#I'll try to see if i can search for him though....I've missed you two.

[lazarusbleeze-two]

OH MY GOD I COMPLETELY MISSED YOU BEING THERE AGAIN HOLY SHIT

hi!!!!!! its uh. its junior. iii hope you're still willing to talk to me but i get it if not. could've guessed

but even so like uhh have you seen Jay anywhere??? please ive been looking for a week now. hes real hard to miss now he has uhh. deer antlers. yeah

- Junior

..I guess this does mean I wasn't under the gas influence. Good to know. I'm just....really glad to see you again. I hope you've been doing alright. I have not seen him, unfortunately....... I'll keep an eye out though

.....Deer antlers??

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

still fresh l Joel Miller

Summary: another expedition in search of supplies, this time with company

Warnings:  fluff, maybe a little bit of jealousy, two infected, a few shots, generally boring

A/N: I'm trying to use my days off. sorry if I'm boring.

your feedback is very important to me and I thank you for all the reblogs, comments and likes. 🖤 sorry for all the mistakes

short stories from life. [masterlist]

"You should be more careful."

Shane winced as you pressed the alcohol pad to the palm of his hand. The large cut had stopped bleeding, but it still needed a bandage.

"You have very delicate hands." he murmured, smiling at you.

"Thank you." you reached into your backpack for a bandage. "Maybe we can do without stitches."

"I think I could survive if you did it."

Someone cleared his throat loudly and you both raised your heads. Joel stood over you with a rifle slung over his back, looking around the area.

"We should go now." he mumbled, frowning.

"I'm almost done." you replied, tying a bandage on Shane's hand.

Everything was still fresh. Not only Shane's wound, but you and Joel as well. 

It had only been a few days and you had already gone on patrol together. You had the impression that you were getting along better than before, but when Tommy asked Walsh to accompany you to check out buildings outside your normal area, you saw Joel's face darken.

Shane walked ahead and now he was directing you to the indicated location. The area was peaceful and the sun was pleasantly warming.

"I don't like it when he looks at you that way."

You turned around and looked at Joel walking next to you.

"And how does he look?"

"Oh, don't pretend you don't see." he sneered, raising his eyebrows. "I probably looked the same way."

"You're not looking anymore?"

"That's not- That's not what I mean." Joel snorted and you giggled.

Your fingers found his, much larger than yours, and intertwined. Everything was still fresh. Even though you had known each other for a long time, you had the impression that you were learning each other all over again.

It wasn't just about sleeping in the same bed, because that seemed almost natural to you, but about being together on a completely new, emotional level.

Joel felt like he was learning everything all over again, he had the feeling that you saw his helplessness and it scared him, but your presence was soothing. 

And God, he loved your closeness. Not just in bed, when you were lying close, or when you made love, savoring each other's bodies, but also in everyday activities. Just coming home and thinking that someone was waiting for him - he missed it.

You rummaged through cabinets and drawers, looking for something valuable, something that could be useful at the clinic in Jackson.

"I've got some bandages."

Shane threw you a bundle, and you quickly stuffed it into your bag.

"Needles would be good. Or syringes." You mumbled, opening another drawer. "Or some antibiotics. I'll take anything."

Shane peered into one of the drawers. "Dead mouse?"

"No thanks." You laughed. "But I appreciate the effort. Where's Joel?"

"They're checking the room in the back."

You nodded and looked around at the empty cabinets. You didn't find much, but you didn't want to give up so easily.

"I think I saw a sign for the storage room." You said.

"Yeah, I passed it. Do you want to go there?"

"Maybe we'll find something."

The pharmacy building you entered was quiet and peaceful. Too quiet and too peaceful. Years of experience told you that if nothing bad was waiting for you in the first room, it was definitely lurking in the last. 

You adjusted your grip on your gun and followed Shane. You could count on him. Joel knew you were safe with this man and no matter what he said or think about Shane, he couldn't deny it - Walsh knew what he was doing.

The heavy door creaked but opened smoothly. Dim light shone through the windows placed high under the ceiling, the shelves were already cleared out, but there were still many packages lying on the ground.

"What a fucking mess." he muttered, pushing a container with his shoe. "Ready for a shopping spree, sweetie?"

You smirked and entered the first aisle. After a few minutes, you already had some antibiotics and penicillin, gauze and a few more bandages in your hands.

"Painkillers!" Shane threw a few boxes your way.

Your bag was slowly filling up. You stood up and adjusted it on your shoulder, then glanced at another door in the back.

"Maybe they have medical equipment there." You said, Shane looked at you from behind the shelves.

"Be careful."

You touched the cold doorknob and gently pushed the door. The room was dark, there were no windows and you could barely see anything inside.

"And?"

"I think it's..."

A sharp screech almost paralyzed you. The silhouette of an infected man appeared from the darkness. You raised your gun, but when you took a step back you slipped on some empty packages and fell hard to the ground.

"Shit!"

A second monster appeared, they must have been hiding in the warehouse for a long time. You crawled as fast as you could, trying to reach your weapon.

"Hey, asshole!" Shane's scream distracted them and they stopped for a moment.

You noticed your gun lying under the cabinet and quickly crawled there. The first shot was fired and something fell to the ground with a thud.

"What the fuck!?!"

"Joel!"

Attracted by the noise, he ran into the warehouse and aimed at one of the infected. The shot was accurate and the creature's head splattered on the wall behind him.

Joel immediately looked at you and then at Shane, who was breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

You nodded. Shane nodded as well, and then carefully entered the room the infected had come from.

"You should have waited for me." Joel said quietly, approaching you.

"They surprised me, but I'm fine. Look." You opened your bag. "Look how much I found."

"If you had paid for this with your life, it would have been worthless."

"I'm fine, really." You tried to smile, but it didn't seem to convince Joel because he just shook his head in helplessness.

That was Miller - caring and protective to the extreme. Ellie would sometimes remind him of that, but that was how he showed his feelings towards others. He knew you would handle it, but he preferred to keep an eye on you. Especially now, when it was all so fresh.

"Sweetheart?" Shane's call reached you from the dark room, and you immediately noticed the look Joel gave you - "Sweetheart?!"

"Do you have anything?" you asked, ignoring Joel's face.

"Yeah, something you really want."

When Shane brought out the containers with syringes and needles to you, you almost jumped for joy. It turned out that the two infected were good at deterring other snoopers from entering this part of the building, and you only gained from it. 

The bag you were carrying was full, and soon you put some of your things in Shane and Joel's backpacks too.

All of you wanted to get back to Jackson before nightfall so you just ate something in a hurry and set off. 

Joel looked at you as you walked ahead. What you found clearly improved your mood and despite your tiredness you walked briskly forward. He didn't even notice when Walsh caught up with him.

"That was a good day," he said.

Joel nodded "Yeah, it was."

They took a few steps in silence. Finally Shane cleared his throat.

"Listen, I like her." he said pointing at you walking in front of them "She's a great chick, if you know what I mean."

Joel knew, he knew perfectly well. However, he wasn't sure what Shane was getting at and decided not to say anything until he revealed all his cards.

"I know you're living together again so I assume you and her..."

"Mhmm." Joel grunted.

"You're lucky, you know that?" the man smiled "No offense, but if I didn't know she was totally into you, I wouldn't hesitate to steal her from you."

Joel still didn't say anything. His gaze went to you, you were adjusting the strap of the bag you had slung across your body.

"You have nothing to worry about, Miller. She's safe with me. I'm keeping an eye on her because I like her, that's all."

Joel cleared his throat. "Thanks for today." he finally said "If you weren't with her..."

Shane nodded and smiled "But I was, so don't think about it that much."

It was already late when you reached Jackson. You ate a late dinner at Tipsy Bison and feeling the whole past day on your shoulders, you went back to your place.

"I need a shower." you mumbled, taking off your jacket and shoes "Ellie's probably staying at her friend's again, huh?"

"Yeah, looks like it." Joel replied and before you could escape him he wrapped his arms around your waist and snuggled into your back.

You sighed quietly and reached back to run your fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry..." you said quietly as warm lips brushed your neck "I'll be more careful next time."

"I know." he whispered in your ear, turned you around and put his forehead against yours "Damn, I've wanted to kiss you all day..."

"Oh, that's long!" you chuckled.

"Mhm. Too long."

You took his face in your hands. His beard tickled your skin pleasantly, his strong body pressed against yours. Maybe it was all still fresh, but you felt it was right.

You kissed his soft lips. You missed this too, all day.

☆☆☆☆

Thank you for your time.

taglist, i think: @picketniffler @orcasoul @bbyanarchist @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi

[letstevengrantsleep]

Speak Your Truth

Spencer Reid x f!feader

Summary: Spencer has just got out of prison, and you see him for the first time in months

Word count: 699

Warnings: fluff, implication of sexual activity if you squint

a/n: I've been watching a ridiculous amount of criminal minds recently and holy mother of god this man has had me in a choke hold

masterlist

"He's out?" You almost sob, stumbling back into your chair beside Garcia.

"This morning. He's on his way home right now, should be at his apartment soon." Penelope held out her hands for you to take,

"Oh my god... Garcia I - I don't know what to do, I-"

"Honey, if you don't get in your car right now and go see him, I'll never forgive you."

-

"Spence!" You scream, running like your life depends on it down drab corridors, hoping to catch up with Spencer and the arresting officers before they take him away.

There's nothing you can do as you reach him but try your best to take in every detail of his face, his figure, everything about him as if it's the last time you'll ever see him again.

"Spencer... I don't know what to do, what can I do?"

"You're okay, I'm okay. Make sure my mum's safe, yeah? Can you do that for me?"

Nodding, tears forming in the corers of your eyes, "yeah Spence I can do that."

There's something left unsaid between the two of you, and the officers either side of Reid are beginning to get impatient. As they begin to pull him away from you, the fear of losing him hits you like a tidal wave.

"Spence, I-"

He shakes his head knowingly, "tell me when I get out, okay?"

-

There's two things stopping you from breaking down in tears as you reach Spencer's apartment door: the loving face of his elderly neighbour passing you in the hall, and the knowledge that everything can begin to get back to normality once you see his face again.

After knocking on his door you stand shifting your weight on your feet, anxious to see the state that Spence has been left in whilst in prison. It's only a few more seconds before he opens it, immediately securing your gaze as he lets out a content sigh, pulling you into a bone crushing hug.

"I missed you." Is all he says as he steps back into his apartment, pulling you with him as his grip on you doesn't give.

"Oh Spence, you have no idea. We fought so hard for you, I-" you pull away to look him in the eye, hands gripping at the lapel of his jacket. No words follow, just silence as you stare at each other, the unsaid hanging heavy in the air.

"I know, I know..." his hands reach up to your face, tucking stray hair behind your ears, "me too."

Closing your eyes, you allow yourself to get lost in the feeling of having him back, as though nothing had ever taken him away in the first place.

Your eyes shoot back open in surprise as you feel his lips on your forehead, "Spencer..."

"I'm sorry, I just-"

You cut him off by pulling him down and crashing your lips into his, trying hard to pour every ounce of emotion you feel towards him into this one kiss, hoping it'll be enough for him to understand.

Spencer responds by wrapping his arms tight around your figure, whimpering into the kiss as it deepens.

Nothing could have prepared you for how reactive Spencer is, how he sighs at your touch and tries to pull you impossibly closer into him when you run your hands over his chest. The way he runs his hand up to gently tug at the hair at the base of your head...

It's over all too quick as he pulls away, mouth open, eyes searching your face.

"While I was in prison, I had a lot of time to think... about the things I wish I'd done, the things I could be doing..." he trails off, looking you up and down. "I can't keep pretending that we're not made for each other, baby, I can't keep pretending that I don't want you. In every way I can, any way you'll let me."

"Have me." You say, throwing caution to the wind and acting on every instinct you've got. "I'm yours, Spence."

"Oh baby," he whispers, dragging a thumb over your lips as he leans in, "I'll be so good, I promise, so good for you."

[cassiesc0rner]

Impurities IV

Synopsis: You're the new girl at East Highland High, your only goal is to get through school. Until you come across Nate Jacobs

Genre: smut, angst

Pairing: Nate x fem!reader

Warnings: bad parenting, lying, jealousy, invasion of privacy, spying, dark themes,

oral (receiving), lmk if I missed something

Song rec: You - 2Feet | Dracula - Labrinth | Sour Switchblade - Elita | Saccharine - Jazmine Bean

WC: +8,6k

Other parts: previous part, next part

A/N: Writing this part felt like a rollercoaster😶 I hope you guys like it though!! ᥫ᭡

"Y/n?"

You stirred awake when you heard Nate's voice from the distance. You slowly opened your eyes, realizing that you were in fact still in Nate's bed and you weren't just dreaming that you had two mind-blowing orgasms just a few minutes ago.

"Sorry.. I really tried to stay awake but I couldn't." You admitted shyly as you pulled the blanket further up. Nate currently sat at the bottom of his bed as he stroked your leg over the blanket.

"It's totally normal to be exhausted after that." he smiled as he remembered how he came back and you were absolutely passed out because of him. "I didn't mean to wake you up but it's almost 7, and your mom's probably been texting you nonstop." You groaned as you remembered it was Monday, before your eyes widened.

"What do you mean it's almost seven?!" You exclaimed as you sat up in bed. You were under the impression that you’ve slept for a few minutes, not a few hours.

You haven't looked at your phone in hours, your mom's gonna kill you. "Yeah, like I said, I had to wake you up." he responded, once he saw the horror on your face.

He didn't want to, but he also knew you couldn't stay at his place. Not when your mom was still in the way. You couldn't just pack your things and live with him, she’d probably drive after you and drag you back home.

He got up and walked over to his chair where he had folded your clothes neatly earlier. He picked them up and walked back to the bed before handing them over to you.

"My mom's making food downstairs, she wants you to stay and eat before you go back home." he sighed. He knew his dad was downstairs as well and would probably ask you weird questions or try to humiliate Nate.

Not to mention that his brother was in fact at home and heard the two of you, like he hoped, based on the bitter look he gave Nate when he went down to get you a glass of water.

He didn't want Aaron to embarrass you in front of his parents though, he knew you probably wouldn't be able to look into their eyes ever again, and you probably also wouldn't want to come over ever again.

You nodded as you looked at the clothes in your hands "Can you.. turn around?" you asked, not even looking at Nate. He chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Y/n, I've seen everything there is to see." he reminded you. When you didn't respond he raised his hands in defeat "Alright, it's probably better if I do.. I don't know if I can control myself if I see you naked again.." he added with a smirk.

You chuckled in response as Nate turned and walked towards the door "I'll go ahead, yeah?" You nodded and once he left you quickly got up and stretched your arms before you got dressed. Then you fixed your dishevelled hair and went through your bag, searching for your phone to check your messages.

4 new messages

mom: Alright... 2:56 pm

mom: When are you coming home? 5:50 pm

mom: Hope you are okay 5:55 pm

mom: Tell me if you need me to pick you up 6:30 pm

mom: Do you want me to make food when you come home? 6:43 pm

you: you don't have to cook, Nate's mom already made food, everything is fine 6:49 pm

you: Nate is gonna drive me home after we ate 6:49 pm

You couldn't lie, it was sweet that she cared for you so much. But you just wished both of your parents would care about you, equally as much.

"So Y/n, tell me, how's my son treating you?" Marsha asked as she sat back down after you all finished eating. You sat across from her at the table, while Nate sat next to you across from his dad.

To Nate’s luck Aaron left the house after their dad got home.

You smiled back at her "He's amazing. I don't know what I'd do without him honestly.." you shyly responded. Nate smiled as well when he heard that.

"That's good to hear. You know, he's been really happy lately.. It's rare to see him so at peace." she responded with a content smile. "It's honestly quite unusual. He's usually anything but peaceful.." Cal added, and you weren't sure if it was just a dry joke or if he was serious.

Nate glared at him, but didn't say anything in response, so you decided to step in "Oh well.. I think Nate just gets drained easily because of practice and everything, it's not easy being such a good Quaterback." you smiled as you tried to lift the mood, knowing that even if it was a joke Nate most definitely didn't think it's funny.

Nate softly squeezed your thigh under the table. He loved how quick you were to defend him against his dad, especially since he knew how anxious you were around him.

"Oh he's been like this ever since he was a kid, nothing to do with his football career." Cal retorted drily, before he took a sip of what you assumed was whiskey.

Marsha was just about to say something when Nate already responded "Yeah, well maybe I had my reasons, dad." You weren't surprised by his sour tone or his intense glare directed towards Cal.

Sure, you didn't know everything that was going on between them, but it didn't take a lot to notice that his parents always paid attention to their image. You noticed that the moment you first went over to Nate’s place. It looked like it was straight out of a catalog, like no one lived there because it was so clean and tidy, and Nate was no different.

His room looked like one in those furniture magazines. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just unusual for a teenage guy in his age to have such a clean minimalistic room.

And how often Nate told you that his dad criticizes Nate for everything he’s not good at right away, always expecting him to be the best.

You've been wondering how long Nate has been trying to maintain this image of perfection, or how long his Dad forced his perfectionism onto his son.

Marsha cleared her throat "By the way, Nate told me about your mom. Is she actually scared of him?" You quickly shook your head "She's not scared of him, she's just really anxious about any new person I meet. She thinks I'm not safe the moment I leave the house." You explained.

"Well, she loves you. And she probably wants to prevent anything bad from happening to you. If you want I can try to talk to her." She offered "I can't guarantee anything, but it's worth a try, we should get to know each other now that you two are dating." you nodded in response "That would be great."

She smiled softly before she added "You're also always welcome to stay, of course. In case things get too tough at home." "Thank you Mrs Jacobs..." She scoffed "Please, call me Marsha." You nodded.

"So, when would you talk to her?" Nate asked his mom impatiently. You turned to him "Nate, my parents don't even know we're together yet." you reminded him.

Nate actually wanted to keep it that way because of your mother, but he knew that she would ask questions if you tell her that his mom wants to talk to her.

"Then... tell your mom today. After I drive you home." He declared. You thought for a moment, were you even ready to tell your mom you're dating Nate? She told you so many times that you should take your time with dating, because she sometimes feels like she made the wrong choices.

Especially regarding your dad.

But you didn't want to make Nate feel like she didn't like him, you were sure that she'd be cautious about any other teenage guy. "O-okay." you agreed nervously "You don’t always have to listen to him you know?" Cal suddenly spoke.

Nate sighed as he threw his head back "Fucking hell, maybe you're the reason why I'm always on edge." You looked down at his hand on your thigh as he involuntarily squeezed it harder "I'm just saying-" Cal defended himself "Yeah, but that was so unnecessary, do you think I’m forcing her to do anything?" Nate retorted.

Marsha smiled apologetically at you before she averted her gaze down at the table. You sighed as they continued to quarrel. You hated it when people fought, because it reminded you of the way your parents would scream at it each other.

It became unbearable sometimes and whenever someone raised their voice at you, you had tears in your eyes. You also couldn't handle conflicts well, you always apologized, not letting room for any discussion.

Nate loved that about you, you wouldn't fight with him about anything no matter if he was rude sometimes, you simply just let him be.

He never even asked himself why you were like this, that the problems you had to endure at home made you this way. He just considered that you were like this, because you didn't want to lose the only person you had.

That was until you removed Nates hand from your thigh and got up from the chair. Everyone suddenly looked at you and it was finally quiet "I'll get my phone and wait outside.." you quietly said.

You gave Marsha a sad smile "Thank you, for letting me stay for dinner.. and in advance for talking to my mom." you said before you quickly left and went upstairs.

Once you grabbed your phone, you walked past the shopping bags. You decided to leave them there, since your mom would probably think you two went shopping instead of studying for maths.

After you had your shoes on, you quietly made your way to Nate’s car, waiting for him to come outside.

"Sorry about that.." Nate said once he started the motor and pulled out of the parking lot. "I just got so fucking mad when he said that.. the way he talked sounded so... I don't know." he added as he furrowed his brows in frustration.

You sighed "It's fine... I just really don't like it when people fight." you explained, as you fiddled with the hem of your dress. "Do your parents fight a lot?" he asked bluntly.

You nodded "Yeah... they're just two totally different people. I honestly don't even know why they got married in the first place." you scoffed. Nate sighed as he reassuringly placed his hand onto your thigh once again.

When he reached your place, he shut the motor off and looked at you "You want me to come inside with you?" he asked softly. You thought for a moment before nodding. Maybe it was because you felt safer with him and knew that your mom wouldn't make a scene in front of him, but you simply didn't have the strength to tell her yourself.

You both exited his truck before he locked it and grabbed your hand "I'm sure she's gonna take it well, don't worry about it." he tried to reassure you, even though he knew your mom would most definitely freak out.

You rang the doorbell, knowing she's already waiting for you. You softly removed your hand from Nate's grip, not wanting her to see you two holding hands right away. He frowned but before he could say something your mom opened the door.

"Oh, hello Nate." she said as she tried to put on a smile. "Thanks for driving her home.."' she added. "Can he come inside for a moment?" you asked nervously.

She nodded slowly as she made space for him to enter. She closed the door before she crossed her arms and eyed the two of you.

You sighed before you finally looked into her eyes and forced a smile onto your features. "Alright, mom... I need to tell you something." you tried to stay as positive as possible, as you saw the way your mom looked at you.

It was almost as if she knew whatever you're about to tell her wouldn't make her happy. "Nate and I are dating!" you exclaimed happily as you took his hand this time.

Your mother raised her eyebrows at that, as her gaze flickered to Nate "Oh.. how did that happen?" she asked, her tone void of any positive emotions.

You gulped before you replied "Um... well, he asked me out... last friday. He.. took me out on a date." you nervously explained. She squinted her eyes "Didn't you go to his party on friday?"

Shit

"Yeah it was actually Saturday, it was after you slept over, remember?" Nate intervened, you chuckled as you nodded, glad that he was so quick to save you.

“Right, sorry. It was on Saturday before he drove me home. He took me out to a fancy restaurant and everything, isn't that amazing?" you quickly added a hint of nervousness still present in your tone.

Your mom nodded, a small smile on her face "Yeah that does sound amazing.." she nodded and a seemingly way too long silence settled in "What made you fall for my daughter, Nate?" She asked bluntly as she looked at him.

He felt like he was being interrogated for committing murder, because of the way your mom glared at him. He smiled down at where your hands connected before he looked back at her "Well, what is there not to love about her? She's sweet, well mannered, intelligent, beautiful.. I could go on and on."

She nodded as if she was fine with that. "Alright... Well, who am I to stand in your way." You knew that she'll drop the façade the moment he's out the door. "But be careful Nate," she warned as she glared at him "I know where you live. If something happens to her because of you, I won't hesitate to ruin you."

You groaned "Mom, stop scaring him." you scolded "Nate would never hurt me." You said as you leaned your head against his arm. "I hope he doesn't." she added. "I can assure you Mrs y/l/n, I'd do everything to keep your daughter safe." he responded as he stared back at her.

And he was serious, he'd also protect you from her if he had to. He'd find a way, and judging by the way she eyed him as if she would kill him if you weren't present in the room, he was sure the day would come where he had to do that. Nate would never let anyone or anything stand in between you two.

Not even your mother.

Once you looked up at Nate, he forced a smile onto his face, before he cleared his throat "I'll get going then.." He added before he hugged you tightly. "I'll pick you up tomorrow, alright?" You nodded as you smiled.

"You barely know him, Y/n! How do you know he's actually serious about you? I mean.. how can you trust him so much?"

As predicted, your mom was not okay with you having a boyfriend "Jesus Christ, why can't you just be happy for me?" you retorted as you walked into your room, hoping you'd finally escape your mom.

You were forced to discuss your new relationship with Nate, the moment the door closed behind him.

"Because I know what I'm talking about! I've seen it happen right in front of me." she raised her voice as she followed you into your room.

"See what happen in front of you? He's been nothing but nice to me, I don't even know why you dislike him so much!" you walked towards your window as you opened it, feeling pretty heated by the argument your mom started.

She scoffed in response "Because I'm not gullible. I mean..." she groaned before continuing "Do you think he still would've asked you out if you wouldn't have changed your appearance so much?"

That seemed to hit a nerve because you immediately froze, once again thinking back to what Maddy told you "Okay, I don't wanna talk about this right now, like that's just ridiculous." You laughed drily, as you shook your head in denial "Why not? Because you know that I'm right?" she crossed her arms.

You turned around, facing your mom as you grew more and more furious. "No, because I'm sick of you hating on Nate when you don't even know him! God, you're so paranoid all the time, you're driving everyone around you insane!" you breathed heavily as you tried to control your anger.

"Alright, watch your tone-" "No! I'm tired of this, I'm... I always listened to you, I never broke any of your rules, even if that meant I didn't have any friends, because you were too scared to let me meet anyone outside of school! I never disobeyed you." You nearly cried out of anger.

"And I won't let you get in the way of my relationship, because I've never been happier!" you breathed heavily as you turned around again. "I mean why do you try to give me advice, when you married dad? You constantly fight with him, I mean you two just aren’t good for each other!" you rambled.

Your mom sighed softly as she tried to stay calm. "You wanna know why I married your dad?" she asked challengingly "I married your dad because he was just like Nate in the beginning. So generous and kind, it almost felt too good to be true. And once I distanced myself from almost everyone, we got married... And he only cared about his work, and being successful."

You turned around again, eyeing her as you scoffed before she continued "At first he bought me gifts and flowers and told me he loved me. But then he distanced himself more and more..." She sighed again as she contemplated whether or not to continue, but she decided to come clean with you.

"It... broke me, alright? I tried to leave him, I really did... but he told me he'd change and that he wanted to have a family with me... I... I wanted to believe him. I thought if we had a child, it would fix what's broken, that he'd be happier again, that I'd be happier again, and that he wouldn't be so focused on his work."

You furrowed your brows as you realized what your mom was hinting at "You can't be serious..." your mom avoided your gaze as she continued "He cared about you, he was so... different back then. But at some point, it felt like I had to raise you myself and I.. couldn't leave him, because I didn't want you to grow up without a father.."

"I grew up without a father. I mean, when was the last time he spoke to me for more than three minutes?" you asked in disbelief. Your mom ran her hands through her hair as she sighed "You're telling me you got pregnant because of your own selfishness and... what? It didn’t go as planned?"

When your mom didn't respond you scoffed in return "You know, I would say I'm sorry for you.. but you should feel sorry for me. Because I'm the one that suffered from your unhealthy relationship and the anxiety that you've projected onto me over the years."

You shook your head in disbelief as you walked towards your bed "Honestly, it's ironic that you want to give me advice on picking the right guy." you said sarcastically "Y/n, I'm trying to protect you, you know I always tried to protect you, and I know what kind of guy Nate is!"

Your mom tried to desperately defend herself "He's the type who only likes you if you do as he says, you know that, deep down you know that-" "Mom, enough!" you yelled.

"I'm sick of hearing you talk about him like that, okay? I'm so tired of it, because he makes me smile and I feel so good when I'm with him, and the moment I come back home my fucking smile drops everytime!" You spat.

“Even if I do what he says sometimes to keep him happy, I do it because.. he does the same for me! He keeps me happy.” You added as you tried to calm down again.

You sat down on your bed as an eerie silence settled in and you saw the defeat in your mother's eyes. "You'll see it... sooner or later you'll see what I meant. And when you do, you're in way too deep to leave him." You rolled your eyes "I'm not like you.. I wouldn't go to such lengths to keep a man."

Your words stung and your mother was clearly hurt by what you said, but she always had an answer ready "We'll see about that.." she said before leaving your room and slamming your door shut.

You did not expect that to happen, especially not today. Sure, you knew that she'd give you the 'guys like Nate aren't good for you' talk, but to find out that your parents only had you, because they tried to fix their shitty marriage, was insane.

You're also sure that Nate would probably ask you if anything happened after he left, when he picks you up tomorrow, but you obviously couldn't tell him that your mom hated him.

Except, he didn't even have to ask.

It's not like he didn't want to drive back once he left your house, but when he heard your mom talk the moment the door closed, he got curious and decided to eavesdrop just a little bit to make sure everything was alright.

And when he heard you two fight and move your talk to what he assumed was your room, he made sure that no neighbour saw him before he made his way to your window on the other side, crouching right next to a bush so you didn't see him by accident. And to his luck, you opened it and he could hear everything.

He already knew your mother didn't like him, even if you tried to tell him that it's not true and that she's just extra careful with boys.

He honestly thought that was really cute of you, but he actually couldn't care less about what your mother thought of him. When she intervened into your relationship like this however, it started to really bother him.

Nate also was really satisfied, knowing that you stood up for him and fought with your mom, despite how much you hated arguments. He didn't know that you had that side to you, because he was so used to you being soft spoken and sweet, but he figured it was the anger that you suppressed for ages, finally slipping out.

He felt even more connected to you because he related to you so much, since his parents also bring out the worst in him. Except, he never really suppressed his anger.

But it showed him that you'd do everything for him, just like he'd do everything for you.

Needless to say, you didn't really talk to your mom after the fight.

Days passed and you only left your room to go outside when Nate picked you up. It got to the point where even your dad noticed it was awfully quiet at home when he came back from his trip.

Your mom also didn't apologize she just acted as if everything was fine, while you didn't try to hide the fact that you were still pretty much pissed. But you distracted yourself, because your mind was occupied with Nate.

Nate's birthday in fact.

You wanted to surprise him for his birthday, and host a party. But since you never really went to a party before and you also couldn't host one at your place, you had to ask the only person you know could help you.

Max from his football team.

You knew that he was the next closest person to Nate that you personally knew -even if he wasn’t exactly his best friend, but you figured it’d do. Besides, Nate once told you he's had a good time at one of his parties once, and you were sure he would help you throw a party for his friend.

One day after your biology lesson, you waited for Max to walk along the hallways, and once you spotted his tall figure you took the courage to talk to him. He obviously knew you but you two never talked alone.

You approached him quickly before he could head towards the cafeteria. "Hey!" you exclaimed once you got his attention. He smiled at you "Hey, what's up?" he asked casually. You swallowed harshly, while fidgeting with your hands as you replied "Nothing, I just kinda... have to ask you for a favor.." you trailed off.

He raised his brows "Me?" you nodded "Alright what is it?" he chuckled "Soo, Nate's birthday is next week right?" he shrugged "If you say so, we don't really talk about birthdays during practice, you know?" He joked "Wait are you gonna ask me what to get him?” he asked.

You shook your head before you lowered your voice even more "I actually wanted to ask if you could help me throw him a birthday party?" he thought for a seemingly long moment, before he nodded "Sure, why not. I haven't had a party in a while. Do you know where?"

You shyly shook your head. You’d feel bad if you'd ask him if you could party at his place, since you really didn't know the guy. But you also weren't sure if Nate's parents would be fine with a party at his place.

He smiled at you "Hey it's fine, we can do it at my place, I just asked in case you wanted to celebrate somewhere special." you sighed in relief before smiling back at him "No I haven't planned anything so far, so that would be perfect. Thank you so much, really.."

He scoffed before pulling his phone out "It's no biggie really, just uh maybe give me your number and we can meet up and plan everything, alright?" You quickly nodded before shakily pulling your phone out ready to give him your number.

You were silently praying that Nate didn't see you two right now, because he would probably ask why you were talking to Max and why you were giving him your number.

Once he saved your contact he sent you a text so that you had his number as well. "Again, thank you so much, and sorry if I just took time off of your break." you nervously chuckled, once both of you put your phones away again.

He shook his head "Nah, don't worry about it." He looked behind you and spotted Nate in the distance who seemed to approach you two "Your boyfriend's coming." you looked behind you and panicked. Great.

"He can't know what we just talked about, it's supposed to be a surprise.." he nodded as he quickly thought of something. "Let’s tell him..." he tried to think of something as Nate came closer and closer "you asked me what you can buy him." he quickly mumbled.

Nate reached you two shortly after and smiled down at you before leaning down to kiss you. You froze as he pressed his lips onto yours in a harsher way than he usually would as his hands rested on your waist.

He then broke the kiss and looked at Max with a grin "What's up," he greeted him "Why are you two standing here?" he added. You cleared his throat before Max spoke up "We just talked about birthday presents y'know? Since yours isn't too far away." he nudged him playfully.

Nate chuckled drily "Oh..." You pouted as you looked up at Nate "Yeah Nate, you kinda ruined the surprise now." you complained. He sighed before stroking your cheek "I'm sorry... But hey, you really don't need to buy me anything." he reassured you.

Once an awkward silence settled in, Max cleared his throat "Well, I'll see you two around." he said before smiling at you and leaving towards another direction.

Nate knew he was probably looking way too much into it, but he didn't like how Max smiled at you. You weren't aware of how beautiful you were, you never noticed how boys and even girls looked your way, because your gaze was mostly glued onto the floor or literally anywhere but people's faces.

But he saw it, he knew he wasn't the only who knew you were perfect. Which is why he was extra careful. He couldn't allow you to have male friends, he was already worried about your mom taking you away from him, he couldn't handle anyone else being a threat.

He looked after Max as he walked down the hallway, when you looked up at him "Nate," you tugged on his hand "you're not jealous, right?" you joked, even though you couldn't be more right.

"What if I am?" he asked as he looked back at you. You chuckled as you shook your head "You know I only have eyes for you..." you reminded him as you turned around to head to the cafeteria "It didn't seem like it when you smiled at him.." Nate mumbled.

"I smile at everyone." You defended yourself. Nate sighed, knowing you were right. But that didn't mean it was okay for him. He frowned as he walked into the cafeteria with you.

He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but Max had the power to ruin everything between you two. He could tell you all the bad things Nate has said and done that he knew of, and he really didn't want to risk that.

He tried to shake the thought that there was more going on, but he decided to pay even more attention to who you hang out with in the future. Because he really didn't want you to get closer with Max.

Just recently you befriended some girls from your arts class, who luckily didn't have any connections to Maddy or Cassie, so he decided not to ruin that for you.

He felt so powerful knowing that he had control over everything you did and who you talked to.

Until you sat next to him at home the same day, watching a movie while you texted Max.

Max: Let's just buy the stuff together 4:56 pm

You: you mean like drinks and snacks? 4:57 pm

Max: yeah that too but we also need cups, decoration and stuff 4:57 pm

You: trueee omg I never went to a high school party btw, so I'm really glad we're doing this together 4:58 pm

Max: yeah that's crazy ur missing out fr 5:00 pm

Max: Until now at least because my parties are always amazing😎 5:00 pm

You chuckled at the emoji as you shook your head. "Who're you texting?" you flinched slightly as you looked at Nate who glanced down at your phone.

You locked it before smiling at Nate "Just Mia from my history class, sorry." you lied, and Nate almost would've bought it if you hadn't locked your phone this quickly. You placed your phone next to you as you looked back at the TV.

Who the fuck where you texting?

"Oh.. and what are you talking about?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible as he looked at the TV again. "Just about... this unnecessary assignment we got today." you explained casually. Nate nodded, still not really believing you.

You never lied to him, or at least he was pretty sure you didn't, so it must be something big if you're lying to him right now.

He also noticed how casual you acted as you talked to him just now. You usually didn't act so casual, so he immediately figured it was just your way of covering up that you were lying, and trying to come across as honest as possible.

But that didn't work on him, he immediately picked up on your tactic.

Once you excused yourself to get a glass of water, Nate paused the movie, and waited a few seconds after you closed the door behind you. Then he quickly grabbed your phone, taking in the sight of your lockscreen.

It was a picture you took of Nate after one of his football games. He smiled, as he felt himself somehow relax a little bit.

Until one notification popped up

Max: Btw let's drive to the mall after school tmr... now

and then another text

Max: But we gotta be careful or else he'll see us and... now

and then another...

Max: Can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out... now

What the fuck?

Why was Max texting you? And why did he want to go to the mall with you tomorrow? Was he planning some sort of date? He placed your phone back on the same spot he picked it up from.

He clenched his jaw as he repeated the messages in his head over and over again 'can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out' he had to be talking about him, who else could he possibly mean?

The look on his face when he finds out what? That you were.. meeting up with Max behind his back? You wouldn't cheat on him.. there's just no way, no no... You weren't like this.

Sure it was only the preview of the message, and he sadly couldn’t see the full messages, but what else could he possibly mean?

For how long were you talking to Max? How didn't he notice it sooner, he was around you all the time. He even waited in front of your room sometimes to walk to the cafeteria with you.

Nate knew he didn't have enough evidence to confront you. What if he misunderstood the text messages? You'd feel betrayed because he was invading your privacy.

Your trust would probably be broken.

He sat there in silence as his mind ran a thousand miles, thinking of everything he could've meant but no matter what he thought of, every thought lead to you cheating on him.

Once he saw you enter his room again, his thoughts were interrupted. You smiled at him as you made your way back into his bed, setting the glass down on the table. When you sat down next to him, he roughly pulled you into his lap, causing a surprised squeal to leave your lips.

You straddled him, as you looked at him with a flustered expression, before he pulled you in for a desperate kiss. You gasped, completely confused by the sudden display of affection, but slowly kissed him back.

He pulled you closer, as he pushed his tongue into your mouth, forcing a sigh out of you. Once he broke the kiss he looked at you, his serious expression not matching the way he just kissed you. "Do you love me?"

You blinked at him, as you furrowed your brows "Of course I love you." you said, as your hand made its way to his cheek, and he sighed in return as he closed his eyes.

"Nate–" before you could ask him what's wrong, he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, inhaling the scent of the perfume he bought you, and it eased his mind just a little bit as he stayed there.

"Hey... what's wrong?" you asked softly, as you stroked his hair. He hated how vulnerable he felt because of you, he should be angry, planning Max's murder and punish you for betraying him like that.

But all he could think right now was that he might lose you, and he was so sure that everything was going just fine between you two, so why did you seek another guy's attention? Did he not satisfy you enough?

He attacked your lips once more, this time more passionate as he made out with you. You genuinely didn't know what came over him all of a sudden, but you felt like he was avoiding something.

Nate's hand slipped under your skirt, and grabbed the flesh of your ass while his other hand moved to your waist, before he swiftly laid you onto your back, causing you to gasp.

Then he hovered over you, kneeling between your legs "Can I try something?" He kissed your neck, as his hand once again wandered under to your skirt, causing you to gasp.

He bunched your skirt up as you froze "Sh-shouldn't we talk about this?" you nervously asked, as you felt his hand hook under the waistband of your pink panties.

Nate pulls back slightly to look at you with a playful smile "There's nothing to talk about, sweetheart." he assured you before he stroked your thigh "Do you trust me?" You nodded slowly, a hint of worry still visible on your face.

"What are you going to try?" you asked nervously, as you felt vulnerable in the current situation. He chuckled before he licked his lips "I'm gonna make you feel good." he stated before finally pulling your panties down your legs, and removing them in a quick motion.

You instinctively closed your legs as you swallowed, but Nate wasn't having it. He was quick to pull your legs apart with his strong grip, admiring the view of your bare pussy. He could feel his pants tighten, but this wasn't about him, no, at least for him it wasn't.

This was about finally being able to taste you, and showing you that he was all you needed. That you didn't need a second option, because he would give you everything you could ask for.

Nate bent down, closing his eyes as he inhaled your scent. "Fuck..." he breathed out before darting his tongue out and licking a stripe up your slit, as he watched your reaction. You nearly jumped off the bed as you whined, slightly overwhelmed by the foreign feeling.

He smirked at your reaction "You look so pretty like this.." he trailed off as he listened to the various sounds you made. "Do you like that?" His tongue started flicking against your clit, as he pushed your legs further up, ripping a low moan from your throat.

"Y-yes... but you don't have to do this." you reassured him as your breathing got heavier. He chuckled, the vibrations adding onto your pleasure. "Don't worry about me.. Could spend hours between your thighs." he mumbled against your clit, causing you to moan again.

Your hands made its way to his hair, your nails dragging along his scalp, which caused him to groan against your clit. You already began to feel like you're losing your sanity with the way Nate made you feel in just such a short amount of time "You're so good at this.." you praised.

Nate smirked in response before sucking on your clit. Your thighs were trembling at this point, and you weren't sure how long you would last "Nate, oh... I'm so close." you whined as your hips involuntarily bucked into his face.

With one final harsh suck on your bud, he sends you over the edge, causing you to moan his name as you tremble from the intensity. Once Nate tasted your release on his tongue, he made it his mission to not waste a single drop as his tongue cleaned you up.

You trembled and mewled because of the slight overstimulation, causing him to finally removed his mouth from you "Sorry, you just tasted so good I couldn't stop myself." he rasped before hovering over you again and pressing his wet lips onto yours, allowing you to taste yourself on him.

After he broke the kiss, he cupped your cheek, as you relaxed into his touch and closed your eyes "Are you okay? You came pretty hard." he boasted as he smirked down at you. You didn't even have to look at him to know that he we smirking, since his tone gave it away.

You nodded shyly, as you responded "Yeah.. it was intense, thank you, Nate." he smiled, loving how grateful you were, never taking anything he gave you for granted.

He could've sworn he fell deeper for you, every time he discovered something new about your body. The way you sounded, the way you tasted or the way your body reacted to him. It just fueled his need to own every inch of you.

"No need to thank me.. You deserved it, you're always so good to me.." he praised you, before retrieving a paper towel from the box on his nightstand, and cleaning you up.

You slowly open your eyes "Do you want me to... return the favour?" you asked shyly. Nate thought for a moment, since the throbbing in his pants definitely hasn’t disappeared, but he decided to shake his head. This was about you, and making you feel worshipped, showing you that you only need him.

"You can try that another time.." he grinned, before picking your panties up and sliding them back on for you.

"Maybe tomorrow..?" he offered as he looked deeply into your eyes, knowing that you certainly don't have time tomorrow. You chuckled nervously "That would be great, but.. I don't think I have time tomorrow.."

Why, because you were sucking him off already?

"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked as he stroked your sides and he could see the panic in your eyes, just for a split second "Uh.. Mia wanted to meet up for... the history assignment." you shrugged.

There it was again, this casual, nonchalant attitude you had earlier when you said you were texting Mia.

his hand twitched slightly as he tried to stay calm, but it was really hard, when all he could think of was that you were lying to him just like that. "Oh... okay." he forced a smile.

You felt awful for lying to him, but you knew it would pay off in the end. You already imagined how happy he would be once he'd enter Max's place next week.

Nate felt the urge to yell at you, and ask you what the fuck had gotten into you, for you to betray him like this. But he decided it’s best to stay as calm and rational as possible and see what would happen tomorrow, before he would drive to Max's place and bash his head in with a baseball bat.

It was just so hard for him to think rational when it came to you.

The next day was pretty exhausting, you already were extremely anxious once you got into Max's car, and drove to the mall with him.

It wasn't as awkward as you expected it to be though, Max was really chill and funny most of the time. You weren't used to going out with anyone other than Nate, but you could envision yourself hanging out with both of them sometimes.

You wondered why Nate and Max weren’t closer, since Nate would probably have a lot of fun with him.

You were however pretty overwhelmed when you two bought alcohol. You were glad that Max took it upon himself to pick out the, as he calls it, 'good stuff '. Max had a fake ID and you were really anxious when the store clerk asked for it, once Max wanted to pay for it.

He was completely relaxed however, chuckled and pulled it out like it's the most normal and legal thing ever, while you tried to stuff all the bottles back into the shopping basket, without breaking any of the glass bottles.

And after spending 3 hours at the mall with him, you were finally back in front of your house. You spent a fortune just on drinks and snacks alone and Max decided to pay for the decoration and some of the alcohol as his 'present' for Nate, despite you telling him, that it was already nice enough to offer his place for the party.

You were also glad he offered to drive you home, since it started to rain heavily once you two sat in his car.

You still felt bad about Nate, he was so sweet yesterday and he even told you to text him and send him your live location once you're on your way home, so he knows that you're safe, which you did of course.

Except, that wasn't the only reason.

As soon as he received your text, he drove over to your place, making sure to drive fast in order to be there before you arrive. He knew Max would drive you home, since it was raining and staring to get dark.

Once he arrived, he searched for a secluded street nearby where you two wouldn’t see him. Then he parked his truck before he got his umbrella and left the car before locking it. Then he opened the umbrella as he walked closer to your house.

Once he found the perfect spot he simply waited, waited for you to get out of his car.

It was still raining when Max parked his car in front of your house. "Thank you for everything, again. I couldn't have done this without you." He brushed you off again "Don't mention it. Just.. please don't let Nate beat my ass if he finds out we went out alone." he joked, even though he knew he was dead serious.

You chuckled before your expression changed to a more serious one "Can I ask you something?" he nodded "But you gotta be honest with me." he nodded again as he turned towards you "What's the deal with Nate and Cassie? I just feel like.. he’s not telling me everything regarding her.." he sighed already regretting that he agreed.

"Well... Cassie was Maddy's best friend." you nodded before your eyes widened "Wait.. who dated him first?" "Maddy.. and it got really ugly when she found out her best friend was fucking her ex behind her back... That’s pretty much all I know."

You didn't expect that, to be the story. But you finally understood why Nate didn’t really elaborate what happened between him and Cassie. Dating your ex’s best friend wasn’t really something to be proud of.

"I mean, Maddy did cheat on him but.. having your best friend date your ex is really.." Max nodded as he nervously scratched his neck "Well, Nate..." he stopped himself, not sure if warning you would put him in danger.

He was already conflicted about this whole birthday party thing, because he wasn't sure whether or not to help you when you approached him the day before.

Nate was unpredictable, especially when it came to his girlfriends, so he wasn't really sure what to do in this situation.

Would Nate be mad at him if he wouldn't have helped you? Would he be pissed because he refused to help his girlfriend, or would he be glad that he stayed away from you?

And on the other hand, would Nate be happy that you two planned a surprise for his birthday? Even if it meant you two met up alone behind his back, and you lied to him?

He knew that you weren't aware of it, but you put him in a really tricky situation by asking him for such a favor.

"Yes..?" you looked at him and he chuckled nervously "Uh.. Nate just made a few wrong choices, I guess.. I mean I think.. he was just so focused on Cassie, and so sure that she’s the one, that he kind of... forgot about Maddy." he shrugged as he rambled, in an attempt to stop you from asking him question he couldn't answer you.

"He’s not really an emotional guy, he.. thinks strategically you know? He's more of a rational, logic thinker than an emotional one, so he didn't consider that Maddy might be upset about that." You nodded in response.

"Hmm.. that makes sense..” you mumbled, not really sure if that actually made sense. If he was in love with Maddy, he would definitely care about her and know that it’s morally not right to cheat on her with her best friend. But Nate doesn’t seem like someone who’d cheat, they probably weren’t together anymore when he dated Cassie.

But you decided to not bother Max any further, since he already seemed really uncomfortable with answering the first question.

“Thank you for telling me." you smiled at him, and he immediately felt even worse for sugarcoating what Nate did, and acting like he wasn’t the bad guy. But he also knew that he had to, in order to protect himself.

If you'd know the truth or start acting weird around him, or even worse, you'd break up with him because you finally know what he’s really like, it'd be over for him.

He’d find out that Max talked to you eventually, and he wouldn’t hesitate to make him suffer instantly.

Because Nate wasn't stupid, he'd immediately know it was him who told you everything. And he was capable of making Max disappear for good, too, without anyone asking questions.

“I’ll get inside then, my mom’s been weird the past few days.” you sigh “Actually, scratch that, she’s been weird the past few years.” Max chuckled “Damn, is it this bad?” you nodded your head in response.

“Oh you have no idea.. just a few days ago, she basically said that Nate is a manipulative asshole and that he will destroy me one day.” you snort as you think back how ridiculous she sounded.

Max‘s eyes widened before he also chuckled, even though he wanted to tell you that your mom probably isn’t as crazy as you say she is. “Damn…” he trailed off “I know right.. I mean, sure he might have this ‘jock image’ and everyone respects him and stuff, but he’s so different when we’re alone..”

You couldn’t help but smile as you thought about all the kind things he’s done for you. You felt so empty without him, and now you were sure that you couldn’t ever go back to living the way you used to live before you met him.

No one could replace him, you were sure.

Nate sighed as he waited for you to finally leave his car, checking the time seemingly every minute. What were you doing in there for so long anyways? Since he stood far away behind the car, and it was still raining, he couldn’t even see what you two were doing in there.

His thoughts were racing once again, as he got closer to the car, but still kept his distance. He was thinking of everything you two could be doing right now, right in front of him. What if he was touching you right now? And what if you didn’t want that, or-

And then he inhaled sharply, when the passenger door finally opened, and you stepped outside. He saw how you closed the door and waved at him as you smiled.

That beautiful smile, that was reserved for Nate, and no one else.

Nate was fuming on the inside, as he tried to think straight. But he simply couldn’t.

All he wanted to do is follow him home and beat the absolute shit out of him, maybe that was the only right thing to do. He’d let his anger out, and Max would learn his lesson.

But he couldn’t do that just yet, he had to talk to you first. Ask you if Max approached you first, and if he touched you, because those things we’re important to know before he rushed into anything.

He watched you until you made your way inside your house, before he walked back to his car. Once he was inside he slammed his hands onto the steering wheel, breathing heavily as he tried to calm himself down.

ding

Nate looked at his phone as he saw a notification pop up. He saw your name and immediately opened the message

Princess: I’m home now, love you 💋 6:52 pm

✎ Literally just worked 6 hours straight on this and got nearly nothing done, because I cannot focus for the life of me hhh♡

- Cassandra

Taglist:

@lilyrachelcassidy, @endless----love, @sophsss867, @jennnsthings, @digitalpup444, @vividfleur, @tsofo26, @lunalvrsblog, @sunshinedaisy21, @kissforvoid

[energetically-exhausted]

hello, everyone! sometime this year, i started writing this silly idea. basically, since i can remember, i've been such a huge fan of time loops in film. so, i wanted to write some slice-of-life Sides stuck in a time loop. not exactly sure what their statuses are at this point, honestly. maybe some ambiguous LAMP. possibly won't focus too much on labels, and more on their relationships with each other if i do write more of this.

this really is just a test run. if any folks want a continuation, i might make this have multiple chapters! who knows? uh- enjoy!

Time Loop AU

WARNINGS: MILD DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOOD, STRONG LANGUAGE

‐SOME LOOPS ARE FUN!‐

Today, they were playing charades in the living room.

"Uh- Giraffe!"

"No, Patton, you're not-" Roman laughed. "You're not the one guessing."

"Thanks for the help, though, padre," Virgil added. "Hey, Logan, is it a giraffe?"

The one reaching his arms up stiffly to impersonate the word on his piece of paper sighed out of relief. "God, finally. But does that count?" He pulled out his phone to make an internet search. "What were the rules, again?"

"Nah, we can let it slide. Right, Patton?" Virgil lightheartedly jeered, nudging him with his elbow.

Patton snorted. "I guess that's fair."

Roman gasped. "Patton, no! Now they're gaining on us! How could you do this to me? The betrayal! Oh, Patton, the agony!" He laid across Patton's lap as his legs dangled off the end of the sofa.

"Oh, calm down, Princey. You always win," Virgil huffed.

"But this is charades! A game in which one performs! A talented, esteemed actor such as myself shan't lose even one round, or I'll be stripped of my honor and dignity!" Roman raised an arm to his forehead in a distraught manner.

Logan slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Aha! Apparently, Patton giving the answer to Virgil is- uh- 'fair game', as this website put it."

"Awesome."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Okie dokes! Thanks, Logan!"

"I believe that makes the score seven to six, with 'Team Pizza' in the lead," Logan declared.

Even though the princely figure was still brooding, Roman and Patton high-fived each other.

"Come on, Logan. We gotta lock in. Team Lo Mein has to win. I don't think I can stomach another pizza night this month."

The four played three more rounds and resulted in a tie. It was nearly six, and they were getting hungry. There was time for one more round.

"I believe it is my turn. Best of luck, dear Patton, for if we lose," Roman narrowed his eyes with a threatening smile, "everyone will live to rue this day." He drew his paper from a "borrowed" bowler hat, and smiled. He was ready. Three, two, one... action—

The group jumped as Patton's phone rang. Roman sighed. "Who in the whole new world would be so rude as to interrupt my performance?"

"Some person called, 'Potential Spam'. Funny name," Patton claimed after picking up his phone. "Do we know a 'Potential'? Do I answer?"

"No, Pat-"

A voice came through. "Hello—"

"Whoops. Butterfingers, am I right?" Patton laughed.

The other three sighed.

Virgil grew anxious. "Patton, just hang up."

"Alright!"

The voice became louder. "This is—"

"See- Patton- What you've done there is you've pressed the 'speaker' button," Logan said with a slightly annoyed tone. "Perhaps you could just hand the phone to one of us—"

"—you are in grave danger. You must listen."

"Uh- Sorry, kiddo. I missed that," Patton apologized to the phone, snatching it away from the several hands trying to take it.

"If you are receiving this message, it means you have thirty seconds to evacuate before—"

Patton hung up with a sour expression. "I hate those manipulative attention tactics."

The others screamed and yelled at him in horror.

"Shit shit shit shit."

"Patton, why would you- Oh my God-"

"We're gonna die we're gonna die we're gonna die we're-"

"Calm down, everyone! It was just some oddly named stranger trying to get a reaction! We'll be just fine—"

An extremely high pitch shot through everyone's ears, knocking them out. They all hit the floor, unconcious.

Today, they were playing charades in the living room.

"Wait, what happened? Ugh, my ears are ringing."

"Virgil, could you shut up? My mind is doing somersaults," Roman complained.

"What time is it?" Patton whined.

Logan shakily got his phone out of his pocket. "It's—" He squinted his eyes in confusion. "Here, Patton. I can't be reading it correctly. Most likely due to this disorientation I'm experiencing. It couldn't possibly still be five fifty-seven"

Patton reached out his arm and squinted too. "No, Logan, it— You read it right."

"Check the date, Pat. Maybe we slept 'till the next day?" Virgil groaned, pulling his hood over his head to avoid the seemingly blinding light in the living room.

"No, I don't think that's it, son. It's... still the sixth," Patton said, confused.

Roman grunted as he picked himself up and off the desperately-needed-to-be-vacuumed carpet. "Well, I'm not going to leave this game at a draw. Patton, I need you at your most focused right now."

"Bud, I'm seein' double right now, and I think we should find out what's going on-"

"No! We are finishing this game! The right way! I have to win this." He cleared his throat and began to pose before noticing the others staring at him in horror. He sniffed, wiping his nose with his sleeve. Then he saw it. The red. He never got nosebleeds. How did this happen? "What's going on?"

"Roman, are you alright?" Logan stumbled toward him in case he was in need of support.

Patton raced to get tissues.

Virgil remained wide-eyed and shaken, sitting on the floor. "Roman, that's- I'm freakin' the fuck out, man- That's a lot of blood." He felt the tremor in his hands that he'd had since he was little. He didn't handle these kinds of situations well. "These kinds"? As if there was a way to categorize what the actual fuck was happening.

Patton came back with the tissues and a clean shirt for Roman, which he was thankful for. The blood had gotten on his collar before Logan had made the wise decision of tilting his head back to stop the bleed-out. "Do you think this was 'cause of...?" Patton stopped. He didn't really know what had happened, but he was making vague connections.

"Whatever knocked us out?" Logan suggested, taking Roman's bloody shirt and sitting it down on the coffee table. He held his forehead in his hands, groaning from the aching sensation. "It'd make sense."

"What did knock us out?" Roman questioned, holding the tissues to his nose after changing into the not-bloody shirt.

"How the hell would we know, Roman-? Sorry. I'm just- more stressed than usual, and my 'usual' is pretty fuckin' stressed." Virgil tugged on his sleeves, occupying his hands with something other than shaking.

"The best way to solve this is to recount the events that occurred before this happened," Logan supplied. "It could potentially help us remember."

"Well," Patton started, "today, we were arguing over what we wanted for dinner, and so-"

"We landed on a game of charades to decide for us," Roman added.

"It was a pretty close game, and the last person to go up was Roman," Virgil said.

Roman grumbled, "I didn't even get to start."

"Because Patton's phone went off," Logan answered.

"The phone! I got a weird call from someone named Potential! That was when it happ-"

The phone rang.

"Shit."

[ikamigami]

Why Sun doesn't always mean our Eclipse - the Dorito Bot - when he's talking about Eclipse?

The deep dive into Sun's mind and the way his delusions work (supported by my own experiences and research on that topic).

It's my meta analysis of Sun's mental disorder. I'll try to explain why I think that this is a highly possible explanation of Sun's very complicated relationship with Eclipse.

I was thinking about this for quite some time. I always knew that Sun's relationship with Eclipse is very complicated, very complex. I've seen a lots of takes about how Eclipse sees Sun and how looks his relationship with Sun. But whenever it came to Sun and how he sees Eclipse and how looks his relationship with Eclipse.. it wasn't that. I wasn't sure why but something was missing in people's interpretations.

Now I know what it is. Many people misinterprets Sun's view on things because of misunderstanding of his mental issues. Same was with how I was misinterpreting Eclipse at first. I didn't understand Eclipse's mental issues.

I explained in many of my posts that I think that Sun has depressive psychosis and his delusions are centered around guilt and unworthiness. Sun most definitely hallucinated a voice who was saying demeaning things to him and was trying to guide Sun through his life, reminding him that he's evil.

What if I told you that Sun was unaware of Eclipse's existence as our Eclipse - Dorito Bot? Sounds crazy, right?

I think that's because Eclipse introduced himself in a really really wrong way. When Sun met Eclipse for the first time (remember he also heard him for the first time then) he didn't recognize him as our Eclipse. For Sun it was more like "so that's how that voice I'm hearing looks like" type of situation.

So for Sun there are two Eclipses. There's Eclipse - our Dorito Bot and there's Eclipse - the figment of Sun's mind, the entity that Sun hallucinates. But I think that for a long time Sun couldn't differentiate between the two. Why? Again, it's because I think that our Eclipse had the same voice and he was saying the same things that the voice was saying to Sun.

The Eclipse from Sun's mind, let's call him Sun's Eclipse or "Eclipse", is also Sun. It's true Sun. I mean in Sun's delusional mind this voice is him. It might be hard to understand but it's something like in Ren's song - Hi Ren:

"You think that you can amputate me?

I am you, you are me, you are I, I am we

We are one, split in two that makes one, so you see

You got to kill you if you wanna kill me

I'm not left over dinner, I'm not scraps on the side..."

These lyrics capture the best what I'm talking about here.

And to back up the statement about Sun viewing Eclipse as the physical manifestation of the voice in his head, I'll tell you that when I watched "Sun meets Eclipse" episode I felt nauseous.

I'm serious. For me their meeting felt like all those times when the voice was speaking to me. So when I saw that episode, my anxiety skyrocketed and my insides were flipping and I was sweating cold. It was crazy. That episode was insane to me and I wouldn't be surprised if Sun just thought that the voice he's hearing is real. I mean even more real than it already was.

Sun viewing Eclipse as the voice in his head explains why he told Moon that Moon isn't like Eclipse and why Sun thinks Eclipse is worse than Moon. Because Sun's Eclipse is an awful monster. Moon was trying to change. Sun's Eclipse would never.

Sun still tried to be nice to Eclipse and help him though. He felt bad when he had to expell him out of his own head. After that everything changed. Sun's mental state worsened.

I'm certain that Sun still could hear "Eclipse". And upon seeing Moon exhausting himself with searching for Eclipse's backups, Sun was feeling more and more awful. After all, he was the one to blame for this situation. He didn't get rid of "Eclipse". The "Eclipse" returned. But this time it was worse. Because "Eclipse" wasn't trapped in his head anymore. Now "Eclipse" could cause even more damage.

Sun was depressed even before October takeover but it only got worse with him sinking deeper into his delusions. He was a failure. He was unable to help with anything. He caused all their problems and yet the one who was endangering himself was Moon even though it should've been Sun.

With things getting progressively worse, Sun was scarying Lunar while playing games and he destroyed Moon's computer which caused Moon's kill code to reactivate and their father was giving them more headache, Sun's mental state kept worsening till he reached the breaking point.

During Sun's late development of psychotic episode Bloodmoon appeared in the Daycare looking like Moon. Many people were shocked that Sun shot them while they were looking like Moon but not many realized that Bloodmoon's words triggered Sun's PTSD. I think that when Sun shot Bloodmoon he didn't see Moon. He saw "Eclipse". The same "Eclipse" he expelled from his head. Bloodmoon said almost exactly the same words that Eclipse told Sun back then.

Not long before that happened Sun was repeating to himself that he isn't like him after he said that maybe they should kill their enemies. These were his intrusive thoughts but for Sun, he was turning into "Eclipse". And after he killed Bloodmoon, he realized that he's just like him. After that point Sun completely slipped into a firm grip of his delusions.

He had to kill "Eclipse". It was a suicidal mission. Sun didn't plan to get back to the Daycare. He had to make sure that all "Eclipses" including himself will be dead. And also that's why he was willing to kill Solar Flare. Because "Eclipse" built him thus means "Eclipse" is still alive.

Eclipse wasn't aware how much power he had over Sun at that moment. When he grabbed the sword, Sun immediately lost his confidence. Sun was always afraid of "Eclipse" so when he lost so quickly, he was unable to fight back anymore. He burst with magic only because he was in highetened emotional state triggered by Eclipse's words that Moon wouldn't care if he killed Sun and by reminiscence of hallucination of Bloodmoon's taunting words at Beta 10.

The scene that is a more solid proof that Sun hallucinated "Eclipse" was a moment at the end of the episode "Sun is trapped by Moon". We could hear Sun saying while looking at his own reflection "you're pretty pathetic, aren't you". We know that it was Sun speaking but he sounded like Eclipse in that moment. I think that it was intentional. I immediately thought that maybe Sun saw Eclipse in the reflection because it's quite common for those who hallucinates to talk with their own reflection because they see there someone else.

The clue that Sun view himself as "Eclipse" was that scene when he told Moon that he doesn't know anything about Sun and that Sun isn't a hero. Sun was "Eclipse" then. He was a monster. That's why he said that Bloodmoon's death didn't affect him. Because "Eclipse" doesn't have remorse. Sun doesn't have remorse because Sun is "Eclipse".

After Sun blew up Moon's mana pool he listened to Eclipse because "Eclipse" always know better than Sun. Sun is the one who ruins everything. "Eclipse" is there to help him. Later when Sun recalled those memories he said that he tried to kill Eclipse with magic blast. He remembers it like that because he remembers that he went on a mission to kill "Eclipse".

If it wasn't for Earth finding him in the forest and calming him down, Sun would most probably either kill himself or harm himself badly.

Later upon feeling guilty at what he did, Sun learned that Old Moon is indeed gone, he heard his last message, he learned that Lunar was blown up and that Eclipse got the star. It made Sun feel even more guilty. And because he had to help New Moon and Earth to adjust to their new lives, he pushed away his grief. Sun in order to prevent himself from seeing hallucinations was overworking himself.

Sun's mental state worsened even more to the point that he became passively suicidal and when opportunity arised he decided to become conduit for star's power. This is how Sun planned to end his own life. And he would also help with getting rid of "Eclipse" which made Sun feel better about killing himself. He would get rid of all "Eclipses" for good.

Though when Sun heard that star's power is slowly killing Eclipse, I'm sure he felt conflicted. Because when he popped off at Eclipse he felt bad after that and was seemingly concerned about what is happening with Eclipse because the latter wasn't showing up for quite awhile. And that's why I think that Sun was willing to listen to Eclipse. Remember Sun isn't a murderer. He despises killing. Unfortunately, Eclipse being Eclipse, threatening Earth and saying demeaning things to both Sun and Earth and telling them to kill Lunar, triggered Sun. He was seeing "Eclipse" again. He wasn't talking with Eclipse anymore. It was "Eclipse" all over again.

After time had passed we could see Sun's guilt wearing him down. He killed once again. He was visibly tired of killing. He tried to stop Moon from killing every person that they felt uncomfortable around - Forkface and Mimic. Sun starts to ask himself about Eclipse's existence while questioning his own. He's still passively suicidal.

Though Lunar got revived and a little bit later Solar joined them and Ruin didn't seem as a threat that much. It seemed that things got slightly better. Not for long because Ruin built New Bloodmoon. From that point things started getting worse pretty quickly. Bloodmoon attacked Lunar and Ruin was planning something big. Sun was worried with how Moon was letting his anger to overtake him. Ruin together with Bloodmoon blew up the Daycare and Sun and Moon were sendt to Ruin's dimension for whole October.

Sun didn't have that much time to think too much about everything because they had to stay safe and get a way back to their dimension. Though he wasn't free from worry. He was scared that Moon won't wake up twice during their time in Ruin's dimension. It gave him PTSD and he was afraid that Moon could've been dead.

After some pleas Moon agreed that Sun will take the cure for ruin virus from Ruin's creator's laboratory. They were able to come back to the Daycare safely and they gave Ruin the cure. Things started to seemingly calm down. Solar rebuilt the Daycare. Ruin was now good. It didn't last long because Bloodmoon returned and killed Earth. They decided to hunt them down.

Unfortunately Moon and Solar made bad decision by forcing Sun to go on a hunt for Bloodmoon. Gladly they heard Sun out and let him try to give BM a chance. BM refused Sun's offer and then Sun learned that BM was actually behind July 16th incident, not Eclipse. Earth later told Sun and Moon that maybe Eclipse could've been redeemed because he seemed to be changing.

Later things seemed to get better. Though the problems kept stucking. The boys learned from Lunar about his powers and that Astral Bodies are observing them and if Lunar won't control their powers, he'll get killed. They were also warned to not use star's power because they also could get killed for that. And SW kidnapped Earth and threatened Sun and Moon to stay away from his business. They found out that Earth has some program which erases her memories about her father being evil.

Sun's mental state kept worsening but now he was lying and saying that he was doing okay. Because others had more important issues on their plates.

After Christmas Eclipse announced his return and threatened them that he'll kill them. Moon became more paranoid and aggressive which was scarying Sun. Thankfully Solar was there to stop Moon from making rush and dangerous decisions.

Sun went to therapy session with Earth and told her how Eclipse's return was stressing him out. While I think that he wasn't telling the whole truth, there was some truth to it. I think that Solar's presence was helping Sun with seeing Eclipse differently. And I think that it was then when Sun realized that Eclipse isn't the same as "Eclipse". But Eclipse's return and the way he was talking and acting, yet again triggered Sun. He saw "Eclipse" once again.

Later Sun and Moon were searching for Eclipse. Sun's words about killing Eclipse and creator are callback from the time when Sun said that they should kill their enemies. In both cases they were Sun's intrusive thoughts but for Sun it isn't like that. That's why both times Sun called himself stupid because he knows that this is bad. This time is different though because Sun promised himself that he needs to be stronger. In order to prevent the repeat of events from last year, he decided to not engage in anything and he left things for Moon and Solar.

Seeing how he blew up at Catnap shows us that sitting and waiting for others to resolve things makes things worse. We can still see signs that Sun is suicidal. He keeps making weird comments and told a suicide joke to Catnap.

Up to this point Ruin was able to trap Eclipse and Moon gave Eclipse a chance but he had to agree on the deal. Now they were searching on who brought Eclipse back together with Eclipse.

But let's focus on the conversation Sun and Moon had with Eclipse. Sun seemed nervous maybe even scared. He was unable to look at Eclipse. And he constantly repeats that he wants Eclipse dead. It doesn't make sense with how guilty Sun seemed before Eclipse returned and how he told Solar that he's making him feel better about Eclipse.

That's because Sun doesn't want to kill Eclipse. He blames himself for how Eclipse turned out to be. But I think the way Eclipse talks and behaves, trigger Sun's delusional mind and he's unable to differentiate between Eclipse and "Eclipse". He wants "Eclipse" dead. Not Eclipse. He said that he wanted to save Eclipse at first. But he wasn't talking about Eclipse. He's talking about "Eclipse" who is him so he's actually talking about himself.

In order to prevent himself from hurting others, he needs to take out the root of the problem which is "Eclipse" - the true Sun. He wants to kill himself. After all, he said that the worst thing that happened to him is that someone showed up in his head and that they came back even if Sun got rid of him. Over and over again. I think that Sun was talking about "Eclipse". He's tired of being evil and constantly ruining everything and making everything worse and hurting others.

Important thing to note is that Sun turns off every mirror in their house because he can't look at his own reflection because he doesn't want to see "Eclipse". He tries to distract himself by playing games, sitting at computer all day or spending some time with others so he won't hear "Eclipse" anymore. But it isn't enough so now he drinks his stress away hoping that maybe it'll muffle "Eclipse's" voice. But it won't help in the long run. Sun can't run away from his mental issues forever.

On lighter note I think that Sun may try to reach out to Eclipse encouraged by Solar's presence and companionship. It seems that Solar helped Sun a lot when it comes to Eclipse. Unfortunately because others are unaware of Sun's mental disorder it only helped a little because now Sun is more than sure that the "Eclipse" he wants to kill it's he, himself. I'm betting that Sun will try to apologize to Eclipse.

But to be honest I doubt that Eclipse will accept Sun's apology and take his offer of help. It's completely understandable. He has valid reasons to not trust Sun and to not want to have anything to do with him. Though I'm afraid that it'll cement in Sun that he's unable to fix what he messed up. We could see that with Bloodmoon and it'll probably be the same with Eclipse.

And with high possibilty that others will be able to resolve the problems without Sun's help, it might be a final push for Sun to end his own life. To finally get rid of "Eclipse".

I think that we're heading to ending of this arc soon and then we shall see how things will turn out to be.

I hope that all of this was somewhat coherent and makes sense. I tried my best to explain why I think that for Sun there are two Eclipses and why Sun thought for a long time that our Eclipse was "Eclipse" - Sun's hallucination, the voice from his head.

Also I hope that I didn't make too many mistakes.

[thegratefulsouth]

Alright I have just finished Season 1 of TWD DD and I have thoughts and questions and feelings. And energy!

I am very new to this fandom, and while I've done some searches in places, I'll still just apologise in advance for being repetitive and missing stuff. I will miss stuff every time.

I'll get Laurent out of the way, and even though it's all connected for me, the rest is Caryl.

#1 So Laurent. I have questions about his ability to see into the future. He was convinced Daryl would survive the Gladiator battle, he knew they'd all end up back together. Is this a real thing? Is it coincidence in faith? The drawing I don't care about, I'm not sure how involved he is with the manipulations, but he should definitely be able to feel that this is happening with Isabelle, given his empathic nature. So in that case, does he sense there is a reason to go along with her ways, for a future purpose we don't know about yet.

The empathic thing:

Episode 1, he says to Daryl "You're homesick. I see it in your eyes. I feel things. In my stomach. I feel your sadness." Episode 5, he tells Madame Genet that she isn't angry; her heart is broken.

He can distinguish sadness between heartbreak and homesickness- these are very specific feelings. Are there more examples? Not sure when I'll be able to watch it back. Is this significant? Is there a point to this? Is he going to make the match? Is he going to be overwhelmed by Carol's grief and guilt, though hopefully she'll just be happy and relieved when he meets her (hopefully!!).

"Daryl why don't you just kiss Carol like she wants you to?"

What are the rules around this? I don't know how it works.

#2 Second up! The boats. Is there any evidence that any of the boats have any significance? I know they probably just make sense with the location and the storyline, etc. But when Laurent cuts the boat loose, Daryl is losing his most immediate TANGIBLE lifeline to Carol and that is because a BOAT has drifted. A boat.

Okay, and also, I was thinking about this on my long drive to work this morning and I swear to the husks of dust on my Jim Shore Dorothy and Glinda figurine, Spotify threw THIS song I've never heard before at me. Yes, PIRATE song. Pirate song by mehro. But dear god the lyrics.

"Are you ready to let me in?"

"I've been trying to believe what I said is what I need."

This is such a haunting, beautiful song. I'm so thrilled to discover this artist. I'm not immune to dissolving into a puddle on the side of the road when I hear a new song that spins me out. I feel things so intensely. I'm going to do a post just for this song. This song is Caryl to me.

#3 Daryl's longing for Carol in a ramble:

I like the connection between Daryl saying "I have family back home," and Carol in the teaser clip saying Daryl is the only family she has left. It feels like a string, tying them together. Feels like they're on the same damn boat. Emotionally.

I just want to touch on the name dropping Who Are Your Friends scene with Laurent. Even though I have no idea whether this scene is supposed to have any significance or if it's just supposed to be a simple moment of connection for these two. Regardless, it is significant. Every second beyond about a week just is. So to touch on Laurent again, I'm just wondering is it possible that Daryl's a little guarded here, because he knows the kid's intuitive? Does he feel like he needs to be more careful with his emotions? He's already elevated. But he says Connie's name really easily. It's easy for him to say her name and I think that says a lot. He's trying to connect with the kid, so of course Judith and RJ pop up. Daryl got himself started, and there's a very slight gap, while he's thinking before he offers up Ezekiel. That's where he should say Rosita but she's gone, or Aaron (but too much missage? Their bond), Michonne's not there! Oh, Ezekiel! They were starting to get along? They had a hug and everything? I don't know. I like the link between Connie and Ezekiel though. Anyway Daryl has to say Carol because she is his heartbeat, so he manages to get that out and then he stops. No more names.

Laurent says they sound nice and is Daryl's response a little defensive? Even though Laurent's just a kid, he's a little intense. Daryl says, "Yeah, how do you know?"

I think that's interesting. Like he's shared as much as he's comfortable sharing and then he wants to bundle his family back up again. It's painful to talk about Carol because he misses her and he promised her and she cried when he left and she is his soulmate. She's a little too precious and valuable to be spoken about by someone who hasn't even met her.

Alrighty now I need to go find some gifs for that song post.

[dre6ming]

The delicate beginning rush- imagine

Unconditionally and irrevocably in love with her

Masterlist <chapters 1->14 here>

Some things are meant to be - chapter 13 (y/n) pov

The delicate beginning rush imagines masterlist

Get added to my tag list

Pairing: Austin Butler x singer/actress fem reader

Warning: age gap (10 years), fluff

Plot: (y/n) was secretly asked to be part of the Elvis Soundtrack and perform live at the Cannes premiere, this is Austin’s reaction to it.

Word count: 1900

Austin's point of view

The clapping started a while ago and it doesn't seem to stop. I have tears in my eyes, salt streams running down my cheeks as I look up, thanking my mom's spirit, Elvis's and God. In my whole two decades long career I've never felt this type of happiness and relief. The room is just filled with this beautiful energy, there's happiness flowing in the air, but there's a heaviness to it all, as everyone seems to be holding back tears. I turn to my left and hug Olivia briefly, whispering a sincere "thank you" in her ear, moving further through the crowd, hugging everyone in sight. I'm overwhelmed with people's reaction and I'm joyful to accept every compliment and hug, but there's this gaping hole in my heart, like something is missing. I can't put my finger on what it is, but in the back of my mind there's this voice telling me exactly what I'm longing for.

She couldn't be here, how could she? She's not my girlfriend publicly, she's not involved with the movie, as far the public knew, she's had no excuse to come to the premiere, even though I wanted it so bad.

As soon as my mind circles back to her, I can't help but wish this would all be over so I could go back to my hotel room and call her, hear her voice, tell how proud I am of her singing, how hearing her voice brought me to tears. I just know (y/n) and Baz must of worked really hard to keep this a secret, not only from the media, but from me as well. I smile to myself thinking about all those times I asked her about the secret project she was working on and she would simply smile, saying I'll know soon enough.

I reach my hand into my jacket, looking for my phone to see if she answered my text, more like hoping she did, but before I can, a hand touches my shoulder. "Austin, everyone back in their seats, there's one last surprise." Baz announces, directing me back to my seat next to him. The room goes completely silent and all the lights go out, leaving us in pitch black. There's some ruffling noise, then a deep breath echoes through the theater. Soft piano starts playing and a single light shines on the floor, bringing into focus a white piano, a replica of the one Elvis had in Graceland. The breath gets caught in the back of my throat as my eyes make out who's playing.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in...But I can't help falling in love with you"

(Y/n)'s enchanting voice fills the room, making my heart throb. She looks beautiful, in a dark blue gown, with silver stars on it. Her soft hair is pulled back and she has glitter all over her face, which sparkles with every movement of her head. She has her eyes closed, singing softly, her delicate fingers brushing the piano keys.

"Like a river flows, surely to the sea, darling so it goes. Some things are...meant to be"

I can't take my eyes off of her and my feet carry me out of my chair unconsciously. New tears form in my eyes and I try to blink them away, but all that effort goes out the window when she turns her head to the audience. She opens up her beautiful eyes, searching the audience, spotting me immediately, since I'm the only one standing. (Y/n)'s eyes glimmer in the light, tears glossing them. She smiles at me, a single tear sliding down her round rosy cheek and onto the piano keys.

"Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you"

She keeps singing, looking into my eyes, smiling bright and blinking through the tears. I'm wiping away my own tears, feeling the thud of my heart against my chest. All I see is her, all I hear is her, all I want is her. It's so strange to try and explain, to try and understand, this undeniable attraction I feel for her. I watch her and I'm intrigued by her presence, by her ability to wield such power. In the months since I've met her, she's consumed my every thought, I fall asleep dreaming about her eyes and I wake up imagining I hear her voice.

I hate playing pretend, the whole fake relationship thing is really starting to piss me off. I wish I could just run up to her, lift her up in my arms and spin her around, kiss her plush lips.

"For I can't help falling in love with you..."

As she finishes the song, I'm left with this feeling, the feeling that she was somehow singing to me and I realize how much I wish that were true. As people start clapping and standing, cheering her on, I understand the weight that's sitting on my heart. I've fallen in love with her. There's no denying, that I want her to be my everything, I feel it in all my bones. She's my one.

Baz shakes me awake, hugging me, asking me what I thought of the performance. I'm speechless, I smile and say some gibberish that doesn't make much sense. My feet burn in my shoes, I want to move so bad, to go be by her side.

Before I can stop myself, I'm moving, making a bee line for her, focusing only on her. I love the way her face lights up when we lock eyes, I love the blush that comes to her cheeks, I love the way her lips stretch over her teeth in the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. I come to a stop, standing a few inches away from her, looking at her, forcing my hands to stay unmoved at my sides. "I-" she opens her mouth to say, but she's interrupted by Baz, coming form behind me.

"(Y/n) oh my, I have goosebumps all over, that was so beautiful, congratulations." She looks down, fidgeting with her dress. "Thank you, Baz, it means a lot." (Y/n) says smiling, sniffing a bit. I open my mouth to give my congratulations to her as well, but I'm once more interrupted, this time by Priscilla, handing her a tissue so she could wipe away her tears. "Here you go, honey, a beautiful performance, Elvis would be happy to see his legacy carried this way." Priscilla says and I see on (y/n)'s face how proud she feels hearing this.

Before I know it a photographer comes at us. "Smile!" He says and I drag her by the waist, keeping her close to my side. My fingers absentmindedly dance over the soft fabric of her dress and I feel her tense under my touch, smirking to myself, loving that I have this effect on her. "Miss, one picture over at the piano please, Mr Butler, join her at the piano please." The photographer directs and she moves, holding the front of her dress up. I sit down next to her, helping her arrange the skirt of the dress as she whispers a soft "thank you".

I smile for the camera, but being this close to her, does things to me, I can't explain, so I find my hand fumbling around for the slit of her dress, finding it and placing the palm of my hand on her knee. I hear the way her breath gets caught in her chest and I play it cool, praying no one would dare look under the piano.

After a couple of photos, I'm unfortunately pulled away into conversation with someone and she gathers up her dress and leaves. I feel this energy pulling at my insides, like a string that ties me to her and putting distance between us, hurts. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her talking to Kaia and it's now that I wish I had supernatural hearing, because I know how she feels about the whole fake relationship thing, I know she understands, but I also know she hates it.

I have to focus my attention back to my conversation and reply, mentally sighing when the person loses interest and leaves. I turn around and see her walking up to me, her closeness making my heart race. "Austin..." my name sounds so good coming out of her mouth, if I could hear only one thing for the rest of my life, it would be her saying my name over and over again. I smile at her and she bites her lip, causing a groan to bubble in my throat, but I stop it before it's too late. "You're so beautiful, can I hug you?" I need to feel her warmth against my body, it's been too long since I had the chance to. Her eyes wonder around the room, probably looking for people watching our interaction. "Thank you, I- do you think we could?" It breaks my heart that the right answer it's probably no, but I'm so hungry for her touch, I can't think logically. "I think it's just a hug.." I shrug, knowing full well it's not just a hug. "Ok" she replies.

That's all I need, to scoop her up in my arms, squeezing her tight, lifting her feet off the ground and burying my face in the crook of her neck. (Y/n) tenses in my arms and I know she's overthinking this, I know she's scared someone might see, but I can't bring myself to care. "Too much Austin, people will see!" She warns, speaking into my ear, causing shivers to travel down my spine.

"Let them, I couldn't give a fuck!" It's like I'm drunk, my head is fuzzy and I can't think straight. My senses are drowned in her floral scent, her soft hair brushing against my cheek, driving me crazy, as I'm having a hard time not lacing my fingers through her hair. I squeeze her tighter, almost wishing she could melt into me and be forever close. "Aus, baby please, not now, not like this, you just had the longest standing ovation in the festival's history, don't ruin your moment." She tries to reason with me and I can't deny her. The proud tone in her voice making me want to cry again, her opinion matters so much to me.

Slowly I loosen my arms and place her back on the ground, physically hurting when I no longer have her flush to my chest. Sighing I drop my arms to my side, like a child trying to be good after doing something they shouldn't have. I bite my lip and look her up and down, taking in her beauty. "Are you coming to the after party?" Part of me wishes she wouldn't, because I don't know how I'll be able to control myself around her, when there's alcohol involved.

"No, I'm tired, I flew here from Canada, we wrapped filming yesterday." (Y/n) explains and I simply nod, feeling a bit thankful, but now wishing that I wasn't going either. "Where are you staying?" I ask, hoping it's the same hotel as mine, but she doesn't say, she just smirks wiggling her brows at me, making me chuckle. "Have fun at the party!" She pats my arm and turns around walking away before I can get another word out.

As I watch her walk away, I realize something, I realize that I don't ever want to live in a world where she's not mine and I'm not hers, because I'm unconditionally and irrevocably in love with her.

Tags: @galaxygirl453 @rainydayz101 @samaraannhan20 @marlowmode @myradiaz @areuirish @micaelainthe60s @homebodybirkin2003 @pennyroyalcreep @purejasmine @strokesofstokes @lanasfloridakiloss @denised916 @kibumslatina @macey234 @melodixs-blog @shantellescrivener @chewiethecatus @guacala @fangirl125reader @father-of-2cats @lucid315 @melodixs-blog @ilovehobi101 @richardslady121 @jensmithin @julie181 @chrisevansgirl34 @ranaissingle @onecrazydirectioner @maria-1287 @austinbutlerssimp

[nescaveckwriter]

Paintbrushes And Romance 🥰🐞 - Part 13

Dean x Fem/Reader

Part 13🥰🐞

A/N: This might be triggering for people suffering from PTSD!💓 Side Note: thank you all so much for the support. Much love, my bugsies 🥰🐞

Warnings: hospital scenes, trigger warnings, sadness, violence, swearing, PTSD triggers, mentions of suicidal tendencies, 🥹

......

The rising and falling of your chest, the sweat on your forehead, there's blood dripping down your face, your heart rate is going 100miles per second, there's a shadow coming closer, the walls are caving in, the floor is shaking, there's a loud noise coming from the shadow, that's when you feel the bullet piercing through your leg, the pain, falling to the ground, you see the shadow coming closer and closer , you can't make out his face, in his hands is a bonesaw, his laughter fills your ears, when he said, I've got you know, its him, I thought you were dead, Luke please don't ... NO!!

You scream, while opening your eyes, searching for the man, your in your bedroom, you look to the right side of the bed, seeing Dean's concern, his green eyes wide, his voice low, when he said, I tried to wake you sweetheart it's just another nightmare, your safe, I promise.

I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you! Your voice Breaking.

"Sweetheart, it's okay, how do you feel? What can I do?

Looking into his emerald eyes, silent tears down your cheeks, your voice, shaky, when you say, make it stop, please make it stop. I can't do this anymore, please.

"Sweetheart come here, he pulls you to his chest, you can hear his heart beating, his arms cradling you, his chin resting on your head, his voice filled with sadness, I wish I could baby, I would take this pain you carry, and wear it for you, I'll take the hurt you feel and throw it in the deepest ocean so that all these feelings never come too the surface again.

The two of you, just sat like that, feeling him close always made you feel safe, the sun rising gave the two of you, the permission to get untangled and start your day.

Not speaking of what happened during the night, you get up, to get ready for the day, before walking out of the room, the gigantic teddy bear your brother gave you, catches your eye, bringing your thoughts back to about eight months ago.

After your physical therapy, you got the okay to return to your home, of course the doctors gave you a great psychologist number who specializes in trauma, you've started seeing her quite a few times in the few weeks you spent in the hospital recovering.

The first time when you actually were able to take a shower yourself, you just stood in front of the mirror, trying to figure out if what you saw were real. This beaten and bruised body, was it really yours, you just stood there for what seemed like hours, looking at yourself, replaying everything that happened, for every bruise, or open cut, you could recall, the kicking, the punches, him throwing you around, the strange thing though, there was no tears streaming down your face, no fear, in all freaking honesty you didn't feel a thing. You quickly covered yourself when your mom entered the bathroom, she just wanted to check on you, see if you are doing alright, irritation clear in your voice when you told her your doing just fine and your almost done, damnit that wasn't needed you cursed yourself. But you didn't want to show this broken version of yourself to anyone, least of all your mom.

You didn't really talk to them, about what happened not even Dean, you just wanted to move on like nothing happened, despite the fact that you knew it wasn't the right way of doing things, but that was what you needed to do.

When you got home, your place still looked the same. Like nothing changed, if gave you a feeling of normalcy.

Your parents offered that you should stay with them, but you just nicely declined and said you missed your little home, Joe offered to stay with you, but you said no, not needed, he had a life of his own to return to. Besides you were really doing good.

That night you just sat on the couch, trying to get Luke's face out of your mind, but that didn't seemed to work, you nearly scared yourself to death, when someone knocked at the door, when you went to see who it was, you saw those piercing green eyes and a heartwarming smile greet you, saying I've got your favourite pizza , you hungry sweetheart.

You and Dean just sat on the couch, eating the pizza, talking about nothing really, just finding comfort in each others presence. It became a regular thing, he'd stay the night, helping you feel safe, comforting you whenever you had one of those bad dreams, with the occasional loving forehead kiss, but it wasn't the same as before, the two of you haven't gotten intimate yet, nor have the two of you kissed or said that you love each other, it didn't really seem to bother either of you. But deep down you sure as hell knew it weren't right.

You threw yourself into work, painting made you feel good, but your art has gotten darker, and well as for writing the novel you were working on, it didn't feel right, it didn't feel like its what you wanted to write about, this happy, sappy, romance shit, where everything works out, that's not how life works!

Weekly appointments at the psychologist is the only time you went out of the house, in your own car of course, no damn way your getting into a freaking cab again. You haven't started teaching art at the church again, as a matter of fact you haven't been there since that day. Cas had come to visit you a few times inviting you, to go to church, and every time you'll make some poor excuse of why you can't make it.

And as for your best friend, Eileen she comes to visit you, talking about the college program she started and how that's going, and your truly happy for her, but you just can't bring yourself to be so joyful and excited as you would have been, in the past.

The last time your mom was visiting she, said that you were losing a lot of weight, you just said she was imagining things, but in all damn honesty, it showed in your clothing, your clothes has gotten more and more baggier, and as for your appetite, you ate because you needed to stay alive.

You've changed so much over this time, and nothing seems to be working, you just can't seem to get all this shit out of your mind, and then there's sweet Bobby the one person that really know what you went through, you haven't seen or spoken to him since that first time he came to check on you in the hospital.

At first when the nurse pushed him closer to your bed, you thought the doctors were just being cautious, but it turns out, with Luke kicking him and throwing him around, he got a spinal cord injury which caused paralysis from his lower torso area, down to his legs and feet.

You could see the anger, sadness and pain he hid in his eyes , even though the smile he gave everyone was warm and loving. Not either one of you spoke about what happened, how close to accepting death the two of you came, the two of you, just shared little jokes and sarcastic comments about the hospital food and why they didn't serve damn burgers or steak.

Damnit you just can bring yourself to pick-up the damn phone and call him, you feel just to damn guilty about him getting so hurt, all while knowing its not your fault but you just can't help it.

You feel so damn guilty about everything, not being the daughter you should be, the sister, the friend, or hell the girlfriend Dean deserves, but it seems so much and yet also while it feels so little, you want them all to know how you feel and yet you completely shutdown when anyone asks you about anything.

What the hell is wrong with me, I'm a complete damn mess! Your thoughts get interrupted by a loud banging noise, before you know it, your in a defense position, cradling your legs, crying, screaming, words that doesn't even make sense.

....

He comes running to the kitchen, saying sorry babe, I accidentally knocked over the dustbin when I rushed to get dressed. Babe? Its fine it was just... He couldn't even finish his sentence, because the sight of her cradling her legs, hearing her cry and screaming something that was muffled because of her head she hid so deep into her legs, made him stop in his tracks, the freaking pain of seeing her like this, destroyed him.

He walked closer to her, putting his her hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him, she started punching against his chest, with both hands, she just cried, her tears streaming down her beautiful face. Babe it's okay, I'm sorry I scared you. She just kept crying and kept punching him, but the little punches didn't hurt nearly as much as seeing her in so much pain.

The words that came out of her mouth scared him more than any gun fight or crime scene he'd ever experienced in his life. Her voice shaky and broken when she said, "I just want to die, I want all this to be over, why didn't I just die that day, why?"

He couldn't help it, the anger raised in his voice, what the hell are you saying?

I'm saying it would be better if I would be gone. Her voice underlined with anger and bitterness.

"Don't say that he said"

It's the damn truth Dean, I'm not me anymore, I'm broken and bruised, I'm a damn fragile little thing that can't even go through one day, without wishing about... She stops, she bites her bottom lip.

"What! Say it damnit, the anger and hurt visible on his face.

Fine! Wishing about dying, wishing you weren't such a coward that just left me, when things weren't as easy for you Dean!

"Surprisement in his voice, what? Hell I knew it you blamed me for being taken don't you!

"I can't deal with all this shit Dean, I can't even fix myself how the hell am i suppose to fix you? Fix us?

I never asked you to fix me, damnit, I'm trying my best to help you, in every way that I can, his voice a little more shaky. You need help, your PTSD is worse than I thought.

"Fire dancing in her eyes, the only thing I need is for you to get the hell away from me. Its all your fault damnit!

His green eyes is bloodshot with the wetness burning behind them, just looking at her, she's not that same joyful woman he met and fallen in love with. She's overtaken by fear, sadness and hatred for him. She's merely an image of someone he used to know. It looks like her, when he holds her close it still feels like her, but it doesn't sound like her. He tries to calm his own voice, when he said, lets get you too your psychologist and then you can explain them everything okay sweetheart.

"I'm not your damn sweetheart, and I'm not going anywhere,! Her voice just filled with anger now!

I'm worried you might hurt yourself babe. His voice laced with fear.

"Sharp angry tone in her voice when she says, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW! NOW DAMNIT!!!

He just stood there, looking at her, not knowing what to do.

"Now Damnit she screamed while pushing him backwards.

"Fine, his voice Breaking I'll go, but you need help. I'll call your mum. He says while grabbing his car keys and phone. Closing the door behind him he hears her throwing stuff on the floor, while screaming in frustration. Not wanting to push her further over the edge he got in his car and started driving off, grabbing his phone, deciding not to call Caroline, he dials his best friends number. Cas, I need your help, it's it's his voice breaking now, its bad, I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself...

....

I probably shouldn't have said all that, for goodness sakes I don't even know why I did, I don't really blame Dean, damnit, you screamed, shoving off the plates and coffee filled mugs of the counter top, tears streaming down your face.

My mom can't see me like this, you recall the words Dean said. No one can see me like this. You ran upstairs, grabbed a suitcase, threw in whatever you could find, and make your way downstairs, before taking your car keys, you wrote a note, ran out of the door, and just started, driving, not quite sure where your headed, but I need to get away from all of this, saying with a shaky breath, and tears clouding your eyes, speeding onto the main road out of town...

[littleyukki5033]

Glitchtale: FEAR

Author note: The way I'm rewatching each episode to rewrite these. I also have to make new characters or at least variants of the side characters because well, they're not my characters so new designs and stuff. Anyway, Hope you enjoy!

___________________________________

Chapter one - Megalomanic

Chapter two - Your Here

___________________________________

Chapter 2: Yet Darker

................

Watching on the side. Every event. Every timeline. Every genocide. The new timeline that had happen with Frisk and Sans made someone get an idea. A brilliant idea.

"☟⚐🕈 ✋☠❄☜☼☜💧❄✋☠☝"

Translating....Translating.....

"❄☟✋💧 ❄✋💣☜☹✋☠☜ ✋💧 ✞☜☼✡ 🕆☠✋✈🕆☜."

Translating Glitch....Translating Glitch.....

"✋🕯☹☹ ☞✋☠✌☹☹✡ 👌☜ ☞☼☜☜"

Translation Complete.

"I must wait for the perfect moment"

In Waterfall, Sans was at his station. Leaning back in his chair, dozing off as usual. He heard a small ruffled and woke up to see Frisk pop up from the other side of the counter with a smile.

Sans smiled with a small sigh. "Heya kid...so uh..." Sans pupil narrow with a slight uneasy expression. "My break just started, why don't we go to grillbys?" He asked. Frisk gave a thumbs up before Sans got up and waved his hand. "I know a shortcut" Sans snickered as he turned to teleport himself and Frisk to Grillbys.

Glitch detected....

After a small blink, Frisk paused seeing themselves in Waterfall still. Different area though. "Sans?" Frisk said, no response but Frisk did see a strange door. Frisk walked over and observe it. They never seen anything like it before, not in any previous timeline anyway.

Curiosity hit Frisk and opened the door and walk through. A grey area, there was nothing other than a figure. Frisk covered their mouth seeing this figure melting. The figure smile, he looked like he was in pain in Frisk eyes.

"Your...here" He said, his hand gently touch his own chest that was melting over and over. "I am W.D Gaster....I've been stuck here for so long....I've been longing to be set free"

Frisk heard the door slam shut causing Frisk to look back and see the door got covered in the melting goop. Frisk look back at Gaster as he lifted his hand.

"You can help me with your soul"

Frisk dodge in incoming attack, multiple. Frisk continue to dodge, trying to figure out if there another way out but Gaster said he been stuck there for a long time so was there another way out? Why couldn't he just exit that door from earlier that he is blocking? Maybe it was because of the state he was in Frisk thought. For now, Frisk knew they had to buy time so Sans can notice they didn't teleport with him and hope Sans comes searching.

Error. Glitch can not be repatch.

Sans landed at Grillbys, he rubbed the back of his skull as he spoke "So Frisk, I was hoping we can talk about what happen in the last-" Sans glanced over his shoulder only to be greeted with no Frisk next to him. He lowered his hand from his skull and looked around. He teleported back to Waterfall. "Hey Kid?" He called out, no response.

For a moment, just a brief moment he felt something off. His soul. He took it out and saw small pixels "what the..." he watch his soul glitch and shot towards a wall. He flinched from the sudden moment but he walked towards it and grabbed his soul.

'What with this? Is this happening from the previous timeline' he thought before looking at the wall and placing his hand against it. His white pupil dilated when the entire wall got covered in pixels and the door was visual on his side. He let his soul vanish and he reach through and opened the door and saw Frisk rushing around trying to convince Gaster to stop. Frisk was corner and Gaster smiled.

"I'll make it quick" he stated. He shot a melted spike at Frisk but Sans summoned a Blaster and shot the spike and the door along with it. Frisk rushed towards Sans when Gaster moved back to not get hit by the blast.

"So uh, what i miss?" Sans asked stepping back with Frisk as Gaster move towards the exit. Frisk quickly explained what Gaster said. Frisk noticed Sans had a certain look but didn't comment on it.

Gaster move out from where he was "Impossible...I shouldn't be..able to get out" he smiled when his soul appeared glitching and his body started to reform.

Sans eye glowed and smiled awkwardly "Kid..don't panic...but uh I should mention I can't beat this guy" Sans laughed low. Frisk head snap at Sans with a 'what!?' Expression before Sans grabbed Frisk and teleported when a hand slammed towards them and missing causing a quater on the rocks.

Sans breathed out shakily. Gaster looked at his hands "whatever you two did to this timeline...it's making me...stable to stand here...I have to thank you for such an opportunity you have given me" he stated before attacking again

Both Sans and Frisk dodge again. "Just what i wanted to talk about actually" Sans dodge another attack and levitated Gaster and swung him against a wall. "Kid, we need to do it again. At a cost? Yes but it be worse if he gets your soul" Sans said quickly. Frisk nodded and rushed towards Sans with their soul in hand. Just one inch, just once before a large spike pierce into Sans, launching him against the previous quater causing it become bigger. Frisk didn't even get time to react before they got pierce themselves and darkness consume them.

Gaster is taking your soul....

Frisk was trying to fight back, but having a spike pierce through their chest was making them die slowly. They couldn't see anything. They couldn't see Sans at all. Their vision was finally blurring. This never happen before. They usually died fast and come back but now someone taking their soul? No...they didn't want this.

You refused.

Gaster flinched back when orb he made around Frisk shatter and Frisk soul launch towards Sans who was dusting away. Sans caught Frisk Soul, a red dust launching out making Gaster jumping back.

Both Sans eyes were glowing and he shoved his hands in his pocket. "I really...really didn't want to fight. I'm pretty much a lazy bones really" Sans smiled and shrugged before launching summoned bones at Gaster who dodge them. His multiple hands charging at Sans who teleport, slicing three and watching them shatter. Sans was teleporting with that smile of his in thought. He sighed as he lifted his hands and summoned 6 spike bones, each targeting Gaster hands shattering it. The moment that happened, Sans landed and watch pixels formed around Gaster.

Error repatch. Attempting to repatch glitch...

Gaster and Sans both summoned blasters and charge them up. Sans was taken aback, he really was. They both blasted each other but because of the pixels forming around Gaster, it also formed around his Blaster and it dissapeared causing Sans Blaster to shoot Gaster.

A small dust cloud and faint breathing. Sans walked over seeing Gaster in pain, pixels colliding with one another, the form the Gaster was given slowly fading and he was turning into his original state. A state where he could die if not where he was before.

Gaster smiled sadly "Heed my warning....if I was able to maintain my form here...that's mean..something is wrong" Gaster said. He slowly glanced up at Sans "You and the human..did something...change something"

Sans frowned and closed his eyes. "Yeah...expected as much...." he opened his eyes with a sad expression but a smile was kept. "I promise...I'll get you back."

Gaster slowly lowered his head and nodded. Sans lifted his hand, summoning a Blaster. "Cya..."

.................

Glitch not detected.

Sans sighed and leaned his head back. 'Something change? The bad thing is...we can't know exactly what change...mm....' Sans thought before shaking his head and summoning a reset button.

"Kid, take your time in the ruins. Got somethin to do" Sans stated before tapping reset.

____________________________

Chapter one - Megalomanic

Chapter Two - Your Here

Chapter Three - Determination

____________________________

Ask blog is open for questions

Glitchtale: FEAR - Belongs to me

(This is a rewrite inspired by the original glitchtale.)

[notf1obsessed]

A Little Flirting Hurt No One (Charlos): you can find the full fic on here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55395409

Chapter 8: Double Date

Charles: Pierre i think I fucked up

Pierre: tf u did this time

Charles: agreeing to be Carlos's fake boyfriend

Pierre: yeah mate u fucked up big time

Charles: SO?

Pierre: what u want me to do

Charles: HELP ME?

Pierre: I'm not a therapist Charles

Charles: va te faire foutre

Charles slammed his phone down in frustration.

Looks like he's on his own for this one

It was the Monday after the Grand Prix and most of the drivers were still here.

Time to get things moving; the faster he makes Lando admit his feelings to Carlos the less he has to be his boyfriend.

And what better way to do that than a double date.

He picked his phone.

Charles: hey mate, wanna go out today

Lando: sure what time

Charles: dinner would be good

Charles: i was wondering though, how about u bring Oscar

Lando: why

Charles: well i mean u two are dating

Lando: HOW

Charles: Carlos told me

Lando: u and Carlos don't even talk

Charles: were dating

Lando: lol imagine

Charles: I'm serious Lando

Lando: WAIT ACTUALLY

Charles: yes now r u bringin Oscar or should i call of the double date

Lando: fine yeah sure

Charles: k I'll text u the address

Please don't be a dumb idea.

He goes to text yet another person.

He really is on a texting spree.

Charles: mate so this may be the best or worst idea I've ever come up with

Carlos: what did u do

Charles: i made plans for a double date with lando and Oscar

Carlos: u made plans with the person I'm hopelessly in love with it

Charles: I know but it's the best way for him to realize how much he likes u

Charles: the problem is acting like a couple tho

Carlos: leave it to me I'm an expert at flirting

Charles rolled his eyes at the message.

Charles: I'll come pick u up at 7, k

Carlos: okay see u mon camiro

His eyes dart to the time

3:54

He decides to play a game to pass the time.

——————————————

After a couple of rounds, it was 6 and he needed to get ready.

He quickly sent Lando the address before hopping in the shower.

He decided on wearing his most flattering clothes (the sluttiest) so that Lando could really see who he was missing Carlos out on.

That fit being a white button up, keeping the first 2 open and a pair of jeans.

He decided he'd keep his silly jeans for another day.

He quickly styled his hair before checking Carlos's room number. On the same floor, better for me.

He knocked twice on the door before it opened.

Carlos was wearing a white vest with a button up shirt over it, all undone and a pair of denim jeans.

His hair was damp from the shower, Charles had never seen him so dressed up before.

And he would be lying if he said he didn't look hot.

"Ready to go, mon amour?"

"Yes mi querido"

——————————————————

They arrived at the place at exactly 7. The traffic was a pain in the ass so it took them about 30 minutes to arrive.

The restaurant was dimly lit, candles and roses at every table.

A bit too romantic for the occasion.

Beautiful paintings hung on the walls, the ceramic floors blinding whoever steps on them.

Their eyes searched the restaurant for Lando and Oscar.

Lando was endlessly conversing, or rather telling, with Oscar. Upon noticing them, he quickly gestured over to the table, "Over here!"

Charles grabbed Carlos's hand, who didn't protest, to take them over.

They sat in front of them, Lando facing Charles and Oscar facing Carlos.

It was safe to say that Oscar and Carlos were unhappy with this arrangement.

Especially after their on track banter.

The silence was most definitely not awkward; so of course Carlos wasn't thankful when the waiter came.

Lando being the picky eater he is, ordered chicken nuggets.

Oscar ordered the shrimp; specifically because Lando would try and steal his food later and he hates seafood

Carlos ordered the grilled chicken, and Charles being the basic bitch he is, ordered pasta.

"So when did you two start dating?" asksed Lando with a mouth full of chicken.

"Recently actually," replied Charles, not wanting to say they started fake dating a week ago, "how about you two?"

"Last season actually, around October."

Charles picked up on the hurt in Carlos's eyes.

He dropped his hand to grip Carlos's, trying to comfort him.

And also keep up the illusion.

It must've worked because he felt Carlos relax into the touch.

At this point, Carlos had gotten fed up with all the small talk and decided to take things a step further.

A little more dangerous.

He wore a smug smile, "Here try this mon carino"

Charles tried to grab his fork but Carlos shook his head.

He lifted the fork up to Charles's mouth and slowly fed him, making sure he savored every moment of it.

Both Lando and Oscar looked very taken back, but neither Carlos nor Charles payed any attention to it.

Taking the fork out of his mouth, he lent into his ear, a seductive tone coating his lips.

"So what do you think, amor?"

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #75

I'm home. It is 10:18PM where I live, and I have only just now been able to settle down enough to write this letter. After setting down all my things, one of the first things I ended up doing was clinging to M and crying; I love him a lot, and it's hard to be away from him for such a long time. Our cats missed J and I, too. Hunter has firmly nestled himself against my body, and is purring very loudly as I am writing this, hahaha!

J, Br, and I ended up all driving home together. As it turns out, the airplane has a few small mechanical problems with the back wheel that make it not 100% safe to land. So this week, the mechanical issues will be fixed, and J will return to Pennsylvania on his own in a rental car next week.

I don't so much enjoy the idea of him making such a long trip solo. But he is an adult human, and despite my worries and misgivings (J has a tendency to neglect his self-care when he's on his own), he must be free to use his will as he chooses.

As I write this, M, J, and I are all sitting together, and M is playing the new segment of your new story. I must say, your planet is breathtakingly beautiful. I understand why you would do everything in your power to protect it.

Where are you, I wonder? Are you able to directly witness the splendor of your planet with all your senses, at your leisure? Sometimes I like to imagine a version of events in which you are safe, and you get to rest in a hammock that hangs on a willow tree, on a warm, breezy spring day, with the sound of windchimes tinkling nearby.

Something kind of like this - I didn't take this video, but I did search for "wind chime willow" on a website in my world called YouTube; they have all kinds of amazing things to see there:

I think this one has better audio though:

But if you want windchimes by themselves, you can use this one:

…And if you want wooshy tree sounds by themselves, you can use this one:

Yesterday after I wrote my letter to you, and today on the way home, several amazing developments occurred in the nature of the relationship between two people I care very much for!! I am ecstatic about it, but at the same time, my brain is a bit too soupy to talk about it properly. I'll tell you more as things unfold, and after I've rested some!

Also on the way home, J, Br, and I went to a grocery store and I found some amazing-looking snacks, several of which cannot be found at home! Here are some pictures...

I have never seen red velvet cake milk before, but I can assure you, it was VERY delightful!

We have flavored honey in my part of the world, usually in the shops that are attached to orchards. But I've never seen flavors like these:

...The dark wild flower flavored honey was my favorite of all of them. But I must say, the cool tingle of mint was a very interesting thing to experience while eating honey!

I also found this interesting bubble tea:

...Given the flavor, I wonder if you'd like that one. There are so many things in my world that I wish I could share with you and see what you think about them.

Also also, I collected a few more very curious-sounding city names along our route for you! Here were some of my favorites:

Throop Lackawanna Nescopeck Mifflinville Dingmans Ferry Nanty Glo Mundys Corner Dilltown Derry Chittenango

…I thought all of these were either delightfully silly or delightfully fun to say! And so I hope that looking at these and trying to say them might offer you just enough amusement for you to smile, if only a little. Truth be told, I'd do just about anything if it would give you a wholesome, healthy, and joyful reason to smile and laugh.

Well anyway. Suppose I'll end today's letter here. I'm pretty tired.

Hey, Sephiroth? Please stay safe out there, won't you? Your existence is one of the main things that inspires me to really live, so… please don't make choices that will result in your erasure.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[clumsiestgiantess]

It’s story time once again! I can finally release this AU for the other-world universe, the Roommates AU!

This time, Alexis and Erica live in the same world — the same apartment! They're even the same size! But not for long…

————— Alexis POV —————

Erica had told me she was finally breaking up with John at least three or four days ago, so why did I find him in our apartment, rummaging around though our stuff like he’d lost something?  I’d just come home from work to find Erica’s supposed ex-boyfriend in our living room.  Stranger still, Erica herself was nowhere to be seen.  She wouldn’t leave him alone here — not in a million years.

"What are you doing?" I asked him demandingly.  John shot up from the floor in surprise, nearly slamming his head on the coffee table he’d been looking under.  What could he possibly be searching for?  Something to blackmail Erica with again?  I told her to cut him off the last time he’d pulled some stupid shit like that.  Or maybe.. had Erica stolen something of his to get revenge?  I have to admit, that is something she would do. 

"I left one of my uh.. things in here," he responded absentmindedly, gaze still sweeping the floor.  "Your fucking bitch of a roommate just left me out of the blue, and won’t let me even see her anymore, so I'm trying to get it back."  I glared at John as he returned to his search.  I know she’s far from the best, but Erica still seems like a pretty decent person to me. 

"Did you break in? How did you get in here?" I pressed. He shrugged, distracted.  "I have a spare key."  Indeed he did.  It was sitting on the counter in the kitchen.  Stepping further into my apartment, I snatched it up and stormed back over to the door.  "Alright, enough searching.  Whatever Erica stole from you I'll make her give it back.  But you need to get out now."  John huffed, "I'm not leaving until I find it!"  "Yes, you are," I shot back, "Or I'm calling the cops."  This muffed him a bit.  He slowly stood up and gave me a nasty look as he slid out the door.  "Fine.  She's stuck like that anyways," John grumbled, "Have fun dealing with Erica.  She's your problem now."  He slunk off down the hall, disappearing into the elevator. 

Once he was gone, I let out a breath of relief.  I've never met John before — Erica had only told me stories — but he was one sketchy dude.  Who knows how Erica had even fallen for him in the first place.

After bolting the door up tight, I sighed and put down my things.  Erica isn’t home; I'm guessing she's off somewhere where she knows she can avoid John entirely.  I ordered takeout for dinner and ate in my room.  With midterms coming up, I have a lot of work to do.  Most likely, I'll be staying up all night to get everything done.  I drowned out the rest of the world for a while and got down to business, besides a few breaks in between.  

However, when I finally decided to call it quits for the night, I realized it was two o'clock in the morning.  Double-checking the living room and Erica's room, I found that she hadn't come back yet.  Where is she?  Hopefully John hadn't found her.  Something about his attitude suggested that he wouldn't be too understanding towards her if he did.  There was a soft early morning silence settling over everything, growing more empty as I sat in the living room in thought.  I was in the middle of an internal debate on whether I should go out and look for my missing roommate, when I heard a small noise break the silence.

For a while I convinced myself it was the AC or something similar, but as I strained my ears to listen, I realized the noise sounded like soft crying.  I stood in shock and the noise ceased.  It sounded like it was coming from behind the cabinet and the TV.  Maybe it was someone in the neighboring apartment.  Stepping forward quietly, I put one ear to the wall and listened intently.  No matter how I strained my ears to listen, the sound was gone.  My gaze fell downward in defeat — eyes tiredly glazing right over the thing lying on the floor.  I was halfway down the hall, getting ready to just call it a night and go to bed, when my brain finally seemed to process what I saw. 

I gasped, racing back over to the cabinet.  There, in the small space between the television stand and the floor, was a glue trap.  Something fairly large was stuck on it, lying down, most likely dead.  "What the hell is that?" I whispered, pushing back the stand slightly.

At my movements, the creature in the trap thrashed about, causing me to flinch backwards.  Oh hell no.  I'm not dealing with a giant rat.  I rushed to the kitchen and grabbed an empty moving box and some rubber cleaning gloves.  Inching carefully towards the trap, I picked it up at the very edge of the corner and quickly threw it into the box, slamming the top shut.  "Ha!  Gotcha!" I shouted, relieved I hadn't accidently freed the awful creature.  At the same time, a shriek rang out from the box.  Wow, who knew rats could scream like that?  

I held the top tightly closed, slipped on my sandals, and headed outside.  Taking the fire exit, which has no alarm, I stepped into the lot behind the apartment complex and quickly tossed the trap outside.  I'd almost retreated back through the door before I heard a desperate cry that stopped me dead in my tracks.  "Wait!  Please!  It's me!  It's Erica!  Don't throw me out!  Come back!"  I whirled around in the doorway.  Why did she sound so far away?  "Erica?" I called, "Is that you?  Where.. are you?"  "Yes!  Yes, it's me!  I'm right here!  I'm in the glue trap!"

She's.. what?  Slowly, I stepped over to the trap, which had landed rightside up on the pavement.  Upon closer inspection, the thing I'd thought was a rat at a distance in the early morning darkness seemed to be something else entirely.  I knelt in front of the glue trap, staring down in awe at the tiny form of my roommate stuck sideways to the trap's surface.  A knot formed in my stomach as I slowly lifted it to see her.  Erica lay looking fearfully up at me, struggling slightly in the glue that stuck fast to everything that touched the piece of plastic.  

"Woah," I breathed, "You..  You're tiny!"  Erica whimpered, "Please.  I don't know what happened to me, but I'm realy fucking scared.  I'm begging you, don't leave me out here!"  "A- Alright."  I could barely get that single word out, that’s how shocked and utterly confused I was.  Keeping the plastic plate as balanced as I could, I stood up and made my way back to our apartment in stunned silence.  Once I was inside, I placed the trap on top of the kitchen counter beside the sink.

What should I do with her?  I guess the first thing would be to get her out of all that glue, I answered myself.  Turning on the sink, I grabbed a hand soap dispenser and picked up the trap.  I didn’t have anything else to free her with, so water and soap would have to do.  Erica yelped in surprise as she was drenched in water from the kitchen sink.  "Hey!  What do you think you're doing?" she cried indignantly.  "I'm.. getting you out of there," I replied, brain working in slow motion.  "Now hold still." 

Lathering my hands with soap, I began scrubbing around the edges of Erica's tiny body.  She dealt with it for the most part, but once I started working near her head, she panicked.  I watched dumbfounded as Erica thrashed in the trap.  I guess I could've been a bit more considerate, but I was too mesmerized by a person so small that I didn't think twice about it.

After repeatedly dousing her in soap and water, I finally managed to peel Erica's squirming form off the plastic board.  She slid around in the soapy palm of my hand, trying to get out.  I tried to tighten my grip on her, but my hands were too slippery.  Erica fell out with a yelp into the half-full sink below.  The basin must be pool-size to her.  A few seconds passed and Erica had yet to come up for air.  That's when my brain finally caught up with the situation at hand, and I remembered a cheezy get-to-know-you game our friends made us play when we first moved in together.  One fact about Erica: she can't swim.

Immediately I reached into the sink, feeling around for her small body.  My brain had switched from half-dead to overreactive in less than a second. Moments later, my fingers brushed something warm and I hoisted it out.  I held Erica fearfully; she wasn't moving.  I was terrifyingly close to trying to perform CPR when she suddenly sprung back to life.  Erica coughed up water all over my hand, but I could care less so long as she was alive.  Slowly, she lifted her head to look up at me, wet hair plastered to the sides of her head, eyes wide with terror.  

"Don't kill me," she said weakly, shifting backwards in my hand.  "What?" I asked, confused.  "I'm not going to kill you.  Why would I do that?"  "I don't know!" she cried, "Why are you trying to kill me?  I-"  She paused to cough up a bit more water and I cringed.  "Aren't I your friend?  Is John making you do this to me?  To torture me?"  My mouth dropped slack.  'She's stuck like that anyways.  Have fun dealing with Erica.  She's your problem now.'  John did this to her?  How!?  Why!?  Oh my god, she was what he was looking for on the floor!  What was he planning to do to her?  Shrink her down and kidnap her?  Keep her like some kind of pet?  I shuddered, relieved Erica had managed to get away from him.  Thankfully I'd gotten home a bit early.  If I hadn't stopped him, he might have snuck away with her in his pocket and I never would've known.

Slowly, I lowered Erica down to the counter.  Her pathetic wet form inched backwards away from me as far as she dared, stopping a ways before the sheer drop of the opposite edge of it.  "I'm so sorry, Erica.  I- I forgot you couldn't swim.  I swear I'm not trying to kill you or hurt you or take advantage of you.  I just wanted to get you out of that trap, but I think I was too stunned.  It was like my brain was on autopilot. I just couldn’t process.. this."  

I paused, waiting for her to say something, but she didn't.  "Erica, what happened to you?  Did John do this somehow?"  My tiny roommate started shaking, tears rolled down her face.  She began to say something, but only a sob came from her mouth.  I watched sympathetically as she balled up on the counter, crying into her arms.  I let her be for a while, not wanting to upset her any further. 

The whole time she sobbed, I sat heavily on the couch in the connected living room, anxiously hoping I hadn’t frightened Erica too horribly.  As soon as she finished sobbing, I handed her a small piece of tissue.  Erica flinched away from me before noticing what I had and snatched it from my fingers.

Once she calmed down a bit, I pulled up a chair in front of the counter.  "Are you alright?"  "N- no.  But I guess I could be worse."  I nodded, thinking back to everything she must've been through.  Erica had to run and hide from her ex at a fraction of her size, got caught in a glue trap, I'd come and nearly left her outside, and now she'd almost drowned in the sink because of me.  Of course she’s scared of me.

"Erica."  She flinched and looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes.  "I meant what I said earlier.  I won't hurt you.  We are still friends, I promise."  "John shrank me," she whimpered.  "I know, Erica.  It's alright.  You'll be safe with me."  "But this won't last forever, right?  There has to be some way to lift this curse!"  John's parting words played through my head yet again.  She's stuck like that anyways.  "Yeah, I'm sure there's some magic-y thing we can do to reverse it," I said optimistically.  “He got you this way, so we can probably undo it the same way.”  "What happens until then?"  "I guess you'll have to stay in the apartment until you either grow back, or we find a way to lift the curse."

The room was dead silent for the longest time.  I almost fell asleep in my chair before Erica finally spoke again.  "I'm scared."  Tears crept at the edges of her voice.  "I don't want to be small forever."  "You won't be," I assured her.  Hesitantly, I lifted a hand towards her.  She stared warily at it, then me, but didn’t say anything.  I moved forward, letting the side of my hand rest on the counter beside her. In small careful movements, I curled her little tucked-up body against my palm with my fingers.  I wanted to hug her, but that was the closest thing I could offer.  Her breath hitched with sobs, but she leaned heavily against me, clinging to my palm.

After several long moments, Erica’s stomach growled hungrily, and I realized that she hadn't eaten dinner.  I ate my meal alone in my room earlier; Erica had already been shrunk for about an hour by then.  Scared, small, starving.. poor thing.  But she’s not just a ‘thing’, she’s my roommate — my friend.  It was insane to think about.  Erica, normally so strong and fearless, was suddenly a cowering mess with the removal of five feet of her height.  Though I guess I would be too in that situation.  “Here, I’ll get you something to eat,” I offered, gently sliding my hand away from her.  “What do you want for dinner?”  

Erica smiled slightly, grateful that despite everything, I still tried to treat her like nothing had changed.  I’d saved some leftovers from my meal for breakfast tomorrow, so I took them back out of the fridge and warmed it back up.  Her meal consisted of exactly four noodles and a small piece of chicken, yet she still hadn’t finished it.  Something about her tiny little bites of food made me smile.  It was so damn cute.  While she ate, Erica suddenly looked up and squinted at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”  I quickly turned away, “I- No reason.”  She chuckled, finishing up her meal while I stepped away to get ready for bed.  Once I came back, I found Erica pacing back and forth on the counter.  “Is something wrong?" I asked worriedly, "Well, other than the obvious?”  “I can’t even get down from the counter, how am I going to get all the way to my bed?”  “I could take you there,” I offered, holding out my cupped hands on the countertop.  She looked them over dubiously.  “You’re not going to grab me again, are you?  That’s scary, you know.  I couldn’t stop you if you tried to hurt me again.”  “Erica, I’m not trying to hurt you.  I’ll keep my hands perfectly flat the whole time if that makes you feel better.”  “Ok,” she said decisively, slowly stepping up to my fingers.

Butterflies flitted through my stomach as Erica’s little form pressed into my hand.  Her small weight settled evenly in the center of my palms.  She glanced back at me nervously, head tilted all the way up to see me.  “Just please don’t drop me,” she begged quietly.  I could feel her fingers dig into my skin to steady herself while I carefully walked her through our apartment to her room.  I gently placed her down on one of her pillows and pulled a blanket up so she could get beneath it.  “Goodnight, Erica,” I called, heading towards the door.  “Alexis, wait!”  I turned in the doorway, looking back at her tiny body sitting squarely on a single pillow.  “Yes?”  “I.. umm..  I have to use the bathroom.”  My face grew hot.  “Oh, I’ll, uh.. I guess I’ll have to take you, huh?”  “Yeah..”

I awkwardly came back over to her bedside and let her step up into my hands.  We silently crossed the hall to the bathroom, where I stood hesitantly in the doorway.  “So.. how are we going to do this?”  Erica shifted in my hand.  “I.. Well..” she stammered, “I can’t use the toilet..  What if.. I use the sink instead?”  I placed her down on the counter and looked her over.  Her face was beet red in embarrassment.  I tore up a single square of toilet paper and placed it down next to her. “I’ll be outside the door.  Call me whenever you’re done and I’ll take you back to bed, alright?” 

Erica nodded, turning quickly away from me as she buried her face in her hands.  After a few minutes waiting by the bathroom door, I heard Erica yell for me.  She was standing at the bottom of the sink when I came in.  Again, I offered her my hands and she climbed back on.  Putting her back in bed a second time, I bid her goodnight and headed to bed myself.  Who knew what tomorrow would bring?  At the very least, Erica would be safe.

————— Erica POV —————

All night I tossed and turned in my bed.  I just couldn’t get any sleep.  Everything was dangerous to me at my new size, and if it wasn’t dangerous, it was embarrassing.  I had to be helped to the bathroom and carried around like a little kid!  It was fucking humiliating!  But it could’ve been so so much worse.  I didn’t want to even think about what might’ve happened if John had caught me. 

Thankfully my roommate, Alexis, had recognized my voice when she did.  It was terrifying to be in her grasp; her fingers could easily bear down on me at any moment to end my life, or just hold me down.  You’re friends, I reassured myself, she wouldn’t hurt you.  Even so, she almost drowned me, albeit by mistake.  I don’t like being so small; it makes me feel awful and vulnerable.  I hate that I have to be handled by Alexis all the time, consistently trusting her with my life.  However, I would probably be dead without her, so I guess I do trust her with it.

She kicked John out before he could get to me.  If he’d looked just a little further past the coffee table to the cabinet where the tv stood, he would’ve found me.  A frightened wheeze escaped my throat just thinking about it.  It must’ve been something in my drink.  The second I downed that shot glass I felt tingly.  One minute I was at my own height, the next I was staring up at the couch.  As I fled, John threatened me with awful stuff — from caging me up to harming me for every bad thing I said about him, and that was a lot of things.

Even if I’d managed to hide until he gave up — which was super unlikely — I would still be stuck in that glue trap, that I stumbled onto while trying to get away. I hadn’t called out to Alexis earlier because of that.  I didn’t know how she’d react if she found me, and I was stuck, unable to run away if things went south.  I’ve barely known Alexis for a year.  What if she was secretly awful and took advantage of my size?  Thankfully she isn’t.  She treated me kindly, for the most part, and reassured me that everything would be alright when I broke down in fear.  Though she is slightly terrifying from my tiny perspective, I do feel safer with her around.  

Nightmarish thoughts filled my head as I lay in the dark.  My bed now seemed to stretch on for miles in front of me, vast and open and daunting.  By morning, I was exhausted.  From my room, I could hear Alexis getting up for the day.  It's Saturday, but she still has work.  Alexis came in to check on me after a while, stepping softly over to me before realizing I was already awake.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" she asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.  I shook my head, "I couldn't."  She sighed; her breath sounded like a gale-force wind at my small size.  "Alright, I have to go to work soon, but I'll make you some breakfast and leave you on the counter before I go."  "You're leaving me here?  Alone?" I asked, skeptical.  "Well, I can't take you around outside.  It's way too risky.  Just stay here.  The door's locked-"  "But John can get in!" I cried, "He has a spare key!  He'll kidnap me!"  Alexis shook her head and smiled slightly, "He used to have a spare key.  Now, I have it right here in my pocket.  You'll be fine, Erica."  I grumbled at my predicament.  Going outside would probably be extremely overwhelming, though.  "Ok," I sighed, "I guess I'll stay here."

Just as she said, Alexis made me a microwave waffle for breakfast and left me on the counter beside it.  "I'll be back before you know it," she told me on her way out the door.  "Yeah right," I muttered, chowing down on the oversized food in front of me.  Only a few hours later, I was practically dying of boredom.  "Ugh, why didn't I ask Alexis to leave my phone with me before she left?"  I hadn't had my phone on me when I shrank, so it would be TV-size compared to me, but it would still be some form of entertainment.  

I'll go get it then, I thought to myself, just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm helpless.  I peered over the edge of the counter to the floor below me.  If I jumped onto the cushion of a bar stool, then I could slide down one of its legs to the floor.  This was easier said than done, as it turns out.  When I finally worked up the courage to jump down, I hit the cushion with enough force to bounce back off it.  I was nearly thrown off the seat entirely.  

Falling onto the tile floor from this high up would certainly break a few of my bones, or if I fell in the right spot, it would just flat-out kill me.  I decided to be a bit more careful the rest of the way down.  Once I got to the floor, I was finally able to look around my apartment without being bombarded by a giant.  Er, well, technically I'm just really small and everyone else is normal, but in my perspective, everything was giant.  It was fascinating, seeing the apartment at such a massive scale.  All of our things suddenly looked a hell of a lot more impressive.

I wandered around the floors, making my way to the living room.  My phone was still sitting on the coffee table where I'd left it.  Now, how do I get up there?  Aha!  There was a fake houseplant across from the table, potted in a woven basket that was perfect for climbing.  If I could make the jump, then that phone would be mine.  I avoided the vent in the floor in front of the plant as I neared it.  I'd pulled it open a day ago because I dropped my earring down there, and it was still sitting wide open like a gaping chasm. 

Scaling the basket was easy, but the jump suddenly seemed a lot further from the top.  Alright, here goes nothing.  I took a running leap at the table, but my foot caught in one of the basket's woven loops I'd used to climb up.  Jerked backwards by my leg, I screamed as I plummeted down to the floor below.

Fortunately, it was carpeted, so the impact wasn't horribly painful.  Unfortunately, I rolled right off the carpet and kept falling.  That time I hit the ground hard.  I cried out in pain, grasping the arm I'd fallen on.  Looking up in terror, I realized where I'd fallen.  I was in the vent.  Ok, ok, don't panic.  When Alexis comes back, you can call her and she'll get you out.  Everything'll be fine. 

Were there bugs down here?  I sincerely hoped there weren't.  Time seemed to stretch on even slower than it had when I was waiting on the counter.  Why did I have to try some stupid shit like this?  I saw the vent right in front of that houseplant.  I knew this was here, dammit!  

While I mulled in the metal tube beneath the floor, I was startled by a low rumble.  Tremors started beneath my feet and I had about a split second to realize what was happening.  Oh no, the AC!  I was flung backwards by a blast of cold air, trying desperately to hold onto something, but the tube's sides were slick, and I slid backwards in the direction of the wind.

"No!  Wait!" I cried out as I was swept away from the opening, "Alexis!  Somebody!  Help!"  The force of the AC bashed me into wall after wall, violently dragging me further away from my only way out.  By the time it stopped, I had no clue where I was.  Immediately, claustrophobia set in.  There was nothing but darkness and metal piping all around me.  What's worse, I'm at a cross-section, and I have no idea what direction I'd come from.  I let out a cry of despair.  "I'm going to starve down here!" I whimpered, "I'm going to die here and not even Alexis will know what happened to me!"  

I sat and sobbed until I'd run out of tears.  I'm already desperately thirsty, but I have nothing to drink.  I'll probably dehydrate before I starve — unless, of course, I find an exit.  Solemnly, I picked a direction, and started walking.  There were vents through multiple apartments.  I could survive if I managed to make it out.  At this point, whose apartment doesn't even matter to me.

Exhausted, dirty, and in pain, I wandered aimlessly through the vent, searching for any openings.  It was dingy and almost pitch dark in here.  It's probably the most scared I've ever been in my life.  Actually, second most scared.  Being shrunk will likely always be my scariest memory.  

It felt like I'd been walking for ages, but I finally, finally, found a grate.  I scrambled towards the light in relief.  It was a vertical grate, meaning I could walk right through to freedom.  I jogged to the opening, throwing myself against the vent cover until it fell off.  I lay there panting as I celebrated my escape from the hellish labyrinth I'd been trapped in.  "Woah..  What are you?"  Huh?  

The thunderous sound of footsteps rumbled in my ears.  Suddenly, giant fingers gripped my torso and dragged me into the air, where I came face to face with a little girl.  She was probably six or seven at the most, but she was still terrifyingly huge.

"Let me go!" I cried the moment I could catch my breath, "I'm a person!  Put me down!"  The little girl placed me back onto the floor and I scrambled away from her.  "Are you sure you're a person?" she asked me confusedly as I tried to get my bearings, "Cuz you kinda look like a doll."  I froze, eyes widening in fear.  The little girl reached out for me again, but I quickly ducked out of her reach.  "Yes!  I'm very sure I'm a person.  I shrunk.  I'm not supposed to be this small."  I watched warily as the girl looked at me in fascination.  Slowly, her gaze shifted behind me to my right and I followed it.  She was staring thoughtfully at a massive dollhouse.  Oh fuck this.  I ran for the vent, but I was snatched up before I could get there.

"No!  No!  Let me go!  I'm not a doll!  LET ME GO!"  I gasped in pain as the little girl's grip tightened on me, crushing into my already bruised ribs.  Alexis had grabbed me before, but I hadn't realized how gentle she'd been.  I felt like my lungs were on fire; I couldn't even breathe!  An agonizing few seconds passed before I was dropped into the dollhouse.  It was horrifying how quickly a sweet little girl suddenly became my jailer.  I glared at her, seething as she placed more dolls beside me.  

"LET ME GO RIGHT NOW YOU PINT SIZED LITTLE SHIT!  I TOLD YOU I'M A PERSON!  A PERSON, YOU HEAR ME!?  YOU BETTER LET ME GO RIGHT NOW OR I'LL-"  My rant was interrupted by someone at the door.  A guy about my age, maybe a bit younger, stepped in looking slightly confused.  "Kate, what's going on in here?"  Before I could so much as think about calling for help, the little girl, Kate, grabbed me tightly.  Her thumb pressed over my mouth, stopping any attempt for me to speak.

"Nothing, Ivan!  I'm just playing with my dolls” she replied sweetly.  I desperately thrashed about, trying to break out of Kate's grasp, but I was well-hidden behind her back.  If I could just get my mouth free, I could call out to that guy for help.  He's definitely old enough to realize I'm not some toy.  However, as I tried to wriggle free, Kate's grip tightened again.  I let out a muffled scream of pain as my head was slowly crushed from the sides.  My vision started getting spotty with dark patches.  

"Huh, I thought I heard someone yelling," Ivan remarked.  Yes!  You did!  I'm right here!  Please see me!  To my dismay, he shrugged and turned to leave.  I had to get out, but Kate still had a vice-like grip on my skull, and she wasn't letting up.  If I stayed here much longer, I feared my head would quite literally burst.  Yanking my jaws open beneath her skin, I bit down as hard as I could.  Kate let out a scream and I was immediately released.

I gasped in pain and my head throbbed, making my vision blur in hazy doubles.  "I knew something was going on in here!"  Ivan had returned.  "Kate, what are you-"  His voice fell short; he must've seen me crawling my way to the vent.  "What is that thing!?  Did it bite you?  Katie, you can't hold wild animals, you could get sick if they bite you!"  No, not again.  This is the second time now that I've been mistaken for a weird animal.  Pushing myself onward, I scrambled back into the vent, flinching as something slammed into the floor a few inches away from me.  

"Get back here!" I heard Ivan yell, almost sounding desperate.  I turned to find him getting on his hands and knees.  He can still reach me here!  I have to get deeper!  With all the strength I had left, I dragged myself further into the vent.  "Wait.. what the..?"  I tilted my head just slightly to catch Ivan's stunned reaction.  He must've finally realized that I wasn't a feral rat.  "Hold on, come back!  You.. you're a person!" his arm shot into the vent after me.   I shrieked, terrified of being grabbed agian, and threw myself around a corner in the ventilation.

"Wait!" I heard Ivan call, "I can help you!  Come back!"  No, no, no, no, and no.  I'm getting the hell out of here while I still can.  I kept going until I couldn't hear the guy calling for me anymore.  Again, I felt as though I were going to die here.  This time I might just die of my injuries.  My head felt like it was split wide open, and my lungs still burned painfully.  Alexis should be home by now, I realized with a pang of sorrow.  She's probably searching all over our apartment for me right now.  I silently begged her to come find me, but I knew it was impossible for her to reach me here, even if she did miraculously know where I was.  To add insult to injury, the AC came back on, and at this point I was too exhausted to try and fight it.  I curled up as tightly as I could without too much pain from my ribs, and let myself be dragged around the vents again.

When the wind subsided, I slowly pulled myself up to find that the tube was backlit by sunlight.  I turned to find that I'd been thrown into another vertical grate.  By this time, I was desperate and a little delirious.  I fought my way into another apartment.  It was much more modern and blissfully quiet.  Whoever lives here must be still at work, thank god.  

I trudged over to the kitchen; I needed food and water badly.  Maybe if I was lucky, I might find some crumbs on the floor.  I laughed in my delirium, "Maybe I am a feral rat after all!"  I could barely see straight, but somehow I managed to find a pool of water close to the floor.  My muscles gave out and I let myself fall in.  It wasn't deep enough for me to drown, so I sat back and started drinking.  I gulped as much water as I could, gasping and choking on it as I went.  Once I was full, I collapsed in the shallow water.  

It took me some time to recover, but when I did, rational thoughts came back to me.  Wait.. where the hell am I?  I sat up slowly, rubbing the water from my eyes only to freeze as my heart nearly flew out of my chest.  I was sitting in a water bowl for a pet.  Said pet was sitting in front of me, gazing curiously at me with round, dilated pupils.  A cat.  Well, I'm dead.  It didn't make a move for me, not even as I slowly stood up to run.  Was it possible for me to outrun a cat at this size?  I guess I'm about to find out.  

At once I made a mad dash for the edge of the water bowl.  However, I hadn't accounted for the friction of the knee-deep water I stood in.  Jaws clamped around me faster than I expected.  I screamed and thrashed in a pathetic attempt to survive whatever awful fate awaited me.  The cat held me tight, trotting to the center of the kitchen with my sad tiny form hanging from its mouth.  It lay down, dropping me on the floor before pinning me down with its giant paws.  

This is it.  This is how I die.  Sharp thin teeth the size of my forearm gleamed in the fluorescent light as the cat opened its jaws wide.  Then it started tearing at me.  I braced myself, expecting my flesh to be torn off my body in sickening shreds, but the stupid animal wanted to toy with me.  It yanked away small pieces of my clothing, bit by bit.  Sometimes it cut into my skin, but most of the gashes yanked away shreds of fabric.  I silently awaited the moment when I would run out of material between its incisors and my skin.  My body started tingling all over, muscles shaking and quivering.  Was I having a spasm?  Maybe I'd be spared a brutal live mauling and just have a heart attack instead.  Suddenly, the cat was no longer above me.  It yowled and darted away in a panic, claws scrambling on the wooden floor.

All I did was lay and breathe.  I couldn't do much else.  Nothing more happened to me, but I still fought to stay conscious nonetheless.  Eventually, I had the courage to sit up.  The kitchen counter was only a few inches or so above my head.  The wood planks below me were thinner than my hands.  Ecstatic joy swelled through me and I cried in relief.  I had grown back.  Exactly twenty-four death-defying, nightmare-esque hours after I'd shrunk, I grew back.  I sat there simply enjoying my old height and the fact that I didn't have to fight for my life every waking second.  I stood up and gazed dazedly around the strange apartment.  It suddenly looked so much smaller.  The cat was nowhere to be seen.  I would've hunted it down and strangled it had I not remembered my roomate, desperately searching for me back home.

In a moment, I was out the door.  I checked the numbers on the doors in the hall and realized that I was on the floor below our apartment.  Not even bothering to wait for an elevator, I dashed up the stairs and tore down the hall, stopping heavily at my door.  I didn't have the keys to get in, but it didn't matter.  "Alexis!  Alexis, it's me! I-"  The door was thrown open seconds later, and a disheveled Alexis stood in the middle of the doorway, eyes wide.  She sobbed in relief and threw her arms around me, trapping me in a fierce hug.  I sucked in a pained breath of air and she drew backwards in alarm.  "Erica!  What happened to you!?  You- You're hurt!  Your clothes are all torn up and you're filthy!  Where were you?  What happened?"  I started sobbing, and Alexis had to guide me to the couch inside.

I tried to explain everything that had happened between a few relieved sobbs while shoving as much food as I could into my mouth.  Alexis had to forcefully stop me at some point, warning me that I would vomit if I ate any more.  Joke's on her though, I already feel like vomiting.  At the end of my horrible story, Alexis got up off the floor where she'd bandaged the cuts on my arms and legs from being dragged through the vents.  Careful not to jostle any of my numerous ice packs, for all the bruises, she slid onto the couch beside me.  I slowly lay down, resting my head on Alexis' lap.  She held me close, and I clung to her in a half-hug.  Murmuring a quiet 'thank you', I drifted off to sleep knowing that I was safe at last.

[hee-blee-art]

are there any specific ocs your rotating in your brain rn that you wanna talk about ✨👀

yes! always :)

recently I've been thinking a lot about my toyhouse corners guys as I continue working on their comic, especially basil, alfred, foster, and mac :) coincidentally (or not so) they're the four of the cast who do the most yearning and pining and of course I'm very normal about all that (that's a lie they all make me insane). I can't wait to reveal more about them, I could (and will) talk about them for ages (any questions always welcome, I'll try not to spoil anything too big). particularly I've been thinking about basil's past, his complex troubles with getting close to people, and his relationship to whisk, a troubled kitten who he sees a lot of his younger self in and may or may not be fixated on trying to help because he wishes he could somehow reach though time and help himself when he was a kitten in a similar position to her. all in all I am very excited to keep putting those guys in situations (there will be a candyland, a creepy safety village-esque town, and a mirage-like travelling megastore called appleworld in their future).

I've also been thinking (as I often do) about my tragic fantasy gays, sebastian & konstantine. I've been busy enriching their world with lore and planning out their story so I can start (yet another) draft for the first book of the grey circle, and with that comes a lot of thinking about those two, the haunted prince & his begrudgingly valiant knight who knows him better than anyone and yet cannot know him fully because of his unfathomable secret... oh, there's just something so intimate about being doomed by the narrative and bound together, done part by none, not even death <3 they're very enemies to lovers in a "we're on the same side but I can't stand you but I also can't stand to be without you and if anyone messes with you I'll kill them" way, which I can't get enough of myself.

also! the grey circle has lots of characters I haven't posted about nearly as much but are so dear to me and that I oft rotate in my brain, like ilèan & cainiph, who are a very skilled fairy princess with truly profound mommy issues and cain-and-abel vibes with her sister & an adrenaline junkie bounty hunter who is a bit of a hothead and accidently becomes a werewolf :) another mismatched pair that end up needing each other as much as air. and of course, gren & bain, the little mousy halfling-type creatures who are inseparable best friends in love beyond words, a sly bartender & a leisure-loving bard respectively, both incredibly curious and brave beyond credit, setting out to right a wrong and solve an old family mystery. I think about the grey circle very often, it's one of my favourite little worlds to visit in my head & I can't wait until I have something written that allows others to visit as well :)

the last herd of ocs I've been preoccupied with lately are my room & board cast, the characters for a comic idea I have about silly and bizarre sci-fi/fantasy comic about alternate-dimension-faring roommates travelling in a house-turned-spaceship in search of a (the?) holy grail. they're all old ocs of mine (6+ years I think) that I've rebooted a few different times, and returning to them after some years off feels like reconnecting with old friends as cheesy as that sounds. I genuinely missed them, and I'm excited to be messing about with a story for them again, even if it's just for fun. I've especially been thinking about the main(est) character, martin, and how her journey with transness fits into their larger existential and relentlessly silly adventures.

thnks for offering the stage to talk about my ocs! I love talking about them but I'm not always sure anyone wants to hear, but perhaps it's time I curb that mindset and just start putting more out there because it's fun for me :) also! if anyone reads all this, first of all thnk you for indulging me, and second I am genuinely always open to hearing about other people's ocs, whether through ask or dm or whatever! I know it can be intimidating to just reach out of the blue but I really do love talking about people's characters / stories / creations and I am always open to it. maybe I ought to make some more dedicated venue for that sort of thing but yeah casual oc chat is always an option! I hope anyone who sees this has a wonderful day / night :)

[asksam]

Yeah! Last Friday night I wasn't me. I was a still life trapped in eternity. I was the focal point; out of focus, out of ink.

Oh no. Sam perked up like a golden retriever, his blond head peeking over the refrigerator door and toward the sound of the loud howling amplified voice. No way, how did he… 

And I've been wandering nightly through the garden of your heartache, always making a mess, always stumbling out the door. But I don't wanna be an asshole anymore. Baby, baby I'll be good to you.

He quickly closed the door to the fridge and headed toward the living room. For the first time tonight, he’s not polite about shouldering his way through the crowd of party goers. He knew that voice, but he’s not sure why it was here and now in this context. He knew the other was here of course, knew he had immediately started drinking once he was in the door, but they’d been watching him, making sure he didn’t do something stupid. Something like this. Sam entered the living room and straight away saw his roommate across the room absolutely growling into a microphone.

All I ever wanted was to make things right. The years of idleness and spite have pushed my emotions off a bridge, after taking them hostage with a shotgun.

Unlike when he rapped or tried to sing though, it was good. Really good. Sam scanned the room, the crowd loving the performance, maybe a little too much. He was definitely going to owe Puck and Jacob some money if the mosh pit forming started to trash the house like some punk show. He ended up meeting Kurt’s eyes over the group and he mouthed, what the fuck? But his other roommate looked just as shocked by Brett’s voice, so full of rage and pain. It was a guttural, raspy thing that belonged on stages of dive bars. Huh. Maybe Brett had only needed to find his niche.

You're the only lover that I ever missed, ever been hopelessly in love with. Look at this tangle of thorns. I don't wanna be an asshole anymore.

But quickly, the surprise wore off and was replaced with a concerned horror when Brett was lifted onto the hands of a couple of jocks, crowd surfing and once they started to throw him into the air, Sam was moving closer. “Nope, no!” He called out, instantly taking Brett from the intoxicated, overhyped jocks. He had him over his shoulder in an instant and was about to head toward the front door when he saw Kitty also about to be lifted into the air. “Nope,” he yelled, using the momentum to get her over his other shoulder instead. With both Brett and Kitty thrown on top of his shoulders, he headed toward the front door over the sound of the others hollering and whistling. Thankfully Kurt was there to help open the doors and make sure they got in Sam’s truck alright. “I’ll see you back at the house later. Try to enjoy the rest of the party, I got them. Can you make sure Blaine makes it out alright?”

He still sent his best friend a text with an apology then climbed in the driver’s seat. He was careful driving home, never so thankful to be a DD before. Sam took them one at a time into the house, gentle as he laid Brett in bed then debating a minute before carrying Kitty to his bedroom. She’d fallen asleep on the drive here and he gathered some clothes before trying to carefully nudge Kitty awake. “Hey, Kitty. You think you can change for me? I’m going to check on Brett. Just change and open the door, okay? Then you can get back to sleep.” He left her to it and went to go check on Brett, pausing at the other’s bedroom threshold when he didn’t see him in the bed where he’d left him. “Shit… Brett!” He searched the house and only hesitated a little when he saw the light in the hallway bathroom on. Sam twisted the handle and walked in, but he was still too late. Taking in the sight of Brett with a pair of scissors, more than half of his hair scattered around in roughly cut clumps. Needless to say, it was a night.

It took almost another two hours before the blond was able to finally go back to his room, sighing in relief when he saw that at least the Cheerio was where he left her. He would never admit that just maybe his heart did a little thump when he saw her dressed in his clothes, tucked into his bed. Sam let the extra blankets and pillows he’d gotten from the hallway closet fall and set up a makeshift bed on the floor. In minutes, he was out like a light, knowing his internal clock would still wake him up soon so he could make breakfast for his surprise guest.

[strawberrywritersguild]

♡ The Little Things: Chapter 1 - Medicine & Mild Colds ♡

Pairing: Julian Bashir x gn!reader Word Count: 1983 words Summary: A famous historian gets on board the station, and immediately gets sick. Julian has to figure out how to take care of them and this alien disease, when they can't contact the Trill and their own is on a long mission away.

You play with the ring on your finger, the crude markings rubbing against the pads of your other hand. You're not usually nervous about visiting space stations, and you aren't really now, but the heat emanating from inside you makes you uneasy. You would've liked to delay this visit, but the Bajoran space station is a historic site and it's your duty and passion to document it.

The docking procedures are almost ready, the captain of the ship coming to inform you. You stand up, swaying a bit, but you push through it. This isn't the worst you've ever gone through, nowhere near it in fact.

The doors to the docking bay open, and the sight of the Deep Space 9's senior officers in single file greets you. They're an impressive sight, even though you know one of them is missing. A shame, you'd always liked Dax and her unorthodox ways.

"Professor, welcome to Deep Space 9. We're honoured to have you here." The commander, Benjamin Sisko, greets you. He offers you his hand, which you take with just a slight stutter. You know he knows your hands are too warm for a trill.

"It's an honour to be here, but call me (MC). Loriaz (MC)." You say back, going back to wringing your ring. It's starting to feel increasingly cold.

"Of course, professor. Major Kira and constable Odo will be accompanying you to your quarters, after which I've arranged for a tour of the station for you." Sisko guides you away from the docking bay, towards the nearest turbolift. You nod, feeling a block in your throat.

You sway slightly from side to side. You slow your walk just to try and seem less inebriated. You feel the pretty young man with puppy eyes hover his hand over your shoulder, just before you feel a flash of hot, and then everything goes black.

You collapse suddenly, to the fright of your little convoy. Julian quickly catches you, settling your head in his lap.

"Doctor, what's happened?" Sisko demands, kneeling down besides the two of you. Julian checks your forehead with the back of his hand.

"They're burning up! I'll need to get them to the infirmary immediately." Julian starts lifting you up from under your armpits, struggling for a moment.

"Constable, go with them." Sisko commands, tapping Kira on her shoulder. "Major, you're with me. We have to check that ship before anyone else disembarks."

"Do you need help, doctor?" Odo asks as Sisko and Kira jog towards the ship. Julian answers by picking you up into his arms and leading the way.

Julian's checking every damn device they have in the infirmary, trying to figure what's wrong with you. All he's really gotten is that you have a high fever. There's really no records of trill illnesses in the federation databases, especially on board this station.

"What have you got, doctor?" Sisko asks as he steps inside, walking to stand by your bed.

"Nothing much, I'm afraid trill are a bit of a medical mystery to us. Without Dax here, I don't really know what to do." Julian explains, giving you a dose of anesthesia after a few pained sounds escape your chest.

"I'll see if I can contact the trill about this, they ought to want their precious professor in good health." Sisko says, nodding before departing the infirmary. Julian nods back, even though he knows Sisko can no longer see him.

Julian sets his hand on your forehead, initially just to check the temperature, but feeling the soft skin under his fingers he can't help but caress it.

"Soft…" he mutters, feeling the soft locks delicately resting on your head. Your head shifts closer to his hand, probably because it's much cooler than anything else near you. But Julian can't help but think that you're searching for comfort, amid whatever you're going through. "Don't worry." He whispers. "I'll make you better."

"What do you mean you can't send a subspace message to Trill?" Sisko asks, almost demands, one of their officers.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there's some space distortion that's preventing any long distance communication right now. We can't contact anyone until it's gone." She explains, frantically trying to find some way to get something through.

"Well then find a way, or we might have a dead trill on our hands!" Sisko insists, scaring half the ops station. He regrets his tone immediately. "Apologies."

"I'll see what I can do, sir, but I make no promises. It'll likely take at least a day until we can send subspace messages."

"That'll do." Sisko says, leaving for his own office. The officer sighs, going back to her screens. Superior officers, am I right?

"Home… Pixie…" Julian swivels in his chair, hearing soft mutterings from his newest patient. He quickly springs up, figuring that you've woken up. But to his surprise, you seem to just be talking in your sleep.

"Pixie?" He questions, leaning closer. Maybe you'd give some hints to what's happening to you?

"Pixie… Must get… Pixie…" you continue muttering, your words becoming incomprehensible.

"Get where?"

"Not… home… Must be…" You take a deep breath, and fall into a deep sleep once again. Julian shakes your shoulder a bit, but that all seems to have taken the last of your energy.

Julian stands straight, heading over to his computers. "What's Pixie, and where does it need to get to?" he mutters, opening the file the station had gotten on you prior to your arrival. One of the last things that had gotten through the space distortion.

Searching for Pixie through the file gets him nothing, nor does anything relevant come up with a general search. Julian's about ready to start going through all the irrelevant files when the computer sorts out for just a moment.

Julian hits the communicator on his chest immediately. "Bashir to ops, what's happening?"

"The space distortion just cut of all the communications. We can no longer contact anyone, nor can anyone contact us."

"Damn." Julian curses, looking behind him at the patient's bed. He's not certain how long you can last without any outside help. The lights shut off.

"The space distortion is going to intercept with the station in just a few minutes, and we can't predict which parts of the ship they'll shut off." O'Brien explains, gesturing to the screen with predictions of the space distortion's movements. Sisko gives a deep sigh, massaging his forehead. He can already feel the headache forming from this.

"Just, try to make sure none of the life support systems fail. Too badly at least."

"That's all we can hope for, at this point." Kira says, leaning against the command console. The lights flicker, and everyone gives a deep sigh of worry.

Julian's giving a new injection of anesthesia to you, everything around him still dark. At the moment, all he can hope that nobody will be in need of actual surgery anytime soon. He wasn't sure he could do much of anything right now besides patch up some wounds.

"Mmn… Rain…" you start muttering again, Julian petting your head to calm you down. You'd been coming in and out of deep sleep every once in a while. He doesn't really know why, or what to do about it. All he really knows is that it's not a sign of you going worse, and that physical contact makes you stop.

"Wonder what it is that you're dreaming of." Julian whispers. He'd not gotten an actual change to talk to you, but taking care of you like this, it made him more fascinated than he'd been with anyone since, well… since he could remember.

"Pretty…" your eyes open the slightest, focusing blearily onto the good doctor. Julian blushes, even though he's pretty certain you're not referring to him. Then, your eyes snap open and you start gagging violently.

"Nurse! Get me a pulmonary scanner, stat!" Julian shouts, trying to get you to a better position for breathing. It's not working particularly well.

"Doctor, none of the scanning equipment is working!" A nurse shouts back, earning a curse from Julian.

"What to do, what to do?" Julian quickly riffles through his equipment, grabbing a mix of equipment that would hopeful be of use. Grabbing your jaw, he sets your head as far back as he can, and slams one of the devices on your chest, turning it on. He quickly opens your mouth, and starts on the old technique of CPR while the machine pumps at your lungs. Your lips are soft, but he doesn't have the time to focus on them now. You might be dying.

It takes five deep breaths, and two adjustments to the lung compressor before your breathing slows to normal again. Julian takes a deep breath as he separates from your lips for the last time. Your eyes are still open, but extremely hazy and you seem to be falling asleep fast.

"If you… you wanted to kiss me, doctor… you could've just asked." you mutter, a lazy smirk on your lips before you pass out again. Julian blushes, jerking back from your med bed. If he didn't know better, he'd like to lie to himself that he got whatever you've got too.

"Doctor, the scanning equipment is working again!"

"Right now?!" Julian shrieks, his voice several octaves higher than it's supposed to be. He groans, sinking his face into his hands.

It takes five hours since the passing of the space distortion for Jadzia Dax to get back from her mission. When she disembarks from her ship, she's immediately assaulted by the hands of a frantic doctor shaking her.

"Jadzia, I need you in the infirmary immediately!" Julian shouts, his voice higher than normal. Before Jadzia can question him, Julian is already pulling him towards the infirmary.

Julian immediately shows Jadzia the professor laying on the med bed when they get to the infirmary. "Them! There's something wrong and we don't know what!"

Jadzia laughs, to the astonishment of the doctor and couple of nurses mulling about. "Dear Julian, he simply has a cold."

"A cold?!" Julian cries out, looking between Jadzia and you. "Just a cold?! They almost asphyxiated five hours ago! This can't just be a cold!"

"Trill cold's are a bit different to what you humans are used to. And from what I know of the person, Loriaz was a sickly person even prior to the joining." Jadzia explains, to Julian's utter shock. "I'm sure I have some cold medicine in my room."

"A cold…" Julian mutters.

"A cold…" you mutter, to which Julian automatically responds by petting your head. Jadzia observes the gestures with an amused smile.

Julian finishes the final checks on you, happily jotting down your stats. "Well, I'm happy to inform you that you are in quite perfect health. For now, anyways."

"That's what every doctor I've ever had has said to me." You laugh, the sound ringing in Julian's ears like bells. "If Loriaz wasn't so damn brilliant in history and politics, I would've never been chosen to join."

"So, am I to expect to see a lot of you, then?" Julian asks, a hopeful quirk in his voice. You smile, the same smile you had when you teased him right out of a fever-induced sleep. It makes Julian blush, almost bright enough to notice.

"Possibly, good doctor." You say, leaning towards him. Julian stiffens up ramrod straight. A slow but innocent peck is pressed against his cheek, just next to his lips. "Thank you, good doctor. I know that I'll be happy to be in your care in the future."

Julian nods quickly, following your slow departure with stiff movements. You wink back at him before disappearing out of the infirmary.

"…" Julian takes a deep breath, feeling a bit dizzy. He softly touches the spot your kiss lingers on. "Hope to see you soon, professor…"