#a day on their friender-bender

[ask-but-beware-the-consequences]

Pov: You're a can of booze

Pickles: WOOOO Nate'n! We gonna save this can of boooze! With the helicopterrrrr...!

Nathan: With the helicopter, yeah! LIKE A RESCUE.

Pickles: We gon'na make Bay Watch jelous!

Without the water booze effect:

And upside down, to see Nathan's face better:

[tokiwarcube]

How are the boys when their s/o is away on a trip for a while? Like which ones call constantly? Which ones are calm? Any have separation anxiety?

This was fun to think about, and very well timed! +Charles as well -- Enjoy! <3

Charles Foster Offdensen

Have fun for him, won’t you? Charles will absolutely miss you while you’re gone — with the lives you share, you don’t always have too much time to spend together, not to say that he won’t miss the time you do get — but he’s happy that you’ll be having a good time. His biggest worry is about your safety, but that’s nothing a few Klokateers can’t fix.

He looks forward to your nightly phone call more than ever — after a long day of running around, his steady voice is so nice to listen to. And you know, it’s funny — he’s already less stiff around you, but over the phone, he’s a little more willing to just be a bit silly. Especially as time goes on. Maybe it’s because of the distance that comes with a call. Maybe he just misses you.

And he’d be lying if he didn’t pay just a little bit more attention to the vibration of his phone, just in case you send him a text or a photo. He might not respond immediately, but he does look forward to hearing from you.

He does find himself thinking of you often — certain colors, trinkets, your interests… he’ll text you about them every now and then, just to let you know you’re in his thoughts.

Please send him a postcard or two, if you’re able. He likes physical items like that, especially if you scrawl a little note on the back.

10/10, he’ll be sure to take you on a nice date when you get home to make up for lost time.

Nathan Explosion

Listen, Nathan isn’t the most talkative man on Earth. Or in the States. Or in Mordhaus. Or, anywhere, really. No, his way of showing love is through spending time together. He loves getting up in the afternoon morning with you, going through your morning routine, watching you pick out your outfits… loves to just you know, exist with you. He thought he was going to be fine while you were gone, but everyone in a 30mi radius could tell he was not.

Spoiler alert: He is not.

He’s awkward on phonecalls, and is abysmal on videocalls (can’t hold a phone straight to save his life), so while he will 100% try, he’s not… he’s not great. But you know, just keep him updated with your daily activities — send photos of your adventures, of your outfit choices in the morning, of the random shit you found in the shops… it makes him feel just a little less alone. And he’ll try to do the same, even if the photos are always weirdly out of focus. He does better at the random voice notes he’ll send to you — now those, those make you feel more at home. It’s usually just some random thing he’s been thinking of — maybe it’s a random verse he’s been noodling at, maybe it’s an idea for some new too-expensive project, maybe it’s just some random thought that won’t leave him alone. But they mean a lot.

Other than that, he does fairly decent at distracting himself — if there was any time for a good-old friender-bender, it’s now.

5/10, Pickles is doing his damndest to keep him away from the tequila.

Pickles the Drummer

He’s been preparing for this day from the moment you put it on the calendar. He just knows he’s going to be horrific, going to spin himself in circles, going to chew his own arm off, and—

He’s actually fine. He thought he was going to be shaking like a chihuahua in your absence, but all things considered, he’s actually pretty damn okay! I mean yeah, he looks forward to your call at night, and he gets a bit sad if you ever have to miss it, but he’s not basing his entire day around the void your absence has made. Part of that comes from the photos you send throughout the day — he knows you haven’t just fucked off and abandoned him, which honestly, was his biggest worry. The other half of his nonchalance comes with his lifestyle. I wouldn’t say he’s drinking more now that you’re gone, but also… he’s bored. He’s not drinking himself to death, mind you, it’s just… Pickles.

He for sure gets a bit sappier when he’s really under the influence — he will be showing photos of your adventures to anyone who will listen. And to anyone who won’t. He’s glad you’re having a good time, genuinely.

Might as well go on a good old friender-bender while he has the time, though.

9/10, surprisingly normal, but someone should really look into his liver — how it hasn’t shut down by now is anyone’s guess.

Skwisgaar Skwigelf

When its time for your trip, he thinks he’s gonna do great in your absence. Love you to death, but it’ll be nice to play guitar in the middle of the night again without having to worry about waking you up. And he can finally watch that horror movie you said he’d hate because for some reason you’re convinced that he hates them. Oh! And he can finally try his hand at drinking Nathan under the table again, and—

He has a whole list of stupid shit planned out, and he doesn’t even make it an hour before he’s smacked with a very crushing loneliness. He finds himself turning to murmur to you, only to have your usual space just… empty.

The weight of your absence is stunning, and he refuses to admit how much he misses you. But you can take a guess, with how much he draws out your midnight phonecalls. And really, its hard to keep up the dirty talk for that long without getting cliche— how about you just tell him about your day?

4/10, emotionally constipated Swedish man ends up in ER with repetitive strain injuries to the fingers and wrist, more news at 10:00.

Toki Wartooth

Toki considers himself to be fairly adaptable. I mean sure, he misses you half to death, but he can function without you. Plus, he always has his memory boxes and scrapbooks for when he’s particularly longing, and he always has the ability to call!

By which I mean, he’s calling you almost any chance he gets. But to be fair, that’s not too much different from when you’re at home — he just likes to talk to you. He keeps you updated on all of the shenanigans at Mordhaus, so you never really feel too far from home. But now that you’re off on your own adventure, he wants to hear all about it! Please send him photos!

Genuinely, he does great at surviving without you. That is, until it comes time to sleep — he didn’t realize how good you were at keeping the nightmares at bay. Expect a slightly longer call at night — he probably won’t tell you about the nightmares, but he does get a bit whinier about you coming home.

8/10, surprisingly adaptable, but please bring him a trinket. No, it does not matter that he could buy every item in the country thrice over — he would still like a little trinket.

William Murderface

He does not miss you, he’s just buying a casket and writing his will because it’s a fun, Tuesday activity.

Okay, he’s lying, he misses you so fucking much it’s unreal. It just feels weird to, you know, say it like that. He’d be calling you 24/7 if you weren’t out and about, living your life. So instead, he texts. There’s no obligation to respond immediately, mind you… but a few updates here and there would be deeply appreciated.

He tries his absolute best to distract himself while you’re gone — maybe Planet Piss will finally get it’s first EP down (false) — with varying success. His chief method of distraction comes to hanging out with the band… and the boys are texting you by the end of the week to please come home, because they’re having to beat him off with a stick. He’s also weirdly agitated with everyone but you, which certainly doesn’t help matters… but on the phone, he’s just as soft as could be.

3/10, he’s going to chew his own leg off at this rate. Someone save him, please.

[dolly-macabre]

⚙️ Kloktober Day 6 ⚙️

Road Trip or Drug Trip

This one is a little bit of both! A little dickles fic about doing what they do best. Drugs!!!

Cw: illicit drug use

“Hey! Hey, Dolls! You gotta try this! This shit is insane!” 

Dolly herself had just hit a hash blunt that was being passed around when Pickles handed her what seemed to be just a plain old cigarette.

They were in a black market in Pakistan, on the tail end of their Drug Trip. It was their yearly trip where the two of them traveled around the world, taking in any kind of illicit substances they could get their hands on. It was kind of like the Friender Benders he would have with Nathan.

“What is it?” She took the cigarette from him, curious as to what it could be. 

“Dude, just hit it. Ask questions later!” 

Some of the other men among them encouraged her to take a hit as well, so she finally caved and put it between her lips, inhaling slowly. Almost immediately, it felt like someone had smacked her over the head with a steel folding chair. She thought she might black out, but Pickles was quick to grab ahold of her shoulders to keep her upright. 

“You okay, baby?” He chuckled, placing his forehead to hers, “I didn't think it would hit ya that hard!”

Everything around her started to twist, contort, and change color, that was when she could keep her eyes open. She felt wired, and yet all she wanted to do was close her eyes. 

“What the fuck did I just smoke?” She choked out. 

“Fuckin’ scorpions!” Pickles snickered, obviously very fucked up but still pretty aware of his surroundings, “They fuckin’ catch scorpions and dry their tails in the sun. Then they smoke em!”

Dolly grabbed her head. She was already starting to get a nasty headache, but the visual hallucinations were some of the weirdest she'd ever experienced.

“Sure gives coke a run for its money, right?”

She almost wished she had some coke instead, but she decided it was best to just let herself go and embrace her high. 

“You gonna be okay, baby? Yer ahfully quiet.” He pulled her closer to him. His pupils were completely blown out, and she giggled at the sight of them. 

“What's so funny?” he stammered, pressing his forehead to hers once more. Dolly couldn't stop laughing. 

“Your fuckin’ eyes, man!”

“Yeah? Yers look pretty freaky, too!”

They were both out of their minds. Thankfully, there were klokateers standing by to keep them out of too much trouble.

“Are they still pretty?” Dolly asked, touching the tip of her nose to his. 

“What now?” He was more than a little out of it. 

“My eyes!”

“Wha– oh! Of course they are, angel!" Pickles stuttered, lost in a haze, "Hey… you uh... wanna fuck? This shit's got me so hard.” He said right out loud. She wasn't sure if anyone could understand him fully but she didn't really care either. 

She nodded, biting her bottom lip.

Their hooded guards were quick to intercept them before they got completely naked right there in front of market goers. They more than made up for it in the limo on the way back to their hotel. 

[chordsykat]

I've been thinking about this for a minute on how to develop Nathan's character more and thought about how his prophetic dreams could've been building up, correctly predicting, and becoming more disturbing since season three.

The climax happens in Prankklok (I changed it around again) where the band aside from Pickles and Nathan, are beefing with each other and they're planning they're friender-bender to get away from it all.

Nathan hasn't opened up about his prophetic dreams to Pickles due to fears it won't make sense and you know...Gay.

It bites him in the ass hard and now not only is everybody mad at each other, but they're also pissed at Nathan for destroying the album and now they're forced to work together again.

UHHHh OHHHHH Claudia's awoken the lore-dragon that loves to hoard this kind of stuff in my brain -- let's do this :D

I think the prophecy/world ending/the Doomstar/Falconback/Salacia has all been in the works since the beginning, but yeah -- it really picks up steam at the end of Season 2 and beginning of Season 3. Similarly, Nathan's always been one for having weird dreams and visions, but that too, becomes aggressively prophetic as the series goes on. I think your vision for how this all goes down fits well into the canon, and I have a strong feeling that the end will pay-off, similarly.

Popular fan-theory would have you believe, when "Some Days Are For Dying" picks up with that 'second voice' on the first verse, it's Nathan talking:

Feels like it’s Deconstructing The powers of my words They mean fucking nothing

He's clearly frustrated about the state of things. The world's ending and he's hitting writer's block -- which seems to also happen more frequently as the series goes on. Starting Tuesday, you'll see that I even have it as a central dilemma for him in Dethkomic.

And why is Nathan having writer's block such a problem? Well, as you said and as the clues in canon seem to be pointing to -- Nathan's at the heart of the writing process for the band, and without him, the "right message" won't arrive in time to stop whatever it is that's going to tear the world apart. Ishnifus pointed out Nathan destroyed the record because "it was the wrong message", and though the show is great at throwing red herrings our way, most of us don't believe that was one of them.

Anyway. Poor guy's not gonna tell his bandmates about this (because yeah, gaaaaay... but... they're really scary and what if they come true?) so he's going to look like the bad guy in that sense, or at least a wishy-washy artist. "The Ocean Galaktik" and its themes of visions, being in the water, etc. is relevant to this entire topic, and a lot of us think these words, specifically, are about Nathan needing to find those lyrics:

See the world below reform Speak the words and call the storm

I think most of all, the Galaktikon II album has a lot of central themes pointing to the band needing to unify in their final stand aganst the forces of evil. A lot of this has to do with Salacia's power taking hold of Murderface, I'm sure, but more to the point -- I don't think these powers the boys are saddled with will work if they're separated. So your ideas for pushing them back together again too, should see good returns when the story wraps. :)

Always fun to discuss this stuff. But woo. Sorry for the length in that response. :D

[dingdongdoodilydoodilydoo]

Whats your favorite moment or time youve spent with each member?

uhhjmmmm.....ajth nathan its probably friender benders....writing...recorfinh....yeah

skiwsgaar....just lisyening yo him play is a good fucking time man, hes a fucking god. and he days stupid shit and its funny

toki....we watxh cartoons sometimes, its fun...heblikes my little pony. my favorite pony is applejack

muderface....we eat food and takk about our dhitty lives.

[dethklokminuteaskblog]

WHAT IS UP, DETHKLOK MINUTE??

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT SKWISGAAR TRYING TO CHARM PICKLES.

The question remains, dethwhisperer! Is Skwisgaar able to warm up his own teammate to his charming personality? Or is it PICKLES the one who has the fastest guitarist known to our world wrapped around his finger? To our team of media resources it appears that they've passed the "trying to charm" stage SEVERAL EONS AGO!

Either way the sandwich is turned,,, There seems to be not any tension in the band caused by these friender benders, is kissing your homies metal now? Here in the studio we think yes.

That's the Dethklok Minute, have a great day! 💀

[skwigelfskwisgaar]

Oh. Uhms. I amnst heughs, opposeds but, uuuuhh.... We cans do a Pals-lens-tines's Day like de friender benders whats Nat'ans and Pickle do.

Dat amns it! We has Pals-de-times Day. Ja?

Tokis! Don't just gos un-soups-visereds! De fans can be really weirds. Takes Pickle or Nat'an or mes to make shore you ams safe. Not dat I ams askingsk. To gos anywhere. Wit you. Today.

Takes a Klokateers instead. Never minds.

@skwigelfskwisgaar

I WILL BE FINES THANK YOUS VERY MUCH!!!!! BUTTTT YOUS CAN STILL COMES WITH ME!!!! THE KLOKSATEERS AMNS BORINGS TO TAKES WITH— YOUS CAN UHH…BE MY SECOND VALENTINES!!!! OR SOMETHING!!! ∩( ・ω・)∩

[nathanthebarbarian]

((GOING HOME AND WAS GIVEN THREE EXTRA DAYS OFF WORK WOO!!! don’t care that i need the money i also need the fucking break oh my fucking god 4 days off 2 days for a real life friender bender with one of my roommates. FUCK YEAH! if i didn’t have to take hydrocodone today i’d take a shot of whiskey at home or make a mixed drink or something oh my fucking god!!!))

[failedintsave]

21 skwistok for the cuddle prompts? Thank you 💕

An excuse to write bath time yessss

He'd wanted a nice, relaxing evening, just the two of them. The record was finished, Pickles and Nathan had jetted off on their Friender Bender, and Murderface was on his way to some medieval weaponry exhibition. They had the Haus to themselves and a week alone to unwind. What he hadn't expected (though he probably should have) was for their leisure time to be ruled by another of Skwisgaar's strict regimens. 

Seated on the edge of the massive marble basin, Toki wiggled his toes in the rising water and inhaled the steam clouds that hung heavy in the air and fogged the window at the back of the bathing alcove.  The vapor was thick with a pleasant perfume, Skwisgaar's concoction expertly mixed from the vials and jars full of exotic oils and salts that lined the rim of the tub like a bath time chemistry set. 

"You knows," Toki said, kicking his foot out and splashing the opposite side of the bath where Skwisgaar was adding a final scoop of scented granules, the sleeves of his robe cuffed to keep from getting wet. "When I said we should takes a bath I thought it woulds be romantic, I didn'ts realize you was gonna do a science experzibents first."

The Swede glanced up at him, the sheet mask plastered to his face wrinkling across the forehead as he raised an incredulous brow. 

"You ams de one who asked to shares dis, if you don't wants to does it my way den by all means…" he gestured with the tiny wooden scoop towards the shower stall.

"No, no! I just had no idea dat it would be so... imvolveds." He splashed again. "I thought maybe some bubbles or something. Dis seem like a lot."

"Dis is not'ing, wait til I takes you to de healths spa one of dese days. Dey gots peels and mud baths and all kind of good stuff."

Turning to reach for the corner behind the tub, Skwisgaar dragged a basket forward across the polished tile. He dug through his collection of pampering accoutrements, swapping out the pots and bottles he'd finished with for the next set he would require and lining them along the side of the bath. 

"Here. You'll like dis."

Skwisgaar dropped a chalky blue orb onto the towel draped over Toki's lap. Picking it up, Toki rolled it in his hands to examine. It was ovoid and smelled sugary sweet, the surface mottled with flecks of purple and green that sparkled when they caught the light. Some sort of jawbreaker? He touched the tip of his tongue to its surface.

"AUUGH, GROSS!"

"What ams you doing?" Skwisgaar laughed, turning off the faucet. "Put it in de waters, you dumb dildoes."

The bath had filled to cover his shins by now, so Toki flipped his towel aside and slid in, the egg still clutched in one hand. The moment it hit the water, the orb began to bubble and fizz, colorful whorls of foam spiraling away from it across the surface of the bath like cosmic nebulas.

"Oh wowee!"

Skwisgaar chuckled, striking a match and lighting the pillar candles arranged at the back of the alcove. He flicked his wrist to extinguish the match and straightened up to cross the room, peeling away his facemask as he went.

"Where you going?" Toki managed to tear his eyes from the spinning bath bomb for a moment. 

A pop! echoed off the sleek floor and walls and after a moment, the lights flipped off, leaving only the warm amber glow of the candles for illumination. Skwisgaar returned, his hair now piled in a knot atop his head. Two champagne flutes dangled between the fingers of one hand, an uncorked bottle held in the other.

"T'oughts you wanted de mood to be romanticals."

He handed off one of the glasses, setting the rest aside and unbelting his robe to let it fall in a heap, climbing the two steps up to join the bath. To Toki's dismay, he seated himself across the basin and, after a swig from his champagne, began picking through his supplies. He unscrewed one container and picked up an oversized spongy mitt.

"Why ams you all de way over dere?" Toki sulked. The bath bomb had all but disintegrated by now, and he sat amid a galaxy of blue and purple suds.

Skwisgaar had lathered and rinsed and was already moving on to his next product. "Just be patient, little Toki. I has a system to sticks wif. Haves your drink, relax. And don't pouts." He added the last after a glance to Toki's protruding bottom lip.

Toki drank, if only to camouflage his frown, unhappy to be limited to watching when he'd prefer to be touching. In front of him, the last of the purple froth dissipated, leaving behind a small clear bubble floating in the water. Toki scooped it up; it was plastic and split by a seam, something within making a rattling sound when he shook it.

"Dere something inside dat fizzy ball…" Toki held it up to show Skwisgaar, but the blonde merely smirked and continued performing his ablutions. Using his thumbnail, Toki cracked open the foggy plastic and laughed when he removed the contents. "Ams a dinosaur egg!"

"Thought you'd enjoys dat."

The three-horned figurine was poorly painted, with eyes that appeared to be crossed and a dorsal stripe that wasn't quite centered on its spine. A cheap prize like the ones that came in boxes of cereal. He loved it immediately.

"You gots dis for me?" Toki looked across the tub again, pout replaced by a small, pleased smile.

Skwisgaar wiped his arms clean, shrugging nonchalantly. "You likes all dem little toys for babies."

Before he could apply anything else, Toki grabbed hold of Skwisgaar's elbow and hauled him forward, turning him so that the blonde leaned back against his chest. He wrapped both arms around his slim torso, ducking his head to rest his chin on Skwisgaar's shoulder even as the other man let his head tip back to lay on his own.

"Thank you," Toki murmured, hands massaging over Skwisgaar's sides. "Mm, okei, I guess all you's soaps and junk works. You skin ams real soft. And you smells like a cookie."

Skwisgaar sighed as he relaxed into Toki's embrace. "Well unlike de egg you trieds to eat, hueghuegh, dat scrub was actuallies made of sugar." 

"So you saying dat you ams basically a desserts now, hm?" 

Skwisgaar squirmed in his arms, trying and failing to hold back a squeal as Toki nibbled just below his ear. His roaming fingers curled to tickle at bony ribs and they laughed and jostled each other briefly, splashing water out onto the floor and making the flames on the candles sputter and dance before settling to recline again. Toki flattened his hands over Skwisgaar's belly, smiling wider when long fingers laced with his.

"Ams dis what you wanted, den?" Skwisgaar asked, the rumble of his baritone resonating against Toki's skin. His teasing tone from before was gone, the question suggesting that if this wasn't in line with Toki's wish for their evening, that Skwisgaar would do whatever he could to make it so. The thought warmed Toki even as the bathwater cooled around them.

"Dis ams exactly whats I wanted."

[aggravatetheaxe]

Stars Don't Shine, They Burn (Nathan x Pickles)

Just a lil Nickles drabble. I know they technically perform this at the end of DSR, but I'm just working with it as a regular song here. I didn't go into all of Pickles's emotions with DSR, cause I just wanted to focus on the friends to lovers thing (a.k.a. I got lazy) ... but I hope it's still good!

I might write sequels, or a longer, more drawn out thing if people want more (and I can find energy)? I have "A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell loaded up on YouTube and I'm weeping and weeping and weeping, so. Let me know.

Also, not me being like "I'm not a fan of the music in Encanto" and then using a line from it for the title of this ... ok, Lin Manuel Miranda, you win this round...

cw: religious imagery/metaphors, references to alcohol (canon typical)

words: 833

soundtrack: x

sequel: x

Masterlist

***

Pickles hadn't had that much to drink before the show, really - a few beers and a couple shots of Fireball, far less than his standard. But under the hot lights, surrounded by fog and music and looking at Nathan, he felt drunker than he had in a long time.

It'd been harder than usual, lately, to push down the emotions he felt when he looked at Nathan - his vocalist, his partner, his co-writer, his best friend. Pickles had denied his own feelings for so long, but on their most recent friender-bender, he'd just ... broken. Lying in bed one night, Nathan's face tucked up into the crook of his neck with his breathing slow and steady, Pickles couldn't help but cry. Stone-cold sober when he should have been hosed out of his mind, he'd just lain there and cradled his friend and cried.

They'd shared a bed, as they had a thousand times. Usually, they only kissed and touched in the dark, quiet, never talking about it in the daylight - a year-and-a-half long ritual they never spoke of. But that night, it had been different. He'd yearned to just be close to Nathan, and Nathan had seemed to want the same.

Even now, the longing yawned in his chest, an empty cavern hungry for nourishment he'd lacked and craved but never allowed himself. Nathan could never know. Dethklok aside, Pickles would rather jump in front of a bus than ruin what they had. He'd bleed for the rest of his life if it meant he got to keep Nathan as a friend.

They could never be together - there wasn't just one thing standing in the way, but everything.

Pickles had known it that night as surely as he knew it now, and yet every day since then, things seemed ... different. Shimmering, a half-dream. Nathan looked at him differently, touched him more. Out of every other night, that night had felt different. He wondered if, somehow, Nathan had noticed it, too.

Pickles was eighty percent sure it was just wishful thinking getting to him, that he was only seeing what he wanted to see, but god, he wished it was real.

It was nice to pretend sometimes.

Times like these, though, on stage, with sweat pouring down his skin and Nathan's voice enveloping him and Nathan's eyes meeting his through the pyrotechnics and the smoke, he couldn't help himself. There was some kind of chemistry here in particular. The stage was like a crucible, and they were two elements sparking at each other's touch.

Intoxicating.

The first few measures of "Blazing Star" had Nathan approaching slowly. He didn't need to share a mic with Pickles - Pickles had his own mic by his kit - but he always did. There was something about inhaling the booze off Nathan's breath ... something about pressing his lips to a microphone already wet with the condensation from Nate's mouth...

Being on stage had always affected Pickles like this. Performing with Nathan made it almost unbearable.

I’m gonna find you, I’m running out of time.

Nate didn't always face the crowd. He commanded the stage like a king even when he was still - even when he seemed to be in his own world, bent over the mic as though in prayer. But now, he was looking at Pickles; his chin was tilted upward; he sang directly to the top of the drum riser.

I gotta play this part, this is my lot in life.

Pickles felt a peculiar twinge in his stomach, something bittersweet and warm, as Nathan approached the riser. With his size, it was only a big step to join Pickles on top. It felt like Nathan was singing to him in a way he hadn't before.

With this power I am endowed, the end is coming, so bring it on now.

And he brought the mic to Pickles's mouth. The scent of booze was heavy and heady, and the mesh was still warm from Nathan's breath.

Oh, the keeper wields his scythe...

Nathan leaned in as Pickles sang, inky black hair snaking over one shoulder. Before he knew what was happening, Nathan's face was in the crook of his neck just like that night. He rumbled and inhaled deeply, sending a jolt of electricity through the drummer.

Oh, you gotta kiss this life goodbye...

As Pickles sang kiss this life goodbye, Nathan placed a hot, open mouthed kiss on his ticking pulse. And for a second, Pickles felt like a believer again, drinking Communion wine.

He wasn't sure he'd ever sung like he did then, throaty and powerful and resonant:

There is another place beyond; we’ll meet in time, and I will greet you all in the next life, yeah!

For him. All for him. Fucking everything for him.

Nathan never released his gaze, but Pickles didn't want to be released. Those green eyes were the only thing still tethering him to Earth, and he was a happy prisoner.

***

Masterlist

Tip Jar

[pikaflute]

NICKLES + A

A: Almost Kiss

YESSSS. Nathan and Pickles have almost kissed like a bunch of times i feel. Mainly on friender benders, where the mood is good and they're spending a lot of time together having fun and being drunk. Usually they almost kiss and either forget about it the next day or they just blame it on the alcohol making them all lovey dovey.

They also almost kiss on the Dethsub. When tensions are high (from not jacking it) and Pickles is, well, very interested in Nathan's sweaty body while Nathan thinks Pickles looks, well, kinda sexy in that suit. They almost kiss but are interrupted by a surprise recording session. Then the band breaks up and the two don't see each other until the funeral.

They almost kiss at the funeral too. When they hug and reconnect they are so filled with emotion that the two feel like kissing. And they come so close until that bomb goes off. Then they have no time because of their worry for Toki and drowning their misery with partying.

After Doomstar though is when they finally kiss. No distraction or excuses this time. When they kiss, everything falls into place. Nathan feels like he's finally found the one for him and Pickles finally feels like he belongs. It's a magical moment. After the kiss is over they kiss again, and again and again and well you get it :)

[fictional-semantics]

FtL Fun Headcannons and Facts Pt 1

- There are many weebs. As a result, Rivrin often is onslaughted with thirsty comments because of his similar appearance to Levi Ackerman.

- Valentines Day is a nightmare for the staff.

- Elias is considered a heartthrob in his classes. He hates it lol

- Coro and Shynah usted to be on the volleyball team but got suspended because Shynah attacked the referee that ignored Coro’s injury

- Rivrin and Coro founded the GSA club so they could have more gay friends.

- Rhea cosplays. Fight me.

- Secretly, Shynah is an expert on makeup. She does Rhea’s and Coro’s every morning.

- Alexos was briefly on the basketball team before he accidentally blew up the opposite team’s hoop.

- The library is sentient. Books float and you can ask for what you want. It will help you with research.

- All of the benders like to transform into each other to mess with the professors.

- The menders are the parents of the student body.

- The frienders teach their overly aggressive friends how to enchant their voices to be more calm.

- The blenders teach everyone Jedi mind tricks. Letting them watch Star Wars was a horrible idea on the staff’s part.

- Rivrin tried to teach Alexos how to use chopsticks and ended up getting poked in the eye somehow.

- They’re all too competitive. You can’t even have a staring contest with anyone.

- The forest speaks to those that listen.

- Language clubs are comprised of native speakers cursing out the other students and watching in amusement as they slowly begin to catch on.

- Rivrin used to be super cold and emotionless until Rhea quite literally slapped some sense into him.

- Elias is an expert soccer player.

- The renders like to mess with the water temperature to prank the other students, but after a mishap involving Rivrin and Elias, they don’t make a habit of it.

- They’re all precious children. Pls protect them.

Tag list: @imintheunderworld @carnationwrites

@writerfae @jfictitional @rhyseoshaughnessy @musicofglassandwords @inherentlywritten @burningoffaroad @andiwriteunderthemoon @semblanche @sarahmariaria @alasyorickimagraveobber

Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed

[atmilliways]

34 please

“Pickles/Nathan.” 

It’s funny, I sincerely thought I had written something about this pairing at some point, but when I went back through my old fics… nuthin’. So. Here’s a thing, set during the “Keep the Party Going” bit of the Doomstar Requiem. 

(mtl prompts list)

—

Out of the corner of his eye, Pickles saw Nathan pull out his dethphone. “Stop it,” he said automatically. 

Nathan’s head snapped up with the speed of a guilty man who’d been consciously hoping not to be caught. “Stop what?” 

Pickles sighed and fished around in his own pockets for anything interesting he happened to have on him, coming up some papers, a baggie of weed, and… a spoon. Damn. He sighed again and decided to start rolling a joint anyway.

“What?” Nathan insisted. 

“Stop looking at the picture,” Pickles replied distractedly while he picked a nug apart over the paper, pausing only to sniff his fingers and try to remember if this was a sativa or an indica or somewhere in the middle. “We’re keepin’ the party goin’, not lookin’ at pictures of Abigail.” 

“I… wasn’t,” Nathan mumbled, slowly lowering his phone. 

“Dood, yer about as convincing as… shit, as this spoon. You got a fuckin’ lighter?” 

Dutifully, the frontman patted his pockets and eventually produced a black and silver bic. Pickles finished rolling the joint, put it to his lips, and instead of taking the lighter just leaned in Nathan’s general direction and waited for a light. When it came, he took a hard pull and sat back, draping himself lazily against the couch cushions before letting the smoke out in a slow stream. He passed Nathan the joint and sighed again. 

“I’ll put some hash in the next one,” he muttered aimlessly. “I think I got some around here somewhere…” But he made no effort to look for it, so that probably wouldn’t happen. 

Ha. 

Whatever. 

Everything was fine. 

“Hey. Hey, Pickles.” Nathan nudged the smoldering joint into his hand. “Uh… Can I ask you something?” 

“Dood, if it’s about either of those two people that nonna us are talkin’ about, I don’t wanna hear it.” The drummer took his hit and passed it back. “Ash that.” 

Nathan tapped the ash off the end over the coffee table. Nice. 

“It’s not. Uh, about them,” he insisted. 

“Alright, fine. What?” 

The younger man’s face was screwed up in an agony of concentration. “You know… all that shit I said at the funeral? Before… that stuff happened? It’s not about that,” he said quickly, catching Pickles’ glare. “You know how I said… how I didn’t want something if it meant you not being in the band?” 

Pickles raised an eyebrow. “Yeah…?” 

It figured that Nathan was avoiding saying the S word again, but he hadn’t expected any part of that speech to be directly referenced again. It had been one of those in the moment things, and once it was all said everything was just settled and that was that, no need for dredging that emotional crap up again. 

“Uhhhh…” Nathan took another hit, stalling for time while he collected his thoughts and attempted to put his words in some sort of coherent order. “Mmmmmngh never really wanted it in the first place.” 

Pickles squinted through the smoke that was turning the air around them hazy. “What?” 

Nathan heaved a sigh and took another hit, out of order but whatever. Then, belatedly, he passed the joint. “I never wanted her. I mean, you know. Not like… not enough to fuck up the band.” 

There was a moment of silence while Pickles digested that and Nathan stared intently and the little pile of ash on the table. 

“Dood, then why’d ya go after her?” 

“Because I was pissed off!” Nathan burst out, glancing at him but then eyes sliding away almost immediately. “Because you were mad at me… about the album and, uh, hitting you in the face…” 

Pickles groaned. “Ya know, it’d help if you didn’t keep bringing shit up and reminding me.” 

“I know, I know. But listen.” Nathan was sitting hunched forward, his fists clenched and resting hard against his thighs. “You were pissed off at me, so I got pissed too. And then we were on the submarine and couldn’t jack off and you were acting like a fucking tool…” 

“Again, not really helping, Nathan.” 

“LISTEN.” 

“Okie, okie, I’m listening.” Pickles took his third hit in a row, sharing be damned. The other man didn’t seem to want it right now anyway. 

“I just wanted you to shut up about her. And… I did not go about that the right way. I know that now. But everything was fucked up.” 

Between them, amidst the smoke, hung the reality that things were still fucked up. Toki was missing, Abigail might be dead, Charles didn’t seem to be sleeping anymore, and some guy with a beard wanted them to save the world — which, fuck the world, the world was shit-for-brains fucked up all on its own, not their fault or problem. 

“So… I think I was jealous, I guess that’s what I’m trying to say.” 

Pickles groaned and scrubbed a hand over his goatee. “Well, yeah, Nate, that’s what happens when two doods go after the same lady.” 

“Yeah, but…" 

As dulled as his reactions were this far into the day — Pickles had been awake for a whole hour and a half, and he’d mostly had coke and beer for breakfast — he felt his stomach give a little cringe of anxiety. That thing, the thing they’d never acknowledged or talked about, ever, but somehow meant that even though by band agreement they weren’t friends they could still go on vacations together and call it a friender bender. That connection. That. Nathan was getting perilously close to actually saying something about it, he could practically taste it. 

And that was so many kind of fucked up, but if everything was already fucked up anyway… 

Nathan had vomited blood in public for him, for fuck’s sake. That was pretty brutal. 

“… I was jealous ‘cause I didn’t want her to get you,” Nathan finished. 

There. 

Once it had been said, Pickles relaxed. He took another hit, then passed it back to Nathan, who took it and slumped back on the couch as though suddenly exhausted. 

“Same, dood,” he said, smoke eddying from his mouth and nostrils with the words. “Same.”

[basbobibbins]

Day 14: Friender Bender More like getting drunk and go on gay ass dates

[antixpress]

NEW DECADES OF (in)EXPERIENCE “Friender Bender, Part III” (ep. 229) written & drawn by @AJSchumacherart #doiexp @topwebcomics @WebComicNetwork @WebcomicNews #DecadesDay

Hope everyone gets a relaxing moment this Labor Day weekend. My mini-vacation started Thursday.

Thank you for reading. –Francis

[pikaflute]

2 for nickles~

:)

When I started shipping them: my friend drew them fucking on the dethsub and i thought it was hot. this is also why i started watching mtl. im not even slightly kidding.

My thoughts: GOD. GOD. so nathan and pickles are besties since forever and they rely on one another so MUCH. i love the fact they basically act like a couple (friender bender HELLO, HELLO???) and that they are quite literally the heart of the band and without them, the band falls apart. it gets me. also their dynamic is literally unstoppable force vs immovable object.

What makes me happy about them: the fact that they have friender benders. that is all. also the fact they sing together on a few songs also tickles me in the right way :)

What makes me sad about them: them being fucking STUPID in season 4. JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER THIS ISN’T THAT HARD YOU FUCKING MORONS!!!! HELLO!!!!

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: [FUCKING GRABS AO3] nathan isnt dumb, hes just bad at words and im pretty sure pickles KNOWS nathan well enough to gather what he’s saying

Things I look for in fanfic: [GRABS YOU] i wish more people took advantage of slow burn and pining with these two. you KNOW nathan probably had a crush on pickles in his snb days, so why not like...write about that. yeah :) also pickles going to rely on nathan more for his problems, love wins when you talk about your problems.

My wishlist:  i WISH THEY GOT INTO A RELATIONSHIP IN CANON. I WISH THEY TALKED MORE I WISH THEY WENT ON THEIR FRIENDER BENDER [THROWS SOMETHING]

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: charles LMAO

My happily ever after for them: dethwedding 2! i wish they would get married and just be together and be soft for one another ugggggh. also they dont die according to galatikon 2. i do not see it :) my eyes are closed.