#I think this is the best looking transformers movie since the first one. not counting the extended animated or prime pilots

[dappercritter]

This is going to disappoint a lot of Transformers fans but I still think TF One looks pretty good actually

[foundtherightwords]

This Is the Sound of Your Voice

Pairing: Hellcheer (College AU)

Summary: After breaking up with her high school boyfriend and moving away to the big city, Chrissy is still trying to find herself. When her roommate Nancy sets her up on a blind date, she accepts, even though the guy - someone called Eddie - sounds nothing like her type. But then she meets Eddie and realizes he's not what she thought he'd be like at all.

Warnings: implied eating disorder, stalking

Word count: 7.6k

A/N: Written for Day 1 of Hellcheer Week 2024, with the prompts "instalove", "vampire", and "kiss". To be honest, I had the idea before I saw the prompts, and this is the best I could do to fit the prompts into it. I've never written from word prompts before so I don't know if I succeeded here (and I think I'm incapable of writing instalove anyway), but I had fun trying.

It's a No Upside Down AU (obviously) but I kept the time setting, so it takes place around 1989-1990.

The title is a song by Snow Patrol.

Looking into the mirror, Chrissy fussed with her bangs for the thousandth time. Despite her efforts, they were still infuriatingly flat. With a frustrated huff, she gave up and pulled her hair into a ponytail. It would have to do. After all, this wasn't such a big important date that she had to dress up for it. Well, important, maybe. First dates often are important, aren't they? But definitely not big.

Or at least that was what she kept telling herself, to drown out the nervous feeling rising from the pit of her stomach and spreading through her limbs, making her cold and shaky. So pathetic. One would think she was some little girl going out with a boy for the first time ever. Admittedly, it had been such a long since she'd been on a date, so it might as well be the first time.

Chrissy didn't remember much of her first-ever date, only that it was at the mall with some gawky boy in middle school. She hadn't been serious about boys then, and her mother didn't want her to start dating so early, so Chrissy hadn't even realized it was a date until later.

Her first date with Jason, though... that Chrissy remembered very well. It was nothing special, just going to the movies—they'd wanted to see Fast Times at Ridgemont High, only they weren't allowed in, being high school freshmen, so Jason had suggested they settle for E.T. instead—but she remembered being so giddy about the idea of going on a date with the cutest boy in school, so pleased that he'd asked her out, that she'd hardly taken in the movie at all. Afterward, they had walked home together and he'd given her a goodnight kiss on the cheek, and she'd floated to her room on a cloud. How innocent she'd been then, thinking that this was it, and they would get married and live happily ever after...

Except it had been nothing but a childish dream, and when she'd gotten a chance to make that white-picket-fence dream come true, Chrissy had balked at it. When Jason got down on one knee during their anniversary dinner and pulled the velvet box out of his pocket, what had risen within Chrissy wasn't the giddiness and excitement she'd felt when he'd first asked her out. No, it had been surprise first, and then dread. In the five years they had been dating, she had changed so much, corroded by the pressure to be perfect from her mother, her teachers, her friends, and, yes, from Jason as well, until nothing remained of that bright-eyed fourteen-year-old. Perhaps that girl had never existed at all, and this was who she really was, someone who was afraid of everything, afraid of every cheer routine, of every report card, of every trip to the fitting room, of every bite of food, afraid of messing up and ruining her life.

Some of that dread must have shown on her face, because Jason had been quick to reassure her that this didn't mean they had to get married right away. No, the wedding could wait until they graduated from college, he'd said, as if that made it any better. When Chrissy tried to protest that it was still too soon and that they hadn't done anything with their lives, Jason had laughed and asked, rather dismissively, "What else is there to do?"

It was that laugh, so lighthearted, so condescending, that finally convinced Chrissy. Jason clearly didn't take her seriously. He couldn't fathom that she would want do anything other than get married and pop out babies. It was then that she realized there was no convincing him to wait a little longer, no explaining to him that she didn't want to end up like her mother, being a housewife with no control over her own life, so she tried to control her kids' instead.

Her whole life, Chrissy had been saying "yes". Yes when her mother told her to eat this and not that, to wear this and not that. Yes when her advisor told her to take this class and not that class, to focus on cheer practices rather than her academic performance. Yes when Jason told her they were going here and not there.

But that night, in that crowded restaurant, while people around them ooh-and-aahed at this display of young love, she had found her strength to say "no", for the first time in her life.

Jason hadn't taken that well.

As the people in the restaurant fell quiet and awkwardly turned away from the spectacle, Jason had laughed and insisted that she was joking, or perhaps it had been too sudden and she didn't know what to say. Then, when Chrissy assured him that she was serious, the smile had faded from his handsome face. A cold look of anger had come into his eyes, chilling Chrissy to the bones. It was gone in a second, to be replaced by a look of utter shock and heartbreak that nearly broke her own heart. She'd almost told him that perhaps they could wait a few more years, until they graduated perhaps, to see where they were, but deep down inside, she knew that there was no more waiting. Still, it was hard, seeing how much she'd hurt him.

Jason certainly had no intention of making the breakup easy for her. In the following weeks, he showed up at her classes—the simplest thing, when they went to the same college—and at her house, bearing flowers and gifts and tearful apologies, trying to get her to change her mind. He had almost convinced Chrissy that she was making the worst mistake of her life. But every time she came close to getting back with him, she would see that split-second look of rage again. In the end, it was the memory of her fear that had convinced Chrissy she was doing the right thing.

If it had been difficult facing Jason's heartbreak, then it was a thousand times more difficult facing her mother's wrath. Laura wasn't used to her daughter fighting back and voicing her own opinions. But after the breakup with Jason, something within Chrissy had snapped. It was as if Jason's proposal of their future life had pulled a veil from her eyes and shown her that it was definitely not what she wanted for herself.

And so, amidst her mother's shouts, her father's silences, and Jason's pleas, Chrissy had transferred to the University of Illinois in Chicago—she knew Jason wouldn't be able to follow her there without losing his basketball scholarship, plus it had the appeal of a big city where she didn't have to see the same faces every day. She had barely scraped by with her grades, but she'd managed it. Luckily, her father had put aside money for her tuition, in an account in Chrissy's own name—it was one of the few things he'd done right by her—so she hadn't been fazed by her mother's threats of cutting her off. She'd still had to get a job to pay for everything else, but Chrissy didn't mind. It was the first time she'd earned money for herself, instead of just getting allowances. It was the first time she'd lived with people other than her family—a very nice girl named Nancy, who was studying journalism at UIC. It was the first time she could eat without worrying about the calories. It was the first time she'd taken an active interest in schoolwork. It was the first time she could decide things for herself, instead of letting her mother or Jason decide for her.

She was doing a lot of things for the first time in her life, and she had never felt freer.

Of course, it wasn't always easy. It was never easy to shake off the habit of a lifetime, and Chrissy often woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, thinking she'd thrown her life away. She wanted to apply for nursing school, but although her grades had improved a great deal, she wasn't sure she could make it through the program. What if she flunked out and had to come home with her tail between her legs? Her mother would never let her hear the end of it.

And then there was the matter of her love life.

Chrissy sighed as she put on her make-up. Perhaps she shouldn't have started this train of thought about Jason right before her first date—and a blind date at that!—in nearly two years. It only made her more nervous. Ever since she moved to Chicago, there had been plenty of guys interested in her, but Chrissy had never been confident enough to accept any of them. What if they turned out to be like Jason? About six months after she left, he had shown up on campus and proceeded to make a spectacle of himself in front of everyone as he begged Chrissy to come home. Chrissy had become frozen by shock and fear, and it was only thanks to Nancy, who had had the presence of mind to call security to escort Jason away, that Chrissy had found some peace. She hadn't seen Jason again after that, not even when she'd gone home for summer break.

But even though she was over Jason—which she was, truly and fully—Chrissy was still not ready for that kind of intimacy again. How could she let anyone know her, when she didn't even know herself?

It was why, when Nancy had suggested that Chrissy take the plunge, she had accepted it, albeit in a cautious way—even if the date went nowhere, at least it would make her more comfortable with dating again. Besides, Nancy had said Chrissy needed someone completely different from Jason, and from the sound of it, the guy Nancy set her up with, Eddie, was just that—he majored in English, he played guitar, and he was, by all accounts, something of a nerd. She couldn't get further from Mr. Popular Basketball Star than that.

"How do you even know this guy?" Chrissy had asked, when Nancy first told her about him. "Does he work at the newspaper too?"

"He runs the school's Dungeons and Dragons club," replied Nancy.

"Isn't that the—satanic game?" Chrissy said, her voice hushed.

"Don't let my brother Mike hear you say that," Nancy said, smiling. "He and his friends are really into it, but I know nothing about it, so I went to the club to ask about present ideas for Mike." Sometimes, when comparing herself to Nancy, who was juggling school, a job at the school's newspaper, an internship at the Chicago Tribune, a boyfriend, and still managed to have a good relationship with her family, Chrissy felt like a failure. "Anyway," Nancy continued, "that's how I met Eddie. Trust me, he's really nice."

Chrissy had spoken to Eddie on the phone once after that, to set up their date. He did sound nice—or his voice did, at any rate—but Chrissy hadn't let that fool her. Jason had been really nice too, until she'd done something that didn't fit with his image of a perfect girlfriend.

Chrissy finished her make-up and threw a cardigan over her simple blue dress. She looked into the mirror again, hoping to see a mature young woman of twenty-one, put-together, confident. What she saw was a girl, still looking like she had in high school, eyes wide, anxious, her naïveté showing all too clearly on her face. She thought about asking Nancy for advice, but Nancy was hunched over at her desk, frowning at her typewriter as though it wasn't typing fast enough for her liking, and Chrissy didn't want to bother her. At the last minute, she pulled off her scrunchie, letting her hair fall over her shoulders again. Not much of an improvement, but at least she no longer looked like a schoolgirl.

"Have fun!" Nancy said over her shoulder as Chrissy grabbed her bag. With a quick wave back, Chrissy left their room.

She took the L from the dorm to the South Side. Eddie worked at a music store there, and he didn't get off until six, nor did he drive, so Chrissy had insisted on meeting him at the store. He had offered to pick her up instead, but she'd claimed she didn't mind and wanted to save him the trip. The truth was that she wanted to check him out from afar, before they met face-to-face.

She arrived at the store with twenty minutes to go. The store was on a street corner, its front shaded by a maple tree whose leaves were turning brilliant shades of gold and crimson. Feeling a little ridiculous, Chrissy tried to peer in through the window to catch a glimpse of Eddie. There was no sign of him, or anyone for that matter, only rows and rows of musical instruments—guitars, keyboards, and drum sets further in the back. The place exuded the calm, peaceful air of a library, only with less quiet—despite its apparent emptiness, snatches of music and laughter floated from somewhere in the back of the store through the crisp October air, giving the quiet street outside a rather lively, festive feel. Chrissy was not very musical, but even her fingers itched to strum those gleaming guitars.

"Can I help you?" said a voice next to her, making her jump.

Chrissy turned around. A boy was standing next to her—she had been too busy admiring the guitars to notice him come out of a side door. He looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, with an impish, cheerful face, surrounded by wiry hair poking out from under a baseball cap bearing the store's logo.

"Sorry," Chrissy said automatically. "I'm looking for Eddie."

The boy's eyebrows went up. Probably not a lot of girls came by the store looking for Eddie then. Chrissy wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. "Could you tell him that Chrissy's here, please?" she asked the boy.

"Ohhh!" the boy exclaimed as understanding dawned on his face. "You must be his date! Hang on a sec, I'll get him." He hesitated. "He may still be in his lesson though. Do you want to come inside?"

"Thanks, but I'll wait for him out here," said Chrissy, wondering what kind of lesson the boy meant.

The boy gave Chrissy an amicable grin, showing his braces, then he turned on his heel and went back in through the side door. "Eddie!" Chrissy heard him shout through the door left ajar, with all the tact of teenage boys. "Your date's here! You're right, she is pretty!"

Cheeks burning up, Chrissy backed away until she was partially hidden by the maple tree. Another agonizing five minutes passed, before the side door opened again and a young man emerged.

Chrissy stared at him.

From Nancy's description, Chrissy had pictured Eddie as someone rather similar to Nancy's boyfriend, Jonathan—a bit weedy, a bit dorky, whom Jason and his fellow jocks would've made fun of in high school, while Chrissy sat by, shame-faced but not having the courage to speak up.

The young man who came out of the store looked nothing like that. He was tall, yes, and lanky, but definitely not weedy, and definitely not a dork. At least not like any dork Chrissy knew. His long, dark hair, which flowed in soft waves down to his shoulders, the steel rings gleaming on his fingers, and his leather jacket, layered with a denim vest stuck full of patches and pins, made him look like a biker or a rocker. To complete the effect, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses. The sunglasses struck Chrissy as rather pretentious, considering that dusk was falling and they would only impede his vision. Her heart sank. This was the guy Nancy believed would be perfect for her? He looked rather... scary.

Chrissy drew further behind the tree. She began to wish she hadn't accepted Nancy's offer. Her only hope that this was not Eddie, but some other employee of the store.

The young man leaned against the door, keeping it open. Kids, all with guitars slung on their backs or hanging from their shoulders, streamed out past him. At least this answered Chrissy's question about the lesson.

"Bye, Eddie!" a little girl said as she ran through the door, dispersing any hope Chrissy might have about the young man's identity.

"Bye, Pippa," replied Eddie. "Don't run."

Chrissy could glimpse fangs behind his lips, and for a confused moment, she wondered if he was a vampire. Then she remembered, with a jolt, that it was almost Halloween. Now that she was paying more attention, she noticed a row of jack-o-lanterns in the shop's windows, and saw that most of the kids were dressed up, as ghosts and ghouls, princesses and superheroes. She amended her initial impression of Eddie's sunglasses, feeling ashamed that she had been so quick to judge. Maybe they were a part of his costume—maybe he was dressed up as Jason Patric from The Lost Boys. He certainly had the right look for it.

As Chrissy watched Eddie say goodbye to the kids, her apprehension gradually fell away. He was clearly well liked by the kids, and in turn, he seemed to like them as well—he called each of them by name and had something to say to each of them, a few words of praise, a gentle admonishment, or a joke. A boy, dressed as a werewolf, went through the door and growled at Eddie. Eddie hissed back. "Don't let the fleas catch you," he said and fist-bumped the boy, who giggled delightedly.

Chrissy couldn't help grinning herself. Now feeling a lot more at ease, she waited until the last kid had left and went up to Eddie. His face was turned away, so he didn't see her.

"Eddie?" she called.

He finally turned to face her, and Chrissy's heart skipped a beat. Despite the sunglasses, his face was open, friendly, and—yes, quite cute too, with a fine-shaped nose, a strong chin and jaw that somehow managed to still look soft, and full lips that broke out in a smile the moment he saw her. "Chrissy?" he said.

"Yes."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Have you been here long?"

"No, not at all—"

They were interrupted by the boy with the baseball cap, who emerged from the door and pressed something flat and white into Eddie's hand. "Dude, don't forget this," the boy said. Turning to Chrissy, he added with a grin, "I swear, he meets a pretty girl and next thing you know, he's forgetting his own head."

"Thank you, Henderson," Eddie said loudly and pointedly, poking the boy with the white thing and pushing him back inside, before letting the door slam shut. "Sorry about that," he said to Chrissy with an apologetic smile, and started unfolding the white thing, section by section.

"What's that for?" Chrissy asked, pointing at the thing, which she now recognized as a cane.

"What's what for?"

She couldn't tell if he was being obtuse on purpose or not, but she was getting a little annoyed. "The cane," she said.

"Oh, just in case," Eddie said with a shrug. He still hadn't taken his sunglasses off.

"Just in case of what?"

An awkward silence stretched between them as Eddie leaned on the fully unfolded cane. He stared at her—or at least Chrissy thought he was staring at her.

"Chrissy, I'm blind," he said.

Chrissy thought she'd misheard. "What?" she asked blankly.

"You don't know that?"

"No!"

"Didn't Nancy tell you?"

"She didn't tell me anything, only that you run the Dungeons and Dragons club at UIC." Chrissy felt like she was living in some horrible sitcom. It all made sense now, the dark glasses in the evening, the fact that he didn't drive...

"You sure?" Eddie asked, a strain in his voice.

"Yes! I think I would've remembered if she told me you were blind!" And I would kill her for not telling me, she thought.

Eddie's full lips pressed together into a hard line. "Look, we don't have to do this," he said. "Just give me the word and I'll walk away, OK?" He turned to go.

Something made Chrissy reach out and grab his arm. "No! It's not that—I don't want you to go." She looked more closely at Eddie. He had been so nice to the kids. What is it that people say, about children and animals being the best judge of character...? And he was really cute, even when angry. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just—I've never gone out with a blind guy before."

"Most girls don't want to," Eddie said, still looking sullen.

That was when Chrissy made her decision. "Well, I'm not most girls."

Eddie's face softened when he realized what she was saying. "But—a pretty girl like you—you must have guys hanging around you all the time—"

"I can assure you I don't," Chrissy said honestly. "And how do you know if I'm pretty or not?" she asked, a smile teasing the corner of her mouth despite herself.

"You sound pretty," he said simply, without any attempt at being flirtatious. How could she not be charmed by that?

"And to think, I put so much effort into my outfit too," she said.

Eddie grinned then, a quick, sudden smile that lit up his whole face like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, showing two dimples on his cheeks. "I'm sure you look great," he said. "So where are we going then?"

A sudden idea hit Chrissy. "Tell you what," she said. "If you can guess which hand I'm holding up, then you can pick where we go." She raised her right hand.

Eddie tilted his head, as if he was really trying to see. "... Left?" he guessed.

"How did you do that?!" Chrissy said, quickly putting her hand down. She hoped she sounded believably surprised.

"I didn't get it, did I?" said Eddie, laughing. "You're just saying that."

"I'm not! You really did get it!" Chrissy protested, but she laughed as well. She hadn't laughed like that with anyone in so long. Certainly not with Jason.

"OK," Eddie said. "I guess I won then. Have you been to Chinatown?"

"No."

"Perfect! So we're going to Chinatown."

"Um, Eddie?"

"Yes?"

Chrissy touched a finger to her lips. And then, remembering Eddie couldn't see her, she said, "Your fangs?"

"Oops." Those mischievous dimples dipped and rose again, making him look like an impish boy, as he pulled off the plastic fangs and slipped them into a pocket. "Let's go!"

***

Chinatown was only a few blocks from the store, so they walked. Eddie kept his glasses on and used the cane, though Chrissy could see that it was more for the benefits of others than himself—he walked confidently, his strides slow but steady, without hesitation at any turn or crossing. On the way, Eddie told her about his work at the store and the guitar lessons with the kids, about his band, Corroded Coffin—which he invited her to see—and about his studies at UIC and how he hoped to become a teacher one day. "Or become the Stevie Wonders of heavy metal, who knows," he added with a chuckle.

For her part, Chrissy said little. She simply enjoyed listening to Eddie, fascinated by how fun and interesting his life was. And a sense of shame crept over her, as it always did whenever she compared herself with someone else. Even Eddie could manage to lead such a full life with his disability, yet here she was, trembling at the simple thought of going out to eat, or meeting someone new...

Then they arrived, and the sights and sounds and smells of Chinatown drove the worries from her mind. They walked through the big, colorful gate, down the main street strung with red lanterns, past buildings with curved roofs and stone lions flanking their doors, past murals of Chinese warriors and dragons coiling in clouds or waves, before turning left and heading toward the big square. Chrissy could see why Eddie loved the place. Even if you can't see, there are plenty here to engage your other senses—from the lively music flowing out from every store front, to the cries of the street vendors hawking their wares, from the mouth-watering smell rising from the snack stalls to the presence of hundreds of other people surrounding them, all enjoying themselves.

"Do you want to eat in a restaurant, or do you want street food?" asked Eddie.

Chrissy had no idea what Chinese street food would be like, but she liked the atmosphere of the square too much to want to sit down in a restaurant away from it. "Street food, please," she said boldly.

So that was what they did, getting a to-go box of dim-sum—both steamed and fried, sweet and savory—and sharing it while ambling around. Chrissy found the idea of eating on the street strangely liberating. In a restaurant, she was always conscious of other people watching what she ate—or didn't eat—but here, almost everybody was eating while walking and shopping and talking, children clutching skewers of grilled meat, teenagers giggling over pork buns and egg tarts, elderly ladies slurping from bowls of noodle as they people-watched. It relaxed her so much that she even fed Eddie a few pieces of dim-sum, and let him feed her a few in return.

They continued to talk. Chrissy discovered that she and Eddie had more in common than she realized—he came from Indiana as well, though his hometown was even smaller than hers. She also learned that he went blind due to a rare genetic disorder, and that he got a scholarship to UIC.

"But I've been talking too much," Eddie said suddenly. "Tell me something about yourself."

"You don't want to hear about me," she said with an embarrassed laugh. "I'm boring."

"I'm sure you're not. Nancy told me you're a cheerleader."

"I was a cheerleader. In high school."

"That's really cool."

Chrissy was silent. How could she tell him that she didn't like that part of her and that she wished to leave it behind?

"And you're in health studies now?" Eddie prompted.

"Yes. I want to apply for nursing school, but—" Chrissy stopped herself.

"But what?"

Chrissy hesitated. She hadn't planned on telling Eddie about her fears, yet something about him calmed her and made her want to open up to him.

"I don't know. What if I'm not cut out for it?" she said. "I know the cliché, how would I know if I don't try and so on, but still." She sighed. "I must sound so lame, right?"

"Why would you say that?" Eddie asked, all serious.

"Well, here I am, worrying about a program I don't even have the courage to apply for, while you've done so much with your life..." Eddie was quiet, and she trailed off, wondering if she might have offended him.

After a while, he said, "I was terrified too, when I first moved here." He shrugged. "Heck, I'm still terrified now, sometimes. But I remember what my uncle told me, after I went blind."

"How old were you?" Chrissy asked, looking at him.

"I was six."

She went quiet, her heart aching in sympathy at the thought of Eddie losing his sight so young. How afraid and lost he must have felt! She also wondered why he mentioned his uncle instead of his mom or dad, but decided it was a question she could save for later.

"And what did your uncle say?"

"He told me to just put one foot in front of another and forget everything else." As if he could sense her gaze, Eddie turned and gave her a smile, making her stomach flip.

Chrissy was still running those simple words through her head when a drumroll at the end of the street drew her attention. Following the crowd, they came to a storefront festooned with red ribbons and blazing with lanterns. Three people wearing a half-lion, half-dragon costume were dancing to the drums, trying to reach a ball hanging over the store's front door, under a banner that proclaimed "Three Happiness Restaurant - GRAND OPENING" in English and Chinese.

"It's a grand opening of a restaurant," Chrissy explained to Eddie, over the deafening sound of drums and cymbals. "They're performing some sort of dance."

"I bet it's a lion dance."

"How do you know?"

"I've heard of them. Is there a bunch of guys dressed in a lion costume?"

"Yes, but it doesn't look much like a lion. Looks more like a dragon." She tried to describe to him how the lion's eyelids could actually move, and how the sequins and spangles on its head and body flashed and sparkled in time with the music, giving the impression that it was a real, living thing. She thought she was doing a terrible job of it, but Eddie seemed fascinated. He tilted his head toward the dancers and tapped his foot along with the drums.

"I've never seen a lion dance," he said. "I've always assumed that they looked like, you know, actual lions. Your description sounds much better."

Now the dancers were standing on each other's shoulder to catch the ball in the lion's mouth. The crowd surged forward. Chrissy found herself holding Eddie's elbow automatically, drawing him close to her, supporting him, so he wouldn't be jostled. A cheer went up as the lion caught the ball, and fireworks exploded over their heads.

Eddie lifted his face toward the sky, the colorful sparks reflected in his glasses.

"Can you—see it?" Chrissy asked. She almost bit her tongue off, realizing how idiotic she'd sounded. Of course he couldn't see.

Eddie didn't seem to notice her blunder. "I can feel it," he said.

Chrissy looked up as well, but she didn't watch the fireworks. She looked at Eddie, at the shape of his jawline, at his lips slightly opened, and wondered what it would feel like to kiss those lips. She thought about how afraid she'd been the past year, away from home, away from her family and friends, away from everything she'd ever known, how terrifying it all was. Now, standing here with this guy whom she'd only just met yet felt like she'd known for a long time, she started to realize how freeing it had all been, and would continue to be. And for the first time, she no longer felt ashamed when she compared herself to another. Instead, she felt—encouraged. If Eddie could do all he'd done and more, then what was holding her back?

***

Eddie insisted on walking her back to the dorm, since he lived only a few blocks away. Chrissy didn't protest. She didn't want the night to end, but if it had to end, then she wanted to spend as much of the remaining time with him as possible.

She had never felt like this about anyone, not even Jason. Her excitement after their first date had all been because of herself, her vanity, her naïve dream of the future. But this, with Eddie, was nothing like the headiness of that fourteen-year-old girl. There was a calm certainty in her feelings for him—she'd heard people say that when you meet the right person, you'd just know. Well, she knew now. She wouldn't call it love just yet, but he made her feel warm and safe, and she never wanted those feelings to go away.

Chrissy was almost sorry when they approached the dorm entrance. She was trying to come up with an excuse to invite Eddie inside—not to her room, where Nancy was no doubt still frowning over her article, but to the lounge, perhaps—when a figure stepped out of the shadow and blocked their way.

Chrissy's heart dropped like a lead weight.

It was Jason.

He still looked as she remembered him—clean-cut, handsome in a varsity jacket bearing his school's colors and his name on the chest, utterly charming. That was the terrible thing. After all this time, she'd expected him to look threatening or sinister, but even here, on this darkened street, he still looked like the boy she'd once thought she loved, and she knew, he only had to say the right thing, pushed the right button, and she'd come running back to him...

"Hi, Chris," Jason said, like they just happened to run into each other on the quad.

Chrissy stood stock still, frozen by fear and panic, her mouth clamped shut. She was afraid that if she responded to him, he would be able to draw her back, like in some twisted fairy tale.

"Listen, I just want to talk, OK?" Jason continued in a placating tone. "I may have been a little—hasty, but you're overreacting to a ridiculous degree! Leaving your family, leaving everything you know behind, and for what? This has gone on long enough. Come home, Chris."

His tone and the diminutive, dismissive "Chris" irritated Chrissy, and the irritation wiped away some of her fear. He'd always talked to her like that whenever she tried to tell him something made her uncomfortable or argue against his opinion, like he knew best and she knew nothing at all. He sounded just like her mother.

"Chrissy, you OK?" Eddie's voice broke through the haze, and his hand found hers, giving her strength. "Who is it?"

Jason hadn't even deigned to look at Eddie, as if he considered Eddie not worth his attention. Now he turned to Eddie and took in the cane, the glasses, their hands clasping each other tightly, and his lips curled up in an ugly sneer.

"Seriously, Chris?" he said to Chrissy. "You dumped me for a blind—freak?"

Eddie might not have recognized Jason's condescending tone toward Chrissy, but this he noticed. "Hey man," he said, stepping forward to shield Chrissy from Jason, "I don't know who you think you are, but I don't appreciate your tone—"

"Shut up," snapped Jason. "I'm here to talk to my girlfriend."

Finally, Chrissy found her voice. Walking out from behind Eddie, she looked straight at Jason and said, "No, Jason. You shut up. I'm not your girlfriend anymore. It's been a year. We have nothing to talk about. And if you don't leave me alone, leave us alone, if I ever see you around campus again, I'm going to call the police and file a restraining order against you. I don't think a stalking charge would look good on your record, do you? Now get the fuck out of my sight!"

Under the yellow streetlamp, Jason's face turned a peculiar shade of green. Chrissy's voice had drawn some attention. It was late, but this being Friday night, there were still plenty of students mingling around, and some were turning toward the three of them with curiosity and interest. Jason glanced at the onlookers and back to Chrissy again. He opened his mouth then closed it again several times, looking like a hooked fish. Finally, he backed away from them and took off running toward the train station. He soon disappeared into the dark.

Chrissy's heart, frozen in fear before, now started to beat wildly from relief and elation. Eddie gave her fingers a squeeze. His hand moved up her arm and her shoulder, and when he noticed how much she was trembling, he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her. With his other hand, he took off his denim vest and draped it over her quivering shoulders.

"You're OK," he said quietly. "It's OK now."

Chrissy clung to him, breathing in his scent of leather and smoke and a woody fragrance that he must have picked up from the store—it was what she imagined a new acoustic guitar would smell like—and felt her trembles subside. But even when she had quieted down, Eddie kept his arms around her.

"So that was your ex?" he asked.

Chrissy nodded. Then, remembering that Eddie couldn't see her, she said, "Yes," her voice muffled from under his leather jacket.

"A piece of work, isn't he?"

"I wasted five years of my life with him."

"At least you're free of him now."

She let out a shaky laugh. "I can't believe I swore at him like that."

"Maybe you're stronger than you think."

She lifted her head to look at Eddie. He was smiling, showing those dimples that she had come to love—yes, love—and she could feel calmness radiating from him like a warm fire, burning away the cold fear in her.

"Let me walk you home," she said. "I think I've scared Jason away for now, but who knows what he may do..."

Eddie's face turned serious. "You think he may be lying in wait for me?"

Chrissy didn't think Jason was capable of that. She wanted to believe that he loved his reputation and his image much more than he loved her, and he would not risk those for anything. But she would rather not find out.

"I want to make sure you're safe," she said.

A little smile hovered over Eddie's lips, shy and incredulous, quite different from the mischievous grin he'd just had. "I'll stick to the main streets, I'll be fine," he said. "But what about you? What if he's lying in wait for you?"

She was touched by his concern, but that didn't alleviate her concern. "Let me call you a cab at least," she insisted.

"Cabbie would say it's faster to walk. It's literally only ten minutes away."

Chrissy sighed. If she had the dorm room to herself, she would ask him to stay the night in a heartbeat. Besides, it was too late to sign him in now. And then she thought about the possibility of spending the night with Eddie and was almost glad he couldn't see the crimson blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Nancy has a car," she said finally. "I'll ask her to drive you home."

Eddie still looked hesitant. "Are you sure? I don't want to bother—"

"It's no bother. Come in for a minute while I get her."

Nancy was furious when Chrissy told her about Jason's latest antics. "What a creep!" she exploded. "I wish I'd called the police on him when he showed up last time. Good for you for kicking his ass though," she added to Chrissy with something like a maternal pride, which Chrissy had never gotten from her own mother.

Nancy readily agreed to drive them to Eddie's apartment—Chrissy suspected she wanted a distraction from her work. Chrissy sat in the back with Eddie, and several times, she caught Nancy watching them in the rearview mirror and smiling to herself from time to time. Chrissy glared at her. To her credit, Nancy never said a word except to ask Eddie for his address, and "Here we are!" when they arrived at Eddie's apartment building—an old brownstone just behind the South Campus—not more than five minutes later.

"Thanks for the ride, Wheeler," Eddie said, getting out and giving Nancy's shoulder a friendly pat, by way of saying goodbye.

Chrissy hesitated. Should she say goodbye here, or should she walk him to his door? The guy is usually the one walking the girl to her door, isn't he? What would the etiquette be in this case?

Thankfully, Nancy saw her wavering. "Go ahead," she said, nodding at Chrissy with that same knowing smile. "I'll wait in the car."

Chrissy ran after Eddie, who was halfway up the front steps.

"Eddie," she said. "Don't forget your jacket." She pressed the jean vest into his hand.

"You keep it," he said. "So I have an excuse to see you again." The grin was back, shy and playful at the same time, and Chrissy melted in its warmth.

"I'm so sorry our date was ruined," she said.

"It's not your fault. And nothing was ruined. I had a great time."

"Me too. Thank you." Chrissy was well aware that Nancy was waiting, but she didn't want to say goodbye, not yet. She went up a few steps until she could see her reflection in his glasses. "Eddie?"

"Yes?"

"Can I—do you mind taking off your glasses? I want to see your eyes." She wondered if she was being intrusive, but Eddie only said, "Oh, of course!" He lifted his glasses into his curls, and Chrissy fell quiet as she took in his eyes.

Eddie's eyes were dark brown, the largest, softest brown eyes she'd ever seen, fringed by enviably long lashes. They looked blank, as expected, and even though the expressiveness of the rest of his face more than made up for it, her heart still twisted when she imagined how wonderful he would've looked, how alive his face would've been, if those eyes could see.

"They're beautiful," she said.

"I'd rather that they were functional rather than beautiful, but hey, you have to take what you can get, right?"

Chrissy realized she'd misspoken again. "I'm so sorry," she said, feeling wretched. "I didn't mean—"

"No, no," Eddie quickly said, taking her hand to assure her that he wasn't offended. "I was just joking."

Chrissy took another step up. They were now so close that she could count the freckles across the bridge of his nose, even in the dim light over his front door. "Can I kiss you?" she asked, a little breathless.

Eddie's own breath caught. "No one's ever asked me that before," he said.

"I've never asked that of anyone before either."

Eddie smiled. "I guess that made this the first for both of us." Then he sobered, realizing the weight of this moment. "I'd love a kiss from you." He leaned closer and turned his head slightly, putting his cheek toward her.

It was then that Chrissy realized he was expecting a goodnight kiss on the cheek, a chaste kiss between friends. And she also realized she had no interest in being friendly or chaste.

Pressing a finger to his jaw, she turned him to face her and put a kiss on his lips.

A moment's hesitation as Eddie was caught by surprise, then his mouth parted, welcoming, responsive, and he was kissing her back, slowly but surely. His lips were just as soft as she'd imagined them, and when he lifted a hand to her face, caressing her jaw and cheek, as if trying to feel the kiss with all of his senses, she forgot everything else but him and those lips under hers.

"Are you smiling?" he said as they pulled apart to draw breath. His fingers still continued their gentle quest across her face, sending delicious shivers down her spine.

"I am." Her smile widened, and she saw it reflected on Eddie's face.

"That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"Very good." His fingertips grazed her lips. She kissed them, and because that wasn't enough, never enough, she leaned in for another lingering kiss on his mouth.

Even when they pulled apart, Eddie kept his arms around her. "Chrissy?" he whispered.

"Yes?"

"Can I see you—" Realizing what he was saying, Eddie chuckled sheepishly, and Chrissy grinned as well. "I mean," he corrected himself, "can we go on another—"

Chrissy didn't let him finish. "I'd love to," she said, and kissed him again for good measure.

She didn't know how long they stood there, arms and bodies and lips intertwined, until she remembered that Nancy was still waiting for her.

"I have to go," she said and reluctantly let go of Eddie.

"Sunday, then?" Eddie asked, as he walked slowly through the door, still holding on to her fingers.

"Sunday." She squeezed his hand to reassure him and watched until he was safely inside, before running down to the car.

"Thanks for waiting, Nancy," Chrissy said.

"No worries," said Nancy with the proud look of someone who knew they had done a good job. "I know what it's like."

"What was your first date with Jonathan like?" asked Chrissy. Nancy was so competent, so serious that Chrissy had always been slightly intimidated by her. Now she was glad to be able to have some girl talk with Nancy, as shallow as that made her.

"We didn't really have one," said Nancy, a wry smile twisting her mouth as she remembered. "We were on an assignment together, and it just—sort of happened. So when are you seeing Eddie again?"

"Sunday."

Nancy's eyebrows went up. "That soon?"

Usually, this would set Chrissy down another path of self-doubt, making her worry that she was moving too fast or being too easy. But now, still feeling Eddie's touches on her hands and her lips, still wrapped in his warmth from the denim vest draped around herself, and with his words still lingering in her mind, she no longer worried.

Put one foot in front of the other and forget everything else.

"Not soon enough for me," she said, and smiled at Nancy's astonished face.

So I got the inspiration for this from a viral video of a guy going on a blind date only to find out that his date was actually blind (I lifted some of the dialogue from the video.) Even though the video was apparently staged, it's quite cute and feels very Hellcheer. However, I decided to flip it around and make Eddie the blind one instead of Chrissy, because I like the idea of Eddie still being so full of life despite his disability that he manages to inspire Chrissy as well.

It's a one-shot for now, but I love writing Blind Eddie so there may be more stories for him in the future!

[ghouly-boiiiii]

My Name Is Cooper

Chapter 1

A Finger for a Finger

(Lucy x Cooper Howard / The Ghoul)

Next Chapter >>

Tags: angst, fluff, romance, humor, banter, femdom, alcohol and drug use, eventual smut

Summary: Follows Lucy and The Ghoul on their journey after the events of Season 1. Lucy has to come to terms with what she’s learned about the company and people she once trusted with her life and the future of the world, and the bounty hunter's rough exterior starts to break down as he begins to see his old self in her.

After coming across an abandoned vault, they decide to spend the night there and take advantage of its remaining amenities. While there, Lucy finds some of Cooper Howard’s old movies… The same movies she grew up watching with her dad. She puts them in, and as she recalls distant memories and struggles to cope with the truth about her father, she comes to another startling realization…

Authors Note: I just wanted to write something with these two. Not sure where it's gonna go, but I've got at least 3-4 chapters in mind, and there will be smut somewhere in there lol. I just think they have an interesting dynamic and much potential for witty banter and an interesting romantic/sexual relationship. Especially with the idea that Lucy may or may not have had a major crush on the actor Mr. Cooper Howard. And that The Ghoul may or may not become an absolute lost puppy for the first woman who looks at him in *that way* after 200 years of being a walking corpse.

It's gonna be an adventure. Let's see where this takes us, y'all. lol

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 2,016

SPOILER WARNING: Contains all the spoilers

No trigger warnings except eventual sexy time with a zombie man.

“You’re awful quiet there, Vaulty.” The Ghoul said, breaking a long bout of silence as he glanced over his shoulder at his human companion, with Dogmeat faithfully prancing beside him.

Lucy didn’t look up at him. She just stared at the ground, dredging her feet heavily through the sand. Dawn had long passed and the sun was now beating down, but she could barely feel the burn on her cheek as her mind raced with the things she now knew.

“You ain’t said a word since we left Cali… Hell, you ain’t even beggin’ for water.” He joked, trying to prod a response out of her.

“Lucy.” She said simply.

“What now?”

“My name is Lucy.”

“Yeah? I know that… So what?”

“That’s my name…” She looked up at him, her brow slightly furrowed and voice sharp with agitation. “I just thought since we’re gonna be traveling together, maybe you could use it sometime…”

The Ghoul looked over his shoulder again for a moment, grinning slightly. He seemed a bit surprised by her tone, but also somewhat amused. “Hah… well, alright then, Ms. Lucy MacLean.” He said mockingly. “Tell me somethin’. Whaddaya think we gonna find when we finally catch up with that daddy a’ yours?”

The vault dweller felt her jaw clench a little and her brow furrowed more. “Why are you asking me?”

“Oh, I just thought… you been down there in that vault all this time. You ought to know somethin’.”

“Ugh… No! I don’t know shit!” She snapped, raising her head up a bit more. “…In fact… I’m the one who should be asking you the questions!” The girl narrowed her eyes towards him, zeroing in on the back of his wrinkly, bald head. “How do you know my father?”

“Hah… well… that is quite a story.” He said with a snicker. “But I think we best save that for another day.”

“I want answers.” She demanded. “Besides, we’ve got a long way to go, don’t we? Might as well talk...”

“I’m used to travelin’ alone, sweetie… Kinda prefer the peace and quiet, if I’m bein’ honest…”

“Tch…” She scoffed skeptically. “You like peace and quiet… or is that just a nice way of telling me to shut up?”

The Ghoul let out a chuckle. “Nah… If I wanted you to shut up, I’d just shoot ‘cha.”

She blinked, then picked up the pace, jogging up next to him. “Alright then… let’s talk.”

He glanced over at her, then shrugged. “Be my guest.”

“What’s your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah, I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned it before… What do I call you?”

“I ain’t got no name, sweetie.”

“You have to have a name…”

“Not no more, I don’t.”

“Well, I have to call you something...”

“Heh…” He huffed a bit. His voice was casual, but clearly holding back some irritation. “Then you can just call me ‘Asshole’.”

“Come on. Tell me your name.”

“It don’t matter...” He said with a slight scowl. “...The man that name belonged to died a long time ago.”

Lucy stared at him a moment, then looked away, taking several steps before turning back to him. “...What... was he like?”

The Ghoul stopped in his tracks, then leaned to one side a bit and tilted his head before turning to her in exasperation. “I said you could talk. Not ask me a bunch of stupid ass questions.”

“I wanna know…” Lucy said, tilting her head a bit too as she stood her ground. “I wanna know who you were before you became… you know…” She paused as she looked him up and down with a slight sneer. “...this…”

The two-and-a-half century old bounty hunter stared at her a moment, chewing on the inside of his cheek. His eyes shifted towards the barren wasteland around them where Dogmeat had decided to wonder while she waited for them to continue, then looked back at the young vault dweller. “You wanna know what he was like…?” He finally said, then his eyes moved to the distance ahead of them as he continued to walk. “Well… he was a lot like you…” The Ghoul stated with a scowl. “Naive. Hopeful... Thought the world was a... good place fulla… good people who wanted to do the right thing...” The distain in his voice was palpable.

“You were… like me?” She said, her tone was both surprised and doubtful.

“I told you, Vaulty. I’m you…” He reminded her. “Only difference between us is…”

“Time.” She finished his sentence.

He looked at her a moment, then turned away and said, “That’s right…”

Lucy got quiet again, staring at the ground as they continued to walk.

A period of silence passed between them. The Ghoul found himself glancing over at her a couple times, before asking, “You worried… what this wasteland’s gonna do to ya…?” He said, his tone oddly compassionate. “What it’s gonna turn ya into…”

She quivered a bit, looked up at him, then back down.

“Well… I don’t blame ya. I’d probably feel the same way, lookin’ at me…” He glanced over and smirked at her a bit, but she didn’t respond. She didn’t even look at him. So he continued. “I hate to tell ya though… It's already started, sweetheart… But I think you already know that…” He grit his teeth together for a moment and sucked in some air between them. “Not much you can do about it, but…” He let out a somber exhale, hesitating a moment before glancing at her again and saying, “You know… it ain’t too late... to go back.”

The girl blinked, then looked up at him with wide eyes. “Go back? To where…?” Her tone was suddenly rather upset. “To the vault? That place? That…” She shook her head. “No! No, there… there’s no way I could go back…!” She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “Not after… Not after knowing... what I know now…” She choked back a sob and shook her head. “Just go back…? Back to my old life and pretend… like none of this ever happened? …I can’t.”

“Hmm…” The Ghoul ground his teeth a little. “Yeah, I figured you’d say that…” He took another deep breath. “That's the problem with the truth. Once you got it, you can’t put it back… No matter how bad you might want to.”

She swallowed hard against the painful lump in her throat, then looked up at him. “...Why did you let me come with you?”

“Again, with the questions…” He said with an exasperated breath. “We both lookin’ for the same thing, ain’t we?”

“...And why should what I'm looking for matter to you?”

“It don’t. Not really, but… Shit, we goin’ in the same direction.”

Lucy was getting annoyed by how The Ghoul kept running the conversation in circles, but she wasn’t about to give up. “I don’t understand why you’re being nice to me now… Why don’t you just take me hostage again?”

The old bounty hunter snickered a little. “Well, cause I ain't got no reason to, sweetheart. I don’t just go around tormenting people for the fun of it. What kinda person you think I am, huh?”

“Huh.” She scoffed at him as if she couldn't believe the stupidity of that question. “Well… kind of… not a very good one, if we’re being completely honest.”

“Heh… Well, you’re not wrong about that... But the real question is… if that’s how ya feel, why’d you decide to come with me?”

She looked down, shook her head and shrugged. “As long as you’re not dragging me around with a rope, I think I’d rather take my chances with you than be out here on my own again…”

“Yeah… life’s full of hard decisions, ain’t it?” He turned towards her, lowering his head a little and looking at her from under the brim of his hat. “You know… I underestimated you... Ms. Lucy MacLean. I thought a cushy vault dweller like yourself would be nothin’ more than roach kibble.” He looked forward and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “But… you got somethin’ in ya. Somethin’ that’s drivin’ ya… Maybe it’s that curiosity a’ yours. Maybe a misplaced sense of justice… or… maybe something else. Whatever it is… it gives you that edge. You got that survival instinct… Aw hell, maybe I’m a little curious too…”

“Curious… about what?”

“To see how far you’re willing to take it… before you do go crawling back into that hole.”

She frowned deeply and glared at him. Her voice was quiet and shaky, but firm. “I’m… never going back down there… I don’t care… what happens up here.” Her voice began to waver and crack as she spoke. “I’m never going back… I can’t go back…”

“Yeah…” He nodded approvingly. “Because you don’t take no bullshit. That’s what I like about 'che. I respect that.”

The vault dweller, or rather former vault dweller, huffed a little. “Great… I’ve earned the respect of a murdering monster…” She said sarcastically as she wiped her eyes. “That makes me feel just… so much better…”

“Call me what you want. But like I said… just give it a little time...” He smiled a little as he continued to stride forward. “...And well... to tell you the truth, I guess I feel like I owe you one, you bringing me those vials and all….” He chuckled a little at himself. “What was that you said? Golden rule, motherfucker?”

She smirked a little, feeling justified. “Yeah… but… I... was also the one who... broke them in the first place… so…”

“That’s right, you did.” The Ghoul said playfully. “But then, I suppose I shouldn’t have been using you as bait in a poisoned river.”

“Yeah… Yeah, th-that’s right! You shouldn’t have!” Lucy yelped, suddenly getting animated as she recalled the ordeal. “That was… not very respectable behavior at all, sir!”

“Yeah… rude, huh?”

“Very rude!”

“Down right ungentlemanly.”

“The most ungentlemanly!” She huffed and puffed with righteous indignation. “A-and you know what? You do owe me! Yeah! You owe me big time, mister! You cut off my finger and… and I saved your life! I didn’t have to do that!”

The Ghoul let out an amused laugh. “Oh… I still got your finger.” He said, pausing to wiggle it in front of her.

Lucy squinted in horror as she recognized the out-of-place digit, crudely stitched onto the stump of his missing index finger. Then her eyes got wide as she leaned back, sneering in disgust. “You are… a sick, sick man.”

“What? You want it back?”

“I… found a replacement already… thanks.” She said, holding up her own bluish-gray finger.

“Never let a good body part go to waste, I say.” He said with a grin. “Besides, you did bite one a’ mine off first. Only fair you replace it.”

“Y-you kidnapped me!” She threw the blame back at him.

The Ghoul let out another laugh and Dogmeat barked in excitement. “Ah, Vaulty… it’s gonna be fun havin’ you around, ain’t it?” He said before continuing to walk.

She scoffed as she began to follow, but her voice softened a bit. “Okay… so… so does that mean I don’t have to worry about you cutting off any more of my fingers…? Or… anything else like that?”

“Well… now that depends, don’t it?”

“On what?”

“Whether you plan on bitin’ off any more a’ mine, darlin'.” He said, looking over at her. “Eye for an eye. Finger for a finger. You bite my ass, I bite your ass. Golden rule, motherfucker.”

Lucy scrunched up her face in an attempt to hide that she was trying not to laugh. “I-I… I will do my best…” She said after containing herself a little and raising her head up in a dignified, but also mockingly serious way. “But you know… sometimes… a fellas gotta eat a fella… right?”

The Ghoul laughed heartily, amused at her attempt to match his humor. “Well, in that case… next time I think you better swallow.”

She felt herself crack a smile, then began to laugh as well.

To be continued...

Next Chapter >>

[sereinegemini]

Two Dark Princes ₊⋆ ☾

— Chapter IX

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader x Theodore Nott

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: Two years after Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord during the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts and most of the Wizarding World has returned to normal. But, F/n’s mundane life is flipped upside down after she learns that two of her best friends, Draco and Theo, are secretly in love with her. When this knowledge begins to affect her relationships, she is faced with difficult decisions, each one laced with promised heartache and the potential to awaken an unexpected darkness.

Warnings: cursing, some lines directly from the movie

Hogwarts

Sunday, May 4, 1997

There’d been a pride shimmering in Draco’s eyes that you’d successfully hidden a memory on your first try. It’d made your chest swell with your own sense of satisfaction. Until he told you that was only the first step. Hiding the memories was one thing, disguising them and redirecting Legilimens to a different part of your brain was another entirely. You needed to distract them with a false memory to whatever they were searching for.

Now, sat on the hill overlooking Hagrid’s hut, you were trying to do just that. You’d always adored the plump little building, and looking down at it and the forest was a great place to relax and clear your head. The cream-colored blooms on the Hawthorns scattered across the ground gave you a whimsical feeling. A mundane Magic, different from the kind swimming through your veins. A childhood Magic.

“Hey..” a smooth voice said uncertainly. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets, shoulders drooped out of awkwardness. He was the same as he’d always been, but a hollowness had taken residence behind his gray eyes.

You gasped, “Cedric-” Avoiding his existence had become a big part of your daily routine. Don’t sit at the Hufflepuff table at meals, don’t look towards the back of the room when you walk into Potions, don’t return to the dorms until after 8 pm. In the blink of an eye, this boy had gone from your every waking moment to rules for every room you entered. It was a wonder you still recognized every line of his face like an old friend.

“I just- I saw you sitting over here and I couldn’t just walk away…You look well.” He stumbled over his words, his normally confident voice dripping with doubt. It strangled your heart.

“So do you,” you said, your voice barely over a whisper.

The breeze drifted between you, rustling his caramel hair. You merely looked at one another, and you knew he was studying you the same way you were him. Studying the changes that had taken place since you’d last spoken. And, looking at him, you realized there was a distinct place in your heart that ached for him. It was near the bottom—as if the weight of the heartbreak had been too heavy to be anywhere else. The heaviness of knowing every crook and cranny of someone now turned strangers.

You swallowed a lump in your throat and motioned to the grass beside you. “Do you..?”

A faint ringing appeared in your ears as he took a half-step backwards. Ambivalence rested in the crease of his brows. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea F/n…It was good seeing you though.” And then his back was to you, and he was walking away. Just out of reach, forevermore.

Staring at the spot where he’d vanished from view, you thought about how light the pain was now. Where it was once unbearable, the sadness had transformed into a slight stinging—an acknowledgment. “I’m sorry, Ced,” you whispered into the wind.

“F/n?” someone asked. It was Hermione, climbing the hill up from Hagrid’s hut. As usual, her satchel was full of books and seemed to be dragging her down.

“Oh, hey Hermione.” You gestured to her bag. “Do you.. need some help?”

“Oh, no, no, I’ve got it. Just a bit of light reading.” She chuckled as she plopped down beside you, the books landing with a thud. “I don’t mean to pry but, was that Cedric Diggory I saw walking away?”

You took a deep breath and pushed your intwined hands into the Earth, one on top of the other. “Uh, yeah. He was just saying hi I guess..” You looked again to where he’d vanished. A hello followed by yet another goodbye. “Maybe it’s best that’s all it was. You don’t rip off a bandaid just to put it on again.”

“Unless it was crooked the first time,” Hermione remarked, a gentle uptick to the corner of her lips.

“It wasn’t.” You plucked a strand of grass and mindlessly ripped it. “It was perfect, until it was time to take it off. So, maybe, it’s time for me to learn that the sting doesn’t need another one.”

She smiled, and the two of you sat there peacefully for a few minutes. Smoke was rising from the hut now, and in the distance you could hear students chattering and laughing. And you realized Cedric was probably at Quidditch practice—that’s where he’d been heading. And you wondered if he was thinking of you too. And if he was bandaid-less.

“Hermione! F/n!” Harry Potter waved his arm in the air as he walked from the castle; followed by Ron Weasley, Draco, Theo, and Blaise. Now there’s a scene you never thought you’d see.

You and Hermione hurried to your feet. “Did you get to talk to Dumbledore? What did he say?” you asked.

“I did. He wanted me to assure you that the castle is heavily guarded by spells—so you’re safe here—and some Occlumency sessions are at your disposal if you want them. And then he um, he showed me a memory. It was Professor Slughorn’s. He was talking with Voldemort—when he was a student here, I mean—and he was asking Slughorn about a form of rare Magic. But Dumbledore said the memory he showed me was tampered with, and he asked me to get the true memory.”

“How does he expect you to do that? I mean, if Slughorn changed the memory in the first place then it’s something he doesn’t want Dumbledore finding out. He’s not just going to hand it over if you ask,” Hermione said, exasperated. You were beginning to realize this might be her normal state, especially when it came to Harry and Ron.

Harry shrugged. “Dumbledore tasked me with getting close to him and I’ve spent all year doing just that. I guess asking isn’t the worst place to start.”

· · ─────── · ✧ · ─────── · ·

Monday, May 5, 1997

The next morning when Potions was over, you all hid outside the classroom while Harry stayed behind. The other students gave you odd looks on their way out, but once they spotted Hermione and Ron they seemed to understand. ‘Always something with those three,’ some of them mumbled, shaking their heads. 

“Is there something you needed, Harry? Or do you simply enjoy my classroom that much?” You heard Slughorn joke. With your backs against the wall, you could hear all of their conversation without being seen.

“Actually Professor, there is something I was wanting to ask you about. You see, the other day I was in the Library, in the Restricted Section. And I came across something rather odd about a…very rare form of Magic.”

“And what would that be?”

“Well, you see Sir, I can’t quite remember what it was called. But I guess it got me wondering…are there some kinds of Magic you aren’t allowed to teach us?”

“It seems to me, Harry, that your question would be better answered by Professor Snape,” Slughorn dodged. You heard him gathering his things, and your heart began racing. What would he do if he found you all out here, eavesdropping?

“Yes, but um, you see, he and I don’t exactly see eye to eye…well, about anything.” Harry chuckled nervously. “What I mean to say is, well, he’s not like you. He might misunderstand my intentions.”

That was sure to charm the Dark Arts Professor, all he’d wanted all year was Harry’s high regard. Anyone could see that.

Slughorn paused for a moment, then quietly said, “Yes…there can be no light without the dark, and so it is with Magic. Myself, I always strive to live within the light. I suggest you do the same.” His heels clicked on the floor—closer and closer to the door—and every muscle in your back tensed with dread. What you didn’t notice, however, was Draco watching your back and thinking how nice it was to be part of this. To be next to you again.

“Is that what you told Tom Riddle, Sir? When he came asking questions?” Harry asked, and the footsteps stopped abruptly.

“Dumbledore put you up to this, didn’t he?” There was a pause where Harry didn’t answer, then Slughorn raised his voice: “Didn’t he?” His steps sounded again—angry now—and your heart plummeted. He was really leaving this time.

“Fuck, we’ve gotta go. Now,” you said under your breath. Grabbing Draco’s hand and pulling him with you, you ran to the closest door as quietly as you could. Hopefully the others had the right mind to follow.

« Chapter Eight || Masterlist || Chapter Ten »

Author’s Note: I really am the worst I’m sorry 😭 adulting is kicking my assss

Be notified of future chapters!

[auroralix]

✩ fairly odd christmas - part 2 ✩

read parts one and three here!

pairing: chanlix. this is still chanlix. this will always be chanlix.

summary: single and lonely on christmas, felix makes an offhand wish to have someone to love. the man who appears in his kitchen the next morning to make that wish come true is the last thing he expects.

song: fictional ~ khloe rose

this section’s word count: 5.6k

warnings: i don’t think there are many ?? ummmm the boys(tm) are in love so if you’re homophobic gtfo, the tiniest bit of angst if you squint bc felix is insecure, also felix is still thirsty he’d like some water pls

small a/n: part two! i highly recommend reading part one before this as this will make more sense. i have part one linked above (: also i’m still in the process of editing this, which i’m going to focus on once all parts are written and posted

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The next several days passed without much excitement, much to Felix’s relief. The time consisted of both Chan and Felix learning to love with each other and become more comfortable in their shared space.

Felix took an extra day off work to help Chan settle in more before having to return and leave the spirit at home. He felt horrible the day after when he had to leave Chan and go back to work, but he knew it was for the best.

During the day, Felix went to work and sat at a desk and dreamed about clocking out and going home to the man waiting for him. He was mildly embarrassed to admit just how quickly Chan had worked his way into Felix’s heart, but the damage was done, there was no going back to how he was before.

Chan was the sweetest person Felix had ever met, he was convinced of it. Yes, he hadn’t known the other very long at all but there was no way anyone else could even compete. All of Felix’s past loves were shadows in comparison to the beacon of light that found himself in the center of Felix’s life.

With anyone else, he would’ve been scared he was moving too fast and getting himself in too deep. He and Chan had spoken about it, made it clear from their first day together that Chan was there to fill Felix’s lovesick heart the way he craved so intensely. And he had, he was there when Felix woke up, came home from work and went to sleep.

That wasn’t to say he catered himself completely to Felix’s every desire. He had his own little quirks that endeared him to Felix even more, one of those being his ability to Christmas-ify any and every room he walked into on a whim.

Felix couldn’t believe his eyes his first day home from work to see his apartment decked out in Christmas decor. Little baubles had been placed here and there and paper garlands were strung across the apartment. His sad little Christmas tree he’d put up in the corner had been completely transformed into a glowing masterpiece, just the same as the sad little tree in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” had been. And to top it all off, the whole apartment smelled like fresh cookies.

Felix didn’t know if spirits were allowed to marry, but if they were, he would’ve proposed on the spot.

His apartment had never felt quite as much like a home as it did once Chan aggressively redecorated, making the apartment look like a scene straight out of a cheesy Christmas movie. It was a bit overboard, but Felix didn’t have the heart to say so when he saw the utterly joyful expression coloring Chan’s face.

Christmas was his favorite time of year but he hadn’t properly celebrated Christmas in too long. The most he’d done was put up a tree and maybe some lights on his apartment balcony as he had been by himself every Christmas since college. He was grateful for Chan coming in and springboarding him right into the Christmas spirit.

Although the two of them were spending lots of time together outside of Felix’s work, their relationship hadn’t progressed farther than cuddling while watching a movie or falling asleep. They had time and while Felix was more than happy to let his inner monologue go crazy over Chan, he didn’t want to jump into anything more physical until they’d been on a few dates at least.

One of those dates Felix had been planning for some time, or at least a couple hours while he was supposed to be working.

Chan had a penchant for cookie baking that nearly put Felix’s brownie skills to shame; he’d made large batches of the tasty treats in three different variations since arriving in Felix’s kitchen almost a week ago. And while Felix figured a lot of people would get tired of the baked goods constantly covering his counters in different little tins Chan found, he was not one of those people. Felix had a notorious sweet tooth that could rival that of a five year old’s so he wasn’t complaining by any means.

It had sparked an idea for their first official date, a metaphorical bulb lighting up above Felix’s head when the thought popped into his brain. An ad had popped up while scrolling through TikTok for a shop where people could decorate their own Christmas cookies. As soon as he saw it, he knew it was the perfect place to bring Chan.

He made a reservation for the next night, barely able to contain his excitement and stop himself from spoiling the surprise to Chan when he got home.

“Someone’s happy,” Chan commented when Felix came home hours later. He was in the kitchen, absentmindedly stirring something on the stove and the smell immediately made Felix’s stomach grumble in interest.

Felix hummed, nodding and making his way over to Chan so he could peek over his shoulder at the pan on the stove.

“How’d you know?”

Chan gave Felix a dimply smile before shrugging. “It’s just one of those things.”

“You say that, but I have the feeling it’s another one of your little powers you haven’t mentioned yet.”

Chan just shrugged again, smile still on his face as he looked back to the pot of pasta on the stove. “It might be, you never know.”

Felix groaned and shook his head. “Why can’t you just tell me?”

“Where’d the fun be in that?” Chan giggled, wiggling his hips slightly in a way that made him look like more an excited, oversized puppy than the powerful spirit he was.

And if Felix’s heart didn’t skip a beat or three at the sight.

“Okay, fine, don’t tell me. You’re lucky you’re cute,” Felix grumbled quietly, hardly realizing the words that were leaving his mouth before they tumbled out.

Moments later, a soft squeaking noise came from Chan’s general direction as he tried not to choke on his own spit.

“Y-You… you think I’m cute?” Chan’s words were hushed, his tone disbelieving.

Felix felt his brain stop for a second as it caught up with his words before nodding quickly, unable to help the adoring little smile growing on his face. “I- I, um, yeah, I really do.”

Chan’s own shy smile mirrored Felix’s, his face flushing a bright shade of pink as he looked back at the pot of pasta. “I- uh, o-oh wow, would you look at that, the food’s done. Do- do you want a bowl?”

Felix nodded once again and went to retrieve two bowls for Chan and himself. He chose to ignore Chan’s blatant subject change after being complimented for the time being. Instead, he decided to bring it up later when the other didn’t seem quite so flustered and was less likely to burn himself on the hot surfaces he was surrounded by.

Chan hurried through serving Felix and then himself, keeping his head ducked to try and hide his reddened face the whole time. He offered Felix an awkward, sheepish giggle, waddling into the other room without another word.

Felix shook his head and followed Chan into the other room, fond smile dancing on his lips as he looked after the other. He settled down on the couch next to Chan, not at all thinking about the way their knees lightly rested against each other as he pushed the pasta around in his bowl.

“So, um, I was thinking we could go out tomorrow night,” he began after a moment. “One of my days off from work is tomorrow and we haven’t been on an actual date yet.”

He looked up from his bowl to once again find Chan beaming at him, dimples etched deep on either side of his mouth, the embarrassment from earlier long forgotten. Felix had the fleeting thought run through his mind that he’d never seen someone as beautiful as the man sitting opposite him. The thought was quickly followed up by another right after of how lucky he was to be faced with that bright smile everyday. And to be the cause of it so often made him feel wholly unworthy.

Chan was the sun, and Felix was a simple sunflower, greedily basking in the warmth of the other’s gaze.

It had only been a few days and already, Felix was unsure how he’d made it this far without the Christmas fairy in his life.

“You want to go on a date?” Chan asked, his voice snapping Felix out of his daze and back to the present.

Felix blinked at Chan dumbly a couple times before nodding and giving the other a small smile in return. “That’s part of why you’re here, right? So we can do cute couple things together?”

“Well, yeah, but I wasn’t sure if you actually wanted to-“

“Channie,” Felix interrupted, scooting closer and putting his face in front of Chan’s so he couldn’t escape his gaze. He also refused to think about how quickly and easily that little nickname slipped out of his lips. “Why would I not want to go out with you? I haven’t known you for a very long time, but I do know that you’re kind, funny, the best cookie maker in the whole world, and quite possibly the hottest person I’ve ever met. I want to take you out and make you smile and let everyone be jealous that someone as amazing as you would be with someone like me.”

Sometime during his short speech, Felix’s hand had found its way to rest on Chan’s arm. And once Felix realized, he kept his hand where it was, secretly enjoying the feel of Chan’s arm under his hand.

Not that Chan had noticed, his face red and eyes wide as he stared back at Felix.

“Really?” he said quietly, tone unsure. “Y-You mean it?”

Felix gave Chan the sweetest smile he could muster, the Christmas fairy deserved nothing less. “I mean every word.”

Chan let out a soft giggle, looking down at his hands for a brief moment. He looked up at Felix again, who had still not moved away from in front of Chan’s face. This time, his expression wasn’t shy, it was the exact opposite. Chan’s full lips were quirked up in a cocky smirk and one of his eyebrows was raised as he gazed at Felix, who suddenly felt much too warm and too close to the other.

“So, you think I’m hot, huh?” Sadly for Chan, his façade lasted only until the end of that sentence, after which he immediately broke down into embarrassed giggles. He set his half eaten bowl of pasta down on the end table next to him and sunk into the corner of the couch, covering his face with both arms. Tiny, distressed groans and squeaks could also be heard coming from Chan’s general direction.

Felix just sat in his spot for a few seconds too long, his entire face now a deep shade of red to match Chan’s. He let out a nervous giggle of his own, trying not to think too hard about how his stomach was in knots over seeing that new, albeit short lived, side of Chan.

He didn’t know what he was going to do with the sweet, and apparently sometimes feisty, Christmas spirit that had found himself a staple in Felix’s life faster than he’d ever admit.

•••

The next evening couldn’t arrive fast enough.

For Felix, it was torture trying to keep the idea for his date a secret from Chan. And for Chan, it was torture as he followed his human around all day trying to guess what the date could be.

But eventually, it was nearing time for them to head out so they didn’t miss their reservations at the cookie shop.

Felix had told Chan to wear comfy clothes that he didn’t mind getting dirty which was a struggle for Chan as he loved his new, nearly all black wardrobe he’d picked out with Felix the week before. He didn’t want to get any of his new outfits messy, but after much reassurance from Felix that they could be washed, he settled on a set of clothes and the two headed out.

From the moment they walked into the shop, Chan had gone quiet, gazing at the rows of cookies waiting to be decorated in wonder. Felix just followed him around, letting him look at the impressive spread of cookies, icings, and candy decorations they had to choose from. He couldn’t help but smile fondly every time Chan came bouncing up to him, rambling about another type of cookie he just had to decorate and take home.

“Which ones do you want to start with first, Chan?” Felix asked after they started their third lap around the store.

“I- I don’t know, they all look so good,” Chan replied with a slight huff.

“Well, we can decorate a few to begin with and come back for more after. You don’t have to decide on everything right now.”

The smile Chan gave Felix in return was blinding, immediately bounding back to the front of the store so he could start collecting the cookies he wanted.

As he followed Chan around, Felix began to realize just how much he underestimated the amount of energy the spirit truly had. It took another three turns around the shop before Chan was ready to sit down and decorate. To Felix though, the slight twinge in his feet from so much walking was worth it to see Chan’s face permanently lit up with joy.

Another thing that quickly became apparent to Felix was just how skilled Chan was when it came to decorating. They’d barely sat down and already Chan was spreading out the cookies he picked out and icing them to near perfection. He held the little piping bottles expertly, concentrating on filling in every little gap with the colorful frosting.

Felix, on the other hand, was struggling a little more. He’d picked out some cookies for himself and though he considered himself somewhat skilled as a baker, it was clear that talent did not translate over into decorating. While Chan could create the most wonderful little pictures with frosting, Felix was just happy to complete a sad little stick-like snowflake on one of his cookies.

After multiple failed attempts to pipe out a Christmas tree that didn’t look like a blob, Felix huffed in defeat and slumped back in his chair.

“Is it like, a Christmas fairy requirement to just be amazing at cookie decorating?” he asked, looking enviously at the little murals Chan was painting next to him.

Chan shrugged, not looking up from the cookie he was now decorating with tiny candies. “Not necessarily, I’ve- I’ve just always liked it. I can let my creativity be free, you know?”

“I guess, but you’re so good at it, I don’t know how you manage to make every one of them look perfect so effortlessly.” Felix gestured to his tray of cookies with lumpy little pictures on them. “Mine look like they just got run over.”

“They’re not… terrible.”

Giving Chan an incredulous stare, Felix couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his lips seconds later.

“What?” Chan asked, voice squeaky in confusion. “Mine just look this nice because I’ve had a couple more years to perfect my ways.”

“Oh sure, because that’s just practice.” Felix nodded again, wholly unconvinced. “Go back to your decorating and let me be jealous.” He waved a hand dismissively and turned his attention back down to the cookies on his tray. The little smilies he’d shakily drawn onto one cookie stared at him tauntingly, like they knew he tried to make them better but was completely incapable of doing so.

Felix scrunches his eyebrows into a frown and petulantly poked at the cookie, offended by its happiness when he was trying to sulk. From his side, he heard a snicker and whipped his head up to look at Chan. “Don’t laugh at my pain.”

“I’m not laughing, I promise!” Chan snickered again and flinched dramatically when Felix reached out to lightly smack at his arm.

“Yes you were! You think my lack of talent is funny.” Felix pouted, poking his lips out in a way he knew his friends and others had a hard time resisting. Chan was no exception to his ways.

“I’m sorry, I- I didn’t mean to upset you.” The smile was gone from Chan’s face, leaving him looking genuinely concerned.

Felix’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d done. Twice now since Chan came to him had Felix accidentally offended him. Scrambling to correct his error he rushed out, “No! No, no, Channie, no. I’m not upset, I promise. I was just joking.”

Chan still didn’t seem horribly convinced at his words, and Felix once again felt like the worst person alive for making his Christmas fairy feel that way.

His Christmas fairy. Huh. That was new.

“I mean it, I’m really impressed by you and couldn’t create anything close to that. I- I say stupid things sometimes, so don’t listen to me, like, ever. I’m really sorry.” Without thinking, Felix reached a hand out to brush a couple stray curls off of Chan’s forehead. He didn’t miss the way Chan stilled at the move, the tips of his ears flushing a dark red.

“You really like my decorations?” His question was quiet, half unsure and half shy.

“I don’t just like them, I love them. Now, let me watch the master work and maybe I’ll pick up something.” Felix lightly poked Chan on the cheek, grinning when a small smile made its way back onto the other’s face.

“If you insist…” Hesitantly, Chan picked up a new cookie and piping bottle, beginning to work on his next design.

Felix just watched him work, sending the spirit encouraging nods every so often when he held up the cookie to show his progress. He smiled as Chan regained his confidence and momentum after a couple minutes, falling back into his decorating groove.

Some more time passed and Felix started to get restless. He’d handed over his undecorated cookies to Chan, letting him make them pretty in a way he never could but now he was left with nothing to do. Until Felix looked at the little bottles of icing laid out before him and suddenly, he had a very stupid idea.

He picked up one of the bottles of red icing and put a dollop on the paper plate in front of him. Felix stuck his finger in the frosting before turning back towards Chan and lightly poking his cheek. Chan stopped mid-frosting swipe, frowning slightly in confusion and a tiny, surprised giggle leaving his lips.

“What was that for?”

Truthfully, Felix had no real answer other than a simple, “Because I wanted to?”

Giggling once more, Chan looked back at him for a moment, seeming to have an internal conversation with himself. He set down the cookie and offset spatula he had been using to decorate and reached in front of Felix, dipping his finger in the frosting on Felix’s plate. Then, with a mischievous smile of his own, he booped Felix’s nose, leaving a smudge of red icing.

“There, now we match,” he announced proudly.

“I guess we do. But maybe I should just…” Felix trailed off, grabbing the bottle with the green icing and putting a dot on his finger. He glanced at Chan and, wiggling his eyebrows, smeared a line of the frosting along the top of his cheek, right above the initial spot he’d left.

Chan’s eyes widened and he reached for the blue frosting to repeat the action of swiping a line across Felix’s cheek. Felix laughed, going for another bottle of frosting.

“Maybe this is the decorating I’m good at,” he joked, making a couple dots on Chan’s other cheek. There was a distant thought in the back of his head that they shouldn’t be doing this with the frosting and they could get in trouble for it. But one look at Chan’s smiling, red face and Felix couldn’t find it in himself to care too much.

The two went back and forth for a couple minutes, sharing laughs and shy glances as their faces became more and more covered in the bright frosting. They probably received some weird stares but neither noticed, too wrapped up in each other to think about anything else.

“I hope this doesn’t stain,” Chan whispered, leaning in close to Felix like he was sharing a deep secret.

“If it does, too bad. At least we’ll both look silly,” Felix shrugged with another laugh. “We should probably try wiping it off soon though, I don’t want the owners to kick us out.”

Chan nodded and picked up one of the paper towels that laid untouched in a pile by their cookie trays. He focused once again on Felix, lightly swiping it over a spot of frosting on his chin.

“Hold still for me.” The soft tone of his voice made Felix freeze, heart thundering in his chest at all of Chan’s attention on him, his face so close. He took in every inch of Chan’s perfect face, the light freckles across his nose that couldn’t be seen from far away, the way his eyebrows furrowed as he realized, “Uh oh. Felix… it’s not coming off.”

Felix was so deep in his own mind he barely heard or registered the other’s words. When the words finally sunk into his brain, his eyes went wide. “Wait, really?”

Nodding once again, Chan sat back immediately, his eyebrows still scrunched together as he studied the streaks across Felix’s face. “I think we’re both gonna look weird for a while.”

“Oops?” Felix offered unhelpfully and scooted forward in his chair, reaching for a paper towel to try and wipe the color off Chan’s face in return. Chan stayed still, closing his eyes while Felix dabbed at his face. Sure enough, the layer of frosting came off, but not the colors of the dye underneath. His skin was lightly stained, the little dots and streaks Felix painted stayed right where they were.

Even with the mismatched colors all over him, Chan was still the prettiest person Felix had ever seen. He was sure, now more than ever, that nobody else on earth would ever change that.

“There we go, all done.”

Slowly, Chan’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze meeting Felix’s. Felix was sure time slowed down in that moment as he looked at the beautiful man in front of him, the world fading into static around them. They were so close but so far away, and all Felix could think about was closing the distance that separated them; a couple short inches and he’d have what he’d been dreaming of for what felt like forever.

But not here, not in this crowded shop. His Christmas fairy deserved better, his Christmas fairy deserved nothing short of the whole world.

Felix tore his eyes away from Chan’s, turning back to the discarded cookies beside them.

“We should- we should, um, go,” he muttered. “I’ll go pay and get a box for these, okay?”

Chan just blinked several times, seeming dazed for a second before he gave a hum in affirmation that he’d heard.

Minutes later, they were walking back home, and all either of them could think about was what had happened inside the shop. Felix didn’t like the silence that hung between them.

He hated it, actually. He couldn’t keep messing up like this, Chan deserved better.

Long minutes turned to quiet hours and all too soon, Felix was getting ready to sleep, Chan already in bed in the room next to him. They hadn’t said much, neither of them knowing how to broach the subject of earlier. They made small talk, ate dinner and watched a movie together.

Felix still climbed into bed, curling up on his side. Chan still wrapped his arm around Felix’s waist, pulling him against his chest. Things were a little weird, but wouldn’t be forever. They could handle a little awkwardness for a day or two.

Next time, Felix would get it right, he silently promised Chan, and himself, as Chan’s steady breathing slowly lulled him to sleep.

•••

Another thing Felix had quickly learned about the Christmas fairy was that he could not sleep. He didn’t know if this was a problem all Christmas spirits had, but it was clearly one that Chan struggled with. More nights than not, Felix would wake up at three am to find Chan gone, in the kitchen baking or making hot chocolate.

Tonight was one such night.

Felix had woken up to again find that Chan was no longer next to him and instead had went off to the kitchen, presumably. Normally, Felix would just stay in bed and fall back to sleep, but tonight was different. He felt a pull, like something was telling him he should get up and join Chan in his late night kitchen adventures. So, he dragged himself out of bed and trudged toward the kitchen.

It had been a few days since the Incident and they still hadn’t talked about it. Things had been awkward at first and it had taken some time, but a couple batches of baked goods later and everything didn’t seem quite as dire as it had before.

Felix wandered into the kitchen and was met with the sight of Chan’s bare back as he stood in front of the stove. While Felix preferred to wear his cute, warm pajamas at night, Chan opted to sleep in shorts; though he suspected the reason Chan bothered to wear anything at all was just to keep Felix from feeling uncomfortable. Not that he would’ve minded if Chan wore less, which was another thought he’d tried desperately to push to the back of his brain whenever possible.

Chan heard the quiet shuffling of Felix’s feet on the floor and turned toward him, offering him a slightly concerned look.

“Felix? Are you okay, what are you doing up?”

Felix just shrugged, because once again, he had no good answer for the Christmas fairy. “I- I noticed you were gone and wanted to check on you.”

To that, Chan smiled softly and turned back to the pot of hot cocoa in front of him. “I’m fine, just can’t sleep sometimes, you know?”

By now, Felix had made his way to stand next to Chan and was watching him stir absentmindedly. “I’ve noticed.”

Things were back to being awkward and Felix hated it.

He wanted to fix it and make things better but he didn’t know how. What was he supposed to say? “You know that really awkward moment a couple days ago? I was really close to kissing you because you looked so pretty but didn’t want to because it wasn’t the right time and you deserve better than that and-“

“Do you want some?” Felix was snapped out of his inward spiraling by Chan’s question.

“I- what?” He asked dumbly, his brain still not having caught up with the moment.

“The cocoa, do you want some? I can make more if you want any.” There Chan was, still smiling sweetly at him like Felix hadn’t been a huge idiot in every way since the first day he showed up. Felix truly didn’t deserve anyone like his Christmas fairy.

His Christmas fairy. Oh fuck, there it was again.

“Felix, are you sure you’re okay?” Chan was frowning now and reached out to feel his forehead with the back of his hand. “Are you getting sick?”

Upon Chan’s skin touching his, Felix’s brain kicked back into overdrive, making him back away quickly. “N-No! No, I’m okay, I’m sorry. My brain’s just been… elsewhere, I guess.”

Chan just tilted his head, giving him a long, considering look. Eventually he sighed and looked away. “I can hear you overthinking again.”

There really was no hiding from Chan with his Christmas-spirit-emotion-telling-thing he had. That didn’t stop Felix from panicking internally.

This was one half of the two things he hated about love. The confessing. He was a chronic over-explainer and always rambled on for too long and weirded the other person out with how much he talked. He couldn’t help it; when he fell, it was deep and hard and there was never any going back.

Not that he was falling for Chan, except that he definitely was.

“Please talk to me, Felix,” Chan said, his voice barely more than a murmur. “I know it’s about the other day, stuff has been weird ever since then.”

Felix took a deep breath. It was time to face his anxieties and be honest. This was Chan, his sweet, lovely Christmas fairy that made him hot cocoa in the middle of the night and looked at him like he hung the stars in the sky. He could tell Chan anything and would still receive that same smile that brightened his mornings and made his nights glow.

“About that,” he began, huffing out a sheepish laugh, “it’s stupid, really. I just- in the shop, you looked so, um, so pretty and I really wanted to kiss you but it wasn’t- it wasn’t the right time. I- I wanted to give you the perfect moment because you’re so amazing and- and you deserve something just as special.”

“Felix… why didn’t you tell me?” Some time during his stumbled explanation, Chan appeared in front of Felix, fixing him with such an earnest gaze that he was sure his legs nearly turned to jelly.

“I- I didn’t know how to. I was scared I’d messed up again and made things awkward and I didn’t want to make things worse.” Felix looked down, feeling a burning blush spread like wildfire across his face. Seconds later, a hand tilted his chin up and he was staring into Chan’s warm brown eyes. He was smiling faintly, his head tilted just slightly to the side with his dark curls falling across his forehead.

“What had you imagined?” He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

That took Felix aback. Truthfully, he hadn’t fully planned it out, but different scenes would float across his mind throughout the day. One minute, it was them ice skating, twirling around with each other; and the next, they were outside as the snow fell around them, glittering against the twinkle lights brightening the night.

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on the scene that appeared most in his brain.

“We’d go out, maybe we’d go ice skating, it’d be at an outdoor rink I know of. There are pretty Christmas lights hanging all around and it just feels so magical; we’d skate and maybe hold hands, I’d stress about having sweaty hands or tripping and falling on my face. We’d take a break for some hot cocoa before skating a little more and when the moment was just right, I’d turn toward you and ask before kissing you.” Felix’s eyes were still squeezed shut, wistful smile gracing his face.

And then there were two large hands cupping either side of his face and his eyes were flying open, once again meeting Chan’s searching gaze. He was close, so close. Felix’s breath caught in his chest as he gazed at the wondrous man in front of him. Mere inches separated them but it felt like a mile wide ravine.

“How attached are you to that idea?” Felix could feel Chan’s warmth breath on his face and his brain short-circuiting in response.

“N-Not very, anymore.”

“Then can I please kiss you?”

Unable to form words, Felix just nodded, closing his eyes once again as Chan leaned in. Softly, almost tentatively, Chan pressed his lips to Felix’s. They were soft, just as Felix had imagined, and he hurried to reciprocate, his hands coming up to gently rest on either of Chan’s sides.

It wasn’t like any other kiss Felix had ever experienced. With other people, it had been nice, wonderful, even. He’d tried to push himself to feel the fireworks spoken about in his favorite books and had never had anything close to that experience. But that wasn’t this either, there were no fireworks.

Instead, kissing Chan felt like coming home.

He felt like a warm hug on a cold day, reassuring and there. He was the sun after a long winter night and a refreshing swim in the middle of summer. This wasn’t the feeling Felix had dreamed of, but one so much better; one he hadn’t known he’d needed and now one he knew he’d never be able to live without again.

Moments passed and all too soon, Chan was pulling away, leaving Felix forever wanting more. He knew right away that he’d never be able to get enough of those kisses, of Chan himself.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking at Chan with a slightly dazed smile.

Chan smiled back, always and forever looking at Felix like he held the world. “Was that okay?”

Felix couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle at the question. “That was the best kiss I’ve ever received.”

Chan’s beautiful, dimply smile grew ever wider as he started to lean in once more. “Then would you mind if I did it again?”

This time, Felix beat him to it, wrapping his arms around Chan’s neck and eagerly pressing his lips against Chan’s. Chan let out a small, surprised noise but still returned the kiss, fitting perfectly with Felix.

As he pulled Chan in closer, Felix couldn’t stop smiling. Finally, he had someone to love and someone who loved him just as much.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

read part three here!

[lesvegas]

ritchie’s🎃💀 ABCs of Horror Movie Marathon!! 💀🎃

Horror movie challenge prompted by @quintsmachete

Day One - A is for An American Werewolf in London (1981)

An American Werewolf in London has been on the unwritten 'to watch' list in the back of my mind since I started coming to terms with horror as a genre nearly a decade ago, but it never really felt like the right time to watch this until today. There's a ton of horror movies I still need to see as a relatively new viewer, and I couldn't think of a better way to start a marathon of horror movies I've yet to see with one that's been on my peripheral for years now.

I think I just knew I was going to love this movie as soon as the opening credits kicked in to the tune of a Blue Moon cover; and like Johnny Guitar in Johnny Guitar (1954), the song is used multiple times throughout the movie in different styles. This might not seem that important but it did add a lot of charm by default for me, so I feel like I couldn't not mention it.

Right off the bat, movie really taps into a lot of nostalgia for me even though I've never seen it before. It felt very reminiscent of all the werewolf-themed TV show specials I grew up watching around Halloween, which did mean I could predict quite a bit, but I think the fact that I only got more invested as it went along despite that gives the movie a lot of credit. It hits all the notes one would expect from a modern werewolf movie, and it hits them well. Much of the beginning of the movie is almost pleasantly ominous, with nice tension leading up to the initial werewolf attack that turns the protagonist, David. The attack itself is very early 80s; we don't see much of the wolf, but we do get to see some good but not extreme gore that would net this film an R rating even if there weren't boobs later on. The rest of the werewolf attacks that follow are more or less the same, and we don't get to see much of the wolf until the end, and even then it's. Well. It's aged. But I still liked it.

Speaking of effects, that first transformation sequence is easily one of the best, most horrifying w- no, not even werewolf, just transformation scenes in general. From the bones crunching to the extremities elongating, from the fur growing to the face distorting, it leaves very few details out and is honestly refreshing after seeing countless transformation sequences cheap out with fast cuts and keeping it mostly off-camera. We get two sequences with the second one being much shorter, but it felt like more than enough the first time. One last note about the effects and make-up: I LOVE how Jack (David's best friend who died to the werewolf that turned him) keeps showing up more and more decayed every time he tries to warn him. I thought he'd just look as torn-up as he did when he died but the fact that he continues to decay because he's undead and not just a ghost was such a nice touch.

I will admit the one thing I felt the movie might have been lacking in was comedy, but only because it's labelled as 'horror/comedy'. I wouldn't say it doesn't count as a comedy, but none of the scenes really made me laugh that hard. I mean there were still scenes that made me laugh in general; every time David's dreams get more and more extreme, how he tried to get arrested by offending a cop with some extremely dated remarks, the theatre scene where his victims propose methods of ending his life; there's a lot of moments that range from silly to hilarious especially if it's been a while since you've seen a movie from before 2010. I just went in expecting there to be a little more of that. I think I'll enjoy it more on rewatch with tempered expectations.

There's a lot of other things I really liked that I jotted down but don't really have super detailed thoughts about:

I love how the first dreams David starts having where he's running and hunting in the woods just feels like the kind of dreams a dog or cat or wolf would have

I love how it's not really clear whether David is losing his mind, just suffering from trauma, or is genuinely being contacted by Jack, or some mix of all three

I really do like how much of a time capsule this movie is, especially the subway scene with all the early 80's punks and the old ads

I like how the beats and lore really feel based on/inspired by old werewolf movies without mocking them

(cw self harm) I don't know if it's because I also have a younger brother and sister and have also gotten really close to self-harming or even attempting before backing off, but the moment where David calls his little sister who's only 10 but left home alone to tell the family that he loves them before he tries to cut himself with a small knife in a phone booth really uh. Really hit close to home there. In a good way. The scene felt a little silly (he's trying to kill himself in a London phone booth in the middle of a busy street for fuck's sake) but real to me.

The climax was literally a car crash I didn't want to look away from. The ending felt genuinely tragic before it was abruptly cut off by the silliest rendition of Blue Moon, but it made me laugh and just felt right for this movie somehow.

On a final note, they very end of the credits congratulates Princess Diana and Prince Charles on their engagement which happened that same year, and I found that unintentionally, darkly funny. This movie really is a time capsule in the best ways. Oh, and the moral of the story is something I already learned at the age of 14: small towns SUCK.

My arbitrary rating is: Four outta five quid 💷💷💷💷🗌

[xihe1874]

The first chapter of Bradley going back to 1986 fic is ready!!! (Yeah, yeah, I can't believe that either lolll) Please enjoy and tell me what you think! 😉

===================================================

Pairing: Iceman/Maverick, Rooster/Hangman, Carole/Goose

Rating: T

Word Count: 1835

Completed: No

Additional Tags: Angst, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Travel Fix-It, Pining, Ice's funeral mentioned, Goose's death mentioned, but everyone will live, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Cigarettes, Father-Son Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, POV Bradley, Basically Bradley goes back to 1986 and fixes many things, Eventual Romance, Butterfly Effect what Butterfly Effect, Hurt/ComfortIdiots in Love, Getting Together

===================================================

Chapter 1

Rooster leans forward on his chair and keeps his eyes firmly ahead. 

Cyclone is going on and on about tomorrow’s mission, some shit like patriotism or sacred duty, maybe. He lost concentration a long time ago but still fixes his gaze on the sturdy admiral, even when his mind is blurred by the tedious speech and meaningless lip movement.

He has to. Otherwise, his eyes will instinctively go to Maverick, sitting in front of him now. He will notice the tremor in his arms or the way the old man clenches his fist so tight that he must have drawn blood.

Only thirteen hours have passed since Maverick pulled the crazy stunt and literally stole his way back to the mission. Only twelve hours since he was announced as the team leader. And only ten since he dropped the bomb and chose Rooster as his wingman.

Speaking of Mav’s wingman… It’s only been two days since Ice died. 

Rooster squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath to suppress the sudden surge of emotions in his chest. Several high-ranking Navy officers delivered formal and solemn memorial speeches at the funeral, singing empty praises of the late admiral’s glorious achievements. Maverick, however, didn’t speak - he didn’t even shed many tears. He hammered his badge into the coffin with eerily stable hands, saluted the picture, and then walked away without a word.

Every attendee looked at Sarah, Ice’s sister, and the rest of his family with sympathetic and mournful eyes, so no one noticed the weird conduct of the admiral’s ex-wingman. But Rooster saw Maverick stop at a corner and hump his body, beginning to retch. 

Being raised by and growing up around this man means that Rooster has seen and known many things, even if he cut himself off from his godfather a decade ago. Watching Maverick clench his hand around the chest and shudder in unspeakable grief, Rooster had to bite his lips hard to avoid going to him. 

Maverick has loved Ice for more than thirty years, and that is a fact Rooster never doubts for a second. And judging by the fact that Ice has more interest in being Mav’s guardian angel than getting married, he probably loved Mav more.

He startles at Maverick’s voice. It seems that Cyclone asks the mission leader to say something too.

“I believe in each of you.” His godfather is speaking, his voice hoarse, and Rooster looks at him, taking in his bloodshot eyes and wrinkles. There is something in Maverick’s eyes akin to sad determination and automatic persistence. “And I also believe that we can make it, and make it home.”

Maverick’s eyes linger on Rooster’s face for one more second, and then he continues. “I will not talk about the mission now, as I have told you everything in the past several weeks. Please rest well tonight, and we will do our best tomorrow.”

Or we die.

The sinking feeling in Rooster’s stomach doesn’t get any better.

He glances around the room. Phoenix is whispering something to Bob, and the WSO looks at her softly and nods. Payback stares out the window while Fanboy is fiddling with his pen. Hangman, however, is looking at him directly, his face totally unreadable.

The scrutinization makes Rooster uncomfortable, and he quickly turns away. 

Tomorrow. Rooster is trying very hard not to think about the phrase “last night”.

———

He can’t fall asleep.

It’s well past 11 pm, but Rooster still lies with his eyes wide open. He stares at the ceiling and listens to Bob’s steady breath. Turning over, Rooster kicks off the blanket and rubs at his sweaty face.

Ten minutes later, he sighs and gets up.

No one is in the corridor, so he wanders like a ghost until he sees the light in the ready room and hears Hondo’s voice.

“I am worried about you, Mav. And I don’t like that look.”

He creeps over and sees his godfather sitting in a chair, face buried in his hands. 

Maverick laughs in a watery way, and his voice comes out muffled. “It’s the only one I’ve got. And please, go have some sleep. I will be OK.”

Hondo pats him on the shoulder and raises to his feet. “I know you need to have some time alone. It’s just… so many things have happened. Ice’s gone, and Rooster….”

Rooster holds his breath at the mention of his name.

“Yeah. Ice… Sorry I can’t talk about that now.” Maverick exhales, and it’s evident he is trying hard to keep his voice even. “But about Bradley, I know he is a damn good pilot and can make it. He just needs to believe in himself.”

But you don’t believe in me. 

Rooster almost barges in when he hears Mav’s following sentence.

“I am ready to do anything to make it possible, Hondo. I am ready. That’s what I am here for.”

He sees Hondo shake his head slightly and hug Mav before he walks out of the room from another door.

Rooster stands there for a long time, staring at his godfather’s figure. Maverick looks even older, sitting alone in the dark room. He considers walking in and asking all the questions accumulated in his heart for decades, the old ones about pulling papers and the new ones about the exact meaning of “doing anything”. He also wants to tell Mav that he didn’t mean some of - most of - the things he said. But he just stands still and lets the chilly wind blow over his bare arms.

————

He sees the lit cigarette first, then the person holding it.

Hangman raises the cigarette to his lip, inhales once, and blows a smoke ring, his eyes glued to Rooster in the dim light. A robin starts to chirp somewhere.

Rooster walks up the staircase until he reaches the rooftop. They stand side by side momentarily, Hangman’s gaze blazing on Rooster’s face.

“Didn’t know that you smoke.”

“Normally don’t. But we can’t drink, which sucks.”

Why are you staring at me like that? He wants to ask, but what comes out is instead - “Can I have a drag?”

Rooster turns around and is captured by the glitter in Hangman’s blue eyes. He is handsome, Rooster thinks, an asshole, but still gorgeous. Hangman holds the cigarette, and Rooster reaches out to take it, his heart beating against his chest.

But instead of handing it over, Hangman ducks his head to take another puff and pulls Rooster close with one hand behind his neck until their lips are only one inch apart.

The warmth of Hangman’s hand burns Rooster’s skin, and he shuts his eyes when the smoke passes between their lips. The other pilot’s finger gently rubs little circles on Rooster nick, and his breath is hot on the other’s mustache. 

“You are stingy like that?” His own voice hoarse beyond recognition.

Rooster feels the hand on his neck tighten like Hangman is holding on to Rooster and refuses to let go.

“Full experience is only available when you are back, Bradshaw.” Hangman is whispering. He raises his other hand and caresses Rooster’s lower lip with his thumb. “So make sure you get back.”

—————

The next day comes in the blink of an eye. When Rooster sits inside F/A-18E/F alone, his brain a hot mess, he looks up to the bright sky and whispers. “Talk to me, Dad.”

He hears Maverick in their private comm. “You got this, kiddo.”

“Dagger One is hit!”

“Rooster, Mav is gone. We have to get back.”

Get back. 

We will talk when we get back. The sentence overlaps with Hangman’s similar words, replaying in his ears. 

Rooster clenches the handle and turns it with more strength than necessary.

When his jet is hit, and the explosion almost deafens him, Rooster knows he will not make it. He feels… calm. He has saved Mav, and that bastard will be able to find a way home by stealing a jet or something like that. They have accomplished the mission successfully, and he may finally see his parents after so many years. Maybe he will meet Ice too, and he will definitely ask him why he and Mav won’t make each other happier. 

The only thing he may regret is that he will never have the chance to taste that cigarette. 

Rooster closes his eyes and lets the force pull him to the dark. 

—————

“You, hey, you! Wake up!”

Bradley doesn’t want to wake up. He is so tired that it is almost like he has run a hundred miles. He shakes his head and turns over.

“Mav, come here!”

He hears footsteps.

“What, Goose, I was planning to serenade… wow, what is this?”

Now, that voice sounds quite familiar, if only more cheerful and lively than he remembers. Bradley struggles to open his eyes and sees two men squatting around him. One of them has a mustache and brown hair that look like his. The other has dark hair and shiny green eyes and is examining him suspiciously. Both are young and wearing white uniforms. 

Bradley vaguely realizes that he is lying on the ground. He tries to get up but groans at the headache. 

“Whoa, easy there.” The mustached man smiles at him warmly and helps him sit up. Bradley stares at him, and the other stares back with wide eyes.

“Holy shit, Goose, he looks exactly the same as you!”

Goose?

No, that can’t be.

“No, Mav, I am obviously way more handsome.” Goose frowns at the dark-haired man.

Mav.

Bradley’s brain slowly recovers, and he starts to remember things. The mission, Mav saving him, he saving Mav back, the darkness…

He looks around him and finds himself in a noisy bar. Men in white uniforms are everywhere, mixed with civilians. Their dressing styles are old-fashioned, which reminds Bradley of the old photo of his mom. There is music in the air, and Bradley recognizes it as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, released in… 1965.

He snaps his head back to gaze at the two men before him. 

His dad and Mav, in their twenties, are young and alive. The faces he could only imagine using faded photos and memories previously are right before his eyes. 

“What is happening here?”

Another voice, deep and smooth. Bradley raises his head to see a young Ice with spiky hair. He is wearing shades, but it’s definitely him, as the irritated way he purses his lips at Mav is too familiar. He hasn’t heard this voice in almost five years since Ice’s cancer became severe.

It’s a dream. Or he is already dead. He looks back at his dad and whispers. “Is it a dream, Dad?”

His dad splutters in confusion. “What, no, what, I am not… What???”

Bradley doesn’t care. He just pulls his dad forward by the collar, hugs him tightly, buries his face in Goose’s shoulder, and cries when he feels his dad hesitantly put one hand on his head. 

[mahou-furbies]

It is time for

This year the event will be hosted by Snow Miku! Not exactly magical girls but close enough design wise.

Here is the magical girl media consumed on this blog this year:

(Delicious Party Precure, Futari wa Precure Max Heart, Magia Record s3, Machikado Mazoku s2, Tokyo Mew Mew New, Magic Users' Club! (OVA), Magic User's Club! (Tv), Tropical Rouge! Precure season movie, Futari wa Precure Max Heart season movies 1 & 2)

At first it looked like I barely read any magical girl manga this year, but then ended up reading a couple in the final few weeks of the year:

(Magilumiere co ltd, Time Stranger Kyoko (reread), The Life After Retirement of Magical Girls, No Match for Aoi-kun, Magical Lollipop)

Also I read a lot of magical girl webcomics!

(Magical Mom, Sleepless Domain, Cloudy Wondrous, Apricot Cookie(s)!, Miss Guillotine, Strawberry Seafoam)

Then let's go through the events that happened this year. We had a tournament for the favourite Precure, and Cure Milky was the winner! This time it has taken even longer to draw the celebratory art for the winners than last year and I'm still not done, but I guess nobody but me really cares about that so all is well.

We also had a poll for most/least favourite magical girl elements, which I used to compile the most liked and least liked magical girls (though I think the least liked one turned out to be more popular). I really liked this idea and would like to do something more with it one day, or at least just get statistics on people's opinions on different magical girl tropes for fun.

I also did both Mermay and Witchtober this year (and Adorkastock Draw Everything June which I've done every year since its inception), which included a lot of magical girl content. I like these monthly drawing challenges since I enjoy drawing a set of themed characters, and usually the results are a lot more varied than the stuff I usually draw. So next year I'd like to do some more, but I'll have to find different challenges so it won't get repetitive, this was the second Mermay I did and while it mostly involved characters I never draw otherwise, I'd still like to give that spot to something else next time.

Saban Moon was unleashed to the public this year, which did not affect me that much since I have very little relationship with Sailor Moon, but I can still appreciate unearthing a secret alternative version of a well known character (also it was my most popular drawing this year)

This year I started and exercise project by trying to motivate myself with the reward of buying a Miku Nendoroid each time I exercise a certain amount of times. It has been mostly successful, or there are breaks but they are a lot shorter than they would ever be without a prize looming in the future. Much recommended!

Finally one thing that's different from last year that I didn't draw a lot of characters for my magical girl chibi series, because I was busy drawing a different kind of chibi series (hundreds of Pokemon chibis on my other blog). And this chibi style spread to several of my other fandoms too, I used it on the Witchtober, and I've done four (I think) sets of requests in it.

Finally a mention to my frustration on the lack of green Precures culminating in a series of green Precure OCs. 

Then onto the awards!

Best Henshin Design goes to Cloudy Wondrous! A solid design where everything works together (I’m especially a fan of the cloud motif used in different places), and the unique details (crown, wing eyepatch thing) make it more memorable.

Best Team Design goes to Tokyo Mew Mew New! Granted I think I like the original designs more, but TMM team design is still strong here as well, it's recognisable as TMM but highly customisable for OCs.

Best Powerup Design goes to Strawberry Seafoam! Or they should probably rather be called separate forms on the same level with different purposes rather than increasing in power, but who's counting. They are all pretty (as are the other mermaids' transformations) but let's say the jellyfish one is my favourite, it has such warm glowing palette (but also an illuminated dark mode!) and it creates a unique silhouette.

Also a shoutout to Cure Spicy's Party Up Style "hat".

Best Civilian Design goes to Amane's winter look from Delicious Party Precure! It just looks so comfy...

Best Hair goes to Sae from Magic User's Club! It's pretty simple compared to the usual absurd magical girl hairstyles, but I like how the angular shapes make it memorable.

Best Magical Item goes to Bijou's pen from Strawberry Seafoam! It looks pretty, and I like magic where you actually draw your spells. And it's fun to see her style evolve!

Best Henshin Scene goes to the dresser henshin in Magilumiere! Overall it has a lot of creative henshin and I really hope it gets animated some day!

Best Fan Creation is the catch-all award for everything that's not from, like, a big corporation, and this year the competition is really tough with all these highly polished webcomics, on a normal year any one of them would have been the winner but now I have to pick one. And it is also this year's Best Work, so more on that later! 

Best Relationship goes to the group in Magic Users' Club! Their relationships feel very natural, and everyone has something different going on with the other characters. And while there is a little drama, the overall vibe is delightfully positive.

Best Mascot goes to Kome-Kome from Delicious Party Precure! Personality or plot-wise there's nothing that interests me about her, but it must be said that I'm a sucker for progressively aging designs and she's also stupidly cute.

Best Supporting Character goes to the 4th wall breaking Director of Darkness, from Apricot Cookie(s)! He just cracks me up every time he is on panel with his friendly and welcoming attitude. 

Honourable mention to Mari-chan from Precure who is the best character in the season but who unfortunately doesn’t get to do much.

Best Visual goes to the art style of Strawberry Seafoam! Bold and unique glowing saturated colours that somehow feel nostalgic. Special mention to all the swirly magic.

Honourable mention to the art style shifts Apricot Cookie(s)!, sometimes the art goes to retro manga or anime or 3d idol dance models for fun. And another honourable mention to the visual presentation of the Apricot Cookies website.

Best Audio goes to the Shiny Luminous / Queen theme in Futari wa Precure Splash Star (not the henshin one but the one when she’s doing something epic). Feels very majestic.  

For the Best Scene I don’t have anything specific that comes to mind over everything else this year, so let’s say Kuroe’s fate in MagiReco, Shiny Luminous in the Max Heart finale and Grandma’s fate in Apricot Cookie(s)! can share it.

Innovation Award is for honouring a work doing something new and refreshing for the magical girl genre. This year I read several webcomics (that generally get to be more innovative than commercial anime) and even one actual manga that focused on "magical girls as a job", but each with a little different angle. So a shoutout to Magilumiere Co ltd, Sleepless Domain, Cloudy Wondrous, Apricot Cookie(s)!, Miss Guillotine and Magical Mom! With this many of them it'd feel a little weird to pick any for the "innovation award" over the same topic, so let's reward Magical Mom, for having, well, the magical mom! Magical girls whose mother is also a magical girl are of course a thing, but this time the child is a boy, and the mother also is an active and prominent character (and not just a background mentor), so that is new to me.

Then the Golden Mana Award, that is the dishonourable mention awarded to one thing I didn't like this year! 

This year it goes to Porun from Futari wa Precure Max Heart. Frankly he was probably more annoying in the original Futari wa but I had something else to complain about that year so now it's his turn. For the life of me I can't understand how this would be an appealing character concept even for children, like don't even 5-year-olds get annoyed at a toddler sibling's tantrums interrupting their big kid play? Even his less overtly irritating scenes don't do much for me, since they rely on "aww isn't it cute how the baby wants to be with you" mushiness.

Also another dishonourable mention to downgrading Pudding’s jumpsuit into a dress.

Best Character goes to Kuroe! (from MagiReco) I really like her design (especially how it mirrors Iroha’s), her quiet and hesitant personality and her melancholic story that felt fresh among all the magical girls who excitedly jump into saving every passerby. Or I don’t really like how she fit in the larger narrative, but in isolation I think her story was interesting.

Best Work goes to Apricot Cookie(s)! It's really funny and the art is great, and the character designs are memorable. The heroine is charmingly dumb and everyone in her family is great. And it took a while to grow on me, but in the end the weeb references make me feel at home.

Plans for 2023

I didn't manage to get any of the shorter mg shows from last year's list (though I did watch Magic User’s Club which wasn’t on the list) so those are still there. I'd also like to watch two series from the Precure backlog, this year I only managed one.

Art-wise I plan to do more for the chibi series, and do another "x colour Precure oc" series. And I'd really like to draw more art that has, like, a background or a mood or a composition, but let's see if that goes anywhere.

(also hopefully more Miku Nendoroids)

[kjs-s]

A new holiday tradition

Moon Knight/Werewolf by night crossover

Summary When everyone celebrates different holidays you make new traditions together

Word count 1290

Warning mention of people wanting to harm Jack

Characters in this Marc Spector Steven Grant Layla El-Faouly Jack Russell Ted Sallis (man-thing)

A/N I wrote this as a gift for @redgillan and i liked it so I post it here too. Also thanks to @girl-next-door-writes for a lot of great information because I originally wrote this as a Christmas one

Living in a household with people that have three different religions sounds like it could be a mess but the four of you always managed to compromise. Steven and Marc celebrated Chanukah and have a menorah on display. You and Layla celebrate Christmas so you have a tree with ornaments for each one of the four of you. Layla also has her Coptic ones on the tree. Since the first day of Chanukah and Coptic Christmas are days apart you all decided to exchange gifts in the middle between those dates. This year your gift exchange would happen on December 28.

''We need to have a schedule on which item needs the most time to be made. This way we can make all seven things on time.'' You put on an apron and spread the recipes on the kitchen counter. Steven looked around wondering when you started a catering business and didn't inform the others.

''Just tell me what you want me to help you with. But if I may ask don't you think it's a little much for four people?''He picked one of the recipes that read mushroom and chestnut tart on it and checked the list of ingredients.

''What do you mean four people? We will be six at the picnic. Did you forget about Jack's invitation or did Marc not tell you about it?'' He tried but failed to remember anything so you had to narrate the whole story again while preparing the food for the picnic with your new friends.

On July 13 you and Layla had a girls' night out to watch a movie at an open-air cinema. After enjoying yourselves Marc called you about needing help with an issue half an hour after midnight.

'' What is going on? What do you need help with?'' You asked him when you showed up at the square he had asked you to meet him.

''I was on my way to meet you two so I would ask whether you wanted a midnight stroll around town when I heard people yelling. Most of them mentioned a monster and some of them had a few interesting ideas about how to kill it.''

''Are they serious? Even if there is a monster on the loose the best option is to stun it.'' Layla was trying to come up with solutions to not kill whatever they would encounter.

''What kind of monster did they mention? A werewolf? Considering there is a full moon that happens to be the biggest one of the year.'' You turned to Marc for confirmation of your assumption.

''That's what the people said. And we have to protect them. Think you can come up with a plan? A couple of the people shot at the werewolf and it ran off toward the west.''

You traced the werewolf at an abandoned factory and you three came up with a plan to stop it. You would try to distract it while the others would try to subdue it. And maybe try and check if it can transform back into a human. After a while, you managed to control it and he turned back into a man with markings on his face. He was exhausted and you approached him to check on him despite Marc's pleas about him probably still being dangerous.

''Are you ok?'' You tried to examine if he was hurt in any way.

''Where am I?'' And who are you?'' He seemed disoriented.

''I'm (Y/N). Me and my friends tracked you here when you were a werewolf and <<helped>> you turn back. Here they are. This is Marc and this is Layla. What about you?''

''I'm Jack. Thank you for helping me. Did I hurt anyone?'' He was still disoriented and now looking quite sad.

''Nobody was hurt, Jack. But you need to leave because the town's residents were looking everywhere for any sort of weapon to use against you.''

''I should call Ted to come and get me but he might become their next target. Could any of you help me get back to the forest?''

''You live in the forest?'' You began worrying about the man in front of you.

''Yes with Ted, my friend. He is big, green, and very friendly.'' The description piqued your interest and all of you helped Jack back into the forest.

''And that's how we met Jack and Ted. And after that, we check on them every full moon. They invited us to celebrate Christmas with them. But because of our unique traditions, we suggested having a picnic with them today. Did you forget about the gift exchange? Your recipient was Layla.''

''Right, I got her a scarf. I just forgot about the picnic part. Let's start cooking.''

You made almost everything and then you noticed Steven nodding off and closing his eyes. When he tried to peel a mushroom instead of an apple you decided he needed to rest.

''That's it. Break time for you. Let Marc front so you can rest for a little while. We will take it from here and Layla will be home soon with the challah bread and the vegan fruit cake. So she will help and we will be fine.''

Marc helped you make sufganiyot, a pomegranate and apple salad, a mushroom and chestnut tart, koshari, a vegan stew, and potato latkes. All vegan since Steve is vegan and Layla was still fasting.

''All we have left to bake are the vegan kahk. (Y/N) you can take a break. Marc and I will make those.'' Layla helped you to bed.

''Thank you. I will just take a nap and come by to check on you in an hour.''

When you returned the kitchen looked like a flour bomb had exploded in it.

''What happened here?''

''We had a breakdown. Just like the guy on the show you watched yesterday. Bake off right?''

''Well, that guy had a breakdown because he was jet-lagged from being awake for nearly forty hours. What's your excuse?''

''We read something wrong in the recipe?'' You laughed at Layla's answer and helped them finish baking. When everything was done you all grabbed the gifts for the exchange and left to meet Jack and Ted.

You put two enormous blankets on the ground and separated the food.

''The blanket with the angels on it has all the vegan foods on it. Challah bread, a salad, latkes, a tart, sufganiyot which are jelly donuts, fruit cake, koshari that has rice and pasta, kahk biscuits, and a stew. The blanket with the bells on it has pigs in a blanket, pavo that has turkey in it, and romeritos that has shrimp. And of course, there is sushi for Ted just like I promised him.''

''Everything seems delicious. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special tradition.'' Jack gave you a brief hug and threw a piece of wood into the bonfire they had made.

You suggest starting with the gift exchange and then roasting marshmallows that Jack mentioned being vegan and drinking some juice.

Marc gave Jack a compass so he would never get lost again. Jack gave Steven a board game. Steven gave Layla a scarf and she gave you a beautiful jewelry box. Ted gave Marc a handmade menorah for the house that you would put on Gus' tank. And you gave Ted fishing gear to catch his own fish.

Afterward, you gathered by the bonfire to roast marshmallows while music was playing from a wireless speaker. Steven taught everyone how to play dreidel and you played even more games and danced until your feet were sore. That new tradition would easily become your favorite day of the year no matter when it landed on.

[supahn0v4]

I Knew You Once

Rise!Leo/Reader

You two reunite after your return from University

Returning to the Lair had been on your mind since you got back into the state. Having gone off to complete your Bachelor’s, it had been hell to be so far from the Turtles. While Leo did come to see you(Portal powers RULE!), it didn’t make the move any easier. Dropping in occasionally, regularly once every month as no bestie left behind on Lou Jitsu night, you didn’t see him much else.

While his portals were convenient, you had 3 roommates, 6 if you counted their pets. As much as he loves attention, especially from you, Leo did try not to pry into your personal affairs too much. “Lest he push too far and have his title of best friend revoked” as Donnie had put it. You’d never do that to him though, right? Well, better to be safe than sorry. He didn’t have much experience with this kind of stuff but college breaks normally end bad for friendships in the movies and he didn’t want to press his luck. Respecting boundaries was never really his strong suit but he’d learn for you.

He always offered to bring Don to help you study but it normally fell through the more you got into your degree. So he stopped trying as hard for your attention. Limited to sending each other memes through So-Shell. Especially once you both started dating. Usagi taking up most of his time and your boyfriend eating up what little spare time you had. A big move for both of you, everyone surprised, thinking the two of you had already been together.

He’d be lying if he said that didn’t make his heart skip. You would look good by his side. He’d also be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it either, though his preference for compartmentalizing his feelings won out in the end. Oh but you’d been so happy to introduce him to Usagi, a yokai friend of yours you had met when you were portal jacked(it was one time! Give a guy a break.) when he sent you home after a hangout in high school.

He remembers the day you told him you weren’t allowed to talk with him anymore. Remembers the outburst, his veins in his forehead almost popping as you tried to convince him everything was fine. That he wasn’t the first of your friends to tell you how you’re becoming a stranger because of this boyfriend. How it didn’t matter what he said. How desperately you were trying, and failing, to convince those around you this wasn’t self destructive and going to hurt worse in the end.

—72 was his body count, you had told him.

Of course the second you leave, some walking red flag worms his way into your life. And of course you dedicate way too much time to this fucking idiot than he deserves. Was it jealousy? No! No! No! Friends don’t let friends date guys who cheat in every relationship date their friends. Especially not their cute friends who deserve a good man who can treat them well. Which totally wasn't him- he had a boyfriend! A cute rabbit yokai too; one you had helped him get.

—73 now with you.

An insanely high number and a really sleazy thing to be proud of. Leo remembers you telling him of all the high expectations the guy put on himself, only to then lord those over your head as if you put those on him whenever the two of you fought. Talking with other women during your dates. Seeing them the second you left his house. But you kept running back to him. What the hell was so important about a misdelivered package for his ex that he had to go hand deliver it to her, at 7pm on a Tuesday night?

“He’s delivering his package, alright.” He remembers how you choked up on the phone, troubled by the reality of the situation. Even more troubled by the fact that he refused to sugar coat his words and called it as he saw it. He wishes you really had left that day, just grabbed your stuff and left while he was with his ex.

—76 by your first “break up”.

It made him feel,,, sad? Empty? Lonely? His best friend transforming before his eyes for some guy who doesn’t see you as more than a game. Even Usagi noticed right away! So it was safe to say he’s not going crazy. But, you stayed regardless. Knowing he was doing this to other girls while with you, knowing that he lied the entire time, knowing that your friends were cutting you off to avoid having to get involved. Knowing how easy it would be to call Leo and the rest of the Hamato’s and be rid of him. But, you wanted to do this on your own, you said. And as your best friend he complied with your wishes, even though he hated it. Even though when you discussed the situation with the others they told you the same thing.

—81 the last time you talked to Leo in your second year.

Pizza supreme, it made his heart ache terribly. You’re supposed to be the smart one! And so you cut him off. A promise to keep in contact and call should the need arise. It never does. Not for another two years at least. Not until you’ve graduated and been scouted at your final presentation. Not until you finally move back to New York.

Your off-again-on-again situationship, calling him a boyfriend felt wrong, broke up with you finally. And it was official this time because he was the one to initiate it. Leo was over in an instant. Disappeared with a dismissive “Be back later” to his brothers and was by your side. He didn’t hesitate, portalling you to the lair with all your packed stuff shove into his subway car, he hauls you into the living room and plops you down on the couch. Retrieving his pillows and his softest throw blanket, he returns to you. Haphazardly making a nest before pulling you to him and forcing you to lay down.

Mandatory Jupiter Jim marathon to ease your troubles and fill in the silence of the lair as you sobbed into his plastron. Leo hated seeing you like that knowing he couldn’t do anything. You were best friends, and it was perfect! He did not need to ruin that by telling you how much better he’d treat you. How much better he already does treat you- No. He wouldn’t pressure you into an ultimatum, it needed to come naturally from you. Especially would not be doing so after him and Usagi were doing so well.

A confession would make things change. And everything had finally calmed down. No more Kraang, no more Cassandra trying to kill them, Raphael finally showing signs of recovery from his episodes, no more secrets between the boys and their dad, April and you graduating University. No, this was nice.

Even when his brothers returned from the mission and chewed him out for ditching them. Even when Usagi came to see why he went AWOL for their date. When they heard your sniffles they all came over to ensure your safety. The people who care about you most wanting to ease the pain and offering to fix it. “The offer still stands to remove him from the equation permanently.” Donnie had said before he placed his hand on your shoulder, light squeeze before everyone turned their attention to the movie. This was your home, Leo thought as he periodically rubbed his hands up the expanse of your back. Extremely pleased with himself when you would curl into him, head tucked low in his shoulder as you nodded off.

Having you pressed against him, hot puffs of breath in crook of his neck from where you fell asleep against his shoulder. Claiming they were the perfect pillow despite his rough textured scales or the strong muscles beneath them. One hand clinging to the top of his plastron as if to hold him in place as his own arms wrap around your waist. His calloused thumb caresses your cheek. Wiping away the stray tears that kept falling even in your sleep. Usagi on the other side of you, hugging you from behind in his sleep. His soft hand overtop yours and Leo’s in an unspoken promise to remain close.

Getting to share in your space was just enough for him. But just maybe he could convince you to stay with him and Usagi.

[chubbyheadquarters]

Updated: Sept 24

I JUST WANNA MAKE SOMETHING CLEAR-

I was a bit stumped about it at first, but I've decided that I'll write NSFW too, so minors 👁👁 please don't look. If I see any minors interacting with any NSFW posts. I will block you. I REALLY don't like blocking people, so please don't make me.

Other than that-

Hello! ٩( ᐛ )و

Just a quick note that this blog will be more about the writing aspect, so headcanons, oneshots and links/updates on AO3 stories, along with recommendations of stories will be posted here!

Another note!

I write SPECIFICALLY for chubby readers, since-

I am a chubby girl myself and I can't find any x chubby reader fics from/for my fandom to save my life- (´༎ຶ ͜ʖ ༎ຶ `)♡

Granted, some people may see it as a simple weight change, but for me, it's the feeling of REALLY being included in the story.

These lines from a bunch of fics I've read-"His shirt fit loosely on you", and "he wrapped his arms around your thin waist", "your small frame" or "He picked you up with ease", etc-don't fit me and I know I'm not the only one.

If a fic usually doesn't clarify that it has a chubby reader, then it's USUALLY a skinny or medium-sized person. I just wanna give me and my chubby fellas a chance, y'know? ┐(シ)┌

And please don't take this the wrong way & please don't think I'm attacking you if you write like this I swear I'm not! Everyone's allowed to write for whatever fandom they want and with whatever body type they wanna write for! I'm just stating that this blog is focused on specifically chubby/plus sized readers.

I write Platonic Readers! For example, if someone requests being just best friends with a certain character, or having a sibling dynamic with another character, then it's all good! 👌🏽

I also write for Yandere characters/situations! If the situation asked for IS uncomfortable to write, I have the right to deny it.

I also do genderbend! I don't see it done much, which is cool! But I'm a dumb little hoe so- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Final thing! I also write for monsters! I write for skeletons and demon monkeys 😑 Basic stuff, like werewolves, vampires, mermaids/merman, hybrids, etc!

I'll write for certain characters for certain medias since it's the only thing I feel I can actually write without making the characters OOC. (´･ω･`)

🐵MONKIE KID🐵

Sun Wukong

Macaque

MK

Mei

Red Son

Spider Queen

Syntax

Maybe the others too if they're requested enough 👀

I WILL NOT write for LMK NeZha, due to the controversy of his age. I've seen many discussions on it, from all sides, mainly from those who are Chinese. And all I have to say is that I don't wanna touch that shit with a 10 foot pole.

Monkey King: Reborn, Hero is Back & Ne'Zha Reborn Sun Wukong are also a go! I just watched the movies and I am quaking 👀 If you guys have any Sun Wukong movies or game characters that're fleshed out enough to be written, PLEASE send them my way.

🌌WAKFU🌌

Yugo

Dally

Eva

Goultard

Joris

Count Harebourg

Oropo

If there's other characters that are requested, then I'll see who they are and if I can write for them.

Maybe I'll do Transformers in the future! I've only seen Transformers Prime, so I'll need to expand my knowledge first. I mean, unless y'all want some Prime stuff 👀. I'll probably watch Animated and read the comics soon-(Hopefully, I've dropped the damn thing twice-😔)

Now for the big boy-😥

💀Undertale💀

I'll write for it and certain AUs. The AUs follow as below(Sans nickname 1st, Papyrus 2nd)

Undertale (Vanilla and Creampuff)

Underfell (Red and Edge)

Underswap (Blue and Stretch)

Fellswap (Raspberry and Rus)

Swapfell (Black and Cash)

Fellswap!Gold (Wine and Coffee)

Horrortale (Axe and Sugar)

The Outertale AUs count too, but it's best not to ask for something that includes, for example, Undertale Sans and Outertale Sans since they'll basically be the same.

Outer nicknames include:

Outertale (Cosmic and Nebula)

Outerswap (Orion and Atlas)

Outerfell (Comet and Sirius)

Also including specific characters include:

Error

Geno from Aftertale

Passive!Nightmare and Dream from Dreamtale

Cross from XTale

Killer

Dust from Dusttale

And to be honest, I'm at a bit for a dilemma when it comes to if I should include Ink, Evil!Nightmare and Fresh. Since Ink doesn't have a soul to feel. Granted he has the ink he drinks to emulate the emotion he wants to feel but idk- (´⌒｀;)

Fresh is parasitic monster that lacks emotions and jumps from different hosts so writing him romantically might be a bit of a problem.

Evil Nightmare searches for negative energy, as it's said that positive emotions make him weak. (╯︵╰)

I try my best to stay on track with how characters would canonically react, along with a dash of what I think they would do. But if there's enough asks, then I'll try my best to write them! ଘ(੭ ᐛ )♡

Other potential AUs

Underlust

Storyshift

Mafiatale

Underpatch

I haven't read Underlust or Storyshift, but if there's enough requests for them, then I'll do my best to read through their stories/find information and write for them.

I'm having a bit of trouble finding concrete information for the bottom two, so they might be a bit more tricky to write about. (•ิ_•ิ)

As far as rules go, just don't send anything rude, k?

Also, please specify if you want Angst, Romance or Platonic/ if you want Headcanons or a One Shot.

Other than that, this post will update every once in a while if I decide to add or negate something, so keep an eye out! (≧∇≦)/

Sorry if there are spelling errors! Have a good day!

[pynkhues]

Ok Sophie. Top 5 final girls

Alex, this is literally impossible. Okay, okay, at a push, I think right now I'd say:

5. Gorgeous, House (1977)

Okay, she's not technically a final girl, because she is possessed by the spirit of her aunt by the end of the movie, but given she's the only one of the girls not transformed into a clock or decapitated, I think she still counts. Also: I love her a lot. I only watched this for the first time recently, and it's just bonkers and also staggeringly good. Using horror to explore real trauma is hardly unusual, but the way Nobuhiko Obayashi uses witchcraft, hauntings and possessions to explore the legacy of WWII on Japan and the way those most affected by it take it out on those too young to have experienced it is intergenerational trauma storytelling at its finest.

4. Amelia, The Babadook (2014)

I think you could really make the case that we're in a golden age of horror right now, and I think it's one that really began in 2013 / 2014. I mean, god, what a good couple of years for horror - The Conjuring, Stoker, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, It Follows, and Creep to say the very least - but The Babadook has to be a favourite. I think it also had a big impact on what horror could look like, from it's complicated take on motherhood, and, in particular, the way a narrative could flip depending on who's head we were in. The fact that the movie almost justifies Amelia's contempt for her tiny son before recontextualising the grief and depression and neglect that he was living through was just some brilliant writing and direction from Jennifer Kent, but especially the moment Amelia figures out how to fight not just for her son, but herself, is movie magic.

3. Nancy Thompson, Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

I feel like everyone has that 70s/80s final girl that really feels like she's theirs, whether that be Jess or Laurie or Sally, but Nancy was always That Girl for me. The thing about Nancy is that she's curious. She follows leads, she explores her options, she wants to understand, but she also wants to fight, and I think that curiousity is something that's really often lacking in horror protagonists. Plus this movie is just so wildly fun, I can't believe it's not everyone's fave of the 80s wave.

2. Lila Loomis nee Crane, Psycho (1960)

I had never really considered Lila a final girl until a few articles came out last year repositioning her as an ancestor to the trope, and ever since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Psycho is a movie that's complicated and of it's time, and yet feels contemporary in a lot of ways too. It's a movie that, at it's heart, is about the failure of the system, in health, family and justice, and about the way familial love operates within those failures. While it's ultimately fractured in Norman and Norma's case, Lila and Marion's story, to me, is the beating heart of that film. It's her love persevering for her sister, even in the face of unknown danger, that sees her reject the police failure and seek out her sister on her own. She survives where her sister doesn't, but she also doesn't stop until she's able to find justice for her sister, and if that's not the final girl trope at its best, I don't know what is.

Sidney Prescott, Scream (1996)

I mean, who else does it like Sidney? She's really one of those formative characters to me and I don't think any character grounds a franchise in the way she does. It doesn't matter how big or silly or bad the sequels are, Sidney is always Sidney, and I'd watch her face off with anyone.

[kidney9-9]

Honey, I Shrunk You! - Part One

Hi hope y'all enjoy this miniseries! This started from requests sent from anonymous, and I liked them very much so I decided to do a small series.

There will be four parts to this and should be updated every other day

Severus Snape x wife!Reader [Established Relationship] Warnings: Transformation and nudity Word Count: 4.1k

Severus Snape was on a mission to make at least one of your wishes come true. Ever since your last anniversary together, Snape had kept your confession of three of your wishes in his mind. He often thought of them and would repeatedly ask himself how to at least achieve one of your wishes.

The first wish – which seemed utterly impossible at the moment, was to float up into the air and travel across the seas with an umbrella. The only reason it was impossible was because you specifically added that the umbrella was supposed to be the umbrella your childhood best friend gave you, covered in little stars and hearts and quotes from your favorite movies. You drew him a picture of it, and even added a few details like that one sticker your friend had stuck onto it. You explained that the wish was something you had hoped for after you were shifted into the wizarding world, leaving your childhood best friend and the gifted umbrella behind.

The second wish – to read the entirety of Phyllida Spore’s unpublished works. This dear author created the book, “One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi”, which was a beginner’s guide to herbology and such. It was said that Phyllida Spore hid many journals, filled with valuable information of different herbs, not commonly known in the wizarding world. You described your dreams to find different ingredients for spells – or even possibly creating new spells, which Snape instantly disagreed with you profusely, claiming it was too dangerous for either of you to even think about doing.

And the last wish was to view the world from a doll’s perspective. Snape found hope in granting you this wish, as a gift to you. It was a very odd wish, but you expressed that you didn’t truly mean becoming a doll, but you wanted to see what the world looked like from the perspective of something small, like a mouse, just for a few hours. You said you could generally imagine what the perspective of a giant would be, but you still were very curious as to what a mouse or maybe a small cat would see the world like.

Snape thought each of these wishes were ridiculous but oddly charming, coming from you. He found that each time you spoke, he found himself leaning closer, listening to you intently, instead of ignoring and blocking out people’s speaking as just general background noise. He has done so ever since you two have met, which he claimed gave him the slightest understanding of what “true love at first sight” meant.

Even though he said he never wanted you to be creating spells as it was a dangerous and mostly deathly career as a wizard, he began potion mixing and adjusting to hopefully grant you that last wish.

And this morning, he secluded himself into his office in dreams for mixing the perfect spell for you to see from a different perspective. He was good at potions, so he trusted himself for this.

“Dash of salt – no, three dashes of salt.” He muttered into his wand, acting as if it were recording his voice, but once he let it go, the wand drifted over to the notebook on the desk to scribble down what he was saying.

“The slightest bit of syrup of Arnica, boiled and treated with thyme.” He added it into a mixture, breathing out as a sigh as he started to wonder about a few things. He wasn’t too sure about it all, but he gathered that he was very close to his end result or at least the first mixture of his experiment.

He was reading from a few different books, which floated around him, turning from page to page. The closest spell to what you wished for was a three paged spell for turning people into stone, only for a few moments – but was quite dangerous enough.

Another spell that helped him was a spell to turn one’s eyesight to something enhanced in the night.

“Tooth of wolf, crushed and steamed. Powdered turtle shell and burnt roots of aconite.” And hours went by faster than he’d thought, and he rushed himself even more as he knew you’d walk in soon to greet him a good morning.

By the time he was close to finished, he bottled up the smoke and safely put the dense and gritty liquid into a container and pushed it into a closed space.

He closed every book and tidied up his space, still wondering about the work as he held the bottled smoke in his hand.

He set it down on the shelf, next to the door and he left the office with another sigh. He felt a bit tired already, wanting to fall back asleep next to you on the bed. You usually slept in late – or at least that’s what he thought was late. He usually woke up around four to five in the morning, to start on the work he planned the day before.

Even though he felt tiredness ache throughout his body, he stood in the doorway of your shared bedroom, not wanting to go in. He didn’t want to accidentally wake you up, and he also liked to watch you for a few seconds to see your face look so peaceful and delicate while you slept.

When he confessed to you that he did this most mornings (a while ago), you kissed his forehead and chuckled.

He was confused as to why you thought it to be funny until you responded, “I like to watch you read, you look so concentrated but relaxed, it’s lovely.”

He left after a few moments. The next stop was to the kitchen to start the kettle and choose the day’s selection of tea. He loved picking different teas, knowing you’d always be surprised but interested in each flavor. He picked up the kettle, filling it with water and setting it on the stove.

He decided on a simple tea, but he set out a special type of honey that would enhance the tea greatly. He enjoyed his daily ritual of stirring in happy and great intentions into each mug of tea, for you and him.

As the kettle was screeching ready, you awoke and had sleepily slugged into the kitchen with your slippers on. The noise of your footsteps were hidden as Severus took the kettle off the stove and set it on a kitchen cooling mat. You grinned at your husband, admiring how peaceful he seemed at that moment.

You slowly walked up to him, still unnoticed and you slightly bent downwards to place your head close to his. You were taller than him and every time you hugged him, you tried to make sure you were slightly in level with him. He hummed gently back at your touch, feeling his skin warm from it.

“Good morning, how are you feeling today?” You murmured into his ear, causing a few goosebumps to rise in his skin. He smiled softly though, turning to look at you for a second.

“Well, it is a good morning, I must agree. Even though it was already a good morning, you made it even better by hugging me, so I’m feeling alright.” He spoke back, a little on the teasing side because you always greeted him with “Good morning”, even when it was definitely a bad morning.

“Only alright?” You noted back, pulling back from the hug as the steam escaped from the kettle.

“Yes, you can make me feel better, though.” He flirted, turning to look at you. His smile stayed as he realized you put on his robe this morning, it looked adorable on you.

Instead of responding, you raised your eyebrows to him and let out a small, tired laugh, still sleepy. You sat at the table and laid your head down to rest as he continued to prepare the tea. When he set it down in front of you, you grinned.

“Thank you,” You whispered to him, going to take a sip but he slapped your hand away, “No! It’s still too hot.” He shook his head at you, and you laughed.

“Okay, I’ll wait a minute for it to cool.” You wanted to laugh again but he shook his head more.

He always knew to watch out for things like this, it was a bit wonderful but annoying. Like when you forgot to lock the door, he’d always realize and tell you before you two left, or when you left a candle burning in the bathroom while you changed your clothes and he’d be alerted by the smell of smoke.

“Wait two minutes.” He replied instantly and then added on a small, “Please.” You nodded to him, smiling even more.

When you finally sipped at the tea, you were delighted. “Oh, it’s great!” You exclaimed and he nodded, feeling happy with the selection he made.

The two of you drank the morning tea and some water as well, as the morning officially began.

He enjoyed his daily lifestyle with you, everything fit into place so well. You two merged into something so good – practically perfect that he was happy about. He enjoyed boasting to himself about you, which was a bit funny.

He’d have little conversations in his head, or he’d start to be reminded of you when you two were apart when he was out and about, or when he was teaching, and he would read something out of a book.

There was that ridiculous time he accidentally called out your name when reading over instructions to his class, and everyone gasped at him, unnerved by how his tone changed.

But in general, he had slightly changed over time he believed, into a somewhat brighter person, not like the ones he despised seeing. He just started to enjoy things more regularly now, especially with you as his wife, enjoying things with him.

“Did you see the flowers our neighbor planted? Its so pretty, right out by their gates.” You brought up and yes, he did see them. He almost blushed when he remembered thinking about how the colors from the flowers, glittering in the sunshine, would look amazing on you. He daydreamed of placing them behind your ears or pinning them to your shirt.

“Yes, pretty.” He responded, gazing at you as you sipped again at the mug. You glanced over to him, almost instantly noticing that look in his eyes and chuckled.

“You’re pretty too, dear.” You paused, stretching back against the chair and it creaked a little.

You patted at it, distracted by the noise before looking to him again, “So, what are your plans for the day?”

He blanked. Huh, he already spent up much of energy in his study, and he had hoped that he would clean it up better, but other than that, he wanted to spend his days indoors. He became a homebody once the cozy home you two bought was fully decorated.

“Clean. Perhaps create more sleeping drafts for Darcy, but I have a spare one, she’s been wandering on the roof at night lately. I’m… concerned she hasn’t been restful because of the new cat.” He chatted a bit about the neighborhood cats, and you almost pouted at the mention of Darcy.

“I did see her out in the backyard, I think her paw healed up. Are you bringing her in afterwards to check over her?” You responded, heart starting to warm as he nodded. He cared so much about the cat; it was adorable.

You sort of wanted to fully adopt her into the home, but she was more of an explorer and had become the talk of the little neighborhood.

“Yes, I fear that she still needs to be looked over, at the very least.” He didn’t lead into why, but you frowned a bit, understanding his worries, in case she was hurt in another place because of those fights with the new cat.

“I’ll go get it. I think she might still be around; I’ll hang on to it in case I see her. She’s still pretty scared about coming inside without that draft.” You spoke, nodding to yourself as you got up and leaned over to Severus.

He blinked in surprise as you leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss onto his cheek. “You are such a big teddy bear, you know?” You laughed, watching as heat traveled up onto his neck, and he wanted to deny it.

“Not exactly a teddy bear. But…” He trailed off, unsure of how to end his thought and smiled back to you instead as you leaned back. You picked up your tea, taking the last few sips and placed it into the sink, knowing to go back to clean it later.

His eyes followed your figure and he hummed quietly to himself as more warm light poured into the room. So relaxing… he very much loved this life indeed. It was better than before he met you, insanely better. He didn’t like to think about the past, but he did get reminded of it often when he had to return to Hogwarts for the few semesters he’d stay and teach there.

He remembered how he stuck to himself, barely finding much of a sense of belonging at work, among his coworkers and the students, along with the beautiful scenery. He felt like the entirety of it had disagreed at him, even the trees would mock him as he rushed through the corridors, gazing at them.

And now, he fit. He found the puzzle he belonged to, and he was no longer the strange puzzle piece, that did not fit into any other puzzle. He fit into this place he called home, he fit into the place he was called husband, and he fit into everything about you.

Your arms would casually brush up against him, and he’d get that kind of shiver that you never would have expected to actually exist when you’d only get it from watching movies. And he’d feel his heart rush when it wanted to, and slowed into relaxation when it wanted to, all around you.

He liked the feeling of you close to him, or on him, in general.

So, when you screamed in terror, he felt that puzzle he was placed in was thrown off the table and broken. He abruptly stood up in shock, knocking over his mug onto the floor as he ran to the direction of your scream.

It was cut off so short, so terribly, he feared that the worst had happened! Had you hurt yourself and passed out, perhaps?

He hoped not, but the silence following your scream had given him the worst thoughts.

“Dear? Honey?” He called out, nervousness bleeding into his voice as you didn’t answer. He saw a strange dust of smoke spoof out into the hallway. He rushed to his office, fear in his mind and now throughout his body as he started to shake.

You were laying on the floor, groaning quietly at your leg. You didn’t notice him behind you but as he placed his hands on your shoulders, you jumped up at the feeling.

“Sev?” You mumbled, turning your head to look at him in confusion.

The bottle of smoke had broken after you opened the door, and you fell down. But he was confused, there were no cuts on your legs – or anywhere on your body that he could see. You looked odd as well, you were looking at him so strangely, he held his breath in anxiously.

“Did you,” You cut yourself off as coughs poured out from your mouth, air still full of the smoke. It stunk horribly, and you breathed in so much.

“Fart in a bottle or something?” You finished up and he sighed out in relief, letting out a laugh of surprise.

“Are you okay?” He quickly helped you up, avoiding the shards of glass as you giggled at your own joke more. You swayed a bit, nodding to him a few moments after he asked.

“Well… yeah. It’s just I think I hit my leg or something.” You replied and again he noticed you swayed even more, blinking rapidly.

“It looks alright.” He hummed back, trying to keep himself calm as he tried to look at your head for injuries. The way you were acting, he was getting a bit scared.

You weren’t like this normally, at all.

And then he thought about that bottle that fell, it was definitely the potion he was working on earlier today. That must’ve been why you were acting so strangely now, but he wasn’t affected by it at all. His eyebrows furrowed, thinking back on the things he put into it.

“I’m sorry, can you get me – there’s something, I don’t know, I feel like I need something.” You stumbled over your words, and slightly pushed yourself out of his grip.

He paused; a bit frozen as you walked over to the cabinet, he put the actual potion into.

“Dear, please. Stop and tell me what’s happening, this instant.” He demanded softly, reaching out for you now. You shook your head at him and started to cough more. It sounded rough and terrible for your throat, and he frowned more as you struggled to say something.

“It’s – there’s something in there, I feel like I need it, I need to drink that!” You explained, choking up on the coughs.

“What?” He pushed out, feeling extremely scared.

“Sev, please! Help, I don’t know, it feels like its right here and needs to – ow, my throat, I need to drink it, it’ll make it better! It feels like my throat is on fire.” You begged him, your legs no longer moving.

You couldn’t feel them at all now, and it was like you were slowly being frozen from your toes to the top of your head.

“No, wait, that’s not – I was going to test it out, it’s not safe.” He tried to deny you, but he saw how much pain you were in, he couldn’t understand it completely. He didn’t understand why this was happening only to you, but slowly he started to be convinced and he reached to the package he put it in, opening it hesitantly.

“Please – I can’t move my arms, I’m really scared.” You had started to cry so quietly and terrified, and he poured the gritty liquid that was supposed to be a potion, down your throat. You swallowed as much as you could, as fast as you could.

“Honey? Please, are you okay?” He whispered hoarsely after you finished gulping it down. He didn’t know what to do, but you looked better, the color returned to your body, and you weren’t sweating as much.

But when you tried to take a step closer to him, you dropped to the floor. Instantly, your body dwindled down into something smaller and smaller, and you gasped in breaths as the clothes on you became bigger, it felt like.

Severus watched in horror as you grew smaller, now with your clothes falling to the floor.

The two of you fell into a stunned silence. He gazed down to you, a smaller you. And you stared at him – a very big him.

“What’s going on?” Your voice even quieted down too, and he almost threw up. Key word, almost, as he looked to his hands in horror.

This was not what the potion was supposed to do, at all. It was just meant to give your eyes the perspective of being small! Not actually turn you this small.

And the way you acted before, with the smoke in the air, it looked as if you were truly being turned to stone, which completely terrified him. He lowered himself to the floor, still staring at you in disbelief.

“I’m so sorry.” He gathered out of him, voice cracking again as you looked down to yourself, reality starting to sink in.

“Huh?” You peeped out and then you looked down to your body. You were naked, yes, you understood that part but then when you looked to everything else, around your body – it was huge!

Severus stood over you like a giant but now he was sitting next to you, and suddenly you could see the very fine bits of detail in the wood flooring. And all the dust and dirt on it – it was so much bigger than you’d ever imagined.

“This was – I’m so sorry, my dear.” It sounded like he was about to start crying, and he really almost did. This was not how it was supposed to happen, but the way the smoke affected you, and how it seemed to make you need to drink the contents of the container, it was all odd.

“Potions aren’t supposed to do this.” He murmured angrily to himself, “It wasn’t meant to happen like that.” He began to anger himself more as he thought about all the things that could’ve went wrong.

He didn’t do anything exactly wrong, did he? Did he really make you into such a tiny thing? You looked like a small doll now!

“Severus, what do you mean?” You finally had walked over to him, but you were scared. Everything was just so big now, and it was horrifying.

He made a strange noise and shook his head. He was going to tell you what he did, and he felt extremely guilty.

“It was supposed to be a gift, one of your wishes you told me. I made – or I thought I made a potion that would give you the perspective of a mouse, or something small. Like you wanted! But it was only supposed to be for your view of the world, only for a few minutes.” He explained, pressing his hands up against his face.

His voice came out mushed from him covering his mouth, but you understood it perfectly.

“Only for a few minutes? That means I’ll transform back, right?” You didn’t even sound angry at him and it only made him want to cry. He needed you to be angry, because what he just made you into and what you just experienced was terrifying.

“Yes.” He made another noise, a sigh through his nose after he answered you.

“I don’t feel like anything’s happening though, how long has it been?” You replied, goosebumps spread throughout your skin. You rested your body against one of his folded legs, making him flinch slightly at the touch.

“Two minutes, but… the amount you drank of the potion, I don’t truly know. And the smoke affecting you, it wasn’t supposed to be like that.” He shook his head, utterly confused as his voice pushed out of him. You didn’t respond and he noticed.

“I’m so sorry. I will fix this instantly.” He promised, gazing down to you. You hid your face against his leg, and he felt a spot of dampness. He frowned deeper, cupping his hand, and picked you up. He brought you up to his face as you sat down, huddling yourself in a crouch, covering most of your body with your hands.

You cried silently, pressing your head onto your knees. “I’m sorry too.” You spoke up, sniffling.

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine!” He raised his voice because of how absurd it was for you to blame yourself but when he saw you cower back even more in his hand he stopped. It was ridiculous that you were feeling that guilt, because it was truly his actions that made you into something so small.

He was already thinking of ways to reverse it, but he didn’t really know what the answer would be, and it scared him so much. And to see you suffer because of him…

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. He refused to cry now in front of you, in fear that it would only make you more worried about your condition. When he felt a weight on his ring finger, he opened his eyes to see you admiring it and touching the ring softly.

“It’ll be okay. I trust you, thank you for thinking of my wishes.” You mumbled, hugging his finger.

He wished he could hug you back, and he caressed your back softly with his thumb. He found himself thinking of finding you clothes that would fit in the meantime, knowing that perhaps you would be stuck like this for a few more hours (he hoped that it was only a few hours). And then he also started to think about the more mundane things, such as what you’d like to eat for lunch and how you’d walk around if the house was too big for you now.

“I’m sorry,” He started to repeat himself and each time he would, you’d kiss right above the ring and shake your head and tell him it would be alright. By the time you two were out of the room, Severus had figured out he needed the help of others to figure out what to do.

Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think :) Thank you for reading

Do NOT Repost

[lowkeyerror]

You Left Me

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Word Count: 1965

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending

An: Hi this part of my celebration for 400 followers. I'll be posting everyday for the next 7 days. If you've left a request I've seen it and am already working on it. Feel free to send in more. Thanks for 400 everyone 😊

Masterlist

You didn't regret much about being a villain. The influence, the money, the power; you loved it all. The only thing you had wished ended differently was things between you and Natasha.

She was everything good about you. The only woman that could bring out the best parts in you. The parts that you now hide behind an iron gate in your heart.

You were already an established evil when you first met her. Back then she had no allegiance to anyone. She wasn't necessarily evil or necessarily good. So it didn't hurt her image to be with you.

It was a romance for the centuries in your head. Everything was so scandalous until it wasn't. The flirting and coy looks were only a facade to hide the true feelings you both had.

When you finally admitted your feelings everything just felt like a movie. If you were out, Natasha was with you. Those were the moments you felt most powerful, with her by your side you could do anything.

You loved her more than all of it and you thought she felt the same. Until she just disappeared one day. No call, no text, no note; it tore you apart.

And when you saw her again, she was news. Natasha was playing hero with America Man, Billionaire Bot, and the rest of those fucking losers.

It made you sick. How could she leave you, with no notice, for them? They didn't love her, they couldn't give her anything that you couldn't, but because they were the good guys… because they were the good guys they got to have her.

Seeing her with them lit a fire under you. Up until then you had been scaling back your operations preparing to close shop but not anymore. In fact after that you began to think bigger.

You wanted people to know who you were. You wanted them to fear you and to respect you. You wanted to walk into any place and have eyes immediately on you because the civilians were so nervous.

And you got it.

Now you are a bigger threat than ever before and that puts a target on your back.

For some reason though that didn't bother you. Maybe you wanted it like this. Maybe you wanted to be so big that the Avengers would come after you. 

" Master Y/ln there's a woman here claiming that she knows you"

" She have a name?"

" Natalia Romanova"

That made you get off your couch. You made a beeline towards the door, your butler trailing behind you. You yanked the door open with such force that it slammed against the wall.

There she was. Standing on your porch in a disguise that you could see right through. You had so much to say to her but your nerves wouldn't let you.

You stepped out of the way and she stepped in. You sent a pointed look to your butler," Don't let anyone else in and do not disturb us under any circumstances"

He nodded and you led Natasha to your room where you could talk privately. She wasted no time making herself comfortable on your bed.

" It's been awhile" 

You wanted to scream at her or shoot some snarky comment at her but you didn't. You didn't want her to think you were the same person you were back then. 

" It has. I see you've gone and started playing hero"

She laughed," And you've just transformed into a big bad villain"

It was your turn to laugh," I've always been the bad guy Natasha"

She falters for a moment before regaining her composure," I suppose that's true but you weren't doing crazy shit like this back in the day"

You shrugged," People change"

She hadn't changed much since you had last seen her. Her hair had grown a little longer and her aura was a lot lighter than it used to be. You could see that she had worked through a lot of things that used to trouble her.

" They do but a lot of times they change for the better," she snaps back at you, this time with a little venom in her voice.

You just smile in return," Well this is better… for me that is. More money, more control, more influence; I think that makes me pretty better off"

" What happened to you?" 

“ Do you really need to ask that question?” You snapped back at her.

You could see her hang her head slightly. She was avoiding your eyes because she knew she was responsible for your new darker path. But that wasn’t going to stop you from finally getting this off of your chest.

" You wanna know what happened Natty? My life was fine, I had everything I could ask for. Then one day I woke up and the love of my life was gone with no explanation. The person who claimed to make me better, the person who claimed to believe in me, the person who claimed to love me, left. She walked out of my life and the next time I see her, she's on tv with my competition. That's what happened to me. I saw that and decided I needed to replace the feeling that I was missing with something else. So I filled it with crime"

“ Y/n,” she made the move to come towards you but you took a step back.

“ You left me”

You didn’t mean for it to come out so weak. The hurt was evident in your voice and your eyes, which was everything you were trying to avoid. How could she walk in here with the audacity to act like you did something wrong? When it was her, the hero who decided that you weren’t even worth a proper goodbye.

“ I loved you, Y/n I really did,” her eyes were downcast to her feet.

“ Really for all I know you could’ve been with them this whole time. I could’ve been one of your missions, just another bad guy deemed not a threat right?”

There was a new fire in her eyes, “ You really think that? I loved you just as much as you loved me. I was by your side through everything you did. I loved, I supported, and I never once asked you to change”

You rolled your eyes, “ You didn’t love me enough to say goodbye. I could’ve moved on from this life. I would’ve eventually gotten over you but.. I can’t believe after all we went through you just left”

You hadn’t noticed it but you were crying. The tears that were pooled being your water ducts began to overflow with little regard to your ego.

Natasha cautiously walked up to you, this time you didn’t step away. She reached to wipe away your tears which caused you to flinch. It didn’t deter her though, her thumb was still gently stroking away the loose tears.

“ Get off of me,” you made no move to remove the woman’s hand from your face. In fact you leaned into her touch out of instinct.

“ Leaving you was the last thing I wanted to do. Y/n I was a wanted woman. A Russian spy, enemy of the state, the feds had been keeping tabs on me. They picked me up and gave me an ultimatum: either I was going to join the Avengers or I was going to spend the rest of my life in prison"

She took a second to gather herself before continuing," They knew about us. They knew about your criminal history and the fact that I was with you meant you were harboring a fugitive. They were planning to throw you in jail and I couldn't let that happen. So I joined the team"

" We could've ran," you whispered.

" They would've always found us"

There was an almost hopeless silence that followed that. You were in a stalemate with yourself. You wanted to be mad at Natasha but you couldn't. Not when she was this close to you. Not when her scent was so intoxicating.

" Why'd you come here Nat," your eyes pierced through hers.

She took a step away from you and clasped her hands together, " I came to warn you"

You sighed, " You and your friends are coming after me next?"

She gave a curt nod," You're on our radar but I'm not going to let you get caught. You either need to disappear or scale down your operations"

You chuckle earnestly," You trying to save me now? Last time you did that you walked right out of my life"

She gave you a look," I'm sorry but this is serious. The Avengers are supposed to solve world problems. This means you are seen as a threat to the world Y/n. You'll be tossed away without the key"

You knew it wasn't the time but you couldn't help but joke," Would you come and visit me in the big house?"

She smacked your arm," This is not funny Y/n." She was holding back a smile.

" What so you wouldn't come see me? I mean that kind of tracks, so I'm not super surprised"

There was a hint of truth in the joke. It had been years since you had seen Natasha. She could've found you at any point to come see you but she didn't. 

" I'd be there everyday to make up for all the time that I wasn't but I'd rather not see you behind bars"

You couldn't help the small smile making its way on your face," Still smooth as ever I see."

She shrugs coyly," Only for you"

You take in this feeling. It had been years since you felt like this. There was a warmth you could feel in your heart. A tingle when you smiled. This magical aura around you that only presented itself when Natasha was around.

" So I have to disappear?" You took yourself and Natasha by surprise when you wrapped your arms around her waist.

" Ya," she mumbled into your embrace.

" So I won't be seeing you again?" You whispered, speaking to yourself more than the woman in your arms.

She leaned her forehead against yours and her eyes fluttered shut, " I don't think I could forgive myself if I left you again"

Her lips brushed against yours ever so lightly when she spoke. The familiar feeling of her lips against yours drove you crazy. It was enough to make your eyes drift shut out of pure bliss.

It felt like it took centuries and you couldn't tell who made the deciding move but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that after years apart Natasha's lips were on yours.

They were as plush as you remembered. You could taste that chapstick she used to wear all the time. Her hands rested on the back of your neck like they always had. Your hands were tucked under her chin bringing her as close as she could be. 

It was like you traveled back in time just to capture feeling again. You hadn't thought that you'd ever be able to feel this again. It was always so enchanting with her.

The way you two held each other didn't change when your lips parted. You were still holding each other close, not willing to let the moment die.

" What are we going to do Nat? I don't think I can take another couple of years without you, I love you too much" There was no way you would go years without seeing her again after this. You didn't ever want to be away from her again if you were being honest.

She pecked your lips again," We'll work it out. I don't know how, but we will; because I'm not losing the love of my life again. Not for anything"

[multifandhoem]

server collab || ii

Server Collab from the Haikyuu HQ server with the prompt: “Guess I‘ll just have to cum inside you.“

The masterlist for the whole collab is here!

Genre: fluff, smut

Warnings: slight SPOILER (it‘s really really small), smut obviously, little bit of public stuff if you count it as such, slight breeding kink, wedding sex, lot‘s of fluff

Word count: 3292

“I still remember when Iwa-chan told me, how he embarrassed himself in front of a cute girl and hoped he would never see her again to not relive the existential dread he felt at that moment. And then he told me he met her again and she laughed over the mishap and they were going to get coffee next week.”

-*-*-*-*-*-*

“I am so sorry.” His face was red, head bowed down in embarrassment, but you could still see it at the tip of his ears.

“It’s okay, it wasn’t like you were a stalker or something.” You were giggling a bit at the state he was in. “On top of that it is kinda my fault, I should’ve closed the curtains or something.” He slowly raised himself again, face still scrunched up in discomfort. He really looked like he was in horrendous pain and it was kinda your fault. “Please don’t beat yourself up over it. I’ll treat you to coffee, to make you feel better, when are you free?”

Maybe the fact that he was a looker made you act a bit more open towards him than usual, but you genuinely felt bad for him. He was obviously beating himself up over that accident a couple of days ago.

You had realised fast that you could look from your window right into the room on the other side of the street, which was why you invested in curtains pretty early. But apparently, you had forgotten to close them this time, so when you turned around shirtless and made eye contact with a man, you were both equally surprised. He looked mortified and you couldn’t even blink when he suddenly dropped to the floor, now hidden from your wide eyes.

Your body reacted, even though he probably couldn’t see you anymore, shielding your breasts with one arm, the other hastily closing the curtains. After the initial shock wore off you couldn’t help but giggle a bit. Why did he just drop to the floor? He could’ve turned around or something.

-*-*-*-*-*-*

Next to you, Hajime buried his face in his hands, but the large grin that had adorned his face for the whole evening was still there. Tooru waited a bit until the laughter calmed down until he continued.

“When I came back from Argentina for a visit she was already his girlfriend of five months. And when I saw Iwa-chan I knew that she would probably stick around for longer. You know, Iwa-chan is a very violent person-“ “Only towards shitty people!” You knew he couldn’t have let that jab just go by, but Tooru professionally ignored him.

“but with her, he was very soft, always touching her in some way. Sometimes touching too much. Don’t think we forgot the trip to the cabin!” He scoldingly wiggled his finger towards you, accompanied by Makki’s and Mattsun’s affirming but still scandalised shouts.

-*-*-*-*-*-*

“We gotta be quick, Haji.” His lips were hot on your collarbones, fingers already dipping under your shirt, quickly pulling it over your head. “I know, they will wonder where we are.”

You had excused yourself for a second from the movie the others had put on. It was the first time this day where there weren’t two other people in the room with you, everybody being huddled in the living room of the small cabin where you resided for the weekend. With two bedrooms shared between the six of you and one big room that functioned as kitchen, living and dining room, there was never space for some alone time, which you were desperate to have after your boyfriend strutted around you shirtless the whole day. It should be illegal for someone as fine as he was to do such things.

Foreplay had to be postponed for the next time, you had little time until the others would grow suspicious. “No need, I can take you.”

You pulled his fingers out of your entrance, desperate to just feel his cock in you. He chuckled at your eagerness, pushing his sweatpants down until his cock sprung free, already hard and leaking. Apparently, you weren’t the only sexually frustrated one.

“Fuck,” you breathed out when he buried himself in you with one stroke.

“Quiet, baby.” His lips found yours stifling your small moans as he began moving his hips.

Breathless gasped and small moans soon filled the room, occasionally accompanied by the sound of skin slapping, when Hajime couldn’t stop his hips before they met yours. “I’m close,” you whimpered as he began rubbing your clit and he shot you a breathless smile and pressed a small kiss to your lips. “Bite something when you come,” he said quietly, thrusts becoming a bit more erratic.

“Disgusting!” Loud banging on the door interrupted you and Hajime let out a string of curses. “If you already know then don’t go interrupting, Shittykawa!” Not having to hide anymore his hips finally snapped into yours, using the full capacity of his strength to make you moan against his shoulder.

Unfortunately, the orgasm you experienced didn’t lessen the embarrassment when you faced the others again.

-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was your turn to hang your head in shame, trying not to meet your parents’ eyes, who were seated next to you. Or worse, Hajime’s parents.

Tooru chuckled at your misery, before continuing.

“To be honest, I wasn’t that surprised when Iwa-chan called me and told me he would send me pictures of rings and I should help him decide. He obviously forgot timezones since it was 2am for me and I first thought somebody had died, but after promising to make me best man I obviously forgave him.” The guests laughed again and Tooru took a well-rehearsed break.

“I don’t think I have seen Iwa-chan as nervous as when he was rehearsing his proposal through me via Skype. I told him it was good, even though he was a stammering mess. But the thing about those two over there is that they calm each other down. So I knew, when the moment would come, everything would go swimmingly. I saw the way they looked at each other, there was no way she would say no.”

-*-*-*-*-*-*

“What are you planning?” You were chuckling, when Hajime lead you through the small house on the outskirts of Tokyo you two had purchased together when it was safe that he was staying in Japan with his work. “Let me surprise you, woman, and stop asking.” You could hear the amusement in his voice and it made your heart bloom. After all these years together he still made you feel like you were going on your first date. And he probably always would.

“Small step, be careful.”

You felt the ground changing from the hardwood floor to a rougher and colder one, showing you that you were now outside on the small terrace. You didn’t have to wonder for long, what he was planning when he carefully pulled the blindfold off your face. The first thing you saw was him.

But it was enough. He was smiling at you, his eyes radiating love. You couldn’t help but snaking your arms around his neck, to press a kiss to his lips. “You look so handsome. I love you.”

Hajime in a suit was something you had the pleasure of seeing a couple of times, but it still caught you off guard how someone could look this good.

“You haven’t even looked around, idiot,” He chuckled but still laid his arms around you to tug you towards him to kiss you again. After that he still forced you to turn around, to take a look at what he conjured in the last couple of hours.

The small garden you had behind your house was completely transformed, fairy lights making the faint evening glow even more magical.

“It’s beautiful.” The words were soft, Hajime wouldn’t have heard them if he wasn’t standing this close to you. “All for you, baby. I love you. I just thought, maybe we could sit on the blanket, maybe drink a bit of wine and just talk, you know?” His voice was laced with nervousness, even if he wasn’t even sure why. He knew you would like what he did. He went through your Pinterest boards and they were loaded with fairy lights, clinking classes, kisses shared under the faint glow. “That sounds perfect. What’s the occasion? I haven’t forgotten anything, right?” He laughed out loud at your nervousness. “No, babe, you haven’t. I just wanted to do something for you.”

His smile was so pure, filled with raw emotion, you had to kiss him again, putting as much passion as possible into the kiss. “Thank you, Hajime. I love you so much. I can’t believe I got so lucky.”

Your eyes were a bit wetter than usual and you hastily blinked the tears away, smiling at your boyfriend, ready to have a magical evening.

He really had everything prepared. Next to the blanket, a small cooler with a bottle of rosé laid, together with two glasses for you. His phone played soft instrumental music in the background, as you settled yourself against his chest, occasionally sipping at your wine, reminiscing about the past years, wishing for the future ones.

“Hey, move for a second, my leg’s fallen asleep.” A small tug of his leg under you made you sit up, while he fixed his posture, both of you now sitting upright in front of each other.

“Sorry, about that. Do you want to stand up for a bit to move it?” His eyes twinkled with amusement as he tugged you back down when you already wanted to stand up.

A shaky breath escaped him. So this was it. “Y/N, baby, I love you. So much, you can’t even imagine. You’ve been with me for the past couple of years and I honestly can’t wait for the future, if you’re by my side.” He paused for a second, hand slipping into his pocket. “Hajime.” Tears were already welling up in your eyes before he even managed to pull the ring out of his pocket, that he and Tooru had chosen so diligently a couple months prior.

“Will you marry me?”

-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Those two, right there, are a great couple if I’ve ever seen one. I actually can’t imagine a better partner for my Iwa-chan. Hajime. I’ve seen you grow up. I’ve been growing up alongside you and, dare I say, we’ve both become pretty great.” Tooru chuckled a bit, but everyone could hear his voice wavering, as his eyes were fixated on his best friend.

“I can’t express how happy I am, to still have you in my life, to now seeing you maturing into this great man who is inspiring others in everything he does. Seeing you enter this new part of your life, with this great woman in my life warms my heart. And you deserve nothing less. A toast to you. A toast to your future, Mr. and Mrs. Iwaizumi.” He raised his glass to you, a big smile on his face.

If he weren’t sitting right across from you, you would’ve missed the small tears rolling down his face. The guests around you all raised their glasses to towards you, everyone touched by Tooru’s speech.

But nobody came close to Hajime, who was clenching your hand in his’ tightly, tears welling up in his eyes, before he strode over to his friend, tightly embracing him.

You couldn’t hear what words were exchanged as tears fell and people smiled at the pair. Every guest at your wedding knew about Hajime and Tooru. The best friends, the best partners, who have been with each other since they were about five years old. Who only see each other every couple of months, partners technically becoming rivals.

When your husband came back to you his eyes were puffy, some tears still escaping, but the happiest smile on his face. Tooru hugged you too, wishing you good luck for your future, making a small joke about becoming an uncle again and telling you, once again, to take care of his best friend, his brother.

“I’m so happy to be your wife.” Hajime kissed you at your words but you still knew that he was equally as happy as you were. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily now,” you joked, relishing in the laughter that escaped him.

“As if I would ever want that. I’m going to put some kids in you as soon as possible. And then we have a little family. Maybe even a big family. Whatever you want.” He kissed you again and you couldn’t help but smile at the picture of him with kids in your head. More importantly, your kids. “About that.” You leaned into his side, grateful for the minutes you had at the edge of the room. “I’ve been thinking, maybe stopping my birth control? I mean we don’t have to start trying and stuff, but we’re married now and we’ve been together for a while, and we talked about it already, and-“ You were cut off with a passionate kiss, Hajime even dipping you slightly as he practically devoured you.

“Do you mean that? Do you really mean that?” You could only nod, a wide grin on your lips as you cupped his face in your hands to bring his mouth to yours again. “Fuck, I love you. I can’t wait to fuck you today.” Heat shot through your stomach at his words and his kisses did nothing to soothe it.

“Hajime.” You really didn’t intend for his name to sound like such a whimper. But when he growled against your lips you knew you were done for. “The bridal room. Where I got ready. Let’s go.”

You felt like a schoolgirl sneaking around again, when you were rushing through the halls of the venue, hand in hand with your new husband, giggling around, until you finally closed the door behind you, being pressed against the same one in an instant, a breathless Hajime resting his forehead against yours.

You were whispering ’I love you’s to each other for the probably thousandths time this day, but it wasn’t like you were growing tired of it anytime soon. “You gotta be careful about the dress, I don’t wanna have cum stains somewhere,” you reminded him as he was flicking up your skirt, already sinking to his knees.

“Guess I’ll just have to cum inside you.” You giggled in excitement at his statement, soon leading into a moan, when he buried his face between your lower lips, thong pulled to the side, his tongue expertly doing all the things he found out about you the years before.

“Fuck, Hajime.” Your fingers thread themselves in his hair, tugging him closer.

He took one of your legs in his hand, tugging it over his shoulder and digging even deeper between your legs, using the fingers of his other hand as well, to insert two of them into your dripping cunt. “Haji, I’m coming,” you whimpered, clamping onto him.

“Wait for my cock.” The years of never neglected training came in handy, when he stood up, with you in his arms, to seat you on the small table, that was probably just in the room for decorating purposes. You shrieked a bit at how fast everything was happening, but you kind of agreed with him.

The first time you should come as husband and wife should be with him deep inside you.

He dropped his suit pants to his ankles and you could feel yourself clench with excitement. “Ready, baby?”

“Yes, please, Haji.” You pulled him towards you again to connect your lips, moaning into his mouth when he rubbed his dick up and down your folds, coating himself in your arousal.

It’s weird to explain what you felt the moment he pushed himself inside you. You had sex lots of times. But in that moment you felt more complete than you ever did.

You stayed like that for a couple of seconds, connected in the most intimate way possible, before his hips snapped back and into you again, eliciting a moan of both of you.

“Honestly, fucking you in your wedding dress is hot as fuck.” He laughed breathlessly, kissing you again, all while not halting his thrusts.

“Think about me pregnant with your kids,” you purred in his ear and squeaked in delight when his next thrust was harder than before.

“Don’t get me started. You’re going to look so good pregnant. All round and cozy.” His speed grew more erratic and you knew he would come soon.

“Fuck, we gonna start soon, right?” Your fingers clenched in his shirt, pushing him closer to you, chasing your own high.

“We’re starting right now, baby.” He kissed you again, hand moving down to rub your clit again, chuckling at the little whimpers you let out.

“Haji-“ You didn’t need to say more, he already knew, what you wanted to tell him.

“Go on, baby.” You kissed again, moans mixing in your mouths, as his tongue caressed yours, the slight taste of your juices still left on them. Every time his cock hit that one part you had to suppress a small scream, only slightly moaning in your husband's mouth.

“Can’t wait for tonight. Gonna fill you- ah- up again and again. And then you can be as loud as you want. Fuck. Gonna take my time with you.”

The filth he muttered against your lips only made you clench down harder onto his cock, feeling your high approaching rapidly. It was him coming, his cum spurting into you, which finally sent you over the edge, legs wrapping around him, bringing him even closer to your body, completely engulfing him, dead set on never letting him go.

Heavy breathing filled the room, as you both came down from your high. Small kisses were being exchanged, I love you’s were mumbled. But it was still perfect.

“I’m already anticipating tonight,” you mumbled, slightly exhausted due to moaning so much, making him chuckle, while his hands calmingly rubbed up and down your sides.

When he pulled out of you, you moaned again at the feeling of his cum slowly dribbling out of you.

“This looks so good. You look so good.” Hajime’s eyes were focused on the spot between your legs, fingers twitching to push it back inside.

“Don’t let it go on the dress!” You shrieked, chuckling at the way he darted to get a paper towel, carefully wiping you down.

“You alright, baby?” He helped you down from the table after pushing your thong back in place and fixing up his suit pants.

“Yeah. I love you. You made me the happiest woman alive, today, you know that?” The smile he threw your way at your words made your heart bloom. You were so in love with this man.

“Now, brace yourself for the comments.” You intertwined your fingers again, going back down the hallways to rejoin your guests at your reception. “You think somebody noticed something?” Your hands grew sweaty at the thought. Hopefully, nobody suspected a thing. Especially not his parents. Or worse, the grandparents!

“Tooru will have noticed for sure. You know how he is. If we’re lucky he hasn’t told Makki or Mattsun.” Hajime seemed way to relaxed at the thought, only shrugging his shoulders, ditching your hand to throw his arm around your shoulder and pull you into his side.

“I love you.” He pressed a kiss to your temple and you could feel he was smiling.

“I love you, too.”

No matter what was going to happen once you got back, this was still the best day of your life.

[xihe1874]

The first chapter of my IceMav "You've Got Mail" AU promised to you!

Tell me what you think! Like it? No? I want to hear everything!

Since I will be back to work tomorrow, I expect my updates to slow down a bit. But I will post as soon as I can.

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Pairing: Iceman/Maverick, Carole/Goose

Rating: T

Word Count: 1680

Completed: No

Additional Tags: Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Competition, Texting, Falling In Love, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - You've Got Mail Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Interior Designer Maverick, Interior Designer Iceman, Chatting & Messaging, Anonymity, Idiots in Love

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“Wallpaper?”

“Ready, Mav. Exactly the kind of pinkish blue-green you asked for, though I believe Ellen from the purchasing department is going to kill us.”

“She won’t, we are her bosses. Curtains?” 

Pete Mitchell, endearingly called by his close friends (or friend, honestly, who is walking beside him right now) as “Maverick”, takes the cup of iced black coffee from Nick Bradshow, or “Goose”, co-founder of M+G Design Ltd. 

“Done. But do you really think brocade will go with the style? Most people will choose linen if you ask me.”

Pete walks into the elevator and holds the door for Nick. “Well, what can I say?” He pulls down the aviator and winks at the moustached blonde, who rolls his eyes. “I am not most people. Most people can't start the number one interior design company in the state from scratch, either.”

“I admire your confidence, Mav, I always do, but…” The lift dings, and they strides towards their office, greeting employees on the way. “But someone may have something to say about the number one thing. Some Kazansky guy, to be specific.”

Pete dumps the tons of folders he is holding on his desk, randomly opens one and takes some glances, before drops it on top of the pile to his left. “I don’t know how many times I have told you, Goose, but trust me, that pompous dumbass can’t even hold a candle to us.”

“I don’t know, Mav…” Nick sits down and strokes his chin. His serious and deep-in-thought face triggers a string of uncontrollable giggles from Mav, and the brunette receives a smack with a scroll on the head. “That guy is good. Perfect grades, top-notch university, turned down several excellent PhD offers, ace at the Minimalist and Scandinavian… and so many famous projects. Remember the Jester’s house? Yeah, yeah,” Nick waves at Pete, “I know you can do that too.”

“All right, I admit he is not bad, OK? He knows his stuff, unlike all the others. BUT.” Pete slaps the table to emphasise the word. “He lacks creativity. It’s 2022 now, who still needs a one hundred percent by-the-book boring dork to design their homes?”

“Hmm, Beau Simpson? You know, that famous movie star who speaks of Kazansky like he has a huge crush on his interior designer.” Nick glances at his phone and puts it away. “We have a meeting at ten with the suppliers. ”

“Meeting with the suppliers.” Pete repeats. “Always the worst. And, Simpson probably does. That guy is not horrible to look at. What?” He flips Nick off at his suggestive smirk. “Just being objective. Relax, Goose, Kazansky Concept is no match for our ‘innovative boldness and pioneering unorthodoxy’, as I quote Penny from Design Review.”

“Annnd we both know why she said that.” Goose shrugs. “Mav, I just… The Viper project is no joke, OK? He is the most respected art critic in this country, and getting this assignment is gonna mean a hell lot for our company. For us. I just don't want to let Carole and Bradley down.”

Pete softens. He rises and goes to his best friend, offering him a half-hug. “We won't. I promise.”

They have been working almost two months on the proposal for Mike Metcalf's new villa, or as they refer to it, the Viper project. That old man is notorious for being extremely picky at the layout of his houses, and, unfortunately, he has profound influence in the industry. So all staff at M+G have been keeping their noses to the grindstone as the deadline of submitting the final pitch approaches. 

Rumors have that Kazansky Concept also eyes the project hungrily. Tom Kazansky, founder and CEO of that company, recently expressed his absolute self-assurance about getting the contract. “We have every confidence that Mr. Metcalf will choose Kazansky Concept for our scrupulous attention to detail and cautious professionalism.” The blonde flashed his perfect teeth at the camera (Did he bleach and spike his hair? Looks ridiculous.) “We are not some amateurs who casually and carelessly experiment with clients’ precious properties.”

Pete snorts at that smug face in the Youtube video, titled “Interior Designer WAR? Kazansky implicitly called Mitchell ‘an amateur’! ”. 

—-You know what’s worse than meetings with suppliers? This Kazansky idiot. 

Another day busy as a bee, and when they walk out of the building, night has drawn in. 

Pete waves goodbye to Nick who lives with his wife and child, and walks home by himself. He lives in a luxury flat two blocks away from the company, alone. Now, being single is not uncommon at the age of 32, plus he is happily married to the job. He has flings, sure, but he never finds someone who is worth settling down for. Maybe he just has to keep looking.

When he is about to turn the corner, Pete catches a glimpse of some posters on the wall. In the dim light, he can barely make out the words on it. 

“Anonymous chat… safe and private… find your soulmate… make relationships pure and simple again… one heart to another…”

Pete blinks and shakes his head dismissively. 

He takes two steps, and then stops. 

—-----------

Twenty minutes later, Pete is back at his dining room, eating Chinese takeaway. He takes out his phone and stares at the snap. Driven by some unknown forces, he inputs the website in the browser and hits enter. 

A mail emoji appears on the screen, followed by a short list of log-in questions.

“The website can use some designing…” Pete murmurs and looks at the quiz. “Choose your call sign? What is it, secret pilot program?” He hesitates for one second, before entering “Maverick”. There is no chance that Goose, a contentedly married man, will use this website, so he is safe.

He answers the remaining questions (“Gender… Male… Aged over 18? Of course…”) then sees a progress bar. When that ends, a message pops up reading “Congrats! You have found your soulmate!”

Pete rolls his eyes. 

He is matched by the website with some anonym called… Iceman? 

Pete tentatively types.

[Maverick: Hello?]

The response comes immediately.

[Iceman: Hi.]

[Maverick: I thought it would take longer for a… thing named Iceman to reply.]

[Iceman: A thing?]

[Maverick: I am still not sure whether or not you are a robot.]

[Iceman: I am the same species as you.]

[Maverick: What if I am a robot?]

The response slows down a bit. Pete can’t tell if the thing is amused or worried.

[Iceman: Sounds suitable for a thing named Maverick.]

Pete smiles.

[Maverick: Why are you calling yourself Iceman? You like being cold?]

[Iceman: I actually hate coldness. But that’s what my friends call me.]

[Maverick: You must be very calm then.]

[Iceman: You can say that.]

[Maverick: Calm people are the worst.]

[Iceman: Why?]

A certain blonde comes to Pete’s mind. He throws away the empty beer can and types.

[Maverick: They are often fakers. Upright on the surface but full of evil shit on the inside. 

I bet you are one of those people.]

[Iceman: Such a charmer.]

Pete huffs a laugh. Is this Iceman thing flirting with him?

[Maverick: I am competing with one of such bastards irl rn. 

It's the worst situation, if you believe me.]

[Iceman: Actually, I do, although mine is exactly the opposite as I am fighting the most reckless and impulsive dummy on this planet.

Blowing their own trumpet all the time.]

[Maverick: Is that why you are using this website? To let the stream out a bit?]

[Iceman: Yeah. That guy is brainless, but they are good at their job, if I am being completely honest. 

I have to work extremely hard.]

[Maverick: What a coincidence, huh? We are both stuck with some idiots.]

Pete washes and dries his face, casting sidelong glances at his phone the whole time. When no reply is coming, he grabs the device.

[Maverick: I am so fucking tired because of the current task.]

[Iceman: Me too. Everyone has such high expectations, so I have to put in extra effort and pretend to be relaxed.

Sometimes being too outstanding is hard.]

Pete sinks himself into the king-size bed. 

[Maverick: I am stunned by your humbleness.]

[Iceman: I only speak the truth.]

[Maverick: So, tell me, Iceman, what do you do irl?]

[Iceman: I create dreams.]

[Maverick: Now we are entering mythology. Should you change your call sign to Jesus?]

[Iceman: What about you? Your job?]

[Maverick: I create better dreams.]

There is no response for a long time. Pete turns and tosses and decides he is not going to fall asleep in a while.

[Maverick: Where are you?]

[Iceman: Missing me already, Maverick?]

Pete doesn’t want to acknowledge the funny somersaults his heart is doing. Really, this is so stupid, he is not feeling things just because some anonymous person he just met online is teasing him. He is not a teenager, come on.

[Maverick: In the dreams you create, maybe, Iceman.]

[Iceman: I was just getting ready for bed.]

Huh. So they seem to be in similar time zones. 

[Maverick: Is it OK if I ask where you come from? 

Doesn’t matter, I ask that already.]

[Iceman: My origins are kinda complicated, But now I work in California.]

[Maverick: OMG. ME TOO.]

[Iceman: What a coincidence.]

[Maverick: Do you think we will ever meet irl?]

Long silence.

[Iceman: I hope not.]

[Maverick: ... Why?]

[Iceman: My elegance will take your breath away.]

Pete giggles.

[Maverick: Should I learn to get used to your humbleness?]

[Iceman: You probably should.

Good night, Maverick. Good luck fighting your calm fool.]

[Maverick: And good luck defeating your careless idiot, Iceman.]

Pete bites his lower lip and sends the last message.

[Maverick: Will I see you again?

I mean online, of course.]

[Iceman: You can count on it. Night.]

Before he puts the phone away on the bedside table, he receives an email from Mike's secretary, inviting him to a party for shortlisted designers. Pete scrolls down and groans when he sees the guest list.

Kazansky is invited too. 

Fan-fucking-tastic.