#also forgive me but I really didn’t want to draw a guitar so imagine this is like the one song where she gets backup vocals or something

[oc-cityworld]

Isa belongs to @ieilaf

[realityparty]

EDDIEMUNSONWEEK: Day five (August 19): New Beginnings/College AU

SUMMARY: Eddie didn’t think anything of volunteering to be a nude model for a college art class.  PAIRING: Eddie x OFC

Word Count: 9k Warnings: Smut (Oral Sex), Nude modeling? Additonal Comments: So this was like 10 pages longer, but I didn’t want to miss the deadline. If anyone likes this and wants a part ii and I probably will write it if ppl like it enough! So since I was in a rush, there are probably many spelling errors. Please forgive me! Enjoy! Writing Links: Stranger Things Masterlist

Eddie didn’t want to admit it to anyone and especially to his Uncle Wayne, but moving and living in the city wasn’t exactly peachy. 

There was freedom to not being called a freak or a Satanist. There was barely any judgment for his long hair, the clothes he wore, and the music he blared through his Walkman. He felt invisible. It was a weird feeling considering Hawkins it felt as if his every move was watched and dissected. 

It wasn't a hasty decision to move to the city. Just after finally graduating high school. There was nothing really left for him and he couldn't imagine selling pot to kids when he was finally out of high school. Also, why would he stay in a town that hated him and cursed him when they stubbed their toe. 

He didn't want to leave his Uncle Wayne. However, Wayne had always been understanding. Maybe to understanding to a fault. So Eddie left Hawkins and didn't plan on coming back. 

He found an apartment above a tattoo shop and a job as a sandwich artist where the pay was shit and left them with barely any change to pay to rent a movie. So the one night he splurged on a night out at the bar, the flyer with the paper tab to rip off wasn't something he seriously considered. 

It amused him a bit. Yet, it was a paid gig and an easy $25 an hour he was needed. A lucrative supplement that would work around his schedule. It would also be an extra bit of change for him to buy the new guitar string he needed and part he needed for his shitty van. 

So on a cool Monday morning, he stood in a stark white classroom. There were 12 easels surrounding a small stool where he would be sitting. As he feels the draft in the room, maybe this wasn't the best idea. 

Eddie was up for trying anything at least once. Yet, maybe he was out of his element here, deciding to be a nude model for the semester for an art class at the university. 

The professor, Benson, was warm and welcoming. The man gushed about his curly hair and how he thought this would be a good chance for his students to draw hair with texture. He had assured him everything would be anonymous and would be paid weekly. 

Eddie had nodded as he admired some works of art that seemed to be in progress. His eyes caught what seemed to be an oil painting rendition of the poisoned apple from Sleeping Beauty.

Students filed into the room with low hushed voices. A part of him was waiting for the pointed stares and harsh whispers. Instead, if anyone caught his eyes, they gave him a soft smile before finding their seat. Most seem to be around his age. There are a couple of older students that seem to be in their 40s. Yet, most students are busily prepping their station. He knows he is the one staring until he reaches the end of the semicircle. Eddie's eyes land on a beautiful girl. Hair was up in two space buns. She had black glasses framing large brown eyes. Lips were plump and highlighted by a glossy sheen. Recognition tickled his gut as his eyes met hers. He imagined if her skin was as white as his, they would have turned pink. Instead, her eyes widen a bit before a closed-lipped smile is thrown his way. She broke eye contact as she fiddled with her area.

Once the room was filled, that's when Eddie felt nervous. He was in a room full of strangers and was about to be nude as the day he was born for the sake of art. He was feeling self-conscious about his kitchen scratch tattoos and soft tummy. 

On Benson's cue, he disrobed. Eddie thought he would prefer the taunts and whispers to the clinical silence. The cool air made his nipples taunt and for a moment he was concerned, what if he popped a boner?

 Although the ridiculous warm up poses Benson had him do he thought he deserved to be paid more than $25 an hour. Someone just got a glimpse of his asshole. Too late for manscaping.

Benson had him stand still. Eddie didn't know how he was going to stand still for over an hour, especially when there wasn't any music playing. He was told to keep a neutral expression, which wasn't too hard. He had to resist the urge to tap his fingers along his side.

His eyes focused on the wall behind the flock of students. He didn't want to make awkward eye contact with anyone. Yet, after five minutes, he has already grown bored. It's then onto reciting the whole Metallica's Master of Puppets album. That only killed about 20 minutes, thankfully. He sighed in relief when Benson called for a 10 minute break. Benson was immediately at his side with his robe. He gave him a grateful smile as he covered up for modesty's sake.

Most of the students went to the bathroom and to the water fountain. Eddie wasn't sure what the protocol was, but he felt it was evasive to look at incomplete drawings even if they were of him. Instead, he leaned against the wall and thought maybe he would smoke a joint before this. Then he shook his head as he eyed the space buns girl concentrating hard on her drawing. Her tongue peaking out between her full lips. Benson doing a walk around had lingered on her and he could tell by the smile it was good. The last thing he needed was a boner as he tried to rake his brain on how he knew her. 

That was what he focused on for the rest of the class. Maybe she just was a frequent customer at the sandwich shop. He didn't think she could be from Hawkins. He would have remembered a face like hers unless she was an upperclassman. Yet, he became distracted by the itch to scratch his nose and as he focused on that irritation class was called to a close. 

Eddie walked behind the small partition as he pulled on his clothes. He slid on his clothes and welcomed the weight of the rings on his fingers. 

Everyone else was cleaning up, but he noticed Space Buns was still sketching on her paper. 

"Wasn't so bad was it?" Benson asked.

Eddie shook his head. "Different for sure."

Bensen smiled and a pensive smile came over his face as he eyed Eddie. "Do you mind wearing those rings for the next session?"

Eddie looked down at his mood ring, silver pig, skulls with a cross, and his vampire skull. He shrugged. "No problem."

The next class went the same as the first. He did an awkward warm-up sketch before being directed by Benson on the "look" he wanted. 

However, he fingered out why Benson required him to wear his rings as the easels were placed a bit differently. Some were further away from him while a few were about 6 feet away, thankfully nowhere near his exposed, flaccid dick. 

However, he had no other exception than to stare at Space Buns as her easel was directly in his line of sight. She had the pleasure, in his lovely opinion, of drawing the profile of his face and his hands where his rings were the most prominent. 

Her brown eyes connected with his, and she gave him a shy smile. He watched her face morph into total concentration as she studied him. It was only fair he did the same to her. 

She had her hair styled with those same Space Buns. She was wearing blue jeans tucked into a pair of pink vans with a Joan Jett shirt. There was a cluster of barely there freckles across the bridge of her nose. She stuck her tongue out when she was really concentrating. He admired her pouty lips and how her lip gloss accentuated her cupid’s bow. He wondered how plump they would get if he nibbled on them. The feel of them slotted against his. Eddie quickly corrected that thought, as the last thing he needed was his excitement scaring the class. 

He would have inspected her further if the easel wasn’t in his way. 

The time seemed to move a bit faster compared to the first session. His bones felt relief when Benson called for a break. Space Buns snickered at his cracked bones. He found his opening. He quickly tied his robe around himself. As he padded towards her, he ignored the chill of the ceramic tiles against his feet. 

"Mind if I see?" He asked.

His answer was a nod of her head, and he walked around to find a sketch of himself. The attention to his rings was incredible to him. Although a work in progress, he felt as if he was looking in the mirror. 

"Damn," Eddie said with a whistle. 

"What?"

Eddie smiled, and he did an exaggerated bicep pose. "You make me look…pretty. Mysterious. Sexy," he added as his tongue crowded his teeth.

She giggled. It reminded him of wind chimes. 

“So, this is your major?” He asked. 

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m in my junior year.“

“Cool,” Eddie replied. 

“Are you a student?��

Eddie snorted. “Nah, just a plain old citizen needing extra cash.”

The other students filtered back into the class and Eddie thought it was time to head back to his stool. He had butterflies in his stomach and he still didn’t know the girl's name.  

Eddie wasn’t totally friendless in the city. He was cool with his co-workers. It was a mixture of ages and personalities. He was never bored, that’s for sure, it was just the work wasn’t very fulfilling. Out of all his co-workers, he hung out with Andy Barber the most. The man was a couple of years older than him, but he felt Andy stilled believed he was in high school. He didn’t think the man hung out with anyone his age. 

He found himself trailing behind Andy, who was invited to some college party. Eddie didn’t really want to go, but he didn’t have much of an excuse not to go. He just knew Andy was going to ditch him for some girl. Eddie only came for the free booze and potential weed. The party wasn’t awful; he supposed. There were sweaty bodies gyrating against each other, copious amounts of alcohol, and the haze of smoke everywhere. 

Eddie found himself a beer, as he was not going to drink from an open cup, and took a healthy swing. He rarely went to parties in Hawkins unless he was selling. His type of party was just going to Reefer Rick’s and smoking. Sometimes movies, music, or video games were on, but it was just smoking and laughing. Talking about things and confusing their brains. 

A few girls caught his eye, which was new for him. He gave them a charming smile back before a body slammed into his chest. 

“Ahh!”

Eddie looked down at the body that bounced off him and landed on the floor. Red juice stained her grey David Bowie shirt. 

“Space Buns?” He questioned. Her hair wasn’t up. It was down and exposed tight curls that framed her face like a halo. 

“I…,” her mouth opened, then she closed it. Her fingers pushed her glasses up her nose. She took a deep breath before he helped her off the ground. She didn’t seem drunk. “I don’t know your name.”

“Eddie,” he told her. “You okay?”

She pulled at her shirt to inspect the damage. “I guess I will live,” she muttered. “What are you doing here?”

“Came with a friend,” he told her. “You?”

“Same, but this isn’t really my scene,” she admitted. “And Space Buns?”

Eddie chuckled. “Oh, because you always seemed to have your hair in buns.”

“Oh, my name’s Jensen,” she told him, the stain on her shirt forgotten. 

Her name rolled around his tongue in a good way. “Nice to meet you, Jensen,” he greeted with a bow. Jensen giggled as she curtesy in response. 

Eddie’s smile was large as it showed off his teeth. 

“You need a drink,” he offered as they were in the kitchen. Jensen nodded as he found a beer and passed it to her. He thought they would go back to the party. Instead, Jensen hopped up onto the counter. He leaned against the counter next to her. 

He didn’t know how long they talked. He learned that she had dreams of obtaining a fellowship to study art overseas. She hoped to make a living being an artist and opening up her own art studio and gallery. Her favorite color was pink. Her favorite movie was Rebel Without a Cause. She loved nachos and cheese. Her time of day was night despite the lack of natural light to draw. 

He shared things as well. She never made him feel less compared to her experience, as it was apparent she came from more money than him. He didn’t have much to tell her due to living in such a small place as Hawkins. He left out the nasty bits of being bullied by most of the town. Yet he boasted with pride of his time as Dungeon Master with Hellfire club. The fact she knew what Dungeon and Dragons was had his heart soaring. She listened with her full attention and even laughed at his lame jokes. 

“Jensen!” Both jumped at the loud call of her name over the music and chatter of the partygoers. She gave him a sheepish smile. “I think it’s time for me to go.”

Eddie nodded, sad to see her go. 

“I’ll see you at the studio,” she called out as she disappeared into the crowd. 

As the contract, he arrived early before the students showed up. Benson wanted him to be aware of what poses they expected him to try to bring. From the layout of the red velvet loveseat, Eddie had a pretty good idea. 

Benson wanted a sensual pose. Eddie scratched his nose. He didn’t know if he could do sensuality. Benson’s advice was to think some pleasant thoughts. Pleasant thoughts to Eddie could accidentally pop a boner. As usual, Eddie stripped down to his birthday suit in exchange for the fluffy robe. He sat on the couch as he tried to figure out poses. So far, he was only having luck finding poses that required his legs to be spread open. He propped his knees on his elbows and placed his chin on his hands. This position seemed to bring the most comfort. 

“Different pose for sensual, usually most lay across the couch,” Benson observed. “Just can’t look bored with your face. It’s going to be about the eyes for this one.”

Eddie huffed. He tried to think of something that would rouse him enough to bring a heated gaze. He thought of a good D&D campaign or him finally mastering “Master of Puppets” with his sweetheart. Then he thought of dimples on caramel skin. Curly hair tickling his nose and studious fingers tracing his body to memorize every contour. His cheeks burned, and he felt the heat spread to his neck and chest. Especially as his object of affection walked into the room. 

Benson chuckled from next to him, “See, not so hard. The body and its mechanics are simply art. Don’t be embarrassed.”

Eddie sighed, but his gaze found Jensen, who gave him a little wave. She only had one bun in her hair today with two swords in them for decoration. There was a blue shimmer to her eyes and lips today as she wore a Michael Jackson Thriller-era shirt. She looked beautiful. 

 He gave her a small smile in return and he prayed to every god out there he didn’t pop a boner. 

Eddie walked the familiar journey to the art studio. It filled his stomach with flattering bat wings at the thought of seeing Jensen again. He thought about her too much to be considered normal over the passing days. His boner may not have made an appearance during their last class, but in the confines of his apartment, it was a different story. 

He almost tripped over his feet as he found Jensen already at the studio early. She looked at him with a bright smile and waved in greeting. 

“Hey.”

Eddie walked into the empty classroom. No Benson in sight. “You’re here early,” he observed as he placed his things behind the partition Benson had given him. 

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

She looked nervous as she played with a pencil in her hand. Her teeth trapped her bottom lip before she stood straighter. It was making him slightly nervous about what she was going to ask him. 

“You know you already seen my dick, so whatever you have to ask, I’m sure is pretty tame,” Eddie said, hoping to ease the tension. 

Jensen huffed. “Right.” She pushed her glasses up on her nose. “I was wondering if you could be the subject to a series of work I want to do.”

“Nude?”

She shook her head. “No. It would require…um…I want to play with the identity of femininity and masculinity. So some makeup and feminine clothing are going to be part of the outfits. I…since it’s for school, I won’t be able to pay you, but um a dinner…or beer whatever you like I can give you instead.”

Eddie put his hands up and chuckled. “Whoa, its okay. Yeah, I’ll do it.”

Her eyes were wide and hopeful. He wasn’t prepared for the hug she rewarded him with. Oranges and vanilla filled his nostrils. 

“Thank you, Eddie.”

Jensen had given him a very thorough paper on the meaning of what she was hoping to showcase with her end of the year exhibit. She also planned to use this work as a submission to the fellowship she wanted. 

She also left details to her apartment as they scheduled the session on a Saturday afternoon. She mentioned that he wouldn’t have to pose as he did for class. As she wanted options, it was going to be just a long photoshoot. She was going to pick her favorite photographs to paint. He may only be needed for a few references for getting skin tone or potentially mimicking a pose for a reference. 

Eddie eyed the repurposed warehouse building she resided in. He chewed on his fingernail before he pressed the buzzer to enter her building. Her voice came over the speaker, letting him in. He walked towards the elevator and he got to the fifth floor where Jensen greeted him wearing a pair of denim overalls. Her hair was in their infamous Space Buns. 

“Did you find the place, okay?”

“Yeah, helped you have parking,” he told her as she opened the door. 

She lived in a loft. There were a bunch of canvases lining the ground some were clean and others painted. Stepping in it was just an open floor plan, being the kitchen and living room that was strategically blocked off. He made note of an art area set up. He figured where the photos would be taken. 

The stairway he imagined led to her bedroom and bathroom. 

“You live alone?” He asked. 

“Yeah,” she replied. “So I was thinking we pick out the outfits you are comfortable in and then I can treat you to dinner?”

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

“It’s no bother. It’s the least I could do.”

Jensen gave him a more thorough tour of his place. She grabbed his jackets and placed them on the hook. He kicked off his sneakers and placed them next to her pink Converses. He eyed her extensive record collection that he was itching to scour through. The place was warm and cozy until his cold place. There weren’t many pictures of her family, he noticed. The place was filled with artwork. 

“Is this all your work?” He asked, as he admired a painting of a man caressing another man’s face. It was an intimate picture. He wondered how she came across that. 

“Yeah, I was hesitant to hang them up…”

“They’re beautiful,” he told her. Eddie liked to sketch himself occasionally, but he was nowhere near as good as her. 

“Thank you.”

She finished the tour of her place. It was much, but it was more than he had. He imagined that it could be lonely living in such a big place like this. She led him over to her drawing area. It surprised him to only find two outfits: a baby pink ballerina outfit with white tights and a black suit. 

“I was expecting more,” he told her honestly. 

“I thought if I did too much, it would get lost. So with the ballerina suit, I was just thinking of leaving you more natural. Maybe paint your nails?”

“Hey, you’re the boss. I’m following your lead.”

“Okay, I was thinking of black for the nails,” she muttered. She explained that for the black suit that she wanted him to wear makeup. Black eyeliner around his eyes, nude lipstick, and some blush. She was debating if she wanted him to wear glitter eyeshadow. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Eddie shrugged. He wasn’t one to get all tangled up with what was considered appropriate for their respective genders. He snatched the ballerina outfit with the tights. “Let me get changed and you can paint my nails.”

Eddie walked into the bathroom, more so for modesty's sake. He had to remind himself that Jensen has seen him naked multiple times at this point. The ballerina leotard was snug. He was grateful for the tutu, as it really didn’t leave much to the imagination. He grabbed his clothes and placed them neatly on the edge of her bed before trailing down the steps where Jensen sat at her dining room table with the black nail polish. 

“Be careful walking down the steps. You could slip in those tights,” she warned. 

Eddie took his time walking down the steps, holding onto the railing. Jensen looked up at him and admired his form. 

“You like what you see?” He teased as he did a twirl. 

“I think you know you’re pretty, Eddie,” she replied. 

“So you think I’m pretty?”

“It’s one of the reasons I asked to draw you.”

Eddie chuckled as he sat down opposite her. He placed his hand out in front of him. He didn’t have much nails, considering he bit them out of a nervous habit. Her grip was soft but firm as she grabbed his thumb first. 

“So, how long have you lived here?”

“Just the beginning of this year,” she informed him. “My dad owns a lot of real estate. This is one of the new buildings he bought.”

“And he let you move here all by yourself?”

Jensen shrugged. “I guess.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry.” He backpedaled. He could tell when someone didn’t want to talk about their family life. 

“It’s not like that,” she licked her lips as she concentrated on not getting the polish on his skin. “Just we’re not a close family. My dad provides for me. I don’t feel unloved. It’s just…”

“Are you the only child?”

“I have an older brother. He is in business. Don’t ask me what he does because I have no idea.”

Eddie nodded. 

"What about you?" 

Eddie blew a raspberry. He told her all about his uncle Wayne. It felt a disservice to even say he was an uncle when he was his father. There were many times his uncle and dad fought over the way his dad took him around to steal cars. The lack of a stable home. He told her all of that without shame that he knew how to hot wire a car at the age of 6. His mom left without a trace in the darkness of the night when he was 7. Eddie thought he could walk down the street and not even recognize the woman that gave birth to him. Things like that used to make him embarrassed, but now he knew it was just a fact of life. No one’s life was shiny or perfect. Everyone was a flawed individual with pluses and minuses. 

She finished painting his nails, and he was unprepared when she grabbed his hand and began blowing on it. It caused him to jump in surprise. She didn’t comment on it. 

Instead, she asked him about his favorite movies. 

Eddie eyed the black nail polish on his nails as he stood in front of Jensen. He thought it was weird he felt more exposed right now than he did buck naked in a room full of people. Jensen was messing around with a camera as he rolled on his heels. The radio was on and low in the background. She told him to just be himself and not think. So he knew that he could exactly run around like a Tasmanian devil. She did put his hair up in a bun and he sort of felt like a ballerina. 

He tried to think of poses ballerina did, but the only move he could think of was Stevie Nicks on the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. 

He stilled when he heard the click of the camera. 

“Don’t worry about me, just do what’s natural,” Jensen commented. 

Eddie quirked a brow and shook his body. He did a bunch of exaggerated poses as he hopped around the room and twirled. He did bows and kicks. The attempt to stand on his tippy toes didn't result in a broken toe. 

Jensen didn’t interrupt. She just continuously snapped pictures, and it made him wonder how much film was in a camera. 

But he was having fun. It was something different and a story to tell his uncle for sure. However, if he was going to be himself and she was looking to capture something, it had him standing straight. “Hey, I have an idea.”

Jensen moved the camera from her face as she looked at him curiously. He jetted upstairs to where his clothes were and grabbed his cigarettes and lighter. 

“You have any beer here?” He asked as he rushed down the stairs. 

“No, only wine,” Jensen said with a frown. 

“Oh, Jen, if we are going to be friends you need to keep a 6-pack on stock,” Eddie said as he swiped a bottle on her countertop. 

“Duly noted,” he heard her reply. 

Eddie removed the cork and took a swing. He didn’t think he ever had wine. It wasn’t as if he knew anyone that drank it until now. He placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. 

“Now this is model material,” he said, muffled by the cigarette in his mouth. 

Jensen took a photo before the words were out of his mouth. 

She only took a couple dozen more photographs before she announced she believed it was time for a wardrobe change. He couldn’t believe it was going on for two hours since he walked through her door. Now, he was in a suit that seemed to be worth three months of his rent. His hair was in her signature space buns. His eyes were outlined with black and she had put a gold eyeshadow on his eyes. They debated on a lip gloss or a nude matte lipstick before the lipstick won out. It felt weird on his lips.

Jensen had directed him to be more still, like his poses for the art class. It would be a more thoughtful pose. She was kneeling on the floor to take pictures. It seemed she was playing with angles and close-ups. She wanted him to make more faces, from funny to serious. Mouth open with his tongue out or lips pursed in mock irritation. 

She didn’t take as many as she did when him in the pink leotard and tutu. He was standing with his hands behind his back as he stared up at the ceiling. “Okay, I think that should be good.”

She gave him a bright smile. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this, Eddie.”

He shrugged. “It’s no problem.”

“So pizza and wings?” Eddie nodded his head, and Jensen walked over to her phone to order the food. 

He walked upstairs back to her bathroom to change back into his regular clothes. He didn’t care about the nail polish on his fingers. Jensen would supply nail polish remover if he asked for it. The issue was in trying to remove the eyeliner, which he should have left alone. He had tried to wipe it off with some tissue, but he only ended up looking like a dry rat or a cartoonish raccoon. 

He threw the soiled tissue away and opened the door. Moving out of the bathroom, he could hear Jensen humming along to Marvin Gaye. He stood at the top of her steps with a smile on his face as her hips swayed. 

“Hey, Jen?”

She jumped a little and fixed the glasses on her face. She rushed over to the bottom of the steps. As her eyes gave him a full appraisal, a giggle escaped past her lips. “Need some help, yeah?”

He nodded his head as she walked up the stairs. “Come on, silly.”

“Hey, it’s not like makeup is a staple in my wardrobe,” he said to defend himself. 

Jensen directed him to sit on the toilet while she grabbed a wicker basket that contained small, expensive-looking bottles. 

It looked exhausting being a girl. Her nimble hands grabbed a light pink tube that had the words' milk and Honey on them surrounded by roses. Squeezing the bottle, a clear substance lined her fingertip. 

"With makeup, it's best to work on dry rather than wet," she explained. "I ran out of my oil cleanser, which would be best for the first wash."

"First?" Eddie said with wide eyes. How many times did a person need to wash their face to get makeup off? It made him think of the band KISS and the fun they had wiping off that face paint. 

“When you have a full face of makeup, you got to get it all off. I don’t care for a repeat of high school with pimples all on my forehead.” She told him as she rubbed the mixture onto his face and instructed him to close his eyes. 

“Could always get some bangs,” he suggested. 

“Is that what you did?”

Eddie hummed as he got used to someone washing his face. For Eddie, he washed his face when he was in the shower. Just rubbed some soap between his hands to form some suds and rubbed his face. He thought doing anything else was excessive. 

But Jensen was gentle as she rubbed his face. He may have pressed his face further in her hands like a dog from the gentleness of it. 

“Okay, we need to rinse your face,” she informed him, and her fingers disappeared. He kept his eyes closed as she lead him to the sink and guided him to bend down. He used his hands and wiped away the suds. When he was down, Jensen handed him a towel - a very soft towel - he might add. He began rubbing his face, and it startled him when Jensen released an affronted squeak. She ripped the towel from his hands. 

“Hey, what was that for?” He asked. His brown eyes were wide in alarm. 

“You’re going to ruin your skin drying it like that,” she told him. The artist moved closer to him. It wasn’t until they were practically chest to chest that he realized how tiny the woman in front of him was. “You’re supposed to pat gently.”

Eddie huffed in amusement. He bent down to give her a better angle as she patted his skin dry. “Wouldn’t want to ruin this pretty face with premature wrinkles, now would we?” He mumbled between the pats. 

“You’re one for flattery, aren’t you?” Jensen observed after she finished drying his face. 

His doe eyes were wide with mirth. “Flattery will get you everywhere, pretty girl.”

Jensen grabbed a small glass jar and unscrewed the lid. “So you think I’m pretty?”

Eddie’s cheeks went hot. Butterflies tickled his ribs. She scooped out a glob of white cream and made multiple markings on his face. He wasn’t aware he was getting a spa day out of this. “Erm, I think it’s pretty obvious.”

She paused, rubbing the cool substance into his skin. She looked at him curiously. Her eyes searched for something in his. He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t break eye contact. She did. Her fingers trembled against his skin. 

He brought his hand up and grabbed her own. Her hands were small and smooth compared to his rough, calloused ones from playing guitar and helping his dad steal cars when he was younger.

“Did I say something wrong?” He asked, perplexed. He brought their hands down and used his thumb to rub a soothing circle. 

She looked at their hands. “I just didn’t think…someone like you would look at me like that.”

Eddie was confused. “Someone like me?”

She looked up at him and pushed up her glasses despite there being no need to. Eddie was starting to think it was a nervous tick of hers. 

“Ya know…” She bit her bottom lip. 

“Someone that likes heavy metal? Long luscious hair? Dungeons and Dragons? I’m more partial to weed over coke,” he teased as he listed the things that made him a freak in Hawkins, as he tried to work a smile on her pretty face. 

He could tell she was fighting a smile, but she brought her hand up and highlighted the contrast of their skin. 

Eddie licked his lips. Jensen was a black woman, and he was a white man. He wasn’t going to act like he wasn’t aware of that fact. He knew his view of the world was very different from hers and if something would be pursued; it would be a learning curve for him in the sense of realizing the privileges it afforded him.

“Should I not like you?” He asked instead. 

“Just because you think I’m pretty is very different from liking me,” she pointed out.

Eddie nodded his head. “Do you like me?” 

“I think you’re pretty.”

“Not what I asked,” he said as he dropped their hands. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was going and it was making him nervous. He gripped the edge of the countertop and emotions swirled through him. 

Jensen never answered the question as the buzzer to her apartment rang, announcing the arrival of the pizza man. 

Eddie wasn’t sure what happened in Jensen’s apartment. Once they left the space of her bathroom, they never brought up what happened. The tension was still there, but instead of releasing it, they let it fester. 

Eddie had left shortly after the pizza and back to his bleak apartment. He followed the motions for the next couple of days. He ignored Andy’s inquisition about Jensen from the party. Eddie wanted to keep her to himself as he was still reeling from how the atmosphere changed between them at her place. It made him all the more nervous for the next studio session. 

When he arrived, Benson told him to be sad, which Eddie knew wouldn’t be a problem. He chewed on his nails as he watched people arrive. His eyes waiting for Jensen’s presence in the room. The brunette was curious if she was out of sorts like he was. If she even thought about him as much as he had her. She trailed in with her pink Converses and a pair of denim overalls. Hair up in two space buns. It worried him that she may ignore him. Yet, any sadness lingering eased as before she sat down at her easel. She waved at him. 

Eddie thought he was a goner if such a simple gesture made his heart swell. 

Eddie slid his arm through his leather jacket as he moved out from behind the partition and was startled to see Jensen still there. Her things were packed in the large tote bag she carried as she stood by her easel. Benson was still in the room and Eddie could see from the corner of their eyes he was discreetly watching them with a smile. 

“Hey?” He greeted. 

“Do you have a minute?” She asked.

Eddie nodded as she lead him out of the studio. She led them to a small nook that contained two chairs with a small table in between. The pleather seats groaned from their weight.  

She pushed her glasses up. “I…just wanted to say sorry for what happened at my place.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he told her. 

She shook her head. “No, I assumed things. And you’ve been really nice and sweet.”

Eddie’s cheeks went pink at the compliment. He wasn’t sure what to say, but Jensen continued on, “I…I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me?”

Eddie’s jaw dropped to the floor. He was speechless, but his brain rapidly caught up with the situation. “Um….do you want to go now?”

Jensen giggled. 

The first date was simply getting ice cream, and Eddie got a brain freeze. Eddie didn’t kiss her, though, but he wanted to. He learned that she didn’t have a car, which surprised him. He ended up dropping her off at her place. She parted giving him a kiss on the cheek. He liked Jensen a lot. 

In the following class, he had to model. It was hard not staring at Jensen and keeping the flush out of his cheeks. He thought it was a bit juvenile being in his early 20s, acting like this over a girl. Yet, he never got to have movements like these in high school. Sure, there were girls he thought were pretty. He admired them from far away. It wasn’t like he could act on those interests. The only time he regularly talked to girls was if they were making a deal with him. 

He learned that Jensen had a pretty open schedule. She mainly focused on making art pieces to sell and he learned she volunteered at a local community house helping with art classes or things like production designs for theater projects. 

So when they planned things, it was around his schedule. She had invited him over to her place, as she had to put the finishing touches on a commission. Since he was going to be working two doubles, they would see each other until his time as a nude model. 

He had the code to her place and bypassed the buzzer easily. She was waiting for him by the elevator. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek before she dragged him to her open door by the hand. 

“So what are we working on today?” He asked as he kicked off his shoes. 

“The usual. The deceased pet of a very rich lady,” she told him as she walked back to her studio. She was using oil pastels for this drawing. His eyes flicked over to seven easels, all covered by sheets. Those were the oil paintings of the photoshoot they did that he was not allowed to see until they were done. 

He was confused at first about why she would want him over while she worked. There wasn’t anything wrong with watching her paint and draw. He enjoyed seeing that intense level of concentration. Heck, it even allowed him to improve his own meager doodles he did for D&D campaigns. Sometimes, she would eye the piece and give him pointers on how to improve. Yet, he figured that maybe Jensen didn’t like to be alone. Since he began to fill the spaces of her life, there hadn’t been any mention of her family since the day of the photoshoot. 

Eddie stood behind her as he looked at the scrunched face of a pug. Jensen somehow made the ugly dog cute. “I’m almost done.”

“Take your time,” he told her over her shoulder. It amazed him he got to witness Jensen work on original pieces like this. He knew she would be something someday. 

She turned her head to look at him, and he gave her a smile. He could see the freckles that trailed across her nose. She had no makeup on it seemed. Just a slight tint to her lips. 

His eyes lingered on her lips before he trailed to her eyes. “Can I kiss you?” 

“You don’t have to ask that, Eddie,” she whispered. 

Eddie leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to her. He didn’t know what to expect out of their first kiss. But he liked how her breath hitched that allowed his tongue entry to meet her own. She tasted like oranges and he hummed deep in his throat. Jensen shifted in her chair and turned. Her chest pressed against his, her hands tugged on the bottom of his shirt. He knew there would be pastel stains there. 

The need for air became apparent, and he pulled back, licking his lips and tasting the cherry chapstick. 

“You feeling a movie or game?” He asked. 

“I think I can kick your ass in Guess Who.”

“Those are fighting words, baby.”

Jensen laughed. Eddie couldn’t resist planting another kiss on those sweet lips of hers. 

Eddie hummed to Metallic as he worked on his orders. Another perk of being a sandwich artist was being able to listen to his preferred music without shame. The shop wasn’t particularly busy today. They had their few regulars that left generous tips and some left field orders. He had just finished wrapping a sandwich up that was due for a pickup when he heard a familiar voice that made his ears perk. 

He spun around to find Jensen, no space buns, but hair out in her natural curls, at the register talking to Andy. She caught his eye and gave him a wave. Andy turned to look at him and threw him a wink. 

Eddie shook his head. He took off his latex gloves and cleaned his hands with some hand sanitizer. 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” He asked as she subtly pushed Andy out of the way. 

Jensen gave him a shy smile. “Well, I was in the area…”

Eddie threw her a look, as he knew she was not in the area. His sandwich shop was fairly new and nowhere near a close vicinity to her place. Besides, the lack of any type of shopping bags gave away her little fib. 

“So you thought this was your chance for me to cook for you?” Eddie teased as he drummed his fingers against the countertop. 

He watched those lovely brown eyes roll to the back of her head. She had red glitter eyeshadow on today. She was wearing an AC/DC shirt with a pair of black jeans and a pair of red Converse. It always amazed him how well Jensen matched down to her pair of socks. 

“I would hardly call slapping meat on a sandwich cooking, Eds,” he retorted. 

“See, with that attitude, I’m revoking the free cookie I was going to give you.” He told her with the waggle of a finger. 

Jensen giggled. “I was wondering if you wanted to stop by after work. We can have a movie marathon or something. I know you work the morning shift, but you can stay the night if you want.”

Eddie’s head snapped up at her words. Things had been progressing slowly between the two. Not that he minded. But spending the night meant potentially sharing the same bed. 

He cleared his throat. “Um, yeah, sure, if that’s okay.”

Jensen smiled. “So, what do you recommend?”

Eddie gave her a lecherous smile as he tapped his lips pointedly. Jensen rolled her eyes as she leaned over the counter and gave him a kiss. 

“I don’t think Eddie Munson kisses are on the menu!” Andy hollered from behind him. 

Eddie packed a simple overnight bag. He had been a tad bit embarrassed about showing Jensen his place. It wasn’t warm like hers. His place was impersonal. A place just to rest his head. It wasn’t as cluttered as he had it back at his Uncle’s. He still had some of his posters and all his music with a small TV, but that was about it. He preferred having his rent paid than an actual dining room set or TV. 

Jensen didn’t comment on his lack of material possessions, but she did admire his sweetheart that he had hung on the wall. 

He didn’t know what to expect for this movie night. His palms were sweaty as he sat on her soft couch. He didn’t expect anything to happen. Things were going at a nice pace and if he was honest with himself, he had no idea what he was doing. 

The world of dating and intimacy was new to him. 

Eddie rubbed his face as before the movie it subjected him to participating in her nightly skincare routine. By the extra headband he had to wear and the bonnet she got for him, he suspected she was planning this for a while. He could admit his skin was nice and soft. Smooth to the touch. Or hydrated, as Jensen pointed out. 

Jensen came back in with the bowl of popcorn. She swore a very appealing cheetah print shorts with a black tank. It didn’t leave much to the imagination, and he liked the way her ass looked. 

She settled next to him and placed the bowl on her lap. He pressed play with the remote to the VCR, starting the movie. Jensen was a horror movie queen. Eddie leaned towards the fantasy realm. He loved the action adventures. Not saying he didn’t enjoy a good horror, he had a good knowledge of them, but Jensen did put him to shame with all the trivia and behind the scene facts. He believed she enjoyed them due to the practical effects and makeup. It fit with her being an artist. 

They stayed pressed together on her couch. Jensen would interject little trivia facts. They had gotten to the end of their popcorn, leaving them with buttery fingers. Eddie had been about to move to grab them some napkins when he watched Jensen pop her fingers in her mouth. She chucked on them like a cherry lollipop. 

He imagined her tongue swirling around the tips of the appendages. He swallowed the lump in his throat as she showcased the spit soaked tips glistening in the glow throughout the living room. Christ, Eddie felt himself getting hard. 

He shifted in his spot, as he knew he would need to make a trip to the bathroom soon. However, the moment caused Jensen to look at him. He knew he needed to make a quick escape as he looked at those full lips shiny in butter and spit. 

He waved his hand out. “Uhh…I…need to wash my hands.”

“Wait.”

Jensen grabbed his greasy hand, and he was going to question what she was doing when she popped the tip of one of his fingers in his mouth and sucked. 

“Shit.”

He felt her tongue swipe at his finger and he choked out a moan. 

“Jen…I…ummm,” he was at a lost for words as he felt himself fatten in his very light cotton pajama pants. 

She gave him some mercy as she released his finger with a pop. “Do you not like it?”

“Oh, I do,” Eddie admitted. His face was hot with lust and nervousness. “It’s just you do things like that…” He trailed off and her gaze went to the tent forming in his shorts. 

“You know I have seen your dick before,” she remarked with a tease. 

“Trust me, I know, but…I mean…” Eddie took a breath. “I’m a virgin,” he admitted, as he didn’t know where this night was going to go. He just wanted to prepare her for any disappointment. 

“Really?” She asked in disbelief. 

He scratched his head and nodded. “I wasn’t…lets just say I’m surprised you give me any attention.”

“I guess their loss then,” Jensen stated. 

“Your gain?” He joked. Jensen’s face heated. “Are you a virgin?”

“No. I had a boyfriend in high school. He was my first.”

Eddie nodded. 

“Does that bother you?” 

“Oh, no. I figured one of us should know what we are doing. Why would it?”

She shrugged. “Most guys get weird about those things.”

“I thought we figured out I’m not most guys.”

Jensen licked her lips. “Do you want me to take care of that?” She motioned to his erection, which was not going down anytime soon. 

“Um, do you want to?” 

Jensen nodded enthusiastically and moved from the couch to down to the floor in between his knees. He gulped. 

He helped her shimmy his shorts and boxers down. “I don’t think I’m going to last long,” he warned. This was the first time he ever had a girl down there. He was sure as soon as she touched him, he was going to explode. 

“That’s okay,” she told him as she stood taller on her knees. Her hands gripped his heated flesh, causing a drip of pre-cum to dribble out from the tip. He choked as she gave him a kitty lick. 

“You're so pretty, Eddie,” she crooned before licking him from base to tip. 

“Red and swollen and leaking all for me. Ain’t that right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie croaked as he gripped the couch’s cushion. 

He watched as she sucked on his mushroom tip and Eddie couldn’t even describe the noise that escaped from his throat. 

He cursed when she took him fully in her mouth, and he felt the back of her throat. 

“Fuck, shit, baby, I don’t think…” he could already feel that tightening in his balls and that tingling at the base of his spine. She took him out of her mouth and his throat went dry as a string of spit was on her lips connected to his dick. 

“I want you to come in my mouth, okay,” she told him before he had a chance to ask if she was sure as she sucked on his tip again and her tongue swiped at his slit. 

“Jen, I’m coming,” he told her as he accidentally bucked his hips into her mouth and he coated her throat. She hummed around him as she took it all and kept him there until he was spent. 

She took him out of her mouth gently and it embarrassed him at how quick he came. 

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed,” Jensen told him from between his knees. “Did you like it?”

“Of course, I liked it,” Eddie said with a chuckle. 

Jensen smiled and Eddie leaned forward and place a kiss on her mouth and found he didn’t mind the taste of him on her tongue. 

“Can I return the favor?” He asked. 

“You don’t have to feel obligated.”

“I don’t. I want to,” he reassured her. “Just show me what you like.”

“Okay, let’s go to my room,” she suggested. They don’t bother cleaning up the living room as they head to her room. Eddie tucked himself back into his shorts and trailed after her. Nervous butterflies in his belly. 

Jensen removed her glasses and placed them on her nightstand. She sat in the middle of the bed with her. She removed her shirt and bottoms, leaving her bare before him. He joined her on the bed and immediately brought her into a kiss. He gave her a deep, wet kiss as his hands trailed to her bare breasts and gave them a squeeze. His ringed fingers swiped against the hardened bud. Jensen’s back arched and she gasped into his mouth. 

He gave her spongy kisses on her jaw as she trailed down to her neck. His mouth left a trail of hickeys on her neck and chest. She seemed to love the cool contrast of his rings to her heated skin if her moans and pants were any indication. 

His thigh was coated with her wetness as she rubbed herself against him. He could feel himself hardening at the thought of only his thigh getting her off. He popped off her nipple with a loud smack. 

Her hands were tangled in his hair, and her eyes looked black, like a demon in the darkness of her room and with her dilated pupils. 

He licked and nipped at her tummy as he made the venture down south. She had soft curls that showcased her arousal. His mouth watered at the sight. 

Her soft hand grabbed his, and she placed it on her swollen pink button. 

“This —ahhh,” her words got caught off as she parted her lips and gave her a long swipe. Her taste was tangy and intoxicating. Jensen’s legs try to cage him, but he uses his hands to bring them down on the bed to lie flat. 

“Eddie,” she whined as he sucked on her clit. 

“Shh, I got you,” he cooed as he licked and sucked in intervals. 

“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” Jensen questioned between sharp mewls. 

“Positive,” he told her as he felt her juices stain his face. “But if you can make full sentences, I don’t think I’m doing my job right.”

He brushed his nose against her clit as he stuck his tongue inside her hole. Jensen released a strangled scream, and he felt her fingers grip his hair tightly as she tried to ride his face. 

Eddie doubled his efforts, and he released one of his hands off her thigh as he brought a finger down to her hole and gently pushed it in and they both moan as she accommodated his finger eagerly. 

He curled his finger and gave her clit a hard suck, and he felt another gush of wetness and her pussy tighten around his finger. Jensen’s grip on his hair was painful as she released drawn-out moan. Her thighs tried to cage his head as she rode out her high. 

Eddie gave her a soft, sweet kiss on her pussy. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Jensen laughed. 

[endureandplay]

The Last of Us 2 - Symbolism of Eyes

---MAJOR SPOILER WARNING----

I would like to talk about something that really stuck with me after playing The Last of Us 2, and which really made me think a lot. This is gonna be a loong post lol. Not sure anybody will read this. 

We know that the motto of the Fireflys is "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." Quite obviously, the ongoing problem addressed in The Last of Us 2 is that our characters “have stopped looking for the light.” The game revolves around blind hate, revenge and retaliation. And loss as the origin of those. 

Ellie’s journal entries are as dark as can be. Most of them are dedicated to Joel of course. You’ll probably have noticed that she never draws his eyes. All she does is practice drawing eyes a lot. What’s more, she keeps talking about feeling blind herself, she says she’s lost the light.

For me, it’s like she doesn’t see any hope, no joy, no future in which she can find true happiness ever again. She’s *had* this hope. She wanted to forgive Joel for what he did, start anew. They’ve wasted a lot of time because Ellie understandably couldn’t forgive him so easily for what he’s done. At the end of the game, we get to see the last conversation that happened between them, the night before Joel dies. In this conversation, Ellie tells him that she “would like to try” to forgive him. And that’s probably the moment they reconnected after years of distance, tension and resentment. Ellie speaks of this last conversation in one of her early journal entries: 

I was thinking about the meaning of Ellie not being able to draw his eyes. One that came to my mind is that whenever she tries to imagine them, all she can see is his disfigured face right before he dies. 

Ellie looked him in the eyes and begged for him to get up. It was the last time they really looked each other in the eyes, had this connection, maybe saw all the things they went through together flash before them right before it was taken away from them. We find out that she has PTSD or something very similar to it when she lives on the farm with Dina. She can’t get the images out of her head: 

Despite them having other people in their lives after settling in Jackson, they complemented and gave each other what they needed the most. 

Despite Ellie saying it, we know that they they could never be done with each other, because too much connects them. That’s what the first game was all about, after all. 

Ellie had hurt Joel over and over again. He’s not a hero, but we love him, because we love Ellie, and because we can understand why he did what he did. And Ellie does too. Her pain and hurt is just as understandable. She met him with almost cruel resentment and rejection all the time, got angry at him for small things, even when he meant well (like after she kissed Dina). 

It’s this fight they had that she remembers right before deciding to finish what she’s started, to find Abby and kill her. When she couldn’t sleep on that farm, she got up, went to her room, closed the window, knocked over the guitar and thought of that night. 

And I don’t think this is all about revenge. I think Ellie feels deeply guilty for having been to him that way, because she understands how much she means to him, and because she understands how deeply hurt and broken he is himself. She never wanted things to be like this between them, and she just wanted to forgive him in the end - she loves him and understands his pain better than anybody else.  

But she never got to get things right. This chance was taken away from them, her forgiveness came “too late”. I think Ellie is so deeply broken herself, and I feel like she hates herself. Hates that she was the one who didn’t turn when Riley did. That her life only would have mattered if they killed her to make a cure. All these years, she was mean and cruel toward him. Now he’s dead, and part of her wants to make it up to him. 

By wanting to kill Abby, she doesn’t only want to avenge Joel, she wants to redeem herself. 

Notice how she can’t draw Joel’s and Abby’s eyes, but she can draw JJ’s and Jesse’s eyes? 

I think that that she can’t draw their eyes has a good reason. With Joel, it’s not only that she can’t get the images out of her head. I also don’t think it’s because she can’t remember what he looked like - I think she can. All too well. 

I think it’s because if she imagined his eyes before her, it’s like Joel would reflect everything she does and did. His eyes would “stare” at her, as she wrote in one journal entry, but then she replaced it with “smile”. She associates him with warmth and love, but what she does is losing herself. And he’d never want that. She does things that deeply traumatize her more and more. She tortures people, kills a pregnant woman. Looking him in the eyes would mean reflecting on her actions and on herself. Putting loved ones at risk and prioritizing revenge while neglecting her family and other relationships. Looking him in the eyes would mean for her to acknowledge that Joel would never condone that. He’s gone and nothing she does can change it. And he’d want her to be safe and stay true to herself and her values. Not be blinded by hate and grief. 

Abby’s eyes represent something similar. Ellie knows that Joel crossed a lot of people. She knows he killed hundreds of people, especially Fireflys, including Marlene (although we don’t know if she knows that). She knows that he did a lot of bad shit in the past. Abby and her friends spared Ellie and Tommy, and that indicates that they aren’t universally bad people. Even when Dina asks Ellie what she thinks why they spared them, Ellie doesn’t want to talk about it and says that it doesn’t matter. But it does. 

And she’s avoiding and denying this gray area. She’s dividing the world into good and bad now, disregarding everything in between. Even in the end, when she sees that Abby is just a normal human being like Ellie is, taking care of Lev, she feels obliged to kill her. 

Jesse and JJ don’t represent her blind hate. They represent the love and people in her life that still make her happy and care about her. The life she could have, if she were able to “leave it all behind”. She doesn’t associate them with pain and loss. 

Only when she finally has the choice to kill Abby, she remembers the last conversation she had with Joel - and it was about forgiveness. But it was not only about deciding to forgive him. It was about understanding that the world isn’t as simple as good and bad, black or white. People are more than that, just like Joel was neither a hero, nor a villain. Just like Abby is neither a hero nor a villain. 

Of course, by deciding to break the cycle of revenge, which is the most obvious topic in the game, she spares Lev of going through the same pain Ellie and Abby did. But I think something deep inside her forgives Abby for what she’s done. I think Ellie understands that Abby isn’t just a bad person, just like Joel wasn’t. By stopping there, Ellie undergoes the growth not to be like Abby and kill the one who’s responsible for her loss, just like Abby grew and decided not to kill Dina despite the fact that Ellie killed Mel. 

And she finally lets her mask slip. When she decides to let Abby live, she finally accepts that Joel is dead and “reconciles” with him. She decides not to turn into something she’s not and let her grief and hate get the better of her. Ellie understands what she’s done, the mistake she’s made. How she’s lost herself and how she wronged Dina. 

And that’s when she can finally draw his eyes. 

[emy-loves-you]

Wrong Numbers and Useless Gays Chapter 3

Welcome to the Chat, Virgil!

Virgil meets Logan and Patton, and learns that the three of them are more than just friends.

Morolo, endgame LAMP

Chapter 2 | Masterlist | Chapter 4

What d'ya say, storm cloud?

Virgil bit his lip, the question looping through his brain. What would he say to that? On one hand, he barely knew Roman. They only had two conversations, with Virgil having an anxiety attack halfway through one. How could Virgil trust him? On the other hand, having more people to talk to other than Janus and Remus… a part of Virgil, the part of him that wanted to cry at the thought of an injured animal, practically sang at the idea. If Patton and Logan were anything like Roman, Virgil knew that they would get along quite nicely. Worst-case scenario, I'll say something stupid and proceed to block their numbers forever.

V- (12:45 PM) As long as your friends are cool with it, I’m down.

R- (12:47 PM) Alrighty then. Just one moment, My Chemically Imbalanced Romance.

Virgil blushed at the nickname. Before he could even try and think of a response to that, Princey had already set up the group chat.

R- (12:48 PM) Hello my friends!

?- (12:48 PM) Hi Roro!

?- (12:48 PM) Salutations

V- (12:48 PM) Hey

?- (12:48 PM) Hi! You must Virgil! I’m Patton, he/him pronouns!

?- (12:49 PM) Good afternoon, Virgil. My name is Logan. I also use he/him pronouns.

V- (12:49 PM) Thanks, so I guess Roman’s already blabbed about me? You guys can call me V or Virge if you want, I’m not picky. He/him

L- (12:49 PM) Roman did not tell us much, beyond “He’s a creepy cookie with Pat’s humor and Lo’s smartness.” I also assume that you’re the one Roman assisted last night. I hope the exercises were beneficial.

V- (12:50 PM) They were, thanks

P- (12:50 PM) So, what do you like to do, Virgil?

Virgil bit his lip, glancing around his room. He really didn’t want to tell them about his music career. What if they recognized him and hated him because of his music. Or worse, what if they pretend that they’re friends with him so they can live off of his popularity? His eyes landed on sketch pads and suitcases. That could work.

V- (12:51 PM) I commission art. I also travel around with my friends.

P- (12:51 PM) Ooh, can we see some? Only if you're comfortable of course!

Virgil quickly flipped through his sketchbook. Most of his sketches were designs for The Dark Sides, so they were a no-go. Other drawings had some sort of gore or hellish imagery, and Virgil had a feeling that they wouldn’t like those drawings like Janus and Remus did. He eventually found a drawing that with no blood: it showed three men in dresses, each with their own style. The one on the left wore a black ball gown with yellow accents and yellow elbow-length gloves. The figure on the right had an emerald green mermaid dress with black accents and black fingerless gloves. The one in the center had a purple princess-style dress with black accents and no gloves. Virgil smiled as he sent the photo to the chat. Remus had explained that the only thing he missed from being a girl was the pretty dresses he wore. Janus and Virgil had responded by going to the mall and buying dresses for the three of them, saying that they didn’t need to be girls to wear dresses. Remus had been so happy he almost ripped the dress in his haste to put it on.

P- (12:54 PM) Ohmygosh that’s so pretty! Are these real dresses?

V- (12:54 PM) Yeah. My friend Remus (the one on the right) felt bad for wanting to wear a dress so me and Janus (the one on the left) went dress shopping with him.

R- (12:54 PM) Well, he shouldn’t feel bad. You three SLAY those dresses!

L- (12:55 PM) I also agree. While I don’t believe that I look good in a dress, you three successfully “pull it off.”

Virgil couldn’t help but blush at the compliments. Even though they bought the dresses for Remus’ sake, wearing more feminine clothing was an… invigorating experience. Virgil turned back to the conversation, attempting to change the topic of conversation.

V- (12:56 PM) Okay, I showed my stuff, now it’s your turn. What do you guys like to do?

P- (12:56 PM) I own a bakery/cafe! I just LOVE to bake sweets! Especially cookies! I also LOVE punny jokes!

L- (12:56 PM) I am currently working part-time at a local library. I am attempting to get a master's degree in astronomy and wish to work at the local planetarium. I enjoy reading and stargazing.

R- (12:57 PM) I’m currently an actor at the local theater, though I hope to soon reach my full potential on Broadway!

Virgil smiled at the descriptions. Three VERY different people, all with different dreams and ambitions. And now they’ve roped me into their merry band of misfits.

V- (12:58 PM) So, how did you guys meet each other?

P- (12:58 PM) Me and Lolo were neighbors before we got together. We met Roro in high school. I swear, I thought they hated each other for the longest time! Then I caught Lo and Ro making out junior year, so we sat and talked it out. Now we’re all happily living together!

Virgil blinked, rereading what Patton just typed. Got together? Are they…?

V- (12:59 PM) I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but… are you guys all dating each other?

L- (1:00 PM) Yes, we are. I assumed that Roman informed you of this.

P- (1:00 PM) Ro?

R- (1:04 PM) I apologize, Virgil. I wasn’t sure what your opinions were on polyamory. I hope you can forgive me.

Virgil snorted, imagining the four-minute delay was of Princey getting verbally beaten by Patton and Roman. He imagined Roman wearing a prince outfit (because he’s Princey) with his head in his hands. Patton would be standing over him, hands on his hips, and a disapproving scowl on his face. Logan would be standing next to Patton, arms crossed with an open book still in hand. He quickly turned back to the conversation, not wanting to make them worry.

V- (1:06 PM) It’s fine. I’ve got nothing against polyamory. I would be a hypocrite if I did,

L- (1:07 PM) Are you also in a polyamorous relationship?

V- (1:07 PM) I’ve never been in a relationship. But I WAS thinking about joining Janus and Remus’ relationship when they started dating since we all cared about each other and they offered. I thought about it for a while, but I eventually said no. I see them more like brothers, y’know? And they’re happy together, so it all worked out.

P- (1:08 PM) Good for you, Kiddo! I know it’s hard to tell people that you care about what you want, especially when you don’t know if they feel the same way. You made the right decision. Are you guys still friends?

V- (1:09 PM) Yeah, they’re my best friends. We do everything together

V- (1:09 PM) And “Kiddo”?

P- (1:10 PM) Sorry, you’re all my Kiddos, Kiddo!

L- (1:10 PM) Patton, there is the chance that Virgil is older than all of us.

P- (1:11 PM) Virgil, how old are you? We’re all 24!

Virgil sighed. Patton just gave away his age to someone he just met. I’m not dumb enough to do THAT. Oh, wait, yes I am.

V- (1:11 PM) 25

R- (1:12 PM) He’s just saying that so he’s older than us!

P- (1:12 PM) Ro! Virgil would NEVER lie for something so petty. Would you, Kiddo?

V- (1:13 PM) I mean, if I did you would never know so

R- (1:13 PM) SEE?!?

L- (1:14 PM) While this conversation has been truly invigorating to be a part of, I’m afraid it must end here. I have a shift at the library soon, Patton needs to go manage the lunch rush at the bakery, and Roman is SUPPOSED to clean the apartment while we’re gone. It was a pleasure meeting you, Virgil. I hope to continue this conversation at a later date.

P- (1:14 PM) HOLY SHMOKES YOU’RE RIGHT! I GOTTA GO! BYE KIDDOS!

V- (1:15 PM) Bye Lo, Pat, Princey. Nice talking to ya. See you guys later.

Virgil smiled, setting his phone on the bed as he went to grab his guitar. He was in the mood to play some music, and he needed some lyrics for their next song. He heard his phone go off and waited until he was sitting comfortably on the bed before reading it.

R- (1:17 PM) I knew you guys would get along. Welcome to the chat, Virgil.

V- (1:20 PM) :)

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

Taglist (please let me know if you want to be added or removed!):

@bisexualdisaster106 @self-taught-mess 

[spooky-z]

College Françoise Dupont’s talent show [5/5]

• 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 4.1 • 5 • 5.1 •

Warning: suicide mention at the final

@ozmav @maribat-archive

Damian was not one bit happy with the wistful eyes of Adrien for Marinette.

Since the confrontation with the class, Wayne noticed that the blonde did not take the eyes of his bride. Perhaps he was not even blinking. He could barely see the boy breathing!

“Damian, control your temper.” Tim nudged him. “Looks like you’re going to jump the golden boy’s neck anytime.”

They were sitting in the auditorium, lights on, people searching their seats. The whole family sitting in the third row of the main set of chairs, occupying the entire row.

The order being from the far left starting with Alfred, Bruce, Dick, Kori, Jason, Tim, Damian, Sabine, Tom, Chloe, Kagami, Allan, Allegra and Claude.

Jagged and Penny had been taken into the cabin, accompanied by Chloe’s parents and Kagami’s mother.

Adrien and the rest of the class, sitting in the second row. The blonde standing right in front of him, not disguising the fact that he was facing Marinette, who was on stage talking quietly with Felix and the director.

“If he doesn’t stop eating her with his eyes, I’ll…” and clenched his fist, imagining Agreste’s head in the middle of it.

Sabine, who had heard the exchange, laughed softly. Her son-in-law was so cute.

“Honey, it’s like we say: they may look, but they can’t have it,” she says, her hand on Damian’s fist. “My daughter looks beautiful. If no one looked at her twice, I would have been offended on her behalf.”

He bites his lip in conflict, but seems to decide that his mother-in-law was right and looked away from the blonde, preferring the sight of his angel.

“Good evening everyone.” The director says in the microphone, Marinette and Felix at his right side, microphones in their hands. “Today we mark the end of the talent week and also the end of the semester.” He pauses with the sound of the applause “this week was indeed amazing. Many talents discovered; many laughs obtained. It was wonderful.“

The audience shouts in agreement. Damian frowns with the particularly high-pitched scream in his ear and glances quickly at Tim.

“Today, as you can see, I have two guests with me” the director says again “Marinette Dupain-Cheng-”

“Hello!” Marinette sings into the microphone, a sweet smile on her face.

“-And Felix Aguillard.” Felix bows to the audience “Our first graders of the year.” More applause.

At the sound of the applause, Damian was able to hear a loud "What ?!” coming from the row in front of him, but could not recognize the voice because of the noise.

“It’s been a year since they’ve been studying at both Dupont and a prestigious university.” General choke “Marinette at ESMOD and Felix at INSEAD-”

“WHAT?!” Lila shouts in surprise, cutting off the director. She sits up quickly when she realizes that she has lost control in front of everyone. “Sorry, I was just surprised.”

Chloe scoffs before shouting to the stage “THAT’S MY GIRL!”

Marinette laughs “And Fe? He’s your boy too, isn’t he?” Teases into the microphone.

Felix looks at her, the pained expression on his face.

Chloe scowls at them and screams once again, “I’m sorry, but I’m SUPER GAY.” And the audience laughs out loud at the antics. The director looks unsure of what to do.

“Ahem,” he catches everyone’s attention, the laughter calming down. “Continuing what I was saying- Today marks their last high school day, so nothing fairer than them being our special guests of the night. The two will open for today’s participants, but they will not be part of the competition.” And ends, waving to the two talk something before they begin.

Felix shakes his head, saying he doesn’t want to say anything and follows him off the stage, but Marinette takes the lead, microphone tight in her hands.

“Good evening everyone.” She says, “Like Principal Damocles said, my name is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and I want a little of your time.” Her eyes gauge each of the audience, not stopping at anyone for long.

“Today has been a particularly special day for me.” It starts “But I’ll start with last month. Last month I was able to go a step further in my career. I received an undeniable proposal and now my things must be arriving at Gotham, my old and new residence.” She notices some violent reactions in the ranks of her former class. Alya. “Today… today I was proposed by the man I love. Today I have friends supporting me, I have my family by my side, I’m having you all now.” Her slightly wet eyes, Damian notes, wanting more than anything to be by her side right now.

“But it wasn’t always like that.” His tone a little bitter. “There was a time, like, about three years ago, that I had people in my life that I thought were there to support me. To be my friends. To support me when I’m not well…” she sighs “But I was wrong. So wrong.”

“I came to such a low point, so dark, that time has stopped. Like this. I had lost my will, my motivation. I was alive but not living.” Sabine, who had been holding back tears, could no longer and cried silently “But hey! This is not a sad story. It’s not because I found good people. Great friends. A great boyfriend. It was not easy at first. There have been relapses. Days I wanted to do nothing more than sleep and sleep. But I did it.” She winked at Lila, who seemed to have eaten something bad.

“I’m reaching my goals. Saying goodbye to most of you, see you soon to others and a ‘I hope I never have to see you again’ for the ones left.” She says sweet, so sweet that her teeth hurt.

“It was thinking about this past, this dark spot of my life, that I wrote a song … Yeah! I know! You were expecting a fashion show, but here I am, ready to sing.” Jokes with the general surprise.

She looks at the side edge of the stage. Luka was waiting for the signal to be able to enter. She blinks at him and he smiles, the guitar positioned in his hands.

“To sing this song I would need support, so a friend volunteered for this role.” She turns to the audience. “Please, a round of applause for Luka Couffaine, my best friend.”

///

Alya was… She didn’t know how she was feeling at that moment.

She had stopped trying to understand what had been going on since Chloe had appeared with Kagami two nights ago to pick up Marinette at the theater.

That was so frustrating! How, when … The three had become friends. How Marintte could forgive Chloe. When Marinette had overcome her rivalries with Kagami.

Alya didn’t understand. Alya didn’t know.

Alya didn’t remember when it was the last time she’d talked to Marinette. Her best friend.

But she remembered the last time she’d screamed at the brunette about being mean. About how after so many years, she still hasn’t gotten over her jealousy of Lila. How Adrien would never love her if she continued this behavior.

She remembered the teary blueberries, the flushed cheeks (of shame or anger she didn’t know) and the weak voice asking to leave her alone.

But it wasn’t her fault! She just wanted the brunette to grow up, take her head off the Adrien world, and live. Give Lila a chance.

What did not happen. Marinette just walked away.

She would come to school, attend classes, and then disappear. No one knew where she was going at breaks. During classes, she hardly interacted with others.

Just Chloe.

And Alya still couldn’t understand. Didn’t understand what Marinette was saying on that stage. Didn’t know what she was talking about. She was trying. Really. But it was all in vain to see Luka Couffaine come on stage.

His slightly longer, unruly hair combed anyway, torn black jeans, shiny boots, and a black T-shirt under a mossy green leather jacket. A guitar in his arms.

His eyes wrapped in a thick layer of khol.

He bent slightly toward Marinette’s microphone, a polite smile on his lips.

“Good night, Dupont. I’m Luka and I’m here today to help Minette in one or two songs.” He says “God knows how bad she is with the guitar.” He laughs when Marinette jokes him playfully.

She takes his microphone and says again "I think we should start, what do you think ?!”

A projector screen descends behind them and they begin.

No, I think I’ll stay in tonight

Skip the conversations and the “Oh, I’m fines”

No, I’m no stranger to surprise

This paper town has let me down too many times

And, man. She was good.

Alya was surprised, scared even.

Why do I even try? Give me a reason why

I thought that I could trust you, never mind

Why all the switching sides? Where do I draw the line?

I guess I’m too naive to read the signs

Adrien shifted uncomfortably beside Nino. His gravelly face.

He was sure the music was for them, the class.

For him.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

The screen behind them began to pass photos.

Photos of Marinette that no one in the class had ever seen before.

All they ever do is let me down

Every time I let somebody in

The first photo to appear contained Luka and Marinette hugging each other. Her arms around his neck, their cheeks glued together and his arms around her waist.

The unknown background landscapes. The sun shining bright.

Luka was wearing only a black T-shirt, his hair a mess and the tongue sticking out. Marinette in a black cropped with blue accents, her hair in a bun, eyes closed and a huge smile.

She looked so happy.

Adrien cringed.

Then I find out what they’re all about

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

In the next picture, Chloe and the brunette were sleeping together on a futon, probably in Mari’s room.

Chloe wearing Ladybug pajamas being the small spoon and Marinette Abeille being the big spoon.

Alya tasted the blood.

Wonder where they’re all hidin’ out

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Gotta get up out of this town

In the third photo, Marinette was sitting on Kagami’s lap while they were taking selfies. The two making funny faces.

Kagami’s hands steady around Marinette.

And that was a shock to Nino.

The ice queen being funny and protective of someone.

Oh, oh

Oh, ah

A picture of the four of them together at a sleepover in what looked like Chloe’s room. Luka had a face mask, Chloe’s hair stuck in bobs, Kagami painting her nails, and Marinette reading a fashion magazine.

All of them on the bedroom floor, sweets and snacks spread and a television on in a black and white film.

The photo was taken by a fifth unknown person.

I stay up, talkin’ to the moon

Been feelin’ so alone in every crowded room

Can’t help but feel like something’s wrong, yeah

'Cause the place I’m livin’ in just doesn’t feel like home

This time it was a video of Marinette in what looked like a kitchen. A huge kitchen. Wearing a black shirt too big to be hers, probably making breakfast.

She had a spatula in her hand, distracted, using it as a microphone while singing something.

The man who had arrived with Bruce Wayne, the one with the black and white hair, joins her singing. They start dancing like crazy around the kitchen.

The video ends with him slipping and falling, Marinette laughing out loud before falling too.

It didn’t even last 20 seconds.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

All they ever do is let me down

Every time I let somebody in

Then I find out what they’re all about

Another video came, this time Marinette is sitting on the grass, surrounded by puppies. Two Great Dane resting their heads on her lap while she pats them.

Damian Wayne joins her and she rests against him.

He looks at the person filming and the filming quickly ends.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Wonder where they’re all hidin’ out

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Gotta get up out of this town

The next picture had Marinette in a gym, leggings, black top, hair in a ponytail.

Another of the men who came in with Bruce Wayne, on her shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

She was all skinny muscle.

Nino heard Adrien choke and cough.

I just wanna talk about nothin’

With somebody that means somethin’

Spell the names of all our dreams and demons

For the times that I don’t understand

Marinette this time was in the same kitchen (video), an old man beside her watching her beat the dough in the bowl.

The crowded bench with Damian, Bruce and the other three men, Chloe, Kagami, Luka and… Félix?!

Tell me what’s the point of a moon like this

When I’m alone again

Can I run away to somewhere beautiful

Where nobody knows my name?

There was a joint gagging of class with the pool photo.

Damian felt jealous boil again.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

All they ever do is let me down

I let somebody in

But I find out what they’re all about

The next photo had Jagged Stone, Penny Rolling, Clara Nightingale, Prince Ali, and XY at a picnic. All dressed informally, looking comfortable, smiling at Marinette who was playing with Fang in the background.

And that’s how Ms. Bustier’s class seemed to remember that Jagged didn’t have a cat but a crocodile.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

All they ever do is let me down

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Gotta get up out of this town, yeah

The last picture was of everyone together.

Dupain-Cheng, Waynes, Chloe, Kagami, Luka, Felix, Claude, Allegra, Allan, Jagged, Penny, Clara, Ali, XY. Even Fang and the Great Danes.

Everyone was looking at the camera, smiling excitedly. Marinette in Damian’s arms and a banner with “Joyeux anniversaire, Marinette” in the background.

Oh, oh

Oh, ah

Marinette and Luka ended the song’s last chord when a video, this time with sound, played on the big screen.

“… Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”

Marinette turns horrified to the big screen.

“This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” Marinette on the big screen screams along with the music.

The girl throws her arms up, jumping on the bed. The Batman themed pajamas.

“Oh my god, Minette…” the recording person laughs softly so the girl doesn’t hear.

Marinette continues to scream the lyrics, unaware that she is being recorded, until the recording person starts laughing out loud and she gets scared.

“… Jason?” She has a confused expression on her face until she notices the camera and her face becomes homicidal. “Were you recording…?”

The man seems to be scared because the laughter soon dies.

“… No?” he tries.

“Really? So, you don’t mind me taking a look at your phone, do you?” She gets off the bed and goes toward him.

“… Listen, I think Alfred is calling me. Bye!” He runs from her, but doesn’t finish recording.

With him running, the phone only films the confused shapes of the house, but everyone is still able to hear Marinette running after him.

“BACK HERE TODD!”

"NOT! I DON’T WANT TO DIE AGAIN!”

Shooting continues for another two seconds and then ends abruptly.

Luka was laughing openly on stage, Marinette still with her back to the audience, blushing embarrassed and the audience laughing.

And that was how the last night of the Talent Show began.

///

Lila was waiting for her at the backstage.

Marinette knew that an hour would have to face the girl, but did not think she would attack in such an open and public place.

But objectively, this was the only chance she had, since Marinette was leaving Paris that night.

“Should I congratulate you on the engagement, Dupain-Cheng? Or should we talk about your poor attempt to come out on top?” Lila scoffs, the smugness on her face. “Because it didn’t work. They are still eating in the palm of my hand.”

Marinette sighs already tired.

"What do you want, Lila?”

“I just came to brag. I like to throw salt on the wound.”

“That’s good! Because I like it too.” Marinette says, her tone becoming sharp. “Do you really think I would go away and do nothing to unmask you, Lila Rossi?” Lila stiffens the smile. “Or rather, Volpina, the accomplice of Hawkmoth.”

The girl steps back as Marinette approaches.

"What are you talking about?” She countered. “Are you going crazy?”

“Crazy? I? No.” Marinette laughs “I just think it’s funny that you think there would be no consequences helping a terrorist. And no use denying, I know you have been helping Hawkmoth and Mayura all these years. Your best friend, Ladybug, told me.”

The two do not notice Adrien, Nino and Alya coming. Adrien, noticing the situation, prevents Alya from trying to help Lila and forces them both to hear the conversation hidden behind some wood panels.

“… So, what if I helped Hawkmoth?” They hear Lila say. Adrien feels his blood run cold. “I was a minor. A child. You have nothing against me.”

There is a break and Marinette respond.

“That’s where you’re wrong Lila. Gabriel Agreste may have been arrested and refused to speak, but the evidence, Lila, speaks for itself.” Her firm voice “One year, Lila. A year gathering evidence against you and look, I was surprised to learn that I wasn’t the only person you emotionally abused.”

“… What?” Lila whispers looking scared.

“Emilia Shawn’s suicide.” Marinette’s voice comes out like lightning. “Don’t you remember her, Lila? The girl you bullied so much she couldn’t stand and threw herself off the roof of your school in Italy?” Alya was crying on Nino’s shoulder.

“No problem you don’t remember Emilia!” Marinette says very cheerfully “As long as you remember Cassandra. Or Phillip. Marie… Rico.”

“How do you… how do you know those names?” Lila shouts.

“Because unlike you and our lovely classmates, Lila, families didn’t believe their children were abusive monsters and committed suicide because they were sorry.”

There are footsteps, Adrien gets up enough to see what was going on and recognizes Agent Raincomprix with the National Police, surrounding Marinette and Lila.

Damian Wayne appears along with Bruce Wayne alongside Marinette.

“You cannot do that! I was just a child! Children make mistakes!” Lila begins to freak out when she realizes the situation.

“No, Lila. This is murder and terrorism. And you will pay for what you did.” Marinette says.

Damian hugs the brunette in support and she squeezes his arms in thanks.

"Lila Aloisi Rossi, you are arrested for accomplice of murder and terrorism.” The Raincomprix agent says as he holds Lila in handcuffs “You have the right to remain silent. Whatever you say can and will be used against you.”

"What? NO! LET ME GO!” Lila shouts, going crazy as she struggles.

The police soon have to help the agent contain her and before they leave, he turns to Marinette and the Waynes.

“Bruce Wayne, Marinette. Thanks for your help.” He nods. “It’s up to us now.” And leaves.

“Thank you mr. Raincomprix.” Marinette says.

"I’ll go with you guys,” Bruce says and joins the agents.

Meanwhile, Lila was still screaming and kicking through the theater corridors, people leaving to find out what was going on.

Ms. Bustier’s whole class watching.

“YOU HAVE TO UNLEASH ME! I HAVE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!” She shouted.

Bruce Wayne, who was right behind the National Police surrounding Lila, looked smug when he spoke.

“Your country has withdrawn your immunity after we have presented the evidence of your crimes, Lila Rossi.” Lila widened her eyes, the panic evident. “You will face justice in full rights.”

Damian believes that all of Paris was able to hear the scream that the Italian gave.

He turned the woman in his arms, needing to look her in the eye.

“It’s over, angel.” He whispers to her, noticing the tear in her eyes.

Marinette sighs, relaxing against him.

“It’s over, Dami. Ended.“

[tag list]

@mystery-5-5 @spicybelladonna @iglowinggemma28 @crazylittlemunchkin@lunaraquaenby @maude-zarella @mooshoon @kuroko26@littleredrobinhoodlum @fanboy7794 @shadowberrybinch @k-rena-k@captainmac6 @clumsy-owl-4178  @tazanna-blythe @vixen-uchiha @zebrabaker @chloe-bourgeois-is-big-gay @artxyra @ellerahs @minightrose@redscarlet95 @soaringowlsstuff @xxkelsey39

[sanchoyo]

Looks like you’re gonna have to gush some more cuz I meant in general uwu🌸

🌺😌🤟 Always happy to! Okay here’s just some General bnha Thoughts ™ Mostly Lov centric. You asked for them, and you said GUSH about them, so here’s. A Lot! :)

This isn’t a lov one but it’s really funny so I thought I’d put it out there:

-when bnha was first gaining traction on tumblr, it was all art of Tsuyu. I have no idea why. People were talking about the funky frog lesbian superhero anime. Maybe it was just the people I was following, maybe it was a general trend, but I LOVED her design!!! my fav color and frogs r super cute!!! And I already loved superhero media, so I was like. I’ll watch it. For Her. SO. FROPPY IS THE REASON I WATCHED/READ BNHA. I went in thinking she was the protag and I was sooo confused when Izuku was... tbh I still think it’d be more interesting if she was lmaooo aus where? ...seriously if anyone has good aus where this is the case send them LOL

-I don’t actually feel that bad abt what Shigaraki’s doing. I still feel bad for him. I’m this post. yes im an apologist. its not my fault hes sexy and has been running around shirtless. hes a lesbian icon like thor is. I want to touch his hair. hes never done anything wrong in his life. he could kill all might, deku, bakugo, whatever, I’d still be sayin this. I don’t feel bad for gt. like. was anyone genuinely attached to him? lmao

-well u know how spinner’s quirk is just sticking to things? We haven’t seen him use it in canon except like, (1) time iirc?? I think this is probably bc he’s embarrassed about it even in front of the league... I loooove the idea that he gets more comfortable with it around them :”) and also how shigaraki. um. does that falling asleep thing while standing up with his eyes open, canonly? (which I still love lmfao) Imagine someone in the league walking in a dark room, turning on the light n just seeing. Spinner upside down, stuck to the ceiling asleep bc heat rises and its Warmer Up There. (cold blooded thing like tsuyu?? come ON give him a big fuzzy coat and scarf...) and Shigaraki in the center of the room, slouched but still standing, eyes open and motionless. Theyre both sleeping. Whomever sees it just...slowly walks out. LMAO

-Toga roller derby au. No deep thoughts I just think she’d be good at it. 

-Toga 100% is a social butterfly and could befriend anyone if they didn’t just judge the fact she was trying to stab them smh :/ (ok but seriously anytime I see cute friendships with her n the other kids im like :) aw. I feel like her and Camie...would be good friends. Camie feels chill enough to be like ‘ok whatever thats totally fine I forgive you!!’ LMAO we love airheads here)

-HOW DID TOGA GET SO GOOD AT FIGHTING? We know she’s been on the run since middle school or so, but good enough to pin Deku down after he’s been formally trained at a ~hero school~ for a while? (she pinned him TWICE I think, once when his arms were messed up, but, the other time as Camie, so? AND THEN WAS ONE OF THE 100 PEOPLE TO GO THRU TO THE 2ND ROUND OF THAT? even tho she didn’t bc she had to leave) good enough to beat Aizawa in a fight and stab him? A professional hero and teacher for YEARS? Is that seriously just street training??? Can people acknowledge how amazing her combat skills and reflexes are??? More Toga appreciation when?? Also her backstory??? SO subversive and incredible, hate when people reduce her to just a ~typical anime yandere~ :/

-Tomura doing stuff with his hands/fingers to train his quirk!!! And to learn to be careful with it!! obv I’m a Big Fan of him playing piano to do this and video games are prob the canon answer, but like, guitar or any stringed instrument that requires Hands would work too. Or knitting/sewing? EMBROIDERING? ??? Please, let me give you the mental image of him knitting aggressively while mentally scheming, watching a twitch streamer or smth too while doing it. (Doing stuff with your hands is a great way to let your mind come up with creative stuff, that’s how I come up with writing/drawing ideas 70% of the time)

-Tomura actually PREFERS cutesty, relaxing games. I mean, he does fighting and bloody stuff irl, games are a way to relax...he’ll play shooters and gta type games with The Lads, but. on his own?? animal crossing. pokemon. kirby games. mario. zelda. BIG ZELDA FAN (not saying this bc I, personally, am biased, but,) slime rancher, stardew valley, funny simulator games... he really enjoys those :”) God forbid he has a kid bc they’re 100% getting named after a viddy game character unless someone can talk him out of it LOL. Toga and Tomura are that animal crossing /doom meme where she’d be asking for doom and him asking for animal crossing :”)

-Bits and pieces of Before are kinda stuck in Kurogiri’s brain, but like. mostly useless stuff the doctor didn’t care about removing. Like, types of clouds. So Tomura kinda picks up on stuff like that. He can just look at clouds and tell you what type they are because Kurogiri used to take him up to high places in the city and point them out to calm Tomura down from a panic attack when he was younger. He can tell you if the sky looks like it’ll rain with a 80% accuracy rate too. 

-Kurogiri left food out for kitties in the alley beside the bar. They weren’t allowed in for Health Reasons (it IS a bar with sanitation standards!!) And Tomura really wouldn’t stop it or encourage it either way so long as Kurogiri did his job, but occasionally would stand outside with Kurogiri and just watch the kitties from a distance. If any approached he’d go back in (lowkey afraid he’d hurt them by touching them :( ) They kinda kept that between them tho, bc they both Know AFO is a big bag of dicks and no fun

-people have pointed out how similar aizawa and tomura look. this was 100% the intention. tomura has a hatecrush on him. THIS IS SO FUNNY AND HORRIBLY AWKWARD FOR KUROGIRI LMAO

-Sako??? Mr. Dramatic?? Opera fan. Drama kid. Like, obviously, but. Really. He is. I feel like he can speak a dozen languages. I also feel like he used to be an overachiever but got too ambitious. He was def some kind of leader at one point of a diff Group or something that fell apart. I LOVE how creative he is with his quirk and the magician theme??? incredible. I don’t show him enough love but I Love Clowns :o)

-I don’t care what their canon heights are. Spinner and Dabi? short kings. My height hcs are (tallest to shortest) Kurogiri, Twice, Sako (who also has heels on his boots and a tall hat, keep in mind), Tomura, Magne (Tomura and Magne are about the same height imo) Toga, Spinner, Dabi. LISTEN. Dabi has short energy. Sorry. it’s true tho

-This is a semi-popular hc I think bc I KNOW I’ve seen it before, but Dabi having Terrible Vision and needing glasses is so so good. (seriously, with burns THAT close to his eyeballs, how could he not?) 

-he tries to be a tough loner coolguy. you’d think he’d smoke, but I hc his ‘weak constitution’ comes with weak lungs (esp from years of a flame quirk?? inhaling smoke over so much time is SO bad for you, most people who die in fires actually die of smoke inhalation...) so he’s got like, an inhaler, can’t smoke, actually gets carsick, needs glasses, overuses quirk to save friends constantly, likes napping, a little awkward and rude. Tomura put him in charge of the vanguard so he’s smart, and good with strategies too, like a nerd. this is the Dabi I wanna see, not the popular fandom version of him tbh also step on hawks one more time sir :”)

-I wish all the lov fics weren’t?? villain!deku like I said earlier, but also, chatfics? I have nothing against them but most of them are just a bombardment of Memes with NO PLOT!!! Listen. text/chatfics CAN have plot and be an interesting way to tell a story. I almost want to write one just to show what I mean...

I know I’ve said I like spinaraki and blackmagic, but I am a multishipper, so a few ships I don’t talk about that I like that involve the lov in some way:

-toga/any of the 1A girls??? or Camie??? super interesting. ALSO in the radio drama, bakugo’s voice actor said Toga was his favorite girl??? so?? bakugo/toga ?? I WANT TO SEE IT. but specifically my fav dynamic with her is when someone ELSE is the one to like her first, it’s what she deserves.

-Kurogiri/aizawa/mic?? any variety of that is also 👌🏻 I also kinda wanna see kurogiri/all might bc. Dads. COME ON. they bond over ‘well, I raised him, and you want to have a part in his life now?? ok. earn it. prove it. I’ll screen you first’ or something LMAO they’re both genuinely concerned for the boy, and SOOO biased. let them bond.

-WAIT WHERE IS THE MIC/COMPRESS CONTENT. THEYRE BOTH DRAMATIC. ENEMIES TO LOVERS?? HELLO??? SOMEONE?? ANYONE. rarepair hours

-giran/twice is cute. like he was hyping him up so much and so ready to go save him...

-dabi/magne where is the content. when. why not everywhere??? I’ve also seen magne/compress which was cute!! or twice/magne? they’re the big sibs of the lov...

-dabi/spinner?? come ON dabi could get over his learned biases and spend time with him and they could hold hands. I want them to.

-dabihawks. Obviously bc the Drama. yes even still, don’t @ me. (also, shigahawks, seen some REAL interesting fics with it tbh) or spinahawks?? adding hawks to a ship is like adding extra chili powder. makes it SPICY dramatic)

-nine/tomura don’t @ me once again. both kinda afo’s playthings, nine obviously was the test for tomura’s new upgrades...they both love their friends...That Scene in the Flower field </3 hmmm tragicships are fun.

-tomura/mirko. more enemies to lovers. big fan of her and bunnies. remember when he wore bunny ears in bnha smash. (ok its crack but. CUTE.) 

-I’ve also seen shiganatsu and shigafuyu and I’m like. these are cute, but also Dabi’s reaction always makes me cry laugh. so good.

-MOST EVERYONE IN THE LOV IS LGBTQA+!!! heres my personal headcanons:

Toga: pan or bi (CANON BASICALLY)

Magne: transwoman (CANON BABEY) bi, leans towards men. (her crush on dabi in bnha smash... uwu content where)

Shuichi: gets sooooo flustered canonly, I think he’d go for the first person Who Hit On Him (I can see him being the target of those mean pranks where someone says ‘my friend likes you!!’ and the friend is like ‘eww!!’ :(((( ) he’s super hesitant for romance, lots of repressed stuff. gay but takes sooo long to realize it bc he thinks most women are conventionally pretty Aesthethically, feels obligated to Like Them, but has bad self esteem so never goes after them, then only likes (1) guy so hes like?? is this allowed?? is this allowed???? (HES LIKE. IN LOVE WITH SHIGARAKI)

Dabi: bi but rly hasn’t ever gotten to date anyone, so he’s actually more reserved about it and while he’ll tease, he absolutely is absent and kinda oblivious (again, I KNOWWWW bnha smash isnt canon, but. my god. when magne is hitting on him and he Just Doesnt Understand.) also hes ace

Tomura: doesn’t care. (just prob says ‘its whatever’) trans/nonbinary (i’M NOT PROJECTING, BUT. :’/) probably goes with like, the label queer if any but doesn’t care much for labels

Kurogiri: bi??? kind of??? I say kind of bc well, I hc U Know Whom as bi, I feel like thatd carry over but he’d be really avoidant to date anyone bc hes gotta Watch His Kid u know? this is gonna sound surprising but I think he’d be the type to be like ‘ok we can have a one night stand/fling BUT it cant get personal bc I have a Job to Do for my Son so don’t get up in your feelings’ and act a little coldly at first or very ..not personable... depending on who it was he’d prob turn around eventually, esp if that person valued his feelings/job :”)

Sako: that mans Not Straight. I hc him as gay and also trans :3c

Twice: Bi and HAS dated prob more than anyone else in the league imo, super comfortable with his sexuality and supportive of everyone else’s :)

ok that’s about all I can think of atm, come back in 5 minutes and my brain will refill with lov headcanons :3 thank you for asking!!

[46inpm]

MLQC Single Mom MC Headcanons

Hello! This is my first headcanon so bear with me if it’s out of wack. Idk if other accounts got my request but that was me.😅

How would the MLQC boys react to MC being a single mother? She never told them she has a 7yr son (we’ll call him Liam instead of “her son”). MC is still young since Liam was born from unfortunate events like rape (she loves her son to death). Also how would the leads try to to bond with Liam?

Victor

Victor overheard a conversation Goldman and MC were having about a guy.

“Did Liam like the shirt I gave him?”

“He loved it so much that he wanted to take pictures which wasn’t normal. The shirt made him look very mature!”

“Now you two can take professional photos.

Who was this guy “Liam”? Was MC seeing him? He wanted to try to sneak a question about it but it wasn’t his job place. They weren’t dating. He felt his heart begin to break.

One night Victor had come to her house to talk about work. MC could tell he sounded more dead inside than usual. When MC was going to get him a drink he saw a door open up. He did not expect a 7 yr. old to walk out asking for his Mommy. MC returned and surprised that Victor was looking around as if Liam didn’t belong here.

“He’s my son, Liam. Can you greet, Mr. Victor?”

“Hello, mister.”

“...Hello.”

MC explained to him that she had him at a very early age due to an unfortunate event that happened to her. It took a while for Victor to picture MC as a mom. He imagined that if he married her then Liam would be his son.

He loved the way MC was so caring about her son and how she would literally kill a person if they hurt him. Victor tried to bond with Liam by buying him gifts well... actually trying to get Liam to be quiet about telling his Mommy that big boss loves her. MC was a bit worried when Liam spent the weekend at Victor’s home when she went somewhere. Victor won’t admit but he felt very happy when Liam shyly asked his mom to give Victor a messy drawing of all three of them as a family. Check his desk drawer you’ll see it.

After MC and Victor get married...

“You aren’t my Grandpa.”

“Why would you think that? Am I really that old?”

“Last night I heard Mommy calling you Daddy over and over again.”

“When you see her before you go to bed I want you to tell her what you heard. It’ll traumatize her.”

“Okay! ...What’s ‘traumatize’?”

Lucien

He’s your neighbor so of course he would at least see MC taking her son out and hear him running around. When she asked him what to do with a problem when Liam go sick he came over to help out.

“So this is who I heard so much about. My name is Lucien.”

“I’m... Liam.”

Liam at first would be shy around Lucien because he reminds him of an evil fox in his Saturday cartoons. Lucien could tell that he was born from a terrible incident but has lived with love. He would watch MC practically brag about how great her son is. Lucien was confused of why he wants to watch over and protect Liam as he grows up. A few times Liam visited the orphanage with Lucien and got a bit jealous when the other kids were hogging his attention.

MC had a hard time putting her son to bed because he would try to explain what Lucien taught him. Her son thought Lucien was the coolest and smartest person which probably isn’t wrong. Liam even begged his mom to get him a science toy.

“Can Lucien live with us?”

“He lives next door. The only way he would live with us if something happened to his place or he joined the family.”

“You can marry him, can’t you? Or I’ll flood his house.”

Even Lucien learned new things from him. For once Lucien felt so much joy around MC and her son. He wanted to restart a life with just the three of them. It may seemed impossible so he enjoyed every second of it. Lucien dreamt about being there with MC when Liam graduated or even got married. He wanted to be the father Liam never had and hug the boy when he was sad. Liam is a strong boy he thought and would not let his family go down without a fight.

After MC and Lucien get married...

“Can I have a brother?”

“You want a sibling? Well I’ll get to work on it.”

“Really!”

“Yeah. You’ll be going to a sleepover soon, won’t you?”

Kiro

Kiro was looking for you on a set when he heard MC talking on the phone. He was surprised by the way her tone was and jealous of the man on the other end. Was he seeing MC? Why haven’t she mentioned having a boyfriend?!

“MC, I want to get to know you better. You mean a lot to me. What I’m trying to say is I would like to meet the person living with you...”

“You know about him?”

“Yeah.”

“Well come over and meet him.”

When Kiro knocked he could feel his heart race. Was this guy more handsome than him? Did he have more shared interests with MC? What would he do if they got married and started a family?! No matter what he wanted to still try and win MC’s heart.

When he came inside his legs were hugged by small arms. Kiro looked down to see a 7 yr. old boy resembling MC. He greeted the idol when many details about himself. This is Liam?! MC has a son?! Kiro was the most shocked out of all the boys. His worries melted away but wondered about the father.

“Where’s your Dad, Liam?”

“I don’t know who he is. Someone told me that he’s in a place where bad people go when they force people to do things they don’t want to do.”

Kiro loves Liam so much that he bought him a guitar or a keyboard or even a kazoo. MC would always worry what mischievous the two would get into. Liam is the one sneaking Kiro his snacks. Kiro would ask Liam about what he would do if he was his father and watch him grow up.

After MC and Kiro get married...

“Papa, I can’t sleep because it’s all your fault!”

“What did I do?”

“You keep make loud noises at night when you think I’m asleep!”

“I’m so, so, so sorry!”

Gavin

Gavin was the first to learn about this other than the police. He did his best to find the scumbag who did this. Once he found the man, gave the guy a good beating, and gave the police anonymous tips. After graduation Gavin always worried about how she dealt with the trauma.

“It took everything I had not to ripe that guy to shreds.”

When he reconnected with her she seemed different. More motherly like for some reason then he helped MC pick up her son. Gavin‘s heart dropped when he realized why she left school for months. He felt a bit strange around Liam at first but grown to want to protect him as well. He looked so much like that man but acted more like MC. She would carry him when he got tired and scold him when he was reckless.

“Are you my dad?”

“No, I’m not. Sorry, bud.”

“Can you be? I’m the only one in my class with out one. I saved all my Happy Father’s Day cards that I make at school.”

“I... would be happy to have them all.”

Liam and Gavin would eat at all their favorite spots. MC’s son was so innocent that bird cop would make sure all the kids at his school wouldn’t make fun of him. His heart leaped knowing Liam bragged that a police officer was his dad.

“I’m a big man now!”

“Really? Your Mom told me that you sleep in her room when you get scared.”

“The monsters make everything creak!”

“Don’t worry you still have time to grow.”

Gavin was so protected he always made sure when they walked on the sidewalk that Liam was closer to the stores than the road. He told him that when he needed help that Gavin was always there for him and his mommy.

After MC and Gavin get married...

“Dad, is Mommy feeling okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Last night I heard funny noises and banging on the walls. Does she need to stay home?”

“...Please forgive us.”

[jemej3m]

can you IMAGINE a school of rock au. Wymack as fake sub dewey, abby as the uptight principle, the foxes as a rebellious band of kids i-

ANON YOU ARE MY FAVOURITE PERSON HANDS DOWN HOLY FUCK

(the kids are all 13/14)

*

When one had miraculously ended up being mistaken as a substitute teacher for a bunch of mistreated prep-school kids, one could be honest and explain it as a case of mixed-up phone numbers. 

Or, as David Wymack had decided to do, one could just fucking roll with it. 

“Mr Wymack, what if someone hears us practising?” Danielle Wilds piped up. She was a damned good vocalist, even if she’d been belittled and degraded her whole life, leading to a detrimental loss of confidence. It wasn’t an uncommon story, but David was sure she’d excel with some encouragement.

“Don’t worry about that,” Little Matthew insisted, though he wasn’t really little: He was tall enough to fit into David’s bass guitar, even though he was barely 14. “Allison and I have been stealing egg-cartons from the kitchens. We’ll soundproof the walls!”

“Sir! Sir!” Nicky waved his hands enthusiastically. “Do you like my design? Do you?”

“I think it’s stupid.” Aaron complained. It was an orange and white fox, made out of sequins, with School of Rock blazened over it. The kids would all wear those t-shirts under their ridiculous school blazers when performing: David had to smile a little. 

“Looking great, Nicky. Are you helping, Aaron, or just complaining?” 

Aaron stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms, sinking lower into his chair. 

Allison was throwing a mild temper-tantrum. “I want a turn on the guitar, Kevin! Why do you suck?”

“I don’t suck, you suck.” Kevin retorted hotly. “Mr Wymack said I’m the second lead guitarist, not you. Aren’t you worried you’ll chip your nail polish?”

Allison flipped Kevin the bird with a pink-painted finger before stealing his guitar pick and leading him in a wild chase around the room. 

In the corner, the two most volatile children, Andrew and Renee, talked under their breath. Aaron, Andrew and Nicky were here purely on scholarships, and it definitely showed, though Andrew’s tardiness may have also been exacerbated by his lack of general care in his appearance or attitude. His drum sticks were second hand and looked as though they’d been chewed on, whilst Renee’s adoptive mother Stephanie had just bought her a new pair. They had exchanged them, examining them closely. 

Both were very good on the drum kit, and took turns with each song. It was cooperation from Andrew that David would have never expected, but he and Renee had seemed to come to an understanding.

Finally, there was Neil. He stood alone, nervous behind the keyboard. His little fingers repeated chords over and over, occasionally pulling his sleeves back down over his arms to hide the scattered scars and bruises. 

David didn’t know what to do about Neil. He wasn’t a real teacher: He had no right to interfere. But he was good on the piano: It was one of the few moments where joy seemed to spark in his eye, so David let him practise all that he liked. 

“Mr Wymack!” Dan hissed, looking towards the door. “Ms Winfield is coming!” 

There was a well-practised flurry of chaos: David tucked his shirt back in and straightened his tie, drawing some chords on the black-board and pulling out a ruler as a pointing stick. 

“… and so, class, that is why chord progressions - Ms Winfield. Hello. Can I help you?”

The principal of Palmetto Prep had her arms crossed, a mildly concerned frown scrawled across her mouth. “Step outside with me, Mr Wymack.”

“Dan, keep watch, will you?” He called, following the principal outside. They were a week away from auditions: If he came this close and then got caught, he’d never forgive himself for it. 

“Abby,” He crossed his arms, swinging onto his heels as she stopped outside the classroom door. “Is something wrong?”

“Shh!” She hissed, pointed a finger in his face. “In school you call me Ms Winfield or Abigail or nothing at all. And you most certainly do not mention the occurrences of -” She shuddered. “Sunday.”

David grinned. “I thought you enjoyed yourself, Ms Winfield.” 

She let out a disdained huff, blowing her fringe out of her eyes. “Besides the matter. Other classes have been hearing loud music from your classroom, David. Care to explain why you’d be causing such a ruckus? You are teaching a classical program, may I remind you.”

“You have heard the 1812 Overture, have you not, Abby? Not all classical music is dainty and quiet, though I’ll try my best to respect surrounding classrooms. My office is open after-hours if you hear more complaints.” He winked at her. She made a scathing noise, cheeks bright red. 

“If that’s all?” He inquired. 

She gave him a cursory look-over, crossed her arms and hmphed! “There will be no repeat of what occurred on the weekend, Mr Wymack. Don’t think you can step out of line because you’re good in bed.” 

“Of course not, Ms Winfield. Wouldn’t want such a scandal running rampant around your good school, would I?” 

She stomped away, muttering under her breath as her heels tip-tapped on the polished floorboards. She was stunningly dressed today too, not that David was looking. He let himself back into his classroom, where his students were waiting with baited breath. 

“We’re in the clear.” He promised. “Let’s ace this audition.” 

They all cheered. 

*

I can’t do a p2 ive got so many things to do so here’s a cute one-shot lmao

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/55126891

Chapter 6:

Nick started from his sleep, with the panic still pulsing through his veins. He had that disgusting smell of blood in his nose and the feeling that his hands were greasy. Rubbing them agains each other he made sure that they were dry,  but he still couldn’t fight the feeling that it was all very real. Pressing his hands against his forehead he listened to the maniac laughter that echoed in his mind and it made him very sick.

Joy. He needed his Joy now.

Seconds later he sat on his bed, all cramped and motionless and just waiting for the moment he got better. Joy helped him to sort his mind, but now it gave way to many more questions.

When he realized he was lying in his own bed again he wondered how he had been carried all this way back and forth. He wasn’t even sure if he actually walked all the way himself. His head was still foggy at that part. All he could remember was falling asleep at some point, after who knows how many hours of shaking in pain and crying in fear. 

Finally, he struggled to stand up and halfway out he found a piece of paper on his bed. That also happened with increasing regularity.

My dear Nick,

please forgive me the unpleasantness you had to endure during withdrawal. I hope you’ve learned your lesson, because I don’t want to be forced to use this method on you again.

Get well soon.

Yours

James

Nick felt like something hit him hard in the stomach. He let go of the note and it floated down on the ground while he realized what a shameful procedure it had been. And it could happen again if he didn’t get his shit together. But he kept failing. It seemed like all his efforts were to no avail. 

Devastated, he let his head sink into his hands and drowned in his thoughts, trying to fight the memories that feared and puzzled him. James came much closer to him than Nick had expected and he knew so much about him. He had found him, even though Nick hadn’t told him where he lived now. And he had carried him away and back again somehow. How many others worked for him? In fact, even if Nick knew the truth about James he wouldn’t have the chance to refuse him. He would find him.

Rubbing his eyes and turning his head Nick saw that his guitar was also lying in his bed and he asked himself what a show he had put on when he was high. One more glance and he saw the state of the entire room. It was basically nothing new, he thought while he walked around, eyeing the chaos. But that had been the whole point of moving here, right? If Virgil saw this…

Now Nick wondered how he could’ve been so foolish to believe it would help in some way. To believe that even Arthur could help him to get his shit together again. He shook his head in embarrassment and started to clean up, something he almost never did, but he also never had to hide the evidence before. Even though he probably chased Arthur away already, by revealing his true self and made sure that the other man never wanted to see him again. That was just how it turned out with everyone he met. They found out who he really was and fled him in horror, or disgust, or both. 

Nick stopped cleaning up because his view became too blurry to see anything. He let himself fall on the couch, shaking and sobbing. Why did he even bother? It always turned out the same way. Perhaps he would be better of dead.  At least an electrocution would’ve been a fast and painless ending. If only he wasn’t too coward to do it himself…

Arthur instead wasn’t sure why he returned to this living disaster once again. But he had a guess. Since he didn’t forget anything so easily anymore, he now was able to think about everything and everyone every time. Not quite a good feeling to get used to. Probably no one could imagine that it took him a lot of effort not to run into the next mood booth and say goodbye to all his worries. Maybe his Joy-free brain completely over-exaggerated everything, but especially Nick was sure to put himself in danger. Arthur told himself that he didn’t have to stay for a long time though, he could only peek in and vanish again. 

He came closer to Nick’s place and noticed that it was all silent. He hoped that was a good sign. But then he found Nick sunken down on the couch, similar to how he had seen him before in his house. This time however it was worse, Arthur noticed and froze hesitantly. He had been so quiet again that Nick didn’t hear him at all and he could see that he was shaken by uncontrollable sobs. Completely overwhelmed, he asked himself if he should stay and risk to turn this into an awkward situation or if he should leave and pretend he hadn’t seen any of this? But what if Nick was having a bad trip and was about to hurt himself? 

„Uh…Nick?“, he said not very wittily.

Nick looked up to him, with his reddened and shining wet eyes, like he was some kind of manifestation.

„Arthur“, he whispered in surprise. His voice was husky. Then he quickly turned his head and wiped away his tears.

„You’re still here…“

„Yes, uh…you weren’t there yesterday and I … just wanted to see if you’re ok. If you want some time alone I understand…“ 

„No, stay!“ Nick reached out for him, then he seemed to get second thoughts and sunk back down. 

„I can’t stand myself alone right now…“ 

Arthur walked closer and sat next to him on the couch, still unsure how he could even help him. 

„What’s wrong?“, he simply asked.

Nick sobbed again and spread his arms in a helpless gesture.

„I can’t do this anymore…Nick Lightbearer…that’s over. I’m out of energy and my head’s full of shit and I can’t stand myself anymore…“ 

He was interrupted by another sobbing fit while Arthur racked his brains to find something that could cheer him up.

„Don’t you still enjoy writing songs?“, he tried.

„Oh, Arthur, you sweet innocent flower, you! In the old days I did, yes! But now…it’s so much more…complicated…every song has to be the one…the one that brings me back…I just can’t keep this up anymore.“ 

Arthur looked around the place and got an idea of what was blocking him. All these golden records and trophies everywhere…as if he had produced nothing but smash hits. Perhaps he even did at the beginning, before it wore him out. 

„And if you imagined it to be like the old days? If you tried to forget the past for a moment?“

„Forget?“, Nick laughed bitterly. „No, it’s exactly like you said. I can’t forget some things, I can only forget all at once. And when I’m sober, my head is completely empty! I’m out of ideas! It’s over!“

Nick wrapped his arms around him and sobbed even more.

Arthur wondered if it could be just another whim of Nick, to be grieving deeply and it would be gone some time later. Still, he felt the urge to put his hand on the other man’s shoulder. He finally obeyed it, and soon he felt the soft cloth of Nick’s bright red jacket for the second time. But now Nick was awake. Arthur could feel him tremble, and the warmth that radiated from him. 

Nick felt the sudden touch and it sent a shiver down his spine. He turned his gaze to see if it was really Arthur who stroked his shoulder since he always seemed so unapproachable. It felt good to be close to him and it had been a long time since someone had given him this sort of attention. Even after everything he did, even though Arthur had all the right to abandon him he was still here and gave him a chance. Finally, his feelings took over him and he curled his fingers into Arthurs tight black suit and pulled the man closer, crying into his expensive cloth.

Arthur, who had been overwhelmed by this whole situation already, now froze completely and he needed some time to process what happened until he brought himself to pat the other man’s back. He was so close to Nick that he could now smell a fruity scent on him. A rather odd perfume, he thought. 

„You came here, because you hoped that it would change something,“ Arthur whispered into their silence.

Nick slightly loosened the grip and the other man was glad about it because his arms had started to hurt. Nick also straightened himself and backed away a few inches. Finally, he nodded.

„Damn naive I was…“, he muttered quietly.

Arthur put his hand back on Nick’s shoulder and gently squeezed it. The other man had to prevent himself from pressing his cheek against the warm hand.

„I don’t think it’s a bad idea,“ Arthur heard himself say and was immediately puzzled. Some minutes ago he still thought it was a horrible idea, too much of a risk and drawing attention. What was Nick doing with him, making him say such absurd things? 

Also Nick looked very surprised. And hopeful, as if he was hanging on Arthur’s every word. Just like when they first met. Arthur knew by now that there was something about him that made people set their trust onto him. They didn’t know how much he could disappoint them.

„It helps to change place…perhaps you should also…go outside? Undercover, I mean…and just…observe the town…maybe not too close though…but superficial…perhaps you even find something that inspires you?“

„Undercover?“. Nick winced. „That’s impossible! Everyone knows my face. I can’t walk on the streets anymore.“ He sighted deeply and bowed his head.

„But there must be something that inspired you,“ Arthur insisted, not willing to give up yet.

Nick seemed to ponder over it and his face started to lighten up a bit.

„Yes…Arthur, you’re right,“ he whispered. „I always had an inspiration, I simply forgot…“ 

The other man was glad that he had managed to say something helpful.

„And you think this works again?“, Nick asked him with an insecure tone and gave him this pleading look. 

„Well..why not trying it out? It’s a start after all…, i’d be surprised if you, of all people, can’t find back to your old shape,“ Arthur answered and, without thinking too much, gave him a playful punch against his shoulder.

Nick felt the impulse from Arthur’s fist and he liked how it ran through his body. 

„Thanks, Arthur,“ he sighted and came closer to him, looking at the folds he had left on the other man’s suit. „Thanks for staying here and listening to me…“ He lifted one hand and began to stroke Arthur’s shoulder and Arthur felt that the atmosphere was changing somehow and his heart started racing.

„Perhaps I’m not doing everything wrong…“ Nick purred and looked right into the beautiful brown eyes of the taller man before he made a decision.

Arthur watched him leaning forward and coming dangerously close to his face, before he jumped off the couch and took a few steps backwards.

„No hard feelings,“ he heard himself stutter for whatever reason and ran out of the room.

[spnfanficpond]

November 2019 Pond LiveChat Recap

We had a great time chatting with @tricia-16, today! Thank you so much for joining us and giving us your thoughts!

We had a great time today chatting about keeping characters true to what we’re used to seeing on screen, even when we’re writing them into an AU. How do you decide what traits are sacred and what you can or should change when you take our beloved boys out of the hunting life and into other worlds? A rundown of the chat, as well as general Pond new, is below the cut!

For those who don’t know her, Tricia is not (yet - I’m gonna work on her!) a member of the Pond, but she is a popular Destiel writer on AO3, and a force for good in the fandom on Twitter. Most of her stories are AUs, with a couple of canon stories, so she has experience in both types. Her current WIP is called Light Me Up, and it’s based around Dean and Cas discovering that Lisa had a child after a fateful night with the two of them. Lisa has recently passed, and gave joint custody of her son, Liam, to Dean and Cas together. The prequel, Why’s It Feel So Good? is simply hot, Hot, HOT, and shouldn’t be skipped! She updates every Monday, which helps to fight off the Garfield in all of us and make Mondays something to look forward to.

We started off talking about side characters.

Q: (@loudenswainfangirl​ (Michelle H.) How do you create that AU version when you don't have a lot of canon content to draw from? For instance, Donna. Canon gives us some in sight to her character but there is also a lot we don’t know. I've been working on a fic with Donna as the main and I'm having a difficult time putting my own interpretation on her. Inner thoughts, hang ups, struggles, that sort of thing.

Tricia: Michelle, I have no idea how you do that with the side characters who don't have a lot to go on. I think that's why in my stories they tend to focus more completely on Cas/Dean than the surrounding characters. I think in a lot of cases they end up more like an original character with a familiar character's face, in my head. If you're talking AU, I'd create almost an entire new character with Donna's personality. Write down how she grew up, her likes/dislikes, her personality flaws and strengths. You'll get an idea of who she is, which should help influence her dialogue and motivations behind why she acts how she does within the story.

Q: Have you gotten any backlash for side characters not sounding right or being OOC?

Tricia: I don't think many people read my stories for the side characters, so I haven't gotten a ton of feedback on them. I know people didn't like Charlie's big mouth in Start of Something Good, but I think she'd be super forward like that to try to help Dean so it didn't bother me.

Q: Which do you find easier, AU or canon?

Tricia: AU, without a doubt. And it's for the simple reason that I think there's more wiggle room when it comes to keeping them in character that way. While a lot of the big character traits will remain the same, there's wiggle room to change some things up depending on the world I create. A big one is family life. If Dean grew up with both parents in a loving home, I find it easy to believe he wouldn't be quite as emotionally unavailable as he is on the show, for example. @katehuntington​ (Kate): I get that, I can relate to that. I find both comfortable, but with AU’s I feel like I need to establish where I wanna go first, and then think how Dean (for instance) would get there and how it would affect him. AUs also create situation that wouldn’t be possible in canon, like certain side characters interacting with each other. That’s what I like about it. Michelle H.: That's what I love about AU, Tricia. Creating a different background opens up so many possibilities. An AU is, essentially, your world. I feel more people will be more critical and have higher expectations with canon based fic.

Q: What do you do when you're afraid you've maybe taken a character too far outside of their usual character?

Kate: Say their lines out loud if it’s dialogue, checking if I can hear that character say that. And it depends on the background. I’m honestly not worried that often. Guess with two or three betas on board who would tell me if it’s OOC, you build that kind of confidence. So what was said earlier: if Sam or Dean for instance grew up in a stable environment, they would respond differently than they would canon. @mrswhozeewhatsis​ (Mrs. Michelle): Betas help a LOT. Talking it out with other fans is HUGE, sometimes. (If you’re looking for a beta, check out this list of betas here!) Kate: Going over scenarios with people who know your story, your style, etc, is really helpful! Michelle H: You think so? Because that's what I want to do and have so far but I'm afraid of backlash. Mrs. Michelle: Never be afraid of backlash. If someone else doesn't like your interpretation, they don't have to read it. And if they're rude enough to comment, they're just RUDE. Michelle H: Good point. I guess because I write rare pairs I have so little exposure and I'm afraid to chase away those I do have. Tricia: If you can explain WHY your character is the way that she is (even within the story or outside of it in comments, etc) you shouldn't face much backlash. They might not like the choices you make, but that's on them, not you.

Q: What are the easiest and hardest parts of staying true to SPN characters when writing AUs for you?

Tricia: Easiest is the big things. Dean loves pie, drives his car, loves rock music. Sam's a nerd, Cas doesn't know much about pop culture/doesn't get a lot of jokes. Those are the things I feel should stay the same in any universe. (Imagine a world where Dean doesn't like his car? WHO IS HE?) Hardest is getting Dean to talk about his feelings. We know him to be closed off and anti-emotion, so to make him open up enough to fall in love while still remaining in character is always a struggle. That's why so many of my fics are from Dean's POV. Without access to his inner thoughts, he'd come across completely different than he does with them. Kate: Easiest parts for me is taking there personality traits, analyse where they come from and if you can, use those traits in favor of your story. Hardest part for me is when you wanna make certain changes for the sake of the AU, but feel like it’s not in character. That’s the hiccup I experience most. For instance (for the people who know Ride With Me) Dean on the show can’t really play guitar and his singing isn’t great either. For my country boy/cowboy AU, I added that, even though it’s not of significant importance to the story line. It just felt good. I go on gut feeling a lot personally.

Q: What changes to their character might you first consider when you're coming up with a new story line? Are there any traits that you immediately considering changing without question, and conversely, are there any traits that are sacred? For example, you've already discussed how Dean is different when he's had a stable family. Is that a common starting point for you, or does it depend on the story?

Tricia: This might seem like an obvious answer, but Dean and Cas's sexuality is always a big one. Do they know they're attracted to men when they meet? Are they purely attracted to men, bi, do they think they're straight? Dean "getting around" sexually is almost always part of my stories. I can't imagine a prude-ish version of Dean. Kate: For me Dean’s self worth (or the lack of it) and his kindness for the people who need it, are traits that I won’t ever let go of.

Q: Besides pie and Baby, are there any other traits of Dean and Cas that you feel are sacred and shouldn't be touched?

Tricia: Dean's fierce protectiveness of Sam is the first thing that comes to mind. I think I tend to write Cas as seeing Dean as almost... perfect. He refuses to give up on him, forgives him even when he shouldn't, and that's all based on who he is on the show, too. 

Q: Has there ever been a story line or story element that you've loved, but ultimately decided to ditch because it was too OOC, even for an AU?

Tricia: When I wrote Molting Expectations, there's a scene where Cas was basically going into "angel heat" and I actually wrote Dean giving into temptation and something physical happening between them when Cas clearly didn't know what he was asking for. And once I wrote it, I read it over, and immediately went, "Nope. Dean's stronger than that." And I ditched the whole scene.

Q: On those occasions where you wrote in canon, you obviously have to be more strict about changing things. How do you decide what's sacred and what can be shifted? Basically, what’s your barometer for “I’ve gone too far this time”?

Tricia: I think for me, it comes down to my interpretation of the characters. Some die hard fans would tell you that Dean is 100% straight and nothing can convince them otherwise. I believe there are moments of episodes that imply he's not 100% straight, so I feel justified in making that more explicit in my stories. Dean admitting he likes chick flicks makes me think maybe he's a bit softer inside than he wants to present a lot of the time, so I can almost exploit that about him in canon fic, for example. But more than anything, I think, it's the dialogue that I struggle with in canon fic, and after reading it back, it's a gut feeling. There's a lot of tweaking individual words, changing the way I make my characters talk to the way Dean/Cas actually talk. I do that by looking at transcripts of episodes. That's actually how I wrote Donna's dialogue in Light Me Up, even though it isn't canon, because I haven't written her character very much. I looked at the words she repeats in all of the episodes she's in to get a sense for how she spoke. I wrote a big love confession from Dean during Don't, and then scrapped it all because I couldn't see him actually saying that out loud. (And it frustrated me because it was SO GOOD and all things Dean was thinking, but I knew in my gut they were words he'd never say out loud.) Mrs. Michelle: I've noticed that the characters in this show we love really don't talk much. Any time I've written a long paragraph of one of TFW talking, I've always cut it down to a third of it. They rarely make speeches. @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish​ (Kaisha): Those are Winchesters for you, as few words as possible!  Tricia: They also use each other's names 100 times more than regular people in regular conversation! LOL Kate: I go on gut when it comes to taking a character too far. And also remember that it’s your story. If you believe that Dean or Sam would respond a certain way under these circumstances, then write it.

Q: Dean and smoking: In character or not? And why or why not?

Tricia: Smoking seems self-destructive enough (with the benefit of soothing nerves, or so I've heard) that I could see Dean smoking. The only reason I can think of why in canon it wouldn't be in character is because of the cost. Especially when the Winchesters didn't have the bunker, would Dean always have the money to buy a pack of smokes? I would guess probably not. Michelle H: I would think he'd rather use the funds for whiskey. Mrs. Michelle: I could see Dean stealing smokes. Like, back in the olden days when they weren’t kept locked up. Of course, the first time he got winded, and therefore injured by a monster, he might decide to quit.

To wrap up, we all kind of agreed that when we’re questioning if a character is OOC or not, we try to imagine the character in canon doing or saying what we’ve written and we go with our gut. If we’re still unsure, we ask friends and beta readers for help. As always, Betas make everything betta!!

Next month we’re going to talk about structuring long plots with @jhoomwrites​ on 12/7/19 at 5PM Eastern time! Mark your calendars!

General Pond Updates and Reminders

What we’ve got cooking up next: Not much, at the moment, since everyone is busy, so we’re just trying to keep up with the day-to-day at the moment! Our to do list is still long, though, and will not be neglected forever! Next up is organizing the tagging system on the blog to make it easier for readers to find the stories they’re interesting in and for writers to find the help they’re looking for!

Reminders:

Angel Fish Award nominations are accepted all month long! No need to wait to tell us how much you liked a fellow Fish’s work!  IF YOU HAVE SENT IN A NOMINATION, BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PRIVATE MESSAGE CONFIRMING WE RECEIVED IT, WE DIDN’T GET IT. Be sure to use Submit instead of Ask!

Don’t forget to submit your stories to be posted to the blog! When your stories are on the blog, then they are easier to nominate for Angel Fish Awards!

Say hi to October’s New Members! (If we missed someone, let us know!)

Check the Pond CALENDAR to see when Big Fish will be in the Skype chat room/discord general channel and other Pond and SPN events are happening! Know of something that’s not on the calendar, send us an ask or submission with the deets info details!  The calendar offers a lot of features, such as showing you when things are in your own timezone! Since we’re an international group, that’s a definite plus!! 

We’re looking for a guest speaker for January to talk about RPF! If you know of an RPF writer that you’d like to hear from, let us know!!

[darling-clemmy]

Here Comes the Sun (do do do do) (ClemxLouis Fanfic)

Summary: Nobody likes the rain, especially Clementine and AJ, so Louis decides to do what he does best to cheer them up.

Genre: fluff, comfort, angst

Word Count: 1,691 words

A/N: has this idea been written before? i really don’t know. anyway, it’s 3 am when i’m finishing this so i hope you guys enjoy!

Cold water rushed through the gutters of Ericson’s Academy for Troubled Youth after pit-patting against the damaged roof. It pooled out into the courtyard, creating murky oceans dividing the picnic benches, perfect for stomping a old, worn boot into. After all, that was practically all one could do outside after days of downpour, especially a five year old boy who got bored and lonesome quickly.

AJ always woke up earlier than Clem, even on nice days, even on days which were perfect. It was different on rainy days, though, like the past few ones. AJ would wait and wait and wait and it seemed like she was never getting up. He could draw dozens of pictures using Tenn’s old art supplies, take multiple laps around the school, and practice his reading and vocabulary all in the hours before Clem woke up. Even when others woke up, all he wanted was for her to. Still, he tried to brush it off as an effect of her being a teenager or her amputation.

He sat on a windowsill in the music room, wedged between a bookcase and Louis’ piano, swinging his legs to kick the wall. His cheek was leant against the cool pane, which seemingly blocked out everything but the sounds of water hitting it. Which, for the boy, sucked, as he hated the sound of rain. It wasn’t calming, nor exciting, as all it truly did was remind him of him and Clem’s time on the road before Ericson. It reminded him of hunger, of cold, of fear.

“Hey, little dude.”

Louis’ voice snaps AJ’s lulling eyes open and over to the doorway where he stood. Surprisingly, he wasn’t wearing his signature coat, meaning he probably just woke up. AJ grinned once he saw the older boy. Even if he wanted Clem awake, Louis was fun, too.

“Hi, Louis!” He exclaimed, straightening his posture against the glass. “Is Clem awake?”

Louis walked over and sat down at the wooden piano bench, staying silent for a few moments. “Not yet, buddy. She, uh, she isn’t feeling too good right now.”

AJ’s face immediately fell into a mixture of confusion and worriedness. “What? Is she sick?”

“No, AJ, she’s okay,” Louis chuckled before saying, “She’s just been feeling a little sad lately. I’m not really sure why, but maybe a visit from you would help her.”

“But what if she’d rather just sleep?”

“Instead of hanging out with you? You’re, like, the coolest guy I know. Of course she’d rather hang with you!” Louis comforted, playing a random array of notes after which sent the child into a fit of giggles.

“Okay, okay! I’ll go wake her up,” AJ gave in. “Later, can you show me some more card tricks? Ruby was asking when I was gonna’ learn more.”

“Of course, little dude. Come find me when you and Clem are done.”

AJ nodded eagerly, a newfound smile plastered on his face, before sprinting off into the hallway. Louis watched the boy leave, making sure he was out of sight. Then, he stood up to start the search for what he came in the music room to find in the first place. A ukulele.

What Louis had told AJ was true—Clem had been feeling sad lately, but Louis knew he couldn’t tell the child why. The previous night, Clem, after much convincing, had finally spoken out about the millions of thoughts running through her mind.

“I’m not a good person, Lou,” Clem had whimpered, meeting his dark eyes. “I know you don’t think so, but you haven’t known me that long.”

“Clem, what’re you even talking about?” He asked, dumbfoundedly, taking a seat close to her on the bed.

“I’ve made so many mistakes, gotten so many people I love killed. I just don’t know how I keep moving on.” Clementine explained. “I’m just tired.”

Louis looked down at the hunched over girl wrapped up in a thin blanket, totally confused at how she could think so low of herself. In his mind, she was perfect, a mix between serious and fun, strong-minded and forgiving, confident and humble. All that and being out-of-this-world gorgeous? He was lucky to even be in her presence, much less be her boyfriend.

He wrapped an arm around the front of her torso, bringing her close to his chest, and placing his spare hand on her back. His lips were pressed between her ear and jaw, making her shiver slightly.

“You aren’t broken, Clem. Or a bad person or evil or-or undeserving of love.” Louis told her gently into her curls. “I love you. And I cannot imagine how my life—how any of our lives—would be without you in it.”

All she does in response is nod her head before lifting up her chin and nuzzling into his neck, peppering small kisses along it.

If Louis didn’t know he was in love with that girl already, then the feeling of her heartbeats next to his would’ve definitely convinced him. And Louis knew that nobody he loved, especially Clementine, should feel worthless.

He still felt that the next morning, when something Clem had told him weeks ago came back to his mind, sparking an idea to make her feel better. She told him that when she was little, her father would always play Here Comes the Sun on the ukulele when she was sad. Sometimes, even if she wasn’t upset, she’d still request him to play it, and of course he did. Louis couldn’t resist the plan to mimic her father’s actions.

After some rummaging around stacks of books and inside drawers, he finally found the ukulele, not even the length of his arm.Of course, it wasn’t the prettiest ukulele out there. It was severely out of tune, but he was surprised the nylon strings had stayed in-tact through all those years. The wood was scratched and peeling, revealing the base underneath, but as long as it played, that was good enough.

Quickly, the boy got to work plucking and tuning, plucking and tuning, until it seemed correct based off of his meek memories of what the little guitar was supposed to sound like. Soon after, he started strumming, attempting to match his vocals to the chords. It was hard enough to play by ear, but to play by just remembering the song was a whole different experience.

Finally, after probably over an hour of just figuring out the notes and repeating them, Louis thought he was ready to perform for Clem, and probably AJ, too. He swiftly stood up and started heading down towards their room, listing through the lyrics in his head. Once he reached the door, he took a deep breath and knocked.

It swung open, revealing the little boy, who looked happier than he had the past few days combined.

“Louis!” He beamed. “Sorry, I forgot to come find you.”

“That’s alright. I had some important business to take care of.” Louis hinted, turning the ukulele in his palm for the boy to see.

Fascination twisted in his face. “What’s that?”

“Well, how ‘bout I show you?” He answered, not waiting for a reply before walking into the room, seeing his favorite girl sitting on the bed, surrounded by paper.

She was already staring at him, sporting a smile which didn’t quite seem wide enough. “Hey, I wondered where you went this morning.”

He strutted over to the bed, sitting down on it so far his back was touching the wall. He explained, “I was planning a surprise. For you.”

Clem’s dark eyebrows furrowed together at his words while her eyes darted from his face to the familiar instrument in his lap. “What is it?”

AJ joined them, sitting down at the open space next to Clementine, still confused as ever.

Louis smirked and prepared his fingers on the fretboard, getting ready to pluck the first melody.

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It’s alright

As he grew more comfortable in what he was doing, he glanced up at her to observe her reaction. Recognizing the song, she grinned.

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

Louis briefly winked at her after this verse, realizing the coincidence of this song also referring to her as “darling.” He noticed her light blushing.

Strumming along the now simple chords, he neared the end of the song.

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

It's all right

He belted out the last chorus, especially exaggerating the last line, needing Clementine to know that everything was going to be okay.

As soon as his finger pad left the strings and the noise faded out, he glanced up to meet her eyes. They appeared to be more golden than ever, until he realized it was because she was close to crying.

Clementine didn’t waste anymore time, pushing the instrument out of the way to tightly embrace the boy she loved. His hands quickly met her spine, his fingers tracing up and down. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, his nerves finally cooling.

She pulled back, wiping away at her tear-ridden eye bags. Her hand moved up to his jaw with her thumb locked under his chin. “That was beautiful, Lou. Thank you.”

She smiled as she leant forward and shyly kissed his lips. If AJ wasn’t right next to them, she would have been a lot more passionate with it. She felt him grin wider against her mouth.

“Anything for you, darling,” he whispered once she pulled away, faces still only inches apart.

Suddenly, yellow rays shined in between the thick planks of wood nailed to the window. The family of three all looked over, more than happy to be met with the sun for the first time in what had felt like a century. The beams gathered on the hardwood floor and heated up the room, as if burning away every pain from the past.

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.

[thequeenofadream]

Painting a Picture of Perfection (Brian May x Reader)

PART ONE | PART TWO

Summary: you, an up and coming artist, were in the park looking for some inspiration. you suddenly saw a curly haired guitarist and you were very much enlightened. 

Words: 2,762

Notes: swearing, veru fluff, freddie x mary, probably wrong timelines

A/N:  thinking of making this into a series cause i can imagine (Y/N) and Bri’s first date and etc! please tell me what you guys think <3

🖌 tagging: @obsessedwithrogertaylor @malekdarling @i-padfootblack-things

~~~~~~~~~

You were an art student at the Ealing Art College in 1970 and Your next assignment was to take inspiration from daily life, but nothing was really that interesting. You were sat on the grass in the park with your close friend and roommate, Mary, and the most ‘inspiring’ thing you had seen was a leaf falling off a tree. You sighed, not having clue what to do. Mary noticed your distress and put a hand on your shoulder.

“It’s fine (Y/N), maybe you’re just having some sort of artist’s block. I’m sure you’ll get over it”

You tried to fake a smile, but it was too obvious that you weren’t happy. You just did not see anything in particular that sparked a flame in you creativity. Everything just seemed monotonous and black and white. Mary stood up, giving you an empathetic look.

“I’ve gotta head to work, but you get home soon, okay?” She was sort of like your mother at some points. Reminding you that you’re a human and humans eat, sleep, socialize and so on. You just nodded, even though you know you’d probably lose track of time or wander about aimlessly.

She gives a knowing look, before heading off to the shop that she has worked in. You were alone now, and didn’t bother you that much. It gave you more room to think, but you couldn’t help but still feel empty.

It was that moment when a dark brown curly-haired man entered your vision. He was extremely tall and held a acoustic guitar in his hand. It seemed that he had just entered the park and was looking for a place to lounge about.

The sight of him intrigued you, so you decided to watch on.

He sat under the shade of a tree and started playing his guitar, experimenting with different notes. You could barely make out what he was playing since he wasn’t within close proximity of you, but from what you could hear, it sounded amazing. The chords he played came to life and told their own story. That spoke to you in more ways than you could count. It seemed that seeing someone divulge in their own artistic endeavors inspired you.

It was either that or you had caught feelings for the random stranger or quite possibly both.

The music was quickly drowned out by all the thoughts and ideas that came to your head. You sketched them down, trying your best to capture the essence of them before the moment passed. You had drawn him playing the guitar sitting under a tree, different stories and colours escaping from his guitar and into the sky. It was quite a sight to behold, you just needed to colour and shade it in.

You wanted to go up to the man and ask who he was, but when you looked up from your sketchbook he was gone. Your giant grin had faded into a small frown as you realized you missed your opportunity to talk to a cute, talented guy. You let out a deep exhale you didn’t even realise you were holding until this moment. You decided to go back to the flat and finish up the sketch.

“I’m home!”

You slammed the door shut and saw Freddie, Mary’s boyfriend, laying down on the couch with no Mary in sight. He was actually a classmate of yours in one of you classes, he thought you were great and vise-versa. He looked up at you, startled by your entrance. You just raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was up to now. He was fully clothed thought so that was nice.

“and what is Mr. Mercury doing here? Mary isn’t due till 5 o’clock.” You asked as he sat up straight giving you some room on the couch. You sat down beside him and placed your backpack on the floor next to the couch.  

“Thought I could get here early so we could leave together for my show, but I actually also wanted to talk to you.”

He said it proudly, feeling responsible for being early. You’ve never actually seen him perform so you thought about tagging along tonight. You’ve definitely have heard him sing but now with the band. Anyways, The plot has thickened. You wondered what he could possibly talk to you about, then again he usually just asked about class notes so it was probably no big deal. You let him continue.

“Could I see how your newest assignment going?”

His eyes lit up curiously, wondering what you had accomplished so far . Your face quickly turned beet red as your mind tried to rack up an excuse to why he most definitely could not. You couldn’t just saw you were inspired by a really cute stranger and drew him and didn’t even tell him. He quickly noticed this and it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Something interesting happen?” He asked eyeing the backpack you had left on the floor. You were quick to shake your head

“Uh no-It’s just-uh-no”

It was as if your mind had just shut down and you couldn’t say or do anything. You were frozen. Fred took this an opportunity to snatch the sketchbook in your bag and make a beeline to the bathroom. You were quickly snapped out of your trance and ran after him, but it was too late he had locked the door You knocked on the door furiously demanding him to let you in. You grabbed the closest thing to you and used it as a threat.

“FARROKH BULSARA I WILL STICK A CANDLE UP YOUR ASS.”

However Freddie knew you were far too nice to do so. He opened up your sketchbook to see a drawing of his bandmate, Brian May, under a tree playing the guitar. How curious he thought. Did you know that was Brian? Did you talk to him? Most importantly, did you develop a crush for the guitarist? He needed more details and gave into letting you in. He unlocked the door to see heat radiating off of you due to the anger and embarrassment.

“Give me that.”

You said taking it out of Freddie’s hand. You marched back to the living room and grunted as you sat back down, arms crossed. Freddie followed quietly and cautiously, thinking of how he could bring it up without pissing you off any further. He sat down on a recliner next to the couch, giving you some space.

“It’s really good.” He broke the silence with a compliment, hoping you’d forgive him. You took a deep breathe and decided to stop overreacting. You looked up and gave him a soft smile. “Thanks.” You said shyly, in contrast to the emotions you were displaying just earlier. He smiled back, happy that you had calmed down.

“So where’d you get the inspiration.”

You decided to just come clean. It wasn’t as if it were strange to talk about someone you had thought was cute. Mary talked about Freddie all the time, so you could surely talk about someone you developed the slightest crush on.

“I saw this guy in the park.” You started as Freddie leaned in closer, listening intently.

“He sat under a tree in the park and started playing some music which I thought was really nice. I got inspired and drew well.” You held up the sketch, feeling a little more confident. “Anyways, by the time I was done, I didn’t notice that he had left.” Your expression looking miserable as you remember you hadn’t even gotten his name. Fred then thought of plan to get two of his friends a date and watch you unravel at the sight of your mystery crush. He smirked at the thought, while you were still too flustered to notice.

“Don’t worry, (Y/N). You’ll probably see him again.”

Fast forward to an hour later, you were with Mary and Fred on your way to bar he was performing at tonight. It was about a five minute walk away so it wasn’t too bad. You slightly felt like the third wheel, but they did their best not to let you feel that way. You were coming up to the bar and you saw all the light from the bar practically gleaming off the windows. You thought they must have one hell of a set to get to perform here.

Fred stepped in first and held door open for you and Mary. You gave him a small curtsy and you both giggled at how formal you two were being. He led you two backstage to see a blonde, blue eyed drummer, a brunet bassist and-

“Oh no.”

You had let the words slip right out your mouth and everyone had heard. You went back your flustered state and wanted to hide in a bush. Freddie tried to keep in his laughter as he saw you go turn as red a tomato. You saw him out of the corner of your eye and you started regretting that you didn’t shove the candle up his ass.

“(Y/N), this is Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and last but not least, the charming Brian May.” Freddie smirked while pointing to the respectively. You had accidentally made direct eye contact with Brian and quickly looked away. He was so much more pretty up close. You couldn’t even look at Brian and just desperately tried to escape the situation. Mary sensed your discomfort; at times like this she knew just what to do.

“So-”

“(Y/N) and I are gonna head to the bathroom for a second, we’ll be right back.” Mary smiled apologetically. She linked arms with you and hurried down the hall into the bathroom. You just went along with it, seeing as you had no real other choice.  She closed the door and looked straight at you.

“Okay I know Roger’s hot and all, but-”

“No, no it’s not Roger.” You said awkwardly scratching the back of your head, not really knowing how to say this again. You explained the situation to her and she responded with an ‘Ohhhh.’ She felt bad, but she was trying to hold in laughter because of what Fred did, however it she could not hold it in any longer. She started laughing and all you could do was grunt like a child.

“It’s not funny.” You said crossing your arms for what felt like the hundredth time. She apologized in between laughs, but you were still mad. After the laughter had died down, she spoke up again.

“So you have a crush on Bri?”

“You could say so.” You finally admitted, smiling like a schoolgirl with a middle school crush. Mary let out a squeal as quietly as possible and you just rolled your eyes. “What am I gonna do?” You asked, feeling nervous to even step back outside.

“Just be you.” She said as she opened the door for you, gesturing you to leave.

“Hey, sorry for that, we’re back.” Mary said letting go of your arm. You looked around to see the once again, all with their instruments. You waved at them, no really feeling like talking as of the moment. Brian was the first to come up to you and hold out a hand.

“Hey (Y/N), I hope you’ll enjoy the set later.”

You nodded and took his hand shaking it gently. Him being there, already improved the set by a 100% so you didn’t see how it could go wrong. Roger and John had also introduced themselves to you before they head out onto the stage to perform. You all talked together, about your interest and such, but you were really hitting it off with Brian and you could not be any happier. Before you left, Bri told you that he’d see you in the crowd. You basically had a mental breakdown because you didn’t know if he meant you as a plural or a singular noun.

The show was great and you really felt their energy blowing the roof off the place. You felt like you were in an arena with thousands of people and Queen was at the center of it all. The way Freddie entranced the crowd was amazing, he could get them all to scream the lyrics at the top of their lungs. John was clearly great at the bass and he would also move around the stage, slightly. You could tell he was a tad shy, but desperately trying to break out of his shell. Roger was essentially a perfect drummer; You couldn’t tell how he had control over all of the rhythms, and how he had done the solo during ‘keep yourself alive’.

Last but not least, there was Brian. He was perfect. You could tell that music was truly his passion and that enchanted you beyond words. You tried not to stare for most of the time, but you couldn’t help it. He’d occasionally flash a wink or smile and you’d giggle. You just wanted him to kiss you softly under the light of a thousand suns; something so sweet yet so intense.

As the set came to an end, you met the four of them backstage to see they were already packing things up. You and Mary tried your best to bring them out into the van and you all finished up quicker. After that was all over, you all decided to go back inside for a round of drinks or two, all except Brian, because he was driving later on.

Sooner or later, you were left alone with Brian sitting on the stools, watching everyone else dance to some other music. You decided it was your time to be confident while you still had alcohol in you so you spoke up.

“I actually saw you earlier.” You said as he looked up at you, curious to hear what you had to say. “At the park, I think you were playing some songs.” You continued, waiting to hear what he’d say.

“Oh, why didn’t you come over?” He did remember seeing a pretty girl off in the distance at the park, but she seemed concentrated on something so he didn't bother. He wondered if that was you.

“Well, actually the tunes you played were so good that it inspired me to draw. I’m actually an art student like fred.” You confessed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders that would last only until his next question.

“What’d you draw?”

You contemplated whether exposing yourself or running away once again, then again running away was all you ever seemed to do. You decided you needed to step up and show him. Freddie said it was good after all. You hesitated for a moment, but then started rummaging through your bag to find it. You pulled it out and opened to the page you had been looking for. You handed it to him, awaiting his response.

Brian thought it was absolutely wonderful; he didn’t even imagine anyone could portray him a such. Although it looked unfinished, he was impressed by all the small details you had caught and how creative it was. You left him breathless.

“It’s not finished, bu-”

“No, yeah don’t worry it’s really wonderful. It’s brilliant.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off of it. You couldn’t help but smile at the ground, flattered by his compliments. Once he was done, he looked back up at you and handed you the book.

“It doesn’t come off as creepy, does it?”

“No, no. It’s magnificent. I wish I could draw half as good as you. You really are talented, (Y/N).”

And as if you thought you couldn’t blush any harder than all the previous times, Brian May had proved you wrong. You were much more than relieved to see that he loved it. It warmed your heart.

“Well, I wish I could play the guitar just as good as you, you inspired me after all.” You laughed, feeling confidence run through your veins. Bri now blushed, thinking about how he inspired you like that. He couldn’t believe he sparked that kind of passion in you.

“Forgive me for being a tad forward but maybe, I could inspire you a bit more next friday night?” He responded, leaving you starstruck. You didn’t actually think you’d get this far so you had no idea what to do other than to say yes, so you did.

“I’d love to Bri.” You smiled sweetly as you took his hands intertwining his with yours.

That was where it all started.

~~~~~~~~~

[imperiusv]

I - Oh, I just died in your arms tonight

I think it was during that damned pub crawl , that i first thought of you in that way, we were kinda organizing it, if i remember correctly, i was with all my gang and Dilara too and at the time i was into her, we were flirting back and forth , but i didn’t want to make a move on her, because i was insecure , that she won’t like the real me, being so fragile at the moment, I thought to myself i wouldn’t want anything like that to fuck me up even more, I needed more time to heal and develop, so yeah for the first time in my life, I ignored and rejected  someone who had more sexual  market value than me, it was really fun, as she wanted , but yeah that’s whole different story, so back to the pub crawl, I was with Dilara the whole evening, we even got tied up in that game, but the conversation was kinda boring and stale , so I quickly proceeded to get wasted, to make her more interesting, all my squad was there too, except for the germans and i think Key didn’t come,as they had gone to the one before. It was a really good night, before i got drunk as fuck, but that evening i noticed you and was the first time  me thinking that you are actually kinda cool and cute. Funny enough you introduced me to Baptiste that evening,strangely for a person that remembers everything, this is something i can not recall even to this day. Halloween was  quite a special day for me  on that day I finally came to accepted that  i had a crush on you . That’s why my ringtone for you was that ariana grande song you hated, focus, because I finally focused on you, that you are something special, a fucked up girl I thought I could fix and in fixing her, perhaps mend my own wounds and fix myself, never have I been so wrong. I did save you from the Pit, pulled you out at the cost or my very soul, you of course repaid me in kind , I traded my freedom and who I was for you. A mistake I will never forget or forgive myself for.  It was a really posh evening , you making my make up and stuff, me making dumb jokes, cuz i didn’t know how to act around you, it was all really cute, i didn’t even realize it at the time,when we went to Indie, we all had a good time, that turkish/french girl wanted to fuck both me and Timur, but he pussied out in the last second and we didn’t have a threesome that time , which sucked, cuz she was really hot that evening and probably things between us would have been different, imagine how something so small can change a lot of stuff down the line, everything has consequences that ripple in time and change your world. We went to shots after the party, I didn’t want to spend money in the centre, as i was already spending most of my cash on booze and other dumb shit, that winter semester i spend more than five thousand bucks on booze,parties and having fun, all the hard earned cash i got in Germany, also i prefer your company rather than being with the others, which worked out great , as we clicked and had always a good time when it was just us. We tried that stupid weird game as i wanted to challenge you to do something with me, but we were too wasted and the music was too loud to hear one another, funny thing that the entire evening the slovaks were stalking us and later she was complaining.  The next big episode was the famous couples party that we hosted together for sure, we arrived for our own party fucking wasted, as you even recorded in your diary, by that time i was already really hooked into you, after the traffic lights and Halloween party,  I remember at that bloody party , that i was looking so desperately for your match , the whole kissing thing - to find your famous partner ( Shrek and Fiona,Cleopatra and Mark Anthony) i invented for you, but unlike the next such party, i didn’t have full access nor control over the drawing of the numbers, the next one was rigged af, never told you that , but i hooked up more people than Cupidonis himself. Imagine my surprise when you kissed some stranger, it was disgusting, but my fault entirely. After that i saw you kissing Alfredo in the bathroom,my heart sunk and i went outside to drown my sorrows in the vodka bottle we had hidden in the bushes, thank God for Timur. The next couple of parties you didn’t come of course - the mustache and nerds/hipsters bullshit, there was this thing with Antonio and you blowing me off , cuz i was a dick, but who cares, btw i really wrote him last year out of desperation to reach out to you in some manner to see if you still care,the fact that he didn’t even bother to reply, proves what kinda of scumbag shitty slug he is - a disgusting spineless person and a liar, he never fucking came close to kissing Justyna , let alone banging her,what a sad joke that fat wanker was and still is! So yeah through malus I managed to get you to come to the preparty at Etienne’s place for the i think it was a bad taste party or some other shit. It was such a great evening, that you ruined or I ruined , idk who is to blame, me having feelings for you or you being a slut. The whole squad was present, even fucking Pierre came , it was glorious , a night full of booze, laughs and good times, until you decided to make out with Alfredo again in front of everybody and more especially me , even after i tried to stop it from happening, I remember you said that he kissed you and you didn’t want to. but i was too wasted to remember, so yeah i was rage incarnate, damn I had so much fucking anger in my during those months and the ones after, it was like I can’t even comprehend now how can someone be some enraged all the time,i was never calm , just a whirlwind of emotions , a tornado and a volcano in one, losing complete control over the slightest of mishaps happening , i really had no control over myself back then, but yeah  , praise the Emperor, that Timur saw what I was about to do and stopped me on time, or i was gonna make an even bigger fool out of my self , punching that smug Italian faggot in the face for something that was not his fault. I ended up with Dilara in Blackroom ,but she didn’t want to play second guitar and i wasn’t in the mood to even talk to her, so she went home with some guy and as I was drinking outside, minding my own business, trying to make sense of it all, guess who came crying. You were really upset and embraced me and cried,never felt so low as you told me why you were crying, i couldn’t hold it any on and added gasoline to the fire, by confessing my feelings for you, such a beta move that was, what was I thinking or drinking. Couple of days of drama and then came my birthday, to which you actually came and brought me a cake, it was one of the sweetest things someone has ever done for me,at that time we were already good friend and texting back and forth all the time , even before we were together we had around 500 000 messages between us, which i do not know how it’s even possible. But yeah the first birthday party, it was all good, until you pulled out a Victoria and vanished on me, again i was left with a thumb in my mouth, looking like a fool. The second Birthday party  was actually Timur, Ouriel and mine’s , we did it cuz we wanted to get wasted and i didn’t want to celebrate together with them, as my redneck friends didn’t like Erasmus people and Timur needed a reason to get wasted then and on the first of December which is his actually birthday, so  technically only Pussiel’s , but yeah whatever. It was  in Yavuz’s place you didn’t want to come , but we managed to get you there , you and your green umbrella - weeks of flirtations and tension building up to the event, finally shit was going down. The party was wild, around 40 people in a top floor flat , we had hit up a casino with Timur on the days prior and had won some good money , we bought so much booze and even a disco ball , also got some amateur DJ to play EDM. I was trying to avoid you, but then you  came to me and we started talking. Soon i went from golden to drunk, and being wasted, i let go of all the dumb things that held me back , like what would people say and how will everyone react i was finally brave enough . As i looked deep into your eyes , i remember how you  bit your lips and said this will ruin everything. And it did. I took your face into my hands and                                                    Ausculor we made out probably for a good two- three minutes. But at the same time it felt like eternity and few seconds, i couldn’t really tell, my dopamine and Oxytocin receptors were exploding Inside my brain, i felt like i was high, better than cocaine, booze or whatever, we connected, body mind and soul. Release. My knees were soft , i was euphoric , literally felt like the best thing ever. You just had kissed me. As i want to end up every story with something positive i will end  it here. The next one will continue right off the bat from this one and will cover up the next couple of months as they were crucial  for the whole story. It must’ve been something you said I just died in your arms tonight It must’ve been some kind of kiss I should’ve walked away, I should’ve walked away

[autobot-scout-riella]

Get To Know Me(me)

NAME: Christina, but if anyone ever actually calls me that online I’ll be stunned. Most people just call me Riella.

STAR SIGN: ..Quick, somebody tell me what star sign early August is.

HEIGHT: 5′1″ and a quarter. The quarter inch is important fight me

WHAT’S YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Danger. (Not actually.)

PUT YOUR YOUTUBE PLAYLIST ON SHUFFLE. WHAT ARE THE FIRST 6 SONGS THAT POPPED UP?

Based on shuffle from my music library, not youtube, because youtube would get nothing but history and mythology videos:

To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters - Pacific Rim OST

Shatter Me - Lindsey Stirling

Go - Pearl Jam

Taking a Stand - Captain America: The Winter Soldier OST

Rage and Serenity - X-Men: First Class OST

Waterfall Fight - Black Panther OST

(I listen to a lot of soundtracks.)

EVER HAD A POEM OR SONG WRITTEN ABOUT YOU? If I have, it’s news to me.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED AIR GUITAR? I don’t actually play air guitar? I could try, I guess, but I’ve never managed to make it feel at all natural.

WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH? I...don’t really do celebrity crushes, either.

WHAT’S A SOUND YOU HATE; SOUND YOU LOVE? Hate: Velcro. VELCRO. Even thinking about it draws a full-body cringe. Love: Purring cats.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS? Not really, but I haven’t taken a particularly strong position on it either way. It seems unlikely.

HOW ABOUT ALIENS? See above, with a slight tilt toward “it’s somewhat more plausible than ghosts for reasons of it’s a big-ass universe and there’s no way we can possibly say definitively”.

DO YOU DRIVE? Unfortunately, yes. If I lived somewhere with decent public transportation, I’d gladly stop.

IF SO, HAVE YOU EVER CRASHED? Well, I sideswiped a post once with the entire side of my car and it made a loud crash, but the car’s undamaged except for some dents and a streak of neon yellow paint, so...not other than that?

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? If comic books count, I read the first Lumberjanes volume (Beware the Kitten Holy--seriously, read it, that series is awesome) last night before bed. If they don’t, it was Rick Riordan’s The Throne of Fire on Monday.

DO YOU LIKE THE SMELL OF GASOLINE? I don’t dislike it, I guess?

WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU SAW? Captain Marvel, last Saturday.

WHAT’S THE WORST INJURY YOU’VE EVER HAD? It’s a toss-up between the torn Achilles tendon when I was eleven and the probable kneecap dislocation when I was twenty (pretty sure that’s what happened because it spontaneously dislocates every now and then now, but I didn’t actually see a doctor).

DO YOU HAVE ANY OBSESSIONS RIGHT NOW? SHARKS. THE ANSWER TO THIS WILL ALWAYS BE SHARKS. Also Transformers, I guess. And Avatar: The Last Airbender.

DO YOU TEND TO HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST PEOPLE WHO DID YOU WRONG? I would like to say that I don’t. Unfortunately, I remember literally everything, so stuff that the other person has totally forgotten years later, I still remember and still get a little twinge of bitterness when I think about it. Plus, I’m not great at forgiveness. So...yeah,  I kind of hold grudges. For the most part, they’re the benign kind--you stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours, and I won’t go out of my way to make you miserable or anything, just be chilly in conversation if we have to converse.

Except for one person, who I would happily take a full-scale scorched-earth approach to if I could get past the instinctive panic response on seeing women of the right height with that haircut. That’s a one-time real-life thing, though--I’ve never met anyone else, online or off, who went that far out of their way to destroy another person’s life, and I can’t imagine what kind of equivalent behavior it would take to create that level of grudge.

IN A RELATIONSHIP?

Nope, and happily so, thanks.

Tagged by: stolen from @radioactivibee​

Tagging: if you want it, consider yourself tagged

[writers-clique]

Heartless

This is a horror short story I wrote. It’s a bit inspired by the TV show You. If you like a bit of horror, stalker, creepiness or just enjoy reading short stories from time to time, this one’s for you. Happy reading >:)

Heartless

I have been waiting for five years to return it. The fist-sized box sitting neatly in the passenger seat next to me. Its intricate red bow matches the black leather of the container. I listen to the AC’s cacophonous rumble as I look at the endless road in front of me. Normally, I prefer to have silence during long journeys like these. I can ponder about life, the sheer cliché of how meaningless it is and how unimportant each person is, no matter what their mothers, teachers or other equally unimportant individuals have told them before. But alas, the scorching desert sun is too powerful for the little heart inside my box so I turn up the cold air and try to ignore it.

At this point, you may be wondering if you read that last line correctly or you may have missed that specific minor detail entirely, doesn’t matter. Jhona is the only one who has to see it, right there on his kitchen counter, in all its veiny glory. It will be splendid! Watching the color drain from his face the way Mia’s blood gushed onto the tiles. Oh, who’s Mia? She’s just the girl who stole my heart.

*********

Five years ago, a senior going into school for his last day—that’s when I met her. I was walking towards the main doors when they suddenly opened and hit me in the face.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Is your nose alright?” she said, covering her mouth and trying to hide a smile.

“Uh, yes. At least I think so.” I felt a bit of blood drip down my nostril onto my lip. It tasted delicious.

“You’re bleeding! I’m really sorry! Let me help you with that.” She snatched the books from my hands and, for a brief second, I felt her skin upon mine. Warm and tanned against my cold and pale arm.

She insisted on walking me to class, even though she didn’t have to. And whilst we walked, we talked. She turned out to be quite brilliant in ways I didn’t think someone at our school could be. She was into old literature, but wasn’t too picky, listened to good music and looked quite good as well. I knew her soul was bound to be interesting. And so, that same night after graduation, I went online and searched for “Mia Darlington”. And a darling she was. The whole of her Instagram and Tumblr was open for anyone to look at. I mean, it was like I had struck a golden mine of disposable information, all just a swipe and a tap away. That’s where I learned about a party that would be happening to celebrate the fact that half of these morons managed to scrape up enough IB points for a diploma of some sort, while the rest of us would actually succeed to some degree in life (pun intended). It would happen in a fortnight at Braden’s parents’ lake house. The whole thing would last for two days. After that she’d be mine.

In the fortnight that followed, Mia and I got closer than ever, which of course she didn’t know. I followed her around from a distance. She had quite the schedule. Guitar lessons, fitness, drawing, meditating. She had it all. Her bedroom window was conveniently positioned towards the road so my view from a bush across the street was perfect. By the time the party happened, I knew her better than she knew herself.

It had been three hours, fifty two minutes, twenty seven seconds and counting since the start of the party and she still had not arrived. I was growing rather impatient and, dare I say, worried. I decided to strike up a conversation with one of those buffoons who knew her, that way when she finally appeared, I’d have a head start for a conversation. I saw one of the guys from her Instagram. He was peculiar, but simple, one of these football goons. And yet, there he was, staring into his punch cup, looking depressed and out of place. Peculiar. I strategically placed myself near the refills and soon enough he approached. He filled the glass up to the rim with Jagermeister. Pathetic.

“Rough night?” I asked, mimicking his movements.

“Ha,” he took a swig of his drink, “you couldn’t have said that better.”

“Oh, really? Why so?”

“What do you care man? Who are you?” he drunkenly yelled and stumbled forward.

This would be harder than previously imagined. “Look, I’m sympathising with you. This party sucks.”

“It wouldn’t suck if . . . if she was here.” He whispered that last part, but I was closer than his drunk mind let him know.

Just then, his phone rang. The picture was of Mia, one I hadn’t seen before which was once more peculiar. I had gathered pretty much every picture of her, down to the ones she was too small to remember. At this point, he started muttering things to himself, obviously in no state to speak to her. That’s when the dots connected and I decided to use this particular lamentable moment of his to my benefit.

“Hi, who’s this?” I picked up the phone. I decided to play dumb and let her fall for me, believing it was her choice.

“Umm, I could ask you the same thing. Where’s Judah?” She didn’t sound pleased and the fact she didn’t recognize my voice admittedly hurt me.

“He- he’s having a bit of a rough night. It’s Adgar speaking by the way.”

“Adgar? Oh, wait aren’t you that guy I smacked into two weeks ago? I didn’t know you were friends with Judah.”

“Well, you don’t know a lot of things about me.” I thought that was a good line, so I made my voice husky at the end. I imagine that’s what James Bond would do.

She laughed. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“So umm, how come you’re not at the party?

“How did you know I was going there?” Suspicion slipped into her voice.

Crap, think Adgar, think you idiot.

“Oh, well Judah’s been crying that you haven’t come all night, so I figured you were going to come originally.” I tried to inject a smile into my voice the way some people do. It worked.

“He has? Well, doesn’t matter. I’m almost there so since you’re taking care of him I trust he’ll be OK.” She sounded distant and didn’t even let me reply before she hung up. That annoyed me.

I looked back for Judah, except he wasn’t there. Great, now I had to babysit a drunk blockhead instead of preparing for Mia. The plan was to find him and then tie him up somewhere in the woods where he wouldn’t cause any trouble. Finding him turned out to be easy. All I had to do was go for a leak, and there he was lying on the bathroom floor in his vomit.

Now how would I get him out without causing involuntary attention? The answer came from a shout of “CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!” downstairs. That’s right, his equally stupid drunk friends wouldn’t remember a thing either, and they were loyal to him, like a golden retriever to its owner. All I had to do was spin a little white lie about the “unimaginable awesomeness” of them pulling the “greatest trick” in party history - tying Judah to a tree whilst he’s unconscious. I mean, it was honestly laughable how easily they agreed. Good thing they were drunk.

It took three of them to carry him downstairs and into the forest. I mean, I didn’t even touched him. All of the evidence pointed to them. They were so wasted they didn’t notice me drifting back to the house, leaving them in the darkness.

By the time I came back, Mia was there. She was something to see. In her own world. Dancing along to whatever indie song they had put on, drink in one hand. She looked like she’d floated down straight from heaven. A beautiful gift just for me, all wrapped up in a tight red dress, beach curls slightly bobbing up and down.

Now the hardest part was approaching; I had to approach her. I decided to rip that bandaid straight off and just went for it. Confidence after all, is key.

“Hey, you’re the girl who smacked me in the face.” I tried the James Bond voice again.

“Hey, you’re the guy I smacked in the face.” She smiled.

Good, that’s good. Smiling is always a positive thing.

“Care for a refill?” I reached towards her cup.

“Yeah, sure.”

Like taking candy from a baby. People reading this, I’m going to give you a pro tip. Never. Ever. Give your glass to someone you don’t know at a party, bar or wherever. They may just put something funky in there. Sad thing really, she’ll never get to read this.

I had prepared an excuse just in case anyone was to give me trouble: “Oh she was just so tired, poor thing fell asleep.” But, as predicted, they were all too drunk and too self absorbed to notice. She was a bit heavy I must admit, heavier than I imagined. Of course, though, she fit perfectly into the trunk of my car. I was not staying for the remainder of this party and neither was she. What happened next was a two hour long, silence filled car ride in which every speed bump I hit I worried about her. I mean, I loved her. If she got even a single bruise, I swore not to forgive myself.

Once we had arrived home, I placed her in the basement where she would be staying until I knew that her love for me was eternal. I had already prepared the room: soundproof door, mattress, chains on the wall. I laid her down gently and put on her shackles, then I sat on a chair and waited. Waited for her to wake up and for our souls to connect, our love so powerful.

As you may have guessed already, that did not happen. What ended up happening was an intense conversation and double murder.

“Wh-where am I,” she muttered sitting up.

“You’re home,” I smiled. I wanted to reassure her.

“Home? I’m not home! You-you took me here! Why am I chained up? Somebody help, help!” She started screaming. Shaking. Tugging at the chains. Going rabid.

“Now, now. There’s no need for that. No one can hear you anyway.” The effect of my words didn’t convey what I wanted, as she didn’t calm down and become rational, but started throwing herself on the floor, sobbing and yelling harder than before. I decided to give her some time.

One day later, as predicted, she had calmed down. She was also starving and I used that to my advantage, as I did with many things. I brought her a plate of her favorite food - seafood paella - which I’d learned to make specifically for her. She took the plate and started gorging on the warm food. I found that curiously arousing.

“So you’re ready to talk like humans?” I tried a smile, but her cold stare disapproved.

“You’re no human! You’re an animal.” Rice grains fell out of her mouth as she yelled, and I couldn’t help but point out the irony by raising an eyebrow. Once more my humor was not appreciated.

“Let me go! What do you even want from me, you nutcase!?”

“I’m glad you asked me. See, Mia, darling, I love you, and I know that if you give me a chance, you’ll love me too.” I said that with what I thought was my most convincing and confident smile, and yet her eyes widened and her eyebrows formed an angry looking V on her usually beautiful face, turning it into something quite displeasing.

“I. Will. Never. Ever. Love. You!” She threw the plate at the wall, smashing it. The meal splattered on the ground.

“I don’t think I like your tone.”

“I don’t care what you like! I hate you! I only love Judah!”

“Silence! I will NOT let myself believe these lies you are utterring!”

“They’re not lies! I will never love you. Judah is the only person I’ve ever truly loved.”

There it was. The first murder. She plunged deep with her nails into my chest and stole my heart. Devoured it even! For the next several days, she tried everything to escape and I tried meaninglessly to make her mine, but she would not have it. And on top of that, her phone would not stop buzzing with messages from her family, friends and, irritably, Judah. I was losing hope as all she would talk about was Judah. That’s when I finally realized she had destroyed my heart, absolutely pulverized it. No more of that. An eye for an eye, a heart for a heart.

I think she knew the end was coming the moment I walked into the basement. The dark gloves probably gave my intentions away. I decided I didn’t wish to waste any more of my time. I advanced towards her, wordlessly. Silence was the way I liked to do these things. Just like a car ride, slow and enjoyable. She once again started one of her intense screaming sessions. A wailing, powerless shriek. Left on the front door of Mr. Death. At his mercy.

I smacked her into unconsciousness and dragged her towards the bathroom. No blood would be spilled in my basement. Once in the bathroom I decided on a barbaric sort of death for her, the way she killed my heart. I gently opened the toilet lid and placed her head on the seat. What followed was an intense upper body workout resulting in a broken toilet lid and smashed skull. I sprinkled the little bone fragments into the toilet bowl and flushed. I had decided on selling what was left of her on the dark web.  Everything except her heart. You see I needed it. Heart transplants aren’t cheap and since she was the one who’d stolen mine it was only fair she gave one back.

So now that you’re all caught up, let’s go back to present times. I have recently met a girl, even better than Mia. She’s given me back my heart in ways I could never have imagined. We met a week ago. She dropped her purse and I gave it back to her. Her knight in shining armor. I love her. I no longer need Mia’s heart, but I know someone who does.

Coincidentally, once people knew Mia was not coming back, Judah fell into depression. Or at least that’s the theory. Supposedly, he got back from the party, but he didn’t really get back. He left poor innocent Judah behind. He was going to be a football player at some top university but now he spends his days drinking away whatever life is left inside of him and scaring the kids in our little old town.

So I’m giving him a present. Something he’ll cherish and remember forever.

I hope you appreciate this, Judah. I know how much you loved her with all your dying heart.

Love, Adgar.

[kindabraveandlittlestupid]

Gamer Girls are kind of amazing. I mean am not saying all girl NEED to be gamers and it's far from a deal breaker for a relationship but having a Player 2 in the household is kind of amazing. I want to come home from work and find a pizza on the table and cutie with a booty sitting on the sofa in PJ’s waiting for me to join her in a game for a bit. Of course, the option of making it Netflix Night or something else is also welcome but I have been (for my whole life) a gamer since the original Sega system up to my custom built PC I use now. And I want to share that with her.

So for all you Game Girls and Wonderful Girlfriends who are willing to try new things to make your lover happy (or reverse relationships where your a Gamer Girl trying to get your Boyfriend or Girlfriend into games). I present you my Co-Op Date Night Video Game List.

Enjoy.

A Way Out

I admit I have not yet played this game but it looks damn good and reminds me a fair amount of Splinter Cell which appeals to me. From what I have seen the voice acting and graphics are on par with Grand Theft Auto and the gameplay seems very clean. Nothing like working together to break out of prison to bring us closer.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ? ? ? ? ? (No idea how hard this will be)

Diablo 1, 2, & 3

The Diablo series has always been a pretty basic point and click approach with spells on the hotkeys and some minor inventory management. As the games went on more playable characters unlocked with each new game. This game would be a fun side by side experience with two PC’s playing as a male and female character out to kill the Devil himself. 

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★★★☆☆ (Gotta teach the hotkey basics)

Don’t Starve Together

The second game on the list I have yet to play. The animation reminds me of something from Tim Burton meeting Invader Zim. Despite the strangely clever art style, I like the concept of the game of running around resourcing to stay alive. This kind of co-op experience is about carrying your weight and working together.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ? ? ? ? ? (I won't ever let you go hungry before me)

Fortnite

I was playing Save the World setting of the game long before most players were hearing about the soon to be released PUBG. I don't know if that makes me cool or incredibly nerdy but probably both. This game is full of action and I prefer the build mode of the other Save the World Game mode which is where I would want to take you. Gathing supplies building a base, fighting a horde of zombies and winning.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★★★☆☆ (I’m not always ahead of the trends but when I do it was Fortnite)

Guitar Hero and Rock Band

An oldy but a goody! Guitar Hero and Rock Band both brought the concert into the family room. I loved those first games but really lost interest fast once the microtransactions pretty much dominated the last couple of games. Nothing like ruining a game by demanding another dollar for a song you like. Regardless of those failings, I would love to find another guitar and mic for us to play together. Don’t worry if you can't sing I can play bass and you can take lead. Slapping the bass man!

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★★★☆☆ (P.S. Don’t let me drum)

Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm is kind of a Blizzard grab bag exploring the DOTA setting. I can't imagine us playing this long term unless we REALLY get into the game and spend some pay to play cash to unlock some characters for her early on. I met a few girls in my life who played games like this and all of them have been amazing people, I hope to do this with my S.O. in the future.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (A bit more skill based but still very much friendly to new players)

Keep Talking Nobody Explodes

The only VR game on the list but a fun one that requires for two people to work together to defuse a bomb. The first person gets a binder full of paper to read off of and the other has the VR goggles on with the remotes waiting to defuse the bomb. I imagine if you’re really shit communicator this might be a hard game to play but then again it can help you work on that, can’t it?

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (I hope we have good communication skills)

Left 4 Dead 1 & 2

Simple enough to learn and control, the hard part is knowing when to save my ass from a smoker drag or engaging the zombies in an effective way that we don't get punched to death. There is always one female character to play as so you won’t ever be without a lady to play as unless you’re one of those weird girls who likes Ellis. I don’t get it.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Get to the Chopper!)

Lego Games

Far from challenging collection, Lego Games are known to be kid-friendly. Kid-friendly also means new gamer girlfriend friendly. I don’t mind getting silly with lego games to get you into gaming in general. Thus it sits on this list!

NOTE: Got tons of options like Jurassic Park, Batman, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Pirates of Caribbean, and more...

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Silly rabbit Legos are for kids!)

Life is Strange

Apparently, this game is amazing and it operates like Telltale Games where choices matter. From my understanding, if you like Riverdale then this sort of plot is right up your alley, which is great for young women who love that show. I am more of a Sabrina fan myself but you do you.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ? ? ? ? ? (As seen on Tumblr!)

Mariokart

Mariokart is a game that can ruin relationships. I imagine I might sleep on the sofa if you blue turtle shell me at the end of the tace and your butt is something far lower then second place. I personally prefer the arena battles with the balloons but I am simply old school like that when I still had a third arm from my chest for the N64 console. 

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (I hope we have good communication skills)

Minecraft

Minecraft and the Sims are the only two games you can play without the other person being there and that being perfectly ok. I mean Sims you have to with it being single player but if you had an afternoon on Minecraft without me I wouldn't be angry with the progress you made. It really is a relaxing game unless you’re out at night and hear a sudden his sound that blows out the wall of your house.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Thop Thop Thop Thop Pop)

Overcooked 1 & 2

Overcooked is an insanely fun game about cooking. It requires people to follow instructions and get into a flow of handling jobs in the kitchen. If done right it can be a really rewarding experience. If done wrong... well people start getting loud with one another.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Why didn’t anyone wash the dishes?!)

Overwatch

This would be interesting, I know the female gamer community is growing and certain games have a draw. I pleasantly surprised that there seems to be a large number of gamer girls who enjoy Overwatch or maybe I am projecting the cosplay community. Either way, I want to be your Solider 76 and have you be my healer keeping me upright and fighting. Maybe I will dress up as your favorite male character later. *wink*

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Tracer has a nice butt, there I said it)

Payday 1 & 2

Payday is a pretty forgiving game in the sense that the bank robbers are pretty much bullet sponges who are kind of hard to kill. The real fun is taking a bank without anyone knowing that we are doing it. With some fun female characters to play as I think we can have a good old time taking hostages and emptying vaults out together.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Gonna steal you some diamonds)

Portal 2

Portal is 1 part first-person shooter, 1 part logic puzzles and 1 part rewiring your brain to think in Portals. The game isn't very high stress but does require some skill for the later levels and some experience with first-person controls. I would save this game last for this list to make sure we are on par for our skillset to handle the struggle that is Portal 2.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Teamwork makes the dream work)

Resident Evil 5 and Later

This game isn't really hard as it is the controls are kind of crap. The stand and shoot principal of Resident Evil really brought down the quality of the early games like the camera angles. That said it was an early co-op with the kinda cute interracial duo that makes you think (they be a hot couple). I kinda want to revisit this game along with some of the other later games and play with my lover once she is comfy enough playing video games with me.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (I got your back honey)

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a really simple looking game that is surprisingly good by keeping you busy with well... busy work. One improvement to the game was the Multiplayer Update/Beta that allowed 2 people to work on a farm together. I really love the idea of building a home with my SO and playing side by side for an hour or so every day making our lives a little better, well in a digital sense.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Lets farm together boo)

State of Decay 2

We need to be ready for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. This game allows us to build our own survivor and explore a town, house by house raiding for supplies like ammunition, medicine, food, and so on. I think a little teamwork goes a long way in making us grow closer don’t you think?

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (All about survival)

Super Smash Bros.

Anyone who knows me I have issues with Mario despite the fact he made this list twice. Super Smash Bros. gets a seat on this list mostly because of how user-friendly the game is and how fun 4 player co-op can be. I mean... if we were swingers on Date Night that fills the other two spots but since it's you and me we can smash all night long just the two of us.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ★ ☆ ☆☆ (Great ‘Party Game’ and fun for ‘Button Smashers’)

Telltale Games

Pretty much story time for couples where we sit down with some popcorn and take turns doing some minor walk around with characters and making quick story-altering choices together. Imagine the excited screams as we aren't sure which option to pick while playing the Walking Dead! There are so many Telltale Titles to consider playing from Game of Thrones, TWD, Batman, Guardians of The Galaxy, Fables, and Back to the Future so we wont be bored anytime soon.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆☆ (Stress might spike for tough story choices)

The Sims

The Sims have been around since the late 90′s and captured the imagination of boys and girls across the country alike. While the game is not a ‘co-op’ per say managing a family together on one PC is doable and can be kind of rewarding. I just hope she doesn't remove the ladder by the pool and down my virtual avatar.

Learning Curb for Significant Other ★ ☆ ☆ ☆☆ (Real Simple Stuff Here)

Honorable Mentions

Far Cry 5 - Not the best game but still gives us an open world to discover. Advanced players only.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands - Another open world game to fight the drug cartels. You can create a pretty cute female on this game too.

The Division - Do I have something against open world games? No just Ubisoft games that may be too hard for a new gamer to play.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist - Fuck I miss these games. Splinter Cell was the perfect Co-op Stealth game. We will revisit this one if we burn through the list.

Fable 3 - Chicken Chaser? Do you chase chickens? Fable was a memorable game but way to limited for the years it was being produced. I want to revisit this series soon.

Fallout 76 - Still pretty fresh but still Co-Op able. I have mixed feelings on the game but the character customization might be good for making ourselves in game.

Starcraft 2 - This game has a co-op hero mod perfect for building bases and completing missions. The learning curve is higher for strategy games but it makes the list for fun co-op.

Wrap Up

I scribbled most of these games down myself but when I decided to see what other games couples played, I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the games I wrote were also on their lists. I did cannibalize a few other online lists (such as Resident Evil 5, A Way Out and Don’t Starve Together) but most of my content was original thoughts on my end that other people also saw the potential in (honest to god it was the Overcooked game that inspired me to write this). I like to keep this post as a reminder to myself of what I want to do with my girlfriend or maybe one day my kids (assuming they want to be my player 2 and kill some zombies with their old man). Either way I can't wait to do either and I missed anything that you think should be on this list let me know.

As always thanks for reading.

Regards, Michael California