#Guess brown square sunglasses

[thestylesplash]

Rust Shirt Dress + Style With a Smile Link Up

In the run up to my holiday in July, I had been on a mission to find a summer maxi dress in this colour. I trawled eBay and Vinted, as well as retail websites, but I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. (I did buy a lovely chocolate brown max dress on Vinted which I took with me though.) However, when I saw this rust shirt dress in TK Maxx I was instantly drawn to it, even though it wasn’t the…

[whatsnewalycat]

“do you believe in aliens?”

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x GN Person

Summary: Meeting DB in a furniture store.

Prompt: “Do you believe in aliens?”

Trope: Meet-cute

Words: 1.4k+ (sorry can’t shut the fuck up)

Rating: Teen (because swearing)

Notes: For the @dieterbravobrainrotclub May Drabble Challege! Also slightly inspired by Broad City when Lincoln said he met Ilana in a foot locker in Times Square and she was just chillin’. First person POV.

—

It was one of those weeks.

The kind of week where you seem to have no patience for anyone or anything. The kind where extra heavy traffic adds an hour to your commute each way. When you find yourself picking fights and reaching for comfort foods and maybe smoking twice as much as you normally do.

You know the kind of week where you come home on Friday after a long day of suffering under capitalism, only to discover that your live-in boyfriend up-and-left with all of his belongings?

Maybe that last one is just a me problem.

Anyways.

After the first sleepless night on the floor of my apartment, I decided I should get a mattress. Maybe even a bed frame if I could find a good deal.

I went to this nearby furniture outlet, and right away I could tell the place was understaffed. The employees wore these bright sunshine yellow polos that made them easy to spot across the open air of the warehouse. They were outnumbered four to one, easy.

This was gonna take up my whole day. I didn’t mind, though. The way I looked at it, I could either go back to my half-empty apartment and cry about the fact that I didn’t have a bed or a tv or a boyfriend, or I could wait my turn to buy a goddamn bed.

I found the cheapest mattress/bedframe combo available, then laid down on the starch-stiff comforter and gave it a few test bounces before deciding it was good enough.

I walked up and down the aisles of sad-looking bedroom furniture sets, trying to catch the attention of a sunshine polo to no avail.

That’s when I heard him.

“They said it might be an hour wait.”

Following the voice, I turned around and saw this guy all stretched out on a king-sized sleigh bed. He radiated the same energy as a sulking teenager waiting for his parents to pick him up, scrolling on his phone with one arm tucked behind his head.

I checked over my shoulders, then asked, “Are you talking to me?”

He looked up from his phone, dark eyes peeking over the rim of his sunglasses, “You’re trying to get a sales person, right?”

“Yeah.”

He shrugged, sitting up to bend his legs criss-cross applesauce, “Might as well make yourself at home.”

“Well, what can ya do,” I sighed and looked across the warehouse, confirming the sunshine polos were neck deep in annoyed customers.

“Hey, uhhh… since you’re waiting, would you do me a favor?”

“What’s that?”

“Tell me what you think about this bed.”

I turned to face the furniture in question, tilting my head as I studied the thing, “I don’t know, it’s big, I guess. Looks… sturdy,” I kicked the leg and nodded in approval, “Yeah, that frame is solid as fuck. Is it comfy?”

“Pretty comfy,” he took off his sunglasses, hooking them on the collar of his worn-out shirt before patting the bed beside him, “See for yourself.”

“You know, normally I make a guy buy me a drink before hopping into bed with him,” I teased, raising an eyebrow at him.

He gave me this charming, dimpled smile, big brown eyes all sparkling warm when he shrugged, “I’ll buy you one after, how’s that sound?”

Heat clung to my stomach and I couldn’t even bear to look at him wearing that devilish grin.

Shaking my head, I climbed onto the mattress, “I’m just giving you shit.” I laid back on the pillow and sank down into the plush bedspread, “This is so much better than the one I’m getting, oh my god.”

“Yeah?” He chuckled and laid down beside me, crossing his ankles as he stretched out, “I’ve been trying to find one that’ll put me right to sleep. I keep having these weird fuckin’ dreams and—”

He cut himself off with a sigh, then looked over at me, “Do you believe in aliens?”

The ludicrous question took me by surprise. This big bubbly laugh escaped my throat and I turned to him, lost for words. All I could do was repeat the question: “Do I believe in aliens?”

“Yeah.”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

Searching his face, I smirked, “Who are you?”

“Dieter,” he rolled on his side to make eye contact with me, “What’s your name?”

So I gave him my name and then I told him, “You know, when I was a teenager I lived out in the country. I’d always see things in the sky I couldn’t quite explain. These lights that would stay static in one place for minutes before zooming off into the stars, and… and, yeah, Dieter, I do believe in aliens. Why do you ask?”

“Well, ok,” he propped his head up on the heel of his hand, “See, the person I bought my bed from told me they were abducted by aliens. And I keep having these dreams where I’m in some kind of a spacecraft and these little gray fuckers won’t stop doing experiments on me. I dunno if it’s my subconscious or if I’m being abducted, but I gotta get a new fuckin’ bed either way.”

“Why would the bed make them abduct you?”

He frowned as he considered this, looking around before returning back to me, “Maybe they have a tracking device on it. I don’t know how it works. Probably not even real.”

“But just in case, you’re getting a new bed?”

“Yeah.”

I shrugged, “Doesn’t hurt to try, huh?”

He nodded, eyes flicking around my face, then rolled onto his back. We laid there staring up at the steel support beams and ugly lights fixed to the warehouse ceiling. For a little while I wondered whether or not he would think it was strange for me to bring up my own grievances. Then I decided fuck it, why not?

“Yesterday I came home and half my apartment was missing. My boyfriend moved out while I was at work, took the bed and everything.”

“Doesn’t sound like he’s your boyfriend anymore.”

“No, I guess not.”

“You don’t seem too broken up about it.”

“It was a long time coming,” I shrugged, “It’s… I don’t know, I’ll be fine. Right now I’m mostly upset about the bed. I set up camp on the living room floor last night and could barely sleep.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, then asked, “Are you gonna get this one?”

“I fucking wish. The one I have picked out feels like a cement slab compared to this.”

“Do you want my old one?”

“The one with the alien tracking device?”

“Oh yeah,” he giggled, “I forgot about that.”

Laughter rumbled up from my belly and his, thick and genuine, the kind that can’t be contained no matter how hard you try. It vibrated through my limbs and welled in my eyes as I choked out, “I—I thought we were gonna be friends, but now you’re trying to get me abducted by aliens? What the fuck, man?”

He doubled over on his side, whole body shaking with these gasping giggles that spread like a contagion to me until I could barely breathe.

Once the laughter died down, I looked over at him wiping the tears from his eyes and felt something rare and beautiful spark in my chest.

“I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard,” I admitted, rolling on my side to face him, unable to wipe the smile from my aching face.

“Me neither.”

From just an arms length away, I met his gaze and the most inexplicable compulsion overtook me. I wanted to kiss him, I realized, and that was truly insane.

His eyes dropped to my lips as though the same thought occurred to him.

“Do you wanna get out of here? Go get a drink?” he asked.

The question bubbled up my spine and made my stomach flip.

I nodded, “I do, but my bed—”

“I’ll take care of it,” he smirked, that devilish smirk that I knew would be trouble, and shrugged, “I’ll have my PA get two of these. Deliver one to your place, how’s that sound?”

“You can do that?”

“Absolutely.”

“How?”

“I’ll explain later,” he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, looking back at me, “You coming?”

Unmistakably, this was a leap of faith. It was insanity. He could have turned out to be any number of terrible things, but he wasn’t. He was a breath of fresh air. A clean break from the funk smothering the light from my life. He was the weirdest and best thing that ever happened to me.

[rashoumon-homo]

Fic preview!

NSFW CONTENT AHEAD - ONLY INTERACT IF 18+

Featuring fem!Dazai and fem!Chuuya. I have no clue how long this is going to be but I’m guessing close to the length of the omegaverse fic I wrote where they got stuck in a safe house together. That one was 6k I believe? Anyway here’s a little preview. Lmk if I should do these things more often!

Link to the full fic

Dazai had never gotten quite so many stares when she bought sex toys in a male body. But now, as she unloaded her cart at the register, the cashier’s eyes flicked up and down her body as though sizing her up.

A vibrator was followed by a pink dildo on the conveyor belt. “Got a fun weekend planned?” he asked, beginning to scan the price tags.

Dazai didn’t miss the way he attempted to discreetly check the size tag on a lacy bra as he scanned it. 32B, though she wished it was a C. It was really no fair Chuuya got double D’s— they looked ridiculous on her petite frame. But the ability user the ADA hired claimed they had no control over how the new feminine characteristics manifested, just that they would last 72 hours.

“I’m shooting a porno tomorrow,” Dazai lied. She squeezed her tits through the white blouse she wore— braless, since she’d never had a use for such an undergarment until today. “Think it’ll fit me?” she asked, nodding her head towards the bra in the cashier’s hands.

He gulped and started scanning the items faster.

“Can you not harass random men for five seconds or are you too much of a goddamn whore for that?” Chuuya growled. She stood behind Dazai in line, seriously wishing she’d pushed her way in front of her. Her cart only had a few basic clothing items and grooming supplies, while Dazai was apparently buying the whole damn store. She drew her coat tighter around her and huffed. It was technically Dazai’s— she’d lent it to her after she’d punched a guy square in the nose for whistling at her on the way to the store. The ill-fitting coat at least prevented as many rude stares and comments, though the man’s blood on her shirt might have helped in that regard.

The cashier scanned the last of Dazai’s things. “That’ll be $526.25,” he said.

“Ugh, why is being a woman so expensive?” Dazai whined.

“It’s not, you just don’t know how to budget,” Chuuya snorted. She moved up to the register and started unloading her items.

“Oh yeah? I bet your total is still over a hundred, miss budget.” Dazai smirked and leaned on the counter.

Chuuya rolled her eyes and watched the cashier ring her up. “That much for tampons?!” she exclaimed as the numbers flashed by. “Yknow what’s free? Bleeding out everywhere.”

The cashier warily eyed the blood on her shirt.

“Oh, shove it. It’s not mine,” she snapped. That shut him up for the rest of the transaction.

“$103.98,” he said a minute later.

“Yesss!” Dazai pumped her fist.

“What’re you celebrating?” Chuuya grumbled. “You’re still over $500 down the drain.”

Dazai grinned and held the credit card between her fingers. “Company card,” she said.

“Of course,” Chuuya scoffed.

They headed out of the store, arms loaded down with bags.

“Chuuya, you’re grumpier than usual as a woman. Are you PMSing?”

Chuuya narrowed her eyes. “Cute. Misogyny. Ask me again and you’ll wish I was.”

Dazai laughed, a light, airy thing. Her long brown hair shone in the sunlight, held back by heart shaped sunglasses perched atop her head. She lowered them onto her nose and smiled. “You think I’m cute?”

Chuuya chose not to answer that one, and elbowed her instead. She wasn’t in the mood to face that question today.

Tag List: @little-miss-chaoss @sakui1 @flxtter523

[floaroma-sanctuary]

[[Hope it's okay to start it like this. XS I wasn't sure how to really start an rp post if it should be in messages or not.]]

A woman with long, curly, reddish brown hair, wearing a floral sundress, sunhat, sandals, sunglasses with flower shaped frames, and silver hoop earrings looks through the door window then tries the handle and steps inside; a young girl wearing a simple short sleeve top and medium length skirt, trailing behind her.

The woman makes her way towards the front desk.

"Good morning, I'm guessing you're Mister Rosalba? Name's Lorelai Solstice, we talked last night? Don't think i gave you my name yet. Sorry about that. Said you could help my daughter wit' findin' her a support Pokemon?" She gently pushes the girl forward, as she removes her sunglasses.

"Hello Sir. My name's Reena. It's uhm, pronounced Renae. Nice to meet you. This is my mom." She looks at Lorelai then back at the man and curtsies.

@familial-recollections

The brunette man behind the desk slides his square glasses onto his face and turns to them with a smile. "Hello, you two. Welcome to Floaroma Sanctuary. Yes, I'm Beaumont Rosalba, but you can just call me Beau."

He stands up and offers them both a hand to shake. There's an excited Spinda in the front chest pocket of his green apron and a sound asleep Poochyena strapped to his back like a baby. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Let's start heading out, and we can talk as we walk."

[the-red-mafia]

The Carnival

The Carnival Post Information: The Red Mafia's on a new mission to rescue some people who had gone missing at a nearby carnival. When Mad is quickly separated from the group, shortly followed by Maroon and Thorn, will Velvet and Solana be able to find them and make it out alive? Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 5075

6 days after "The Haircut" “Get your tickets here! Over here folks!” Velvet scoffed as the Red Mafia walked into the square. The area was packed with people as small children ran around with their parents chasing after them. Giant carnival tents and rides towered in the distance. Maroon pulled the sleeves of their brown mushroom sweater as they walked next to Thorn. 

“Alright, I’ll go get the tickets,” Solana began, “Mad, you wanna come with? Not sure what language they speak here.” A smile appeared on the robot’s T.V. screen. 

“Right behind you, Solana,” it said, turning to look at the three teenagers behind them, “We’ll be right back, don’t cause any trouble.” Velvet rolled her eyes. 

“We’re not little kids, Mad.”

“Had me fooled,” Thorn muttered, letting out a quiet laugh. The assassin turned and glared at him before sighing. 

“Whatever, go get the tickets.” Velvet plopped down on a metal bench and quickly pulled their phone out of their back pocket. Thorn sat down on the bench as well, followed by Maroon. The three teens sat in silence for a few moments. 

“Well, this is an interesting way to experience a carnival for the first time,” Thorn joked, smirking at Maroon. They returned a small smile.

“Yeah, I guess,” they said, “The rides look cool.” 

“We’re not here to have fun, Maroon,” Velvet stated, locking her phone, “We have a job to do.” Maroon looked towards the ground.

“Right…” Thorn rolled aer eyes and leaned closer to Maroon.

“We can sneak off and ride some rides later,” he mumbled, causing Maroon to chuckle.

“I heard that,” Velvet said, glaring at Thorn.

“Heard what? I didn’t say anything.”

“Don’t gaslight me, frūx.”

“I’m not lighting any gas, Velvet. You feeling ok?”

“Oh my gods-” Thorn broke out in a fit of laughter. Maroon looked up at their friend but stayed quiet.

“You are so fucking stupid, mihi deōs,” Velvet mumbled, standing up, “I’m going to talk to the others.”

“Tell them to hurry up!” Thorn called out as they walked away. 

“No!” 

“Mad, Solana! Thorn’s trying to gaslight me!” 

“I- What?” Velvet stopped in front of the two of them and crossed their arms. Solana broke out into laughter at the teen’s serious expression.

“Thorn’s trying to gaslight me so I came over here.” 

“...ok?” 

“Phew, Velvet, you are too funny,” Solana mumbled, wiping a fake tear out of their eye. The teen lightly punched his arm but he put his hands up. 

“Hey, I’m sorry, I’m-” the elf broke out into laughter again. Mad chuckled as the line slowly moved forward. Mad watched as the two jokingly argued (or, Mad hoped they were joking) and Velvet adjusted the strap on their side bag. They had slightly adjusted their usual style, ditching the hoodie for a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans. A red beaded bracelet sat on her right wrist, near a cluster of faded scars on her arms. 

She almost looked like a normal teenager, if it weren’t for the dagger stashed underneath her pant leg and throwing knives in her black bag. A pair of tinted sunglasses sat on her face, a precaution to prevent a repeat of the shopping trip incident. Solana had a pair too, pairing it with green cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. The elf, however, strapped a small handgun to her belt and covered it with the slightly-oversized shirt. 

A loud cough echoed from behind the three of them, cutting off Velvet and Solana’s conversation. They turned around to see a boy around Velvet’s age, with bright blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He smirked at them, glancing at Mad and Solana before locking eyes on Velvet. 

“Why hello there.”

“Hello,” she replied, “Can I help you?” The boy was slightly taller than them, almost as if he was looking down at them. 

“I was wondering if I could get your number?” Solana stifled a laugh, covering their mouth with their hand. Velvet closed their eyes for a moment. 

“No.” The boy chuckled. 

“Sure, sweetheart. How about I-”

“No thanks.”

“Aww, come on. No harm in it!” Velvet’s right hand fell to their bag. Solana quickly batted her hand away and Mad quickly grabbed her right arm.

“Come on, it’s time to get our tickets!” the robot said, pulling them away. Velvet followed along, letting out a groan. 

“I’ll kill them.” 

“They’re a kid, leave them alone.”

“Fuck off, Mad.”

Children screamed excitedly as the carnival staff opened the entry gate. Hundreds of people flooded in and quickly scattered around into the various tents. In front of the closest tent, a man stood on a platform juggling lit torches.

“Woah…” Maroon mumbled, “That’s really cool.” Velvet scoffed. 

“Please, it’s fake,” the teen replied sarcastically. Maroon’s face dropped slightly, causing Thorn to glare at Velvet. 

“No need to be such a buzzkill, Velvet,” Solana said, lightly elbowing the teen. Velvet rolled her eyes. 

“Whatever. Let’s just find a staff room and look around.” The group slowly made their way through the crowds of people. Velvet kept a firm grip on their bag as they moved through the crowd. The group followed close behind, using the path Velvet left behind them. Eventually, Velvet took a left towards a blue, unmarked building. As they approached they noticed a sign on the door that read “Authorised Personnel Only”. 

“Perfect,” the teen said under their breath. One try of the doorknob revealed that the building was unlocked and the lights on. Thorn smirked and lightly elbowed Maroon’s arm. 

“Well look at that, mushroom,” he said, “This mission should be easy. We’ll have plenty of time to ride the rides.”

“You two do realise this mission will probably result in the carnival getting shut down, right?” Mad said as Velvet examined the doorway. Thorn groaned. 

“Damn, really?”

“We are solving multiple missing person cases,” Solana replied, “Of course they’re going to shut it down.” 

“Bummer. We should go to another carnival after this.”

“You are a fucking child,” Velvet said, turning around, “Now walk through the doorway.” Thorn raised an eyebrow and Solana facepalmed.

“Why me?”

“Because I don’t want to get stabbed if it's trapped.”

“Oh, and I do?”

“You probably don’t, but I don’t really care what you think right now.” Mad sighed and walked in front of Velvet. 

“How about I go through the door first so no one gets stabbed?” The droid said. 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Velvet asked, smirking, “But sure, be my guest.” Mad stepped into the building, looking around for people. Velvet watched the doorway closely as Mad went down the entrance hallway. 

“No traps?” Velvet wondered out loud, “This is too easy.”

“Hey, at least we’ll get it done quicker?” Maroon said. Velvet shook their head. 

“No, something’s wrong. Mad, come back here.” Before the teen could react, the door slammed shut. The remaining mafia members jumped at the noise, causing a laugh to echo from behind them. 

“What the fuck…” Thorn mumbled, looking around. Velvet quickly tried to open the door again, but found it had been locked. 

“Shit,” they breathed, “Mad! Are you there?” When their question was answered with silence, they turned to look at their teammates.

“Maroon, Thorn. Go check the left side. Solana, you’re with me.”

Mad banged on the door again and was met with no response.

“They can’t hear me,” the robot mumbled, “Great.” They turned around to get another look at the building’s interior. There was a central, grey hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. Every so often, a green door broke the grey monotone. 

The droid began walking down the hallway, looking at the signs on the doors. Most had been scratched out, as if someone was trying to erase them completely. A few were labelled as typical workplace things: bathrooms, a break room, etc. Every single door was locked, well, with the exception of the oddly shaped blue one at the end of the hall. 

When Mad got to that door, they quickly noticed it wasn’t labelled at all. The doorknob was bright gold, or at least a material that gave that illusion. Mad reached out and twisted the doorknob, surprise washing over them when the door didn’t fight it.

“Huh…” the droid mumbled, opening the door fully. The room behind the door seemed to be some kind of computer room, with a giant monitor in the middle. It was powered off, despite the hundreds of wires connecting it to various pieces of machinery around the room. The room itself was dark, almost pitch black. If it wasn’t for Mad’s night vision and the light from the hallway that the door let in, they wouldn’t be able to see. The robot took a step forward towards the monitor.

“Mad?” a familiar voice called out, causing the robot to turn around. In the doorway stood Rhyme Reuter, dressed in a pair of jeans and a tie-dye coloured jean jacket. Mad’s screen featured an exclamation mark as they stared at her. 

“Rhyme? What are you doing here?” Rhyme walked up to Mad, crossing his arms.

“Not important. What are you doing here? I didn’t think Velvet would let you all take a vacation day to a carnival. Also, why wouldn’t you invite me?” the thief joked, a smirk on her face.

“She didn’t, we’re on a mission.” Rhyme raised an eyebrow. 

“A mission? At a carnival?”

“Yeah. Apparently, a lot of people have gone missing here recently so we’re checking it out.”

“Huh, interesting. Say, could you help me with something?” A smile emoticon appeared on the droid's face.

“Sure, what’s up?” Rhyme took a step forward and grabbed Mad’s wrist. 

“Follow me, I’ve gotta show you.”

Thorn carefully looked around the corner of the building, scanning the walkway that went past it. A few of the patrons gave him weird looks, but he ignored them. Maroon walked up next to them and looked down the walkway as well. 

“It’s all clear,” Thorn said, walking forward, “You see any doors?” Maroon looked at the blue wall.

“Nope, nothing.”

“Huh. Maybe that’s the only door in. Think we should try to break it down?” 

“Maybe…” Maroon mumbled, “Let’s check the back first.” Thorn turned and saluted them, causing them to chuckle. The duo continued down the wall and turned to the back of the building. There wasn’t much space due to a hedge wall about a metre behind. Thorn stopped in front of an air vent that sat in the middle of the back wall. 

“There’s a vent back here,” he said. Maroon popped up next to aer and leaned closer to the vent. 

“Velvet uses vents, right? They could get through here as a last resort.”

“I’m not sure Velvet would fit through there, it’s pretty small.”

“True. Maybe-”

“Someone help!” a voice screamed, cutting off Maroon’s sentence. The teens turned towards the noise, which was coming from down the path. Suddenly, a little girl came into view, tears streaming down her face. She had light red hair that was pinned back with a flower crown made of pink roses. 

She couldn’t have been over the age of 10, considering her shortness and childlike structure. She wore what appeared to be a uniform of a black and white plaid skirt with a pink blazer. The kid quickly looked around before locking eyes with the duo. Her eyes quickly lit up and she ran up to them. 

“Thorn!” the kid shouted, wrapping her arms around the older teen, “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Thorn stared down at the kid, their eyes as wide as saucers. 

“...Iris?” The little girl wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled. 

“Who else would it be, brother?”

Velvet kicked the wooden door again, but it refused to budge. They groaned and put their foot down on the ground. Solana stood next to them, arms crossed.

“All of them are locked?” the elf mumbled, “Weird, considering-” Velvet cut them off, throwing their side bag onto the concrete and looking around. The teen quickly spotted a fallen sign, which had detached from the metal pole next to it. She ran over and picked up the pole, returning to the door. 

“Oh Gazra,” Solana mumbled, watching as they placed it in between the door and the doorframe. 

“Gazra can fuck off,” Velvet replied, putting a foot on the pole. Before they could apply pressure, the door quickly opened from the inside. Velvet stumbled forward before Solana grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Velvet, what are you doing?” A robotic voice asked. Velvet quickly stood up and threw the pole into the grassy area next to the path. They looked at Mad as Rhyme walked out next to them. His hair had changed since Velvet saw him last, now featuring ice-blue tips instead of pink.

“Well, I was trying to save you,” Velvet answered, gesturing to Rhyme, “But clearly you didn’t need me.” Rhyme smirked. 

“Gotta be faster next time, Bolton.”

“Call me that again, see what fucking happens-”

“Chill, drama queen,” Solana said, letting go of their arm, “Who’s this?” Rhyme smirked and gave Solana a small bow. 

“Diamonds, world-renowned thief and criminal extraordinaire. Which one of the newbies are you?”

“Solana. It’s nice to meet you, Mad’s talked about you quite a lot.” Rhyme raised an eyebrow at Mad.

“All good things, I hope.”

“As good as they could get about you,” Velvet mumbled, crossing her arms. Rhyme laughed. 

“Sensing some hostility there, Bolton,” he said, “Don’t worry, the feeling’s mutual.” 

“What are you even doing here, Diamonds?” 

“None of your business. I just need to borrow Mad here for a few, won’t take long.” Velvet forced out a fake laugh. 

“That’s hilarious, Diamonds. And 100% not happening.”

“Velvet-” Mad began, but Rhyme interrupted it. 

“I just saved them from being locked in the building for who knows how long. It’s the least you can do.”

“Why, so you can steal some pocket money and a few chocolate bars? That’s rich.”

“Yeah, I will be rich when I finish this. Which is why I really need their help.”

“Just go back to your original plan without it, asinus.”

“Considering things have changed and I was about to call it anyway, no.” Mad sighed and grabbed Rhyme’s arm, stepping in front of him. 

“Velvet, it won’t take very long. This’ll let Thorn and Maroon try some of the rides like they wanted to before we end it.” Velvet glared at Mad

“We have a fucking job to do-” Solana quickly covered Velvet’s mouth.

“Go for it, Mad,” the elf began, pinning Velvet’s arms to their side so they couldn’t fight against them, “We’ll handle the mission. Just let us know when you’re done.” A smile emoticon appeared on Mad’s screen.

“Thanks, Solana.”

“No problem. Have fun.” Rhyme quickly grabbed Mad’s arm and pulled it forward. She ran deeper into the park with Mad barely being able to keep up. Once they got out of sight, Solana let go of Velvet.

“What the hell, Solana?” He looked at Velvet and sighed. 

“Sometimes, you’ve gotta let them do their own thing. The four of us can handle the mission just fine on our own.” 

“I’m going to tell you that when we fucking die.”

“How? You’ll be dead.”

“I- Shut up.”

“Brother?” Maroon asked, staring down at the small girl. She turned to them before letting out a quiet squeak. She jumped behind Thorn, who was staring at her with a few tears forming in aer eyes. She grabbed aer legs and stuck her tongue out at Maroon. 

“Go away!” She shouted. Maroon blinked a few times before looking at Thorn. 

“Thorn…?” they began, “Are you ok?”

“I-” Thorn mumbled, “What…”

“Thorn! We should go. Mom will be expecting us any time now!” Iris said, grabbing Thorn’s hand and attempting to pull him forward. Thorn knelt down and pulled the girl into a hug. 

“I’m…I’m so sorry,” Thorn choked out, “I’m so sorry.” Iris looked at it with a confused look. 

“What? Why?” Thorn closed aer eyes tightly but didn’t answer. 

“Thorn, why are you crying?” Iris asked, looking up at her brother, “Did I do something wrong?” 

“No,” Thorn stumbled over aer words, “You…you didn’t.” 

“Then why are you crying?” 

“I just missed you so much, bumblebee.” 

“I was only gone for a few hours.” Thorn shook his head. 

“No, Iris, you’ve been gone for a lot longer than that. How…how did you even get here?”

“Mommy brought me? Didn’t she bring you too?” 

“Mom’s here?” Thorn breathed, their body freezing. Iris nodded. 

“Of course she is, she and Papa would never let us go to a carnival on our own!”

“Iris, I need you to take me to her. Now.” Iris laughed and grabbed aer hand. 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do, silly!” 

“What’s happening?” Maroon finally asked. Thorn looked up at them and stood, still hanging onto Iris’s significantly smaller hand. 

“It’s…hard to explain,” he mumbled, looking at the ground. Maroon took a step forward and pulled their friend into a hug. 

“It’s ok, you can tell me when you’re ready.” Thorn nodded, slightly resting their head on their shoulder. When they broke apart, Iris was staring right at Maroon. 

“Are you my brother’s boyfriend?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. The two teens went bright red, Maroon burying their head in their hands. 

“Iris, no-” Thorn said quickly, “We’re just friends.” The little girl frowned. 

“Aww, so no brother-in-law?” 

“Iris!” She laughed, gripping Thorn’s hand harder. 

“Come on, momma’s waiting!” Iris pulled Thorn behind her as she ran forward. Thorn almost fell over, grabbing Maroon’s hand. Maroon pulled him upwards, steadying him as Iris kept pulling them along through the park.

Zaeor’s phone buzzed as the god was about to take a bite of his turkey sandwich. He sighed, setting the food down and grabbing his phone off the table. He sighed as he read the notification.

“How does this always seem to happen?” he mumbled, unlocking the phone and dialling a number. It rang once before the other line picked up. 

“You couldn’t let me eat my sandwich, huh?” he joked. 

“Fuck your sandwich,” Velvet said from the other side, “Can you do a magic scan of this place?” 

“I already did, didn’t I tell you?”

“You did, but I want you to do another one.” Zaeor raised an eyebrow. 

“Another one? What are you looking for?” 

“She thinks there’s an illusionist running around,” he heard Solana say from the other side of the phone. 

“Hello, Solana.”

“Hey, Zaeor.”

“Anyways, Velvet, an illusionist? Do you know-” 

“Yeah, they’re extremely rare, blah blah blah. But hear me out.” Zaeor let out a sigh. 

“Alright, go,” he said, standing up from his chair.

“We’ve searched every place in this damned park,” Velvet began, “There’s nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing. No leads, no slip-ups, nothing. There’s been no suspicious activity the entire two hours we’ve been here. All the staff have no previous criminal record, not even any school disciplinary action!”

“Why did you check their school records?-”

“Anything can be evidence.”

“I’m not sure that’s a solid legal argument.”

“Tried telling her that,” Solana added before letting out an “ow”, no doubt from Velvet elbowing her.

“Not to mention Thorn and Maroon have…vanished or something.” The god’s eyes widened. 

“Wait, Thorn and Maroon are missing?”

“Presumably, yeah.”

“And you didn’t lead with that?”

“It’s not why I’m calling you so, no.”

“I-” Zaeor stopped mid-sentence, letting out a sigh, “Continue.”

“Anyways,” Velvet stated, “Unless it’s an outside party, which is unlikely due to the carnival's lack of reaction to the kidnappings, there’s some kind of magic going on.”

“That’s fair, but why an illusionist as opposed to just a normal magician?”

“Think about it, Zaeor. How could a normal magician hide a kidnapping?” 

“Mind manipulation?” Velvet groaned.

“You just love talking about mind manipulation.”

“Hey, it’s a cool power!” Zaeor chuckled, going up the pitch-black stairs that lead to the second floor of his home.

“A ‘cool’ power that would’ve showed up on the initial magic scan.” Zaeor stopped in front of one of the doors at the top of the stairs. 

“Oh, you’re right.” Velvet sighed.

“Everyone loves doubting me recently,” she mumbled. Zaeor sighed. 

“That’s not true, I just wanted to hear your reasoning-”

“It’s not important now,” the teen interrupted, causing the god to shake his head. 

“So you think an illusionist is kidnapping people and using illusions to hide it? But why?”

“To fulfil some sick desire, I don’t know.”

“Experiments maybe?” Solana chimed in.

“Maybe, seems weird though,” Zaeor said, opening the door, “Well, I’ll run an illusion scan and call you back. Stay hidden and blend in.”

“Alright-”

“And find Maroon and Thorn! Where’s Mad?” Velvet groaned. 

“We’re just. Not gonna touch on Mad right now,” Solana interrupted, “We know where they are and they’re fine. Just…not here.” Zaeor raised an eyebrow.

“That’s…ominous.”

“Yeah, I’m realising that.”

“But, whatever. If this really is an illusionist, you’re definitely going to need Maroon and Thorn.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. Call me when you find something.”

“Alright, I will. Good luck and don’t be stupid.”

“I’m never stupid.”

“That’s just a fucking lie,” Solana mumbled. 

“Solana-”

“And don’t kill Solana!” Zaeor added. Velvet groaned again. 

“Fucking fine! Alright, we’re going.” Zaeor groaned as he hit the end-call button on the phone. The god sat down on the large office chair in front of several different monitors around the room. He didn’t move for a few moments but eventually waved his hand. The turkey sandwich appeared in his hand as he booted up the device.

Alright, let’s see what’s going on.

Rhyme laughed as the pair slowed in front of a chain link fence. In front of them, a gate stood far above Mad’s TV. There were no signs on the fence, but beyond it stood a huge pink and blue circus tent. Mad looked up and down the fence but saw no gate. 

“What is this place?” the droid asked. 

“It’s the V.I.P. section.”

“The carnival has a V.I.P. section?” Rhyme shrugged. 

“Yeah, it has like, special arcade games or something. All I know is that there’s a lot of money in there.”

“So what do you need my help with?”

“You see,” Rhyme began, walking towards the fence, “The fence has something on it. I thought it was electrified at first.”

“At first?” Rhyme slowly bent down and picked up a fallen branch from a nearby tree and chucked it at the fence. As soon as it made contact with the metal, the wood burst into flames. Mad took a step back in shock. 

“I…don’t think an electric fence could do that.” Rhyme laughed. 

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“So it’s magic then? Mad said, turning towards him, “Why does that mean you need my help? I’m not exactly known for magic.”

“True,” Rhyme mumbled, turning away, “But I think there’s some kind of control panel to it. Think you can find it?” Mad looked at her before looking back at the fence. 

“Maybe…” the robot took a few steps forward, “Are there any wires?” 

“It’s magic, I don’t think it would be controlled through wires.” 

“I don’t know, then,” Mad mumbled, “Did you see another control room?” Rhyme crossed his arms and looked at it. 

“Hm,” she mumbled, tapping her foot, “Oh! Yeah, there’s one nearby.” Mad turned around, a smile on their TV. 

“Well then, Diamonds, lead the way.”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Rhyme?”

Velvet kicked a rock down the sidewalk. People streamed past her, down the path towards the kiddie rides. The aroma of freshly popped popcorn and funnel cakes filled the air. Children screeched happily while their parents chatted behind them. Velvet took a step forward, only to find a piece of chewed gum had attached itself to the bottom of her combat boots. They let out a loud groan and ripped the gum in half. 

“Stupid fucking place,” they mumbled, “I can’t wait for this to be fucking over.”

“Vel, no need to be such a downer,” a familiar voice called out. Velvet’s eyes widened and she quickly spun around. There stood a boy about 13 years old, a big smile on his face. His bright emerald green eyes looked warmly at them, something they hadn’t seen in a long, long time. 

“Here,” he said, holding a pretzel out to her, “I got one for you. No need to be an edge lord.” Velvet stared at him, causing him to raise an eyebrow. 

“Vel? You ok?” 

“...Caran?” 

“Yeah? You feeling alright?” Velvet stepped towards him. The boy smiled, holding the pretzel out to them. Velvet ignored it, however, swinging a punch at the boy's head. He stumbled backwards, the pretzel falling to the ground with a loud thud. His bright blonde hair covered his face as he winced in pain. People stopped walking to stare at the developing scene, some parents even ushering their small ones behind them. Caran placed a hand on his face and looked back at Velvet, who kept her composure and crossed her arms. 

“That’s about all the proof I need,” they mumbled, shaking their head, “Next time, illusionist, pick someone who’s still alive.” Caran’s eyes widened as Velvet took a few steps forward and kneeled down next to him. 

“W-what are you talking about, Vel? O-of course I’m alive, I’m right here.”

“Now listen very carefully, illusion,” they whispered, glaring at the boy, “I can’t dissolve you here, that would make me look suspicious. However, if I see you again, in this form or any other, I will dissolve you on sight regardless of the consequences. Am I clear?” The illusion nodded fearfully, causing Velvet to frown. 

“That looks wrong,” they mumbled, standing up.

“Velvet, what on Gazra are you doing?” Velvet turned to see Solana pushing through the crowd, who were whispering as the scene unfolded. 

“I know we’re dealing with an illusionist now.” 

“What? How?” Velvet stepped to the side as she stopped and gestured to the illusion on the ground. 

“Take a look.” Solana’s eyes drifted downwards to the boy, who had tears streaming down his face. Their hands clasped over their mouth and they quickly dropped to their knees.

“...Caran!”

“Sol!” He jumped forward and pulled the elf into a hug. It took a few seconds for Solana to process what was happening but he quickly returned the gesture.

“Oh my gods,” she breathed, “You’re…alive!” 

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding,” Velvet breathed.

“Sol! I-I don’t know what I did but I-I tried to give Velvet a pretzel a-and-” the illusion stopped to take a breath, “S-she just punched me!” Solana turned to glare at Velvet, but the teen just looked confused. 

“Velvet-”

“Solana, are you serious right now? This-” Velvet gestured towards the illusion, “can’t be real. Caran is dead.” 

“Or, he could be standing right in front of you,” the elf mumbled, turning back toward the illusion, “How did you escape Unor?” The illusion paused for several seconds before sniffling.

“H-he almost killed me. But I ran. I’ve been wandering the wilderness for- I don’t even know how long it’s been now.”

“See!” Solana exclaimed, pulling him into another hug, “I knew you weren’t dead.” 

“You’re an idiot,” Velvet stated, running a hand through her hair, “Maybe there’s some mind manipulation going on after all.” Solana ignored them, instead focusing on the small boy in front of him. 

“I can’t believe-” the elf paused for a moment, “I’m so glad you’re ok.” Caran sniffled and buried his face in Solana’s shoulder. 

“I missed you,” he said, though it was muffled, “I thought I was seeing things when I saw you guys here and-”

“Shh, it’s ok. We can talk once we get somewhere else. Velvet-” The elf turned to talk to their friend, but she was already gone.

Eventually, Iris slowed down, allowing Maroon and Thorn to catch their breath. 

“She’s just over this fence, in that tent!” Maroon gave the child a confused look. 

“Why is she outside the park?” they asked. Iris turned back to look at them.

“She’s not outside the park,” she began, “That’s the V.I.P. section!” 

“V.I.P. section?” Thorn asked, “I didn’t know carnivals had a V.I.P. section.” 

“And what’s with the fence?” Maroon questioned. Iris frowned at the duo. 

“I don’t know, how would I? All I know is that mom’s in there.” Thorn put a hand on Iris’s shoulder and smiled. 

“Right, sorry Iris.” Maroon looked at the little girl before sighing. 

“Sorry.”

“We just gotta find a way over the fence…” Iris mumbled, looking around. Thorn laughed and turned to their little sister.

“Don’t worry, bumblebee, I’ve got that covered.” It kneeled down and pulled her onto its back. Iris let out a small shriek but a big smile took over her face once Thorn stood back up.

“Piggy-back ride!” she screamed, throwing a hand in the air. The two teens both laughed, causing Iris to turn back to look at Maroon. 

“But what about Mar-Mar?” she asked, “I don’t think he’ll fit on your back.” Maroon’s eyes widened.

Mar-Mar? How-

“They,” Thorn corrected, snapping the teen out of their thoughts. Iris looked at him.

“Oh. They.” Maroon looked at the young girl.

“It’s okay. And I have my own ways. I’ll meet you guys over there, okay?” Iris’s smile returned and she nodded. 

“See you there, Mar-Mar,” Thorn said with a smirk. Plants quickly grew from the ground and propelled the two of them over the fence. Maroon heard Iris screaming as they flew but then- nothing. The two of them completely disappeared from view, as if they had vanished. There was only the sound of patrons behind them and the wind. Maroon’s eyes widened. 

“Thorn? Iris?” they called out. No response. The plants Thorn had grown quickly withered and died in front of their eyes, which sent a chill down the teen’s spine. Maroon grew a mushroom underneath them and looked over the fence. Nothing seemed out of place, just normal fake grass that was spread around the carnival. The tent still stood in the distance but no one seemed to come in or out of it. Maroon took a deep breath before looking at the ground once more and hopping over the fence.

[rjhamster]

Sunglasses Flash Sale - Ferragamo, Guess, Harley Davidson and more

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[carterthompson]

✦ EVAN MOCK, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ✦ CARTER THOMPSON the THIRTY year old has been in Hidehill for FIFTEEN YEARS and was a ACQUAINTANCE to Miyeon Kang, the murder victim. Whispers on the streets are that the FIREFIGHTER/EX MILITARY who lives in HIDE SQUARE are said to be EXTROVERTED and DIMWITTED but I guess we’ll find out for ourselves. [MADDI, 24, EST, SHE/HER]

CHARACTER BASICS

FULL NAME: Carter Phillip Thompson

AGE: Thirty

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis Male, He/Him

FACE CLAIM: Glen Powell

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Light Brown

HEIGHT: 6′0″

DATE OF BIRTH: October 20th, 1993

ZODIAC SIGN: Libra

OCCUPATION: Ex Military / Firefighter

HOMETOWN: Cleveland, Ohio

TATTOOS: TBD

LIKES

his dog, sunrises, the color green, digital cameras, the sound of rain in the morning, cooking meals, wearing old sweaters in the cold, aviator sunglasses, taking his car to the car wash, watching reality shows, poptarts

DISLIKES

doing laundry, soups, having to dress up formally, getting sand on wet feet, anything pumpkin flavored, when people bite their nails, driving when its snowing out, rock music

Carter Thompson grew up in Cleveland, Ohio to a middle class family of four. He was the oldest of two kids and the dumbest. He was favored by his mother and dismissed by his father. He found it hard to fit in at home, feeling like an outsider most days because he wasn’t the image of his father like his father had wanted in a son.

Carter was a toddler when his sibling entered the picture. His mother had always wanted to adopted a child and when his father finally agreed, the new baby was welcomed with open arms by both parents. Carter had a hard time adjusting, but finally did come around a few years later. Despite feeling like the newest addtion of the family was a replacement for him.

When he was 15 the family moved to Hidehill, Tennessee to be closer to family in Nashville. Carter hoped to find more acceptance from this side of his family, but was met with the same dismissive attitude his father showed for him. Everyone was always so much more interested in the younger brother of the two, eager to hear what the star child had been up to as opposed to the child who was falling behind.

While he didn’t excel in grades in high school, he did with his social life. Using school and friends as a place to escape his life at home. He was always found laughing about something with his friends or making new ones in class. He was probably one of the only kids upset when graduation came around.

Unsure of what to do with him, he let his father talk him into joining the military. Wanting to do something to please his dad for once in his life, he went through it. Carter served 8 years in the army before coming back home. He thought he would finally be met with the love and acceptance he wanted now that he had done something to be proud of, but his father just shrugged him off again while his mother was happy to see him.

Three years ago, his parents moved out to Nashville to retire while Carter and his sibling stayed behind in Hidehill. Finally feeling like he could breathe and do what he wanted with his life, he became a firefighter and adopted a sweet puppy that he treats like his own kid. 

QUICK FACTS

Has a miniature poodle named Sugar

Loves hot chocolate

Hobbies are photography and thrifting old sweaters

Favorite movie is Wolf of Wall Street

Drive a white Toyota Corolla 

CONNECTIONS | PINTEREST

[l-wannabe-l]

Short Circuit

Chapter 1: First Impressions

During the events of T2 John's half-sister, Aria catches the attention of the T-1000. Having failed a second time Skynet starts targeting the people who will one day fight beside John.

T-1000/Austin x OC

This first chapter will follow the movie but it will start diverging soon. I'm still new to fanfic writing so feel free to leave a comment.

It was gone.

Not in my closet or my drawers or under the bed.

It was gone.

The little money maker that I made and the little brat took it. I grab my cardigan and make my way out into the hallway. He's probably made it to the mall already (and he didn't even think to invite me), spending money that's not his. I mean it's not mine either but that's not the part I'm upset about. Knowing the way he drives on his bike I'll be lucky if the atm card is still working when I get it back. As I looked for my keys, they were RIGHT HERE I SWEAR, the doorbell rings. Seeing as it's not my house I don't go to answer. I hear the door open accompanied by a tired sigh.

Todd must've gotten it.

"Are you the legal guardian of John Connor?'

That's never a good question. I take a peek around the corner to glance at the man at the door. The first thing I notice is that he's wearing a police uniform. Yup, not good.

"That's right, officer. What's he done now?" A very valid question that the officer ignores as he seems to scan the house, pausing briefly as he spots me before turning his attention back to Todd.

"Could I speak with him please?"

"Could if he were here. Took off on his bike this morning so he could be anywhere." Todd answers with a shrug, clearly not giving two shits as Janelle joins him at the door.

"Do you have a photograph of John?"

"Yeah sure, hold on." She turns to grab her wallet and sees me hiding behind the corner. She looks at me expectedly probably thinking I know what's going on. I just shake my head. Like I would tell her even if I did know.

"You gonna tell me what this is about?" Todd tries asking again as Janelle rejoins them, handing off the picture.

"Just need to ask him a few questions. He's a good-looking boy. Do you mind if I keep this picture?" He asks as he studies the image.

"No, go on. There was a guy here this morning looking for him too." Janelle offers. This gets the officer's attention as I see him still and look back up. This surprises me too as I wasn't here in the morning and my foster parents apparently didn't think to tell me about some stranger looking for my little brother.

"Yeah, a big guy on a bike. That got something to do with this?" Todd adds. Dear God John, who are you getting involved with? The officer pauses for a moment before responding.

"No. I wouldn't worry about him. Thanks for your cooperation." He takes one last glance up in my direction. Our eyes meet. Only for a second before he's gone. But it's long enough to send a chill down my spine. Police officer or not that man is dangerous and he's heading straight for John. When John fails to answer his phone, that I got him by the way, I hurry to find my keys and make my way outside. The cop had left. He'll have to ask around to find John which should buy me some time.

It's a bit of a distance to get to the mall and the traffic of a Saturday afternoon doesn't help but I make it. I head towards the arcade on the second floor but have to backtrack around a corner when I spot the officer from earlier talking to some kids.

Christ, he works fast. This man really takes his job seriously.

The kids seem not to know anything as the man continues on and out of sight… in the direction of the arcade. DAMN IT. I hurry after hoping he'd walk past it which he does. I slow down to look through the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of John.

"Excuse me, have you seen…"

Stopped by the entrance I turn to look at the speaker realizing too late my mistake as I'm face to face with the very man I was avoiding. Because of the close proximity, I notice he's tall, and with a square jaw, bright blue eyes, and soft-looking light brown hair, he's handsome too. This is bad for me, because tall and handsome have gotten me in trouble before and I will not let it do so again. But he's staring, obviously recognizing me from not even an hour ago, so I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

"Lo siento señor no hablo ingles."

His brow furrowed in confusion which I take as my cue to leave. So with an "Adios!" I duck into the arcade, send a quick thank you to my high school Spanish classes, and hide behind the first big machine I find. From there I see him enter the arcade looking left and right, scanning as he did earlier, before turning to a pair of girls by a pinball machine. I turn away to go find John eventually finding him playing Afterburner.

"JOHN!"

"AAHH!"

"A cop is looking for you, what did you do?" He spares me a glance before returning to his game.

"... Is this because I took the card machine? Listen Aria, I'm sorry but mine broke."

"I am pissed about that but no."

"Is it cause I didn't invite you? In my defense, you weren't home."

"John..." I begin when Tim, John's buddy, slides up to us.

"John, hey there's this cop scoping for you, check it out." That got his attention, and let me be upset for a second as he takes a look around Tim and the machine to see the officer questioning another kid who points in our direction. John grabs his backpack, I grab John and we both head towards the employee door briefly looking back to see the officer pushing kids aside to catch up. I open the door and push John ahead of me, both of us running.

"So you'll listen to Tim but not to me?"

"Tim never messed with me about surprise police inspections." Ever since we were young mom drilled into us that the police were bad news and, like the caring and protective big sister that I am, I decided to add to this training. Suffice to say John tends to double guess me now and then.

"That's fair." Turning the corner we surprise a worker who yells at us and who we ignore as we push through the exit doors. That's when we turn to see a large man in a leather jacket and sunglasses and I freeze up as he opens the box to pull out a shotgun the roses he was carrying crushed beneath him as he advances. John pulls me back the way we came, the man following as we try the other doors.

Locked.

Trapped.

I chance a glance back to see he’s caught up with us. Another look forward reveals the officer appearing through the doorway, with a glare almost as menacing as the gun. I hear a click and a look back shows the shotgun has been leveled at us.

“Get down.”

What?

"ARIA!"

Lucky for me John has the good sense to listen to the man as he ducks down pulling me with him. I cover him as gunshots ring above us. I look up to see the officer blasted back a few inches, silver wounds appearing where red ones should be. The man in leather grabs us, spinning to cover us as the cop starts emptying his clip at us. I hear the poor employee from earlier scream in pain as he gets caught in the crossfire.

John and I scream, fear gripping us.

The bullet fire pauses for a moment giving our (definitely not) human shield the opportunity to bust open the door to our left and push us in. He turns away just in time for the officer to finish reloading but is undeterred by the bullets finding a home in his torso as he continues his march forward. He levels his own gun, shotgun shells flying as he blasts one after another pushing the smaller man back until he falls and our savior is allowed to reload. As he does so the silver gaps fill in and the man rises from where he lay grabbing the gun and catching the bigger man off guard as he tries and fails to gain back control. So instead he moves to grab the cop but is instead thrown into one wall then another. Cement and plaster alike collapsing in their struggle until they both disappear through a wall.

Despite the obvious difference in size, the larger man is the one being thrown around like a ragdoll which spells bad news for us. So I grab John again, pulling him behind me as I head towards the door that leads to a staircase. We head down until we reach ground level, the parking lot, we run over to John’s bike, an old thing that was mine before I handed it down when I got a new one. Trying to start it up now I remember why I upgraded.

“John, your bike is a hunk of junk!”

“It was your bike first! Just start it already!” The engine finally starts running just as the doors burst open. The cop racing after us on foot as we speed off.

[boop-le-snoot]

masterpost ☀️ main masterlist ☀️ taglist

previously on...

This chapter is very dialogue heavy. Stephen Strange being a little bit of a dick and Tony being a sweetheart. No warnings here, just plot and worldbuilding. I think Tony is his own warning to be honest... Do we want fun facts before each chapter like before or nah?

Sorcerer Strange stared at me with the heat of a plasma beam after I finished stuttering throughout my story, one accurate eyebrow raised and sharp cheekbones painting him displeased and dangerous in the yellow light of the store lamps. The whole experience shook me more than I would have liked to admit to myself and his mute reaction wasn't helping matters at all.

"Hmph," he finally cleared his throat, taking a step back and casting a thoughtful look over the shelves in the store. "You did all you could. Perhaps, we owe you gratitude," his tone was far kinder than his face. "How long have you been doing... This?" He vaguely gestured with a gloved hand.

"Long enough," I replied without thinking. My stress levels urgently rose above acceptable and the feelings needed to be let out now; Wong's dismissive attitude and Strange's half-assed apology for the attitude was still fresh in my mind.

The sorcerer sighed, briefly touching the bridge of his nose. "I won't pretend to understand the reason for your hostility but I'd like to remind you we're on the same side here," his steely blue eyes attempted to peer into my soul.

"There are no sides here," whatever he was selling, I wasn't buying it. "There are just people who get hurt, either because of unstable maniacs with superpowers or aliens who think Earth is an all-you-can-kill buffet," I stuck my dirty, bloody hands in my pockets. "You do your part in mitigating the damage, I do mine. That's all there is."

"And you would be making my job expotentionally harder if you get in the way and slow down professionals, even if you mean well," the man's temper had, evidently, won over and he immediately got on the defensive, crossing his arms and trying to glare me down.

Odette's words rang true, starting a storm of hollow anger in the pit of my skull. "Now listen here, you privileged prick," the damn burst at the seams as I squared up to give him a piece of my mind. "You and your Hogwarts rejects and the merry band of billionaires may have the opportunity to 24/7 healthcare and near-instant compensation for any damages the villain of the week decides to bestow upon your shallow little heads," I advanced half a step towards Strange, hands bailed into tight fists, internally rejoicing at the way he leaned back. My blood sang with adrenaline as I breathed the exhilaration.

"But how many people do you overlook? How many children never make it because your super secret organisation gives their parents an ultimatum just because they are different? This is a safe space for the ones you pretend not to see until it's convenient and it will stay that way, over my fucking dead body, if need be," I stared at the tall man, almost physically feeling his brain halt and pause with the cartoony sound of screeching tires. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this.

A pregnant pause hung in the air, both of us waiting for the other to explode.

"Don't you think I am aware," Strange finally seethed through gritted teeth, alarming golden sparks shining in his eyes. "The Avengers are not under the rule of SHIELD and I, personally, have no affiliation with either. I do not condone their barbaric methods," the man was struggling to form his sentences properly but even despite that, I understood his ideas.

I desperately wanted to believe his words to be true, I really did, but... "Then do your fucking job and let me do mine. I do not go out there and intervene, I merely clean up the mess you all leave. Something that nobody wants to do do, so unless you've got any takers, I'll keep helping those you deem unfit," in a fit of muted rage, I flew my arm to point at the abandoned cars and destroyed concrete outside of the window, the empty street and the clouds of dust rising into the moody skies.

The entrance door flew open suddenly, with a force strong enough to bang the heavy, old handle against something outside, letting in the stuffy air inside the bodega. Strange jumped at the sound of the screaming hinges, my own heart skipping a beat from the startling interruption.

Visibly composing himself, the man pierced me with a final stare before starting a dangerously quiet, "Very well, goodbye," and hightailing it out of Odette's before disappearing in a golden circle just outside the front porch.

I let my shoulders sag for a brief moment of respite, feeling the tension bleed out of me and penetrate every nook and cranny in the room. My protection charms were mostly destroyed, silver dull, glass and amber crackled. Tossing them into the appropriate recycling bin, I set to clean up the shop, flying through the motions in record time and wandering home through the damaged streets on autopilot.

My anger had cost me more than a fortune in my past but no matter how much I sought to reason with myself, I couldn't bring it to justify Strange's attitude towards my choices. The more I thought about it, the less rational my guesses became; I forced myself to stop thinking about it when my brain had unhelpfully supplied an absurd notion of him being jealous of my lifestyle: he knew next to nothing of my skills and his opinion was based solely on seeing me work the store front and one cleansing spell I'd performed on Bucky. There was simply no rational explanation for his behaviour.

NYC life wasn't affected by the battle in the slightest, it seemed; a day and a half later, I was back at Jeremy's, serving overpriced hot beverages to the rich and the busy. I'd slept on the Bucky and Strange situation, got a handle on my feelings and decided to simply put it away. There were other, more pressing things to worry about than a couple of men.

I didn't expect the flood of anxiety that turned my hands to lead upon seeing Tony Stark's signature suit-and-sunglasses wearing ass waltz into the café. He flashed me his usual easy grin but didn't remove his glasses, eyes eerily blank behind them, as he motioned for his usual order before leaning on the countertop with the entirety of his upper body. "So, Starshine, what is it exactly that you do?" Came the question I was dreading. "Are you, like, a witch? The broomstick and cauldron kind?"

"Mr. Stark, I am serving you coffee and a muffin as we speak," I replied curtly, raising an eyebrow.

"Drop the act, honeybuns. I thought we were friends," if I squinted, I could see that he was genuinely hurt by my lack of desire to communicate. Or, perhaps, he simply was unused to not satisfying his curiosities immediately.

Either way, I stood no chance against Stark patented puppy eyes. "I clock out at two," a sigh of epic magnitude left my mouth against my will. "You can interrogate me then. Until that, it's lattes and cheesecakes only."

Tony narrowed his eyes, smile warming up by a smidgen. "Interrogate you? Never," he pocketed the napkin with Dr. Banner's scribbles the doc had forgotten last time. "I'm merely curious." Another flash of his teeth and he was gone, taking what little peace I had left along with him.

The hands on the clock made their hurried rounds over and over. My chest had grown it's own set of ticking, grinding, mismatched gears as the endless possibilities coursed a steady stream through my head. Tony Stark was a wild card, his struggles with authority a widely known fact, as frequent as his strange habits in just about anything. And while I doubted I would get ambushed and locked up, I had no qualms of him berating me for telling off his boyfriend. He seemed like the possessive, overprotective type, anyways.

As soon as I exited the café, surrounded by the smells of flour and coffee grounds, my eyes immediately landed on the shiny, brand new Audi illegally parked right in front of the establishment, it's owner leisurely leaning against the hood with a face of contented boredom as passerby pedestrians shamelessly ogled him and his ride. His face lit up as he noticed me, immediately rushing to hold the passenger side door open for my comfort. "M'lady," the dorky remark didn't fail to summon a smile to my face even if it was a weak shadow of my usual camaraderie.

"Mr. Stark," I greeted him as soon as he peeled off the crowded sidewalk.

The lack of joy on my face didn't go unnoticed by him and every now and then, he snuck a glance at my face. "Relax, Starshine, I won't bite."

"Well," I mumbled, remembering the vicious way I had torn into his boyfriend. "Good to know."

Seeing as that didn't do much for my nerves, he suddenly swerved right, rushing into a busy intersection with the ease of a practiced manic driver. "I'm feeling like a cheeseburger," he announced unceremoniously, pulling into a parking lot of some place I never noticed.

I doubted that I could swallow anything at all but relented, sitting down opposite him in the furthest booth from the entrance. I ordered the biggest milkshake they had as Tony grinned big at the waitress, finally taking off his sunglasses when she left for the kitchen.

I rested my elbows on the table under the scrutiny of his gaze. He kept quiet. I couldn't hold back my curiosity any more. "So?"

His sharp, clever brown eyes captured and held mine for the longest second in my life. I struggled not to break eye contact until he relented, focusing on the shine of my rings instead. "RoboCop almost died from the shit that happened to him," Tony's words were curt. I inhaled sharply, assuming he was talking about Barnes. The engineer's fingers began to fiddle with his glasses. "We couldn't figure out how you helped him. Not the medical, not Banner, not me and and not even Steph," he paused to run a hand through his hair. "Barnes was hit with a poisoned arrow. There were no toxins left in his body, not even a single inflammation marker showed up on the tests." With that, Tony expectantly turned to me.

I chewed on my lip in contemplation. "Magic," I simply answered, figuring Strange had already briefed him about my occupation.

Tony shook his head with a snort. "Magic that the Sorcerer Supreme doesn't recognize or cannot detect?" The question was saved in nature.

Stephen Strange was Sorcerer Supreme and I had pissed him off and remained alive. I couldn't believe my luck, if Odette's stories were anything to go by. Inwardly rejoicing, I nonetheless resigned to answer truthfully. "Because there is nothing to detect, no foreign energy," I tried to phrase it in a way a scientist could understand. "What I use to heal, it is given me by nature and willingly. Think of me as a... Conductor. I merely store the energy short-term and direct it where it is needed."

That sparked a visible interest in Tony. He leaned forward, running my whole form, over and over, with his sharp eyes, searching for something I knew he wouldn't find. "Like... Making a blood transfusion?" It was obvious that he was thinking hard about the subject. "Like a successful organ transplant?"

"Something like that," I agreed amicably, seeing as he was talking at himself rather than engaging in a conversation with me.

"But it doesn't come from nothing, the first law of thermodynamics..." He started off in slight confusion.

"Yes, the total amount of energy remains constant," I interrupted him, making his eyes widen. "It's all around us, Mr. Stark. You cannot see it, and most people even cannot feel it, but mother Earth supports her creations. More than we like to think," the corner of my mouth tilted upward at the memories. Working with Gaia directly was like being briefly submersed in a cocoon of pure, warm sunshine; like being held in mother's arms as a babe. "She is kind and she is merciful, especially to the ones whose suffering is unjust," I let the man mull over my words.

The waitress brought our orders; my throat was parched, I took a few haste gulps of the chocolate milkshake. Tony's burger, however, remained unnoticed and untouched.

"Earth is a sentient organism?"

The question made my eyebrows rise; I coughed slightly, meeting his confused eyes with a smirk. "Mr. Stark, keep your science headcanons to yourself," the banter came easily now that the status quo was established.

He rolled his eyes, fitfully resisting the smile tugging at his mouth. "I'm telling on you to Mean Green," there was no malice behind his words.

I doubted the shy scientist would do much more than stutter out two jumbled questions but let the topic slide in favour of closing up on the issue. "Would you call a wolf sentient? No," I shook my head. "But it is autonomous, it has free will. Think of it like that," I wasn't really up to par on explaining Tony all the ins and outs of my craft. The more I spoke, the more questions danced in his eyes. It was charming but not something I wanted to spend most of my day on.

"I won't pretend to be anything but sceptical but as it is, I happen to be dating a wizard," the engineer finally chortled, making hands for his burger. He made a vague gesture with his fork, expression still not-quite out of the thinking place.

"They say opposites attract," I shrugged.

"Romanoff keeps saying we're two sides of the same coin, so," he non-commitally shrugged in return. "Can't help but wonder what the fuck did you tell him that day. He was seething," Tony raised an eyebrow, tone teasing.

"Oh lord," I briefly palmed my face. "Here comes the shovel talk."

"No, no," a fry landed on the table in front of me. I snatched it right from under Tony's hand. He pouted. "He probably deserved it. I mean, you saved the Terminator and, honestly," he paused. "I heard about one third of his rant and I distinctly remember something about 'girls way over their heads' and whatnot," he did a poor imitation of his boyfriend's deep voice. "Now, I consider myself a feminist so, respectfully, I disagree," he finished with a self-satisfied smirk.

I blanked, trying to process the avalanche of information. "That's a lot to unpack," I acquiesced.

"It means he likes you. I would know," the man had the audacity to wink at me. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Tony Stark.

"Are you hitting on me for your boyfriend?" I couldn't resist snarking back, briefly catching his eyes as I polished off my milkshake.

Tony looked at me through his thick, long lashes, a picture perfect visage of surprised innocence. "Maybe," his tone a little too south of friendly, the direction of his eyes a bit lower than my face.

The snort escaped me before I could put a stop to it. The banter - it was easy, comforting in this situation where I found myself to be akin a fish out of water. Like I was a slightly socially awkward witch, Tony was a genius engineer and a notorious flirt. He toed the lines of appropriate with practiced gusto and I hadn't had the heart to do anything but indulge in a little bit of harmless fun ever since he first stepped foot in the café, seeing right through his stone cold facade of an alleged womaniser. Call it a hunch, if you will.

Say what you want about Tony Stark but one thing was definite: he was a gentleman. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride home in his expensive, fast, latest model car. As the city streets zoomed by in a flurry of blurred lines and flashing colorful lights, I allowed my mind to finally calm and resume it's usual even wandering pace.

A hand loosely thrown over the steering wheel, Tony quietly hummed along to the music, playing with the hem of his tee whenever it wasn't occupied with driving the car. He looked so peaceful like that.

The sound system played some contemporary rock that blended in with the moderately busy afternoon of the NYC streets, submerging the surroundings in catharsis. Grey everything with the occasional burst of colour from a traffic light; the brief car ride lulled me into a state almost drowsy.

"You with me, Salem?" Tony's voice quietly took me out of my stupor.

I blinked, seeing the front door of my apartment building. "Yeah, yeah, thanks," I didn't resist the big, wide smile of relief and rejoiced upon seeing his face return to his normal expression, sparkling and mischievous. "That's my stop," I motioned lamely.

Something hung in the air, something unsaid. It leaked through the gaps between Tony's smile and his eyes, it filled up the car with something thick and foggy. I was powerless to stop its influence on me; the daze remained just as it was when we zoomed through city streets.

Tony's fingers twitched on the steering wheel as I exited the vehicle, giving him a short wave before he put pedal to the metal, quickly disappearing into the twilight. I watched his tail lights glow red amongst the flat blacks and greys and beiges of my surroundings, blinking away the dryness in my eyes only when the car disappeared from my view completely.

My apartment was just as I'd left it, warm and slightly messy- but a new feeling had crawled up from the very gutter of me, foreign and impending. The walls didn't breathe the comfort I had hoped I would finally find: if anything, none of what I encountered on my rapid beeline towards the couch felt real.

I'd grown accustomed to the comforts of my solitude and routine, to attached to the simplest task of being. Sorting through my dirty laundry had never been a favourable ordeal for me, I'd much rather lived in a relatively wide bubble- rationally, I knew that sooner or later, change had have to come, but there was nothing ever rational about having feelings on one matter or another.

My spirit was trying to tell me big things were coming and I had no choice but to listen and let the currents of fate and happenstance snatch me up and take me whichever way they pleased.

Taglist: @couldntbedamned @mikariell95 @letsby @sleep-i-ness @toomanyrobins @mostly-marvel-musings @persephonehemingway @schemefrenzy @lillsxd @bluecrazedandbeautiful @slothspaghettiwrites @xoxabs88xox

[symphonic-scream]

Digimon au Group 3: Juleka, Rose, Chloe, and Sabrina

Yeah they get pulled into this whole mess too. Juleka and Rose were watching a livestream of a concert with Luka when the portal opens, and Chloe and Sabrina were doing some online shopping in Chloe's room

Juleka and Rose are not quite dating, but they're at that point where like, they just have to say it to make it real? Like they're dating but neither will admit it and they just continue on like that until one breaks

Sabrina and Chloe are pretty close to how they are in canon I guess. Not a very healthy friendship, Sabrina thinking she only has value if she can do stuff for Chloe, and Chloe trying to emulate her mother in hope of making her proud for once

They start off in a mountain range, all four waking up on a little rocky plateau in the centre of the ring of mountains. Chloe starts to get a little panicked right off the bat, with Sabrina trying to calm her down, while Juleka is more concerned about where her brother is. He was with them before this happened, shouldn't he be there too?

She goes to take out her phone to call him and yep that's the tablet digivice things the others had too. When they hold them for the first time, the symbol on the back glows on their hand. Chloe is the only character that has the symbol on her left hand, since I just make her left handed in general now

In terms on colours, Rose got gold, Juleka a vibrant fuchsia, Sabrina navy, and sky blue for Chloe. With them all out they start to glow, and their Training stage digimon partners appear

For Juleka, Bukamon

Rose gets a Kokomon

Chloé's is a Puroromon

And Sabrina has Babydmon

They all freak out, go through the same explanation thing as the others and all that jazz. Rose, once over the shock, just marvels over how adorable they all are, giving her Kokomon and Juleka's Bukamon a big ol hug

Chloe is still tapping away at the little screen on her device trying to call home, when two bigger bird digimon, fighting each other, get too close to the group. One of them crashes into the rock near them, and turns it's eyes on them once it pulls itself up

Rather than continue fighting the two bigger birds start trying to catch/kill them instead, so their partners square up to digivolve as the screens glow white

Juleka's Bukamon turns into Betamon

Rose gets Lopmon

I couldn't help myself, Chloé's is FanBeemon

And Sabrina gets Dracomon

They manage to escape by getting the two birds fighting again, and duck into a cave. Juleka wants to go look for Luka, fearing he could be in danger out there on his own, and Rose convinces Sabrina and Chloe that it's safer if they stick together, so that's their goal

Rose gets the crest of Hope. She's treading the fine line between keeping Juleka's spirits up about finding Luka and getting home, and not giving her false hope. She has faith in their partners to protect them, but she worries that by doing so, she might be putting too much pressure on them to save them

For Juleka, hers is Compassion. She is so worried about Luka and Rose and Betamon, and even Sabrina and Chloe, that she has no left over concern for herself. She spends so much energy trying to comfort and protect her friends that she completely ignores her own needs, even taking less food to make sure someone else gets more. She's gonna learn that meeting her own needs isn't selfish, and that she can look out for others and still care for herself

Sabrina, she got Pride. She's starting in a place where she has no faith in herself or her abilities at all. She believes she's the weakest link, and has to work extra hard to compensate. Girl's gotta learn to respect herself, and have a sense of self pride without going too far the opposite direction,

And lastly, Chloe with Forgiveness. She was raised in a system where she could only do wrong in her mother's eyes, no matter how much she said she was sorry, Audrey wouldn't hear it. Chloe has spent years forgiving her mother again and again, believing she has to. She's gonna grow and learn about letting go of the weight seeking her mother:s forgiveness presses on her, and turn her sight to people who have the capacity to grant it to her

Oh boy designs time

Rose has this pink sundress, one of those big summer hats? Like, big brim, sun hat kinda thing, and her Kokomon loves to sit on it. Also, she's totally still got sandals on. If her feet start hurting from walking, oh no, a big tall goth might just have to carry her oh no-

Speaking of a big tall goth, a black tank/muscle shirt with some rock band logo on the front, maybe a homemade Kitty Section one Rose designed for them (since they don't know Marinette), and over that is like a sheer dark purple shirt? Full sleeves, the kind you can see right through. Gotta keep the classic hair dye, and she's got ripped black jeans and black boots, coincidentally perfect for traversing that mountain they're on

Sabrina Sabrina Sabrina~ white collared shirt under a pale teal knit sweater, high waisted brown shorts with a belt she probably got from Chloe. Long black socks, and hightop shoes, a nice mellow purple colour. Maybe a little simple silver chain necklace, and I like her glasses so keeping those the same

And lastly, Chloe. Black long sleeve shirt, paired with a yellow and white plaid skirt, I think the style is called pleated? Yeah, pleated. She's got some tall, black boots, with a little heel on em. Hair in a ponytail for sure, but a little curlier than canon. Probably has some big sunglasses with her too

--

Wooaaaah, we're half way there. WOOOOAHHH Squidward with a pear~

3/6 groups done. Yes I'm still going with this au that next to no one wants, this is a treat for myself. The remaining groups are all smaller, 2-3 people, so they'll be shorter.

Once more, if you have any comments or questions I'm all ears, or eyes in this case, cause, reading

[thestylesplash]

Tropical Print Trouser Co-ord + Style With a Smile Link Up

Bom dia from a very warm Madeira! I hear the weather is pretty warm back home too. We took these photos a couple of days ago when it was quite overcast, although still hot and muggy. Obviously I had to visit my favourite shop, Dona Hortensia, while we were walking around Funchal. Actually, I’d already popped in quickly a few days prior to that and bought this co-ord. It was ideal for a cloudy day…

[jamesmarriottistrilingual]

FIRST CHAPTER OF MY FANFIC

rest is https://www.wattpad.com/story/305719747-wanna-make-out

“Alex.”

Alex wasn’t listening. His ears were busy listening to some random song playing on his spotify.

“Alex.”,his mate George shouted. “Please come tonight. It will be fun”

“Do I have to?”,he asked.

“Yes.”,George replied.

“Ugh. Fine I guess I go.”,Alex replied.

“Cool. See ya there.”,he shouted,running down the hallway.

Then,in came tutor time.

The whole class seemed to arrive at once,with the tutor coming in 5 minutes later. Alex looked around to see who was there. A nerd wearing a green hoodie speaking to a blue zip coat boy wearing sunglasses and another boy looking at himself in the mirror. A young boy wearing a red hoodie,playing with what seemed to be a lone bullet. Square head boy looking at the ceiling. Ginger kid writing in a journal sitting next to a bearded man speaking in spanish. Near the bearded boy,there was another ginger reading a book in japanese. Next to him,there was a kid on his phone,looking at some music. There was a thud. Two kids were fighting. A pink haired boy and a purple haired girl screaming at each other and punching each other over some random comment.

“You fucking insult Nikki again and I’ll slaughter you.”,the purpled haired girl screamed at the top of her voice.

“She’s just some stupid whore.Get over yourself.”,the pink hair yelled.

“Guys. Stop. Why can’t you two just get along?”,the pink-haired girl shouted.

“LEWIS! MINX!”,the tutor shouted. “QUIT IT NOW!”. The two stopped and sat down in their respective seats.

“Thank you.”,he continued. “Right. My name is Eduardo and I hate my job. Tell me your name. Your course and one fact about yourself.”

“You. Boy with green coat.”

“Hey I’m Edd. I’m doing a Media and Art A-Level and I do comics.”,the nerd replied.

“Sad. Next to Edd then.”

“Hey.I’m Tom and I do an animation course and I like a girl I just met.”,the discord mod replied,looking at some random girl with short hair and brown eyes.

Alex learned a lot about these new people:

-Matt. Does an drama course and is vain

-Tord. Does an animation course and loves guns

-Will. Repeating the year. Does an sport media course and is never sober

-Stephen. Also repeating the year. Does a media course and always swears.

-James. Trilingual. Won’t bloody shut up about it. Does 3x A-Levels

-Fraser. Weeb. Does an art course.Probably fatherless is what Alex thought.

-Lewis. Angry twat. Does a sport media course.

Then there was Minx and Nikki,childhood best friends doing a music course. Wilbur,an indie kid doing a music course. Sapnap,who is doing a bricklaying course with Dream because they like bricks. Karl,the lonely boy doing a hair and beauty course.

The bell rings and everyone pisses off to wherever they need to be. This meant that Alex and George had to be in the library doing nothing.

Edd walked in with Matt and Tom.

“Hey. Alex and George right.”Edd asked.

“Sup.”Matt shouted. The librarian shouted ssshhhh.

“Yup. We’re Alex and George.”George replied.

“An Art and Computer Science group lmao”,Matt replied.

The bell rang again and they all walked out of the library.

[angryschnauzer]

Superior Specimen - Chapter 8

Summary: One night when you are following the Archaeology tag on instagram you stumbled across a fun looking dig… and an even more interesting Paleontologist who soon follows you back. Over the following weeks you start chatting and a friendship soon grows.

Relationship: AU Henry Cavill x Female Reader (No race or body shape mentioned)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

Warnings: Slow Burn, NSFW, 18+, Mutual Masturbation, Phone Sex, Drunken Piggy Back Rides, Oral Sex (Female Recieving), Drama, Theft, Amateur Heroics, Hospital Visit, Shower Sex, Oral Sex (Male Receiving), Blow Job, Fingering, Lavish lifestyle, Henry is loaded, The Shard, Expensive Gifts, Sixty nine, Unprotected Sex, Multiple Orgasms, Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Angst, Argument, Jealousy, Talk of car crashes, heroics, rough sex, use of safe words, Anal play,

I do not operate a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, as you will then be notified whenever i post something new.

I don’t have a masterlist, but all my works are on AO3, link here. Usually i post oneshots to Tumblr and AO3, and multichapters exclusively to AO3, but as this is my first henry story and its going to be a short series, i’ll post to both places.

Chapter 8

 On the tube an old woman had offered you a tissue and had whispered quietly;

 “He’s not worth crying over my dear”

 You swallowed and smiled weakly at her;

 “Unfortunately he was… he was just an idiot too”

 “They all are my dear, they all are”

 She got off at the next stop, giving you a pat on the arm before leaving the carriage, leaving you ride the rest of the way to Fulham Broadway on your own.

 You were on autopilot when you arrived, walking through the small shopping mall that had grown around the tube station, grabbing a pair of overpriced knock-off designer sunglasses from the concession stand to hide your puffy and red eyes, swollen from crying. As you stood in the crowd at the lights to cross the road, a stream of Ambulances and Police cars screamed past, lights and sirens blasting, but it was London, every day there was a crisis or accident and you were used to them. 

 The walk to your flat was quick, just a few roads from the tube, and you were thankful you’d brought your small clutch bag from the hotel room that had your phone, wallet, and keys in. Once inside you pulled off your clothing, everything Henry had bought for you, tossing it into a heap on the floor before you climbed into bed and curled into a ball, sobbing into the pillow.

 -

 You woke to the sound of a metal on plastic crunch from the street outside, familiar with the sound and you knew it was vehicle vs wheelie bin, an all too familiar occurrence when collection day was on a Friday and people went out that night, so the street would still be littered with bins the following day. Staring up at the ceiling you heard the doorbell ring, glaring at the ceiling but refusing to move. You didn’t care if your bin that had ended up a casualty of a car not looking where it was going, so when the bell finally timed out you closed your eyes… only to be rudely disturbed by a loud knocking on the door a minute later, a muffled voice from the other side;

 “Princess… it’s me; Henry… please, just tell me you’re ok… I’ve got to know you’re ok…”

 You could feel your emotions rising within you; a heat, an anger, and as the knocking continued you grabbed the dressing gown hanging on the back of the door and was still tying it as you pulled the door open, but surprised to see state of Henry, his clothes a mess and his face blotchy;

 “What the hell happe…”

 Your words were cut short as he pulled you into his arms, hugging you tight;

 “You’re alright… my god, you’re ok…”

 “Henry, what is going on?”

 He let you go and started pacing;

 “I was an ass, I didn’t follow you, I was stupid… I tried calling you but you never picked up…”

 “I had it on silent… I didn’t want anyone to disturb our date”

 “And then the accident, I’d gone back to the hotel, I knew it was the closest tube to where we were...”

 “Accident?”

 “There was an accident, on the road outside the London Bridge Tube, a bus and council truck collided and ran into the queue… I stayed and helped the emergency services; I was trying to find you… but you weren’t there…”

 Your hand was over your mouth, tears pooling on your lashes as you looked at him, and realised he cared so much for you that he had literally pulled people out of the wreckage of an major accident because he thought he had lost you. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders you cradled the back of his head as he slumped to the floor, sobbing into your shoulder and the softness of your dressing gown. 

 Finally he pulled his head back, a weak smile on his face as he looked into your eyes, and you saw a different Henry, one that was fragile, one that needed you as much as you needed him.

 “C’mon, let me put the kettle on”

 -

 Sipping on sweet tea as you both sat at the kitchen table, dunking Digestive biscuits in the deep brown steaming mugs, you looked him up and down;

 “You are a mess”

 He glanced down and realised his shirt and jeans were covered in dirt, grime, and in some places blood;

 “You’re right” he paused before looking back to you; “Look, I’ve got a suggestion… pack a bag. Comfy clothing, overnight things. We’ll head back to the hotel and collect our things, then head back to my place. I’ll cook dinner and we can talk… ask all those things we’ve both wanted to ask since we met, yeah?”

 He looked at you like a hopeful puppy, his deep blue eyes watery where he feared you would say no, but as you nodded he let out the breath he had been holding, and a genuine smile spread over his face.

 -

 Henry opened the door to his place and stepped aside, letting you enter and look around as he shut the door, resting all the bags from the hotel room on the shiny white tiles that covered the floor. 

 “This is your place?”

 “It’s home for the next few months” he shut the door and wrapped his arm around you; “I gave up on having a permanent place about five years ago. I would always come back to a dust filled nightmare and a fridge that was a biohazard. I keep a PO box for any mail and a storage unit for my things that I don’t need when I’m away”

 You looked at him;

 “It sounds very… lonely…”

 He paused, considering your words;

 “I’ve never thought about it that way… but, you’re right” he wrapped his arms around you, his gaze intense; “I’m sorry I over-reacted earlier… about your flatmate. I was just… I don’t know, so focused I guess on this amazing thing we have now, and what we were talking about last night… how those I fall for push me away when I have to leave… I could only think ‘this guy will be around when I’m not’...”

 You reached up and cupped his cheek with your hand, realising in that moment that for all the bravado and confidence, beneath that Henry was just like you, like anyone else, and feared losing those he cared for;

 “I would wait… I will wait…”

 You pressed a kiss to his lips, and the pair of you just held each other for the longest time, before he pulled away;

 “What kind of host am I? I haven’t even offered you a cup of tea!”

 Laughing you followed him into the kitchen, looking around at the sparse worktops, all the cupboards pristine white. Even the appliances were just plain brushed aluminium. As the kettle bubbled away you pushed yourself up onto the central island, sitting on the marble countertop as you watched Henry move around the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out the carton of milk, sniffing it and cringing;

 “Okay, tea may be off the menu… the milk’s off”

 Pausing he opened the cupboard, shoulders slumping when he saw the empty tea caddy;

 “No tea either…”

 Leaning back you pulled your phone from your pocket and opened google maps;

 “This is Warwick Square, right?”

 “Yes”

 You pinched the screen and zoomed out, jumping off the counter;

 “C’mon, there’s a Tesco Express just around the corner”

 -

 Walking hand in hand around Pimlico with Henry, it dawned on you that you had never visited this part of London, the sights and sounds much like most of the city, but where each little borough had its own character. Once you reached the supermarket he grabbed a basket and picked up the few things he needed, before his hand hovered over the selection of biscuits;

 “Ok, make or break time to find out if we are truly compatible” his voice had an element of mischief in it as he spoke; “Milk or Dark Chocolate Digestives?”

 You looked at the selection before you set your hand down on the bright blue packet;

 “Trick question, we both know the true answer is Milk Chocolate Hobnobs”

 He laughed as you dropped the packet into the basket, wrapping his massive arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his chest;

 “I knew there was a reason I loved you” he turned to the row of refrigerators on the other side of the isle, unaware of what he’d said, and how your eyes were a little wider as you took in his admission; “Shall I make some burnt offerings for you tonight? I have somewhat limited culinary skills, but I can rustle up something with meat or fish…”

 Nodding you were still a little stunned, finally finding your voice;

 “Yeah, I’ll eat anything”

 He cocked an eyebrow and you playfully batted at his arm;

 “Oh shut up” you laughed

-

 Dinner had been nice. An easy dish of roasted pork, Henry had thrown in some potatoes and had let them roast with alongside, and a simple salad. The one thing he did have readily stocked in his place was alcohol, and between the two of you an entire bottle of vintage Pinot Noir had been sunk over the course of dinner, and as you watched him stack the dishwasher you spread out on the massive white sofa that dominated the open plan space. You couldn’t help yourself but you popped the button of your jeans, letting out a sigh of relief. 

 Checking your phone you reopened your roommates’ email and read it again, before hitting reply. You knew deep down you wouldn’t be able to get a mortgage, but asked that you be kept in the loop and would start looking for another place come Monday. Having hit send you saw another email, this time from your Manager, requesting that you attend a review on Monday morning;

 “Huh, so much for giving me a week off” you muttered to yourself, before looking up and seeing Henry approaching you, two full glasses of red wind in hand.

 “Everything ok?”

 Taking the glass you smiled;

 “Yeah, work want me to go in for a review on Monday morning”

 “Did they say what it was about?”

 “No, but I’m guessing ‘playing heroics and injuring yourself on the job isn’t in your job description, please don’t sue us’ is probably on the agenda”

 Settling next to you he rested a hand on your thigh, giving it a squeeze;

 “I’m sure you’re right” he sipped at the wine before setting it on the small table at the side; “Hey I meant to ask, does your roommate have an Instagram account or Facebook page?”

 “Yeah, I’ll pull it up. Its where he’s trying to do more serious photography”

 He nodded and tapped at his phone for a few seconds before setting it aside, raising his glass again and clinking it against yours;

 “Cheers”

 -

 By the time the last dregs of the 2nd bottle of wine were drained from your glasses you were drunk as skunks and just an amorous. You were draped over Henry’s lap, his hand was attempting to sneak under your t-shirt as you curled one hand in his hair, wrapping a deep brown strand around your finger as you kissed him lazily. When his hand finally found your breast you moaned at his touch, his lips brushing against your neck;

 “I think we should take this to the bedroom”

 You giggled;

 “With the amount of wine we’ve had? Can you still get it up?”

 He pushed his crotch up against you;

 “Princess I’m already ‘up’, now I need to be in, and I don’t care which hole, I just want to feel you around my dick as we have some nasty drunk sex”

 You attempted to slide off his lap and land on your feet, but what really happened was you tumbled into a heap on the soft white rug, one leg still on the sofa as the other hit the coffee table and your ass in the air;

 “Help!” you cried out, giggling as Henry stood and swayed, before wrapping his arm around your waist and carrying you under his arm to the bedroom like a misbehaving poodle in Harrods.

 He dropped you onto the bed and in the light from the lounge you watched as he yanked his t-shirt over his head, and started to unfasten his jeans, letting out a sigh of relief when the massive bulge in his boxers was allowed more room to grow. With a growl be bent over you and pulled your jeans down your legs, your panties following suit, before flipping you over so you were on your front. He went to reach for your ass but had forgotten his jeans were still around his thighs, and he proceeded to trip-tumble onto the bed beside you. You couldn’t help but to giggle into the soft duvet, and it earned you a single spank on your ass that make you squeal.

 Rolling onto your back you looked at Henry as he huffed and puffed to take his jeans and boxers off, and you spread your legs as your hands strayed to your pussy;

 “Are you doing to fuck me, or shall I just get myself started?” you said with more sass than needed, but it earned you a low groan and you could have sworn you heard seams ripping as he finally rid himself of his clothes.

 “Cheeky wench!” Henry pounced on you, pulling your top over your head before fumbling with your bra, finally getting you out of it as he flung it across the room and you heard it hit something in the darkness; “I’ll show you, gonna fuck you so good you’ll have to sit on a cushion when you go into work on Monday”

 He flipped you over and pulled your ass up, and you instinctively arched your back and bared yourself to him, prone and ready, begging for attention. You felt his hands smooth over your ass before dipping between your legs;

 “Already so wet for me, you need me to fuck this cunt Princess? Fill you up with my cum? Or should I cum over your beautiful tits, so you can watch me as I spray my load on you, huh?”

 He slid two fingers into your soaked hole, stretching you as his thumb found your clit and he rubbed harshly at it, the wine making him lose his finesse but up his pressure. When he pulled his fingers out you let out a needy whine, only to feel him press his dick against you, rutting into your crease and smearing your juices over himself. 

 The friction was delicious, and you found yourself pressing back and eager for more, earning a low chuckle to rumble up from Henry’s chest;

 “You like that Princess? Like me rubbing my dick against your asshole?”

 “Oh fuck… fuck… more…”

 You felt him spit on your ass as he lowered his dick and slowly but firmly filled your pussy. As you were getting used to be filled so deep you felt his thumb press against your asshole;

 “NERD!”

 Suddenly Henry stopped;

 “Princess?”

 You turned, looking over your shoulder;

 “Look Hen, I may be up for some anal play, but lube… you gotta use lube…”

 You saw him look back and forth between your ass and his bedside drawers, as if trying to work out whether to forget the ass play and just fuck your pussy, or to give up your pussy for just a few seconds and get the lube. In the end the lube won, and he quickly slid out of you, leaning across the bed and yanking the drawer open, before pulling out a small bottle of Durex Lube. You saw it and grinned;

 “Ooh nice one. Make sure there’s enough for a tit-wank in the morning”

 Henry paused and looked at you, and you could almost see his brain short circuiting at what you’d said as it fought through the wine haze;

 “Fuck, if I didn’t want to fuck you doggy style quite so much I’d say let’s do that now…”

 He settled behind you and rammed his dick straight back into you, making you squeal as he filled you. You heard the quiet squeeze of the pump on the bottle before the cool gel fell on the crease of your ass and his fingers started to massage against your back door. He ran his finger around and around your brown rose, and you could feel yourself relaxing and trying to push back to get him to go further, making you whine;

 “Please Hen… do something…”

 He ran his thumb over your asshole and rested it on it before finally pushing in, holding the digit inside just up to the first knuckle, and that’s when he started to move in your pussy.

 “So. Fucking. Good. My dirty little Princess…”

 You whined for more, for him to go harder, deeper, and he did so with glee;

 “You want more? Fuck yes, take my dick, can feel your insides parting for me, you like my thumb in your ass? Like being double stuffed?”

 “Fuck…” your head was swimming, your chest resting against the bed as you snuck your hand between your legs and started to strum at your clit, urging your orgasm on as Henry turned into a feral beast behind you, fucking you raw and dirty, you pushing back for each thrust to feel him deeper and split you wider.

 Your orgasm happened without warning, screaming out his name as you came so hard he was sure if he hadn’t pulled his thumb out your muscles would have broken the bones in it. Your knees gave way and you slumped down onto the bed, Henry still deep inside you, fucking you as you lay spent on the bed;

 “So close… almost there…

 “Cum on my ass Hen…” you muttered as he railed into you, and you heard a groan as he pulled out of you, seconds later the splash of his hot seed landing on your naked ass, back and thighs.

 For a moment everything went quiet before you felt him wiping his cum from you, and he moved you in the bed until you were curled up in his arms, the little spoon to his big;

 “You’re fucking amazing Princess, I fucking love you so much” he slurred, before the two of you feel asleep in drunken stupors.

Chapter 9 >>>

[prismatales]

An idea for Endeavor’s quirkless child maybe would be where reader gets the okay from the doctors at the hospital say Rei is stable enough to see reader even though she has red hair now? Or another interaction between Dabi and Reader would be great 👍 love your writings and can’t wait to see what you have planned!💕

This was actually a really good detail to consider, since Reader didn't really dye her hair because of what happened with Rei, but to go as unnoticed as possible in school. But I really enjoyed this, and hopefully so do you guys! 💖

Mom

Deep breaths, positive thoughts, don't drop the box.

Deep breaths, positive thoughts, don't drop the box.

Deep breaths, positive thoughts, don't drop the----

"Todo-chan?" The doctor's voice snaps you out of the anxious chanting going off inside your mind. Why were you nervous in the first place when visiting your mother at the hospital became a regular part of your routine?

Oh yeah....Because this was the first time after that incident five years ago that she'd be seeing you with red hair. You know it was completely different from last time, your mother's mental health is stable enough now, she was able to see Shoto without a problem after all....But the memories from that time still terrify you just thinking about it, the idea of going back to square one with her?

"My colleagues and I have talked it over, and I'm more than pleased to say it's alright to go see your mother as well as allow her to keep this gift of yours, based on the description we're positive it may help with her recovery"

There's confidence in each of her words, and that gentle smile of hers helps to ease the anxiety inside the pit of your stomach, a breathe of relief you didn't realize you'd been holding in escapes which send her into a small giggling fit, but she doesn't say anything else and offers to accompany you on the way to your mother's room

"Dr. Chigusa?" She glances in your direction with curiosity, this woman had been one of the people taking care of your mother since the very beginning of her treatment, her kind demeanor had quickly won over every single one of the Todoroki siblings, everyone who's met her knows that had she been there the day of the accident things would have probably gone differently...

The footsteps echoing through pristine halls are equally soothing and distressing, a seemingly endless hall keeps going and going till a certain room is eventually coming into sight.

"Yes dear?" She takes a small glance in your direction and stops walking, the way your hands grip the corners of the box tightly, she can easily perceive the insecurity and fear coming through every inch of your being, body shaking slightly once you observe that spot in the wall right besides the door, that spot where a young girl once sat with her back against the wall suffering in silence.

"...What if it happens again? I don't want to see my Mom going through that all over again"

Worry seeps from every pore in your body, heart pounding loudly against your chest it's a surprise the woman walking beside you doesn't hear a thing, panic surrounds every part of your being just by the memories of that day.

Chigusa grabs your shoulders gently, the moment her quirk activated all those feelings of doubt drifted away like traces of smoke being carried away withing soft currents of air.

"Listen (Y/N), your mother is an incredibly strong woman who's come a long way despite everything she had to endure, I promise you over my medical licence that everything is going to be alright...Do you trust me?"

Confidence radiates from each and every single one of her words, strongly enough to sway the most doubtful of hearts, even without needing to employ her quirk anymore, her eyes shining with assurance accompanied by the warm hold on your shoulders allows you to step forward to face the one thing that separates your mother from the rest of the world.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll go in first and let her know you're coming, how does that sound?" God really blessed your family when Chigusa came into your mother's life.

She goes inside the room first just like she promised, leaving you in the hall alone with the box. After a few minutes boredom takes over and you start checking out some messages with our friends. Some of them send pictures of study sessions, the girls from Shoto's class are having a spa day at the dorms complete with face masks and cucumber in their eyes, there's also a text from Bakugo and his friends, one that makes your eyelid twitch in mild annoyance.

"I guess we can't call you Omurice head anymore, uh?" They say jokingly after seeing your new profile pic.

"Have you ever seen a hedgehog covered in glitter? Cause I think you will soon" You quickly text them back.

The door opens right after you send the message and Chigusa comes out with a big smile on her face.

"You can come in now Y/N, I'll give you two some space, but remember everything...?" She goes quiet, waiting for an answer as you inhale deeply before finishing her sentence.

"Is going to be alright"

"Good!" Then she leaves, not without sending another smile in your direction.

Turning back towards the door and staring for another few seconds you take another deep breath...and finally your hands push the door open. Sunlight illuminates the whole bedroom with beautiful shades of golden light...and right in front of the window your mother's sitting with her back facing the door.

"Here goes nothing..."

"Hi Mom"

Your eyes close in panic, a part of you expecting to hear the screams all over again just like that one time carved into your memories, instead the only thing perceived is silence, slowly looking back at her most serene look is adorning her features, confusion slowly morphing into that kind smile which had only been seen a couple of times when you were less than 6 years old.

"Y/N" The smile never left her face, not even when she took a good look and finally caught sight of the one thing that terrified you in the first place, despite that she didn't stop smiling.

"It's been a while since the last time you visited, is everything okay?"

Not only did it not affect her anymore but this time she paid no mind to it, making a wave of relief flow through your body, she noticed the way your shoulders began trembling.

"Yeah..." your hand wipes away a single tear threatening to come out, mouth curving into a tiny smile before looking back at her "Everything's alright..."

That's how part of the visit went, catching up with her after being unable to visit her for the past three weeks, the answer she got was half true to avoid scaring her.

After all being kidnapped by a psychopath and thrown off a building wasn't the best way to start a conversation, right? So all she was told was how busy you had been with classes, along with this new project.

Speaking of project...

"By the way Mom" You get up from the bed to get the box you had left in the small table "I asked the doctors if I could bring you this, is something I've been working on for a while now, and some senior students from school helped me out with it"

Rei gave it a curious glance, specially when you placed the box down on the floor and pulled out a smaller baby blue metallic box with no cover, inside the box there's this white ball that looks like plastic with a few black and brown spots.

"What is it?"

You smiled at her before pressing a small button on the edge of the box, the actions makes it let out a charging noise and the small ball slowly starts to inflate until its peaking out of the top.

Rei's eyes go wide when it starts taking the shape of a mix between a Japanese bob tail cat and a marshmallow, but the surprise is not over yet once the noise finally dies down and the "cat" slowly opens its metallic black eyes and starts looking around from left to right, once it catches sight of her the small thing carefully climbs out of the box like a small kitten.

"Fuyumi told me how much you love cats, and since it's not possible to have pets in here I talked about this project with the staff" The "cat" turns to look at you with curiosity, and when it gets a nod in response the first thing it does is dart straight towards your mother to nudge her feet. Surprising her by how soft its body feels.

"I heard having a pet around can be therapeutic, so It's programmed to behave like a domestic cat and keep you company"

While you explained its function the cat was already being cradled in your mother's arms, purring softly with every stroke of her fingers on its chin, the excitement on her face couldn't be more obvious once it bopped its face against her hand, demanding more of her attention just like a real cat would.

"Do you like it?" It was obvious she loves the little guy, but you still wanted to hear her answer with eagerness.

"I love it, does he have a name?" she asks happily, but you shake your head no.

"Not really, I wanted you to name it since well, it's your new pet now"

That's all she needed to hear.

"Thank you Y/N" She hugged the cat closer to her "Thank you so much"

In the end the last thing you tell her are the instructions, how the box is actually its charging station and it needs to be re-charged every now and then, and just in case something malfunctioned the staff had a small instructions manual and your number, in case it needed any repairs.

That afternoon you left her room with a bright smile and the ghost that haunted your memories finally gone, this time for good.

Nothing could ruin that moment for you while going back to the dorms with a bounce on your feet...Not even when you ran into someone and nearly fell on the floor had it not been for this mysterious person catching you by the wrist.

"I'm really sorry about that! I should have been more careful!" your voice comes out in a nervous squeak, face full of embarassment while this guy just kept staring at you, a black hoodie covering his head and even with the sunglasses he sported the feeling of his eyes staring at you was easily noticeable.

"It's fine, just be more careful next time, you never know who you might run into" The calmness in his voice made you glad he wasn't pissed off by crashing straight into them, but before any more words could be exchanged the characteristic sound of your ringtone went off.

"I need to pick this call, sorry about that again, see you!" Fishing the phone out from the bottom of your pockets the last thing he saw was a small wave aimed towards him before you ran off, this time paying attention to the surroundings while answering the call.

"See you soon...Firefly"

@t-amajiki @undead0relived @shoobirino @bnha-ra @godtieruwu @mysticalite

[jjoutermaybanks]

With You In My Head || Rafe Cameron x Reader

part one part two part three part four part five part six part seven part eight

summary: it’s going to be a long summer. living in the Outer Banks with your trailer park mom and fancy mansion dad, you know it’s going to be a tough three months. things only get harder when your best friend’s brother, the notorious Rafe Cameron, begins to complicate your life even more. but will the island’s biggest wildcard successfully steal your heart, or leave you more broken than before?

an: I know Rafe isn’t the best character in OBX, and this fic will definitely feature a different version of him.  I just loved Drew’s performance so much and thought that Rafe had interesting potential, so this is my portrayal of him in a different (less psychotic) way.

word count: 3k

warnings: none yet  

(but can we talk about this gif I mean dear lord this should have its own warning)

*not my gif, credit to owner*

PART ONE

It had to be one of the hottest days of the year.  The sun had been glaring down on your back for hours now, and if it wasn’t for the laborious application of sunscreen you were sure you would’ve been burnt to a crisp.  Not even the sunglasses over your eyes could shield the bright sun streaming onto the beach, and the blue ocean water glittered like diamonds under the rays.  The warm, wet sand you strolled across was a welcome relief from the blistering pathway to get onto the beach, and as the waves lapped at your ankles you let out a contented sigh.

You and Sarah Cameron, your best friend, had been at the beach all day.  Alternating between tanning, swimming, and walking, it had been the most relaxing day you could remember.  Conversation with Sarah was easy, and observing the other beach-goers was just as entertaining.  You could almost feel the stress leave your shoulders and seep into the sand at your feet, washing away with the water.  It was about time; you deserved a little rest and relaxation after such a stressful move.

“So you’re sure you don’t want to live with your dad?” Sarah asked.  “He lives so much closer to me, you know.”  You smiled at her attempt to sway you, but nothing she could’ve said would change your mind.  Recently, the messy divorce of your parents had left a sour taste in your mouth when it came to your dad.  He’d been particularly brutal to your poor mother, so the idea of joining him in his fancy Figure 8 mansion was not something you felt like doing.

Shrugging, you answered, “I want to keep my mom company, you know?  And I don’t mind the trailer--it’s cozy.”  While your dad owned a huge house with a waterfront view, your mother lived in a cramped trailer in The Cut.  You knew it meant a lot to her that you tried to make the place home.

Sarah frowned.  “Cozy, right.  Because walking two feet from the bathroom to the kitchen is “cozy.”  You sighed; Sarah would never understand.  Even though she was one of the nicest, most sincere people you’d ever met, she was a Kook after all.  She had never known anything other than her giant house, so naturally she looked down upon your trailer.  It didn’t really matter to you, though.  Sarah helped you in so many other ways, you let this one area slide.

As you walked, you noticed some dark-haired guy watching you both.  He got to his feet and jogged over, eyes glued on Sarah beside you.  Raising your brows, you held your breath in anticipation for what this would turn into.

“Hey,” the guy said, trying too hard to be smooth.  

Sarah’s smile was fake as she said, “Hey!”  You couldn’t help but chuckle; this happened a fair amount when you were with her.  Something about Sarah was mysteriously alluring, and it was like a magnet to desperate guys everywhere.  You were never jealous, because half the time the guys were pretty gross.  This one was borderline cringey, and you saw how hard he was trying to flex his entire body.

“Tired of walking?  We’ve got cold beer and a volleyball net.”  The guy put his hands on his hips, probably to accentuate his “abs”, but in reality he just looked stupid.

Snickering, you watched Sarah’s smile pinch tighter.  “Gee, what a tempting offer,” she told him, tapping her chin in mock contemplation.  “Gonna have to pass, sorry.”  Hooking an arm around my shoulder, we scurried away from the guy and giggled into our palms, glancing back a few times to see his mortified expression.

“God, what is it about you that turns men into meatheads?” you wondered aloud.  Sarah nudged you, rolling her eyes.

“It’s nothing, just guys being horndogs.”

“They’re never like that with me,” you pointed out, and she sighed.

“Come on, Y/N, you’re gorgeous.  You get your own fair share of horndogs, trust me.  Besides, being approached like that gets really old really quick.”  You shrugged, deciding to agree with her.  You certainly didn’t consider yourself unattractive, but you’d never been the girl everyone paid attention to.

You and Sarah walked about a half mile more, approaching your bags and towels up on the sand.  Three guys stood by your things, shoulders squared and smirks wide as they seemed to judge everything that moved.  The boy on the left was looking at Sarah like she’d skinned his puppy, so you guessed that one was Topper.  Sarah had told you how ugly their relationship had ended, and that Topper had yet to move on.  Clearly he was just as angry today.

Sarah groaned, storming over to her bag and snatching it out of the tallest boy’s hands.  “Rafe,” she snapped, and you recognized her brother’s name.  Rafe Cameron was rarely home when you were over at Sarah’s house, and when he was he was shut away in his room.  Seeing him up close, you noticed his sun-bleached brown hair and easy posture, the way his tan skin stretched over lean muscles.  His smirk was what put you off, though; it was twisted and arrogant, even more so than the two guys next to him.  He also had a cigarette balanced in his hand, the smoke curling around you as you wrinkled your nose.  Who smoked these days?

“Sarah,” he answered formally, giving a little bow.  “Who’s your friend?”  His blue eyes slid over your body, taking in your bathing suit and tanned skin.  You felt self-conscious under his gaze and cleared your throat, pushing your hair over your shoulder.  Rafe took a drag of the cigarette while he watched you squirm.

“I’m Y/N,” you said just as Sarah said, “What’s it to you, Rafe?”  Blushing, you bit your lip while Sarah raised a hand to tell you she had this.  “You’re not going to antagonize another one of my friends, got it?  Y/N doesn’t need to deal with your bullshit.”

Rafe pretended to be offended, putting a hand against his chest.  “Excuse me?  Antagonize?  To whom are you referring, sister?”  The two guys beside him snickered, and you felt a frown come to your lips.

Sarah’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  “Don’t make me remind you, idiot.  You played around with Angela for the entire summer last year.  By the time she left I knew she’d need years of therapy just to get over you.”

Topper clapped Rafe on the back, and he handed him the small butt of the cigarette to discard.  “Alright, fine,” he conceded, eyes drifting over to me.  “I won’t antagonize Y/N.”  When he said your name, shivers ran down your spine, only you couldn’t decide if they were good or bad.

Sarah put a protective arm around you, her glare menacing.  “Get out of here, will you?  We just want to enjoy the beach in peace.”  

Rafe shrugged, signaling for his friends to follow.  Topper sent a final nasty look Sarah’s way, but she only snorted.  Topper’s moodiness no longer affected her, and she was in a much happier relationship with a guy from The Cut named John B.  You liked John B.; not only did he make Sarah happier than you’d ever seen her, he was also a decent guy.  He tried to make you feel included when you third-wheeled with the two of them, and you appreciated his kindness.

After about an hour more of laying around in the sun, you and Sarah called it quits.  She offered to give you a ride home, but you declined.  Walking cleared your head, and besides you knew it would make your mom feel bad to see a fancy Kook car pulling up to her less-than-fancy trailer.

Wandering through town, you sighed contentedly again.  Even with all of your family drama, you couldn’t help but love the Outer Banks.  Everyone was so easy-going and carefree, and you knew this was the energy you needed.  

Making your way through The Cut, you felt at home among the thick trees and various trailers.  It wasn’t nearly as nice as where Sarah and your dad lived, but you loved this area too.  It was a close-knit community that had welcomed you and your mom with open arms, and for that you were grateful.

You passed by a familiar house, and looked over to see a familiar figure waving from the porch.  “Y/N!” he called out, and you broke into a grin.  JJ Maybank was one of the first people you’d met here, and he quickly became your favorite neighbor.  Funny, charismatic, and incredibly loyal, JJ never failed to boost your spirits.

“What’s up, Maybank?” you greeted when he joined you.

“You look sun-kissed and happy.  Beach day I assume?”  Judging by his boots and sweaty shirt, you guessed JJ had been working on something.  Maybe the mechanics of his boat or cutting the lawn.  JJ was always up to some sort of antics, and you knew it was better not to ask too many questions.

“Oh yeah, spent the whole day fending off Sarah’s many many suitors,” you joked.  JJ was no stranger to the effect that she had on guys, and it made his best friend John B. more than a little paranoid.

“Nah, Sarah’d never go for those schmucks,” JJ insisted.  “The way she hangs over John B., I know he’s the only man for her.”  He batted his eyelashes and swooned, making you laugh.

“You’re definitely right about that.  Hey listen, I’ve gotta run but I’ll see you later.”  JJ saluted and headed back towards his house, and you continued the walk home.

Reaching the trailer, you pushed through the front door and closed it quietly, dropping your bag.  Your mother sat on the couch in the living room, which also doubled as her bedroom since it was a pull-out bed.  She was attempting to flip through the channels of an ancient TV, but judging by the static on the screen it was unsuccessful.

“Hey, mom,” you greeted with a soft smile, plopping down beside her on the sofa.  She sighed and switched off the TV, giving up on trying to watch something.

“How was your day?” she asked distractedly, and your heart sank.  She definitely has something on her mind.

“Great,” you said a little too enthusiastically, trying to get rid of the deep frown on her face.  “Sarah and I must have walked the entire coastline.”

Your mom just nodded, not really listening.  “Look, sweetie, your dad called.”

Immediately you tensed.  Your dad never called unless something was wrong or he wanted something.  “Yeah?” you said slowly, dreading her explanation.

“I think you should go see him.”  Your mother’s smile was bleak and unconvincing.  “He just...he asked how you were doing and mentioned that he rarely sees you anymore.”

“I see him,” you defended, scowling.  “Just...not frequently.”  Things with your dad were incredibly awkward, and you were still bitter about how he handled the divorce.

Sighing, your mother continued, “He’s your father, Y/N.  I think it’d do you both good to spend more time together.”  You knew she felt guilty more than anything.  It was like you’d picked her side in the divorce, which from the outside looked like the case.  You didn’t understand how she could feel bad for a man that treated her so badly.

“Mom, I really don’t think--”

“For me,” she interrupted, and you sighed.  You couldn’t argue with her now; you loved your mother too much to disobey her.  Groaning at the thought of joining your dad for an entire evening, you trudged into the small bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.

You made sure to take your time getting ready, taking a long shower and sitting in front of your closet for almost an hour.  Finally when you couldn’t stall any longer, you checked yourself in the mirror before saying goodbye to your mom, willing time to go as fast as possible tonight.

The house your dad lived in was just as astonishing as ever.  You would never get used to the sheer size of it, the number of windows and extra rooms.  Swallowing roughly, you paced the driveway for a minute, trying to settle your racing heart rate.  

Get it together, Y/N, you scolded yourself, scowling at the pavement.  He’s just your dad.  Truthfully, however, he hadn’t felt like your dad in a long time.  To you he was just a stranger who’d obliterated your life and collected the winnings, flaunting his success in the form of this god-awful mansion.

Inhaling deeply, you forced yourself to ring the door.  The chimes echoed in your head as you held your breath, almost praying the door didn’t open.

But it did, revealing your father.  Clad in an over-priced button down and with carefully sculpted facial hair, you barely recognized him.  He had morphed himself into just another Figure 8 phony, and when he went to kiss your cheek his new beard scratched her skin and made you wince.

“How are you, baby?” he asked as you stepped inside, breathing in the cold air of his house.  It was like a museum with carefully curated furniture and knickknacks.  Your smile was more of a grimace, and you hoped he didn’t notice.

“I’m good,” came your stiff answer.  It was too cold in the house, and goosebumps raised on your skin.  Your father led you into the kitchen where you saw Sarah’s dad leaning against the counter, wine glass in hand.

“Y/N!” he exclaimed, spreading his arms for a hug.  You gave an uncomfortable greeting after embracing him, already regretting your agreement to come here.  Sarah’s dad, Ward, had always scared you.  He was a very intense man that you were terrified to cross, and knowing he was friends with your dad only made you dislike your father more.  But the Cameron’s lived very close to here, so you had a feeling Ward would be over a lot.

“Now I know you and Sarah were together all day, but do you have any idea where that girl is now?”  His tone was upbeat and his eyes were empty.  You resisted the urge to clench your fists, and instead forced a grin.

“Probably with John B.  I think she said something about eating dinner with him.”  You knew Sarah was hardly ever home, bouncing between hanging out with you and her boyfriend.  She couldn’t stand her father any more than you could stand your own.

Ward nodded knowingly, his smile tightening.  “Ah, of course.”  You knew he disapproved of John B. just by the way he said his name with such disdain.  Topper had been like a second son to him, and for Sarah to leave him in the dust must have angered Ward.

You turned your attention back to your dad, who poured himself and Ward another glass of wine.  “Want some, sweetie?” he asked you with a chuckle, probably proud of himself for being cool enough to offer alcohol to his daughter.

Fighting off an eye roll, you shook your head politely.  “No, thanks.”  It was bad enough your dad and Ward were borderline drunk; the thought of being tipsy with them made you want to throw up.

“Let me tell you, you look great,” he continued, waving his glass at you.  “Doesn’t she look great?  A lot like your mother, actually.  And well, it makes sense I guess since your mother used to look great too.”  His words were slightly slurred, and you braced yourself at the mention of your mother.  You were standing awkwardly away from the kitchen island, but didn’t want to step any closer to Ward and your father.  So you just stood in the middle of the floor, looking at anything but his face.

Ward nodded.  “Yes, Sarah and Y/N are growing into fine young women.  It’s a reflection of good parenting, you know,” he joked, making your dad laugh.  The sound set your teeth on edge. 

“I only wish Sarah wasn’t so distracted,” Ward critiqued, taking a long swig of wine.  His eyes took on that distant, scary quality they sometimes had that chilled you to the bone.  “It’s that John B., I’m telling you.  He’s got her priorities all twisted.”

Oblivious to Ward’s malice, your father chuckled.  “My Y/N isn’t distracted in the slightest.  She’s right on track for a bright, bright future.”  He lifted his glass in a toast, but Ward just frowned.

Your skin was getting hot as your discomfort grew.  Hearing your father brag about you was infuriating.  He had nothing to do with how good of a daughter you were; that was all your mom.  You took after her work ethic and self-discipline, and all you got from your father was a few genes and a lot of stress.

“So what have you been up to lately besides parading around the beach with Sarah?” your father questioned, sipping his wine.

“Not much,” you responded plainly.  “Just...enjoying summer, I guess.”  You didn’t owe your father any more details than that; if he wanted to know you, he’d have to make an actual effort and change for the better.  Right now, he wasn’t somebody you wanted to know.

He nodded, eyes misting over as if remembering something.  “Summer’s always been your favorite time of year.  I remember when you were little you refused to wear any clothes that weren’t bright yellow, because you said you wanted to look like the sun.”

The memory seared into your mind, bringing with it pain and remorse that you’d spent so long pushing down.  Ward just chuckled at this.

“Sarah went through a similar phase with pink,” he tried to explain, but your dad wasn’t paying attention to him.  He still looked lost in thought.

“You were my little sunshine, Y/N.  Still are, even though you’re older.  You’ll always be my sunshine.”  His smile, rather than warm your heart, only made you sick to your stomach.  After a second you realized you actually felt sick.  The sound of Ward’s chuckles and your father’s patronizing voice was suffocating you, and you couldn’t breathe.  You knew you couldn’t stay here any longer, and the desire for fresh air overtook your brain.

“I-I have to go,” you stuttered, your vision blurry as anxiety began to rattle through your nerves.  You could barely make out your father standing up, reaching his hands out to stop you.  This only fueled your panic and you desperately wanted to avoid being grabbed by him.

“Where are you going, sunshine?” he called after you, but his voice was distorted and quiet.  You ignored him as you pushed out the front door, sprinting as fast and as far away from his as you could manage.

[bird-in-a-cage]

Inspired by that prompt

012

It was August, 1986, when Billy was released. He didn’t have much. A bag of second hand clothes that had been donated to somewhere at some point, nothing of which had ever fit right or would have been anything he’d chosen to wear voluntarily. The keys to a basement apartment underneath a general store, two small windows up high near the ceiling the only natural light source. Basic furniture. Only enough to survive, nothing homely. A tracking bracelet around his ankle. A thick black box that weighed more than it looked, hidden by baggy jeans that were kept up by a belt he had to stab extra holes into.

It might have fit him properly last year. But that was last year.

He kept the letter they gave him pinned to the small refrigerator next to the sink. This apartment is owned by the US Government. You are not to leave Hawkins until we say you can under any circumstance. You are not to take off the tracking bracelet for any reason. You are to report in to the number below once every two weeks, same time and day. Failure to do these tasks will see you readmitted.

Neil’s abuse was fun in comparison to that possibility.

It had been a long year. The longest of Billy’s short life. A year of surgeries, rehabilitation, endless tests. Having his hair shaved off. Losing his muscle mass. Losing his tan. Being kept in rooms with no windows. Alone for weeks. Being stitched back together like a jigsaw puzzle made of skin. A sock with a hole in it. Being treated like an animal, an experiment. Being poked and prodded by miles of needles. Blood and plasma. Bone marrow. Lumbar punctures. Spinal fluid. Staring into bright lights for hours until he went temporarily blind. Patch worked with pads to listen to his brain. His heart. His lungs. His stomach. Every different face wearing the same masks, the same gowns, the same gloves. Never feeling anything real apart from pain.

Sometimes he still felt like a prisoner in his own body. What was left of it. What he didn’t recognise was his anymore. That thing still in his arm. In his head. Alone at night he would still hear it whisper. But it was different now. It had no power to control him. So Billy tried to ignore it. Just keep going somehow, this would get better eventually. If he did well in this test he’d be allowed a coke. If he did well in another he could sit next to a window. He could, and did, work his way out of the Building, away from being a lab rat directly.

He’d come out with 012 tattooed on his arm, just under the crook of his elbow. They must have done it when he was passed out at one point. Everything else about him had changed, it made sense there would be something new added as well in amongst the web of white scars that spanned his entire body. Thick like elm roots on his chest, the epicenter. Thin and fine on his arms and legs and the backs of his hands, a few up the back of his neck. He kept everything hidden under thick clothes. A donated Slazenger jacket became his best friend. Grey and waterproof. Sleeves that fell to his fingers. Old jeans that someone probably died in. Dirty white sneakers. Everything the opposite of who he was before. It felt right somehow. He wasn’t that person anymore. He’d never be that person again.

A government appointed talking person had advised Billy to take everything day by day. The world was very different from what was inside the Building and its grounds. The one tree outside to look at to guess what season it was. Doing too much at once would upset things. Getting drunk wasn’t an option. Getting high wasn’t an option. Working out wasn’t an option. Getting a job wasn’t an option. Walking was fine though, practically encouraged. Enough time had passed, there was a very low chance of being recognised. Legally he was dead. He should probably think of a new name for himself. The government would help with paperwork when he was deemed ready for phase three. It would pay for him to live, exist, in phase two.

Billy never saw her face. But she had a calm voice throughout. Hidden behind the two way mirror and through the phone that had no numbers to dial. No outside line. He liked to imagine she had green eyes. The closest thing he had to a friend, even though he never said more than yes or no in return.

It took two weeks before Billy went further than the store upstairs. Three weeks before he went more than two blocks. It was odd to feel a breeze again. Odd to feel a cold that didn’t come from within. Odd to feel hot from the sun. Odd to hear multiple voices and vehicles coming from everywhere. Odd to hear children. Odd to hear joy and laughter. 

Odd not to hear beeping white boxes, the crinkle of sanitised plastic casings being unwrapped and opened. Hollow footsteps on a tiled floor. Count back from ten. Nine. Eight. 

Hawkins didn’t look any different. It had the same amount of stop lights, stop signs. The same amount of parking spaces outside the diner and town hall. The same amount of benches in the park. The same playground equipment. The same graffiti under the slide. The same names scratched into the hard orange plastic, autographs of teenagers hiding out and getting high with their friends after dark. Billy thumbed over his own name. The night he and Harrington buried the hatchet over a joint and a half bottle of whiskey. Both hiding from home and wanting to just feel young and stupid again. Both tired of fighting.

That Billy had no idea what tiredness was.

Billy spent every day just walking. Retracing his steps over the whole town. Streets he used to drive down with abandon, screaming along to music or just screaming for the hell of it. Now he was ignoring how his lungs burnt when every step too far. Walking through pretty little neighbourhoods with white picket fences, perfect front yards. He felt like a ghost. No one looked at him twice. He really had died. There wasn’t a grave for him at the church. He didn’t expect there to be one, that required his family caring about him. They didn’t care before. Why would they care now he was the reason the fancy new mall ‘burnt down’?

The house was the same. At least from the outside on the other side of the street. 4819 Cherry Lane. The same broken steps. The same mailbox. The same windowed front porch. The same dead grass. The same dead trees. He could still be there but he couldn’t. Schrödinger’s Hargrove. A part of him wanted to go and knock on the door. Look through the windows. See what happened to his room. If any part of him and who he was still existed in those walls. The government wouldn’t like that though. He was dead. It was hard to accept it was better to stay dead. The box around his ankle felt heavier.

The centre of town was busier than the suburbs. Billy worked his way there last. Built up a tolerance for noise and engines and people over a few months. Step by step. Day by day. Getting used to being dead. Watched the stripmall from the other side of the parking lot. The auto repair shop he visited a lot for parts for his fallen camaro. God knows what they did with her. The arcade where he dropped Max off more than once. He tried not to think about her. About what could happen now he was gone. The broken great wall. He sat at the bus stop for a break. His lungs felt like they were about to tear open again. His chest was heavy and tight. Five minutes. Then he’d keep going. Keep carrying on. 

Keep fighting. 

A sharp scream dragged his head up from his sneaker laces. Two kids piled out of a BMW. A brown one that looked expensive. A shock of red hair that had been long but was now just short to shoulder length in a dramatic line. Jean shorts and a yellow t-shirt. A denim jacket. Billy’s denim jacket. The sleeves had been cut off. Someone had painted a skull smoking on the back panel. Probably the wearer herself. It wasn’t unlike Billy’s first tattoo. The one he used to have on his arm. The one they cut through and scars took over from both sides took over and removed.

Max. She’d screamed. But she didn’t look scared or worried or even sad. She was smiling from ear to ear. Sunglasses pushed into her hair. She looked taller. She’d screamed at a boy in a baseball hat. Billy vaguely recognised him from long ago, somewhere in the back of what was left of his old mind. He winced and made a show of fixing his ear with a finger. Probably complaining that Max was too loud. Billy had told her that before. When things were different. When he was different. When he was younger but old.

They both went to walk through the doors when the driver got out of the car. Harrington. Of course it was him. He looked exactly the same. Big mane of brunette hair effortlessly styled. Stupid mom jeans. He tossed forgotten backpacks at both of them. Sounded kind as he said he’d pick them both up in two hours so don’t be fucking around in there. He’d already been hat kid’s surrogate brother by all accounts, it looked like he just picked Max up too. Another lost duckling to add to his gaggle.

Watching them live out their lives made Billy feel even more in the ground. A part of him wanted to walk over, say hi, I’m not actually dead. But he knew that was a bad idea. The whole town had moved on by way of nothing changing. The mall had been brushed over. It was a building site now. All the people that Billy took, they had been forgotten too. Someone had planted a heather bush in the town square. She hadn’t been forgotten. But that was it. People just carried on. As if nothing ever happened. As if those people had never existed. As if Billy had never existed. Max clearly remembered him if her attire was anything to go by, but did anyone else? He didn’t expect to be remembered at all. But then he also wasn’t dead yet. But he was a memory now. Nothing more. Even though he was sat right there. The cold plastic of the bus stop bench sinking through his denim covered thighs.

Max smiled at Harrington. Really smiled. Said thanks and squeezed his arm before the two kids went inside, into all the noise and lights that even the thought of following made Billy panic. Not as much as fireworks did. Harrington yelled after them to not lose all their money and sunk back into his car. Watching it all was like watching tv. Billy couldn’t interact with any of it. His body wouldn’t let him. His mind wouldn’t let him. Stuck frozen on the bench. Stuck frozen in the past while the world moved on. Left him alone with his scars and memories and regrets and apologies to people who would never hear them.

He’d apologised to Max so many times in his head it wasn’t funny anymore. He had so many regrets they consumed him. Being alone for so long at the hands of the government, he longed to be out. To be given a second chance. He regretted not being nicer to Harrington. He was a good guy. Too good for this town. He regretted just not being an asshole to his sister. Wanted a chance to not treat her like some second class citizen. Their situation wasn’t her fault. He’d just been so blinded by rage and hate about things he couldn’t change he took it out on her. She didn’t deserve that.

It had just taken dying to truly realise it.

She needed someone to make sure she was okay, now stuck alone at Cherry Lane with no one to stop angry fists and hateful words. She had Harrington.

Harrington was better than Billy.

He watched the BMW drive away, the kids long inside. The scene resetting itself. Billy sighed shakily and got to his feet, rubbing over his chest where his heart ached behind inches of scar tissue inside and out. Starting to walk back to his basement.

It was better he was dead. Unmourned and forgotten. It's what he deserved.