#Ignore my enthusiatic Yes!

[maskleo]

I'm very normal about Kaizen guys. I really am.

I kid you not, I literally almost fell from my chair when it called me sweatheart, like, bro, you can't just say that- 😦

[itty-bitty-mess]

TW: BITTYBONES AB//USE, BITTY WHUMP, BITTY T*RT//URE

TW: bitty melting alive

”Muh-Mummah? Is ow new home scawwy?” The young little Cherry asked, as he rested on his new Mummah’s palm. He was the youngest of his litter, and hadn’t even reached full bitty adulthood yet. He had just been adopted and was more than excited to get to his new home.

“Of course not, sweatheart. You’re gonna love your new home! I’m actually a baker, you know? And Im sure you’ll love all the yummy little pastries I'll make for you. In fact, I decided to adopt you because I thought I could use a little extra sweetness in my life!” She said with a soothing, gentle voice, as she gently booped the thumb-sized skeleton on his nose cavity with the thumb of her other hand.

Cherry giggled like a little kid and, for the first time on his short life, he felt safe and loved. Little red tears of joy formed on his eyes as he held on to his Mummah’s thumb, wrapping both his arms around it. He closed his eyes, feeling sleepy and content, excited to get home and recieve all that love that Mummah promised. He finally drifted off to sleep, thinking about all the wonderful things his new Mummah had in store for him.

When they arrived home, Mummah gently placed Cherry on the counter and began unpacking the little bag with all bitty necessity items. A tiny portable potty, an extra pair of clothes, a matchbox-sized box of diapers, and a small packet of bitty kibble that would last for a week at least.

“Mummah? Upsie pwease?” Little Cherry asked enthusiatically as he spread out his arms. However, she didn’t respond as she listed off the items she had just unpacked, she seemed to be thinking to herself about something. Cherry could only make out the words "oven" and "quick", unable to figure out what she was talking about specifically.

“Mummah?” Cherry repeated as he extended his arms hoping she would pick him up again, tears formed in his little eyes at her silence. He didn’t like being ignored “Mummah!!! Upsie!!! PWEASE?”

“In a moment sweetie, I'm deciding which things I’ll actually need from here.” After a minute of whining and crying from Cherry, she finally decided she’d throw everything away aside from the diapers. “There we go, I don’t think you’ll need a potty just yet. You seem pretty young after all, not even a full adult just yet, your bones are still soft and squishy. Just the perfect thing I need for my-“ she stopped herself in her tracks. "Oh I mean, so soft and squishy, how adorable!".

Cherry felt a bit offended by that, and a little hurt. His face turned a little red as he stared at Mummah, hoping she’d maybe take it back or at least pick him up again. He wasn’t a baby! He was just young but he was about to turn into an adult in a few months! However, it seemed like Cherry had only payed attention to the last bit, as he panicked and demanded Mummah to stop once he saw her throwing his stuff on the trash.

“W-W-WAIT MUH-MUMMAH STOOP!! DOS ARE MY THINGIES!!”

“Oh sweetie, you wont need those. I’ll get you even better clothes and feed you super yummy food! Much better and yummier than that dry bitty kibble”

“Yu-yummier?”

“Yes! In fact, how about we get you all nice and clean and then you can feast in as many treats as you want!” Cherry beamed at that, a nice warm bath and yummy treats sounded really nice right now. Compared to the cold showers and dry kibble from the adoption center, this sounded like pure luxury. He jumped up and down as he cheered with joy, hoping Mummah would carry him to the promised warm bath, and she did.

He saw as she filled a plastic bucket with water and grabbed a frog shaped sponge. He giggled when she made a little voice for the frog and he greeted it back, playing along. Once she placed the sponge down, Mummah sweetly instructed him to take his tiny clothes off. Cherry was unsure about that, he had never been “nakey” in front of anyone other than other bitties. It’s not like he had anything to hide, but he was still pretty ashamed. She insisted, promising that the water in the little pot was nice and that he would recieve a yummy treat after this. After a lot of convincing, he finally relented. He carefully slipped out of his tiny red sweater and little pants and carefully placed them on the side of the sink.

Mummah politely thanked him and carefully grabbed him to place him inside the bucket. Cherry was expecting her to gently place him inside the water, after all this was his very first bath at home. He didn’t expect her to drop him so suddenly in the water, neither did he expect the water to be so, so hot��

“AAAAAAAA MUMMAH MUMMAH HURTS HURTS IT HURTS IT HOT PWEASE HEWP PWEASE IT HOT TOO HOT” he screeched in a panic. Everything was great and perfect a second ago, why was it so hot? Why did she drop him like that?? Why did it hurt?

”Oh sorry sweetie, you need this bath. You smell terrible, like straight up dog waste, and I cannot let that putrid smell inside my house. I also don’t want you spreading any more of those germs you brought from the adoption center. But dont worry sweetie this will just hurt a bit, then we can cuddle and you’ll get those sweet yummy treats I promised!” She giggled, she didn’t seemed phased by his screeching and begging.

Cherry seemed close to a panic attack, like was usual for his breed. The water was scalding hot, it burnt his bones and even caused certain bit of his bones to flake off. It burnt like an absolute nightmare. He cried, he screeched, he pissed himself out of panic and fear. It hurt, it burnt, please make it stop. He tried climbing out of the bucket but she simply pushed him back down, it was too tall for him anyways so its not like he could actually escape.

Cherry thought that she would finally take him out of the boiling water once he saw her hand reaching out to him. But instead, she grabbed him in place with one hand, while the other had the frog-shaped sponge on hand. The sponge had two sides, a soft one and a raspy one made of metal. She decided it would be best to use the raspy metal side.

The seemingly innocent sponge began scrubbing all of Cherry’s tiny body. It hurt, it scratched and even caused bits of his bones to flake off even more. It was too much stress and pain for a little bitty of his age and size. Bitties were delicate things, they needed special sponges and scrubbers that were gentle on their bones. This one clearly was made for dishes, yet it seemed like the scrubber side was completely intact, almost as if it was new.

Once that was done, Cherry could only breathe for a bit until she grabbed the soap bottle, shoving the opening on his mouth and squeezing. In seconds, Cherry felt a yucky, sticky substance entering his mouth. He coughed and cried. Then it began filling his eye sockets, his ribcage and his nose cavity. He couldnt breathe. It burnt his insides and irritated his internal magic, all he could do was scream and cry. Begging for this nightmare to end. All he wanted right now was to eat those yummy treats she had promised and take another nap. He could barely breathe and choked as he kept being forced to swallow soap. He felt he was about to dust out of sheer panic.

Finally, she roughly grabbed him again, squeezing his ribcage, and began dunking him in and out of the water bucket nonstop. Cherry couldn’t breathe. He choked on the water and even almost threw up a bit. The constant dunking was too much, and the soap was still inside his skull and mouth. It seemed it wouldnt wash off. The dunking got faster and Cherry could feel like his skull was about to pop off due to the sheer ammount of force being used. He began getting dizzy.

Finally, Mummah decided he was clean enough and took him out of the water. She gently dried him up with an extra fluffy towel and gave him a little kiss on the forehead, calling him a good boy. Cherry was still crying, sobbing out loud like a newborn baby, but it slowly began subsiding into tiny little sobs. This was way too scary for him and he would need some time to get over it.

She gently placed him on the bed, still wrapped in the towel like a burrito, a whispered sweet little words on his ear. She shushed his crying and told him she loved him a lot. This seemed to ease the little bitty. As his crying and sobbing finally stopped and he went back to giggling like a baby once Mummah began tickling his little ecto belly. Cherry could feel his little stomach rumbling, he was beginning to get hungry.

“Um, Mummah? Cam I hav a tweat now pwease?” Cherry asked as he fiddled with his tiny thumbs. His bones were still sore but he felt better now. Everything was better now that Mummah loved him again. She giggled at his nervousness.

“Of course, sweetie. But before I make you a treat, how about we play for a bit and then you take a nap. Im sure that bath shook you a bit, hm?” She suggested, and Cherry couldn’t say no to such a suggestion. He loved to play! And naps! Those were like his second and third favorite things after yummy treats! He excitedly agreed and jumped up and down, still wrapped in the towel.

“UM, Muh-Mummah? Cam I hav mak cloths back pwease?” Cherry asked, feeling a bit self conscious.

“Oh sweetie, it looks like your tiny little clothes fell into the bathroom's garbage can, I'm really sorry about that." "W-WHAT?? MY- MY CWOTES AWE GONE??" Cherry was about to go back to crying like he was a minute ago. His clothes!! His favorite clothes were gone!! "Oh but dont you worry, we’re gonna play a very fun yet messy game! Im sure you wouldn't have want ed your clothes to get dirty, right?”

Cherry sniffled a little, trying to keep it together for Mummah, he didn't want to make her angry and get another awful bath. He tried to be positive about it, and part of him was excited at the prospect of not being limited by his tiny clothes while playing, so he cleaned the few tears that formed on his eyes and nodded, agreeing to whatever game Mummah wanted to play.

Mummah gently picked Cherry up, finally unwrapping him and letting him go free. Cherry was a bit nervous but also excited by being allowed to play without his clothes on, it felt freeing and new! Back in the adoption center, everyone would always yell at him and call him “a disgusting piece of shit” whenever he tried taking his clothes off. He would cry himself to sleep at that.

Once they arrived at the kitchen, Mummah placed him on the counter. She took out a huge plate and a huge container with a funny looking substance.

“Alright, sweetie. This is baking dough, now this isn’t for eating ok? This dough is only for playing. You can make any shapes and figures you want and once we’re done you can take a little nap!” She gleefully showed him how to shape dough and how to play with it. Oh, it was mushy and soft! Cherry had never felt anything like this before!

He spent at least three and a half hours shaping and making little dough figures alongside Mummah. He made tiny snowmen, stars and little cats his size. He made little flowers and gave them to Mummah, who was flattered, and even made a biiig dough heart with the writing “i <3 Mummah” on it. It was so much fun!! So much better than the horrible bath he had just experienced. Cherry was having so much fun, but he also felt a bit hungry and tired.

Mummah seemed to notice and offered to shape him a little comfy bed made of dough. At first, Cherry giggled at the idea, but he was pretty tired and the dough was so soft and squishy! Maybe a nap wasn’t such a bad idea…

Cherry laid down on the little square, and Mummah made sure to tuck him in with a thick sheet of dough on top of his body to keep him warm. He rested in the soft substance and felt comforted as Mummah made sure he was nicely tucked in place. She even offered him an actual cherry as a treat before naptime! Yummy!

Cherry ate the whole thing and finally drifted off to sleep with a full tummy and a soft bed made of dough. He slept, dreaming of wonderful things, of all the amazing adventures he and Mummah could go on together on the future, and he dreamt of getting lots of kissies and cuddles from her whenever he needed it. However, as his wonderful dreams progressed, Cherry began noticing that things began looking weirder and weirder everytime. The birght blue sky on his dream seemed to redden and his Mummah was nowhere to be found. The air felt hotter too, strange...

Suddenly, Cherry awoke in a panic as he realized the air began getting a little too hot in real life too. He realized he was in some sort of tiny room where a bright light was blinding him completely, so he had to squint his eyes. He began to sweat and panicked even more. Cherry tried getting off his doughy little bed but soon realized that he was immobile, it seemed like the dough had began hardening and even some bits had stuck to his bones a little too well. He was basically immobile from the neck down, and his skull has held in place by the once comfortable dough pillow he rested his head in.

"MUMMAH?? MUH-MUMMAH? WERE AWE YOU!!!! MUMMAH!!! MUMMAH HAWP PWEASE???" He couldn't move, all he could do was cry in a panic and try to free himself from the hardening dough. Surely Mummah would hear him and go to his rescue, right? She probably left him in this tiny room so he could rest better without nay disturbances, but now he was awake and needed help getting out of his doughy prison.

"MUMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!!" He tried increasing his volume as best as he could but all he did was damage his throat. It hurt, but oh no, the temperature was seemingly getting higher. He was sweating magic now. His ecto body seemed to begin stinging due to how hot things were getting inside.

Cherry began panicking even more and his screaming increased once he felt his skull flaking off again. Oh god, it burns, its too hot in here, please make it stop pelase, it hurts so bad, please. He tried screaming, screeching. Calling out to Mummah, but it seemed like she couldn't hear him. Surely she was near, right? She would NEVER leave little baby Cherry all alone in such a hot room, right????

"MUMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! PWEASE HWEP PWEASE HEWP PWEASE IT BURNS IT BURNS IT HURFS PWEASE MUMMAAAAH" he screeched. His bones began cracking, little red magic leaking out of every single crack. His ecto body seemed to be boiling and the magic flesh began ripping and cracking at the surface, mixing with the burning dough.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MUMMAH HELP MUMMAH MOM HELP ME HELP ME PLEASE IT HURTS OH GOD IM BURNING MOM IM BURNING PLEASE HELP ME PLEEEASEE HELP HELP HELP ME SOMEONE HELP PLEASE" Cherry could feel his bones begin melting under the dough, losing their skeletical shape and becoming one with the soon-to-be bread. He could feel the top of his skull melting and sinking into itself. It seemed like bitty magic wasn't made to withstand high temperatures like those.

His skull kept melting, until his eye sockets were sealed shut by the process itself. His mouth melted shut as well. Anything under his neck was now a simple, shapeless mass that flawlessly seemed to mix with the dough. The dusting process seemed to have been halted by the melting itself, as if the dust began liquefying instead of crumbling down.

Cherry was still conscious, feeling everything. Feeling as his body turned into goo. Unable to scream, breathe or see anymore. His skull's face was now featureless and barely even looked like a skull anymore. He could only think to himself, as his consciousness slipped away and his entire being simply began fading from existence itself. It wasn't even a definitive sudden death like any other bitty would get once dusted. It was slow, so incredibly slow.

He wasn't even completely gone just yet. But he could barely feel anything at all. He could feel himself blending with the dough, becoming one with the pastry. Becoming yet another ingredient on the list. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was gone. No one would remember him, and he didn't even get to reach full adulthood like the rest of his litter did.

Mummah entered the kitchen and excitedly peeked through the oven window. Giggling as she saw the dough rise and take shape.

"Oh! Looks like my cherry pie is ready!~"

[secondhand-trash]

Dead Romantics

A/N: The idea came before the plot and I’m just writing this because this is a theme I really want to write about but don’t have the outlet for lol Hopefully starting a series out of this

(au masterlist)

Pairing: modern necromancer!Shinsou HItoshi x reader

Description: The young necromancer spent his entire life being all by himself, and now he had no idea what to do when an enthusiatic classmate went out of thier way to be his friend.

Word count: 2618 

Playlist:

Apocalypse//Cigarettes After Sex

Your Heart Is As Dark As Night//Melody Gardot

Cherry Wine//Hozier

-

Shinsou Hitoshi was the first and only necromancer to enroll in UA since its establishment many, many moons ago.

For an institution that pride itself in offering inclusive education to both human and magical children alike, the board of staff sure panicked when they read the boy’s application form. Shinsou remembered the slight awkwardness on the teacher’s face when they stiffly said that there was no curriculum or support for necromancers because, frankly, there never was one. And honestly, he was used to that look, he had got reactions way worse than a brief seconds of silence. Necromancers pretty much isolated themselves from the rest of society and for a good reason. Even after cohesion between humans and the nocturnal had made such progress in the past decades, many still saw those who interfere with spirits as taboo. His parents’ decision to let him go to a ‘normal’ school instead of receiving private tutoring caused quite the conflict in his family, whose bloodline traced all the way back to the first generation of those who communicated with the dead.

Shinsou grew up hearing kids whispering things behind his back like he wasn’t there but the worst part was always the look in their eyes when they knew that he heard everything. It was the look of fear, one that his parents warned him before letting him into the wide world filled with people. Just because he was warned doesn’t mean it hurt any less. There was a time when he would try so hard to fit into other kids, and spent night after night sobbing under his blanket when they still avoided him like the plague. But after many years, he had accepted the fact that people simply don’t want to befriend necromancers, and he had grown to enjoy being alone.

Which was why Shinsou Hitoshi had no idea, absolutely no idea why you were being so nice to him.

You were pretty much a normal average human who did not dabble in magic of any sorts and even if you sat right in front of him, he never expected to come in contact with you in any ways. In all honesty, he did not expect to come in contact with anyone in his class in any ways. He made the effort to occupy the seat far at the back in the corner, that way he could avoid being surrounded by people when they get into groups during break. It was a way of living he adapted, self-alienating was actually pretty pleasant once you get used to it.

So no, he wasn’t even sure why he’s still listening to you rambling on about some weird encounter you had with a ghost in the empty classroom when the rest of the class had gone to the canteen. As he watched your hands flailing in the air while reenacting the whole scenario, he wondered why he even responded to you the first time you turned around and tried to get him to talk.

“Shinsou? Shinsou!” you waved your hand in front of his face, bringing him back to reality. “Are you even listening?” you leaned forward, “you look even more dead inside than usual. Did you even sleep last night?”

Shinsou ran his hand through his untamed hair and sighed, he would have been napping by now if you weren’t here. “No, stayed up all night for some ritual.”

He tried to search your eyes for any signs of disgust, any signal of fear but he saw nothing. If anything, you always looked intrigued every time he nonchalantly brought up his family business to see if it would finally scare you into leaving him alone. “Ah, necromancy!” you tilted your head, “so it’s true that it could only happen at night?”

He only nodded. No one had ever asked him about that, how was he supposed to say that it was mostly for aesthetic purposes nowadays when you looked so impressed?

“You should definitely show me how it works one day.”

“What?” Shinsou choked out in disbelief. He knew that you had no idea how dangerous his field of practice could be but he definitely underestimated your lack of alert.

“It’s almost Halloween and my friend is an actual necromancer, we should have a séance or something. It’s festive!” you said, your excitement completely contrasting to the baffled expression of your friend.

“We’re not... Never mind,” Shinsou was about to reflectively say that he wasn’t your friend when his words were caught at the back of his throat. Something about your genuine goodness made him feel bad for pushing you away, which was strange because he never asked for any of this. He wasn’t going to lie, having an accepting person around for a change did feel nice. “Having a séance without a purpose is dangerous and necromancy is pretty much a ‘no outsider’ type business so there’s no way I’m letting you in on that.”

You let out a dramatic sigh and pouted. Shinsou rolled his eyes and you chuckled. Somehow, he wasn’t as annoyed as he tried to be and it confuses him to no end. He was trying to get you to stop bothering him, why was he still here entertaining you when he could be off doing something else?

Shinsou took a breath and tried to sound as stern as he possibly could, “If you’re not a client or another necromancer and I let you see anything, I’ll either have to kill you or marry you.”

You only shrugged, “Sounds good either way.”

He snorted. And as convincing as he tried to be, he could not even convince himself to ignore that fluster in his stomach.

“Just because you’re a necromancer, doesn’t mean you have a free pass to dig up graves.”

“Actually, it does, it’s in the law. (It actually is.)” He silently cursed himself for being foolish enough to fall for your whines and let you tag alone. To be fair, when you heard that he had ‘somewhere to go afterschool’, you really wasn’t expecting to end up in the middle of a graveyard but a normal person would have left at this point and you were still poking your head around him curiously as he looked around. “Why are you still here? For the last time-”

“Stop trying to convince me that we’re not friends,” you crossed your arms in front of your chest and smirked as you knew exactly what he was about to say, “I’ve been to your house and your parents recognizes me, your cat purrs when it sees me, I still have that book you lent me on my shelf, I actually managed to make you laugh once and I’m literally here to dig a grave with you, we are friends.”

Shinsou groaned and you knew that you had won. He would try to argue that you went to his house because he took a sick leave that day and the teacher asked you to since you were the only person he actually talked to in the whole class. His parents still remembered you because they were shocked when they answer the door to someone looking for their son who said that he had no interests in making friends with people from school. Till now, they would still ask Shinsou if ‘the nice kid he met at school’ would like to come over for dinner or not and he would always give an indifferent mumble to brush it off. The house cat purrs at anyone and the only reason he lent you that one book was because you kept bugging him about it and he wanted a bit of peace. He was only laughing at you because you tripped yourself on a flat ground. Finally, he did not ask you to come to the graveyard with him.

Now that he thought about it, he had been spending an awful lot of time with you recently.

“Fine.”

You gave him a wide grin, seeing that it was the first time he ever admitted it out loud. He tried to ignore you and turned around to look for the items he was looking for, not picking up on the heat concentrating on the tip of his ears. He wasn’t actually digging up a grave this time, a little bit of dirt from the ground was enough for what he had in mind.

“What are you doing with that?” you asked as he kneel down to scoop up a small pile of soil next to a tombstone and put it in a small velvet bag.

“Trying to contact a spirit of some sorts,” he said, carefully choosing his wording, “there are questions I want to ask.”

You nodded and didn’t pry any further. He let out a relieved sigh, because he had no idea how he was supposed to answer your questions like it was nothing when everything he wanted answers for had to do with you.

The clock strike midnight and Shinsou sucked in a deep breath as he stared at everything that was laid out in front of him. He had done this many times and he knew that he would not fail, but some part of him was still nervous to see if this would actually help the million thoughts swimming in his mind at all.

Dusting the soil in a trail to form a circle, he lighted a candle and placed it inside the circle. Closing his eyes, he could feel the way his blood flow in his veins and the sudden chills that spread from his back all the way to the tip of his fingeres. As the numbness retreat and he felt the air circulating around the room, his slowly opened his eyes to see a blurry shadow.

Focusing his gaze on the silvery shadow, the figure slowly morphed and twisted like a stream of smoke before coming to form the image of a man. The man was dressed in a sharp suit with a silk bow and held a top hat in hand, old-fashioned but extravagant no less. His hair was carefully styled and every little detail on his coat was delicately crafted.

Ah great, a romantic.

“You called upon the spirits to get answers on the future I assume. Is that right, young boy?” the syllables rolled off the man’s tongue in a way that sounded tiresome to Shinsou’s modern ears.

“Well, yes, but I might have make a mistake.” This was stupid, how sad was it that he was looking for advice on his own feelings and he could only turn to people who had been dead for decades.

“Oh, a mistake you say?” the spirit looked amused by the clear distress on the necromancer’s face, “We both know that a ritual of that sort summons only the spirit that could respond to the deepest yearning of your heart. So why did you call me here, prey tell?”

“I need help,” he said though his teeth, “with this friend of mine.”

“Is it a friend or is it a someone more?”

Stupid ghosts and their instincts. “The thing is, I don’t know how I feel about them.”

“Ah!” The dandy yelped in excitement, “the dilemma of love and friendship, the problem every young gentleman must face!”

Shinsou paled at the ghost who was so excited in the face of his struggle. “It’s not a dilemma. I just, I don’t know if I even feel for them that way or I’m just getting attached to the first person who showed me a hint of kindness. Because I was still annoyed by them the last time I remember and all of a sudden I don’t even mind being around them and it doesn’t make sense-”

“Sounds like you fell in love.”

“But if that’s so then I’m just messing things up, wouldn’t it?”

The spirit raised a brow, “How is that so?”

“Well,” Shinsou tried to gather his thoughts, “there’s no way someone like them would want to get too close with someone like me.”

The spirit stayed silent for a while and it was like it could stare a hole into the boy standing in front of him, “But they already did, haven’t they?”

“What?”

“From what you said, it sounded like that person actually want to be close to you. Why are you so convinced that they wouldn’t?”

For a while, Shinsou was lost with words. There were many, many reasons he could think of on top of his head on why people wouldn’t want to be close to him. He didn’t talk much, he looked like he hadn’t sleep in 300 years, he went looking for relationship advice from a dead romantic, many, many of them. But as he went through the many reasoning, none of them seemed like they would have work with you.

“Don’t mind me because I’m just a dead old man from the 19th century but perhaps you spent so long wallowing in self-loathing that you ignore all signs of said person fancying you as much you might hope them to be?”

It was nothing new but Shinsou stayed up all night thinking about what the spirit said to him. At heart, he still found it pretty pathetic that he got lectured by a ghost but what he said makes sense and for the first time since he gave up on trying to fit in, he felt extremely anxious while sitting through his many classes at school, knowing that you would most likely be around him for lunch.

As expected, you turned your chair to the back and sat down facing him once the bell for lunch break rang and people started to clear out of the room. “So, any success with the questions you wanted to ask?”

“Yeah, sort of.” he only uttered a quick response and you knitted your brow together.

“Is something wrong?” you asked, slightly concerned.

“Why weren’t you afraid of me?”

He looked right at you in the eyes and it almost pained you to think of what he had gone through to even feel the need to ask that. You could guess that he didn’t have the easiest time around people from how closed off he was before you annoyed him into letting his guard down but you wasn’t expecting the standard treatment he got to be fear.

You gently said, “Why would I be?”

He chuckled and you weren’t sure why it sounded to gut wrenching to you. “Everybody else is.”

“I like being around you.”

His eyes slightly widened, the leaping in his chest speeding up at your earnest. His brain went hay wired when you tentatively reached for his hand and rubbed soothing circles at the back of his hand. He wasn’t even aware that he wanted the contact so badly until his body acted upon him and held your hand in his.

A rush of warmth washed through you as the boy initiated any affection towards you for the first time. He brought his hold on your hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss at the back of your hand, sending a mad blush to your face. You would be lying if you say you never wanted this to happen when you brought up the bravery to talk to the gloomy kid sitting at the back of the room for the first time.

He quietly said in the most genuine tone you had ever heard from him, “Thank you.”

He smiled, and that sight alone made your heart melt.

[princess-of-the-worlds]

“And just like everything else we do around here, it’s about to get weirder.” - doesn't it sound like a Torchwood line?

A Torchwood Welcome

Upon receiving his reassignment to Cardiff to aid in the resurrection of Torchwood Three, St. John Colchester is not pleased.

Nothing against Cardiff. Cardiff is a lovely city, albeit a bit cold and damp for Colchester’s aging body, but he’s been filled in on the so-called legacy of Torchwood, especially its Cardiff branch, over the years and wouldn’t exactly call himself a fan. Plus, he and Colin have been settled in their lovely cottage in Hove for several years now.

So, after much good-natured squabbling as with all couples, Colchester and Colin finally move down to Cardiff, and soon, Colchester reports in for his first day of work at Torchwood Three, which is currently still in the process of being dug back out underneath the Roald Dahl Plass. And he meets Ms. Gwen Cooper-Williams or better-known in the debriefing files that he was given, as Gwen Cooper.

She greets him with a warm smile and a firm shake of his hand and a cheerful “How do you do, Mr. Colchester?” which has him immediately knowing that this is a woman with a large heart but a backbone of steel and he’s going to respect her immensely.

“Lovely to meet you, Ms. Cooper,” he tells her politely, and allows her to lead him to the battered-looking shack of a tourist office, which she tells him was the first part of the former base to be reconstructed. He pretends not to notice how her green eyes are the slightest bit shiny with tears.

Gwen gives Colchester the tour and an encapsulated history of Torchwood Three, leaving out many details that Colchester already knows. She guides him over the small Torchwood set-up in a backroom of the tourist office - nothing too fancy, just a Rift monitor and some basic weaponry. She tells Colchester that his new job is to supervise the reconstruction of the Hub while she and their currently-absent leader, Captain Jack Harkness, chase Rift flares over Cardiff.

“And where is our esteemed leader currently?” Colchester asks. He’s heard quite much about Jack Harkness and is determined to form his own opinion.

Her expression becomes sheepish. “In Bristol,” she says with a slight shrug. “Tracking down an alien artifact.” She glances away, hiding a fond smile. “Jack has rather...unique tactics when it comes to leadership, but they are quite effective at times.” 

Considering the affection in Gwen’s tone, Colchester can tell that she immensely respects and adores Captain Harkness even if she doesn’t agree with him frequently. 

“Either way, you’ll have to forgive him a bit. After...everything that happened, Jack has changed. He’s become a tad more flighty and unpredictable.”

Ah, yes, “everything that happened,” which, to Colchester’s knowledge, encapsulates the loss of Torchwood Three’s technique Toshiko Sato and their doctor Owen Harper, both personally recruited by Harkness. And a year later, the death of Torchwood Three’s general support, Ianto Jones, against the 456.

Colchester’s heard rumors about just how close Harkness and Jones were.

Still, he doesn’t get to meet Harkness until several days later when he walks into the tourist office one morning and finds a tall, broad-shouldered man in a greatcoat hunched over his computer. He has a sudden sneaking suspicion who this man is but still clears his throat with a raspy cough.

“Pardon me, but who are you and what are you doing at my computer?”

The man glances up, and Colchester is immediately struck by how handsome he is - twinkling blue eyes, a smirk a tad artificial, and sharp cheekbones. The feeling of awe fades a moment later, because Colchester is happily married, and Harkness has nothing on his Colin in terms of attractiveness.

“C’ptn Jack Harkness,” Harkness says enthusiatically, sticking his hand out for Colchester to shake, which Colchester does, albeit a bit stiffly. “You must be Mr. Colchester. I do love myself a silver fox.” His smirk grows. “Say, have you seen Gwen?”

“Ms. Cooper is across the city checking out a Rift alert,” Colchester tells Harkness. “She texted me an hour ago.” A beat. “She must have texted you as well.”

“Oh.” Harkness grimaces, pulling a mangled device with wires poking out from his pocket. That must be the remains of his smartphone, a device advertised to be undamageable. “I sorta...got it crushed.” He looks sheepish.

Colchester sighs, watching Harkness bounce slightly on his heels. Privately, Colchester thinks that no grown man should act this way. He keeps this opinion to himself. “I’ll work on getting you a new one, sir,” he tells Harkness with every inch of civility he possesses. 

“Sir?” A strange sadness flares in Harkness’s brilliant eyes but is immediately hidden. Harkness’s smirk stretches wider, and it becomes apparent to Colchester just how strained the expression is. “No need for ‘sir.’ Just call me Jack.”

“I think I’ll just call you by your title, Captain,” Colchester says instead, and ignores Harkness’s attempted protests.

He turns an assessing eye to Harkness, and it doesn’t take a trained soldier to notice that Harkness is fraying at the edges. He’s a man of stitched together pieces and at his own threads. Colchester doesn’t want to be there when Harkness snaps, but he has a feeling that he won’t have a choice not to be.

“What would you like me to get started on?” he asks Harkness, cutting the other man’s rambling off.

Harkness shrugs. “Perhaps getting us some decent wifi? We’ve been borrowing,” - and he winks at Colchester, who can barely suppress his scowl - “from the fusion restaurant across the Plass, but it’s high-time we get our own router set up.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Captain,” Colchester promises. He sighs before asking a question he knows he will regret: “And what exactly do we do around here anyways?”

“We deal with the unusual, the weird.” Harkness’s grin turns a bit more genuine.  “And just like everything else we do around here, it’s about to get weirder, especially with you here.”

Yes, St. John Colchester is not pleased at all to be here in Cardiff, especially with Jack Harkness, but as he always does, he’ll do his job and do it well.

[amnachil]

The College Society Chapter 4 Part 5

And here’s the next part! An important one in many aspects.

TW : there are mentionning of rape

Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey Sunday March 31

So the old fart had been informed. The junior's phone started to ring at 7 am. At first, he decided to ignore it. Maybe the old codger would let it go. This is only false hope but whatever. Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey dissembled he didn't know where is phone was. But he needed it to answer the baboon's texts. They were planning a date for this afternoon before he started to work. He wanked off in order to ignore the ring bell, but it didn't work. Of course, he could've put his phone on silent, but it won't change the matter. The old fart was going to call him the whole day until he answered. Even the whole week if he needed to. He's a pain in my ass. Eventually, the junior gave up and picked up the phone.

"At least you deign to answer gummy bunny." mumbled his father without even a hello. "I think we've something fuckin' important to talk about."

The lad sighed. He had hoped this silly conversation would never happen.

"There are thousands of idiotic students in your lame university who can be fucked. I'm sure you could've find a pathetic boyfriend in the whole town easily. And yet, you decided to date the one and only damned Strucker around ?! Are you fuckin' kidding me kid ?"

"Don't be disrespectful old fart." retorted Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey. "Your insolence annoys me."

"Oh don't be like that you brat ! Seriously a Strucker ?! The filthy descendants of Isaac should rot in hell you know that !"

Well, a few months ago, the junior had been thinking the same. Isaac Strucker was an asshole, who betrayed their family's trust to earn money. Business men like him were the worst. However, the baboon had made himself a big place in Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey's life. He's more important to me than I would admit. It was a weird feeling, something like a disease. Honestly, for such a good hunter, it was beyond understanding. The blond couldn't explain it but... I just feel nice with him. Like if it was... right to be with him. He had never experienced such a thing before, and yes, he was curious. I want to see where this relationship is going. So the family's hate towards the Strucker couldn't get in the way.

"Look dad." he mumbled. "The fact is, Liam and his siblings don't want anything to do with their father. They've been raised by their mother, who is actually involved in legals proceedings with Isaac. So they ain't our foes."

A long and strange blank followed. The student perceived muffled noises and guessed his old man was talking with the old hag. He distincly heard her scream however. What the hell ? She continued to yell, completely over enthusiatic. It didn't last long before he also heard his sister laugh. What the fuck ? What is all this commotion about ?

"I can't believe it..." whined his father. "You called me dad ! You were 5 when you decided old fart suited me better ! I can't believe it !"

Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey felt both embarrassed and very annoyed. What the hell was wrong with this family ? They were nuts. Less than the baboon, but even so.

"So it's must be very important for you gummy bunny." continued Robert Smith. "You are very serious about this relationship, aren't you ?"

"Yeah, I guess so..."

This whole talk was very awkward.

"I'm ready to give him a chance." decided the old fart. "I want to meet him and see for myself."

"Meet him ? When ?"

"Soon."

When he arrived to the baboon's place this afternoon, Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey was quite pissed. Not only his father planned to come here soon, but he had also heard from D.R. As the head of their community, she strongly disapproved the bounty. She said the culprit would be found and punished, aswell as anyone who actually earnt money from the hunt. But in reality, she couldn't do much. As long as she didn't know who the asshole was, she couldn't arrest him. As for the hunters, as long as they were hunting without acquiring profit, they were authorized to do so. In other words, these bitches were allowed to hunt the baboon for now. They are only forbidden to claim the bounty, but that won't stop them. They can take it and never tell anyone. Anyway, the couple found a private area and sat together. Almost thoughtlessly, Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey sat on the baboon's lap, and started to feed him his recently cooked pastries. While doing that, he began to complain about this and that.

"I mean, my father isn't a bad person." he was explaining. "But he can be annoying. I want us to take the time, and he's going too fast... like my mother... he wants to meet you already. I can't believe what I'm saying baboon. Do you imagine ? Me, I want to take my time ? That's the biggest joke !"

On the spur of the moment, he also commenced to punch (gently) his boyfriend's belly. This one was listening and eating at the same time, only nodding from time to time. The food seemed to please him, which made the blond feed him faster.

"All that shit is new to me you know ?" continued Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey. "Of course, I've already been in a relationship but not... not this kind. I'm sentimentally involved here you know ? This is your fault, with your cute eyes and all. I'm... like a teenager again. Everything you do is cute to me and this is ridiculous. And you know what ? I think I suck at being a good boyfriend. My family is already bothering you and all, pff. Not to mention the bastards who are... nevermind, I shouldn't say that."

It continued for a while. The junior complained, fed and punched his boyfriend all at the same time. Eventually, the baboon stopped the punching hand and smiled timidely.

"Babe... urrp.... Sorry ! Can you stop hitting me ?" he asked. "It's kind of.. burrp. Sorry again... It hurts now that I am getting full."

"Today is my whining day, you don't have the right to lament too !" mumbled Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey, but he stopped even so. "Just eat that and listen to me."

He shoved a delicious chocolate brownie in his baboon's mouth.

"Where was I ? Oh right, and so my sister's husband is..."

He blathered during at least half an hour before Liam's taunt belly pushed him off his lap. The chestnut boy had grown like a balloon. His belly had swollen to the size of a watermelon. When Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey gave him some space, Liam groaned. His hands quickly rubbed his distended middle section. He belched loudly.

"That was... uuurrp... good..." he moaned. "You can... urf... continue.... I'm.... uuurp okay...."

He didn't look okay. Wait... I fed him the three bags ? Two were supposed to be for his friends and him during the week ! Oh crap. Why this dummy hadn't stop him ?! Softly, the junior put his hands on the baboon's side. This one grunted. His belly made discomforted noises. Kindly, Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey started to rub this complaining tummy. Of course you've a stomach ache if you ate that much ! Idiot.

"Dami... burrrp... Just so you... urrp know... I'm very bottom when I'm.... overstuffed uuurp."

Among everything he could've said, why on earth did he decide to say this ?! The blond lad glanced at the baboon's crotch. He had a significant boner. Oh my god... I already saw him in speedo but they were right when they said he was well-endowed !

"We won't do that on this bench in the middle of a park." he whispered, honestly short of breath because he was thrilled by the idea.

"Oh no... buurp. I'm not... uuurp ready for that... But you seemed like... you could've used a little... buuurp... distraction from... burrp... your problems. Now you'll... uuurrp... be thinking about... burp me."

Oh the little pervert.

Liam Tuesday April 2

The freshman was showering after an intense training. He had many things on his mind. His relationship with Dami was improving for the better. He could feel some... sexual tension now. At the same time, Nate continued to worry him. His general condition recovered but there were still moments when he was suffering. About his family's case, things were yet to change. For now, nothing happened and he didn't have any idea how to help his mother. And Liam was also preoccupied by the unicorns endless war against the witch. Everyday, this pawn of the forces of evil tried to murder him. She was everywhere, following him like a plague. He felt safe only when Dami was around.

"Dat ass..." mumured an high-pitched tone.

Liam turned and faced a girl. In the men showers. Well, he wasn't judgmental : maybe this person identified as a male. He was about to go back to his business when they came suddenly closer.

"I guess I got the wrong shower !" they chortled. "I'm Miranda by the way."

So she was a girl or not ? What is she doing ? He stepped backwards when she tried to touch him. She had only a towel to cover her bare body. What was she thinking exactly ?!

"You're hot." she continued. "Don't tell me you ain't a little tempted ?"

Tempted by what ? She doesn't have food... (Liam isn't a complete idiot, but... yeah he was off track). She came closer and dropped her towel.

"Ooops my bad." she chuckled.

Liam quickly turned his head and grabbed the towel.

"There." he said. "You should go back to your shower before someone else see you."

The girl smirked. She looked right at his crotch. Wait a second. WAIT. Only now he realised he was also naked. Oh man this is very embarrassing. As fast as possible, he hurtled to the lockers and wrapped himself in his towel.

"I'm sorry." he stammered. "It must have been very awkward !"

She frowned.

"Okay I think we're not on the same page here." she mumbled. "I offer you my body. Come and take it please ?"

Your body ? Was she a fanatic who was ready to sacrifice herself ?! Did she want him to summon a demon ?!

"I'm sorry." he repeated. "I don't think killing you to protect myself is alright. No, I'm pretty sure it's not."

She gawked, astonished. She looks very disappointed. But he couldn't sacrifice few to save the many. The chestnut lad dressed up hurriedly.

"Again, sorry. Thank you for volunteering though."

And he left her.

He headed back to his apartment, where Dami was waiting for him. It was kind of a quiet place for them since Nick and Nate were perfectly aware of their relationship. So it wasn't very surprising when the junior lay down on the couch and put his head on Liam's lap. He leaned on his soft belly while texting to someone. He's often on the phone but he doesn't know how to use it. Nick was slumped on the floor, using a lot of cushions to be comfortable. He was focusing on his game anyway. As for Liam, he was peacefully munching on Dami's most recent cooking : oatmeal raisin cookies. He's very good at cooking but his desserts are the best of the best. Behind them, Colton was in the kitchen, busy with his homework. Their friend and Nick were apparently growing closer since the first was giving swimming lesson to the second. So seeing them all here, Liam thought they could be happy. But of course, it didn't last long. The forces of evil were always right here, hidden in the darkest places. Nate bursted like an hurricane and rushed to their shared bedroom in a split second. Dami stood up straight.

"What the hell was that ?"

They heard muffled noises which looked like sobbings. Liam quickly joined his bestfriend, only to find him huddled up under his blanket. His eyes were red and full of fear. He was shaking and crying his eyes out. The chestnut lad was instantly at his side, a reassuring arm around his shoulders.

"Hey Nate, I'm here..." he whispered. "I'm here..."

The shortest boy curled up even more. He seemed so scared, so frail.

"You're safe..." Liam insisted. "I'm right here with you okay ?"

The others stayed at the entrance, but they were all worried aswell. Even Dami looked genuinely concerned. It took a while before Nate managed to speak.

"Can you... can you call Archie please ?" he asked. "I... I need him ?"

Liam nodded and glanced at his boyfriend. This one took his phone and moved away to call. In the mean time, Nick brought tissues, some cookies and water for their crying friend.

"I was on my way when they bumped into me..." sobbed Nate. "I know it was only a bunch of drunk girls... I know it... They were probably only trying to chat me up..."

He whimpered. He nestled to his bestfriend, deeply afraid.

"I don't want them to do it again... Don't let them do it again please..." he begged.

The room felt silent. Liam didn't know what to say, but he stayed there, hugging his soulmate as best possible. A tear fell on his cheek. Why him ? Why did it happen to him ?

Nicolas Tuesday April 2 – Wednesday April 3

It was almost almost 10 pm when Archibald showed up. He went straight to Nate and asked for privacy. Nick frowned, a bit annoyed to be useless, but when he noticed Liam's face, he just obeyed. They knew eachother for approximately eight months now and he had never seen this expression. His roommate was like... so angry and sad at the same time that his face couldn't chose one emotion. They gathered in the living room, where Liam sat in silent. I don't know what to say. Or what to do...

"Did you know since the beginning ?" asked suddenly the chestnut lad to Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey.

This one sighed.

"Not exactly. I had my doubts, but he never shared with me what really happened. And he asked me to not tell any of you. That was his story to tell."

For a dreadful moment, only silent followed. Liam was a slow thinker, so he was probably realising slowly all the implications. Nick clenched his fist. What was the proper way to react ? What am I supposed to do with this knowledge ?!

"Can you say it ?" asked Liam. "What happened to him ? Or else I won't be sure..."

"I don't know the specifics..." mumbled his boyfriend. "But I think you got it right. Nate has been raped."

It didn't take long before Liam blew a fuse. First, he stood up and hit the lamp next to him. It fell on the floor and broke, but he didn't notice it. Nick immediately grabbed his console and games. His friend punched the wall. His breath was short, his body shaking. He took his head in his hand and howled like a wild beast. I feel you... The raven-haired lad glanced at Colton and Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey. Oh wait... that's new. Slowly, he approached Liam.

"Bud'... I know this must be very hard for you but please... you have to calm down." he whispered.

His friend glared at him with crazy eyes. If Nick didn't knew him, he would have run for his life.

"Liam... here just look there." he said while pointed towards Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey.

It worked pretty fast. The chestnut lad's breath simmered down. Well, it must be said, they had never saw such a face from his boyfriend. The Dean's grandson was sincerely feeling guilty. It something they weren't used to.

"I... this is not your fault Dami." stated Liam. "I just... I don't know what to do... I'm... I'm just lost."

Nick sighed. We all are.

"Shall we call the police ?" asked Colton.

"It won't help." suddenly intervened Archibald. "Okay guys, I think we need to talk."

The quaterback explained Nate had fallen asleep. According to him, it was a sort of panic attack triggered by some random girls which reminded the dramatic event to the poor lad.

"You must keep in mind this is normal." he assured. "Anyone who experienced a rape will have memories of it haunting them for a very long time, even forever."

They were all sat around Archibald and listening in silent. Nick heard his computer ring from a notification. His virtual friends were waiting, but it didn't matter. Not tonight.

"I don't intend to lie." he continued. "Nate needs to be seen. His body had been stolen from him but he has been also mentally affected of course. It won't heal easily, and maybe never completely. The Nate you knew will never come back. But it doesn't mean he can't overcome it. There are many ways to help, and most of them are very simple."

It picked Liam and Nick's interest. I think we're feeling the same thing. Clueless and useless. The raven-haired lad was already hating himself for not having noticed sooner. He couldn't imagine how his roommate was dealing with this feeling.

"First of all, Nate needs a safe environment while he works on himself and his newly acquired insecurities. Until now, you have been providing this place for him, and it worked very well. However, I advise you to never let him go somewhere alone, especially when it's dark. But in the same time, do not confine him in here. It's important he doesn't feel trapped."

They nodded. This is only logical I guess...

"I will say the obvious, but Nate needs you." carried on Archibald. "Thanks to your presence, he's constantly reminded there are people who actually care about him as an human being. This is why despite what happened tonight, you must act as normally as you always do. Being there to comfort him when he's feeling bad is only one aspect of the work you've to do. The more you show him a normal life with happiness, the better. Liam, this is were you part is very important."

"What do you mean ?" asked the chestnut lad.

"Well, he told me how much you're important for him. He's definitely trusting you more than anyone else. That's why he didn't want you to know : he doesn't want you to see him differently than before. I know it can be hard, but you've to carry on with your actual life. Go on dates with your boyfriend, enjoy your meals, talk about unicorns and stuff... Show him you want him in this life. If you're constantly looking after him, you'll only made him feel even guiltier."

"I think I understand... but I don't know if I'll be able to do it now that I know the truth..." Liam confessed.

"You'll." assured Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey. "If it's for his sake, you'll."

"Okay, I think this is it." concluded Archibald. "Oh... about the culprits... It is better if you don't think about them at all. Let me be clear, Nate knows his rapists, but there is no point in asking him, you'll only made him recall this night. Besides, collecting evidences is very hard in this kind of case... Nate will talk to the police only once he's ready to do so. Don't push him, okay ?"

They all agreed. He did say rapists... So several people... This was so... so disturbing. Something else tormented Nick. He decided to ask whatever might be the answer.

"How come you're so well informed about this stuff ?" he wondered.

Archibald looked at him. The others were also interested.

"We shouldn't talk about that." intervened the Dean's grandson. "It is private and not something you want to hear, trust me. All I'll say is : Archie has way more experience than anyone here, me included. So it's better to listen to him."

The answer is obvious tho... Nick nodded.

"It's past midnight. You should all go to sleep." claimed Damian Nicholas Smith Carrey. "Archie, a word outside."

To be continued

Well, a bit of everything.

Some development for our favorite couple. A crazy family part 2. And a sad story... Nate needs all the help and all the love!! 

[luminousfinn]

My issue with Adam’s comment isn’t just in the comment itself. Though yes that comment is super problematic as hell because he’s saying that genocidal facist and the people who are fighting for galactic freedom are essentially the same and that #genocidalfacistsarepeople too.

That it was made a year and a half ago doesn’t exonerate him, it just means that he’s a privileged white goy who could really be this oblivious about the world because something like this would never touch him. It isn’t him or his family they would come for and therefore he is and was able to remain ignorant. (I say is because I have at no point seen him change his opinion on this so I must assume it still holds.)

Well all of this be as it may. But this is also a man who enthusiatically supports US military imperialism. We’re not just talking about a vague statement of “support our troops”, but a man who runs donations drives for the fucking US Marines. In that light his words becomes even more of an issue.

[desperatepenguin722]

Rewind (Part Four)

Pairing: Lin x Reader

A/N: Yes, the final part is here! I want to thank @hamiltrashy1776 for this request, it’s seriously been one of the most fun to write stories I’ve ever done. Thank you everyone who commented and reblogged and liked all the parts so far, you guys make my heart leap and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you. Alright, enjoy y’all!

You refused to look over at Lin, he’d no doubt notice how flustered you had become and possibly (not so) subtly hint at, “Oh (Y/N), do you need some air? Is it too hot in here?” Yeah. No.

“I’m, I’m going to go back and check the prop room, I think I uh dropped some candles.” You said, quickly standing and smoothing out your sweater, trying not to take into account how both boys stared. Alexander has preobably never seen a woman in pants just out in the public. Right. A part of you hoped for that to not be the only reason he was staring.

“We’ll be here.” Lin called as you walked through the rows of seats. “Need help?”

“Nope! Show him indoor plumbing or something.” You half-joked, pushing through the door, quickly closing and slumping against it.

A frustrated groan escaped your lips as you rested your head against your knees. Come on (Y/N), keep it together. Remember; he’s a guy- scratch that- DEAD guy who you’re still not even sure how the hell he got here. 

Now you could definitely see why Angelica couldn’t stop whatever her and Alexander had. She must’ve known it wrong, must’ve felt it deep down, but those eyes of his and such eloquent speech, it was no wonder she didn’t give it up until the Reynolds Affair.

Your heart panged. Right, this was pre-Reynolds Alexander. Pretty much pre-everything Alexander. The bags under his eyes were only light lines, only noticable if you took the time to stare at them and take note. Kind of like how Lin’s got if you finally forced him to-

Wait.

You scrambled to your feet and began nervously pacing, your hand reaching up to rub at your lips while you contemplated.

Everything about Alexander, you were comparing to Lin. His speech, his posture, even his damn height. Maybe you weren’t “falling” for Alexander at all. Maybe you were just...

Falling deeper for Lin. 

You didn’t want to admit it, because then it’d be real. Then that would make whatever you felt for Lin hurt even more because, well, he was Lin Manuel Miranda. And you were you. You thought with a bitter smile. Only a temporary ensemble member who he’d probably never remember ten or even five years from now. 

You held back the tears threatening to spill and made some noise of frustration. Where the hell was the damn rain? You looked to the small window to your right and saw only dim flashes of lightning and heard the occassion grumble of thunder. Must be a lightning storm then. 

Great, just when you could use some calming. Whatever. Now that you had made this revelation (that wasn’t really a revelation at all), it was time to face the music. After all, you couldn’t really hide and pretend to be looking for candles that you didn’t need forever.

Taking a deep breath, you turned around and grabbed the door, swinging it open and taking a step into the dimly lit auditorium. 

Alexander and Lin looked like mirror-images of each other, cross-legged and hunched over the laptop that sat between them. A small smile took hold as you leaned against a seat in the back, watching them work together on something. Alexander was pointing to the screen, and each time he did this he looked to be making a suggestion or correction, and Lin would enthusiatically fix it, a giddy smile on his own face. You chuckled quietly, shaking your head. Of course he would have Alexander look over his writing. 

“What’re you having him look over Lin?” you stepped onstage and Lin shut the laptop. Weird.

“Oh-uh, nothing. Just showing him Google.” He put on a strained smile. 

“But the electricity’s out, how’re you getting wifi?” The only thing that worked on his “entire life” without wifi was Microsoft Word, how the hell was he getting on Google?

Alexander stood and beamed, striding towards you. “I don’t know of this wifi, but your friend has shown me Google, it’s a beautiful place, one of which I’ve never had the pleasure of taking a trip to but I do hope to someday. Maybe I shall take my Eliza once I return to New York.” He grandly exclaimed.

Your heart grew, as did your smile. Alex was trying to cover for Lin, thinking Google was a physical place to be shown. Not wanting to ruin what he thought to be a clever cover uo, you nodded, sending a knowing glance over his shoulder at Lin who seemed to have taken a particular interest in the lint on his jeans. 

“You should. It’s quite the place, right Lin?”

He hummed in agreement, not lifting his eyes from his legs while his hand picked non-existent pieces of lint. You didn’t give it much thought, you knew you’d get it out of him sooner or later. Most likely sooner.

“Oh, Lin?” Alexander turned back around to an alert LIn. “Do you mind telling me where the facilities are located? 

Lin furrowed his brows. “Facili- Ohhh,” he chuckled, standing, “You’re gonna love indoor plumming. Come on it’s this w-”

Suddenly, a great boom of thunder erupted throughout the theatre, nearly shaking it, all the while the lights shut off once more. This time, you were sure you squealed.

“Lin? Are you in front of me or behind me because I really don’t want to acciedentally punch you.” You bluntly stated.

“I’m right here next to you, to your left. Here-” You felt a warm hand interwine with yours and were suddenly glad for the mask of darkness.

“Alexander?”

...

“Mr.Hamilton?”

...

“(Y/N), do you have those candles?” Lin whispered. You tried to ignore how his breath tickled your cheek and the way your heart was beating loud enough to where Lin probably heard it.

“They were right next to your laptop, besides I think I lost the matches. Hey, why’d you run up next to me when the power went out?”

“You yelled, I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He gave your hand a soft squeaze. Yeah, definitely glad for the dark.

“Yeah, I was just surprised.” You mumbled. “Where’s Alexander? Is he still here?”

“Maybe he ran off when the lights-” As if on cue, the spotlight came on once more, “Went out.” He finished, looking up at the light.

You looked around, no sight of Alexander. You cleared your throat, stepping away from Lin if only to put some distance between you and his comforting touch. “I didn’t hear him run anywhere, did you?” You turned back to face Lin.

He shook his head, raising his brows. “Maybe he dissappeared just like he came.”

You sighed, rubbing your temples. “Well considering Alexander Hamilton just stood on our stage and talked with us for a good,” You checked your phone, “thirty minutes or so, I don’t think anything’s out of the ordinary about his entrance or exit.” 

Lin bit his lip, nodding. Then, an evil grin spread across his face. “Hey, would you say that’s kind of like the Weird sisters’ entrance and exit in,” he paused for dramatic effect, “Macbeth?”

You gasped, looking around the empty stage. “Lin! How dare you bring up he-who-shall-not-be-named?”

He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Isn’t that Voldemort?”

“Well M-, he, is basically the Voldemort of theatre.” You playfully shook your head. “Talks to Alexander Hamilton once and thinks he’s unstoppable.” You tsked.

He grinned. “Actually, I prefer the title Non-Stop thank you very much.”

You rolled your eyes and smiled, picking up his laptop and handing it to him. “Come on you dork, we’re going to your dressing room. It’s too weird being up here now.” You looked at the spot where Alexander stood only minutes before. Lin nodded, grabbing your hand once again and leading you off stage. “Uh, Lin, I’m good now. You don’t have to hold my hand anymore if you don’t wan-”

“I do.” He confidently stated, not looking back at you.

“Oh. Okay.” You smiled,  your blush only growing. But you had a feeling if Lin turned around right now, you wouldn’t be the only flushed one. “Lin?” You asked as you neared the dressing room.

“Yeah (Y/N)?”

“Why won’t you tell me what you were working on?”

He stopped at the door, sighing. “Am I really that obvious?” His voice was quiet, small. Not like usual Lin at all.

“Hey,” You turned him around gently, resting your hands on his shoulders, “You can share anything with me. We’ve been good friends for a few months now, you know I won’t judge.” You softly said, moving a hand to cup his cheek.

His breath hitched at the contact. “Okay. Inside.” He reached up and took the hand on his cheek, holding it in his and breaking your gaze. Your heart beat a thousand miles per minute, you prayed you wouldn’t have a heart attack before he could show you. 

He led you into the dressing room and you took note of all the Hamilton fan-art which he proudly displayed, the letters from fans and fellow stars hung all over the walls, his Hamilton costume, but there was something new your eye couldn’t help but catch. You stopped, forcing Lin to stop next to you. You pointed to a plaque above his mirror. “Did you get a new plaque?”

“No...” He let go of your hand, walking closer to read the small engraving;

“A legacy is important, but remember that the mark you make will never go away. It may fade and be forgotten, but it will stain whatever it touches forever. Be cautious, try to live in the moment. -Alexander Hamilton.”

“That’s the advice I gave him less than half an hour ago.” You said in utter disbelief. “Damn bastard stole my words and put his name next to it.” You grumbled.

Lin chuckled, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “To be fair, we did tell him we were figments of his own mind, so he probably thought he was subconciously giving himself a word of warning. So technically,” He smiled at you, “It’s his quote.”

You rolled your eyes. “Well you liked it enough to buy a plaque with it on it so,” You let him him you to his worn couch and sat down, “it had to be one of your favorites.’ You couldn’t hide the smugness in your tone nor smile.

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes, but he didn’t deny it. Opting instead to boot up the laptop. Right, top-secret-writing-project-reveal time.

“Okay, so uh, I worked on this on like six hours of sleep and almost no coffee and I only had Alexander go over the first part so if it doesn’t make sense I completely understand actually I don’t even know why I didn’t look this over before I decided to share it so-”

“Lin,” You scooted closer to him so that you were curled up, laying on his chest with a perfect view of the screen on his lap, “What ever you wrote will be perfect. I promise.” And you meant it. Even on Lin’s “bad” writing days he still left you breathless with mere words. 

“Okay.” He breathed, clicking on a document and moving the computer up on his lap. “Here you go.”

You focused on the screen, beginning to read.

“My dearest, (Y/N),”

You smiled.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, ‘falling in love’,

But when I think about what I’m doing,

That never comes to mind.

You see,

Falling implies that after you start,

You’ll eventually end up landing, but it’s unclear whether they’ll actually be someone there to break your fall.

With you however,

I see no uncertainty.

When I look into your eyes, I don’t get lost in them like many claim,

I find myself home.”

“Lin...” you breathed, tears springing to your eyes.

“Keep reading.” His soft voice spoke, once again his breath brushed your cheek, which you were sure were on fire.

“When you speak,

I don’t hear a chorus of angels.

I hear someone who’s kind, who’s smart, who’s geniune,

I hear the possible next twenty years or more of my life.

Your touch isn’t light and soft,

It’s strong, yet gentle.

I long to forever slip into your embrace, so that I may not only find myself home, 

But feel home as well.

Your lips aren’t rose petals,

They’re a far rarer flower,

One that only exits in the breathtaking sight that is your face.

Everything about you is rare,

Your entire being, your persona, your light.

Which makes you the most valuable living thing,

The most sought after.

I long to be the richest man alive,

But only because of you.”

When you finished, you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. How could Lin say this was bad? This was...beautiful. Amazing. Incredibly sweet and romantic. 

And he’d written it just for you.

“(Y/N)?” Nervousness had crept back into his tone, and you were sure that if his arms weren’t wrapped around you he’d be messing with his hair.

You shut the laptop, sliding it gently on the floor before turning to face him, positioning yourself once more on his ches, only this time you were facing him. His eyes studied you as if trying to gauge your reaction.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He reached up and brushed a tear from your cheek, his hand lingering on your cheek.

“Lin...” You breathed.

“How was that?” He whispered, biting his lip.

“I think Eliza said it best, you and your words have left me defenseless,” You leaned up, looking at him through your lashes, “And boy,” Before you could overthink it, you pressed your lips against his, a mini-fireworks show exploding at the tension left your body and his arms tightened around you, you were sure you’d never forget the feel or taste of his lips in this moment, “You’ve got me helpless.” You breathed, resting your forehead against his.

“Give me a chance, I promise you you won’t regret it.” This time, he kissed you. The ghost of his lips etched on yours, even when he pulled away for breath.

A relaxed smile spread across your lips. 

“How could I say no to this?”

(A/N: My name isn’t Phillip, I am most definitely not a poet.)