#Spent a good 20 minutes looking for a paper that talked about the fight response in animals

[realnielsbohr]

Just found an academic journal passage that explains what I want this character piece is gonna go crazyyy

[joshstambourine]

A Seconds Glance

"Hi I have a request for either Josh or Jake 💛 can I get a story where they see a girl, either at school or they can already be famous in this, and is instantly enamored. I don't know if you've seen The Virgin Suicides, but if you have then something similar to when Trip sees Lux for the first time. I'm interested in how those two would go about getting a girl's attention when they have a crush.💕💕💕" - Anonymous

//Hi Doll! I can’t say I have seen that--- but I will try my best to write something that I feel matches the idea you had. 

I’m gonna be repeating this forever--- but again, I’m so sorry it took me so long to get this request out for you! I decided to go with Josh being in school for this one.//

Warnings: Cursing, awkward beans

Word Count: 1969

Synopsis: Josh had never really believed in love at first sight... but yet....

Josh Kiszka x Fem!Reader

The first day of sophomore year. For most this was just the start of another school year; a sudden reminder that a new binder or fun pencil case is exciting for all of 10 minutes when it comes to actual classes and work. But for Josh… this year felt like it was filled with possibilities. It sounds like some sort of stupid thing you'd see on a motivational calendar, but it really truly did.

Josh hadn't imagined for a second that he actually would have a chance in making music his career; and yet, he had spent all summer with his band mates playing for different occasions and pubs. All the while they were working, working hard on writing songs that they could be proud to play for others.

All of that said, Josh was returning to high-school this year with a new found amount of confidence and excitement; it showed in every step Josh took. His one hand held loosely on to the arm of his backpack, walking in time with Jake.

"But what do you think? Would it look good on me?" Jake inquired, fingers lightly playing with the mid-length pieces of hair on his head.

"I mean… I don't know…" Josh lightly starts, glancing at his twin and begins to take a good long look at him.

Jake's eyes widened just a touch, his expression becoming one that said, 'Well…?'

"Uh… honestly I don't really know Jake. I've never seen you with anything else than this." Josh admits, then snickers a little, "Except for that one time when we decided it'd be fun to take those scissors and---"

"No, that's fine, I didn't need to think about that." Jake immediately stopped him, his hand going to take a full dive into his mess of dark brown hair. 

"Cmon, it was really funny though. Ma really lost her shit when she saw your head like that." Josh continued to muse, hands folding into his pockets with the utmost of ease. 

Jake shook his head in a mournful way, "I can say I will never go back to a buzz-cut again… not without a fight."

Josh's smile never faltered, it was his laughter that changed, softening into a bit of a sigh as they reached the double doors at the front of the school. With a swing of the doors they both were making their way down the hallway to their lockers.

"Meet by Mr.Shapiro's class before lunch?" Jake questioned, to which Josh nodded. No matter which school the twins went to the teachers seemed to know that the best course of action was to keep them separated. That said Josh and Jake always had separate homerooms at least, through most of their time in school.

"See ya in a bit." Josh waved, taking a few steps back before turning on his heels and heading to his own locker.

Josh's excitement to be back in class showed on his face more than he probably would have wanted. A few pencils in his hand along with a binder filled with blank paper and tucked away dividers.  

As soon as Josh stepped into the class room his eyes were met with many familiar faces. Some of these people he had been in school with since kindergarten; like Meg, a rather tall blunt faced girl with long kinky black hair. She simply threw a peace sign Josh's way as he stepped through the doors; he eagerly returned it, bringing a small smile to Meg's lips. 

With some brisk steps Josh moved to place himself at the back of the classroom, just behind Meg. He threw his things on his desk without much thought. Despite there being a good number of kids he knew... there seemed to be equally just as many new kids. 

Leaning on his desk Josh moved closer to Meg, "Where the hell did these guys come from?" 

Meg's brow lifted as she leaned back a little, "Know the high-school on the east side?" 

"The one where you can get crack for super cheap?" Josh inquired, 

Meg's head bobbed, "They closed it down, so now we get half the kids that went there." She explains with her head resting on her hand in a bored way. 

"Oh shit really? That's a lot of kids---" Josh was quick to respond, glancing around the room. 

"Oh yeah... way too many in my personal opinion --- not that anyone cares." Meg mutters, beginning to click her mechanical pencil. 

Josh's eyes were still taking in all the new faces as he started to respond, "Wow aren't we positive today." 

Meg sighed, "Eh.... I'm just not excited, Justin and I broke up over the summer and I'll have to see him in history." She began to explain, "Things are just really tense, yknow?" 

She waited a moment for him to give some comforting... but still idiotic response, however none came. It finally got Meg to turn and look at him, as she did she immediately noticed that Josh's eyes had widened just a touch, cheeks dusted a light pink. 

Meg followed the line of his eyes to a beautiful young woman. The expression he wore was more than enough to tell Meg that she should move. 

Josh was so busy just... taking the new girl in that he didn't even notice Meg slip to the free desk to the side of the one she was previously sat in. Josh just couldn't put his finger on it, there was something... something so breathtaking about her. Was it her eyes? Or maybe how her hair fell around her face? He couldn't be sure. What he was absolutely sure of was that he had never had a moment in his life where he could hear music just by looking at someone. 

"Hey... do you know if this desk is free?" A new voice shook Josh. It was her. She was standing at a desk to his left with a bit of an awkward air. 

He was just so shaken. What did she say again? Something about a desk? Josh's lips parted, "Uh--- I uh, what did you--?" 

"No that one isn't open, but the one just in front of my dude Josh is, right Josh?" Meg interrupted, pointing to the desk ahead of him. 

"Oh y-yeah, that one's open! Definitely 100% open! It couldn't be more open even if it tried!" Josh started spouting, he really wasn't even aware that his mouth had moved, and that was clear in the fact that it just kept moving when she had come to sit down. "Do you need any pencils at all?? I have like 20!" He continued, though his hand held one full sized pencil and one shorter than the average person's pinkie... both chewed on. "I mean not on me but--- who needs a pencil right?" 

The girl laughed a little awkwardly, her gaze moving from Josh to Meg and then to the desk. "No, no I'm okay thank you though." She slipped into the chair, keeping her gaze frontwards. 

Meg looks to Josh with a shocked look, 'What was that??' She mouthed, 

Josh responded with an absolutely mortified expression. He would never say he was the smoothest guy on the planet, but he had never been that awkward in his life. 

Meg shook her head before reaching out to tap the girl's shoulder, "I'm Meg!" She introduces, "And that goober is Josh." 

The girl lightly moved to glance over her shoulder at Josh in a shy way. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm (Y/N)." She hummed with a sweet smile. 

"That's a pretty name, isn't it Josh??" Meg quickly said, trying to get him to continue the conversation in a less awkward way.

Josh nodded very enthusiastically, "The prettiest name I've heard in a long time!" He said with a smile, 

(Y/N)'s cheeks began to hold a flush of their own. "Oh! Uh... th-thank you!" She sputtered out. 

'OH FUCK. She's so cute.' Josh thought to himself, Adam's apple bobbing in his throat with a shaky swallow. 

Little did Josh know that (Y/N) was thinking something very similar. She might not make it as obvious as he was, but being so much closer now... being able to see the warmth in his brown eyes, seeing how his wavy brown hair came to cup his cheeks --- she couldn't help but continue to stare back at him. 

The only thing that could pull them both out of the little trance they had fallen into was the bell. Both of them quickly looked toward it, followed by a man's voice at the front of the class. 

"Alright everyone, take your seats!" 

(Y/N) was reluctant but she turned herself to look toward the front of the class. A little bit nervous, but mustering an ounce of courage she tore a piece of paper from her notebook quietly and began to scribble something down. 

Josh hardly got anything out of that language arts class, he was way too busy trying to figure out what excuse he could make to talk with (Y/N) again. He was just rattling through every little conversation starter he had ever heard in his life... but none of them felt like they would work. 

Before long the bell had rung overhead once more and everyone was shuffling to grab their things and head to all of their next classes. 

Biting his lip, Josh was determined to catch (Y/N) before she could head off to her own next class. Luckily for him she had a similar idea. Both turning to each other as they stepped out of the classroom, it was painfully quiet at first. It seemed as if they were trying to get their thoughts together really. 

Finally they spoke, 

"Hey would you---" "I was wondering if you'd---" 

At once. 

A small awkward laugh left their lips, "Please, go ahead I was going to say something dumb---" Josh quickly said moving to rub the back of his neck. 

(Y/N)'s lips parted as she let out and unsure chuckle, eyes moving downwards for a moment. "I was just going to ask if you would mind if I joined you for lunch? I just am new and don't really have any---" 

"Yes!" Josh quickly said, "Yes absolutely. You didn't even have to ask, you could have just showed up if you wanted to!" He quickly says to her. 

The speed he seemed to talk at entertained (Y/N) a heck of a lot. A smile creeping across her face, "Okay! Thank you!" She responded. 

"Do you know where the cafeteria is? I can show ya if you want??" Josh quickly continued, "I mean I'm sure you could find it on you're own, you seem very smart and capable. Most women are to be honest; I remember reading an article about how men need to---" 

"That would be really great actually." (Y/N) smiled in a gentle way. 'He's even more nervous than I am.' She thought to herself. 

"Oh-oh! Okay cool! Uh, do you know where Mr.Shapiro's class is?" He asks, 

(Y/N) seemed to think for a minute, "113... right? I have him for chemistry this afternoon I think." She mutters. 

Josh swiftly nods his head, "That's the one!! Meet me there okay?" He says. 

(Y/N) nodded back, understanding the little plan they now had. "I'll see you in a little bit then?" She lightly asks. 

"Yeah absolutely." Josh began to grin, suddenly beyond excited. Even as she began to walk off to her class all he could think about was how sure he was now that this year was going to be fantastic. 

That was until a warning bell played overhead, "Oh shit--" Josh jumped in shock, immediately beginning to run to his next class.

//That's all for now lovely! I do actually have an idea on how to continue this one if anyone would like! Pretty please let me know in the comments if that's something you guys would like 💜//

[theassthatquits]

Blupjeans Week Day 2 - Ghost

Lup Taaco founded the premier science camp for teens - Camp Rocks! - this side of Faerun almost a decade ago. She did it by herself (mostly) and has the awards, articles, and accolades to prove that it’s a success.

So where does Davenport, her investor, get off going behind her back and hiring someone new without consulting her? Sure, enrollment has plateaued in the last couple of years, the main complaint being that they needed to shake up their staffing and curriculum, but she had it handled. She could take care of it herself, this was just a bump in the road. She didn’t need the help of some fancy doctor, this ‘Dr. Hallwinter’ that Davenport worked with at the university.

Lup scoffed while thumbing through his resume and cover letter. Top of his undergrad at Neverwinter U, a triple major in chemistry, astronomy, and physics. A brief stint working at a funeral home - a little weird, but everyone goes through a quarter life crisis, right? Returning to school a couple years later to get his masters and PhD and now taught at the same university while simultaneously doing interplanar research with Davenport. At the bottom of his resume with “related skills” he put ‘huge nerd’, as if that wasn’t obvious enough.

“Well, at least he knows what he’s talking about,” she muttered to herself as she threw the papers aside. There was no use fighting it now, she had spent weeks arguing and it wasn’t getting her anywhere. And it wasn’t like this was a bad idea, it just wasn’t her idea. This was her camp, after all.

---

Okay, maybe this Dr. Hallwinter guy wasn’t such a bad fit. They got off on the wrong foot, having a couple of heated discussions (fights) about things that she could barely remember. But now, she was standing in the corner of the pavilion, watching him give a very animated lecture on stars and planets. Angus McDonald, one of their first campers and the only one who came every single year, kept raising his hand to ask new questions and Hallwinter loved it. The two of them could go back and forth for hours, talking about theories and experiments and life itself. Angus had signed himself up for all of Dr. Hallwinter’s classes for the summer and loved every minute.

And he wasn’t so bad to look at, she supposed.

Lup was snapped out of her reverie by the class laughing very loudly at some Fortnite reference he made. Without realizing it, she smiled too. Dr. Hallwinter looked up at that moment to see her and his grin grew even bigger. With their eyes locked together, he dabbed and the class lost it all over again. When she giggled at that, she could have sworn he was blushing.

---

Every year towards the end of the summer the staff throws a “spooky soiree” to celebrate the end of camp. Everyone dresses up in a science-themed costume, they use the different things they have learned to create gruesome and cool decorations and effects, and they end the night with a ghost story bonfire. It’s easily Lup’s favorite night of camp. She loves amazing all of the younger kids with the cauldrons of “witches brew” (just dry ice in some punch) and grossing them out with the “eyeballs” (peeled grapes). This year she sewed some LEDs into her black vest, creating stars and constellations. Lup glowed in the dark and she fucking loved it.

She was in the middle of a (spooky) explanation of the witch's brew when she caught sight of Dr. Hallwinter walking up to the party. He was wearing a white shirt with lines drawn across it like a measuring cup and a long red robe over it. She was pretty sure he was wearing a graduation cap, too, which would mean…

“Holy shit you’re a graduated cylinder!” Lup shouted at him from across the way.

Immediately squeals of “language, Miss Lup!” began in front of her and she apologized to them as Dr. Hallwinter walked over with a smile on his face.

“Sure, am! This is pretty much my only Halloween costume, but I do love it.”

“Well, it certainly works for you, Dr. Hallwinter.”

He blushed before saying, “Lup, please just call me Barry. We’ve been having this discussion all summer. The only other person who calls me Dr. Hallwinter is Angus.”

As if to prove his point, Taako swooped in at that moment in a chef’s costume with the letters “FE” written on his shirt and yelled, “Excellent costume, Barold! You look even more like a nerd than usual and that’s saying something.”

Barry laughed. “Thank you, Taako, or should I say Iron Chef?”

Taako bowed deeply. “At your service, sir.”

“Dr. Hallwinter, sir!” They saw smoke before they saw Angus and Lup was a little alarmed before she realized that it was part of his costume. The boy had dressed up like a volcano with fake lava and smoke coming out of the top of it. “Look, it works!”

“All right, buddy!” The pair high fived and a weird fuzzy feeling struck Lup while watching the two of them.

“I think they’re about to start the scary stories over by the bonfire, are you coming, sir?”

“Pshh am I coming? Miss Lup asked me if I could host the festivities. Now you go get a good seat and I’ll be right over to start us off.”

Angus saluted him and ran off, eager for the frights ahead.

“Hosting the ghost stories, that’s a big deal Barold. Lup has hosted the bonfire herself for the last - oh, I don’t know, 2 decades?”

Barry turned to Lup, confused. “Is that true? I don’t want to impose or ruin any traditions.”

She waved him off. “Nah, it’s fine. We got off on the wrong foot, think of it as a peace offering.” Stepping closer to him and putting a hand on his shoulder, her voice got quiet. “You’re a member of this family, Barry.”

It was a good thing it was so dark, otherwise she would have seen his face turn a deep red. “You said my name.”

“Yeah, yeah, go get ready to spook some kids, Bluejeans.”

“Bluejeans?”

“You’ve worn the same blue jeans every single day since you started, even when we do activities by the lake. I’m absolutely convinced that you only packed that one pair for the entire summer.”

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you’re not entirely wrong.”

“Barold. My dude. You only packed one pair of jeans, no shorts, no swim trunks, for an entire summer at a camp?”

“There might have been a slight mishap on the way here in which I lost my shorts, swim trunks, and half of my underwear.”

No one moved or said anything for a second before Taako finally said, “Barry, you know we go into town once a week to get food for the camp, right?”

Barry just stared into space, regretting all of his life choices that led up to this moment. Lup busted up laughing, harder than anyone had seen her laugh all summer. As she wiped a tear from her eye, she patted his shoulder and said, “Well, I guess you know for next year, right?”

He raised an eyebrow playfully. “Next year, huh?”

“Well, I guess I shouldn’t make any promises until I see how well you do at our bonfire fright fest. Speaking of which, we should definitely be heading over there. I am a little nervous to see how Magnus has been keeping the kids occupied.”

---

Lup stood in the back of the crowd, letting Barry take over the hosting responsibilities of the bonfire. It was one of her favorite parts of camp, but it felt right to let him do it. He was doing really well, enhancing his performance with shadow puppets from the fire and interspersing the scary parts with science puns to ease the nerves of the younger kids. She found it absolutely adorable.

“I think Barold is giving you a run for your money, Lulu.”

“He’s better than I expected, that’s for sure.”

“I’m glad you gave the guy a chance. He’s a good dude.”

She smiled. “He is, isn’t he?”

Taako took a moment, watching his sister watch Barry. “You have the hots for him, don’t you? Jeezy creezy, I should have seen this coming. Those arguments you two had at the beginning were spicy.”

“What?!” Lup said, a little too loudly, face flushing. “I do not have the hots for Dr. Bluejeans. He’s just funny and good with the kids and very smart and looks good in jeans and oh my god I have the hots for Dr. Bluejeans.” Her eyes got wide and she clutched Taako’s arms. “Taako what the fuck am I supposed to do?”

“Lulu, I say this with all the love in my heart: don’t follow your instincts. Right now, your instincts are telling you to let him walk away tomorrow and not say anything, and they are dead wrong.”

“Ughhh but what if he doesn’t feel the same? It ruins the professional relationship we have and then I have to ban him from the camp and then Angus will hate me and we will lose our best customer.”

“Something tells me he also feels the same way.”

“But how do you know that?”

30 minutes earlier

Lup went ahead before the boys to make sure that Magnus hadn’t started a revolution of sorts and that left Barry and Taako to quickly clean up the food before following. Barry’s eyes lingered a little too long on Lup as she was walking away.

“Barold. Are you checking out my sister?”

“What?! No, what makes you think that?”

“I rolled a Nat 20 on perception, Barold. Legally you cannot lie to me. Now tell me: do you have the hots for my sister?”

Barry covered his face with his hands. “Maybe? Yes. Absolutely. Completely. As soon as she called me a poorly-dressed poser on my first day I was done for.”

“Rad. You should do something about that.” Taako started walking towards the bonfire, witch’s brew in hand.

“What, like tell her?”

“Tell her, kiss her, fight her, just something so I get to stop looking at you two making eyes at one another,” Taako yelled back without stopping.

“What - we don’t make eyes at one another, that’s not…she makes eyes at me?”

“Yeah, I think you’re good, my dude.”

The kids started clapping, signaling the end of the story that Magnus was telling.

“All right, thank you Magnus. Very scary, that story about zombie dogs. I think next up we have everyone’s favorite camp director, Miss Lup!”

The kids cheered and Lup had to pull herself together to nail this story that she was definitely going to pull out of her ass because she most certainly hadn't prepared anything.

“Are you kids ready to get the pants scared off of you?”

They screamed enthusiastically.

“All right, this story is about our very own Lake Igneous here at Camp Rocks. Legend has it that there was a woman who used to live in these woods by herself, not letting anyone else get near her. She refused help from anyone that came by, wanting to do everything alone and remain independent. The campers nearby could hear her blowing shit up in the woods and they knew to steer clear. One day, a man stumbled into her home, lost and confused. She lit off several explosions in an attempt to scare him off but he didn’t want to leave.”

As she talked, her eyes found Barry’s.

“He saw how lonely she was and helped her blow shit up. Eventually she grew to really like the man and really enjoyed blowing things up with him.” Barry laughed at that. Lup, suddenly remembering that this was supposed to be a scary story, abruptly tore her eyes away from his.

“They thought it would be a good idea to light some fireworks on the lake, so they took a boat out to the center and created the biggest and most beautiful explosion known to man, taking both of them out. They sacrificed their lives for the dopest light show, and sometimes, on a very clear and quiet night, you can see them in the lake, hand in hand.”

Lup bowed to signal that the story was over and she took her place back next to Taako.

“Lup, that was...pretty rough, not going to lie. Not your best work, that’s for sure.”

“I just got so distracted looking at his dumb face.”

“Yeah, that whole story was glaringly obvious.” She glared at him.

“I just need to get through this night without further making an ass of myself.”

He snorted. “Good luck.”

--

After the bonfire had wrapped up and all the kids were sent to bed, Lup sat at her favorite spot down by the lake to stare at the stars. She always sat here on the final night, reminiscing over the summer.

“Mind if I join you?” Barry’s voice came out of nowhere, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t expect it. Lup didn’t respond, just patted on the ground next to her. “So, your story was -”

“It’s okay, you can say it was shit, because it was. I definitely did not prepare this year like I usually do.”

“-good. I really liked it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Especially the part where they die a fiery but beautiful death.”

She snorted and he took the opportunity to move closer to her, their shoulders touching.

“Thank you for letting me join the team this summer.”

“I would say you’re welcome, but I honestly didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

“I know. Thank you for giving me a shot.”

“Again, not much choice in the matter.” He laughed. “You turned out alright. Better than I was expecting.”

“High praise from Miss Camp Director.”

“Would you be interested in coming back next year?”

“Absolutely. Pretty sure Angus would boycott if I didn’t show up.”

“He would just show up on your doorstep. Expect a lot of emails this year. So I’ll see you next summer, then?” He hesitated. “Unless you already have other commitments, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Lup, I’ll definitely be here next summer. I was just hoping that maybe we could see each other a little sooner than that. Like maybe this Saturday, dinner?”

She smirked. “A little forward, aren’t we, Dr. Bluejeans?” His face dropped.

“Oh, God. Did I totally misread this situation? Fuck, I am so sorry, I am going to just walk into this lake and never come back -” Barry started to get up, mortified.

“Barry, stop.” He looked at her, eyes wide in embarrassment. She shifted so her face was directly in front of his. “You didn’t misread this situation.” And then she kissed him.

@blupjeansweek2021

[eerythingisshaka]

Wish Granted Pt. 2

[Yahya Abdul Mateen II x Black OC]

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N:  I decided to make this a series and instead of reader, it is an original character. Strap in!

( Read Part 1 here)

That morning, Yahya and Corrine bask in the glow of the new morning sun, sharing a table by the front window enjoying eggs benedict, toast, with a stack of pancakes to share.  Corrine dipped some of her bacon into the leftover egg and sauce along her plate, chasing it with the remaining orange juice in her glass.  She goes to grab for more from the pitcher when Yahya’s hand surrounds hers.

“I have a flight tonight at 6,”  he says.

Corrine nods slowly.  “Ok.”

He looks sorry as he continues, “It got changed last minute.”

“Sure...can I ...pour my juice now?” Corrine asks, making Yahya awkwardly rest his hands on the table to allow you access to the pitcher.

“And with traffic, I should probably start getting ready to go now.”

Corrine sips her drink, wiping her mouth gingerly with the cloth napkin and sets it down.  “I gave you back that ring, right?”

Yahya nods.  “And your scarf is in your room at the hotel.”

“It’s not mine but...thanks.”  Corrine says quietly.  She pushes her fork around in the remnants of her plate, squeaking every so often against the porcelain.

Yahya leans forward.  “I still want to stay in contact.  Just because I live out of town doesn’t mean we can’t not see each other, you know?”

Corrine smiles with wide eyes like he just said something offensive.  “If that’s what you think, that is fine.  But honestly how would that work?  I couldn’t keep a guy to get a proposal and I spent at least half of my 20s hanging with him.  Don’t you think this is a bit much?”

Yahya sits back, looking out the window for distraction.

“I mean I am fine with a one night stand.  Thank you for being what I needed at the time, it was definitely a night I will never forget but let’s not make this weird.”

Yahya sighs, looking around for presumably the waitress and pulls out his wallet.  “I can’t believe you’re flipping like this.”

“It’s not a flip, just...this happens.  Like, come on Yahya, we don’t know each other.  Can you seriously say you want to try and make this a long term thing base don our track records?”

Yahya puts some bills on the table.  “I thought you hadn’t done this before?”

Corrine shrugs.  “Ok, truthfully, not since college had I done this before.  Before...him,” she says with a cringe.

Yahya folds his arms across his chest looking at her with amazement.  “So you really used me?  I am your rebound and now you’re backing out?  Or is it because I am not conveniently at your beck and call now that you’re scared to try something new?”

Corrine scoffs.  “I don’t need to explain it, I made it clear.  Long distance will not work.  That’s it!”

“I disagree.  And I want you to see that I am right and you’re wrong.”

“Yahya…”

“Corrine….”  Yahya says, biting his lip playfully.

Corrine rolls her eyes, pulling out her purse to rifle through it.  Not able to find a piece of paper, she takes an unused napkin and scribbles on the front with her dying pen.

“Look, I will give you my number.  Do with it what you want, I’m not holding you to it though,”

She hands it to a confused look Yahya.  “I could just give you my phone to put it in?”

“I’m old school.  Plus, watch you accidentally use it and mess up the ink or ball it up thinking it’s trash.  I wanna know you can be responsible with an important document such as that napkin with my number on it.”

Yahya looks at it, puts it down and grabs a five off of the stack of bills he had set on the table.

“Let me borrow that pen,”  he asks, scribbling his number across the front of Lincoln’s face.

“Whoa!  What are you doing?”  Corrine asks, leaning to get a glimpse for herself before Yahya gives her the defaced bill.

“And here is my number.  If your theory checks out, it shouldn’t be hard to keep up with or lose, unless you accidentally spend it on some shoes or a new purse, right?”

Corrine glares at him.  “Ha Ha.  Here, let me at least put some money back on this since you probably just took the girl’s tip money for this.”

Yahya waves her off.  “Please, it’s still 20% without it, we good.”

Corrine folds the five up in a side pocket in her bag.  “Then that’s it right?”

Yahya stares through the table, nodding blankly.  When he looks at Corrine he fights a smirk.

“I really had a good time.”

“I did too.”

Yahya and Corrine step out of the restaurant, parting with one last hug as his car arrives to pick him.  Corrine holds him close, smelling the fresh soap from the morning shower he took just a couple hours ago.  His shoulders and back solid under her hands, she imagines if she lifts her feet, he wouldn’t bend or fold even slightly.

His hands spread along her back before sliding slowly around her waist, kissing a spot behind her ear that makes her curl back and chuckle.

“I’ll call you,”  Yahya says inches from Corrine’s face as she nods.  “You gonna call me?”

“When you call me, I will,”  she says, putting her hand to the side of his face, trying to memorize every feature and feeling it gave her.  One last kiss would make her fly in the cab with him, so she backs off, waving goodbye.

A month goes by and Corrine has finally packed up all of James’s things in two boxes.  She sits on the couch staring at them sat next to her front door.  His life with her fit in just two boxes?  They weren’t officially living together yet but he spent so much time with her that it seemed like there would be more things.  Most of it is laundry that needs washing and DVDs he brought over because he refused to buy them on digital again.

Corrine scrolls through her phone absentmindedly as she waits.  A message pops up that makes her jump out of the blue.

Hey, how’s your morning beautiful?

It’s fine for now.  Still waiting on him.

Don’t let him bother you.  Just tell him to the left and leave!

Of course girl.  Why mess with a beyonce blueprint?

Works every time!  Also, don’t forget to meet us for our lunch date after.

Sounds good.

Corrine gets up to check out of her patio door and sees his car park outside.  James strolls across the grass, which instinctively makes her cringe.  She always told him to watch doing that so he doesn’t end up walking in dog shit.  

She waits for his knock patiently, not wanting him to know she saw him already.  Her phone chimes again.

Outside, it reads.

Corrine groans at the rude tone of his one word text.  As she opens the door he’s leaning on the frame in a way that reminds you of one of Danny Zuko’s boys from Grease.  Leather jacket on even though it's 85 degrees out, distressed blue jeans that fit snug around his lean legs with some schmegular all white Adidas.  

“I already packed your stuff,”  she says, walking backwards to point to the left as practiced.  James takes one step in with his hands in his pockets and looks to his right at the boxes.

“I could’ve done that,”  he says in a bored tone, looking back at her as if she is visiting him without notice,

“I asked you every week for the past month to come get it.  You think I’m going to wait for you to poke around here and find every little thing of yours on your own?  I don’t think so.”

His fingers find their way around a curl of hair in his high top fade.  “What’s all this energy about though?  I thought we could be cool about it?”

“Why would I be cool about anything with you  after you left me by myself in the city when we were supposed to be celebrating your promotion, right?  But you recall what happened instead?  After 5 and a half years together?”

“I wanted to talk to you in person-”

“You hadn’t done that either for a month, have you?”

James’ jaw flies open.  “Because the only thing you got to say is about picking up my stuff!  You never asked to talk and you didn’t answer my calls!”

“I shouldn’t have to ask to talk!  I’m not the one that said I can’t do this no more!”

“Are you sure Corrine?  Cuz you never acted interested in shit with what I got to do.  You don’t listen to nothing I got to say.”

Corrine scoffs loudly as James kneels to look through the boxes. 

“I never helped YOU?  I got you into a respectable corporate job that paid BILLS for the first time in you life when your cooking career wasn’t pulling weight like you hoped it would!  Now you can earn some capital so you can open your business steadily and not fall flat on your ass!  I gave you so much more mercy than you ever did for me!”

James sucks his teeth and comes to a standing, towering over Corrine.  “I stood by you while you worked to do this lawyer shit you got goin on.  Long nights studying in the living room, out to the library, hell week after hell week to pass your bar.  I barely got a kiss from you at your celebration party.  You always doin the most!”

Corrine grips her temples, completely taken back.  “I can’t believe you’re saying my ambition is a reason to leave me.  I can’t succeed while you’re down and out or you feel less of a man?  Is that it?”

James picks up his boxes in both arms.  “Shut up.”  He walks out the door heading for the steps.

“No, now I got it!  You want me to just stay quiet and patient while you figure things out but I couldn’t carry our relationship for you!  I needed your support too, whether I am studying for hours on end or you’re taking a month long business trip, only to come back unemployed!”

James was out the door about halfway down when he looks back at her.

“You think I wouldn’t know?  I got you that gig, how would I not check into it?  They said you never showed up.  Why?”

James looked off, sighing deeply like a load was taken off even though he was carrying two very heavy boxes.

“You had to get away for a month?  What were you doing for that long that you didn’t tell me?”

James continued to not look at Corrine.  His mind battling with what to say and what not to say was killing her as she looked for him to speak. 

“I won’t take you back James, I just want a good excuse so I can hate you less.  I thought you were going to marry me when you booked that room for us at that fancy spot.  But you broke my heart so bad.”

James continued to walk down the steps without a word.  Corrine watched him pack his car and turn on the engine to peel out.  

--

“Girl, and that’s what he did?”  Simone exclaimed over her half eaten salad.  Her pressed hair pulled back in a bun already gave her a naturally alert look, but Corrine’s turmoil made it that much more apparent.

Corrine pushed around a meatball in her spaghetti.  “That is all he did.  I have no closure to it.”

Bria pats you back gingerly.  “You’ll be fine and he’ll be fine.  It’s just because the break up is still fresh that y’all couldn’t come to an understanding.”

Corrine sits back and shrugs.  “Maybe?  But that’s a big ass lie he dropped on me.  He was gone for a month.  He could have a whole family in another state for all I know.”

Simone points at Corrine, big brown eyes bucking.  “That’s why I told you he look like Cousin Skeeter if he were a real man.  He is just as goofy too.  Nobody should leave for a MONTH without saying anything.”

Bria nods, adjusting her tortoise shell frames.  “He is not worth a thought but you take all the time you need to get past it.  Just move on.  You gave him chance after chance up until the last moment.  It’s time you got to breathe on your own.”

“And speaking of,”  Simone lowers her voice.  “You hear from our hotel daddy yet?”

“Oh God, don’t bring that up now,”  Corrine whines.

“Simone!”  Bria hisses.  “She hasn’t heard from him yet, and honestly by now, there would be some explaining to do instead of dating.”

Corrine lays her head on the table.  “Why is life so hard?  I can’t have a good time with nobody!”

Simone and Bria offer pats as her tears are absorbed by the tablecloth.

“Hey, you know what?  You do still have his number…”

“Simone, no.  I can’t.”

“But!  Instead of cutesy whats up and stuff, you can tell him off maybe?  Give him the lashing every wrong you’ve received deserves.  It might not be constructive but a quick shot of feel good sounds pretty good, right?”

Corrine sits up, dabbing her eyes and feeling the avalanche of snot coming to her nose.  Her cries put all ugly cries to shame.

“I just...it was...he said...he’d call!”  Corrine squeaks out between sobs.

One month turned into two, and so on until Corrine forgot about that night at the hotel.  Busying herself with work was the best thing she could do in order to keep herself feeling good from day to day.  That and happy hours with her girls who vigorously scoped men out for her as her wingwomen.  

Sometimes when she is turning in for the evening, she picks up the base of her little desk mirror to find the $5 bill under it that Yahya scrawled his number on.  The more she looked at it, she wasn’t sure if it ended in a four or a nine, so it’s probably best she kept from calling in order to not look foolish on someone’s phone.

James and her never got back with each other either.  But Corrine is more ok with that.  She figures whatever skeletons he has are bigger than she can manage and she deserves a break.  But Yahya seemed so good and promising, she couldn’t believe she got bamboozled that hard.  He could’ve left that morning, allowing her to sleep away the future but he gave her hope instead and that got snatched away.

So Corrine filled her days digging into practicing law and running errands and not much in between.  But she was ok.  Without the extra baggage of men in her life she felt as if she might’ve unlocked a new level in life.

---

“As you all know, the construction on the new building is being negotiated with several architects in order to get a broad scope of what design would fit the future of our practice the best for years to come.  Let me remind you all that if it weren’t for your dedication to your work around here that we would not be one of the most sought after and winningest law office in the state.”

Applause fills the conference room for Hogel of Garrett, Hogel & Truman as Corrine takes notes on the meetings main points.  Most of the meetings are supplied with a bullet list of the main topics, but she does not enjoy just sitting and staring or she is liable to daydream.

When the meeting comes to a close, it is close enough to the evening and the weekend that she hopes will allow her to get off early and head straight for bed.  Her feet kill her in the stiff three inch pumps she wears for ten hours straight, and her local Chinese spot was calling her name for some springfield chicken.

When she makes it back to her desk, her heart flips with joy as she sees no new files to review and archive, and since she got ahead of her projects for the week, it seems the weekend has finally begun.

She kicks off her heels to slide into her worn in athletic shoes, feeling her feet melt into the dips that the insole has created to mold to her feet.  Her heart beats in the bottoms of her foot from being released from their patent leather binding which is both uncomfortable and satisfying.  But even if they were chopped off at the shin, these feet would lead her to her car and get her to her home paradise.  

Corrine walks down the hall to the elevators, hearing noises from people as she gets close.  She feels a little anxious, preferring an empty elevator at her departure time but is willing to deal so that the exit is quicker.

As the group of voices rounds a corner leading away from her, she sees a man standing head above the whites that surround him.  A navy blue suit fitting tailored to wide set shoulder funneling down to a slim but sturdy waist, made her knees buckle a moment, causing her to slow her pace forward.  He walks away, laughing one of those polite laughs one gives to company they want to impress.  He hits the elevator button, listening to one of the partners speak until his gaze travels over them and spots her.

She feels her brain black out and her heart fall out of her ass and flight took over in her fight or flight response.  

“Corinne!”  he calls after her, but she pays him no attention rounding the corner.  Stairs would have to work, no matter how much her feet her from the day, anything would do over having to see him make up whatever excuse he had to not call her.  And what the hell is he doing at her job?  Is he a lawyer?  Is he looking for counsel?  What if he is a fraud that manipulates women and sues them for some old timey bullshit laws like alienation of affection.

She thanked God that coincidence didn’t find him in the parking garage as Corrine finally made it home but settled on some leftovers she had in the fridge instead of her beloved Chinese food.  At this point she still hadn’t calmed down from earlier.  What if he is at the Chinese place?  Where the hell does he live anyway?  To be in the same area as her work, he couldn’t be far.  She couldn’t remember where he said he was from, if they even covered that much information but she was not going to entertain his presence, he is a ghost to her.  

In her bedroom she takes the five and slips it in her purse to make sure she spends the bill, like it's the reason he is back.  She will have to treat him like a ghost.  He won’t know she ever waited for him or thought about him after that night. 

[saltandburnsis]

pilot, pt. 1

Characters: Reader, Dean, Sam, Jess

Age: 20

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2,261

Summary: Dean and Y/N are off to find John in Jericho, but Dean has a stop to make and another passenger to pick up on the way.

A/N: All dialogue taken from the show will be in italics.

Dean looked to his co-pilot with a soft smile. The maps she'd been endlessly perusing—uselessly, for he'd given her a false destination—were now covering her torso like a much-to-small blanket. He felt terrible for lying to her, but this wasn't a time for an argument, and he'd known that's all he would've been in store for had he let her know they were making a stop before Jericho.

He’d spent his life protecting her, but he couldn't protect her from everything. He couldn't protect her from the pain of their brother leaving. And now, with their father missing, he couldn't protect her from whatever feelings may arise when she laid eyes on the middle Winchester. So, instead of continuing to dwell on his shortcomings, he turned his gaze back to the road, tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and pressed harder on the gas. A cloud of dust was all that followed the old car, which was just the way Dean liked it.

------

Dean shook your arm, not violently by any means, but harder than you would've liked. You mumbled an incoherent complaint before rubbing your eyes and sitting up in the seat.

"We in Jericho yet?" You looked around outside, trying to make sense of the buildings in the darkness.

"Come on," Dean replied as he stepped out of the car and shut his door. You grumbled but obeyed, following him over to one of the buildings. You narrowed your eyes as he surveyed the fire escape on the side.

"Dean, what the hell do you think you're doing? Dad wouldn’t be in a place like this. I'm not breaking in without cause," you whispered, crossing your arms over your chest.

"We have cause. It's because I said we are. Just trust me." With that, he grabbed onto the rungs of the bottom balcony and hoisted himself up. You rolled your eyes but followed suit, silently trailing after your brother up four flights of stairs before he stopped at one of the windows.

"What are you doing leaving this open? Didn't you learn anything?" You heard him mutter as he slid his hands into the opening and slowly raised the window. Once he had it open, he swung one leg inside, then the other, poking his head out to look at you once he was in. "Coming?"

"If you tell me where the hell we are once I'm in," you replied, mimicking your brother's actions and entering the apartment. Rather than answer you, Dean began walking through the space, looking around at all that adorned the shelves and walls. You followed suit, eager for an answer. Just as you'd stopped to get a better look at one of the photos on the wall, a hand came at you from behind, grabbing your arm and flipping you onto the ground. The action knocked the wind out of you. As you stood and tried to catch your breath, the stranger began to fight with Dean. Within seconds, however, Dean had him pinned to the ground.

"Whoa. Easy, tiger." Dean flashed a smile down at the man.

"Dean? You scared the crap outta me," Sam scoffed incredulously. You narrowed your eyes. What the hell were you doing here?

"That's 'cause you're out of practice." Dean was still grinning. That is, he was until Sam flipped the duo seemingly effortlessly and had Dean pinned to the ground. Dean chuckled in response. "Or not."

After the initial shock of being in the same room as your older brother for the first time in four years began to wear off and you’d found your voice, you crossed the room and stood over the two of them, arms crossed.

“You two finished?”

“Get off me.” Dean pushed Sam off of him. As Dean fixed his jacket, Sam took a few steps back, eyes never leaving you and Dean.

“Dean, Y/N. What the hell are you doing here?” You looked to Dean, eager to hear his response.

“Well, I was looking for a beer,” Dean answered with a smirk. Sam opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the light flicked on. The three of you looked over to the doorway to find a blonde woman watching you.

“Jess. Dean, Y/N. This is my girlfriend, Jessica.” Sam looked at both groups—his two worlds colliding—nervous after making the introductions.

Jess looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. “Wait, your brother and sister?” Dean smiled and gestured to her shirt.

“I love the Smurfs.” He began to walk over to her. “You know, I gotta tell you, you are completely out of my brother’s league.” You rolled your eyes.

“Just let me put something on.” Jess started to turn away, but Dean piped up almost immediately.

“No, no. No, I wouldn’t dream of it, seriously.” You grabbed your brother’s arm and pulled him away from the girl, hitting the back of his head when he was close enough. He cast a quick glare at you before turning back to Jess.

“Anyway, we got to borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business. But nice meeting you.” Sam looked to Jess as Dean spoke, then quickly crossed the room to stand at her side.

“No. Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her.”

“Okay. Dad hasn’t been home in a few days,” Dean replied. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother’s words.

“So he’s working overtime on a “Miller Time” shift. He’ll stumble back in sooner or later.”

Dean looked down at the ground for a moment before turning back to Sam.

“Dad’s on a hunting trip. And he hasn’t been home in a few days.”

--------

You and Dean stood in the living room while Sam was in the bedroom changing. Dean continued to peruse the pictures on the walls, avoiding your glare. Finally, you spoke up.

“What the hell are we doing here, Dean? He left, and we don’t need his help finding Dad.”

“If that thing has Dad, we’re going to need all the help we can get. Like it or not, we need Sam.”

“Yeah, the old Sam. But college boy? Who’s to say he’s not going to walk us out to the car just to tell us not to come back? We don’t need him. Dean, Dad could be in danger. Every minute we’re here trying to convince someone who won’t be convinced is time we’re not helping him,” you said, eyes darting over towards the closed bedroom door in case Sam walked out.

“You don’t think I know that? Y/N, we’ve got our best chance at finding Dad if we’re together. I’m not fighting about this.” You crossed your arms but remained silent. Sam emerged from the bedroom shortly after.

“Let’s go outside,” he stated, looking between you and Dean. Dean nodded and walked to the front door, leading the two of you out of the apartment.

“You know, you guys can’t just break in in the middle of the night and expect me to hit the road with you,” Sam chastised as he followed Dean down the stairs.

“You’re not hearing me, Sammy. Dad’s missing. We need you to help us find him.”

“You remember the poltergeist in Amherst or the devil’s gates in Clifton? He was missing then, too. He’s always missing, and he’s always fine.” Sam stopped at the bottom of the stairs as Dean turned back to look at him, leaving you stuck behind him.

“Not for this long. Now, are you gonna come with us or not?”

“I’m not.”

“Why not?”

“I swore I was done hunting for good,” Sam stated. At this, you pushed past Sam to stand beside Dean.

“Come on,” Dean scoffed. ”It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t that bad.” He started walking toward the building’s exit, you and Sam on his trail.

“Yeah? When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45.” You looked up at your older brother.

“What was he supposed to do?” you questioned.

“I was nine years old. He was supposed to say, ‘don’t be afraid of the dark.’”

“‘Don’t be afraid of the dark?’” Dean was incredulous. “What, are you kidding me? Of course you should be afraid. You know what’s out there.”

“Yeah, I know. Still—the way we grew up after Mom was killed, and Dad’s obsession to find the thing that killed her, but we still haven’t found the damn thing. So we kill everything we can find.”

“Save a lot of people doing it, too. What, are we supposed to sit back and knowingly let innocent people die just because we haven’t found that one thing?” You couldn’t keep from lashing out, anger clear in your voice. Did he really think every life they saved and every monster they destroyed was negated because you’d yet to find Yellow Eyes?

“No. I just…” Sam sighed and looked at Dean. “You think Mom would have wanted this for us?” You stormed outside and over to the car, Dean close behind you. Sam followed you both, continuing his questions. “The weapon training and melting the silver into bullets? Man, we were raised like warriors.”

“So, what are you gonna do? Are you just gonna live some normal, apple-pie life? Is that it?” Dean looked back at his younger brother.

“No, not normal,” Sam replied. “Safe.”

“And that’s why you ran away. That’s why you abandoned your family,” you shot back.

“I was just going to college. It was Dad who said if I was gonna go, I should stay gone. And that’s what I’m doing.”

“That didn’t mean you had to leave Dean and me in the dust.” Your voice was softer with this, less angry and more sorrowful. Almost as if you didn’t want that heard. Sam opened his mouth to reply, but Dean spoke first.

“Dad’s in real trouble right now, if he’s not dead already. I can feel it. We can’t do this alone.”

“Yes, you can,” Sam countered before you could.

“Yeah. Well, I don’t want to.” Dean broke eye contact with Sam and looked down at the ground. Sam was silent for a minute before letting out a long sigh.

“What was he hunting?” Dean looked to you and you begrudgingly went into the backseat of the car, grabbing your backpack.

“It’s going to take me a minute to find everything,” you warned, mentally chastising yourself for throwing the papers in your bag so haphazardly before you left. The details of the demon you’d been pursuing and the information you’d helped John find before he left were intermingled in your bag. You made quick work of unshuffling the two cases.

“So when Dad left, why didn’t you guys go with him?” Sam asked Dean. Dean shrugged.

“The kid and I were working our own gigs down in New Orleans,” he replied, leaning back against the trunk of the car.

“Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?” Sam chuckled.

“I’m 26, dude.”

“Finally,” you tossed your bag back into the car and stepped closer to your brothers. “Alright, so, Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy—“ you handed one of the papers to Sam. “—they found his car, but he’d vanished. Completely M.I.A.”

“So maybe he was kidnapped,” Sam theorized, looking down at the paper. You scoffed and began handing him the rest of the papers one by one while Dean opened the trunk and began rooting around.

“Yeah, well, here’s another one in April. Another one in December ’04, ’03, ’98, ’92—10 of ‘em over the past 20 years—all men, all same 5-mile stretch of road,” you finished your explanation and looked to Dean. He finally found what he was looking for and continued the run-through.

“It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. We hadn’t heard from him since, which is bad enough, and then I got this voicemail yesterday.” Dean hit play on the tape player and held it out for Sam to hear.

“You know there’s EVP on that?” Sam asked once the recording had stopped.

“Not bad, Sammy. Kind of like riding a bike, isn’t it?” You rolled your eyes and took the tape player from Dean.

“I slowed it down and ran it through a GoldWave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got.” You hit play and let the EVP play through.

“Never go home,” Sam repeated once the recording had finished. You handed Dean the player, and he stuck it back in the trunk before closing it up and turning back to Sam.

“You know, in almost two years, I’ve never bothered you, never asked you for a thing.” Sam sighed and looked at the apartment building before looking back at you and Dean.

“Alright, I’ll go. I’ll help you find him, but I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here.” He turned away and started to head back into the apartment building. You furrowed your brow.

“What’s first thing Monday?” you called after him. Sam stopped and turned back to look at you.

“I have an interview.” He seemed uneasy telling you even that.

“What, a job interview?” Dean asked. “Skip it.”

“It’s a law school interview, and it’s my whole future on a plate.” Sam straightened up a bit at this reveal, proud of his plans.

“Law school?” Dean questioned.

“So, we got a deal or not?”

………..

forever taglist: @griff1ndor @gothsatanicrapunzel @choosemyname @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @not-astounding @sassy-specter @vicmc624 @idksupernatural

[pepperonyspizza]

This one is dedicated to @iloveyou3thousand and the amazing moodboard he made that you all should check out! It was the inspiration for this fic

Day 2: College AU - also posted on Ao3!

No Warnings, Pepperony, Domestic Fluff

“How is your paper coming along?” Tony ask while he makes himself comfortable on the windowsill.

He’s spent the past 20 minutes tinkering with what used to be a blender but now looks more like a torture device that could appear in one of the Saw sequels. All he tried to do was improve the thing but, as it happens with so many of his creations, he apparently did the exact opposite. 

“It's nearly finished,” Pepper answers, a smirk visible on her face. 

She never says anything when he’s in the middle of working, only ever watches and observes. Tony isn’t sure if she knows that any attempt at starting a conversation would be fruitless as long as his mind is focused on something else, or if she simply enjoys watching him. Whichever the case, she never tries to pull him away from his work (unless he’s set himself on fire, that is) and he loves her all the more for it. 

Pepper is still smiling at him by the time Tony finally finds a comfortable enough position on the ledge, right opposite of his girlfriend with his back leaning against the wall. 

“What?” 

“Nothing. I’m simply wondering how you’re going to explain to Rhodey that you’ve destroyed yet another one of your kitchen utensils.” She nudges his leg with her foot. “Is there anything left that you haven’t taken apart yet?

He actually has to take a moment to think about it. 

“The new microwave. I haven’t touched it unless I wanted to use it for its intended purpose.” 

Granted, he’s nearly gotten both himself and Rhodey expelled by blowing up the old one and caused the entire building to be evacuated. That was the day he had to promise Rhodey to stop indulging in his more daring ideas. 

“Rhodey is finally learning how to keep you under control,” Pepper muses, causing a grin much like her own to spread across Tony’s face. 

“Yeah, he’s good at that,” he admits before pushing himself off the wall and crawling towards her on his hands and knees, only stopping when his face is inches away from her own. Pepper tilts her head, watching him curiously. “But not as good as you are.” 

He’s told her so countless times before and it must have gotten to the point where it is boring to hear him say it - but Tony loves her laugh. No matter how angry or upset he is, all it takes is Pepper and her good mood to lift his own spirit. He was reluctant to tell her that much, afraid that he’d come across as too cliché, at least until she admitted that she felt the exact same thing. 

“No one is,” she says and there is no arrogance behind her words. 

She’s simply stating a fact, one he has no problem admitting to being correct. By now, most of his friends know so as well. Pepper can keep him in check better than anyone, probably because she doesn’t do it unless she deems it truly necessary - which most often means that she’s scared he’s going to hurt himself. 

It’s hard to get angry at someone when they only have your best interest in mind. 

“Hey.” Pepper’s hand in his hair pulls him out of his thoughts. He’s still only inches apart from her and this close, he can see just how blue her eyes are. Even with the sun already beginning to disappear, Tony sees. He also sees the amusement in them. “Where are you?” “Right here.” 

His whispered reply gets rewarded with a soft kiss. Just like it’s the case with her laugh, he loves her kisses, could spend all day doing nothing but kissing her over and over again until their lips hurt. Sadly, Pepper never agrees with him on that, saying that one of them has to be the responsible one. 

She pulls away way too soon and Tony makes a displeased noise as he chases after her mouth. He is certain that she tries to say something but the words are lost when his lips find hers once again. He kisses her with everything he has, enjoying the way her hand tightens in his hair. His own fingers curl themselves into the fabric of her hoodie, which is actually Tony’s but he’s long ago accepted that once his clothes fall into Pepper’s hands, they are as good as lost to him. She looks much better in them anyway and he’d be a fool to say that the thought of her running around her room and smelling like him wouldn’t turn him on. 

“I love you,” he says as soon as he pulls back. 

Pepper beams up at him and presses one last lingering kiss to his lips. She’s much less vocal about her feelings than Tony is, a fact that surprises almost everyone - but she wouldn't put up with nearly as much as she does if she didn’t love him, of that he is sure. Anyone who drives across town in the middle of the night to bail his drunk ass out of jail is worth fighting for. 

Tony silently manoeuvres them around until they are both sitting on the same side of the wide windowsill, tightly pressed against each other. He’s got his arm wrapped around her and Pepper has her head resting on his shoulder as they look out the window and down at the campus below. The U-shaped layout of the building gives them a great view of almost everything.

They continue to watch the fall day slowly come to an end, content and at peace. 

It’s only when the sun has completely disappeared from view that Pepper speaks up again. 

“How are your classes?” 

“Boring,” Tony replies quickly, not in the mood to talk about something as unimportant as that. He feels Pepper’s body shake in silent laughter and presses a kiss to the side of her head. “But they are going well. Rhodey makes sure that I attend most of them regularly, so there is nothing you have to worry about.” 

“I always worry about you,” she says, making Tony laugh, although he doesn’t even try to keep quiet. 

“Which makes me a very lucky man.” 

“Indeed, it does.” 

Pepper turns until she’s able to throw one of her arms, as well as one of her legs over his body, effectively clinging to him. Tony is once again thankful for how large the window sill is. Beside the bed, it’s his favourite place for them to cuddle. 

He pulls her as close as possible and proceeds to press kisses to her cheek and forehead, noticing that, somewhere in the process, Pepper’s eyes fall close and her breathing begins to even out. Not hearing any objection from her, Tony continues until it becomes clear that she has fallen asleep in his arms. He waits until he hears the first snore (not that Pepper snores, she’s told him so herself) before he takes her into his arms and lifts her up. 

It takes a bit of time, given their location and the fact that she’s slightly taller than him but Tony eventually manages to get her into his bed. He makes his way over to the window to close it, careful not to wake her. 

He strips himself of his shirt and trousers, leaving them on his desk chair in case Rhodey decides to come back to their room some time in the night. The last thing Tony needs is to be woken up by his friend because he’s decorated the floor with his dirty clothes. 

Pepper makes a noise and turns, clearly unhappy about being left alone. Tony returns to her as quickly as possible, scared that she’s going to wake up. He lays down next to her and pulls the covers over both their bodies, though Pepper seems content with using him as a blanket, snuggling close as soon as she’s able to. 

Tony doesn’t complain. He doubts that he ever will, not when burying his nose in her hair makes him feel this good. It’s also the easiest way for him to fall asleep, something he’s reminded of when it takes no more than a few minutes for him to drift off and follow his girlfriend to a safer place.

[theartofimaginaryfriends]

Chapter 7 - Movie Night

Fic series: The Final Straw (HP/PJO Crossover Fic)

Premise: Weekly movie night is kicked off with a classic: Mean Girls.

Masterlist

Taglist: @ilvermornymascot, @lukecastellandeservedbetter, @eva-blog-p

word count: 1,343

A/N: We're back to posting at weird hours of the night! It's currently nearly 2AM and that's on having to rewatch Mean Girls for this and ALSO doing that at a weird hour. My staying up throuh the night thing is going to bite me in the ass on Tuesday where I'll likely sleep through the whole day and then deal with around 50 happy birthday facebook messages from family I never talk to. Which, by the way, I'm 20??? On Tuesday??? What??? On that note, I hope y'all enjoy the chapter XD

By Friday evening, the fighting had subsided enough that Nova wasn't meditating every five minutes, and she didn't feel as tired by the end of History of Magic. For once, she didn't feel the need to nap while the Professor droned on about the Salem Witch Trials. Besides, the amusement she got watching her Ilvermorny peers' jaws drop as Hermione raised her hand after every question was enough entertainment to keep the class interesting. She wasn't surprised to see her friend had done research on North American history.  

The only thing on her mind at the moment was the movie night. Instead of the usual downtime spent in the Pukwudgie common room, she was in The Great Hall organizing the space and setting up the seating areas. "Are you sure this is going to work?" 

"Lucas, for the millionth time this week, yes," Nova answered her friend, exasperated.  

"If we can do this on a laptop, we can easily utilize the projector," Cree added, looking up from the muggle technology. "And no I'm still not going to tell you how we managed to get this here."  

Lucas rolled his eyes and proceeded to help with the set up by moving the tables to the sides of the room. The three students fell silent as they did their tasks, and listened to the music playing on Cree's laptop through the aux cord. "This is looking great!" 

"Thanks, Professor!" Nova smiled at the Headmaster as he admired their handy work.  

"Have you picked out the movie, yet?" 

"Mean Girls," Cree held up the DVD. "It's a classic." 

"Ah, yes," Tahamente chuckled and made his way to the podium. "I hear students reference that film often." 

Soon after the set-up was fully finished, the student body began to pile in. Percy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined Nova in the section she claimed. "Should we be concerned about monsters?" 

"Annabeth didn't tell you?" Nova questioned. She explained how technology actually worked within both the wizard and demigod worlds. Her friends all looked at her like she was insane, especially Hermione who was insistent on arguing.  

"But in Hogwarts: A History, it's stated that it goes haywire around magic!" She went off on a tangent about the experiments that wizards have done to test the theory.  

"How often does this happen?" Percy leaned over and whispered to Harry and Ron.  

"All the time," Ron answered. "It's hard to get her to stop."  

"Almost impossible, really," Harry added.  

Hermione ignored her friends and continued on the rant as students continued finding spots with their friends. Once everyone was settled, the Headmaster addressed the school. "As you may have seen on the bulletin boards in your common rooms, tonight will be a bit different than usual."

"A bit?" Nova heard from a student nearby.  

"To help us all get used to each other's company, our Head Boy and Girl organized a no-Maj movie night," he explained. "In a moment, pizza and snacks will appear on the tables and everyone will be free to grab their dinner." 

The student began to whisper amongst themselves, most sounding excited. Nova glanced over at Draco, who had a bewildered look on his face. "What the hell is a movie?" 

"It's like the magical portraits, except there's a plot," Nova explained.  

"What?" 

"Draco, don't worry about it," Harry said, quickly. "You'll find out soon enough."  

"Until then, I have an announcement to make." Nova's attention was brought away from Harry and Draco, and back to the Headmaster as he continued his speech. "Professor McGonagall, Professor Chiron, and I have decided to host a championship." 

"If this is anything like-" Harry whispered to himself.  

"It will be modelled after the legendary Triwizard Tournament," Tahamente hushed the crowd again as the students continued talking amongst each other. Harry and Nova shared looks of disdain. "We have decided to name it The Chimera Games. The rules are simple: twenty teams of two, and it must consist of one wizard and one demigod. There will be no age restriction for the competitors." 

"Is that safe?" Hermione seemed worried.  

"No, but neither is the life of a demigod," Annabeth said. "A tournament is nothing to us." 

"To enter, you will write your name onto a slip of paper, and drop it into the Fountain of Fate." The murmurs started up again, much to the headmaster's dismay. "When it is time for the choosing ceremony, the fountain will reveal two names for each team. The fountain will be in the Entrance Hall tomorrow morning, and everyone will be free to enter until dinner on Sunday. Once the teams have been chosen, I will give out further information. For now, please enjoy tonight's festivities."  

Nova attempted to mask her worry, not wanting to talk about what had happened in fourth year. Harry shifted so he sat next to her. "Did you know about this?" 

"I had no idea," Nova shook her head. "Do you also have a bad feeling about this?" 

"I have a feeling that if I don't willingly enter my own name, someone will do it for me," he scowled.  

"I'm sorry, Harry." 

"You have nothing to apologize for." Harry gave his friend a small smile and squeezed her shoulder. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, now is not a good time." 

"Okay," Nova agreed and smiled back. As worried as she was about the prospect of a tournament, Harry was right. The movie nights were meant to be fun. Dwelling on the news wouldn't benefit anyone.  

"Are you okay, Nova?" Cree asked, taking a seat next to her.  

"Yeah," she nodded, taking a plate he held out to her. "Just zoned out."

"You better not do that during the movie," he joked. "I'm not about to quote it on my own." 

"I would never do that to you," Nova feigned offence. The movie began playing when everyone was settled back in their seats. The two tried to be as quiet as possible as they talked through it, failing at their favourite scenes.   

The Head Girl was mostly entertained by Malfoy watching the movie, and Harry quietly explaining to him that shouting at it would do no good since they don't respond. "That makes no sense." 

"A movie is pre-recorded," Harry couldn't contain his grin, clearly enjoying Draco be clueless for once. "Which means the characters on screen are played by actors, and they can't hear or talk to you." 

"But, how?"  

"We might want to save the full explanation for later, boys," Nova teased.  

"Says the one saying almost every line," Harry shot back, good-naturedly.  

"That's different!" Cree and Nova chorused.  

"Do the two of you ever shut up?" One of Lou Ellen's friends, Macie, glared at them.  

"No, they don't," Lou Ellen answered her friend and winked at her sister.  

Over the course of the movie, the group teased Draco as he kept yelling at the screen and expected a response. Cree and Nova noticed other students quoting the movie as well, making the experience more fun. Movie Night seemed to work in bringing everyone together. Even the wizards that had just been introduced to a movie were enjoying themselves.  

"All I'm saying is Cady giving out the crown is unrealistic!" Malfoy ranted as they walked to the campfire. "I mean, you can't just break it in half, that's not how royalty works!" 

"How would you know?" 

"Do you really think that breaking a crown into pieces and handing it to others is going to make them royalty?" He continued. "No! Because that wasn't accurate."  

"Why do I have a feeling he's got his own throne at home?" Percy whispered to Nova.  

"That wouldn't surprise me." Nova laughed.  

When they arrived at the fire, Nova noticed the whole school was there. It was quite the change from the small groups they've had all week. The flames glowed a bright gold as the Apollo cabin led the activity. The witch enjoyed the moment while it lasted, knowing very well that the fighting would start again the next morning.

[mortemersgf]

blueberry pies

choices april challenge DAY 16: meteor shower

@choicesaprilchallenge​

THE ELEMENTALISTS: mostly just pend pals but there’s beckett harrington x f!mc (eden russell) too

summary: the pend pals celebrate their first day back at pendherghast by watching a meteor shower.

warnings: none

Eden turns to her twin, grinning, “Are you really going to join the Thief team this year?”

Chatter and laughter rings throughout the dining hall as she pushes open the large, ornate doors to the dining hall with Atlas in tow. It’s music to her ears. A new year at Penderghast has begun. This time without inevitable danger. Eden smiles to herself as she scans the large room, trying to locate where the rest of her friends are.

Atlas shrugs. “Maybe. With no Raife or Kane to threaten our lives this year, I think Thief is the closest thing to get my adrenaline running.”

“So you’re saying you miss fighting off old, power hungry men?” Eden teases, nudging her sister.

“God, no,” she says, shaking her head. “What I do miss are Yorba eggs and...” A mischievous smile spreads across her face as she trails off. “Last one to find the Pend Pals’ table is a rotten Yorba egg!” Without warning, she dashes off, leaving Eden at the entrance.

“Hey!” She blinks and sprints after Atlas. “Sorry! Excuse me, I’m sorry. Hi, Professor Englund! Excuse me!” The packed room is hard to maneuver around, causing her to mumble apologies as she dodges past students and faculty members with plates in their hands. Keeping an eye on Atlas’s bouncing, white hair, she finds the Pend Pals sitting at a table near the back of the large room.

“You’re a rotten Yorba egg!” Atlas laughs, slipping into a chair next to Aster. She runs a hand through her windswept hair and stabs a fork into a plate of Yorba eggs sitting in the middle of the table. Aster and Zeph squish her into a hug before she can eat, making her wiggle around in their embrace.

Eden takes the empty seat next to Beckett.

He stops reading a thick textbook, a warm smile blooming on his face. “Hey there,” he smiles, pulling her into a kiss.

“Hey, yourself,” she says after they part.

Atlas pantomimes barfing before shoveling more food into her mouth. “Please stop. You saw each other yesterday.”

“Atlas, relax. We just kissed. It’s not like we’re stripping down naked in front of all of you.” Eden rolls her eyes playfully at her sister.

Beckett groans, the tips of his ears growing red. He leans into his seat, embarrassed.

Eden’s eyes sweep over everyone, warmth and affection filling her chest. She grins. The Pend Pals are reunited again. After staring death in the face for two years straight, this year is finally going to be different. Third time’s the charm, everyone knows that. Griffin and Shreya are graduating. And the rest of of Pend Pals are going to declare their majors. It’s an exciting year to say the least.

“My favorite Sun-Att and Moon-Att! Just in time. How were your summer breaks? Tell me everything.” Shreya beams. She reaches over the table and squeezes Eden’s hand, eyeing everyone else around the table.

“I wemf to the Bahamaf and then om a camping trimf with Griffin and Beckett!” Zeph answers, mouth full of food.

Shreya and Atlas exchange a look of disgust while Griffin pats his enthusiastic friend’s back, chuckling, “Yes, we went on a camping trip in the Eldenwood Forest for two weeks.”

“Wait what? You three went on a camping trip?” Eden questions, disbelief thick in her voice. She lowers her voice and says to Beckett, “You didn’t tell me that.”

“I went on a camping trip with Zeph and Griffin,” he says, leaning in to peck her on the cheek.

Eden gives him a gentle shove. “How’d you convince Beckett to go? He can’t stand being around Zeph for more than 20 minutes, much less two straight weeks in nature with no escape.”

Beckett furrows his eyebrow at her, confused. “I enjoy Griffin and, from time to time, Zeph’s presence.”

“We’re practically brothers now, aren’t we Big B?” Zeph slings an arm around Beckett.

Beckett gives him an indifferent look, shrugging off his arm in response.

“Oh, you should’ve seen Beckett! He taught us so many yoga poses. It was really relaxing.” Griffin says. “Watch this!” He gets up and rubs his hands together, grinning. In mere seconds, he has his right arm stretched out in front of him and his left ankle in his left hand, pulling it away from his body.

Everyone around the table claps, laughing as they try to mimic Griffin’s pose.

“I got it, I got it!” Atlas shrieks.

“You’re just good at everything,” Eden grumbles, sliding back into her seat.

“Yah, it’s because I’m not a rotten Yorba egg,” Atlas taunts.

“Oh! Speaking of Yorba eggs, the saplings tried Attuned food for the first time this summer. I helped Professor Kontos teach them about Attuned magick and we cooked!” she pipes, a giddy smile on her face. The leaves in her hair rustle happily as everyone around the table asks “Did they like it?” and “What’d they think?”

“They loved it! The Resin spell was their favorite,” she answers.

“Well, I experimented with more spa products, like usual,” Shreya says, a bright grin spreading across her face. She takes a deep breath and announces, “And I have a new line coming out next month! It’s not like any other line I’ve done before because Nehal worked on it with me.”

“That’s amazing, Shreya,” Eden grins. “It must mean a lot to you.”

“It does... Serene and Sublime would be nothing without her support.” She almost seems shy as everyone around the table offers their congratulations. She tucks a chunk of hair behind her ear, smiling gratefully.

“Remind me when it comes out, Shreya. I loved the Dreamshade bath fizz.” Aster chirps.

“Oh, then you are going to love the new body oils, darling! Did I tell you…” While Shreya and Aster indulge in their own conversation, Griffin asks, “And what did Double Trouble over here get up to?”

“I did the internship with Katrina. We spent about a month on an island in the Pacific. It was so cool. There was this—” Eden abruptly gets cut off when Atlas says, “Yes, yes. There was this magickal scroll that foretold major historical events before it even happened. You only talked my ear off about it two hundred times.”

Eden scrunches her nose at her sister. “You’re just mad because you got grounded for the whole summer for blowing up one of Mom’s favorite vases.”

“I told her it was an accident! Who knew fizzleberry bombs were that strong?”

Zeph mumbles something under his breath before snorting to himself. Atlas raises an eyebrow at him inquisitively. “What?”

He says, laughing, “Tell me the rumors are true. I mean, do you know?”

She shifts her eyes to Eden. “What’s he talking about?”

Eden shrugs, shaking her head.

“You don’t know?” Zeph grins.

“No. I don’t. What?” Atlas snaps.

Slapping a hand over his mouth to stop his giggles, he screeches, “Ward likes you!”

The whole table goes silent for a moment. Atlas’ face contorts into an expression between anguish and fear. Shreya lets out a snicker, causing the rest of the table to burst into laughter. Griffin chortles as Eden clutches at her stomach, shaking with laughter. Even Beckett lets out a small chuckle.

“I heard him talking to Jonah about it at the Thief stadium just before I got here,” Zeph says.

Atlas shudders, shaking her head violently. “No, no, no.”

“Don’t tell us the almighty Atlas Ernhardt is afraid of a little crush,” Eden teases.

“Shut it, Eden or I’ll help you by shoving these breadsticks down your throat,” she grunts, leaning against her seat with her arms folded.

“Don’t incapacitate your sister just yet, Atlas! We have a meteor shower show to watch tonight. After that, she’s all yours.” Shreya says. Her eyes glitter with excitement as she shows everyone her phone.

“It says here that it’s observable from the quad,” Griffin reads. He leans back into his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. “I’ve never seen a meteor shower…”

“Oh! We can bring snacks and blankets! It’ll be so fun.��� Aster claps her hands together and looks at everyone with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Eden smiles. “Count us all in.”

—☽

When night falls, Eden tugs Beckett along by his hand through the large throng of students laying on the grass. They spot the Pend Pals setting up blankets in the middle of the quad. Zeph throws a blueberry in Atlas’ direction, high fiving when she catches it in her mouth.

“You seem very excited tonight,” Beckett chuckles at Eden’s bubbliness.

She beams, “Should I not be? My mom is back. The Pend Pals are back. It’s a new school year and our lives are finally not in grave danger.” She stops in front of a bench and spins around to face Beckett. “And that means more us time.”

Tiptoeing, Eden presses a light kiss to Beckett’s lips. He gives her a lopsided smile. “I quite like the sound of that.”

Soon, Eden is sandwiched between Atlas and Beckett, who has his nose deep in a Thaumaturgy textbook. Shreya hugs her knees as Aster passes the bag of blueberries to Atlas. She pops one into her mouth and squints up at the cloudless, dark sky.

Griffin turns around and hands Eden a paper plate. “Blueberry pie?”

“Oh, thank you.” She takes a bite, moaning with delight as the tart flavor of blueberry dances across her tongue. Some of the buttery crust sticks to her lips but she doesn’t even mind. “This is so good.”

“I baked it!” Zeph says, his eyes glittering with pride. “I added some minced up felifem leaves!” His cheek is smeared with a dash of blueberry filling as he holds up the near empty pie pan.

She gives him a thumbs up, nodding enthusiastically as she feeds herself spoonful after spoonful of the scrumptious pie. “Mmm… Ish good.” Out of the corner of her eye, she notices that Beckett has stopped reading. Instead, he’s staring at Eden, a small smile on his face.

“What?” Eden asks.

“Nothing,” he shrugs. He holds up his untouched slice of pie. “Would you like my slice?”

“You’d really let me have it?”

“I would give you anything you wanted”—he pushes his plate towards her—”Besides, there will be many more blueberry pies in our future.” He presses a kiss to her temple, leaning back to stroke Eden’s cheek.

Behind her, Atlas snorts. “I would give you anything you wanted,” she mocks. She stabs her fork into the pie.

Eden rolls her eyes, bumping her sister’s shoulder. “Are you excited for the meteor shower?”

Atlas speaks through a mouthful. “I doubt anything can impress me at this point.” She shoves a handful of blueberries into her already full mouth, earning an impressed look from Eden.

“Getting rid of an infamous child killer and defeating a Source does that to someone.”

A smug smile spreads across Atlas’ face.

“Oh, and tell me when you see Ward you’re going to use your famous pickup line.”

“What famous pickup line?”

“Uh, you know. The one? ‘You look… fertile?’ Ward seems nice.”

“I have standards.”

“Is that so? Tell me. I’m basically an expert in love.” Eden says.

“You’re the last person who I’d ask when it comes to love advice. Look at you, dating a walking encyclopedia.” Atlas scoffs.

Beckett perks up and turns to her, his expression unamused. “What an unconventional insult, Atlas.”

Without a word, she snaps her fingers and turns his book into a block of wood. Beckett retaliates by turning the bag of blueberries sitting in her lap into a frog. It leaps off of her thigh and disappears in the grass.

Atlas gasps, “Hey, my blueberries! You’re on, Harrington—”

“Quit it, you two! Look!” Eden says, pointing at the sky.

A meteor streaks across the sky, earning a chorus of “oooh” from the students. Another one soon follows, this one much brighter than the last. In no time at all, various meteors are shooting across the sky, leaving everyone wordless at the stunning sight.

Eden glances at Atlas to find her enraptured by the meteor shower. “Still not impressed?” she asks.

She smiles a little. “I guess it’s kind of pretty.”

“I like seeing you happy.” Eden says, wrapping an arm around her sister.

Atlas playfully shoves her away, trying her best to suppress a grin. “Stop being so sappy for once, you rotten Yorba egg.”

Chuckling, Eden leaves her twin to enjoy the meteor shower and leans her head on Beckett’s shoulder.

“This is the most marvelous sight I’ve ever laid eyes on…” he breathes out.

Eden stares up at his face, smiling when she notices his freckles are more obvious under the moonlight. “Oh? It’s not me naked?” she teases.

Beckett’s head swivels around to meet her cheeky smile. “You know what I mean, ” he mumbles, his cheeks bright red.

Eden presses a kiss to his cheek in response.

Leaning back on her arms, she couldn’t be more content. She inhales the night air, feeling more relaxed than ever. Crickets chirp in the grass rhythmically while the lake water ripples. My junior year is going to be filled with moments like these. Peace. Peace at last, Eden thinks.

Someone taps her on the shoulder.

Dean Swan crouches down and taps Atlas on the shoulder too. She pries her eyes away from the sky, looking puzzled when she sees the Dean. “Oh. Hello, Evelyn.”

Dean Swan nods and murmurs in a low voice, “The High Attuned would like to speak to you two. She’s waiting in my office.”

Eden blinks and exchanges a knowing look with Atlas.

So much for a peaceful year.

[laythornmuse]

Distopia - One Quote, One Shot

Squeaking in 40 minutes before the end of my deadline, if you’re Pacific time ;)   Thank you @notevenjokingfic and @balfeheughlywed  My One Quote, One Shot!! Enjoy everyone!!!

Claire slapped the X-Ray onto the viewing screen, the snapping of film against glass sending a ripple of satisfaction through her. Her eyes studied the bilateral image of a skull, her husband’s skull, as her tablet loaded his last MRI report.

The acidic coffee in her mug swarmed her senses as her eyes searched, probed, for an answer. A tangible one. One besides prayer, patience and time. She’d had her fill with patience, and wanted to rage against the invisible bars of her well mannered, and understanding prison.

She’d lost her husband.

***

It had been a quiet Tuesday evening in her surgical suite. A dislocated shoulder and a minor hernia that had her and Joe playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” winner chooses last. It was during her surgery that Joe appeared with Dr. Weis, the hospital’s chief surgeon, to relieve her.

She knew to expect the worse and had often seen the worse scream through the trauma unit. But reading the accident report sheet—

- - -Vehicle roll over after head-on collision- - -Driver 1 DUA - - -Driver 2 non responsive- - - severe head trauma - - - 20 minute extradition from vehicle - - -

Claire read the words over and over, but her brain would not comprehend their meaning. She stood outside his trauma suite and saw the team prepping him for surgery, yet she could not reconcile the swollen, ravaged face as the one she’d kissed goodbye earlier that afternoon. He’d teased her when she made dinner reservations to celebrate their 4 month wedding anniversary.

“I dinna think four months is any more symbolic than 4 weeks,” Jamie quipped, “but I’ll eat cake with ye all the same.”

Four hours later, he entered surgery under the care of two men she respected and trusted—she could ask for no better—yet Claire felt desperate and agitated, her hope and faith a mere whisper in her mind.

24 hours after that, her world began to unwind.

***

It seemed he couldn’t avoid a complication. Infection, a punctured lung, burst spleen…

“It will all heal, Claire.”

Joe’s mantra played over and over in her mind. She prayed it, whispered it in the dark corners of the doctor’s lounge where she reviewed his labs and tests.

On paper, Jamie’s body was slowly mending, his vitals showing steady improvement, but Claire was restless as the days passed. And then, finally, his eye lids fluttered, and Claire felt a breath shudder against her ribs in relief. She smacked the call button to the nurses' station before her hands were on him, gently tracing the contours of his cheek.

“Jamie?” She sobbed. His face creased in the effort to flutter his lids again, his mouth pulling into a full Scottish grimace. “Aye,” he rasped. “God, I’m thirsty.”

Tears streamed down Claire’s face as she pushed his curls back from his brow. An impatient Scottish sound emitted from him, and she chuckled as she picked up her own cup of ice chips.

“Here then…small spoonfuls…” a smile broke across her face, as she saw his tongue move distastefully along his lip. With his lips less parched, he turned his eyes to her, his expression soft, confused, and wondrous.

“You were in a car accident, Jamie,” Claire explained. “You’ve been unconscious for three days.” The crease between his brows deepened as she spoke. When she swept her fingers along his jaw, he gasped and Claire jerked her hand away, startled. Claire watched as words crept to the edge of his lips, nearly spilling from his mouth before his teeth stopped them, a storm of emotions crossing his face in silence.

“Do you remember anything about the accident?”

“Just…light. And then pain.” He grimaced again before he pushed her spoon and ice chips away.

“And how’s your pain now?”

“I’ll bide. Can I see my sister and my Da? They must be driving ye—”

“What?” Claire whispered. She cursed her glass face as her lip trembled and Jamie’s expression turned from sleepy to alarmed. “Och, It’s no that I mind ye—”

“Did—” Claire felt her tongue was too large for her mouth as she stared back at him. “Did you just ask for your father, Jamie?”

“I did, and I’d appreciate ye not making me feel odd for it,” Jamie grumbled, his mood quickly becoming more agitated.

Claire’s face crumpled as she processed Jamie’s words, and then his painful cringe. “Ack, my head…”

“Mr. Fraser! I’m so glad to see you awake,” Joe greeted from the door, his face beaming. “It’s been hard to keep Claire away from you.”

A blush crept up Jamie’s cheeks that made Claire’s blood run cold.

“I can tell the lass has been attentive, but…”

“Lass?” Joe deadpanned, his eyes cutting to Claire as realization washed over her.

“Jamie,” Joe asked quietly, approaching the bed now and motioning for Claire to step back. The motion was unnecessary. Claire was already off the bed, holding her arms against her body. “You don’t recognize Claire?”

“Nay, but I fear I should,” Jamie croaked, his body trembling as his eyes locked on Claire. Joe nodded and reached into the hospital nightstand. He held in front of Jamie a simple platinum band and placed it into his good hand.

“Your left hand surprisingly was unharmed. We removed this from you to keep it safe.”

“It’s mine?” Jamie asked softly.

“Yes,” Joe answered. “It’s your wedding band. Claire’s your wife.”

***

Claire ‘s time as a doctor exposed her to many emotional outcries from patients, but she was not prepared for Jamie’s rejection. Upon hearing Joe’s words, Jamie’s eyes locked upon her and immediately began measuring. She felt naked before his gaze as his eyes scanned her from the tips of toes to the ends of her curls, and then…doubt. Doubt was all she could see beaming from his eyes and the weight of it crushed her.

Jamie’s doubt morphed into trembling sobs as Joe gently explained it was actually 2017, not 2015, but that this type of lapse was very common after head trauma. Claire also knew the reassuring language,  but could not focus just then on reassurances. When her phone pinged, she stood up suddenly, drawing both men’s eyes to her.

“Jenny’s in the waiting room. I’ll bring her in.” Claire turned to leave, a murmured “Thank Christ” reaching her ears before she started toward her sister-in-law.

Jenny’s face paled when she saw Claire’s face.

“He’s all right,” Claire reassured, squeezing her hands.

“I’d never know that by the look of ye,” Jenny murmured. “How is he, really?”

“He has some….memory loss,” Claire muttered. “He doesn’t remember me, but…”

“He’s scrambled his heid that bad—”

“Jenny,” Claire whispered. “He’s asking about your father.”

Jenny placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder and grasped it tight, her other hand covering her mouth. “Oh, Claire. Oh, God.”

***

Claire sat on the tile outside her husband’s hospital room. He’d asked to speak with Jenny alone, so here she kept her vigil. She tucked her trembling knees to her forehead and leaned her aching chest against her thighs. It wasn’t fair, she thought. He shouldn’t have to live through this loss twice.

The first time, they lived through the loss of Brian Fraser together. This time, he would face it alone.

A shout shook her and made her teeth chatter. A keening sob sounded next, a rare sound she’d only heard once before, and Claire felt her insides liquify with the pain of it.

Murmurs echoed from the room behind her, Jenny’s soft voice crooning to him in Gaelic.

“I dinna want her!”

Claire froze. As suddenly as her tears had started earlier that afternoon, her eyes cleared as realization flooded her. He didn’t want her.

Claire sniffed and stretched her legs forwards, allowed herself to stretch over her knees. Gently, she gathered her feet beneath her and crossed the hall to the visitor’s bathroom. She splashed the tepid water across her cheeks and over her forehead before she physically shook herself before the bathroom mirror.

“Right,” Claire said to her reflection. “Food and Tea, Fraser. You have a long night ahead of you.”

He didn’t want her.

Claire scoffed to herself, righting her hair and patting her face dry. Of course, he didn’t want her.

He bloody needed her.

***

For two days, Jamie barely spoke to anyone, except the hospital staff and Jenny. Jenny’s visits involved more shouting than talking, so much so patients began closing their doors at 3PM in preparation for the incoming fight. It was impressive, even to Ian.

“This is more than his Da, Claire,” Ian spoke softly, watching Claire as she refilled his hospital water jug.

“I know it,” she replied. “He’s just…lost, I think. And frightened.”

“Jenny brought photos from your wedding today,” Ian said, and they both turned to watch the closed door of his hospital room as if it could explode at any moment.

“Well,” Claire muttered. “Silence is new, at least.”

Jamie had allowed her to be in his room during the day but stubbornly insisted each night he wanted to be alone. Claire, armed with a freshly packed weekend bag of clothes, stubbornly refused to leave the hospital and reminded him each night that she was sleeping across the hall if he changed his mind.

Tonight was no different.

“I dinna know ye, woman, and sitting there staring at me willna change it.”

Jenny had left an hour before, and Jamie had turned away from her when she reappeared in his room. Squaring up her shoulders, she eyed his back and the shivers she still saw under his hospital gown.

“I know that,” She said quietly. “But I won’t leave, Jamie. I—”

“Even if I told ye to leave me?” Jamie huffed. “Even if seeing your face just reminds me of how broken I am? That there is a life I had that’s now lost, along with—” His eyes closed as his body shook. “Did ye even know him?”

Claire watched as Jamie turned onto his back, not looking at her, but not blocking her out either.

“Yes.” Jamie didn’t respond but his head turned towards her, so she continued.

“We spent two weekends a month at Lallybroch. He transplanted a rose bush from your mother’s garden for us to take home.”

“We were living together?” Jamie asked, incredulously.

“If what Jenny said is true I only knew ye about six months…”

“Yes everyone said we rushing, but not Brian,” Claire chuckled. “Brian, however, saw our disastrous flower bed and berated you for not digging it up —”

“—Because we didn’t have a working front door—” Jamie froze and Claire’s face lit up into a knowing smile. “Christ,” Jamie whispered, as his eyes cut to hers. “How…how can I remember that but nothing else, but not…”

Claire let out a laugh, as she brushed a tear from her eye. “I’m a doctor and I can’t explain it.” She wiped at her cheek, but her smile warmed him, even from where he sat.

“Dinna cry,” Jamie murmured, not unkindly. “Christ, I remembered a door, of all things…”

“You remembered an argument,” Claire corrected. “And you’ll keep remembering. Just be patient with it.” Looking down at her hands, braced them together for courage. “Have I earned the right to stay, then?”

“I didna mean to be unkind, Claire,” Jamie muttered. “Aye. I’d like ye to stay.”

Jamie fell silent and turned on his side. Claire pulled a blanket around her shoulders as she sat back in the visitor’s chair.

“Did you like him?” He asked softly, as she dimmed the lights.

“Oh yes,” she answered. “I loved Brian very much.”

***

The next few days showed the typical signs of healing that Claire had learned to expect from her husband: stubborn and vile crankiness. If Claire joyous for her presence finally being accepted, Jamie was showing her the price she’d pay for it.

“Is there nothing in this hospital but weak broth and jello?” Jamie grumbled. “I canna even get full off this piss.”

“You can’t get full because you keep throwing up breakfast,” Claire muttered as her hands opened the seven cracker packets he insisted on for his weak broth.

“Ye try to keep down hospital eggs that are soppier than a bog.”

Claire rolled her eyes but pushed the bowl in front of him. His mood didn’t improve either as the day went on. His bones ached, his skin itched, and he just about bowled over a nurse who insisted he uses the walker to traverse from the bed to the bathroom.

When the sun settled, Claire thought his mood may have improved when he asked her to play cards. Until he asked to play Crazy Eights.

“No.” Claire deadpanned.

“What? Why?”

“Because every time we play Crazy Eights I’m double fisting 40 cards while you have 5,” Claire answered. “How about Rummy?”

“Bah, that’s a terrible—No!” Jamie sat up in bed, trying to make his body as menacing as he could to the nurse walking in with his dinner tray. Broth again, this time with apple sauce.

“Ye can take that brackish water right back to your prison kitchen and get me some proper bread and meat!”Jamie yelled. The nurse, a waif-like creature called Mary, startled at his tone, her jaw flapping as she looked between Jamie and Claire.

“You can leave it, Mary, thank you,” Claire responded.

“Ye will NOT leave it, and I’ll thank ye to no’ contradict me,” Jamie growled at Claire. Claire watched as Mary escaped, closing their hospital room door behind her. Claire grabbed the tray and began opening his crackers. “Jamie, I know it’s been a hard day but—”

As Claire moved the wheeling tray over his lap Jamie forcibly slapped it away, spilling the contents onto Claire and the floor.

“What the hell, Jamie!” Claire hissed, as she pulled hot steaming shirt away from her skin. “You could have burned me!”

“I’m tired of no one considering what I want, damn it! If I’m ever getting out of this hospital I need real food, not this processed bairn food fit for invalids!” Jamie shouted.

“All I’ve done is listen to you, damn it!” Claire yelled back. “Ever since you nearly killed yourself I’ve done nothing but try to keep you alive, despite you screaming at me!”

“I didna ask ye to, did I? I told ye to leave me, no? And I canna see why ye bothered to save my life if it’s only to starve me to death—unless ye enjoy watching it!”

This was altogether too much.

“Bloody ingrate!”

“Shrew!”

“You fucking bastard!!” Claire bellowed at him as she slammed his hospital door behind her.

Claire turned to see the hospital staff, and a stunned Ian and Jenny looking back at her.

“Feeling better, is he?” Jenny asked, a smirk lighting her face.

Claire took a breath. “Why, yes actually. He is.”

***

Later that evening, Claire awoke in the visitor chair when a soft hissing noise penetrated her sleep.

“Claire,” Jamie whispered again. “Are ye awake?”

“I am now…” Claire murmured, blinking several times into the darkness. “Are you all right? Are you in pain?”

“Nah. Will ye come here?”

Claire stood and wobbled toward his hospital bed, taking a seat on the edge of his mattress. When he moved over to make room for her, she lifted her legs onto the bed and turned on her side to look at him. “Whatisiit,” she murmured into his pillow.

“I dreamt of ye.”

“Oh. What of?”

“Well, to start…” Jamie muttered. “After Jenny and Ian left, I remembered…something. Another time ye called me a…erm, fucking bastard.”

If Claire was grateful for the darkness just then, but couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her. “Oooh. Is that so?”

“Mmhmm. I believe…if I remember it right, I’d accused ye of flirting with some lad who got handsy with ye…”

“We were at a nightclub for Geillis’s birthday, against our will, mind you,” Claire murmured. “But you were pretty tipsy…”

“As were you, I think…”

“Uh-huh. But you got…angry.” Claire paused. “I think the term you said was ‘rut.’ If I planned to ‘rut’ with the lad, and if so you’d take yourself home.”

“Ah.” To his credit, he bowed his head, quite similarly to how he had two years ago. “So ye put me in my place, then.”

“Too right, I did.”

“But I went after ye?” Jamie whispered back, and Claire gasped as she felt his hand grip hers for the first time in a week.

“You did.”

He nodded, and brought her hand up to his lips, placing a soft kiss against her palm. “I think I dreamt what came next. My groveling…and my cherishing of ye. I feel like a right ass for making ye call me that again, but…”

“But what?” Claire slid closer so she could feel the heat coming from his chest.

“But, I’d like verra much to kiss you, if you’ll allow it.”

Claire grinned and felt her heart do a summersault.

“I’ll allow it,” she whispered and pressed her lips to his in the dark.

[presidentrhodes]

iron husbands?

yaaaaaas thank u ❤️❤️❤️

who’s the werewolf and who’s the hunter

tony is the hunter; he comes from a long family of hunters who hunted werewolves in europe and then crossed the pond to come to the us. rhodey is heir/alpha to one of the royal bloodlines and centuries of survival instincts carved into his very dna has taught him to keep a low profile. rhodey's kept an eye on tony since college because their respective bloodlines have a long, bloody history. when wolves start turning up dead, rhodey assumes tony must be responsible, so he shows up in new york, ready to put tony's entrails on display in time square as a statement to the humans. except, to his surprise, he finds out tony has not only left his family's bloody history behind in the past, he's become a vocal activist campaigning for the rights of magical creatures in the country, including the werewolves. cue, rhodey and tony team up to find out who's killing the wolves and take them down; in the process, they obviously fall in love.

who’s the mermaid and who’s the fisherman

tony is the mermaid; he's been cast out of his family because of a mistake that got many merpeople and other marine creatures killed. he's been struggling to survive in the vast depths of the ocean, depressed, lonely and almost going out of his mind. one day, he sees a fishing boat capsize; while the land breathers are obviously an enemy, he ignores his basic survival instincts to help the fisherman struggling to stay afloat in the rough waters. tony brings the fisherman to a nearby island, with lots of greenery in the middle and no humans on it, and tends to his wounds (a broken arm, cuts and bruises etc). when the fisherman comes to, tony learns his name is rhodey and that, like him, he had also been cast out of his family and has nowhere else to go; that's why rhodey had set off for the ocean, hoping the waters would take him somewhere new. tony proposes that given their similar situation, they can begin their life anew on the island. and rhodey agrees.

who’s the witch and who’s the familiar

tony's the witch, rhodey is the familiar. tony spent the first 20 years of his life thinking he didn't have magic, even though everyone in his family is a witch or a warlock. rhodey's an animagus; his animal form is a grey wolf, and he had been with tony since he was a puppy and tony an infant. one day, tony is being chased by a wendigo and rhodey leaps in front of it to save tony's life, getting seriously wounded in the process. tony panics because rhodey's literally bleeding out in his arms and he summons every last bit of strength and wills rhodey's wounds to close shut. they do; and suddenly tony feels the magic surge through his veins, beat against his pulse and thrum in his ears. rhodey's wounds heal completely within minutes and tony, with his newfound powers, drags his best friend and familiar to the nearest bar for a celebratory drink because "fuck you, howard, i'm a witch."

who’s the barista and who’s the coffee addict

tony is the barista. he runs a small coffee shop that fits barely 10 people indoors and business has been bad ever since a fancier café opened across the road. tony knows he's going to probably have to close down soon and move out of the city because he can no longer afford rent. one night, right before he's about to close for the day, a tired businessman comes stumbling in and offers a $100 bill for a cup of coffee. tony notices how distressed and tired the man looks, so he lets him in and makes him a strong cup of coffee and warms up some meat pie, which the latter accepts gratefully. he finds out that rhodey's under a lot of stress because the board of directors at his company is trying to oust him from power. tony lends rhodey a listening ear that he desperately needs and they stay there in the café until 3am. from next day onwards, rhodey becomes a regular patron at the café, but business still dwindles until one day, tony puts up a notice outside informing customers that he will close down by the end of the week. rhodey doesn't show up for the next several days and tony assumes he probably gets his coffee from the other café now; until, on friday, as tony's about to close his outlet for the final time, rhodey shows up and hands him a stack of papers: it's the purchase deed for the space across the road. turns out, rhodey made the other café owner an offer they couldn't turn down. rhodey tells tony that he quit his job as ceo of his company and asks tony if he wants to be business partners. within a month, they're running the café from across the road and business has never been better; tony still works as barista from time to time even though they now have 10 full-time staff and rhodey's already talking about plans to create more franchises across the country. at some point, they evolve from being just business partners to...well, partners.

who’s the professor and who’s the TA

tony's the TA/PhD candidate and rhodey's the professor. they are both astrophysicists by training and they study pulsars for research. needless to say, their academic opinions differ plenty and whenever tony isn't marking problem sets and rhodey isn't lecturing young, impressionable minds, they're arguing about pulsars and what they can tell the world about matter and the existence of other exo-planets over a night cap. tony is envied by the other doctoral candidates in his year because he gets to spend so much time in professor rhodes' proximity (hello??? hot, youngish professor who's super accomplished, super smart, has some graying hair, wears tight polos and black-rimmed glasses? fucking hell...) in this instance tony's like 29, rhodey's about 34.

who’s the knight and who’s the prince(ss)

rhodey's the knight and tony's the prince. here's the backstory: tony's mum was king howard's first wife. when howard remarried, he had another son, prince arno. per the kingdom's rules on succession, you can only ascend the throne if you're of pure royal blood. tony's mum was a commoner, so she was never afforded the royal title of queen, whereas howard's second wife was a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. that said, king howard wants tony to inherit the throne, something that many of his close advisors as well as arno and his mother refuse to accept. they see tony as an impediment and when howard falls ill, numerous attempts are made on tony's life. tony is obviously very booksmart and he excels at strategy, which is why howard wants him to be king. when howard senses a possible civil war could be brewing in the kingdom, between supporters who want tony to be king and those who'd prefer arno, he calls aside a young knight, sir james, and makes him swear on his life to protect tony. (howard knew tony and rhodey had been childhood friends, which is why he approached him in the first place) when shit hits the proverbial ceiling, rhodey protects tony from all manners of assassination attempts until arno and his mother are finally thwarted and kicked out of the kingdom. tony becomes king and rhodey becomes his most trusted advisor, friend, confidante, and general. basically, tony hands the keys of the kingdom to rhodey and relies on him and his decisions to run it.

who’s the teacher and who’s the single parent

tony teaches kindergarten and loves his young charges very much. one day, they're joined by a shy, quiet new student, lila, and her overly anxious uncle, james. tony tries to reassure rhodey that lila, who had just lost her parents, would be fine and that he'd make sure she isn't being bullied or harassed for being the new kid. as the term progresses, lila slowly comes out of her shell; she makes friends, she loves recess, she loves colouring, and she is good with numbers. every week tony calls his kids' parents to update them on their children; his conversations with rhodey, however, last twice as long and become twice as frequent, until one day rhodey invites tony to lila's birthday party. tony isn't sure how to read into this: the other parents have never really invited him to their kids' birthdays and yet he doesn't want to turn down the invitation from the rhodes' (mostly because he doesn't want to upset young lila). though nothing happens at the birthday party, rhodey keeps asking him out. it starts under the pretext of wanting to know how lila is doing and morphs into them just spending time together until tony impulsively kisses rhodey on the day of lila's graduation to k2. with lila no longer his student, tony asks rhodey out on a proper date and soon he's spending his weekends at the rhodes' place until about a year later, he moves in with rhodey and lila.

who’s the writer and who’s the editor

rhodey is the editor for the opinions section in one of the top newspapers; he has a pretty fierce reputation of being a hardass editor who would chew and spit out anyone making rookie mistakes in the entire newsroom. new writers and reporters basically cower in fear; tony's an established hotshot columnist who's been headhunted from a rival paper to write a weekly political column. he is pretty well-known among politicos and is well read by a loyal audience, both offline and online. tony is basically used to getting his way until he submits his first copy for edit and rhodey returns it, each page crossed out in red, and with a remark on the final page that read: our company motto may be all news fit to print, but i am not letting this garbage print. tony is furious. how dare someone call his columns garbage when the news organisation is literally paying him a six-figure salary to write them. he marches up to rhodey's office and barges in, ready to fight. but he stops on track and blushes when he realises this asshole editor is the same handsome college senior that tony had a short, deeply physical relationship with almost 20 years ago. the argument just melts away from him and even rhodey can't find it in him to be as curt and critical as he is to the other writers because damn...the encounter brings up a lot of memories and regrets they have both had since leaving college and then losing touch.

send me a ship!

[dyinglaugh]

The place I work at is an international company that looks super great on paper and shows the best face to customers and the outside world. In fact, they suck ass. Like a lot. They want to have robots do thier work and such for them but instead have humans that they work like slaves. No, really. I am not exaggerating. If you are unable to complete a shift, you get points/time taken and when you're in the negative you're fired. Sounds reasonable but when you have medical problems or family emergencies you're still penalized and not excused (you have to use time you have to cover any missed shift time). I have medical issues that can be accommodated but the process is such with this company that it makes you just throw your hands up and quit, so I havent tried (the process is convoluted and arduous on purpose to make workers not want to do this). I have stories from friends who also work here that will make youre blood boil.

1: My coworker has a daughter that is now 7-8years old. When she was 4, she had gotten very sick and needed to go to the hospital and stay for a while to get better. My coworker, upon getting that call at work went to management and requested to leave early as this was at the time an emergency. He didn't have time left (idk why) but wanted to be with his 4 year old child to make sure she was OK. When management noticed he had no time available all they said was "you can go but you may be fired for leaving early with not enough time" (paraphrased). He couldn't leave his job there as getting fired meant no money to buy food, pay the hospital, pay bills, etc. So he was then forced to continue working while his child was sick. (She's ok now though.)

2: Another coworker had gotten a frantic call from her daughter that the family dog (that was in my coworkers life before her daughter was even born) had been hit by a car, dragged by the car, and is now fighting for its life to see its owner before it died, needed her home to say goodbye. My coworker, crying/sobbing that her best friend for many years was going to suffer in wait, went to a manager and explained the situation. Upon seeing that my coworker had no time left to leave early, the manager then made her follow him around to talk to other managers to "see what they can do". The dog died in the street, without her human (my coworker) because the managers decided to dawdle and make her walk with them knowing full well what they were doing. At some point my coworker called her daughter to find out that the dog died while she being dragged around the warehouse with a manager who was "looking for a way to help" when in reality all that was accomplished was a waste of time and a life lost.

3: In order to enter the warehouse, you have to go through security and the turnstiles and then get your temp checked by a thermal camera. The second you open the doors to get to the turnstiles, there are 6-7feet tall industrial style fans to cool your skin temp before being checked. So if you have a fever and enter the building, your temp is reduced by these fans enough so that you can continue to work and make the company profit. They said that its to cool the building down but there are literally hundreds of fans everywhere to do that. So why do these ones need to be placed specifically by the doors?

4: We are encouraged to tattle on coworkers when we see a "violation". Such things include sitting anywhere besides the breakdown or lunchroom. We stand for 10.5 hours. The entire fucking shift. And get in trouble for being in pain caused by this. Also, if we need a bathroom break, we have 6 minutes to do that. This includes getting to a bathroom (2mins), doing your business, and then getting back to where you were. Many people have been written up, including myself (lactose intolerant=bad night) for being "off task " for more than 30mins that shift simply by going to the bathroom a few times. Drink less? The warehouse is typically between 75-90 degreesF (winter versus summer) and quite a few people EVERY WEEK pass out due to heat stress or dehydration, so less water isn't an option.

I dont have those types of problems at the moment where a life will be lost or is in trouble and i hope it never happens. I had heard these stories from my coworkers and I suspect that managers get reprimanded for trying to be lax about the more ridiculous rules. I myself am going through the problem of not being able to apply for medical leave. I'm in the negatives with time as I type this because every single person I've been emailing to fix my system issues in the portal to open a case, has blown me off. I dont know why this company treats the workers so shitty, except they are worldwide and literally every single person uses thier services. I won't say the name since id like to not be fired but I will give the hint that its an online store with the same name as a big tropical jungle. I've talked to managers there that i can tell hate the policies that work against the workers (alot of the policies do) and the good managers are frustrated too.

The system designed by the company is basically like this: low-level worker is promoted slightly and given 50%-100% more work than before with promise of a better pay and such and all they have to do is enforce the policies and step on people to do exactly that. They themselves are still being trampled by the higher ups while being promised that they will get bigger boots to stomp on low-level workers the better they work.

I despise this company so much that I tell every single person the horrors the company will do and will cover up in order to deter them from using thier services. I understand that prices found through this company are better than almost every other company so its just cost effective with people. I dont condemn people for using that company at all actually. Just those who, despite knowing the hardships and harsh treatments of the workers, laugh and still use it saying, " if its so bad why not leave?"

I'll tell you why. Because the company pays ok enough and offers ok enough benefits that we the workers feel trapped. If we leave, who will hire people that have very few skills since they spent years in a warehouse? If we leave, how will we find a better or equal paying job ($15-16/hr starting)? I have hunted and searched for such a job because of my frustration and found absolutely nothing. This company traps workers in a way that makes it so impossible to leave that many fall victim to depression or other mental/physical illness.

Speaking of, I have heard in the half year of working there of at least 3 people almost killing themselves- thats right SUICIDE- due to the stress. In response, the company sends out information and messages and notifications about Suicide Awareness and Prevention. AS IF THEY DONT KNOW THAT THEYRE THE CAUSE. I personally have thought, " if I kill myself, the company can leave me alone. I wont have to work here anymore and suffer almost every night through inconceivable pain without hope of going home". See, I have chronic migraines that put me out of commission for 20 out of 30days a month. Not only have I worked while sobbing and not being able to see or breathe (one of many symptoms I have) I've been forced to continue working until my illness has progressed until I can no longer function. I can't move or see or breathe or hear or anything at that point. I can only focus on one thing and its typically forcing myself to CONTINUE WORKING because the company doesn't care enough to let me leave early. I end up having panic attacks in the bathroom and vomiting due to the pain. This company, as far as I've heard through people I've talked to everywhere, hasn't officially killed people. Unofficially, i had talked to someone that had almost overdosed in order to be free of the company.

Now, I dont include names simply because I'm not a rat or snitch or whistle blower or etc. and because I dont want them to get in trouble for speaking out. I am posting this here because hopefully, its anonymous enough that I dont get in trouble either. I just hope that before anyone chooses to use this company (that has the same name as a jungle), they remember this post. I hope that this is spread everywhere so that everyone knows the horrors the workers have to deal with. I hope so much that someone reads this and chooses to spend that extra dollar on a different website to not add to this billionaires' pockets. Please, repost. Spread this around and add stories of your own because you're not alone. I promise.

[spencer-is-amazing]

Salvation (Michael Langdon x OC)

Pairing: Michael Langdon x Original Female Character

Word Length: 2k

Warnings: Very slight violent imagery

Chapter 1: The End

Chapter 2: The Beginning (x)

Summary: On one hand, she knew him as Michael- the kid with eyes that rivaled the sea and a heart that yearned to be loved.

On the other hand, he was Langdon- the man who would take all or none to the Sanctuary, and looked at her as if she was a fly on his wall that needed to be crushed.

And yet, she couldn't deny the feelings that bubbled in her soul when he looked at her with those deep sea eyes, and how she had become the one who craved his love. She only hoped it wasn't too late to save them both.

“-And remember students, your papers on the human effect in marine life is due this Sunday at 11:59 sharp. No, I will not accept papers at midnight or anytime you deem fit; I’ve given you all an ample amount of time to complete this paper, so I’m expecting all A’s! Have a good weekend students and email me with any questions or concerns!”

The class of 39 environmental biology students all praised every deity for allowing Mr. Abernathy to shut his mouth and let them leave early, though he usually let them off with ten minutes to spare every Friday, so there was no true harm done.

“You got anything planned? Dylan’s parents are out of town and I’m gonna hit that up.” Julie March smiled at her friend Chloe’s lustrous look at Dylan Parker’s back; it was no shock that Chloe wanted to climb that boy like a tree and probably would this weekend.

“I mean, just look at him, you know I’m a sucker for a good back.” Julie chuckled as her friends eyes followed Dylan out of sight, sighing when he turned out of the class. “But yeah, free house, me and him, bone town.”

“Really, bone town? What’re you, Jack Skellington?” Chloe fake laughed at Julie’s stupid joke and both girls left the room, walking through the mostly empty hall.

“I don’t really think you have the authority to make any joke whatsoever at me, seeing as you’ve probably never seen a cock in the first place and I’ve seen like four.”

Of the two girls, Chloe was the one who had spent high school with skirts shorter than her buttcheeks and bubblegum popping between her teeth, while Julie had spent it in baggy hand me downs with her nose in a book. It was strange that they were even friends to begin with.

“How come every conversation with you ends with you calling me a dickless virgin? I have seen one before.”

Chloe simultaneously scoffed and rolled her big brown eyes caked in eyeliner, “I hope you don’t mean the mystery guy from high school that no one ever actually met and also disappeared after like a year because I’d hate to call you a liar this late in the day.”

Julie shot daggers as Chloe smirked, “He was real. And maybe Dylan would go down on you if you weren’t such a dick.”

“Oh, he’ll go down on me alright. I’ll make sure of it.” They were nearing the exit of the large community campus building. “But really, any plans this weekend? And no, going to that creepy Hotel does not count.”

Julie adjusted her backpack strap and bit her lip, “My mom already asked me and I mean, It’s not that creepy.”

Chloe’s arm shot out and stopped Julie in her tracks, “I’m sorry, are we talking about the same Hotel? The one where bunches of people always die and the last time I went with you I almost did? That one right?”

Julie pushed open the front door, ready to not exactly deny her friend that that was in fact true but merely defend her pride, but the chaos that both girls were met with put an end to that.

“What the fuck-?” Chloe was thrown to the ground with a grunt, Mr. Abernathy having thrown open the doors and running for his life. Julie helped her up and both girls flinched when a loud horn blared throughout the campus.

Was there a shooter? Had someone brought a bomb on campus? What the hell had happened?

A group of students came into view and were running past them when Chloe yelled at them, asking what was happening.

One of the guys in a Mario beanie turned to them with scared eyes and pointed his finger to the sky, “They’re coming! It’s the end of the fucking world man- there’s no where to go!”

He fled off after his group, leaving them there with confusion on their faces. The end of the world?

They had so many questions; How? Why? Now?

It took a second for the absolute horrifying dread to set in, for the fear of death to fill her veins and leave her frozen. She didn’t even know what was coming and if she’d make it home in time to kiss her mom goodbye and say all the things she’d never said.

“Julie, Julie- look at me please. We need to go. Now.” She’d barely realized that tears had started streaming down her face, her friend digging those pretty pink manicured nails in the flesh of her arm and dragging her across the campus to the pretty purple convertible that picked up Julie for school every morning, but there would be no tomorrow morning would there.

Julie’s trembling hand was reaching for the glossy silver handle of the pretty purple convertible when the door opened, slamming into her gut with a strength that shocked her.

Chloe was already inside and giving her a look that could kill a man twice, “Get in the car. Now.”

The streets were like if Crazy Taxi had jumped out of her Dreamcast and had plagued the streets; it was utter chaos.

Abandoned cars littered the road and Chloe maneuvered them with excellent skill, and managed to not hit a single person, though there had been many running through the streets screaming for help from god, but no god was coming.

Julie’s shaky hand reached for her phone and read the alert;

Urgent Alert

Ballistic Missile Threat Inbound To Los Angeles

Seek Immediate Shelter. This Is Not A Drill.

A hand ripped the phone from hers and threw it in the backseat, “Don’t look at your phone. No doubt its people you fucking hate saying sorry for being douche filled assholes to you now that they’re gonna fucking be blown to pieces.”

Chloe spoke with such rage spittle flew from her teeth. “We’re gonna get you home and…. and…”

Sobs wracked the pretty 20’s year olds chest and tears streamed down her make up caked face, teeth biting the red matte lipstick and tears smearing the pitch black mascara. Julie had never seen her cry, not even when James from 10th grade broke up with her and said her nose was too big.

“Chloe.” Her hand found the shaking shoulder and squeezed lightly, “It’s okay. Even if we don’t make it, I’m glad I was with you.”

“No, No, No.” Chloe took her hands off the wheel and turned to her best friend Julie. “We’re going to get you home, and you’re gonna say bye to your mom.”

“Chloe- the car!” But she didn’t listen and instead hugged her friend close and the car seemed to steer itself closer and closer to her home.

“Chloe what’s happening? Please Chloe, tell what you’re doing?!” The hysterics were starting to set in as they skidded across her front lawn, car seemingly shutting down on its own.

Both girls had tears streaming down their faces and both of their chests felt like their hearts were going to implode. Chloe turned and held her friends chubby cheeks in her shaking hands, leaning forward and pressing a solemn kiss to each blob.

“Never forget me Julie.” Chloe released the chubby cheeks and watched as shadows circled the car.

“And never forget him.”

And questions Julie had were ripped to shreds as black covered hands ripped open the car doors and dragged both girls out of their cars, Chloe seemingly giving in to the inevitable and Julie refusing to give up. She wasn’t going to die without a fight.

She was placed in front of two people, both something out of a distant future sci-fi movie.

“Are you Julie March?” Her attention wasn’t on the man who asked the question but instead on Chloe, who had been placed on her knees, a large gun pointed at her temple.

The pale man spoke up once more, “You, Julie March, have been selected by the Cooperative as one of the lucky few who will be taken to a safe location away from the blast.”

That caught her attention enough to stop her struggles, “Not without my mom and Chloe.”

He gave her a hard look. “Your genetic makeup makes you a prime candidate, and theirs do not.”

“I don’t understand, candidate for what? What the hell do you people think I’m gonna do?”

“Survive.”

This was all some hellish nightmare; she must have fallen asleep in class and no one had woken her up yet. This couldn’t be real, it just couldn’t.

Julie sobbed out the same response, “Not without them. Please.” But they didn’t listen, dragging her away to a grey heavy-duty van and locking her inside, away from the rest of the world, away from her mother, away from Chloe.

She screamed with every chord in her throat as a gunshot rang through the air and the van started moving. There was no doubt that they were leaving behind her friend’s corpse on her mother’s lawn, a mother she would never see again and a friend who died too soon.

This still felt like a horrible nightmare that she couldn’t escape from, a demonic presence that had latched onto her soul and brought death and destruction in its wake, dragging her through pain and agony that seemed to have no end.

She wanted to die in that moment, wanted the blast to consume her whole and leave her with the people she loved. What was the point of survival if you had to do it alone?

~

2 Weeks Later

And as it turned out, this Survival wasn’t something she’d be doing alone. She’d met Emily and Timothy at the initial bomb shelter, the three of them crying as the tremors had ran through the concrete slabs they’d laid upon.

They’d mourned for their families and loved ones, and even the ones they hated. It was a dark time for them, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel for 13 days.

But on the 14th day, they were thrown clothes and masks, told that anything out of place would lead to their death. Any resistance would lead to death, and that it was in their best interest to cooperate.

And so they did, piling on the large suits and making sure every tube for the gas mask was in place and stepped outside of the bomb shelter, following the men in black.

The world had turned grey and cold, had become a wasteland of death and grim tidings for the ones lucky to survive. All of the green had turned to black, and the sun had turned grey and dim. This was not a world that Julie wanted to be apart of, but she had no choice.

A carriage was waiting for them- horse drawn to be exact- and Julie, Emily, Timothy and a masked stranger sat in the carriage, rocking back and forth for hours on end, their destination unknown.

It was a miracle that the carriage came to a stop after so long, that the doors opened up to reveal more grey fog as a hand helped them out, and lead them forward.

It was a building like no other, if you could even call it a building. A spiraling black beacon of death was a better way to describe it. The four of them walked forward, past two people dressed in grey on their knees- no masks on either of them- with guns pointed to their heads.

The ring of the gunshot made her trip and fall to her knees- Chloe’s tear stained face ran through her head like a hurricane- “C’mon, get up.”

Timothy held out a hand to her and she shakily took it, balancing on two legs and moving forward, not looking back at the bodies, even though she wanted to, to make sure they weren’t Chloe.

The decontamination process was threatening to say the least; the short stout woman who commanded their attention was someone who she would make sure to avoid. A few people dressed in outfits like the ones outside entered and were helping them get their suits off when a sound as steady as dropping water but heavy as iron entered the air.

The metal door opened to reveal a tall woman holding a candle.

“My name is Wilhemina Venable, and I’d like to welcome you to Outpost 3.”

Next Chapter Up Soon! Leave a Comment and Visit my Ao3 Account SpenceBox!

[artificialqueens]

5 times Nina was the caretaker and the one time he needed one (Ninex) - ImposterZoe

AN: Trigger Warning for Panic Attack and a short mention of depression. Along with Bets. IZ

1.)

"Ninaaaa," The voice on the other end of the phone croaks.

"Plastique? What's wrong? You sound awful!" Nina exclaims.

"I feel awful. I think I have the flu or something."

Nina frowns, his instincts kicking in.

"I'll be right there." He hangs up before Plastique can say anything else. Finding his way to the nearest store, Nina stocks up on sick care stuff, like medicine and soup.

He then makes way over to Plastique's hotel room, banging on the door.

After a minute or so, the door creaks open, revealing a pale and shivering Plastique.

"Oh you poor thing. You're worse than I thought." Nina leads the smaller man back to bed, laying him down. The sick man's eyes shut as soon as he's down. Pulling out the thermometer he bought earlier, he slips it into Plastique's mouth.

Somehow Nina stays calm when he finds out Plastique has a fever of 101.3, and that's just barely.

Mind going into overdrive, Nina remembers reading something that said cooling someone with a fever is better than bundling up.

He hastily rids Plastique of his shirt. Nina's unbuttoning his pants when he hears a feeble, "At least buy me dinner first," come from above him.

As he yanks the pants off, he gives Plastique a soft smile.

"Speaking of dinner, have you eaten today?"

He shakes his head. "I'm not hungry and even if I was my throat hurts too bad." Plastique give a rough cough. "And why'd you strip me? I'm cold."

Nina frowns, feeling Plastique's forehead. "You have a pretty high fever. Being cold is good. But you have to eat something so you can take medicine."

Oh yeah. Nina was in full Mama Bear Mode.

He quickly heats the soup up in the microwave, instructing Plastique to drink the juice shoved in his hand 30 seconds prior.  

Nina slowly feeds the other man, occasionally asking questions.

How long have you felt this way?

"I woke up like this."

Do you know anyone else who's been sick?

"Ariel."

Any other symptoms?

"My head hurts."

Why'd you call me?

"I knew you'd take care of me."

How'd you know that?

"You take care of everyone."

Nina considers this as he hands Plastique more juice and some pills.

"Your fever broke a couple minutes ago. These should make you feel even better but they're going to knock you out for awhile."

Plastique gives a tiny smile as he takes the pills.

Almost immediately the man gets sluggish.

"Thanks...Nina." He breaths out as he falls asleep, his head falling on Nina's shoulder.

Nina just brushes Plastique's hair back.

"Anytime."

2.)

"Nina can I talk to you?" Brooke calls.

Nina nods, walking over to his friend.

Although he was kind of shocked when Brooke roughly grabbed his arm and dragged him to the bathroom, locking the door behind them.

"Sooo…. What's up?" Nina wonders.

Brooke jumps up on the counter and stares at the ground.

"I broke up with Vanjie last week," he whispered.

Dammit, I owe Yvie 10 bucks, Nina thought.

But all he says is, "Why? You two were so good together."

Brooke starts to cry and Nina rushes over, pulling him in for a hug.

"Hey, it's ok. You wouldn't have done it if you didn't think it was for the best."

Brooke sniffed and pulled away.

"The best for who? I… We were happy together. We were in love. And we broke up because I wanted the freedom to find random trade in a club."  Brooke wipes his eyes, his sadness replaced with self-loathing.

Nina grabs Brooke's shoulders and shakes him slightly.

The last thing Nina needs is for Brooke to go into that dark place in his head Nina spent so long getting him out of.

"So you're mad that you left a relationship you got bored in? If you had stayed, you might've ended up cheating. How would that be fair to Vanjie?"

"Well it wouldn't but-" Nina cut him off.

"No buts. You did the right thing and left before it got to that point. That takes strength. Or stupidity. And let's be honest, you have plenty of the latter."

Brooke burst out laughing, punching Nina's shoulder.

"Made ya smile!" He cries happily.

Brooke laughs some more but gives Nina a hug.

"Thanks Nina. Talking to you always makes me feel better." Brooke beams up at his friend

Nina smiles back at him.

"Anytime. And make sure you don't fuck up your friendship with Vanjie, ok? The tension would kill everyone."

"You got it." Brooke walks out of the bathroom, leaving behind a very self-satisfied Nina.

Then all of a sudden a voice came from the last stall.

"You know you owe me 10 bucks, right?"

"This is why I call you Yvie the Eavesdropper." Nina responds. "And yes. I know I owe you 10 bucks."  

Nina leaves the bathroom to Yvie cackles.

3.)

"Can I talk to you?" Scarlet whispers in Nina's ear. It's just after a gig and Nina's exhausted.

But still, he nods and allows Scarlet to lead him to his room.

Sitting tiredly on the bed, he gestures for Scarlet to start.

Scarlet takes a few deep breaths, a deep blush covering his face, before blurting out, "I slept with Yvie!"

"Dammit!" Nina yells. Scarlet looks at him in shock.

"What?!"

"Nothing. Thinking about something else." I owe A'keria 20 bucks! I could've sworn Yvie had a thing for Brooke! Dammit!

"So… how was it?" Nina ask after a second.

Scarlet blushes harder and falls back on the bed.

"It was amazing! He's so sexy and dominating but caring at the same time. Best sex I ever had, hands down."

Nina laughs at Scarlet's rambling, not even bothered by the immense oversharing.

Eventually curiosity got the best of him and he asked some questions.

"So what's going to come from this?"

Scarlet stopped his rambling and shot Nina a confused look. Nina decided to clarify.

"Was it a one time thing? Are you friends with benefits? Are you dating? What's the outcome here?"

Scarlet just shrugged. "Well I woke up before him and left. We haven't talked about it. Actually we haven't talked much in general."

Nina had noticed the two not hanging out as much but hadn't really thought much about it.

"Well, what do you want from this Scarlet?"

Scarlet didn't hesitate. "I want him to be my boyfriend."

"Then leaving that morning then not talking to him wasn't the smartest move. He probably thinks you regret it. You need to talk to him. "

Scarlet promptly jumps up and heads out the door.

"Woah, where are you going?" Nina called after him.

"I'm gonna go talk to him. Duh," he called back. Then he was gone sprinting around the corner. Nina just sighed and sleepily made his way to his room.

[The next morning]

As Nina walks into the lobby, he is quickly blindsided by a pair of arms gripping him tight.

"Oh Nina," Scarlet whispers in his ear, "Thank you."

Not entirely sure what he did, Nina just give his normal response.

"Anytime."

Then, Scarlet runs to where Yvie's waiting, leaning up to kiss the man.

Oh. That's what he did.

"I knew it! Pay up Nina!" A'keria screams behind him, catching the couple's attention.

Nina just sighs as he pulls a twenty out of his wallet. At least they were cute together.

4.)

"Are you ok, Yvie?" Nina wonders as he walks toward the younger man, who was bent over a garment and glaring at it like it offended him.

"No! This dress ripped during the show and I can't seem sew it right. My latest sketch just won't work right, but I still need it sewed and done by next week or I'll be short an outfit,  I haven't had the chance to sort anything out," he gestures wildly to his cluttered table, "and in trying to do all this I haven't slept in two days! And me and Scarlet are fighting!" He slumps forward, letting his head carefully hit the table.

"But besides that I'm fine. How about you, Nina?"

Nina simply leans forward and carefully rubs Yvie's back, working out the knots.

He did this often and within seconds, Yvie was out like a light.

"Never fails." Nina mumbled as he puts Yvie over his shoulder, carrying him and laying him out on the couch in the corner of the room. Throwing a coat over him, Nina makes his way back to the table.

He'd known Yvie long enough by now to know how he liked things done. Slipping his headphones in, he got to work.

First he undos Yvie's stitching, (he really couldn't sew it correctly), and carefully redid it. After a couple missteps, the rip was successfully sewed back together.

He then ripped a piece of paper out of his own sketchbook and placed it over Yvie's sketch.

After contemplating a second, he pulled out his laptop and turned the brightness all the way up.

Somehow he manages to carefully trace the sketch.

After he gets the rough draft copied, he places himself in Yvie's shoes and  dutifully works on the sketch. It's nearly an hour later when he finishes but at the very least, it'll give Yvie ideas. Placing his copy next to the original on chair, he sets his sights on the table.

This was probably going to be the hardest, most time consuming part. But as he glances at Yvie's exhausted face, he just decides to buckle down and get it over with.

Grabbing a tub of wipes, he sets to the task.

First he grabs all Yvie's makeup containers and starts to wipe them down.

Since Yvie rushed through his makeup sometimes, his containers could usually be found with two or three different other kinds of makeup smeared on top.

Oddly enough, Yvie actually hated it and cleaned his makeup regularly. He never stopped rushing, though.

So Nina wiped down each case, making sure each were in tip-top shape. It took 30 minutes but the makeup was spotless and Nina managed to find Yvie's makeup case.

Sorting the makeup by size like Yvie did, he filled the pouch and carefully set in Yvie's suitcase.

Then he started in on the folding element of the packing. Nina carefully folded all of Yvie's garments, shaking of excess glitter or powder, and slowly filling the suitcase. Just as he packs the last garment, he laughs slightly, realizing he could hear the birds start to sing outside.

But, Yvie's table was shipshape and Yvie himself had gotten the sleep he needed.

Nina thought he had done all he could for Yvie but another idea popped into his head. Pulling up a video, he set to his last task.

[...]

Yvie rubbed his eyes as he woke up. He really needed to stop letting Nina give him back rubs. He went out no matter what each time. Stretching slightly, he groaned as he realized he still needed to get his stuff together. But he freezes in shock as he takes in his clear work table.

He knew for a fact that he hasn't done this. He opened his suitcase and found his clothes packed just how he liked it. His makeup was perfectly arranged and spotless.

He pulled out his outfit from the night before, the rip sewed seamlessly. Putting it back and zipping up his suitcase, he looks at his table.  

He finds his sketch and frowns at it before he notices the copy under it. He pulls out Nina's sketch and stares at it wordlessly. He could see how it had come from what he had in his other hand but Nina had unleashed his inner oddball and Yvie approved.

The sketch was gorgeous and Yvie couldn't wait to make it.

Admittedly, after a few tweaks

Then something else caught his eye. At the very end of the table was a bouquet of different types of paper flowers. They were beautifully crafted and took Nina 10 tries per flower.

Yvie saw a note next to them.

To end your fight with Scarlet ~ Nina

Yvie laughed at that. He knew Scarlet would love the flowers. He had been so focused on the table, he didn't notice Nina coming out of the bathroom.

"Oh you're awake. Sleep well?" Nina asked from behind him.

Yvie turned on his heel, taking in the bags under Nina's eyes.

"You did this Nina?" Yvie asked incredulously. Nina just gives a tired nod.

Yvie launches across the room, throwing his arms around who he was pretty sure was an angel.

"Thank you! I owe you big time!" Yvie blurted in the man's ear. Nina winced at the volume but hugged the man back.

"Anytime, Yvie."

5.)

Nina takes a deep breath as he rings Monet's doorbell.

The two queens had been dancing around each other for awhile before Monet had found the courage to ask Nina out.

And by, "Found the Courage," he meant, "Cracker shoved him in Nina's arms and shouted 'Get Some' before running away, forcing Monet to stutter out a date offer."

But Nina also stuttered out a yes, so maybe Cracker was in the right.

Not that Monet would ever admit that to his face.

Nina stood awkwardly at the door, stupidly hold the flowers Bob claimed Monet liked.

The door flew open, revealing a flour-covered Monet, in a Kiss The Cook apron.

Nina promptly started laughing, the flowers in his hand the only thing preventing him from taking pictures.

"Shut up and get in here." Monet laughs, waving Nina in. Nina strides in, shutting the door behind him. As soon as the door shut, the sexual tension expanded ten fold.

"I brought you flowers," Nina blurted, holding them out.

"Aw. Thank you." Monet cooed. He leaned forward and smelled them, wrapping his hands over Nina's.

He grabbed the flowers, while still holding Nina's hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

"Quaint." Nina mumbles staring around the kitchen as Monet puts the flowers in a vase.

"I hope you like baked chicken and collard greens."

Nina pulled a face.

"What, you don't like southern food?"

"It's not that. If that's what you made, how did you manage to get flour all over yourself?"

Monet blushed slightly. "I was reaching for something and some fell on me."

Nina laughed again. "Aww. You're clumsy." He cooed.

Monet just sticks his tongue out as he heads for the oven. The tension melts as the banter continues. But unfortunately, it also distracts Monet.

Who proceeds to stick his bare hand in the oven and grasp the broiling chicken pan.

As the man screams, Nina hurries to help. He grabs Monet's burnt hand and examines it. The burn wasn't bad enough to warrant a hospital trip, just a whole lot of pain.

"I'll be right back," Nina calls as he runs out the door. Monet was in too much pain to question it.

After a couple minutes, Nina came back with a first aid kit.

"You just happen to carry a first aid kit with you?" Monet grunts out.

Nina just rolls his eyes as he grabs burn ointment.  "My friends are some clumsy mofos."

Smearing the ointment on Monet's palm, Nina flipped the hand and laid a kiss to the back of it.

"I'm sorry I ruined dinner. I'm pretty sure it's burned," Monet mumbled.

"It's ok. I ordered pizza when I got the first aid kit."

Monet grins. "You're too sweet, Nina. Thank you."

Before Nina can talk himself out of it, he leans forward and pecks Monet's cheek.

"Anytime. Now do you own oven mitts because that pan is about burst into flames."

Nina needs a Caretaker

Nina could tell as soon as he woke up that he was going to freak out. His pulse was too fast and his breathing was too shallow.

But there was a Season 11 brunch today. Nina had booked the whole restaurant so everyone could catch up in peace.

He'd also invited Monet so everyone who hadn't been able to meet him yet could get to know him.

He didn't want to be the one to back out, especially considering how many people cleared their day to make it.

So he hopped in the shower, doing his breathing exercises the entire time. He makes it all the way to the restaurant before he realizes he's hyperventilating.

No wonder the uber driver was staring at him.

He walks into the restaurant before everyone else. The deafening silence combined with the large space drives Nina over the edge.

His breathing picks up and he falls to his knees just as the door opens.

"Nina!" Several concerned voices call. There's running sounds and Nina feels hands embrace him. Holding him and rubbing his back.

Monet steps into Nina's direct line of sight, rubbing his shoulders.

"Baby, we wanna help you but you gotta tell us what's wrong," he coos.

Yvie pipes up, "Yeah, you always take care of us, girl. Let us help."

There were several mumbles of agreement.

Nina forces his words out.

"I woke up...and I couldn't breathe ...but I didn't want to back out of brunch… And now I ruined it because I'm freaking out!" Nina starts to cry, his breath getting shorter and panicky.

Brooke brushes Nina's hair from behind. "Hey, Nina it's ok! No one's mad at you. It's a panic attack. There's no shame in it. That's what you always tell me."

Nina's heart rate slows. His breathing becomes more steady.

"You gotta take care of yourself or you won't be yourself," Plastique mumbles, "We'd all be lost without you Nina."

There were more mumbles of agreement and praise.

Nina slowly calms down, wiping his now flushed face.

"I feel kinda silly now. Thanks guys."

They all embrace Nina in a tight group hug and reply in unison.

"Anytime Nina."

[girlbookwrm]

AVENGERS: CIVIL WAR

THE MIGHTY PRE ENDGAME REWATCH

it took us two entire days to watch this, back in whenever we were watching this. I’ve got a Bundle of Papers here in front of me, and the CW Bundle is by far the thickest, and that’s with minimal salt content.

Speaking of Salt: The Roommate and I had to approach this as an Avengers movie. Because otherwise the salt levels in this would be toxic, possibly fatal. Even so, ppl with high cholesterol be warned

LET’S DO THIS

1991!

Winter Soldier: 

what is this

what is this please

dat beef tho

what is this op sec

honestly

NO mask

SHINY FUCKOFF ARM just HANGING OUT

CCTV???

~ooooooo he’s a ghooooooooooooost~

he’s got an extremely dedicated and very harried cleanup crew is what he’s got

OH! OLD LOGO ILU!!!

LAGOS!!

The Roommate: That’s a lot of sugar

i ain’t judging

what, you think her powers run on optimism?

is there an accent? is there not? Shroedinger’s accent.

droney the drone

sam’s lil sky roomba

i love him

guhhhh this scene every line shows character and growth and i just *clenches fist*

did

did falcon just throw steve

just yeeted him at the enemy?

god i love that

also: has steve bulked up since TWS?

that’s also on Sam, yeah?

CUT THE CHEEEEECCCCK

is this fucking NEUROTOXIN? STEVE WHERE’S UR MASK?

Steve, throwing himself into a room full of an unknown poison gas without a mask: I bet i can survive this

Bucky, in Bucharest: *breaks whatever he’s holding without knowing why*

god i love sam

“I don’t work like that no more” Means ?????????????

PARKOUR NAT

is also BRUNCH MOM NAT

“both grunting” is always one of my favorite subtitles

2 white boys fighting in the middle of the street like it’s a video game

god someone took the murder strut to heart wow that is some. that is some something that’s for sure.

give me even one (1) heterosexual explanation for "your pal your buddy your bucky"

there’s no way that bucky ever said this, right? this is just Rumlow fucking with steve, and the screenwriters fucking with us

because IN CASE YOU WERE NOT IN THIS FANDOM IN 2016, WE ALL THOUGHT CAP WOULD DIE IN THIS MOVIE

WE WERE SO SURE

wow i wonder if that will be relevant to anyone’s emotions here in the year of our lordt 2019

anyway, what bucky actually said was:

“please tell rogers... that he’s a big dumb dildo and he should wear a gas mask and also a parachute.”

listen i love this opening scene but also wanda is not at all responsible for this explosion and the fact that they act like she is undermines my ability to suspend my disbelief.

DIGITAL ENYOUTHENMENT ALERT

also, tony the fact that you are using your literal dead mom as an actual therapist is

wow

BARF feels right to me

too real, tony

it’s too real

how ARE you getting around the strings and taxes tho

Also can i say that i actually love that Pepper’s absence is this profoundly important to the story. The hole where pepper should be is a huge part of this story and i like that. i like that a lot.

WOW THAT EXTRA IS LIKE A MASHUP OF NAT AND WANDA. SHE IS THE GENERIC MARVEL WHITE LADY

more a+ visual storytelling with the elevator

I’m just so mad that they blame wanda and play that straight?

all they had to do was outright acknowledge one (1) time that the media is picking on her because she’s a woman/a foreigner

imagine that speech coming from nat instead of steve

though i do love Steve’s pep talk

again. give me one (1) heterosexual explanation

though why not have Steve say “they’re just bullies, you did the right thing” and hearken back to smolsteeb

The Roommate: Remember how i was mad at his Oscars Velvet Blazer? I am also mad at this sweater.... it looks... so soft... i don’t know if i want it on him or off him... just wanna tuch....... and wear..........?”

Vision’s Ascot is. Something else man.

The Roommate: Why is ross secretary of state?

Me: Why is Trump President

Me: I bet Ross is vegan

the roommate, who has vegan-related trauma: UUUUGGGHHHHHHHH

Nat's reaction to vigilantes: Bitch please. she is Unbothered.

you don’t have to show us footage we’ve got the ptsd nightmares

400 pages in 3 days

[tired american sighing]

we honestly can’t even criticize this plot point anymore just

[my longest and most american sigh]

CLEVELAND!!!

hail hydra continues to be the Most Terrible last words

but WHY does ross have the congressional medal of honor

do you know how HARD it is to get one of those????

yeesh

sassy black friends sassing at each other

is definitely a

thing that is happening rn

Vision: Well Actually

no one cares, vis

ok like

a kid is dead but

3.6 is an okay GPA

maybe all my friends are overachievers

maybe it’s just because most of them are women but like

it’s an okay GPA

i’d have 8000% more respect for Tony if he was more upfront like “look this is on me” especially here

are we supposed to be picking all this up as subtext, actually?

because i know that this movie ALSO had a Troubled Youth ala ant man

and i really do appreciate the Russos for relying on a smart audience but there’s a lot going on

and it’s very obvious to me that they had to shift gears 18,000 times in the script writing phase

so like, you’ve got old man vet steve

but it’s painfully obvious that he missed vietnam right?

like

it’s painfully obvious

and he’s v egotistical and self righteous too 

it IS a battle of the egos

and no one is right

except natasha

Steve: i have to go

me: mood

LONDON!!!!

oh god

oh god no

steve god no steve oh god

gfhskfdjjjksjdjjhrrrrhrhhrhfhh [wailing and rending of garments]

Re Peggy’s age:

SURPRISE IT’S ACTUALLY PLAUSIBLE

so the True Hallmark of a Cap Movie is Peggy telling steve what to do.

so weird to have that in an avengers movie

i do love this. GOOD BRO NAT CONTENT

Um. is vision a minor? is wanda?

again, nat is the only Correct one here

stay together guys

it might be

reeeeeeaaaaally important in 

*checks watch*

two years’ time.

~hug~

VIENNA!!!!!

CHAD WICK! CHAD! WICK! CHAD! WICK!

god i love the xhosa in this

There is a level of worldbuilding in this that we p much only get from the russos/markus&mcfeely. i mean -- internal consistency worldbuilding? if that makes sense? we get a lot of visual worldbuilding in black panther, but this is distinctly different and hard to articulate and it has to do with the way they approach things and how they assume audience intelligence

it just works for me

oh no chadwick boseman don’t be cry

Sharon deserves better

than being cockblocked by her own aunt

and also sam wilson (who also deserves better)

cryptid!bucky

Nat did you get that suit from jenny agutter?

LA Brunch Mom Nat

mah girl

she’s just so tired

steve (bless him) is just so exhausting

couples date sam and steve dressed to match

“at the gym”??? really? the arm is... a bit of a giveaway

i do feel bad for zemo in this one specific case

russian IS hard

how. did he get that in there?

Soft Plumboy Bucky

BEEF

Captain’s Log: Buck’s place is a shithole

Sergeant’s Log: Steve’s face is pretty

surprise bitch

“That’s Smart, Good Strategy” is an excellent phrase to use in everyday conversation in order to weed out who Knows and who Doesn’t.

What i have learned from civil war: 

Captain America is a projectile weapon

further query:

did bucky ever hurl small steve at assailants?

Bucky: *punts steve down an alley*

Steve, 90 lbs of rage at 90 mph: GET WRECKED

Bucky’s got big tommy wiseau cryptid energy here

And now there’s a cat

bucky:

I love this vampire running and also bucky’s thighs

Steve Rogers: Excuse me sir I need to commandeer this vehicle. YEET.

Bucky Barnes: Excuse me sir I need to commandeer this vehicle. YOINK.

Bucky and Steve: Wrecking your morning commute since 2014

WAR MACHINE!!!

god vis has the biggest dorkiest crush

so vis are you a child prodigy? or? what?

The Roommate, a cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure: vis have you eaten anything between CW and IW?

Me, sinnamon roll, not to be trusted: *dying* *thinking about how Vision’s got schroedinger’s dick. does it exist? does it not exist? who knows.*

Me: Y. Yes. I th. think he has. eaten something. between now and. and IW. something.

The Roommate: *betrayed look*

Me: DEEP FRIED KEBAB MAYBE? I DON’T KNOW.

The Roommate: *is so disappointed*

BERLIN!!!!!!

Bucky is. So tired. Let him rest.

fucking up the morning commute again i see

u like cats??

I love the ratio of overkill:ineffectiveness with this glass box they put him in.

why did tony  bring these fancy pens

the time spent explaining them could’ve been spent doing literally anything else

*i still don’t understand the accords*

GOD STEVE WANTS TO BE AN UNCLE SO BAD

“my fault”

there it is

“truth is i don’t want to stop”

THERE it is

“i thought the accords could split the difference”

THERE IT IS

"no, i don’t.”

THERE IT IS

“IT’S INTERNMENT.”

THERE! IT! IS!

gah.

wanda’s accent et al -- MAKE IT EXPLICIT MARVEL YOU COWARDS

no but really what are the accords

here followed a 20-30 minute convo about the accords

basically the summing up was:

Nat is 100% Right Ross is 100% Wrong Everyone Else is In A Grey Area

look this is actually a really good avengers movie

but

this is a moment when the back catalogue works against them because this conversation is so -- it implies a lot of friendly interactions between these two. they seem to have a relationship

but i keep looking at all the other movies they’ve interacted in like

BITCH WHERE? WHERE IS THE TONYSTEVE FRIENDSHIP? WHERE???

i am anticipating this will cause me A Grief later

The Roommate, looking at Steve in his Grey Shirt and Jacket: Damn, sir. Stop wearing clothes.

“BIRD COSTUME???”

“j a m e s”

big holt talking to rosa vibes there

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

A VAST AND MIGHTY MOOD

Zemo’s plan is so ridiculous i genuinely don’t have time to get into it i still have two pages of notes to get through holy shit.

this fight scene. does things. for me.

hhhHNNNNHGH BEEFSTEAK

(oh tony left with no suit? growth dot gif)

THIGHS

T H I G H S ! ! ! !

CHADWICK!

Sam out here, serving looks, casually modeling

B I C E P S ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

TOO SEXY! *crashes helicopter*

I need twelve more scenes of steve and bucky faffing about in the water.

A more effective restraint than the custom made bucky bottle

(BRIEF 1991)

haaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAa biceps u stop that

Is Tony having a heart attack???

he has no concept of how to treat children because he never was one oh no i gave myself a sad feeling

QUEENS!!!!!!!

“I’m having a big fight in a parking lot with my superhero friends better go pick up a child as backup.” - tony stark

tony he doesn’t have a passport and if he understood what was happening he would not be on your side

Now That’s What I Call Vigilantism.

Why are you bringing a CHILD to a gun fight

Tony’s face, to me, suggests that he knows EXACTLY what he’s doing

also? it’s painfully obvious to me that these scenes were copypasted in late stage when they finally found out that yes they would have the rights to spiderman lol

for some reason they don’t feel the need to tell is that this is avengers compound in 400 point font

i’m so lost

where are we?

without the 400 point font i can only assume we are on mars

THAT’s a fine way to greet YOUR FATHER, WANDA

hawkeye is in fact the team lynchpin

is it

ugh

is it because they listen to him but he listens to natasha

ugh

i bet it is

UUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH

Vision: I have been FALLING! for THIRTY MINUTES!

“i know someone who does”

i’m confused by the cut here, because it seems to imply that Sharon, deliberately or inadvertently, rats them out to natasha?

Birds and raccoons do not get along

steve

steve no

steve

ur timing is shit steve

Scott Lang might be the best thing in this movie

well except for Dat Bone Structure

CUT THE CHEEEEEECK

*costume change in a parking lot to the yakkety sax soundtrack*

Thinking about the coming battle i am forced to concede that Iron Man Has A Point?

“do you really want to punch your way out of this?”

Steve: I ALWAYS wanna punch my way out

god scott’s such a fukkin nerd

tiny quibble but Scott “got punched by hope van dyne” lang would never say that to the black heckin widow

“gimmick”

um

people in falcon houses shouldn’t throw spider stones, samuel

wanda

those cars belong to people

oh god iron man has a point

LET’S GO LESBIANS! COME ON LESBIANS LET’S GO

*catfight sounds*

“then why did you run?”

dude you attacked me in a catsuit

Tony’s true superpower is that he knows steve, that’s how spiderbabby gets the upper hand

althought god

Tony was pre-gaslighting peter

he was pilotlighting peter

*my longest UGH yet*

“Queens?” “Brooklyn”

MAXIMUM NEW YORK ACHIEVED

ant man is the MVP

hmmmmmm “we don’t trade lives” HMMMMMMMMM

why did that truck explode

also *omg iron man has a point*

tony tedward stark how did you not know how old this child was

also peter stop pretending you don’t know what Empire Strikes Back, AT-ATs and Hoth are.

why doesn’t Vis get more flack for this

hey. hey tony. you know what sam is? A MEDIC. maybe let him LOOK AT YER FRIEND THERE instead of SHOOTING HIM IN THE FACE.

zemo’s plan is noooooonseeeeennnnnnsssse

guh these two beautiful men emoting in different directions KILL ME

this doctor is just like “yup there’s a giant purple robot here seems legit”

natasha is the only one who’s 100% right

did... did the russos kill themselves in this movie? did they cast themselves as dead extras? was this a statement of some kind?

HOW did ross get the congressional medal of honor. H O W.

“you read it”

NO ONE READ IT, IT’S 400 PAGES

tony this is Some Nonsense

ffflslkds he’s taking one of Nat’s guns KILL ME

one (1) heterosexual explanation.

rode back in a freezer truck

got pneumonia

already had pneumonia

and you blew three whole dollars on some slut

(seriously. gimme one. i’m waiting.)

srsly tho, whether you ship it or not, these two are old marrieds

the red star looks weird on his beefcake arm. did they forget to scale it up?

KITTY

listen zemo is just really turned on by cam and he didn’t mean to say that and that’s the most relateable thing he’s done so far.

It’s not just that bucky killed his mom. it’s that bucky killed his mom AND STEVE KEPT IT FROM HIM.

life alert a senior citizen has fallen

T'Challa, observing this White Nonsense™: I truly should... check myself. Before! I wreck myself.

agism is what it is

god this bit

steve dropping the shield

look at him

he is Stick A Fork In Him D O N E

Rhodey really deserves better than this? He deserves development showing the evolution of his opinion between here and IW

i wish we could get more of him grappling with this

that said

gosh wouldn’t it fucking suck if Cap and Bucky got relegated to End Credit scenes in their own got damn movie to make room for Iron Man to emote at his buddy his pal his rhodey?

*looks directly into the camera like i’m on the office.*

Anyway.

Steve rogers: getting the last word in every argument since 1918.

“from the bottom of my heart: My Bad.”

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE Episode 55 Review.

STRANGER DANGER!

I’ve got the blues... For this is the last time I’ll see the Enzan I like before Axess ruins him.

We start the episode in the arcade where Rockman and Blues are having a battle!

Not as epic as the one in the tournament finals, but a little more credible.

Enzan decides to end the battle by using the Program Advance, however, Netto and Rockman figured out a way to deflect the Beta Sword with just a Sword.

This surprises Enzan and Blues because, it’s the Beta Sword... Its not something a preschooler can do with little effort, right?. XP

The battle continues until Enzan receives an emergency call on his PET and tells Netto that they have to postponed their battle for another time.

I just like their reactions.

In his limo, Enzan is still surprised about Rockman using a Sword against the Beta Sword, showing us a flashback of what we just saw, literally, a minute ago.

“The probability of doing that is just as high as Gutsman using a Program Advance”

After the title card, we see that Enzan’s emergency called was just about his dad being impatient about getting a contract signed for a partnership with a new company.

I have no idea what that stick Blues showing is supposed to be, but we have reached the MADEA... I mean MAEDA company.

Enzan enters and sees a man working on something, he tries to talk to him about the contract but the man isn’t interested in working for another company like IPC.

You know, the thing. That thing, go get the thing.

Oh, that thing... What even is that thing?!

The man asks Enzan to do more chores, like shredding some documents, when a Higure like character comes in and yells at him demanding to know who he is.

The man tells him that Enzan is from IPC and the Higure guy, whose name I forgot, gets all creepy on him until the man tells Enzan to move on to his next chore, cleaning the toilet.

I don’t know what confuses me more, the fact that the guy has a pink apron the fits Enzan perfectly, or seeing that the toilet also has a sink.

After cleaning the toilet, Enzan returns to the man and his assistant who are working on a special program with the help of some standard Navis.

Don’t ask me what that machine is because I don’t know.

Apparently the Navis have to use Swords to cut the data rock into a perfect copy of the model the man wants. And I really mean perfect because once they’re done the man analyses it, finds a small imperfection, and that’s enough to tell the Navis to destroy it, ignoring his assistant telling him that kind of precision is almost impossible to achieve.

Like everything humanity does, it took way less time to destroy it than it took to make it.

This upsets the Higure clone because of the time they spent working on it. They begin to work on another data rock, but this time Enzan offers to give it a try in hopes to speed things up.

He plugs in Blues who scares the standard Navis and even more after he performs the Program Advance to give form to the data in a matter of seconds.

Unfortunately for Mr. Child prodigy the shape is not perfect either since the man shows him that it is just a tad smaller than the model.

He tells Enzan that the Program Advance, even though its a powerful move, it is useless without control and sometimes a simple sword is just right.

So after Blues’s fail, the Navis are not afraid of him anymore and invite him to work with them, and their interactions with him are kinda cute.

My new favorite trio.

Since this is an Enzan episode we cut to and back from commercials with two cube scenes with the chibi Blues.

What’s funny is that Blues says Shakin twice the second time and Netto’s voice points that out.

We see that Blues was left working with the Navis using regular swords while Enzan is out on an errand. Suddenly, the power goes out in the work station making the data rock disappear, but wouldn’t that affect the cyberworld too?

I guess they would just lose contact with the humans.

The man suddenly says that he forgot to pay the power bill and... calmly and shamelessly tells his assistant to go steal power from somewhere. 

Meanwhile, we see Netto at the Maha Ichiban talking about how he enjoyed his battle with Enzan and that he can’t wait to continue it.

They are just so adorable!

So anyway, the power goes out causing Mahajarama to give Count Elec third degree burns.

The Ex-WW soon discover that the Higure double is the culprit and they give chase to him, until he turns around a corner but goes back to kick a garbage can to stop them which was pretty funny.

Speaking of funny scenes, you can’t help but laugh with the subtitles’s sense of humor in this next one.

Even the subs are tired of having to translate Aki’s cheesy song. XD

So the Higure bootleg returns to the office just in time for some mafia looking guys from another company to arrive and attempt to destroy the man’s work for not wanting to join them. Luckily for him, Enzan returns just in time to save the day by throwing a chip at one of the thugs, karate chopping another one, and had apparently taken out all of the others outside off camera... Damn, you don’t mess with this kid. O.O

What is it with rich people and throwing collectible items a bad guys?

“That’s for making me waste a perfectly good battle chip!”

Anyway, Enzan scares off the mafia boss by telling him he is from IPC. While Enzan and the man watch the bad guys leave, the Higure copy makes a creepy face as he is doing something on the computer. Turns out he is a bad guy who steals part of the program data to sell it.

He easily runs away before Blues tells them that there are viruses destroying the original data. So Enzan sends chips to help Blues fight them.

He says, as he deletes a Metool.

Blues protects the data from the viruses and then suddenly does this.

It looks like Blues found an invisible hole that is bringing the viruses in, Enzan sends a Paladin Sword to destroy the hole and the real enemy appears.

Drillman, where have you been?! The season is almost over!

So Blues fights Drillman and...

Wow guys, you suck today. 

Not even the Beta Sword can beat him, and it’s practically unavoidable!

PRACTICALLY!

Enzan is running out of ideas until he exchanges looks with the man and understands that a single Sword is more than enough. So Blues uses a Sword and cuts Drillman in half!

I bet this was edited in the dub.

So the day is saved, but their celebration is interrupted by the Ex-WWW who caught the Higure knock off and demand something in return for stealing their electricity.

Since the assistant is the ”real” bad guy here, the man doesn’t take responsibility for telling him to steal power from them and offers a trade, the stolen data for the thief.

I initially though he was offering the data he stole, but nope.

“Please boy, I’m not stupid. Why would a famous company like IPC have a kid working for them if it wasn’t the president’s son?”

So the man finally accepts IPC’s partnership as thanks for Enzan helping him out and the episode ends with Blues and Rockman continuing their battle at the arcade while a news anchor informs everyone about the newest PET that will be released.

The Advance PET is going to be so revolutionary that it will practically hijack the flashbacks for this season by making everyone forget the Plug-in PETs and even rewrite history!

How is this even possible?!

My thoughts?

I like to think this is the last time I’ll see the Enzan I know and love before Axess makes him boring. I feel that this Enzan is more of an interesting character that I would like to know more about, but instead will become someone obsessed with his job and only follows orders. The Enzan in this episode, and in this season in general, has always been portrayed as Netto’s rival, someone who enjoys Net Battles and wont let anyone get in his way, just like back in episode 20 and 21. Sure, he takes his work at IPC seriously, but he was doing the jobs his father told him to do, he didn’t look like the type of person who would stay all day in an office doing paper work, he is a kid for crying out loud! Axess basically makes him an adult, he doesn’t feel like a kid anymore, to me, he was just a cool, kind of a snobby kid who respects his father and is proud of his family’s name, but he also enjoys Net Battles and eating at fancy restaurants by himself, and even hangs out with Netto when he has the chance (mostly to show off to him).

The episode introduces Drillman.EXE who had a bigger role in the game. He was a WWW Navi, it was not known if he had an operator, but somehow was related to Bubbleman a Navi that will debut in Axess. It’s a shame that Drillman’s character goes to waste here, but at least he returns for an episode in Rockman Stream... To fight Blues again.

Looks like Capcom was already working on Battle Network 4 when this came out since it announces the arrival of the Advanced PET that will take over the next season.

[lovlieziam]

@treacle-black asked for prompt #66 on the drabbles, so here ya go :) I hope you enjoy!!

66.  It’s not a donkey. It’s a mule.

Out of all the dumb shit Louis has convinced Zayn to do in the 20 years he’s known him, this probably takes the cake. And maybe Zayn was slightly overreacting—because Louis was a bad influence, honestly, and they’ve done a lot of stupid things—but going to the zoo at 7:30 in the fucking morning was insane.

“Quit being dramatic, Zayn. It’s the fucking zoo. Not like we’re breaking any laws, here.” Zayn rolled his eyes in response to Louis’ harsh words. It wasn’t the zoo that was bothering him, it was the early hour and Louis’ sour attitude. He didn’t want to be here, thanks.

“Oh, now I’m the dramatic one? Literally all you’ve done since you picked me up is complain. If you don’t wanna be here, then why are we, exactly?”

Louis cut a glare in Zayn’s direction. “Fuck you, you know exactly why I’m here.”

And okay, Zayn did know, but, “It’s not my fault you waited until the last minute to do your paper. You’re the one that wanted to do it on fucking donkeys.” And really, Louis could have picked anything—their professor just wanted to gauge how much they knew about research papers. The topics to choose from were endless, but Louis chose donkeys. He was pretty sure he knew why, but he’d never actually asked.

“But Zayn, think of it! Donkeys are the perfect topic. Do you know how many times I’ll be able to use the word ass in my paper? It’s genius.”

Zayn rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might fall out. That was the exact reason he thought Louis had chosen them. He loved his friend dearly, but sometimes his definition of ‘genius’ was a little skewed.

“You’re ridiculous, and I still don’t understand why we even had to come here. Couldn’t you have just googled facts like the rest of us? There’s no reason for us to be stuck staring at a donkey at eight in the fucking morning.”

“Actually, it’s not a donkey.” Both Zayn and Louis swung around at the voice, turning to face a very attractive worker. Zayn was left speechless when he took in the man’s bright eyes and barrage of muscle. “It’s a mule,” the boy continued, and Zayn fell a little in love with the gentle way he spoke and the endearing curve of his lips.

“What?” Zayn’s attention was drawn away from the boy and to Louis when he spoke. Zayn was just as confused as Louis sounded. In his defense, the boy standing in front of them was so beautiful it was disorienting. Zayn wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to follow a conversation, not if this boy was going to keep smiling like that.

The boy cocked his head, his smile turning a little nervous, and God help him, Zayn was endeared. Why did this boy look like a human puppy? It was hazardous to his health, honestly. Zayn wasn’t sure he’d survive in the aftermath of this conversation.

“The, um, the animal behind you? That y-you called a donkey?” He looked at Zayn, making direct eye contact for the first time, and Zayn was pretty sure he was melting. Someone better call in the cleaning crew because soon Zayn would be just a puddle of mush under those warm brown eyes. “It’s not, um. It’s not actually a donkey. It’s a mule.” The boy brought a hand up to the back of his neck, a blush working its way up his cheeks as he adverted his eyes.

“They’re very similar because, well, mules are the offspring of donkeys, but, um. They also are the offspring of horses, too.” The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing. “Male donkeys and female horses, to be more specific.” He chanced a glance back up at Zayn and gave a small, soft smile and, fuck, Zayn now knew he wasn’t going to survive this conversation. “I just, um, didn’t want you to have false information? I, uh, I heard you say something about an essay? And I didn’t want you to, um, be misinformed.” He finished with an embarrassed shrug, his hand finally dropping back to his sides as his face took on an even deeper flush.

It was official. Zayn was already 100% in love with this boy.

“Cheers, mate,” Louis said, and it was then that Zayn remembered what was going on. He was so caught up in the cute zookeeper that he forgot that Louis was even there. “You probably just saved my ass.”

The boy swung his own startled gaze over to Louis, like he himself had forgotten he was there. “Um, yeah, yeah. ‘Course. ‘S my job.”

Louis shot the boy a grin before turning to Zayn, and Zayn tried really hard to mask whatever expression he had there—Zayn knew he was more than a little endeared with this boy, and if anyone was going to be able to tell, it was Louis. He knew Zayn better than practically anyone, and the last thing he needed was a day filled with fucking ass jokes about the zoo employee. Louis thought he was clever, and he was relentless about it.

Zayn realized too late that he didn’t compose his face fast enough because he watched as a wicked smile stole over Louis’ lips. He was so, so fucked.

“Say, what’s your name, mate?” Louis asked as he turned to face the boy again.

“Erm, I’m Liam,” the boy mumbled. His face was still covered in that lovely shade of red, and Zayn was pretty sure his own eyes had formed into the shape of hearts. Liam. He really liked that name.

This was going to be a disaster.

“Liam, hmm?” Zayn had a sudden fantasy of kicking Louis. He had to physically restrain himself from actually doing so. “How much do you know about donkeys, Liam?” And Louis’ voice was absolutely diabolical, and Zayn knew he was going to regret whatever was about to come out of Louis’ mouth.

Liam stuttered a little in front of them, his body obviously tense with the urge to flee. Zayn didn’t blame him; he was fighting the same urge. Louis’ tone had suggested nothing good. “Um, a little, I guess? Not too much, I—”

“Because, you see, dear Liam, my friend Zayn here,” Louis gestured to Zayn, his smirk making dread sink into Zayn’s stomach. He was definitely going to regret the next words out of Louis’ mouth. “Just absolutely loves asses, and I’m sure he’d love it if you could tell him all about the one you have here.”

Zayn choked as Louis’ words hit him, his eyes widening and his face flaming with embarrassment. Zayn wanted to die. Honestly, fuck Louis Tomlinson. He was the worst fucking friend on the plant and Zayn was going to kill him.

“Louis,” Zayn bit out, and all Louis did was laugh like a fucking maniac. Seriously, he was dead. Zayn didn’t care if he spent the rest of his life in prison, Louis was a dead man. Zayn chanced a glance at Liam and felt his expression soften a bit at the timid smile on the boy’s face. Liam’s face was even redder than before—which was a feat, since it was pretty flushed before—but he also had a shy smile on his face that he was directing at Zayn. There was a barely concealed gleam in his eyes, one that was eerily similar to the one Louis had in his. It made Zayn’s breath come in short puffs thinking about the possibilities behind those playful eyes.

“I’m glad you asked,” Liam began. His shy smile curved up into a smirk as he met Louis’ gaze head on. “A little fun fact about donkeys is that they really enjoy rolling around with other donkeys, which I totally get.” He looked over to Zayn, before, “It’s one of my favorite things to do, too, though I prefer somewhere a little more comfortable than the dirt.” He shot Zayn a wink and Zayn couldn’t fucking breath. Liam, the seemingly shy zookeeper, had just made a pass at him. Liam had just suggested he liked rolling around in bed. Then he’d winked at Zayn. Zayn was pretty sure his knees were about to give out.

Louis let out a delighted laugh next to him, and Zayn was once again drug back from his Liam consumed thoughts.

“Aww, don’t like getting all dirty, Liam?” Zayn felt his breath catch once again because, honestly, couldn’t Louis just shut up. Once again, heat rose in Zayn’s cheeks, but when he looked back to Liam he forgot all about his embarrassment. The gleam in Liam’s eyes from earlier had seemingly doubled. His smirk was wicked enough to rival Louis’ and fuck, Zayn was in over his head. This boy was going to be the death of him and they’d just met. He hadn’t even said anything to the boy. Literally not one word and he was ready to start planning their wedding.

“I never said that,” Liam began. “In fact, I quite enjoy getting dirty.” He arched an eyebrow at Louis before turning his gaze back to Zayn. He let his eyes slowly rake over Zayn’s body and Zayn’s knees almost gave out again. Liam’s gaze left a blistering trail of goosebumps erupting over Zayn, his skin heating up at the pure want obvious in his eyes. “Really, really like getting dirty.”

Fuck, Zayn was going to die. Liam was going to make him self-combust right here in front of the mule exhibit.

Louis let out a little choking laugh next to Zayn, drawing both the other boys’ attention. Liam seemed to come back to himself in that moment, a blush overtaking his cheeks once again as he realized what he just implied.

“Right,” he mumbled. “Well, I’m just going to, um, get back to work.” Liam took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes closed before opening them again. They landed on Zayn, Liam’s smile making him feel a little fuzzy. “Let me know if you need anything else, yeah?” He shot Zayn another wink, and Zayn decided he needed to start going to the gym. Really, his knees should not be that willing to give out every time this boy so much as looked at him.

As he walked away, Zayn felt a lump rise in his throat. He couldn’t just let this boy walk away. He didn’t know if he’d ever see him again after this, and that left him feeling more than a little upset.

“I think I like him, Zayn,” Louis said. “He would probably be perfect for you.”

Yes, Zayn was well aware of that, and there was no fucking way he was letting Liam just walk away from them, not if he could go toe to toe with Louis like that. Plus, he was more than a little turned on right now, and from a conversation. If Liam could do that just by talking, Zayn couldn’t wait to find out what he could do with his hands. Zayn took off after Liam, anticipation running through his veins.

“Where are you going?” Louis shouted behind him.

Zayn turned around, walking backwards for a few steps as he said, “I’m not going to let the love of my life walk away without at least his fucking number, Louis,” before he ran into something warm and solid. Zayn felt himself freeze up, slowly turning around to be faced with none other than Liam himself.

Liam was smiling down at him, his eyes practically disappearing with the force of it. “The love of your life, huh?”

Zayn felt his blush return with a vengeance, all his words leaving him. Why did he have to turn into such a mess around this boy. “U-um, y-yeah. I mean, I was just, um, I was…” He trailed off as Liam’s smile softened, gazing down at Zayn with so much warmth it made Zayn a little drunk. “Can I have your number, Leeyum?”

Liam giggled, he fucking giggled, and Zayn was already writing his vows.

“Yeah,” Liam said. “You definitely can.”