#I’ve been trying to start on chapter 1 but I have slightly bad news.

[crushedsweets]

Papa, me want more movie 😡(on your own time no rush i just love this game already)

IM PAPA NOW ?!?

[penkura]

last forever [9/13]

Summary: Zoro only offered to marry you to keep you out of an arranged marriage with a man much older than you. You agreed with the caveat of ending it via annulment once you received word from your parents regarding the original engagement, despite your growing feelings for your close friend.

Pairing: Zoro x Fem!reader, mentioned Sanami later (like epilogue later so chill)

Warnings: Marriage of Convenience, Fake Marriage, referenced sex (waaaaaay later on), mutual pining, Zoro is bad at feelings but what's new there, eventual romance I promise, mention of past attempted assault (I'll warn in that chapter), creepy older dude later on

Note: Post-timeskip, go let's go. Of course, they're a little older now, we know Zoro is 21, so Reader is now 20. :) This chapter IS shorter than the others that are left, but that just means we're getting into the better parts of the story. I really can't wait for you all to see what's next. :)

Taglist:

@misfits1a

[Ch. 1] ● [Ch. 2] ● [Ch. 3] ● [Ch. 4] ● [Ch. 5] ● [Ch. 6] ● [Ch. 7] ● [Ch. 8]

It’s been a long time since you’ve felt such strong anxiety about seeing people, not since the last time you’d met with your parents’ chosen fiancé for you, but it’s come back in spades at the thought of seeing your crew again after two years.

At the thought of seeing Zoro again, more than anything.

The thought of him deciding to dissolve your marriage when he sees you again is the main source of your anxiety, what you try to push away as you leave the lovely group of swordswomen who took care of you for the last two years, those who you’d told about your situationship with Zoro wishing you the best as they dropped you off. You hope no one is jinxing anything, but still feel nervous every time you see someone or something that could be Zoro as you go about, looking for things to purchase and for your friends.

When Nami and Usopp find you, the happiness between the three of you makes all your worries and anxieties dissipate for the time being. Both hug you so tightly, a three-person group hug, you almost cry out of happiness at seeing them again, before Nami starts fawning over how you look so much stronger yourself. She can’t believe how different you seem! She adores your outfit of course, a fitted tank top with knee-length shorts to match and ankle boots, your beloved sword from Elias still attached to your hip. You tell her how wonderful she looks, giving Usopp the same compliment as the three of you start making your way towards Sunny, running into a distraught Chopper who you’re able to calm down after an explanation of the fake Starw Hats on Sabaody.

Chopper gives you a big hug and lets you carry him the rest of the way, its like you have a child but you don’t mind it. You’ll baby Chopper all he wants, it’s the least you can do after he’d taken such great care of you all as your crew’s doctor before you were separated.

Once you make it to Sunny, you’re glad to see your ship and home is safe, and receive compliments from Franky and Robin regarding how more grown up you look. You are twenty now, after all, but it makes you smile shyly and your face feel warm as you thank them both.

After Chopper leaves to retrieve the missing members of your crew once Brook arrives, you start to feel your anxiety creep in again, Robin noticing right away and giving you a soft smile.

“Zoro will be glad to see you again.”

“You,” you gulp a bit, smiling nervously now, “you think so?”

“I do. You two have been close since I’ve been with everyone, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you’re well.”

You really do hope Robin is right, especially when you hear Chopper calling for you all, the large bird he’d left on returning now with Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro aboard as well. You surprise yourself by not crying when you see Zoro, instead grinning brightly and joining Usopp at waving widely to the three of them, shouting their names.

It slightly catches Zoro off guard to see you so happy, but still makes him keep his own smile on his face when he sees you. Robin is correct, though Zoro doesn’t know that, but he is truly glad to see you’re fine, you look so much stronger than two years ago, and seeing how you keep yourself up on your feet when Luffy flings himself down to give you a hug, he’s even more impressed. He wants, needs, to talk to you alone, but after making it on deck, Luffy still hasn’t let you go, Zoro realizes its going to be a bit before he can take you elsewhere to talk, especially so once Sanji recovers from his nosebleed and also gives you a hug. He turns to fawning over you like Nami did, telling you how lovely you look.

Zoro can’t disagree with that statement.

He gives you time with Sanji, who continues to talk to you and tries to tell you about his own two years, until he notices you’re constantly glancing past him, and he knows exactly why.

Sanji smiles at you, before taking you by the shoulder and pushing you towards Zoro, essentially telling you to go see your husband already, he’s been waiting for you to be free so you could talk maybe. It makes you smile at him before you finally walk over to Zoro, who had turned to leaning against the rail with his arms crossed and eyes closed, until you tap his shoulder and he opens his one good eye to see you.

“Hey there.”

“Hey.”

You feel nervous, for some reason, before you notice the scar over his left eye finally and tilt your head.

“What happened with your eye?”

“Training accident,” Shrugging, Zoro stands up straight and you realize he’s gotten slightly taller in the last two years, he notices the same for you but you’re still shorter than him, “Come with me for a bit, yeah?”

Nodding, you follow Zoro up to the crow’s nest, the two of you briefly talking about your two years. You’re amazed to hear he trained under Mihawk, while Zoro is beyond impressed you ended up in a village for swordswoman. He knew you looked stronger, he can’t wait to see how much better you’ve become with your sword.

Once you’re both in the crow’s nest, before you can say anything else, Zoro surprises you this time but hugging you as tightly as he can, which you return once you’ve shaken off the shock that he’s initiated this. You thought the two years would make the two of you drift apart, not being around each other or anything, but perhaps you’d just been paranoid the whole time.

Don’t cry, I don’t want to cry right now…

“I missed you.”

He’s making it difficult for you not to cry, so you just nod a bit, biting your tongue to keep from crying.

“I missed you too, Zoro…”

Neither of you say anything for a while, you’re impressed the rest of your crew hasn’t tried to bother and bring you both back down with everyone, but you’re also grateful for it. You both need this, just some time together, time alone, it’s probably not enough time to discuss your marriage and what’s next, but you don’t really care that much.

“I…I love you…”

Zoro nods, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead briefly.

“I know.”

That’s enough for you right now, it still makes you smile up at him, before you frown a bit, causing Zoro to raise an eyebrow at you.

“My parents…they still want me to go back and marry him…”

“Oh yeah?”

You nod, staying quiet for a moment before you sigh and lay your head back against his chest and gripping his top while he strokes your hair a bit. He may not agree with what you’re about to say, but after two and a half years, your marriage could only be ended by divorce, a thought you’ve hated since this came into being. You even hated the thought of the annulment plans, and now, you two only had the choices of divorcing or staying married.

“I don’t want a divorce…”

“We’re not gonna. Not now,” Zoro hugs you a little tighter, one arm around your shoulders and the other around your waist as he gives you a kiss on the top of your head, “I won’t let anyone take you away from the crew, even if we stay married forever.”

“Thank you…thank you so, so much, Zoro…”

“Of course. I’d never let anyone force you into anything, wife.”

+!+

You think Fishman Island was one of the fastest “get to city enter battle” events you’ve experienced do far, maybe second only to Sabaody. Your crew was separated almost immediately, you ended up with Nami and she took you to the shops right away, demanding discounts and trying to put cute clothes on you, things she swears Zoro would probably like to see you in with a grin while you shy away and push her off a bit. Admitting to her and Robin that you’re in love with Zoro might have been a mistake, but at least you have people to talk to about the situation.

Of course, though, nothing is easy as a member of the Straw Hats and you all quickly are defending the Ryugyu Kingdom from Hordy Jones, fighting off masses of Fishmen to protect yourselves and the innocent citizens of the kingdom.

While you don’t take out anywhere near as many enemies as Zoro or Sanji, you still fight enough to help keep them at bay, getting some compliments post-battle from your crewmates and some of the citizens. It makes you feel both shy and proud at the same time, your two years of training weren’t a waste after all, even Zoro can see the changes in your fighting style and how well your attacks land now. You don’t look as nervous as you used to either, despite the confidant air you’d put on back then. The little bout you two had when you asked to stay with him, he saw you shaking so badly because you were scared but also still recovering from being sick, you tried your best and Zoro could see that, it’s part of why he had no problem with you following him, especially once you let him start teaching you more about swordsmanship.

You’ve definitely improved from the shaky, scared girl he met four years ago.

You feel like Zoro hasn’t changed at all, despite the scar over his left eye and definitely becoming bulkier, he was still the same to you. Still makes your heart flutter when you watch him fight, he still checks on you after fights, it makes you happy to see he’s still the same. He’s still Zoro, of course he wouldn’t change.

“Hey, come with me for a minute.”

During the celebration that’s being thrown for you all as thanks for saving Fishman Island, Zoro takes your hand leads you off again, just the two of you. It makes you comment that if he keeps taking you away from everyone, someone is going to get the wrong idea, but Zoro just shrugs it off. He doesn’t really care what others think still, you’ve always known that.

Once you’re far enough away from everyone, he guides you to sit beside him before surprising you with what he says next.

“We should talk about our situation.”

The fact Zoro actually wants to discuss what’s going to happen next is the surprise, but you still nod, agreeing with him.

“Change your mind on us divorcing?”

“No, I haven’t,” Zoro brushes a bit of hair behind your ear, placing his hand on your cheek which makes you smile at him, “We’re not divorcing unless you want to, but…I think we should try, you know, dating, or whatever you want to call it…”

You blink a few times, completely confused and shocked before tilting your head.

“…huh? You…what?”

“What, you suddenly going deaf or something?” Zoro pinches your cheek a little which makes you wince and pout, before giving him a glare that makes him smirk at you, “We should try a relationship, forget your parents and our original deal. I…I want to try being your boyfriend.”

You really didn’t expect this, you first thought,  like you asked, that Zoro had changed his mind and decided he was done with your fake marriage, but instead, he actually wants to give the two of you a try. Wants to see if this might be something that really could last, not a temporary solution to your personal problems.

While you think it through for a moment, you barely register that Zoro is starting to look nervous, something you’ve never really seen before. Once you make up your mind, before he can say anything more, you lean up and kiss him, pulling away with a smile that Zoro returns.

“I’d love to give us a real try, Zoro.”

Everything is going to be okay, you’re sure of it.

+!+

Sanji and Nami can see a difference in your and Zoro’s relationship quickly after you leave Fishman Island. As you approach Punk Hazard, Zoro doesn’t really let you go, keeping you near to him even as you all draw straws and you end up being one of the group to stay on Sunny and keep watch. Neither of them say anything when he pulls you aside once again, but the smile you have while you talk to Zoro tells them both everything is fine, especially when you nod once more and hug him, which he returns to their surprise.

The two look at each with questioning glances, trying to see if you’ve said anything to the other, but both shrug. Truthfully there’s not been time to talk to either of them, and when the group Zoro’s a part of leaves, the two drag you to the kitchen and start asking questions, which causes you to laugh, but Nami doesn’t really think it’s funny.

“Come oooonnnn,” Nami leans against your arm, giving you a pout, “You guys are acting weird, you can’t tell us something isn’t going on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nami.”

The blush on your face starts to give you away, and Sanji figures it out, giving you a slight grin.

“Did he finally tell you he likes you back?”

“Mm…something like that.”

“Are you guys dating then?”

“Maybe~” You’re not very good at being coy, to the point Nami gasps and shouts that she knew it before hugging you tightly while you laugh and Sanji sighs, still smiling.

“About damn time. That stupid mosshead, taming two years to tell you anything.”

“Well, all he said was that he wants to try a relationship, so that’s what we’re doing.”

“So he’s your boyfriend!” The little squeal and giggle from Nami makes you join in. “Finally, I told you he liked you back!!”

“Yeah, yeah, you were right!”

Sanji is quiet while he watches the two of you for a few moments. He really does hope that you and Zoro are going to be okay one day, that he’ll stay your husband and neither of you has to deal with the divorce papers or anything like that. He doesn’t want to watch another couple in his life break down, even as you two are just starting out.

Well, minus your two and a half years of actually being married, even though it hasn’t been a real marriage yet. It still isn’t, as you explain after a bit, but your friends seem to get it. You still want things kept under wraps, until Nami brings something up.

“Yeah…umm…about that…”

You give her a confused look as Sanji sighs again.

“Luffy kind of told everyone that didn’t know. It was the day Franky was making comments about you and mosshead being in his bed.”

Groaning, you lean back in your seat before nodding.

“All right then…let’s keep me and Zoro dating between the four of us then?”

“A good idea.”

“At least we can keep a secret.”

[buckysouvenir]

between the lines (chapter 1)

pairing: bucky barnes x reader. warnings: none. word count: 717 words. author’s note: hey guys! starting a new series. i'm so happy i found inspiration again! happy to go into this new story with you. i already have about 7 chapters that are already written, so i think i'll be posting one every day!

reblogs, likes and comments are always encouraged and highly appreciated! thank you ♡

bucky barnes masterlist⠀ |⠀ series masterlist⠀ |⠀ next chapter

The first time Y/N met Bucky Barnes, she was running late. In her defense, it wasn’t entirely her fault. The printer in the communications office had decided to throw a tantrum, spitting out page after page of half-printed mission briefs. She’d spent fifteen minutes wrestling with it, finally managing to salvage what she needed, but at the cost of being almost ten minutes behind schedule.

Clutching the papers to her chest, Y/N dashed down the hallways of the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, sneakers squeaking against the polished floors. She rounded a corner sharply, narrowly dodging an agent holding a coffee cup, and headed straight for the debriefing room. Director Fury himself had asked for these files, and she wasn’t about to let a malfunctioning printer ruin her streak of reliability.

But in her haste, she didn’t notice the man stepping out of the adjacent corridor until it was too late.

She collided with what felt like a brick wall. The stack of papers flew from her hands, scattering across the floor in a chaotic mess. Stumbling back, Y/N caught herself against the wall and looked up—and up—to meet the startled blue eyes of none other than Bucky Barnes.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” she blurted, immediately crouching down to gather the scattered papers. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood there, stiff and uncertain, like someone who wasn’t used to being bumped into. His long hair was tucked behind his ears, and he wore a black hoodie and jeans that somehow made him look even taller and broader. His metal hand twitched at his side, the sunlight streaming through the windows catching on its polished surface.

“I… yeah, I’m fine,” he said finally, his voice low and slightly raspy. Then, as though realizing he should probably help, he crouched down to assist her with the papers. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Y/N said quickly, though her heart was racing. Partly from the collision, and partly because… well, she’d just run into Bucky Barnes. The Bucky Barnes. The man who’d once been the Winter Soldier and was now supposedly trying to rebuild his life. She’d heard whispers around the facility that he was there for rehabilitation, but she hadn’t expected to actually see him, let alone crash into him.

He handed her a few papers, his metal fingers surprisingly gentle as they brushed against hers. She tried not to stare, but it was hard not to when he was right there, all sharp angles and quiet intensity.

“Thanks,” she said, standing up and clutching the papers tightly to her chest. “And sorry again. I was in a hurry, and I… well, clearly, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s okay,” he replied, his lips twitching into a small, almost shy smile. “I’ve had worse.”

Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at that, though she immediately felt bad. “Right. Of course. I didn’t mean…”

“It’s fine,” he said again, and this time, his smile was a little more genuine. There was a moment of silence, awkward but not entirely unpleasant, before he added, “You… work here?”

“I do,” she said, nodding. “Communications team. I manage how information flows within S.H.I.E.L.D. and sometimes outside of it.” She gestured to the papers in her arms. “Which I should probably get to Director Fury before he starts wondering if I got lost.”

He nodded, stepping aside to let her pass. “Right. Don’t let me keep you.”

Y/N hesitated for a moment, then offered him a small smile. “It was nice meeting you, Bucky.”

His expression flickered, as though he wasn’t quite used to hearing his name spoken so casually. But then he nodded, his blue eyes softening just a little. “You too…”

“Y/N,” she supplied.

“You too, Y/N.”

With that, she turned and hurried off down the hallway, her heart still racing for reasons that had nothing to do with being late. As she disappeared around the corner, Bucky stood there for a moment, staring after her. Then, with a quiet shake of his head and a faint smile, he continued on his way, feeling just a little less out of place than he had before.

[siampie]

Risk and Reward||Chapter 1: When I Met You

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4.1k

Summary: You have a hard time settling into your new life but with new acquaintances and newfound friendships. You slowly find your footing.

Warnings/tags: 18+ contains smut (not sure, don’t know how to write it but I’ll try), angst, fluff, mutual pining, idiots in love, childhood trauma

A/N: So, this is a first for me. Please be indulgent. I am no stranger to writing fiction. I’ve done it before just not on this platform. Also, this is my first time writing in 2nd POV and for Matt Murdock. There isn’t much of him in this chapter but I hope the small bits I have is as close as it is to his character. I did what I always do before writing fiction, read other writers' work and see how they capture the character and watched videos or episodes to get a good feel of the character. So, I hope you will like it. Feedback is welcome. And just enjoy! Also English is not my first language.

Chapter List || Next Chapter

Masterlist || Join my tag list

Dividers by @cafekitsune

Song the title is referring to:

You gave me a reason for my being

And I love what I’m feelin’

You gave me a meaning to my life

Yes, I’ve gone beyond existing

And it all began when I met you

“Another day, another week.” You whispered to yourself as you stepped in the building where you work. You smiled quickly at the receptionist before making your way to the elevator. After you made the big move across the states, you were lucky to land a job as a proofreader in a publishing house. It wasn’t your dream job but it was the next best thing.

For as far as you can remember, you have always been taking care of your family. Many expectations and responsibilities were put on your shoulders from a very young age. So, when your brother stepped in and decided to move your father in with him, you felt some relief. A load was being taken off of your shoulders. You loved your family. But over the years, you had started to resent them slightly. You resented your father for being sick. You resented him for taking out his bad moods on you. You resented your siblings because they get to live their lives. You resented them for leaving you behind in the dust. You knew you loved them but you resented them. And you didn’t want to hate them. So, you left.

You made the move to Hell’s Kitchen, six months ago and you had big plans. First of which, was to properly kickstart your life. You didn’t think it would be easy. You knew it would have been a challenge but you didn’t think it would be that hard. After six months, you thought you would have made some friends or at least some acquaintances. But shy as you were, and as cautious as you were, making friends did not come easy for you.

You dropped your bag on the ground next to your chair. And dropped your coat on the back of it. Your desk was already stacked with manuscripts that needed to be proofread. You always started your day the same, first you read your emails and answered the most important ones. Then came coffee and then came reading with a red pen. You were to review any typos that may have somehow slipped past the author and the copy editor. You were also to review for issues like kerning and stacking and whether the running head is consistent. Proofreading was the last step before publication. You knew it was an important step, so you did it thoroughly. And you did it well. At least, you thought you did. Your boss had not complained about your work so far. And you took it as a good sign.

One of your coworkers stopped by your desk and softly called your name. You looked up at her. You knew her, you had barely interacted with her a few days before. She had long, red hair, that you loved, and legs for days. Her name was Amelia. A few nights ago, as you were leaving after workhours, she was standing outside of the building. A cigarette between her lips as she was looking for something.

“Excuse me?” She stopped you. You turned to her. “Do you have a lighter?”

“Yeah.” You nodded quickly. Your best friend from high school, had convinced you to buy a pack of lighter once. Telling you that it was the best way to meet people and to make friends. More precisely to meet your future boyfriend. “There you go.” You handed her the lighter.

“Thanks.” She lit her cigarette before giving it back to you. She took a long drag at it. The tension in her shoulders dropped. “I needed that.”

“You’re welcome.” You smiled at her and turned to leave.

“You’re that new proofreader, aren’t you?” She asked you.

“Yeah.” And you gave her your name.

“That’s a pretty name.” She remarked. “I’m Amelia.”

“Nice to meet you.” Amelia was not a proofreader. She was an acquisitions editor. The one, literary agents would come to, to sell a book. The book landed in her hands first, and if they made it past her, they landed in yours last.

You stayed with her long after she finished her cigarette. You walked with her because it was dark out. And Hell’s Kitchen wasn’t the safest place to be after dark. And there was strength in numbers. Coincidentally, your flat and hers weren’t that far apart. So, you walked her home before going to yours.

After that, you had not seen or heard much of Amelia. You thought that was it. But there she was, talking to you.

“So, some of us are going to grab a drink after work and I thought that maybe you would love to join us?” She sat on your desk.

“It’s barely 9 and you’re already thinking about the end of the day.” You scoffed lightly.

“Well, I need something to look forward to.” Amelia laughed. “So, wanna come?”

Your default answer was ready to come out of your mouth. You were already making up excuses to not go. And then you stopped yourself. Why shouldn’t you go tonight? There was no one waiting for you at home. You had no obligations. It could be a fun night out; you could even make a few new friends. Might even start a new friendship with Amelia. After all, she came to seek you out. She wanted to invite you.

“Why?” You had not meant to ask this out loud.

“What?”

“Why invite me? We barely talked to each other? Why ask me?”

“You said you just moved here in Hell’s Kitchen, remember?” Amelia gave you a tight smile. And you nodded at her words. “I figured I do the nice thing and invite you to come with us. Since, you don’t really know anyone here.”

Now, you felt stupid. You could feel your neck and cheeks heat up with your embarrassment. Not everyone was going to hurt you. There were good people in the world, you had to remind yourself of that.

“Sorry.” You apologized quickly. “I—I would love to come.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You nodded quickly.

“Good, I’ll come and get you when it’s time to go.”

You pressed your hands against your neck. If you could see yourself, you were sure there would be splotches of red all over it. Of course, you had to go and ask why? If “no” was your default answer most of the time, “why?” wasn’t too far behind. When your niece had first told you she loved you, your first answer wasn’t to say it back. It was to ask her why? And she had answered very sweetly: “Because you’re funny and you give the best hugs. And you always play with me.” And after that you never asked again. You only said it back. Because you did, you loved her very much.

You did not know why you did this. It was almost as though you did not believe that good things could happen to you. And if it did, it was not sincere. It was because someone wanted something from you and once, they got it. They’d leave you high and dry.

As the end of your day was nearing. Your anxiety was starting to get the better of you. You dreaded the moment Amelia would come and pick you up. You had agreed to it earlier because you genuinely wanted to. But now, all you wanted, was to go home. Not because you were drained or overstimulated. No, because you simply did not feel like going anymore. You were hoping she would forget about you. Or at least, it would have been cancelled.

It wasn’t cancelled. And you couldn’t just bail on them. It was the first time, since you arrived in Hell’s Kitchen, that you had been invited to hang out. If you bailed on them now, you might not be invited ever again. So, you went. And who knows, you might have some fun.

“Josie’s.” You read out as you stopped in front of the bar with Amelia.

“Yeah, it’s a dive bar, really.” Amelia told you quickly. “But the drinks good enough.”

“Okay.”

She pulled you in after her. You both stopped at the bar to order your drinks and she then took you to their table. It was a small gathering. You recognized a few people, there was the receptionist; Clara. Then, there was another proofreader, you had interacted with. Barely. His name was Sebastian and some other people. You sat next to Amelia.

As soon as you sat down, they resumed their conversations. You were a silent observer. You laughed at their jokes. You listened intently to what they were saying. And you were really brief when they asked you questions about yourself. And redirected the attention on someone else as quickly as possible. You did not want the spotlight to be on you.

While your coworkers were conversing with one another, you couldn’t help but glanced around you. Your eyes travelled over the numerous patrons in the bar. Bikers, blue collar workers and some white-collar workers. They were many. The bar seemed to be quite successful.

And then your eyes landed on him.

Dark haired, with red tinted glasses and a cane. His plump lips were begging to be kissed, his jawline was to die for. His hair looked soft to the touch and you were itching to run your fingers through them. His shirt was so tight that it left nothing to the imagination. You could tell that he was well built underneath it. And his smile—oh, his smile was the most beautiful, you’ve ever laid eyes on. It lit up his whole face. Made him look younger. He looked perfect in every way.

You quickly darted your eyes away. You did not want to be caught staring. However, it was too late. Unbeknownst to you, Amelia had caught you looking.

“So, you look like you’re enjoying yourself.” Amelia said as she pulled you to the bar, to grab another drink.

“I am.” You nodded. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“No problem.” Amelia nudged your shoulder. “Would you want to do it again sometimes?”

“Yes, but can we space them out?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” She snorted. “It’s only when the urge strikes.” And she turned away from you. She looked over her shoulder briefly. “So, someone caught your eye.”

“What? No.” You answered quickly.

“That’s not what I saw.” She smirked at you. Josie pushed your beers towards you. “You kept staring at glasses over there.” She waved her hand towards perfect man.

“No, I did not.” You protested while pulling her hand down.

“Oh, come on!” Amelia insisted. “It’s not a crime. He’s pretty and you have eyes. It’s okay to stare a little.”

“Stop.”

“But you know what would be even better?”

“I’m going to regret this.” You rolled your eyes in annoyance. “What?”

“If you spoke to the guy. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Rejection.” You simply answered.

“Well, rejection is part of the game.” She shrugged. You gave out a deep sigh, and put your chin in the palm of your hand. “You got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Nothing to lose? Easy for her to say. After all, she wasn’t the one who had her heart broken, so many times, that there was barely anything left of it. When it came to the matters of the heart, you did not think that the risks were worth it. Even if it was for a Pretty Boy.

Your eyes landed on him again, in spite of yourself. His eyes seemed to be on you and Amelia. Almost as though he was directly looking at you. But he was blind, right? That would be impossible.

“You’re staring again.” She teased you. And you turned back to the bar quickly.

“Drop it.” You told her sternly. “It’s not worth it.” Her eyebrows went into her hairline. “Plus, a guy like him would never go for a girl like me.”

“What? Beautiful and sweet?”

“I’m not beautiful. I’m not ugly but I’m not beautiful. I’m average at best.” You shook your head. “And I’m not sweet.”

Amelia looked at you baffled by your defensiveness over compliments. You acted as though she insulted you. She pushed your beer away from you.

“First, those were compliments and not insults. So, take them.” Amelia said. “And why would he go for someone else when he could go for you?”

“You’re being this nice to me over a lighter?”

“It’s not just about the lighter.” She told you. “You walked me home. You didn’t have to but you did. It was very kind and sweet. Thus, proving my point. You are sweet.”

“It was practical. My flat isn’t too far away from yours. And it was as much for your safety as it was for mine.” You shrugged. “It’s dangerous at night in Hell’s Kitchen.”

Amelia rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration. “You are going to take that compliment. I will beat it into you, if I have to.”

“That would be assault.”

“You thing you’re funny, uh?”

“I think I’m adorable.”

“Bitch, you’re testing my patience.” And that got a laugh out of you. She shook her head and laughed with you. “You really are annoying.”

“That’s more like it.” You grinned at her. “Want me to walk you home again?”

“Yeah,” She nodded and clinked her beer with yours. “We finish our drinks and then, we’re good to go.”

“Okay.”

She waved her finger at you. “But this conversation is not over.”

“What conversation?” You retorted, taking on a faux air of innocence.

Amelia glared at you which elicited a chuckle out of you. “Put a few drinks in you and you turn into a comedian. Who would have thought?”

“I could have mentioned it. Save you some time.”

“Do you need to have an answer to everything?”

“Should I answer that or--?”

“Oh, shut up.” And you snorted.

She raised her beer to her lips and toss it back. She gulped the rest of the bottle down and slammed it back onto the counter. Both of your empty bottles were left on the counter and you walked back to your small group of friends. On your way there, your eyes automatically found Pretty Boy, once again. Again, his gaze seemed to be on you and you dropped your eyes to the ground immediately. Feeling guilty that you were staring again, you let out a long sigh and muttered to yourself. “If he’s ever going for someone, it would be for Amelia.”

“There you go.” Amelia handed you your coat and bag. “What are you muttering to yourself again?”

“What do you mean again?” You asked stunned, blood rushing to your neck and cheeks. “You caught me doing that a lot?”

“You are not really trying to hide it.” Amelia shrugged. “So, what was it?”

“Nothing. It was nothing.” You pouted while you put on your coat.

“Was it about Pretty Boy?” She smirked at you.

“Oh, stop!” You said as sternly as possible with your lips jutted out in a pout. “It wasn’t about Pretty Boy.”

“Hmm,” She nodded smugly. “I’ll pretend I believe that.” She laced her arm with yours as you both exited the bar.

“He is really pretty.” You smiled shyly. Amelia’s shoulder nudged yours, as she giggled along with you.

“Next time, we see him. You’re talking to him.” You groaned at her words.

That night was the first time, you ever laid eyes on him. And you thought it would be the last time.

What were the chances for you to stumble upon him in this city ever again? He could be living outside of the city. Or it was only chance that brought him there tonight. And this was a once in a lifetime chance to meet the love of your life. And you blew it.

“Shut up!” You groaned as you slapped your forehead. “I did not blow my chance because there wasn’t one to begin with.”

“Voices in your head?” Amelia put down the lighter next to you.

“They’re really loud today.” You shook your head. “And you don’t have to bring it back all the time. You can keep it.”

“I won’t have an excuse to come and see you. anymore”

“You don’t really need one.” You sighed.

“True.” She smirked. “Wanna go to Josie’s tonight?”

“What are we celebrating?” You retorted.

“Nothing.” Amelia shrugged. “I thought maybe we could blow off some steam.” She shrugged and sat down on your desk. “Seeing as those last two months were kinda crazy.”

“Yeah, they were.” You agreed. “I mean we are nearing the end of the season.”

As it were in the publishing world, books are published in a three-season cycle: Winter, Summer and Fall. Winter season came to a close by the end of April and the datelines were getting closer. For the last two months, you and your team had been working nonstop. You and the author of the book you were proofreading, were going back and forth about editing issues he had. And his anxieties regarding the matter were also affecting you. Under pressure and anxious, you and your coworkers had no time to go back out.

“I could use the break.” You leaned back in your chair. “And a couple of beers.”

“It’s a date.” Amelia got back on her feet. “Meet you by the reception desk.”

“Yeah, see you.”

Amelia and you were on the sidewalk in front of Josie’s. She was smoking a cigarette before you both get in.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Amelia asked you.

“I like the smell of it.” You shrugged.

She took another puff before she elbowed your side. You glared at her.  Her pointy elbow dug into your side painfully. “What’s that for?”

“It seems you’re in luck tonight.” She looked down at you. And with a jerk of her head, she indicated at something behind you.

You turned around and there he was. Tapping his cane on the sidewalk, holding the arm of a beautiful blonde. There was a man, blonde also, walking on his other side. Pretty Boy’s tie was loose around his neck and slightly crooked. A giant smile was on his face as the beautiful lady on his side threw her head back in laughter. You kept your eyes on their little group as they disappeared into the bar.

“Alright, tonight’s the night.” Amelia took a last puff out of her cigarette.

“What?” You turned to her confused.

“We agreed that next time we see him here, you would talk to him.”

“I did not agree to anything. You agreed with yourself.” You told her as she started to drag you toward the bar. “Amelia, stop!” You pulled your arm away from her.

“What are you so afraid of?” Amelia huffed in annoyance.

“Rejection. Humiliation. Mortification. Embarrassment.” You started to list out.

Sure, he was handsome. He was painfully handsome. And although, you had thought of his lips on yours, of his hands running through your hair as he whispered sweet nothings in your ear. Your hands flew to your ears at the thought. They warmed up as your blood rushed to them. You couldn’t do it. You couldn’t talk to him.

“I’m perfectly fine with watching him from afar.” You said quietly, dropping your hands. “Can we go somewhere else, please?” You crossed your arms over your chest, making yourself as small as possible.

She dropped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into her side. “We already here, so we might as well go in.” You started pulling away from her. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. Relax.” She pulled you back in and turned you towards the doors.

“Promise?” You put your pinky out.

“Promise.” She hooked her pinky with yours.

In most situations, you weren’t afraid to go after what you wanted. Of course, you had to pass it through a few people first. Just to make sure you were making the right decision. Especially, when it came to your job. But when it came to relationships—romantic ones, you never took the first step. You were always afraid that the people you wanted—you desired—wouldn’t want you back. Which explains your lack of experiences when it came to dating. And the disappointing sexual experiences you had.

You sat at the bar and ordered your beer. Amelia sat beside you but kept looking over her shoulder. You turned briefly to where she was looking. And surely enough, she was looking directly towards Pretty Boy and his friends. You sighed and turned back around.

“You promised, remember?” You told her. “Pinky promised. Those are sacred.”

“Yeah, I know.” She pouted and turned back around. “You’re going to regret it later.”

“Don’t I know it?” You exhaled deeply.

How many times have you let someone go before you were too afraid to speak? How much longer will you stay up at night wondering about what ifs? How much longer will you stand in the way of your own happiness? How much longer will you live in fear?

There was comfort in fear. It kept you on your toes. It told you where the edge was. It helped you survive. There was nothing wrong with fear. There were no broken hearts, no hurt feelings. It was safe.

And yet—you wished you could take that step. You knew you could. You’ve done it before. You left the comfort of your home. Of everything you’ve known to come here in Hell’s Kitchen. What was the worse that could happen in talking to him? Nothing, right? It was just talking. A simple conversation between two people. Or maybe, you would just give him your number. He could call you if he wanted to. If not—well, you would keep wondering why he didn’t call you. The thought of it was torture enough.

You glanced back over your shoulder at Pretty Boy. He was no longer sitting with his friends. His coat was still there on the back of his chair, but he was gone. You turned back to your drink, and sorrowfully starting to play with the condensation on your beer.

“What can I get you, Murdock?”

“Just another beer, Josie, thanks.”

You turned your eyes towards the voice. And there he was. So, much more handsome up close. His voice was nice and deep. Music to your ears. You turned your eyes away from him. Your heartbeat was now racing in your ribcage. You looked up at the ceiling, searching for some sort of answers.

“Hey, I’m gonna go out for a smoke.” Amelia announced slamming her bottle on the counter.

“I’ll come with you.” You squeaked out.

“You should definitely stay and enjoy yourself.” Amelia pulled her hair out of the collar of her coat. “I’ll be back in a moment. You should—you know strike up a conversation or two.” And she pointedly looked at the man by your side.

You gasped as she left. “You promised!” You called after her. “Pinky promised.”

“What did she promise?” Pretty Boy asked you. A grin plastered on his face.

You took a few minutes to answer, your eyes following Amelia’s exit out of the bar. And let out a breath. “To not make me do something I didn’t want to do.”

“And what was it? The thing you didn’t want to do.”

You couldn’t help the small grin that came onto your face before you answered. “Striking up a conversation with someone.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “Why not?”

“It’s kind of terrifying for me to—talk to people.” The blood was rushing to your chest, your heart was slamming against your ribcage.

“You’re talking to me now.” His voice seemed lower as he spoke.

You scoffed. “True. I am.”

“How does it feel?” His lips twitched up at the corners.

“Not as terrifying as I thought.”

He chuckled. And you smiled at the sound. “I’m Matt.” He extended his hand out to you.

You put your hand in his. Your breath hitched in your throat as your skin touched his. You cleared your throat before giving him your name.

“You have a pretty name.” He told you.

“You make it sound prettier.” You quipped back, feeling braver now. His eyebrows flew high on his forehead before he let out a laugh. You laughed along with him. “Nice to meet you, Matt.”

“Pleasure’s all mine.” He nodded, this boyish grin never leaving his face.

That was the night you officially met Matt Murdock. It wasn’t as daunting as you thought it would be. In fact, speaking with Matt came easy to you. His eyes were unseeing and yet, they were always on you. And for once in your life, you did not mind the attention.

You didn’t think anything life altering would come of it. If anything, you thought you were gaining another friend.

Little did you know…

Chapter List || Next Chapter

[sharksandsquirrelsandsnakes-ohmy]

Stiles is Supernatural Crack

4. Low Blood Sugar Grumpy Ass

Masterlist | AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Stiles didn’t know when but Scott had apparently let it slip to the pack that failing to learn to control the magic would drive Stiles crazy. Since that got out, Stiles had only been alone when he was in the bathroom and Malia had even tried to be a part of that. 

Her defense was “what? I’ve seen you naked plenty of times before.”

Stiles stopped and turned around to face her. “Yes, before. As in before we broke up,” he affirmed and went to the bathroom, locking it to make sure they would at least make noise if they tried to walk in. If he were more petty, he could have mountain ashed the door.

It wasn’t all bad. Actually, sometimes it was really nice. He had his friends around more than ever. 

Slowing, they stopped showing up everyday but it’s not like he expected them to stay with him every free second. Deaton had explained the ‘pull’ to him would decrease as they got used to the feeling, but it was still weird after having them there so much. They’d have pack nights once or twice a week. Lydia was helping him learn spells. He had a battery of snacks at hand anytime he looked even slightly paler than usual, which was a regular thing since he hadn’t spent much time outside lately. He could usually be found in his room, the kitchen or at Deaton’s. 

Lydia was a rule follower when it came to learning magic or doing spells. She reinforced the lines Deaton set and tried to get Stiles to follow the book's order of spells. Spoiler alert: did not work. Like, ever. Stiles was always trying to push the limits of what he could do and Lydia was always having to feed his low blood sugar grumpy ass.

Stiles was on his bed reading from a book of healing spells. He heard someone coming up the stairs and looked up to see Lydia walking in with tea for the both of them. “Hey Lydia, what do you think of this?”

Lydia gave him the cup and took the spell book. She hummed, blowing on her tea to cool it before taking a drink. Lydia fidgeted with the edge of the page as she read. When she’d finished reading, she closed the book.

“I think we should get the idiots protection spells so we don’t need to bother with healing,” Lyida told him, putting the book on the desk across the room.

“Hey,” Stiles objected, “I was reading that.”

Lydia gave him a cold look and Stiles settled. “No healing spells, Stiles.”

Between Lydia and Deaton, Stiles had littered his house in protective spells to the point that they had removed the mountain ash. Of course, that meant that, more than once, Stiles had woken up with more people in his room than had been there when he fell asleep, but rarely the other way around. It was getting to the point that it was hard to tell which clothes belonged to who. 

Most people were in and out because of jobs, school, and other wolfly-duties. Everyone except for Derek. He was a constant. He had no job and didn’t need one. 

Lydia had so many college credits when they finished high school that, only four years later, she'd already earned a BS of Physics with a Business minor, a Ph.D. of Mathematics, and was currently working as… something she had to sign an NDA for. Scott had finished Veterinary school(barely, due to supernatural happenings) and was working with Deaton. 

Stiles had actually been able to get a job that played to his very particular set of skills: researching the supernatural. Usually it was small things— helping families or individuals find new packs, finding out information about pack ties to land, the occasional Spark that needed a mentor to become a proper Emissary. He would sometimes get urgent requests about a rogue witch or kanima– those were his favorite cases but he was starting to appreciate emissary cases more now that he was learning himself. He found himself scrolling through pictures of teenage Sparks and their Mentor Emissary. It was strange, now. Most of the Emissaries were around Stiles’ age or a few years older. It made him feel like he was behind even though he’d just learned about his abilities.

Stiles sighed, chewing his lip. The small noise caught Derek’s attention. He was starting to gain an aptitude for guessing Stiles’ thought from noises, even without chemosignals.

“You are doing all you can. You can’t change the things in life that left you where you are,” Derek said, starting the mantra Stiles would repeat when he felt like he was falling behind. “You—”

“— are ahead of some and behind others. It doesn’t speak to my worth, just my experiences,” Stiles repeated with him. It had originally been something he'd told the freaked-out teen sparks he placed but he'd started applying it to himself too. He leaned back in the rolling chair and rubbed his face. “I need a nap,” Stiles muttered.

Stiles got up and walked over to the bed and Derek flicked the light switch off, still sat reading via werewolf vision. He tried to, at least. He kept finding his eyes wandering to Stiles. 

Today was one of the times where the pack was busy. Scott, Lydia, Kira, Jackson, and Isaac had work. Ethan was out of town visiting family that Stiles had helped him get into contact with, but he would be back soon. Liam was cramming for a test with Mason. Malia was god knows where, hopefully not getting arrested. 

That left Stiles in a cold bed, pretending he didn’t miss the warmth of his friends, and Derek, keeping his distance because he didn’t want to make Stiles uncomfortable. Stiles pretending didn’t do him any good, he reeked of loneliness. 

Stiles shivered and Derek put his book aside. Derek stripped off his clothes, shifted into his full wolf form, and jumped in the bed. 

Stiles lifted the blankets for him with a smile and covered them both. Stiles pulled the wolf close and ran his fingers through his fur. He sighed, moving as close as he could to take in the warmth. 

Derek was happy he could be there for Stiles but he didn’t think Stiles wanted him, so he always shifted into a wolf so Stiles could pretend he was just a dog if he wanted to. He thought Stiles deserved to be happy, he just didn’t think he made Stiles happy. He wanted to be there, to help, but he feared it was just the Nemeton magic. Derek constantly wondered if he could trust his own feelings because of it. The Nemeton had made him feel safe, was this the same? No. he knew it wasn’t but the fear of admitting it… It was safer to say it was the Nemeton magic, nothing else.

“How are you so soft,” Stiles asked, the end of his sentence rising in a yawn. “I thought wolves had coarse hair. Maybe it’s a werewolf thing…” 

Stiles yawned again, closing his eyes. He was trying to fall asleep as thoughts raced through his head. His wide range of thoughts made the room heavy with different chemosignals. It made Derek wonder what was going on in Stiles’ brain but, then again, did he really want to know? 

He thought up as many suicide missions are he did successful plans, not to mention the number of times he’d been right about who the evil of the week had been. How much did he think about who it was? Who many suspects did he start with? What about when Stiles himself was the bad guy? It had to have destroyed him. How do you ever come back from that? Derek laid next to Stiles, thinking about what he had said to Deaton the night he got his power. Why wouldn’t Stiles tell them he was hurting so badly?

Three hours later Lydia showed up at the house and flopped down in the bed next to Stiles. An hour after her, Liam made himself cozy in the bed, so brain dead from studying someone should have called his time of death hours ago. Mason joined in reluctantly, knowing he’d be squished later. Then Scott, Kira, and Isaac made their way in, somehow managing to squeeze into the bed. Once again, Derek ended up on Stiles’ chest. It wasn’t long before Jackson showed, wiggling his way into the pile of bodies after a shitty day. Finally, Malia made an appearance and was sent to the shower before being allowed anywhere near the bed.

Stiles had been drifting in and out of sleep as his friends– his family– piled in the bed. It was ridiculous, the eight of them piled on a full size mattress. It seemed to be all elbows and knees as people moved but it was always the best sleep Stiles got. Even with so many of them, it was obvious they were one person short, like missing a limb. Lydia was in Ethan’s spot and Liam was in Lydia’s, which meant Mason was shoved into Liam’s place. Jackson was still, somehow, in his place. Malia was in Mason’s spot and Malia’s stop was empty! Because so many people weren’t in the usual spot, Kira kept getting elbowed by Malia so Scott switched her places. As much as Stiles loved Scott, he was not enjoying having Scott’s crotch shoved against his leg.

Ethan would get a kick out of knowing how much they needed him for group naps, Stiles would have to call him later.

“Hey guys,” Stiles huffed, having taken an elbow from Lydia to the side, “I hate to say it but this isn’t working.” Someone rolled over, hitting wolf-Derek, rolling him off Stiles to land heavily on Scott, who– in turn– tried to lay on his back and ended up half on top of Kira while also shoving her against the wall.

Scott groaned, pushing Derek back onto Stiles. “No joke,” he groaned.

“All right,” Kira said, pushing Scott off her, “the person on the bottom says ‘GET UP’!!!”

If they thought cramming people on the bed was a feat, getting them off was an encore. Multiple times, they were seconds away from toppling over and squishing each other on the floor. They managed to get everyone separated long enough to breathe, except Stiles who still had wolf- Derek firmly planted on his chest.

Stiles tried to move Derek. He managed to move the wolf about two inches before he gave up. “Jesus, Derek! You weigh more than I do,” Stiles grumbled.

Mason hummed and threw in, “full grown male wolves can weigh up to a hundred and eighty pounds.”

Liam groaned, sitting on the floor and rubbing his head. “Shut up! No more facts or my head will explode!”

“You do know who’s house you're at, right,” Lydia asked, from her place sitting at the edge of the bed. “Random facts are Stiles’ specialty.”

“I thought we were going to take a nap,” Liam said in an almost pitiful tone.

Isaac gave Liam a look, practicalling asking if he was being serious. He was perched on Stiles’ desk, his feet on the arm of the desk chair that Jackson had taken over. “You are so dramatic,” Isaac scoffed, pulling a cutie orange out of Stiles’ snack bucket.

“And you’re a bitch,” Liam quipped back. “What’s your point?” 

“Point is I’m going to bend you like a pretzel,” Isaac said and Malia snorted a laugh.

“Oh my god, get a room,” Lydia groaned, earning disgusted looks brom Liam and Isaac. 

There was a jumble of “what? gross!” and  “him and me? Lydia!” followed by a lot of laughing throughout the room. 

Stiles’ had no clue what was going on and just hoped there would be no more blood on his carpet. He was still trying to move wolf-Derek so he could sit up. Kira finally took pity on Stiles and helped him move Derek– growling the whole time– so he could sit up. Stiles shoved pillows behind himself to lean back on while still being mostly upright, there was no way he was going to be able to scoot up the bed with Derek’s growly ass still laying on him. 

When he was finally able to, Stiles stretched and grabbed his phone. He tried to turn it on but his phone was completely dead. He looked around the room full of suspects. It was strange, they didn’t have a pack night or meeting so why were they all here? He decided it was unimportant.

“Dude, could you can it will the rottie-rumble bullshit,” Stiles scoffed, poking at Derek's exposed teeth. “Anyone know what time it is,” Stiles asked and Lydia unlocked her phone. She showed him the time and Stiles’ eyes went wide. “Shit! I was supposed to meet Deaton five minutes ago!”

This was apparently all it took for Derek to get up. 

Stiles jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready. He was trying to pull socks on and started to topple. Isaac was closest and grabbed Stiles before he made a crash landing on the floor. In his haste, Stiles forgot his spell books– Lydia grabbed them– and his keys– Scott grabbed those– and his snack bag– which Derek grabbed. They all made it to the jeep at about the same time. Keys were given to Stiles, books went in the snack bag and Lydia got in the jeep with the bag. 

Stiles heard the zipper of his snack bag open and Lydia sighed. “There is a single pack of fruit snacks in here,” Lydia said.

“Oh ya, I was meaning to refill it,” he muttered, preparing himself for a long next few hours.

“Stiles, this isn’t good! You could pass out or worse,” Lydia scolded. 

He shook his head. “I’ll be fine. I just won’t push myself as much.” 

Lydia scoffed and rolled her eyes. Lies. He never did anything less than one hundred percent. Knowing that, Lydia felt unprepared. She’d never deal with Stiles when he completely crashed. Scott and Derek were the ones who did that. When Stiles had started overworking himself, Lydia always had a snack bowl nearby that she could pull snacks from to throw at him. Lydia was fully confident she could force feed him until he came too, she just didn’t know if she’d be able to carry his dumbass back to the jeep were he to pass out.

They parked and jumped out of the jeep, a total of ten minutes late. She followed Stiles into the vet’s office and listened as Deaton gave him a backhanded lecture about being on time. It wasn’t going to have an effect, Stiles was never on time and not for a lack of trying. It was a time-blindness thing.

Deaton had Stiles working on defensive spells. In other words, he was throwing balls of paper at Stiles while he tried to make a magic shield to block them. They stopped when he managed to successfully block all of them and Stiles ate the last pack of gummies. When they started working again, Deaton offered some of the paper balls to Lydia under the guise that he might need to block two attackers at once. 

Stiles got hit in the face with a lot of paper. 

“Okay, stop it. I need a break,” Stiles said, managing to catch one of the paper balls and throw it back at Lydia.

“I’ll stop when you stop five in a row,” Lydia said, throwing two at once. 

Stiles blocked one but the other hit him in the eye. “Fuck! Okay, stop.” he said more forcefully, one hand left up to block while the other covered his eye. 

Paper balls were still being thrown, this time being aimed lower to hit him in the chest. 

Stiles groaned in irritation. He stood up quickly. “FUCKING STOP!”

The lights blew, launching sparks, and the paper balls all went up in flames with his words. Lydia yelped, dropping the flaming paper and looking up at Stiles. She had been shocked when the paper caught fire but looking at Stiles sent fear through her. 

Stiles– sweet, harmless Stiles– had pure white eyes. Heavy dark circle grew under his eyes in seconds. His pale skin was damp with sweat and he was visibly shaking. A sick smile was set on his lips. It seemed to quirk up into a smirk when Lydia looked at him fearfully. It was like facing the Nogitsune all over but worse. This actually was Stiles. Lydia felt herself scream and, as quickly as it started, it was gone. 

Stiles looked at Lydia, lost. Then he started to fall. Lydia watched it all happen in slow motion. Stiles getting closer to the floor. The door burst open. The wolves staring. Derek shoving past them. Derek grabbing Stiles' arm. Stiles screaming in pain. Derek landing on the floor. The crunching of glass. Derek pulling Stiles into his lap. 

Derek’s frantic voice brought Lydia back to reality, “what happened?”

Lydia shook her head, not sure of anything any more.

“It seems Mr Stilinski has a higher aptitude for magic than I previously realized,” Deaton said, rolling a chair over for Lydia, giving her time to breathe. 

“What does that mean,” Scott asked from the door.

“Strong emotions strengthen magic. When those emotions rise at the same time as a serge of magical energy, the magic will act on emotion and not thought.” Deaton walked over to his desk and grabbed a juice box and an apple. “He was attempting to create a magical shield and lost control. He was angry and his magic acted on his feelings instead of thoughts.” He gave the juice to Derek, “see if you can get him to drink this.”

Stiles started to wake up and absently drank whatever was given to him. 

He wasn’t aware of anything until after they were in the jeep and halfway to the home. He wasn’t even aware enough to realize he was in Derek’s lap as Lydia drove the jeep. Roscoe, as much as Stiles loved the jeep, did nothing to help Stiles’ nausea.  

It was a regular occurrence that someone had to drive Stiles home after these little work sessions. Most of the time he was dead tired. On days where he forgot his snack bag or it was empty, he was shaky, dizzy, and had a pounding headache. When he had zero food after he’d done magic, he’d sweat through his shirt and still feel ice cold, his anxiety would skyrocket and get really bad brain fog. 

Stiles had had days where he overdid it but this was the first time he passed out. He’d overdone it and was feeling the effects hardcore. He was shaky and dizzy and nauseous– he felt like throwing up everytime they turned or hit a bump. His head felt like it would explode from the migraine he had.

“I wanna die,” Stiles muttered, feeling like he’d been hit by ten tractor trailers all at once.

Lydia scoffed, trying to push down her own worry. “Then maybe you should have refilled the snack bag,” she tisked.

Stiles flinched when Derek growled behind him and damn did that hurt. Stiles’ breathing spiked from the pain of moving too quickly. Derek was still growling and Stiles found it… something– a thought he’d criticized himself for and overthink when he didn’t feel like throwing up all over everything.

“His magic lows have the same symptoms as Hypoglycemia,” Lydia told Derek, not taking her eyes off the road. “He’s lucky Deaton had juice for him or we’d be heading to the hospital again.”

“Just drive,” Derek grumbled, keeping his attention on Stiles. 

He brushed the hair off Stiles's forehead, feeling how sweaty he was. He hated that he couldn't do anything to help. He hated that Stiles was suffering, even if it was caused by his own stupidity.

Derek carried him upstairs and laid Stiles in bed. He tucked him in and sat on the edge of the bed. Stiles was falling asleep. Every sign was there– the random comments, slowing heart rate, his nose scrunching as he started to dream– and Derek noticed each one. 

No, it wasn’t just the Nemeton’s influence. He was falling for Stiles. 

He pushed Stiles' hair out of his face and frowned. He used to think Stiles was just a skinny defenseless human but he was so much more. He was smart and funny and sarcastic and far from being defenseless. He was a spark, a future emissary, and very, very powerful. 

Derek’s hand slipped away from Stiles and he stood up. He could hear the others. Scott, Isaac, Liam, and Lydia came up to Stiles' room. 

Lydia laid down next to Stiles without hesitation. She was scared, had been since it happened, and having the bit of normalcy they’d created was comforting. Isaac and Liam bickered back and forth until Scott gave them a pointed glare, flashing his red eyes. They calmed down and played rock paper scissors to see who laid where. Liam won and took the opposite side of Stiles from Lydia. Isaac laid down with a huff but relaxed quickly in the warmth of his friends.

“Are you going to join us,” Scott asked. “There’s enough room so you don’t have to fully shift.” Derek didn’t answer and Scott frowned. “What’s up, man?”

“I’m going for a run,” Derek said, heading for the window. He watched the mountain ash line break for him and went out, not stopped to look again. He knew the line reformed behind him. Normally he'd look back just to see how amazing it was but he knew if he looked back, his heart would rip for leaving Stiles when he was ill.

He repeated to himself: Stiles doesn’t want you. You’re just a fill in. He doesn’t need you.

After writing this, I realized I basically had Stiles cast fireball in a small room full of his allies. ANYWAY…

[sirhamburrger]

chapter 1: you don’t buy drinks at a gala

double life [kuroo x f!reader]

word count: 1247 || prologue (series masterlist) || next

tetsuro smiles politely and shakes the hand of one of his major stakeholders, subtly chancing a glance towards the de facto centerpiece of the ballroom. it's a majestic marble bust of some really old guy from greece, carved by a slightly less old guy from greece (still old). by the end of tonight, it'll probably end up in some rich businessman's private collection.

that is, if it doesn't cause an international incident tonight in this very hotel building.

his intel from various sources, including kenma and akaashi, says these master-thief wannabes have been planning this for months now, and the mediocre henchman he caught ahold of didn't even have to be tortured before he spilled. he noticed the security the second he walked in. he knows every man on the roster, and he knows these men aren't on the roster.

too easy, right? much too easy. the bad guys show up to steal the oversized paperweight. he pretends to be scared for a moment while yaku and bokuto swoop in and take them out. he bids the highest amount for it and boom - he's got a shiny new statue and a nice casualty-free night. everyone is happy.

“good evening, kuroo.”

and it looks like his evening just got all that much better.

he turns around and there she is, looking annoyed like she doesn't want to be here. and yet as the heiress to her own fortune, she's here anyway, stuck in the same boat as he is. she's breathtaking in her gown, the fabric hugging her curves just right.

“good evening, sweetheart,” he breathes. “you look stunning tonight.”

“yeah, well, i'll see you at the next stupid gala,” she mutters, already walking away. “you know i only do this to satisfy the tabloids, anyway.”

sadly, it's true. as two of the richest young people in gotham city, their non-existent relationship has been the subject of numerous magazines. he's tried to make the rumors true - on more than one occasion - but she just seems… cold. distant.

but tonight is the night this all changes.

hopefully.

“wait!” he finds himself calling out. 

she turns her head, looking surprised as his face reddens. her expression quickly morphs into one of impatience. 

“spit it out already, rooster-head. i’ve got other overconfident millionaires to say my perfunctory greetings to.” she crosses her arms over her chest, waiting expectantly.

“damn, she kinda just ate you up.” kenma yawns, and seconds later tetsuro hears the annoying sound of chips being crunched loudly - right into his ear, no less. “better hurry it up, casanova, they're going to give the signal in approximately eighty seconds.”

irritated, he nods his head just enough for the earpiece to pick up on his movement. “let me buy you a drink tonight, how about that?” he says in what he hopes is a nonchalant tone, praying she didn't notice him nodding to no one in particular like a psycho.

she fixes him with an expression which practically screams, are you serious? 

“you don't buy drinks at a gala, smartass.”

“my mistake!” he yelps, trying to maintain his composure. “let me just - grab-” he snatches two flutes of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter, almost knocking the poor man over, and he swear he sees her lips quirk upwards at the slip-up. not quite what he was going for, he thinks, but it's definitely a start.

“thank you,” she murmurs, a twinkle in her eye. their fingers brush as he hands the glass to her by the stem, and slowly he starts to lead her to the middle of the ballroom. thankfully, she follows. as they pass under the largest central chandelier, he's about to make the bold move of wrapping his arm around her waist, but then he hears kenma inhale sharply, and yaku’s slow, rattling breathing.

something’s not right.

“talk to me,” he mutters without moving his lips. “what do you see?”

the harsh clacking of a keyboard fills his ears. “we have visuals on unidentified trespassers. they're positioned in the gallery, near the bolts holding up the chandeliers. one well-placed shot and there'll be a shit-load of chandelier raining down on everyone on the ground floor.”

not good.

“yaku, where are you?” he says aloud now, urgency filling his voice. she looks at him like he's lost his mind, then turns to look up at where he's looking.

a masked gunman squeezes his way through the crowd to the railing of the gallery. he cocks his gun, aims.

and fires.

tetsuro growls out a swear, pushing her out of the way as a mountain of metal and crystal crashes down on top of them. he hears the slight choking noise she lets out as the impact of his tackle knocks the air our of her lungs, feels the sharp pain of a piece of broken crystal jabbing into his right arm. his left leg is pinned under the weight of the chandelier and he curses.

horrified, she wrenches herself out from under him, breathing heavily as she backs away slowly. “stay here, i'll get help, ‘kay?”

“go,” he says through gritted teeth. he watches her disappear into the panicked crowd, waiting until the last of the civilians has almost left to try extricating himself from under the chandelier.

“bro, that’s a nasty cut you got there!” bokuto swoops through the double doors over the heads of some awestruck finance guys. “yaku’s out of commission, by the way. he got shot with some kind of sedative.”

“isn't he, like, the flash?” tetsuro says dryly, wincing slightly as the kryptonian lifts the huge light fixture with his superhuman strength. rolling to the side, he lies on the ground, catching his breath. bokuto offers him a hand, and he grabs on, allowing his friend to pull him up. he presses a button on his watch, and the suit materialises over his body like a second skin. “dodging attacks is kind of his thing.”

“he says he didn't even hear or feel it coming.” bokuto signals to akaashi that it's safe, the cyborg leaps down from the gallery, sending dust spiraling into the still air as he lands. “we took out the henchmen, but there's something off.”

it was never really about the statue, was it?

just then a figure breaks through the drywall to their left, groaning loudly as they lay in the rubble. the huge cloud of dust obstructs their view almost completely. 

“you think?” akaashi says dryly. tetsuro fires up his stun-gun.

“identify yourse-”

“shut up, asshat.” the gruff, annoyed voice carries through the still air, albeit hoarser than usual. “joker and ace are waiting outside, by the way. i hope they get you.”

“nice to see you again, nightwing,” he says, deadpan, as akaashi goes to check on her. “glad to know you haven't changed a bit since the last time we met.”

her escrima sticks - batons wired with high-voltage tasers - lie on the floor beside her, and she sweeps them up into her grasp as she gets to her feet, walking back in the direction she was thrown from. “neither have you,” she retorts. “good to know. now, are you just going to stand back and watch as i take them on myself?”

tetsuro balls his fists up. she’s damn near insufferable when she gets like this. 

superman laughs. “damn, she kinda just ate you up-”

“shut up, bokuto.”

he steels his resolve, and they all follow her into the inevitable danger that awaits.

author's notes:

so this is a miraculous ladybug kind of situation ig?? where kuroo loves reader and hates nightwing and reader hates kuroo and loves batman

ace isn't a canon dc villain as far as i know, but you'll see who it is later :) i'm kinda proud of this idea

not much to say tbh

TAGLIST: @kr1nqu, @weezerbby, @honeytwo (open, send an ask to be added!)

© sirhamburrger 2024

[an-aroaces-harem]

Ellis Twilight Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I just deepl and google translated my way through this because I wanted to know what’s going on, so there are definitely mistakes but I believe I managed the general gist of the story. Anyway, it’s just a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes. Ikemen Villains belongs to Cybird.

Another note: I know Ikemen Villains is set in victorian London, but I will use the japanese suffixes because I prefer them.

What is happiness?

It is like a twilight sky that changes color as soon as it is burned into the eye …

It holds your heart forever and never lets go, but you’ll never have the same one again.

Time, stand still, and let not this happiness fade away.

.

(From today onwards, my life will be monitored by the members of the assassin organization ‘Crown’ who control evil with evil.)

(As a ‘fairytale writer’, it is my duty and my only lifeline to record their sins.)

I get myself ready in front of the mirror and reassure myself that I am ready.

(I am honestly afraid to see this ‘sin’ again, but …)

(I’ve handled a lot of complaints and deliveries at the post office in the past, and I’ve also worked in busy and crazy situations.)

(Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll manage.)

Kate: Only one month. You can do it, you can do it …

I said to myself like an incantation, opened the door, and took a vigorous step forward.

???: Whoa.

Kate: Ah!?

I bumped the tip of my nose against the chest of someone standing in front of the room.

Kate: I-I’m sorry …!

Ellis: I’m sorry, too. … Does it hurt.

(Ah … that person …)

–flashback–

Last night, I discovered the secret of Crown, an assassination organization und the direct control of the Queen.

Harrison: … And? What are you going to do now that I’ve explained it to you so thoroughly, Victor?

Victor: Hm … yeah …

Ellis: Shall we kill her?

(Eh …?)

Ellis: She doesn’t seem happy at all, but I’ll take care of that business.

–flashback end–

(He was the first person to suggest killing me.)

(But, then …)

–flashback–

Ellis: I’m Ellis.

Kate: Ellis … -kun. Nice to meet you.

Ellis: Hmm … nice to meet you. Jude and I often go out for outside work.

Ellis: I’ll make you as happy as I can while you’re here.

–flashback end–

He was the same guy, but he calmly said something like a marriage proposal … a slightly different person.

(Why did Ellis-kun come in front of my room …?)

(Oh, right. Surveillance has already started.)

If I do a bad job, they might kill me.

I remember the fear I felt last night, and I’m sure I stood up straight.

(We shouldn’t be in the same mood as we were before.)

(I’ve already stepped into a different world.)

Kate: Ellis-kun, right? Please take care of me from today.

Ellis: Yes, Ellis Twilight. Come on … don’t be so stiff.

Ellis-kun laughed lightly and looked into my face with concern.

Ellis: … your nose is turning red.

Ellis: I’m sorry. I was just about to knock when the door opened and I couldn’t avoid it.

A long, slender arm held the door.

Behind his habitual hair are the one and only twilight-colored eyes of his namesake.

I gasped at the unexpectedly close proximity and hurriedly apologized.

Kate: No! I’m sorry I was too enthusiastic and stepped out too fast.

Ellis: Spirited? Why?

Kate: Eh!? Umm …

(“I was afraid of living with you guys, and I was trying to get my mind off of it.”)

(How … can I say that?)

Kate: It’s like being transferred to a department you don’t know at all, so … it’s …

Kate: Oh, yes! It’s like that …!

Ellis: Oh, yes …

Ellis-kun blinks his eyes.

(Hmm, too unnatural …)

Ellis: … You’re such a cute person.

Kate: Um … it’s okay if you don’t follow me …

(I should have been to have an excuse, but it’s kind of very embarrassing …)

As I averted my gaze as if looking for a place to hide myself, Ellis-kun returned to a straight face and said something in a loud voice.

Ellis: I’d like to ask Hana-san to do her first job in a new department.

Kate: … Wow …

(Beautiful garden.)

I was taken to the courtyard of Crown Castle …

There was a beautiful garden there that had been meticulously manicured in every detail.

Seasonal flowers are in full bloom and smell good, like paradise.

(Although last night I felt nothing but majesty and danger in the towering castle …)

(There are some places that are so restful.)

I followed Ellis-kun along the path, admiring the beautiful gardens, until we came to a pavilion.

Tea and scones are prepared on the table as if a tea party is about to begin.

Ellis: Go ahead.

Kate: Uh … T-thank you very much.

I sat down in the chair, puzzled by Ellis-kun pulling out the chair and waiting for me, and he sat down on the opposite side of the table.

(He asked me for a job. But I’m not sure I can do it …)

Kate: Do we do my first job here?

Ellis: Yeah … your first job is to have breakfast with me.

(… Eh?)

Ellis: Tell me about you over a nice meal. I’ll tell you about me too.

Ellis: If you record it, it will be a record as a ‘fairytale writer’, won’t it?

Kate: That would be … honestly very helpful.

Ellis: Good, I’m glad I could be of service.

It seems like he is serious and trying to help me.

Ellis: I’ll tell you about the other members of Crown.

Ellis: I think it’s a bit scary to live among people you don’t know at all.

Kate: …!

(I never expected this ‘first job’ to be …)

Kate: Did you ask me out to relieve my nerves?

Ellis: … kinda right.

Kate: ‘Kinda’?

Ellis: It’s also so I can talk to you, which is … a little incorrect.

A soft, faint smile is on his lips.

(I wonder if the first impression I had of Ellis-kun last night was a misunderstanding.)

Just by being near him, the temperature of my body feels cooler …

… it is as if something is peeking at us from the blurred open darkness …

… I’m sure I felt that kind of anxiety last night …

(I don’t feel such anxiety from Ellis-kun in front of me.)

(Maybe that was because that was right after I saw the murder scene.)

I quietly brushed aside the strange feeling that was surely brewing in my chest, and decided not to look at it.

… In hindsight, this was a mistake.

(Anyway, since Ellis-kun arranged this for me …)

(With all due respect, let’s hear what you have to say.)

Kate: Thank you very much, Ellis-kun.

Ellis: I didn’t do anything for which you could thank me.

Ellis: Do you like sweets? These are the scones Victor baked this morning.

Kate: What? Victor bakes …?

Ellis: Yeah, it tastes really good. Al is also a good cook.

Ellis: The clotted cream is something I learned from Al and made it myself.

Ellis: Liam recommended this jam, so he bought it for me.

Ellis: Maybe it’s because he’s a stage actor, but he knows what’s trendy.

Ellis: This meat pie is from a place Roger-san used to take me for lunch. He often writes about it.

Kate: W-wait a minute. I want to write down what you just told me …!

I took out my pocket notebook.

Ellis-kun told me all about the people of Crown, and I was very impressed.

Kate: I know this apricot crumpet store! There’s quite a line, isn’t there?

Ellis: Harry and I bought them side by side. Harry has a sweet tooth and loves a good sweets store.

Kate: Hehe … I see you are all good friends at Crown.

(I’ve always felt like I lived in a different, though.)

(I feel a little relieved to know that we are the same people who live in London …)

(Thanks to Ellis-kun.)

Keeping the overflowing smile on his face, he spreads cream on the scone at hand.

Ellis: Kate-san.

Kate: Yes …?

Very naturally, Ellis-kun’s large hand reached up to my face.

Ellis: … It looks like cream is on your hair.

Kate: Eh? Ah …

(Really, I didn’t notice.)

Ellis-kun scooped my hair with his fingertips and gently pulled it over my ears.

Kate: Thank you very much.

Ellis: You’re welcome. Was it so good you got carried away?

Resting his face on one hand, Ellis-kun looked at me and smiled.

Kate: … Yes, it’s delicious.

Ellis: Good.

(I can’t believe you can do this casually, Ellis-kun seems to be … popular.)

Realizing that my heart was pounding, I tried to calm down my erratic heartbeat.)

Kate: You prepared a seat like this for me, you cared about me …

Kate: Why are you being so nice to me?

(I don’t even remember doing anything to Ellis-kun that would make him be this nice to me yesterday …)

Ellis: Kate-san, you didn’t look happy all last night.

Ellis: I just want whoever is around me to smile as much as possible.

(That’s it …?)

(To Ellis-kun, I’m a stranger who knows nothing about him.)

Kate: Do you do this for everyone? Even if you have never met them before?

Ellis: Eh …? Hm … I guess it’s no good.

His naive doubt, on the contrary, made him look puzzled.

(Ellis-kun is a bit of a strange person after all.)

(But …)

Kate: … I was happy.

(I’m sure Ellis-kun made me feel better.)

Ellis: I see. … I’m glad you don’t mind.

… By the end of the harmonious breakfast, my guard was completely down.

Ellis: Do you enjoy the theater?

Kate: Yes, I do. In fact, last night, I took an unfamiliar night shift because I wanted money for tickets …

Ellis: Fufu … quite passionate.

I chatted with Ellis-kun endlessly, as if we were new friends.

Then, the sound of footsteps echoed.

Victor: Hey, hey, it’s so exciting!

Ellis: Victor.

Kate: …! Good morning.

Victor: Oh, don’t get up! I don’t mean to interrupt your pleasant banter.

Victor: Ellis offered to take care of breakfast for me, but … have you relaxed a bit?

Victor smiled at me and looked at me probingly.

The shadow of unfathomability I felt from him last night has faded, and I sense warmth and concern in his jewel-like eyes.

(Maybe it was because I enjoyed my ‘first job’ with Ellis-kun so much that I was able to relax.)

Kate: Yes, thanks to Ellis-kun and the delicious scones Victor baked for us.

Victor: …

I smiled gratefully, and Victor seemed a little surprised.

But soon after, he smiles like a blossoming flower.

Victor: Yeah, yeah. Your open smile says “I’m so happy to be Crown’s exclusive fairytale writer”!

Ellis: … Didn’t you say that much?

Kate: … Hehe.

Victor looked at me with a small shake of his shouldered and narrowed his eyes.

Victor: Well, I have two requests for you, fairytale master. You must keep the secret, and you must write down the sins.

Victor: The former is fine, but I didn’t want you to be lost as to what to do about the latter.

Victor: Can I explain a little?

Kate: Yes, by all means.

Victor: It’s not that hard. I want you to take a good look at the people in Crown and write down what you find sinful.

Victor: I’ll leave it to you to figure out how to do it.

Victor: You can see multiple people on different days, or you can focus on one person and work with them.

(Observe the Crown members carefully, the methods and partner are free … I see.)

Kate: I understand. … Um, what is the extent of my surveillance?

Victor: I don’t want to restrict your freedom of movement except to go out alone.

Victor: I may ask to accompany me on missions, but you can spend the rest of the time however you like.

I’m a little relieved because I thought I’d be under more intense scrutiny.

Kate: I understand. Thank you for your explanation.

Victor: … I have to admit, I was a little surprised just now. I didn’t expect to see your smile so soon.

Victor: We showed you a terrible scene and we are an evil organization that can’t even say that you can rest in peace.

A joking wink …

Then Victor squinted his eyes to watch the dazzling sunlight.

Victor: Hopefully, this will not take away your smile and the darkness that will inevitably touch you.

Strangely, I didn’t think the words he told me were a lie.

(The people at Crown are no doubt dwellers of the darkness, horrible people who are willing to lay their hands on people.)

I thought that if I looked into the depths of their hearts, I would be able to understand their feelings.

Victor: I’ll leave you to it. The Queen’s aide is quite busy.

It seemed that he was just there to see how things were going, and Victor quickly left without getting on the tapes.

(To note a sin, you must first take a good look at the person in Crown, huh?)

Then I’d like to know more about Ellis-kun first.

Such feelings come very naturally.

Kate: Um, Ellis-kun … what are your plans for today?

But my voice is interrupted by a swarthy voice.

Jude: You have to work, right? Why are you slacking off? I’ll kick your ass!

Ellis, Kate: !

The dusky voice makes me jump up and down.

(That voice …)

Fearfully, I turned around to see Jude-san standing in the courtyard with his arms folded, looking exasperated.

(Oh, he is angry …)

Ellis: Sorry, I’m coming.

Without even standing up, Ellis-kun leisurely turned his gaze towards Jude-san and answered.

(So carefree …)

Jude-san clicked his tongue and quickly flipped his cloak and went.

Ellis: … today’s schedule, as you can see.

Kate: You work for a trading company, right?

(Jude-san was the president and Ellis-kun was his assistant …)

(I was going to observe Ellis-kun, but maybe I should change the day.)

Kate: Thank you for taking the time for me. Good luck with your work.

Ellis: …

Ellis-kun stared at me, thinking about something.

Kate: Um …

Ellis: If you want, you can come with me.

⤷ next chapter

[fornshinoyaz]

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ you are my starlight...

a tobio kageyama social media au <3

                   ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★

                 ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★

★  — PAIRING   kageyama x fem!reader, slight oikawa x fem!reader if you squint

★ — GENRE   social media au, college au

he was your sun, the center of your universe. you thought you were the sun of his world too. but tobio kageyama was always too selfish for his own good. with both of you being bitter exes, sparks fly when you become the boys’ manager for your ex’s rival volleyball club. 

                    or where bitter exes turn into bitter rivals & kageyama can never seem to stay away from you even if it feels like choking on stardust.

★ — TAGS   lovers to enemies to rivals to friends to lovers, kageyama is DUMB, a little silly so a little ooc, fluff at times but kageyama is dumb, but not too much, slight fuckboy!kageyama, second chances, mutual pining, bad communication, angsty i’m sorry but it gets better after the first half, slow burn, kageyama slander ok but not that ok, but he’s a sweetheart when it counts, no love triangles that are taken SERIOUS, will update tags as i go

★ — WARNINGS  will update as i go, swearing, can have slightly suggestive moments but nothing graphic, slight inaccuracies when it comes to university in japan for plot sake, some ooc moments but it’s fine, death jokes/threats used by characters

★ — STATUS  ongoing! (started 7.18.23)

                 ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★

                                          tokyo university hotties.

waseda university bros.

                 ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★

★ — CHAPTERS!     (will feature written portions).

ACT 1

00. prologue 1 ✵ prologue 2

01. 6:30 in tokyo

02. can i get a shoutout?

03. it only gets worse

04. the chipmunks

05. old & new stalkers

06. girlfriends

07. welcome home

08. surprise visit (features written)

09. 4:30 in tokyo (features written)

10. the real streamers

11. kill me after i graduate

12. made me double take

13. knock knock

14. baby, you’re dead to me (features written)

15. japan didn’t miss you (features written)

a/n: here it is! i’ve been working on this for a record amount of like 24 hours. now i can breathe. i have some chapters already planned. i’m excited to see where this series goes! i was rlly torn on who should the li should be, but here i couldn’t help myself. this was originally an oc of mine, but i changed it to fit the reader. alrightttt, i hope whoever enjoys reading this as much as i enjoyed making it!!!

icons used are not mine, nor of the images used in this fic. thank you~. this page’s format was heavily inspired by @idlerin​. their smau’s are so cute n rlly did push to me to try to make one of my own, anyone who reads this should def check theirs out! thank you! 

[stardustsides]

Love is a Beach

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Patton and Janus broke up months ago. The problem? They still haven’t told their friends, and their annual beach trip is looming. Not wanting to break the news and ruin the vacation, they come to an…unconventional agreement.

Word Count: 2597

Pairings: moceit, background prinxiety

Content Warnings: drinking, breakups, mild innuendo

Author’s Note: I finally wrote the fake-dating-exes “there’s only one bed” moceit fic I’ve been threatening you all with!! I tagged everyone who expressed interest in reading this when I posted about it months ago. This fic is loosely based off of the novel “Happy Place” by Emily Henry :)

~

Not for the first time, the rational part of Patton’s brain was telling him that this was a bad idea. He had known it since they cooked it up, but he guessed that it was one thing to talk about it and another entirely to put it into action. He stood in the driveway, holding a bag of pool noodles and feeling slightly nauseous.

The rush of blood in his ears nearly drowned out the familiar chatter of his friends: Logan reading their checklist aloud in his typical drone, the twins cracking jokes from the backseat, Virgil groaning and telling them to shut it, trying and failing to smother the grin on his face. It was a perfect tableau of the people he loved most in the world, who, under different circumstances, he would have been thrilled to spend the week on vacation with, as he was every year.

As Janus loaded the last of the bags into the trunk, Patton met his eyes, and looked away as quickly as he could, staring at the gravel by his feet. Off to a flying start.

Plastering a smile onto his face, he clapped his hands. “Everyone ready?” He asked cheerfully, plopping into the driver’s seat. “AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!” Roman and Remus crowed in unison, to which Logan rolled his eyes. Janus slid into the passenger’s seat next to him with the grace of a lethargic cat. Patton dutifully kept his eyes on the rear view mirror as he pulled out of the driveway.

“I’m trusting you on aux, Jan,” Roman called from the back. “You better not disappoint!” Roman was usually the DJ of their road trips, as he always called dibs on shotgun (“dibs” used loosely, as he’d fight anyone who dared take his place as the resident passenger princess), but he had graciously relinquished his seat to Janus for this particular trip.

In fact, all of them had been exceptionally kind to both him and Janus for the past few weeks; Virgil had dropped a homemade loaf of sourdough at his apartment last week, saying that he “made too much”; Logan had told Patton that he’d pay the gas bill that Patton’s minivan was racking up for this trip; and, of course, Roman wouldn’t hear a word against Patton and Janus taking the master bedroom in the beach house they were renting.

It would melt Patton’s heart if it didn’t make his stomach twist with guilt.

He knew exactly where it was all coming from: they were expecting a proposal soon.

When Patton and Janus had first started dating in junior year of college, they could sense the wariness in their friends; they had all been inseparable since they first met in freshman year, and their concern that it would ruin the group dynamic was palpable.

That had been six years ago, though, and it really had only brought them all closer together. Janus and Patton had earned the nicknames “Mom” and “Dad”, respectively, and the others had all delighted in the prospect of one day being uncles to their kids.

And so, six years on in their relationship, everyone was clearly trying to contain their excitement about the proposal that they knew had to be coming soon.

So no, they couldn’t just tell the others about the breakup.

When it happened two months ago, Patton had fretted for days over how to break the news. Their trip to the beach, which had been a yearly tradition since they were sophomores in college, was looming, and he couldn’t stand the thought of breaking their hearts. His own was shattered already.

So when Janus showed up to move his stuff out of their apartment and suggested that they not tell the others until after the trip, it seemed like the best course of action at the time.

Now, the reality of the situation was really settling in as he drove on the freeway. He was facing down a week of playing lovebirds with his ex-boyfriend, actively deceiving the people in his life who knew him best, so yeah, you could say his resolve weakened a bit.

“Just to confirm, to avoid any confusion,” Logan began for what had to have been the fifteenth time that week. “Patton and Janus will be staying in the master bedroom. Roman and Virgil will take the first guest room, and myself and Remus will be staying in the second one, correct?”

Patton caught Roman’s eye in the rear view and exchanged a wry glance. Logan was clearly reiterating the sleeping arrangements over and over again in a futile attempt to get out of staying with Remus. Based on the way that Virgil had flushed bright red when Roman declared that they could room together, though, Logan’s efforts were completely in vain. Patton smiled a little in spite of himself. Virgil’s massive crush on Roman was one of the worst-kept secrets in the group; everyone knew about it except, of course, Roman himself, who was almost impressively oblivious.

“Yep,” Roman replied. “That’s what we all agreed on two weeks ago, L.” Logan said nothing in response and turned to stare out the window.

Their planning day two weeks ago was the first time that Patton had seen Janus since he had moved out. It also served as their “test run” for their charade, and it was just about as soul-crushing as Patton was anticipating it would be. He sat as close to Janus as he could bear, and forced himself to keep smiling, even as Roman showed them pictures of the room that they’d be sharing—he wasn’t really paying attention, as he was too preoccupied with the proximity of Janus’ knee to his. A wisp of blond hair escaped from Janus’ bun, as it often did, and Patton fought the urge to tuck it back. Instead, he gulped down a glass of the wine Logan had brought a bit too eagerly and studiously ignored the look it got him from Janus, who had the audacity to look amused.

Easy-peasy, he thought to himself, desperately avoiding Janus’s gaze.

All he’d have to do is make it through the week. One week, and then they could drop the charade and stop the lying and nothing would ever be the same in the group again.

He’d poured himself another glass of wine.

“Are we almost there?” Remus whined from the back row of seats, jolting Patton back to the present.

“Still another hour or so, Ree,” he responded, glancing at the GPS. Remus let out an anguished groan.

“Would you like a book to pass the time?” Logan asked, reaching into the bag at his feet. Every year, they’d all place bets on how many books Logan would read on vacation. His record was currently sitting at twelve.

“I’d rather have my arm torn off by wolves, no offense.”

“You’re quiet, Janus,” Virgil remarked.

“Hm?” Janus said, jolting a little beside him. Patton gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, but it filled him with a grim satisfaction to know that at the very least, he was on edge too. “Oh, just lost in thought. I’m ready to get into bed.”

“I’ll bet,” Remus grinned devilishly.

“Shut up, Remus,” Virgil laughed, smacking his arm.

“Anyways, we’ll be there soon enough,” Patton said, hoping that the frantic pitch in his voice came across as embarrassment. He could feel the hot blush creeping across his face. “And I’ll make spaghetti once we get there!”

“You don’t have to do that,” Janus said, and Patton startled. “You just drove, the least we could do is cook dinner.”

“Oh,” Patton managed. “That’s alright, I really don’t mind.”

“I’ll order pizza,” he said decisively, and Patton felt a mix of annoyance and appreciation. He’s so thoughtful. He always had been.

“Okay, if that’s alright with everyone else,” he replied unsteadily. “Thanks, honey.”

The pet name was out before he could stop himself, a habit the product of six years together. He thanked his lucky stars that he was driving, so he wouldn’t have to look at Janus.

“Of course, dear.”

His face burned.

Easy-peasy.

~

The house was stupidly perfect. Nestled in the heart of a picturesque beach town, it stood behind a picket fence, with white shutters and blue trim, framed by yellow rose bushes. It looked exactly like the kind of house he and Janus had always talked about moving to once they got married, and Patton’s heart gave another painful twist.

Everyone clambered out of the car, Remus darting forward to unlock the front door, everyone else grabbing their luggage. Patton breathed in the sea air and tried to steady himself.

The interior was just as lovely as the outside; light blue wood paneled walls decorated with paintings of the beach, with a pristine white couch that Patton had no doubt somebody would spill some brightly colored beverage on by the end of the week. Roman was breezing from room to room, showing everyone around, clearly quite pleased with himself for being the one to pick out their lodgings.

“You can choose which bed you want, I don’t mind either way,” he was saying to Virgil, their luggage piled in the center of their room.

“The place is beautiful, Ro!” Patton exclaimed as he poked his head through the doorway. Roman swelled with pride.

“Wait until you see your room! Here, lemme show you—it’s the one upstairs, at the end of the hall!”

“There’s an upstairs?” Patton asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

“Yep! You and Janus will have the floor all to yourself,” Roman said, throwing a playful wink at him. Patton hoped that the giggle he forced out was convincing. “Here, let me help you get your stuff upstairs.”

They trudged to the top of the stairs, bags in tow. As Roman pushed open the door to the room at the top, clearly awaiting his reaction, Patton schooled his features into what he hoped resembled joy.

The room was lovely. There was a seafoam green loveseat in the corner, a big window thrown open to reveal a clear view of the bay on the far side, white linen curtains dancing in the light breeze, and in the middle, of course, there was a plush king sized bed, covered in throw pillows shaped like seashells.

He had known that there would only be one bed. Obviously there would only be one bed. It was the master bedroom and him and Janus had been together for six years, of course they’d be sharing a bed.

But knowing that beforehand and seeing the bed in person were two entirely different things.

“Oh, Ro,” he managed. “It’s…it’s lovely. Thank you.”

Janus appeared in the doorway behind Roman, holding his own luggage.

“Of course, Pat,” Roman said, squeezing his hand. “I knew you’d love it. I’ll let you two get settled!” And with that, he slipped out, shutting the door behind him with a decisive click.

The silence stretched out, filling the room. It dawned on Patton that this was their first moment alone together in months. He felt uncomfortably warm. Finally, as the silence threatened to swallow them whole, Janus huffed. “You,” he began, “are a terrible actor.”

Patton opened his mouth and closed it. There was so much to say, and yet he could find no words at all. The tension was unbearable. He wanted to take Janus’s face in his hands, to search his gaze until he could fix whatever had broken between them. Instead, he pursed his lips and turned away, hoping that Janus wouldn’t hear the waver in his voice. “You knew that already.”

“I did,” Janus responded.

Patton cleared his throat. “There’s only one bed.”

“I’ve noticed.” Patton hated how utterly unbothered he sounded. So calm, cool, and collected while Patton was unraveling at the seams. As if six years down the drain meant nothing to him.

He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. “So…?”

“So?” He could hear the edges of amusement creep into Janus’ voice, and his face burned.

“So, what do you want to do about it?”

Janus sighed. “I could sleep on the floor, if you want.”

“What? No! You—I wouldn’t make you do that!” He stammered out.

“I know you wouldn’t,” he said. “But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You sleeping on the floor for a week because of me would make me uncomfortable, Janus,” Patton shot back. “Please, let’s just—it’s fine. It’s a big bed, and it’s only a week.”

Janus was silent for a moment, staring at him. Patton tried not to squirm under his gaze.

“Fine. If that’s what you want,” he said finally.

“It is,” he responded, certain that his face was spectacularly red. “Um. I’m going to—grab my things.” He headed for the door.

Janus raised an eyebrow towards his luggage already piled in the doorway but said nothing.

He flew down the stairs, cheeks on fire, and into the kitchen, where Virgil was busy unpacking the food for the week.

“Oh, hey,” he said.

“Hi,” Patton responded, unsure why he was already so out of breath. “Um. I’ll cook tonight.”

“I thought we were ordering pizza, like Jan said?”

“I know, I know, I just—have a lot of energy right now, I want to keep myself busy.”

Virgil raised his eyebrows. “Uh, alright. Everything okay?”

“Yep!” he said, wincing at the strain in his voice. “I just had too much coffee this morning before the drive, so. You know.” Terrible actor, indeed.

Virgil looked unconvinced. “Okay, if you’re sure. Just, uh—take it easy, alright? It’s supposed to be a vacation.”

“Says you,” he said, grinning a little and poking Virgil’s arm. Virgil rolled his eyes.

“This isn’t about me.”

“It is now!” Virgil huffed.

“Just…take care of yourself, okay?” he asked, his voice softening a bit, hints of real concern in his eyes. “You’ve been a little…uh, off, lately—“

“Off?” Patton’s stomach twisted.

“Not off,” he amended. “Just…tightly wound? And, y’know, I get why, but—“

“What?” He asked, panicked. If Virgil already knew…

Virgil looked abjectly confused, holding up his hands. “Just, y’know…” he lowered his voice a little bit. “The proposal?”

Oh. Yeah. That made more sense. It did nothing to ease his nerves, though.

“Right,” he choked out. Virgil stared at him for a long moment, his eyes searching his face. Finally, he looked away, sighing.

“All I wanted to say was that I want you to take care of yourself. It’s a vacation, and none of us want you to spend it working yourself to the bone for our sake.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yeah, I know, Virge. Thanks.”

“‘Course,” he said resignedly, awkwardly tapping his fingers against the countertop. There was an uncertain air between them, and Patton did his best to ignore it. He couldn’t have Virgil worrying about him—he wouldn’t have it. Otherwise, what was this whole charade even for?

He helped Virgil unpack the rest of the food, trying his best to diffuse the tension between them. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief when Virgil finally retreated into his room, resting his face in his hands.

He shouldn’t have come here. He should have pretended he had the flu, or told them that his apartment was robbed, or that his dog had gotten into chemical waste and was now a mutant wreaking havoc on the city, or—or something.

But then, that wouldn’t have really done anything—the others would have just rescheduled the trip for him, and then he’d have felt doubly bad.

He glanced at the clock, blinking green above the oven, sighed, and uncorked a bottle of wine.

Whatever happened tonight, at least he wouldn’t be sober for it.

~

Taglist (let me know if you want to be removed!)

@moceit @lily-janus @instantromannoodles

@bluejay-of-the-west @scare-amor @harmonialcollisions @emoprincey @dragonboots @just-my-interpretation @spicycreativity @infawrit10 @emophoenixreborn @6-paris-6 @thedeadandthedecaying @red-imeanblue

[thebawdybaldurian]

Halsin/Tav Week Day 1

This week of prompts comes at a great time, as my Tav and Halsin have been separated for a few chapters in my main fic and are just about to be reunited. I’m excited to get back to writing about by favorite bear. This is an edited excerpt from the next chapter I am working on. I’ve left out some of the Astarion-involved beats, just in case that isn’t your jam, but they are a throuple in my main fic.

Most of my Halsin shorts involve scent kink, so feel free to check those out in my archive, they will all be tagged with #Halsin.

Reunited (Scent Kink)

Content and Warnings: scent kink, oral sex, PIV sex (slightly rough), squirting, creampie.

Halsin Dry Humping Chapter

Halsin had been occupying his time at the inn reading, teaching the tiefling orphans some useful skills, and playing with Scratch and Hootles, the owlbear cub. He’d been trying to keep his mind off Tav while she was at Moonrise Towers, but was having a difficult go of it. He swore he could smell her scent one day, so he lingered by the bridge that led to the inn, hoping for any signs of the party returning. By mid-afternoon, between the cooking fires and heavy fog creeping in, the air was too clouded pick up much of anything else. He gave up waiting with a disappointed sigh and shifted to his owlbear form to run around with the animals. He had no smell in this form and nearly missed Tav’s arrival, but saw a clamor of people heading towards the lake. He shifted back to his elven form to ask what was happening. “A boat has been spotted on the lake, coming towards us,” one of the Harpers replied, taking up her sword.

“Foes or allies?”

“We don’t know,” the woman called as she ran towards the small docks.

Halsin sniffed the air, hoping to discover which. He caught Tav’s scent again, much stronger this time. It made him so excited, he involuntarily shifted to his bear form, bounding towards the lake. He chuffed the air as he ran, catching more of her smell as they drew closer together. He could smell others among her, unwashed and afraid, but he focused solely on her trail. Harpers and armed tieflings had stationed themselves on and around the small dock, who he narrowly avoided running into. There were a few screams and shouts as he ran past people, an excited growl rumbling in his throat.

Tav heard the commotion before she saw it, just off the boat and starting to help others off onto the dock. A large brown bear scrambled around the corner, letting out a happy bellow as their eyes met. Halsin shifted back right as he came upon her, taking her in his arms and sweeping her off her feet. “I’ve been smelling you all day. I thought I was going mad,” Halsin kissed her greedily, gripping her ass tightly. Tav kissed him deeply in return, the comfort of his sturdy arms making her melt. He’d managed to grow a slight beard in the short time they were apart, nearly rivaling Gale’s.

“We’d been doing circles in the lake half the day because of the fog before we finally spotted the Inn…I’ve missed you so much,” she murmured between kisses, brushing her fingers against the soft bristles on his face.

“I counted the seconds we were apart,” he finally set her down with a happy smile.

“How many was it?” She gazed up at him, still held tightly in his arms.

“Far too many,” he replied.

There were other happy reunions between couples, though none as public and passionate as theirs had been. Halsin pounced on Tav as soon as they’d gotten up to their room. “Wait,” Tav moaned as Halsin reached down to undo her pants. “You should hear the news first…good and bad.”

“Alright,” he nodded, his fingers still hooked impatiently under her waistband.

“Thorm has sent us to retrieve the Nightsong, so we know exactly where it is. And if he wants it, it must certainly be connected with the curse, right?”

“Not necessarily, but keeping it out of his hands will be a great benefit regardless. And the bad news?”

“Uhmmm, Minthara…the drow who held you captive…she survived somehow and made her way to Moonrise. Where they promptly imprisoned her.”

“Good,” Halsin nodded. “She’s very dangerous.”

“Except,” Tav paused, biting her lip. “I helped get her out…and she’s returning with the others on foot.”

“I see,” he nodded again, his expression remaining neutral. “And why did you do such a thing?”

“With the cult turning on her so quickly, she wants revenge. Now that she’s near the prism, she won’t be influenced by the Absolute anymore. She can provide us with useful information.”

“And you will trust what she has to say?”

“I’m not saying we let her have free rein at camp or even keep her alive after getting information out of her but…the cultists are planning to march on Baldur’s Gate. I know you have no love for the city, but it is my home. We need to find out everything we can.”

He nodded and smiled slightly, letting his fingers move up to rub along her hips. “I may not ever trust her, but I trust you…with all my heart.”

He kissed Tav deeply again, pulling her into another tight embrace. “Damn,” she pulled away with a heavy breath, his growing arousal pressing against her stomach. “I was kind of hoping you’d be mad at me…be a little rough and feral.”

He laughed, giving her ass a tight squeeze. “You only have to ask me for that.”

He picked up her hips with ease, carrying her and setting her down on the nearby dresser with a thud. He tore open the laces of her pants, breaking them in several places. He pulled her pants and underclothes down forcefully, leaving them around her ankles as he dove face first into her cunt. “Oh!” She cried as his tongue went straight between her lips, snaking inside her a little. She managed to kick off her pants and shoes completely as he ravenously licked and sucked upon her. He pulled one of her legs over his shoulder, giving him deeper access for his tongue to reach.

He was even more hungry than their first time together, barely taking a breath and leaving no spot on her delta untouched. She could barely contain her cries, holding onto the dresser as it rocked back and forth from his vigorous tasting. “Gods…Halsin! Oh!” She moaned, coming quickly from the long, forceful sucks on her clit. He didn’t stop there, however, adding his fingers to beckon more honey into his mouth.

She was hanging onto the edge of the dresser now, with both legs wrapped around his head. His beard tickled as he nuzzled against her, nibbling her between licks. He left teeth marks in her thighs, completely frenzied by her taste. “Fuck! Oh! Don’t stop!” She came again as he flicked his tongue inside her, the bridge of his nose pressed hard against her clit.

“Another?” He breathed hot against her sex, his hungry gaze catching hers. He could stay like this for hours if she wished it.

“Inside me, please,” she begged, leaning back against the dresser. He nodded, taking one last agonizing lick from her asshole up to her clit.

She untangled her legs from his shoulders and put them on the floor, waiting for him to undo his pants, slipping her shirt over her head. “You are more beautiful than my memories could recall,” he looked up at her as he unlaced himself, his cock springing free easily.

“I could barely sleep without you beside me,” she sunk down, letting him help guide her hips. “Fuck!” Her legs trembled as he eased just past her entrance. “Have you somehow gotten bigger?”

“Just more excited to see you,” he moaned, slipping further inside her. “I woke up throbbing every morning…but waited for you.”

“You did?” She huffed, slowing moving up and down his thick shaft.

“You asked me to,” he let out a slow sigh as he slid deeper inside her.

“Would you do anything that I asked you to?” She whimpered, circling her hips around him once she’d finally engulfed him to the base of his cock.

“Yes,” he whispered.

“Then fuck me harder than you ever have before,” she looked him directly in the eyes, pulsing her muscles around him.

He gripped her hips tightly, moving her to the floor and pressing on top of her. She slid his pants past his hips, gripping his ass tightly. “Yes…just like this, my bear,” she moaned as he pushed her legs back against her chest, testing her flexibility. They sat on his shoulders as he pounded her hard in a full mating press, letting out low growls with each deep thrust. Her eyes rolled back as each thrust nudged against her g-spot, making her breath sharper.

“I need you,” he snarled, truly letting himself go as he fucked her harder.

She gripped his arms tightly, feeling the urgent, powerful sensation that she had yet to experience with him. “Oh Gods…fuck…fuck…fuck!” She screamed, forgetting all about the thin walls of the inn. Fluid rushed out around his cock, soaking the floor as she began to squirt. She shook so hard he thought for a moment that he might have hurt her, beginning to slow down. “No…please,” she begged, gripping his arms tighter, knowing there was more to come. “Don’t stop…come in me…right now.”

“Clataedre…my love,” he mewled her elven name, never feeling more desperate to come than in this moment.

He pressed his forehead against hers, pounding her with a few more thrusts before spending nearly a tenday of unfulfilled desire into her gushing canal. Their cries joined in harmonic ecstasy, echoing through the entire inn again. Lae’zel had wisely moved rooms before they’d left for Moonrise and the unfortunate tiefling couple who was now roomed next door went downstairs to make their own inquiry about switching. The two elves cooed and laughed as they caught their breath, lying together in the wet pool of their lovemaking. “Sorry,” she grinned as his knee slipped in their shared ejaculate.

“Don’t be,” he smiled, falling to one side of her and pulling her close. “I…haven’t been able to experience that with someone for a very long time.”

“It doesn’t happen a lot…but when it does…it’s a deluge.”

“One of nature’s wonders,” he nuzzled against her. “Do you…enjoy when I am…a little less gentle with you?”

“I like when you don’t hold back at all. I know that you would never hurt me,” she nodded, rasping her finger against his beard. It was still short enough that she would have a little bit of irritation on her thighs, but it was well worth it. “You are incredible.”

“You are all I’ve ever wanted,” he nuzzled down to her armpit, taking in more of her scent.

“That tickles,” she giggled, his nose and lips brushing against the delicate skin.

“Then it is unfortunate that you smell so good,” he continued to kiss and nibble her under arms, making her squeal.

[ash5monster01]

Goes On Chapter Five

Pairing: Charlie Dalton x OC!FemReader

Warnings: 18+, depression, mentions of suicide, heavy topics, eventual smut, slow burn romance, fluff, gender themes/stereotypes.

Summary: Against his best efforts Charlie has to start at a new preparatory school after the tragic events that took place at Welton. The very events that led to the loss of his best friend and getting expelled in the first place. He has no plans to make friends let alone get close to anyone ever again. That is until he meets Evelyn and her interesting group of friends. No matter how hard he tries to push them away he finds it to be impossible. So he caves and in the end learns that life can still be enjoyable even if it feels like everyone is against you.

word count: 2.1k

Four ←→ Six

Masterlist

Ridge Academy, NY

1/28/60

“Bullshit” a voice mutters behind Evelyn in the hall. Normally over the bustling of other students the word would have never been heard but Evelyn picks up on it instantly, turning to find a flustered Charlie Dalton stomping down the hallway.

“Charlie, wait up!” she calls out and does not miss the way his shoulders lift up and down with a heavy sigh. She has no intentions of annoying him further but clearly she can’t help but figure out why he’s annoyed in the first place.

“I’m not really in the mood Ev” he mutters once she catches up to his side, yet based on the way he slows down so she doesn’t have to struggle to keep up with him says otherwise.

“I’m just worried, I’ve never seen you so frustrated before” Evelyn says with a heavy sincerity and Charlie sighs again before softening his eyes and looking at the girl.

“The dean called me down to the office today. Says I need to have at least two clubs or sports and since I’m so late in joining all they had left was pole vaulting and planning committee” his words shock Evelyn just slightly and Charlie seems just as annoyed as before now reminding himself of the situation.

“Well look at the bright side. You said you did rowing at your last school which means you have strong arms. Pole vaulting should be a breeze” then Evelyn surprises Charlie by reaching for his bicep and giving it a firm squeeze. It doesn’t go unnoticed by either of them how her hand could barely curl around the size of it. “See strong”

“I’m just not in the mood for a team sport” Charlie says, trying to brush away the feeling of Evelyn’s fingers on him.

“Don’t think of it as a team. I mean technically you’re doing the event by yourself. As for planning committee at least you’ll have me” and Evelyn’s words have him stopping in his tracks.

“You’re on planning committee?” this was worse, so much worse than Charlie had imagined. He already struggled to keep himself away from Evelyn and now he just had to see her all the time and try to stay away.

“Yes sir, actually the head of the committee. I’m kinda a control freak but at least I put it to good use” Evelyn says with a confident grin and Charlie struggles to not smile at her. She surprised him every single day.

“So now you get to boss me around, yeah this definitely isn’t going to work” he says starting to walk down the hallway again and Evelyn rolls her eyes, grabbing his arm again and pulling him back into step with her.

“I’m not going to boss you around, we just get to plans things together” she tells him with the shrug of her shoulders and Charlie nods before glancing at her.

“What kind of things?” he asks and Evelyn smiles a wide grin.

“Well for starters, this week we get to start planning the Valentines dance” Evelyn says and doesn’t expect the groan that reverberates from the boy beside her.

“Doll you are not helping this at all, red and pink candy hearts, teenage kids fawning over each other. I’ll pass” and as much as Evelyn wants to take offense to his words she can’t help by feel her body buzz over the name he just called her.

“I promise it won’t be bad, I’ll make it bearable even. Then next year I’ll remember to remind you when sign ups are for stuff you actually want to do” and Charlie’s exterior completely softens at the sweet words of the girl who is being completely genuine in wanting to help him.

“Thanks Ev, and I promise I won’t be a burden. I’m just still trying to get used to this whole new school thing” he tells her, a large hand coming to squeeze her shoulder and Evelyn can only grin.

“So you’ll plan the dance with me?” she asks with wide and hopeful eyes and Charlie can only sigh before caving.

“Yes, I’ll help you plan the dance” he agrees which has Evelyn squealing from excitement.

“I can’t wait, we’re meeting tonight at 6. See you then!” and just like that she’s pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek and scurrying down the hallway in excitement. Charlie just stands there, a bit shocked, and a red hue covering his face. Evelyn kissed him like she had done it thousands of times before when in actuality she never had.

“Careful there, gonna ruin your book” Marty says to Nate as they both witness this interaction in the hallway. Nate’s knuckles are white over the spine of his Biology textbook as he sees the girl he loves kiss Charlie on the cheek.

“I don’t care” Nate grumbles, annoyed and heartbroken. Mainly disappointed in himself for not taking his chance when he should have.

“Well you should, no use taking it out on the book when you can just go and get the girl” Marty says, confused why Nate never did make a move. It was easier for Marty though. He had never been rejected and also had been with Violet for the entirety of High School.

“It’s not that simple” Nate grumbles and Marty just chuckles.

“Whatever man, it just looks to me like you have to make a choice because you can’t be mad at her when you never tried” and Nate hates how right he is because it truly wasn’t fair. To be so indifferent to not only his best friend but his roommate who had truly done nothing wrong. So what if the guy wanted to keep to himself, that was his choice, and Nate’s disappointment in not having a new friend shouldn’t be taken out on him.

“Hey guys, any chance either of you do track in the spring? Specifically pole vaulting?” Charlie appears out of nowhere beside the two. Nate nearly jumps considering he was just thinking about him and the fact he initiated any conversation at all.

“I’m in track but I throw discus” Marty responds a soft shrug of his shoulders.

“I’m also in track but I run a few events. I’m not particular on launching myself in the air” Nate responds quickly and much to either of the boys surprise Charlie actually laughs.

“Yeah well neither am I. Maybe the dean has a death wish out for me” Charlie says once his laughter has calmed down and both Nate and Marty chuckle at this.

“Possibly but don’t worry too much. Thing about track is you don’t actually have to be good at it and I do have a buddy who pole vaults. He could give you a few tips” Marty tells him as he gives his shoulder a squeeze and Charlie nods.

“Perfect, as long as he is willing to work around planning committee” neither of the boys miss the sarcasm that comes from Charlie but Nate doesn’t have time to focus on it because he knows exactly who runs planning committee and now he regrets not joining when she asked.

“Oh he will, no one is willing to face the wrath of Evelyn. Especially when she’s planning something important” Marty says and Charlie laughs again which earns him a wide smile because the boy is finally socializing with them.

“Does the Valentine’s dance fall under important?” Charlie asks and both boys nod quickly.

“That is probably number one. The holiday alone is important to Evelyn” Nate says and it finally dawns on him. Charlie may be planning the dance with Evelyn but Nate could at least ask her to it. Thing was, how do you ask the girl you’ve been friends with for years to be your date to the most romantic dance on campus?

“Well shit” Charlie mutters and the boys laugh again.

“I better get to biology” Nate finally says, noticing how the hallways had slowly cleared out. He shows both boys the textbook he was strangling not that long ago.

“Yeah, little Nate here can’t blow his perfect attendance record” Marty says with a slap to his back and he quickly rolls his eyes.

“You tease but who’s the one who helps you with Trig” Nate says and Marty rolls his eyes which has Nate laughing as he starts off and down the hallway. Leaving the two boys to talk alone.

He knew one thing. Getting upset would be useless and it was finally time to take action and put himself out there. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

“Guess who just joined planning committee?” Evelyn says with a chesire cat grin as she slides into her seat beside Violet and Laurie. Both girls tune into her instantly, desperate for gossip after a long day of classes.

“Who?” Laurie is the first to bite, blonde hair perfectly curled and falling in her face the closer she leans towards her friend.

“Charlie” the girl lightly squealed and instantly shocked faces are painted across both the girls faces.

“So you’re telling us Mr. Unsociable not only joined a club but your club?” Violet says, just as surprised as the rest of the group.

“He had too, the Dean said he needed at least two sports or clubs and since mostly everything is taken he got put in mine” and neither of the girls miss the dreamy look on her face. Evelyn already liked Charlie more than she even knew and as much as they were happy for her, they both knew exactly who it would kill.

“What else did he get?” Laurie asks curiously, never really knowing there was a rule in place for taken outside class activities.

“Pole vaulting. He seems pretty disappointed but my afternoon wouldn’t be entirely wrecked if I got to see that” Evelyn says that has the two girls giggling at her and her openness. Evelyn never kept anything to herself and having such an outspoken best friend had its entertainment.

“Only you could romanticize pole vaulting” Violet says with the roll of her eyes and Evelyn quickly scoffs.

“Romanticize? I’m just excited to watch those biceps strain as he literally launches himself in the air. I bet he looks sexy all sweaty and in his track uniform. I hope it has no sleeves” and as she says it Evelyn realizes very quickly that romanticizing is exactly what she’s doing.

“Shit, I am romanticizing. Whatever, I felt his biceps I have every right too” and both the girls laugh.

“So what’s the goal here?” Laurie asks, already backing off Charlie the minute she realized her brunette friend who never had crushes on anyone finally did.

“I don’t know. Get him to open up, get to know him. We’re planning the dance together, maybe he’ll ask me” Evelyn shrugs, opening her textbook unaware of the soft smile on her face.

“If he doesn’t ask you Ev, he’s crazy” Violet says and Evelyn smiles widely. She knew deep inside there was a confident and cool Charlie. One who wasn’t afraid to flirt with her and she was going to find a way to bring him out. One way or another. Maybe in the process get to kiss the shit out of him too.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see” she grins and both girls laugh at their friend’s antics. As much as they were hopeful for her they also were saddened for their other friend. The only thing the group could do was hope and pray that the new kid didn’t destroy their friend group entirely especially since he had been actively avoiding them the whole time. Clearly Charlie held burdens they could never understand and they didn’t need to give him something new to carry.

Both girls watch as Evelyn grins at the boy the minute he enters class and goes to sit in the very seat Evelyn saw him in the first time. Charlie smiles back if only briefly before slumping in his chair and Violet and Laurie share a look because even if Charlie denied it he clearly liked Evelyn too. After all he had no reason not to, even if he avoided everyone around him. A pretty girl was a pretty girl but that girl just so happened to be Evelyn too. She was the kind of girl that turned heads, the kind of girl that had it all. The personality to match her looks and a confidence that matched the one hiding underneath Charlie’s surface. It was only a matter of when Evelyn would finally get it to come out. When it did, there was no doubt of how good they’d be together.

Comment if you want to be added to the taglist :))

[opreaadriann]

Weekly Update - Apr 27, 2024

Hello, Nigel Profite voters! Profitists? I’m here after a pretty big week of writing. Unfortunately, this week has been a crazy combination of good and bad news for me, luckily allowing me to concentrate a lot on High School Revenge.

Let’s start off with the important bit. I’ve written 12k words this week. Yes, you’ve heard that right. I’ve completely finished the homecoming party event, which was huge, bizarre, and full of choices. Though my writing pace has been amazing, it only happened because some bad stuff happened irl. I just lost my job, so I had a lot of time between applying for jobs and staring at the ceiling to work on this. What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t expect this speed under normal circumstances, since I think the 4k a week from before was more realistic. So, please don’t pray for my continued unemployment just so I could finish the book faster haha.

An interesting thing I’ve worked on this week is setting up special separate screens in the Stats menu for all of the targets, where I give a brief physical description and remind you of their role in the Tragedy. I think this will help if you ever wonder what someone like Vivian or Connor did back then. Since I’ve also made Burt spy on them all, you’ll also gain access to some special info, where you see some of their presumed traits, likes, dislikes, and related skills (i.e music or baseball). I will also add here in the future the clues you get that will help in your upcoming revenge.

As I’ve already said, I’ve also finished the homecoming party event that happens in the first week of school. It’s around 20k words, which is just slightly longer than the whole 2nd chapter. I think I’ve made it a fun experience with all of our weird targets and I hope you will have fun with it once it’s released!

In terms of what I’ve got left for the chapter, I’ve only got to write random events now, some initial relationship and hobby events, and the actual homecoming event. If things go well, in around 1 month everything should be done. Unless I start writing really long separate paths for each RO for homecoming. If I do that, it might take like 1 month and a half or something.

[mythicalmagical-monkeyman]

First multi chap fic for dreamzzz 👍👍 again full thing under the cut :3

1: you are here. 2 3 4 5 6 7

Summary:

The kids Halloween day starts out pretty normal but as things are uncovered an old foe of the Night Bureau come back to ruin a perfectly good Halloween and put our Dream Chasers in a tricky corner Because how are they going to defeat a super powered villain in the Waking World ??

Additional Tags:

epic the musical references. Halloween, Halloween Costumes. Aged-Up Character(s), Mateo and co are in high school. Swearing. Sort of minor Cooper/Mateo, they’re there but it’s no where near the focus. Logan has DID. lots of dialogue first chapter. headcanons. Alternate Universe. Minor Violence. Bit of bullying in first chapter. Other Additional Tags to Be Added. No Beta we die like the Jawbreakers

Mateo was rummaging through his locker, carefully placing what he would need for the school day inside next to Z-Blob when he heard a clang from the locker next to him. 

Curious Mateo peaked his head around his locker door and found Logan leaning against the other locker dressed in a Sonic the Hedgehog onesie, hood up instead of wearing his cap, and sneakers on his feet. 

“Seriously bro? Your Dream Sona?” Logan questioned. 

Mateo glanced down at himself. He had chosen to dress in a makeshift replica of his Dream World clothes for Halloween so currently he had a green cape, belt, and cardboard hourglass on his figure. 

“You’re one to talk,” Mateo shot back playfully, “You’re blue,” 

“I’ll have you know this isn’t even my real costume,” Logan protested, pushing himself off the locker, “We built a Master Chief Halo cosplay that I was going to wear but then my moms wouldn’t let me because they said it was “too violent” so I couldn’t bring it to school, but just you wait when trick-or-treating time rolls around we’se gonna be wearing that bad boy.” 

Mateo couldn’t help the snort that escaped him as he closed his locker and locked it, “Ok but why Sonic?” 

Logan grinned, “Because we’re both cool, blue, and we gotta-“ 

Logan was cut off as Izzie sprang out from behind him and yelled, “GOTTA GO FAST!” 

“AGH!” Logan jumped in surprise and Mateo snickered.  

Izzie was dressed up as Anya from Spy x Family so she had two cone-looking things pinned in her hair which she had styled to look like Anya’s, and she wore a black dress with gold details. 

With a chuckle, Izzie said, “Oooo, nice Sonic costume Logan, it suits you.” 

Logan swallowed and seemed to calm himself before accepting Izzie’s compliment, “Thanks, but it’s not as cool as our Halo cosplay we have at home.” 

Izzie gasped as she made a shocked Pikachu face, “Halo cosplay!?” 

Logan nodded and then went on to explain to Izzie how he wasn’t allowed to bring it to school as he pulled out his phone to show her pictures of his cosplay. 

Mateo returned his attention to his backpack and Z-Blob. He gave Z a small “See you soon buddy,” and a wave goodbye as Z gave a squish -sounding noise before Mateo zipped his bag halfway up. Cautiously, Mateo then slipped his backpack on to not wreck his costume or jostle Z-Blob. 

As Mateo took a step back with the new weight settled on his back he felt someone come up behind him. 

“I didn’t expect to come to school today and see Logan in his pajamas,” The person muttered as if he only wanted Mateo to hear and Mateo felt his mood brighten as it clicked that Cooper was the one standing behind him. 

Mateo chuckled as he tilted his head back to try and see Cooper, “They’re his pajamas?” 

“Yeah, I’ve been over to their house enough times to know,” Cooper said, chuckling slightly as he slid up beside Mateo and sheepishly held his hand out for the other to take. 

Mateo hesitated, unsure if he’d get into any trouble with the teachers for holding Cooper’s hand but at the last second he grabbed it as Cooper started to pull his hand away. 

Cooper flexed his hand and then squeezed Mateo’s hand. Mateo gave a shy squeeze back only to catch the appalled look Izzie was giving him. 

“COOPER!” Izzie yelled, just as Mateo was about to ask his sister what was up with the look. 

“Hm?” Cooper hummed. 

Izzie gestured at him wildly while Logan’s eyes widened for a second only for him to shake his head in disappointment. 

“You’re not wearing a costume!” Izzie pointed out. 

“Ah, yeah I couldn’t think of anything,” Cooper admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck. Mateo turned slightly and looked Cooper over. He did indeed not have a costume on, just sweatpants and a red hoodie. 

Logan cocked his head to the side in confusion, “Come on bro, you didn’t want to be like one of those racers you like, or like Tails!? We could’ve matched!” 

“Um, nope,” 

“Bro!” Logan exploded, “Come on, even Zoey wore a costume!” He pointed out, gesturing towards Zoey as she walked past the group. 

Zoey stopped and turned to join the group. She wore black leggings, a black shirt with one or two rips in it with the image of a bird being shot with an arrow on the front, which was underneath a black leather jacket that had a few pins and patches on it. She also wore combat boots, fingerless gloves, a yellow belt, and a domino mask tied around her head. 

“I’m not wearing a costume,” Zoey said. 

Logan turned and squinted, looking Zoey over, “Ain’t you like Batgirl or someone though?” 

Zoey blankly turned her gaze towards him, “I’m Black Canary,” 

Logan jumped excitedly and pointed a finger at Zoey, “Aha! See,” he exclaimed before moving his finger to point at Cooper. Cooper frowned. 

Mateo gave Cooper’s hand another squeeze, “I didn’t think you’d wear a costume this year Zoey,” 

Zoey crossed her arms casually, “If I’d had known Cooper was going to wuss out and not wear one I wouldn’t have,” 

“Hey!” Cooper protested trying to defend himself, “I didn’t wuss out,” 

Logan smirked victoriously and crossed his arms too as if he was mimicking Zoey, “Then where’s your costume bro?”  

Cooper opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of something, “I-uh,” 

Izzie gasped suddenly causing all of the older teens to turn towards her. Izzie’s eyes were wide and full of mischief like she had just thought of the funniest prank ever, “I GOT IT,” 

Mateo squinted, “Got what Izzie?” 

Izzie took a step forward and held a hand out towards Logan, “Sunglasses me,” 

Without even questioning it, Logan pulled a pair of sunglasses out of the front pocket of his onesie and handed them over to Izzie wordlessly. Humming a “Thanks,” at Logan, Izzie skipped over to Cooper and stood on her tippy-toes to put them on Cooper, failing of course when the arms of the sunglasses ended up poking Cooper in the face instead of properly sliding on. Cooper grunted and took the sunglasses from Izzie to put them on without so he wouldn’t get poked again. 

Proudly, Izzie took a step back and spread her hands wide in Cooper’s direction like she was showing him off to Logan and Zoey, “Tada! Cooper now has a costume! He’s a celebrity hiding from paparazzi!” 

A grin split Logan’s face as he clapped his hands together in quick succession, “Oooo, smart,” 

Cooper hung his head as if he was embarrassed, “Is this really necessary?” 

“Yes,” Izzie insisted instantly. 

“Ok,”  

Mateo watched his friends and sister for a second, amused, as Izzie and Logan began to spitball ideas for which celebrity specifically Cooper was before leaning back to look around Cooper where he locked eyes with Zoey. Zoey shrugged as if she was just as confused about the list of celebrities Logan was running off which caused Mateo to giggle. 

“So, I take it you’re not going trick-or-treating,” Mateo assumed. 

Zoey shook her head, “Nope, I’m helping Mrs. C prep her food truck for winter,” 

Logan briefly stopped his list to comment, “Ew, working on a holiday,” 

“Eh, I offered to help, not a big deal.” 

For a second a frown came to Mateo’s face, “Guess you won't be over for movie night then,” 

Zoey shrugged and dropped her arms to her side to rest them on her hips, “Yep,” 

“Us neither,” Logan mentioned, shrugging his shoulder in Izzie’s direction. His attention was most definitely split between the two conversations happening. 

Mateo blinked and turned his head back towards the others, “What?” 

Izzie half rolled her eyes before punching Logan harshly in the side which caused him to yelp.

“Logan’s taking me and Nova trick-or-treating,” she admitted. 

Mateo couldn’t help himself from gapping, “Wha-why Logan!?” 

“What’d I do?” Logan asked, glancing back and forth between the two Garcia siblings. 

“Well, Dad said I had to have one of you older kids go with us,” 

“But Logan? You could’ve asked me,” Mateo protested, letting go of Cooper’s hand to gesture at Logan and then his own self. 

Why would Logan be taking them? Between Izzie and Nova, they had plenty of other people to choose from to go with them.

Izzie walked over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders before explaining in a low voice, “I just didn’t want to take you out of your comfort zone Broseph, I know you hate going outside for Halloween. What with all the creepies and people and stuff,” 

“Oh,” Mateo mumbled, that … made sense he supposed. It was nice of Izzie of course, he just still couldn’t believe she’d asked Logan to go with them. As much as he had changed over the years he was still Logan. 

As Izzie let go, Mateo re-entered Cooper’s personal space bubble and watched as the blond tugged at his fingers trying to crack them. “Guess that means it’ll just be you and me,” Cooper mentioned, “watching horror movies, alone … together,” 

A sound that Mateo could only describe as ‘squiem’came from Mateo’s backpack and Cooper jumped a little only to recover and peek into Mateo’s backpack to see the source of the sound. 

“Oh and Z-Blob,” he added. 

Mateo let the snickers coming from Izzie and Logan slide and only shook his head. 

“Well, well, well,” The silly and happy mood of the group quickly dropped as the third bane of all of their existence walked up to the group, grinning coldly. Jared Moretti, Logan and Dallas’s ex-best friend, but unlike the both of them, Jared had yet to realize bullying people wasn’t cool or funny like he seemed to think it was. 

He wore his usual attire, a black beanie over his greasy brown hair, a blue New York Yankees baseball jersey, and jeans, no costume in sight. Knowing him that tracked. 

“If it isn’t the freak squad,” Jared went on, “of course the lot of you were lame enough to wear costumes to school, so childish.” 

Smirking, Logan asked, “Freak squad? What are you nine bro?” 

Jared stopped short and let out some undignified sputters, “You- YOU’RE WEARING COSTUMES TO SCHOOL!” 

“Because it’s Halloween Hared,” Izzie responded calmly, her accent coming out a little and causing her to pronounce ‘Jared’ with a ‘h’ sound instead of ‘j’ , “it’s the normal thing to do,” 

“I-uh-WELL IT'S LAME,” Jared protested, going red in the face as Izzie reached over to fist bump Logan, “all of you and your costumes are lame, especially yours,” 

Mateo’s heart dropped as Jared turned his sneer toward him, “What are you even supposed to be? A snot-themed superhero?” 

Mateo couldn’t help but wince and took a step back to hide himself a bit more behind Cooper as Cooper sighed like he was entirely done with Jared’s bull crap. 

“And this is why I didn’t want to wear a costume,” Cooper muttered. Mateo cast a sad look up at him and grabbed his hand again and in response Cooper smiled down at him as he reached over to pat Mateo on the head. 

“Yeah! Captain Boogers, made from the mucus slime of the sewers!” Jared teased meanly. 

Izzie let out a growl-like sound as she glared at Jared. Logan also looked equally as annoyed as Cooper but he quickly started to look enraged as Jared walked past Zoey and shoved her causing her to stumble backward a bit. 

Jared laughed, so full of himself and his sad excuse of a bullying attempt that he completely missed as Cooper casually stuck out his foot which Jared tripped over and then fell to the ground with an, “AH!” 

Jared landed harshly on his front and groaned.  

Mateo tugged harshly on Cooper’s hand, dragging the blond down slightly so he was at Mateo's height, yet this did nothing to disperse the victorious smile on Cooper’s face. 

“Cooper!” Mateo hissed. 

“Whhhaaaaat?” Cooper drawled out, faking innocence that was the final tipping point that led to Logan barking out a laugh. 

“I know he sucks but you didn’t need to trip him,” 

“It’s just a little payback,” Cooper insisted, clenching his free hand into a fist as his smile wavered. 

“Cooper!” 

“Fine!” Cooper finally caved, he stood back up to his full height and tilted his head towards Jared who was just beginning to recover from his fall, “Hey, sorry Jared, there. Better?” He asked, turning back to Mateo. 

As forced as Cooper’s apology had been Mateo accepted it begrudgingly, “Por los libros de medicina de mi padre,” He grumbled as he facepalmed into his free hand and Izzie let out an amused snort. 

“Mr. Oaks!” Jared yelled, pushing himself up onto his forearms as Mr. Oaks, the main math teacher for the juniors, walked past in a giant inflatable dinosaur costume, “Cooper tripped me!” 

Mr. Oaks stopped and readjusted his glasses as he took in the group. He then sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he seemed to mutter, “God help me,” under his breath. 

Zoey moved out of the way and headed over to stand beside Logan as Mr. Oaks took a step towards Jared where he held down a hand to help him up only for it to be swatted away. With a frown Mr. Oaks rubbed at his hand before switching his attention to reprimand Cooper, whose hand was beginning to grow sweaty, “Cooper, you know tripping your classmates isn’t good student behavior,” 

“What!? I didn’t trip him, he just… ran into my foot,” Cooper insisted. 

“Cooper,” Mr. Oaks warned, taking a clipboard and pen out of somewhere to begin to write on it, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to write you up a note to take to the principal,” 

“I-“ Cooper’s face fell as he hung his head in shame, “yes Mr. Oaks,” 

Mateo felt the grip on his hand loosen and the school rules on PDA quickly came rushing back to him. Mateo was seconds away from letting go when Logan suddenly lurched forward and grabbed Cooper by the wrist. 

“Dude! Run!” With a violent yank, Logan pulled Cooper away from Mateo before hauling him down the hall. Once the pair reached the hallway t-intersection Logan put the brakes on so he could shove Cooper to the side and around the corner where they disappeared from view. 

By the time Mr. Oaks managed to react, the two were already long gone, “Ay? Hey! Cooper! Logan! No running in the halls!” and without so much as another word to Jared, Mr. Oaks hurried down the hall after Logan and Cooper, his blow up dinosaur costume bouncing goofily.  

“Ugh,” Jared grumbled as he managed to stagger to his feet. He shot both Izzie and Zoey a dirty look before flipping Mateo the birdy and storming off past Dallas, who had just walked into the area, like his entire day had just been ruined. 

Mateo cringed as Izzie wondered aloud, “Why’s Jared always gotta be so moody?” 

“Maybe he’s a closeted theater kid,” Zoey responded in a dry tone so Mateo wasn’t sure if she was joking or not. 

“PFFFF,” Izzie seemed to have taken it as a joke. 

Dallas, who was dressed in an extremely white fluffy shirt, wolf gloves, and a headband with wolf ears attached to them, blew out a puff of air as he walked over to stand beside Zoey, “I can’t believe I invited that jerk over to my party,” 

Mateo squinted in confusion, “You didn’t have too?” 

Dallas deflated slightly and went on to scuff at the ground with his shoe, “His parents and mine are besties, as soon as my mom heard about my party she put him on the top of the list so my hands are kind of tied,” 

“Gross,” Izzie commented. 

“Yeah, yeah, I wouldn’t mind it as much if he wasn’t still such a bully,” Dallas grit out, “he hasn’t matured at allsince like grade four,” 

“ You’ve matured a lot Dallas,” Mateo mentioned. 

Dallas paused for a second, “Thank Mateo,” he said carefully, “I suppose you guys aren’t coming over to my party though,” 

“Yep! We got plans!” Izzie nodded aggressively as she informed Dallas. 

Mateo hugged his backpack strap, “I’m watching horror movies with Cooper,” 

Dallas snorted, “Oooh, scandalous,” 

“Dallas!” Mateo hoped he wasn’t blushing. 

Dallas chuckled as Izzie butt in to tell him her plans, “I’m trick-or-treating with Nova and Logan,” 

“Sweet! Literally. Makes sense, Logan still hasn’t quite lost that kid spirit yet,” 

“Mhm!” With Izzie’s hum of agreement, Dallas raised an eyebrow at Zoey, offering her a moment to add in what she was doing. 

“I’m helping Mrs. C prep her truck for winter,” Zoey answered, repeating to a degree what she had said earlier. 

“Ooooh, that reminds me, I have to stop by and pick up that salsa,” Dallas’s eyes lit up with sudden knowledge and Mateo was left to wonder why Dallas was going to pick up salsa from Mrs. Castillo’s food truck when he could’ve just gotten some at a grocery store. 

Zoey nodded, “It goes bad tomorrow,” 

“If any of you guys do stop by though I’ll save you some pop,” Dallas told them, shooting finger guns at Zoey who just scoffed and grabbed him in a headlock to ruffle his hair violently. 

Ok, Mateo must have missed a lore dump somewhere. 

Dallas laughed as he freed himself from Zoey’s grip and stumbled over a few feet out of her reach. 

“Hey, wait,” Izzie spoke up, tapping her finger on her chin, “Dallas what are you supposed to be exactly?” 

“I’m a sheep in wolf's clothing,” Dallas responded, grinning smugly as he made a finger gun with one of his hands and put it up to his chin. 

“Ooooh, that makes a lot of sense actually,” Izzie muttered as Zoey pulled a paper clip out of her pocket and flung it at Dallas. 

Dallas yelped and dodged the paper clip, coming to stand over by Mateo. 

“Isn’t that really warm on you?” Mateo asked, eyeing him a little. 

A sweat droplet trickled down Dallas’s face as his smile faltered, “Very,” 

— 

Cooper hurried down the hall, checking over his shoulder for Mr. Oaks, who he had been avoiding for most of the day since Logan and he had gone on the run only to turn around a corner in the hall and almost run right into Izzie. 

“AH! Izzie!” Cooper jumped back as his heart rate spiked. 

Izzie reacted with a lot more grace, “OOOOHHH COOPER!” She yelled, holding up something, “I have made something for you! I know a much better thing that you can be for Halloween now!” 

Copper blinked and inched forward a little to look at what she was holding, “Is that … a headband with cardboard wings glued to the sides?” 

“Yes,” she responded with the certainty that only Izzie could possess, “now hold still while I put them on.” 

With that, Izzie yanked Cooper down to her height by the collar of his hoodie and pulled his hood over his face before fitting the headband onto his head. What with the sunglasses, that somehow Cooper had kept on all day, it felt a little clunky. 

“Ack,” Cooper grunted but eventually Izzie stopped messing around with the headband and took a step back with a pleased look on her face. Her face then brightened even more as she spotted someone coming up from behind Cooper. 

Cooper stood back up and reached a hand up to touch the flimsy headband wings. 

“Logan!” Izzie shouted excitedly as she grabbed Cooper by the arm and turned him around, “Behold Hermes Cooper!” 

Logan jogged up to the two, his backpack on, looking ready to head home as soon as possible. He stopped once he reached them, a bright grin and quizzical look on his face. 

“Hermes? Like Epic the Musical Hermes?” Logan questioned. 

“Yep! The sunglasses reminded me of those animatics so I just had to make him some wings to go with them in art class,” Izzie explained proudly. 

Logan snorted, “You look sick dude,” 

“I’m wearing a hoodie and sunglasses,” Cooper said slowly, it was the bare bones of a costume if anything. 

“Yeah like I said, sick,” 

There was a pause before Cooper put his face in his hands, “oh my god,” 

Izzie let out a wheeze, “Cooper’s hung over from the moly,” 

“Izzie,” 

“Pffff, he doesn’t got any leafs on him though,” Logan pointed out.

“That’s true…” Izzie agreed, resting her chin on her hand as she trailed off. 

“Oh wait!” Logan exclaimed, sliding his backpack off before zipping it open and beginning to rummage around in it. He pulled out a sandwich which was still sealed away in a zip-bloc bag so he pulled it open. From the sandwich, Logan slipped a piece of lettuce that was covered in mayonnaise and mustard that he slapped down into Cooper’s open, outstretched palm. 

“There! Holy moly to complete the look!” Logan proclaimed as Izzie doubled over laughing. 

Cooper stared down at the sad piece of lettuce in his hand, “… thanks,” 

Logan shrugged, throwing the sandwich back into his backpack and throwing his bag back onto his back, “No problem bro,” 

Cooper continued to look at the lettuce in dismay until he felt someone grab his elbow and he glanced over to find Mateo standing beside him, who was looking at the lettuce in hand with a mix of amusement and confusion. 

“… lettuce?” Mateo wondered. 

“Mateo please,” Cooper was sure he was going to die of embarrassment before anything actually managed to kill him.

[punkkatz7]

maybe, your gonna be the one that saves me

this is also on ao3 so yea check that out i plan on continuing it on there and probably here too

Prologue

Amber was a mean girl…well not really. She didn’t feel like she had a choice anymore, she thought ”if that’s how people view me oh well”. Don’t get me wrong she kinda wanted to change it but how would she change half the schools opinion? So she let it be….that was until she met Tara Carpenter, Amber took an interest in her and wanted to get to know her, before she started hearing rumors about amber and her “big bad personality”. Amber gives off a tough vibe like she’s slept with a bunch of people and is someone you really don’t want to mess with. She’s does admit she’s slept with a a few people but she’s actually kinda sweet (in her own way) it’s hard for her to love she’s really a nerd if you got to know her. Now she really wanted to change or at least have people acknowledge that she isn’t as bad anymore. Key word “as”, she could still admit that she definitely was still kinda mean.

Chapter 1

Well this isn’t a first Amber could tell you that. It’s 11:00 pm at a party and of course Amber is eyeing down a girl she’s never seen before, and I can guarantee she had a drink. Amber ponders if she should go say something, no Amber didn’t just see hot girls and try to hook up with them…anymore. But that’s not the point, this girl is so beautiful, she was tiny, with long brown hair, big brown eyes and a handful of freckles on her cheeks. She kind of reminded Amber of a baby deer. A fawn. Amber did actually want to try to get to know her but she didn’t know how to say hello, crazy right? The big scary bad Amber Freeman afraid to say hello to- “hi”. A small voice interrupted her thoughts. Amber froze and looked down slightly..just her luck it was the girl who looked like a fawn. “Hey” Amber squeaked out, the girl chuckled “I noticed you looking over my way” shit. “Yea um..sorry” Amber didn’t exactly know what to say. “No it’s alright, I’m new here so people have been curious about me all week, and trust me I’ve gotten worse looks…my names Tara by the way” tara Amber, thought to herself it’s short and simple but a sweet name. “So your name is….?” “Oh..Amber, Amber freeman” Tara grins “I’ll catch you later Amber” Tara waves and Amber does too. What’s this strange feeling where someone’s so intriguing and beautiful but you don’t wanna get into their pants immediately? Amber has no clue, it’s not like she’s never dated, but she’s confused why she feels drawn to this girl and she seems so innocent that Amber doesn’t want to ruin her. After this she found her friend liv in a sea of drunk young adults and wanted to tell her. Lliv was one of her closet friends and she told her everything. They met and became friends in 7th grade and always hung out after that. Liv put up with Ambers girl drama, problems with school, and was a great friend. “Liv!” Amber yelled towards her seeing her in a corner flirting with chad. Amber didn’t really have a problem with chad but she also didn’t like him that much. Him and liv were so toxic and Amber knows she’s not one to judge but she can’t help it he kinda sucks sometimes. “Hey liv i have to tell you something”. Liv had her hand on chads chest and it made amber want to barf. He’s such a jock. “Heyy ambss what’s up” she was obviously drunk, very drunk.“Can i pull you from chad for a sec?” she shoots a glare at chad and he leaves. "Awe ambs what was that for" liv groaned. “do you know anything about that new girl ?” Amber asked “new girl? Tara carr…penter? just moved here? long brown hair brown eyes?” Liv basically knew everything about everyone. Amber was so grateful for Liv knowing all the stupid gossip and her popular status. “Yea her” “she just moved or something uh here with her older sis from her old town for a freushh start or something. Seems cooliooo”. despite Livs weird slurred-ish words Amber got it. She wanted to ask around more but it’s a party and it’s almost 1 am that’s the time when everyone is shit-headed they won’t really help her especially not her friends. Amber decided to go home shortly after that interaction but she realized she didn’t ask for her number or anything. Well fuck. She goes on insta and searches tara carpenter she finds a few pages and checks them out before..Bingo. she found it. She scrolled down her page a bit but she didn’t post that much just 4 posts. amber has been quite a stalker before but she didn’t want to do that tonight. She clicked on one of the posts just a few pics of her and her new place. Amber puts her phone down for the night so she can go to sleep now and stop thinking so much about her. The campus wasn’t really that big so maybeee…there’s a chance she’ll see her again? hopefully she’s in one of her classes. Amber gets ready to go to sleep and hopes she’ll see the fawn looking girl again and can get her number.

[nonsensefromtheabyss]

W.I.P Wednesday 1: The List

I don’t really know how big of a deal WIP Wednesday is on here, but it’s when my writing club used to be so I’ve decided I might as well start again! Maybe not every Wednesday, but I think it might be nice to share my thoughts instead of cannibalising them quietly. This week, I am doing that project list I mentioned before: Behold! Here are all the works I have on the schedule/drawing board at the moment. 

HAZBIN HOTEL. 

A Broken Record On Repeat In A Crowded Bar: a story about a brutally injured Alastor refusing to rely on his friends and toying with the boundaries of his deal. It also looks at everyone else’s perspectives post-extermination and features a lot of Charlie struggling with where she and her dreams stand in the new status quo. Quite dark, mostly character driven, will be 13 chapters long when done.

Still working on Chapter 5. Have been working on Chapter 5 for longer than I ever thought possible. Unfortunately my hours at work have increased which, along with a few changes in my personal life, means I’ve had less project time recently. It is hovering somewhere around 2/3s completed and I’m still hopeful to get it out this month. Overall, the whole project is sitting at around 60,000 words if I tally up all the chapter documents—not bad for an idea that started as a fucking oneshot!

I’ve also finally got a table that I can paint at, so I’m doing a painting of the Final Confrontation. No idea why; I sneezed and the sketch appeared. I have absolutely no faith that it’ll be finished by the time I upload that chapter, but sometimes we do these things for the journey. And the joy of painting. I’ve not had anywhere to paint for a year.

PROFESSOR LAYTON. 

When The Dust Settles and Professor Layton And The Master’s Last Painting: post Unwound Future Sycamore and Layton team up to solve a case where the people have vanished from a bunch of paintings. At the same time, Layton is trying to uncover what his estranged brother has been doing for the past three years. Mystery elements, psychological elements, a complete disregard for reality; slightly darker than the game series, but only in the sense that I describe the violence. The prologue and first part of what’s planned to be a trilogy. 

I actually don’t know if anyone here knows about these works; I wasn’t on tumblr when I started them. And I’ve been gone for… quite some time…

Basically, I got halfway through Chapter 15 and got really, really stuck—partly due to other things happening in my life at the time, and partly because it… wasn’t feeling right. To try and refresh myself with how we’d gotten to that point in the story, I read back through all my published Layton work and… was not inspired. I actually realised how much I disliked my early writing; I wasn’t using scenes or characters effectively, the threads for the mystery as a whole were either too obscure or flat out not there—I was displeased. Particularly because this is a project I get really excited about when I think about my plans for the series; all my work deserves my best effort, but this one in particular has a lot of potential to me that I don’t feel like I captured in my initial writings. Time to start fresh! Take another swing at it! I have a different method of working now, and I feel certain that this time I can capture my vision.

So, I finished my dissertation and cleared my first ever Big Project, and I had already started on the big rewrite… and then I fell down a hole into Hazbin Hotel. I cannot stress enough that Broken Record was supposed to be a oneshot. Finishing these two works is next on my list, this time I swear it. I already have the story divided up into chapter documents, and some have been fully reworked, It Is Happening. You still probably won’t see anything for a while yet, but if you’re one of my readers from before or on the off chance you’re curious now, feel free to pop up to chat about it!

RIDDLE SCHOOL. 

Unnamed Project. I’m so fucking back. Some very lovely people said they’d be interested in seeing more from me in my Riddle V.I.Z.ion universe, and I accidentally fell in love with these characters all over again while completing that project. Yall convinced me and I am so very happy about that!

The work will be a collection of moments from the aliens’ lives, jumping around in time between past and present within the timeline and history I’ve given them. More detail into how they work together, what their home planet is like, what they actually got up to as V.I.Z.ion members, stuff like that! Basically an excuse for me to write more for them. At the minute, I have their timelines (collective and individual) plotted out in a document, and have selected sections of history I think would be interesting to explore, so I would say a rough plot is hesitantly in place! 

Because it’s not going to be precisely linear (given that we already know where they end up, I don’t think there’s anything to be gained from sticking to the laws of time!) I’m thinking I can be a bit more flexible with myself in how I work on it. Which means I might try and fit it in around other projects as a little treat to refresh myself. If I think of it like Short Stories In A Shared Universe instead of Another Book, it feels manageable that I might add to it without disrupting my workflow, which means it hopefully won’t take another seven years (always a good thing!)

I’m also doing more art for Riddle V.I.Z.ion as well, fuck it. I had a vision (hah!) I saw the shipyard and the miserable campfire. I’ve never painted space before, but this seems a good enough reason to try. (I’ve painted the woods many, Many times.)

So, if you’re interested in this project while it’s still in the early stages, or you’ve read Riddle V.I.Z.ion and were interested in more, feel free to drop by and chat! Currently I’m stuck on a name; Puzzle Pieces has a certain appeal, but I think that would also be nice as a series title, and I think I’d like to keep the ‘Riddle’ naming theme for the main instalments. Riddle Classified? Riddle Planet? Riddle Logbook? Unauthorised Access feels nice in my head, but again with the lack of ‘Riddle’ continuity. Hm. I’ll keep at it. It’s the annoying moment where I realise that ‘Riddle V.I.Z.ion’ itself would have been the perfect title for this too!

DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED. 

Three Friends, Three Foes, Three Names They’ll Never Know: a series of drabbles about terrible things happening to the Three Guys. Very graphic and violent. Horror elements with a lot of gore.

Believe it or not, I actually have three more chapters I always meant to add to that story that just got pushed around in favour of other things. Always meant to get back around and finish them; as you can see, they’re on The List!

So, in short order, we have ‘The Yellow Guy Chapter (a nightmare about stairs)’, ‘The Bigger Boys Chapter (bestie you forgot about The Cycle)’, and the ‘Lore Chapter (contains nothing of use to anyone, is Not A Theory.)’ They’re all about 1/3 done; i dip into them whenever I feel like rewatching the series or writing psychological and physical horror without any embellishments. Not much to declare on this front but they will be done at some point.

RESIDENT EVIL: VILLAGE. 

The Monsters You Told Your Children About: all the characters except for Mother Miranda are brought back to life by The Duke. Rose is declared a bio weapon by the BSAA and is taken into their custody. Thus begins a road trip where Ethan, with encouragement from The Duke, convinces the four most dangerous monsters he knows to help him rescue his baby.  This story is basically fucked up found family with the mold acting as a Get Along shirt for everyone involved and The Duke eating popcorn.

Contrary to popular belief, this story isn’t dead! Much like Ethan himself, it is merely in a perpetual state of rotting, and that hasn’t kept it from coming back to kick me in the ass whenever I feel inspired to look at it again. Original projection length was stupidly optimistic—this thing needs to be more than 8 chapters long or it’s just going to be nonsense. It needs some structural revision in its planning department, which is why it went cold in the first place; few things more demoralising than realising you’ve lost inspiration and your basic building-blocks suck.

So! I’m keeping the same concept and ideas and just… reworking the elements to flow better as a narrative instead of just being a collection of things I immediately wanted coming out of the game. Of course, this should have been step one all those years ago, but I rather got ahead of myself.

CUPHEAD. 

Untitled project. This was a curve ball to me. Divine inspiration to work out the perfect plot… for something I had wanted to write about in 2017. The devil works in mysterious ways and apparently She wants me to write more fic.

Following the Devil’s retreat, all the souls on the Inkwell Isles are released, and the Casino collapses into dust and rubble. The Casino, which I remind you, belongs once again to its original owner, the newly freed and magicless King Dice, who is not able to counter that degree of property damage. Mostly because even lawyers hate him.

Left with nothing to his name but his soul, King Dice, followed by his loyal court, embarks on a solemn quest: to punch his old boss in the fucking face.

(Featuring: bullying Saltbaker into opening a portal to Hell, Cagney running the woodland mafia, Spirited Away soul trains, and potion brewing with Elder Kettle (he’s being held at gun point.) Not show compliant, I have never watched it.)

I’m not thinking about this one too hard. I’m hoping if I stop looking at it, it’ll go away (it won’t.)

[sophies-stuffed-elf]

SOKEEFE COLLEGE AU!!

Merry Christmas, here’s a new chapter! I have a new idea so i might try to wrap this up or just work on both at the same time… i like the new one a lot better

Sophie wasn’t sure how it happened, but the next thing she knew, her study sessions with Keefe became a regular thing. It was like he’d decided she needed rescuing, even if she’d never asked for it. And while she’d never admit it to him, his company wasn’t entirely unwelcome. Mostly.

The next time they met up, she was waiting for him in their usual corner of the library, her notes meticulously organized into color-coded piles. Keefe, of course, arrived ten minutes late, a caramel latte in one hand and a bag of popcorn in the other.

“Thought I’d bring brain food,” he announced, setting the bag down with a smirk. “You’re welcome, Foster.”

Sophie arched an eyebrow. “Popcorn?”

“Popcorn,” Keefe confirmed. “The fuel of champions. And stressed-out overachievers like you.”

She rolled her eyes but grabbed a handful anyway. “Fine. But you’d better have an actual plan for this session. We’re starting with accounting and moving to economics.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Keefe said, saluting her before plopping into the seat across from her. “Let’s crunch some numbers.”

Despite his usual antics, Keefe was annoyingly good at explaining things. Income statements, balance sheets, cash flow—it all seemed less daunting when he broke it down with his ridiculous mnemonics and over-the-top examples. By the time they moved on to her economics notes, Sophie had to admit (silently, of course) that she was actually learning something.

“You know,” she said after a while, tapping her pen against her notebook, “you’re not as bad at this as I thought you’d be.”

“Don’t sound too surprised,” Keefe replied, leaning back in his chair. “I’m not just a pretty face, Foster. I’ve got layers.”

“Like an onion?” she deadpanned.

“Exactly,” he said with a grin. “Peel back the sarcasm, and you’ll find more sarcasm. But buried deep underneath that? Pure brilliance.”

Sophie shook her head, suppressing a smile. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

After another hour of quizzing, Keefe stretched dramatically and declared, “Time for a break. You’ve earned it.”

Sophie frowned. “A break? We still have two chapters left.”

“Exactly why we need a break,” Keefe said, standing up and grabbing his backpack. “Come on, Foster. Let’s get some fresh air before your brain melts.”

Before she could protest, he was already heading for the door, leaving her no choice but to follow.

Outside, the crisp evening air hit her like a splash of cold water. Sophie hugged her arms to her chest, shivering slightly.

“Where are we going?” she asked as they walked across campus.

“You’ll see,” Keefe said cryptically.

She gave him a skeptical look but didn’t press further. After a few minutes, they arrived at the quad, where Keefe dropped his backpack on the ground and pulled out a Frisbee.

“A Frisbee?” Sophie said incredulously.

“Frisbee therapy,” Keefe corrected, tossing it from hand to hand. “Trust me, it’s a thing.”

“I don’t have time for this,” she started, but he cut her off with a grin.

“You’ve been staring at numbers for hours. You need to move around, clear your head. And since I’m a generous guy, I’m here to help.”

Before she could argue, he sent the Frisbee sailing toward her. Instinctively, she caught it, glaring at him as she did.

“Fine,” she muttered, throwing it back.

For the next few minutes, they tossed the Frisbee back and forth, and Sophie couldn’t deny that it felt good to move around. Keefe, of course, couldn’t resist turning it into a competition, diving dramatically to catch every throw and making ridiculous commentary like, “Keefe Sencen with the game-winning catch! The crowd goes wild!”

“You’re such a show-off,” Sophie said, rolling her eyes as he pretended to bow.

“Don’t hate the player, Foster,” he said, flashing her a grin. “Hate the game.”

As their impromptu game came to an end, Keefe grabbed the Frisbee and walked over to her, tossing it back into his bag. They started the walk back toward the library, the air between them lighter now.

Sophie glanced at him, the question slipping out before she could stop herself. “I have to ask—why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“This,” she said, gesturing between them. “The study sessions. The jokes. The popcorn. Why are you helping me?”

Keefe shrugged, his usual smirk softening into something more thoughtful. “Maybe I just like seeing you not stress out for once. You’re kind of fun when you’re not panicking about balance sheets.”

Sophie opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. For once, Keefe’s answer wasn’t laced with sarcasm or humor. It was just… honest.

“Well,” she said after a moment, her voice quieter than she intended, “thanks. For everything.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Anytime, Foster. Anytime.”

By the time they reached her dorm, Sophie could feel a faint blush creeping into her cheeks, though she refused to let it show. Keefe stopped at the steps, turning to face her.

“Good luck on the midterms,” he said. “Not that you’ll need it. You’ve got me in your corner, after all.”

Sophie rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the small smile tugging at her lips. “Thanks, Keefe. For the help.”

“Always,” he said with a wink before heading off into the night, leaving Sophie standing there, her heart doing something uncomfortably fluttery.

As she climbed the stairs to her dorm, she couldn’t help but wonder: was it possible that Keefe Sencen—the sarcastic, ridiculous Keefe—might actually care?

Tags ————

@zara-post-14 @i-am-a-duck-collector