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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 4 years ago

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hey! so, i've been a huge fan of your writing for a while now. you always offer me so much inspiration within your stories, i absolutely love your ability bring life to all the characters and settings you write about. and idk if you're still accepting requests for your otp mix n' match challenge, nor if you'd even consider doing this request haha, but- could i perhaps request 15 & 11? i am super interested in potentially seeing what your take on my personal otp would be! much love either way

Hi, this has been in my drafts for like.... forever. Since April or May, I think? Oh boy. My apologies, I completely forgot about it until I stumbled across it today. But hey, better now than never, I suppose. Also thank you for your kinds words! I truly appreciate it! :D

“Louis and Mitch pretend to date to make others jealous but you know what happens.”

Read on AO3

This is a joke.

This is a joke and he’s the butt of it.

How did the fuck did he end up here?

Mitch knows this has to be a joke because Louis did not go through this much effort for it to not be a joke.

The remaining fries on the plate have gone cold, mushy beneath the squirt of bright cheddar cheese. Walter’s Diner has the best fries in this hellhole of a town, and usually, they’re the first thing he chows down before finishing his burger or even touching his shake.

Fuck. Fucking hell.

It’s hard to concentrate on and enjoy his food with Louis’ arm behind his neck, hand casually resting over Mitch’s shoulder as he and Violet argue whether they should order a basket of donut holes or four slices of peach pie for dessert.

“They’re stuffed,” Violet says, pointing at the menu, reading, “‘Our bite-sized delights are baked to perfection, stuffed with our delicious cream cheese filling, and tossed in a heavenly mixture of cinnamon and sugar.’ And you’re telling me that doesn’t sound good?”

“And you’re telling me that a slice of Walter’s famous peach pie doesn’t make your mouth water?” Louis sighs. “I’m salivating just thinking about it.”

Violet wrinkles her nose.

“Peach pie sucks.”

“You suck.”

“C’mon guys,” Aasim butts in, eyes rolling in that exasperated way he gets whenever Louis and Violet do this. “Donuts suck, pie sucks, and you both suck. Let’s order ice cream.”

With a hand pressed against his chest, Louis lets out his fakest, most dramatic gasp. Next comes the obnoxious- and probably offensive- British accent.

“Why, my dear Mitch, Violet, did you hear what this lickspittle just said to us?”

Violet’s last tater tot goes flying as a response, bouncing off Aasim’s nose.

“Are you serious?” Aasim snatches the tater tot back up, throwing it at Louis.

“Hey! Rude!” Louis laughs, his arm slipping out from behind Mitch to try and catch the tot. “What did I do?”

Without a thought, Mitch grabs the offending tot and tosses it back at Aasim, who catches it and lets it drop onto his plate.

“Knock it off, guys,” he says. “It shouldn’t take this long to decide on a dessert. I vote pie.”

That makes Louis smile.

“Ah, a man after my own heart,” he sighs, shifting closer against Mitch’s side- Jesus Christ almighty- and pressing quick kiss against his cheek.

Fuck everything. Fuck, fuck-

This causes Mitch to suck in a breath, only to cover it up by coughing into his sleeve. God, his face is going to melt off, especially if Louis keeps looking at him like that.

“That’s not a surprise,” Violet rolls her eyes, ignoring the kiss and Mitch’s coughing fit. “He sucks, too.”

“Can’t we just agree that we all suck?” Louis says.

“Can’t you ever shut your pie hole?”

“Can’t we all just order different desserts?” Aasim pleads, finger jabbing at the menu on the table to emphasize his point.

Louis and Violet look at one another, puzzled as if that idea never occurred to them. At this point, Mitch didn’t even care about dessert, didn’t really even want any.

Louis shifts and there’s the warm, distracting press of his knee against his and Mitch has never been so tense in his entire life.

He's too fucking close. Too close. Too close. And he kissed him. On the cheek, sure, but fucking hell-

Never has he felt such tension in his body, even when something obnoxiously embarrassing passes his father’s mouth, or when Willy’s fingers slip from the branches of whatever tree he’s climbing and he almost plummets to the ground.

He doesn’t know what’s worse: the fact that Aasim won’t stop gawking at them every time they do anything, or that Louis is fucking comfortable doing the things that make Aasim gawk in the first place.

This whole thing is nothing but a cruel joke that Mitch was stupid enough to take the bait for.

And for what? A promise of Louis buying him lunch every day for a month? Was a free meal every day worth this level of anxiety and... gross feelings?

“Fine,” says Violet. “I’ll eat a whole basket myself, but don’t any of you dare eyeball them. You had your chance.”

“I won’t eyeball your donuts if you don’t eyeball my pie.”

“I won’t because pie sucks.”

“You suck!”

“Oh my god,” Aasim abruptly twists around, desperately tapping on the shoulder of a now startled waitress. “Two slices of peach pie, a basket of donuts holes, and an ice cream cone to go. Please. I want to go home.”

The waitress stares at him, baffled, before nodding and getting away from their table as quickly as possible.

Louis chuckles, arm slipping back behind Mitch as he says, “I think she likes you.”

“Shut up!” Aasim frowns. “I swear to god...”

Louis continues to laugh, but he steals a glance at Mitch. Something softens and it’s... Mitch doesn’t know what the fuck it is. Ever since they started this, sometimes Louis will look at him like that.

From what he can tell, Louis doesn’t even look at the girl like that, and she’s the entire reason they’re doing this.

That girl- what the fuck’s her name? He couldn’t have possibly tuned Louis out every time he mentions her- the redhead from his art class or whatever. She’s the one who started this bullshit.

About a month ago, Louis wrote him a note detailing, “I need your help. Meet me by the school entrance during lunch? It’s important,” while they’re in the middle of a pop quiz. As if Mitch didn’t have enough to worry about with all the damn fractions scattering the quiz, but then he was left worry about what the hell Louis needed his help with.

Also, he did this without Mr. Garcia noticing. How the fuck that’s possible is beyond him. If they were caught, both of their quizzes would’ve been ripped to shreds. Mitch didn’t need that shit right now.

Then, the entrance was barely in sight by the time Louis snuck up on him, grabbed his arm, and proceeded to drag him outside and across the parking lot so they could hop into the safety of Mitch’s hand-me-down truck despite Mitch’s protests. He hadn’t cleaned his truck of its fast-food wrappers or loose sheets of forgotten homework in weeks, and that left him worried that the air freshener didn’t work.

Finally, Louis managed to explain this so-called plan of his to Mitch with a straight face, not cracking once. He actually sounds serious enough that Mitch might’ve believed him if this bullshit wasn’t so... so bullshit.

“I really like her,” Louis had said, “and Violet said this kind of thing could get her attention.”

Of course, Mitch didn’t agree so easily because the plan was- nd still is- stupid.

“You think pretending to date me is gonna get her attention?” he scoffed. “I’m not fucking doing this. Ask Vi.”

“I can’t ask Vi. She doesn’t date dudes and I’m pretty sure Brody would, like, break me in half or something.”

“Fine, Aasim then.”

“C’mon, you know Aasim would never.”

“Well,” Mitch threw his hands up. “I would never! Find someone else because I’m not gonna be your fake boyfriend so that you can make what’s-her-nut jealous!”

Jokes on him- Mitch’s been Louis’ fake boyfriend for weeks now because he hasn’t wooed what’s-her-nut yet. Which wasn’t that the whole point? They just pretend while she’s around? Not when they’re alone or when hanging out with Violet and Aasim?

Louis said it was to make it as real as possible, just in case what’s-her-nut found out. That doesn’t explain why Louis is the way he is when it’s just the two of them. Doesn’t explain the kiss on the cheek.

Mitch eats a cold fry, cringing at the taste. He can feel Violet looking at him while Louis goes on about something that happened in choir. When Mitch meets her eye, she smirks, raising a knowing brow. Mitch gives her a light kick under the table.

When the waitress finally brings them their dessert in separate bags, she doesn’t stick around long and avoids eye contact with Aasim.

“Hey, Vi,” Louis leans over her shoulder as they’re leaving the diner, “Can I have a donut hole?”

“I will stab you, your boyfriend, and your pie.”

“Hey, not my pie!” Louis grabs Mitch’s hand, knocking his shoulder into his. “Or my Mitch!”

Fucking hell.

Mitch doesn’t know how much longer he can handle this.

#twdgmixchallenge #twdg louis #twdg mitch #twdg violet #twdg aasim #twdg louitch #“Louis and Mitch pretend to date to make others jealous but you know what happens.”#it's been forever since i've done one of these #holy shit #i'm gonna barely edit it because it'll never get posted if i try to edit it #that's just who i am #hahaha #sorry it took forever but here ya go #it's been in my drafts since like... april i think #yeesh.... haha #i'm bad at what i do don't mind me #asks

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mwolf0epsilon · 4 years ago

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Story on Norman catching Sammy in Joey cult ?

It's been twice now that I've written Norman's demise. Y'all really like killing people uh?

Summary: Sammy was weird in many ways, but this? This was just crazy.

---

Back when Norman was still a little tot, his great nanna used to tell him and his brothers and sisters about their great poppop. How he'd been raised in some sort of cult that indoctrinated its disciples from birth. She related to them how, even though he'd managed to escape them, their constant drilling of ideals had never truly left him. Which was why nanna had gotten rid of him. Love him as she did, she knew he was a crazy dangerous man. Little five year old Norman had been very curious about those tales his mama begged nanna not to tell them. He especially found it curious when she described his eyes. Having a condition like the one he had, had made him a prime target for neighbourhood bullies that called him "Crazy-Eye". So hearing about someone who had actual insanity behind what most considered to be the windows to the soul... It had given him a sort of relief, because at least there was a spark of life behind his own unsynchronized peepers. "N'aw child, don't yous go be tellin' ya mama 'bout what ol' nanna be tellin' you 'bout ya poppop, ya hear?" "Ok nanna. Won't tell a soul." "Yous is a clever one, boy. An' don't forget ta keep an eye out... Crazy can hide in plain sight. Sure did for poppop." Insanity could hide in plain sight. That was perhaps the most valuable lesson to take from his nanna's tales. What she could never get across was how hard it was to see someone you cared for slowly be afflicted with it.

Sammy was a weird man. Had been from day one of Norman meeting him, and never quite changed even when he put a reign on his deplorable attitude. He wasn't a bad person per say. Misguided by a parent with that typical southern brand of white superiority complex. A man who thought his skin color made him better than all the other folk, and who taught his boy to think it was just as sacred an idea as the damn gospel he also tried to drill into Sammy's head. But Sammy was admittedly clever, and much more curious than his father had been. He asked questions and he tried to change when he realized his own crappy behaviour didn't please him all that much. But then things started getting unsettling in the studio. Little things popped up, and the world's own agenda got in the way of Joey Drew's plans. Turns out Joey wasn't about to fold for anything or anyone. Those who were drafted were the lucky ones. Those who were socially outcasts or liabilities in the military's eyes, were not so lucky. They stayed, so the wrongness affected them. The wrongness... Norman had felt something was not right for a long while, but now that he had to get acquainted with so many new hires and the such? He'd been preoccupied. So when the ones he knew suddenly started acting unlike themselves he'd been caught by surprise. "I don't understand how Mr. Drew has no trouble with him... He's just so..." He'd found Buddy in the bathroom, trying to clean the obvious ink stains on his clothing. "Why did I think helping him would make him less nasty?" "Sammy tends ta blow up at minor things. If it was as bad as yous say it was, then he was just freaked out from nearly drowning." He got as many paper towels as he could to help the poor kid get rid of as much of the ink as he could. "Doesn't excuse what he says to me... Or the other Jewish employees..." Buddy murmured sadly. "What did he say?" "Not important... Just makes me uneasy. It's like I'm specifically not worth anything just because of my... Mr. Polk?" Buddy blinked once the projectionist dropped everything he was doing to stalk out the door. "Yous ain't the first he's gone and played that card on. Was a long while ago but I can refresh Sammy's memory for the folks he's been barkin' at." "Oh! Uh, you don't have to! It's not going to fix anything." "Trust me, a hard knock on the noggin' works just fine ta sorte Sammy's bullshit." Norman smiled in passing at Dot who paused to watch him and then look at Buddy in concern once he peered out the bathroom door. "You two kids run along now. I'll see yous around." He tried not to laugh when he heard Buddy fretting over potentially getting fired for starting a fight. Kid still had a lot to learn about how Joey Drew Studios ran for all these years. Sometimes tough love was all it needed. But not this time.

His nanna's tales rushed back to him when he'd cornered Sammy in his office. Norman didn't like roughing people up, but he'd promised the music director that if he stepped on any toes for the wrong reasons he'd give him a whooping like the one the blond had been begging for, back when he'd first harassed the projectionist. He had half a mind to start hollering until he'd caught sight of Sammy's eyes. Nanna had described insanity in great detail. The unfeeling and unfocused darkness in poppop's eyes that consumed the man she'd loved and left nothing behind. Sammy's eyes were a soft hazel, the nice flicker of green so full of the essence that made Sammy Lawrence who he was. What Norman saw instead of those pretty peepers were dark pools, a sickly grayish brown with flecks of blackness like tar. Like ink... Norman completely forgot what he was to say. He couldn't bring himself to talk when he saw the same thing that had tormented his nanna's dreams. It just wasn't right.

Joey Drew was up to something, and Sammy was involved somehow. By his own volition, Norman wasn't too sure. The kid was acting mighty strange since Norman had noticed his eyes had inexplicably changed color, and whatever progress for positive change he'd made was completely gone. If anything, Sammy had become an incredibly volatile and aggressive husk. Very few people noticed, which was what was so concerning. "It can't be a coincidence... Joey barely showin' his face 'round the departments and Sammy actin' up like the devil bit him in the ass..." He'd paced as he watched Jack drink what was likely the 5th cup of coffee he'd in the morning. "Whatever it is, Sammy's more enthusiastic about his songs for a change..." He sounded nonchalant about it. "He complained about all the pieces Drew forced him to change... Now he's less, angry about those. Seems to love them actually." "Those little annoying jigs? He said they was garbage!" "And they are. Putting lyrics to those was dang awful but... Well if he's happy, I'm happy..." Jack gave a weak smile before coughing a rather wet sounding cough. He took another sip of his coffee to sooth his throat. "You comin' down with somethin'?" "Must be... This gross cough has been popping up a lot. And my nose is awfully stuffy. Can't smell or taste nothing, which is good considering I gotta hide away in the sewers to work..." Norman huffs. People were getting sick from being forced to do overtime with no rest. Jack getting sick wasn't entirely out of the question. But the stench of something acrid coming from his mug did give him cause for concern. Best check to see if Wally hadn't accidentally stored the coffee beans with the cleaning supplies again. A week later he forgets about it once he instead finds himself making a list of the people he stops seeing around the Studio not long after he noticed something up with Joey and Sammy.

There's Jack, who he hadn't noticed gone at first until he'd gone poking around the sewers and not caught sight of the shorter lyricist. There was Johnny Brokehart, who's organ was completely abandoned in its little corner. No one dared touch it, in case the man returned and found so much as a pipe out of place. There was Julian Whitaker, the tall gangly cellist that often sat with the resident art critic, that Vernon fellow who liked to stare at the cartoon posters like they were masterpieces on display at a museum. Susie Campbell had gone too. Wally insisted she hadn't quit, and was awfully worried about her. Allison and Thomas had also up and split after they'd made a scene at one of them fancy parties Joey used to get investors to dump money into his lap. Shawn Flynn, Grant Cohen, Bertrum Piedmont, Lacie Benton, Emma LaMonte... People were vanishing left and right and there was no say of them being fired. Norman had a theory, and he didn't like it one bit. He tried to do his best to inform the younger hires to run before something inevitably happened to them. He told Buddy and Dot it was dangerous, in as little words he could so not to let Joey catch wind of what he did know. He prayed to whatever god was out there that no bad befell those two kids. And then he'd grabbed his light and went down, where the groaning and moaning came from.

Norman ran. Ran as fast as he could, trying not to look at the things trapped in those tubes. The creatures that were tall, gangly, and vaguely humanoid. Weeping faces pressed to the glass, begging to be let out. The disgusting sludge creatures, barely holding themselves together and clawing at the glass in obvious suffering. The thing that had Sammy's voice and that was rushing after him, axe in hand and Bendy mask covering its face. Screaming at him to accept the "Lord's" blessing. He ran and dodged strikes that nicked his elbows, his legs, grazed his ankle and back... He came to a full stop before what could only be described as a throne. Horrified to find something twisted that looked like a humanoid corpse-like Bendy bound in chains. And then he was knocked onto the floor, air escaping his lungs from the sudden collision. The Sammy thing was on top of him, overjoyed to have caught him. And then all around, Joey Drew's voice filled the room... The thing on the throne shook and hissed. "Excellent... You know what to do Prophet. Baptize this non-believer in the name of your lord." "Anything for you my lord. Anything!" Norman tried to fight him off, knocked that silly mask off his face even. Except there was no face. Not even eyes. Windows to the soul... If he had none, then did Sammy even have a soul anymore? The axe raised, and Norman Polk didn't even have time to scream before it plunged into his chest, destroyed his ribcage, and obliterated his heart.

#Eps Writes:#Bendy and the Ink Machine #BATIM #Norman Polk #Sammy Lawrence

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shes-an-oddbird · 4 years ago

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Christmas at River’s End Mall

Summary - A Christmas AU in which everyone navigates their seasonal jobs, relationships and Christmas spirit, or lack there of, through woven together tales inspired by holiday prompts.

Chapter 7- Pictures with Santa

Summary - Piper goes with Davis and his son to meet Santa before her interview. When she steps away to grab a coffee she ends up meeting someone new.

Prompt - Picture with Santa Relationship - Piper & Davis (Minor Piper/Kora) POV - Piper

Piper flinched as another child, standing way to close, shrieked with joy.

“This is taking too long.”

“I thought you wanted to see your godson meet Santa for the first time.”

“I never said that, I just felt bad that his mother had to work, so I thought his godmother should fill in,” Piper jumped back as several children ran between them. “If I knew it was going to be like this I would have reconsidered.”

Davis bounced his son, James, in his arms. “Don’t you listen to her, she’s just pretending to be grumpy, yes she is, she wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Don’t talk like that, you sound like an idiot.” Piper's brow wrinkles in distaste. She hates baby talk. “I should have at least come with coffee.” She wonders if she would have time before her interview to grab a cup. She glances at her watch. It was already cutting it way too close. “I’m going to be late.”

Davis looks down at her amused. “Does it matter, how are you going to get a job as head of mall security if you can’t even handle being around a bunch of kids.”

“I don’t think I’ll be carting off kids to mall jail,” Piper snarks back, “When I talked to May about the job, she said I’m supposed to help cut down on theft and brawling on mall grounds.”

“Clearly she doesn’t have any kids.” A dark-haired mother in front of them spoke up with a knowing smile.

The father nods as well, “no kidding, you want to know how to get away with stealing just about anything?" he asks the pair and Piper wants to say no but chances were they were going to be stuck behind this guy a bit longer and being rude was not really an option. “Have a baby do it, when this one was a tot he used take things off the shelf right at check out, no one even noticed.”

“Yeah and you were the only one who made a big deal of it, marching a two year old back into a shop to give it back.”

“Carla I was teaching him a life lesson.”

The man’s wife rolls her eyes and ushers her family forward.

Piper shifts back and forth impatiently. As soon as an elf walks past, Piper quickly flags her down. “Excuse me, do you know how much longer it will be before we get up there?”

She glances up at Santa’s podium. “Maybe ten minutes, Santa’s being chatty today.”

Piper tries unsuccessfully to hold in her frustration. “Go get a coffee would you, you’re bringing down the Christmas spirit.” Piper shoots him a look before stepping out of line and wading through a sea of kids. “Bring back a snack for James, no chocolate or he’ll be a mess before the picture.” She waves in acknowledgement because her first option for responding would have been frowned upon in present company.

She takes the stairs up three flights and looks back down over the balcony to see if Davis had moved ahead much farther in line. To her relief only one more family had finished up. She wouldn’t admit it out loud but she didn’t actually want to miss James meeting Santa for the first time.

She hurries over to Mockingbird’s where Bobbi and a new girl are hovering over what looks like a well worn instruction manual.

“Hey Piper, what can we get for you?” Bobbi asks, while the new girl, Kora according to her name tag waits eagerly next to her.

Piper rattles off her usual order.

“I’ll get it!” Kora offers.

“She’s new?”

Bobbi watches the younger girl affectionately. “Yeah, she's very enthusiastic and a little clumsy,” Bobbi explains, “but she can make those cute coffee art designs on the drinks, like you see in commercials, which has been great for social media promotion.”

“What about coffee, can she make coffee?” because really, what was the point of bringing in customers if your coffee sucked.

“Actually yes, she’s really getting the hang of the espresso machine, which is fantastic because I myself, am about five minutes from pushing it out the window.”

Piper raises an eyebrow at her words. “Isn’t the Christmas tree lot like right below us?”

The barista brushes it off. “He moves fast.” And with that Bobbi gestures for the next group in line to step forward and Piper slides down along the counter, taking in the selection of snacks before grabbing a couple of boxes of animal cookies. They looked the least messy.

“Can I get these as well?” She asks Kora. She glances over her shoulder in surprise.

“Oh yes!” She moves to the register in a flash, quickly adjusting her total before returning to her beverage preparation. She adds a bit of cream and gives it a quick stir. Then picks up a cup cozy and scribbles something on in before she drops the beverage in and passes it over.

Piper glances at the cozy. Bobbi had ordered kitschy ones for the shop and this one has a one to ten “Hotness” scale on the side beneath where they wrote the customer’s name. Kora had written in an eleven and underlined it.

She doesn’t think much of it.

Piper picks up one of the lids from the dispenser and prepares to place it over the to go cup when she sees the design of a little heart on the top of her beverage and stops. Had she meant to do that? Maybe it was just a gimmicky thing Bobbi asked her to do.

“Is it okay?” Kora asks nervously.

“No, no its fine, but um,” Piper falters. Why wouldn’t it be okay? Had she done something she wasn't supposed too? “Do you make these for everyone?”

“No of course not,” she answers, puzzled by the suggestion.

Oh.

Okay.

She glances back at the little heart that is starting to swirl away into an indistinguishable blob. It was a little cutesy for her taste but… she looks back at Kora who is fidgeting uncomfortably.

“Thanks.” Piper places the lid on the cup with a smile on her face. “I’ll see you around?”

“As long as Bobbi doesn’t fire me.”

“Well hey, fingers crossed.”

***

Piper gets back just in time. The family ahead of them had just stepped up to meet Santa and she still has fifteen minutes before she was supposed to be at her interview.

“Here, one animal crackers for the whiney baby and here is one for James.” Piper teases as she hands the first box to Davis and then holds the second in front of baby James who reaches excitedly for them.

“You’re in a better mood.”

Piper shrugs and takes a sip of her coffee. “I guess.”

“Okay you guys are up.” The elf from before waves them forward. They step up to Santa’s chair. She man in the suit makes a believable Santa, with his pale blue eyes and kind smile. Unfortunately for them, James does not think so and when handed over to the Santa he immediately bursts into tears.

“He takes after you!” Davis doesn’t find her jest funny. He steps forwards to try and cheer up his son.

“No worries I’m great with kids.” Santa exclaims in a jolly voice. “What’s your name buddy?” He bounces the little boy on his knee and James momentarily stops to look at him. Suddenly, he reaches forwards, yanks on Santa’s fake beard and then screams even louder than before.

“Come on James, please don’t cry.” Davis pleads and attempts to apologize to Santa while she and the elf both try not to laugh.

“Alright you both suck at this, give him here.” Piper hands her coffee to Davis, scoops up James and looks him dead in the eye. “Look kid, you and I both know this is a little ridiculous, I mean you’re not even going to remember this except for maybe as your first childhood trauma but it means a lot to your doofy dad so let’s give him one little smile and get the heck up out of here.”

James stares back at her curiously and no longer crying. His large brown eyes blink at her several times from his tear-stained cheeks before a little giggle escapes him and she can’t help but grin back. “See you just have to talk to him like a person, not with that ridiculous baby talk, right kid?”

She passes James back to Santa who takes on a very professional tone as well, asking him what he wants for Christmas while the photographer snaps a photo.

“Not bad Piper, I’m truly impressed.”

“Thank you, I guess I’m just having a good day.”

“Oh yeah, why to you say that?”

Before she can respond the photographer asks Davis if he wants to be in the picture as well. In a couple long strides he’s at Santa’s side and looking back at the camera. The photographer snaps a couple of pictures and Piper peeks at the computer where the images immediately pop up on screen.

“Geez Davis, try smiling, you look like a damn robot.”

#agent piper #agent davis #kora (aos)#christmas at the mall #25 days of christmas

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misswildfire · 5 years ago

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Physical Strength Ain’t Everything

Second sequel to Imagine if Mikey Ran Away. This is Raph’s part where he tries to tackle Mikey’s insecurities about being weak without being too mushy.

Leo’s Part.

It had been a few weeks since they had brought Mikey home. His physical wounds had all but healed, the crack in his shell taking a little longer than Don would like, but it was his mental scars that were still healing. Don had explained to him that it would most likely take a long time for Mikey to rebuild his self-esteem and self-confidence and for his beliefs that his brothers would be better off without him to disappear completely, if those thoughts ever did.

The lack of physical enemy the beat into a pulp for hurting his youngest mate grated on Raph at times. It wasn’t as if he could beat himself or his siblings for what they had unintentionally done, but since he wasn’t as good with the emotion things as either of his two brothers, he felt useless at times with Mikey’s recovery. All he could do was keep the younger company and keep him occupied. Maybe if he was too busy to think, those negative thoughts would stop.

So that’s what Raph did. At first all they could do was hang out and play video games or read comics, but once he started to recover physically and could move around more, Raph started dragging him to do some light work outs with him. Either helping him lift weights or just having Mikey there keeping him company as he worked on his own routine. He knew the pipsqueak well enough to know that his youngest mate loved to watch him work out, had mentioned at one point how he loved to watch the muscles move as he lifted.

The red clad turtle used that knowledge to his advantage, keeping Mikey occupied. Today, he sat on a bench across from Raph as the red clad turtle did bicep curls, reading a comic. However, the youngers’ eyes were spending more time on his older mate than on the comic in his hands. Raph smirked a little, purposefully flexing his muscles as he lifted the weight he was holding, loving the little blush that stained Mikey’s cheeks.

Part of the reason Raph liked to keep himself strong was because of Mikey. It wasn’t to protect him although protecting his mates was a large reason he pushed himself to be as strong as he could, it was because Mikey loved being picked up by his larger mate. Even as little turtle tots, Mikey had always begged Raph to pick him up, loving the feeling of being held by his older, stronger brother. When they had been kids, he had confessed one night after a nightmare that being in Raph’s arms like that made him feel safe. The fact that the red clad turtle could bring that kind of security and comfort to his brother, especially when Don and Leo could use their words to comfort Mikey, thrilled him to no end. It was something only he could do for Mikey. He would never admit it out loud, the youngest turtle already having a giant ego that needed no inflating, but it was still something he took pride in.

The last few days though, Raph could see sadness in his smallest mates eyes every time the orange glad turtle looked at him. He had let it go, hoping it was something Mikey would work out himself, but it wasn’t something he wanted to let go for too long. He may not be as smart as Donnie, but he was smart enough not to make the same mistake twice. Putting his weights down, he swung his legs over the bench, facing the orange terrapin.

“Alright Squirt, what’s wrong?” his voice rumbled. He hated seeing his mate sad like this.

“Nothing.” Yah, sure it was nothing. Like Raph believed that for a second; his mate wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“It’s not nothin’ if you’re giving me the kicked puppy look.” He waited as Mikey seemed to battle something in himself, his fingers picking at the corner of his comic book, giving away the anxiety he was feeling.

“I’m not strong like you, I’m weak.”

“You’re weak?” Raph parroted back, dumbfounded watching as tears gathered beneath his baby brothers eyes. Where had Mikey gotten the idea that he was weak? He was a fully trained ninja, could wield his nunchuks with bone breaking accuracy and Raph can absolutely attest to the fact from having sparred with his younger brother for their entire life that his brother was no slouch. Sure, Raph was stronger than all of his brothers, but that didn’t mean that any of them weren’t strong, he just happened to be stronger. Shaking his head, Raph went to kneel beside his brother, taking his chin in his hand, forcing Mikey to look at him.

“Yah ain’t weak pipsqueak. There are many different type of strengths. So you ain’t as physically strong as me, so what. You’re strong in your own way. You have skills none of us do, you cook, you’re good at art, none of us can wield a nunchuk like you can. You’re agile as hell. You can run circles around all of us, I ain’t see no one as agile as you.” When it looked like he wasn’t getting through to Mikey, Raph decided to go for broke. If being mushy was what his younger brother needed right now, he would swallow his damn pride.

“You keep us together, we almost fell apart when you ran away. We need you. Don’t you ever forget that. You may be the smallest but you are not weak. Besides, I like you just the way you are. Can pick you up easily.” The last words were said right beside Mikeys ear, a small nip to his cheek empathizing his point about how much Raph liked him the way he was. Deciding a physical demonstration was perhaps in order, he did just that, scooping his mate into his arms, the comic book Mikey had been holding falling to the ground forgotten as the red clad turtle carried his now smiling mate to their shared bedroom.

Strength comes in all shapes and sizes. You are not weak.

#tmnt bayverse #tcest #raphael #michelangelo #tmnt raph #tmnt mikey #raph x mikey #hurt mikey #teenage mutant ninja turtles #series: healing the runaway

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jalalason-blog · 5 years ago

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Clouis Oneshots - scares

Just some Clouis one shots. Some of them take place in the apocalyptic world, and others are AUs. Hope you enjoy them! Requests are OPEN, but know that there's no promises your request will be written. It all depends on how much time I have, if I like the idea, ect. Art on cover is not mine. Let me know if you know who created it! DISCLAIMER: I don't own twdg or it's characters.

Read on wattpad, A03, and fanfiction,net if you like words on those platforms better.

~This one takes place in the apocalyptic world, some time after the final episode~

The chilly winter breeze sent chills down Louis's spine, despite him being only a few feet from the little campfire. He shivered and pulled his girlfriend closer to his chest, and she snuggled into him.

All of the kids sat in a circle around the heat, huddling together to keep warm. The old couches and chairs that they sat on helped a little with the cold, acting as a barrier to keep the heat in.

They passed around a stack of cards, playing truth or dare in their odd little way. Once the cards had made it all the way around, everyone flipped their's over to see who got to ask and who had to answer.

Clementine won, and Aasim lost. Louis got déjà vu at the results.

"Ah, you two meet again," Louis spoke, talking as if he was narrating an old fairy tale. "Last time, Aasim was forced to request a kiss from a girl he like liked, to which he was slapped. What shall he have to do this time, your majesty?"

"Hmm..." Clem voiced, squinting her eyes as she tried to decide. "Maybe the same thing?"

"Aw, really?" Aasim groaned, uneasily glancing down at Ruby, who sat next to him.

The red head giggled, saying, "Don't worry, I won't slap you this time."

"Okay, then," Aasim said, turning to face her. "Um, can I have a kiss?"

"You sure can," she agreed, getting up and pressing her lips to his. Aasim's eyes widened in surprise, then closed as he pulled her face closer to his.

"Ewwww," AJ groaned.

"Nasty!" Willy shouted.

The couple ignored them, their kiss getting more intense.

"Okay, you guys can stop now," Violet told them, wryly scrunching her face at the pair.

"Enough porn, you two!" Louis proclaimed. The couple snapped out of it, and they pulled away from each other. Both of their cheeks were bright red. "How about we do another round?"

The dread locked teen began to pass the cards around the group, chuckling as he saw AJ's cringing face.

When Louis said go, they all flipped their cards over again. This time, Omar won and Louis lost.

"Alright, Omar," Louis said, "what's it gonna be? A treacherous truth? A deadly dare?"

"A dare that you finally won't be able to do," Omar claimed, wearing a smug smile.

"No dare will ever stop me," Lou asserted.

"Okay, then; go lick that yellow snow." Omar pointed to a yellow spot in the snow you could just faintly see by the fire, unable to hide his mischievous grin.

"Ewww!" The rest of the kids let out in unison. Well, everyone except Louis. He tilted his head at the color, actually debating on doing it.

"Who peed there?!" Ruby asked, disgusted.

"It was Rosie," AJ said. "I saw her do it earlier."

Clementine backed away from Louis to look him in the eye. "You better not do it. If you do, I won't be kissing you for a week."

"But Clem, I have to," Louis whined. "I haven't ever not done a dare. I can't lose my title as dare king."

"Louis," his girlfriend repeated firmly, "Don't. Do. It."

Louis bit his lip, glancing over at the colored snow.

"Don't do it," Clementine said again.

"I have too!" Louis declared, jumping up from the couch he sat on. He ran to the pile, got on all fours, and gave the snow a great, big lick.

All of the children let out sounds of disgust, and Clementine face palmed. Omar's smug smile immediately dropped as he gagged. Louis stood up proudly, wiping his mouth.

"I didn't think you would actually do it," Omar admitted, cringing.

"Well then you obviously don't know me well enough," Louis chimed. He sat next to Clementine, and she scooted away from him.

"Nuh uh, pee breath," she told him. "I'll snuggle with AJ, who'll still get my kisses for this week." Clem patted the spot next to her, and AJ happily crawled up with her. The teen wrapped her arms around the tot and planted little pecks all over his face, making eye contact with Louis as she did so. Her boyfriend pretended that this did not make him incredibly jealous of AJ's place.

"Worth it," he stated. "I'm still the dare king."

"You won't be thinking that by tomorrow," Clem mumbled.

"How about we do another round?" Ruby suggested. The cards were all passed around again, and this time Violet won and Clem lost.

"Victory Violet," Vi spoke, smiling.

Clementine sat up straighter, awaiting her truth or dare.

The blonde studied her, deciding on what to give her. Finally, she said, "I think I'm feeling a truth this time."

"Alright," Clem voiced. "Shoot."

"What scares you the most? You know, scare as in makes you scream, jump, or whatever."

Clementine was quiet for a moment, pondering the question. After a couple moments of silence, she admitted, "I don't know. Nothing, I guess."

"Nothing?" Louis asked dubiously.

"Nothing," Clem confirmed.

"Snakes?" Louis pushed. "Walkers? Bad people? Storms?"

Clementine shook her head to all of his tries.

"When's the last time you screamed because you were scared?"

"I don't remember."

"Well there has to be something that scares you," Louis claimed, crossing his arms.

"No there doesn't," Vi countered. "She's a bad ass, and she's fearless. What's so hard to believe?"

"Even bad asses get scared by little jump scares every once in a while," Lou stated.

"I just don't get scared," Clem said.

"I'll have you know, Clem, that I not only hold the dare king title, but ALSO the scare king."

"Okay..."

"So I'll make you a deal. I scare you within the next 24 hours, you have to kiss me again."

Violet snorted, saying, "You really are desperate, aren't you?"

"Shut up," Lou told Violet. Then he looked back to his lover. "So what do you say?"

Clementine pursed her lips, debating on taking the deal. "What happens if you don't scare me?"

"I don't know. What do you want?"

The girl thought for a moment, before a mischievous grin spread across her face. "I want to cut your hair."

Louis's hands flew up to his precious locks. "No way!"

"Fine, then, I guess I won't take the deal."

Louis twirled his hair on his finger. "Alright, fine, you can cut my hair if I don't scare you. But I'm not worried about that, because I promise you, I'm gonna scare you so bad you'll pee your pants." He stuck out his hand for Clem to shake.

Clementine took his hand in hers and shook. "You better enjoy your hair while you still have it, Lou."

"How are you gonna cut it, Clem?" Violet asked. "I say you shave it all off."

Louis shot her a dirty look. "Hey, have some faith in me, Vi!"

"I would," Vi said, "but Clem's pretty bad ass, and you're pretty lame."

"You got that right," Clementine agreed.

"I'm gonna go all out, though," Louis warned. "All. Out."

"Do it," Clem challenged. "I can take it."

"Okay. But you're gonna regret saying that."

Violet rolled her eyes, and the pair stopped shaking hands. Just then, a large gust of wind blew, blowing the little fire out.

"And that's our cue to go inside," Omar asserted.

The whole group got up to go inside. Louis scooped Clementine and carried her bridal style, and AJ picked up her crutches.

As they walked back to their dorm, Lou went to give Clem a kiss on the forehead, but was stopped by her finger.

"Nope," Clem told him, "Not until next week."

"I think you mean until after I scare you," Louis corrected.

"Mmm, nope. Not until next week."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"How old was AJ when you taught him to shoot?" Louis asked Clem as she hobbled down the dirt path in the woods;

"Probably, like, three," Clementine estimated.

Louis's eyes widened. "You trusted him with a gun at that age?"

"Well, he actually kind of taught himself. He had seen me use it, and one day, I didn't see a walker coming, but he did. So he grabbed the gun and shot the walker himself. Right through the head, first try."

"I don't think I'll be that good," the dread locked teen said. He nervously eyed the weapon in his girlfriend's back pocket, and she noticed.

"It's not that hard," Clem assured him. "Besides, you've got the best teacher to teach you."

Louis smiled. "You're damn right I do."

The couple was heading towards a little makeshift shooting range, where Clementine would give Louis his first shooting lesson. Louis was anxious about it, but he felt better knowing that it was Clem teaching him.

He had already tried multiple times to scare her in the morning, but none of his attempts worked. Before Clem woke up, he hid in a box outside of her door to try and jump out and scare her. When she came out of their shared room and he jumped out, she didn't even flinch.

At breakfast, he tried to make it look like he had sliced off his finger cutting carrots. However, Omar was in on it, and he wasn't a very good actor. The chefs giggling through Louis's very realistic screams of pain gave him away.

He tried another jump scare before they left for their shooting lesson, too. He hid behind a tree close to their meeting spot for about fifteen minutes, before he gave up and came out. However, little did he know that Clem saw him go into his hiding place. She ended sneaking behind him and shouting, "Boo!" Louis had nearly shit his pants.

So, in short, it wasn't as easy to scare Clementine as he had thought it would be.

As they walked, Louis fidgeted with the fake mouse he had in his pocket. He had found it earlier while wondering around the attic.

This will get her.

"Hey, what is that?" He questioned, going towards a little pile of dead leaves and snow.

"What?" Clem inquired, turning to watch as he went.

Louis squatted down, sneakily slipping the toy from his pocket to the pile. Then, he stated, "Eww, gross..."

"What is it?" His girlfriend repeated.

"A DEAD MOUSE!" Louis shouted, whipping around and throwing the mouse at her. She just stood there and let the mouse hit her, and it flopped to the ground.

"Wow," she said, unimpressed.

"How did that not even gross you out?" Louis inquired, disappointed his trick didn't work. "What if it had been a real mouse? What would you have done?"

Clem shrugged. "I've had walker guts on me before. Nothing seems grosser than that."

Louis sighed, feeling defeated.

"Aw, don't be sad, Lou," Clem cooed. "I promise I'll make your haircut look good."

Almost immediately, his spirits were boosted back up. "The day's not over yet, Clem. I've still got time."

At some point, it started snowing, making their trip to the shooting range harder than it needed to be. Louis, being the good boyfriend he was, made Clem wear his jacket. She didn't want to at first, but he insisted that she needed to so she "wouldn't get frostbite and lose the other leg."

Even though Louis was shivering now, he felt content knowing that Clementine was nice and warm.

Eventually, they made it to the shooting range, and the girl began to teach right away. She wanted to get out of the cold as soon as possible. They both did.

"Okay, first, make sure you have a wide base," she instructed. He obeyed. "Good. I'm going to give you the gun now. Don't freak out or anything. Just hold it."

She handed the foreign object to Louis, and he gazed at it in awe in his hands. "Isn't crazy to think that this little thing has the ability to take a life?"

"Or save a life," Clem added. "Which is why we're doing this."

Louis pointed the gun at the makeshift target, closing his eye and trying to figure out how to aim. The weapon was only a few inches away from his face. Clementine smiled, being reminded of Sarah by the way he did it. She adjusted him the same way she had fixed her old friend.

"Also, remember, it's just a thing."

"Just a thing," Louis repeated.

"The most important thing to remember is to take a breath before you pull the trigger," Clem taught.

"Okay."

Then, Clementine showed him how to aim, how to load the gun, see if safety was on or off, all that jazz. Soon enough, it was time for Louis to actually practice.

He stood just like Clem had showed him, pointing the gun at the old book she had posted up on a tree about ten yards away.

Louis took a deep breath to shoot, but when he went to squeeze the trigger, he couldn't get his finger to move.

The dread locked teen tried again, but still, nothing.

Clementine placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know, it may seem scary at first, but after you just do it, it's not scary."

"Okay," Louis breathed. "I can do this."

"How about on the count of three?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"Okay. One, two-"

BANG.

The shot rang throughout the woods, making the few birds who remained scatter away into the sky. You could see that a corner of the book was knocked off, and Louis smiled proudly.

Clem laughed. "I never made it to three."

"But I did it," Louis said. "I shot a gun!"

"Yeah, and you actually hit the book. I'm impressed."

"It's too bad we can't celebrate with a kiss," Lou said, wriggling his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, too bad. If only someone hadn't licked dog pee yesterday."

"I rinsed my mouth out!" Louis claimed.

"Still." Clementine gagged. "That's disgusting."

Louis got back into shooter stance. "Okay, I'm ready to go again."

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down their, hot shot," the girl ordered. "I've gotta take a piss. And I don't want you shooting that thing until I get back."

"Ugh, fine."

"Once you earn my trust with it, you can shoot it whenever, but today's only your first day."

"Yes ma'am. I won't shoot it until you get back."

"Okay." Clem turned and started to hobble off on her crutches. "I'll be right back."

Louis watched until Clementine walked out of his sight, then sat down on a little stump. He traced the ridges on the gun and hummed to himself, until the low, deep groan of a walker reached his ears.

He looked up from the gun to see one of the dead slowly dragging itself toward Louis, half of its body frozen and stiff. The teen glowered at the sight of the walker.

Reaching into his back pocket and grabbing his spare knife, he walked up to the walker, stopping a few feet in front of it. The monster tried to speed up to reach him, but ended up just falling down because of his immovable side.

Louis actually pitied it for a moment, watching it lay there and struggle. He took his gun and stood how Clem had shown him, aiming at the head.

"Bang," he spoke, pretending the bullet had actually fired.

Suddenly, he got an idea.

Oh, that would scare the shit out of her. If it actually works.

A mischievous grin spread across Louis's lips as he dug deeper into his new found prank. "I'll be kissing her by the end of the day," he said out loud.

First, he took the knife and plunged it into the walkers head. Once it was dead for good, he turned it over and cut open its stomach, like AJ had when they had to sneak onto the boat.

After that, it was time for the gross part.

"Do it for the kiss," he mumbled, trying to encourage himself to plunge his hands into the corpse's guts. Without giving himself too much time to think about it, he dove his hands right in.

Lou picked up a big glob of the monster's insides and smeared it on the side of his head. He cringed as he added more, trying to make it look like a bullet had gone through his scull. Then, he took the walker's blood and dyed a small patch of the snow red. Once he was done, he dragged the body out of sight.

Louis didn't really have any reflective surfaces, so he could only hope that he did a good enough job on his head. When he felt ready, he went and got on his knees above the pile of blood.

"Here goes," he uttered. Then, he pointed the gun straight up into the sky and pulled the trigger.

At first, everything was silent. Not one bird chirped, and no walkers moaned. However, after a couple moments, he heard Clementine call, "Louis?"

He quickly laid his head down into the blood, but kept his eyes open.

"Louis!" His girlfriend yelled again. "Answer me!" He could hear the panic in her voice.

He kept quiet.

Then, he could hear her crutches as they hit the forest floor, moving faster than he'd ever heard them before. They were getting closer to him, and soon, he could just barely make out her outline.

"Louis?!" Clem shouted. "Where are you?"

He closed his eyes, but barely raised up his eyelids enough to see his girlfriends reaction.

When Clementine saw him, she stopped in her tracks, dropping her crutches as her hand flew up to her mouth.

"No," she whispered. "No, not again!"

The girl frantically hopped over to where his body lay, and Louis didn't move a muscle.

She got down on her knees letting out a sob as she inspected his body. She took out the gun from Louis's hand and threw it to the side.

Lou had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from moving while Clementine gently touched the fake bullet wound on his head.

"W-why?" She asked, her voice breaking as the tears began to fall. She pulled Louis into her lap, caressing his cheek and stroking her thumb across his dread locks. "How c-could you j-just l-l-l-l-leave me?"

Okay, I didn't think she'd actually fall for it, Louis thought to himself, feeling guilty as his girlfriend wept over him.

"I n-need you, Lou!" The distraught girl cried. "God, w-what am I g-going to do?"

I should probably give myself up now...

Clementine took off her hat and threw it on to the ground, running her fingers through her hair. "Why d-does this always h-happen? Why do a-all the good o-ones fucking leave?!"

She laid her stump on the ground, and rested her forehead on her good leg. Louis felt terrible as her body trembled, both from the cold and the despair.

Clem reached down and grabbed Louis's hand as she sobbed, harder than she ever had before. She brought it up to her lips, kissing it.

"I should've b-b-been h-here. I d-didn't m-m-make y-you h-happy enough. I-I'm so s-sorry."

She let out a little whimper that broke Louis's heart.

"It's a-all m-my fault."

Louis couldn't stand to see her like this anymore. He wiggled the fingers of the hand she was cradling, and Clementine jumped back, reaching into her back pocket for a knife.

The boy sat up once he saw her reach back there. "Don't worry, I'm not turning into a walker," He claimed, reading her mind.

Her eyes softened and seemed relieved for a moment, before they grew wide again. She reach out to touch him, on his "wound."

Louis nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's not real."

"So y-your okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"And y-your s-still a-alive?"

"Yeah. I'm not, like, a ghost, or anything."

As Clem realized this, her face hardened, and she sent the scariest death glare towards Louis that he had ever seen. It felt as if she were staring a hole right through him.

Louis went to say something, but was cut off by his suddenly livid partner. "Y-you fucking a-asshole!"

She stood up on her one leg and began to hop towards her crutches, and Louis was quick to beat her to them to hand them to her. "Okay, I deserved that," he admitted. "I didn't think you would actually fall for it, though-"

"You're s-so f-fucking stupid!" She exclaimed, her stuttering from her crying still present, but not as bad. "Who the h-hell does that?!"

"I thought you would see my attempt to scare you and laugh at it!" He defended himself. "I didn't think you would actually buy it!"

"Idiotic dick!" She cussed. "Bone head of the fucking century!"

"Hey, I said I'm sorry!" Louis said, a little surprised at how angry she was. "I told you I was going to do whatever it took to scare you, and you said that was fine. You were scared, weren't you?"

"Yes, Louis, I was scared fucking shitless. I thought I fucking lost you!"

"Well I'm here. And I'm okay." He stepped closer and caressed her cheek, attempting to calm her, but it just made her even madder. She jerked away from his touch.

"I'm going back to the school, and don't you dare fucking follow me," she warned menacingly.

She started to turn and walk, but Louis walked next to her, claiming, "I have to stay with you to keep you sa-"

He was cut off has Clementine reared back and swung herself on her crutches to send her foot flying into Louis's crotch. A devastating blow. He groaned in pain, doubling over and holding his groin area.

"I can take care of myself," she growled. Then, she started to walk off again, before stopping and turning around to tell him one last thing. "Oh, and you know what? We're through!"

"What?" Louis asked through clenched teeth.

"This," she said, gesturing to her and then to Louis, "is over. I don't need a boyfriend who makes me cry my eyes out just for fun."

"I already told you, it wasn't like that!"

Clementine ignored him as she walked off, not looking back behind her.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Louis waited until sundown to go back to the school. He was too scared to go any earlier.

He was frowned at by Willy at the gates, and got a disapproving look from Omar as he entered. Aasim shook his head as Louis passed him, and Ruby glared at him as he went to the music room. Even Rosie didn't come to Lou when he called for her.

Louis sat alone in the music room, trying to tickle the ivories a bit to clear his mind. But anytime he would start a piece, he would get lost in thought about what happened earlier, and his fingers would hit some random keys and mess up the song.

Finally, he just gave up trying to play at all. He ran his fingers through his hair, resting his forehead on the piano.

"Aw, shit," he mumbled to himself. "I really fucked up."

"Yeah, you did," Violet agreed from behind him. He turned to see his old friend leaning in the doorway, and he sighed and turned back around. "So, I hear you got dumped."

"Yeah," he admitted.

"How does it feel?"

"Glorious," he sarcastically replied. "I love it."

"Well, you kind of deserve it," Vi opinionated. "What you did was messed up."

"I know."

"What were you thinking, anyways?"

"That I wanted to kiss her so bad, and that I should give playing dead a shot. I didn't think it would actually work."

"So not terrible intentions."

"No."

Violet came next and sat next to him, sighing. "I already talked to her a little for you. I said that you just do dumb things sometimes, to not take it personally. But she [retty was pissed."

"Thanks." Louis lightly pressed the lowest key on the piano. The deep, dull town it let out pretty much summed up the way I felt. "For talking to her, I mean."

"You should try talking to her," Vi suggested. "Before she just gets madder."

"I've already been kicked in the balls once today. I don't want her to do it again."

"That's a risk you gotta take if you ever want her to forgive you, Lou." Violet stood up. "And if you ever want her kisses. That's why you did this whole thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Louis played another note. "I guess I probably should go and talk to her."

"Good luck," Violet wished him as she started to walk out.

"I'm gonna need it," he replied.

He caught their initials out of the corner of his eye, and the corners of his lips slightly raised as he recalled the memory he had at this bench. For a moment, he forgot the situation he was in. Then, as reality set back in, he stood up, a newfound determination filling him.

I have to fix this.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Louis made his way over to Clementine's dorm, freshly picked flowers in hand. He rehearsed his lines in his head: Clem, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you. I just wanted to kiss you, so bad. I can't wait a week! I wasn't expecting my prank to actually work, either. Please, please forgive me.

As he neared the room, he saw AJ walk out of it. "How's it going, little man?" Louis asked as he passed him.

"Okay," Alvin Junior claimed. "Where are you going?"

"To see Clem," the teen responded, showing him the flowers. "How is she?"

"Mad. Like really, really mad. I left because I didn't want to be in there with her when she was that mad. She's scary when she gets like this."

"Well, I'm going to fix her," Louis announced, walking toward the door again.

"Aren't you the one that broke her?"

"... I'm gonna make her better, okay? Just, go play with Willy or something."

"O-kay," AJ said, rolling his eyes.

Louis watched until AJ rounded the corner of the hall, then hesitantly stepped up to the door. He raised his hand up to knock, but stopped right as he was about to do so. "Don't fuck this up," he murmured to himself. Then, he lightly rapped on the door.

"Who is it?" Clem asked, the annoyance clear in her voice.

"Me," Louis answered.

"Go away, Louis."

"But I have something for you."

"I don't want it."

"They'll die if I don't get them in something soon."

Clementine was silent for a moment. "What is it?"

"Guess." Louis leaned his head against the door to see if he could hear her reaction.

"No. Leave."

"But Clem-"

"God damn it, Louis, just get the fuck out of-" She was suddenly cut off, and Louis heard a loud thud.

Without thinking, Lou through open the door to find Clem on the floor, lying on her stomach. He set the flowers down and bent down to help her up.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.

She jerked her arm away from him. "I'm fine." She grabbed hold of the bed and hoisted herself on top of it. "I can get up myself."

"Did you forget again?" Sometimes, Clementine forgot that she didn't have half of her leg. She would get up to do something without thinking, and usually fell flat on her face.

Clementine didn't reply, and Louis took that as a yes.

Louis picked the flowers up from off the floor, and held them out to her. "I got you these."

She glared at him. "I'm allergic to flowers."

Louis faced dropped, and he threw the bouquet behind him. "Oh."

They both just stared at each other for a moment, the uneasy tension making the boy uncomfortable. Clementine took advantage of that, sending him a death stare. "You can leave now."

Louis started to turn around, but stopped. He faced Clem and made direct eye contact with her. "I'm sorry."

"Okay."

"I'm am so, so sorry," he repeated. He sat down next to her on the bed, and Clementine scooted the opposite direction and up against the wall. Louis pretended not to care, continuing, "I just couldn't stop thinking about how badly I wanted to kiss you. And I also didn't think it would actually work! I thought that maybe you would see me and just yell at me for shooting without you there."

"Well either way, it was stupid."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm swallowing my pride and apologizing, Clem. You know me; I can be fucking stubborn sometimes. But I'm here right now, admitting to you that I was wrong."

The girl just stared at him.

"I'm also known to do stupid things, Clem," Lou added. "You should know that by now."

"Stupid things lead to people dying, Louis!" Clementine suddenly snapped, making Louis jump. "Believe me, I know!"

Louis was silent, shook from her outburst. She broke eye contact and stared at he bed, surprised by her sudden words, too.

"Sometimes, it's not even anybody's fault," Clem muttered, more to herself than Louis. "It's just the universe, giving us all a hard fucking time." She looked up from the blankets and back to Louis, her eyes misty. "I was reminded of that today. Stupid things happen all the time. People who were happy do dumb things, and they leave me..."

Louis grabbed her hand, and this time, she didn't tear it away. "Hey, I would never do that to you."

"Jane said that, too." Her eyes took on a glazed over look, as if she wasn't really there. In a way, she wasn't; she was sucked into her memories. Back to when she found Jane hanging from the ceiling. "But she lied. Just like everyone else. Left me and AJ on our own." She closed her eyes, the memory painful. "Fucking selfish."

Louis said nothing.

"That wasn't the first time, though. Everyone in my life, they don't stick around for too long. I don't know what it is, but every time I come into a group, they fall apart. People die, friends betray... and it only happens when I show up. I don't know, maybe I'm like a bad luck charm, or something."

"Don't say that," Louis scolded. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to us."

"I've learned to never get too close to people," Clem continued, ignoring Louis's last comment. "The only exception I made was to AJ. Everybody else, though, I try to not get used to them. But today, when I saw you in the woods..." She took a deep breath to keep control of her emotions. "I realized how much I let you mean to me. How much I let myself I need you. How much I let myself love you."

Louis's stomach did a flip at the last sentence.

"I let you get too close..." She bit her lip as a tear trickled down her cheek. "If that had been real, Lou, I don't know what I would have done. I was debating on killing myself, Louis..."

Upon hearing that, he scooted right up next to her and pulled her into an embrace. She didn't hold back from him at all anymore.

"I've always been okay on my own. But now that I've met you, I never want to be alone again. And I hate you for that." Her voice broke.

"It's love, Clem," Louis softly whispered, holding her tighter. "One of the downsides of it is it turns our whole world upside down. But it's worth it. You don't have to be tough all by yourself. You're not alone anymore, and that's good. You don't have to push me away."

The teen girl let out a tiny sob, and Louis gave a gentle squeeze.

"Know that I'll never leave you, okay? I won't hurt you. I won't let anyone else hurt you. You're safe. It's okay to let people in now."

"Okay," she muttered into his shoulder.

Louis held her close, softly swaying back and forth to calm her down. It worked, and she slowly stopped crying.

After a little while, she pulled out of the hug and wiped her runny nose. Louis wiped off her tear trails with his thumb.

"I think I know what scares me the most, now," she claimed.

"Oh yeah? What?"

"Losing you. Or AJ. Anybody here, really."

"Well you don't have to worry," Louis assured her, wrapping an arm around her. "I won't let that happen. That's an irrational fear, with me around. It's like you saying that you were scared of bunnies."

Clementine let out a small laugh, and Lou smiled.

"So... are we still broken up?"

"No," she stated. "We're officially a thing again. As long as you don't pull another one of your pranks."

"I won't," he promised. "Never again."

Clem smiled at him, and her eyes fell to the flowers on the floor. "Hey, can you get those for me?"

"I thought you were allergic," he spoke, getting out of bed and bending down to get them.

"No. I was just mad at you."

Louis chuckled, handing them over. Clem took them and inhaled deeply, satisfied with their fresh scent. Then, he crawled back into bed, and Clem scooted over to him. She snuggled into his chest, and he pulled her close. Out of habit, he turned his head and planted a kiss on her forehead. His eyes widened once he realized what he did. "Sorry, I forgot I'm not allowed to yet. Please don't kick me in-"

He was cut off as Clem planted a tender, passionate kiss on his lips. At first, he was too startled to react, but once he processed what was happening, he kissed back.

After a moment, Clementine parted their mouths and went back to laying on his chest. "You're allowed to kiss me now."

"Good," Louis breathed. He glanced out the mostly boarded up window to see that it was dark already dark outside. "Geez, it got dark pretty quick."

"Mhmm," his girlfriend replied, her eyes closed as she rested her eyes on Louis's chest.

Louis smiled, whispering, "Goodnight, Clem."

"Night."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

Louis gingerly stroked Clementine's hair as she drifted to sleep, quietly humming a made up tune.

He couldn't help but smile at how peaceful she looked.

At some point, he fell asleep, too, a wide grin plastered on his face from admiring who he loved most.

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

AN: well, there's that. hope you liked!

got any requests for another one?

4 notes · View notes

mushyyroom · 6 years ago

Text

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (1/?)

This amazing edit was made by the even more amazing @persongoingslow

Read on Ao3// TRAILER PARODY PLS CHECK OUT!// and @evaeselgreatest made a version of this story thats awesome too so I highly recommend checking it out!

I’m just getting around to posting this on here! I hope you like it! This version is more based on the book than the movie so hopefully you still like it!

Next Chapter// Word Count: 5209

Summary:

Cyrus writes love letters. Letters that he writes when he feels emotions so strong that he doesn’t know what to do with himself. There are 5 letters in total- one for each boy that he has ever loved before.

There was TJ, the popular basketball captain, Gus from homeroom, Marty from the party, Walker from the art gallery, and Jonah, the boy with the cutest dimples, but he was Andi’s boyfriend.

These letters were never meant to be seen by anyone else but Cyrus himself. Until one day they are.

Jonah is Andi’s boyfriend, but everyone in their group was a little in love with him. Before he was Andi’s boyfriend he was just Jonah Beck. Older, Amazing, ultimate frisbee playing, something to look at from afar, Jonah Beck. And by some miracle, he started hanging out with their ragtag group of friends.

Buffy liked Jonah because he could stand his ground. She didn’t mind having him invade their little group as much as she did with other people. He was someone she could arm wrestle with and not give in right away. Cyrus assumed that Buffy always wished that he and Andi were more athletic. She loved them for who they were, but he knew that she wished that she could fully share that part of her life with them.

If Cyrus had to take a guess as to why Andi was enamored by Jonah, he would have to guess that it was because Jonah was damn near perfect. He was always polite around her parents and grandparents, they adored him, and he was always friendly to everyone. There was absolutely nothing that he couldn’t do. Okay there probably were some things he couldn’t do, but he seemed almost invincible most of the time. His smile could end wars. Wars!

He used to have a crush on Jonah. But that was long gone now. He had made peace with the fact that Jonah and Andi were just going to be a thing and not just a phase a long time ago. It was the right thing to do, to let go of it.

He had even wrote a letter. The kind of letters he’s written only four other times in his life. A letter he writes when he has a crush so intense that he can’t function until he does something about it. And they were for his eyes only. They were stored away in a T-Rex shaped container he had gotten as a child and they were only taken out when Cyrus felt like taking a self pity trip down memory lane. Jonah’s goodbye letter was in there along side the one for TJ Kippen from seventh grade, Gus from homeroom freshman year, Marty from the sophomore party, and Walker from that art gallery (who was now one of his close friends). Those were his most secret possessions. Not even Buffy or Andi knew about them, and he intended to keep it that way until they were older and could just laugh about it.

“Cyrus? Are you okay?” Buffy nudges him out of his thoughts. The Spoon was half full with people they didn’t know and the sun was just beginning to go down.

Cyrus shook his head and popped a tater tot into his mouth, “Yeah. Just lamenting over the fact that we have to start school tomorrow.”

Jonah slightly jumped when Andi put her fingers in her ears, making noises, “La la la la! Shh! Cyrus we’re not supposed to be talking about it. We have to just have a nice last day of summer before the worst year of highschool ever!”

Cyrus forgot that they agreed not to talk about the impending junior year of doom. But it’s not like that was what he was actually thinking of. He blamed himself for not being able to come up with a better lie. Buffy laughed beside him at her friends antics, “Although Andi is right, while were still on the topic,” she turned to face Cyrus, “You’re driving me tomorrow right?”

Shit. He forgot about that too. Although he got his license a while ago, Cyrus still paled at the thought of having to drive. Buffy still had to go through the whole process and since Andi only had her motorbike, a motorbike for one person that is, it was Cyrus’ duty to take himself and Buffy to and from school. Why did he agree to that again?

“I can always give you guys a ride if you need,” Jonah smiled, his eyes filled with light and all things heavenly. Jonah really was his savior.

Buffy shook her head, “No need Jonah. Cyrus needs to defeat this fear of driving that he has. But just in case I got this,” She ducked under the table for a second before smugly presenting a bike helmet.

“You got a new bicycle?” Cyrus raised a skeptical eyebrow. Last time he checked Buffy said she’d rather run all the way to school then get a new bike. She wasn’t too fond of them after their seventh grade fiasco. But if she was planning on riding to school instead he was more than happy to celebrate.

Buffy fit it snuggly on her head and clicked the strap on under her chin. She grinned, “Nope. I brought it for the car ride.”

“Well that does wonders for my self confidence,” Cyrus said sarcastically.

“Can’t be too prepared!” Buffy replied in a chipper manner.

“Well I guess Jonah can drive you home tonight!” Cyrus swings his legs out from under the booth, promptly standing, “I should get going.”

Andi groaned, pouting a little as she watched him tug on his coat, “Aw! Okay fine! See you tomorrow?”

“Of course!”

Buffy called after him as he left, “This is the year Cyrus!”

She was right. They’ve already decided on this a while ago. This was the year that everything was going to change. This was the year that they would check a bunch of stuff off of their old bucket lists before creating a whole new one just for senior year. They were going to make the best of a supposedly crappy year. That was the plan, and if Cyrus loved one thing, it was a good plan.

The bell dinged and the air was still warm from the summer sun. Cyrus walked around the corner from the restaurant where his beat up little car was waiting for him to drive the 5 minutes back to his house. He could do it! Or at least that’s what he kept chanting to himself as he buckled up and turned on the engine. Why was he so scared of driving? It wasn’t like he was a risky driver like some of the kids in Shadyside. He just couldn’t help the heart racing rush of anxiety he got when he was behind the wheel.

He really didn’t want to have to drive Buffy to school everyday. Andi was a much better driver than he was, she should just drive them in her mother’s car everyday, it’s not like Bex didn’t walk to work anyways. She could handle the pressure of controlling a machine that could kill someone in the blink of an eye.

Maybe it was because Cyrus was so hyper focused on his impending dread that he didn’t notice himself drifting into a fourway stop, or that he was running a stop sign, until another car made a deep dent in the side of his passenger door.

For a moment all Cyrus could register was his own screaming and his heart trying to escape his chest. With his eyes still squeezed tight, Cyrus moved to put his car in park before shaking his leg. Alright well those were still working at least.

The pavement beneath his feet felt like jello as he took a shaky step out of his car, only to be faced with an annoyed woman. She was older looking, older than his mom but not quite as old as Cece, and she was wearing the typical soccer mom outfit.

“Didn’t you see the stop sign?” She questioned, and oh boy did she look pissed.

Cyrus shook his head fastly, he was sure it was just gonna fly off at any minute, “N-No mam! I’m so sorry.”

The woman must have seen the scared look on his face because she just sighed and her countenance morphed into only a slightly perturbed look, “You kids and your phones. Well my car doesn’t look like it was damaged, do you want to report it?”

He shook his head again. He could not live with himself if he already had to report an accident as a beginner.

“Okay, well do you want me to stick around for you to call help?” She raised an eyebrow. She sure was nice.

But Cyrus didn’t feel like he needed two people looking disappointed at him at the same time so he just said, “No. It’s okay, thank you so much mam.”

The woman just drove off after that. And while her car might have been fine, his had a giant dent in it.

How could he do this? His parents always said to drive with a clear mind and focus on the road, two things he obviously did not do. They were going to kill him! All four of them!

He sat down on the hard curb and just stared at the car. He knew he wasn’t ready for this kind of responsibility. He still needed his mom to drive him to far away places and relied too much on everything in town being walking or biking distance. God, why was he so useless!

His eyes were wet and he knew his voice was the complete opposite of calm when he pulled out his phone and went to his contacts list. It rang three agonizing times before it was picked up, “Jonah! C-Can you help me?”

He was crying on the phone. To his old, secret, forbidden crush. The crush whose letter rested in his dinosaur box with the rest of his dead crushes. Could this situation get anymore embarrassing?

Jonah, by some miracle (or curse) since he was usually such an oblivious boy, picked up on it, “Cyrus? What’s wrong?”

“I was in a car accident. Can you come help me?” Cyrus’ voice was still wet.

“Woah! Dude, are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m not hurt or anything, can you just come get me? Without Andi and Buffy?” He didn’t need his friends fretting over him. He just wanted to get home as soon as he could.

Jonah sounded more relieved as he continued, “Of course, Uh...Where are you?”

Cyrus looked around at the houses, “463 Wesmyer road. At the intersection.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, just,” He paused for a moment and Cyrus could hear him mumble something to, presumably, Andi and Buffy. “Stay there.”

The line went dead and Cyrus almost wished he asked Jonah to stay on the phone with him. But then he started to cry again so he was happy he didn’t. The silence was almost haunting and he wasn’t too keen on being left alone with his thoughts to mull the whole situation over.

“Underdog? Are you okay?” That wasn’t a name he had heard in a long time. His head popped up at the voice. TJ Kippen squinted at him with a questioning look. He was driving one of those jeeps without doors, because of course he would driving the death trap 2.0 with one hundred percent confidence.

Cyrus just nodded and looked back down, hoping TJ would take that as a sign to just leave. And he was almost certain that TJ did just that until he hears the jeep pulling over to the side.

“Wow. You really did a number on your car,” TJ whistled, “Did you get the other person’s insurance?”

“No,” Cyrus dared to look up. He was sure that his eyes were unattractive puffy and his nose needed a fluffy tissue, but if TJ noticed, he didn’t say anything.

TJ plopped down beside him, “Why not?”

“It was my fault,” Cyrus shrugged, unsure of what else he could say.

“Did you call triple A?”

Cyrus shook his head and added, “But someone is coming to help me.”

He could see TJ nod to himself. They used to be friends. Close friends. TJ used to be apart of his little seventh grade group. The boys were TJ, Walker, Jonah, Kip, and himself. The girls were Andi, Buffy, and sometimes Amber if she was around and felt like ‘hanging with the younger crowd’ as she put it. It’s funny how it all worked out. But it’s not until you’re older that you realize how much of it was by fate. The universe. TJ and Buffy couldn’t even stand to be in the same room at first. It took them months to make up. Kip had once just been a random guy that they had seen around school a few times, and then suddenly he was around all the time. Walker had moved into their school district not even after three months of meeting him at a middle school mixer. And Amber was once an enemy as well, those Kippen siblings had a thing for trouble it seemed, but she made her peace.

By the time highschool came, they split into different crowds. Kip had outgrown their little group and started to hang out with what he considered the in crowd, leaving Cyrus to start highschool without someone he considered to be a good friend. Not that Buffy and Andi let him be deprived of amazing friendship though.

They’re not friends anymore either, Cyrus and TJ. So it was weird to be near him again after so much time has passed. But it was a familiar weird.

TJ’s phone buzzes and shook his head, annoyed, before pulling the device out of his back pocket. He reads it and reluctantly said, “I gotta go.”

“Where?” Cyrus couldn’t help but ask. Curiosity did kill the cat and all that jazz.

TJ sighed and shoved his phone back where it was, “To Kip’s.”

“Oh, you better get going then. He’ll be mad if you’re late.” It was weird for Cyrus to tease like that, but TJ just brought out that side of him. The playful and confident side. It was one of the reasons Cyrus loved being around him back in middle school. He often wished that their friendship lasted longer just because of it.

TJ rolled his eyes, “It’s not like he owns me or anything.”

“Hey! If you got married then his name would be Kip Kippen!” Cyrus remarked like it was the first time he had ever thought of it. He, Buffy, and Andi had laughed about it a bunch when they heard about the two’s relationship from the high school news grapevine, “Although, he might let you have his last name. He’s generous like that, isn’t he?”

“Goodbye Goodman,” TJ just let an amused smile slip onto his face before turning to his car. He paused though, like he forgot something, and turned back around, “Are you okay now?”

“Yeah,” Cyrus could feel himself smiling too, “Thanks for stopping, it was really nice of you.”

“Of course,” TJ nodded firmly and turned back towards his car again, this time for good.

TJ was a character out of an old movie, timeless. He could be a debonair spy that had all the bad guys falling for his trap. He could be sipping milkshakes with another person at a diner bar and cruising down the street all slow like in an open air car. He was picturesque. There was just something that a lot of people liked about him.

He was Cyrus’ first kiss with a boy. The one he considered to be his first real kiss. It seemed like a distant memory. Or maybe something more akin to a fever dream. But it was only four years ago.

Jonah arrives a few minutes later, standing in front of Cyrus, as Cyrus is replying to Buffy and Andi’s worried texts. He looked at the house behind him, “This is 436. You told me it was 463.”

“No! I said 436.” Cyrus said with the leftover confidence he had from his encounter with TJ.

“Dude, you definitely said 463,” Jonah shook his head. He nodded towards his car, “Let’s just get going.”

Cyrus mulls over how he’s going to tell his parents after they call triple A. They weren’t going to be too crazy about it. He was supposed to be responsible. He was the son of four shrinks.

But it turned out that they weren’t too mad about it. The car had to be brought into the auto shop of course, but other then that hassle his parents didn’t seem too upset. They were more relieved that he wasn’t seriously injured.

Buffy was not happy about it though as Cyrus rung her doorbell at 6:30 AM. She gave him a tired glance and pushed right past him. He had to jog a little just to catch up.

“Hey! Don’t be too mad at me!” He wailed as he trailed after Buffy, her pace not changing.

Buffy stopped short and he almost bumped his nose against her backpack, “I don’t get why you insisted that we don’t ask Jonah for a ride. Now I have to get up earlier than before.”

“I’m sorry!” Cyrus groaned, “It’s just embarrassing! You’re my best friend, can’t you just understand?”

“Whatever,” She rolled her eyes and started walking again, but this time at a more normal pace, “I’m still annoyed at you but I’m too excited to tell you what I found out last night! Guess who broke up.”

“Who?”

Buffy leaned in like she was telling him a CIA secret, “TJ and Kip! Kip dumped his sorry ass.”

“Woah,” Cyrus’ eyes widened, “Why?”

Buffy shrugged, “Details are still fuzzy. But the most popular theory is that Kip met some college guy. Guarantee you he’s been cheating on TJ all summer.”

“That’s terrible.” Cyrus looked horrified. How could one human do that to another one?

They chatted about it all the way up until first period, which was gym. Cyrus stood next to Buffy as she did her warm up stretches. And by warm up stretches, he meant full on splits.

Cyrus thought he was imagining it when he saw TJ staring at him. But all three times that he looked up TJ was looking his way. TJ had been playing basketball with a few of his friends when he passed the ball over to someone and started jogging towards them.

“Hey, can I talk to you?”

Buffy and Cyrus share a look as she stands up. “Him or me?” Buffy raises an eyebrow.

“Cyrus.”

Buffy wraps her arm around Cyrus’ shoulder in a protective manner, “Whatever you have to say, you can say it to both of us.”

“I really need to talk to him in private?” TJ just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Buffy gives Cyrus one last glance before huffing, “Fine. I’ll start jogging. But remember Kippen, I run fast so if you try anything!”

“Buffy!” Cyrus screeches out, motioning frantically for her to just go.

She looks at TJ threateningly before turning around and running off.

TJ leans down to whisper, “Just so you know, I don’t have an STD.”

What the fuck? Why the fuck? Cyrus was a little taken aback to say the least, “I never said you did.”

“I also don’t always eat the last baby tater!” His whisper had a bit more bite to it.

“TJ, slow down,” He tried to put up placating hands, “What are you talking about?”

“You said that. In your letter! How I’m just a overly confident guy who goes around giving out STDs! Remember?”

“I never wrote you a letter!”

Wait. Yes. Yes Cyrus did write him a letter. But it couldn’t possibly be the same letter. That letter was safely hidden away!

“Yes you did! I got it in the mail, to me from you!”

He was dreaming. That was the only logical explanation that he could come up with. There was no way that TJ had seen the letter.

“Cyrus?”

Or maybe he wasn’t. TJ was holding the letter. That letter that was supposed to never be seen by anyone else but him. But there it was! His handwriting and everything!

“How- How did you get that?”

“Mailman dropped it off yesterday,” TJ sighs and starts in a lighter tone, “Listen, it’s fine just don’t go gossiping that I-”

“The mailman? Like the one that comes to your house?” Cyrus squeaked out, interrupting TJ.

“Yeah?”

Cyrus feels his breathing begin to quicken. He feels as if he's about to faint, his head dizzy and light. If only he were lucky enough to just faint and escape this situation.

He could feel himself break out into a sweat, letting out a rushed, “I wrote that a really long time ago!”

“Okay.”

“Like really really long ago. And I don’t even remember what I wrote! It’s from like, middle school! I don't know how it got out, can I see it please?” He tried to act casual and calm as he held out his palm. But everything about Cyrus in that exact moment screamed the opposite.

Instead of doing what he’s asked, TJ smiles widely for the first time in their whole conversation, “Nah. I wanna keep it, i’ve never gotten anything like this before.”

Cyrus takes a leap of faith and jumps for the paper. Unfortunately TJ was, and probably always will be, the more agile one out of the two and he swiped his hand away, “Why do you want it?”

“Please!”

“Fine,” TJ handed it over, chuckling softly, “It’s all yours.”

“Thank you,” Cyrus said promptly, the paper starting to crumple in his hands from how nervous he was.

Cyrus started to turn away when TJ grabbed his arm. This time he looked a little more sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck, “Wait. Listen, I didn't mean to steal your first kiss. I mean, I didn’t realize that-”

“It’s totally fine!” Cyrus rushed out. Was this conversation over yet? “Forget about it! Have a nice day TJ! Buffy wait up!”

And then Cyrus bolted towards Buffy, who conveniently just lapped them, leaving TJ to stand there awkwardly.

It wasn’t until he was safely drifting off in history class, it was only the syllabus so it was fine, that Cyrus pulled the letter out.

Dear TJ K,

First of all, I know you think you’re so cool when people call you by your last name. But you’re not. It makes you seem weird and it’s confusing most of the time.

Did you know that when you kissed me that I would fall for you? Love you? Sometimes I think you did it on purpose. You definitely did it on purpose. You know how I know? You think EVERYONE loves you, TJ. I hate that about you. I hate it because it’s true. Everyone does eventually love you. Including me. Well, not anymore.

You do things like push people around and put on this defensive shell because you don’t care. But you do care. You care a lot about what others think of you.

You always take the last baby tater without asking. Rude much?

And you’re perfect at everything! Too good. You could give others a chance to be good, but you never do.

You kissed me for no apparent reason. Even though I had my suspicions that you liked Kip. You had your suspicions that you liked Kip. Kip had the suspicion that you liked Kip. But you still kissed me. So I ask you this: Why? Why would you do that to me? My first real kiss was supposed to be fireworks and rain. Something perfect! But thanks to you it was none of that.

The worst part of it is, that stupid nothing of a kiss made me realize that I liked you. I never really thought of you that much before. And maybe that’s why you did it. Because you wanted me to be like everyone else and see you in that way. And your trick worked. From then on, every time I saw you my heart wouldn’t stop going Baboom baboom baboom at lighting speed.

You’re so good looking it’s unfair. Truly unfair. I think it’s your eyes. Or maybe that rare soft smile.

Even though I don’t think you deserve it, I’ll list the things I like about you:

You started to talk to me, even though I was some dorky kid and you were the captain of the basketball team. Why did you do that?

You helped me get a muffin. More than that, you had faith in me that my friends never did. You gave me confidence.

You’re unfairly tall. It’s no wonder you’re amazing at basketball.

You apologized to my best friend and let me help you. You let me in, and I could tell you don’t do that a lot. It made me feel special.

After that kiss I went on loving you for the rest of seventh grade and most of eighth. It hasn’t been easy, I nearly broke when I heard that you and Kip were official. It was even harder to see it with my own eyes. You probably make him feel special, right? Cause that’s what you’re good at.

You probably don't know what it’s like to like someone so much but know that they would never feel the same. People like you don't have to worry about stuff like that. At least it was easier since we stopped being friends. At least I don’t have to see it all the time.

And now that the year is almost over, I know for sure that I’m also over you. You can’t phase me anymore TJ. I can’t be effected. And I am proud to say that I’m the only person at school who as probably made it out alive after falling for your charms. Now I won’t have to worry about falling for you ever again! That’s a relief!

Even if I did kiss you again I bet I’d probably catch something. Although this time, it’d probably be an STD!

Cyrus Goodman

Why did he have to mention the whole kissing thing? It really wasn’t all that special.

But Cyrus still remembered that day clear as ever. They were at Andi’s house, with no parents. Bex had to go do something and trusted them to be alone. He had worn his best outfit that day, new shoes included, even though he’d just end up taking them off as soon as he got there. Nothing even really happened! No impromptu game of spin the bottle or seven minutes in heaven like he was dreading but secretly hoping for. All that happened was that they watched a movie then played monopoly until Buffy flipped the board.

It was slightly disappointed for Cyrus, who lived for romantic stories.

He and TJ were the last to be picked up and they sat on the porch as they waited. Cyrus kept tapping his foot as he awaited a text from his mom and TJ just played on his phone with a bored expression.

And then, out of nowhere, TJ said, “You know, your eyes remind me of chocolate.”

“Thanks!” Cyrus took it as a compliment, “I’ve always thought they were more of a mud bro-”

Then TJ leaned right in and kissed him, leaving Cyrus stunned.

He hadn’t thought of that moment in a while though. But if TJ got his letter then did Walker? Gus? Marty?

Jonah.

Oh no! Jonah!

Cyrus ran home from school as fast as he could once the bell rang. Clothes and knickknacks went flying everywhere as he tore his room apart. Where was that box? He couldn’t find it anywhere. When he asked his mom she smiled apologetically and said “It probably got sent out with the donation stuff. I didn’t even know you still used that thing.”

His phone buzzed. It was a text from Jonah.

Hey did you need a ride? Buffy’s with me right now.

Cyrus just ignored it and collapsed onto his bed. He couldn’t even imagine Jonah reading that letter. He couldn't imagine Andi's reaction to it! Closing his eyes and hoping for the best for the next day.

Like Andi’s dad always said, the universe decides everything. So it was the universes fault that Cyrus couldn’t open his locker and dash to his first class like he planned. It was the universes fault that Jonah had woken up late. And it was the universes fault that TJ had to go in to meet his math teacher whose office was right by Cyrus’ locker.

“Cyrus,” Jonah scared Cyrus as soon as he closed his locker, “Can I talk to you?”

Shell-shocked, Cyrus just nods.

“What is this?” Jonah holds out the letter, “I don’t understand.”

“I have no clue...” Cyrus laughs nervously. He felt like his spirit had ascended to the heavens and he’s just watching his body in some terrifying movie.

“I mean, you are the one who wrote it right?”

“Oh wow!” Cyrus feigned surprise and took the letter back, fighting the urge to crumple it up and never look back, “Where did you even find this old thing?”

“I got it in the mail,” Jonah’s face was eerily serious. His expression was usually sunshine and lollipops, “How long ago was this written?”

“Long long time ago!” Cyrus let out an uneasy laugh, “Don't even remember when that's how long ago!”

“Right...” Jonah still looked confused, “But you mentioned ultimate camp, and that was only a few years ago.”

“Time is just a concept!” Cyrus tried to play it off casually. Fuck the universe! Why did this have to happen to him.

“So then... do you... or did you have feelings for me?”

“I mean, yeah I guess you could put it that way,” Cyrus rushed out, wanting to just drop the subject ASAP, “But that was before you were with Andi. So like, basically back in the jurassic period!”

Then Jonah asked the one question Cyrus was hoping he wouldn’t, “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

He’s looking at Cyrus like a confused first grader. A sad, confused first grader. and Cyrus panicked, so naturally he said the first things that came to his mind, “I’m dating someone!”

“You are?” Jonah’s eyes widened, which only made Cyrus panic more.

“Yep! Someone I really like so please just forget about this?” He pleaded, “And don’t mention it to Andi! I was super confused when I wrote it. I don’t need it causing problems in our relationship.”

Jonah hesitantly nodded, but that wasn’t good enough. Cyrus needed to make sure that nothing came in between him and his two best friends, “Do you swear? Swear on ultimate frisbee that you won't say a word!”

“Okay I swear dude,” Jonah still looked out of it though, “Who’s the guy?”

“Guy?”

“The person you’re dating?”

And that’s when Cyrus spots TJ coming out of his math class, “TJ Kippen,” The bell rings and Cyrus pushes past Jonah, “Gotta go!”

“Wait!”

Cyrus runs to TJ like he's never run before. TJ looks confused as he sees him sprinting towards him. At the last possibly second, Cyrus leaps at him, wrapping his legs around TJ’s waist and his arms around TJ’s neck. Cyrus had never been that close to another person in his life. TJ is understandably shocked, raising an amused eyebrow, “Cyrus? What are-”

Cyrus cuts him off with a kiss.

I hope you liked it! Im here on tumblr to chat anytime so feel free to send me asks/prompts if you’d like! Or just plain old message me! I need friends

#andi mack #tyrus #cyrus goodman #tj kippin #buffy driscoll #marty from the party #jonah beck #sorry for the double post!#writing

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styomi · 6 years ago

Text

Fifteen study dates | 15-day prompt challenge | Sweet Pea/OC | Day 12

AN: And, with this one, we’ve officially entered into the kink territory… Enjoy the ideas, you little curious ones :D

Info:

Fandom: Riverdale Pairing: Sweet Pea/OC Rating: T Word count: 1718 + 120 bonus Chapter count: 12/15

Stay still for me

Ruby was seriously regretting taking Mattie’s challenge and signing up for the art class at school. It was positively kicking her butt. The worst part, though, was the fact that her current assignment was to draw someone important in her life. And, she probably would’ve asked Jo to sit down for a portrait, because he wouldn’t’ve bothered her, no matter how crappy it came out. But, her father was out of town for work, like usual. So, that left her with the next best thing. Ruby groaned in advance and grabbed her phone, dialing a familiar number.

“Hey, short stuff,” Sweet Pea’s attractive rumble came from the other side of the call. “What’s up?” Ruby closed her eyes, praying for patience.

“Are you busy?” She asked, opting to take the least destructive road. Teasing would come, she knew, but that didn’t stop her from attempting to postpone it as much as she could.

“Not really, just hanging out with the guys.” Toni’s voice protested from his side, making Ruby grin. “And girls.” Sweet Pea corrected himself pointedly, more for his friend’s sake than anything else.

“Well, then… um… Canyoumodelformyartclassportrait?” Ruby rushed to get it all out, the words jumbling together in a smushed sentence.

“Errr, can I what?” Sweet Pea asked. “Didn’t catch that last part of mumbo-jumbo.”

“I’m in art class.” Ruby started again, her face on fire.

“A beautiful fact well-known to all, I don’t doubt. What’s that got to do with me?” Sweet Pea was quick to shoot back teasingly. She was already regretting calling him. She should’ve asked Toni or Fangs. Maybe even Jughead.

“We have a portrait assignment. Someone important in your life.” The girl couldn’t back down then. She’d already stepped into the mess with one foot.

“Oh, want me to ask Toni to come over?” He asked, voice going a bit distant as he moved away from the speaker, undoubtedly looking for the purple haired Serpent.

“No, you,” Ruby quickly cut him off. “I want to draw you,” Sweet Pea laughed. He actually laughed at her. Ruby snapped and cut the call off. She would just draw Jo from memory or something. Her phone rang again from the spot on her desk where she’d tossed it in mild anger and embarrassment. She watched Sweet Pea’s name flash on the screen for a few seconds before giving in and picking up the call. “What?” Ruby’s tone was anything but courteous.

“I’m coming over,” Sweet Pea replied in his usual rumble. “I’m leaving the quarry now, so I’ll be there in ten.” Ruby felt her anger vanish at his calm tone.

“Alright. See you in a bit.” When the line cut off, the girl placed her phone on her sketchbook gently, looking at the dark screen for a few moments. Then, she jumped up from her chair. Ruby rushed to her wardrobe, throwing the drawers open and looking for something nice to wear. Finally, she settled on a light blue sundress with a golden pattern of a phoenix on the front, which Mattie had drawn with some fabric paints when she’d come over. It took the girl a few minutes to have the dress on, tame her long hair with a brush and finally apply some casual mascara and her Chapstick. With a final check in the mirror, she decided that she looked nice enough, but not date-worthy. So, perfect. The doorbell rang Chili’s barking ringing throughout the house. Ruby jumped and rushed down the stairs barefoot, pulling the door open with a sharp motion.

“So, how naked should I get for this assignment?” Sweet Pea was leaning in the doorway, a smug smirk on his lips.

“It’s just a portrait. So, not at all.” Ruby shot back with a small smile, letting him in. Instantly, her dog started singing a different tune, trying to get the biker to pet him with passion.

“Bummer, I think that I’d be a great nude model.” Sweet Pea bent down a bit, petting the eager Chili across the back, then ruffled his ears and let the pooch go. As Ruby led the way to her bedroom, the dog stopped following them, retreating downstairs, where he usually hung out.

“Sit there and don’t move, if that’s possible,” Ruby instructed, making Sweet Pea plop on the window seat and get settled in. He shrugged off his signature leather jacket and tossed it on her bed, before starting to mess with the pillows on the seat, checking out the books and notes on it and looking out at the driveway.

“So, how’s it coming?” The boy asked after the first half an hour. Ruby was focused on her sketchpad, her pencil always moving and eraser coming up from time to time to correct something. She tossed him a glare at the question. Sweet Pea threw his hands up and leaned back, taking up one of the books she’d been reading and opening it. He started skimming through the pages at first. Then, he actually focused on it, becoming immersed in the storyline and reading it slowly. It gave Ruby plenty of time to draw him.

She wasn’t a good artist by any means. Mediocre, at best. But, at Mattie’s challenge to take an art class and develop that skill, she couldn’t resist. Now, drawing Sweet Pea, she wished that she was better. She knew that she couldn’t do his handsome face justice on the paper. After a while, Ruby lost focus and just ended up staring at the tall biker, ridiculously out of place in her window seat, reading a romance novel she’d been given for her birthday by her best friend, Mattie, as a joke.

“Am I distracting you?” Sweet Pea asked after a while, his eyes leaving the page and meeting hers over the top of the book.

“Incredibly.” Ruby sighed, closing her sketchpad and tossing it on the table, along with her pencil and eraser.

“Does that mean that we’re taking a break?” Sweet Pea eagerly suggested. “Because this thing has some very interesting suggestions that I’m just dying to try out.” He put the book up in the air, waving it. Ruby couldn’t resist laughing. She knew that the book had quite a few intimate scenes, rather descriptive, too.

“Mattie gave it to me,” she elaborated. “As a joke, of course.” But, Sweet Pea was already grinning wide from his spot.

“Maybe your bestie just wanted to help us spice it up from time to time,” he waggled his eyebrows and she lost it, bending over with laughter. “Seriously, that scene with the blindfold… Damn, it sounds good.”

“Do you want to try it, then?” Ruby suggested, rising from her seat. She walked over to the door of her room, taking a scarf from one of the hooks. When she turned, she saw that Sweet Pea’s eyes had been glued to her behind the whole way.

“Sure,” he replied, swallowing thickly. Ruby walked over to the window seat, pushing the books to the side to sit next to him and handed him the scarf. Sweet Pea’s hands were cold when they wrapped it around her head, covering her eyes. It told her that he was beyond excited about their little game. “Can you see anything?” He asked, voice coming from right in front of her. Ruby felt his hot breath on her face, smelling of peppermint and some kind of food. He’d probably chewed a gum on his way to her house.

“All dark,” Ruby replied, her voice trembling.

“Alright. Tell me if we go into weird territory, okay?” Sweet Pea’s rumble sent a pleasant chill down her spine.

“We passed it some time ago.” But, the comment wasn’t a biting remark, rather, a sentence of consent, which Sweet Pea knew well. It was like pressing the play button. The first thing Ruby felt was a soft brush of Sweet Pea’s fingers along her neck, down to her collarbone and then they traced the top of her dress and vanished. She took a shaky breath, waiting. Next, his hand took hers, interlocking their fingers. For once, hers were warmer than his. His lips were on her cheek then, gently trailing over it, without a kiss, but with a teasing touch. And, as he neared her mouth, Ruby leaned in, expecting a proper kiss, but met air. She huffed in disappointment.

“Relax, cupcake,” Sweet Pea whispered into her ear, almost making Ruby jump out of her skin. She had had no idea that he was there. “I’ve got you.” The next touch came in a form of a kiss to her neck, making her sigh. Sweet Pea knew what he was doing when it came to neck kisses. They were open-mouthed, hot, coupled with gentle and hard nips, along with promises of hickeys which usually stained Ruby’s skin for days. She couldn’t resist reaching up with her hands, letting go of his fingers, and following his arms up to his shoulders, neck and finally settling for pulling on his hair. It was gelled, an annoying fact that made running her fingers through it hard, but she wasn’t in the business of gentle toying with his locks then. Ruby just wanted to tug on the damned thing and make him kiss her properly. So, she did.

Sweet Pea obliged, his lips meeting hers gently at first, but she deepened the kiss immediately, her tongue seeking out his. It was sloppy, as Ruby couldn’t see anything, and she’d always preferred having her eyes open when kissing. However, the two managed. Then, Sweet Pea pulled away and his arms came around her, hefting her small body up and carrying her somewhere. Ruby sighed, excited by the suspense of not knowing what was going to happen next.

Then, her back met the mattress and she felt Sweet Pea lean against her body, the weight a familiar and welcome feeling. Ruby’s arms came up to go around his shoulders, but he pushed them down.

“No touching, tater tot,” Sweet Pea ordered her. “I sat still for you earlier. Now, it’s your turn.” Ruby nodded shakily and her fingers twisted into the covers, holding on for dear life. She managed to let him do as she wished for a while before she abandoned all thoughts of obeying his wishes.

I’m looking forward to hearing what you guys thought of this one :D

Taglist: @enticinghell @projectcampbell @sweetscamille @xoxodege

Previous parts: Day 1: A way to memorize Day 2: How to prepare for a study date (?) like a proper gentleman Day 3: With proper motivation, anything is possible Day 4: PG13 PDA sugar can be good motivation Day 5: Autumn time is picnic time Day 6: It’s best when we can compete Day 7: Master of procrastination and his jailer Day 8: Take me anywhere, everywhere, away from here Day 9: Dirty French for beginners Day 10: I need… sleep?… no, you… Day 11: Delirium Day 13: Debate? Apparently, a turn-on Day 14: Two-seater and Chinese Day 15: Unintentional intentions

Bonus

“What the heck is that?” Toni asked, looking at the drawing Sweet Pea had pinned to the DIY cork board he had above his desk.

“Ruby drew me for her art class,” the tall Serpent shrugged. “I managed to convince her to let me have it.” The purple haired girl leaned away from inspecting the portrait done in pencil in order to raise her eyebrow at her friend.

“Sweet Pea, I love Ruby and all, she’s a darling in a small package… But, that’s just plain ugly.” Toni spoke slowly like he couldn’t understand her. Sweet Pea laughed heartily and nodded.

“I know, but don’t let her hear that. If you ask me, she needs to drop that class ASAP.”

Now, I’m done :D

#styomi #writing #fanfiction #riverdale #riverdale oc #riverdale aesthetic #riverdale drabble #sweet pea #sweet pea x oc #sweet pea oc #sweet pea drabble #sweet pea aesthetic #ruby wolfe #ruby wolfe aesthetic #bansheehime #study date prompts #romantic prompts #fifteen day challenge

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itsanerdlife · 7 years ago

Text

You Belong to Me 2

(MC Series)

Pairing: Tattoo Artist! Biker! Peter Parker x Single Mom! Reader

Warning: Swearing, mentions of violence, living on the run, angst, panic, guns mentioned, slight violence towards the end.

You work in a diner raising Ade on your own. Peter is in the Saints Revenge MC Club. During a family day at the preschool, they met. Peter runs a shop - St. Skin, when you are in need of a cover up from your past, Peter offers his help. You know better than to get involved with a MC, again. Peter is making promises, you know he can’t keep, not against what wants to get you back into his possession, again. But you don’t want stay away from Peter. But what about the little girl you’re raising the death bed promise you made your sister. Can you risk Ade’s safety letting a biker into their life, risking someone finding the two of you?

Tag List Is Open!!

Sarah skips into the club house, Peter follows, carrying the bright pink backpack and her Wonder Woman lunch pail. The guys are spread out around the room, they greet Sarah as she skips by heading straight for her father. Steve sat at the table, talking something over with Bucky and Clint, the conversation stops as Sarah leaps into Steve’s arms. Peter chuckles, flopping into the open chair, hanging the backpack on the back of his chair and the lunch pail on the table.

“How was family day?” Steve asks, Sarah is curled up in his large arms.

“Good.” Peter nods, as Sarah giggles.

“Uncle Peter met Ade’s mom.” She tips her head, as the guys around the table laugh.

“Oh, did he?” Steve nods, talking to his daughter, but looking at Peter.

“Thanks babe.” Peter scuffs at Sarah, she grins wide at him looking every bit the innocent tot she was.

“A mom, Peter?” Buck chuckles.

“We talked, calm down. That’s all.” He sighs.

“He had heart eyes.” Sarah rats him out again.

“Go play, blabber mouth.” Peter leans over poking her in the belly.

“Cranky.” She giggles, slipping from her father’s lap, and taking off.

“Ade’s the little, dirty blonde friend, right?” Steve looks over at Peter.

“Yeah, darker blonde hair than Sarah.” He nods.

“So, what’s her mom look like?” Clint laughs.

“Weirdly enough, not much like her kid.” He snorts, swiping the unopened beer in front of Buck, he twists the top off taking a drink.

“Really Parker?” Steve chuckles.

“What? We talked, she said Sarah was adorable, we had a cookie, talked ink and that’s it.” Peter explains. “I didn’t bend her over the teacher’s desk and give the kids a show.” He snorts.

“I don’t think you’d be welcome back for family day.” Buck chuckles.

“Not the first place I’ve been bane from.” Peter retorts, they all laugh knowing that was true. So, what was it about this mom that had him still thinking about her?

“Hey peanut, kiss.” You squat down, your hands on Ade’s hips, as she kisses you quickly. “Have a good day!” You call as she scurries away. Her ponytail bounces as she hurries, she wore a Power Rangers black T-shirt, and skinny jeans. When you stand up, you turn around bouncing off a wall of muscle and dark hair.

“Shit, sorry.” His voice is deep, his hand curls around your arm, holding you up.

“Fuck, like hitting a wall.” You brush your hair back.

“If it’s not the kids, it’s the moms.” A familiar voice sighs. “Ade’s mom.” He chuckles.

“Sarah’s uncle.” You smirk, looking Peter over.

“This is Ade’s mom?” The dark haired wall smirks at you as he lets go of you.

“Should I be flattered or concerned you know who I am?” You cock your eyebrow at him.

“Sarah mentioned you.” He chuckles. “Bucky.” He puts his hand out.

“Y/N.” You nod, shaking his hand. “So, Sarah mentioned me?” You smirk looking at Peter.

“She did.” He nods, grinning at you.

“Mhm.” You nod, trying to not grin back at him. “Well nice to see you again, and nice to meet you. But I have laundry calling my name.” You nod back towards your car.

“Day off?” Peter tips his head.

“It is.” You nod, taking a few steps back towards your car.

“Finding yourself with some free time?” He asks, dark brown eyes glinting at you.

“Funny you say that. Some uncle gave me his card, but I think he was just trying to see me again. Might be a little bit of creeper.” You wince, shrugging, a grin spreading across your lips. Bucky laughs, his head tipped back.

“Keep it up, I’ll give you another tattoo you hate.” Peter winks at you.

“Shoot.” You snap your fingers together. “Good thing I have laundry waiting on me.” You smirk.

“Not nearly as exciting as a tattoo from me.” He shrugs.

“Is his ego always like this?” You look at Bucky.

“Only when he wants something, he can’t have.” He chuckles, Peter shoves him in the shoulder.

“Good to know.” You nod, looking at Peter. “Keep your ten o’clock open, just in case laundry isn’t exciting enough.” You grin at him, you step back and bump right into the side of your car. “Oh shit.” You look back not having realized you were that close to the damn thing.

“Ten o’clock is all for you.” He grins before the turn getting into the truck a few down from your car.

“Why are you like this?” You mumble to yourself, you get into your car wondering why you couldn’t be normal.

“What’s that look on your face for?” Carrie sets the to go cup down in front of you.

“There is this uncle of one of Ade’s little friends, he offered to cover up my tattoo.” You shrug.

“He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?” She laughs.

“Carrie? How?” You stare at her.

“I’ve known you for almost four years, you never struggle like this when it comes to guy. You always shoot them down before they can get past a pretty smile and asking your name.” She waves her hand at you.

“I don’t date Carrie. You know that. I can’t risk.” You look around the diner, leaning in towards her. “I can’t risk someone finding out.” You whisper.

“Sweetheart, it’s a tattoo not a marriage proposal. Flirt, get yours, you do everything to keep Ade safe and well taken care of. Why can’t you have a life too?” She pats your cheek softly. “Stop worrying. You’ll look old before your time.” She smiles, walking away.

You pulled the door open to St. Skin, the neon sign lit up in a bright ass blue in the window. You look around a red headed woman sat behind the counter, talking to a few other people that were in the small waiting room. The walls decorated with tattoo ideas, options and previously tatted clients.

“You must be Ade’s mom.” You turn looking, he’s tall, build like a brick house, his T-shirt hugged him like a second skin, dirty blonde hair, and bright blue eyes.

“Sarah’s dad?” You smile.

“Steve.” He chuckles.

“Y/N.” You nod.

“I’ll let Peter know you’re here.” He steps away and down a small hallway.

“Ten o’clock was made for you.” You turn looking, Peter is leaning against the hallways opening grinning at you.

“Yeah well, my hot date with laundry, just wasn’t as interesting as the cocky tattoo artist who may or may not be a little stalker-ish.” You wink, grinning at him.

“Funny.” He grins, nodding he waves you towards him. “Show me what I’m working with.” He pulls back a curtain to a small room, the adjustable chair in the center, the walls decorated in more art, a wall of mirrors on one side, and a cart and stool off to the other side.

“Promise you won’t ask questions about it.” You press your lips together looking at Peter as he sits down on the stool.

“Just need to see what I’m covering up.” He nods, his hands in his lap. His knuckles are tattooed, vines wrap around his hand, you wondered for a moment if his palm was tattooed as well. You sigh pulling up the back of your T-shirt, as you sit down on the adjustable chair, your back to Peter, showing him the ink staining your skin on your lower hip.

You Belong to Me: @mo320 @rileyloves5 @irepeldirt @sweet-honey15 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @travelwithwords @lesmiserablememelovingfuck @yallneedtrek @pcterpvrker @petersunderroos @sarahp879 @i-love-superhero @lovemarvelousfics @msshadowboxer @thinkpretty-blog @importanttimemachinenerd @bethanystan @live-for-the-avengers @elle88531 @nerdyandexhausted @buckybarnesappreciationsociety @live-for-the-fanservice @mooniessuniverse @addalaidehoran @kazuha159 @amandab-ftw @wintersoldierz107

#Marvel #Peter Parker x Reader #Avengers #Peter x Reader #You Belong to Me #MC Series #Marvel Fanfiction #Peter Parker AU Series #Avengers Fanfiction #Peter AU Series

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breadcrumbsandmaps · 6 years ago

Text

Found in an old notebook, written sometime between 2002-2005

*transcribed as originally written with all the shitty mistakes*

The rain stung my face. It was a freezing Five Celsius out and the wind was blowing at a good Forty-Five km/h, making the coat I had on just about as useless as a hard boiled cirrus cloud. To be honest I don’t know what it means either, my friend had never bothered to explain the metaphors he used and when you’re around someone like Jimmy Katzaniel for long enough you pick up parts of that person’s vernacular. All the catch phrases, euphemisms, vulgarities, slang, you name it you got it (whether you wanted it or not was a different story).

I’ve digressed a bit though. My brain tends to wander these days-ever since the “incident.” I’ll try to concentrate more. Where was I? Oh yes...waffles, I was on my way to get waffles, it was December...seventh...in the year of our lord Nineteen hundred and forty one, so I was on my way to get these golden brown waffles-the big Belgium kind that comes with a free stomach pump and a gallon of that pink stuff that tastes of sodium saccharine and chalk. I swear to god the local “Wafflery” has the best...the best...um...oh no...that’s wrong. I wasn’t on my way to any Wafflery of sorts and the date is also incorrect.

Apparently I had started talking to myself. In the process I had altogether stopped moving. I started walking again, pulled out the crinkled paper package of tobacco, slid one into my mouth, and lit it. I enjoyed the nicotine and “Genuine Dirt Flavor” for a few brief puffs before the rain decided that smoking is a bad habit. I kept the useless sin stick in my mouth. I’ll put it back into the paper container later. It was good to keep a cigarette that went bad because if some ass asked you for a spare you give him the dud and enjoy a good one.

I guess I should mention I’m a sociopath, I don’t empathize with other humans. I have no need for empathy and in this line of work it’s the sort of thing that can get you killed. I checked to make sure my piece was still secured to the interior of my coat. Only trust your weapon 25 percent, because if you don’t have the necessary skills to survive no weapon will make any difference. The Vikings believed that you should always charge into battle because there was a certain day that you would die, no matter what you did you’d die on that day. The Vikings are idolized, made into gods, considered great.

The thing people overlook is the Vikings were just people trying to get by, like anyone else. I however, am loathed and feared. I like my job though; I like to know I’ve left a lasting Impression on people’s lives-and their children’s and their friends and societies as well. Most people see the movies and think my kind goes in there guns blazing wasting everyone in the room not taking a hit, with some cool zany catch phrase. Reality is boring compared tot he movies. Well except law and order.

Law and Order is kind of close to reality, but it’s all the cool parts just mashed into one giant orgasm. Take for example when they read the verdict “We the jury find the defendant..........guilty of murder one, fire up the fryer this guy’s ganna die.” In reality a verdict is much more boring “We the jury find the defendant guilty on penal code 203 section 84 for obstruction of justice and disregard to the onset of halitosis within the boundaries of the set parameter” on for a hundred counts of boredom. I could seriously watch that show...for...oh damn it, damn it all to hell I bloody stopped walking again.

Seriously, I knew that quack messed with me, but I didn’t realize the extent to which he did. I’ll explain. See two years ago I woke up in a black van, conscious but paralyzed-couldn’t even blink.The van stopped at some point and several guys who look like swat team members and four men in white lab coats opened the doors and carried me inside an elevator and we descended into the depths of hell. To summarize I think I spent about a month down there. Injections, beatings, torture, surgery, forced feedings, degradation and some quack who would ask me how I felt and would tell me what they were trying to do was what there was to my life for that month. Some freak cult, I lost my memories or what happened before I had come there.

They had Video taped and documented everything from the van forward. One day I had woken up and everything was different. There were bodies around, blood and entrails splashed on the walls like some modern art painting. There were bullet holes, slash marks, fire damage, craters-it didn’t take a genius to figure out that something bloody powerful stormed through here. Even though I knew whoever or whatever did all this might still be around I was damn hungry. I stayed for a while in these catacombs eating the left over food and water that was around.

Turns out there had been a whole colony of these freaks living in this huge underground complex. Whatever they were doing they had pissed something or some organization off pretty badly. I went through documentation and videos, map schematics, none of it seemed too interesting. I said I’d lost my memories of before the van, maybe I should clarify, I lost my memories of who I was and what I’d done, but not of my understanding of what things are. My collection of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and the like was completely in tact.

I’d wager they destroyed selective parts of my brain. Although I soon discovered why the reading I had done wasn’t too interesting. I had come across a few large bonfire pits filled with remains of diskettes, papers, books, CDs, Audio and Video Cassettes, none of it any use. I salvaged some money, clothing, and a few weapons from this tomb. There were about 30 levels to this place (felt like 100) as I climbed the stairs. I figured better the stairs than trust the elevator considering the condition of the place. Every single level had been decimated and no one spared.

I don’t imagine I had always been a sociopath, or maybe I was and this was why I was selected by them, lord only knows. If you had only visited the ground floor this would appear to be a normal building, everything was in pristine condition, no bodies, no people, and no signs of a savage battle. If it was an “office” front then the attack may have happened when the office was closed, or the attackers herded the people downstairs. Either way I was glad that the people below me were now ready for Mother Nature to recycle them.

The good thing about an extensively long flashback is that by the time I finished with it I was standing at the restaurant where my hit was. I walked in, shook off the rain and walked over to the hostess.

“Table for one.”

She seemed surprised by my presence and had a bit of disgust in her eye. Maybe it was because she was a pretty young woman and I was a bit gruesome to look at. She forced a smile and in a politeness that could only be described as false, replied

“I’m sorry sir but we’re...”

She went on about something or another, reservations, private party. I wasn’t really listening. I had on dark glasses and was scanning the customers for my target. I confirmed his presence and noted he was getting up in a hurry and made his way for a room. Now was my chance, he was running to the bathroom for the love of bladder. In this time the young hostess had finished her spiel.

“Oh ok.” (I said in acknowledgement that a table would be impossible) “But perhaps you could be so kind as to let me use your restroom.”

I had caught her off guard with my acceptance of what she had said. She had seemed ready to put up a fight. I’m a sociopath remember, not an asshole. She agreed and pointed me in the direction. I nodded in thanks and made a little jog to the little boy’s room. No one else was in there except for me and the one I had to dispose of. He was preoccupied urinating. I locked the door with such skill he did not notice. I waited a few seconds to finish up and shake. Before he could even zip up his vertebrae had been severed. God had not simply intended for us to turn out necks much more than 90 degrees left or right; a fact that I helped my friend understand with a small demonstration. I pulled down his pants and boxers and placed him in a stall.

I opened the bathroom door and walked out of the restaurant Thanked the bubbly hostess and disappeared into. It’s better when you don’t have to use a gun or a knife. What I did tonight is best described as a clean kill. No blood, no direct witnesses and a body that may not be found for a half hour. Funny thing is that in life the people you know are more likely to harm you than strangers are. Well it may not be too funny but, it’s the truth at least.

I was hungry so I set off again in this bastardly weather in the hopes of finding a Wafflery or some sort of confection outlet at least. Tomorrow I’d go to the boss and get paid. 10K a hit, a few hits a year and you have a nice life. People have this misconception that the assassin is out there every night killing people and not making any money. Like some sort of psycho, Al Paccino, guy. Nah we’re all humans just trying to get by in life. Tobacco companies kill thousands, and few complain.

Death is a part of life. It’s not something I myself even entirely understand. I somehow seem to think it does not apply to me that I merely deal it to those whose time it is to receive it. Sometimes I think I’m alone in this universe and that everything only exists for me. It usually gets weird when I’m lying i bed just thinking about it. A failed experiment I view this world as, something that has no purpose, reason, rhyme or metre. I wonder if there’s a heaven or a hell sometimes and if eternity would get boring. I can’t picture an eternity in this life.

Other times I feel like I’ve lived my life an infinite number of times. I wonder about reincarnation and what not. I’m not too many people think about this stuff but I think about it a lot, it drives a person crazy thinking about their mortality. I knew this girl...and...oh...I’ve done it again. I’ve gotten side tracked again well I was doing good for a while. But hell what can you say. I guess this is the end of our journey, for now. Have a good night my mysterious friend.

#old #story #hitman #sociopath #wtf #writing #write #me #love #waffles #inspire

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moodymindymusereactions · 7 years ago

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When their s/o playfully grabs their butt

Mark

Have you ever just wanted to hear Mark make odd noises? He’s so quiet that usually you only hear the sounds he wants you to, right? Like his voice when he speaks or his laughter when he finds something funny. The best way to elicit a squawk out of him is to surprise him. Sneaking up behind him and squeezing his butt is a...wonderful way of doing this ;). He’ll probably whip around and stare at you with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape, holding his butt almost protectively after your assault. A little, surprised laugh will fall from his lips as his mind wraps around the fact that you just did that. Mark will probably blush and get a little shy, but don’t think for a second that he won’t come for retribution. He’ll get you back when you least expect it. When he asks you why you felt the need to grab his butt and you answer that you like it, a beautiful thing happens! He blushes! Mark. Tuan. Blushing. That’s what we call art ladies and gentleman. This guy has the most beautiful blushing/shy face in my opinion. So enjoy it while it lasts. If you want to see that face more often, you’ll have to space out your butt attacks. Let him get comfortable and not be on the lookout for attacks from above. Trust me, it might seem gratifying to wait it out (I know, I love his butt, too), but it would be hella satisfying! I promise! *insert squealing noise* “Did you just?” “I did” *wicked grin on your part* *wide eyes continue* “Wh-jagi-I-why?” “Cuz it’s cute...and it was there.” *cue blushy face and little giggle*

The only thing I can say is make sure you are ready for the consequences. If you grab his butt, he might jump and turn to look at you like you lost your damn mind, but he’s loving the hell out of this. In fact, you would think that by grabbing his butt he would be the one blushing. However, Jaebum would turn the tables on you very quickly. I can imagine him cornering you before you have a chance to escape, arms on either side of your body, his leaning against yours, face to face, breaths intermingled. Yeah. Who’s blushing now? He’ll be the cheeky one who asks you what the hell you think you’re doing. When you say you like his butt and that’s why you grabbed it, he’s going to smirk and slowly, oh so very slowly, slide a hand down your arm and put your hand right back on his butt. He’ll tease you and ask something like ‘well? If you like that much go on’. The second you squeeze it again, he’ll have grabbed yours and squeezed tightly as well. Two can play this game and BOI, he’s enjoying it. In fact, he’ll like it so much that you might just find yourself on the receiving end of those grabs in the future! AND you might find that this cheeky bastard is going to bend over in front of you in all kinds of situations. He’ll wear pants that really accentuate his butt (and we all know about that JaeBUTTTTT. He ain’t even my bias!) all to make sure you zone in on it. Cheeky, cheeky, cheeky. You’ll be surprised though, that he can get really shy about it at times. If you decide to turn the tables and tease him he’ll lose his machoness and turn into a pile of goo. I highly encourage this. He’s got too much macho anyway. “Oh, you like my butt, Jagi?” *grabs yours tightly* “That’s so funny. I like yours, too.”

Jinyoung

I hope you don’t like sitting down. The second you grab his butt, this one is going to do exactly like Mark: eyes wide, mouth agape, hands holding his butt. Only difference here is he’ll recover faster and before you even have a chance to explain, he’ll have you bent over his knees and spank you repeatedly. Not even the sexy kind of way either. Just straight up Mom Spanking. There will be a lot of ‘Ya’s and a lot of ‘You think you’re so cute!’ going on. But even after you go scuttling away holding your smarting backside, he’s going to grin to himself and fanboy over the fact that you like his ass enough to grab it. It makes him hella proud and just like Jaebum, he’s going to make sure it’s in your view ALL THE TIME. Have fun with that. He’s more cruel than cheeky, but we’ll call it cheeky I guess. He’ll tease you endlessly for days after ‘The Squeeze’ as he dubbed it. It’s not a moment in infamy. Jinyoung will be a little shit about it until one day he just straight up grabs yours out of the blue. A good, long, jarring squeeze, probably couples with a neck or cheek kiss and a sassy laugh before he’s dancing out of reach when you go to swat him. He claims that the only person allowed to do any butt grabbing is him, but we all know that’s a lie. Honestly, don’t be afraid to come for the booty. I wouldn’t grab a handful unless you’re making out or *ahem*, but give it a good WACK! And then run. He’d live for that shit. “Ya! We’ve talked about this! Jagiyah, get that cute little butt of yours back here!” *cue him chasing you around the house* (you could always try distracting him with a kiss before the spanking starts, but hey if you’re into that sorta thing: FULL STEAM AHEAD!)

Jackson

Honestly, this one could go either way. I’d say run! Run as fast as you can! In any direction! Just run! Cuz he’s comin’ for that booty. Jackson is such a cutie, though. He’ll laugh the whole time, calling after you ‘where you going?’ and ‘Oh, don’t think you’re getting away! You started this!’ It would probably lead to a lot of kissing and making out. Or cuddling! It’s Jackson! You can’t say for sure! I mean the guy goes from sexy to adorkable in about .2 seconds, so… Anyway, I hope you’re prepared for war because I can totally envision this turning into a war of who can grab the butt and get away the fastest. Jackson loves that you love his butt and he loves yours just as much. He’s a touchy feely kinda dude, so this is tots up his alley. Jackson is filled with aegyo and we all know he will use it to get his way, so expect him to do cute little butt wiggles. Now that he knows you really like his butt, he’s going to use it to his advantage. I feel like he’d find ways of teasing you that would otherwise be really weird, but it’s Jackson, so it’s either super endearing or really fucking hot. I don’t know. He’s an Aries. They’re weird in general. In the best of ways, of course, but they march to their own beat. *Cue you pinching the butt harshly and insert high pitched squeal here* “YA! That’s the THIRD time today, babe! I NEED my butt! It does important things you know!”

Youngjae

BLUSHING BLUSHING BLUSHING LITTLE GIGGLY LAUGHS!!!!!! OMG if you are in a relationship with Youngjae and you don’t make it your life’s mission to make him blush and giggle, you can’t be with him. I’m sorry, but get out! He’s such a doll! He’s so cute!!!!! He’s not my bias wrecker for no reason. Precious lil bub! Youngjae will be so surprised! He might stare at you with his mouth hanging open, trying to form words but all that really comes out are stutters and giggles. I don’t know if he would be the type to grab you back except for every once in awhile when he’s in the mood *eyebrow wiggle*. He strikes me more as a neck kisser and soft touches kind of guy. He’d get flustered more than anything. Definitely enjoys the, uh, *ahem* unexpected attention, but would definitely get flustered. I think he’d like it but really wouldn’t know how to react back to it. Most likely Youngjae would turn into a pile of human goo. Goodness, can you imagine him stuttering out a why and then you telling him ‘oh, it’s cuz you have a cute butt and I like it’? Red might become your new favorite color, especially when it comes in the shade of Youngjae’s cheeks. Honestly, I don’t think he would ever get used to it. You could grab or pinch or slap his butt twice a week and it would still surprise him. But just be prepared for that inner beast to come out if you’ve caught him in a particular mood. He might be cute and fluffy, but we all know he hides a seductive side to him. It’s there, okay? Trust me. “Awww, jagiyah~~! Why do you keep doing this to me?” *whiny, blushing baby* “Because your butt is adorable!” *covers face with hands* “JAGIYAH!!!”

BamBam

Totally dramatic about the whole thing. Will drop to the floor in shock, holding his butt as he half laughs and half chokes in surprise (you know that ridiculous laugh he does? Yeah insert that too). If you can ever get him to stop laughing and rolling on the floor, you might be able to see if he’s okay. I mean, who is shocked more? You by his suddenly flopping on the ground or him at the fact that he just got his buns pinched? No one knows honestly. I can totally see someone doing this while he’s around the other members, mostly just so they can explain why he reacts this way to having his butt grabbed ...honestly, Bam! Just expect a lot of whining from him. He whines about you grabbing his butt and then he’ll whine when you don’t let him grab yours. He’ll whine when you walk away and don’t help him off the floor and he’ll whine...in general. It’s all cute though, no worries. Bam is an interesting bird. Very different. PLAYFUL AS HELL. If you think you’re getting away with grabbing his butt, you are very wrong. He’s going to take this as an open invitation to return the favor. The floor has been laid out and is his for the taking essentially. He’ll grab your butt in passing, while you’re doing the dishes, laundry, putting groceries away, cuddling, making out...LITERALLY ALL THE TIME! “Baby, if you didn’t want me to grab it, you shouldn’t have started it!”

Yugyeom

Squirmy Baby! Okay for as problematic as this guy is with his whole ‘I will fuck the floor with these here dancer hips’ he’s a wee bab. Him getting slapped in the butt would be about the equivalent of Jeongguk getting slapped in the butt...flustered, squirmy, squawking, blushing babies. I don’t know if Yugyeom has had any previous relationships where this would have come up, so outside of the guys slap each other’s butts, I don’t know if he has any experience with a s/o being playfully intimate with him. Which is the reason why I say squirmy baby. I don’t think he’d be as whiny as Bam, but there would definitely be some whines in there, mostly out of surprise. Additionally, I don’t think he’d be as flustered as Youngjae. I think he’d be somewhere in the middle. This guy would definitely have some sort of a cheeky comeback or payback plan, like Jackson, but he’d execute it in the most adorable way. Like the first time he ever grabs your butt I feel like naturally it would be you who is blushy, but no...it’s Yugyeom...he’s pretty much dying of embarrassment because he can’t believe he just did that! Cute. Honestly. That being said, once he’s a little more comfortable he’s going to see it as a competition almost, just like Jackson, so expect a lot of chasing around. I feel like with Yugyeom it might turn into a tickle fight. I can’t tell you for sure why, but that’s just the image I get in my head. So if you don’t like being tickled, don’t grab his butt...even though it is very tempting. “Jagi, how many times are you going to repeat this mistake of yours, hmm? You know what the punishment is for grabbing my butt. I don’t know why you bother running!”

--Admin MM

#got7 reactions #got7 scenarios #got7 #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios

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papersoup · 7 years ago

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How to go vegan, according to the laziest vegan ever

When my partner first came back from Chicago nine months ago and said they wanted to go vegan, my reaction was something like this:

I told them we could give this a shot for one week and no more. Here we are, nine months later, and I’m happy as a camper to stay vegan forevs n evs.

The thing is, I’m one of the laziest, couch-loving, effort-hating people you will ever come to know. I’d like to pass along some wisdom to you to talk about how you can try going vegan even if you’re the kind of person who hates having to do anything ever at all forever until the end of time. And just to be cool and nice, I’m gonna make it a listacle, because why the fuck not?

1. Start with a week

Trying to start off doing anything for the first time with a promise to do it forever is super hard. Going vegan isn’t for everyone, so trying things out in the short term to see how you like it is a great way to get going. That being said, if you start by trying to go vegan for one day, that shit probably isn’t going to work, because your body needs to adjust to your new diet before it’ll feel good.

For me, the first three days were the hardest. My body wasn’t used to all the fiber, so I felt full way faster than usual, but didn’t stay full for as long. That got way more manageable after a couple days, but it definitely had me wondering if I was doing something wrong. I also had multiple dreams about eating my way through a full wheel of cheese, and cried watching a fried chicken commercial.

After a couple days though, everything started to feel normal and natural. I got excited about new vegan recipes, and also felt some unexpected side effects: way higher energy, no more heartburn, more restful sleep, and clearer skin. It got me hooked and I’ve stuck with it ever since--because it worked for me! And if it doesn’t work for you, that’s chill, but like, maybe give it a week because change.

2. Plan ahead

Depending on where you live, going vegan can make eating last minute get harder, since things like coffee shop pastries, pre-packed lunches, and deli products usually use animal products. If you’re anything like me, last minute is a very large part of your vocabulary and your life. At the end of the day, planning ahead makes it easier to go without cheating, makes the day to day eating a lot easier, and also saves you money in the long run.

To keep things really simple, I plan my meals for the whole week at once--7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners, and hella snacks. I always have some kind of snack in my bag, too, to save me from getting stuck having to grab the one vegan option when I’m on the go. I’ve found that it’s saved me a ton of cash and time, and makes staying vegan a lot easier, especially when I’m busy.

3. Don’t get hung up on substitutes and salads

A common mistake new vegans make is trying to eat the same as they did before, just substituting vegan products for all their animal based stuff. Another one is to think that a vegan diet is a salad and smoothie diet. The truth is, while there are some amazing substitutes out there for animal products when you’re really craving one, a vegan diet is just straight up different from one where animal products chill at the center of it, and that’s okay. There are also a bajillion trillion really interesting and delicious ways to eat grains and veggies that don’t require them being chilled or raw or $60 protein powder.

My staple faves include brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal, fluffy pancakes, portobello mushroom tacos, roasted root vegetables, mushroom risotto, stuffed squash, chickpea salad sandwiches, lentil shepherds pie, and corn pizza with smoked tomatoes. The sky is the limit, y’all.

4. Don’t stress about being the picture of perfect vegan Fitblr chia seed health and wellness

You don’t always have to be the picture of perfect health with your vegan diet (or with any diet, seriously). It’s not all sports bras and kale smoothies over here. You know what’s vegan? Oreos. Korean barbecue flavored kettle chips. Tater tots. This fuckin’ sandwich:

Yes that is vegan ranch slathered cole slaw with a deep fried seitan chicken breast, house made pickles, a buttery toasted bun, and a ton of fries. And it was so very, very good.

It’s good to pay attention to your nutrition on any diet, but honestly it’s not that hard to get what you need from a vegan diet while still enjoying your vices. A lot of people get really fixated on deprivation in a vegan diet, but you can get anything, and I mean anything that you need on a plant based diet without having to turn to animal products with some research.

Do your homework on the nutritional risks of veganism and structure your diet as you would otherwise, making sure to get your vitamins and minerals and all the good good. Personally, I just make sure I’m also getting muh beans and veggies on instead of just relying heavily on starches and carbs, and take a B12 supplement now and then. Side note: like OF COURSE talk to a health care professional if you have allergies or diet sensitivities or just in general before taking on a major diet change.

5. Build a catalog of recipes

Trying any new diet for the first time probably means cooking a lot of new foods. It also means that you’re gonna get excited about it for a while and then you’re going to get bored and the idea of having to dig through 50,000 recipes to plan a week of dinners is going to sound dumb as hell.

I like to use my Vegan Party board on Pinterest to look for recipes and keep notes on what works and what doesn’t so I can pull from it easily when I don’t wanna look for new shit. I cook out of the Forks Over Knives cookbook when I really want to be healthy, and when I need a showstopper or a recipe I know will work without adjustments, I rely on Isa from Post Punk Kitchen or the Minimalist Baker because they’re vegan geniuses and their recipes are generally foolproof. Even if you just want to try subbing out a few meals at a time, these folks are great gateway cooks to the ways of delicious vegan goodness.

6. Try new things

Since going vegan, I’ve tried a billion new foods, and it’s been a ton of fun. Turns out oyster mushrooms are delicious, and turnips taste like soapy potatoes. I think that dill is gross unless it’s used to flavor a pickle and that cashew cheese is the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. Olive oil is what everyone should have been putting on their popcorn this entire damn time because holy shit. Making a cake from scratch is 30x more likely to not get fucked up by me if I don’t use any eggs.

Don’t be afraid to try some new shit and push the boundaries of your vegan lifestyle. Sometimes adding restrictions to your art can open you up to a world of exciting freedoms and discoveries. Have no fear.

7. Remember snacks

One difference between vegan me and omnivore me is that I get hungry a lot more often than I used to. On average my meals are way fewer calories than they used to be, and also have a lot more fiber. That means I get full more quickly but hungry more often. It also means I accidentally lost 29 pounds this year while still putting back a lot of beer which is p cool and that my poops are just wizard status amazing (sorry not sorry).

Vegan snacking is essential to your best vegan life. My favorite vegan snacks are hummus with pita or veggies, popcorn (I usually make a giant bowl of it on the stove), pickles, tots, chips with cashew cheese dip, chocolate, or bagels. Just don’t forget to buy snacks when you go to the grocery store and don’t be afraid to eat ‘em.

8. Get inspired

Going vegan can be pretty easy, but as it is with giving up anything, you’re gonna be met with temptation to quit or cheat. First of all, people are weirdly critical of vegan diets and ask a lot of strange and invasive questions. A lot of people also don’t super realize what vegan means so they’ll like invite you over for dinner and give you a salad with a poached egg on it or buy you a jello shot at the bar (usually if someone is nice enough to cook for me or buy me something I’ll just eat it anyway because I’m not an ass and then politely correct them for next time, but making sure to be clear about it in advance can help avoid such situations).

In addition, every time I get drunk I want Popeyes, like without exception all the time forever, and I don’t think I’m alone in that y’all. The struggle is deeply, horribly real.

What this means is that to stay vegan, you want to do it for like...a reason. There are a lot of great ones to draw from: social justice, the ethical treatment of animals, the environment, and your health are just a few. If any of these sounds compelling to you, it’s a great thing to keep in mind when continuing a vegan diet and saying no to delicious crispy fried chicken whilst hammered.

9. Look for your community

Vegan stores! Vegan restaurants! New vegan friends! There are lots of great folks out there to bond with over cool vegan things. Having vegan buddies or being part of a vegan community can help you get the good good on reliable recipes, how to eat vegan in the unlikeliest of places, and where to find the best vegan memes. Support lends itself well to lifestyle changes. Bear in mind that, like with all communities, there are some people that are v v intense about things so take it with a grain of salt and do you, too.

10. Stay positive

Like all humans, vegans can be subjects or perpetrators of hate. Just remember that you don’t have to deal in absolutes, you don’t have to be perfect every day, you don’t have to recruit others for the cause, you don’t have to diss others who aren’t hip with the cause, and you don’t have to be down with everything the word vegan represents. The easiest way to go and stay vegan is to do it because you feel good about it, which is like a non-statement that is to say, don’t overthink it.

In conclusion, going vegan isn’t as intimidating as it sounds and I’m personally pretty into it. Hopefully if you were thinking about giving it a shot this helped.

#vegan #go vegan #vegetarian #plant based #lazy #plant based living

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mwolf0epsilon · 4 years ago

Note

Story about something crashing on little Sammy parents farm. Maybe the government comes and forces them out for a while to collect it?👽

Warning for disturbing imagery and dead animals!

Summary: Joey Drew Studio is snowed in, so while everyone tries to keep warm for the night they end up reminiscing about the oddest things they had ever experienced. Sammy ends up recalling a rather bizarre event from his childhood.

---

[[MORE]]

"I'm sorry to impose so much Mrs. Harrison. I trust Abigail will behave, she's a little angel I assure you." Sammy fidgeted with the phone chord nervously as he listened to his elderly neighbor. "Yes, yes thank you... Oh certainly! Let her on so I can wish her a good night..."

Susie watched as the tired look on the music director's face melted away to welcome a gentler smile. She could sort of hear a child's voice on the line (his little sister that he'd mentioned a few times). It was quite endearing to see Sammy with such a calm and content expression instead of the usual grumpy scrawl that scared half the band into submission.

"Good night Abby, be good to Mrs. Harrison." The call was coming to a close. "I love you too."

Susie smiled at him and nodded, taking her turn to call home now that he was finished.

"Wally is heating up soup in the break room. The stove's thankfully working." She called after him as she dialed the number.

"Everyone camping out there?" He asked as he looked back at the voice actress.

"Everyone but Joey, that devil of a man actually has an insulated office... The rest of us are sleeping by the stove." She sighed "Thankfully Norman and Grant thought ahead and brought a few blankets to stay warm."

Clever thinking and also a necessity, as Grant's office was very drafty, and Norman's booth got cold from the pipework frosting over a bit (since the music department had been a repurposed bathroom) in cold weather. Mr. Cohen also knew the likelyhood of Joey having paid the heating bill. Slim to none.

"Great... Just what I wanted, to sleep in a stuffy room full of people and the smell of that rancid soup..." A soup he'd enjoyed at first (due to it reminding him of his father's cauliflower soup which had little bits of bacon in it), but which had lost its luster on the third week of being asked to take a few cans home. Abby hated the stuff so he'd had to eat it himself. "Don't you just love getting snowed in?"

"Only when I was a child. The snow usually meant no classes." Susie finished dialing and waited for her mother to answer.

He left her alone to go back into the break room where Wally and Norman were passing around bowls of soup. Grant greeted him with a blanket, which he graciously took. The damn studio was absolutely freezing in November. The freak snowstorm hadn't helped.

Honestly he'd loved the look of a snowy New York when he'd first moved here with his father. It had looked beautiful and new, almost magical, unlike the ranch he'd grown up in until he was 11. Looking back now, he missed the expanse of snowy fields instead of the cold streets. He also missed watching a few of the animals play in the snow.

Getting stuck in the studio made him a little nostalgic.

"Here ya go Sammy!" Wally passed him a bowl of soup, which he nearly dropped in surprise, and grinned "It ain't my ma's beef stew and it definitely lacks a spoon since we don't got that many of those to begin with, but at least it'll keep you warm from the inside!"

"I, yes at least that." He sniffed it and grimaced. Pork grease and chunky bits that definitely were less bacon and more cartilage. "You ever wonder how they made this slop?"

"I'd rather not think about it. It's like hot dogs ya know... The less you know about it, the better they are!" The janitor shrugged and went to sit on one of the chairs closer to the stove. Everyone was very much huddled close by, swaddled in shared blankets, rubbing their hands together to keep them warm, or drinking soup.

Norman nodded at the music director once he sat down to join the group. Not too long after Susie was sitting beside him, and he offered to share his blanket with her.

"So, what do we do now?" Wally asked as he looked around. The issue would be sorted in the morning but it was still only a quarter to eleven and no one was particularly keen on sleeping just yet.

"I'll tell ya what we could do!" Shawn called out from his spot, voice slightly muffled by his big red scarf. "I say we pass t'time by indulging in the ye old grand art that is story tellin'!"

"Story telling? What, like a sleepover?" Jack questioned. Sammy found it amusing that he'd swaddled himself in his blanket in a way that pressed his hair tight against his skull, to the point where it looked like a makeshift scarf and ear mitts. "Like when we were little kids?"

"Well we're all sleepin' here t'night aren't we? And ya don't need t'be wee little ankle biters t'go tellin' stories." Shawn huffed "Besides, what better way t'know yer co-workers than share some harrowin' tales? I sure got a few that'll intrigue you folks I'm sure."

"Is it about potatoes?" One of the art department workers asked, only to get a slap on the back of the head and an elbow to the ribs.

"Very funny, that muppet over there's a real comedian coddin like that..." The Irishman rolled his eyes. "Right, you folk ever hear 'bout the legend o'the banshee?"

Everyone gave him a peculiar look, which Shawn took as permission to carry on.

"The tale varies some dependin' on t'person who tells ya. But the way me ma told it to me was somethin' like this: The banshee is a sweet singin' virgin, pretty as a button, a real feek." He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he recalled his mother's words. "Sometimes she has long black hair, other times it's a bright red like fire. Always pale... But don't be thinkin' she's just some little lady, oh no. The banshee is a spirit, one that heralds death in the family. Her ghastly cries precede the death o'loved ones and fill ya with a mighty chill o'dread... And I saw one when I was just a wee lad."

"Ya saw... A ghost?" Lacie wrinkled her nose. "And ya sure it wasn't some regular girl you just saw?"

"Couldn't o'been. She was right outside the window Lacie. And me room was on the second floor..." Shawn shook his head "And I knew it had to o'been a banshee. She looked just like me cousin, who died o'the shakes a few months prior. My pa always did say she might come back as the household haunt, she wasn't ready t'leave just yet."

"So, that's it? You saw some apparitions at your window and think it was some folklore horror?" Sammy rolled his eyes.

"Yep. An' then in the morning me grandpa was dead. Dreadful song she went and had t'sing. I was just 5 too! T'damn beour coulda gone bother me brother instead... He was t'one that used to scare us wee lads with these tales o'ghosts n' ghoulies..."

Well, that wasn't a very nice story. And it likely had a reasonable explanation behind it too. Just a small child frightened by tales and likely still coming to terms with losing a cousin.

"Oh, that's nothin'!" Wally grinned. "Ghost stories aren't anythin' compared to what I found in a ditch when I was 8!"

"Oh yeah? Then enlighten us, oh scare Meister!" Shawn barked back, glaring slightly. "What coulda been worse than a banshee?"

"How about a maneater?" The janitor offered.

Shawn fell quiet and others began to whisper among each other at the claim, before Norman began to hush everyone.

"Go on then... Yous can't just say that an' not tell us."

"Oh man, it was the dang scariest thing I'd seen as a kid!" Wally grinned. "Us tykes from Brooklyn? We didn't grow up with monster stories and such. Our mas and pas told us about kidnappers and murderers instead, cuzz those are like, real dangers you know?"

He took a sip from his cooling bowl of soup, before clearing his throat.

"But you know what kids are like. They like adventure and don't really listen too much cuzz, you only believe it when you see it!" He carried on. "Me? I was with a couple a pals exploring this old ditch that had some neat stuff people used to throw in there. Busted watches, trinkets, sometimes a lost wallet with a little bit of cash in it...Well that day there wasn't just goodies."

Sammy sipped his own soup and felt Susie's arm brush up against his as she got on the edge of her seat. She was excited to hear wherever Wally's story was going.

"Local news had like, been going on about this one loon that had run off from the big house or somethin'. Some big mug who was a pervert or whatever. Adult stuff we kids didn't care for." Wally looked around as he spoke. "Only he wasn't no pervert, just really messed in the head. A cannibal. A cannibal that liked eating little tots. You know, stories like Little Johnny went pokin' around where he shouldn't and now there was no Little Johnny no more? Yeah that nearly was us."

"You found the guy in the ditch?" Sammy guessed.

"Nope! Found my neighbor, Sally, partially eaten and all kinds o' messed up." Wally replied "I figured we were in trouble so we ran like our butts were on fire and screamed the whole way back. Coppers caught the fucker and his picture on the paper still gives me nightmares. If we'd found him instead, we woulda ended up like Sally!"

Everyone looked extremely disturbed at the thought of a couple of 8 year olds finding another child's partially eaten corpse.

"Shite... No wonder yer such a mog. Brooklyn's fucked up!" Shawn winced.

"Hey!" Wally pouted.

"Also your story was misleading. You didn't actually encounter the "maneater"." Sammy pointed out. "That's not how you should advertise a tale you twit."

"Would ya rather I have found the creep that did it?"

"No, next time just don't make it sound like an actual encounter when it's an anecdote about another outcome entirely."

"Don't go bein' an ass Lawrence." Norman called out. "I thought the story was good. Messed up, but good... Granted it don't top what I experienced when I was still in the cradle."

"Oh, this ought to be good." The blond smirked. "Word of mouth?"

"My Nanna never told no lie. Yous won't find a more honest lady." Norman smirked back.

At this point everyone had finished their soup and was practically laying or leaning against one another for warmth. It helped that the story telling atmosphere had all but made everyone forget about the cold.

Norman being so tall and obscuring the stove ever so slightly, cast strange shadows on the wall.

"Now, this happened a few months after I was born. My Nanna was lookin' after me while my mama and memaw was helpin' my pops and pepaw out in the cotton fields. My brother and sister wasn't that much older either, not yet ready to go pickin', so they was in their room playin' together." He leaned back in his chair, a content smile on his face "Nanna was just preparin' lunch while I was layin' in this big ol' basket full o' pillows and blankets, just sleepin' away like babies do. She turned 'round to chop up some carrots when she had this weird feelin' all of a sudden."

Sammy put an arm around Susie as he listened. Norman was a pretty good story teller. Had this voice that just pulled you in. He could almost imagine a little chubby baby in a basket while an old lady prepared food in the kitchen.

"Nanna Polk always had a feel for when things were no good all of a sudden. She'd known when Poppop weren't doing well in the head, and she knew how to pop a shot into a big gator when it got too close to the house. She wasn't afraid o'nothin'." Norman carried on. "But she was afraid. She was afraid when the blade o'her knife caught the reflection o'this big brute pullin' my basket out the window."

Sammy winces and Susie tightened her grip on his arm. The others were quite aghast as well, at the thought of an innocent little babe getting snatched away by some stranger.

"Nanna didn't scream. She didn't wanna scare my siblings you see... Instead she tiptoed towards the backdoor, knife in hand, and kept outta sight o'the man that was tryin' to take me away." Norman hummed as he thought back on what Nanna had told him. "You know, they often tell ya 'bout southern hospitality. If yous is friendly and respectful, yous always got a friend. They don't tell yous about Louisiana ladies like my sweet Nanna tho... They is forged of iron and grief. Strong and protective o'their youngins... She knew what that man wanted from me, an' she wasn't bout to let it happen."

"What did she do?" Wally asked, bitting his knuckles as he put his legs up to his chest.

"Put the knife through his back. She pushed him so he wouldn't go an' fall on me, oh 'course, and that basket well about saved my life cuzz it was damn well padded and didn't so much as wake me when it hit the ground."

"Holy shit..."

"Now, that might sound a little extreme to yous, but I trust Nanna's judgement." Norman began once he noticed the horrified looks on his coworker's faces. "That man woulda taken me somewhere no one could'a gotten me from, an' she wasn't 'bout to lose anyone else to them creeps. Nanna was smart, and Nanna was hard workin'. She buried the bastard where he fell, an' planted a tree t'remember it too. I got to put a swing on it when it grew big enough to support the weight."

"Where were they going to take you?" Sammy finally asked, once he realized no one would do so. "The man?"

"Hm, well I don't know exactly. But she did say it was where my Poppop grew up, so I know it wasn't a good place." Norman frowned. "They did bad things to him, made him messed up in the head an' dangerous. Nanna saved me from endin' up the same way... Don't care if it wasn't the right way t'do it, them folks don't deserve no pity if they go stealin' babies from their cribs t'do god only knows what."

"Well... For what is worth, we're glad your nanna saved you Norman. You're a gem." Susie smiled which got the much larger man to chuckle.

"How's that for a story then? Anyone steppin' up to top it off?"

No one seemed to have anything that quite matched the energy of this... What should he call it? Cultist kidnapping story? It certainly sounded that the man was some underground cultist if he was taking babies to indoctrinate, or whatever...

The blond watched, saw no one step up to the challenge, and then remembered.

"Well, it may not be as bad as getting snatched away. But I do recall a rather peculiar set of events from before I moved to New York with my father." He began, the band members snorting and whispering among themselves that it was probably something stupid. He glared their way before looking at Norman who gestured for him to go on.

"Floor's all yours Sammy."

"Right." He thought back, way back when he was 10. Just a year prior to his mother's death. It was all a little foggy but the more he concentrated on what his father had told him about that night, the less his explanation made sense once correlated with his own memories. "I didn't exactly grow up in the city. Not until I was 11 that is... I actually lived in a cattle ranch for a while."

"That explains why you call us sheep." Johnny laughed.

"No, I call you sheep because your job is to follow me, you damn goat." Sammy snarled back at the interrupting organist.

"Ouch." Jack winced.

"Either way, as a child living with a father who raised cattle for a living, one can expect that I was often tasked to help with a few of the animals. Mainly cleaning the pens and, if I was particularly lucky, shearing the sheep." The sheep, he confesses, had been his favourite. They were dumb and cute. "My father usually dealt with the larger animals. When this event occured, he'd just bought a big healthy heifer. His ornery old bull had covered our best breeding cow but she'd not been having calves."

"Was she called Bessie?" Wally grinned.

"The name of the cow isn't of importance!" Sammy rolled his eyes. "It was Felicity by the way."

"My mistake."

"Either way, my father was a breeder, so his breeding female not producing offsprings was a big deal. I was a kid so I wasn't particularly interested if Felicity had issues, I just liked watching her when she had little calves. They were the cutest thing right after the baby lambs." Sammy carried on "The new heifer, Clarabelle, arrived that day and immediately the bull was put to working. My father thought That'd be the end of his problems... An easy fix. Except it wasn't..."

"She sterile?" Norman asked.

"Oh I wish that had been it. I was 10, had seen animals in plenty of states from sickness or wild animal attacks. But never had I seen a cow turned inside out, other than in a damn butcher's..." Sammy shuddered. He could still remember it... Going outside to get the eggs like his father had asked, and just finding this massive dead heifer with no skin on her body. His mother had said he'd screamed like the devil himself had been before him.

"Oh god..." Susie gagged slightly. "That couldn't have been nice..."

"It wasn't. I was freaked out and my father was furious. Clarabelle had been an expensive purchase. And she wasn't the only casualty." Sammy shook his head. "The pen was wrecked, the bull was in better state but no less dead, and poor Felicity must have run into whatever butchered them both because she had a massive wound on her hind. Every animal was spooked out of their minds and even our sheepdog wouldn't come out of the house. Peed himself when we tried coaxing him."

"Did ya find what did it?" Shawn asked.

"No, we couldn't find anything that explained it." Sammy carried on. "No tracks, no trails of blood, nothing. The pen was just ruined, like it had been splintered apart, and Clarabelle looked to have just... I don't know how to explain it. Pop? Like a balloon?"

"I figure your father wasn't too keen on going' about business after that?"

"He wanted compensation, but you can't exactly put the blame on anything if you can't even find a cause." The music director sighed "We eventually just decided to call it quits on figuring out what the hell happened and went on with our lives. But then things just got... Weird."

Strange lights at night, bizarre noises, and horrific night terrors. Sammy's father had lost his patience when he'd found their dog's remains and called the authorities.

"We were all on edge, unsure what was going on at the ranch, and losing animals every night. My father called the cops, saying someone must be playing some seriously messed up joke to terrorize us. He'd made a lot of enemies with his attitude over the years, so I wouldn't have been surprised..." He trailed of, beginning to feel goosebumps as he recalled the final night of these strange occurances. "And then one night I saw something strange out of my window. Stranger than anything else."

Everyone was eager for the conclusion, he could tell. Taking a deep breath, he recounted what he'd been a witness to.

"I wasn't sleeping well, no one was, but I just couldn't settle in bed that night. It felt too warm in my room so I got up to open a window." His 10 year old self had always struggled with the latch on his window, but not that night. That night it opened without a fuss. "I saw... A figure. Out in the fields. Cast in weird green light that I couldn't put a source to. They were tall, and I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but I assumed man because there wasn't a hair on its head... I just stared, and it looked to be staring back. Next thing I know, I'm outside in my pajamas, staring up at this pitch black figure... Taller, imposing, faceless. No eyes, no nose, no mouth... And yet it felt like it was glaring hatefully at me. Frustrated, angry... It pointed at the woods and I don't... I don't know what it wanted and I was just a scared kid."

He gulped heavily as he recalled how oppressive everything had felt.

"Again I blacked out, but this time awoke inside to my mother fanning me. My dad was yelling at the cops and it was morning." Sammy frowns "Yelling at them to get that damn thing off his property, and to fuck right off since they were so useless at their damn job."

A soft amen from a member of the writer's department. Followed by a chuckle from another one.

"My throat was raw, and when I tried to ask what happened, my mom told me they'd found me outside at the edge of the woods, screaming until my voice went. Screaming about wanting out of the woods. Screaming about wanting to go home... Screaming that nothing here was good to eat and that I was going to die... I don't recall doing it, and my father said I'd probably had a nightmare of some kind. A fever dream even, since mom had been trying to cool me down for a good reason." He bit his lip "It's odd, I'd just fallen ill overnight and everything was fuzzy... I asked why the cops were here, and my father said when he'd gone to get me he'd spotted a weather balloon of some kind in the woods. The cops were there to take it away."

Everyone stared, confused and trying to figure out how these events connected. He gave them a shrug.

"I have no idea what was going on, so don't ask. I was 10, animals were dying weirdly, and I got so sick all of a sudden that I started sleep walking and hallucinating demonic figures. No one ever said anything about the weather balloon in the local paper either, so I don't even know what to think of that." He leaned against Susie "It was weird, but it stopped. Still that thing kept appearing in my nightmares for a while... It faded with time but it bothered me while it was still fresh in my mind."

"Sounds like aliens." Wally pips up.

"No such thing." Bertrum laughed at the suggestion. "Just a bunch of vandalism, fallen governament property, animal attacks, and a child's overactive imagination."

"No, I'm serious! Stuff like that happens in farms all the time! Stuff no one can explain..."

"Wally, there's tons o' things none can explain in this world already." Norman pointed out. "I'm not sure what sorta thing Sammy might o' stumbled upon as a kid... But little green men don't sound plausible."

"Oh come on, ain't it obvious? Cows gettin' killed, the strange damages? The fallen thing in the woods? The spooky figure? The one person who no one would believe being chosen to see the alien? Then the cops just swoopin' in and covering it up? Happened just the same to my uncle Paul!"

"What I saw wasn't little or green. Don't make it another one of your outlandish tall tales." Sammy grinned, enjoying how much Wally was puffing up.

"Bite your tongue! It ain't a tall tale!"

"Sure it's not."

"Boys don't fight... Because I've got one heck of a story that'll make Norman's and Sammy's feel like child's play!" Susie cut in, with a devilish grin of her own.

And so the night carried on, with more stories to be shared. All the while Sammy laughed and listened, content with the situation.

Although... He did still wonder what he'd seen out in the field. Surely it couldn't have been extraterrestrial.

Hm... Yes, surely not. Just a bad dream and some sick prank. Had to have been.

#Eps Writes:#Bendy and the Ink Machine #BATIM

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kariquaas · 8 years ago

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Wow. It’s super cool to see lots of people out supporting musicians and art. Ryan Crowther, of Everett Music Initiative, is a gift to this community and I’m proud to know him. Thanks for bringing a glorious new vision of Everett to Everett, Ryan.

I bought my tickets early at the $25 for the weekend price. We missed the action Friday due to being sick all week (O) and me being gainfully unemployed, but contracting, seeking work, and just tired (me), and went out to dinner instead.

Saturday, we began the journey with a yummy dinner at J Ramen and Sushi, and then saw the following bands:

I Will Keep Your Ghost

Tilson XOXO

The Seshen

Cave Singers

Ghost was very good, and I wish I heard more of their set.

Tilson XOXO was totally surprising and fun. I had noticed the lead singer cruising around The Anchor wearing a knit cap and a letterman’s-like jacket. He must have been warm! When he got up to sing, the crowd got engaged and rocked and rapped with him.

The Seshen, taking the full stage at the Everett Performing Arts Center with a simple setup, was beyond magical once they started to play. With just a vocalist, a dude on bass, and a drum set, and I’m guessing one helluva of a computer sound generating system manipulating by foot (think Ed Sheeran), they filled that space and were enthralling. O bought their album the next day. We grooved to it on Sunday before heading out for more.

Cave Singers were an old fave. They are humble and clever. And, seemed surprised that the set went okay. Something must be going on in the background. We enjoyed their set and headed home.

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Sunday’s List o’ Bands:

Alex Johnston

The Winterlings

Kevin Murphy

Woodshed

Gunpowder Stitches

The SkyeMonkey

Planes on Paper

Lake

Courtney Marie Andrews

Karl Blau

Sunday I did the church thing, the Irishmen pub grub for brunch with my friend, Kimberly, and then I wanted to see The Winterlings, who I had seen last summer at Fresh Paint. I connected with my metal lovin’ friends, Gretchen and Jim, and ended up catching Alex Johnston’s set because of The Anchor starting late. I suppose that happens when you head home for the night at 5:30am!

Alex played solo on the keyboard lovely. He also played a raucous guitar, which was not my style, but good for him. Apparently, he’s a local Trinity grad.

The Winterlings are pleasant people and their set was calm and cool. I love hearing banjo and her sweet voice, and he plays guitar along with all kinds of gadgets with his feet. Let’s just say that I remain in awe of the joyful noises that one and / or just two people can make on stage!

We jetted off to see Kevin Murphy, who I first saw perform at the 100 Years Ago Tomorrow show. Kevin had written and sung a song about my cousins’ great-grandfather, Jefferson Beard, who was killed during the Everett Massacre. He sung it so sensitively, I wanted to hear him sing again. This time he had a bass player and drummer with him. It’s simple music with some emotional bursts. I, fortunately, had a chance to catch up with him later that evening outside when I was seeing what food options were still open on Sunday night on Hewitt. He was glad I came up to him again and that I had introduced myself back in November. The massacre is a local story that still has impacts today. And, as he realized writing the song, this person’s ancestors could be in the audience. They were. Kudos to him for acknowledging that.

We then went back to the Anchor for Woodshed, who I would describe as sounding like Metallica with a farm boy doing the singing and a combination Chris Cornell / Frank Zappa bass player, slamming on his bass while grooving all over that stage. They were super fun to watch. And, my metal friends were happy.

Gunpowder Stitches. I’m not sure I understand the name, but they do have a song called Gunpowder Stitches, were a little less metal and little more rock. A pretty standard band, we liked them, but were more excited about …..

The SkyeMonkey! I met these two, Tim and Joel, at Basecamp, which was Ryan’s office and mine for a while in 2016. They, too, had a rock feel. Now, they have this wild goth presence, cool screaming-like vocals, hooded drummer rocking out, and super cool vibe. Apparently, they just completely re-did their sound in the last month and half and this was the result. The audience was WAY into them, and they were super happy to get the feedback. Plus, Tim works for Kennelly Keys and they were a sponsor for the FVMF. Very cool. He also remembered by Everett Sunsets metal prints at Basecamp.

Our exchange:

“Why weren’t you at the Everett Maker’s Market yesterday?” – said Tim.

“I don’t really make anything.” – says me.

“You sound just like an artist. Beating yourself up.” – said Tim.

And, I sighed. It’s funny because I know I make something. I think that somehow I justify the making part to the lab I use and therefore it’s not me. I’ll get over it. I will. Right??

Carrying on with the music, I took off and went to Tony V’s for the rest of the night. I had read about Planes on Paper sounding like Simon and Garfunkel and I had to hear that for myself. They do have a lovely complementary sound. Their last song was haunting about hoping that love will last or be enough. I’d like to hear them again.

I found myself often wondering HOW this people met in the first place. In my youth I had a friend whose voice and mine together sounded magical. We sang something as simple as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and it just worked. The “two sides of” belief. Either everything means something or it doesn’t. I tend to fall on the “everything means something” side. We meet people for reasons and who knows the impact that they could have. Some for a day. Some for a year. And, some for a recording contract! ;-)

Lake, the next band, was out of Olympia, and as I was eating my hamburger and tots, I wrote down these thoughts.

“Now at Lake – hippy, unapologetic, band. That’s their art.

We all make.

We all try to be heard.

We do.

Because we can?

Because we need to?

Because we’re bored?”

And, then came Courtney Marie Andrews. Ryan walked past me before she started to sing and said, “This is going to hurt.” Damn. That young woman can sing….and play….and communicate emotion. I found myself looking her up on the web and discovered that she was raised in Arizona, and was born after I graduated from high school. Wow. Stunning vocals and thoughtful, written by her, lyrics. I bought her CD, Honest Life, and had her sign it. I hope she keeps it up. What a treat. She was not to be missed.

I saw the first half of Karl Blau’s show and I described him, with the help of my table mates, as the country Jack Johnson. Smooth and sultry, I liked it, but it was time to go home.

This year’s festival was earlier than the previous years and I’m glad for that. It had less competition and the weather cooperated! I second Downtown Dave Ramstad’s suggestion of a fall festival as well. I think that Everett needs it and would support it. (Do it, Ryan! We’ll support you!)

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As for the photos, I took them all with my iPhone. I saw so many photographers about and was glad that the event was being documented so well. I did my best to capture the sunsets, and found it enjoyable to be amongst the many posts on Instagram.

I have done and do event photography so keep me in mind for your future events. My aim is to make people feel like they were there too. This upcoming weekend (April 8, 2017), I’ll be photographing the Pioneer Square Spring Clean. Come on down and make Seattle pretty!

Thanks for the music, Everett.

Reflections: Fisherman’s Village Music Festival Wow. It's super cool to see lots of people out supporting musicians and art. Ryan Crowther, of…

#art #creativity #Everett #festival #fvmf17 #Music

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