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king-zacharyy · 9 months ago

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Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (Here)

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"Oh, Maxie.." Steve breathed, pained, as his eyes landed on the prone teen.

"Steve! You should be resting." El said, not getting up from her spot at Max's bedside. Lucas was on her other side, and they were both holding Max's hands.

"Ellie," Steve said on a sigh. Robin wheeled him over to her, and he took her unoccupied hand. "I'm tired of resting. I needed to see my girls. How have you been, kiddo?"

Ellie's head dropped to his shoulder, and she squeezed his hand, practically sagging against him. "Tired. I missed you. I was not happy when I found out you were hurt. Again."

He winced, apologizing, and looked at Lucas. "Lu." He looked up from Max's hand, and Steve could see the tears gathering in his red eyes. "C'mere." He raised his free arm, and Lucas reluctantly let go of Max to tuck into Steve's side.

"She's going to be okay." And he believed that. Max was a fighter, and she had people to return to. "She's going to be okay. We're going to be okay."

Steve took a moment to look around the room, taking note that only Robin, Hopper, and Erica had joined them. It was then that he noticed the lack of one Susan Mayfield.

"Where’s her mom?" Steve asked, though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"We don't know. No one has been able to get in contact with Ms. Mayfield since the earthquake. We're not even sure if she's alive." His dad's answer was enough confirmation in Steve's mind, though.

Susan wasn't doing good after Billy's death, and when Neil Hargrove up and left, she just got worse. She was drinking, he knew, and working all the time, but she loved Max. He knew she did. He could see it every time he talked to her about Max. If she was alive, she'd be here.

He nods and finally takes her in. Her right arm is wrapped in a cast. Little drawings, as well as The Party's names, are all over it in different colored sharpie. It draws a smile out of him. Both of her legs are also in casts, elevated by pillows, and also decorated. The air punched out of his lungs as he took in her face. She had an oxygen mask on, and her skin was pale. Her fire red hair was in two braids, and she looked– small.

Max was never small. Even when face-to-face with a demodog, she never shrank. Even in the face of Billy Hargrove threatening her friends and beating Steve's face in, she stood her ground.

Steve had to choke back a sob, guilt and despair clawing at his throat. This was his fault. It was his fault she got hurt. It was his fault Erica and Lucas got hurt. It was his fault Dustin got hurt. It was his fault Eddie almost died.

He was their protector. He was the one who took the hits. The kids weren't supposed to get hurt. That was his job. What good was he if he couldn't even do that? What reason would everyone have for sticking around if he was so useless?

Maybe it would be better if he had been taken instead of Barb back in '83. Then Nancy would have her best friend, Robin and Erica never would've been dragged into all of this, and Max and Eddie wouldn't be hospitalized right now.

"I can hear your self-deprication from here, Dingus. It's not your fault." Robin's voice snapped him out of his spiral, and he cut her a glare, without any heat behind it.

"It’s no one's fault but Vecna's. And Jason's." Lucas said into his shoulder, and Steve kissed the top of his head in thanks and acknowledgment.

It would probably take a while for him to genuinely believe them, but for now, he pushed the negative thoughts aside. No matter what, he wasn't letting any of the kids get hurt again on his watch. When Max woke up, and she would wake up, he would be there for her.

"Okay, kiddies. I've gotta go check on Eddie and Mike, but I'll be back in here when Robin next allows it. I love you both." He pressed a kiss to both El and Lucas' heads, squeezed them goodbye, and detangled from them with a not-small amount of reluctance.

Robin wheeled him to Max's head so he could press a kiss to her temple and whisper an, "I love you, Maxie. Get better soon, my little zoomer." With that sentiment, he was wheeled out of the room and towards Eddie's room.

"Where'd everyone else go?" He asked Hopper. Erica stayed with her brother, so it was just Robbie and his dad with him now.

"The Byers left to find a place to stay for the night, the Wheelers went with them, and Henderson said he was going to Munson's room."

"Eddie hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said that it might be a while before that happens because of how much blood he lost and the extent of his wounds. Mike was with him, but he was in your room a bit before you woke up. That's all I know so far, though, because I've mostly been with you." Robin added, and Steve's stomach dropped a bit with the news about Eddie.

Before Steve could comment or question further, they reached the room. He felt the last of the tension in his shoulders unwind at the sound of Eddie's heart monitor, secure in the knowledge that everyone in the party was alive.

"Hey, Dust." Robin parked him next to Dustin, where he was sitting in a chair by the bed. The boy immediately sagged into his side, and Steve wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I'm going to go talk to your doctor and try to find Joyce." His dad said, ruffling his hair and leaving the room. Robin pulled up a seat on his right and clasped his hand in hers.

"So... Are we gonna talk about how you called Hopper 'Dad'?" Steve suppressed the blush that wanted to spread on his cheeks at Dustin's question, and ruffled his hair.

"What’s there to talk about? We're all aware my parents are shit, and over the last year, Hop's been more of Dad than my actual father. He is my dad. In all the ways that matter. And I refuse to be embarrassed about that."

Dustin gave him an analyzing look before nodding and resting his head back on Steve's shoulder.

Steve took a minute to take in Eddie's state and felt the same strangeness as he had with Max earlier.

Throughout the time that Steve had known him– both in school and over the past week– Eddie was in constant motion. From pacing to walking on tables to a bouncing leg to fidling with his rings to restless hands while talking. But he was never still.

Now he was– save for the rise and fall of his chest– motionless. And the last time Steve had seen him motionless was–

Steve's breath caught in his chest, a lump caught in his throat blocking his airway, and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't–

Steve felt this urgent, all-consuming need to feel Eddie's heartbeat, then. As though his own heart would stop beating if he didn't.

It was irrational, he knew. Steve could hear the drumming of his heart in his ears, and the EKG Eddie was hooked up to was beeping without a hitch to be seen or heard, but–

His fingers wrapped around a pale wrist– and when did he let go of Robin's hand?– thumb pressed to the pulse point there and waiting, waiting, waiting until–

Thump ... Thump ... Thump

The roaring in Steve's ears dissipated as his heart slowed to a matching beat, and he could finally breathe, almost like nothing had ever been wrong in the first place.

It should have been surprising, scary even, the speed at which Steve fell for the other man, but in reality? Well, he had known he liked both for a long while, and Steve had always loved hard and fast. Always gave his heart out as easily as someone handed out candy on Halloween. He always gave more than he received, and it always backfired.

(Well– that's not entirely true. It wasn't that way with Robin, but Robin had always been different. Robin was the first– and only– person where the give-and-take was equal. She was his best friend, his sister, his other half, the platonic love of his life. His soulmate. (With a capital P as they always emphasized) His Robbie.)

But– it wasn't like he could help it. No matter how many times his heart got stomped on, no matter how many people did the stomping, he couldn't stop giving his love. Even if he– and said love– was just bullshit.

This time would be different though, he promised. This time, he'd hold his love close to his chest. He'll feel it, but it won't be given. Steve was barely friends with Eddie, and honestly? If that was all he got? Steve thinks he could live. He thinks he could be content. As long as he has Eddie, even if he isn't his.

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Well, after some sever hiccups in the writing process as well as some writers block and lack of motivation, here is part 3! Don't worry, this is certainly not the last part, I only do Happy endings, nothing sad or hopeful.

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@thespaceantwhowrites @child-of-cthulhu @plantzzsandpencilzzs @thebadasshistorian @stevesbipanic @daeb820 @flocon-tourne-en-rond @melonmochi

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sunbearsophia · 9 months ago

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it's been so long since I uploaded art to my Tumblr, and since I've made so many pieces for Twitter, figured I would bring them over here, too! Works out better, since I have more space on Tumblr to ramble!

Anyways, I've doodled Eduardo in his later dad years at least twice, maybe even three times on my Twitter, but Laurel, I only ever drew once in her later mum years. So, I decided to draw her yet again to better figure out her design, and since I want to diversify how I draw body types anyways, my mind instantly went to "MOM BOD-"

Anyways, couple of notes of basically my thought process with the whole mum design! ^^

Definitely imagining she's probably in her mid-forties here, with her oldest Emmy probably in college by then and their youngest, Leo, being in middle school.

I definitely think since Laurel carried two kids, she's definitely got more of a pear-shape than she did in her youth, plus a bit of a stomach roll. It probably worried Laurel when she was younger when exercise and dieting didn't change that, but these days, Laurel's gotten past that, with time and self-love, plus an adoring husband who never ceases in telling her how beautiful she is, healing that insecurity and making her proud of her figure. <3

Has plenty of stretch marks, not to mention a leftover C-section scar from when she had Leo. She loves each and every one of them, they remind her of her kids, and she feels like she earned every single one of them.

Age has done nothing to slow Laurel down in terms of energy, however. She doesn't burn out or give up easily, always having time to spend with her husband, kiddos and friends, and still an actress for theatre and film alike. She knows to slow down and appreciate the important things, but she's still got energy to burn and passion to share!

She's perfectly happy with letting her hair grey, not feeling inclined to redye it or changing its color. She loves how it looks, as do the people around her. She does cut her hair, however, preferring the feeling of less hair to deal with, and likes the pixie cut. She just doesn't really need or want long hair for herself! (However, she LOVES Eduardo's middle-aged long hair, it's so pretty and relaxing to brush, especially since he barely brushes it himself lol.)

BODY. MODS. GALORE. I headcanon Laurel absolutely had a ton of piercings in her youth, something that age didn't stop one bit. She also still has matching MLP tattoos with Eduardo, and definitely has more that aren't pictured here. (Might try and design more at a later date!)

Has a million freckles, on her face, neck, arms and torso, and she loves every one of them. Might be a little jealous when she realizes Matt has more than she does, fuckin' MATT lmaooo.

Really loved drawing this piece! I feel like it's great and important to show more realism in body types and diversity in my art, so this was awesome to practice with! Plus, I'm just unbelievably proud of how she turned out! Laurel is such a huge fav of mine, and I definitely plan to make more art of her later years in my hc!

And yeah, def might try drawing Eduardo like this next, since I could use some practice with dad bods, too! Maybe Anna would also be a good choice to continue the mom trend, as well! But yeah, this was a celebration of older, female body types, and it makes me really proud of the final result and just getting to work on it! <3

#eddsworld #eddsworld fanart #eddsworld laurel #laurel eddsworld #ew laurel #eduardo x laurel mention #body positivity

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fishnapple · 22 days ago

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Name: Leo

Gift for You: A index-sized card drawing of anything of your choice.

Message for my Inner Child:

Hey kiddo,

You're a lot wiser than I give you credit for. Sorry for not always paying attention to when you're craving something--whether it's something as simple as some random ass dessert or a soothing shower--by getting distracted and breaking my promises of "coming back in time" to address your requests. It sucks Little Dude, cause you often wait so patiently for me to remember or notice you at all. I won't be like my parents and keeping f*cking you over like this, alright? I got you, even if nobody else will.

(But amazingly enough, I'm so damn ✨ charming ✨ and goddamn 💕 loveable 💕 that I have a few good, loyal people also backing us in our corner. Lucky us, eh? EH?) 😜

Honestly, you're probably the one who takes more than their fair share of keeping this physical vessel afloat. You're the one who makes my life less of a drudgery amongst all the "responsible" and "healthy" choices I make, by balancing those Executive Function Decision BS with moments of rest, indulgence, and playful creative flow. Thanks for that.

Thanks for also teaching me that crying can also be a sign that you loved something, and that it's not all "bad" to feel that way. That crying can mean you love & value yourself enough to be worth crying over in the first place. Or, crying as a lucky sign of having at least experienced something you loved/miss in the first place. Sure f*cking better than feeling like you got nothing to love or miss at all, like a quicksand of amnesia. (The latter is called "clinical depression," kiddo. But don't worry, it does get better & easier to manage thanks to others & having lived this long already with all the "practice." 🙄 That's the funny thing: you inevitably get the EXP after putting in the hours of level-grinding through life's random boss battles. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks for also calling me out by saying that I'm "being mean" to you whenever I get all sarcastic, condescending, or stern over your ideas or desires. It's some parental programming I'm slowly learning to undo.

You're more capable than I give you credit for. While I want to "protect" you, you're also looking out for me too. You're an equal collaborator in this glorious enterprise we call Life. Even when life forces us to separate from things that felt safe and familiar, we'll figure this shit out together. We'll rebuild again, among whatever ashes and new strange seeds we got. It takes time, and I'm an impatient little shite, so thanks for making the waiting period more tolerable by being with me.

And yeah, I'd used a hell lot of "big words"--and a fair share of swear words--but you've always been a bit of a nerd (*wink*), so go play with some dictionary and tell me what Weird Word of the Day you discovered this time.

Keep being curious & making life feel like it's full of interesting wonders,

Leo

Hello Leo, if I would receive a drawing, I would like a drawing of a tree 🌳

Your inner child's halo:

The message from your inner child:

Eh hello my friend, or my companion, or my fool? What do you want me to call you? I'm asking this seriously, but don't fret, since you tend to take my words a little too seriously sometimes, I don't know if I should show a straight face or poke you a little. Don't be so serious, seriously. Sometimes I wanted to laugh at your actions, not to ridicule you or anything, I was just being amused by the comedy called "life". If you feel sad, feel it fully, because you will have something as a background to make the happiness shine brighter. And when you feel happy, feel it fully, so that you will have something to remember when you're feeling sad. I want to laugh a lot, to show the world a grin so big that the world would feel threatened to be swallowed by it, make the world my playground, to bring nothing with me (beside you, of course) and wander to the ends of the earth. Who says you need to have something to feel joy? What do you need exactly? Maybe standing in the middle of a downpour will do you good (but careful not to catch a cold, or if you do catch one, use it as a good excuse to lie around lazily, it's funny that you would need an excuse to lie down). You know, you do carry a bucket full of stars, don't let them be your burden, throw them to the sky, and let them guide you, I will be among them. You will know where to go, but I won't tell you my location, not yet.

I will be waiting for you there. Try to run faster, but don't hurt your legs.

Message from your inner child - mini game

#mini game #message from your inner child #tarot #tarot reading

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kaifish-pond · 5 months ago

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CG/Regressor Subtypes!! (Pt. 1)

(Note these are my OWN personal opinions/how I view them! Please take it with a grain of salt!)

Fatherly CGs (note you are NOT required to ID as He/Him to use these labels!)

Papa CG (one of my favorite CGs)

Papa CGs to me, are sterner than Daddy CGs, but not as rigid as Father CGs. They offer a lot of gentle wisdom, encouragement, and a silent strength. They are prone to setting expectations (not rules) but then sometimes faltering on enforcing them all that much. But when they DO get fed up, OH BOY!

They never punish or anything of that nature, but they do expect things from you. They are not wholly indulgent like a Daddy CG might be, but are more apt to let you have your own way than a Father CG would.

They enjoy planning, keeping on a loose schedule, and mealtimes that consist of balance. They always make sure you drink water, but will of course let you have your iced coffee or energy drinks fairly often.

They love giving treats when you deserve it, and driving you to get ice cream (Even in the middle of winter) is a huge treat even for them, because they love to see you happy!

They love taking you on day or weekend trips, nothing too expensive but definitely a place that will be memorable!

Papa CGs DO NOT need to be he/him to call themselves a Papa! Any gender can be a Papa!

Papa CGs are HIGHLY protective over their little one(s) and will never stand for anyone making fun of or bullying. They will also protect littles that aren’t theirs!

Papa CGs always have your favorite candy on hand to reward you for a good job!

Daddy CG

Daddy CGs are probably the most chill between Papa & Father CGs. They just want their little one to have the best time ever. They are just as silly and funloving as any little could be. They hardly ever get upset, and when they are the opt to just laugh it off or gently talk to their small one.

They’ve never met a bad little in their life (except for a*usive littles, which are a thing) only misunderstood ones. They would rather get down to the root cause of what’s causing a little to lash out, then raise their voice

Daddy CGs also have expectations, but the main one is; Have Fun Kiddo!

Daddy CGs LOVE to spoil you, toys, games, stuffies, colouring books. If you can dream it and its practical a Daddy CG will try and give it to you!

Daddy CGs can often be taken advantage of because they are just so darn giving, so they have to be on the lookout for things of that nature!

Daddy CGs will take you on the most amazing roadtrips & drives. They’ll just pick up the car keys and ask “Wanna go for a drive?” And next thing you know you’re two states over having the best pizza you’ve ever eaten (ONLY DRIVE WITH PEOPLE YOU KNOW AND TRUST THO!)

Daddy CGs LOVE to see you smile and will do ANYTHING to make you happy. They shower you in all the best snacks, drinks, etc.

Father CG

Father CGs are the most stern, and even a bit reserved/hands off. They watch you with loving adoration from afar (But NOT in an inauthentic/uncaring way)

Father Cgs love their littles just as much as any other Cg, they just love watching you be independent and tackle life’s problems head on!

Father Cgs are always looking out for their littles in ways that the little one may not even be aware of. Such as keeping receipts for taxes, or making sure their car has a full tank of gas, putting away money to treat them later

Father Cgs may or may not be big on affection

More often than not Father Cgs have a HUGE well of knowledge to draw on to help out their little one when they’re in a scrape/bad spot and love to give advice

Father Cgs can be a bit rigid in their planning or schedules. “It's time for sleep NOW, Little one.”

Father Cgs are who you call when shit is hitting the fan and you need honest and practical advice

#caregivers #age regression #agere sfw #sfw agere #sfw regression #regression #regressor #papa cg #daddy cg #father cg

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the-fiction-witch · 1 year ago

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Seventeen P15-P20

Media The Maze Runner

Characters Newt

Couple Newt X Reader

Rating Sweet

Series Seventeen

I headed inside the classroom even if everyone was already busy with the reading

"Mr Newton, Particular reason you're twenty minutes late to my class?" Janson snapped

"I locked my key in my locker again" I sighed

"I have half a mind to give you a detention"

"It's Thursday." I remind him

"Alright, I'll let you off" he sighed

So I went and took my seat I guess that is the one perk of being the scholastic team captain I can't get detention on Thursdays and Mondays.

I felt the little box burning in my bag I wanted to know so desperately what she had given me, but Ratman is a cunt and if he saw me get it out in his class he'd confiscate it for sure and I'd be lucky to get it back at all. So I just kept my head down and imagined whatever could be in the little box...

I was first to arrive at the maths room we always used for the scholastic team being first as always. I sat down grabbed the little box from my bag and opened it up, inside the little black box were a few little items, A little orange lollipop, a little chocolate bar, a little pressed flower and a little keyring much like her own but this one had black flowers and a cartoon style slushie cup with the same style of scroll with the words 'You carved open my heart'.

Awwwww I'm gonna cry!

Immediately I put the keyring on my bag so I could carry it everywhere with me and put the little box in my bag so I could keep everything safe till I got home, soon enough everyone headed in ready for practice

"Right kids let's get going!" Jorge says as he arrives eager to start up everything

I didn't really pay much attention as we did practice questions and such as usual, even if I didn't really try too hard as I knew I didn't need too

"And top again, Is Miyoko!" Jorge says giving her applause and everyone else sighed, God, damn Miyoko.

Miyoko Lee, she wasn't actually in my class but in our year group even if she's literally 12! She was homeschooled until nine and has skipped almost half the years she's been alive. I mean it was fair to skip her as she is honestly as close to a genius as I have ever known, she's just insanely smart and untouchable I couldn't even take the piss or be mean to the little squirt as she is minho Lee head of the track team's little sister.

"I don't know how we're meant to compete with her" Nick complained

"Well if you boys did you're practice more maybe you could compete with Miyoko. But you're all on the same team" Jorge explained "Ohh just a sec-" He says heading out to talk with a passing teacher

"You know you could save all you're showing off for the next actual competition?" Jeff said

"가서 엿 먹어도 돼" was her response

"Uhh... Team captain? you gonna do something about this?" Nick asked

"Look I've already been beaten up by a member of the track team, I'm not doing it again"

"That's fair"

"Alright kiddo's get off home before the track meet's over so you don't get boxed in," Jorge says as he got back to the room everyone very quickly began to scamper I got my stuff and wanted to get home too but as I headed out I noticed how busy the track field still was as the track meet would not be over for a good half hour. I knew I should start on the walk home but...

I headed over to the track field sneaking in through the tall fence, seeing the tall bleachers full of people mostly parents and those who supported the team, they were setting the tracks up for another heat, the lights on bright making it strange as the track looked as bright as a summer day but just beyond the fence was the autumn darkness, The track team stood warming up as well as the team from the other nearby school, The small group of flag girls by the track meaning my sister and Zoe both of them looking bored. But drawing all the attention were the cheerleaders doing a route as the track was prepped, all the usual stick jumping, kicks, arm waves, pompom's all kind of a blur honestly.

The whistle blew for the heat and everyone took their lanes so the cheerleaders moved off the track and that's when we caught eyes, Y/n at the back of course pompom's in hand much as I had seen her earlier in the day I smiled and gently waved to her and she happily waved back the pompom swishing as she did but the race started and was kicked to cheer with the other girls.

I found myself a spot on the bleachers and watched everything going on even if I did have to put my headphones in as it just got way too much for me. I didn't really pay much attention to the track meet only clapping when everyone around me did and even then only when I really noticed but I made sure to watch the girls, doing all their little cheer routines even if y/n often got shoved up the back I still found it impossible not to watch her.

I often had to force my thoughts away when they did kicks and lifts given it often exposed the small white shorts she wore under the cheer skirt. But eventually, the meet was over, I honestly have no clue who won but I jumped out of my skin when y/n sat beside me with her bag and her pom pom's I quickly took my headphones out and did my best to smile

"Hi y/n"

"Hi newt," she smiled "I thought you weren't coming?"

"Ohh well Scholastic got finished early, so I came to see you"

"Awww that's so sweet, But you could have got out early"

"I know, but I wanted to see you"

"You're too sweet sometimes" she smiled "Did you like you're present?"

"I did very much, but you didn't have to do that"

"I know, but I wanted to"

"Thank you very much, I've already put it in my bag"

"I can see, it's like we match" she giggled

"Yeah it is a little" I laughed

"I need to get going my dad will be waiting, But I'll see you tomorrow newt"

"Yeah see you tomorrow, have a nice night"

"You too" she smiled grabbing her stuff and scampering away towards the car park waving as she went I smiled and waved until she left my view

"Ummmmm" I sighed happily

I walked home and saw my mum busy with her cross stitch in the living room, sitting on the sofa watching some Tv, and my dad sat in his chair with some paperwork.

"Hey kiddo, how was school?" he asks

"It went good" I smiled trying not to smile too much

"Did you do it?"

"do what?" She asks

"Did you?" He asked again

"I did" I smiled

"Good job, I'm a man of my word Pizza for dinner"

"Yes!" I smiled "I'll be in my room"

"Alright we'll call you down for dinner"

I headed up to my room throwing my bag on my the side close to my desk but I had a heart attack "ahhhh!" I jumped as I saw Thomas sitting on my bed one of my snowglobes in his hand

"Hi," He waved

"What are you doing in my house!" I yelled snatching my snowglobe from him and setting it back on the shelf

"Your parents said I could wait up here" he shrugs getting up and fiddling with stuff around my desk

"Why are you in my house?" I complained stopping his hands from touching things

"I came to visit, you weren't here," he says flicking through my notebook

"Fine, what do you want?" I snapped taking my book and putting it back

"What's your problem?"

"I... like things very specific, I don't even let my sister in here," I told him "But it's fine, what do you want Tommy?" I sighed sitting on my bed and he sat on my chair

"Well I came over with some news, I figured you'd want to hear it as soon as possible"

"Oh? what?"

"I don't know maybe I shouldn't tell you, you've kinda been a dick"

"You're in my room, without consent. I think being a dick is fair"

"Fine, I'll go-"

"No. sorry Tommy, what did you need to tell me?"

"That's better, given the news I'm about to give you I imagine you're gonna really wanna thank me" he smirked

"Am I?" I rolled my eyes "What is it then?"

"Well, I had a word with the head of the drama club this afternoon"

"Right? about?"

"About the Winter Musical"

"Oh? how do you know? it won't be announced for like a good two weeks?"

"She wanted to tell me,"

"Why?"

"Honestly she wants me to try a drum up... more boys for drama club"

"That's fair I mean it is you and Aris that's it so makes sense"

"So I know the musical"

"All alright don't keep me in suspense, Are we doing Le mis again?"

"Nope."

"What is it then?"

"Heathers."

"Wh-WHAT!"

"We are doing Heathers the musical."

"How the hell are we gonna do that!"

"What do you mean?"

"Uhhhhh... Multiple deaths, mentions of suicide, of rape, many, many swear words and... the whole of a dead girl walking?"

"Apparently there's a high school cut"

"Ohh yeah that makes sense" I nodded "That's cool but why couldn't that be a text?"

"Because I told Teresa."

"Okay..."

"and she told y/n"

"What!"

"She told y/n. and apparently, she is going to be auditioning"

"Y/n is auditioning for Heathers! awww she'd make such a good Veronica"

"And the head of drama has asked me specifically to help bring more guys into drama club for this production under hint that I could have any role I want so I'm sure for a price I could make sure someone else gets a role they want"

"Are- are you suggesting"

"I have it on good conscious given head of drama asked me and because Teresa is head cheerleader and has basically already picked that she's gonna be Heather Chandler, we could help make sure"

"Yes?"

"That Y/n gets put as Veronica,"

"Yes!"

"And you as her JD"

"YES!" I yelled giving him a huge hug "Wait-"

"What?"

"uhhh I can't sing"

"Newt. this is high school theatre none of us can sing"

"But you really think you could?"

" you're first, really it's between you and Aris."

"Yeah that's what I'm worried about... aris is good, like really good"

"True, but I will do what I can to help butter her up, I kinda already knew you would, so auditions tomorrow at lunch"

"Tomorrow! I can't prepare an audition in... 19 hours. and also sleep"

"Newt, you're not telling me you know every lyric to those songs"

"....good point"

"and I and Teresa will help butter the head of drama we promise"

"Wait... so, does Teresa-"

"Yes. she's my girlfriend of course I told her you have a thing for y/n"

"WHY!"

"She promised she wouldn't tell her, she's my girlfriend Newt I tell her everything"

"and yet I still got beat up for talking to her?"

"she has to keep up like she doesn't know, and I told her after"

"Well, thanks for telling me I'm just kinda worried how we're gonna pull this off I mean I can barely talk to y/n without stuttering and blushing like a mess you think I can handle a whole musical next to her? Have you ever seen a live version of dead girl walking, Veronica sits on JD's lap and rips her shirt off! y/n does that to me I'm gonna explode! Literally"

"You'll be fine, you'll have months of prep to get to know each other better by the time you actually need to perform you two will be dating," He says "Now... I'm not hearing a thank you for telling you, getting you an audition and potentially getting you the girl of you're dreams"

"Thank you, Tommy"

"You're welcome"

"Pizza's here!" My dad yells from downstairs

"Coming!" I yelled back

"You guys have got pizza?"

"My dad bet me A pizza if I talked to y/n today"

"Aww, I love your parents"

"They are great"

"May I stay for a pizza slice?"

"You may Tommy,"

Admittedly I was so very sleepy I had been up all night, I must have listened to the soundtrack about six times to make sure I knew all the words. But I was getting more and more nervous the longer the day went on, I knew the lunch audition was coming and now I was shitting myself.

"You ready?" Thomas smirked as he was basically pushing me down the hall

"No, I'm not ready,"

"Liar, let's go, lover boy," he says kicking me into the drama room

"Ohh that's more people than I thought" I gulped

The large room with mirrors across one side and the smaller version of the stage in the main hall, and there were more people than I had hoped.

"You said privately"

"I never officially said private"

"it was implied! I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die" I muttered hiding in my hoodie

"Let's get you a seat" he smirked pushing me to a chair beside him as he sat next to Teresa giving her a kiss "Hi babe"

"Awww hi" she giggled

But that meant I'm sure intentionally I was next to y/n

"Ohh Hi newt"

"Ohh uhhh Hi y/n"

"I figured I might see you here, isn't it great we're doing heathers!"

"It is, it's amazing. you're gonna audition then?"

"I'm gonna try" she giggled "and you?"

"Ohh uhh well I uhh I thought maybe I'd wat-" I began but Thomas elbowed me "Yep yeah I am"

"Ooohh no no don't tell me I wanna be surprised" she giggled

"Okay kids, Lets get this show rolling" Mrs Mary spoke up taking the stage

"Okay, kids. First I am going to let you into a little secret. Our department is low on funding. We are likely the lowest priority in the whole school, as I'm sure we all know high priority goes to the track team" She began

"Wooooo!" The track team yelled excitedly

"Yes, yes" she sighed "Even the art club gets funding before us. So this is a shoestring of a budget. and the way we make our budget to keep the club alive is, Ticket sales." she explained "Which we have been severely lacking. I have produced the best musical ever written several times but that doesn't seem to be enough. So Fine! I'll sell out we're doing Heathers the musical"

"Yay!" Many cheered

"Yeah yeah, you little vipers. But I'm doing this not for art even if I will do my best to make it it's best. We are doing this for money. So I want advertising, recommendations, I want your families flying in from out of state to see you in this because by god if tickets are not sold out we don't go on, do you understand me!"

"Yes Mrs mary"

"Good. Now I have also asked my drama club to gather some cast members outside of our art and drama bubble, mostly because this musical has a cast of seventeen hundred, and because maybe that will bring in some new parents, siblings and really just dealing with the same ten of you is giving me a migraine. Now because of this, I am going to make sure anyone who auditions is cast somewhere be that onstage or off, but I will be putting focus on our new people. You drama rats have had your turns, Now, as I'm sure any of you who have goggled the script or ever seen this show will know full well this is not an easy musical, there are vocal moments, costume changes, impressive set and staging. this is gonna make the summer production of Grease look like a kindergarten Alice in Wonderland." She explained "So, I warn you now for any who don't know the musical well. There are no easy roles in Heathers. And to every girl hoping to be Veronica, I must remind you Veronica is in almost every song number, every scene, and is most of the script. if you are not prepared for that level of work, I suggest you go. The same goes for whomever if hoping to be our Jason dean. It's hard work, a hard role, even for a theatre brat."

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artsytattletail64 · 10 months ago

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💜💕 Future!Plum 💕💜

My beloved!

💜💜 Bio 💜💜

Plum is Snowglobe's loving husband!

He is a very sweet and sassy tattletail. Plum is pretty foolish at times, so he often gets into or causes trouble due to this foolishness, (as you know!!) but he really means no harm!

Plum is DEEPLY in love with Snowglobe! He'll often go head over heels at just the thought of her! He loves her more than anything in the world! Plum likes to give Snowglobe bites of love, very gentle ones! Just a nom- though he does that at the most random times- He also likes feeling her very fluffy wool! (He likes fluffy things-) Plum also loves to carry Snowglobe around! (because he can!!)

Plum loves to care for his children, and is especially good with babies! (He used to work at a daycare before having his own kiddos!! He also babysat a lot as a kid!) He loves his kids so so much!! (Plum has a pouch, which he carries Peach in! Peach loves it there hehe)

Plum has the biggest appetite, and he especially likes sweet things! He has quite the sweet tooth! Luckily for him, as he's practiced, he's gotten better at cooking! So, he's not *as* likely to burn down the kitchen! Snowglobe and Plum often bake together, and Snowglobe's quite a pro, so Plum always learns something new from her! Plum is also Snowglobe's official "taste tester," according to her!

Plum loves flowers and gardens, and has his own garden outside! He has abilities(?) which allow him to grow plants from his paws or tail. He can also grow plants from the ground with a touch of his paw, or heal them! (He can also heal people!) Plum can summon vines, very strong ones! He uses them as self defense if needed. (Or to reach things he can't- he's short-) He had these abilities as a kid also, but they weren't as strong.

Plum is VERY protective of those he loves. Like Mama Rose, Plum will not hesitate to protect his family, even if that means attacking... and he'll show NO mercy. Don't mess with him, he's Mama ROSE's son!!

(Oh fun fact!! Plum's has a WEREtat form (ya know, a WEREWOLF tattletail?) HEHEHEHEHE I'll talk more abt that when I draw that ref!! >:}}} )

#purpletattletailfanart #purpletattletail #plumtattletail #tattletailau #tattletail #tattletailhorrorgame #tattletailoc #tattletailfanart #tattletailocart #tattletaildrawing #tattletailgame #clipstudiopaint

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noxexistant · 2 years ago

Note

Yesss once we're friends I just am perpetually excited to talk to you forevermore.

Im sorry I am also tired lol I stayed up too late

Oof that sucks. :/

BLINK MY BELOVED

So he is working on a poem for mush. He is worrying about his best friend. He is entertaining snipeshooter and Tumbler and teaching them tricks to sell better.he is saving up to get jack a gift.

me too! i totally accidentally stayed up until like 3am lmao, got possessed with that newsies writing fever. it’s just so much fun having people message me stuff like this, talking about their headcanons and ideas n asking for mine, and people telling me about their own newsies productions!! i love it so much, absolutely worth staying up late for

blink!!! 😭 what an absolute sweetheart

i like to think he started on the poem in his head totally by accident, just letting his mind wander while selling during the day - thinking about mush, like he very often does - but he struggled to keep it straight so started scribbling it down on a piece of paper he asked to pull from one of jack’s notebooks. his handwriting is atrocious, but he can read it just fine - he’s just worried about, when it’s finished, whether mush will be able to read it too. oh, god, blink thinks, am i gonna have to read it out loud to him?

he starts mentally going through the newsies to work out who he trusts to write it out neatly for him, and who’s also capable of keeping a secret. race has got nice handwriting - he’s well-practiced, scrawling out betting slips - but he’s also got a big mouth. maybe buttons could do it.

borrowing the paper from jack also directly influences blink’s desire to get jack a gift, because he can’t stop thinking about how much jack gives to them all and how little he keeps for himself. tearing pages even out of his notebooks that he treats like gold in order to let people draw when they want to or write when they need it. jack runs out of pages often, and ends up sketching on the backs of leaflets and stuff again until he can get his hands on more real paper. because of that, blink’s poem is only on the one sheet - absolutely chock-full of his writing, full of scribbles and blacked-out lines, crammed all snaking around the other words on the page to make more room.

and ohhh man blink teaching the kiddos tricks to sell. blink’s a good entertainer, he’s had a lot of practice, teaching himself how to juggle objects and the like because he was a little scared of the effects losing his eye might have. it’s difficult living without depth perception, he knows even after he ages out of being a newsie nobody’ll have him working in their factory - they probably wouldn’t even have him on a farm, afraid being half-blind also makes him useless - but blink is anything but useless. he shows off to prove it, and the kids think he’s tons of fun.

his eye is also a double-edged sword for selling. it earns him sympathy sometimes like any disability does - he knows other kids that wear eyepatches that don’t even really need them, just wanna pretend to earn that same sympathy, and because of that folks sometimes don’t believe him either. he’s been jabbed by people’s canes and umbrellas and squinted at, asked if his eye’s really bad or if he’s faking. and, if he don’t wear his patch, people are scared of him. disgusted. he’s had women ask to see and then scream when he lifted his patch to show his empty socket. nobody wants to buy a pape from nobody who looks like that.

so, he’s learnt the balance - the exact right space between useful and helpless you’ve gotta be as a newsie to make sales, whether they’re people buying papes to read the news or buying papes to hand a few coins to a poor kid. it doesn’t matter to blink, money’s money. that’s a big part of what he teaches the kids.

#newsies #kid blink #my headcanons #answered #anonymous

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tryan-a-bex · 2 years ago

Text

Hob looked up as the door to the New Inn clanged shut. Dream! And… a young person? Who looked very put out? What has Dream gotten himself into this time?

Dream and the youngster approached the table where Hob and Anya sat drawing together. On seeing who it was, Anya excitedly held up her drawing.

“Look! I made a spy penguin! He’s finding bombs at the aquarium to save all the fish! And the whales!”

“I hope you don’t think I’m going to put that up on my wall,” the new child said sullenly. Hob raised an eyebrow at Dream.

“That’s a lovely drawing, Anya!” Dream enthused, clearly avoiding Hob’s eyebrow. “I don’t remember whales at the aquarium, though?”

“Whales are too big, silly! But this aquarium is the super awesome big huuuuuge one!” She pointed to her drawing. “It can hold lots of whales! And ockapususes!”

“Octopuses are really cool! Did you know they are smart enough to escape most cages? You have to keep them happy by feeding them so they will stay!” The kid suddenly looked as enthusiastic as Anya and Dream, though Hob was a little doubtful about his facts. Hob decided to ignore the fact that Dream was avoiding his question and reached out his hand.

“Hi! I’m Hob!”

The kid’s face wrinkled a bit, probably trying to decide if Hob could be trusted. Then it settled into decision and Hob was offered a shy wave instead of a handshake.

“I’m Tift. But you know if Twitter dies, I really hope Mastodon doesn’t win out because then I’d be Mift.”

Hob wondered why the kid would be miffed if Twitter was replaced by Mastodon, and really wondered why Twitter was brought up in the first place. He looked up at Dream again, whose face was now looking about as guilty as he’d seen it lately.

“Do you have something to explain to me, dove?” he prompted gently. The guilty look on Dream’s face intensified.

“Well. My sister. …”

“Wait, which sister? Death?”

“No, the other one.”

“Despair?” Hob asked, hope dying in his voice.

Dream winced. “Delirium. She brought me…” He waved helplessly at the youngster and winced. “Apparently since we are opposites of a kind, it’s my responsibility now?” His voice raised on a hopeful note, as he looked at Hob.

“Oh, love.” Hob sighed. “You didn’t complain when I brought Anya into our lives, why would I give you a hard time about Tift? What… what do we need to do, though?”

“I have no idea!” Dream’s voice practically squeaked. “I’ve never had to take care of the collective consciousness of humanity before! I’m only good at the unconscious! And Calliope did the hard parts of the teenage years with Orpheus!”

Hob reached out for his hand. “We’ll work it out, love, don’t worry,” he soothed. He looked at Tift, apparently the personification of the collective awareness of people. This was going to be … interesting. He reached out his other hand and laid it on the child’s shoulder.

“Welcome to the family, kiddo.”

(now on ao3 also)

Next, Dinner and a Play!

Social media

Dream gazed down at the school of psychedelic fish that swam around his throne room.

“My sister?” he queried. The fish swirled more and more tightly, as if they were going down a drain. As they reached the floor, they coalesced into a young woman, dressed in layers of colourful clothing, whose hair colour cycled slowly through the rainbow as her green and blue eyes stared back at him.

“I have a thing that I made. But it is not mine. I think it belongs to you, Brother.” Suddenly she was holding the hand of a surly preteen, pulling them out from behind her to show to Dream. Their hair was two-toned blue, and their clothing looked as hodge-podge, if not as colourful, as her own. They scowled up at Dream.

The embodiment of the collective unconscious looked down on the embodiment of the collective consciousness. This was going to be interesting.

“Yes, I believe you are correct. What are they called?”

“Well, I called them Social Media. I was just playing around, you know, it wasn’t supposed to happen. But they got to a certain size and then this happened!” she gestured at the young person standing between them. “And you know I can’t take care of a child. It’s terrible. I have such a headache. But I think they belong to you.”

“Come here, then.” Dream reached out to his colourful shadow, his young opposite number, his new surly ward, and wondered how he was going to explain this to Hob.

Comment on ao3

#just for you because you reblogged it!#tryana find it back

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yesimwriting · 2 years ago

Text

Final Girl (Part 3)

- Final Girl Series Masterlist (updated part 1 - 9 and extras)

A/n yall have been so kind!! all of the messages, likes, comments, and reblogs for this series have made me so happy! this chapter is a little bit of filler bc my original idea for this part was way too long especially with how busy this week is supposed to be, so i sort of split it!!

also if this has pacing issues, i’m sorry, i had a panic attack yesterday and a really bad migraine today so it’s been kinda rough lately but i wanted to get this out!! Part 4 is going to have a little more going on :)

if this is messy pls don’t give up on me 😭 i promise the next part will have more going on i just didn’t want to leave y’all waiting forever and we needed a bit of a filler

also if anyone wants to leave me an ask about this series pls do:) i’ve had so much fun talking about Final Girl

Series Summary: Y/n can’t believe that she has to leave the only home she’s ever known just because her mom’s latest boyfriend has a house in some town in California. Just as she’s starting to think that Woodsboro might not be that bad, something life altering happens after she agrees to sleep over at Becker’s house. Now her name is practically synonymous with Ghostface’s.

Chapter Summary: Y/n’s first day back after the incident.

----

My reflection has never bothered me more. I know vanity is such a stupid thing to worry about now after what happened to Casey, but I can’t help the way I scrutinize my appearance.

The attention drawing cotton-y bandaid that was placed on the gash on the side of my temple has been (thankfully) downgraded to a regular bandaid. That’s fine--I can accept that. What I can’t accept are the stupid cuts caused by all of that glass.

After being released from the hospital, it took no time for me to learn that it’s going to be awhile before I can comfortably wear pants again. My arms are a little less cut up, so the white, long sleeved shirt I picked out covers my injuries without irritating them. I tried on a pair of leggings and I barely got them to my thighs without wincing.

So now I’m wearing the most comfortable skirt I own. Normally, I wouldn’t even think twice about it, I wear this skirt so often, but it barely covers any of the cuts on the back of my legs. God...people are going to think I’m doing this for attention, especially since media outlets keep calling my house.

Ugh--this is as good as it’s going to get for my first day back. I pick my backpack up from my bed. My eyelids feel so heavy I have to fight the urge to collapse back into bed.

The walk downstairs is painfully slow. Once I’m finally in the hall that leads to the kitchen, I stop. A vague confusion clouds my thoughts. Was I going to the kitchen? What did I want from the kitchen?

“Mornin’, kiddo.” I blink at the sound of Wells’ voice. At least it’s offering me a sense of a direction.

Stepping fully in the kitchen, I greet back, “Good morning.”

He eyes me for a long second, piercing blue irises lingering in a way that makes me feel uneasy in my own skin. “Skirt’s a little grown, ain’t it?” When my only reaction is to furrow my eyebrows, he continues, “What happened to those little girl dresses you used to wear? I liked those.”

I grab the strap of my backpack, shifting slightly. I stopped wearing those dresses after he had been dating my mom for a few months. “Outgrew them, I guess.”

Wells nods once, the motion gruff as he moves to grab his mug. He lets out a curt, gruff noise.

“Oh, Wells.” Like always, my mom’s voice chases away all the tension. “Don’t you know better than telling a girl what to wear? Especially a teenager. Now ease up, 16-year-old me would make Y/n look like a saint.” With that, my mom finally looks at me. “You look pretty, like always, I especially like your top.” It takes me a second to realize that my mom’s referencing the fact that I stole this shirt from her closet. I let out a soft, slow laugh. “You okay?”

I nod drastically. “Yep, just want to get the first day back over with.”

“I can’t believe you only took one day off. When I was your age, I’d have taken half a week off for less.”

“It’s going to be bad no matter when I go back. My name’s been all over the news.” I release the strap of my backpack, scratching the back of my wrist. “Plus it’s junior year and that one day off already has me drowning in makeup work. I can’t afford to fall behind. Junior year is the year colleges look at most. This year could make or break whether or not I get into Princeton.”

My mom holds her hands up in defense. “Yes, I know, you ranted to me about it yesterday. Just promise me you’ll listen to your body. I don’t love that you haven’t had your follow up appointment yet to confirm whether or not you have a concussion.”

“Mom, I’m fine, promise. I’ll let you know if I start to feel weird.”

She watches me for a long second, likely attempting to scan me the way an MRI machine would. “Fine, you need a ride or--”

“Actually, a friend’s picking me up.”

At that my mom tilts her head in a way that’s so knowing I feel the urge to confess even though I’ve done nothing. “A friend as in one of those two boys that spent all weekend calling and checking in on you?”

My mom spent the last two days at my side. Normally it would have annoyed me, but it was actually nice. It reminded me of life before Wells. There was one downside, though. She saw how often Billy and Stu called. It wasn’t terrible and she probably would have picked up on it anyway, but it’s opened the ground to a lot of jokes and comments on her part.

“You’re the one who brought them into this. I would have never thought to call Billy while I was at the hospital.” That’s true. Even though we were friends before the incident, I wouldn’t have thought to call anyone except my mom. “And they’re just trying to be there for me like good friends.”

At that, my mom leans against the kitchen island. “Y’know when I was your age, I had a guy that just wanted to be a good friend and drove me to school. Now I have a daughter.”

I roll my eyes, “Haha. Yes--I’m going to get pregnant in the less than 10-ish minutes we’re going to have before we need to get to class.”

“It only took about 8 minutes to make you, and that includes me getting dressed and fixing my hair after. Just saying.”

I make a point of fake gagging. “Bye mom, Wells.“

“What? I was joking!”

I walk towards the front door. A hand on my shoulder makes me nearly jump out of my skin. “Mom! You scared me.”

She offers me a sheepish smile, “You know I’m kidding, right? They’re nice for caring.”

“I know, mom.”

With a sigh, she continues, “Just be sa--”

“Oh my God, mom! I’m not having se--”

“Easy, pumpkin,” she laughs off my outburst, “I mean in general. Don’t strain yourself and don’t feel like you need to push through. You want to go home early and I’ll pick you up.”

I smile softly. “Yeah, I will.”

With that, I open the front door. The sun is so bright I have to drop my head as I walk down the driveway. Wells’ house is objectively nicer than the house my mom and I lived in when we were still in Texas, but I still find myself missing the familiarity of our old front porch.

Squinting, I look up and notice a car waiting next to the mailbox. How did I miss that? Rubbing my eyes with one hand, I approach the vehicle.

I pull open the door to the backseat. Two sets of eyes turn towards me. “You know you guys didn’t have to wait for me.” I push my backpack into the car before sitting down. “You could’ve honked or something,”

“We just got here,” Billy says easily, but I’m not sure I believe him.

Stu turns in his seat to face me better as I shut the car door. “Plus we don’t mind giving you time to get all dolled up. Especially since today’s going to be a total bloodbath.”

His wording leaves me more confused than upset. I draw my eyebrows together, shifting awkwardly. “What do you mean?”

“Everyone’s gone crazy over what happened. I think more people were talking about you than Casey, and Casey’s the one that got gutted. It’s all over the news. They hung her from that tree in--” Billy moves his hand from the console in order to smack the side of Stu’s head. “Ow, man--what was that for?”

“It’s not even 8 yet, at least let her wake up first before you traumatize her.”

The thought of Casey makes my stomach twist, but I’m not focused in on anything enough to really react. Tiredly, I pull my backpack onto my lap and squeeze it to my body. “It’s fine,” I’m not sure if I’m talking to them or myself.

Stu and Billy exchange a look that I barely register before resting my chin on my bag. “Are you okay? You didn’t even do that cute, little glare thing you do when you want me to shut up.”

“I’m fine,” I answer a little too quickly, forcing myself to sit up some more, “A little tired.” Stu’s watching me a little too carefully and I catch Billy glancing at me through the rearview mirror. “Seriously?” Sighing, I shift in my seat, “First my mom and now you guys. I’m fine.”

My reaction is just a little too angry. Maybe if I felt a little more rested, I would have known better. Stu moves until he’s siting in the passenger seat normally. “Crying over the fact that you’re a total mommy’s girl.”

Rolling my eyes and ignoring the way the motion irritates my migraine, I lean back in my seat. “Put on a seatbelt, asshole.”

Even though that’s said with more bite and irritation than anything I’ve ever said to him, Stu laughs. It’s light and terribly offensive. I frown, looking over at Billy as heat crawls up my neck and towards my face. He’s just barely fighting down a grin. “It’s not that funny.”

“No,” Stu sarcastically agrees, “That was so mean of you. I can’t remember the last time someone insulted me and tried to take care of me at the same time.”

I cross my arms around my backpack. “Why did I agree to getting into a contained space with you two so early in the morning?”

“Because you don’t have a license.” Billy looks way too smug as he turns the wheel as we move down a curb.

I glare at him. “You extorted that information out of me while I was super out of it and half asleep.”

“You said it yourself, it’s not like one of us asked.”

He’s right and I hate it. I sink further into the seat, tempted to shut my eyes, but knowing that there’s no guarantee that I won’t fall asleep if I do. “Whatever.”

Stu half laughs at that before starting to talk about a new scary movie that’s coming out. The plot sounds kind of basic, but I’m not one to judge until I see the movie. Normally, I’d be totally invested. I kind of like when Stu rambles about something he’s interested in, but now I’m struggling to hold my head up.

I don’t register that we’re in the school parking lot until both Billy and Stu get out of the car. Once they’re both out, I shake my head once in an attempt to clear my thoughts. Get it together.

When I step out of the car, I make a point of keeping my eyes on the ground in front of me. Stu may exaggerate every once in awhile, but I don’t think he’s wrong about school. My mom has been fielding calls since the morning I was discharged from the hospital and last night while I was flipping through channels, I saw my face three times.

Before I can even think, a bright flash makes me flinch. The light is like a punch behind the eye thanks to my headache. That is followed by a series of other equally bright and irritating camera shutters.

Shit.

Billy steps towards me, dropping his voice so that only I can hear, “You know we don’t have to.”

Taking a settling breath, I tilt my chin up a fraction of an inch. “It’s fine,” I say, hoping that I’ll convince myself, “Can’t hide forever.”

We walk forward, me a few steps ahead of Billy and Stu. My fast pace is a sad attempt at ripping off the bandaid.

“Excuse--Excuse me, miss!” I squeeze the strap of my backpack so tightly my knuckles must be white from the tension. “Miss Y/n L/n.” The woman that waves me down is holding a large microphone. She barely glances at me before turning her attention back to the camera man that followed her as she chased me. “Hi. Gale Weathers. I covered the last one of these.”

I wince. “I’m sorry, when you say ‘the last one of these’ do you mean the last murder or--”

“...And we’re rolling!” In nature, bright colors are meant to warn living things of poison. I think that logic could be applied to Gale Weathers and her auburn hair and blood red lips. “I’m Gale Weathers and I’m bringing you an exclusive with the lone survivor of what some are calling the worst murder in Woodsboro history.” She then turns towards me, “Now, Y/n, our viewers want to know exactly what you’re feeling.”

Her microphone is way to close to my face. “Well, Gale, I’m glad you asked,” I’m speaking in the polite tone I used to reserve for rude customers when I worked in the mall last summer, “I’m feeling fan-freakin’-tastic!”

The false enthusiasm jars her the way I hoped it would. She brings the microphone back to her. “Really?”

“No, you vulture. Ambush interviewing is as tacky as that suit.”

With that, I turn away and attempt to storm into school with an aura that scares away reporters. I’ve only ever seen that kind of confident magic come from my mom, but she’s half my genetic material, that means it must be in me somewhere, right?

Apparently wrong, because the cameras continue to flash. One man gets so close to me that his rapid photographing leaves me dizzy.

“Okay,” an arm quickly wraps around my side, stabilizing me, “You got your pictures, now leave her alone.” The scent of Tatum’s perfume is comforting as she guides me the rest of the way inside. Once we’re inside, we’re granted the semblance of some privacy. “And I thought they were bad yesterday. Are you okay?”

I nod, relaxing a little at her casual expression. Maybe if I try hard enough, I’ll be able to pretend that this is an average Tuesday. “I’m fine, I’m just tired, and I can’t believe how obsessed everyone is.”

“Of course they’re obsessed.” For the first time ever, Randy’s voice is completely unwelcome. “You’re the sole survivor, the only witness to tell the story, the--for lack of better term--final girl.”

Being in a friend group with so many people that are really into horror movies is all fun and games until they summarize the great trauma of your life in a movie trope. “Really? I never would have thought of it that way.”

Sidney glares at Randy in defense of me. I appreciate it, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. “It’s too soon for those kinds of jokes.”

My sarcasm was pure venom and Sidney’s reaction, though well intentioned, only made me feel sorry. Randy offers me a sheepish sort of look that immediately makes me feel bad for being so snippy. His comment wouldn’t have bothered me so much if it wasn’t for what just happened, and he wasn’t really trying to be mean. That actually might have been an attempt to lighten the mood, especially since he knows that the final girl storyline is one of my favorites. He’s always recommending movies that end like that.

“Thanks, Sid, but I came on a little strong. I’m sorry, Randy, I’ve been a total nightmare all day. Just ask Billy and St--” I look around, a little surprised that they’re not right behind me. Aw, I lost them in all that commotion. “Weird--they were just behind me.” Shaking off the slightly lost feeling with the turn of my head, I move on, “Ask them later. The point is, I’ve been awful. It’s not your guys’ fault that this is my life right now.”

Randy’s expression morphs from being almost hurt to something that’s even more of a punch in the gut. He seems sympathetic. “It’s okay, you’re holding it together way more than I would be. I don’t even know how you’re at school today.”

“Yeah, how are you even here, Y/n?” Tatum echoes, her voice a little softer than before.

It’s a good question. Now that I’m here all those points I made about school and grades and Princeton feel so far away. “It had to happen at some point, I might as well rip off the band aid. I just want everything to go back to normal.” I shift awkwardly, watching them watch me. “And the man that did this doesn’t deserve the satisfaction of my fear.”

After a moment, Randy prompts, “...And?”

“And what?”

He half smiles. “Come on, Y/n, if you want this to feel normal, you’re going to have to give us the Princeton rant.”

I roll my eyes before scoffing. “I do not talk about Princeton often enough for you to warrant naming it a specific rant.”

Randy raises an eyebrow at my obvious lie. “You must have really hit your head hard.”

“Rude.“ I turn towards Tatum, “Tate, you don’t think I’m like obsessed with Princeton.

She parts her lips as she debates the way she wants to respond. Before she can say anything, Stu walks up from behind me and pulls Tatum into a hug. He then gives her a soft kiss that feels linger-y. Wait--why am I noticing that? That’s...that’s weird of me. And why does this feel more uncomfortable than the time I caught them full on making out in the girl’s bathroom? Why is that tiny display of affection sitting in my chest in a way that makes it hard to look at them?

More annoyed at my thoughts than the way Stu cups her face, I force my myself to stare at the locker in front of me. There are polaroids of people I don’t know tapped to the front of it.

Ugh--screw the guy that threw me into that wall. My head must be totally messing with me.

“What are you guys talking about?” Billy’s sudden appearance surprises me more than it should. At this point, I should know that when I see one the other isn’t too far behind. He has an arm around Sidney’s shoulders, and she’s leaning into his touch just enough for it to be noticeable. Since when is Billy so into PDA?

Oh my god, what’s wrong with me? Maybe my mom was right to think I have some kind of brain injury. My eyes snap back to the locker. “Nothing.”

“Y/n’s obsession with an Ivy League school in New Jersey.”

After a moment of silence, I realize that everyone’s waiting for me to speak. “Not an obsession.” My response lacks my usual level of conviction when talking about Princeton in any capacity. I can feel the fragile way they’re all looking at me. My eyes focus on the polaroids in front of me until everything else blurs into the background.

The polaroids have my eyes watering and I don’t know why. They’re just stupid pictures of people I don’t know. Casey’s voice echoes in my head. It’s a punch in the gut.

Stu’s voice cuts through the static of my thoughts. “Y/n? Are you o--”

“I think I remembered something.” The admission is so low I’m surprised anyone hears it. “Randy, do you have a copy of the news article? Not the first one, the second one that lists everything found at the crime scene?”

“Yeah,” Randy admits it like it’s an apology, “In my backpack.”

“Can I see it?”

Everyone stays quiet at that. There’s an energy in the air that makes me feel as trapped as I did in the hospital. “Come on, guys, I don’t need to be babied. The pictures aren’t going to freak me out, I was kinda there for the real thing.”

“At the hospital, didn’t you say you were unconscious for most of it?” Billy’s remark earns him a glare so harsh that he moves his hands to hold them up in defense before dropping them to his side.

“Fine. Whatever. Don’t show me the newspaper, I’ll find my own copy, it’s everywhere. There’s a good chance some jag-off shoved one into my locker anyways.” Ugh--why is everyone so impossible? I turn on my heels, unsure if I’m fuming or ready to burst into tears.

I don’t even make it a full step before something locks around my upper forearm. My head snaps back as the hand’s sudden grip softens. “Come on, bug.” That leaves me hesitant. Stu called me that the day after we first met. Since then, the nickname has mainly been reserved to calm me down. I’ve asked him about it before, but he always refuses to explain it. “You’re just going to make yourself sick.”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I frown. The group learned about my weak stomach early on in our friendship. My first night drinking with them ended with me throwing up in Stu’s bathroom. That wouldn’t have been so embarrassing if I was totally wasted, but I was objectively way too sober to get that sick.

There’s some underlying quality to his words. A quality that’s too knowing, too sure. He’s being more condescending than sweet. “I think I can manage.” I pull my arm away, ignoring the way his expression blanks. “I’m not a vase or a little kid, I don’t need you all treating me like I’m that unbelievably fragile.”

Stu angles his head to the side. I force myself to tilt my chin upwards in an attempt to stand my ground. I don’t fully get whatever face off we’re in, but I’ll be damned if I lose it this quickly. “Since you’re all grown up, Y/n, look at whatever you want, but don’t come crying to me about it.”

I take a step forward, indignation leaving my spine straight. “When have I ever--”

“You couldn’t even spend a few hours by yourself in a hospital.”

The unfairness of his statement forces a scoff from my lips. I take a step forward. “I didn’t ask for your help then and I’m not asking for it now.”

“Stu.” Billy’s voice is level, bordering on neutral.

At that, Stu exhales, but he doesn’t stop staring at me. “It’s fine, Billy.”

“Yeah,” Stu echoes, shifting towards me, “Y/n’s fine, she doesn’t need anyone.”

A sarcastic, half thought out reply rises up my chest and jams itself in my throat. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about how much taller than me Stu is. He’s looking down at me with an intensity that hits me straight in the stomach. Great, another feeling I don’t understand. “Whatever,” I mumble, “I need to get to class.”

The bell rings a moment after I turn. I walk to homeroom, not thinking twice about it until I’m sitting in front of an empty desk.

My face is hot, my head hurts, and Mrs. Ramirez’s announcements are drowned out by a ringing in my ears. When the bell rings, I can’t get out of the room fast enough. Normally, Stu’s around right after homeroom, ready to walk me to math.

I don’t know what that weird argument was in the hallway, but I’m not ready to deal with it yet. So even though I’m gripping the straps of my backpack so tightly it hurts, I take the long way to class. There are no memories of Casey in AP Calc AB, so this time when I sit at my desk, I can breathe.

By the time I’m pulling out my notebook, the bell rings. Mr. Williams walks to the front of the classroom, “Alright, everyone in their seat. For today’s exam, you are permitted the use of a graphing calculator.”

Shit. The test. I forgot about the calc test. Mr. Williams begins to hand out the exam. When he gets to me, I stop him, “Mr. Williams, I-I was wondering if I could possibly take the exam on another day? After the events of this weekend, I--”

“Ms. L/n, I made it clear to the entire class that I do not believe in scheduling a makeup exam the day of.”

My fingers nervously scratch at the back of my wrist. “And I understand that, and normally I’d never ask, but if you’ve seen the news--”

“Ms. L/n, do you want to take the test or would you rather me put a 0 in the grade book?”

I could scream. I want to scream, but instead, all I do is nod, “Take the test.”

And with that, he places the packet on my desk. The sound it makes feels like a death sentence. The next 50 minutes are a nightmare. I don’t remember how to do half the problems, and what I do remember, I can’t seem to do right. By the time the bell rings, I’m in full on panic mode. Mr. Williams collects the test and I leave the room like it’s on fire.

The sharp pain in my head has never been this bad. I reach my locker, unlocking it to grab my bottle of ibuprofen. I take two Advil without any water. Today totally, unbelievably sucks. I need to splash some water in my face.

The bathroom is thankfully empty. Pushing my backpack off of my shoulders and onto the counter, I turn on the sink. The water is cool against my fingers, and for the first time all day, I feel like I can breathe. My bandaid is sticking out to me too much so I force my gaze downwards.

There’s a long abandoned copy of a newspaper on the counter. Its corners are so wet that the words at the start and end of the article are unreadable. The page it’s opened to has no photos. I’m sure if I flipped through it I’d find something listing everything the police found inside the house that night.

Stu’s earlier claim echoes in my head as I pick up the newspaper. I’m not sure if I’m more motivated by spite or the desire to answer the question in my head, but I guess it doesn’t matter, because the end result is the same. I turn the page, skimming the article. The intro is so long that I still haven’t gotten to the murder, let alone what the police found after. I flip ahead until I find what I’m looking for.

I read the section about everything that was found twice. They mention everything down to the burned jiffy pop and the tube of lipgloss Casey left in the living room. The paragraph never mentions the polaroids from the kitchen.

He took pictures of me from the crime scene.

Unease leaves my stomach in knots. The killer, who talked to me on the phone like we were best friends and chose to not kill me took photos of me.

I turn the page frantically, desperate to see if the polaroids are mentioned there. Big mistake. Casey’s photo is staring at me, but she’s not her in it. She’s hanging from that big tree in her yard and her--her intestines...

Cold sweat leaves my hands clammy. My body knows what’s happening before I do. A stall door gets thrown open just in time for me to throw myself onto my knees. Bile and whatever’s left of last night’s dinner burn as they come up my throat. I wretch.

An unexpected but not unpleasant touch is pressed into my back as my hair is pushed out of my face. More bile leaves me.

After a second passes and I don’t throw up a third time, I turn my head just enough to see who’s next to me. Billy. He doesn’t say anything at my recognition, he just moves his hand up and down my back gently.

“...I found a newspaper.”

“Yeah, I assumed after i heard the…”

He’s trailing off to be nice. I shift in order to sit cross legged on the floor. “Right. That’s fair.”

His hand stalls against my back. “I didn’t mean it li--”

“I know.” My voice is too small.

Billy moves his free hand. I don’t know what he’s doing until he’s pulling the paper away from me. I let him take the newspaper and place it somewhere on the other side of him. “Why’d you look?”

“I--earlier, I was looking at this locker in front of us and it had polaroids taped to it, and-and that made me remember that on Saturday, Casey took a bunch of pictures of me. Polaroids.” I wipe at my face with the back of my palm. "The article’s super detailed, but it didn’t mention any pictures. I-I think that means that the person took them.”

Billy’s eyebrows draw together. The corner of his mouth turns downwards. “You’re making yourself sick over this.”

“Because it’s a big deal!” My reaction is harsher than it should be. He’s being nice to me after I blew up at everyone this morning and they were just trying to be good friends. And after this, I’m in no position to talk about what I am and am not able to handle. “It’s a big deal that I’m alive and Casey isn’t.” Taking a shaky breath, I continue, “And I should--I have to make it right somehow. Casey’s dead and I’m alive because it fit whatever plot he wanted to make. It was total chance, the killer probably flipped a coin while outside of her house to pick which one of us would live and which one would end up like...” I gesture vaguely in the direction of the newspaper, “That.”

He’s quiet for so long I think he may not respond at all. His hand begins to move up and down my back again in the form of small circles. “Do you really think that?”

Shrugging, I lean into his touch. “I mean, it’s probably either that or a stalker scenario.”

“You don’t have to figure it out. Just because you’re the one that survived doesn’t mean you need to put yourself through this. Especially now. It just happened, give yourself some time.” His voice is so assuring and oddly comforting I feel my eyes water. “What’s wrong?”

Despite myself, I almost snort. “I think you know what’s wrong.”

He gives me a semi bitchy look. “Something else happened, I can see it on your face.”

Frowning, I let my gaze drop to the ground. “Am I that transparent?”

Billy moves, the hand that’s not on my back coming beneath my chin. I let him tilt my head upwards until our eyes meet. “You have no idea.”

Warmth crawls up my face. He smiles. “Fine, I’ll tell you but it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Well, I’ve had a really bad headache all day and then I get to first period and Mr. Williams starts talking about an exam. And that’s how I realized that I completely forgot about the calc unit test. I tried using the whole almost murdered excuse--I kinda hated myself for it, but it doesn’t matter, because he didn’t even go for it.” With a dramatic, deprecating sigh, I start to pick at a loose thread in my shoe lace. “Mr. Williams doesn’t believe in getting out of the test the day of. There’s no way I didn’t fail it, and it’s an AP class so that’s going to mess with my entire GPA.”

He doesn’t comment on my teariness or the way that I almost sniffle, he just continues to softly rub my back. The gesture is starting to feel somewhat maternal, but it’s nice. “He made you take the test?”

“Mr. Williams’ is a total asshole.”

Billy’s mouth turns upwards, “He sounds like it.” I smile, leaning into his touch. “You should go back to the doctor.” He frowns when I move away from him. “Your head hurts, you’re moody--”

“Am not.”

“Right, because that stand off with Stu earlier was like you.”

Right--that weird moment in the hallway. Great, Stu’s probably mad at me, and there’s no way that me going out of my way to not see him before math is something he’s going to take lightly. “He’s probably so mad at me.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Billy says, “He can’t stay mad at you.”

I give him a look. “He’s petty.”

Billy smiles after a second. “He’ll be petty about it, but he won’t actually be mad.” Before I can respond, Billy stands, “Come on, you need to go to a doctor.”

After a second, I stand, taking his hand. “Fine.”

----

Taglist: @cole22ann @i-amnotokaywiththis

#scream #scream x reader #scream 1996 #scream imagine #ghostface #ghostface x reader #poly!ghostface #poly!ghostface x reader #stu macher #stu macher x reader #billy loomis #billy loomis x reader #x reader #final girl fic #slasher fic #slasher x reader

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hockeyshmockey · 2 years ago

Text

Lando Norris- Lucky Charm

summary: Lando meets the god daughter of his CEO

warnings: none!

a/n: wrote this before zak brown got even further on my shit list sooooo

wc: 2.09k

Lando and Zak were having a quiet conversation in the garage when the two were interrupted by a voice squealing.

“Uncle Zak!” A young voice called out, the older man turning around and accepting the tiny missile coming towards him with a belly laugh.

“Katie girl!” Zak spun the figure around before setting her back down and pulling back to set his hands on her shoulders. “Look at you! Look just like your mom.”

“Dad always says that,” the girl giggled, accepting the arm Zak slid over his shoulder as he turned back towards Lando.

“Lando, this is my god daughter Katie,” the girl slid forward to offer him her hand. “Katie, one of our drivers Lando.”

“Really nice to meet you,” Katie beamed at the brunette. “Good luck this weekend!”

“Nice to meet you too,” he grinned. “And thanks, are you here for the weekend?”

“Ah, yep,” she smiled back up at Zak. “I am doing an internship in Brussels for the term and Uncle Zak asked me to come out for the weekend.”

“Katie is getting her degree in Physical Therapy,” Zak boasted. “Might need to bring her on board our team huh?”

“Quit,” she hissed, swatting at Zak’s arm playfully.

“Listen kiddo,” Zak looked down at his phone with a frown, then back to Katie. “I wanted to show you around the paddock, but I have a small fire to put out. If you want to wait in my office-”

“I could take her!” Lando blurted out, the two looking at him in a little bit of shock. “I mean, if you don’t mind coming on a track walk.”

“That would actually be really cool,” Katie smiled. “Is that ok Uncle Zak? And I can come meet you when we’re done?”

“Yeah of course,” he grinned, hugging Katie again. “So glad you’re here! Lando you take care of her.” And with that the CEO is off.

“Shall we?” the boy practically squeaked while gesturing behind him towards the track. “We can start with a track walk and come back to the garage if thats ok with you.”

“You’re the tour guide, I am just here,” she laughed as the two began walking towards the grid line. “Thanks for taking me around, I really appreciate it!”

“Oh of course,” he held the gate open for her as the two made their way onto the track where a group of three McLaren workers were waiting for them. He introduced her to Will his engineer, and Jack and Tim, two strategists on Lando’s team.

The group headed off, and soon enough Lando and Katie were walking on their own with the other three a little bit behind them “So have you been out to races before?” Lando finally asked the girl.

“We grew up near Silverstone, so when I was younger we always tried to get out to watch. But since Zak joined McLaren, I haven’t been able to get to any other than this one.”

“Well thats exciting! We’ll have to get a good result for you,” Lando clumsily winked, drawing a giggle from Katie. “And you are in school?”

“Yes,” she beamed. “Been working on my internship, but once I return I have two more terms and then I graduate next year.”

“Wow, that is awesome!” The duo continued to get to know each other as they walked, Lando pointing out noteworthy things on the track like the more complex turns and where people had spun out in years previous. Eventually the two made it back to the garage where Zak took Katie back, leaving Lando with a goodbye and the boy with a pout.

Somehow, Katie and Lando didn’t run into each other again that weekend.

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

“Sometimes I hate these events,” Lando sighed from the back of the car he and Daniel were sharing on a cold December evening.

“I know mate,” the Australian agreed. “But at least after these we don’t have team duties until the New Year!”

Lando sighed but agreed with his statement. This evening, the drivers were on their way to McLaren’s annual holiday gala. They were sponsoring a charity for the evening, with different giving opportunities. Although it was for a good cause, Lando found it hard to get dressed up in a tux and rub shoulders for hours on end.

The men got out of their car as they pulled up outside of a grand estate McLaren had taken over for the night. They were able to make it into the main room easily, grabbing champagne before looking for their boss. They found Zak laughing heartily with an older couple, as well as two other women who were facing away from Daniel and Lando as they approached.

“Ah, here they are,” Zak grinned as they walked up to the group. “Brian, Louisa, Natalie, meet Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, our drivers. Lando, I think you remember Katie?”

“Hi!” the short woman smiled brightly and looped her arm around Lando’s shoulder to offer him a short hug. “Good to see you again.”

“You too,” he smiled. “Are these your family?”

“Yep,” she introduced her mother, father and sister. “Lando walked me around in Belgium when I went to the race.”

“I’m expecting similar treatment at Silverstone mate,” Brian winked with a laugh as the group began talking.

Lando turned back to Katie. “How is school going? One more term left, right?”

“Oh wow, you remembered!” she raised her brows. “Yes, one more term and then I’m out in the real world.”

“Any idea what you may want to do after the term is up?”

“Well, I interned with a sports league in Brussels, and I definitely think I would like to continue with that,” Lando watched with a smile as the girl prattled on about her goals and where she wanted to go in her career. The two were interrupted by the clinking of a glass meant to signal it was time for dinner.

“Oh wow, I’m sorry I rambled,” Katie laughed as the two prepared to head to their tables.

“It’s ok, as long as I can steal you for a dance later?” Lando asked with surprising smoothness, making Katie blush and nod as her sister gently pulled her away.

Shortly after Katie had finished her desert, people began to make their way to the dance floor. She laughed under her breath as she watched Daniel twirl a blonde under his arm and dramatically led her in a waltz. Within a few minutes, the girl felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Mademoiselle, may I have this dance?” Lando bowed with his rusty french accent. Katie’s giggle sounded as she accepted his warm hand and led her to the dance floor. The two whispered back and forth, swaying to the music, their bodies moving closer and closer as the night drew to an end.

They were snapped out of their little bubble when Katie’s sister approached calling her name. “That’s my cue,” she sighed, stepping back from Lando’s embrace. Before she had removed herself completely she leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, giggling as he blushed. She waved with a grin, before disappearing in the crowd.

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

Lando was walking around the paddock of the season opener on the night of free practice, trying to get some jitters out for qualifying the next day. He found himself zoning out slightly, snapping out of it when he heard a voice calling his name. He was pleasantly surprised when he turned around to see Katie walking his way with a McLaren hoodie on and a huge smile on her face.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she teased as she pulled him into a hug.

“You too!” he laughed. “I mean, it’s definitely nice seeing you here. Zak didn’t mention you were coming?”

“I wasn’t supposed to be able to, but I was called off of the game I was supposed to be at,” she explained.

“Ah, got a big girl job now do you?” he laughed as she acted offended.

“Matter of fact, I do,” she crossed her arm, her smile suddenly turning nervous. “Maybe you’d like to hear about it over dinner?”

“I would love that,” he beamed, placing a hand on her back as they walked towards the car park she had originally been heading towards.

They spent 3 hours in a little hole in the wall burger place, telling stories and talking about life. And that night, Lando fell asleep with a smile on his face, no longer worried about the weekend.

2 days later

“What a race!” Katie shouted to Zak as the two hugged in the garage. Lando had landed P3, with Daniel close behind in P4.

“C’mon, lets go see him,” Zak led the girl out of the garage and towards Parc Ferme. The McLaren team was busy congratulating Lando as the two approached. Many of them moved back for Zak to make his way through, the older man wrapping his arms around Lando as soon as he could.

“Good job kiddo,” Zak pounded his back, the brunette laughing as he pulled back. His grin brightened when he saw Katie, pulling her into his arms without thought.

“Congrats,” her arms wrapped around his neck, lightly scratching at his scalp. She faked a disgusted look as they pulled back, laughing as he rolled his eyes.

“You might be my lucky charm,” he quipped, not waiting for a reply as he was pulled away by his PR manager. Katie smiled softly, her God Father’s arm over her shoulder as they watched Lando take his trophy on the podium.

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

“Are you sure its ok I come?” Katie fretted as she fiddled with the fabric covering Lando’s arm under her hand.

“Yes,” he sighed. “Some other friends will be there, not just drivers.” She nodded, but couldn’t help but feel nervous as the two of them entered the club. Lando knew where he was going, linking her fingers with his own as they headed towards the VIP area where Daniel, Heidi, Carlos, Isa and others were already congregating.

“Lando!” A tipsy Spaniard yelled his name as they approached, Katie laughing as the older man wrapped Lando in a clearly tight embrace. “And who is this?” Carlos turned his attention to Katie.

“This is Katie, she is Zak’s God Daughter,” Lando introduced.

“This is the one you think is pretty, no?” Carlos tried to stage whisper to Lando, but had clearly overestimated the volume of the music, so Isa and Katie heard as well.

“I am so sorry for him,” Isa shook her head as Lando scolded Carlos with a blush. “It is so nice to meet you. Would you like a drink?” Katie nodded with her own blush, following Isa into the roped off section. She took one last look over her shoulder, and smiled at an embarrassed looking Lando before going to pour a drink.

Between both of them chatting with the other’s in the section, Lando and Katie didn’t see each other for a bit. Katie made her way to the bathroom, touching up her makeup and hair, before opening the door to head into the hall. She was surprised to see a figure leaning against the wall from the washroom.

“Hey,” Lando stood straight. “Haven’t seen you much tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” she stepped forward. “I got caught up in talking.”

“It’s ok,” he smiled slightly. “I just wanted to make sure Carlos’ comment didn’t make you uncomfortable. Obviously I think you’re stunning, but really everyone does because you are. But I-”

“Lando,” Katie cut him off and took another step forward so their bodies were a short distance apart. “If you don’t kiss me, I am going to go tell Carlos about you drooling on my shoulder when-”

“Ok!” he yelped, placing a hand on her waist. “No need to be mean.” He grinned as he dipped his head to press his lips to her. They both sighed as they melted into the kiss, ignoring the fact they were in a club hall with a room full of people a few feet away.

Lando’s hand came up to cup her cheek, as her hand cupped his neck and his tongue began to trace her lip. He had just began to press her into the door behind them when a booming voice broke them apart.

“Get it in Lando!” Carlos cheered with a bottle in one hand, and a beaming Isa peeking over his shoulder. The younger coupled shook with laughter as Lando buried his red face in Katie’s shoulder.

#f1 #formula one imagine #formula one #f1 imagine #f1 driver imagine #f1 driver #formula 1 driver #imagine #lando norris x oc #Lando Norris #lando norris fluff #lando norris imagine #formula one driver imagine #formula one driver #formula one imagines

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ahatintimepieces · 3 years ago

Text

It Comes Down in Buckets

Before Luka and Hattie ended up in Subcon, they faced many challenges on the road as they adjusted to Luka’s curse. This is a lil gift for Mak, @doodledrawsthings, and their “””Coffeeshop au””” where Luka pushes himself a bit too hard while trying to make the day special for Hattie. Please enjoy!

Word Count: 7,678

The rolling waves tumbled against the velvet sand and the morning sunlight skipped across the foaming crests, painting them gold. Hattie’s grip tightened around the old bucket she had found as she inhaled the salty, fishy air. Standing at the patches of grass that separated the edge of the forest from the beach, she gazed out at the shore. Her sketchbook waited in her backpack, begging her to pull it out and to memorialize the look of the sea and snapshot the ebb and flow of surging waves, but she had work to do.

She had to find the prettiest seashells before anyone else so she could sell them for some extra cash. Every little bit helped.

Weaving down to the beach, the warming sand caught between her toes and kicked up with each flop and flip of her flipflops. She swung the dented bucket with rust stains as she hurried to the lapping tide. She stepped into the water and immediately squealed before jumping back from the cold. The foam receded, as if teasing her, and an impish grin spread across her features.

As the water crawled back up the shore, Hattie fixed her old baseball cap and then leapt into the ankle-deep wave. Her initial screech dissolved into laughter. Splashing around, her flipflops tossed clouds of murky dust up and the sloshing, icy water splattered against her leg. She placed her hands on her hips and struck a pose as she gazed out at the sliver of light where the sky paralleled the ocean. With the cascading crackles of the snapping sea rumbling around her, it was hard not to let her mind wander into daydreams.

She could picture it perfectly. A calm day at the beach. No time limits for her dad, no worrying about money, and he could finally rest. He could finally be happy again. And she could play in the surf and chase crabs, pretend to be a pirate finding buried treasure, or draw and paint next to her dad as he napped. She could picture it so perfectly.

But she glanced down at the bucket as it bumped against her hip. Its creaking handle brought her back to reality.

Hattie let out a huff before shuffling out of the grasp of the waves, where it would be easier to spot shells. But before she did, a playful crest rolled back to reveal the tip of a fancy looking shell. Gasping, Hattie knelt and carefully tugged the shell free and revealed what she always thought of as a mini conch, though her dad would probably tell her that it was whelk of some kind since it had a rounder top and thinner end.

After checking the inside cavity for any snail or sea critter by poking a cautious finger around to confirm it was empty, she held the whelk to her ear.

She grinned when she heard the ocean. But she was also standing in it so the shell could still potentially be a dud. Nevertheless, she placed it into the bucket, and it slid around as she went searching for more.

As Hattie combed the beach, a couple people showed up to lounge on the sand or wade in the surf. It didn’t get crowded, since it was a workday, but when she wandered towards the opposite side of the long beach, where the sand was cut off by rounded boulders that jutted out into the sea, she ran into a tourist screaming at a seagull.

“What’s wrong?” Hattie called as she hoisted her bucket overflowing with shells to the side to make it easier to sprint forward.

“That darn seagull took my stuff!” The tourist gestured angrily towards a seagull perched on one of the rocks surrounded by water. It bobbed its head around as it stood proudly over a grey camera. Sunlight glinted against the lens.

“I’ll get it,” Hattie offered without hesitation. She placed the bucket down and scrambled up the boulders.

“Wait, kid, you don’t have to!” He waved his hands across his chest, trying to get her to stop, but it was too late. She didn’t listen as she assessed the slippery boulders and slowly navigated her way across.

She came to the edge of the final boulder and eyed the gap between it and the one in the waves. The seagull cocked its head towards her and let out a squawk. Pausing, Hattie glanced around, trying to figure out how to distract the seagull.

Before she could, the seagull snapped its beak towards something behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to find the tourist was waving a sandwich around. The seagull swooped over her, and she belatedly ducked as it soared over to the tourist. He yelped and turned on his heels before sprinting from the squawking bird.

Hattie tugged her cap down in determination before turning back towards the rock. She took a cautious step back before lunging from the boulder and vaulting onto the next. Grunting after she smacked against the rock, she scrambled up and grabbed the camera. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and nestled the camera between her sketchbook and Professor Popcorn. For good measure, she tucked her dad’s hoodie around it to keep it extra safe.

Once her backpack was zipped, she looped her arms through the straps and got ready to jump back.

The tourist had returned to his spot, hunched over and panting with his cap askew and white and grey feathers stuck to his vibrant orange shirt. She inhaled a steadying breath and leapt back towards shore.

She misjudged the distance.

Nearly sliding over the side of the rock, she scraped her knee against stone as she clambered and clawed. Panic squeezed her chest until she could finally find her grip.

“Careful, now!” the tourist called as she hoisted herself up with her heart pounding. She glanced towards the worried man and gave him a thumbs up before crawling forward.

Her stinging knee threatened to buckle when she first stood, but she gritted her teeth and pushed onward. She navigated back to the beach and dropped down onto the sand.

“Geez, kid, that was dangerous!” the tourist sighed as Hattie pulled out his camera.

“But I got it!” She beamed, holding it out proudly. Her smile faltered when she noticed the identical camera that hung around his neck. His chin tilted down as he followed her gaze.

“I was trying to tell you, I have a spare,” he said apologetically. “But, hey! Since you got it, why don’t you keep it? It’s great for preserving memories!”

Hattie pulled the camera back, appraising the contraption.

Preserving memories? No matter how much she sketched all the places she and her father had been, it might be nice to be able to just take a picture to quickly capture everything. She could take a picture of the sea, in fact. But she stared into the curved lens with growing dismay.

Flashes of headlights and blinding snaps. Posters with blurry images of her shadowy dad offering money for anyone who could capture the pictured creature, dead or alive. And, even when he shapeshifted, he was still so jumpy around cameras.

Maybe she could sell it at a pawn shop for a little extra cash? In the meantime, it might not hurt to keep it on hand…

“Oh, hold on,” the tourist exclaimed, startling her out of her thoughts. She tucked the camera back into her backpack and blinked up at him with wide blue eyes. “You got quite the scrape there, let me help.” He motioned her over to his set up on the beach, complete with a towel and umbrella.

After the tourist helped her clean up and shared back-up sandwiches he had prepared, she let him choose one of the shells to take as thanks and set off to sell the rest.

She set up a little area at the top of the beach, halfway between the rest of the city and the parking lot for beach goers. After doodling a cute sign declaring her wares were ready, she caught the eyes of passersby and wove imaginative tales about the shells for anyone who came near. Since this wasn’t the first time that she had sold items that she salvaged while her dad worked, she had developed a good enough sense to get a read on personalities and how to appeal to them. Parents with children were easily swayed by silly stories about the shells. She even managed to convince a businessman walking by to purchase one since her wares were far cheaper than the nearby souvenir shops that sold the same shells. And, after all, hers were higher quality and, really, didn’t he want to support an aspiring entrepreneur? (It probably helped her chances that she practiced that word a few times prior to make sure she was pronouncing it right).

She bolted when she spotted some cops patrolling the area, though.

By the end of the day, she successfully sold more than half of her shells. She tucked the coins and cash safely into an inside pocket in her backpack, where her secret stash would help her buy food for whenever her dad inevitably got stuck in noddle form and couldn’t work. She had tried giving her earnings to him directly before, but he had only gotten upset, insisting she didn’t need to worry about money and it was his job to take care of her, not the other way around. But they both knew that he often pushed himself past his limits, and he couldn’t do everything himself.

She was just beginning to collect firewood close to their camp when footsteps tracked through the grass. Hattie froze, turning towards the sound and holding her breath. Golden light flickered between the trees and an approaching shadow broke into the small clearing.

“Hey, kiddo!” Her dad, still in his human form, which surprised her, jumped forward with a wide grin and his hands behind his back. Wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes, but he was alert with enthusiasm as he straightened. A plastic bag crinkled noisily as it swayed behind him. “Guess what I got for our most important celebration tonight?”

“Celebration?” Hattie tilted her head, though his energy was infectious, and she cracked a smile.

“Don’t tell me you forgot what day it is,” he teased, bringing his hand forward and adjusting the delivery cap he wore for his morning job of delivering papers.

“Payday?” she guessed, crossing over to their firepit and dropping the dry twigs and branches she found.

“N-no, kiddo,” he faltered, quirking a brow as he revealed a plastic bag with local dollar store logo. “It’s your birthday!”

“Oh.” She blinked up at him.

“Did you really forget?” His features fell and the worn creases on his face highlighted the underlining fatigue. “We talked about it, right? When we were-when we were moving.”

“Y-yeah,” Hattie said. She did sort of remember now that he mentioned it, but she hadn’t thought too much about it since they had other things to worry about. “I just forgot what day of the week it is.”

He didn’t seem to believe her but he accepted the excuse.

“Well, I got hot dogs and marshmallows,” he added quickly, pulling out a bag of large marshmallows for emphasis. If he sensed how she tensed, he ignored it and gestured towards the direction of the beach. “I thought we could start a fire at one of the communal firepits and have a cookout!”

“What about our camp?” Hattie gestured to the little circle of rocks they had set up a few days ago when they first decided to settle in this city.

“It’ll still be here,” he promised. After tucking the marshmallows back into the bag, he walked over to her pile of wood and searched for the longest and cleanest sticks.

“But the beach is out in the open,” she pressed, nervously fiddling with the edge of her shirt. “Don’t you need to change back?”

“Of course not!” he insisted with a little more force than he probably intended. In a lighter tone, he waved his hand dismissively with a smile plastered across his face. “I can hold it together long enough for your birthday. Come on! Let’s have fun!”

He placed a few sticks he deemed worthy for hot dog and marshmallow roasting into the plastic bag and then motioned for her to follow.

“But—” she hesitated.

“You know, I used to do this when I was a kid,” he jumped enthusiastically into the memory, not giving her a chance to argue. She frowned but grabbed her backpack and the bucket that still had the leftover seashells.

Hey, if they were going to be on the beach, she might as well keep an eye out for more.

“Any time we went camping, we would grab a bunch of hot dogs and marshmallows. Of course,” he added a bit quietly as they walked through the woods, “usually we had buns and graham crackers and chocolate. But I did snag some ketchup packets from the restaurant!” He beamed proudly.

Hattie forced a smile, though guilt gnawed at the reminder that he had worked two jobs that day, trying to get enough money together so that they could find a motel to stay at sooner than later. She considered giving him the money she had saved, but she didn’t want to cause him more grief especially since she could tell he was masking his exhaustion. Maybe she could hide the money where he would find it with his things? She could pass it off as him misplacing the bills!

Though, both of them had become increasingly vigilant when dealing with money in the past couple years. He would have noticed if that much went missing in the first place.

“Here we are,” he gestured to the firepit closest to the forest the second they walked onto the sand. “Sit tight while I get the fire going.” There was wrapped firewood next to the pit, all ready for them and their cookout. His water bottle was also leaning against one of the logs, indicating that he had stopped by before running to get her. While he finished setting up, Hattie gazed out at the sea.

The water mirrored the stretch of twilight. Orange-pink rays of dwindling sunlight lingered on the horizon and the occasional star twinkled in the darkening sky. Crackles and pops that came from the growing fire behind her mingled with the surging waves before her. And when her dad joined her side and held out his hand, she smiled as she took it, keeping her gaze locked on the horizon.

“It’s like that one picture in the book at the library in the last town,” she whispered, craning her neck back to meet his warm golden gaze. “The one with the watercolor illustrations!”

“It is!” he agreed, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

“I want to paint something like this one day,” she admitted, turning back to the sea.

“I bet you can, and sooner than you think.” His smile permeated his voice. He gently tugged her hand and nodded towards the firepit. Despite the lines under his eyes, he did seem happy, and that was good enough for Hattie.

“Okay!” She joined him on a log, and eagerly waited for him to pass her a stick he doused with water to keep it from burning.

Her dad filled her in on his day as they roasted the hot dogs. He got her laughing with a few jokes his coworkers shared, and she nodded knowingly when he told her about some of the customers he had worked with. When he asked about her day as he broke open the bag of marshmallows, she explained that she was looking for seashells and presented the bucket with her findings.

“Quick, if you have twenty seashells and I take five, how many do you have left?” he quizzed.

“F-fifteen!” Hattie blinked, hesitating only a moment as she registered the question.

“Good girl,” he praised, passing over a marshmallow.

“If you bought one bag of marshmallows for tonight, how many marshmallows will you have tomorrow morning?” She blinked up at him, trying and failing to conceal her growing smirk.

“Hmm.” He speared his own marshmallow as he gave her a wry grin. “That’s a tough one, why don’t you give me a hint?”

“Zero!” She pulled her burning marshmallow out of the fire and quickly blew on it.

The flames dissipated into a plume of smoke, leaving a burnt crust behind on the marshmallow. Without waiting, she popped it into her mouth and the gooey burst of molten sugar melted on her tongue.

“Becath I’ll eat ‘em all!” she declared through her sticky mouthful.

“Just don’t choke!” He chuckled before putting his arm around her and giving her a side squeeze. She immediately snuggled into his side, comforted by his warmth.

As they worked through the marshmallows and the night cloaked the beach, Hattie pulled out the hoodie and tugged it over herself. The hoodie was far too big since it was her dad’s but despite the floppy sleeves and how it was more like a dress on her, it was cozy and kept the night chill away. She became even cozier when her dad plucked her up and enveloped her in a hug.

“Happy birthday, princess,” he whispered as he nuzzled his cheek against hers.

“Hap—erm,” her cheeks flushed since she had almost wished him a happy birthday back. “Thank you.”

He chuckled and gave her a tight squeeze.

“Okay, I have one more surprise,” he said, arching back and stretching his arm maybe a bit farther than a human arm should, and rummaged around the plastic bag.

She leaned over, trying to peek and his other hand moved over her eyes.

“Don’t look!” He shifted around a bit before Hattie felt something lower into her lap. “Alright, now you can.” He pulled his hand away and she immediately glanced down.

Watercolors. A plastic palette of watercolors rested in her lap with a tiny brush snuggly tucked into a divot on the side. A single golden ribbon was taped on for the birthday wrapping. Her chest tightened as she imagined all the things she could paint, all the things she wanted to bring to life with water-soaked pigments.

But how much did he spend on her?

“Well?” he prompted with an edge of nervousness. “Is it okay?”

“I love it.” In one swift movement, she hugged the palette before swiveling around and burying her face into his chest. A lump threatened to lodge in her throat, but she swallowed it as she hugged her dad.

“Oh, Hattie.” He leaned over her and held her tightly. “I’m glad. I know it’s not much.”

“It’s perfect,” she promised, grasping his shirt.

He did so much for her, sacrificed so much just to take care of her, and now this? She wished she could do more to help.

After a few moments of lingering in his embrace, she pulled back while rubbing at her eyes.

“Everything oh-ahem.” Her dad suddenly pulled his hand away from his task of brushing her hair back. She wrinkled her nose as she blinked up at him.

He held his hand behind his back and his nervous, forced smile revealed his growing fangs.

“Dad,” she shuffled out of his lap, “you need to change back.”

She glanced around the beach quickly, relieved that there was no one nearby to see him.

“No!” He winced when an edge of a reverb tainted his voice. He cleared his throat and waved his other hand dismissively. It had completely turned ebony-violet. “I’m fine! I can hold it for a little long—” he stalled as he glimpsed his other hand and snapped it behind his back too, “—longer.”

Hattie frowned with her brows drooping. His irises radiated golden light as his pupils faded.

“Please. I know I can—” he faltered, pulling his hands back and holding them out before himself. His fingers trembled as they dripped, trying to reconnect. He bit his lip and grimaced when his lengthening fangs jabbed him. The familiar, purple-singed shadows spread from the expanding tips of his chestnut hair.

“It’s okay,” she insisted, turning around and rolling up the sleeves of the hoodie to start cleaning up so that they could head back to camp. She knew he was probably more exhausted than he let on.

“But it’s your birthday,” he whispered in such a broken voice that she felt a world of guilt press against her shoulders.

“And I can still spend it with you as a noodle!” She kept her tone light, giving him a smile strained from her concern.

The gold had encased his eyes and his teeth became backlit by a surging light in his throat. He considered her with tight dismay before scowling.

“No!” He pushed to his feet. “No, I can do this!”

“But, Dad,” Hattie called anxiously, unable to do anything but watch as he paced by the bonfire.

He held his hands out in front of himself, clenching them as he stared daggers into his purple palms. During his pacing, his legs began to quiver, and he paused, hunching as his hair began to drip. His fingers merged into mittens, taking on a gloopy appearance and Hattie thought that that was it, that he would just start getting bigger. She opened her mouth to try and get him to focus on saving his clothes, but the words died in her throat.

“Stop changing,” he wheezed in a wavering voice. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as he strained to keep a human shape. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, snuffing out his golden light. The flickering fire cast twisting shadows against his trembling form. His arms lost all pretense of having bones and flopped down like limp noodles. His legs buckled and he thrust out his hand to catch himself.

“Something’s wrong!” Hattie hurried to his side, reaching out as his mitten hand clenching the sand lost its shape entirely and expanded into a puddle.

“N-no,” his reverberating voice gurgled behind globs of dripping purple that stretched across his mouth when he parted his lips. “I can do this!” But just as he said that, he grunted and lurched forward. Viscous liquid oozed from his shoes as his legs melted.

But they didn’t form a tail.

They just pooled out uselessly behind him.

“Dad!” Hattie placed a hand on his arm, but it collapsed under her touch. He let out a strangled cry as his whole arm gave away and he slammed against the beach.

He continued to melt despite his groaning and straining. The trembling shadows spilled from his clothes and into the sand. Panic seized Hattie’s chest as she feared she was going to lose him to the beach. Glancing around frantically, her gaze fell onto the bucket, and she lunged for it.

“Hold on!” Hattie called as she dumped the shells out and slid over to her father, who had gone eerily silent as the pooling liquid oozed and spread.

She dropped the bucket into the sand and quickly tried to shove waves of the viscous liquid inside, catching particles of sand with it. Once half of him filled the rusted bucket and kept spilling out, she righted it before scooping up purple globs. She tossed handful after handful of the soupy remains of her father into the bucket. The trembling sludge sputtered and splashed. Tears stung the corners of her eyes when she saw some liquid darkening and fading into intangible shadows that disappeared into the sand, gone for good.

“Stay with me,” she whispered in a cracking voice as she scooped up every last bit that she could.

After wringing purple from his shirt, pants, and the edges of her sleeves which had tumbled into the puddle a few times, Hattie searched for any of her father’s features in the goop squelching against the edges of the bucket.

“Dad?” She lightly prodded the thick surface of the liquid and it shivered. A muffled groan bubbled up, though no golden light from his eyes or mouth followed. Hattie sighed, sitting back in the sand as she convinced herself that the fact that he had groaned meant he was still there. But now just as soup. In a bucket.

They’ve been through worse, right? This, too, should pass?

“Okay, you just sleep while I clean up,” she muttered as she pushed to her feet.

She collected their things and put out the fire, all the while glancing at the bucket as the goop settled. Once she had the plastic bag slung over her shoulder and her birthday gift tucked into her backpack, she slowly picked up the bucket.

“Oof,” she huffed as she heaved the bucket up, wincing when droplets splashed over the side. “Why is magic goop so heavy? That’s stupid,” she grumbled as she slowly made her way across the dark beach and back to their camping area. As she paused multiple times to give her arms a break and catch her breath, she swallowed the rising lump in her throat and pushed onward.

Luka groaned and on top of the usual reverb that came with his noodle body it sounded oddly like the gurgle of a garbage disposal choking on water. He blinked tired eyes and the golden glow rebounded against the daffodil-yellow inside of Hattie’s baseball cap.

Oh. Had he shrunk down and dozed while Hattie was shopping? That didn’t seem right. Actually, what had he been doing before this?

A surge of panic bubbled up as he recalled trying to hold onto his humanity at the beach. He remembered the tighter he held the form, the more it slipped through his clenched fingers. He heard a slosh of thick liquid when he tried to lift his hand.

He couldn’t lift his hand.

He couldn’t even turn his head! His eyes darted around frantically, catching the rim of some sort of curving, metal wall in the corners of his vision but he could only really look straight up at Hattie’s cap.

“K-ki—” he sputtered as some sort of gunk trickled into his mouth. Expelling wet coughs only caused more of the viscous goop to slip in. His anxious attempts to move coupled with his hyperventilating only increased the panicked sloshing that sounded like puddles disrupted by pricks of rain.

“Dad?” Hattie’s sleepy voice responded.

“H-help I’m—” he gagged on a particularly large glob.

“Hold on!”

He tried to spit out the gunk and a heavy droplet plunked against him. He shivered from the sensation but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Relief swelled when the cap was removed and Hattie looked down at him, with sunlight filtering through the trees. Squinting at the sudden light, he tried to squirm around.

While not happy, she at least looked safe and sound. She wore his delivery cap, and he could see the dangling strings of his hoodie. If the sunlight was any indication, he must have slept through the night. He grimaced, hoping she hadn’t been too uncomfortable or cold without his coil to protect her from the elements.

“What’s going on?” he forced out, feeling like he was talking through a wad of bubblegum.

Hattie sat back, making it harder for him to see her at his angle. He twisted to try to get closer.

“You’re in a bucket,” she answered tiredly. When she glanced up and realized she was wearing his delivery cap, she jolted and swiftly took it off.

“A bucket?” he echoed in distress. His eyes shifted around as he glimpsed the walls and the occasional splash of purple-black goop if he moved too quickly. He blinked.

“Oh my god, I melted.”

“Yeah,” Hattie sighed as she rubbed her eyes with the baggy, purple sleeve. “Are you okay?”

“Um.”

No.

“I’ve been better.” He winced, realizing all the gunk that was getting caught in his mouth was himself. Fantastic.

“Do you need anything?” she prompted with hesitation as she glanced around. “Like water or something?”

“I need to get out of this bucket!” He pushed his eye against the rim, and he felt himself ripple. “Here, dump me out! I can try to—” he coughed, “—pull myself back together.”

“I lost so much of you on the beach though,” Hattie objected. “And y-you just disappeared, like the goopy stuff turned all shadowy.”

He caught the crack in her voice, and frowned, both from hearing how part of him just up and evaporated—okay, a lot of him if what was left of his monstrous noodle form could fit inside a tiny bucket—and from how much he had frightened her.

“I can’t stay like this, though,” he argued. “I have work! And you can’t stay in the woods on your own!” He shifted around, trying to figure out how to stretch his neck or anything but his neck and everything was gone! First, he lost his body and now he lost his monster body? This wasn’t fair! He couldn’t live like this!

In his frustration, he tried to will himself to have arms or hands or even his tail would work. The goop bubbled and frothed, and he grunted from the strain, but he could do it! He could pull himself together!

“Stop!” Hattie commanded. He yelped as he felt small hands jut into the goop and scoop up his features.

He felt himself spread out and winced as strands dripped back down into the bucket with heavy plops. It was like the world and his body were spinning around him, disconnected and far from his grasp as his head remained stagnant but stuck. After blinking and spotting Hattie’s thumb acting as a barrier as trickles of him slipped through the cracks of her fingers, he grounded himself in her frustrated blue gaze.

“If you keep hurting yourself, you’ll just make it worse!” Her nose scrunched up into a hard scowl, but he heard the lump in her throat underneath her irate bite. “Just stop!”

“Sorry,” he gurgled quietly. Her brows furrowed even more, and he added as gently as he could, “I’ll rest, kiddo. I’ll take it easy.”

“Promise?” She stared him down.

“Promise,” he breathed out, slumping.

She lowered him back into the bucket and a soft bloop sound was followed by flickers of drops as she pulled her hands out. He hummed to relieve some distress as he tried to force himself to relax.

“Maybe you just need sleep,” Hattie offered. She grumbled a bit, but he could tell she was trying to soften her tone.

“That’s usually all it is,” he agreed.

He did feel a similar exhaustion to all the times he pushed his time limit and got stuck in noodle form. Only this was much worse. Even when he was a human, he wasn’t sure he could ever remember a time he was so tired that he couldn’t move his muscles.

Leaning his eyes against the rim of the bucket for some semblance of security, he desperately hoped he wouldn’t be stuck like this. But even if he did eventually turn back to monster-normal, he had a sneaking suspicion he really screwed over his already sparse shapeshifting time.

“Do you want me to put the hat back over?” Hattie lifted her cap into his view. “To help you sleep?”

“No,” he said a little quickly. She lowered the hat and he added, sheepishly, “I know I can’t see much from here, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Okay. Go to sleep. Let me know if you need anything.” She scooted over to their campfire, and he heard the click of the lighter.

He sighed but tried to let the distant crackle of flame and the low tap of Hattie sketching on paper lull him into a semi-relaxed state. His eyes closed into tiny slits and as he dozed, a gentle and continuous rumble bubbled up from within.

“Dad?” Hattie whispered after a stretch of time, scooting back into view and looking down with her hair slipping from behind her ear.

“Hmm?” His eyes cracked open, slowly registering the rumbling sound. In his peripheral vision, the surface of the ebony-violet goop rippled steadily.

Hattie cracked a grin.

“You’re purring!” she said in slight disbelief before exploding into giggles.

“I’m—?” he began before he recognized the familiar and involuntary purr. A dusting of faint gold emanated from beneath the surface of the goop as he blushed.

“The whole bucket is shaking!” Hattie covered her mouth as her laugh trickled out in mirthful chimes.

Despite himself, Luka smiled, glad to hear her laugh.

“I guess it looks pretty silly,” he admitted, imagining the bucket wiggling around. Though now that he was becoming more alert, the rumbling slowed to a stop. In their absence, he realized how comforting the vibrations had been.

Hmm. Maybe the purring was a way to pull himself back together? It wasn’t something he could force or speed up, though. Typical.

“Do you want any food?” Hattie perked after she calmed down from laughing. “I was roasting some hot dogs.”

“I’ll try a bite,” his eyes and mouth shifted up and down in an affirmative nod that sent tiny waves splashing against the side of the bucket.

He couldn’t really tell if he was hungry, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to eat but he would do anything that would help him replenish some energy.

When Hattie returned with a torn piece of a hot dog, Luka opened his mouth and let out a gurgling, “ah.”

With a giggle, she gently lowered the hot dog as close as she could before dropping it. He felt the hot dog plop down and coughed. Hattie winced in apology as he closed his mouth and pensively chewed.

“I’m fine,” he said after a thick swallow. He couldn’t feel the lump of the hot dog anymore but in the past few years of dealing with his magic, goopy body, he learned to not ask questions he couldn’t answer and near the top of that list was wondering what the heck replaced his melted digestive track.

Hattie fed him a few more pieces and he swallowed the dismay of not being able to feed himself. Even though he had grown accustomed to relying on Hattie for help when his chameleon paws couldn’t work with delicate silverware, the familiar sorrow from the early days returned now that he didn’t even have hands.

After what he was certain was a late lunch, he napped on and off as Hattie remained nearby. When he would check in with her, she would present her latest sketches proudly, and even had one completed work in watercolor. It was a scene of the ocean, and while her sketchbook paper wasn’t meant to hold so much moisture, causing it to crinkle and warp when it dried, she excitedly explained that she was going to do other paintings exactly like it, but all showcasing the ocean at different times of the day. He told her that he was eager to see them, overjoyed that she was having fun with her gift like he had hoped she would.

If only he had been able to save up enough for a motel in time for her birthday, or at the very least, if only he hadn’t melted on her. But that was really his fault for pushing himself so hard.

He had just so badly wanted to make it special. She hadn’t even remembered her own birthday! What else was he supposed to do? Let himself turn into a monster? She deserved to have her actual dad on her birthday.

“Hey, Dad?” Her voice drew him out of his sinking despair.

“What’s up, kiddo?” he shifted his eyes in the bucket, trying to find a position that best allowed him to see her.

“What should I tell your boss?” She held out his phone, which was lit up with messages with letters in all caps.

Luka groaned.

“Can you read the messages for me?” He mentally prepared for the nerve-wracking ordeal of trying to explain himself without admitting to his boss that the reason he couldn’t make it to work was because he turned into a bucket of silly putty.

With Luka directing her, Hattie responded to the understandably angry but maybe harsher than necessary texts from his boss at the restaurant. Once that was done, he let out a heavy sigh, accidentally blowing a bubble in the goop, which shortly popped and splattered. He flinched when a drop landed in his eye.

“Do I have anything from the newspaper office?” Luka asked, dreading the thought of not only the manager getting upset when he found out no one had delivered newspapers in the morning, but of all the people who would no doubt call to complain about empty doorsteps.

“No,” Hattie replied slowly.

“Really?” Luka wasn’t sure if he should count that as good or bad. Either way, he was probably out of a job. “I’ll need to start looking for something else.”

“Why?” Hattie scooted closer, hugging her knees to her chest as she looked down at him.

“They’ve probably already decided to fire me,” he lamented with his mouth sinking and gurgling in the gunk.

“Nah.” She glanced away, tapping around on his phone.

He blinked up at her.

“Nah?” he repeated. When Hattie kept her gaze down and her lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowed. “Hattie? What did you do?”

“I maybe did your deliveries for you?” she offered guiltily.

He stared at her.

“You what?” he sputtered, causing his sludge to ripple as panic seized him. “By yourself? Hattie! You just turned eight! My route is a couple miles long, and you would have had to bike before dawn! There are child labor laws! What do you mean you did my deliveries?”

“I had help!” Hattie hurried to explain. “I ran into a nice tourist I met yesterday, and he gave me a map and delivered half of the newspapers for me.”

“You worked with a stranger?” Luka demanded, shifting around in the bucket. “Harriet Princeton, you are not supposed to talk to strangers!”

“So, I’m only supposed to talk to you?” She threw her hands up in the air.

“No! I mean—that’s not the point!” he faltered, sloshing around as the bite in her words stung. Bits of goop splattered over the rim and Hattie jolted.

“Stop freaking out!” She helplessly tried to grasp at the stray droplets. “I can’t lose you again!”

He paused, tensing. Well, tensing as much as he could as a viscous liquid.

“Wh-what do you mean lose me again?” he pressed tightly.

“I thought you were gone when you melted,” she said with a cracking voice. She hugged her legs and rest her chin on her knees. “I thought I didn’t get all of you in time and you were gone, and I just wanted to help because you’re so tired all time but—” she trailed off in a squeak as tears filled her eyes.

“Hattie—” he shifted towards her, but the goop sputtered as he instinctively tried to reach out to his daughter. Liquid stung his eyes and he blinked rapidly. “Hattie, look at me please.”

She turned and revealed tears streaming down her cheeks.

Gold blurred his vision, but he pressed on.

“I’m sorry,” he began in a congested voice, thick with gunk and reverb. “I know you were just trying to help, and I appreciate it! But I don’t want you worrying about my jobs or money. You shouldn’t have to.”

His voice cracked and all too late, he realized that the reason he sounded so congested was partly because of the golden tears filling the bucket. They glittered in the goop, separated like oil drops in water. His breath hitched and the goop swelled.

“But I can—” he tried to continue as the tears slipped out and the goop splashed up when he instinctively tried to wipe them away with a hand that wasn’t there.

“You’re spilling!” Hattie interrupted, jolting upward and hurrying over, placing her arms around the rim but the added tears were causing his anxious sloshing to spill over. “Stop crying!”

“What?” He jolted, shifting his eyes around and catching glimpses of purple and gold staining her sleeves. Her dismayed features above him only encouraged his tears and he made a muffled sniffling noise as panic surged and his tears swelled.

“Dad!” she yelped. But her own distraught features cleaved through his squishy, melted chest.

“I-I can’t! Give me a moment!” Twisting away, he tried to lock his eyes on something to ground himself, but in his panic, he kept attempting to turn and wipe his tears. The spilling goop sloshed uncontrollably.

“Try to laugh!” Hattie begged. “Tell me a stupid joke!”

“Ah, uh.” He pressed his lips into a tight line as he struggled to think of something. “Um. You know what? This situation really pails in comparison to—uh—that one time we teleported into that bear den!”

“What?” Hattie furrowed her brows. But it looked like her tears halted in confusion.

“P-pails, like a pun? It’s a joke. It’s supposed to be funny. Please laugh,” he said weakly. He blinked and let out a tight exhale as he felt himself calm and the rest of the goop start to settle.

“That’s a stupid joke.” Hattie sniffled as she leaned back and slowly lifted her arms, revealing sleeves soaked with purple sludge.

“I got buckets of them.” He added a sardonic, “ha,” as the gold ebbed. While a few dancing droplets of tears wiggled in his goop, now that he was calmer, trembling splashes no longer spilled over the rim.

Hattie wrung out the sleeves. He flinched at the droplets that pelted his face and sent ripples along the surface.

“That’s even worse,” she sighed, though a small smile found its way onto her features. She tugged up one of her sleeves and gingerly reached over and wiped at the edge of his eye.

He grunted, squeezing it shut but when she pulled away, he watched her flick a golden droplet towards the grass. He sighed, blowing a few bubbles.

“Please don’t do my job tomorrow,” he said quietly. “We’ll be okay.”

She nodded slowly before thinking better of it.

“Only if you promise not to push yourself, okay?”

“Okay,” he said tiredly before he yawned. Sludge dribbled into his mouth, and he sputtered.

“Sleep.” She poked the goop. He shifted his eyes next to her finger, which was the closest he could come to giving her an encouraging nuzzle.

“What about you?” he asked, staring up at the canopy of leaves. There was still sunlight trickling down, but it seemed fainter.

“I can eat soon,” she shrugged.

“Wake me if you need anything,” he muttered, feeling his eyelids grow heavy.

Did he even have eyelids at this point? Maybe it was more that his eyes were sinking. Might be more apt.

Hattie promised to, but he had a feeling they both knew she would deal with any problem on her own before waking him. Frowning, he supposed the best thing he could do for her would be to recover as swiftly as possible.

He settled into the bucket, and soon enough, the sludge began to ripple as he automatically purred. He caught Hattie’s stifled snort at the vibrating bucket before he fell asleep.

Night blanketed the forest by the time he woke up again. Still purring, he blinked as he felt something shift. The rippling rumbles of goop seemed to be tightening and when he moved to lift his head, he peeked over the rim of the bucket. Relief swelled inside as he spotted Hattie’s back. She was drawing by the fire, safe and sound.

Edging backward, he tilted his head down, blinking at the vibrating goop as it slowly re-solidified into shape. After a moment, he lifted his noodle arms and wiggled his chameleon paws. Funny, he was actually relieved to see them for once. Once his tail formed, he heaved out a sigh. There wasn’t a drop of him left behind in the bucket, but now he took up less volume.

“Kiddo,” he called softly, floating up to the rim of the bucket and placing his hands on the edge, curling his tail beneath himself.

“Dad!” Hattie gasped when she saw his familiar form. Scrambling around, she darted over, and he flew up into her embrace.

“You’re tiny,” she muttered into the plush fluff around his neck. His tail waved back and forth as he returned her firm hug.

“I’m sure I’ll get back to normal size,” he guessed. Probably. After a long enough rest without using his shapeshifting.

Moments passed until he caught a low grumble coming from Hattie’s stomach. He craned his neck with a smirk.

“In the meantime, are there anymore marshmallows to share?”

“I ate them all. Remember our math quiz? Zero left.” Hattie said without missing a beat as she turned back around and brought him to the fireside. “Just kidding, I saved you some.”

“That’s my girl!” His tail waved harder as he chuckled.

He extended an arm towards the bag, noting that he couldn’t really stretch it like usual, and made a grasping motion. Hattie plopped the bag into her lap, still using an arm to hug him, and they both took turns popping the confections into their mouths.

Yes, after a week’s worth of rest, he would grow to his usual massive size and when he could shapeshift again, he would have to deal with the consequences of missing so much work. But until then, he and Hattie would take it day by day and one marshmallow at a time.

#ahit coffee shop au #doodledrawsthings #ahit prince #ahit hat kid #my writing #*kickflips into ur tumblr experience wearing rubber fishing suspenders and a cap that says 'words want me. ghost dads fear me'*#Me: Bucket's haunted #You probably: What?#Me not breaking eye contact as i grab a pail and head for the exit: Bucket's haunted #this got very long whoops #but i hope its a fun read!#thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

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stuff-from-the-void-matron · 4 years ago

Text

Laurel Wreaths & Animal Teeth (8)

(c!Technoblade x fem!Reader)

(Still no Tech this time, please don’t be mad! But hey we’re in L’manberg now! That’s pog right? Plus we officially meet Wilb and Fundy! But remember y’all, if this chapter doesn’t do well then I can’t write chapter 9! So show chapter 8 some love!! <3)

—————

MOAR ART!

I tried drawing Reader! -> She.

And xoxoyukixoxo-art-dump on here drew her too! She looks so SICK! SHE!

----

He’d been watching her for some time now.

Not all day and night like some weirdo but he’d noticed instantly when she’d ‘logged on’ so to speak. The first thing to make him curious was him wondering how she arrived here in the first place, but when he tried teleporting to this new person it strangely hadn’t worked. He’d simply not gone anywhere, which was beyond puzzling. He should be able to teleport to anyone on this server. That little tidbit, the not being able to teleport to her, was the second thing to make him curious. So curious in fact that he spent a very long time just looking for her. When the ability to teleport to her was no longer an option he’d found searching for someone was much harder, but in the end he’d found her. And good lord was she a big one. Not taller than endermen or anything bigger but she definitely towered over the villagers she lived with.

He didn’t know how she ended up here since you needed an invite to be allowed on the server. And he knows she wasn’t invited, because he knows ALL the people who are invited. Hell, at one point he even tried banning her (an action which kicks players from the server) but… nothing had happened. He’d been hidden and watching her when he’d done it and she’d not even noticed, just kept on planting flowers around one of the villager’s houses without a care in the world.

He’d unbanned her and nothing changed again. Then he’d tried using other commands on her. Teleport, clear, give, and even Kill. Not a single one did anything. That made him nervous. He’d never encountered something like this before. It was unheard of. If this player decided to become hostile, or End forbid, GENOCIDAL… it would have very disastrous consequences for the other players on the server..

He decided then and there to monitor her deeply until further notice.

Which turned into him popping up by her village and sneaking in to watch her and what she did day in and day out for a few months. And honestly.. She seemed pretty benign.

All she really did was change up the village she lived in and decorate. When not doing those things she would do other hobbies like cooking and potion making. She’d also leave the village sometimes to just explore. He took those chances to go inside her home and snoop around. He also noticed aggressive mobs were pretty neutral towards her for whatever reason. That only ever happened if a player had a clear relation to a mob (aka a hybrid) or if the player had creative… Which it looked like she had. But she also didn’t look fully human.

“What a strange being you are..”

-0-

Before you knew it the next day had come, bright and early.

You’d had to go back to the Overworld around sunrise to get ready to greet Tubbo. You’d explained to Azo that you’d try to come back as soon as you could but for now you had to go on a trip for a while. She was sad to see you go but said okay and to hurry back. Your heart broke all over again, feeling terrible that you had to leave her alone but there was nothing you could do. You’d bring her with you if it were possible but you knew her entering the Overworld would turn her into a zombie instantly. And that’s not a fate you’re willing to make anyone go through.

But you left her a chest with some golden carrots, some apples, and even some of the stew you’d made for Tubbo and Tommy. She liked the stew, so you left her a few bowls and even some juice to drink in case she got thirsty. You hugged her goodbye and told her you’d bring her a gift back. She nodded happily and then you sadly had to leave through the portal. Which you made sure to destroy after exiting it. Didn’t want anything wandering through. That would be a disaster.

Once you were back in the overworld you went home and sat on your bed and just thought. More than anything you just wanted to step in and prevent Schlatt and Quackity from winning. But you didn’t know if doing that would have dangerous consequences or not. You’d seen so many movies where a small change in the past ends up having massive effects in the future. Damn butterfly effects. Stopping them from winning the election could end up causing a civil war within L’manburg. Or Tubbo, Tommy, or Wilbur could end up hurt or even lose a life. Or something even more devastating could happen.

...But you hated the thought of Tommy and Wilbur getting exiled. It wasn’t fair or just. Especially while getting shot at and chased down like dogs. Schlatt and Quackity really pissed you off with that part. Seeing Ponk and Punz just instantly turn on the two original founders left you feeling utterly appalled. Schlatt hadn’t even been sworn in as president yet! He’d not taken an oath or anything! None of what he ‘decreed’ should have been taken as law! None of it was legal-

You pause. None of that WAS legal.. right? Did the citizens even know that? Were they aware that simply winning an election wasn’t the instant inauguration that Schlatt and Quackity made it out to be? Surely there was more to L’manburg than simply the bare bones parts that were shown on youtube in your original world. There had to be actual systemic structure for this whole ass small country. You wanted to believe there was, because the alternative made you facepalm. But at this point you honestly just didn’t know. You would need to have a discussion with Wilbur and Tommy (Wilbur more so since he was the adult in this situation).

You needed to talk to Wilbur asap.

-0-

Tubbo and Tommy came to get you bright and early, the blond looking more anxious than he was trying to let on. Seeing the usually so upbeat and grinning boy so nervous made your stomach churn. So you’d pulled him into a hug, not even letting him finish his greeting to you before you did. He went silent and was tense at first. But you took in a breath and said in as reassuring a tone as you could physically muster,

“Don’t worry kiddo. Things WILL be okay. I’ll make sure of it, alright?”

Tommy was silent, but you could hear the choked gasp of breath the boy took in, and you felt how his lanky body seemed to relax in your hold. He awkwardly put his arms around your back, seemingly not used to this, the whole hugging thing. At least not such heartfelt ones. He’s hugged Tubbo, Wilbur, and Philza but this one just felt different. It felt safer. Like if he stayed here nothing could hurt him. It was weird but.. nice. Part of the boy didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to leave this new safe place. Here hugging you there was no fear of losing the election, no worries of wars with the DSMP, there was nothing bad. Just a pleasant warmth he felt like he could just fall asleep to.

But the bigger part of him knew he’d never hide away from his problems. It wasn’t who he was. He wasn’t some baby coward who hid behind mommy for protection when shit got tough. (missing how his subconscious referred to you as ‘mom’) He was a MAN! Nevermind he was barely 16! He was practically an adult (in his own eyes)! He’d fought in a war for independence! He’d battled for his and his countrymen’s freedom! There’s no way he’d cower away from this damned election!

With a new fire in him, largely in part to the confidence you seemed to have for him and L’manburg, he eventually pulled back from the hug and gave you one of his signature bright grins. He said thanks but there’s no way he was worrying! Like you said, things were gonna be fine! You gave him an encouraging smile in return and agreed, then added that if anything DID go wrong you’d stick by them and make sure it all got resolved. The teens looked grateful for your support. But then you bid the villagers goodbye for now and told the iron golems to make sure to keep them all safe.

Then you three were off to L’manburg.

-0-

Walking into L’manburg was weird. You’d only ever seen parts of it via the videos you’d watched from the various minecraft youtubers. But being there in person was wild, seeing all the buildings and pathways was interesting though. Tommy and Tubbo changed into their ‘presidential attire’, which were just those vaguely old school British military uniforms they wore at the start of the L’manburg thing. You still ruffled their hair and cooed over them, saying they looked like official little men. They got all huffy and Tommy swatted your hand away, making you laugh. Tubbo suggested showing you around before the election began, which you thought was a good idea. So the pair escorted you around L’manburg, showing you the main places plus their houses and favorite spots. You gave Tommy a Look and asked him if he really lived in a dirt hut.

“It’s DIRT Tommy, not even cobblestone. Just a dirty dirt hut,” you said with a sigh.

Tubbo snickered while Tommy tried defending himself. But he honestly was just making excuses though thankfully he got cut off by Wilbur showing up. He was in the same uniform as both teenagers and you saw him giving you a wide eyed look as he walked up. You could tell he was used to not being around someone so much taller than him. Which you guess made sense since he’d been hanging out with teenagers, a girl, and his own son mostly. You think Dream is taller than him but you don’t know how often they’re around each other peacefully to notice height..

“Oh, hello, you must be Reader! Tommy and Tubbo have told me about you!” the brunet man said with a charming smile.

You returned the smile and held your hand out for him to shake. He gave a firm handshake and you said he must be Wilbur and that the boys had mentioned him to you. He gave a sly smile to the two boys and asked if that was so, and said he hoped they’d said good things about him. Not liking his teasing tone Tommy cut in and said he told you about Wilbur being a bitch! You laughed and Wilbur punched Tommy in the shoulder, laughing when the boy loudly claimed he was abusing a child!

Wilbur rolled his eyes at the blond boy and asked what the occasion for you visiting his lovely country was. You gave a relaxed smile and said you just wanted to come out and support ‘big man’ and Tubbo on this exciting day! Wilbur smiled and perked up when Tubbo said they were giving you a tour of L’manburg. Wilbur asked why the shortest boy didn’t say so before and gestured for you to follow him, saying the best person to give a tour is always the president! You liked his charming enthusiasm but you could still see the nervousness just lurking under the surface for all three of them. You hated that their worry was justified.

-0-

Wilbur took over showing you around, Tubbo and Tommy right behind him adding little comments here and there to irk him. You ohh’d and ahh’d at the polite times, even saying how cool the place was. You even got shown Wilbur’s ‘ball house’ and their extensive nether pathways briefly. You got a bit distracted in the Nether, wondering if Azo was okay. Though you supposed she was a tough kid, what with having survived in the Nether her whole life so far. But she was just a little kid, still a toddler. She shouldn’t have to survive. She should be living.

“And I guess that’s the whole tour! I hope we’ve given you a good impression of my country~” Wilbur said with a smile, thoroughly snapping your attention back to the present.

You were thankful they couldn’t see how your eyes widened when you realized you’d totally zoned out during the last leg of the tour. Instead of worrying you just gushed and said you’d been really dazzled! The trio grinned and you ruffled Tommy’s hair and said you could expect no less from the big man himself and sweet Tubbo. The pair were happy to hear you praising the country they’d worked so hard to have, with Tommy even playfully swatting your hand away from your hair and saying anything he helped with would be the best. Wilbur gave a very big brother reply of ‘oh really?’ that was dripping with doubt, which started to set Tommy off.

The two started going back and forth, causing you to roll your eyes. Yeah they definitely had the brother vibe about them. Though Wilbur lost interest in arguing when he spotted someone a bit aways behind you and Tommy. He perked up and waved, calling out ‘FUNDY!’ to get his son’s attention. You all glanced over to see a fox hybrid in a uniform that was the same as the boys around you, only the coloring was off. Fundy’s was more pastel colored while the others were darker/more saturated. Wilbur waved him over and you noticed the way Fundy’s muzzle scrunched up when Wilbur threw an arm around his shoulders, but you said nothing. Not really your place but from what you remember of the smp videos… Wilbur wasn’t the ideal father figure to his furry son..

“Fundy, this is Reader! She’s a friend of Tubbo and Tommy’s! She came to support us today,” Wilbur said with a smile.

The fox quirked an eyebrow at you and asked a mildly incredulous voice if your name was actually ‘Reader’. Tommy told him to shut up and pointed out that his name was ‘Fundy’ so he had no room to be criticizing anybody’s name. Fundy raised his paws in surrender and said fine, whatever, no need to jump down his throat about it. You chuckled and said it was okay, it was a rather odd name. And you liked his name, it was cool. Tommy actually boo’d you while Fundy smiled, glad at least someone stuck up for him. Though that reminded Fundy to ask Wilbur if he’d seen the ballots…

Wilbur’s mood darkened and he gave a clipped, “Yeah, I saw them.” His tone making the other L’manburg citizens feel uncomfortable. You spoke up, asking what was wrong with them? Had someone tampered with them or something? Fundy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck and said yes and no. Yes someone had changed them but it wasn’t really ‘tampering’, just altering to fit with the new campaign runners. She gave his upset father a side glance, his triangular shaped ears going back when he saw the way Wilbur’s eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw clenched. Seems the current president was still pissed off that his son and first lady had decided to run against him together..

“Well we had to change the ballots to include all the people running, and even an ‘other’ option… Yeah,” Fundy said lowly.

You couldn’t help the way you raised an eyebrow at that and said,

“Isn’t that just the standard for ballots? Designing ballots to not show all the people their options would just be criminal.”

Wilbur didn’t seem to like your (in his opinion) unwanted input and said however L’manburg designed their ballots was none of your business anyways, especially since you weren’t even a citizen. You could feel yourself narrowing your eyes at the brunet, though nobody could see it, and replied that you didn’t need to be a citizen to point out that not putting all the names of those running on an ELECTORAL BALLOT was hugely unethical and borderline malicious hindrance to the citizen’s right to free choice. This little snit between you and the current president had dropped the mood low, with the three boys beside you looking more than uncomfortable.

But thankfully Tubbo found his voice and before Wilbur could retort to your statement he turned to you and said the election and debate would be starting soon and that he’d sit in the audience with you. This reminded Wilbur that he needed to practice his speech and debate responses with Tommy so he straightened his posture and adjusted his coat before giving you a faux smile and then telling Tubbo they’d see him afterwards. You kept a polite smile on your face as the four led you to an open part of the village center where a large stage/platform had been built along with seating in front of it. Wilbur jerked his thumb towards the stage and told Tommy to come on and the blond boy said he’d be right there in a moment. The brunet looked put out but nodded and stalked off, leaving the four alone in the audience area.

Once he was out of earshot you turned to Tommy and gave him a disbelieving look and said in a hushed tone,

“Tommy, you and Wilbur weren’t ACTUALLY planning to tamper with the ballots were you?? That’s insanely unconstitutional! The people of L’manburg have a right to know and be able to choose whichever voting option they want. If they don’t have that option then it’s not a real election, it’s just the illusion of choice.”

The blond looked uncomfortable, sweating and avoiding eye lens contact with you. He felt ashamed because… well that HAD been the plan. At least Wilbur told him it had been before Quackity found out. He’d not been sure about the plan but he hadn’t done much to argue with Wilbur either. He’d convinced himself it wasn’t that big of a deal, but seeing how shocked and offended you looked that they’d even thought about doing that made him feel like a bastard. You saw how nervous he looked and sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing softly before reassuring him you weren’t angry.

“I’m not mad at you Tommy, I’m just disappointed that this was something you went along with. You have to know how wrong that was? Imagine you were a regular citizen and you voted in the election but later found out it was all rigged, you’d never had a choice regarding your country like you’d been led to believe. Wouldn’t you feel wronged?”

Tommy seemed to deflate at your words but gave a remorseful nod, neither of you noticing that your words seemed to have also struck a chord with both Fundy and Tubbo as well. You gave the blond boy a reassuring smile, saying that part of being a member of government was respecting the people’s choices. Even if you think it’s stupid and wrong. You have to let the people choose for themselves. The ability to choose is sometimes the only difference between merely existing on this bitch of a world and actually Living~

Tommy seemed to have taken your words to heart, making you smile at him before pulling him into a half hug and saying sincerely,

“I’m proud of you Tommy, Tubbo too. You’ve both done so much for this country. More than any child should ever have to. I wish more than anything that you’d not HAD to sacrifice and lose so much. But I’ll be here to support you both going forward. I just don’t want either of you doing anything unethical. You’re both better than that.”

Tubbo almost teared up and came over and let his face rest against your side in a show of affection. He’d never had anyone say they were proud of him before and honestly.. he didn’t know how badly he needed to hear it until you said it. Tommy leaned into your hug, close to tearing up like his best friend but he blinked rapidly until the tears faded.

None of them noticed the envious way Fundy stared at them, feeling jealousy bubble in his stomach at the way you seemed to care for the two boys. He felt childish for feeling that way but he couldn’t help it. You clearly cared about the two in a maternal way, that much was obvious. But you weren’t treating them like babies either. You were respectful and loving at the same time. Fundy wondered if that’s what it was like to have a mother..

“TOMMY! COME ON! THE RALLY STARTS SOON!”

They all broke away when they heard Wilbur yelling down at them from the podium. Tubbo sighed and Tommy straightened his hat before giving a cheeky smile. You told him to go give his best, and no matter what happened you’d be proud. This pumped the blond boy up and he gave a cheer before ruffling Tubbo’s hair and turning to the stage and running up around the side to get to the top, you and the brunet watching him go. That’s when you remembered the fox hybrid that was still standing close by. You offer him a calm smile and say kindly,

“So, Fundy was it?”

------

tagged folks: @salinesoot @lady-bee-fechin @kacchasu @putridjoy @lunawritesstories @galaxypankitty3030 @paradigmax @zachariethememerie @killmewithafanfic @trinity-1002107 @hufflepuff-demigod @truthdaze @exorcisms-with-elmo @redbloodtea @heythereimhaylz @olyink @jackalopedoodles @nikkineeky @artsimatsu @hufflepuff-demigod @corpiet @beepa99 @anxiousnarwhale @bananaaddictmilkshake

#Laurel Wreaths & Animal Teeth #technoblade x reader #techno x reader #dsmp #dream smp #c!tommy #c!tuboo #c!wilbur #c!fundy

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