#and that i now have too many food things and they're gonna go bad before i get around to using them all

[windwardstar]

anyway food has been procured and the fridge is now full

[libraryofgage]

Please write for 42. Maybe it could be something dealing with Steve overhearing something he shouldn't have,maybe something the kids say, or Eddie says to someone. Whatever it is it makes him feel like shit. He talks to Eddie, or Robin (or both!) about how much he's changed over the past few years and how he didn't end up being the person everyone thought he'd be, but after what hes overheard he's crying because even though he did all he could he feels lonelier than ever.

Anon, I love you

Prompt 42 for this prompt list!

“Who’s laughing now?”

“…Clearly not you. You’re crying, dear God.” 

I didn't use these quotes exactly, but I came close. It still fits them, though lmao

---

"I should be right back," Steve says, throwing open the van door before hopping out. The moment it closes, Eddie blasts the heavy metal he usually can't because of Steve's sensitive ears. Steve snorts with amusement and heads towards the diner, the smell of fried food and grilling beef overwhelming him the moment he opens the door.

Steve heads up to the counter, flashing a charming smile at Paula, a woman who's been working at the diner longer than Steve has been alive. "We got your usual almost ready, sugar," she tells him, returning the smile as she grabs a receipt from the turning rack and leads him over to the register.

It's a Friday night, which means the diner is bursting with teenagers hanging out in groups or trying to have a romantic date. Steve doesn't usually see anyone he feels like greeting when he picks up food, but a quick sweep this time reveals a table where Jonathan, Argyle, Nancy, Mike, and Will are sitting. Their table is close to the bar, but none of them seem to have noticed Steve because of their conversation, which is just fine with him.

If he gets dragged into a conversation, he might take too long and make Eddie worry. And if Eddie worries, he'll come bursting into the diner, and there are too many people in here that still blame him for...well, everything, for that to be safe.

"Your total is gonna be $12.93," Paula says, watching as Steve distractedly pulls a twenty from his wallet.

"Keep the change. I'll be waiting over there," he says, nodding to a bar stool somewhat close to where his friends are sitting. He then slides into said stool, leaning on the counter and trying to ignore how sticky it is.

He's close enough now to hear the tail-end of Argyle saying, "--eems like such a nice dude, though."

Mike snorts at him. "You didn't know Steve when he was dating Nancy," he points out.

Oh. They're...talking about him. Steve gets the feeling he should walk away, but he also feels stuck in the stool.

"He wasn't that bad," Nancy says. Silence follows her words, and Steve can imagine the looks she's getting. "Okay, yeah, he was an asshole."

"He smashed my camera," Jonathan says, and Steve wonders if he's imagining a trace of bitterness in his voice.

Here's the thing: Steve apologized for smashing the camera (though, he feels it was still justified) and got Jonathan a new one. A fancy, new one. But it doesn't sound like Jonathan is going to include that detail, too.

"He's a lot better now, though," Will says, and Steve wants to get him a new set of dice for trying to stick up for him.

He then wants to cry and maybe break something when he hears Jonathan and Mike snort and bark out a short laugh.

Steve feels himself grow tense as Nancy and Jonathan regale Argyle with how shitty he was in high school. He keeps waiting for one of the kids to refute or bring up how he's changed, but Mike only adds to it all while Will stays quiet, probably unwilling to get himself laughed at again (not that Steve blames him, honestly).

None of them actually point out how Steve's changed. They laugh at how much of a douchebag he was in high school, and Jonathan tells Argyle to "watch out for King Steve coming through" now that nothing is trying to kill them again.

And Steve feels sick to his stomach. Has...has he not actually changed? Is he really the same King Steve he was in high school? Is he still that asshole who didn't give a shit about others because he was just trying to survive himself, no matter who it hurt? Is this how everyone sees him?

"All right, sugar. Here's your cheeseburgers," Paula says, placing a bag in front of him and jerking him out of his thoughts. "One without tomato but with extra ketchup, and the other with grilled onions."

Steve blinks and smiles at Paula again. "Thanks. Same time next week?"

He waits to see Paula's amused smile and playfully dismissive wave before grabbing the bag and practically running out of the restaurant. He doesn't know if it's good or bad that nobody at the table seems to have noticed his presence or departure.

Steve jerks the door to the van open, not waiting for Eddie to turn the music down before hopping in and slamming it shut. He silently pulls on his seatbelt, holds the food in his lap, and stares at the glove compartment.

"Uh, you okay, Stevie?" Eddie asks, his hand lingering on the volume dial.

"I don't wanna talk about it here," Steve says. Because he's going to talk about it with Eddie, the only other person he trusts to be honest with him is Robin. But this is date night for him and Eddie, and even when he's drowning in self-doubt, Steve doesn't want anyone else to interrupt their date night.

Thankfully, Eddie just nods. "Okay, sweetheart," he says, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road.

Steve doesn't say a word the whole drive, too consumed by forcing himself to focus on Eddie's hand on his thigh. There's a warmth that he feels through the fabric, grounding him and keeping his brain from spiraling too far.

When they finally park (a secluded area close enough to the local make-out spot to still see the romantic stars in the sky without getting caught by anyone else) Eddie turns to Steve and softly asks, "Wanna move to the back, sweetheart?"

Steve grips the bag in his lap tighter, takes a deep breath, and looks at Eddie. He feels a little bad for ignoring the question, but he can't help his worries and fears bubbling out now that they've stopped driving. "I've changed, right? Since high school?"

Eddie blinks, caught off guard by the sudden question. But then he nods. "Yeah, Stevie, you've definitely changed."

"Jonathan and Nancy were in the diner with Argyle, Mike, and Will," Steve says, trying and failing to seem more nonchalant by unbuckling himself and moving to the couch that barely fits in the back of the van. Eddie follows, sitting closer than necessary to eat the burger Steve hands to him. "They were...talking about me. High school me. King Steve. And Jonathan told Argyle to be wary of me. Do they really think I'm the same person?"

"Stevie-"

Steve doesn't let Eddie get far. He's too wrapped up in what happened, too consumed by self-doubt and guilt and the wish that he'd said something to them. His chest feels tight, he feels like the world is going to cave in on him, and the only thing keeping him steady is the way Eddie puts down his burger and pulls Steve into his lap. "And the worst part is that they were laughing. Will tried saying that I was better now, and they fucking laughed. Like it was ridiculous. Like I could never change.

"And I just....I wish I'd said something. I could have ruined their night so fucking easily, Eds. I could have turned around and asked if they always talked shit behind the backs of people who saved them. I could have asked if Jonathan didn't like the replacement camera I got him, or if he still used it to sneak photos of Nancy."

"Is that why you broke his camera? Fuck, I don't blame you."

Steve manages a slight smile for Eddie. "Thanks. I...I don't know. For all I've changed, it would have been so easy to just turn around and be who they thought I still was. And then I would've torn them down to the size of ants. And...and...I wish I had but I don't but I do, so I could've ended it with who's laughing now?"

Steve's chest feels a little looser, and that's a fucking relief, but then he feels Eddie's hand cradling his cheek. "Well, it's definitely not you, sweetheart. Your crying."

Oh. Eddie is right. He is crying. Steve hastily wipes at the tears before just giving up and leaning into Eddie's touch. "Sorry," he mumbles.

"Don't apologize. I almost wish you had done it. And that I'd been there to see it."

"No, you don’t."

Eddie grins, pulling Steve closer so they're chest-to-chest, heart-to-heart. "Yeah, I do. I love when you get bitchy, sweetheart. Especially when it means we can be bitchy together."

Steve blinks, and he can't help laughing. The words were simple, but they still managed to erase all the doubt and some of the hurt. He still probably needs a few days before he can actually look at Jonathan or Nancy or Mike again, but he doesn't feel so immediately devastated.

"Somehow, that was the perfect thing to say," he tells Eddie, closing the distance between them to kiss his lips, getting a hint of ketchup on his tongue.

"Perfect enough to earn me some fun?" Eddie asks, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

Steve sighs dramatically, pretends to think about it as he actually laments that their burgers will get cold, and then pushes Eddie down on the couch.

[imdead770]

Dallas with a s/o who lived in NYC too and has a similar accent as him pls🙏🙏 (Also I love love love you’re writing keep doing what you’re doing!!!)

Dallas Winston x Reader - NYC

Authors Note - I have like 3 asks before this but I love this and it means it get to write a NY accent and that's so fun

Sorry for never writing yall

No excuse I'm just lazy 💞

¤ Just a warning this is super stereotypical

¤ I'm sorry I'm from the south I don't know yall so I'm going off stereotypes 😭😭

¤ First of all people can barely understand either of you

¤ I mean everyone else has a southern accent, they're used to that

¤ So an accent that sounds like you're drunk 24/7 isn't exactly easy to understand

¤ If you're both from New York, you already have a lot in common

¤ The fights, the accent, the road rage, the food, all that

¤ Now I'm from the south, I haven't met a lot of New Yorkers

¤ But the ones I have met always have such a resting bitch face

¤ So like whenever someone introduced you to Dal (or the other way around) you both had that same, natural glare

¤ And somehow you both got the 'holy shit, you're a New Yorker too??' message

¤ I don't know how but New Yorkers just know if you're a New Yorker

¤ It's like a 6th sense

¤ So naturally you're both mean to each other

¤ The others are like 'oh shirt they hate each other'

¤ You don't

¤ Like eventually you leave and Dals all

"She ain't bad."

¤ And everyone's all

"You just insulted each other like.. 25 times?"

¤ And he just nods and lights a cigarette like he didn't just meet his second favorite person in this town

¤ Naturally you both see each other at some pizza place

¤ Probably one that's closest to greasy NY pizza

¤ This is meant as a compliment, yall have such good pizza omfg

¤ You both realize just how much you have in common

¤ How thick the air is, the random guy getting his ass beat as you're just minding your business, the fact nobody here can understand certain words you say

¤ You two understand each other

¤ If Dallas would ever open up to someone about his trauma (he wouldn't), it'd be you

¤ He knows you've seen at least a sliver of the same shit he did

¤ Anyways, both of yall love to hype of New York together

¤ Like really play into the stereotypes

"Oh ya', a rat nearly ate m' face off once"

"WHAT??"

"Happen'd to me, too"

¤ You both think it's hilarious

¤ Plus yall love to make your accents thicker to confuse people more

¤ Slur the vowels together, mumble more then you need to, then watch people try to figure out what the fuck you just said

¤ Dal gets all mad if someone asks him to lighten up the accent

¤ I think you both like hanging out together because it reminds the other of home

¤ Like Dal almost forgot what a New Yorker who wasn't him sounded like

¤ Plus if Dal ever met your parents, even though he's rude and kind of dangerous, they might tolerate him more

¤ Yall intumidate so many people omg

¤ Like half of that town are sweet southern people

¤ So seeing two New Yorkers you get the classic

"Ew, they're yankees"

¤ Yes we really do say that 👍

¤ But people get all scared cuz they're like 'omg they're gonna shoot me'

¤ Again, you both think it's the funniest shit

¤ Like being yelled at by a New Yorker is scary enough

¤ But TWO

¤ It's like you two are so intimidating together it's perfect

¤ Of course Dal asks you on a date to some pizza place and you two walk around the block sharing a cigarette

¤ Another thing

¤ You're actually used to the cold and he's so, so grateful for that

¤ Everyone else in Oklahoma gets all shivery the moment it's less then 60

¤ Like you don't complain about it and he loves that so much

¤ Back to the topic

¤ Date goes great

¤ Once you two become a thing you fight a good amount

¤ I mean you're from the North, it's natural (I think?? This might be stereotypical so sorry)

¤ Even people from the South fight with Dal so this isn't any different

¤ But since you're both used to fights the insults are crazy

¤ Like the gangs jaws have dropped hundreds of times with what the two of yall come up with

¤ Like it's the most foul, disturbingly impressive, heart breaking insults

¤ Then the other returns it with a snicker and another just as horrendously good insult

¤ Match made in heaven

[kazumiwrites-fanfiction]

Accidental Confessions

REQUEST: I FINALLY THOUGHT OF MY REQUEST May I request Azul, Jade and Riddle getting high because of mushrooms for some unknown reason and confessing to a gn reader bc their ability to stay composed just went completely out the window? It's more of a fluff/crack idea I came up with, sorry if it's not too clear @thehollowwriter

SUMMARY: When the usually cool and composed guys accidentally confess due to... Some interesting foods. WORD COUNT: 1.3k

WARNINGS: Mushrooms (need I say anything else), maybe OOC, Jade and Floyd and Azul shenanigans, they may act like they're under the influence of drugs (no actual drugs in the story though!!), these poor guys (please give them hugs), Ace is chaos A/N: Me, trying to make sure I get everything right: *types in Google* "what happens when you get high" on my school computer Don't do drugs guys :D (I would've said kids but I'm like 96% sure that most of the people reading my fics are in fact older than me) I love how I finished this a while ago and then was like "I'm gonna add a bit more to the end" and it was only like a paragraph- Azul is my favorite, you can see from how much I write for him </3 Also I love fluff and crack, I enjoy writing it the most! Feel free to send more requests like these <3

© kazumiwrites - All rights reserved; please do not steal, edit, copy, repost (etc) my work without my express permission.

Azul Ashengrotto

You know, Azul should have known better.

Jade always went out and got some mushrooms on his hikes, and he seemed pretty confident that he knew the different types of mushrooms.

But one single mistake - a mushroom similar enough to a perfectly fine edible one - and now he felt woozy.

Great.

It wasn't an unpleasant experience - he felt happy in that dreamy way, where you weren't able to comprehend much. But he knew this was bad.

What if he got addicted? That would ruin all his plans for his future. He needed to have a clear head.

He really should've been resting, but unfortunately, Floyd had ran off (most likely so he didn't have to be near the mushrooms). Due to that, Mostro Lounge needed an extra pair of hands.

So when he saw you, he immediately was on guard as much as he could be. Who knows what he could let slip when you were so close, and his thinking wasn't at its best…

He tried to avoid you, but unfortunately (again? Why were so many bad things happening to him today?) you sat at the table closest to him.

He had to go up to you and take your order. Your sweet smile almost made him melt, a soft flush on his cheeks as he just nodded quietly, jotting your order down.

You thought it was odd - Azul was usually the type to chat people up, try to get as much of a profit in as possible - but today was different. It made you a bit worried, honestly.

As you asked if he was all right, Azul's eyes widened.

His mind went blank, and the only words that left his lips were, "Sorry, you were just really cute, and I-" He froze as he realized the words he said, trying to backtrack, but he couldn't think right. "I mean, I just thought your smile was- you- I-" He shook his head slightly. "Forget it," he said, hands shaking slightly out of embarrassment as he turned and walked away.

As Jade had been watching and listening to the interaction, he quickly made your order before handing it to Azul (who had been hoping for some rest behind the counter before seeing you). Jade was saying something about how Azul really needed to be quicker with processing orders - Azul was pretty sure that Jade knew about his feelings toward the Prefect of Ramshackle Dorm.

Azul sighed softly before trudging back to you, the food and drink you ordered held in a tray. "There you go."

As you inquired about what his previous words had been about, he saw the teasing glint in your eyes.

Did you know?

"It was nothing- I just like you a-" A slip of the tongue. Damn it. He hadn't meant to say that. He quickly backed away before almost sprinting to the VIP Room, his cheeks flushed a bright red. He almost ran into the doorframe though (which Jade may or may not have taken a picture of).

Bonus:

"I told you that Azul likes you a lot." Jade smiled, a small glint of his teeth showing. "Did you plan this?" "Jade might've given Azul an unusual mushroom~" That sing-songy voice had to be Floyd's. "I knew it." You rolled your eyes a little. "That was cute, though. Although your method might have been a little mean. Poor Azul." "You can go talk to him after you enjoy your meal." Jade smiled at you. "And Floyd, you haven't had anything to eat. Perhaps you would like one of the mushroom soups I've made?" "No- I've had enough of your mushrooms." A soft whine came out of the other tweel's lips. "But maybe Koebi-chan wants some?" "Thanks for the offer, but I probably should go to Azul as soon as possible." You laughed softly. "There's no telling what's happening to him right now, after all."

Jade Leech

Jade had a heavy mishap on his hands. He had gone a bit overboard with picking his mushrooms, and then Floyd had gone and messed with his careful labeling.

And then he didn't check the contents and labels thoroughly before he put them into a little snack for himself.

So now here he was, stumbling to Ramshackle Dorm for no reason in particular.

It was a wonder how he hadn't stumbled off the path, what with the hallucinations he was seeing.

He stumbled inside (luckily the door wasn't locked), quickly moving to your room.

At first you thought he was Floyd due to how off he was acting. But nope, that was definitely Jade.

"Jade?" Your eyes were wide as you stared at the male. "What are you doing here?"

"I love youuuuu." Well, that was a surprise.

Now you were really wondering if this wasn't Floyd. It sounded like something he would say.

As the tall male draped himself over you, you awkwardly tried to get both of you comfortable on the small chair. It was no use, however, as you toppled off of your chair and onto the ground.

You let out a soft huff, staring up at Jade who had fallen on top of you. How fun…

He seemed to have fallen asleep, relaxed on top of you. Well, at least he didn't seem to have gotten hurt.

You awkwardly patted his hair as you gave up trying to move. The floor was uncomfortable… But you could bear it, you didn't want to stop looking at Jade's sleeping face.

Riddle Rosehearts

Ace, the prankster he was, had put in an insane amount of sugar in some cookies he was making. He had then given the cookies to Riddle.

The unsuspecting Riddle had accepted the cookies, feeling a bit confused. Why was Ace making cookies…? No matter.

He was starting to eat some of the cookies when you had been brought to the Heartslabyul dorm (totally not by force).

You were also confused, and for good reason. Ace was saying something about pranking his housewarden, but to be honest? What reason did he have for calling you here?

You were pretty sure it was just so Ace didn't get punished. He didn't want to keep getting in trouble, after all. Though, the rational thought would be to not prank Riddle at all… But oh well.

"Hey, Riddle," you said, feeling a bit uncertain. You smiled a little at the male.

"Oh- hi, kantokusei." The red-haired male blinked at you, looking confused.

"Yeah, so- Ace dragged me here? I don't really know why, but-"

He paused for a heartbeat before replying. "I don't know why he brought you here either." He sighed softly, shaking his head.

"Well…" You shrugged awkwardly. "Are those cookies any good?" You gestured vaguely towards the plate in front of him.

"They're too sweet." Riddle frowned a little. "Ace has no delicacy in doing these things, he thinks more is always better."

You let out a soft laugh. "Sounds like him." Just as you reached for a cookie, his hand brushed past yours.

He froze, cheeks flushing adorably. All the sugar in his system was making his heart race and not be focused on what he was thinking.

Before he could even question it, he grabbed your hands. "…I like you a lot." he got out before freezing yet again, hands still holding yours. Why had he said that?

Little did either of you know, Ace was wheezing behind the closed door. He had put in a small little potion, nothing major, that caused a person to say what they felt to the person they liked. He had gotten it from Azul, and it clearly had worked.

The deal had been worth it to get blackmail on his housewarden. Now, if only he could somehow use this to get rid of Riddle as housewarden and all of his strict rules… That would be great. Maybe he could even actually win?

As always, reblogs and comments are always appreciated! ♡ Send your thoughts grr

This post has details for requesting, and I also currently have a writing event going on here. Please check it out!

[lighthouseshepard]

I know you just had top surgery - how was it? How was the healing process? I’m scared to death of surgery but I desperately need these off

HI NYX!!! ok im gonna try and be as brief and concise as possible because theres honestly quite a lot i could talk about but! heres some thoughts under the cut

so honestly as someone who has had a few surgeries in the past for other medical issues - this ranked VERY low on the pain scale. maybe a 4/10 tops at its worst (although i do understand everyone is different). the surgeon kept telling me "many people do not find this operation particularly painful" and i did not believe him one bit until afterwards. i had prescription pain medicne and antibiotics to take, but honestly i only needed the prescription medicine for about 3 days, and then after that i was fine with tylenol. after a week really i didnt need to take anything consistently, it was here or there if i happened to start moving around too much.

the worst part for me overall was the BANDAGES. after you wake up youre gonna be wrapped within an inch if your life with ike 2 inches of gauze and tape and an ace wrap holding it all together. if you have drains (which i did) you can't shower until they're out and the bandages come off, anywhere from 5 to 7 days usually. mine was 7 days and i was miserable. the drain emptying wasnt that bad tbh, someone helped me the first 2 times and then i was able to do it myself afterwards. if youre bad with blood or bodily fluids then youll def need someone to help you there. the drain removal process, to be completely honest, was. also bad. it lasted maybe five seconds per drain but i didnt breathe right like they told me to and had a vasovagal reaction and passed out. i dont say this to dissuade you! but it was not pleasant

the main thing probably is gonna be stiffness and soreness. you literally won't be able to do anything with your arms for at least a few days - its bordering on 2 weeks for me and im just now able to pull a shirt over my head without stiffness. you DEFINITELY will need someone to help you with basic tasks those first few days, getting food, getting dressed, etc. some ppl get bruising on their chest just from the skin being manipulated and etc but surprisingly i havent had any bruising yet?

also!! again some places differ, but mine was a same day surgery. after a few hours of waking up i was able to be bundled into the car back to the hotel. youre gonna be really groggy but i was able to walk just fine, albeit very slowly with help. the surgery itself was the blink of an eye to me. i remember them putting an o2 mask over my face and then i was OUT. seconds later i was being dragged up out of unconscious well by the nurse's voice.

ill say too, i 100% understand the nervousness and fear. the 2 weeks leading up to the surgery were like. awful andnsnjf. i was so anxious and terrified of the pain only to find it genuinely was not that bad at all. you know the this too shall pass lighter i have. i slept with that clutched in my hand the entire night before surgery. it was very much a "do it scared" situation and having those things of comfort and reassurance whatever they are to you can help immensely. and i did do it! and the relief i felt a week after when i finally got to see made literally all of it worth it. theres still healing to go (i took a month off work also) but im taking it very slowly and trying not to rush enjoyment of this body c: most of the healing process has been letting the body do its natural work and being patient with it, a thing i am usually not. i still have to dress the area for another 2 weeks maybe, but then i can start scar care!!!

[sunnyie-eve]

30 | Favorite Food

Series: Unexpected

Paring: (Matt Sturniolo x OFC Brock!) (Chris Sturniolo x OFC Brock!)

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: none

| MASTERLIST |

"How do I look?" Matt walks into Dani's room as she laid in bed on her phone.

"Like you normally do... Why?" She asks confused.

"I have a date." He jokes with her to see her reaction and she just stares at him.

"Yeah right. You would actually try of that was the case." She laughs at him, "But you look fine." She lets him know, "Why do you really care?"

"We're filming a video with Jake on his channel and I don't want to look bad."

"Oh so you have a date with Jake... You look fine for the video." She gives him a smile.

"What are you gonna do home alone?" He sits at the end of her bed.

"Nap maybe. Who knows." She tells him truthfully.

"Matt let's go!" Chris shouts for him.

"Have fun."

-

"Hello world, I am here with the triplets." Jake starts his video with them in his car.

"The triplets are here guys." Chris nods his head.

"I think, I think I know you guys apart pretty well." Jake tells them, "Chris, Nick, Matt." He gets them all right.

"That's an odd thing. It normally takes people a day or two." Chris lets him know.

"Oh, how long did it take Dani to tell you apart?" Jake asks so they tell him right away and he wasn't surprised since she was good at stuff like that. "I thought it would be fun for us to try our favorite foods. I've done this before but my favorite food has switched. It used to be Taco Bell. Now it's Smash Burger."

"Matt's a big Smash Burger guy." Chris lets Jake know.

"They're so fucking good."

"I'm not a fan at all." Nick makes it clear, "But we're gonna try it. Maybe my opinion will shift today."

"I know Dani constantly goes out to get their burgers." Chris points out.

"And Matt gets upset at her." Nick laughs.

"I'm a huge Smash Burger guy." Matt tells Jake.

"I'm there but not fully there." Chris adds.

"Oh there's uh, ranch and ketchup too." Jake tells them know as he gets the food out and it starts the whole rant on Matt hating ketchup.

"I know Dani loves having the house alone." Matt says as he fixes the light to stay up in the backseat.

"She's probably jumping on the couch." Jake laughs.

"Pretending to have a concert by singing loudly." Nick adds.

"How was she years ago?" Chris asks Jake since she did stay with Colby a lot when him and all the guys lived together back in the day.

"A pain in the ass without Colby around." He tells them meaning that she was more herself without him around, "But she was still the sweetest. One of my favorite people." He tells them, "Not many know that we still chat a lot."

"Huh, yeah, I didn't even know that. You two really keep your friendship to yourselves." Nick tells him and Jake nods his head.

First up was Matt and his favorite food being meatballs and Jake lets him know they were $30, "All for those of you who don't know... I'm the self proclaimed meatball Matt."

"That's what they say?" Jake looks back at Chris and Nick, who say Meatball Matt.

"I don't think that's on the internet yet and just an us joke." Chris points out.

"Yeah, Meatball Matt hasn't really made an appearance yet." Matt tells Jake, "But Meatball Matt is real."

"It's hilarious that meatballs are just a big ball of meat." Jake laughs thinking about it.

"I know! Whoever, whoever came up with that idea... I love ya."

"What would you guys do if I just juggle these meatballs?" Chris asks the group and Nick says he would be scared.

As Jake leaves the car to get forks to eat with the guys bring up Dani again, "I feel like we should buy Dani dinner." Chris suggests.

"I think we should." Matt agrees.

As Jake comes back he asks Matt if he had a meatball sub from subway which makes him go on a full rant and explains that he hates meatball subs because the bread gets soggy. They talk about how they like them but Chris says he prefers Dani's and Nick agrees.

"Is Dani the cook at home?" Jake asks and they tell him yeah, "That's why she stays?" He jokes.

"She prefers to cook because she's scared when we do." Matt explains to him, "We're iffy." He adds, "Like we panic that the smoke alarm might go off. So Dani hates the three of us in the kitchen at the same time."

"I'm learning a lot here. Dani's the babysitter."

"Basically." Matt agrees, "We're thankful she puts up with us."

"She called our mom on us yesterday." Nick speaks up.

"Is she close to your parents?"

"She's their favorite child now." Chris rolls his eyes and Matt nods his head in agreement.

Next was Nick and he felt weird sitting in the front seat since he's so used to being in the back seat, "Is there spicy mayo on this?" Matt asks about his spicy chicken sandwich.

"There is. You're gonna enjoy it." Nick tells him while Matt just stares at him.

"Am I?"

"I'm not a mayo guy either. Hate it actually. The Spicy mayo and a spicy chicken sandwich... Is unbelievable." Nick looks at his food, "Isn't good?" He looks at Matt.

"Can you give me a second?"

"Oh, that might top the meatballs." Jake says shocking Matt.

"What?!" Matt shouts.

"Chicken Sandwich Nick, gotta ring to it though."

"No," Matt tells him.

"You are an avid hater." Nick points at him.

"What?"

"Dani was right." Nick brings her up.

"What are you talking about?" Matt was confused.

"Dani said...that. Behind your back." Nick lies just to fuck with him.

"Nah, she loves me too much."

"I don't know about love." Chris speaks up, "You bug her the most lately."

"Knowing Dani more, would I lie?" Nick looks back at Jake.

"Nah, she's a sneaky bitch." He tells them and they all gasp.

Chris was intimidated to go last with his classic pizza because you can never go wrong with pizza. While they eat the pizza, Chris asks if they should get Dani a burger for dinner or pizza since she loved both. Nick suggests asking her but Chris said it's supposed to be a surprise for her though.

Once Nick and Chris are done trying to figure out what to get her, Matt explains how he eats pizza weirdly. Well it was weird to Nick, Chris, and Dani. "Cause I like the pizza and I like the crust. But that's the worst part of the pizza."

"I know Dani gives you the most shit because she's odd about food." Jake laughs and Matt agrees with a smile.

[bumblebeehug]

Massage Misunderstanding

Summary: Happy comes to the conclusion that Lucy and Natsu really should stop making such suggestive sounds when massaging. Notes: I honestly don't know what this is supposed to be. It's already published on my ff.net account but I thought y'all might like it here too. Translation - Ao3 - FF.net

***

It was just a normal day in the Fairy Tail guild where everyone was having a happy time, one or two small fights in the background and Mira serving drinks to the guild members. Natsu, Happy and Lucy had just gotten home from another mission, and Lucy dramatically laid her head on the table where they sat.

"Urgh, my muscles are killing me!" She groaned, vincing at her slightest movements.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad Lucy!"

"Yeah Lucy! I told you that you should have gone with us on our morning runs," Happy exclaimed. "You're just out of shape!"

"I'm not going to get up at 5 in the morning to go on runs with you two. Our stamina isn't even close, you just run ahead anyways," Lucy answered with a pout. "Besides, you never let me sleep a full night's sleep. I can't sleep with fur in my face and an overgrown baby taking up all the space!"

"That's why I keep telling you that we should cuddle, I wouldn't take any space that way."

"No, but you would overstep my personal boundaries. Now shoo, let me recover in peace."

Natsu just frowned, ignoring his partner's attempt to get him to leave her alone.

"Is it really that bad?" He asked with a slight concern. He knew that she would be okay after a few days, but he really didn't like seeing her in pain. "Your back I mean."

"I'm not dying or anything, but I could really use a massage. I'm gonna ask Kinana to give me one if she has a moment to spare," the blonde explained. "She must have been gifted with the hands of a God, I don't think anyone can fix soreness as well as she does!"

Happy snickered as he heard Lucy's praise.

"Lucy, did you know that Natsu also is really good at giving massages," he revealed.

"Wait, seriously? Natsu, is it true? How come you've never told me this?" Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief. How could Natsu, whose only skill is burning things and fighting people, be good at giving a massage?

"Meh, Happy is exaggerating." He just shrugged. "I've only given a handful of them, I wouldn't know if they're any good," he explained. Maybe that was a lie. He had given massages to a good bunch of the guild, and had gotten just as many compliments.

"I'm totally not exaggerating!" Happy exclaimed. "Well it doesn't matter, you'll get to decide that for yourself Lucy. Come on Natsu, give her a free trial!"

"No way. She doesn't want me to anyway, let's just go fishing or something," Natsu said, trying to get away from this forced labour. He found it so incredibly boring to give massages. There was never a reward for him, it was just a big waste of time in his opinion.

"Wait a second mister, who said I didn't want you to give me a massage?" Lucy protested, feeling curious about this new skill she had found out about the dragon slayer.

"I'm not gonna give you one either way." Natsu stood his point this time. Last time he did it the requests kept coming, keeping him from doing anything productive that day, He was not going to have that again.

"Pretty pleaseee!" Lucy gave him her best puppy eyes, but at no avail. "I'll cook food for you the entire week, I really need a massage as soon as possible!"

Natsu's interest peaked slightly. He would get something out of it if he did it, and he never refused food.

"Two weeks or no deal. And don't tell anyone, got it?"

"Deal!" Lucy chirped. "Come on, let's do it now! I think the infirmary is empty!"

Natsu just sighed as he watched Lucy skip there in advance.

"Happy, if my entire day gets ruined, then it's your fault."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, let's just go now before anyone catches on!"

As Natsu and Lucy prepared to satisfy the blonde's poor muscles, the rest of Team Natsu entered the building.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia's sweet voice filled the guild hall, informing everyone about his arrival.

"Hello Juvia," Erza greeted, leaving Gray to her. "You haven't seen Master or Mirajane, have you?"

"Ah, if Juvia's not wrong she believes that she overheard that Master is in a meeting with the council. Juvia hasn't seen Mira-san today, but she believes you may possibly find her behind the counter," Juvia answered before turning her attention back to Gray.

"I see. Thank you Juvia. I just wanted to tell Master that we're back from the mission, but if he isn't here I'll just inform Mira. Well, if I can find her."

"You're not just gonna leave me, are you!?" Gray mustered to say, feeling a bit sweaty in Juvia's tight embrace.

"Sorry Gray-san," Wendy timidly excused. "I'm feeling a bit tired from the mission so I was planning on finding Lucy-san and Natsu-san."

"They owe her a pastry for ruining hers last week," Carla further explained.

"I wonder why Happy hasn't come to greet you yet Carla," Wendy teased. "He's usually the first one to notice us when we come back from missions."

Carla let out an annoyed puff.

"I haven't noticed. I'm just glad that Tomcat isn't pestering us today."

"It's still odd though," Gray said. He had gotten himself a free moment while Juvia ran to get some new handmade gift. "I usually can't even get a moment to relax before Fire Breath tries to pick a fight."

"Maybe they went on a mission alone?" Wendy said.

"They said they wanted to rest a bit though before taking a long mission with a big reward." It was Erza's turn to invite herself to the conversation. "I'm not sure if it has anything to do with Natsu and Lucy, but Mira was lurking outside the infirmary. She seemed excited so I didn't want to interrupt."

The gang started asking the rest of the guild about the original team Natsu's whereabouts, but no one seemed to know where the three members held house.

"I'm gonna talk to her," Gray finally said. "She's been gasping at the door for ten minutes, whatever she's doing can't be more important than knowing where our friends are."

"Juvia agrees. Mira-san should probably go back to work soon anyways. Let's ask her."

As they all came closer to the door to the infirmary Wendy started blushing. Did she really hear..? No, she must have been mistaken.

"What's the matter Wendy?" Carla asked quietly.

"No, no, it's nothing… I think. Unless!" Wendy gasped. Maybe that was the reason Mira's ear was pressed to the little gap between the floor and the door. But was it really Lucy and Natsu she was hearing? Maybe she was a bit too tired from the mission to think right. The voices must be distorted from exhaustion.

As they got closer more members of the group started hearing what Wendy was suspecting. They tried to ignore it while talking to Mira. Whatever two members that were having fun in there could keep doing what they were doing - the group just wanted to know where three of their team members were.

"Sorry to interrupt you Mira but can we ask you something?" Erza said, taking the lead.

"Ah!" Mira finally started to get back from her dreamland. "Yes of course. Welcome back by the way. I must have missed your arrival," she pardoned herself.

"It's fine, we were just wondering if you have any idea where Natsu and Lucy have gone? They were supposedly in the guild before and no one saw them leave so we feel quite confused," Erza explained. Mira burst out in a fit of giggles.

"Yep, yep, I know exactly where those two are! They're a bit occupied right now though."

"Well, where are they? We wanted to say hi at least," Erza insisted.

Instead of answering, Mira just pointed to the door that led into the infirmary. The rest of the group couldn't believe their eyes.

"You're joking, right?"

"There is no way!"

"Juvia knew it!"

"I really shouldn't be listening to this…" Wendy blushed as she held her hands over her ears.

"It's quite inappropriate." Carla shook her head disapprovingly.

"In the guild hall? That's bold." Gray snickered tauntingly.

"Wait, does that mean that Happy is there too?!" Erza exclaimed as she came to the realisation.

"Gross!"

The group felt confused by their discovery. None of them knew what to do with this new information, but it was hard for them to just leave Natsu and Lucy to it. They might have wanted this to happen a bit more than they cared to admit, and they weren't going to lie - they were quite curious about what they were doing.

Let's head a few minutes back where Natsu and Lucy had just arrived at the infirmary. The blonde had just taken off her shirt, and laid down on the infirmary's only massage bench as Natsu locked the door.

"So, let's see how good you really are," Lucy mumbled confidently. She already knew that Natsu had dry and calloused hands, so it couldn't feel that good, right?

"Take off your bra too."

"H- huh?" Lucy stuttered as she felt her face warming up slightly. Was that really necessary? Kinana usually found ways to go around the bra, and that worked perfectly well. "W- why?"

"I'm gonna use oil so that I don't scrape your back. You don't want your clothes ruined, right?"

"Ah, of course…" With a blush embracing her cheeks she unclasped her bra and pulled her arms out of the loops. In one smooth movement she removed the bra under her and then tossed it to her left, where her shirt laid neatly folded. She took a moment to consider if it was worth pulling down her skirt too, and since she definitely didn't want to deal with washing an oily skirt, she decided to drag it down slightly, just so that it still covered her buttcrack.

While Lucy was stripping down, Natsu had turned around to grab the oil. He remembered where it was since he'd given the rest of the guild massages, and after moving around a few bottles he found the small, cylinder shaped container. It was only half full (or was it half empty?) but it would be plenty for one massage.

When Natsu turned back around he was met with the sight of his best friend half naked, with her head facing him.

"Ya ready to be blown away?" Natsu joked, his signature grin dancing across his lips. Lucy let out a small giggle.

"Do your worst." Lucy winked playfully. Little did they know that Mira-Jane just happened to walk by the room, hearing all of the following conversation.

"I'll start out slow," Natsu informed, finally placing his slightly warmed up hands on her stiff shoulders, earning a quiet groan from Lucy. Knowing it was probably a groan of slight discomfort having sore muscles kneaded, he decided to ease up on the strength he put in. "You okay there Lucy?" he whispered, keeping the voice down in an attempt to be calming.

"Mmh, yeah… God, that feels good," Lucy groaned. She figured the secret behind these magical hands must be heat, because while it was only barely the same temperature she took baths in, they were still hotter than Kinana's hands.

A minute passed with Natsu just slowly rubbing his hands up and down her back to get her blood circulating, when he decided to begin the real kneading. He started out lightly, beginning at the nape of her neck (exactly where she smelled the strongest) and working himself slowly to her shoulders and down to her arms. Now, while he had massaged many people, he had never before massaged such a loud person. At almost every motion he made, Lucy let out a small sound. If he didn't know better he would think she was moaning.

"God, Natsu… gnh… harder," She whimpered out, blushing slightly for a moment when she realised how it sounded. She didn't have time to worry about that though since Natsu followed her order, making her groan out louder.

Natsu himself actually found that he got weirdly flustered by her sounds. The fact that he could hear a gasp coming from outside didn't really help either since it made him feel like he was doing nasty stuff - stuff he only thought Gildarts or that nasty Gajeel would like to do. To cover up his reaction to Lucy's pleading, he immediately followed through, only resulting in also adding speed to the massage.

"Does it feel good?" Natsu heaved out in an attempt to ignore the heat in his lower belly.

"Uh, oh yeah, a bit sl- ahn~… slower though."

"Oh yeah, sorry, got a bit too excited," he quickly apologised. Now that her shoulders felt kneaded through he carried on down on Lucy's upper back. He could feel some really tight knots there, and he felt a bit bad for her, knowing how much of a bother they must have been. Natsu himself had really good blood circulation, so he was only sore for a few hours if he strained himself too hard, but Lucy had to deal with that pain for multiple days, if not weeks sometimes.

"Happy, could you get me some water?" Lucy managed to get out. She got a bit sweaty from the heat in the room.

"Aye!"

Soon enough she had a glass of water in her hand, and with wobbly arms she managed to take a few sips before accidentally spilling it on the floor. Lucy didn't have time worrying about that though, as Natsu carefully dragged his hot and oily fingers along her waist.

"Look at how wet you are," Natsu whispered out in an attempt to tease her for getting her arms and hands wet. "You're even dripping, Lucy"

"Ggnhh~ come on Natsu, it's not- mmh… it's not funny" She managed to get out. Natsu had just poured on some more oil and was now caressing her hips.

"You're making a mess," Natsu commented smugly. Lucy could hear his grin in his voice.

"Well so are you," she answered, aiming at his overuse of the oil.

"Everything to make the princess feel good" Natsu witted. He didn't really care about the multiple new smells that now lingered outside of the room. He didn't even know how long they had been there, but he also didn't care as he currently felt like he was in a fog of Lucy's smell and whimpering.

Natsu had now worked through every single knot he could find, and was topping off the treatment by dragging his nails loosely over her entire back. Lucy let out a loud sigh in relief - she definitely loved how his hands had felt, working so thoroughly on her body, but it made her surprisingly tired. A quick run over her armpits made Lucy gasp out loudly, giving Natsu one last sound that he never really had heard before. Weren't people supposed to laugh when they got tickled? Well, it didn't really matter since he had gotten a response either way.

"Let me clean you up before you get clothed," Natsu said sincerely, happy to see his friend so satisfied.

"Alright. Thank you for this Natsu, seriously. It felt great. And I promise, I won't tell the others about it. It'll be our little secret." Lucy blinked playfully, happy that she had her own secret masseur. She definitely didn't want to share, that much she knew.

After they both got cleaned up and Lucy got clothed they finally got a good look at each other. Both looked sweaty and had a small blush, probably from the adrenaline kick from keeping a secret from the guild, and Lucy's hair was messy. They grinned at each other before opening the door that kept them apart from the rest of the gang.

As Natsu and Lucy walked out from the infirmary they were met with half the guild, who all were blushing furiously.

"I can't believe they-"

"Shhh, not with Asuka here!"

"Lu-chan oh my god! It finally happened! How did it feel?"

"I must say I'm quite surprised you both kept your relationship a secret for so long!"

"Juvia would like to apologise to Lucy-san for thinking she was a Love Rival."

"I can't believe flame-head lost his virginity before me!"

"Wa- wait! You're all misunderstanding!" Lucy finally gasped out. "He's not-, we're not-, I'm not-!"

"Meh, let's leave them Lucy. I'm really hungry, let's go back to our place and get some food." Natsu grabbed Lucy's right wrist and started tugging her along and through the crowd.

"OUR place?! Last time I checked it was me who paid the bills!" Lucy argued. "AND it's me who does the grocery shopping! You can't even fold your own laundry!"

"That's just because your way of folding it is too complicated. Why does my drawer have to look as neat as yours anyways, it's not like anyone checks them."

"I only started doing that folding because a certain person and a certain cat wouldn’t stop looking in my panty-drawer!" Lucy burst out, forgetting the crowd behind them.

"Jeez Luce, we're just confused how you can wear that stuff. It doesn't cover anything!" Natsu tried to defend himself, earning a light smack on the head.

"Don't go talking about what my panties cover-" "or doesn't cover" Happy added, "in public! Urgh, just be quiet until we get home."

The rest of the guild looked wide eyed at the door which Lucy and Natsu just left through.

"Do you think they got married on a mission or something?" Someone in the guild asked, not expecting an answer.

"What do you mean? Lucy and Natsu have always been like this." Happy said.

"Are you telling me they've fucked all this time!?" Levy burst out in shock. Wendy screeched at her choice of words.

"What? Natsu was just giving Lucy a massage" Happy revealed before leaving the guild behind, catching up to Lucy and Natsu.

A bunch of sighs and groans filled the guildhall as they got back to their day to day business, rather disappointed.

"Are those two never going to get together?" Mira cried out with a defeated look on her face.

"Welp, at least Natsu's still a virgin," Gray shrugged, taking a seat at the bar where a gloomy Juvia held place, muttering something about love rivals. "Some things will never change."

[quinloki]

Okay so building off of the previous ask

Yan wbp with marine reader

What if the party/celebration last multiple days and you use that time to get to know them? Everyone is under strict rules not to attack others and there are people overlooking the whole thing so nothing shady happens.

There are games, drinks, food, music, even a lake so everyone can swim, anything you can think of

You could know them outside of the event and finally get to talk while not in battle or you could just want to see the legends in the flesh but you meet them either way. Sparking up conversation with ace is pretty easy considering there’s a high chance you’ve fought him before and talking about the food and making some bets with him is a no brainer.

Around the second to third day Izou ends up walking over and offering some drinks with some of the calmer commanders and you get to chatting, it’s also easy conversation. Asking about how they’ve been and that you’re totally going to beat them the next time you meet as well as telling them about your promotion soon.Pops is listening in and making note to keep an eye on you along with some others.

Getting asked to join the crew and acting surprised and dramatically turning it down “be a pirate?!? Never!!” And turning the question asking if they’d become a marine.

Playing volleyball with some of your stronger crew against them and losing terribly

Winning the bet with ace and him having to do whatever you say(within reason)

Trying thatch’s cooking for the first time

All that just to crumble when the clock hit 12:01 and battles start erupting and in all the chaos they come at you, izou flanking you from behind, Marco taking the front and thatch and ace covering your sides. You’re trapped. No way out.

The betrayal makes everything hurt less, too focused on your emotions and you make one two many mistakes.

To be fair you were holding up very nicely, you could’ve gotten away from them with some help but let’s not worry about that now.

The bag comes over your head and as your kicking and screaming all the way back to the moby dick where you’ll be a nice new addition to the crew.

-💧

I have no clue if it’s just the ocean devil fruit users can’t swim in but I’m gonna pretend it is 👍

OG ask

I like it - the extra details - and as for if Lake Swimming is possible it's hard to say actually. There's been some inconsistency with the lore of DF users and Sea Stone, but that's to be expected with 25+ years and counting.

Based on how I understand it, Lake Swimming would be out of the question, but swimming pools might not be bad if the water's filtered enough (the idea being that natural water has minerals and the minerals are the issue more than the water itself.) Since Baths and Springs don't have the minerals filtered out, this is why Luffy is seen being weakened in these situations.

But Lake swimming doesn't make or break the idea and the setup - and I like it.

I love the idea of a willful, strong, and fiery marine-darling spending weeks - if not months - as a tiny whirlwind of rage as these big power pirates try to break her without breaking her. It's a very delicate and fine line, and she's not exactly letting them handle her with finesse.

I imagine it becomes a sort of 100 fights thing like Ace had with Whitebeard. They let her fight all she wants, but the ship is their home turf. She's on her own and they aren't.

I can see plenty of questionable and tense moments. Tempers flare and why should they continue to be nice to her, hm? They're just vile pirates, since that's what she thinks and isn't changing her mind no matter how they accommodate her, then why hold back?

Why not take what they want? There's four of them, and one of her, and even if no one else in the crew gets involved, she's not going to be able to stop them. If she won't accept things rationally, then they'll just make her feel so good she won't be able to think enough to resist.

Endless pleasure wears one down just as much as endless pain, but this way they'll enjoy the process along with her. She just has to endure several times more pleasure than any of them and if they fold before her, then she's free to go.

[thesmpisonfire]

okay im here with actual headcanons this time, no misclicks fortunately

soulfire

bad is the pillow of the group because even while freezing cold he's still somehow the warmest, so he is buffered by the whole team. he's always got an arm around someone (usually pac), wings covering as many people as he can and tail wrapped around anyone farther away. pac, tubbo and tina are usually the ones situated close to him

tina and bad are usually the ones make food or drinks that aren't alchoholic. tina obviously brews a bunch of tea during the day and theres not a lot of food but they make do with the crops and resources they have. now that the greens have merged, forever helps out now too as well as fit!

since they couldn't go home before the bounty hunting nerfs, everybody still managed to flock to each other. or at least anyone who wasnt being tracked. and when it was finally time for every to rest, they all curled up in a hole and made it as warm as possible for the new wolves joining them

they have a specific corner for sleeping in and, once everyone is awake or those who aren't can be moved, tina always makes sure that the bedding is fixed. now she has bagi to help her :]

pachalo

because i can never stop thinking about it: bad's collar was handmade by pac but was originally a bit of a joke gift considering the joke about bad being soulfire's guard dog. unbeknownst to the rest of the team, bad wears it constantly underneath his bandanna, expertly hidden. pac's the only one who knows and teases bad lightly for it

before purgatory there were very few people who got to see bad's hair, much less be able to touch it. but now the list of people allowed to touch it has pac added to it

bad likes to rest his head on pac's chest to hear his heartbeat, to make sure he's alive and to pick up on nightmares. he's very careful of where he puts his horns

fitpachalo

fit sometimes, mostly when they've exhausted their energy, bridal carries bad or pac back to base to get proper rest. this happens less with bad cus he's cautious of his energy. the first time it happened though it spooked him completely awake because he was so flustered, pac laughed at him (albiet very sleepily)

considering bad and pac are the more teasing by nature, they make it just a tiiiny bit of a game to see who can fluster fit more. pac is usually the winner 9 times out of 10

when bad gets growly, fit is the only other team member aside from maybe tubbo who's allowed to come near pac. the downside of this is that bad proceeds to get growly over fit as well. -screamingallium

YEAAAA

Under read more bc it got long :]

About the soulfire one where they can't go back home and have to huddle together somewhere, there's actually a secret nook in Soulfires old farm!! Bad made some ghost dirt blocks and hid a small room with emergency chests and a fireplace in case of need. They all huddle there when they can't be safe at home <3

ALSO YEAAAA SLEEP CORNER. At first the new members from green find it weird that they're that rich but all sleep together on a bunch of mattresses and pillows, but soon they notice its because they feel safer and comfier and warmer (even if it's just an illusion) when they sleep on a pile <3

Now to pachalo.

Omg the fucking leash thingnsnfnekgsocksfm yesyes. They know this thing will only last 2 weeks and they're gonna get freaky with it‼️‼️ pac doesn't mind bad being the mad dog but he loves to tease and wait for when bad gets too blood thirsty and he goes "don't make me leash you, bad"

It usually makes bad worse :]

Hgghhhhhh okay so in brazil we have a word called cafuné, cafuné is when you caress/play/scritches someone's hair with lots of care. Pac making cafuné on Bad and listening to him purr <3

Also aaaa bad making sure pac is alive and he will stay alive the entire night... The fear something will take Pac away from him on his sleep bc nothing is sacred in Purgatory

FITPACHALO FITPACHALO

Bad being a flustered mess when Fit just YOINKS him is such an imagery. He immediately tries to squirm away like a cat but eventually gives up

Pac is the KING of making Fit flustered, but Bad and Fit tag team to make Pac a flustered mess

Those are HIS humans (or partially humans) NOW!!! GET AWAY!!!

[vilevenom]

New chapter for "Together Burning Bright"! This one is a ~flashback~ chapter. Specifically, Hickory's birthday party, when he and JD got together the first time. This particular scene has been rotating around my brain since I wrote "Let's Be Us Again", but it didn't really fit in the main story, so now you get a +4K word fic of just that, all on its own, lol This chapter is just a touch spicy. It's gonna bump the AO3 rating to 'M', so just an fyi. Nothing is explicitly described, but it's hella obvious as to what they're doing. Enjoy!

A trolls twenty-first birthday was a special one. At least, for the yodelers it was. It was considered a coming of age celebration, and it was when trolls were encouraged to take on more responsibility within the community. It was also when the biggest birthday parties were thrown.

As the community hall was the largest indoor space in the village, it was most commonly used to host such large events, to avoid the cold of the mountain. Flowers adorned nearly every feasible surface, and tables ladened with food were pushed up against the walls. Streamers and twinkle lights hug from the ceiling, while nearly every troll in town was crammed onto the main floor, singing, dancing and carrying on in celebration.

Nearly, being the key word. One troll with teal hair and a distinct pair of green goggles stood to the side with a lazy smile, drink in hand as he watched the party carry on. John Dory had, unfortunately, missed the beginning of the party. He'd been guilted into going, even somewhat late, by the trolls who were hosting his stay in the village. They'd told him it was bad luck for the birthday troll in question for someone to willingly not attend, so he made a little fuss about it but followed along shortly behind them to the party. He'd honestly just wanted to go to bed and sleep, but a party was a party, he supposed. And as a pop troll, he'd been told many times over the years that he should love parties, much to his chagrin.

He idly sipped at his drink as he watched trolls nearly trip over themselves as they swayed across the dance floor. He did have to hand one thing to the yodelers; they made a mean fermented nectar. The cup in his hand was definitely stronger than the strange yeasty concoction the rock trolls had made him try. From said experience, he knew better than to drink too much, or too quickly. He was not keen on a repeat performance, if he was going to be honest with himself.

Truthfully, he was planning on staying just long enough for a majority of the attendees to get a little silly, before slipping back out to the house he was staying at. He'd figured, since he didn't know who the party was even for, and he'd made an appearance to appease his superstitious hosts, that no one would fault him for wanting to get some rest. He'd only managed to get into town the day before, after all.

What John Dory did not expect was for a tall troll to suddenly appear next to him, lean a hand on the wall, and tilt into John's personal space with a little smirk on his face.

~

Hickory hadn't expected anything for his birthday. His parents were long gone, his brother had disappeared on a job of some sort for who knew how long, and he was old enough now that he wasn't even living with anyone who would potentially take notice. So, he'd been more than a little surprised when his friends had offered to host a party for him at the community hall.

It seemed like everyone in town had turned out, bringing food and drink to share. They'd adorned him in a flower crown and accessories made of dried flowers, while everyone wished him a happy birthday and good luck in the coming years. The reveal of the large five tiered cake his friends had baked for him had nearly brought him to tears. He truly felt like he was the luckiest troll in the world.

"Hey, hey! Who's that?"

"Oh. That's the troll staying with us. He's a traveling pop troll. I guess he's been here before, because…"

Hickory let the voices of his friends fade into the background as they prattled on next to him. Scratch his previous thought, now he felt like the luckiest troll in the world. John Dory, the troll he had been crushing on for the last four years, who he'd thought he'd never see again, was leaning against the wall. At his party! A thrill ran up his spine, making his fur practically stand on end.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Hickory stated, pressing his half finished cup idly into the hand of one of his friends.

"What? Why? Wait…No way, Hickory. That can't possibly be the same troll."

"The one I would not stop talking to you about a couple of years ago? It most definitely is," he said with a nod, fussing with his hair and straightening out his suspenders.

"Ooo, get some, Hickory," one of his friends jeered, earning an eye roll from Hickory.

He waved as his friends started to get rowdy, quickly walking away from them while trying to keep a flush from forming on his cheeks. He hadn't seen John in nearly four years, and they had only spent a couple of months together at the time. Would he even remember? Well, Hickory reasoned, you missed one hundred percent of the shots you didn't take.

He sauntered up to John Dory and placed his hand on the wall next to the pop trolls head before leaning into his space with a smirk. "Guten abend."

John looked up at him, confusion clear on his face. Hickory felt like an idiot. He tipped himself back up to stand upright, letting out a nervous laugh. "Sorry. You don't speak german, do you?"

"Can't say that I do, no," John said, arching an eyebrow at Hickory. "Can I help you?"

Hickory cleared his throat, already feeling like this was going poorly. "I said 'good evening'," he fumbled, suddenly wishing he hadn't handed off his drink so he would at least have something to do with his hands. "I, uhh…you're alone."

John's expression went from confusion to disinterest almost immediately. "Yes. I am. And, if you don't mind, I was actually pretty okay with that situation."

Hickory bristled, wincing at the clear dismissal, but he couldn't just let John slip through his fingers like this. "We met! Before! Sorry, I'm making a mess of this," he quickly babbled, fiddling with one of the floral bracelets he'd been gifted, "I showed you around the last time you visited the village."

John stared at him for a moment, before realization slowly dawned on his face. He stood up straight from the wall, giving Hickory a cursory once over, gaping slightly. "Hickory?!"

Hickory let out a quiet breath, a wobbly little smile on his face as he gave a short nod. "That's right."

"You got tall!"

That startled a snort of laughter out of Hickory. "Ja, and older," he added, waving vaguely at the party. John looked dumbfounded for a moment, glancing around before his gaze snapped back to the yodeler.

"This is your party? Oh, man. Happy birthday!" John said, giving Hickory a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Thank you," Hickory chuckled, rubbing at the spot that John had hit. "I don't imagine my birthday is what brought you back to town?"

John laughed, shaking his head a little as he leaned back against the wall. "Nah. Not that the party isn't great! But, I just got board with the classical trolls. I kinda vaguely remembered where this place was, and I wanted to come back for another visit. Got a little lost in the mountains for a couple of days, though. I have to admit, I'm a bit exhausted and I only came to the party because I got guilt tripped." John paused as he noticed the somewhat crestfallen expression that flitted over Hickory's face, before a smile was forced back onto it.

"Well, don't let me keep you! You should not feel obligated to stay if you would rather be in bed," Hickory offered, taking a short step back from John.

"Wait, hey, no," John stood back up, reaching out to catch Hickory's wrist. He offered a soft smile to the other, nodding towards the door. "I know this is your party, but why don't we step outside. I'm tired, but I'd love to catch up with you?"

Hickory returned the smile with a genuine one of his own, giving a short nod. He pulled his wrist free of John's hold, only to take his hand properly with a quiet, "I would love that." He turned and began to lead John through the crowd, while doing his best to ignore the cat calls that followed the two of them out.

"Sorry," Hickory muttered once they were outside, his breath puffing up in a tiny cloud in front of him. "My friends can be a bit…lewd."

"Hey, no worries," John said, walking along next to Hickory as they trundled through the snow towards a couple of benches just outside the community hall, "Pop trolls have a reputation, I've been told."

"It is a ridiculous reputation to have, since you are one of the only pop trolls that has even been through town in the last two decades," Hickory scoffed, only to flush in embarrassment at the look John shot him. "I just…it's not right. To make those sort of presumptions. Do you not agree?"

"Oh, I fully agree. It's just kinda nice to have someone else share the sentiment," John admitted, a grin forming on his face. "So," he flopped down to sit on the bench once they reached it, setting his cup on the ground, "What've you been up to since I was last here?"

Hickory eagerly took the seat next to John, and the two began to talk. Once Hickory had caught John up on the relatively uneventful list of things that had occurred in the village, John began to regale Hickory with tales of his travels, which the yodeler took in eagerly. He gasped and cheered in all of the appropriate places, peppering in the odd question to get John to elaborate on details, while John sprung from his seat to enact some of the more daring acts from his time on the Neverglade Trail. After a particularly energetic performance, John fell back onto the bench next to Hickory, quiet pants leaving a trail of wispy condensation in the air behind him.

"Your life sounds fantastic," Hickory hummed, watching John catch his breath with a dopey little smile on his face.

"It's pretty great," John grinned up at Hickory from where he was half laying on the bench.

"I wish I could have adventures like that," Hickory admitted quietly, picking at one of the blooms on his bracelet.

"What's stopping you?" John pushed himself to sit up, leaning into Hickory, "It's your life. And you're old enough now. Heck, you've been old enough for a while. I was eighteen when I went out on my own."

Hickory shrugged, a sardonic little smile on his face. "My brother, mostly. Even though he's not even here right now. But, truthfully? I am not brave enough, I don't think."

"Sure you are! You just gotta put your mind to it," John said encouragingly, nudging Hickory's shoulder with his own.

"No," Hickory shook his head, "I'm a coward."

"Hey, come on. Start small, then. Baby steps. Pick something little that you're scared to do, and just do it!" John grabbed Hickory's knee and gave it a little shake. "I believe in you."

Hickory looked down at the hand on his knee for a moment, before turning his gaze up to John Dory's face. He was smiling brightly at Hickory, open and reassuring in a way very few trolls had ever been to the yodeler. He swallowed thickly, placing his hand over John's, and hoping the pop troll would blame the cold for the flush that adorned his cheeks. "Just…go for it?" he reaffirmed, licking his lips nervously as John nodded encouragingly, "Okay."

To John's credit, he only startled slightly as Hickory leaned into his space and pressed their lips together. It was chaste, and short, but that didn't stop his face from heating up.

"I'm not too young, now," Hickory murmured against John's mouth, his eyes kept shut to save himself from any unsavory expression the pop troll may be making.

"You…what?" John sounded dazed.

"I'm not too young. You told me last time that I was too young, but I'm not anymore." He lifted both hands to cup John's cheeks and press a more determined kiss to the pop trolls lips. He very nearly pulled away, until John began to reciprocate the kiss.

They broke apart from each other after a moment, their breath mingling and turning into delicate fog between them.

"This isn't because-" John began, only to be muffled by Hickory peppering a couple quick, short kisses to his lips.

"No! No, of course not. I told you, I think that is ridiculous. No. It's because I have not been able to get you out of my mind since we last met. And I feel like this, you appearing on my birthday, is nothing short of a sign from the universe for me to at least try," Hickory admitted, letting his fingers lightly trail from John's cheeks, over his shoulders and down to his hands. He finally sat back and opened his eyes to find a flustered looking John Dory sat before him. "You did encourage me to be brave, after all."

John chuckled, a lopsided grin on his face. "I suppose I did, didn't I?"

"You did," Hickory nodded, before he stood from the bench, offering a hand to John. "Come with me."

"Where to?" John asked, not hesitating in the slightest in taking Hickory's hand and standing from the bench.

"Home," Hickory stated simply, leading John through the village.

It was a relatively quick walk through town, especially as most trolls were still at Hickory's party. Hickory lead them to a small, modest house towards the edge of the village. It was adorned with the same floral trim pattern along the awnings that all of the other buildings in the village had, with a well cared for little yard, and a short wooden fence surrounding the property.

As Hickory opened the gate and began to pull John up the short path to the door, the pop troll paused, tugging back on Hickory. "Wait."

Hickory stopped, turning around quickly with a look of worry on his face. "What is it?" he asked, tone concerned.

"I think I remember you mentioning…you have a brother? Does he live here?" John asked, looking towards the door apprehensively.

"Oh," Hickory visibly relaxed, a low chuckle leaving him, "Dickory, yes. He does live here, but he is not in town right now. I'm by myself."

John gave a little nod, nerves leaving him as Hickory tugged him the rest of the way up the path and into the house. He only paused once to wipe his feet on a large mat near the front door, encouraging John to do the same, before he continued to lead the pop troll through the house. He only let go once they had entered a sparsely decorated bedroom, and the door was shut behind them.

"Nice digs," John commented idly, looking around the room briefly, before he found himself being pushed back into the door, Hickory's hands slipping under his vest to trail over his chest.

"I can think of much more interesting things than my bedroom," Hickory chuckled, pressing a kiss to John's cheek.

"Gettin' right to it then, huh?" John joked, lifting his hands to rest gently over Hickory's hips.

"Is that…not okay?" Hickory asked, shifting back slightly but not lifting his hands from John's fur. If this was the only chance he had to soak up the pop trolls presence and touch him, he was going to take advantage of every moment he could.

"Never said it wasn't. You just seem real eager," John teased, easy grin on his face.

"I have waited four years to be able to touch you," Hickory murmured, pressing in close to John while pushing the pop trolls vest from his shoulders, "You will need to forgive my eagerness."

John's grin faltered, his well practiced boy band charm guttering at Hickory's words. "You weren't kidding about that?"

"Kidding about what?" Hickory asked, distracted as he tugged the vest free and tossed it aside.

"Thinking about me. For all that time."

Hickory paused, frowning as he tipped his head back to get a look at the almost hopeful expression on John's face. "Why would I ever joke about something like that? The time we spent together meant a great deal to me. You mean a great deal to me."

"You don't even really know me," John said with a short shake of his head.

"Then let me?"

John stared up at Hickory for a moment, taking in the flower crown that sat askew on his head and the earnest expression he wore on his face as he waited patiently for John's response. He swallowed thickly, before giving a small nod, digging his fingers more firmly into Hickory's hips and pulling him in close. "Okay."

The brilliant grin that John got in return for his consent nearly made him dizzy. He gasped as Hickory ducked his head and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, slowly sinking to his knees as he trailed kisses down John's chest and stomach. He let his head fall back and hit the door with a dull thud, groaning quietly as Hickory all but worshipped him.

As Hickory reached John's hip he paused, tilting his head back to look up at John imploringly. "Is this okay?"

John tipped his head forward, letting out a slow breath as he lifted his hands to tangle his fingers in the yodeler's hair, dislodging the flower crown and causing it to fall to the floor. "More than," he murmured, momentarily distracted as the crown rolled across the room, only to snap his attention back to Hickory with a soft hiss as the yodeler tugged at his shorts and continued his trail of kisses down.

~

"You okay?" John asked, a lopsided grin on his face. The two had eventually migrated to Hickory's bed, where John currently found himself devoid of any of his clothes, laid back in a pile of pillows with a rather flustered looking Hickory between his knees.

"Es tut mir leid," Hickory murmured, licking his lips quickly as he sat back on his heels, "To be truthful, I have never done this before."

"Seriously?" John asked, stretching his arms above his head, grinning a little as he watched Hickory's eyes trail down over his chest. "Strapping young troll like yourself? I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," Hickory said with a self depreciating little laugh, "I think you are the first troll to ever use the word 'strapping' to describe me."

"Aw," John cooed, sitting up and taking Hickory's face in his hands, "Well, I think you're real handsome." He grinned as Hickory flushed, quickly taking the opportunity to kiss the yodeler deeply. When they broke apart, while Hickory was looking a little overwhelmed, John pushed him down into the pillows, swinging his leg over the yodeler to settle in his lap. "Let me take care of you now, okay?" He preened as Hickory's hands settled on his hips, fingers digging in slightly.

"All right."

~

Hickory wondered if this was what it was like to be in paradise. The troll of his dreams was in his lap, a dark flush coloring his cheeks as he panted, looking absolutely lost in the moment as he moved above Hickory. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, reaching up to cup John's jaw. The pop troll looked momentarily startled by the sentiment, only to let out a low moan and sweep down to catch Hickory's lips in a kiss.

"You're not too bad, yourself," John teased as he pulled back, earning a light chuckle from Hickory and a roll of his hips that left John gasping.

~

John huffed as he rolled off of Hickory, flopping back into the mound of pillows next to the yodeler. He looked rather pleased with himself, while Hickory stared up at the ceiling in a daze, both trying to catch their breath.

"That was…"

"Not too bad, huh?" John chuckled, turning his head to smirk at Hickory.

The yodeler blinked, turning his head slowly to frown at John. "Not too bad? John, that was…absolut vollkommen. You were - that was incredible," Hickory stated, pushing himself up onto his elbow to lean over the pop troll. "This was the best birthday I could have ever hoped for."

John's smirk melted into a genuine smile at Hickory's earnestness, reaching up to brush his fingers through wavy orange hair. "I'm glad I could make it memorable."

"The most memorable," Hickory agreed, leaning down to press a kiss to John's lips. He shifted and squirmed amongst the pillows until he managed to maneuver himself over John, pressing in between the pop trolls knees, somehow without breaking their kiss. When he did finally pull back, John let out a low chuckle, arching an eyebrow at Hickory.

"Again?"

Hickory flushed in embarrassment, gasping quietly as John wriggled his hips. "I…only if you'd like to…?"

John snorted, lifting a leg to wrap around Hickory's hips, tugging him close as he stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. "Only if you do all the work this time."

~

When John woke up in the morning it was to an empty bed. He grunted as he felt around the covers, finding the blankets cold. He scowled as he smacked his hands over his face, groaning as he rubbed at his eyes. He should have known better. This was not the first time someone had managed to sweet talk him into bed and then fled in the morning. It was, admittedly, a bit odd that Hickory had taken him back to his house, instead of where John was staying, but perhaps there was some unspoken rule between yodelers that one simply got up and left without a fuss the morning after a fling. He had hoped Hickory would be different, but who was he kidding. He was a washed up ex-boyband member, and because he was a pop troll a lot of other trolls seemed to think he was some sort of traveling strumpet.

He sighed as he spread his arms out over the expanse of the bed, frowning as he began to notice the faint ache in his hips, and the odd way some of his fur was sticking to his skin. As soon as he got back to where he was staying, he was taking a long, hot shower. But first, he needed to get there. He let out another grunt as he rolled out of bed, wincing as he stepped on his discarded goggles. He muttered a quiet curse to himself as he picked them up, cleaning them off with a blanket, and giving them a quick inspection to find them relatively unscathed. He slipped them on his head, before hunting around for his vest and shorts.

John had managed to pull on his shorts and was trying to figure out where Hickory had tossed his vest last night, when the bedroom door began to open. He stopped short as Hickory walked in with a soft little smile on his face, carrying a tray ladened with assorted breakfast foods. Hickory froze when he noticed John standing in the middle of the room, his smile turning into a confused frown.

"Mein liebling…? Did you need to go somewhere this morning?"

John simply stared at Hickory for a long moment, his brain needing the time to register that Hickory had not, in fact, run off on him. That he had, instead, made him breakfast, and brought it to him in bed.

"I…" John began, watching as the confusion on Hickory's face slowly shifted into realization, then resigned understanding. It suddenly felt like a weight was on John's chest as he watched Hickory set the tray aside, a sad little smile on his face as he shuffled across the room to tug John's vest from beneath a few pillows that had been shoved off the bed the night before.

"Here," Hickory offered the vest to John, tucking the thumb of his free hand into the waistband of the sleep pants he was wearing, "I take it you were looking for this?"

John took the vest, but was hesitant to put it on. He held it to his chest instead, tipping his head slightly to try and catch Hickory's gaze, but the yodeler was looking anywhere but directly at him.

"Hickory, I…" John floundered, not knowing what to say to fix the hurt look on Hickory's face. He was supposed to be a lyrical wordsmith, but his mind was drawing an absolutely blank.

"It's okay, schatz," Hickory said, shaking his head and gesturing towards the door. "I understand. And I am so very happy that I could have the time with you that I did. I don't regret it. And I hope you don't, either."

John felt like he'd been sucker punched in the gut. This sweet troll, who'd confessed to thinking about him for nearly four years and had showered him with nothing but compliments and sweet nothings all night, honestly thought John would regret spending the night with him. He dropped his vest and stepped quickly across the room, cupping Hickory's cheeks so he could force the yodeler to look at him. He wanted to kick himself at finding tears in Hickory's eyes.

"No! No, no, Hickory," John brushed his thumbs against the yodelers cheeks, finding his walls quickly crumbling at the way Hickory's expression turned a little hopeful, "I'm sorry. I thought you had left. I wouldn't've…If I'd known you were making me breakfast, I…" He cursed under his breath, squeezing Hickory's cheeks gently, earning a sound of confusion from the yodeler. John cussed again, a little louder this time, before stating quickly, "Can we try this again?"

Hickory gently extracted his face from John's hold, frowning slightly. "Try what again?"

Instead of answering, John picked up the breakfast try and pushed it into Hickory's hands, before ushering the yodeler back out the door. "Here. Wait, like, a minute. Okay? Just…one minute, and then come in again."

Hickory stumbled slightly as he was pushed out the door, turning with his mouth open to speak, only to find the door shut in his face.

Meanwhile, John hurried to slip his shorts back off and toss his goggles to the side, clamoring onto the bed quickly. He arranged the bedding just so around himself, managing to flop back into the pillows and hoping it came off as somewhat alluring, just as Hickory began to open the door again.

Hickory poked his head in first, still looking confused, only for a smile to bloom on his face as John made an exaggerated yawning sound and stretched across the pillows.

"Oh! Did you make breakfast?" John asked, propping his cheek up on the palm of his hand, a coy little smile on his face as Hickory walked across the room and set the tray on the bedside table.

"Ja. I thought, after last night, you might need the energy," Hickory teased easily back, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out to pick something off the tray, but paused as John's hand landed on his wrist. He turned his head, letting out a startled little moan as John surged up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Join me?" John asked as he broke the kiss, patting at the pillow next to him.

Who was Hickory to deny such a request? He stood from the bed to slip his sleep pants off before crawling under the covers with John, a pleased little smile on his face as the pop troll draped himself over his lap.

"Now… Feed me," John all but demanded, gesturing vaguely at the breakfast tray. Hickory snorted at the demand, but obliged, snagging a berry from the tray and feeding it to John, who made a show of licking his lips and moaning lowly while he ate.

"Oh," Hickory breathed, offering John another berry, only to find his fingers being drawn into the pop trolls mouth with another self satisfied moan. He swallowed thickly as he pulled his fingers free to reach for the tray again, only to be stopped as John sat up and properly sat himself in Hickory's lap. He blinked owlishly up at the pop troll, who simply grinned down at him.

"Again?" John teased, squeezing his knees around Hickory's hips.

"Yes, please."

[lazy-cat13]

I'll post the Invi and Ash connection tomorrow

Day 4: Dreams.

This'll be my first fanfic I think wish me luck

Black=Ash

Red= brain

Pink= Ash's chirithy

Orange=brains chirithy

Cursing (rarely)

The two hold hands and hug, but it's platonic. They're besties.

I did my best don't judge

@khoc-week

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Ash pov) It's a peaceful sunny morning in Daybreak Town. No Lux collecting this morning, nothing big. Just me and Brain going out to get croissants and cocoa like any other day. Hopefully it's like this for the rest of the day, I don't really want to get caught in a fight. It's coming too common and it's too hard to ignore now.

"You seem stressed." A voice startles me.

"ACK! wudduya want?!"

"Jeez, relax, just me." Oh. Just Brain.

"Sorry, just scared me. . ." I tuck my hands into the pockets of my sweater.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Seriously though, you're really tense, something is bothering you."

Yeah. . . Something is, but I don't wanna stress him out too much. There's already so many things going on, street fights, a war between unions, joining the Dandelions, don't want to add another thing on his plate. . .

"Nothing! Don't worry about it!" I smile trying to hide any sign of stress.

"uhh huhhh. . . We're gonna have to talk about this later then. . ."

"ugh, fine. Let's get food first."

We enter Fountain Square (that's what I like to call it not sure if that's the cannon name) just to see another fight start to break out.

"shiiittt. . ." We both say in unison.

I shakingly put on my headphones to block out some sounds. While Brain tips his fadora

Don't involve me, Don't involve me, Don't involve me, Don't involve me. . .

My breathing picks up.

Brain says something but it's muffled by the headphones. Then he grabs my hand and power walks through the streets of Daybreak Town.

We walk into an alleyway away from people, and he pulls off my headphones.

"It's alright now. . . We're away from crowds. . . Breathe. . ."

I sat down on a box, breathing slowling, but my foot starts to tap vigorously.

A feline wearing headphones poofs next to me.

"Ash! There you are! I've been looking for you back at the apartment!" Oh. It's Chir

"oh no! What happened?!" She runs over to me and sits on my lap giving me a hug.

"well, we were on the way to the cafe, then we ran into a street fight that was going to break out, and we got outta there as quickly as we could. They've been off all day"

"you've been having that dream again, haven't you Ashy?"

"yeah. . ." I finally answer

"Dream?" Brain tilts his head.

Chiri turns around "they've been having a lot of bad dreams lately, waking up crying in fear. . ."

I look away

Great. . . Now he's gonna be stressed. . .

Brain sighs "how 'bout we talk about this after we get something to eat. . . Sound good?"

"yeah. Can we try avoiding crowds?"

" 'course. And we can get our chirithys a sweet treat too." He smiles at chiri

"Woo! Chocolate croissants!" Chiri jumps in excitement.

I giggle a little "all right let's go."

He gives a soft smile "if you need anything, remember we're here for you."

"yeah, yeah. I know. . . Thank you."

"it's nothing. . . Let's go before anything else starts up."

We hold hands for comfort before getting to the cafe and we order some pastries and a cocoa for each of us. and we make our way to the hill. I carried the cocoas while Brain carried the pastry box. Once we made it to the top of the hill I handed him his cocoa while he handed me my croissant.

"chirithy!!"

"yeah Brain? Oh hi Ash!" I wave to his chirithy

"here chocolate croissant! Your favorite!" He tosses the feline a croissant

"Oh! Yummy! Thank you!" And they take a bite

"chiri! Croissant!"

Chiri poofs in my lap in excitement grabbing the croissant

"Thank you!!!"

"so. . . You gonna tell me about this nightmare?"

I take a sip of cocoa

". . . Well, it's about the war. . . I know it's gonna happen but. . . I don't want it to, so I keep having nightmares about being a part of it. Getting killed by someone I might know, don't know, or a union leader. . . Hundreds of deaths, keyblades everywhere. Every dream is a little different , whether I live or die, who I die from, what side I'm on. It's like I'm someone else Everytime. . . It's just scary!" Tears start welling up.

"sh, sh, shhh, it's alright. . . It's just a dream, remember. . ." He brings them In for a hug "chiri, how long has this been happening?"

"past week. . ." She puts down her croissant and joins the hug. Eventually brains chirithy joins too

Safe, I feel safe.

"how bout we stop by the book store on the way back?"

"heh, could always use another sketchbook."

"didn't you get one last week?"

"already filled it."

"What am I gonna do with you?"

"I 'unno." I shove a half eaten croissant in my mouth

"HEY! IS THAT MY CROISSANT?!"

"yep."

Brain reaches and steals my croissant that was sitting on a plate

"hey!-"

"oi, you're one to talk, you just stole mine!"

End.

It's 2Am and hopefully I don't cringe at it when I wake up, this can also count under connection .

[morgan-the-lonely-brick]

Hiii~~ coming onto this blog to do Terror propaganda. Follow my terror sideblog @leadandblood , this is just my main. That said:

Welcome to The Terror (2018)!

Here are things that I love about the first season that might convince you to watch it too (without spoilers)

The fandom is absolutely amazing!!!! I have never had such wonderful comments and tags under posts. And they're all really talented and just wonderful

Gay love.

So much gay love oh my god everyone is gay-

Heck, there's even straight love if you're into that

Old men <3

Absolute angels and absolute demons, that are SO fun to watch

The show knows it's characters incredibly well

They are well developed and act believably in all instances i can think of

If what they do doesn't make sense in the moment it's gonna later

"Here's a guy. Now lets find out how many fucked up things can happen to him before he goes insane or khs"

Representation! Gays, amputees and POC

The main main cast is mostly white men but when there's someone else it has significance to the story or bears a deeper meaning

The visuals are stunning

Amazing camera work

The sound design!!!! Oh my god!!! It's so gooood!!!

Insane paralels game. You won't even notice some of them, but they make sense once you do

The love and care that went into this show is incredible

Very rewarding upon rewatch - different views on scenes and characters and such

You will be finding new details for several rewatches (im on my 6th and still finding stuff)

THE ACTING OH MY GOD THE ACTING

Jared Harris - and his insane ability to portray any combination of emotions with one expression

Tobias Menzies and his goddamn microexpressions

Just to name a few, but honestly they're all amazing

They're also very nice to look at

Prepare to get hurt in the most creative ways possible - it KNOWS how to hurt you and it's... Kinda satisfying

Whump galore!! Emotional and physical. Comfort and no comfort. Just take your pick

It's finished, so they can't fuck it up anymore lmao

The sheer horror of being stuck in the arctic with little to no food and everything wanting to kill you /pos

Things that might turn you away

The sheer horror of being stuck in the arctic with little to no food and everything wanting to kill you /neg

Racist characters. it's the 1800s :///

Death. Oh god there's so much death

Oh you have a favourite character? Well, he dies :/

It is a tragedy through and through.

When you think it can't get any worse, yes it can

So many side characters that you'll be learning their names for the next few days to come

They're 95% white men that look the same when you start out

Bad things happen to animals :(

There's quite a lot of gore... Open skulls, deep wounds, amputation, disease, burning to death, mauling, i could go on

At one point alcoholism and suicide

There will be poems

Overall just a really really great show, i am in love with it

[talentisntgenius]

Heard you like PJhazel, so hope you don't mind some incorrect quotes I have made but am too shy to post on my blog, i know alot people don't enjoy incorrect quotes so feel free to ignore this message if you don't but if you...enjoy

Pj: I AM IN A BAD MOOD! NO ONE TALK TO ME!

Hazel: 🥺🥺🥺

Pj: Alright, fine. You can talk to me. BUT NO ONE ELSE! I MEAN IT!

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

Pj: hazel just said "I have an appetite for destruction" and then she reached down and untied my shoe.

____________

Hazel: Your legs look great in those pants.

Pj: You should see me without them.

Hazel:...

Hazel: Why would you take your legs off?!

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

Pj *covered in hickeys and scratches from hazel but refusing to admit who they're from*: I don't kiss and tell.

Josie, from across the room: That's literally the only two things you do!

_________

Sylvie: I dare you to kiss the next person who walks in this room. 

Pj: Fuck you, I’m not kissing anyone- 

*Hazel, walks into the room*

Pj: ...Fine, I'll do it. Rules are rules.

__________

Pj: Hazel; my beautiful girlfriend, taught me to think before I act.

Pj: …So if I beat the shit out of you, rest assured that I thought about it and am confident in my decision.

_______

Pj: Hey, babe, remember how I had to go to the pharmacy to pick up my ADHD meds?

Hazel: Yes?

Pj: Well, it turns out they're all out for the next five days.

Hazel: Fuck.

Pj: It's gonna be a fun week!

Hazel: I'm going to josie and isabel’s house.

Pj: Nuh-uh. Through sickness and health, motherfucker.

_________

Hazel: this is a stupid idea!

Pj: Hey, nothing we’ve done so far has been un-stupid, and we’re still alive, aren’t we?

Hazel: I can’t really argue with that, but I feel like I should.

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

Pj: not that I'm complaining, but when I asked for a spoon, I meant the utensil.

Hazel *hugging her from behind*: Oh.

-----------

Pj: How do I tell hazel that I want her to yell at me like she's Gordon Ramsay and I'm a poor little chef who just ruined a crème brûlée?

________

Josie: Wow you and pj are home early from the movies. What happened?

Hazel: We got kicked out because pj wouldn't stop yelling diving scores as people jumped off the titanic.

Pj: That last guy had a solid 8, I'm telling you!

__________

Pj: We have a problem.

Hazel *is done with her shit*: No, YOU have a problem. I have an idiot who keeps making them

__________

Hazel: Hey, wanna have sex?

Pj: I have a gun in that nightstand beside the bed. If I ever say no to that question, I want you to take it out and shot me because I’ve obviously gone crazy.

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

Pj: Before "the huntungton incident", I had so many interests. Now all I care about is whether or not Hazel had a good day.

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

Hazel: for the last time pj, they're called "hikes" not "stupid mental health walks"

Pj: I don't see a difference

________

Pj: Hazel is good at kissing. So good I want to punch the ahit out of the person who taught her.

---------

Pj: You know what would be sexy?

Hazel: What?

Pj: Eating food off each other.

Hazel: You didn't do the dishes, did you?.

Pj: ..I did not.

-----------

That's all I've got, hope you enjoy!

Anon I just gotta say, neurodiverse PJ is so real and you were brave enough to say it!!!! You heard it here folks: pjhazel aduhd couple (real) (canon)

Loved the last three in particular and the spoon one it's so them lmaooooo thanks for this! <3

[ruthlesslistener]

Ello! Cat advice anon here, just checking in and hoping that i can help a bit more! Holy Moly, from 0 to 4 kit-kats is a LOT. I commend you for taking in so many, personally I've never had more than 2 at a time sharing the same house, so i can only imagine the chaos! An Experience indeed!

For the overly-cuddly Hwanggeum, I'd say it's either bc you're the "head of the house", so to say, or bc you're her favourite and have been till now showering her with most of the attention she's been wanting. Or it could be both. Blue, my oldest, has always presented to my father, but otherwise she always comes to me bc I'm her main source of affection.

I dunno what might stop Hwanggeum from rubbing on everything, since I haven't had this problem with mine (they're actually not very territorial with space as much as with us humans haha!), but maybe having a smell she doesn't like near the places you want to keep her from might help? Smt like sanitary alcohol or another pungent smell, maybe, which might also help with keeping the others from spraying everywhere.

The smell might fade with time, but the stains sure don't as easily 😣 Found that out the hard way when we discovered a hidden spot in the closet where one of them had peed in a while back, but the smell had faded after some time without us managing to find the source of the smell. Then we found some clothes stained and still emitting a slight odor and knew immediately there'd be no saving them 😓

Hopefully the cat you've managed to find a free spot for doesn't go in heat right before it bc otherwise you (or the shelter) might have to wait till after it ends. You might have gotten used to recognising signs of an incoming heat by now, but just in case, watch out for a sudden increase in demands for affection and loud vocalisations. Mine get real cuddly and all meowy about a week before the real thing hits, but it's obvious bc they're usually not super affectionate with us unless it's our nightly or morning cuddle session 😊 Then again, no two cats are the same, one of them is super clingy and the other super bitey 😂

We plan on spaying them soon, but haven't since my mom is (understandably but also frustratingly) overly cautious about the surgery and the aftermath and keeps thinking of worst case scenarios, but my sibling and I finally convinced her.

Anyway, one last piece of advice i have is playing. There's nothing like that hunting instinct activating and putting the hindbrain on the back burner, which is exactly what happens when you play with them with a string or a powered mouse or mini car (the younger one, Odette, loves a tiny truck i got from a kinder egg or something. its back wheels can be dragged back and released and it spins and twists as it goes) for them to chase.

I think that's all I have to offer, sadly, but, once again, hopefully smt does help outta all that rambling of mine. Wishing lots of love to all 4 of the babies and lots of patience to you and your qpp, you guys are doing your best ❤️❤️❤️❤️

From two snakes zero cats to four cats two snakes AND one umbrella cockatoo!! Would it surprise you if I told you that the cockatoo is the easiest of the new animals to deal with?? It's been a learning curve for sure-apart from the heat cycles, the two cats we're keeping both have vomiting issues (one from eating too much too fast, one from being unable to digest the dry food), so it's been a learning curve for sure. And ofc now that Hwanggeum is out of heat, Mochi is going into it, so it's been a domino effect of horny single ladies near me. Someone pissed on my bed just today, which means that I'm gonna have to go back to keeping my room closed off to the cats until it passes, and I feel bad about that bc miss old lady Fiona has taken a soft spot to sleeping on Toast's enclosure + my bed

Hwanggeum- who I've taken to calling Revelry bc she reminds me so much of my friend's DND character + she's silvered out of her golden kitten phase- def. has imprinted onto me, I think. She follows me around everywhere, wails when she can't see me, and tries to make my life as difficult as possible when I need to leave for work via climbing up my leg when she sees me getting ready. So I'm pretty sure that's why she was so clingy when in heat. Thankfully that's ended for now but *man* did it make working on anything difficult bc she turned into a velcro kitty for about a week- I've got minor scratches all up my legs and shoulders from her jumping on my back or climbing me

The problem I've personally found with her rubbing, though, is that these cats rub really aggressively on *everything*, to the point where I'm not sure how get the scent trick working. It's like, they'll rub on any surface they see, but then you make eye contact with them and they start to rub even more aggressively, knocking everything and themselves over in the process. It's fine with minor unbreakeable shit but very difficult when you're in the middle of painting something and they jump up onto your desk and start rubbing their cheeks against your lamp, paint jar, etc. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle that, since Mochi is twice the size of the others and has some real bulldozing power to her. I think we're fine with not missing the shelter spots bc we likely can't get a spot for the spays until mid August anyways, but yeah...I'm eager to get them spayed lol. If cost wasn't so prohibitive then it would have been done right away, but, well...the cheapest we found is 50 per spay, and that's via a mobile vet mobile that is currently unavailiable. And none of us have 150 dollars to get all 3 cats done, so waiting for the two getting adopted out to get their freebies + the clinic to come back for Rev is our only option. Toys ARE a great suggestion, though- I just need to find the ones that they have. They had a whole bunch of them they used to play kitty soccer with that seem to have mysteriously dissapeared, and we haven't the faintest idea where they've gone. I'm already planning on making a stick-and-mouse toy with some cleaned dropped branches and old scraps I've got lying around for sewing practice

Appreciate all your help and well wishes! Both of us are a little overwhelmed, but we're trying our best and making sure we communicate solutions to the problems. I'm going to try my best to get the piss outta my sheets but I appreciate the heads up about the staining lol

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Keep the News Cycle Focused!

Resist, resist, resist - because, sometimes, it gets someone to report. And then more people see it and resist! And the cycle continues - but only if you keep pushing to make it go.

Don't pull back because Trump. They are not taking meaningful action on this because they expect you to pull back because Trump. We're playing election chicken right now and it is not to the benefit of the voters, or the non-voters being killed on our behalf. Oh, I don't doubt Trump would try to make it worse, and he'll flog it to his gullible base, but he's also an idiot who has a very hard time getting results and he is not the President. You say, "But he could...!" Ah-ah! But he isn't. Biden is succeeding at making it worse right now, and banking on your fear of Trump to insulate him from the consequences.

The only way to hold these people accountable is to threaten their power. If this continues and we all vote for it anyway, I don't wanna know what the political landscape is going to look like forever afterwards. Genocide is being included in the sensible, moderate solutions the sane party offers. Historically, it has been! We have a long and terrible association with genocides! But I don't want it to stay like that!

The best way to move the Overton Window back towards human decency is to stop the genocide NOW, before the damn election. But they're still trying to shut the objections down. They redefined this event twice, trying to make it look like NBD, and then they tried to keep the story as quiet as possible. It still is relatively quiet! But it's there. The people resisting got it covered.

I come from a food-centric culture too. This is an ice cold rejection and I hope like hell the folks on Team Biden who agreed to sit down and eat for the damage control told him that. This is almost as bad as throwing a shoe. This is trouble.

And I'm grateful. I want trouble like this now, because it's a lot better than what could happen later. Even a few weeks later. Gaza is STARVING, y'all, and we could stop it. Think long and hard about why we're not. I'm gonna tell you right now, it's not "because democracy!" (ie "but the guy who can circumvent congress and the law to sell more weapons and build more border walls isn't powerful enough to do this!") or "because antisemitism!" (ie "well, Israel and Judaism are the same thing and Jews have been through a lot, so Israel can have a little genocide") it's "because POWER!"

If politicians don't see a threat to their power, they don't listen. There is an entire crazed, fundamentalist religion DEMANDING that Israel exist so God can come back and destroy it, among many other awful things, it is damn near impossible to reason with them, and Democrats want their votes. Democrats want everyone's votes, but they've decided to move towards the fundies on the right and abandon the critical thinkers on the left. (If you think they haven't, PLEASE turn your brain back on and start looking and listening to them!) It's safe to ignore us because we have no other option. We have to get louder and scarier to see results. Hell, we have to get louder and scarier just to slow down the decay.

Keep it in mind when pushing back against all the awful shit that's going down right now.

And keep resisting!

[lasersheith]

I need to get some feelings out about the US elections and related stuff and it's gonna be heavy. Back story first.

In 2022 I developed a severe neurological disorder. I was having daily migraines, losing my vision, having very strange and unsettling episodes I later learned were a type of seizure, and a whole host of other, largely less severe symptoms. I couldn't look at computer screens or direct sunlight or sometimes even have any light bulbs on in my house. Noise was excruciating to the point where I would sometimes vomit if my dogs barked too long or too loudly. It was miserable. I really thought I wanted to die instead of living like that.

A little over a year of monthly (or more) appointments and scans and medicines and specialists, my last resort was brain surgery. Thankfully it was largely very successful and my symptoms are so much less severe and I'm on a lot fewer medications now and there's no evidence my vision damage was permanent.

The week before surgery I wrote letters to my now husband and my best friend in case I didn't make it through the surgery or something went wrong post op. I've been suicidal before, in my teens and early 20s, and even got to the point where I'd written notes for people but this was so different. I'm still not really sure why it had such a profound effect on me but it did.

As I was writing what might have been the last words of mine they'd ever have to the two people I love most in this world I didn't feel the need to apologize for anything, or reassure them they did enough, or put any sadness into those letters. I told them how much I love them and why and thanked them for being the amazing people they are. I told them I wanted them to remember me fondly but to let me go and to live the rest of their lives knowing all I ever wanted was them to be as happy and loved as possible. Something about that process fundamentally changed me.

Moving on to the current time, the current shit sandwich we all have on our plates. So many people I know are feeling so hopeless and so defeated and several people have confided in me that they don't know if they want to be alive anymore and I don't know how to help.

It's not that I don't think things are going to be bad. I agree that they're going to be terrible and we all have a lot of work ahead of us and not all of us will make it out but I desperately want to be one of the ones who does. I really really want to live. I want to grow old with my husband. I want to finish all the stupid diy projects I have cluttering my basement. I want to read good books and eat good food and meet good people and enjoy all of the good things that life has to offer as long as I can.

But you can't just say to a loved one who is terrified and devastated and suicidal "hey cheer up, our rights are probably going to get taken away and our food is probably going to get even less regulated and we might not have weather tracking information anymore but at least we can make some really delicious cheesecake that probably won't give us e. coli at least for another couple of years" like that's not helpful at all.

But I also can't meet them at the despair because even if my food is poison and the weather is catastrophic and I don't have legal personhood I still want to live. I don't know. It's hard. Everything is hard. I just wish I knew what to say to other people who are hurting right now.

It feels very dissonant in my head. I am worried. I am angry. I am sad. It doesn't feel like there's much hope. But I'm hopeful anyway. I want to be here anyway. I want to help anyone I can in any way I can anyway.

Maybe I'll live to eat these words but even that doesn't bother me much as long as I'll be alive.