#Is it illegal to pick the lock to my own house?

[nagalias-mindscape]

Friend: Remind me why we're doing this...

Me: Because I'm bored. And just a bit spiteful.

Friend: ... This is your house. We're breaking into your house. From the backyard. We both have keys to this place and go through the front door like normal people.

Me: Where's the fun in that?

Friend: How about not getting the police called on us?

Me: Eh, the neighbors know me. This isn't the weirdest shit they've seen me involved in. Or the strangest time, either.

Friend: Why are we friends, again?

[thatfreshi]

We Never Cease Being Lucky (Astarion x Reader)

TW - anxiety attack

Recommended Song: Renee - Sales

You absolutely adore birthdays. Although, you haven't celebrated yours since you met Astarion on that godforsaken beach. You remember asking when his is, as you do with everyone. He trailed off, distant.

"I... I don't quite remember."

You never asked about it again, but that sadness kept you in a chokehold. How could you go so long without celebrating your birthday? It's not fair, to not be able to celebrate life, to have that ripped away from you.

Once you end your adventures, you buy a house together, free from all the past pains, dancing on hardwood floors far from anything that ever hurt you. You still live in Baldur's Gate though, and you realize something one day while lying in bed.

"Aster, you were born here, right?"

"Of course, never left, well until I was taken."

You smirk, a little plan unfolding in your mind.

"I know what we're going to do this evening."

It's not often you have a suspicious smile across your face. He's curious.

"Well my love, please do tell."

"We're going to break into the courthouse!"

He laughs, sitting up to stretch, letting go of the slumber.

"Adorable. As far as I recall, we're done with our silly little adventures."

You just stare at him, and he realizes you're serious.

"Wait, why do you want to break into the courthouse?"

"It's a secret!"

"I feel as though it's hardly fair to ask for my assistance if you're not even going to tell me why."

"Well, it's for you. You'll see."

"Alright then, I revoke my complaints. Breaking into the courthouse, sounds great."

He used to be a lot more secretive about it, but he loves when you do things on his behalf. You don't often get such an opportunity, but tonight, tonight you finally get to give him something he's been missing for so long. Of course, as long as everything goes to plan. You tell him to grab a few lockpicks, and the two of you head out into the darkness.

"Sooooo, you can't even give me the slightest hint as to what you're up to?"

"Nope, but at least now you know it involves your very own specialty: sneaky criminal activity."

"Now, I think I have quite a few other far more interesting specialties, but I guess I'm just a glorified key to you."

He scoffs.

"No, you're just really good at getting into places quietly, and I think if I did this by myself I'd probably get arrested, and I definitely don't need you bailing me out considering you'd hold it over my head forever."

"Well you're right about that."

You give him a playful shove, and he trips on a loose cobblestone.

"Okay, rude. Maybe I'll turn you in anyways, say you were trying to involve me in some illegal heist against my will."

"But if you do that, you don't get your surprise!"

"Ugh, fine. I'll play along."

You shush him as you get closer to your target. There's a sleeping guard posted outside, one that the two of you successfully sneak past, finding a side entrance.

"Do you have any idea where this door leads?"

"Nope."

You smile at him, and he rolls his eyes.

"You're asking me to open a lock and you have no idea what's behind it? You clearly are not as masterful of a thief as you used to be."

He starts to pick away at the lock anyways.

"Well, I have been in retirement for a little bit."

At the end of your sentence, you hear that final click, and he opens the door. When the two of you get inside, it's pitch black, all the candles and oil lamps burnt out.

"Do you see any signs that say Records?"

"No, what would I possibly want with the city's records?"

"You'll see! Gods, just let me do something nice."

"It seems like I'm doing most of the work so far..."

"It's fine. Once we find the records room I can do the rest. You're just helping."

He can't resist that grin of yours, clearly excited by your mysterious plans. Astarion gives in, sighing as if he's bothered, but the two of you continue to look for the records room. Eventually, you turn a corner to yet another locked door. You bat your eyes at him, and he goes to work once again.

"You owe me after this."

"Please my love, I'm telling you you're gonna be so excited!"

"If you insist my dear."

He gets the second door unlocked, ushering you inside. He casts fire, lighting up a nearby candelabra. You're met with bookshelves stacked high with pieces of paper loosely put together, turning more golden and tattered as you look to your left.

"This is it!"

You immediately start to look at the dates on the records, finding the range of about two centuries ago. Without a care for the organization, you quickly flip through years and years of records, looking for anything that could be a birth record.

"Darling, I thought the point was to sneak in here, not throw papers all over the floor and have someone know we were here."

You ignore him, becoming a little desperate to find what you're looking for. The text is fading on some of these documents, making it hard to know they're not his. He crouches down on the floor beside you, realizing you're stressing out about this unknown objective.

"Hey, hey, Tav. What's wrong?"

You start to tear up a little, thinking this would be so simple, that this stuff wouldn't be so carelessly stacked on shelves.

"I can't- I can't find it."

You throw the stack of papers on the floor, wiping a tear off your cheek.

"I know you're trying to do something nice for me my sweet, but maybe if you told me what you're looking for, I could help you."

You sniffle, trying not to go into a full sob.

"I- I wanted to-"

You choke up, almost unable to speak. He takes your hands in his.

"Breathe Tav, breathe. In, and out."

You listen to him, trying your best to just inhale and exhale. You didn't think this attempt was going to lead to an anxiety attack, but luckily he's dealt with plenty himself. Your breath steadies as you tightly grab his hands.

"Now, what are you looking for?"

"I... I was trying to see if I could find your birth certificate. You know, since we don't know when your birthday is and all, I thought it might be nice to know. I feel so bad, it just passes every year and you're none the wiser."

He's dumbfounded, shock in his eyes, almost a little confused. You were having an anxiety attack just now because you weren't going to find when his birthday is?

"Darling, I... that's very sweet, but nothing worth this much stress. I haven't even thought about it in years."

"Yeah, but I just really love birthdays, and I just wanted a day where we could celebrate you, you know?"

"I appreciate that sentiment, truly, but if we can't find it, it's okay. You tried, and that's enough. Besides, what's the point in keeping something almost three centuries old at this point?"

"I don't know, I thought that was their job, to keep old shit."

You look at the scattered papers, and he follows your gaze. Something catches his eye, a document sitting to your left.

"Wait, look at that one."

You turn, picking up the piece of paper and holding it in the light of the flame.

"Holy shit."

He sits himself on your shoulder, looking at the writing with you.

"Gods, I really am that old."

You smile, another small tear falling.

"Aster, look. It's tomorrow."

He continues to read, eyes crossing the date again.

"We never cease being lucky, do we?"

"No, I guess we don't."

You turn to kiss his cheek, and then roll up the paper, putting it in your bag.

"Wait, you can't just take that!"

"Why not? Means more to us than them."

You simply shrug and he shakes his head, almost in disappointment. You clearly had no intention of making it seem like you weren't here. He doesn't stop you though, as he can't deny he'd like to keep his birth certificate as well.

"Thank you my dear, for always thinking of me."

"There's nothing more important I could think of."

[kisses4kaia]

if you can please do one where charlie gets caught jerking off to pictures of reader 😞🙏🏽

a/n; absofcknlutely i have so many thoughts?? ALSO KEEP THE REQS COMING !!!!! fem reader 💋, 17+ nsfw content .

a picture of me and the thought 📸 - c, walker ,,

time seemed to pass slower than molasses during study hall. it was the last period of the day and there was nothing to do at all.

"you're totally full of shit, kirbs. y/n, don't you think charlie is kind of cute?" jill turned to talk to you. you picked up your head from off the desk and looked at her.

"hm?" you were far too tired to be asked any question right now. jill rolled her eyes. "charlie. do you think he's cute?"

you pondered for a second before giving a small nod of your head. "i think it's the hair, i would love to tug on it" you cracked a half-hearted smile, not wanting to come off as a total bitch.

"ha! see? i told you," jill continued rambling to her blonde friend.

charlie, who sat a few seats behind you, overheard the conversation, and the thought of you pulling on his locks whilst he tasted you, or even got to fuck you flooded his mind.

he felt his pants get tighter and was silently begging for the alarm to ring.

after what seemed like forever, the bell finally sounded and caused an uprising of every student, and the hallways began to fill.

"oh, and don't forget! you have a group project if you're in mrs. smith's class!" the teacher whom was supervising the period called out to the teenagers itching to go home.

you groaned at this. it wasn't too bad, though. jill, kirby, robbie, and charlie were in your group.

"shit, whose place are we going to work on the project at?" kirby spoke as your group assembled around your lockers.

"my place is free tonight. everyone meet at 7?" charlie raised his hand. you nodded. "cool, see you all then." you immediately went for the exit and finally left.

as you dreamt of cotton candy clouds and sugar wafers, you hear a blaring noise from your phone, which lay beside you on your bed.

"fuck!" you immediately scrambled out of bed when you saw the alarm title which read "6:15, meet at charlie's".

he told you guys to meet at 6! you were totally late.

you threw your hair up and tossed on whichever pieces of clothing you could find scattered across your floor.

you did a quick once over in the mirror and realized your choice of clothing was a pair of denim shorts and a low cut crop-top. of course, you pick the sluttiest outfit you possibly could've.

you couldn't be bothered to be bothered about it, so you slipped on your shoes and hurried out of your house.

as you pulled up to charlie's house not even 5 minutes later, you noticed only 1 car in the driveway. weird, where is everybody?

you approached the front door and rang the doorbell. no answer. you softly pressed your knuckles against the door and tapped your fist against the wood. still, no answer.

this was definitely illegal, but you then tried to just.. open the door. when it worked, you cautiously stepped through the frame.

you looked around and tried to find charlie's room.

"charlie?" you called out. again, no answer. this was starting to feel like a game of cat and mouse.

it was then you heard a soft noise from down the hallway.

you approached the door, which was half-cracked open and the sight widened your eyes.

"fuck, y/n... mhm, yeah, don't stop," the words left his lips with unbelievable ease.

he was naked, chest rising and falling as his left hand pumped up and down his length, whilst his right was in front of his face, seemingly holding a polaroid picture.

he didn't own a polaroid camera, but you did. your mind flashed to last year's stab-a-thon, in which you brought your camera and took many pictures of yourself and charlie, and only let him keep one.

it couldn't be. the guy you've been slowly falling for jerking off to the thought of you, the sight of you? no shot.

you were so deep in thought that you didn't even realize that you leaned forward and swung the door wide open. you stumbled into the room, alerting him of your presence

his eyes which were once half-lidded, were now wider than grapefruits. his cheeks flushed a deep maroon.

"y-y/n?! what a-are you doing here?" he immediately went to cover himself up. "uh, it's 6? you said to meet at your place at six?" you said, stifling a laugh.

"7! i said 7!" he exclaimed. oh. you were so tired, you were taking everything anyone said with a general consensus rather than actually retaining it.

"oh. well, um.. pardon me if i read this wrong but, that doesn't change the position we're in, charlie," you hadn't even noticed the heat throbbing in between your legs until you started walking towards the bed.

you sat on the edge, slowly moving to peel his hands off of his crotch. "well, n-no. but-" you cut him off by gently beginning to pet his cock.

"but what? but that you were doing perfectly fine with a picture of me and the thought? right. tell me to stop and i'll stop," you cooed as your hand moved up and down his dick.

he relaxed quickly when you pulled your top off, allowing your breasts to free. he melted into the mattress as you moved to the in-between of his legs.

you moved to allow your mouth onto him, but he stopped you quickly. "wait, wait," he placed his hands on your shoulders, halting your movements.

"what is it, baby?" you sat back, waiting for him to tell you what he wanted. "can you... sit on.. my... face?" he whispered so low that you pretended not to hear it.

"what was that? sorry, i didn't quite catch that," you teased, leaning closer to his face. "can you sit on my face?" he said all at once after a deep breath.

"good boy. yeah, i think i could do that for you," you pressed a small kiss to his lips. his lips chased yours as you pulled away. the whines he elicited were angelic.

you removed all of your other garments and situated yourself above charlie's face, hovering. "ready?" you asked.

wordlessly, he forced your thighs down onto his face. a gasp left your mouth and your hand immediately gravitated toward his hair.

the tug of your hand riveting against his scalp could've made him orgasm untouched. instead, he whimpered against your cunt, which was more like a hum considering you muffled any sound he wanted to make.

his tongue dipped deep into you and explored your walls like his life depended on it. his nose pressed against your clit and an especially loud moan escaped your pretty lips.

you rode his face and desperately chased your high whilst also providing words of praise for the boy beneath you.

it was very soon after that you met it, your release finally washing over you as you let out a relieved sigh.

"fuck, you are so good for me, baby. such a good boy," you praise falling back onto his chest and allowing yourself to see his face.

he was so fucking pretty. every feature looked fucked out and sultry. his lips were pink and plump and his hair stuck to his forehead whilst your arousal dripped down his chin.

the sight was erotic, pornographic, even. "t-thank you," he breathed out, not meeting your line of sight.

a few moments of you catching your breath passed when charlie spoke again.

"shit, it's 6:59!"

[ohmyplasticstars]

HI

If you couldn't tell

I adore Izaack, and since he was unlucky enough to catch my attention.

I have a fuck ton of HCs for him. Some very normal and nice. Others unhinged let's go❤️

1. He's German!

→ Yes I got that hc because of his last name Gauss having German roots. I like it, it fits him, he's lovely. I haven't decided on which part of Germany he hails from though. Maybe somewhere very green, hilly and open

(if Germany has places like that, I don't know much about Deutschland 💔)

2. He can't swear

→ He can swear, he has the knowledge and ability for it, but he is unable because there's some other worldly phenomenon that's specifically targeted him so every time he swears it gets censored in real life, it gets BLEEPED out, offensive gestures also get BLEEPED out like he's on some TV show.

Got that government censorship brain chip on him fr/j

And yes everyone can hear the bleep. It freaks them out every time. Sometimes he'll swear just to make series of BLEEPs because it's funny

Though in general he prefers to not swear at all, because he wants to keep a good reputation. Especially around kids and women. He might swear sometimes if he's trying to add a comical effect to a funny story. His swears get bleeped out still.

3. He's a friend of Dorothy xD

→ Being a friend of Dorothy, is a slang for being gay. Basically people would ask if you're a friend of Dorothy, if you said yes, you're gay. It was a good way to find fellow queers.

He loves Agnus :), they're secretly dating. Gotta keep reputations up you know! Love is nice but being able to pay bills is also nice and not something you can skip on xd. They'd get so bullied and hated for being gay back then augh poor meow meows.

4. He doesn't blink much

→ I like thinking that maybe he doesn't blink a lot, he doesn't need to perhaps. He definitely blinks but people don't ever catch him blinking, even if they did it's probably bumped out of their memory. So there's some small town rumor/joke that Izaack doesn't blink. He does blink if you look at him closely during one of his reports, it's just no one notices because they're just so focused on his blue blue eyes

This is where we get a lil goofy mc silly a little evil if you will

5. He's a paparazzi

→He likes stealing photos of famous people, depending on if he isn't attached to the person (doesn't care for them) and how much money he gets, he is willing to pick doors and climb into windows for that illegal snap.

He mainly just exposes people's secrets for cash. He never reports the secrets himself because that's mighty Sus. He sells his collected data to other reporters who are struggling to find a scoop.

No lock is too much a match for him!

He has had his bad lucks however, sometimes he gets mistaken for a dopple ganger when intruding in a house, which is a good thing otherwise his reputation as a good man would be ruined! Usually he's absolutely seamless, but sometimes he gets caught and even shot (A lot of neighbors own guns for self defense) but he lives he always does

It hasn't stopped him yet

There will be more for next time!!!

[katnisspeetaprim]

Pluto Pt.3

Jungkook/Cat!Hybrid!Reader

Summary: Jungkook deals with the aftermath of you running away. Warnings: Nothing really

Word Count: 2602 M.list

It had been a few days since you came home with Jungkook and though you’ve been settling in well, you’ve yet to actually leave the house. Mainly because you couldn’t face putting that awful collar back on.

Jungkook had also decided to keep Bam away a little while longer, just whilst you get fully settled. He’d also tried to stay home as much as possible with you, but with his job  that wouldn’t always be possible. You still hadn’t listened to his music, and didn’t want to come off as pushy by asking.

One day out of the blue, your heard Jungkook speaking with a voice you didn’t recognise as they entered the apartment and you’d never moved so fast in your life. Before they could leave the hallway, you’d ran and locked yourself in the bathroom and cowered behind the shower curtain.

You could hear them talking to each other but couldn’t make out any words. A knock sounded on the bathroom door, causing you to jump.

‘Hey Y/N it’s just me. I’m sorry if we scared you.’ It was Jungkook speaking softly through the door. You didn’t answer so he spoke again.

‘My friend Tae is here. He’d love to meet you, if you’re up to it?’ You’d love to meet his friend, but you were still too scared to meet someone new, but you didn’t want to let the fear control you anymore.

You jumped up from the tub with the intent of grabbing the handle and proudly showing yourself to them, but as your hand lingered on the handle... You couldn’t do it.

‘He’s not mean Y/N, I promise but it’s ok if you aren’t ready.’ You didn’t reply and backed away from the door. Hearing him sigh behind the door made you well up in tears. He was disappointed in you...

‘Ok... I’ll be back later tonight. Get something to eat, ok?’ His footsteps faded away as he and the unknown voice left the home.

You broke down in tears as soon as he left. You were pitiful and he was already getting fed up of you after only a few days. He couldn’t even have his dog here because of you. You’d leave before he got back tonight. Maybe you could make your own way back to Pluto.

You’d decided to leave everything behind, considering you hardly had any belongings to begin with. Most of what you owned was technically owned by Jungkook. You didn’t even take a jacket and the cold night air was already getting to you. You hugged yourself in an attempt to keep warm, but it wasn’t working too well.

The only thing you’d picked up from the apartment was the temporary collar, which was nestled in your back pocket. You still refused to put it back on.

You had no clue how long you’d been walking, but you were freezing and most certainly lost. You were beginning to panic as you walked down another dark street that you didn’t recognise.

Jungkook had to have been home by now. You wondered what he was thinking right now... was he relieved that you’d left on your own?

You were pulled from your thoughts when flashing lights appeared behind you. You stopped when the car pulled up beside you and two police officers got out.

‘Hey kitty. You don’t have a collar. That’s illegal you know.’ The first officer was an intimidating man. You felt yourself shrink back as he approached.

‘Don’t call her kitty man, have some respect.’ The second officer scolded his partner. The intimidating man grumbled as the softer spoken man smiled kindly to you.

‘Hey there, I’m officer Kim. Do you have a collar at all?’ You eyed him suspiciously but pulled out the collar anyway.

‘This is a temporary collar. Are you newly adopted?’ You nodded in confirmation.

‘She needs to put that on, no exceptions!’ The mean officer grabbed the collar from Kim’s hands and roughly grabbed your shoulder and span you round. You let out a pained yelp and grabbed at your neck when the collar was forced on too tightly.

‘Hey Lee, there’s no need for that.’ Officer Kim shoved Lee away, but he made it clear you needed to keep the collar on. He stormed off and slammed the car door as he got in the drivers seat. Officer Kim sighed and turned back to address you.

‘Why are you out so late, alone?’ You didn’t know what to say. If you told the truth, would Jungkook get in trouble? That’s the last thing you wanted, to cause even more trouble for him.

‘I got lost...’ You whispered, which was half true. Kim nodded in understanding.

‘Do you know the address?’

‘A place called The Hills I think. It’s on my collar...’ You didn’t want to go back, but you were out of options. Officer Kim snickered.

‘The Hills huh? You’ve got some rich owners then.’ You pulled at the restricting collar as he lead you to the car.

Not long later you were back where you started. Officer Lee had insisted he be the one to escort you back to your front door. He gripped your arm tightly as he banged on Jungkook’s door.

Not even a second later, the door swung open and there stood Jungkook. You didn’t have time to take in his expression, before you pulled away from the officer and ran to hide behind Jungkook. The warmth of the home immediatley relieved you from the chill of the outside.

‘Found your pretty kitty wandering the streets. Take better care next time, she wasn’t even wearing a collar.’ With that, he turned and sauntered back down the hall. Jungkook closed the door and span round to face you. It was only now that you saw his dishevelled appearance. His hair was a mess, like he’d been running his fingers though it constantly and his eyes were red and puffy. He’d been crying... Was that because of you?

He lunged forwards and gripped your arms tightly, causing you to gasp out as you didn’t expect this from him.

‘Where were you!? Why did you leave like that!?’ He was yelling and shaking you slightly. Your eyes were wide with fear, unable to bring yourself to say anything.

‘Jungkook! You’re scaring her!’ Another voice spoke up from across the room, though at this moment in time, you didn’t care about the stranger. You only cared about Jungkook and the look that was covering his face.

He was scared, all because of you... Only when the other person spoke up did he realise what he was doing. He almost jumped across the room, shocked with himself.

‘I’m sorry...’ He whimpered and held up his palms to show he meant no harm. His eyes locked onto the collar that once again sat around your neck. Without a word, he reached forwards and undid the clasp.

You felt the immediate relief when the collar was off and no longer squeezing your neck.

‘What the fuck!? How tight did they put that thing?’ Jungkook eyed the red mark on your neck in anger. How dare they hurt you like this?

‘I’ll get some ice!’ It was then that you chanced a glance at the new person in the room. You only caught sight of his back as he hurried away, though from the short interaction just now, he seemed thoughtful.

‘That’s just Namjoon-hyung... My group’s leader.’ Jungkook mumbled and rubbed at his red tired eyes. He flopped down onto the sofa and cradled his head in his hands. You stayed stood in front of him and nervously shuffled from side to side.

‘why did you leave?’ Jungkook suddenly broke the silence with a softer voice this time. He looked up to you with a deep frown. ‘Did I do something wrong? Or are you not happy?’ Your heart shattered when you heard his distraught voice. You’d severely misjudged the situation.

Your ears turned downwards and your tail curled up against your leg, and dread had suddenly overtaken your body.

‘I’m so sorry...’ Jungkook’s face was still morphed with emotion when he looked at you, but before he could reply, Namjoon came rushing back in. You jumped back slightly when he rushed up to you. Old habits die hard. Namjoon caught on and immediately held the ice bag out to you.

‘here, hold it on your neck, or do you want Jungkook to help you?’ He gestured towards the younger boy when he saw you hesitate.

‘N-no. I can do it myself.’ You snatched the bag and winced when the chill hit your skin. You suddenly felt hyper aware of both men’s gaze on you. You blushed slightly and looked away.

‘Can I go to my room please?’

‘Y-yeah. You don’t need to ask.’ Jungkook frowned as he watched you basically run  away. It really seemed like you were back t square one after you’d began to make such good progress.

As soon as they heard the door close, Namjoon immediatley turned towards Jungkook.

‘Kook-‘

‘Don’t say anything hyung, I’m really not in the mood tonight.’ Jungkook rolled his eyes and got up, giving one last stressed wipe over his face with his hand.

‘It’s just... Are you really sure about this? It’s obvious she needs some... extra attention.’ He was trying to be as delicate as possible, so as to not escalate the situation anymore than it already had.

‘I know what I’m doing hyung.’

‘Could have fooled me.’ Namjoon scoffed. Jungkook balled his fists as rage began to build up once again.

‘She was getting better hyung, we were making progress! Then I think I spooked her by bringing Tae here...’ Namjoon was stunned silent by the sudden outburst, not expecting such an emotional response from the usually level headed man.

‘This is all my fault...’ Jungkook trailed off in a whisper.

Namjoon hadn’t been convinced by the whole hybrid situation to begin with. He was sure Jungkook would be over it after a day or two. But looking at him now, he’d been in a panic when he couldn’t find you... He knew he’d already struck a deep bond with you, especially since he was willing to give up whatever free time he had for you.

Jungkook was defeated. He really didn’t know what to do to fix the situation he was sure he caused.

‘Why don’t you talk to her before you jump to conclusions?’ Namjoon hadn’t missed the way you’d hidden behind Jungkook when you’d been bought home, so he knew there must be more at play here.

Namjoon left not long after, knowing that his presence was no longer required, now that you were home and safe.

Jungkook had decided to give you space for the rest of the night, and you would talk in the morning. Though as Jungkook lay in bed, he found himself unable to sleep, still thinking about the days events.

He knew you also weren’t sleeping. The light coming from under your door and the sounds of light shuffling were the give away.

He sat up in bed and let out a deep breath before determinedly walking to your door and knocking.

‘Y/N? I know you’re awake. Do you think we can talk now?’ You were startled by the sudden knock, not expecting to have to face Jungkook till the morning.

You’d been drawing on your tablet when he knocked. Since your first night there, using the tablet to draw was one of your favourite activities to help you relax. You weren’t great right now, having never used one before, but with time you hoped to get better. When you didn’t answer, he continued.

‘I’m coming in, ok?’ You didn’t oppose, just turned back round to face your screen.

‘Oh, are you drawing again?’ He asked curiously and came up behind you, placing his hand on the back of your chair.

‘Hey that’s pretty good! You’re getting better with this thing already!’

‘I’m doing what you said and making art for your walls.’ He laughed lightly and couldn’t help but smile.

‘Awesome! I’ll make sure to get some good frames then!’ You were both quiet for a moment as he watched you work over your shoulder.

‘Can we talk about why you left now?’ He looked at you expectantly, not wanting to take no for an answer. Your eyes darted away nervously. You knew you didn’t have a choice but to confess you feelings to him. It was either that or let him be miserable until you went to him on your own.

‘I know you regret adopting me.’ You mumbled, trying to hold back tears as you focused on the tablet in front of you. Jungkook stood up straight and stared down at you. He couldn’t believe the words that came out of your mouth. His own mouth just hung open, unable to form words.

‘I know you’re annoyed I won’t meet your friends, or that you can’t have your dog here...’ The tears were now rolling down your cheeks, but you didn’t want to look at him, so you continued drawing, despite your hand shaking like crazy.

After a moment, Jungkook reached out and placed his hand over yours, stopping your movements. He kneeled down next to your chair, looking up at you.

‘Hey, look at me.’ You looked over through a curtain of your hair.

‘I need you to understand that I don’t regret anything when it comes to you.’ Jungkook was desperate. He wanted you to see that he really did want you here. You sniffled and pushed your hair behind your ear.

‘What about your friends? Or dog?’

‘We’ll go at your pace!’ He immediately jumped in. ‘I’ll make sure you know before anyone comes over so you can choose what to do, and Bam can come back when you’re more settled!’ He stood up and gently started to pet the sensitive ears on top of your head. You bowed your head to allow him better access, silently enjoying the contact.

‘Are you sure I’m not in trouble?’

‘1000% You’re not.’ With that, you leaned forwards in your chair to wrap your arms round his waist and cry into his stomach.

‘It’s ok. You’re ok.’ He whispered softly as he continued to pet your head.

‘Can I sleep in bed with you tonight?’ Jungkook’s hand stilled on your head and he was hesitant to say yes. He didn’t have any intentions, but he didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable or pressured by sharing a bed with him...

‘I just don’t want to be alone...’ You trailed off, looking up to him with sad eyes.

Jungkook sighed. He couldn’t say no to those eyes.

‘Ok. If that’s what you want, I don’t mind.’

Jungkook had fallen asleep some time ago, laying on his back and head tilted to the side. You lay in the dark room, staring at him from your position on the bed. Just now was the first time you’d gotten to properly look over your ‘owner.’ He had a handsome face, that much was obvious, but what really intrigued you was the tattoo’s that covered his right arm.

You couldn’t stop your fingers from reaching out and tracing over the delicate lines on his skin. You reached his hand and you could just about make out the words on his knuckles in the darkness. ARMY.

You frowned, not knowing what the word could mean to him.

You snuggled up against his arm an closed your eyes. Tomorrow you would look him up and finally find out who he really was.

[greaseonmymouth]

It is not 7 am anymore but top 5 books read this year? 😄

I have read 44 books so far this year and most of them were very good so I don't know how I'm supposed to pick just 5 :'''D

in reverse chronological order

THE DEATH I GAVE HIM - EM X. LIU

this is an utterly unhinged locked room sci-fi murder mystery retelling of Hamlet in which Horatio is an AI and he and Hamlet have a deeply co-dependent and sexual relationship. This book is exactly the kind of thing tumblr would eat up with a spoon, so tumblr pls get on this. The basic plot is: a deeply depressed and suicidal Hamlet (Hayden) is working on a formula that can make one immortal. He is obsessed with beating death. Then his dad is murdered and the labs go on lockdown and more people die because *gestures* Hamlet is Hamlet even when his name is Hayden, and Horatio the AI does his best to keep Hamlet alive and also be a voice of reason except he's too biased. By happenstance I had read this Hamlet/Faust crossover fic (Hemlock & Wine) before reading this book, and in this fic Hamlet is obsessed with necromancy and Horatio is trying to save him. it set the mood nicely. 

You know how in Hamlet everyone dies and at the end Horatio is the only one alive with Hamlet dead in his arms? What if I told you in this book it's reversed?

WILD AND WICKED THINGS - FRANCESCA MAY

Dark, witchy, historical fantasy - set after WW1 on a fictional island off the Yorkshire coast, very 20s glam with a dark undercurrent. Witchcraft is banned, but Annie is a witch. when her father dies she inherits his house on Crow Island and goes over there to sort that out and rents a house next to what turns out to be a Den of Iniquity, not just because of the lavish parties with illegal (magical) substances but because it's queer. Then follows a dark plot involving a blood debt and necromancy and power hungry men (well, one power hungry man) and fragile old and new relationships and dark secrets and also Annie and Emmeline get accidentally magically bonded to each other (but also are in love/lust with each other) and look, I could not stop reading. 

DRAGONFALL - L.R. LAM

listen I LOVE dragon books and I've read and loved everything L.R. Lam has written so when I heard an epic dragon fantasy was coming? I WAS STOKED. this is the first in I think a trilogy and it ticks all my boxes:

sentient dragons with their own history, language, society, etc

sexy dragons?? i didn't realise i needed sexy dragons until I read Aliette de Bodard's Dominion of the Fallen trilogy or the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman, but hey. SEXY DRAGONS

queernorm world! our second protag Arcady is nonbinary and uses any pronouns, thank u for your service L.R. Lam

very cool world building and magic system 

BETRAYAAAALLL 

I can't wait for book 2

PORTRAIT OF A THIEF - GRACE D. LI

look this post will explain everything. suffice to say: pretentious college students steal priceless art.

THE BEAUTIFUL ONES - SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA

This is a kind of historical romance but it's fantasy and it doesn't follow conventional romance novel structure (I was SO nervous it wouldn't end happily because I didn't know what to expect from the narrative I was being given, but THANK GOD IT DID). it's very fantasy of manners. it makes a lot of pointed commentary about colonialism and colourism. it's absolutely lush. I love this book a lot, it was so engaging and gripping. the characters are allowed to be flawed and assholes and complex and weak and kind - it's very similar to sprawling historical/saga books with a large cast of people with conflicting wants and needs and scheming and tragedy and love and all that, but distilled into a neat compact package focusing on three people. It's not a long book, it's quite a slim volume for what it is, but it's perfectly paced so you don't notice that you're not actually reading a 900 page family saga.

other standalones I read this year that I think are WELL worth reading:

CAMP DAMASCUS - CHUCK TINGLE

YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY - AKWAEKE EMEZI

YELLOWFACE - R.F. KUANG

HONOURABLE MENTIONS GO TO:

two series I read this year that I also absolutely loved

THE SEVEN DEVILS DUOLOGY - ELIZABETH MAY & L.R. LAM

you know this post right?

[image id: post by worflesbian on july 4 saying 'sci fi is when women in tank tops are covered in grease and sweat and are shouting at people and racing against time to save lives' reblogged by leafcrunch on july 13 with a screenshot addition of the tag #half a jumpsuit!!! you forgot half a jumpsuit!!!!']

this is that series. it is rebels in space overthrowing an evil space empire. it's all the worst bits of imperialism and colonialism and patriarchy distilled into one evil empire and all the best bits of firefly and star wars distilled into the rebellion. there are cool scifi science bits. this would be amazing as a two season series by competent tv makers, it's very cinematic in scope, but the characters are what give this life.

THE WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY - KATHERINE ARDEN

this is a family saga of a kind, set in medieval Russia during a time when Russia was being Christianised. I don't know how to explain this series because it's so complex and so rich. There is a main character - Vasya - but other characters also get POV sections. the first book takes quite a while before we even get to Vasya in 'the present' so to speak, this is a trilogy that isn't afraid of taking its time to tell a story. Vasya is a witch who can see/communicate with Russian 'folklore' spirits, these spirits are fading with the coming of Christianity. There is an unhinged priest, the winter king Morozko whom Vasya has an intense relationship with, Vasya's brother (a monk, based on a real person), Vasya's sister (married to the Tsar, a real person), and just...god, I don't know. I loved everything about this trilogy, the way it humanised historical figures, the way it didn't demonise either the folklore spirits (who are allowed to be non-human beings devoid of human morality! so refreshing) or the Christians, but rather conveyed how a time of upheaval like this had to have been very scary and tumultous. an absolute treat.

I did also read the entire Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles including the spinoffs, which I really enjoyed.

[enkisstories]

Things never turned out the way you expected... Apparently that was true not only for the movies, but also the real world.

Just when Finn was about to carefully open the window to make his escape, two uniformed cops and a man in street clothes, who seemed to be the small group's leader, approached the Anderson house.

How much trouble would Mr. Anderson be in, Finn wondered? Probably none at all. Anderson had let slip something about "before I have to see you at my workplace" earlier, so he would be in a law enforcement related career, anything from a social worker to the High Judge of Michigan.

And indeed, turned out the man in street clothes was a detective, who had come to pick up his partner for an emergency.

Finn overheard it standing just outside the bedroom door, from where he also heard Anderson's reply.

Gavin: "Oh-kay, Hank. So you cannot come to the crime scene, because you have an illegal imigrant in the house, who is some kind of math prodigy because he programmed missiles from the age of three in whatever banana republic he comes from.

Can I borrow him, maybe, when next time I have to do an investigation while having a fever?"

Hank: "I assure you I'm not making this up, Gavin!"

Finn: "I assure you he isn't making this up, detective."

Gavin: "I didn't contest the fact, I just hate how things always fall in place in your favor!"

Finn: "I could come with you to the crime scene. I promise I won't touch anything."

Gavin: "Ey, why not? How about it, Hank? We could tell the tin cans that Fowler forced on us to keep an eye on the civillian, thus neatly keeping them off our backs."

Hank: "Hear, hear, who has discovered critical thinking skills!"

Hank: "I think a buffer between me and Gavin would do us good. And the case, too. You up to it? There are seven dollar in for you, if I can persuade Jeff that this favor equaled an hour of police auxiliary service."

Finn: "Yeah. Sounds good."

Gavin: "But keep in mind that what you'll get to see won't be pretty."

Finn: "If I tell you about all the shit I've seen, you'll run into your own holding cell and lock the door behind you so that nobody can hear you cry, detective."

Gavin: "It's Reed."

Finn: "Er, Finn."

Hank: "Okay, I'll go change."

[smokeygrayrabbits]

I have no explanation for this, but it needs to be out of my notes app.

I've been thinking about modern au trigun. stampede specifically but take your pick.

just . . . divorced dad vibes older brother knives trying to spoil the heck out of tiny little broke vash who is moved out on his own and is also really bad at money

like,,,, maybe SEEDS was a cutting edge tech company from forever ago. maybe vash and knives are still immortal, and so when the giant rich company that raised them (experimentation? adoption? who knows.) went under after a massive fire, vash and nai saverem inherit everything. but it's locked away until they turn 18 because idk bank stuff or something, so they're functionality broke, homeless orphans for a while. maybe vash lost his arm in the fire or something. maybe the sold it for parts idk.

little genius babies become the only plant engineers in the world overnight, with plants having been a new cutting edge technology only in development by the seeds corporation. baby nai starts inventing stuff and maybe becomes a mob/cult boss or something and drags them out of poverty.

nai wants to get back to the tech industry luxury and rebuild, vash has fallen in love with humanity and life and wants to live with the people and be part of society.

they grow up. nais doing some sketchy stuff and is now the head of his own company. vash is,,, idk college maybe? couch surfing? NO I GOT IT! HES LIVING OUT OF A VAN!!! for fun, but also because it's how he grew up and he feels most at home on the road not in the big empty house where nai is never home.

nai is very exasperated by his brothers lifestyle choices, but also very over protective, so he's always sending vash fancy expensive things and making sure vash has connections wherever he goes.

also!! vash wasn't/isn't oblivious to nais illegal dealings. he helped him run the mob for years when they were younger, but never liked the violent side of it

he mostly delt with like, maintaining relationships between smaller local gangs and organizations in other cities, all of whom adore the funky lil baby who would come visit them and consult on their crimes

so yeah. rich people wanna be the saverems, and crimy broke people love them! (because of course any mob partially run by vash would take care of the community). nai makes a point of bringing people from his illegal buissness into his fully legal and very profitable professional one, mostly at vash's request and recommendation.

after a while of this, vash is like "I wanna see the world!! :D".

nai is very worried about this. his baby brother is leaving the nest!!! nai knows how dangerous the world is, heck, he runs half the danger! but vash is stubborn AF so he goes on tour.

probably ends up meeting Meryl and wolfwood and Roberto and/or Milly somewhere along the line, all of whom are very confused about the rich tech mogul who lives in a van and eats packaged ramen with wagyu beef. Meryl smells a story. Roberto smells a rat. wolfwood is a simp.

shenanigans ensue.

throw in a little livio tried to steal from one of nais operations, and to work it off wolfwood took the fall and now has to babysit vash.

nai looked at wolfwood and was like "ah yes, protective big brother, knows how to do hard things for the greater good. he will be good to teach vash the importance of sacrifice" or something, but then on their first time meeting wolfwood watched vash bribe a cop, threaten a mob boss, and inhale a whole box of really shitty gas station donuts within like 2 hours and was head over heels immediately.

at some point, nai gets kidnapped or something and is freaking out about who will look after vash now, only for vash to come in and save the day really epically

nai remains in denial and sobs all over him.

nai also totally like, flys his private jet out to wherever vash is when he's having a bad day because he's a fraud and is actually just as big of a baby as vash is

after wolfwood and vash get over their inevitable idiots to lovers arc, wolfwood will randomly wake up on the floor of their little van bed to find that nai kicked him out in the middle of the night with no warning that he was gonna show up

nai sends them anniversary or holiday gifts and vash gets like, a truckload of super expensive currated stuff and wolfwood gets a handful of Cheerios nai found a pigeon eating on the subway that's shaped like a middle finger or something

or like, a half eaten hotpocket

motherfucker would give wolfwood a half eaten cup of instant noodles

or just the empty styrofoam cup which nai saw a pigeon eating, it reminded him of wolfwood, so he went over to personally wrestle the cup away from the winged rat. in a buissness suit. in the middle of the day. it was videoed, which then went viral.

sticky note on top "happy holidays fuck you wolfwood"

that link was the best present Wolfwoof ever got. he teared up a little.

vash was touched by the amount of effort nai put into wolfwoods present. he did it personally Nick! that means he likes you!

wolfwood does not believe it for a second.

[maria021015]

Zaida knew what she was doing was illegal, but her heart raced for an entirely different reason as she pressed her foot down harder upon the accelerator of her car. Her hair whipped around her face as the cold night air rushed through the half-open windows. The streetlight and trees outside blurred past as she sped through the suburbs, headed straight for the Stilinski household. The glowing numbers on the dashboard read well past midnight, and she hoped that meant that the majority of the cops on duty would be at the station and not on the streets.

“Stiles!” She breathed a short sigh of relief as he answered her second attempt at calling him. “What’s going on right now? And don’t even try to tell me ‘nothing’, because I felt it.”

“Z-Zaida?” The boy’s shivering voice was a soft whisper interrupted by sobbing. He sounded pained and scared and it only pushed the brunette to push the pedal to the metal. Her car swerved in and out of the opposite lane as she struggled to keep control of the vehicle.

“Stiles, where are you?” She questioned, desperate to get to him. “Are you at home?”

“I-I don’t know…I don’t know where I am. My leg…My leg is bleeding.” The boy whimpered and a jolt of potent panic ran through Zaida. If he was injured, his movement would be limited. “My leg is bleeding. I can’t…Zay, I can’t talk. My phone’s gonna die. I have to go. Just...plea-please find me...”

“No, wait, don’t hang up! I need to know-” She cried out but the line already went silent as the call ended. With one hand gripping the wheel with tight knuckles, the other dialled Stiles’ number on her phone in her lap once more, then pressed it to her ear.

“Come on, Stiles, pick up!” She hissed, sucking in a deep breath in an attempt to wash away the heavy dread that had settled in her chest, but it did nothing to help. That feeling was relentlessly clawing at her insides but she knew this time it was all her own. She’d woken to that very same feeling of crippling anxiety and fear, only for the connection between her and Stiles to swiftly drop out once more. She didn’t know what was going on, but no matter how hard she’d tried to reach out and find him, his door in her mind was locked shut. No amount of pounding against the wooden structure made it even so much as budge.

The phone call did not even ring out and Stiles’ voicemail buzzed in her ears as she groaned loudly, throwing her phone onto the passenger's seat in frustration. The first time she’d called the line had been occupied, and now it appeared his phone was dead. She knew it meant that it was no longer possible to track the device.

“Fuck!” Slamming her hand down on the wheel, her nerves jittered as she took a sharp turn onto the Stilinskis’ street. She didn’t bother parking properly - one tyre was up on the curb and the other stuck far out from it, but Zaida couldn’t give a damn.

Her heart sank even more when he noticed that the boy’s powder blue Jeep was missing from the driveway of the house, slimming her already abysmal chances of finding him here. Launching herself out of the vehicle, she ran up the driveway and pushed on the front door only to find it was unlocked. It complied against her touch, swinging open and allowing her inside the house. That couldn’t be good.

“Stiles?!” Screaming out his name into the darkness, she took the stairs two at a time, not caring if his father would be woken up by her. She’d been too frantic to even check if the man’s squad car was parked out front. “Stiles?!”

Rushing into his room, her feet came to a complete stop when she took in the state of the place. Stiles’ murder board was overflowing from its borders, covering the room with pictures and articles pinned with dozens of lines of red string all converging in the centre of his bed, tied around a pair of scissors that was stabbed deep into the mattress. “What the hell?” Zaida mumbled, her muscles stiffening in shock that overpowered the disappointment at Stiles’ absence from the room.

“Our question exactly,” A deep voice drawled from behind her. She whirled to find Aiden and Lydia standing beside the door.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Zaida’s eyes narrowed at the wolf, but her question was directed at her best friend. “With you?”

“Calm down, I was just using him as a model for my art project,” Lydia rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “You felt something happen?”

“Yeah, he was scared out of his mind.” Zaida nodded, dropping the issue for now. There were more pressing matters at hand. “You heard something?”

“Yeah, Stiles’ voice telling me to come find him.” The redhead pursed her lips. Their conversation was cut short by another two people entering the bedroom. Isaac stood with a confused frown on his face behind Scott, whose brown eyes darted between the three of them and the web of red string stretching all over the place in what appeared to be ordered chaos. Each line was placed with purpose and there had to be meaning in the strange and unsettling display.

“How did you know? Did he call you, too?” Scott asked them. Ah, so that was who Stiles was on the phone with when she couldn’t reach him the first time she’d called.

“I felt it,” Zaida answered in the simplest of terms.

“I heard it.” Lydia followed suit.

“Don't ask,” Aiden advised the boys dryly. “It gets more confusing when you ask.”

“Okay…” Isaac agreed with a nod and Zaida took the opportunity to step closer, inspecting the papers lining the walls to find that a lot of it was scrawled in Stiles’ messy handwriting. Some papers were recounts of strange recent events, and others were just a few words sprawled across the page.

Irritability. Sleepwalking. Insomnia. Night terrors. Blackouts. Hallucinations? Unable to tell dreams from reality.

“Not as confusing as this.” Lydia pointed out the scissors that acted as an anchor for the rainbows of red string. “He uses red for unsolved cases…”

“Maybe he thinks he's part of an unsolved case?” Aiden suggested with a lazy shrug.

“Or is an unsolved case?” Isaac added, stepping up beside Zaida to look at what she was looking at.

“You’re right. All of you,” Zaida answered all of their questions, gesturing to the different papers as she walked around the room. “These are all his symptoms…things that have been happening lately - unexplained things. Like the appearing and disappearing key, the glowing chemicals, the message on the board in his handwriting telling Barrow to kill Kira, the prank on Coach matching Barrow’s shrapnel bomb.”

“Hold on - is he still out there?” Lydia whirled to face Scott. “You don't know where he is?”

“He said that he was in an industrial basement somewhere.” The werewolf explained what was said on the phone call.

“We came here to get a better scent,” Isaac added, then glancing at Zaida expectantly. “Can’t you find him?”

“No, it’s like he’s shut me out,” She shook her head sombrely, a stab of pain twisting her guts at the loss of connection to the boy. “I can’t feel him anymore.”

“What else did he say?” The redhead asked Scott, hoping that more context might give them some clues as to where he could be.

“Something's wrong with his leg - it's bleeding.” He grimaced and Zaida felt as though she was going to be sick. Stiles was out there somewhere, injured, and she had no way of checking that he was even still alive. What if that was why his door was stuck shut? Had he fallen unconscious from the blood loss? There were too many questions and not nearly enough answers for her liking.

“And he's freezing.” Isaac chimed in once more, but Zaida didn’t need the wolf to tell her that for her to know it was true. If Stiles was out there barefoot and in just a t-shirt he could already be hypothermic.

“Tonight's the coldest night of the year.” Zaida was caught off guard when Aiden actually sounded genuinely worried. “It's going to drop into the twenties.”

“What did his dad say?” Lydia wondered if maybe the Sheriff had a way of finding the boy that they hadn’t yet thought of.

“We kind of...We didn't tell him yet.” Scott winced, knowing the reaction he was about to receive.

“What the hell?!” Zaida exclaimed loudly in outrage.

“Stiles is bleeding and freezing and you didn't call his dad?” The redhead stared at them with credulousness in her voice.

“He made me promise not to!” Scott defended himself, having not wanted to worry the man if it could be avoided. “We can find him by scent. If he was sleepwalking, he couldn't have gotten far, right?”

“You didn't notice his Jeep is gone, did you?” Aiden sighed and Zaida couldn’t handle the swirling anxiousness in her chest, resorting to pacing up and down to relieve some of her nervous energy. Five things…

“You promised you wouldn't call his dad - I didn't.” Lydia highlighted the loophole, reaching into her pocket for her phone. Four things…

“Wait, Lydia! Hold on - I can get more help. I can call Derek, Allison-” Scott listed names but neither of the girls in the room were impressed.

“Everyone except for the cops. Great idea!” Lydia scoffed. Three things…

“You guys remember she only gets these feelings when someone's about to die, right?” Even Aiden rose to the redhead’s defence.

“Don’t remind me,” Zaida let out a shaky breath, rubbing at her pounding temples to release some of the tension there. “Scott, I know you don’t want Sheriff to worry, but he needs to know. He can help us.”

“You don't have to call his dad.” Scott yielded, knowing they were all right about this one. “It's five minutes to the station.”

“We'll catch up.” Lydia nodded for them to go, volunteering to stay behind.

“What? Why?” Scott’s brows drew together in confusion.

“There's something here…” The redhead muttered, her green eyes still shifting from object to object across the room.

“Yeah, evidence of total insanity.” Isaac snorted and the brunette beside him knocked into him sharply with her hip.

“Not helping,” Zaida glared at the boy and he - smartly - shut up.

“We can figure out what's wrong with him after we find a way to keep him from freezing to death.” Scott attempted to get Lydia to come with them, but the redhead stood her ground.

“Go.” She insisted stubbornly. “We'll be right behind you.”

“You coming?” Isaac asked Zaida but she shook her head in response.

“I’m gonna stay with Lydia. Maybe she can find something here that’ll help us find him. Not much use at the moment, but I still have my brain.” She reasoned. “Please, just, keep me updated?”

“Will do,” Isaac pulled her into a tight yet brief hug before he and Scott left, able to easily pick up on how heavily this was affecting her.

“So what do we do? How do we trigger your Banshee powers to give us answers?” Aiden asked the redhead once the others were gone.

“We can’t,” Zaida answered for her best friend, who smiled at her gratefully as she took a seat on the edge of Stiles’ bed. “The only thing we can do is wait for it to come to her.”

“Anything yet?” Zaida huffed, looking at Lydia from where she was hanging upside down off Stiles’s bed.

"Maybe if you stopped asking me that, my answer would change," The redhead shook her head in frustration, still concentrating and hoping something would happen.

“What the hell is this?” Aiden lifted up a picture frame that was propped up on the boy’s bookshelf, flashing it to both of the girls.

“It’s a cake,” Lydia answered simply, blinking at the photograph inside. Zaida shot straight up at her words, hopping off the bed and crossing the room to see what they were talking about.

“It looks like a pile of shit,” Aiden wrinkled his nose at it and Zaida snatched the frame out of his hands with a sharp glower.

“It’s clearly a porcupine,” Lydia rolled her eyes at the werewolf and Zaida’s lips pulled into an involuntary smile when she realised that Stiles had taken a photo of the cake she had made for his birthday. Two slices were missing from the bottom left, telling her he’d taken the photo when he’d gotten home after school that day.

“It’s Chewbacca!” The brunette identified and they both stared at her as if she’d grown two heads.

“Gesundheit,” Aiden mumbled and she narrowed her eyes at him darkly.

“I didn’t sneeze, it’s a character from Star Wars you uncultured swine.” Zaida snapped, her heart melting when she looked at the image once more.

“Are you sure though? How can you really tell?” Aiden tilted his head horizontally to look at it from a new angle.

“Because I made it you jackass!” She whacked him across his bicep with the picture before placing it back where they’d found it on the shelf. “I can’t believe he framed this.”

“And I can’t believe you two still aren’t together yet,” Lydia drawled sarcastically, poking fun at her best friend.

“They’re not?” Aiden’s head whipped towards the redhead in surprise. “Then what was all that dancing about at Danny’s party.”

“Sexual frustration,” Lydia shrugged and Zaida’s face flushed red at the girl’s candor, her jaw dropping open.

“I think we all have more pressing issues to worry about than Stiles and I’s relationship - or lack thereof.” She raised a brow at both of them pointedly, her phone buzzing in her pocket distracting her from the discussion.

“You got the messages too?” Lydia questioned, already looking at her phone screen.

“Stiles’ Jeep has been found outside the hospital with the battery dead.” Zaida nodded, reading the first text aloud.

“Nothing at hospital. Derek headed to high school. Isaac going to find Allison." Lydia continued, swiping through her notifications. “...And, Scott's with the Sheriff.”

“And we're standing in a bedroom staring at the walls,” Aiden spoke dryly, running his fingers along one of the lengths of string before plucking it with a twang. Even Zaida couldn’t help but snort in agreement. She had faith in Lydia, but her powers were unpredictable at best. Waiting around when everyone else was out there doing something now felt a bit like a colossal mistake.

“What did you just do? Did you touch one of the strings?” Lydia whirled, her hair whipping about as she spun to face the wolf.

“...Maybe.” Aiden frowned as he stepped away, thinking that he had done something he wasn’t meant to.

“What did that sound like to you?” The girl questioned, green eyes widening in a manner that told Zaida she was onto something.

“...Like a string being pulled?” The werewolf answered with uncertainty.

“You didn't hear people whispering?” Lydia spoke softly, her head tilting as she slowly approached Stiles’ bed.

“I definitely didn't hear people whispering.” Aiden shook his head looking to Zaida for her answer.

“Me neither,” She confirmed in the barest of hisses, not wanting to disturb the silence while she watched Lydia pinch a red string between her fingers, pull it and then release it. The redhead leaned closer, pressing her ear towards it.

“You didn't hear that?” She asked, her lips pressing together in apprehension and slight fear of her own abilities.

“Lydia, I'm not sure anyone hears what you hear.” Aiden retorted somewhat abrasively.

“Lyds, what do you hear?” Zaida prompted her best friend to speak, her body stiffening in anticipation.

“They're whispering...Something about a house…” Lydia answered, her eyes following the string she had plucked to an image pinned on the wall.

“What house?” Aiden asked, but Zaida already knew the answer, even without seeing the image up close.

“Eichen House,” The brunette answered with a grim expression. Of course, there was yet another connection between Barrow and Stiles. “It's the mental health centre William Barrow, the Shrapnel Bomber, was committed to.”

“That's where he is,” Lydia stated confidently. “That's where Stiles is.”

“They’re here,” Zaida breathed a sigh of relief, hugging herself for more warmth as she waited beside Lydia and Aiden at the entrance to Eichen House. Three squad cars pulled up over the crunching gravel, blinding them momentarily until the lights and sirens turned off and Sheriff Stilinski climbed out of the driver’s side of one of the vehicles. Scott was right behind him as they hurried over to where they stood before the looming rusted iron gate to the mental institution.

“Lydia, I don't want to say, ‘are you sure about this’, but…?” The man winced as he addressed the girl. There was a desperation behind his eyes and concern in the lines of his face.

“No - he's here. I swear to God he's here.” The girl insisted and Noah nodded, leading them in through the gate, and then inside large wooden entry doors and over to the front service desk.

“I need access to all basement rooms in this facility.” The Sheriff flashes his badge to the man behind the counter, slipping a paper warrant through the gap in the perspex window separating them.

They were led by a man in what looked like a nurse’s uniform through dark and winding corridors. Eichen House looked as though it was once a family estate - a huge mansion that had been repurposed as a medical facility over a hundred years ago, based on the dated architecture. There was something about it that sent ghostly fingertips dancing along Zaida’s spine. Something that felt a lot like that night at Glen Capri. They walked silently past a winding staircase and through more hallways until they came to a corridor with a single heavy door at it’s end.

“It’s here. It’s right here.” Lydia urged them towards the dead-end. The worker unlocked it for them, and Sheriff’s Stilinski’s torch light beamed into the thick and musty darkness on the other side. They ventured within, quickly hurrying down the steps into the cold and industrial-looking concrete basement. It sounded like the exact place Stiles had described to Scott.

“Stiles?!” Lydia called out into the blackness, and they all shone their torches around the place, over box-filled shelves, an old, dusty couch, and an otherwise empty basement.

“Lydia...?” Scott looked to the redhead for answers, all of their hopes of finding Stiles here deflating.

“He’s not here,” Zaida swallowed thickly, her voice trapped in her throat as her insides churned and her chest burned. They were wrong, and they had wasted so much time - time they couldn’t afford to lose.

“I don't get it. This has to be it.” She muttered almost frantically, eyes glimmering with tears of frustration in herself.

“Then where is he, huh? Where is he?” Noah whispered, his face crumbling as his composure fell apart. He whipped around to face Lydia in a wave of anger, his volume rising. “Where is he?”

The redhead flinched, taking a step backwards instinctively as tears started to fall. Her heart ached with guilt at the sight of the man who wanted nothing more than to find his son. “It’s not her fault,” Zaida defended her friend, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “This stuff isn't really an exact science.”

“I'm sorry…” Noah shook his head at himself for lashing out, running his hands through his cropped brown hair, the same way Stiles would.

“There’s no scent,” Aiden pointed out from the other side of the room. “He hasn’t been here.”

“I don't understand…I’m so sorry, Zaida.” Lydia murmured to herself as the others began to climb the stairs, leaving.

“Don’t be stupid, I know you were trying your best,” The brunette shook her head at her best friend, appreciating that all of her efforts had been in an attempt to help. Zaida gave the room one final sweep with her flashlight before she turned away from it.

The redhead looked at her with hope that Zaida had found something they’d missed. “You okay? What is it?”

“Something's not right with this place…” The brunette shook her head, her voice echoing off the walls. Something didn’t feel right at all. There was a palpable energy that she couldn't explain.

“Guys!” Scott came rushing back in, holding the door open to urge the dawdling girls to pass through. “Mom just messaged - they found him.”

“Oh, thank God,” A shaky breath of relief escaped Zaida’s lips as the tension of the night left her body. Her shoulders sagged as Lydia gripped her hand, tugging her forward. They found him. He was going to be okay.

[banannabethchase]

Hello!! It’s me again. Would you write (even) more for the Fragile Invincibility au? I’d accept anything but specifically love to read the first time hangman takes the baller club boys to watch a match!! Thank you so much for every fic ✨

Backyard Wrasslin' - also on AO3

~

A "The Fragile Invincibility of Youth" story

Adam invites Matt, Kenny, and Nick to one of his wrestling shows. Mox is baffled.

~

Note: Teenagers are referenced having sex. They are both 18, committed relationship, nothing onscreen, all fade to black YA type vibes.

I...maybe have gone overboard on this prompt fill. I hope you enjoy!.

~

"You invited the Baller Club to a match?!" Mox asks. He's got his shirt off and belt undone. "And you decided to mention this right before we have sex?"

Adam, who's brain is decidedly not working right, nods. "Uh. Yeah?"

"They're gonna freak out," Mox says. "They're gonna think I'm actually trying to kill you."

"They won't - come back!" Adam grabs at Mox's belt loops. "I don't know why I brought it up. Take your pants off, I don't - come back."

Mox rolls his eyes. "Okay, yes, because I can't say no to you, but you'll explain yourself later."

"Explain myself la- what am I, your student?"

Mox grins at him. "I mean. We could play that."

"I'm going to kiss you so you shut up," Adam deadpans.

~

They're making their way into the kitchen when Mox grabs Adam's arm and pushes him against the wall. "Wait a second."

"Again?!" Adam giggles. "My parents are going to be home in, like, five minutes."

"Your hair's all messed up," Mox says, fiddling with Adam's hair.

Adam slaps his fingers away. "I - let me fix it. Get off."

"Already did that!"

Adam laughs as he steps into the bathroom. He ties his hair back in a quick bun, adjusts his shirt, and steps back out. "So - "

"So you invited your ex and your annoying friends to our match tonight," Mox says. He doesn't look angry, at least, so Adam thinks that's a small win.

"I can tell them no if you don't want them there," Adam says. He drops onto the couch, pulling his backpack toward him with his foot. He briefly worries Mox won't join him, but then he's there, snuggled up next to Adam like a puppy. “Seriously.”

“No, I just want to make sure they know I’m not actually hurting you.” He looks up at Adam, frowning. “As much as I’m glad you’re all friends again, I’m still a little worried they’re looking for an excuse to kill me.”

“They won’t kill you,” Adam says, running his fingers through Mox’s hair. He’d grown it out over the winter, bringing back the soft locks Adam had originally fallen in love with. The blue was new, though. He and Willow match now. “And if they do, I’ll kill them back so I can use their blood to resurrect you.”

“I need you to stop watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Mox laughs, but he curls into Adam’s lap and falls asleep while Adam completes his Chemistry homework.

~

“Okay, I know I haven’t called you in, like, years, but I have no idea where to go, and I think I’m being followed by a white van, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to kill Nick and Kenny, so where the hell am I supposed to go?!”

Adam pulls the phone away from his face as Matt rants. “Um,” he says. “Are you – where are you?!”

“I don’t know!” Matt wails. “There’s a blue house with, like, pride flags everywhere?”

“Okay, you’re close!” Adam jogs past the ring and parking lot, then dashes out to the road. “Do you see me?” He waves his free hand. “I’m waving. Do you see me?”

Making what is probably a highly illegal u-turn in the middle of the road, a car that is highly familiar zooms toward him and slows only to turn into the dirt road. Matt, looking haggard and confused, is behind the wheel.

“When I tell you these two can’t even read an effing GPS, I’m not kidding.” Matt exhales, blowing his hair out of his eyes. “Where do I go next?”

“Follow me.”

Adam jogs as Matt follows him, and guides Matt into a parking space he’s pretty sure Matt won’t be able to back out of on his own. He waits a little awkwardly as Matt picks his way around the puddles of mud.

“This place is a mess,” he says, grabbing Adam’s arm as he leaps over a puddle.

Adam shrugs as Kenny and Nick, a little less delicately, make their way around the puddles and follow Adam toward the ring and chairs. “It’s a backyard wrestling group. Nothing’s particularly well made here.” He gestures to the seats he saved for the three of them. “Except for the matches. Those are pretty cool.”

Matt primly sits into a chair. “When do you go on?”

“Well, me and Mox have a match first,” Adam says, “but you’ll get to see some cool stuff, too. Eddie is in the main event, so he’ll be on last. He’s going up against the Bryan guy Mox wrestled a while back.”

“Are there any other matches?” Nick asks. He’s looking around eagerly, like he’s more comfortable here than he expected.

Adam nods. “I think three others? Willow’s going up against Ruby – they’re doing a feud because Ruby hit her with a chair a while back – and I think this kid Wheeler Yuta is going up against somebody. He’s a sophomore.”

Matt’s eyes widen. “He’s here? Really?”

Adam states at Matt. “Oh, god.”

“I –”

“I can’t believe you have a crush on him,” Nick chuckles.

“I don’t!” Matt says. Adam, Nick, and Kenny stare at him. Adam thinks it’ll be seconds to wait him out. “…I do. Don’t tell him.”

Adam grins. “I won’t.” He bumps Matt’s shoulder with his. “I gotta go get ready for my match, though, so I’ll see you later.” Adam looks at Kenny. At Nick. At Matt. “Um. Thanks for coming, guys. It means a lot.”

“Of course, Adam,” Kenny says. His smile is genuine when he looks at Adam, and it doesn’t ache like it used to. It’s nice. But nothing more. “Go out there and kill it.”

Adam smiles back. “I will.” He makes his way to the tent where the other wrestlers are getting ready. Ruby is doing Willow’s hair as Willow plays some song game on her phone. Eddie and Mox are trading headlocks in the corner. Wheeler Yuta is stretching on his own, though, so Adam walks over to him.

“Hey, dude,” he says, settling in the chair by Yuta’s bag. “How are you holding up?

“Good,” Yuta says, smile a little weak. “Nervous. Claudio’s huge. I’m pretty sure he’s going to kill me.”

“He won’t kill you,” Adam says, waving it off. “He’s good. And he’s safe.” Adam doesn’t mention the time he almost broke his arm last week after taking an elbow drop wrong, since that was more his fault. “You’ll do great.”

“That’s not how Eddie sees it,” Yuta says, chancing a glance over at Eddie, who is now sitting on Mox’s butt and poking him in the ribs to make him laugh. “He really hates Claudio.”

Adam knows Eddie’s disdain for Claudio, knows of the hatred, but doesn’t know why. He doesn’t feel like he’s ready to ask about it, though. “Eddie hates a lot of things,” he decides on. “Doesn’t make them bad.”

Yuta nods slowly. “Yeah.” They’re quiet for a moment, and Adam’s about to leave when Yuta says, “Um, actually, I have a question.” When he looks up, his cheeks are just this side of pink. “Mox told me you were, um, inviting the Jacksons?”

Adam hesitates. “Yeah?”

“Is, um,” Yuta folds himself into a weird shape. Adam assumes it’s a stretch, but he’s upside down and standing on his head, so he’s not sure. “Is Matt going to be here?”

“Oh, god.”

“No!” Yuta says, scrambling to his feet. “It’s – okay, don’t say anything.”

“I promise,” Adam deadpans, “if you go out there and wrestle like you’ve been, Matt will fall in love with you before you know it.”

Yuta lights up. “Really?”

Adam sighs. “Yes.”

He shoves Eddie off of Mox, getting a smack on the ass for his troubles and grinning about it. “Come on,” he says, dragging Mox to the back. “Let’s go over the match, one more time.”

They run the match, throwing each other around, and it ends with Mox pinning Adam. It doesn’t quite feel like Adam’s the one losing, though, with the way Mox’s legs straddle Adam’s hips and his arms loop around Adam’s legs. Mox called it a rollup. Adam asked him if it was secretly a new position Mox wanted to try.

“Oh, god, go be pervs somewhere else,” Ruby says, nudging Mox’s leg with her boot. “Tony wanted me to get you two idiots up so you can get to the stage.”

Mox swings his leg over, spins to his feet, and sticks out his arm. “C’mon, baby, let’s get out there so I can kick your ass.”

“You don’t have to be so annoying about it,” Adam giggles as he leaps to his feet. “I’ve won in other –”

“Nope!” Ruby yells. “Still in earshot! Shut up!”

They get behind the curtain ready for the ring, and Mox starts bouncing. Since Adam’s the newbie, he goes out first to his edit of Bronco, throwing the curtain open at the first, ‘Bronco, runnin’ wild,’ to cheers. He glances over to see Matt, Nick, and Kenny cheering like they’ve been here a million times, like they know exactly what to do. He’s excited to be the face in this match – it’s the first time he’s gotten a real character for himself. The jeans and old cowboy boots work almost too well.

“And coming in next,” comes the announcer’s voice, “Jon Moxley!”

Mox comes out to Wild Thing, a sneer on his face that almost makes Adam giggle. The boos are loud, almost deafening. Matt and Nick look bewildered, but Kenny leans over and says something to them and they boo as well.

The match goes by in a whirlwind, and Adam almost forgets at the end that he’s not supposed to kick out.

When the referee, one of Eddie’s friends from work, Aubrey, counts to three, Adam’s pretty sure he can hear Nick booing the loudest.

“Good job,” Mox says, beaming at Adam. “You killed it.”

“You too.” Adam has to remember to look disappointed as he rolls out of the ring. When he gets backstage, Eddie practically mauls him.

“You did fuckin’ great, baby!” he yells, clapping Adam on the shoulder.

Adam grins at him. “Thanks. It felt really good.”

Mox comes in after him and pretty much does maul Adam, sending him careening to the floor in a way reminiscent of the pin from earlier.

“Hi,” Adam says.

“Hi,” Mox says. “You did so good.” He leans down and kisses Adam hard and fast.

“Gross!” yells Ruby from somewhere in the back of the tent.

Mox helps the other wrestlers prepare while Adam sneaks out to watch the rest of the matches next to Matt.

“You did awesome!” Nick says. “That was so cool.”

Matt’s face is a little pinched. “Mox was kind of mean to you.”

“He’s supposed to be mean, Matt,” Kenny eyes, rolling his eyes. “He’s the heel. That’s the bad guy.” He glances over to Adam for confirmation. He nods. It’s kind of nice to be the one they check in with. “It’s all pretend, right?”

“It’s all pretend,” Adam confirms. “Well, except for the getting an arm across the chest. That kind of hurt.” He rubs at it, the ache blooming as he mentions it.

Matt turns into a googly eyed disaster when Yuta gets in the ring. He enters to American Idiot and Matt claps like a maniac.

“Nick,” Adam says, leaning behind Adam. “Do we need to sedate Matt or something?”

Nick laughs. “Nah, just let him be in love. He’s being super weird about Yuta.”

“Am not!” Matt snaps. “He’s so smart. He’s in tenth grade and he’s in my senior level Calculus class. It’s…” He trails off. “Oh. Oh and he’s got abs.” He pauses. “Maybe I do need to be sedated.”

Adam laughs as the music changed to Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? That entrance music is one among many reasons Eddie hates Claudio, but Adam thinks it’s hilarious.

The match is quick, as expected, as it’s Yuta’s first, but Yuta does great and sells like a champ.

Matt audibly gasps as Claudio hauls Yuta up in his signature swing, spinning Yuta until he taps out and collapses to the floor.

“Should I go check on him?” Matt asks, looking over at Adam. “He looks hurt.”

“He’s fine,” Adam says. “But I’m sure Yuta would be very pleased if you ran ringside and got all concerned about him.”

Matt nods and leaps out of his chair, running over to the ring. “Wheeler!” he calls. “Are you alright?”

Adam, Nick, and Kenny laughs at Yuta’s bewildered face. “Uh, yeah,” he says. He glances at Adam, who shrugs and grins.

“Go for it,” Adam mouths.

“I, uh, could use some help getting to the back,” Yuta says, doing his best to look miserable and hurt. It doesn’t quite work on the rest of the crowd, Adam thinks, but it sure as hell works on Matt.

“Of course!” Matt helps Yuta out of the ring and bats his eyelashes as they go back to the tent.

“I can’t believe Matt got a boyfriend at your wrestling thing,” Nick grumbles, folding his arms over his chest. “I have got to get out there.”

“You will, champ,” Adam says, clapping Nick on the shoulder. “You will.”

Matt and Yuta come back holding hands and chatting with stars in their eyes, and the rest of the show goes off without a hitch. Bryan and Eddie may literally be trying to kill each other during their match, but Eddie wins and it’s an overall success.

“We usually head to Willow’s house after matches,” Adam says as Mox comes up behind him and curls around him. “If you three wanted to come?”

“Yeah, sure!” Matt says. “Wheeler, do you need a ride?”

Wheeler looks shocked, as he’d ridden with Mox and Adam to the show. Adam stares at him, hoping Yuta gets the hint. “Uh. Sure! Sure, I could need a ride.”

“And Kenny and Nick, if you want to hop in my truck,” Adam says insistently.

Nick nods. “Yeah, I don’t want to be anywhere near whatever the two of them are doing.”

As Adam watches Matt smoothly pull out of the parking spot like it’s nothing, clearly chattering nonstop to Yuta, he takes the lead and drives the short distance to Willow’s house.

“Hey, Mox,” Nick says. “So, if you and I were in the ring, which of us would win?”

“Oh, I’d fuckin’ flatten you in seconds.”

“Would not!”

Adam laughs, and thinks that, maybe, he’s got it figured out. At least for now.

~

Mini Playlist: Bronco - Orville Peck Wild Thing - The Troggs American Idiot - Green Day Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? - Rod Stewart

[beantothemax]

You're telling me an inn boxed this fic?

Everyday Partitio's blood boiled with rage. He wanted nothing more than to see Roque whipped, beaten and abandoned for his actions, but none of what he did technically illegal. And if it was, he needed only bribe the cops to get away with just a slap on the wrist.

Today had been the final straw. They three of them ate dinner together again, just like the good old days. Of course, it wasn't the same. Roque and Papp viewed each other quite differently, though there was still mutual respect.

Partitio no longer interrogated them about what they had done during the day, for he was there. He had been there to watch Roque yell at and mistreat his employees.

Roque talked, ate and smiled as though nothing had happened.

"You're not eating anything," he said.

"I'm not hungry," Partitio said, quiet but firm, "I'm going to bed."

He silently left to his room.

What a difficult note it would be to write. He didn't want to abandon his father, friends or work, but what else was there to do? Roque deserved this.

He stared at the paper for a long time, before writing it all in one quick go. He explained his reasons, picking out specific examples. There were far too many to mention them all. He apologized for leaving and wrote a proper goodbye, saying he didn't need their forgiveness.

"Pops will be upset," he opened the chest of souvenirs from his travels, "but it's a necessary evil."

As he reached for a knife, he stopped.

My friends will be mad too, especially Osvald, he thought.

But their opinions didn't matter if upsetting them meant a safer environment for his employees.

When night had come, Partitio went back downstairs. His father was fast asleep and Roque had gone home. He placed the note on the kitchen table before leaving.

The town was silent at this hour. As he walked to Roque's house, a sense of sorrow washed over him. He would miss Oresrush. But again, leaving home was a necessary sacrifice.

Picking the lock on Roque's front door was a piece of cake. Throné had taught him, and initially, he felt like his hands had been stained when he learned it. But now he did it with a feeling of satisfaction.

The door creaked as it opened, and he was careful to shut it behind him. He knew the layout of his house just about as well as his own. Half his childhood had been spent at home, and the other half visiting Roque.

He carefully walked to Roque's room where the man slept. He slept peacefully. Partitio felt his nose crinkle in frustration as he stared at Roque. Such a horrid human didn't deserve a good life.

Partitio lifted the knife. He plunged it into Roque's chest. The man awoke with a gasp and barely got a chance to look at Partitio before being stabbed at least five more times. By the time his heart stopped, Partitio had practically butchered his chest.

His hands were covered in blood and it stained the sheets red. But he felt nothing. He cleaned his hands in Roque's washroom and left without a sound.

Partitio had to flee the Wildlands before sunrise, lest he risk being caught. His note was far more than enough evidence to have him sentenced to life in prison.

parti’s out here doing what the people want and murdering billionaires. proud of him

god. parti not even feeling anything as he brutally stabs and kills Roque is. disturbing. and him saying he doesn’t need the others’ forgiveness… damn.

[zablife]

Back again because I saw this and immediately thought of you 😘 Hope you are having an excellent weekend darling!

This should be illegal, no? 🫠 Enjoy! 🤍 xx

😍😍😍 I LOVE THIS!!! Imagine modern!Luca indulging his (slightly manipulative, but ultimately kind) wife who is constantly bringing home rescue animals. However, three dogs and two cats later he mentions the house is getting full. He tries to be stern with her and she only cries so he takes a more gentle approach. "Amore, please, no more animals," he begs, pressing the heels of his palms together and shaking his hands for mercy. She stifles a giggle at the feared mobster, Luca Changretta, pleading with his wife over a dog. "Luca, we have a responsibility to care for those less fortunate. You always tell me that," she says trying to use his own words to persuade him. "Baby, I'm less fortunate because I have to buy so much pet food AND all new shoes because they use my Italian leather loafers as chew toys!" She begins to pout, lip trembling as she says, "Don't say that you're less fortunate for having us, Luca. Don't say you don't love me." He pulls her into a tight embrace to calm her. "That's not what I said. I do love you," he says trying to free himself from the messy argument. "Then let me keep Enzo," she sniffs, looking up at him with desperate eyes. "Who?" he asks having forgotten the little brown and white beagle sniffing at his feet. She points to the ground and stoops to pick him up. The puppy starts licking Luca's face, floppy ears swinging in time with his tail which thuds against her arms happily. She smiles at the sight and Luca huffs out a little chuckle as he realizes they'll be adopting one more pet.

Bonus: In time Enzo becomes Luca's dog and goes everywhere with him. This picture was taken one month later and becomes his wife's lock screen. Whenever she's hesitating about helping another animal, she remembers her biggest triumph.

[owlsandwich]

The Mechanics of Magic

Read along with me :D - Chapter 13

Chapter 1 | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

This chapter is affectionately known by me as "Roy eats pizza".

The novelty of being left to his own devices in the safe house had worn off surprisingly quickly. Roy flicked through the television channels, but apparently none of the programmes had changed in the last ten minutes. He supposed he should be grateful that there even was a television; the place seemed barely used, and Oliver didn’t seem the type to lounge around watching box sets. The lack of a games console hadn’t shocked him in the slightest.

Roy grabbed a slice of last night’s pizza from the box on the table, jolting it with a heating spell before taking a bite. He didn’t remember seeing a microwave in the kitchen when hunting for coffee that—morning — he’d finally found a pot of instant, a month out of date, behind around eight varieties of loose-leaf tea — and anyway, he didn’t feel like getting up off the couch. 

Switching off the television, Roy picked up the book he’d retrieved from the second bedroom; the only volume he’d been able to find that wasn’t a damn textbook. Before he could get much beyond the first paragraph, there came the sound of a slamming door and footsteps in the stairwell.

He was no longer alone.

With a burst of vigour he didn’t know he possessed, he chucked the book onto the coffee table and flung himself down behind the sofa.

“What the hell happened here?” 

The voice was familiar, and Roy poked his head out. As he thought, it was the man who had been here before; Matthew, if he remembered correctly. Dark eyes matched the straight black hair that fell around his sharp features, and though Matthew’s build was slim, Roy easily sensed the powerful magic he exuded. To his relief, Oliver also stood in the doorway behind him.

“Hey! You actually came back,” Roy said, standing up. Matthew glared at him immediately, but Oliver was scanning the apartment, having gone rather pale.

“W—what…?” Oliver stammered weakly. Under other circumstances, Roy would have enjoyed being the one to shake his cool composure, but Matthew’s frown was ruining the moment. “What happened here? How did you make such a mess? And what are you wearing?!”

Oliver had finally turned to him and Roy remembered the grey dressing gown he was still sporting over his clothes. 

“Ah, hope you don’t mind. I found this in the bedroom.” Roy jerked a thumb towards the door beside the kitchen. “Ended up just crashing on the couch again.” As on the first night, he had avoided using his designated bedroom, even after Oliver’s insistence. Somehow, it made the experience easier. 

“I can see that...” Oliver still hadn’t moved, seemingly transfixed by the room.

“I couldn’t get the wine out of the collar, though, sorry.” Roy rubbed guiltily at a red splatter blemishing the fluffy material. “I thought you’d have spelled it stain proof. Everything else in your wardrobe is.”

“You spilled wine on my— What do you mean ‘everything else in my wardrobe’?” Oliver did not look happy. “What else have you opened?”

“What was I supposed to do?” Roy shrugged off the dressing gown, missing its warmth as soon as he did so. Oliver took it from him wordlessly. “You didn’t exactly tell me when you’d be back. I got bored. Nathaniel’s a hilarious name for a fake ID, by the way,” Roy snorted. “Unless that’s your actual name. Erm, in which case… cool name, mate.” 

Making fun of the people protecting him from Felix Marek might not be the best idea, and, given the quality of the paperwork he had found in that spell-locked draw, Oliver and Matthew were clearly very professional when going about any illegal activities. 

Oliver shook his head slowly. “That drawer was magic locked. How did you—”

“Oh, don’t worry! I wasn’t actually looking for secret documents and I put them all back. I was looking for money.” This explanation, he realised, probably wasn’t helping his case. “Since, you know, I’m only here because I’m helping you guys out, and I don’t have any cash on me. I found some, by the way. In the third drawer. That’s how I got the pizza.”

“Wait, you got pizza delivered? To a safe house?” Matthew had been silent until now, listening to Roy’s explanation with an expression of vague disbelief. 

Roy rolled his eyes. “You told me not to leave! Anyway, I paid in cash. I’m not an idiot.”

“Could have fooled me...” Matthew mumbled, sitting down in the armchair furthest from where Roy stood. “How did you even know the address?”

“I saw it on the way in.” Roy shrugged. The street name and number on the door had been easy enough to remember. He wasn’t sure if knowing the phone number of the takeaway by heart too was something to be proud or ashamed of. 

“It just feels softer without the protective spells,” Oliver muttered to himself, running a hand over his stained dressing gown dejectedly. 

Roy hopped back onto the couch and reached for his coffee mug, then realised he’d grabbed the one with wine dregs and put it back down. 

“Maybe we should talk about why we’re here?” Matthew directed his words at Oliver, who seemed to shake himself out of his daze.

“Yes... apologies. You’re right.” Folding the dressing gown, Oliver hung it over the back of a dining chair and settled at the far end of the sofa.

Matthew leaned forward in the armchair, clasping his hands in front of him. “Roy, isn’t it? We need to know if you can get into the palace.”

Roy’s eyes went wide. “Hey, look, I’m not getting involved in anything there. I’ve got enough people after me as it is!” Felix Marek was bad enough; if these guys were planning some sort of palace heist then they’d have Morgan after them. Roy doubted Oliver’s promise of protection would hold up under those circumstances, no matter how competent the guy seemed. He folded his arms across his chest. “I can’t help you, anyway. Marek is one thing, but what makes you think I could break into the palace?”

“You recognised the lock installed at Felix Marek’s home and called it a palace lock,” Oliver explained. “We might be wrong, but we concluded that you would only know the palace used that type of spell if you had encountered it there.”

Yeah, he could see how they had figured that. Damn his stupid mouth. “Well, even so. I can’t help you. Sorry, mate.”

“Please. This is important,” Matthew interjected. He was rubbing his hands together, leaning so far forward that Roy thought he might fall from the chair. “If you know a way in, you need to tell me.”

“Makes a change, hearing a ‘please’ from you,” Roy shot back. He hadn’t so quickly forgotten the interrogation he had been subjected to at their last encounter.

“Listen, I’m sorry for how I behaved last time. I really do need your help.” The desperation in Matthew’s voice was palpable. “It’s— The Palace has my son. I need to get him and his friend out.” He tilted his head down into his open palms, as though the words were too much to face.

So that was why Matthew had changed his tune, though picturing him as a father was jarring. Whatever his son had done, it must have been bad. Despite his own feelings about Morgan, Roy hadn’t ever heard of the Palace kidnapping people for no reason.

“It’s a misunderstanding,” Oliver said, taking over. “He isn’t a criminal, he’s only eighteen—”

“Eighteen’s old enough to be a criminal, trust me.”

“He’s not.” Oliver’s voice was firm. “I can’t go into detail, but he’s in terrible danger there, through no fault of his own. I understand I’ve asked a lot of you already, but all we need is knowledge. Is there a way in?”

“Look, I feel for you, I really do.” Roy wasn’t lying; this discussion was shaking him more than he wanted to admit. “I don’t know how to get into the palace. Genuinely. I haven’t been there in years.”

“The lock, though? How did you know?” Matthew said, raising his head.

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose and took a heavy breath. Light was seeping through the thin blinds over the window. Another bright summer morning, just like the day he’d heard the news. 

“My mum. She taught me.” 

They didn’t have a right to the story, but Roy found himself continuing anyway, words stiff after a lifetime of being unsaid.

“Look, she... She worked in the palace, alright? When she’d come home, she’d set little locks for me as challenges. It was a game we’d play.”

The memory was still raw, choking him as it came out. She had been so proud when he’d first cracked one. The mischievous smile they’d shared, like co-conspirators. Perhaps that’s why he’d always had a taste for being in places he shouldn’t. 

“Where did she work?” Oliver asked gently.

“I dunno. For the Royal Family, and she was there when... well, you know.”

“She died in the attack,” Oliver said. It wasn’t a question, but Roy nodded.

“I’m sorry.” Matthew looked like he genuinely meant it, and Roy was unexpectedly touched. 

“Eh, it was nothing to do with you.” He shrugged again, but Matthew seemed to flinch as he spoke.

Oliver gave a deep sigh. “Alright. Well, unfortunately, that means we need an alternative plan.”

Traffic hummed past outside, muffled behind the closed windows. Roy had been truthful when he said he didn’t want to get tied up in any more criminal activity. The palace, though. To be where she had been. There wasn’t anywhere else Roy could think of that was so out of his reach, and yet so close to his heart.

“You know,” Roy said, breaking the silence, “there’s that garden party tomorrow. If it was me, I’d try and get hold of a ticket. Well, if it was really me, I’d swap shifts with a mate and get on the delivery crew, but I’m guessing that isn’t really an option for you.”

The delivery company he worked for had managed to get the contract for the anniversary events. He’d wanted nothing to do with the damn party when they were assigning jobs, but now he was starting to see things in a different light. In his experience, forcing your way into a building was the less efficient method. Roy had done it at Marek’s out of necessity, but he always preferred being let in through the front door.

“The anniversary,” Matthew muttered, looking at Oliver. “I can’t believe it, but I’d forgotten… it’s tomorrow.”

He unfolded himself from the chair and crossed over to the dining table. Roy craned his head back as far as he could without having to move from the couch, but stopped when he saw that Matthew was merely pacing the length of the room silently. 

Oliver was drumming his fingers against his leg. “Finding a ticket will be no simple task,” he stated. “Even if you were able to procure one, I’m sure there’ll be a guest list, too.” He turned to Matthew. “I’ll locate a list of the attendees. Perhaps seeing it will offer up a viable option.”

Roy couldn’t suppress the smirk that formed as Oliver spoke. “You don’t need a list, mate. I know exactly who’s got a ticket, but you’re not gonna like it.” Behind him, he heard Matthew stop moving. “Don’t you guys know Marek goes to the party every year?”

“Felix Marek,” Matthew said flatly. “What is your obsession with him, anyway? Why do you know that?”

“I’m not obsessed!” Roy whirled around, kneeling up on the sofa to challenge the accusation. “The bastard made a ton of money, alright? After the takeover. You worked for him; didn’t you wonder how he got so rich? Or did you just not care?” Roy scowled at Matthew, who didn’t look away.

“Tell me,” he growled, and Roy sank back down.

“They say he got a big payout for his ‘contributions’.” Roy made air quotes with his fingers. “He used to work in weapon design back in Vailberg, up until he got into business with Aiden Heliodor. He knows how they did it. I know it. Why do you think I broke in there? I was looking for answers.”

For a moment, Matthew didn’t move, an unreadable expression flashing across his face. When he spoke again his tone was softer. “So say we get the ticket from Felix Marek. What’s to stop him just telling the Palace that it’s gone missing?”

“I dunno.” Roy flopped back down next to Oliver, who jerked away from his touch.

“Matthew,” Oliver said thoughtfully. “The lock you were asked to install at Felix Marek’s property... Perhaps it isn’t thieves that are his primary concern.” He threw a glance in Roy’s direction. “The people who attacked us didn’t seem like they were supposed to draw attention. I don’t think Felix Marek wants anyone to know he had the wand in the first place. I don’t think he wants the weapon traced back to him.”

“So what? You’re suggesting we threaten to turn him in if he doesn’t get us into the party?”

“I’m just saying it could be leverage. We have a wand. Felix doesn’t know about our relationship with Morgan Heliodor; he has no reason to believe we wouldn’t take him down with us, so to speak, should he try to hand us in.”

Matthew ran a hand through his hair and Oliver shifted his seat.

“I mean, I don’t like it either — it’s dangerous,” he conceded. “I’m just suggesting it as an option.”

Roy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re not seriously going to go to the man trying to kill us all and ask him to take you to a party?”

Oliver steepled his fingers. “Felix Marek doesn’t know me. I should be able to arrange a meeting—”

“No,” Matthew said sharply, interrupting Oliver’s rationalisation. “Marek and I have business to settle. I don’t appreciate being attacked in the street, especially when they drag my friend into it, too. When I’m done with him, we aren’t going to need leverage.”

“Erm... but if attacking Marek directly was always an option, why the hell have we been hiding from him?” It seemed a bit unfair that Roy had been stuck hiding in a safe house if they could have just threatened Marek and forced him to back off this whole time.

“Things have changed.” Matthew didn’t seem like he was going to provide further explanation. The expression on his face, however, was enough for Roy to decide that he wouldn’t want to be Felix Marek right now. 

Oliver had reassumed his tapping, his expression sombre. “If you convince him to get you in, you’ll be alone.”

“I know,” Matthew replied. 

A conversation that Roy wasn’t privy to seemed like it was taking place beyond Matthew’s simple reply. He shuddered nonetheless.

Matthew was planning to break into the palace solo, right under Morgan’s nose, with only his enemy for company and at the most important official event of the year. Roy didn’t feel like he was being the stupid one this time.

“You promised you’d get Marek off my back, right?” The two men looked up at Roy as he spoke, but he continued before they could comment. He really hoped he wasn’t going to regret this. “I’m not saying I’m going to risk my neck for you, but Oliver sounds like he’s got it right to me. You’d be an idiot going in there alone. I’ll swap a shift; there’s always someone who doesn’t want to work those hours. Just make sure I never have to hear from Marek again. Or Morgan, for that matter.” 

Roy half expected them to tell him no, that he’d only get in the way. To be honest, they would probably be right.

Instead, Matthew extended a hand. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Roy clasped it in his own, Matthew’s fingers cold to the touch.

[the-graves-family]

28. Bloody Knife

Aaron let him sleep through the night.

That was nice of him.

When Ace wakes up, the knife is still on the bed next to him. The blood has dried, on the steel, on the sheets, on his skin. Moving his arm is hard. He can remember, vaguely, Aaron cutting into his back. It would explain why it burns when he so much as twitches his shoulder.

A single note sits on the bedside table, in his brother’s frankly illegible scrawl. 

Clean up.

Probably, anyways. Again, Aaron’s handwriting is remarkably terrible.

It’s at times like these, when he’s crying as he struggles to get up, that Ace wonders why he’s still here. Not here in the house: Aaron keeps him locked in with no means of leaving or communicating with the rest of the world.

Here as in here. Alive.

It’s not like there’s a shortage of opportunities. He’s left alone most of the day, most days. The firearms and bigger knives are locked away, as well as any drugs and alcohol, but there are other ways. He could tie a noose with a bedsheet, for example. Or drink bleach.

“Can I ask why your grandmother was upset?”

“You know you don’t need to ask for permission, churri.”

“I didn’t want to be rude.”

“You’re so sweet. She just lost a friend who took her own life, and so they won’t be reunited when my grandmother passes.”

“Why?”

“Well, people who commit suicide don’t get into Heaven.”

“That sounds unfair.”

“Churri…”

“It does!”

He’s not sure how many sins are on his record, but he’d like to think that when he dies, he’ll get to see David again. So. No killing himself. He’s not that far gone yet.

Ace looks at the knife on the bed and sighs as he picks it up. It’s not particularly sharp. Aaron had to use a lot of pressure to break skin. Ace is sure that his back is covered in bruises, as well as cuts. Limping to the kitchen, he runs the hot water and lets the blade sit in the sink. It’s really hard to do dishes one-handed. Harder when his supposed caretaker did fuck all to make anything more accessible.

It’s not fair.

That’s a recurring theme, he thinks, as he tries to clean the blood off the knife. Injustice. Unfairness. Being punished for things he didn’t do, being cast out for being a victim, being held back without knowing why, being imprisoned without anyone caring. That last one is important, because it reminds him that nobody actually cares about him. None of them want to know how he’s doing, all of them ignore the obvious signs that something’s not right.

Cowards.

Anger isn’t good. Ace doesn’t like feeling angry. It’s not productive and it makes his lungs hurt more. So he tries to calm down, humming tunelessly to himself and to an empty kitchen. Aaron didn’t have breakfast. He hates that he cares about that.

The carved ‘A’ between his shoulder blades stings and Ace stumbles, almost falling. That would have been bad. Aaron doesn’t like it when he bleeds all over the place when he’s not the one responsible for it.

Sheets need changing and washing. There’s some blood splatter on the wall, need to clean that.

The knife sits in the drying rack, glinting, as if mocking him.

Ace thinks of praying, thinks of asking for forgiveness for whatever he's done that's resulted in this life. But he also thinks that after all that's happened, all that's been done to him, all that Aaron can get away with—

God isn’t listening.

[yes-i-have-thoughts]

Good Morning Have Some FAITH AU Lore

“I’m not going to spoil everything”, they say as they proceed to do exactly that for the main group of the AU/fic

Anyway. Adam. I skirted around talking about him but with the second part of the story stuck in limbo (Mark’s segment of Part 1 is giving me Hell) I might as well talk about him

He’s the oldest of the main cast. Jonah is 12, Evelin is 12 and a half, Adam is 13. He likes to see himself as the leader of their group. Jonah would object to that and dubs Evelin as the leader, which causes some infighting; but that’s besides the point

Adam is what some might call a problem child. He was orphaned at four years old for a reason he either can’t or won’t remember, and he’s convinced that he’s grown “too old” to be adopted so he doesn’t bother trying to meet with potential families no matter how interested they are. He tolerates Mervin (Jonah’s father), he rebuffs any of Dave’s attempts to get to know him and he shoots down most attempts to befriend him unless he sees some use in the other person. He’s got into a few illegal scrapes, also--nothing major, just enough to get him picked up by a police officer and grounded once he was back at the house. (Ruth Weaver was usually the one who picked him up, since as they kept happening she found the kid was starting to grow on her. Adam claimed she was “an annoying tyrant just like the rest of them” and yet locked himself in his room when she was reportedly dead. How does anyone know where they stand with this kid)

I mentioned earlier that Jonah met him during a dubiously legal event. Out of risk of not mentioning it in the fic at all, I’ll detail it here and may even write it out as a Tumblr-only side thing.

Initially, Jonah was a “I’m only friends with you until I get what I want” friend. Adam saw use in him and took him under his wing. Jonah was loud and goofy and vocally stimmed when he was nervous, but he knew how to pick locks and lie his way out of trouble. He was the son of a lawyer, so Adam was pretty sure this was a two way idle-fun friendship: they were only friends because they were bored, so this wouldn’t last a year. One day Jonah will try to throw him under the bus and that’ll be it.

And yet during this event, they got caught spray-painting a wall by a policeman. Adam ran for it, Jonah stayed, Adam counted down the seconds to him being blamed for dragging such a clean-cut kid into illegal activities...And Jonah covers for him. He takes the blame for the tagging, claims that the building was abandoned and was going to be torn down anyway and somehow charms the policeman into letting them both go with a warning. For whatever reason, this “my daddy is a lawyer” kid gets them both off the hook when he could have just as easily saved his own skin and gotten Adam another free ride back to his foster home.

When asked why, he just shrugged and claimed it was what friends do. They went back to spray-painting after that, but it felt a little safer between them; as if even if they got into danger one of them would have the other’s back no matter what.

Which is why Adam verbally tore himself apart when Jonah went missing. But THAT story, you’ll have to wait to see the events of...

[megan-loves-surveys]

#42.

What was the last Youtube video you watched? TheRealJims' Simpsons season 18 top 10 episodes.

When was the last time you were bitten by an animal? What kind of animal was it? No clue, prob when my cat was still alive.

What was the last alcoholic beverage you consumed? Jim Beam, so it was bourbon.

What was the last TV show you watched? Shortland St.

Where was the last place you worked? The office, lol.

When was the last time you got something for free? What was it? I got a Starbucks frappe today for free cos I'd earned one with the app.

Where was the last place you drove to? -

What kind of car was the last car you drove? -

What was the last meal you cooked? How did it turn out? I don't cook much.

When you last went to the theater, what did you see? Bob's Burgers Movie. I haven't been since 2022 lol.

When was the last time you crossed state lines? Where did you go and why did you go? Not everyone is American, stop assuming we are.

When was the last time you left the country? Where and why? 2019 when I went to Melbourne for a WWE show. Too long now.

Who was the last band or artist you discovered? I discover loads of new music thanks to Spotify.

What was the last song/band/artist you listened to and didn't enjoy? Some random ballad yesterday, it was so dull.

When was the last time you "jumped on the bandwagon," and what was it? I don't do that.

When was the last time you were kissed? Are you with that person? Yesterday, and yes lol.

When was the last time you had sex/did something sexual? How was it? The other day, and it was great xD

When was the last time you did something illegal? What did you do? Not sure.

What was the last colour you dyed your hair? Blue & purple.

Tell me about the last thing you bought: Lunch - fish and chips xD

When did you last try something new (i.e., a new food, a new activity, picked up a new hobby, etc.)? Not sure.

When was the last time you locked your keys in your car or your house? How did you get back in? I've never done that at my own house, but once my Dad, stepmum and I got locked out of their house - my Dad had to climb in the bathroom window xD

What was the last really chaotic thing to happen in your life? Depends what you consider chaotic.

Tell me about the first five photos you have on your phone or camera. My bottle of Jim Beam, a Roman Reigns action figure Mum got me, two selfies - one with my new glasses and one with new sunglasses and a tiny Cyndaquil I got in Pokémon Go xD

When was the last time you rode on a plane/train/bus? Where were you going? Today, I was going shopping.

Who was the last person you hung out with? My boyfriend.

Who was the last person you told off or got really angry with? A woman at work.

What was the last concert you went to? Who did you see and how was it? Five, they were AMAZING. I'd waited 24 years to see them again (first saw them in 2000) and it was worth the wait. Plus I met them before the show, they were soooooo lovely <3

When was the last time you were under the influence? What did you take and did anything interesting happen? I was slightly tipsy on the weekend, but nothing happened lol.

Who was the last person you messaged/emailed/IMed? Ngawari.

What was your last Halloween costume? Nothing.

What did you do for Christmas last year? How about for last New Year's? Christmas - it was just me and Mum, and both my Dad and boyfriend dropped by. New Year's - I hung out with my boyfriend and his friends and had some drinks.

What was the last thing you celebrated and who did you celebrate it with? Ngawari's birthday a few weeks ago, it was me and her and we had dinner.

Who was the last person you know to have something big happen to them (i.e., get engaged/married, have a baby, etc.)? Hmm, not sure.

What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it? Reach For The Stars, it was really good, it's about 90s and 00s UK pop groups.

What was the last movie you saw? Did you enjoy it? Not sure.

Tell me about the last really cute thing you saw: The Corgi on my calendar, my Mum and I were talking about how cute it is xD It's a puppy and good lord it's adorable lol.

When was the last time you did some kind of physical activity? What did you do? I went to the gym yesterday. But today I was walking a lot.

When was the last time you painted a room/house? Never.

What was the last thing you made by hand or from scratch? Not sure.

What is the greatest consecutive number of miles you have ran? I don't do running, I only do the treadmill and walking lol.

Do you think you would lose some friends if you gained 100 pounds? Who cares, if they would ditch me cos I gained weight they weren't really friends.

Lyrics to the song you are listening to? "And you're halfway to a breakdown, cos your bodywear hasn't formed" (from Atomic Kitten - Real Life, one of the most nonsensical songs ever written lol)

Do you have pictures up in your room? Loads.

Is there anybody over the age of 40 that you think is hot? My boyfriend is in his 50's lol, what do you think :P

Who is the most inappropriate person you know? Depends.

Have you ever been punched in the face? No.

What is the latest you have ever slept in? 1pm or so.

Do you have to watch yourself in the mirror while you brush your teeth? Yes lol.

Who in your phone has a heart after their name? I don't do that.

Has someone ever told you they love you and you didn’t say it back? Not in that way.

Are you satisfied with what you currently have in life? Mostly.

Anyone you’re giving up on? No.

Are you wearing a necklace, who got it for you? No.

Who were the last two boys to text you and what did they text? My boyfriend and Robert lol - my bf was asking what I had for lunch and Robert was asking me about a wrestling thing.

Your mom tells you you’re moving, you say? Well, you certainly kept that quiet lol. And then ask where xD

Do you think your last ex deserves to die? No.

What will you do after the survey? Talk on Discord.

When you get a headache do you take painkillers right away or try to wait it out? Painkillers don't work on my headaches lol, it's my migraine meds or nothing. But even those don't work if I don't catch it quickly enough.

When was the last time you stayed at a hotel? 2019.

How’s the love life going? Damn good.

Would your parents be okay with you dating someone of another race? They wouldn't care.

Do you like when friends stop by unexpectedly? No, please tell me first.

How strong are your feelings for the last person you kissed? Super strong.

What was the last thing someone else bought for you? My Mum bought me a Roman Reigns action figure the other day - it's awesome.

If your parents looked in your purse/book bag would they find anything you don’t want them to see? No.

What about your bedroom? Do you have anything hidden in there? Yes, but my Mum doesn't ever go snooping.

How close are you to the last person you hung out with? Can you be your complete self around them? It was my boyfriend, and yes.

Who was the last person you shared food with? Have you ever kissed this person? My boyfriend again, and yes again lol.

Are you attracted to the last person you exchanged numbers with? I don't really give people my number lol.

When was the last time you showered? This morning.

Is music a daily part of your life? Yes.

Yellow nail polish: yes or no? Definitely yes.

Have you ever been so hurt you wanted to stop all feelings? No.

Chicken or beef? Chicken, but I also enjoy the occasional burger lol.

What do you think of country music? One of my least fave genres.

Do you let your fears consume you? I try not to.

Why did you last bleed? Some skin around my fingernail ripped and it bled a little bit.

When did you last get your hair professionally done? In May.

Which color: pink, blue, green, or purple? I love all of those except pink.

Do you think pigs are cute or ugly? Aww, cute.

What’s your favorite thing about the beach? I don't like the beach.

When you apply your make-up, do you do it in a specific order? I don't wear it.

Do you think the last person you Facebook messaged is a virgin? I have no idea and it's not my business.

Did any of your friends lose their virginity before they were 16? If so, did you feel pressured to do the same? I was the one losing it before 16 lol.

Does the last person you texted know what colour your eyes are? Maybe? LOL.

Can you think of a food that starts with the same letter as your name? Mac and cheese! My fave.

Has someone of the opposite sex made you smile today? Yes.

Do you know what the person you have feelings for is doing at this moment? He'd still be at work cos he finishes at 5 and it's 3:30 right now.

What if the last person you texted walked out of your life and decided never spoke to you again? Be devastated.

Has anyone recently confessed to liking or having a crush on you? No.

How many times have you gone back to someone who hurt you? I don't do that.

Do you think best friends can be replaced? Depends.

Do you like where you are in life right now? Mostly.

Is the last person you kissed more than a year older than you? Yes.

Do you remember who you liked in year seven? Uh...... year 7 in NZ is the first year of intermediate school... I had a mutual crush going on with my friend Vinnie lol.

Do you have any television obsessions? Does wrestling count xD

Have you ever been cheated on, or had a guy move on extremely fast after a long, seemingly sincere relationship? Yes to the cheating.

Have you ever outwardly wished someone the best, but inwardly wished that they would be unhappy? No. I have told people I'm glad for them when I think what they're doing is stupid, but it's not my business to say anything so I'm just polite.

Have you ever had someone tell you they wanted to be with you forever, only to have them break up with you? No.

Does your ex-boyfriend/-girlfriend’s new romantic interest know about the things you two did together? I don't care, I don't talk to him anymore.

Do you ever tell your current boyfriend or girlfriend about the things that you did with an ex-partner? I'd tell him if he asked, but I doubt he will lol.

Have you ever had someone drag his or her nails down your back? Yes.

Do you think of ex-partners while you’re in your current relationship? How about while you’re being intimate? No.

What lengths will you go to so that you can keep the one you love? Hmm...

Have you ever sacrificed a big part of yourself or changed a part of your personality so that someone you loved wouldn’t leave you? No.

When you’re in a relationship, do you keep a close eye on your partner? No lol. We talk everyday but we sometimes go days without seeing each other cos we're busy doing our own thing. I think it's healthier that way.

Is trust an important factor in your relationships? Yes.

If you’ve been hurt in a past relationship, are you more jaded this time around? No.

Do you feel like you’re always having to make difficult decisions? Does this wear you down? No.

When was the last time that you failed something at which you worked very hard? Not sure.

Who was the last person that you heard laughing? My Mum.

Who was the last person you heard that was singing? Atomic Kitten on the song that's playing xD

Do you know anyone who has won any money playing the lottery? Yes, my Dad. Nothing huge but I was there when he won a sum big enough that the lotto shop couldn't just give it to him right there - he had to fill out a form to get it.

When were you last a victim of an ironic situation? Dunno.

What was a piece of good advice that you just didn’t take? Dunno.

When life is going smoothly, do you tend to wait anxiously for something, anything to go wrong? No. I'm not that pessimistic lol.

Have you ever met someone you thought was perfect for you, but he or she was already dating someone else? Probably.

Is there any alcohol in your freezer right now? No, and there's none in the fridge either.

How do you feel about alcohol and drugs in general? I like the occasional drink but I don't do drugs.

Do you have a parent or parents that heavily indulge in the use of alcohol or drugs? If yes, has this affected your views? No. My Mum has a bottle on the weekends but that's it lol, and my Dad hasn't drunk alcohol for like 20 years.

If you drink, is there a reason for it? Cos I like it on occasion.

Is there anyone you feel like you cannot confront? No.

Are there any negative memories from your younger years that still resurface every once in a while? Sure.

Are you planning to get drunk in the near future? Maybe on my birthday, but who knows.

Is there anyone that you feel you couldn’t possibly love any more deeply than you love him/her right now? Yes.

Are you one to "What if" things, or to over-analyze situations? On occasion.

When was the last time you were content with where you were at in life? Now, mostly.

Is there someone that you could have treated better than you did? Probably.

Have you ever been in a physically abusive relationship? No.

Have you ever felt more like you needed someone, and less like you loved that person? No.

Is there any habit, attachment, or addiction that you feel you have beaten or risen above? No.

Have you ever lived with a friend? No.

What are a few of your favorite tv shows? WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown, AEW Dynamite, Simpsons, Big Bang Theory, Friends etc.

What kind of socks do you like to wear? I wear bamboo socks cos the regular kind make me itchy lol. In winter, I live in those big thick fluffy socks cos luckily those don't affect me - my feet are always cold so I need them.

Ever wear lipstick? Not really.

Do you have your own house key, and how often do you actually use it? Yep, all the time.

How often do you eat chocolate? Actually not that much, I don't remember the last time I actually had any!

Have you ever only liked someone because you found out they liked you? Probably.

Ever baked a pie? No.

How often do you wash dishes at your house? We have a dishwasher so never lol.

Ever make your own chocolate milk with nesquik? No, but I have done it with Milo.

Does spell-check on word or mac computers ever annoy you when it underlines the word? -

Do you know what time you were born, and what day of the week it was? It was a Monday at around 8:45pm.

What colors of nail polish do you like best? Anything super bright, and I love black and white together.

Do you think people act weirder or that stranger things happen when there's a full moon? I like to joke about that xD

Like to take pictures on the photobooth program on macs? No idea.

Ever taken Benadryl and gotten really drowsy? No.

Would you rather have ice cream or cake for dessert? Ice cream.

Ever been on a real diet, or did you just stop eating? No.

If you wear glasses, do you find yourself wiping them constantly to clean them? Yes, but then sometimes you go hours without cleaning them and you take them off and realise they're super smudged up and wonder how you didn't notice lol xD