#I believed I was stupid cause I couldn’t read and other kids could

[hellcatsworld]

TELL YOUR KIDS

I swear to god

Not telling your kid they have a learning disability, chronic illness, mental illness etc. so they can “feel normal” actually does the opposite. They will not feel normal if they do not have the context to understand that their normal will be different from that of their peers.

[nats-revival]

ditto — e. williams

!! PLEASE READ BEFORE INTERACTING !! - Its still imperative that you do anything you can to support Palestine. You can help by doing your daily click, or reviewing this masterlist. You can also help by not buying TLOU, and here’s why.

aestras notes: WOOOOO GUESS WHO FINALLY DROPPED??? THIS GUY!!!!!! 😝😝😝 tried something new for the banner this time, i think it looks okay. 🙂‍↕️ anyways!!! everyone thank @softlysunrays for encouraging me yawp yawp!!!!

tags: loser!ellie, theatre kid!dina agenda, modern au sorta?, i suck at tagging a year later, ellie is a nervous wreck, italics indicate internal monologue (most of the time), fluff(?), one small use of y/n, okay that’s it i think

Ellie might’ve had a little thing for you — probably more than just a little thing, because you’d occupy most of the space in her brain 99% of the time. And she was, unceremoniously, an incredibly big loser. She never speaks to you directly, instead stealing glances at you during passing periods or watching you from afar whenever you’d been hanging out with your other friends. 

The hallways always seemed to be cramped and crowded, but not crowded enough that she couldn’t see you. Something about you made her always recognize it was you. 

Standing at her locker, she’d been joined by Dina as she’d been grabbing some things from her backpack. The hallways were bustling with chatter and bodies, but it seemed to only be them right now.

Dina looks at Ellie as her locker shuts with a small smirk. “I saw you staring at her again.” She teases. “You’ve got it bad!” Dina pokes her softly. She sings a cheesy love song, to which Ellie groans and puts a hand on her forehead. “You’re gonna make me die of embarrassment.” She mumbles.

Dina laughs at her, putting an arm over her shoulders. “Look at you, all grown up and having a little crush.” She says theatrically, wiping fake tears. Ellie chuckles to herself as she looks down at her canvas sneakers. 

“Yknow, I could introduce you to her.” Dina mentions without much thought. If Ellie had water in her mouth, she would’ve spit it out dramatically. She stands as stiff as a board as she turns to look at Dina. “Really? I mean — you’re serious? Like 100%?” Ellie seemed excited, but god was she nervous at the thought. 

“Yeah, totally! You can sprinkle your little loser dust on her in hopes that you absolutely woo her.” Dina throws her head back dramatically with the back of her hand on her forehead. The pair chuckle slightly at Dina’s antics.

Ellie still couldn’t believe that Dina knew her. Like, a majorly pretty girl? “Pinch me.” Ellie says, clearly in some state of disbelief. “I think I’m dreaming.” Dina pinches her on the cheek and she smiles. “You’re awake, Ellie! It’s me — Dina in the flesh!” Dina smiles at her.

“Dina, I’ve been like, dreaming of this since school started. I will come to your house later. Just please don’t be lying about this.” Ellie did dream about you a lot, and she always wished she didn’t wake up before the good parts. But she always did, so she woke up sulking all morning.

Even when the passing period had ended, she couldn’t stop creating scenarios about the two of you in her head. Well, the two of you and Dina. Cause she’d be there too. Ellie would feel bad to leave her out.

She knew that this was super cliche but she liked how cliche it was in some odd way. 

She was staring out of a window with her earphone in, tapping her gnawed up pencil against a wooden desk as she listened to songs that reminded her of you.

Which was, obviously, most of the music she’d ever listen to now because she was just that in love with you. She had it bad. Super bad. Actually, no word could describe it.

Once she started dreaming about you, she knew she was doomed. Even more so now that she’ll actually talk to you.

The anxiety of meeting a pretty girl like you sets in. What if she thinks I’m too weird? But she’s friends with Dina.. maybe it’ll be okay. This is so stupid. God, just focus on her! Her internal monologue was a flurry of ‘you got this’ and ‘don’t be a total loser’.

All of that literally goes out the window the second she makes it to Dina’s house.

As usual, Dina’s home was cluttered but homey, and the walls were covered with Dina in various grades performing in school musicals. Ride The Cyclone, Heathers, all that kinda stuff that she has little to no knowledge of.

“She’s waiting in my room — and stand up straight or something. Body language is important.” Dina says, leading her up the creaky stairs. Ellie almost didn’t hear what Dina was saying as they got closer to her room.

She’s in there! Right there! She thought, a smile creeping onto her face. The door of Dina’s room swings open and there you were, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“This is who I was telling you about! Y/N, this is Ellie. Ellie, Y/N.” Dina smiles at both of you brightly. “Hi!” Ellie blurts out, her voice cracking slightly. She instantly feels embarrassed and clears her throat. “Hello. How are you?” She attempts to reapproach the conversation, but when she saw that you’d been already chuckling and smiling, all her affirmations were lost to her.

“I’m fine. And you?” You asked, smiling at her. “I’m.. I’m good. Totally chilling right now, yeah.” Ellie rambles nervously. 

She kinda just stands there awkwardly until she thinks about another question. “How’d you uh, meet Dina?” She asks, rocking back and forth awkwardly on her heels. “We’re in the same theater class. And you,” 

You point at her. “You’ve known her since like, forever, right?” She says to Dina, eliciting a soft hum from the girl. You smile at Dina. “I’ll leave you two alone for a while.” 

Upon hearing that, Ellie snaps her head around to look at Dina. Her eyes scream “don’t leave me here”. Dina smiles remorsefully before leaving the room.

So now it was just Ellie and you. Staring at eachother while birds chirped softly in the distance. Ellie smiles awkwardly. You chuckle at her. “Are you usually this nervous?” You ask, tilting your head to the side slightly.

“..Yes, but not really?” Ellie would never in a million years admit the big fat crush she had on you, not now that you were sitting infront of her. “Well, I’m not gonna like, eat you or anything. You don’t have to be so nervous.”

“That’s easier said than done when you’re that pretty.” Ellie mumbled to herself. “What was that you said? You think I’m pretty?” You ask, smiling brightly. When she realizes you’d heard that part, she becomes incredibly flustered. She smashes her face into the palms of her hands as her cheeks become flushed. 

“I’m truly flattered! It means a lot coming from another pretty girl.” Ellie stood breathing for a moment. She thinks I’m pretty? She thinks I’m pretty?! She truly wants to jump for joy but she doesn’t. Instead she just stares at you.

Once you stand up and start walking towards her, she gets even more nervous because you smell like heaven. “I think we should get to know eachother more.” You suggest as you look at her. “I’ll give you my number.”

“Your number?” She blurts, excitement underlying her tone. “Yeah! It’s no biggie.” You say as you reach for your phone that was previously on the charger.

When you both eventually exchanged numbers, Ellie was staring at your contact in awe. Maybe you were talking to her but she was in her own little world.

She’d finally done it — talked to the girl she’d had a crush on literally all year. And somehow pulled it off enough to get her number.

Has Ellie wooed you? She didn’t know. Were you definitely looking forward to talking to her? Hell yeah you were.

“So I guess I’ll talk to you very soon then?” You raise an eyebrow at her with a smile on your face. Very soon? That could mean tonight! “Yeah, yeah totally. Call me whenever. I’m always free, yknow, never busy.” Ellie said, forming an awkward smile.

I basically just told her I have no hobbies or many friends! How charming is that? Way to go, Ellie. She internally cringes at herself. “Good to know. Bye Ellie.” You wave at her before leaving Dina’s room.

The door shuts and Dina runs up the stairs. “Oh she’s definitely into you.” She exclaims, holding Ellie’s hands. “I’m proud of you for putting your big girl pants on.” Ellie looks at Dina with a stupid smile. “She’s into me.” She mumbled with a starstruck expression. “She’s into me!” She repeats, smiling. I really hope that’s true. She thinks excitedly, squeezing Dina’s hands while looking at her.

[verribagel]

Joongdok Random AU Ideas

Joongdok shenanigans

Colorblind

Imagine both kdj and yjh are red-green color blind and one day hsy tries to put bright red lipstick on kdj and he’s like

“BUT I DONT WANT BROWN LIPS” and everyone is just like

“wut?” And he gets really confused.

Then Ysa is like

“Dokja-ssi, the lipstick is red…” and kdj is like

“no it’s not” and jhw is like

“wait, are you colorblind?” And kdj is like “No?”

And then yjh walks in and is like

“what’s wrong?” Cause everyone is just silently pondering kdj’s color blindness. Then kdj says

“Yoo Junghyuk-ah, Han Sooyeong’s lipstick is brown right?” And yjh is like

“yeah?” And all of Kimcom (the name for kdj’s group) is internally like “OMFG THEY’RE BOTH COLORBLINDDDD”

Read more ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Squid and Sunfish

Once upon a time, there was a little squid. The squid had no purpose in life, so it just drifted along with the current.

Until one day, it came across a sunfish. Strange, thought the squid. Usually sunfish don’t come down this deep.

He asked the sunfish what it was doing in the deep ocean. To which the sunfish replied

“I’m looking for a companion.”

The squid was confused. The only one this deep for miles was him.

He looked the sunfish up and down. Surely this guy wasn’t looking for him?

“Well there’s nobody else here but me,” said the squid.

“That’s fine,” said the sunfish.

The squid blinked. Did this stupid sunfish really not get it? He was a loser with no life! Why would this guys want /him/ as a companion.

The sunfish noticed the squid’s distress.

“If you don’t want a companion, there’s nothing I can do,” He said flatly.

As the sunfish swan away, the squid felt an aching in its heart. He realized, he didn’t want the sunfish to leave!

“Wait,” said the squid. The sunfish stopped.

“If you really aren’t bothered, I’ll be your companion.”

The squid couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. Him someone’s companion? Really? The sunfish turned around and smirked.

That annoying way sunfish do. “Knew it.” He said. And from then on. They lived as companions.

The end.

Department story YJH

What if Joongdok AU where Yoo Junghyuk works at A department store and Kim Dokja comes in as a single dad who has to fix his door handle. Except he has no clue how and has no mechanical knowledge.

When Yjh saw a man walk in with a little girl holding his hand he thought--nothing of it. People bring their kids places all the time. But when the man seemingly walked through every isle in a lost manner for what felt like hours, Yjh thought it might be time to step in.

Usually he’d let one of his coworkers handle helping costumers since he-- hated when people went to department stores not knowing what they needed.

Alas, it was a busy day and all of the other employees were helping equally lost customers.

Yjh approached the man when he heard the little girl say

“daddy, why don’t you just ask for help?”--To which the man replied,

“don’t worry sweetie daddy knows what he’s doing…” and went back to looking at shelves that clearly didn’t house what he needed.

“Can I help you with anything?” Said Yjh almost startling the man.

He noticed the small girl staring at her father clearly--waiting to see his response.

“Ah, yes… well… could you point me in the direction of the doorknobs?” Said the man.

Yjh had to hold in his sigh. Only because he had seen the man pass the doorknobs twice in his search.

“Right this way.” He said in the most polite voice he could--muster. He lead the man a couple of isles down.

“Thank you.” Said the man gratefully.

Yjh simply nodded and went back to walking around.

20 minutes later he happened to walk by the isle again, and to his complete and utter shock, the man was still standing there. Yjh walked up--to the man and asked him what the problem was.

“Oh haha, it’s just that… I don’t seem to know what doorknob I need….” The man let out an embarrassed chuckle.

Yjh had just about had it with him. Really, the amount of stress this man was causing him was unnatural.

Yjh tried asking him which model he currently had or if he needed a knew one. The man said he just needed to fix his old one but beyond that he just pretended to ponder. Yjh asked if he had a picture of his old one to which the man said

“ohhhh that’s what I forgot!” At that--Yjh snapped.

He quickly offered to buy one of each kind of doorknob for the man and personally come to his house and instal the one he needed. The man simply seemed taken aback by the offer and the forwardness.

Of course, who wouldn’t with an offer like that. They exchanged--numbers and the man introduced himself as Kim Dokja. Once he finally left, Yjh’s shift was over.

Yjh realized this man had been in the store for a total of 2 hours. As well as that, he had only been looking for a doorknob. A DOORKNOB FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Yjh took an angry shower and went straight to bed.

The next morning he went into work and after his shift bought exactly what he said he would. When his coworker Hsy asked what he was doing he ranted about the situation to her.

“Wow, you’re down bad” she joked to which Yjh replied to by walking--to his car and driving away.

He texted Kdj and got his address. When he arrived he rang the doorbell. For a while nobody answered. He was getting annoyed because Kdj had told him he was home over text. Then he heard a door open from the back and the sound of rickety wood.

He-turned towards the sound to see Kdj with a tree beach in his hair.

“Hey, sorry about that. The front doorknob is the one that’s broken so we can’t get in and out of it,” he explained.

Yjh felt a pang of pity for this poor man. Kdj gave him permission to forcefully pull-the door open to fix the knob. He did so without much of a struggle. When he saw the state the doorknob was in he wondered how Kdj could’ve let it get this bad.

He wondered how many times he had jammed the door in and out before it got so bad he just couldn’t anymore.

He fixed the doorknob, and when he went to leave Kdj stopped him.

“You know, you could stay and have dinner. It’s the least we can do for all the help you’ve given us.” He paused. “Even if it was out of spite,” he added.

Yjh’s ears went red. Had his reaction really been so obviously out--of frustration?

“You don’t have to though,” said Kdj when he saw Yjh’s hesitation. “No, I accept,” said Yjh curtly.

When he sat down and tried the food, safe to say, he was thoroughly disappointed. Along with knowing nothing of mechanics, he also could barely cook? Yjh’s pea-sized brain saw this as an obvious cry for help and he offered to cook for Kdj every weekend. Kdj at first said know but Yjh was very adamant about it.

Finally Kdj agreed out of the guise that he wanted his daughter Byoo to have better food. In reality he was touched that Yjh-would want to help so bad.

Fast forward a couple months and Yjh asks Kdj to go out.

Somehow, unknown to even Yjh himself, he had fallen for the man who he had met lost in a department store. Kdj agreed and they became boyfriends.

End

Shoe on the other foot

Joongdok Idea that Kdj has really Small feet and Yjh has normal/large feet and as a scenario penalty they have to swap shoes.

So while they’re fighting Kdj has to deal with big boots that keep slipping off and he keeps tripping and falling.

And on the other hand Yjh can’t feel his toes but at the same time is in constant pain.

Not to mention Kdj wears dress shoes so Yjh is having even more fun.

By the end of it Yjh just gets tired of Kdj faking so he just Carries him.

Pillows

What if Joongdok crack au where Kdj keeps buying decorative pillows and Yjh is losing his sitting spots

Yjh tries to sit on the couch but falls to the ground because there’s too many pillows on the couch.

Kdj: oh sorry let me move those^^

He throws them on an already humongous pile of other decorative pillows.

Yjh: why do you need so many??

Kdj: They make the house look nice

Yjh takes a look around the room and there’s piles and piles of pillows everywhere.

He gives Kdj a look of exasperation.

Kdj: well maybe we can put some in storage?

(I imagine this is on some kind of reality tv show and there’s a camera)

The camera cuts to Yjh gesturing violently to the tons of pillows in storage already.

Kdj: huh…

Then the scene switches to their bedroom and Yjh’s side of the bed is covered in pillows.

The camera cuts to one of those interview scenes

Yjh: I have 10% bed space left… I did the math

By the end of it they get Kdj help and he agrees to get rid of most of the pillows, begrudgingly. And Yjh can finally sit in his own house again.

The end scene is Yjh sitting in a couch and just smiling.

Pizza Hut vs Domnioes

Pizza Hut vs Domino’s but make it Joongdok

Also hsy is sys sister cause I need an adult

When lgy and sys decided to make the Domino’s and Pizza Hut in their local town call each other, they weren’t expecting it to blow up this much.

Or even in fact, kickstart a relationship It started as any other harmless little prank by kids would.

They grabbed two phones and had dialed the the two stores on them.

They snickered uncontrollably as the phones rang.

“Shhhhh- haha, shhhhhhhh” said lgy trying to contain his laughter.

“I know, I know,” sys was having an even harder time.

Brrrrr brrrrr brrrr.

“Hello? This is Pizza Hut what can I do for you?”

And

“Hello this is Dominos, what would you like”

Two men’s voices could be heard from the phones.

“What?” They both said in unison.

“This is dominos, you wanted to order a pizza?” Said the deeper gruffer voice.

“If I ordered something from you it definitely wouldn’t be pizza, heck, I’d be weary of a soda from you guys!” Said the other voice.

The other phone went silent. Then,

“Well that’s too bad cause that means you’re stuck with the stuff you people make… yeesh.”The other voice let out an obviously exaggerated gasp.

“How dare you? You know what, where’s your store??”

“123 west rd, and what’s /yours/“

Sys and lgy were dying laughing at this point, they had to go to the corner of the room.

“246 North st!” The other voice said harshly.

“You know what?” It continued, “meet me at 135 south blvd, I dare you!”

“We’ll get ready to be defeated!” Announced the other.

Then both calls hung up. Sys and lgy were silent for a momen before running into the other room.

“HSY!! CAN YOU DRIVE US TI 135 BLVD?? WE WANT TO SEE TWO GROWN MEN FIGHT!!” They said, in unison to the author who was trying to get her work done, now unsuccessfuly. Hsy looked at them seemingly to debate the pros and cons of granting their request.

However it wasn’t long before she gave in to her need to see grown men being idiots and she found herself driving. When they got there the pulled into a parking lot.

Nobody was there at first but then two men showed up.

One was a very plain looking man in a black button up and a Pizza Hut apron.

The other a very handsome man in a Dominos Apron.

“So you’re the apparently handsome man who thinks Domino’s sells pizza!” Shouted the plain looking one from about 20 ft away from the other.

“What do you mean, ‘sells pizza’ THATS WHAT WERE KNOWN FOR!” Bellowed the other from the same distance. “I wouldn’t call what you’re known for /pizza/!” The scrawny man taunted.

The handsomer man opened his mouth to reply but then paused.

“You- wait did you call me handsome earlier?” He asked befuddled.

The latter’s face went beet red. “W-well, yeah! Who wouldn’t,” he stuttered.”

The taller man seemed the think for a moment before stating,

“If you come to Domino’s we… /I/ could treat you a lot better than those guys at Pizza Hut.”

The other man seemed to short circuit for a moment. “B-but nobody out pizzas the Hut!” He said in a last ditch attempt to save his already fleeting dignity.

“Bet,” responded the other who then smirked devilishly.

Meanwhile lgy and sys were fighting over the left back window of the car for better view than the other. Hsy was simply enjoying the scene from the driver’s seat. They had their windows cracked slightly as to hear what was being said.

“10 bucks says they go out,” announced Hsy suddenly.

“I’ll take that bet! No way they’d go out!” Said Lgy. “Yeah! If you heard them on the phones you’d know!” Boasted Sys.

“We’ll just see,” mused Hsy.

Meanwhile in the parking lot, the men were at a standstill.

“What’s your name?” Said the skinnier man.

“Yjh, and yours?”

“Kdj”

“Well Kdj, you wanna come to the better pizza store and earn a date with me?” Said Yjh confidently.

Kdj let out a small “sure” and walked away.

Unfortunately he was so far away Yjh didn’t hear him.

“Well?!” He shouted

“I SAID SURE!” Kdj shouted back.

“GREAT! SEE YOU AT THE DOMINO’S BUILDING THIS SATURDAY”

“SEE YOU THEN!”

And just like that Lgy and Sys had orchestrated one of the best and most entertaining events of their little town.

[so-many-fandoms-here]

(English isn’t my first language so feel free to correct any mistake you notice.)

• Characters: Levi Ackerman, fem!Reader

• Genre: fluff, a bit of angst

• Warnings: describing birthing (not super detailed)

Daughter

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*

-Levi’s Pov-

I was already up and preparing breakfast when (Y/n) stepped into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes tired and yawning loudly. „Good morning Levi“, she mumbled and sat down at the table.

I supported myself on the kitchen sideboards, limped over to my pregnant wife and placed a kiss on her head. „Good morning you two.“

She hummed with closed eyes and rubbed her big belly. „Baby kicks just like you.“ I couldn’t help but chuckle. „It’s my baby after all.“ I placed my hand that wasn’t supporting my weight softly on her belly.

„Out of all qualities it could have gotten from you I really hoped it wouldn’t be your kicks“, she sighs dramatically and leans further back in the chair. I grabbed one of the other chairs that stood around the table and sat down in front of (Y/n) who had her eyes closed again, obviously exhausted from the long night.

„You’re not even born yet and already causing mommy sleepless nights?“ I spoke as I leaned further down until my face was in front of her belly. „Believe me, she’s way more pleasant when she slept well.“

For that I’ve earned a light slap on the head, causing another chuckle to leave my lips. Then I leaned up again and placed a kiss on my wife’s lips.

The amount of love I felt for this little rascal that wasn’t even born yet was overwhelming and sometimes left me scared.

„What if they don’t like me?“, I mumbled one of my many concerns against (Y/n)s soft lips. „Don’t be stupid“, she responded. „Our child is going to love you.“ And then placed another reassuring kiss on my lips.

But I wasn’t convinced. „I never had a father, I don’t even know how that works.“ (Y/n) wanted to say something but I just continued. „What if they’re scared of my scars? What if I can’t show my love enough? What if“ (Y/n) shut me up with a loud Shhhh and placed her hands on my cheeks. „Our baby is going to love you“, she repeated, not leaving any room for complaints.

„It’s time we talk about a potential godfather or godmother, don’t you think?“, she switched the topic while she stood up and grabbed herself a cup to pour some tea in it. I responded with a nod and said: „I nominate Armin.“

I could basically hear how her (e/c) eyes rolled. „It’s not a voting Levi“, she answered with a chuckle. „I know. I’m just messing with you“, I responded with a slight smirk. „Still Armin.“

(Y/n) nodded in agreement, her face decorated with the biggest, warmest smile that she always had when we planned anything related to the baby. „I thought about him too. He is so gentle and responsible. I’m pretty sure he will be so happy.“

„He’s least likely to drop the baby.“

The noise that came from my wife was made from the cup which she placed loudly on the cupboard again. „Levi!“

„I’m just saying what we both were thinking. They’re all just big ass kids, no way I’m leaving a fragile little human in their sweaty meathooks.“ I didn’t see the towel coming that flew in my direction and landed right on my face. While I pouted, acting like I was pissed, (Y/n) knew I was messing with her again and started to laugh so loud and long that I almost thought she would choke on her own voice.

—

Even though we planned everything thoroughly, the day the baby came still felt somehow chaotic. (Y/n) was a mess, I was a mess, everything was a mess.

It was morning when the water broke. I was reading the newspaper and watched the people through the window going to work, taking a walk, whatever normal people do, when suddenly (Y/n) started to whine. It was like a howl, painful and scared. My head turned and I saw her supporting herself on the doorframe to our bathroom in which she went seconds before.

I stood up and got to her as fast as I could, not paying attention to my crutch leaning against the table. It would only get in my way (like always).

„(Y/n)!“, I yelled, clueless what I could do instead. When I was beside her I could see the puddle on the floor. I hoped my fight or flight response would activate itself, like it did on the battlefield, but it didn’t. Instead I stood there with a horrified expression and looked at her. After a few seconds of brain-loss I caught myself again and wrapped my arms around her waist, which was kind of useless when I look back at it. „Come on, let’s get you in the bedroom.“

I had to let go of her immediately since I was no help for her with my broken leg, which I despised even more in this moment, and walked slowly behind her through the hallway into our bedroom.

The thick bedsheets that our midwife gave us where placed next to the bed, waiting for their time. I quickly spread them on the mattress on which (Y/n) sat down right after.

„Breath“, I reminded her (more myself to be honest) and took her hands in mine. For a second the world went quiet.

It’s happening. I am going to be a father very soon.

I quickly got rid of my sentimental thought and limped to the window, which I opened quickly and started to scan the streets, hoping I would see one of the brats.

„Oi!“ I yelled and immediately Armins head popped out of nowhere.

„Yes sir?“ I saw how his hand twitched, still tempted to salute. I‘m starting to believe he will never get used to not saluting.

„Get the nurse!“ I yell and a mix of horror and happiness appears on Armins face. „It’s time?“, he asks to which I nod. „Obviously!“ I yell even louder and watch him with an expecting look.

He took way too long for my liking to find out of his shock, but eventually he started to run to get the nurse while yelling „The baby‘s coming! The baby’s coming!“

I turned back around to face (Y/n) and watched how she shifts in bed to lie on her back. I walked up to her and sat next to her on the mattress.

„She‘ll be here any moment“, I reassured her while taking her hand in mine and waiting for the sound of the front door opening. After what felt like hours, but were probably not even minutes, the door swung open and our midwife, happy as ever, stepped inside the room.

„Well look at that!“, she calls out. „Looks like baby’s ready to see the world her parents made.“

She often told us how honored she was to work with us and she often tended to exaggerate a bit.

She made her way around the bed and asked (Y/N) to help her take off her underwear. She handed me the wet panty, which I quickly discarded on the floor, no way would I crawl away from my wife to tidy up right now.

The nightgown was pushed up over (Y/N)s thighs while the midwife took a look between her legs. „Yep, baby is in a hurry. I can already see the head.“

(Y/N) squeezed my hand tighter. „I’m scared“, she mumbled. I let go of her hand so I could wrap my arm around her. „Me too“, I whispered when she lied in my arms, grabbing my other hand.

„You ready to push momma?“, the nurse asked to which (Y/N) laughed a forced laugh. „I don’t have that much of a choice now, do I?“

A few hours of screaming and crying passed until a different cry cut through the air.

A light, but strong scream.

„There she is“, the nurse announced and took a towel in which she wrapped our child after cutting the umbilical cord. „A beautiful little girl.“

(Y/N) stretched out her arms, silently demanding the woman to give her the tiny being. Once she held our daughter in her arms she fell exhausted against my chest again.

Too stunned to speak I looked at the little human in her arms, looking just as exhausted as her mother.

(Y/N)s struggles weren’t over yet, since the placenta had to come out too, but after that was managed, the nurse gave us some time to ourselves while she would prepare some tea and something to eat.

Thankful for both, the peace and the fact that she would make something for us I nodded and watched how she closed the door behind her.

„She’s beautiful“, (Y/N) whispered. „Yeah“, I answered. „Just like her mother.“

I earned a tired smile from my wife and felt how she rested her head against my shoulder. „Do you want to hold her?“, she asked after a while.

„Of course!“ I said way too excited but got hesitant right after my statement. „But what if I do something wrong?“

„You won’t“, (Y/N) reassured me. „Take off you shirt.“ She giggled at my confused look. „Skin to skin“, she simply said and I remembered what the nurse told us. It’ll help bonding.

So I quickly got rid of my T-Shirt and then took my daughter as gently as possible into my hands. Her head was supported by my biceps and her little hand reached out and touched my chest lightly.

In awe I studied her face. The tiny eyes, the even tinier nose, her sweet cheeks and her lips that I just knew would carry the most warming smile the world would ever see.

(Y/N)s hand sneaked on our daughters stomach, not ready to give up every last bit of skin contact.

Suddenly my eyes filled with tears and my heart felt like it was about to burst from this immense and intense love I felt when I looked at my baby.

„If this is what the war was for“, I whispered with a shaky voice. „Then I would do it all again.“ The tears that at first just lingered in my eyes now streamed down my face. „Every last bit of it. I would do it all again for her.“

I glanced at (Y/N) and saw how she nodded, knowing exactly what I meant and knowing she would do the same.

„You still like the name Mary?“ I asked her to which I earned another nod. „Yes. But to be honest, she looks more like a Mary Isabel, don’t you think?“

My already endless stream of tears just got worse. Mary Isabel. (Y/N)s tears fell on my shoulder while we stood silent in agreement.

„Mary Isabel Ackerman“, I mumble after a while, my chest filled with love and pride. „My daughter.“

And suddenly I knew what peace felt like.

[gaybananabread]

•• @hexalianrebel-blackfeathers #19 (Secret), How about a very funny secret identity reveal? >w< Miles gets some tickles from one or both of his parents, and through a folly of your choice (a minor injury, noticing his costume, or god forbid, him losing control of his powers) they realize that he's Spiderman. ••

TickleTober Day 19 - Secret

~OOOO THAT’S A GOOD IDEA!! All of Panda’s reqs have got my brain juices flowing in the best ways. I’ve got a feeling Jeff’s gonna seem a little nonexistent here; I did my best 🫡. This is mostly plot (read: angst/comfort) with some tickles, though I did try to work as many in as possible; I just had so many internal dialogue ideas. Thank you for requesting, and I hope you Enjoy! Happy spooky season!~

Lee: Miles Morales

Lers: Rio and Jeff Morales

Summary: Exhausted from a tough night of crime fighting, Miles wakes up looking less than alive. His parents sit him down for a little cheer-up session, but it quickly morphs into something much more serious.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Miles groaned as he hauled himself out of bed, feeling the muscles in his shoulders and lower back scream in protest. Spot had been causing problems the night before, requiring the gang to go down and deliver his weekly ass-kicking. The spotted man had been getting more creative, he’d give him that.

Unfortunately for Miles, that meant he’d had to work twice as hard to bring the slippery jerk. He’d avoided the cops again, but the teen had recovered all the stolen tech. While it felt gratifying to protect the city, his body was wondering if it was worth it. It was, obviously, but still.

The exhausted spider barely noticed his parents in the living room, zombie-shuffling into the kitchen to grab a Pop-Tart and a Monster. Not the healthiest breakfast, sure, but he needed a quick boost before he started on his homework. Uuuuugh, World History essays…

Rio, of course, snatched the can from his grip before he could poison himself with all the caffeine on an empty stomach. “What do you think you're doing?”

“Uuuuh…gettin’ breakfast?” He showed her the strawberry toaster pastry in his hand, hoping it’d get him out of the inevitable scolding. Why couldn’t his mom’s true crime show have been on to distract her?

“¡No en mi casa, Miles! You’re eating real food and drinking something other than this battery acid,” Rio huffed, trading the energy drink for a glass of milk and leftover tostones with eggs. She heated the food up and guided him to the table, placing a fork in his hand before he could process anything.

“Eat. After that, we’re talking.” Without giving him a moment to complain or speak, she went back to the couch, settling against her husband’s side.

Apparently, his mom's show was on; he could hear the gorey details, as well as his dad’s groans in response to some of the messier descriptions. Rio had left her favorite trash TV show to come and scold him. Not good…

Once he’d finished his reheated heaven, Miles slunk over to the couch. Maybe if he was slick enough about it, his mom would just let him cuddle up beside her and avoid conversation.

“Miles, sit. Your Dad and I need to talk to you.” Shiiiiiiiit. She was using the tone – the one kids and teens everywhere knew feared.

“Sure. What’s up?” Miles tried to play it cool, sitting languidly as he watched his parents’ faces.

“You’ve been really tired lately, Miles. It’s not like you.” Jeff spoke, giving Miles the “I’m here for you, but I know you’re hiding something” look. He really didn’t like how that look made his stomach twist; he felt bad enough about lying without his Dad’s skepticism.

“AP classes are kicking my butt, not anything new. More homework means less sleep.” That felt pretty believable. Of all Miles’s horrible lies, that one might’ve ranked in the top-ten.

“Come on, mijo; we aren’t stupid. You get most of your homework done at school, and we both know it.” Rio’s firm words shattered that little beam in his chest. He really needed to get better at lying…

“C’mon…” Miles sighed, grasping at straws. What could he tell them? Obviously not the truth – they’d be furious if they learned he’d been lying to them for over a year. He couldn’t think of any good lies, though, just sighing. “I dunno. It’s…it’s complicated, I guess. Don’t really wanna get into it.”

His parents seemed to take the angsty answer as a clear boundary, giving each other the parental “we’ll scheme later” look before addressing their son. Jeff leaned over Rio, patting the boy’s shoulder.

“Alright, Miles. We’ll leave it for now, but you gotta give us something. Why’re you so slow today?”

That was an easy answer: he was sore as all hell, fighting every muscle in his body with each subtle movement. Had to be an easier way to say that… “A few guys and I were playin’ ball down by my old school. I got a few in, but my arms are sore.”

They seemed to believe that one, his father’s hand switching to a gentle squeeze. “Hey, no pain, no gain. Gotta get those noodle arms conditioned.”

If only he knew how strong Miles truly was…best not to think about it. He still got to complain about physical activity with his facade anyway.

“Hey, hey! Leave the poor noodles outta this!” Miles hugged his arms to his chest, feeling a bit of playfulness rise in his chest. He was exhausted, sure, but people he was close to and having fun with tended to recharge his battery.

Rio picked up on the mood shift, her mom brain running through a few ideas on how to cheer him up. He was obviously still upset and facing something, but they couldn’t force him to tell them anything. It seemed, for that day at least, like perking him up was the best course of action.

Miles squeaked as he felt a poke on his side, narrowing his eyes at his mom. Rio chuckled knowingly, already moving to do it again. Miles tried to jump off the couch, but his dad’s squeezing hand quickly became a vice-like grip.

“Hey- noho! C’mon, Mohohom! Dahad!” Miles could’ve easily ripped himself out of his father’s grip, but that would reveal his secret to them; that definitely wasn’t happening until he was ready, or maybe ever. He wasn’t sure, honestly. All he was sure of was that his mom’s tickling was getting more insistent.

“Nope. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen my baby boy really laugh. This is long overdue.” Rio moved her wiggling fingers higher, curling them around his ribcage. As expected, he folded like a lawn chair, trying to curl in on himself while also suppressing his spider strength.

“Jeff, mi amor, little help?”

Jeff smiled before hooking his hands beneath Miles’s arms, dragging him across Rio’s lap, and pinning said arms above his head. It wasn’t a very good spot for Miles to be stuck, but his parents seemed utterly amused.

“D-Dahahahad! Youhu trahaitor! Ihi’ll remehehember- NYAHAHAHAHOHO! M-MAHAHAMI!” Miles thrashed like a worm on a hook as he suddenly felt his mom’s nails on the bottoms of his socked feet, wiggling evilly as they made him lose his mind. Of all the places she could’ve chosen to target, why did it have to be his feet?

“But I’m having so much fun! What about you, Jeff’?”

“Absolutely. He’s kinda cute like this, all giggly smiles. I could get used to it.” Jeff obviously shared her sentiments, gently scratching a finger against his son’s wrists. He usually left the overly physical affections to his wife, but he was enjoying himself.

Miles didn’t know what to feel.

First off, his parents, plural, were tickling him to pieces. His friends were the only ones who’d done that within the last few years, save for Miguel and Peter B. Secondly, it freaking tickled! Like, a lot! His mind was taken back to much earlier days of his mom making him shriek for lying, refusing to eat his vegetables, and when he…asked. Oh shit.

Mom knows I like this.

That single thought alone was enough to break his brain; when he felt his mom’s nails glide up to his armpits, it was all over.

“GYAAAHAHAHA! MOHOHOHOM!” With a shriek of laughter, Miles suddenly disappeared.

Rio yelped, while Jeff sputtered some less-than-appropriate phrases. They could both still feel their son on top of them, but…he was hidden from sight.

Just like Spider-Man.

“Me cago en Dios…” Rio felt her heart pump double-time in her chest, a feeling of cold shock and realization settling over her. Her son, her sweet boy, was Spider-Man. Worse, he’d felt the need to lie to her. For a year.

Miles would’ve loved to stay invisible, but his body followed it’s usual “fuck you, I do what I want” routine; he popped back into their sights, a look of pure terror on his face. What would they think? What would they do? Would his dad react like Gwen’s initially did?

Jeff was much less calm than his wife with his reactions. He dropped Miles’s wrists in a hurry, staring right into his son’s eyes. He’d been right there, right in the danger with him, shoved him out of the way to take hits way too heavy for a teenager. When it came time to actually speak, the man could only force two words past his heavy lips.

“Miles…why?”

Shit. That was so much worse than anger.

“I-I can explain! I was- it wasn’t on purpose. Well, a-all the Spider-Man stuff was, but not getting there! I got bit by somethin’, just like the original dude, and it gave me powers. I couldn’t not help people, ya know? Dad? Mom?”

Miles rushed the words out as he looked between their stunned faces, unable to move off their laps. Well, he wanted to, but his body was too shocked and afraid to do much, aside from twist his fingers and occasionally shake.

“Please say something?”

“Why did you hide this?” Rio was the first to say a complete sentence, though it followed the basis of her husband’s two words of dismay. She didn’t look as horrified as his father did, but she definitely wasn’t humming a tune and giggling.

“I…had to. To keep you safe. I wasn’t… I didn’t have everything figured out. By the time I did, it was already kinda too late.”

“You didn’t have to! You could’a told me! I could’a helped you with half the crazy assholes you’ve fought!” There was Jeff, expressing his emotions by shouting. He felt his son flinch from the volume, immediately adjusting himself. “I never would’ve let you face off against some’a those fuckers…”

“That’s the problem, Dad. I’ve got a responsibility, just like you. I can’t just abandon New York because a bad guy could whoop me! Sure, I get banged up sometimes, but I’ve got a healing factor. I can fix a broken rib in a week.”

Miles hoped that would be enough to soothe the hurt and fear on his father’s face. It wasn’t even close to enough, but it did give him some information.

“But you shouldn’t have to know that! You’re 15! You should be worryin’ about girls and puberty and drivin’, not saving the whole damn city!”

Miles felt that it was a bad time to mention that he saved the whole damn state, not just Brooklyn, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Mi precioso niño… You could’ve told us. We could’ve been there. We’re your parents, Miles!” Rio grabbed his arm, bringing it down from above his head to really examine the skin there. Sure, enough, she found scars; faint, thanks to the healing factor, but she traced each one with reverence. “Sentías que no podías confiar en nosotros...”

“I didn’t not wanna trust you! I just… It’s hard. I didn’t wanna put you in harm's way, and I didn’t know what you’d do if I told you.” Miles’s voice finally betrayed him, wobbling as he forced back tears. He preferred anger. Anger was reciprocated, easy, mindless. But the fear and hurt? Those were killing him.

Miles felt his mom brush away a tear he didn’t even realize he’d shed. Rio looked over at her husband, the two having a silent conversation before she spoke. “We’re not mad, Miles. Well, I really wish you hadn’t hidden this, but we’re not gonna get angry. We love you, baby, and we’re here for you.”

“For whatever you need, hear me? We love you, Miles; more than anything on this damn planet No more hiding. You tell us everything.” His father’s voice cut in as well, a little shaky, but still firm. Still there, not kicking him away or shunning him for his misdeed. They were supporting him…

A jolt of warmth shot right into his heart, followed by the crushing weight of all he’d been keeping from them. Tears started flowing as he curled on his side, hiding his face in the closest abdomen – his father’s. Jeff sighed, gently petting his son’s head as he sobbed.

Rio carefully rubbed Miles’s legs, feeling hidden muscles as she tried to soothe him. He was in so much trouble later, but…the knowledge was hurting him, too. The burden of living the life he was apparently just tossed into. She knew what that felt like, and she wasn’t about to get mad at her son for it.

With a shaky sigh, Rio leaned her head on Jeff’s shoulder, her hazel eyes met his. Both parents knew one thing: they’d do anything for their son.

Even if it meant raising a superhero in a crime-ridden, super-powered city. They were not going to abandon their boy, no matter what. They loved him, and that was never changing.

[thelaughtercafe]

Edward and Alphonse finding out you like being tickled

Tea Type: Rose Boba

Potential Triggers: Invasion of privacy in Ed's, please don't actually steal/read anyone's diary unless they're explicitly cool with it, even if you're partners! Just so this is clear both Edward and Alphonse are of age here and been in a relationship for a while! Also this is post '03, not Brotherhood!

Pairing: Edward/F! Reader, Alphonse/F! Reader

Length: 983

Summary: N/A

Edward Elric:

“W-What?!”

Edward could hardly believe what he’d just read, eyes wide with disbelief. 

It was meant to be a joke; a harmless prank as you banged frantically on the door, a whine on your lips.

“Ed I swear if you’re touching something you shouldn’t be-”

He quickly schooled his expression save for the barely there glint of mischief in his eyes and closed your diary before making himself comfortable on your bed. 

He raised an uncaring eyebrow as you burst in and glared at him. 

“What’s the big panic? You’re such a drama queen; I just wanted to mess with you!”

He pouted at you from your bed, all casual innocence; and when you stormed over with a pout of your own and leaned over him-

BAM!

That’s when he pounced, lunging forward and flipping you so you were underneath him before ruthlessly digging into your sides. 

His pout melted into a shit-eating grin as you burst out into laughter and tried to weakly swat him off. 

It didn’t do anything of course. 

“I cannot believe you kept this from me! You look so fuckin cute like this! It’s a crime I didn’t know about it till now!" 

Your eyes widened comically wide and you squealed; voice going high-pitched as you responded. Of course, he chose to go for one of your worst spots at that moment to make your flustered state all the more obvious. 

He could admit it. He took pleasure in your suffering. 

"You know!?! A-Aren’t you weirded out?!”

He snickered at that, his smirk making you lightheaded with embarrassment. 

“Oh darling. C'mon now. I’ve always liked making you into a mess…now? I just have an excuse to do it as much as I want. Why don’t you beg me for more like a good girl hm?”

“You’re so mhehehehehean!!”

“And you wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, less talking more begging or I bring out some tools~”

He stuck his tongue out playfully and you couldn’t deny the fullness of your heart despite the blush in your cheeks if you tried. 

Alphonse Elric:

Alphonse and you play fighting was nothing uncommon. 

He was eager to use his new fully functioning body and see what it was capable of and had no qualms about messing with you to reach that goal. 

The fights were always short but you seemed to enjoy them anyway even though you always ended up underneath him panting and red faced. 

His typical reward for winning was tickling you. Your laughter was just so damn infectious and after not hearing it all throughout his journey with Ed, he was all too ready to make up for lost time. 

He can be dense at the best of times so he didn’t realize you liked it till you told him, some time into your relationship.  

"Wah?! Really?”

Turns bright red. 

He suddenly grins wide, even if his blush is still obvious and hops in place a little. 

All excited exuberance.

Asks a bunch of rapidfire questions like he’s a giddy kid again. 

“How long have you known? Do you have a favorite spot? Aw I can’t believe I didn’t know about this earlier!!" 

His pout made you giggle. 

"I’ve known for a good while, not really, and I didn’t want to freak you out. You’re taking this better than I thought you would, honestly. When I asked Ed how he thought you’d take a sex conversation he seemed sure you’d freak. He tried to get what I was talking about specifically to tell you with him there but I told him it was private.”

Your giggles turned to laughter. 

“He yelled at me for "corrupting you”. Clearly he had nothing to worry about.“

Alphonse grumbled and blushed darker at the information. 

"Stupid brother…I’m not a kid anymore! Of course I know about sex stuff. Just cause I’m not a playboy like him-”

“I am not a playboy!”

It was your turn to blush apparently as Ed’s voice shouted from the other side of the door, making you storm over to open it and glare at him properly.

“You were eavesdropping!? You little-”

“I needed to make sure you weren’t taking advantage of-”

“He can take care of himself first off, and you have to know I’d never do that! Honestly, Ed, sometimes your protectiveness goes too far.”

You sighed and rubbed your temples bur before you could continue bantering Alphonse got between both of you, frowning disapprovingly at his brother.

“Not cool Ed! I don’t eavesdrop on you and Winry and you shouldn’t do it with us! She told you she wanted it to be private. I’m not a little kid anymore, I can make my own decisions!”

“Al…”

The two stared each other down a moment before Ed cracked and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Fine, fine.”

He raised his eyes to yours. 

“I’m sorry. I just…worry. I’m not used to having someone else to share the burden of looking out for him. Truce?”

He held out his hand and you quickly shook it, a faint smile on your lips. 

“Truce. Oh and Ed?”

You squeezed his hand tight enough to make him hiss in pain. 

“Forget what you heard. If that gets out I’m coming for you.”

You released his hand and he looked faintly amused a moment as his eyes flashed, and a cheeky grin twitched onto his lips. 

“You can’t even say the word, can you?”

“Ugh, get out! Stupid brat-!”

You shoved him out as he laughed the whole way, and you turned to look up at Al as he hovered over you while you leaned against the door. 

“Thanks for standing up for us.”

Sincerity shone in your eyes as you leaned up and kissed him, arms circling around his neck. As you both headed towards the bed, you pulled back to giggle against his lips as he squeezed your sides, mischief shining in his eyes. 

“I’m ready to try it out if you are~”

[girl-next-door-writes]

You Matter To Me

Characters: Steve Harington x reader

Summary: A shared moment before heading into the Upside Down where you and Steve both reflect on what is important.

Word Count: 1000 words

Prompt: You Matter To Me

A/N: I have been going through some ‘real world’ stuff recently and this song showed up on my radar again and despite the million fics I have to write I felt this needed to be written. It isn’t perfect, I couldn’t find all the words, but if you are reading this then I want you to know that you matter.

Nobody should have this much pressure placed on them, and yet he had taken it almost willingly. The role of leader, of protector, it weighed heavy on his shoulders, and although he hid it well, there were flashes of the truth hidden in those beautiful, soulful eyes; eyes you could happily get lost in, even on the worst days, perhaps especially on the worst days. Their warm richness comforting, even though the slivers of profound sadness swam in their depths. Each horror he had witnessed haunted him, words left unsaid and yet screaming as the two of you looked at each other. Insecurity, doubt, the fragility of his carefully crafted self-confident persona swam in those sad eyes, shattering your heart into a million pieces.

There were no words. The painful realization that nothing said could make things any better, caused a deep ache in your soul. Taking a seat beside him, you simply shuffled closer, tucking yourself into his side and slipping your hand into his. Interlacing your fingers, you looked down at your hands, silently vowing to stay right there by his side for as long as he would let you.

This beautiful boy had gotten under your skin, and although your emotions for him were largely undefined, he mattered to you. He was important. He was…irrevocably connected to you. How do you even begin to tell someone that? It isn’t as simple as those three overused words, and it was deeper than a romantic desire. You saw him, just as he truly was, and knew that he was enough, that your life was infinitely improved by his existence. Did he know that? Was he aware of how he touched everyone’s life? You felt an almost overwhelming desire to grip him by the shoulders and shake him until he understood that he was so much more than he believed; that he truly did matter. But instead, the two of you sat in silence, holding hands and watching the others preparing.

Steve stole a glance at you, allowing himself a moment to just be a nineteen-year-old boy, sitting holding hands with someone he cared about. It was a little addictive spending time with you. There was just something about the way you listened to him, like you heard all the parts he didn’t say out loud, and you didn’t think he was stupid or broken.

He had a close friendship with Robin, he adored his best friend, and then there were the ‘kids’, and Nancy; well, the Nancy thing was complicated. Now he also had Eddie… All these people depending on him, needing him to step up and take the lead. There was a part of him that wanted to run, to just get in his car and drive away from this hellhole and start over. If he’d gone to college then he wouldn’t be here for this shit, this would be someone else’s problem. The guilt of that thought gnawed at him and he subconsciously squeezed your hand. He was scared, but he knew he couldn’t turn his back, he would never forgive himself.

There was something different about this fight, a shadow in the back of his mind that said they might not all make it. Looking around at his friends, he felt his heart clench. They all mattered. Dustin would probably go on to cure some deadly disease or figure out a way for everyone to live on the moon or some shit. Lucas, he had a shot at becoming a pro athlete, if he focused. Nancy had a bright future as a journalist maybe, blowing the lid off government corruption and saving people… Each and every one of them had such potential to make a real difference in the world. The only person he could even consider disposable in the grand scheme of things, was himself. This might be the one thing, the moment where he might be of some importance, making sure the rest of them got through.

He was brought out of his thoughts by your head resting on his shoulder. It was such a small gesture but it grounded him, and he found himself leaning down, his cheek pressing against your hair as he closed his eyes.

“Steve?” Your voice was so quiet that he could easily have imagined that you had spoken.

“Yeah?”

“You matter to me. More than all this. More than most people.” Your words hung in the air between the two of you and he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

“Thanks.”

“I mean it. Don’t go doing anything ‘heroic’, because if something happens to you then I’m just gonna have to make a deal with the devil, or bring you back as a zombie or something, and then you’ll be screwed. You will feel my wrath.”

“Your wrath?” he chuckled, an eyebrow raising in amusement as he opened his eyes again.

“Yes, my wrath. I will be incredibly pissed at you for doing something so stupid, and for leaving me, and then making me learn voodoo so I can bring you back to yell at you.”

“Yeah, that does seem like it might be a bit of a hassle.”

“A major one. So, just promise me you will try your best to see me on the other side of all this because, for some fucked up reason Harrington, you really matter to me.”

“Okay.” He said softly, his fingers playing with yours as he took your words to heart. Turning his head slightly, he placed a gentle kiss to the top of your head and let out a deep sigh. “And, for the record, you matter to me too.”

You didn’t reply, you didn’t have to. It was obvious that the feelings between the two of you were simultaneously infinitely complex and so simple. Hopefully there would be time to explore each and every nuance of what it meant to matter to each other, but for now, Steve was content to just sit beside you and feel.

[tiny-minecraft-rabbit]

Untitled Soulmate Goose

Or, Joel and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad misadventure for his soulmate. This is the Final Chapter!

Here for Chapter One - Read on AO3 - Next Chapter (coming soon)

It was a long time of people watching before Joel was really getting bored. There were only so many families with kids and dog walkers and couples holding hands and guys on boats that he could take before he completely lost his mind. Honestly, how patient was this stupid goose? Did it not have other things to do? (The answer was an obvious, resounding, No, but that meant nothing to Joel.)

He had tried a few times to sneak off of the top of the bench, but the goose was persistent and observant. Any time he thought the thing had drifted off or was distracted it only took his foot touching the grass for it to spring to attention. He was half tempted to just make a break for it at this point and hope he could outrun the damned thing and wait out the disaster in the safety of his own home. 

“Hey, man–” Joel turned away from the park entrance to make eye contact with the stranger that just walked up “–Uh, I hate to ask, but I’ve been watching you for like the last hour, do you want me to, like, scare the goose off for you?” 

The guy was, unfortunately, tall and kind of handsome, in a mysterious sort of way (though, of course, they weren’t any taller or handsomer than Joel, especially since he was standing on the bench now). Their left eye was a stormy grey and the other a burning red– bright, like redstone. Their hair was silver, cropped short and their bangs held back by a bandanna. They had a black mask covering their lower face, an olive green jacket with fur, black cargo pants, and bright green crocs that matched the pair Joel had at home. They held themselves with the confidence of someone that thought themselves better than average birds but uncomfortable around people in general.

Joel eyed them up and down and scoffed, “Doubt it. This is not your average goose problem. It’s an above average one. That goose isn’t budging.” 

The goose honked, this one holding a softer tilt to it, like it was agreeing joyously with Joel. Joel thought about kicking it. 

The stranger hummed, like they didn’t quite believe it, and took a step towards the goose. “Well, let me just see about–” 

As soon as they were in pecking range the goose sprung forward. The guy yelped and tried to backpedal but the goose was rounding on their heels now. They were apparently very easily herded by water fowl, cause it only took about thirty seconds for them to be jumping on the bench and joining Joel.

“That goose is crazy!” They huffed between panicked breaths, staring at it with wide eyes.

“I tried to tell you, man! It’s blooming stubborn,” Joel grumbled, crossing his arms. “I will say you’re the only other person it’s attacked, it’s only had eyes on me since my stupid, dumb, awful roommate and his even stupider, dumber and awfuller boyfriend summoned it. It’s nice that it’s branching out, maybe at this rate I can go back home if I can get it to focus on you long enough.” 

“Summoned?” They questioned with a squeak.

“Oh, yeah, it’s like a soulmate guide or something. I don’t know, it’s been a pretty shoddy one. It chased me to this park but basically gave up the moment it couldn’t reach my shins to bite me anymore. Like, where even is my soulmate? Why couldn’t the goose just show me their number in the phone book or something.” 

“It’s a soulmate guide?”

“That’s what I said.” 

“And I’m the only other person it’s, like, attacked?” 

“Uh, yeah? You having a hard time hearing, mate?” 

The stranger stared at him for a moment before darting their gaze away, face turning a readily growing pink, “So, doesn’t that mean… we could be soulmates, or something?” 

Joel blinked wide for a few minutes before looking down at the goose, “You made me wait this long for this guy?” 

“What? Hey!” They whined. Joel could practically see their pout under the mask. “That’s uncalled for, man, I’m a catch!” 

“People who are “catches” usually don’t need to say they are, unless they're me of course. I’m certainly more of a catch than you are, since your main points of attraction are like the mysterious vibes you got going on and not much else.” 

They smirked (Joel could see it in their eyes), “So you do think I’m attractive?” 

Joel’s face, down to his neck, heated up, “No! Not at all… Shut up!” 

“I’m Etho,” they said instead of shutting up, chuckling a little. 

“Joel,” he replied begrudgingly, and held out his hand, “It’s a pleasure; for you that is.”

Etho rolled their eyes and shook his hand, “I’m sure. Though, the goose I could have done without.”

“I agree.” 

There was a ruffle of feathers and they both turned to the goose. The goose that was now standing on the edge of the table, a fire in its eyes.

“Run?” 

“Run.” 

The goose chased them both. 

At some point one of them had grabbed the other’s hand. The two of them ran down to the lake, fingers interlocked, and jumped into the first available rental boat they could. They would pay for the rental later, of course, when they’d finally lost stupid bird. Until then they hurriedly rowed away, laughing their asses off as they tried (and failed) to out-paddle the goose. 

[firearrowreal]

The WORST Miraculous Fanfiction Ever

The WORST Miraculous Fanfiction Ever - Chapter 1 - FireArrowA03 - Miraculous Ladybug [Archive of Our Own]

Chapter 1: Lying Troubles (Part 1)

Because saying it was a normal day in Paris is boring, we will omit it. We had to sell the Miraculous magic because of budget cuts, so Marinette cannot become Ladybug.

Marinette was wondering what happened to the Miraculous. Were they gone? No one knows. However, because you read the above line, you should. Anyways, we’ll cut to school.

If you’re wondering, they are all wearing the same outfits they’ve always had on. Marinette still wears her dark gray jacket, white t-shirt with pink flowers, and pink jeans, for example.

At school, Marinette tripped on nothing, for the 563rd time this month. And it’s only the THIRD! Once we get enough money to fix the physics engine in this world, we will.

Marinette said: "You know what? I shouldn’t wear these shoes anymore. I could hurt myself. I could hurt my friends. I could accidentally trip, hit the nuclear reactor in the school, cause it to explode, and kill everyone. I could even waste a second of my time getting back up!" However, taking off your shoes is not recommended in school, so unfortunately, she couldn’t do so right now.

As she walked up to her class, a new encounter had appeared. However, since we also sold Zoe due to budget cuts, the only other new kid was Lila. You already know what Lila looks like, and we do not have enough budget to describe properly, so yeah, it’s Lila. The only thing we can describe about her looks that isn’t just the same as canon is that her tights/leggings/stockings are now shiny. Like, you could probably use them as a mirror.

However, as Marinette shouldn’t know her name at this moment, we will call her "Girl" until Marinette learns her name. Marinette asked Girl for her name, and she said "Lila", which is a nickname for "Liliana". We changed her name because "Lila" isn’t a common name in Italy.

Lila had said: "Look, I’m in really deep sh*t right now. I’ve joked about knowing celebrities, and everyone was stupid and believed me! Now I have to continue lying about those 'facts'." Marinette had replied with "Well, if you don’t like what you're getting into, why did you lie in the first place?"

"I don’t know! I was stupid. I miss fifteen minutes ago.", Lila explained.

Marinette said: "Sorry, but I don't think I can help you."

"But it’s serious! I can’t do this for the rest of my school days! Why does everyone here, barring you, have the IQ of this strand of hair I plucked off of my head at night but way less? I just wanted to make friends…", Lila groaned.

Marinette then (hesitantly) said: "Okay, since it's apparently serious, guess I legally have to help."

[agirlwithbigdreamsforher]

MR. AND MRS. BARBER

THE NANNY: ONE SHOT

MR. AND MRS. BARBER

Pairing: Andy Barber x Annie Johnson (OFC)

Summary: I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Barber.

Warnings: NONE.

A/N:  I honestly cried while writing this. The song I chose for them was “In your eyes” by Peter Gabriel.

Word count: 1609

Disclaimer: I do not give permission for any of my works to be copied, used, translated nor reposted anywhere else but here on this blog. Do not steal what you didn’t work for. Minors and ageless blank blogs don’t interact with me or my works. Reblogs and likes are always welcome. Thank you for reading this work of fiction.

GIFS not mine, you can find the credits in each gif :)

                                   ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

“I think I’m about to throw up.” Annie said as she was getting her make up done.

“Just breathe, darling. You are going to be fine.” Justin, the makeup artist, told her.

“Right, breath.” She took a deep breath and let the air out of her mouth.

“You should probably eat something.” Sharon said.

“Your friend is right. You need to eat before the weeding, I don’t think you want to pass out while walking down the aisle.”

Meanwhile Andy was at the house running around trying to get Jake and himself ready.

“Come on, buddy.”

“No! I don’t like the jacket!”

“Fine! No jacket, but you have to wear the vest and your bowtie.”

“I look stupid.”

“Hey! Language. Thank god, Annie is not here.” Jake ran to his room. “Jake! Please! Do this for me and Annie, it’s just one day, I promise!”

Jake crossed his arms, “I want ice cream.”

“This is not a negotiation!”

“My terms are final.”

“I get you ice cream if you let me dress you.”

Jake thought for a bit before smiling widely “Ok!”

It was 6:30 when Andy left the house along with Jake in the car.

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

“Please, can someone tell me if Andy is here?”

Annie was ready in the room of the hotel where the wedding was taking place. Pacing around the room with a knot in her stomach.

“I’ll go and check.” Mark said.

Mark was about to leave when Tom walked in.

“Wow!” He looked at her sister lovingly, “You look so beautiful. You look like a princess.” His eyes watered.

“Please don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll cry and that will ruin my make up.” She hugged his brother.

“Yeah, you’re right!” He let out his breath, “Andy is gonna died when he sees you.”

“So, he is here?”

“Of course! I have never seen him so nervous by the way. Not even when he asked for my permission to marry you.” He winked at Annie. “Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

“It’s never too late to run away.” Annie slap him on the chest, “OW! I’m kidding!”

“Let’s go then.”

Annie hooked her arm to his brother’s and left the room, followed by Sharon and Mark.

A couple of minutes later they stood in front of the doors of the hall where all the guests were waiting for her to begin the ceremony.

The wedding march began to play behind the doors and then they open. Everyone were standing there looking at her.

“Breath” Tom said in a low voice and caressed her hand, “Focus on Andy.”

And she did. There he was, wearing a blue tux, smiling and with tears in his eyes. She smiled to him and then they walked.

Andy couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing, Annie was like a vision, an angel. He could sword there was light coming out of her as he saw her walking down the aisle, she looked perfect; she looked beautiful as always.

Tom handed his sister’s hand to Andy. “Take care of her, will you?”

“I will.” Andy took Annie’s hand, “Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled.

“Good evening,” The minister spoke, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Andy and Annie in matrimony. Their time together, they have seen their love and understanding of each other grow and blossom and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together - let them speak now or forever hold their peace.” No one said anything. “Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other…”

The minister continued as Annie and Andy shared loving looks at each other, not really paying attention to what was happening around them.

“I believe you have written some vows.”

“Yes.” Andy said as he took out a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Annie, I love you with my whole heart. My love for you it’s so great that I can’t express it with words. I promise to be your honest, faithful and loving husband as long as we both live. I will always protect you from harm, to stand with you against your troubles, and to look to you when I need protection.” A few tears were running down his cheeks at this point. He took a breath and continued. “Thank you for being a mother to Jake, for taking care of him, and loving him as if he was your own kid. I couldn’t ask for a better woman to raise Jake with. I love you, and I always will.”

“Annie?”

“Yes,” She turned to take her piece of paper from Mark, “Andy, you helped me when I needed the most. You are my every dream come true, and I can't wait for the reality we get to build together. I choose you and promise to choose you as my husband every day we wake. I will love you in word and deed. I will laugh with you, cry with you, scream with you, grow with you, and craft with you. To be your kin and your partner in all of life's adventures is all I could hope for in the world. Loving what I know of you and trusting what I don't yet know, I give you my hand. I give you my love. I give you myself, the good, the bad, and the yet to come. I love you with all my heart, Andy.”

“Andy, do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”

"I do."  Andy said confident.

“Annie, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" 

"I do." Annie said tearfully.

"Repeat after me, Andy" The minister said the lines and Andy repeat them.

"I, Andy, take you Annie, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." 

Annie then followed through.

"I, Annie, take you Andy, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." 

“Can we have the rings?” Jake walked towards his dad and handed him the ring, while Sharon did the same with Annie.

"I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love." They both said one at the time as they exchanged their rings.

"By virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the State of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Andy, you may kiss the bride."

“Finally!” He said and got closer to her wife and kissed her.

“I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Barber.”

All the guests began clapping as they continued kissing.

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

“LET’S WELCOME MR. AND MRS. BARBER!!!!!” The singer of the band said through the mic. Everyone cheered and clapped as they walked into the venue. “COME ON! LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE HAPPY COUPLE!” people kept clapping as they moved to the middle of the dance floor. “And now, please everybody take your sits, as the newlyweds will share their first dance together.” The room became silent, “This was a special request from the husband. Annie, this is for you.”

Andy grabbed Annie’s right hand as she placed the other on his shoulder; and the band began to play.

Annie still didn’t know what song Andy had picked for them. He always kept it a secret.

Love I get so lost sometimes

Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart

When I want to run away I drive off in my car

But whichever way I go

I come back to the place you are.

Annie listened to the song attentively as they swing back and forth.

All my instincts, they return

The grand facade, so soon will burn

Without a noise, without my pride

I reach out from the inside

She heard Andy began to sing and turned to see him. He was looking at her, with all the love he had in him. His hand caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes as they hugged each other.

In your eyes

The light, the heat (in your eyes)

I am complete (in your eyes)

I see the doorway (in your eyes)

To a thousand churches (in your eyes)

The resolution (in your eyes)

Of all the fruitless searches (in your eyes).

Oh, I see the light and the heat (in your eyes)

Oh, I wanna be that complete

I wanna touch the light, the heat I see in your eyes.

The song soon came to an end, and they kissed like there was no one around them.

“Congratulations Andy and Annie! We wish you a life time of happiness.” The singer said, “Now let’s get this party started. But first, dinner. Everybody enjoy and we will come back later to keep celebrating our couple.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more, Andy.”

[pwurrz]

what if.. childe knows that dottore is experimenting on children? what if he knows, and is utterly horrified by it and vehemently against it, but he can’t say or do anything about because he doesn’t want to put his own family in danger?

he discovers one of the kids by pure accident. he was looking for dottore, but couldn’t find him or any of his segments, so naturally he headed towards the doctor’s lab. and that’s when he finds one of them.

cowering in the corner of what could only be described as a jail cell, begging childe not to get any closer for fear of being hurt. he quickly reassures the child that he’s not going to hurt them, and he immediately starts concocting a rescue plan. if he tried hard enough he could cut through the bars of the cell with his hydro daggers, or-

“tartaglia.”

a pit settles in childe’s stomach, more severe than the usual one that accompanies dottore’s presence. childe stutters out the excuse that he was just looking for him, but given his proximity to the cell and his dimming vision, it’s obvious what he was planning to do. dottore knows this, and he’s decidedly unimpressed with childe’s attempt at a lie.

the air of the laboratory is uncomfortably thick with tension, and anyone could sense the danger of the situation. but childe, ever bold and stubborn (and perhaps slightly stupid in this moment) decides to be blunt and ask outright:

“what are you doing, dottore?”

“that’s none of your business, now is it, eleventh?”

“why does it involve kids?”

“ah, yes. the countries we have friendly relations with so generously decided to donate their youth to our.. various causes. some believe their children are simply joining our military program, others handed them to me specifically under the impression i could cure whatever ailment they’re suffering from.”

the thought that these poor kids, already suffering so severely that their parents thought they had no choice but to give them up to the fatui, were suffering even more purely for dottore’s amusement was a thought that made childe’s blood run cold.

desperate escape plans formed in his mind, like a cornered animal moments before its inevitable death. he couldn’t beat dottore in a fight, he definitely wasn’t strong enough for that. could he distract him and give the child enough time to escape? but what if there were more children? sacrificing himself to save one child would end up dooming countless others.

almost as if dottore could read his mind, the doctor simply said “you know, if something were to happen to all of my test subjects, i would have to find replacements from somewhere.. closer to home.”

it was obvious what he meant, but the sinister tone of his voice and the leer he sent childe solidified it; he was directly threatening childe’s family.

the kid in the cell next to childe was around teucer’s age, and it was so easy to imagine him in there instead, facing torturous experiments while childe was helpless to save him, knowing his reckless actions put him there in the first place.

for the first and last time in his entire life, childe took the cowards way out. that decision, and the desperate cries of the child begging him not to leave, continue to haunt him to this day.

[ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes]

Christmas

pairing: evelyn thomas (oc) x sirius black

genre: fluff/angst

el's thoughts: okay i'm posting the chapter i have no clue if anyone will read it but that's fine. i will however tag @romanticvampire just 'cause.

her diary masterlist

As Christmas rolled around, Thomas manor grew into a frenzy. It was the first time in ten years since their family hosted a winter ball and there was a lot of pressure from the other pureblood families. Their name has always been at the center of all the gossip and this ball coming up only added to the stress. But today was the day and Evelyn couldn’t care about the other pureblood families coming, all she could think about was her friends. And a certain raven-haired boy with mesmerizing gray eyes. 

She sighed as she tried on her deep green, silk ball gown for the eighth time. Her hands slid down the front as she turned side to side, the skirt flaring around her. It was a strapless dress that hugged her at her waist and flared out beautifully. She loved the design but she still stared at her reflection with furrowed eyebrows. She reached for her wand and changed the color of the dress to a deep red and added a small pocket on the side to fit her wand. Smiling at herself, she twirled around. “Much better.” 

“You look stunning, Eva!” 

“I guess we’ll find out.”

Her black hair flipped over her shoulder when she spun to see Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas standing in her doorway. “No, you guys look like literal goddesses!” Her smile was so bright as she rushed over to the girls as fast as she could without tripping over the long skirt of her dress, giving them a tight hug. “Are you guys ready for tonight?”

“We are, but are you?” Lily spoke softly with a curious tone.

~

Music filled the house as people arrived for the next few hours. Dresses flared around heels as couples waltzed through the center of the ballroom. It would be hard to believe that just a few hours ago the house was so quiet with the exception of Mrs. Thomas’ heels clicking in a hurry on the wooden floors. 

Evelyn held her glass tightly in her hand as she continued to watch the couples spin by her. 

She sighed to herself, no one ever asked her to dance because of the reputation that her family held. She didn’t blame the boys. Her last name did tend to instill a certain level of fear in people, but she longed to dance with someone other than her brother. 

These were the type of social events where kids of her type were supposed to find their partners. Their parents watched them like hawks, waiting to see if they clicked with anyone so they could start planning the wedding. It used to bother her to no end, the idea of an arranged marriage. But at this rate, it seemed like that was going to be the only way she would ever find herself a husband. 

A part of her mind scolded her for thinking that way. She was young, only sixteen, and she had her whole life ahead of her. She shouldn’t be worrying about finding a husband.

A gentle tap on her shoulder broke her out of her thoughts. She turned around and was met with a familiar pair of stormy gray eyes. “Sirius! When did you arrive? I didn’t even see you come in.” 

“Oh, we’ve been here for a while now. You seemed lonely, standing here by yourself. You should be out dancing with someone.”

A cold chuckle fell from her lips, “No one ever asks me to dance, you must’ve picked up on that by now. They’re scared of my family name. It’s stupid really, it’s just a name.”

“Well, let’s see what they think when they see a Black and Thomas dancing together, shall we?”

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, “Are you asking me to dance?”

With only a small nod of his head, he extended his hand to her. She smiled to herself and took it, letting him lead her to the dance floor. She brought her other hand to his shoulder and let his free hand hold her waist. 

She looked around nervously, “Please know, that the last time I danced with anyone, it was my brother and I stood on his toes.” 

Sirius didn’t respond with words, only smiled at her as the music started and he guided her across the floor.

~

“That was amazing!” Evelyn let out an airy laugh as they walked out to a balcony. She leaned against the railing and slid her heels off. “I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. At least not at these events.” She felt her heart skip when she saw his smile.

“I could say the same thing. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” Sirius spoke with nothing but sincerity in his voice.

Evelyn looked at him with confusion in her eyes. He was strangely quiet today, and it made her feel pins and needles. “Sirius… Are you okay?” 

Sirius tilted his head slightly, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

She shrugged in return, “You just seem… Out of character. Not that I don’t like it. I mean- you’re still annoying and all…” She quickly averted her eyes to the starry sky, “You just seem happy, is all. Like actually happy.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, “Well, I’d say I have a reason to be happy.”

Evelyn smiled up at him. Now or never Thomas. If she could shake her brain without having to move her head she would. She couldn’t possibly tell him now. It would be so… Random.  Now or never Thomas. “Now or never.” Her words were muttered to herself before she spoke louder. “Sirius… I need to tell you something, and I totally understand if it comes off too strong, or if it’s a lot to understand. But just listen to me, please. I don’t even know how to say it, but I’ve been meaning to for a little bit now, and- Merlin.”

Sirius took a small step forward, “Evelyn. Breathe.”

“What I’m trying to say is…” She sighed and looked at the floor, “This is my confession. As- as dark as the world is I’ll always find enough stars in the sky to make enough light to adore you. All your pieces with all my pieces.” She wrung her hands together as her voice was just above a whisper, “Did I practice that? Yes. Sirius, I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now, and… And you can’t tell me you don’t feel the same. I notice the way you look at me. I know it’s only started as of late, us hanging out I mean. But still. You can’t tell me you don’t feel the same…” 

Sirius gave her an empty stare as her words settled in. She deserved better. He felt like his insides were being twisted and pulled at. It didn’t matter how badly he wanted to tell her his feelings as well, he couldn’t. 

Evelyn twisted her fingers together tightly and chuckled awkwardly, “Are you going to say something?”

A heavy sigh fell from his lips. I’m sorry. “Evelyn, trust me, you’ll be better off alone. There’s no need for you to wait for my love. You don’t need it anyway. It wouldn’t be good for you. I’m not the type of guy a girl like you should fall for. And you’re right, I do like you. I really do. But I’m sorry if I’ve led you on. You don’t deserve that. You’re an amazing girl, and trust me when I say that whoever you end up with… They’ll be one lucky guy. That guy just can’t be me.”

Evelyn felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as the words tumbled from his lips. What she would have noticed if she wasn’t blinded by heartbreak was that he sounded as if he was trying to convince himself as well. She watched his mouth keep moving but she heard nothing. A small buzzing was heard in the back of her head. 

He didn’t love her. At least not truly. 

She nodded mindlessly and turned away from him slowly. Her name was called from behind her but it sounded so far away so she paid no mind to it. She let her feet carry her to the staircase. She could hear Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas chasing her up the steps calling her name, but she didn’t care. Her mind felt like a hollow cave as her thoughts echoed in her head. 

December 24, 1977

How could I have been so stupid? Of course, he didn’t love me. I’m only Evelyn Odette Thomas. He’s Sirius Orion Black. I should’ve known that he’d turn me down. I wasn’t worthy of him. But it was funny how so many people thought I could have anyone I wanted with just a simple flash of my smile. I’ve never wished them to be right more than I do right now. But apparently, they were wrong. They’re always wrong.

I can’t have anyone I want. 

I can’t possibly have Sirius Black.

[owlbearwrites]

Hi, I'm writing a serialized novel about how two people in love get separated by an apocalypse, but find each other against all odds, 200 years later! The full WIP intro is here, but here's a snippet that might well become the opening scene, featuring one of the protagonists' diary.

Other writeblrs, if you see this, please share your stories too!

***

Fate is Just the Half of It

To whoever finds this: hope humans still know how to read

October 23, 2077 (wait, is it 24th already? hard to keep track of time here; nah, couldn’t have been here more than ten hours)

Personal panic room of the Triumvirate Inc. CEO (wow, no, that’s so douchey)

ground zero, day one

Are you fucking kidding me?

Yeah, how’s that for a first line? Well, it was gonna be my last. Not bad as famous last words go, but there wasn’t anyone nearby to take it down, so I figured I’d stick around. Shame to die without an audience and let a good line go to waste. 

The mushroom cloud in my window made for one hell of a backdrop, though. The oranges and the blacks, all swirling together, like a sunrise, but more badass. Except, you know, sunrises usually signify beginnings, whereas this one… yeah. Still pretty, though. And you thought there were no upsides to being in the office at 6 a.m. 

It wasn’t a total surprise. Like, I couldn’t actually believe it till I saw it—hell, I don’t think I believe it now, even. But I knew it was coming. Got a 30-minute warning like the rest of the city. Didn’t run for the hills like the rest of the city, though. ‘Cause there weren’t any hills I cared to run for. None I could reach in half an hour, anyway.

Okay, whoever’s reading this, I don’t expect you’ll ever get a say in designing a nuclear strike early warning system, but I’m gonna tell you this anyway. 30 minutes is a really, really shitty warning period. Not enough time to get anywhere you might wanna get to, and way too much time to think. To wish you were somewhere else. Like, say, a suburban two-bedroom with a Vac-Evac link. 30 minutes to really appreciate what an idiot you were to stay at the office, stay in the city, stay optimistic, stay hopeful, stay invested in the idea that there was a shred of reason left in the collective humanity ‘cause c’mon, it’s all just talk, they’re not actually gonna do it, humans have scraps, always have done, always will have, but they’re NOT actually gonna blow up the fucking world, c’mon, what kind of FUCKING IDIOTS would actually, ACTUALLY do something like that??

Anyway. 30-minute warning is bullshit. Put that into your feedback form and smoke it.

still day one, probably

When the alarm went off, I knew that was it. Almost ran to the parking garage before it hit me that every other sad bastard in Boston was doing the same thing. I’d never make it to Havenford. I’d never make it out of the city. The best I could do out there was die in traffic. No, thanks.

I still tried to make a call, though. No luck. All lines jammed. Network access barred: emergency services only. Told myself it’s for the best. Didn’t wanna lie to him, didn’t want our last talk to turn into a fight. Least of all didn’t want him to try and do something stupid like coming to get me. Not that he’d ever make it. He’d just miss his evac and die for nothing. Wouldn’t stop him trying, though. Man has no quit in him.

Funny thing: normally, I don’t either. But knowing your whole world is gonna go to hell in, oh, twenty-five minutes now, and everything you’ve built is gonna go to pieces, and once the dust has settled, no-one will even remember your name… yeah, that’ll get a guy down a skosh.

So, yeah, the bit where I said that swearing at the mushroom cloud was gonna be the last thing I ever did? I meant it at the time. I wasn’t gonna run and die out there. But I wasn’t gonna hide and try to survive it, either. ‘Cause like I said, my world was about to get wiped out. And the only bit of it that stood a chance of making it through the next hour was gonna be out of my reach for good. Assuming he didn’t do something real fucking stupid.

Please tell me you didn’t. Please tell me you went to the evac as planned. For fuck’s sake, please tell me you took the train, and the lift and the whatever. Please be up there now. 

So I waited. Smoked a cigarette. Yeah, yeah, I know, those things’ll kill ya. Made a real good cup of coffee with which to watch the show.

And then it happened. Right on time. And I just stared out of my window. Couldn’t bring myself to believe it.

And then I ran. So much for hanging on to hubris to the end. So much for going down with the ship. Call it animal instinct, call it good old-fashioned cowardice, call it whatever. Point is, I ran straight for the panic room. Didn’t even spill the coffee.

Good thing, too. The supply kits in here only have instant. In case you want proof that I never really believed it was gonna start raining nukes.

okay so every couple of weeks i have the thought 'wow people dont reblog writing like they used too anymore' and it's true but what's the point in having that thought and doing nothing to change it?

you all should reblog this post and share some of your writing or art or moodboards or fun facts off of it! give me something to look at and reblog!

even better, try and check out the notes once this gets spreading, and do the same!

[predatoryminds]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!! THIS HAS HEAVY THEMES AND INTENSE GORE AND THOROUGHLY DISTURBING SCENES, AND POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING TOPICS!!!! THIS SERIES WAS STARTED BY ME WHEN IN 2010, AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT SINCE THEN, SO, WELL, PLEASE BE NICE TvT. ALSO, PLEASE READ WITH A CAREFUL AND OPEN MIND EACH CHARACTER HAS A VERY SPECIFIC BACKGROUND, AND A GOOD MAJORITY OF THEIR PAST AND CURRENT LIFESTYLE ATTRIBUTES TO THE STORY AND IS ACTUALLY VERY IMPORTANT. MOST OF THEM HAVE A REASON FOR THEIR PARTICULAR LIVES, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND WHILE READING⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠

Prologue

I knew we were running out of time. Oh, I'm sorry, I meant me, not we. I was all alone, wasn't I...

I struggled against the leather that bound my skin to this ungodly stone table, rubbing it red. It all made it real, too real.

What made me be here? 

Why in god's name did I agree to this again?!

Spitting out a thick crimson wad of spit, a spluttering wheeze of a cough erupted from deep within my chest and I cursed out at the gods. 

If they were listening, which is the way I acted, they'd have turned a blind eye at such a foolish child.

'You entered the arena of the men who wish to play god, willingly, might I add,' A rather shady looking god appeared in my mind as the hallucinogens' had been administered an hour prior. 'You might as well have chosen death, kid'

The drugs had burned so bad, but I guess it was better than feeling what they were going to do to me.

I was hot with shame, fear, and pain. Why was I chosen, what would I pose to them?

But this is the result of my own greed, isn’t it, I thought, spitting out a curse, body jerking upward with the sharp pain in my ribs and spine. This is why I didn’t trust people, why would I do this to myself?

Had I gone crazy, stupid, delirious?

God, I should have listened to him... he was right all along, and now he's gone too...

My head was killing me with a throbbing headache, at this point, I'd give anything for some anesthetics.

I knew I could die here, the other children's corpses told me that and the pungent smell of fear and blood. I wanted to gag, shuddering frequently. Despite my discomfort, I didn't speak anymore than to howl a foul word or two when the pain was unbearable.

I would watch and wait the best I could. What else could I do, really?

I mean, I was strapped down to a table, literally. I had, under my own free will, signed the papers. Even if I hadn't, A) Who would believe me that the famous, world renowned, Arrowsmith, would do this behind closed doors, and B) I was a street rat, how the heck could I afford a lawyer to stab the man who cut me?

I had nothing to lose (since I gave up on the value of my life) and yet all that I had to gain conflicted me.

Was the money really worth it?

Even if I desperately needed it, all the crap I had to endure throughout this ordeal was horrible. 

Terrible. 

Inhumane.

With each passing second, I wondered if I was really alive.

Maybe this was hell? Maybe I had already died, and this was the punishment I had to endure for the many sins and grievances I had caused.

My pills stared at me on the silver tray, the white was tainted with splatters of crimson. 

What I was fed was insanity in the form of powder collected into small round disks.

The flavors were like acid, yet my body craved the searing pain. Shivers washed over me with each spasm that lurched me.

How many had I had to twist my mind to the point I believed in something I usually laughed at? I hadn’t prayed in years, but I was beginning to utter the words to an old hymn I learnt as a child.

To a passerby, it would have sounded like I’d lost my mind. I couldn’t form much more than babbling nonsense and sharp wheezy noises, like the notes a cat would shriek.

No, hell would be a vacation compared to this, it’s the drugs talking, I lifted my head up, letting the growing weight fall back with a sharp thud. It was stupid, but it let me think a little straighter with drugs clouding my mind.

The shooting pain and growing headache let me think a little clearer than before.

I needed my wits about me, my only two assets I could use in this situation really were my wits and sanity. It was all I had left. Speedy short breaths followed for the pain, yet my eyes focused a little better.

Wait, but I don't want to see this room, I groaned in my mind, lacking the strength to argue with myself. I couldn’t muster a self motivating speech, nor did I really want to.

The way our bodies were torn apart and put back together, how they treated us like ragdolls made me enraged. Yet, I couldn't do a thing, I had agreed to this…

Rolling my head to the side, I blinked slow, chest heaving. 

I was tired, yet I had to remain strong, in mind if not body, I couldn't give up. Mental determination was my best trait! I lived on the streets, I could survive some freaky experiment, right?

Focusing hazy eyes, my gaze met the table a couple feet away from my own.

The boy on the table to my left was either unconscious or dead.

I hadn't seen his chest move, it seemed as if he hadn't breathed at all for the last 30 minutes. Well, it felt like that long, it was hard to read the clock with my brain clouded. I assumed that he was dead, not that it concerned me, all I needed was to make sure I was going to leave alive and be paid for my efforts.

Turning my head back, I stared at the ceiling, looking for the cracks to focus my mind. I lay there, pondering over my life choices, over what I felt and what I had seen in my short time on this earth. Had I made the most of life?

No.

I was an ant in this world, nothing I said or did mattered, society just wanted to squish me, grind me in the dust, and leave me to rot. The only remanint would be my burned, mud ridden skeleton, because that's what society did to you. The man burned you, scorned you, forced you to work until you were nothing but brittle bones left in the earth, hidden from the world to be forgotten. No one cared, that was clear as day to me.

Fair enough, I guess, I mean, what am I? Just a thief, a lost boy on the streets to be betrayed and disregarded. If I had enough strength left, I would have laughed, yet the tightening feeling in my scarred chest seared, burning a gaping hole in my lungs. The most I could muster was a hoarse chuckle.

Would I be missed?

Wait, do I even have anyone to miss me? Green eyes relaxed, hoping the next drug would stop the throbbing in my veins that felt like bursting.

Would Damian miss me?

I shook my head, letting out a sigh as I tried to relax and ignore the pain. He left, so probably not, especially after what I did, tearing us apart....

Maybe they’ll put me out of my misery now, I mean what else do I have to live for?

I chuckled to myself with closed eyes. My death would be covered up more than likely, it was humorous to me. I had fantasied regularly about my demise, I would have preferred to die in a more comfortable place, sure, but I guess it could have been worse, I could be rotting on a spike, bleeding, and discontent.

Well, not that they did that in real life anymore, this wasn't the 18th century.

Beggars can't be choosers, I huffed, licking my chapped lips, though it was a futile effort since my whole mouth felt rather lacking in the fluid department.

Was this my punishment for my disregard of the law?

I let out even, deep breaths, in and out. The longer I was here, the more I felt at peace.

I was almost falling asleep when a loud shriek burst out, I almost had a heart attack.

If I wasn't restrained to the table, I probably would have fallen over in shock.

The boy on the table next to me, drenched in his own blood, began to thrash about, screaming in some language I couldn't comprehend as I stared at the sight, ears ringing.

It took a few minutes, but his shrieking was soon joined by the chorus of footsteps thrumming against the thick tiles as a hoard of people in hazmat suits poured in.

They surrounded the dripping boy, blood and sweat mixing as his eyes darted around the room, pupils blown wide. The saliva running down his face, and ruffled jett black hair made him look rather feral, like a wild animal.

I could read the fear, confusion, and pain in his unique blue orbs and twisted expression. I was mesmerized, never having seen such a beautiful, nor unique color in a person's eyes before. He felt what I was feeling, only escalated, he was trapped in the same cage as I, only he was suffering more. It made me wonder when my turn would come as I shrunk back into the table.

I was too tired to wonder how he was still alive, neck cracking and aching at the strain as I watched.

Then, what I assumed to be some forms of scientists, poked and prodded at him in excitement, chattering away in yet another language I didn't understand.

The boy cast me a fearful and outraged glance, spitting at the closest scientist.

I was promised money, I was promised that this would help me. That I would feel better after this, but were they going to do that to me?

I needed this money, I needed a better chance at life. Heck, I needed a new life, one where I would be born into a proper family, one that loved and kept me. Where I could have at least one proper meal a day, maybe a dog to run around in the backyard with.

I wasn’t asking for much!

This was, as they had said, ‘The opportunity of a lifetime!’

Opportunity my ass! What sort of messed up lifetime do they have, because I was frightened of dying here and now on this table!

I squirmed, biting my lip in frustration at the strain on my body and the chafing burn on my skin.

The group turned my way as they pulled an inoculate mask over the boy, who fought the best he could until he was knocked out.

In their hands were shiny scalping knives, goggles glowing in the dark room.

I glared, hissing out a threat, a curse, spitting out a mixture of blood and spit.

They approached slowly, murmuring in fast succession.

And I prayed.

Goodbye, don’t remember me.

" ‘re’s no ‘n left, ‘nyway."

******************

********

***

*

Blood splattered around each and every surface. My heart and chest thumped rapidly, the beginnings of smoke streamed about and sirens rung through my ears, bouncing about my ribcage all the way down my legs.

Where was I?

What happened?

My eyes couldn't focus, everything was too much. I was too overwhelmed.

Burning paper and crunching black wood fell all around me, and a single figure stood.

It was a boy, he couldn't be much older than I.

I couldn't make out his features, I was too weak to focus.

He stood amongst the chaos, turned away from me.

Despite the roaring flames a few steps away from him, he shivered.

Hugging himself, rough, cold wind lashed his skin, shaking the leaf boy.

Then he fell.

The smoke, the breeze, the sirens, it all hurt my head. Nothing was making sense, it was all out of order, and it made a hot trail down my cheek.

The salt tears stung, yet they wouldn’t stop.

Breathing became too difficult, and my head throbbed to the point I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired, in pain, dazed and confused.

But I wasn’t scared.

The last thing I saw was the gleam of a pair of thin rectangle glasses perched upon a sharp face.

*

**

****

******

Blinking, the boy sat up, whipping his head about, he searched for smoke, for flames, for anything.

It was so real, He thought, gripping his bed sheets. Too real...

Chapter one - Dull office makes for dumb days!

I watched shapes fly by in a blur outside the car window, music blocking out everyone and everything. My headphones sat tight over my ears, tangled in amongst my wavy length. As irritating as it was, I put up with it.

Every movement I made, a hair would get caught and I’d feel a sharp tug at my scalp, but I just ignored it.

I could feel Father’s gaze turn back to me every few minutes, dark blue eyes trying to figure me out, wanting to know what I was thinking, what I was feeling.

Subtly, I pushed my round glasses up and kept quiet, not going to feel obliged to respond to these desperate attempts of futile bonding, it wasn’t worth the hassle.

It never was.

Just focus on something else, anything else. That was what I told myself, and that was what I would stick with.

Mother, on the other hand, was too occupied with the road ahead to bother with an attempt at conversation.

I was thankful for this, if they both had been on my case, then I would have been doomed.

As sweet and innocent as she seemed, the woman was pretty damn persuasive.

Keep on acting as if I don't know, The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Should I be offended you think I'm so stupid, or be 'grateful' since we haven't had the 'Divorce' talk yet...

Pretending everything was alright was stressful for all parties involved, besides, as a government official's child, appearances obviously had to be kept up.

Scrolling through my phone, I smiled at the pictures from the party I had DJ'd the other night, not that anyone knew it was me under the helmet.

I could feel fathers gaze continuously turn back to me every few seconds. He wasn't subtle, bluntness and making things clear was both his biggest strength, and yet also his biggest flaw. I kept quiet, focusing on my phone, on the music, on something else, anything else. But either way, I was drawn back to my awkward and hurtful reality.

When green orbs met blue, Father turned away, bearing the same burden known as awkwardness. That was one of the few things we had in common. We both were rather uncomfortable people. Father looked out his window, thoughts wrinkling his face almost to the point of a scowl. Huffing, he placed his hand turned over next-to mother's.

It was a desperate attempt to appear calm and 'happy'. Mother let out a humm of surprise, but then smiled, enterwining her fingers with his.

She pulled off a cheerful and eager look better than my dear old dad did, yet there was always some sort of telltale sign I could find in the image.

This time, gazing just beyond her seat, I could see her hand on the wheel slightly grip. I didn't like feeling anger, and frustration, but the more they delayed telling me that they wanted to split up, the more I wanted to throw things, throw a tantrum, cry, scream. Anything to show them how it affected everyone in our house.

They might not think it, but for me, they both were easy to read. It was so obvious to tell the mood they were in. The little habits they had, like Mother tended to clean when she was stressed, and Father baked when he was anxious and needed to relax, and he brushed his hair back alot when he overthinks. That's probably why his hair was so greasy.

Stop trying so hard, Rolling my eyes, I chewed the inside of my cheek to at least try to calm down my stomach. I know you're forcing it...

My parents were obsessed with public image, or rather to seem together. They weren't even close to being the happy family people thought we were. They argued, threatened divorce and worse, as if I'd turned deaf, like I couldn't hear them. It happened almost everyday, and made the atmosphere so incredibly uncomfortable.

It was painful to watch, even just hearing it put a strain on my already fragile heart. But, I'm used to this, they've been doing this for almost two years now. I kind of felt guilty, like it was my fault. I mean, why else would they stay together if they hate eachother so much, if not to take care of me?

They must feel guilty, so it's to the point they go through a whole grin and bear it routine.

Well, it's that, or they did it for their job.

I mean, if someone can't keep their marriage together, how could they hold such an important government jobs?

After driving for what felt like hours, we finally entered the cage of a forest, making our way to what I called ' The safe hold.'

The New Hampshire Divisional Covert Facility, or, if you’re lazy, the N.H.D.C.F.

It was really out the way of any people, off the grid, deep within the thick dense forest to a far off clearing. I had wondered many times how my parents even had landed this job, but I never asked.

I never expected a reply.

I had no clue what they actually did in their 'very important job's' but whatever it was, it was extremely top secret, or something like that.

After a excruciatingly long bumpy drive through the rather unstable road, I tried to suppress the strange chill coursing through my body, and the feeling my heart had taken a trip to my throat. Unease washed over me, and I had the strangest feeling something was wrong.

Oh so very wrong.

Pulling my red and black flannel shirt closer to my body, I focused on my breathing as we pulled up to the gate.

It's ok, Bridget, everything is fine, I reassured myself, wondering what this sense of dread was. It's probably just the atmosphere in the car!

Perking up, I watched the road ahead, pausing my music. I had been here before, but it wasn't too often I came with my family to the facility. Usually I would be at school, or when they traveled overseas, I'd go with them (Which happened a lot). They did tend to work most weekends, not that they complained, if anything, they both were rather passionate about their jobs. But on weekends, I'd stay home, so I couldn't understand why today was different.

The only conclusion that my already strained mind could comprehend was that it must be 'the day'.

The day they finally talk to me, and tell me 'We are getting a divorce'.

My thoughts only could line up to that, maybe it was because I constantly was preparing myself for the conversation. I mean we'd be in a professional environment, I'd have to be just that, professional. No way could I have a tantrum, or cry out here.

But then and again, whenever I came here, they'd send me to another room to wait while they did work. And today was going to be a special day, since I wouldn't be alone. Some of our international representatives would be visiting with some of their kids, so I'd have them for company.

Oooh, they want to socialize me, and that way by being around others, I still can't cry! Very clever, I narrowed my eyes, swallowing a whimper as I felt tears pricking my eyes. My overthinking was getting the better of me.

I didn't notice we had pulled up to the front security box as I buised myself with wiping away tears, hiding my look of despair.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, just breathe, I repeated the mantra, avoiding the obvious gaze of a curious old man sitting in his booth.

"Afternoon, Henry"

"Afternoon, Ma'am, Sir"

Something about the crickity old man always set me off into a spiral of bad vibes. He made me rather uncomfortable, and he always stared so intently at me, like he was expecting something.

As we pulled up to the car park, I could just feel the sentence coming as I slipped out of the car hastily.

"You--"

"Need to stay in the room, follow the rules, etc. etc, we've been through this, I got it," I muttered curtly, abnormally harshly. Despite my tone not being appreciated, Father nodded.

"Let's go, team!" Mother cheered, almost skipping as we walked into the building. The overpowering smell of Kleenex  stung my nose as I scrunched up my face. As always, the N.H.D.C.F was impossibly ugly. Mismatched colors, and dieing plants. It was rather warm as well, and it blasted you in the face when you entered the building. It was never appreciated and the heat carried all sorts of smells that made you feel delirious.

I hated it, I mean, how could anyone work in such an environment?!

The Michaels trio were uniform, falling into the usual line.

Mother in the lead, head high, chest puffed out as she walked with a cheery confidence. People tended to double take when they saw her in the facility. She had soft youthful features, and a childish quality to her. She was full of life and playful, yet set and determined, always fixated on the task ahead. She had persistence on her side, and could get anything accomplished if she tried.

Father followed precisely 4 steps behind her, standing up straight, shoulders taught, gaze clouded with a diligent seriousness and a whole universe worth of crunching numbers flowing from his mind. Almost everything the tall man did was meticulously planned out, he was set in his ways, and had a no nonsense attitude.

And then there was me, meekly taking the rear of the line, lagging almost 12 steps behind, spine curved reflexively forward, nose glued to my phone as I tugged my headphones around my neck.

I was a teenager, was what most would think, but it was actually a form of coping with the stress of meeting expectations. If I engaged or looked like I wanted to interact with others, I'd have to be all 'Adult-y'. I hated that, and the staff members of this place always asked the most awkward questions.

Quickly pressing a tight hug to my mother and a mild bow to my father, we headed off our separate ways.

When I was finally alone, I let out a groan at the scenery around me.

The halls stunk of a mixture of unsavory air fresheners, markers and cleaning products and the colors were so dull and bland.

My sneakers squeaked relentlessly on the sticky marble floors.

"I guess this is the place where all creativity comes to die" I murmured to myself, mildly amused. I always had some form of witty criticism about this place. It wouldn't be the same without a snarky remark about how utterly dead and ugly this place was.

The dull grey and blues made me want to be sick, being the visually driven person I was.

"If only they'd let me fix this place up" Breathing a sigh, I chuckled to myself, flicking through a few of my Pinterest boards, ideas flowing through my mind.

It made me miss my room.

Shutting off my phone, I stopped in front of a door. It muffled cries of anguish and mockery, despite being 'Sound-proof'.

An familier and rather high pitched 'SHUT-UP!' could be heard, electing a grimace and the tightening of my shoulders as I prepared for a head-ache.

Flinching at the impact of cold steel in my palm, I pulled the door open wide.

Warmth and sunlight hit me in waves of jubilation, and my world exploded with color.

Red velvet furniture, couches, purples, black and white walls, colored glass panes.

Everything looked and felt so inviting, I was in awe.

This place had looked so distasteful and honestly kind of tacky the last time I had been here, they must have done some serious renovations since then.

The first thing you saw when you walked in was a huge, clear window spanning from the floor to the roof that had to be at least 3 meters long and 4 meters tall.

We were on the 5th floor, so you had a beautiful view of the forest-scape and a far away lake, all set up with a rosy sun shining in the background.

A boy sunken in a giant purple bean bag sat by his lonesome in front of the window, facing away from me. Shifting from foot to foot nervously, I noticed he was reading a thick book on Quantum Mechanics and Physics.

Despite soaking up the rays, he wore very formal, and layered clothing.

Long black trench coat, high waisted triple button jeans, a tucked in white button up, and a setesdalsgenser lay seated beside him.

His pale skin gave off the illusion that he was glowing in the sun.

Shifting my gaze, I turned to an argumentative pair, the girl in which being the voice I heard before.

Without a door muffling her, she made me want to cover my ears, her voice echoing across the room and into the depths of the hall.

She was a petite girl, thin, with almost a doll-like regal quality to her, though she was shorter by several inches.

She had a childish quality to her, and yet a mature look as she clenched her fists, poking her tongue at her counterpart, who leant against the kitchen counter, grinning lazily, "Am I bothering you, Mulan?~"

I hesitated, edging forward, then backwards.

What should I do?

"Could you two please act more civilized, in case you hadn't noticed, there is someone at the door"

The beanbag boy's voice was sharp, yet dancing with the notes of a usually gentle foreign tone. His please was laced with poison, and he acted as if his 'civilized' mannerisms were met by aliens. To him, he was talking to the unruly wildlife and the seemingly illiterate. Or at least that was what I read in the glint in his eyes.

"The door?" The girl repeated with a naïve innocence radiating as she tilted her head.

"You know, that piece of wood with metal sticking out of it that you had to open to get in this very room" Bean Bag-boy muttered sarcastically.

A chuckle on the couch alerted me to the figure lounging on the red velvet couch.

"Easy now, she is just distracted by her 'best friend' "

A gorgeous tan figure lounging on the couch piped up, stifling a yawn. He had a genuine smile written all over him and a relaxed, calm manner.

In the sun, his eyes glowed, beconing me forward. Taking a few more hesitant steps, I edged closer into the room.

Beanbag boy scoffed quietly, dark blue eyes flicking back to me briefly, yet he never turned around, muttering a string of incoherent sentences into his book.

"..." Swallowing, I looked to the ground for comfort, feeling a tad unwelcome.

"Sorry about him, he's a little intense " The boy on the couch ran his fingers sleepily through his hair, standing up good mannerdly.

I didn't even have a chance to respond as I was tackled in a hug, "BRIDGETTTTTTT"

Glaring, Beanbag boy had somehow gotten up without our realization, and kicked the door shut, electing a yelp out of me and my petite friend.

He stalked back to his seat, muttering something along the lines of, 'Raised in a barn, I swear'

"H-Heya Jai--"

The smaller girl nuzzled into my shoulder affectionately, giggling like a mad woman. Long, gorgeous brown- black hair loosely tied back with thin red, blue and black silk ribbons rubbed against my skin, frizzing up from the casual display of affection.

Bound in tight, yet beautiful traditional Chinese clothing, her posture was rather tense and unnaturally straight.

"You know 'Her Highness'?" The Russian with whom she had previously been arguing with loomed over us, curiously bright. Mainly it was because of his large build, but I couldn't help but shrink down. It was hard to describe the feeling, but he at the same time, was and wasn't intimidating.

"She's my best friend!"

"Heyyyy, I thought I was your best friend"

"In your dreams!"

"You dream about me?~"

"Shut up!"

"Very persuasive argument"

"I said shut up"

"Wow, your vocabulary of insults is just  soo fascinating, isn't it, so extensive, so broad" Beanbag boy piped up sarcastically. He wanted to start something.

Maybe it was his only source of entertainment.

"Extens-wat? What does that even mean?!"

Jai lee turned back to beanbag-boy, starting a mini argument over his words. I was admittedly surprised the stoic (and stuck up) boy indulged her nonsense. He must have been incredibly bored.

"You must be the illustrious Dimitri Ivanov, i've heard so much about you" My words felt awkward, and I could only guess how anti-social I was coming across as.

"That I am, I cannot however say I am aware of who you are, дорогой друг (dear friend)"

He was tall, with a thick Russian accent, yet he had a rather soft voice. Set amongst pale skin was the most eye-catching deep-set blue orbs, with the most unique shade of blue I'd ever seen in a person's eyes.

They were dark and light at the same time, purple dancing in between a thin line of grey and a dash of green.

It was strangely hypnotic.

"I--"

Cut off by a loud hiss, sounding scarily like a pair of feral cats, my head whipped around, eyes blown wide in surprise. Covering my ears, Dimitri leant against a counter, amused, "They should call her, 'Your Loudness' rather than highness"

"Oh shut up" Jai lee rolled her eyes moodily, fists clenched.

She stalked away from Beanbag boy, clearly through with whatever he had said to her.

The said boy grimaced, gritting his teeth in an ill tempered manner.

"I'm Bridget Michaels" I tried again, introducing myself nervously.

"Lovino Ricci '' The Italian on the couch smiled lightly.

Lovino was nice. Well, he seemed nice. There was a certain genuinity to him. Then and again, I couldn't judge a book by its cover.

Or could I? I mean, I was assuming the best in him, so this was the exception, wasn't it?

"You already know i'm Jai lee, and this is Dimitri, aka the most annoying man in the world" Jai lee's words were basically rushed and incomprehensible due to the fact she was acting like a child high on caffeine, bouncing about and babbling nonsense.

Glancing over my shoulder, I gazed at the boy on the beanbag.

"Oi, introduce yourself!" Jai lee snapped at him. "Stop being rude, jerk!"

Could have sworn I saw a vein protruding from his temple, and he tried to ignore us by holding his book up higher.

Jai lee won't let this go....

"I won't stop nagging you, what's your name, what's your name, what's your name--"

"ANDERS BORJA" Anders slammed shut his book, looked over his shoulder and literally threw his book in her direction. I barely had time to react as Dimitri became a blur, snatching the book up before it hit the floor.

"You know this book is important to you, what have we said about throwing your belongings when 'Her Highness' is being annoying?" Dimitri purred, sounding like an adult talking to a small child.

Anders rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, moodily he slowly took his heavy book off the Russian.

Sitting down at the table, Jai lee and Lovino joined me.

***********************************************************************************************************************************

"What subjects do you like in school?" Lovino asked curiously, glancing up briefly from his drawing.

"...Math(?)" I sounded more like a question rather than an answer, but I was substantially more relaxed than when I first arrived. Green eyes smiled at me, clearly pleased with my answer, yet I knew no matter what I would have said, he would have smiled.

In the few hours I had known him, I could tell he was a kind soul who cared about those around him, no matter who you were.

"Yessss!" Jai lee cheered, throwing her hands up in the air, knocking pencils to the tiled floor with an echoing clatter.

Lovino rested an elbow idly on the table, delicately shading his drawing while continuing the conversation, "I love math as well, i'm not very good at many other subjects admittedly"

"Really?!"

The moment it came out of my mouth, I immediately slapped a hand to my mouth, "I'MSORRYTHATWASRUDEOFME--"

Light, musical laughter sounded from his mouth, and in the corner of my eye I saw a sickly dark blue glare.

"It's ok, I never really spent much time in school anyway, I was usually out at photoshoot's, so I tended to miss a lot of school," Lovino shrugged. "I tried to fit some studying in between, but the work never really clicked with me because I was mostly self taught, and I rarely had time for a  tutor... my parents never really pressured me to do better either, so learning was kind of hard for me... only math, Italian and english stuck"

I had learnt that Lovino had become a young model in his pre-teen years, and was rather well known in Italy for some of his work. Made sense based on his looks and style.

"Math was fun for me, it always made sense, well, actually no, a lot of questions were weird... like the sentences they'd be written in" Jai lee piped picking up the pencils from the floor.

"You mean the context that'd be given~" Dimitri singsonged.

"Ah yes, math, the only time where people buy inconspicuous amounts of sh*t and NOONE thinks to ask why. One of the many mysteries in life" Anders rolled his eyes with biting sarcasm. He lay bored in the sun, book skewed on the floor on top of his neatly folded jacket.

Jai lee poked her tongue out at him, to which he responded with a lazy raised middle finger without opening his eyes.

Another half hour passed and everyone was growing bored. Many topics had been issued and the conversation was beginning to drown out. General chatter and questions about each other had been asked. It was interesting to find that everyone in the room knew at least one person in the room in some way.

I knew Jai lee, Jai lee knew Dimitri, Dimitri knew Anders, and Anders knew Lovino.

It felt a little coincidental, but then and again, with the line of work out parents were in, I shrugged the thought away. Dimitri had long since abandoned his strange looking phone, a very D.I.Y looking piece of technology that rested for an eternity in his hand as he typed away with speedy thumbs, walking circles around the table whilst he chatted eagerly with the recipient.

Lovino was drawing picture after picture, it seemed he had a real artistic talent, and Jai lee...

Well, Jai lee had taken to rolling around the floor since she was bored of raiding the pantry, and Anders had threatened to break her hand if she poked him again.

She offered me to join her, to which I politely declined the princesses offer.

Yes, she was my best friend, however 'rolling about the floor was best suited for the professionals', as Dimitri had stated. It was, however, nice to be in the same room with my best friend. It wasn't too often we got to meet in person, due to the whole 'living in different countries' thing.

Scrunched up bundles of paper that littered the floor all ended up in Dimitri's hands eventually and would make a swift course to the back of Anders head.

The Norwegian refused to acknowledge the constant cycle, but it was clear he was getting irritated if his growling meant anything.

"You're really good at art" I complimented, to which I earned a stunning smile.

"Thank you, I spend alot of my time drawing, so I appreciate the compliment"

"Yeah, actually Lovino here designed my tattoo" Dimitri pulled down the corner of his shirt's neckline, revealing a black bird mid-flight with a blue flower in its beak. Underneath the tail feathers lay four stars.

A blush covered my olive skin at the amount of flesh he was showing, shoulders tucking into my body.

Chuckling, Dimitri let the fabric run backup to its original position.

"I got it a few years ago, to commemorate my mother's... passing"

My heart twinged, Jai lee looked away, and Lovino dipped his head in respect, whispering a small prayer.

Gazing at the inside of his right forearm, I noticed another tattoo.

"What's that one?" I asked, Jai lee rolling over to us from her spot on the floor, clutching his arm curiously to inspect the black markings up his arm.

"血で血を洗う。(Washing blood with blood), a Japanese proverb" Dimitri translated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jai lee asked confused, running a dainty finger along the markings. "I don't remember this one

"I got it recently, it's to do with family, I would explain it, but it will just go over your head" Dimitri pat her head, ruffling her hair. "Family is the most important thing in the world to me"

Jai lee, though irritated she was being undermined, sat back, mentally trying to work out what it meant.

How can you wash blood with blood?

You could practically see the confusion written all over her face. Humming, Dimitri swiftly made a paper plane, setting its course for the back of Anders head.

True to his aim, it hit its mark.

It was like setting off a bomb.

Or, at least that's what I visualized with that short temper of his.

"That's it," He stood up, shoved his book in his bag and made his way to the door. "F*ck you, f*ck this place, f*ck--"

He cut himself off to curse some more in his language, teeth grit, fists clenched.

He seemed rather unsettled, like something was bothering him outside of the room.

The whole time we were here, he kept glancing back at the door with a dark gaze. It wasn't irritation, but like he was expecting something bad to happen.

The anticipation had him on edge, his nerves were getting to him.

"W-wait, we aren't supposed to leave the r--" I shrunk back at his seething glare, letting out an involuntary squeak of distress. Shrinking down, I shifted closer to Lovino and Jai lee, swallowing nervously.

"Oi! You don't talk to my best friend like that!" Jai lee's words were thrown over everyones head as the pale boy scoffed, silencing any words from his mouth with a look Lovino sent his way.

"Hm..." Dimitri leant against his knuckle, a thoughtful smile lighting up his features, along with an inquisitive, knowing likeness in his eyes.

"Bridget has a point, Anders, we aren't supposed to leave the room, what if we get caught?" Lovino stood up, placing a hand lightly on his friend's shoulder. The next words to come out of his mouth were much more quiet, and felt rather personal. "Look, don't get me wrong, I know what you think about them..."

"After all we researched, I need physical proof, Lovi" Anders whispered back, eyes meeting Dimitri.

The Russian blinked slowly, giving nothing away except a flicker of agreement.

"I wanna explore too!!!" Jai lee jumped about cheerfully.

Turning to me, Lovino sighed, "It seems we are two to two...."

Biting my inner cheek, I felt the soft plush flesh slide between my teeth. It was to calm my racing nerves. I didn't want to disappoint my father, but why did I have the feeling something more was going on?

Something didn't feel right.

Ever since we entered the forest, I could feel something was off. The atmosphere, my instincts screaming to run, and that weird pulsing feeling in my throat.

All that topped off by Anders behaviour unsettled me, I felt like something bigger was going on.

Am I missing something? I wondered anxiously.

Lovino and I communicated with our eyes, gazes turning from doubt, to concern to something that said, 'I need to tell you something...'

"Umm, Bridget, there's something--"

Turning away, we came to the realization that we were the only ones in the room.

"Come on," Rubbing his temples, Lovino sighed, used to Anders' stubborn nature. "Looks like it's up to us to keep them in check...."

[bonemarrowbestfriend]

alright no one asked but here are my final opinions on the kids. obviously spoilers for the quarry ahead

jacob: super mixed feelings. idiot who ruins everything, but most realistically 18-20yo in his behavior. makes stupid mistakes because he thinks with his dick, but also openly cries and shows fear often which i appreciate. didn’t like how he tried to force emma into a relationship at all, but the “i wish i could tell you i’m sorry; i don’t know what to do” lines were deeply satisfying for me. he was also actually funny to me in a couple scenes which is more than i can say for some of the others. “hhhngng skill”

emma: liked her, then didn’t like her, then was mostly distracted by her awful dialogue and strange mouth animation, not that that’s her fault. i think i understand her to an extent from her conversations with abi—she believes her talent and therefore her value lies in being entertaining, so everything she does has to be some kind of spectacle. unfortunately, it just wasn’t the kind of spectacle i found fun to watch, i.e. flirting with someone despite not reciprocating their feelings, creating drama where it wasn’t necessary, etc

kaitlyn: easily one of my favorite characters. i don’t find her funny at all, but just as it was with emma, that’s more the writers’ fault than anything. regardless, once the lighthearted tone of the night finally dropped and shit hit the fan, i liked her character infinitely more. she’s so clever!! and i love how handy she is. honestly many of the hacketteers wouldn’t have survived if it hadn’t been for her taking the reigns when necessary. what a total badass—and i’d say a semi realistic one, who still exhibits fear and panic

ryan: love this kid. everyone in-game seems to think he’s mysterious and brooding but he’s actually mostly just awkward and shy—at least that’s how i read him. and even though i saw other people getting annoyed with him for pushing back against laura at first, i really admired his loyalty and his sticking to his personal morals until he couldn’t anymore. he helped her in the end anyway, isn’t that telling enough that he ultimately does what needs to be done? also love the headcanon that he’s autistic, i definitely see it.

dylan: right up my alley. slightly annoying smartass? check. actually quite genuine and kind? check. secret genius? fuckin check babe. hard for me to pick a favorite scene of his; i enjoyed watching him interact with the others regardless of who he was with. maybe that’s because i think his dialogue sounds the most naturally human? at least in the playthroughs i observed. i’m also a bit embarrassed to admit i actually found him pretty funny, but let me know if that’s just favoritism lol

abi: sweetheart, but pretty one-note to me. i admired her kindness towards the other characters but i spent most of her screentime feeling bad for her. i think she’s very cute and would’ve been open to seeing more from her, though i suppose i understand why she fell to the wayside a little bit. not everyone needs to be a fearless badass, i can appreciate her role of needing more protection than the others. she felt the most like a typical 18-20yo girl to me.

nick: i guess he seemed like a sweet kid before shit went south for him. obviously i enjoyed watching his behavior change from “baby deer” to “cause for concern” over the course of his transformation. his… let’s call it “food aggression” over abi was incredibly uncomfortable and delightfully creepy to me. i was glad when she pushed him away of course, i just appreciated seeing the progression. besides that i didn’t particularly care for him one way or the other.

max: not gonna lie i love this dude. i unironically find him funny, i appreciate that he wasn’t overly skeptical of laura when she was scared in the woods, and even when he snapped at her he apologized right away calmed himself down. i also liked that he was primarily the one who needed saving. his takes never missed he was always right, they should’ve just gone to the motel and leaving a voicemail is absolutely not the same as calling ahead. love u puppy boy

laura: took me a hot min but i did in fact warm up to her a bit. obviously the mess she got them into was largely avoidable, but seeing as this is a horror game, i won’t fault her for that. i can even admire her stubbornness for the sake of character depth. i also liked her intelligence and resourcefulness, and sort of enjoyed watching her grow more ruthless towards the hacketts in order to save max. corruption in the name of love is what horror is all about baby

[evandarya]

Inflatable Unicorn Surprise

{Read on AO3}

"'Come to the beach, they said. 'It'll be fun they said." Danny grumbled as he stomped down the hotel hallway. "Yeah, NOT!" Danny's parents had been invited to an engineering conference in Florida, and Danny had been forced to come along. After spending all morning helping his parents set up their booth he was finally freed to go to the beach. He let himself into the hotel room, changed into his swim trunks, and grabbed his towel before heading back out.

Danny hit the elevator call button and waited as it made its way down. When the doors opened he was met with an inflatable unicorn. 

"Um." The unicorn shifted and Danny could see the person holding it, a tall man with black hair and dark shades. Next to him was a shorter teen, also with black hair and dark glasses pushed up on his head. Danny felt his breath catch in his throat. This guy was hot!

"Oh, sorry!" The man said, pushing the unicorn into the corner of the elevator, leaving just enough room for Danny to get in. 

"I told you to have Jay carry it down the stairs." The teen said, typing on his phone. 

"He barely agreed to come, I didn't want to piss him off." The man said before turning to Danny. "Are you headed to the beach?" 

"Yeah, I need to work on my tan," Danny said, holding out his arm. He knew he was paler than most. The man laughed and nudged the teen beside him.

"Look, Timmy. He's as pale as you." 

Timmy looked up from his phone and paused for a moment before putting his phone away and holding his arm up beside Danny's. Danny compared their arms and blinked.

"How are you paler than me? I didn't know that was possible." Danny said.

Timmy huffed a laugh. "That's what's called a 'pro gamer move.'"

Danny couldn’t help it, he laughed. “You’ll have to teach me your ways sometime,” he said just as the elevator doors opened. Danny stepped out of the elevator followed by the other two.

“There you guys are. I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes.” Danny turned toward the rough voice and paused for just a second. There was something slightly off about the man. Not just the patch in his hair that looked a bit too white, or the green in his eyes that was just a bit too vivid to be natural. No, something about this man caused Danny’s core to shudder with a sense of wrongness.

“It’s been five minutes, tops, Jay” Timmy was saying, but Danny didn’t stick around to hear it. He needed to get away from ‘Jay’.

***

“There you are! Did mom and dad keep you busy?” Jazz asked, setting her book aside when Danny flopped down next to her under the umbrella. 

“Like you wouldn’t believe. I didn’t think I’d ever get out of there.” Danny scanned the beach, spotting Dani out in the water. She had been so excited to hunt for sand dollars that he wasn’t sure how they would get her out of the ocean. “See anything interesting?”

“Not really, just the normal beach stuff,” Jazz said. “Except, that kid has been here as long as I have by himself.” She pointed to a kid, probably Dani’s age, sitting by himself under an umbrella. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him, just to make sure nothing happens.” 

“Looks like his family made it,” Danny said. The boy had gotten up to wave down… “Oh, ancients.”

“What, what is it?” Jaz said. 

“Those guys, with the inflatable unicorn?” Jazz looked around until she spotted them and nodded. “They were on the elevator. Something is weird with the guy with white in his hair.” 

“Weird like Amity weird?” 

“Yeah, like Amity weird. I just get a bad feeling about him.”

“Is he a ghost?”

“No, not a ghost, but something liminal for sure.” 

“We’ll just avoid them, then.” Jazz said. Danny agreed. Even though Timmy was hot and Danny wouldn’t mind getting to know him better. Something was off with Jay.

***

“Something is off with that kid,” Jason said, patting more sand into the bucket. He'd never actually made a sandcastle before, something that Dick had seen as a grave oversight. Jason didn’t care, but if making the stupid castle would get him off his back he was willing to do it. 

“Off how?” Dick asked, digging out a moat. 

“I don’t know. Something…” He didn’t know how to explain it, but when he saw the kid the pit surged in a way it hadn’t done for years. But not with anger. “It feels like when I’m on patrol and I see a kid who needs help.” 

“Jay, that’s a whole teenager. He was flirting with Timmy in the elevator. I don’t think he needs help.” Jason just hummed, unconvinced. Dick sighed. “If it makes you feel better, we can go talk to them, but just to make sure they are safe. We are on vacation, so no working. That  means you, too, Tim.” 

“I’m not working, I’m texting Kon,” Tim said, from his perch on the ridiculous unicorn Dick had bought. “Barbara geo-locked me out of everything else.” 

“I, for one, do not require downtime,” Damian said. “I was trained-”

“Since you were three to perform perfectly on no sleep. Yes, we know.” Tim said, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. Damian leveled a glare at him but Tim ignored it. Jason sighed. He had missed their more violent meetings, but from what he has heard those two will be at each other’s throats until the end of time. 

“The only question is how are we going to get closer to them without raising suspicions?” Dick asked. Tim launched into some convoluted plan that Jason was not listening to at all. Instead, he got up and started digging in their beach bag until he found the deflated beach ball. It only took a minute to blow it up. That done he took it over to where Dick was still sitting by the castle. 

Jason tossed the ball into the air, took careful aim, and- “Heads up!” The ball soared and landed smack dab in the middle of the two, exactly where he wanted it to go. 

“That works, too,” Tim said, getting up off the unicorn and following him. 

“I’m sorry about that.” He said, eyeing the girl holding his ball. She had startling teal eyes and long red hair and he wondered if it was as soft as it looked. He took the ball back from her. “Are you two alright?” Jason asked. 

“We’re fine, thanks for asking,” she said, standing and brushing sand from her legs. 

"Hey, you're that kid from the elevator. We didn't get to meet properly before. I'm Jason, and these are my brothers Dick, Tim, and Damian." He said, gesturing to them. 

The boy stood, giving him a wary look before saying. "I'm Danny, this is my sister, Jazz."

"Is it just the two of you here?" Dick asked with a smile.

"Our other sister is out there, looking for sand dollars." Jazz said, pointing out to the ocean. Jason could just make out a head bobbing with the waves. 

"Sand dollars?" Damian wondered aloud. "Those shells they sell at the gift shops?"

"Yeah," Danny said. "Dani had never heard of them before and when she learned they were animals she wanted to see a live one." 

"Drake, give me your phone. I need to see these creatures." Damian said, snatching Tim's phone from him.

"I thought you were Danny?" Tim asked, he was grappling with Damian for his phone back.

"I'm Danny-with-a-y, she's Dani-with-an-i," Danny said with a grin. Jason would bet they kept their names similar on purpose, just to confuse people.

"Your parents named you both Danny?" Dick asked.

Danny snorted. "Says the man who willingly goes by 'Dick'."

Jazz smacked her brother on the back of the head, and Jason hid his smile. He was liking these two more and more.

"Drake," Damian said from his place in the sand. "I need to go hunt these creatures. They can't really look like this."

Tim looked at the phone screen and wrinkled his nose. "How is that not an alien?"

"That is what I want to figure out," Damian said, handing the phone back to Tim and heading toward the water.

"Tim, go with him. Make sure he doesn't try to bring anything home." Dick said.

Tim groaned. "Fine, but I'm taking the unicorn." 

"I'll come, too. Dani's probably got a bag full of shells by now." Danny said, trailing after Tim. 

"I'm going to go get some snacks," Dick said before running off. 

"We've been abandoned." Jazz said, sitting down again and picking up her book. Jason sat down next to her.

"Rude of them."

"'Is not general incivility the very essence of love?'"

"Pride and Prejudice?" Jason asked.

"It's my favorite book." Jazz said, showing him the cover of a well-loved copy.

"No shit? Mine too!"

***

"Your brother, Jason," Danny started, "He wouldn't happen to have a motorcycle, would he?" 

Tim glanced at the boy over his shades. Danny was hanging off the unicorn float, presumably keeping them from floating out to sea, while Tim lay on the float.

"Yeah, actually. Why?"

"Jazz is a goner, then. She can't resist a man with scars and a motorcycle." 

Tim hummed. "What about you?"

"What? What kind of man can't I resist?" Danny asked with a grin. "I don't know."

"Danny likes feral rat boys!" Dani called from a few feet away. Danny responded by splashing his little sister, but she ducked under the waves. 

"If you intend to court Drake," Damian chimed in, "you should be aware that he is more of a domesticated raccoon than a feral rat."

"Danny hasn't gotten any since his boyfriend broke up with him two months ago. I don't think he's picky." Dani said. 

Tim saw a dangerous look pass over Danny's face before he disappeared silently beneath the surface. 

"Where'd he go?" Dani scanned the waves, turning around on the spot. There was no warning before she suddenly went under with a curse. Danny came up first, grinning and shaking the water from his hair, and Dani followed a second later, coughing and sputtering. "Jerk!" She exclaimed, splashing him. 

"Can you get Damian next? I owe him for that raccoon comment." Tim said, grinning. Danny flashed a sharp grin and sunk into the water again.