#a stopped clock is right twice a day or whatever

[darklight-owl]

Elon Musk stop commenting on foreign countries' politics challenge (impossible)

[fetusgooseandjuice]

Forever

Pairings: Knight!Natasha Romanoff x Princess!Reader

Summary: How Natasha proposed to you.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: None— just fluff!

Author’s Note: This is a mini-oneshot to my fic “Soulmates”. I’d recommend reading that one before this for context to be able to grasp the storyline!

Mini-oneshots: Promise

"What is it that you wanted to talk to us about, Natasha?" your father asked as he looked at the redhead from across the table.

The knight had requested a meeting with your parents, though it wasn't about the kingdoms royal guard as you were told.

It was about you.

Natasha didn't want to lie, but she needed to come up with an excuse to not raise any suspicions from you. And a meeting with the King and Queen about the royal guard seemed perfect.

"I actually wanted to speak to you about Y/n." the knight said.

Your parents eyebrows raised at that. "What’s going on? Is everything okay?" your mother said.

"Oh everything's fine. Perfect actually." Natasha was quick to reassure them. "I just had a thought and I wanted to run it by both of you before I go through with it."

They nodded their heads and Natasha took it as her go-ahead to continue.

"I want to ask Y/n to marry me, and I wanted your permission to do so." she said.

It was silent for a few moments before the biggest grins pulled at their lips.

"Of course you have our permission, Natasha. Did you think we'd say no after all these years?" your mother laughed and stood from her seat to pull your girlfriend in for a hug.

Natasha smiled happily, "I was counting on you saying yes, but if I was going to do this I wanted to do it right."

Your father stood up and made his way over to the redhead to give her a quick hug as well, "We appreciate it, Natasha, but we knew you'd end up tying the knot sooner or later and we love you so of course it's okay."

"Did you need help with anything? We're happy to help with whatever you need." your mother said.

The redhead already had an idea in mind for a while, so she was hoping you'd like it.

“I was thinking…”

~ ~ ~

"Nat, where are you taking me?" you giggled.

You took cautious steps as Natasha walked behind you with her hands covering your eyes, carefully guiding you to some unknown location while also making sure the path ahead of you was safe.

"Hold on, we're almost there." she chuckled at your impatience.

This was second time you had asked that to the knight even though she said it was a secret the first time the question left your mouth.

It was a quiet night in the castle before Natasha came to you. Both of your families had gone to bed, and most of the staff had already clocked out for the exception of a few guards who were taking their positions for the night shift.

You were winding down in bed, catching up on some reading you'd been too busy to do during the day when the redhead peeked her head into your bedroom to make sure you were still awake.

To her excitement you were, so she took the book out of your hands and made sure to bookmark your place. Ignoring the complaints from you Natasha took your hands into hers and dragged you from the comfort of your shared bed to lead you outside.

Which brings you to now.

Blindly walking down a path with Natasha to direct you. You'd tripped over your own feet twice, but of course your girlfriend caught you before any real damage could happen.

"Okay we're here. Are you ready?" Natasha asked as she stopped you both in your tracks.

Her question made you laugh, "Well you did bring me out here against my will, so do I really have a choice?"

"Nope" she said simply before taking her hands away from your eyes and fixing her stance behind you so she could watch your face.

You had to blink a few times for your eyes to adjust, but when they finally focused your face softened at the sight. You now knew that you were in the castle gardens, but in front of you was a picnic the redheaded knight had set up for the two of you.

There was a blanket on the ground with lanterns and candles scattered around for warm lighting. There were multiple baskets of food sat on top along with a bottle of what you assumed to be wine.

The amazed look on your face was enough for the knight to feel proud of herself.

"What all of this?" you smiled and turned your head to look at her only for that same smile to be mirrored on her face too.

"It's for you, my love."

"What for? Is there something happening today? What did I forget—"

"Relax, princess." Natasha chuckled and stepped in front of you so you could now be face to face. "You didn't forget anything. I just thought we could spend a little time together. You know, just me and you. Away from everyone else."

In that moment you didn't know what you did to deserve the redhead, you were speechless. But as you pondered about it for a second you came to the conclusion that you just didn't deserve her.

"I love you," you whispered.

If Natasha wasn't standing as close to you as she was she wouldn't of heard you. But your words brought a soft smile to the knights face as she looked at you.

She ran a hand over your hair to smooth down the fly aways and leaned in to press her lips to your forehead.

"I love you more," she said, "Now let's get to the food before the bugs beat us there."

You giggled as her hand found its place in yours and the redheaded led you over to the blanket where you both sat down. When you began looking through the baskets to see the options Natasha must've noticed the impressed look on your face that had formed.

"I asked your mom to show me how to make some of your favorites because I know I'm not the best cook, so I hope it tastes alright."

The food tasted amazing, but you didn't expect anything less from your girlfriend to begin with. The two of you talked about everything as you enjoyed each other’s company.

You’d finished the food, took a walk around the garden, and Natasha had spun you in a dance that probably would have looked silly to anyone else because of the way you were both laughing.

By the time you two sat back down and started to get comfy on the blanket it was probably well past midnight.

And you didn’t mind one bit.

The stars were out twinkling and the crickets were chirping, but time always seemed to fly whenever you were with the redhead.

“It’s so quiet out here,” you sighed as you laid your head on the knights shoulder and curled up to her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been out here this late at night before, but I like it.”

“I knew you would.” Natasha put her arm around you and pecked the side of your head, “I know things have been busy recently and you’ve been stressed with all the kingdoms nobles practically breathing down your neck, so I thought some alone time would be good for us.”

You smiled at her and lifted your head to kiss her cheek, “Thank you, Nat. You’ve had a lot on your plate too lately so thank you for doing this.”

“You don’t have to thank me, princess. You know I’d do anything for you.” she said and you leaned in press your lips in a soft kiss. “But I wasn’t a hundred percent honest with my reason for bringing you all the way out here.”

You tilted your head with a slight furrow between my eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

“Yelena always teased me for the crush I had on you when we were younger. My mom called us soulmates when she thought I wasn’t listening and I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I do.” Natasha said, and her voice was so soft the sound made your heart melt.

“There’s nothing about you that I don’t absolutely adore. The way you look out for the people you love. The way you always know what to say to make me feel better. The way you put everyone else’s needs before your own, so much that you forget to take care of yourself too.” she chuckled and it made you giggle.

“But that’s what I’m here for. To take care of you when you forget to. Whenever you need a break from your stresses I’ll sneak you away like how I did tonight because it’s least you deserve.” The redhead’s hand reached to cup the side of your face.

You let yourself lean into her touch as she brushed your hair behind your ear and her thumb stroked your cheek. She was turning you to putty in the palm of her hand, leaving you speechless at her words.

“Oh, Nat. I don’t know what to say, you’re gonna make me cry.” you chuckled and blinked away the tears that were forming as she just gazed at you.

Even when you were on the verge of tears Natasha still thought you were the most beautiful person to exist.

“You don’t have to say anything, my love, because I’m not done yet.” she said and you nodded for her to continue. “We’ve known eachother our entire lives and I know there was never a time where I didn’t love you, even when we were just little kids who didn’t know what it meant.”

The knight untangled herself from your arms to reach into her pocket, “I loved you then, I love you now, and this is my promise that I’ll love you forever.”

You watched as Natasha shifted to kneel on one knee in front of you as she pulled out a tiny black box. When she opened it, a delicate gold band with a shining gemstone placed sophisticatedly on top was revealed.

“So please say that you’ll spend the rest of forever with me, but as my wife. Will you marry me, Y/n?”

At this point, the tears that had been building up in your eyes since the redhead started talking were now falling freely down your cheeks. Natasha wasn’t doing any better, though. You could see her eyes watering as they took on a glossy appearance.

A vigorous nod of your head was all you could give at first with the way you were crying, “Yes,” you barely got out as your voice broke, “Yes of course I’ll marry you, Natasha.”

The wind was knocked out of the knights lungs and she almost lost her balance when you lunged forward to hug her close to you. She returned the embrace once she regained her footing, finally letting the few tears escape her eyes.

When you pulled back you connected your lips and kissed her as if it was the first time all over again. It caught Natasha off guard, but she wasted no time in reciprocating.

You separated when air became a necessity, the only sound heard was the heavy breathing as you tried to catch your breath. Your foreheads rested against each others and you both broke out into a fit of laughter at the pure happiness you felt.

Natasha was the first speak up, “You didn’t even let me put the ring on you.” she chuckled.

“Oh, Nat,” your hand came up to tuck a few of her stray red hairs away so you could see her face clearly, “The ring is beautiful, but I didn’t need one to agree to marry you. I would’ve said yes even if you had nothing because all I want is you.”

She kissed your lips again before taking the tiny piece of jewelry out of the box, “I know, but you at least deserve to have a ring on that finger of yours so let me put it where it belongs.”

The redhead took your left hand into hers and slid the ring into your finger, “There, now you’re stuck with me for forever.”

“Happily,” you said and you both laughed, taking a moment to admire it.

Of course Natasha had it sized perfectly.

“Oh, and I almost forgot I found this in the garden during our walk,” you watched the knight reach into her pocket before holding out the contents in front of you.

It was a flower. A yellow flower to be more specific.

One that was nearly identical to the yellow flower Natasha had picked when you were younger

She reached up and delicately placed it in your hair, “When I first proposed to you with this flower in these gardens, I think I understood what I was doing even though we were just kids.”

Grinning, you began leaning closer to the redhead, “And I’m pretty sure I understood what I was doing when I said yes.” you connected your lips once your noses were touching and wrapped your arms around her shoulders to keep her close.

You both knew you’d have to eventually go inside and deal with the responsibilities of tomorrow, but that all could wait.

For now, everything was perfect, and you were the happiest you’d ever been.

~ end ~

[strangersteddierthings]

Gut Instinct: Chapter 1 - Friday

[Art] [Ao3] [Prologue] [Chapter One]

The words are there, on the tip of his tongue (“What, to hang out with you and Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson?”) when a wave of nausea rolls through him so fast- Green, yellow, and red pinned against a wall. A grandfather clock. Sneakers floating at eye level in a graveyard. A cassette tape. Something wrapped around his neck and he can’t breath. A man. A monster. Dustin sobbing. -he has to spin around for fear he’s actually going to throw up on the counter, holding the phone away from his face in case he does. He retches once, twice, before swallowing it down. He can hear Dustin yelling his name through the phone repeatedly, asking if he’s throwing up.

“No, not throwing up,” Steve mutters defeatedly, the nausea ending quicker than it began now that he accepts he has to show up to Dustin’s stupid nerd game. “I’ll be there.”

“You will!?”

Steve jerks the phone away from his ear and once the shrieking stops, he pulls it back to his face in tandem with the sound of the door opening, “I said yeah. I gotta go, customers.”

Steve slams the phone down with a curse. “Fuck.”

Some lady who has been browsing the movies for twenty minutes now shoots him a dirty look. Steve shoots her an apologetic smile and mouths ‘sorry’. This placates her enough to drop the stink eye.

A quick glance at the clock lets him know he’s got three hours until school is out which sucks because he needs Robin. He’s never had a nightmare like that while awake before and he doesn’t really have the time to freak out about it right now because he is the only one on shift and he will get fired if he leaves now, and he’s not allowed to get fired until Robin goes to college, under penalty of death (says Robin).

That’s fine. He just has to last until his shift is over. At which point, he’ll be sullenly playing Dweebs and Daggers or whatever, and Robin will be getting ready for band because they’re going to playing at the basketball game tonight. So, talking to Robin before the game is off the table. That’ll have to be an after the basketball game thing.

It’s going to be a long day.

-

Despite the fact Steve had told him he would be here, Dustin still looks shocked when he sees Steve leaning against his car in the parking lot, Family Video vest discarded in the backseat. “Steve! You’re here!”

Steve rolls his eyes, pushing off his car to meet Dustin halfway. “I said I’d be here.”

Dustin doesn’t even look a little sheepish as he says, “I wasn’t sure if you were just lying to get off the phone or not. So, we asked Erica, too. But I’m sure it’ll be fine if we bring two replacements.”

“I’m wounded,” Steve monotones, before rolling his eyes. “So, guess I gotta get a crash course on your nerd game?”

“Yes!”

Dustin leads him through the school, and Steve recognizes the path to the auditorium. “You play this game on the stage?”

“What, no. We play it in the green room,” Dustin says, like Steve should have known that. “Old props make for great ambiance.”

Steve mouths the word ‘ambiance’ to himself as he follows Dustin to the green room. There’s a table set up with seating. At the head of it is a throne and Steve doesn’t even try to stifle his scoff and eyeroll. “Does the game runner dude sit there?”

“Dungeon Master, and yes,” Dustin says as he starts scooping things up and depositing them into Steve’s arms. A book, a couple of notebooks, loose leaf papers, and pencils. He looks like he is about to chuck some of the dice atop the pile before thinking better of it and stuffs those into his pocket instead. “To the library, Steve!”

“Library?” Steve turns to watch Dustin walk away, then looks down to the pile of things he’s holding, and back to Dustin who has stopped at the doorway. “But everything’s already here!”

“Yeah, and we need to leave it for Eddie. He might come back here to do some more planning, or additional prep, and honestly, I don’t want him to catch sight of you until we actually start playing,” Dustin says, like Steve is somehow the embarrassing nerd and not the other way around. Dustin has always treated him like he’s the strange outcast for not being a nerd, though, so that’s not surprising.

“Can we at least sit in the cafeteria, then? Not really in the mood to get shushed by the school librarian when I don’t even go here.”

Dustin looks deep in thought, as if it’s a tough decision between the library and the cafeteria. “Yeah, we can be in the cafeteria. If we sit in the far corner so no one passing by will see.”

Steve, who has taken two steps towards Dustin, stops and narrows his eyes. “Are you seriously embarrassed to be seen with me right now?”

“What? No!” Dustin shouts, eyes wide, “No! I just don’t want the rest of Hellfire to see you until we start playing! It’s- well, come on. We’ll chat while you roll stats.”

“Stats?” Steve repeats but knows he’s not getting an answer because Dustin has already started to walk away again.

Steve plops himself down in the first seat he gets to in the cafeteria, despite Dustin’s protests. “No. Sit. We are on a time crunch, right?”

Dustin sighs and Steve knows he’s won. “Yeah. So, I was thinking you’d be a pretty awesome paladin, but I think for your first game the easier thing will be to just be a human fighter. Then you don’t have to worry about picking spells, or-“

“Whoa. Stop,” Steve holds up his hands, “first you’re gonna tell me why you don’t want to be caught with me by the other members of your nerd club.”

“Oh, that’s- It’s not that I don’t want to get caught, why’d you word it like that? No, don’t answer. Jeff, Gareth, Frankie, and Eddie just seem to have a vendetta against you. Or something,” Dustin says, pulling the book he’d brought towards himself, seeming to flip open to a random page. “I talk about you. A lot, apparently. They seem determined to think you’re an asshole.”

“I kinda am, dude,” Steve shrugs, because he knows it. Being a different person than he was in high school is a process he is actively working on, sure, but Steve also knows he’s not exactly aiming to be the sweetest boy on the block.

“Not when it matters!” Dustin barks back at him and Steve is surprised by the ferocity behind his words. With how quickly he jumps to Steve’s defense, even against Steve himself. “Not to me, not to any of us. You’re an asshole when you’re defensive, which isn’t like, who you are as a person. Anyway, I don’t want them to like, refuse to let you play or something because of what they think they know about you.”

Steve is deeply touched if he’s being honest. “Alright, you win. I’ll play whatever you want me to play.”

This gives Dustin pause, looking between the book and Steve. Then he seems to make a decision because he reaches over and grabs the stack of loose leaf papers and starts looking through them. “I have already made you a character. Tiefling Paladin, Oath of the Crown subclass, my character’s half-brother. If you don’t care that I picked literally everything already, we can just go over how to play the game?”

“That would be great,” Steve says, “the less decision making on my part, the better.”

Dustin doesn’t say anything in response to that, but the look on his face says a lot. It’s a pretty positive look. “Okay. Here, this is the sheet. Level 15, like me, ‘cause I’ve been leveling the character when I level mine.”

And then Dustin doesn’t stop talking. He’s explaining spells, and attack actions, and how spells are an action but not an attack action, even if you’re using a spell to attack something. Talking about armor class and weapon damage, and spell slots, and the list seems to never end. It’s a lot all at once and he just knows he’s going to look stupid tonight but he’s going to give it his best. For Dustin. (And a little bit for the nausea from earlier.)

“Oh, we gotta get to the green room!” Dustin gasps suddenly and Steve looks at his watch. It’s about eight until five. Which is surprising, because Lucas’ basketball game is at six, and Steve knows that Dungeons and Dragons can take hours when they play in the Wheelers’ basement. Are the games shorter because it’s a school club? Can the school impose time limits like that?

They make quick work of grabbing everything from the table before Steve follows Dustin back through the school. As they approach Steve starts to hear voices. The closer he gets, the more he makes out, and soon enough they enter the room to hear the end of a conversation between Erica and Eddie Munson, as she beats him into submission about her character.

Steve hopes Eddie’s not going to give him the same treatment. He’s not sure he could make a good enough argument for his own involvement as Erica just did.

“Holy shit,” one of the older members says, “you actual do know King Steve?”

“I told you he’s awesome,” Dustin says in the tone that usually annoys Steve, the one where the unsaid parts sound like duh, you idiot and Steve finds that it’s less annoying when it’s used in his defense. “Come on Steve, sit beside me. I’ll help you with the rules.”

“Hold up,” Munson says, rounding to Steve. He hasn't seen Munson in person since he graduated, but it was even longer than that that he's been under the scrutiny of Munson's gaze. With him burning his bridge to Tommy H and Carol and the rise of Billy, Steve was left more or less alone his senior year. Munson still ranted and raved about conformity and high school hierarchy, but Steve was left out of those rants, or at least, was no longer the target. All that to say that having Munson's full attention is almost overwhelming, now. No Tommy H or Carol to snicker with him or distract Munson here, like they used to do.

Steve's always thought Munson was charismatic in a cult leader kind of way. Whether his presence brought you discomfort or ease, he had a way of making you feel like the only other person in a room with him when his focus was on you. Steve's never felt truly at ease in this presence before, but he certainly doesn't feel discomfort anymore. Munson's got big dark eyes and a pretty mouth for a man who only ever frowns or sneers in Steve's vicinity, but overall Munson's a good-looking dude, and he's not sure what to do with this revelation. This is not the time or place for unpacking that, especially since Munson looks like he cares very little for Steve’s presence here, but he also isn't immediately telling him to get out, so that’s gotta count for something. “Your character is?”

“Oh, uh, tiefling paladin, oath of the crown,” Steve recites, trying to subtly catch Dustin’s eye to make sure he didn’t mess that up.

Munson glares at him and Steve really should not be finding his potential hatred of him hot. “Right. And why’d you agree to sub?”

Because my gut instinct gave me the worst case of nausea I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve learned that bad things happen when I don’t listen to my gut, so I’m here seems like the wrong thing to say, but so does have you always been this hot? I'd like permission to stick around so I stare some more and figure out this strange, (not really) sudden attraction so instead Steve says, “Dustin asked.”

The glare doesn’t lessen but there is something on Munson's face that might have been surprise but it's gone as quickly as it appeared. “Fine.”

When the tension leaves his body is when Steve realizes he was truly worried Munson was going to kick him out. Dustin steers him to a chair next to one of the other members of Hellfire this isn't one of the Party, and then sits down next to him.

Since they all still seem to be gathering things, and Munson hasn’t sat in the throne yet, Steve turns to the guy beside him. “Hi. I’m Steve.”

“I know.”

“Right. And you are…?”

The guy eyes him, and Steve’ not sure what he’s looking for. “Gareth.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“We’ve met. Like four times,” Gareth says before turning away, to chat with Mike on the other side of him.

Steve is a little embarrassed to not remember that but only a little. He was a dick in high school who wouldn't have bothered to try and remember if they'd met before, but he's also had 3 concussions in just as many years and he understands his memory can be wonky. Looking around, he sees that, vaguely, everyone here is familiar. Steve knows their faces, at the least, but besides Munson, Steve couldn’t tell you anyone’s name. Well, except Gareth now.

Wait. Steve does a double take of the room before looking to Dustin. “Isn’t Lucas in this club, too?”

For the first time ever that Steve’s been witness to, Dustin looks sheepish. “Well, yeah, that’s why you’re here. To fill in for him. ‘Cause he’s in the basketball game.”

Steve’s feeling a little sick. Oh no. “And he’s okay with missing this game?”

An even more sheepish look. Steve’s stomach feels awfully bubbly as Dustin says, “well, uh, he doesn’t exactly know he’s missing it?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Steve must have misheard.

“He asked us to get Eddie to postpone the game, but Eddie said no. Besides, Mike’s leaving the state tomorrow morning and we’d have to wait two weeks to play again otherwise,” Dustin explains, “and, uh, we haven't seen him since he asked us after the assemble to tell him that the game would not be postponed.”

“That’s bullshit, Henderson,” Steve’s voice is loud but he’s not yelling. Not yet.

“Watch it, Harrington,” Munson snaps, matching Steve’s angry energy. “You don’t get to bully people around here.”

“That’s not- right, sorry. Just, can we postpone for like ten more minutes?” Steve asks.

“Why the Hell would we do that?” Munson looks bewildered.

“So, I can go tell Lucas this game wasn’t postponed, like he thinks it is,” that bit hissed in Dustin’s direction, “and he might only be going to the basketball game because he thinks this one isn’t happening.”

“Oh,” Munson seems to lose his steam, a small frown on his face as he says, “Fine. Ten minutes. We’re starting without you or Sinclair if it takes longer than that.”

“Thanks!” Steve smiles at Munson, which earns him look from Munson that’s kind of pinched in the face, but he’s not sticking around to ask about it. The rolling in his stomach is settling a little. This must be why his gut wants him here. To clear up the misunderstanding.

[roseharpermaxwell]

RWRB FirstPrince Smut Favorite Recs

I thought about sorting these further, but there's so much overlap. Click below for a compilation of favorites! Among other things, you'll find some praise, glasses, lingerie, competency, piercings, somnophilia...maybe a cheeky threesome or two.

Meet Me In The Middle by @clottedcreamfudge. M, 1k. Henry is sitting at the table, scribbling something in a familiar notebook with one hand, while he does a Rubik's Cube with the other.

He's. Doing a Rubik's Cube. With one hand. He's not even looking at it. Alex isn't prepared for this. He thinks he might have dropped his jacket, but he can't say for sure, because he can't feel his fucking hands.

As long as you're with me, you'll be just fine. by barthelme. E, 1k. Henry has a history of falling into what Alex affectionately calls a ‘dick coma’ when he’s getting fucked just right. His eyes roll back and his eyes close and his pleads for Alex to fuck him harder, right there, yes, etc. turn into guttural moans and maybe,maybe, once or twice he has drooled. Not a lot, but enough for Alex to give him shit about it and whatever, it’s not a big deal.

second finger to the right, and straight on til morning by @cheesecurdsgravyandfries. E, 1.2k. "Sweetheart, where's my prostate?"

or, 1286 words of irredeemable porn wherein Henry makes Alex come really hard. Twice.

Temperature's Up, 'Bout to Erupt by @sparklepocalypse. E, 1.2k. Alex’s senses spark with the taste of Henry’s tongue, the smell of leather and sweat, and the feeling of their bodies pressed together from knee to chest. Through Henry’s shirt, the small of his back is a hot, shuddering plane beneath Alex’s palm, and Alex wants.

Volume Control by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf. E, 1.5k. Prompt Fulfillment: I need someone to write a FirstPrince fic where Henry overhears Alex saying "Henry is so annoying I can't stand him" so Henry says "kneel then" and it short circuits Alex's brain.

Modification to the map of you by colorfulmoniker. E, 1.6k. Henry comes back from a month-long trip with his ear pierced, and Alex has no idea.

only bought these shorts so you can take them off by buttercupblues. E, 1.6k. alex accidentally buys a pair of short shorts, but when he discovers he likes them, he buys more. henry's brain short circuits.

this night just can't end by ironwords. E, 1.6k. Henry, beautiful, wonderful Henry, instantly pulls Alex off his dick—by his hair, a move Alex finds just as arousing as whatever the fuck just happened—breathing out an apology before asking if he’s alright.

Alex takes stock of himself. His jaw kind of hurts, but that’s not anything out of the ordinary, and he’s panting, mouth full of drool he has to take a second to swallow, and– Oh. His underwear is sticky. His underwear is sticky. Hesitantly, he rolls his hips against the mattress and immediately hisses and stops as the sensitivity hits.

Did he just–

“Did you just come in your pants?” Henry asks.

kiss it better by lem0nademouth. E, 1.7k. Alex had a long day. Henry is fine with making it a long night.

has been rough (kinky!) by @lem0nademouth. E, 1.8k. Henry tries lingerie. Alex has...feelings.

the one in which everything is the same, but Alex has piercings and Henry has no idea by Poutini. E, 2k. Henry's brain goes momentarily offline when he clocks it - the hard, round metal of a barbell, positioned horizontally, piercing Alex’s tongue. He lets his tongue trace around each end, and he can feel the curve of Alex’s smile as he realizes what Henry has just discovered.

“Find something interesting, sweetheart?” he murmurs against Henry’s lips when they finally pull apart for air.

Give Me Your Confession by Mags (sparklepocalypse). E, 2k. He stares at the photo and makes an incoherent sound. He blinks. Blinks again. But the photo is still there, and in it, Henry, love of his life, man of his dreams, his heart’s greatest desire…

Henry is wearing a confident sneer and leather. Fucking. Pants.

in control of what i do (and i love the way you move) by countingto15. E, 2.2k. “You’ve been teasing me all night,” Henry says, one hand creeping down Alex’s side. “Dancing up against me.”

“That’s just how I move, corazón.” Henry’s hand reaches Alex’s hip, and Alex narrows his eyes mischievously. “It’s not all about you.”

Henry’s fingers tighten around Alex’s hip. “Don’t test me,” he whispers.

Biting his lip, Alex curls a strand of Henry’s hair around his finger.

“Hmm. Testing you’s kind of fun, though.”

warm from the inside out by @cricketnationrise. E, 2.2k. “Can I pull you away from what I’m sure is fascinating research for a bit of a break?”

“Mmm, depends on what kind of break,” Alex teases. “Tax law is pretty captivating.”

“I was thinking,” Henry begins slowly, smudging kisses from Alex’s shoulder and up his neck, “that the break could go something like this.”

Trick Rider by @orchidscript. T, 2.5k. Alex stepped up into Henry’s side, pressed the center of his hips to the rise of Henry’s denim-clad thigh. His light fingers trailed along the small of Henry’s back, chin perched on his shoulder as he watched the dance floor. “C’mon, baby. That could be us.”

“Love,” Henry whispered as he pressed back against his boyfriend. He wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist as he swiveled his hips, adding pressure. “That is us.”

a demonstrable fact, or Alex makes an assumption and Henry makes it all better by Poutini. E, 2.6k. Alex’s view becomes jumbled as Henry keeps his phone in one hand and leans far over, reaching to open his nightside table drawer. There’s a flash of David, curled up at the foot of the bed, a glimpse of a stack of books next to a lamp, fuzzy socks in the open drawer and -

an open box of condoms?

Uh.

Alex feels ill.

oh, honey, pray to me between the sheets by captainegg. E, 2.8k. Henry comes home after being away for three weeks and Alex is very eager to welcome him home properly.

I love it when you call by clottedcreamfudge. E, 3k. "I'm really fucking angry that other people are looking at your collar bones," Alex admits. "Tween girls and very confused boys everywhere are looking at them and swooning over them, and I'm annoyed about it." Henry's quiet again for a moment, and when he speaks his tone is low and private; it's his bedroom voice, the absolute fucker, and Alex is weak all over again.

"Alex, have you been swooning over my collar bones?" If by 'swooning', Henry means 'getting well on the way to a raging hard-on', the answer is 'absolutely,’ but Alex would rather swallow his own tongue than admit that.

a quick study by @whimsymanaged. E, 3k. Alex is new to bisexuality, and he turns to a friend for some guidance.

attention by @jackwolfes. E, 3.1k. “Hello, darling,” he replied, “Making friends?”

“Always,” he said, “Pedro’s nice.”

“And touchy.”

“Jealous?” 

Study Buddies by Jaistiel. E, 3.3k. "Take my cock in your mouth, Alex." The words were said breathlessly, as if Henry had never desired to say anything more and wasn't quite sure he was allowed. "But don't suck. Don't lick. Don't swallow. Just hold me on your tongue until I tell you otherwise."

You'll be Glowing, Chasing Shadows Away by Mags (sparklepocalypse). E, 3.3k. In the weeks leading up to Alex’s eighteenth birthday, he spends hours meticulously crafting a list of things that adults are legally permitted to do, and minors are not. It takes nearly twice as long to decide which items to sidebar, so he can narrow the list down to a manageable number. Finally, he’s left with four: 1. register to vote; 2. buy a lottery ticket; 3. get a tattoo; 4. go to the adult novelty shop.

(Or, five times Alex tries something he's seen on the internet, and one time he involves Henry.)

Rabbit Hole by TuppingLiberty. E, 3.6k. Some sort of non-famous au, don't worry, there's not really a plot.

Alex has been going down a research rabbit hole for hours and Henry comes to rescue him.

thank you for your service by Anonymous. E. 3.7k. “Yeah,” Alex said, “Yes-”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir,” he gasped, and Henry smiled, slow and laced with honey.

Alex has energy to burn. Henry knows how to help. Alex accepts it like a good boy should.

and i'll lay right down in my favorite place by mangotarts. E, 3.9k. “Speaking of your boyfriend, all you mentioned was that Alex was watching some show then made some off-hand comment but it wasn’t so off-hand if it’s what landed us here, was it?”

Henry clears his throat. “Um, yes, that’s right. He’s been obsessed with this one television series that’s set in seventeenth-century England. I watched a few episodes with him the other night and I will admit, the plot is rather captivating.” Henry glances at Bea and sees that he has all of her attention. He continues, nerves starting to settle into his body when he recalls what Alex said. “We were both immersed in an episode when he suddenly blurted out how good I’d look in the attire of that era.”

in which henry takes alex's supposed off-hand comment into consideration and alex is. well, alex is unprepared for the repercussions of his words.

Baby, You're Gonna Lose Your Own Game by @affectionatelyrs. E, 4k. Alex thinks he understands why people get stupid, impulsive tattoos like their ex’s name now if the sudden urge to etch the word darling onto his hip in permanent ink is anything to go by.

So, yeah, Alex supposes. Henry may still be maddening, but his mouth? His voice? Maybe it was always hot, actually, and the irritation he previously felt was just thinly veiled complete and utter attraction. That would check out. Hate has always been a multifaceted word, after all.

Or, Alex decides that he wants to fuck the British out of Henry while watching him speak at a gala

Body Count Baby! by orestespdf. E, 4.2k. “Okay,” Henry says eventually. “What do you want to know?”

Alex raises an eyebrow. A small smile plays on his lips. “Can I ask you anything?”

“Within reason, you hellion.”

Alex flops back down and grins, a new vigor running through him. He rubs his hands together, clearly thinking hard. When he finally looks back at Henry, his smile has turned mischievous. “Am I the best you’ve ever had? Like, has anyone been better than me?”

Henry and Alex talk about how many people they've been with.

that look in your blue eyes, it makes me lose my mind. by seafloor. E, 4.2k. Alex Claremont-Diaz, on discovering the wonder that is Henry Fox’s mouth. And what the man wants to do with it.

// an ode to Henry’s beautiful lips, basically.

Dirty Looks by clottedcreamfudge. E, 4.3k. "You… Alex. You're wearing glasses."

"That Oxford education hasn't failed you yet, Hen," Alex drawls, marking his place and closing the book so he can slide it onto the desk. He then has no choice but to look up from his chair, and what he sees when he does is -

Well. It's something.

Henry sees Alex in his glasses. He apparently has a few feelings about them.

Wrap Me Up, Unfold Me by @sparklepocalypse. E, 4.3k. After the Kensington confrontation, Henry gets on the plane with Alex.

(Or, Henry and Alex join the Mile High Club in filthy, spectacular fashion.)

sometimes we break so beautiful by Anonymous. E, 4.4k. It’s his own damn fault; Alex knows this.

It’s his fault for having everyone over for a small birthday party only to spend the evening whispering filthy things to Henry when no one was looking. (And when they were looking, because it’s his goddamn birthday and he can be as inappropriate with his boyfriend as he fucking wants to be.) It’s his fault for pushing Henry, for bratting off with antagonistic words like ‘what are you going to do about it—give me birthday spankings?’ and ‘do you actually think you could put me in my place? Because I’d like to see you try.’ It’s his fault for taunting Henry by suggestively licking the birthday candles, for doing anything he could possibly do to bring attention to his mouth, to his ass, to his fingers.

It's his fault that he’s now on their bed, lying on top of Henry, arms stretched out in front of him on either side of Henry's head and wrists tied to the headboard.

Talk About A Puppet Monarchy by largepeachicedtea. E, 4.5k. Alex has a proposition. Henry is all too happy to take it like a champ.

it's you (it's always been you) by @coffeecatsme. E, 4.7k. “You mean to tell me you named your vibrator after another man because you thought the pun would be funny?”

Alex names his vibrator after Han Solo and Henry gets jealous.

I just wanna tell you that you're really pretty (boy) by Anonymous. E, 4.8k. “I can’t believe you just called me weatherboy, oh my god-”

“And what would you prefer I called you?”

“Alex, ideally,” he muttered, and Henry laughed.

Henry discovers a new way to get under Alex’s skin, in the best possible way.

you paint dreamscapes on the wall by @littlemisskittentoes. E, 5.1k. “Fuck, H. What are you? A damn vampire?”

And Henry loved this too. The way the fire in Alex never quite went out, just smoldered down to embers. He didn’t think he’d ever quite get used to Alex’s wit, his sheer audacity to taunt and pick at him. But Henry was sure he never wanted to, anyway. He loved that that audacity snuck through the cracks of following orders, and waiting in positions. In between the begging, and Alex only ever finishing with permission dripping from Henry’s lips, it was still there. And Christ, if it wasn’t the single-most precious thing Henry had been gifted the honor of experiencing.

or, Alex is in his own head too much of the time. But Henry can always bring him back.

it doesn't make sense, but still by @smc-27. E, 5.2k. He’s not going to say that his desire to sleep with men exclusively in an anonymous capacity is because no man he’s ever slept with has lived up to the feeling he had with this one.

handprints & good grips. by seafloor. E, 5.7k. Henry and Alex have some fun on the way to a party.

a prince and a president by citydreaming. E, 5.8k. “Alex I’ve met your mum, lots of times in fact. You were there for most of them, remember?” Henry says, snapping Alex’s attention back to his phone.

Alex barks out a laugh at that because no, that’s not what happened at all.

“Baby that wasn’t my mom, that was the fucking President. And she met Prince Henry, not you, not my Henry.”

“Your Henry huh?”

“Yes, he has a dog with a stupid name, horrendous taste in pyjamas and the blandest collection of ties I’ve ever laid eyes on, but he’s aside from that he’s pretty fucking hot.”

OR: before the election is won, henry flies to texas to spend the week with alex.

Something New by AHistoricDistraction. E, 6.2k. After the first few times he bottoms for Henry, Alex has realized something new about himself. But before he's willing to bring it up to Henry, he needs to figure out what exactly it IS. So Alex does what he does best: research.

Gunpowder & Chocolate by Angelic_Disaster. E, 6.2k. Henry was used to spending his heats alone, he was more than content with his toys but then Alex (Alex, oh, Alex, always stupid, handsome Alex) had to come and ruin him.

Or, alternative summary: Henry is in heat, and Alex gets so horny through the phone that he gets on the first plane towards the U.K. to fuck Henry into oblivion.

Feels Like Home by @indomitable-love. E, 6.4k. 'Henry takes David out into the garden while Alex tidies up in the kitchen, putting away the dishes still on the drying rack from the morning. He’s not turned the main light on. He’s just carefully putting things away by the dim spotlight. He doesn’t need the light – it’s like muscle memory, so easy and natural he could do it blindfolded, and it’s all so domestic it makes Henry’s heart leap and turn in ways he didn’t know it could.'

making the headlines by @stardisnight, @athousandrooms, @villiageidiot. E, 6.5k. For no other reason than sheer boredom, Alex decides to set up a Google alert for the exact phrase "HRH Prince Henry." When Henry asks why, he quite literally cannot come up with a reason for the decision. He just… wants to.

Also: five times Alex overreacted to a Google alert (and one time Henry did)

it's a scene (and we're out here in plain sight) by @annnesbonny. E, 7.3k. "I don’t want us to be in the press for anything other than how good I am at polo, and how charming you look in that shirt.”

Henry just wants the Fifth Annual Okonjo Foundation Polo Match to run smoothly, but that's harder than it seems.

snakeskin. by seafloor. E, 7.3k. Henry Fox, on embracing his softness, overcoming familial abuse, and being unapologetically queer.

get fucked (or die trying) by @rmd-writes. E, 7.5k. Alex has a paper to write, but he's been procrastinating. When Henry leaves the house to give him space to actually write the damn thing – distraction free – Alex learns the true meaning of procrastination.

jump in with your heart first by @dumbpeachjuice. E, 7.5k. Pez sets it up. Some guy from work, he says. Gorgeous, too smart for his own good, a mouth that will get him into trouble.

Henry raises an eyebrow.

“Whatever you’re thinking,” Pez sings, wearing a smirk, “the answer is yes.”

The Key to My Body series by Mags (sparklepocalypse). E, 8.2k. 

It started with a Red, White & Royal Blue rimming fic, that expanded to a sex marathon... that expanded to include a second rimming fic... because Henry and Alex are never going to not be completely into one another and willing to do all the things sexually.

you handle it beautifully by @hypnostheory. E, 9.7k. “And I may have an idea for the libido problem too.”

Henry sighs. “I don’t think this has risen to the level of therapy just because I can’t get hard.”

“First off, nothing has to rise to the level of therapy, there’s no threshold for misery,” Alex says, parroting the words his therapist has told him about half a million times. “But no, I wasn’t thinking about therapy.” Henry raises a brow. “I was thinking we try party drugs.”

Alex, discovering Henry is having a hard time getting out of his head enough to enjoy sex, has a clear solution: recreational drug use! While on the road to self-discovery and self-actualization, Henry surprises Alex more than once.

(3 times Henry surprised Alex + 1 time Alex shocked him right back)

five times alex and henry tried something kinky (and one time they didn't) by @omgcmere. E, 10k. Alex knew Henry loved his stupid fucking dirty talk, but if he were pressed to admit it, he loved it too, especially knowing that they were doing something they very much weren't supposed to—and that even though it wouldn't be the same scandal it once was, it would still be a fucking shock to someone's delicate sensibilities and most likely get them in a lot of trouble.

What Alex loved most was that Henry got off on this shit as much as he did, too.

OR

five times Alex and Henry tried something kinky, and one time they didn't

this type of love isn’t rational, it’s physical. by seafloor. E, 10k. Society collapsed in the early 1980s. The weather controls humanity, and the ruling class controls the people.

Amidst it all, two boys find time to meet up.

ocean waves. by seafloor. E, 10k. Henry Fox wakes up with a toothache one morning, and has a lot of feelings about certain things for days afterwards.

Wildest Dreams series by @myheartalivewrites. E, 13k. Once Alex has pulled out, Henry turns over to face him. He strokes the hair softly away from his face and Alex smiles at him.

“So… that happened again.”

Henry leans forward and kisses him on the forehead. “Indeed.”

There’s a sort of thoughtful pause, where Henry can see Alex working to pull together the right words. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you that… thirsty?”

“Oh, bugger off,” Henry says, but he’s laughing. It’s a fair description.

“No, but I mean it. You were like… urgent. It was hot.”

“It felt hot. I liked waking up like that. With you up against me, trying to have your way with me.”

Set in and around the Henry bonus chapter, this is a story about Henry and Alex’s hectic schedules, family appearances etc. pulling them apart, and about what starts to happen between them, in the quiet of night: their sleeping bodies turning to each other, finding their sweet spots and opening up. And Alex and Henry learning a lot about each other in the process

Twice the speed (of you and me) by myheartalive. E, 17k. “Hey. So, you know Pez?” Alex asks bluntly. No easy way into this, he’s decided.

Henry looks up from his phone, frowning. “My best mate?”

“Yeah, that one.”

Alex has an idea.

let him be soft (let him be mine) by @congee4lunch. E, 18k. “I’m always cute,” Alex kisses the mole on Henry’s cheekbone.

“Yeah? Does your work wife tell you that?” Henry grumbles.

“I don’t have a work wife,” Alex breathes out, smiling against his mouth. “Why need one when I got the real deal waiting at home for me,” He licks at the mole on Henry’s upper lip. “All pretty and mine for the taking?”

in which henry wants to be alex's wife, in so many words. alex wants all that and more. their relationship ebbs and flows.

the only thing on my mind series by HypnosTheory. E, 31k. Piercer!Alex teaches Henry about the inner workings of BDSM in mid-90s New York.

More Amour by surveycorpsjean. E, 45k. Alex discovers something in Henry's closet that changes everything.

I only tag an author once per post, but I'm still figuring out firstprince author handles. If you see one I may not know or find a broken link, please give me a heads up!

Master List of RWRB FirstPrince Recs

Master List of Recommendations

[hippielittlemetalhead]

Never Took The Time (To Forget) part 4.1 : With a Capital 'P'

Part 4.2 (Hey Dingus? Idk, the title for that one is up in the air.) will be up as soon as I have it somewhere I like (doing a different character's pov instead of Hop so it's giving me some trouble). Felt really bad that I hadn't updated in a while and this one was getting longer than I expected and I hadn't even gotten Robin really talking yet so... Happy Valentine's Day?

Part 1 (Hop Fucks Up), Part 2 (Pride and Prejudices: Joyce Edition), Part 3 (One of Us)

Family Video and the Arcade were two of the few businesses still operating after the inter-dimensional earthquakes that had tried tearing their town to pieces. Hop knew the kid who used to run the place for his uncle, Keith, had split town with his folks (said uncle in tow) leaving the store and arcade in the care of whatever employees had been willing to stay on payroll while the world fell apart.

He watches as Harrington's (more banged up than never remembers it being) car stops in front of the video store, parked parallel to the curb across at least 3 parking spots, as a wildly gesticulating Robin rolls herself out of the idling vehicle, jabbering loud enough that Hop can hear her voice from down the block. With most cars owned by the folks of Hawkins being commandeered by Owens' government goons to fill the gaps left by lost military vehicles it doesn't much matter but Hop can't help a bit of an eye roll at the kid's audacity.

But then again, he catches himself thinking, Steve was one of the only 'civilians' in-the-know and was well-known for carting around and protecting proven assets to the War Of The Worlds shitshow going on. So was there really an issue if the kid was one of the only cars on the road anyway and because he was even more read-in on the situation than even local law enforcement? If he was not only transporting and protecting people the government had a vested interest in but had proven himself more effective than even Hop and Joyce in wrangling the kids who had basically been saving the world for the last 4 years? If he kept them safe and out of harm's way in the thick of it but also kept them entertained and out from underfoot during the downtime?

Hell, the kid being one of the only employees left at some of the last businesses in town these brats would have any interest in almost guarantees the whole lot of them are continuously stocked in movies, snacks and quarters to distract them from even the most world shaking of calamities.

It hadn't occurred to him until just now what it meant for The Party that Steve and Robin seemed to be the only ones willing to hang around behind the counter at the arcade and sell and rent movies to shell-shocked townsfolk and tight-lipped government goons alike. Fuck, Lucas and Mike were right. He was an asshole.

He's pulled out of the slow spiral of realizing Mike Wheeler of all people had been right about something by Steve hollering one last "Love you, Bobby!" at a grinning and waving Buckley as she flung open the video store door and stumbled inside. He waits for the car and it's driver to round the corner before he gets out of his own government-issued station wagon. Fuck but he missed his truck.

"Welcome to Family Video, I literally just got here so you're gonna have to give me a minute before I can help you."

"I'm uh, I'm not here for a movie." He can tell she recognizes his voice (and it's a little impressive how quickly she clocks him since he's spoken only a couple words anywhere near her maybe twice in his memory. Girl has a good ear) from the way her entire body stills for a split second before whirling back into the hurricane of motion he's come to associate with her.

"Afraid we've only got movies round here, officer. You want any other medium of entertainment I'd suggest the arcade or the distribution yard." She's still not looking at him, hands busy shuffling papers and flipping open VHS cases. "Sorry, guess we'll have to catch up another time."

Hop sighs, running a hand over the short growth he's slowly getting used to again. He'd almost shaved it down again but El had been so happy when she'd realized they were growing out at about the same rate. He couldn't ever say no to her.

"Look, I know you don't like me. And it has been brought to my attention just how much I fucking earned that. But I- I need your help here, to fix it."

The flurry of movement doesn't stop but it's tighter, she's fiddling with something shoved up her shirt sleeve and tapping at the casing of a button connected to a wire leading into her green vest. Bright blue eyes are focused on him and he's almost reminded of the no-nonsense look Nancy Wheeler gets whenever they're faced with the world ending, but the girl in front of him is colder. He has no doubts that where Nancy Wheeler would tear down giants for what she believed is right, Robin Buckley would burn the world if it meant saving her people.

"Fine. He'll be back from his patrol-" He didn't remember assigning a patrol schedule and he's not sure if this is Steve's own initiative or if he's been roped into something by Owens' people. "in about twenty minutes. You have fifteen. Now why should I help you?"

The tag list below. Let me know if you want to be removed or if you go by a new/different tag you want on the list let me know which one I'm replacing and what I'm replacing it with please.

I've had some people ask to be tagged in this series who should already be in the list? If you see your name/tag but didn't get the notification that you were tagged please let me know so we can figure it out.

As always; like, comment and feel free to ask questions in the replies or my ask box.

@thelittleclare @jackiemonroe5512 @0body0disphoria0 @strangersteddierthings @lingeringmirth @dead-cherry-bitch @irethsune @ink777 @the-daydreamer-in-the-corner @ledleaf @pansexuality-activated @paintsplatteredandimperfect @kinryuuki @yikes-a-bee @altocumulustranslucidus @samsoble @sensationalsunburst @xxbottlecapx @y4r3luv @swimmingbirdrunningrock @flustratedcas @rootbeerandmusic @vinteraltus @wonderland-girl143-blog @failedstarsandgoldenclouds @steddie-as-they-go @youdrewstarsxaroundmyscars @i-amthepizzaman @croatoan-like-its-hot @maya-custodios-dionach @ineffable-monster-romancer @asquareinverona @iheartjennaaa @ellietheasexylibrarian

Tags that are not working on my end. Most of these Tumblr acts like they just don't exist and others I see accounts similar but 1 word, letter or number off. Please let me know if I put any of these down wrong!!

@anaibis @wormapothacary @lawrencebshoggoth @steveshairspray @samcoxramblings @rocochen20 @ohimamarigold @child-of-cthulhu

[drabblesandimagines]

Dove (part three)

Leon Kennedy x female reader Part one. Part two. Warnings: Things get a bit gory in a flashback, description of panic attack.

“Anything will be great. We’ll take it slow. You ready?”

You’re not, but you doubt you ever will be.

“Ready.”

Leon taps twice on the laptop’s trackpad and it emits a beep, signaling the recording has begun, before he leans back, places his hands on his thighs and smiles. He has a nice smile, it’s reaching his eyes and you try and focus on that and not the sick feeling that’s growing in your stomach. “So, let’s go from the top. Yesterday morning…” You feel yourself inhale sharply. “..alarm goes off, or are you a natural riser?”

You weren’t expecting that to be the first question.

“I… I have an alarm.”

“What time did it go off?”

“I set it for 0630. And I got out of bed right away, otherwise I linger and then I’m late.” If only you knew what was to come you would’ve stayed in bed all day - covers pulled up and over your head.

“Then what did you do?”

“I had a shower, then I got dressed – in what you saw me in.” You hesitate - does he need that much detail, or was that too obvious and waste his time? You wait another beat, in case he wants to say anything, dismiss it from the record, but Leon just sits there there, hands resting on his thighs, looking at you, encouragingly, to continue. You press your nails into the palm of your hand, trying to concentrate. “Then I made a coffee to take with me on the walk to the office. I… I like to get there for 0745.”

“No breakfast?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Sorry. I made a slice of toast, ate it while I was waiting for the coffee to brew.” You remember leaning up against your kitchen counter to eat it – you hadn’t even got a plate out the cupboard, just buttered it on the chopping board, left the knife in the sink to wash up later… Is there going to be a later? You dig your nails into palm again, hard enough to leave indents. “Sometimes I’ll get a bagel from this cart near work, if that matters.” It probably doesn’t, but you want to stop thinking about home.

“And do you walk to the office every day?”

“No – weather dependent. I mean, there’s a bus I can take. There’s just a lot of traffic and so many stops that I found it takes the same amount of time to ride that as walk, so I get that if it’s too cold or wet. Listen to music, usually.”

“Okay, good.” He’s laying on the praise a little thick, but you accept it gratefully all the same, along with his smile. “Doing really good. So, you walked to work. Anything unusual you remember from on the way there?”

“No. Just the same walk, really. I’m pretty good at the whole awareness of my surroundings cos of the job, so…”

“Of course,” he nods. “And you got in the office at 0745?”

“Erm… Probably not precisely 0745.” You scan in through a turnstile, don’t wanna say you got in at a specific time in case it comes back to haunt you. “And I don’t need to be clocked on until 0800, but I had time to made another coffee in the breakroom before I logged on to my terminal, so probably between 0745 and 0800.”

“And are there turnstiles or a security check when you enter?” Had he read your mind? No, he probably has it noted down to cross-check your story.

“Yeah – bag searched, walk through the metal detector, then there’s a turnstile I have to scan in at.” Like any of those protocols had stopped whatever or whoever it was who had got inside.

“Okay, good. Headed to the breakroom, then from there to your terminal, and no other stops, no colleague interruptions?”

“Er… Yeah, one.” You swallow, her face flashing across your mind. “Am I allowed to use their name?”

Leon nods.

“Clara was in the breakroom when I got there, making a coffee. She had a date the night before – I asked her how it went.”

“Okay. Do you know what the date’s name was?”

“No. She’d just mentioned it the day before, though. We were leaving at the same time and she was excited about it, so I thought I’d ask. He’d been really dull at dinner apparently. She didn’t think she’d bother seeing him again.”

And no-one will be seeing her ever again either, your brain so helpfully reminds you.

“Okay. So, you’ve made it to the office, made your coffee, spoke to Clara, sat down at the terminal… What’s that, exactly?”

“It’s a computer, basically. All linked in to the main server, sit in like half cubicles. The screens have these hoods on, so no-one can see what you’re looking at unless they’re in the seat. They’re called terminals on all the internal documents.”

“Right, got you. What’s a usual work day for you? Did yesterday’s seem any different?”

“Do you know much about the surveillance department?”

Leon shakes his head. “I know you’re an intel source.”

“Yeah, that’s about it. Individuals get marked for surveillance from email scans or phone calls, travel plans, receipts, CCTV – it can be just be a word that flags them up or someone makes a tip-off, then we conduct investigations to see whether they’re involved in bioterrorism. So, I log on and open my assigned cases. We rotate every day and there’s always a few you can dismiss immediately because it’s flagged up erroneously. Some, there’s already previous analysis done, so you go through the notes and then check if there’s been any activity or correspondence logged overnight. If there hasn’t been on those cases, I open up a new case – rinse and repeat. It’ll give me a notification on the system if there’s activity on any of my pre-allocated cases, so I switch between as activity starts and stops.”

“Huh,” he muses. “How do you pick up a new case – just see what takes your fancy?”

“No,” you shake your head. “They’re random. You click a button and the system assigns you one. They change the code every week of how it does it.”

“Why’s it random?”

“Er, in case anyone is… trying to protect someone, I guess? Or being blackmailed into, like, closing a case.”

“I see. And nothing out of the ordinary all morning?”

“No. I… I had one case that had had a lot of email activity overnight, so I went through that. Then I submitted a couple of reports advising three… or maybe four cases be closed - I can’t remember exactly - but it’s not unusual to advise closing cases as people get flagged up all the time.”

“Yeah, all make sense. Did you get a break?”

“Yeah, I had a break at 1300 to 1330. I brought in a boxed lunch…” You didn’t mention that earlier, did you? “I made it the night before – not in the morning. I grabbed it out of the fridge before I left my apartment.”

“It’s all right, Dove.” Leon soothes. “I’m not expecting you to remember every finite detail – you’re doing really well.”

You nod, a little shakily. “I ate it in the breakroom. A couple of my colleagues popped in and out, but no-one sat with me that day. I made a coffee and went back to my terminal.”

“Okay.” He nods, leaning forward then and squinting a little at something on the laptop screen. “So, 1442 is when the power was cut to the building. Where were you when that happened?”

“I had an active call that I was listening in on, it hadn’t been going on very long. And then…” You fix your stare on the coffee table then – you don’t want to look at Leon’s face anymore, those sympathetic blue eyes. “..everything went dark. There was about 15 seconds before the emergency lighting came on, or it should’ve been. We have drills every so often, and it’s meant to be quick, but only enough to light the path to the fire exits, you know? But it looked like the back-up generator was coming on too, because I’m sure I saw the terminal screen reboot a second.”

“And you didn’t hear anyone say anything?”

“I think it was quiet, I don’t know if anyone said anything, but there wasn’t an alarm to evacuate. I had my headphones on still as I thought when the terminal reboots, I’ll just get straight back into the call if it was still going after I logged in because they’ll be annoyed if we all left unnecessarily, you know?” Your eyes are still fixed on the coffee table, so you don’t know if he nods or not. “But then…” You wonder if your nails will pierce through the skin of your palm this time with how hard you're pressing. “Then I heard this scream and… And…”

You let out a shuddering breath, hearing the scream echoing around in your mind.

“It’s all right, Dove,” Leon reaches out a hand but stops himself, leaving it hovering awkwardly over your knee. “Here,” he leans forward instead, picks up the glass. “Have some water, okay?”

You take the glass, not even able to say thank you, and put it up to your lips, but it clinks against your teeth, feels too cold sliding down your throat and into your stomach.

He takes the glass back from you as you lower it from your lips, placing it down on the table gently, and waits. He doesn’t press, he doesn’t smile, just waits.

You exhale, close your eyes – you’re not sure if it makes it worse.

“I… I took my headphones off and I… I couldn’t work out what it was. It didn’t sound human – something guttural. I think I heard someone swear, and more screams, but those were human. I-I got up from my chair, stepped out and looked down the hall and… there was this thing, like…” You search for the words, but not for too long. “Sorry, I don’t how to describe it.”

“That’s all right. We’ve got them on the CCTV.”

“But it had... someone in its mouth. And I should know who it was, because I’ve worked with these people for so long, but it h-had their head in its mouth. How could I not know?” Your voice breaks.

“Dove,” Leon starts, gently, “I think we should take a break.”

You shake your head, determined to get it over with. “It shook its head, like a dog shakes a toy, but it bit down and… I don’t know if I blacked it out because I don’t remember how I got there, but I was on the ground, like something had knocked me down and… someone was on top of me.”

“I am so sorry.”

“There were more and more screams and sounds I can’t describe - from all around – and everywhere I looked there just seemed another one of those things, clambering over cubicles with these awful, long tongues, snapping around limbs and, like, ricocheting people back. I got up and ran but there was blood in my eyes and I don’t know if it was mine or someone else’s, but I didn’t get far because this horrible wet thing wrapped around my arm and I got thrown into the wall or something else hard. My arm went limp – I think that’s when it dislocated my shoulder and maybe that confused it because it let go? I don’t know why it would let go when it didn’t for anyone else and… I… The stairs…”

And that’s it, your resolve has cracked and sobs erupt from deep within your chest, your whole body shaking, your vision obscured with hot tears and you can’t breathe with the grief.

There’s a beep – Leon’s frantically stopped the laptop recording, and then he’s sat right next to you, taking your good hand in his and squeezing it.

“I need you to breathe, okay? It’s going to seem hard, but I know you can do it, Dove. We’re going to breathe in through the nose for four, hold that breath in our lungs for another four, and then we’re going to exhale through our mouths for four. Okay? I’m gonna keep count with a squeeze of your hand, close your eyes if you want, I just really need you to breathe.”

You nod, sobs instead of breaths, and it feels impossible as Leon begins squeezing your hand in rounds of four. It’s poor at best, not inhaling enough, breaths still cut short as you cry, but he persists, round after round until, finally, you feel the air is finally reaching the bottom of your lungs, crying reduced to sniffles – feeling exhausted.

“I should’ve stopped you – realized you needed a break.” He stops squeezing your hand but he doesn’t let go.

“No,” your voice still feels tight. “I wanted it over with. Is that selfish?”

“Not at all.” Leon replies quickly, firmly, before his tone softens. “I know this a dumb question before I even ask, but is there anything I can do for you right now, or get you?”

“Can I have a hug?” You ask, quietly - a fleeting thought of that surely would be against protocol, but you need something grounding.

“Of course.” His arms wrap around you – strong, solid, warm arms, mindful of your shoulder, pressing you into his chest and the scent of the strawberry bodywash. You can hear his heartbeat as you press your face into him.

Leon doesn’t speak, doesn’t move either, just keeps holding you close. Hell, he needed a hug after Raccoon City, he’d just never got the guts to ask Claire for one. Not in front of Sherry anyway, and no-one was gonna hug him when he got sent off to military training.

He doesn’t know how long you’ve sat like that, but he is aware as you grow limp against his chest, falling into an emotionally exhausted sleep. He knows it’s not proper for him to be doing this with you, the DSO asset he’s meant to be protecting, but from past experience, he knows you won’t be asleep long and what the DSO doesn’t know can’t hurt them.

Speaking of, he thinks, leaning against the back of the sofa and tilting you gently down with him, he slips a hand into his pocket for his phone and types a quick message.

Interview concluded. Will have timeline of incident and report sent by 2000. Summary - experiencing survivor's guilt, not a suspect.

--

Part four.

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Commissions/Ko-Fi

Comments, follows, likes and reblogs make my day! PS: I'm sorry if this was extremely boring but hopefully some nice fluff in there for you at the end x

[striveattemptfail]

chaos, we so catostrophic | Logan Howlett & Wade Wilson, 1.1k, PG-13

@poolvertober: Day 17 – Cozy

Summary: Takes place immediately after Wade introduces Logan and Mary Puppins to Al. This is 100% dialogue and is more gen than slash but we all know the truth ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) TW: Rated for canon-typical violence, gun use, mentions of drugs/alcohol, language, and death of a nameless rat. Read on Ao3

A/N: I'm taking today's prompt real fast and loose here so please forgive me lmao. Title from Chk Chk Boom by Stray Kids because I'm still offended it wasn't included in the OST, smh 😑 Shout out to the wonderful Zay @comatose--overdose for the beta, idea throwing, and putting up with my ass (ಥ‿ಥ) All other mistakes are mine.

❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛

“It’s like an armadillo fucked a gremlin, angrily, and in a bed of gonorrhoea—”

“Wow.”

“—and didn’t stop ‘til the sun came up!”

“Whatever it is, I ain’t taking care of it.”

“Don’t worry about that. Besides, we should talk about how Logan is here to live with us!”

“No, I’m not...?”

“How the fuck are we supposed to keep a mangy dog and another whole-ass human being alive in this shithole apartment, Wade?”

“Gasp! How dare you call her mangy? She’s a princess and deserves to be treated like royalty!”

“And you want her to live in this cocaine-less den?”

“Did you just say ‘gasp’ out loud, bub?”

“The movie’s almost over, so I can probably hook you up with Doug’s forbidden baking powder soon. I’ll figure it out!”

“What about the entire man—”

“Ooh, that he is.”

“—that you intend to house in this one-bed, one-bath?”

“I’ll only be here until I can get on my feet, ma’am.”

“Nope, you’re staying here until you’re 90! Also, ‘ma’am’? Logan, I’m pretty sure you’re twice her age.”

“What the fuck?”

“Oh yeah, Logan’s the Wolverine and he’s, like, stupid old.”

“Fuck you.”

“...I thought Wolverine died?”

“This is a new one.”

“How the fuck did you get a fucking new one?”

“I’ll give you the abridged version of the movie later, after everybody settles in.”

“Wade! For fuck’s sake, I can hear you leaving—don’t you dare walk away from me!”

“Don’t you dare walk away from meeeee!”

“Singing Whitney doesn’t answer my question about how the hell we’re fitting three people and a dog in here!”

“We’ve got a pull-out—haha, pull out—in the living room and an XL twin in the bedroom.”

“My bedroom, Wade!”

“Bub, are you fuckin’ serious?”

“Hey, if the fanfics can make it work, then we’ll make it work!”

“I cannot believe this shit. This dumbass never listens to me.”

“Jesus fuckin’ christ. Althea?”

“Yes, Logan?”

“Ya got any booze around?”

“I think there’s beer in the fridge.”

“Booze? Already? It’s not even—Al, what time is it?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know?”

“Right, blind, can’t see the time.”

“If that wall clock’s right, it’s 3:14, bub.”

“It’s not even 4pm and you’re already drinking?!”

“If I have to put up with your hairless-brained bullshit, yes, I am.”

“I’d be more offended at that joke but I’m honestly impressed, pookie.”

“Seriously? For calling you bald?”

“His standards are in hell used as Satan’s spreader bar where he should’ve gone instead of rooming with me.”

“Hey!”

“Pfft!”

“Unbelievable, I can’t believe—oh, no! No no no no, Lady Leprosy With Legs, don’t nap in that! That’s where Daddy keeps his knives.”

“That’s what I’m trying to talk about, Wade! Where the hell is everyone supposed to sleep?”

“You and I can bunk together like we used to, Al. Logan can take the pull-out.”

“Oh, friggin’ hell—no. You and I will share that damn couch and Althea can keep her bed.”

“Thank you, Logan.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet, sugar tits!”

“Now, what about the dog?”

“She’ll get a dog bed, duh.”

“What? D’ya just have a dog bed lying around somewhere?”

“I do, actually! But where did I put that thing?”

“Are you serious?”

“Convenient, huh! I found it in Al’s shit when we moved in together and decided to keep it. I’m guessing the author got too lazy trying to figure out a better way to include it in this fic.”

“...He just says shit sometimes. Don’t mind him, Logan.”

“I’m well aware. You’re a weirdo, bub.”

“Thank you! I’ll take that as a compliment. Now, if I remember right—SHIT!!!”

“What?!”

“The fuck’s happening?!”

“Ah, shit, fuck! There’s a rat!”

“A RAT?!”

“Althea, where did you get that gun—put it down!”

“POINT ME TO THE FUCKING RAT!”

“Al, put the fucking gun down!”

“GET RID OF THE RAT FIRST!”

“Arf!”

“Mary, don’t touch that thing!”

“Fuckin’ hell, bub, grab Mary while I—”

BANG!

“AL, FOR CHRIST’S SAKE—”

“Arf-arf! Rrrrruff!”

“WADE, GRAB THE GODDAMN DOG!”

“NO, GET THE FUCKING RAT FIRST!”

“Mary—!”

BANG!

“AH!!!”

“Althea!”

“Jack Kirby’s giant ballsack!”

“Did I get it?!”

“Fuck no! You hit me, you empty-eyed, shit-for-aim walking corpse!”

“Rrrrrrafff!”

“Logan, keep her from shooting this way!”

“Just let me aim for the fucking rat!”

“Althea, please just hand me—”

“Get your goddamn hands off my glock!”

“Then stop shooting!”

“Mary, wait—!”

BANG!

“Rrrrrragghhh!”

“Ho. ly. shit.”

“What the fuck happened? Did I get it? Is it dead?!”

“You’re such a good girl, yes, you are!”

“He better not be talking to me, I swear to god.”

“Little miss angel face here just caught our uninvited guest!”

“Grrrrrr.”

“Wade, get that thing out of her mouth before it catches rabies from her.”

“Wow, rude, she doesn’t have rabies! Also, I’m pretty sure it’s already dead. She’s got no teeth but a hell of a bite, don’t you, my lovely bundle of herpes and joy?”

“Just get the fucking thing out of here!”

“Ugh, fine, jeez louise—come here, girl. You did such a good job, yes you did! Thank you for killing that thing! Now, let’s go toss it out.”

“The dog caught the rat?”

“Yeah, she did.”

“Well...I guess it can stay then.”

“Really? The dog’s already in your good graces?”

“You’re the one who tried grabbing my gun.”

“Because you were shooting everywhere!”

“And now you’re arguing with me!”

“...My apologies, ma’am. Won’t happen again.”

“Just keep your word and it’s alright.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Alrighty! Time to go look for that bed again.”

“Anybody want a beer?”

“Can you grab me one, Logan?”

“You already finished that whole can?!”

“‘Course I did. All that shit gave me headache.”

“Welcome to a day in the life of Deadpool and Blind Al, peanut!”

“I did this to myself. I chose to come here. How the fuck did that happen?”

“I wonder the same damn thing all the time.”

“Your beer.”

“Thank you, baby.”

“I can’t believe it’s been less than five minutes and both of you are already ganging up on me!”

“S’not hard to.”

“My Wolvie is so mean! Aha, here it is! I knew I still had the old thing. Here you go, my fearless guard dog.”

“It was a rat, not an intruder, Wade.”

“She protected the house and killed that pest. She’s practically a guardian angel!”

“Eh, good enough for me.”

“See, Al gets it!”

“I still ain’t looking after that thing.”

“That’s fine. Logan and I will!”

“I did not sign up for that.”

“You did when you agreed to crash with me!”

“Is he always like this, Althea?”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“Make yourself cozy, Logan, because it only gets better from here!”

“God help me.”

“God help us all.”

“Arf!”

[willthewiz]

Will's Project on Alan Turing

Some of Alan Turing quotes may reveal something about Will and season 5.

These stand out to me the most:

"Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible."

“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.”

It makes you wonder, has Will created the impossible? The upside down? Maybe a character or characters we know? Has he stopped time or messed up a timeline?

We know when Will Byers disappeared on November 6th, 1983 and Eleven opened the gate, the Upside Down became stuck in 1983.

Will and El are definitely connected in some way. Wouldn't it be crazy if Will created El? And that's how she knew who he was in season 1 without knowing him before? Because she knows he's the one who created her? (I know, very crazy) Of course, El could've just seen him in the upside down after she opened the gate, but anything is possible if Will created the impossible. Whatever that may be...

Time can only tell. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day... (I just liked this quote lol)

What do you think?

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷

I'm just getting too excited reading the snippets

Thank you! Damn 186 for 🦷:

---

“Dad, can I tell you something?” Chris asks, with a little sigh, like he’s having to break something very simply down to a child.

“Uh, of course, Chris.”

“I only have one day left of being smarter than you, so I should maybe give you advice.”

“Wait, what?” Eddie asks. 

“Because I still have my wisdom teeth,” Chris explains.

Right, Eddie. Keep up. 

“That’s true,” Eddie mumbles. “It’s all downhill after today. Your brain will turn to mush.”

Chris rolls his eyes. 

“I’m just saying,” Chris presses. “I’m more wise than you still. So listen to me.”

There’s something really serious in his tone, so Eddie stops joking. 

“Okay,” he says. 

“The first person you said who made you feel comforted was Buck. Twice. That means something, Dad. I think you’re used to feeling bad and you don’t know how to do things that make you feel good.”

Eddie feels like he’s been struck. Not for the first time today. 

“So, you think I should try something different, huh?” Eddie asks, voice cracking over tears just a little. 

Chris nods. “Yep. I think whatever the opposite of what Grandma and Abuelo would say is what you should do, probably.”

Well, that’s an idea. That logic carried him from El Paso to Los Angeles. Kept him here despite their pressure for him to return. That logic wrote Buck’s name in his will instead of theirs. And none of those things have been decisions that Eddie regrets. 

“That…” Eddie exhales. “That might be really good advice.”

“Because of my wisdom teeth,” Chris says.

Eddie smiles. “Yeah, buddy. Because of your wisdom teeth, for sure.”

iv.

Buck ends up coming with them to Christopher’s surgery appointment. Eddie didn’t ask. He just sort of shows up in the morning, assuming Eddie would want someone to sit with him. He’s right, of course. Eddie knows it’s just dental surgery and comes with very little risk, but Eddie absolutely wants company. Buck’s company. 

They sit side-by-side in waiting room chairs, clutching paper cups of coffee, during the surgery. They’re the only people in the room. Eddie can hear a clock ticking. There’s a television playing the news silently. Eddie’s leg is tapping.

“Hey,” Buck says gently, hand resting on Eddie’s shoulder. “He’s going to be totally fine.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eddie nods. “It’s a simple procedure. That’s… That’s not why I’m nervous.”

Buck frowns. “Why are you nervous, then?”

Well, great question. Not one Eddie really wants to answer. 

“Uh…” Eddie struggles. His throat feels very dry. He takes another sip of coffee before answering. “I have… Well, I had a sort of crazy conversation with Christopher yesterday while grocery shopping.”

“This is why you shouldn’t grocery shop without me,” Buck says, kissing his teeth chidingly. “Always ends in chaos.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “I can remember grocery store chaos caused by you. And uh, it was actually a good conversation.”

“Yeah?”

Eddie nods. “Yeah.”

“What was it about?” Buck asks, leading the conversation because he can see Eddie is too nervous to just do it himself. 

“Uh, a lot of things,” Eddie says. “But I ended up sort of… Well, I came out to him.”

Buck’s eyebrows shoot up. He grins. “Eddie, that’s amazing! How did he take it?”

“Good,” Eddie nods. “He… Yeah, he was great.”

“Ah, man. I’m so happy to hear that. I know that was weighing on you.”

“It was,” Eddie agrees quietly.

“So, then… Why are you nervous?”

Eddie takes a deep breath. Here it goes.

“Well, Chris is a smart kid, you know?”

“Of course,” Buck replies, still confused. 

“It didn’t take him very long to ask if this meant I’m in love with you.”

Buck’s expression goes completely still. His eyes get big. Wide. Anxious. 

“Uh, wh-what… What did you tell him?” Buck stammers. 

“That I do,” Eddie whispers. His eyes flicker to the floor. He almost doesn’t want to see Buck’s reaction. 

“Oh,” Buck exhales. “And, uh… He-he was okay with that?”

Eddie nods. “Pretty much told me not to be stupid and do something about it.”

“Is that what this is?” Buck asks. 

Eddie chuckles a little breathlessly. “Not enough for you?” 

“It doesn’t hurt to be given roses or something,” Buck smirks. “A string of pearls even.”

“Well, we’re in the waiting room of a dental surgery clinic. So I can offer you…” Eddie looks around the room. “An issue of USA Today from four months ago.”

“I’ve always wanted that,” Buck says. “I just need to know about Ben and Jennifer. Do you think they’re going to make it this time?”

“I have bad news,” Eddie tells him.

Buck smiles. His eyes crinkle a little. Eddie’s not sure if they did that, back when they met. Eddie thinks, somehow, he just keeps getting more and more beautiful with every year that he knows him. He’s sitting right beside him now, all loose curls and twinkling eyes. And Eddie realizes he’s so fucking lucky. Because as nervous as he is right now, he’s not uncertain. He knows. He knows this beautiful, kind, unbelievably generous, and not nearly as funny as he thinks man loves him back. 

“I still don’t understand why you’re nervous,” Buck says softly. “Eddie, you have to know…”

“I know,” Eddie replies quickly. 

“I love you, too,” Buck says. “Like… Obviously.”

Eddie smiles. “I thought so… I just…” 

“What?” Buck asks gently. 

Fuck. Eddie doesn’t really know how to explain. 

“My son sort of psychoanalyzed me,” Eddie blurts. “And, uh… And the conclusion was… He thinks maybe I don’t make decisions that are good for me because I’m used to feeling bad.”

Buck’s jaw drops. “Chris said that?”

“Yeah, I think my parents kind of messed him up in a different way from what I did.” Eddie admits. 

“He’s not messed up, Eddie. Just hurt. That’s all.”

“See?” Eddie says. “See, it’s that. He’s right. It’s like my brain is sort of wired for guilt, and… And I don’t want it to be. I just, I’m scared I’ll screw it up with you, too.”

Buck nods, thinking. He takes a good moment to contemplate.

“Okay,” he eventually sighs. “Okay, well then I won’t let you.”

Eddie sighs. “What?”

“Yeah, I just won’t,” Buck presses. “I’m good at that. I think Bobby and I are the only people you listen to.”

Because they’re the only people close enough to Eddie to know what he wants and have his best interest at heart. They always have. 

“Buck, it’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is,” Buck replies, turning in the seat a little so his knees are pressing into Eddie. “I-I know you, Eddie. You wouldn’t have brought this up at all if you didn’t want me to talk you into it.”

Eddie opens his mouth to object. That’s just… 

Okay, it’s completely true. He does that, doesn’t he? Waits until he’s ready for Buck to give him permission to do right by himself. He always has. 

Wow.

“We know each other better than anyone,” Buck says. “We won’t let each other be idiots.”

And that’s… Well, that’s true, too. Eddie has always been able to talk Buck down from letting things get out of hand. From spiraling. From making every problem on earth his problem. So… So maybe Buck is right. 

“Promise?” Eddie asks. 

Buck grabs his hand. “I promise.”

[justastraymoa]

ADVENTURES WITH CHEESE EXTENDED EDITION PT 8

I was frantically searching the neighborhood for Cheese. It had been hours since I noticed he was missing and who knows how long he had been gone before that! How could I be so neglectful that I didn’t notice my own cat missing for god knows how long!

People I passed gave me odd looks and a wide berth. I was nearly sobbing and hyperventilating so I understood. My eyes were moving along the ground level looking for any dart or spot of fuzzy black fur.

I had no idea where the others were at this moment. As soon as we were sure Cheese was not in the apartment, I left to search the neighborhood. I knew Chan and Lino were on their way home almost immediately but hadn’t heard from them since.

I slipped down an alley about 4 blocks from the apartment. I heard some shuffling that got my hopes up and I moved forward to look around.

It wasn’t Cheese. It wasn’t even a cat. It was a large dog who turned and growled at me as soon as it saw me coming towards him. I backed away slowly, not taking my eyes off the stray dog in front of me.

I watched cars speed past with my already high anxiety growing even more. We had to find Cheese soon. He was in so much danger out here! There was danger around every corner and in every step! And while he liked adventures, he was not suited to be a outdoor cat. He was too soft and trusting!

And those wild dogs were no joke. Every day you hear about another person being attacked and bitten by a dog very near us! They were out of control! Dogs wouldn’t think twice about eating up a cat like Cheese. And Cheese would probably walk right up to them to say hi!

Still gripping the edges of a full-on panic attack, I made my way back to the apartment. I was trying very hard not to blame Bin. I knew even if he left the door open it was unfair to blame him. And blaming him and making him feel worse than he already does isn’t going to help anyone in the end. And my focus was on helping Cheese.

Lino met me halfway. He had a handful of pictures of Cheese with him that he printed off from somewhere. Without a word he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and continued to walk home.

Once in the apartment he sat me on the couch and went into the kitchen to make me some calming tea. Not that it would help much if at all, but the gesture was nice all the same.

I looked around the room at all the little reminders of my baby boy. A third cat tree someone got him for in the living room. His toys scattered around the toy bin. His favorite blanket bunched up right next to me, a little nest made where he laid down on it to sleep. Even the tin of cat treats Hyune left on the coffee table after giving up using it to lure Cheese out.

Everywhere I looked there was Cheese, but Cheese wasn’t here. What would I do without him? How would I go about my day without waking up to his morning meow and headbutt? I haven’t needed an alarm clock to wake up since I got him! He wakes me up every morning! How would I function without him now?

I would never find another cat like him. He was one of a kind. Not even one in a million. There was only one Cheese and there will only ever be one Cheese!

And my relationship with the Chan Clan. Would it survive without Cheese. It all started with Cheese, will it end with him too? I would miss my boys. I would like to think they think of me like family as much as I think of them as family, but who knows! And losing a member of our family like Cheese may splinter our bond and we may not be able to fix it!

I was going to not only lose Cheese, but my family, and my home.

A tea cup was shoved into my freezing hands and I blinked back from my dark thoughts. Lino perched on the coffee table in front of me and wiped at the tears I didn’t know were falling down my cheeks.

“Whatever you are thinking, stop. It’s not going to happen. Cheese is going to be found safe and sound and everything will be fine.” He whispered. I didn’t know if he was talking to just me or trying to convince himself too. I could see the worry etched into his face, reflected in his eyes.

“What if he doesn’t?” my voice was thick with tears. I would be embarrassed later to be this broken down in front of Lino. I probably looked awful. I could feel the snot running down my face with the tears.

Lino gently wiped at the tears and snot, not even grossed out. “Y/n, he will come back. You must keep thinking positively. We will find him.”

I nodded and sipped my tea. It was just the right temperature to make me feel like I was warm again. I hadn’t realized how cold I was before now.

Lino glanced at his phone. I knew he was making sure he didn’t miss any messages. Hyune and Bin should almost be at my old apartment if they aren’t already there. Maybe Cheese got out, got lost, and ended up going to the old place. It’s not unheard of.

I burst up from the couch, almost elbowing Lino in the face in the process. Luckily my tea was already gone because I threw that cup to the side as soon as I read Channies message.

“Lino, let’s go! Where does Felix live!” I shouted, stepping into the first shoes I grabbed from the shoe cupboard. I could tell they weren’t mine, way too big and floppy on my feet, but I don’t care. I needed to get to Cheese. Now!

Lino was right behind me as I opened the door. He had the mental capacity to grab his keys and lock the door, but I was bouncing on my feet in impatience.

Channie came running up before Lino was even done and I latched onto him with both hands. “Where does Felix live?” I demanded. Chan gestured and led the way at nearly a sprint.

My heart raced with hope and I could feel the sob building in my chest. Cheese was okay! Cheese was okay! Cheese was okay!

Skz + pets masterlist

A/N: And another one with some angst and feelings (ew)

Thank you for reading and interacting. Or just one or the other. Either way I appreciate it!

I hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster with me! <3

Taglist: @whatdoyouwanttocallmefor

[melgolbach]

UNWIND || Johnnie Guilbert

(a/n: i’m having an idea pop into mind)

—

as soon as you clock out of your shift, you make a dash out of your work place without saying goodbye to your coworkers and managers. you had a terrible, terrible shitty 8 hour shift and the clock had just hit 11. all you wanted to do now was unwind and go to sleep, of course with johnnie.

you sped the way home, the tears spilling down as soft music played out of your stereo. ‘why can’t human be humans?’ you thought to yourself, hiccuping and gripping the wheel tight as you could. you finally reached into the neighborhood, taking down a few paths till you can see the house you and your roommates bought with each other.

you assumed that jake’s and johnnie’s car were in the drive way, seeing carrington’s car was out side and two other cars were there as well. you scoffed, throwing your head back and parking near the sidewalk on the road. this will do, you have no intentions on being a friendly social butterfly tonight to go ask whoever the car owner’s were to move their car.

after grabbing your huge black spiky purse, you locked the doors to your black honda sedan. you beeped it twice, and then tried opening the car door just to make sure it was locked. you always did that— being paranoid about being in LA on the streets. though with this neighborhood, you shouldn’t be since it’s a gated community.

the big door was open already, so you put your keys back into your purse and opened the door widely. you sneakily step into the house, putting your purse on the decor shelf next to the door. you took off your black heels, leaving them right next to johnnie’s.

you undid your pony tail, letting your hair fall onto your black silky dress up shirt that was mandatory to wear for work. you walk with your head down towards the living room, not paying any attention to your surroundings, unbuckling your black belt that was hugging your waist very tightly.

“sweet cheeks!” you heard tara’s voice in the background, and you stopped as soon as you were about to go in the hallway that lead to your room. “tara hey,” you gulped out, turning around with a fake smile to not make them worry so much. though that didnt help, the run down mascara and eyeliner were visibly known on your cheeks, your dark red lipstick smudged around your lips.

you noticed familiar faces in the room. carrington, jake, johnnie of course. then there was tara, sam, colby, and maila. “girl you look like you went through a break up.” maila spoke first, the tension in the room shifting to a force chuckle coming from everyone’s voices.

“you okay?” movement could be heard that was coming from johnnie’s body, as he finally reached you. “turned out, a coworker had quit and my shift turned into a eight hour shift instead of a four hour shift. i mean, yay more money for me! if it wasn’t for shitty fucking customers.” you grumbled out, johnnie looked back at the group and mouthed ‘continue, i’ll look out for her’.

you moved like a drunken man coming home from a night of clubbing, stumbling into johnnie as you walked. he caught you of course, placing an arm around you to keep you steady half of the walk back to your room. “you really do look like you went through a break up,” the quietness of the hallway was broken by johnnie’s first sentence that was said to you.

you chuckled softly at his words, “well— when you had a day like mine, you’ll understand.” you hummed out, opening the door to your room and turning on the light. “my fishie,” you softly spoke with an up tone like you were talking to a baby. you touched the 50 gallon tank, as you see your red beta fish swim from his spot to you.

“you don’t have to stay with me, i know whatever you guys were talking was deep. i could hear it from the entry way.” you finally spoke, “no i want to stay. im your boyfriend, i have to understand what you’re going through and be there for you.” he responded, as you stood there while he took off the button black silky shirt for you. “thanks,” you mumbled. he gave you a kiss on the head in return.

thankfully for this room, it had a bathroom connected to it. you opened the door, turning the light on as you let the shirt slowly slide off your body. turning on the sink, you grabbed your skincare routine for the night and let it set waiting for the hot water.

“do you wanna talk about your day?” johnnie asked. you shook your head no, not wanting to go through another river of your tears flowing down your cheeks. “i just screamed about it on the way home to be honest, it kinda helped out but honestly all it did was make my throat hurt.” johnnie hummed st that.

as soon as you finished your nightly routine, you placed your toothbrush back to were it was and turned on the shower. “do you want to shower with me?” you whisper asked, taking your silky shirt off to reveal a few matching tattoos with johnnie’s and the black lacey bra with a pink bow in the middle on it. “of course,” he responded. you turned your back to him as he unbuttoned the bra, and as soon as it was un clipped you slipped it on the ground and groaned. “that feels good huh?” johnnie asked. you nodded. “you have no idea,” you faced him now, and as a man of nature, his eyes dropped down.

“johnnie,” you laughed, as his body was now touching yours, as his lips kissed all over your top body. “m sorry m sorry, couldn’t help it.” he shed off his clothes as you shed off the last of yours, both of you finally hopping into the shower. “i stink i don’t understand why you’d wanna kiss my stinky body.” you scrunch your nose as you look at him. “because you’re mine baby i don’t care,” his arms wrapped around your waist, his wet lips moving to your neck and leaving a sloppy trail of kisses everywhere.

after johnnie did his routine for his face and hair, he helped you with yours. washing your body, washing your face, and just pecking your whole face with kisses. finally after another long five minutes of silence in each other’s arms in the shower, the two of you got out and dried. you went back to your room while he went back to his, which was on the other side of the house.

of course, the gang was still there. his eyes widen, “shit i forgot you guys were still here.” he nervously laughed. “so,” colby wiggled his eyes. “so,” sam did the same with him. the gang all laughed at that, “screw off. we only showered.” he mumbled. “you didn’t do the do?” carrington asked, “dude did you see how messed up girly pop was when she entered? nah she definitely didn’t seem like she was in a mood for one.” tara smacked carrington’s back slightly. “anyways— uh, i’m gonna go grab some jams.” johnnie walked off, trying to cover everything that wasn’t clothed.

he walked into his room, closing his door. he saw what his girl picked out, the matching pajamas she got the two for christmas of last year. he got out his black pants that were covered in small white bow ties, while grabbing the normal black shirt that went with them. he put on his boxers before hand, and placed everything on.

he walked out, turning off his light with his pillow underneath his arms. “awe, witte johnnie can’t sleep with out his pwillow” jake spoke with a baby voice. johnnie looked at him, and raised the middle finger towards him. “fuck off,” his mumbled voice was heard in the group. he could hear the door open to his girl’s room, and she entered with wet down hair that was drenching her own black shirt. she was seen in black pajama pants with pink bows on her’s. “you feeling better babes?” tara walked over to her, as the two went into the kitchen. maila entered with them, and the boys were left in the dust.

“dude what the hell happened with her?” sam asked. johnnie shrugged, “she didn’t want to talk about it. i’ll ask tomorrow, but man.. i haven’t seen her like that since.., two years ago? it’s been long. shit scared the living lights out of me.” johnnie sputtered out.

the girls emerged from the kitchen, the middle one seen with grape melatonin in her hand and two pills on top of it, with a cold water bottle in her other hand. “sorry to cut it short for johnnie’s night guys.” she spoke. the gang reassured her that it was okay, noticing the time that read 12:30 on everyone’s watch. “we’re gonna go home anyways,” sam spoke. “you really don’t have too!” she chirped in. “no no we need too, sam and i have a meeting at like 8 am.” colby groaned. maila rubbed his back with her hand.

she swayed on her feet, waiting for the goodbyes from the group to be done. “night jake, night carrington.” she told the two. the two boys did the same, as they walked off to their side of the house. johnnie traveled behind her, turning off the hallway light and closing the door that entered her room. he placed the black sleeve pillow onto her bed, walking towards the light to mess with the ceiling fan and put it on the perfect spot. he turned off the light, cussing as he stubbed his toe onto something. “you okay baby?” she asked him, turning her flashlight on her phone on. “m fine,” he slid in the bed, the covers covering both of them.

he scooted closer to her, his front body feeling her back’s. she was the little spoon for tonight, and he’d be the bigger spoon. usually it’s the other way around. “alright, alright..” his soft voice hummed. “what do you want me to sing tonight for you?” he could hear her chew the purple melatonin, as she shuffled even closer to his back if possible.

“kiss me?” she whispered. he nodded, though she couldn’t see she could feel. his face was covered in her hair, as he breathed in a big whiff. “you smell divine.” he kissed her head, and started to sing on her request. “kiss me,” he started off.

“kiss me out of the bearded barely,”

————————

a/n:

WOOOOAH this was a long one! didn’t expect it to be so long. (1,795 words— and to put it in pages, 6 on wattpad!) anyways this was just a silly little fic i had in my head. i do this with literally every single character i love and just dream about it hoping it would happen one day ( of course it won’t ) anyways i hope you all love the fic!!!

[dramatic-crying]

good old days // ryan dunn x reader

Writing prompt: "She runs into her high school crush and reminisces about the time that they had a really cute moment"

Summary: While working the closing shift at your job, you run into someone you haven't seen in years.

Work count: ~1.5k

Warnings: MAJOR FLUFF, swearing, cute shit

"Will that be all, sir?" You ask, making drinks for the man currently sitting across the bar counter from you.

"Yeah, whatever. Just put it on my tab, will ya, sweetheart?" He remarks, giving you a wink before walking to his friends halfway across the bar.

"You got it, dick," you say under your breath.

"Hey, Y/N!" You hear to your right. You immediately turn to see your manager walking towards you, your heart instantly dropping when you realize that she might have heard what you just said. However, despite your fears, she smiles at you warmly and says, "You wanna take your 30 minute break now before we get super busy?"

"Yes, please," you exaggerate, smiling at her as you rush towards the back. All you grab is a pack of cigarettes and the small dinner of some fries and chicken strips your coworker had cooked for you at the beginning of your shift. You check the clock, just to check how much of your never-ending shift has passed. 9:17, perfect.

"See ya in half an hour!" You shout to your coworkers before walking out the front door and heading to one of the tables placed in front of the bar. You sit down and quickly dig into your meal, feeling like you haven't eaten in days (when, in reality, it's been about 5 hours).

About eating all the lukewarm french-fries you had, you pause to have a cigarette before having the rest of your food. "Hey, dude! Mind sharing one?" You hear from right behind you. As you glance towards where the voice came from, you find a relatively tall, smiling man with a buzz cut.

You barely mutter out an answer before you see a strong hand land on the shoulder of the first man. As the first man moves out of the way, you see a vaguely familiar face behind him. He's blonde, has enormous blue eyes, and a shit-eating grin on his face, and you could swear you've seen him somewhere before. "Will you stop messing with people while we get food for five goddamn seconds?" He playfully complains, shoving his friend away from you. The blonde then looks to you, while saying, "I'm so sorry about him, he doesn't really know boundaries..." By the end of this man's sentence, his voice has almost completely trailed off and his friend heads back into the restaurant. He just... stares into your eyes for what feels like an eternity. He shakes his head a moment later, breaking eye contact. "I should go," he mumbles, beginning to leave.

"Wait!" You shout, expressing the only words you could muster in this entire situation. You turn around in your chair to be able to fully see the mystery man. You chuckle slightly as you realize you have this random man's entire attention. "You just look really familiar," you chuckle as you sweep your hair out of your face. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound weird at all."

He lets out a little giggle and moves the sunglasses he was wearing to sit on top of his head. "I was actually gonna say the same thing about you," he admits, taking a few steps closer. You gesture to the other end of the table you're sitting at.

"Wanna join me?" You suggest, taking another pull of your cigarette. He looks unsure for a few seconds, then begins to move over to the table, taking the seat that you offered. He suddenly holds his hand out to you and says, "I'm Ryan, by the way."

You take his hand and respond, "I'm Y/N." After this action, the man, who you now know as Ryan, smiles twice as big as he did before. "Did you happen to go to Westchester High?"

Ryan's eyes widen with realization as his mouth drops open. "Oh my god, of fucking course! I totally should've recognized you, you were in my P.E. class, right?" Your face begins to feel warm as blush rushed to your cheeks, but you still answer his question.

"I think so, yeah. The teacher, Mr. Wilson, was always a fuckin' bitch to you," you exclaim while chuckling. Ryan covers his face in embarrassment.

"Well, can't say I didn't deserve it since I ditched his class most of the time."

"So, what have you been doing since high school?" You inquire, hoping to continue this conversation with a long-lost acquaintance.

He clears his throat, and you shift in your seat in anticipation of his answer. "Well, I actually started filming movies with my friends, and we just started filming a T.V. show with some other really cool guys."

You can feel your eyes widen in surprise; it's not every day that someone you used to know happens to be famous. "Holy shit, good for you!"

He shakes his head while laughing small bit. "Yeah, well, it can get pretty hectic every once in a while." You scoff in response and say, "Don't tell me that you're complaining about being famous."

He shrugs his shoulders with a neutral look on his face. "What can I say, I'm not much of an extrovert."

You nod your head and say, "Yeah, I guess that's fair."

"What about you?" He questions. "What have you been up to?"

Just before you were about to answer, your manager comes out of the bar and begins to yell to you. "Y/N, what are you doing?? It's been 45 minutes!"

You whip back around to Ryan with a terrified look on your face. You were about to apologize, but the blonde man stopped you. "It's okay," he declares, smiling at you. "We can reminisce in the good old days later, maybe after you get off of work?"

Instantly, you nod in response. "Absolutely, um... I get off at 1."

"Oof, long night," he responds.

"I know," you say, giggling.

"Well, whatever. It's worth it," Ryan admits, his puppy-dog eyes staring straight into your soul.

You bite your lip. "Okay, see ya later." And, with that, you go back into the restaurant.

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

It was finally time for you to go home, and you couldn't wait. You rushed out of the bar as fast as you could, ensuring you had all your belongings with you, so you didn't have to return until your next shift.

As you step outside, you feel the slight trickle of light rain. "Great," you sigh, soon realizing you were going to have to walk home in the pouring rain. You hear someone greet you out of nowhere and you shriek slightly in surprise. However, not surprisingly, you soon see Ryan doubled over, laughing his ass off. What a dick. "Jesus, what the fuck were you doing in the shadows?? You're gonna give someone a fuckin' heart attack one day," you exclaim, holding your hand over your heart.

"Oh my god, you should've seen your face!" Ryan cries, still hysterically laughing. "You jumped like three feet into the air!"

"Shut up," you groan, walking over and shoving him slightly. He finally begins to calm down, but it's extremely easy to tell his eyes were tearing up with how hard he was laughing. "What are you even doing here still?"

"Well, I mean, you said we could talk after you get off of work, so I just thought I would... wait for you," he says.

You raise your eyebrows, and he seems to catch onto the reason why.

"Okay, so that sounded a lot less creepy in my head. But do you think I could at least walk you home?"

You take a few seconds to think, but it really isn't even a question for you. "Sure, why not?"

He grins in response and holds out his hand for you to take. You roll your eyes but take his hand anyway.

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

It only took about 15 minutes to walk back to your apartment, but the entire time you two were laughing like idiots while reminiscing about the stupid shit you did in high school.

"Right, right, and then Raab ended up getting expelled because of it!" Ryan yells.

"For smearing shit all over the school's lockers?" You cry in disgust.

Ryan hums in response and giggles once again. Once you two had properly calmed down, you point out that you both had arrived at your apartment. It almost looks as though Ryan is upset as he walks you up to your apartment building's front door. You both stop in front of the building, and he gently takes your hands in his.

"I know this is gonna sound weird, and possibly creepy, but you are really, really pretty. Beautiful, even." He remarks, biting his lip as though he's pondering what to say next.

"Yes?" You question, urging him to speak what's on his mind.

"Can I... kiss you?" He sheepishly looks up at you through his eyelashes.

You scoff and say, "Is that even a question?" You then cautiously grab his chin and bring him in for a passionate kiss. After almost 10 seconds, you both pull back for air. He rests his forehead on yours.

"Wow," he says in awe.

You slowly pull back his face to find that his cheeks are slightly dusted pick. "Do you wanna know something?" You whisper. He just nods his head in response. "I've been waiting for you to do that since high school."

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Five

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (fem OC)

Warnings: Anxious Themes (includes a Comforting scene), Mild Meltdown (I don't want to say a panic attack because it isn't really) Mentions of Grieving, the most brief mention of funerals, silly&friendly bullying, drinking/alcohol (we know the drill), Fluff oh the fluff, & Jake yearns a little more (shocking).

Word Count: 4.6k

Summary: After caving and finally asking for help, Jake doesn't know what to do with himself until she shows up. Which takes a big ol' turn for ... well, I guess we will find out, won't we? 🤭

Author's Note: If we're being completely honest, this was the first chapter I wrote, of this story. I knew exactly how I wanted this day to go and I couldn't stop myself when I thought of the idea. It's what fueled the bulk of the storyline and I really hope you guys love it as deeply as I do. 🥹

Clocks Go Forward - James Bay "Stay warm, close your eyes, let time fly, Stay close, stay right here, nothing to fear."

I slide my phone back into my pocket. Staring at it isn’t going to make her reply, Jake. I’ve been at the bar trying to figure out this paperwork for a while, and well, I’m lost. My hands keep finding their way to the back of my head as I read through these documents; I need to focus on something else. 

“Hey, how are you?” I say in passing some day-time regulars of ours. I collect any empty cans or glasses that I can, anything to keep me busy at this rate.  

I wander behind the bar, setting all the glasses in the dirty bin.

“Jake.” 

I look over to Josh, who’s wiping out a glass.

“Why don’t you just go get some lunch or something? You’re stressing me out being here.” 

“Is it really that bad?” I ask, running my hand through my hair. 

A laugh erupting from him says enough. 

“Okay, alright, I’ll leave you alone,” I tell him, “Just let me know if you need anything.” 

Reluctantly sitting back down at the desk in my office, I find myself with my head in my hands for a moment. You’re going to be okay. You’re new at this, and it’s okay to mess up. She’s giving you time to take care of everything. 

After a deep breath or two, I opened my laptop and pulled up my email. I decided that maybe spending some time doing mindless admin work would help distract me from the inevitable problem. 

I’m flying through these emails by humming along to whatever customers have chosen for the jukebox. Looking at the time in the top corner, 2:30 pm. 

She still hasn’t replied. Maybe she’s working with someone else right now; just be patient.  

I walk back into the bar, seeing a handful more people come in. I wave slightly to the regulars who like to camp out in the corner. They enjoy sneaking away from work for a few hours; “Lunch beers” is apparently what they call it.  I laughed the first time they told me about it, but as they continued the tradition, I understood it more and more. 

Looking to the corner of the bar, I see Quinn. I can’t help but watch the two of them for a minute with a grin plastered on my face. Seeing my brother so happy makes my heart swell daily, and Quinn is perfect for him; I can’t deny it. They just know how to handle him and reign him in when he’s being a bit too much. Which is more often than not. 

“Do you two want to go grab lunch?” I ask, slinking my arm around Josh’s shoulders, “I think I can handle the rowdy folk we have here.” I shoot a wink at the few customers sitting next to Quinn. 

His eyes light up, “You don’t have to ask me twice. Let’s go, bug!” 

I don’t think he could have left any quicker if he tried. Immediately, hand in hand with Quinn, and practically pranced out of the bar. 

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“And a squirrel fell down my chimney into my fireplace!” 

I nod with a quiet “mhm,” glancing at my phone hidden under the bar. 3:15 pm. I'm trying to look interested in this story I’ve heard a few times. The older gentleman talking to me forgets that he’s told me the majority of the tales he has in his arsenal. But I don’t want to cut him off; he seems lonely, and the least I can do is humor him. 

Hearing the door chime, followed by Josh making his entrance. 

“Welcome back,” I chuckle as he walks swiftly towards the bar. 

“I need to use the lavatory, and then I will be ready to rock ‘n roll or whatever kids say nowadays,” Josh mutters. 

You would think he’s nine hundred years old with how he talks sometimes, but it always keeps me on my toes. Watching as he disappears around the corner, I grab the older man’s glass and place it in the dirty bin. 

The door chime goes off again, causing my head to whip around. 

Oh, she’s here..?

As Charlotte slowly walks to the bar, I go to meet her at the opposite corner. I pull my phone out; she never replied? 

“I didn’t think I would see you today,” I start as she approaches. Leaning down to grab everything I had been looking at, I stowed away when I couldn’t focus anymore. 

“I have been reading through all of these, and I think you’re gonna need to explain these to me like I’m five–” I stop. I hadn’t looked at her face the entire time, and her eyes were pink and looked a bit swollen. She’s not making eye contact at all, which seems odd compared to the other afternoon, where I thought if she held my gaze any longer, I would explode. Was she crying? I questioned myself. I hope I didn’t cause this. Was she supposed to be off today? Oh my god, what if I’m the only reason she’s working? 

Finally pulling myself out of my head, “Are you okay?” 

She takes a shallow breath before looking up at me, and I can see that her eyes are fighting the urge to let the tears fall. 

“Um,” she swallows, looking back down, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Her raspy voice is so quiet I can barely hear it. Her lip quivers as she stands there, and I can see the way her breathing is picking up. Oh no, oh no, oh no.  

I hear the door to the bathroom open. Turning around, I shoot Josh a look. He makes eye contact with me as I bounce my eyes to Charlotte and back to him. I watch as he glances at her quickly, his eyes widening as if to say, ‘Do what you need to.’

I come out from behind the bar, grabbing her bag from the barstool it sat on. 

“Come with me,” I whisper to her; she just nods in response. 

I gently place my hand on her back, guiding her down the hall to my office. Just long enough to round the corner into the small room, she lets out the tiniest whimper I’ve ever heard. I toss her bag onto the chair, facing her as she finally breaks down. Her hands fly up to hide her face as she lets out the most heartbreaking sound. One sob was enough for me; I pushed the door closed behind her and pulled her into me.  

“Oh, honey,” I let slip out, holding her small frame tight against me as she cried. I listen to her sobs against my chest as I run my hand down the back of her head, holding her close. I close my eyes to help focus my breathing; being in these situations never gets easier and I’ll never understand how I always end up in them. 

“Take a breath for me,” I said quietly, trying to stay calm for her. I can feel her take a deep breath and shakily release it. Her arms drop from her face, finding their way around my back. Grabbing at my shirt gently, like she’s afraid I'll let her go.  

“I’m right here. Take your time,” I whisper, pressing my lips gently to the top of her head, “You’re okay.” 

We spend a few minutes like this. I keep rubbing slow circles on her back, resting my face against the top of her head to keep her tucked in. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask. I feel her shake her head ‘no’ before turning her face and leaning back against me, reaching up to push the hair out of her face. She lets out another shaky breath. 

“I‘m so sorry,” she mumbles into me. 

“Don’t apologize for having emotions.” 

I lean back to look at her, her breathing starts to feel more normal.

She looks tired.

I don’t know what comes over me when I reach up, holding either side of her face and gently wiping the tear stains on her cheeks away. 

Our eyes finally met; she really was beautiful— crying or not. 

Her gaze doesn’t falter, her green eyes locked on me. She almost makes me nervous, not in a mean or intimidating way, but like I shouldn’t be allowed to look at someone who looks like her.

“Do you want to um-” I hesitate, “go get something to eat? While we talk about things. Not like a d-”

Despite her watery eyes, she huffs out a laugh.

“Stop,” she says, “I know what you mean. Yes, let’s do that.”

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We walked into the restaurant, and considering it’s only 4 p.m., it’s not very busy. I let her pick where we sit, following behind as she chose. She had a soft smile on her face as she claimed the booth seat like she just won a prize.  

“Hi, can I please have a Boulevardier? ” Charlotte politely orders, my eyebrows raised at her choice. 

“Actually, I’ll take the same thing,” I tell them, “Thank you.” 

Charlotte pulled out the paperwork, flipping through it to see what I had left. Watching her green eyes flit across them, setting aside anything that needs more attention. The way that she chews the inside of her lip while she’s reading is endearing. 

“Okay, so you haven’t missed too many things.” She tells me. 

“Oh good,” I start picking at my lip, “I’m sorry, I just didn’t realize how much was involved.” 

“That’s alright, Jacob. It’s a lot, and nobody generally explains this part of business to you.” Normally, I would cringe at my full name being used, but I just want her to keep saying it. 

She pulled out one of the papers and turned it to face me. She pointed at the part I hadn’t filled out. 

“So essentially, this means–” She begins explaining. Her eye contact is intense while she talks, which makes it incredibly hard to focus. I feel myself slowly smiling as she’s telling me. I glance at her mouth quickly, making it even more challenging to pay attention. 

“What?” 

Damnit. I raised my eyebrows with a small ‘mmm’. 

“You looked like you wanted to say something?” She questions. 

 “Oh, I’m sorry– no, I was just listening.” There are a lot of things I could say.

“Oh– Well, anyway,” she shakes her head a little before continuing to explain. 

I really wish that I could tell you what she’s explained to me at this point, but to be completely honest, I have no clue. I’ve been far too distracted by the freckles on her nose and the way her eyes twinkle under these lights. I can’t get over the green of her eyes, with subtle gold flecks in them. Her hair is perfectly curled, and how the color of it stands out against her blazer.  She is unreal.

“Are you planning on doing that?” She asks, immediately pulling me out of my thoughts. 

“Yeah, absolutely.” 

“Great, Melody will really benefit from that,” she tells me. Benefit from what exactly?

“Do you need me to send you the information on that?” she quickly asks, grateful I’ll at least have context on what I’m agreeing to. 

“Please, if you could,” I say quietly as I rub my eyes.  

Our server stopped our conversation to take our order, giving me a second to try and refocus myself. She is trying to help you and isn’t being an asshole about it. The least you can do is pay attention to what she’s actually saying. Get it together.

“Okay anyway,” she starts again, “I think that’s everything?”  She sifts through the papers.

“Amazing,” I breathe out. “I’m sorry I made you come out here to help.” I sit back in my chair, my hands falling into my lap, where I quietly dig at the side of my thumb. 

“No, it’s okay, really,” she says, not making eye contact this time. “I was already in Portland, so it worked out.”

Her eyebrows pulled together as she told me, but I knew I shouldn’t ask. If she wanted to tell me what was wrong, she would. I’m not going to make her cry again.  

“Well, I’m glad I caught you at the right time then,” I say, offering a small smile. Her face softens a bit, and she leans forward, propping herself up. 

“So, how long ago did you buy the bar if it’s not even a year old?” 

“About two years ago, actually,” I tell her, “We took our time renovating it to feel right.” 

“We?” 

“All the boys helped me, but Josh really did the most with making it look the way it does.” I usually have no issue talking about the bar, but her being even vaguely interested has my brain stalling. 

“I love that. He did a good job curating,” she says, “Was the goal to be pirate-esque, or did it just end up that way?” 

I chuckle, “No, it was intentional. I’ve always enjoyed pirates, even as a kid, so I felt like it just made sense.”

“I think it’s nice that you made it your own. There are enough modern hipster bars in the area. It’s a refreshing thing to walk into.” 

Her compliment made my heart beat a little harder. I’m never one to assume, but she doesn’t strike me as someone who would hang out in a bar like mine. Granted, I guess I can’t really picture her hanging out in bars in general, but maybe that’s because I have always been a fan of the smaller, more dive bars. And I can confirm that I’ve never seen someone of her caliber in any of them. 

Once our food is brought out, I ask her about how she got into working for the state. We quietly chatted about some of the situations that she’d walked into, which unintentionally made me feel much better about my slip-up. But simultaneously, it made me realize how terrible men can be. I can’t imagine yelling at her regardless of what she told me. People are awful. 

The server brings over the check, and without hesitation, I slide my card into the little black folder and hand it back to them with a quiet, ‘Thank you.’  I bring my attention back over to her, her eyes a little wide but going back to normal as she continues telling me about another bar owner being a complete ass. 

I fill out the slip, leaving cash for the tip, before looking up at her.

“Ready?” I ask. She just nods a few times before sliding out of the booth. I wave my hand in front of me, “After you m’lady.” 

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“So, how far do you live from here?” I try to make some form of small talk on the way back to her car, avoiding the elephant in the room. 

“I live in Skowhegan, so it’s a little hike,” she tells me, looking around at the area’s architecture, “but my family has a house on Sebago Lake, so it’s not as bad when I have to come down here.” 

“Oh, I'm sure it’s peaceful over there.” I imagine how quiet that lake house must be this time of year. With minimal people vacationing or trying to fish on the lake, and it’s probably gorgeous in the mornings. 

“It really is,” she says, looking down at her feet for a second, “Do you live close?”

“I actually live above the bar,” I laugh every time I tell someone, “I know that probably seems ridiculous.” 

“Convenient, at least,” She giggles softly before looking at me with a smile. Oh, I’m gonna throw up. 

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” I tell her, “Blessing when you can just roll out of bed and run downstairs if you oversleep, but a curse when I find myself in there most days.. And nights.” Pointing at the crosswalk, nobody was coming; I placed my hand on the small of her back as I led her into the street, shit, carefully pulling my hand back as she stepped off the sidewalk. 

“You don’t get sick of being there?” 

“You would think so, but no. I love it, even if working with my brothers can be an absolute chore sometimes.” I tell her. 

She grabs my arm gently.

“I think that’s great, Jacob. It’s refreshing to hear someone love their job in this industry. It’s few and far between.” I glance over at her as she says it; my stomach has little knots forming as she squeezes my bicep a few times before pulling her hand back.  

She points to her car, parked just a short distance ahead of us. I see her pulling her keys from her bag as we approach it, unlocking the doors. I open her door for her, watching her face redden a little at the gesture. As she’s settling into her seat, I notice a brochure-looking paper in her passenger seat before realizing there’s a photo on the front. And a name. Oh my god, Charlotte. That’s why she was so upset. 

Setting her bag down in front of the pamphlet, she turned back to me with a soft smile, “How much should I send you for food?” 

“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. 

“But, Jacob..” 

“It was my idea. I’m not going to make you pay for that.” Also, it’s the least I can do, especially now.

“Okay,” she sighs. “Well, thank you for the food and walking me back here. I’m pretty sure I would have gotten lost.” 

“Of course,” I tell her, “Drive safe.” 

I go to close her door for her, and I don’t know what possessed me when I hesitate, “Actually—” what are you doing? “Let me know when you make it home? Just since it’ll be a little later.” 

She nods subtly before saying, “Okay,” with a quiet laugh. 

I bite at my bottom lip as I smile at her, gently shutting her door for her. 

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“Now, where have you been?”

 I haven’t even made it fully behind the bar, and I’m already getting harassed.

“It’s nice to see you too, Linda,”  I laugh under my breath, “I had to take care of some paperwork, but I’m here now.” 

Raising an eyebrow, she looks from me to my right, where Josh stands with a shit-eating grin. Oh, fuck me. 

“And how was that paperwork, brother?” He says joyfully, emphasizing his skepticism with heavy air quotes. 

And, here we go. 

“The paperwork went well,”  I side-eye him, “Thank you for asking.”

I watched the two of them share a look before looking back at me, and all I offered was a shrug in response. 

“Why were you not in your office doing paperwork?” Linda questions as Eleanor joins her at the bar in their usual spots. 

“Who wasn’t in the office?” Eleanor chimes in. 

“Jake! He apparently went somewhere with someone to take care of paperwork,” Linda fills her in, like two school girls at lunch. 

Rubbing my hand across my face, I turn around to dry some glasses while I’m interrogated further. I should have known my being nice to her would have me questioned. 

“Well, that sounds like he went on a date,” Eleanor unknowingly agreeing with their past statements. Josh is the most enormous pain in my ass, I swear to god. 

“It wasn’t a date!” 

 Josh laughed, “That sounds like something someone who went on a secret date would say.” I feel my body warm the more they talk about my “date.” WHICH WASN’T A DATE. 

“Well, who paid?” Linda asks. 

“Uhh… I did,” I hesitated to answer. “But- it was my idea to go there, so I didn’t want to make her pay anything.” 

“Oh! You went with a girl?” Eleanor quietly questions.

“Yes, I needed help with some business stuff, and she was able to help me,” I tell her. “If she hadn’t come in so upset, I would have just been here the whole time.” 

The ladies look at each other and then back at me before Eleanor pipes back up, “So what you’re saying is, I just need to come in here crying to score a date with you?” 

A laugh falls out of me before I can even process what she’s said; at least someone has a sense of humor about all of this. 

“That’s very nice of you to take her to lunch to try and help cheer her up, sweetheart,” Linda tells me. I smile at her compliment before putting away some of the glasses I had been drying. I feel Josh’s presence before he says anything, just setting some dirty glasses in the bin below the counter. 

“Is she okay?” he whispers, leaning over to make sure nobody else heard. 

“I don’t know, honestly,” I tell him, knowing I sound a little panicked about it. 

“Did she say why she was upset?” 

I shake my head ‘no’ before leaning over, “I saw one of those printouts you get at funerals in her car, and she was wearing all black, so I’m assuming that she uh—” 

Josh covers his mouth and turns to look at me. If there’s one thing I know about my brother, it’s that he will absolutely empathize with anybody about anything. 

“Oh shit,” he murmurs under his breath. 

I can’t hide the look of concern on my face as we stare at each other for no more than a few seconds. 

“She’ll be alright. You probably just caught a wave of grief, is all.” Josh says, grabbing my arm and giving it a few squeezes. 

I let out a small breath. He’s right. She probably just hadn’t really let anything out, and I just asked the wrong question. 

“You’re right,” I whisper back, patting the back of his hand on my arm, “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”  But that isn’t going to stop me from worrying. 

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Business picked up shortly after that, with all the tables full and chatter loud. It kept me from my thoughts, which is probably for the best. I’m grateful that Linda and Eleanor came in tonight; they always keep me busy. 

I take small breaks from behind the bar to go check on the tables of people, collecting the empty glasses and bottles; sometimes, it’s nice to just mindlessly clean up. I spend a few minutes making small talk with some of the regulars, noticing the time as one of their phones lights up. 

11:30 p.m. already? Where did the night go?  I leave the table with a slight wave and head back to the bar to leave the dirty glasses. Setting them all on the back counter, I can tell Josh is caught up in whatever the ladies are telling him. 

Rounding the corner into the hall, I quickly lock myself away in the bathroom. Pulling my phone out immediately, relief washes over me when I see her name sitting in my notifications. Thank god. 

Charlotte: I made it home. Thank you again 

Jake: I’m happy to hear that and of course

Jake: I hope everythings okay.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I head back into the bar. She’s home, at least there’s that. 

“You can go if you want. I can handle the rest of the night,” I tell Josh quietly. He’s been here all day, and I definitely didn’t intend for him to cover the bar for that long. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Please, go get some sleep or call Quinn. Just get out of here while you can.” 

He hands me the towel he was using and mouths ‘thank you’ as he slides by me; I really can’t blame him for being excited to go to bed. It’s been a long day. 

The rest of the night seemingly flew by. A fair number of people, including Linda and Eleanor, left by 1 am, which meant I had to clock into my true Customer Service self for the last hour of the night. But it’s always nice when people start to trickle out early so that I can start cleaning up to close and make my life a little easier. 

I’m leaning against the back counter talking to the last few customers, and I can’t help but let my mind wander. What if she’s still upset? There’s nothing I can do to help that situation, and that’s okay. Maybe she just needs a friend right now. I could do that?  Or maybe she’s already told her friends, and Josh was right. Was she just having a moment? Oh god, what if she has a boyf- 

My phone vibrates, pulling my attention away from my internal spiral.  1:57 a.m. Thank god.

Charlotte: It will be, i’m sorry that you had to witness that.

Jake: don’t apologize, i’m glad i was able to help..i hope?

Charlotte: It did help, truly. 

That makes my heart feel a little weird. Don’t get ahead of yourself. 

Jake: well.. if you need anything, let me know? 

I set my phone down underneath the bar and started printing the tabs for the last customers who were sitting. I went through the motions as I put the papers out front of each of them with a pen. I watch as they sign on the line, possibly leaving a tip; either way, I’m not bothered. Leaving with a friendly ‘Have a good one,’ I follow behind them, locking the doors and shutting off the neon lights. Happy to know that I have hardly anything left to do. 

The brisk air hits me as I lock the back door, and I practically run up the stairs. Opening the door, it’s quiet. He must be asleep then. I carefully walk through the apartment, cracking his door open to see him tucked away in bed. 

“Goodnight, Josh,” I whisper, pulling his door shut gently. 

I shut my door as softly as I could, immediately pulled my flannel off, and tossed it on the end of my bed. Followed by my jeans before I grab my phone from my nightstand. 2:34 a.m. I open my messages to see her name sitting there with the blue, unread messages dot glowing back at me. 

Charlotte: I may take you up on that.

Why is she still awake? It’s so late. 

Jake: I hope you do

Be more obvious, Jake, come on.. 

Jake: Also why are you still up? lol

It changes from ‘delivered’ to ‘read’ almost instantly. I watch the typing bubbles pop up, making my stomach turn. 

Charlotte: I just haven’t been tired enough to sleep, but I think I’m getting there.

Jake: After everything, I figured you’d be exhausted

Charlotte: You would think lol 

Dropping my phone next to me. I rub my hands down my face. Trying to get the look on her face just before she cried out of my mind. ‘I’m so sorry’ in her sad little voice, playing on a loop. The sounds of her sobs against my chest, her shaking in my arms. I almost wish that I didn’t know why she was upset now. 

Jake: well don’t let me keep you up

This time, my message sat on delivered for a few minutes. I did my daily scroll on mindless apps and looked at the few new photos people had tagged the bar in before she replied. 

Charlotte: You’re not a bother at all, but I should probably try to sleep before it gets too much later.

Charlotte: Goodnight Jacob

My mind ran through all the ways that I could reply. How I’d love to tell her that I’m sorry for her loss and that I hope everything gets better. Even that, I had a lovely time talking to someone outside of my family and their partners for more than a few minutes as I served them a beer. It felt like we could be friends even, with the way she didn’t seem phased by any of the vaguely nerdy things I said. Unfortunately, my hands settled on something more straightforward, and I quickly hit ‘send.’

Jake: sleep well, Charlotte 

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Chapter Four

Chapter Six

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[winter-pawpads]

A Double Sided Rainbow - Halloween, 1981 (Oneshot)

TW: MCD (but not detailed)

959 words

The red drapes on The Potter’s windows fluttered from the crisp, autumn air that circled through the house. The three people sitting on the couches seemed so solemn despite their normal tendency to break out in laughter from jokes and stories alike. A man with wavy black hair apparated into the room, and the three tensed, knowing it was time. The secret keeper changed, and there was no going back.

The orange pumpkin laid on Remus and Sirius’ front porch. They’d recently purchased their quaint home together, and they did not have much else in the way of Halloween decorations, but the pumpkins they carved together in silence the night before was the least they could do for the muggle children that would approach later that night for candy, not knowing the danger that surrounded them.

The yellow leaves on the trees outside of Godric’s Hallow were all the little baby could see outside of his window. He didn’t know why he wasn’t allowed to play outside anymore. He didn’t know why he couldn’t use his little broomstick to fly around the backyard, almost giving his mother a heart attack while his father cheered, but at least he could see the leaves as they waved hello to him and goodbye to everyone else peering out.

The green grass, Sirius realized, seemed so much brighter that day as he walked to the market to buy groceries for his favorite little family as he’d done twice a week since he was made the secret keeper. Even though it had changed, he saw no problems with continuing his routine. However, he always took the scenic route, walking through the park and getting to enjoy the gorgeous colors and the frigid air. It was one of the few times he could enjoy the color green, yet, for whatever reason, it just didn’t feel right today.

The blue porch Peter walked onto creaked under each step, making a shiver go up his spine. The house seemed so sweet and bright like an elderly lady picked out all of the colors, likely because one had, but wherever that lady was now, Peter knew better than to question. The moment he walked inside, any figment or idea of joy the colors could have brought him was sapped out of his shaking body, encapsulating the state he would be in for the rest of his life.

The purple dress Lily put on seemed a bit too on the nose. A witch dressing as a witch on Halloween, but she wanted to dress up for her little boy, so she decided to dress as the stereotypical muggle image of a witch, and she helped James do the same as a wizard. It was rather easy with what they had around the house, and it was enough to take a photo for Harry that they could look back on in the future when all of this was over.

The red couch was the backdrop of the photo where, before the camera could flash, there was a knock on the door. James stood up, telling Lily to hurry upstairs. He went to the door, standing tall and firm, not noticing the wand that was left behind. He knew it couldn’t be a trick-or-treater as much as he wished it could be. Instead, he just hoped it was Peter who could have forgotten something earlier that day or Sirius to come with groceries, but he knew better than to be naive. He knew what was behind that door. He knew he’d never see that red couch again.

The orange cupcakes Sirius bought for The Potters landed directly on the concrete when he heard the news, intercepted as he was about to go to their house to cheer up the couple who just wanted to give their son a joyful holiday. The frosting smeared onto his pants leg as his knees gave in. He didn’t hear another thing as the mud soiled the orange frosting.

The yellow clock Remus watched as he paced back and forth seemed to tick at an increasingly slow pace to the point where he had to count aloud to make sure it was correct. But then, without much more warning, the clock stopped. He went over to it slowly, lifting it off of the wall and turning it over. He grabbed new batteries from the drawer and replaced them, but it did no good. The yellow never began to tick again.

The green flash was new coming from Sirius’ wand. It was what he never wished to resort to, but he was past keeping up his moral code. It lit up the block. Nothing but green could be seen through the tears—through the rage that took over his face. His body. His entire existence. That rat, that traitorous, conniving, evil little rat had to feel this. But, when the green faded, he saw enough to know that his target wasn’t there.

The blue motorbike, which Sirius poured his heart and soul into, took off into the sky with a different rider as Sirius laid beside his friend, in the room he’d been in only that morning, giving the secret over to someone he thought he could trust. As he laid there in wait, bound for the inevitable arrivals, staring at the blue that faded away into the night and then at his old friend, he knew he could never trust again.

The purple glow of the telly lit up the room as Remus stood at the phone, clutching it tightly in his hand before slowly, yet never breaking the fluid motion, setting it back down on the receiver. He walked over to the telly, and he pushed the button on the top. The glow flickered to black.

[strwbrryfire]

winter warmers: day 005⋆⁺₊❅.

listen before you go

✶ prompts: praise | tree lighting

✶ ship: charlos

✶ word count: 1,258

Inevitably takes the form of four walls he’ll never see again, and a suit folded neatly on a bed. It smells faintly of white wine, and if he leans in close enough, there’s some Italian ballad playing from the garage that might as well be halfway across the world now. 

This isn’t what he wanted, to have to stay in the dark like he is now. And forever will be, until destiny decides to want him again. Carlos knows he is needed, for the very last time, in a little less than an hour. The cameras will be too bright, the noise all too loud, the cold air a chill to exhaust him further. The dream that was woven with gold and blinding red has now faded, all scratched and left to be forgotten. The halls he once walked echo a legacy with his name on it—he knows that it’s time to go, but God, it does not hurt any less. 

He glances at the clock and it’s still ticking. Nothing will stop the death rattle, nothing will make the pull of the knife any easier. This was supposed to be home, all wine soaked kisses on cheeks from mechanics and laughter that rings late into the night it was never—Carlos was never supposed to leave. Ferrari had promised him glory, infinite amounts of it and it’s like she…forgot about him. 

The only infinity he’s left with is an ever-expanse of almost. He almost reached the peak of whatever mountain he’d be forced to ascend and it’s. Enough. How far he got. The view from where he stands is still beautiful, because above him, no matter how far down he may sink—Charles is shining like the most stunning of gleaming sunlight. He’s effervescent, and undeniably so. 

Charles had been encompassed fully by joy on Thursday and for the first time since Monza, Carlos saw what comforting relief looked like on Charles’ face. He was near tears at every given corner as he watched Arthur pad about the garage, Leclerc plastered across his back. It was enough to see Charles that happy. It felt right. 

But it’s over now— all those arguments and champagne tears and hushed sighs after qualifying. It was just so quiet, Carlos realizes, when he slips into his nomex and tries to will away the cries stuck in his throat. 

“Carlos?” Cahlos. He thinks he might crack. Charles knocks at the door, “Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” Carlos clears his throat and runs his fingers through his hair. Deep breath.

Once Charles walks in, he brings in all that Italian sun and warmth with him. He smells like home and podiums and—Carlos can’t help it. He pulls Charles in for the tightest hug he can manage; Charles makes a small oof sound, but wraps his arms around Carlos’ waist without question, “Awe, are you going to miss me or something?”

“Of course,” Carlos whispers, trying helplessly to ground himself in reality instead of allowing his mind to trick him into believing it’ll stay this way, “Every day, I will miss you. I will miss everything.”

Charles’ breath falters, “Mon chéri…you will make me cry. You know I won’t leave you behind, right? You are so wonderful, so smart, Carlos. It will always be you and I together, does not matter what color you wear.”  

Somewhere behind Carlos’ ribcage, his heart skips and beats faster than he can keep up with. His lips have found Charles’ forehead, which he kisses twice for good luck like he always has, “I have never been able to catch you, mi amor. You know this, still you say I will be good in another car. It is not true.” 

Those emerald eyes blink at him, eyebrows adorably furrowed in confusion, “I thought you did not wallow in self pity,” Charles pouts for good measure, “Go on, sit back on the couch.” 

Without question, Carlos does as he’s told. (Like a dog, Lando once said, he’s got you wrapped around his finger.)

Charles slowly sinks to his knees and Carlos blushes, “Of course this is what you came here for.”

“Not really,” Charles admits, pushing up the red fabric of the nomex, “I just wanted to see you. I always do,” he takes his sweet time kissing whatever skin he can reach, “But, I want you to know how good you are. Such a beautiful boy, and always such a good racer. One day you will be on top of the world.”

Carlos thinks he might pass out watching Charles staring at him starry eyed, “My wonderful boy. I love watching you, always so quick and if you ask me, blue is a very pretty color on you.”

Charles moves up, kissing as he goes—his mouth is hot and ghosting over Carlos’ neck, his endlessly long eyelashes tickling wherever they brush against. Carlos has his hands in the mess of hair in front of him, another attempt to distract himself from the fact that this is all another last time, “But, red…red is best, you know this.”

“You are very wrong,” Charles whispers, tracing over the Ferrari logo and Italian flag that sits wearisome on Carlos’ chest, “You do not owe her anything,” and there’s a catch in his voice, a shaky breath. Charles kisses Carlos, all slow and gentle to make it seem worth something, “I have learned so much from you, vita mia. I promise, I promise, you will never be too far behind. You will be beside me again, because that is who you are.”

There is rarely a time when Carlos sinks into some self pitying mess, but it’s. This is different, he thought Charles understood it by now, “Maranello’s sun…it is difficult to amount to. You know this.”

Charles has completely forgone the purpose of his visit—of swallowing Carlos down to make him settle and take away his spiraling thoughts, even if for a bit—in favor of, again, kissing Carlos so hard it's sure to hurt later, “The ocean then, is what you are,” he mutters against the soft pillow of his soon to be ex-teammates lips, “I keep you steady, and you keep me steady. We will be…always stuck to each other. I will watch.”

A call of their names outside is the stark reminder that their time is nearly up. Every passing moment spent trying to convince each other of their own ideals—that Charles was nobody’s favorite, that Carlos wasn’t about to be thrown to the wolves to be eaten alive—was nothing but a wasted countdown to their timely demise. The knives are sharpened, the archers ready to aim. 

Charles still tries, persistent in his need to love Carlos in the way Ferrari loves the ground Charles walks upon, “Carlos, nobody will bleed the way you did. There is no one who could be more proud of you than I am, all your hardwork and there is no one else I’d rather have fought alongside. You are such a good boy, such a talented driver,” he kisses three times on Carlos’ nose, for good luck like he always does, “Such a brilliant boy, amore mio.”

“Thank you,” Carlos whispers and for a brief fleeting moment, he believes Charles and all the honey sweetness he’s been sticking to Carlos’ skin. It buries under the nomex and makes a home there, whether Carlos wants it to or not.

“Be selfish today,” Charles smiles, the crinkles by his eyes masking the sadness that lingers on the tip of his tongue, “You will be magnificent no matter what.”

[cake-by-thepound]

It does crack me up that when it was just rick jadis was like yeah whatever but the second michonne shows up shes like oh lawd i got to put a stop to this immediately or we are all dead

😂 Even a broken, delusional clock is right once or twice a day. Raggedy Anne has been trying to push up on Rick since the day they met, and Richonne has been showing her what they’re capable of since that day too. Like in S7, she made that deal for guns figuring it would be impossible, and they were like, Bitch, you thought. So yeah, she knows not to underestimate them anymore.