angry red lines down his back to grab at his hips, pulling him forward.

Tsukki had felt something akin to shame jerking off thinking about you in the bathroom before bed but that was long gone now, because he was sure that otherwise he would have come right then from the way your pussy sucked him in. He pushed you back onto the mattress, biting your neck and sucking hard to keep himself from getting lost in the sensation. His back was burning and you were pulling his hair and it felt so fucking good. Every hot, wet, tight inch was both bliss and torture. You were gasping, your body tensing the deeper he went and he quickly realized that was going to be a problem if you kept it up.

You couldn’t see. Your head was spinning and you couldn’t think and you were so full, too full, stretched so good around his cock; his hips rolling in small movements that were both too much and not enough and - suddenly he was gently tapping your cheek, his lips brushing against yours. “Relax, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I’m almost there.”

You swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly in the glow of the moonlight. 

Tsukki.

Tsukishima.

Kei. All six feet eight inches of him was on top of you, asking you to relax because you were too tense to take all of his cock. You looked down, bracing your feet and tilting your hips to get a better view before you rolled against him. He groaned and his forehead touched yours as he watched the last inches of his cock disappear inside you. “Good girl,” he breathed. He grabbed the back of your neck and held you, the both of you watching as he moved. Out, out, out; your pussy clenching as he dragged his length out before slowly pushing back in. Again. And again. And again. “Look how good you take me, angel.” God he wanted to make you cry. He wanted to make it so good you’d cry. “I could fuck you like this all night.”

You would let him. You would let him do anything he wanted to you. You made a strangled noise of desperation, clawing at his shoulders, pressing your lips to his in a feverish kiss. When his hand cupped your cheek you grabbed his wrist and repositioned it on your throat. “You have the prettiest hands,” you muttered. “Wanted them to choke me for so long.”

In a flash he shoved your head back into the pillow, his fingers squeezing along the sides of your neck. Not as tightly as you might have wanted, but enough for the pressure to send another gush of arousal to soak the bed beneath you. He forced your head back and shifted his hips, fucking into you with deep strokes. The wet slaps of colliding bodies echoed in the room. You wondered if the neighbors beneath could hear it. Certainly they could hear you. You sounded like an animal, moaning and squealing, your ass bouncing off the mattress to meet his thrusts. Suddenly he stopped, his hips flush against yours, buried completely inside you. You could feel his length twitch and it made you moan. He kissed you slowly, his hand moving to your jaw, squeezing enough to make you keep your mouth open, pulling back to let your combined saliva drip back into your mouth. You pulsed around his cock, unexpectedly enjoying the crude action.

“Kei~!” you whined when even after all that he still wasn’t moving. 

“Quiet.” His chest was flush against you, your face in the curve of his neck. He started to move again, holding you down with his body so you couldn’t do anything but let him fuck you. “You feel so good,” he huffed. “So goddamn tight and wet.” You were flushed with embarrassment, and the fact that you could hear how wet you were as he moved wasn’t helping. Your nails dug into his back and you spread your legs wider, silently encouraging him to keep going.

It wasn’t long before your breath was coming in sharp bursts and you were twitching beneath him. “Kei,” you mumbled, a familiar heat coiling low in your belly. “I - oh fuck - Kei I’m gonna…” you managed to slide your hand between your bodies, your fingers caressing your clit in feathery circles. “If you keep…like this…” Your head was so fuzzy, your nerves drunk on pleasure. Tsukki hardly dared to breathe, maintaining the exact same speed and angle as you brought yourself to another orgasm. The noises you made were better than anything he could have imagined, your body arching, your silken walls clamping and throbbing around him.

“Shit,” he hissed, gripping your hip hard as he fucked you through your orgasm. He should have known the effect that would have. He needed to stop. He needed to pull out. He needed to reign in some kind of semblance of self control before he fucked you full of his cum. “So tight, sweetheart, got me way too close.” In a passing moment of clarity you thought fuck he’s going to come. Perhaps what you should have done was pushed him away. What instead happened was you growling like a depraved animal, scratching his back as you wrapped your legs around him and used the leverage to fuck yourself on his cock. 

“Don’t you dare pull out,” you growled. 

Even if he wanted to, which he didn’t, you held him so tightly he couldn’t. He groaned, his arm around your waist, holding you down on him as he came. You stayed like that for several minutes, bodies twisted together until he finally, slowly, pulled out. “Don’t move.” He brought you a towel and the two of you cleaned up and redressed in silence. When he climbed into bed you curled around him. Your face tucked into his neck, your legs tangled with his, and your fingers threaded in the back of his curly hair. He kissed the top of your head, his hand sliding under your shirt to caress your back.

“For the record,” he said suddenly a minute later. “You might be sleeping in here from now on but you still have to pay rent.”

You giggled, gently pulling his hair. “Only if you agree to rescind the ‘no fucking on the couch’ rule.”

“Keep pulling my hair and I guess we’ll find out.”

“It’s freezing don’t you dare!” You’d only just managed to warm up the bed. He laughed smugly and truth be told you were half tempted to test him. You told yourself that would be tomorrow’s goal.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

I'm so tired, shares replenish me.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Movie 2: Super Hero (3/5)

"What are any of us doing here? We're not even in this movie!"

So the Red Ribbon Army is trying to stage a comeback with a fresh crop of new androids, and Goku isn't around to stop them, because he's on Beerus' planet training with Vegeta and Broly. While Piccolo figures out what to do without them, the movie just goes ahead and shows us what Goku is up to. For about ten minutes.

I'm pretty sure this part of the movie is a concession to Goku's fans. Let's face it, the people love Goku, and to do a Dragon Ball movie with no Goku at all would be a risky proposition, no matter how good that movie is. Looking back at the old DBZ films, Movies 9, 10, and 11 were mostly Goku-free, but he still put in a brief appearance in each one. But those are also regarded as some of the worst entries in the series, and I don't think that's a coincidence.

Now, I'm a fan of Dragon Ball in general, so the idea of a Piccolo and Gohan movie is not only appealing to me, but I'd say it's long overdue. I'd take a Yamcha/Tien movie any day. Or a Launch standalone film. I sat through GT, so it'd take a lot to keep me out of the theater. But Toei's trying to run a business here, and they can't just depend on die-hards like me to bring in the ticket revenue. So I'm sure the decision to focus on Piccolo was a controversial one in the home office. But they probably reached a compromise by giving Goku a decent chunk of screentime as a make-good.

One thing that makes this movie so good is that they don't just toss out a character for the sake of having them in the movie. They actually take a moment to show what that character is doing these days, even if it doesn't affect the plot that much. That's important, because it lets the viewer come away feeling like they got something out of the cameo they just saw. For example, we've seen Goku and Vegeta on Beerus' planet before. This is nothing new, but this time Goku's trying to help Broly control his power. And Vegeta's trying to meditate so he can learn how to imitate Jiren's power. Goku doesn't really understand his approach, which goes to show that Vegeta's trying to push beyond the scope of the training they've done on Beerus's planet before now. Gohan is studying ants, Videl has her combat sports class, Piccolo's a homeowner, etc.

Compare this to Battle of Gods, for example. Now BoG's a good movie, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the characters who appear in the film are utterly wasted. Tien shows up but he looks and acts exactly the same as he did the last several times we've seen him. Then he shows up in Resurrection F and nothing's changed either. He says he left Chiaotzu and Yamcha behind for the big fight, but would it matter either way? If they showed up, they wouldn't do anything new with those guys either.

The trick is to not just put Ox King in your movie, but to have him mention something that he's gotten up to lately, something Ox King fans can mull over later. "Oh, hey, remember how Ox King said he was going back to school to get a sociology degree?" You can sink your teeth into that, even if that's the only thing that you find out about from him. It's a lot better than "It's Bulma's birthday, and one of the guests is Ox King, a character who certainly exists."

Let's talk about Vegeta's revelation in this movie, since it caused some commotion among the fans. Goku complains that Vegeta had just been sitting still lately, which he thinks is a waste of time. Vegeta explains that he's been studying the way Jiren fought during the Tournament of Power. While he dominated Goku and Vegeta--sometimes both at once-- Vegeta is certain that Jiren isn't that much stronger than they are. What made Jiren so tough to deal with was that he was completely relaxed until the very moment he chose to strike, which allowed him to put all of his power into those brief offensive moments. But since Vegeta can't do that himself, he's trying to train his mind to conceptualize it before he tries to make his body learn how.

So a lot of fans saw this and concluded that the studio hates Goku, or they think Goku's an idiot, or that the studio is stupid for failing to remember that Goku has meditated before in the past. There has always been a subset of the fanbase that tries to turn everything into a Manichean conflict between Goku and Vegeta. In this case, if Vegeta figures something out before Goku does, then it means that Toei or Shueisha or Akira Toriyama himself must hate Goku.

This is stupid on the face of it, because Akira Toriyama literally created the character and he's credited with the screenplay for this movie. If he truly despised Goku, why would he even have Goku in the movie at all? He could have killed him off a long time ago. Why even make a Dragon Ball movie when he could have been working on some Dr. Slump project instead?

All this scene is... and I promise you, it's nothing more to it..., is a exploration of what the boys are doing on Beerus' planet. They train here, of course. We've seen that before, but why are they training here? Well, they need to receive instructions and guidance from Whis, and this is where Whis lives. Okay, and why is Whis so important to the process? Why can't they just stay on Earth and spar like they used to do? Because that only gets them so far. They need to learn new ways of thinking in order to surpass the level they're already at.

And what does that mean exactly? Well, they can't just do a million pushups. It doesn't work that way. There's other things they have to figure out, and that requires them to think of things they hadn't thought of before. And Whis is already beyond them in terms of power, so he knows things that they're still struggling to grasp. But Whis can't just spell it out for them. He can describe what they need to do, but it's still up to Goku and Vegeta to understand and internalize it.

And that's what they're doing here. They're basically brainstorming ways to get stronger. This time, Vegeta had an idea, and he's following it to see where it leads. Whis approves, so he seems to be on the right track. Tomorrow, maybe Goku will have another good idea, and so on.

But it's not always going to be one or the other who has the breakthrough. And it would be stupid for them both to have the same idea at the same time, just so the partisan fans won't feel slighted. Goku seems to think he can get a lot out of working with Broly, but that hasn't paid off just yet. It might prove more productive than what Vegeta is working on at the moment, but there's only one way to find out.

As far as Goku failing to recognize the value of meditation, well, he's had to re-learn that lesson several times. People will point to the time he meditated in Otherworld, or the time he meditated during his training with Mr. Popo, but they forget that this sort of focus and concentration was part of his training with Master Roshi as well. Whis scolded both Goku and Vegeta on this point when they first trained with him in Resurrection F. We can draw one of two conclusions here.

Goku's quest for greater strength is a flat circle. He just keeps re-discovering the same fundamentals, making a big gain in power, and then forgetting how he achieved that improvement.

Akira Toriyama is recycling the same martial arts hokum over and over again, because he only needs to show the characters working for greater strength. He does not need to design a genuine and internally consistent system for fantasy martial arts, any more than the writers of Star Trek need to explain how dilithium crystals make the ship go.

Anyway, Whis proposes a Goku/Broly/Vegeta three-way match, but no one wants Broly to fight in case he flips out and wrecks the entire planet. Then Beerus wakes up and finds out he has new houseguests. Goku explains that this is a good place to hide Broly from Frieza, and before Beerus can object, he meets Lemo and samples his cooking. It's good, so Beerus decides he can stay. Then Cheelai walks by with a bag full of loot she stole from Beerus' home. But Beerus decides he likes Cheelai's looks, so he agrees to let her stay too. So that's decided.

I've also seen some fans gripe about how Cheelai didn't spend much time with Broly in this movie, and Beerus' crush on Cheelai muddies the waters further. Look, none of these characters got a lot of screen time in this movie. This scene could be cut entirely and you wouldn't miss a thing. Half of it is Goku sparring with Vegeta, so of course Broly and Cheelai weren't going to have a whirlwind romance in this thing.

All I know for certain is that Cheelai walked by Broly and went out of her way to say he was "looking good", which is a lot more than she complimented anyone else on this planet. I mean, she's stealing Beerus' stuff, which ought to tell you how much she's into his lanky purple ass.

Moving on, Whis still wants to do that sparring match, if only so Broly can learn to appreciate a high-level battle with the fighters maintaining control of their powers. But Goku wants to eat first and so they stop for lunch.

And yeah, then this movie up and decides to give us Goku/Vegeta III, just like that. I don't want to oversell it, but it's an excellent fight. Whis sets the ground rules to that transformations and ki blasts are forbidden, so in a lot of ways this looks a lot like the kind of battle they might have had at the 25th Budokai before Babidi's henchmen got involved. We only get to see a few minutes of it, but they're so evenly matched that the fight takes a really long time to settle, so maybe it's just as well.

Beerus notes that Vegeta's moves have changed in an almost imperceptible way, due to his recent meditation training. Still, he loses interest in the fight and decides to get ice cream while the boys slug it out. I'm pretty sure Cheelai never cared in the first place, but Broly is enthralled with this action. He's getting to watch two of the greatest Saiyans ever put on a clinic, and he's soaking it up like a sponge.

But the important thing, at least as far as this movie goes, is that Beerus tosses an empty ice cream carton onto Whis' staff, so no one notice it flashing when Bulma tries to call him.

Which means Piccolo's on his own, at least for the time being. He gets the news from Bulma while he's picking up some senzu beans from Korin. The situation looks pretty bad, since Piccolo estimates that the Gammas' power is roughly on par with Goku and Vegeta's. And Dr. Hedo might know 17 and 18's weak spots, so they might not be able to help either. There is Majin Buu, though...

.... ha ha ha! No, did you think this one was going to be any different? Buu's sleeping through this crisis too. Seriously, why did they keep him alive at the end of the Buu Saga if no one had any plans to use him for anything?

So what about Gohan? That's what Korin asks, but Piccolo just says they can't count on Gohan right now, which... ouch.

But Piccolo does have one other idea, and so he flies up to see Dende on the Lookout and asks him to draw out his hidden power. See, the Kami of Planet Namek, Grand Elder Guru, was able to power up Krillin and Gohan way back in the day. Now, Dende is the Kami of Earth, so Piccolo figures Dende could do the same for him.

Only, no, it doesn't work that way. Turns out a Dragon-Type Namekian has to reach a certain age before they can use that sort of ability, and Dende's too young. On the other hand, Dende suggests using the Dragon Balls to solve the problem. They could simply wish away the Red Ribbon Army, but Piccolo doesn't care for that idea. Okay, well what about using Shenron to draw out Piccolo's hidden power? Can Shenron do that? Dende's like "gimme a minute."

So Dende wheels out the cart with the model of Shenron on it, and he powers a flask of water on the model. This makes it glow, and somehow upgrades Shenron so that he can grant a wish to draw out a person's hidden powers. Piccolo remarks that he had no idea any of this was possible when he was Kami. To be fair, when Piccolo was Kami, he didn't even know he was a Namekian, so there's a lot of stuff he was out of the loop for.

Now all Piccolo needs is the Dragon Balls, but Dende tells him that Bulma probably has them already. Ever since Frieza came back, Bulma's been gathering up the Dragon Balls every year, using the wishes up so that they'll be inactive in case any bad guys try to use them. Piccolo calls to ask her and yes, she has the whole set. In the dub, he asks her how many she has and she's like "Oh, uh.... All of them?!" I can't be sure, but I think that's a reference to the "All of them?" line from the dub of Dragon Ball, when Piccolo tried to zap Goku, but he missed all his vital organs. Anyway, Piccolo tells her to hang on to the balls until he gets there.

So they summon Shenron and it works. Piccolo gets stronger, and the Dragon promises that he threw in "a little extra".

That still leaves two wishes to use, so Bulma asks for a nicer ass and slightly longer eyelashes. Then she realizes -- too late-- that they could have wished to bring Goku and Vegeta back to Earth. Whoops.

"Shenron, I wish for you to bring Goku and Vegeta to Earth, so that they might bear witness to all this junk within my trunk."

So Piccolo returns to the Red Ribbon base and just walks right back to the line of soldiers there in Magenta's command room. They're still talking, and Piccolo tells the other soldiers he had to go potty. No one suspects a thing.

Magenta's trying to figure out what to do next. He'd like to target Goku and Vegeta, but no one knows where they are. Mr. Satan is too risky, since no one seems to know what his powers are, exactly. Then Carmine suggests Gohan be the next target. His intel says that it was Gohan who defeated Cell, and he has lots of spy footage of Piccolo going to his house to visit, which suggests that Gohan is a "shadow boss" in Bulma's organization. Magenta likes the idea of taking Gohan out, but he doesn't want Red Ribbon guys operating in the city, since it's too soon to reveal their presence to the wider public.

But if they could kidnap Gohan's daughter and lure him to the Red Ribbon base, then they could fight him on their own turf. Carmine finds that to be a good idea, as it would improve troop morale. Magenta orders a two-man team go to fetch Pan, and Piccolo volunteers, saying that he lives in the same neighborhood and knows Pan's face, because she's the granddaughter of Mr. Satan.

Dr. Hedo objects to the kidnapping angle, but Magenta tells him to mind his own business. Hmmm...

So Piccolo will be picking up Pan from preschool after all, just a bit later than planned. I don't know why Pan can't just run home by herself. She made it all the way here from Piccolo's house, didn't she?

One thing I like about this scene is how there's one other kid here who gets picked up, and that kid's mom apologizes for being late, so it's pretty clear that it's well after 1pm. Pan's been here a while. Her teacher assures here that someone will show up soon, but Pan's still kind of disappointed.

The other Red Ribbon soldier sent to do the kidnapping thinks this will be easy, so he just walks right up to Pan and tells her his mom sent him, but she demolishes him with a single blow.

Then Piccolo reveals himself and Pan recognizes him by his ki and calms down. The teacher already knows Piccolo, so she's cool with him, and Piccolo explains that this was all a security drill arranged by Mr. Satan. Now, in the dub, Piccolo addresses the teacher as "Janet", implying that he knows her as well as she knows him, and I think this is what led to the genesis of the Piccolo/Janet ship. I don't have a lot to say about it that hasn't already been said, but I'm all for Piccolo and Janet getting together. Janet's a fine foxy lady, and Piccolo's reputation speaks for itself.

Of course, Piccolo now has to fly the Red Ribbon airship back to base. He's a pretty crappy pilot, but he manages. I like to think Janet is still impressed, though. "Wow," she thinks as he flies away, crashing into a billboard. "Is there anything he can't do?"

Piccolo's plan is pretty simple. He explains the situation to Pan, and convinces her to play along with the kidnapping. When Gohan shows up to rescue her, he'll kick everyone's ass and that'll take care of everything. Actually, that sounds a little half-baked to me. Piccolo got a power up from Shenron, but is that enough? Anyway, they bring Pan to the base and take a video of her acting scared, then Magenta sends Piccolo and the other guy back to the city to show it to Gohan. Wait, why is that Namekian chair back there? What's that about.

Well, it doesn't matter because Pan sees some cookies and she's like "Don't mind if I do!" but then...

Carmine takes the plate away! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

You suck, Carmine!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Pan would probably attack him right there, except Piccolo's behind him trying to calm her down.

So Piccolo and 15 go to Gohan's house, and Piccolo takes him to the window since he knows Gohan won't answer the door. Notably, Gohan doesn't recognize Piccolo through his disguise, even though Pan saw through it immediately. Also, Gohan hasn't bothered to change out of the clothes Piccolo put him in this morning. Those must be fascinating ants he's working on.

15 shows Gohan the video of Pan and RIP the windowsill.

He turns Super Saiyan and scares the shit out of 15, who promises Pan will be fine if he just returns with him to the base. Gohan gets so mad he makes a crater in the ground...

... and the house starts to list down into the hole. But Piccolo doesn't mind because his plan is working. Gohan's back in a fighting mood and he can clobber the Gammas!

Or can he...?

[tennessoui]

Hey Kit!! This past year when the Acolyte came out, my heart broke and I decided to step away from Star Wars. It’s fine that others liked it but personally I didn’t; actually to be frank, I REALLY didn’t like it. Star Wars and Anakin got me through a lot, so watching Disney take an actual shit on his origin and then his redemption ark by half-assing the lore, felt like a punch to the gut, and I had to step away. (This is my personal opinion, if you or others liked it that’s great! I just didn’t). However, when I saw that u published the body politics au, I decided to sit down and catch up on all your fics (btw I love the Hanahaki one!), and it got me back into the fandom. I’m glad one shitty (imo) show didn’t push me away permanently and I have you to thank for that. I’ve met so many great people thru Star Wars and made a lot friends so it had really been kind of hard to turn away from it. I just really wanted to say thank you. your writing is, as always, too beautiful and inspiring to ignore. Star Wars means so much, and I’m so thankful that your work was able to help me look past all the stuff that made me unhappy with it. I hope you have a wonderful day!!

this is very kind to send to me and a very nice morning read! i admit, i actually have not watched the acolyte, though not for any particular reason. i've definitely heard mixed reviews about the show and its take on the jedi order and the sith, which have been sorta sad to read cause i do like the jedi (though i guess i never label myself as pro-jedi cause like? they're the good guys? you're not like. pro-percy jackson or something right? pro-katniss everdeen? you just sorta read the book and you're like oh yeah these are the good guys. might find aspects of a character annoying but i'm definitely not supposed to be rooting for the Capitol or smething right)

but i've also heard from other people that as a pew-pew show, it delivers on that front! lightsaber fights are cool and everyone has a funky haircut that they pull off somehow which does feel quintessentially star wars

my general view of the disney plus star wars shows is that i'll watch the ones that strike my fancy, and if one of them doesn't then i won't. the star wars disney execs produce a lot of content (and i truly mean content, i.e. material to be consumed - not necessarily art) and a lot of it i'm probably never going to watch. it wasn't made for me, and i definitely get the lurch and disappointment you may feel if you look forward to something for ages and then it's not what you wanted in a thousand small ways or a handful of big ways. i think that's especially hard to guard against nowadays when trailers for tv shows rely more on aesthetic and punchy one-liners and brief second cameos than they do explaining the actual story of the show

but you can be a fan without loving the direction some shows go in or the choices directors make!! if that looks like only watching shows that have been peer-reviewed, or if that looks like ignoring everything but a small corner/subset of a massive fandom, or if that looks like turning from the media itself and diving further into fanart and fanfiction and interacting with people online then that's what it looks like! especially now that the world of canon star wars media isn't just 6-9 movies + 2(?) non trilogy movies, you should absolutely go about watching star wars content with a you-first mindset 100%

you know how many people were disappointed in the obi-wan kenobi series?? soooo many because he was a sad little pathetic and broken man with greasy hair. but that's exactly how i like my obi-wan kenobis, so i was thrilled every episode lol but i'm sure other people hated it and boycotted and whatever. but i found my corner of the fandom who also enjoyed that and it's been wonderful <3

so anyway thankyou so much for your very kind words i hope none of that sounded too preachy i was mostly trying to agree with you that it's really great that one (shitty) show did not keep you away from the fandom forever and that you're back!!

welcome back :)

[youcantdateosmosisjones]

thoughts on the fable reboot

-until proven wrong, I'm like 98% sure this fable reboot loosely takes place after fable 1. it's got that fable: legends whimsical style to it (think that's the new artistic direction they're going for with this series- still getting used to it), magic is still around, and technology is at a minimum (hey! bows and arrows are back!). The vibe and stylization is very different than what I'm used to for albion, but no complaints.

-the only reason I confidently think it takes place after fable 1 is because of the castle. think it could be fun if we get to explore the lore behind all the shit that went down there before fable 2. mysteryyyyyyy oh yeah also bowerstone is huge now. not city-huge like fable 2, but the reign of terror has fo sho ended, and civilization is expanding... i think... it makes sense to me

-I do know for a fact that the heroes guild is/was up and running. Humphrey's got his pendent thingy, but I still dunno if this reboot is full-on retconning the lore. I hope not- because sometime after Fable 1, when guild dissipated and heroes became somewhat resented, the place got burnt to a crisp. don't think that's happened just yet- but i don't think the guild is all that popular at the moment And hey- the heroes falling from public grace is in the trailers... kind of (lots on emphasis on the people being sick of them). Would make a cool plot-point to see the guild's fall.

-dunno about the hero of oakvale, tho. he's probably dead. is only memorialized by a number of books, songs, and small easter eggs... maybe a statue if we get really lucky. wouldn't surprise me if this game takes place a few hundred years after fable 1 (there's 500 years between fable and fable 2- there's plenty of time to spare) and he's simply faded from the public consciousness. this Humphrey guy is probably the latest, greatest joe-schmo who just got off the pedestal ...actually the implications of past heroes fading out of favor soon as their glory days are over, and being replaced the next "savior" of albion is kind of depressing

-but also! Oakvale could very well still be thriving if i'm right. No shadow court (yet. would be cool if they made a guest appearance ig), possible location to visit, etc

-not gonna get my hopes up with this one- but potential cameos, or little easter eggs for beloved characters are always awesome. seeing theresa minding her own business for once... he-who-shall-not-be-named as a farmboy... one can dream. pulling up on the side of the road to help a blind lady- possibly a random encounter- only to get a brief, cryptic fortune reading from eldritch gma... ohhhh, the potential... .............but jack of blades reference..? any kind of reference to the court at all? pretty please??? all I need is a random poster on a wall commemorating their defeat, and I'll be happy

-I'm very interested in seeing what story this game's gonna tell. I have a feeling it's gonna lean further into player choice, like how bg3 has wonderfully showcased (not that extent, of course). We might actually get multiple endings, too. Least I hope so. With this new stylistic shift, new studio handling this, it'd be nice to see the narrative truly be affected by our decisions.

-im already kinda loving this villain

so yeah

[cloud-based-and-rainpilled]

Staged 2 thoughts!! (this will take a Year because I have a Lot of feelings)

tl; dr at the end

Hmmm I don’t see how it’s a love story yet

Staged 1 works well enough on its own but the second season is really essential as a companion piece upping the emotional ante (which is exactly how I feel about Good Omens 1 & 2 lol)

The opening scene mindfuck; The meta! We have reached levels of irony not previously seen possible

Who do I thank for the tacky Zoom interview show background? It deserves top billing

HE DOESN’T WANT THE GOLDFISH TO BE LONELY (metaphor) and then it FUCKING DIES

Celeb cameos in season 1 being all “hey! I like you!” in season 2 like “you are tearing them apart. I hate you. scum

Also the themeing of Michael Sheen and David Tennant being on their own “side” VS everyone else……….. Simon Mr. Writer Sir i see u and unfortunately i am in your walls

The writing feeling less theater-y works for the meta and I’m wondering whether they always had a second season in mind or if it’s just that well written

Was really hoping for a Colin Firth & Hugh Grant cameo ngl :/

The music didn’t annoy me as much this season since it was more of the horn oomp-pah-pah than the piano. Idk maybe my mind just changed

I didn’t know Whoopie Goldberg could be terrifying but here we are (also I forgot her name isn’t Whoopie)

“I think the wizard fucked your ass” ???

Setting up the awards and the baby was peak *pops P* comedy 🤌 Definitely needed since it gets Sad as it goes on

Welsh kink spotted!!! And so fucking blantant I was scandalized

“I’ll shove it up my ass where the rest of the excrement goes” Michael casually asking David to peg him. Nice

More bad magic. More pls and ty

Also moar Nina pls. T’was but a brief beautiful bluster in the wind

Tbh missed a lot of Michael & David’s back-and-forths VS season 1 but I get that’s… the point

Everyone agreeing David is whiney and annoying lmao get wreck’t

Also I forgot they don’t have air conditioning in Englandland ‘cause my man is sweating in every scene he’s in (unless that was intentional in which case… go on…)

The ladies!! That meta ending with the Bechdel test… I see you…

Still love Georgia and Simon’s sister (who I apparently don’t respect enough to google her name); I like Anna now too! She’s got this kinda quiet sarcastic edge I didn’t notice the first time. They all played off each other well in their 3 some (phrasing) scenes

Big amongus sus react that Anna has better chemistry with the two of them than with Michael of which there is literally zero chemistry. Compared to Georgia and David who are just electric with each other it’s honestly distracting

Actual torture watching them break down as other actors play them and drive their friendship apart, it’s fascinating to watch especially on top of it being themselves but, like, not we swear

“Am I your best friend” “No” Fuckin REJECTED !! looser!!!

Oh huh I can see how this is a love story, interesting

The David Tennant fanboy (he is a Real actor I just can’t think of his name) served juicy vomiting SFX realness

“So you’ve made love with him” BROTHER

It took me 87 years to realize warthog and mongoose were in reference to Timon and Pumbah lol <- I am not looking up how to spell this

The bannister being part of the bookshelf why did this make me laugh this hard

Ken Jeong actually reaching into the heart of everything and casually tearing into it Temple of Doom style and leaving everything to ruin lmao

I miss people getting too close to me (feral noises)

Ewan McGregor is cute and I am shallow 🥰

AU where Simon Pegg and Nick Frost did Staged and honestly it would still work aside from being dangerously heterosexual

Simon & Nick doing the Staged 1 back and forth but literally? mmmm that’s sum gud meta

Oh right I forgot the actual writer Simon’s in it too. He’s still good. I like his Zoom tantrum

Jim Parsons unconvincingly looking for his phone after he casually tells David that he and Michael are obviously in love and everyone sees it lmao

David Tennant has the unique ability to make this absolutely insane face reserved specifically for the emotion “oh shit I’m in love with Michael Sheen” which like

I could kill the Good Omens costume department rn I stg take off those fucking sunglasses I’m so mad

Ohhhhhhhh yeah this is a love story

The Frozen snowman being the big bad final boss of cunt, oof you gotta love a good villain

Michael’s monologue the only one not in the kitchen area just breaking down completely I mean *claps until my hands fall off* he put his whole pussy into it. The frustration? The despair? I mean it felt like an audition monologue (in a good way) he walked through the valley in the shadow and death and came back a broken man with a fuzzier beard

CATE BLANCHETT ZOOM SNIPE

Apparently people didn’t like Phoebe Waller Bridge in the new Indiana Jones movie which I haven’t seen but idk I thought she was pretty funny and hot here. *ding*

MOOMIN MUG SPOTTED

The use of travel as a metaphor for feeling stuck emotionally *clenches fist*

“I like silence” *screaming from the other room*

“It’s like gas filling a room” <- fascinating way to describe their dynamic, it’s specifically referring to aimless conversations that snowball and “fill up a room” but it could also refer to the palpable energy between them— like even through the abstraction of a computer screen there’s this magnetic force that’s just riveting, it’s hard to describe

“We haven’t talked about love” > Seen at 2:17 PM LMAO

Michael alone with the black frame lingering shot. Acting and editing and directing choices so simple and on point. everything hurts

Struggling to say goodbye on Zoom physically reaching out unable to leave the frame that whole scene was just. You can just feel the love through the screen, it’s so layered and intimate despite essentially being “No you hang up first”

Zoom wedding! He stayed!!

I wonder if that’s Michael Sheen’s actual best friend. That would be cute

Anna whispering and telling him “nah I know your bestie is literally an hour away but he can’t come over lol” like??? why? let them love each other I cannot handle this villain arc

“I have to bring that one otherwise my tits will explode” Wait wasn’t she drinking earlier though? #ShivRoyMoment

“I was standing outside your job for four hours because I love you” <- dog from Up moment

Yes he is legally a Hobbit

The car window as an abstraction like the Zoom boxes *continued feral noises*

The direction of David putting his hand on the window and Michael walking away only then revealing Anna and the baby far in the background? We’re in 3 dimensions and they are all painful!!

Okay yeah I get it it’s a love story but I thought this was a comedy haha right guys why does everything hurt

It ends on that meta moment between David and Georgia which I can only assume is to set up for the third season although I dunno if that was planned at the time as well. It’s ambiguous but not distracting if they didn’t make another one

tl; dr: Staged 2 is a unique and excellent addition to Staged 1. The added meta textual layer of the other celebrities breaking down their relationship based on Staged 1 allows for a lot of “hiding behind my hands so embarrassed” moments, but also by pitting them against each other, it reveals their actual love for each other through the bickering. Season 1 on its own is a nice vignette of its time but season 2 with it adds a tension and intimacy that really takes both over the top

Kinda dreading watching Staged 3 since it seems like people overwhelmingly like it less than the other two because of the loss of the Zoom format and constant arguing, but I’m already in this far deep so I’ll stick the landing

To wit— awwwwwww, they love each other!

[the-fandom-queenxox]

Okay so what if Martyn isn't in the cast but he does show up as cameo like they did in the first rats

Like hear me out in this little scenario I made up for a second.

He shows up at the new place, he is like "I am a rat again?!" He learns that there is another L.O.O.T shard in the rat world that needs to be dealt. He goes to explore the new place, he sees the og cast is also here and is like "I can't reveal myself to them" (but whilst searching around in his head he is like "I wonder how they are doing" "Do they miss me" "Do they think that I am dead" "Are they mad at me" "Would they be mad at me" etc.) He comes across the new cast of rats but he keeps his interactions with them brief and mostly asks them questions to figure out where the shard is (and mostly cause he thinks the new cast will tell the og cast that he is here) anyways fast forward he finds the shard he is leaving to go find the return portal, but uh oh the new cast does tell the og cast that he was here: "Oh hey also there is a new rat around" "Oh really" "Yeah but he doesn't look like he will be staying for awhile, he looked like he was in a rush" "Hmm that's strange what does he look like?" "*Gives Martyn's exact description*" "WHERE?!" So this whole chase sequence ensues and it's really angsty and blah blah blah. Martyn just barely loses all of them and goes through the portal with no one else following him in, leaving the rats behind once more to complete his mission to get out of the datastream...

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Minific request filled for @idiotwithanipad , featuring her OC Amy (brief cameo of my own OC Silver).

Emotional hurt/comfort, Humphrey POV, featuring Robin. Hope it’s what you were after, hun.

The front reception desk was one of the better spots to be dumped at, Humphrey had quickly realised since the hotel had opened. It was the best place to people watch most of the guests, get a good look above shoe-level at the new faces coming in, and he always got the best gossip between the staff muttering about people while thinking there was no one in earshot. It also gave him a good view of the computer and he would be the first to spot whenever Alison’s name was added to a future booking.

It would get a bit boring, usually during lunch and especially after eleven when they’d lock up for the night. But lately he’d been forgotten there less often after their most recently added member of their dead family.

Strange. He usually spotted those large boots thumping down the stairs in the corner of his vision by now. He’d seen all the others pass him at least once or twice, he’d watched Kitty rush excitedly to the aerobics club, he’d had a quick gossip with Fanny about some drama that had happened between a rich couple and the man’s mistress the night before and he’d seen Thomas swoon over his latest infatuation, a bellhop girl with hair very similar to Isabelle’s and Alison’s.

No Amy yet? Maybe she didn’t feel like leaving her room today, whichever empty one she had claimed for the night.

“‘Ey! Hey, Robin!” He called when he saw the caveman walking through the wall, stretching his neck and rubbing his joints, probably having just come out of Zumba. “You seen Amy today?”

“Stompy?” His oldest friend replied; “No.”

“Was she with you guys in the room last night?”

‘The Room’ was technically Kitty’s room, as she always had first dibs on the bed and had been named after her, but had become a sort of common room for all of them, especially as it Alison’s usual room. Kitty had made it clear they were all welcome to sleep over, though most of them crashed on the sofa or the floor.

“No. Pat invite her for Music Club but she say she no come, wanted quiet, so we not get pushy.” A thoughtful look came over Robin’s face; “She seem quiet already. Odd because she laugh with me just couple hour before when we watch guy get mad his club stuck in ground and he get all red face.”

“You dunno why her mood changed then?”

Robin shook his head; “Me assumed she tired?”

“The girl is ninety percent caffeine! She’s hardly ever tired. Unless she’s crashed out…” It wasn’t as if the girl was incapable of sleep, his head had laid in her arms during some sleepover nights, “I’d like to just check on her. I mean even if it’s just to make sure she hasn’t…y’know. Whoosh, and all that.” Not that he wouldn’t be thrilled for her, but given that she’d been the most to spend much time with him lately, he would miss her. “Can you sniff her out or something?”

“Me not hound!” He replied, offended, then flared his nostrils; “Wait…can pick up of trail of icky demon drink.”

“Monster.”

“That what I said!”

Humphrey rolled his eyes as Robin lifted him up off the desk and followed his nose to hopefully find where Amy had disappeared to. He grew concerned when Robin started to head towards the gardens rather than upstairs.

“None of you saw her leave a room?” He asked.

“Many rooms, many guests, can’t keep track of all, especially when we walk through walls!” The great furball defended; “Big nosy head watch all who come and go, you not see either.”

True, but he’d assumed she’d come down the other staircase, the same one where Annie had met her yeasty end all those years ago.

Venturing out onto the golf course, they dodged a few balls swung across their path before they reached the wood. Humphrey grew more curious as to what she would be doing all the way out here on her own, almost at the boarder.

Finally, he spots that familiar black hoodie on a figure sat beside what appeared to be a small mound next to a collapsed old grotto. A gap in the trees above allowed a beam of sunlight to enter down and rest atop the mound, where unseen to any living eyes lay the body of a young woman in early two thousands alternate clothing and a fringe of pink hair against the black. A contented smile remained on her face as she slept, a necklace with a five-pointed star resting atop her clavicle.

Amy was sat in the dirt with her knees to her chest, her back against the natural resting place of the sleeping Neo-Pagan ghost.

“Hey, Poppet. Everything all right?” Humphrey ventured.

The girl sprang up in surprise. They hadn’t exactly crept up on her, but it wasn’t as if ghosts footsteps made a sound.

“How did you find me?” She asked, sniffling and rubbing her face with the bulky sleeve of her hoodie.

Had she been crying?

“You easier to track than deer with giant hole in belly.” Robin said, “Remind me to teach you to hide that.”

Humphrey wasn’t sure ghost odours were something that could be covered up. Or maybe Robin made a conscious effort to smell that way.

“Did you just wanna come visit Silver? You know she only wakes a few days a month on the full moon, right?” He asked, gently.

“Yeah, Moonah only waxing, still got fortnight.”

“I know that! Just…wanted to be near her for a moment, that’s all.” Amy scuffled her heavy boot against the ground, “No offence to the rest of you but she’s the closest thing I have to a mate, you know. A girl mate.”

“You and her mates? Oh, me not know, congrat-.”

“NO! Not like that! Just friends. I just needed someone to talk to who gets me, you know. About things I’m not comfortable talking to men about. Kinda hoped that even if she’s asleep she can still hear me a little and would want me to rant to her.”

Humphrey could respect that, though he felt a little guilty that there were things she didn’t felt comfortable confiding to him about. That shouldn’t sting all that much, he had known the girl less than six months, but he couldn’t help but feel oddly protective of her.

“You don’t wanna talk to Kitty or…?” The other female option sounded unlikely before he’d even said her name.

“Kitty’s sweet but she’s really naïve. Can’t really talk to her about any….difficult stuff. She still thinks babies are made by pressing ears together. As for Lady B, she’d probably say it was my fault for showing too much ankle or something.”

“What your fault?” Asked Robin.

Amy’s lips pinched together as if she’d been caught out.

“N-nothing.” Her hand reached up to adjust the now defunct headphones permanently attached to her head.

He exchanged a look with Robin. They might not have much women’s intuition but they had eyes. There was something a lot more introverted about the way Amy was acting, in everything from her body language to not making eye contact with them.

“Amy, sweetheart, did something happen?” He asked, cautiously.

“No! Like what?” She snapped back like a defensive animal.

“Someone…say bad thing or…try bad touch?” Robin asked, awkwardly; “Was it Julian? Because me had words with him already, if he say more disgusting thing then me will rip his-.”

“Stop! Stop! Julian didn’t do or say anything to me.” She got to her feet before them; “He’s actually been on good behaviour lately. Though he did say hashtag-me-too in the wrong context the other day. But at least he’s trying.”

“Someone else though?”

That the young woman didn’t deny, just continued to rub her arms and look away.

“Other ghost?” Robin asked, “Thomas not always take no for-.”

“Not Thomas either. Or Captain or Pat or even the Spa ghosts.”

She sat atop one of the fallen logs, turning her eyes back to her sleeping friend.

Humphrey and Robin shared a look before taking a seat beside her, Humphrey still held in Robin’s lap.

“A living then? Wasn’t a guy who brings a load of dogs with him?”

“They my friends. The dogs, not the guy, he sucks.” Clarified Robin.

“I know who you mean and not that guy. You don’t know him. He booked in yesterday, him and his wife.” Amy began to explain, “He used to live down the street from my house growing up. When I’d walk to school, he’d always be out in his front garden, working on something. It started with him just telling me to have a good day, not work too hard, all that stuff…Thought he was just being friendly. Mum and his wife were good friends.”

Already Humphrey didn’t like the direction this was heading in. He wished he had his body so he could put an arm around the girl.

“Then, when I began Secondary, he started giving me compliments…first on my hair, then my bag, then my…my skirt. It made me really uncomfortable when he kept saying I was ‘maturing nicely’. I started wearing trousers instead and he said it was a shame for me to hide such a…’great set of pins’. I told Mum and she just said that he was an old fashioned guy and I shouldn’t take it the wrong way.” She squirmed in her seat, “S’my fault. I should have just asked him to not say things like that.”

“Shouldn’t need asking. Why grown man care what young girl look like? Especially when he have wife, monogamy being scam or no. It his fault.” Robin defended.

“He’s right, Poppet.” Humphrey assured; “He didn’t…do anything else, did he?”

She gulped, looking down at her hands.

“One time my mum asked me to go round and fetch a strimmer that his wife had narrowed. She weren’t home but he was…I said I was happy to wait outside while he fetched it but he insisted I come in.” She explained, voice shaking; “He said I could sit in his garden if I wanted, take my hoodie off, get a tan because I was ‘far too pale’. I kept saying I had to get back home to do my homework. I refused to sit, refused to accept anything to drink.”

Sensible girl, he thought.

“Getting fed up I think, he went and got the strimmer and handed it to me. Then he stroked his fingers over my leggings and picked at the hole there. I stepped back and he was laughing like ‘Oh sorry, just wanted to see how they felt! You should get that rip stitched up.’” She shuddered, as if he were there right now with his filthy hand on her, “I took the strimmer and ran back home, told Mum I was gonna walk the longer way around to school and didn’t wanna be near him again.”

“You told her what happened?”

Amy nodded; “Think she had a word with his wife. They moved house within a few months. She must have divorced him because the wife he came with today was a different woman.”

Humphrey cleared his throat and looked Robin, gesturing with his eyebrows. Having been able to form something of their own language whenever he was headless over the past four hundred years, Robin got the hint and passed Humphrey into Amy’s arms.

She seemed hesitant at first, then wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her belly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come find you today.” She mumbled, voice breaking.

“That’s all right, poppet. You were clearly going through something. I’m sorry you didn’t think we’d be much help. I know we’re just blokes but we do care about you and wanna listen when you’re upset.”

Robin grunted in agreement and reached to put his paw around her shoulder, squeezing it a little.

“What is strimmer?”

“That thing they use to cut the grass, the big stick with the spinning blades.” Humphrey tried to explain.

“Oh. Should have used to cut off his balls.” He said, jovially; “But guess might not be best decision. Stompy very brave not letting him touch and telling mother truth. Otherwise might have gotten worse.” He tried to praise her.

Amy ran her hands through Humphrey’s hair.

“He might have just harassed some other poor girl in their new neighbourhood.” She said, as if it had been playing on her mind for a long while.

“Fingers crossed he’s never taken it that far. There’s nothing more that could be done, much as I think we’d all prefer blokes like him to have their hands cut off and be castrated.” He reassured.

“Hmm. That eerily close to punishment for touching girls without consent in my tribe. We throw genitals onto fire as sacrifice to Earth Mother.”

“Guess you savages were more enlightened than us lot in some ways.” Humphrey chuckled.

Amy clearly wasn’t in the mood for jokes, her face creasing after having revealed something so personal.

“There, there, Poppet, you’re all right now, you’re safe with us. You don’t have to go anywhere near him while he’s there.” He comforted.

Robin gently tugged her close to curl against his furs, she brought her knees up a little, almost cocooning her body around Humphrey as she shed a few tears. Humphrey could understand why Silver would probably be better equipped to talk to about this, the stoner Wiccan would probably be fuelled with enough rage to cast some sort of curse upon the bastard, or make him choke on the scent of sage.

“Thanks, guys. For listening…” Amy mumbled after a while, thumb stroking against Humphrey’s cheek.

“Not problem. You sure you no want me to try give him shock? Maybe burst his lamp when he try to read at night?” Robin offered, smiling with his chin atop her head.

Amy managed a small laugh; “Thanks but, don’t want any risk of him dying and staying here with us. Think he’s just here for the weekend.”

“We can stay and camp out here with you if you wanna stay near Silver?” It would be far better than being left anywhere alone.

“No…You’re right, she can’t wake up, so it’s pointless. She wouldn’t want me moping out here like he’d forced me to be away from my home.”

Home. It was the first time Humphrey had heard the girl call it that. It made his estranged heart feel warm.

Robin released the girl and jumped to his feet, like he’d suddenly had an idea.

“Think me go find Julian. We can make plan for guy with bad hands.” He said, mischievously.

“Robin, I said I didn’t-.”

“No, no shocky shocky, me promise.” The caveman assured; “But maybe we annoy him by ruining his golf game and making drink spill in lap. Will not share Amy story, just say that he asshole. Julian never need much excuse. Little bit of karma, yes?”

“Oh let him, Poppet, he just wants to do something to feel better after what you just told us.” Humphrey whispered from her arms.

He know because he felt exactly the same, unfortunately he lacked any ability to haunt, or else he’d also be on his way to make the man’s stay here a misery until he got fed up and decided to leave early.

Amy smiled and nodded, dismissing the caveman who jogged off in both excitement but also a thirst for vengeance.

“Listen, love,” Humphrey said, seriously, “It really isn’t any of your fault, what he did or said to you. You know that right?”

She shrugged; “I guess but…doesn’t take any of it away. Nearly forgot it till I saw him again and it all came back.”

“I know. Trust me, even though we’re the dead ones, we still manage to get haunted as much as livings. You don’t have to rush back there, we can go for a walk around the woods and to the boarder if you want? You can tell me more about those music bands you were into, that you miss playing on that ear armour of yours.”

The fact that he referred to them as that always amused her.

“But you have no idea who I’m on about when I mention them!” She laughed.

“Doesn’t matter. Still more interesting than listening to Cap talk about that time he won a game of Risk.”

He was happy to see a slight glow reappear on Amy’s cheeks as she stood. She wished a brief goodbye to the sleeping Silver, promising to come back on the full moon, before slowly walking away, telling Humphrey about the first concert she ever went to. In return he told her about the time he went to watch one of Shakespear’s plays performed for the first time at the Globe, which he fell asleep during.

They barely made it out of the woods before a bumbling shape moved across from them and they both let out a cry of surprise before recognising who it was.

“Oh, where the ‘ell have you been? It’s been a week!” He chided his own corpse; “Amy, sweetheart, do you mind?”

Amy leaned up on her tiptoes and placed his head upon the stump.

He clicked his neck, feeling it connect like a loose hinge. He grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

“Ah, thank you! If I hadn’t needed to come find you out here, I might not have come across him for who knows how long.” He smiled.

Amy then surprised him further by throwing herself forward, wrapping her arms around his torso, hands clinging to his robes. This time he was able to truly feel his heart swell at the contact. He put his arms around her, one hand patting her head. He couldn’t explain the connection he felt to the girl, despite the hundreds of generations that separated them, despite not having a clue about half the things she talked to him about. Even in her darker moments, she had a way of lighting up his existence.

[mayasdeluca]

Let's do a little Station 19 math. Mason was in season 1 with CC playing him when Stacy McKee was in charge. Mason came back in season 3 when KV was running things and she opted to age down Danielle to play teen Maya but recast CC with a younger actor.

Danielle kept pushing for a Mason (CC) come back but a "higher up" shot her down. Until that is season 7 when KV is no longer in charge and they brought CC back as Mason.🤔

I am still trying to wrap my head around why they chose to bring him back in that kind of storyline though after all the times Maya brought him up so lovingly. "I've never said I love you to anyone but my brother so it means something" or when Carina asked about inviting family to the wedding her first thought was that she didn't know where Mason was. He could've been part of a clinic storyline or the story in 7x06 with the homeless vet. Plot twist he was Nannette's baby daddy 🤯. Any of these could've have been more feasible to bring him back into the fold.

But you are so right that Mason would not have fit in a future vision with the storyline he did have since they left things so finite especially what he said about their kids.

Mama Bishop however deserved a brief comeback playing with her grandkids. Hey, if they got Tracie Thoms for a 30 second cameo why not Mama Bishop

Hmm you may be onto something! But I still don't know why she (if it was her) wouldn't want him back...it's a weird thing to be so against but 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's definitely interesting that this is the way they chose to bring him back. I guess once they knew they were going to do a Pride episode and Danielle pitched wanting Mason back as something she wanted to have done with her character before the season/show was over, they came up with the idea? They took the more impactful storyline route I suppose and showed a realistic scenario for queer people as sad as it was.

It really is sad that they never thought to bring her back. Even last season when Maya was going through so much with her mental health and the healing she was doing...it would have been so nice if we saw even just a phone call or some kind of check in with them so Maya at least had someone while going through such a rough time. But then especially once they made the decision to adopt Liam...I don't know why they wouldn't think to have that moment of Maya introducing her son to her mother and letting her have that healing and comforting moment with a family member after all the trauma and pain they both went through with Lane.

[rmoonstoner]

Kinktober 18+

2 - Thigh Riding - Chapter 1

Pairing: Layla x Male Reader

Warnings: Thigh riding, p in v sex, creampie, infidelity, cheating, drunk sex, questionable consent because under influence, ass play/fingering, hand job, reader knows about the disorder, all three alters are known but Steven is not mentioned at all

Notes: I have no idea why but I imagined the reader to be wearing lots of gold, like chains, rings, bracelets and a watch. He is wearing a tracksuit. Oh, and because of the gold, I have nicknamed the reader 'Goldie' even though the nickname won't appear in this. It is for part 2 of this fic, but the reader in part 2 will be 'Ivy'. Part 2 will have a cameo of the male reader, 'Goldie'.

***

The night had been a blur for you. You had been partying at a friend's house most of the day. It was one of your military pals, Marc Spector. It was his birthday, and the man had been spending most of his night outside with Frenchie, some really ugly guy named Wade, and a huge hulking mass of a man, Eddie.

They were playing beer pong without you, because you felt you were drunk enough. You didn't understand how they all could drink so much. Wade had brought an actual keg of beer, while Frenchie had brought a couple of forties of whiskey. Eddie had decided on tequila, saying it would be better later, when Marc's party animal attitude got more wild. You knew that the party animal would come out when the tequila began to flow, and that's when all the chaos would break loose.

Currently, Wade and Frenchie were trying to goad Marc into going across the street to the field so they could set off some fireworks. You decided to go into the house to grab a glass of water, just as three other guests came to join the guys outside. You didn't know who they were exactly, but you knew their names. Matt, Reese, and Jessica and the woman they affectionately called Ivy. Ivy wasn't even her name, but she had plant based abilities and was always hanging around Wade and Eddie, who were the ones to give her that nickname. You could never tell if she was dating them, or if they were just very open fuck buddies.

They all gave you brief hellos as they piled outside with a forty of whiskey and a few beers. You found it odd that Layla had stayed inside. Perhaps you might try to find some snacks to sober yourself up enough to take a cab home.

"Shit, fuck!" You heard Layla's voice coming from the pantry closet, followed by a few soft thuds.

You went over to find that she was crouched over a bunch of individually packaged bags of chips and a few cans of food. You immediately went to help her, going for a can of refried beans that had rolled out of the pantry near your feet.

"Hey. Having issues there, LaLa?" You let her know you were there with the use of her nickname and she looked up at you with a nervous smile.

"Hey! Silly me. I was trying to grab the box of chips, but then all of this fell down." She said while showing you the mess on the floor. One of the cans had fallen onto a bag of Flammin’ Hot Cheetos and it had exploded, sending bright red crumbs everywhere.

"Ya got some… Right there." You said as you reached out to remove a bright red chunk of Cheeto from her hair. You both shared a laugh, and then you crouched down to help her clean up the mess in the small space of the pantry.

Everything was cleaned, except for one can of corn. You both managed to reach out for it at the same time, with your hand covering hers. You felt a sharp zing as your skin made contact with Layla’s, which almost made you recoil…

But her other hand came up to cover it, and when you looked at her face, you saw that her eyes were filled with something you couldn't quite place. You felt your skin heat up as her hand trailed over your fingers very suggestively, moving over each of the gold rings on your hand.

Your brain stalled as she lifted your hand up and stuck your index finger into her mouth.

Then she fucking sucked on it.

A loud groan escaped your throat as her tongue slithered up and down the length of your finger. With each pass, she got closer and closer to the ring, until finally her lips were pressed up to the yellow metal, her tongue laving in the underside of your digit. You twitched and melted back against the wall of the pantry, eyes entranced as your heart rate went up and your breathing got heavier.

"F-fuck… LaLa…" You whimpered as she crawled into your lap, forcing you to sit all the way down. The way she sat, she was straddling one of your legs.

"Mmm…" Was all she was able to say. You felt your pants become far too tight all of a sudden.

"What… What if we get caught? Marc will fucking kill me…" You tried to rationalize yourself, perhaps reason with her, even though you wanted this so fucking badly. You couldn't do that to your friend, Marc. She slowly withdrew your finger with a raunchy sounding wet pop and leaned in as she ground against your thigh.

"Come on… I know you like me. You've wanted me for a long time…" She purred as her hands ran up your arms and to your chest. She tugged your shirt up and smoothed her palms over your stomach.

"But you're married…" You groaned, feeling her hands work their way up to your nipples and giving them a good pinch. You bucked and hissed as she leaned forward to kiss your Adam's apple.

"Please? I want you so badly. I regret marrying Marc. He's so… Not the man I thought I married." She purred into your ear as she rubbed her thigh against your aching erection. You arched your back and found your hands coming to rest on her hips.

You started thinking about the friction she was giving you, and how her wet tongue was lapping at your neck. It felt amazing, but your brain still had stupid questions to ask.

"It's not Marc that I'm afraid of…" You huffed out. Between her nibbling on your flesh, her hands on your chest, and her rocking into your thigh, you were losing the battle to be able to stop yourself.

"Don't worry about that. He's kept himself locked away from me, yet he comes out for you and his dumb ass friends-" Just as she mentioned Marc's 'dumb ass friends' you both heard fireworks going off outside from open windows, followed by loud shouting.

You could hear Marc's voice whooping and hooting out in excitement as Eddie and Frenchie matched his enthusiastic hollers. Wade was heard in the background yelling in Spanish about firing some at him, and Marc was gleefully agreeing to it. You could hear the others cheering them on.

"Hear what I mean?" She breathed and licked the shell of your ear. You swallowed hard, your hands twitching at her side.

"Y-yeah…"

"Those fucking idiots will be busy for at least an hour. I saw how many fireworks they brought." She said, her hands coming up to dive into your hair. She gave a good tug, and you melted even more for her.

"Fuuuck." You groaned heavily, your hands going to her ass and squeezing. You pushed her hips down against your thigh, which in turn forced hers to press into your groin.

It was at this point that you noticed she was wearing a skimpy dress, and your hands began to bunch up the fabric to her waist. You roughly palmed each of her soft cheeks in your hands, getting lost in how good she felt. Layla gripped and pulled on your hair, going to nip a bit harder at your throat. You shook, feeling the way she was picking up speed, grinding so hard against you, that you could feel how wet she was. She was soaking through her panties, and into your pants. The thought alone made you wonder how wet that pussy would feel if you buried your thick cock into it.

"Can I see your dick? Please?" She asked and you couldn't deny her.

"Shit, yeah…" You breathed back in a whisper. She giggled and went to undo your belt in desperation.

With a flick, click, and a tink, Layla had your belt undone, and was now undoing your button and fly. Your hands moved. One went between her ass cheeks, fingers slipping under her panties to brush against her puckered hole. She groaned and wriggled her hips, pushing her clit and sopping cunt against your leg harder. Her hands fished your already leaking cock from your pants, fingers quickly rubbing over your shaft in slow and rough strokes.

"Oh, God… La… La…" You were barely able to gasp her name as she ran a thumb over the tip of your cock, spreading around your precome. You were so hard and rigid for her, while the rest of your body felt like a puddle.

"Look at this big cock… Fuck, it's such a pretty cock. I want to sit on it." Layla cooed into your ear as your finger pressed against her tight ring. She moaned as you breached her rim, slipping your finger in right the knuckle with barely any resistance. You pumped it in and out a few times, then slid another finger inside of her while she rocked harder against you, her leg rubbing your balls deliciously.

"Fuck me… Yes…" You mumbled in reply, and she took that as a yes to her precious statement as she shifted on your lap.

"Keep those thick fingers in my ass while I sit on your cock." She huffed as she moved her panties to the side and sat down, her wet hole swallowing up your throbbing member. Your head hit the wall and a low growl erupted from your throat as she slid down all the way, until she was flush against your groin.

"Fuck, baby, it's so big." Layla whispered to you right before she kissed you hard and full of tongue while she started to rock against you quickly. Your brain shut off and your hips started to piston upwards, making loud and wet slapping noises as you fingered her ass in time with each thrust.

"Layla… Oh Gods… Fuck… You feel so fucking good… So tight…" You mumbled your praises between sloppy kisses. You could feel her pussy clench all around your cock, and it felt like heaven. The way her cunt was sucking you in made your eyes roll all the way back in your head.

"That's it, baby…" She groaned and leaned back while holding your face down to her breasts. You happily rubbed your face in them, leaving wet kisses all over as you pulled them free.

By now your thrusts were getting erratic with your quickly approaching orgasm. You had a mouthful of nipple, your lips sucking, and tongue lapping. You were still working her ass with much vigor as she bounced up and down on you, nails digging into the nape of your neck. You could feel your cock pulsing as she moaned loudly and came all over your dick. Her walls were choking you, making your balls tighten with each sway of her hips.

"LaLa… Gonna…. Gonna come if you keep that up-"

"Then come." Layla purred hotly as she cut you off and shoved your face back to her breast. You groaned again, feeling like you were going to come any second.

"Fuck… So close…" You grunted as you held her down tightly, feeling her begin to grind against you extra hard.

"Come in me… Please… I want to feel you fill me right up." She begged with a whine when she tugged on your hair. You grunted and squirmed underneath her, feeling your balls become tight and at the point of almost releasing. You shoved your fingers as deep as you could muster as you pushed your cock as deep as it could go.

"Fuck… I'm coming again!" She cried with a pleasure filled sob. Her clenching caused you to burst, and you pumped her full of your load with a long grunt.

She rode her orgasm out, then collapsed onto your chest. You made the executive decision to pull your fingers gently out of her. As you both breathed heavily and calmed down, you heard shouts and hollers from outside again. Layla lifted her head and placed a gentle kiss to your lips, then she got off of you. She left to go clean up, while you went to a different bathroom to do the same.

When you came out, Ivy was standing there looking blissfully fucked up. She sort of looked like she was drunk and cranked on ecstacy, plus she looked… Wet? Like someone had thrown a bunch of glue all over…

Oh dear God.

You mumbled a quick apology for taking so long, then you ducked down the hallway to go find something harder than a beer to chug down after your encounter with Layla. When you got to the kitchen, Marc was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes trained on you.

"Oh, hey, Marc-"

"Not Marc."

"Oh… Uh… Hi… Jake… Um…"

"You're lucky Layla is Marc's wife. She ain't mine. I don't fucking care what she does. It's not like they love each other anymore." Jake explained briefly as he stepped into the light. He was covered in soot from the fireworks, and he looked like he had just run a marathon. He was sweaty and tense, yet also relaxed if that made any sense.

"You're… You're not gonna tell him?"

"¡Mierda! Nope." He replied with a feral looking grin and an odd glint in his eyes. That's when you noticed the deep angry lines on his forearms, and a very prominent and fresh looking hickey on his neck. Just then, Ivy walked past him, and she squeezed his bicep once, then left out the back door. When you looked back up his face, he had a finger to his lips.

"Shhh. We're even."

***

Okay. There's that.

Proofread by: @howaboutcastiel Thank you! ❤️

Tags: @snippychicke @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @queenotaku23 @clairewinchester14 @promiscuoussatan @mona-has-friends @lazyotakujen @timeless-crow @crazylittlereader2474 @bibibeu @novagonz3elz7799

[incarnateirony]

We didn't get (yet) Cas on TW, not even a brief cameo or mention in the finale. And Misha confirmed they didn't film because it wasn't the right timing and also due to conflicting schedules. And yet months ago you claimed Misha was going to TW set to play Cas, and made a post tracking Misha flying from Atlanta to Nola. You even posted maps of the flying path and pictures from the airport. So, all of that were only in your head and you were wrong? How can you convince people to trust you again after such a huge fail?

Hey, bad faith conversation leader!

You realize there are *multiple ways scheduling can not work out*

cool.

Now go delete your entire bullshit accusation where you're thinking you're not being accusational, go read the shit about misha being scheduled and it Not Working Out, and being revised Late Season which I ALREADY MENTIONED WHAT?? A MONTH OR TWO AGO

stop trying.. I am. LITERALLY

over

your

fandom

bullshit

all of you

never in my life have i seen such an inhospitable, ungrateful, clog headed, self absorbed set of trolls that get singular ideas stuck in their head to fixate on

there's goddamn fandoms that would BEG to have someone with even half the accuracy I have and you guys are STILL doing this whiny bullshit trying to pretend you can't figure out how changes happen

I don't care how friendly you think it is. It's obnoxious

this is LITERALLY. WHY. PEOPLE. DO NOT TALK

TO YOU

THIS IS LITERALLY WHY

YOU BITCH AND WHINE ON CREATIVES WHEN LIFE HAPPENS

START ASKING YOURSELF THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE LIKE THIRD GRADE LEVEL BEFORE TRYING TO WHINE ABOUT IT AND MAKE SOMEONE ELSE FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOU

I AM FUCKING DONE.

NOBODY IS REQUIRED TO HELP YOU DECONSTRUCT YOUR OWN BULLSHIT TO REBUILD HOW YOU FUCKED IT UP ON YOUR OWN WHILE BEING HOSTILE WITH A SMILE ABOUT BULLSHIT YOU CAN GODDAMN ANSWER FOR YOURSELF. STOP IT.

IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING DEEP. HE WAS THE CORE OF THE PLOT AND STILL IS BUT HIM AND THE OTHER BIG NAMES COULD NOT ARRANGE THEIR HECTIC SCHEDULES IN A WAY THAT DID IT JUSTICE SO IT GETS ITS OWN SEASON. ITS NOT FUCKING COMPLICATED. IT IS GENUINELY FUCKING NOT. IT IS INAUTHENTIC TO PRETEND THIS IS COMPLICATED. THEY LITERALLY LOST A FEW FUCKING DAYS EVERYONE TRIED TO ACT HYSTERICAL ABOUT BEING BEHIND BECAUSE THEY TRIED. THE CONTEXT IS RIGHT FUCKING THERE. NOT TODAY, SATAN.

Figure your shit out, fandom. Taking Your Bullshit Out On Media People That Try To Help You Is Over Party. Fuck off. Work on yourselves. You guys are so insanely the fuck out of pocket at all times it makes ME feel fucking delirious watching you guys keep up this pattern behavior like it's fucking normal. The Star Trek fandom is like 90% cheeto dust and even they somehow manage to be more fucking normal about these conversations than you people do in the interest of drama.

[leopardmask-ao3]

NHHP 2022 Day 12: You're In For A Scare!

Link to the challenge Today’s Word is: Eyes Characters: Impulse, Gem, Pearl, cameos from Tango and Zed Season: HC 9 Other tags/warnings: ender dragon Pearl, satyr/fae creature Gem, brief reference to season 6 Word Count: 889

Summary: Something is haunting Impulse. Maybe more than one something, in fact...

Read it on ao3 or

Impulse swayed his hips to a song stuck in his head as he bopped around iEnchant, restocking barrels from a shulker box nearby. By the second barrel, he was humming aloud.

By the fourth barrel, someone else was humming along.

Impulse paused. The harmony continued for a moment longer, then trailed off. It was the middle of the night. Who was even up, much less in iEnchant? He looked around, but saw no one - except a pair of purple eyes looking at him through the window, which he swiftly looked away from, assuming they belonged to an enderman.

Two more barrels later, Impulse was humming again. Quietly, too far away for Impulse to hear, the second voice was humming too.

-

"Check this out." Tango excitedly led Impulse deeper into the space under the in-progress Decked Out 2. "Ignore the mess. But yeah, this is where I'm at so far. This tunnel here is going to be spawnproof, that's why it's so dark-"

He held up a torch, the light of which barely penetrated the sunless gloom.

Just outside the radius, far enough that nothing else could be seen, two round eyes reflected white light back at them.

Tango and Impulse froze. The eyes froze. A strange, ethereal, almost leafy whispering sound started to drift out of the darkness.

"...Leeeet's go check out a different tunnel," Tango suggested.

-

Impulse swooped somewhat gracefully into Zedaph's base, dodging dangling animals to reach where Zedaph was waiting. "Hey man."

"Impulse!! You made it!" Zedaph clapped, already moving. "Right, if you'll just come with me, I'll show you what we're doing..."

As Impulse followed, movement down one of Zedaph's hallways caught his attention. Impulse turned to look, but all he saw was a flash of purple eyes disappearing around a corner at the end. He opened his mouth to say something, but Zedaph was already nearly out of sight himself, still talking about his latest invention. Impulse hurried to catch up.

-

Impulse carved a swath into the wall of his beacon mine. He was getting kind of far away from the last torch he'd placed, but he wasn't worried about hostile mobs around him just yet.

He swept another layer of stone away - revealing glowing white eyes directly in front of him. Impulse yelped and scrambled backward, nearly falling over his own feet. The eye shape changed - smiling at him, maybe? - and the humanoid shape behind them took a step closer, feet clicking on the stone.

Impulse's heart thudded. All he could think about was old legends, stories that children told to scare each other, a figure encountered on a time travel misadventure. Glowing white eyes, belonging to a man that no one could ever catch. Maybe Impulse had stumbled into one of the infamous tunnels...

The figure in front of him sidestepped, keeping Impulse between them and any identifying light, and reached out a hand. Impulse screamed, turned, and fled.

He rocketed up out of the beacon hole and landed, panting, on the floor of his base. Was that really-? No, it couldn't have been...

Impulse frowned, suddenly focusing on something odd about the encounter. The person's feet had made a clicking sound with every step. Not the clank of armored boots, but a more natural sound, like claws... or hooves. 

Herobrine didn't have hooves.

-

Now, Impulse was on guard. He watched the shadows suspiciously, wherever he went. Even still, as he crossed the bridge in front of his base, he almost missed the presence staring at him from below.

Almost. Impulse walked a little farther, pretending he hadn't noticed, sidling to one side of the bridge. Suddenly, he crouched and stuck his head over the edge to look under the bridge. "Aha!"

Pearl, claws out and clinging to the underside of the stonework, wings pressed flat in an attempt to hide, froze and stared back with eyes that glowed magenta in the dark shadows. "...Hi."

"I caught you!" Impulse announced proudly.

Pearl sighed as she crawled across like the lizard she was. Impulse stood back to let her up. "Yeah, okay. You did, darn it."

At that moment, Gem came gliding down from her base above. "Ha!" she gloated. "You owe me five diamonds, Pearl!"

"What??" Impulse cried indignantly. "You two made a bet about me??"

"Yep!" Gem replied cheerily, accepting her payment from a grumbling Pearl. "We made a bet on who could scare you more without getting caught. Whiiich I won."

"I'm not sure Pearl could have topped you coming at me in the mine, anyway," Impulse admitted.

"Yeah, you screamed pretty loud," Gem agreed.

"Did not!" Impulse protested. "...Okay, maybe I did." He swatted at Pearl, who was laughing. "Stop that! I did figure out it was you, Gem, for what it's worth. Maybe not in the moment, but I realized later."

"Aww," Gem pouted. "I think it still counts though! But, what gave me away?"

"I'll tell you, if you promise not to use the advice against me," Impulse said.

Gem nodded and raised one hand. "I promise."

"Listen." Impulse did a little hop, tapping his feet on the ground. 

Gem followed suit, her hooves clopping against the blackstone. "Ohhh. I see."

"None of the other hermits sound like that when they walk," Impulse pointed out. "Maybe try some leather boots the next time you go scaring people?"