#I was trying to figure out who our comic relief friend and decided it was us.

[hydor-soa]

@daggo-dead-dove

Make sure you say "I wonder what they're doing right now..." about your comic relief friends every now and then so the episode can cut to their B plot

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Neelix

By Ames

At some point, the Star Trek fan base decided the worst main character of the franchise is Neelix – he’s obnoxious, his jokes don’t land, he’s dating a two-year-old, he looks like that. But if you actually, I dunno, watch the show, your hosts here at A Star to Steer Her By found that Neelix might be one of the most complex, consistent, and realistic characters on the show. Even Caitlin, who started our Voyager watchthrough disliking him, ended it bathed in the Talaxian love.

So get off the hate train and give the guy the open mind he deserves. He’s only trying to help the friends he met in the Delta Quadrant while battling some of the harshest mental demons the show has given to a character. Not to mention that Ethan Phillips gets to show his dramatic range show by show, comic relief one day, and emotionally destroyed the next. Check out both sides of the Neelix character below – the good and the bad – listen to our debate on this week’s podcast episode (stroll over to 51:16), and make your own decision! We’ll see you in the mess hall!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Now I am become death, destroyer of Talaxians The first season of Voyager is already digging deep into Neelix’s tragic backstory when “Jetrel” reveals that his whole family was taken out by the titular character’s metreon cascade. The whole episode is Neelix facing the man who killed so many Talaxians, and also facing his own deep guilt. When he forgives the dying Jetrel, he’s really forgiving himself and finally moving on.

There’s nothing like a family reunion We’ll have more to say about “Parturition” in our next section, but we start to see Neelix the caregiver in his interactions with the newly hatched dino puppet. Not only do we see an end to the entirely stupid love triangle between Neelix, Kes, and Tom, but we glimpse how much Neelix puts other people before himself when he pushes to save the baby monster thing.

I’m going to have plenty of material for tomorrow’s Briefing With Neelix Neelix’s nosiness, while frequently one of his more annoying traits, ends up paying off in “Investigations” when he uncovers the mole who’s been making contact with Seska and those wily Kazons. Not only does Neelix put himself at risk by going undercover, but he also ends up murdering that saboteur Jonas by throwing him into a plasma fire like a badass!

The 299th Rule of Acquisition: Whenever you exploit someone, it never hurts to thank them Ethan Phillips sure knows how to play a Ferengi, having portrayed Farek in “Ménage à Troi.” But Neelix himself also plays a damn good Ferengi, totally pulling off the Grand Proxy / Holy Pilgrim in “False Profits.” He initially fools Arridor and Kol with his quick thinking and improv, and when the game is rumbled, succeeds in protecting the Takarians from their Ferengi ploy.

What’s this week’s legend, Olmec? While overall we found “Sacred Ground” to be an unfocused and confounding mess, Neelix is still strong in it nonetheless! He does everything in his power to support the effort to get Kes out of her supernatural coma. Most importantly, he figures out the loophole via an old anecdote about an ancient king requesting an audience with the spirits, which Janeway pounces on.

I’m tired of being the target of all your hostility Sure, most of the time, you can view Neelix’s interactions with Tuvok as insufferable and tone deaf (much like I frequently find Archer’s constant needling of T’Pol in Enterprise), but it comes from a place of love and respect. It takes Tuvok several seasons to reciprocate this and it all starts in “Rise” when Neelix finally stands up for himself to the tactless Vulcan.

Intergalactic House of Pancakes As the Voyager’s morale officer, Neelix commonly goes out of his way to support his fellow crew members. It’s something a ship’s counselor should be doing, but we don’t have one of those. So Neelix takes it upon himself to offer comfort food (like blood pie in “Day of Honor” and banana pancakes in “Extreme Risk”), a shoulder to cry on, or his body in the form of a punching bag.

Flotter and the Crashed Shuttlepod We get more of caregiver Neelix in his relationship with Naomi Wildman throughout the show. As the girl’s godfather, he’s the only one who can get her to bed at night, with stories of the Great Forest in “Mortal Coil.” But he truly shines in “Once Upon a Time” when his impulse is to protect her from the possibility her mother could die, but it ends with both he and Naomi growing when he learns that being honest with her will help them better survive trauma together.

When is a Vulcan no longer a Vulcan? We loved the vulnerable, un-Vulcan Tuvok in “Riddles” and we love Neelix in this episode even more. Once again, he shows what a great caregiver he is by selflessly caring for others. It’s even more personal because the Tuvok-Neelix relationship has built over the show, so Neelix’s support of his friend really pulls at your heartstrings, especially with the heart-wrenching ending.

See anyone you know? Neelix gets two different farewell scenes with Kes in Voyager. The first is a touching goodbye in “The Gift” when they know Kes is transcending to a new type of Ocampan. The second might be the only good moment from the deeply problematic “Fury” in which a tormented Kes is rampaging around the ship but Neelix treats her with the affection and empathy he always has.

She’s a fine specimen of Klingon womanhood I ran out of room in the EMH post to include how uncomfortable I felt when he insists Harry Kim bang Officer Ch’Rega in “Prophecy” even though it’s clear Kim doesn’t consent. But you know who’s down to clown with a Klingon mistress? Neelix! He successfully gets the tall drink of bloodwine off of Harry’s ass and onto his own. Everyone wins! Qapla’!

Coming full circle Neelix’s character gets the perfect ending in “Homestead.” See above how we started the series with Neelix feeling guilty that he wasn’t there during the Talaxian-Haakonian war and accepting that he’ll never go home again. And here we see him off after he’s saved a lost Talaxian colony and gets to rejoin his people. It’s the most complete character arc of the show.

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Worst moments

Always let your scavenger be your guide This isn’t all to say Neelix is a perfect angel. We first meet him when he’s scavenging around in “Caretaker,” and the very first thing he does is trick the Voyager into helping him free Kes from the Kazons who have captured her. Which is admirable, mind you, but he goes about it through deception and cunning. Not the best impression to make for the first time we encounter him.

Your ceiling is hideous This is one of those moments that isn’t entirely Neelix’s fault, but is definitely bad for him. What’s a better way to respond to having your lungs stolen from you as his were in “Phage”? I’m not sure, but it’s probably not constantly whining, wallowing in self pity, and accusing Kes of having an affair with Tom. Not a good look, though I certainly can’t say I’d handle it much better.

You don’t know where I was the night Rinax was destroyed As we said above, Neelix’s backstory that comes out in “Jetrel” really deepens his character. It’s also where we learn that he dodged the draft during the Talaxian-Haakonian war. I can’t judge him for hiding from a war he doesn’t believe in, but I sure can judge him for lying for many years that he was actually in the defense forces because he was ashamed for being a coward.

Get the cheese to sickbay This one’s just silly. What a strange development that it turns out the reason the ship is malfunctioning all over the place in “Learning Curve” is because the brill cheese Neelix whipped up to attempt to make macaroni and cheese. The schplict that Neelix brings on board infects the bio-neural circuitry of the ship, and it feels like a joke more than anything else.

Order the diapers. We’re about to become parents. Let’s put aside the “Kes is only two years old!” argument that we’ve had on the podcast myriad times, and instead have the “Neelix is a possessive and selfish partner” argument that’s actually warranted. In “Elogium,” when Kes is going through a traumatic life stage that forces her to decide if she’s ready to have children, Neelix somehow makes it all about him, which is gross.

How do you know where everyone’s quarters are? Speaking of Neelix being a bad boyfriend, he continues to be a controlling, jealous piece of shit in “Twisted.” Not only does he whine when Tom gives Kes a birthday present, but he also accuses her of being the town pump because her eidetic memory makes her remember where everyone’s quarters are. And then he vanishes randomly and we never get an apology!

Food fight! Most of these bad Neelix moments are clumped in the first couple of seasons, and that’s because it’s here at “Parturition” that the writers realized they needed to stop leaning on the jealous boyfriend trope and fix the Neelix-Paris relationship. It really was that bad. They were such children, starting a food fight over Kes and acting like animals during mating season.

No bone about it Remember how we gave Chakotay credit for not going out of his way not to desecrate a gravesite in “Emanations”? Apparently Neelix has no such qualms. He’s really gung ho to make some tools out of some humanoid bones he and Hogan find in “Basics.” And sadly for us, it ends up with Hogan getting killed by whatever monster or other left those bones there!

None of us knows what’s coming This episode would have made way more sense if it happened a season earlier. By “Fair Trade,” midway through season three, Neelix should know better that he doesn’t have to prove himself around his found family on the Voyager. But instead, he throws Tom and Chakotay under the bus and threatens his own life so he can get a map and continue to be the quadrant expert.

You sound as though you’re saying goodbye It’s not often that you’ll find one of our moments be a scene that didn’t happen. When Neelix resorts to a certainly suicidal plan to trick the black market dealers in “Fair Trade,” he thinks he’s going to die, but he never has a scene with Kes. I can’t forgive the writers for cutting a scene of him saying goodbye to Kes, who has ONE inconsequential line in the whole episode.

I want to hear about the Great Forest again If we can give Torres shit for how poorly she deals with trauma in “Extreme Risk,” then we can also share the disapproval for Neelix with how abysmally he deals with his mortality in “Mortal Coil,” as he nearly spaces himself. This is another reason why it’s clear the Voyager needs a counselor because even if the crew knew how to ask for help (they don’t), there’s no one to ask.

All we need now is a mark Being such a people person, Neelix also gets himself into trouble by being way too trusting. He easily falls for Dala’s nun story in “Live Fast and Prosper” like an absolute rube. And then when he and Tom are trying to prove they’re not rubes, Neelix picks the EMH to play a shell game against, who is absolutely the wrong mark. What a couple of rubes.

—

We’ve already had two helpings of Leola root and it’s time for dessert. Join us for more character spotlights as we continue through the Voyager manifest next week, and also keep following as we near the end of our Enterprise watch over on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also join us in the mess hall over on Facebook and Twitter, and give Neelix the credit he deserves!

[bookaddict05]

Girl in the chair - Pt 2

Here we are sitting on the edge of Milo's double bed vile in hand. I look at Milo smiling so proud of my best friend and the step he is about to take to become his true self.

"you ready?" I ask him while I take the needle into the vile and absorb the testosterone. Nodding giving me the go ahead I put the needle into the exposed skin of his thigh and push in the liquid.

-- 1 month later --

We are at the rugby club for presentation night. I noticed a group of lads earlier when we first arrived and he was amongst them. Finley. Later on that night while sitting down I spot him again and that's when I grab Milo's attention.

"Oi emo" I say while waving my hand in front of Milos face trying to snap him out of trance. I nod towards the bar getting Milo to look over and when he looks over I see a mischievous glint over his eyes.

"Go talk to him" he says with a mocking tone knowing I would never dare do such a thing. I laugh back at the comment he made but then he starts to stand up and head right over t where they were all standing. I quickly grab his arm and drag him back over to where we were.

"What I need a drink"

"No you don't"

I swear this boy wants me to die from embarrassment one of these days. We party for a bit longer before deciding to head home to get rest for the next day. We are on half term break but we have been tasked from our lecturers that we have to start looking at universities to go to.

-- back at home --

I'm getting out of my nice red satin dress when I hear my phone buzzing like crazy. I head over thinking it to be Milo but turns out to be an unknown number. I pick up the phone.

"We know who you are, don't think your safe just because who your dad is"

"erm hello, who is this, Milo are you pranking me again, I told you the last time its not funny"

"We will get you, watch your back"

A dial tone comes over the phone. They hung up. Who the hell was that? And what did they mean about my dad? A knock at my bedroom door disturbs me from my thoughts as my mam walks through.

"You had a good night pet?" she asks.

"Yeah" I say while walking into my bathroom changing out of my dress into a pair of joggers and my usual hoodie.

"Awh that's good then" she drops some ironing on to my bed and asks me to put it away and then leaves the room shutting the door behind her.

I try to ring Milo to tell him about the phone call I just had but it goes straight to voicemail. I decide to trace his phone on my computer to find out where he is.

Of course he's at Emily's what a shock. I grab my house keys deciding to walk seeing as I've had a few drinks and won't be able to drive. I walk out of my street immediately feeling uneasy. As if someone was watching me. I pick up my pace a little but I still felt a pair of eyes piercing through me. I decided to go on my phone and pretend to ring someone, but that's when I saw the figure behind me through the glare of my phone. I turn around immediately but there was no one there. A rush of relief flows through me as I look back at my phone and see a news alert.

"Webbed Vigilante causes CHAOS at Old Ayles Corner shop"

WAIT WHAT! IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.

Milo. He's became just like the comic. Holding the ball over my head, asking for my SPIDER girl comic book, why he didn't answer my phone call and why he's been overall strange. HES BECAME SPIDERMAN.

I turn around to continue walking to Emily's and walk straight into a person who almost feels like a brick wall. I look up and he's wearing a mask and in the corner of my eye I see his arm glinting in the moonlight. OH LORD. Its the winter soldier and where he is, its never good news.

"I told you I'd find you Doll" he says looking directly into my eyes. fight of flight instincts kick in and I knew for 100% I wouldn't be able to fight him. So I decided to run. He doesn't chase after me. He stands there watching me run away. Looking unbothered, like he knew exactly where I was going.

-- Emily's home --

Before barging into Emily's room I knock like the polite woman I am.

"It's you isn't it" I questioned him. "Your the spider thing all over the news you idiot". I walk directly over to him and slap him across the head. "Why didn't you tell me?

"I didn't know how" he shrugs.

"Milo I'm your best friend, she's your lover or whatever you two are I haven't really figured that one out yet but that doesn't matter, you should've came to us not go out and try to be a vigilante". Me and Emily quiz him on every ability he has, using my knowledge of my comic seeing if he has all the same abilities. After a while we turn on a movie but then my dad rings me forcing me to come home.

As I leave the front door to start walking that's when I see him again. Across the street from me under the lamppost with the light shining on him, making him look even more daunting than before. He starts walking over to me again without a mask this time, smiling in the most devious way ever, like a predator after finally catching his prey.

That is when I notice a familiar figure walking the street near. Finley. I would never do this but its a life or death situation so I run over to him.

"Hi, I'm not sure if you know who I am but there's a man over there who keeps following me, is it okay if I walk with you?" I look at him with a look of terror.

"Y/n, right? sure no problem" he smiles as we walk away into the night.

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

AH! pt2 done and dusted.

I wonder what the winter soldier wants to do with y/n and what's her father gotten himself into.

this is y/ns (tess) point of view from @ladmarkinnit's web head series. go check out his version (trust me its really good)

[graywolf45]

 Friends show overview

Friends is a TV show that I found through reruns, and when I first discovered it, I thought it was stupid. In general, it might not have changed all that much, though I will say the characters have grown on me at least a little

Rachel is a young woman whose father has financially supported her for most of her life, but he decides to cut her off after she runs out on her wedding. She starts working in a local coffee shop, where her friends meet daily. Of course, she only got the waitressing job at the coffee shop because the owner liked her. She works at the coffee shop while searching for a job. She would be interested in it. She finds one at Calvin Klein, working at several positions at the company, but most notably as an assistant in the store.

There is also Ross, a paleontologist who works in the Natural History Museum; we learn that he is freshly out of marriage and has a child. There is also Chandler. He works in an accounting firm. There is Joey. He is an actor and an all-around flirt. He is searching for what many actors are searching for and one significant breakout role that will set him up for enormous success in the first few seasons. He does not find this role, although he works on days of our lives for a while.

Sadly, of all the characters' initials, he does not get any character development and stays the same throughout the show, which is very sad because he had as much potential as the other characters to develop as a person through the years. They just chose not to create them or leave him as comic relief. There is also Phoebe, a free-spirited individual who we learn has not had an effortless life. There is also Monica Rossi, the sister who works on jobs before discovering her passion for cooking. The show will bolt around these individuals and their struggles with relationships and balancing their personal and professional lives. One thing about the show that surprised me was that Julian Phoebe never tried to get together. They would have made a decent couple, but they could have done better. The most vital couple in the entire show was Monica and Chandler. Of course, they spent several seasons trying to date other people before discovering that they like the force. Relationship drama always drives them in some way, so that is not surprising. The worst couple in the group were Ross and Rachel. I will die on that hill because Rachel unintentionally sabotaged Ross's opportunity for happiness with another person besides her. Of course, I am sure that it was unintentionally sabotaged, but still sabotaged, it did not help Ross figure out a healthy way to have a friendship with Rachael.

I know we tried several times to do it, but his emotions would always get away; this could be illustrated in two instances. The one incident where they got drunk in Vegas and got hastily married only to get divorced a couple of days later in the other incident is when Ross attempted to marry Emily only for Rachel to interfere with that, causing Ross to say Rachel's name during the vows. Of course, this is understandable because Ross and Rachel dated in high school, and they never talked about their feelings for each other. The relationship would have been healthier if they had set clear boundaries when they first broke up, but what do teenagers know about boundaries? So again, their emotional confusion is understandable. The healthiest relationship was between Chandler and Monica. They discovered they had feelings for a cover later in the show. I would have expected them, but still, they represent the healthiest relationship in an entire show. I believe it. Again, I am surprised that Phoebe and Joey never got together, or at least tried to have a romantic relationship, at any point during the show. If Joey and Phoebe had a romantic relationship, The show would have had the show, and with every character finding their match, which I know is not how life works, it would have been an enjoyable way to end things again. The most vital couple in the world, Chandler and Monica, had the most character development of all the characters, plus Chandler liked Monica for who she was. Even though she was a bit high maintenance. The real genius of this show is that all the writers had to do was exaggerate characteristics already present in the cast, as I think about it.

A secondary theme of friends is the group support network, which most adults can relate to in some way. The themes of friends are timeless because every adult, in some way or another, is looking for their place in the world and a steady group of friends and partners to grow old with. Embodies the struggles of many working adults looking for a solid work-life balance. I recommend the show to everybody. If anyone reading this has seen the show, what are your thoughts? On the show.

[box-dwelling]

Today on the blorbo rotisserie spit in my mind is my own dnd character. I just have so many fucking thoughts about her. Especially after last session and I have to wait a full week to get into it and it's gonna be so interesting and just ugh. I honestly kinda want out heist next week to go wrong because the drama of that my god.

Ok so she's kind of a lot to explain. Basically her name is Amy, she's a dwarven wizard and her background is that her parents escaped from a very heavily colonised and exploited area through various questionably legal means, and also questionably moral means when she was still a little kid. Her dad worked his ass off basically establishing the mob in a big city and gaining a pretty significant place of power in said city. After that her life was kinda chill for a bit, she was new money rich girl vibes. Very autistic, lost her mum to disease and had some pretty shitty relationships (her sexuality is something I'm still trying to figure out. She's only dated men and one NB before (literally her only good relationship lol) but there's a couple of places in her backstory where I'm like... Hmm maybe she's a little sapphic and maybe she's not into men at all, still feeling it out) anyway she was working on some pretty insane magical research that her twin sister then stole. A few weeks later said research has very clearly been used on a magically nuclear bomb. Now it was used on literally the same group that was colonising her home nation so there's a lot of mixed feelings there. So Amy goes into a full spiral and basically just goes completely AWOL from her friends and support network trying to find her sister, get her research back and get an explanation for why it was taken and used on a god damn nuke.

Through various logistics she meets the party and decides to ally with them because they're also dealing with several world ending threats and she is desperately lonely and wants to have some people around her that she isn't terrified she's dragging into worse shit by being friends with them. By doing this she meets Tam. Tam is a DM PC who is honestly a lot of the time a vehicle for jokes. He's a rouge and a little bit dumb but he's got a sweet heart and is genuinely brave. Now those two had met before because he worked at a dishwasher in her mansions for a while, during which he stole her curtains. For the first good few sessions they had a very antagonist relationship at least on her end and given that Amy has a tendency to serve a little bit as comic relief when her story isn't being directly discussed it's was kind of a fun thing for me and our DM to play with when the tension needed cutting. Anyway after a few sessions of this I suddenly got the thought "oh my god enemies to lovers Tam and Amy" and we all thought it was funny so we have been running around this weird flirtationship with the two of them for a bit. They had some genuinely cute moments, like him giving her the curtains back so she can furnish her room in the extra dimensional mini van the party live in or her using mold earth to help him garden. At this point nothing has happened but he's noticed her very obvious crush on him and told her he feels the same.

Anyway as this is happening we're involved in this towns deeply complicated political web and simultaneously trying to help out an indigenous settlement and also stop a train that we probably do need to get on from being built because of the harm it will do to said settlement and also because Amy has figured out it is being made with no god damn health and safety procedures. We also then found out that said magical nuke you know the one that has Amy's research in it is being planned or be used on a group of powerful agents in the area. A group that Amy happens to know quite well. Now the leader is kind of a generally bad guy and is also very envious of her father's position and wants his title for himself. But still, he's not bad enough to justify using the nuke. So we're trying to stop that if at all possible, which will also win us some clout that maybe used to better negotiate for the rights of the indeginous settlement.

So the party minus Tam who was off doing a bit, went to go get some information and one of the things we learnt is that the leader of this group is actually looking for Amy because he wants to arrange a political marriage between her and his son. So while we don't have a full plan yet, we're thinking of bringing her to him, getting her to have a negotiation about that arrangement and then assianating him to stop the nuke from going off because of he's gone then it won't, or at least in my head, maybe just a general negotiation with him because it's not like we're particularly fond of the people who are asking him to be killed because they are the ones threatening the indigenous settlement. But Tam is none the wiser and just ugh the drama of it all. Because political marriage isn't necessarily off the table for her, especially if it gets them safe passage to the next place they need to go because that is something that's becoming harder and harder to figure out how to do. And our DM, is not someone to throw a one dimensional bad guy at us. I wouldn't be surprised is he has a good amount to offer at this negotiation. But at the same time Amy's still in a pretty self destructive spiral and does want that research back but it wouldn't be like she was endangering anyone she actually cares about. But there's this buding romance and budding friendship that's also happening at the same time and I just can't wait to see where it all goes.

There's also a lot of other threads at play here, most of this is honestly a side story. The lore is deep and complex and fascinating but I'm just trying to cover the directly relevent stuff to Amy right now. Anyway here's was my first ever art of her to reward anyone who read this far

[sohotthateveryonedied]

so i’m trying to write duke and i don’t think i’m writing him right. how would you describe his personality because with don’t trust fanon lmfaooo

(this was only supposed to be a paragraph or two i swear to god)

1. first things first, duke is a hardcore gryffindor. don’t let the yellow color scheme mislead you, okay. and while most of the time he’s depicted in fanon as “omg this family is crazy and i’m the only sane one,” it’s actually pretty much the opposite? if anything, i think the other batkids would be like “oh finally, someone who can match our level of chaotic energy. HEY DUKE WANNA BUNGEE JUMP OFF WAYNE TOWER—” and an hour later they’d all be in the batcave getting lectured by bruce for leading poor sweet innocent duke astray when really he was already planning on doing that this weekend.

listen, this is the kid who once jumped off a bridge to escape police. this is the dude who decided to fight criminals while they’re still eating their wheaties at 6am in a bright yellow suit. and while duke seems to be the best at following bruce’s command at the moment due to having been trained by him most recently compared to the others and is still figuring out how to be a hero, i’m positive that if bruce weren’t here to guide him, duke would be running around gotham taking down criminals anyway. i mean, he literally did do that with the “we are robin” kids. plus there was the whole thing when he was like ten years old and decided “i am going to singlehandedly stop the riddler in my light up sketchers and pikachu backpack. try and stop me.” 

duke is headstrong and has a strong drive toward heroism. he’s an extremely enthusiastic and passionate person in general, and i try to capture a little of that when i write him, even with mundane things like trying to beat his siblings to the last cupcake. 

2. another thing i noticed is that duke swears like a sailor in comics? seriously, this boy could give jason a run for his money with how many “@#!%” speech bubbles there are. i don’t know if this is just a trend the writers added in the comics i’ve read of him, or if it’s a genuine trait throughout every comic he’s in, but that’s something to make note of when writing dialogue for duke. after all, he did grow up in the narrows, so it makes sense that he’d use a lot of swearing and slang in his everyday vernacular.

3. i would also make a point of noting that duke is fairly young compared to the rest of the batfamily, being the second youngest after damian. duke is still a teenager in high school, and he acts like it. he’s got homework and friends and is eager to make a difference in gotham, trying to juggle everything and make it all work somehow. he’s stubborn and doesn’t give up easily, so it’s important to write him as someone who is trying to save the world while also struggling with finding time to study for his next math test. he's human. he doesn’t get to dedicate all of his time to fighting crime like cass or jason might be able to, since duke is still a mostly normal teenager with teenager problems.

4. and don’t forget that unlike the other batkids, duke still has two living parents. sure, they’re jokerized and might not ever be the same again, but they’re alive and that’s what holds him back from letting himself get as close to the waynes as he wants to. duke won’t be calling bruce “dad” anytime soon, and i think he’d have some internal struggle over stuff like holidays and birthdays with the waynes, remembering what his parents are missing out on and wondering if joining the wayne family is a betrayal to them. duke is very conflicted over this, even if he doesn’t say it directly. stuff like ducking out of movie night early or feeling a bittersweet pang during thanksgiving dinner makes sense for someone in his situation. 

(i usually ignore that aspect in my fics because i want duke to just be adopted and part of the family already, but not everyone does that, and that’s perfectly fine.)

5. honestly, duke is such a caring individual and we as a fandom need more of him being a shoulder for people to lean on because he’s?? so soft?? duke can be so sympathetic and rational when it comes to emotional problems. it seems like duke internalizes every bit of advice he gets from the people around him and uses it to inspire others and help them through their own problems. as tough and hotheaded as duke can sometimes be, he really is good when it comes to emotions.

6. duke is a smartass. he will 100% use sarcasm against any and every authority figure he meets, usually just for the hell of it. 

7. he’s very frank in general, usually the first to be like “okay full disclosure, we’re about to die right now. that sucks. anyway—” in a situation. he’s honest and tends to be upfront about his fears/anxieties, usually for comic relief, but i think it still counts.

8. okay i have to add that duke is also kind of a punk? he and jason have a lot in common because of this: they both grew up in one of gotham’s worse areas (jay in crime alley and duke in the narrows) and they’re both highkey deliquents. duke has no problem getting into fights or talking back to authority figures, and it’s gotten him in hot water on more than one occasion. it’s why he kept getting moved around the foster system before bruce took him in because no one wanted to keep him.

9. he’s also gotten so close with the other batkids and we love to see it!! duke calls cass “sis” and treats damian like the annoying little brother he never had and i adore every second of it. we haven’t gotten a lot of interactions between duke and the others aside from training and stuff, but he and jason have the whole “punk kid who got adopted by batman and is baffled by how rich people live” going for them, so they can bond over that. and duke is a thinker like tim, so they can hang out and do puzzles or play chess or whatever it is that smart people do. (and duke and steph are BESTIES i don’t care what anyone says.)

10. most of all, duke is still learning how the whole hero thing works. he’s young and he’s trying his best, but he also makes mistakes. he will be impulsive and screw up, and he’ll try and merge the lessons batman’s taught him and that his parents taught him and that other heroes teach him until it all makes sense in his own mind. duke isn’t experienced like dick or even damian, so he’s going to be lagging behind for a while until he grows until the role he’s made for himself.

other miscellaneous details to include: 

- duke is dating izzy, who used to be part of the “we are robin” gang with him - he used to live at the manor and now lives with his cousin jay, but honestly i just have him living at the manor in everything i write because i like it better that way - he can control shadows and light now! what a king! - duke secretly writes poetry and is good at creative writing in general  - this:

- duke is super smart?? he figured out that agent 37 was dick grayson without even trying?? i’m so proud of him - his biological father is this supervillain called gnomon so now duke has got four parents: his mom, his dad, his supervillain dad, and bruce (plus selina if you count her as the batkids’ stepmom, which i do) - jason calls him “narrows” and i love that

- and, lastly, the most important panel in the history of comics:

[tyrantisterror]

Meet the Meddlesome Youths

I’m officially starting work on the final draft (!) of Wizard School Mysteries Book 1: The Meddlesome Youths, which means I’ll have it published in, like, less than a month holy fuck, so it’s probably time for me to start pitching this to you a bit.  So let’s discus the meddlesome youths after the cut!

WSM is based on a genre I like to call "mystery solving teens," where a group of young people (often but not always teenagers) solve mysteries/thwart evil schemes that the adults in their lives are either willfully ignorant of or, worse, complicit in maintaining.   There are countless examples I could list: Scooby Doo, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Persona series, that one famous series written by that horrible TERF, et cetera.   I love the mystery solving teens genre.  Hands down one of my favorite genres of fiction!  I've always wanted to write my own, and about ten years ago I started idly plotting how I could do it.

If you've read my other novels, you may have picked up that I love archetypes.  Seeing different takes on a well-used trope is one of my favorite things about exploring a genre, and that goes doubly for when I write a story in said genre.   So, for the story that became WSM, I started out by figuring out what the main archetypes for a Mystery Solving Teens story are.  How do you build a proper band of Scoobies?   Looking at my favorite Mystery Solving Teens stories, I came up with a list of eight archetypal teens: the Leader, the Goofy Guy, the Brains, the Muscle, the Beauty, the Loony, the Token Non-human, and the Rival/Bully.  I'll explain them as we go through my eight kids here.

The Leader of my mystery solving teens is James Chaucer.  As the name of the archetype implies, he's the de-facto head of our teenage mystery solving pals. James is ambitious and driven, naturally inspiring the people around him and taking charge of situations.   In a lot of these stories, the Leader is also your protagonist, and that's the case here more or less, though I'm structuring WSM as an ensemble story.  The story isn't solely focused on him, but his arc is its backbone.   James is also trans, and begins the story running away from home after being rejected by his family.  Attending the Academy of Applied Arcana and Magic isn't just a passing interest for him - it's a way to rebuild his life.  So he has a lot invested in making sure things go well!

The goofy guy is a bumbling comic relief sidekick, whose character flaws present a foil for the much more put together leader, but who also often has overlooked strengths.  In WSM, that role is filled by Ivan Muromets.   Ivan was the apprentice of a town wizard, i.e. a wizard who sets up shop and lives a comfortable life doing minor magic tricks to help peasants.  He has very humble goals in life and nonetheless stumbles in trying to achieve them because, well, he's clumsy and scatter-brained.   But Ivan is also loyal, compassionate, and incredibly creative, with a great deal of talent that even he himself has failed to recognize yet.  He's the friend who assumes he's a burden but is always there when you need help.

The Brains is the smartest member of the group, though often in a very narrow way - in D&D terms, they put all their points in INT and used WIS and CHA as dump stats.  In a lot of stories this character ends up like Briany Smurf.  I tried to do something different in my story.   Gretchen Pappenheimer is less "looks up polysyllabic synonyms for words in the dictionary" smart and more, well, mad scientist smart - the kind of wizard who understands that magic is the art of bending reality to your whim and decides to embrace that as her life mission.   Living as a hermit since her teens because of her pursuit of forbidden knowledge, Gretchen's a bit antisocial after being burned before, but deep down she's a very caring person and a loyal friend.

The Muscle is pretty straightforward, being a physical powerhouse. They often fall into the role of a dumb brute. Again, I tried to go a different direction here with Margot d'Francane.   A war orphan, Margot attuned to magic early and way too deeply, with far too much of the reality-warping power surging through her. She had to learn to control it or die, and, given that her hometown was plagued with bandits, ended up weaponizing it.   Margot is the gang's resident battle-wizard, with far more raw power at her disposal than her peers, and saddled with the downside of struggling to keep said power from consuming her.

The Beauty is attractive, fashionable, and refined, generally the token girl if your story is particularly regressive in its casting.  Rodrigo Cervantes plays all but the last bit straight.   Since "the hot one" isn't a super strong characterization, I chose to take the focus on aesthetics a bit further.  Rodrigo is also the artist of the group, whose philosophy on magic is focused on adding beauty to the world.   He's also the only member of the group whose family is wealthy (most of the youths are peasants), because I've always found the "out of touch but well meaning rich kid with poor friends" trope to be fun, and because I think it works well with this archetype.

The Loony is the member of the group who sees things just a little differently than everyone else - they can seem silly or even dumb, but often their unique perspective proves invaluable.  In WSM, this role is filled by Serena Takeuchi.   Serena's father immigrated from a far off country via magic shenanigans, and so she has two very different culture's views on magic to go off of.  She's also the only member of the group who has a reliable amount of self confidence.   Serena's name is a not-subtle homage to Sailor Moon, which not only heavily influenced her character, but WSM as a whole - the "find all the sailor scouts" formula of Sailor Moon season 1 inspired a good deal of Book 1's plot.

The Token Nonhuman is a nonhuman character (obvs), and often a wacky comic relief sidekick, more often than not paired with the Goofy Guy.  However, more serious takes on this archetype can be found, which is the route WSM takes with Charlotte Bolshe.   An ettercap (re: humanoid spider fairy), Charlotte interprets magic as a grand web that binds everything together, and often talks in metaphors that make perfect sense to a spider but are a bit hard for her human friends to intuit.   She's also an absolute sweetheart who has a bit of a Little Mermaid complex.  She wants to be where the humans are, she wants to see, wants to see them live out their finite lifespan in a plane of reality where time and space are constants.

Finally, there is the Rival/Bully, a character who starts out as a minor antagonist and jerk to the main characters, but sometimes becomes an ally over time.  In WSM, this role is filled by Polybeus Antony.   Hailing from Mediterra, the only country in Midgaheim with a unified government and, coincidentally, the country that has repeatedly tried to conquer the entire continent, Polybeus has been taught to have a BIT of a superiority complex.   Unfortunately, he's also riddled with anxieties about the possibility that he will fail to live up to his country's ideals, which drives him to act out a bit.  Can the others help him discover a way to accept himself as he is?  Only time and eight novels will tell.

I'm only one book in and I already love writing these characters.  I'm so excited for you all to meet my weird wizard kids and follow them as they solve horrific crimes at wizard college.  Look forward to WSM Book 1: The Meddlesome Youths, coming SOON!

[kira-fluff]

Hey heyy, have you thought about writing another common trope headcanon / oneshot with the MysMe guys?

Because the “only one bed” was extremely good!!

Even if you decide not to do it, just know that your blog and your talent amazes me<3

a/n: Did you even have to ask??? OF COURSE IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME LOL thank you gorgeous <3 I decided to try putting it in a fanfic (one shot unless requested) format since it's definitely quite long and making a mini-series featuring those you request for me to include in my next fic or a pt2! :) also this is a slow burn and is quite spicy <3 Also, I did my best not to make it like the whole share the room thingy again!! ***I’m not fluent in French pls don’t @ me

Length: 6k lol 

A Series of Unfortunate Events Fake Dating - Jumin Han 

A sudden message beep surprised you, causing you to look down at your phone. It was a text message from Jumin: Call me.  Immediately suspecting the worst, you quickly pressed his contact, the number dialing in seconds. There was a few seconds that ran by before the other end answered with a curt, "Y/n."  "Jumin, hey, is something wrong?", you asked, worriedly.  "Everything is perfectly fine. I was calling to ask you a favor -- feel free to decline." Jumin never asked for favors, or your help in general.. you knew whatever it was you were determined to assist him in the best way possible. "Of course, Jumin! Anything."  There was silence for a moment as if he was contemplating whether or not it this favor was truly worth asking before he spoke, "Please decline if you are unable to but... I was wondering if you'd be willing to indulge my father. He's insisted that I bring you with me to our business closure."  "Jumin", you began, "I'd be honored. I'd love to!"  On the other line, there was a sigh of relief (or of worry, you weren't sure). "Mr. Kim will be at your apartment to pick you up tomorrow. The meeting is taking place in Monoco -- pack for a ten-day trip" There was a pause before Jumin breathed out a quiet, "Thank you."  You couldn't hold back your smile, thankful that the conversation was over the phone, making it impossible for him to see your dopey expression. He hung up, leaving you to pack. Your mind quickly wandered from what you needed in your suitcase to worrisome waters.  You and Jumin had a very deep friendship following the party you’d thrown, spending the time following the ginormous celebration to get to know each other. It warmed your heart that your newfound friend took so much joy in being with you -- even when he tried not to show it. You lost track of the number of times you ended up sleeping over at his penthouse after accidentally staying up until 4am talking with him, swishing expensive wine in your mouths.  You didn’t expect falling in love to come so easily. You were someone who was quite choosey with your partners -- you weren’t one to fall easily for anyone. Even in your past relationships that sometimes lasted years, you’d never felt the way your heart felt now that you were with him. And yet, you were best friends. You were sure you meant something to him in so far as friendship, but you had respected him when he’d gotten drunk one of the first nights he met you and spouted out his heart to you.. 

-  “Y/n, to tell you the truth.... I’ve never fallen in love before.” He gazed up at you lackadaisically from his position on the sofa -- head rested over the top of the sofa cushion, his arm lazily resting under his chin. He started at you for a moment, his gray eyes gazing into your own with a hazy, absent feeling in them.  You laughed, “I find that hard to believe.” You walked over to him, absent-mindedly running your fingers through his tousled hair. He let out a long, uncharacteristic sigh, his eyes closing gently.  You leaned in close to him, looking him in the eye. “Can I tell you something, too?” He nodded. “I haven’t either.”  -  You grinned at the memory. You firmly believed that conversation was what brought you and him together closer than ever before. He’d always found an excuse to call you over for the silliest of reasons. Either he needed a certain form that he was positive he accidentally slipped into your bag on accident and needed to see it first-hand to check, or he realized he’d bought more wine than was necessary for a night alone.  It made you smile for months that he couldn’t get out the words “I miss you” or “I want you to come over”. Even to you, the words sounded intimate.. but that was the way your relationship worked -- you were very close with each other, as two best friends ought to be.  Still, as much as you tried, you couldn’t control the way your heart began to constrict when he got especially close to you. You couldn’t help it when you’d shiver when he gently brushed cat fur away from your cheek. You were shocked that despite his perceptive personality, he didn’t seem to notice or acknowledge your deep blush during these interactions... maybe he was uncomfortable with them.... you hoped not.  There were times the air was knocked out of you. Literally. Once, you weren’t paying attention to the fact that the sidewalk had ended and you were walking straight into oncoming cars coming off the highway when a muscular arm slid around your waist and pressed your body flush to his own. You stared with eyes wide open at Jumin, who comically seemed equally surprised at his actions. You couldn’t help the way your eyes trickled down to his sultry lips, taking in their beautiful red-wine color, blooming like dark roses. Thankfully, he seemed too preoccupied with your current state of mind and physical wellbeing. When you finally managed to get your mind out of the gutter, you thanked him profusely, grabbing his hands impulsively and begging to reward him in some way. His answer surprised you, “I--uh-- a movie. I’d like to do more research watching one of those movies you enjoy watching.. for business sales and such.”  “Sure!! I can recommend anything! I’ll drop the email by your office tomorrow” you answered.  A panicked expression took over his face for a moment before returning to its familiar stoicism, “You won’t watch it also?” Your eyes widened in confusion before you answered hurriedly, “Oh! Yeah, I’ll watch it with you. I just wouldn’t want to bother you if you were doing it for work purposes.”  You could never bother me you thought you heard him say, but you couldn’t be sure.  Yep, you were in love with Jumin.  When you at last finished packing, you went to bed, looking forward to the mystery that befell tomorrow.  -  You rose bright and early to prepare for the exciting trip that was bound to come. You couldn’t help the extra bit of effort you ended up putting into your appearance in anticipation of seeing Jumin again and.. possibly sitting next to him on an aircraft.  Right on time, you received a text message from Mr. Kim, indicating that he had arrived at your apartment right on time. As you opened your apartment door to carry your luggage downstairs, you were met with numerous familiar faces of Jumin’s employees who quickly took your heavy luggage items for you. You thanked them, making your way to the elevator with them.  You texted Jumin: Thanks for the help with my luggage :)  In a matter of seconds, you received a reply, Jumin: You’re welcome.  Grinning down at your phone, you didn’t notice your driver's light chuckle, a look of astonishment in his eyes. These blind kids.  You continued to chatter along with Jumin on your phone, at last arriving at the rendezvous point where Jumin and the Chairman pulled in identical black limos alongside your own.  “Thank you, Mr. Kim. I can take it from here.”  Mr. Kim nodded in obedience, ushering you to go to Jumin. Jumin patted the leather seat next to his own in the sleek limousine. You held back a laugh, there were plenty of other seats open for you to sit.. but it warmed your heart that he wanted you right next to him. As friends. The Chairman joined the two of you, sitting across from his son, a mischievous glint in his eyes that only Jumin could recognize. A silent conversation took place between Jumin and his father -- Jumin beginning with a raised eyebrow. The Chairman replied with a sly smirk. Jumin with a scowl, his father with a growing grin. You watched the conversation continue silently before the Chairman at last spoke, “Jumin, my son, I’m overjoyed to see you’ve brought your Y/n with you.” A flash of annoyance crossed Jumin’s face as he said, “My... Y/n?”  You blanched.. of course the thought of you being his made him uncomfortable... but you didn’t think he’d be angry.  “Y/n, I’m glad you could join us. However, as much as I hate to ask this of you, there is something I desperately need from you.”  Before you could speak Jumin interjected, “Absolutely not.”  You caressed his hand, looking up at him with kind eyes, “Jumin, hey, it’s okay.” Looking toward Jumin’s father you said, “Whatever it is, I’ll do my very best.” Jumin’s jaw feathered a bit, but he said no more.  He grinned, “Aren’t you a kind girl. Well, in this business deal, the contract was originally contingent on Jumin marrying his daughter -- which I was against from the beginning. After all, I know the importance of loving the one you wish to be with.” (Jumin rolled his eyes at that.) “Anyway, I declined the offer.”  You were confused, unsure where your part came in.  As if reading your mind, he continued saying, “However, I perhaps let it slip that you two were engaged. I figured you both are so close with each other already, that it would be no issue to play a bit of husband and wife for the sake of business, no?”  Jumin was furious, his nose flared, jaw clenched with hands gripping his knee. “How dare--”  You glanced at him, biting the inside of your cheek, a worried expression painted your face. When he glanced at you, his eyes widened and his shoulders relaxed. This did not go unnoticed by the Chairman.  “We’ll do it, won’t we Jumin?” he looked surprised but made no objection. You leaned in close and whispered shyly, “I want to do something as thanks for this amazing trip.. and for you.”  - Jumin dared to swallow. For me? What the hell does that mean? You were driving him crazy. Every time he looked at you he had to fight to readjust his attention to something else. Does she know what it does to me when she touches me? Even a little bit?  When you’d put your hand on him, Jumin felt his chest and neck grow impossibly hotter, hotter than he’d been feeling when you’d first sat down next to him. Hotter than when you leaned in close and breathily asked him, “Jumin... how long until we’re at the airport?” It was like you’d drawn out every syllable, breathing out every consonant -- your breath tickling his neck. He imagined what it would feel like to have your plump, rosy lips on his neck, on his chest, on his lips, on his-- he was in over his head. He cursed himself for his lack of control. Usually, control was not an issue for Jumin -- in fact, he considered it one of his greatest strengths. From his leadership position in his father’s company, C&R, to his well-controlled temperament and stress management.. Jumin just didn’t do “no control”.  At first, it intrigued him. He could remember the exact day it hit him. He’d invited you to an elegant dinner his company hosted to celebrate (in a sort of “humble-brag” sort of way) yet another successful business closing with one of the biggest corporations in America. He’d been finishing off yet another glass of his new Domaine de la Romanee-Conti he’d bought when his eyes at last placed you at the front of the champagne server. His eyes raked up and down the soft, silk gown that clung to your body in all the right places. The gown hung loosely, exposing your back and most of your chest, a sultry slit separating one of your elegant legs from the other hidden in the fabric. It was a breath-taking emerald color... but all Jumin could really think of is how he’d take it off. Your hair was curled and done-up marvelously with little white pearls decorating the crown of your head like you had stars in your hair... but all Jumin could really think of was how he’d mess it up. His cheeks were on fire. Everything in his body had risen in temperature of what felt like a hundred degrees. He twirled his wine glass between his fingers before setting it down at one of the well-decorated tables. I must have a fever, he thought, that must be it. Your eyes found his person just as he was turning around to leave, speed walking to one of the penthouse balconies for fresh air. You raced after him or at least followed him as fast as your obnoxious heels allowed you to go.  You breathlessly met him as he was staring out into the night. Jumin realized that his temperature was slowly returning to normal. Perhaps the room was a bit suffocating. I’ll be sure to message Mr. Kim about increasing the air conditioning in the room. But... looking back on it now, Jumin knew he was lying to himself even then. Because, when he turned around he almost let out a shout. And his breath became uneven again, and it felt so burning hot all over again.  You slowly crept toward him, donning a concerned expression saying, “Jumin... are you alright?” Jumin backed into the marble railing. He was so eloquent normally but all he could let out then was a choked, “Fine.” He couldn’t take his eyes off you. Every step closer, he wanted to run. The stars were reflecting in your eyes and the moonlight made your supple skin look impossibly softer... You gently cupped his face and whispered, “Jumin, talk to me..? Please?” Jumin was heaving, looking down at you with rosy red cheeks and burning ears. “I--I think I have a... fever. A fever.”  You gasped, taking one of your hands and lightly grasping the back of his neck, pulling him down slightly. His eyes widened as you took your other cold hand and placed it on his burning forehead. “Oh my god! Oh my gosh, we -- ambulance! An ambulance.. a doctor? Or.. are you... drunk?”  “My room... please,” he begged.  You looked him up and down, examining his face for strain or discomfort. When you couldn’t find any, you let out a breath -- perhaps you’d overreacted. Nonetheless, you swung his arm over your shoulder and trudged through the now quiet dining area. Most had filtered out to the ballroom for dancing. You’d been here a million times, so remembering the way was no chore. You fished through his shirt and coat pockets, running your gentle digits across his chest, assuming the moan Jumin gave off was due to pain, still, a blush flushed your cheeks. “Sorry, I’m almost done.” You held him against the wall since at this point he couldn’t stand. Maybe I am a little drunk, he thought. You moved down to his pants pockets, your hands roaming through a business card and other odds and ends, eliciting another soft groan from Jumin. “Almost there...” you breathed, at last pulling out a key card and with a soft beep, opening his penthouse suite. You gently carried him to his bed before going to grab a glass of water and a cold washcloth. When one was placed on the table and the other on his forehead, you at last placed a warm throw blanket you’d found in his closet over him.  ...That memory became a source of numerous dreams. Jumin couldn’t forget it, no matter how many times he’d wished he wanted to (or wished it all to happen again).  - You gazed at him, looking at the way his expression hardened at times, softening and then suddenly switching to an expression you’d never seen before. What was he thinking about? You bit your lip, nervous that Jumin might change his mind upon meeting this woman his business partner wanted him to marry. She was certainly more beautiful, right? After all, Jumin hadn’t necessarily made any physical contact voluntarily toward you more than an occasional back rub in your asked after a long day at work, or if he got drunk while you two accidentally stayed up late -- then he’d sometimes caress your face with a love-sick expression and saying little things like, “You’re beautiful.” It was cute, for sure, but what drunk doesn’t turn into a soft puddle of goo, complimenting everyone around them?  You leaned into him as subtly as you could manage, closing your eyes to concentrate for a few minutes.  - You jumped awake when a deep voice rumbled in your ear, “We’re here.” You could hear the slight smirk in his voice, and sure enough, when you looked up, you saw a slight smile on his face. “Did you have a good dream?” You looked toward your left, thankful the Chairman was already out of the limousine and speaking on his phone to someone. “I--I had a dream?”  Jumin’s smirk stretched a little wider, “Yes. You said my name a couple times.”  Your eyes widened in shock before saying, “Oh! That dream! Yeah, I was dreaming that you were being eaten alive by bears and I was forced to watch!” God, you were such a bad liar. Jumin blinked. He felt sort of stupid. “Oh,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, “I see--”  Grateful for his gullibleness, you added, “Why, what did you think I was dreaming about?”  Jumin avoided eye contact saying, “Not anything in particular.”  A call for Jumin interrupted your conversation, making Jumin almost run out of the limo. You smiled a bit, a little flush rising up to your ears.  Jumin returned again, grabbing your hand. “This way,” was all he said. You followed him to the private jet that the Chairman was already boarding. You caught yourself staring at Jumin again as you followed him up the stairs to the entranceway of the cabin. Jumin smartly chose a seat far away from his father’s field of vision. He’d had enough of his unnerving looks when you’d fallen asleep on his shoulder, whispering things Jumin was beyond grateful only he could hear... at least he hoped. When you occasionally began to whine a bit louder he’d quiet you down by running his hands through your hair and stealing glances toward his father nervously saying, “A nightmare.” He wondered if he’d fooled his father, because the Chairman lightly chuckled and made his way to the passenger seat of the limo, sliding the privacy door shut. It had only gotten worse from there, you almost shouted his name, but he covered your mouth. Heat had been pooling in his stomach for a while now, but he didn’t know how much more he could take. Still, every time he thought of waking you up, you’d grab at his chest or legs,  effectively completely embolizing him.  You, of course, were unaware of all of this. You sat down next to him eagerly and wrapped your arm around his, pulling him close to watch a movie on the jet screens. It was almost 9pm by now, the night sky beginning to close in on the quiet aircraft. Neither of you could remember when you fell asleep, only waking up to the soft announcement of arrival from the pilot on the overhead and a soft blanket placed over the two of you.  You both groggily made your way to your waiting limousine to take you to the complimentary hotel stay at one of the chains owned by your expectant future business partner.  “Of course, I know you two are just friends.” The Chairman looked at you two before continuing, “So I have two hotel rooms, you’re 17 and you, Miss Y/N, are 18. I’m in master suite 3, so feel free to reach out whenever.” His eyes glittered as he said, “Have fun. Remember to act like a loving fiance! Especially you, my son." Jumin pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in contempt.  You turned your head toward Jumin, “Um, well, I’m pretty tired as you could probably already tell,” you laughed uncomfortably, “so I think I’ll head off to bed.”  Jumin blinked a few times before saying, “I will as well. Goodnight, Y/N.” You whispered a shy goodnight in reply before slinking into your hotel room.  - You awoke the next day to a call from a maid outside your door - room service. You thanked her before diving into your waffles, complete with chocolate dressing, whipped cream, strawberries, and powdered sugar. A glass of orange juice was delivered along with various other breakfast options and a bowl of kiwi, dragonfruit, apple, watermelon, honeydew, and almost any other fruit you could think of. Following your delicious breakfast, you padded over to the bathroom, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes and running the shower. Going through your morning routine helped calm you despite the role you weren’t at all prepared to play in just a few hours.  You jumped at the knock at your door. Looking through the peephole, it was Jumin. Flinging the door open, you looked at him expectantly. You were met with silence other than a few “uh.... uh....”s. You looked at him sarcastically, “What?”  He continued to stare, not at your face, however. You laughed but quickly grew silent as you met his gaze. You were an actual moron. What. The. Fuck. You were still in your fucking panties?!?! You slammed the door shut, running to slip on some shorts you found lying on the ground in the bathroom. Taking a deep breath you gently opened the door this time. Jumin was standing still as a statue when he snapped out of his trance at last. He looked away, “Try not to be dressed. I mean STRESSED.” he sputtered, “I-I’m going to leave now--”  “Um, Jumin?”  He slowly turned around, face as red as a strawberry, “Yes?”  “Um, sorry. About before. Um. Do you-- do you want to get some coffee? I’m still waking up, if you couldn’t already tell,” you laughed nervously.  He smiled warmly, “I’d love to.”  You awkwardly nodded before shutting your door. You ran to your hotel bed and screamed into one of the pillows. You cursed under your breath before making your way to the bathroom once more to finish the makeup look you had begun before being interrupted.  After 45 minutes, you looked your outfit up and down. You packed outfits that were elegant -- you bought clothes that looked expensive but in the kind of way that was subtle. Nude tones and deep colors, specifically. You were aiming for a look that said, “I’m not rich, I’m just comfortable. And by that I mean I’m rich.” You were never insecure about the difference in your and Jumin’s paycheck.. but when you’re supposed to play a part. And if you showed up in your comfy joggers and t-shirt like you normally wore when you visited Jumin or were free from work.. you had a feeling their reaction wouldn’t be the most inviting or understanding.  At last, you stepped out of your room, turning left to knock on Jumin’s door. He beat you to it, opening his door unexpectedly. This caused you to instead lean forward from your momentum and place your hand on his chest. You hurriedly adjusted his tie, doing your best to act as if that’s what you’d meant to do all along.  Jumin appeared to be just as surprised, but grinned, “No leggings and t-shirt today?” You jabbed him with your elbow as you made your way to the coffee bar, “Do you think they’d be all welcoming to your soon-to-be wife if she showed up in lounge clothes?”  “I’ve never complained.”  You scoffed, “Yeah, well, that’s because you’re nice. And, you apparently understand that not everyone can live in a suit every day.”  He paused for a moment before mumbling slightly, “Who cares what they think anyway.”  “I do! I don’t want to let your dad down. I told him I’d do this. We’re in Monaco, Jumin! C’est la vie!” “Parles-tu français?”* “Oui..?”  Jumin chuckled darkly before leaning in, saying, “Tu es juste trop mignonne.”** You blinked before replying, “...oui...?” Jumin looked at you incredulously with a slight smile on his face as he laughed, lightly ruffling your hair.  Jumin ordered for you -- apparently, it was quite clear you only knew a few words in French. Unfortunately, he also paid for you, despite your objections. Before you could yank his platinum card out of his hands, the transaction was already complete. He gazed down at you, an eyebrow raised with a triumphant smirk, “Elle aura aussi beaucoup de crème dans son café.”*** “Hey, what are you saying?! Jumin!! Speak Korean or English or Japanese! Something I can understand!!” You complained.  The worker interjected, “C’est tellement agréable de voir un couple sur leur ‘oneymoon.”**** You instinctively interjected, “Oh, that’s not--!”  But Jumin just smiled and nodded.  Upon sitting down at one of the many open tables, you let out a little giggle, “I wonder what it’ll feel like when I’m on the real thing.” Jumin quickly looked up from his staring contest with his coffee, “Real.. what?”  You grinned dreamily, “Honeymoon.”  “You.. want to get married?” “Don’t you?”  Only to you, he thought. “Maybe. If the right person came along.” If you’d ever say “yes”.  You held back the nervous twinge you felt in your throat, “Alright then, don’t be shy. What’s your type?”  “My.. type?”  “Yeah! Like, your ideal girl.” He paused, looking pensively at you. “Well, then I suppose my ‘type’ is a girl who is beautiful, and smart, and pretty... and always makes me laugh. And is bold but also shy.” His eyes widened as he grew quiet, “...something like that.”  You were shocked. He said he’s never fallen in love before.. but it sounds like he already has some girl in mind. “Wow. You’ve... thought a lot about this.”  Jumin looked surprised at himself -- he cleared his throat, “Just some ideas.”  You were still skeptical but changed the subject, “So, what exactly does this whole ‘wifey’ thing entail?” “Most likely just a ring on your finger and a fake smile.” “Oh come on, there’s more to it than that.”  “I’m sure my father has the details.” As if on cue, his phone chimed. “Ready to head out?”  “Yep!” You weren’t entirely sure, but you were beside yourself with nervousness and a bit of excitement. If you can’t have the real thing, you shouldn’t complain about a chance to fake it, right? And sure, you knew it was much more complicated than that -- what if he realized your true feelings?! ...You shook the thoughts out of your head and made your way to the waiting vehicle outside of the hotel. - “Monsieur Lorenzi! Good to see you!” The Chairman shook hands with who you assumed was the boss. “Let me introduce to you my son, Jumin, and his beloved fiance, Y/n.” You waved, smiling despite the twang in your heart. You and Jumin shook hands while Mr. Lorenzi introduced you to his daughter.  “It is so nice to meet you! This is my daughter, Ginevra.”  Immediately, you sized Ginevra up -- and she does not look happy. “So.. you’re the bitch who stole Ju-Ju from me?” “Ginevra! Be polite, please?” Mr. Lorenzi practically begged her, but she wasn’t budging, “Oh, come on. Their ‘engagement’ hasn’t even been released to the press yet!”  You looked worriedly between Jumin and Ginevra, but Jumin lovingly put his hand over yours, a soft smile on his face, “I’ll handle this, sweetheart.” He couldn’t help himself and lightly pecked your cheek, smirking into the kiss when he heard you elicit a small “oh!” Facing the irate woman, though, Jumin smiled in a way you’d seen him smile when he wasn’t particularly...happy.. about something. “Miss Ginevra, I can assure you Y/N and I are completely in love. She is my fiance, after all. That being said, we decided not to alert the media because we wanted our own privacy until the wedding.”  Ginevra scoffed, “Please. You barely even look like you’re dating. Face it, I know you want me, Jumin.” She bit her lip in a way that was supposed to be seductive, but Jumin couldn’t hold back the slight cringe that crept onto his face.  “T-that’s enough Ginev--”  “God! Shut up, Dad!  Mr. Lorenzi backed down at that, looking apologetic and embarrassed toward the Chairman and Jumin, and especially toward you.  You were growing tired of the entire conversation, “Shall we sit down?”  All except Ginevra agreed readily, the Chairman coughing in a way that sounded more like a laugh he was trying to conceal. Jumin's jaw clenched when he sat next to you, to your left and Ginevra quickly sat in the seat to his left. The meal went as well as expected. Jumin's father recognized that Jumin had his hands full and spent the majority of the dinner talking business with Mr. Lorenzi without his son.  Meanwhile, you were awkwardly playing with your filet mignon, avoiding eye contact with everyone until Jumin leaned his face down to your avoidant eye level. You snapped out of your trance immediately. You looked up at him -- his eyebrow was raised with an inquisitive expression. Okay, that was adorable. You held back your intruisive thoughts, blinking up at him, silently asking, "What is it?"  Jumin stared a little longer than necessary, before snapping out of his own trance and leaning in further and whispering in your ear, "...Are you alright?"  You nodded in reply, "Just a little uncomfortable."  Jumin gazed down at you in concern, "We can leave if you--"  "No. No, I'll stay." Who knows what that girl will do if I leave. He didn't look convinced.  Suddenly, Ginevra was calling for Jumin. Repeatedly. He turned in annoyance, "Yes?"  Her voice got low, clearly to exclude you from the conversation, "Let's go somewhere..." she looked Jumin up and down slowly, "...else.." And with no shame, she lowered a manicured hand to his knee, slowly trailing it up to his thigh. He immediately grabbed her wrist, saying in a low, deadly voice, "I have a fiance."  She sighed in frustration, "You're kidding yourself, baby--"  Jumin's eyes widened suddenly, and not due to anything Ginevra was saying. Your hand was high on his thigh as you leaned into the conversation you'd heard the entirety of. "Miss... whatever your name is.... Jumin is my husband. Soon. We have something you could never dream of every having because your personality sucks. And honestly, only you can fix that."  There was silence at the entire table for a moment before Ginevra turned her head quickly toward her father, "Daddy?!"  Her father had already gotten up, ushering the business conversation to continue rather than deal with his trainwreck of a daughter. She huffed, looking red in the face, perhaps in embarrassment as well as anger. "Well, you still can't prove that you're even dating!"  You very furious now, your glare cold enough to freeze the desert, "Is proof really the only thing that will shut you up?"  Before she could even answer, you geared your pissed off expression toward a semi-intimidated, semi-turned on Jumin and grabbed his face, meeting his lips with your own. Your kiss was meant to only last a few seconds at most, but when you tried to pull away, Jumin only deepened the kiss, pulling your face harshly toward his own. He tugged at your hair, earning a loud moan from you as he forced his flush lips further onto yours, his tongue gaining entrance into your mouth. His eyebrows were deeply knit into a consentrated expression, groaning as he felt you readjust your position onto his lap. You stradled his lap, a leg on either side of him, your tongues battling for dominance as you fished for air between you two. At last, you both parted, heaving in big breaths as a string of spit clung between your mouths -- only to go in for another searing kiss. You began to roll your hips against his own, gently at first but quickly gaining more momentum and roughness as you two continued to make out. You'd noticed his hard-on the moment you'd straddled his lap but it only grew as you two began to explore the other's body. And just like that, you realized you were still in a formal dining setting. With other people. You pushed against Jumin's chest, looking around you in a frenzy. Ginevra was long gone along with the Chairman and Mr. Lorenzi. It was just the two of you, it looked as if it was after hours for the dining here. Soft jazz still played melodically through quiet speakers. Your eyes met back again with Jumin. He was smirking, still breathing heavily, his eyes glowing with mischief and a clear message that said something you probably would blush saying out loud. You laughed a little at the sudden turn of events. Did he like you? You wondered. He made quick work of dragging you (because your legs turned into jelly) out of the dining hall and back to his hotel suite. Jumin hurridely opened his hotel door before slamming you against the wall and continued to kiss you furvently on your neck, chest and of course, lips. He began to grind on you, letting out a soft curse when you mewled in his ear. Both your cheeks were completely red from the heated exchange and the embarrassment that both of you felt at your candid feelings. Yet something still bothered you. You pushed him away with all the strength you had because he was just so addicting. "J-jumin.... wait..." You gasped between breaths, "...I-I don't do this sorta thing... for fun..."  Jumin frowned at this, his jaw feathering as he said darkly, "I don't either."  You shook your head, "No, Jumin... I mean... I-I......" You took a big breath of air, "I'm in love with you. Have, for long time... pretty sure you don't feel .... the same wa--"  Jumin's eyes narrowed as he dove in for another kiss with so much force that the air was nearly knocked out of you. "Y/N," he began, "Do you have any clue how much I've held back? Even now, do you know how hard it is for me not to pick you up and fuck you right here and now? Do you know how long--" He laughed sardonically, "Y/N, I swear you're doing this on purpose."  "Doing wha--" "Making me fall deeper and deeper in love with you! I'm already pass the point of no return. Hell, I've never felt a fraction of what you make feel in a moment... in my entire life."  You took a moment to really look at him. The expression of complete and udder desperation was now clear as day on his face, his cheeks flushed, breathing heavily, his tie loose around his neck, chest slightly exposed. He began again, "Please. Please... put me out of my misery. Say you're mine, please."  Your eyes never leaving his, tears prickling your eyes, you answered, "I always was Jumin.. and I always will be. And, and if the offer still stands--" You blushed, looking down shyly and your feet, ashamed of your own boldness.  Jumin's eyes pooled impossibly darker as he picked you up and led you to his bed, laying you down gently and asking, "I know this is probably soon but... Y/N, will you make me the happiest man on earth?"  You laughed, pure joy on your face as you shamelessly cried, "Yes!" over and over again.  Jumin couldn't hold back the huge grin that took over his face as he kissed you in between laughs.

TRANSLATIONS: * “Do you speak French?” ** “You are just too cute.” *** “She will also have a lot of cream in her coffee.”  **** “It is so nice to see a couple on their honeymoon”

[tkeyahwrotethis]

Two: “Come on Barbie, Let’s Go Party”

Super Cooper and I met back when he was just Cooper Neidecker at the tender age of eight years old. All parents like to make their children feel special but something about Cooper actually WAS special. I knew it right away from the moment we met. It wasn’t until high school, and puberty when he stepped into his role as “The Chosen One”, that he began to realize it too.

Cooper was not just tall with an athletic build, he was also handsome, charming, and smart. He envelopes all the qualities a girl would want in a man physically and characteristically. Not to mention , he’s literally the apex of humanity as we know it. As he exercised he became the strongest man winning our town numerous championships! Our super hero was filled with hubris and he wore it so well.

High school was a different experience for me. One day I decided to get dolled up for class when I realized my power. The prettiest most popular girl in school saw me and wouldn’t stop brushing her beautiful long hair and applying makeup and standing up demanding all the attention in the room. I went to the bathroom in between classes where I was greeted by the prettiest girl and her friends and they jumped me. They threatened if I ever pulled a stunt like that ever again I’d pay for it ! Unsure as to what I’d even done, they sneered, “Fucking Voodoo Doll, get a real super power”, and left the bathroom.

I kept my power a secret from Cooper for a short while. I ran in a few social circles just trying to figure out who I am as a hero. I realized being a Doll is difficult. Girls would own me and cut my hair , then grow it back and cut it again. They’d starve me to look thin , hate the new look and over feed me , just to starve me again. It was a cycle of self inflicted abuse that never resulted in happiness.

A week before graduation I figured was as good a time as ever to tell Cooper about me. I sent him a text “Saturday, movie night at my place.” When the day finally arrived and we got about half way into the movie I sat the popcorn bowl aside and laid my head into Coopers lap looking up at him. “Can I show you something?” I asked in almost a whisper. “Sure,” Cooper said with a small cool smile. I then proceeded to ask Cooper to spit in my mouth. Alarmed and reluctant at first, Cooper obliged and my hero spit in my mouth. I had 20 minutes (give or take) to prove my worth and show my power. I stood in front of him while he sat on the couch and started pulling down my pants, then my panties, showing him my freshly shaved little pussy. I’m aware he has a penis but when I started rubbing myself it caused him to get an erection and when I orgasmed , so did he.

“A voodoo doll, nice! So what do you call yourself?” I told him, “Just Dolly, or Doll, maybe Baby Doll if you’re feeling sweet on me .” We shared a laugh. Cooper would be going on the National Super Hero tour after graduation, and he invited ME to tag along as his sidekick, Dolly!!! I over enthusiastically accepted the role.

All 49 states were fun! Cooper was the best super hero I could have ever imagined. No one else measured up to him. Fans loved him and groupies lusted after him. He began using me and my powers: if I wore the right outfits, said the right things, went to the popular places, I could summon the women of his dreams to love , to fuck, to flirt. Whatever he needed they always showed up.

When we arrived to our hotel room in the 50th state on the tour which was Texas, Super Cooper had all the perfume, nail polish, soaps, and clothes ready for me to wear to summon whatever model or influencer he wanted tonight. I rummaged thru a pile of phone numbers from admirers that he casually tossed aside by “my” new things when I came across a business card for Paul. Paul is the representative for “The Sidekick and Comic Relief Union”. I quickly called while my Super Cooper was in the shower. I was given a brief run down of my rights and benefits I’m entitled to.

I hurriedly got dressed and ready to Cooper’s liking for a night out in town. The elevator ride to the lobby I was briefed on how I should act and behave once my powers summoned his newest queen. By the time we got to the lobby a new wave of emotion overcame me which resulted in a small outburst about my rights and entitlements! Cooper held my hand and condescendingly pacified me back into our hotel room thru my tears and yelling. The comfort was short lived when Cooper grabbed me and forced me to my knees. He reminded me I wouldn’t have any of this merchandise or life experience without him. That HE’S the one people come to see and HE’S the one saving the world. I’m just some stupid doll coming along for the ride.

His words stung like razor blade cuts and rubbing alcohol. I argued back,“I’ve missed out on LIFE and LOVE being your best friend and biggest cheerleader! I’ve been overlooked and neglected ! You NEVER considered ME out of all the times you’ve fallen in love, not ONE TIME was with ME!” Then I realized after my outburst Super Cooper was seeing me with new eyes. He leaned in for a kiss but I turned my head and he kissed the corner of my lips. I screamed as loud as I could, “NO! NOT LIKE THIS! YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND, AND IM NOT A HOMEWRECKER!” I got off my knees and told him I was leaving. He smiled at me and told me that no one would ever want a broken Doll, when he broke my right arm, then my left arm. On the floor in agony and fear that my best friend was treating me this way he kissed me for the first time. And he kept kissing me on my lips and on my face deeply and repetitively . Then Cooper began licking my face , slowly rolling his tongue back and forth across my face I was in too much pain to move or speak. Then he ripped off my shirt exposing my soft perky supple C cup breasts. He started suckling on my breasts and gently biting my nipples. He spent so much time just kissing me, licking me, and sucking my breasts, I was broken and in so much pain. I decided to stay.

After the tour, I healed. Cooper and I remained friends but realized working together was overwhelming and toxic. I’ll always love Super Cooper and wonder what could have happened between us if he saw me sooner.

THE END!

[aineryeo]

Sweet Tea ௹ OSAMU

Sweet Hibiscus Tea — Better Twin. 🍵

SYNOPSIS: You are not a protagonist but your best friend definitely is. When will you ever be, sweet little side-character? » 6.2k Words

THEME: A li'l bit of a slow burn love story, angst, just a treat as my first fic in a year. | Bit of profanity, cussin', teen drama. And use of dialogue references!

NOTE: Low-key felt like this was crap, rip. I still love you so much ‘Samu :( I may have not written this the best

If you were to think of what your role in life was, you were sure you were a comic relief character, and your screen time was just cut short because the viewers in the show you call, “Life” are not giving you the best reviews. With the amount of times you felt like you were cycling through all your days the same, waking up… Waking.. Up.. Wake— Yeah, that was about it.

Everything else was an objective agenda. You were a sufficient klutz, whatever that paper was. You ponder, in your inner monologue while you’re tapping your push-pen on your school desk in Inarizaki.

“— And we’ll be designing our own living rooms as part of the Course Outline for Interior Studies in the general subject.”

You had a best friend, continuing to ignore the incessant babbles, you say as you write a little note to remind yourself to think of a living room design to finish the work quickly later. You had a best friend, who you can easily say is the main character of life. You swear, as she sat close to the window, and how she wasn’t mean, she was charming; it was so hard not to like her. But she’s also insecure, keeps to herself enough, having you by her side.

“Hear that ‘Samu?”

“What now, ‘Sumu?”

“Interior Designin’! Weren’t ya listenin’ ya scrub.” Bleach-blonde hair.“What about it?” Disinterest; Bleached hair too, but ash-grey.

“Ain’t Kori-Kori real good at stuff like this?”

You observed the two famed twins of Inarizaki High. Actually no, you were forced to; how? Well, you sat between them, not like that ever stopped anyone, nor did it ever interfere with your boring experience of being a 2nd mid-year Senior. You just wanted to get up, and leave, get a job or something; not going to lie.

“Is there anyone talking at the back right there? Anything the class would like to hear, pretty sure.” Professor said, which immediately shut the two up, the other was blatant and oblivious, even whistling.

“Guessed so.” Your professor went on right after.

Your chin was resting on the heel of your palm now, but you felt someone roughly, no really, they roughly tapped your shoulder, the touch was from a clearly heavy hand. It came from your right, which was…

“Hey missy, pass this on to my brother, will ‘ya?” He grinned widely, his other hand that held the pen used to write a note in the torn paper from his notebook that most likely didn’t have any notes despite it being mid-year. You let out a bit of a grunt, not moving from your position, but you did use your hand that was tapping your table to pass it on to the other Miya without sparing a glance.

“...”

“...”

Your arm was about to die. 

You turned to the other Miya, a small frown on your face as he ignored your outstretched hand, his eyes were closed, arms crossed but he was definitely not sleeping, it was obvious enough. So you tried to aggressively wave your arm that held the letter while keeping an eye on the doting teacher upfront, trying not to be obvious. His brother had noticed that he was ignoring you as well, shrugging when your frown deepened, back straightening on your desk, your free hand now tapping on your table instead of being a rest for your head.

“Hey ‘Samu ‘ya jerk…!” Atsumu whispered, a volume tad higher, to his brother who proceeded to ignore him; and technically, you too.

You groaned and ignored the two, equally annoying twins that are involving you into a situation you don’t want to get involved in. So you just slammed, actually no, not slammed exactly but you did harshly place the torn paper that contained some unnamed letter from Atsumu directed to Osamu. Wistfully, this was noticed by your professor.

“Y/N. I believe it’s been made clear that passing notes is not allowed in my class, rather, on any occasion that involves other subjects as well.” They scolded.

You sucked a breath in between your teeth, your hand ran through your hair in an attempt to calm you down. “Switch seats with Yokori. This seating will last ‘till the end of the year, ‘lest you misbehave again. This applies to everyone else who has been swapped constantly.”

Yokori gave you a solemn smile, knowing you hated this, she gathered her belongings and quickly sat to avoid any more trouble; even opting to give you a pat on your shoulder on the way to her desk near the window, though not quite beside. One classmate separated you from being directly beside the scenery of school grounds that held the gym where your schools’ famous volleyball team resides for practices. Actually, this classmate was one of their players, Suna Rintaro? Your impression on him was that he was quiet… Enough, if not provoked or talked to at all, which you guessed was part of your luck. Because you were definitely not going to talk to him, less it required you to by any of your classes together.

So you sat, your professor continued, and your eyes landed on your best friend that sat on your previous seat, since your first year of middle school. Bored expression on once again, your thoughts dialed back, and you noticed a quick interaction from Atsumu towards your best friend who flushed slightly from the two’s attention, noticing that even the twin who ignored you earlier began perking up, just a little bit. And the feeling was slight but you felt a tinge of annoyance, proceeding to push it to the back of your mind, not letting the feelings against your best friend surface. Because she was good, and undeserving of it, obviously.

The bell rang, it was time for lunch!

Lunch is a happy time, because you can buy yourself chocolate, and you can, well, eat lunch. What else is there for? You were bored out of your mind at home after doing your homework, and studying enough for the day so you practiced cooking. Which you admit, was very enjoyable, especially when you finish. Today was tuna sushi rolls, seaweed-strapped spam meat, seasoned rice, and hot tamarind soup in your insulating tumbler. You didn’t notice light gray irisess eyeing you in your little daydream about your lunch for today.

“Y/N, you good?” Yokori, said best friend went next to you, who had just finished gathering your lunch bag. You nodded, smile small. “Yep, let’s go.”

The class dispersed quickly, you two walked side-by-side as she timidly told you a story about her situation earlier.

“So Atsumu-san was passing notes to his brother Osamu, right? T’was so weird because they kept asking me questions, but Atsumu-san was nice, he wanted help with that Interior Designing project we have going on.” She laughed, scratching her cheek. You nodded along to her story, she was used to your rather quiet demeanor, she knew you were still listening. “They said it’d be cool to attend their after-school volleyball practice.”

“Mmh. Really? They’re annoying though.” You humored her, to which she chuckled.

“I mean… It shouldn’t be bad to try it, right?” She said with a big grin, bright.

You jutted your lips forward as you bobbed your head in agreement, already taking your chopsticks and lunch out when you found a free table. “I guess so.” You said, mouth chewing on a roll.

You pour a portion of soup to get the food down your throat onto your tumbler’s cap that serves as the cup, and drank, “So I told them you’re coming with me, I’d be too nervous by myself… Hehe..” and spat.

“Kori, what?”

“Come with me…” She looked at you, nervously smiling with her eyebrows raised in mock questioning, “-please.”

“Okay.”

“I promise, I’ll ask you next ti— wait, really? Holy shit, Y/N, thank you! I’ll pay you back, for sure. I didn’t expect you to agree quickly, d’you have a crush on any of the VBC members, perhaps?” She teased.

You were eating continually, mouth full of rice as you pointed your metal chopsticks toward her. Speaking with your mouth full, “I don’t think there was any point trying to say no if I’d say yes in the end anyway. It already happened, what can I really do?”

She nodded in understanding, you were always like this, relaxed about what happened around. It was worth idolizing, at least. Your head felt like it was burning, the back, you mean. Was someone staring?

You were now sitting outside of the gym, deciding to hang around outside instead of watching sweaty boys play for hours. Kori became more relaxed, so you took the go-mark and asked to leave when you noticed that she was. The team was fond of her, you note, Shinsuke Kita the Captain even thanking her for thinking of buying them snacks and helping them around with their manager to fill up the boys’ water bottles. The team gave her attention and copied their captain in terms of providing gratification for her deeds. You heard her ‘lax conversation next to the banter with the twins that was a normal recurrence.

You were simply a drifting particle, a bystander.

Actually wait, you remembered that you had packed yourself a little snack in case you had to stay in school for some surprise activity you forgot about, or situations like this exactly. So you took out your little box of homemade onigiris, not noticing the figure looming at the door. It was their break, and you were about to bite.

“Hey, that yours?” You hear, stopping your bite mid-way, turning your head to see ash-grey.

“Huh.”

“Ya deaf or what, missy?” The nerve.

You looked at him, and bit on the prism-shaped rice, then looked forward once again, closing your eyes even. ‘Till you heard shuffling and a sleazy figure sitting next to yours. That was when you opened your eyes, mouth slightly agape. Osamu Miya, sat next to you, his legs spread, and his arms were holding his whole posture as his head faced yours.

“If yer gonna look at me like that, the least ya could do is gimme one, little miss.”

You shook your head and swallowed. “Stop calling me little miss, old man.”

“Hoho, old man?” He says, humoring you, you can smell his cologne from here, mixed with sweat from his practice. He leaned forward, his arms now intertwining, resting on his knees, he was facing you with a small smile.

“Yeah, I’d call you shit hair but your hair ain’t the color.” You shrugged, but it was the type of shrug where you slightly move your hands outward. So when you did, the hand that held your bitten snack was when the big fox ate his fill. “Mm, tastes good.”

“Fucki-” You screeched. His eyes went wide when you just shoved the onigiri in his mouth, “It has your germs now, better not choke, gran’pa.”

Osamu was trying to give you a snide reply back but he couldn’t, with the rice stuck in, he just kept chewing. As you stood up and yelled to Kori that you were leaving. You were a side character, nothing more, you thought; as you walked away from the boy who had tried reaching to you, but you failed to notice.

“So… He invited me to their house to hang out.” Yokori said happily on the phone, you were trying to sketch a few designs you felt like doing so hummed, already quite satisfied, spinning on your chair right after. “So…”

“No.”

“But I haven’t said anything yet!”

“You were about to ask me if I can come with you because you’re nervous to go alone, the usual, hm?”

“...”

“Hm?”

“...Yes.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“N-”

“I’ll order you takeout pizza!”

“...Okay.”

You heard her cheering yes! On the other line, to which you just slumped in your chair to. And so, the day came and you were right behind Kori, who was knocking on the Miya residence as of the moment. The one who greeted the both of you was Osamu Miya, you internally groaned, their parents were off, you heard.

“Tsumu!” Your best friend smiles, greeting the other twin brightly; and smiling so wide at the twin at the door. “Hello ‘Samu!” She said, before the blonde had pushed past the door to beam at her.

“Brought your li’l friend along, cutie?” Atsumu jokes, rustling your friend’s hair before beckoning the two of you to come in. You walk past Osamu who you had mild grudges with. Your friend turned to you, “I’ll be helping Atsumu with some plates for the project, we’ll be up in his room!” She said, innocently.

“Mmh, okay. I’ll stay here?” You asked, more to yourself, you didn’t really know where to stay. This wasn’t your place.

“Accommodate the guest ‘Samu, I need’a do important school stuff.” Atsumu waved off as the two walked up the stairs on the way to the boy’s room, pretty sure. You stood there in the middle for a couple minutes, unsure. The renowned ‘less annoying’ Miya was sitting on one of their kitchen stools, his cheek digging into his palm, just staring at you. You stared back. He stared back. You were both staring.

You broke. “Not gonna let me sit, or anything?”

“Sit anywhere or something.” He droned, still looking at you. He was enjoying it.

So you looked at the couch beside you, then spared a glance at him, about to sit until he spoke again, “Hmm, not there.” He said in his low voice that contained an underline of mockery, you were sure. Though to him, it was simply amusing, to watch you that is. If anyone outside the two of your observing based gazes, he was actually sporting a noticeable smile. A small triangle smile, as if he was shy to make it any bigger, in hopes of hiding something.

You tried the two other chairs, the floor, leaning on a wall, but it was all a reject. You were embarrassed every time. Did you really have to go through all this just to get takeout pizza? You’d have to ask more later, that's for sure. So you tried for a last option, there was a tall stool right beside his, and well, three others far from him. So you tried the farthest tall stool from him, which was the far left. He shook his head no, you furrowed your eyebrows, you moved to the second stool, still no? Every move made your head wrinkle further down ‘till you reached the last seat, right next to him. To which he finally said, “Got it, pretty girl.” with a big boyish grin.

You didn’t have time to react to the nickname before finally letting out a sigh as you stretched your arms, and legs before laying your head on your arms that were resting on the table in front. That whole interaction probably took at least half an hour, you didn’t really know, you didn’t have a watch. “Pretty, my ass.”

He hummed, resting his head on his arms as well, though he was facing you. “Yer ass is.”

“The fuck.”

“Ya got a bad mouth.”

You groaned, and buried your face in your arms. Wanting to escape this. But you were lying to yourself if you said that you didn’t subconsciously enjoy his attention. You weren’t used to it, you weren’t supposed to feel this, right? It wasn’t, it just, it’s not you. Right? You shook your head to which the boy watched you do, getting your head up, posture straight and looking at him. He looked back, like he always seems to do.

“What do you want from me?” You say.

Osamu kept his mouth shut, still looking into you, thinking of what to say. Unwilling himself to tell you what he’d rather. So he asked a question, “D’ya cook?”

“Yeah, I make my own lunch and snacks.” You said, wary. Already feeling suspicious, you raise both your brows.

“Let’s cook.” He suggests.

Here’s the thing, you can’t do anything right if someone’s watching you too intently. It feels awkward, who in their right mind is able to do this right when he’s gripping your wrist that was stirring the batter for what the both of you decided to make, muffins.

“Ya gotta put in the right amount of strength.” He instructed.

“I’m starting to regret mentioning that I don’t bake often.” You thought, you thought you just thought that it was only in your thoughts. Oh no, you were becoming redundant, was it always this hot?

“Yer burnin’ figuratively, and literally. By that, your eyeballs are wide as fuck.” Osamu pointed out, he was biting his lip, to keep from a wide smile. “Tryna bake with yer hot gaze?”

What? “Huh.”

Now Osamu had wide eyes, I think it came off more sultry than intended. So he moved away from you as if you were burning his skin, though technically, you really were. Playing it cool. “What?”

“My what.”

“Yer… What?”

You were staring at him with a confused expression, about to open your mouth when, “Hey scrub! Make me a snack, I’m starvin’ over here.” Atsumu yelled from the room, you heard Kori’s small laugh and a faint, “Don’t be so mean, ‘Tsum.”

“Right. Let’s put ‘em in the tray then straight to the oven, yeah?” Osamu started, standing next to you, his face was not quite visible due to his wide shoulders, if you knew better, he might be obstructing your vision to not see the steaming heat from his ears. Spoiler, you did. But you chose not to poke at a sleeping bear.

“You sick? Got red ears?” You poked at a sleeping bear.

Actually, you were expecting a snark reply, it was easier that way. Just be sarcastic back. It was when the both of you were done, and placed the tray containing the muffin batter in the oven to bake, did Osamu dip his index finger in the bowl of slightly empty batter, facing you, and licking it off his finger. You really tried, you did; you tried not to look at the way he did that so unabashed. Dipping the same finger on the last remaining batter before menacingly leaning closer to you, inches from your face. If you could measure it exactly, 2.8 inches? So close.

Your weight moved from the heel of your foot to the front, again and again, what was he doing?

“What are you—?” You began before you got cut off by his finger wiping the batter on your lips, it made it look like you had a mustache. You stood there surprised for a few seconds, not knowing how to react, and hated how you expected something so different. It was until you heard a click of a camera and a low chuckle vibrate from the boy in front of you that you took the few remaining flour that was right in your reach to throw it in front of his face, making a huge fog of flour. He coughed for a bit, his eyes were glistening as he took the bowl next to him, using his whole hand to wipe leftover batter, getting ready to chase you.

You noticed. So you ran, but not without screaming, the leftover flour bag in your hand.

“No, please,”

“You asked for it, pretty girl.” He replied breathily, both of you were circling the kitchen island.

It took a good ten minutes before he decided to jump the island, and ran to quickly get hold of you with both of his arms, his hair tickling the side of your neck which made you laugh too hard, flour was all over his hair and apron, you failed to notice the handprint of batter right on your chest because you were struggling so hard to get off his grip. He was laughing too, you put on your scowling face, though not really mad, to face him, who in turn faced you as well. You didn’t notice the distance between the two of you was nearly non-existent; I repeat, nearly.

“Hey ‘Samu! I’m starvin’ and I smell yer bakin way over in my room.” You heard quick footsteps down the stairs, which made you jump in your skin. But even with that speed, you were still caught. Because Atsumu had an unreadable expression, “This place is a mess! Did we interrupt too early, hm?” Kori taking a peek right behind Atsumu.

You heard a dry cough from the other twin, facing the other direction, you facing the other as well. None of you spoke in time, so you took it. “No, uh, we weren’t, nothing was happening.”

“The scene of the crime is proof!” Atsumu pushed, teasing, as he continued his way down next to Kori.

“Shut it ‘ya scrub.”

“Yer the scrub, scrub.” They started bickering, real easy like that, trying to beat each other up. You noticed Kori walking down the stairs as well, first with an expression you couldn’t quite place, as if she was thinking deeply. But when she noticed you looking, she quickly changed into a bright smile, even sporting a blush, ready to tell a story about what happened behind the closed doors of Atsumu’s bedroom.

The day ended quickly after that, Osamu forced Atsumu to help the both of you to clean the kitchen while Kori volunteered to. It continued on like that, Kori dragging you into one of her meetings with Atsumu, you complaining but coming anyway, and you end up stuck with Osamu as she goes to her rendezvous with Atsumu that at this point, you have no idea what they’re doing. You just tag along.

Right now, you were beside Osamu in the gym during their break from training. Near the door, his teammates a good few distance away as he sat on a bench with his usual posture. Slumped back, his arms arching, one behind you that you fail to think of anything. Just as a general position. You were voicing out a thought you had in a while, seriously.

“So I was balls deep into ghosts way back—”

He looked at you, disgusted. “GROSS,” Shoving you lightly, “God, please never, ever say ‘balls deep in ghosts’ to anyone ever again. I feel like washin’ my mouth having to repeat that.” He even added this mild shudder that was just an exaggeration.

“What? What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t really want to think about anyone having sex with a ghost.”

“Huh, who said anything about ghost sex?”

“You did, Y/N! Just now!”

“I didn’t—Oh, holy shit. No. Oh no.”

“What?”

“Does ‘balls deep’ not mean you’re standing in, like, the shallow end of the pool, metaphorically. Like up to your balls or something.”

“No! Balls deep is—It’s…”

“Balls deep is…”

“Why are you two talking about balls?” Suna interjected, acting as if he was just hearing about your conversation now. He was actually listening since the start, noticing the short distance between the both of you, interest hiding behind his eyes. “Balls, as in, dick or something? That’s wild.”

“Suna, no!” You screeched.

Osamu was biting back a laugh. The team was watching the three of you converse, getting used to the sight of you with their teammate. Assuming other things up the clouds. Atsumu was watching his brother with hawk eyes, and so was the girl next to him, Kori, though she was looking at you. If Suna was being honest, he didn’t notice any form of chemistry between your friend and the piss haired twin. They were all smiles and bright, but they always looked like they were thinking of something different. Though he doesn’t know anything about it.

Practice ended. It’s been months, and your interactions with Osamu have gotten more laxed. Your thoughts about being nothing more than a side-character was starting to change, because with him, you felt that you were a number one choice. You felt that you were a main character. Osamu felt the same, being with you felt like time was moving too fast and he wanted to spend it more with you, he was becoming insatiable. With you, he didn’t feel second to his brother for once. Lingering touches, his hand forgetting to unhook from yours, and his arm slinking around your shoulders as he yawns and asks for one of your homemade snacks as he starts to make some after-school snacks to give back to you. 

You were invading his mind as much as he was invading yours. Sitting next to you during lunch, asking what’s in your bento, vice versa. Why was everything sailing so smooth? It was like it was just him and you. You heard rumors from the Miya fans that they were thinking you were Osamu Miya’s girlfriend. Forgetting your inferiority, sometimes the universe was just cruel, so it had to humble you.

“Atsumu and I broke up.” Kori sobbed.

Not to you, but to Osamu. You gripped your bag’s strap tightly. You peeled your lip with your teeth until the middle bled, so you sucked in the pain. No, you were not the protagonist. You weren’t, you never will be, and you never are in the past, present, and future. So you sucked in a breath to collect yourself, seeing Osamu pat the girl to attempt and comfort her, badmouthing his brother. “Sorry,” Her first gripped his shirt tighter.

“Osamu, please. It’s—I always liked you. It was just you.”

She wasn’t a bad person. She wasn’t, but why? You wanted to hit her, that, or jump off a building and die. None of them noticed you yet, at least that’s what you thought, but the sobbing girl had already seen you before she started bawling, and the other twin was forced to give her a tight, but awkward hug.

“Yokori… I liked you.” 

You were about to walk to them normally after licking your lips from the blood, wanting to appear as a third party, to not let this happen. It just can’t. but you were pulled back by your collar. Who—

“Atsumu?”

He put his index finger in front of his lips to silence you, “Shh.”

So you followed him confused, he held your hand away from the scene. Leading you to the gates, the school half-empty, their practice about to start in half an hour or so. “Atsumu, why?” You croaked. 

He had his eyes widened a bit, why? Actually, why did he pull you from that scene? His other hand that didn’t hold yours, which you didn’t bother to remove with the energy seeping out of your body quickly; it was taking everything in you not to break down. It went to his nape, rubbing it in question to himself, why? It was just that, seeing you staring at a scene when he knew you liked his brother, at a scene too painful, for a best friend who was just trying to do their paper, he knew. So his arms safely wrapped around you as you stared dead into his eyes, looking at his features that resembled the other who had unknowingly captured your heart.

Your bleeding lip trembled, your eyes turned glossy of the tears held back, Atsumu looked at you, empathetic. He broke up with your best friend because he couldn’t see it happen, every time he saw you with his brother, that wasn’t what they both had. They were simply not meant to be, and he was fine, he just didn’t know, but he was glad that because of it, he found out that she liked his brother more than she did him. He’d be angry, he should be, for his sake, but he wasn’t angry for him, he was angry for you. 

He hid your face into his chest instead.  You didn’t sob, solely because you thought you didn’t deserve to. But you cried, you let your tears soak in, “You look like him too much.”

“Shhh, I know—” Sigh. “It’s okay. You don’t have to look at me.” He said, trying his best to comfort you, caressing your hair. As a pair of grey eyes watched the scene from a distance, unable to hear, but able to see. Maybe he saw too much as he grimaced.  

Osamu tried his best not to punch his brother right in the jaw, or push him away so he could yell everything he’d kept cooped up inside before you came running along, turning monochrome into a saturated-vision of the world. His teeth were pressing down on each other hard enough, he thought it might break, and shatter, just like his heart did. Of course, you chose his brother. Everyone always does. Every time he thinks he’s got it all, it’s all swiped underneath by his twin. Everyone says that it wasn’t their talents, or skills in volleyball that was the greatest gift they had ever received in life. It was their twin. But right now, he just thinks he was a curse he had to always deal with.

He jolted as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Suna.

“Practice. Kita’s calling. Call your brother.” The ever-observant boy runs over as he scans the scene, and hisses as he sees you wrapped in his brother’s arms. Though he knew more than that, he had first-class seats to this theatrical after all. But he’d rather not be part of the act club, it wasn’t his forte.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” Osamu replied, briefly. A bit tense, still.

He looked back to Atsumu who had let you go, and you who were walking away already. On the way to your home, he was sure. But he can’t help but cringe, thinking of it as your way of walking away from him.

“Practice! ‘Sumu!” He yelled, devoid of anything.

You jolted, you were a bit far but he yelled really loud you could still hear it. This didn’t go unnoticed by him, but you were both overcome by swirling emotions that stopped both of you to do the bare minimum, smile and wave, no after-school snacks. Atsumu jogged towards them, not noticing his brother’s attempt at hiding his huge frown. Practice was hell for Osamu, he didn’t want to see his brother right now, not when he still thinks of your precious little form hugging his brother’s, not his.

When his brother accidentally served a ball hitting Osamu behind the head, it was more of a switch for his anger; his rage.

“Fucking hell.” He said, turning viciously towards his brother who was uttering lighthearted apologies. It wasn’t until he started stalking towards Atsumu did the team start watching them like hawks, Aran thinking it’s just another one of their silly fights. But that thought was cut off when Osamu suddenly launched a fist towards Atsumu. “Ya just get off on this, huh? Ya get off on giving me bullshit every time.”

“Woah, ‘Samu I said I was sorry. What the fuck.” Atsumu said, brows furrowed, voice starting to get scratchy at his brother’s tight grip on the collar of his shirt. His hand quickly gripped his brother’s wrist tied to his shirt, attempting to get it off him, starting to get riled up from getting hit out of nowhere. “What’s your fuckin’ problem?” He said, about to kick his brother off of him.

“You. You just took everything from me, ‘Sumu. You took them.” 

Osamu breathed heavily as Kita instructed the team to peel the twins away from each other as this wasn’t one of their silly fights at all. It held other issues. The captain knew that practice wouldn’t be able to continue like this, so he made them do drills before allowing them to go home. Looking pointedly at the Miya’s. The two brothers did what they were told to, going off to do their drills, and getting ready to go home.

They were walking silently side-by-side, both faces covered with a frown, Atsumu’s face having a bruise by the jaw whilst Samu didn’t have a scratch, only because Atsumu was realizing where it all came from.

“Did ya see?”

“Fuck you.”

“Look— It’s not what ya think, ya idiot.” Atsumu started, Osamu raised his brow at his brother. “I don’t want to say anything. Figure things out yourself, scrub.” Then the blonde started walking faster, leaving his brother behind to ponder.

The next day came by, he tried calling you but it never got through. Did you block him? What did he do? Did you really get repulsed by him to avoid him to that extent? That involved his texts getting left unanswered. You didn’t come to school today, he asked Kori, who he had rejected yesterday, and who was supposed to know about you more than he did. Though he was aware that you often felt inferior to her, as he told you the same about his brother, it was a feeling that you two were all too familiar with.

“I don’t know where she is, I’m sorry. She’s not talking to me either.” 

Osamu stayed quiet at that, he thought you just needed time. So he let it go, looking forward to talking to you the following days. But that was the problem, you weren’t there in the following days either. He knew where you lived but he didn’t want to impose as your family didn’t know him very well yet either. He stopped himself from visiting until it hit the second week of your absence. Where were you? Why have you disappeared as if you never existed in the first place? He was growing worried, he wanted you to exist. He loved existing when you were around. And he wanted to clear everything up after getting multiple clues from Suna, and his brother, obviously.

It was until the class of the second week you were gone, when Osamu promised to visit your house after school, did their teacher tell them news that tore Osamu in half.

“One of our students Y/N L/N has transferred schools. The administration just finished filing her transfer after her visit yesterday, she didn’t get to say goodbye as her family moved out the same day. That’s about it, the first class is Physics. Have a nice day ahead, students.”

His ears were ringing. You were gone. Gone like the liquid that slipped past his hold. Atsumu looked at his brother in pity, knowing how much he had lost at that time. And he’d be lying if he said he didn’t hear Osamu crying in the shower when they got home. Or when he tried to not get his snot on his pillows, sniffling in the night. His heart ached for his brother.

It’s been years since 2nd year in High School, and Osamu has just opened up Onigiri Miya. His brother had gone pro on Volleyball, and he couldn’t be more proud. He still finds himself thinking back to a few months of pure bliss in highschool, and he tried dating a fair share as well, in hopes that he’ll get what he had with you. He didn’t. So he dedicated himself to his work, and his passion: cooking. A few more years and his business was a success, to which was hell for the first few months, having no investors, and all. He was wiping down his counter, black cap on, his hair not having the same old bleached-grey hair. Instead, it was back to his natural dark hair.

“What is this place, really?” 

“The name reminds me of someone from my highschool days. But I only heard about it now, is it really good?”

“Yeah, totally! We should bring our superiors here, and see if we get a few favors, hmm? The onigiri here is a star-choice.” Osamu sees someone turned around, laughing prettily, smiling all-wide, they were bright. Until the same eyes he used to look at in such a close distance, caught his own. His heart skipped two beats, or maybe skipped beating this whole time, maybe he died because god, did he finally send his angel back to him?

It was when you uttered his name under your breath, from the entrance that rang the bell prior to the conversation he overheard earlier did he confirm it. “Hey pretty girl,” he says, as he takes off his cap, ruffles his hair, chuckling deeply, and looking directly back at you; your heart spasms. “Where have you been?”

Bonus:

“Yeah, he was a real bitch when I first talked to him in high school.” You badmouthed him loudly from your table, which made him yell from the kitchen, “I was trying to see if you’ll take my hand and put the note there, okay!” Laughing, you didn’t notice him stalking behind you until he placed a kiss on your cheek. “Grumpy-ass.”

Living with 'Samu! ⁆ End Credits

[kelieah]

surprise (peter parker x stark!reader)

summary: you give peter a gift he would have never expected to receive from you

word count: 2.9k

warnings: angst angst angst, fluff, language

edited: sorry this is super late :(

a/n: hehe, happy bday to the cutest puppy of all! thank you to everyone who helped me come up with ideas for this fic, ily all 3000

masterlist

You and Peter have been dating for almost a year now. You both decided to get together after all the chaos that took place in Europe. You two have been friends for quite a while before that, so the fact that your friendship with Peter flourished into something even better is one of the many reasons why you adore him.

His birthday is tomorrow and you wish to make it as special as it can be. Though you’re not exactly sure how to do that. You know your dad would’ve easily bought something tremendously big and written a cheesy yet short letter with it, and Peter would love it. But if you did the same, it wouldn’t be right. Right?

The night before his birthday, you were in a spiral. You had already planned a surprise party for him at his apartment though that was the least of your worries. You were pacing around your room, unsure if the gifts you’ve been preparing for weeks was enough or if you should add more things. 

Over the years you’ve been friends with him and the months you’ve been dating him, you put together memories and experiences all in a scrapbook. It looked cute and simple on the outside, but once you opened it up, the pages were filled with photos, letters, doodles, and colors. Many references or inside jokes were scattered along the side margins and stickers were put accordingly. You made sure it was perfect, but your gift still felt incomplete to you.

You wanted to be extra. You had to be extra. You remember your mom saying it was something you got from your dad. That man was always one for his dramatics. So you stayed up a bit later than you should’ve, making tiny little paper stars with sweet compliments, affirmations, and advice in them. Then you made as many as you can to fill up a glass jar shaped like R2-D2. 

Though to you, that still wasn’t enough. So you searched and searched and eventually found some vintage Star-Wars comics. Ignoring the fact that they were over a thousand bucks, you bought a dozen or so. His gifts were spread across your bed and you stared at it for what felt like hours.

Is this enough? Is this too much? Will he love it? Will he even like it? Shit.

You remember wanting to sleep and putting it all aside to figure out in the morning. You might’ve forgotten his birthday was the next day with how much you focused on the gifts than the actual date, so you woke up with panic.

You also remembered there was one last thing you wanted to get for Peter but once you glanced at the clock, it was already noon. You overslept.

You feel your heart drop immediately realizing that you weren’t able to text or call Peter a happy birthday or good morning. You assume he must be worried, or hurt or maybe upset? You place your face in your hands and fall into deep thought. Then it hit you, the surprise party is in three hours.

“Morning Friday, read my text messages and voicemails please,” you groggily lean against your bed rest.

“Are you sure, Y/n? You have 243 text messages and 94 voicemails,” Friday informs you. 

Your eyes widen and you shake your head, “Uhm, actually just read the ones from Mom, Peter, Aunt May, and Happy please,” you mutter.

“Understood,” Friday responds, beginning to go through your messages and voicemails, “Mom has messaged you, “Morning honey. Had to go to some meetings. Nanny is leaving at 1, please watch Morgan. I’ll meet you at the party. Could you bring Morgan with you when you go?” Peter has not messaged or called you. Aunt May has messaged you, “Hi dear! I’ve already baked up some cherry pies for the party, when are you going to be over to decorate? By the way, Peter went out and is probably patrolling,” with a smiley face and heart. Happy has messaged you, “Hello, I already ordered the catering, and went over the invite list. Are you up yet?” and he also left the voicemail saying, “Hopefully you’re up by the time you get this. Most of the Avengers are coming, except Thor, the Saviors, no wait, the Guardians of whatever they’re called, and Captain Marvel. I’m sure you could figure out why. Give me a call when you’re up.” Done.”

“Shit,” you whine loudly. You throw yourself out of bed and get to your morning routine. You quickly tidy up your room, take a quick shower, go through your skincare routine and get dressed up. You decided to put on some makeup and wear nicer clothes for once given it’s your boyfriend’s birthday.

You look around your room and inhale deeply, “Just that one last thing,” you remind yourself and walk off. After getting what you need, the nanny informs you that she’s leaving. You walk over to Morgan’s room and knock the door before entering, “Hi princess, you ready for Spider-Man’s birthday?”

She turns around, all dressed up in a pretty floral dress, “Hi sissy, yes! Don’t you mean, your friend boy?” she giggles, running up to you.

You roll your eyes playfully, “You mean boyfriend? Yes, c’mon pretty girl. We’re going to go now.”

An hour or so later, you’re making your way over to Aunt May and Peter’s apartment with Morgan in the backseat. You felt bad for not greeting Peter at all today but you decided to make it a part of the surprise. “He still has a tracker in his suit!?” you burst out in laughter as you stop at a red light.

“Seems like Tony didn’t get rid of it before, I don’t blame him,” Happy mutters. “You got everything right? Morgan, Peter’s gifts, the decorations, and your head?”

“Yes Happy,” you glance into your back seat, checking in on Morgan and seeing the piled clutter. “I feel like Santa Clause with a bunch of gifts and an elf in the backseat,” you chuckle. Morgan gasps and makes a silly expression at you that brings a smile to your face.

“Maybe you are with all the cookies you eat,” he jokes.

“You’re one to talk, anyway where’s Peter now?” you ask as you drive off as soon as the light turns green.

“He’s swinging around, I saw the news. He’s interacting with fans and interviewers, a pretty rare case.”

“True, he must be trying to distract himself. Am I the only one who hasn’t greeted him yet?” you ask, nervously biting on your bottom lip.

“Yep.”

“Shoot, well I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Let’s hope so, I’ll see you and Morgan when you both get here. Gotta help May out with the pies.”

“Sure, the pies,” you tease, causing Happy to roll his eyes and end the call.

You feel your heart stop as Peter suddenly gives you a call. You fight the urge to pick up and shower him in reassurance and love, but ignore for the sake of the surprise. 

Ten to twenty minutes later, you and Morgan arrive at May and Peter’s apartment. You smile and knock on the door, struggling to hold everything in your arms while holding Morgan’s hand.

“Hello hello, you two,” Aunt May opens the door with a bright smile on her face. She lets you in and helps you out, “Took you long enough.”

“Sorry, I overslept. I wasn’t sure if my gifts were enough,” you pout and kiss her cheek. 

“That’s okay. Morgan baby, Happy’s in the kitchen.” May smiles and ruffles Morgan’s hair. Morgan hums and hugs her leg, running off.

“These are all your gifts for him? Sweetheart, it’s his birthday not Christmas,” she giggles. “I’m sure he would love anything you get for him, even if it was a cheap lego set.”

“I know I know, it’s just Peter has been through so much. I feel like he deserves the world,” you say bashfully.

“You’re so cute,” she hums and helps you place the many gifts on a certain table. “Remember, you have been through a lot too.”

“Yes, but today’s his day,” you cross your arms. “Anyway, enough chatter. We should decorate now, everyone’s coming over in an hour right?”

“Yep. I also told Peter to swing around for a while and bring Thai food home at 4. He thinks it’s just going to be him, Happy and I. I told him you have work,” she says, grabbing some decorations.

“Okay, perfect. I feel so bad, I haven’t communicated with him since last morning,” you huff and grab some streamers.

“I’m sure he understands, kid gets busy too,” Happy walks over from the kitchen with Morgan trailing behind him. “Man, are these all your gifts for him?” he glances over at a table filled with only your gifts.

“Y-Yes? Why is that such a bad thing,” you groan.

“It’s not, I think,” he glances at May who gives him a look. He puts his hands up in defense and slowly walks back into the kitchen.

“You’re fine, honey. Also, I love your dress, isn’t that?” she tilts her head.

“Yeah, it’s the dress I was wearing on our first date,” you smile to yourself, glancing down at your cherry red dress. It fit perfectly, not too loose or tight and it had pockets. Something you and Peter were always amused by.

After the three of you finish decorating, the guests begin to arrive. Most of the team showed up and you and Peter’s close friends. You let out a sigh of relief and lean on the fire escape railing, looking out at the city. You glance at your watch, “Almost time.”

“Hey there,” you hear from behind you. You look back and see Happy.

“Hey.”

“You doing alright? Peter’s coming soon,” he says and walks next to you, leaning against the railing.

“I know, I just feel like. I did too much? Too less? I’m not sure, I just wanted this day to be perfect for him especially after last year,” you mutter and glance at Happy with teary eyes.

He smiles sadly and pulls you into a hug, “It’s absolutely perfect. You know, Peter isn’t going to be the only one who’s proud.”

“Who else? You?”

“Well, besides me and a bunch of other people. Your dad,” he murmurs.

You feel your heart tighten and you stifle a cry, stuffing your head into his chest. He sighs and hugs you close, “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Sometimes I feel like he never left, because everyday I see him in you,” he pulls away, holding your shoulder.

You smile softly and nod, “T-Thank you, Happy really,” you sniffle.

“Of course. You should probably tidy up, your makeup’s running,” he takes a step back.

You laugh half-heartedly, “Alright. Could you tell everyone to get in their places?” you begin to walk towards the apartment.

“Got it,” he nods and follows you back inside.

Your heart was racing, everyone wasn’t sure if he was going to show up at the front door or his room. Happy gives the signal that he’s arrived and everyone goes silent. You feel a slight sense of relief when you hear noises from the front door. If he came through his room, he probably wouldn't be that surprised. 

Peter sighs and holds the bag of Thai food in one hand, opening up the door with a key in the other. His senses have been all over the place today and his heart didn’t feel like it was in the right place. He was beyond worried about you, he didn’t even care that it was his birthday. He just wanted to know if you were okay.

He opens the door, calling out for May. “May, I’m home-”

“Surprise!” Everyone appears out from their spots, greeting Peter with bright smiles and confetti. 

Peter instantly jumps and places a hand over his heart. “G-Guys!? Bruce? Scott? Wait, Ned? MJ!?” he stammers, looking all over the place.

“Happy birthday, Spidey,” you come out of your hiding spot, smiling warmly at him.

“Oh my god, Y/n,” he breathes out and rushes over to you, pulling you into a hug. You let out a gasp as he picks you up and spins you around. He places you down and hugs you closer. He pulls away and glances at your dress then at you, “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he sighs, kissing your cheek. 

You blush at his comment and fiddle with your dress. “Thank you,” you smile, hoping he notices your outfit.

“Wait, isn’t this the dress from our first date?” he holds some of your dress and glances at you. You grin and nod, he sighs happily and pulls you back into a hug.

Everyone reacts sweetly until Flash, who was surprisingly invited yells out, “Get a room!” Everyone instantly glares at him and he shrivels up, smiling sheepishly.

You roll your eyes and Peter ignores him, peppering your face with kisses. “I thought you were mad at me or something, or hurt, or just forgot about me,” he rambles, holding your face.

“Well, luckily none of those are the cases. I just wanted to surprise you,” you hum.

“You planned all this?” he gapes, glancing around his apartment once again.

“Yes, but I had a lot of help,” you hum.

“Friend boy!” Morgan squeals and rushes over, hugging you and Peter’s legs. “Happy birthday,” she beams.

Peter’s eyes soften and his bends down, “Thank you cutie,” he grins.

She squeals and hugs him, “Can you be my friend boy?”

You gasp dramatically, “Morgan, he’s my friend boy.”

“I don’t know babe, Morgan looks amazing in her little princess dress,” he picks up Morgan, holding her close.

You pout and cross your arms. Morgan bubbles happily and wraps her tiny arms around his neck.

To say Peter was overwhelmed with happiness was an understatement. He felt relief, appreciation, love and support. This whole time he was worrying that he had done something wrong when really nothing was wrong and everyone was just hiding and being quiet for his surprise.

After catching up with some of the Avengers and friends and eating dinner all together, it was time for cake and presents.

You couldn’t express how unbelievably happy and emotional you felt for Peter as he stood in front of his cake as everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. His face was filled with pure joy and you wish that could stay on his face forever, because to you, that’s what he deserves and more.

Not much later present time begins and Peter starts to open up everyone’s gifts. You told him to open yours last. You absolutely adored this boy and your heart swelled up every time he held a genuine smile to his face as he opened his gifts. He got up, thanked and hugged every single person who had got him a gift. You truly are smitten for him.

“Who are all these gifts from?” Peter asks, glancing at the huge piles of gifts left. “I thought I had opened everyone’s except Y/n’s already,” he chuckles. 

“Those are all mine,” you walk over, sitting next to him.

“Oh, flower,” he mutters softly and pouts out his bottom lip. “You didn’t-”

“Ah, please open them and shut your mouth,” you cross your arms. Everyone laughs in amusement at your sass and watches as Peter begins to open up the gifts.

Peter first opens up the comic books and jars filled with little letters, “Oh my god, you didn’t,” he whimpers happily. “This must’ve cost a fortune,” he holds up the comic books.

“What? All I did was write on little pieces of paper and-”

“Babe.”

“I know! I’m joking, on to the next please,” you coo and kiss his cheek. 

He huffs and unravels the next gift, his eyes beginning to glisten with tears. He slowly flips through the pages of the beautiful scrap book you made for him. He comes across a page where it was you, your dad and him in multiple photos. He lets tears slip form his eyes and glances at you with softened eyes, “Y/n,” he mutters.

“Larb you,” you kiss his cheek. He places the scrapbook aside and pulls you into a hug, kissing your forehead.

“I larb you more,” he sighs. 

“I thought that was our thing,” May pouts, causing everyone to chuckle at her comment.

“It can be our thing too,” Peter teases. “Is that all?” he sniffles, glancing back at you.

“One more thing,” you smile cheekily.

“Oh man,” he sighs, placing his forehead on your shoulder. “I don’t know if I can take it.”

“Morgan,” you look up, running your hands through Peter’s curls. She grins and grabs the last small box, bringing it to Peter.

He looks up and smiles, silently thanking her. “You want to help me open it?” he asks her. She nods and sits on his lap, helping him pull away the ribbon. As they both do so, the box falls and reveals the gift your mom once gifted your dad, then to you. Peter covers his mouth, “No, I can’t-”

“Peter,” you shake your head.

He sniffs once again, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks as he glances at the glass case with your dad’s arc reactor inside. He glances down at the words surrounding the arc reactor, “Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart,” he sobs.

You glance up seeing that your mom smiles sadly, wiping away some tears. “Happy birthday,” you repeat, kissing his cheek.

“Why are you giving this to me?” he stammers, hugging Morgan back as she hugs him close, nuzzling her head into his neck.

“Mom, Morgan and I already have many parts of dad with us. You don’t have as much and we all know how much he meant to you. You really are a part of our family too Peter, and I felt like you deserved this. Now you can see that his heart also belongs with you,” you smile warmly, cupping his cheek and wiping his tears away.

Everyone watches the heart-touching moment unravel, a sad yet understanding smile appearing on their faces. “I love you. I love all of you, and you,” he pokes Morgan’s nose, causing her to giggle.

“We love you too Peter,” everyone chimes in.

“I love you more,” you whisper, kissing his nose.

“I love you 3000,” Morgan pouts, playing with his shirt. You and Peter look at each other with sad smiles.

“I love you 3000 too.”

tagging some mutuals who might be interested! @ariistotles @cosmicholland @petersholland @tonguetiedholland @theamazingtomholland @tombrina @spideyyeet @toms-gf @peterspideysstuff @chloecreatesfictions @mcdwcman @hollandsrecs @the-salty-asian @fallinfortom @hermayone @allegra-writes @waitimcomingtoo @futuremrspcy @dreamofaprilsblog @t-lostinmendes @musicalkeys @icyhollands @beverlyparkerr​ @marvelhoesworld​

[itsclydebitches]

I was under the firm belief that if someone was going to call out the group it’d have to be an outside party to avoid hypocrisy. RWBY managed to fuck on both ends. It had Yang, THE WORST OPTION DUE TO HER ACTIONS, do so (now I hate her the most) but then had Ren call them out while actually taking responsibility and had the show shit on him. Like…what the fuck?!

I was of precisely the same mind and that's largely why I was holding out some amount of hope going into Volume 7. Sure, the group's reaction to Ozpin was horrible, Qrow was treated nearly as badly, Maria quickly became a comic relief ally, and thus there are no mentors to pull them back when they decide on an insane plan that tests both the kingdoms' political standings and the lives of everyone in that city. The group screwed up there, plain and simple, and the story put them into a position where there was no one around to reign them in — no one they will listen to, anyway.

But then they're heading to Ironwood! Ironwood, the guy who has been an established ally since the Beacon days. Ironwood, who Qrow personally wrote to explaining what he could in a letter and implying that he'd learn the details of their situation upon arrival. Ironwood, whose city was Ozpin's first choice when the Lamp left its fault and who everyone in the group unanimously decided to seek out, even when Ozpin himself was hated. Surely he'll be the one to set the group right again, starting the process of growth as everyone works through their personal and battle choices of the last volume. Sure, things were dicey when they first arrived, but by the second episode we've established that Ironwood is not hurting Mantle for the hell of it, he has a plan, he trusts the group, and the story even began to acknowledge the seriousness of their actions by showing an arrest. All they need to do is trust Ironwood in turn, kickstarting that reflection. They're no longer wandering the wilderness doing what they please to survive. They're now stationed in what is presented as the strictest kingdom under both the protection and the expectation of a military general with years of experience in this war. They made mistakes while floundering on their own and now need to learn from them in the first structured, mentor-run place since Beacon.

Yeeeeaah.

Instead we have the group's charges immediately ignored, them lying to Ironwood in the same manner Ozpin lied to them, months where they do nothing to try figure out a solution to the Salem problem, or reconcile with Ozpin, they are given licenses without grappling with whether those are deserved given their recent behavior, two of them recklessly trust Robyn in a manner that further betrays Ironwood, they pressure him into telling Mantle about Salem before telling him about her immortality (again, the thing they're furious about), randomly decide to spring that information on him afterwards, turn on him completely when they don't like his solution to an unsolvable crisis but can't think of a better one, beat the Ace Ops into unconsciousness, steal more military property to send out a message that likely caused grimm attacks across the world, sat around in a mansion, and then dumped the entirety of Atlas/Mantle's population in a single location that they know Salem is gunning for after she's been obliterated for a time and they know she's only after the magical objects, not the people. THAT'S SO MUCH. The story never used Ironwood as the mentor figure, deciding to make him a villain instead, and as a result the group got even worse, not better. And then yeah, the writers seemed to realize that they needed to acknowledge this behavior in some manner or another, but who is left to do that? Ozpin is still gone. Qrow is in jail. Maria is the funny grandma on Amity. Ironwood is the bad guy. So they make Ren do it, with Yang on the opposite side, reinforcing both the lack of work done on Ren's part — why is he the one to question all this? Why the loyalty to Ironwood? — as well as the intense hypocrisy of Yang claiming things are as good as they can be when she just accused Ruby of failing them. Then the show goes even further by rejecting Ren's points entirely. Yang's incredibly biased summary of events is taken as fact. Jaune takes her side after getting pissed. Yang turns it into an issue of Ren pushing everyone away. Jaune later reinforces this by claiming he bottles things up too much which, in this context, reads as, "Share your emotions and opinions, but only if they align with ours. Don't bring up things we disagree with, like you just did." Ren 100% understandably goes to get some space and when we next see him he's developed a new aspect of his semblance that oh so conveniently makes him think exactly as Yang and Jaune think. By the time Nora is re-criticizing him for supposedly pushing them away, he agrees entirely that he was an awful teammate, an awful friend, that was the only problem here. But now he's fixed it! Issues resolved.

An established ally, someone who immediately trusts the group, an adult with years of experience as both a huntsmen and a soldier in this war, a city as safe as it can be under these circumstances, a situation that puts the group in Ozpin's shoes... the beginning of Volume 7 was perfectly poised to have an outside party criticizing the group's actions and who they would listen to in order to develop from. The fact that it all fell apart so badly is kind of more frustrating than not having had a chance at that story at all. RWBY never intended to treat the group's actions as anything other than 100% justified and heroic, but sadly that only became obvious after we tossed out all the potential to do otherwise.

[marjansmarwani]

for a time you had me scared

3.7k || ao3

An accident on a call leaves TK facing a potentially career-ending injury. He's scared, more scared than he wants to admit and so afraid to hope, but he does have his friends on his side and that counts for a lot. ----- Day 3 of @911lonestarweek: “We’ve got your back, no matter what.” + Hurt/Comfort

A prequel of sorts to @silvarafael’s fic “I’m Not the Same Man I Was in the Spring” because she told me to write it. 

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

It’s just a normal day, at first. 

But that was how things always started, wasn’t it? Whenever something tragic happened there was almost always one thing everyone agreed on: no one saw it coming. That was just the nature of tragedy: things were normal, and then suddenly they weren’t. 

This was no exception. When they pulled up on the scene, when they geared up for the rescue and Captains Strand and Vega doled out instructions, they had no way of knowing how badly it was going to end. It was something they’d have to be reminded of later — that they couldn’t have known, that they weren’t to blame. Would it make any difference? Probably not, but the fact remained. 

They arrived at the scene to get the rundown from the APD responding unit: someone had collapsed on the roof. No one knew who it was or why they were on the roof. All they knew is that a passerby had spotted a limp arm dangling over the edge and had called 911. 

“Okay team,” Owen began after he discussed with the officer, “I want two people up to help with the rescue. Marwani, Strickland that’s you. Captain Vega, if we can get a medic up there it would be helpful, tell us what we’re dealing with.” 

Tommy nodded and threw a glance at TK and Nancy, “You two decide who is going up and grab your gear.” 

The two paramedics studied each other for a moment before Nancy shook her head, “That is all you dude,” she said. “I don’t mind heights, but I’d rather not if I don’t have to.” 

“Your loss,” TK quipped as he gathered the proper equipment, excitement visible. 

“You do realize it’s not normal to be this excited about climbing to the top of a 4 story building, right?” Nancy asked her partner, who ignored her. “It’s a little concerning if I’m being honest, Strand.” 

“You’re just jealous,” TK tossed back with a grin as he shouldered his pack. 

“No, I’m really not.” 

“Children,” Tommy interjected mildly, causing both paramedics to quiet as she rolled her eyes. 

Owen shook his head as he looked to the rest of his crew. “Ryder, get the ladder going and Chavez be ready to grab whatever other equipment they might need. You’ll be the runner.” 

There was a chorus of “copy” as they all set into motion, a flurry of organized chaos on the ground. Paul and Marjan grabbed the rescue basket and met TK at the base of the ladder. 

“I told you not much would change when I switched to medical,” he told them with a grin. “We still get to do some rescues together after all.”

“That’s just because you are too much of an adrenaline junkie to keep your feet on the ground,” Marjan pointed out lightly, receiving a snort in return. 

“Takes one to know one.” 

Paul rolled his eyes as he grabbed the ladder and pulled himself up, “Yes, you’re both very daring. Now hand me that basket so we can get up there and get this guy off the roof.” 

Marjan bumped a shoulder into TK before grabbing the basket in question. He grabbed the other end and together they hoisted it up onto the ladder so Paul could drag it behind him. Marjan assisted from behind with TK bringing up the rear with the medical gear. They reached the top without incident and stepped out onto the roof one by one. TK went immediately to the fallen figure as Paul surveyed the area once he and Marjan had set down the basket. 

“Looks like he was up here repairing something,” Paul noted, gesturing to the tool box by the access door. “Must have gotten locked out or something.” 

“And tripped over something, knocking himself out,” TK added, lifting up a gloved hand with blood on it to show them. “All other vitals are normal, he just knocked himself out. Sir,” he said to the downed figure, “can you hear me?” 

He prodded the man lightly on the shoulder and waited for a response. When he got none he tried again, speaking a little louder as Marjan and Paul got the basket ready for him. After another try TK shook his head, “He is well and truly out,” he announced, “but his pulse and respirations are normal. Guess we just need to get him down.” 

“Way ahead of you dude,” Marjan announced, gesturing towards the fully prepped basket. 

TK nodded and spoke into his radio, “Patient is stable, getting ready to transport him back down, Cap.” 

“Copy that Strand,” came the distorted voice of Tommy through the radio, “we’ll be ready for you here on the ground.” 

TK, who had just finished running the IV line, nodded to Paul and Marjan. “Can you help me move him?” 

They nodded and took up positions at the man’s hip and legs. Once they were ready TK spoke. “Okay,” he instructed, “on 3. 1, 2…” 

The last number was lost as they lifted him up and placed him carefully in the basket, securing the straps tightly around his still form. 

“I’ll go first,” TK told them. “Once I’m on the ladder you can pass the basket down to me.” 

“Well get going then,” Marjan said lightly, “what are you waiting for?” 

TK rolled his eyes and stepped carefully over the edge, swinging his leg back onto the ladder. 

It was a simple maneuver; he had done it more times than he could possibly count over the 7 years of his career. He went through the motions without blinking, not even giving a thought to movements. It was pure muscle memory, and it had never let him down. 

But today was different in a way no one could predict. At the exact same moment the mechanics of the ladder malfunctioned and the lock holding the ladder in place let go, causing the ladder to jerk violently. The sudden motion countered TK’s tenuous balance on the top of the ladder, causing him to slip. If asked later, all three members of the 126 on the roof would say that the single instant seemed to stretch on for several as they all watched in horror. 

TK’s eyes grew wide, which would have been comical, in any other instance. He flailed, trying to readjust his grip on the ladder, to pull himself back to safety. His friends did the same, reaching down and grabbing for him, desperately groping for his arms in hope of stopping his plummet. But they were too slow and there was no stopping him as he flipped over the edge of the ladder and fell to the ground. 

There were shouts all around as the rest of the team and the spectators watched in horror. TK hit the ground with a dull thud, and there was another moment of collective horror before movement erupted. 

“Judd, figure out what went wrong with the ladder and get Paul and Marjan down here with the victim now,” Owen shouted into his radio even as he ran. “Captain Vega!” 

But Tommy was already in step with him, Nancy not far behind. They reached TK’s still form at the same time and while Tommy and Nancy were on their knees beside him in an instant, Owen stopped; frozen with fear as he stared down at the splayed body of his son, hardly daring to breathe. 

There was a tense silence filling the air around them but Owen couldn’t stand it. His son had just...he could be....TK might… 

His head was a jumble of thoughts, each abandoned before they reached the end and the awful possibility. “Tommy,” he asked weakly, aware that his voice was shaking, “is he…” 

“He’s alive,” Tommy confirmed and Owen felt himself sag in relief. But Tommy’s expression was still tense and Owen felt the fear creeping back into his mind. Before he could give voice to any of the fears running through his mind, Tommy leaned forward, tapping TK on the shoulder firmly. 

“TK, can you hear me?” 

There was no response and Owen could feel his dread build. 

“TK,” Tommy said again, “come on, I need you to wake up so I know what we’re dealing with.” 

She tapped him again and after several more long, heart-stopping minutes TK’s eyes opened slowly. “Cap?” he croaked, and Tommy gave him a tight grin. 

“Yeah, kid. Can you tell me how you’re feeling?” 

“Sore,” he answered and Owen had to repress a snort. 

“That’s not surprising,” Tommy answered evenly. “Nancy and I are going to do our checks, we just need to know what you’re feeling, alright? You know the drill.” 

Owen heard footsteps beside him and glanced over to see Judd appear at his side. His face was pale as he looked down at TK before he swallowed and addressed Owen. “Cap, I don’t know what happened. I’m so sorry, I can’t…” he trailed off, voice thick and eyes never leaving TK’s form, barely visible between Tommy and Nancy. 

“Not your fault, Judd,” Owen assured him softly because no matter what the cause turned out to be he knew for a fact that Judd would never have done anything to put any of the crew at risk. Whatever had happened, it was nobody’s fault. 

He stepped closer now, entering TK’s field of vision and giving him a reassuring smile, “Hey kiddo.” 

“Hey dad,” he replied weakly. “You don’t have to look so worried, I’m not in much pain.” 

“You fell 40 feet TK,” he countered, “I’m going to be worried no matter what you say.” 

TK’s rebuttal was interrupted by Nancy calling his attention to her. “TK, can you feel this?” 

TK frowned and turned his head towards her voice, “Feel what?” 

Nancy exchanged a grim look with Tommy as she removed her hand still from TK’s thigh. There was dead silence as the realization dawned on the group. Owen distantly saw Judd turn away, hand over his mouth but he only had eyes for his son, whose eyes were widening in realization. 

“No,” he said softly at first, eyes flicking up to find Owen. “No, this can’t be happening.” 

His voice was growing more frantic and his breathing faster. Owen reached out a hand and placed it on his chest. 

“Breathe, TK,” he told him firmly. “Just breathe. We don’t know anything yet. We need to get you to the hospital and have a doctor take a look.” 

“I can’t feel it, dad,” TK whimpered. “And I can’t move my legs. I don’t even need to be a paramedic to know what that means.”  

“Your dad’s right,” Tommy interrupted bracingly. “All we know is that you can’t feel it at the moment. There are any number of reasons for that, as you know. Once we get some scans we’ll have a better idea of what’s going on, okay? There’s no sense panicking right now.”

To Owen’s relief and surprise, TK nodded and took a deep breath. He even tried to give Nancy a small smile as she fit the c-collar around his neck with trembling hands. She returned it as Tommy called out for someone to bring the backboard. Paul did, Judd on his heels. 

The older firefighter paused beside Owen as Paul set down the backboard and spoke softly to TK. “I had dispatch stand us down,” he informed Owen. “I don’t think anyone’s in the right headspace to do our jobs safely just yet. Not until we know more.”

Owen nodded, “Thank you, Judd.”

 It should have been his call, he should have handled it. But he was glad Judd did because not for one single moment had any thought past the fact that TK couldn’t move his legs enter his mind. Judd simply nodded and looked back at TK, expression grim. Owen could hear the storm inside his head but he had just watched his son fall 40 feet and there was room in his own head for little else just yet. He had no comforting words to offer because, unlike so many other times, he wasn’t sure it would be alright. 

“Captain Strand.” 

Tommy’s voice pulled him back to reality. He looked at her to find her watching him carefully, “We have two patients to transport so we won’t have any room for you to ride with, unless you want to ride up front.” 

Owen shook his head, “I don’t want to get in the way. We’ll be right behind you.” 

She nodded and gestured for Paul to help her lift the backboard and bring it to the ambulance where Nancy was already getting the other patient - who was awake and aware now - settled. It was only another moment before Nancy walked around to the front and the ambulance pulled away, leaving a stunned fire crew in its wake. 

Owen swallowed and glanced around at his remaining crew, all in various stages of shock as they looked in the direction the ambulance had disappeared. 

“He’s going to be okay,” Mateo said tentatively, voice clear and loud against the tense silence. “Right?” 

He glanced at Marjan, who was standing beside him but all she could do was shake her head and wipe angrily at the tears that had escaped her eyes. Paul clapped a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it and Owen’s eyes sought Judd once more. He was leaning against the side of the ladder truck, eyes closed as his lips moved in silent prayer. 

Owen closed his own eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn’t get the image of TK falling out of his head, or the look of horror on his son’s face when he realized just what might be wrong. He knew his team needed reassurance and normally, he’d be more than happy to provide it. A few glib words in the face of adversity was kind of his thing, after all. 

But this was a fear he didn’t know how to soften, so he stayed quiet. 

“Let’s get everything wrapped up,” he said instead, eventually. “We have somewhere we need to be.” 

---------

The ride in the ambulance passed in a blur. He could hear Tommy talking to him and he knew he should answer; he owed his captain that, at least, but he was stuck. He was too busy spiraling at the thought of what was to come, of what it might all mean. Of what he stood to lose. 

He was a paramedic, he knew exactly how bad of a situation this was. And at the moment his was so bad he didn’t even need to be a paramedic to know. He couldn’t move his legs, he had no sensation from the waist down: just about anyone could tell you what that meant. There was a word in his head that he was trying to avoid but he couldn’t avoid the implications of it: you needed working legs to work for the fire department. 

He knew it was foolish, that he should be grateful to be alive (he had fallen 4 stories, after all) but he couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that if the worst was true he wasn’t sure what meaning his life would have any more. 

Eventually, the ambulance came to a stop and he was wheeled away for exams and tests. He did his best to return Nancy and Tommy’s well-wishes, but he knew it was a lackluster attempt at best. From there it was non-stop motion: an endless stream of noise and voices saying terms that he knew should mean something but it all filtered into his head as white noise that got lost in the fog of his panic. He was poked and prodded, asked questions he endeavored to answer, and put through a bevy of scans. It seemed like an eternity before he was finally wheeled into a room and joined by his father. 

It’s a relief to not be alone, but he can tell that his dad is feeling the same panic he is and doing a very bad job at hiding it. His smile is glass that is liable to shatter at the slightest sound as he runs a hand through TK’s hair, “How are you feeling son?” 

“Still not in any pain,” he assured his dad, but they both know that’s not even half the story. 

His dad nods though and reaches down to squeeze his arm. “No matter what happens TK,” he starts, “I’m going to be here for you, okay?” 

His dad is peering at him intensely and there is so much TK wants to say to that, so many doubts rooted in his own fear that he has. So many things he doesn’t want to say because he knows each and every one of them would shatter his father’s delicate composure and he can’t handle that right now. 

He is almost relieved to see a doctor enter the room and prevent any retort he could have possibly given until he remembers that the news the doctor has could upend his entire life. He feels his dad’s hand tighten on his arm and he looks at the doctor expectantly. 

The doctor steps further into the room and starts speaking without having to be asked and explains: there had been no obvious signs of anything broken or damaged, but all the muscles and tendons surrounding his spine were inflamed, likely from the serious bruising that came with falling nearly 40 feet. It was likely that the swelling was what was restricting his movements and that once it went down his mobility would return, probably. 

The doctor seemed hopeful but TK wasn’t quite ready to buy it. He didn’t want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed when the worst turned out to be true. 

But he saw the look of hope on his dad’s face and couldn’t bring himself to dim it. So he plastered on a smile and nodded, thanking the doctor. 

The doctor left him alone with his father who gave him a genuine smile and squeezed his arm tightly, “That’s good news!” he exclaimed and TK forced a smile. 

“Yeah, yeah it is.” 

And it was, objectively. Nothing broken means there is still a chance. But the not knowing was what got him and he hated the uncertainty. He doesn’t want to hang his hopes on a chance; experience has shown him those chances are often not strong enough to hold the weight. 

“The rest of the team is here,” his dad asked, looking down at him intently. “Do you want to see them or do you want me to tell them you need some rest?”

“No, they can come in,” TK replied and his dad smiled before squeezing his arm again. “This is good,” he reminded him, and TK managed one more smile before his dad steps out of the room. 

He allows himself a moment to breathe before his friends arrive. They don’t need to be worrying about him too, they all have enough to worry about in their own lives. He just needs to keep up a brave face. So he plasters on a smile as they file in, offering a half-hearted wave as they approach, “Hey guys.” 

Marjan is the first to approach, coming to a stop at the side of his bed and studying him. She looks him up and down before looking at him with furrowed eyebrows, “Don’t you ever do that again. I think you took three years off of my life, Strand. How are you feeling?” 

“Fine.” 

He was met with four unimpressed stares so he sighed and rephrased, “Not great, but I’m not in any pain and the doctors say that it’s likely only temporary. So fine, really.” 

Paul did not look like he believed him for a moment. “You know, no matter what happens, we’ve got your back man, no matter what.”

“I know that,” TK assured him because he did. If there was one thing in all of this he was certain of, it was that his friends had his back, no matter what. There were so many questions flying through his head, but that was not one of them. 

“I’m so sorry kid,” Judd said softly and TK looked up to him with a start. “This is my fault. I was operating the aerial, whatever happened, that’s on me.” 

“No, it’s not Judd.” 

The older man looked like he wanted to argue so TK repeated himself, “It’s not your fault. If something happened with the ladder, that’s not on you. You would have never done something to hurt me or any of us. Whatever happened is not on you and I don’t blame you.”

Judd met his eyes and TK smiled at him, the first genuine smile he had given since it happened. He may be scared out of his mind and he may be much more worried than he was letting on, but this was not Judd or anyone else’s fault, and he needed them to know that. “Okay?” he asked, and relaxed when Judd nodded. 

“How long until you know for sure?” Mateo chimed in, voice small and voicing the question TK himself had been pushing to the back of his mind: how much longer until they ran out of waiting and he had to face the inevitable. 

“I don’t know Probie,” he answered honestly, trying not to wince at the visible shift in the mood of the room. “Hopefully soon.” 

The question brought him back to the fear he had been grappling with and he tried his best to not let it show on his face. Thankfully Paul, ever observant, seemed to pick up on it. 

“C’mon guys,” he told them, “I already called Carlos and he’s on his way. We should get out of here and let them have their moment.” 

There were murmurs of agreements and jokes and TK could almost muster a real smile again. “Do you think you can manage to drag my dad home?” he asked. “He doesn’t need to be stuck here waiting. He can do that just as well from home, from a real bed.” 

“I think we can manage it,” Marjan assured him, pulling him into a soft hug, “that’s what family’s for, after all.” 

His smile grew at that and as they filtered out after more hugs and well wishes, he allowed himself a moment to feel optimistic. He’s determined to keep up the brave face for now and for as long as he can so they don’t need to worry about him, and while he has his doubts and secret fears, no matter what happened he would have his friends with him, after all.

[peanut-butter-parkerxx]

plane pillow

where peter planned to play video games with ned through the whole flight but fate decided to take another turn....

*A/N: this isnt related to far from home nor the ending of endgame, just pretend infinity and all the movies after didnt exist since i imagine pete 16 in here. i dont know why 16 i just like that age on him lmao, enjoy reading!*

pairing: peter x reader

status: strangerz (well sort of since they haven't talked to eachother but they're in the same school)

NOT PROOF READ BTW SO SORRY IF THERE ARE ANY MISTAKES

peter's POV

"the flight will be amazing! i heard they'd installed the new game we were talking about" i gushed to ned, excited for the whole flight to be filled with video games.

"im excited" ned stated practically jumping from excitement and i shook my head laughing

"OK CLASS!" Mr Harrington clapped his hands getting our attention "we're boarding the plane in a few minutes so pack your stuff and lets goooo" he pointed at our gate dramatically.

we walked to the gate, scanned our ticket and sat on our assigned seats, ned and i sat on the three seater, he took the window seat by winning a 3 round match of rock, paper, scissors *sighs angrily* and i obvious got the middle, kinda scared of who'll sit beside me though.

we had to wait for a few minutes, since we boarded the flight early. ned and i obviously started playing video games, too entranced by the small glowing screen infront of me i haven't realized a girl.

she hadn't really acknowledged me either because she looked tired, i cursed at the screen for losing the game too quickly and my dumb ass still didnt realize a GIRL, MY AGE, looking PRETTY FUCKING ADORABLE was sitting next to me. oh dear god.

after a couple more games and me being the most idiotic teenager known today for not looking at my right to see her  the flight attendant alerted us that the plane will take off so we the screen will freeze any moment. ned and i decided to sleep, it was very early in the morning and we need to rest if we plan on gaming most of the flight.

i closed my eyes and shifted a bit in my seat, and slept. the plain was moving at the time trying to find the best place to take off. i guess i was really tired that i havent felt someone sleeping on my shoulder.

i was peacefully sleeping still agitated from the uncomfortable seat but i heard a loud noise that frightened the life out of me and due to my spidey senses i sensed a hand on my right, so what did i do? i fucking held the hand. hard, may i add, from the fright.

i opened my eyes quickly and jumped a bit, turning around to see who's the stranger that i held hands with, startled as well. i sighed in relief knowing our plane was safe and it was just about to take off. but then i took a good look on the perso- her, took a good look on her, on her? OH MY GOD ITS A GIRL calm down peter and please dont scare her off. i couldnt stop looking at her and to my luck she was looking at me as well, but none of us spoke

i couldnt help but notice the small part of her y/h/c hair that was shown from her hood looked so shiny and smooth, her eyes were the most perfect shade of y/e/c. the extremely large hoodie looked so comfortable on her which made me think of her wearing one of mine, how big and long it'll look on her body sent butterflies to my stomach. she looked small, and precious so fragile yet she held her body confidently.

the voice of the flight attendant echoed through the speakers which made us both stop our trance of one another. even though the lady's voice wasnt scary it still frightened us. i mean no hate towards miss attendant she called me a cutie and gave me extra blankets

but coz we got startled again we held hands....again looking for the sources of the noise. we visibly relaxed once we realized what it was, looked at eachother and laughed, her laugh was angelic and soft, hands down the best sound ive ever head. she looked rather embarrassed from the encounter but i bet you a thousand dollars i look worse, i could practically feel the blood rush through my cheeks once she realized how long ive stared at her

"i- uhm i-im so sorry for sleeping on your shoulder, and- and holding your hand and stuff" she apologized, it only made me even more baffled by her. how could a voice match with a face so perfectly.

"no no its fine uhh i dont mind *nervous laugh* and for the hand thing i was the one who grabbed yours so i-i should be the one apologizing...im sorry" i rubbed the back of my neck. this is why i dont talk to girls, ever. well mj is an exception since shes like the closest thing i have to a friend other than my best friend obviously.

"i-im y/n, by the way" she lifted her hand properly introducing herself

"peter, peter parker" i shook her hand, it was nice feeling the warmth of her hand again. we probably held hands (for the third time today by the way) longer the we should have but who am i to say i was bothered. i definitely wasnt.

"nice to meet you peter" she smiled shaking our hands one last time then sitting it on her lap. scratch what i said about her gorgeous laugh, hearing her say my name was the best thing ive heard in my 16 year of existence. (her laugh is obviously the second best)

before i could ask anything else, the plane decided to finally take off. i adjusted myself to the seat, not turning to my right side anymore and closed my eyes trying to think of smiling puppies. ive been on a plane before, in fact a private one last year but that was it. this is my second time flying away from new york and i was a bit nervous.

y/n somehow noticed my sudden tense form, who am i kidding i looked like i was about to die coz of my nerves. and held my hand. and i immediately opened my eyes again, the feeling of her skin coming in contact with mine brought chills down my spine, good ones obviously

"you looked rather tense, is this ok?" she leaned into my ear so i could hear her. i looked at her confused on why she would want to help me but nodded as a reply. a smile crept on my face and i couldnt seem to take it off.  the take off went smoothly thank god. and ive occasionally squeezed her hand, usually when the plane made very loud sounds. but i made it! woohoo

i didnt know if i should stop holding her hand or not, even though i didnt want to. will she think im a creep? and if i did, will she think im rude? but i guess it didnt seem to bother her if she went back to sleeping. so i figured i should do the same

i shifted in my seat a couple of times trying to get the perfect comfy spot....nothing. this seat will be the death of m-

"you can sleep on my shoulder if you want" she whispered. "i figured since you let me sleep on yours which im very sorry about, you could sleep on mine" she smiled

"thanks, but i dont wanna bother you or make you uncomfortable"

"oh nonsense! my body is screaming right now cheering for me, well partially scolding at me for saying something risky like that to a good looking guy, its ok" she laughed, her eyes widened in shock from what she confessed. i smiled at her and rested my head on her shoulder

"you think im good looking?" i whispered playing with our fingers, i dont know when i got the sudden confidence but hearing someone like her think a loser like me is cute did something to me.

"shut up" she playfully shoved me and i laughed.

"are you from midtown?" i asked her

"no im from queens" she joked

"oh you're definitely from midtown" i chuckled, next thing i know i was having a normal conversation with me laying my head on a girl i just met like we knew eachother for years, it was nice to talk to a girl i potentially thought was cute instead of talking gibberish

she was very understanding and looked like interested into what i was saying, i was gonna skip my geeky side when she asked about what i like but to my surprise, she mentioned it when i asked her the same, she said she loves comics and likes watching sci fi movies. i asked her if she watched star wars and she said she didnt...yet.

"wanna uhm watch it together?" i played with her fingers absentmindedly nervous if she'd reject me.

"yeah sure" her eyes lit up like she was waiting for me to ask her that. we watched the movie in bliss, thankfully she liked it! and immediately said to put the second one. and surprise surprise, we finished it.

when the credits rolled in, i saw her yawning, shifting in her seat again, i decided to be bold so i lifted her head off my shoulder pulled the arm rest away from us, took a pillow and patted my lap. immediately after doing it i regretted it, she barely knows me, what the fuck peter.

"you sure?" she asked smiling a bit, she looked like she felt something giddy inside which made me feel at peace again and i nodded.

"good night" she whispered snuggling her head on my lap, i hesitantly put my arm over

"good night, y/n" and we fell asleep like how ned slept the whooole time i was talking to her, wow we have a lot to catch up on

bonus:

peters pov

i didnt know the whole plane (our class) practically gushed over my interaction with y/n, i know its been a while since i liked a girl but betty and the rest (including Mr Harrington) practically begged mj to take photos of us since she was the closest, not that she wouldnt have done it without them asking her....

*A/N: idk what this bonus was lmao but i had to add the school feeling happy for our boy pete*

have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night!

-quacksonlover

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 2 - Desert Oasis

Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, was it coincidence or was it meant to be?, 2.3k

@trevor-wilson-covington is my bestie who makes me these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

Part 1

The boys entered the empty theater from backstage, all gazing at the splendor of it. Luke leapt onto the stage with a stomp, smiling at the echo. Alex just took in the high ceiling, the lights, and the private boxes that made it feel less like a concert venue and more like a mini operahouse. Reggie seemed to think something similar, and by extension made some wobbly ballerina spins across the stage. Not to miss an opportunity to show good form, Alex pirouetted and ended with a jeté, unable to resist feeling smug.

“Now that Alex has christened the stage,” Bobby said. “When do we do a sound check?”

“The stage manager guy said not till about five,” Luke mentioned. “So we can do whatever we need until then.”

“Then why’d we get here so early?”

Both Alex and Reggie gave Bobby funny looks. They knew why. Bobby’s face went from confusion to understanding as he added things together. Luke was already heading back toward the green room. Julie Molina hadn’t arrived yet, but he was clearly excited for when she did. He was probably compiling lyrics to show her.

“Met her once and he’s twitterpated,” Bobby joked, Reggie chuckling after him. “Bet you know what that’s all about, though, right Alex?”

“Well...” Alex said in a high-pitched voice. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was the same thing. Willie was nice, and seemed to accept his invitation, but he didn’t dare assume.

“Come on, that waiter couldn’t keep his eyes off you,” Bobby insisted.

“Waiter?” Reggie puzzled. “What waiter?”

Alex looked at him, sticking his tongue in his cheek. “Really?”

Reggie shook his head, still clueless. Bobby stuck his hands in his pockets.

“Your friend, Smooth McDuck, here practically asked him out right in front of us,” he said. “How many pancakes did you eat anyway?”

“Ooooh that waiter!” Reggie said, finally.

“Okay,” Alex muttered to himself as they continued toward the green room. He didn’t want to get his hopes too high, especially with Bobby being so encouraging. Part of him was almost afraid of seeing Willie actually show up at the show tonight. It was more from the uncertainty of what Alex would do if he saw him again because he didn’t trust himself to keep his cool. How he’d managed it back in the diner he attributed to either his upset stomach or mild shock. 

As they reached the green room, Luke was on the phone, a concentrated look on his face. A crew member sat with his arms folded next to him.

“Uh huh...okay, thank you.” He sighed. “Yeah, sure thing. Thanks, bye.” He hung up and ran his hands over his face.

“What was that about?” Alex asked.

“Just called the motel to see when we could check in and they’re flooded, plus their other rooms are full,” Luke told them. “But they’re gonna give us our money back and hopefully we can find somewhere soon.”

Everyone groaned at the inconvenience. Finding somewhere in Vegas that they could afford within a handful of hours sounded practically impossible.

“Who wants to go hotel hunting?” Bobby said solemnly, looking around for more volunteers.

“I’ll do it,” Reggie responded.

“Me too,” Alex followed. “Is there a phone book?”

“I got you,” the crew member said, going back to a closet and pulling one out. He handed it to Alex, who proceeded to flip through the yellow pages.

“Anyone got a notepad so we can write numbers down?” he asked.

After a bit of scrambling between the rest of them, a pen and notepad were provided.

“I’m gonna go get the cash back,” Luke said, heading out to the van and disappearing.

In a combination of checking their map and collecting a list of numbers and locations, the other three looked at their options.

“Okay, I say we take turns making calls,” he said.

For the next hour Bobby, Reggie and Alex rotated between contacting numerous hotels and writing down prices and seeing where reservations were open. Most places were too expensive, the rest were booked. They were down to the last two numbers, and Reggie was on the second to last call.

“We need two rooms. Or one with room for four, if you have that,” he was saying for the umpteenth time. The silence thickened with anticipation, and then thinned out again. “No problem. Thanks anyway, bye.”

Hanging the receiver, Reggie sighed heavily.

“Man, if this last one doesn’t work, I am gonna hate driving back overnight,” Bobby stated.

“Me too, I can’t fall asleep in the car,” Reggie said. “I don’t know how Luke does it.”

“Well, let’s try this last one and hope for the best,” Alex told them.

He picked up the receiver again and dialed the last number, listening to it connect to the operator and then start ringing.

“Thanks for calling the Desert Oasis, my name is William, how can I help you?” A familiar voice said on the other line.

Alex dropped his jaw.

“Willie?” he breathed. Bobby and Reggie perked up in interest. Luke reentered the green room as he returned from collecting their money.

“Um...yes?” Willie answered in confusion. “Who am I speaking to?”

Alex chuckled nervously, avoiding the looks on all his friends’ faces.

“It’s, uh...it’s Alex. You work at a hotel too?” One of the guys playfully socked him in the shoulder and he swatted them away.

“Yeah, I do.” He could hear the slight happy tone in his voice and had to make himself focus on the task at hand.

“Cool, well, me and the guys are actually kinda desperate. Do you have any open rooms?”

“We should.” Alex pumped his fist excitedly at those words. He could see the rest of the guys’ faces light up.

“Do you want one with four beds or two with two beds?” Willie continued.

“What’s cheaper?”

“The one room. How many nights do you need?”

“Just tonight,” Alex told him.

There was a short pause on the other line.

“Okay, I’ve got you in.”

“Yes!” Alex exclaimed, to which the boys started celebrating. Luke and Bobby hollered while Reggie gave everyone high-fives. Honestly, if Willie had been in the room, Alex might have nearly choked him with a tight hug. “Thank you, Willie, thank you, thank you!”

WIllie giggled on the other line.

“Of course! You guys should check in soon though.”

“Yes, right,” Alex calmed from his euphoria. “We’ll be there as soon as we can. Thank you, again!”

“Yeah man, I’ll see you soon!”

Alex hung up and ran his hands through his hair in relief.

Luke wrapped an arm around Alex and thumped his chest, and Alex in turn messed up his hair.

“Okay boys, let’s get checked in!” Luke cried as they all ran to clamber into the van again.

Alex was still wonderstruck at the idea of seeing Willie again. It had been only a couple of hours; maybe he’d been nervous at the thought of him appearing later that evening but now he was too excited for that. Even though it was a short drive, he made sure to ride shotgun this time. The last thing he wanted was for the nausea to resurface.

As they arrived, Alex grabbed his backpack and headed straight for the front desk. It was empty, but soon a man with dark curly hair came around the corner and stepped behind it.

“Sunset Curve, I presume?” he asked. He had a slight accent that Alex couldn’t place. Maybe it was French? Either way, he was disappointed not to see Willie there. The rest of the guys had piled in behind him.

“Yeah, man, that’s us!” Luke said, stepping forward.

“Tell your friends!” Reggie quipped habitually. The concierge gave him a stiff but polite smile. Luke quickly handed him the cash to pay for their stay and he was handed a room key.

“Your room will be on the second floor and then all the way down the hall to your right. Have a wonderful stay.”

Alex sat in disbelief while Luke had handled everything, so Reggie had to nudge him. Returning to the present, he shouldered his backpack and followed the boys to the elevator. He didn’t like the unsettling feeling descending on him like a shadow. It was more than just not seeing Willie upon arrival, but he couldn’t explain it just yet. A small pat to his shoulder diverted his attention.

“He’ll be around here somewhere,” Bobby assured him.

Alex nodded back to him, glad for the support. This was a newer side he was seeing from Bobby, and it was a change that strangely didn’t make him completely freak out.

As they got into their room, Reggie sprawled onto the main bed as though he were landing on a cloud. Luke claimed the couch, which Bobby insisted was a pullout bed as well. They all got to argue over which territory they claimed, and found out that the couch was just a couch, but there was a bed that came down off the wall in the closet. Reggie had brought his stuffed bear and placed it on the main bed, saying it was now being “reserved”. In retaliation, Bobby threatened to be the big spoon, to which Reggie replied “I’ll just be the bigger spoon!” in a very flustered manner. Alex sat on the bed from the wall with his legs crossed, enjoying the insanity.

“What you should really be fighting over is who gets to shower first,” he said, knowing the seeds of chaos he was sowing.

“Dibs! I call dibs!” Reggie yelled, raising a hand.

“Not if you can’t get in there first,” Luke said as he passed him on the way to the bathroom. This caused a comical fight to enter the bathroom, which Reggie ultimately lost.

“They know there’s showers at the venue, right?” Bobby muttered over to Alex.

“Not if we don’t tell ‘em,” Alex murmured back, giving him a fist bump. He preferred not to wait for all three of them at either location to finish getting cleaned up after the show.

Bobby picked up Luke’s acoustic and started playing around, and quickly Reggie sat on the floor to listen. Alex didn’t feel up to jamming and decided he needed to get out.

“I’m gonna take a walk,” he announced, to which the other boys only nodded. He caught Reggie’s hypnotized expression as he looked up at Bobby and chuckled as he made his way out the door. He wondered if they would ever figure it out.

Alex pulled a drumstick out of his fanny pack and dragged it along the wall of the hotel, tapping a simple rhythm. This place was across the street from the diner, he’d noticed on their way in. The temptation to search for Willie grew, but he questioned it for a moment. Was he really going to get feelings for a guy he’d barely met and likely wouldn’t see after this trip? It seemed a little crazy.

He came to the end of the hallway and peered through the window overlooking the street. It was kind of a pretty view of the Red Rock Canyon, and would have been even better if the window had been wider. The sun was bright, inviting him to go outside. It isn’t searching for Willie, it’s just getting fresh air, he told himself. He took the stairs down to the main floor and waved at the concierge as he pushed his way out the door.

The wind had picked up a little, and Alex breathed in as the breeze swept over him. The heat was a little more intense than back home, but he liked the change. Heading toward the sidewalk, he chose to try just walking around the block before going back up to the room. Being on the outskirts of the city was thankfully much quieter.

Quiet enough to hear the gentle click-rooolllllll of small wheels behind him.

Before he could fully turn around, Alex was hit full force with someone’s entire body weight and they both landed together on the concrete. Grunting in pain, he looked to see Willie on the ground beside him, hand on top of a cracked helmet.

“There are better ways of getting my attention,” he said hoarsely, standing up.

“Sorry, I was meaning to stop before I got to you,” Willie said, chuckling through his own pain and holding onto his skateboard. Alex offered him a hand and Willie took it to help himself up. The closeness already had Alex catching his breath and he mentally begged to hold himself together repeatedly.

“So I don’t get it, do you just run back and forth between the hotel and the diner as you’re needed?” Alex asked.

Willie’s eyes went side to side and he shrugged.

“Sort of,” he told him. “It makes every day different.”

Alex caught a glimpse at his other hand and saw the newly opened sore that wasn’t being mentioned.

“Willie, your hand!” He cried, carefully taking hold of it so the palm faced up.

“It’s no big deal,” Willie said while trying to pull it away. Alex kept a firm grip on his wrist so he couldn’t hide it. “I’ve had worse.”

“Well, you shouldn’t stay cut open,” Alex scolded gently. He dug into his fanny pack and pulled out an alcohol cotton pad and some bandaids.

“Do you seriously carry those with you everywhere?” Willie wondered as Alex opened the packet.

“You’ve seen my friends, right?” was his only response. He continued to clean Willie’s hand, ignoring his winces, gasps and reflexive jerking, and then covered it the best he could with the bandaids. Willie just bit his lip and sighed.

“You used to play doctor with your teddy bear as a kid, huh?”

Alex looked at him and the adorable expression on his face was too much. He smirked.

“Right, hah. Not gonna be a problem, will it?”

Retaining his smile, Willie sat backward and raised his eyebrows.

“Problem? I don’t think so.”

He dropped his board and kicked off.

“Hey, where are you going?” Alex said, running after him.

Willie simply nodded for him to follow, and it was all too compelling. Holding the strap on his fanny pack, he ran to catch up, unsure where they were headed.

[ranboocore-moved]

Confrontation. Explanation and Analysis

to preface this, this essay was largely written within the @dsmpanalysis​ mod discord after some fellow mods voiced confusion surrounding Ranboo’s lore stream today (1/16/2021). it’s been tweaked to make more sense as a tumblr post and not a response to a collection of messages. If you were confused about Ranboo’s lore stream today, I’m going to explain it largely as I understood it. To summarize the stream to its core -- Ranboo confronts the Dream inside the panic room about his lost memories, and finds out that Ranboo himself has Cat. During the Festival/Doomsday Event, it was hinted at that Dream was really just a figment of Ranboo’s imagination -- he wasn’t real. Some people thought this could mean that Ranboo was possessed or that Dream had supernatural powers to manipulate him through his thoughts, among a few other similar things, while other’s figured that it really was just Ranboo’s figment of his imagination. It was just a psychological reaction to the stress and trauma he went through. It was heavily confirmed that that was the case today. Given that Ranboo is super active in fan spaces and likes to take notes, he probably noticed a lot of theories regarding this being a supernatural external thing, and hammered down on the concept that “Dream” was just a “manifestation of his catastrophizing” and anxiety. It was almost a little excessive, but this is improv and there was a point that needed to be made. Memory Ghost Dream also reveals to Ranboo that he has Cat (the disc). If you’re confused on how Ranboo got Cat, it’s honestly kind of subtle if you weren’t listening because it’s only given away in one sentence. Dream encourages and pokes at Ranboo to think harder, try to remember what he did after he crossed a nether portal. Ranboo begins to remember that he spoke to Dream (the real one) and that Dream told him to protect something. Ranboo CANNOT place it, so Memory Ghost Dream nudges him a little further by saying “You got it from Skeppy.” This is the only mention of how Ranboo obtained the disc. Dream didn’t give him the disc, Skeppy did. Dream, however, did KNOW about Ranboo having the disc and urged him to protect it and keep it safe. ”Wouldn’t we have seen Skeppy give Ranboo the disc?” No! It’s clear that this is an integral part of the plot and it was an event purposely kept hidden to maintain an element of surprise. It was a scripted interaction that didn’t need to be shown -- only implied. This essentially sums up my explanation -- however it doesn’t quite suffice as a summary. Honestly, I highly recommend everyone watch it as it is a short stream and is comprised of all lore. The whole stream is a lore stream, and also it’s extremely evident that Ranboo put a lot of work into the stream and its events. To further convince you, someone donated during the second stream today saying “I was crying by the end of the stream.” to which Ranboo says, “Don’t worry, I was too.” He clarified that he was totally okay -- he just gets really into character. So, like, if you’re not convinced then IDK.

Analysis Below The Cut (because this post is already pretty long)

The narrative implications surrounding a state of Ranboo aligning himself with Dream and harboring Mellohi setup a scenario which breaks up the monotony the SMP has filled itself up with regarding the discs. I’ve seen a lot of people voice how they are tired or unsatisfied with the discs persisting to be key plot points within the narrative, which is honestly a super valid opinion. The direction the Exile Arc and Festival/Doomsday Event felt... really tired, and just a poorly conducted rehashed version of the Festival prior. There were a lot of recycled concepts and it felt like the writers trying to grasp at what Wilbur had created before by chance. 

However, with the story that Ranboo is writing -- he’s utilizing the discs in a different way by throwing himself into the fray. It feels repetitive when the conflict surrounding the discs are “Tommy want disc. Dream have disc. Chaos.” or vice versa. However, by throwing Ranboo in-between the two of them, holding the disc, and being established as a character who is adamant he not take sides, he is effectively shaking up the conflict that has been rehashed 5 ways from Sunday. There’s still the conflict of Tommy wants the discs v.s Dream wanting the discs however it’s no longer the focal point of the story. The conflicts go from a stale and mostly two dimensional issue, to a more fleshed out morality crisis.

Tubbo and Ranboo are still friends in canon. They did a canon stream that wasn’t super lore heavy, and achieved what felt like mostly comic relief -- however the did reconcile what happened. They consider themselves to be friends with each other, or at least friendly. However, this raises the question:

How will Tommy react when he finds out that Ranboo has Cat? Where do the implications of one state of Ranboo being aligned with Dream and his desires lead?

While you still may not be convinced or tired of the plot devices being used, I would like to end on this note. If it were to end with Ranboo picking a side, more specifically Tommy’s, I would also be incredibly disappointed. I’d be a bit more joyful, though, if he were to side with Dream as it would still break up that monotony surrounding the discs. Dream only aligned himself with people during the beginning of the smp. However as the plot has literally thickened and became heavier and sturdier, Dream has solidified himself as someone to be alone -- therefore if Ranboo were to side with dream it would ultimately subvert our expectations. 

However, I’d still be a little bit disappointed if he did pick a side, because the core theme of his character in this arc has been to not pick side and is sturdy in the belief that choosing sides would always end up in disaster, no matter what. So, I’d either want him to keep the same theme up throughout the Arc, or Ranboo to have to grow as a character into a different perspective and understanding that sometimes sides have to be taken and ultimately picked upon by the greater good. It would be up to him to decide said greater good and what constitutes great or good, which is a whole other development of character and plot on its own. Anyways, I just think that if you’re being overtly critical of the story that Ranboo is writing, maybe you should look at it from a different perspective.