#also there’s a video tape of a guy who snuck

[scretladyspider]

catocinephiles

the paris catacombs are 1000x more fucked up than i imagined

[smoothies-are-cool]

moth to a flame

chris sturniolo x reader w boyfriend

summary: reader has a boyfriend but can’t get enough of chris.

warnings: cheating, masturbating, swearing, pet names (baby, mama, sweetheart), mentions of y/n.

a/n: i don’t condone cheating !! also someone has probably written a story like this but i have never seen one. if it has been written please lmk who fhe original creator was !! ALSOOO this is the closest i will to get writing “smut” 💋💋

“y/n he’s so good for you.”

“he’s a good one, maybe even the one.”

“make sure you keep him.”

“he’s what you’ve been looking for!”

they were all right.

except for the last one.

drew was a really great guy, and he was a really great boyfriend.

but he just wasn’t what i was looking for.

“i’m not doing this with you right now.” i tell drew, throwing my hands in the air as i walk away from him.

“fine, goodnight.” he sighs, walking into our shared bedroom. i walk downstairs and sit on the couch, turning on netflix.

as i’m watching my movie i’m also scrolling through instagram because i can’t focus on just the movie.

after a while of scrolling, i suddenly come across a new post from chris. my breath hitches. he looks good.

chris sturniolo. we met at the party of one of my influencer friends about 7 months ago. me and chris had hooked up a few times before my relationship with drew but we had stopped when me and drew started talking. one night we were both really high and ended up having sex. we’ve snuck around a couple times and i feel guilty, but no one makes me feel the same as chris.

i can’t help the new feeling that comes into my stomach and i can feel my arousal pool in my underwear.

i sit there for a few seconds, waiting to hear drew’s very loud snoring, indicating that he’s asleep. i hear it and stand up, walking towards the guest bedroom that was on the same floor as me. i make sure to lock the door behind me and then make my way towards the bed. crawling into it, it open the bedside table drawer and pull out my vibrator. as i’m pulling my pajama shorts down i’m also unlocking the hidden album in my phone.

it’s filled with sex tapes and pictures of me and chris from over the past few months. i turn on the vibrator, gasping as i circle it on my clit.

7 minutes later

as i’m chasing my orgasm, my phone rings loudly. i gasp, not expecting it.

i sigh when i realize it’s chris. i turn off my vibrator and answer his call.

“hi chris, i was just thinkin’ about you.” i say softly, still trying to catch my breath from my previous activities.

“hey baby. what were you thinking about?” he asks, and my eyes go wide as i hold in my giggle.

“oh just things.” i shrug even though he can’t see me.

“oh yeah?” he says and i nearly scream.

“mhm. drew is asleep, we were fighting earlier.” i tell him.

“about what, mama?” he asks softly.

“he was mad i didn’t make him dinner.” i say.

“well that’s fucking stupid.” chris says, attitude in his voice.

“yeah i don’t know.” i shrug. we’re both quiet for a moment.

“i was watching one of our videos.” i admit, biting my lip in anticipation.

“yeah? which one?” chris asks. i could tell he was smirking.

“what if i come over and show you?” i flirt.

“you’re always welcome to come over baby. you know this.” he tells me and i smile.

“i’ll be over soon.” i hang up the phone and rush out of bed, pulling my shorts back up.

a/n: nobody knows how awkward i felt writing this. there will be no part 2 and i hate this

[boltnsmoved1]

hi read for new canon info <3

THE EP: how it started

basketball star, on top of the world in his little high school, practically king of his world. he's practically living on a pedestal that he's never sure how he managed to get himself on, or who put him there: the school or himself.

but as all of this is going on, he's come to a realization years earlier when he and his friends snuck out to see a concert for a local band who were seniors in his high school — his love for the music they were playing, the hard crunches of the guitars, the realness of the vocals in the microphone, the way that everyone seemed enthralled with them on the stage, the way troy himself was also enthralled; he knew then he wanted to feel every part of what these guys did.

he begged the guitarist later that week at school to teach him how to play too. there's surprise when he does — troy might only have been 14 at this point, but everyone knew that his calling was the school's star athlete, and why would he want to do anything else? but after a week or so of pestering and the older kid gave in, giving troy weekly lessons after basketball practices, teaching him some different songs that he could sing along with too. it lasted until graduation, when that band of boys packed their things up to see what fame or fortune they could find. before they left, troy's new friend gave him a parting gift, the old guitar he used when he was getting into playing, and troy took it happily.

lucky for him, troys parents are more open to his other interests than people give them credit for; when troy wants to keep up music lessons, they're fine with it all, only for the promise of no failing grades or skipped basketball practices. and troy, for the most part, keeps his promise (don't ask him about his final math grade though!), and by junior year of high school, he convinced his friends into starting his own little band with him; and then the wildcats were formed, just a bunch of boys having fun in each others basements and finding out how much they enjoyed the music they were making.

fast forward to the end of his senior year, and troy knows that his heart lies more with his music than anything else. he knows his parents want him to get that basketball scholarship, and really he doesn't mind it, but when he sees the battle of the bands poster taped to his door a few months after graduation, he knew this was his chance.

THE FIRST ALBUM: side a

battle of the bands went better than he could imagine. one band, of the dozens who flew in to perform, would get a chance to make an album and go on a tour — and what happened after that relied on the talent. but the chance to make dreams come true, its enough for troy and his friends to give it their all.

the meet fellow (and rival) band the horizon nears at the competition, becoming fast friends with their singer, gabriella; their connection immediately obvious to everyone there. and by chance, after a moment of performing together on stage, last minute and maybe unprecedented, one of the judges and a music manager, daniel, saw the potential in both groups, agreeing to let the competition ends in a tie this one time, only if the two groups toured together, almost acting like two units in one.

and really, who would say no to this chance?

the boys release their first album, now or never, a few months after the competition, a short album made up mostly of covers at the time, but nothing dampens their excitement. daniel promises jack and lucille that their son is in good hands, and at 19, troy hits the road with his band and his new friends.

the tour starts well, their album gets moderate success, their lead single is popular enough for them to start filming a video during breaks between shows, and for troy, he finds himself in love, with many things.

he's on top of the world, and he doesn't see the bottom falling out.

THE FIRST ALBUM: side b

being on the road, trying to be a rockstar, its like that pedestal he was on in school, only much higher up. the fall he always feared looking a lot worse than before. there's a lot of expectations for who troy should be, could be, whether its from fans or media; and not being home surrounded by people who really knew him, keeping him grounded, it had its impact, and his friends are busy with their own excitment and worlds to see how troys ego starts getting bigger than the stage that they're on.

but with an ego that big, its easy to bruise — and when it gets too bruised, its the fear that he won't be good enough for everyone else; that he can't be everything he needs them to be. so he grows cold around others, reactionary when confronted, resentful to things he decides are criticisms; a usually kind-hearted boy turning into someone who learns to try and hurt someone when he's hurting too.

his attitude problem becomes known pretty well, and there's times he almost feels egged on; whether its from comments talking about him being the perfect pretty face for his music videos, or questions on his failed relationship, hes quick to lose who he really is, seen as someone else by everyone else, and all he knows to do is be what everyone wants him to be.

he leaves the tour mostly angry, a little tired, and very lost on where to go next.

THE LP: how it is now

it doesn't take long for that angry little boy who was on tour to get reminded who he really is — its a few months home when his own parents tell him that if he wants to keep up this persona, he can do it when he gets out of their house. its a crash that wakes him up to how much he was actually just confused and scared, enough to show him his nearly burnt bridges with everyone he cared about.

he takes a few months off to find himself and home again, writing new music that was different from the angry ones he debuted at shows, and a little over a year after the first tour ended, the wildcats throw out their second album, TBA (actual name), and start to prepare for their next tour to promote it.

[frankenhookersmonster]

fictober day five - praise

warnings - 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, smut x afab!reader (p in v, oral - both recieving), praise

word count - 814

fictober masterlist - masterlist

twitter - ko-fi

got something to say? a request or concept? speak!!!

a/n - all of my boys in the same place. also i’m probably gonna extend that steve blurb into a full fic i can’t help myself

Frank loves to praise you. You’re good for him, maybe one of the only really good things in his life, and he makes sure to tell you that. Some nights you’d cook for him, it wasn’t all of the time and you were a busy person, but sometimes when you felt like it you’d make a nice dinner for him. It would be late, too, when he got home, and he’d find you in the kitchen plating a meal for the two of you. Even if you weren’t the best cook or if the things you made were repetitive, he always appreciated it and never complained. “Looks amazing, sweetheart.” You wouldn’t even notice him as he snuck behind you, snaking an arm around you and kissing your scalp. “Bet it’s delicious, love it when you cook for me.”

He’d thank you thoroughly, through dinner and again after, when you were naked underneath him. “You’re always so good to me.” He was fucking you fast, hitting the deepest points inside of you, and he knew that you couldn’t say much apart from your blubbering and whining, so Frank did most of the talking. “I don’t deserve you, fuck baby. Ain’t no one like you.”

Matt likes to get you flustered. When you were first starting to date, he tested the waters, saw what made you stutter. From his research he realized that encouragement made you extremely sheepish. It was always little things, like when you’d come home from work with a promotion, he held your hand and practically whispered “I’m so proud of you.” You’d smile, mumble a thank you and scratch your head. He could feel how fast your heart was beating and how warm your skin was. 

He’s a dominant guy, and he loves it when you’re on your knees for him. Matt’s hand on your cheek, swearing he can feel the bulge of his cock through the skin. You were moaning against it, trying to take it deeper into your throat. “That’s it, you’ve got it.” Ever so gently, Matt pushed your head closer to him, thumb still rubbing your face as a tear fell down. “Good job. Gonna make me cum, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” You wanted to nod, instead just letting out a sigh that shook him a bit, his grip on the back of your neck tightened. “Almost there, angel. There we go.”

Eddie was used to being the one who was praised in your relationship. He did a lot for you, gave you rides, brought you coffee, massaged your back when you asked. “Thank you, baby. You’re too good to me.” You’d kiss his cheek, something that would always make him blush. So when you did nice things for him, like when you washed the pajamas he left at your house. They were waiting for him on your bed after he took a shower, and the best part of it all was that they smelled exactly like you. “You wash my clothes?” He asked, though he knew the answer, you just nodded, not even looking up from your book. He crawled across the couch, resting his hands on your knees and kissing them quickly. “Thank you, I appreciate it. And I appreciate you.”

He’d be deep in your cunt and still tell you how much he appreciated you. In between kisses, sucks, and licks would be words of affirmation. “You treat me so well, you know that? Good god.” His words would send a shiver up your spine, and though you’d try to squeeze him he’d pry your thighs apart with his hands. “Letting me taste this perfect pussy, I must be the luckiest man in the world.”

Steve didn’t even pick up on your reaction to his compliments. You started working at family video at the request of Robin, and maybe that harbored crush from high school on Steve Harrington came to light again. Some nights it would just be the two of you closing, and being so late and completely empty of people, you would take it upon yourself to put back some tapes that had been returned. You were still new on the job, and even though it took you a little bit longer than it should have, you were still proud of yourself. “Good job, you did good.” Steve said, hardly noticing your embassesment until you silently walked away from him, not even looking back.

He’d take you in the backroom, maybe after some pining and tension, and fuck your brains out. Steve’s pace would be steady, careful to keep you comfortable in the disorganized break room. “Thank you, shit, thank you.” He’d kiss your shoulder blades, taking short breaks to hiss or moan out your name. You’d smile, lost in his skin and the way it pressed against your own. “Squeezing me so tight, been waiting so long for this. So good.”

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[moons-and-stars-and-shit]

hiiii I was wondering if you could write a fluffy hc for bokuto who is in a long distance relationship with a s/o who attends karasuno? Maybe a manager??

A/N- Definitely gonna turn this into a drabble later 💀 Thank you for the idea Anon!

𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒃 𝑩𝒐𝒌𝒖𝒕𝒐

So you two where like the power couple of Fukurodani

You we’re the manager of the volleyball club

He was the ace and captain of the volleyball team

Can you even come up with a more perfect couple?!?!?

So he was so sad when you told him you were moving to attend Karasuno 🥺

Like think of his emo mode

But like 20x worse

You and akaashi literally had to stop him from packing his stuff and coming with you :(

But eventually he had to accept the fact that he couldn’t stop you from moving

BUT he could make sure that you guys stay in touch

For his love has no distance!!!

So he managed to pull himself out of his emo mode and decided to make the most out of the time you both had together

When the time of your departure neared

He legit got the whole team together to bid you farewell

It was a little sad to say bye to all of your friends, fellow managers, and especially your boyfriend

But once again he would not let distance get between you two!!!

So expect phone calls every single day

Especially video calls

He just wants to see your face 😞

Sometimes it makes him sad because he can see you, but he can hold you or kiss you

But you can always snap him out of it by promising to visit soon

Speaking of visits 👀

You make an effort to go visit him whenever you can

But sometimes he gets impatient and just goes to visit you instead

Yeah there have been a lot of random tearful reunions during this time apart...

ALSO

Since you guys can really only keep in touch through phones

Mans ALWAYS has his phone on him

He always texts you random things throughout the day

And as I mentioned before he calls you whenever he can

Oh and by the way

This man became a whole ass vlogger when you moved

He’s always sending you little videos of him just doing his daily activity’s

Or maybe when he just sees something cute like a squirrel 🐿

Ooh and if you ever send a video back he’ll save it and play it when he misses you

He definitely requests that you send him little voice memos throughout the day

He could honestly listen to your voice on loop if he could 🥰

OOH

He also sends you little gifts and letters

Mostly letters

Which btw you would be SHOCKED on how poetic this guy can be

Totally not thanks to Akaashi’s edits

But his letters are always so sweet and genuine and you can tell he really means it

But the gifts he does send at very personal

Like he makes them himself

So like he’ll send you a hand made photo album

Or he’ll wrap up like a rock he found with a little face on it accompanied with a little card saying “look at our child!” or “this made me think of you! <3”

Your personal favorite was when he sent you a letter with your favorite flower taped to the envelope

Here’s a little story for some extra serotonin ❤️

Ok so you never really mentioned that you became a manager for Karasuno’s Volleyball Club...

So you we’re super exited to go to a training camp knowing that Fukurodani would be attending as well!

But Bokuto being none the wiser was not expecting you to be there 😀

So he was definitely not expecting a little y/n to be running at him full speed and jumping in his arms

At first he was just like 😳

But then once he registered what just happened he gave you the BIGGEST hug

Low key knocked the breath outta you

Y’all spent ALL your guy’s free time together

You even snuck off in the middle of the night to explore the area together 👀

Sure you got caught in the end, but neither of you regretted it ❤️

Bokuto meant it when he said that his love had no distance

You are forever his and he is forever yours 💕

[voiddemon]

Tell me more about your blorbos from that 2000’s anime, the yoyo-go

wow i love yoyo-go it is my favoriteee. i gotta make it clear i take everything from the show and not the manga. Which you can watch for free on their website (use an adblocker but honestly only watch the show with a friend and make fun of it)

i have two core blorbos from yugioh and they are the closest thing to being the main villain (who isn't in most of the show for some reason) and a barely relevant side character who the writers forget more often than not. Spoilers for season one mostly but who fucking cares it's yugioh.

Uhh basic rundown of the show first. I'm mostly talking about Season One. The important thing to know is the protagonist is named Yugi, who has something called the millennium puzzle which houses a thousands year old pharaoh from egypt with no memories of his past named Yami(Dark) Yugi. Everyone plays a popular card game called 'Duel Monsters', which is made by a guy named Pegasus. In Season One he hosts a tournament called Duelist Kingdom which takes place on a private island, and forces Yugi to participate by trapping his grandfather's soul in. Like a video tape or some shit.

The overall main villain is named Yami Bakura and the random side character is Tristan. An important facet of Yami Bakura is that he is just possessing the body of the actual Bakura (who is basically a non-character). Yami Bakura is a thousands year old spirit from egypt and I don't think he has memories from his past? I haven't actually watched the season where his tragic backstory is revealed. He plays the role of a secondary antagonist in the first season. While he isn't part of the Duelist Kingdom tournament he is here bc he snuck on the island.

Yami Bakura is actually in an artifact called the millennium ring, which is one of the many millennium items. There are like seven, but not all of them contain spirits, just the Puzzle and the Ring. There are seven items in total and he wishes to collect them all for. ultimate power or something? show isn't clear but what does matter is that all the items being wielded by one person is very dangerous.

Tristan is literally just a guy. He's a normal high schooler who is friends with Yugi, as well as joey who is a secondary protagonist. He is supposedly closest to Joey which yeah but also Joey is not paying it forward. He and Joey used to bully Yugi for being a nerd but then through some anime logic they became friends. In my opinion which is very biased he's vaguely characterized as being very headstrong and a problem solver, who doesn't get all of the magic and card game things happening around him but still tries his best to keep up and help. He's also canonically really, really strong, which the show often has to forget for anything to happen since every person who actually plays the card games is built like a twig.

OK I am now going to get to the fun blorbo bits. My crack theory with a lot of evidence is that Bakura and Tristan are become bffs during season one off screen. After some weird shit goes on with Yami Bakura (which is relevant, but Tristan thought it was a bad dream) Bakura and Tristan are seen together VERY FREQUENTLY. When the show wants to do something without them, they go off to do something else together. If they're on screen they're together, if Bakura is off doing sus things Tristan is always the one to ask "Where's Bakura?"

Before the final duel Bakura, Tristan, and another character (who I hate) believe that Pegasus is using cameras to cheat in the duels. Pegasus has another millennium item that allows him to read minds and see what the other player is holding. So they sneak around at night, looking around the main dueling area. They then break into a tower after finding nothing.

While this is a big interaction the stuff that happens between them after that isn't super important. Because while something big happens Yami Bakura wipes Tristan's memory of it. The important part about it for me is that Yami Bakura gets to see that Tristan is at least a bit competent despite the show they're in.

During the final duel (Yugi vs Pegasus) the show switches between the actual Duel and Tristan/Bakura.

Tristan and Bakura talk about how Pegasus has the souls and bodies(they're separate right now) of two characters, and therefore is holding all the cards. Tristan decides to be the only dude who does anything productive and goes off to find either of the two, since if he does Pegasus wont have as much leverage over all of them.

After a few scenes that I described in three paragraphs Tristan finds a soulless body of a character named Mokuba, Yami Bakura saves Tristan after he's cornered, they run together and again Yami Bakura saves Tristan from falling to his death. However they both are cornered at the top of a very high tower and Pegasus' Goons catch up to them.

So Yami Bakura summons two monsters and literally kills the guards just cus. BUT instead of turning on Tristan and killing him he talks to him, revealing his goal that he wants a new body to possess. He threatens Tristan, demanding he hands Mokuba over.

Tristan refuses. Instead of making good on his threat he reminds Tristan that he will kill him and have one of his monsters devour his soul. I'm pointing out again he really could have just done so already instead of giving Tristan chances to comply. For a third time he tries to reason with him, implying that he wouldn't kill him despite stating that yeah he's an evil spirit in the ring possessing his friend.

Tristan fakes giving in, throwing Mokuba's body to him before laying his ass out which yes was the best moment in the show. Tristan takes the ring off Bakura's body and literally chucks it into a small forest on the island. Tristan then carries Bakura and Mokuba back to where Joey and another character are watching Yugi duel. Later in the next episode the ring just appears on Bakura's neck again by magic so lmao rip didn't quite solve the problem but it was still cool as hell.

That is sadly pretty much the last they interact in any meaningful way, which sucks SO MUCH ASS. In season 2 when Bakura/Yami Bakura gets put in a card game coma by a different villain he's the most concerned for him and they have a few more small interactions, but that's kind of it. Tristan gets shoved to the side and Bakura straight up doesn't show up for half of season 2, and makes no appearance in Season 3 and supposedly 4. BTW the writers also straight up forgot about everything above by season 4 which makes me SO MAD but season 4 is so bullshit anyway from the 3 episodes i've watched (and it apparently gets worse).

OH-K so here's where my blorbo bingo brain comes in. I personally headcanon that Yami Bakura has a long-standing grudge against Tristan after the events of season one. While he is (as stated by his edgy ass) a puny mortal who knows nothing of magic, he is still cunning and strong enough to be a proper threat, especially since he is personally close to his host. The only reason he didn't kill him in that scene is because of a separate headcanon that the spirits in the two millennium items are biased to liking the friends of their hosts, as well as hating their enemies.

If me and my sister ever seriously wrote like a fanfiction rewrite a core element that we would want to include would be a prominent dynamic between Bakura, Yami Bakura, and Tristan. Idk, I think it would be interesting, especially since every other character pays no attention to Bakura in the show. Especially if at some point they had to work together again. Hell, the whole Yami Bakura doesn't want to kill Tristan thing could come back through Yami Bakura seeing him as a useful pawn to his schemes.

I think Tristan has a lot of thoughts on the whole thing, but doesn't know how he feels about the spirit in the ring. He obviously doesn't like the fact that Yami Bakura has to control and possess his friend, but it's not like he has any other options. He's also saved Tristan's life and refrained from killing him, so overall I think he is spirit neutral.

im gonna stop myself this is so long and im not reading over any of it again.

TLDR: Tristan and Bakura are friends, Yami Bakura hates Tristan and sees him as a threat because he foiled his plans but has a weird respect for him. Tristan has complicated feelings about the whole thing. None of my thoughts matter because the writers set all of this up and dropped it for no reason.

[inkandpen22]

Permanent Chaos (1/?)

Pairing: MGK x Female!Reader

Warnings: Swearing 

Word Count: 2.8k

Part Summary: Y/N is a newly famous actress from a popular TV show and she’s willing to do everything in her power to maintain her perfect image as “America’s Sweetheart.” 

Masterlist

The limelight is a hard place to be under. It’s draining to constantly be on display. Day in and day out I feel as though I’m always looking into a mirror. However, a mirror is replaced by people’s eyes. I see myself through other’s eyes. Being sat on a slippery plastic stool while being watched by millions of Americans before they head off to work is an excellent way to start my day. Perhaps if I keep telling myself that I’ll eventually believe it. Savannah glances down at her cards then continues with the interview.

“Let’s go back to a year ago, if someone approached you and said “you’ll be the most sought after girl in America,” would you had believed them?”

I shake my head “not all.”

If only she knew how absent I am in the current moment. I’ve answered similar questions a million times these past few months. All the exact same questions within the same routine.

“Now, being as famous as you are, how do you cope with your newfound fame?”

There it is, famous. A better-sounding word than popular. After all, adult life is nothing like high school… right?

“I don’t particularly like the word “famous.” When people say “you’re famous!” What they really mean is “a lot of people know you!” At least people think they do.”

She studies me, intrigued by my honest answer, perhaps too honest. “You’re saying America doesn’t know the “real” you? Including your fans?”

I shrug, I can only imagine Nicole’s face right now. My usual bubbly and charmingly excited personality didn’t wake up with me at three this morning.

“I believe they know whatever version of me they’ve created. For some, I’m that girl from the cover of that one magazine they saw in line at the grocery store. For others, I may just a name without a face. That’s the thing about being so-called “famous.” I’ll never have the chance to meet every single person who has ever read an article about me or has seen paparazzi videos. They’ll only see those tainted versions of me. They’ll never have the opportunity to know me personally and make a valid judgment for themselves.”

Savannah hums, her eyebrows scrunched up. “How do you feel about that?”

I sigh, the words settling within me. “It’s disappointing.”

If only they all knew the truth, the reality of it all.

______________________________________________________

After the interview for the show, I fly straight back to Los Angeles from New York. My schedule has been worse, but I never miss the chance to complain to my manager. Thankfully, Nicole is a mother of tween girls and a ten-year-old boy so she knows how to take my childish whining. Once we’re landed in LAX I countdown the minutes until I can return to my bed.

“I don’t understand why you insist on wearing heels on the plane,” Nicole nags me.

“Because you never know who you’re gonna meet! Best to dress nicely just in case!”

It’s been a rule of mine since I first discovered my style and began to wear makeup, never go out in public without looking and feeling confident. I’ve learned that people can sense when others don’t feel confident and take advantage of that.

“I doubt your Mom would like it,” she nags.

“Well she’s not in California is she?” I fire back but snicker slightly.

My momma’s absence was bitter-sweet, in the beginning, now it’s all sweet. When we have our luggage, Nicole leads me through the airport to where the car is picking us up.

“You may want to put on your sunglasses now. We’re about to cross the line,” she warns.

I grab my glasses out of my purse like she instructed and slide them on. She was right, as soon as we cross over that taped line it’s a free-for-all for the paparazzi.

“Y/N!” “Y/N!”

“HEY! SHOW US A SMILE!”

The yelling doesn’t bother me as it used to in the past. Now, it’s the clicking. The clicking from their cameras. A constant *click* *click* *click*, from each of the thirty cameras. Nicole attempts to create a path for me by walking ahead.

“HOW WAS YOUR TRIP TO NEW YORK?”

“Good, thank you” I reply politely with a smile toward the tile floor.

I try to manage a balance when it comes to paparazzi. They have their job and so do I. Following me, taking pictures or videotaping me is their job. As long as they respect me, I will respect them. Nicole says it’s good for my image. My image wasn’t the first reason I was nice toward them, I was being myself. Nowadays, I’m hardly myself. I have my name, Y/N Voss, but it no longer feels like my name. The paparazzi are not used to getting easy responses out of people because there’s a long pause before the next question.

“WHEN DOES FILMING START BACK UP FOR THE SHOW?”

The question comes from a different voice but that doesn’t keep me from answering.

“In two days!” I gleam, looking forward to returning to set.

“CAN YOU GIVE ANY INFO ABOUT THE NEW SEASON?”

I chuckle a little but think it over. I agreed in my contract not to give out spoilers but there is a little info I was told I can let out. Plus, I’ve only seen the script for the first episode so I don’t know too much.

“I can say that Hollyn will have a bump start this season but no worries,” I answer vaguely but with interest.

Nicole and I manage to reach outside and she guides me down the sidewalk to where the car is supposed to pick us up.

“RUMOR HAS IT YOU’RE DATING SOMEONE! CARE TO COMMENT?”

“I’m very much single,” I laugh, finding the topic humorous. “Not enough hours in the day to share them!”

There are always rumors that I’m dating someone though none of it’s true.

“YOU LOOK GREAT TODAY Y/N!”

“YOU ALWAYS DO!”

“Thanks, boys!” I give my appreciation. 

The driver gets out of the front and pops the trunk. Nicole informs me to get in the car and let her worry about our things along with the driver.

“WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE SUMMER?”

I open my door but pause to answer the last question. “Work, of course, but I also want to have some fun.”

“HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!”

“SEE YA LATER Y/N!”

They all hurry to get some last shots and I grant them a couple of seconds.

“You too! See you guys later!” I wave goodbye then climb into the car.

Nicole gets in a minute later and gives the driver the address. “You did great back there,” she compliments.

“Eh, it was nothing. I was only answering their questions.” I remove my glasses and get settled in as best as I can for the hour drive home.

She pulls out her binder full of scheduling material for me.

“Yes, but you were willing and kind. The public and media appreciate that! You’re becoming America’s Sweetheart!”

I would never admit it to Nicole but that title she keeps pushing makes me anxious every time I hear it. None of this was planned, it was thrown at me. Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m grateful for what I have but geez! When everyone is telling you a whole country adores you, how are you supposed to handle that? Especially at eighteen. It was no more than a year ago I was back in South Carolina and just another girl in high school. Now, I’m supposed to be “America’s Sweetheart.” I’ll play the part but it doesn’t make the job any less intimidating.

__________________________________________________________

My best friends/co-stars, Sam and Penelope, meet up with me for dinner to celebrate my first night back in town after the press tour. The three of us have been dividing our time around the country working on various projects between filming the show. Any time we can all get together is a gift.

Ever since I’ve known Sam Merka, girls flung themselves at him. Even I’ll say it, he’s a good-looking guy. If Grant Gustin had a younger brother, it would be Sam. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, we’re just friends. A sibling sort of bond. Since he’s eight years older than me, he likes a big brother.

Though Penelope is older too, one can’t tell since I tend to act more mature. I’m jealous of her sun-kissed long blonde hair and dark brown eyebrows. We all kinda got thrown into our friendship. Having to play life-long friends an hour after meeting for the first time was, to say the least interesting. Five years later, and we are like three peas in a pond. A mini family to have each other’s back in the big city.

For dinner, we agreed on The Nice Guy, an Italian place in West Hollywood. The most important aspect of the place is the amount of privacy it grants. The interior is a lounge, super lowkey, with booths, couches, and coffee tables but there are no photos allowed. Since no photos can be taken that means the three of us and others can enjoy ourselves in peace. Sam called dibs on being designated driver as per usual as the “bodyguard” for us girls. The paparazzi tend to hang out around the restaurant because it’s a well-known spot for celebrities.

“Maybe we can slip past them,” Sam says optimistically as we exit the car.

He meets me around the front and Penelope joins us after getting out of the backseat.

“HEY! HEY! HEY!”

From in front of the restaurant, a ripple of cameras begin to take notice of us.

“IT’S THE KIDS FROM THE SEASONS OF LIFE!”

“Yep, we really snuck past them!” I tease Sam playfully.

He huffs, annoyed with the situation. Sam loves his job but hates the lack of privacy aspect. He isn’t a fan of crowds either which I can understand. However, he’s great at masking it behind his charming smile. It’s what we were trained to do. Yet, Sam is better at managing a crowd mentally overall than I am. He understands how they affect me sometimes. The swarm of photographers rushes up to us. Sam leads the way toward the restaurant door. Penelope remains close, keeping a hand on my forearm to stay together. The cluster follows us down the sidewalk to the building.

“SAM! SAM! HEARD ABOUT THE GQ PHOTOSHOOT! CONGRATS ON GETTING THE COVER MAN!”

Sam chuckles next to me, “thanks, dude!”

“PENELOPE! RUMOR HAS IT YOU’LL BE SWITCHING OVER TO THE BIG SCREEN!”

“Exactly, it’s a rumor!” She replies a matter-of-factly.

The *click* *click* *click* and the flashing lights in the dead of night never fail to overwhelm me. Though, Nicole has told me I never appear overwhelmed when I interact with them. I force on the brave and confident face. I’m not me when I’m in front of cameras or important people, I’m Y/N Voss. I’m two very different people.

While I’m lost in thought, I get stuck when one photographer gets too close to my face with his camera and blinds me for a second. Sam and Penelope don’t notice my absence amongst the chaos until another photographer barks at the other to back off. Then, I feel Sam’s hand slip into mine and he protectively escorts me toward the door with determination.

“ANYTHING YOU TWO WANT TO SHARE ABOUT HOLLYN AND ELLIOT FOR NEXT SEASON?”

Hollyn and Elliot are Sam and my’s characters from The Seasons of Life, the show we star in together. Our characters have been on again off again for the past two seasons. According to the last season’s finale, the two are currently together, but of course, the season ended on a cliffhanger so their relationship isn’t very stable.

“Sorry guys, can’t share anything!” Sam answers, sounding a tad irritable.

“ANYTHING IN REAL LIFE? YOU TWO WERE BOTH IN NEW YORK THIS WEEKEND!”

“That’s true, but we never have the chance to meet up!” I reply nicely.

Press events for last season have come to an end and work officially begins in no time! Downtime for me is filming and it couldn’t come at a better time. I’ve missed being home in Los Angeles. Living out of a suitcase and sleeping each night on a plane isn’t the best way to live, at least for me. We finally reach the doors and I thank the heavens.

“Oh my gosh! There’s no way!” I hear what sounds like girls squealing and I slow down to see where it’s coming from. My hand slips from Sam’s as he goes on. When he’s determined to get away from the paparazzi, he can ignore the voices. Yet, when he notices that I do not follow he finally stops.

“Excuse me!” A girl calls amongst the clicking and shouting.

The paparazzi move aside a tad and create a path for me to see two young teens jumping up and down. They must be around fourteen I’m guessing, younger than me at least. I approach them to see what’s the matter. I can hardly see anything with all the bright lights.

“Hi! How are you?” I greet but once I get closer and cover my eyes with the flashing lights, I recognize them. “Sarah! Emma! How are you two?”

These two have been some of my biggest supports. They run a Youtube channel and create content about their reactions to episodes of the series. Somehow they manage to make appearances at any events relating to the show. I’ve met them numerous times at events, so have other members of the cast. Besides being two of the sweets girls in the world, they’ve created a fan page for me on Instagram and Twitter.

“Good, good!” Emma replies eagerly.

“It’s been so long since we last saw you!” Sarah adds.

“It really has! When was the last time we saw each other? During the press tour?”

They nod in unison as though they’ve rehearsed it.

“Well, group hug!” I hold out my arms and they gladly accept.

“Can we get a picture?” Emma practically begs, bouncing on her heels.

“Of course!” I take Emma’s phone and hold it out to the crowd of paparazzi. “Could one of you take our picture by chance?”

Many of the guys offer and I select a random one in front of me.

“Squeeze in tight!” I tell the girls as I stand between them and we wrap our arms around each other.

“One, two, three!” The man takes a couple of shots and hands, Emma, back her phone.

“Thank you!” The three of us say together.

We all hover over her phone to check out the pictures.

“So cute!” I awe at the photos.

“Y/N...” Sam places his hand on my back to usher me along.

“Oh, my-” Emma covers her mouth.

“Sam!” Sarah’s jaw is to the sidewalk.

“Hey girls!” he charmingly smiles.

He’s had the chance to meet them a few times while on the press tour and at other various events. I was there to introduce them which was one of the most entertaining moments of my life. I thought the girls were going to faint!

“Can we ask a quick question? It’s for our channel!” Sarah nervously bites her lower lip.

“Yeah, yeah, anything for you guys!” I answer without hesitation.

Sam wraps his arm around my waist while we’re talking to the girls and I don’t think much of it but the cameras begin to go nuts. The men behind them don’t say a word since we’re occupied but there they go *click* *click* click*.

“Is there any hope of you two getting together IRL?” Emma questions intently without hesitation.

I press my lips together with amusement and turn my head to Sam. He has the same look of pondering the question. He squints his eyes at me and then the two of us turn to the girls.

“Just friends,” we answer in unison.

“Best friends!” Sam adds playfully.

“Best friends forever ever!” I one-up him.

The two girls laugh with us, but it’s clear they’re a little disappointed.

“Well, I still bet on you two,” Sarah confidently points out.

Sam and I get a kick out of it. Our viewers want us together too.

“We better get going, our moms are waiting,” Emma informs us.

“Okay, quick hug!” I order and the four of us group hug.

We say our goodbyes and when the girls disappear the men behind the cameras start yelling.

“YOU’RE GREAT Y/N!”

“HOW DID YOU KNOW THEM?”

“Their names are Emma and Sarah. They run a popular Youtube channel, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for the show. Super sweet girls those two!”

“DO YOU KNOW ALL YOUR FANS?”

“I try to! I know a good amount!” I grin proudly.

Sam guides me into the restaurant and his hand never leaves my back. All of it is platonic of course, nothing more. As I told the paparazzi before, there isn’t enough time in my life for me to share any with someone.

 ________________________________________

Masterlist

Tags:  @canyoubuymetoast

[fallen-gravity]

awaken the stars, ‘cause they’re all around you

Stanford Pines never really believed in soulmates.

He can't imagine the idea that there's one person out there for him in the multiverse who would stop at nothing to love him for who he is, despite everything he is and everything he's done. He can't imagine that someone out there is meant for him, someone who will stand by his side until the end of time.

Or maybe he'd just been looking at it from the wrong angle.

Notes: 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @stariousfalls!!!!! I can't believe we've been friends for upwards of five years now?? You've been a huge inspiration of mine from my first day in the gravity falls fandom back in late 2014, and now you're one of my closest friends. I've been spending the last week and a half working on this behind your back, because I wanted to surprise you with a gift I thought you'd love!!

7.5k words of fluff was....not my original plan, but fluff brain wanted to go feral for you, I guess.

Huge, huge shoutout to @ariasofelegance  for helping me keep my mouth shut about this, I absolutely would've internally combusted without your help & support

AO3

Ford never saw the appeal of romantic relationships.

One night when he and Stan were kids, they snuck downstairs in the middle of the night after their parents were asleep to dig through Pa’s “Secret stash” of movies he thought he was good at keeping a secret. They’d thought for sure they’d be coming across bootleg cuts of action movies that were still playing in theaters, or documentaries about how all of the politicians in power were secretly aliens. 

What they actually found was much more…sensual. They were both horrified, to say the least, but each time Ford had to turn away to prevent himself from gagging, he’d hear Stan beside him struggling not to laugh. 

For years, Ford was convinced coming across those tapes before he was old enough to fully comprehend what was happening in them is what had turned him off to relationships altogether. It certainly didn’t help that he was never able to experience romantic relationships firsthand, as every time he tried asking someone out in high school he’d just be laughed at or called a freak.

Though college was another story entirely, his feelings towards romantic relationships never seemed to change. He went out with a girl from his dungeons, dungeons, and more dungeons club for a few weeks, a guy from his advanced physics class for almost two months, and even tried going out with Fiddleford for upwards of nine months, but he never felt that deeper connection with any of them, no matter how much he wanted to feel that connection. 

It’d be forty more years before he learned the term aromantic, but when he was still in college he would brush off his parents’ questions about his relationship status by telling them he was too busy working on his thesis, which technically wasn’t all that far from the truth anyway.

Still, the faint sense of yearning never seemed to leave him be. Whenever he found gaps in his schedule, he would spend hours in his university library reading up on the science of relationships and their place in society. Though he no longer remembers most of the papers he read, one scientific study that’s always stuck with him was a dissertation written entirely on the concept of soulmates.

Everyone has a soulmate, the paper claimed. Though it may be decades until you properly meet, your path always leads to the moment that you and your soulmate are finally united. Once finally together, not a single force on earth can tear you apart. Even if you are apart physically, the stars will always align to bring you together. Weirdest of all, the paper mentioned soulmarks, which were described as “the phenomenon that a person’s very soul is marked with a piece that belongs to their soulmate, which may appear as a physical anomaly on a person’s body, such as an oddly-shaped birthmark”. 

Ford had thought for sure that somebody must’ve moved a romance novel into the sociology section of the library as a joke. The only sort of anomaly he had going for him was his polydactyly, and thinking too much about how that could connect him to a single person who was destined to love him gave him a headache. 

Nowadays, though, Ford tries not to give it much thought. He’s perfectly happy right where he is, watching the sunrise from the deck of the Stan O’ War II through the steam visibly rising from his coffee mug. 

He sighs contently. 

“Mornin’” Stan’s voice sounds beside him, gruff with sleep. When Ford turns to look at him, he’s rubbing at his eyes with one hand while he holds a steaming cup of coffee in his other. He’s already donning one of the sweaters Mabel mailed to him, a deep blue with a tropical island and a treasure chest stitched across the chest.

Ford smirks. “You’re up early” 

Stan cocks an eyebrow as he sips from his coffee. “A’course I am. I always get up early when we’re docking to see the kids”

Ford blinks, the teasing smirk on his face melting into a gentle smile. “That’s today?” 

“Haven’t you checked the calendar lately?” Stan tosses a second handmade sweater at Ford. This one’s the same shade of maroon as his journal covers, and pictures an angry cycloptopus squirting ink towards the bottom left corner of the sweater. “The kids are on spring break. They talked to their parents about letting us have ‘em all week” 

Ford is quick to pull the warm sweater over his head. “All week?” 

He can’t help sounding like a broken record, but it’s been months since the last time he saw the kids face to face. Sure, they talk over video at least once a week, but nothing beats seeing their smiling faces and having them nearly tackle him to the ground in a hug in-person. 

“Heh, you miss em too, Sixer?” 

As little as two years ago, Ford would’ve flinched at the nickname. But Bill is gone for good, and Ford knows that Bill is gone for good, and Stan made a promise to do anything in his power to help him reclaim the nickname. He brings his mug close to his face without taking a sip, allowing himself to take in the warmth in his hands and the steam in his face.

“Not as much as you, clearly” Ford smirks, and Stan crosses his arms over his chest.

“You bet I missed them more than you. I’d been taking care of them all summer before you showed up and fell in love with them in half that time”

Ford smirks as he finishes up his coffee and heads into the navigation room to set their course. “By that logic, wouldn’t that mean that I miss them more, since I had less time with them?”

“Hey!” Stan groans as he follows him into the room. “It does not. It means that you don’t know them like I know them, genius. Everyone knows that it’s all about how much time you’ve spent with a person that determines how close you are with them” 

Ford laughs as he enters the coordinates they need to get to the seaport they were meeting the young twins at. From the looks of it, it’d be three hours before they arrived. 

“Mm, and who put that study together? Was it you?” 

Stan doesn’t reply with words, just a noise that sounds halfway between disgruntled and baffled. It makes Ford laugh even harder, and he wipes at his eyes with a wrist. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Stan’s overdramatic pout melt away until he’s laughing too. 

The sight of it makes the smile on Ford’s face widen. It’d been decades since the two of them were able to just be like this. It’d been so long since the last time Ford heard Stan’s genuine laugh that he’d gone and forgotten what it sounded like altogether. When he was still traveling the multiverse, he searched far and wide for a shred of hope, something to keep his anxieties and nightmares from catching up to him.

What a fool he’d been to ignore his childhood memories of home. 

The trip is a quiet but familiar one. Ford can’t talk much when he’s steering because he needs to be on constant lookout, but Stan remains in the room to talk at him and keep him company anyway. The sun is well over the horizon by the time they reach the seaport, and call it instincts, intuition, or something else entirely, because Ford spots the kids sitting on a bench in the near distance the moment he and Stan step foot onto the dock. 

They’re squished closely together, watching a video on Mabel’s phone. Whether they’re aware of it or not, they’re swaying their legs back and forth underneath the bench in perfect unison. On the ground beside them are their backpacks, overstuffed with so many things that both of them are popping open. 

Most importantly, neither of them have noticed that Ford and Stan are approaching them. 

Ford exchanges an amused glance with Stan, and clears his throat to catch their attention. 

The phone nearly stumbles out of their hands in shock when they look up and meet their eyes.

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel squeals, standing to sprint past Ford to knock Stan off of his feet. Ford chuckles at the sight, but not quickly enough to hear Dipper’s “Great Uncle Ford!”, and before he knows it he’s hitting the floor too. The young twins are laughing messes, and stumble over each other as they try to stand to their feet and help their Grunkles up. 

Mabel spits out the hair that stuck to her mouth, and pulls a hair tie seemingly out of thin air to tie her hair up into a ponytail. It’s only now that Ford realizes that she and Dipper are also both wearing sweaters, and if Ford had to guess, it looks like Mabel made both of these sweaters as well. Mabel’s is a galaxy print with actual twinkling stars, and Ford makes a mental note to ask her later what she did to make it glow like that. Dipper’s is also space themed, though his pictures the big dipper splotched across a black night sky with a bright orange meteor shooting through the center.

“You have to tell us about everything you’ve encountered”, Dipper beams, once Stan finishes brushing himself off. 

Stan cocks an eyebrow. “Two years’ worth is a lot to get through, kiddo”

“Exactly!” Mabel beams, turning to pick up her backpack and put it on. “Which is exactly why you can tell us on the way to the hotel!” 

“Hotel?” Ford and Stan ask in unison.

“Surprise?” Dipper giggles. “Our parents rented us a hotel room for the week cause they figured you’d appreciate some time away from the boat” 

“It’ll be like our summer in Gravity Falls all over again!” Mabel grins. “But in reverse! You’re in our territory now” 

Stan laughs. “You’re the boss, kiddo”

“You bet I am!” She beams, and hands Dipper his backpack. “Now c’mon! If you tell us all of the horrors you’ve encountered out at sea, we’ll tell you about all the horrors we’ve encountered in high school!”

“I...think I remember those horrors pretty well already, thank you” Ford smiles sheepishly, adjusting his glasses. “But we’d be more than glad to tell you some of our own stories”

It’s a short walk to the bus stop, but Ford honestly wouldn’t mind if they walked all the way to the hotel on foot if it meant an extra half an hour with the kids. They’re just as eccentric as he remembers, attached at the hip but still wildly different people all on their own. Dipper’s still hanging on to every word he’s saying, and Mabel’s still skipping along like she’s in her own world. 

Once they reach the hotel and check in, Dipper collapses face first onto one of the beds the moment he steps into the room, groaning. 

Stan smiles. “Something bothering you, kiddo?” 

He turns on his side to look Stan in the eye, his face smushing into the pillow. “Mabel didn’t let me get any sleep last night. She insisted on getting to the seaport three whole hours early because she insisted that she had this gut feeling that you guys would have the same idea and we’d magically show up at the same time” 

Mabel pouts, and sits on the bed besides him. “Well it’s not my fault you stayed up late reading that dumb book of yours. Plus, would you rather have kept them waiting for three hours?” 

Dipper removes his hat and places it on the table beside him, exposing just enough of his forehead through his hair to reveal his birthmark. It has the same faint glow to it as Mabel’s sweater, and Ford wonders how the two could possibly reflect off of each other. 

“Their boat has beds and a fully stocked kitchen, Mabel. They can afford to wait. All we had were those strawberry pop tarts that you ate five minutes after we got there”

Ford can’t help but smile softly at their banter. He missed them so, so, much more than he could’ve ever imagined. He’s got half a mind to stow them away on the boat at the end of the week and homeschool them both himself so he never has to be apart from them again.

Apart. The word still feels like a knife twisted into his chest. There’s nothing he regrets more than trying to separate the young twins from each other two summers ago because he’d been so caught up in projecting his own fears onto the pair. He’d tried apologizing to Mabel over the whole ordeal, but she stopped him before he could even start to tell him he had nothing to worry about.

He only wishes he could learn to forgive himself as easily as she did.

“...Can we, Grunkle Ford?”

He blushes. Had he just said all of that out loud?

“Can we...what?” 

“Take the boat out! Not right now, since Dips is being a grumpy-grump and insists on wasting precious time with a nap, but we’ve been talking about it all week”

From across the room, Stan snorts. “Let me get this straight,” he takes his jacket off and hangs it up in the closet. At this point Ford swears his eyes must be playing tricks on him, because Stan’s old burn scar is glowing just as Mabel’s sweater and Dipper’s birthmark are. “All the time you spent groaning and complaining about fishing every time I took you in Gravity Falls, and now you’re asking to go fishing?” 

“I was thinking more along the lines of a joy ride,” Dipper yawns from under the covers. “But if agreeing to go fishing is what gets you to say yes, then sure” 

He’s smirking under the covers, Ford can tell, because he inherited that expression from Stan.

Stan’s about to bite back, but Dipper must not have been exaggerating about how long he and Mabel were waiting for them at the dock, because he’s already out cold. Stan smiles at him, gently ruffling up his hair before he takes a seat on the adjacent bed, kicking his shoes off so he can kick his feet up on the bed and relax. Ford sits beside Stan, and Stan slings his arms behind him to support his head in his hands as he glances over at Ford. 

“They make you wanna retire the whole ‘treasure hunting’ thing and move into the city to be closer to ‘em too?”

Ford chuckles. “I’ve already considered hiding them away on the boat twice today already.” He taps at his chin. “Though I suppose that moving in with them would go over better with their parents then taking them away to live on a boat” 

“Hmm…” Stan taps at his chin as well. “Being stuck in the same stuffy high school for four years, or living on a boat traveling all over the world whenever they feel like it? I dunno about you, Sixer, but I have a pretty good idea on what the kids would prefer”

“Grunkle Stan? Grunkle Ford?” Mabel’s voice suddenly chimes in, and Ford blushes, wondering how much of that she just heard. 

“What’s on your mind, pumpkin?” Stan asks. 

“Well, uh, Dipper was right about us only eating once really early this morning, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to, uh” She twirls her hair between her fingers. “Cook something for us? For old time’s sake?”

Okay, it’s settled, Ford’s never letting these kids go again. 

“Sure, kiddo. Soon as your brother’s up we’ll head right back up, okay?” 

“Okay!” she beams, and crawls back into her side of the bed, staring at Dipper like she can will him into waking up on command. 

Though Ford would’ve been okay if they’d had to wait hours for him, it’s really only about twenty minutes before Dipper opens his eyes again and nearly shrieks in surprise at Mabel’s face hovering three inches from his own. He smacks his hand into her face to shove her away, and she giggles as she rolls off the bed and onto the floor. 

Beside Ford, Stan smirks. “Better get up before we leave without you and all our food goes to Mabel, kiddo. You’ve got plenty of time to crash in Ford’s bed on the ship, since he never seems to use it anyway”

Dipper yawns, rubbing at his eyes as he kicks the covers off. “I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep”

“I didn’t realize you were even capable of sleep, bro-bro” Mabel punches him in the shoulder as she walks past him to put her shoes on. He glares at her wordlessly, and Ford has to cover up his snicker with a fake cough. 

This time, the bus ride and the walk back to the ship are a quiet one. Ford never really lets himself let his guard down and relax for an extended period of the time, so he cherishes any moment he can get where he finally feels like he doesn’t constantly feel the need to check over his shoulder for signs of danger. Most of the time, if you asked him about his heightened senses, he’d call them a curse. But on days like these, when he can hear the birds chirping and the waves smacking gently against the boats in the seaport, he’d almost go as far as calling it a blessing. 

The kids take a seat at the dining table as soon as they enter the kitchen, and Stan grins at them from over his shoulder as he clicks the stove on. “Whaddya say, Stancakes?” 

Dipper and Mabel grimace in unison. “Ewwww, Grunkle Stan, you promised lunch!” Mabel scrunches her nose, and Stan’s grin only widens. 

“Ah, ah, you said like old times. That means I get to decide what to make, and you have to eat it because I’m your legal guardian”.

“Well I wasn’t even awake when you were talking about old times, so I’d say that cancels out” Dipper crosses his arms over his chest, and Ford can’t help but smile warmly at the three of them as he reaches into the cupboard for his favorite coffee mug. The younger twins clearly had just gotten two copies of the same mug, but crossed both of them out so they’d say #1 GRUNKLES on them instead of #1 UNCLE. Stan has the other one, of course, but he keeps it on his bedside to hold small treasures and keepsakes because it’s, in his own words, “Too special to waste on something as ordinary as coffee”.

Ford sits himself in the seat between the younger twins at their okay, and after some back and forth banter between the four of them, they end up settling for burgers. Truth be told, this is the first time Ford’s eaten a meal in a group larger than two since the last time he and Stan visited the young twins in the winter, and he can’t help but smile into his food at the thought. The closest he’d come even remotely close to eating with others in his research years was his very, very brief time at the truck stop diner, and the experience had soured his view of...well, other people for near decades.

Now, though, he’d burn his own research dozens of times over before he’d even consider eating alone.

Stan’s chair scraping across the floor as he stands pops Ford out of his bubble of serenity. 

“Now that that’s taken care of,” Stan cracks his knuckles, smiling mischievously at Dipper and Mabel. “I think I remember a couple of kiddos finally promising their Grunkle Stan he could take them fishing”

“Promise is a strong word-” Dipper starts as he stands to place his plate in the sink, but Stan’s already placing a fishing hat on his head before he can finish his sentence. 

“Course you did! You wanna take our baby for a joyride, you gotta earn it first”

Dipper turns to Ford, like he’s expecting him to back him up.

Ford chuckles. “I don’t know, Dipper. That sounds perfectly reasonable to me”.

Dipper scoffs, sitting back down at the table. Mabel laughs. 

“Aww, C’mon, Dipper! Aren’t you all about the supernatural? For all we know, Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford could be harboring magical glowing bait that only attracts, like, magical talking fish men, or something!” 

Dipper raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just receive a bottle message from Mermando last week?”

“Exactly!” Mabel flashes a grin. “That must mean that he’s in the area!”

Stan laughs. “You tellin’ me you only agreed to go fishing so you could kiss and make-up with your long-distance fish boyfriend?”

“Grunkle Stan, what kind of person do you take me for?” she gasps. “He’s married! You know I would never want to break apart such a loving couple!”

Ford’s smile only warms. Where else could he partake in such a conversation that doesn’t turn heads and result in judgmental whispers? Where else can he just be like this, surrounded by loved ones who are just as weird, just as out of the ordinary as himself? In his younger years he thought for sure his place would be among the monsters and cryptids everyone in his childhood made him out to be, but even in the weirdness capital of the country he felt more alone than ever. 

“...Don’t think you’re immune, Sixer” Stan’s voice cuts into his thoughts, and before Ford can ask what he means Stan is smacking a homemade fishing cap on his head. “It may ruin your badass image when we’re monster hunting, or whatever, but we’re fishing with the kids.” Stan gestures to them with his thumb. They’re already outside, leaning over the railing to look out at the water in a perfect mirror of each other.  “If they have to embarrass themselves by humoring me for a few hours, so do you” 

Ford waits for Stan to join the kids outside before he takes his hat off to admire the stitch work. It’s not perfect, and nowhere near the fancy embroidery he and Stan have found in various markets across their world travels. But it’s personalized, and Ford knows it comes from a place in Stan’s mind that’s been stuck behind lock and key since he was seventeen.

Ford runs his hands along each individual letter, which reads POINDEXTER, before placing it back on his head to join the others outside. 

Stan has, miraculously, already pulled out his joke book. Stan’s laughing too hard at his own joke for Ford to really make out what the punchline is, but the younger twins’ collective groans is all he needs to know about it. When Mabel notices him stepping out of the doorway, though, her expression shifts entirely. 

“So…” she draws out, stepping towards him. “Is there a trick for attracting merpeople to your boat? I mean, asides from being super cute, obviously” 

Ford chuckles, taking a glance behind her to make sure that Stan is out of earshot. “Stan’ll kill me if I tell you this, but they’re really attracted towards shiny things. If you tied one of his gold necklaces around a fishing pole and dangled it into the water, the boat’ll be surrounded in minutes” 

Mabel offers up her pinkie finger. “I won’t tell him if you won’t”

Ford interlocks his pinkie with hers, smiling. “I think he’ll notice when a whole family of merpeople show up”

“Hmmm…” Mabel taps at her chin with her free hand, visibly mouthing a plan to herself. “Oh! I know! Come with me,” she beams, and before Ford can even open his mouth to respond she’s already dragging him back into the kitchen. She kneels down on the floor and opens the cupboard below the sink. “Got any empty bottles I can use?”

Ford blinks. “Empty....bottles”

“Yeah!” Mabel pulls a neatly folded piece of paper out of her skirt. “If I can send out my response letter the same time we throw Stan’s necklace over, he’ll never be able to tell the difference!”

“Wait, wait” Ford shakes his head. “You really are dating a merperson?”

“Listening skills, Grunkle Ford” she taps at her forehead, folding the letter back into her pocket as she continues to dig through the cupboards. “Used to date. We met at the Gravity Falls Public Pool, where he was stuck, but then I drove him to the lake in a golf cart I stole from the pool grounds because he really missed his family, and then he was my first kiss, and then we were in a long-distance relationship for like, two months, and I kept every single bottle he sent me, but then we had to break up because he was arranged to marry to prevent a big undersea war.” She picks up a bottle, shakes it, and puts it back when it’s too full for her liking. “I know it sounds, like, super complicated, but it’s all okay, because we’re still pen pals!” 

Ford laughs, shaking his head. “No, Mabel, I had to ask because I, uh…” his cheeks warm, and he clears his throat. “Before I...came to term with my orientation, I...dated a merperson too” 

The bottles in the cupboard rattle as Mabel’s head smacks against the doorframe. She’s rubbing the spot where her head hit, but there are stars in her eyes. “Really?” 

Ford’s cheeks burn even hotter. “Yes,” he whispers, and takes a knee so he can get at her eye level. “Technically he was a siren, but yes, we dated for about a month. He promised me he wouldn’t entice anyone else while we were together, but I guess there wasn’t anything...there.” He turns to help her shuffle through the cupboard, and finds a near-empty bottle of olive oil that’s definitely been sitting down there for at least a year. He hands it off to Mabel, smiling. “I’m glad that things worked out with you, though” 

To his surprise, Mabel drops the bottle and throws her arms around him in a hug. “I can’t wait to introduce you! He’s gonna love you”

Ford huffs a quiet laugh, and pulls her close as he winds his arms around her as well. The hug only lasts for a few brief moments, but it feels to Ford in those moments that time itself had stopped. Mabel stands, taking the bottle in one hand and offering to help Ford up in her other. 

Mabel places the bottle in the sink and turns the water on to rinse it out before she turns back towards Ford, stretching her arms up in the air as if she were warming up for an exercise. “Alright, here’s the plan. You tell me where Grunkle Stan keeps all of his jewelry, and I’ll sneak in and take his necklace while you distract him. Got it?”

Ford smiles. “Got it”.

As Mabel splits away for Stan’s bedroom, Ford heads back out to the deck. Dipper’s leaning over the side of the boat pointing at something jumping out of the water, rambling excitedly to Stan beside him. He’s holding his fishing hat in his hand to stop it from blowing into the water, and his hair is bouncing in the breeze. It’s just enough for the edge of his birthmark to poke through his bangs, and even in broad daylight it seems to be emitting a faint glow.

“I found it!” Mabel cheers, bounding up from behind him. She’s wearing the chain around her neck, and for some reason the gold seems much dimmer in contrast to her sweater. She takes it off and hands it to him. “You wanna do the honors while I go and throw this overboard?”

Ford smiles, ruffling her hair. “Sure thing.” He walks over to where Stan and Dipper are chatting and picks up one of the extra fishing rods. Making sure that Stan’s too engrossed with his conversation to notice, Ford starts wrapping the chain along the line, and at the signal from Mabel, he tosses his line as far from the boat as he can manage.

Five minutes pass before Mabel squeals so loud that Ford’s afraid his glasses might shatter. He reaches for the gun he knows he’s got stashed in his pants pocket, but when he turns to run to her aid she’s leaning halfway over the boat wrapping her arms around a young merman in a tight hug.

“...so good to see you again!” She’s beaming. “I didn’t think you’d be able to find us so quickly!”

“Yes, well, you were easy to track down after we figured out the coordinates to the seaport” the young man says in a thick Spanish accent. “It is good to see you too! My family was so excited to meet you”

“Your family?” she gasps. “Did they all come with you?” 

“Of course!” he grins. “We merpeople are very family oriented. Wherever we go, we go together” 

Ford winces at the uncanny familiarity of the statement. Mabel must recognize the statement too, because she responds with “Oh, that reminds me! There’s someone I want you guys to meet! Wait right here,” she says, and comes bouncing back over to Ford. Taking his hand in her own, she starts to drag him back to where she’d just been leaning. “C’mon! He’s the one I was just talking about!”

Three more merpeople emerge from the water when she gently knocks on the side of the boat again. “Grunkle Ford, this is Mermando!” she grins, gesturing to the young merman she’d just been conversing with. “He’s the one I helped reunite with his family after they were separated by tragic circumstances.” She wraps her arms around Ford in a side-hug. “Mermando, this is my Grunkle Ford! He was also separated from his family by tragic circumstances, but I helped with that too!” 

Mermando laughs. “Even when you think it’s the end, family always finds its way, doesn’t it?”

Ford laughs, shaking his hand. “It always seems that way to me”

“Awwww!” Mabel squeals. “I knew you’d get along!” She grins, and turns her attention back towards Mermando. “Before I forget, though, did you see where Grunkle Ford threw that gold necklace? If I don’t get it back my Grunkle Stan’s gonna kill me”

Mermando laughs again. “I was wondering if that belonged to any of you!” He takes off his shell necklace to reveal that he’d put Stan’s necklace on around his neck. He takes that off, too, and offers it to Ford. “I much prefer this one, anyway” he clicks his shell necklace open, revealing it to be a locket with a picture of his family inside.

Ford takes the gold necklace back, and he means to thank him, but a bell ringing from elsewhere in the port interrupts him before he can open his mouth. Mermando turns to Mabel, taking her hands in his own. “We must go. I’m so sorry we have to leave so soon, but we merpeople recognize the sounds of fishing boats very easily. We’ll try to come back later this week” He opens his arms for her once more, and Mabel wraps his arms around him in a quick hug before she watches him and his family swim away. 

“I am so glad that all you were doing was hugging,” Dipper shudders as he and Stan approach Ford and Mabel. “I’m not sure my stomach could handle witnessing you two kissing a second time” 

“Awww,” Mabel punches him playfully in the shoulder. “You’re just jealous that I had a boyfriend before you did!” 

Dipper cringes. “If you having a boyfriend before I do means I didn’t have to be the one dating a fish, then I’m glad you were the one who got stuck with him first” He punches her back, and gestures at Stan over his shoulder with his thumb. “But anyways, I came over here because Grunkle Stan says he wants to get out on the open water before everyone else gets the idea, or something”.

Ford pockets Stan’s necklace and makes a mental note to put it away sometime later tonight when Stan is too distracted to notice. “Tell Stan I’m going to untie the rope from the edge of the dock, and when he sees me back on board we’re all set to go.”

Nodding, Dipper bounds off towards the navigation room where Stan must be waiting, and Ford steps off of the boat to take care of everything else. On the way to the bow, he traces a hand along the white painted STAN O’ WAR II, and a feeling of warmth sprouts in his chest. Once back on board, he waves to Stan as he passes besides the navigation room once more, and takes a seat on one of the beach chairs they liked to keep aboard. 

Most days, Ford prefers to be the one at the wheel. But every once in a while he just wants to be. All he wants to do is lean back in one of their beach chairs and let the sun warm his face. It’s a good kind of warm, the same way spending time with the kids and heavy rain hitting his bedroom window and planning new escapades with Stan feel warm. After so, so long of only knowing unbearable burns, it feels indescribable to have a constant back in his life that heals, rather than hurts. 

“Mind if we join you?” Dipper asks, and Ford glances over to see both of the young twins dragging a chair behind them.

Speaking of healing constants.

“Sure,” Ford says, and can’t help the warmth spilling through his tone. They pull their chairs up on either side of him, and curl up to enjoy the warm breeze. Dipper places his hat on his lap to let the wind blow through his hair, and Mabel stretches her arms out behind her head to act as her own pillow. Ford chuckles silently at the pair, and closes his eyes to let himself relax.

All is quiet when Stan finally finds them a spot out on the open water without a single other boat in sight. The water is nearly still, save for the occasional small wave that gently sways the boat. The sun is at its afternoon high, turning the water beautiful shades of teal and aqua. Fishing is tedious, but it’s careful work, and gives Ford something to put all of his focus into. Two whole hours pass before any of them catch a thing, and Stan laughs himself to tears when it’s Dipper who pulls up a single sardine. 

Typically Ford prefers much more immersive activities, but right now there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. The sun is starting to set before they realize they aren’t going to have much luck catching anything, and instead decide to take the boat for another ride around the harbor to look for a better place to eventually watch the stars. 

“...Great Uncle Ford?” Dipper approaches him shyly once they’ve anchored the boat.

“Yes?”

He tugs shyly at the edge of his sweater. “I…” he starts. “I know you’ve told me that the multiverse was dangerous, and all, but...was there ever anything you enjoyed about it?” He pauses. “What were the sunsets like?”

Ford chuckles, patting at the seat beside him, and Dipper’s eyes light up as he sits down.

“You’re right,” Ford starts, folding his hands together. “I wouldn’t wish what I went through on even my worst enemies, Dipper. It was practically impossible to get any decent amount of sleep and even harder to find food digestible by human kind. I lost some of my best years to the multiverse when I could’ve gone on to become the most renowned scientist in the world.” Ford turns his gaze away from the sun setting on the horizon to meet Dipper’s eyes, but he’s frowning, eyes cast downwards towards the deck of the ship.

“But,” Ford adds before the poor kid can get too lost in his own head, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It definitely had its perks.” He smiles. “The sun in Dimension 18.2 would emit a sound that mimicked a lullaby every night as it set. Dimension 47’23 had three moons that would shift phases before your very eyes. I haven’t told Mabel because I’m afraid she’ll try activating a portal of her own and run away, but in Dimension 25-12, everyone and everything looks like a watercolor painting. There’s danger in the multiverse, but there’s beauty in equal measure”

“Do you ever miss it?” Dipper fiddles with his hands, like he’s trying real hard not to say the wrong thing. “I mean, I know you don’t miss being lost, or having no idea if you’re ever going to see home again, but...is there any dimension...where you could’ve seen yourself staying, if you thought you couldn’t make it back?” 

Ford shifts in his chair so he doesn’t have to twist his neck so much to look directly at his nephew. “Occasionally,” he muses. “I met the most friendly faces in Dimension 52, so my mind does tend to wander there from time to time” he smiles. “But rest assured, there is something in this dimension that makes it my favorite”

“Oh yeah?” Dipper’s eyes light up. “Over every other dimension you’ve passed through? What is it?”

Ford gently nudges Dipper’s shoulder. “You and your sister”

Dipper’s cheeks turn bright red, and he looks as though he’s struggling not to bury his face into the collar of his sweater and disappear. “Really?” his voice squeaks.

Ford nods. “Everything I had in those other dimensions were fleeting, Dipper. At a moment’s notice everything I grew to love could disappear in the blink of an eye. The very thing happened to me in Dimension 52. When I fell asleep, I woke up in a new dimension I didn’t recognize. Things may have been more advanced, and there may have been dimensions crafted to give you your greatest desires, but in the end nothing ever lasted.” 

Now it’s Ford’s turn to divert Dipper’s eyes, gaze casting towards the floor. “Stan was cut from my life completely in the dimension that claimed to be a perfect world. I had nobody. Even in dimensions that actively worked towards my happiness, I was all alone” Ford shakes his head, and turns his gaze once more out on the horizon. The sun is still touching the horizon, but it’s dipped just low enough that some of the stars are beginning to show in the sky. 

“But...here, at home, everything is consistent. I don’t have to worry about waking up in the morning to find that everyone I love is gone. I can keep everyone in arm’s lengths, even when Stan and I can only communicate with you and your sister over a video call. I’m…” Ford gently squeezes his hands to reassure himself that this is real and now. “...happy. Happier than I’ve been in decades” 

Beside him, Dipper yawns, and when Ford spares a glance over at him he’s smiling at him sleepily.  “We’re really happy you’re here too, Grunkle Ford” he murmurs, and his eyes slip closed. Ford’s cheeks flush pink, and he has to choke back a laugh because that’s one of the first times Dipper’s felt comfortable enough to call him Grunkle. 

Ford stands, so as not to wake Dipper from his nap. A small glance to his right and he catches a glimpse of Stan and Mabel leaning against the side of the boat watching the sunset just outside of earshot of his current conversation with Dipper.

“You finally bore him to sleep with all your nerdy science talk?” Stan asks as he approaches, sparing a glance behind him at Dipper. “Was starting to think that the poor kid would never get a nap in” 

“Yes, well,” Ford smirks. “I’m sure it helped plenty that you bored him to death by taking him fishing first”

Stan gasps in mock offense, and slugs him in the shoulder. “Hey, at least I’m engaging them in something they can actually interact with, unlike your kooky alien stories, or whatever”

Ford can’t help the laugh that escapes him. “Bold statement coming from the man who dedicated thirty years of his life rescuing me from said kooky aliens” he says, returning with a punch of his own. Stan opens his mouth to argue back, realizes he has nothing to say, and closes his mouth. The sight of it makes Ford laugh even harder, keeling over and slapping a hand on Stan’s shoulder to support himself. It must be contagious, because it’s not long before Stan is laughing too.

Ford removes his glasses to wipe the tears from his eyes, and cleans off the lenses with the edge of his sweater. Once his eyes adjust after he puts them back on, his throat nearly catches in his throat when he glances back out towards the water. He’s just able to catch a shooting star before it disappears over the horizon, and the boat’s just far out enough on the water that there isn’t an ounce of light pollution obscuring the rest of the stars in the sky.  He takes a few steps back so he can look up and admire more of them at once, and if he looks close enough he can see them twinkling. 

Before he can ask the others if they’re seeing the same thing, a bright flash of light coming from somewhere on the boat cuts into his thoughts. He turns, to make sure that none of the lights in any of the rooms are on, but no, they’d turned those off when they’d started fishing. Scratching at his head, he turns to Stan and Mabel to ask if they have any idea where the light is coming from, but that question catches in its throat as quickly as it formulated.

They’re the ones emitting light.

Or, rather, Mabel’s sweater and Stan’s shoulder, approximately where his burn scar should be. Those are emitting light. 

...Surely it must just be the reflection of the starlight on the water, right? That same bright light must have woken Dipper from his nap, yes? 

He turns heel to ask Dipper the same question, but freezes in his tracks before he can take a single step forward. Dipper’s forehead is glowing too, the same way it has since he and Stan docked the boat this morning. 

It...It can’t be, can it?

Gripping his forehead, Ford takes a number of steps backwards until his back hits the wall. Maybe...maybe he just needs to call it a night. He’s been awake since sunrise, maybe his vision is just blurring because he needs to lie down? 

He waves his hands in front of his face, but no, those don’t look any different. He squints, to make sure his hands aren’t shaking, but no, they’re perfectly still.

He squints at Stan and Mabel, just to try and see if his eyes are watering, and-

He gasps. 

Mabel’s sweater, Dipper’s forehead, Stan’s shoulder; they’re not glowing; they’re twinkling like the stars. It was hard to tell in broad daylight, but now that they’re surrounded by a thousand shining stars, the resemblance is unmistakable. 

But...that’s not possible. If he can see them twinkling, but none of them have said anything about it, that could only be if those were…

...soulmarks. 

Ford suddenly feels like he’s going to pass out. 

He slides to the floor.

Is...Is that even possible? Ford thought for sure that study he read years ago was nothing but a joke. Someone...who does everything in their power to bring you two together, no matter the cost? Someone who, even though you may not meet for decades, will feel as though you’ve known each other their entire lives? Someone who will do anything for you, no matter the personal expense?

Someone...someone like Stan, who spent a painstaking thirty years teaching himself quantum physics to rescue someone that anyone else would assume dead? The man who sacrificed his very mind, his very life, so he could be spared physical torture?

Or...someone like Mabel, the first friendly face he saw after emerging from the portal? The one who forgave him so easily after he tried to separate her from her brother? The one who insists on calling him a good person, despite all of those he knows he hurt? 

Or...Dipper? His kindred spirit in all things supernatural? The one who, alongside his sister, sacrificed himself as bait for the most dangerous being in the entire multiverse? Who saw memories of him at his very worst, and apologized to him for snooping?

After everything he’s been through...could things really work out that well in his favor? To not have one soulmate but three, and the guarantee that they’ll never leave, because they’ve already expressed how they love him so? 

There’s a tear streaming down his cheek at the thought, but he’s too distracted by a fourth light suddenly emitting from...himself to really notice.

He spares a cautious glance downward, and notices a pulsing light emerging from his chest in perfect time with his heartbeat. If he looks closely, he notices that the light travels down his arms and ties itself into a translucent bow around his fingers. If he looks closer still, the light looks as though it’s slinking faintly across the deck of the boat and reaching towards the gentle twinkling of Stan and Mabel’s marks.

Ford places a hand to his forehead, throws his head back, and laughs his throat dry, paying no mind to the tears pouring down his face.

[dinosaurtsukki]

TWICE fan!Atsumu

dino back at it again with hc’s that no one asked for <3 

something about him just screams twice fan for me (its probs the hair and overall attitude)

he was probably one of those guys who didn't get the appeal behind kpop groups and probably made fun of some girls for liking boy bands

"Ya can't even tell 'em apart except for their hair color!"

and then he was lowkey all 👀👀 when some of his guy friends started watching kpop girl group videos

atsumu probably snuck a glance at his friends' phones while they were huddled around watching 'Cheer Up'

and he kept thinking about it all day until he got home and was scrolling through his phone

'i mean its just some cute girls dancing and singing a lot of guys are into that'

literally just looks up 'kpop girls dancing' on youtube before he finally watches a Twice mv

and boy is he HOOKED

has the members names and faces memorized after a single night (atsumu ur in DEEP), ended up watching What Is Love five times in a row

our boy is officially a Once but he's too shy to admit it especially since his twin and his friends are gonna tease him about it

he always keeps his listening sessions on Spotify private and catches himself before humming a song out loud

his first comeback was probably FANCY and poor atsumu had to order his album and have it delivered to a fellow Once's house so that Osamu wouldn't see

BUT osamu's twin senses had been tingling lately and he knows a closeted kpop fan when he sees one (he likes Red Velvet)

so he devises a plan: invite atsumu out for drinks with their friends (probs the inarizaki team and some of the msby members) and get him drunk enough to dance when osamu asks the DJ to play a Twice song

aND IT WORKS

FANCY starts playing and this lightweight boy just starts dancing the choreo (which he memorizes by heart) along with some other Twice fans in the club 

bokuto dances with him but he doesn’t know the choreo he just thinks its cool. sakusa and hinata’s mouths are hanging open. osamu is catching it all on tape

if you look closely you can see suna in the background tapping his feet and mouthing the words but u didn’t hear that from me

the next day it’s all up on social media and atsumu has been exPOSED

surprisingly the only one who teased him a bit was bokuto but bokuto was just being himself 

“ATSUMU I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE INTO THAT??”

osamu’s just like ‘you couldn’t have stanned Red Velvet or something?’

and kita is very proud of him being open about the things he love even though atsumu was technically drunk

but now atsumu doesn’t need to hide anymore!!

which means he just goes full on ONCE

you’ll know there’s a Twice comeback when atsumu has his phone and ~~lightstick~~ out in the locker room and chanting

“IM NAYEON, YOON JEONGYEON, MOMO JJANG--”

sakusa: THEY CAN’T HEAR YOU FROM HERE !!

omg it must look so adorable though i love atsumu <3

he and osamu get into petty fights about whether Twice or Red Velvet is better 

atsumu: MORE PERFORMANCES EQUALS BETTER

osamu: ONLY IF THEY CAN HARMONIZE

atsumu: THEY DO HARMONIZE 

osamu: *plays Psycho to prove a point* 

they always make bets over who’ll win SOTY

atsumu also loves watching those ‘twice funny moments’ compilations and he’ll watch all these funny moments if he has to

atsumu: *watching a 15 min loop of dahyun yelling ‘BIBIMBAP’*

osamu: *bursting into his room* you’re connected to the fucking BLUETOOTH SPEAKER

but who are atsumu’s biases though??

my personal guess is tzuyu because he’s been in love with her since he saw that angel costume in ‘What Is Love?’

his bias wrecker is probably momo though because he loves a girl that can dANCE

he will also beat up anyone who hates a particular member or only likes a particular member in Twice

atsumu: TWICE !! HAS !! NINE !! MEMBERS !! SO !! YA !! SUPPORT !! ALL !! OF !! THEM !!

omgg if you date this boy and you’re ready to take it to the next level with him you better invite him to your place, be prepared to top, or just pay no mind to nine korean girls staring at you while you guys make-out

also when you guys are videocalling and he starts tearing up just a little bit, no it’s not because he misses you so much he’s just watching a video of jeongyeon putting other members before herself

when he’s being interviewed about his powerful serves in his games atsumu’s just like ‘i dedicate each of my serves to the very special people who are close to my heart’

bokuto and hinata are like awwwww because he thinks he means his teammates

his fans are like awwwww because they think he means them

but his closest friends all know that those very special people are everyone in Twice

it’s also bokuto who ends up spilling the beans about atsumu being a Once but atsumu is fucking proud of it

ngl one of his goals when it comes to becoming a pro volleyball player is so that he would be noticed by Twice

the first time he goes to a concert though is SUCH a huge deal for him, he’s so excited after buying his ticket

like, atsumu doesn’t care if he has a match the next morning he’s watching his girls perform

this boy has a front row ticket, probably a million more lightsticks, a humongous poster that he made himself, and his lungs ready to scream

he has to save up and wait a few more years to actually attend a fanmeet in Korea though but atsumu is DEDICATED

he even tried to learn a bit of korean and wrote and memorized an entire script for him to say when he finally meets the girls of his dreams

atsumu’s so nervous though like this is such a life-changing moment for him

and then finally he walks up to Momo first who’s seated at the edge of the table

atsumu: hi, i’m a fan--

momo: wait, you’re that Japanese volleyball player right?

atsumu: is deceased.

taglist (open to anyone who wants in):  @montys-chaos​ @miyumtwins​ @strawberriimilkshake​ @pocubo​ @sugawara-sweetheart@akaashisbabydoll @laure-chan@therainroguefanfiction@atetiffdoesart@stephdaninja@oikaw-ugh @charliefredb @dramaqueenweeb1469@tremblinghearts @applepienation​

[girlinfandoms]

Having Bang Chan as your twin

Everyone knows Chris is a sweetheart, so imagine being his twin, he would be extra

So you see his crackhead energy with Felix, yeah that was originally you two before he had Felix

Like when Mama and Papa Bang were busy, you two would be going crazy

Growing up you and him would be inseparable.

Like yes you were a few minutes younger but still

You were each other’s best friend as well as sibling

Also side note but imagine being little kids in maTCHING OUTFITS

MY heart is ACHING

Since you two are inseparable when Chris auditioned to JYPE, you bet your ass you also auditioned

Like in my mind you and Chris became trainees together because there was nO WAY YOU WERE LETTING YOUR BROTHER LEAVE YOU

Who’s gonna keep your company and protect you when there’s a storm 🥺

So when you guys got to JYP you at first stuck together until you met Sana and Jihyo.

So now it’s like 2013, and yes you and Chris were still close.

I mean y’all have the same dna and family so you were each other’s support networks

But when you both began to drift a bit, like instead of spending every waking moment together you both unintentionally replace the other

That and you both were in different trainee groups because JYPE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO RELIANT ON EACH OTHER

So as you drifted slightly, Chris being the worried sibling; kept an eye on you

Boy made sure you ate, and did your homework and remained pristine

BECAUSE AIN’T NO MEMBER OF THE BANG HOUSEHOLD GONNA SLACK

So as training got tougher you began to see each other less and less (the exact opposite of twice’s comeback)

Until it got to the point where you only had breakfast together like 3 times a week and the rest of the time you were apart

Until one day, guess what happens you get asked to join sixteen ✨

guess what partner, you came first and now you’re a member of twice.

Whilst you were living™️ your best life, Chris was left alone (HOW COULD YOU?!)

Despite how much it sucked for Chan he was so supportive and proud of you, because like at least one of you got to debut 🥺

You moved into the Twice dorms and he moved into the male trainee dorms

It wasn’t until a few days after your move that you realised how much you missed him (damn right you fucked up)

SO, you got scheming, and asked if there was any way that some of the other trainees could be in the music video 🥺👉👈

Obviously they said yes, because you’re their new best girl, and so you decided you wanted your brother beside you in the mv.

After the shoot, whilst he was in a full zombie outfit and was getting the makeup taken off you snuck over to him.

After you and him talked and hugged it out for a little bit, you decided that every Friday you and him would have some form of siblings evening

Also whenever you went on tour, you would always get Chan a gift of something that reminds you of him 🥺

Now here’s a brief timeskip to when Chan debuted

Words couldn’t describe how proud you were of him, like now your best friend gets to be at award shows and music show tapings.

Your pretty much always on Chan’s room, like you’re basically a co-host

Also your supper close to the other stray kids members

You low key adopted felix as a member of the Bang family.

I also 100% believe when you had a solo debut Chris helped you write/produce it

Homeboy wanted it to be perfect

At the end of the day like all siblings you had your ups and downs but there is nobody else either of you would swap the other for.

we stan supportive siblings

[lovemesomesurveys]

Do you have any tan lines? Nope. Have you ever wished you could stop time? Yes. I’ve also wished I could speed it up. Is there any pictures on the wall you're in? Yeah, there’s several. Who was the last person who called you? My mom. Did you make any money today? No.

Have you ever fallen and twisted your ankle? No. What was the highest place you've ever jumped from? I haven’t jumped from anywhere. Have you ever gone swimming in a river? No. Ever been so unfortunate to slip on wet rocks? Nope. When was the last time you got completely soaked by rain? It’s been a long time. One of the times that comes to mind is when my mom, aunt, a former friend, and I were at an outdoor festival and we got caught in an unexpected rain storm. It just started pouring down hard and we were not prepared at all. We had to run back to our car, which was parked a good distance away and yeah we were absolutely soaked. 

Is there something you really want to buy at the moment? I’d love to be able to book a beach vacation getaway. Would you ever consider culinary school? No. I’m not a cook and have no interest in trying to become one. Do you ever watch the clouds, to see if they look like objects/animals etc? I did when I was a kid sometimes. When was the last time you didn't want to get out of bed? That’s me everyday. It’s a real struggle. Are you excited for anything coming up in the near future? No. My foreseeable future consists of more doctors and appointments and struggles and spending most of my time in bed. Speaking of dancing, do you know any real dance moves? I know them, but I can’t do them. Do you save cards from your birthday/x-mas, etc? Yes. What was the last souvenir someone got you? A shirt. Do you have a favorite remix of a song? One of my favorite covers is Adele’s cover of George Michael’s “Fast Love” that she preformed at an award show in honor of him after he died. I can only describe it as hauntingly beautiful. I really wish she would have released a studio version of it. When was the last time you printed something off? I don’t recall; it’s been awhile. Are you one of those people who can learn music/songs by ear? No, I wish. There was a guy in my piano class I took my senior year in high school that could do that. It was really cool. Has the power gone out recently? No, but I have a feeling it will happen soon. It always does when we have a lot of triple digit degree weather, which is what this week has consisted of. Do you like driving at night? I don’t drive, but I like nighttime drives. Like, whenever I travel I love leaving really early when it’s still dark out. It’s a different experience. Does seeing roadkill make you sad, or just grossed out? Both. Does wearing heels make you feel sexier? I don’t wear heels. What do you think is the most saddest sounding instrument? The piano can sound that way. What day do you go back to school (if you're in school)? I’m forever done with school. When was the last time you've gone shopping with a friend? It’s been a few years. Do you ever go out to dinner with your Mom? We haven’t physically gone out to eat for dinner in quite a long time.  What is your favorite kind of salad dressing? Ranch. Have you ever bought fireworks? Not me personlly, but my dad and brother do every 4th of July. Do you really pay attention to the ratings on movies? Sometimes, but I ultimately decide if I want to see it or not. Have you ever snuck in to a theater/dance/bar etc? No. If given the chance, would you go to Ireland? Sure. Who was the last person/website to send you an email? I don’t feel like checking. Has your phone ever rang and scared you? Yeah. I’m such a jumpy person anyway. If you have a cat, does it ever "converse" with you? I don’t have a cat. If given the chance, would you ever fly in a fighter plane like the F-16? No. Are you afraid of standing on the edge of hills/skyscrapers/cliffs etc? Uh, YES. Do you have a favorite species of wild cat (tiger/lion/cougar etc)? No. Do you support the funds designed to protect endangered animals? (Like WWF). I haven’t done much myself to support them, but I’m glad they exist. What type of a drunk are you? (Obnoxious, calm, emotional, violent, etc) I was a chatty drunk. I feel like I was annoying, ha. I was also the sad drunk. Do you have an absolute favorite name (boy or girl)? I love the name Alexander. Are you good at pronouncing foreign words? Uhh, depends. If you're not already, when do you plan on getting married? I don’t want to get married. Can you tolerate the smell of cigarette smoke? Nooo. It honestly makes me sick, like I get lightheaded and dizzy, I get nauseous, and I get a really bad headache. When listening to music, do you usually tap your foot etc to the beat? I sometimes tap my fingers and hands. Have you ever literally cried on a friend's shoulder? No. Was there something that "made your day" today? It literally just turned midnight, so today is just now starting. Do you have a favorite kind of chocolate bar? White chocolate. Are you happy that it's summer? Ugh, no. It’s hot and miserable. Is there anything that you should be doing right now? I’m about to make my nightly bowl of ramen.  Has anyone had expectations that you just couldn't live up to? (finishing this a couple hours later...) That’s how I’ve been feeling. Are you currently in a relationship? If so, how long have you been dating? Nope. Would you ever consider being a DJ at a party if you were paid? Nah. Have you ever tried those electric toothbrushes? Wow, this question makes it seem like they’re so futuristic and rare lol. Yes, I use electric toothbrushes. Are you or anyone you know devoted to "being green"? Not overly so, no. When it comes election time, do you vote (if you're old enough)? Yes. What was the last movie you watched that was on TV? I watched Fear 1994 on Netflix recently if that counts. How long have you had an account on bzoink? I don’t have an account on bzoink. Do strapless bras work for you? I don’t like them. I only wear them if I have to, like with a dress. Do you have a favorite hair elastic that you use almost always? No. Has anyone told you that they wanted to marry you/ were planning on it/etc? No. When you were younger, did you have a yoyo? I did. I couldn’t do any tricks, though. What was the last video game you played, if any? Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Has anyone ever called you nerdy? Yeah. Have you ever had to call 911? Yes. Has there ever been a tornado near where you live? No, fortunately. Are you a rollercoaster addict? Noo. I’m a big scardy cat. Do you feel comfortable enough to wear short shorts? No. I’m very self-conscious about my legs. About my body in general, really. If you have iTunes, do you find the Genius recommendations helpful? I don’t even recall what that is; I haven’t used iTunes in almost 10 years. Are you quick at looking up numbers in phonebooks/ words in dictionaries? Phonebooks, wow.  I haven’t used a phonebook or actual dictionary in yearsssss thanks to the Internet/Google.  Have a favorite actor/actress from Old Hollywood? (Marilyn Munroe, etc) Lucille Ball. Out of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which are you the best at? None of those. Is there a friend you can always talk to about anything? I don’t have any friends. Can you stand spicy foods? Not anymore. :( It’s gotta have like barely anything like McDonald’s or Taco Bell mild hot sauce type of stuff. It’s wild because I used to be obSESSED with spicy food. I put hot sauce on everything and had a high spicy tolerance. Then a few years ago I developed a sensitivity and I can’t even have red pepper flakes now. It sucks. What's your opinion on people who stretch their ears? Hey, do what you want. I’ll admit the really stretched out lobes freak me out, though. Do you think tattoos are expressive art or unattractive? To me they can be either one, it just depends. What is your school mascot? -- Do you find black and white photos to be pretty? Yeah. Food you make doesn't taste as good as food made by others, true? Sometimes. Especially foods like sandwiches for some reason. I think they’re way better when my mom or a deli makes them.  Is there a certain color that doesn't look good on you? I don’t think I look good in anything, so. Have you ever heard anything interesting about Nova Scotia, Canada? Not that I can recall. Have you ever seen a bear in the wild? No, thankfully. Do you know when you will get to see your significant other next? I’m single. What's the book you're currently reading? ”Such a Good Girl” by Willow Rose. Is your room currently a disaster? No. If going to a concert, do you prefer it to be outside or in a stadium? Definitely in a stadium.

Do you have a case for your camera? I use the camera on my phone, which I do have a case for. Can your cellphone take a beating? I’ve dropped it a few times and so far so good. Is there a month you prefer over others? October and December. Do you ever buy lottery tickets? Just a couple of times. Can you recall the most disturbing movie you've ever seen? A Clockwork Orange is one. Are you more of a tape or a glue person? Tape. Of course, it does depend on what I’m doing. In some cases, glue is the better option.  Has anyone you know gotten mono? Not that I know of. What is/or was your graduating year? I graduated UC in 2015. Have you had a weird dream lately? All my dreams are weird. Have you ever gotten an autograph from someone famous? Yes. Do you own a pair of slippers? No. Do you ever watch VHS movies anymore? No. I don’t even recall the last time. Has your computer ever decided to completely erase itself? No, but I’ve lost stuff because of viruses back in the day. :(

Only when the power goes out do we realize how much we rely on it, true? It definitely becomes quite apparent quite quickly. Have you ever picked an apple off the tree and eaten it? No. Can you say yes / no in different languages? ”Si” and “No”, ha. Are you good at styling your own hair? No. Especially not anymore since I just don’t have the motivation or energy to do anything with my hair, which is why it was always up in a bun. I finally just cut it really short and have been wearing a cute wig if I go somewhere cause that’s all I can to do right now. I am sad, though. It was so long.   Out of the traditional superheroes, which one is your favorite? The Scarlett Witch and Iron Man. What color is the shirt you're wearing right now? Black. Have you ever been lost? Physically and figuratively, yes.

[yourkimjaejin]

NCT AG at KBS Gayo Daechukje 2020

The outfits the girls wore for the Resonance performance today were the same as the ones in the MV but with the white and chain accents (link to the Resonance MV post so you can see the outfits)

Hannah and Aurora jackets are adorned with the jewelry and chain pieces the guys had on their jackets, white panels and all. 

Moxy and Juno now have white stripes going down the length of their pants. Moxy has some of the chains across the front of her shirt. Her hair had to be pulled back because it kept getting caught in the chains. Juno’s shirt has white trim on it. 

On the way to NCT’s pre-record, some of the members weren’t wearing jackets but Doyoung brought an extra jacket with him for Moxy just in case

Doyoung: You are out here with no shirt on! You need a jacket and when we get to the building, you will put this on, ok!

Moxy: Yes Oppa.....

Dad!Doyoung has made another appearance

Moxy snuck off to see Got7 record their stage. Mark looked over and waved at her. 

Was Moxy blushing when she noticed that Mark had on a crop top. I mean.......I won’t tell if you won’t ;)

During the Romance of 2020 KBS Song Festival performace, Moxy and Aurora were with the first group of NCT. Moxy was playing around with Sungchan, Mark and Yangyang in the back. Aurora was singing between Winwin and Johnny

Juno and Hannah were with the second group of NCT. Juno was laughing between Shotaro and Jaemin. Jaehyun had his arm around Hannah causing her to blush while singing. 

Juno and Jungkook got to talk briefly backstage as NCT was headed from the red carpet. Jungkook also met the rest of AG as well. The girl’s natural personalities shifted in the presence of their sunbae but Jungkook made them feel comfortable.

Hannah: When did you meet Jungkook sunbaenim and why didn’t you tell us?

Juno: It wasn’t that big of a deal...

Aurora: It’s a big deal when a member of one of the biggest modern kpop groups remembers you.

On the red carpet, all the girls were wearing the same black dress with their hair down. When they got in position for the kneeling photo, four extra boys kneeled so their female members could remain standing. 

Now the Misfit performance!!!

At the beginning, when everyone walks in, Jaehyun is carrying Moxy on his back and Yuta walks with an arm around Juno

Juno and Moxy were with 127. Aurora was dancing with Chenle and Hannah did the rocking move with WayV (You know the move from the mv)

Moxy and Juno were rapping their hearts out to misfits lyrics dancing on the top of a desk. 

The camera was able to catch Jaehyun and Doyoung making sure they didn’t fall down. 

Before the song starts, while Jeno and Haechan were playing that finger game, camera caught Jaemin squishing Aurora’s cheeks. she was playfully batting him away

The girls were wearing school skirts to match the classroom concept. Moxy and Aurora were not happy. They wanted to dance crazy like the guys but alas....

The Resonance performance!!!

Fans were mad when the camera didn’t get a close up shot of Hannah doing her part of the rap. The camera did manage to catch her winking at the camera. 

During the Work It section, Jaemin and Aurora facials were on a HUNDRED. Like Aurora’s eyes alone were killing Czennies!!

In the middle of the performance, where the members lined up, here are the pairs the girls walked with,

Moxy walked out after Jaehyun

Aurora danced with Mark, Jeno and Haechan

Juno was after Johnny

Hannah walked last with Kun

During the last seconds of the song, The camera caught a shot of Hannah next to Johnny

While they were leaving the taping, The girls had all changed. Some fans got video of Moxy hugging someone but they couldn’t get a glimpse of who. 

Fans also got a picture of Chenle pulling Aurora into the car with him. 

Tweets:

[percabeth4life]

The Painted Boy

Chapter One || Next Chapter || AO3

+++++++++++

Percy was learning waterbending.

He knew his mom said he had to be careful, and he didn’t think she wanted him to use it much, but he had to! He was a waterbender!

It’s just like Katara, having to hide her bending to protect herself and her home. He could do the same, but he would also train.

After all, unlike Katara, he had easy access to a master. Katara herself.

He may have maybe kinda snuck money from Gabe.

But he’d been careful! He’d only taken a few bills, a little at a time, snuck a few from his gambling buddies too. He was smart, like Katara was with her gambling in that episode with Toph.

You’ve gotta be smart and distract them. He’d bring them beers and food, then sneak a few bills when they weren’t looking.

In the end he got enough money to buy the complete Avatar: The Last Airbender video set. And one of the neighbors gave him their old video player, a small one, they got a better one and didn’t need it anymore.

Now he had his teacher, which meant he could learn how to bend better.

First thing he had to do was take notes, that’s what all the teachers said.

He would figure out what he could do, everything according to Katara, then work on doing it.

Water was his new favorite drink, easy to carefully practice moving the water in the cup.

Watching the show he figured out all the little things to do, small bits of waterbending he could practice.

Lift the water, manipulate it, spin it, make shapes, see how far he can push it. He practiced freezing the water like Katara could, making ice cubes. He started to practice changing the ice cubes shapes.

He frowned watching the videos, they have to be really quick to do some of it, maybe he should practice running?

And he needs to learn how to pull water out of the air and plants like Katara learned from the creepy old lady who forced her to learn blood bending.

He wanted to learn blood bending, he knows it’s dangerous, but if he uses it like Katara, for the bad people, then it should be fine.

Of course, in the middle of all his interesting research and learning and practicing, he had to finish the summer assignments, and then… He was gonna have school again soon.

++++++++++++++++++++

The teachers just didn’t appreciate his smarts. He knows he’s smart, he’s learning from Katara really well!

He could make the water form any shape he wants now, and when he showers he practices controlling the moving water. He’s doing good!

School was just boring! How was he supposed to pay attention to geography? He could be practicing making a water whip instead!

He scowled, it’s not his fault that the words didn’t work, he couldn’t read it when it was gibberish. He kicked a rock on the playground, he hates school.

Ugh, Katara was smart though, she was amazing and smart, he wanted to be smart! He was trying. He swallowed back the tears, ignoring the burning in his eyes.

He was trying so hard.

++++++++++++++++++++

Percy huffed, glaring at the paper in front of him.

He had to really work hard to not let the numbers float around and mix everything up. Why did they have to be so close together? He carefully printed the work, and the answer in careful bold writing.

He was going to be an amazing waterbender, and to really be amazing he had to be smart too. Mom said that waterbender’s all work hard in school, and in the northern water tribe that seems true. It’s just annoying, he bet they didn’t have dyslexia like him, and they got to do stuff with their hands! That’s so much easier!

He turned in his test then sat back down to wait for the bell to ring.

He was determined to get at least a B in every subject this year. He would!

+++++++++++++++++++

Practicing his waterbending was hard. His mom always got so worried when she saw him practicing, but there was only so much he could do hiding in his room with a glass of water, or in the shower. He needed more space, a body of water where he could actually work at his bending.

He could do the little water whip, he could control the shape of the water, turn it to ice and back, coat his hands in it, pull little bits out of the air, dry himself off with a flick of his wrist, and stop the shower water in mid-air.

But he wanted to practice the big things!

He wanted to be able to make the octopus! Or make a big wave! Or those spirals of water, or the whips that cover her arms, or the shield, or stop the rain… There was so much he wanted to do, and he couldn’t cause he had to keep it hidden.

He didn’t like it, but he didn’t want to upset his mom.

He would just have to find someplace that no one would notice him waterbending.

The pool? He could make it look like splashes there, or he could try to go the rivers, but they’re dirty… Well, he could go to them and practice waterbending to clean them?

There’s an idea!

Oh, and he should totally keep a water-bottle with him at all times. Just in case of an emergency.

++++++++++++

Cleaning the river was going strangely.

He swears he saw two weird figures in the water. One had wolfish features and a seal-like body. It was kinda scary. Especially his glowing green eyes. The other wore rags and seaweed with a big beard. His appearance wasn’t as scary, but his eyes were angrier.

Neither of the two guys spoke to Percy mind you, and he’d only caught glimpses of them. But they kept reappearing,

He just focused on cleaning the water one day of bending practice at a time.

+++++++++++

Percy learned that the fish could talk. Or maybe he could just understand him?

There wasn’t much in the rivers, not many fish or other animals. But there were some. And the one’s there talked to each other, and when he commented on one of their conversations, they started talking to him.

He learned a lot about what happened nearby.

They also made him more determined to clean the river, the fish were thankful.

+++++++++++

It only took Percy three weeks to get the octopus technique down… roughly. It wasn’t perfect, but he was getting it.

The wave tricks were harder, more water to manipulate.

But at least he was getting better at… fine control?

That’s what that wolf-seal guy had mumbled before disappearing again.

Percy guesses that’s good, so he tried to practice it more.

Cleaning the river was hard though. He was starting to try to lift the water and filter all the bad stuff out onto the shore.

He didn’t quite get it to work right, too much bad stuff was going back into the river, but he was slowly figuring it out.

The more he worked, the easier it seemed to be too!

Like how Katara went from a little bit of rain stopping to making a huge dome!

He could do this!

Plus, he thinks that the weird scary guys in the water were happy, they didn’t glare so much anymore.

++++++++++++

Percy was only able to go to the rivers so much because mom worked late.

He tended to find bits of money in the trash and told Gabe he was working to ‘earn his keep’. It made Gabe happy, and he would give little bits of the money to Gabe. So Gabe didn’t tell mom.

He felt bad for lying, but he needed to get better! Waterbending was a part of him!

He wanted to do his best, to do as good as Katara.

++++++++++++++

It was getting colder now. Winter was coming.

Percy was determined to not be bothered by it. Katara wasn’t, she could control the ice and snow.

Though she did wear a jacket…

Percy used the money he found in the river (after cleaning it with his super cool waterbender powers) to buy a waterproof warm jacket.

There, that fixes that problem.

++++++++++++++

There was a new figure in the river.

It didn’t approach him, but also didn’t disappear when he looked at it, not like the scary ones.

This one was green. As in, his skin was green. His hair was black. He looked a lot neater than the scary ones, like clean neater. With pearls and cool armor. And you know, two fish tails. He was a mermaid, or merman, Percy guessed, but with two tails.

Did all mermaids have two tails and humans just got it wrong? Percy would have to ask Elli the Eel (he still couldn’t believe that was actually the Eel’s name).

But the fancy merman stayed while Percy was there, too far out for Percy to approach (he hadn’t managed to figure how to move on water like in avatar, his ice wasn’t thick enough yet). Percy decided to ignore him for now, maybe he wouldn’t come back?

Percy cleaned the river more, he also managed to get the rising wave trick (he’d named it himself!) down at last. He was happy.

+++++++++++++++

The merman came back.

It was about a good three months of irregular appearances (he was learning big words! He’d got an audio tape of some cool stories to listen too while cleaning the river. Audio tapes were easier then reading.) from the merman before he was approached.

It was also February, and very much cold now.

He’d managed to get his ice float down now, it was thick enough to sit on, and he was starting to get good at maneuvering it. Hopefully he’d still be able to make it when it was warm.

The merman approached him when he was trying to pull up a partly buried piece of trash.

Percy’s little ice float dipped suddenly.

“What are you doing?”

Percy blinked, turning to the voice, and the cause of the dip.

The merman had come up to him, was leaning on the ice float.

“Um, I’m trying to clean the river?”

The merman studied him.

“Why?”

Percy frowned, thinking.

“I just wanted to practice waterbending, but the river’s really dirty and it’s not nice so… I just thought… I just thought I’d try to clean it?”

The merman studied him. Percy felt like he was being judged.

“Waterbending?”

Percy faltered, he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about it. But this is a merman, that’s not the same is it? Of course, he probably just calls it something different. This wouldn’t be disobeying mom, right?

“You know, controlling the water… It’s called waterbending in the…” Well now he felt like it was childish but, “In the TV show avatar. And it’s basically what I do so…”

The merman hummed, “In the winter?”

“Well, it’s not gonna get cleaner just because the weather is colder. If I want to clean it then I’ll have to work even when it’s cold!”

The merman hummed again, “What’s your name?”

Percy shifted on his ice floe, “Percy, Percy Jackson.”

The merman nodded.

“What’s yours?”

He blinked, studying Percy again.

“…Triton.”

Percy smiled brilliantly, “Nice to meet you Triton!”

The merman nodded, still studying Percy intently.

“Nice to meet you as well… Percy.”

[jessefandomunited]

This Day Was Going to be Perfect Part 5

TW( needles and light torture)

~When the reader , who’s had a long time crush on Spencer, finds out Cat Adams is getting out of Prison on parole and wanting to talk to Spencer, she can’t help but be a bit suspicious.~

This fic was inspired by the song “ This day is going to be perfect” - MLP. enjoy

tag list: @raggabashie

I woke up dizzy and with a pounding headache. I opened my eyes slowly and found myself in a small dark space.  My wrist were bound in front of my and so were my legs, it felt like ductape though, which could be taken off easily. It also felt like I was moving very quickly. I was definitely in a car, I tried my best to focus but my head was swimming. “Spencer, we are saving Spencer,” I mumbled and began kicking in the direction I thought the break-lights would be . I heard a small pop and a stream of light entered the trunk. I slowly lifted myself up and jammed my taped hands against my stomach, breaking the tape , the legs I could do later. I pivoted my body slowly and gently poked out the taillight so it wouldn’t be seen by whoever was driving. I was in a town a vaguely recognized, I think it was an hour or two from where I was but it was public. I saw a few cars pass and I tried to get their attention but they seemed in their own world. I sighed and pulled my hand back in and felt along the inside for the latch. I’m sure they thought i’d sleep the entire trip because the car had a latch to open up the trunk from the inside. First I had to get my legs free. I pushed my legs up the side of the trunk a bit and placed my hands together and positioned them in-between my legs aimed the gap in the tape. I forcefully pushed down separating the tape while also hitting my head on the roof of the trunk. I groaned a bit, my headache was getting worse. Quickly I pulled the rest of the tape off and grabbed the lever, I was going to have to move quickly. I looked out the tail light hole and checked for cars, none. I took two deep breaths and quickly opened the trunk and jumping out and put my arms over my head. The car had been going pretty fast and I felt that on the first impact. I cringed and forced myself to look up through the grit and pain, there were still no cars luckily and unluckily at the same time. I limped off the highway and began making my way to an off ramp. However one look behind me and my blood ran cold, the car was backing up. I took a few deep breaths and began to run. The pain was unbearable but I kept going, pushing myself more and more. The town was getting closer and my heart soared then my arm was yanked back. I let out a yelp and was now face to face with one of my captors , I hadn’t seen him before but he must have been a friend of Cat or Scratch. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp but he just laughed and pushed me into the back seat of the car and sat next to me. There was nothing I could do the doors had no handles and no lock visible I could try and fight back but I had literally just jumped out of the car. The man took out the ducktape and began rebounding me as the other guy began driving. “Where are we going,” I asked simply. “ Away, we will be stopping for the night soon though ,” He said simply. “ Great,” I said knowing i’d get another chance to escape. “ Don’t get too excited we have some things to keep you at bay,” The man next to me chuckled pulling out a syringe. I couldn’t do needles and I tried to kick back at him to move away but he just grabbed a hand full of my hair and stabbed it in my neck. I landed a punch straight to his nose and he tossed me back into my seat causing me to hit my head on the door. As I tried to sit up, I couldn’t my entire body felt almost lifeless. “ Wha….waa,” I tried to ask but my words slurred and spun away from me as the world once again darkened.

Had it been a day or a month or a week, I didn’t know. They kept me dosed so much that I only was lucid a few time every day. I was actively trying to find a way to escape , the team had to be wondering where I was and Spencer, I just hoped he wasn’t married yet. Today the guys had been gone a very long time, in fact I could actually move. I slowly sat up and noticed I was in the car still. I easily got out of my bonds just like last time and took a brief look around and didn’t see them at all, we seemed to be in a hotel parking lot. I slowly went into the drivers seat and immediately felt pain everywhere. I tried my best to ignore it but it was rough. I took out part under the searing wheel and tried to remember if I could hot wire this type of car, it seemed old enough so I could try, Spencer had told me all about hot wiring one day while we were on our lunch break. It was only a couple months ago but it seemed like forever. I’m coming Spencer!

I tinkered with it a bit and suddenly heard the engine roar to life. “ Thankyou Spencer,” I whispered. I sat up and looked around just in time to see the two guards running down the stairs. “ No you don't,” I yanked the car into drive and peeled off. I was so excited that I had gotten away that I forgot that I had no idea where I was, and a casual glance at the fuel gauge informed me I was pretty much out of gas. I hit the steering wheel in frustration but kept going the way I was hoping for something. It was pitch black out and the only thing opened were going to be gas stations. I took a few deep shaky breaths and tried to center myself, one thing at a time, first find somewhere that looks open and go from there. In a mile I saw a huge mega store that said “Open 24 hours” on the side, perfect. I hadn’t seen any cars following me but I still parked in the very back and snuck in through the garden center. I saw a couple employees talking to each other and immediately stop when they saw me, I must have looked terrible. “ Help,” was all I was able to get out, my throat felt like sandpaper and the drugs were still bogging me down a lot. They quickly called someone over the loud speaker but didn’t even attempt to touch me. I took a shaky breath and stuttered, “ I..i.. was kidnapped.” Their eyes got very wide at that and they beckoned me to follow them.

I was sitting in a back office with no windows which made me a little less nervous, a girl brought me a cup of water and asked if there was anything she could do while we waited for the police. I didn’t want the police there at all, If Spencers wedding was either happening or already passed I had to get him out of that. It was easy enough to get an annulment especially if the wedding had just happened but that wasn’t what was important, it was the simple fact he was being forced into something he couldn’t consent to properly. I want his wedding to be something he’ll remember and look back fondly on , not cringe. I came back to the moment and asked, “ what’s the day?” “  Oh it’s Friday uh..June 26th,” She said softly. “ THERE IS STILL TIME,” I yelled , his wedding was tomorrow, “ Please can I borrow your phone I have to call someone.” She nodded and hesitated before handing it to me. I luckily had memorized the number of the exact person I needed right now, Penelope Garcia. “Hello i’m awake,” A groggy Penelope answered. “ Oh my goodness it’s so great to hear your voice.” Penelope perked up immediately and yelled my name so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “ yes it’s me do you know where I am please,” I begged I really need to get to Spencer before the wedding. “ Yeah about that, Spencer told us you freaked out on Cat and you said you were leaving for good,” Penelope said, “ we’ve all been trying to call you but there was nothing and when I tracked your phone you were just at you apartment.” My stomach dropped , the illusion they constructed was quite intricate. “ Listen first , no I was kidnapped after I realized Cat’s plan, I’m assuming Scratch is in on this too just , I need you to hack into my phone there is a video on it that explains pretty much all of it,” I explained . “ OMG ARE YOU OKAY WHERE ARE YOU ,” She said frantically and I heard her already typing . “ I don’t know can you track me on this phone too. “ Oh oh no,” She mumbled , “well bad news you’re about six hours from here, good news your only a thirty minuet ride to the wedding venue .” “ PERFECT,” I said jumping up. The door opened and about  four policemen came in, “ less perfect , I got to go.” I handed the phone back to the girl and stated my name as formally as I could adding in, “ FBI analysis at your service.”

[stayextrafrosty]

I am Your Future, I am Your Past: Chapter 8

A Roswell New Mexico Soulmate AU

Note: Please don’t be mad at me at the end of this. Also, two weeks into classes and my free time for writing has gone down considerably.

Read On AO3 // Chapter 1

-

Michael sat with Isabel at a red light. The information they got was useful but still only surface level. What was that work he was still doing for the military? Something about it felt wrong and he wasn’t sure he wanted to learn the answer. For Alex’s sake.

“Hey cowboy, back to earth.” He jumped when Isabel poked him. Zoning out had become a regular part of his day.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. She shook her head.

“I swear you’re like a lovestruck teenager. I was just saying that we should go pick up your truck and clear out that bunker.” He shot a glare at her that she didn’t see. She tapped her fingers along to whatever was on the radio and he turned back to look out the window.

Everyone they talked to seemed to have nothing but good things to say about Forrest. How could Michael even begin to measure up? He used to be known as the town drunk. He sold old parts from the auto shop for extra money. Not to mention literally pushing Alex away on the first day he told him about the curse.

He glanced down at his scarred and busted hand. All that history and it was almost nothing but pain. And even now that’s all their relationship was about. Pain. He wished it could be different. He wanted to touch him gently. Say everything was going to be fine and mean it.

Images of the two lovers from the journal flashed through his mind. The two of them running. Holding each other. Touching…

Michael shook his head. He couldn’t get lost in that world. There were too many other things he needed to take care of.

Isabel pulled into the Evans’ drive. He hopped out before waiting for her to stop completely triggering a worried yelp that made him grin. He’d been doing that ever since she started driving. Waiting just long enough so he wouldn’t get hurt but still enough to startle her.

“One day you’re going to misjudge and I’m going to run you over,” she scolded. Michael laughed as he shut her door.

Hopping into his own truck he pulled out and followed Isabel back to Sanders Auto. His radio refused to play anything clearly. Certain sounds came through but nothing for very long. He tried changing the station but it was all the same.

Coming… this time… need help… the last… chance…

He shook his head and settled for just turning it off. He’d have to take a look at it later. The sun beat down on the steering wheel, making it difficult to hold. It seemed brighter than usual. Michael picked up his sunglasses that he almost never wore. Could this day get any weirder?

The houses spread out until they were nonexistent at the edge of town. Tumbleweeds blew about the cactus, dust kicking up behind cars. They turned off the main road onto the dirt and gravel path up to the junkyard.

Michael could see Sanders sitting in a lawn chair, watching over the place. Or maybe watching him pull in. He hadn’t exactly been the best worker the last week. He couldn’t even explain why. There were other mechanics he could call but part of his deal was that he could park there as long as he worked regularly. He pulled up next to his Airstream. Sanders stood from the chair slowly.

“Been missin’ ya boy. You wanna hang around, you gotta fix some’a these guys for me,” He said. Michael had heard the threats before but Sanders rarely followed through. Didn’t mean he wanted to test how far he could push him.

“I’ll get on it as soon as I finish cleaning some stuff up in the bunker, promise.” He narrowed his one eyebrow that was visible. He scratched his nose then turned to go inside his office trailer.

“It’s wonderful to see you Mr. Sanders,” Isabel called after him in her sweetest voice. He waved as he tried to hide the small smile that always snuck out when she was around. Michael didn’t understand why she made a better impression than he did but at least the old guy might be in a good mood.

Isabel followed him over to the lever on the back of his trailer. It groaned as it moved to uncover the top of the bunker. He pulled the lid open.

“Watch your step. Probably should have told you to wear more sensible shoes,” he said, gesturing to her boots with the four-inch heel. He moved down the ladder first. Figuring he’d be more help if she slipped. She just rolled her eyes at him.

“I think you forget who you’re talking to, Michael. I could probably kick your ass in shoes higher than this,” she taunted. Isabel followed him quickly. He sighed heavily, not knowing how to respond.

He left her to handle the rest of it by herself. He felt around for the light. He hadn’t spent much time here since he had shown it to Alex. Sure, he came to water the plants but the experiment seemed to have failed.

Michael found the switch that was farther in than it probably should have been and he flipped it on. The lights flickered a few times before dimly lighting the space. He walked over to his planters, examining the wilted leaves. He cursed under his breath. He would need to experiment with the dirt and fertilizer again.

“What are you even doing in here,” Isabel asked skeptically.

“Trying to make plants grow in harsh conditions. Make it easier to grow crops.” Isabel exhaled softly as she stared in awe.

Michael picked up the dying plants on one of the far tables, moving the planters to a different table on the other side of the bunker. He didn’t have anywhere to keep this stuff for now. Maybe he’d ask Liz if there was any extra lab space she knew about. The best he could do was move his experiments to one side of the room.

“Didn’t your mother used to work with this kind of stuff?” He paused in his movements. He hadn’t thought about her in a while.

“Yea. Found some of her old notes. That’s what I’m working off of,” he said, pretending like it didn’t hurt to think about. He couldn’t remember her in detail anymore. He had a picture of his parents but their voices were lost to time. Neither of them had been the recording type so there weren’t any videos.

“I’m sorry, Michael,” she said gently. Her hand rested on his shoulder.

“It was a long time ago now.” He shook her hand off and continued moving the planters around. She didn’t push the topic further.

The silence stretched as one side of the bunker began to look like... well... a bunker again. The light coming through the hole where the door was dimmed, sun setting. The summer was at its end and there wasn’t nearly enough light in the day anymore. He glanced at his phone. Not even seven thirty.

“Hey Iz, wanna pick up some food?” He looked over at her and watched as she made a face at some bug that she stomped on with her heel. Michael tried not to laugh as she did it again.

“Don’t laugh! Why don’t these things fucking die?” Michael raised an eyebrow and walked over to where she was standing. A scorpion ran around the leg of the table, surviving another assault from Isabel’s shoe.

Michael shook his head and grabbed her arm gently, pulling her away. These things would only die if you burned them. Or at least crushed them with a steel weight. Maria was never a fan of how many of them popped up around here either.

He grabbed an empty planter cup and set it in front of the bug. He waited patiently for it to crawl in before trapping it with a second one. It would be pissed when he let it go but he should be able to toss it somewhere it wouldn’t come back for revenge.

“Grab that tape, would you? Keep it sealed until I get outside.” Isabel hurried over to the table where they had moved a handful of things and pulled a long piece of tape from the dispenser.

“I will never understand why you always saved these things. There’s more than enough in the world,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself after handing him the tape.

He never really understood it either. And it wasn’t consistent. He’d kill certain spiders but save scorpions. Save snakes but kill mice. Maybe he should start just saving them all? As a child he always thought that maybe they were just misunderstood.

Michael wrapped the tape around the seam of the two cups. He could feel the thing moving around, probably looking for a way out.

“Alright, alright, just chill,” he mumbled to the scorpion. Weirdly enough, it stopped moving. “I’ll be right back,” he said to Isabel.

Climbing up the ladder was harder with only one hand. The extra strain on his arm made him flinch. The bullet wound had actually closed much faster than normal, though it still hurt.

Michael pulled himself out of the hole and stood slowly, wiping the dirt from his hands on his pants. He walked to a space behind the trailer, looking out at the expanse of desert. He just needed a rock or something this thing could dig under.

“You know. I’d really like to climb under a rock sometimes, too. Maybe we aren’t so different,” he said to the bug that had begun to crawl again.

He laughed at himself and walked out to a cactus about fifty feet away from the trailer. He pulled the tape off and opened the two cups slowly, trying to figure out which one it was in. He crouched down and dumped it as close to the plant as possible without poking himself.

The black scorpion hit the ground and curled into a ball. Once it was sure nothing was going to touch it, it opened up and buried its way under the edge of the plant. He stood and wandered back to the trailer.

He was about to start the climb back down when a strong wind whipped through the yard. He stumbled back and grabbed his hat, holding it in place. They hadn’t called for dust storms. So what was going on?

Michael looked around. The dust continued to spin and cover everything. He struggled just to stay standing. He needed to get back inside.

He crouched down but the wind picked up more, knocking him to the ground. He stayed curled up, waiting for the gusts to pass. He thought he heard Isabel call for him but he couldn’t open his mouth to speak.

Unsecured chairs blew across the yard like tumbleweeds. Papers were ripped off the bulletin boards. Michael squeezed his eyes shut. Dust storms were common. But there’s usually some kind of warning.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as lightning cracked. It could have been right next to him. Had there even been clouds? His ears rang.

If this was the apocalypse then he had a few choice words for whoever he met when he died. Most of them probably about how they screwed him out of the best thing he couldn’t have.

Then it stopped.

Dust fell back to the ground.

Wind slowing to a gentle breeze.

“Michael!” Isabel called to him from the bunker. He could hear her scrambling up the ladder.

Cracking his eyes open, a blurry figure stood in front of him. He coughed and brushed dirt and dust from his face. A pair of hands landed on his shoulder.

“Oh my god, are you ok? I heard the wind and the lightning and—” Whatever she was saying cut off. Michael pulled himself up, shaking his head to get some of the dust out of it. He looked up at her but she just looked over him. He turned slowly, heart racing.

A girl stood there. A plain t-shirt and black jeans. Black hair not as long as the picture he had seen. She just stood there and watched the two of them. That bad omen. The angel of death.

It was Tessa.

His heart pounded as she turned toward the sun. It was slowly dipping closer to the horizon. A smile found its way onto her face as she closed her eyes.

“The thing I always miss the most is the warmth of the sun. My celestial body doesn’t let me feel much of anything.”

This couldn’t be her. Everything in his body screamed to deny it. She wasn’t real. That was his first thought.

His second was Alex. She had saved him once, but he figured that wouldn’t happen again. Should he even tell him she appeared? He needed to keep her away from him but he also deserved to know that she was alive.

“Michael… she’s…” Isabel couldn’t finish her thought. He had shown the picture to both her and Max, making them promise to warn him if she ever showed up.

Tessa turned back toward them taking lazy steps closer until she stood an arm’s length away. She offered her hand to him. He flinched at the sudden movement.

“Sorry, was the wind and lightning too much? I’d always wanted to make a dramatic entrance like that but the others always said ‘no.’ But fuck ‘em right?” Was she really trying to pretend that this was somehow a regular occurrence? Her hand was still extended.

Michael shook his head and jumped up, recovering from the shock of her being in front of him. Isabel held onto his arm, fingers digging into the muscle.

“What are you doing here,” he demanded. She tilted her head and frowned.

“Really? No ‘who are you’ first?” She shrugged and scratched her head. When Michael didn’t say anything more, she sighed. “Fine. Guess I have to do everything myself. I’m Tessa, short for Theresa. I was there when the original curse was cast.”

Michael balled his hands into fists. What was the point of her telling them this? He knew she brought death with her so why would she bother trying to be friends?

“You’re an angel of death. Excuse me for being a bit hostile,” he snapped. Her nose scrunched and she crossed her arms, pouting.

“Why is it always ‘angel of death’ and not ‘well-meaning Nephilim who gets screwed over by her parent’s whims?’ I know how it looks but seriously, I’m here to help.” She looked around the yard, confusion settling on her face. “Where’s Alex? I missed him.”

“So it’s true. That was you in his platoon.” She smiled fondly and nodded.

“Told me all about this guy he could come home to,” she said, looking him up and down. “I only want him to be happy. Both of you actually.” Her face turned serious as she looked back at the setting sun. “This has gone on long enough.”

Alex talked about him? Why? He had pushed him away so much Alex didn’t even say goodbye. He supposed he didn’t exactly go find him either. They had seen each other a couple times after he left. But Michael had figured that second time would have been the last.

-

Banging on the door of his airstream forced Michael awake. He groaned and pulled himself up just enough to check his phone for the time. Almost noon. It was probably Sanders ready to scold him about how he needed to pull his weight.

His head pounded and he willed the banging on the door to stop. It did for a second but then it started back up again. Whoever it was, was going to get an earful. He pulled on a wrinkled white shirt he had on yesterday and stumbled over to the door.

He pulled it open, squinting at the sun that poured in through the opening. He blinked a few times and ran a hand over his face. He took in the green and tan camo uniform and followed it up to the face with the brown eyes he hadn’t seen in over a year.

“Alex.” He held himself back from pulling him close, not sure if that was what he wanted.

“Hey, Michael.” His heart flipped in his chest. Looking around, he didn’t see anyone else but this hardly seemed like a casual visit.

“When’d you get back?” Michael stepped out of the trailer, forcing Alex to take a few steps backward to maintain a professional distance.

“A few hours ago.” An awkward silence stretched between them. Michael sighed and opened the trailer door again. He signaled with his hand, inviting him inside.

“It’s too hot to just be standing out here,” Michael said. “If you need to talk to me, we can do it inside.” Alex finally met his gaze and nodded following him through the door. Michael leaned against the counter and watch as Alex looked around, fiddling with his hands.

“I um… just wanted to make sure you were doing ok,” Alex mumbled. He tried not to laugh but a small chuckle escaped him. This boy was going to be the death of him.

“Manes, when have I ever not been ok?” His eyes flickered down to his hand. It had been nearly three years and he still blamed himself. Michael shook his head and stepped up to him. “If you don’t want to go home, you can stay here,” he said quietly.

Alex sucked in a breath. Michael leaned forward slowly. He wanted it to be Alex who kissed him. Give him some confirmation that he still wanted this.

“Stay,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against his. Alex’s hands came to rest on his face. They stood like that, breathing in time with each other, for who knows how long.

Then Alex was kissing him. Or maybe he was kissing Alex. He couldn’t be sure. Michael grabbed at his waist, pulling him closer. Alex pushed him back against the counter, trapping him there.

Michael nipped at him, pulling a soft moan from his lips. He threaded his fingers in his curls, tugging gently. Michael ran his hands all over him, wishing he could just toss his uniform to the floor and have him all to himself.

Alex pulled away sooner than he wanted. Both of them trying to catch their breath but still brushing lips against each other.

“Michael… I… I want to stay. But I can’t. I’m leaving and… I don’t think I’m coming back.” He froze, the weight of the words setting in. It was as though a ball of lead had been dropped in his gut.

He lifted his hands to his chest, pushing Alex back gently. Why would he even bother coming? Giving him this hope that maybe they wouldn’t have to say goodbye anymore, then just ripping it away.

“Michael—”

“Just stop Alex. If you’re going to leave, then leave.” He turned away from him, hiding the tears that had built in his eyes.

“Please listen to me,” Alex pleaded, voice cracking.

“No. I’m not going to listen to you say goodbye anymore. Don’t bother coming to see me if you just want to be cruel.” Michael dug his nails into his palms, stopping himself from grabbing Alex and holding onto him so he couldn’t go anywhere ever again. “Just go!” He knew Alex would jump from the yelling.

Michael’s throat burned. He didn’t deserve that. Playing on his trauma.

Before he could apologize, the door to the airstream opened and slammed shut. And he never saw him again.

-

“So how exactly do you plan to be of any help,” Isabel asked? Michael blinked out of the memory, surprised to hear Isabel’s voice. Tessa straitened her shoulders and smiled.

“You must be from a side branch. Well, I can’t get in the way of the trials but I can give you a heads up. Tip one: they usually happen in pairs. One happens and within a week the second will happen.” Michael and Isabel shared a skeptical look.

Neither of them had time to respond as a car skidded to a stop next to his. Alex jumped out of the car, fear covering his face.

“Michael,” he called to him, voice breaking. His heart skipped a beat at his name. He shook himself free of Isabel and ran over to him. Alex pulled him into a tight hug. He stumbled forward a bit in surprise. They hadn’t hugged since that last time seven years ago.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you ok,” he asked gently? What was scary enough to send Alex running into his arms like this?

“Me? It was you, damnit. I could feel everything. The fear and then the pain… Fuck, I thought you were dying!” Alex pushed him back and looked over him, running his fingers gently over the injury on his arm.

“Not quite,” he said. Having Alex’s full attention made his heart race. He knew he would feel it too but he didn’t care. The concern on his face ignited the spark of hope that Michael had shoved away for the last seven years.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Michael and raised his eyebrows.

“So what happened to basically give me a heart attack,” he asked.

“Alex? That you?” Every emotion drained from his face as his eyes shifted over Michael’s shoulder. He kept his eyes trained on his face, making sure he was ok.

“Tessa?”

-

It was as though his brain couldn’t pick an emotion. Should he be happy? She was his best friend. Should he be relived? At least she wasn’t dead. Should he be scared? Because she may very well be an angel of death sent to destroy him and Michael.

“I’m sorry about the vague note. I was being watched.” Alex opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He glanced over at Michael, watching his eyebrows draw together.

“What note? You didn’t tell me about anything like that.” Alex shook his head.

“I didn’t think it was important.” Michael snorted.

“There you go lying to me. Jesus Manes, you have to come to me with shit like that,” he scolded.

“This is not the time, Guerin,” he snapped back, refocusing on Tessa. She just watched them with amusement. She shook her head, chuckling.

“Just like them…” she muttered to herself. Isabel appeared next to Michael, grabbing his arm gently. She leaned in to whisper something he couldn’t hear. He thought she glanced over at him but with the sky getting darker, it was hard to tell.

Alex took a cautious step towards Tessa. Was this really the person he had come to know in Iraq? She seemed so different now. Physically she seemed taller? And there was this glow. Maybe it was because she wasn’t covered in dirt and blood anymore. But it felt like it was more than that.

He had known she had heterochromia, but it was so much more obvious now. One eye a deep brown while the other a pale blue. She smiled sweetly at him. He wanted nothing more than to hug her. Fall into her arms and thank her for what she’s done for him.

He wanted to trust her.

“So if it’s really you, why’d you disappear? I thought you had died.” His voice shook, unsure if it was from fear or anger. She sighed.

“I’m sorry. When that bomb went off, I needed to save the others too. I couldn’t do that with you there because you would have been able to see it. And after that, I visited you while you were asleep. Acted as your guardian angel. Until that mark showed up.” He touched the spot over his heart, feeling an echo of Michael’s heartbeat.

“See what? How did you save the rest of the platoon,” he asked?

“Remember the barn?” Alex’s eyes shot over to Michael’s. Of course he did.

“So you’re saying that weird slowing of time was you?” Michael sounded almost amazed. Alex’s mouth hung open slightly. She had that much power?

“Why can Michael and I see it?” She raised an eyebrow, looking between the three of them. Was the answer supposed to be obvious?

“You seriously don’t know,” she asked incredulously? Alex shook his head slowly and glanced over at Michael again. Had he left something out of their little history lessons? But he and Isabel seemed to be just as lost as he was. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Well this is going to be annoying. I don’t have the energy to reteach your history right now. Let’s pick this up tomorrow yea?”

None of them had time to argue. A gust of wind and quick flash of light disoriented them and she was gone. As though she had never been there. The three of them stood in silence for a moment, staring at the place she had been standing.

“So tell me you guys saw that, too,” Isabel said. Alex and Michael both nodded. What did she mean ‘reteach history?’

The last of the orange faded from the sky. Stars suddenly appearing as the dark blue slowly took over. Alex stared at the sky, looking for some cosmic sign to tell him what to do.

He searched the starts for Pisces, just like Rosa used to make him do when he, Liz, Maria, and her all hung out. ‘It looks like an arrow’ is what she always said. Maybe one day it’d point him in the direction of the rest of his life.

He followed the path down, mostly out of curiosity. He never really took that astrology stuff seriously. He jumped when he looked down and found Michael standing in front of him, arms crossed. Guess the stars had a weird sense of humor.

“Whatcha looking for, captain?” He shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle.

“Waiting for the stars to tell me what to do,” he half joked. A small grin snuck onto Michael’s face.

“They seem to enjoy shoving us together from what I can tell. We’re cosmic, Manes,” he said, laughing. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach flipped. Damn him for saying stuff like that. Alex couldn’t deny it though. Isabel materialized next to them.

“Well I’m going to head out. I’ll update Max on the situation.” Michael nodded and saluted her. She looked over at Alex and smiled, resting a hand on his arm as she walked past.

They watched as she climbed into her car after complaining about how she had just gotten it washed. He chuckled at her annoyance. Keeping cars clean in the middle of a desert was an impossible task. She pulled away, a cloud of dust following her.

“Help me make a fire before it gets too dark,” Michael said. He turned to follow him but didn’t realized he hadn’t moved yet. Alex ran into him, hands shooting out to grab his arms for support. Michael’s arms wrapped around his waist, steadying him.

Alex felt the heat rush to his face. He was thankful the sun had set, hiding his embarrassment. He was close enough to watch a lazy smile settle on Michael’s face. The smell of rain was assaulting his senses. And his hands on his waist was not helping.

“At least buy me a drink first,” he teased. Alex looked away, stepping out of his arms. The warmth of him vanished. He felt cold even though it was probably still ninety degrees.

“Sorry. You said something about a fire,” he asked? Michael nodded, turning away from him.

“Yea. Otherwise we won’t be able to see.” He followed him to the pile of wood on the rack near his trailer. They carried a few pieces to get started. Michael offered him the one chair that had gotten caught on the fire pit. He jogged away to grab one of the others. Alex sat, watching the small twigs at the bottom catch fire.

He watched it slowly lick up the sides of the logs, growing brighter with every inch. Shadows played on the side of the trailer and walls of the workshop. When was the last time he was here at night?

Michael returned with a plastic folding chair and set it down, just out of arms reach from where Alex was sitting.

“How was your date,” he asked quietly? He hardly registered the question. He hadn’t even thought about Forrest since he came rushing over here. Where Michael was involved, it was the only thing he could think about.

“Fine,” he said, not really wanting to go into detail. He didn’t ask more about it.

“Listen Manes, we need to talk about some things.” Alex looked over at him. He expected him to be watching the fire but no, his eyes looked right at him. They didn’t even waver. Heat that wasn’t from the fire burned on his cheeks again.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about the note. It was a weird day and I was exhausted and I didn’t think you wanted to see me after I walked out.” Michael stayed silent. The things that had been said that day stuck with him. The dream they shared refused to leave him alone.

“So I found a journal,” he began. Completely ignoring what happened at the hospital. “I think it’s from one of the early incarnations of the curse.” Alex’s eyebrows drew together.

“Didn’t you say there were a handful of them?”

“Yea but this one’s different. The couple is a pair named Samuel and Thomas.” The two names made him sit up, resting his arms on his legs. The same names from the vision he had. “The journal belonged to Thomas. And I don’t know how but—”

“Wait,” Alex cut him off. “I thought all the incarnations had been guy/girl pairings? That we were the weird ones in all this?” Michael shrugged.

“I don’t know. But that was the only explanation I could come up with.” Michael ran a hand through his hair. “Also, I think the journal triggered a vision.” So he had one too.

“Let me guess. Really old timey. Candles? Log cabin like? Forest surrounding the grounds?” It was his turn to look confused.

“Exactly… but how did you know that?” He took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous about telling him these things. Probably because of the nature of the feelings he felt while in the vision.

“I had a vision, too. The day I got the note. Came out of nowhere really. And Samuel looked just like you,” he said. Michael looked away from him, running a hand over his jaw.

“We gotta tell each other everything, Alex. That’s the only way we’re going to figure this out. It’s the only way I can protect you.” His heart fluttered again. It was tugging him toward Michael.

He was the one that needed to protect him. He wasn’t the one who was going to be hurt if he got into a car accident or kidnapped and tortured. He clenched his fists and stood from his chair, ignoring the complaint from his leg with the prosthetic.

“You keep saying that. But maybe it’s supposed to be the other way around.” He stood slowly, watching him with curiosity. Alex stepped forward and lifted a hand to rest on his chest gently. “I know you feel me, Guerin. You know that if anything were to happen to you because of me, I would be destroyed.” Michael lifted his hand to cover his, holding it against his chest.

They stood there. Alex stared at their entwined fingers over Michael’s t-shirt. As much as he hated to admit it, Michael had become his whole life too.

He cursed himself. He shouldn’t be here anymore. It was too much. Everything he was feeling was getting mixed up with Michael. His head was so full of him that even as he tried to think of Forrest, he just didn’t care.

He mumbled that he should leave but couldn’t bring himself to pull away. In fact he only found himself closer. Breathing the same air. His eyes traced his face, hesitating on his mouth.

No!

He scolded himself. He couldn’t do that to Maria. He couldn’t do that to Forrest. Everything about them was wrong but so was everything else. The world only made sense when they were together.

He pulled his hand away from Michael, turning to leave. He didn’t get very far. Michael grabbed him, pulling him against him. His hands found their place on Alex’s face, forcing him to look in his eyes.

“Stay.”

[fioress]

chicago’s very own fiore gattuso has been spotted on madison avenue driving a 2020 bentley continental gt v8 in red , welcome ! your resemblance to lorenzo zurzolo is unreal . according to tmz , you just had your twenty first birthday bash  . your chance of surviving new york is uncertain because you’re impatient , but being cunning might help you . i think being a libra explains that .  3 things that would paint  a  better picture of you would be bloodshot baby blue eyes, long drives without a specific destination, getting high by the beach. ( i have been conning money out of older women and men ever since my parents disowned me  ) & ( cismale + he/him  )

tw : abuse, homophobia

full  name : fiore emiliano luca gattuso ( first name pronounced fee-oh-reh, also see here! )

nicknames : fifi, emmy ( by people who know his middle name ), some people might say... flower boy ( fiore literally means flower in italian ) 😳

gender : cismale

height :  5 ′ 8

age : 21

birthday : october 14 , 1998

zodiac : libra  ( leo moon, aquarius ascendant )

right  handed  or  left  handed : left  handed

eye  color : baby blue

hair  color : basically dark blonde / light brown

piercing  &  tattoos : the libra symbol on his left wrist, a cartilage piercing on his right ear

languages  spoken : italian  ( native  tongue ), english, spanish, sicilian ( after many summers spent in his parents’ summer house in sicily )

sexuality : bisexual

place  of  birth : napoli, italia ( naples, italy in english )

last  3  songs  listened  to : dimmi che mi ami by dj matrix ( a full on fucking italian boy tbh ), talk is cheap by chet faker, west coast by lana del rey

character  inspo : maxxie oliver from skins u.k , adam groff from sex education ( think season 2 adam ), alyssa foley from the end of the fucking world, david rose from schitt’s creek, michael kelso from that 70′s show, a mix of nick miller & winston bishop from new girl, maeby funke from arrested development 

♡ so fiore was born to an american mother named lindsey harrison & a fully italian father named gian gattuso. his mother is a very well known politician & his father is heir of a very popular gas company, literally named gattuso gas ( yikes lol ). besides that, he is also a preacher. without saying much, his parents are very well off

♡ fiore grew up with anything he’s ever wanted ( materialistically, of course ). besides that, his parents genuinely weren’t the best of people. his mother stole millions from the so called campaigns she ran & was a generally very corrupt politician, his father treated his employees like shit & was a pretty hateful person altogether

♡ they were people who expected a lot out of their only son, which made fiore feel an insane amount of pressure from the very start. at a very young age, he showed characteristics lots of boys his age didn’t show. he did things like peeing while sitting down instead of standing up, preferred to play with dolls instead of ‘boy toys’, favored the color pink, got along better with girls, preferred to watch shows that were considered ‘girly’, etc etc. 

♡ they were very harmless things honestly, things that most parents would laugh about & turn a blind eye. however, fiore really wasn’t that lucky when it came to his parents. any time he would do anything his parents claimed a ‘normal boy wouldn’t do’, he would get a huge lecture & a beating to go with it. needless to say, he learned to hide a lot of who he really was from a very young age

♡ he did a lot of things to seek the approval of his parents. he wasn’t smart academically ( dumb boi 101 tbh ), but he tried to make them happy in other ways. fiore was never fond of sports at all, but he started playing tennis at seven years old, because it made his parents happy. truth be told, he hated tennis with every fiber of his being, but again, he did this, simply because it satisfied his parents 

♡ fiore grew up trying to be the perfect son, considering the fact his parents were very much in the public eye of everyone. it was all smiles for the pictures, but behind closed doors, he really wasn’t the happiest boy ever

♡ simply put, he has always known that he likes boys. he likes girls too, don’t get him wrong, but he knew, literally since he could remember, that he also had a thing for guys too. of course, he knew this wouldn’t settle well at all with his extremely strict & religious parents, so he buried his feelings incredibly deep 

♡ he has a lot of charm & wit & found himself getting into relationships quicker than most of his friends. he briefly dated a girl when he was fourteen, but it was when he was sixteen that things really began getting, dare i say, spicy?

♡ there was an american boy new to his very #elite school & if you guessed it, they began to date! yup, his first boyfriend at sixteen years old. fiore was basically living two lives at this point. at school, he was himself, loud & proud, but when he got home, the facade began. the way he would switch up as soon as he entered the front door to his house was honestly shockingly scary 

♡ he really felt himself falling in love with this boy even though they were both fairly young. they snuck around forever. when no one was home, he would sneak him into his room to have sex, sneak out of his house when his parents were asleep, all that fun stuff. their relationship was forbidden ( at least to fiore’s parents ). this is where it gets juicy af tho, hear me out 

♡ so one day, fiore & him get really really drunk & honestly? video record themselves having sex! 😊 they didn’t do this to post it anywhere or show anyone or anything, they really just did it for themselves. they made a few copies & kept it for themselves ( stupid boys, i know! ), but they really felt like they would get married & all that gooey lovey dovey shit so they did it because yolo i guess? this is where it gets peak #juicy

♡ so fiore & him are walking back from practice. this is a time where fiore knows no one is home & no one is coming home for a while, so when they get to his house & see his father’s car parked outside, he lowkey panics a little. of course he makes the guy leave & goes inside to see what’s going on

♡ his father asks him to come upstairs & surprisingly, leads him into his room. he says something along the lines of ‘i just want to show you this so i can hear your explanation on what the fuck this is’ & this is when fiore’s entire life practically takes a 360. his father turns on his tv & legit starts playing his sex tape with his boyfriend. just picture this though; your extremely religious & hateful father & you sitting on your bed, watching your gay sex tape with your boyfriend

♡ obviously, this news isn’t well taken by his father. to make a long story short, he gets his ass beat. like, literally almost dies type shit. when this happened, he was seventeen, almost eighteen. he knew if that was ever discovered by his parents, it wouldn’t go well, but he really didn’t think them discovering his sexuality would be that brutal

♡ his parents basically disown him at that moment. they bought him a ticket to chicago & told him they never wanna see him again. it’s sad, but he packed his things & left in two days to go live with his cousin in chicago. citizenship wasn’t a problem because he had dual citizenship due to his mother being american

♡ it doesn’t really take an expert to figure out that fiore did not take this move well at all. for months, he was really depressed. he wouldn’t go out & would just lay in bed for the longest time. he was really hurt by everything that happened & it took him a while to recover. he has also lived in italy his whole life & wasn’t really used to life in america at all, but after like the fourth month of just feeling sorry for himself, it was his cousin who snapped him back to reality

♡ slowly but surely, he began putting himself out there. his english honestly #sucked when he first got to america, but it’s gotten a lot better since then ( he still has a pretty deep italian accent though ). at first, he began working at a pizza place, but fiore slowly began to realize how much he despised working. his entire life, he received everything on a silver plater with pure golden spoons, so this? he was for sure not used to it at all. again, his life completely did a 360. he went from living in a three story mansion in the most prestigious part of rome to living in a very shitty part of chicago, broke almost always, & working a job he hated with everything he had, splitting rent with his cousin

♡ fiore did not want this at all for himself. it wasn’t until he went out clubbing ( fake id & all ), that one his friends showed him the wonders of conning people. they walked into the bar with twenty bucks and left with four thousand dollars 

♡ quickly, fiore began to learn his friends’ ways. his looks, personality & his thick italian accent helped him tremendously; it was like people literally couldn’t get enough of him. soon enough, he was conning & finessing the fuck out of older men & women for their money. he once walked into a casino with five dollars and walked out with over twelve thousand, & it was only because he stayed for like an hour only

♡ finessing people became a huge hobby of his. it was with all this money that he bought himself a luxury car & jump started his model & influencer career. it was also with this money that him & his cousin ditched chicago & moved into a much better apartment in new york. with his looks & persona, he gained followers like crazy & posted videos on youtube as well, getting sponsorships & recognition easier than he expected. he was literally living off his looks & his personality & honestly? he was here for it! 

♡ there is still a part of fiore that has a lot of issues & trauma. honestly mommy & daddy issues af, but he doesn’t talk about this at all. no one really knows how he came up or where his family is & he keeps it this way, dodging questions about his personal life as much as he can

♡ in a way, he is kind of relieved with everything that happened with his parents because now, he’s completely free to be himself & do whatever the fuck he wants, knowing very well they can’t really touch him now. of course, it still left a mark that he’s never going to be able to erase or forget ( both in his heart & on his body too ), but he feels free for once in his life & he’s honestly kind of happier now 

♡ relationship wise, he really doesn’t commit to anyone. after practically being forced to leave his now ex boyfriend at almost 18, he kind of feels like he doesn’t deserve love? it’s really fucked up but he’s genuinely convinced that no one is ever going to genuinely love him or want to be with him so he just avoids any romantic relationship of any kind, usually just hooking up with people & then leaving as soon as it’s over. the truth is that he really does want to be loved, accepted & cared for by someone he loves, accepts & cares for as well, but will it ever happen if he continues pushing people away? probably not tbh 

♡ he is a fucking drinker & hella pot smoker!! legit give him some alcohol & weed he’s happy. he always has either one on him, or both tbh 

♡ this is all that’s coming to mind rn but underneath is his bio!!

       fiore was born to lindsey and gian gattuso in naples, italy. from a very young age, he showed characteristics most boys his age didn’t show. he would pee sitting down, every time he would visit his cousins, he would rather play dolls with them instead of ‘boy toys’, favored the color pink, watched things that were considered ‘girly’, etc. of course, this never settled well with his extremely religious parents, and every time he would do something even remotely different than a ‘regular’ boy would do, he would get a huge lecture, and a beating to go with it. that being said, fiore was quick to learn to hide a lot of who he really was. he absolutely despised tennis, but he played it anyways, and he did it, simply because it made his parents happy. the gattuso’s had a ton of money, so he played tennis in nearly all of europe. he has always known that he likes boys, maybe even a little bit more than he likes girls. literally since he’s had a sense of judgement, he’s just known. of course, he kept this a secret, practically living a double life, being himself at school and someone completely different at home. it didn’t take long for him to get a boyfriend, and soon, he found himself slowly falling in love. secretly sneaking him into the house when his parents weren’t home to have quickies, holding hands with him down the school hallways, and even lying to his parents and telling them he was going going to tennis practice just to hang out with him. however, one mistake costed him, well, everything.

        they were drunk and goofing around, and decided to record themselves having sex. it was innocent and pure, both of them just making love to each other in the rawest, loveliest form. the two boys made copies of it, and fiore kept one for himself. one day, when he was trying to sneak his boyfriend into the house, he saw his dad’s car parked outside, which was odd because he was never home around that time. his boyfriend left, and he went to go investigate. his father was beyond calm, and bought him up to his room. his room. fiore was confused as his father told him to sit down on the bed, and soon, his worst nightmare became a reality. his father began playing his damn sex tape on his dvd player, and to say he was mortified was an understatement. he was humiliated, and most of all, afraid. it came without much warning, but soon, his father was throwing punches to his face, his stomach, everywhere, dragging him down the stairs just for it to continue. all he saw was blood. for the first time in forever, fiore truly felt like he had hit rock bottom. they took away his cellphone, any type of technology he had to communicate with was gone, and before he knew it, he was being shipped off to america, completely cut off by his parents.

        fiore definitely didn’t take the move so well. he was a depressed mess. he wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t sleep, and over all, just felt out of place. it took him a pretty long time, but eventually, he began adjusting. of course he was still super hurt over everything that had happened, his parents cutting him off, him being away from his now ex boyfriend, his first true love, but time luckily healed most of his pain, and soon, he found himself bettering his english, making friends, and fitting right in. at least he didn’t have to play tennis here. living with his cousin wasn’t so bad either. they constantly smoked, drank like there was no tomorrow, and he even managed to land him a job at a pizza delivery place. fiore hated this job though, but after a night our with friends, he found himself learning the art of conning and finessing older men and women. he does this like there’s no tomorrow, the money he made from all these schemes helping him jumpstart his career as an influencer and model, which bought him back to his typical luxurious lifestyle. fiore is just trying to get by, one day at a time.

extra spice: