#actively working on the au with other buddies too

[endyr-serifi]

A WIP for that one Eldritch AU my friends and I are doing!! (Derry/Eldritch Au by @animesparkleluv96 )

For context: This lovely living doll, Jamie, actively doesn't stop crying, have some whiteboard doodles leading up to how Jamie fled Derry, Maine. (A hot spot for eldritch, supernatural, and more now a days...)

[wistsandmagic]

No Way Out (Brother I Let You Down)

Welp. I finally caved in to one of the plot bunnies @keferon 's Mecha AU keeps putting in my brain. So here, have some Swindle and Vortex ANGST.

(under the cut because it's over 2k words)

It was the middle of the night. The lights in the hangar were dimmed, the sounds of the skeleton crew that worked as night shift far away in the mechanics’ sector, not on the hangar floor. The mecha stood still in their refuel bays, waiting on the next time the Quintessons attacked, when the alarms would blare and the hangar would become a frantic cacophony of activity.

For now though, things were quiet. Still.

Lonely.

Swindle walked silently across the catwalk strung between the mecha, the smell of oil and gear lubricant seeping into his nose like an old friend's aftershave. He didn't smell that often enough nowadays. Sometimes he missed it.

Sometimes, he thought, turning at a path junction to walk down to one particular mecha's bay, one that towered over everything else in the hangar. Sometimes he just missed the people that the smell accompanied.

No one would have ever guessed that he and Vortex had been close friends. They fought like cats and dogs, always sniping at each other, yelling and picking at each other until Onslaught had to break them up before things got too physical. They'd both ended up in medbay more than once after a fight hadn't been broken up quickly enough. They were the youngest of the group, after all, and so close in age that fights seemed almost inevitable.

Swindle had thought of Vortex as the closest thing he'd ever had to a brother. When he didn't come back from that ill-fated mission...

The former pilot stopped in front of the giant mecha in the bay, the faint hint of old blood adding itself to the scents mingling in his nose. Vortex's mecha always smelled vaguely bloody, though since that young medic-turned-pilot, First Aid, had taken over, things weren't as strong. Swindle thought that might be a good thing. Maybe.

He wasn't one to really believe in ghosts, not in the way people meant. A spirit that haunted the living? Seemed improbable. Ghosts were the memories that lingered when you stared at the things the dead had left behind. The scents that once followed them suddenly wafting through the air, the feel of a missing presence, an ache that never went away. That was a 'ghost'.

But when Swindle stared at the red visor of Vortex's mech – it would always be Vortex's mech to him, no matter who piloted it or for how long – it was all too easy to imagine the other kind of ghost. All too easy to give in to the superstitions surrounding this mecha, to believe that a malevolent spirit haunted it, for all it seemed to at least like First Aid. One pilot it didn't want to kill.  

The visor stared back blankly, and Swindle caught sight of his own reflection, warped and twisted by the thick, bullet-proof plexiglass. Somehow the warped reflection felt more like it was the real him than the him that existed in his own skin, at that moment. All of the stress, the heaviness, the days of lying through his teeth and pretending he cared less than he did, that all he was in things for was the money, that the pilots that came back to base maimed and traumatized didn't matter to him as long as the program got the money needed, that his best friend who couldn't even remember that he was Swindle's best friend was laying in a hospital bed, half of his body burned and his mind in tatters didn't matter beyond his ability to bring in investors...

It was too much. It was just...too much.

"H...hey," he managed, flinching at how much his own voice cracked. Where was the smarmy car-salesman he pretended at being? The smooth operator, the con man? "...Vortex, if...if you're in there, buddy, y'mind? I just..." Tears pricked at the corners of Swindle's eyes, startling him and making him put a hand to his face. Man, he was losing it, wasn't he? "I...I just needed..."

Before he knew it, Swindle found himself slumping to the catwalk floor, his back to Vortex's mech. Knew that if the ghost stories were true, that might not be a good idea, but he'd always trusted his friend. His brother. Saw no reason to stop now. "I miss you, y'know that?" He murmured, trying to stem the flow of tears without letting his voice hitch. "The entire...the entire program's shit. I know we knew that already, but...Vee, it's got so much worse. And here I am...actively promoting the damn thing 'cause we have no other choice. " ...he hadn't called Vortex 'Vee' in years. It was usually "Tex"; that was what Vortex had preferred. Swindle was the only one that could ever get away with calling him Vee without getting punched, even so. Swindle had reserved it for special occasions, knowing he held privilege. Now seemed like as good a time as any. Vortex wasn't there any longer to half-heartedly gripe at him for the affectionate diminutive.

That didn't make it better.

Swindle leaned his head back until it thunked against the catwalk railing, letting him stare up from behind his rose-tinted glasses toward the ceiling, heedless of the tears streaming down his face. "I dunno what to do to stop it, Vee. You were always the one c-coming up with the harebrained schemes that somehow worked. You always were smarter than I am, just damn crazy. We worked so good together, like brothers, you 'n me." He laughed mirthlessly, a shaking hand coming up to cover his face as he sobbed, unable to stop himself. "...though guess I'm probably the crazy one now, h-huh. Talkin' to your mech like somehow you c-can hear me through it. Like you're gonna act like my crazy older brother again and somehow tell me this's all gonna work out in the end, and I'm not a heartless monster for doin' this, goin' along with this shit."

He didn't pay attention to the faint nudging at his side at first, figuring it was just the edge of the railing digging into his ribs. When the touch became more insistant, however, he looked down, blinking away tears. Only to stare dumbly at the very large fingertip pressed ever so gently against his side. His breath caught, and for a moment Swindle couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't move, because that was the hand of Vortex's mech, his index finger pressed almost lovingly to Swindle's side, rubbing up and down very slightly now that Swindle was actively paying attention. Almost as if it were trying to comfort him.

Dashing tears from his eyes with the back of one hand, Swindle switched his attention from the massive finger at his side to the head of the mech beside him, expecting to see First Aid curled up inside the cockpit controlling things. But no, the cockpit was empty, the faint lights inside just enough to let him see through the visor before everything flared to life, the visor turning bright and opaque as the mech's head turned slowly to look directly at Swindle.

He'd spent years pretending there was no such thing as ghosts, hating that Vortex's mech killed pilots, but refusing to believe it was anything other than glitches. To say otherwise would be having to say that something of his friend, his brother, still lingered, and Swindle couldn't help him. Now, though, he couldn't deny it. He could feel Vortex there, staring at him through the mech, through that red visor so much like Vortex's own remembered helmet. He blinked as the sound of soft static filled the air, a mechanical text-to-speech voice whispering through the speakers embedded in the mech's head. "Swindler, c'mon now. You never were one for tears, little bro."

If...if Vortex intended that to stop Swindle from crying, it had the exact opposite effect. Sure, the voice was mechanical, it sounded off, but that was still, somehow, Vortex's voice, and Swindle hadn't heard it outside of old recordings for far too long. He shakily got to his feet, one hand covering his mouth to muffle himself while the other scrabbled frantically for Vortex's finger, any and all fears about the rogue mecha deciding to crush him into paste fleeing from his mind in his desperation to have some part of Vee touching him. Only Vortex ever called him "Swindler". Only Vortex ever called him little bro.

"A...are you really in there, Vee?" Even to Swindle's own ears he sounded pathetic. Not like himself at all. It was the stress. It had to be the stress. That was the only explanation.Maybe he was crazy. Maybe watching Blurr almost die was the final straw that broke him, and now he was headed for the looney bin as soon as someone found him. Damn. But hearing Vortex's voice, even distorted by machinery, coming from his mech, broke something inside Swindle's soul, and grief came pouring out whether he wanted it to or not.

Again that soft static, again that voice. "In the figurative flesh, Swindler." Somehow it even managed to retain Vortex's characteristic croon, the way he only spoke to those he actually liked, not the bitten-off snark of those he tolerated, or the open hiss to those he actively hated. Vortex carefully raised his hand over the railing, making Swindle step back a pace, and lowered a couple of his fingers, beckoning carefully. "C'mere. Can't hug you, know you need it, but c'mere anyway." Swindle should have thought twice. Every protocol to do with Vortex – the mech, not the long-dead person – screamed about caution and wariness. But this was Vortex. The person, not the mech. Crazy, full of bloodlust, stay out of his way on the battlefield, don't make him hate you, sure, but above all else he was Swindle's mech partner, his brother, his friend closer than a brother. The one who always had his back on and off the battlefield, in ways Onslaught never could.

He stepped into Vortex's hand without hesitation, trembling hands coming down to help hold himself steady as Vortex's fingers and thumb gripped him in a hold too gentle to come from a mech's default pilotless programming. He saw the visor open, and before he knew it he was deposited gently inside, warm air that smelled vaguely of vanilla – had First Aid hung an air freshener somewhere? – already wafting through the cockpit.

The speakers crackled to life. "Find a seat, little bro." Cabling hissed out of hidden apertures, operating oddly like hands and arms as they found Swindle, pulled him in closer to the emergency jumpseat off to the side of the pilot's seat, designed for maintenance and a place to stretch if trapped in the cockpit for too long, pulling it out from the wall and ushering Swindle to sit. Like Vortex knew Swindle couldn't bring himself to sit in the pilot's seat of a mech that didn't belong to him, that still belonged to Vortex, even if First Aid was 'sharing' it now.

"Vee..." "Hush." The voice was rough, kindness having always been oddly difficult for Vortex to manage, always making him sound like he was angry at himself for daring to show any kind of humanity. That was the case now, of course. Death hadn't changed some things. A lot of things. Still, Vortex's cabling wrapped gently around Swindle once he sat, draping over his shoulders and snaking across his lap like one of Vortex's annoying full-body hugs that had always been so good simply because of their rarity, even if he had to be drunk to give them. The thought made Swindle want to tear up all over again, grief and stress radiating off of him even as he reached out to brush over one of the cables, feeling unseen eyes watching him as he did his best to gather himself, unable to feel any fear for the faint malevolent presence that surrounded him, because he knew that malevolence wasn't directed at him. It never had been."I...you didn't come back," Swindle whispered, swallowing to try and keep his voice steady. "You died, Vee, and everything else went to hell after. It's only gotten worse now, and I...I didn't...I didn't even know you were still in here. You died."

"Yeah, I died. But. Still here, little bro. Got me a good pilot now that I like, finally, but I'm still here." Vortex's voice softened a little, in ways that would make almost anyone who knew him before his death stare at him like he'd lost even more of his marbles. Nobody ever really got to see this side of him other than the one pilot in their group who was younger than him; Swindle had been the only one to deserve the softness he was capable of, and even then only in secret. "Can't get rid of me that easily. I still got your back, y'know?" The cables wrapped around Swindle tightened slightly, reiterating Vortex's point and enclosing him in just that little bit of security. A hug from his dead friend, who was not entirely dead, and always closer to being more than even a brother would have been.

"Okay Swindler. Let's talk, you'n me. Let's come up with a plan. I'm here, little bro." "Always will be."

[swordsandholly]

Should I start working on this College AU rugby player Soap x art history major (sort of low self-esteem) reader again?

I’ve been thinkin’ about it. Their story haunts me. Anyway here’s a snippet for you to judge:

You sit in the common grounds on an old, tattered quilt under one of the oaks. You managed to score a good spot today, just enough sun to be warm but not enough to force you to squint. The tree curves in that perfect shape for you to lean back against it. You’ve settled into your millionth re-read of Howl’s Moving Castle. A go to when college gets too hard for your brain and you need something easy to digest. Like saltines on a sick stomach.

A faint call of, “Bonnie!” jerks you from the quiet of your moment. Oh, God. Johnny comes jogging up from a group of his fellow rugby players. If only the way he smiles at you didn’t direct all of your attention onto him, maybe you could have gotten away with pretending not to see or hear him.

As it is, you totally can. You push your sunglasses up onto the top of your head and pluck out an earphone just to sit up on your elbows. “Johnny.”

All six foot of the man comes plunking down onto the grass beside you. “I don’ get tae see ye around campus often. Feels like I havennae seen ye in forever.”

“I work a lot.” You repeat. Why couldn’t the gods gift you with at least moderate conversational skills? “It’s only been, like, four days. You weren’t in class yesterday.”

He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Aye… Might have, eh, partaken a bit too much…”

You snort. “As long as you weren’t drinking and driving.”

“I would never.” The response is immediate, his tone unrecognizably dark. A sore spot.

“I’ll give you the notes.” You tilt your head back, changing the subject quickly. The shadows move and the sun begins to encroach upon your spot. It’s nice, actually.

“Ye donnae have tae-”

“I don’t mind.” You wave him off. “We can go over them on study night.”

A loud whistle and a holler echo from the other side of the lawn. Johnny’s buddies are all grouped up, staring. Well, the ones that aren’t actively being distracted by pretty girls are. Your eye meets with the man in the mask, staring each other down for a very brief moment. A shiver runs down your spine as he turns away. Two of the others lean in, snickering while they watch the two of you. It makes your chest hurt in a far too familiar way.

“I think your boys are calling.” You turn back to look at Johnny.

“Och, they can wait.” He shrugs those wide shoulders. Has he gotten bigger recently? “Whit are ye readin’?”

“Oh, nothing, just some kids book…” Before you can tuck it away he snatches it up, flipping it over to the back.

“My sisters read this! They watched the movie a lot. S’about tha’ girl who gets swept off her feet by a dashing wizard, eh?” He grins and leans in. “Remind ye of anybody, bonnie?”

You sit up and scoff, snatching the book back. “Fancy yourself dashing, MacTavish?”

“On occasion.” He winks.

You roll your eyes and mock gag. The man sure lays it on thick. “Well if you read the book you’d know he’s a whiny little brat, so, frankly, yes, it does remind me of a certain somebody.”

Johnny pouts dramatically, only further proving your point. “Got a sharp tongue on ye, hen.”

“It comes in handy.” You chuckle.

“God, I’d be so good to ye.” He says so fast you almost miss it as he grins wide.

You splutter out an awkward laugh, caught entirely off guard. The words sting a bit. He’s joking, obviously. It’s a little cruel. Uncharacteristically so.

Another shout has Johnny rolling his eyes and standing up. “I’ll see ye Thursday?”

“Thursday…” You nod, eyes still wide. You’re sure you look ridiculous.

Mr. Johnny-Sees-All grins back at you with a knowing spark in his eye. “Later, hen!”

[buryhny]

One Night Stand ; 22

➥ rundown ; as if the unexpected twist of a one-night stand turning out to be your CEO boss wasn't surreal enough, the situation takes a more challenging turn when both of you discover that you're expecting his child.

→ genre ; enemies to lovers | CEO au | pregnancy trope | slowburn

→ Jungkook x y/n

→ contains smut, fluff and angst

→ Chapter twenty two ; wc | 5 k

primarily on Wattpad

index ⇢ next chapter

Hoseok glanced at his phone for the 50th time of the evening, he'd texted you again. but he received no response from you. As a matter of fact, that had him worried and doubtful too. he'd never thought you would leave him on delivered for almost 3 days besides, it's much more bizarre as he'd seen you come online a couple of times.

had he ever told that he follows your Instagram? yeah, he does. you're inactive, and barely ever post a story. your account is public but there are zero posts, your side profile as your dp, and one highlight that's named 'randoms' which contains pictures of your graduation, coffee aesthetic snaps, and one selfie of you in 2019 in which you're cuddled up with two dogs hiding inside your neck and the most recent picture was of you with a few other girls at a bar.

which was almost 6 months ago. that was all. he could see the green active sign each time you come on Instagram and the 'active 24 mins ago'. all it did was leave Hoseok in disappointment. he thought you considered him to be your friend. at least a little more than just a work buddy, he'd been over to your place and you both spoke a lot during work, during breaks, and outside work. 'what's going on?'

was all that he could think of. he didn't understand what's taking you so long to come back to work and more specifically why it's taking you so damn long to reply to his texts. it's unusual and very much unlike you. you're supposedly at your parent's place for a personal reason but, are you even okay?

The man looked around his kitchen, he spent 3 hours this Sunday trying to perfect ice cream in gooey cookie flavor. and well.. he thinks he wasted his time doing all that he did for no reason. the more he denies himself and the more he pushes himself to stop thinking of you, it just makes him want to see you more.

he considers you to be his good friend, a friend that he never had and always wanted. but friends don't stay up all night searching for ice cream recipes to make the perfect replica of a gooey cookie ice cream that you like. is that typical of friends?

- 

"the name of the restaurant and the place of it do not match! they need a new name change." you whisper over to Jungkook as he walks beside you, giving you a side eye as you both approach the eatery that comes into view with its inviting light and the soft glow of the street lights as you both walk down the avenue.

the night air is slighter colder today than the rest of the week, it has to be the beautiful trees and plants surrounding the area, a few kilometers far from the city, this restaurant is located at a lovely place that offers outdoor seating with a marvelous sight to watch. as the two of you proceeds towards the entrance, the aroma of fresh herbs and cooked pasta reaches you much before you two walk inside.

heading to the entrance, you both enter the patio where couples are seen clicking their wine glasses to each other's, laughter echos at the area and a few children run around the little garden beside their tables. Jungkook looks over at you, and so do you and you both share a soft smile. "table for two?"

"yes, please." the host guides both of you to your table, offers the menu, and makes his way back to the entrance. you wasted no time and quickly began to scan the menu to find the one dish that sounded satisfying. Jungkook tried hard to resist his smile, he'd never seen a woman become this enthusiastic over food. he thinks he may have already lost his appetite watching you get so eager.

"what are you gonna have?" you question him and he looks at his menu, he's not the biggest fan of pasta but he'll manage for you. he avoided checking out the heavy cream and cheese plates of pasta and flipped his way to the Aglio section. it's relatively a much healthier option. "probably the Aglio." you sighed and rolled your eyes at him. "eating cream pasta one night won't ruin your body, relax." "I'm just not very hungry. but you can order as you wish." you put down the menu on the table and pout. "don't do that!"

whining, you almost made him chuckle. "do what?" "don't tempt me, I might buy everything on the menu!" "go ahead then." "shut up, Jungkook!! I'm having a hard time choosing, everything looks so good!" he let out a short-lived laugh before the waiter walked over to your table. "would you like to place your order, sir?" Jungkook nods his head and gestures over to you.

"ma'am first." you smile and list out your order. "one, carbonara in a single serving. one, fettuccine alfredo in a family style and- for appetizer one portion of buffalo wings!" you end your order with an ear-to-ear smile sitting on your face. Jungkook thinks you must be insane because there's no way you're gonna eat it all up by yourself, he looked over the other table and had a family-size pasta for a family of 3 and they

did not finish it up. the waiter surely glitched for a while before he turned to Jungkook. "one, aglio e olio." "is that it?" "what about drinks, y/n?" "uh-" you opened up the menu again and you let your eyes scroll down the variety of beverages that they offer.

"I think I'll get the chocolate milkshake." Jungkook pressed his lips together to suppress the smile, you have no idea how adorable and childish you sounded when you gave your order for a milkshake, it made him want to do a little happy hop.

"I'll have a Lambrusco, that's it." "your orders have been noted, they will be brought to you shortly." he wanted some wine in his system but he wanted to keep it low and avoid getting drunk. "that sounds new to me, what is it?" you ask him once the waiter leaves. "it's an Italian red wine but with very low alcohol."

"Oh." you pout, knowing you can't have wine makes you sad. it's been so damn long since you sipped on one. this reminds Jungkook of your past when you spoke about your addictions to your gyno. he's surprised that he remembers but wasn't sure if he should ask you about it if it's even appropriate here but he's also curious and thinks you both have a fairly close bond than before.

your eyes roam around the place, couples looking so lovingly at each other while they talk about things they love and want to do, they kiss, they smile, they laugh. the women in their most gorgeous outfits that would make anyone simp on them, you can't stop staring at them, what about the men then. and on the other hand, families. moms and dads with little kids, you guessed about 3-5 years. they looked very exhausted.

Jungkook decided to give his go and ask you about yourself because he realized, he actually does not know much about you. he honestly knows nothing about you. "so y/n.." he begins, and you turn to face him. "yeah?" he bites his lower lip, reconsidering what he was gonna ask but he thinks it may be too personal for now so he might ask well start off with baby steps, it still makes him nervous.

"tell me about you, I don't think we've ever spoken to each other like normal adults." you chuckled and nodded, you agreed. every time you two talk, it ends up in bickering. "wow, you really started off awkwardly." Jungkook knows he was a little uncomfortable by giving a hesitant start with the 'so.. y/n?' and now that you voiced it he feels slightly red-faced. he removes his beanie and ruffles his hair, in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to be awkward but-"

"Hey, I was kidding!" you mumble, and then taking a deep breath you place your elbows on the table and put your chin between the back of your palms, you give him a confident look, like you're interested to speak up. what do you wanna know? "I think you already know enough about me." he eyeballed you with a side eye and a chuckle. "all I know is that you're adamant as fuck and straightforward. "that is all you should know then." you mumbled and broke into laughter along with him. "no really, tell me more."

you let out a sigh along with a nod. "you could tell that I'm the only child." Jungkook perked up, he hadn't thought through it before but knowing you're the only child fascinates him. In fact, this makes him think how he's never heard you talk about your family ever. "I never thought about it but go on." "I'm the only child to my parents and I'm also half Korean, you can see that." he definitely knows that it's pretty clear in your face. the features show that you're not Korean enough but it's more beautiful he thinks.

he never understood why the Korean standard of beauty had strict rules, he thinks it's beautiful for women to have fullness whether it's the face or body. the so-called standard has only made women insecure and hard on themselves to match up to it often taking away the glow from most women's faces. "that I know.'' he whispers as he takes notice of how you look fresh, you always look fresh.

you had a healthy body, fit, had your stuff, the curves as well but now with pregnancy your face has that graceful glow that sits perfectly. "I must meet my parents soon." you look away and then at his face, you notice how quiet it gets between the two of you. You got Jungkook thinking about his parents too, a sensitive, hated topic, something that he wouldn't want to talk to anyone. and to your surprise, it doesn't feel weird. the silence is nice and most importantly comfortable. "so? are you the only child?"

he nods to your question and you smile while raising your eyebrow. "I could tell." Jungkook smiles and looks up at the open sky, he's not into nature but why does the moon look so beautiful to him today. "you like the moon?" you look up to see what he's watching too and you smile softly. "I love the moon." "you don't look like someone who loves the moon and stars." "you don't have to look like it, but I do in fact I even love the beach." "Really?" "yeah!" the more you talk, the more fascinated Jungkook is by your words.

he wants to know more about you but he keeps it short today, slow steps. "why are you obsessed with pasta?" you turned your head sharply at him with a frown. "are you really asking me that?" the man was stunned by how aggressive your tone sounds. "it's a pregnancy craving, i was never a pasta girlie until now and I'm also starting to crave for anything chocolate and I'm trying hard to avoid them like i don't wanna gain more weight. I keep gaining a couple of pounds every 2 weeks." this makes him laugh, his eyes close and he throws his head back.

You don't think this is that funny so you feel offended. "what?" "Darling, trust me! you don't look any different from the first time I met you. what pounds? I see nothing but a belly." "You're lying! look at me! it's not like I'm stepping on my own self but I can feel the pounds-" "The pounds are all that belly!"

"Hey, don't say it like that!! she's beautiful!!" you caress your stomach with a pout and scrunched eyebrows. Jungkook pauses when he hears you say 'she' in specific and widens his eyes.

"you know the gender?" "I don't, I just assume and besides, the bump is mine, like a part of me so it just makes it a she but that's not like the baby, it's just the bump." he doesn't get it so he just nods it away instead. honestly, that made you think a little more. you will be able to find the gender next month, but at the same time, you don't want to either. you wanna surprise yourself but you also can't wait.

When you look down to glance at your bump, you get flashbacks on random days like how you spend hours talking to the baby, singing to him/her in your hideous voice but you still enjoy it so much. making Bam lay his head on the bump was the most adorable thing you've ever done, you even have pictures of him doing that, sleeping on your bump.

you took selfies with your bump popping out of your crop top which you can not get yourself to fit it. but it looked so fucking cute, especially since your belly button is now an outie and it just pops out and looks so sweet!! your bump is not very big, like how your mom told you that when she was pregnant with you, her bump was big already in 4 months, she assumed you were a boy but you were just goddamn heavy.

a big baby. so you can't guess which gender your baby is, all you want is for him/her to be born healthy. that's all. even though this pregnancy is not the best journey that you've been through, you've had different plans to achieve which you failed in but even as pregnancy you expected a much easier journey with your man by your side, it sometimes makes you think how much of a failure you've become to your parents, yourself and this little baby you carry. but you try to be as optimistic as you could be.

"y/n? hey?" Jungkook calls out your name as you've lost yourself in your daydreams. the pasta lays on the table and your eyes get so big, round, and sparkly. he loves the look of it, he would buy you a zillion pasta portions if you're gonna look this cute. "go on." he mutters but before you begin, you pull out your phone to capture a picture of the food.

Jungkook's eyebrows raise, he didn't think you were someone who liked to take pictures, he'd never seen you take one before. "don't look at me like that. the plating looks fancy and pretty!" you post it on your Instagram story without any captions or gifs.

"bon appetit." you mumble as you take a sniff of the cream and grab the fork to dig into it. the family serving portion is indeed, huge as fuck! but you think you can manage, at least some would be left for breakfast tomorrow. "Is it good?" he asks you, and you give him no verbal answer.

just throwing your head back and moaning. Jungkook gets his answer immediately and smiles heavenly. "yeah, it's good. it's fucking amazing Jeon Jungkook! My cravings are satisfied for the 90th time." like that he watches you grab your buffalo wings as if they would run away. "The food won't disappear y/n, slow down you might choke." "I won't! don't interrupt a pregnant lady's appetite!"

the man decided to stop talking and just focus on your eating, he didn't think he would be full just by watching you eat, but here he is. playing with his food. "you stopped sending me work in like weeks now." you asked him with the cream sauce all around your lips and chin. he thought you wouldn't notice it, but now he has to attempt to keep this topic for later, at least until you're done eating. "I don't think it makes any difference, I handle the expenses anyway."

"yeah but like, I still need money and how long are you gonna keep doing this?" "As long as I can, don't worry about anything, I've got it sorted." he assures you and continues eating his meal too.

-

"I didn't think you'd eat it all up." "I was starving and my appetite is a lot more than it was before anyway. I need this bit packed though."  Jungkook gestures to the waiter to box up the remaining food so you can take it back home. "think you can walk with all that food inside you?" "Jungkook that's so rude, of course, I can!" "yeah, which woman would say no to shopping?"

he mumbles under his breath but just loud enough for you to hear and you did, you scowled at him and rolled your eyes. Jungkook pays with his card and tells you that it's time to go. you both walk to his car, he parked it away because you want to have a little stroll in the pretty lane, he holds the paper bag with the pasta for you even though you told him you could carry it yourself. "I didn't think we could ever leave some silence between us or at least a peaceful silence."

Jungkook begins and you let out a chuckle, your palm sits on your bump while you look around the dark sky and the trees that break some leaves that touch your face. "me neither, it was just so difficult to agree to anything you say." "no, it's just that you're way too adamant, even if it's for your benefit, you'll never agree. that's some arrogance." "hey, you're arrogant too!" "nowhere closer as you are."

you take the passenger seat and he takes the driver's. he has a few questions in his mind but he isn't sure if now is the best time because you're in a pleasant mood and he doesn't want to ruin it but these thoughts and unanswered words that he was reminded of suddenly just keep him in doubt. he's fully aware of what's gonna come for him next when he speaks about the whole work issue. "just wanted to inform you that I've put enough money in your account, so you don't have to wait for anyone, you can order whatever you wan-"

"wait, which money?" the puzzled look crossed your face with your eyebrows knitted together, he didn't understand why you were confused, he assumed that you get the details on your phone. "yeah? did you not check your phone?" you immediately opened your little crossbody bag and took out your phone.

you then check the messages that you receive from your online bank app and see that a different account has transferred money. "I didn't check my phone much- but this isn't the company acc-" "It's my personal account. I figured it would be easier and safer to transfer money with my personal and I also appointed Jimin to step in for you during your absence." "but I was working fine-" you argue but before you can say anything more, he interrupts you.

"a lot is coming up with work and it's not gonna be easy working from home. Don't worry, you can take over once you're ready for work. that is after a long maternity leave." you're grateful for Jungkook who had out in so much thought but you also don't feel right about this. you feel like you're being a burden to him and his work. "when did you do this?"

Jungkook glances at you and then at the road. "2 days back when I saw you drained out. I transferred the money then just in case which is probably why you hadn't seen the messages and about Jimin, gave him the responsibilities a week ago if I'm not mistaken." "How did he react to that? probably over the moon."

Jungkook doesn't usually look into reactions or any feedback but he vaguely remembers how Jimin was not very Jimin when he told him to cover up for you. Jungkook tilts his head to you and his lips pursue his thoughts. "actually, he was not. he didn't look happy about it, which now I think is very unlike him." You sighed and crossed your arms while watching the traffic lights hit red. "he probably thinks you gave him charity work."

the man beside you fully turned his head to watch you, he recalls seeing Jimin disturbed, detached from the work surroundings, he looked expressionless throughout the day and no responses were heard from him. Jimin, the man he is. never fails to question choices and pull out any flaws, very connected and attentive at work. something was up with him.

"no, I think he's going through a phase in his life. it's nothing related to you." the signal turns amber and he proceeds to drive. you were lost in the lights thinking about how you're gonna repay the man for everything he's done and is doing currently.

the silence was beginning to feel oppressive mainly for you because you were thinking of everything that you shouldn't be. your lips part to say something then you stop, Jungkook could see from the corner of your eyes that you're having a hard time after he told you about the transfer. 'should I have not told her?' he thinks to himself, as his fingers drum the steering wheel. "you have to let me repay you." the words come out as a whisper but it was loud enough in the quiet surrounding for him to hear.

the man closes his eyes for a second and heaves a heavy breath, which sounds like he is done. "I don't wanna repeat this y/n but I'm not doing this for a return of anything. I want to help, I want to take up my responsibilities and I do so." "but it doesn't feel right." you say a bit louder, he can hear the tinge of guilt in your voice but he doesn't want you to feel this way.

the topic of repaying, triggers him. he knows that you're not a woman who likes to get her needs in an easier way, he knows that you like to earn it and you don't want to be charity to anyone, but he needs you to know that everything he does is not out of pity or forcefully because now is the consequences. he's doing it because he wants to do so. "it is right and I will continue to take up my responsibilities, whether you like it or not." his car arrives at the mall and he parks before pausing to gaze at you thoughtfully.

you look at the parking lot, biting on the flesh of your inner cheek, not wanting to be vulnerable with the man beside you because you're so grateful for everything, you're happy and you know that your pregnancy is a little at ease because he makes it easier when it comes to fulfilling your cravings, living and basic necessities. he fulfils the financial aspect which is one of the main facts that you lack.

but one more factor that you lack is a partner and when you think about it, what plays in your mind is what happened back at your apartment this morning. you're fully aware that you would be in a very difficult position if Jungkook is not doing what he does. it's not that you wouldn't be able to finance yourself but he makes it easy and carefree. he looks at you carefully and knows you've probably got a hundred million thoughts inside your mind. he parks at the parking lot and then he proceeds to say calmly,

"wanna go shopping?" you gulp thinking 'now he's gonna pay for all the clothes that I get too. ' "Whatever you're contemplating, let it go and come with me to get you new clothes. Come on." he mumbles softly, removing his seatbelt as he gets down from his car and walks to your side. he opens the door and you still don't move. 'adamant. adamant. adamant.' he repeats to himself. he bends his head down to see you.

"you're doing too much, Jungkook." you mutter at which he only smiles. "let me do too much then, it's only for you." he whispers ever so softly and beautifully, adoring your angry face. "come on, angry bird." he removes your seatbelt carefully from you and holds his hand at you. you look up at him and sigh. "come on, there's also a new ice cream shop here." you try hard to stop yourself from smiling, it's not fair that he can use food to melt you away.

he giggles, he thinks he found your weakness. "fast, fast! let's get chocolate ice cream or cookie dough or whatever that you like." "I like gooey chewy flavor." you hold his hand and carefully get on your feet. "what the fuck is that?" "It's my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor." he scrunches his nose and glances at you. "sounds so childish." "ice cream makes everyone a child." "Incorrect! I like mint choco chip, that's not something kids usually prefer."

"ew, it tastes like toothpaste." Jungkook stops his tracks when you have to place your bag at the bag check and then when you both walk through the metal detectors. he gives you a frown, his eyebrows meeting each other as he passes through the detector and waits for you. "what?" you ask him, as he's been looking at you with an exaggerated frown which looks hilarious. "People Who haven't tried it, often say that it's like toothpaste. " "Of course, I haven't tried it. ew!"

"you're gonna try it today, just watch!" "you can't force a pregnant woman." "we'll see about that." he walks beside you to the ice cream shop, before taking the elevator to the clothes store. Time Square Mall is huge so you both will have a while to roam around so dessert first. the Baskin Robbins was right in front of you two so you both walk towards it. "mint choco is right there." "I can see it, darling. I'm gonna get one just so you could try it." "You're just gonna waste a couple of wons." "Who said so, I will have it."

"Sure. One scoop of cookie and one scoop of pralines and cream." "and one mint chocolate chip." you give him a disgusted look and he gives an eye roll. "enjoy, ma'am." "Thanks!" "I need to take a picture." "no, it needs to be pretty. take one for me." You ask him with a pout. "what do I get in return?" you sigh and think. "fine, I'll try the stupid toothpaste!" He smiles and takes your phone to snap a picture for you.

"Instagram?" "don't tell me you don't use insta-" "What the fuck y/n. I'm not 60!" "Well, then you should follow me!" "I might have got you from my suggestions but I removed it." You let your mouth open wide at him in exaggerated shock. "leave Jungkook! bye!" "hey hey, shit. I will follow you."

you both then proceed to take the pictures, you hold the ice cream with your left hand because that's where the rings hug your fingers. "make sure my bump isn't visible." "Of course, shit! can't have people wondering where that came from." he mumbles and you gasp, you both giggle and he snaps the most perfect picture of you, your face slightly blurred but surely it shows that you're laughing with the ice cream on focus.

the dessert looks delightful and velvety but you look beautiful and he wishes he would've snapped the scene with his own camera. but he did, he's glad he snapped it with his eyes, that's most precious and saved in his heart. "here." He passes the phone to you and you check the picture. "CEO, chef and photographer? that's some skill, Jeon! all-rounder! hold this for me, please."

"sure madame." you hand him your cup and type down a short caption in your story. 'if you need me, I'll be over in my ice cream zone!' the huge smile that sits on your face, makes Jungkook almost blush. 'damn, you're so pretty.' he thinks. "if you need me wha-" "if you need me, I'll be over in my ice cream zone~" you repeated your caption with attitude and accent, making him laugh. "don't you think that sounds cringe?" "Jungkook, you're entire existence is cringe.

please walk forward!" you both laugh while he hands over your ice cream to you. "you said you were gonna try mine." "Wow, you don't forget stuff huh?" "Never!" he passes his flavor at you and you already make a disgusted face. "try it!" he says and you take his spoon and scope the littlest bit. "you didn't even get a chocolate chip." you scope a bigger one and put it into your mouth. immediately you choke. "fuck-"

Jungkook grabs your spoon full of the cookie and cream and puts it into your mouth. "shit are you okay-" "what the actual fuck! that almost killed me!" he leaves with a deep sigh, the 1 second took his life. "you scared me, woman!" "It tasted like my ice cream had a cold! what the-" you both broke out in laughter, so much that you had to hold on to Jungkook's arm so you wouldn't fall. Jungkook's whole face turned red from all that laughing. "stop- i'll go into labour!" "fuck no please!"

"is that who I think it is? why do they look familiar to-" he checked his phone, and a notification popped. 'lee.ynxx posted a story' from Instagram. he swiped on the notification and checked the story, seeing you with an ice cream cup.

he put his phone down and saw a woman and a man, the woman recognizable and the man so much more familiar. the couple stops laughing and takes deep breaths, rubbing her hand over her bump. "let's go!" she mumbles and turns towards the elevator.

"y/n? and- she's pregnant?!!"

next chapter ⇢

[theshypinkflower]

I've got a really really really really quick question

How would the WHOLE ENTIRE boyfriend to death cast react or do with a muscle mommy MC

(I FREAKING LOVE MUSCLE MOMMY'S, I WANT TO JUST GET PICKED UP BY ONE OR BE THE LITTLE SPOON WHEN CUDDLING!!!)

Strade: Strade is like the least judgmental person. You know how many bears bro dealt with in the 80s? You are no different to him honey! Although he might stay a bit clear of you in the instance you over power him. He'd roofie you at the bar jussssssssst to make sure you don't turn the tables on him. You're tied up with extra strength rope. If he manages to trust you, it'd sure be nice to have someone stronger to lift bodies n haul shit.

Lawrence: You remind him of Vincent. Points off if you're loud and crass like him too. Lawrence has some strength but probably not enough to overpower someone who works out constantly. All of his strength is in his arms from hauling stuff in the warehouse, and that muscle is slowly deteriorating as he rots,

Ren: HELL YES!!!! Ren has seen porn of at least category of woman on r34, and muscle mommies are no exemption to him. Does he prefer them? Not really but he can see the appeal. Besidessssss he gets to be the little spoon! I feel like Ren is a lot less picky then Fox is

Sano: I'm sorry but you're just...you're way off on his criteria for dolls. You remind him of his brother and his gym buddies. Who's ever heard of a buff doll? (Unless we're talking about a G.I. Joe doll). I'm sorry but it's a no for Sano.

Akira: Not his usual type of woman, but I think he'd be open minded to giving you a shot. Your bonding activity is just working out together. He's a bit scrawny when he leaves the circus (it's hard to work out when you're running away), but he gains muscle pretty quick. Plus he knows what to get you. A whole jar of protein powder in your favorite flavor. Seriously, Akira is like a really good boyfriend. It's Sano who holds him back.

Vincent: You two would become friends rather than love interest. Like he challenges you to arm wrestles all the time and like Akira, enjoys working out with you. There is a possibility down the line you two could become lovers, but for now he sees you as a friend. You're like his partner in crime and you're basically the only woman he defends. Vincent has a little hint of sexism in him...but other than that he's aight.

Cain: You don't fit who he'd normally date. But he's at least friendly and compliments your workout routine. You would become a bit of a passion project for him though. Like in this AU I imagine that Cain's full time job is a seamstress and he just plays piano at clubs for fun. So he'd constantly be making you dresses that would HOPEFULLY compliment your physique.

Rire: Doesn't care as long as you're a fun time (and not in the normal way). He'd poke so much fun at your strength once you try fighting him off. "Where's all that strength you worked so hard for, hm? And like Samsun, his strength was gone once his beard was cut."

[sapphicdib]

Your cycle consumes itself. What have you become?

(ˡᵒʳᵉ ᵈᵘᵐᵖ ᵇᵉˡᵒʷ ᶜᵘᵗ)

SO THIS IS MY INV VS SAINT AU!! It started as a shitpost and uh. Spiralled. Out of control. And now it’s genuine lol.

Enot and Saint are basically mortal enemies, and Saint needs to get Enot OUT OF THE CYCLES in order to continue his work, because this damn horny bastard won’t stop hunting him down…for some reason. Isn’t ascension the greatest gift you can bestow upon the creatures suffering in this barren wasteland? At least Saint thinks that. Inv, on the other hand, does not.

Enot stumbles upon Pebbles while passing through the silent construct, trying to find food one day. He takes a liking to this half-dead pink toaster, bringing him scraps of fabric as blankets and lanterns, and the best part…talking to him. Inv, somehow, can talk to iterators. And despite Pebbles’ very limited ability to reply, he does appreciate the company, and slowly the cycles become less agonizing. Pebbles has a friend. However, when Saint finds him, his immediate reaction is to attempt to ascend him��and he is tackled by a very angry slugcat, hissing and spitting at him in defence of its friend.

When Saint attempts to ascend him, he misses, just barely clipping Enot’s tail and glitching him half-out of reality. He then realizes, to his horror, that his karma seems to be draining. Whatever the hell this thing is, it’s dangerous, and Saint retreats to restore his karma (and heal some of the nasty wounds Enot gave him).

Inv turns back to see Pebbles, staring at him in pure fear, before he simply whispers out a “Thank…you…”. And that’s when Inv makes it his mission to save Pebbles (and everyone else) from Saint.

This leads to Inv running around the map, hot on Saint’s heels, trying to get any and all the iterators to figure out a way to get off their damn strings and LIVE again! Most of them are collapsed or semi-collapsed, so it’ll be an uphill battle, but when a glitchy, teleporting slugcat with the ability to speak tells you to do something…you’d be kinda inclined to do it.

Anyways the reason Enot can’t be ascended is because he is happy to give in to every single one of the great taboos. Wrath, Lust, Friendship, Gluttony, and Self Preservation. He revels in them. And if he can help the others experience them, and become happy with living again, they’ll be immune too! Also he is ridiculously OP to the point of him basically just having DevTools active because I think it’s Funny. He can glitch-teleport and drains the karma of beings around him. He also talks super casually and I think it’s funny.

A little bit of their dynamic hehe:

“Hey, pal!”

“I would like you to stop calling me that, please. You may call me the Saint.”

“Ahah. Not happening.”

“You are incredibly disrespectful.”

“Hey man, I’m not the one calling myself a saint but then running around killing shit and acting like it’s a good thing.”

“You use such vulgar words. I ascend beings, freeing them from the torment of these endless cycles. It is my purpose.”

“Even the ones who don’t want to go? Bro, you don’t even ask. The last robot you almost merked was screaming “no wait” at you, and you still think you’re in the right here? You’re not some kind of righteous saint, that’s called being a fuckin’ serial killer.”

“You do not understand what you are talking about!”

“Whoa, buddy! Are you gettin’ mad? Ain’t that…a lil taboo? PFFT look at your face!”

“I am not tolerating this any longer. Goodbye.”

That’s all I can think of rn! Send asks if you like!

[just-animaxiz]

More Background Redesigns!

Two of them are already named: Buttermaker and Harry

And the girl's not named, but I do like the name Elena from the other au by @peacenessbringshappiness

Here are their bits!

BUTTERMAKER

Buttermaker is an active player, especially at Jet-ski racing!

He sees the Freshmen boys like little bros - Specifically Randy and Bucky. That is because he has little brothers who are freshmen too, but they're in another school!

It's also why he has different methods based on his anger against his little bros. For example, when Randy accidentally ruined his jet-ski and he was really sorry, Buttermaker only pinched his ear.

Buttermaker used to live near a beach, so it's understandable with his obsession of water, swimming, and sunscreen.

He is dating Jiefan and Soo-Ho, and they are a happy polyamory together. Buttermaker is like their golden retriever boyfriend.

He used to hate math, but when Harry is his study buddy, he became close to him due to Harry's help (even though Harry doesn't like him)

Buttermaker doesn't have favorites, but he is a big fan of the Oni (Aka Spike). His big brother energy and moves are the BRUCE!

HARRY

Harry is, what you can call, a petty man.

Even though he is sophisticated and a perfectly-adjustable man in studies, Harry has a jealousy streak. Especially towards Buttermaker.

Why is the idiot popular when Harry worked his way up?! He's the top head of the Norrisville High Moustache Society - He have grades worthy of scholarships - And he's the only one who have success in his jobs!

And most importantly, why did Jiefan have to date that stupid, idiotic, -

Despite his jealousy, Harry is a good writer, especially when it comes to music. He is a fan of this popular series featuring a human wizard in a magical school.

ELENA

Elena is sassy, fashionable, and cares more about her hair than anything.

Her hair means everything to her, and she takes care of it every day. People may say she's self-absorbed, but that's because Elena had bad bullying experiences with kids cutting off her hair.

Even though she is spoiled, Elena doesn't treat others in a bad way. She only treat others who deserves it, like the blonde twins who like to brag to one-up her everyday.

Elena has a crush, but she doesn't reveal it to anyone. She doesn't keep it in her notes or anything, just in her head.

There are things mysterious about Elena, but all you need to know is that she has a great sense of fashion for decades!

[chiiroptereh]

Girlboss stare

My buddy @mintytrash and I gave Bill a slight design change for the second half of @love-triangles-au involving a boa, and she came up with the absolutely genius idea of it taking on this solar eclipse kinda look when he's mad. I absolutely needed to draw it too it was so frikin cool!!

Worked on this in tandem with the other piece so here's a rare spike in activity for you; don't worry, it won't happen again! 😭

[emptyjunior]

The concept of Riz dying decades or in some cases Centuries before his friends is too sad for me, anyways Riz isekai/regression au. 

So Riz, at the end of his life, I assume a decorated private investigator, maybe in and out of many agencies until he like unearthed corruption in them and got kicked out, you know just general Riz stuff.  

I think he would honestly get Jacked, but in like a wiry way, I think by the time he was old his combat sense and powers of deduction would be Insane even if his body cannot keep up with his mind anymore. 

And then I assume he’d die peacefully in bed OR in a dramatic and horrifying conspiracy, possibly on a sinking boat or a waterfall, that all his friends would have to investigate in his honour. 

So Riz dead, gone, finally at peace. 

Or at least he Thinks, BEEP BEEP annoying sound of alarm clock waking him up for his first day of school. 

Chronomancy is most likely to blame. 

So general premise is Riz instantly goes from an awkward teen scrambling to solve his babysitter’s disappearance, with no resources or social skills, twitchy and underfed to a calm and seasoned detective. I think that morning when Sklonda goes to see where he is, he’s made her breakfast, bacon and pancakes. And as she sits down in shock at the table, he quietly slides a file over to her which is every active case she’s working on, methodically solved with notes and clearly explained timelines to the culprit. And if she turns it over to the back, there’s also a resignation letter in there and an application to law school ready to be filled out. And when Sklonda looks up at Riz shaken, he just gives her a kiss on the forehead and a smile like he’s seeing someone he hasn’t seen for many years and then calmly goes to class. 

I also want: 

-Dealing with bullies that first day like Ragh and Fabian like he’s greeting loved ones. Darting out of their attempts to grab him with a dancer’s flourish that he could have only learnt from a high elf... 

-I think Fabian would be a Big Part of his plans (because the most fun part of regression time travel stories is when they start Amassing wealth) so I think he honestly just goes straight to his house, tells Bill Seacaster that him and his son are best friends (which Fabian would SCREAM at if he got humiliated by this goblin earlier that day) and then challenges Bill to a shooting contest and thrashes him, which makes Bill keel over with laughter, offer him a place on his crew, offers him his son’s hand (Fabian is hitting critical levels of red anger embarrassed face at this point) 

-Other fun ways to gather wealth, Riz just robs Kalvaxus. Just remembers every little detail about the accounts from his files, goes to the bank, gives all the current passwords, transfers the Entire dragonhoard to his own account 

-And yes the plot would all be decimating Goldenhoard that first year, so Riz just saves every girl before they’re captured, the maidens that have already been taken, hunts them down. I think he goes to the gas station that Johnny Spells and his friend’s occupy, locks the door and walks right into this den of bikers, just full Kingsman fight sequence decimates them. Because I think he would feel So good getting a body back that hasn’t been rung with years of stress and Kristen Shenanigans that he is in like peak condition 

-First Day finds the rogue teacher which is why he has so much time for running around preparing everyone’s future

-I think, honestly, he shoots Coach Daybreak in the head on sight and gets sent to the principal’s office and Aguefort’s like “are you doing a chronomancy?” and he says yea and Aguefort’s like sweet, carry on 

I think he finds Jawbone taking terrible paying bouncer jobs, and just offers him a bodyguard/assistant job so he has a little buddy to investigate with.

Starts a full out war with Helio followers because they had way too much reach in town, and when they try to debate with him he has Way more knowledge about their scripture than they do and some truly dangerous deity blackmail locked and loaded and Helio himself comes down and says haha leave this kid alone he just implied he can reincarnate a God, let’s go, let’s go.

Finds some insane legal loophole that absolutely strips Adaine and Aelwyn’s parents of influence and gives their children power over all their assets. Weirdly becomes very close friends with Aelwyn, maybe it’s because they both have the same taste in liquor now.

I think he’d start an information guild that involves like Zayn Darkshadow, Fig in her many disguises, Aelwyn and surprisingly Kipperlilly. Also Kalina! And he knows exactly how to summon her and keeps saying things to her that are friendly yet intimidating and it freaks her out.

Walks up to gorgug, hands him a study plan pathway to MCAT and walks off leaving gorgug very confused (and probably asking if he was his dad) 

Just fun time travel future knowledge shenanigans! And I cannot restate again, we saw how quick a Junior Year Riz is at investigating and making leaps to the right answer. By the time he is at the end of his life, I feel like he’s reached moriarty levels of detective prowess. The many new enemies he keeps making keep coming to him and he just strips them down with his powers of deduction. He’s looking at how one person favours their left side, or the crumbs on their wrist and knows everything there is to know about them. 

So just Freshman Year, the perfect run, Riz with a lot of angst in a very satisfying detective story getting closure for a lot of things. 

[hisuian-history-makers]

I’m verrrrrrry tempted to write either a one shot or an AU where Ed ended up dying to the flesh and blood mascot Mollie (Macie), then Laura goes “missing” too. The fact one human already died outside where Rambley can see… would make his interactions less friendly. If anyone else ventured into the park, he would be actively trying to dissuade them from entering.

For example:

“Hey, you! You cannot come into park right now.”

“Why? It’s. Closed for repairs! Don’t you see all the boxes and tarps around the entrance?”

“Has anyone else been here? Noooooo—

FIRST GUEST IN APROXIMATELY; EIGHT DAYS, FIFTEEN HOURS, THIRTY SEVEN MINUTES AND FIFTY-SIX SECONDS.

…I forgot that counted automatically…”

(I know the whole eight year count when you first meet Rambley seems voluntarily told.)

“Don’t climb the gate! Get—Get out!”

When that doesn’t work: Rambley would take to locking doors and maybe even lock Lauren inside one of the shops if he can manage it.

The rumble that fell after Ed managed to get into the area near Rambley’s Railroad would force his best friend to climb over it. Depending on how unstable the area/roof is, I could see Laura falling into the backstage parts of the ride. Not the greatest time for either party.

“Why won’t you listen?! This isn’t a safe place. You don’t want to get lost—or trapped here.”

“Careful! One wrong fall… you could fall on your head…”

She’s not exactly impressed by the AI managing to follow her around on the screens nor the more accidentally ominous warnings. All Laura knows is that Ed disappeared a week ago and no one has seen him since. The smarter move would be to call the police, but her best friend has a few warnings from past trespassing so. Police might not put in the effort for a search.

Mollie’s animatronic—ha—parroting what Ed heard would make her even more suspicious! (“No not Rambley. He hurts Lloyd. He hurts Lloyd. He hurts—“) Laura would no doubt start getting more worried since the place is literally falling apart all around her. Did Ed accidentally fall somewhere and.. fall wrong? Did this AI version of Rambley lead him somewhere as unstable? The pictures from the photo kiosk at the end of the ride paint a really grim picture.

“Look! Look here!”

Ramble eventually shows her the blurry picture of Mascot Mollie running after the train.

“The mascots here are dangerous. The guest prior to you found that out the hard way… Please be careful if you see Mollie.”

Y’see he must feel awfully guilty for accidentally leading Ed to his death. The first guest in eight years, who freed him from the lobby, died due to the monstrous version of his best friend. It was semi-Rambley not telling the truth about the killer mascot situation that—made the other human meet his end. Mollie had fresh blood on her beak after not hearing from his new buddy. It. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots for him…

And.

———————————————————————

And that’s about where I lost steam for the AU idea. This could be an interesting narrative since Mollie’s chase scene is actually difficult.

Hmm. Casual Casualty AU? I’ll workshop it.

Edit: There’s a part two!

[formulaborb]

gewis tiger&bunny-type superhero AU under cut

"And there goes Mr. Saturday, straight into the 32nd floor of the Apple building! That's certainly going to come out of Adidas' wallets!"

George groaned softly as he crawled out of the rubble, shaking dirt and rocks from his hair before checking to make sure no one was harmed. Thankfully, the building had been evacuated when news of a rogue NEXT had broken.

Through the hole in the building, George could see a couple other heroes working to subdue the villain while the Hero TV helicopter hovered above, filming it all.

"George, get back in there! Charles is still above us in points." Toto's voice crackled through the communicator in George's ear, and he huffed.

"Yeah, I'm not hurt, thanks for asking." He replied sarcastically.

"I saw you wrap yourself in bark before hitting the building, knock it off. Get back in there." Toto repeated and George sighed, standing up and observing the scene before him.

This NEXT was an absolute pain in the ass, a man bitter about something or other with a shockingly powerful force ability that had buildings collapsing and street lights shattering in seconds.

Charles was faring slightly better than George, having activated his crystalline skin and body-slamming the man into the ground so that Carlos and Alex could try and subdue him.

Reaching with his power, George summoned several large, thick branches to carry himself down to where everyone was, landing on the ground before using the branches to wrap around the man tightly.

Alex grinned at George, wind still swirling around his fists. "There you are. Alright?"

George smiled. "Yeah, thanks."

The man yelled incoherently, trying to break out of George's branches.

"Give it up and just wait for the authorities to take you away, mate. You've caused more than enough damage." Charles huffed, his power deactivated and face flushed from exertion.

George could empathize - the fight had gone on longer than usual, and they were all feeling the strain of prolonged use of their abilities.

"No! I will never bow to you bastards!! I will destroy this entire city and rebuild it in my vision!" The man screamed, and George's eyes widened as the branches began to bulge and strain.

"Everybody get out of the way!" Alex shouted a moment before a massive explosion radiated from the man.

George grabbed Alex, covering them in a dome of thick wood that still shook with the force of the explosion while Charles and Carlos were knocked back, though protected by a shield created by Charles' ability.

"Looks like the fight isn't over yet! Who will get the last laugh?" The announcer yelled, the helicopter out of the blast range.

Before George could do anything else, he grunted in pain as the man slammed into him through his wood shield, blasting them through multiple buildings before the man threw George onto the ground with enough force to crack the pavement.

George heaved as the air was knocked out of him and his head smacked against the ground, making his head spin. He could taste blood in his mouth and he was beyond exhausted from using his ability so excessively.

Above, the man grinned maniacally. "Gonna start with you, and then take out all your little hero buddies."

Raising his hands, the man summoned what looked like a massive ball of energy that had George's blood going cold. Was this it?

He closed his eyes, trying to get his body to move but too injured and tired to do so.

A moment passed, then another.

George opened his eyes as he felt a sudden chill come over him and he looked around best he could. It seemed the man was also confused, for he had paused in his assault on George, looking around as well.

"What--" Before the man could speak further, a blast of water smashed into him, dispersing the energy ball and knocking him into the wall adjacent to George.

"Another hero? No matter, I'll still--"

"Stop yapping." An unfamiliar voice called out, and George watched in awe as the water immediately froze around the man, trapping him entirely in ice mid-movement.

"Who is that?! A new challenger?!"

George heard a few footsteps before a figure stood over him, and he felt his breath leave him for an entirely different reason.

Above him was a dark-skinned man with wise, gentle eyes and black hair that flowed down his shoulders in thick braids. Upon closer look, he could see some lingering frost and droplets of water clinging to his eyelashes and clothes. He wasn't in a hero uniform, and George wondered where he'd come from.

"Who..." He breathed softly, and the man smiled gently, offering a hand to George, helping him into a sitting position.

"You alright? I was just visiting on a business trip before seeing... well... all of this, and at first I didn't want to intervene because I'm not... uh, I'm not a 'Hero', but it looked like you were all struggling a lot. I hope I didn't intrude or anything-" The man rambled self-consciously and George was endeared.

"You saved my life." He said, cutting the man off, and the man looked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure you could've gotten out of that situation, but I still- yeah." The man replied, and George smiled.

"My name's Mr. Saturday, but you can call me George." George introduced himself with a little wink. He figured the man could have his real name.

The man smiled back. "My name's Lewis. I don't have a hero name." He laughed softly and George could feel himself falling. Maybe it was the blunt force trauma.

Before he could say anything further, the Hero TV helicopter flew close to their location, filming them as the other heroes and a rescue crew and authorities rushed into the building, securing the still-frozen man and surrounding George to check his injuries.

As George was ushered into the medical vehicle, he called out to Lewis, who was looking overwhelmed with the amount of media personnel trying to get to him. "I'll come find you when I get cleared, so don't leave the city yet!"

Lewis gave George a little wave in acceptance, and Alex put a hand on George's shoulder as he stepped into the ambulance.

"Wow, Georgie. Stranger saves your life once and you're ready to ring those wedding bells." He joked, and George huffed, laying down on the little cot in the vehicle.

"Shut up and find out what hotel he's staying at, Albono." George replied, not even bothering to deny just how down bad he was for this lovely stranger.

[saltedpeppermintmocha]

MONSTERS DON’T DO BACKGROUND CHECKS - 3/?

-UFSans x Reader

Chapter One(Tumblr)

Chapter One (Ao3)

Summary: Moving across the country and starting your life anew on the basis of a rumour may not be the smartest thing you’ve ever done…but, well, you’re here.

If only you could stop running into that asshole skeleton, life would be pretty good.

Tags: underfell au, bara Sans, afab reader, enemies to lovers, fluff, eventual romance, eventual smut, slow burn, swearing, alcohol, smoking, past abuse, plot

Notes: Currently at 87k words and 12 chapters on AO3.

Chapter Three: Monsters Don’t Lose Bets

You are not at all hungover the next day; no headache, no nausea, nothing. Maybe you’re a bit dehydrated, but after last night that’s just a small consequence. It’s a relief really, considering your early shift, but also super fucking weird. What you are, however, is absolutely exhausted. So you stand at the reception desk feeling like a zombie and stare into space. 

It’s too early in the morning for any guests to arrive, so it’s just you and the janitor in the lobby. The janitor -some sort of gooey monster that makes just as much of a mess as he cleans- hasn’t exactly been receptive to your attempts to chat. You’re starting to think it's more that he doesn’t speak at all than anything else, as ever since the monster staff got the fifteen minute break, your area has been practically sparkling and if there’s ever a mess, he’s right there. 

You watch him work absently, and with nothing else interesting to focus on, your tired mind starts to relive the party. Damn. Such a weird night. A good night, for sure, filled with a lot of laughter and fun. You definitely made a few more friends, which is a great thing for your social life in Monstertown. But, there were definitely some odd moments too: walking home with Undyne, sharing your lighter with Sans on the balcony and…well, whatever the fuck happened in the kitchen. 

As the memories play in your mind, you feel like almost cringing into yourself. What the hell had you been thinking?! Many of the shitty decisions you made last night definitely wouldn’t have been made if you were sober. Okay, sure, you might have gone up to Sans and tried to mess with him a bit at work, but that is nothing near to actively antagonizing him and putting your hands on him. Not to mention drinking out of a random solo cup? Just how invincible do you think you are?! Who knows what the fuck was in there?! Sure, it turned out alright…but it easily couldn’t have. 

You swallow, mind going off in a tangent of ‘what could have happened’. As much as you want to completely trust BP and Guy, you’ve only known them for a few months, and you literally just met the other monsters at the party. You were lucky, really. Lucky that either nobody wanted to hurt you, or do anything worse.. BP’s words from earlier flicker through your brain. 

“You have no idea just how lucky you are, little buddy.”

Letting out a long sigh, rubbing your face as you try to push your circling thoughts from your brain. No. You’re definitely going a bit too far in the other direction now. Sure, you made some dumb decisions…but that doesn’t mean anyone was necessarily out to get you. You’re allowed to trust in people. You have to be a bit smarter in the future, but you don’t want to close yourself off to people. That’s not going to happen again. You came here to live , not to become a damn hermit. 

Something that Undyne said on the walk home sticks out in your mind. 

“Wait. Did you really not do a lot of research before moving here?”

You really are walking around here with blinders on, aren’t you? When you moved to Monstertown, you didn’t really do much research, other than basic etiquette and where to apply for a job. It had felt odd to you to look into any specific monsters in the area…considering everything. The only monsters you really knew beforehand were Mettaton and the monarchs, but, well, everyone knows them.

Pressing your lips together, you open up Goggles on your work computer. Chandace wont really care. You type in ‘Undyne’ and hit search. 

Wow. Her face pops up immediately, along with a Wiki page. You stare down at the computer in surprise. So, you really should have known who she was beforehand, then? Shit. Is she famous or something? You click on the wiki page. The page that comes up is not huge by any means, but the information on there is shocking. 

Undyne (birthdate unknown) is a known monster, currently serving as the Captain of the Royal Guard, under its king, Asgore. 

Well, shit. You click on the link for ‘Royal Guard’

The Royal Guard are an elite group of monsters dedicated to defending monsterkind and protecting the King and Queen. 

Your hand shakes a bit. That’s who you were walking home with?? Likely one of the strongest monsters? The damn Captain of their Royal Guard?!

…no wonder Sans seemed a bit worried to see her at the party.

According to the Royal Guard page, most of the members are still active, but only a few are ‘known’ outside of monster society. A small section below is titled ‘Notable Royal Guards’. There are only a few names there: Greater Dog, Papyrus and RG02. 

Greater Dog…?

You think of Lesser Dog at the party. The little pup who cuddled in your lap and whined for treats. There is no way…right? The same part of you that kept you from doing research beforehand screams at you not to look any further; you wouldn’t want people looking into you, right? But…well…last night proved that you maybe need just a bit more information if you want to live here unscathed. 

You click on the link, and prepare yourself for heartbreak. The page that comes up is both a relief and a concern. That’s definitely not Lesser Dog, thankfully, but the fact that you are now staring at a picture of a different dog in really buff knights armor remains confusing as hell. How does that even work?? There isn’t much of a bio for Greater Dog, it just states the name and that they are a member of the Royal Guard. 

Deciding to think a bit less of that, you go back to the previous page and click on an unknown name. 

That's…a skeleton. Huh. Well, definitely not Sans. This monster is tall like Sans, but definitely a lot thinner. He’s, uh, actually kinda terrifying looking, with the scars over his eye and scowl in every photo. It’s kinda like taking a photo of Sans into photoshop and just sharpening him 100%. Are they related? Hm. You blink. Wait…is it, uh, speciesist to assume the skeletons are related? Shit. 

This monster, Papyrus, has a much bigger bio than Greater Dog, or even Undyne really. Apparently this thin skeleton is also a…lawyer? Well, he'd certainly intimidate you in a court. Hah. He seems to be the main lawyer at all the different Monster Rights court cases, defending and advocating for monsterkind and the monarchs. Even his picture at the top right is him in court, standing straight up at the podium pointing at something out of frame. 

From there, you kind of end up on a bit of a deep dive into monster rights. You’re surprised to find out that monsters don’t legally have everything yet: the right to marry, the right to vote, the right to own land outside of Ebott, etc. You really had thought that they were much closer. Guys’ comment on monsters being unable to buy alcohol rings a bit differently now. Shit, it seems like even the smallest thing is a fight for them. 

Eventually, a guest does come up to the reception desk, so you have to exit your search. As usual, the moment one guest comes, they all do. It’s never in a nice, even fashion. So, you are busy for hours. Ugh. It does die down a little bit after noon, so you pop into Chandace's office and let her know you're going on break. The hand monster looks busy at her desk, and just waves a finger at you silently -you still haven't really figured out her motions- so you shrug and assume thats a 'go ahead. 

On your break, you take a walk through the park, hoping the fresh air will help calm your mind. As you turn the corner, your eyes immediately focus on the spot that you were humiliated for the second time with mustard. If I had a nickel for every time I embarrassed myself over a condiment I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but its weird that it happened twice. Luckily, the area is empty: no stand and no skeleton. You don’t think you’ve seen the guy or stand return to the park since. 

The memories of last night's actions come back full-force. You slow to a halt and look up at the sky. Even taking away the riskiness of your actions, they were still embarrassing as hell. Rude too. Shit. Should I apologize? Despite being an asshole, he dealt with some random human stealing his alcohol and putting their hands on him pretty well. He had plenty of opportunity and motive to hurt you, and also noticeably didn't push you off the balcony. And if the skeletons are in any way related, Sans could have friends/family/something in high places. 

Letting out a deep breath, you look back in front of you and resume walking. An apology might be taking it too far, especially considering the guy still is an asshole. But, neutrality maybe? That could be good. Hm.

You think about that a bit as you walk back towards MTT Resort. As it starts to loom above you, you find yourself slowing. It’s such a nice day, and you really don’t want to go back. Unfortunately, you do have to work to live and too soon you are at the door to the building. You take in one last breath of fresh air before grabbing the handle to go back inside. 

“Hey! Punk!” A familiar voice.

You pause, looking around. It’s Undyne. Captain of the Royal Guard , Undyne. Shit. She’s marching towards you. You immediately freeze, mind focusing on things you’d rather not: her muscles, her sharp teeth, the obvious strength she has in every movement, and the way she could easily disembowel you. All the fun stuff.  

“Uh, hi Undyne!” You smile, words maybe a bit shakier than intended. 

The monster stops in front of you, narrowing her eyes. Then, she smirks. “You looked me up, didn’t you?!” When you just nod sheepishly, she laughs loudly, hands on her hips. “You know, if I wanted to kill you, I definitely would have done it last night. Not now-”

Okay…true. That makes you calm a bit. 

“-not that anyone here could stop me-”

Great.

“-I mean, you’re just one weak little human. The fuck would you do to stop me?!”

…  

“You little shits have nothing. No magic, no claws, no muscles-” She rants, her eye a bit unfocused, as if she’s not even seeing you, but others. 

“Undyne.” You interrupt, watching as her gaze immediately locks back on you. Spooky. “That’s, uh, really not really helping right now.”

“Hah! Right.” She grins, and you get the feeling that she definitely enjoys that she’s freaked you out. “Anyways, yes, I wanted to ask you something!”

…

Oh, she’s not continuing. You prompt. “Uh, go ahead?” 

“Let’s exchange numbers.” Undyne commands, not asks. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a phone, hitting a few buttons before shoving it towards you expectantly. Pinned under that gaze and feeling incredibly like prey, you really don’t have another choice. Taking the phone from her hand, start to add your contact information.

“Undyne!” A new voice calls. Looking up, you’re surprised to find the voice coming from a smaller voice further away: a yellow lizard looking monster with glasses. 

“Aw, shit.” Undyne mutters, a weird nervous energy to her all of a sudden. She practically shoves the phone back into your hands. “Gotta go! I’ll text you. You better text back.” 

…and she’s off. As quickly as she came. You watch as she quickly makes her way over to the other monster before stopping beside. The lizard monster turns to look at you for a moment, but with the distance and those large glasses, you have no idea what expression they have. You give a small awkward wave, but the monster turns away. 

The two walk off. You watch them until they disappear around a corner and head back into the resort. You head back to the reception desk. It’s maybe half an hour later when your phone vibrates. 

New Message

[Unknown Number] Hi Punk!!!!!! 

With a small smile, you quickly add her contact in and respond. 

[You]: Hi Undyne : )

[Undyne]: It’s Undyne

[Undyne]: The fuck?!!!! How did you know????!

You chuckle, and respond. 

[You]: Lucky guess.

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

2 Weeks Later

Undyne proceeds to message you at least once a day after that. It’s surprising, not just in how chatty the fish monster is, but as to how mundane the topics are. They are pretty surface level; she mostly chats about her day, asks about yours or goes on surprisingly sweet rants about her girlfriend. You had wondered at first, if her getting your number was some odd attempt to get information or something out of you. Not that you had any information that couldn’t be found online. But the idea that Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard, just wanted to chat seemed…impossible. 

Why talk to you ? You have no idea. Certainly there must be more interesting people around her. Despite thinking about it for a long while, you can’t really come up with any reason why the Captain would want anything to do with you. Part of you wants to just ask, but the larger part doesn’t want the answer. Even if you are right, and she really is trying to get something from you…you’re not certain that you really care.

After all, you’re getting something from this too. You’re getting a type of interaction that you didn’t realize you were missing. It’s just…nice to talk to someone like this. BP isn’t one for small talk, and you realized quickly that you didn’t actually get any of the other monster’s numbers at the party. But here is someone who is just willing to chat. You wonder if, maybe, this could grow into some sort of friendship. A transactional friendship, possibly, but one nonetheless. 

Sort of friends with the Captain of the Royal Guard. Holy shit. 

It’s been about two weeks since the night of the party, and honestly, you have pretty much moved on from it. Of course, remembering your stupidity will always bring back a pang of embarrassment, but with your new lease on life to be smarter, the odd texting with Undyne, and no skeleton sightings, you really haven’t had a reason to relive the memories anymore. 

So, when you’re wandering around alone at the park on your break, and you see a familiar stand set up, you are pretty surprised. 

There he is, as massive as usual. He looks almost asleep, leaning against his hand on the stand with his eye sockets practically closed. 

…

Shit. What was your plan here again? To somehow become neutral with this monster? To try to smooth things over and not be on his bad side? Right. And how the hell did you plan to do that? Taking in a small breath, you text the only two people you think could have any input into this situation. 

[You]: Hey, Sans is back at the stand. Should I go try to smooth things over with him? 

Copy. Paste. Now just wait. 

The responses come surprisingly quick, your phone vibrating twice in your hand. 

[BP]: what? Fuck no

[Undyne]: Of course!!!! Don’t be a little bitch!!!! Be strong and forward!!!!

Well, cool, that was useless. You pocket your phone with a deep sigh. Okay, think. Do you even want to smooth things over with the guy? Eh. Maybe? It certainly would make living here easier, especially as he seems to be a regular around the area. Though, hypothetically, you probably could just try to avoid him for the foreseeable future. There’s no reason you have to interact with the skeleton. Maybe you can just…leave him alone and let things simmer down.

…no, that’s dumb. You’d be setting yourself up for a harder time for no reason. 

You look back over to the stand, startling slightly as you notice those eye lights staring straight back at you. Oh. He’s awake. His mouth ticks up into a grin, and you instantly have to fight off the urge to flip him off. This is going well already. You think sarcastically. 

You take in a deep breath to center yourself. Okay. You’re going to do this. You are going to have a good -or at least neutral- interaction with the skeleton if it kills you! Maybe it’s a good thing that he showed up today of all days. You had been planning on buying a quick lunch from the Emporium on the way back from your walk -the last of your groceries had been used for dinner last night- so you are pretty hungry. Maybe it’s finally time to try one of those locally famous ‘dogs. 

Swallowing your pride, you approach the stand.  

“back for another?” The skeleton asks, not moving from his lazy stance. 

Shit. You forgot just how much seeing this guy's skull and hearing his voice immediately puts you on edge. Ugh, this isn’t fair. 

“Can I have a ‘dog?” You ask, attempting a polite voice and even a small smile. Hah! Success! 

…

The skeleton seems fully awake now. His eyes are fully opened, giving you a surprised look that you don’t fully understand. 

“Uh…hello?” You prompt, using your best customer service voice. Don’t fail me now.

The grin returns, and he looks as if he’s figured something out. Uh oh. “arn’t ya missin’ somethin’?” He drawls. What? When you give him a confused look, he continues. “an important part of a request.”

It takes you only a moment for his words to click. Immediately you feel your back straighten. Oh, fuck you fuck you fuck you. “Please.” You say through gritted teeth. 

“sure, since ya asked so politely.” He chuckles, reaching into his cart for the food. “lemme guess, lotsa mustard?”

“Just the regular amount.” You grumble. 

He thankfully remains silent as he puts together the ‘dog. It only takes a moment, and soon he’s holding out a normal-looking hotdog with a normal amount of condiments. You can’t help but feel a bit suspicious as you take it from him. Staring at it for a moment, you take a small bite. 

Oh. Shit. Everyone was right. 

The flavour immediately hits your tongue. It’s good. Really good. Better than any hotdog has the right to be. Must be the magic. Letting out a small sound, you take another bite. 

“ya really like that ‘dog, huh?”

You look back up, catching his amused expression. Shit. Heat fills your cheeks and you flip him off, swallowing the bite in your mouth. Well, the attempt at smoothing things over is officially ruined. You’re already resorting to your own ways. “Fuck off. Who wouldn’t like a good ‘dog?!”

He hums, leaning back on the stand. Those eye lights look you up and down.“im more of a pussy guy myself.”

…uh, what?! You stare at him, feeling like an electric shock goes down your spine. The fuck?! The moment only lasts a second longer, as that intense look leaves his eyes, his grin sharpens and he points down at the sign. 

You follow his pointing finger, reading the sign. On the sign, just underneath ‘dog is… ‘cat. 

….

Hot cat.  

…

Shit. The sharp sound that forces its way out of your mouth is a surprise, and the continued sound even more so. That dumbass joke hits you probably much harder than normal due to the ridiculousness of the entire situation. With your free hand, you cover your mouth, trying to stifle the unexpected sound. 

Sans stares at you, also apparently not expecting that reaction. It takes you only a moment or so to get yourself under control, and your laughs turn into an awkward cough. You look back up at that pleased expression and for once don’t feel the urge to escalate the situation at all. In fact, now is probably a good time to leave.

“Uh, well, I gotta go back.” You mumble, starting to step away when you remember. “Oh shit. How much is it?”

“two.” 

Well, that’s reasonable enough. You reach into your purse with your free hand and grab a two. It’s only as you’re passing it into his -massive wtf- outstretched hand when something else pops into your mind. “Wait. Did you really up-charge me eight for mustard?!”

That smug look returns. He shrugs. “well, ya paid it.”

“Fuck.” You mutter, dropping the money into his hand. “I guess I did.” 

There is a moment of silence as he slides the money into something on his side of the cart. “Anyways, uh, thanks for the ‘dog.” You say. “So, yeah…bye then.” What the hell was that?!

“bye, sweetcheeks.”

You give him one last glance before walking away. The nickname surprises you. Not that he said it, but that it didn’t feel like an insult this time. This time felt...different. 

The ‘dog is half-way gone by the time you reach MTT resort. You walk in and head straight to the Emporium. Even if you’re not buying something, you plan to spend the second half of your lunch there with the cat monster. You don't have enough snark in your life, apparently. 

“Why even ask me?” BP mutters as you walk up to the counter.

“Huh?” 

He looks down at your ‘dog. Oh…

“Uh, sorry?” You smile sheepishly. “But you were right! They’re really good!”

“...did you smooth things over at least?” 

You blink. Did I? Honestly, you’re not too sure. At the very least, the end of the conversation wasn’t horrible, you think. You do feel better than before. 

“Uh, maybe.” You mutter. “But anyways, enough about that! Any other monster food you think I need to try?”

The cat monster gives a long-suffering sigh, and allows you to change the topic. 

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

1 Week Later

Sans doesn’t return. 

It’s not that you think you have any sway in the skeleton's life, really, but something about the last interaction had you fully believing he’d show up more often. So when you walk into the park and see no stand day after day, you can’t help but be surprised. It gets to the point where you ask BP about it, but the cat monster only gives you an odd look and asks why you even care. You…don’t have an answer to that. 

Why do you care? Why are you looking? Why does it even matter? You’ve already done your job of trying to make things as smooth as possible with the guy. Honestly, you’re not entirely sure it can be anything more neutral with both of your personalities. The last interaction showed that. So, now you can just go about your business as normal. 

…maybe this is the universe telling you to just mind your own business and move on. 

Which, fair enough universe, you agree. So, you actively stop looking at the spot where the stand was when you walk through the park, refuse to think about the party or the damn joke or the way he said ‘sweetcheeks’ and just…move on.

Life goes by normally: you work, snark with BP and text with Undyne. The fish monster has gone back to Ebott, but continues to text you every day. It’s been almost a month now, and the topics remain surprisingly normal. You find yourself really starting to hope that she doesn’t have any underlying plans. God, you’ll feel like such an ass if she does. 

Another person you get to text now is Guy, which is exciting. The bunny monster is always such a delight. It took a while to get his number, you had to practically jump in on BP’s phone call with Guy to get it. While the cat monster was quick to get the phone back and hold it above his head, he wasn’t quick enough to cover the microphone. Once Guy knew you wanted his number, BP pretty much had no choice. 

You were smug about that little victory for most of the week.

So, yea, life is going remarkably smoothly. Which, of course, is when something has to change. 

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

You’re at work, as usual. 

It’s a hot day outside, which normally doesn’t bother you -it's nearing the end of summer, so you’ll take whatever heat you get- as MTT Resort has great temperature controls. It’s probably necessary due to the different needs of the guests. So, normally, even if it’s hot as hell outside, you’re safe and cool here. But not today. Not today, when the air conditioning is down. Not when the entire building feels like it’s melting. Not when guests are almost planning a revolt, and honestly you’re right with them. 

“It feels like I’m back in Hotland!” The monster in room 402 screams at you through the phone. You grimace and hold the phone a bit further from your ear. 

“Yes, I understand.” You reply. “We’ve called someone to fix it. They will be here soon.” You look at the front door. Please be here soon!

After another few minutes of ranting and you are able to hang up. Shit, it’s times like this you wish the monsters were still too shocked to speak with you. Ugh. You take another sip of -sadly lukewarm by this point- water and wipe at the sweat on your forehead. This fucking mechanic can’t come soon enough. 

As if you summoned someone, the front door opens. You straighten up, leaning forward as you wait for whoever it is to come in. Please be the mechanic. Please be the mechanic. Please!!

…

The fuck?! In walks probably the last person you expected to see right now. You blink a few times in confusion as the large skeleton walks in through the door. 

Sans looks just as you remember him, even still wearing that damn jacket -which… how?! He looks around the lobby lazily for a moment, before his eye lights land on the reception desk. He seems to almost straighten up, heading your way. 

“The fuck have you been?” The words are out of your mouth the moment he walks up.

He grins. “what? miss me?”

“Absolutely not.” You deadpan. “I was just wanted some pussy.” The words are out of your mouth before you even get to think of them. Your eyes go wide, and your cheeks turn red… i’ll blame that one on the heat.

The skeletons' eyes also widen at your words, and he lets out a loud laugh. It surprises you, along with a few monsters milling about in the lobby area who had started to look a bit concerned. “fuckin’ hell, sweetcheeks, ya really don’ got a filter, do ya?”

“Shut up.” You grumble, rubbing at your cheeks and willing the red to go down. I really do! Just…not around assholes like you, apparently. You don’t speak your thoughts. After a moment, the laughter dies down. 

“So, uh, what are you doing here?” You ask, changing the topic. ”Not gonna lie, it’s kinda hell in here right now. The air conditioner’s down.” 

He raises an eyebrow bone. “im gonna fix it. what’s it look like?”

You blink. “Uh. You??”

“the fuck does that mean?” He frowns, tensing. You can practically see his metaphorical hackles rising. Ah. Shit. Yup. That was definitely insulting. 

“No, sorry!” You raise your hands up in a placating gesture. “I meant that you work at the hotdog stand. There doesn’t seem to be many uh…transferable skills?”

His shoulders drop. Crisis averted. “nah. that’s my side gig.”  Huh? 

“Side gig?” You ask. “So…your main job is…”

“a mechanic.” Sans shrugs. “cars, motorcycles, hvac, generators, elevators…anythin’ mechanical anyways.”

“Oh.” You reply, surprised. “That's…pretty cool.”

“Sans, you’re here. Finally.” Chandace pops her…fingers out of the door, interrupting whatever the skeleton was about to respond with. Shame, because the look on his face is something you’ve never seen before. The expression clears quickly, as he turns towards Chandace. 

“yup.” 

Chandace sighs. “Follow me.” 

The two monsters leave without another word, Sans following Chandace down the hall towards the back rooms. You stop watching as they round a corner, turning back towards the lobby. Oh. Uh… The few monsters in the lobby stare at you. You’re used to the staring, of course, but something about this feels different. 

The phone rings, you’re saviour from this weird moment. You quickly reach down and pick it up. “Thank you for calling MTT-”

“IS IT FIXED YET?!” A voice screams at you loudly through the receiver.

You look at the Caller I.D: room 402. Damnit! 

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

It takes a long time before anything changes. Long enough that you answer two more calls from room 402. Long enough that the heat in the lobby becomes almost unbearable. Long enough that you say ‘fuck it’ to whatever Chandace is going to say and start figuring things out on your own. 

Not that you can do much, exactly. Your break might be coming up but you know better than to leave early with Chandace still in the backrooms. No, you have to wait here. All you can do is work with what you currently have, and what you have is a professional long-sleeved shirt and long pants. With one last look around the -quite empty- lobby, you start peeling it off, grimacing as the sweaty skin underneath is exposed to air. 

It feels a bit weird to be shirtless in the lobby, but you’re wearing a sports bra underneath -thank god for laundry day. It’s a nice sports bra, and has quite a long band at the bottom. It’s fine, practically like a cropped tank top or something. Chandace can kiss your ass if she tries to write you up for this. Next, you roll up the bottom of your pants as much as possible. 

Well…it’s something. 

The very few monsters in the lobby give you wide-eyed looks as you fix your clothes, but don’t say anything. They look away once you stare back at them. Otherwise, it’s business as normal. You still don't feel good in the heat, but it’s slightly better than before at least. 

Maybe thirty minutes later, a mechanical sound echoes through the walls in the lobby. You startle slightly, looking around. As you listen, you start to hear the whirring sound of the air conditioning blades in the vents. Oh my god, I feel like crying. Not that you feel anything right away, in a room this big it’ll take a while before the temperature actually starts changing. Hopefully the rooms will be a bit quicker for some of the guests. 

You call Room 402 and let them know the air conditioner is back up -as requested. The guest is suddenly extremely kind and soft spoken, to the point that you start to wonder if you’re calling the right room. You check the caller I.D two times before just shrugging and letting it be. 

It’s as you are hanging up the call that Chandace and Sans return. They walk in silence down the hallway, both pausing at the reception desk. You only get a second to see Sans’ surprised expression as his eyes fall on you when the hand monster speaks.

“What are you wearing ?!” She demands, fingers going down to a fist. 

Prepared for this, you respond. “I’m wearing something that I’m not gonna melt to death in.” 

“That is not dress code.”

“So write me up, but I’m sure there’s some human law that you’d be crossing.” You bluff, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “I’ll put the shirt back on once the temperature gets to a reasonable level.”

…

“You are lucky you’re good for business, human.” She mutters, turning to walk away. 

Huh?  You look at the skeleton, pointing at yourself. “I’m good for business?”

…

“...Sans?”

“uh…heh…” The skeleton shakes his head, unfocused eyes closing for a second. “what did ya say?”

The hell? You tilt your head and look at Sans. “Are you okay?” Is the heat finally getting to him? A few small red sweat beads have appeared on his skull, and his cheekbones look a little red. “Do you need water or something?”

 “im fine.” He mumbles. 

“Alright, well…thanks for fixing the air conditioning. Seriously, it was absolute hell in here.” You smile, really meaning it. The cold air feels like it's already reaching you, though that might just be a placebo. You don’t really care. It feels good. 

“right, yea. whatever.” He responds, sounding distracted. There is a long pause, where you could swear he mutters a quick ‘fuck it’ to himself, before he speaks. “when’s yer break?”

You’re a bit thrown by the sudden change in conversation. “Uh, anytime I guess, now that Chandace is back.” A pause. “Why?”

“i don’t wanna leave ya hangin’. ” He looks away, not meeting your eyes. “come by the stand.”

…You feel like you’re missing something. “Huh?”

Finally he looks at you, that grin back on his face. “lets get ya that pussy yer after.”

Pfft! You can’t help but bark out a laugh at that. A hotcat then? You have food already prepared for your break but…you can’t deny you’re unbelievably curious. “Yeah. Sure. When are you there next?” 

“i gotta drop stuff off at home first so… ” He looks at his phone. “...less than five minutes?”

You’re sure you heard that wrong. Five minutes?? That's not possible, unless maybe he has the stand already out there and waiting…but it wasn’t there yesterday. When he doesn’t correct himself, you speak. “Didn’t you just say you have to go home first?”

“yup.”

“Even if you lived in the park, that’d be practically impossible.” You frown. 

“oh yea?” He grins, leaning against the counter. “wanna bet?” …The flashback to the night of the party is very unwanted right now. 

You swallow, pushing that aside. “Hm. Bet what?”

“i’ll be there before ya get there.”

Well, shit, you’re not in the business of turning down bets you know you’ll win. “I’d take that bet.” You smirk. “But you gotta be completely set up before I get there.”

He shrugs. “sure.”

“What do I get when I win?”

“a free hot cat.”  It’s not much, but you accept it. A free lunch is still a free lunch.

“Alright, sure. What's in it for you then?”

“a drink.”

Huh? You wait for something to come after, but he just looks at you. Those intense red eye lights staring straight into yours. “You…asking me on a date Sans?” You ask, trying to keep your tone as light and joke-y as possible. 

“fuck off, of course not!” He straightens up, voice growing in volume. You're surprised as he starts to ramble. “they’ve just banned me from the bar here, and this city got no grillby’s-” 

…Okay, so…he wants you to…get him into the MTT Resort bar? You can do that. That’s not impossible. You shrug, interrupting him. “Sure, a drink it is. You’re not gonna win anyways.” 

He blinks a few times, before that relaxed grin returns to his face. “we’ll see. we startin’ the timer now?”

“Hm.” That seems unfair. “I’ll start moving once you leave the resort.”

That grin sharpens. “ya make it too easy, doll.” He steps backwards, lazily turning on his heel to walk towards the front door. “see ya soon.” 

You dutifully wait until he leaves before quickly logging out of your account on the computer. You know you’re going to win this. It’s literally impossible for him to get to any home, put away his stuff, get back to the park and fully set up a hotdog cart before you cross the street. Still, his confidence shakes you a bit. You find yourself rushing to Chandace’s door, peeking your head in and telling her that you’re going on break. You don’t even wait for a response before rushing out the door. 

The terrible habit that you’ve picked up of not looking both ways in crossing the street is actually a benefit now, as you book it across the empty pavement into the park. A few monsters give you odd looks as you speed walk through the park towards the area you know the skeleton sets up his stand. You turn the corner -

…

He’s there.

You pause, feet skidding to a stop as you stare. What the fuck?! The skeleton is already looking your way, prepared for your arrival. He grins, waving his fingers in the air. 

Completely bewildered, you walk up to the stand. “But…how?”

He smirks, eye lights looking you up and down. “told ya.”

“That’s not an answer…” You grumble, placing your hands down on the stand to look at him with narrowed eyes. The skeleton remains tight-lipped, just seeming amused at your weak attempt at intimidation and eventually you just give in. “Fine. You win.” You sigh, stepping back. Never let anyone say that you’re a sore loser. “So, when do you want that drink then?”

That gets a different expression. For a brief moment, he looks almost panicked, before he schools it back to regular. “not yet, doll.” He says. “i’ll let ya know.”

“Whatever, Mr. Mysterious.” You sigh, rubbing your face. Taking a moment, you look over the sign. “Well…I’m here. Can I have a ‘cat please? Oh, and do you sell cold drinks? I’m thirsty.” 

Sans looks like he’s about to say something, but stops himself. Instead, he reads off a small list of drinks he has in his cart. You pick out your favourite and watch the skeleton work. It doesn’t take long, and soon he’s passing you a drink and the ‘cat. 

Oh no. It's adorable! You stare down at the ‘cat in absolute joy. Honestly, it looks just like a hotdog, but with little ears and feet and…is that a tail? How the hell do they make these??

Sans chuckles, bringing you out of your reverie. You look up. “Shut up, it’s cute, okay?”

“sure, sweetcheeks.” He responds. 

You take a bite, surprised to find that it somehow tastes even better than the ‘dog. What? There’s an additional flavour you can’t exactly put your finger on, but it just pulls everything together. It reminds you of…home…weirdly. You’re not entirely sure how that works.

“aw, no sounds this time?”

You flip him off immediately, glaring at him as he snickers. He doesn’t say anything else, so you get to finish the bite in relative peace. “So…you’re a mechanic but you just moonlight as a hotdog stand guy?” 

“yup.”

���Why?”

He seems surprised by the question. “why else, gotta get money somehow.”

“Hm.” You hum as you take another bite, waiting until you swallow before continuing. “I would have thought that being a mechanic would be enough for the bills?”

“maybe for a human.” Sans says. “monsters don’t really have many mechanical things t’ fix.” At your confused look, he continues. “without cars, ya really only need a mechanic when somethin’ doesn’t work, right? how often does that happen?”

Oh…right. “I guess that would slow down business.” You agree. “I hope MTT Resort is paying you well for that at least. You pretty much saved the business.” 

He shrugs. “most of it will be goin’ to my bro’s school.” You straighten, ready to ask a probably too nosy question, when he continues. “why do ya work at fer the robot anyways?”

The question completely turns your focus away from what you were going to ask. Work for the robot…? Oh. Mettaton. Right. Technically, you suppose you do, though you’ve never met or even seen the guy. 

“Why else?” You smirk, repeating his words right back at him. “Gotta get money somehow.” 

Sans eyebrow bones raise, before he chuckles. “fair ‘nough.” 

It looks like he might ask another question on that topic, so you quickly interrupt. “Oh shit, right. How much for the uh…hotcat?” 

He shrugs. “one.”

“Wait, it’s less than a ‘dog?” You ask. He just shrugs again. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, you grab a one from your purse and pass it over. As he's putting it away, you come to the realization that the bet and transaction are over. That's it. You're free to turn around and spend your break elsewhere. No need to remain here with the smug skeleton. But...

I…kinda don’t want to go back. The thought is a surprise, but not wrong at all. It's your break, it's nice out -the breeze cuts through the heat well-, and somehow you are having a surprisingly good conversation with Sans. Hm. Fucking weird, but true. Maybe thats your cue to leave, though? Leave on a high note, before things sour? You look down at the 'cat in your hand and think that its probably the best move.

Still, you find your feet unable to move. Instead, you lean against the cart, already opening your mouth to ask another question. “Soooo, what job has the worst customers?”  

Sans looks surprised that you’re still here, which…fair. “the mechanic job.” He answers after a moment. 

That's surprising. “Oh yea, why?” 

“harder to tell ‘em to fuck off when they’re payin’ the bills.” 

“Makes sense.” You nod sympathetically. “Hm…I bet I have a story that can beat any of yours though.” 

“what? fuck off. no way.” The skeleton shakes his head. 

“No no, I’m serious.” You say, waving your hand in the air. “Let me say mine, and then let's see if you can beat it?”

“you’re on.”

[Next Chapter]

[starshower1215]

Hange Zoë and the Vets Headcanons: University/Modern AU

Though many are unaware, Hange is an artist. They like to go out and find interesting buildings, sit down for a good view and sketch it into their sketchpad. They do this for other things as well; a nicely shaped leaf, a lost shoe, an interesting rock.

Sometimes, they collect cool stones or sticks off the paths on the way to class and then gives them to Mike for a sniff test.

Walking to and from classes, Hange plays podcasts or listens to the audios of various educational videos.

They have a very cool room/dormitory. Yes, it is messy almost all of the time, but it is an organized mess. Hange has plant shaped pillows, terrariums, a touch-activated moon lamp that they use for late nights, walls of shelves filled with the textbooks and novels collected over the years, pinned up sketches of the things they see, plants hanging from their ceiling, a soft carpet because they love working on the floor, a corner desk... just a lot of stuff.

I imagine Hange is actually quite fond of stuffed animals as well. They find them useless, yes, but they make nice friends and study buddies. (I think Erwin would have gifted them a stuffed lizard). They line them up on the bed so that they can watch them study, and sometimes they practice their speeches, verbalize their essay outlines, or simply present their discoveries and ideas to the pretend audience.

On Friday nights, Hange is dragged away from their work by Nanaba and Mike to then go drag Erwin and Levi to go drinking.

Levi hauls Hange back to their dorm room every Friday night, where they pass out on the stuffed animals. Levi tries to sleep there, too, sometimes, if it is too late to get back to his place. Unfortunately, the stuffed animals' eyes disturb him. He may make a late night call to Petra for company, since they're usually the only ones at least a little bit sober. Petra complains to him about Gelgar vomiting on her shoes.

Hange takes a lot of pride in keeping their lab coat in good condition. The more surprising fact is that it is in good condition, and affectionately adorned with colorful pins and brooches.

While prodding from Levi to tidy up their room usually results in fondly irritated sighs and grumbling, Mike's invitation-like demands for them to tag along with him to the gym are met with much more positivity.

Every now and then, a full group hangout is called and they — Hange, Erwin, Levi, Nanaba, Mike, Petra, Oluo, Gelgar, Nifa, Moblit, who am I missing? — pick somewhere to go for the day. Usually it's the park or the beach, because few public places can handle their level of chaos and volume, so they kick a ball around, race one other, arm wrestle one other on park tables, and just enjoy the sun.

Hange's shoes always wear out quickly from all the walking around that they do. Their clothes always end up being torn or stained by the things they pick up, and they spend an unnecessary amount of time trying to clean them. They've taken to wearing Erwin's shoes when they're waiting for theirs to be delivered (much to his distaste).

Speaking of clothing, the heavy duty of being Fashion Police falls upon the capable shoulders of Mike, Levi, and Nanaba. Levi likes to check the material of the fabric for quality, Mike likes to make sure the outfit is coordinated by style and in style, and Nanaba likes to coordinate the colors, finding the things that compliment eyes and complexion. They are scrupulous with this, they'll take Hange and Erwin around the stores, have them fitted into clothing, turn them around and around in circles to scrutinize. Hange appreciates the help, and probably just reads while they make comments to one another. Erwin does not need the help, but finds it amusing and indulges them.

While Hange draws still life, Moblit loves drawing people. He follows his friends around and sketches them from life— the motion of muscle beneath Erwin's skin on a run or during a workout, the subtlety of the shifts in Levi's expressions during classes from confusion to intrigue to awe, the swift movements of Hange's body when they're excited about something. He also likes to sit at cafes and sketch strangers.

Levi has a part time job at a cafe. Hange often stops by with Erwin and Mike, and the three of them tease him at the counter before buying their morning drinks and breakfast. I feel like Hange and Erwin would like blueberry muffins.

Nanaba does not indulge their teasing for oddly private reasons, and goes to say hello to Levi on her own. They chat at the counter for long enough to make Levi's coworkers curious about the nature of their relationship, and then Nanaba buys herself a coffee and Levi a cup of tea and a pastry. He likes to slip her a free cookie or pastry puff every now and then, too, and if a bit of his money ends up in the cash box, well, it's no one else's business.

Hange is overwhelmed a lot, and easily. They are a free spirit, not to be held down by the demands of school life, but alas, society calls for discipline in order to obtain survival. Therefore, Grandmother Levi made them a quilt to use as a picnic blanket/meditation mat on the grass to protect their pants from grass stains. Hange uses it every day, between lectures to eat their lunch, to watch the sunset, to stargaze, to just feel the earth beneath their back and watch the clouds float by.

When all the other veterans, ahem, graduate from the school, Hange lies beside Levi on the quilt and, to cure their sudden, mutual dislike for the new quiet of their days, invites him to share an apartment with them.

Hange is terrible at checking messages. They are the most inactive member in every group chat and they respond maybe once every couple of days. Not only because they're busy often, but because of the overwhelming factor as well.

Erwin likes to ruin his outfits by wearing crazy socks. He may have on the most elegant, dapped outfit ever known to mankind, but the moment he sits down and the ankle of his bottoms ride up, there are his cup noodle print socks, or his frilly strawberry socks from Mike the Bully, or rainbow socks that everyone looks into a bit too much. He has a collection, mind you, an entire display of silly socks and an abundant lack of shame.

This was much longer than intended, but my favorite one of these was definitely the one about Levi and Nanaba.

[mint-8]

Moral Orel AU - Everyone’s happy and good (ish)

Trigger/Content warning: Mentions of guns and death, plus implications of child abuse. Also there Christianity is used a lot.

Clay Puppington

- Moralton’s respectful mayor, Orel and Shapey’s proud father, Bloberta’s loving husband, Danielle’s loyal best friend and the prime example of a good Christian man, dad, and spouse to his family and everyone in town.

- Clay has a loving and healthy relationship with his nuclear family. He deeply respects Bloberta for being so capable at managing things around the house, and pretty much lets her be the one to call the shots in their home. He is deeply in love with her and will always find any opportunity to compliment her or showing his affection (helping with chores, buying her gifts, hugs, kisses). He also encourages her to go out and have fun if she is ever too stressed, as in his own words: “You already work so hard for our family! Is only fair you take a break every once in a while”

- Alongside Bloberta, they tend to monitor Shapey more than Orel, mostly due to his behavioral issues, although Shapey is going to a therapist and actively taking psychological treatment, so his reactions are more toned down. He still loves him though, and buys him plenty of toys and enjoy some son-father bonding activities, usually playing board games, doing art or just talking.

- Orel is his pride and joy, his little son and big champ. Yes, Orel tends to get himself into trouble, a lot. And yes, he also tends to get into random shenanigans like, every other day, but he firmly believes that nothing can’t be solved without proper apologies, attaining for your actions and talking about it. He absolutely will not harm Orel even if he was threatened, but does have multiple talking sessions in his study, usually with some apple cider. He also spends quality time with Orel, and just like Shapey, they partake in bonding activities, with the added bonus of Clay being the town’s scout leader and taking him and his friends to camp every other weekend.

- Clay’s relationship with his father, Arthur, is a bit awkward. He still caused his mother to die due to his stupid prank, but Arthur still did his best to raise him properly, however he never really forgave him for killing his lovely bride. Clay still feels extremely guilty and made a promise to himself, his dad and his mom at her funeral, that he will definitely live his life as a proper Christian, to atone for the sin that he committed and which he will never forgive himself for. He still sends letters to his father regularly, usually giving him updates about his family, the town and sometimes sending money through post if he ever needs it but, more often than not, he sends him gifts and letters from the other family members.

- Danielle’s best friend and drinking buddy. They’ve known each other since high school and have stuck together through thick and thin over the years. While they usually talk about Orel and Shapey’s school performance, they tend to reminisce about the old times and set up drinking parties or simple hang outs. He doesn’t really care that Danielle is gay, after all “God loves all his children equally”.

Extra facts:

- Clay doesn’t like guns, and only has 1 fire arm for emergencies. He will teach Orel how to use it one day.

- Not super fond of alcohol, he is more of a social drinker. Instead he has an apple cider collection in his study.

[quills-of-freedom]

Headcanons ~

Modern AU - How they'd react to seeing you working in a strip club (And they have feelings for you)

Inspired by... well me being an ex-stripper :')

Written as if reader is working there just for some extra cash, not as a living - it'll make sense why I noted this as it goes on.

Reiner - Porco - Eren - Levi

Some music to set the mood 🔥

Reiner

Reiner would never wander into a strip club on his own accord, either being dragged in during a bachelor party or doesn't realise what the establishment actually is. As much as he appreciates the female form, Reiner is too respectful and too much of a softy and a blushing mess.

Get this man some water please, for pity's sake. His face is flushed the entire time he's in there, his eye-line erratic as he avoids sights of thighs, asses, boobs and bare stomachs.

When the dancers come to talk to him for a private dance, he'll politely turn them down, his eyes glueing to theirs, his mouth dry and - oh gosh is he shaking?

He doesn't know it's you being called on stage because well, they use your stage name. But when the lights brighten slightly and he sees you - legit thinks he's been spiked for a moment and is seeing things.

His movements all stop, his lips part and his eyes enlarge when he realises this is actually happening.

"Oh, you like her?" The other girls will say. "She's great, you should get a dance from her."

Excuses himself and heads into the bathroom while you're on stage, splashing his face with cold water. Other patrons in the toilets laugh at him. "Yeah, it's tough out there, huh buddy?"

Once he hears applause he knows you're done and swiftly leaves. This is what gives him the incentive to confess his feelings for you and try to convince you to leave.

I know if Reiner Braun told me he loved me, I'd leave and never look back.

Porco

Porco loves to talk big and will laugh and "banter" with the "lads" but under the surface, he's a lot like Reiner and is pretty shy (at first) when it comes to intimacy.

He's respectful and will enjoy the attention of the dancers but I can't see him ever getting a private dance, if I'm honest.

He avoids his gaze like Reiner but isn't having mini panic attacks about it like his blonde friend.

When he sees you, he freezes and his nose burns pink but quickly regains his composure. He'll walk up to you and tell you to get changed, he's taking you home.

He hasn't drunk too much so he's okay to drive as he takes you towards his house.

"Porco, where are we -" "You should have just told me if you wanted some money." "It's not like that, I can make my own mon-" "We'll talk about it later."

You'll go to his where you have a long conversation into the night, where he admits his feelings for you and fucks you into his bed.

Oh god, I might turn this one into a fic...

Eren

I can't see Eren actively seeking out a "gentleman's" club, but he's not fussed about being in one either.

He turns down private dances politely. He'll have friendly conversations with the dancers but if they keep pushing for money he will turn mean.

He will get a dance if he is totalled though, but he'll sit with a blank face the entire time - unless he was my boyfriend, I don't think I would wanna dance for Eren tbh :')

Has no problem approaching you with a smirk when he sees you. "Woah, I didn't know you worked here. I'd be in every night."

Pays you to talk with him all night (he insists) to keep other men away from you and to warm you up for his confessions of feelings later. If any man stares, he'll shoot a warning look. If anyone is disrespectful, he will throw hands.

He stops drinking so he can take you home after your shift. He takes you to his, confesses his feelings, convinces you to stop and gives you the best sex of your life until you can no longer walk.

Levi

There's no way Levi would knowingly go into a club. Let alone a nude one. He's either been tricked or he wasn't aware. "Little black book...? I thought this was a fuckin' Library." "Levi... what library is open at 2am with thumping music?!"

Is not amused. DO NOT try to get a private dance. Oh god, he will make you cry if you try to.

Once he sees you, he'll snarl and straight up grab you and tell you to get changed, he's taking you home.

You have to beg the bouncers not to all leap onto him.

Scolds you, so bad. But explains it's only because he cares. It's not the profession it's the people it attracts.

Again, best sex of your life.

[avatarmerida]

A little something based on JovianPlanets Summer Camp AU on twitter. There's not much to say: they're summer camp counselors, they're in college and Willow is the sports director and Hunter is a lifeguard. They're still dorks, it's very cute, get into it.

---

Hunter was the newest counselor at Camp Palistrom and for the first part of the summer, he had mostly kept to himself. He had been recommended by Luz whose mom worked at the animal shelter he volunteered at, but he knew she had just started dating the activities coordinator and didn’t want to be a third wheel in their summer romance. He was fine using the limited free time he had to study, just because it was summer didn’t mean it was an excuse to slack off. He adopted an air of mystery; he was strict and diligent. He took his job seriously. But the moment he wasn’t actively responsible for campers’ wellbeing, it was like he vanished.

But then one morning Willow ran into him on her early morning jog and was overjoyed to have finally found a workout buddy who could keep up with her, and the two became the talk of camp.

But mostly because Willow and Hunter were no strangers to the infirmary.

They'd be on a hike and sure enough they'd fall into a collection of poison ivy. They'd try out double dutch and would be in with matching scrapes and bruises. They'd be in the garden and sure enough so would a whole beehive. Not to mention the infamous super glue incident when they tried to make a birdhouse for a cardinal that seemed to be obsessed with Hunter.

But this latest one really took the cake.

“Okay it’s not like a life threatening wound or anything,” Viney observed as Hunter sat in the small nurse's office, an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. “The arrow’s head was straight, so it won’t like rip you apart or anything but I ain’t gonna lie it’s still gon hurt when it comes out.”

“Can I take like a Tylenol or something?” Hunter asked.

“Uh I mean you can but it probably won’t do too much,” said Viney. “I mean, it’s an arrow, dude. The stuff that’ll make you not feel that is not the stuff they send to a state owned summer camp.”

“Oh, yeah well, I’m sure it’ll be fine…” Hunter started looking uncertain.

“Oh Hunter I’m so sorry!” Said Willow. “This is all my fault, let me drive you to the hospital and we can get you something to help-.”

“Willow, Willow I promise it’s fine, really,” Hunter said, putting his hand over hers. “It really doesn’t hurt, it’s just… kinda weird. And it’s not your fault!”

“I’m the sports director, I should've explained the technique better before I let the kids shoot!” She insisted. “Let me at least hold your hand or something while she takes it out..”

“Uh sure yeah okay we can-.” He began as Willow eagerly laced her fingers through his and gave his hand a small squeeze. There was no way he was focusing on the pain now. “-do that.”

Their collection of injuries wasn’t the only thing the pair were known for around camp.

“So uh, what were you doing by the archery field?” Said Viney as she looked for the gloves.

“Uh ya know just… walking by.” said Hunter tentatively as he tried not to look at Willow looking at him with wide, worried eyes.

“Just walking by, huh?” Asked Viney with a smirk. “It’s an awful far walk from the pool, are you sure you weren’t there for… any other reasons?”

Hunter’s face turned bright red. “I uh, ya know I was just walking by that’s all,” he said nervously. “Ya know, just… hanging out.”

He totally wasn’t watching Willow demonstrate how to pull back the arrow and admiring the cute way she scrunched her nose when she focused. It wasn't his fault King was overzealous and fired his arrow early.

“Sure it wasn’t Cupid that hit with that arrow?” Viney asked with a smirk.

“Pretty sure,” Hunter chuckled nervously, clearing his throat. If Willow got what Viney was trying to imply she made no indication. She was too focused on holding Hunter’s hand.

“All right then, hold him down Park,” said Viney, getting a good grip on the end of the arrow. “Just in case I don’t get it on the first try.”

“Wait what?”

��-

Viney gave Hunter an ointment he needed to apply every few hours when he changed the bandages. She advised trying to avoid getting them wet, but Hunter found that might be a little difficult being the lifeguard and all.

Luckily, Willow was still certified due to Amity insisting everyone be prepared in case of emergency so she could be there to help if lifeguard services were required. She offered to take his shifts all together and give him a break, but he insisted that it was still his responsibility. So, every day, Willow and Hunter would meet at the lifeguard tower. Hunter insisted he could have his chair and he would stand but she wouldn’t hear of it. So she got out an old one from the shed so they could both sit side by side “like a king and queen, looking over their kingdom,” Willow said. Realistically, they should sit at opposite ends of the pool to have a better view of the whole pool but Hunter didn’t mention this because he liked how excited she was to sit next to him. He wasn't able to do their usual activities since they might aggravate his injury, so he was glad he still had an excuse to see her.

He had expected this summer to be about a paycheck, something good to put on his resume. He hadn't expected meeting someone like her. She made everything fun. She bought them matching heart-shaped sunglasses and would mimic his voice when he yelled at kids not to run. But she wasn't making fun of him, which was odd to him. She went out her way to find him. She'd bring him an extra jello cup from the mess hall when he was running late, she asked people to move down so she could sit next to him at campfires, she made him a friendship bracelet that he mentally vowed never to take off.

For the first time, he wished for an endless summer.

---

As the last campers headed back to their cabins to get ready for dinner, Willow jumped into the pool to do a celebratory cannonball. Hunter laughed as she splashed his feet, setting her prescription sunglasses on the edge of the pool as she treaded water.

“Come on in, let’s race!” she called up to him.

It was tempting, it was very tempting. It had been a hot day the way Willow’s braids were slowly unraveling made her look like a mermaid. But he still had a few more days on Viney’s restrictions.

“I’d love to, but I gotta go change my bandages before the campfire,” he said. “I’ll be right back though, I wanna tell you about my idea for a water polo team.”

Hunter ran over to the pool shed where he kept his supplies and went to work. The bandages were tight around his shoulder, and it was difficult to remove one handed by himself, especially with the shed as dark as it was. But he wanted to get back to Willow as quickly as possible, so he practically dislocated his other shoulder as he tried to undo the old layer.

“Hey, are you okay in here?” came a delicate voice from the doorway.

“Willow!” he said, flustered as he turned himself back around. “I-I’m fine; really. I can figure it out myself.”

“I know Gus said you had trouble last night and he had to help you before bed,” said Willow as she made her way to the back by him, her hair still dripping wet. “I can help you if you-.”

“No no I don’t want you to have to-.”

“I honestly don’t mind at all Hunter. Plus I don’t want you to get infected.” She put her glasses atop her head, the shed too dark for sunglasses. He knew her normal glasses were back in her locker, he’d hate for her to strain her eyes on his account. “Let me help you.”

But she really did care about him.

“It’s just… I’d have to take off my shirt…”

“Oh, well… oh.” Willow stopped herself. She realized that despite being the lifeguard, Hunter did always have his tank top on. A fact she remembered vividly because the few times he had needed to jump into the water, her head quickly turned and saw the white see thru fabric clinging poetically to his torso, glaring in the sunlight. Not that she had been disappointed. Not that she was expecting anything. Not that she was ogling him.

Okay, maybe a little.

The point was that Willow knew Hunter did not take off his shirt because she definitely would’ve noticed if he had. She knew it was none of her business, she knew it wasn’t professional or polite to ask but she’d be lying if the slight definition of his arms didn’t spark a healthy curiosity in her.

But she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

“Oh, that’s okay,” she said. “If you want I can get Gus to help if that would be more comfortable for you, I just know it’s an odd angle and with how hot it’s been today I’m worried about you not healing properly.”

“Uh no it’s okay just… promise not to stare?”

“I promise.” She swore, crossing her heart. She put the appropriate amount of medicine onto her fingertip as she tried to allow Hunter some kind of privacy as he undressed. Hunter took a deep breath as he carefully went to remove his shirt and the moment he did Willow realized just how small the pool shed was as she felt launched into the orbit of his personal space as her eyes did not know where to land. Even with her impaired vision, she could see plenty. She didn’t know how to react, and her mouth moved faster than her mind as she let her thoughts become audible.

“Wow.” she whispered, immediately regretting it. She saw Hunter’s brow furrow in worry and she stumbled over herself to try and fix it. “Sorry! Sorry, it’s just that you’ve got some pretty impressive-.”

“Scars, I know they’re-.”

“-muscles.”

An awkward silence floated between the two of them as Willow attempted to address the task at hand as she placed one hand on his wound to apply the salve and the other somehow landed on his bare chest. As he looked up to face her, Hunter saw how close they were. She didn’t step back or wear a look of disgust, in fact if Hunter didn’t know better, he’d say she looked rather… flustered.

“Oh, uh… thanks,” he managed to say. “I uh work out a little, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess saving people will uh will do that,” she said, pretending to clear her throat. She promised she wouldn’t stare, and she didn’t realize it was easier said than done. She held her breath as she wrapped the new bandage, trying not to apply too much pressure. It was one thing staring at his back when he passed her on their runs, but this was bordering unprofessional.

“Are you okay?” He asked when she was uncharacteristically quiet. “I know it’s kind of gross-.”

“No, no it’s totally not gross,” Willow quickly assured him. “It’s like the total opposite of gross, it’s like I get why the sign-up sheet for swim team filled up so quickly, ya know?”

“I uh, I meant the wound,” clarified Hunter.

“Oh! Oh yeah yeah yeah totally,” she laughed nervously. “I mean not that it’s gross, it’s like practically healed. You uh- I mean… dude you have some major tan lines.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah I guess,” he laughed, noticing for the first time the tan half circle from his tank top clashing with the pale whiteness of his torso. “You should see the tan lines from my crocs, my feet are covered in polka dots now.”

“You think that’s bad? Check this out!” She giggled as she pulled the strap of her coverup over her shoulder to reveal a dramatic discoloration of her own. “And don’t get me started on the tan line from my glasses.”

“Okay yeah, that’s pretty-woah!” Before Hunter could finish, he bumped a shelf with his elbow and sent the supplies faking onto the ground. He quickly pulled Willow out of its path, pulling her in by her waist to avoid being crushed by boogie boards and towels. The water falling from her hair created a small puddle that she slipped in and caused her to hold him tighter for balance.

“Sorry about that, are you okay?” He asked, looking down at her slightly embarrassed. Much to his surprise, he was met with wide eyes as Willow instinctively clung to his chest.

“Mhm-hmm,” she breathed softly, and Hunter was suddenly taken back by the way the gentle light shone through the small window and managed to find her like a spotlight. Like she was the only thing deserving of the sparse light, like it was drawn to her, like it fought to be near her. He could hardly blame it. They were so close, he could smell her sunscreen. So close, that it would be so easy to-.

“Hunter, how many floaties would be considered a safety hazard because Gus and I wanna-oh.” Luz stopped herself dead in her tracks as she examined the very surprising very… compromising scene she walked in on: a shirtless Hunter holding Willow as her strap exposed her shoulders and they both looked like deer caught in the headlights. What was she supposed to think?

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Said Luz, going to shut the door. “I’ll just be going so you can-.”

“You’re not!” “It’s not what you think!” They said simultaneously as they quickly separated, and Hunter rushed to put his tank top back on.

“Luz, wait up!” Willow called before quickly turning back to Hunter. “Are you good?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I-it’s great thanks,” he said with a blush he hoped the dim lighting hid.

“Cool,” she said, giving him a wink as she often did. “Happy to help.”

—-

It felt wrong to, but Willow almost wished Hunter’s injury would take longer to heal. She hoped he would ask her to stay on after he no longer technically needed her, but she knew he wouldn’t dream of inconveniencing her. But it wouldn't be anything like that, she loved spending time with him. And he didn’t socialize outside camp sponsored events. If he wasn’t required to be somewhere, he was off by himself. She would find an excuse to see him under the guise of planning events and soon he would be telling her about the books he was reading or showing her pictures of the cardinal he was looking after. She knew he needed the time to collect his thoughts after the overstimulation their job brought forth, but summer was ending soon. Was it selfish to say she wanted as much time with him as possible?

She had never met someone like him, so serious and silly at the same time. She loved the way he lit up when he told her about his interests and the way he looked at her when she went on about her plants. He admitted he had found an old book on edible fungi so on their next hike they could look for examples together. She would love nothing more.

She liked him, she really liked him.

And she was starting to think he really liked her too.

---

“Did you know Hunter’s birthday is this week?” Willow asked as she and Gus finished cleaning up makeshift kickball bases.

“How did I know you were gonna bring up Hunter?”

“Okay, you brought him up first when you were talking about arranging a Cosmic Frontier movie night,” countered Willow.

“Well, if we get two more sign ups we’ll be allowed to do it!” he said. They currently had three, two of which were them.

“Anyway, it’s not on the employee board so I wonder why he’s keeping it a secret.”

“How did you find out?”

“He was showing me a postcard his guardian sent him, and I saw another one on his bed that asked what he was doing for his birthday on Friday,” she said.

“You were in his cabin? Unsupervised?” Gus gave a fake gasp. “At last: a camp scandal!”

“Pshh, I wish,” she joked. “It’s your cabin too, Gus. I was just in there helping him fold your laundry since he lost the bet you two had.”

"The poor fool really thought he could drink more Bug Juice than me," Gus chuckled fondly as he slung the sack of kickballs over his shoulder. "He never stood a chance."

"He's never had so much processed sugar before," laughed Willow, remembering how she had tried teaching him how to braid with his surge of energy but he had passed out on her shoulder halfway through and she guided him through the sugar hangover the next day.

“Yeah, you two have been spending a lot of time together,” said Gus. “Getting hit by that arrow was the best thing that ever happened to him. Before, he’d be up all night rereading the manual to something and now he’s like a totally different person. He’s been smiling alot more.”

“We hung out before he got hit by the arrow,” Willow smiled. Hunter had a nice smile, even the thought of it was contagious.

"You know that's not the arrow I mean," teased Gus. Willow rolled her eyes, she knew Viney's joke about Cupid's arrow had spread around camp. She honestly didn't mind it. She had brought it up once to Hunter, to see if he was totally against the implication but somehow, they got talking about Percy Jackson, thinking it was a reference and he went on one his deep dives that Willow loved to listen to, like her own personal podcast.

“I wish we started hanging out sooner. There’s only one more session left and then he’ll be across the country for school.”

“I know,” sighed Gus sadly. “But that just means we have to make the time we have left count. The campers leave Friday morning and then we have a whole weekend before the last set comes in. Maybe we can do something for his birthday?”

“I want to do something, but I know if we tell him we want to do something he’ll insist he’s not worth the trouble,” said Willow. “And I don’t think it’s because he wouldn’t enjoy it, but he’s like actually convinced he doesn’t deserve it.”

“Then… what if we surprise him?” said Gus.

“Gus, we hardly have any free time as it is,” laughed Willow. “And when we do, we’re all together. How can we plan a whole party without him knowing?”

“If we tell him it’s not for him,” said Gus slyly.

“Ooh, you’ve got a scheme, Porter?”

“We just need to convince Hunter that I have a summer birthday.”

---

“Okay, Gus is out with Matt collecting firewood so we should have plenty of time to set up the main hall before he gets back,” said Amity, going over her checklist. In truth, Matty and Gus were finishing making a cardboard cutout of O’Bailey out of paper mâché, convinced it would be a fun photo op. “Luz and I are finishing up decorations, Skara is on music, Jerbo is on punch, Ed and Em are getting games, Viney… I don’t think a petting zoo is gonna work but lemme double check and we just need someone to pick up the cake and a few things from town.”

“Oh! Hunter and Willow can go!” Luz pretended to spontaneously volunteer as though that had not been the plan the whole time.

“Uh, sure yeah,” said Hunter. Willow nodded and ran ahead to grab the keys from Eda’s office.

Once she was out of earshot, Luz reached out and pulled Hunter back by his shoulder. “Don’t mess this up.”

“I won’t,” he assured her, confused as to why she thought he would. “I know Gus’ favorite flavors and I’m prepared to go to multiple stores to get the trick candles he likes.”

“Not that!” Luz said in a harsh whisper. “Do you really think we need two people to pick up a cake? No, this is just an elaborate excuse to get you two alone so you finally make a move.”

Luz considered the opportunity a birthday gift to Hunter.

“Make a-,” he turned around frantically to make sure Willow had not been around to hear. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“My dude, during free swim you look at Willow like you’re hoping she’s gonna drown,” said Luz. “Those sunglasses aren’t fooling anyone.”

“I would never put the lives of campers at risk!” He said, truly offended. “I keep an avid and well circulated eye over everyone in the water, not just Willow and her green bikini!”

Luz simply raised an eyebrow to him as his words caught up with him and did not help disprove her point.

“I mean I- it could’ve been green, I don’t remember but it’s beside the point because what I mean is I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Which I guess means you haven’t noticed the way she practically starts drooling every time you reapply sunscreen,” said Luz smugly, amazed how neither of them were even a little bit subtle and yet the other was totally oblivious. Like an unstoppable force and an unmovable object.

“I don’t… notice everything Willow does,” Hunter lied, beginning to sweat. He assumed her gaze was always meant for something just past him. Or maybe she was just making sure he applied it evenly. Once she had offered to get his back for him and he ended up pretending to see something in the water to avoid coming up with an answer because he literally couldn’t say yes but how could he say no?

“Hey, having a crush is nothing to be embarrassed about-.”

“Shhh! What are you doing? Willow might hear you!” Hunter hissed. “If you bothered to read the handbook you’d know that fraternization among counselors is frowned upon and can end in demerits or termination of employment!”

“Demerits? Are you reading the manual from like the 1950s?”

“It’s been a consistent policy!”

“Interesting that you seemed to care so much about that policy that you looked it up to see if it had changed,” said Luz with a smirk.

“It’s not like that,” he lied again. “I happen to know all the policies and their updates.”

“So are you gonna report me and Amity?”

“What? No, I would never-.”

“Then the rules are not the reason you’re being a wuss,” said Luz firmly. “So why haven’t you made a move all summer? She’s been flirting with you like crazy.”

“What? She has not-.”

“So what I walked in on in the pool shed was just… what exactly?”

“She was just helping me with my injury.”

Hunter knew how it looked. It wasn’t the first time they had been caught in a similar situation.

There had been the time the counselors had gotten together for a game of capture the flag. The only condition was that Willow and Hunter had to be on opposite teas, otherwise no one else stood a chance. After a competition within the competition on who got Gus, he declared himself referee to keep the peace. The counselors had decided to make things more interesting and to make finding the flag extra hard. There were no rules so long as it was on the border and chaos ensued.

In the end, Willow’s team had been victorious as their flag was apparently invisible. Flag locations had been disclosed to Gus so he could confirm no foul play had occurred. Afterwards, Hunter was praising Willow at her ability to hide her flag so well, no one had been able to locate it. She beamed at his praise and twirled her ponytail, saying it wasn’t that far away. Hunter knew she often wore her hair and braids and took immediate notice. Especially the interesting color of her hair tie.

Without thinking, he reached forward and took a closer look. Finding his suspicion correct, he removed the makeshift scrunchie, causing her curls to cascade onto her shoulders as he finally held the flag high over his head. The game was long over but he still felt victorious. Despite the finding of the flag resulting in no real loss, Willow til lunged forward to try and take back her treasure. Hunter used his height to his advantage and kept it out of her reach but that didn’t stop Willow. She wrapped one arm around him to prevent him from switching between hands as the other reached up in vain, the both of them laughing too hard to care how silly it all was. She gave one bold jump and the next thing they knew, they were on the ground.

In the commotion, Hunter had landed on top of Willow who managed to win her flag back. She tried to catch her breath from the laughing and the falling as she looked up at Hunter with a wide, smug smile. Their faces were mere inches apart as Hunter found himself frozen. He knew she couldn't get up and until he did but he was too focused trying to formulate an apology. But Willow hardly thought one was warranted. Silently, she reached up and placed the handkerchief around his neck and tied a loose knot as her fingers lingered at the frayed ends. Hunter wordlessly looked down at her as she did not remove her hold but seemed to try and bring him down closer to her. She was slowly succeeding as his forelock now rested on her forehead, she bit her lip and somehow Hunter felt she was resisting the urge to raise her head to close the gap herself. Her hair was spread out on the ground with the dark green grass effortlessly blending in, like she was everything and everywhere. She was in her element, and he couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. He allowed her to pull him down more, until he was on his elbows and as her eyes fluttered closed he knew that he was right where she wanted him to be and he just had to-

“Have you guys seen where Gus-oh!”

Just as quickly as it was cast, the spell was broken as Amity and Luz rounded the corner.

“Oooh, what’s going on here?” sang Luz mischievously raising her eyebrows as she wrapped her arms around Amity’s waist and placed her chin on her shoulder. They pair had been betting on who would make the first move and there was a stack of limited edition Azura bookmarks waiting for the winner.

“Nothing!” said Hunter, his face turning bright red as he pushed himself away from Willow, quickly standing on his feet. Amity and Luz exchanged a knowing look as Hunter frantically wiped the dirt off him before extending his hand to Willow to help her off. “It was uh… it wasn’t… we were just uh-.”

“I was just giving Hunter his consolation prize,” said Willow as though that truly was what she had been doing. She straightened the bandana around his neck before gently tugging the front of it to lead him away as she walked past their friends as though nothing had been interrupted. He followed behind her, and later chalked it all up to adrenaline from the game.

It was nothing, right? Just like the pool shed?

So why was his mind so consumed by nothing?

“It looked like you were posing for the cover of a romance novel you see in the grocery store checkout line,” insisted Luz, interrupting his daydream of a memory. “Man, if I knew she was so into bad but sad boys I would’ve set you two up ages ago!”

“She is not into me!”

“Do you… not want her to be?”

“I want her… I want her…”

“I don’t think you need to finish that sentence,” said Luz with a wink as she heard Willow returning.

“Hey!” Willow called as she ran back to him with a smile, dangling the keys in his face. “Ready?”

—-

Willow tried her best to waste time in the store, but Hunter was just too efficient. When she pretended to lose the list, he had it memorized. When she pretended like she couldn’t decide between two things, he offered to get both. When she pretended to have forgotten something, planning to take her time going back to get it, he and his long legs rushed to grab it in record time.

She had to admire how determined he was to get back and help set things up for Gus, she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he saw the effort was all for him.

But damn it, she needed to waste some time!

Maybe she could make the most of this opportunity…

She watched him check his mirrors as though they had somehow been adjusted since they were last in the car 10 minutes ago. The way he furrowed his brow and blew his loose strand of hair out of his vision almost made her forget to breathe. She knew his mind was a never-ending maze of lists and instructions, and other people might think that made him uptight or critical, but Willow knew it was because he cared so much, he didn’t know where to start. He was thorough and thoughtful and clever and careful, and Willow wanted him to know that she knew. She couldn’t help but see him.

“You’re a really good driver,” said Willow, looking at him with a smile.

“R-really? Uh, thanks,” Hunter gulped. Despite the car being in park and off, Hunter’s hands remained at 10 and 2 on the wheel. “You’re really good at… sitting shotgun.”

“Thanks,” she said, kicking her feet as they dangled over the side of the high truck seat. He started the car and Willow watched him quickly go through the checklist. Seatbelt, lights, windows, reverse, windows again. Maybe he even glanced her way, surely to make sure her seatbelt was secure. She fiddled with the volume knob and watched him from the corner of her eye as he sat up straighter, as though sensing her gaze.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Luz:

Luzura: We need some more time, can you stall him a little longer?

Hello_Willow: Of course 🙂

“Hey uh, since we have some extra time, do you mind if we take a small detour real quick?” she asked as sweetly as she could.

“Oh uh, sure,” he said. She knew he was not the detour type, but she has a feeling she wouldn’t say no to her.

“Oh, take a left at the next stop sign,” said Willow as Hunter did so. They were far from the streetlights now, far from any light. Willow led them to a small, secluded spot that overlooked the lake, the moon’s reflection the only thing showing where the land ended and the water resided. They weren’t too far from camp now, but far enough where they had privacy.

“Is this… Lookout Point?”

“Oh, huh, I guess it is,” said Willow with a chuckle, seeing he was right. “I never realized. I always come here during the day to catch frogs, but I guess at night it has other plans.”

“Yeah, heh.”

“C’mon! Let's go sit by the water!” she said, jumping out the door before he could protest. He wouldn’t, he would follow her anywhere. A few feet from the lake was a picnic table and Willow hopped on and spread out her sundress dress, looking like a painting that Hunter felt somehow always existed in his mind. The moonlight found her, as light always seemed to, and graced the top of her head like a halo.

“I just thought the moon would look pretty over the water,” she said, bringing her knees up to get more comfortable.

“You were right,” said Hunter, his eyes going back between her and the moon, their radiance essentially equal. “It’s really pretty.”

“Yeah,” she agreed with a sigh as Hunter tentatively sat beside her. Her stomach flipped, as their shoulders nearly touched.

“So uh, how did you know about Lookout Point?” Willow asked after a moment.

“Huh? Oh, uh I dunno.”

“It’s just cuz Lookout Point isn’t the actual name of this place, the only people who call it that are people who come here to… uh…”

“Oh, yeah I know,” said Hunter, trying to seem cooler than he felt.

“So… have you?”

“What?”

“Been here with someone to-.”

“Oh! No! No, no, no! Haha no way!” He said quickly and nervously, his laugh forced and unconvincing. “I just uh know about it because Luz is always sneaking off here with Amity and she asks me to cover for her. She called it that but I had no idea that wasn’t the official name, heh.”

“Oh yeah, I bet they carved their initials here somewhere,” she said, looking down at the table. Hunter followed her gaze and saw it was covered with hearts filled in with tiny letters. Willows’s finger traced a few as she searched for her friends’ and Hunter held his breath as her fingers brushed his, maybe even lingering when they did. He looked down too, searching for Willow's initials, being very familiar with how they looked encased in a heart.

“So, uh, are yours-.” Hunter started to ask but was interrupted by a loud explosion. He and Willow looked up and saw a display of fireworks gracing the sky above the lake.

“Oh wow,” she whispered. “They must be from the camp across the lake, they’re always showing off.”

It was like a show just for them, a spontaneous display of light and color trying to reach the moon. Okay maybe Willow knew this would be happening since it happened every year. Hunter wasn’t the only one super into planning. They sat atop the picnic table admiring the scene together. If you told Hunter he would be spending his 21st birthday at Lookout Point watching fireworks with the prettiest girl he’d ever met he would say he’d never believe it.

“Are you cold?” he asked, most likely because he wanted to say something. It was the perfect night, in every aspect. Willow felt perfectly content. But she noticed Hunter wasn’t wearing a jacket and it made her feel mischievous.

“What if I said I was?” She teased, bumping his arm with hers.

“Oh, uh…” Hunter suddenly realized he did not have a solution to offer. “Uh…I guess I could uh…”

He looked around as though one might appear if he was desperate enough, but the air did not manifest him something for some reason. He tentatively raised his arm and hovered for a moment over Willow’s shoulder. She saw from the corner of her eye but said nothing, as though worried she might spook him. But in her mind she was screaming words of encouragement. Finally, his arm found its way down across her back, his hand resting gently across her shoulders.

“Is that… okay?” his voice was strained as his eyes looked straight ahead. Willow wanted him to know he didn’t have to be nervous, but she has to admit it didn’t make her heart flip a little. She carefully wrapped her arm around his waist to bring him closer, her head ever so slightly resting on his chest.

“I feel warmer already,” she said softly, unable to help but giggle at the small gasp he let out when she returned the contact.

“Cool,” said Hunter softly as he felt her shift closer to him. “Yeah, uh this is… nice.”

“Yeah,” agreed Willow as the pair enjoyed the view. She felt his head rest against hers and all she wanted was to be in this moment forever. She imagined how picturesque they must look, comfortable and cozy. Her phone in the car, their friends miles away, no chance of being interrupted now.

Now she could find out if there was something to interrupt.

“Do you… think you’ll come back next summer?” Willow broke the comfortable silence to ask. It was such a nice moment, and she didn’t want to ruin it, but it had been on her mind. But she might not get another chance where she was sure the two of them had privacy. She might need to take advantage of that.

“I mean, I’ve been having a great time so far,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the campers and the birds and yo- you know, the o-other counselors.”

“Well they’ve enjoyed getting to know you too,” she said sweetly, as her free hand played with her braid. “So I was kinda hoping I’d get to see you again.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Willow quickly turned her head up to face him just as he turned his and their noses nearly touched. Suddenly she couldn’t hear the fireworks as her heart flooded her ears

“Willow, I have to tell you something,” he whispered. She held her breath. “About my shoulder…”

"Oh my gosh, was I hurting you?" she panicked as she pulled away. "I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking I was just-."

“Viney said last week that my shoulder was fine,” he said quickly and ashamed as he turned away from her.

“What?”

“I didn’t technically need your help this week,” he went on. “I lied to you because I like spending time with you, and I was worried that if I didn’t have this then… then I wouldn’t know how to ask you to… because everytime we… I- I never know how to ask you to hang out and I guess I just wanted you to think…” he sighed and covered his face with his hands. “I dunno.”

Willow just smiled and looked at the friendship bracelet of woven yellow and green wrapped tightly around his wrist. “Ya know,” she started. “This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to get you to Lookout Point.” She admitted with a chuckle. He slowly looked back up at her as though her words were in another language.

“What?”

“I mean, this actually wasn’t on purpose but after we took that hike and a ladybug landed on my shoulder and you didn’t laugh at me for freaking out but you just came up and let it crawl on your finger until it flew away and then you made sure there weren’t anymore nearby, I… Hunter I’ve had a huge crush on you all summer.”

“Wha- o-on me?” he asked as though he had somehow misheard her.

She nodded, feeling lighter now. “I know it might be silly, but if this is the only summer we’re gonna have together then I just…”

She leaned in and closed her eyes as she waited for Hunter to lean in the rest of the way. She felt him place his hands on shoulders. He took a deep breath and looked at her again as the fireworks fizzled behind her. She was stunning and sweet and astonishing. She was so much more than just one summer.

“I’m not really looking for a summer thing,” said Hunter awkwardly as he pulled away.

“Oh.” Willow said quietly, blinking as she tried to transition back to the real world and process his words. “Oh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, Hunter I’m so sorry! I’m so embarrassed! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I’m so sorry you can just leave me here and I’ll walk back to-.”

“No! No, you didn’t make me uncomfortable, I swear!” Hunter assured her in an equal panic. “I just really like you and don’t want to ruin things and I’m not gonna make you walk back-.”

“You like me?”

“What?” Hunter said, not telling what he had just admitted as the fireworks continued to go off behind them. “I just… I uh… w-when I said I wasn’t looking for a summer thing I meant I wasn’t looking for something that was just the summer.”

“But I thought you were going back to-.”

“Not anymore,” he said. “I… I didn’t wanna risk jinxing it but I’ve been taking online classes at night and... I'm gonna be transferring to Hexisde in the fall.”

“Hunter, that’s-.”

“So I don’t want things to be awkward if we see each other on campus because I do wanna see you again and I know the rule about counselor relationships so I was planning on maybe doing something after I was sure that we-.”

Before he could finish, Willow pulled him forward by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. It was quick, but meaningful. The finale of fireworks illuminating the sky behind them as Hunter melted into the contact. As she slowly pulled away, Hunter followed her not wanting to release the dream quite yet.

“‘Fraternization among counselors is only prohibited if the relationship in question is between two counselors where one is the direct supervisor of the other,’” she quoted effortlessly. Hunter let out a small squeak, knowing instantly why her words sounded so familiar.

That’s when he knew she didn’t just want his summer, she wanted everything. He knew how deep she had to have read into the handbook to find that paragraph, as it lived beneath an asterisk that his tired eyes somehow neglected to commit to memory. As she quoted regulation to him beneath the light of the full moon, Hunter had never felt more hopelessly infatuated.

“So… does that mean that we… that you and I can… t-that y-you want to-.”

“I mean, it really doesn’t take two people to get a cake,” she chuckled, fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist. He smiled, nearly having forgotten how they had found themselves here in the first place.

"Right, heh, so uh we need to get going, don't we?" he said. "We don't wanna be late for Gus' party."

"Weeell, the thing is it's kind of not a party for Gus."

"What?"

She smiled and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Surprise," she whispered, not sure if it was technically still his birthday but just so utterly giddy that he was in the world. "Happy birthday."

"What? H-how did you-?"

"A girl has her ways," she said smugly. "Anyway, we wanted to do something special for you but just make sure to act surprised when we get back, okay? I know you probably don’t-."

She was cut off by Hunter’s lips on hers, purposely and purposeful, no longer allowing room for interruptions or misunderstandings. His hand delicately cupped the side of her face as he felt her melt into him, resting her hand atop his to assure him she intended to keep him there awhile.

"- wanna be late,” she finished dreamily as he pulled away for a moment, only because he forgot to breathe.

"It's my party, I can be as late as I want," he said quietly, not moving too far from her. Willow laughed as she pulled him back to her and reunited their lips, kissing him repeatedly as she brought forth a whole summer’s worth of longing.

They hardly realized the fireworks had ended, feeling as though they had just begun as they moved closer to hold each other easier. In their desperate eagerness, they fell off the picnic table they would later carve their initials in. They landed side by side on a collection of stones, which would find them both with matching casts in the morning.

But it was hardly the oddest injury they had gone to Viney with.