#(and then i plucked it because it literally stuck straight out of the middle of my chest like a god damn cartoon)

[somekindafairy]

i want chest hair so bad 😭

I'm so hairy you don't understand, but my chest and face are really holding out, man. wtf

[wordsandrobots]

D&D character - Shaya

I wrote this to workshop my character for @thedancingwalrus-blog‘s D&D campaign, a grumpy socialist paladin who doesn’t yet know he’s a paladin. Fifty-plus sessions later and he still doesn’t know he’s a paladin but he remains grumpy. The setting is all @thedancingwalrus-blog‘s home-brew. They have been throwing a lot of birds at us.

I was born on the waterfront in Sanik. Yes. That Sanik. They said it was a rich city and if you lived uphill, with the big houses and wide roads, it probably looked that way. Down where I lived, it mostly looked busy. My parents were weavers, so I was too. Sail-cloth and clothes – you do a bit of everything when you go where the work is. Being able to sew is about all I have left of them.

When I was a kid, the great kingdom of Cayir, in which I was fortunate to live, declared war on Malazim, the less-great-and-yet-somehow-still-a-threat kingdom next door. Because they'd declared war on us. Because – reasons. I was a kid, this was over my head and happening far, far away.

By the time I was fifteen, it was happening a lot less far away and Cayir was running out of soldiers. The recruiters were already plucking up boys below service age who couldn't be claimed for essential work when the order came down that they needed everyone – no, really, we mean it, everyone – right the hell now.

In typical army fashion, it was another two and a half years before I saw any actual fighting. Which at least meant I got some training, unlike those poor sods further east who were thrown to the front lines straight away. I had time to get comfortable with the drudgery of guarding the city walls, getting the occasional day off with mum and dad, and making a packet off being the only bloke in my unit who knew one end of a needle from the other. I was also the only bloke in my unit who was blue, which some joker decided made me the resident good-luck charm.

Didn't turn out to be a very good one.

I was the only survivor when the war finally reached Sanik. Managed to find another unit to fall back with, escaped the worst. Didn't have a chance to check on my family. Still don't know for sure if any of 'em made it out.

This was the point the Sultan admitted the war was over and we had not won it. With Malazim sitting on the only port worth a damn in the entirety of Cayir, there wasn't much else he could do. His Royal Majesty condescended to sign some bits of paper and all us lucky sods who'd survived the war were shuffled around to bits of the kingdom that were still part of the kingdom.

Apparently, when a time of war ends, anyone conscripted over and above their normal term of service is supposed to be released to get on with what they actually want to do. But wouldn't you know it, I was nearly old enough for service anyway, so that was the next five years gone.

My first posting was in a town with a spectacular temple to Pusula in the middle. It was theoretically close enough to Malazim to be a target but since the temple was literally the only reason to visit that desolate dust bowl, I can't say I saw why they'd bother.

But that's where I met Arman, so something good came out of it.

Arman was from Sanik too, though he wasn't there when it fell. He was an apprentice archivist before the army grabbed him so he'd been sent to Drakah to help with administration work, because even in the middle of a full retreat, someone needs to write lists and draw maps. Getting pushed to a border fort to make up the numbers was a shock. Somewhere along the way, perhaps because we were both from the same place, we got to talking. And since it'd have been pretty daft to fall out while stuck there, we became friends instead.

He believed in things, did Arman. Justice. Fairness. Being kind to each other. And if anyone thought that made him foolish, he'd quote the exact law backing him up. Turns out, there's lots of laws backing those ideas up, if you give a damn about reading what they say. That's civilisation for you.

Also civilisation: bastards who'll twist the letter of it every which way to get a bigger cut than everyone else.

That was how we ended up breaking into the Prelate's office to find evidence he'd been swindling the fort guard out of their wages. By which I mean, I ended up breaking in, since no way Arman was making that climb. Actually the first time I ever stole anything. Worked out smoothly, all told. Got an audience with the local commissioner, laid down the ledgers, heaped up enough dirt the Prelate couldn't worm his way out. He got sent packing, we got told our diligence would see us go far.

Eight months later, we were packed off to the most northerly outpost in the whole of Cayir.

I'd told Arman something like that was going to happen. He talked me into doing the right thing anyway. Our entire friendship in a nutshell.

So there we were, watching the waves tear at the cliffs and guarding another holy site, this one a memorial to the brave souls Abami dragged to the bottom for trying to find out what's across the sea. Oh, and wouldn't you know it – that was the year they made release from the Sultan's service dependent on being deemed inessential to the defence of the kingdom. I never met anyone who qualified without losing both legs and at least one arm.

We wasted the better part of a decade in that gods-forsaken place. The only remotely interesting thing to ever happen was part of the cliff breaking off and taking a watchtower with it. I mean, no one died, because no soldier I ever trained would be stupid enough to stay at his post when the ground was cracking under his feet. But, you know – I suppose that's notable when there's nothing else.

I sometimes wonder if things would've gone differently if it'd been a more exciting posting.

At the trial, they tried to pin everything on Arman. Because he was born further up the hill and because my grand-da screwed a djinn so everyone thinks my brains seep out my ears like smoke up a chimney. Or because Arman gave a big speech about truth and righteousness and I just shouted at the judge for two minutes straight. One of those.

Truth is, after so many years, there wasn't one of us that could think a serious thought without the other putting in ideas along the way. We knew we'd been stuck with another rotten prelate the moment we got there. Soon that turned into realising the army is pretty rotten all the way up. Started getting us thinking about the other sods on whose backs the generals and prelates got to stand. Started us talking to them. And to the workers doing the repairs to the tower, and everyone who kept the fort running and the town fed and the pilgrim routes swept.

The wage-skimming is more blatant on the fringes, where the Sultan's commissioners don't make such regular trips to check the ledgers. Sure, the money to rebuild a watchtower will arrive affording full rates to free labourers and the fraction rate to those in service. But come payday, the prelate will be out claiming budget cuts and quoting the service oath like we should be grateful for the pittance left over when he's done lining his uniform with silks. Sometimes he didn't even bother with the oath, just relied on his officers to keep us in line. What could we do about it anyway?

Quite a lot, as if turned out.

We brought that whole damn town to a grinding halt, Arman and me and everyone else. We sat down and refused to work until we had the fair wage we were promised and the decent food and quarters that were our right. Soldiers, craftsmen, labourers, the whole lot, and the prelate without enough loyal men left to force us back up. I'll treasure the memory of how purple he went to the end of my days.

I wanted it to work, more desperately than I ever wanted anything. Because I could see the hope on the faces of everyone around me, the determination. We were brothers and sisters, in it together, pulling as one and maybe, maybe, if it'd just been the one town and that one prelate, it might have.

But word spread. Other towns and forts started muttering about copying us. Just like that, we went from nuisance to threat. And just like that, someone whistled up the troops needed to make it clear we could be replaced.

I saw my fill of what an army can to to unarmed civilians at Sanik, so I was on the side against making a fight of it. Arman wanted to, but it just wasn't practical. We got everyone inside the fort, made a go of holding the Sultan's men off. Shouted myself hoarse trying to get them to see sense and come over to our side. In the end though . . .

They said they'd spare everyone if the ringleaders turned themselves over. So we did, because none of us went into this wanting anybody killed. There was a trial, like I said. Lots of being pushed around in prison wagons. I went a bit berserk, got out and nearly got Arman out too but –

That was the last I saw of him before they shipped me off here. To serve the kingdom in its hour of need and regain some honour by giving your life in its name. Honestly surprised to be breathing. Guess whatever's down here, they think it's worth every able body available. Something that'll make Cayir rich and powerful again.

Bet if it does, someone'll skim off everything good before it can get down to people like us.

[clovers-garden-co]

Tokyo rev bf hcs 

A/N: I’m literally stuck in terms of writing so bear w me hmm random this time.. or is it bare? idk my IQ is just- whatever. 

Mikey 

*inhale* 

he’s a little shit. but in a cute way. yeah.. yeah hes a little shit 😨

this boy will not STAY OFF OF YOU LIKE DAMN 

when you wake up, hugs and kisses, when y’all are eating together : hugs and kisses, WHEN YALL ARE CUDDLING??? HUGS AND KISSES 

he really likes the feeling of you. so he wants to be close to you at all times. 

idk man.. wrote a letter to him once and the stuff he be saying is straight up down horrendous. not even a hi?? hello??.. afternoon? 

hes a real sweetheart though, and he means well. 

he always checks up on you from time to time, but please make sure you remind him to check on himself 

because… remember. 

if you’re dating him, remember that you’re his anchor.

"dont go dying on me, okay?"

Chifuyu 

excuse me while I praise my favorite child. 

hes really goofy. so I hope you have a decent sense of humor. 

he thinks that you’re really cool, like he realllly admires you. thinks you’re attractive and whatnot 

he loves, loves, loves, LOVES going on dates with you. doing anything with you really

you could be chillin and all of a sudden you get a message from him saying, "hey lets hang out <3"

where? dont ask me idk 🙄 kidding 🥰

he likes to take you to parks, maybe somewhere with lots of flowers.. possibly a forest(?) just- somewhere with lots of flowers. 

he’d make a flower crown for you, putting the stray flowers behind your ear, or using them for flower bracelets, rings… 

speaking of rings, he hopes to stay with you long enough to get you a real one. 

he makes sure to place a real pretty flower in the middle of the ring. 

“make sure you stick with me alright? wanna get you a real ring someday..”

Rindou

so bossy 🙄 but he’s hot ig so he gets a pass.

I feel like he’s very… uhm. possessive. 

not in a borderline toxic way, but you best be careful.

why tf you messing w the haitanis anyways? can never understand you ppl

he’s a protective boyfriend.. could see him doing simple things ranging from putting you on the sidewalk while he walks closer to the road to literally beating the shit out of anyone who poses a threat to you

don’t worry, he’s not gonna send a plucked eyeball to you <3 

he loves very strongly, and he’s very blunt with how he feels towards you. he’ll never "sugarcoat" anything with you.

he can be a little harsh sometimes, but he means well. …I think.

though I can’t shake the feeling he may or may not drop things with you because of his lifestyle. never because he’s unloyal. 

"eh? you want to stay? tch. well, don’t say i didn’t warn you."

Ran 

a hoe- LMAO IM SORRY HOLD ON

ahem, he’s very flirty ☺️ and let me just say, sometimes he’s just not flirting only with you

i personally and strongly believe he uses some sort of eyeliner because his eyes look pretty as fuck. he’s pretty as fuck. god hhhh- but I’m not interested though. 

he’s very affectionate, I see lots of forehead kisses (idc what your height is whether he gotta lean down or tippy toe you still get them), and he likes playing with your hands, swinging them around, pressing kisses to each individual finger… y’know. 

don’t think if you give him a stern talking to, girlboss your way into dominance or whatever he’s gonna stop flirting with other people.. he’s just gonna sneak.

either he does it to piss you off, or he doesn’t do it 24/7

come on, he’s not that much of a- okay.

"awh darling, you know you’re the only one for me. no? cmere ♡” 

[little-mad]

Downsides of Thievery Pt. 2

~ Previous Part ~ Next Part ~

Despite being a criminal, Gavin could still attempt to maintain a dignified appearance. He could hold his head high and walk right into the cage the giant had set down in front of him. Doing so would prove to both the federal agents and the alteon that Gavin was a man of honor. But instead of doing any of that, Gavin turned tail and ran.

Was it sensible? Definitely not. Was it rational? No way. Was it the only thing Gavin’s instincts were urging him to do? Yes, absolutely.

His sights were set on the door that would lead him back into the building and away from that cage wielding colossus. Of course, with a rooftop of armed agents there was no chance he would make it very far. Gavin was expecting to be tackled or tazed at any moment. What he hadn’t been expecting was for something to snag the back of his gray jumpsuit and lift him up off the ground.

There was a moment of confusion where Gavin wondered how the hell someone had managed to pick him up so easily. And then he remembered, “oh yeah, there’s an eighty foot giant standing a couple yards away.”

Rael nearly let slip a snigger when he witnessed the human criminal start to scurry away from the cage that had been placed in front of him. The sight was reminiscent of the rats that would wander into the palace kitchens and quickly get chased off by the resident guard cat. Surely this human must know he had no hope of escape? Catching him would be effortless, and that was something Rael intended to make quite clear.

After swiftly lowering himself into a crouch, Rael reached out and carefully pinched the fabric of the prisoner’s garment between thumb and index finger. As he lifted the miniature man up into the air, he couldn’t help but silently marvel at how insignificant the weight was. It was remarkable how a creature, who supposedly possessed near the same level of sentience as alteons, could be handled as easily as a wooden doll.

It was impossible not to notice the fearful looks on the other humans’ faces as they watched a member of their race get plucked up. “They knew what I came here for, and yet they act surprised,” Rael thought derisively. He hoped these people weren’t humanity’s best and bravest, because if they were so visibly shaken by his simple movements, then surely they could hardly handle any real conflict.

With an easy rotation of his wrist, Rael turned the criminal gripped between his fingers around to face him. He figured it was time he addressed the human that would be in his charge.

-

When Gavin was ten, his best friend made him watch The Exorcist during a sleepover. He was absolutely terrified and had haunting nightmares for weeks. For the longest time he’d claimed that the experience of watching a 70s horror flick in the basement of a suburban home was the most scared he had ever been.

Well, as Gavin was being dangled in front of the face of a giant, held up only by a two finger grip on the back of his collar, he decided something had finally topped The Exorcist incident.

It was difficult to breathe, and it felt as though his heart had lodged itself in his throat. His heart was hammering like crazy, but his body was practically frozen solid.

Gavin was someone who was rarely rendered speechless. Whether or not it was clever or well thought out, he usually had at least something to say. But how the hell was he supposed to talk to a giant?! It was like talking to a damn mountain!

The alteon’s teal eyes almost looked to have a hint of disdain in them as they focused in on Gavin. His eyebrows were raised as if to say “are you done yet?” Shockingly, it seemed like he hadn’t been impressed by Gavin’s half baked escape attempt.

“My name is Rael, and I am responsible for delivering you to the Emperor.” Gavin flinched when the alteon began to speak. His voice was smooth, and a fair bit higher than the deep, thunderous bass Gavin had been expecting. “While you are in my custody you are to follow my every command,” the alteon--Rael stated. “If you intend on engaging in any stunts like the one you just pulled, I suggest you adjust your plans.”

Gavin felt a chill run across his skin. Rael’s voice was fiercely authoritative, and his words held hidden promises of retribution were Gavin to ever step out of line. Were it coming from a human, or you know, someone that wasn’t taller than a building, then he could have easily just rolled his eyes and scoffed. But Rael was incredibly, terrifyingly huge. Gavin had no doubt the giant man could snap him in half without even straining a muscle.

-

When the human showed no intention of responding to the warning he’d been given, Rael sighed. The little man was practically motionless as he stared with wide eyes that Rael now could see were of a hazel color. The only indication that the figure gripped between Rael’s fingers was alive, was the occasional blink as well as the rising and falling of his small chest.

While Rael was initially a bit frustrated by not receiving a response, he reminded himself that a silent human could be a good thing in the long run. If the man remained quiet the whole time, it would certainly make Rael’s job a lot less annoying.

“May as well get on with it then. The sooner we leave, the sooner I’m done with this assignment,” Rael thought to himself.

Considering the human had already blown his chance to enter the cage of his own accord, it fell on Rael to forcibly relocate him. Without hesitating, Rael used his freehand to grab a hold of the human’s body. As his fingers wrapped around the man’s tiny form, Rael couldn’t help but notice how powerful the action made him feel. This “Gavin Stone” was entirely at his mercy, and his life was quite literally in his hands.

Rael wasn’t able to dwell on those thoughts for long though, because the human had seemed to finally remember how to move again. Though it wasn’t effective in the slightest, the little man was squirming wildly in Rael’s fist. With his arms pinned to his sides as they were, there really wasn’t much the human could do but thrash around like some kind of fish out of water.

Rather than scold him, Rael decided just to tighten his grip ever so slightly around the human to send the message. The man let out a soft gasp and his struggling instantly ceased.

Satisfied that the human had been successfully reigned in, Rael reached down to the rooftop to pick up the iron cage. The door was already open, so it was easy for him to simply drop the man inside before shutting the door with a clang of finality.

Not bothering to wait for the human to orient himself, Rael moved the cage down towards his hips and reattached it to his belt. He was sure it would be a bumpy ride for the small man, considering he would be bouncing against Rael’s thigh as he walked, but the comfort of a little thief was far from being a priority.

With Gavin Stone taken care of, Rael turned his attention to the remaining humans standing on the rooftop. They all continued to stare at him as if they were looking at some kind of monster. Whatever, if they wished to view him as a monster, then so be it. The opinions of humans mattered little to him.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Rael stated as he straightened back up to his full height. “The Emperor will be pleased,” he added while reaching into his pocket to pull out the talisman that would allow him to travel back home.

-

Having a giant hold you up by the back of your collar? Horrible, awful, would not recommend. Having a giant hold you in their fist? Somehow more horrible, more awful, and even less recommended.

Gavin didn’t like being confined, well most people didn’t like being confined, but Gavin especially disliked it. He hadn’t liked being locked up in a jail cell, but he would pick that over being trapped in someone’s fist any day.

The heat emanating off of Rael’s skin, the feeling of his massive pulse surrounding him, and the knowledge that all it would take was a firm squeeze for his life to be snuffed out...it was all enough to make Gavin finally snap out of the daze he had been in.

Fight or flight instincts had kicked in. Of course, when the threat was over eight stories tall, the obvious choice was flight. But since Gavin couldn’t flee while stuck in the giant’s hand, he needed to fight his way out first. Logically, he knew trying to break free of the solid grip around his body was fruitless. Unfortunately, the thing about instincts is that they don’t always care about what’s logical.

Gavin had been in the middle of desperately struggling when suddenly the fist in which he was imprisoned began to clench. The gasp he had let out in response was more due to shock than actual pain, although he had a feeling he’d be sporting a few new bruises tomorrow.

Shortly after that, Rael had stuffed him into the cage and hooked said cage onto his belt like it--and by extension Gavin, was some kind of fashionable accessory.

Gavin was in the middle of attempting to pull himself up to his feet when suddenly he was sent sprawling back to the floor of the cage by Rael’s massive movements. He let out a low moan. This shit was like being on one of those janky traveling carnival rides where it always felt like there was at least a 40% chance you wouldn’t make it to the end.

When Gavin finally was able to drag himself up to his feet, he looked out of his cage and realized the cause of his latest fall had been Rael standing up straight. Gee, nothing made a guy feel more tiny and powerless than being seriously affected by someone else’s normal, everyday movements.

Even though he was only at the giant’s hip height, Gavin still felt so far away from the rooftop he had just been standing on. The agents below already looked pretty small from this perspective, he could only imagine what they looked like to Rael.

There was a part of Gavin that wanted to be mad at the people who had just handed him over to a literal giant, but at the same time, he knew they were just following orders. Even the ones in charge who had okayed his extradition to the alteon dimension weren’t really to blame. Gavin had to imagine it was hard to say no to the request of a giant Emperor.

So instead of shooting the agents below a middle finger or a particularly nasty glare, Gavin offered them a sad little wave. After all, they may very well be the last humans he would ever see. He wouldn’t want his final interaction with his species to be negative, right?

None of the agents waved back, though Gavin could see several of them wearing sorrowful looks on their faces. “I hope they cry about me tonight,” he thought. Surely he deserved to occupy their minds for a little while. Maybe they’d have to talk to a priest or a therapist about him….yeah, that would be nice.

Gavin was tugged out of his fantasizing when he noticed his alteon captor was holding some sort of smooth stone with engravings etched on one side. Rael held it up to his face while he muttered what sounded like some sort of chant in a language Gavin couldn’t understand.

For a moment, he wondered whether the alteon was completely cuckoo, it would be just Gavin’s luck to get stuck with a crazy giant. However, he then remembered something he’d seen on a documentary on TV while he had been flipping through channels. The smooth, British voice of the documentary’s narrator had explained that alteons could travel from their dimension to the human dimension through the use of magic. It was for this reason that humans had no way of opening dimensional portals.

Whatever Rael was doing must be part of some kind of magical ritual to open up the door to the alteon dimension, Gavin determined. And sure enough, a few moments later a massive shimmering circle appeared out of nothingness.

Gavin stared slack jawed at the portal that towered even taller than Rael. While the edges of the thing glittered a vibrant blue, in the center of the hoop was what appeared to be the image of a lush forest.

In theory, Gavin had been aware that alteons could do magic--and not the kind of magic humans did, somehow he couldn’t imagine Rael pulling a rabbit out of a hat. But seeing something happen before his very eyes that defied the logic and science that his world was governed by...it was more than a little stunning.

“Farewell then,” Rael’s voice rumbled from above. Gavin looked up through the bars of his cage to see the giant offer the federal agents a short nod before pocketing the engraved stone.

And then abruptly, Rael turned towards the waiting portal, the sharp motions once again sending Gavin tumbling down into a heap. He managed to pick his head up off of the floor just in time to see they were headed straight for the doorway into the alteon dimension.

“Goodbye, Earth. It was nice knowin’ ya.”

[annabethy]

under the mistletoe, watching the fire glow: day 1

Day 01/25 Days of Christmas: Charcter A ad Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas party,, percabeth

“Chase!”

Annabeth doesn’t bother hiding the sneer that forms across her face at the sound of their voice. As Percy slides in front of her, his face is all too bright and cheerful. Her eyes linger on his torso, covered in a green Christmas sweater with plastic ruffles hanging off of it that makes her want to throw up.

“Why the face?” Percy asks. He leans over onto the desk she’s standing behind, carelessly shoving aside her blueprints. She nearly smacks him as she watches the papers go flying. Annabeth’s pretty sure he has a degree in marine biology, so what he’s doing working for an architecture firm, she will never know.

“It’s because I have to look the devil reincarnate in the eyes,” she deadpans.

“Oh, that’s not nice.” Percy grins wider. “I prefer to be called the Grinch. Christmas festivities, and all that.”

“I have a few words I could call you,” she agrees. “The Grinch is generous.”

“So grumpy.” Percy’s fingers wander around her desk, plucking an ornament off of the company’s mini tree. “So I need to talk to you.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“I’ll have you fired,” he threatens, but he doesn’t seem the slightest bit upset. Annabeth will never understand how he is able to keep such a calm façade when he’s around her. From the moment he walked into that office, she has hated the arrogance with which he walked, and she had no trouble making it known. There hadn’t been a specific starting point to their rivalry, but it was there, and it burned brighter than the North star.

“What do you want?”

“You see, I was talking to Chiron,” he starts, and the twinkle in his eye has her terrified, rightfully so. “And he mentioned that he’s not prepared for the company Christmas party. I was all oh yeah, I can help out, and he was like you should totally do it, and I was like oh, sure thing, but then, get this—”

Annabeth has an inkling as to where this is going.

“He says you have to help me.”

“Jackson.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like be murdered so close to Christmas? Never get to see your poor mother again?”

“I would not like that, no, but I hardly think you’re capable of homicide.”

“You’d be surprised what I’m capable of,” she says. “Something about Christmas transforms me into Rudolph with rabies. It’s bad.”

“You’re too cute,” he coos.

She is tempted to bite him, and she has to retrain herself from doing just that when he pokes her on the nose.

“Anyways, you don’t have a choice. He said you have to.”

“Why me? Why not literally any other employee here.”

“I have no idea,” he says. “I tried talking him out of it.”

Her eye twitches. “Why do I get the feeling that you didn’t?”

“You always get the feeling that I didn’t, or I did, or whatever the wrong choice is. You just have it out for me.”

She doesn’t think that’s necessarily true. She only points him out when he does something wrong, which is all the time. And sure, maybe she spends extra time pointedly looking for anything she can call him out for, but she likes to call that keeping him on edge. Someone had to keep this kid in check if he wasn’t going to himself.

“So once your shift is over, don’t leave. Meet me in the conference room on the third floor, West wing.” “I will not be meeting you there.”

“Yes, you will because Chiron says you have to.” He suddenly sets the ornament back onto the tree, ever so gently, and leans in close. She is too stubborn to move away so he ends up whispering in her ear, his warm breath tickling her. “You may not listen to me, but we all know that you’ll do whatever he says. So. Five o’clock. See you there.”

Annabeth promises herself throughout the rest of the day that she won’t go. She doesn’t always have to listen to her boss, and it’s not like he’d fire her or anything if she didn’t show — she worked too hard to get where she is, and he is well aware of the rivalry going on between them.

Still, as she walks down the hall to the conference room, she can’t say she’s surprised. Chiron has done so much for her, and if she has to succumb to a few hours of torture to make up for it, then that’s exactly what she’ll do.

As she enters the room, she is met with the sight of Percy in the middle of the room, surrounded by the largest assortment of rainbow lights and garland that she has ever seen in her entire life. For a moment, she forgets about the fact that she is forced to be here. Instead, she focuses on the sparkle and joy she can just feel in the room, and the smile of pure excitement that is on his face.

“Where did you get all of this?” she asks, stepping inside. She has to make her way over a few glass decorations splattered about, but she makes it without completely dying.

“I went shopping,” he says, gleeful. He picks a string of lights up, inspecting it closely before dropping it back down onto his lap. Annabeth sits near him, but still far away that he can’t ‘accidentally’ choke her with Christmas lights.

“You paid for all of this?”

“Stole the company card. Where do you think I’ve been all day?”

And it dawns on her that he really hasn’t been there for most of the day. It’s no wonder it had been so quiet; he hadn’t been pestering her every two seconds.

She hums. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Desperate to leave?”

“With you here? Of course.”

Percy frowns but doesn’t say anything about it. “Just make this place look pretty.”

She tries her best, but it’s admittedly not very good. It kind of looks like Santa Claus and his elves threw a very messy tantrum. She stands next to Percy to inspect the final product. She can feel her ears tinging red.

“I don’t understand what happened here,” he says, baffled.

“I think my decorating skills were corrupted by your severe incompetence.” Percy smirks but turns to face her. “My severe incompetence?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask what I did this time?”

“What?”

“You’re always insulting me. Why?”

“Because—” She gestures vaguely. “You’re you.”

“I’m me?”

Her mind blanks. “Uh… ugly.”

Percy guffaws, but he doesn’t seem offended. “All this time I thought you hated me, but it’s actually because I’m ugly?” He whistles. “I don’t know whether to feel relieved or depressed.”

“Bit of both, perhaps.” Annabeth knows for a fact that her face is redder than the mistletoe along the edges of the room. Everything she could complain about and has complained about, and she says that he’s ugly? The one thing that he’s actually not? She may not like him, but even she can appreciate his sharp jawline and striking eyes.

“So if I were less ugly, you would stop calling me incompetent?”

“Exactly.”

“Ah.” Percy elbows her, and she squirms. “And here I was, thinking we were mortal enemies.”

“Oh, we are. I can’t be associated with ugly monsters.”

“Damn, Annabeth. Way to put salt in the wound.”

“You could always just insult me back.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You always do.”

At that, Percy faces her again, alarmed. “I do not.”

“Yes, you do!”

“I’m careful with my words. I may tease you, but I have never called you names.”

She tries to prove him wrong, but she suddenly can’t think of a single instance where he’s actually said something blatantly rude. It turns out she’s just a raging asshole.

“Call me ugly.”

Percy blinks. “What?”

“Now you made me feel bad, so say something mean. Make me cry. You have full permission.”

“I wouldn’t want to lie to you.”

It takes a second before she gathers what he’s saying, and she’s suddenly blushing from something entirely different than embarrassment. “You think I’m pretty?”

“I thought that was obvious.”

“I— no?”

Percy stares at her for what feels like an eternity. “I’ve been flirting with you since forever.”

She snorts. “I like to poke you on the nose and play with your hair. I wink at you, like, every day!”

“I thought you were just bullying me.”

“I’m sorry, but that does not qualify as bullying.”

“You made Chiron demand I decorate for a Christmas party.”

“Yeah, he never said that. He actually has no idea you’re here right now.”

“You did this!?”

“I wanted to spend time with you?” he tries in excuse.

“But we don’t like each other!”

“I thought we were always messing around. I didn’t know you actually despised me.”

She doesn’t know that she despises him. Strongly dislikes, maybe, but she doesn’t think she actually hates him. Now that she’s here, staring him in his green eyes, feeling like a kicked puppy is staring straight at her, she doesn’t know if she actually even disliked him, or was just too stuck to her pride to acknowledge that he wasn’t a terrible person.

“I don’t hate you.”

He sniffs. “Well now I don’t believe you.”

“Oh, you toddler.”

And somehow, Percy still smiles. She’ll never know how he keeps with the cheer. “So what I’m hearing is that we’re friends.”

Percy is too good for her. She insults him to his face and he just smiles through it. He doesn’t hesitate to reassure her, and now that she thinks of it, he never has. When she’s struggling to walk through the halls, Percy is always the first to help her carry her things, even when she hurls her nasty words his way. And the one time she was sick, he was the one to sit her down and drive her home. He’s always been so generous even when she doesn’t deserve it, and she doesn’t understand why she’s never seen it before.

It’s like something inside of her has shifted, like these few hours spent alone with him have suddenly erased everything she thought in the past. It makes sense, now that she realizes that the past was nothing more than an image she was too stubborn to replace.

“No?” Percy smiles. “I get it. You want to be my girlfriend.” She holds up a hand. “Wait a second—”  

“Even better! My wife!”

She chokes, laughing. She thinks this might be the first time she let herself genuinely smile at something he’s said. It’s a nice feeling. “Let’s start with friends.”

Percy steps forwards, towering over her. “Oh, I’m so going to make you my girlfriend.”

Annabeth wants to protest, but with the look that he’s giving her now, making her legs go weak, she thinks that it just might be possible in this Christmas magic.

“Guess what,” he whispers, now directly beside her.

She trembles, a foreign chill shooting down her back. “What?”

“Mistletoe.”

She looks up, expecting to find the small plant being held above her head, but instead she is met with the sound of Percy laughing. “Made you look.”

She laughs along with him, shoving his chest playfully. “This is why I hate you.”

“Except you don’t hate me,” he says, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in for a side hug. “You love me.”

“Sure,” she says.

“So you should kiss me then. If you love me, and all.”

If it had been two hours earlier, she would’ve said not a chance, but something’s changed. She isn’t sure what it is or when exactly it had happened between then and now, but something seemed to click. It has her reaching onto her toes to press a sweet kiss to his cheek, right on the dimple that appears as his face morphs into the kindest, gentlest smile.

“There,” she says softly. “A kiss.”

Percy bites his lower lip and shakes his head. There is a look on his face — adoration, she thinks. A voice whispers love. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me, Annabeth Chase.”

It doesn’t take long at all.

[dem-obscure-imagines]

The Rest of Our Forever

George Weasley x Reader

Fandom: Harry Potter

Note: This is a sequel to “Stuck With Me”. As always, fuck J.K. Rowling, trans rights are human rights. As a reminder, reader has healing powers.

Summary: After George proposes to you, you spend some time reflecting on all of the moments that have led you to where you are.

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR DEATHLY HALLOWS…mentions of death. Other than that, a little angst and a lot of fluff.

Word Count: 6.3k

“You look so beautiful, (Y/N)…” Ginny murmured. She tucked the sparkling tiara into your hair, which Fleur had pulled up into an elegant updo.

“That’s thanks to all of you.”

“Oh, no dear, you’re always beautiful.” Molly scolded. She had something in her hand, a little box. “Now, (Y/N), if it’s not too much to ask, I have this necklace for you to wear. You still need ‘something borrowed.’”

Molly pulled out a simple heart-shaped locket.

“Oh, Molly, it’s beautiful…” You covered your mouth with your hands, eyes tearing up. Molly had always been so accepting of you into her family, and this was, of course, no exception. “Of course I’d love to wear it. Thank you so much.”

“Anything for our newest Weasley.” She beamed, standing behind you to fasten the clasp around your neck. “I am so, unbelievably happy for you, dear. You make our Georgie so happy.”

You smiled, your heart racing just thinking about him. “He makes me so happy, too…”

***

You were nervous. So, unbelievably nervous. You were the only child in your family, a Muggleborn witch, and you had no idea what you were getting yourself into. So, wide-eyed and scared, you started wandering King’s Cross. You had no idea how you were supposed to get to Platform 9¾, and you were far too shy to ask, so instead you wandered towards 9 and 10, looking around desperately for someone who was like you. Someone who would make you feel less alone.

It was then that you were literally knocked off of your feet by a pair of red-headed twins. One of them immediately turned, a guilty look on his face at the sight of you, sitting on the concrete floor.

“Look what you’ve done, Fred! You’ve bulldozed her!” He called at his twin, who was looking on somewhat apologetically. “Sorry about him. He has no sense for this sort of thing. A bit clumsy, that one.” He held out his hand and you locked eyes with him. In that moment, something clicked inside of you and you stared up at him in shock for a moment before you took his hand, letting him pull you to your feet. “I’m George Weasley.”

“I’m (Y/N) (L/N),” you introduced, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “Are you going to…um…” you leaned in and whispered, “Hogwarts?”

He nodded. “Are you a first year, too?”

“I am. I…don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t worry. You can follow us.” Fred encouraged.

“Meeting friends already, boys?” Molly asked. Her face lit up in a warm, welcoming smile when she saw the look on your face. “What’s your name, dear?”

“I’m (Y/N).” You introduced shyly.

“Well, Miss (Y/N), we will get you to Hogwarts in one piece, don’t you worry one bit. Now go on, George, you go first.”

��See you on the other side.” He said with a wink, taking ahold of his cart and pushing it straight through the platform.

You watched in awe as he disappeared into the brick pillar. “Woah…”

Fred went next, and then some of the twins’ older brothers. And then you took your turn, running straight through the brick wall and into a train platform identical to the one you’d just left. George was waiting there with a lopsided supportive smile.

“See? It’s not so bad.”

“It’s not.” You agreed.

“Do you have anyone to sit with?” George asked, realizing that since you were there alone, you probably didn’t have any wizard friends.

You shook your head, your lip pulled between your teeth.

“You can sit with us, if you like.” Fred offered with a smile. “I owe you one for knocking you over earlier.” When he said it, he stepped on George’s foot.

Pain shot through your toes and you looked down, but found that there was nothing there to cause it. Instead, George cursed and lifted his foot.

“Merlin, Fred! Watch it!”

You were stunned into silence, staring at George and at his foot and then back at yours, and all at once, you understood the feeling that had clicked in your chest when you’d first locked eyes with him. You had a feeling that you were going to have to get used to George Weasley…

***

It was your fourth year. You were worried about lots of things. Namely, the giant snake roaming the castle, and additionally, your best friend’s sister had disappeared because of it. You were headed down to the common room because you couldn’t sleep, but you quickly found that someone else had the very same idea. You heard sniffling, but until you got closer, you couldn’t tell who it was.

“George?” You asked softly. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…” He lied, quickly wiping his tears away. “Even in the dark, you can tell us apart, huh?”

“It’s not that hard, really.” You said, walking around the edge of the couch and sitting down next to him. “You and Fred are more different than people give you credit for.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.” You nodded and summoned a tissue with your wand, offering it to him with a careful hand. He took it and used it to wipe away the remnants of his tears. “Big time.”

“How so?”

“Well, your eyes are the easiest tell. Yours are tilted down a little bit. And your noses are different. And your lips have an extra dip to them that Fred’s don’t.”

He smirked a bit. “Staring at my lips, are you?”

You winked. “Only on occasion.”

He laughed, giving you a playful nudge. But then, his expression turned sullen again. “Do…do your powers happen to work on feelings?”

You chuckled and shook your head. “They don’t, I’m sorry. I’m a good listener, though.”

“I’m just worried about Ginny.” His voice cracked and tears rolled down his cheeks. “W-what if—”

“They’re going to find her, George. I can feel it.”

“If she’s hurt…” his tear-filled eyes met yours, but he didn’t finish his question, shaking his head. Your powers were a secret and he knew that. He couldn’t ask that of you, it wasn’t his place.

You looked at him and your heart melted. You pulled him into your arms, a hand stroking through his red hair comfortingly, the way he did when you were feeling down. You leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “If she’s hurt, I will heal her just like I’ve been healing you.” You hugged him tighter. “I promise.”

He gave you a grateful squeeze, surrendering to his sobs and your warmth, letting you soothe the heavy feelings weighing him down until his crying subsided to sniffles again. You really were good at making him feel better, and apparently, it did apply to more than just his injuries.

***

It was your fifth year. You and George had been dating for a little while now, a few months. As always, you were in the stands of every Quidditch game. And when Gryffindor won, as expected, you rushed down to the field with the rest of the students in the stands, hurrying to find George as quickly as you could.

You ran into Fred first, smiled at him, congratulated him on a good game, and then turned, looking for his brother. It had gotten a lot easier to find them since their growth spurt over the summer. Now, they towered over just about everybody, yourself included.

You turned around again, and found him standing right behind you. You launched yourself into his arms, giggling when he hoisted you off the ground and spun you around. You could feel through your bond that he had a bruise on his back, but that was a problem for later. “That was such a good game, Georgie! You were spectacular out there.”

“Of course I was.” He kissed your cheek and then your forehead. “I had my lucky charm up there cheering me on.” He set you back down on the ground, taking your hands in his.

Merlin, he looked so good in that uniform, especially with his longer hair all messed up from the game.

“See something you fancy?” He raised an eyebrow, admiring the lovestruck look on your face.

“You look so hot in uniform.” You murmured, your lip caught between your teeth.

His eyes sparkled and he leaned in closer. “Oh yeah, (L/N)?”

“Mmhmm.” You hummed innocently. You stood on your toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, which he quickly deepened, pulling you up to him and leaning down to meet you in the middle.

When you parted, he rested his forehead against yours, his warm breaths ghosting across your cheeks. His fingers intertwined with yours, and he inhaled a nervous little breath.

“(Y/N), come home for Christmas with me this year.” He whispered, his sparkling eyes waiting anxiously for a reply.

“I’d love to, George.” You nodded and wrapped your arms around his muscled torso, nuzzling your face into his chest. His long arms wrapped around you and you felt his head rest against yours.

“Good, because my mum loves you and she’s been on me about it for weeks.”

“Awwwww, I love your mom.” You looked up at George and then added. “Now let’s go upstairs and fix up your bruises because damn that bludger hurt like a bitch.”

“Right. Sorry about that, love.” He took your hand and kissed it, swinging it between you as you made your way up to the common rooms.

***

When Christmas break finally came around, you were excited, but you were also a little nervous. You’d met the majority of the Weasleys, but you hadn’t seen most of them since you and George had started dating. You knew they liked you as his friend just fine, but you weren’t sure how they would feel about you as George’s girlfriend.

All your worries, however, were set aside when you stepped through the front door of the Burrow and Molly pulled you into the warmest hug, absolutely buzzing with excitement.

“George wrote me about the good news, dear! I’m so glad he finally plucked up the courage! He’s fancied you since third year and I was beginning to think he’d never get around to telling you.”

You blushed red and laughed, looking back at George for confirmation. “Third year, huh?”

He grinned guiltily, his cheeks steadily reddening. “Alright, woman, let’s not spill all my secrets just yet. She just got here.”

“Right, right, of course.” Molly let go of you. “Would you like some tea, dear?”

“Sure, thank you!” You smiled. Once she walked over towards the kettle, you looked up at George, smiling. “Third year…”

“Yeah, yeah. But I mean, could you blame me?” His eyes held so much more information than he was saying, and you appreciated the subtlety. He really was committed to keeping your secret a secret.

“I guess I am quite the catch.” You shrugged, laughing.

He slung a long arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer to him. He kissed your temple softly before whispering, “That you are.”

The way the sleeping arrangements were, you were in Ginny’s room with Ginny and Hermione, and this had led to some playful gossip, which you, for one, loved. As an only child, you’d always wanted a sister, and Ginny and Hermione really did feel like your sisters after everything you’d all been through.

“I still can’t believe you’re dating George.” Ginny grinned, shaking her head. “I’m happy, believe me, but I can’t believe he finally asked you out. He’s been pining like a lovesick puppy for so long…”

“Oh my gosh, really?” You giggled. “That’s adorable.”

“I think it’s sweet. You always have had a special bond.” Hermione added, thinking. “It was inevitable, really.”

“Yeah, I think so, too.” You nodded. “If he didn’t ask me out, I think eventually, I would have just pushed him into a wall and kissed him senseless.”

“Ew.” Ginny gagged.

“Well, I, for one, would have enjoyed it.” George piped up from the doorway, the look in his eyes soft, but with a hint of mischief. “Just came to say goodnight, love.”

You stood up and walked over to him. His Christmas pajamas were draped over his long frame, the ends of his pants not quite reaching all the way down to his ankles. Cute.

He pulled you into the hallway for a bit of privacy from the girls. Once you were out of sight, he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours softly. You reciprocated just as gently.

“Merry Christmas.” He whispered, his voice deeper than usual because of how tired he was. It was indeed getting late, and you were sure that was why the next three words slipped through his perfect lips. “I love you.”

You were both quiet for a beat. He sobered up immediately, realizing what he’d just whispered, his eyes widening. He stuttered, “I…uh…”

Your heart raced and you replied, “I love you too.” You stood on your toes and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, leaning into his ear to whisper, “I love you so much, George.”

His arms circled around your frame, hugging you tight as he exhaled a long sigh. “Good. It just…slipped out, but I do mean it. I love you (Y/N) (L/N). I have for a very long time.”

***

The next morning, all the Weasleys gathered around. You walked into the living room and looked around for an empty spot to sit. Luckily, there was one right next to George. It was a tight fit, but you didn’t mind being squished up next to him.

There were loads of presents in piles scattered across the floor. Molly handed you a large parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with string, and when you opened it, there was a (favorite color) sweater inside with a giant (your initial) knitted into it. Your eyes widened and you gasped.

“Mrs. Weasley, this is amazing! Thank you so much!” You just about cried, tears threatening to blur your vision.

“Of course, dear.” She hugged you tightly, kissing the top of your head motherly. “You’re a member of the family, after all.”

And in that moment, surrounded by all of the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione, George’s hand on your knee and a proud look in his eye, you knew she was right. Being with them in the Burrow was exactly where you belonged.

***

“Alright, Fred, take a look.” You handed him a mirror and he held it up, admiring the three-leafed clover you’d painted onto his face. The Weasleys had invited you to the Quidditch World Cup with them, so currently, you were in their tent, painting the twins’ faces.

“Wicked!” He grinned. “Thanks, (Y/N)!”

“Of course.” You turned to your boyfriend. “Georgie? You want face paint?”

“Just do mine like yours, love. We can match.” He smiled softly up at you.

“Ugh,” Fred grimaced, “look what you’ve done, (L/N). You’ve turned my brother into a softy.”

“He was a softy way before I interfered.” You laughed.

George was about to protest, but you settled yourself into his lap, shutting him right up.

“Just tell me if I’m getting too close.” You whispered, dipping the brush you were using in green face paint and carefully drawing stripes on his face.

He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to your lips. “That’s impossible, darling.”

“Eww, gross.” Fred threw a throw pillow at you, causing you both to giggle.

“Everyone ready?” Arthur asked.

“Just about.” Fred called.

You put the final touches on George’s face paint so it was identical to yours, green and white stripes on your cheeks. You leaned forward and kissed his nose. “All done.”

You got up and followed the boys out to the stadium. The game was fantastic, and you loved seeing how excited the twins got. You had never really gotten to watch Quidditch with George. Every other time you saw a game, he was the one playing in it, so it was fun to see just how riled up he got. You didn’t think it was possible to fall any further in love with him, but steadily, you were.

After the game, George could tell you were tired, so he bent down in front of you, his arms reaching out behind him. You hopped up onto his back and his arms latched under your thighs, carrying you back to the tent with ease. He set you on the couch and you watched tiredly as the twins paraded around the tent, very excited about Ireland’s win. You were sort of drifting in and out, but then George was kneeling in front of you, very serious, his eyes wide.

“Death Eaters. We have to go.”

He tugged you to your feet and you followed him, your hand clasped tightly in his larger, stronger one. You both had your wands out, and you followed Arthur’s lead until finally, you’d all made it to safety. Well, after they went back to find Harry, of course. You didn’t even realize you’d gotten hurt until you all made it back to the Burrow.

At first, you thought it was George who’d burned his hand, but when you looked down, it was your skin that was reddened and irritated.

You poked it with curious fingers and hissed at the pain. George perked up immediately, grabbing your good hand and pulling you to the kitchen after him. He placed himself so his body was a shield between you and the rest of his family, giving you privacy to heal yourself.

“Go ahead, love.” He watched you expectantly, but you shook your head, looking up at him.

“It doesn’t work like that, Georgie.” You lit your hand and held it above the burned skin, but nothing happened. “It doesn’t work on me.”

“Well that’s not fair.” He bit his lip and shook his head. He hoisted you up onto the kitchen counter, causing you to squeak at the unexpected movement. He smiled softly and pushed hair out of the front of your face, leaning in to kiss you gently. And then, he whispered, “My turn to patch you up, then, love.”

He left for a moment and returned with medical supplies. In his absence, you’d started running the burn under some cold water to stop it from hurting for a little bit. He got out some burn ointment and gauze, and once you’d dried off your hand a bit, he dabbed the ointment on gently with his careful finger. Then, he wrapped it up. You stared at him as he worked, focus evident on his handsome features and obscured only slightly by the long hair he was sporting recently.

When he was finished, he looked back up at you to find the softest look he’d ever seen gracing your face. He chuckled. “What?”

“Nothing.” You bit your lip. “Just thinking is all.”

“About what?” He pressed, mischief and love in his eyes.

“You.” You laughed to yourself. Even perched up on the counter, he still towered over you. You reached forward and tugged him closer by the fabric of his shirt. Then, as you leaned in to kiss him, you whispered, “It’s always you…”

***

“Woah…” You murmured, walking in through the front doors of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes for the first time. It was just as colorful as you’d expected it to be, knowing the wizards who had put the place together. They were especially busy today, and you hadn’t had time to stop in since you’d finally escaped Umbridge’s iron grasp and graduated. There were toys and candies and treats all over the place.

You wandered around, admiring everything until you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around and found yourself face to face with Fred, an amused grin on his face.

“About time you came here, (L/N). We thought you’d never pop in.”

“This place is amazing, Fred. I can’t believe you two…well, no that’s not true. You’re the most creative people I’ve ever met, of course you pulled something this spectacular off.”

“Cut it with the flattery.” Fred crossed his arms, grinning proudly. “You’re not getting the ‘dating my brother’ discount.”

“Darn.” You laughed. “Speaking of…?”

“He’s upstairs helping some customers. Should be down in a second.”

“Right here, love.” He walked down the stairs, and you had to do a double-take at the sight of him looking so sharp in his work suit, his hair spiked up away from his face.

“Wow.” You whistled, taking him in. “You look sharp.”

“We’re literally identical.” Fred looked from your lovestruck face to his twin and then back to you. “What did you think he would look like after you’ve already seen me?”

“What can I say, Freddie? I’ve just got my own charm.” George chuckled, stopping in front of you. He cupped your cheeks in his hands and raised your face to his, kissing you passionately, but briefly, for the sake of both his brother and the customers.

When you parted, you spoke softly. “You hurt your hand yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Cut my knuckle…” He admitted, looking down at you sheepishly. “Sorry, love.”

“Don’t be sorry, just let me fix it.” You stood on your toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“We’ll be in the back room, Freddie.” George told him, tugging you towards the storage room.

“I won’t wait up, lovebirds.” Fred winked.

You laughed and shook your head at him. Once the door was closed behind you and George, you set to work, hand lit with magic as you healed up the tiny wound on his middle finger. You took his hand in yours and kissed the now-healed spot. “There. All better.”

“Thank you.” He pulled you into a tight hug, exhaling a sigh he’d been holding in for far too long. He hated that he didn’t get to see you every day like he used to. He hated being apart from you for days or weeks at a time. “Love, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too.”

He was quiet for a beat, his arms still wrapped around you. A thought presented itself to him in his mind and he mulled it over for a beat before he blurted, “You should move in with us.”

Your heart raced. “Yeah?”

“Our flat isn’t much, but…I happen to think it would be a lot better if you were here.”

You nodded, looking up at him, your eyes sparkling. “I think so, too.”

***

And then came the fateful night when you’d found George bleeding on the couch and you’d revealed your secret to his entire family in order to heal his ear. And then, he’d proposed.

It was the morning after. You’d talked to Molly about it, and she’d had some questions. You told her you could feel George’s pain, that you were connected somehow and that because of it, you’d been healing every injury he’d had since he broke his arm third year. When she heard, she pulled you into the tightest hug and thanked you and told you how happy you’d crossed paths with George all those years before.

You were wrapped up in one of George’s sweaters. The sleeves hung far beyond your fingertips, and you were drowning in the fabric, but it was cozy and warm and it smelled like him, so you were happy.

You wandered downstairs, still a little drowsy. George was definitely more of a morning person than you were, and he was already wide awake and down in the kitchen, drinking coffee. You found him leaning against the counter, a smug look on his face and a toothbrush sticking out of his ear; the very ear you’d patched up the night before.

“Moooorning.” He drawled, his voice still extra deep from waking up.

You raised an eyebrow, laughing at the toothbrush. “Do I even wanna know?”

“Just making sure it still works, love.” He grinned, pulling the toothbrush out of his ear and setting it on the counter.

“How did I do, by the way?” You walked up closer to get a better look. There was one chunk in the middle of his outer ear that was missing, but the skin was healed and closed up, and you weren’t getting any pain through the bond you shared, so you weren’t sure how much more you could do for him. “Aww, I missed a bit.”

“I’m pretty sure I lost that when it happened. Don’t worry about it.” He shook his head, his eyes soft. “It’s because of you I even still have this ear at all.”

“You’re all dressed up early.” You noted, looking at him in his suit. Bill and Fleur’s wedding was today, but you were nowhere near ready.

“I have to set up the tent with dad in a bit.” He explained. He set down his coffee and opened his arms.

You caved, walking closer to him and wrapping your arms around him, curling into his chest.

He kissed your forehead, stroking through your hair, a smile on his face. “How’s my fiancé doing today?”

Your heart skipped a beat and you hugged him tighter, your cheeks flushed red. “So much better, now.”

“It’ll be our wedding next, love.”

“I’m gonna cry.” You whispered, your voice shaking as you were overcome with the emotion of everything that was happening. You were engaged to a man you’d been in love with since you were thirteen and you couldn’t have been happier about it. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

George wiped the tear from your cheek and pulled you in for a long kiss. “I can’t wait to marry you either.”

***

The battle was intense. Spells were slinging every which way. Explosions sounded, the castle crumbled, and you watched as your friends fought for their lives against the Death Eaters determined to strike them down.

You’d been separated from George about twenty minutes before, but you hadn’t felt any pain through your bond, so you weren’t as concerned as you would be if you knew something was happening out of your sight.

You spent most of the battle patching people up as quietly and privately as you could manage. If the Death Eaters knew you were a healer, you knew they’d kill you immediately. You were too valuable to the wizards you cared about.

You had your wand out, slinging spells at whatever Death Eaters you could, disarming them and flinging their wands into oblivion. You ran through the violent halls, keeping an eye out for George and watching for anyone who needed help.

You spotted Fred and Percy and you made your way closer to them.

It was then that the explosion went off.

The walls crumbled, and Fred collapsed. You sprinted to him as fast as you could, diving onto the floor. Percy walked over, panic evident on his face.

Your heart sank. Fred wasn’t breathing. And yet, kneeling over him, you could still feel a zing in his chest. Maybe it was your powers, or maybe it was what you were always meant to do, the reason you’d been connected with George, but you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt: you had to save Fred Weasley.

You tucked your wand into your pocket and raised both of your hands, lighting them with the brightest golden healing music you could muster. You focused on the zing still hovering in his chest. It was fainter than it had been a few seconds before. You didn’t have much time, and you knew that.

“Percy, cover us. I can save him, but I have to work quickly.”

“On it.” Percy nodded, putting his back to yours and raising his wand while you pushed every ounce of power you had into the middle of Fred’s chest.

You stayed there for a long time, your hands glowing, Percy slinging spells to protect you and his dying little brother. Finally, after what felt like eternities, Fred’s chest rose and fell and rose and fell. You kept pushing, intense focus in every move you made, every breath you took.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at you, confused.

“What’s going on?” he asked weakly.

“You died.” You replied, still pushing energy into his chest. “But George needs a best man at our wedding, so that’s not an option.”

He chuckled hoarsely. “Well, thank you, for the record.”

“Don’t mention it til I’m finished.” You kept at it, watching as the color returned to his cheeks. “Just keep breathing for me, Weasley.”

“I can do that.”

You kept radiating energy into Fred, and as you did, you felt blood drip from your nostril, the world starting to spin around you. You stopped.

Fred sat up, looking at you with wide eyes. “Hey now, breathe for me, (L/N).”

You nodded, your blinks getting longer. Then, all at once, you slumped over, the world going black.

***

You woke up in a pair of strong arms, held against a shaking chest, droplets of water dripping down onto your face. A pair of lips kissed your forehead over and over, and a familiar voice murmured, “I’m so sorry, love. So, so sorry…” He sobbed. “I should have been there…”

“Georgie, why are you crying?” You asked softly, looking up at him.

He froze, going quiet. He looked down and met your gaze, tears rolling down his cheeks as he pulled you into a more upright position, just about crushing you against his chest. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He exhaled a long sigh. “You…you weren’t breathing, and I thought…”

“We all thought…” Fred met your gaze over George’s shoulder, guilt all over his face.

Looking up, you found yourself surrounded by Weasleys, who, until a few moments ago, thought you were dead.

You pulled away from George’s neck to get a better look at his face. You cupped his cheek with a gentle hand and rested your forehead against his. “I’m not going anywhere.” You kissed him softly before adding, “You’re stuck with me, Weasley.”

He couldn’t hold in his tears when he finished, “Gee, real shame that is.”

You wrapped your arms around him and tugged him closer. He held you like it was the last time he would ever get to. Your hand rose to run through his hair.

“I’m right here,” you whispered, trying to comfort him. “I’m right here, George. I love you so much…”

***

After the battle, once the dust had settled and Voldemort was dead once and for all, you’d volunteered to help clean up. George and Fred had accompanied you, wanting to help out however they could, so the three of you were currently fixing the collapsed walls.

“I didn’t know you could bring dead people back to life.” Fred said, looking down the hallway to the remains of the very wall that had taken him out.

“Neither did I.” You chuckled, waving your wand at the rubble and watching as it floated back into place, repairing as though it had never been broken in the first place. “But I knew I couldn’t let you die.”

“Thanks for that, by the way.��� Fred laughed. “I owe you whatever sweets you want from the shop for the rest of our lives.”

“Deal.”

Once the hallway was all fixed up, George took your hand and gave it a squeeze. “Do you want to take a walk with me, love?”

“Yeah, I could use some air.” You nodded. “See you in a bit, Fred.”

Fred gave George a knowing look that went over your head. You followed George through the castle and then out the doors and down towards the lake. It was a beautiful day, just chilly enough to warrant George’s oversized sweater draped over your frame. The sky was blue and there was a gentle breeze. Even the lake was serene, occasional ripples disturbing the clear surface.

Once you stopped walking, George took his hand out of yours. He took a breath and you looked up at him, waiting for him to say whatever was on his mind.

“My mum…found this. It was my grandmother’s. I figured I should do this properly.” George said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little velvet box.

You covered your mouth, tears fogging your vision as he got on one knee, opening the box to reveal the most beautiful ring you’d ever seen.

“(Y/N) (L/N), over these past four years, you’ve made me the happiest wizard in the world. Will you marry me?”

And once again, you replied, “Yes. Of course I will marry you, George Weasley.”

***

“Are we all ready in here, ladies?” A tall red-haired wizard popped his head into Ginny’s room, where you and the others were getting ready.

“George! Get out of here! It’s bad luck!” Molly started scolding, but stopped abruptly. “Sorry, Fred. Yes, we’re all ready.”

“And you call yourself our mother…” Fred shook his head, a mischievous smirk on his face. “Where’s the lady of the hour?”

“Right here.” You stood from the makeshift vanity and turned to face your fiancé’s twin.

He took you in, letting out a low whistle. “You’re gonna make Georgie cry.”

“That was the goal.” Ginny smiled, adjusting your veil.

You looked in the mirror one last time, fiddling with the silk fabric of your skirt, and then you followed Fred and the others down the stairs. It was going to be a simple ceremony. Remus Lupin was officiating. It would just be your friends and family in attendance. Quite honestly, you would have married George Weasley on your front porch with only the mailman as a witness. You loved him endlessly, and you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of your life with him.

You followed the procession of bridesmaids and groomsmen. Your father walked you down the aisle, and as soon as George laid eyes on you, his breath caught in his throat and tears fogged up his vision. There she was. His wife. His beautiful wife who he’d been in love with for six years.

When you finally got to him, he gently lifted the veil off of your face, studying your features as though he’d be tested on them later.

“Hey there, love.” He whispered, trying to dispel his own nerves along with yours.

“Hey.” You whispered back, smiling softly.

Remus started the ceremony and you said your vows and exchanged your rings and then, finally, you kissed him. George’s hands framed your cheeks and he met you in the middle, kissing you passionately.

When the two of you parted, he whispered, “What now, Mrs. Weasley?”

“Now, Mr. Weasley…” you slipped both of your hands into his and gave them a squeeze, “we get started on the rest of our forever.”  

[claudiarya]

Hello I’ve written this short fic. based on the clip we’ve got from Shadow and Bone of Jesper and Inej performing, but with a twist!

You can read it on Ao3 as well

Silks, Guns and All the Things Fun (Not) 

Words count: 2898 

The chattering at the Crow Club was thicker than usual and it ricocheted around the lower floor of the building, bouncing off the draped walls. Kaz Brekker made his way there from where he had been dealing cards on the upper part of the club. It had been quite a profitable night, with many pigeons all too eager to let the rush of the gambling go to their head and lose everything. His cane tapped on the stairs as he descended them, an ominous and irregular melody announcing who was coming down those steps. He stopped just before the las two and scanned the room, his shark eyes checking if everything was in order. Kaz saw at least a couple of people flinching when his eyes had met theirs. Good. It seemed that his infamy was the same unblemished, or rather very blemished, story of terror as ever. He had worked all of his angles to make it that way, and he had every intention to keep it up as long as he lived, his thirst for personal revenge too strong to be sated in any other way.

Kaz threw another glance around the room until he found who he was looking for. He approached her, men and women making themselves scarce as he passed them. Inej was in the corner, intent on untangling something thick, the crimson fabric like a river of blood in her hands. Her long hair was tied up in a coil at the nape of her neck as she usually wore it, a light vest covering her shoulders and arms, and peeking from a sleeve he saw something wrapped around her forearm. She had covered her feather tattoo since she was going to remove the vest and perform in bare arms, something that had stirred not little emotions inside the hollow of his armor.  

“I trust that everything is ready,” Kaz rasped, looking down at her from where he was standing. Not surprised in the slightest, as if she had known all along who was about to speak to her, Inej kept her eyes on her task. “Good evening to you, too Kaz. How are you?” Her tone unbothered if a little bit sarcastic…

This girl. If it had been any other person speaking to him like that, they would have run away with a few broken limbs or without teeth. Or perhaps both. Kaz couldn’t understand why, but his relationship, if that could be called, with her had always felt different. Nobody treated him the way she did, he didn’t allow it, but whatever it was that propelled him to always find excuses to talk to her, be near to her when he could, he didn’t like it.

Liar. A voice in his head reprimanded him. him. You keep lying to yourself, Brekker. He blinked. Usually he would have ignored her, but that night he didn’t know what forced possessed him and he decided to indulge her.

“Yes, hello Inej darling. I’ll be better when all of this is over, and we’ve made our profit.”

When the term of endearment had left his lips, she had looked at him with a sonorous sigh. Inej raised to her feet, not really making a difference since she was so small, the red silks now draped on one shoulder, and her eyes peered straight into his. The amber, low lights of this particular floor of the club reflected into her irises, making it look like she had flames burning behind them.

Kaz thought again to himself that she had never looked more like a painted icon of those Saints she so much adored than in that moment and gripped his cane tighter to try and snap out of his reveries, to try and quiet the raging emotions inside. The ridges of the crow’s head unmistakable even under his gloved hands.

“Everything will go as planned: we’ll perform, and we’ll make sure all of these pigeons are probably plucked. Don’t worry.” She passed him, careful to avoid touching him and went to hang the silks she had been preparing.

Kaz promised not to let his gaze follow her but failed. He saw how with a graceful movement she looped one end of the prop into the hook on the wall. Once again, he forced himself not to let his thoughts wander too much and with a slightly louder voice called after her.

“If you’re so ready, where in Ghezen’s name, is Jesper?”

“He’ll be here,” she shrugged not preoccupied at all.

“He’d better be.” He checked his time piece and looking once again at her he said: “We start in five minutes. Go get yourself prepared.”

He heard Inej exhaling loudly. Again. A habit, he realized, she had acquired in these last months. Was it perhaps because she was starting to feel a little more comfortable with this life he had given her, with his gang… with him?

Inej got closer to him, not intimidated at all to look at him straight in the eye.

“I know what I’m doing, but if I’ll be ever looking for a coach, I’ll know who to turn to. Now, excuse me.”

She brushed past him, one instant she was there and then next gone.

***

Fitting how Kaz had found the darkest part of the room to stand in during Jesper’s and Inej’s little show. The sharpshooter had turned up at the last minute, literally the last, when the audience had already gathered around the little space they had arranged specifically for the two of them, and Kaz had already excogitated a hundred different way to kill him. He had of course given a piece of his mind, seething to the gangly boy, who in returned had just shrugged, winked at him and told him that “People love big entrances, I’m making us a favor,” before scurrying to his designated seat at the center of the makeshift stage.

Kaz had come up with this idea months prior, but Inej and Jesper had actually started performing only a couple of weeks ago. He had had to use all of his most convincing arguments to let Per Haskell see how incredibly fruitful this would all be. That old man and his drunken ass…

After many requests from his lieutenant part he had conceded, and Kaz had made it look so as if the leader of the Dregs had had this brilliant idea himself, a thing that had worked out for the best since he had gone strolling around the Barrel boasting how his club was offering entertainments that no other could. A good publicity indeed, and Dirtyhands had smirked pleased with himself, his plan had worked. As always.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw Inej climbing the silks, her fluid movements made it look so easy, as if she was taking a stroll instead of keeping herself up with only her body strength.

“Ladies ang gentlemen, thugs and thieves,” started Jesper walking the perimeter of the free space and catching the attention of the people there. “Tonight you’ll see something that only few would be brave to attempt. My lovely assistant will perform one of her tricks with a card stuck between her lips,” at that the girl in question removed from thin air a card and showed it to the audience, only one part of her body now supporting her, the silks wrapped around it, as the other half hanged from them. “While I will attempt to shoot at it.”

Many gasps could be heard around the room as well as excited whispers.

“Let’s begin!” Jesper said, now with a much more serious tone.

Kaz had to admit it, even if at times Jesper was a total buffoon he knew how to mesmerize an audience, and he had them in the palm of his hands.

The sharpshooter took his position, and removed from the ground a little polished, silver tray. Kaz had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes as Jesper looked at his reflection winked at himself and then kissed his beloved revolver, while exhaling with (fake) preoccupation. Could this boy be more theatrical than that? The Bastard of the Barrel sighed, convinced that there was no end to his second in command’s love for the dramatics. Inej wrapped her limbs expertly in the silks and then with a fearless dive, she let herself fall so that her body was hanging upside-down.

The split second before Jesper could shoot, Kaz’s and Inej’s eye met, and the world seemed to stop for a bit.

He knew damn well that the Zemeni boy was the best shot around, he had never seen him miss. Never. On top of that, he suspected that the little secret he was keeping from everyone, but that Kaz had of course found out about, somehow helped him with his formidable aim. Yet… why in the name of his beloved kruge did he feel nervous for her?

You need to get it together and stop thinking this sentimental stuff. He scolded himself, not for the first time that night.

After a second or perhaps an eternity he moved his gaze away from hers.

Jesper shot and… the bullet struck the card exactly in the middle. The raucous cheering of the audience was what ground him completely again. Inevitably, as if a magnet drawn to the pole, he saw Inej finish her performance with a couple of flips, before landing as effortlessly and elegantly as ever, a big grin on her face. Kaz himself couldn’t help the light movement upward of the corner of his mouth, that died immediately when he noticed how the sharpshooter, now standing, turned around to return the smile, and finally joined her, taking her hand to bow.

That nagging feeling inside him was as demanding as ever. He hated it. He wanted it to stop.

The applause of the people surrounding him turned into a distant sound, as a clear thought struck him then and there. He was never going to have that easy demeanor Jesper had with her, he was never going to be able to take her hand without drowning, he could never tell her that despite all his effort he couldn’t resist the constant pull he felt whenever she was close and that made everything even worse.

Inej’s eyes managed to find his again in his dark corner, the smile she still had lightened her features, but it dropped as soon as she saw what was a very grim expression marking his face.

He wanted to yell. Tell her to keep on smiling, because he felt very much alive whenever she did, like none other things could, but instead he just gripped his cane tighter, and forced himself to look around the room.

When Jesper and Inej approached him after the audience had dispersed a bit, he was still waging his inner war.

“Wasn’t our Wraith amazing?” Jesper asked excitedly, an arm slung around the shorter girl’s shoulders, before adding “Wasn’t I amazing?”

“You just did what you had to. No more no less. And besides, many of these people had already seen this particular performance, so I wouldn’t let all those adoring people get to your head.” He rasped before leaving them standing.

As he made his way to return to the upper level of the Club, he heard the sharpshooter sighing loudly. “You can never win with him, can you?”

“No one can,” was Inej’s curt answer.

He knew her eyes were following him; he could feel it and he never detested more the vindictive and cold creature he had become than now.

***

The Crow Club at that hour of the night, or rather early morning, was deserted. Kaz had ordered the others to go back to the Slat as he stayed behind to make sure everything was in order before close-up. He once again descended the stairs that would bring him to the lower floor, the silks and the other props gone and already been stashed away. As he scanned the room though, he noticed something on the ground, near where the silks were usually hanged. In the dim light he could see it was a piece of dark cloth, and as he got closer, he noticed that it wasn’t just any piece of cloth, but the one Inej had wrapped around her forearm to cover her tattoo. He crouched down, with no little protest from his bad leg, and took it in one gloved hand, the gesture almost reverent.

If someone were to enter the room now, they would have found Kaz Brekker, Bastard of the Barrel, Dirtyhands himself, on his knees cradling a strip of cloth in his hands. He shook his head in disbelief and made to stand up, when CRASH!

Something had fallen and in his fear of having been discovered, Kaz quickly tucked the wrap in his suit pocket as he made leverage on his cane to stand. He saw that what had startled him had been a stool, now on the ground. He passed a hand through his hair in exasperation. He really needed to get a grip.

In the days following Kaz didn’t realize that out of nowhere he would put his hand in his pocket and rub the little piece of fabric between his fingers, a thing that oddly enough always managed to calm him. He didn’t realize it, until he did. It had been a late night in which he had been working for the Dregs and his pathetic excuse of a leader, now scheming, now scribbling and adding numbers. The little thing had been placed on his shambled desk, a trusted companion of his. He had meant to return it, if not to Inej directly, to at least casually leave it where he had found it, but in the end he hadn’t. That night he had sent his Wraith out to gather information regarding a certain mercher’s rich art collection, and he hadn’t almost heard her, almost, entering his attic room from the window. Kaz hadn’t known how he had been able to stash her piece of fabric away before she could see him gently passing it between his fingers.

He only imagined the conversation they would have had if he had taken a second too long to hide it.

You know Inej, I casually found it on the ground but instead of leaving it there I’m keeping your arm wrapping as a stress-relieving token. But it’s not like it may look. I’m not obsessed with you or anything.

Could he be more pathetic than that? Since when had he gone this soft? Oh yes, he knew, ever since he had paid her indenture and she had joined the Dregs, that was when. To make things worse that night had ended with Inej casually sitting on his window seat: her head resting on the wall, her eyes closed. Indefinite and unnamed emotions had stirred once again inside of him, as a very precise, but not really polite word echoed in his head… he was so screwed.

From that moment on he had debated whether to just give it to her and telling her that he had found it but that it had just slipped his mind until then, or continuing keeping the damn thing. A constant battle in his mind that complemented the one inside his heart.

He kept it.

If Kaz was never going to have Inej, as he wished he could, he at least could have a part, no matter how small and insignificant, of her.

That day, his feet carried him on their own accord outside her door, a floor exactly below his room. They had encountered some troubles with some too cocky members of the Black Tips and the whole ordeal had left them all pretty shaken – except Kaz of course – and with two dead members of his crew. Kaz didn’t know why he was standing here, on the other side of her closed door. She might not even be here, he had thought trying to find excuses to turn back from where he had come.

But he knew. He somehow sensed that she was inside her little room.

What exactly was he thinking, what was he doing here as a gaping fish out her door? Did he want to make sure she was okay? See if she needed anything?

Oh yes, because you’ve been nothing but an example of emotional support, Brekker.

When he was about to turn and go back to the attic, cursing himself for his stupidity, the door in front of him opened. Inej stood there, and for once her hair was not tied back but loose on her shoulders, cascading in delicate waves around her frames, the result of having kept it tight in a braid.

“Is anything wrong, Kaz? Why are you standing outside my door as if you’d seen a Saint?” she had asked.

I think I wanted to see you, I’m not sure why and I’m going insane. He thought, but of course didn’t say, too cowardly and bitter to do so. Instead, Kaz quickly put his hand in his pocket, and found what he knew would be there. Gripping her piece of fabric, he managed to answer with his usual lack of emotions.

“Go find Jesper. I found us a job. What would you say to one million kruge?”

[pinkprimrose05]

GX Month Day 7: Ojama Delta Thunder!!

@gxmonth

"That’s right! You know what today is! Today we celebrate The Chazz, the one and only Manjoume Thunder! Give sparky boi a hug!"

...I'm not giving Manjoume a hug. I...*cackles evilly* am gonna make him suffer as much as the actual Duel Links players do, maybe even more. And I'm not the least bit sorry, because hey, he gets something out of it in the end!

Manjoume Jun was not having a good day.

The Ojama Duelist grumbled to himself, kicking a non-existent pebble into the air as he made his way to the Duel Studio. The picturesque environment of Duel Links -too clean, too perfect- never ceased to amaze him and many others, but right now, he was too damn pissed to care about that.

After all, it's hard for one to appreciate the technology behind a game's setting when that same technology had just fucked up their entire collection of cards- And in the middle of a Duel no less!

The door slid open as he walked through, revealing rows upon rows of multicolored tables placed on either side of the massive ground floor that was the Deck Editor section, leaving a clear path to the spiraling staircase of clear blue glass that led to the Card Catalog and several other, more obscure sections. After all, the Deck Editor was the single most popular part of the Duel Studio, if the couple dozen Duelists buzzing around all day long were anything to go by.

Manjoume plopped down on a chair at the first empty table he could find, fishing out the single Deck box in his pocket and dropping it on the yellow, round surface. The twenty cards inside the box spilled out over the table (he had hundreds of those for fuck's sake!), and their owner groaned in frustration as he rifled through his completely reset Deck....Scratch that, it wasn't even his own Starter Deck. Battle Warrior? Flame Manipulator? What the hell?!

Briefly, he considered the benefits of marching up to Isono and demanding an explanation and solution to what happened, but that idea was shot down almost immediately. It's not like the guy would be of actual help; the last time someone asked about a bug in the game Isono had literally told them, quote unquote "Please ensure that no other house utilites are interrupting your connection, such as a microwave oven.", and while Manjoume was no tech expert, even he could tell how much of a half-assed excuse that was.

Stupid Duel Links and its stupid customer service-

"Manjo-kuuuuuuun!!"

Startled out of his thoughts, Manjoume only had enough time to gasp before a familiar blue blur put him in an unexpectedly tight headlock, already rambling at rapidfire speed straight in his ears.

"I'm so glad I could find you today!!" Kylie squealed "Had no idea I'd see you here, but that doesn't matter- do you wanna Duel?? I've been working on a new Deck and combos for days now and I can't wait to show you-" the second-year abruptly paused when she caught sight of the cards spread on the table, letting go of Manjoume in favor of taking a better look at them "Waaiiiit a minute, what's with those cards? They don't look like anything you normally play-"

"-It's Manjoume-san." He sharply interjected in a mix of annoyance and exasperation, shooting a glare at the oblivious blunette standing next to him as he massaged his neck "And yes, those aren't my cards. The game just randomly decided to reset my connection in the middle of a Rank-Up Duel of all things, yeet off all my Decks into nonexistence, and then gave me a shitty Starter in exchange, so now I'm stuck with almost zero gems and no way to recover my progress, which is just fucking splendid considering how close we are to the next KC Cup."

Manjoume sighed "Fuck this. Just, fuck this."

Truthfully, he wasn't as mad about the progress he lost as he was about losing his cards. It hadn't even been thirty minutes and, while he'd never admit it out loud, he already missed his trio of obnoxious Ojamas. They've been through thick and thin together, and it felt unnatural to have them just up and disappear like that. The last time they've been away from him wasn't exactly something he wanted to remember, and while the situation here was nowhere as severe as the Dark World, it still felt wrong for the air around him to be so quiet.

Kylie, who was uncharacteristically quiet as she listened to her 'friend' ranting about his current predicament, nodded along "So you...basically got your account reset?"

"No shit, Sherlock." Manjoume deadpanned in response. Kylie put a hand to her chin, humming thoughtfully with closed eyes, before suddenly slamming a hand on the table and nearly shocking him into falling off his chair.

"I GOT IT!" She exclaimed, snapping her fingers with a bright grin "This reset bug happened once to someone I know- I don't know if you remember Ruby from Heartland Academy, but anyway, she also lost all her progress a couple months ago after she got booted out of a Duel, and it turned out that her cards were just scattered all around the Duel World, so we went around asking everyone we could if they saw them, Dueled those who had some, and we got all her cards back in the end. It must be the same with yours, so let's get going and find them all!!"

Without warning, she grabbed the Legendary Duelists's hand, hauling him up and out of the Deck Editor before he could even get out a word. Manjoume gasped and spluttered along the way, trying to tell his companion to slow down a bit to no avail; as talking someone like Kylie out of anything was like trying to build a Deck around Cold Feet.

That didn't stop him from actually looking around and asking, though. If there was even the slightest chance of him finding his cards this way, then he'd be damned if he didn't at least try and go through with it. Compared to staking it out at the North Pole for a barely synergic mishmash of a Deck, to going down a haunted well in an empty forest for a bunch of 0-ATK monsters that were -figuratively and literally- bottom of the barrel, Dueling a couple chumps and scavenging for some lost cards was nothing, and he was ready to do so much more to get his partners back.

"See? I told you Aniki would come find us in the end!"

...I take back everything I said, Manjoume thought, cringing in disgust as Ojama Green and Black hugged each other and began prancing around him in circles, babbling and crying tears of joy while they were at it How could I ever miss this shitfest?

He just did, somehow. It hadn't taken too long to find the two Ojamas anyway; the sound of them banshee screeching weeping their asses off by the fountain was all he needed to know they were somewhere out there, and by some lucky miracle, their cards didn't get sprayed to oblivion with all the water by the time he came to retrieve them. As for his other cards, he and Kylie had stopped by the Shop, the Card Trader, the PvP Arena, the Gate and the Duel School, asking everyone they could about his cards, and beating the shit out of those who had some and refused to give them back

(Well, Manjoume was the one who did that, and only to Evan and Zachary, but that wasn't the point here, was it?)

By the time they decided to return to the Duel Studio for a small break, they'd gathered practically all of his key cards. He couldn't care less for the bunch of staples he lost -he'd just reroll the Selection Box or whatever-, so the only missing card that actually mattered, as much as it stung his ego to admit it...

...was Ojama Yellow. And after what happened with his brothers (and with Fairy Dragon, which he found resting on top of a very inconveniently high branch of a tree), Manjoume fully expected the third Ojama to be sleeping in the trash can or somewhere equally stupid. Because if he wasn't, he'd have found him before any other card by simply following the sound of high-pitched crying mixed with a lot of screaming and weird Ojama noises-

-A sudden rattling sound interrupted the noiret's thoughts for the second time that day, and when he stopped to locate its source, he let out a long, drawn-out sound between a sigh and a groan. Surely enough, the sound was coming from the trash can by the cliff, which was shaking wildly and practically begging to be opemed. Feeling a migraine coming up, Manjoume turned left, walked up to the can, and with some difficulty, pried the lid off.

"ANIKIIIII!!"

He instantly regretted it (he didn't) when the snot-faced creature that was Ojama Yellow exploded in his face, crying uncontrollably as he tried to hug Manjoume (keyword being 'tried'). His brothers all but sprang up from their cards, meeting him in a hug midair and effectively plucking him off his master for a bit as they all laughed and cried and did everything in between.

"Aww, look at how happy they are!" Kylie gushed, eyes almost sparkling. She lightly smacked Manjoume's back "You sure have a funny bunch of spirits, luckyyyy~"

Swatting away the Ojama trio and a pair of Catnipped Kitties before they tried sneaking up on him for a hug, Manjoume folded his arms and snorted in response "Yeah, sure."

But regardless, he found his lips quirking up in spite of himself. If it were me from three years ago, he mused I wouldn't have bothered with any of this in the first place.

But this wasn't the him from three years ago. This was the him of today, the Manjoume Thunder who'd gone through so much shit and learned from it to become a better Duelist, a better Duelist, and a better person. And while he had many people to thank for that, he also had to give credit for the monster spirits that followed him through all of the aforementioned shit, because as cringy, messy, bombastic and obnoxious as they might be, they were his partners, and he wouldn't give them up for anything in this world-

"WILL YOU FUCKING STOP THAT??!!"

-Unless they tried to hug him again. Pissed beyond reason, Manjoume chased after the quintet of Level 2's, ignoring Kylie's hysteric laughter and the surprised yelps from other Duelists as they dashed around the area in circles, all the noise merging into a cacophony of angry hollering and frightened squeaking, among other sounds.

In the end, some things never change....for better or for worse.

~~~~~~

Screw the actual Duel Links game for not including most of Manjoume's low-ATK monsters in his Starter/Lv 10 Deck (why tf is Catnipped Kitty a main Box card 4 years after his release?), and double screw them for splitting his Ojamas and Dragons into separate Decks.

I hate how his higher level Decks in the game completely disregard the former half of his cards; those are the ones that actually stuck with him in a meaningful way, not the Armed Dragons...they deserve some more recognition, so why not mix both archrtypes and slap in Ojamatch?

Also, yes, Standard Duelists actually exist here, so I decided to throw in my favorite GX girl AKA Kylie and have her interact a bit, and boy is she fun to write.

Headcanon: Kylie considers Manjoume (and everyone else, but especially him) her best friend because she basically has Yuuma's mentality of 'Anyone I Duel becomes an amigo!', and by sheer dumb luck, the two keep logging in at the same time and often get matched up in PvP Duels.

That's part of why she's so familiar with him (and also why she calls him Manjo-kun) and as you can see, Jun does not approve.

Aaaand this would be everything for Day 7! Expect to see me again...in a week from now. By Day 15 to be exact. In the meantime, if you’d like to follow my prompts for the month, I’m posting them all on ArchiveofOurOwn: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33473653/chapters/83489824

[kageyama-tho]

Suppp can I ask for hcs for Kuroo, Tsukishima and Kageyama of how they would act around their crush? Thank you for your time ❤️

Suhh 

Thank you for your support <3

Kuroo :

- You have a granted friendship with him, because he wants to get to know his crush to see if there’s a point of moving forwards. He genuinely doesn’t take his crushes seriously since he doesn’t really have time for it. Sometimes he’d flirt with his previous crushes, but only to find out they weren’t that compatible.

- Clearly, you are very special and managed to catch his attention. Kuroo was willing to put in the effort from the very beginning. You must’ve done or said something that shocked him and it piqued his interest. The thought of you makes him smile. He outs himself and his little crush to his teammates, because you’re constantly the subject of his conversations. He doesn’t regret it.

- Shows pictures of you to his friends or points you out if he sees you somewhere. He’s proudly taking in all the “Wow, so beautiful!” and “You don’t have a chance, Kuroo!” Even though they’re all poking fun of him, he’s still prideful. 

- Often, when he’s talking to you, he finds himself dissociating as he’s captured by your beauty. He’s just staring at your face and smiling. He laughs and cutely apologises when you scold him for not paying attention.

- Always searches for any excuse to touch you. He’s going to lie that there’s something in your hair so he can pluck it away or poke your sides to annoy you. Kuroo is 10x more annoying because he thoroughly enjoys teasing you. He wouldn’t be annoying you if he didn’t like you. There’s always something cheeky he says that makes you roll your eyes and it just makes him laugh.

- He will never admit it but whenever you’re close to him and there’s a big chance for a kiss to finally happen - the captain is engulfed by nervousness. He tries not to turn his head towards you or moves around. He wants to kiss you or hold you really bad, but looking into your eyes intimidates him. Our boi turns a little shy.

Tsukishima :

- It’s a rare occasion that he catches feelings for anyone so he pretends you don’t exist - unless he’s pretty much stuck in a one-sided friendship with you. He denies any possible love related feelings he could have for you, therefore he never mentions it. He doesn’t really care about being in a relationship. But he eventually finds himself imagining being in a relationship with you. He quickly scraps that and shakes his head at himself. “So dumb.”

- Tsukishima is certain that he doesn’t actually care about you. But as soon as he hears your voice or the sound of your walk that he oddly memorised - his eyes snap in your direction. He almost smiles upon seeing you but he remembers who he is again. So instead he makes fun of you. He just hopes he hurts your feelings and you start hating him so you leave. He doesn’t want to deal with his feelings.

- At some point he can’t deny he enjoys your company and even though he doesn’t realise it, he grows soft on you. He starts holding the door open for you even though before he’d close it on you (still asked if you’re okay lmao). He listens to a lot of things you say and mentions it later, not noticing how much attention he pays to you.

- Tsuki replies to your texts and often texts only you for an hour straight. He texts you ‘goodnight’ in the most simplest and nonchalant way, but you’re the only one he says that to.

- The thing that irritates him the most is that when you cheer him on or compliment him, he blushes. Whole face turns red. He’s in utter disbelief and freezes momentarily when his face heats up. He turns to you for a second just to stutter “Sh-shut up!”

- Gives you compliments. “Your hair looks good that way.” He doesn’t think much of them because he’s just being honest. But Yamaguchi actually screeches when he hears that Tsukishima gave you a compliment. He never does that.

Kageyama :

- Okay he’s well in if he can even say more than one word to you. He’s uncomfortable with all those emotions hitting him all at once so he tries the good old denial. But that only makes him feel everything stronger within time. Unless he’s somehow forced into talking to you or if you make the move - nothing will happen. He’s possibly going to talk to Sugawara about it or Tanaka. One is a bad option. He’s overwhelmed with Tanaka’s advice.

- He gives you the weirdest compliments. You need to understand him a bit and thank him because if you’re like “What?” he’s going to never speak to you again lmao. He needs someone open-minded and nonjudgmental. He needs that built up of confidence, to see if he’s doing something right.

- Invites you to his games or practice and promises to walk you home afterwards. He’s not sure how to ask you to hang out with him so he feels that walking you home is an opportunity to spend time with you.

- If you’re really good academically, he asks for help regarding his own studies. You can bet he’ll try really hard to impress you. He doesn’t want you to think he’s a complete dumbass. It’s embarrassing to him. But bonus if he manages to make you laugh?

- Kageyama shares his things with you. He’s willing to give you his pen when he himself has nothing else to write with. He’s lowkey whipped, just because he doesn’t know how to act since he doesn’t have relationship experience. He will literally carry things for you, despite his teammates making fun of him. 

- He gets invasive thoughts in the middle of doing anything at all where he just wants to kiss you or hold your hand. Even the thought of it makes his face heat up. God if you wish him luck at his practice or game he’s going to melt. This cutie stares at you a lot, even when you don’t see him. He tends to admire every feature of your face and he notices small details about you.

[amphii-writes]

Random Haikyuu Head Canons I Have

these are all taken from my discord server cause i remember to write them there, if you want to request fanfics, my requests are W I D E open! there is also nO order! these are just all the headcanons i could find tbh

warnings: mentions of blood, and just overall wild times, swearing

Asahi loves knitting sweaters because his shoulders are broad and he also loves seeing the reactions from his teammates when they get a sweater from him! He says he buys them but he doesn’t

Aone likes knitting socks because he has big feet and he loves fluffy knee high socks but his team will never know

Asahi and Aone regularly hang out and knit together! (after asahi wasnt scared of him anyways)

Nishinoya gives you shiny rocks he finds because “your eyes shine like them!”

Yamaguchi likes to have your head rest on his chest while cuddling!

Aone likes to bake

Aone dressed like a polar bear because koganegawa told him to- halloween was amazing

daICHI HAS A KISS THE COOK APRON

Daichi secretly can make some kick ass steak and is amazing at grilling sorry

Okay but real talk, Kenma and Yaku swear like sailors and it scares everyone because they always whisper the most foul, insulting things under their breath. Hearing it is like seeing a cryptid

Speaking of cryptids, Fukunaga and Shibayama are THE most true crime, mythology, and mystery obsessed fanatics on the team and often fanboy about it together 

Fukunaga’s obsession with moth man has gotten to an unhealthy stage

Kenma absolutely had a vampire phase and has read twilight. Only Kuroo knows and has sworn to secrecy via blood pact

Kuroo’s a musical nerd. Knows all of the lyrics to Hamilton, BMC, DEH, Heathers, Rent, Beetlejuice, Etc. Kenma considered dropping him because of it

Iwaizumi tells the worst dad jokes and Kyotani, wanting to beat him, started doing it too and it drives everyone insane

Yahaba and Matsukawa get along surprisingly well. Both are true crime freaks and bond over their forensic files obsessions

Matsukawa didn’t really like his thick eyebrows so he got one of his female friends to pluck it for him, but almost cried and gave up after the first hair. Oikawa called him a pussy for the next year

Hanamaki jokingly flirts with everyone on the team so most of them just got used to it, but it still confuses Kindaichi to the point of mental breakdown

Makki called Kyotani ‘puppy’ as a joke once and now mad dog is truly terrified of him

Kyotani’s dog absolutely ADORES Oikawa and it’s the funniest shit to the rest of the team

Mattsun and Makki play DnD and once convinced Yahaba and Kyotani to join. Kyotani kept rolling to fight everyone and Yahaba was a bard that kept rolling to seduce everyone. They kept yelling across the board so they had to kick them out

Outside of his school uniform, Goshiki specifically wears only plaid

Tendou makes little chocolates for the whole team every once in a while so they don’t think he’s scary

Semi and Shirabu once had a fistfight in an abandoned McDonald’s parking lot while Tendou filmed and Goshiki cheered them on

Everybody makes fun of Shirabu’s haircut but nobody dares to say it to his face. its gotten to the point where they say he got it done by a blind old lady

There’s a running joke about Shirabu also getting his haircut from prison but Goshiki is starting to suspect that it may not be a joke

Yamagata and Tendou are good friends with the mutual goal of collecting as much blackmail on their team as possible

Tendou loves animals generally considered to be ‘ugly’ like rats, crows, reptiles, etc.

80% of Goshiki’s playlist is shit overplayed on the radio. Him, Shirabu, Tendou, Kawanishi and Ushijima have a permanent ban from the aux cord

Nobody watches YouTube with Ushijima because he never skips the damn ads (other than tendou)

Suna once said y’all’dn’t’ve unironically and made a first year cry

Akagi once said UwU unironically and had an identity crisis.

Osamu has one of those rainbow gaming keyboards and is constantly on a discord call. Atsumu always yells weird shit in the background to embarrass him and once pretended to be him

During Seijoh group chat arguments. Hanamaki and Mattsukawa like to drop facebook minion memes in just to piss everyone off even more

mattsun and maki both have separate photo albums in their phones labelled ‘minion memes to piss everyone off’

Hinata carries a pocket knife and no one has no fucking idea why

mattsun and maki both have matching rat fursuits that look like they actually where in a sewer- they chased oikawa around

For all his talk of plant analogies and metaphors, Ushijima cant grow shit

Goshiki’s Bangs are the way they are because his favorite character was Rock Lee from Naruto

Oikawa has watched Ouran High School Host Club front to back so many times and he can quote all of Tamaki’s lines by heart -He keeps bothering Iwaizumi to “be his Haruhi, since you’re shorter than me”

Koganegawa has definitely gone as an Angry Bird for Halloween

Fukunaga has those reflective cat eyes, and he has terrified Yamamoto on several occasion

Hanamaki and Matsukawa have a teddy bear that they pretend is their child and they share custody

Suga always sprays whipped cream straight into his mouth whenever he sees a can

Nishinoya definitely bit people as a kid

Nishinoya would be the guy to wear shorts all year round and even if it's snowing, he'll insist he's not cold

Tendou is still stuck in his emo phase and would fangirl over Creepypasta with me and I appreciate that (me too buddy, me fuckin too)

Kyoutani LOOKS like he’d listen to viking death metal, but in reality he listens to Mother Mother and knows all the words to Ghosting

Sugawara would definitely encourage me to dumb shit and not stop me, and you’re all dumb for thinking he wouldn’t 

KENMA IS NOT ‘uwu owo’ SHY, HE IS ‘your fucking gross’ SHY SO LITERALLY STFU

Bokuto listens to Nicki Manaj. And knows all the words. To every. Single. Song.

Ushijima for some reason knows an odd amount of 90′s-2000′s R&B and he will hum along to the songs if they come on the radio (he also loves Dolly Parton) ((he says he relates to her music))

Bokuto once ate instant ramen for an entire month

TERUSHIMA DID TRY TO FUCK A PLANT WHILE SHITFACED AND GOD I STAND BY WHAT I SAID

atsumu let’s you put makeup on him and pretends to eat the brushes (do yk what im talking about- like n o m)

tendou ran for school president as a joke but actually won

i 100% believe that all of karasuno’s third years apologize when they bump into inanimate objects, but when suga is really tired or stressed out, he’ll yell at them instead.

Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Taketora have a group chat called "Bros who want sum hoes" and they send each other hypebeast memes and shit

Sugawara knows how to do a bunch of flexible shit because he sometimes goes to yoga with daichi and asahi's moms, its fucking hilarious

tanaka and noya both breakdance- they work as a team and sometimes go to tokyo for underground competitions- saeko drives them

Daichi knows a little ballet- nobody other than Kiyoko knows because they saw each other at the ballet class and had to work together- dont tell tanaka and noya that he lifted her though

Osamu once put glitter on Atsumu's pillow- he still finds hot pink glitter on shit

kita knits and crochets with his grandma

Kita's grandma knows everyone's names because kita talks shit bout them, her favorite is Aran

Kuroo has burnt his eyebrows off doing an experiment. His goggles didn't cover all his brows,,, so he just showed up to practice like that. No eyebrows and a chemical burn

kenma has played all kinds of games, but he was dared to play corpse party by kuroo. He wasn't scared because of the gore, he was thinking about the trauma the characters went through. Punched kuroo the next day because that game was fucked up

Lev isn't a strong swimmer, so he often grabs people by the head to keep himself up. happened with kenma and lev couldn't walk due to the force of kenmas suprised water kicks

akaashi has those fancy pens that you have to dip in ink and they're so nice

Bokuto has and will eat pencil erasers again

Daichi once almost lost his shit at his team but instead he lost his shit at the door that decided to stub his toe on the way out of the gym. not the best thing to be found yelling to.

Yamaguchi for sure has been dragged to one of terushimas parties because he didnt wanna say no. oh and terushima has like frat boy level parties too. Yams has for sure had some wild nights and doubts anyone other than Tsukishima and the party-goers will ever know

Akaashi can actually flirt very well! He reads romance novels sometimes and has analyzed any and every book in his possession! so he's actually quite charming

Daihsou unironically posted on twitter after mika broke up with him "I still see her shadows in my room"

Mattsun and Maki run a fake oikawa account; its been going ever since twitter even started getting popular and they even started sending messages in spanish. The posts would range from "I love all my fans!" to flirting with them :) Oikawa is pissed cause the account got verified before he did and most of his fans also follow the fake oikawa. Tooru has no idea who runs it JUST IMAGINE OIKAWA JUST LIKE RANTING TO THE SEIJOH 3RD YEAR ALUMNI AND JUST "no Iwa-chan, you dont understand! they run a fake account and pretend to be me!" while makki and mattsun laugh their asses off

Oh, kenma for sure has pretended to be a girl on discord and has gotten someone to buy him stuff. after they do he says in his normal voice "fucking simp" and then hangs up and blocks the other persons discord

Yamamoto, despite his rough appearance, loves kids and has and will be a human jungle gym

suna in middle school had a game with his friends about who could make kids cry the fastest

The twins switched places back in middle school and nobody could tell because of how great they are at acting like eachother

Daichi once arrested coach ukai for public intoxication after a game :|

Daichi has arrested many people from his old volleyball team but the most memorable case was when he arrested tanaka and noya for reckless driving. poor idiots got so scared when they saw their old captains face in their mirror and started to pray

tanaka, while trying to intimidate someone, once said "You dont gotta tell me twice, i may be straight but these hands are bisexual" and he often cringes at night thinking about it

Kageyama, as a comeback to Tsukishima, said "one thing about us royalty is that we love to feast" and he also fuckin hates what he said

the third years made a cult for Kiyoko. they chant every wednesday "i'll do anything for kiyoko, she makes me go loco"

oikawas fangirls are known to be fucking rabid

yAMAMOTO AND KENMA AFTER THEIR FIGHT WERE FORCED BY KUROO TO MAKE IT UP: so they dyed their hair together

Makki and mattsun sang two trucks in front of the entire team. everyone was so confused. Makki: "twO TRUCKS HAVIN SEX!!" Mattsun: "oH yEs!"THEY'D SWITCH OFF AND HAVE LIKE CHOREOGRAPHY TOO LIKE THEY'D DO A TANGO WHILE THE SONG IS LIKE "two beer trucks, making love"

tendou once called Oikawa "mr. no-nationals" and got kicked in the shins before iwaizumi could save him

Tsukishima had a my little pony phase

you work with matsukawa at a morgue and he makes dead people jokes while you fix some dead guys face with wax and makeup he'd be like "so didnt he like,,, stick his head out of the sunroof of a moving fuckin car??" he'd be singing dumb ways to die the entire day

i feel like Kuroo has one crazy accident a year. like it might not be deadly but its fucking crazy like for example: Kuroo for sure has ridden in a shopping cart at past midnight with kenma (who pushed him down a hill) causing Kuroo to get scratched up hella well. he lied and said he spent the night with a girl and kenma fucking hated himself cause he would be the girl if that was true

Mattsun has flirted with the 4th years moms before (AS A JOKE), and because of this: he is known as “fuckin milf hunter” sometimes by the team

Warning, this next headcanon is talking about cannabis, weed, mary jane, the zoink root. so if your uncomfortable, please dont read below :)

dude i wanna get high as SHIT with Asahi 

i think Asahi would be one of those mfkers who takes one hit and is gone 

ASAHI ACCIDENTALLY GOING TO PRACTICE ZOINKED 

IMAGINE HIM SEEING TSUKISHIMA AND JUST "he looks so judgemental,,, im scared" 

OR LIKE A MAD DAICHI AND JUST "i'm gonna,,, im gonna go jump out the window now" 

Noya and Tanaka would know tho, i feel like they'd have a 6th sense when it comes to weed. they probably get some from Saeko cause she'd rather they do it in the house. they'd smell asahi like fucking dogs and just so,,, big guy had fun without us huh? 

DAICHI WOULD KNOW ABOUT ASAHI BEING ZOINKED, SMASH HIS FACE INTO THE WALL, TURN AROUND WITH A RED MARK ON HIS FOREHEAD AND WITH A BEAMING SMILE AND FEUX ENTHUSIASM SAY: "YOSH, LETS WARM UP!"

[my-brothers-corrupted]

Chapter Four - Part 7

Dapper wakes up beside Red disoriented and upset and decides to take him somewhere he barely remembers to help him come to terms with their situation.

Tws for hospitalization, bruising, manipulation, and imprisonment.

Part 7 - Aftermath

aether-mae asked: Ok ok hear me out Dok- what if you were to make a deal with Dark, for him to off a certain someone for you. That way he won’t hunt you anymore and you take the opportunity while he’s undertaking the deal to run away

Dok sits stroking Noodle, staring at the ceiling, lying across his bed. He has nothing else to do. Nothing to do but wait and think and wonder. His mouth parts. He looks young and casual in his boxers and t-shirt, his usual semblance of professionalism and normality having faded away with his stress and the torn white coat lying beside his bed.

“Oh, yes, that would work,” he mutters, a gleam coming back to his eyes. “If that Dark thing can kill Anti and we could turn them against him… I mean, Anti’s pretty fucking terrible, so it couldn’t be too hard to switch the side that Dark’s on, yeah? Unless they’re equally terrible… damn. But I think I’d ally with just about anyone at this point if they told me they could kill him. But who would even know how to do that?”

He sighs, shaking his head against his pillows, mussing his hair. He hasn’t eaten. He wants his siblings, all of them. All of the real ones. Safe and sound.

“Doesn’t someone have to know? Was there ever anyone? Did you ever know, back when you knew us, from before? Does Dapper remember anything? I have to find a way to make him stop hurting us…”

Anonymous asked: um. so hey dok! things are... stable for now. trick's alright, he's with anti, who did possess blue. red has a cut on his throat but trick said it wasn't lethal. dapper got hit pretty bad. they're both in the upstairs bathroom, um, sleeping/unconscious? they were just now coherent, though. anti is... not as angry as he could be, which is good at least! we're working on keeping everyone safe. i'm sure it's not been easy. how are you?

The door to the downstairs guest bedroom creaks open. Dok shoots up, staring at the entryway - and there, unharmed, is his twin.

“Trick,” breathes Dok, reaching out for him, and Trick has rarely looked as relieved to go crashing into his arms, halfway tackling him onto the bed.

“Is that all true?” asks Dok, muffled by the closeness. “Red’s not going to die? You’re okay? Dapper, what’s wrong with him? Where’s Blue?”

“Anti was still wearing Blue last I checked,” says Trick quietly. “I think I heard Red talking to Dap, but I’m not sure. He was pretty busted up, Dok. Are you alright?”

“No one touched me, Trick, I’m alright. It’s been days since someone’s laid a hand on me.”

“I was so scared Dark would send people into the house while we were all distracted, but I knew the cameras would tell me if someone tried to take you.”

“Thank you for going up there,” says Dok, wrapping him in his arms. “You’re my hero.”

Trick’s face flushes with pride, scooping Dok close to his body, though fear lingers in the whites of his eyes. He runs his fingers over the ravens on Dok’s chest without even having to look down at them, his other hand in Dok’s hair. Noodle jumps on top of his stomach and makes him yelp - and then laugh, accepting kisses on his nose from his kitten.

Anonymous asked: Yeah, you're both okay. Everyone's okay. You're all alive and okay.

“What are the chances?” murmurs Dok, and it makes Trick laugh. He wants to build him nests out of t-shirts and blankets and buy him fish and chips. He wants to give him coffee at Christmas and deliver babies with him. He wants to make him smile.

“Let’s go get some breakfast,” says Trick. “I bet you haven’t eaten.”

“Okay.”

Anonymous asked: Dok, still got your necklaces?

“And wouldn’t take them off for anything,” he says, pulling them out from beneath his shirt - three little black raven talismans, arranged one two three from his collarbone to the curve of his chest. Trick doesn’t react, heading upstairs without looking back.

“The animal one, the light weapon, and the one that protects my head and my heart,” says Dok gently, plucking at his ravens one by one. “From my friends.”

Anonymous asked: JJ, I know you're beat to hell right now but we're running out of time. Anti's done playing around. Red and Dok are basically out of his control and he sees that, if he starts cutting losses, he's going to kill them. He's gonna hold onto Blue for usefulness, and trick out of favoritism, but JJ, somehow you've fallen in the middle. This damn twin system is throwing everyone's judgment but I think you have a better glimpse of the whole picture. We don't want to cut losses but we need a plan.

“Noooooo,” protests Dapper unhappily, shaking his head. “Nooo, don’t make me decide things, am tiredddd.”

He draws out his signs in long motions and flops down against the side of the tub, silver chain around his throat. At least he’s been able to get out of the bathtub and move around a little with only his neck chained - Red is not so lucky.

“Don’t shake your head so much, buddy,” he coughs, sallow and pale with the coming of the morning, his neck as white as the t-shirt strip wrapped around it. “You might still be concussed.”

“I want off my collar,” protests Dapper, struggling to get up to his feet, only to crash back down to the floor. “I should have been a good boy, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” whispers Red. “He’s been like this all night. Anti hurts him and it snaps him back into his sugar-sweet, obedient little brother mode. It’s not healthy. Dap, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Reddy, lemme go.”

“Just try to lie still.”

“I wanna go home, I wanna go away, I wanna go somewhere nice.”

Red shudders, both of them struggling to take care of each other while they deal with their own shit. Dapper is spacey and injured, wheezing when he breathes, and Red has been over-stimulated and uncomfortable for about nine hours straight. He ran himself a bath for the blood and Haldol and everything on the floor of the filthy tub, but he hates it when his clothes are wet almost as much as he hated sitting in his own blood. He wants to cry again but he’s too tired. He’s just got to stay strong and get through it, like he always does. Tomorrow, this will be over. Tomorrow, this will be over. Tomorrow, this will be over.

“Wanna go home,” repeats Dapper weakly.

Anonymous asked: i know, buddy. i'm sorry, dap, jamie, love, you didn't do anything wrong, you don't deserve this. but i don't think you'll be stuck like this for much longer, okay, bud? i don't think you'll be stuck right there for more than a few more hours, and i think in a week or so things will have been figured out. hold on, okay? you're doing great, and i know it's hard, but just hold on, buddy. we're doing our best to help you guys.

“I do not want to hold on.”

He is grumpy and tired, childish in his fear of Anti, because it’s always been the best way to protect himself.

“I want my bear and my friends and pasta and Jack. I don’t want to hold on. I don’t feel good. Red, come home with me. Can’t we?”

“We’re kind of stuck right now, bud.”

“Not stuck, never stuck. I wanna go. If I can think of something. Take you with me so you’re not so unhappy.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Dippin’ Dots. Want to look for Tylenol or something in the drawers?”

“Anti took everything out of the bathroom in case I try to overdose,” signs Dapper. “I can’t even die to escape him.”

“Hey, we don’t talk like that,” warns Red with a thrill of fear down his back. “Don’t have to die to escape anyone. We’re going to be okay.”

Dapper plays with his clock distantly, running it between his hands.

Red sighs and turns back to you. “Is my twin okay?” he asks. “Please? Can you see him? Is he awake?”

Anonymous asked: Anti if you're going to be wearing Blue, march him to a hospital. You're only making him worse.

Anti is running his hands over the flesh of Blue’s arms, standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom.

“You know,” he says, his voice a fine low rumble. “I’m almost getting used to having skin.”

He strokes his throat, his fingers drifting down his esophagus.

“With the sickness I get otherwise, it’s a lot more comfortable. And with Blue breaking down and always turned against me… I’m starting to wonder.”

He cups his face in his right hand, his left resting on his caved stomach. He listens to Blue’s heartbeat in his skull. Thump, thump, thump. Quiet and tired, but reassuring in its steadiness.

When he was small, he used to sit in the back of Jack’s head, only half-formed, and listen to the beating of his heart. The only rhythm he knew.

“I could maybe just wear him all the time,” he says. “And only leave when I needed to glitch. He scratches a little. Doesn’t fit quite so well as Dapper. But still, I could just… rest.”

He touches Blue’s image in the mirror.

“Change this body til it feels like my own.”

There’s a sly light in his eyes as he turns to you. You know that look by now. He’s trying to get a rise out of you, to wind you up, to piss you off - but he could be serious, too.

Blue shudders faintly, Anti’s eyes gleaming in his head.

Anonymous asked: You really think that'll impress Dark? Okay then.

Anti rumbles out a laugh. “Dark’s always impressed by me. Even when I thought they were a total creep they looked at me like I’m the prettiest little killer in the world, right down to the essence of me. Sometimes people tell you to go kill yourself with enough emphasis that you can tell they got it bad.”

It’s difficult to tell if he’s joking or not.

“But I’m glad you agree Blue’s unimpressive right now too.”

Blue’s body drops like a sack of flour as Anti steps out of him almost literally, backing away from his body and regarding him coolly, popping bubblegum in his mouth as he looks down at him.

“Got something on your face,” he says, nudging Blue with his foot as his eye begins to bleed.

“F - fucker!” gasps Blue, clawing at the hardwood and drawing in huge lungfuls of air. “What did you do to Red?”

“I’ll give your precious twin back to you when he’s learned his lesson. Get out of my sight, you little witch.”

pine-storm-season asked: Hey, Dok and Trick? Anti just unpossessed Blue, he's in Anti's bedroom and might appreciate help leaving the room and stuff.

Trick puts his cereal down right away, turning to head upstairs. Dok makes to follow and Trick shakes his head at him, warning him off. “You’re still not allowed up here.”

Dok can’t say he really minds staying away from his torture room. He waits for his siblings at the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey,” says Anti, pleased when Trick comes up to him.

“Hey, Green. Can I have him?”

Anti rolls his eyes. “If you want him, you can have him, but you don’t have to look after him if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay, I just want to get him out of your hair,” says Trick nicely. Anti relaxes against his bed, watching Trick pull Blue to his feet. He isn’t looking well.

“Red, Red,” begs Blue.

“Maybe we can have Red and Dapper back too?”

“Don’t worry about them. A little later.”

Anonymous asked: (Dok, while you're alone, Anti hypnotized the ever-living FUCK out of Trick and told him that he has three days to get the necklaces off you or else he'll kill you. I'm really sorry to drop this on you so bluntly but it's really important you know. If you don't want Trick to know you know, you can probably play off your reaction to this news as reacting to Blue looking like shit, Trick's bringing him back now)

Dok’s mouth parts so softly you see his chapped top lip cling to the bottom for a second, revealing his slightly crooked front teeth. He doesn’t answer you - barely looks at you - for a good thirty second. A deep breath passes in and out of him without conscious thought and his eyebrows fall into a dismayed sort of terror.

“Oh, he - he said he’d kill me? Anti did?”

And how stupid it is - how utterly and painfully stupid - that after all the realization he went through, after all the growth, after all of his own hopes to kill his little brother - the thought of Anti killing him still burns like a betrayal.

He never loved him at all.

He spent so long being so good for him - gave his whole life up for Anti, loved him no matter what he did to himself and his siblings - and Anti would cut him open and leave him dead on the grass of the lawn just to punish Trick.

Dok has to go. He gets up and he leaves you there, racing away and back down the stairs.

Anonymous asked: well on one hand dok is totally entitled to that reaction on the other hand FUCK

“What reaction?” asks Trick, and then his twin isn’t at the bottom of the stairs.

“You told him!” he accuses instantly, whirling on you. “You - he shouldn’t have to know that! He shouldn’t have to think about it! Why would you - ugh! I was going to keep him safe, like I always do! He’s got enough going on right now, he - Blue?”

He catches Blue as he begins to slide off Trick’s shoulder, sinking towards the ground. Trick heaves him up in his arms, huffing with the weight of him, and, determined, he carries him to his and Red’s bedroom, setting him down on the bed.

“N-no, I’m okay,” stammers Blue, wiping at his forehead. “I’m okay, Dok.”

“It’s Trick, Blue.”

Blue pants, looking up at him. His foggy eyes are squinted nearly into slits, blinking fast.

“Can you see me?”

Blue closes his eyes and turns away, burying his face in his hands.

Anonymous asked: Can we set the cameras to transmit audio? If not, Trick, can you pass it on to Blue if he can't read these? It's gonna be alright, Blue. Right now, you're downstairs in Red and Trick's room. Trick is in the room with you, and Dok is I think also downstairs? But not in the room. Anti, Red, and Dapper are all upstairs. What's one thing we or someone else can do for you right now to help?

“I want Red!” snaps Blue, turning suddenly on Trick and shoving him away. “Get out! You’re just Anti’s little pet! Leave me alone! What can you or somebody do? Fucking nothing, that’s what! I’m just disgusting and sick, leave me the fuck alone!”

“Hey, Blue, calm down,” Trick snaps right back, real fear in his voice. “You’re panting way too hard, okay? Just try to breathe.”

“Then get out! Get out of my room! I don’t want you here! I don’t want anybody but Red and even he can’t save me so go away!”

Trick’s never really been snarled at by Blue, but he won’t let it get to him while everyone else in the house is in worse trouble than him. He decides his sibling isn’t joking about wanting to be left alone. Trick knows the feeling. He gives you a meaningful look, tilting you towards Blue. Keep an eye on him.

Trick leaves Blue alone. Blue tries to get up to draw the curtains closed for himself, but even this one little thing he can’t do for himself - he crashes to the floor, his legs giving out, and grits his teeth as the blurry image of his pale hands holds his shaking body off the floor.

Not even his hands. Not even his skin. Not even his body. Oh, fuck. His head swims. The world is falling away from him. He sits up, trembling, and falls back against the bed, gripping at his head. Gripping at the head. Not even his skull. Not even his fucking body.

“This isn’t me, this isn’t me, this isn’t me,” he whispers, his voice faltering back into despair. “Where did my body go, holy shit. This isn’t happening. This isn’t Blue.”

.

Trick finds Dok downstairs, hiding under the bed.

“Dok?”

He’s never seen him under there before.

“Dok, I’m here.”

He crawls down beneath his twin, reaching for him. Touching Dok does not make him look over or speak. He’s just still.

Trick’s heart sinks.

“One of your zone-outs, my brother?” he asks quietly.

Dok stares at nothing, breathing a little too slow, a little too deep. In. Out. In. Out.

“I’m here,” Trick repeats quietly, even though it never seems to be enough. “I’m here.”

Dok lies still. Lets him hold onto him.

He’s scared. No matter what he told himself, it all seemed to come down to this - in three days, he’ll most likely be dead. Yeah, he’s scared. His brain decided to give him a break. He’s far off in his head. Trick doesn’t think he feels anything at all when he’s like this. It’s a defense mechanism.

For a moment, Trick reaches up and touches Dok’s necklaces. The talismans burn his fingers dark red, but he doesn’t draw them away until he has to. He doesn’t think he can get them off with just his hands, but if he got a knife…

He sighs and leans against Dok’s shoulder, closing his eyes. Not right now. He can’t even think about it right now.

“I’m here,” he whispers. “I’m with you.”

They lie beneath the bed, in silence.

.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

“Dap,” begs Red, panting through his discomfort, trying to keep his calm. “You gotta stop rambling, little brother. You are okay. Okay? I’ll get you out of here.”

“No, I want to go home! Now, now, now!”

“Dap, we’re stuck! Come on, please take it easy!”

“No, we’re going now,” says Dapper, determined. He brushes at sweaty curls on his forehead and shivers, scrambling around the bathroom, his silver chain jingling. “We’re going away. Maybe we don’t have to come back. Where, I don’t know. I have to remember something. We can go home. I want to.”

His hand finds his little clock in the corner of the room. Red’s eyes widen.

“Now - hey, hold on a second, Dapper. I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

“Where do you want to go?” asks Dapper, barely seeming to hear him, staggering back towards him in the tub. “Who should we go see? I just have to remember… I just have to… we’ll go somewhere it doesn’t hurt so much. I’ll be good then. I promise. He won’t catch us. He can’t smell it, not in here. Where do you want to go, J-happy?”

pine-storm-season asked: I don't think that's a good idea, Dapper. He's already irritable and angry, and the chances of making it worse seem too high. I'm sorry, buddy, I think you have to stay here.

“I don’t want to, I want to go away, my whole body really really hurts.”

He crashes down besides Red and his big brother does his best to catch him as he falls, but this only makes Dapper gasp in pain as hands make contact with his bruised side. For a second, it seems to startle him out of his frantic determination. He collapses against the side of the tub, his head falling against Red’s. Red holds his shoulders and tries to make him breathe in time with him, rubbing his arm.

“It’s okay, Dap. It is. I promise. It will be.”

Dapper shakes his head, low, low, his eyes haunted.

“He really beat me. Like he used to back when I was never good.”

Red just holds onto him, shaking his head. He doesn’t know what to say anymore. He just knows - they have to go. They have to. He has to get his family away from Anti. He hopes Anti will forgive him someday, but he can’t worry about him now. Not when he’s treating them like this.

“I loved that big house in the forest,” signs Dapper quietly. “I only got to live there about a year.”

“Some day I’ll find a place where we can live and you can feel safe again. I promise.” He presses their foreheads gently together, minding the dark bruises across his little brother’s tired face.

“I want to go see Jack,” signs JJ gently, pressed against Red’s head. “I really want to talk to him. I think I need to talk to him. I miss him. He doesn’t remember me in reality. But I still remember him in my own timeline. I want to go see him.”

Maybe Red should protest more. But the truth is he’s filthy and hurt and in a lot of discomfort, something that translates directly into distress and pain for him.

And that one time when Dapper sent him back - when he saw them all again - when they were so healthy and clean and safe and Blue laid beside him and told him he was a good man -

Yes, Red wants that.

So he whispers:

“Are you sure you can make it? Even though you’re hurt?”

“Jackie,” signs Dapper, like it could be the sign for love or brother or family. “I’m sure.”

“And Anti won’t catch us?”

“Not if we’re quick. He didn’t catch me before.”

Dapper has eyes like suns faraway, big and bright. Red has had trouble saying no to him ever since he began to see the little recluse trapped in the attic as his baby brother again.

“Okay,” says Ro. “Let’s go home.”

He touches Dapper’s hand.

Anonymous asked: He, Dok, I doubt you'll be up to reading cameras right now, but however you're feeling is okay. You've done incredible work getting as free as you can from him, but not even magic can undo the effects of months of conditioning, abuse and hypnosis overnight. He's a master manipulator, you've done so well getting this far. Please don't beat yourself up for how you're reacting. Also Trick, this is a crazy stressful time for you guys, and you're doing your best, and we thank you sincerely for that.

“You know what?” says Trick, a little weakly. “We’ve gone through worse times together and come out okay, right, Dok?”

He’s managed to get Dok out from under the bed. They’re curled up on the couch in the basement, playing Lord of the Rings on the big TV. They don’t have internet, but they do have a DVD player.

“Look, Aragorn,” Trick prompts his brother, patting Dok’s arm. “You love this movie, right? When was the last time we saw it?”

Personally, Trick doesn’t really get the appeal, but he likes the monsters and the fighting scenes and things. Dok’s really into it, though, most of the time. But right now he’s just burrito-ed in all the blankets Trick gave him, staring down at the floor with a truly miserable expression on his face.

Trick hovers unhappily, patting his arm.

“It’s okay, buddy,” he says. “They’re right, don’t gotta blame yourself. It’s okay. You’re doing great.”

He curls up against him and keeps him company. Dok’s eyes don’t start to re-focus until they’re on their way to Mordor.

Anonymous asked: Yeah, you both are doing so well handling all this. Dok, however you're feeling is okay. We're going to do our absolute best to protect you guys, yeah? It's okay.

Dok lets out a small, tired sigh at Trick’s side.

“Hey,” whispers Trick. “Are you with me?”

Dok looks wearily over at him, meeting his eyes at last, but he doesn’t say anything.

Trick scoots forward and presses their heads together, lying against him. Dok glances over at you before lying back again. Faintly, his hand moves to rest across Trick’s.

They do not speak about the talismans. They do not speak about the death threat.

“Gimli is my favorite,” says Trick, after the dwarf says something funny, and Dok is grateful that he’s pretending to care.

“Can we watch all three?”

“We can watch all three.”

Dok will be asleep by the end of the first, but Trick doesn’t mind that either. He slides the second DVD in and goes back to his place at his side.

Anonymous asked: Hey Dap, Red, I'm all for you guys doing that, but are you completely sure you're going to be safe? If anything goes wrong, things could go even more south for you guys, and it's already really bad at the moment. Again, not trying to dissuade you, but please please make sure it's going to be safe. Or, as safe as anything in this family can be.

Ro comes to spitting and coughing.

He finds himself on his hands and feet - mid push-up, he thinks? He lets himself go down and then rises again, and, with a burst of pride, he feels taut muscles raise and lower him as though his weight were nothing to them. Another push-up. Another.

Jackie was strong, he realizes, and he blames the flash of jealousy on his old counter-part for being this fucking ridiculously fit, and then notices how strange it is to think of the person he used to be as someone else entirely.

He gets to his feet, glancing around.

Was this his room?

A lava lamp bubbles in the corner. His eyes get fixed on it, watching the colors rise and fall and float. His windows are open and cool air and birdsong float into the room. The walls are a nice light blue, the bed is a Queen with thick black blankets, and everything else - oh, fuck - it’s neat! It’s clean! Everything he owns is packed politely into drawers, a row of nice running shoes tucked in a perfect line in his closet, Spider-man decorations and pictures of his family arranged in clean lines on his dressers and drawers.

This is like Heaven.

For a long time, he sits in the middle of his floor, just breathing. Just watching. Just trying to remember.

A slow breath fades from his chest. He closes his eyes and he opens them again.

He remembers you and looks down, smiling.

“Safe, huh?” he mumbles, feeling the cool breeze through his hair. “What’s the fun in that?”

Anonymous asked: Oh alright, you made it safely!! Your room does look pretty cool, and damn wish I could do push ups like that. Way to flex, hero man. If you're able, would be be able to look for Dapper? You both weren't exactly doing super well when you left, and the magic might've taken a toll on him. (Hope this trip goes well for you!!)

“I’m not even flexing, this is just how I be,” purrs Ro, letting himself revel in the pride of it for a second, standing up and looking down at himself. He feels immortal like this. He looks into the mirror and his face is flushed with health - though he finds one deep scratch across his collarbone that surprises him, bandaged by neat hands, but stinging across his skin.

“Weird… wonder what that’s from? Oh, geez, yeah. Where is Dap?”

cest-mellow asked: it’s good to see you so healthy, red. but where is jameson? is there anyone else in the house with you?

“I better find him,” mumbles Ro, looking around like he expects JJ to crawl out from under the bed. “I don’t know if anyone else is here. I’m assuming this is the same house I was at last time he brought me back, the house in the woods he always talks about.”

He glances out the window. The trees are swaying in the wind.

“I don’t know how to get home without him, so he has to be around here somewhere. Right?”

“Hey, Jackie, are you coming?”

A voice with a familiar accent startles Ro out of his thoughts. He turns towards the door. “Uh… yeah, Dok, sorry, give me a second!”

“I know you’re just visiting, but I have a shift to be on time for, you know.”

“Right, sorry,” says Ro, a little startled. Did Dok just give him sass? Dok? “Oh, fuck, that’s not his real name. Uh… H, something German.”

cest-mellow asked: henrik! his name is henrik. where is he trying to take you? maybe jamie is there too? you should ask tho O_o

“Henrik! Right.”

“What?”

“No, I was just - uh - ”

Henrik pushes open the door to his room, leveling a look at him.

“Oh,” says Ro. “Hey.”

He’s got this clean white coat on and a dorky, cute blue turtleneck. His hair is very short at the sides, soft and dark on the top. He raises his eyebrows at Ro in a way that is both bemused and challenging. It’s not a look Ro is used to.

The Dok he knows is quiet and submissive, scampering back to his nest every time Red used to raise his voice at him, slathered in scarring and always trying and failing to keep his hands clean. But Henrik has this light in his eyes like nothing in the world has ever made him afraid, and his back is held so straight that for a moment Red thinks that he’s taller than him. Maybe he is taller than him, and Ro just never noticed before.

“Come on, dummkopf,” laughs Henrik, nudging his head towards Ro’s shoes. Ro doesn’t think Dok has ever insulted him out loud and to his face, even as a joke. “Let’s get going. Don’t you want to visit Jameson?”

Anonymous asked: Oh wow, guess this is happening, cool! What do you want to do while you're here, Red? (Is there anyway you could get information on Anti or any weaknesses? Or not, goodness knows you guys deserve to just have a nice time without worrying about him)

“One second, Henrik, I’ll be right there.”

“Oh, Henrik,” he says, and it takes Red a couple seconds to realize he’s being teased. “Today I’m Henrik, huh? Well, of course, Jackson, take all the time you need.”

There must be something else he’s supposed to call him, but Ro doesn’t remember what. Henrik grins at him like he’s waiting for him to say something back, but Red’s at a loss. Henrik blinks and steps back.

“Sorry,” says Ro. “Really, I’ll be right there.”

“Um, okay,” says Henrik. “I’ll just be on the porch.”

Henrik leaves and Red smacks himself in the head. “Two seconds in and already I’m acting weirder than usual. Okay, what do I want to do while I’m here? Geez, I gotta leave most of this up to Dap. Sounds like he had somebody he wanted to talk to. But, uh.”

He pauses, cocking his head.

“Well, if we have time, I would like to see Blue and Trick and… well. Blue and Trick. And just - yeah. Well. Probably don’t have time for anybody else, but I really liked last time seeing how healthy everybody looked. Kind of jarring. But right now especially, I really want to see that Blue’s okay.”

Anonymous asked: Ro, Dok's name is Henrik (von Schneeplestein)! If you run into Trick, he's Chase, you know Blue's name, and Dapper's with you, and oh if there's another guy you haven't seen before, he's Jack or Seán, I think JJ might be looking for him. Also, from what I can remember, yeah expect some sass from Henrik haha! These guys are probably going to pretty different to who they are now, but regardless of all that, you're still their brother. Best of luck!

“Holy shit,” gasps Red. “Holy shit!”

Schneeplestein, holy shit!

And it’s funny, first things first, just because that seems like such a ridiculous name on the surface, but Red isn’t even laughing, not for a second, because shit, that was his name, wasn’t it?

“Schneep,” he breathes, and it doesn’t matter how silly of a name it is, it’s a memory alive again on his tongue. “Holy shit… we were friends.”

He doesn’t remember the things they used to do or the way they used to get along, but with that name he knows that they did used to get along, that they did used to love each other in a way he’s long since forgotten, that Schneep was his brother long before Dok and Trick were bound at the hip, that that’s not just his tired, struggling little brother with the haunted eyes - that was Schneep, his Schneep, the doctor who always kicked his ass when he came home hurt, the man who would patch them up while grumbling in German the whole time, the arms he would come back to when he was in pain. That was his brother.

Ro has to sit down for a moment.

“Shit,” he whispers, biting on his nails. He lets his eyes slide shut for a second. “Schneep…”

Because it’s one thing to know that they used to know each other better and that their bodies used to be healthier. But to know that they used to be different people who loved each other, deeply, in different ways than they do now -

Fuck, it’s a lot to have stolen from them. It’s not fair.

It’s not fair that Schneep is dead.

He wants to see the others right now.

hollenka99 asked: Just a reminder for if you bump into them, Trick is Chase and Blue is Marvin. I'm guessing you used to call Henrik by a nickname. Try 'Hen' and see how he responds. After all, you're still shortening people's names now like Dapper being Dap etc. Can't hurt to try. Worse that will probably happen is that Henrik may tease you again.

“Okay, right,” mumbles Ro, getting to his feet. “Yeah, I’ll just… Chase. Right.”

And then he can’t bring himself to say the name Marvin out loud.

He tugs on sneakers - nice sneakers, red and white - and finds thin black gloves near the door, slipping them on despite a warm fall outside his window. He loves having gloves. Jackie is wearing a long, heavy red hoodie and long black and white sweatpants. He feels covered and comfy and - for the first time in a long time - handsome.

But somehow even that realization is painful, and he turns away from the mirror, swiping at a place on his forehead where a scar will one day exist.

He pushes out of his room, glancing down a short hallway towards a homey little living room with a couple worn-down couches. The house is quiet. He wanders through the kitchen and the laundry room, where faint voices waft in through an opened window. Pushing through the back door, he sees a pair of siblings working on a pretty little garden together, helping each other tear up weeds and chattering about nothing.

He’s never seen Blue and Trick spending time together alone.

“Hey,” he calls weakly.

Their heads turn up together, both smiling at him. Chase sticks his tongue out at him. Marvin winks. Ro hears a laugh bubble out of him, shaking his head in amazement.

pine-storm-season asked: Here you are, yeah! This is good, I think, to see them again like they are. You doing alright, Red?

“I feel weird,” he says, with a fluttering laugh. “But after being stuck in that fucking bathtub, I can’t be upset with anything. Hey, guys.”

“Hey, J-man.”

“The king, the legend!”

“Your shift at the hospital?”

“We’ll be there after lunch to give you a break.”

“He likes those Twix bars in the little shop out front if he gets upset.”

“I love a little shop.”

“Look how my mint is coming in!” Chase and Marvin both lean back to give him a view of bunches of herbs growing up from the ground. Ro shakes his head, laughing.

“Why don’t you just grow it with magic?” asks Ro.

“I’m still so tired from the fight,” says Marvin, grinning up at him and pushing long, dark hair from shining eyes. “But even if I wasn’t, it’s good for me to work the earth a little sometimes.”

Marvin buries his fingers in the soft damp earth, breathing in the deep richness of the smell like a worshipper breathes Easter incense. He closes blue eyes. The wind brushes across his soft hair. He smiles back at Ro and Chase follows their gazes.

“You have freckles,” says Ro faintly.

“When I get enough sun,” answers Chase warmly, touching his cheeks.

Anonymous asked: I think Schneep is a common nickname for him, maybe try that? This is probably going to be painful, seeing how much you guys have lost, and remembering things too, but hey, you can still reach something like this again. Healing is possible, and while you're not likely to be the same, you can still all make progress and learn to love each other like that again. While you're here, do your best to make the most of it!! Love you Jackie <3

“Hey.”

A hand descends on Ro’s shoulder and he turns to ice eyes behind thick glasses.

“Are you okay?” asks Schneep, frowning. “How’s the cut?”

Ro touches his chest uncertainly, feeling the faint burn of a clean wound. “Um. Okay.”

“Ready to go to the hospital?”

“Yeah, okay. Is Jack coming?”

Henrik blinks. “He’s still there from last night.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah, let’s go.”

Anonymous asked: So... are you guys going to visit Jack at the hospital? Is he okay?

Ro doesn’t know how to start asking about it without alerting Henrik to the fact that something’s wrong. He trails after his little brother towards the door of the house, next to which hangs a great silver mirror.

Schneep takes his wrist without preamble, making Ro startle, but all his brother does is say “amo, vale,” and then -

Hold on a second.

Ro is too startled to protest when Henrik pulls him through the mirror after him.

Gone is the forest. Red closes his eyes in shock against a strange sensation, feeling the world give an odd lurch around him, and - well, it’s not unlike the time travel, but his body has moved instead of changed. Brick walls rise on both sides, birds chittering around the rooftops. It might have been a dirty alleyway, once, but so many flowers and weeds and grasses have grown up through the broken earth and brick and pavement that it makes a tiny pocket in the back of the alley, hidden from the world. Henrik pushes through a curtain of vines and Ro sees people and cars rushing down the streets around them, feels the burn of city electricity, hears the laughter and the noise and the life of lived-in places. He takes one last look back at an abandoned mirror sitting in a dirty rectangle of painted blue wood and moves after Henrik, counting his breaths to keep them steady.

“What did you say?” he asks shakily, hurrying after Henrik to catch his wrist. “Those words, like a spell?”

Henrik quirks his eyebrows at him. “Marvin’s password? That was all.”

“Henrik, how’s everyone doing?”

“I didn’t get any calls overnight, so I’m hoping that means good. No more breakdowns for JJ, I hope, and if Jack got caught staying past visiting hours and thrown out on his ass, well, he can take care of himself.”

nikkilbook asked: .... Jackie, ask how Jameson is doing.

“How is Jameson? How was his last breakdown?”

That light like sunflame in Henrik’s eyes gives its first flicker of the day, and he turns to give Ro a frog-frown look, his mouth tight.

“Look, I promise I won’t let them put him back in the psych ward. I’ll convince them to let us take him home first, once they know he’s going to be okay without the hospital. It’s not his fault. It’s just Anti in his head… soon, things will clear up, and he won’t be saying things like that anymore.”

“Things like what?”

Henrik rubs his arms together, shaking his head. “You know what! Like that there’s messages hidden in his prescriptions and all the doctors are secretly trying to kill him.”

Red’s head clears a little. “Oh. He’s psychotic?”

“No, I told you!” protests Henrik, his upset rising. “It’s just Anti, it has to be! He’ll clear up again!”

“You should put him on Haldol,” says Ro wisely. “If we’ve learned one thing from all this.”

Henrik gives him a despairing look, stopping in the middle of the path. “Bayard, he’s been through too much already. I don’t… I don’t want him to be any sicker than this. Don’t want him to have to deal with delusions. We just got him, can’t he have a break? I want him to not get hurt anymore.”

Red’s chest twists. Dok never did stop trying to look after him, either.

He looks smaller than Ro again, standing in the middle of the street, playing with a loose button on his sleeve.

“We’ll do everything we can, okay?” he says, stepping forward. He slides an arm around Schneep’s shoulders and finds that it feels easy, natural, normal. Henrik pushes gently back against him. “Even if he has got something going on in his brain, he’s still perfect. Can still be happy. You’ll see. I’ll make sure he gets the chance. I promise.”

And Henrik smiles again, small and correct, yes, correct, right, normal, natural, true. Schneep. Like nothing has ever hurt him. Pride in the cold ice of his eyes, in his clean skin, in his head lifted up.

Was Anti the one who taught them all to cower?

Anonymous asked: Oooh they don't know yet about Jamie's psychosis... Red, can you find a way to discreetly ask how long JJ has been with your brothers? Because it either has been not that much or they've all gotten lucky for a big stretch of time

“He’s been in here… what, how many days is it now?” asks Ro, dodging out of the way of harried nurses and - oh, Schneep just slammed his shoulder into the arm of that doctor with the clipboard.

“Watch where you’re fucking going, Kerchek!” he hollers, narrowing a glare at her.

“Hey, everybody look out, it’s Mr. Genius!” snarks back Kerchek, rolling her eyes.

“Still jealous about that botched piggyback, aren’t you?”

“I’ll show you a botched piggyback, Schneeplestein, you check your back.”

“Just stay away from my brother or else.”

“Holy shit,” laughs Ro. “Stop fighting with the other doctors! What the hell?”

“She deserve it,” huffs Henrik, tearing away. “Hey! You two stop snickering and get back to work!”

A pair of howling medical students all but crumple over their assignments, head bent low together.

“Yes, Doc,” they laugh.

Henrik just rolls his eyes and keeps walking.

“You cause a lot of trouble, Schneeps?”

“Please, everyone knows I run this hellhole. Clarissa, how is my patient?”

“Hi, Jackie. Hi, Schneep,” says a dark-haired nurse, glancing them both over fondly. “He’s doing okay. Just slept most of the night. You’ll have to go check if he’s been giving the morning staff as much trouble as you do.”

“Unlikely,” answers Henrik dryly, pulling Ro away again. The hospital is crowded and he dislikes the smell and feel of it, but everyone is smiling at them as they pass - or glaring at Henrik, who snipes right back. He’s a vicious little man and ever since he started working here, any passive-aggressiveness or false niceties died with a bang rather than a whimper. The hospital’s been better for it - and a lot more entertaining.

“It’s been what, a week and a half?” answers Schneep belatedly. “He was so shaken up to begin with. But a nice young man, isn’t he, once you get past the murder attempts?”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the thought of you being a competent professional,” answers Ro cheekily, and a moment later a clipboard slams into his stomach. He groans out a laugh, snatching Henrik by the turtleneck and dragging him under his arm, making him yelp in protest and squirm to get away. They half-chase each other down the hallway towards Jamie’s room, Henrik fending him off with his clipboard, and Ro can’t stop laughing.

Fuck, when Blue reads him poetry with love in the lines of it, this is what he means.

Anonymous asked: Dang, I almost forgot how much confidence Schneep used to have. It's nice in a way to remember that he wasn't as quiet as he is, or well... will be. Bask in this moment, red. Enjoy that long passed time where brotherhood still held any kind of meaning other than simple hierarchy.

Ro looks at his brother as he pushes open the door to a nice little hospital room with lots of light. He doesn’t think he wants to know what sort of things you have to do to a person like Schneep to turn him into the little brother in a tattered coat shaking beneath the bed.

And this is better, he thinks, fleeting and true. Not that he was a different person. He could love him for whoever he is if he only got the chance. But that’s what was better - the chance to be his friend, and not just his brother. Maybe Jackie got swallowed up, too, the same way that Schneep did. Eaten up by that one role, letting it define him.

I’m more than his protector, though. I’m more than his big brother. He’s more than someone I need to look after all the time.

“Hey.” Henrik’s voice, gone gentle, interrupts his thoughts. “How are you feeling, my dear?”

Letting his legs dangle over one side of the blue hospital bed, Jameson tears his eyes away from the sun through the window and meets their eyes.

He looks exactly the same.

Anonymous asked: How's Jamie doing? Is he alright?

JJ reaches out for Ro.

He moves over to him and wraps his arms carefully around him, pressing JJ’s head to his shoulder. “Did you come to not knowing where I was?”

JJ nods, gripping at his sweatshirt. He doesn’t know what would have happened if he and Ro weren’t together when the timer on his clock ran out. He doesn’t travel like this a lot, or not that he remembers.

“Fuck, you really don’t age, do you? Like, truly. You just don’t.”

“Not until it’s my time,” answer JJ’s hands, a needle taped to the back of the right one. “And I haven’t had much of a chance at being twenty-five yet, you see.”

“I never thought this would be possible, but you might be skinnier now than you are… well, now.” Red draws back to look at him, pushing stiff, overgrown hair from his eyes and touches the back of his head, examining him. “I thought you said there used to be a time when Anti was nicer to you.”

“That time hasn’t come yet,” answers JJ wearily. “When he gets me back the second time…”

He notices Henrik standing by the door, staring between the two of them with his eyebrows up, worried and excited and confused all at the same time.

“You seem better,” he breathes, bouncing on his feet just a little. “Are you, um… feeling safer today? You are hugging today? We are not the enemies?”

JJ smiles, reaching out his arms. Henrik sweeps forward, beaming, and hugs him to his chest, pouring reassurances into his ear.

It’s about halfway through that JJ realizes this might have been the first time in his life he ever hugged Henrik. In the original timeline, he doesn’t think that happened until weeks later, when he stopped baring his teeth at anybody who tried to come close. He holds tighter and closes his eyes.

“You’re shaking,” murmurs Henrik. “You need more for the pain?”

JJ sucks in a breath, feeling at his body bit-by-bit. He does hurt, terribly, somewhere beneath the dull relief of whatever drugs he’s on. He’s beat and fragile, one of his ankles wrapped in a cast and an awful haze of weakness making him feel more like a ghost than a man.

And he’s never been medicated for his psychosis in his life. He knew it from the moment he came back to this moment in time. He miscalculated. He can barely think straight, and he’s afraid, and he doesn’t want to leave this room or face anyone.

“Where’s Jack?” asks Henrik, pushing lovingly at his hair. “Didn’t he stay with you?”

“Went to get me a hot chocolate,” signs JJ. “I really wanted one.”

“Oh, good.”

“Can I stay with Jackie a little while, H-healing? I want to talk to him.”

“Alright,” says Henrik, despite a little disappointment in his face. “Well, I need to get started at work for the day. But I’ll go over what the nurses said and if you need anything at all, I’ll come right back. Okay?”

JJ nods. Henrik cups his bruised face, soothing his thumb over a cut by his ear, and then, with one more look at the pair of them, he sweeps away again.

“You’re going to have to talk to Jack for me,” signs JJ immediately.

“What? No way! I don’t even know who that is. Leave me out of it, Jay. Hey, come on… don’t look at me like that.”

Anonymous asked: Jamie, how about you explain Jack real quick, and then we can also help Jackie talk to him if we need to?

“No, I refuse to explain,” says JJ politely.

“Dapper!”

“What! You might remember as you see him… I’d prefer for you to remember what he meant to you than me have to explain…”

Ro sighs, crossing his arms over his chest.

“This is the person Anti hates so much,” he says. “The old master.”

JJ picks quietly at the hospital bedsheets, watching mice crawl up the sides as he hallucinates. “I guess. Well, yes, he is the person Anti hates.”

“The magician who created us.”

“Something like that.”

“How can somebody have that much power?”

“It happens once in a millenium, my brother. And he has a bit of an energy boost.” JJ glances over at you, raising an eyebrow. “But I don’t remember all the details. Nobody understands the full thing. Usually, we let Jack stay out of it. It’s not really his fault, and he has a completely different life that’s not anybody’s business. We fight our battles without him. But… now I need to know.”

“What do you need to know?”

JJ stares up at him. “I… Dok and Blue have been… I just… I need to know more about… Anti.”

“What, Dap?”

“I can’t say it.” JJ ducks his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “Not while I can hear him whispering to me from the television…”

Ro glances at the TV on the wall. It’s off.

Anonymous asked: It's safe, bud. You can say.

“You should know by now,” says JJ begrudgingly, turning away from Ro. “You want to protect us, do it. I want my hot chocolate and to go back to bed.”

“Oh my goodness.”

“Blue has been sneaking around with Dok ever since Peru, Ro. Hasn’t he told you anything he’s been thinking?”

“No!” protests Ro, offended. “Well, I mean - he’s not sneaking around without me! We sneak around together! Geez!”

“Ro, we all know you haven’t picked a side yet. Blue doesn’t - ”

“Picked a side?” Ro scoffs, pacing at the foot of his bed. “What sort of side is there to pick? You’re talking about Anti. I want to get you away from him, I do, but that’s our brother, Dap, that’s our - ”

“You think I don’t know that!” JJ’s hands tear the air apart. “What, you think I’m naive to his love and his hatred, Ro? Look around you! Do you see Anti back home with you? Does he come to visit me in the hospital, bring me hot chocolate, garden with Marvin, play around like a kid with Schneep in the hallway? Ro, Anti can be your brother if you want him to be, but it’s a choice that we make. Or you, at least… I think I’m bound up in his blood forever.”

“You’re talking about hurtingAnti.” Ro holds onto his wrist, trying to make him look at him again. “You’re talking about hurting him, not just running.”

“He just chained us to a bathtub!”

Ro backs away, gnawing on the nail of his thumb. He shrugs, eyes flickering around.

Anonymous asked: I know he's your brother, Red. But can I ask you a question? If you just met him, and he started pushing people around like he does now, is he the kind of person you would want to be friends with?

“Mh, no, he scares me, but it’s not about friends, it’s about brothers.” He shifts on his feet, hugging his arms over his chest. “And Anti’s protected me before too, even if he’s hurt me to match. He gets lost in his temper… I want us to be away from him, and not to go back until he can stop hurting us. If he can. But I don’t want to hurt him…”

He knows the warmth of Anti’s body in a hug. He knows the warmth of his own blood on Anti’s hands. He shivers.

nikkilbook asked: Jackie, what does “brother” mean?

“Well,” says Ro. “Your blood, yeah? You gotta look out for your brothers. And they’re supposed to look after you. And if they don’t, well, I think you gotta go, at least to keep the others safe. But you don’t turn around on your family. He doesn’t… mean to hurt anybody. Just angry. Right? And hey!”

He whirls on JJ again, wagging a finger. “That’s Jack’s fault! Anti always says the old master made us like this.”

“Anti blames him for everything,” answers JJ bitterly, wiping at his face. “Just because Jack fucked up a couple times when he was younger. It’s not Jack’s fault Anti’s always mean and you know that. Or if it is Jack’s fault - honestly, I don’t remember - then Anti can never change, and it would be better to kill him than to let him keep living so ferociously miserable.”

Real emotion breaks Dapper’s face. He turns away, pulling his hair over his eyes.

He hates Anti. Often. Not always. And no matter what he tries to tell himself, he can’t deny that it hurts to see Anti in pain. Lately, he doesn’t even hold him at night. His condition rears thoughts in his head - traitor little brother. Selfish brat. Turning on him. Something touches his ankle and he gasps, jerking it back to his chest, but nothing’s there. Ro reaches out to soothe him, hand held out in front of him like a shield.

nikkilbook asked: I’m not sure Jack “made” you anything. He created you, but that doesn’t mean he micromanaged your every flaw and personality trait. You are you, you’ve always been you, you’ve never not been you. All he did was give you a way to exist physically in this world.

Maybe Anti’s angry a lot. Maybe that’s outside of his control. But hating is a choice. Turning affection into a weapon meant to hurt and to maim is a choice. And crucifying yourself on the hate of someone who would call himself brother has only ever been the role of one man, and you are not Him.

“Jackie,” signs JJ gently. “Jack doesn’t even remember us anymore because of what I did… so we know for a fact he doesn’t control any of us any longer, if he ever did. You are you. And I… I’m me, for better or for worse. And Anti is himself. The person he’s chosen to be. Ro… how long have we loved him, and he still does things like this?”

Ro tears a strip off his nail, eyes haunted. “You remember better than I do.”

“Well, it’s been a long time,” he sighs. “And all of us have done our best. But it’s not our fault, Ro. It’s not… it’s not my fault. I have loved him, I have… it’s not your fault if that’s not enough to change him… it’s not my fault.”

Ro tilts his head, pressing his lips together, but JJ doesn’t turn back to his gaze. He’s curled in on himself, petting his hands through his hair, face very tired, and very guilty.

Anonymous asked: It doesn't equal out like that, Red. You don't owe a n y loyalty to someone who hurts you, even if they also protect you. And what you said about his temper, and if he stops hurting you? Red, he's had the chance to stop, many times. If he hurt you once when he was angry, and then did his best to work on it and not hurt you again, that would be okayish. But he doesnt, Red. He has no excuse for cutting your throat just last night, or for any of the other things he's done. Nothing justifies that.

“Okay, fine,” snaps Ro, pulling at his hair. “I know that Anti sucks ass and I have for a long time, okay? But I’d be scared, Dap! I’d be scared! It’s always safer to stay away from him or just wait his temper out! That’s always been true… and I… he is my brother, even if he’s the fucking worst and I hate his guts half the time!”

Dapper sighs. “Alright, Red, just - ”

“If we try to hurt him he’ll kill us!” shrieks Red. “He’ll do things to us like he did to Blue at the river while I was running away! I got scared and he put Blue in the hospital and he still hasn’t recovered, Dap! I don’t think he ever will! Anti did that to him just because he hated him and wanted something he had. He can get inside our heads, he can control us. I wanted to attack him in Peru, but I had to protect Max.”

“Ro, I know.”

“And then he made me feel like I loved him again! Even when I know the truth, I still feel that way sometimes. I’m not strong enough, Dap, don’t you get that? I can’t keep him out of my head, can’t convince myself to do anything, can’t protect you from him! He does things like chain us to a bathroom and I can’t stop that, JJ, I can’t, I’m sorry. I’m not… I’m not enough! I’m not what anyone needs me to be! He’s going to keep hurting us… but he’ll hurt us less if I can just get you away for a while or keep shielding you the best way I know!”

“No, that’s not true!” cries JJ, slashing at the air. “Stop, Ro, J-Joy, listen to me. Watch. Watch. Ro, don’t you know why I’m in the hospital?”

Ro blinks, glancing around. “You’re hurt. Anti hurt you. He’s always hurt you. Your whole life.”

“But Anti’s not here.”

Ro brightens a little. “I found a way to get you away from him? You’re hidden?”

“No, Ro, better,” says Dapper, clutching at his aching ribs as he leans forward. “You and Blue beat him. Beat him into the earth and took this past version of me away from him. And that was the night you made Anti terrified of the weakness that would force him to scamper away from a fight like an animal.

We are not the ones hiding right now, Ro - he is.”

Anonymous asked: Red, Ro, Jackie, you're strong. And I'm sorry you've been forced to be for so long. But you can get through all of this. You can win. We've been with you for a long time, haven't we? We know you. And we believe you can do this. We're with you, bud, we'll help you. It won't always be the way it is, because you all can fight, and you can win. He wouldn't beat you all down into dust if he didn't think you could be powerful enough to fight back and win.

Ro sits down at the edge of JJ’s bed.

His little brother’s fingers tug gently on his sleeve, waiting for him.

“I love you,” he says, though the words are ashy in his mouth.

JJ nods, stroking at his wrist. He presses an “I love you” into the mattress as he scoots closer.

“I love all of you. I want to keep you safe. I’ve never been able to do that. And I… still don’t think I could hurt Anti.”

“I know I couldn’t,” JJ agrees. “But I need to find out. For Blue and Dok. Cause, Jackie, I think maybe… when it comes down to keeping all of us safe, or staying Anti’s brother - I think maybe, on that day, we’re going to have to hurt Anti.”

“Kill him?” asks Ro weakly.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I could watch that. But if he comes at us again and tries to hurt us like he did today, wouldn’t you rather that we had a way to stop him?”

Ro bites down on his lip.

“If he tried to hurt Blue like he hurt us today, wouldn’t you rather that you had a way to protect him?”

Oh, yes.

Instead of running away.

He would like to stand tall again.

nikkilbook asked: There is no “enough,” Jackie. There’s only you, and that’s all your brothers—your friends—have ever needed. Not the you that Anti has twisted you into thinking you’ve become, but the you that’s real. The you that says “I love you” by telling the truth. That’s who you are. And sometimes, the truth does mean fear. Because Anti is frightening. You deserve the right to be afraid. But fear does not mean cowardice, and it does not mean shame. You are not shameful for being afraid of him. Remember yourself, Astrifer. You’re the boy who loves by telling the truth.

Red - Ro - Jackie - hell, but he can never make one of them fit quite right. He thinks there used to be a truth to him, somewhere, before all the lines went blurry and his hands spilled so much blood in the name of someone who’s always hated him anyway.

JJ touches his palm.

The contact of skin makes Jackie shudder, but he’ll allow it, just for a moment. Beneath JJ’s touch, with a smell like the earth after rain, Jackie’s clean white hands rise with Red’s scars, revealing his present again.

“Anti always mocked you for being a terrible liar,” signs Dapper. “Because when you knew what was true, Jackie - that was when he was afraid of you.”

“What’s true, JJ?” he asks numbly.

JJ puts his head against his shoulder.

“Big brother, you’ve always known.”

Anonymous asked: Yeah, it's gonna be hard, I know. But we believe in you all, and we'll be right here with you to help.

“Okay,” says Jackie softly, an arm around Dapper’s waist, and he knows what it is to be holding him - natural, right, truthful.

“If you want me to, I’ll go talk to Jack.”

Dapper closes his eyes.

He thinks a part of him wanted Jackie to refuse. To refuse to allow Dapper to betray their false brother. But he said yes, and Dapper has.

“Okay.”

He hides in Jackie’s shoulder and tries to ignore everything else in the world but the feeling of his warmth beside him.

Anonymous asked: Where is Jack?

“Getting me hot choccy.”

“Holy shit. Don’t shorten it to hot choccy.”

“What? You don’t want hot choccy too?”

“That’s - hahaha. The worst possible spelling.”

“It’s the best way!”

“Don’t you have a sign for chocolate?”

“Maybe I like saying hot choccy! What!”

“Jay, haha, I - ”

The door pushes open.

Jackie’s on his feet in a second, adrenaline pumping, fists clenched, body taut.

He knows that face. He knows that energy in the air. It makes all his nerves light up like firecrackers.

Anti stares back at him, holding a little cafe cup in both hands.

No…

No, he was wrong. Not Anti.

He just looks like him.

Down to the second and third tattoo.

Down to the way his fingers move.

Down to the way his eyes gleam in the light.

“Hey, man,” comes his tired voice, coughing a little. He steps past Jackie and hands JJ his hot chocolate, setting a coffee down on the table beside him. “You just got here?”

“Yeah,” says Ro quietly. “Yeah, I did.”

“Mmh.”

Jack adjusts the white cap on his head and lays his head down at JJ’s side without another word, letting half-circled eyes slide shut.

Ro doesn’t move.

The air feels like a storm is coming, faraway lightning playing with the ends of his fingers. The air feels like the birds have flown away and the frogs are hiding.

Anonymous asked: Red, you alright?

“Um, yeah,” murmurs Ro, scratching at the back of his head. “Yeah, fine.”

But he’s nervous watching this person lying beside his little brother like nothing is wrong. Like they’ve known each other their whole lives. And Jack isn’t talking either, which means - worse still - Ro might have to start the conversation.

In all honesty, he just wants to take JJ and go back to the house, to have a few minutes of peace before they’re returned to that goddamn bathtub. He glances at his little brother, whose face has gone dead, his affect flat and his body tired. JJ lifts up his little pocketwatch, where only a sliver of gold, counting mercilessly down, continues to disappear.

Anonymous asked: What are you supposed to talk to Jack about, again?

“Anti,” mumbles Ro.

“Hm?” asks Jack, like a cat uncurling.

“Nothing,” replies Ro, backing off a little.

Anti. His master. How to hurt Anti. Anti, who hates Jack more than anything. Ro shouldn’t be doing this. But he told JJ he would. So they would have a way to protect themselves and each other if Anti becomes violent with them again before they can find a way to escape. Ro can’t watch his brothers get hurt anymore. He doesn’t want to be a bystander in their pain. He doesn’t want to be a coward.

He glances down at his outfit, clutching his hands into fists. A thick hood at his back, strong running sneakers, gloves on his fingers.

He wants to be a hero again.

Anonymous asked: Ro, there is a way to help Blue recover. When we were with Dok and the magicians, a magic book told a story of a girl who had her magic stolen and had the same ailments as Blue does now. The girl recovered and got her magic back when the thief was killed and had blood stolen from him and given back to the girl. There's a way to fix it, but something tells me you won't like this very much.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up, no way!” cries Ro in sudden alarm, making Jack sit up on the bed, blinking. “Nobody said killed, okay, what? What the fuck? Is that what JJ meant when he said Dok and Blue were trying to figure out how to hurt Anti? They’re going to - oh, fuck no! I’m not a part of that, okay?”

Terror and panic and guilt burst like a water balloon in his chest and overwhelm Ro with a sudden ferocity, making his eyes water.

“I’m gone, I’m out. This is fucked up. I know he’s cruel but I would never want to killhim. What’s wrong with Dok and Blue?”

“JB,” calls Jack. “What - what is going on?”

Ro locks eyes with him and gets no comfort from the face so much like his own. He turns and races out the door, needing to cry.

“JB!”

Anonymous asked: hey, red, it's okay. deep breaths, love. i know you don't want to kill him, and that's okay. no one says you have to. it might have to happen eventually, but right now we're just figuring out ways to protect them, okay? no one says you have to kill him, it's okay. we're just protecting your other brothers, that's all we plan to do.

“Might have to?” wheezes Ro, sweeping past a crowd of medical staff to race towards the stairwell. “Might have to happen… holy fuck… I didn’t… I’m not… but then, he’s the one who made me a killer, isn’t he?”

He shoves through the door into the stairwell, racing away, logical thought flown from his head. “But then, I do have to protect them, don’t I? I do, I do. I - ”

“Is this because I couldn’t do it?” cries Jack’s voice behind him, the door clicking open again. “Jackie, I tried, I - he was screaming for me! What was I supposed to do? He’s gone, isn’t he? Isn’t that what matters? I’m sorry.”

Ro stops dead, panting. Jack’s footsteps race down the stairs towards him.

Anonymous asked: red, do you think it's safe to tell jack what's happening? you don't have to, it just might help.

Ro lets out a shaky breath, turning to face Jack.

“Can we talk about this? Are you okay?” asks Jack, pushing a strand of long hair from his eyes and tucking it beneath his cap again.

His mouth is curled with guilt, his voice small and sad.

Ro stares at him, trying to make his heart stop pounding. He doesn’t know why he feels afraid of him - though it’s not uncommon for him to feel confused about what it is that he’s feeling or where it’s coming from. Jack, for his part, makes him feel like lightning is about to come down over his head.

“JB, you’re kind of scaring me,” he admits uncertainly, stepping forward to put a hand on Ro’s shoulder. “Are you - ?”

Ro jerks away from his touch, staring at him.

Jack’s eyebrows raise, a flash of something more sinister than confusion entering blue eyes.

No, wait…

One blue, one green.

Jack takes a step back, green eye swirling. “Is it you?” he asks, voice hardening. “Or is it… no, I would know if it were you. JB, what’s going on?”

Ro swallows. You have a good point - he’s going to have to tell Jack something, unless he’s about to become a much better actor than he’s been the whole rest of his life very suddenly.

“It is… it is Jackie,” he says.

“What’s going on?” asks Jack, the light fading from his right eye, leaving it blue again. “Is it just the hospital? Do you want me to walk you home? Where are your headphones?”

Anonymous asked: Do you think you could ask him what Anti's weaknesses are? That might be a place to start, Red.

“What were you taking about?” asks Ro quietly, taking another step away from him. “Just now, when you said you couldn’t do it. When you apologized.”

Jack’s shoulders slump. He waits for a moment to see if Ro will follow up or move again, but when he doesn’t, he lets out a deep, tired sigh and sinks back against the railing of the stairs.

There’s no walls on the outside of the stairwell. White light streams in as the colors of cars and people and the soft dappled green flickers of a few well-loved trees move around them in a silent dance.

“Look, I… I know you would rather I killed him,” says Jack, pushing round glasses up on his nose. “I’m sorry. If you’re mad, I just… didn’t have the guts for it, JB.”

Ro nods, eyes flickering. “How… how did he get weak enough that you could have killed him? What were you going to do?”

Uncertainty in blue eyes.

Jack stands up again.

“Jackie,” he says. “What year is it?”

Anonymous asked: uhhhh my guess is 2017? i don't know if i'm right though?

Ro bites down on his lip. “It’s 2017, Jack.”

Jack blinks at him.

Then he laughs, burying his face in his hands.

“Oh, my buddy,” he says. “Not even close.”

“Come on,” protests Ro, embarrassment making his cheeks flush.

Jack reaches up to shove his shoulder, making Ro start.

“Just tell me next time he sends you back! What’s up, man, you seem spooked as fuckkkk.”

He draws the word out and grins, his posture loose and relaxed again, bumping shoulders with Ro as he comes to stand next to him.

nikkilbook asked: He created you all, Jackie. He knows what JJ can do.

“Guess that’s true,” grumbles Ro, a little off-put.

“Thought you could get away with it,” teases Jack. “I shoulda smelled it even without you acting all weird. Why’d you hide that from me, Mr. Boyman?”

“You’re making fun of me.”

Jack’s joy falls out of his face. “Oh, um. Sorry. No, I was just playing. I’m sorry, I’ll stop. I didn’t… sorry. Um. What’s up?”

Anonymous asked: Can Jack hear (see?) us? What even are we rn?

I’ve said since the beginning that the camera system requires a suspension of disbelief at times when it’s not convenient. I describe the audience as a camera even when it doesn’t always quite make sense. For now, we’ll assume you’re a little camera clipped to Jackie’s hoodie or in his hoodie pocket, but he can still get your messages. Jack can’t see or hear you and doesn’t know you’re there.

Anonymous asked: He wasn't mocking you Ro. Anti may have used your name to belittle and hurt you, but Jack uses it to love you.

Ro flushes and ducks his head, rocking on his heels, uncomfortable. He isn’t the person Jack expects him to be, and he’s awkward on top of that, and he wants to go home.

“What’s wrong?” asks Jack, flustered.

“I just need to ask you some stuff,” mumbles Ro. “I don’t want to pretend we’re friends.”

Jack’s face falls. He doesn’t move for a second, his eyes flickering. He wraps his arms around himself in a hug, sets his mouth, and nods. “Okay… Fine. What’s up?”

Anonymous asked: It might take too long to explain everything, so maybe try saying you're worried about the others, and that it'd help to know Anti's weaknesses just in case you need to use them?

“I need to know about Anti’s weaknesses,” says Ro.

Jack looks up at him, blinking. “You just kicked his ass a week and a half ago in this year. How far in the future are you?”

“Don’t ask questions, please,” he answers quietly.

Jack rubs at his chest and adjusts his cap again. “I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong. I can help, right? Where am I in the future?”

“Not around, okay? I’m kind of… stuck. With him. I need to get out.”

“Well, it was you and Marv and JJ the other day,” says Jack. “I made sure there’s enough between the three of you to hurt him. Are Marv and JJ with you?”

“Kind of? But, come on, what did we even do to him? I don’t remember the fight well - hit my head.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You were apologizing,” says Ro. “What did you mean? When you said I’d rather he was dead?”

Jack shakes his head quickly, clasping his hands together. “JB, seriously, if that’s why you’re mad, I’m sorry, man. I’m really sorry. I can’t stop thinking about it… if I had just got my phone out and filmed it… but I let him live. He was there writhing beneath your hands, calling for me! What was I supposed to do? I know he took JJ but he’s still… he’s still…”

Jack shakes his head again, turning away. He pulls his cap lower over his eyes and hugs himself.

“You and Marv just beat him up as you would normally, I guess? Marv’s fire and you fighting him and JJ there to make sure it all went alright. And then you… you had him pinned down… you were both bleeding but Marvin had him trapped in his vines and he was too hurt to glitch away. He doesn’t have weaknesses, per say - I just made sure the five of you would be enough to defeat him if you could ever pin him down. And you did. I’m glad. I’m sorry I couldn’t finish him off.”

Anonymous asked: I don't know if telling Jack straight up that you're from a time where you're with Anti is a good idea, but perhaps getting to the point fast would be. How much time do you and JJ have left here?

“Oh, shit,” hisses Ro. “You’re right, I should have stayed with JJ. He has the clock.”

“Don’t worry about it,” says Jack quietly. “Here.”

He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and hands Jackie a clock just like JJ’s, with the little sliver of gold still counting down.

“How’d you get this? What the hell?”

“It’s not really a clock,” shrugs Jack. “Just a piece of his power. Our power. He and I can pull it out whenever we need it. But I can’t use it unless he’s nearby.”

“Why?”

Jack grins wryly. “Hey, I handed that power over when I made him. No use to me anyway. But when he’s close enough…”

“You can tap in.”

“Right.”

“Same with Blue?”

“What?”

“Er, Marvin?”

“Yeah, same with Marvin. And Anti, too.”

nikkilbook asked: All five? Are we talking power of friendship here, or do Schneep and Chase have specific contributions? And does it have to be you that films it, or is it just cameras in general? Would it have to be posted on the channel?

“Anybody could hurt Anti,” says Jack. “It’s just not often that people do because he can teleport and shapeshift. And he’s vicious. And smarter than most of his enemies, though of course he acts like a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah,” says Ro. “I’ve seen him hurt before, Jack, but he never dies. I don’t understand why.”

Jack lowers his eyes, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Anonymous asked: Maybe ask him that if one of you couldn't do it, if he thinks it would still be possible to beat him again? Because Marvin doesn't have his magic right now, so he can't use it against Anti.

“Would we be able to beat him?” asks Ro. “If we couldn’t fight him like we can now?”

“You might be able to beat him,” mumbles Jack. “Anyone could beat him, even strangers to us, but only the five of you… well. Best chance is always getting the drop on him. Otherwise you gotta muster up enough strength and power to kick his ass, and that’s a lot harder.”

Anonymous asked: Okay, that went well. You could probably tell him that in your time you need to fight him, and so his weaknesses would be good to know?

“What do I need to know, Jack?” asks Ro, beginning to get frustrated. “Don’t cut corners or bullshit me. My family’s in trouble.”

Jack steps into his space, unafraid, eyebrows drawn back in worry. “Okay, deep breaths, okay? There’s nothing special to hurting Anti. You said you’ve seen people do it before.”

“Yeah,” says Ro. “In Singapore, there was a magician who fried him with electricity for about fifteen minutes and then set the house on fire, and he still didn’t die. I’ve seen a whole pack of magicians come after him. JJ says he’s seen Anti take all sorts of blows that should be mortal. He always comes out alive.”

Jack’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t question. He grips at Ro’s hoodie as he thinks.

“Listen, JB. I’m a creator, yeah. But creation doesn’t happen alone. There’s ways to focus power. Ways to make things happen. Like how Marvin can only grow plants if there’s already seeds or bits of them deep in the ground or nearby. There’s limits. There’s ways things have to be done.”

“Be direct,” Ro demands.

“You came to be not just because of my power, but because I shared you with other people,” says Jack earnestly, squeezing at the fabric of his jacket. “When I created most of you, you were pretty clearly human, so you can die like humans do, because that’s what people expect you to do. But Anti…”

“Isn’t human.”

“And that’s obvious about him from the start.”

“So he doesn’t die like a human.”

“No.”

“What does he die like?” Ro asks. “What is he then? A demon? A fairy? If you tell me then I’ll know how to kill him.”

“Right,” says Jack softly. “But that’s the thing. I… didn’t have a clear idea in mind when I created him. And I never told the audience jackshit about what he is.”

Ro stares at him, thinking.

“So…”

Jack clears his throat and closes his eyes. “Anti is confined only by the story that we tell. That means two things - you can’t kill him without telling the story, without building up to it, showing it, making it believable. And, two…”

Jack’s eyes open. His mouth is tight and trembling. He looks up at Jackie.

“It has to be one of the other characters in the story who kills him.”

Ro’s stomach drops.

“It has to be one of the five of you.”

Anonymous asked: why doesn't he die?

Ro clutches at Jack’s shoulders.

Tight.

He can’t help it. His brain is spinning. There’s nothing but a feeling he can’t name driving through his head, pounding against his skull, painful.

“You’re saying that Anti is immortal unless one of us kills him? One of his own brothers?”

Jack squirms a little beneath Ro’s tight grip, trying to back away, looking up at him in alarm. “Yeah. JB - ”

“And it has to be in front of a fucking audience? Like a public execution? No.”

“I made you real, but you’re characters at heart,” says Jack, panting a little as Ro squeezes tighter. “Since Anti’s not human, you have to tell the story.”

pine-storm-season asked: Would we count?

“How?” asks Ro weakly. “How can an audience be there?”

“Most of your story happened on my channel, over video.”

“On your channel?”

“Right,” says Jack, like it’s obvious.

“I… okay. So on video? Who has to see it?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly. The point would be… the point would be that the people who care about you, about these characters, about the people that you are - they would have to believe that something had changed.”

“They would have to believe that Anti had died.”

“Yes.”

“They’d have to see Anti die. See his corpse. See - ”

“Jackie, get off!” cries Jack, shoving at his arms as Ro’s grip begins to bruise, but Ro can barely breathe. He feels himself shove Jack back against the railing of the stairs. “Jackie, it’s okay, ow, you don’t have to squeeze me like that! It’s going to be okay, alright? Tell me where I can find you in the future! I’ll remember and I’ll come get you!”

Anonymous asked: Mmmh, is there really a point to avoiding telling Jack you don't remember him? I get that you didn't want to attract too much attention on yourself but at this point he's aware you're not from now and that there's something wrong. It's probably worth a shot, no?

“I don’t even know who you are!” cries Ro, trying to make himself let go of Jack, though he only seems to feel his fingers squeezing tighter. He can feel his heart racing, fast, fast, and he sees his vision going red. “If you think that Anti should die, why don’t you put his fucking costume on and film it yourself?”

“I was going to film it when you beat him!” shouts Jack. “You had him beat, had him hurt, and I had JJ back again, where he belongs! But he’s my creation too, Jackie! He was screaming for me to save him! How was I supposed to film that? Post that? He’s my boy too! I just wanted him to stop hurting JJ! He’s gone now, why can’t we just let him go!”

“He’ll come back!” screams Ro, shaking him, hard. “He’ll come back and spend the rest of his life hurting us!”

“Tell me where you are,” chokes Jack. “JB, I’ll come get you.”

“You left us the fuck alone!”

He lets go of Jack and staggers back, letting his creator crash back against the wall, panting.

“You’re not coming, Jack. You don’t even know me anymore. You never told the story in this timeline. It’s just the people who actually cared about us who remember.”

Jack stares up at him, shaking his head. “Jackie,” he croaks. “Jackie.”

And Red wonders if it’s the same way he said his name when Max came to his door, asking him where he was, and all Jack could do was stare at him and repeat their names like memories from dreams that were never real.

nikkilbook asked: He already tortures and abuses you in front of an audience. We’re the audience, Jackie. We’ve always been the audience. He rigged the cameras this way so he could make us watch, because he thought it was funny. Let us help you. Let us make a real difference.

“No, no, no,” chants Red. “No, no, no. This is awful. I don’t care if he’s terrible sometimes. He’s my little brother. I can’t… we can’t… not like that. Is that what Blue and Dok have been planning? I can’t, I…”

He needs to go home. Needs to see Anti. Needs to get back to JJ. He races towards his little brother, rushing up the stairs, his heart throbbing so hard it hurts in his chest.

“Let’s go,” pants Red, pushing back into JJ’s room. “Let’s go right now.”

JJ looks up from his hot chocolate, wiping at his tired eyes. “The timer’s almost up. Did you find out - ”

“Don’t talk about it, Dapper!” shouts Red, slamming his hand down on the table beside his bed.

nikkilbook asked: Remember yourself, Astrifer. Even if Ro-Red-Jackie don’t feel like they can fit, you can build a new identity, starting now. You can do this, Hero.

Ro covers his face with his hands, trying to breathe.

He needs to calm down. He can’t do this again. He can’t let his emotions control him so much. Make him so despairing, make him so angry. Make him so afraid. Surely Jackie never felt like this. That’s why he was a hero and Ro isn’t.

No, no.

Even saying that is letting the self-hatred win. He has to be stronger than it.

He slumps back into the hard plastic of the hospital chair at JJ’s side. Pulls the hood up over his head and hides in it, eyes closed, hugging his body the same way Jack did.

Okay. He’s okay. He just needs to calm down. He just got a little spooked. He’s okay. If Blue were here, he’d rock him and tell him he loves him and that it’s alright to be scared. If Max were here, he’d sit with him and talk to him until the terror passed and tell him he’s not going anywhere, even if he does get too angry and too loud and too aggressive sometimes.

And JJ sits with him, and doesn’t go anywhere either.

“Shit,” whispers Ro, beginning to uncurl from his ball when five minutes have passed. “I’m sorry for yelling at you… shit. I shouldn’t have grabbed him like that either. I don’t know why I… I’m sorry.”

JJ nods quietly, staring at him.

nikkilbook asked: Out of... curiosity, what would happen if we were able to help JJ get on meds and other supports from the very beginning? Would that do anything to prevent or weaken the psychotic episode that made Jack forget them?

“No, sorry,” says JJ softly, giving you a fleeting smile. “This is the timeline where Jack did create us and does know who we are. Nothing we do here will change the present. But thank you for thinking of me.”

Anonymous asked: You know the truth Ro. Anti is not, and never has been, your brother. You know the truth of brotherhood, and you've been there every time he's broken it.

It’s a truth that both of them are still struggling to grasp. It cuts Ro deep. He’s made Anti his whole life - his protection, his leadership, his service. But he’s known for a long time that his little brother does not love him. He’s told him things like that to his face, but Red still stays, because he wants to believe something different. The thought that all of this time and this life and this love that he’s given to Anti was for nothing is almost worse than if he had been trying to escape this whole time.

I gave myself over to this monster. I loved him. I never should have. We have to get away from him or I will never stop finding excuses for him.

For JJ’s part, what you’re saying is the truth of not just the last year, but of his whole existence. There was never anything but Anti. JJ tried for years to love him, and it was never enough. A part of him - fuck, more than a part of him - wishes desperately that he could still change his brother. Beneath his anger and his hurt, he just wishes that he had ever been enough to make Anti love him back. Maybe he did, time to time, but it never lasts.

Anonymous asked: Red, I know, bud. I know it's a really fucking hard thing to think about. I wouldn't want to kill any of my little siblings either. But killing Anti could save the life of Dok, or Trick, or Blue, or Jamie, it might be that for one of them to live Anti has to die. I'm sorry, Red, I know this is incredibly hard. And it doesn't have to happen now, okay? No one says you have to go back to your time and kill him immediately. But you might have to later, Red, love, and I'm sorry you do.

“Even if I don’t kill him,” whispers Red, whispers Ro, whispers Jackie. “We still have to go. Like I promised you. I’ll get you away from him. Okay?”

“Okay,” answers JJ despondently. “Okay.”

“I really shouldn’t have grabbed Jack. He asked me to stop and I didn’t even listen. If someone did that to me I’d lose it. I’ve got to go tell him I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have much time.”

nikkilbook asked: You are not to blame for choosing to love him. Either of you. He is wrong for choosing to hurt you with it.

“You know what? You’re fucking right. Especially because he’s a goddamn hypnotist. I just… I don’t understand why he would go to all this trouble of making us feel this way for him if he didn’t really want to love us back. We could be a real family… why not just kill us? I - ”

He catches sight of Jack, still sitting in the stairway, right where Red left him.

His face is covered by his hands. His glasses are abandoned on the ground beside him. He doesn’t move.

Red steps down towards him, mouth opening, but no words come out.

He stands above Jack for a long minute. His creator never moves.

Ro sits down beside him and touches his arm.

Jack lets his head fall against Jackie’s shoulder, face still hidden, crying quietly into his hands. And it’s only now that Ro sees just how tired he is - it’s in the curve of his shoulders, the bow of his legs, the subtle shaking of his fingers.

“Have you… been staying up with JJ at the hospital?” asks Ro softly.

“Don’t want to let Anti get him again,” whispers Jack. “Don’t want him to get any of you again. But now I know I can’t protect you. It’s my fault. I should have killed him when he was crying for me. It’s my fault.”

Anonymous asked: Jack? I don't know if you can see this, if so Red maybe tell him, but Jack, it's not your fault for being kind enough to spare him. I'm sorry that he took that and used it against the others, but Jack, you are not to blame for letting him go. You couldn't know what was going to happen. You're not to blame.

“Hey,” says Jackie, taking his hand in his own, drawing it away from his face. Jack looks up at him with Anti’s eyes. It makes Ro’s heart hurt.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” says Jack, eyes red, voice rasping. “I should never have let this happen.”

And Red wants to tell him a million things, everything you’ve told him to say and more. Things like “it’s not your fault” and “it’s not wrong that you loved him, that you didn’t want to kill him, I feel the same way” and “I know I wasn’t very nice, but I hope you know that I have wondered about you for the longest time and that, even though it hurt, I think meeting you just this once fixed something inside of me - ”

But it’s too late.

Time’s up.

“Jack,” says Red, and then he’s gone.

Anonymous asked: Did any time pass at all? Are we back to the bathtub?

You are back in the bathtub.

Ro struggles for a second, spasming against the ropes that bind him before he realizes his situation and surroundings and forces himself to quiet again, shaking with the pain of his aching muscles and the discomfort of being bound and wet.

That’s when he becomes aware of the screaming.

“Hey, wake up!” Anti shrieks, shaking Dapper’s shoulders. “My little brother, my little brother!”

Time has passed.

Dapper is unconscious, bleeding from his nose - he has been for several minutes.

“What’s wrong with you?” Anti tears the collar off his throat and cradles him against his chest. “He was fine! I was watching, he was fine! Dapper! Jamie!”

“Anti,” begins Red shakily.

“Shut up!” screams Anti. “This is your fucking fault for stealing his medicine! Get the fuck out of my sight! Carver, Monochroma!”

Red yelps as the rope around his body combusts into a short burst of flame, singeing his legs and his blue hoodie.

Anonymous asked: Red? Dap? You guys okay?

Red is shaken and hurting, but no worse than he has been the rest of the night. He still desperately, desperately wants to get out, get a shower, put on clean clothes, and just sleep, but now his little brother is weak.

Dapper has gone frigid pale, but then he’s always so white. This nosebleed is worse than most of his casual ones. It’s like a vessel has popped in his nose, sending streams of red dribbling down his mustache and beard and all the way down to his shirt. Ro thinks he sees him twitch for a moment, his eyes flickering, and he wonders if it’s safer for Dapper to be unconscious as long as his eyes are silver anyway. He recovered alright last time, didn’t he? But he’s still so black and blue from the night before, still wheezing and trapped in Anti’s arms…

“I said get out!” shouts Anti, throwing a shampoo bottle hard at Ro’s head. Ro startles and leaps out of the tub, retreating to the doorway of the bathroom.

Anonymous asked: red, can you go? i don't trust anti at all, but he sounds actually worried for dapper and so i think you should leave him be, i don't think dapper will get hurt worse.

“Okay, okay,” he pants, backing out of the room. “Just… keep an eye on him for me.”

Dripping water, he races away and down the stairs, casting one glance back at that room at the top of the hall. The door slams shut and locks.

Anonymous asked: anti, is he okay?

“Well, I don’t know, I don’t know what went wrong!” he cries, sweeping Dapper into his arms and rising like he weighs nothing. “It’s not catatonia, it’s not a concussion, he’s breathing alright… shit, Dap, what were you doing? Oh, fuck’s sake, this is cracked, and not in the good way.”

He’s gripping at Dapper’s side, feeling the shifting of his ribs.

“Goddamn, goddamn… I barely threw him around! He’ll have to rest. I’ll tape it. It will hurt for a long time, but he’s still breathing well enough. Nothing punctured. Come here, my doll, lie down…”

Anonymous asked: do you think this might be his body shutting down from getting hurt, or something?

“It’s because he time-traveled,” mumbles Red from the bottom of the stairs, looking up at locked door. “Going back a day or so - he can do that maybe a half-dozen times without it knocking him out. But going back so far… it’s like in Colombia, when he passed out afterwards. It takes a lot out of him.”

Ro sighs and rubs at his face, stepping into the hallway, looking around. Everything is so quiet. Where are the others?

“Think I’m going to get a shower,” he mumbles. “I’m gross and exhausted.”

Anonymous asked: Anti, do you know how to help him?

Anti grits his teeth in frustration and turns away from you, setting Dapper down in their bed. He sinks into the mattress and the pillows as Anti pulls the blankets over him and strokes his knuckle down the side of his face, his own expression twisting with fear and anger and exhaustion all at once.

“Why do you keep causing me so much trouble?” he growls, though his voice breaks halfway through. He grabs Dapper’s unmoving face between his fingers, trembling with the urge to squeeze until he leaves bruises. He forces himself to let go instead, sinking down onto his knees beside him. “You used to be so good for me. We never fought. I never had to discipline you. Why did this fall apart…”

He growls again and strikes his own face like he’s waking himself up, letting a shiver run up his spine and then, with a soft sigh that ruffles the bedsheets, letting his head sink onto the bed beside his brother, and closing his eyes.

Dapper’s eyes flicker, showing blue and silver. Anti is lying beside him, touching his hand. It hurts Dapper’s heart.

Anonymous asked: Red, you doing alright?

“Um, no, everything sucks and I’m probably going to lose it later and just… I just need a break. From all this. Hey, at least Blue’s not in bed. Worried about him sleeping so much. Don’t tell him I’m upset. I’m just getting a shower, okay? See you guys later. And… thanks for the help.”

He leaves you on his bed and heads into the bathroom, stripping off his clothes for the hamper as he goes.

Anonymous asked: Is Dap still out?

Anti’s eyes slide open as Dapper’s fingers curl around his own.

They look at each other. Dapper’s eyes, barely open, are tired and silent. He’s joyless lately. He’s numb.

“Where’d my little boy go?” mumbles Anti, pressing his forehead against their joined hands.

Dapper closes his eyes again. The wind is brushing against the screen over their window. The trees sway outside. A clock is ticking.

“Look,” says Anti. “I… I didn’t think about how Dark would scare you. Alright? I should have. I just wanted to see them again. I didn’t do it on purpose to make you upset. I didn’t realize you were still upset about them. I could have asked.”

Dapper blinks, opening his eyes to look at him.

“Dap. I’m sorry.”

Dapper’s mouth parts. He glances away, awake now. Anti doesn’t look up from their hands.

“When I said I wanted us to be friends again,” he mumbles, quiet and begrudging. “I meant it.”

Dapper touches his side, his bruised face darkening with unhappiness and hurt - and something deeper, too.

Anonymous asked: Are you more hurt than before, dap, or is it just still hurting?

“I’m more tired than before,” he admits, drawing his hand gently away from Anti’s. “That’s all.”

“Maybe you just needed a second out,” sighs Anti. “But I couldn’t wake you up. Just rest. You’re such a fucking… I just… just… just rest.”

Dapper nods, not sure what to say.

“I didn’t mean for you to get really hurt. I was just mad. Don’t do that again.”

Anonymous asked: Anti, you're calm now? Not gonna hurt anyone at the moment?

“Why don’t you fuck off,” sneers Anti, turning to you, but Dapper takes his hand and pulls his attention back.

“Yeah, we’re done,” mutters Anti, nuzzling back into his hand. “Quiet time, whatever. We’re going to stay up here and watch the trees so Dark doesn’t try to pull shit tonight. Tonight or tomorrow, I expect. We’re just resting.”

Anonymous asked: Don't fall for his same old excuse Jamie. "I was just angry" doesn't cut it this time. Don't forgive him this time, he could have killed you and Ro.

“Look, you shouldn’t have taken that medicine.”

“I just didn’t want to be - ”

“You have to listen to me, Dap! I wasn’t going to let anything actually happen to you.”

Dapper sighs, shaking his head. Anti squirms, frustrated, and gets to his feet. He touches Dapper’s beard and strokes his fingers through the short hairs. Carver looks up at him, his body aching.

“It’s been hard sleeping without you,” says Anti.

Dapper purses his mouth, but he nods. It’s been hard for him too.

Anonymous asked: He used love as a tool of manipulation. The main reason he bothered with love, with the brother and twin hierarchy, was to ensure you never left him and went back to Jack, was to ensure you never stood up for your true family, to solidify the deaths of your sense of self.

Manipulation. Tools. Weaponry. Love.

The slow death of self.

Red stands in the shower and thinks about it, head bowed, the water running down his skin.

But for Dapper - for JJ, for Carver, for Monochroma - there never was any self before Anti. There was never anyone to go back to.

“You have to be nicer to me if you want to be friends,” he protests weakly. “You can’t keep hurting me.”

“I… I’m sorry about the cracked rib too,” says Anti. “Okay? Fuck. I shouldn’t have fucked around with your medication in the first place. It was stupid. I’m sorry. But you can’t just disobey me either. You’re rebellious by nature because we’re cut from the same cloth, Dap. You and me - we’re the same. But at the same time, I’m big brother, and I’m the one who has to be in charge. Sometimes you make things so hard from me… I’ve been trying to make amends and it’s like you threw it back in my face. We’re supposed to be brothers. You know I don’t have anyone without you… not really.”

Dapper’s eyes water. He turns away, closing his eyes.

Anti sighs, a slight whimper in the noise. He puts a hand on Dapper’s side to be mindful of his ribs, and then he crawls into the bed beside him, and - carefully, carefully - wraps himself around his baby brother.

“Why you’re crying?” he whispers, stroking his hair. “It’s okay now. I’m sorry. I am. I’m right here.”

But Dapper doesn’t know why he’s crying. It’s not even because of the pain of every part of his body being coated in bruising. He doesn’t know.

“You have to stop hurting me, Anti, I don’t understand, I try to be good… I love you, I do, I…”

Anti listens to him. Pressed against his body. Rocking him gently against the bed.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

He holds him for a long time.

“You’re tired. Sleep. We’ll rest. I’ll watch. Go to sleep.”

Anti lays his body down against the bed, pushing the pillows beneath him and tucking him in. He strokes Dapper’s beard, staring at him.

“I love you,” he whispers, his eyes closing, like it’s not a truth he can admit while looking him in the face.

Dapper closes his eyes too, hot with tears. The pressure on the bed beside him could just as well be Jack, watching over him in the hospital, but it isn’t.

It never is.

He’s so tired.

“I love you too,” he signs, and JJ lets his head rest against his brother’s.

Anonymous asked: Trick, Blue, Dok, are you three still alright?

You can find Trick and Dok dozing on the couch downstairs. Trick’s been talking to him and trying to ground him for a few hours now, and he’s exhausted from the emotional toil - but he still figures he’s doing better than his twin, who is only just now coming back from his panic.

At least Dok looks cozy and content now. Trick’s wrapped him up in blankets and made him a cup of the coffee he gave him for Christmas. Dok is so enamored with the smell he hasn’t even bothered to drink any yet. He sits breathing in the smell and holding the warm mug in his hands, his knees drawn up to his chest and his eyes sleeping. Trick lies down on the couch beside him. They haven’t seen Blue in a while when Trick hears his footsteps coming down the stairs.

Anonymous asked: Blue? Dok? Where are you guys? Is everything okay?

“Trick,” says Blue softly, padding towards him.

“Hmmmm,” hums Trick, lounging beside his brother. He lets his eyes slide open and finds himself very suddenly wide awake.

“Blue? Why do you have…?”

He trails off, staring up at him.

Blue holds the big kitchen knife limply in his left hand.

“I was thinking about cutting myself,” he says.

His voice is very dull. His face is numb. He barely looks at Trick. Like he’s seeing right through him.

“But then I thought I should tell somebody.”

“Oh,” says Trick. “Good… good job. Telling. Yeah. Can I have that?”

Blue lets him take the knife from him. Trick is stammering too much to speak. Dok takes a long drink of his coffee and lets out a deep, contented sigh, his eyes glazed.

“Dok looks better,” says Blue, turning to head back up the stairs.

“Come here, bud, come here,” gasps Trick, finding his voice. “Hang out with us a while, yeah, love?”

“Okay, Tricky.”

“Okay.”

Anonymous asked: Blue, you ok?

Blue squints at the camera.

“They asked if you’re okay,” Trick manages.

Blue looks at him like he doesn’t understand the question. Trick reaches out and grips his hand tightly, drawing him down to sit with them.

“What’s, uh. Are you… What’s going on?” asks Trick shakily.

“Not much,” answers Blue. “How ‘bout you?”

“We’re… we’re… Blue, what’s going on?”

“Not much, Trick.”

Trick scrapes at his hair, gritting his teeth in his mouth. “Blue, why were you going to cut yourself? Please help me understand?”

Blue stares down at the silver gleam of the blade in his brother’s hand.

“I was just in the bathroom and I thought maybe it would help. But then I thought, I have to tell someone, because that’s not right.”

“I’m glad you told me.”

“Well, yeah, you’re my darling,” says Blue. At last, Trick hears a little emotion in his voice: fondness. But still no fear or distress. He’s just… numb.

“I just wanted to check,” says Blue.

“Check what?”

“That the blood… that the blood is mine,” answers Blue bizarrely, touching Trick’s cheek. “Oh, dear… I’m feeling a little faint. I’m really far away from you. I don’t know where I am.”

“Roll your pants up a little and let me check you didn’t hurt yourself.”

Blue obeys, unperturbed. His thighs and stomach and arms are all untouched. Trick grips at his shoulder, massaging his muscles, and Blue relaxes a little.

“You like to be touched when you’re like this, right?” asks Trick, because he doesn’t know what else to say.

Blue nods, eyes flickering. Trick pushes towards him and wraps him arms tightly, tightly around him, kissing his cheek and pressing their bodies close together. He can feel his own chest shaking. He doesn’t want to get triggered, but he won’t leave Blue alone.

Anonymous asked: Blue, if you're interested to know, Anti just kicked out Red of the bathroom he chained him in. It's, uh, it's good news yeah?

Blue sighs through his nose, humming a little.

“Better a bathroom than flesh to keep us. Still stuck, though. Still stuck. I’m in the walls of this house. Or nowhere at all.”

You hear Trick swear quietly against him, but he just holds him tighter, rubbing circles into his shoulder with his thumb.

.

“Hey,” somebody whispers, but Dok is really too tired to care who.

“Mpf,” he replies, letting his head lull over to the other side of the couch. This has the chain reaction of stirring Blue from his sleep, but he too only flops back onto the arm of the couch.

The hand that reaches down to brush Dok’s shoulder is warm. He hears a tired little laugh. “Come on, Schneep, wake up.”

“Mmffff…. I’m up, I’m up. Trick?”

“It’s Roser.”

“Where’s Trick?”

“I waited til he went upstairs to cook you guys some dinner. I need to talk to you.”

Dok tries to rouse himself at last, shoving his glasses back up his nose and turning to look at Red. “What’s going on?”

There are eyes crossed out on your cameras. Ro has turned Anti’s sight away. They don’t have long before he notices.

“Dok,” says Red, looking him in the eyes. “Have you really been planning to kill Anti?”

Adrenaline pours into Dok’s blood and he chokes, sitting up quickly on the couch, drawing his knees to his chest. He’s going to flip out. He’s going to scream. He’s going to cry again.

“Red, Red,” he gasps, hiding his face from him. “Don’t punish me.”

“Fuck, Dok, no, no, I won’t, I swear, I just… I just need to know. Schneep, don’t cry…”

“He said he’s going to kill me,” sobs Henrik. “In a couple days. He said he’s done with me, he’ll murder me. I’m scared, I don’t want to die.”

“Okay,” says Red quietly, and it’s shocking enough that he doesn’t freak out himself that it makes Henrik almost stop, looking up at him in surprise, sniffling. Red touches the back of his head. “Okay, come on, then. I want you to go get your shoes on.”

“What?”

“Blue’s not well,” answers Red, drawing away from him. Dok sees a backpack stuffed full on his back, his shoes already on his feet, Blue’s cane in his hand. “And you’re in trouble. Come on. We’re going to the hospital.”

[lonelyreputation]

Beach Tagger

A/N:  Hi hi!! Switching up from my usual angst and writing a bit of fluff ☺️ I love reading whatever you all have to say––it brightens up my day! Let me know if you have any requests or just want to chat! I loooooveeee making new friends💗 

I’m trying to build up my masterlist so please if you have anything you want to request, my inbox is wide open!!

(come request or chat if you’d like)

Warnings: None :)

Word Count: 4.6K

“And I’m telling you,” you took your bike out of the garage and put the kick stand in place before turning around to face Shawn, “It’ll be less crowded on second street.”

Shawn took hold of the handlebars of your brother’s bike and rolled it out, “But you said that there weren’t any shops or restaurants down that end.”

Once Shawn was out of the garage, you walked over to the electric security pad that had control to open and close the doors.  You dialed in the digits of your grandma and grandpa’s birthday and watched the pad light up green as the garage doors began coming down.

“Do you want to get noticed?”

Shawn stood quietly for a few moments.  It was day three of your five day mini-vacation visiting your grandma at her beach house and Shawn had yet to be spotted.  The two of you were granted privacy with the house being located on the back bay.  During the days you could swim, kayak, and paddle board without anyone bothering the two of you––besides your cousins and family.

It was all very serene; lounging around the family bay house, with your boyfriend, that you had spent every summer at.  You had given Shawn a tour on the first day of all the essential places you spent most of your time as a kid.  You took him by the best pizza shop in town, best ice-cream parlor, the soccer field you had camp at when you were ten, the alley way you turned down when you broke your wrist, and where you had your first job selling popcorn on the boardwalk.

The beach town was something straight out of a Nicholas Sparks novel, a tiny quaint town where everyone knew each other’s business, but that didn’t stop the reality of Shawn’s persona.  The first few days of the week were fine, you were able to take Shawn out to the boardwalk without anyone noticing him with his sunglasses and hat, but now it was the weekend.  And the weekend meant that everyone from the mainland and bordering states would make the two hour drive down to the beach for a little getaway.

The beach town would be crawling with girls who would no doubt spend every minute of their weekend hunting for Shawn.

Finally, he shrugged his shoulders, “I guess you’re right.”

You didn’t like the dejected tone of his voice.  So you left you bike and walked over to him.  He was toying with the gear shift on the bike when you placed your hand on top of his, “If we get hungry we can bike down––or even walk––it’s not that far, promise.”

A small smile made its way onto his face as he flipped his hand over to squeeze your hand, “Sounds good.”

“Good,” you smiled as you removed your hand and went back to your bike.  You kicked the kick stand up and lifted yourself up on the bike, “It’s like a 3 mile ride––“ Shawn’s jaw dropped, “––It’s all on flat ground!” You defended the mileage and gave him a once over, “And besides, you’re in shape, you can handle it.”

Shawn smirked as he slightly lowered his black sunglasses, “Checking me out, y/n?”

Even though Shawn was your boyfriend, you still blushed profusely, “I––Well, yeah.  Yeah, I was.”

Shawn laughed and swung his leg over to the other side of the bike, “Good.”  He then lifted himself up and peddled out of your cobblestone driveway and down the street, “Lead the way!”

You rolled your eyes and started peddling fast to catch up to Shawn.  It was a little harder for you to speed up than him because you had a cruiser while he had your brother’s mountain bike.  And while it was flat land you would be biking on, it was hot out.

Conversation was kept to a minimum biking down the main road, but when you led Shawn down the bike road, you were able to ride side by side and not worry about speeding cars.  The bike road was the street over from the main shopping district of the town, so you were able to hear the chatting of people instead of the ocean waves.  

Even though you and Shawn were riding in tandem, the conversation was still nonexistent.  Shawn would occasionally ask you about certain areas you two had passed and if they had any significance in your childhood.  Most of the time you always had a story for a place.

You had soon made it down to second street and just had to ride up the street in order to get to the beach.  Waiting at traffic lights annoyed you, so you and Shawn would play “what are the odds” whenever you were stuck at a red light.  

Shawn lost a round right when you pulled up to the boardwalk path that led to the beach.  He was supposed to drink out of the spicket that beachgoers used to rinse off their sandy shoes.  

“Please don’t,” you pleaded with him as you chained both of your bikes to the railing, “I don’t want Andrew calling me up asking me how you got dysentery on your vacation with me.”

Shawn shrugged and placed the two beach chairs on the sidewalk as he hovered over the spicket with a scrunched up nose, “When you lose odds, you lose odds, and if there’s nothing I stand by more it’s the rules to that game.”

You snorted, “That makes me feel confident tin our relationship.”

Shawn whipped his head up with a smile, “Odds are a way of life.”

With a roll of your eyes, you plucked your backpack out of the wicker basket attached to your bike and slung it over your shoulders, “C’mon, we’re wasting time and it’s a stupid game please don’t––Shawn!  That is disgusting!”

He was only hunched over for less than a second before he turned the water off and wiped the water on his mouth off with the back of his hand, “That was pure salt water.”

“No shit,” you walked up to him and smacked him in the middle of his chest, “We’re next to the beach.”

With no response to his stupidity, Shawn took hold of your hand as he bent down to grab the handles of the beach chairs you would be using.  The two of you walked up the sandy boardwalk ramp and you were prepared to see a beach tagger sitting in a chair at the bottom fo the ramp.  

You were expecting to see a beach tagger that you knew.  One of your friends who lives in the beach town year round had worked the second street beach location for the past year and a half.  But he wasn’t sitting in the navy blue chair designated for beach taggers.  There was a teenage girl who looked to be sixteen.

Immediately your hands began to sweat and Shawn looked down at you curiously.  You chalked it up to being hot from the bike ride and just needing to get in the water.  He seemed to believe it.

It felt like walking to the beach tagger took ages, but in reality it was a ten second walk down the ramp.  She was reading a book and didn’t pay attention to you two at all, “Do you need to buy a day tag?”

You shook your head, “Uh––No.  We have season passes––here,” you brought up the strings of your back pack where you had two beach tags pinned.  

The girl dog eared her book and looked up at you before looking at the passes, “You’re good to––“ her abrupt stop to her sentence made you wince.  You knew she looked up again at you.  And you knew that she looked up at your boyfriend, not expecting to see Shawn Mendes, “…Go.” She cautiously finished up her sentence.

“Cool, right, yeah––Thanks.”  You took off down the dunes and dragged Shawn along.  

“What are you––Slow down,” Shawn whined as he kicked up some sand.  You slowed down a bit, but as you did, you turned your head over your shoulder and saw the teenage beach tagger not engrossed in her book like she had been before.  She was rapidly typing on her phone.

You knew she was telling someone she saw Shawn when she turned her head and made eye contact with you.  Her smile was giddy, and you couldn’t blame her.  Working as a beach tagger was literally sitting and do nothing for hours.  It was boring.  And now she had just seen Shawn, a musical performer that you assumed she liked, and it had probably made her entire summer.

“She noticed you,” You muttered under your breath as you and Shawn found a good place to set up your chairs. 

Shawn unfolded a chair and pushed it into the sand,“Hm?”

“The beach tagger,” you nudged your head over in the direction you had just come from as you unbuttoned your shorts and flung the t-shirt over your head.  You took the sun tan lotion out of your backpack, “She noticed you and she’s telling people she saw you.”

Shawn rolled his eyes as he got the second chair in place and took the sun tan lotion from you, “So what?”

“So,” you stressed as Shawn began rubbing the lotion in on your back, “People will find out that you’re here and mob you.”  Your eyes involuntarily closed as you felt Shawn’s hands work deep on your shoulder blades, “We did so well the past few days.”

Shawn laughed as he brought his hands on your shoulders, lifting your bikini straps so he could get sun tan lotion under them, “We were cooped up in your house for three days.”

“We still went out and did stuff!”  You exclaimed as Shawn glided his arms down your arms to wipe away any excess sun tan lotion.  Your breath grew shallower as he slid his hands slowly down to your hands and played with your fingers.  He intertwined your hands and pulled your back into his chest.  

Shawn then crossed your tangled arms over your stomach as he leaned down to rest his chin on your shoulder, “I don’t care,” he kissed your cheek, “I like being in public with you.”

His breath was hot as he hung over your ear for a split second before untangling one of his hands and trailing it up the front of your stomach, “Although…If she hadn’t seen us maybe we could’ve been a bit more…” he let his sentence trail off and your eyes widened when you felt Shawn’s fingertips lightly graze under your bikini top.

“I think your mother would absolutely cut your head off if she saw any pictures like that in any publication.”

Shawn let out an overdramatic sigh as he removed his fingers the under part of your top piece and hooked his arm around your waist, “I know,” he squeezed you tight, “Such a shame.”

You laughed and untangled yourself from him.  You picked up the sunscreen and squirted some lotion into your hand, “Now, if there’s one thing Andrew will call me up about, it’ll be because of how burnt you got.”

With no response, because Shawn knew you were right on that one, he turned around and bent his knees so you could lather up his back.  You took longer than necessary, wanting to spend more than necessary feeling every crevice of his back.  By the time you had applied three coats to him and told him almost done for the seventh time, you knew it was time to stop.

The next few minutes the two of you applied sunscreen to your face, arms, legs, and Shawn insisted he get your stomach.  Can’t ever be too prepared for the sun, he said, you could always miss a spot.

And you never denied having Shawn’s hands roam your body.

It was just after twelve, with the sun being at its hottest point during the day, and all you wanted to do was jump in the ocean.  The smell of the salt water and squawk of the seagulls mocked you for not being allowed in.

“You have to let it soak in,” Shawn berated you, “You grew up on the water, don’t you know that?”

“I do,” you grumbled as you leaned back into your chair, “I just feel really sticky from the sun tan lotion.”

Shawn muttered something about you being needy and you kicked sand his way.  After a few more moments of sitting down, Shawn stood up and held his hands out for you to take, “Up.” 

You didn’t question his simple command and reached your hands out to grasp onto him.  When your hands connected you couldn’t ignore the jolt of electricity that still zipped through your veins like the first time you had ever touched him.

He dropped one of your hands, but kept the other hand held tight in his.  Just like you had told him, there was barley anyone on the second street beach.  It was more residential up this way of the town and all of the weekenders went to the main strip of the boardwalk to have easy access to food, bathrooms, and mini golf.

You meandered down toward the ocean and walked up to where the ocean waves just met the shore line.  The two of you just stood there, watching the tide bring in little broken shells and then take them back out to the ocean.  After a few moments, Shawn squeezed your hand and the two fo you began walking along the shallow part of the water.

“Thought we had to wait to get wet,” You chuckled as the waves barely covered your feet for ten seconds.

Shawn kicked some water, “Needed to cool off, plus, I think our feet are fine.”

You hummed in response, not knowing what else to say.  

Conversation was never pressured in your relationship.  The two of you prided yourselves on enjoying each others company more than anything else.  But there was something off with this offbeat silence of ocean waves.

“Talk to me,” You nudged his shoulder with yours and looked up at him.  He looked down at you with a fond smile, “Something’s up.”

Shawn nudged your shoulder back and chuckled, “I’m fine.”

You rolled your eyes, “Did you really just pull the I’m fine card with me?”  Your tone was light hearted, but when Shawn’s unnerving silence carried on, you changed your tone to one more of concern, “Are you nervous for tour?”

“Will you miss me at all?”

Shawn didn’t miss a beat with his response.  It was as if he had the question echoing around his head all day and was just waiting for the right time to bring it up.  The point of the mini-vacation was to spend as much time with Shawn before he jetted off to Europe to embark on a summer tour.  He had already completed his rehearsals so right after this weekend was done, he would be flying to New York City to meet up with Andrew and the rest of his crew, and then flying over to Amsterdam.

You had met Shawn through a mutual friend at university when he happened to show up at one of the house parties.  And since then, the two of you were constantly together; whether it be on FaceTime, phone calls, texting–literally anything.  Right from the start Shawn had expressed interest in you and wanted to skip the whole friends first phase.

He was impatient, but it was a decision that you agreed with.  His personality was infectious and his laugh was addicting.  You didn’t want to waste any time pretending like you weren’t interested in him.  

That was October and it was now the first week of June.  The only time you experienced Shawn on tour was for his Jingle Bell tour run in December.  And while he was just in the United States, it was still complicated to keep up with his schedule and tour demands.  It was early on in your relationship that you had to learn to adapt to his lifestyle.  He thought it made him undesirable, but it made you appreciate being in his presence and seeing his smile a million times more.

But a European tour was different.  This was day after day for months on end with an intense time zone difference.  It was going to be difficult, you didn’t lie to yourself about that, but you were confident enough in your relationship that it wouldn’t change anything. 

So when Shawn instantly asked you––will you miss me at all––at all––In the least confident voice you had ever heard come from his mouth, you felt your heart get carried away with the tide.

“I––Of course I’ll miss you,” you spoke in a strained voice, not liking whenever this topic was brought up, “I––I’ll miss you everyday, Shawn, but you’re going to have so much fun.” You squeezed his hand.

He sighed and ran a hand through his curls.  One of them bouncing back in place, “I know…I know…I just––I don’t know.”

“Hey,” you stopped walking.  It took Shawn a few seconds before he was pulled back since he was continuing walking down the beach and you came to a standstill.  You squeezed his hand and spoke softly, “We have a plan, we’ve talked about this.”

Shawn kept his eyes trained out toward the ocean’s horizon, a far off look in his eyes; pain. 

“I know––I don’t even know why I said that––Just, forget it.  It’s not important.”  He went to start walking, but again, he was pulled back by your hands still being connected and you standing still, “Y/n…” 

You tugged on his hand again until he stood next to you.  Both of you were now looking out into the unknown ocean, “It’ll be hard,” you gulped and Shawn responded with a monotone yeah, “But we can do it.  It’ll be hard, but we’ve done some distance before, this is just a bit…longer,” you realized that what you were saying wasn’t really helping the situation.

You sighed, “I’ll always pick up your calls.”

“What if you’re at your internship?” He fired back.

“Then I might not answer it,” you answered honestly, “But––I’ll say I have take a bathroom break and then I’m all yours for fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes?” It was the first time Shawn broke concentration with the ocean and stared at you with wide eyes, “That’s a fucking long bathroom break.”

You shrugged and offered him a soft closed lipped smile, “I’ll just say it was a terrible shit.”

Shawn tilted his head back in laughter.  His eyes were shut tight and his mouth let out a laugh so pleasing that you wished to be the only one to hear it for the rest of time, “They’ll never let you go to the bathroom again––Or––Or they’ll have you clean it up.”

Again, you shrugged and smiled up at him, “Worth it if I get to talk to you.”

“Even if I have to hang up like thirty seconds later?”  Shawn’s voice returned to its anxious state, “Even if you call back like right after I call and I don’t pick up––“

“It’s all worth it,” you leaned into his side and brought a hand around his waist.  He slung an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close, “Even if I get your voicemail.”

“I’ll miss you,” Shawn spoke lowly.  The raw tone of passion and honesty that he held in his voice sent chills down your spine that made you want to wrap yourself in a blanket in the middle of summer, “I’ve––I don’t think I’ve missed anymore more than you before and I haven’t even left yet.”

You never felt a smile overtake your face just like the one you had plastered on your face right now, “Good,”  you were sure your smile was blinding the sun, “Because I love you too much for you not to miss–––“

You cut yourself off faster than the thought left your lips.  I love you too much.  You had been in a relationship for around eight months––close to a year––and the two of you knew that you loved each other, but it’s just never been spoke out loud before.  Shawn knew your reservations with that word and respected it.  It wasn’t that you didn’t believe in love, or had a bad history with an ex-partner, but it was the commitment that the word brought out.  It was commitment that this relationship had potential to be something more than just boyfriend and girlfriend.  

Love was the closet thing that the world had to magic; it seemed too dangerous to throw around something so magnificent in power.

Your mouth went dry, “I––Well, you––You’re gonna be gone for so long and I––You better not miss Brian more than me or we’ll have a serious issue––But like, I get he’s your best friend, but I’m your girlfriend––Eh––Hold on, that sounded really possessive and weird because like––I like Brian and I like your friends––Your whole world shouldn’t revolve around me––“

“I love you, too.”

“Because if it revolved around me, then we wouldn’t have a healthy relationship and––What?”

Shawn tilted his head and shifted your body so that you were in front of him, eyes locked, “I love you.”

“You––What?”  It was the second time Shawn spoke those words to you, but you still couldn’t process the information.

“I love–––“

Your eyes closed as your heart opened up, waiting for Shawn to kiss you after telling you he loved you again.  His lips softly touched yours before he was interrupted from finishing the sentence you wanted to hear from him and only him for the rest of your life.

“Are––Are you Shawn Mendes?”

It was a bit of an awkward situation.  Shawn had his hands on your waist and your hands were flat against his muscular chest.  His lips were still hovering yours and he let out an annoyed sigh as he continued rubbing his thumb softly over your hip.  

Reluctantly, he pulled away and plastered on a smile that you knew was a bit forced.

“Hey, yeah––I’m Shawn,” He introduced himself as he still kept an arm thrown over your shoulder, “And what are your names?”

The three teenage girls all looked at each other silently screaming about how they couldn’t believe they had run into Shawn Mendes in their tiny beach town.  You always enjoyed being present when fans met Shawn.  You loved how they looked at him like he hung the moon in the sky, but you were pretty sure you looked at him the same way too.

Shawn conversed with the fans for a few minutes, asking their recommendations for places to go in town, where their favorite mini golf was, and telling them all what he had done the past few days in town.  Of course they brought up the dreaded topic of tour and you felt Shawn tense up as he sputtered out his media trained response; it’s my favorite part of the job, I can’t wait to get back out and see everyone again.  While that statement was true, you knew that he was more apprehensive about this tour and what leaving you behind meant.  

You took their pictures individually with Shawn and then a group picture of the four of them.  One of them asked for a picture with you, which you politely declined. 

“It was really nice meeting you girls,” Shawn flashed his signature smile, “But could you hold off on posting those for a few days? I’m really trying to stay low key and relax before tour.”

They all nodded their head vigorously––Of course, Shawn–––We wouldn’t want to invade your privacy, Shawn––We’re just so thankful you took time to talk to us, Shawn––We totally get that you want to spend time with Y/n, Shawn.

Their last statement made you smile.

The girls walked off holding onto each other’s wrist whispering––Did that really just happen?! Shawn Mendes?! Here?!––and you grinned up at Shawn who was already beaming down at you.

“You just made their day.”

“Ah,” Shawn tsked, “You just made my day.”

You rolled your eyes and shrugged his arm off your shoulder and began to walk away in embarrassment.  Of course you were going to talk about what had slipped through your lips just moments ago, you wanted to talk about it, but you didn’t want any teasing from Shawn. 

“Hey,” Shawn whined as he managed to grab your hand before you were too far away.  He pulled you back into him and resumed the position you found yourselves in before the polite fans not-so-politely interrupted your moment.

His hands felt soothing on your roasting hot skin, “I love you.”

His nose brushed yours softly as you let your eyes flutter close and let out a content sigh, “I love you, too.”  

And just like that, you felt as if everything aligned perfectly in the world.  Everything in your world felt complete.  The sun shinned with a new meaning, the salt water air smelled sweeter, and the thumping of your heart beat with a new purpose.

You loved Shawn Mendes.

His lips touched yours lightly, no more than they did just before the girls interrupted, admittedly, you expected more of a kiss for saying I love you for the first time to each other.  

“Remember; you told me you loved me five seconds ago,” Shawn rushed out in a whisper.

You opened your eyes, “Wha––“ but before you could register anything, you felt Shawn grab your waist as he hoisted you over his shoulder.  You felt his shoulder collide with your stomach and your vision of his face was replaced with his swim trunks.  You weren’t that upset about that part.

But as soon as stereotypical thoughts of your partner’s butt came into mind, you felt the cold ocean water hit the back of your calves.  You managed to lean up slightly and hook your legs around Shawn’s torso.  His musical laugh rang through your ears once more as he adjusted his hands to grip the bottom of your thighs that clung to him for dear life.

You wrapped your arms tightly around him as you nuzzled your face into his neck and shrieked, “Shawn!  Don’t you––“ 

Before you could finish your sentence, Shawn let both of you be consumed by the salty ocean water.  The temperature of the water didn’t feel remotely as bad as it had before now that your whole body had been in the water, but it was still not a pleasant surprise.

Once Shawn lifted both of you up for air, you smacked his shoulder, “Why did you do that?!”

Shawn shrugged, “I don’t know,” he offered you a guilty smile, “But you love me, so it’s alright.”

You opened your mouth, but couldn’t find anything to rebuttal that statement.  You loved the way his eyes glistened under the sun.  You loved the way his wet hair stuck to the sides of his face.  You loved the way he listened to the nonessential details of your life.  You loved the way Shawn put his best work forth in music, family, life, and with you.

So, yeah, you couldn’t be mad at him.  You weren’t mad at him.  

You loved him quite a lot.

[goth-girlfriend]

Endeavor’s Intern

Rating: Fluff

(5/?)

Warnings: Student age reader

💙🔥💙❤️🖤❤️💙🔥💙❤️🖤❤️💙🔥💙

The rest of the week passed, of indulging in sweets and cold Soba with Shoto, and then loving on Enji when he wasn’t busy. He was gone during most of the day but here for most of the morning and late night. So lucky for me meant cuddling the big explosive man from late hours of the night into late hours of the morning filled with breakfast

“Sit down.” I turned to watch Shoto scolding a cat black cat that was on the verge of knocking over a glass cup off the counter.

His hands stretched out standing, he looked at Shoto contemplating if he should listen.

“Don’t.” He told the cats.

He moved his paw closer to the cup.

“NO.” He squinted at the cat who’s toe beans were now on the glass cup staining it.

“Sho, he’s not going to listen.” I said turning around and facing the duo.

“Yes he will. watch.” He faced the cat once more, “SIT.”

The cats sat, surprisingly, just as Shoto smiled and crossed his arms the cat moved and swatted at the cup. Sending a feather diving for the cup it stopped mid fall. I gave Shoto a look.

“He sat.” He shrugged.

“Fair enough.” I mumbled and placed the cup to be washed, my feather just floating in the air.

I plucked it out of the air and tucked it behind my ear.

“Okay,” I turned back to the paper I was looking at, “What’s all this?” I asked and tried to read the directions infront of me.

“I thought they were yours.” Shoto shrugged again and picked up his cat holding it to his chest

“They’re....tickets?” I asked.

“Maybe.” He hummed.

“That’s helpfull, now help me out here. We’re supposed to be in the car and pick up Midoriya in like thirty minutes!” I rolled up my sleeves and took Shoto’s cat.

“Fine, also, turns out we might pick up Natsuo. So, you might end up riding front seat like you wanted.”

“Great, I look foreward to it. To bad I can’t show any love.” I sulked quickly and then walked away placing the cat down.

“Now, everything is packed, Enji is packing everything and there is room for Midoriya if he pack a big suitcase.” I went back grabbing the papers folding them and sliding them into my pocket.

“Great.” Shoto had a faint smile.

“It is, me and your dad, you and your.....boyfriend.” I eyed him waiting for a reaction.

“I didn’t ask.” He mumbled and picked up a bag.

“Welllll, If where were going is fancy than you can ask.” I payed his shoulder and grabbed my bag and wallet.

“Now, do you have your jacket?”

“Yes.”

“Scarf?”

“Yes,”

“Mittens?”

“Yes?”

“Extra jac- “OKAY MOM.”

I laughed, “Thats weird.”

“You’re not the one who said it.” He mumbled.

“I mean, no offense I know one girl who would’ve call you d-” I coughed cutting my self off.

“Let’s get to the car, I’m excited.” I smiled.

“If you don’t like where we’re going we’re leaving you on the side of the road.” Shoto smirked at me.

“I’ll fake it if I have to.” I smield as we left the house and got into the car.

There, looking good as always was the man I wanted to call my husband...but due to laws, press, and hero things. I couldn’t....publicly.

“We need to get Midoriya.” Shoto said as we started to back out.

“Alright.” Enji answered we started our trip.

Picking up Midoriya, and Enji getting a call from his second son learning he’d caught a ride with his sister we head straight on to where we’re headed. Midoriya was very flustered to learn the real truth behind Shoto and I’s relationship. I cracked a joke saying one day I’d be his mother in law, everyone chocked but Shoto who smiled. Shoto expresses his love for Disney songs which shocked EVERYONE. We talked about progress in school and the Internships and we asked questions to Enji about how he was in school. And I’ll say I’ll probably never see the mans ego inflant as much as it did in these moments.

After what felt like hours, and sunrise turning into mid day we stopped for lunch. We got drive through and parked in a secluded part of a park. I sat by Enji at the table but not close incase press. Shoto by Midoriya. We ate and enjoyed some silence and stretched.

As we went to get back into the car I was stopped by a quack. I turned to see a duck walking up to me. He was so small and plush looking. He wiggles his tail and tilted his head.

I awed and squatted quickly falling in love with the duck, I looked up and over my shoulder, Shoto and his dad shared a confused look Deku came to my side staring at the duck. I held out a small piece of bread I was about to throw away and he quickly ate it.

“It’s so cute.” I brought my hands to my face.

I picked him up and placed him on his back on my arm. I cradled himC he looked up at me and his feet tucked into his body.

“Look at him.” I held him out to Shoto and Enji. They looked at the duck who held that pose even as he was held mid air.

I handed him to Deku and he held him for a while scratching his head and neck. I took a selfie of Midoriya, the duck and myself to save the memory. The duck was basically smiling, he waddled away after we put him down. His tail wiggling as he waddled off.

“Okay, we can go now.” I said and used hand sanitizer the park offered.

Back in the car we drove for a while longer finally stopping at a large Hotel, “I KNOW THIS PLACE!” I said pressing my forefingers pad against the window.

“This si literally the best hotel in Japan! It’s amazing! I’ve only be here once, but it was just because my dad had a meeting so I was only waiting in the Lobby.” I explained stating at the hotel.

“It’s where we’re staying.” Enji said as we pulled up tot eh front doors.

A Valet came and talked of him. I was admiring the building from the window I could head Midoriya doing the same. Shoto was looking out the Window but not making a fuss like us poor people do when we see something nice.

We walked into the lobby, I felt under dressed. I was standing by Deku, and Shoto, we were all in Casual Clothing. We looked bad compared to the other people we’d seen dressed nicely.

“I didn’t know we were supposed to dress so nice.” Midoriya mumbled and fidgeted.

I nodded my head at Midoriya and made eye contact with Shoto.

He got the idea and placed a hand on his back, “Midoriya, you don’t need to be dressed as nice as these people. You’re always beautiful to me.”

I choked and walked off a bit, that was smooth. I looked back to see a red Midoriya and Shoto smiling softly down at him.

They walked over when Enji Approached, he had four key cards.

“You each get a card, lose it that’s it. Its twenty five dollars a replacement.” He said and we each took one.

“Now, were top floor, they’ll bring the bags up. Today we’ll just be in the hotel and go eat dinner.” He said and lead the way.

I watched him walk, I get the the term cake but this man was a bakery. I laughed lowly to myself stopping when I noticed another woman staring at Enji’s figure. Spreading my wings out and ripping the shirt I was wearing I shielding my boys body from immediate sight and let my wings close as we got into the elevator. Shoto smirked at me.

“I saw that.” He whispered.

“Saw what? How awesome my wings are?” I stretched them out slightly and rested one on top of his head.

“I saw how you had to just show that lady how amazing they are.” He mumbled

I stayed silent the rest of the elevator ride, just watching out the glass as the floor

Got smaller, it was only then I realized I wasn’t to fond of heights, scared? No. Just shivering at the thought of falling. I reached For Enji’s Hans and looked straight ahead. He sighed and squeezed my hand. I smiled and squeezed back a little. Getting to floor there were four sets of doors, one on each wall of the building, and then the room he opened the door, it was massive. I was wowed, it was like a one story mansion. My first thing was to record to save to my Snapchat memories. There were five rooms, the master, and four smaller rooms, three rooms have queen size beds, they’d be Natsuo, Shoto and Fuyumi. Midoriya and I would share the fourth room with two twin size beds. It was between the master bedroom and Shoto’s room. We walked into our shared room and I looked at Midoriya.

“I’m just saying, if you leave in the middle of the night to go cuddle with icy hot I understand.” I shrugged and dropped my suitcase on my bed.

“I-uh- no it’s not like that.” He got flustered.

“I’m just saying I may or might not do the same.” I smield at him patting his shoulder with my hand.

He calmed down and smiled down at the floor.

“No one would’ve guessed it huh.” I said and sat on the plush luxurious bed that I didn’t really wanna use.

“Guessed what?” He asked.

“That you the biggest fan of All Might would be on vacation with Endeavor.” I grinned as he got flustered again.

“Calm down.” I put both hands on his shoulders, “I was joking.”

He smield and rubbed the back fo his neck, “right.”

We left our room Shoto was sitting on the leather sofa and relaxing. I made my way to the door of Endeavor’s room, I walked in admiring the spacious room.

“Must be nice.” I mumbled and looked around.

“Hm.” He hummed turning to face me.

I wasn’t prepared to see shredded chest, the shirt he was wearing was half open. I looked down at my socked feet, we left our shoes at the door.

“You get a nice bed, with lots of space you won’t even use, and I’m stuck with a small twinsize single bed, that I’ll probably fall off of.” I exaggerated throwing myself back on his bed.

“Mhm.” He hummed and was staring at me as he changed shirts for a loose pull over.

“So,” I turned it my side propping my head up.

“what.” He asked as he walked to hang his shirt.

“Are you going to invite me to your bed instead?” I rolled onto my belly facing him my hands holding my head up as I kicked my feet in the air. “I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

“Last time you said that you ended up on me with your elbows propped on my ribs.” He mumbled and walked into his bathroom.

“Please?” I called out louder, “How do we get dressed for dinner?!” I called louder eBaying to know if I should prep.

“Classy.” I got the muffled reply.

“So Yes bed?” I whispered.

“Convince me.” I heard him just barely.

“Bet.” Was all I answered

I left to my room and ripped open my suit case, and looked through it, I opened the other suit case and found what I was looking for. Can never leave the house unprepared.

I brushed my hair over and over and then used a hair straightener to get it smooth. I sighed as I got it flat and then moved onto lipstick testing it to make sure it was transfer proof. After that I pulled out my dress and hung it so it wouldn’t be so wrinkled. I nodded and went to Enji’s room. He was laying on his back arms behind his head, looking at the ceiling lost in thought.

I took the opportunity and jumped on him propping my elbows on his ribs. His hands went to my waist as I smiled at him and ducked to kiss his jaw making sure no lipstick stained his skin.

“Did you need something.” He didn’t really ask.

“Your attention.” I moved and kneeled on the bed beside him. Taking his merge hand between mine holding it in my lap.

“What is it you really want?” He asked my looked at me.

His left arm fell in my direction across the pillows. Holding his right hand I shimmer down onto my right side and used his left bicep like a pillow.

“Cuddles there are four hours until dinner time.” I said and let go of his hand placing my left arm over his chest and my left leg over his left leg.

“Mmhm.” He didn’t seem amused, but let it be.

In the mean time I cuddled into his side loving him and kissing his jaw or cheek every now and then. I scrolled through Instagram and took our picture, I was smiling he seemed unamused at the camera.

“Wear gym clothes tomorrow, we’ll be active. And a sweater so you won’t get cold.

Finally he took my phone and slid it into my picked and got onto his left side facing me. I smiled and pressed my face into his chest hugging his torso and throwing my leg over his hips. His right hand came to press itself against my lower back and pull em closer to him. I moved my arms to hug his neck and I kissed his cheek and pressed my head into his chest. He kissed the top of my head and mumbled something about rest. I nodded and squeezed him a bit.

I looked at him, his eyes half kissed as he slowly fell asleep. All was calm and peace full, I feel asleep when my own eyelids grew heavy.

I fell asleep to the sound of his heart pumping blood in his chest.

I fell asleep, falling into a dream of one day wanting to marry Enji.

I was at peace, calm, happy, until I was being shook vigorously.

I was quick to jump up and onto the floor, wings flaring out I grabbed two long feathers ready to defend or attack. Until I noticed it was Shoto. He didn’t seem impressed. I sighed and let go of the feathers and let my wings rest against my back as they slowly disappeared.

“Natsuo and Fuyumi are coming up, so I decided to be a good step son and wake you up.” He nodded to the living room.

I looked at Enji, he was sleeping peacefully, a small smile tugging his lips.

“Alright I’m going.” I answered and Shoto left.

I turned an quickly kissed his cheek and took a photo before rushing and heading off to follow Shoto.

I sat to his right, Midoriya in his left, his arms on the back of the sofa we both leaned our heads on his shoulders. He sighed and smiled.

Midoriya was smiling, and I was smiling.

We all smiled for different reasons, but my reason was the dream is just woken up from, i dream of a perfect wedding and marrying my best friends dad. I felt heat raise to my cheeks as I smiled staring at the screen.

I turned to Shoto, “You’re one of the best things to happen to my life.”

I hugged him real quick and then pulled a Midoriya into the hug, “You’ll he the best son in law ever.”

Midoriya laughed and smiled, Shoto had a small smile and I didn’t fight the big smile on my face. We pulled apart when a knock was heard. I smiled faintly thinking back to Enji’s cute sleepy smile.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Tags: @daedaep69 @sabrinakishi

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[jiminrings]

hi so i saw that you're okay with writing blurbs (totally fine if you're not up to it tho) i just wanted to ask about the homebound au, you mention that jimin has a tough love relationship with y/n so can you elaborate more on that?? like how their relationship is? tysm and i love ur writings :((

homebound: tough love

pairing: best friend!jimin x y/n

glimpse: jimin has a tough love relationship with pit stop crew!y/n, and you’re very determined to get him to smile :D

wordcount: 3k

notes: thank u so much baby!!! ur cute and i love you

this is an in-depth take of jimin and y/n’s friendship from homebound, the racer!yoongi fic and in there originally jimin is sO annoyed by u hehe but there iS this piece as his redemption arc // gif isn’t mine!!

in your very humble opinion

first impressions in first days in literally EVERY setting possible last for a lifetime

yeah sure time and influence would change these relationships built on first days bUt of course they matter!!!!

that would be the first memory someone’s ever gonna have of you and that shit’s crazy if u really think about it

you didn’t really pay mind to first impressions at first because you really thought that it’s whatever the other person makes of you,,, for being yourself

but then jungkook happened

and then sUDDENLY YOU BECOME MORE COMPETITIVE THAN YOU’VE EVER BEEN IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE

it’s both your first day for work but for different teams and the two of you could still be up on each other’s throats buT it’s just via text

update: jungkook bought FOUR boxes of donuts all in different flavors and that’s just for his fellow crew members

for his crew chief, he deadass bought him a dozen for himself AND jungkook even made a crepe cake for the guy!! from SCRATCH

for jung hoseok the racer? tiny cups of ice cream cake packed in a little cOOLER he specifically bought for this reason alone

even sent pictures of those two large bags with him that he’s gripping in one hand alone....

your heart warms that oH look a selfie that a smiling koo sent AAAAAAAND he’s flipping me off :))

no worries tho you came fully prepared

you’ve baked red velvet crinkle cookies!! just two of em stacked and in the middle is cream cheese icing that tastes sO heavenly

although only 1/4 of them you did yourself because they looked like they were the only good ones from the two batches you’ve made hehe

the rest of those you just ordered and gODDAMN were they v delectable and scrumptious

now min yoongi the racer couldn’t be here for the first day because uh from what you’ve heard, he’s uh somehwere in malta with his girlfriend and the flights out of malta are cANCELLED aha

that just means you have to pour your all to your crew chief

a separate box of red velvet crinkles

AND THEN

get this

a large tupperware you had to buy,,

filled with different types of pstries and bREAD

cream puffs and pretzels and blueberry muffins then buttered croissants and basically everything else that u could check out with a reasonable expiry date

a little sticky note right in the muddle

“let’s get this bread :D”

bread meaning dubs and dubs meaning wins aHa get it?? get it?? do u get it

you’re really aiming to give it to mr. park jimin himself

you’ve actually never met him but you heard his name a handful when you were still a trainee

park jimin sounds so much of a dignified name it’s absolutely intimidating

much more so when you’re knocking at his door and there’s a gentle hum from inside the door and you’re so nervous to differentiate whether that was a signal for you to come in or dON’T

spoiler alert: you came in at what you assume is the middle of the call your crew chief was making and oh-

oH HE’S A FINE CREW CHIEF ALRIGHT

he’s young!! even looks like he’s just in the same age as you are and you can’t really tel because WOW

you honestly thought mr. park jimin was just an old sack of rice or something

like maybe even fermented rice wine old

you didn’t knOw mr. park jimin is THIS

ok jimin’s peeved because uh that him clearly meant no but also curious at the same time because who r u

he was in the middle of a call with yoongi who’s called him in his office phone which is why he’s sped all the way here, hence why you haven’t seen him in the gathering downstairs

he also acts as yoongi’s manager besides being his crew chief and he’s unknowingly fit into the position

it’s like when a professor groups you and there’s no assigned leader but eVERYONE knows who the leader is even if so

now he’s kinda in the middle of berating yoongi because he should’ve came home tWO days ago but he wanted to extend alright and now look who won’t be coming home for another three days :D

suddenly the door bursts open and he sees an unfamiliar face peeking through and???

“.... can i help you?”

oH RIGHT INTRODUCTIONS!!

“mr. park!! oR should i call you jimin?? should i call you doc like from cars the movie because i thOught that’s what usually happens???”

who are you

who ARE you

you’re so nervous that you went down the cars movie spiel and that’s jUNGKOOK’S move and maybe you’ve been spending too much time with him that you’re morphing into one person

of all the traits you could absorb it really had to be the nervous cars talk :(((

“i’m y/n y/l/n, a crew member!! i was recruited to be a trainee back in uni and i went straight to here and i heard sO much about you-“

..... hmmmmm

either you really did hear about jimin and his name makes up for some news

or you’re a liar

if he’s being frank, jimin’s only started out as crew chief like a year and a half ago

yes he knows he’s young!!!

much more young compared to the stereotypical balding crew chief with the mustache and the sun spots

there’s still some talk on to how he shouldn’t be crew chief at all because he doesn’t have like 100 years of experience like these dinosaurs do bUT HE KNOWS HE’S STILL QUALIFIED

he may be not as experienced but he knows the math!!! he knows the logistics and he knows the statistics

jimin’s smart and agile and he knOws he could handle being a crew chief!!! yeah although yoongi himself is like two years older than him and bossing him is hilarious at times lol

“-and i just wanted to give you this!! y’know... for the official start of my career and a little goodie bag!!!”

he knows what you’re doing

first impressions amirite

he doesn’t care for this shit at aLL because if he may brag.,., people are immediately whipped for him and all he needs to do is smile to their direction

that’s it

oh you’re kinda embarrassing yourself in his opinion lmao but ok

“oh. i usually find red velvet too sweet.”

cool cool

now you get that not everyone is as passive-aggressive as yOU are and how you’d much rather wait to let that person pass before you talk shit

but jimin is really straightforward as you could tell

“it’s okay because there’s bREAD!!”

who doesn’t like bread :))

not uNLESS jimin hates bread or is allergic to eat it because then that means you officially have butchered your first impression

“... huh... whole container.. filled with bread...”

he’s not even feigning his expression

he looks severely underwhelmed and you wanna suck it up because if you’re gonna look tragically displeased with me boss ATLEAST do it behind my back :(((

anyways jimin stands up from his seat and outsretches his hand and that’s your cue to shake it and then leave

one problem though,,,

you see you’re wearing some rings

and he’s wearing some long-sleeves

and you are gracefully unaware that there’s a loose thread by the cuff of it and jimin over here is sporting sweater paws.,..,.

the handshake’s over but yOUR RING IN HIS CUFF ISN’T

“oH i’m so sorry sir let me just-“

you’re tugging your hand off aND FUCK

“no y/n i’ll just-“

jimin tries to be the one to pluck it out from your ring that’s stuck but that’s too late for it now

bECAUSE THE THREAD’S ALREADY BUNCHED UP

and it’s now bunched up and when loosened :))) the thread’s already ran :))) and is very visible on jimin’s slightly expensive shirt :)))

yours and jimin’s dynamic...

it’s uh

it’s unlike no other

literally

jimin is repulsed by you

he finds that you irk him very easily and you don’t know wHY jimin finds you to be in his nerves when you literally do nothing to him

he joins in the team drills to boost morale and let the crew know that not only is he the one heading it, but he’s also with you along the way

“do you want ice cubes in your drink?”

jimin’s sunglasses are perched up just nicely on his nosebridge as he sips on his water that came from the jug

honestly the weather is just sO humid and slightly iced water just won’t cut it

“yeah sure”

he outstretches his hand for you to take the cup and put ice in it but you dON’T

you don’t take it away from him!!!!

instead

jimin sees you plopping down a handful of ice cubes in his cup with your bARE hands

b-buy you’re holding the cooler there mUST be some tongs in there

WHY DID YOU DO THAT

“they r clean and besides!! friends do that!!”

“who told you that we’re friends?”

he is the one who halts all your plans

“stop snacking” is his signature line for u whenever you’re by the pit

and yoongi isn’t even near the box yet wHY can you not snack???

you can’t even protesy because jimin already has his palm open so he coulf confiscate the gummy bears with the promise that “yea sure i’ll give you them when the race is over hmmmm yea”

of course he isn’t gonna stuff it in his pocket

he just plops them down on the table and when you ask him for them????

they’re all hot and melty and disgusting because they were accidentally left in the sun to disintegrate

“do you want some coffee?”

WHAT’S WITH YOU AND SHARING YOUR FOOD

and then he met jungkook

he’s a bit of a brat but eh jimin finds him more tolerable than you

you’re all done with the workout and your trainer sehun is just sO unforgiving like would another eight second break hurt????

you’re kind of passed out by the bench and so is everyone

“i didn’t have any kids ask me for a picture today :((“

typically after the race some people would ask for your photograph!! along with the other pit stop crew members and they just make your day!!!

yoongi isn’t the only superstaer here ok :((

“well maybe if you did your joob good, they’d actually want to be in the same frame as you are.”

jimin snorts in reply without skipping a beat and ahhhh everyone knows the two of you are gonna start fighting again

one

two

usually you just roll your eyes but-

“jimin i don’t kNOW what i ever did to you for you to hate me so much and i’ve literally done nothing but to try and be kind and patient with you!!!”

oh they’re just gonna leave collectively now

“i already know you find me insufferable you dON’T have to rub it in my face every single time.”

you just combusted actually

you’re so over with jimin treating you like a loose thread on his shirt and he discards you every TIME like so

you can’t catch a break and it’s as if you’ve never done anythint good for him ever in your whole career

you don’t make conversation with him not unless it’s for work

you don’t offer him your food

you don’t throw him a smile

he bought a box of red velvet crinkles but then you didn’t even get a piece :((

jimin is shitty at apologies and the guilt’s been eating up at him because yeah he admits that he’s crossed a line there

MULTIPLE TIMES

and most of the times it’s always intentional so that’s even more guilt-tripling

then THE incident happened

and you left

he felt the most apologetic and shitty for that because gOD you’re just so good to everyone and to especially him!!!

he’s treated you so badly and you don’t waver for a single second because up until the last minute, you were still adjusting for him!!!

you were still considering his possible promotion and him in general when he knows to himself that you could’ve easily pinned the blame on him

but you didn’t

you covered for jimin and didn’t want him to be jeopardized by yoongi’s outrage.

“i’m sorry for being an asshole to you all the time.”

the moment the season ended, he’s immediately made his way to kim kradle to apologize to you

again and again

again and again until he wore himself out and cried and you had to stop him sternly just to assure him that you’re not angry at him

he looks out for you in his own ways

jimin’s not very vocal nor showy on how thankful he is to have you as a friend

it’s to when you order a chocolate chip smoothie and then the barista gives you a matcha one and you aBSOLUTELY hate matcha

and u already paid and you don’t want to cause a scene or anything like that

“i thought you hated matcha?”

jimin’s confused because since when did you develop a love for this green thing you’ve vividly described as soggy grass after a rainstorm that tastes like soil and phlegm

“oh i sTILL do!! lmao the barista got it wrong but it’s ok i’ll-“

“absolutely not.”

and then jimin’s immediately taking your cup and the receipt on the table and he’s gOING for the counter and won’t back down even if you’re tugging at his sleeve

not only was your order replaced, you ALSO got a complimentary cookie as the manager’s apology because whew jimin could be scary

it’s when you’re cooking lunch at kim kradle and u are mighty afraid of oil splashes because who wouldn’t????

jimin would nudge you to the side and he’d wordlessly take over for you

you would fall asleep on the floor and he’d prop a pillow underneath your head quietly

if he’s in the mood he’d give you another one underneath your arms

he may call for yoongi to carry you to the couch but ok fine he carried you one time and he’ll never speak of it

he’d let you believe that a ghost carried you there or something

sometimes jimin is just his usual grumpy self and he’s always been that wat

it’s tough love

jimin really drove to kim kradle at 7 in the evening which is out of his way and out of schedule because he should’ve done this errand at the opposite part of the city,,,

but here he is

with some fever medicine and a blanket from your place (he has a spare key) because you’ve been feeling homesick with all the back and forth from kim kradle and yoongi’s place :((

“thanks, minnie. lol if only i don’t love you platonically and u weren’t an asshole to me, you would’ve tOTALLY be my boyfriend rn”

ahem

yoongi would like to make it known that HE IS HERE

he IS the boyfriend

“you guys know that i’m-“

“totally. if only i didn’t find u annoying and a bitch, we could be married right now!!”

yoongi just wants to-

jungkook pats yoongi’s head in amusement

lol he too is a lil jealous because yOU’RE his best friend but anyways

“let them be, yoongs.”

aish he’s right

it’s heartwarming to see

jimin’s only warm to a couple of people and that’s including yoongi

he’s not the most open nor affectionate person in the world but he’s trying ok and that’s good enough!!!

“i TOTALLY would’ve been the godfather to their child though lmaooo”

jungkook snickers for a side comment that’s too LOUD and he’s only half-joking if he’s being honest and-

uHHhH

quick question

is that a flying wRENCH

[angelguk]

→ hot summer nights - a jeongguk scenario

member: jeon jeongguk

word count: 2.1k

genre: smut + fluff + mild angst i suppose + bestfriends!au + college!au

warnings: dry humping / jeongguk and oc are in love with each other but both refuse to admit it / jeongguk cums in his pants / mad pining / alcohol consumption

soundtrack: bad as the boys, tove lo ft. alma

There’s a pounding in your head. Your brain is thrumming, beating in rhythm with the muted low base of the song blasting downstairs. It echoes in your chest, ribs vibrating hard. You feel like a livewire, nerves buzzing curtsy of the liquor running through your system. You can still taste it now, the stinging in your throat from the shots Soekjin urged down your mouth. You’re warm, positively burning at the point so it made sense that’d you’d chucked off your shirt when you’d entered a bedroom to catch your breath. Perfect sense. Why you’re not wearing a bra is because of the same reason. At least you think so. Until you glance down, back arching from the sheets because Jeongguk’s latching his mouth onto one of your nipples.

Glazed doe eyes stare back at you. Familiar. Probably because you’d grown up looking him. It takes you a moment to register what’s going on in the hazy state you’re in. You’re shirtless. So is he. Jeongguk. Your best friend. It’s still not making any sense. Why would you be naked with your best friend? Why are you alone in a room with him? Why are your panties sticking to you? But then his tongue swirls across your skin, warm and wet and your brain goes blank. There’s the ghost of his teeth against your breast and he’s flicking at your nipple in a way that makes slivers of pleasure rush to your core. Your thighs feel warm and you suddenly have the desire to rub them together, the slick collecting in the fabric making you uncomfortable.

He reads your squirming well, popping off your chest. The press of his warm lips down your abdomen as your stomach caving in. You shouldn’t be responding this well. He hadn’t even touched you from what you recall. He’d just stumbled in the middle of your undressing, looking a little tipsy, face flushed in the cutest way. When he’d swiftly turned his back on your half-naked figure, burbling out an unintelligible response you heart had seized in your chest. You kissed him. You remember it now. You’d tugged him closer by his shirt and planted your lips on his. He’d tasted like that toxic concoction Hoseok and Jimin had made but his mouth was plush and eager. You don’t know who pushed who onto the bed. All you can see flashing before your eyes is your fingers slipping under his shirt, gut flipping when he’d yanked it off, the muscles beneath his golden skin flexing. And maybe you’d had to help him undo your bra clasp because his fingers were unsteady. He’d closed his eyes when you’d slide it off your body, a soft curse floating from his mouth. Then he’d pushed you onto your back, tongue trailing against the crook of your neck.

And somehow you’d ended up here, with your best friend’s head between your thighs.

You glide your fingers through his hair. Long soft brown strands. It was strange for him to grow them out this much. But it was cute. Hot even. Especially when he’s just come from the shower and they’d cling to his forehead, obscuring his vision. When had you made that observation?

The kiss he lightly places against your clothed cunt yanks from your thoughts. This is happening. He’s got his big firm hands spreading your thighs apart, warm breath grazing against the damp spot in your panties. Your skirt is flipped up and suddenly you don’t regret plucking it from your closet.

“Can I?” He asks, voice soft. It’s liked you’d zoned every other sound out, the music from before virtually non-existent. You nod so hard your vision swims.

His fingers slip into the band of your underwear, tugging down. You’re in the middle of lifting your hips up when the door bangs.

You spring apart so fast that your skull bangs against the head and Jeongguk nearly fumbles off the bed. There’s the heat spreading across your chest but your eyes don’t leave the still shut door, your breath stuck in your throat.

“Occupied!” Jeongguk shouts at the wood. The person knocking gives up, leaving you shaking on a bed that isn’t yours and your best friend half-naked in front of you. His ears are tinged red and his hair is ruined from your fingers. He runs his hand through it, mussing it up even more.  It’s oddly cute, the way the waves stick up in random directions. It makes you want to crawl over to him, kiss his shoulder, kiss him. But something keeps you put at the corner of the bed, your knees curled under you. When he glances at your panicked face, his own falls. Your sudden hesitation is clear.

“Maybe we should stop,” You offer, feeling fairly guilty. There’s a sizeable tent in his jeans and his skin is flushed. There’s also still a damp spot between your legs but something about this makes you want to squirm. “We’re both drunk. We’re not thinking straight.” He dejectedly nods his head, rising from the bed and swallowing hard like he’s trying to stomach the lies coming out of your mouth. You know you’re wrong. Yes, you’re drunk and maybe you should stop because this is a person you’ve known for practically your whole life. Jeongguk had been with you through every up and down, every heartbreak and crush, every moment in your life was stained with his presence. You’d grown up, lived through the mess of puberty and graduated together. You were both adults now, living independent college lives. So this would just ruin the relationship. How could you look at him as a friend after this? That’s what keeps you planted on the bed, cowering from your own hidden emotions.

But then Jeongguk shifts in his pants, clearly uncomfortable from how his jeans dig into his erection and it suddenly doesn’t seem fair to leave it at this. Not when you’re both still needy.

“Wait.” The word rushes out of your mouth. Jeongguk halts, shirt halfway on, a look of hope in his eyes that has you up. “We could just… Get each other off?” You feel small.

“I don’t have any condoms on me –”

“No sex!” You cringe at your words, heart sinking when the light in Jeongguk’s eyes flickers. “I mean, we can’t have sex. It would make things awkward.”

“But me getting you off with my mouth won’t?” It sounds stupid even to you.

“No – fuck – what I mean is that sex could ruin our friendship. I don’t want to lose that. Our friendship.”

He sighs like his heart is hurting, shirt dropping back to the floor. “So, you want me to make you orgasm but we’re still just friends after this?” Even though there’s a passive-aggressiveness in his tone but Jeongguk’s moving closer. You lean into his height, resting your palms against his chest.

“…Yes.” Your voice is a whisper. It feels like the world is silent. Jeongguk’s staring at you hard like he’s weighing his options. His hands come to rest at your hips, gently squeezing them like he can’t make a choice. But then he throws his head back, ruffling his hair as he shakes his head. His eyes are closed and you can hear his heart beating beneath your fingertips.

“Fuck. Y/N. Fuck.” He doesn’t want to do this. You feel like crap. You’d missed your chance. What that chance was isn’t something you’re ready to acknowledge right now. Especially when you’re drunk.

But then he’s leaning forward again, pulling you against his hard body, eyes glimmering with things he wishes he could say. “Only because it’s you.” The press of his lips on yours cuts off the questions you want to ask. What does that mean? What is he implying? You want to sit him down, force him to unpack the connotation behind that statement but then you’d have to explain yourself to him too. And it’s easier to just lose yourself in the warmth of his mouth, the press of his tongue against your own. He’s groaning into the curve of your lips, bulge nudging against your hip and it has you soaked. You feel like you’re burning and your hands rise to the nape of his neck, finger pressing against the soft muscles there before sliding back into the soft tresses. He sighs against you and you melt. You want him naked, want to feel him stretch you open but that same cautionary voice from earlier keeps you in check.

It’s déjà vu. You guide him back onto the bed and now you’re in the same position that’s started all of this. He shucks his jeans off first, and you try not to engrave the way his muscles twitch beneath the span of his skin into your brain. You want to forget this. But something in you tells you you won’t. When your eyes land on his boxers, the curve of his cock pushing the material away, and your cunt and heart literally connect in a sharp electric thrill, you know you won’t.

You clamber onto his lap, immediately rolling against him, eyes fluttering at how large he feels pressing against your cunt. It would sting if you ever fucked him. But in a good way. A way that makes you feel like you’re being filled. The curses he pants into your skin as you grind against him makes you want to give in. Just slip your panties aside, pull him out of his boxers and sink down onto his thick length. But you don’t.

“Ooh – ffuck. Shit, you’re so wet. I can – ngh – feel you. Dripping all for me, right?”

You nod, little sighs floating from your parted lips. You are really wet. Probably the wettest you’ve ever been in your life. And you hadn’t even seen his dick yet. That pool between your legs was just from kissing and some indecent groping. Jeongguk had a hold over you and he didn’t even know it. But you ignore how vulnerable you feel right now and push him further into the bed, splaying your hands along his bare chest when his back hits the mattress.

The hands on your ass are squeezing tight, riling your hips into him, faster, harder. Soon you’re bucking into each other with reckless abandon. You twist your hips in the grind of his cock, gut clenching every time his body jolts when you press into the head of his dick through the material of his boxers. There’s a sheen of sweat making his skin glisten and his mouth is open, pink tongue sneaking out to swipe over his bottom lip. There’s a slight arch in his back like he wants to have you closer, without the barrier of clothes. You feel the same because there’s a slight stinging in your clit from the rub of fabric against it. You ache to pull it off, but then Jeongguk’s face twists and his stomach dips dangerously, the muscles in his abdomen tense like he’s holding back.

But you don’t want that. You grind harder into him, rocking your hips in a way that even has you sighing uncontrollably, chest swaying with your movements. The grip on your hips goes taut and Jeongguk’s mouth is open, eyes on your own.

“Wait – shit, wait! I’m going to – Fuck!” His eyes fall shut, mouth open and his head digs into the sheets behind him. You watch mesmerized, at how his body seizes up, his hands on your hips urging your own against him. There’s unmistakable wetness forming there, seeping into your own underwear and when his body goes pliant, a harsh pant on his lips you know what just happened. He just came in his pants. You just made Jeongguk cum in his pants.

He squeezes his eyes hard like he can’t believe it either, face scrunched even through his body shudders. It’s silent in the room, the bass from a different song echoing in your chest now. You don’t know what to say.

“Don’t tell anyone about that,” He whispers. You can’t help but giggle, watching in amusement when his body jolts at the shift in your hips. “I swear I last longer than that.”

“I’m not going to expose you. No need to damage your sex reputation any further.” You’re not going to tell anyone about this entire experience anyway. It feels too sacred to share.

“I’m a sex god, Y/N. Nothing you say will damage that reputation.” You scoff at that but there’s a sheepish grin tugging on his lips that makes your heart swoop into your gut. You want to kiss him until he’s hard again and maybe he can cum down your throat this time. But before you can voice your desires, you’re back is on the bed, a huff coming from your chest.

“What? Jeongguk –”

Your panties are off so fast that you’re left disoriented. There’s the ghost of his breath against your soaking cunt and you shiver, your walls clenching with want.

“We did offer to get each other off,” He murmurs against your warm skin. “It’s my turn now.”

[clarespace]

fic: funny how love is (sarawat/tine) [ao3]

-

The strumming of the guitar was a background noise to Tine's studying. If only the subject he was reading was as pleasant as the music. Land Titles and Deeds were giving him a headache, the kind that drove a nail into the middle of his skull. The words were starting to dance on the page. Groaning, Tine fell on his back, his hand over his head.

'Wh' d' I ta' law 'gain?' asked Tine, the end of the highlighter pen still stuck in his mouth.

Beside him, Sarawat snorted. His hands shifted smoothly from chord to chord, fingers plucking the strings. 'I've been wondering the same thing.'

Tine pulled the pen from his mouth. 'Don't you think I'm smart enough?'

Sarawat didn't even look at him when he said, 'No.'

Outraged, Tine threw the pen at him. It bounced against Sarawat's arm, dropped, and left a fluorescent green mark on his knee. Sarawat gave him an unimpressed look.

'You asshole,' said Tine. 'Stop fucking with me.'

Sarawat placed a palm on the strings. 'I'm not. Look at when we met.'

Tine propped himself up on his elbows. 'What does that have to do with anything?'

'Isn't it obvious?'

'No.'

Sarawat sighed as if Tine was being the most annoying person on the planet. He tossed his hair away from his face and lifted a disdainful eyebrow. 'To be a lawyer, you need to be observant. Not just the details of a case but of people. You look at a situation and analyse it from all points of view. Right?'

Tine reluctantly nodded.

Shrugging, Sarawat played a C chord. 'Well, when we first met, you had no idea that I was actually in love with you from the start.'

'What?'

Sarawat nodded, his expression solemn. 'You were totally clueless. I dropped so many hints that they stopped being hints and I outright told you my feelings.' Sarawat rested his forearms on top of his guitar and started ticking off his fingers one by one. 'I told you that I wanted to kiss you until you dropped. That you were reserved for me. I tried touching your boobs every chance I got. I came on to you so — many — times. Did you think I was just teasing you?'

Heat filled Tine's cheeks. So many memories. God, was it really just a year ago that he'd chased after this infuriating and beautiful person to chase away someone else chasing him? On hindsight, not Tine's brightest plan, and yet the outcome was even better than he could have ever hoped for. Tine now (and forever) had Sarawat for himself, didn't he?

'Shut up,' muttered Tine. Nobody — not his friends, not his family, not even his own damned boyfriend — ever let him forget just how oblivious he'd been.

Sarawat pinched his cheek. 'Do you see? You're too dense, babe. I literally asked you to marry me and you thought I was joking. How will you ever put away the bad guys?'

Tine calmly pushed Sarawat's hand away. 'Put your guitar away, Wat.'

'Hm? I'd rather not.'

'If you want to play on a broken guitar, then be my guest.'

Sarawat rolled his eyes and carefully set aside his guitar, propping it against the bedside table. He turned back to Tine, saying, 'What, are you going to hurt me — fuck!'

Without warning, Tine threw himself at Sarawat, straddling his hips and pinning him down with his weight. Sarawat let out a wheeze of surprise, his head hitting just below the pillow, his fringe flopping everywhere.

'You're such an asshole,' said Tine. 'Take it back.'

Sarawat smirked. 'Nope.'

'Ugh, I don't know why I love you,' said Tine, then kissed Sarawat on the nose. 'You asked for it, Wat.' He raised his hand.

Sarawat's eyes widened and he tried to squirm free. 'Tine, think about this. Tine, Tine, Tine! Don't! Ah, fuck, ha ha ha ha!'

Sarawat's perpetual I-could-care-less expression broke into a million pieces as Tine dragged his fingers up and down his sides, finding all the spots that made him giggle and shriek like a child. Sarawat kicked his legs behind Tine and tried to buck him off but Tine rolled with the movements like a pro. Tine was laughing, too, his smile so big that his cheeks were starting to ache.

Finally, Sarawat managed to free his arms and wrapped them around Tine, flipping their positions with a twist of his hips. Sarawat's eyes were bright, his grin mischievous, his hair a dishevelled mess.

Tine's heart was about to burst. 'Take it back,' he said.

Sarawat scrunched his nose. 'Fine. You're a smart and dedicated guy who will become an incredible lawyer in future.'

'Good. Now, say I'm not dense.'

'Sorry, babe, but you are dense.' Sarawat brushed Tine's fringe away with his knuckles. 'I played a Scrubb song at the concert because you asked me to but you only did it for a girl.'

Tine laughed out loud. 'Oh, my God, that did happen! I forgot!'

The smile on Sarawat's face softened into something more tender. 'You're lucky you're pretty, Tine.'

Tine curled his arms over Sarawat's neck. 'And you're lucky I find an asshole like you adorable.'

'Let's be lucky together,' said Sarawat, lowering his head to touch their lips.

A hand suddenly pressed against Sarawat's mouth. 'Can't,' said Tine, trying to keep a straight face, 'I have to study so I can be an incredible lawyer you'll be proud of.'

The indignant look that came over Sarawat's face sent Tine over the edge. There were tears in his eyes as he choked on his laughter. Tine wiped at his cheeks as he took deep breaths.

Sarawat remained unimpressed. 'Are you done, Tine?'

'Yes, yes, I'm done,' said Tine, still giggling, and grabbed Sarawat's shoulders and drew him down, 'I could use a break from studying, anyway.'