#The Kids: “AND WE'LL DO IT AGAIN TOO.”

[soaplickerrr]

HIIII so I was kinda think if u can write a mini Drabble on how Riki and reader snuck out to buy food at 3 am and ends up getting caught like a lot of fluff??

CAN I BE 💋 ANON????

Midnight Food Run

(i made reader a trainee, hope you don’t mind!)

Idol! Nishimura Riki / Niki x Trainee!Reader

It was 3 AM, and the whole dorm seemed eerily quiet.

All of the lights in every room were turned off except for the soft glow of your phone screen as you texted Niki.

You'd been wanting something warm, comforting, anything to just get you through the stress of your trainee life. And of course, Niki was always ready for an adventure.

–––

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" you whispered, barely audible, as you stood in the dim hallway of Enhypen’s dorm.

Your voice felt almost too loud in the silence. You glanced over at Niki, who was adjusting his baseball cap and tugging his hoodie over his head in a way that only made him look even more suspicious.

"Shhh, it's fine," Niki whispered back, his signature mischievous grin flashing in the dark. "Everybody's asleep. We'll be quick, a little ramen and some chips, and then back before anyone can notice."

You raised an eyebrow. Definitely not something you were supposed to be doing as a trainee, especially not in ENHYPEN's dorm.

Still, there was just something about being with Niki, escapism from the grind of your daily training, that made it worth it.

You knew it was a bad idea, but the temptation of late-night snacks, and being around Niki was too strong.

"Fine, but if we get caught, I swear I'm blaming you," you teased, putting on your hoodie.

"Deal," he said with a wink, already going for the door.

Both of you snuck out of the dorm, careful to be as quiet as possible.

You had pulled your hat low over your face, trying to hide as best you could, but even so, you couldn't help that thread of adrenaline sneaking around at this hour.

Being a trainee was exhausting, and moments like this felt almost like small acts of rebellion in a life that was constantly demanding discipline.

As you both headed towards the convenience store, neither could stop giggling at the ridiculousness of it all.

Niki, of course, that troublemaker, was reveling in this quiet chaos. You just hope no one catches onto what you‘re doing.

You both ran into the store like two kids finally set free for the first time.

Niki beelined for the ramyeon aisle, throwing a couple of flavors into his basket, while you grabbed a bag of spicy chips, your favorite late-night snack.

"I'm getting everything I can," Niki said, loading his basket up with a variety of junk food, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ramyeon, chips, maybe some rice cakes. Who knows when we'll get to eat again?"

You chuckled, shaking your head. "We really are a mess, huh?"

Just as you were about to leave, you heard the sound of a car driving up from outside. It wasn't a normal car, no. It had the logo of the HYBE staff vehicles (lets pretend those exist). Instantly, your stomach sank.

"No," Niki muttered under his breath, staring out the window with wide eyes. "No way… no, no, no."

It was too late. The door to the convenience store swung open and in walked one of the staff, precisely the one who always seemed to be checking up on ENHYPEN's schedule during off-hours. His eyes found their way to the both of you and for a moment, his body was rigid, eyes wide as he scanned the scene.

There you both were, standing in the middle of the snack aisle, looking like you got caught sneaking out of school.

Niki's hand froze mid-reach for another snack as he saw the staff member, and his face went instantly from smug excitement to sheepish guilt.

An eyebrow rose as the staff looked at you before turning to Niki, his lips curling upwards in a knowing smile.

"You two, huh? I should have known." He let out a little exasperated sigh. "What do you think you're doing?"

Niki hastily set the snacks down, turning to face the staff member with a sheepish grin. "Uh. Just getting some snacks?”

The staff member's eyes narrowed a bit, but an amusing concern bloomed on his face. "Niki, I get it. But you shouldn't be out here at this hour. And you," he turned his gaze to you, "You're a trainee. What are you doing sneaking into ENHYPEN's dorm at 3 AM?”

You froze, realizing the weight of what you had been found doing. "I, uh… was just hanging out with Niki…" you muttered, the sentence trailing off lamely. "We just… wanted to grab a snack…”

"You're not supposed to sneak into their dorms like this," the staff said sternly, though his voice lightened a little as he looked at you with concern. "Your debut is soon. You should be focusing on work, not running out at this hour with one of the members from a different group. If anybody finds out you’re sneaking out at night. It could cause problems."

Niki threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "I didn't force them to! We were just getting some food back late."

The staff gave him a pointed look. "You both know better. Now, go back to the dorm. You are going to get into trouble if you keep this up, especially you, Y/N. Don't let me catch you out here again."

You nodded hastily, feeling a little embarrassed yet somehow also amused at how caught you both were. "Yeah. Sorry. We'll head back right away."

The staff took one final, almost affectionate shake of his head. "You're lucky I'm letting you off easy. Just remember, focus on your training. The next few weeks are critical for you."

With that, he turned and walked away, forgetting what he came in for, leaving the two of you standing in the convenience store with your snacks in hand. Niki looked at you with a guilty and humored expression in his eyes.

"Well. that didn't go as planned," Niki said, trying to lighten the mood.

You couldn't help but laugh, a bit of relief flooding through you. "Yeah, no kidding. Guess we're going back to the dorm now."

"But what about this?" He whines, pointing at the ramyun and rice cakes you guys were planning to make in the store.

"Stop whining, let's pay and we'll make it in the dorm." You say, giggling at the way he rolls his eyes.

As you both came out of the convenience store and walked back in silence, you couldn't help but smile, despite everything.

That had been a minor victory, an act of rebellion in your otherwise rigid trainee life, and although you'd gotten caught, the thrill of sneaking out with Niki wasn't something that you would be forgetting anytime soon, however short it had been.

You both ran to the dorm as fast and quietly as possible so that you wouldn't cause an alarm to others.

You looked into each other's faces and silently promised that next time, you weren't going to get caught.

idk how to feel abt this :/

[themadauthorshatter]

Lucky through out Finding Frankie:

"Yeah, I'll play this game, I earned it."

"HOLY SHIT! ... Okay, BYE, BITCHES, I'M OUT!"

"The other contestants mysteriously died! Not sure how that happened! Oh well, at least you're still here!"

"Yaaaay, I love being surrounded by CORPSES."

"How many circuit breakers does one trampoline and water park NEED? If it's this many, can't I just WORK HERE? You guys get any new employees or are they also rabbit food?"

"(Hiding) please don't see through mesh. Please don't see through mesh. (Frankie leaves) Okay, so the floor is lava. Or just a no-go unless I want to die slowly and painfully."

"Made it! And no- WHAT THE SHIT!?(As Frankie crawls by) ... I'm getting that 5 mil. I'm buying this place, and setting it on fire with that abracadabra looking asshole inside."

"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY FROM ME! WHO PUTS LOGS ON THIS STEEP OF A SLOPE AND HAS A MAN EATING RABBIT CHASE YOU!? I THOUGHT THIS PLACE WAS ALSO DESIGNED FOR KIDS!?"

"Aw, ducky. (Gets pecked) FUCK YOU TOO. Gonna play nice or do I need to throw you again?"

(Encounters Henry)

"... Do I still want that 5 million? We'll, I can't have if I'm dead. ... Alright, away we go."

"WHY IS THERE NO LIGHT IN YOUR AREA!? WHY ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH A CARNIVOROUS RABBIT!? ... (Inhale) Okay. I can handle the giant man eating rabbit. I can handle Talking Telephone man that keeps trying to strangle me. I can handle the fucking duck. I can handle this stupid costume and the fact that I'm surrounding by decaying bodies in this hellhole. But I DRAW THE LINE AT FUCKING BUZZSAWS! WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS!?"

"... Really? You guys have an incinerator? So what's paying this place? All the circuit breakers or this incinerator?"

(Encounters Real Frankie)

"... what... What the fuck?"

(Sees Henry die)

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

(Gets help from Real Frankie)

"Thanks. Please don't tell me this will come back to bite me later."

"Again with the buzzsaws! In a WATER PARK! ... At least the circuit breaker won't get wet."

"Aw, noob noobs. (Explosions) Sorry, got a game to win and money to collect."

"Oh, hey, a chat board. ...'Boring?' I resent that. Raise the 10k to 30. I'm living and I'm going to buy this place and turn it into a hotel. Frankie's broke ass won't be able to stop me. ... Wait, did someone bring up lava?"

"Frankie's Frosted peak. Just get to the top. Easy. (Slime gets released). SCRATCH THAT! CHANGED MY MIND! I'M BURNING THIS PLACE!"

"I'm never using a buzzsaw again in my life."

"Hey, uh, Frankie, can you help me out? I'm... I'm stuck. (Gets shut it) ... Thanks a lot. Dick."

"STOP MESSING UP MY F*CKING GAME SHOW!"

"SO TRYING TO KILL ME WHEN I'VE ALREADY WON, BITCH!"

"NOOB NOOBS! Wait. OH, SHIT! NO!"

"Surprise, mother fucker. Give me my five million in cash."

"... (Sigh) Fine. *One more season.* But no buzzsaws, no slime, and no fucking corpses scattered all over the place like the Black Plague hit this place. We have an incinerator to play with."

[demigodsanswer]

Holiday fic/baby fic

Canon Percabeth in this one. They're about 28 or 29.

If Percy hadn't been there for their entire conception journey, he'd have bet that Annabeth timed her pregnancy to maximize "baby's first holiday" cheer. It had taken almost a year to conceive Sophie though, so her early August birthday, almost exactly in between their own birthdays, was just how it turned out.

But this meant Sophie was holding her head up by the time Annabeth wanted to put her in a pumpkin for Halloween (perfect for pictures), and she wasn't such a squishy newborn for the holiday card (again, perfect). Hell, by Valentines day she might even sleep through the night and let Mommy and Daddy enjoy their romantic holiday.

Annabeth had a real thing for the holidays. Growing up at camp without stable family traditions had turned her into an adult with bins and bins of decorations, and an iron will to throw every kind of party. New mom or not, she was determined to throw their New Years Eve party the same as every year.

Their daughter had spent the last two months in a series of rotating holiday-themed onesies and dresses. Today, she was in a candy cane printed onesie. She'd had a little red skirt on before, but now she was just in baby sweatpants. Her socks were lost somewhere between her stroller and the couch.

Sophie was attached to Annabeth's chest in a baby wrap, but facing out to look at the tree as Annabeth carefully placed ornaments. His daughter's eyes were wide and her chubby little hands outstretched trying to grab onto the glittery red ball Annabeth was holding up in front of her.

"We should get her some plastic ones to play with," Percy said, handing Sophie a wooden nutcracker ornament she probably couldn't break.

Annabeth kissed the top of her head. "She's trying to help," she said, bouncing slightly until Sophie cooed. "Yeah, you like our non-denominational holiday tree, baby?" Sophie made a little noise in response.

"How long before she starts talking?" Percy asked. He knew all the baby books said ten to eighteen months, but a kid who was half Annabeth was sure to start sooner.

"I started talking at about seven months," Annabeth said, "so maybe around then, or a little later. Or maybe she's just like every other baby, and that's okay too." This she said to Sophie, talking into the top of her head, which was covered in thin blonde curls. At a distance, she still looked bald as an egg.

As if to prove she was, in fact, not like every other baby, Sophie turned the kitchen sink on with a flick of her baby wrist. Percy turned it back off. Even at four months, bath time was already a war zone.

Annabeth laughed. "That's a very good trick, girlie," she said.

"We're in for it if she takes after me," Percy said with a smile of his own. But besides the occasional aquatic manipulation, his daughter was all Annabeth -- wide curious eyes, curly hair, and an ability to keep Percy wrapped around her finger. And absolutely perfect.

Sophie was a sign of everything they'd survived and gone through together; she was proof they were alive and grown. And as Annabeth hung an ornament that was a ceramic with an imprint of Sophie's hand, Percy couldn't help but smile to know she was going to grow up with so many signs that she was loved by both her parents all the time.

"No, we'll be lucky," Annabeth said, stepping closer to him to place a few more ornaments near his side.

Percy took the proximity as an opportunity to kiss his wife. Then he planted a kiss on Sophie's cheek with a loud mwah, pulling a giggle out of his baby. So he did it again, and got even more laughter. Sophie dropped the nutcracker to the floor and reached both her hands out, grabbing onto fistfuls of Percy's hair.

"Ow, ow, okay, okay," Percy said, carefully removing her hands.

"I think she's tired of me," Annabeth said, resting a hand under Sophie's bum as she undid the wrap. "Do you want to take her for a minute?"

It would probably be only a few minutes before Sophie reached back for Annabeth. Annabeth was her favorite person, except for maybe Grandma, and Percy had to agree.

But Percy happily took his daughter into his arms, holding her carefully as he let her face out towards the tree. He started pointing at ornaments he and Annabeth had collected together, and a few old hand-made ones from Estelle or his own childhood.

"Do you have a favorite?" He asked her. Sophie responded by reaching out for the large -- "olives, really?" It was a glass ornament that looked like three olives on a skewer for a martini. Percy had bought it for Annabeth a few years ago when he'd found spotted it in a random Christmas shop window. "You don't even know what olives taste like."

"Maybe it comes through in the breast milk?" Annabeth suggested from the other side of the tree. Annabeth did have a horrifying addiction to them. It'd even made it into his wedding vows, that he'd always get pizza with half olive half pepperoni.

"She still wouldn't know what an olive is. Unless she thinks those are boobs," Percy said.

"She's smart, she could figure it out," Annabeth said.

"Did you see Mommy eating those?" Percy asked. Sophie wiggled at the sound of mommy, and started looking around for Annabeth.

"I think my time is up," Percy said, as Sophie's coos started to get louder and more demanding.

"She might be hungry," Annabeth suggested, poking her head around the tree. "Do you want to feed her?"

"I'll give it a shot," Percy said, lifting his shirt up.

Annabeth laughed and pulled his shirt back down. "We've got some bottles," she said.

"Are you sure?" Percy asked, heading to the kitchen. Usually whatever she pumped they needed to save for during the day when Sophie was with Fred or Sally. Percy only got to feed her when he got up with her in the middle of the night, and even that was becoming less frequent as she got bigger. But it was one of his favorite parts so far.

"Oh yeah," Annabeth assured him. "I'm pretty locked into this."

Percy prepped the bottle and sat on the couch, and watched Annabeth rearrange ornaments until they had the perfect flow and balance. Percy cradled Sophie carefully as she took the bottle.

"Was that it? Were you hungry?" Percy asked her.

"That's almost always why she reaches for me," Annabeth said.

"No, I think you're really just her favorite."

"Impossible, she's a total Daddy's girl."

"Oh please, she's obsessed with you."

"I'm the food."

"And I'm just the bottle guy," Percy said, nodding his head down toward the bottle.

"No, you're the fun, silly one," Annabeth said, stepping back to examine the tree with an extremely serious look on her face. Percy was pretty sure she was doing that on purpose, so that he couldn't push back with a simple you're silly and fun too.

Sophie, of course, didn't chime in.

"I love to tell you this gorgeous," Percy said, "she loves you so, so much. Because you're the best mom in the whole world." Percy looked down at Sophie, who was still eating away. "Can you say 'she's the best Mommy in the whole world?'"

Sophie stopped drinking and pulled away from the bottle. For a second, Percy thought she might just start talking.

But she just started to cry. Percy heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. She truly had his skill for disrupting the plumbing.

"Ah, burping time?" he asked her as he sat her up. She responded by spitting up into his lap before he could find a burp cloth.

"Here," Annabeth said, appearing at his side, cloth in hand in a moment. She cleaned Sophie's face first, before just laying it over the slash zone on his pants as he kept patting her back.

"You mean it?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, was definitely time for a burp," he said.

"No, that I'm good at this?" Her eyes were on their daughter.

Percy leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Of course," he promised.

"You're such a good dad too," she promised, before kissing his cheek. He'd started growing a beard when she got pregnant, and it seemed to be a crowd pleaser, so it had stuck around long past the birth. The crowd, of course, was Annabeth.

Percy smiled. "Well! It's easy to be a good dad to such a perfect little baby," he said. He lifted Sophie up under her arms as he leaned back on the couch. He held her up, almost like Simba, but so that she was looking at him.

Sophie decided then that she wasn't quite done spitting up what she'd ate. A good bit of her bottle ended up on Percy's chin then into his beard and onto his shirt.

Annabeth laughed. "Alright, bath time for both of you, I think," she said, taking Sophie from him, so he could compose himself.

The shower turned on.

Annabeth looked at him wide-eyed, then to the baby in her arms.

"I did that," Percy confirmed.

Annabeth sighed. "Oh thank the gods. I'm not ready for her to really understand words yet."

"She probably already does," Percy said, wiping his beard with his sleeve. "Her big brain is like a sponge."

Annabeth nodded, before resting Sophie over her shoulder. "I love you," she said to both of them. He saw tears well up in her eyes. "Baby's first Yule!" Annabeth said.

"It'll be perfect," Percy promised, before standing. He wanted to kiss her, but his beard was all milky and his spit-up-on pants were starting to stick to him.

[myown-worstenemy-2003]

Play It Again, Play It Again, Play It Again

A/N: Part two of the mini-series! As always I hope you enjoy it as much I did writing it! I love seeing feedback! And feel free to request something! Let me know any feedback that you have! If you feel up to it send me a request and I will do my best to give it justice!

Summary: You're invited to a party by one of your new friends. Let's see how the night ends.

Word Count: 1963

It had been a couple of months since you had broke things off with Billy. Since that you've kind of tried to keep to yourself but everyone needs someone to talk to, especially to make it around here.

What made it better was that you met a couple of mothers when you would pick up Rhiannon from daycare, and started your own friend group. All of them were around your age and their kids were already playing with Rhiannon during daycare anyway. Nancy had a brown-eyed shaggy-haired boy named Theodore. Piper had a little curly-head girl named Rosemary. And then there is Robin, she doesn't have any children but she comes and picks up Theo or Rosie every now and then, even both sometimes.

It was nice that you and Rhiannon had some friends in town finally. Especially Rhiannon, you didn't want her to be lonely.

But at this particular moment you weren't sure if you were happy that you had friends anymore.

"Come on (Y/N)! You never leave the house unless it's work or taking Rhiannon somewhere! You need to have fun sometimes!" Robin tried to convince you.

"Yeah, I'm sure I can tell you what you do everyday. Get up, get Rhi and you ready, take her to daycare, go to work, pick up Rhi, have dinner and then go to bed," Nancy said watching the kids play on the playground.

You sigh, because she was right. You don't do anything fun that doesn't surround Rhiannon.

"Who's gonna watch Rhi though? I can't really afford a babysitter right now. I can barely afford daycare as it is."

"Piper's mom is going to watch the kids, I'm sure she won't mind watching Rhiannon," Nancy suggested and Piper nodded.

"I don't know guys," you hesitated, parties have never been your thing. The last time you were at a party that's when Rhiannon was conceived and here you are.

"(Y/N), you are 24. We are never gonna be this young ever again. Just this once and if you don't like it, you can leave and we'll never ask again," Piper chimes in, sitting on the bench next to you with a book on her lap that she hasn't touch since she got here, "We all need to let loose every once and a while."

The girls nodded, you groaned, "Fine. I'll go but only for two hours. That's it."

"That'll work! You'll have fun, I promise!" Robin said excitedly.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You were on your way to the party. Riding with a friend from work. Dressed in something more warm and comfortable than it was cute since #1 it was October and it was cold during the nights; #2 you weren't really looking for anything right now since your thing since Billy. You were just there to hang out with friends and maybe meet some new people.

As you approached you noticed that there were a lot of trucks and some haybales, and everyone else was parked on the other side of the road. You didn't even think about bringing your own chair. You figured that there was going to be enough going on that you might not need it. But past you was too ambitions compared to present you so was full of nervous at the moment.

How the hell did you do this when you were in college?

Jessica put the car into park and got out and you followed suit.

"Hey I'll see you around? Around 1?" Jessica said with a smile. You nodded and smiled back.

You stood outside of the car for a second to catch your breath.

"It's all good. Everything will be okay. Just three hours. Yeah, only three hours and then you can go home," you hyped yourself up. You brushed yourself off (like you had dirt on you) and headed toward the crowd of people gathering around the bonfire.

"There she is! I wasn't sure you were going to show!" Robin said as she walked up to you and hugged you, "Here's the rest of the gang for you to meet!"

"Everyone this is (Y/N)! Be on your best behavior!" she said, jokingly, you heard some laughing and a, 'Booooo'.

"This here is Vickie, she's my girl," Robin introduced you to a ginger with freckles. You shook her hand, "Nice to meet ya."

"You know Nancy," Robin said and you hugged her as she came up. There was a nervous looking man behind her with brown hair, Robin said, "This is her husband, Jonathan. Theo looks like him."

"I can see it," you smiled and shook his hand too. Piper came up next, "I'm so glad that you made it! We want you to have fun too."

"Thanks, it's good so far," you smiled.

"Oh yeah!" she said, she turned to look behind her, "This is my husband, Eddie. It's where Rosie gets the curly hair from."

"Hey there, I'm Eddie, like she said, nice to meet you," Eddie said, he had long wild curly hair with a denim vest over his leather jacket.

"I like your pins. Iron Maiden is the best," you said as you looked at his pins.

Eddie literally beamed, "Thank you! I collect them from music stores. These are my favorites."

"Really cool!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Dude, have you met (Y/N)? She's awesome!" Eddie said to Steve.

"Is this another fantasy person that I'm supposed to learn?" Steve asked. Eddie looked at him with a weird face, "No, she's real man. She's friends with Piper and the others. She over there."

Eddie pointed to where a girl was sitting by herself on the tailgate of Piper's truck. Her legs swinging as she watched the fire crackle.

"She's got to have a boyfriend here. No way that she doesn't," Steve said, looking around for someone that was looking for her, "Is she Joe's girlfriend?"

"No man, Piper said that she's single. Not really looking for anything at the moment, just new friends," Eddie explained, "Buuuuut...you should try and make more than friends."

"I can make friends with her," Steve nodded and walked toward you.

"Good job babe," Piper said as she came up next to Eddie and fist bumped him and watched what was about to happen.

Steve walked up, "Hey, this seat taken?"

You looked over to the new voice.

Not going to lie, he's pretty cute.

You smiled, "Not at all," you slid over to make sure that he has enough room to sit.

"My name's Steve," he said as he sat down, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Nice to meet you, I'm (Y/N)," you said smiling.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

God how am I already falling in love with this woman already?

"Honestly, I love new wave music! The Cure is probably my favorite from the bunch as of right now, but that changes from month to month," you said, talking to Steve.

You've been talking to Steve for what felt ten minutes but it's actually been hour. You could do this all night.

"You know, I think that-" Steve started but then a familiar song came on the speakers and you're eyes lit up, and you jumped off the tailgate, cutting him off.

"This is my song! I've been listenin' to the radio all night long, hopin' that it would come on and here it is!"

You hold out your hand, "C'mon, come dance with me."

Before Steve could say anything, you grabbed his hand and dragged him up. He tried keeping up with you but he was too distracted by you to keep up. You had a carefree smile on your face and your body was moving in ways that was very bad for his groin area in public.

As the song came to an end, you kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you for dancin' with me."

"Play it again!" Steve yelled to see if someone could rewind the tape and start it over again so he could gain the courage to ask you out.

You smiled and yelled, "Play it again! Play it again!"

You both laughed and then heard the next song play, looking at each other almost in a trance.

"I-" Steve started to say but you looked down at your watch, "I had a lot of fun tonight Steve but I'm afraid that I have to go."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, not really wanting you to leave just yet but understanding.

"Yeah, I gotta check on my-" you hesitated, "my pet. She's not used to being alone this late."

"I understand. Let me walk you to your car?" Steve offered.

"I actually rode here with one of my coworkers. So I guess I need to find her."

"I'll help you, who is it?"

"Jessica Cooley," you answered starting to look around for her.

"Jessica? She left already. Left with Matt Hargrave about an hour ago."

"What? You're kiddin'. I guess I'll ask someone else for a ride," you said a little upset.

"I can take you home," Steve offered, really hoping that you would take him up on the offer.

"Are you sure? I don't want to burden you. I can just have Piper or someone take me home," you said hesitant because you didn't know him, but you had a feeling that you could trust him.

"I'm sure. Come on, let's get you home."

You smiled, "Okay thank you."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You were looking out the window, thinking about something to start a conversation but you couldn't think of anything that wouldn't be considered small talk or just bad in general.

That was when Steve turned on the radio and you started singing along to (I've Had) The Time Of My Life.

It didn't take too long to get to your house, maybe three songs if you remember correctly, but for some reason it felt like it was taking a little longer than usual. And you weren't upset by it at all. It had been five songs already and you sang along to every song that had came on the radio.

But it was only when you getting ready to pull on your street was when Steve started to scan the radio, almost frantically.

"This is me," you said and Steve pulled into the driveway and put the car in park.

"Thank you for the ride home, I really appreciate it. I don't have cash on me right now, but I can run in and get some for gas?"

"It's no trouble at all. I don't want money. But if you really want to pay me back, let me take you out on a date?" Steve asked wearing a charming but hopeful smile on his face.

You smiled, "I would like that."

He smiled, "Sounds great, how Friday? Dinner and a movie?"

You nodded your head, "I would love that."

"Cool, let me walk you to the do-," Steve said and just as he said that, your song came on the radio.

"No way! There is no way that this song would play twice in one night!" you exclaimed excitedly.

"Come dance with," you said as you got out of the car. He followed you and started dancing in the headlights.

It was like straight out of a movie. Everything was perfect, the lights, the song, the weather, and you.

As the song started to fade out, you got caught up in the passion of dancing and the feeling of it, you kissed Steve.

It was just like everything else, the kiss was perfect.

When you broke the kiss he looked at you and said, "I'm gonna call the DJ right now and get that song played again right now."

You threw your head back laughing, "Goodnight Steve, thank you for the perfect night."

He smiled, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

[caterinastudio]

And in return, you keep me sane. It's all about the balance here. Into our 90s? You've got high hopes for us there and I love it. We'll be those old people yelling about back in my day. The kids are going to love it. I'm sure. Tell them to get off our lawns, too. You do deserve better, Kat. I'm glad that you know this. People shouldn't play with your emotions like that. It has been questionable in the past, yes but it's good now. Bradley is... well, he's great. And you're going to see that one day. I still have faith in that. He does so much for me, and the kids. He loves me, and I love him. So I can't wait for you to be friends again.

That is true, I don't know how I would even function without the two of you. You keep me sane. That's a good thing, because you'll never rid of us both. The three of us will be causing chaos and getting wine drunk stull in our 90s. TMI doesn't exist when it comes to me, I won't ever tell you to shut up. After the shit that went down with a certain brunette, maybe I do need a wing woman. Because I'm not entertaining her anymore. I'm too old to be playing games like that, I deserve better. She clearly doesn't want me and so I'm not bothering. Oh I've definitely seen some questionable ones, but honestly they boost my ego a little bit, so I'm not complaining. I'm going to hold your hand when I say that Cat, but your choice in men is questionable.

[shipstorms]

more modern AU

Halfway through the episode, there’s a faint beep of a keycard and the door clicks open. Gale turns down the volume and stands up just as someone appears past the corner with a single duffel slung over his shoulder.

"Gale! Holy shit!" Bucky greets loudly, dropping the duffel onto the bed and pulling Gale into a hearty hug. All the action coalesces into a big blur, but he's solid and warm, the first person Gale's touched so closely in months.

"Hey there," he manages, face held tight against the ribbed collar of Bucky's t-shirt. 

Bucky smells like everything comforting: clean laundry, low-profile deodorant, a freshly sparked flint. And it has to be Bucky -- who else would have a keycard to the room? -- but Gale is just about knocked sideways by the sheer physical presence of him. Back then in Afghanistan, on truckloads of ephedra pills, Bucky had almost been thinner than even Gale. The person who stands before him now is hulking, both taller and broader than that rangy kid. Even his voice has thickened up rough with whatever he's been sucking through his lungs for the past few years. Which, judging by the Marlboros peeking out of his shirt pocket and Parliaments tossed onto the dresser, has been varied and plentiful. 

It takes a second to overwrite his memory of Bucky with this current iteration, and another second to react. He pats at Bucky's back, then drops his arms when Bucky grabs him by the shoulders and pushes them apart so they can look at each other. 

"Been awhile, huh? How've you been?" Bucky shakes him a bit. His expression is familiar, open and happy, the kind of smile that doesn't have to be earned, and all his other features fall into place around it. 

"John," Gale says. Even to his own ears, he sounds genuinely delighted. "You grew up."

Bucky laughs. "Pretty sure I was grown back then, but I know what you mean. You too, Buck. You look good."

Gale is about to say, not as much as you, or nah, not me, but maybe that would seem like he's too fascinated with this transformation. So he doesn't. 

"Do I still look psyops good?" he asks instead. 

He can spot the moment Bucky processes this reference and connects it to the correct memory. "Even more so," he confirms, eyes crinkling up with another wide grin. "They need to start putting this mug on recruitment brochures, I've been saying that for years."

He gives Gale a final squeeze before turning too soon to unpack his bag. A wrinkled suit emerges, followed by a dopp kit. "Can you believe Croz is getting married?" he asks with his back toward Gale. 

"Half the guys at Bagram got hitched before they even deployed," Gale points out, distracted, studying how Bucky's hair is still shorn down close, tapering to a dark point on his nape. The paleness of his upper arms peeks past his sleeves when he stretches out to toss a charging cord onto the pillow. 

"Love," he crows. "What a beautiful journey."

He heads over to the bathroom, hanging his suit on the door hook and emptying his kit by the sounds of it. "We got like an hour, right? Do you mind if I shower? Need to get some steam going to unwrinkle this thing." 

"Go ahead," Gale calls back. 

"We'll catch up after!" Bucky hollers.

The door shuts and the water turns on. Gale punches the TV volume back up, though he's already forgotten what myth they were busting in the first place. Something on screen gets smashed with a hydraulic press before exploding and he watches vacantly. Finds himself thinking again about how much Bucky has changed; marveling at it, almost, that this man had somehow burst forth from that cocky little grunt, sharp-chinned and dwarfed under his helmet, turning to face him in the dark the first night they'd met. The image is still clear in Gale's mind, revealing itself as a core memory that's been lodged in there this entire time without his knowledge or permission.

Gale rubs at his eye, tries to override it with the static of pressure, but it doesn't do any good. The real thing is right on the other side of that wall.

[swan2swan]

I like how this transition is basically

[b4kuch1n]

fanciful stories (you're way too good at this)

(that's not what it's about. being good at it)

[mylifesascarymovie]

@ofdetectiveseeking

{My eyes shifted into a roll as I heard his quippy response} I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Something told me I wouldn't make it far though, so I was lying here mulling over a smarter escape plan. {I shared honestly. Either way though, I knew me leaving via the hospital room door wasn't an option since I had police guarding the door. Among them, I guessed Mark was waiting out there too since he was likely anticipating my escape. He'd no doubt scold me as he promptly escorted me back here to the hospital bed, so it would be a waste of energy, as far as I could see} I'm surprised you're still here. I figured you would have left by now. {I didn't actually think that. In my gut, I had a feeling he wouldn't be far from me because in spite of his anger toward me, he still wanted to protect me. He loved me, so my assumption made sense. Then again, considering how he left here, I wondered if any hope I had that he might still love me was long gone. Glad to know I was wrong in that fear} For the record, I'm glad you're still here... That means even though you hate me currently, a part of you might still care, all at the same time. {I was taking a risk here. Mark was angry, but the thing was, if we couldn't be ourselves around each other, there really would be zero hope for us; now or down the line either} Or you just missed the Ghost Face drama so much that you're itching to find and stop him. {That part I meant more in a playful way. Not that Ghost Face was a joking manner, by any means, but what I meant by that was more so along the lines of irony, because nobody would miss the Ghost Face drama. Flashing Mark an amused grin so he knew I had been kidding at that last statement} Do you think it will ever stop? The Ghost Face drama? I'm starting to think we'll never have normalcy in our lives because another psycho will come along and pick up the mantle. {My head shaking in obvious frustration. I guess just trying to have a normal, honest conversation with Mark now about how I felt over the fact that my life was a never-ending scary movie... Or at least that's how it felt}

@ofdetectiveseeking

{My life... It was like its own live action horror movie. For awhile, each year it was a new form of horror. First my mother's death, then on the one-year anniversary of my mother's death, my psychotic boyfriend Billy and his demented best friend, Stu went on a murdering spree through the town of Woodsboro; intending to tie off their Ghost Face killing spree by slaying me and pinning it all on my father. For their parts, they came close to pulling off their plan. Fortunately for me and my father both, Gale Weathers stepped up and saved the day. Gratitude toward Gale Weathers was honestly not something I ever thought I would be expressing, since I recall once saying we'd all be better off without Gale Weathers in our lives, but at that moment, I was relieved to be proven wrong. Just when I thought my life could go back to normal, or at least some semblance of normalcy, I should say, I went off to college; only to be haunted by a new Ghost Face... A few years later there was another killer. It was like a never ending cycle of Ghost Face horror. Long story short, I had nearly given up on having a normal life altogether. I even gave dating another chance... Something I had avoided after my first boyfriend turned out to be a murdering psychopath, and then the next boyfriend was murdered by a new Ghost Face; leaving me to the unsettling realization that anyone who comes into my life is destined for death. I couldn't put anyone else through that, so although I did date Mark briefly after my half brother was unmasked as the last Ghost Face, I couldn't get past the risk I knew I would be putting on him, simply by him being in my life, so I ultimately ended it, moved away, and focused on making a life for myself that kept the people I loved at a safe distance from me. Again though, and just like everything else in my life, that goal also didn't go as planned. Well, it did for several years... Long enough for me to write a book, get it published, and ultimately bringing it to the present where I was starting my book tour. No surprise, the tour began in Woodsboro, which made sense, given my book was based on my horror story of a life, but the thought of returning to Woodsboro literally made me sick inside. For good reason, it would seem, since I no sooner returned to Woodsboro to start the tour, when the new string of murders started happening. The new Ghost Face was just as predictable as the last. Go after people I care about first, to eventually get to me when they believed I was at my weakest point. They went for my aunt and cousin first, but that plan got foiled when I stopped them. Grant it, they stabbed me and then pushed me out of a second-story window, but the good news was, my aunt and cousin were safe, for now. In normal Ghost Face fashion, they managed to get away before Dewey and the police arrived on scene, but at least Ghost Face was stopped before they could murder someone else I cared about. I thought to myself as I laid in pain on the ground; feeling lightness in my head from the combination of pain and the loss of blood. Not my first stabbing or injury though, so I knew the sooner the hospital patches me up and doses me with some pain meds, I'd get back here to join Dewey and Gale on the quest to unmask the newest installment of Ghost Face. Moments passing as Dewey and Gale came into view to help me, and then the EMT's rushing over shortly thereafter to assess the severity of my injuries. As they worked on me in preparation for transport to the hospital, I found myself more determined than ever to figure out who the new Ghost Face is} "Don't worry, Sid. We'll find him." {Dewey said as he gave my hand a squeeze just before the EMT's loaded me into the ambulance; knowing the sooner I get in and out of the hospital, the sooner we could stop this asshole. I just hoped it was before Ghost Face could hurt or kill anyone else}

[paris-geller-was-straightwashed]

disney is a coward so I know they'll never do this, but given what we learned was SUPPOSE to happen between alex and stevie, I would still love a post-eloping for the reboot.

like just imagine alex and stevie as the Cool Gay Aunts(tm) for justin's kids (+ billie). they show up for the holidays and totally shower the kids with magical gifts, including a baby dragon for the boys (which does end up setting fire to their parents bed sheets). milo shows off a magic trick to his friends, using alex (since billie's not allowed to) sneakily casting spells from the bushes so the card really does dissapear from his hand, leaving his friends cheering (stevie smiling but refusing to admit to alex how cute is it). stevie has a motorcycle (which alex thinks is super hot but also refuses to admit) and while the kids aren't old enough for a ride, she does let them sit on it and rev the handles nice and loud while justin panics from the porch. they team up with all three kids to pull pranks on justin and even sometimes get giana in on a few harmless ones. maybe alex even uses her role on the tribunal to get stevie's records cleared, and they both start to advocate for a more fair way of distributing magic between families.

and billie could have an extra adult at her side! I know justin is suppose to fill the pseudo-dad role, but while billie spends her time with the russo's, also gets to spend her summers or whatever with her two cool wizard aunts. they encourage her to keep up with her studies but for the most part they just chill, letting billie indulge in a few sweets (knowing how health-conscious justin has forced his family to be) and sometimes in a pg-13 movie together. when she's there however, the house does turn into a prank war; guests are to be extremely careful when entering and encouraged to bring a separate pair of clothes.

I dunno it would just be super cool; alex and stevie reunited and I think the kids would love her too - plus watching their aunt who's always acted so aloof get all smiley and whatnot and I'm just imagining a scenario with alex and the kids like:

billie: why does stevie call you babygirl

alex: hey who wants to play the quiet game!!

[safyresky]

How long is the wait before you have to Kribble Krabble???

Cuz like. We've no idea how long B-Man was head elf, right? We know that he was for SURE head elf for Scott for 8 years at least. And we KNOW he's been there for a HAUTE MINUTE given the photo he has with Mad Santa, okay? So HUNDREDS of years, then about 8 for Scott.

Then Curtis takes over and we know he's been head elf for like, at LEAST that year (given how he says "fyi I'm head elf NOW" to Jack, and Santa comments frequently enough on how Curtis needs to get his head in the game (wildcats!) bc he's head elf now), right? Then literal DECADES pass and we KNOW in that interim, Curtis explodes but then doesn't and goes on kribble krabble instead, right?

Okay. So like. Betty has deffs been there for a HAUTE MINUTE. I don't think there's ANY comment on how/when she started. So we can assume Betty has been there for DECADES at least if the whole Escape Clause debacle had Curtis exploding his way to Kribble Krabble.

Now I THINK she mentions she deferred it a bunch, or SOMEONE mentions she did. So like. Okay. We can deffer a Kribble Krabble. Cool! But how long did she do that for? How long did B-MAN do that for?

Moving on!

So Betty finally goes on Kribble Krabble, and then a year later Noel goes with her on his (their) Kribble Krabble so basically, WHEN DOES THE KRIBBLE KRABBLE TAKE EFFECT? BECAUSE THIS IS VERY MUCH GIVING

[girlthativealwaysbeen]

i think growing up is just life repeatedly sucker punching you and saying bitch you thought things were gonna better lmao no you're so naive and stupid for having hope in 20 years the world will be flaming bag of garbage and no matter how hard you work you'll get eliminated at some point

[moltage]

Skipper mentions Deutschmarks twice, was he ever involved with the Germans or is it the only currency he knows, i guess we'll never know

[ak4rin]

on another note, the local manganime / comics / games convention will begin at the end of the month and guess who i'm going to cosplay as ( yes you got it right, it's miss manager barbie herself )

[loumauve]

I snapped today at work, and by snapped I mean I politely commented on a help desk ticket by summing up an mess of an (type of) issue that's come up for at least the fourth time in the 2+ months I've been managing user accounts, and asked the person responsible to fix it (himself for once) because last time I fixed his mess-up it took me two whole days to work out the details with at least four other colleagues from different departments and I really don't want to do it again. there's other shit that needs doing, I've been working 10+ hour days for most of this week already, so I need to cut down not add on more.

(good thing tho - at least we managed to fix the issue where the dataset of a newer employee got mixed up with another one of the same name and therefore wasn't able to apply for any of the access/accounts she needed. technically not entirely my area but it does impact us not being allowed to create an account for her so I figured I might as well track that issue down. took three days and at least three other people, but hey - it should all work out now. yay for that)

[ends-of-the-wayward-storm]

So I'm watching translations of the Diasomnia chapter on YouTube (no spoilers, please) and while things are progressing, I'm over here thinking about my other TWST OC and her close relationship with Malleus and basically going "things just got very complicated."😖