#US trip recap

[ocean-anchored]

September 15, 2023 - US Trip Recap

I'm mentally exhausted today so I'm going to try to push information out. Landed last night in Denver, CO, got a shuttle to our car rental where we got a brand new Jeep Wrangler which is very nice. Drove to check into our hotel (La Quinta) in Louisville and had dinner at DJs Watering hole where we had some good BBQ. Late night back. Didn't get much time to talk to Zack, barley saw him for a min before my flight, got 3 minutes before we went for dinner and barley 5 minutes when I got back. This morning - barley talked to Zack, he actually wasn't great to talk to this morning, within 1 minute he wanted to call me later which he knew after I said I only had about 10 minutes to talk before i was gone the whole day he said someone was jumping in his truck and he wouldn't be able to talk, he left our FT open so I went to get ready & then basically was calling out to me that he was going to go if I wasn't going to talk to him?? Hung up in anger and frustration cause he said "what do you want from me" & i was trying to say just a couple mins of your time before I don't get to talk to you & he cut me off saying he needed to go so that was fun. Today was amazing, went to Dr. Casara's location. Had multiple speakers included Ed teaching the Courage 3-2-1 technique. Casara talked about the vision and we discussed what tomorrow will look like. Tim from a non profit that I'll have to get the name of came and talked about his story which was incredibly moving, teared up, talked about all the death in his life and how it was different PTSD vs soul trauma? I can't remember the word he used, Im too tired but how they're different and how with the soul it closes you off and runs deeper and ultimately will kill you if you don't get help. It was really eye opening and incredible to hear. We did some team building workshop with cards that was really great as well. Overall a great day, met melissa spencer as well who was super sweet. It was really nice to connect with them on those levels. Went to target and then to Ihop for dinner. Back at the hotel and just finished work.

[louisgoldenhour]

worst fucking 24 hours of my life

[phjlavtia]

uhhhh its 5am im supposed to spend the whole morning out w my family tmr..........goodnight brain

[musingsofahufflepuff]

Just to Stop the Feeling

bi!Theodore Nott x m!reader; angst & fluff

summary: in the wake of his mother’s death and his father’s ever increasing expectations of him, Theodore finds love in a place he never would have expected

a/n: a year in the making and this might be the gayest thing i’ve ever written. big shout out to @suugarbabe for listening to me yap about this for weeks, the anon who requested this, and everyone who’s been supporting me the past year. here's 6.2k words of bi awakening, enjoy ♡

The Great Hall was loud, too loud if you asked Theodore. The Sytherin was sat at his house table, head propped up on one hand as his friends chattered around him. The sorting ceremony had just wrapped up which meant everyone in the Hall was catching up about their summers. Theo thought back to just a couple days ago, the oppressive silence that haunted the Nott Manor in stark contrast to just how lively and crowded it was now. His father was rarely in common spaces nowadays, thank Merlin, but that left Theo to stalk around the Manor much like the ghosts floating above him now. If only it was as interesting an existence as Sir Nicholas or even Peeves. Not even a poorly rolled cigarette in the garden brought much enjoyment to him these days.

“Theo! Are you with us mate?”

His eyes drag up to meet the inquisitive look on Enzo’s face. He hums in acknowledgement.

“We’ve been talking to you for the past five minutes.” Theo takes the cue to look around and see the group looking at him, some in amusement and some—Mattheo specifically, though he tries to hide it—with concern.

He slips on his signature lazy half smirk with minimal effort, rehearsed and perfected. “Tired from the train, what did I miss?”

Enzo perks up and launches them back into conversation, Mattheo visibly relaxing in his peripheral. Arm still supporting his head, he jokes and laughs and nods along to everyone recapping their summer breaks, feeling hollow.

The Slytherin common room wasn’t cozy in the traditional sense, with its cool lighting and excess of stone architecture, but Theo found it comforting nonetheless. He was sitting on one of the leather couches in front of the fireplace, this time only in the company of Mattheo and Draco.

Cool leather against his skin contrasted nicely with the heat of the fire, the familiar voices of his friends putting his soul at ease for the first time in months. He loosely kept up with what they were talking about, his mind simultaneously wandering to thoughts about the new term. Evidently, Draco and Mattheo were on the same wavelength as the topic shifted to Hogwarts and—much to Theo’s dismay—girls. “So Nott, got your eye on anyone this year?”

Theo rolled his head against the back of the couch to face Draco, that smirk back on his face. “Eh, hadn’t thought about it too much. I know Pansy has hers on you, Malfoy.”

The blond scoffs, “as if I wasn’t aware.”

“Like a predator on prey,” Mattheo cracks, smile evident in his voice. Theo allows himself to chuckle as Draco looks at them helplessly. Theo feels Matt’s elbow nudge at his side. “Too bad it isn’t Granger looking at him that way.”

A pillow flies past Theo’s head and smacks the boy next to him square in the face. Mattheo dramatically falls back onto the couch before erupting into laughter.

“Too bad you aren’t a beater, huh Malfoy?” Theo quips, quickly putting up his hands to potentially block another projectile pillow.

Draco just groans, “I’m going to bed.”

The first month of classes flies by fairly quickly, everyone falling into their usual rhythm. Quidditch practices a few times a week, late nights smoking in the astronomy tower and the odd party here and there. Theo is itching to get off the castle grounds.

That’s why he jumped at the opportunity to go when Enzo asked the group for company on his shopping trip that Saturday morning. Theodore loved Hogsmeade in the fall. The shops would put up festive decorations and the entire atmosphere of the small village grew extra cozy.

With a Slytherin scarf loosely draped over his shoulders and Butterbeer on the brain, he met his group of friends at the beginning of the path to Hogsmeade.

The breeze was comfortable as they walked through the village, stopping every couple of shops to peruse the new inventory. They finally make their way to the Three Broomsticks, finding a table for the group.

Theo groans as he gets voted to go up to the bar for drinks. Sitting at one of the stools is a guy in scarf showing off a badger emblem. As he gets closer, he realizes he vaguely recognizes the Hufflepuff. Theo settles himself down on the stool next to him, causing the guy to look over.

He has a quizzical expression on his face, eyes lighting up as he figures out who he’s looking at, “You’re Nott, right? I think we have a couple classes together.”

His heart thumps a little harder at his name on the boy’s lips. The boy in front of him tilts his head when Theo doesn’t respond, reminding him to give a quick nod.

The Hufflepuff’s lips tug up into a small smile as he offers up his name.

Theo blinks a couple times and stammers out something about seeing the guy around sometime before he’s speed walking back to the table, no drinks in hand.

“Whoa, who got Nott blushing?”

Theo furrows his brows together in confusion, a hand coming up to his face. And sure enough, heat was radiating off his cheeks.

“Never mind that, Theo! Where’s the butterbeer?”

Monday morning Theo is sitting in History of Magic before class starts, getting ready for an hour of boredom, when books hitting the desk with a thud catches his attention. He’s startled to see you, the Hufflepuff boy from the Three Broomsticks, standing there already looking at him.

“Mind if I sit here?”

Theo nods, feeling like an idiot. Why was this Hufflepuff boy able to completely shut off his ability to speak, let alone think?

That bright smile is back on your face as you take the seat next to him. And his heart flutters.

“So glad this is the last year of having to put up with Binns and his masterclass story telling,” he can practically feel the sarcasm dripping from your voice and finds himself cracking a smile. An actual smile, not the smirk he usually puts on.

“I know, it’s a wonder anyone manages to stay awake.”

You gesture to the travel mug in your hands, “gotta keep at least a bit of caffeine on me for emergencies. One of my muggle-born friends gave me something called an energy drink? It’s…a lot, to be quite honest.”

Theo huffs a laugh, “energy drink? You’d be better off with some espresso than whatever muggles put in those things.”

You give a contemplative nod, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Before he can figure out something else to say, to keep existing in the surprising warmth of conversation with you, Binns is starting up his monotone ramble. Theo feels his heart sink as you look away from him to at least make an attempt to pay attention. He silently looks through his textbook, trying to ignore the weird sensation in his chest.

“Hey Theo, wanna come to the Astronomy Tower tonight?” Mattheo’s voice comes from behind where he’s sat in the common room the next evening after dinner.

He pulls his nose out of the book he was buried in as he thinks it over. It had been a while since he’d had a proper smoke with the lads, and he didn’t need to ask to know that’s what Mattheo had in mind. It doesn’t take long for him to set his book down on the table with a nod, “yeah, sure.”

As he turns around to face him, he sees Enzo right behind the other boy, grinning with a thumbs up. The look on his face makes Theo debate changing his mind, but he walks out of the common room with the pair anyway. 

The walk up to the Astronomy Tower is long and filled with so many stairs that Theo is very quickly reminded why he doesn’t bother coming up here as often as he thinks he’d like to. Enzo and Mattheo walk slightly in front of him, talking about something Theo doesn’t really bother to listen in on, Quidditch perhaps? How those two don’t run out of things to talk about, he’ll never know. He’s so lost in thought he barely notices the last two flights of stairs to the top and he’s suddenly hit with the cool air of early fall. He’s also suddenly aware that Mattheo and Enzo are no longer talking, but instead looking at him. He blinks.

“Huh?”

“Told ya he’s just been on a different planet lately,” Enzo quips, nudging Mattheo with his elbow. Mattheo nods in agreement but doesn’t comment on it, instead repeating his question, “I said do ya got your own smokes or are you taking one off me? Cause if you are, we’re fucked. I’m out.”

Theo isn’t surprised in the slightest, “is that why you invited me? Free cigs?” Nonetheless, he pulls a pack out of his pocket and holds it out for him.

Matt grins as he swipes one, “nah, but it doesn’t hurt. You’ve always got nicer ones than me.” Enzo immediately scoffs.

“It’s cause you’re broke Matty—”

“Shut up, no I’m not!”

“Then explain why you keep mooching off of me—” they continue to bicker before Theo cuts them off. “Matt, got a light?” 

Mattheo shuts up and holds out a lighter, flicking it to life with practiced ease. Enzo swoops in with his joint before Theo can even pull a cigarette out of his pack, rolling his eyes at his friend. Mattheo raises an eyebrow quizzically, “weed? Seriously?”

Enzo just shrugs nonchalantly, cocky little smirk on his face. “Not my fault neither of you know how to have fun—hold on, is that my fucking lighter?!” Mattheo gives him a shrug, moving it away from where Enzo’s leaning in to get a better look. 

Theo sighs, “I think he meant on a school night—”

“Who are you? My mum? Didn’t think you cared about actually attending lessons, Teddy—” Theo immediately scowls at the nickname, making Enzo raise his hands in surrender, smirk still planted on his face. Merlin, he could be insufferable.

Theo returns the shrug, trying to play it off, “just figured with OWLs coming up—”

He’s cut off once again, this time by Mattheo, “don’t tell me, you wanna make sure you don’t miss sitting by that Hufflepuff.” Damn his ability to see straight through him. “Don’t think we didn’t notice you two sitting together yesterday in Binns’ class.”

“Well, I didn’t…” Enzo interjects but is ignored by Mattheo other than an exasperated eye roll.

“You seemed pretty chatty; wasn’t that the same guy at the Three Broomsticks last Saturday?”

Theo quickly lights the cigarette on Mattheo’s still flickering flame and shoves it between his lips. He receives an unimpressed look at his attempt to avoid the question, but to his credit, Matt refrains from pressing further. The same cannot be said for Enzo.

“So what, you’re fraternizing with Hufflepuffs now, are ya mate? Never thought I’d see the day—” his teasing is abruptly ended by Mattheo whacking him upside the head.

Mattheo lights his own cigarette before putting the lighter away, taking a deep drag from it. There’s a beat of silence between them. A gentle breeze passes through the tower as Theo looks out at the Scottish Highlands bathed in the light of the moon.

“He’s just…nice, I guess. Doesn’t seem to mind I’m a Slytherin,” Theo finally answers, releasing a stream of smoke.

Enzo chuckles, rubbing the back of his head where he was whacked. “Fair enough. I feel like usually only girls that want a little fun are willing to break that barrier.” He raises his eyebrows suggestively as he takes a drag as well. Mattheo snorts with a nod. “At least it's not a Gryffindor.” Theo’s nose subconsciously scrunches.

“Yeah, remember that Gryffindor Enz was all over end of last term because word was going around he had a good pot stash?” Now it’s Mattheo getting shoved, but he barely reacts besides a huff of a laugh. 

“Didn’t even have the goods,” Enzo pouts petulantly, “wasted a whole 2 weeks for nothing.”

“I think you’ll live, mate.”

Theo leans back against the railing, cigarette between his lips as he watches his best mates as their bickering shifts into them laughing and joking like it always does. He adds a couple quips here and there, mind wandering to the Hufflepuff boy periodically as the cigarette slowly dwindles. Once it’s reached the end of its life, he snuffs it out, pushing himself off the floor where they’d ended up sitting for the past hour. “I think I’m heading back down to the dorms, it’s getting late.”

Mattheo shares a look with Enzo. With a smirk, Enzo wolf whistles, “gotta get your beauty sleep for your little badger, eh Nott?”

Theo just flips him the middle finger as he crosses the tower to the first of many, many stairs. As his descending footsteps echo through the stairwell, Enzo turns to Mattheo, ���poor fucker is whipped.”

Mattheo nods, “and down right oblivious…how many galleons are we betting for how long it takes him to figure it out?”

There’s a mischievous smirk on the other boy’s face. “How much you got?”

The next morning, Theo is once again startled by the Hufflepuff boy dropping his books on the table with that same dramatic thud. If Theo didn’t know any better, he would start to think it was intentionally to get his attention. This time, he speaks first.

“Morning.” 

There’s that bright smile again and Theo’s chest feels…odd.

“Morning!” you chirp as you slide into the seat. “I took your advice and got some espresso, much better than that muggle concoction. Figured since it was your suggestion, I’d bring you some. Mum got some beans from a cafe in London when I wrote her about it.”

Once again a warm sensation floods Theo as a second mug is set on the table and slid his direction. He carefully picks it up and takes off the lid, finding a double shot inside. It’s still hot from what he assumes is a temperature charm on the mug and the warm sensation in his chest gets stronger.

He raises the cup to his nose, inhaling the comforting aroma of coffee before taking a sip. It’s not quite the taste of home, but it’s close. He nods appreciatively. 

Then before he can stop himself he’s making an offer, accent a hint thicker than he typically tries to control, “I’ll have to make you a cup the way I had growing up sometime. This is good though.”

Theo doesn’t have time to backtrack or change his mind before your smile is turning softer. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

To hide the flushing of his cheeks, he quickly downs the rest of the liquid and hands the mug back. For maybe the first time ever he’s glad Binns decides now is the perfect time to begin the monotonous period. 

Out of the corner of his eye he sees you put the mug back in your bag, soft smile still on your face. And maybe Theo doesn’t hate this class as much as he thought he did.

Over the following weeks, Theodore does the unthinkable: he looks forward to bloody History of Magic, just for the opportunity to chat with you before class. 

His friends share looks at breakfast as he starts leaving earlier and earlier each Monday and Wednesday, hoping to get even just a bit of extra time with you. Because he’s too nervous to ask you to hang out. And he cannot for the life of him figure out why. 

He’s Theodore Nott. The stoic, level headed and lusted after Slytherin. Right? He makes people nervous. He flusters pretty girls. So what the bloody hell is going on? 

He’s never, not once in his 5 years at Hogwarts, ever considered the possibility that someone could do this to him. Let alone a stupid, pretty Hufflepuff boy with a gentle, excited smile that’s way too eager to mingle with a snake. But somewhere in his gut Theo knows he’d be devastated if the other boy stopped. 

And that terrifies him.

One morning after several weeks of sitting together, you once again drop your books onto the desk with the theatrics Theo’s come to expect from you. He subconsciously finds himself perking up at the sound just before you start chattering away, something he’s also grown almost fond of. He likes that you tend to fill the space he’d otherwise find awkward or tedious in conversation, seemingly undeterred by his often quiet nature. And he’s more than happy to just listen to you and bask in your welcoming presence. 

This time you’re talking about the History of Magic exam coming up in a couple weeks and your lack of a study partner, something that instantaneously catches Theo’s attention. 

“Yeah, my usual study buddy bailed on me, the nerve,” you laugh. “So now I’m on the hunt for a new one…” 

Theo’s heart rate picks up as you trail off, there’s no way you’re going to say what he’s hoping you will. Right? There’s no way he’s that lucky. Hell, there’s no way someone like you would want to be around him outside sitting next to each other in the worst class offered at Hogwarts. He’s pretty sure you have less controversial friends to ask than a brooding Slytherin whose best mate is the son of Voldemort, for fucks sake—

His internal pity party is cut short by you looking at him almost… nervously?

“Would you maybe be free to, I dunno, study together some time next week? It’s cool if you’re not, I just thought—well, I’m not sure what I thought—other than that I would offer,” your question starts to shift into a ramble and your cheeks flush as you seem to realize it. Meanwhile, Theo’s heart has stopped and his breath catches in his throat. He has to hold himself back from shouting a thrilled “Yes!”

He clears his throat, desperately clinging to his composure. “Yeah, sure, I could make that work. When did you have in mind?”

Theo feels nearly sick with nerves as he sits at the Central Hall fountain outside of the library waiting for you. He was at least 15 minutes early, mostly because Enzo said he would hex him if he kept pacing around the dorm room like he had been for the prior half hour. His foot taps anxiously in a way he is not used to. He's no stranger to stress, but this is on a different level. All he's going to be doing is go over the most boring aspects of wizarding history with you for a couple hours and here he is, worried he's going to end up in the Hospital Wing with heart palpitations. He takes a deep, shaky breath as he looks up at the snoring dragon mural above the library. Just breathe you idiot!

“Hey Theo, sorry I'm late. My dormmate would not shut up.” He hears your voice before he sees you, his head turning to follow the sound. And he tries to keep the surprise off his face at hearing you call him Theo instead of Nott like you had been since that afternoon in the Three Broomsticks. “You ready for the most exciting next couple hours of your life?” Oh, and what he wouldn't do to see that teasing little grin on your face more—

“Ready,” he stands from the fountain bench, following behind you through the heavy wooden doors of the library.

He walks half a step behind you as you weave your way through the tables and shelves, finding a relatively remote spot in the already quiet space. For maybe the first time in—your friendship? Theo hopes that's what you two are at least—the entire time he's known you, your set your books down without the slam.

You must have noticed the look he was giving you because you smirk. “I don't just go throwing books when you're not around. And close your jaw, you'll catch lacewing flies.”

Theo lightly bites on his lip as he sits next to you at the table, your shoulders almost touching. You flip the massive textbook open and pull a couple quills and parchment from your bag as you settle in to go over the material.

There’s a feeling of familiarity with you that Theo wasn’t anticipating. Conversation comes more naturally than when he’s spoken with you before class and he realizes he really, really likes spending time with you. There’s no bickering like there is with Matt and Enzo, no snarky comments thrown around for laughs. It’s peaceful and warm. 

He feels like that around you a lot, he realizes, warm. Comfortable. His arm brushes against yours.

Theo and you spend the next couple hours working through the exam material, interspersed with getting to know each other. He listens to you ramble about your favorite classes this term, your friends—anything you’re willing to tell him, he wants to drink it all in.

Neither of you seem to notice how close you’ve gotten to each other until he can feel your breath on his face and that warmth that seems to radiate off of you. Then, you’re getting closer.

There in the back of the library, Theo’s world comes to a standstill as you gently press your lips against his, his heart threatening to pound out of his chest. It takes him a couple seconds to regain his senses before moving his lips back against yours, losing himself in the kiss. 

He notices you taste like earl grey which blends with the woody scent of your cologne in an intoxicating mixture. Much too soon for his liking you’re pulling back and he has to stop himself from whining at the loss of contact. 

His eyes flutter open to find you haven’t gone far. In the silence he thinks about how pretty your eyes are and maybe—no, definitely—that’s his new favorite color.

“Was that okay?” your voice is just above a whisper.

Theo just leans forward and recaptures your lips in another kiss. First his mind swirls with this is what kissing is supposed to feel like. He’s dumbfounded that it really can feel like fireworks and it’s not just some sappy bullshit made for the romance novels Pansy and Daphne read.

Then it all comes crashing down.

The next thing he feels is dread. Overwhelming, overpowering dread. He can’t quite place why, but it’s there. And suddenly he’s pulling away from your lips like he’s been burned.

He sees the shock on your face, but before he starts to apologize or explain, his father’s voice is itching in the back of his mind. He steps back.

Your voice saying his name is muffled by the ringing in his ears and your concerned expression is taken over by that all too familiar disappointed look in his father’s eyes. He runs away, feeling more like a coward than he’s ever felt in his life. 

And the worst part is he knows he’s leaving you alone, confused and hurt. But he does it anyway.

After wandering the corridors of the castle for the better part of 10 minutes, lost in thought, he finds himself in front of the music room. Like his body instinctively knew where he needed to be. He pushes the door open, relieved to find it empty. The wooden stairs creak as he walks up. He sits on the rug by the piano, hugging his knees to his chest.

Theo is alone in the music room not 20 minutes before Mattheo finds him. A bloodhound that boy. Or maybe he just knows Theo too well. 

“Your little badger sent me.” Mattheo eases down onto the rug next to him, close enough for his knee to lightly graze Theo’s thigh. “He was freaking out like the world was ending or he kicked your cat or something. Didn’t know where to find you, but he did find Berk and I in the Astronomy tower. So I said I’d take care of it, you’re welcome.”

Theo just hums in acknowledgment.

“So…did he actually kick your cat or what?”

Theo shakes his head.

“Well it must have been pretty bad since you came here. Haven’t seen you hiding out here since, well—” his mum died. Mattheo doesn’t have to finish his sentence, they both know.

A long breath he didn’t realize he was holding breaks out in a sigh as his eyes shut. The soft enchanted piano music is the only sound for a moment as he wills away the emotions threatening to surface. “I don’t know, maybe the world is ending.”

A couple more beats of quiet. “Wanna talk about it?” He knows deep down it’s a question Matt will respect the answer to. And he briefly debates turning him down, but something compels him to slowly nod.

“He—we kissed.”

“Was it bad?”

“No.”

Mattheo nods as he considers the response he was given. “So the problem was that it was good?”

“Yes? No? Maybe?”

“That’s kinda dodging the question, mate.”

Theo groans, “I don’t know, okay?” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I just— cazzo! This is wrong, isn’t it? Feeling like this?”

“Theo—”

“I can’t feel this way for another guy. My father would disown me and it’d ruin my life. I’m supposed to marry a pureblood witch and produce an heir and—”

Before Theo has time to stop him or even process what’s happening, Mattheo is grabbing him by the face and pressing their lips together, and that same fluttering sensation is back. It’s not as strong and thrilling as kissing you, Theo’s not sure that’s even replicable, but it still feels nice in a way none of his previous kisses have been. Where he was going through the motions for some reason even he didn’t understand. But no, once again he can understand why people would want to do this.

Then as quick as he was pulled in, his best friend is pulling away, silently observing him for a moment.

“Did the world end?” 

“…No.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

They sit staring at each other as Theo’s brain struggles to formulate a response. 

“Matty, I—” he hesitates like this is going to be what destroys their friendship, “I don’t think I’m…straight.”

“I didn’t think you were.” 

And something about the way he says it makes Theo feel better. Like he’s not being judged or ridiculed for feeling this way. Like it’s something natural. A no-brainer, boring fact of life. Theo thinks he might cry. 

Instead he leans forward and connects their lips again, just briefly. And part of him knows Mattheo can feel the underlying sadness and fear in it. But when they pull apart once again, neither of them comment on it. A weight feels like it's been lifted off him.

“I think,” Theo pauses as he debates speaking about this out loud for the first time, like it will make it real. “I think I haven’t really felt like myself since my mum...y'know?” He says it like it’s a question, but they both know the truth. “I know it’s been 2 years, I should be fine. But I’m not.”

Mattheo, who had been quietly listening, speaks. “I don’t know Theo…I’ve barely heard you talk about her since you came back to school third year. Have you talked about it to anyone? Hell, have you let yourself grieve?”

“I…I don’t know how. My father stopped mentioning her after the funeral and—he barely acknowledged she was even gone.” He pulls his knees back up to his chest. “I miss her.”

He feels the comforting warmth of Matt’s hand on his shoulder blade. And the gentle touch of his thumb across his cheek, wiping a tear away is the first indication that he’s started to cry. He quickly sniffles in an attempt to stop the tears, but it doesn't work. If anything, it just makes them fall faster. He tucks his head down, forehead against his knees. Mattheo's hand gently rubs his back as they sit in silence as he cries. He's grateful Matt doesn't try to help by speaking, the gentle piano filling his ears like a warm hug after being lost in the cold for days with no reprieve.

The silent sobs eventually slow, his body no longer shaking from the force of them. And weirdly, he feels better. He’s spent his whole life being told that men don’t cry, especially pureblood wizards of their status, so when the weight comes off his chest he’s shocked at how easy it is to just breathe. 

He pulls his head up to look at Matt, who isn’t looking directly at him but keeps his hand on Theo’s back. A soft murmured, “thanks,” passes his lips and causes the curly haired boy to return his attention to him. Mattheo doesn’t comment on how red and tear-stained his eyes are, much to Theo’s relief. 

“You good, mate?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Mattheo hesitates before speaking again, “you don’t have to listen to me, cause what do I know, but I think you should talk to him.” Theo thinks back to you, how lost and hurt you looked when he ran from the library and he sighs. 

“When did you get so wise?”

Mattheo shrugs, “we’ve all had to grow up pretty fast…you’re my best mate Theo. It sucks seeing you like this, y'know?” He lightly nudges Theo’s shoulder, “kinda ruins the vibe.”

Theo can’t help but chuckle, “you’re an idiot.”

“And here I thought I was wise.”

“I was wrong, you’re fully a dumbass.”

“Nah, that’s Enz. But seriously, talk to him. We’re all tired of you pretending this isn’t something you want, whether you realize it or not.”

Theodore reluctantly nods, “fine. Fine, you’re right. I think I like my, what did you call him? Little badger?”

Mattheo grins and shifts away from Theo, looking a bit too happy for a man that just watched his friend cry over a crush.

“What are you so cheery about?” Theo raises an eyebrow as Mattheo gets up to return to the Astronomy Tower.

Mattheo throws a smirk over his shoulder as he lingers at the top of the stairs, “Enzo owes me a hundred galleons.”

“Wait! You two idioti bet on this?!”

Despite feeling somewhat better after his talk with Matt, Theo avoids you for the rest of the week. Come Wednesday morning, he’s sliding into the seat next to Mattheo in History of Magic, ignoring Enzo’s annoyed “Hey!” in protest and Mattheo’s side-eye.

He doesn’t turn around to see the disappointed look on your face as your books softly thunk on the desk behind him where you two usually sat. But he doesn’t miss the lack of usual flair the sound has. His heart aches.

“Riddle said you’d be in here.”

Your voice breaks through Theodore’s thoughts, pulling his eyes toward you walking up the steps and over to him.

He'd been finding himself coming back to the music room over and over again since he started avoiding you. He wasn't entirely sure why, maybe he just wanted to stop the dull ache of loneliness in the absence of you. He pushes the thought out of his mind.

You settle down on the rug next to him, jarringly similar to the position he'd been in with Mattheo a week ago. Only you were further away, and while he couldn't blame you, he hated it.

“Sorry for kissing you so suddenly, I just—I’d been wanting to for like a month and I guess I was hoping you wanted it too. I didn’t mean to scare you off.”

He quickly shakes his head, “no, don’t apologize, it was—I liked it. I’m sorry for running off like that. I think I got…overwhelmed. I didn’t exactly know I was, y’know, into guys before…you.” He forces it out despite his embarrassment, cheeks a light shade of pink.

You look at him with a small, somewhat sad smile, “it’s fine. Kinda reminds me of that day we properly met in Hogsmeade. You ran then too.” You pause briefly before adding, “and don’t worry about it, this is new for me too.”

Theo flushes more intensely at the memory as you turn your head to look around the music room. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in here before. Riddle had to give me directions...Why here?”

His mouth goes dry as he stares at you. “My, uh, my mum used to play the piano. She tried to teach me, but I couldn’t fully get it before…” he trails off for a moment before pushing past it, “I come here to feel close to her.”

A look of realization passes over your face, “oh, I—I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I don’t really like to talk about it.”

A hesitant hand reaches out to rest on his knee. He didn’t even realize he’d relaxed his legs down from his chest. 

“We don’t have to talk about it, Teddy—”

He gasps at the nickname, soft and filled with raw emotion. “I want to.”

“She was… the only person I felt truly got me, before Mattheo at least. And she uh, she used to call me Teddy. So since she—” he hesitates, the finality of it all hitting him at once like it’s the first time he heard the news all over again, “since she died, I haven’t let anyone call me that.”

He sees the way your eyes soften further, but it’s not from pity, like he’d come to expect from the topic, no, it’s deeper than that. It’s empathy. “I didn’t know,” your voice is quiet, like you’re about to apologize, but truthfully that’s the last thing he wants. So he keeps speaking.

“She would have loved you.” His hand shifts to rest over yours, still on his leg. “She would have loved how…happy you make me. So, I want you to call me Teddy, please.” It comes out a bit more desperate than he intended, but when did anything ever go as planned when it came to you?

But you don’t run. You don’t look at him in disgust for showing emotion. You just nod with a soft, “okay Teddy.”

And god, that fluttering sensation is back. A small smile tugs on his lips; before he knows it he’s leaning forward, needing to be closer, as close as you’ll possibly let him. And this time, without any guilt or shame or fear, he kisses you.

And he feels like he’s drowning. Drowning in your lips, in your scent, in you. Like water filling his lungs, it burns so sweet. Surrender to the unknown, letting his lingering heartache and worries about his father’s expectations go until all that’s left is you.

It’s pure bliss. 

As your lips move together in sync, his body heats up and he finds himself craving more. He’s just received a taste, but he can already tell he’s going to be insatiable; the need to devour you, to become one with your very essence, is overwhelming. But he doesn’t run away. He pushes deeper. 

He feels your hand cupping his face, almost to steady yourself from falling over as his tongue brushes against your lips, begging, pleading for mercy. Like he’ll fall apart if you don’t let him explore every inch of you. Your lips part. 

Tongues dancing together, he pushes you down until your back hits the rug, his torso hovering over yours as his hands on either side of you hold him up. Your fingers caress his cheek, touch featherlight. 

The kiss lasts until neither of you can breathe, parting only to gasp and pant, inches from each other’s face. You suddenly laugh, a sweet sound that rivals the room’s quiet piano in its beauty.

“You’re still here,” your eyes search his, like you’re trying to find doubt in them, but there is none. He wants to kiss you like that for the rest of his life.

“I don’t think I’m scared anymore.”

Your arms coming up to wrap around his neck and pull him back into another kiss catches him off guard, but he melts into it like his body was made to meld with yours. It’s soft and sweet and feels like home.

The next morning at breakfast, you’re sitting next to him like you belong at the Slytherin table, at his side and getting acquainted with his friends. Enzo’s in the middle of asking you for details on which Hufflepuffs have the best weed when Draco comes over and sits down, an apprehensive look on his face. “I suppose this is something you just expect us to get used to?” 

“Yes.” It’s Mattheo who speaks, grabbing a bit of toast off Draco’s plate and taking a bite. “He makes Theo happy, he’s one of us now as far as I’m concerned.”

Enzo pipes up from beside him, “I’ll do anything to never have to listen to Theo hopelessly pine like that ever again.”

Draco huffs and as Theo’s about to say something, he hears you laugh softly next to him as your hand gently squeezes his thigh. “Just gonna have to live with some yellow brightening your mornings, Malfoy.” The other two boys snicker at the defeated look on Draco’s face and start to tease him that he’s just jealous Nott grew a pair and managed to ask someone out. But Theo barely notices.

He presses a kiss to your temple, heart fluttering as you grin up at him and for the first time in a long time, he’s happy.

[imaginecolby]

silent sufferer || c.b.

summary: when you sustain an injury while exploring with the boys, you keep it a secret, as to not distract from the investigation. requested by anonymous.

“how are you doin’?” colby asked as he sat down with you. you’d joined him and sam on an investigation, and the three of you were taking a quick break after he and sam ran through the history of the place you were at. you smiled at him and nodded.

“i’m okay.” you said softly. this was your first investigation with the boys, and you were quite nervous. but you put on a brave face, because past all the nerves, were were actually excited. this was something you’ve gotten to watch sam and colby do numerous times, and you were happy that colby invited you along. 

“good.” colby said, pressing a kiss to your temple. “don’t be afraid to speak up if you’re uncomfortable or anything. we can stop at any point.” he said, kissing you again. you nodded, before sam turned his attention to the two of you. 

“alright, are we ready?” he asked, and you and colby nodded in unison. 

as the investigation began, the three of you made your way through the location, capturing a good amount of evidence throughout your first walkthrough. 

you’d become a little on edge, but colby was constantly reminding you that he was there for you, and that you could stop at anytime if you were too scared.

but you pushed through. you really were having a good time. capturing the evidence in real time was something you could never fully explain in words. it was something so crazy, and so intense, it was really life changing.

you’d wandered off on your own after a while, separating ever so slightly from the boys, as you explored the area. you walked carefully, as there were holes and debris all over the floor, that you didn’t want to trip over. you stood quietly by yourself, completely open and allowing spirits to speak or let themselves be known. 

you were having a solo moment, listening for anything that may be present or had a message to share. you were so deep into yourself, that when the boys yelled in reaction to their music box going off, you were genuinely scared. you jumped, tripping over something in the hallway. you caught your fall just before your chin met the floor, but you felt a twinge of pain in your ankle. you brushed it off as you caught back up with sam and colby, listening listened as they recapped for the camera, and stuck together the rest of the night.

as you continued walking around, you could tell that you really messed up your ankle when you fell. you could feel yourself limping, but you tried your hardest to hide it as to not take away from the investigation.

as the night finished up, you helped the boys pack up their equipment, and you began to head back to the hotel. once you returned and made your way up to your room, you hopped in the shower and looked down at your ankle. 

“holy shit.” you sighed. your ankle was bruised all around your ankle. it was definitely worse than you thought. after your shower, you limped down the hall to get some ice. once you filled your bucket, and turned to head back to your room, you saw colby coming out of the sam’s room. as soon as he laid eyes on you, you crumbled under gaze, and suddenly felt like the worse person in the world for hiding your injury from him.

“are you limping?” he asked as you met at your room door.

“yeah.” you said softly. you went into your room, and colby followed close behind. you sat on the bed and lifted up your foot, showing off your ankle.

“y/n, what the hell? why didn’t you say anything?” colby asked. he placed your foot in his lap, placing the ice on your ankle.

“im sorry, i didn’t want to distract from the investigation or anything.” you pouted. colby let out a loud sigh and just shook his head.

“you know that wouldn’t have been a problem. safety comes first for all of us, you included.” he said. you sat there silently, watching colby as he stacked some pillows at the end of the bed to elevate your foot. he replaced the ice around your ankle. “do you think it’s broken?” he asked, and you shook your head.

“no. i can still put weight on it, and it’s not excruciatingly painful. i think it’s just this bruised because i fell.”

“you fell?” colby asked, almost in a scolding tone.

“i tripped. i don’t know what it was over, some debris or something. it was too dark and i couldn’t tell what it was.” you explained.

“y/n, you could've gotten seriously hurt.” he sighed.

“but i didn’t!” you joked. colby just stared at you, hurt in his eyes. you knew he worried about you, but you hated feeling like you’d disappointed him. “colby, really. im fine. its just some swelling. i already took some ibuprofen, and it’ll go down.” 

“i just hate feeling like i could've done something to prevent this.” he pouted.

“its okay. this was my own doing. you were working on your video, and i wandered off on my own. it doesn't matter how close we could've been watching each other, we risk getting hurt on every one of these trips.”

“i know, i know. and i know you don’t need me to, but i feel a responsibility to protect you. especially when im the one who invites you on these trips.”

“you don't have to feel bad. it’s not like you pushed me down the stairs or anything.” you laughed. colby huffed a laugh, staring down at your foot in his lap.

“you really fucked this up, didn’t you?” 

“so bad.’ you laughed again. “its actually kind of embarrassing.” you added. colby laughed again, and carefully moved your foot from his lap.

“can i get you anything else?” he asked, and you shook your head.

“im good. thank you, baby.” you said with a smile. he moved to the other side of the bed, climbing in to sit next to you. he draped his arm around your shoulders and you leaned into his side. you felt him press a kiss to the top of your head, and you channel surfed for a while before finding something to watch. you stopped on a random movie, which you barely remember watching before you fell asleep. 

you slept pretty uncomfortably that night, since you were trying to keep your leg still and elevated on the stack of pillows. the next morning was a travel day, as you and the boys were heading back to las vegas. you and colby were moving around your room as he was helping you get ready and pack your things.

“hows your ankle?” he asked.

“i can see that the swelling has already gone down, thankfully. still sore as hell, though.” you said, sliding into your shoes. 

“i still can’t believe you kept this from me.” he said, helping you from the bed and walking with you down the hall.

“well, you know about it now, so, ..” you trailed off. colby just laughed and shook his head. you met sam down in the lobby and made your way to the airport. the flight back wasn’t as bad as you anticipated it was going to be, as you ended up having the row to yourself and could put your foot up on the seats next to you. you slept on and off throughout the flight, and once you finally made it home, colby was insistent on coming with you so he could continue to take care of you. you knew better than to fight him on it, so you and him made your way back to your apartment.

you plopped down on the couch, colby setting up the living room with various snacks and drinks, and making sure you were comfortable. thankfully, after one more day, the swelling and bruising around your ankle finally went down and you were able to walk normally without limping. 

“thank you for taking care of me.” you said with a smile, colby packing up to head back home since you were doing better.

“you don’t have to thank me. that’s what im here for.” he said, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

“but im still thankful.” you said, kissing him again. “i love you.”

“i love you.” he repeated, followed by another kiss. you stood at your front door, watching as colby left, waving as he drove down your street and out of sight towards his home.

he really was too good to you. but you appreciated him more than you could ever put into words.

[woewriting]

cold to the touch

pairing: wednesday addams | reader summary: after visiting the other side afterwards almost being killed by the pilgrim, wednesday addams catches the attention of someone who's a bit curious about the girl who escaped death. word count: 8494 warnings: mdni, +18 only! no pronouns used, contains nsfw content.

masterlist

The rumors of a new transferred student filled the hallways of Nevermore, gossips about what kind of creature had just moved in. Everyone had a different theory, the glass-like eyes reminded Bianca of her own, the mermaids. The black-painted, sharp nails were a werewolf thing, Enid thought to herself as she eyed you from afar. The locks of your hair, hidden by the black beanie made it look like you were hiding something… snaky underneath it. But what caught the attention of everyone was the black and white suit that covered your body, similar to the one Wednesday Addams wears. The lack of color in your vests were enough to draw everyone’s attention, although, your beauty and the mystery around what you were, was an extra reason for the Addams girl to close the book in her hands and pay a small attention to your details, away from the crowd.

Following the tall woman, you stood by her side at the entrance to the courtyard. Everyone’s eyes on you.

“Attention, Nevermore, I’d like to introduce to you all our new student. I’m sure you’re gonna make her feel welcome during her journey in our school, isn’t that correct?”

Some heads nodded at the woman’s statement, others simply turned around and ignored their surroundings, a messy chatter growing louder and louder. The director touched your shoulder with a gentle smile before walking away, leaving you by yourself.

As you looked around the new faces you’d have to get used to, you noticed how things were different since the last time you’d actually been on earth wearing your human form. It’s been what, 3 years? Maybe a bit more… your memory failing to recap the last years, they were a messy and confusing blur. Ever since you became Death, your memories from your human life were slowly being erased as you kept on living as the undying creature, responsible for harvesting souls as they walked to you on the other side of the veil, waiting for your hand to touch their chest so they could rest in peace.

At first, your heart would break when they realized they were no longer allowed to live with the living ones, when they had to walk away and leave their loved ones behind and accept their destiny, waiting for their rebirth.

You had the same expression on your face when you saw your lifeless body on the hospital bed, surrounded by doctors that tried everything in their power to bring you back. You stood there for minutes, crying as you felt farther and farther from your human life, taking steps back until everything around you turned into a white forest, with long trees that swung with the cold breeze, you felt nostalgia as you walked around the empty garden, as if you had returned home after a long trip. It was warm, like watching the sunrise at the beach, the soft sound of waves crashing down the white sand, the birds chirping around you with a calming melody, and the breeze… so light and refreshing, ready to embrace you in your new life as a new day rose in front of your eyes.

Taking a deep breath, you opened your eyes, the white forest turned into a beach with a few waves crashing at your feet, the pinkish sky painted with a few clouds in shapes of things you loved when you were alive.

That’s when it hit you, like a punch in the stomach you fell to your knees, the tears dropping from your face onto the clear blue water, mixing in together as your new life was being written in the sand. You were alone, but something inside you was saying to look around, to look for her. She would help you to start over. She would guide you until you were to move on your own. But she would never leave you alone.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A soft voice came from behind you.

You looked over your shoulder, feeling the warm water hit your legs.

A woman was standing a few steps away from where you kneeled down. She had her eyes closed, enjoying the early breeze of the morning as the sun turned the sky into a yellowish tone with a few splashes of light blue.

She was beautiful.

“What do I do now?” You ask as you brushed off the tears that still insisted on falling down your cheeks. “Where do I go?”

When her eyes opened, your heart missed a beat. It had no color in them, yet you could still see the universe in the bright white color, they were glowing as she stared down at you, reaching her hand out to help you up to your feet.

“Oh, honey.” She smiled. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Aren’t you an angel?”

The woman in white, silky dress, laughed. Even the way she laughed was angelical and beautiful, you couldn’t help but smile at the heavenly view in front of you.

“I am an angel, but not the one you’re thinking of.” Her hand was soft against yours as she pulled you closer. Her other hand brushing your hair off your face. “I am Death, but I am not here to take your soul, I’m here to guide you on your new journey. When you wake up, you’ll be me. Your eyes will see every single particle of the universe around you. You will hear every heartbeat of those living around you. And when their time comes, you will be the one to embrace their souls as they leave this world.”

“You want me to become… death? You want me to kill people?”

She shook her head, hearing the missing beat your heart took as fear filled your body. Her hand rested on your chest, calming the racing organ.

“You won’t kill anyone, sweetheart, you only take the souls that will walk to you. You will become a beacon for those leaving the living world. You will help them to leave that life behind so they can move forward to their new one. It’s your duty to ease their fears, to leave all their anger, their sorrows, their pain, behind.”

“What about those who loved them?”

Deep down, Death knew your question was a personal one for you. She looked at the waves crashing over your shoulders.

“Death will come for everyone, love. It’s a hurtful, but necessary evil. Death exists to teach others that life will end, there’s nothing you can do to stop that from happening. I am here so that others can live their lives to the fullest, cherishing every moment with their loved ones, finding beauty in the small things, learning and enjoying the simplest things you can ever lay your hands on. This is yours.”

Turning around, you allowed yourself to close your eyes and take a deep breath.

Even though you felt like you couldn’t walk away from the life you had, you couldn’t jump back into your lifeless body that was still laying in that hospital bed. In the back of your head, you could still hear the machines attached to your chest.

 She was right.

Death was a lesson.

And everyone should learn about it so they can live without fear.

When a new wave crashed at your feet, a warmth embraced your body, lifting you from the ground as the air kept you floating. When you opened your eyes, you were still floating, but this time, cold and salty water surrounded you. You coughed a few times as you swam back to the shore.

It was the same beach; it had the same yellowish sky and the same rocks on its side. The water was not warm and the sand wasn’t as white as before, but you knew that after this moment, nothing would be the same anymore.

Your rebirth as the angel of Death was a few years ago, just when you had turned 18 years old. When you woke up, the memories of your loved ones had been erased, their faces disappearing like smoke in thin air. You didn’t remember much about your life as a human being, the only thing you could remember came after her, the beautiful angel with white eyes that carried the whole universe in them that touched your chest and embraced you in a warm hug.

And now, scanning the young faces, you were looking for a specific one, the reason why you abandoned your comfortable home to come here, the human side of your world. You’d never forget the brownish eyes surrounded by adorable freckles you saw months ago. You’d seen that face before, but the one with blonde hair didn’t carry the same attitude the one with black braids did. She was unique, and she hadn’t left your mind ever since.

Wednesday Addams… the girl that survived death and saved the small town of Jericho from an evil spirit in her last year of high-school. Your eyes looked for her, careful and sharp, paying attention to every single detail of the faces in front you, absorbing all the information you could.

Apparently, the girl was nowhere to be seen or heard. She was either really good at hiding or she wasn’t even there with the other students. You looked for another familiar face, easily finding the blonde girl sitting by the water fountain.

Enid smiled big at you, wrapping her arms around your body in a welcoming hug.

“Welcome to Nevermore!” Her voice was a high-pitched tone, nothing annoying but definitely louder than you were used to. “Are you going to high school or getting ready for college like us?” Her hand motioned to the small group sitting at the rock made structure.

“Do I look young enough to still be in high school?” You asked in a joking way.

“Well, you do look young,” She laughed, but judging by your uniform, she could’ve known you were no longer a teenager. “But it’s nice to have a new student in our class, we’ve been seeing the same faces for a really long time. The last time someone joined Nevermore, it was a mess… but we’re all good now, no danger at sight!”

Your eyes glowed at her saying, “I heard about that. A small girl saved this place, isn’t that right?”

Enid got closer to you, whispering in your ear. “Don’t call Wends small, she will kill you in your sleep. Don’t call her Wends too or she will kill me and I’m not ready to die.”

“Trust me, I’m not ready to die either.” You smiled.

➖

The days in Nevermore Academy were starting to become dull and annoying, causing you to flee out of the gates that surrounded the big buildings at night just to lay on top a big tree’s branches, watching the universe with your white eyes, witnessing the death of a supernova millions of years away from where you were, or even the birth of a new galaxy. It was in those moments that you were happy to be what you were meant to be. To this day, you don’t know much about why you were the chosen one, why the angel of Death had chosen you to be the next one wearing that ring.

Staring at it, the silvery ring on your left hand, you swear you saw it moving around your finger, shining like a small star. You had your theories on what that glow meant, but you were too lazy to go after the reason why it did that every now and then. You would wait for all the answers to fall from heaven into your lap, like an encyclopedia.

You took a closer look to the universe over the dark sky before jumping down, a few dry leaves cracking under your shoes.

“How did you get up there?” Turning around as you heard the monotone voice, you saw Wednesday coming out from behind a tree a few steps away from you.

“I climbed.” You easily lied. “I didn’t hear you.”

“I’m a very quiet girl, I can sneak into your dorm and you won’t even notice I was there.”

“Have you ever broken into my room?”

“Why would I break into your room?” The girl always had a serious expression on her pretty face. It was like Wednesday Addams couldn’t feel a thing.

You shrugged, “You said it first.”

“It was an example.” She explained. “I’m sorry if I made it seem like I would do such a disrespectful action like breaking into your room. If I wanted to be in your room, I’d knock on the door.”

When you took a step closer, she took two steps back.

Wednesday was always a step back from everyone, even from those that she’s closer with, like Enid and Bianca. In the 3 months you were in Nevermore, you had never seen a single soul touch the black-haired girl, the only thing that was allowed to touch her was, well… Thing, the severed hand that would linger around her shoulder that still made your brain itch. What was Thing, anyway? Only one from the many secrets hidden behind the black and white girl.

“Well, if you ever need me for anything, I will be in my room.”

Turning on your heels to leave and return to the dorm's aisle, you heard the dry leaves cracking under her heavy boots.

“Why do you always climb that tree?” Despite the not-caring-like personality, Wednesday was a very curious girl, and she wanted to know everything about you.

Who the new girl was and what was she? Your human body could be a part of any outcast group in Nevermore Academy and not knowing what it was, was slowly driving her crazy.

“I like to watch the stars.” You answered honestly, walking to the Academy with the Addams following behind you. “What about you? Why were you hiding?”

“I was hiding from you.” The confession made you turn around, hands in the pockets of your jacket. “Isn’t that obvious?”

Instead of stopping on her tracks when you did, she allowed herself to come a bit closer, still keeping a safe distance. From this distance, you could smell her fainted perfume; it smelled so different from when you smelled it in her dorm when you would visit Enid to talk about music and trivial things that still made you feel like a human being, even if your heart wasn’t beating anymore.

“Are you stalking me, princess?”

“Call me princess again and I will easily break into your dorm and kill you in your sleep.” You let out a breathy laugh at the threatening tone in her voice. Adorable, you thought to yourself. “And yes, I want to know what you are.”

“What I am?” You asked with curiosity.

“Yes, that’s what everyone wants to know. Don’t you hear the gossip around the Academy?”

“I do.” After all, you could hear almost everything that surrounded you. As a newly angel of Death, the heartbeats would be a distraction when trying to listen to their voices, but you were getting the hang of it. “But why would anyone care about what I am? What if I am… a simple human being?’

“The last human being that stepped inside the walls of the school was a homicide maniac that tried to kill me and all the others outcast. I’d say it’s a terrible choice of place to stay.”

“I like the danger.”

“Should I kill you then? To prevent you from killing us?”

“I’d like to see you try, princess.”

Wednesday didn’t even notice how close to her you were until your hot breath hit her lips as you leaned into her personal space. Unlike before, the Addams didn’t flinch, instead, she lifted her chin and looked at you with furrowed eyebrows, never blinking.

For some reason, when looking into your eyes, Wednesday could see something else other than the pleasure in irritating her in them, she could see life in its most beautiful way. The more she kept her eyes locked on yours, the more she could see; it was like you had the entire universe trapped in them. It was at that moment she knew you weren’t human.

➖

After the small encounter you had with Wednesday at the woods behind the academy, somehow, you two became something like colleagues but not closer enough to be considered friends. The small girl had learned how to tolerate your presence as you lingered around her dorm, and now, you were getting closer and closer to find out all of her secrets, it was closer enough for Enid to leave her roommate alone with you, something she’d never done before, to attend tonight’s dance. Now, you were laying on her bed, head hanging off the comfortable mattress, staring at the back of Wednesday’s body as she kept on tapping the loud keyboards of her writing machine.

You sighed, loud. Addams did the same, her shoulders raising and falling with the deep breath she took.

“You’re an annoying creature.” She commented, still focused on the keys she had to click on, trying not to type a mistake as she had done to the previous five paper balls that were piling in the trash can near her desk.

“I’m bored.”

“Why didn’t you go to the party with Enid?”

“Why didn’t you?”

You sat correctly on the bed, crossing your legs.

“Last time I went to a party it rained blood, it was red paint, actually. After that disappointing event, I swore to never attend a party again.”

The silence around the room was a comfortable one, the only thing you could hear was the loud, mechanical sound of her writing machine and the calming beats of her heart.

Listening to her heart beats had become commonplace, you would stop anything you were doing just to listen to the tranquil sound. It didn’t matter if you were in the same room or if you were across the Ophelia Hall, on the other side of the building, you’d easily catch the unique sound.

“I’m hungry,” you whined like a small kid. “let’s go find something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“But I am, and believe it or not, your company is not the worst.”

The mechanical sound stopped as Wednesdays turned to face you.

“I’ll pretend that didn’t offend me.” Before standing up, the girl removed the white page filled with words in black ink and placed in her drawer, on top of the others, words facing down. You remained sitting on the same spot, looking at her with doe eyes. “Are you waiting for me to take your hand and lead you down to the kitchen?”

You stretched out your hand to her, waiting. But the Addams would never do such a dangerous thing, despite the urge she felt in touching you sometimes, she felt drawn to you ever since the meeting you had in the woods during that cold night. The urge was still a mystery to her, but Wednesday always considered it was more of an urge to punch you every time you opened your mouth.

“Alright. Lead the way, miss Addams.” The other rolled her eyes.

As you walked down the hallways of Nevermore, you could hear the muffled songs and happy screams coming from the saloon where the party took place. It was a silly celebration for the first snow or something, something you didn’t care enough to celebrate, and neither did the girl that walked three steps ahead of you in complete silence. The light of the almost full moon crashing through the big windows and bathing your skin as you crossed the buildings in search for food. Not that you needed to eat, but still found pleasure in such a simple thing.

Wednesday led you to the kitchen, a few steps away from the ballroom, the music playing a bit louder inside your head now.

The girl waited patiently as you searched the pantry closet for something sweet. You knew that principal Weems always hid her chocolates and candies in the kitchen of the Academy, a place where the students were not allowed in. And now, you were in a forbidden place looking for something that didn’t belong to you, to satiate a silly desire that you barely felt in your stomach. Your body would crave random things from time to time, the longer you’d wear your human body, the stronger those urges would get.

“Can’t you get something from the table?” Behind you, there was a big counter filled with food that was being served to the ones that attended the party, but nothing you actually wanted to eat at the moment.

Tiptoeing, you tried to reach the top shelf of the pantry room. “I want chocolate, and I know Weems keeps hers in here. I saw her hiding them a few nights ago when I was going to the woods.”

“I will never understand the craving for things sweet like chocolate. It’s too sweet to enjoy.”

“Even semi-sweet chocolates?”

The girl pondered for a second as she watched you stretch out, whimpers coming out of your mouth as you kept trying to reach the high place. Was she really having small talk with you while you tried to steal the principal’s candies? It surely was something new to her, and, surprisingly, it was easy to do it with you.

“Those aren’t as repulsive, but it still isn’t something I crave in the middle of the night.”

You laughed, the tip of your finger recognizing the packaged at the end of the shelf, but before you could actually grab it in your hands, you heard familiar footsteps approaching, the sound of clicking heels on the wooden floor got louder and louder to you as principal Weems got closer to where you and Wednesday were. The human was so absorbed in your motions that she barely had the time to process your hand on her waist, pulling her body against yours and closing the door behind her.

Wednesday’s eyes shot wide open as she felt your hand covering her mouth, stopping her from making any sound, whilst your other arm wrapped around her waist to keep her closer to you in the small and dark space. When she heard the principal’s voice coming just from outside the pantry room, she stopped fighting against your hold and patiently waited for the voices to cease.

You gulped, the smell of her perfume and newly closeness distracting you from trying to listen to Weems’ and the cook’s heartbeat. All you could hear was hers, beating so erratically you could feel it in her back, pressed against your chest.

Looking over her shoulder, her eyes found yours, white taking over and galaxies shining in them.

What the fuck were you?

Once the footsteps moved away and out of the area your ability allowed you to hear, your hand uncovered her mouth and you let out a deep sigh, feeling your lungs burn. She turned in your arm to face you. Only then you noticed you still had your arm wrapped around her thin waist, but that didn’t seem like something that was bothering the girl.

“That was a close one.” You joked, trying to ease the tension that surrounded you two.

“Why is my touch not killing you?” Addams roamed her hands all over your chest, arms and face as if she was trying to find a spot where her curse would be the end of you. She wasn’t trying to kill you though; she was curious as to why you hadn’t dropped dead against the shelfs of the small space.

“You can’t kill what’s already dead, Wednesday.” You replied, humorously, enjoying the way her nails occasionally scratched the skin of your neck and chest because of the open buttons of your blouse.

“And I am the one they call ‘dramatic’.” She stopped touching you, taking a step back. “What are you?”

“I’m Death.”

“If you call yourself ‘death, destroyer of the world’, I will torture you and proceed to use a blind knife to slowly tear your limbs apart to feed it to the werewolves on the full moon tomorrow.”

“I’m not that cool, but I am Death. Death as in the angel, Death.” You explained calmly. “You’re a curious little thing, when I saw your cute face on the veil, I knew I had to get to know you.”

“Do not call me ‘a little thing’ or ‘cute’ ever again. Those words are sickening to my ears.”

Raising your hands, you smiled, leaning against the shelfs behind you, the chocolate forgotten on the top one. Wednesday crossed her arms, eyes traveling up and down your body, carefully studying the body that carried the most powerful being to ever walk the earth. And it was inside of… you. An annoying being that loved pet-names, pop music and disgustingly sweet candies, who would never leave her alone even if she’d threaten you with every terrible torture method she had in her vocabulary.

“Are you afraid of me?” You ask as her eyes analyzed your features, white color taking over your eyes as if on command.

The girl tilted her head, curious like a little kid that discovered a new, colorful animal in her backyard.

“Why would I be afraid of such an amazing creature such as yourself?” The words slipped easily, without giving much attention to its meaning. She wanted to know more about what was hidden under the undying body in front of her.

“You think I’m amazing, Addams?”

Wednesday rolled her eyes, the annoyance growing bigger inside her. She was curious about what you are, but the arrogant tone you always carried around in your voice was something she could not bear for a long time.

“You do amaze me, if I’m being honest. I didn’t know angels could walk the earth.”

You shrugged. “I’m the only one that can come and go any time without breaking the balance of the universe. If others come, there will be chaos.”

“You said you saw my ‘cute’ face on the other side,” her voice choked at the endearment. “When was that?”

“A couple months ago, when that pilgrim almost killed you.” You start, taking an opened package of candy from your jacket’s pocket. Wednesday looked at you with an unbelievable look in her eyes at that; you had sweets with you the whole time and still tried to steal some more? A menace, indeed. “I’ve seen your ancestor, Goody, a few times. Even though you two are very similar, she’s not you.”

“How’s that?”

You chewed a few sour candies before answering.

“She doesn’t have that ‘I’m going to murder you in the most horrible way you could ever imagine’, look in her eyes, you do. And you have no idea how beautiful it looks on you.”

Wednesday seemed satisfied with your words, softening her posture and accepting the sour candy you offered to her.

For some reason, for her, it was hard to be away from you, something kept drawing her in; maybe it was the curious side of hers in wanting to know everything she could about everything, or maybe it was your charm. Or the fact that you could touch her, it was a different, new feeling; being touched, that is.

“Give me your hand.” She reached out her hand, waiting for yours to rest on top of hers. You licked the sourly sugar from your fingertips before whipping them in your pants, finally doing as she said. “I can’t believe you’re the most powerful creature in the universe.” She mumbled like an old, grumpy lady. Hesitantly, she traced the lines on the palm of your hands, surprised at how warm your skin was. You were a dead creature after all, weren’t you? You watched with mesmerized eyes as she touched your forearms under the fabric of your blouse. She tilted her head up, eyes shining as she kept touching you with a light-feather touch.

“You’ve never touched anyone before?”

She shook her head, your voice lower and soft for some reason.

“Mother taught me to never allow someone to touch me, or to touch someone that wasn’t an Addams. It’s a curse placed on our family.”

“Who did it?”

“I’m not sure, mother doesn’t talk about this. And father is not allowed to. All I’ve been told is that it was a jealousy curse coming from someone in the school from when my parents were still students in Nevermore.” She shrugged. “My parents have been through a lot of resentment, it’s outlandish, if I’m being honest.”

“And how does it feel?”

Her eyes found yours, “Like a spider crawling up my fingers. It tickles.” It was a weird feeling, but still something she could get used to with time. “How old are you?”

“You should never ask a lady her age, Miss Addams. You, coming from such a fancy and well-mannered family should know that.”

“I’m starting to regret holding your hand in mine and not stabbing it.”

The silly threat got you laughing. Still, her fingers were tracing random lines in your forearm.

“I died when I turned 18 in a car accident.” You started, trying as hard as you could to remember those days. “This was… 5 years ago, maybe? I can’t remember much of it, my old life.” you specified. “All I remember is waking up at the beach. I’m not much older than you, I’m taller though.”

“I'm running out of offenses about how annoying you are. Death should be scary, not an irritating girl.”

“Should I wear a dark robe, listen to heavy metal and carry a reaping hook around?”

“It’s not about how you dress; it’s about how you act.”

You blinked a few times, pulling your hand from hers. “I guess I don’t want to lose the human part of me, it’s all that’s left.”

For the first time since you two met, Wednesday saw something different in your eyes before you turned your back to her. She saw a glimpse of sadness in the place it used to be filled with life.

Tiptoeing once again, you reached the package from the top shelf, waving it in front of you like a happy little kid.

“We can go now.”

For the first time in that chaotic night, you saw a flash of smile in her face.

➖

Even with headphones on and music blasting in your ears, you could hear the sound you loved the most getting louder as Wednesday crossed the hallways in her heavy boots, coming in the direction of your room. You jumped from your bed, taking the headphones off and placing them on the bedside table, opening the door before the girl could even raise her hand to knock, you asked with glowing eyes and sly smile:

“Can I help you, Miss Addams?”

“How did you know I was here?” Her dead eyes narrowed in your direction, eyeing you up and down. It was the first time she’d see you in your pajamas.

“I know when you’re around because I know the sound of your heart.”

You winked to the girl standing in the hallway, leaning on the door frame. That caught her off guard, eyes leaving yours to scan around your room.

It was definitely not what she had in mind, who would’ve thought that death is into pop and not soul-sucking type of music? Her eyes grew wider at the posters of girls glued to the brick wall.

After the pantry encounter and shocking revelation about who you were, Wednesday would often come to you with the most random, yet interesting questions a person could ask. You’d sit in the woods at night and watch the stars as she asked you if a supernova had occurred, or if it was raining on other planets. She’d ask with wide eyes if you could see life outside of Earth and would get annoyed when you refused to answer, creating a mystery that she would try hard to figure it out by the loose words you’d say.

Sometimes, she’d touch your arm like a kid to see if you’d still survive her curse every time you annoyed her. When she was feeling bold and in a good mood, her fingers would trace your skin in a soft touch as you fell asleep while watching the stars, comfortable in each other’s presence. As the days passed by, she’d find out your abilities and put them to test, walking to her dorm and asking if you could still hear her; after a couple minutes, you’d show up on her balcony to answer.

An amazing creature you were, indeed.

“You and Enid have the same music taste, a bitter mix of loud noises.” She commented in the same tone she always had in her voice.

You shrugged, crossing your arms. “I know, we talk a lot about it.”

In fact, even though you came to Nevermore to find the beautiful girl that somehow escaped you, you and the werewolf with pink hair became somewhat friends. Maybe it was a core memory from your life as a human-being, something that being friends with Enid would prevent it from drifting away from you; something you were not ready to let go yet. Something that kept you warm inside.

“Can I come in?”

With a nod of your head, Wednesday walked past you and stood in the middle of the room, eyes still analyzing her surroundings. That was the first time she’d been in your dorm even after the newly closeness you had, unlike you, who would visit hers almost every day to talk to her roommate and take away all the quietness she needed to work on her writing.

“So, did you like it?”

“Pardon?”

“My room. Is it what you imagined it would be like?”

Wednesday blinked once before turning to you. “Quite the opposite. I never thought Death would be a fan of KPOP to the point of having a collection of albums. Do you even speak Korean?”

“I don’t need to speak Korean to feel something.” You joke, taking a few steps towards the black and white girl. “And I do like ‘soul-sucking’ and ‘I hate myself’ type of music as well, they just don’t have cool posters to hang on the wall or photocards to collect.” As if you had read her mind, you explained.

“Fair enough.” She uncrossed her arms, lifting her head to face you as you got closer, a good inch taller than her. “But I didn’t come here to talk about music, I can do that with Enid if I ever wish to have a headache.”

“Ouch.”

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to offend you.”

You laugh, poking her shoulder. “I wasn’t offended, but my music taste is a lot better than Enid’s.”

“How’s that if you both listen to the same genres of music?”

The Addams girl was genuinely curious, outside of the classical world that filled her earphones and cello lessons, she didn’t have a clue about it. To her, it all had the same sound: noise. It was a messy and loud mix of words and instruments that she could not guess a single one of, almost impossible to appreciate for more than a couple minutes.

Her head was starting to hurt just from remembering some of the songs Enid would play while getting ready for classes early in the morning, even the birds that used to chirp outside the balcony window had disappeared.

“You see, there’s a lot of music styles inside of the KPOP world.” You start, loving the way Wednesday was close to you, attentively listening to you explain something she didn’t care at all. “For example: the songs BTS make today aren’t the same as the ones they made when they debuted. And BTS isn’t the same as Seventeen. And Seventeen is far from sounding the same as Dreamcatcher. And so it goes. It’s a big world, with different ways to produce music.”

“That’s interesting, indeed. But to my ears, it’s all noise. I have yet to learn how to tolerate it.” You smiled. Even though it was something the Addams wasn’t a fan of, she’d still try to tolerate it if it meant something to Enid, and to you. “Still, I didn’t come here to learn about music. I wanted to ask you something.”

“I’m all ears, princess.” Wednesday closed her eyes, taking a deep breath at the nickname you addressed her; you bit your bottom lip, catching the loud beat of her heart that was there every time you’d annoy her. “You don’t like being called ‘princess’. Do you, princess?”

“Keep calling me that and I will not hesitate on burning all of your album’s collection.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips. Wednesday really was something else, she wasn’t afraid of you, you knew that, but to threaten you, even with something so small like burning a few pieces of paper with pretty people printed on them, that was a courage that many wouldn’t have around you knowing that you, literally, had their lives in the palm of your hand.

She was fascinating to your eyes.

Just as you were to hers. The girl wouldn’t admit out loud, but she wanted to cut you open and study whatever made you being what, or who, you were. The detective side of hers screaming in the back of her brain.

But, right now, she wanted to cut open something else, and only you could help her.

“You said you needed help… With what, exactly, love?”

Choosing to ignore the endearing nickname, she took a step forward. You mirrored her.

“I want you to touch me.”

“I’m sorry?”

Your head turned slightly at her words as if you were trying to have a clearer hearing of her voice even though you were one small step away from each other. From this distance, you could hear the blood traveling on her veins.

Wednesday took a deep breath, wondering if you really didn’t understand her or if you were, as always, joking around.

“I want you to touch me. What part of that did you not understand?”

“I just wanted to confirm, sweetheart.” You smiled. “It’s not every day that I get asked to touch something so beautiful and unique like yourself.”

The praise got to her, a small twinge of pain spreading on her stomach. A good type of pain.

“I wasn’t asking.”

You took the last step forward after her last words when you noticed she was stuck in the same spot, your finger tracing her jawline in a ghostly-like touch. Wednesday closed her eyes, goosebumps all over her body. It was weird and it tickled, but the warmth of your skin on hers was something she could tolerate.

Wednesday would always touch you, but you never touched her. It was the second time someone touched her and didn’t drop dead in a second, so she leaned into the caress. You bit your lower lip, leaning closer to her, whispering against her slightly open lips.

“Can I kiss you?” The words hit her like a flaming arrow.

Wednesday wasn’t the type to anticipate anything, her anxiety was always under her control, but having you, asking such delicate question, looking at her with soft eyes filled with stars, made her heart beat like crazy.

“You can.”

The arrow, shot with extreme precision, went through her body when your lips touched, spreading fire on her veins. It was her first kiss; you were her first kiss.

Gently, your hand reached her face, holding her in place as you deepened the kiss, sighing against her. The Addams closed her eyes, giving into your touch. Unsure what to do, her hands grabbed the soft fabric of your shirt, feeling the warmth that emanated from your body.

It was a funny thing to feel, Death being a hot body while Wednesday was cold to the touch. When your heart beat against hers, she melted against your embrace.

When you pulled back, a very small, satisfied smile drew on the corner of her lips. Her eyes shot open, a black glow shining on them.

“Was that your first kiss?” Your voice was nothing but a whisper, so low and soft that if you two weren’t glued to each other, the Addams wouldn’t have heard. She nodded. “How far do you wanna go tonight?”

“I’ll tell you when to stop.” Wednesday breathed out, licking her lips. “Now, can we do that again?”

“As many times as you want, princess.”

When you kissed her again, it wasn’t soft or calm, it turned rough, needy, with her nails scratching the back of your neck as she pulled you closer, hugging your body with an urge she’d never felt before. You were the first person outside the Addams family that could touch her, and she would enjoy every single minute of it, it didn’t matter if she seemed desperate or needy, right now, all she craved was your hands on her body, bruising the untouched skin.

Pulling her up, Wednesday wrapped her legs around your waist as you easily walked towards your bed, sitting down with her on your lap. The kiss was sloppy, wet and the way she was whimpering against your mouth was turning your head upside down. Kissing her was a lot different than you had ever imagined. When you pulled away to breath, a string of saliva connected your lips.

“Why did you stop?” Her voice came out as a lowly whisper, and she was soft against your body.

“I want to make sure you really want this; this whole touch thing is new to you. I don’t want to overwhelm you.” Your hand found the skin of her back under the shirt she wore to sleep, feeling the goosebumps as you roamed them up and down.

“I appreciate the concern,” Wednesday gulped hard. “but I can take it. I can take you.”

So you kissed her again, harder and deeper, deliciously moving your tongue on hers, allowing her to take control of that situation. Her hands found your hair, fingers pulling at the softness and making them a mess as you turned on your knees, laying her against the mattress of your bed.

The muffled sounds escaping her mouth became louder as your hands found her thigh, even over the fabric of her sleeping pants it felt nice to have someone touching her there, squeezing the flesh as you moved up, playing with the elastic of it. The tip of your fingers easily trespassing.

“It turns me on so badly knowing that I’m the only one that can touch you.” The confession got her head spinning, the blood rushing in her veins all the way up her cheeks, red color giving life to the pale skin. 

With your lips pressed against hers, you moved the kiss to her jawline, down to her neck. You could feel the blood flowing in her veins when your tongue licked her jugular before biting that spot, a soft moan escaping her parted lips, fingers locked in your hair as she pulled you impossibly closer, legs wrapping around your waist.

Wednesday’s hand moved down to your waist, lifting your shirt in a silent request for you to remove the useless fabric, she wanted to feel every centimeter of your warm skin. You were, unexplainable, burning under her fingerprints when you fixed your posture, removing the pajama and throwing it on the floor. The brunette licked her lips at the sight of you, black painted nails scratching your belly in her curious movements, a flash of bothersome in your eyes at the slight burning feeling.

Sitting up with you on her lap, Wednesday kissed alongside your neck, biting the collarbone, a purplish dot where her mouth previously was. She was aggressive with her mouth and you were loving it.

Despite being the first time she ever got to touch someone like that, Wednesday knew what she was doing with her mouth, and with her hands. The cold fingertips curiously moving down your spine and resting on your lower back, digging into the soft skin and making your hips moving against hers. 

“Do that again.” Once more, she wasn’t asking. She was demanding with a breathy voice that could’ve easily stolen a few years of your immortal life, forcing you to repeat the move with her bare hands. 

One of your hands was firm on the back of her neck while the other rested on the wooden headboard, applying the pressure you wanted to use on her, but couldn’t. Her small body could easily break under your touch. 

“I think…” You breathed out, letting your head fall back when her kisses moved to your neck. “I think we should switch positions, love.”

“You don’t think I can do this?” 

“Oh, I know you can.” You choked a laugh. “But this is your first time, I want to focus on you, princess. I want to make you feel good. I’ve been touched before.”

The innocent mention of her not being your first — like you were going to be hers — turned a key inside her that made her sink her teeths in the crook of your neck. A painful muffle scaping your throat, the twinge of pain spreading in your veins. 

“I really don’t want to think of others touching you right now.” Wednesday whispered as she licked the wounded skin. “Tonight, you’re mine.”

“That’s fair, Addams.” Swallowing hard, you pulled back, making her look at you. Her eyes were darker than usual, swallowed by the pleasure of having you gridding on her lap. You leaned in, capturing her lips in a slow kiss, distracting her with your tongue as you slowly pressure her down the mattress again, trying to fix yourself in between her legs. The Addams pushed her hips towards you. “Someone’s anxious.”

“Shut up.” She tried pulling you down with the heels of her feet, but you were stronger than her — even without using the strength of being Death gave you. “Why are you doing this?”

“This?”

“Just…touch me. I’m bothered.”

“Bothered?”

There you were once again, the little jerk that liked to tease her about everything. She knew you knew exactly what she meant with that word and, on other occasions, she would’ve played along and delayed her answer, but right now, with the annoying slick in between her legs, she went straight to the point. 

“Just fuck me already.” 

You smiled against her, biting on her lower lip.

“That’s a polite princess.” One of your hands travelled down her body, ignoring what you soon would give your undivided attention to, to rest in between her legs. When your finger pressed down the wet patch on her pants, your eyes flashed in white. “No underwear, Wednesday?”

“I didn't want anything making it harder for you to touch me.” She confessed, licking her lips and tasting the remains of yours. “But, clearly, I wasn't counting with you making it hard.”

The Addams rolled her hips against your fingers and, even through the fabric of her pajama, it still felt ten thousand times better than when she touched herself in the darkness of her room. 

You could feel how wet she was for you. How ready she was for you. 

Hooking your fingers in the elastic waistband, you pulled down her pants. Wednesday finished kicking the useless thing somewhere around your dorm, now resting along with your shirt. 

Unlike you thought she would be, the Addams wasn’t shy under your gaze, no… she had a satisfied smile. Her ego boosting at the way you licked your lips at the sight of her dripping cunt.  

Your hand travelled up her leg, the ghostly touch making her shiver and move anxiously. The closer your fingertips got to her inner thighs, the wetter she got. Literally dripping onto your sheets. She was desperate for you. 

Leaning down on your elbows, you were fast to collect that single drop, moaning at the bittersweet taste. You looked up, finding the black eyes focused on your mouth when your tongue slided against her, savoring her in a slow, torturous lick that seemed to last forever. 

“You taste so fucking good, Wednesday.” You whispered, turning your face to kiss her inner thigh. 

“Then why isn't your tongue inside me already?” The Addams was annoyed and impatient, you could tell by the way her hands moved from gripping the sheets to gripping your hair, trying to pull you closer. She groaned, rolling her eyes. “I despise you.”

Your sly smile didn’t last long as she gathered strength to push your face against her cunt, and you finally gave her what she wanted. 

Wednesday’s lips parted as a quiet breath escaped them, lost in the thick air that surrounded your  bedroom. Her fingers tangled in your hair, tugging and pulling at the soft strands as your tongue moved in different directions, sometimes slow and sometimes fast, moving up and down her slit and kissing her cunt. Her juice dripping down your chin as your digit brushed over her clitoris, circling the swollen bundle of nerves carefully before pushing her bigger lips together with your thumb and index finger, creating more pressure when your tongue flickered on her clit. 

She nearly screamed when you kept doing that, your other hand resting on her belly, fingers intertwining as she squeezed your head with her legs. Luckily, you didn’t need to breathe. 

Your eyes fluttered shuttered for a few seconds as you focused on what you were doing, but when her hips pushed up and her fingers crushed yours, your eyes shot open in the whitest tone Wednesday ever saw. It was pure, magical, like the explosion of a supernova.  

The fingers that touched her turned into a soft caress, your slicky lips kissing around her reddened cunt, patiently waiting for her to come down from her high. 

Wednesday’s eyes were closed, the stars that once were in yours, now shone behind her closed lids. She never thought she’d be able to see the stars like that, with someone in between her legs, licking her clean. 

“Are you okay?” You asked in a low-pitched tone, climbing her body with kisses. 

“Is it always like that?” The Addams asked with a dry mouth, closing her legs as she still felt the spasms of her sensitive nerve. You laid next to her, chin resting on her shoulder. 

You shrugged. 

“It should be.” Your reply was simple. “Did you like it?”

“I can still see stars on the roof of your terribly decorated room. Yes, I did like it.”

“Good.” You let out a laugh, resting your face in the palm of your hand, while the other, once again moved on her inner thigh, finding its way in between the closed muscles. “Because we’re not done yet.”

[homesick4la]

homesick — hamzahthefantastic

contains: fluff!!!!! also talks abt feeling anxious and stressed bc i am feeling anxious and stressed lol

summary: after a week long work trip, all you desire is the comfort of your boyfriend.

a/n: short n sweet fic but i might be working on a longer halloween themed one…maybe…heheheh..

you walk off the airplane. you’re exhausted from the busy week you spent working in los angeles.

as much as you loved that city, you were eager to leave it.

when you moved to toronto two years ago, you were nervous. you knew absolutely no one.

but you made great friends. and even got a boyfriend, hamzah.

you two met when you moved into his apartment building. you exchanged glances in the hallways and made small talk in the elevator until you eventually grew closer.

now you two had been together for over a year and moved into an apartment together.

he made toronto feel like home. and god you were homesick.

you walk out of the airport, instantly met by the crisp autumn air. you scan your eyes around, finding hamzah’s honda civic parked right where he promised. hamzah leans against the car, swiping away on his phone.

you approach the car eagerly. the second hamzah sees you, he rushes to grab your suitcase, pressing a quick kiss to your lips.

“hi beautiful, how was the flight?” he asks as he fits your bags into the trunk of the car.

“it was okay. i couldn’t really sleep. the woman next to me literally had her shoes and socks off- it was all i could focus on.”

a look of disgust washes over his face, “dogs fully out on the plane is crazy.” he laughs.

you two talk for the rest of the ride back home, giving each other a recap on your week apart.

once you arrive home, hamzah carries your bags up to the apartment. you unlock your front door, holding it open for him. he drops them to the floor and instantly, his hands go to your waist.

he snakes his arms around your back, lifting you up in the process. your arms wrap around the top of his shoulders.

your head fits in the crook of his neck like matching puzzle pieces. and the warmth of his skin on your face brings you an immense sense of relief.

all week you’ve been repressing your emotions. there’s been so much going on in your life- drama from family and work. you’ve just been too busy to address any of it.

but now, safe in your boyfriend’s arms, you felt all your emotions began to resurface.

you sigh into his embrace, feeling tears threatening to fall from the corner of your eyes.

“you okay?” he questions. his voice is soft and his tone is gentle.

that simple question makes you fall apart. you can’t help but cry on his shoulder.

“i missed you so bad.” you let out through your cries.

he sets you down on the ground, bringing his hands to your face and using his thumbs to gently wipe the tears from your eyes. his brows knit together worriedly.

“what’s wrong, baby?”

“just stressed with, everything.” you explain, “feels like i haven’t got a break lately.”

he walks you over to the couch in your living room. he grabs your waist, placing you on his lap.

“you can talk to me about it.” he says, running his hand up and down your back soothingly.

you nod and lay your head on his shoulder once again.

“everything feels so difficult- and i’ve been feeling so anxious all the time and i don’t know how to stop it.” you explain, worried that your emotional rambling made no sense.

hamzah wasn’t sure how he should respond. he was so nervous he might say the wrong thing.

“is there anything i can do?” he asks, sweeping your hair behind your ear with his fingers.

you shake your head, “this is good.” you lean closer into him.

he maneuvers the both of you so that you’re now laying down on the couch. lying there face to face with arms wrapped around one another.

“i wish i could make it all go away.” he whispers.

his voice is so genuine it makes you want to cry even more. you never thought you’d find someone that truly cared about your feelings.

“you make it better.” you smile softly. “it was just hard being away from home.”

he rubs your back lovingly.

he loves that you feel at home in toronto now. he remembered the way you used say you felt out of place in the city.

“i’m sorry you had a hard time on your trip, angel.”

“s’okay.” you reply.

“feels good to have you home.” he says, kissing the top of your forehead. “i was losing my mind over here- had me talking to the cats.”

you laugh at the image of him ranting to red and blue.

“you wanna order food and watch a movie?” he asks softly- knowing just how much comfort you find in a movie night.

“yeah.” you smile.

he releases one arm from his hold on you, pulling out his phone from his back pocket. you start to pull away from his embrace to give him space to order the food.

“no no! c’mere.” he demands, hooking his arm back around you and holding his phone in his hands behind you. he continues to type away on his phone with you in between his arms.

you giggle at this. you absolutely loved when hamzah was clingy with you.

“thai food?” he questions.

“mhm, you know me so well.”

you two spend the rest of your night eating too much food on your couch while watching all of your favorite rom-coms.

hamzah makes an effort to make you laugh all night, cracking numerous jokes during each movie and pretend snoring during the less exciting scenes.

your boyfriend doing everything he could to cheer you up meant the absolute world to you. you were so so happy to be home.

a/n: feeling like this is so so cringe but i think that about everything i write lol but i wrote this quick and did not proofread so sorry lol k bye muah

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 4 part 3

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

Lilia is bickering with Jen in episode 7. she turns around and SEES ALICE, WHO WAS KILLED IN EPISODE 5

alice, don't try to save agatha! but she's whisked ever further back to episode 2 before she can finish the sentence. imagine having the power of communicating with the past but it's never enough to warn them. seeing the dead and talking to them, knowing what's going to come next. and you wonder why she chose exile and solitude.

meanwhile agatha has collected her wits long enough to decide what her short term strategy with rio is gonna be: keep her distracted, isolate her from the others, keep her away from billy. see how she takes a moment to focus and get into character? she knows rio is about to follow her like a moth to a flame

just going on a trip with my best gal pals and a random teen boy, nothing to see here!!!! and agatha knows that rio knows that she's lying. hello, rio is PERFECTLY aware that there's no Road out there capable of magicking her into a glam rock sex den. but maybe, just maybe, agatha can keep her focused on something else. honestly it would be such a waste to not put all that combined cleavage to good use!

there she was, having a chat with sharon down in the dirt, and you guys went and dragged her up. like perfect morons. I love how she brought the flower along and it ended up working really well with the outfit

oh, rio knows. she knows everything.

and agatha SHOOTS UP and GETS TOO CLOSE and FLIRTS. oh my god this bitch. just like she did in episode 1, except now she's more collected and ever more deliberate. flirting is her best weapon of mass distraction against rio. because look, rio might know all her tricks but she's only (very marginally) human! who can blame her if she lets herself be seduced a little bit, just a little bit! for old times' sake! in rio's defense her wife is very hot and she misses her very much, your honor

rio is like, bitch I got you allllll figured out but also lemme gently caress your thigh. to enhance your acting performance. what's a little supportive yes, and between exes

she's sooo hamming it up. compare her face here with the genuine yearning at the end of the episode

oh this is hilarious. the others hear rio's flirting over the PA and panic, but no, girls, enthusing about murder is legit how they talk dirty!! (lol at lilia being like, right in front of my salad???)

"gasp!!!! that's my coVEN you're talking abOUT!!!! I'm not that kiND OF wiTCH anYMOWRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the ham! the ham! she might just bring the whole deli cart over at this point

and rio with her lil delighted laugh again. she doesn't get mad for one second, she didn't expect anything else. oh agatha, you silly goose, you're so damaged and so cute

let's recap what this fucker achieved with her latest performance, because it's always fascinating to study what's going on in agatha's ferociously scheming brain. she 1) distracted rio from billy. or at least tried to. 2) hinted at Rio's true nature to the others - who knows, maybe she can manipulate them into allying against her later on? 3) pretended to flirt but also flirted a lil bit forreal because there was a lot of skin showing and the flesh is weak etc etc 4) backpedaled alllllllll the way out when things got too intimate because she's too scared and resentful to get close to rio again. playing with fire as usual. or, as the kids say today, fucking around, about to find out

alice's trial has the best aesthetic fr fr. the 70s font!

I'm not 100% sure bcs it goes by so quickly but I think rio is dancing to the cursed music???

not the turntable!! that shit's vintage!!!!!!!

*brian de palma zoom*

*dramatic pause*

WE'VE BEEN CURSED (I love you patti lupone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

INJECT THIS AESTHETIC DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS. also alice is red, billy and agatha are blue with purple undertones. the colors in this trial seem very deliberate

"she's a tourist." "she's a PSYCHO." look she never gets to just hang out and do fun things anymore, let her be!!

rio and lilia having a little staring contest as she plays with the knife. doing their own cute archnemeses thing

agatha shaking her head at billy and going shhh when he says 'maybe this curse isn't so bad.' like KID will you stop speaking HORRORS into existence?!?

alice standing with her back straight for the first time since like, ever? or since her mom died? did everyone in the family have their own personal demon or did it switch after killing the previous person? or wait, wait, was the curse only like, a metaphor until billy accidentally turned it into a disgusting 1970s animatronic harpy??

I'm convinced rio could see the demon from the beginning. look at her face here, she's the only one who sees both lilia burning and what's causing it

poor lilia must be thinking, burning witches? soooo original and not traumatic at all (lol at patti being a pro at screaming and writhing in pain on the floor. PROFESSIONAL ACTING)

no no no that's the reaping knife careful careful careful careful

alice's spell: expelle hoc malum, expel this evil. (rio when agatha tries it on her later: WHO ARE YOU CALLING EVIL)

lol. lmao, even. (just don't think about how jen has grown seLFISH TO SURVIVE AFTER HAVING TO LIVE POWERLESS AND DEFENSELESS FOR A CENTURY AND HOW SHE BECOMES MORE AND MORE GENEROUS AS SHE SPENDS TIME WITH ALICE AND LILIA)

oh noes my character just had a beast's giant talons perched on her shoulders i should flash the twins real quick so you can see it better

everyone else: EXTREME PANICKING

rio: stops reading her magazine to glance at the disgusting invisible harpy flapping around the room. goes back to the magazine.

and with this I'm off to my extreme friday night (tea and blankie and a book). ciao!

go to episode 4 part 4

[ninazadzia]

rewatching "the last airbender," and can I just say...

...how much I fucking *love* that the plot of this whole series, I shit you not, was set in motion by Katara's feminist tirade

^^Specifically, less than five minutes into episode 1 - see the above gif as a point of reference

A recap, of how our series kicks off, for those of us who need a refresher:

~ Katara is trying to practice her waterbending while she's on a fishing trip with Sokka

~ Sokka sees waterbending as a less worthy pursuit (at least compared to, say, fishing), and belittles her abilities -- Katara, meanwhile, has successfully CAUGHT A FUCKING FISH with waterbending alone

~ When Katara tries to call attention to her success (again, both with the fish + the waterbending), Sokka's literally not paying attention and is trying to show off his "skills," and deadass smacks the CAUGHT fish OUT OF THE AIR and back into the water

~ Even though *HE* is the reason they're down a fish, Sokka proceeds to belittle Katara's waterbending some more, at which point, they're caught up in a rough current + lose their canoe

~ After losing the canoe, in a moment of frustration, Sokka decides that the best way to handle things is to make your typical shitty teenage boy comments about how he should "leave it to a girl to screw things up" (even though losing control of the canoe + losing the fish had absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH KATARA and NOTHING TO DO WITH GENDER, MORE IMPORTANTLY)

~ Katara, understandably, fucking loses it.

And in the heat of the moment, while Katara is ranting about how much of an immature sexist POS her brother is - she literally waterbends open the fucking iceberg that the Avatar has been trapped in for the LAST 100 YEARS

I could *never* for the life of me put my finger on why I liked Katara as much as I did as a kid, but holy SHIT is it obvious now -

I was 8 when "The Last Airbender" premiered. And from what I remember, I watched this show in real time as it was airing.

Katara, to me, is the OG feminist icon.

She was the feminist icon I had to look up to when I was a little girl watching this show, way before I could even grasp the concepts of feminism or be expected to know what it was, and how much it would mean to me ~20 years later

[goldenhickeysandramen]

Facts is...

....Jikook returned to Antoya on July 16, likely aware that fans already knew about their visit on the night of the 13th. They must have known that ARMY would ask the restaurant about them and find out they went there ALONE AGAIN on Sunday night.

Also, Jimin travelling to Tokyo with JK, even when he didn’t have a schedule, speaks volumes about them SHOWING US they enjoyed private time together during their trips.

In short, all signs point to THEM WANTING US TO KNOW that they not only had fun during the show recording (JK was x40 happy/good in Episode 6), but also got to enjoy some private time together.

So far every toxic narrative surrounding the show has been addressed by Jimin and Jungkook themselves.

Let’s recap:

3.We've also spent time alone together(+)

4.This is our show (Jimin and Jungkook)—everyone else is a guest (+)

5.We're doing this to treasure happy memories (+)

6. We turn the cameras on and off whenever we want

At this point, it might be worth reconsidering any attempts to debunk Jikook bond, as it's becoming a challenge fit only for the very daring

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | November 11th-17th 2024

Just an FYI, I have an account over at BlueSky at epicficrecs!

Also!! I just passed 300 different fic writers and podficcers recced since the beginning of this blog! 🥳 thank you all for your hard work and your invaluable contributions to this fandom!

Complete

indulgence by coldbam/ @coldbam (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Getting Together, PWP | 1K | Explicit): “Okay. I’ll be right back.” Eddie gets off the couch, leaning down to collect their empties from the table, putting himself right into Buck’s line of sight, eyes catching on— “Oh,” Buck says, as his finger connects to the back of Eddie’s right thigh. He didn’t even register moving, but he sees it right in front of him. He forces his hand back to his own body. “I’ve never seen that before,” he continues, referring to the small dark splotch on Eddie’s skin that’s transfixed him. It’s just—there’s not a lot that Buck doesn’t know about Eddie by now. Not a lot he hasn’t seen.

Clarity by xylodemon/ @xylodemon (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Getting Together | 1,7K | Explicit): As soon as they kissed, a thousand things had fallen into place—jokes and shoulder bumps and wordless exchanges, movies and zoo trips and engine rides spend thigh to thigh. In that moment, Buck had realized with absolute clarity what Tommy meant when he said he wouldn't be Buck's last. Because Buck's last is Eddie. It was always going to be Eddie.

never seen a bluer sky by Chash/ @ponyregrets (S8E6: Confessions Coda, Pre-Buddie | 2K | Teen): "Hey, what brings you joy?" Eddie is expecting some waffling in Buck's response. Maybe some suspicion. It's a weird thing to ask, obviously. Joy isn't a word he uses much, isn't a go-to. But even if what makes you happy is a more normal question, it's not right. He needs something deeper. And of course there's the Tommy of it all. Buck hasn't exactly been mourning or anything, but he's obviously down. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to say that nothing is bringing him joy at the moment. It's not a particularly joyful time. But Buck doesn't hesitate, doesn't question. He just says, "The ocean," and doesn't even ask why Eddie wants to know.

all eyes on me, your illusionist by thelonggoodbye (Different First Meeting AU | 2K | Teen): Eddie doesn't like magic. He's just fond of this one magician, is all.

The Billy Boils Breakup Anthem by sibylsleaves/ @sibylsleaves (S8E5: Masks Fix-It | 2K | General): Buck gets dumped. Then he gets cursed.

just soothes the soul by rainbow_nerds/ @rainbow-nerdss (S8E6: Confessions Coda, Pre-Buddie | 2K | Mature): It’s quiet, apart from the music still playing over the speakers, Old Time Rock and Roll fading out, another equally upbeat song starting right after. The contrast of it is what gets to Buck. Whatever Eddie had been doing when Buck showed up, he’d seemed… different, than he’s been lately. Buck turns his head to look at Eddie properly. "You shaved."

safe haven by my_hopeless_opus (Established Buddie, Fluff | 3K | Teen): People pleaser Evan Buckley learns how to be the little spoon.

The Thanksgiving Trap by scarmaddiewrites (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Chris POV | 3K | Teen): Chris has got to get out of Texas. He has a plan!

Clouds Ain’t Leakin No Rain by vampirebuckley (Post-S8E6: Confessions, PWP | 3K | Explicit): “Tommy dumped me.” “Oh. Uhm. I’m sorry, Buck.” “Yeah, me too.” “Do you want to talk about it?” Eddie grimaces as the words leave his mouth. Buck sighs, again. Slumps back on the couch. “Not particularly.” “Okay then. No talking. Do you want to drink about it?”

these hands had to let it go free (and this love came back to me) by bibuckdiaz (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Getting Together | 3K | Mature): Buck comes to Eddie's house after Tommy breaks up with him. They have a lot to discuss and to confess to each other. Eddie finally lets himself feel joy, in more ways than one. or: Catholic guilt, repressed memories, and the joyful ordeal of being in love with your best friend.

i could take you (to have and to hold) by withmeornotatall/ @chronicowboy (S8E6: Confessions | 3K | General): Eddie goes to the cemetery, and he lets Shannon go. He lets her rest. And he shaves his moustache off. And he sits on his couch in his empty house and looks at a picture of Christopher and thinks I'm going to get him back And then Buck texts him. Broke up with Tommy. Beer (OR: eddie goes to church, buck breaks up with tommy, and things finally start to make sense)

ditch the clown, get the crown by sparkagrace/ @ohhsodebonair (Post-S8E6: Confession, Lakers Game Date | 3K | Teen): Eddie and Buck go to the Lakers game. They don't expect the kiss cam.

Happiness is a Bottle of Juice by scarmaddiewrites (Post-S8E7: Hotshots, Pre-Buddie | 4K | Mature): Eddie decides it’s time for him to go and get Christopher from Texas, sees something he shouldn’t, and has a conversation about juice.

🔥like sugar in my soul (how sweet it is to be loved by you) by granadas (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Getting Together | 4K | Mature): “I kind of have a sweet tooth,” Eddie admits. “It was easier when we were a little broke. I took my coffee black because I was always in a rush to my next shift, and we were scraping by, so any juice and sweets I bought were for Chris.” “So what changed?” Eddie’s finally looking at him, and he flushes. “I’m just trying this new thing,” he says, “where I stop punishing myself. I’m trying to be… nice to myself, I guess. For once. Like, showing myself that the world isn’t going to end if I do something just for me.” Or: Eddie is making changes to his life. Buck panics, until he doesn't.

The Five Deaths of Dorothy Diaz by thelonggoodbye (Established Buddie, Future Fic | 4K | Teen): Eddie buys a plant. Buck and Christopher are determined to keep him from finding out he keeps killing it.

Last and Forever by Kwills91/ @kwills91 (S8E6: Confessions Coda, Pre-Buddie | 5K | Teen): “I thought I needed to be punished. For what happened with Kim. I thought that’s what I deserved.” Buck wants to protest—say that’s not true—but Eddie knows him well enough to level him with a look that tells him not to before he even opens his mouth. “It didn’t feel like enough, what he asked me to do. So I left. And then I ran into him at this juice place. He noticed that I swapped the juice for water. Told me I was denying myself joy. Called me on being scared of being a failure, and about the mustache being a disguise.” “He got all that from juice?” Buck asks. Eddie laughs. “Yeah, he got all that from juice. Kind of.”

and I cannot, cannot go by Maira/ @mairaiscarrierofthepaperclips (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Hanahaki Disease, Getting Together | 5K | Teen): Did Buck really not know? Did he not realise that he was the reason Eddie was even alive today? That knowing Buck was there, having Buck in his life, was sometimes the only thing that made Eddie get out of bed in the morning? Did Eddie- was this Eddie’s fault?

bad idea, right? by brewrosemilk/ @gayhoediaz (Social Media Fic, Sexting | 6K | Explicit): Buck stumbles across Eddie's grindr profile.

we all assume the worst the best we can by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Established Buddie, Near Death Experience | 6K | Teen): When a rescue goes wrong, Buck and Bobby are trapped, while Eddie and Chim scramble to save them.

watch out (you might get what you’re after) by sparkagrace / @ohhsodebonair (Canon Divergent, Fratboy Eddie | 6K | Teen): The 118 keep getting called to a fraternity house and Buck can't stop thinking about the frat president Eddie Diaz (who is definitely not responsible for the fires).

you're my sun, my moon, my guiding star by wafflesofdoom/ @capseycartwright (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Getting Together | 8K | Teen): “Fine, let’s have it your way then,” Eddie slammed his phone down on the kitchen table. “You set me up a dating profile then – Hinge, Grindr, whatever you fucking want, Buck. Set me up a dating profile, and you pick which random man I need to sleep with to make it so you feel okay about wanting me.” in which evan buckley gets dumped, gets drunk with his best friend, realises he's in love with said best friend, and lets his abandonment issues get the best of him. because your first is never your last, right? so buck can't be eddie's first: he needs to be his last.

🔥 wanna be your endgame by literalmetaphor (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Getting Together, Pining | 10K | Mature): Maddie has her forehead against her hands, which are clasped in what looks to be prayer. “Okay, so – hang on, so Eddie’s gay?” “Yeah.” Buck can’t believe they’re doing this again. “And he told you he was in love with you.” “Right,” Buck says. “And you…” Maddie peeks up at him. “You’re in love with him?” “Absolutely.” Maddie draws in a long breath, and she splits her hands to pillow her face. “But you turned him down and told him you wanted to wingman for him instead?”

🔥 death wish love by Underhung_Aura/ @eddiebabygirldiaz (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Getting Together, PWP | 15K | Explicit): after getting dumped by tommy and going to eddie's, buck wakes up the next morning only to be pummeled by his hangover and his attraction to eddie

WIP

🔥 wicked dreams by hispolestar (Post-S7, BT Break-Up, Eddie Sexuality Crisis, Getting Together | 4/9 | 18K | Explicit): Eddie’s trouble starts with a dream. Well, it actually starts much earlier, when he runs into a woman who is the literal carbon copy of his dead wife. Or, alternatively it starts with a lightning bolt. Or a sniper. Or a firetruck. Or a car crash. Or, realistically, a grenade embedded in a seventh-grade teacher’s leg. It starts with blue eyes, broad shoulders and a tenacity that shocks Eddie to his very core. But right now, Eddie’s trouble starts with a dream. ~ Eddie, alone and confused, is navigating Christopher's extended stay in Texas, while also grappling with feelings he's been repressing for seven years. Buck, who misses Chris dearly, is struggling under Gerrard and his boyfriend's dismissive attitude. In the wreckage of their lives, they find each other.

🔥 Things We're All Too Young to Know by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon S1-S6, Divergent Post-S6 | 139/? | 446K | Mature): This is a love story. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it. A look back on Eddie and Buck's lives up to now, and what led them to each other, interpreted from the current 9-1-1 canon.

🔥 how come everybody's dancing but you? by showedupatyourparty (Post-S7 Spec, Eddie Sexuality Crisis | 3/4 | 31K | Mature): Buck feels guilty. Everyone he loves is going through something painful, difficult, or unexpected right now. And Buck is just…bisexual. It’s great that he’s figured it out, and it’s great that everyone has been so supportive, and Tommy is—Tommy is fine. The sex is good, at least. Consistent. When Buck gets a call from Eddie’s phone late on a Tuesday night in June, it’s cause for concern. * Buck unpacks his own feelings about his recently-discovered bisexuality. Eddie gets adopted by drag queens. They're both just trying their best to be happy.

[heartofbusan]

Best laid plans of stomach bugs and men.

The chemistry is the point.

Some people underestimate the effort and toll it takes on ones body and schedule to fly 14 hours to visit another person. 14 hours to spend 72 hours together means commitment. It means bro's before ho's and I am frankly HERE FOR IT.

The discourse I am seeing is extremely telling of how fickle people are about their support for jikook. People watch too much scripted reality tv 🙄 bcs they really expected this relationship, this reunion if you will, to play out in multiple angle close ups and medium shots and several wide angle shots with dramatic zooms and heavily directed post-moment recaps with dramatic silences or eye rolls to play up the drama? The lack of moments, the MUNDANITY if you will IS THE POINT. They are so real to me, so life like, so domestic goals!

Being quiet with each other. No uncomfortable silences, but comfortable togetherness.

That's what leads to horny bed fighting, which in my eyes could lead to more if not for the cameras 👀 just me?

When they said unscripted, this is what they meant. When they said unplanned, this is what they referred to. Not directed, not scripted, not fanservice 🙄 to fit a planned narrative. This is how their relationship plays out. I'd go so far as to call it a documentary instead of a reality series. While documentaries have tons of genres within itself, this genre is one where there's a broad range of planned activities, but where the narrative is constructed in post production: editing. Id know, since im an editor. This tells me that they counted on the natural chemistry between 'JeonJi' (SO CUTE) to 'lead the way' instead of a multitude of directed interactions that they (the producers) would have needed to tick a dramatic narrative box.

So what does that lead to? In my professional opinion as a director/editor the first two episodes lacked a dramatic arc. There was little directing going on to force one

the chemistry is the point

The flirting, the lulls in conversation, them being together, seeing them have fun, and reconnecting is the point. Instead of what they're doing or what they're talking about. The episodes, therefore, are kinda boring in the sense of entertainment, but wildly exiting in the sense of what we get to see play out. And it's incredibly nuanced. And nuance often flies over people's heads..again, the crowd that expects to be held by the hand when it comes to drama: reality tv.

It's a huge risk to take as a production. Let's not underestimate that! 'Are You Sure' was so unscripted that they didn’t even have a title until halfway into the second or third day. Again: they were banking on JeonJi to build upon their chaos to lead to a narrative and a title, etc. That is so telling to me. That them being together is the raison d'etre of this show. Jimin 'sacrificing' his time to fly to the US, Jeonkook making space in his busy schedule time to spend time unwinding, JeonJi making good on their need to finally spend time together after the booked and busy year they've had.

Jimin enjoying the hell out of Jungkook having fun.

Because that is who Jimin has always been: his adventurous spirit takes him places because he loves exploring and being in tue moment. He'll willingly travel to have those moments. Jungkook on the other hand doesn’t. He dislikes leaving the comfort of his surroundings because he doesn’t see the pot of gold that being adventurous brings him while he's comfortable in his home. I relate 😩 so much. Just planning trips alone makes me enter a comatose state, so I'd rather not go than sacrifice my rest to plan an adventure. I don't even know I'll get anything out of. That is, until Im actually on that planned trip and having the time of my life! They've always been like that. Jimin had to be the incentive to get Jungkook out on that trip. Take.him.by the hand if you will 😭😭

And then there's the stomach bug. YOU DAMMNED CURSED THING. It threw a HUGE wrench into their plans, and if anyone doesn’t take that into consideration, then you haven't had a stomachbug EVER while still having to face up to your commitments. Park Jimin will NEVER back down from his commitments, his promises *pinky promises* are sacred to him, and this bug took away the catalyst of this duo. Jungkook suddenly had to be the extrovert of the two, and boy, does he struggle in that role. He was to me his usuall baby elf self. So adorable and cute with his nose focused on food and Jimin’s care. But my man loves to rely on Jimin to lead the way in shenanigans and to make any moment entertaining, and you could just tell Jimin wasn't in his feels enough to overcome his lack of energy. Poor baby. Really, he's the best of us because I would have straight up refused to be filmed in that moment. A whole night of diarrhea and still showing up to film the next day?! NO MA'M NOT ME.

If you've read up to this point, I commend you. It was just supposed to be a short rant, but it became an entire essay because I can not with the overly reactionary nature some people show. Drawing entire conclusions based on two hour long episodes. I know, I might be contradicting myself here but extenuating circumstances and all. Jimin wasn’t on his game, and Jungkook was also recovering. When a show is banking on the chemistry between two people to shoulder the brunt of this show and said people are extremely sick, well then what can I tell you?

We need to sit back and enjoy the fact that we are getting such access to them, so unfiltered. Jikook enjoying each other, come rain or shine, in sickness and in health, whatever the mood brings, because that to me is more valuable than DRAMA or NARRATIVE. We'll probably get a bit more of that once they're going to Jeju, and they're both hopefully healthy. We're even getting a new element for them to play off of: Tete shows up! Like a jack in the box, and Jungkook seems to not be having it, lmao...see..unscripted and natural. I love that for them!

Idols are people first, and we need to celebrate that, not demand more.

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"Dragon Age Cover Story And Shadow of the Erdtree Review | GI Show by Alex Van Aken on Jun 27, 2024 at 01:57 PM In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew discusses our recent trip to Bioware for our Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story, our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review, PS5-bound multiplayer shooter, Concord, a new battle royale from former League of Legends developers, atmospheric horror title Still Wakes the Deep, Dustborn, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD and even more! It's a packed show, y'all.  Watch the Video Version: [embedded link to Game Informer video titled 'Dragon Age Cover Story And Shadow of the Erdtree Review | GI Show']"

(On YouTube, the description box for this video looked like this:)

[Article continues] "Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes) The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join us every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Matt Storm, the freelance audio editor for The Game Informer Show, edited this episode. Matt is an experienced podcast host and producer who's been speaking into a microphone for over a decade. You should listen to Matt's shows like the "Fun" And Games Podcast and Reignite, a BioWare-focused podcast."

"The Game Informer Show – Podcast Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:42 - Cover Story: Dragon Age: The Veilguard 00:21:48 - Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Review 00:42:20 - Concord Preview 00:59:04 - Supervive Preview 01:11:59 - The Plucky Squire 01:24:37 - Magic: The Gathering – Assassin's Creed 01:35:01 - Still Wakes the Deep 01:45:52 - Dustborn Preview 01:55:06 - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Review 01:58:26 - Housekeeping"

"The GI Show podcast is a weekly recap of exciting releases, exclusive details on upcoming games, and in-depth interviews with developers. Watch or listen to a new episode every Thursday!"

[source]

----

Felassan's notes section of this post -

In this episode of the Game Informer show, Game Informer talk some more about their trip to BioWare's studio for the DA:TV cover story, when BioWare showed them hours of DA:TV content while playing it live.

Some notes from this and from what they said:

Wesley LeBlanc wasn't a huge DA fan and he went in with no expectations. The job to go to BW for this just landed on his plate due to other peoples' schedules. After seeing the game, it's probably his most anticipated game for the rest of the year and the one he's most looking forwards to

The game really wowed him and stuck with him, he said he is thrilled about it and is engrossed in the fantasy it's bringing

The visuals and world finally feel like what BioWare has maybe always wanted to make

This is the game where the team said, yeah, we feel fully in command of the Frostbite engine, and it shows

The world is more like Fable-type whimsy than prior DA games. It has a high fantasy feel

BW want new people to play the game. They're very aware that it's been 10 years since the last game and the game does a good job of catching people up

Rook as the PC really has no idea what's going on with Solas and all the other lore-specific stuff that's happening in the game, so they kind of act as the stand-in for newer players or people who have not caught up on the lore

But it's not just a game for newcomers, there is still a lot to chew on in the game for hardcore DA fans. BioWare were saying that they know their community, what it wants and what it's looking for out of these characters

Wesley enjoyed the music, visual design, and voice acting

Nothing that they saw about the game stood out as worrisome to him

Wesley has quite a lot of further stories to add to Game Informer's DA:TV hub

Wesley: "On the topic of the [Dragon Age] fanbase, I just wanna give a shoutout to that community, because, wow, I did not, I knew people would be stoked about this cover, but people are really stoked about this cover. And it’s really funny, the day that we announced it, I got like hundreds of new followers. Anytime, if I tweet about Erdtree or Destiny 2, I get like my normal amount of likes, like, a dozen maybe, y’know, whatever. If I tweet about Dragon Age, it’s like. Today I tweeted, ‘my next feature is coming at 3pm’ and it’s at 1000 likes, it’s so funny, like, this community is like rabid for information, which makes sense if you haven’t gotten a game in 10 years. But yeah, so like, shoutout to y’all, I’m loving you guys reading the articles and telling me what you wanna hear about. So if you have any questions or anything, get at me on Twitter for sure, and I will see what I can cook up with some writing for you. But yeah, shoutout to the BioWare community, y’all crazy.”

[source]

[jikooklove9795]

TIME TO CALL ME DELUSIONAL BUT HEAR ME OUT!!!!!

One of Jungkooks last lives was him wearing the black and white Nike jacket.

Later we seen Jimin wearing the same one.

Everyone pointed it out..

Not to mention they were even matching with wearing beanies but back to my point-

A year ago today Jikookers were in Japan together, they’re safe place really.

Once he saw the snow, Jungkook said he’d remember that moment with Jimin while enlisted.

Today. 11/27. Jungkook changes his/Bams IG pfp with him wearing the same black and white Nike jacket…

Do you see where I’m going with this???

Hey Anon 😊

You really got some points there

We got to see Jungkook wearing the Nike Swoosh Black Jacket along with a black beanie during his Dec 8 2023 live

But we have seen him wearing this Nike Jacket in a live before, right?

When?

The March 14 2023 live. Where Jungkook started the live at 8:11 KST (cough 8/11 cough). The same live where he teased Jimin's SMF pt2 reminding us all that something amazing is gonna come up at midnight. It was White Day in SK.

On Dec 27 2023 we see Jimin wearing the Nike Swoosh Black Jacket along with a black beanie in BTS Monuments Beyond The Star

Jimin was in self quarantine at the time. So, its from Dec 14 2021. We get to know about the date from Jimin's phone screen and also from his conversation with Hoseok the same day

Now let me do a brief recap of Jungkook's Dec 8 2023 live.

When Jungkook starts the live, we see him walking home. He's going home after his workout. He talks about Bam (cause there was a rude comment asking him if he abandoned Bam), how he adopted Bam, took him home and cared for him, about Bam's training center, how he often visits Bam there and brings him home whenever he can. It is during this live that he hints that maybe Bam will have an IG in the future.

He sings songs for ARMY. Complains about the sweat. And changes his outfit to a purple hoodie just 15 mins before the live ends.

Now let's talk about the second part of your ask. About Jikook's conversation in Japan

Jikook got their first snow of this year in SK on Nov 27 2024.

Jungkook changed Bam's IG profile pic on Nov 27 2024 to this pic

And posted a new pic of Bam (the 13th post as pointed out by sydneylaurelseven)

When I saw Bam in this outfit I immediately thought of Jikook twinning on Valentine's Day in 2017

The song is a romantic one released in Dec 2017.

These lyrics:

I hope the white snow will pile up tomorrow morning

Then I'll make you a warm cup of tea

Just keep staying by my side

Promise me

So, I think when the first snow fell in SK Jungkook was reminiscing about his time with Jimin in Sapporo. And also about Bam. His cute family of 3.

According to SK tradition, if you experience the first snow with the person you like, it will lead to a long lasting true love between the two. Because of this many couples promise to meet each other at a certain place to enjoy the first snow and hope for their love to be eternal.

BTS did this interview on Dec 2017. Here, Jimin said that his wish was to see the first snow every year.

And he did. He did it with Jungkook on Jan 8 2018. Their first snow together as a couple (that we know of). Maybe they had watched it before too but this was the only one they shared with us till now. They let us in on their cute, romantic moment

When asked about their favorite weather:

On Nov 25 2018 Jikook went on their ice skating date right after they landed in SK after their Japan Concert

This sweet, romantic moment where Jungkook wakes up, climbs the mountain, brings snow with him and gifts it to Jimin cause he knows Jimin loves snow. And we see Jimin being worried about Jungkook feeling cold. Both of them always thinking about the other

Jikook playing with the snow filters designed by Jimin (Oct 10 2016)

On Nov 25 2023 Jikook flew to Sapporo. Sapporo is also a wonderful winter honeymoon destination for couples.

Jungkook enjoying his trip to Sapporo with Jimin and expressing it

Also, do you notice the watch Jimin is wearing?

He's wearing the same watch he wore during his Sept 1 2023 live. The 1997 model watch, which was set to Jungkook's birth time when he started the live (I love that moment so much. Its so romantic and loud. There's no other explanation to why he did that other than the most obvious one which is proudly showing his love for Jungkook).

Jikook had so much fun in Sapporo, enjoying each other's company, creating memories to take back home with them

Did Jungkook post those 2 pics intentionally on the same day when the first snow fell in SK?

When we (jkks) saw those 2 pics our mind immediately went to Jikook, right? Because in the first pic of Jungkook with Bam, Jungkook's jacket is the same as the one Jimin was also seen wearing (including the black beanie). The second pic is the one where Bam's wearing a green and grey jacket. Again, Jikook were seen twinning in green and grey jackets on Valentine's Day.

So, is it all a coincidence?

In my opinion Jikook and the word coincidence don't go hand in hand. Cause once, twice or even thrice can be considered a coincidence. But when it comes to Jimin and Jungkook its not a coincidence but a consistent pattern of their choices.

We have seen the whole Jikook sharing/ matching clothes, accessories saga, right? They even did it during their Solo Era. So, I'm not gonna share all that here since most of you would have already seen it. But I'll share some which looks really interesting:

1) Jimin wearing Jungkook's old T-shirt in Hoseok's bday live

2) After Jungkook uploaded GCF Tokyo an Army commented under the official BH tweet asking Jimin if he's dating Jungkook and if he is then to post a selca with glasses. After 3 days Jimin uploads a video where he is seen wearing the same green hoodie which Jungkook wore during their Tokyo trip, with a glasses filter on. He captions it "glasses"

3) Jikook in denim shirts. They looked and acted so couple coded here that Namjoon asked them if they were dating to which neither of them responds nor denies it

4) BTS pic with TXT where Jikook are wearing matching black outfits along with the hats

5) Jikook in couple pajamas for LGO MV. Jungkook wanted it to be as realistic as possible. And thats why there were seen sharing a room together cause thats what they have been doing in real life. Sharing a room, a home and being a couple

6) Jikook's color coordinated outfits for AYS Sapporo (Black & beige and Grey)

7) The staff had already prepared pajama sets for them, which can be seen on the bed but they chose to wear the couple pajama sets they brought with them

8) Jimin wearing Jungkook's sweater to bed in Winter Package

Jikook knows very well that we catch on to the hints and clues they keep dropping here and there.

So, I don't think we are delusional if we connected the pics Jungkook uploaded today to Jikook. Cause I think that's exactly what Jungkook was hinting at. And Jungkook himself said that when its gonna snow during their ms he would recall the moment he shared with Jimin during their Sapporo trip.

But add to it Bam too cause he's also a part of their family. So, when it snowed today in SK Jungkook's thoughts were filled with Jimin and Bam. His small, precious family.

Have a nice day, Anon 👋🏻

Credits to the owner of the video

[wynnyfryd]

Trailer park Steve AU part 16

part 1 | part 15 | ao3

cw: unsympathetic religious discussion, mentions of oral sex (istg if you’re under 18 i will send such a sternly worded letter to your legal guardian, go aWAY)

“So just, to recap…” Eddie says dully, digging a thumb into his brow bone like he’s got a headache coming on. He’s sitting on the floor with his back against a work bench — one knee drawn to his chest, the other stretched out long, nearly tripping Steve where he's pacing a hole into the concrete. He lets his head fall against the bench with a thunk, looks up at Steve and continues, “we just got abducted by two asthmatic freshmen—”

“Pretty sure Dustin's the only one with asthma.”

"Okay, and I’m pretty sure that doesn't fucking matter when we've just been kidnapped and forced to play the world’s shittiest version of Seven Minutes in Heaven!"

Eddie takes a shuddering breath, brings his voice back down an octave. "Sorry,” he says, then sighs morosely to himself. “Imprisoned by my own sheepies…”

What a goddamned drama queen.

“Sheepies?” Steve asks.

"Never mind,” Eddie huffs. “Just... I mean, Jesus Christ, is this really what's happening? This? This is really where my life's at right now?”

Steve’s been wondering that himself.

“It's an intervention!" Dustin screeches. "It's for your own good!” “I’m gonna intervene your head from your body!” “That doesn’t even make sense!” Steve gives the metal above him one final, fruitless shove, then sinks down on the steps and puts his head in his hands. Pinches the end of his nose. His voice is hoarse from yelling, his temples starting to throb. Eddie’s shaking beside him like a cat that fell in an ice bath. “Seriously,” he pleads, lowering his voice. “Let us out; this isn’t cool.” “We will, okay? We promise. Just talk to each other first. Please? Just fifteen minutes.” Aaand he's yelling again. "Fifteen— are you out of your mind??" He's about to say 'hell no,' or maybe 'go fuck yourself,' but then Dustin yelps, “U.S.S. Butterscotch!” 'U.S.S. Butterscotch.' It’s basically the Scoops Troop's 'Olly olly oxen free.' “Goddammit, dude, FINE!”

“....Yeah, that about sums it up." Steve runs a hand through his hair, sweeping his bangs back off his forehead.

Eddie gives him a worn-out stare. “Well, shit.”

“Yep.” He goes back to his pacing — back and forth, back and forth, like it's actually doing anything to calm him down. (It isn’t really. If anything it’s just making his lower back damp with sweat.)

On the floor, Eddie shivers and draws his other leg to his chest, chin resting on bony knees, arms wrapped around his legs. "Christ, it's freezing," he complains, rubbing a hand over his shins. "If we die of exposure before I get to exact my revenge on those little assholes I'm gonna be so pissed."

"Here—" Steve starts to shrug off his jacket to give it to Eddie, but then he remembers the pills he still has stashed in the left pocket and abruptly changes course. He turns to the storage shelves, scanning for anything that might be useful, and— "There we go."

He makes his way to a messy pile of old camping supplies, scoops up an armful of whatever he can find: sleeping bags, flashlights, a lantern, some old citronella candles. They won't do much for warmth, but they'll make the place a bit less Russian torture chamber, at least.

Eddie eyes him a little warily as he sets up a spot right beside him on the floor. He spreads one sleeping bag out for them to sit on like a picnic blanket; offers the other one to Eddie, who drapes it over his shoulders like a cloak, his long, dark curls spilling over the edge.

"You got a light?" he asks, arranging the candles and the lantern in a half-circle around them.

"Sure do,” Eddie says. His face lights up when he slips a hand inside his pocket. "Oh, hell yeah, baby! Look what else I got."

He pulls out a silver flask, flashing it at Steve, and Steve ignores the way the words 'hell yeah, baby' bounce around his skull like an echo through an empty cavern.

"A little insurance policy in case the dinner party was a bore." Eddie unscrews the lid; takes a wincing swig. "Would have taken boring over this, though. Think I might’ve gotten a little more excitement than I bargained for." "Yeah,” Steve laughs under his breath. "You think?"

Eddie passes him the flask, sets to lighting all the wicks while Steve takes a shot. The whiskey is cheap, and it stings on the way down, but it's nice. Warm. Liquid amber in his chest, glowing like the candlelight Eddie sparks to life.

Eddie settles down beside him. With the workbench at their backs and the warm tint to the room, it's almost cozy. Reminds him of backyard sleepovers with Tommy; a little fortress built for two.

“Do you think they’re still listening?” Eddie's eyes flit to the stairs.

“Probably." Steve takes another swig, gesturing to the shadows beyond their makeshift camp. "He probably got Suzie to help him bug this whole place."

"Ah, yes. The crazy hot, crazy smart summer camp girlfriend who totally exists."

"She does, actually,” Steve laughs, “if you can believe it."

"No shit?"

"I know, right? I mean, like..." He scratches the side of his nose. "She's Mormon and lives all the way out in Utah, so it's not exactly like... but, whatever. He's super into her, so—"

"Hold up. Dustin's dating a Mormon?" Eddie says it like he’s spitting sunflower hulls. "That's almost worse than her being fake."

“What, you got some kinda history with Mormons?”

“Oh, yeah," Eddie snorts derisively. "The Mormons and I go waaay back."

"Wait, for real?" Was Eddie in a cult? Because that would actually explain so much.

"Dude. No. Hell no. Those fuckers love to solicit the downtrodden, though. They show up at the park all the time.”

“Great,” Steve deadpans. Another wonderful amenity of the Forest Hills experience.

“Don’t worry. Wayne usually just crosses himself at them until they go away.” He makes the sign of the cross, his rings glinting in the light. “Catholic middle-aged men and LDS teens, now there’s some quality petty drama.”

“So you’re Catholic, then?” Steve asks.

“Jesus, Harrington. We’re supposed to be kissing and making up and you want to start a religious debate?”

No, he absolutely does not. He wants to make fun of Eddie, because, "That’s the second time you’ve mentioned kissing." Eddie’s cheeks go horribly pink; peach tint in the deep orange glow. “First you wanna suck my blood at dinner, now you’re talking about making out. What next?” Steve teases. “You gonna offer to suck my dick?”

He means it as a joke — a slightly rude one, sure; insinuating, but still. He expects Eddie to get it, to roll his eyes and play along. Ha ha, Harrington.

When he used to say shit like this to Tommy, Tommy would always just laugh and shove him off, tell him to go suck it yourself.

Only Eddie doesn’t laugh.

Eddie goes quiet. Runs his tongue over his teeth. He fixes Steve with one of those looks; the kind that make him feel like a burglar caught in a flood light’s beam. “Why?" he teases back. "Did you want me to or something?”

—

part 17

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[inhuman-obey-me]

Have you forgotten who you are?

So Season 3 of Nightbringer kicked off today with its first lesson, with MC and Solomon back to the present after their whole trip to the past/alternate timeline. While we didn't get a whole lot so far, we do know that 1) everyone is suffering from spacetime sickness, and 2) we're back to confronting Simeon's situation.

To recap, Season 4 of OG left us with discovering that Simeon had his angel powers revoked as punishment from the Celestial Realm for going behind Michael's back. Now that we're back to the present, we're going to be able to see the consequences of that play out.

(NB Lesson 41 spoilers below)

We see it at the very end of the lesson -- MC goes out to the RAD Courtyard to find Simeon by himself, and he doesn't seem to be doing too well.

If you ask if he's okay, he's surprised to see you, then waves it off as him just being sleep deprived.

Soon after, we see a text exchange between Simeon and Luke, where the latter is thanking Simeon for cooking a delicious meal -- but also notices something seems off.

Luke wonders if Simeon has caught the Devildom flu, but Simeon again waves off the concern as just being tired.

Simeon has recently lost his angel powers. It's still not clear whether that makes him human, or if it's something more complicated. The game has called him "human" now for that lack of powers, but angels and demons seem to have intrinsically different physiology than humans - such as with how their bodies handle demonus. Has he actually lost his immortality? Is he now facing the consequences of having a more mortal existence in an actually human body? Or is there something more going on?

We also got an immediate mention of Michael, with Raphael having to go back to the Celestial Realm for a few days by Michael's request. What could he want?

Simeon notes that the short notice is odd, and both wonder if something could be wrong. Hmm...