#I got into the GOOFY MOVIE of all things and I’ve been swept up in it

[transfem-kirito-truther]

I’m so glad I’m one of the transfem kirito people to y’all. I mean I know it’s in the name but I’m so happy whenever someone looks at a kirito post and goes “You know who would like this? That one guy” it makes my whole day sincerely

[petri808]

Quarantine memories fic hoarding craze for @thenaluarchive

— thank you to @phoenix-before-the-flame for helping jump start this fic 💜

It was Natsu Dragneel’s absolute favorite time of the day. 1 pm for him, and 8 am for Lucy, his… well, right now they were just online friends separated by distance and priorities. But judging by how he talked about her to friends, you’d never know it. They’d met three years ago on Twitch through a random chat stream about an anime series, and he continued following Lucy on her writing streams. Three years ago, she was a sophomore in college while he was in his senior year. Lucy later moved on to a graduate program, but they stayed in touch, growing close. To Natsu, she wasn’t just some girl online but a real friend he cared very much about. His friends called Lucy his online girlfriend. Pfft. He wished he could call her that.

Roughly two thousand miles away, Lucy Heartfilia was hating life. Her curtains were drawn, and a blanket was pulled over her head to drown out the light. The air conditioner was down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, working against the low-grade fever and pounding migraine born yesterday. Migraines… the bane of her otherwise healthy existence. It was her fault after all, the temptation of a chocolate dessert knowing full well it was one of her triggers brought on said migraine and all she could do was bear it.

Why?

“Stupid hoarders!” Lucy groaned to herself.

As if dealing with a pandemic wasn’t bad enough, people’s selfish reactions to it were worse. A government agency had claimed that acetaminophen products could help with the virus’s symptoms, so what did people do? Panic buying anything and everything they could find containing that drug! The problem for people like Lucy, is the one over the counter medication that helped with her migraines was Excedrine… an acetaminophen product! And she’d just. run. out.

Lucy’s phone rang and she knew exactly who it could be based on the time. So, she clicked the answer button without opening her eyes.

“Hey, Natsu,” she groaned out.

“Morning Lucy! Oh geez, you sound like a frog.”

“Thanks,” she retorted sarcastically. “I’ve got a migraine.”

“Ouch.” Natsu genuinely flinched. He rarely got headaches, but this wasn’t the first time he’d talked to Lucy when she was going through one, so he knew what she was going through. “The meds aren’t helping?”

Lucy sighed. “I ran out. And did you see the news about all the hoarding? Every store here is bought out. It… sucks.”

“I could check around here and send you any I find,” he offered.

“Aww, that’s sweet of you Natsu, but I don’t wanna trouble you.”

“Pfft. Nonsense. I’m sure you’d do the same for me.”

“Thanks, Natsu. I appreciate it.” Lucy smiled through the pain. There’s a good reason her feelings for the man had grown over the years. His sweet and caring, yet fun and goofy, positive personality was an easy drug to get hooked to.

“Anyway, I gotta get back to work.” Natsu whined. “Good morning again, stay hydrated, and I’ll check on you again when I’m finished for the day, okay Lucy? Get some rest.”

“Have a good day at work Natsu.”

“Will now, after hearing your voice. Talk to you later Luce.”

She giggled softly. “Bye, Natsu.”

Lucy shifted under her blanket as she clicked off the phone to lie on her back. His sexy voice did wonders for her mood despite the pain still ravaging it. Now all she had to do was drag herself out of bed to eat something and drink water. She never had an appetite when she got these migraines, but it was a necessary fuel to fight it. All Lucy had left were extra strength Tylenol, so she could only hope it would at least take the edge off until the migraine ran its course.

Like so many others, this pandemic had really taken a toll on Lucy’s psyche. It’s not as if she went out a lot before it took hold, but just the fact it made going out dangerous brought different emotions to the situation. School had moved online which sucked all its own, she missed casually hanging out with friends on campus, and simply longed for the freedom of leaving her apartment as she pleased. But she understood the precautions of a quarantine. Frankly, she agreed with the city’s efforts to keep them as safe as possible no matter how many grumbled about it. Did it make it easier? No. But it was a necessary evil.

They weren’t completely trapped, could shop for necessities, visit family or friends, just encouraged to limit such gatherings as a safety precaution. If you went out, wear a mask, and just don’t stand too close to other people. Well, unless Lucy knew the person, why would she want strangers in her personal bubble anyway? And the mask thing? Have you ever been out shopping, and someone just sneezes without covering their mouth? Yeah— seriously, would it kill people to use one?! Why were people so selfish during times like this? Not everyone, but too many. Just like with all the hoarding frenzies that swept through cities, it was frustrating and— “Ugh…” being in a pain-driven bad mood was sure bringing her down today.

But despite all the external frustrations, the feelings of isolation from being in a quarantine for months were probably the most mentally exhausting part. It was lonely being so far away from home during a pandemic. Lucy’s been in college for five years and while she’s made friends in the new city, she was starting to crave comfort instead of an empty apartment. Her life online was one of the few things that made her happy, like Natsu’s daily calls, and kept her sane.

Natsu… her face heated up every time she thought about the man. They didn’t have a lot of hobbies in common, but he was always so supportive and made her laugh like no other could. Where they lacked in commonality, was made up in ease of conversation. It hadn’t taken very long for their online chats to feel more like an old friend and less like a faceless stranger. Over the years they’d talked about meeting in person one day after she finished school. It also helped that he was from a city not too far from where she came from, so if she chose to move back it would be convenient. But she also loved the new city she called home. Oh well, Lucy sighed. It was a decision still a couple of years away to make.

The next morning, Lucy woke up to find her migraine had finally given up. She could still feel the little bastard hiding, simmering somewhere ready to strike, but if it stayed mellow, it was something she could tolerate. Throughout the day, Lucy wasted no time in catching up on the homework she couldn’t finish the day before and making sure to stay hydrated with food in her stomach.

Lucy’s phone rang around 2pm.

“Hi Natsu, how was work?”

“Same ole, same ole,” he chuckled. “And how are you? Still feeling, okay?”

“Yeah, it hasn’t come back.”

“That’s great!”

Lucy could hear a lot of background noise, so she asked about it. “Oh, you’re not home yet?”

“Nah, and the commuters are being extra noisy today,” he responded benignly. “Anyway, tonight I won’t have time to talk cause I got a project due for work I need to finish.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Yeah, I’m still catching up from yesterday too and Levy’s dropping by for dinner.”

They chat for a few minutes about their day as Natsu waited for transportation. Lucy knew he used the subway to and from work, but today it sounded a little different, noisier and she swore there were engines instead of the normal train sounds. Maybe it was static. Finally, Lucy caught the muffled words now boarding.

“Shucks, time for me to go,” Natsu cut through. “Sweet dreams Lucy! I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Natsu!”

Lucy spent the afternoon relaxing online, chatting with friends and gaming. Her friend Levy McGarden later dropped by with take-out food for dinner and the two women caught up on random topics while movies droned on the television. They were both in grad school, so during the semester there wasn’t a lot of time to hang out, but they made do. Lucy was also doing a paid internship at a local magazine 4 days out of the week as part of her master’s program. She really enjoyed working there under one of the senior editors. He made it a fun learning experience.

Life was almost perfect except for the background isolation of the pandemic. Lucy was glad she wasn’t one of the individuals affected by jobs cuts, but it still got under her skin to feel trapped in a way. It was nice with her friend over... ‘Maybe I should see if Levy wants to become roommates?’ She wondered as she drifted off to sleep. The apartment would sure feel a lot less empty.

A knock at the door roused Lucy from her sleep. She blinked and yawned, looking at the alarm clock and that said 9 am the next morning. ‘Natsu didn’t call,’ she thought how odd. Maybe he slept in after working late.

Lucy dragged herself out of bed, throwing on a robe to answer the front door. “Gimme a sec,” she called out as she neared it.

“UPS delivery, ma’am.” The male voice responded.

‘UPS?’ Lucy grew confused. She didn’t remember ordering anything through them, but maybe she’d forgotten?

She peaked out of the peep hole, but all she could see was the box being held up. Okay a little weird, but some of the delivery people did that to show they were legitimate service people. Lucy slowly opened the door but kept the chain lock on while peering through the gap. But what she saw next brought on instant tears.

“H-How?” Her voice stammered out as her fingers quickly undid the lock and opened the door wide.

There Natsu stood holding a small brown box, dressed in a uniform of sorts, with a mask hanging under his chin, and wearing a goofy grin.

Lucy snorted a laugh as her eyes crinkled in happiness. “Is that a Halloween costume?”

“Yeah,” his smile widened, and hand scratched his head. “Surprise delivery,” Natsu held out the box, “for Lucy Heartfilia.”

“What is it?” She asked as she took it from him.

“Oh, I um found you Excedrine.”

Lucy opened the box to find 4 bottles. “You certainly did,” she laughed. “But why’d you bring it yourself?”

“It was quicker than the mail and… I hoped…” Natsu’s mannerism grew sheepish and tentative, “it was about time we finally met in person?”

Her face softened with a smile. “It truly is.” Lucy gestured into the apartment. “Please, make yourself at home.”

[acciofanfics]

Of Course I Knew (Sirius Black x Reader) SMUT

Request: hello! i was wondering if u could do a smut with young sirius black where the reader is like friends w him but she’s v inexperienced and like insecure abt it?? like she hasn’t had her first kiss and she thinks that’s unattractive but he’s like “nope that’s hot” thank you in advance!

Pairing: Young Sirius Black x FemReader

Warnings: Underage sex, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), maybe language? 

Word Count: 1926

A/N: Okay, so I’m trying to push myself with smut writing so any constructive criticism is welcome. Requests are still open and desired. I hope Sirius isn’t too OOC and I’m jumping on the Ben Barnes as young Sirius train! - S

___________________________________________________________

(Y/N) regretted her decision as soon as she sat down next to her friends. James shot her a goofy grin, “So Matthew, eh?”

She let out a long sigh. All she’d done was accept an offer to Hogsmeade with him, but somehow she had known that would be enough for the teasing. “What’s wrong with Matthew?” She didn’t even like the guy that much and she doubted she’d see him again outside of class, but he seemed more normal than not.

“Well you tell us, (Y/N), you clearly know him better than the rest of us!” Sirius snickered, “Or at least what he’s telling blokes...”

Her face turned bright red. Why that slimy git! The only thing they had done was hold hands.... of course she didn’t really want to tell them that either. 7th year and she hadn’t even kissed a boy. She looked up at Lily who was ready to defend her friend, but (Y/N) quickly stopped her, “Well that’s not of your business, is it? Go ask him if you’re looking for bloody details...”

Lily did not approve of (Y/N)’s lying, and she even told her so. (Y/N) agreed that lying probably wasn’t the best course of action, but she just didn’t want to deal with the teasing that would come from telling the truth. Sure, Remus and Peter would probably leave her alone, but they both knew James and Sirius would get a good laugh. (Y/N) just assumed that she’d let the Matthew rumor play out and soon everything would go back to normal.

That had been wishful thinking. It’d been nearly a week and Sirius still had not let it go. James didn’t even have to be around for him to enjoy the nagging. (Y/N) was about to explode; she grabbed Sirius by his robes and pulled him into one of the many empty rooms of Hogwarts, “Is this what you did with Mat-“

“Oh come off of it, Sirius! You know nothing happened between us! What do you want me to say?! I’m pathetic I haven’t snogged a guy much less slept with one! Happy?”

“Well not entirely... of course I knew nothing happened between you and Matthew, he’s an idiot. I was wondering how long it’d take you to come clean. I’ve been mostly curious as to why you’ve been so keen on us thinking something did happen?” Sirius questioned her, he’d leave the part about him being jealous out for now. It just seemed rather unimportant at the moment.

“You guys are brutal, you know? This much trouble over Matthew... I knew you’d make fun of me even more if you knew how... inexperienced I was.” (Y/N) sighed and looked towards her feet.

“You really think we’d make fun of you for being a virgin? We have moony for that!” Sirius cracked a joke hoping it’d lighten the mood a bit.

“No I think you’d make fun of me because I haven’t even been kissed. I’m sure not even Wormtail is that pathetic...” (Y/N) mimicked his idea of a joke, it seemed to work because he chuckled.

“That’s not pathetic... it’s hot.” Sirius waited until she was looking back up at him before he continued. “But if you’re so worried, I would be more than happy to help you out.”

(Y/N) thought about it... she always had a little crush on Sirius, but honestly she assumed most girls did (he was quite handsome). Would this ruin their friendship? It seemed doubtful, even if there was a new tension between them it would probably run its course and/or Sirius would go out of his way to make sure a comfortable air returned. He was a fiercely loyal friend. “Okay.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. As long as he had been waiting for this moment, he would’ve just slammed his lips into hers, but considering it was her first kiss, he opted for a more gentle approach. He grabbed her waist with one hand and pulled her to him, and laid one on her. His lips were firm but soft against hers, and acting purely on instinct and a little bit of what she had seen in books, magazines and movies when she wrapped her arms around him. Sirius smiled against his lips; he took the kiss a step further and gently flicked his tongue across hers and swept it in when she parted them in surprise.

(Y/N) was going with the flow... that was the best she could think of. She wasn't completely naive to what was going on. She was seventeen years old; she'd had thoughts and heard talk and being half-blood there was no shortage of information available to her when she was home for the summer... she’d learned a few things, of course reading/watching and actually doing were two different things. Sirius thought she must’ve been a liar or a natural, because it was one of the best kisses he’d had in awhile (perhaps who it was with helped too).

Breathless, the two parted and Sirius being Sirius had to speak first, “You sure you’ve never done this before?”

“Oh, shut up...” (Y/N) blushed. Sirius... always the jokester.

“As you wish.” Sirius leaned down and kissed her again. He was pleased to see she immediately reacted to him; briefly he was worried he might've been overstepping a boundary. She had agreed to a first kiss not a second one, but that worry melted away quickly.

(Y/N) slowly felt her nerousness disappate, and she moved naturally with him. Sirius carefully backed the girl into one of the dusty desks, and helped her up by grabbing her thighs and lifting. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him, and once she was safely on top she loosened her grip on him. Sirius instead pushed himself closer to her and grabbed her thighs again to keep her wrapped around him. (Y/N) had no problem obliging  his request, he clearly knew what he was doing and was happy to learn.

Her robes were pushed off of her shoulders and she shook her arms out of the sleeves. There were still entirely too many layers for his liking but he didn’t have to worry about it too much... (Y/N) immediately loosened her tie and broke away to peel off her sweater. Sirius too her absence to play catch up, discarding every article of clothing that she had, plus one (he never liked that stupid tie).

(Y/N) let out a soft moan when Sirius’ mouth found her neck. The noise egged him, his gentle nips because a little harsher; perhaps he was secretly hoping to leave a mark on her flesh. His fingers worked on the buttons on her shirt and being the gentleman he was he helped her out of it.

Sirius paused for look at her. Her skin was flushed and her lips swollen, and she was completely bare from the waist up except for the tie that hung between her breasts. “Blood hell, (Y/N)...”

She would’ve assumed she would have been embarrassed in the situation, but oddly enough, (Y/N) felt more excited than anything else. She could see that the front of his trousers fit a little tighter than they did when they first walked into the room and she knew Sirius well enough to know they look on his face was not a displeased one. Feeling the slightest bit confident, she leaned back on her elbows and let him take in the sight. She found herself disappointed when he didn’t kiss her again, instead he leaned in ghosting his lips across hers while he began working on removing his own shirt, “Has anyone seen you like this?”

“No,” (Y/N) whimpered, ready for him to touch her again.

“I’m the only who’s got to kiss you, the only one who’s gotten to see your body, to touch it. Do you have any idea how much that turns me on?” Sirius growled against her ear.

“No, but you could show me.” That was all it took to make Sirius snap. They’d definitely be missing Potions today, but screw it. Remus and Lily would probably share their notes after a good scolding.

His lips found hers again and in a flash they were gone. Abandoning hers for a new adventure. (Y/N) didn’t mind one bit in fact she was in favor of his endeavor. A shiver shot through her spine when his tongue flicked across her hardened nipple. And her nails dug into the wood of the desk when he took it in his mouth. Another low moan fell from her lips while he used his hands and his mouth to turn her mind foggy.

Sirius let his other hand slip under her skirt, he teased her through her damp underwear for a few moments, but then slipped his fingers past them and into her. Sirius pumped his fingers into her, hopefully getting her more familiar with the sensation and getting her to relax. His original plan was to go torturously slow until she begged for him, but he found his own self palming his erection for a little relief. When she moaned out his name, that was enough for him.

He worked fast to get the rest of their clothes off. (Y/N) felt like she was in a daze, intoxicated by everything he was doing to her, because the next thing she knew she felt Sirius rubbing his cock against her, getting himself well lubricated for the next step. “You sure this is what you want?”

Unable to form words she nodded and screwed her eyes shut when he began to slide into her. It wasn’t entirely bad at all; different, and an adjustment but absolutely tolerable. Sirius on the other hand was having to will himself to keep his cool, a low groan erupted from his throat as he fully sheathed himself inside the girl. Soon enough he’d be able to properly drive into her until she couldn’t stand to walk, but that’d be another time. This time, her first time he pulled out slowly, enjoying the way she made his dick glisten.

(Y/N) thought that perhaps sex was a bit over hyped in the cosmopolitan magazines her mother got, but slowly her body began to adjust. She began to enjoy the slow drag of him pulling out and then pushing back in and then when he quickened his pace it was nothing less than pleasurable. When Sirius felt her relax he began to adjust his thrusts, still not pounding her into oblivion, but fast enough they’d both be satisfied. Sirius reached between them teasing the bundle of nerves between her legs, he rubbed until (Y/N) let out a strangled cry and he felt her tighten around him.

His hips snapped a little quicker and his rhythm became a little more sporadic as he felt a familiar feeling getting closer. Sirius focused on the girl in front of him, she was still riding out her her high and utterly awe-striking, he couldn’t believe what he was doing. Watching her writhe beneath him brought him closer and it wasn’t long before he gave into the pleasure himself; thrusting a few more times before stilling himself inside of her.

“Wow... I see why people enjoy that so much.” (Y/N) let out an exhausted laugh.

“I’d like to put in a formal request that I be the only one you do this with.” Sirius chuckled along with her, but not because he was joking, “I’ve never been that great at sharing.”

“As long as you’re aware I feel the same, Black.”

[asmo-ds]

(1) okay so mc and dia are married, this is their first christmas as a married couple but dia is feeling very overwhelmed and stressed out (they have a pact since they're married and mc can feel to an extent how dia feels bc of it) bc he's basically the king of hell, so they suggest they go and spend christmas in the human realm at mc's house. and since mc is an average person they do normal person things, and they're just very domestic and cute.

Home For The Holidays

Diavolo x MC Fluff

Word Count: 1468

a/n: I really hope you like this I really enjoyed writing it! It was very relaxing and nice to imagine :)

Summary: Though he wants to celebrate the human holiday, Diavolo fears he would be offending his kingdom by celebrating a holy day; so his lovely spouse, MC, suggests they return to their home for the Holidays so he can truly feel the Christmas spirit that humans feel annually

Diavolo stared over his kingdom with sorrow as he drank a cup of hot cocoa. Little did he know his spouse stood in the doorway watching the mopey behavior he’d been showing for days.

MC knew how badly Diavolo had wanted to celebrate Christmas in the Devildom, but they also knew he couldn’t celebrate the birth of a religious figure in Hell. As they made their way towards the large demon he heard their footsteps he shook his head and put on a fake smile.

“Dia, you seem troubled,” MC wraps themselves around him, nuzzling his voluptuous chest with their cheek.

“Do not worry, my love, I was just lost in my thoughts I suppose,” he sighs heavily.

“You know, even demon princes need vacations sometimes, perhaps you could finally see my home in the human world and we could spend Christmas there! What better way to understand the human holiday than witnessing humans celebrating it!” Mc leans back to look at him, keeping their forearms resting on his broad shoulders. His eyes sparkle with excitement as he lifts up his spouse, spinning the, in the air with joy.

“You’re absolutely right! Then it is decided! Tomorrow morning we leave for the human world!” Diavolo loudly proclaims as he leaves kisses all over MC’s face. “BARBATOS,” he calls as he runs off.

“If anything happens to him in the human world,” MC spins on their heel to look at Lucifer who had been standing on the other side of the wall eavesdropping, “the punishment will be severe, MC.”

“... Lucifer I’m married to him you don’t have to threaten me like when we first started dating.” -

The couple emerged from a portal in front of a tiny home that resides in a quiet neighborhood, snow filling their vision which caused MC to groan.

“Shit I can’t even see the driveway - here, Dia, take the bags and this key and head inside I have to shovel before anything else,” Diavolo stares at them, astonished. He nods and opens the front door while MC grabs their shovel and begins to move snow away from their car and their access to the street.

“Demons aren’t built for the cold... so I’ve never thought of coming here during winter,” Diavolo walks back outside murmuring to himself as he watches his lover shovel from afar. He crouches down sticking his hand in the white that coats the doorstep, “Snow...” His eyes glimmer with joy as he brushes the snow around with his bare hand.

“Dia, dear! You’ll catch a cold like that!” MC falls to their knees taking Diavolo’s snowy hand in their own. They lift it up to their face and breathe hot air across the back of his fingers, rubbing the rest with their own cold hands to create heat. Diavolo admires their rosy nose and cheeks as they sniffle occasionally before he looks down at the spot he swept away. ‘Home Sweet Home’ the mat that had been previously hidden read and he smiled as he looked back at his spouse who was now shivering as they attempted to warm them up. He nuzzled his cold nose against their own lovingly before leaving a soft kiss on their lips.

“Come on, let’s head inside!” Dia drags MC to their feet and heads inside, abandoning MC’s mission to shovel their driveway.

When they get inside Diavolo finally takes a look at MC’s small home.

“Wow it’s so...small,” he says, making MC blush and wave their hand in an embarrassed matter.

“Sorry I know it’s not much we can totally head back to the castle if you’d like haha!” MC nervously laughs before Diavolo puts a hand on their cheek, both still cold from the outdoors.

“No no, my love, it is wonderful! It feels so homey and less like a workspace made to hold the responsibility of a whole realm,” he laughs, “I feel more at home here than I do at the castle to be completely honest.” He takes in the scent of MC as it now surrounds him.

“This was my childhood home- my mother and father passed away when I was a teen so I’ve lived on my own until you summoned me for the exchange program,” MC blushes as they look around at the home they’d left behind a few years before. 

“So your entire life was spent in this one home?” Diavolo looks at MC with a small smile. “Well, I’m honored you allowed me into such an important piece of you,” He gives a big goofy grin, and MC giggles.

“We’re married you, dork, of course, I’m going to give you all of me - no matter how small of a piece it may be I will share it with you.” 

After putting their things away MC realizes they have no food that hasn’t expired in the three years they’d been gone. “Oh, do you want to see a human world Grocery store, Dia?” His face brightens up as he nods enthusiastically.

They make their way to the grocery store, Diavolo constantly pointing at random human world winter things and expressing his joy to see them in person.

“Ah, MC, what is this?” He smiles pointing at a candy cane a man in a Santa costume was giving out for donations to some charity.

“A candy cane! Here try it- it’s sweet!” MC exclaims- knowing damn well that it was minty as all hell and their oblivious husband was about to get a very cold mouth instead of the sweetness he was expecting.

Their plan worked as Diavolo immediately spat out the minty treat in surprise, “What is this flavor?! We don’t have things that make our mouths cold where I’m from!” He shouts -  grabbing his water bottle and chugging it and spitting it out as the ice-cold water made contact with his minty mouth.

The whole time Diavolo was flipping out MC was crying with laughter as they watched their husband try and figure out how to get the cold sensation out of his mouth.

After they had finished grocery shopping (which took hours as Diavolo kept asking what every single food was) they headed back to MC’s home and MC offered to cook him a human world dinner that was typically served on Christmas.

Diavolo sat at the dining table as MC placed a plate in front of him with various human world foods he had yet to see.

“MC, what is this?! This mushy buttery stuff?!” He asks through a mouth full of mashed potatoes. “YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT THE BROWN MISHAPEN EGGS YOU GOT AT THE STORE TURNED INTO THIS?!”

“Yes Dia, they’re not eggs they’re potatoes and don’t talk with your mouth full,” MC giggles reaching over with a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth before placing a soft kiss on the freshly cleaned spot.

As they finished Diavolo offered to start a fire in MC’s fireplace as they set up blankets and pillows in front of the heat with a Christmas movie playing on the tv that hung above the fireplace. 

“Your cooking is very good, MC! Perhaps I should hire you to cook for me instead of Barbatos,” Diavolo pipes up with a hand on his tummy- rubbing the full organ softly.

“If you think my cooking is good wait until tomorrow. Tonight was Christmas eve so we stayed here but tomorrow you’ll get to meet my grandmother- she’s the one who taught me how to cook and I could never prepare.” Suddenly Diavolo sat straight up, staring down at the human.

“You really want me to meet your family?” He softly says looking as if he were about to cry. He was honestly so touched that MC trusted him enough to bring him home to their family.

“Yes of course! You’re my husband and I always talk about you, my grandfather seemed excited to meet you when I called yesterday to tell him I would be home this year-” MC is interrupted by slightly chapped lips on theirs.

They kiss the demon prince back and they lay there for a few minutes making out, relishing in each other’s passionate embrace.

Afterward, Diavolo lays back down, wrapping his arms around his spouse and holding them close. “MC, I am so completely and utterly in love with you, I couldn’t be happier to call you mine. Thank you for allowing me to come here with you. I haven’t felt so relaxed since my father left me as a young boy to carry the responsibility of all evil. I hope you will allow me to join you like this every year.”

“Of course, Diavolo. For the rest of my life and after I swear I will show you what its like to be relaxed and truly loved,” they respond with a big yawn at the end.

After a few moments he looks down to see his lover fast asleep with small snores falling from their slightly parted lips. He chuckles softly and brushes some hair out of their eyes before placing a kiss on their forehead and closing his own eyes, falling asleep to the sound of a dying fire and the credits of a Christmas movie.

[spencers-dria]

Lost at Sea

Single Dad Spencer x fem reader

Summary: This is kind of a little Christmas-adjacent fluff peice where Spencer is a single dad, completely clueless while Christmas shopping for his daughter. Reader sees him struggling and decides to help, completely unaware of where it will lead them. I imagined him sometime after the show ended, kinda with his somewhat longer curly hair and glasses. This story is completely fluff and I make no apologies.

Well, that was about the third loud huff from the man standing down the isle from me. This one was so loud it blew his hair around a bit, making it even messier. I try to focus on the task at hand, finding the perfect gift for my best friend’s little girl.

Diana was the closest thing I had to a daughter of my own. Despite Anne’s protesting, I took every opportunity to spoil her daughter rotten. The adorable and precocious little girl had me absolutely wrapped around her finger. I have to fight the urge to buy everything I thought would put a smile on her face, my favorite sight in the world.

But now, I was repeatedly distracted by the clearly frustrated man standing next to me, eyeing the girls toy section like it was an enigma. I decide to approach him, but he’s still to lost in his thoughts to notice.

I clear my throat while giving him a light tap on the shoulder.

“Can I help you with anything?”

“Oh I didn’t realized you worked here.”

“I don’t.” I smile sweetly at him. “You just look like you’re trying to solve the worlds most challenging puzzle over here.”

He meets my eyes with a sheepish smile, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. I try my best to ignore just how attractive this man is. He’s definitely not available.

“I guess in a way I am. I’m trying to buy a Christmas gift for my daughter. It’s safe to say that I know absolutely nothing about girls. I want it to be absolutely perfect, and I just know whatever I get won’t be half of what she deserves.”

“Well I can help with that. How old is she and what does she like?”

He pushes his glasses up his nose, giving me a moment to ogle just how attractive his hands are.

“Her name is Alice, she’s 5. I know she loves Disney princesses. Ariel is her favorite I think... but even once I narrow it down to that, there is still just so much. Who knew shopping for little girls could be so overwhelming.”

I can’t help but giggle a bit at his helplessness. He starts to laugh along with me.

“I’m Spencer by the way.” I see him hesitate a moment before slowly extending a hand. I look at his extended hand with a slight feeling of guilt, knowing he’ll most likely judge me based on my response.

“Oh I’m sorry I hope you don’t think I’m rude but... I don’t really shake hands. It’s not personal it’s just all the germs. I don’t deal so well with them.”

He lets out a soft chuckle, but I can’t imagine why. Is he actually laughing at me? Seems a bit rude.

“You know I used to be the exact same way. I suppose having a kid has changed me more than I realize sometimes.”

I nod, quietly, knowing I can’t really relate.

“I’m sorry you’re probably really busy. Are you shopping for your daughter too?”

Unsure as to the reason why, I’m suddenly embarrassed to admit that I’m not actually a parent. Just a single loner in their mid-thirties, living vicariously through their best friend and their.

“Oh no, just a friend. I’m more than happy to help you out with Alice. If you want my best ideas though, I’ve got to be honest, a lot of it is online. I can show you the links real quick, I’d you’d like?”

“I feel like this would be easier if we just... Would you like to grab coffee? I know a great place just around the corner. You can show me all your ideas and hopefully we can pick out something for her together.”

Up until this point I didn’t want to make assumptions, but it’s becoming more clear that Spencer is most likely a single dad. I don’t want pry, but I can’t help but wonder what happened to her mom.

I try to hide my excitement at his offer.

“You had me at coffee. And I almost forgot, I’m Y/N!”

————————————————

Three hours and several cups of coffee later, I knew a small part of the life story belonging to Spencer Reid. He was an FBI agent, part of a team who hunts down serial killers. A profiler. Or former profiler? He used to work in the field, until he had to raise his daughter alone. He had been fallen hard and fast for someone who left him as soon as another opportunity, or person rather, had presented themselves. They left him a single dad, all alone with his 2 year old daughter, Alice.

Being a single parent, he knew he couldn’t continue a job that put him in harms way on a regular basis. He never had a problem putting his life on the line for others, but Alice had become his number one priority, without question. Switching to a desk job had allowed him to continue as a consult for the team while also teaching at the University.

As I looked over his attire, I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t quite give off professor vibes at first glance. His cozy maroon sweater and glasses, perhaps. But his curly mop of disheveled hair and goofy grin made him look more like a cuddly muppet character. The more I listen to him talk the more I notice his intelligence. I should have known, given his professions. It didn’t take long to realize he was well out of my league, but he was kind enough to give me the time of day for whatever reason.

I keep drowining in his eyes or getting pulled in by the movement of his hands as he speaks. Listening to his voice is like gently floating down like a river. I don’t even notice when he’s stopped talking.

“What about you?”

“Hmm?” I pull myself out of my daze, trying not to look as enchanted by him as I feel.

“Oh uhh, nothing to tell really.” I shrug, picking up my coffe, hoping he’ll change the subject while I sip on my caramel latte.

“I find that hard to believe. What do you do?”

“I just run a small cafe in town.”

I feel as though hearing about my life is about as interesting as watching water boil, but Spencer could have fooled me. He looks genuinely invested as I tell him about how I earned my bachelors and masters in business management, eventually opening up The Cottage. I didn’t have any experience in the food industry, but my friend Nicole had immediately been on board with the idea of coming on as my cook.

“It sounds wonderful. I’ll definitely have to stop by sometime.” He smiles at me before sipping on the last of his second cup of coffee.

“You’re welcome to bring Alice, only if you want to. And Nicole makes a killer risotto!”

“Of course! ...Oh! I knew we were forgetting something. Alice!”

“The entire reason you asked me here, just a minor detail.” I can’t help but snicker at our absent mindedness, how easy it was to be completely swept away in the tide that was Spencer Reid.

His face fades a bit, though I’m not sure why. He simply nods, folding his hands in his lap.

“Sorry if this is weird but umm... can I see a picture of her? It’s just, well, it might help me to get a better idea. You don’t have to, if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“Oh yeah!”He pulls out his wallet, unfolding a long strand of small photos, most of just his daughter, a few featuring him as well.

She was beautiful, brown eyed girl with soft, brown locks. She clearly had her fathers curly hair and soft, doe eyes. If it wasn’t obvious from the way he spoke about her, the pictures made it incredibly apparent that this girl was his whole world. Pure joy radiated from the photo of the two of them. I look up to to see the exact same look on his face, with a smile so big that his eyes crinkle.

That is the moment I knew he had me. I would follow this man anywhere, this adorable dad I had met on the toy isle only hours ago. The photos made it evident that she was just as crazy about him. It was almost too adorable for my heart to handle.

I take a deep breath before meeting his gaze, which is much closer now as we lean in over the table to look at the pictures.

“She’s beautiful.”

He looks down at the photos again with glassy eyes. “I know.”

He clears his throat and scoots back into his seat.

“So what did you have in mind?”

“Well, I have seen this online story that makes really pretty hand-made dresses that mimic the ones of each Disney Princess. Maybe a couple of her favorites? They also make knit blankets that look like mermaid tales. Or maybe a stuffed animal of one of her favorite characters? What little kid doesn’t like stuffed animals, right?”

Spencer nods along, absorbing all the suggestions I throw his way. After awhile, I help him settle on ordering a few we both like.

“I can’t wait to give these to her! She always loves Christmas morning. We open presents together and eat the cookies we made the night before while binging as many Christmas movies as possible.”

There was that smile again, the one he got when he talked about her. I wonder if she knows how lucky she is to have a dad that cares so much.

I can’t help but smile as well at the thought, which he quickly interrupted with “So what are your Christmas plans?”

I feel myself turning slightly red at the embarrassment of having to admit that I have none. Nothing much that is.

I shrug, hoping he won’t ask any more about it.

“Do you get to see your family?”

And there it was. The question I was desperately hoping to avoid. I know my inability to meet his gaze and consistent pulling at my fingers would be a dead give away of my uncertainty about speaking on the subject. I search for the best way to answer without seeming like I’m overcome with self pity. To be fair, I wasn’t. I didn’t mind spending the holidays alone. Not anymore. I had grown comfortable with the silence and comfort that comes from living alone.

The soft crackling of the fire, a fuzzy blanket, and a warm cup of hot chocolate had become my closest companions of each winter season. I spent many evenings curled up by the window, watching the snow dust the city as soft music flowed through my drafty, top floor apartment. Sometimes I’d dance and twirl around in my pajamas and socks, slipping and sliding on the wood floors. So yes, it was safe to say I truly enjoyed the time I spent getting to know myself.

“I uh, they’re not really around anymore. I was adopted by my parents when I was still a baby. They didn’t have any family but each other and then, well, me. I lost them to a car crash a few years back.”

I can tell he’s listening, but the one thing I always expect to see isn’t there. Pity. Instead I see kindness and understanding, and my heart welcomes it fully.

“Nicole is on vacation with her family for the holidays so it’s just me. I’m pretty used to it though, I make my own fun.” I give him smile to reinforce my point.

His eyes glaze over and I can tell I’ve lost him to a deep thought, as I see the gears turning in his head. He opens his mouth to speak before closing it again, and finally spouting out: “Come have dinner with us. On Christmas Eve.”

I had half expected a pity invite. A “why don’t you”. A “would you like to”. But Spencer hadn’t asked me. He had told me, in a way that left no room for arguing. I could tell he wasn’t going to budge on the matter. Whether it was the insistent but kind tone or the seriousness in his eyes, I don’t know. But I knew there was no use in fighting it. Not just the invitation, but the feelings quickly flooding my heart. Spencer Reid was like a fast approaching storm, but I didn’t want to outrun the rain. I wanted to dance in it, drenched in the downpour.

And that’s exactly what I did. As soon as I saw the look on his face when I said yes, it crashed over me like a wave, leaving me breathless and lost in the sea of my emotions.

[offda-rails-art]

Been a while since I’ve enjoyed art. I finally finished my story-no color becuase paint is expensive and I can expand more by doing what I love most-sketching. Slight gore warning, like typical horror movie gore⚠️

Thank you for anyone following me recently, even though I haven’t been very active. I hope this makes up for it. Peace and love. Lochlan’s story part one👇

The countryside of Hennessy had a horrible storm roll in. It poured endlessly all night and into morning. The seemingly endless pounding rain made everything a muddy slippery mess, and with that the tracks were overflowed with water. Travel for any engine was dangerous so it was decided that everyone would take the day off and wait out the storm inside. Old Red, Donner, and Cracker Jack had already been in the roundhouse that night and early in the morning they were told “no work for today. Too dangerous.”

Lochlan had still been on his job pulling a long train all night. Something that had been expected to be finished by early morning was delayed by the rain. Lochlan went along the tracks carefully and managed to deliver his train by late afternoon meanwhile the rest of the engines back at the roundhouse were confined to their berths all day. And with that the group of 3 were very bored.

Lochlan backed his way into his respective berth, he was soaked from being in the down pour all day. He was also visibly tired from his tedious journey of start stop all through the wet slippery tracks. Before the poor big engine could get a word out Cracker Jack piped up. “About time! Reds been going on and on about silly stories. We’ve traded back and forth on interesting ones of our own. Well, Donner and I at least. Reds giving the whole “Wild West romance, forbidden engine/human love” spiel again.” Cracker Jack groaned.

“My recounts of pistol packing cowgirls are not romance stories! I’m simply making it clear that women are just as dangerous as men! That’s all!” Red growled quick to defend himself. His face turning slightly pink.

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that you old fart.” Cracker Jack smirked. Even Donner gave a slight chuckle in agreement.

Lochlan smiled and shook what water dripped down his face off. Cracker Jack grinned up at Lochlan expectantly. “Suppose you have anything of your own to share?” Cracker Jack asked, his grin widened hoping that Lochlan would have a story to tell. At least one that wouldn’t put him to sleep. Or any about his love interests.

“Me? What kind of story? I don’t do much that interesting.” Lochlan sighed and tried to think of anything worth telling.

“Lochlan. You’re huge. You see the world from a different point of view everyday. You do the more than any other engine on the railway. You’ve been everywhere, you must have something?” Cracker Jack retorted. Lochlan frowned and clicked his tongue in thought. A loud crack of thunder boomed in the background and shook the roundhouse. The 4 engines jumped at the sudden loud noise. The natural fearful reaction to the loud noise gave Lochlan an idea.

“What about a scary story?” He smiled and knew exactly what to share. The other three raised their brows in interest. Cracker Jack noticeably grew attentive.

“Yes! I think we can all agree that horror over a whole romance novel is sure to help pass the time!” Cracker Jack grinned. It took Red a second to process the slight dig made at him. He only grumbled and rolled his eyes.

“Good! I have just the one! It happened the very first week I arrived here.” Lochlan grinned and cleared his throat to begin.

When Lochlan first arrived at Hennessy he was immediately tasked with pulling long trains of heavy and important cargo for distances many other engines couldn’t travel. He traveled from late at night till very early morning so naturally his rest time in the afternoon was spent in any noisy bustling yard he could manage to get a break in. Most of the time Lochlan couldn’t sleep with all the noise. He didn’t mind not napping but peace and quiet was something he could definitely enjoy. It seemed that wouldn’t be an option for a while with his break schedule. So, Lochlan decided to eavesdrop on his human counterparts. They did after all have interesting things to share. While in a yard one afternoon the prefect opportunity to eavesdrop came in, a group of engineers decided to take their break not far away from him. They sat down on some old flatbeds and joked around for a while. The oldest man in the group began talking about his past colleague who was a Native American. He recounted all kinds of interesting things his colleague shared. From ancestral meanings to cultural symbols, but then he brought up something strange. Lochlan grew curious and listened in best he could. The engineer asked the others if they ever heard what a “wendigo” was. The two men shook their heads. Lochlan listened in as the man explained to them what it was, and the reason for bringing it up.

The engineer grew serious before beginning, “ a couple years back a rancher went missing out by his home just a good ten miles from the south side of Hennessy. No one knew how he could possibly go missing, he was in touch with the locals and was a very smart man. He knew the wildlife and his homeland well enough to where an animal attack was ruled out. He carried a gun on him all the time to stay safe and no one would want to harm a lonely rancher with not much of anything to give anyway. Robbery and murder was ruled out too, especially after his home was found kept well with nothing out of the ordinary or missing. He just seemed to have vanished along with his horse and dog. The sheriff decided he could’ve left unannounced for private reasons and perhaps he would turn up soon. It wasn’t until a week later a hunter stumbled across what was left of the poor rancher. He was so severely mangled that the only thing that showed proof it was him was his hat, horse and dog. Whatever creature that did that couldn’t possibly be a bear, or even a pack of wolves. Only the rancher looked like something had eaten parts of him. His horse and dog were for the most part untouched, the possibility a rabid bear attacked him was brought up due to the massive claw marks and slashes embedded in his horse and dog. And how badly the man was shredded. But what bear could be that big? A search for whatever rabid bear or sick pack of wolves was put out but nothing was recovered.

No one wanted to admit but they were scared. The scene was so brutal it seemed almost impossible another living thing could do that. It was swept under the rug and everyone tried to forget about it in hopes it would just go away. It seems there’s no answer for what happened right? Well your wrong, that’s were this “wendigo” comes in. Wendigos have an insatiable hunger for human flesh, they crave taunting people and torturing them until giving them a brutal horrible death only to feast on their scared poor souls. They tower above the tallest pine trees, make blood curdling screams, and can strip the flesh from your bones instantly. He wasn’t attacked by a rabid animal, he was murdered and eaten alive by one of those foul beasts. Only something that big and mercilessly brutal could’ve done such a thing. And why eat just the person? An animal would’ve taken all it could get. Dog and horse would’ve been part of the main course as well.”

The two other men who listened in shuddered upon the end of the tale. Lochlan was intrigued but was interrupted by his crew coming to fetch him from his break. He needed to get back to work and couldn’t listen in anymore. He sighed and set off to collect his train, he had plenty of time to ponder what he just heard on his long quiet journey.

Lochlan enjoyed the unexplainable, everything had an explanation. An answer. While the story of the wendigo was interesting to him he couldn’t help but believe it was simply a tall tale. Even with how big and goofy the engine could be, he wasn’t gullible. The only way he’d believe something is if he witnessed it first hand. And as far as he knew he never saw any forest animal that towered over pine trees or had a specific desire for human flesh. But for some reason something inside him wouldn’t let go of it. The story was kept in the back of his mind and not forgotten.

Lochlans first week on Hennessy’s railway was almost over. He already gotten familiar with the area and his routes in the short time he was there. His job went swillingly and it was something he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his days doing. Oh, and no strange gigantic monsters hungry for human flesh appeared. There was one route Lochlan hadn’t traveled yet, and the unkept longer line of tracks was only taken if necessary but no reason was ever really given as to why it wasn’t used. But with only almost a week of experience on the railway he had a lot more to learn and explore.

While Lochlan pulled a long train of cargo with the morning newspaper edition, important mail, and dairy that needed to get to its destination quickly in order to not spoil he came to a stop when he realized his normal route back into Hennessy was blocked. Someone had derailed and a big mess of tar trucks were scattered everywhere. Lochlans engineers grew frustrated and argued with the crewmen in charge of cleaning up the wreck. “Listen pal, it’s going to take all night to clean this mess up. You’ll just have to wait until morning to pass through or go through the south side.” The agitated worker groaned and pointed up ahead to a route Lochlan wasn’t familiar with.

“Well. We most certainly ain’t got time to wait. I’ve got the morning paper to deliver and dairy that will spoil! Come on big feller we’ll just have to go through the south side which will still delay our schedule because some incompetent idiot can’t operate an engine worth Jack shit.” Lochlans engineer growled and made his way back to his cab. Lochlan looked on curiously up ahead at this new route. The grass ahead was severely overgrown, and by the looks of the track no one seemed to have been down it for a decade. His cow plow would come in handy to shove away any overgrowth that littered the track up ahead. Lochlan puffed down the track without incident. He sliced through any overgrowth that littered his path, and was thankful for his bright headlamp because it seemed any lights that lit up the track before had been left not repaired. Lochlan had come upon something odd as he plunged further down the unused route. A herd of deer were stopped close by the tracks, what was odd to him was that the animals didn’t acknowledge his presence at all. It was normal for the forest animals to hurriedly clear the way when any loud engine chuffed close, to the animals an engine was another predator to run away from. But the large herd of deer stood stalk still, their backs turned towards him and their heads cocked up looking into the distance at something. They didn’t dare move and their fear was focused on something Lochlan couldn’t see. Lochlan raised a brow and chuffed by but the deer didn’t move. Even as steam whooshed out and his own massive frame rumbled on the rails shaking the ground. The deer seemed to care less about him. It was one of the most peculiar things he had seen, but he had no idea it was about to get worse.

Tumblr limits posts and I have to many illustrations to do one part. So I’ll have to skeet part two in another separate post. Stick around for the second part if you enjoy so far. Thanks so much for people who’ve stuck around my blog and actually wanted to read my stories. I really really appreciate it.

[estellaelysian]

Let me be in your Life like that (Dakota x MC)

A/N: First of all, happy Valentine's Day to all of you guys.

I was feeling so bad and guilty that I had written a fic for Ethan and Alishka and not for Dakota and Amber, that I couldn't help myself, and hence, I had to write this. So yes, you guys are in for a ride, and there are going to be two Valentine’s Day fics.

Also, this is complete fluff, because we are saving the angst for the series.

(And please excuse my errors if any, I haven’t gone through them!)

**********

‘Hey Amber,’ Dakota said, sounding slightly raw and throaty. ‘I am running late, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Go on and start the movie without me, I have already seen it anyway.’

Click.

Amber sighed.

No hey how are you? No hey, I am so sorry I can’t make it in time … just I am running late and go start the movie without me.

Classic Dakota.

‘What did he say?’ Mateo asked beside her. ‘Is he coming?’

‘No. He said he is running late. Oh, and that we should start without him.’

‘Oh,’ Mateo said, sounding just as dejected as she felt. ‘Well let’s start then.’

‘Yeah, let’s start.’

She balanced up the iPad she held, and at that very moment, she got a notification of a video message from Dakota.

Holding her breath, she opened the video, and there he stood, dressed in a hoodie, wearing a bright smile.

He grinned at the camera.

‘Hey Amber, I know it’s Valentine’s Day, and I know you are mad at me for not being there to watch the movie like we planned to do… Well, I am not at your house with you. I promise I am not standing you up, it’s the opposite of that. I love you, and I just want your Valentine’s Day to be perfect. I don’t know how to do this, umm … you know, I am just trying to do this perfectly, and my mind being the way it is, I can right now think of a million different ways this could go and I am freaking nervous, but all I know is I want this to be special and that you should always remember this. So, here goes…’

Amber pressed a hand to her mouth, keeping from saying anything as she watched Dakota step away and in the next moment, he was in the school, sitting in front of the green screen, talking to Jayden and Heather.

‘So, hello to both of you. I hope you are doing well on this bright day.’

‘Why yes we are,’ Jayden said, grinning widely. ‘And can I just say what a pleasure it is to have you here?’

‘Oh thank you. It is fun to be around you guys, but today I am actually here because I have something to tell my girlfriend.’

‘Oh yeah? Amber?’

‘Yeah, I think she is watching this right now.’

‘Uh, actually, there has been some technical problem,’ Heather said, looking at Dakota. ‘This is not broadcasting now.’

‘NO?’

‘No,’ she said apologetically.

‘But Dakota wait. I can arrange something,’ Jayden said, looking between Dakota and Heather. ‘Just gimme some minutes, I can–’

‘Nah, its fine actually, I can think of doing something else.’

‘No, no, just give me a few minutes…’

But Dakota was already leaving his seat in haste. ‘I am sorry, you guys, I’ll see you soon. For now, I’ve to go.’

And in the next step, he was at another setting, wearing a white sleeveless tee and blue jeans, smiling. She recognized almost all the classmates that entered the frame, all in same clothes.

Faint music started playing in the background, and Dakota made a goofy grin.

‘We could leave the Christmas lights up till January… this is our place, we make the rules. And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear. Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?’

Amber smiled at him singing, the best way he could, her hand still pressed to her mouth as he continued.

‘Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And ah, take me out, and take me home … you’re my, my, my, my lover.’

The music stopped, and his voice rang out, loud and clear. ‘This is too cheesy,’ he declared, watching as the classmates danced and danced, not bothering to stop. With a scoff, he left the screen…

… to emerge a moment later at another location, this time the dog park, again, a trail of classmates following him.

‘Wise men said, only fools rushed in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.’

She giggled as one of the girls moved around and stumbled into him.

‘Shall I stay? Would it be a sin, if I can’t help falling in love with you?’ he sang sweetly.

But their classmates were completely onto him now, flirting and seducing, pulling down his suspenders repeatedly, making Amber laugh. He tried dodging their attempts, but they continued, quite voluptuously, and he kept pulling his suspenders back on.

‘Cut, cut! CUT IT!’ he said, looking exasperated, and all the people stopped dancing or rather, seducing him. ‘Good god, this is a disaster.’

There was another change of frame, and now, he stood in front of Dairy Queen, amidst the people who barely paid attention to the camera that filmed him.

And then, all of a sudden, music came blaring through, and a man and woman who stood right in front of the camera started dancing, like professionals would.

She watched in awe as the woman was swept, quite effortlessly, off her feet and up into the air, as she spinned gracefully in the man’s arms.

And then another couple followed suit.

And then everyone was dancing to the music, and again, she saw Dakota singing as she smiled at the frame. But this time, it wasn’t right in front of the frame. He was barely visible as he sang and danced in the crowd.

‘I don’t wanna think too much, I just wanna feel. You know that it ain’t no rush. Let me keep it real. Just let me be in your life like that, in your life like that. I’ll bring the light right back, I’ll bring the life right back. I’m gonna make you want more, I’m gonna be your new favorite. Tell ‘em you’re closing the door, I’m the only for sure…’

He kneeled with a rose in his hand, smiling.

She giggled unknowingly, and again, the music stopped, this time, Lennox appearing out of nowhere.

‘Where is Amber? Is she here?’ Dakota asked, and she shook her head.

‘What? You didn’t bring her?

‘No, that wasn’t my job! Amy here was supposed to get her!’

‘Wha–’

‘I can fix it. Just wait a sec, I’ll call her.’

‘You’re gonna call her? he asked as she pulled out her phone.

‘Oh my God, you guys, I am so sorry,’ he said, turning to the crowd of dancers waiting expectantly. ‘I am so sorry.’

His mom appeared in the frame now, holding a fancy tux jacket. ‘Here, darling, put this on.’

‘Mom, what are you doing?’

‘Come on, put this on, you are gonna need it.’

He pulled on the jacket, and she handed him a small paper bag along with a laser tag.

‘Use this. Use it now!’

In a blind moment, he drew a circle down on the ground and jumped in, as a woman, who she did not recognize appeared in the video.

Soon, they were in a pursuit, running down the deserted and dark streets, but before long, the woman caught up with Dakota, snatching the bag right out of his hands.

‘Hey!’ he said, whirling around to face her.

‘She doesn’t need this. Did you ever think what might e in here? What is it that you are protecting with all your heart?’

She turned the bag upside down, and down fell bits of paper.

‘Nothing. She doesn’t need fancy gifts. She needs you, there, right now, and if you do want to give her something, it should be this,’ she said, handing him a basket.

And then she was gone.

By now, Amber was completely still, holding her breath. Dakota turned to look at the empty street in shock, but then, before long, started walking down, under the golden pool of light.

She recognized the neighborhood. He was getting close.

Oh God….

The doorbell startled her, and she looked at Mateo.

‘Go, open it,’ he urged, smiling at her. ‘He’d want to see you after so much of running around.’

A giggle escaped her lips as she stood and went to open the door, and there he stood, her Dakota, looking smart and handsome, and disheveled at the same moment, his hair tousled.

he looked absolutely perfect.

‘I love you, Amber,’ he whispered. ‘I love you so, so much. Here,’ he held out the straw basket to her, which seemed to be carrying gummy bears, roses and a few notes.

But she was way past caring about what was in the basket.

She threw her arms around him, and he held her as relieved laughter and tears left her body.

‘I love you too,’ she said, tightening the embrace.

**********

So yeah, that just happened. It is inspired from a video I watched, and ... yeah, sorry if things got too cheesy.

Thank you for reading.

Tagging: @tenaciouslandvoidgiant @choicesaddict5 @starrystarrytrouble @dakotasteach @kodysteach @vishhhi 

Let me know if  you want to be added or removed

[ridiculously-over-obsessed]

I can haz domestic staubrey?

Yes you can boo 😘

Who reaches out to new neighbors

Aubrey, it’s the southern upbringing. She’s always hosting dinner parties for neighbours, always looking to make each new resident feel like they’re at home. Stacie loves this about Aubrey, loves the soft domestic look that she has when she’s in their kitchen cooking enough food to feed a small army.

Who remembers to buy healthy food

Aubrey. She’s a bit of a health nut, never able to really shake her old Bella habits. Given her obsessive nature Stacie keeps a close eye on it because she knows it can get (and has gotten) out of control, but she supports Aubrey wanting them to have a healthy and balanced lifestyle, plus as she likes to say a lot: “You did fall in love with my gorgeous form before I’d even opened my mouth, I’ve got to keep it nice for you.” Stacie thinks it’s really cute when Aubrey cuts the vegetables into fun shapes for their kids to get them to eat them.

Who remembers to buy junk food

Stacie. She buys it because she knows when Aubrey gets crazy obsessive over what they eat that she’ll forget to eat the things that make her happy (because as healthy as kale is, it doesn’t exactly spark joy) and Stacie wants Aubrey to remember to be kind to herself, even if it’s just a frozen pizza on days she doesn’t feel like cooking. It’s also her that gets their kids hopped up on sugar which she thinks is amusing until the day that Aubrey tells her that she’s going to get a coffee with Chloe and maybe go get a manicure whilst Stacie deals with the kids who need feeding, a bath, and a nap, as well as long list of household chores that Stacie has to do whilst dealing with the sugar high 2-7 year olds. After that? Not so funny...

Who fixes the oven when it breaks

Aubrey. Her dad taught her how to do all sorts of household and car stuff when she was growing up, never wanting her to have to rely on anyone else. Aubrey, with her toolbelt around her waist, her hair pulled back, a look of intense concentration on her face is the hottest thing Stacie has ever seen, to the point where she has seriously considered deliberately breaking things around their house just to see Aubrey “all butch”.

Who waters the plants/feeds their pet(s)

Aubrey. She has a strict regime and timetable for watering and caring for the plants around the place, and even their pets are on a tightly kept food/treats/walks schedule. Stacie thinks it’s really cute, and a great, healthy outlet for Aubrey’s need to be in control.

Who wakes up earlier

Stacie. You’d think it would be Aubrey given her early starts to go for a run and make breakfast and go to work, but Stacie trains herself over the course of their relationship to wake up earlier than her girlfriend because she enjoys seeing the peace in her face when she’s asleep, enjoys seeing the sleep disheveled look that Aubrey sports as she splays out in their bed. It’s the Aubrey that only she gets to see and if it means that she has to wake up at 4am to see it. Aubrey is a heavy sleeper (at least Stacie thinks so) which means that some mornings Stacie traces the outline of Aubrey’s features, just wanting to commit every last part of her to memory. Aubrey is however a fairly light sleeper and is always woken up when Stacie does this but doesn’t let it show. She loves the caring way in which Stacie traces her face and  won’t ever do anything to make her stop doing that.

Who makes the bed

Both. Yes Aubrey is something of a neat freak, but Stacie likes coming home to a nicely made bed too, so when they get up they make the bed together before they go make coffee. Aubrey never says it out loud but there is nothing she loves more than these little domestic moments with Stacie, these moments that make her feel normal and loved in a way that she never thought she’d have. Stacie knows this without Aubrey having to say it though, and she makes sure that she gives Aubrey as many of these ‘normal’ domestic moments as she can to remind Aubrey that she loves her.

Who makes the coffee

Stacie. Again, she loves giving Aubrey these little domestic moments, these moments where the woman she loves passes her a mug of coffee and kisses her cheek sleepily. Stacie loves these little domestic moments too, and loves them even more when Aubrey gets up earlier than Stacie (which happens so rarely) and brings her a coffee in bed, because it’s these moments that Aubrey wears her heart on her sleeve for a morning and tells Stacie how much she loves her.

Who burns breakfast

Neither of them. Both Stacie and Aubrey are great cooks so no-one burns anything until they have kids. The first few months of fitting kids into their dynamic and learning a new routine means that on occasion the toast is a little singed but never indelibly burnt. Neither Stacie or Aubrey mind that though, it feels like a ‘normal’ family dynamic, one that neither of them had really had before.

How do they let each other know they’re leaving the house

More often than not, they leave at the same time, sharing a kiss before they walk out of the door together. Once Bella comes along, and then their other kids, Stacie and Aubrey take turns to take maternity leave when they’re small. Aubrey will always kiss each of her children on the forehead and then Stacie, lingering a little before pulling back: “I love you mommy, have a good day.” which makes Stacie melt. Stacie gives every kid a big hug  before draping her arms around Aubrey’s neck and whispering something in her ear that makes her a little red, then kisses her innocently and leaves. Aubrey pretends she hates it, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

How do they greet each other when one of them gets home

Pre-kids, it’s always with a kiss as the other passes them a glass of wine. Post-kids, they’re usually mobbed by 1-4 children all screaming “Mama!” as their wife smiles at them and kisses them softly once she’s maneuvered her way around their children. Aubrey loves being swept into the arms of her loving family when she gets home after a long day, and once the kids have all been peeled of their mother, Stacie pulls Aubrey into her arms, sometimes dipping her if she’s feeling extra goofy, and kisses her deeply. Stacie loves nothing more than seeing her family after the long days in her lab and once her kids have scampered off to do something, she walks over to Aubrey who’s usually making dinner at the stove and winds her arms around her waist, kissing her neck as she sighs happily. It’s a little thing, but it’s everything to both of them.

Who brings home little gifts like flowers/chocolates more often

Stacie. She knows that sometimes Aubrey is insecure about their relationship and needs reminding that Stacie loves her to death. So she’ll sweep into their apartment, their house, Aubrey’s office, anywhere she needs to with a bouquet of lilies (Aubrey’s favourite) and a kiss, and more often than not with a little speech about how much she loves Aubrey and how grateful she is that she’s in her life.

Who picks the movie for movie night

They take it in turns, Aubrey usually opting for a musical, Stacie opting for some kind of crime drama. It doesn’t matter what they watch though, because Aubrey is content to just sit curled up in Stacie’s arms and spends more time thinking about how lucky she is then actually watching the movie.

Their favorite kind of movie to watch

The thing they both agree in is true crime documentaries, it’s a guilty pleasure they both indulge in (although sometimes Aubrey can’t help but yell at the lawyers/law enforcement when they’re being dumb).

Who first suggests a pillow fort

Stacie. It’s something she used to do with her brother and sisters growing up and she wants to do it with their kids. Aubrey can’t argue with all of them pleading with her to make a pillow fort, especially when they all look at her with big sad eyes in the way that makes her heart melt.

Who builds the pillow fort

Aubrey. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it properly.” It’s the best damn fort in the whole world, more akin to a pillow mansion, and the kids love it. Stacie loves it too, and especially loves Aubrey’s take charge attitude. Stacie is very grateful that the pillow fort is so distracting for their kids as she pulls Aubrey into the bedroom.

Who tries to distract the other during the movie

Stacie. She can’t help herself, here Aubrey Posen is in her arms, looking so beautiful and she’s supposed to sit there and ignore that? It starts off innocently enough, just simple kisses and gentle caresses of Aubrey’s arms, but hands and lips quickly wander, and Aubrey will always giggle and protest a little bit, but she will never ever turn Stacie down.

Who falls asleep first

Both of them fall asleep at the same time usually, but in the early years of their relationship it’s Stacie that falls asleep first because Aubrey stays awake, wanting to make sure that Stacie is still there, still with her as she falls asleep, because she can’t quiet believe that Stacie has picked her and she’s scared if she falls asleep first she’ll wake up to find it’s all a dream.

Who is big spoon/little spoon

Stacie is the big spoon. Aubrey is the more authoritive of the two yes, but in bed next to her girlfriend Aubrey doesn’t have to be the one in charge, the one with all the responsibility. She’s just Aubrey, not Captain Posen, not Aubrey Posen esq., just Aubrey, and being in Stacie’s arms, held tight to her body, feeling Stacie’s warm breath on the back of her neck is the place where Aubrey feels the safest and happiest that she has ever been.

RJ why must they be so damn soft??? Thanks for this! 🥰💖

Send me a ship and I’ll give you my angsty or domestic headcanons!

[weirdcanucks]

For today's feature film, we look at Kevan Funk’s critically-acclaimed debut feature Hello Destroyer. The film swept Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle, winning 5 awards including Best Canadian Picture, Best BC Film, and Best Director. I've compiled a bunch of reviews and filmmaker interviews on the institutionalized violence, hockey culture, the craft of filmmaking and the Todd Bertuzzi case. 

Synopsis

A young junior hockey player Tyson Burr’s life is shattered when a routine hockey play goes bad. In an instant his life is abruptly turned upside down; torn from the fraternity of the team and the coinciding position of prominence, he is cast as a pariah and ostracized from the community. As he struggles with the repercussions of the event, desperate to find a means of reconciliation and a sense of identity, his personal journey ends up illuminating troubling systemic issues around violence.

Where to Stream

CBC Gem if you are in Canada

Keep Reading for

Directors Guild of Canada post screening Q&A: does the Todd Bertuzzi case inspired the film?

Aggressively Canadian: An interview with the director Kevan Funk

Hello Destroyer explores the thin line between hockey menace and model

Review from Josh Cabrita of VIFF

More filmmaker Q&As

Content Warning: Violence 

🎤 DGC Post screening Q&A

Audience: I grew up in BC. I remember in high school, the Todd Bertuzzi case was hung over the news of the city for a while. And I was just wondering if that's something that inspired this film at all?

Funk: Yeah. Todd Bertuzzi is my favourite hockey player of all time. So, yes definitely. I grew up in Banff, but I was a Canucks fan. The Todd Bertuzzi thing was something that I found remarkably frustrating at the time because I remember it really well too. I remember the hit on Steve Moore ahead of time when he hit Naslund, and I remember very well there was this intense bloodlust in Vancouver for retribution. And I don't mean just like among the fans. (There were) literally editorials about being like "we get pushed around too much, we need some identity. You can't let this happen, blah blah blah." And Todd was that guy. I still think Todd certainly deserves to be held responsible for what happened as an individual in that incident. But again, like that moment in terms of thinking about cultural culpability and how the idea of an act of violence extends beyond just a perpetrator of a crime and the victim and how a much broader group of people are implicated. I'm I really don't believe this idea of good and evil is something that really exists. There's like a select handful of people who we might be able to define as evil. But I think most violence that exists has a lot to do with social or cultural conditions around the people who are involved in that.

The Todd Bertuzzi thing was definitely something that informed it. I was hesitant to talk about it earlier before the film sort of got its own life and took out its own legs because I didn't want it to be "the Todd Bertuzzi story" because it informed it. But so did Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, a lot of these guys. And to be honest, the fundamental thing that started me on writing this film was Errol Morris's film Standard Operating Procedure. It's about the prison guards at Abu Ghraib who were busted for this despicable torture. He does this incredible thing of holding them morally responsible for what they did, but also showing that they're victims of a system that essentially asked them to do this and then throw them all under the bus to wipe its hands clean when it becomes public. So that came first. But certainly heavily informed by Todd Bertuzzi. I mean, his name is Tyson Burr. You know, there're some strong hockey knots in there.

🎤 Aggressively Canadian: An interview with the director Kevan Funk

NOTEBOOK: You’re a Canadian filmmaker making a film with hockey in it, so there’s an impression that the film is about hockey. But from watching the film there’s a sense that it’s not the game, necessarily, that interests you, that if you were working in a different setting, you’d have made the same film, but about, say, football or the military instead of hockey. Would you say that that’s an accurate assessment?

KEVAN FUNK: Yes. The inclusion of hockey has much more to do with its presence as a cultural institution, because the film is very much about institutionalized violence. I have this frustration with English[-language] Canadian cinema’s lack of boldness in terms of embracing our identity and placing ourselves in Canada. So I knew I wanted to make something that was very Canadian, and so hockey just sort of ended up being that. 

Hockey movies are super interesting in that they’re associated with being very Canadian, but most of them—the majority of them—are goofy comedies that say very little about either Canada or the sport of hockey itself. So again, even though Hello Destroyer wasn’t a film about hockey per se—certainly more the setting than the subject, having that locker room culture be reflective of an actual reality was very important to me, because I don't think that it’s represented properly in most work.

📄 Seventh Row: Hello Destroyer explores the thin line between hockey menace and model

In major junior hockey, players must walk a thin line between what their coaches deem acceptable and unacceptable violence. If players avoid violence, they risk being seen as “soft” by their teammates and employers. At a home game when the team is trailing, the coach, Dale Milbury (a name referencing two notorious champions of hockey violence, Dale Hunter and Mike Milbury), demands that the team “protect the house”. Eager to prove his worth, Tyson throws an illegal check that slams an opposing player face-first into the boards, leaving his opponent with broken vertebrae and a brain hemorrhage.

Televised hockey tends to glorify cheering for violence but provides no explicit reminder of any physical consequences. Hello Destroyer breaks this convention and does not sanitise the violence. In Funk’s hands, a fight is not heroic, gladiatorial combat, but sweaty, desperate grappling, conveyed through the thudding of fists, cries of pain, and, loudest of all, the cheering crowd. Funk frames the fights themselves in claustrophobic close-ups, frequently shifting focus, and never quite providing a clear view as the punches connect. The effect is alienating, and it forces an audience familiar with hockey fights to confront their brutality. Funk implicates fans for enabling violence by foregrounding the pleasure on their faces and the players’ pain through the physical ugliness of the fight.

✏️ Review from Josh Cabrita of VIFF

Kevan Funk’s debut feature, Hello Destroyer, is not only a perceptive exegesis of Canada’s colonial history and cinematic representations of hockey, but also about a myth that all children who play the game grow up with. Funk has stated in interviews that if the film was made in another country, it might’ve been set in the military or a different institution, but the fact that Hello Destroyer -- one of very few Canadian films to grapple with the sport’s hypocrisy -- takes place in the world of junior hockey makes it hard to deny the specifics for the allegory. The buzzing sounds of the overhead lights in a vacant rink, the dress code of having a black suit and tie for every game, the anger expelled at a hockey stick during a coach’s rant: these are all textures and details I’m firmly acquainted with. Yet it’s these same environmental observations that form the basis for a critique of hockey culture's contradictions and hypocrisy: contemplation and belligerence, civility and violence, alienation and ‘community’.

But, above all else, this is a film about culpability: the role complacency, the status quo and generational exchanges play in redirecting guilt to maintain a corrupt system of power. Tyson may not be the main perpetrator against the opposing team’s player (for guilt requires free will - something the film posits is out of his hands), but he’s most certainly guilty of contributing to a culture that normalizes the root causes of such an action: how he willingly shaves his own head after his teammates buzz it in a ritualistic hazing, how he remains silent when a lawyer fills in his voice, and how he stands by as a teammate is awarded the player of the game and parades a traditional indigenous headdress around the dressing room.

🎤 VIFF Post screening Q&A

[cryingoverafictionalcharacter]

You Aren't Fragile (Part 2)

Prompt: Its been six months since your accident, and things are starting to get back to normal. You are stronger than ever, you feel like a true member to the team, and you and Bucky have been secretly dating all that time, and now that you’ve completely healed, you’re ready to take your relationship to the next step.

PART 1

Warnings: Mentions of angst, swearing, smut ending in fluff (We use protection in this house! Don’t be silly wrap your willy folks!)

Word Count: 2K

Note: Oh my GOD I didn’t know so many of you would love “you aren't fragile” part one so much! Your support honestly means so much you guys have no idea. I hope you enjoy this next part, and here's a link to part one if you haven't read that yet, though you probably don’t need to but it’ll make me happy if you did!

The sound of flesh hitting plastic echoed through the training room as I flipped Bucky onto his back for the fourth time today, grinning to myself as Bucky let out an irritated sigh.

“You know, when I said I’d let you beat me up whenever you wanted, I didn’t think I’d be this often” He said, sitting up on his elbows to get a better look at me as I stood proudly, laughing.

It has been six months since the accident that left me on bed rest for almost six weeks, but I have almost completely healed, thanks to stark tech, as well as Bucky constantly pestering me making sure I didn’t push myself too hard, and now I was back in fighting shape, and getting even better than I was before.

“No take backs now” I said, extending my hand to help him get up, which he accepted, standing to his feet. Bucky had been with me every step of the way. He came to my room every day while I was on bed rest, reading to me, telling me gossip about the other Avengers, watching movies, and lots, and I mean lots of making out.

Bucky and I have been secretly dating ever since he found me on the gym floor and I kissed him for the first time. It was (as corny as it sounds) absolutely magical. When everyone in the tower had gone to sleep, we’d sneak out into the kitchen and have little dinner dates, or go into each others rooms to spend the night, but even after six months, we still haven't gone any farther than making out and the occasional grinding. It was torture. I felt like a teenage boy with blue balls, but Bucky always stopped us before we could go any further, always saying he didn’t want to accidentally hurt me, and that he needed to be sure I was completely healed before we went any further.

“Ok, let me know when you’re ready” Bucky said, getting into a fighting position, and me mirroring his actions.

“Come at me old man” I joked, causing a grin to spread across his face before he lunged at me. I dodged it, moving to the right and aiming a jab for his face, which he also dodged. This went on for a couple minutes, before I finally swept my leg at his ankles, causing him to fall on his back.

“How the hell do you keep doing that?!” Bucky practically yelled. He was proud of my progress since the accident, but was starting to get irritated at how often I kicked his ass.

“What can I say, I’m the best” I laughed, shrugging my shoulders and reaching out my hand to help him up once again which he took, but this time instead of getting up, he pulled me down to the floor with him, causing me to scream as I flew to the ground before landing on his chest.

“Oh shit I’m sorry, I got carried away and I didn’t mean to hurt you are you...” Bucky trailed off, interrupted by the sound of me laughing into his chest. “What's so funny?”

“You, stupid” I continued, laughing even harder when he pulled a face. “Don’t get me wrong, I know you aren't trying to make me feel fragile, but I can tell when you’re being extra carful with me, even though I’ve told you a million times I’m fine” I stated, rolling off of him to lay next to him.

“I know you say you’re fine, and you’re doing really well, like annoyingly well, but I just don’t want to hurt you. You’re not fragile, but you are still breakable” He said in a serious tone looking into my eyes.

“Could a breakable person kick your ass six times in a single day” I asked, causing him to groan, but I could see he was fighting a smile.

“It wasn’t six” He said, sitting up on his elbows, looking down on me.

“No I’m pretty sure it was six” I said, continuing to be annoying, Bucky Rolled his eyes before leaning in closer to my face.

“Just shut up and let me kiss you, dumb ass” He said, causing me to feign a look of shock, before smiling and closing the space between us, pressing my lips to his and bringing my arms up to rest around his neck, while his hand went down my waist, one arm still supporting his weight.

The kiss started off goofy, a way to get me to stop bashing his fighting skills, but it quickly became deeper as I pulled him closer, and his tongue traced my bottom lip. I allowed him access, and we spent a while like that, just exploring each other. But just as soon as I moved my hand an started to bring it down his chest he pulled away, causing me to groan in frustration.

“Would you stop cock blocking me?” I said, causing him to smile shaking his head at me for a second before his face went serious again.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked looking into my eyes and I could read the concern, as well as the self doubt. “I don’t want to hurt you, or disappoint you, or-”

“James Buchanan Barnes, if you don't fuck me right now I will lose my god damn mind” I interrupted him, placing both of my hand of the side of his face, forcing him to look at me so he knew I meant business. That was all it took, a shit eating grin spreading across his face.

“Yes ma’am” He said, before suddenly standing and throwing me over his shoulder, causing me to squeal before letting out a laugh as we made his way to his room.

We got into his room, him kicking and locking the door closed behind him before he dropped me onto my back on his bed, quickly making work on getting off his clothes as I did the same. I got down to my  panties before he was on me again.

“You have a condom?” I asked, to which he nodded, reaching into his night stand and pulling out the foil package, opening it before slipping the condom onto his length.

He looked down at me, fulling taking me in and I began to get self conscious, going to cross my arms over my chest but he quickly moved them away, then he was moving down to slip my panties down my legs, throwing them to the other side of the room.

He crawled up my body, using his hand to rub himself between my folds before finally pushing into me, causing my to throw my head back and wince at his size, and him to groan.

“So tight for me doll” Bucky muttered in my ear, allowing me time to adjust before I nodded my head, giving him the signal that he could move.

He started off slow, almost fully pulling out before going back in, filling me completely. He went slow for a while, allowing me to fully adjust, resting his head in the crook of my neck and nipping at the sensitive skin below my ear which I knew would leave a mark in the morning.

“God Bucky, please” I gasped, trying to tell him to go faster, but not being able to form the words.

“Please what y/n, I need to here you baby” Bucky said in my ear, causing a shiver to run up my spine.

“Faster” Was all I could say, before he was suddenly rocking into me with much more force, causing me to gasp loudly with each thrust of his hips. 

He was filling me to the brim, hitting that one spot perfectly every time, then I felt his hand trace down my stomach and rest on my bundle of nerves, quickly rubbing his fingers against my clit and I was gone.

“Ah Bucky I’m- Fuck I’m so close” I managed to get out between gasps.

“Come for me baby, I’m right behind ya” Bucky said, re connecting his mouth to the skin on my neck, causing pleasurer to rush through my body.

Then it was like a coil in me snapped, and I was coming hard, clenching around him as I saw stars, screaming his name as I rode out my orgasm. Bucky coming soon after, after a few more thrusts, emptying himself into the condom.

I caught my breath, then looked up at his face to see he was already looking at me, a smile on his lips. He closed the space between us to kiss me again before rolling to the side, discarding the used rubber, and pulling me closer to him, as well as the covers over us.

“That was...” Bucky started, not being able to find the words.

“Fucking awesome” I finished, causing him to chuckle, kissing the side of my face.

“Wow so romantic” He joked, causing me to turn around to face him, giving him a fake glare before smiling.

“What can I say, I’m a poet” I joked, but Bucky didn’t laugh, he just looked at me in a dreamy state, running his fingers along the side of my face, then tracing them down my arm, creating little shaped in his wake.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you” He said in a much more sober tone, the humorous energy morphing into something more gentle, more loving.

“I love you” I said, kissing him before moving closer to rest my head on his chest.

“I love you too” He said, wrapping his arm around my body, pulling me closer.

“Hey Bucky” I chimed up after a few minutes, earning a groan from him, probably because he was already halfway asleep.

“So, why didn’t you tell me the serum gave you, like, a massive dick, because its only polite to give a girl some heads up” I started before Bucky interjected.

“Y/n oh my GOD go to sleep” He practically whined but I could hear the smile in his voice, causing me to giggle before finally cuddling closer to him and falling asleep.

The next morning I woke up before waking Bucky, wanting to get some food since I was pretty energy depleted from last night. I stopped by my room to change into some of my PJs before heading out to the kitchen. We still wanted to keep our relation private, at least for a little longer, because we both knew we would never hear the end of it once it was out in the open.

I went out to the kitchen, pouring myself a bowl of cereal, just starting to eat when Natalie walked in, eyeing me strangely. She turned to make her own food right as Bucky walked in, giving me a smile before grabbing a cup of coffee and coming to sit next to me, resting his hand on my leg under the table.

“So...” Natalie started, looking at the both of us “You guys have fun last night?”

My stomach hit the floor. She knew. How the fuck does she know?! I looked to Bucky and he seemed to be having the same thought.

“What do you mean by that” Bucky asked, taking a sip of coffee trying to act casual.

“Well I’m assuming Y/N didn’t put that massive hickey on her neck by herself” Natalie said simply, causing Bucky to choke on his coffee before quickly looking to me and moving my hair to the side, and sure enough, giant hickey.

“I don’t know how that- I mean I- ugh, just please don’t tell anyone, we want to keep it to ourselves for a while before getting everyone involved in our personal stuff” I said, failing to make an excuse.

“Don’t tell anyone what?” Tony said, walking into the kitchen, his eyes quickly landing on me.

“Holy shit Buck are you a fucking leech or something look at the size of that!” Tony practically yelled, completely giddy as he rushed to the other side of the table to beside me, pressing a finder to the bruise. “Does it hurt when I do that?”

“Ow, yes it does you dick head!” I complained, swatting his hand away, causing him to retreat to the other side of the table, giggling to Natalie who also couldn’t contain her smile”

“Well, were doomed” I sighed, looking to Bucky who had a giant smile plastered across his face, happy that he could finally tell the world that I was his, and he was mine.

“It was nice while it lasted” Bucky joked, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. “It’s kind of hot though, might give you some more later” Bucky said, causing me to slap him playfully before he leaned in and kissed me. Sure we had wanted to keep our relationships to ourselves for a while more, but I’m excited I get to be out in public with him.

“Hey, hey no fucking in the kitchen!” Tony yelled, causing Bucky and I to break away laughing. Or maybe not.

____________________________________________________________

AH! I hoped you guys like it! I don’t write smut that often so I hope it wasn’t terrible. LMK if you have any fic recs, or just want to give me some feedback I always appreciate it!

[andcontemplation]

Video Store Fridays -- the full list

With the help of @unpredictablybittersweet and @hopbyers98​  I got all VSF off the whiteboard and into a spreadsheet this afternoon (yes that is how bored I am) and I’ve pasted all 274 titles alphabetically below. @unpredictablybittersweet​ and I will be working on getting it organized and searching for patterns & clues 🔍 If there's something you think is notable about any of these movies, hit the reblog and let us know!

<< BE KIND, REWIND <<

300

12 Monkeys

13th Warrior

2001: a Space Odyssey

28 Days Later

47 Meters Down: Uncaged

Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Almost Famous

Altered States

Amalie

American Sniper

Analyze This

Annihilation

Aristocats

Armageddon

Arrival

Assassin's Creed Movie

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Babe: Pig in the City

Back Draft

Basketcase

Batman Begins

Batman vs. Superman

Battle of Big Rock

Beauty and the Beast

Beetlejuice

Behind Enemy Lines

Beverly Hills Cop

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Billy Madison

Black Cauldron

Black Swan

Blade Runner: 2049

Blair Witch Project

Boondock Saints

Borat

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Broken Arrow

Burn After Reading

C.H.U.D.

Cabin in the Woods

Carrie

Casablanca

Castaway

Children of Men

Cider House Rules

Clueless

Conair

Congo

Constantine

Crank

Crimson Tide

Dances With Wolves

Dark Knight

Death to Smoochy

Deep Blue Sea

Die Hard 1 2 & 3

Dogma

Don's Plum

Don't Breathe

Doom

Dreamcatcher

Drop Dead Fred

Dukes of Hazard

Dumb & Dumber

Easter Egg (not a movie??)

Edward ScissorHands

Emma

Enter the Void

Event Horizon

Ex Machina

Fallen

Fargo

Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Final Destination

Fisher King

Forrest Gump

Fugitive

Full Metal Jacket

Get Out

Ghost

Ghostbusters

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Girl, Interrupted

Gladiator (?)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Good Fellas

Good Will Hunting

Hackers

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

Heat

Hell or High Water

Hellraiser (I + II)

Hidden

High Fidelity

High School Musical

Highlander

Home Alone

Hunger Games

Hurt Locker

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang

I Am Legend

In Cold Blood

Inception

Independence Day

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom

Innerspace

Inside Out

Interview with a Vampire

Into the Spiderverse

Island of Dr. Moreau

It Follows

It's a Wonderful Life

Italian Job

James Bond (all)

James Bond: Skyfall

John Carter of Mars

JP (= Jurassic Park?)

Jupiter Ascending

Jurassic World 2: Fallen Kingdom

Karate Kid

Karate Kid

Kingsmen

Knives Out

Labyrinth

Leon: the Professional

Let The Right One In

Little Miss Sunshine

Long Kiss Goodnight

Lord of the Rings: Trilogy

Lord of the Rings: Two Towers

Lost Boys

Mad Max: Fury Road

Magnolia

Mask of Zorro

Men in Black

Mimic

Minority Report

Misery

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

My Cousin Vinny

Mystic River

Never Been Kissed

Nightmare 3: Dream Warriors

No Country for Old Men

North By Northwest

Ocean's 11 + 12

Ocean's 8

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Open Water

Orange County

Ordinary People

Paddington: 2

Pan's Labyrinth

Papillon

Paradise Lost

Peter Jackson's King Kong

Peter Pan

Pineapple Express

Platoon

Predator

Primal Fears

Princess Bride

Prisoners

Pulp Fiction

Ravenous

Reality Bites

Red Dragon

Reservoir Dogs

Robocop

Rushmore

Saving Private Ryan

Scrooged

Se7en

Shape of Water

Shooter

Sicario

Silence of the Lambs

Silver Bullet

Sky High

Society

Source Code

Speed

Splash!

Splice

Spy Kids

Star Wars

Star Wars: Rogue One

Starship Troopers

Step Up 2: Step Up 2 Tha Streets

Stoker

Superbad

Swept Away 

Swingers

Sword in the Stone

Swordfish

Tangled

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Terminator 2

Terminator: Dark Fate

The A-Team

The Birdcage

The Birds

The Book of Henry

The Cell

The Craft

The Crazies

The Crow

The Descent

The Devil's Advocate

The Fifth Element

The Fly

The Good Son

The Goofy Movie

The Graduate

The Green Mile

The Guardian

The Guest

The Hobbit: I, II, II

The Lighthouse

The Matrix

The Mist

The Mummy

The Natural

The Neverending Story

The Orphan

The Peanut Butter Solution

The Perfect Storm

The Prestige

The Raid

The Revenant

The Ring

The Rock

The Shining

The Terminal

The Visit

Thor: Ragnarok

Timeline

Titanic

To Kill a Mockingbird

Tombstone

Total Recall

Toy Story 4

True Lies

True Romance

Truman Show

Twister

Unbreakable

Unforgiven

Unleashed

Very Bad Things

Wanted

War Dogs

War Games

Wayne's World

Wedding Crashers

Weird Science

Welcome to Marwen

Welcome to the Dollhouse

Wet Hot American Summer

What Dreams May Come

What Lies Beneath

What Women Want

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Willow

Wizard of Oz

You've Got Mail

Young Sherlock Holmes

Zodiac

Zoolander

[nonbinaryhatboxghost]

Okay, today has been a quiet Saturday morning so far, I have some time, and I like lists. So here is my random (personal) ranking of Star Trek series and movies, out of what I’ve seen, which is everything but seasons 5-7 of Voyager, all of Enterprise, and all of Picard. I’m only counting shows with three or more seasons because it’s easier. But let the record show that I love Lower Decks so far and The Animated Series is actually a blast.

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT

Series Ranking

The Original Series - As influential of a show as it is, I constantly forget how much damn fun the original Trek is. There is an almost Community-like variance in tone and genre throughout the show. And I’m a sucker for a future that embraces primary colors. It is the Trek show I revisit the most so far, and it remains my favorite.

Deep Space Nine - This one comes close, though. It starts out as a solid spinoff with very well-defined characters, and then becomes a big, sprawling epic that had my eyes welling up by the end. It feels more like a sequel to The Original Series than The Next Generation did to me. It dealt with subject matter both different and darker than was expected for the time. It had characters at odds with each other. Religion was explored in a way that balanced brutal honesty with genuine respect. War and the various traumas it induces were acknowledged. And it had “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”. I only finished this one recently but I look forward to watching it again.

Discovery - I was rooting for this show to be good even as it went through so much behind-the-scenes drama during its first two seasons. Even with all of that going on, the show became a fascinating watch as you saw it change from its arguably-too-dark beginnings as a prequel, to the almost Doctor Who-like second season with its joyful embracing of classic Trek, and finally to its current iteration that at long last gives us a Trek show that’s not bound by prequel limitations. Michael Burnham is such a great character and getting to see her arc alone makes this one of my favorite Trek stories. The queer/nonbinary representation also warms my heart.

Voyager - I’m just starting the fifth season, but the show has settled into an interesting groove with its characters. And Voyager’s characters are so damn good that they counterbalance a lot of the show’s early problems. It takes a while for Voyager to realize that the Kazon do not work very well as villains. But once the show realizes that, it begins an upward trajectory in quality that reminds me of Deep Space Nine after it began doing Dominion plots. And Seven of Nine’s effect on the crew dynamic lives up to the hype. Any scene between her and Janeway demonstrates such a unique relationship between captain and crewmate that an episode plot can be meh and still worth it for a scene with those two. Also, Janeway is the best captain character. No other Trek show (that I’ve seen so far) comes close to showing us the weight of leadership like Voyager, and Mulgrew constantly brings it.

The Next Generation - This is my first Trek show. It’s the one that my dad watched. There are several standout episodes to me, but I find myself less drawn to revisiting TNG than the other Trek shows because ultimately it took me too long to understand and care about its cast of characters. If you were to ask me to describe any character from any other Trek show, I would be able to. Ask me to describe a TNG character and I would likely fail to give any good adjectives for any character besides Data and Worf. As iconic as the show is, and as great as it became, it doesn’t have the same pull on me as other Trek shows. But it was the template for the spinoffs that followed, and the portrayal of Picard’s trauma post-Borg assimilation earns its reputation as an all-timer for me.

Movie Ranking

VI: The Undiscovered Country - I’m surprised this one isn’t talked about as much as other Trek movies. It’s a very frank depiction of prejudices and learning to deal with them. It has one of the best Kirk/Spock scenes ever. Christopher Plummer as a Klingon. The ORIGINAL cast credits sign-off (yes, Avengers: Endgame borrowed from this). A score that carefully balances menace with eventual hope. A fun whodunit structure. I could go on and on. It’s just so damn great, and so far the only successful send-off to a Trek crew in any of the movies.

II: The Wrath of Khan - It’s a classic for a reason. I’ve probably rewatched this more than any other Trek movie. You got your great villain, your classic crew beginning to deal with their mortality, an all-timer death scene, a kickass early James Horner score. What more could you want?

The Motion Picture - This is an interesting one. When I first watched it as a teen, I hated it. I agreed with every critique of it being thinly plotted and having an excessive runtime. When I revisited it in my 20s, it became a favorite. It’s Star Trek’s exploration of existential dread, and the struggle to find agency and identity within that dread. It has possibly Jerry Goldsmith’s greatest score. It is the best that the Enterprise has ever looked. This movie envelopes you with eerie and epic imagery, culminating in a finale with interesting philosophical ramifications and a well-earned return to optimism from its crew. This one is criminally underrated.

First Contact - This one is just rock solid all around. The best-ever TNG villains, further exploration of Picard’s trauma from Borg assimilation, Alfre Woodard, Alice Krige, fun action, the genesis of the Federation. It has the best balance of darkness and fun out of all of the Trek movies. It also has a character actually say the words “star trek” in a way that never ceases to make me smile. I don’t know if it’s a good line, but it’s funny regardless.

Beyond - Like The Motion Picture, I initially disliked this upon first viewing. I was still in the middle of watching The Original Series and was in the wrong mindset for this mashup of TOS and Fast & Furious. But it’s one of the most underrated Treks because it’s a perfect balance of the more kinetic action found in the 2010s with a very well-done breakdown of the inherent point and value of Star Trek: learning to be better and move beyond fighting the same battles among ourselves.

IV: The Voyage Home - This one is such a satisfying culmination of the crew’s arc starting in The Wrath of Khan that the joy of the 1980s material is almost just a bonus to me. Nimoy does a good job of keeping things light without disregarding stakes. He gets the best portrayal of the crew’s camaraderie in this and The Search for Spock. And Spock’s reaction to the concept of “exact change” always makes me laugh.

III: The Search for Spock - I revisited this one recently and it held up better than I expected. Seeing the weight of Spock’s death on Kirk in the beginning hits hard. Christopher Lloyd as the Klingon villain is casually one of the best Trek movie villains. And seeing the crew uniting over trying to bring back Spock gives us some of the best on-screen moments of this cast.

Star Trek - One of the reasons I love Beyond so much is that it retroactively makes this one better. I was crazy for this movie when it came out. I was in high school, Star Trek in general was something I was only really aware of because of my dad. But this is the thing that got me into Trek. And as mixed of a bag as it now plays to me, ‘09 Star Trek being a gateway for me to general Trek, combined with the perfect casting of the crew, the excellent Giacchino score, and the emotion of the opening sequence, thankfully makes this one still a blast to revisit.

Nemesis - I have only seen this twice, and both of those times without having seen TNG in its entirety. This was also the very first Trek movie I ever saw. Nostalgia is a factor for why this is higher than the others on the list. Curiosity is another, as I was unaware of Tom Hardy when I watched this, and have no idea what my opinion will be on rewatch. But what I always remembered of this movie was its ending, which even to a novice like myself when I first saw it had an impact.

Generations - There are quite a few great scenes that Stewart gets in this movie. Malcolm McDowell is also great in it. But the whole plot feels too forced for me to get actually swept up in it. And as fun as it is to see Shatner and Stewart share the screen... it ultimately has no impact and leads to a strangely lame death for Kirk.

Insurrection - The idea of Enterprise going rogue against the Federation for forcibly relocating a population for a natural resource is such a good concept... which makes the goofiness and half-baked writing of this entry all the more confusing. All the elements are there, but it feels like the tone was forced to be lighter than the material warranted. It’s frustrating because Frakes’ directing chops that he showed off on First Contact are still visible here. But for whatever reason, this one just falls apart.

Into Darkness - This one is low on the list mainly because it represents almost all the negative traits of the modern blockbuster to me. Darkness without depth, franchise callbacks without substance, and no character development/change by the end. Another reason why Beyond works better as a sequel to ‘09 Star Trek than this one is that Into Darkness feels more like it’s trying to make Star Trek a bigger movie franchise rather than develop this iteration of the Enterprise crew. Nothing and no one is changed by the end of this story.

V: The Final Frontier - It is the most difficult Trek movie to sit through, and yet I can’t call it a disaster. For all of its misfirings on the comedy front (dancing Uhura, for instance), the camping material with Kirk, Spock and McCoy is genuinely great. The premise of its villain being on a quest to find God is ultimately a misfire, but it leads to a very engagingly ridiculous climax centered around the question “What does God need with a starship?” There are far too many undeveloped ideas in this one, but that scene is worth seeing this movie for. At least, now that we know it didn’t kill the franchise, as so many apparently feared when this came out.

[tiggyloo]

Geez I can’t believe it’s been almost three years since I last wrote a fan fic lol. This one’s kinda short, just over 1,000 words. But hey, I still think that’s pretty good after three years of nothing

anywho, Connverse fic, takes place sometime after the movie

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stars Above The Lighthouse

The night was clear and bright as Steven and Connie leaned against the rail of the lighthouse. They hadn’t talked much since Connie showed up—Steven had asked her specifically to come here tonight. She hadn’t asked why, just figured it would be a normal night watching the stars. But “normal” involved talking. This was, strange to her. She wasn’t sure if she should speak up or wait for Steven to say something first. So, she watched the twinkling of the stars beside him, quietly, waiting, debating.

Perhaps an hour went by since she’d arrived. Steven hadn’t said a single word except for the greeting she received when she appeared. He wanted to talk, of course he did, but…he didn’t know how exactly to start. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure how to say it. How to start it. Steven’s eyes went from one star to the next. It was the perfect night for this, so why couldn’t he do it? His eyes closed as a passing breeze swept across them.

“Okay-“

Connie jolted and looked over to Steven, who was giving her an apologetic look.

“Uh, sorry-” he said, rubbing his neck. “Didn’t mean to startle you. 

They both laughed.

“Connie, uh…” Steven cleared his throat and went back to leaning on the rail. He was finally talking. Or, well, trying to anyway. Connie smiled at him and continued to wait. The stars shined in silence once more. The bushes rustled below them with another soft breeze. Steven took a deep breath and Connie watched him expectantly.

He twiddled his thumbs for a moment.

“Connie…I’ve, uh…I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff recently.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about the past, about the present. The future…Do you remember when we met?”

“It’s pretty hard not to,” Connie stated with a soft snort. “We were trapped in your bubble for the whole day.”

“Heh…yeah. Sometimes I think about that day. How awkward I was. How scared you were. How happy we ended up.”

Connie didn’t say anything. This was definitely going somewhere. She didn’t want to interrupt.

“You’re so brave now. You’ve helped me get through a lot, you know? I-um…”

He paused to remove something from his pocket. Connie couldn’t tell what it was, but she knew it was small. Steven covered it with his hands before she could get a better look.

“Steven, what-”

 “Hold on.”

 Connie raised her brows at him.

“Er, sorry. Uh-” He pursed his lips. Back to the silence.

 They were looking up at the stars again. Well, Steven was at least. Connie kept looking at his hands. What did he have? And why was he keeping it a secret?

 Suddenly he was talking again.

 “When I watch the stars now, I think about the future. I think about everything that might happen. Good things, bad things, neutral things. I think about my dad, I think about myself, I think about the Gems. But, mostly, I…I think about you.”

 Connie felt her face grow warm. She looked up at the sky.

 “We really haven’t known each other for that long. About four years. Those four years were…something,” Steven continued. “I don’t fully understand why you stayed with me all this time. I probably never will, honestly. Everyone but you, I guess, would have run away a long time ago.

 “You didn’t run away, Connie. You stayed with me through everything. When…when I think about the future, I think about you. When I don’t think about the future, I think about you. When you’re with me, I think about you. When you’re not with me, I think about you. All the time, you’re in my head. I couldn’t figure out why until I finally sat down and talked to dad about it.”

 Another pause. Another breath.

 “When I think about the future, I think about us. I think about us, together.”

 Steven took his hand away from the object in his other, hesitated for a moment, then gently took hold of Connie’s.

 Instinctively Connie shifted to intertwine her fingers with Steven’s.

 “Connie, this is going to sound really cheesy,” Steven said, in such a serious tone that Connie couldn’t help but chuckle.

 “Okay. Go on.”

 Steven nodded and held her hand a little tighter. It was obvious that he was getting more and more nervous.

“Right, so. Um. Connie, I-”

 His voice caught and he cleared his throat again.

 “You’re having a rough time with this, Steven,” Connie teased, and Steven puffed his cheeks in response, giving her a fake-annoyed scowl. He was back to looking serious a moment later, with his eyes firmly set on Connie’s.

 “Okay. Alright. When-when I’m with you, I feel happier than I do with anyone else. I keep that happiness when you’re not here. When I watch the waves on the beach, I hear you laughing. When I watch the rain, I see you dancing. When I look up at the stars, I see them shining in your eyes.”

 “Yeah, that’s pretty cheesy.”

 “Oh, that’s not the cheesy part.”

 Connie laughed again, but her laughing was cut short with a gasp as Steven revealed what he’d hidden in his hands.

 He flipped up the lid on the little box, exposing a delicate gold ring.

 “It was…supposed to be for mom. Dad never got the chance to give it to her. He, uh, he had it resized. He said he planned to get rid of it after that, but then…he kept it, for me. He told me it’s for someone special. Someone you…can’t live without. Connie…I realized why I think about you so much.”

 Connie’s eyes were wide, her free hand covering her mouth as Steven got down on his knee.

 “Ready for the cheesy part?”

 All she could do was nod, and Steven removed the ring from its box.

 “I know we’re still…kids, but…I want to make a promise. I see stars in your eyes, stars that make up a beautiful, wonderful universe, stars that make up my universe. That’s what I realized. You’re my universe, Connie. And I want to be able to call you ‘my universe’.” Steven stopped for a moment to slip the ring over her finger. “And, one day, I hope to call you ‘Connie Universe’.” He intertwined his fingers with hers once more. Now it was his turn to wait.

 Connie laughed as tears started to stream down her cheeks.

 “Y-you’re right, that was re-ally cheesy” she choked out before kneeling down.

 She reached out and held Steven’s face in her hand, then pulled him in for a kiss.

 The kiss left Steven frozen for a moment, then, once he came to his senses, he grinned at her, with that big, goofy grin of his.

 Connie giggled and wiped her tears away.

 “Steven, I’d be honored to be your universe.”

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1960

Under the cut.

Marty Robbins – “El Paso” -- January 2, 1960

Why have I heard this song a lot? It's not my parents' kind of thing, or my grandparents'. Anyway, this time the narrator is the murderer. He killed another man out of jealousy that a woman, who might not even be his woman, had a drink with the other man. It's a pretty okay old-fashioned country song, but it'd be better in Fallout: New Vegas.

Johnny Preston – “Running Bear” -- January 18, 1960

This. Thing. Is. An. Abomination. Fake tribal chants. Through the entire thing. They form the beat. And then there's a swing trumpet. And it's about a Romeo and Juliet situation, but the singer sounds like he thinks he's singing a goofy novelty song. I didn't know this song existed, and now I have to re-evaluate what I think the worst #1 is. I think this one takes the spot from "Having My Baby."

Mark Dinning – “Teen Angel” -- February 8, 1960

No, not Earth Angel, sadly. This guy's girlfriend ran to the railroad tracks to get his high school ring and got squished. He doesn't sound all that broken up about it. He doesn't sound capable of feeling any emotions, really. Very bad song.

Percy Faith – “Theme From A Summer Place“ -- February 22, 1960

It's a pretty instrumental, but a bit too gloopy for me. I looked up "A Summer Place," assuming based on the music it would be a light and frothy movie about young people in love. Uh... not really. But it ends happily. Also it has a message about not condemning young people for having sex, so that's good.

Elvis Presley – “Stuck On You” -- April 25, 1960

Though his voice sounds cartoonish to me, Elvis still feels like a breath of fresh air compared to most of what he's surrounded by. In 1960, he had more oomph than nearly anyone else on the charts. Anyway, you've heard this one. It's fine.

The Everly Brothers – “Cathy’s Clown” -- May 23, 1960

This one still got radio play on the oldies stations when I was a kid. It's got a beat, the music and beat change up, and the narrator sounds appropriately bitter after a bad break-up. I wouldn't seek it out, but I wouldn't change the station either.

Connie Francis – “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” -- June 27, 1960

Here we go, someone besides Elvis with a real spark. The narrator can't seem to leave this person who keeps cheating on her, and she sings that someday, her cheating lover will find someone they truly care for who will be untrue, and then they'll understand what she's going through. She sounds pretty happy about it. It's not Connie Francis' best song (that's "Who's Sorry Now"), but it's not at all bad.

The Hollywood Argyles – “Alley Oop” -- July 11, 1960

Oh right, I forgot for a moment, I hate 1960. This song is dumb. It knows it's dumb and revels in it, and I hate it.

Brenda Lee – “I’m Sorry” -- July 18, 1960

The narrator didn't realize it was cruel to play with other people's feelings until her own heart was broken. Possibly she was the girlfriend of the narrator of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool"? The song isn't as good though, mostly because of the spoken word section, which is cringe-inducing.

Brian Hyland’s “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” -- August 8, 1960

I can't believe I'm only up to August of this stupid, stupid year. When does Motown get here already? Ugh. Stupid, leering, creepy novelty song.

Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now Or Never” -- August 15, 1960

Good, it's Elvis again. Except this is a huge slice of fromage. Elvis was better than this. His belting is impressive, but it should be in a better song. I'm bored. Elvis was never one of my faves, but he should also never be boring. I hate this year.

Chubby Checker’s “The Twist -- September 19, 1960

THANK YOU GODS AND LITTLE FISHES. You know this song. You've danced to this song. This song is truly great. Possibly the rest of 1960 up to now had to suck so much for this song to come out.

Connie Francis – “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” -- September 26, 1960

Did Connie Francis ever sing about anything but heartbreak? She can't get over someone who loves her. She doesn't seem too broken up about it this time. There are lots of mariachi horns. I can't associate mariachi horns with heartbreak. It could have been a good song, but Connie Francis' total nonchalance and the mariachi horns make it pretty bad.

Larry Verne – “Mr. Custer” -- October 10, 1960

This is supposed to be funny. It's a racist novelty song that seems to hate everyone and everything. I return the sentiment. Put this one in the bin with "Little Bear." Cripes 1960 sucked.

The Drifters – “Save The Last Dance For Me” -- October 17, 1960

Okay, all of 1960 didn't suck. There were a handful of very good songs among the dreck, and this is one of them. The narrator is happy that his wife (likely) is dancing with other guys, he just wants to remind her who she's going home with. It's got a nice Latin beat, good violins, and a singer who shows actual emotion. And the emotion isn't a simplistic one; he sounds totally happy that his wife is having fun flirting and dancing with other guys. But he knows that sometimes people get swept up in the moment and make mistakes. He's cheerful, not nagging or possessive. I like it.

Brenda Lee – “I Want To Be Wanted” -- October 24, 1960

A teenage song about wanting a boyfriend who adores her. It's... okay. I would probably have identified with it hugely when I was 15. Though I would have scoffed at how dated it sounds. I'm more tolerant of how it sounds musically now. But, though I understand the sentiment, it's still pretty overwrought. I guess now that I'm middle-aged and I've got what she wants my main feeling is that she needs to calm down and live her life rather than obsessing over finding the perfect person to spend a million years with when she's still a kid.

Ray Charles – “Georgia On My Mind” -- November 14, 1960

Aah that's the stuff. What is there to say about Ray Charles' version of this song? How do you describe perfection? Moonlight through the pines. This must have been a revelation at the time. It still is.

Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs – “Stay” -- November 21, 1960

"Oh won't you staaaay." I can't listen to this song without trying to sing along, and making my throat hurt in the process, as I'm an alto and I can't reach those falsetto notes. It's a fun song and a classic. Maybe Ray Charles fumigated 1960 and now it will be good?

Elvis Presley – “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” -- November 28, 1960

Yes! Elvis was a dramatic singer, and this is a dramatic song. Like everyone with an instinct for dramatic performance, he knew that true drama is often found in quiet and contemplation. He's soft throughout, and only half-belts at the end. There's a spoken word interval, but it's the kind of song in which you've already been seduced, so it's enjoyable. Plus Elvis knows how to speak it -- no embarrassment at all. Excellent. This is the kind of song that makes me understand Elvis mania.

BEST OF 1960: "Georgia On My Mind"  WORST OF 1960: There is an embarrassment of putrescence here. At the end, it's a tie between "Running Bear" and "Mr. Custer."

[skyflyinginaction]

Shinhiro Aragaki Transulations from the Persona 3 Portable Fanbook

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Blog Handle Gaki

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[handwritten title at top] Gaki-san Cafeteria

Profile Name: Shinjiro Aragaki Sex: Male Birthday: 1991/8/11 [This profile uses year/month/day format.] Blood type: A Group: Gekkoukan Academy Upper Class Year 3 Class C (Suspended) Club: Unaffiliated

Ugh...  Me? Having a blog? So lame... Still, everyone's doing it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Dunno what's with the goofy title. I'm just gonna write whatever I want. So uh, maybe gimme some ideas for posts?

Well... Might as well pass the time while I'm here. Anyway... enjoy?

Favorite Sites: [banners] A Dog's Heart [in snail] Sea slug [to right] Umiushi Family Cooking [white text, bottom right] Official Site

[large white text below blog page] I'm keeping my eyes peeled. Because there's an unimaginable way back...

[main body]

Aragaki, the lone wolf who sticks out like a sore thumb at nightly meetings, is from the same orphanage as Sanada. Three years ago, Aragaki was a member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, where Sanada awakened the power of Persona within him. However, he wasn't able to fully control his powers. One day, a horrible accident occurred and a number of people were driven mad. Aragaki's Persona went berserk and snatched away the life of an innocent bystander. Despondent, Aragaki dropped out of school and began aimlessly roaming the streets at night. In order to restrain his Persona ability, whenever Aragaki is faced with danger, he takes a suppressant drug - although it has its side effects. Aragaki only returned to the SEES to bear his past deeds. Aragaki gave his life as a final apology to those tied to the past and unable to move forward, saying: "I'm the only one who deserves to rot in hell."

[at bottom:]

Shinjiro Aragaki

[left column]

<< Previous post See all of Gaki-san's posts

Like A Whole Nother World

Category: Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad 2009/9/3 (Thu) 23:18

People are taking my return to the SEES really nicely... What the hell happened. Back when it was just me and Aki and Kirijo, the lounge felt way too big... But with all the new members, it's stuffed. Girls, a little kid, and even a dog... Some real variety in this lineup. Did Aki and Kirijo just get swept up in all that?

And on top of that, they're all treating me real good, even though they barely know me. The 2nd years think I bailed their asses out at the meeting place, when really I was just chasing off some pests. Either way, they're being real nice to me.

I don't bother with school or club activities or whatever, so I can focus all my energy on battle. Hit me up whenever you're heading off to Tartarus. I mean, that's why I came back here in the first place.

COMMENT Comments (4) ・ Trackback (0)

2009/9/4 (Fri) 01:23 JUN☆P-

Never gonna forget the hero at the meeting spot, dude. You totally bailed us out. With Aragaki-san on our side, we're like a hundred-man army!

2009/9/4 (Fri) 18:51 Yukaricchi♥

So you helped found the club, Aragaki-senpai... Thank you so much for saving us. I think you might actually be a really good guy, deep down...?

2009/9/4 (Fri) 21:00 Aigis

Koromaru-san reports that you often give him treats. It seems you two have become fast friends. Aragaki-san, you are rather reserved.

2009/9/4 (Fri) 23:06 Gaki

Oh come on, are you guys really kicking things off with a bunch of embarrassing comments? Hundred-man army, good guy... Don't just make stuff up about me. Ugh, I dunno how to deal with this.

[righthand column]

Boy's & Girl's Event

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Escapade

Category: Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad 2009/9/6 (Sun) 21:55

Under the full moon, a Shadow appeared, as promised. I hang out at Escapade plenty, but this time everyone on the floor was complaining about the power being on the fritz. I guess that was an omen or something that a Shadow was about to appear. Can't let things like that slip you by.

But man, there were some real annoying tagalongs last night. Junpei thought he was gonna party his ass off, the poor guy. That chick from Strega was totally stringing him along, but Junpei still managed to be worried about her. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but pure-hearted guys like him are the ones that fall for that kind of thing.

But still, the chick's Persona was really something... Might be worth worrying about. I think I'll pop my head into the hospital too.

[screenshot:]

Junpei Iori

Hey, uh... I just wanna know one thing... Was that really all just an act?

COMMENT Comments (4) ・ Trackback (0)

2009/9/6 (Sun) 22:23 Yukaricchi♥

I mean, Junpei's so unsubtle about things like this... I bet he's going to visit at the hospital again today. Maybe if Junpei keeps talking to her, Chidori-san will start to open her heart... Or maybe I'm naive for even thinking that?  

Boy's & Girl's Event

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Passing the Persona Torch

Category: Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad 2009/9/15 (Tue) 22:36

Man, you guys are a real pain. Though I guess I can't be so quick to judge if Koro-chan hangs with you...

⬤ Questions From Persona Users ⬤

1. How did it feel when your Persona awakened?

I don't remember anything from back then...

2. What did you think when you saw your Persona?

Don't really care, that's just how he looks. He's Aki's Persona's brother. I mean, me and Aki go way back. You couldn't separate us even if you tried.

3. What's your favorite attacking strategy?

I'm not a big fan of whittling enemies down bit by bit. Better to give 'em one big hit and knock 'em dead, all in one go.

4. Any Shadows you have trouble with?

I don't got any weak points. I mean, if your Persona is weak, that just means your heart is weak.

5. What do you want to do when we're done fighting?

Hell if I know. I just want to take responsibility for what I've done. I think I'm just about there. After that... Aki, it's your turn.

COMMENT Comments (4) ・ Trackback (1)

2009/9/15 (Wed) 19:47 Aki

So it's my turn... Got it. Shinji, it may very well be because of my influence that the power of Persona was awakened within you...

[left column]

Boys & Girl's Event

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What Are You Weirdos, a Cosplay Group?

Category: Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad 2009/9/16 (Wed) 22:58

Come on... I am not gonna participate in your little cosplay thing. The bus stop was one thing, but this time you　want me to wear a tailcoat? What? Is that a butler costume? Like I'm gonna play some servant role.

Oh, and when we're going off to Tartarus, don't expect me to act like we're going on a picnic, or whatever. When a Shadow pops out, I want to look like a grown-up warrior. We didn't get this far by being stylish.

I mean, if you're fighting to win, then I'll quit whining. Just don't mess around too much. And don't forget that lives are on the line.

COMMENT Comments (4) ・ Trackback (0)

2009/9/17 (Thu) 19:48 Yukaricchi♥

Please don't call us all "weirdos"! Our leader is the one who's into dressing up. I'm a victim too.

2009/9/17 (Thu) 22:39 JUN☆P-

That's the first time I've seen you hatless, Aragaki-san. ...And your head looks totally normal. So disappointing...

2009/9/17 (Fri) 19:29 Aki

I've never brought this up, but... Junpei, what do YOU look like with your hat off? I mean, even when you went swimming at the beach, you refused to take it off.

2009/9/17 (Fri) 21:46 Gaki

What kind of weird ideas are you having about people's heads... Hey Aki, meet me at the strategy room for a tactical debriefing on stealing Junpei's hat.

[right column] Boy's & Girl's Event Public Post

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Haven't Seen a Movie In Ages

Category: Posts 2009/9/23 (Wed) 22:26

Man, I haven't been to the movies in ages. It's a lot nicer to go on your own, but... Well, if you're inviting me, you must be kind of a weirdo. I guess I don't mind coming along though, kills some time.

But like, did you pick that movie on purpose? "Woof-Meow Kingdom"... We were surrounded by family, made me weirdly sweaty. And the climactic scene where they got dragged in the river... That was... Well, whatever...

Right, I need to give Koro-chan the special dog food and assorted bones I got on the way home. The leash we use on walks is filthy, so maybe I should get a new one, too... Oh, and I'm going to give him a bath later tonight. Shoot, I forgot to get a massage brush...

Anyway, do you think Koro-chan's good at doggy paddling? Never know when something bad might happen around water...

[screenshot:]

> Somehow, Aragaki's eyes seem red...

COMMENT Comments (3) ・ Trackback (0)

2009/9/24 (Thu) 10:00 Aigis

Koromaru-san is profoundly moved by your exceptional treatment of him, Aragaki-san.

2009/9/24 (Thu) 19:13 Fuu＊ka

Aragaki-senpai, you're a real animal lover, aren't you? Nobody who likes animals is a bad person, or so they say. I'll have to cook up something nice for Koro-chan too!

[advertisement:]

Garlic ・　Olive Oil ・ Pepperoncini

Paella

Family Cooking

Airing Weekly, Sunday 7 PM SMATV Network Kismet Publishing

September edition of the textbook now on sale. If not at your local bookstore, go here → to order online.

[button:] I Want It!

[left column]

Boys & Girl's Event Public Post

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Evening Walk

Category: Posts 2009/9/26 (Sat) 23:14

You guys keep going off about how taking a walk at night soothes the soul, and I kinda have to agree. I used to kill time at night by hanging out in back alleys or clubs, but I guess it's not so bad doing something more healthy with my evenings. And this is so weird, but taking a nice walk makes me want to make dinner for Koro-chan.

It's fall and everything's being harvested, which makes it the season for eating. You guys need to remember to eat up and stay healthy. Or else you're gonna end up bedridden, like our leader was. What would you even do if a shadow popped out then? Well, I guess everything's going good on that front, so it's fine for now. Just remember to get a nice square meal in every day.

[screenshot]

Shinjiro Aragaki

You hungry? I'll fix you something when we get home.

Girl's Event Public Post

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The Trick to Cooking

Category: Cooking 2009/9/27 (Sun) 23:47

Fall's the season for eating, but I don't think that fancy kitchen we have is getting any use. The fridge is full of sports drinks and milk, the cupboards are crammed with protein shakes and cup noodles and junk food... It's messed up. Do you people seriously never cook? We didn't even have a good set of utensils, so I brought some in. Yamagishi's the only one who seems excited about cooking, but she doesn't have the basics down yet. Don't get me wrong, enthusiasm's great, but...

Well, if you've heard someone say that cooking is an act of love, it probably came from someone who's mastered their basics. Doesn't matter how much love you pour into your cooking, if you mess up some fundamental part, it's not gonna taste good. A super common mistake beginners make is ignoring what the recipe says and improvising instead. Get your basics down pat, then you can switch things up. Remember, you don't gotta rush it. Doesn't matter what you're doing, taking it one step at a time is key.

COMMENT Comments (2) ・ Trackback (0)

2009/9/28 (Mon) 18:51 Fuu＊ka

Aragaki-senpai, thank you... You put it pretty bluntly, but you're trying to help, aren't you? I'll start working my way up with simple things like onigiri. If you'd like, feel free to come sample my work?

2009/9/28 (Mon) 19:52 Mitsuru

Aragaki, I'm rather surprised at how good you are at cooking. I wouldn't say you surpass my family's professional chef, but your food was indeed exquisite. Perhaps eating together with everyone isn't so bad, every once in a while.

[right column]

Girl's Event

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Making Things Right

Category: Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad 2009/10/3 (Sat) 02:45

[screenshot]

Shinjiro Aragaki

...They're in your hands now. I believe in you.

[post body]

So tomorrow's the long-awaited full moon, huh. And you know another huge Shadow's gonna pop out. But I never thought the full moon would fall on tomorrow's date, of all days... I can't bring myself to call it a coincidence.

It's not like I think I won't be coming back, but with what I have in the palm of my hand... Well, I can't tell if it's a coincidence or a cruel prank. And the whole time I sit here agonizing about it, the pocketwatch in my palm keeps on ticking. If I had to name the one thing I can never change, it'd be my past self. Who's bound by their past now? It's not just me... So, the only thing left for me to do is to make things right. Because no matter what I choose, I don't got much time left...

I'm not gonna write anything more here, I promise. You don't have to forgive me for my selfishness. And no matter what happens, don't you dare cry...

COMMENT Comments (5) ・ Trackback (0)

2009/10/7 (Wed) 18:36 Fuu＊ka

Aragaki-senpai, they said you wouldn't wake up... When I first read this post, I didn't get it at all, but... Looking back, I think you knew what you were about to do...

2009/10/7 (Wed) 20:28 Mitsuru

Of course I was aware of the situation between Aragaki and Amada. It was a failing on my part that it came to this. From hereafter, the Kirijo family will dedicate all available resources to his medical care. Perhaps Aragaki's strong spirit will grant us a sliver of hope...

2009/10/8 (Thu) 01:36 JUN☆P-

I know you were ready to give your life in this battle, but... Now that it's actually happened, it hurts like hell... Aragaki-san, please wake up...

2009/10/8 (Thu) 20:38 Aki

When I thought Shinji was all but gone, he whispered, "This is what I wanted." While some may dismiss his way of making things right, I would not count myself among them. Everyone, we need to face forward!

2009/10/9 (Fri) 18:46 Amadaman

I've decided to keep fighting here. Until Aragaki-san returns, I will protect his place.

[bubble at top left]

If You Get Into A Relationship...

Social links with Aragaki don't turn romantic until you max out your S. Link rank with him. But once you do get to max, if you call him one more time, you can have the protagonist confess to him. After a short period of heated questioning, you can enter Aragaki's room. Acting much unlike the Aragaki you've seen so far, he will embrace the protagonist and make an unexpectedly bold move. While it's quite the mushy event, if you do get in a relationship, he'll actually be quite assertive. By the way, the protagonist confesses to him in the dorm lounge. If you think about it, Yukari and Junpei and all the other members would be right next to them the whole time...

[screenshot:]

Shinjiro Aragaki

You're uh... not married, so don't get this wrong, but...

[bubbles at top right]

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Break

[center of circle:] Shinjiro Aragaki

[by tarot card:] Moon

[spiky bubble at bottom:] Shinjiro Aragaki

[to left of portrait, beneath "Persona capable to summon once Moon's commu rank reaches the max:]

Sandalphon, the Angel That Conveys Prayers

[tag labeled 27]

From the Iwatodoi Dormitory Lounge ......Edition 27

[junpei:] Man, Aragaki-san's cooking is the best. [koro:] Woof!! [aegis:] Koromaru-san says he enjoys it too. [aragaki:] H, hey. You guys suck at eating balanced meals. Try to take care of yourselves. [mitsuru:] I agree completely. Akihiko could stand to eat something aside from gyudon. [Rice with beef and vegetables.] [sanada:] I, I eat more than just gyudon! I get plenty of protein shakes in too!

[next column] [mitsuru:] Ugh... You're giving me a headache. [junpei:] Gyudon and protein shakes and nothing else... That's uh, really... [aragaki:] Don't act like you're any different. You basically live off cup ramen. Balance your diet. [junpei:] Uh, well... I uh, how do I put this, just like, think it's good... [fuuka:] Okay, I'll keep balance in mind and cook something up! [aragaki] How about you focus on learning how to cook, first. ...Although, you can go ahead and start practicing.

[vertical line of text in center:]

Brotherly Lines

[column on right]

S. Link Rank 3 Female Protagonist

Look at the balance in these meals... Do you guys live off this...?

S. Link Rank 4 Female Protagonist

...You're not going to leave those vegetables on your plate, are you?

S. Link Rank 7 Female Protagonist

Get some good sleep. ...'Night.

S. Link Rank 9 Female Protagonist

Feels like I got a place to come home to.

S. Link MAX Female Protagonist

Now that you're here, I don't have a care in the world...

[screenshot to left:] Shinjiro Aragaki

Does everyone here eat like crap...?

[block labeled Girl's Side] Like An Older Brother

Shinjiro Aragaki always makes sure his fellow club members make it home safe. While he comes off as rather blunt, he's actually deeply worried about everyone's unhealthy eating habits. Following the protagonist's advice, he throws a party. While putting everything together for the party, he teaches Fuuka (who is hopeless at cooking) how to cook. Drawn by the smell, their dormmates gather, and the lounge springs to life. While everyone enjoys the meal, Aragaki steps out for a bit, and asks the protagonist for a private chat. Then, gazing at the protagonist with a gentle smile, he says, "I'm leaving Sanada and everyone else in your hands."

[screenshot to right:]

Aegis

Koromaru-san is distraught.

[caption below screenshot:] Even Koromaru-san can tell how bad Fuuka's cooking is. But with Aragaki teaching her, she'll be able to make delicious food someday.

TRANSULATIONS NOT MINE THEY ALL BELONG TO THE LOVELY (https://kasael.tumblr.com) ALL CREDIT OF THIS ENTIRE TRANSULATION BELONGS TO THEM NOT ME DON’T REBLOG WITHOUT CREDITING THEM FIRST.

[scribeofmorpheus]

Robin’s Girl [1/4]

Pairing: Robin x (OC) Clara | Steve Harrington x Reader

Sequel to: Meet Cute

Chapter Title: Cherry Bomb  | Words: 2k

Note: This takes place post S3. Some spoilers maybe? Highly recommend you listen to the playlist for the aesthetic. Two stories unfold at once. One focusing on Clara x Robin and the other on Steve x MeetCute!Reader

Playlist by Ari ♥

~

Steve watched the clock like a hawk, his leg getting jittery at the fact the seconds weren't ticking faster. When the long hand reached half passed, he chucked his work vest off and vaulted over the counter like some terrible ninja -shelf restaking be damned.

"Keys, keys, keys!" Steve energetically snapped his fingers at Robin who was still behind the video store counter closing up the till for next shift. She struggled to get out of her own work vest, fumbling with the zip as she chucked the keys at him.

"Alright, jeez Harrington." She said slightly annoyed at his nagging. He'd been hopping around like a rabbit on cocaine all day. Suffice to say, Robin was a little exhausted by his newfound energy.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Harrington persisted in hurried words, extending his hand for her.

Robin rolled her eyes as she sat on the counter and spun around. She took his outreached hand and Steve all but pulled her off the counter, sprinting to the car park on fumbling legs.

"Slow down, dingus!" Robin shouted in protest after nearly tripping twice.

Behind them, their boss was fuming, "Hey you still have three minutes on the clock!"

Steve had already backed his shitty replacement car out of the parking lot, knocking over a cardboard video store cut-out, and sped down the road -tires screeching like nails on a chalkboard.

"I swear to god Harrington, if you kill us… I'll be the most annoying ghost you've ever seen!" Robin promised.

Steve laughed as he fished his sunglasses from the glove compartment and jammed a tape into the car radio.

***

You stood by the bus station, two large suitcases parked next to you. You had a heart-shaped lollipop tucked in your cheek. The sun was kept at bay by your pair of cheesy heart-shaped sunglasses you won at a society bash in college. Music playing through your headphones connected to your Walkman, it barely held together thanks to the many cliché stickers taped around it. You were listening to your favourite mixtape. It was a travel mix Steve gave you before you left for college.

The sound of tires screeching a few feet in front of you alerted you of the fact your favourite human was finally here. A big goofy grin swept across your slightly tanned face as you all but jumped up and ran towards him -dropping your walkman and headphones. Steve hopped out of his car and met you halfway, leaving his car door open. Unbeknownst to him, the car started to roll the instant he picked you up in a bone-crushing hug, twirling you around like you weighed nothing. The girl sat in his car panicked for a brief moment before sliding into the driver’s seat and hitting the brakes.

"God damn it, Harrington!" She shouted after him as she put the car in park.

"Hey, gorgeous..." Steve muttered into your ear ignoring the fact he had almost crashed his car without him in it.

"Hey yourself," you cooed as your noses were a hair's breadth away.

"Well," Steve tilted his head to the side causing that stubborn curl you loved to bounce about, "Are you going to kiss me or what?"

You stood on your tippy-toes and nuzzled closer to him, "Abso-freaking-lutely!"

Your lips locked for the first time in ages and by god did it feel just as nerve tingly and electric as you remember. His tongue coaxed a giddy sigh from your throat as you let the feeling of homecoming wash over you.

Robin pressed down on the horn after snatching Steve's second pair of sunglasses from the glove box, "Hey lovebirds, don't we have another stop to make before you eat each other's faces off?"

Steve’s thumb nudged his nose as he took a slight exasperated inhale, "You see what I've had to deal with while you were away?" He said softly.

You giggled, dusting off your walkman as you pulled one suitcase while Steve got the other, "It seems to me Harrington, she's the one keeping you functional." You teased.

"The apple of my eye wounds me!" He protested dramatically. When Steve shooed Robin to the back, he introduced you. "Robin this is Y/N. Y/N, Robin."

Robin rolled her eyes, "And here I thought you were smacking lips with a complete stranger." She retorted sarcastically before beaming a warm smile your way. "It's great to finally meet you. Steve has told me everything about you. None stop. All the time. It drives me crazy."

"Likewise," you winked back.

***

"Thanks for the ride," Clara hollered at the truck driver as she jumped off, duffle bag slung across her shoulder. The truck driver honked twice before re-joining the main road.

Clara looked up at the signpost welcoming her back to Hawkins. She blew a large bubble with her tutti-frutti flavoured gum and it erupted with a satisfying pop noise. "The end of nowhere… Home, sweet home."

Clara trekked along the side of the road, her Docs clomping loudly against the tarmac. The summer heat was bearing down on her in all its glory, so she shrugged off her leather jacket and stuffed it into her duffle bag before taking off her red and blue flannel shirt and tying it around the waistband of her ripped jeans.

Clara fixed the ray bans that rested on the crown of her head back onto her eyes, lowering a purple filter over the world. The blue tips of her hair flying wildly with the wind. She could just make out a shitty car driving down towards her. Her favourite song blaring out the windows as she caught sight of her best friend's head hanging out the window -hair blowing furiously. In the driver's seat, her boyfriend smiled like an idiot and seated in the back seat was another girl. She looked familiar; pretty, big eyes and wearing a mickey mouse shirt. Clara smirked at that.

The car pulled over and her best friend slid out the window, rather than open the door like a damn normal person, and nearly knocked her over in an energetic hug.

"Clara! I've missed you, you bone head!" She said in a high squeak.

"Hey, goofball! I love you from here to the moon, but you're blocking the oxygen to my brain..." Clara dramatically wheezed. "I see you've brought your security blanket with." Clara waved with one hand at Steve. He waved out his window.

"Don’t be jealous, you know you are still my favourite moody security blanket. Steve is just a better cuddler, is all." Y/N smacked her arm playfully. "Come on, let's get you out of this heat and to some frosty beverages!"

"About damn time! My mascara was about to melt off my face!" Clara joked as she walked arm linked in arm with her best friend back to the car.

Clara tossed her duffle bag in the trunk and hopped in beside the new girl.

"Clara," she offered her hand adorned with too many concert bands and cheap rings.

The girl took one look at the name on Clara's band shirt and smiled with recognition, "Robin." She said as she shook her hand.

"I know," Clara said with cheek. "We were in band together. I looked different then. I wore more denim, less leather. My hair was blonde then too."

Robin pulled her mouth to the side in thought until it finally clicked, "Your hair was longer and you always got in trouble for taking over practice with your drum solo's!" She pointed out in recognition.

"And you played the trombone!" Clara said.

"Look at that, honey. I didn't have to introduce the kids to each other!" Steve joked in a motherly tone.

"Mr Perfect Hair! I see you haven't gotten a haircut yet." Clara retorted with spunk as she smacked Steve's chest a little too hard. He let out an 'oof' sound. "So, King Steve, still scooping ice-cream?"

"Ha-ha!" He laughed sarcastically. "You keep being such a smart ass and I won’t be your designated free ride into town anymore."

Clara gave him the bird and Steve returned it. The atmosphere familiar and chipper.

"Onwards Captain, to the milkshake parlour!" Y/N ordered with childish excitement.

***

"Anyone got a quarter?" Clara asked at the booth. Her plate was wiped clean, the only remnant of food was the random splodge of ketchup and amount of salt. She sucked down on her vanilla shake while giving her friends the puppy dog eye look.

Steve removed his arm from around Y/N's shoulders and patted down his pockets then gave her a frown, "Sadly I spent my last bit of change on the photo booth with this silly goose," he chimed, tickling Y/N's sides until she turned red from giggling too much. She squirmed about like a sugar high toddler, shrinking lower into the seat to try and get away from Steve's frisky hands.

Clara and Robin both let out sighs as they rolled their eyes in unison.

Robin tossed a French fry at Steve, "Get a room you two!"

Clara winked at her with approval, stealing two fries in the process.

"Hey, that's theft buddy," Robin tutted as she whacked Clara's hand lightly. "You better be willing to pay for those."

"I'll make it up to you," Clara smirked, her tone much more sonorous than before.

Y/N flickered her eyes to her best friend, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. A wicked smile playing across her face when she noticed Clara's flirting tone. Steve finally let up with his tickle attack and Y/N's giggled died out as she took a slurp of her near finished shake.

Clara clicked her tongue with a bit of cheek, averting her eyes to play things smooth. Robin reached into her shorts and pulled out a row of quarters.

"Here," she offered Clara with reddened cheeks.

"Thanks, babe." She said without thinking twice. Clara waltzed over to the jukebox and queued *Cherry Bomb*.

As the music swelled, she bobbed her head, hair swaying around her face, doing an awkward shimmy dance. Steve bobbed his head slightly as he and Y/N started thumb wrestling.

"If I win Harrington," She said with a serious expression. "We're having a zombie movie marathon!"

"And if I win, we're spending date night holed up on my couch while I babysit Henderson and the rest of those little troopers!" Steve scoffed.

"Sounds like an excuse to make out," Robin remarked to herself as she took a swig of her cherry cola.

Clara reached her hands out by their booth, "Come on you disgustingly sweet muppets, come dance with me!"

Y/N held up one finger from her free hand, "One sec, I gotta win this!" Her tongue stuck out as she tried to focus her efforts on keeping Steve's thumb off hers.

"Killjoys!" Clara boo'd before turning to Robin and hooking two fingers. "Come on, Robin! Let's show these boring wet blankets how to have fun!"

Robin stalled for a moment and then skittishly scooched out of the booth. Clara fearlessly grabbed her hands and shook them about, they looked like two graceless gazelles learning to walk. The room filled with laughs and huffs as other people looked over to the two giddy girls letting loose.

Once the song ended they returned to the booth. Y/N was nursing a half-moon frown, evidence that she lost the thumb war.

"Don't be such a sore loser, goofball." Clara teased.

Y/N pouted even more, until Steve showered her cheek with loud kisses, making her blush all over again.

"So, Steve told me you went on tour with a band?" Robin asked with attentive eyes, her head resting on her laced fingers.

"Mm-Hmmm!" Clara hummed as she hungrily sucked down the last of her milkshake. Y/N noticed how thirsty she still was and slid her milkshake in offering. Clara nodded a thank you and turned back to Robin. "I was a roadie. Played drums on some gigs. I got my first tattoo to commemorate my first big city gig. The lead drummer got food poisoning so I stepped up."

"You got a freaking tattoo without telling me?" Y/N nearly toppled the drinks over when her knee jerked into the table with surprise. "We promised to get our first tattoos together."

Clara shrugged, "It was a heat of the moment thing. I'll still be with you when you get your first one…" she eyed her best friend knowingly. "If you ever get one."

"Let's see it?" Steve urged her.

Clara rolled up her t-shirt sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a smartly inked dandelion.

"Huh," Steve said unimpressed. "I was expecting a skull or one of those barbed wire tattoo's most of the band members’ have."

Clara let out a huff of air, "The name of the club I played in was called the Black Dandelion. It seemed sporting. And not too complicated. Besides, how did you know the band members have those exact tattoos?"

"What?" Steve sounded offended. "I read… occasionally."  

"I can't wait to get out of Hawkins. After everything, seeing a big city would be a breath of fresh air," Robin mused dreamily.

"Hawkins is alright if you're like twelve or a middle-aged suburban housewife, but trust me when I tell you nothing beats playing in a big city. The energy, the colour… the music! You guys would love it!" Clara beamed.

"I know what you mean. The vibe of my campus is just so much more different than anything else around here," Y/N added. "Steve I know you'd just love the energy there, plus we could even get an apartment together, take the subway into town, see concerts--"

Steve shut her up by placing an unexpected kiss on her lips, "Easy there, tiger. You've barely been here a couple of hours. Let's leave the college application discussion for another day." He kept his finger under her chin while her lips stayed agape.

"Fine, you may have thwarted my attempts today, but we will talk about this," she promised.

Clara and Robin ignored them as they talked about their time in band and all the things they had in common.

***

Steve waited for Y/N to return from her house with a small overnight bag. Clara was drumming a tune on her exposed knee while absentmindedly listening to the radio. Robin yawned as she kept her head out the window.

When Y/N returned, she had a large grin on her face. "Okay, my parents think I'm staying over at Clara's!"

"Aren't you two a little too old to be playing the 'I'm staying at a friend’s house when I'm actually sneaking off to spend the night at my boyfriend’s empty house' routine?" Clara said with air quotes.

"No one ever outgrows mischief, Clara." Y/N lectured. "You simply perfect it."

"Let me know when you do!" Clara snorted, making Robin titter as well.

***

Once Clara had been dropped at her house, she unlocked the front door using the secret hide-away key stored under the porch frog. Her parents were out on holiday in Hawaii so she had the whole house pretty much to herself.

After putting on the tea kettle, Clara perused through the bookshelf looking for her high school yearbook. When she found it, she flipped through the pages looking for one person in particular: the beguiling and funny spirited Robin.

"Bingo!" She said in triumph when she spotted her class photo. She giggled at the innocent girl in the photograph with braces and a high ponytail. Clara hoped it wasn't her imagination playing tricks on her because she could have sworn she felt something click between her and Robin. "Robin… cute name."

***

Steve raced to keep up with his bubbly girlfriend as she burst through the front doors of his house.

"Slow down, Y/N!" He panted out after she challenged him to a race to see who could get to his house from the driveway the fasted.

"I win! You lose!" She did a little victory dance. "Now go make that popcorn while I set up the VHS!"

Steve groaned, "Fine, but we're only watching one movie. I haven't seen you in forever and I need my mandatory cuddles."

"If you behave, you'll get cuddles and a little surprise..." she teased flirtatiously.

"Popcorn! Coming up!" He ran to the kitchen with newfound energy.

***

Next Chapter Presents: Rollerskates and Cheap Dates!

If you enjoyed this story don’t be afraid to like, reblog or comment. I don’t bite. Also, taglist is open just send an ask.

 Tags:  @theconscientiouswriter @chims-kookies @electroma89 @thechickvic @gruffle1  @notawarriorjustyet @mochminnie