#and basically “hey you?” to that sheep

[ratstuckinamarble]

Went on a short trip with my sister and my dad today and we found some SHEEP.

Look at these silly creatures. I'm a huge fan of sheep. I talked about the strange noises sheep make about a year ago but I just keep being amused by that, and I got a great recording this time XD They complain so much!

And they kept trying to take a nibble from my hand djdghs but just to test if it was edible I think, they were very gentle. And their snouts are so soft :0

Also. Fun dragon logo and my shocked coffee.

[nejackdaw]

This is my homie Lamb, he's a nature cleric

Finally romancing Wyll 🌹

[corvid-phobia]

> gets a book for free

> its pretty bad

> looks up other reviews saying they got this book for free and overpaid by reading it

[starsonablackboard]

some cotl sketches of me trying to find the lamb in my style and get used to drawing them. overall im pleased!

also a (very wordy) list of random headcanons if you're interested

im quite late to fandom so none of those are particularly original but hey, all in good fun

• the lamb was born after the start of the sheep genocide. they feel quite young to me (and pretty much every plot important npc calls them some versions of a "child" at one point or another. granted, most of these npc's are centuries old gods bUT----) and it would've taken a good lot of years to wipe out an entire species, especially one as prolific as sheep. living in constant awareness alertness mistrust and dread did a number on their psyche. i picture them generally pretty apathetic and passive, yet perseverent and focused on survival. at least before their first death

• the lamb was malnourished and all in all weakened when they were killed. not like they've ever had the opportunity to consistently eat and sleep well, but also i don't think the cultists troubled themselves much with basic needs of soon-to-be dead lamb. so the lamb sickly thin and their fur is brittle and overall they do not look good. of course the red crown gives them strengths and stamina far beyond any ordinary mortal's, but their body still locks in in this state (the lack of need in food or sleep also affects this)

• their eyesight gradually goes to shit, because this much eyebleeding isn't good for you, surprisingly enough. it distorts and weakens their sclera so they slowly become more and more farsighted. at first it wasn't a problem since every time they die their body returns to its basic state, but the more time passes and the better they become the less they die, and it's good, but it also makes the affects of any injuries more and more permanent. the red crown sometimes transforms into glasses, but only when the lamb are on the cult's grounds and preferably alone. in crusades they rely on their experience, skill and of course magic. and their eyesight isn't so bad that they can't see a sword in front of their face. not yet, at least

• the scar encircling their neck is the only one that doesn't go away with dying, since it is how they appeared before narinder for the first time. they cover it with the bell choker and do not like touching in this area since the scar tissue messed with its sensitivity, making it practically nonexistent, and it feels weird and unsafe

• their nails became claws after the resurrection, not because it makes any sense but just because i think it looks cool

• they are really really tired of washing the blood off their face

[forever-rogue]

All of your fics have me daydreaming over here 🫣

Wouldn’t it be so cute if Joel accidentally said something to you where he basically admitted that he has a crush on you, or how he finds you attractive, and how red in the face he would get- like clearing his throat and averting his gaze or trying to cover it up

Part of me also imagines it in a “miss congenitally” way where fem!reader is then teasing like “you think I’m goooorgeous, you wanna kissss me, you want to loooove me” without realizing that he’s *actually* falling for you UGH my heart

AN | Please, this is so soft and I love this concept! 🥰 

Pairing | Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 2.2k

Masterlist | Joel, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You liked Joel. Really liked him. And you were fairly certain that he liked you too. But you were also fairly certain that he would never admit that he felt that way. 

So what did that leave you with? A whole lot of fun and teasing. You might as well have some fun with it, right? Right.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Hello there,” as soon as you spotted Joel, you flounced over to him, a big smile on your face. He was tending to his flock of his sheep, but stopped and turned around to face you. It was cold but you could still see the pink rising up in his cheeks. You were breathless by the time you reached him, heart pitter-pattering wildly in your chest, “Joel.”

“Hey sweetheart,” you liked it when he called you that. It always made your face flush up with warmth, “what’s up?”

“Nothing,” you shrugged innocently as you hopped onto the fence and made yourself comfortable, swinging your feet back and forth. He tutted softly and eyed you suspiciously, “what?”

“Nothin,’” he echoed your words, teasing you affectionately.

“What?” your eyes widened as your mouth formed a small pout, “don’t be mean!”

“I’m not,” he laughed and oh. You like the way his singular dimple showed up, and the way his eyes crinkled in the corner. He was wickedly handsome and it always made you weak. He reached over and gently brushed a few rogue locks of hair out of your face, “I just like giving you a hard time.”

“Have you ever considered not giving me a hard time?” you took some of the feed out of the bucket and tossed it to some of his sheep.

“I have,” he mused as you raised an eyebrow softly, “and I’ve decided that I will not be doing that. It’s too much fun to mess with you-”

“Hey!” 

“Affectionately,” he promised, as he watched your face go through a range of different emotions before you settled on a happy little smile, “what’re you up to you, trouble?”

“Nothing much,” you replied softly...which wasn’t a total lie. The entire truth was that you���d been looking for him because you missed him. It wasn’t even that it had been so long since you’d last seen him, you just liked being around him. You tried not to make it so obvious that you were…into him, but you weren’t sure how well you were hiding it. Considering that half of the people in Jackson teased you about it, you were pretty sure that it was…obvious, “had some time to kill and wanted to spend it with my favorite nuisance.”

“I’m the nuisance?” he scoffed playfully before pinching your side, causing you to squeal and squirm as you slid off the fence. Before you even had to worry about falling into the mud or hurting yourself, you felt a strong pair of hands wrap around your waist, “easy, trouble. Don’t want you to go hurting yourself.”

Your brain was currently consumed with the thought of him still holding onto your waist, despite the fact that he no longer needed to. You opened and closed your mouth a few times before only nodding shyly. It always seemed like he could see right into your soul, into your heart. You couldn’t hold his gaze for much longer otherwise you were sure that you’d spill all of your secrets. 

“Thank you,” you whispered, slowly and reluctantly pulling out of his grasp. You swallowed thickly, before flailing your hand around, “I-I should go. I have to do…things.”

“Things,” he repeated, his accent twanging slightly on the word, “what kind of things, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It just so happens that I do mind you asking, Miller,” you lied, finding it easy to smile one again from the affection he so openly offered you. He wasn’t a hard man by any means, not these days anymore, but he still wasn’t so free with his heart with many people. You happened to be one of the few that he cared so deeply for, “so, I gotta get going.”

“Uh huh honey,” he watched as you slipped past him and out of the small enclosure. Before running off, you turned around to offer him a meek little wave, “have fun with those things!”

“I will!” you stuck out your tongue at him, but he was laughing, “see you around, Miller!”

“See you around,” he stood there and watched you run off, a dopey little smile on his face. He exhaled slowly, shaking his head in amusement before turning back to his little flock. 

“You guys make me sick,” Ellie popped out of nowhere and stood next to Joel, petting one of the sheep - Gort, which happened to be her favorite. Joel couldn’t help the deep belly laugh that escaped him; it made Ellie smile too. He was laughing a lot more these days and Ellie really liked that, “disgustingly cute.”

“What?” he looked at her in surprise, “her? Me?”

“Definitely her,” she felt a warm blush creep into her cheeks as well; she had a bit of a crush on you but it wasn’t anything serious. She nudged him in the ribs, “you’re pretty when you blush, don’t worry about it, Joel. But the two of you together - absolutely precious and heartwarming.”

“Ellie.”

“Just ask her out or something,” she suggested and Joel absolutely blushed and felt himself fumbling like a nervous boy rather than a grown man, “go to a movie, make her dinner, get a little act-”

“Ellie,” his eyes widened as the girl started to laugh, “don’t you dare finish that sentence, kid. You shouldn’t even know about that!”

“I just turned fifteen old man, in case you forgot,” yeah, she really liked to make him squirm, “we had a party and you were making eyes at her then too. Besides, I already know about sex, Joel. You don’t have to give me that talk.”

“Good - I wait, what were they teaching you in that FEDRA school?”

“Not the point - but you didn’t deny that you were making heart eyes,” she ducked out of his reach, giggling wildly as she ran in between the sheep, “ask her out!”

“You better keep running!” he started running after her, both of them laughing like the fools they were. 

This life really suited both of them. Now he just needed to get the girl - you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Need some help?" you turned around at the sound of his voice and almost fell off your ladder in the process. He was at your side and caught you in mere moments, "whoa there, trouble. You need to start being more careful!"

"It would help if you weren't sneaking up on me all the time," you were definitely trying to ignore the fact that he was currently holding you in his arms against his chest. He laughed, deep and hearty, and you could feel the sound vibrating in his chest.

"I don't consider it sneakin' if I'm coming up to you in broad daylight and announcing my presence," he gently set you back, and wiped some dirt off your face. His touch was a juxtaposition of rough and soft and managed to send shivers down your spine, "there - all better. Beautiful."

You'd already been warming up under his gaze but as soon as that singular word came out, you almost combusted on the spot. Part of you was sure that you had imagined it, a delusional bit of hope, but you also swore you could see the pink creeping into his cheeks.

"What did you say?" you looked at him with big, wide eyes and that's when it hit Joel. He'd actually voiced his innermost thoughts out loud. To you. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, "did you call me beautiful?"

"What? I, ugh, no?" He shrugged his shoulders as if to try and play it off. But you both knew he was lying, "I'd never say that!"

"Umm…thank you?" You were trying to keep your laughter contained. His face turned bright red and he groaned as he scrubbed a hand over his face.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. You are beautiful but I didn't mean to say it like that…?"

"Are you sure, Joel?" This time you had the upper hand as you reached over and brushed his hair out of his face, "are you asking me or telling me?"

"I'm telling you that you're beautiful-"

"Oh! So you do think I'm beautiful!" A huge smile spread across your face as Joel looked like he wished the ground would open up and swallow him while.

"I…fuck," he hung his head and sighed deeply.

"Oooh, you think I'm pretty!" You were going to have way too much fun with this. You were bouncing on your feet and gently nudging his shoulder, "Joel has a crush on me! He loves me!"

"I-" he couldn't even defend himself because everything you were saying was true. He just wasn't quite sure if he had been ready to admit that. But the way you were looking at him made it feel like you might have felt the same way. 

"You wanna kiss me, don't you?" You had no clue where this burst of confidence was coming from him, but for once you liked it, "'s okay, Joel. You can admit you're madly in love with me."

Joel's head was spinning and he felt a hundred different things at once. All he knew was that it was suddenly overwhelming. 

"I have to go," was all he could get out as he gently pushed past you. You made a small sound of surprise as you watched him go, his shoulders slumping. Oh. You really hoped you hadn't overstepped any boundaries or just made things completely awkward. 

"Fuck," you groaned at yourself, "fuck."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You decided to let things cool down for a few days before seeking him out again. You really just hoped that you hadn't messed things up with him.

You found him outside the small bar, leaning against the wall and staring up at the sky. He must have sensed you because he looked over and caught your eye, a pointedly neutral expression on his face.

"Hey," you walked over to him, hesitantly but relaxed when he didn't seem to recoil. 

"Hey," he replied, offering you a small nod. The two of you fell into silence for a bit as you looked up at the stars. You liked being able to see them here; they were so clear it felt like you could have touched them. 

"Umm," you broke the silence after a bit and swallowed down your nerves, "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I didn't mean to…make things weird. I shouldn't have done it." 

He made a small sound before he turned to face you full on. Joel studied you for a moment, leaving your heart beating wildly. Before you even realized what was happening, he gently took your face in his hands, brushing his thumb over your cheek. 

His eyes flicked to yours, almost as if searching yours for permission. You gave him the most subtle of nods and he quickly closed the gap, pressing his lips to yours in a soft, tender kiss. 

When Joel did something, he didn't go halfway, he fully committed. And he kissed you as though his life depended on it, like it was the only thing he ever wanted to do in life. 

You pulled apart only when you needed to breathe, and even then it was reluctant. The smile you gave him almost made him weak in the eyes but he returned it, without hesitation or question.

"What you said," he paused for a moment, "it wasn't wrong. You're right, actually. All of it was true."

"Joel, I'm -" and then it hit you, "wait, what."

"It was true," he repeated, "all of it."

"Oh," you blinked a few times, "oh. You love me?"

"I do," he confirmed and it felt like your entire body was on fire, "I guess it just took you to finally get it out of me."

"I thought I said all the wrong things," you admitted breathlessly, "I was afraid I'd fucked everything up."

"No," he promised, "you didn't at all."

"You love me," you said dreamily as Joel just grinned at you, "and I love you. Wow."

"Wow," he teased softly, "what am I going to do with you, trouble?"

"Kiss me for starters."

"Yeah," he touched your cheek softly, "I can definitely do that."

[kaleldobrev]

Never the Favorite

Pairing: Dean Winchester x F. Reader

Platonic Pairing: Sam Winchester & F. Reader

Summary: You finally try and set the record straight

Word Count: 844

Warnings: Cursing (1x)

Authors Note: Takes place during season one | Something that always got me, is whenever Sam said something along the lines of Dean being the favorite child. Like Sam, he wasn’t and it was pretty clear so that’s what I based this fic on | Let me know if you like the new way I have formatted | If you liked this, don’t forget to like & reblog. I really appreciate it! Feedback is always welcome ♡

It was another classic Sam and Dean argument — Sam telling Dean how he was never the favorite child growing up and how Dean actually was; and how much of a black sheep of the family Sam had felt because he didn't want to go into the family business. It was an argument and a sentiment that you were so used to hearing at this point that you could pretty much recite word for word their replies. The boys were starting to sound like broken records, and you and Dean had only picked up Sam from Stanford a few months ago.

You didn't want to get involved in their argument as you felt like it wasn't really your place, but there was a part of you that started to get annoyed with Sam, because you knew that Dean was never the favorite — Sam always was. You knew how hard Dean had tried over the years to try and get his father's approval, but it was approval that he would never be able to get, no matter how hard he tried. It killed you inside, because you loved Dean for who he truly was, not who he was pretending to be.

But because you had heard this argument so many times, you had told yourself that you were finally going to say something to Sam; to try and stop this argument once and for all.

Parking Baby and cutting the engine, Dean pulled out his wallet from the glove compartment, pulling out a crumpled up 20 that he won from a poker game a few nights ago. “Gonna grab some snacks. Either of you want anything?” He asked before turning to you. “Want your usual chocolate anything?”

You gave him a small smile. “Yes please. And orange soda if they have it.”

“Getting you the bottle this time. ‘Cause I don’t want another spilling incident like last time with the can,” he said, giving you a wink. “How about you?” He asked, turning to Sam.

“I’m good thanks,” Sam nodded, before pulling out his phone and promptly started checking his e-mail.

“Alrighty,” Dean said, getting out of the car. “Be back in ten.”

As soon as Dean was out of eyeshot and earshot, you sat up closer to the passenger side where Sam was, placing a hand on the back of the seat. “Hey, I know he’s your brother and the whole point of brothers is basically being assholes to each other but, I really need you to lay off the whole Dean being the favorite stuff.”

Sam turned to you, placing his phone in his lap; the look he gave you was of pure confusion. “But he is the favorite. Always has, always will be. I know you probably wouldn’t know that consider —”

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” you began, slight attitude in your voice. “I’ve been hunting with Dean and your father for about a year now, and let me tell you, I didn’t need to be around for your childhoods to know that you were and are still the very clear favorite.”

“Me? The favorite?” He scoffed. “I don’t think so.”

You rolled your eyes. “Did it ever occur to you why he’s so similar to your dad? Why he barely shows any of his actual interests around anyone but me? Dean wears his jacket, listens to the same music, says the same phrases.”

“But…that’s how Dean always has been," Sam stated. For as long as he could remember, that's always how he remembered Dean, being so similar to their father. Memories flashed before him, recalling numerous times where him and his father sang along to Zeppelin during one of their many insanely long car rides to Pastor Jim's, or how Dean would refuse to go anywhere without their father's leather jacket.

"You really know nothing about your brother do you?" You asked him, slight sadness and hurt entering your voice. You hadn't known for very long, but you had known him long enough for him to start letting you in and getting to know the real him, and not the facade he let everyone else believe. "The only reason Dean acts like your father is because in his mind, if he acts like him he'll get the approval he always wanted that you never had to try and get." You felt your blood start to boil. "So please stop with the fucking favorite argument okay? I'm sick and tired of it."

Sam was silent for a moment, as he's never seen you this angry before nor has he ever seen you this defensive of anyone. As much as he wanted to disagree with you, he knew that he couldn't because he clearly didn't know Dean the way that you did. He might of spent 18 years of his life on the road with him, but he didn't actually know him. "Okay," he finally said, slightly sighing.

"Just...don't tell Dean I said any of this to you okay?" You asked him, slightly patting his shoulder.

"Of course," he said, slightly smiling.

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[thethirdtriplet]

Head cannon for the Batbros:

I firmly believe Jason refuses to refer to anyone he cares about with their names, and simply makes up obscene nicknames instead. Including but not limited to Tim, probably his favourite? (Y’know the “black sheep” duo), he’ll ask to hangout in the form of a threat, other times he just picks him up, throws him over his shoulder, and just leaves.

That’s just who he is it’s his love language.

And Tim is all too happy to indulge him.

——————————

Jason: Hey, nerd-bird, I need your help with something.

Tim: What now, douche-bat. Are one of your “goons” misbehaving, again?

Jason: Yeah, I need that PowerPoint you showed em’ last time, whatever was on it made em’ as a obedient as trained dogs.

Tim: That’s the wonderful power of slideshows, but yeah, I’ll sent it to you.

Dick: ???

——————————

Jason: Oi, smart-ass, I need your help on a case, some bastard had the bright idea to sell drugs to kids, and I wanna find out where he got em’.

Tim: Whatever, jackass, but you still owe me from last time, and I want your homemade tacos, as compensation.

Jason: Deal.

Bruce: ..?

——————————

Jason: Birdbrain, get changed and grab your sh!t, I’m headn’ to the movies, you’re coming wether you like it, or not.

Tim: Fine, you better not choose another chick flick, like last time, Zombie-boy.

Jason: You know I only did that to piss you off.

Tim: Right, whatever you say.

Steph: ??!

——————————

Everyone is doing their own thing in the cave:

Tim reading some files in the cave:

Jason walks up to Tim, plucks him from his chair, and just leaves:

Everyone who was watching Tim basically get kidnapped: …

Duke: ..Should we go get him?

Damian: Tt, I have no interest in per-suing them.

Cass: No, little brothers, bonding, leave them.

Everyone returns to their work, albeit some more reluctantly than others:

[tachvintlogic]

Hoof Trimmers IN SPACCCCCCEEEE!!!!

Based on the post about aliens probably having more than our mere 2 sets of limbs and the post about how our domesticated animals could be unusually large and dangerous compared to other planets.

longer AO3 version: link here (for people with AO3 accounts only)

Words: 1972

Summary: The newest human crewmate's background in farming ends up being able to help a coworker with a sore, injured foot more than anyone could've predicted.

Jósűrha took a step and bit back a hiss as zir middle left leg touched the ground. Ze flinched and lifted the leg back up while zir sore front and back legs took on the extra weight. The block on the middle leg had worn away, and zir leg hasn’t gotten any better since. Now ze needed someone to help zem put a new block on. Katársmun, who put it on last time, was busy at the moment, but ze knew exactly who ze could ask.

Humans were strange with their measly two legs, so unlike most species they were perfectly capable of doing their own first-aid without help, but they were more than happy to assist their fellow sapients who couldn’t reach their back half by themselves. The ship’s newest human crewmate would have a much easier time applying the block than zir other coworkers.

“Hey Officer Mackenzie! I need your help with something.”

The ship’s new resident human turned around as ze walked toward kem, and then frowned and bent to the side looking at zir feet. “Is there something wrong with your feet?”

“Yes, actually. The block on one of my claws has worn away, and obviously I can’t put another one on myself.”

Ke bent down further to get a better look at zir painful hoof. “Yeah, I can tell block on it is barely there. It explains why you’re walking like a lame cow. Have you gotten your feet trimmed recently?”

“Well, no. There aren’t many good places that can trim Zágjós feet. Wait, how did you know I needed a trim?”

“Your feet pretty closely resemble ungulates on Earth. You see my fingernails? On ungulates, their nails are giant pads made of keratin that they walk on like your hooves. Most of the other sapients I’ve seen don’t walk on the very tip of their limbs like ungulates or yourself.” That was true. Zágjós were one of the few species that needed to get their entire feet trimmed, which is why places to do that became scarcer and scarcer the further from Zágjós space you were.

“You seem to know a lot about feet.”

“Well, I used to work on a cow and sheep farm on Earth. A lot of our domesticated livestock are actually ungulates.” Having livestock species was quite common among spacefaring species. It was considered an important part of the path to FTL technology. While humans didn’t have the largest livestock species, they did have the largest livestock relative to their size.

“So do you think you can help me put a new cushion on?”

“Sure.”

They walked to zir quarters, where ze had a suspension bed (as zir species slept standing up), personal effects, and a basic first-aid kit specialized for zir species. Mackenzie opened the med kit and pulled out a block without ze having to tell kem what one looks like and a hoof trimming knife that came standard with the kit (not that ze knew how to use it).

“So does the block go on with glue or--?”

You remove the cap on the sticky side and then hold it on the claw for 30 seconds to set.”

“Alright, can you get in the suspension bed? It would be easier if you were standing without putting weight on your feet.”

“Sure.” Ze got in zir suspension bed and immediately felt relief with zir feet not entirely on the ground anymore. Mackenzie took some time to improvise a stand to hold up zir hoof and keep it still. It was a similar setup to the one at a trimmer (not that ze had been to one in a while).

“Wow, your hooves look…exactly like a cow’s hoof.”

“Should I be offended? Isn’t that livestock?”

“Oh, no. It’s just that I spent a lot of time trimming cow hooves back on the farm to keep them healthy. Hell, your hoof trimming knife looks about the same. It’s sharp on the sides with the hook on the end. I’m assuming I can remove the block with the knife, right?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Mackenzie started trimming away at the block, muttering this would be much easier if ke had a grinder. When the old block was gone, Mackenzie hummed and ze turned zir neck to see what ke was doing. Ke was pursing kes lips in a way that zir emotional recognition course in diversity training told zim meant the human did not like what ke was looking at.

“Something wrong?”

“What does the pain feel like?”

“Kinda like a pressure in my hoof.”

“Sounds like an abscess with some detached horn above it. One your bad claw, there’s some definitely detached horn at the heel of your outer claw and a white line defect near the toe, or at least it would be if the resemblance to a cow hoof isn’t just superficial. The wall horn is also thicker than it should be on a cow, which could be overgrowth or just what hooves of your species are supposed to look like. There’s also some slight bruising on the inner portion of the claw you had a block on, and it has small crack between the wall horn and the sole horn which could turn into a serious white line defect if it isn’t taken care of.”

Ke put the foot back down. “Hold on, I need to do some research on Zágjós feet.”

Mackenzie left and ze tried really hard to relax and ignore the pain in zir foot until Mackenzie came back with the captain. Mackenzie looked excited.

“So good news! Your feet are extremely similar to cow’s feet. The only main difference is that your foot is supposed to be held 5° steeper.”

“So?”

“So I can help your foot!” Mackenzie pulled zir middle left foot back on the stand and started slicing away at the bad claw with the trimming knife. It hurt, feeling the trimming knife put more pressure on the claw that felt like it was about to burst.

“Mackenzie requested that you have some time off because you’re having trouble walking,” said the captain.

“Yeah, there aren’t a lot of places to get my hooves trimmed at our ship’s recent stops.”

“Well, tell me next time our ship routes force you to go without care or routine maintenance. And that goes for all crew so this kind of thing never happens again.”

“Thanks captain, I—” Ze gasped as the pain in zir feet suddenly lifted. The pressure inside the hoof was gone! Ze turned zir neck around and saw Mackenzie wiping pus off kes face.

“What happened?” asked the captain.

“Well, I found the abscess. There was a lot of pus in there. Do you feel better?”

“Yes! That is so much better!”

“Let me see,” said the captain, walking behind Mackenzie. “Stars, that was under your foot!?”

“Yeah,” said Mackenzie, “it’s worse than it looks, too. You see this dark hoof horn above where I opened the abscess just on the border? It got darker as I thinned it out, so it’s not pigment. It means there’s a cavity under there, and all this horn is detached and needs to be removed,” ke explained as ke lifted the detached horn around the abscess and cut it off in circular cuts with the hook of the knife, revealing more pus and opening the hole.

After just a few cuts, ke revealed the abscess stretched the entire width of the sole horn, and then ke started shaving down the horn between the abscess and the heel to remove the bulk of it.

“Now that I’ve revealed the abscess,” ke continued to explain, “I know how much I can shave off. Fortunately, it seems to be only filled with pus. I haven’t found any lesions or ulcers. It’s just a giant cavity.”

“What could’ve caused it?”

“Probably an accident,” ke said, “could’ve bumped the hoof against something or turned too sharply on a corner. With regular trimming, it could’ve been nipped in the bud before it was a problem, but without it, it just got worse and worse.”

“And at the heel, there’s this detached horn I can just lift up, which tells me,” ke said as ke put the knife under the horn and cut down, “that it goes all the way to the abscess.”

“That’s the entire foot,” said the captain.

“Yep,” said Mackenzie, “can’t imagine trying to walk on that.”

“I don’t need to imagine,” said Jósűrha.

Mackenzie started trimming the good hoof, getting rid of the crack and modeling out the area with the bruised horn to take some of the weight off that area, and then searching through the med kit to find something to help grind the tips of the toes to bring both claws to the same length. The “grinder” at the bottom of the med kit wasn’t as good as the grinder ke used to use on cows on the farm, which ke was more than happy to complain about.

Once it was suitably prepared, ke put on a different, curved block that would avoid the bruised horn area on the good claw. Ke pressed it into the claw for 30 seconds to make sure the glue bond was secure.

“So given your foot’s condition. I’m going to have to cut most of your ship duties. Rest up and heal. Understood?”

“Yes captain.”

“And Mackenzie, you’re doing a great job, even though it’s not the job you were hired for.”

“Thanks, captain,” ke said, nodding.

“You know, speaking of routine care important for the health and comfort of our officers, Katársmun has a condition that prevents xe from shedding xis coat when xe should. You wouldn’t know how to do a full body shave, would you?

“Hmm, if it’s like shearing a sheep, then I could take to xem about it. I’d want to take a course on it and get more familiar Katársmun’s species first if xe doesn’t need shearing now.”

“Of course, it’s just something I wanted to mention. Well, as you were. I’ll call the cleaning bot to take care of the mess,” said the captain gesturing to the pus and cut horn on the floor.

As the captain left, ke stopped pressing into the block and tested its fit to make sure it was secure, then ke dressed the bad claw with supplies from the med kit. “Okay, I’m going to put your foot down. Try to stand on it in a way that feels natural.” Ke put zir foot down and checked the angle. It was steep enough for a cow but not enough for a Zágjós. Ke pulled the foot back on the stand and started cutting the block to adjust the angle.

When ke put the hoof down again, the angle was perfect, and Jósűrha didn’t feel any pain. It was almost unreal after feeling that pressure in zir hoof for so long. “Now for the other claws since you did say you haven’t gotten a trim in a while. I’m start with the back left.”

Jósűrha didn’t have a way to argue with that. “That’s fine,” ze said as Mackenzie moved to the back left foot and started trimming. “There’s a little bruising on the inner sole area that I can model out, and some overgrowth on the toes. Remember to tell me if there’s any soreness or pain.”

“Sure. That foot feels fine.”

“Good. It’s nice working on someone who can talk to me for a change.”

“People are better clients than cows are, aren’t they?”

“Well, yeah, and people are also polite enough to not start pooping while I’m doing their back legs.”

Ze suppressed a chitter and tried to keep zir foot very still as ke worked. Yes, asking the human crewmember was the best choice.

[sinsirellaxx]

Hey dear! How would you rank our toxic Slytherin boys from most to least, based on their toxicity?

Slytherin Boys – Most to least toxic

Hey love! Thank you for the request!

Honestly, this was a bit difficult. 🙈 What do you think – how would you rank them?

But here it goes:

Tom Riddle

Lorenzo Berkshire

Theodore Nott

Mattheo Riddle

Draco Malfoy

Blaise Zabini

The most toxic is Tom Riddle. It doesn't matter if it's Tom Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort) or Tom Riddle Jr. (aka the oldest son/Mattheo's brother).

If it's the first one, he is obviously the most dangerous and feared wizard, which makes him an extreme threat: There is no way out for you except for death. He'd know everything about you: your thoughts, your whereabouts, your dreams, your wishes – everything.

He'll have his followers watch you 24/7 and you won't even be allowed to step outside without him, because to him you aren't a person but his possession.

If we are talking about Tom Riddle Jr. he is still the most toxic, because as the oldest son of a family you have to carry the burden of the house: He'll have to exceed his father's expectations and will be under constant pressure (and probably fear for his life, seeing as his father is Voldy). He'll project this whole stress onto you: He cannot control his life, so he will control you. And if you're a good girl/boy he'll bask in the power he experiences in your relationship – which is not a good thing, because he'll grow more daring.

I think he'll also have separation anxiety, because he has never experienced the warmth and love he found in your arms – so, be ready to be suffocated by him. Even if he's an asshole about it. He'd kill you, if he had to. If he can't have you – no one can.

Lorenzo Berkshire is Bellatrix' son – and that is all you need to know. He's also probably her least favorite, because the others (Mattheo & Tom) are fathered by her dear Voldemort – which makes Lorenzo the black sheep of the family. He's yearned for a mother's love ever since he could talk and grew up in his brothers' shadow. He was always compared with the two. No matter what he did it wasn't enough. Because he isn't enough.

This is why I don't believe in this overly sweet, prince-like Lorenzo – but in the manipulative, angry, arrogant boy who just looks like a prince. But that's how he bagged you: with the charming mask of innocence that he carries with pride and with time, he'll show his true intentions. He'll manipulate and gaslight you to keep you and make you do whatever he wants.

He's controlling, possessive and extremely jealous and there is no room for buts if he is triggered by something.

Also wouldn't shy away from using one of the unforgivables to make you listen to him.

Theodore Nott is a toxic asshole. He'd do whatever he wants – he'd even cheat if he felt like it or to teach you a lesson. If it backfires – he'll gaslight you into believing it was actually your fault. So, he is extremely manipulative and possessive. He can do whatever he wants but you? No. He'd be arguing with you, screaming at you, if you did something that bothered him.

I don't know why, but I think he'd humiliate/shame you to make you feel less than him – to make you shrink back from an argument. That way he can control you – he'll just kiss your tears away if he hurt you with his sharp tongue.

Mattheo Riddle is also possessive, controlling and rather aggressive. Unlike Lorenzo, he was still 'loved' by Bellatrix but not by his father. He always wanted to be seen as an equal, which is why he has this urge to prove himself – to be number one. And if you spend to much time with other people, he'll be seething. He'll make it his mission to be your first priority and if it doesn't work he'll throw a tantrum.

Mattheo, however, is extremely scared to lose you. You are his everything, and he wants to be your everything. If he has achieved that – he'll threaten you with losing him if you act out. Mattheo would basically use your fears to his advantage.

Whenever you fight and it gets heated, he'll get physical if he's blinded by rage: he'll punch the wall, throw things and scream until his head turns red.

Draco Malfoy is a wildcard because his general mental wellbeing decreases throughout the movies. He starts off as this cocky, arrogant bastard who is used to getting whatever he wants. This Draco is also controlling, jealous and possessive.

Draco then grows into this extremely anxious boy who is forced to grow up and take on this burden with extreme consequences. He'll be more unstable from that day on: he suddenly has this fear of losing you, of not being good enough for you – which makes him tighten the grip he has on you.

He'll manipulate you with the burden he has to carry: Whenever he does something to upset you, he'll just play the "I'm sorry – I'm just so overwhelmed"-Card.

Blaise Zabini gives me the most chill vibes. He obviously still is a toxic boy like the rest of the lot but he'd be more subtle. However, Blaise is a master in manipulation. He won't threaten you or really gaslight you but he'll think of intricate plans to make you crawl back to him or listen to him.

[truevedicastrology]

🌟✨ Astro Vibes & Cosmic Truths🌙🔮

Get ready for some mind-blowing astrology facts that'll make you question everything you thought you knew about your star sign! 😱💫

�Neptune in the 3rd house? Prepare for a rollercoaster of feels! 🎢😢 These dreamers often feel like aliens on Earth, retreating into their vivid imaginary worlds. But hey, who needs reality anyway? 🌈

🧚‍♀️ Geminis, why are you so obsessed with Scorpios? 👀💘 It's like moth to a flame, but make it zodiac! 🔥🦋 Family background through the 4th house? It's like ancestry.com, but make it celestial! 🏠👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Mars: Warrior fam, reporting for duty! 🪖

Jupiter: Teacher's pets unite! 📚✏️

Saturn: Politics at the dinner table, anyone? 🗳️🍽️

Sun: Government secrets for bedtime stories! 🕵️‍♀️🌞

Mercury: Doctors writing prescriptions... or the next bestseller? 📖💊

Saturn's serving karma realness! ⚖️✨ 5th house placement? Mess with someone's ego, and watch the universe clap back! 👏😬

Neptune in the 1st house = built-in BS detector! 🔍🧐 Shoutout to all the psychic step-sisters out there, keeping it real! 💁‍♀️💯 '97 babies, where you at? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️ Feeling like the black sheep but secretly slaying? That's the tea! ☕🐑

Scorpio risings and true crime: name a more iconic duo 🔍🔪

Sagittarius: finding the silver lining since... forever! 🌈😊 You could probably find joy in a DMV line, you magical unicorns! 🦄

Gemini sun + Libra moon = instant heart-eyes 😍💖 Like, save some beauty for the rest of us, okay?

Leo mercury: making everyone feel like the main character in their own movie! 🎬🌟

Gemini risings be like: "Call me anything but my government name" 😎🕶️

Sagittarius mercury: The ultimate story recyclers! ♻️🗣️ But we love you anyway, you charismatic chatterboxes!

Capricorns strutting down the runway of life! 👠💃 Werk it, cosmic supermodels!

Cancer placements: Team white and blue forever! 👕👖 Looking fresh like a cool ocean breeze! 🌊 Born on 1st, 10th, 19th, or 28th? Congrats, you're basically a cinnamon roll! 🍪❤️

Aquarius placements: Insta-famous without even trying! 📱🤳 What's your secret, you social media wizards? Water signs, unite in your mystical sensitivity! 🌊🔮 Who needs WebMD when you've got zodiac-induced health quirks?

[mncxbe]

HEY MY GORGEOUS LOVELY ANNEEE I really love the aki one I requested hnfRgnhrnrhr bark. I want to request another if I'm able to.. Akutagawa with the enemies bathroom party one I forgot which one is it 🩷 take ur time lauv💗🐑💥

here you go sheep and the other lovely anons that requested this one♡

2 — Enemies in the bathroom at a party

ღೀ๋࣭ ⭑𝒄𝒘: mirror sex?, degrading, crying, facial, orgasm denial

Akutagawa and you never got along– not when you were part of the Port Mafia and surely not after you left and joined the ADA. In fact, his resentment only built up each time you stumbled across each other during missions, which just so happened tonight.

Both of you were supposed to go undercover at a party to gather information, but basically spent all night at each other's throats, sharing snide words and icy looks. That was until Akutagawa dragged you into the staff's bathroom and locked the door behind you.

"Fucking bitch, look at that slutty expression on your face. Did i really fuck you dumb already?" he spat, his hips snapping against yours with each harsh thrust, the grip he had on your hair tightening. He yanked your head up and you started at your own reflection through half lidded eyes.

Your makeup was ruined– mascara smeared under your eyes, lashes heavy with tears of pleasure. You'd probably hate him now if he weren't fucking you so good.

"Hardly, Ryuu, you're far from it. It's not like that tiny dick of yours could do any good" you mocked but your words didn't seem to have any effect on him. He simply kept drilling himself inside you at a punishing pace, earning high pitches moans and mewls from you.

"Say whatever you want, but your cunt's basically milking me dry. I think you like it."

You hissed at his words, trying so hard to come up with a snarky remark but before you could utter a word, Akutagawa's hand clasped over your mouth, silencing you "Damn slut..." he mumbled under his breath when your teeth grazed his skin.

Despite the harsh words, Akutagawa felt his orgasm building up. Fucking you like this really soothed his soul, it gave him a sick satisfaction. And god, he loved the way your eyes rolled back into your skull, your walls clamping down on him with each of his thrusts.

He knew you were close by the way you moaned into his palm, eagerly pushing your hips against his as if you wanted to take him even deeper– but right before you came he pulled out of you and turned you to face him, pushing you to your knees.

"Why'd you fucking stop now?" you whined, wincing when he pulled your hair again, tilting your head up. "Think I'm gonna make you cum, slut? No way" he scoffed, his voice laced with amusement.

Akutagawa stroked his cock with a hand, his gaze locked on yours and fuck weren't you a pretty sight. He kept you steady as he came on your face, his milky cum dribbling down your cheeks and chin, clinging to your lashes. You groaned, mumbling a fuck you, Ryuu but he simply glared down at you.

By the time you managed to wipe his cum from your face, Akutagawa was out of the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind him. Deep down he knew that he wouldn't be able to resist bending you over the sink again and making you cum on his cock if he were to stay any longer, so he chose to focus on his mission. For now.

𐙚prompts closed

[kingmaxstatic]

In Defense Of Lanolin, A Post About Perspective, Flaws and Development. (Part 1: The Incidents)

Hey there everyone! It's time for another ✨Max Opinion Moment✨. Out of all of the IDW characters I think Lanolin is the character I've seen get the most hate. I'm not just talking about "I dislike this character" I'm talking I've seen posts where people act like Lanolin killed their family sort of hate.

Today I plan on defending Lanolin as a character! Talking about the main panels that caused this hatred and why I think she's... actually justified in her actions!

DISCLAIMER! This post is not meant to say "You can't DISLIKE Lanolin!". You're allowed to have your opinions of the character!

with all of that out of the way, let's talk sheep! Buckle up! Because this is a long one! (So long I might have to make a part 2)

Case #1: The Paddle Ball Incident

One of the earliest examples (comic timeline wise) was this set of panels! I've seen people actually seethe over these panels. Now I want to explain why I, personally, understand why she's taken the paddle away from her!

Lanolin is talking about important stuff here! Tangle is ACTIVELY interrupting the conversation by playing with the paddle ball in her face. Also, as an autistic person, I personally know how distracting those noises can be!

People also seem to forget that Lanolin, a few pages earlier, looks EXHAUSTED. That is not the face of a sheep that's well rested. Of course she's going to be irritable!

You'd be a bit of a bitch too if you were trying to talk about important stuff and someone was cutting off the conversation by fiddling with something really loud in your face! It's like if you were trying to present a school project you worked all night on and someone started playing a really loud video next to you.

Does this make Tangle a bad person? Of course not! She's energetic and gets bored easily (trust me girl, I get it.) but Lanolin isn't bad for being upset.

Case 2: The Duo Incident

THIS is the main reason a lot of people hate Lanolin as a character. Though in the timeline it's the second panel people will point to as justification for wanting this fictional sheep dead. This is the part of the post where I talk a LOT about perspective and justification.

Get ready for a LOTTTT of panel posting to add context.

SO Let's discuss the main perspective we see, Silver and Whisper's

Silver and Whisper know something is up with Duo, hell Whisper hits the nail right on the head when she instantly assumes Duo to be Mimic! This all happens after Mimic sneakily kicks Silver and Whisper notices.

Another event this happens is when Mimic basically leaves Silver for dead and what does he say after Lanolin asks him where silver is?

"I'm sorry I couldn't save him... the teeth... so big."

From LANOLIN'S PERSPECTIVE, Duo is the new guy, inexperienced and doesn't know how to deal with badniks and this one was HUGE. So from HER pov Duo did his best to save Silver and just simply couldn't. Of course she doesn't know that Duo is Mimic.

So what do Whisper and Silver do after they assume there's a traitor amongst them?

"We're Going Hunting."

Silver and Whisper don't first contact Lanolin or the others, they jump INSTANTLY to murder. The next panel we sees Silver and Whisper in in this arc is them camping in a bush, ready to shoot this Mimic.

Once again, I need to emphasize, they DID NOT discuss this with Tangle or Lanolin. They jumped to murder. This is a rash choice on both of their ends.

I also want to point out that Lanolin acted a lil playful and friendly... before she saw Whisper coming out of the bushes with her wispon.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize what Whisper is implying here. She wants to kill someone. Justified? Yes, Mimic is a horrible person who seems to only know one word, betray. But from Lanolin's perspective Duo is a newbie who's only crime was being inexperienced. She does not know Duo is Mimic.

She even asks "The Shape-Shifter? That's a big accusation. Do you have any proof?" She isn't saying "Whisper, this guy clearly isn't mimic." She's saying "If you have proof he's mimic, show it instead of shooting this person I assume is innocent.".

and Whisper responds "We will soon."

Whisper then walks forward and proceeds to grab Lanolin's arm and move it, if you have a keen eye, you'll notice it was the arm Lanolin was using to protect Duo.

A teammate is walking towards your other seemingly innocent teammate, accusing them of being someone from their past. They're carrying a loaded weapon and move you out of the way. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what would happen next. Someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed.

So what do you do?

You knock the person down.

What Lanolin does here is knock Whisper over before she does anything and attempts to reason why her. Before whisper then KICKS her legs, trying to knock her over. Thus starts a fight. I'm not gonna post the full panel because we already got the idea.

But afterwards Jewel asks "Hey let me get this straight, you tried to attack this dude based on an assumption"

And Silver is like "Yeah shit guess I was"

THEN Lanolin steps in like "Hey until you can like. think before you act you should stay away from us, kay?"

OKAY SO, TO EMPHASIZE THIS A THIRD TIME. Silver and Whisper decided to try and kill this guy before discussing with their team. Silver is a powerhouse and a well known powerhouse at that. "Yadda Yadda great power, great responsibility." and all that.

People act like Lanolin is banning Silver from ever being in the diamond cutters ever. But she's saying "FOR NOW you can't be one of us.". Until is a word that changes a LOT here. She's also saying "That's my vote." implying she wants the others' input.

Hell this is even more emphasized when Jewel says Tangle has a say in this! Lanolin is saying "Hey, I think Silver shouldn't be around until he grows more, what do you guys think?".

I do think Lanolin has flaws here, she should've tried to give whisper a bit more benefit of the doubt here, but Whisper shouldn't of ALSO jumped to murder. They're BOTH in the wrong here.

PHEW THAT WAS A LONG ONE.

Case #3: The X-Treme Gear Incident

This is the latest Lanolin panel that I've seen spark debate about her! Let's talk about the Diamond Cutters' roles in this arc!

They're referees! They're even called "The Restoration Refs" in issue 70! Basically, people who oversee the race to make sure everyone is playing fair and safe.

She's not doing this because she hates Sonic (okay maybe she has beef with Sonic), Amy and Tails. She's doing this because it was an active threat to everybody else and themselves!

Hell I want to point out that in the first panel of this case, she's pointing at Sonic. Who she has witnessed first hand clearly having a disregard to the rules and safety.

This then proceeded to almost get one of her teammates hurt.

So Lanolin calling Sonic a "Hazard" Isn't too far off. Do I think Lanolin is being harsh here? Yeah. Hell even the comic points out she's being harsh after the first panel of this case.

People act like she swiveled around to Tails and went "You suck as an inventor" and spit on him. She's calling the gear "faulty" and "hazards". Shes literally doing her job. I need to emphasize this. Is she being rude? Yes. But she's blunt and it's apart of her character. Tangle is gonna be naive, Whisper's gonna be distant, Lanolin is gonna be blunt.

Bonus Case: The Shattered Glass Incident.

Okay so this isn't one that I've seen people hate on Lanolin for but I... have seen the Anti-Lanolin squad be weird over this panel. Being all like "HA!! Not as perfect as she thought!" and "She's finally facing the consequences of her actions!!"

What actions?

Ah yes! Stopping Sonic from endangering more racers!

Lanolin broke the glass, yes. She acted quickly, yes. This wasn't her scheming and being like "Heehee!! Time to put all these people in danger for some reason!!"

Let's call it what it is.

A Mistake.

Something people are allowed to make, something Lanolin is allowed to make. This isn't some sort of "her getting what's coming to her" it's her realizing she fucked up. Let her make mistakes and let them BE mistakes!

But yeah, if you've read this all the way through, thank you! I had a lot of fun making this (despite how exhausted I am of the lanolin hate train). Hopefully I'll actually make that part 2! Because that would be more so me talking about Lanolin's flaws, her role, and her backstory! Things I like to discuss (I do not like being a hater).

[munson-blurbs]

Hello! Could I possibly request something with a lovesick Eddie trying to win over the reader? He’s watched and studied rom-coms with Dustin to get his plan in action doing the basics of walking her to class, carrying her books, complimenting her, etc. but it typically ends with him inadvertently embarrassing himself. Super fluffy ending though!

This is adorable and I loved writing it <3

Warnings: angst-to-fluff, some language, spoilers for 80s movies

WC: 2.4k

Divider credit: @firefly-graphics

“You coming to Hellfire today?” Eddie asks you, munching on a pretzel. You weren’t an official member, but you like sitting in and watching campaigns, sometimes secretly helping the freshmen defeat their sadistic Dungeon Master.

You shake your head. “Sorry, Eds,” you shrug apologetically, “Robin, Nancy, and I are gonna catch a movie.”

His eyes widen and he grins excitedly. “Oh, shit! Which one? Eliminators?”

The prospect of the three of you watching an over-the-top sci-fi movie–without Eddie or Dustin nagging you–sends you into a fit of laughter. “Uh, no,” you manage between giggles. “We’re seeing Pretty in Pink.”

Eddie wrinkles his nose. “Isn’t that, like, a chick flick?”

“Yes, and we are chicks,” you say slowly, enunciating each word like it’s a novel concept for him. “Why, did you wanna join?”

Eddie would watch paint dry if it meant spending time with you, but he doesn’t say that. Instead, he rolls his eyes. “Not a chance,” he scoffs. “You girls enjoy your Molly Ringworm.”

“It’s Ringwald, dingus,” you retort, borrowing Robin’s favorite insult for the occasion. “And we will. It’s nice to pretend that guys can actually care about a girl beyond getting in her pants.”

He’s about to ask you if you lump him into that category when Dustin, Lucas, and Mike plop their trays onto the table. They’re chatting excitedly about the upcoming campaign, a conversation Eddie usually never shuts up about, but the older boy is uncharacteristically quiet.

“Hey, Y/N,” Nancy taps you on the shoulder with a smile. “Robs and I were just about to finalize our plans for tonight, if you wanna sit with us.”

You nod enthusiastically, eager to leave the table now that the topic has switched to which cheerleaders are the easiest. “See you perverts on Monday!” you call out behind you, walking side by side with Nancy.

“Hey, sheep,” Eddie interrupts their riveting conversation suddenly. “Do I give off ‘douchebag’ vibes? Like, ‘only being nice to chicks for sex’ vibes?”

“If you are, it’s not working very well,” Mike snorts, only to have a pretzel lobbed at his head. 

Dustin, however, is more perceptive to Eddie’s concerns. “Did something happen with Y/N?” he asks, glancing over at you.

“Don’t stare at her!” Eddie hisses, pressing his fingers over his eyes in exasperation. How do these two have girlfriends and I don’t? he wonders silently. “She mentioned something about liking chick flicks because that’s the only time guys treat girls nicely without trying to sleep with them.”

“Okay, and…?” Mike responds, earning him another pretzel to the head. This one lands in his mop of hair. 

“And, what if she thinks that’s the only reason I’m nice to her?”

“To be fair,” Lucas pipes up between bites of pizza, “you do wanna sleep with her.” He quickly joins Mike as one of Eddie’s snack throwing targets. “Dude, you’re not gonna have any pretzels left if you keep chucking them at us!”

“Can someone just answer my question?” Eddie growls, standing up and pacing around the table. “Because if I’m gonna ask her out–”

“Not gonna happen,” Dustin mumbles under his breath. Eddie glares at him. “What? You’ve been saying that you’re gonna ask her out for ages now, but you never do!”

“Well, now I’m not, if she thinks I’m just some creep,” the metalhead grumbles. “I’d have to be one of those corny idiots from those movies for her to take me seriously.”

Dustin slams his hands on the table, startling everyone. “So be one of those corny idiots!” he exclaims. “Do you think I wanna sing The Neverending Story every time I talk to Suzie? No, I do not. But I do it because it makes her feel special and loved.”

“How would I even do that?” Eddie throws his hands up in frustration. “I’ve never watched any of those dumb movies.”

Dustin’s grin spans his entire face. “Oh, don’t you worry, my friend,” he says. “I’ve got a secret weapon.”

Turns out, Dustin’s secret weapon is Steve Harrington. More specifically, using him to check out as many romantic comedies as the boy can carry, completely ignoring the three movie maximum policy.

“Okay,” Dustin begins, pushing his way into Eddie’s trailer. “We’ve got The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Footloose, Terms of Endearment, and Y/N’s favorite, Grease.” He plops the video cassettes onto the table with a thwack.

“Jesus Christ.” Eddie buries his head in his hands. “What did I get myself into?”

“You can thank me later when you finally have a girlfriend,” Dustin retorts, ignoring his friend’s mild irritation. “Now, where should we start?”

By Monday morning, Eddie’s brain is buzzing with ideas to be the perfect rom-com boyfriend. He waits for you at your locker before first period, leaning up against it as you approach.

“How was your movie night with the girls?” He remembers Dustin’s advice to ask you questions about yourself, rather than launching into another story about his DnD campaigns.

“Good…” You eye him suspiciously. “Is there a reason why you’re blocking me from opening my locker?”

“Oh, shit, sorry,” he sputters, jumping back and smacking into another student passing by. “Son of a–”

You grab your math textbook from the top shelf, rolling your eyes at his antics. “Well, nice talking to you.” You’re not sure what’s gotten into him, but it’s weirding you out.

“Wait!” he calls out, and you turn back around slowly.

“What is it?” you ask crossly, “I’m gonna be late for class.”

Eddie rubs the nape of his neck with his palm, unable to make eye contact with you. “Jus’ wanted to say that you’re pretty…” When you don’t reply within a nanosecond, he starts stumbling over his words. “Pretty nice, and stuff. No, just pretty. You’re pretty. N-not that you’re not nice, b’cause you are; you’re, like, really nice. But you’re also pretty. So, yeah. You’re pretty.”

Your brows furrow in confusion. “Are you okay?” What you really want to ask is, is this some kind of prank?

Eddie nods, fidgeting with the frayed edges of his denim jacket. “Y-yeah, I’m okay. Are you, uh, okay?”

“Mhmmm,” you stretch out your response, backing away. “I’m gonna head to math before I get detention.”

What the hell was that? You wonder incredulously. The only time you’ve ever witnessed him being so tongue-tied was when he was paired with Chrissy Cunningham on a science project. But he was hopelessly in love with her; you were just his best friend. You’d have to ask one of the Hellfire freshmen what was going on. Maybe they’d have some insight.

You don’t get a chance to talk to Dustin, Mike, or Lucas before Eddie’s trying out his next move. He’s at your locker again between third and fourth period, desperate to redeem himself after his flustered performance this morning.

“Lemme walk you to class,” he blurts out. 

“Eddie,” you laugh, “we have the same class now. You’d know this if you bothered to show up.”

“Oh. Right.” Actually, he has been showing up, partially because of his determination to graduate, but mostly because you’re there. “Then, can I carry your books for you?” He reaches for your composition book and pencil case before you have the chance to answer, and you pull away from him.

“Are you gonna throw my stuff in the trash or something?” You warily cock your eyebrow. 

“No!” He seems genuinely confused and slightly offended at your assumption. “Why would I do that?”

“I dunno,” you shrug. “Why else would you do nice things for me?”

Eddie crosses his arms over his chest. “So that’s what you think of me, huh?” His eyes mist over, so angry that he’s about to cry. “Just another dumb guy who’s either trying to fuck you or fuck you over?”

“What are you talk—“ you start, but he cuts you off. 

“Forget it,” he mutters under his breath, walking in the opposite direction. “Told Henderson this was a stupid idea.”

“Where are you going?” you call after him. “Class is the other way.”

“‘M ditching!” Eddie retorts, pulling out a cigarette and lighting in before he even reaches the doors. 

You’re sitting in your room, highlighting and writing in the margins of the tattered copy of The Grapes of Wrath you’ve been assigned for English class. You can barely concentrate, though; your mind is consumed with thoughts of Eddie’s string of bizarre behavior. 

The compliments, offering to walk you to class, trying to carry your books—what was that all about? 

You vaguely remember him mentioning something about Dustin; the two of them were thick as thieves and basically attached at the hip. Eddie was the older brother Dustin never had. If anyone knows what was going on with him, it’s Dustin Henderson. 

“Hello?” Dustin’s bored voice comes through the receiver, probably expecting the call to be for his mom. 

“Hey, Dustin. It’s Y/N,” you begin nervously. “Do you have a sec to talk about Eddie?”

“Um, yeah,” he replies, caution evident in his tone. “He seemed really upset at lunch today. Did something happen?”

You exhale, a bitter laugh escaping your chest. “That’s what I was calling about. He was being super weird this morning, and then he got mad at me, like, out of nowhere.”

“Weird…how?”

Starting at the beginning, you recall everything that occurred, emphasizing the babbling that was supposed to constitute a compliment and his explosion when you didn’t let him hold your books. “He’s always playing little jokes on me; what was I supposed to think?” you finish. 

“Aw, shit,” Dustin muses. “Okay, I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but—“

“Please,” you beg him, “I just need to know what I did wrong.”

“No, it’s not something you did—well, maybe, kinda—but not on purpose,” he explains. “On Friday, when you told him about seeing Pretty in Pink, did you say something about guys in chick flicks being better than actual guys because they want more than just sex?”

“Yeah…” you say, confused. “What does this have to do with Eddie?”

“I’m getting to that part, jeez!” Dustin quips, and you roll your eyes at his attitude. “Well, when you said that, Eddie got all worried that you felt that way about him.”

“Of course I don’t!” you reply incredulously. “He’s…he’s Eddie! I know he would never use me for sex.”

Dustin presses on. “He didn’t realize that. So we watched those stupid movies all weekend, just so he could learn how you want a guy to show interest in you.”

Oh. Oh. 

“Because Eddie…” you trail off, your mouth going dry. 

“Yeah, the dude’s, like, in love with you.” Dustin spells it out. “He tries to act like nothing bothers him, but he really cares about what you think of him.”

“Shit,” you murmur. “I mean, thanks, Dustin. I’m gonna go fix this.”

“Any time,” he replies, then quickly adds, “don’t tell him I told you, or he’ll give me wedgies for the rest of my life!”

You knock on the Munson trailer door. Wayne’s already left for his night shift at the plant, and you hear the sounds of Eddie’s guitar, so you know he’s home. 

“Who is it?” he calls from his room, still strumming. 

“It’s me,” you answer, hoping he’ll let you in. “And I come bearing gifts.”

The guitar playing stops, and you breathe a sigh of relief when his heavy footsteps come closer. 

“‘S not my birthday,” he narrows his eyes at the treat in your hand. 

“I know. I wanted to recreate the ending scene in Sixteen Candles where Jake Ryan goes over to Sam’s house, but a whole cake was too expensive.” You smile warmly at him. “I hope a cupcake will suffice.”

Eddie returns your grin, leaning against the doorframe. “Depends. What flavor is it?”

“Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting.” It’s his favorite; the man has a mean sweet tooth. “Eddie, I’m sorry that I accused you of having some sort of ulterior motive for being nice to me. But when I said that stuff on Friday—about guys using girls—I wasn’t talking about you,” you tell him. “I was thinking about the Jason Carvers of the world, not the Eddie Munsons.”

He takes a big bite of cupcake. “Apology accepted,” he says, mouth still full. He swallows before speaking again. “How did you know that’s why I was upset?”

“Psychic powers,” you tease. “And a certain meddling, curly-haired nerd who just wants you to be happy.”

“Dammit, Henderson!” Eddie groans. “Little shit can never keep a secret—“

You interrupt him, pressing your lips to his chocolate-covered ones. The kiss doesn’t last long because the two of you can’t stop smiling. 

“That’s for calling me pretty,” you tell him. “At least, I think that’s what you said; you kinda rambled on there for awhile.”

Now it’s Eddie’s turn to cut you off. “Then let me make it clear,” he says softly, running his thumb over your jawline. “Pretty, pretty, pretty. Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” He places a kiss on your forehead, and you feel yourself melt. 

“No more trying to be some corny movie character,” you instruct him, wrapping your arms around his waist. “I like you just as you are, Eddie Munson.”

He laughs. “Got it, boss.” He twitches his nose. “Actually, there’s one more thing I wanted to do.” When you look at him quizzically, he continues. “You know that part in The Breakfast Club, where Bender gives Claire his earring?”

“Yeah?”

“Well,” Eddie says shyly, “I don’t have an earring, but I do have this.”  He pulls his thin black ring off of his finger and holds it up. “Prob’ly be too big on you, but maybe you could wear it on a chain? And you could be my girlfriend, if you want?”

You press on your tiptoes, pecking another kiss on his lips. “Yes, Eds. To both questions.” 

He throws his fist in the air á la Judd Nelson as he kisses you back, making you cackle with laughter. 

“I can’t believe you actually watched that movie,” you tease. 

He shakes his head, as though he can’t believe it himself. “‘S all right,” he says. “You can make it up to me by seeing Eliminators on our first date.”

“Oh, absolutely not.”

~

[myrrh1806]

BILL CIPHER LORE

Type wellwellwellbeing and click it three times.....you get to see three excerpts from Bill's files at theraprism.

( context : The axolotl sends bill to therapy after season 2 finale )

Type seven eyes to get a picture of one of bill's friends ?......There is a message at the back too ( a warning)

type cipher to see Bill hidden in history ( prolly canon...)

type ad astra per aspera ( ford's journal 1-2 pages about bill's statue)

type robbie ( bill makes an appearance in a photo, also Thompson hates his toxic friend but beggars can't be choosers )

type Dorito ( Wait till the end. You see Bill's true form )

type shave your grandma ( Bill's view on humanity. Its pretty funny)

type stan and click 6 times ( You get to play a game with bill and uncover granule Stan's secret shame)

type dipper and repeatedly click ( Bill basically trolls him. Its funny. Also something at the end after the paper is burnt )

type love for.........well, its almost every fanfic of bill in ao3. ( The image made me do a spit take )

type r34lity ( pics of bill's minions in their new homes.....crptos stands next to a drawing of bill. Dunno what that means....maybe he misses him ? Prolly mocking him, though)

type oroborous ( Sixer had a pet axolotl and Bill wasn't very happy )

type irregular ( Bill's mugshots )

type vallis cineris ( baby bill )

type tourist trap ( bill's in it.....might have to examine this pics further. could be some clue ?)

type bubble and turn the knob ( backward message says :“The Sky is on fire. Everything is burning. How could this happen? You killed us all. Remember us. Someone help, the murderer's name is Bill.” Prolly the dying screams of flatland before bill.....you know.)

type destruction is a form of creation ( rambling of fiddle ford after he peeked into the portal and saw bill.....could be clues in there )

type say baaaa ( Bill acts like Sta- a conman )

type naitsuaf ( you get to make a deal with bill )

type hectoring ( songsposition )

type weirdmageddon ( proof that the people of gravity falls are either in denial of the apocalypse or forgot )

type tantrum ( bill vs time baby )

type scary ( knockoff goosebumps audiobook bill made. Man, Bill and Stanley have a lot in common from the conman angle. They could have been friends....in another timeline *sigh* )

type goodnight sally ( no lore but, its a cool bill t- shirt )

type even his lies are lies ( Bill's pov when sixer still trusted him - bill is talking to his therapist)

type suck it merlin ( bill throughout history )

type black sheep ( Bill's a jerkwad )

type cursed ( Bill is a bad influence )

type card ( another one of bill's 'ventures' )

type one eyed king ( bill tries to hypnotise you )

type forget the past ( its a colour code for the smart ones out there....it would be awesome someone solved it, ig )

type lies ( you see how bill lies to himself......his therapist should take notes)

type monster ( how bill views himself )

type breakup ( shows you the bar bill drank at after ending things with Ford )

type Kubrick ( Bill caught on camera )

type hey nerd ( Bill 'ventures'. Don't buy anything from that catalog !)

type booberry ( welcome to bill's ted talk. nil, he actually gave solid advice if you ignore the projecting )

type fordtramarine ( describes a color only people who have come in contact with bill or other extra dimensional entities can see )

type hotxolotl ( info about bill and his henchmaniacs after his defeat )

type morality ( bill's philosophy )

type you cant kill an idea ( leads to bill's pyramid scheme ciphertology)

type emmaline butter nubbins ( you get to download illustrations of bill from the book of bill without text. Pretty cool )

type piñata ( bill gets beat up by a little girl. )

[mee3pp]

farm house pt 7

I apologise this one is a bit of a short one <3

cw: talking about sex, swearing, almost physical altercation between father and daughter

Johnny is very rudely awoken to the sounds of arguing in the kitchen down stairs. Surely he shouldn’t be able to hear that far but the house is old and not super full of stuff. He stands up out of.. Bed? Oh… his better kiss his crown jewels goodbye because he’s woken up in your bed. He chucks on some clothes before going down stairs to figure out who is arguing. 

Johnny is met by a rather interesting sight. You and Price are practically toe to toe as you argue. “I am a fully grown 28 year old woman. If I want to have a half naked drunk man in my bed that I trust I can” you growl at Price it’s almost scary how much you sound like him. “I’m aware you are grown but it doesn’t give you the right to go sneakin’ around with a man i very clearly told you to stay away from” Price huffs back. If Johnny didn’t know his Captain like the back of his hand he’d say Price is about to get into a physical fight with his own daughter over him. “Bull shite! I can do whatever the fuck i want and i ain’t sneakin’ around with Johnny we simply fell asleep together in my bed” You snarl pointing a finger in your fathers face.

“With basically no clothes on” Price says clenching his fists which raises the concern of all the bystanders being Ghost, Maybel, Gaz and of course the problem himself Johnny. “So? I could be butt ass naked and it still wouldn’t matter! Becuase i ain’t fuckin him. I haven’t even kiss him” You growl out breathily also clenching your fists. Simon is about to step in when you shoot him a look and he backs down immediately. “Do i need to remind you this is MY house?That I paid for.”  You add which makes Price more angry as you’ve now embarrassed him. “No. I am well aware this is your house but Soap is my man, my soldier. I gave him direct orders and you willingly helped him disobey them” Price huffs and you step closer.

It looks at any minute that one of you is going to swing, which wouldn’t be surprising. Sure the Price family is known for patients when it came to others but when it came to family that was thrown out the window. This wouldn’t be the first time you both have been close to punching each other, but the feeling is always mutual. “I can do whatever the fuck i want! If i want to help some stupidly good lookin’ man disobey orders then God help me i will” You growl clenching your fists so tight your knuckles turn white and you and your father both raise your fists slightly just to your waists so Simon decides it’s time to step in. “enough both of you. John go take a walk and have a smoke” Simon orders Price knows he’s serious as he never calls Price John unless he means something. So reluctantly Price walks away outside to have a smoke leaving you frustrated and wanting to kill or hit someone preferably your father. Then you zero in on Johnny and it makes your anger simmer down a little. “Ya lucky ya pretty” You jab a finger at him before tugging on your work boots and heading outside to move some hay to take out your frustrations.

“Hey Barbie” you huff as you pat your livestock guardian Barbie on the side. You get stuck into moving some hay for your first flock of sheep giving them two small bales to eat, you check the progress of the lambs tails to see if they are ready to be docked yet. Before you know it Simon has snuck up on you and is leaning on your tractor as you move hay. “What?” you huff. “Good work on not punchin’ your old man” Simon chuckles which earns a glare from you. “You should’ve let me” you huff again. “No can do, need him in workin’ condition. Gettin’ pretty heated over ol’ Johnny” Simon teases “If i was you i wouldn’t put up that much of a fight he ain’t that pretty” You roll your eyes at Simon but you can’t help but crack a small smile. “Soooo did ya sneak off with Maybel last night?” You say poking his arm and he grunts. “Do I have to tell ya?” He groans “oh come on i’ll find out sooner or later” you grin grateful for the distraction. “Fine. yes i did ‘sneak off’ with Maybel” He begrudgingly huffs. “Is little Simon satisfied?” You tease and he scowls “please never call my dick little Simon ever again” which earns a chuckle from you “was it everything you hoped for and more?” you pry more. “I'm not answering that”

“I thought he was going to split me open girl!” Maybel giggles as you both sit outside on your deck with coffee. You listen intently as Maybel tells you about her encounter with Simon. “He’s huge.. Like i mean i seriously don’t think it’s humanly possible” She adds to which you scrunch up your nose with a chuckle. “Eugh, I don't need to know that! That’s like you tellin’ me my brothers exact measurements” You joke as Maybel proceeds to act out how big not so ‘little Simon’ is with her hands. “It was good though, everything I was dreaming of.. Although he was gentler then I imagined” she hums before taking a sip of her coffee with a content smile. 

tag list:

@tabbslouuformer

@thepowers-kat-be

@amberpanda99

[2dmenenthusiast]

"I love you."

(Ryan Lucan x Gn!Reader)

Hey heeyyyy um disclaimer this one is DEPRESSING. I wrote this every time I felt a lil sad so like, I am basically pouring my soul out to yall lmaooo but I hope some of you find comfort in this fic if you relate at all, and remember that you are loved :)

Reblogs and feedback is always encouraged and appreciated!

Words: 3k

Summary: feeling lonely and cooped up in your apartment, you call Ryan in the middle of the night to help quiet the racing thoughts in your head.

Warnings: talks of depression, self-hate, anxiety, just a whole lotta sad, Ryan loves you so much

1:30

2:03

2:47

Your head lolled to the side as you checked the time again.

3:15

A groan left you, bringing your hands up and dragging your palms over your face. Exhaustion tugged at your eyelids, urging you to close them and doze off. But every time you tried, you just couldn’t. And you had tried everything. Counting sheep, drinking tea, watching some relaxing videos. Nothing seemed to work. Throwing the blankets off you, your bare feet touched the cold wood floor as you padded over to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water. You quickly felt bile rise up in your throat and choked the water down, spluttering out a cough and spitting into the sink. God, you felt like shit.

It had been like this for the past couple days. You’d stay cooped up in your small apartment, never going out unless it was for work, and you’d lay in bed, feeling like absolute shit for just laying around, but feeling too tired to do anything else. Tired, yes, considering the fact that you could barely catch more than three hours of sleep these past couple nights.

Tears of frustration sprung and you quickly wiped at your eyes, mentally scolding yourself for how silly you were being. Christ, some days you just felt like you were suffocating, like everything happening around you was just too much to deal with. And there were moments where you wished you could just sink into the floor, and never be seen or heard from again.

But not tonight.

The loneliness you felt was overwhelming, desperately wanting to reach out and talk to one of your friends, but feeling too ashamed to burden them with your frantic thoughts and shifting emotions. You knew they were worried about you. They would place their reassuring hands on your shoulder and give you that look, that single expression that always asked the same thing.

Are you okay?

And you’d give them that simple halfhearted smile, lips twitching up in a small effort to lie to them.

I’m okay.

With trembling hands, you searched for your phone on your bed and scrolled through your limited contacts, lip pulled between your teeth as you contemplated who to reach out to. You were hyper aware of the sound of your own heartbeat, and you tentatively pressed on Ryan’s name, thumbs hovering over the phone's keyboard. It felt like minutes had passed as you contemplated what to say, frantically typing a sentence before quickly deleting it, and typing up another one. You deleted it again, and again, and again. Nothing sounded right, and you were too worried about sounding desperate or clingy.

You eventually gave up and threw the phone on the bed with a frustrated sigh, crossing your arms over your chest and pacing back and forth.

He’s probably sleeping anyway.

But you couldn’t stop staring at your phone, the thing practically screaming at you to pick it back up. Your thoughts fought with one another, everything threatening to come spilling out all at once. Before you could scream out your frustration, you snatched your phone back up and jammed your thumb on the call button. You heard it ring, once, twice, and hung up before the third.

Fuck, what am I doing?

You pressed the call button again.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring—

You hung up.

“This is stupid. God, this is so fucking stupid!”

Taking a deep breath, you called him again, frantically tapping your foot and bringing the phone up to your ear.

Please pick up. Or don’t pick up. Either is fine. Fuck, do I want him to pick up? This is stupid, this is fucking stupid, I’m fucking stupid—

“Uh, hey?”

Your eyes widened at the sound of Ryan’s groggy voice, not believing that he actually answered, and you struggled to find your voice.

“You there—?”

“Hey! Um— sorry, I just… Did I wake you?”

There was a moment of silence on his end, and you knew that you had.

“No! No, I was just uh, reading. You know, nature stuff.”

You couldn’t help but grin at the thought of Ryan staying up this late just to read about plants and animals, as if he didn’t already know everything about them.

“Wow, sounds riveting.”

He chuckled, and the sound had your chest feeling warm. Neither of you said anything for a moment, not sure how to continue a conversation at almost three-thirty in the morning. You almost hung up, too embarrassed to admit why you called when you heard him clear his throat.

“Uh, is there a reason you called so late? Is everything okay?”

You spluttered for a moment, hand rubbing the back of your neck as heat uncomfortably crawled over your skin. “Y-Yeah! Yeah, everything’s fine. Just uh… you know.” You cringed at your awkward behavior, pressing the edge of the phone against your forehead. “Sorry, I— this was dumb, I shouldn’t have called. I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

“Wait, wait. Hold on.”

You sighed, sitting on the edge of your bed and playing with a loose thread on your blanket as you waited for him to continue. Great, now he was definitely going to know that something’s wrong.

“Hey, you know you can talk to me, right? Whatever’s bugging you, you can tell me.”

You and Ryan had been dating for the past five months, and while you undeniably felt more comfortable around him than you ever had another person, you had never let him see this side of you. This version of you where your brain was constantly on overdrive, overthinking every little thing, your breath always catching in your throat from the overwhelming anxiety that built up in the pit of your stomach. You felt like you were standing on the outside, looking down at yourself. And you loathed it. And while you wanted to confide in him, you felt like you couldn’t. Ryan was a constant positive in your life, and you didn’t want to muddy it up by letting your gloomy thoughts and feelings interfere.

But god, you were so tired. While you could usually power through it, the weight of the loneliness and frustration you felt was almost crushing, and your hand curled into a fist at your side as your jaw clenched painfully, the tears from earlier resurfacing.

“Um, c-can I see you? It’s okay if you don’t want to, I know it’s really late and you probably just wanna sleep. But I just- I didn’t know who else to call, a-and I know I’m probably just being stupid and—”

“Hey, you’re not stupid, okay? I’ll be over in a little bit.”

Your eyes slightly widened. “Really? Like I said, you really don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to. I want to see you.”

You bit down on your bottom lip, softly sniffling as you quickly wiped at your eyes, and you hoped that Ryan didn’t catch onto the fact that you were crying. “Okay.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in ten, alright?”

You hummed into the phone before hanging up, shoulders slumping as you placed your hand against your forehead.

It’s fine. Everythings fine.

Rifling through your drawers, you took out a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a loose fitted shirt, throwing Ryan’s flannel that he left at your place over it, and catching a small whiff of his scent. The familiar smell of the outdoors and amber was almost comforting, and you found yourself pressing your cheek into your shoulder to get a better smell. 

Ten minutes couldn’t have gone by fast enough, and you were racing down the steps of your apartment as soon as you saw the headlights of Ryan’s truck in front of your building, not wanting to spend another second without his presence. He was in the process of unbuckling his seatbelt when you threw open the door and hopped inside, slightly surprised at how frantic you were.

“Oh, I was gonna come up. I thought—”

“No. No, I just— I need to get out of there,” you muttered, slowly looking over at him and witnessing as he carefully examined you, a mix of confusion and concern in his gaze. “Can we just drive around for a little bit?”

He paused before nodding, putting his seatbelt back on and pulling out of the parking lot. The silence that settled between you wasn’t as awkward as you felt it would’ve been, but it still left you unsettled, your fingers fidgeting as you wracked your brain for something to say. As you opened your mouth to finally speak, your thoughts were cut off when Ryan reached over and lightly tugged at the sleeve of his flannel, sending you a small smile.

“You know, I was wondering where this went.” His hand slid down your arm, intertwining his fingers with yours and giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

You flustered at his touch, head leaning back as your body slumped down in the seat. “Hey, I didn’t steal it this time. You left it. As well as one of your shirts, and your toothbrush. I think I have some of your underwear in my laundry basket.”

“Oh, come on. Like there isn’t an entire drawer I cleaned out specifically for your things back at my place.”

“Wow, a whole drawer? You really know how to spoil someone, Lucan.”

He just glared at you while you sent a large grin his way. His hand moved to your thigh, pitching the area under your knee that had you squealing and shifting away from him, frantically slapping his arm.

“Hey— Ow! You’re gonna make me crash,” he laughed, no longer pinching your flesh, but his hand remained, thumb stroking back and forth over your thigh.

You hummed, leaning towards Ryan and resting against the center console, eyes trained on his face. There was always something about him that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. His voice, his touch. Hell, Steph told you once that you looked like some lovesick fool when she caught you mindlessly staring at him. How couldn’t you, though?

Ryan cast a quick glance at you, lightly squeezing your thigh. “Whatchya lookin’ at, hm?”

You smiled. ”You.”

“Oh, yeah? Is my face that interesting?”

“Mhm. You’re pretty.”

His eyes widened a fraction as his face visibly flushed, and you couldn't help but laugh as he awkwardly cleared his throat, hand squeezing the wheel.

“I, uh… Glad you think so.”

“Oh, I know so.”

He scoffed and shook his head, your hand fondly resting over his. It was moments like this that you were grateful for. Where you could forget your burdens, even if for only a second. Ryan’s presence was always a fast-acting cure for when you felt like this. Numb and rotten. Like you wanted to crawl out of your own skin because every sensation feels so fucking wrong and uncomfortable. But it was tolerable with him at your side.

The silence in the truck was almost deafening, the ringing in your ears getting increasingly louder as the seconds went by. You were anxious to turn on the radio, flicking the knob and—

Oh, you’re shitting me.

“For the love of god, please tell me I’m not actually hearing this right now,” you said, voice on the verge of laughter as your hand dragged over your eyes.

You could hear Ryan sigh over the melodic chirping coming from the radio, and he reached over to shut it off. “You remember what I do for a living, right?”

“Oh, I can guarantee with almost a hundred percent certainty that you were not listening to that for your job,” you laughed, throwing your head back against the seat.

“And so what if I wasn’t, huh?”

Your laughter died down into quiet giggles, and you leaned over the center console to press a quick kiss to Ryan’s scruffy cheek. “Well, I think it’s cute. Even if it is a bit dorky.”

He swiftly grabbed your hand when you pulled away, tangling your fingers and bringing the back of your hand to his lips. The action sent a tingling down from your fingertips, through your arm, and right into your chest. It was almost overwhelming how he made you feel sometimes. He touched you so gently, looked at you like you were the only person in the world. And you loved him with every breath you were worth.

Closing your eyes, you leaned your head back and listened to Ryan fiddle with the radio until he tuned in to a local station, a gentle melody you think you might’ve heard twice before overtaking the silence in the truck. You could hear him humming along after a moment, the deepness of his voice reverberating in your ears and sending pleasant waves washing over you. You didn’t need him to say anything or try to reassure you with positive words or gestures. He didn’t have to spend his time expressing his love for you in any physical or emotional ways, despite his overbearing want to. No, his presence next to you was comfort enough. To just know that he was within arms reach, his touch and his comfort readily available, that was more than enough.

Your eyes cracked open, and the headlights illuminated a lone road you’ve been on many times before.The overwhelming want to go somewhere different was ever present in your mind. Familiarity was always something you could cherish. The same street signs, the same buildings, the same people waving at you as you walked the same path to work. And you couldn’t deny that Haven has always and will always be your home. But, you desired change. Craved it in the most desperate way. 

You longed for different sights, the unfamiliarity of a brand new space. You wanted to learn the names of new streets, be able to barely make out the faces of people you’ve just met. Go to a recently opened cafe and try to pick out what your regular favorite would be. The mundanity of it all seemed unreachable almost. Like a life somewhere else would be forever unattainable and would remain as remnants of a dream in your clouded mind.

You felt trapped. Your tiny apartment was your safe space and your prison, this town you loved so dearly something you could never escape from. You were stagnant— stuck. With life moving at a snail's pace, and going by all too quickly at the same time. Yet, you remained. This place remained. This same, complacent existence.

“Have you ever thought of leaving Haven, Ryan?” Your voice sounded almost unfamiliar to you, so used to just sitting in idle silence.

He huffed out a breath, glancing at you and shrugging. “Can’t say I’ve put much thought into it. Why? In the mood for a little road trip?”

You know he meant it as a joke, maybe he thought you were joking. But, he had no clue the weight of reality his words held. Because yes, you would leave Haven right now if he wanted to. You’d tell him to stop the truck only when it ran out of gas so you both could get far away. But you knew Ryan would never agree to that. 

This was his home. 

The place he grew up, where all his fondest and saddest memories were shared.

He would never leave them behind.

“Hey.” He squeezed your hand. “Where do you keep going, hm? What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?”

“A lot, I guess. Feels like someone else is in there screaming at me right now.”

A pregnant pause, and then—

“Anything I can do to quiet it?”

Your bottom lip sucked between your teeth, biting down hard until the skin tingled as your eyes burned with tears. Fingers curling around Ryan’s hand, your nails lightly dug into his skin in some lame attempt to ground yourself, to keep yourself from vomiting your guts out in his truck. A silent tear rolled down your cheek, and you felt the car shift whilst he pulled over.

“Hey, hey.”

There were hands on your face, gently tugging to get you to look at the man beside you. He was gentle, far more than you deserved as his thumbs wiped away the wetness on your skin, and you wanted nothing more than to hide away. You pulled out of his grip and leaned forward, burying your head into his neck and sliding your arms around his waist under his flannel coat. His warmth seeped into your clothes and settled deep in your bones, your tears wetting his shirt and his hands rubbing up and down your back.

You could spend hours like this, crying your soul out in the front of his truck as he held you. It was painfully blissful, like the hurt didn’t matter because he was here to ease it.

“Tell me what to do. Tell me how to make it better.”

You shook your head, arms tightening around him as your heart lodged itself in your throat. He was so fucking nice. So caring and considerate. It made you want to scream, because when was the last time someone made you feel like this? Made you feel so overwhelmingly valued and loved? He had given himself so selflessly to you, and you were ready to throw yourself at his feet in return.

“Just this. This is enough.” you muttered, and he pressed his lips into your hair.

“I love you, you know?”

You did know. How could you not with the countless ways he constantly showed it?

“You deserve to be loved.”

A quiet whimper escaped your throat, and you only burrowed further into him,  arms tightening around his middle.

“You sound so sure of that,” you said, voice weak and shaky. Fuck, you felt so pathetic.

He muttered your name, gently pushing you back so he could hold your face and brush his thumbs over your tear stained cheeks. You leaned into his warmth, and a part of you wondered if this was real. If he was real. You were almost sure if you pinched yourself, you would wake up in your cold bed, and reality would be so much worse than your blissful dreams where Ryan Lucan was the center of them all.

If it was a dream, you never wanted to wake up.

“I’ve never met someone who gives so much of themselves without needing anything in return. You are the most caring, selfless, amazing person I’ve ever met. And I care so much about you.”

The praise and reassuring words were so unfamiliar, you almost didn’t believe it. But this was Ryan, and he would never lie to you. So, maybe he was just a bit delusional.

“I don’t know if any of that is true,” you said around a wet chuckle, trying to get your tears under control.

Ryan shook his head. “It’s facts. Don’t ever doubt how much you mean to me.”

You took a breath, pulling your face out of his hands so you could wipe at your eyes. Somehow, he always knew what to say to make you feel better, even if it only lasted for a moment. The comfort was welcome. Needed. Craved. And Ryan’s love for you, something he swore to you more times than you can remember, was enough to mend how broken you felt. Most days, you felt like you were being cut in half, and he was here to help put you back together. Like he was your other half to make you feel whole again.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” you said, a sad smile playing on your lips.

“Ryan shook his head. “Pretty sure you have that backwards.”

You chuckled, and the warmth of his hand enveloped your own.

“I love you.”

Your thoughts are quiet, and you look up at him with misty eyes.

“I love you, too.”