#and then i hit the halfway point and i realized oh. oh this is sort of a horror game. isn't it. it scared the hell outta me

[sevarchive]

bllk drabbles! #9

blue lock characters! giving you a headlock.

starring: barou shoei, michael kaiser, oliver aiku, nagi seishiro, itoshi sae, and shidou ryusei

warning: contains suggestive content, including casual physical dominance, cursing, light choking (headlock).

a/n: i made this cus i saw that one page in pinterest of barou putting aryu in a headlock lol

BAROU SHOEI wipes sweat from his neck with a towel, muscles flexing like they’re sculpted out of granite, shoulders broad, arms cut, veins popping like they have their own agenda. he’s not even trying to be hot. he just is.

you’re sipping your drink when your brain shorts out and your mouth betrays you.

“…i wanna know what it feels like to be in a headlock.”

he freezes. slowly, very slowly, he turns to you.

“…what the hell did you just say?”

“i—i didn’t mean—forget it,” you stammer, already halfway to the door.

but it’s too late.

he stomps over, grabs you, and yanks you under one heavy, sweat-warmed arm like he’s pissed—but also slightly amused. his bicep flexes into your cheek, hot and solid and utterly unholy.

“you mean this?” he growls.

you squeak. he raises a brow.

“you’re into this?” he mutters, voice low, almost disgusted. “you freak.”

he flexes harder just to hear the pathetic noise you make, and smirks.

after a beat of silence, he mutters:

“tch. you’ve been reading too much of that manhwa crap again, haven’t you?”

you don’t even deny it.

because… he’s not wrong.

MICHAEL KAISER doesn’t need a mirror to know he looks good. but your staring? that’s still satisfying.

you don’t even realize how long you’ve been watching him: shirt half-off, golden hair damp, muscles flexing with every effortless stretch, until he catches you.

“you're drooling, mein liebling.”

the nickname slides from his mouth like silk, thick with mockery and heat. you scoff, try to look away, but he’s already crossing the room, deliberate and slow, eating up the space between you like a lion who knows the prey won’t run.

“wanna say that again?” he purrs. “something about my arms being too much for you?”

you open your mouth, but he’s faster, one arm hooks around your neck, dragging you into his chest. his bicep flexes against your throat, warm and unyielding. you gasp, fingers instinctively grabbing at his forearm, but not to push away.

“oh, you like this,” he chuckles darkly, lips brushing your temple. “you little masochist.”

your legs tremble. his hold tightens.

“you want me to choke you out, baby?” he breathes, voice low, cruel, hot against your skin. “make you see stars with just one arm?”

you whimper. that’s all he needs.

kaiser hums in your ear, smug and pleased.

“i should’ve done this sooner.”

and he still doesn’t let go. not until you beg.

OLIVER AIKU hears it even though you say it as a joke. sort of.

"bet you give killer headlocks," you mumble, barely loud enough to hear yourself, but aiku hears it.

he turns to you with a look that could melt steel. "you what?"

"nothing," you lie. terribly. "forget i said anything."

too late. the smirk blooming on his lips is dangerous, like he just found your pressure point and fully intends to press down. he moves behind you before you can escape, arm slinging around your neck like a noose. your back hits his chest. his forearm curls under your jaw, bicep brushing your cheek with too much heat.

“like this?” he murmurs, voice all velvet and venom. “you wanted to feel how strong i am?”

you exhale shakily. his bicep tightens slightly, just enough to feel, not enough to hurt. his heartbeat’s steady against your spine.

“you’re not tapping out,” he adds, teeth grazing your ear. “so i’m guessing this is the part you like.”

you nod, dumbly, breath caught somewhere between your ribs and sin.

“i knew you were a freak,” he laughs, amused. “but hey—at least you’ve got taste.”

then he squeezes once—slow, deliberate—and you forget your own damn name.

NAGI SEISHIRO should’ve been asleep by now. you definitely should’ve known better than to say anything while he was half-gone, curled under a blanket, hair messy, eyes only half-open.

it slips out when you're both lying around after a long day, barely above a whisper. “i wonder what it’d feel like if you put me in a headlock…”

you think he didn’t hear.

but then:

“…you’re so weird,” he mutters, voice rough with sleep.

you turn your head, and he’s already shifting, arm dragging over your neck as he lazily pulls you into his chest. it’s not aggressive. just heavy. unbothered. natural.

and his bicep? warm. dense. way too firm for someone who complains about moving.

your face presses into it, and your stomach flips.

“mm. like this?” he mumbles, breath brushing your cheek.

you can’t breathe. not really. not because of the hold, but because of how casual he is about it. his grip tightens just enough to make you whimper.

“you’re into this,” you accuse, half-muffled.

“not really,” he says, yawn in his throat. “but you sounded thirsty.”

you sputter.

his chin drops onto your head. “you started it, y’know.”

his thumb rubs slow circles into your collarbone.

“i could stay like this.”

you’re already melting into him when he adds, deadpan:

“…better than my body pillow anyway.”

ITOSHI SAE doesn’t even bother looking at you when he calls you out.

“you’ve been eyeing my arms for the past twenty minutes,” sae says flatly, not even looking at you—just scrolling through his phone like your thirst is beneath his notice.

you scoff. “so what?”

he finally turns to you, expression unreadable, and you instantly regret everything.

“say it,” he murmurs, standing. “whatever twisted little thing you’re imagining.”

you don’t expect him to actually entertain it, but your mouth betrays you.

“…headlock me.”

sae blinks. then, with infuriating calm, he strolls over and drapes his arm around your neck. not rough. not gentle. just precise. controlled. you stiffen as your face meets solid muscle and his fingers brush your collarbone to hold you still.

his bicep tightens, excruciatingly slow, like he’s savoring it.

“you’re pathetic,” he whispers, lips right by your ear. “begging for scraps of attention like this.”

you exhale, shaky. “you’re still doing it.”

“because i want to see how far you’ll go.” he squeezes—just enough—and your knees almost give out.

“and?” you breathe.

sae leans in, teeth grazing your jaw. “you’re worse than i thought.”

he lets go like he’s bored.

but he doesn't walk away.

he just waits, staring.

“go on,” he says. “ask me again.”

SHIDOU RYUSEI laughs like you just handed him his favorite toy.

“you’ve got issues,” shidou purrs, pinning you to the couch with one thigh and a crooked grin. “who asks to be put in a headlock?”

you’re already breathless. he hasn’t even done it yet.

“i was joking,” you lie.

“nah,” he chuckles darkly. “you meant it.”

before you can protest, he’s behind you, arm snaked around your neck, flexing his bicep with brutal ease. it’s not tight—yet—but the pressure is deliberate. dangerous. you inhale sharply, cheek squished against skin that’s solid as hell and twice as hot.

“you like being manhandled, huh?” he growls into your ear, grin widening when he feels you squirm. “tch. you’re a sick little thing.”

his other hand rests on your waist—possessive, greedy—and then he squeezes, just a bit too hard.

you gasp. he laughs. loudly.

“holy sh*t, you’re really into this.”

you try to elbow him, but he dodges, lips brushing your jaw.

“should i choke you out for real?” he whispers. “or just keep you on the edge?”

your brain short-circuits. he lives for this.

“you’re insane,” you whisper.

shidou licks his teeth. “and you’re the one who asked for it. who’s worse?”

spoiler: it’s both of you.

and you love it.

જ⁀➴ © sevarchive ✦ masterlist like/reblogs are appreciated ꣑ৎ

[merrybloomwrites]

One Direction - Health Scare

Summary: When the workload leads to a medical emergency, the boys are there to take care of you.

Word Count: 941

CW: seizure, hospitals

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Being in One Direction is a dream come true.

It’s also the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life. The work is incredibly fun, but also extremely grueling. You have expectations on you for every waking minute. There’s hardly time for a break or rest.

When you do sleep, it’s often on a bus, and never quite as restful as you hope. 

Halfway through the current tour, you begin to really feel the exhaustion. Not only are you and the boys doing a show nearly every day, but you’re also recording the next album. On the rare occasions when you have a night in a hotel, you’re often woken up to re-record something.

You can tell you’re not the only one who is getting run down, but you also feel like the boys are handling it better than you are. 

So you keep quiet, not wanting to complain to them when they all have their own stuff going on as well.

What you don’t know is how they’ve noticed how drained you are, and have talked amongst them about it. They’re worried, but they have no clue how to help. So they try to take care of you in subtle ways.

Liam is always making sure you have water or some sort of power drink, reminding you how important it is to stay hydrated.

Niall gets you food any time he grabs some for himself. He’d noticed you would skip meals on occasion and decided he couldn’t allow that on his watch.

Zayn asks you to meditate with him, saying that he does better with a partner. You don’t realize that he often does this when you’re most stressed, and he really wants to get you to take a minute to breathe. 

Louis gets into shenanigans, making you laugh and reminding you that not everything needs to be serious all the time. 

Harry asks you to hang on the couch with him on the rare times you get breaks. He’ll wrap an arm around you and tell a story. Sometimes you sit and listen, sometimes you take a power nap. Either way he’s happy to help you get some rest whenever possible.

But all of that isn’t enough. There’s something going on in your body that no one can see. You start to get dizzy, and these spells become more frequent.

Each of the boys have caught you more than once at this point, always helping you sit down to make sure you don’t get hurt. Their worry heightens every time this happens.

And then things get worse.

It’s early morning, and you had yet another fitful night of sleep on the bus. You head to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, and find Harry and Liam already there. They wish you a good morning, and you go to say the same, but find yourself unable to form words. That’s when your world goes dark.

Harry rushes to break your fall, and notices this isn’t like the other dizzy spells. Before he gets you safely to the ground you begin to shake in his arms.

“Oh my god,” Liam says. “She’s having a seizure. Get her on her side, quickly!” The two of them move you, cushioning your head and making sure there’s nothing nearby you can hit as you continue to have convulsions. 

The other three boys rush into the kitchen, having heard Liam shouting. 

“What the hell is going on?” Louis asks.

Liam is quick to explain, saying, “She’s having a seizure. Louis, call an ambulance, Niall call management and tell them what’s going on. Zayn get the driver to pull over.” They all do as they’re told while Harry continues to support you. After nearly two minutes, the seizing stops, but you’re still quite out of it. 

You don’t fully come to for a while, and by that point you’re in the hospital, Harry by your side and security standing by the door. 

“Hey there,” Harry says. “How are you feeling?”

“Uhm, okay I think?” you reply. “What happened?” 

“You had a seizure. Scared the shit out of us,” he answers with a chuckle, letting you know he’s not actually mad.

“Sorry about that.”

“Hey, don’t apologize. We just want to figure out what’s going on with you and help you get better, okay?”

Before you can answer, a doctor walks in. She introduces herself and asks you a bunch of questions. When she asks if you know where you are you reply, “Unfair question, I never know where I am.” Your cheeky reply let’s Harry know you’re feeling better, and you share a smile at the inside joke. 

After a full workup you’re discharged with orders to see a neurologist. The other boys are waiting, somewhat impatiently, for you to get back to them. You’re informed that the upcoming week of shows have been postponed so you can rest, and you know that the boys fought hard to make that happen. 

You spend the week in a hotel, and though you each have your own room, everyone piles into yours. They watch you for any signs that you’re about to have another seizure, and Liam goes with you to your neurologist appointment in order to fill the doctor in on everything that happened. 

You don’t have answers yet, but you find that you’re not worried. Not when you have the biggest support team there to take care of you. And though your job is hard, and at times overwhelming, you wouldn’t trade it for the world. Not when it led you to find the people who will be there for you, no matter what.

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AN: Hope you enjoyed the final One Direction ficlet! Full series and longer oneshots are coming soon!

[drunk-on-dk]

[Teaser] Over the Country Club | Yoon Jeonghan (M)

pairing: best friend!Jeonghan x afab!reader genre/tags: fluff, angst, smut (minors do not interact), friends to lovers, a bit of unrequited love, a slice of life au, college au, post-grad au rating: 18+ (minors do NOT interact) w/c: ~3k TEASER (estimated ~15-20k for full fic, currently this may be my longest fic yet and it feels so good to really be writing again) warnings: mentions of alcohol (underage is not condoned), future smut

Summary: Jeonghan and you have known each other for as long as you can both remember. From the years spent working at the country club, to your university days, there has always been this aching feeling that neither of you can quite understand. Someone falls first, but the other falls harder.

A/N: Please let me know your thoughts on this teaser! I've been working hard to get back into writing in the new year and wanted to get comfortable with diving more into the plot. Things may change when the full fic is posted, but not much of what's in the teaser! I hope you enjoy it, and of course please message me if you'd like to be on the tag list for this fic!

I. 4th of July, the Summer Before the First Year of University

Just like every other high school student in your town, Jeonghan and you found part-time jobs at the oh-so-prestigious country club located in the next town over. One could argue it was practically a full-time job since most part-timers worked upwards of 40 hours a week due to how busy the club got during the summers. 

Not that you would complain about the hours; to be fair, you had to save up a substantial amount of money for the upcoming transition to college. The realization hit soon after graduating high school, you only had enough pocket change to fund some expenses,  which was not nearly enough to get you comfortably through the upcoming semesters. You had worked at the club most summers, but this year you took all the hours they offered. 

Plus, you’d be crazy to admit that summers working at the Lakewood Country Club weren’t some sort of fun. Plenty of your peers worked there, including Jeonghan, your longest lasting friendship due to the proximity of living next door to one another and growing up attached at the hip. 

Jeonghan worked as a caddie on the golf course. He’s gentlemanly in appearance, has just enough knowledge about what type of club to use at each hole, and has a never-ending spunk that entertains whatever group of golfers he’s assisting for the day. Jeonghan made decent tips working as a caddie, earning a couple of hundred dollars from some of his return golfers who specifically requested his assistance for an 18-hole outing. One could assume that most members of the country club were very well-off, or at least living comfortably. 

Luckily, you were stationed at the halfway house most days this summer. It’s located in the heart of the golf course, and the club consistently blasted cool air conditioning in the exposed, open bar area that was meant for golfers to stop by. Jeonghan, as scheming as ever, would ensure that his golfers stopped by for a quick refreshment at some point, knowing that he’d get to spend some time with you and help you earn some extra cash in tips from his already rowdy crew. 

You’d mix up some Manhattans or Old-Fashioned’s for the golfers, knowing the usual orders for each club member as if they had been engrained on the back of your hand (in hindsight, a freshly graduated high schooler should not have been pouring alcoholic beverages, but the country club didn’t care - your labor was cheaper than hiring a professional tender and you learned just the basics just fine). Nonetheless, your cocktails were a treat for the golfers who had been drinking beers for most of the course, most of them lukewarm or gone by the time they made it to the halfway house. 

Today is the Fourth of July, marking the mid-way point of your last summer before college. You had made your fair share of tips this summer working at the halfway house, especially due to Jeonghan’s consistent sourcing of clientele at your bar. It was a particularly hot day, one of the hottest of the summer and plenty of customers had stopped by, leaving hefty tips, feeling generous either from the heat or the holiday. 

Jeonghan approached the bar area with a heavy sigh, parking his cart hastily, but still had his typical mischievous smile etched onto his features as a crowd of familiar golfers followed behind him. Your nose scrunched in feigned disgust, a teasing smile mirroring his upon noticing just how tired and sweaty the group was from the relentless summer heat. 

Part of you thought he looked angelic from the way his sun-kissed skin gleamed, but you’d never admit that, nor would you dare to speak those thoughts out loud, not even to your closest friends who weren’t Jeonghan. However, the other part of you remembered he was just your silly best friend who smelled slightly like fresh-cut grass, sunscreen, and a hint of whatever remained of his tropical cologne. 

“The usuals?” You beamed, flashing your best customer service smile at the group, already reaching for the bottle of top-shelf whiskey displayed behind you. You received hoots and hollers along the lines of “Yes, please” from the group. Jeonghan slips behind the bar as you expertly begin to prepare drinks for the parched golfers. Normally, this was frowned upon, but Jeonghan had most of the country club supervisors wrapped around his finger. 

Jeonghan’s quick to sort through the fridge right off to your side, squatting and contemplating his options, but you have to smack his hand away from the cooler once you notice his deft fingers are reaching for a plastic shooter of whiskey.

“Y/N,” Jeonghan practically cries out, whining similar to a little boy being scolded, but he’s just your immature best friend who has a knack for trouble and stealing. You can’t always let him get away with everything. 

“You kleptomaniac, don’t you dare,” you joke, routinely preparing the drinks, laughing at the puppy dog eyes that are flashed in your direction and then back to the cold fridge. You bend down next to him, whispering quietly so that no one but Jeonghan can hear. “Wait until later, today’s manager has been keeping inventory of the alcohol as if they personally own it all. I can sneak some after my shift when I cash out.” 

Jeonghan’s pout morphs into a smirk, a devious glint in his eyes as he holds out his pinky finger. You comply, wrapping your pinky with his to silently promise that you’ll follow through later. 

“Meet at hole 12? Right at the hill behind the trees? It’s still the best spot for fireworks.” Jeonghan speaks as if it’s a secret mission - as if it’s not the same spot you’ve met to watch fireworks for the last few years working at the country club. 

“Oh, I thought we’d check out the views at hole 17 this year,” you roll your eyes mockingly, Jeonghan knows you’re messing with him, but it’s your smile that betrays your teasing, “Duh, Jeonghan. I’ll catch you there later.” 

“You know hole 17 is where Mingyu and Arin lost their virginity to each other last year,” Jeonghan pokes, settling on bottled water from the fridge and standing back up, towering over your own figure. You feel your cheeks flush, a bit flustered he’d drop that information so casually, and sure as hell hoping he didn’t think that you were suggesting anything. 

You didn’t see Jeonghan in that way, he didn’t see you in that way. Plain and simple. You two were only best friends and that’s how it would always be. 

“That’s gross, Jeonghan,” you scowl, willing away the blush that is still burning your face as you finish garnishing the drinks. “Don’t air out people’s secrets like that. That’s personal. Plus, why would I know that?” 

Jeonghan chuckles, shrugging as he helps you carry the drinks over to the golfers who have made themselves comfortable among the shaded seating outside the bar area, an outdoor fan helping cool them down. They all clamor in delight as Jeonghan and you emerge from behind the bar with the chilled drinks, quick to "cheers" each other before savoring the first sip of their beverages. 

There are smacks and sighs of delight from the group, your pride growing as they approve of the drinks, and gather up some cash for a tip. Jeonghan nudges you, urging you to accept the bills from Mr. Choi, a polite older man who continues to take care of Jeonghan and you each summer. He’s never been creepy, and he tips very well. You still feel slightly guilty each time you accept cash from him. 

“Thank you, Mr. Choi,” you speak graciously, accepting the tip, quickly shoving it into your pocket without checking the amount, and earning an approving thumbs up from the man as he takes another sip of his cocktail. 

“Save it wisely, Y/N,” Mr. Choi chimes, humming in thought, and eyes flickering between where you and Jeonghan stand. “Jeonghan tells me you’re both attending the same university in a few months. Heard you’ve both received a pretty good scholarship, even one from the club?” 

“That is correct, sir,” you nod excitedly. Not only had you both received an academic scholarship from your university, but all your years working at the club have paid off in a way you wouldn’t have imagined, earning a scholarship from the Lakewood Country Club members' foundation. “I am grateful to have received such an award. Don’t worry, I’ll make good use of it. I know Jeonghan will too. You’d never guess, but he’s a straight A student,” you tease, hiding your mouth only for Mr. Choi to see as if Jeonghan can’t hear you, and elbowing your friend in the rib cage, earning a pained groan from him. 

Mr. Choi nods in approval, a smile creeping onto his face as he chuckles at the dynamic between you two. “Glad to know my money is going towards two bright futures.” Jeonghan is pushing your bony elbow away, annoyed at your enthusiasm and teasing, further amusing Mr. Choi. “Jeonghan, make sure you don’t lose sight of Y/N during University, all sorts of partners will be chasing her. She’s intelligent and beautiful. Don’t want her forgetting about you now, do you?”

Jeonghan would groan if it wasn’t for the fact that it was Mr. Choi speaking to him. He has to restrain himself from shoving you away as well, knowing that Mr. Choi has inflated your ego a bit too much with his praise. Nonetheless, Jeonghan plays into it. “Nope, she’s stuck with me, so don’t even worry about it.”

You almost laugh out loud, reminding yourself to remain professional on the course as you fire back. “As if, Jeonghan couldn’t get rid of me even if he wanted to.” 

“Valid point,” Jeonghan grumbles, teasingly pushing you back towards the bar as if reminding you of your duties, sick of hearing the constant praise that only you’re receiving, even though there have been no additional visitors since Jeonghan’s entourage of golfers arrived. He’s quick to enthusiastically round up the crew, realizing daylight will quickly dwindle by the last hole if they don’t start back up soon. “Welp, we better let Y/N continue to work. Ready for hole 10?” 

The men are quick to gather, knocking back the remainder of their drinks, and returning to their carts as Jeonghan helps you clean up the finished glasses, your shoulders bumping into each other as you two push your way back into the bar. Mr. Choi sends a knowing look Jeonghan’s way, neither of you catching it as he wishes you a nice Fourth of July. 

“Thank you, Mr. Choi!” You wave to the man, bidding the rest of the golfing crew a nice holiday as well before turning to Jeonghan who’s finished carrying over the rest of the empty glasses. “Catch you later, Hannie?”

“Of course,” Jeonghan’s eyes lit up yet again upon hearing his childhood nickname, and is reminded of the nearing shenanigans later this afternoon. Maybe he’ll steal some snacks from the members gifting table for tonight. “I’ll see you then stay cool, Y/N!”

“You as well! Make sure to reapply your sunscreen,” you shout back, watching as Jeonghan hops in the cart with Mr. Choi and rolls his eyes at your nagging. Mr. Choi gets one final laugh before Jeonghan drives off, the entourage of golfers following closely behind. 

You’re finishing cleaning up the bar, pulling the cash from your pocket earlier and gasping upon realizing just how much Mr. Choi had tipped you. A five-hundred dollar tip. It was surely the most you’ve ever made in one round of drinks, absolutely unwarranted, and it made you feel a bit teary-eyed. You knew you couldn’t dare to return it, as Mr. Choi would definitely be offended, but you felt extremely lucky to have such nice members visit you at the halfway house, you’d have to thank him eventually. 

The rest of the day went quickly, and, much to your delight, you had made enough tips to support a chunk of your tuition and expenses for the year. Also, your manager had swapped shifts with another supervisor mid-day, who was not as hawklike. 

Leading up to the completion of your shift, you had snuck a pair of alcoholic shooters into your uniform skirt. Even in your attempt to be rebellious, you couldn’t just steal the shooters, using some of your tip money to cover the cost of the alcohol and you felt less criminal. You knew Jeonghan would tease you relentlessly about this if he was here, each shooter was no more than $3 each, but you had a knack for doing the “right thing,” or else you feared karma would get you in the long run. 

Upon reaching the end of your shift, you stopped back at the employee locker room to safely store your tips in your purse. The day had been hot, but it was cooling down now that night was approaching. 

Ultimately, you opt to throw on a sweatshirt, one that Jeonghan had purchased when you two had toured your university, which was the same one that he’d worn so many times that it’s the most comfortable piece of clothing you own. One that he couldn’t deny you of when you begged to keep it, secretly thinking that you looked cute in it even though you were practically swimming in the fabric. Disgusted that he’d even thought that, he dismissed you quickly and said you could keep it. 

The sun was setting minute by minute, meaning that Jeonghan’s shift would be finishing very soon, and you packed away the remainder of your items in your employee locker, double-checking that your skirt still had the tiny plastic alcohol bottles hidden away. 

After confirming you had said shots, you headed out to hole 12 with a spring in your step. It was a meeting spot you and Jeonghan had found your summer after freshman year of high school. There was a hill behind a bunch of trees that overlooked the valley where the main portion of the country club was located. No one was allowed on the course during after-hours, but this spot was so dark and secluded that you two hadn’t been caught yet. It was also the prime viewing spot for the club’s fireworks show, and it was your little secret. 

You were first to make it to the spot, plopping down on the hill and huffing in relief. Your legs ached a little from standing all day. The grass beneath you was dewy from the cool nighttime air, the humid heat from the day settling on the greenery, and it was almost enough to make you feel itchy. However, you don’t mind it, not when you have the fireworks show to look forward to. You would never mind the damp grass, especially not when you had a favorite summer tradition to share with your favorite person, your best friend. 

Jeonghan’s shift ended a bit later than yours, but he didn’t arrive at the spot much later than you. He meant to grab a bag of popcorn or something, but he didn’t want to leave you hanging for too long. 

Jeonghan tried to sneak up on you, but you’re too smart, too knowing of his antics. So when you turn around knowingly, with two opened Whiskey shooters in hand, he chuckles almost maniacally at your annoyed expression that doesn’t fully translate into your impish eyes. You two were one and the same. 

“What are you waiting for, Hannie? These shots aren’t getting any colder. Not when they’ve been in my skirt for the past hour.”

“Eugh, now you’re the one oversharing,” Jeonghan groans in disapproval, sitting down next to you on the grass, and gratefully accepting the shot regardless of your TMI comment. Your knees knock each other as you turn to face him, but a friendly touch isn’t foreign to either of you. “You’re the gross one, Y/N.” 

“Oh, shut up,” you giggle, holding the shot out in front of him and teasingly shaking the plastic bottle. You sing song, “The night’s not getting any younger either.”  

Nodding in acknowledgment, Jeonghan smirks and shares a few words, “Cheers to our last summer before we’re miserable college students. Cheers to fewer hours spent in the heat at this country club. Cheers to our everlasting friendship.” 

With his final words, you’re both knocking back your shots, groaning in unison as the spicy drink burns and settles in your stomach, instantly warming your body at the sensation. Your face scrunches up at the taste and Jeonghan can’t help but laugh uncontrollably.

“Stop it,” you whine, your voice a bit hoarse from the alcohol but smiling nonetheless. “You aren’t any better than me. Anyways, that's enough for me tonight.”

“True,” Jeonghan contemplates, but he’s quick to poke you. “But I didn’t struggle as bad as you did.” 

“Touché,” you hum, nudging Jeonghan’s shoulder excitedly as a warning firework darts into the sky, indicating the show will be beginning shortly. “It’s starting!” 

“Alright, alright,” Jeonghan is groaning at your bony elbow yet again digging into him, but he’s delighted by your excitement regardless, shoving you back as you begin to readjust for the show. “Calm down, it’s nothing crazy.” 

“No, Jeonghan,” you grin, turning your head to fully make eye contact with his wide eyes, joy flickering in your own as you peer at your best friend. “It’s nothing crazy, but it’s absolutely so special because once again we get to enjoy it here together.” 

Your emphasis on the word together almost makes him shiver, a foreign feeling rushing through him as you continue to gaze at him with those wild eyes of yours, gulping as he hesitantly nods, even though he wholeheartedly agrees it is special, but he’s not exactly sure why. “Very true,” and as if on cue, the fireworks show begins, relief flooding through him as you redirect your gaze and squeal in excitement. 

Jeonghan doesn’t understand why, but his heart pounds in his chest throughout the entire show. He thinks maybe it’s the alcohol (you and he rarely have dared to sneak alcohol before), maybe it’s the overstimulation of the fireworks, maybe it’s the thrill of knowing the golf course guards could spot you any year and escort you away, or maybe it’s the way your knee keeps brushing his thigh reminding him of just how close you two are. How much you are together here alone, just like every other summer. 

It’s a feeling he decides to ignore for the rest of the fireworks, letting himself lay back on the damp grass with you and listening as you enthusiastically point out your favorite fireworks, bickering with you when he thinks a different type of firework is prettier. 

It’s a feeling he continues to ignore as the finale comes and goes, chest fluttering at the way your eyes sparkle with golden reflections of the fireworks in the sky, and once again quickly redirecting his gaze to anything but you. 

It’s a feeling he tries his damnedest to ignore as you both continue to lay in the grass post-fireworks. Neither one of you making the first move to go home. Maybe you thought this would be the final moment of normalcy between you and Jeonghan before starting university, knowing that all friendships are bound to change with such a new chapter. Maybe he thought he’d figure out whatever it was he was feeling if he just stayed here with you a moment longer. 

It’s a feeling he struggles to ignore as you both fall into deep conversation. The one shot of alcohol makes you both loose-lipped as you reminisce on embarrassing high school stories. Reminiscing on your shitty boyfriend who broke up with you before the summer. Reminiscing on your years of friendship. 

It’s a feeling he no longer can ignore when you roll over, lips pouting and eyes teary as you start to feel emotional about your recent breakup. Something in him feels like it shatters when you ask, “Have you ever been in love before, Hannie?” 

[presidentdisastraofgallifrey]

A Blind Eye liveblog

Romana just outright telling this conductor guy she's the President of Gallifrey, she's so chaotic

And THEN she acts all horrified (justifiably) at the idea of being married to Arkadian, so the poor flustered man does in fact call her Madame President

And the way she has to fight with herself to refer to Arkadian as a gentleman

I hate him so muuuuuuch

"Discretion advised" uh-huh. That was never going to happen

Now that I know Charley, and know how Romana knows Charley, Cissy being here hits so much harder

I love that she brought Leela

Love Leela insulting Cissy

And immediately tying up the conductor I mean Torvald I mean...

Do you know that she tries/threatens to kill him three separate ways in this story?

"Madame, the Alps are in the other direction." "Are they? Damn"

"You'll break it!" "I'll break you in a minute" <3

"You brought that savage to an embargoes time zone?" as if she hasn't definitely been here with the Doctor before

Speaking of, are they implying that WWII specifically is embargoed because there's too great a risk someone would try to undo it and ruin the timeline? Or am I reading too far into this?

Leela's speech gives me chills! She's so delightfully vicious! And something about the idea of her making an excuse and Romana knowing she's lying but shrugging it off is hot

Ha! They're too alive via "I don't black out"

Romana is sooooo Doctor-like sometimes. Calling it "your gadget" and then snapping "I know what it is!" when reminded of the name

Oh, Cissy is so horribly chilling

"Then who is dragging who down?" You go, Leela!

Her pouty, false innocence is such a thing; I wish Leela got to stab her

Torvald playing a Nazi is so on the nose but so good

First, we have no sense for what he looked like in his first regeneration but playing a young Nazi romancing Cissy tells us exactly what he looks like and how he carries himself

Second, his disgust/boredom at her "Jew-hating" but then immediately showing disgust at lesser species

Third, Torvald really is nasty. Like, Andred doesn't even come close in throwing around a few slurs at Leela. He's also apparently a one-man conspiracy

"Ugh, I give up, agreed." "Really?"

They leave their own planet so rarely none of them even realize that Joy should be much more alarmed by all this

I don't think I realized the first time that Narvin is actually considering prosecuting Romana for this

Oh, Leela...is she actually right? If she killed Torvald here and now, would Andred still be himself?

Narvin is fine with the idea of Romana getting shot apparently--and it comes up TWICE

Oh, I forgot about this! We really should get more into the fact that there is an intergalactic market for people and things from dictatorships

I remain convinced that Romana had no idea if she would be willing to let them all die or not, and still doesn't know because Andred caved

Torvald asking Cissy if she knows how to break a fall and then immediately breaking his own legs lol

Oooh, there's that Imperiatrix word again. Is it baked into Romana's blood like Pandora is, or are there rumors about her that seep in from the future?

Torvald is the actual worst, but he does actually sort of have a point about her nepotism

"I never lie!" you liar

"I see you, I see my enemy in my enemy's clothes" :'(

I'm so proud of Leela for her strength here

I do wonder what Narvin feels here about Torvald/Andred. I know we talk about Torvin with varying degrees of seriousness, but I can actually see Narvin having an interest in Andred-as-Torvald far more than what we see of Torvald as himself, who is halfway to being a far-right renegade and generally a superior asshole, which is not a type of person Narvin seems to enjoy (the superior asshole part or the renegade part more than political side at this point)

But also...

There was a plot, there was truth into what Andred was looking into, Torvald just said so

But he found nothing

Was it really just a one-man conspiracy?

Also also, that means he threw away his life for nothing at all

Also also also, why exactly was this Andred's responsibility to take care of? The Chancellery Guard are the front-facing cops, not the secret police or spies or anything

The one thing I still don't get was why Cissy was going to kill herself originally; it sounded almost like a whim, like she just had nothing better to do

I do like her ending; she's changed, a bit, she realizes she's been an awful person her sister would hate, but she's not really a better person now. She's still selfish and self-pitying

Oh, that clock ticking at the end!

[naushtheaspiringauthor]

~Invisible String~

Bob Reynolds x Narissa Andersen (oc!)

Chapter-3

Chapter-2 / Chapter-1 Warnings- None Summary- After getting trapped inside the vault with four strange people; A dime store Captain America, An ex Red Room spy, a woman who can walk through walls, and Bob, Nessa's supposedly last mission transforms into something completely unexpected. A/N- I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope u have fun reading it:))) Lemme know if you'd like to be added to the taglist! And any form of feedback is appreciated. Word count- 1,872

“Who are you?” Ghost tilted her head in confusion as she asked the mysterious man.

“I’m-I’m Bob” he stammered, briefly wiping a hand over his face. “I told you”.

“Uh yeah-” he shrugged. “Uh Bob” he said, once again.

Nessa glanced at the man, lips parted in confusion.

“Jesus Christ stop saying Bob” said John.

“Who sent you Bob?” asked Yelena.

“Nobody,” Bob shuddered. “Why would I be sent?”.

He then widened his eyes in realisation, “Where you all-” he briefly pointed his hand towards them. “You were all sent?”.

“I'm not sure what's going on here, but you're all exhausting and my job is done.”

Ghost spoke up, putting her gun down as she turned to leave.

Yelena quickly turned to her, “Ah but you see my job” she pointed the gun at her. “Is to keep an eye on you so no, you’re not gonna go anywhere anymore”.

“So you’re keeping an eye on her huh?” Walker spoke up. “That’s a halfway decent cover for someone stealing assets from OXE’.

Nessa raised an eyebrow, “Bullshit dude” she spoke.

They all turned to her.

“You’re the one stealing from OXE” She pointed a hand at Walker.

“No I’m not,” he shrugged.

“No wait” Yelena pointed a finger at Ghost. “She’s the one who’s stealing”. 

Nessa glanced at all of them, confusion spreading over her features, “What the hell’s going on?” she asked.

Yelena’s gaze softened, she closed her eyes briefly. “Okay” she began as she put her gun up, raising a hand.

“It’s clear we’ve all worked for Valentina in some sort of shadow ops capacity” said Yelena. 

“So what?” asked Walker.

“So all of this” Yelena waved towards the room, “Is OXE’s secrets”.

“But so are we”.

“Oh” Nessa said out loud, realization hitting her like a punch across the jaw.

“Which makes us the liabilities in all this” Ghost nodded in agreement.

“Speak for yourself,” said Walker.

“We’re the evidence, and this is the shredder” said Yelena. 

“She wants us gone”.

That damned woman, Nessa thought to herself. 

Despite all her stealth and efforts, Valentina had somehow found out about Nessa’s little quest.

But instead of going straight to her, she thought of the best possible way to get her out of the line.

An effortless, clean way to get rid of her.

“Your theory is flawed,” said Walker, still in disbelief.

Nessa rolled her eyes.

“Oh please,” said Yelena.

“Fine,” said Walker. “Let’s look at the facts” he began pacing.

"The infamous ghost” he turned to the woman. “A SHIELD reject on the run across fifteen nations”.

“Dead girl over there” he pointed at the masked woman. “She destroyed half of Budapest”.

“Don't talk about her that way” Yelena muttered.

“And you,” Walker then turned to Yelena. “A former Red room assassin”.

“God only knows the blood on your hands”.

“But” he halted. “Why are you here?” he turned to Nessa. “Former SHIELD agent, Avenger,” he briefly tilted his head.

“how’d you get caught up in all this?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“None of your business, third copy Captain America” Nessa said, placing her hands on her hips.

“Jeez” he said, wincing briefly.

Ghost and Yelena began grinning.

“Well I-” he began. “I want you to know I was actually the official Captain America so” he waved a hand.

“Yeah for like two seconds” said Yelena.

“Before you publicly murdered an innocent man in the streets” Nessa pointed out.

“Define innocent” he argued.

 “Hey look” he raised his hand. “I’m a decorated war veteran, okay?”.

“I have a loving wife and son..” he continued bragging.

Nessa tuned out his voice and looked around. Her gaze fell upon the mysterious man.

Bob, she corrected herself.

He looked at her the same time as she did, his gaze meeting hers.

The world faded away.

She felt it then, briefly, the tug of a string.

Pulling at the edges of her tired, worn out heart.

Her gaze softened, a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, almost subconsciously.

His expression matched hers.

“You guys are just cheap mercenaries, alright?” Walker’s voice came back into focus.

“So clearly I wasn’t supposed to bring you in” he said, beaming with pride.

“Wow man” Nessa said, shaking her head. “If only you had any useful skills as much as you have confidence”.

Yelena and Ava grinned.

“Yeah wow, we needed that” Yelena said as she continued to grin.

“It was getting pretty tense in here” Bob’s voice came from a corner, slow and hesitant. 

Nessa looked at him 

He was smiling 

She let out a chuckle.

But his smile faded just as Walker began to glare at him with sheer annoyance.

“I’m not leaving here without completing my mission,” Walker said.

“Valentina gave me a clean slate guarantee and I’m not gonna blow it”.

Nessa raised an eyebrow with an expression that read, oh really?

“But this weirdo wasn’t part of the job” he glanced at Bob who stood in a corner, fiddling with his sleeve. “So I need to know,” he cocked his head.

“How’d you get in?”.

Nessa shifted her focus towards Bob, curious to know the same.

But the doe-eyed man only shook his head, curls falling near his eyes as he responded, “I don’t know”.

"Terrific answer,” said Walker.

He then turned to Yelena and Ghost, “Alright, tie yourselves up”.

Yelena shook her head, irritated by his arrogance.

“Wow," said Ghost. “no”.

“And goodbye” she switched her mask back on and began walking towards one of the doors.

The rest of them stood in silence, watching her walk away.

Suddenly, a loud high-pitched screech exploded in Nessa’s ears.

She pressed her palms to her ears, gritting her teeth as the sound flooded in her head.

Ghost appeared in front of them again, her gun dropped from her hand as she pressed her hands to her ears.

The sound stopped shortly after.

They all removed their hands from their ears and looked around at each other.

Ghost took deep shaky breaths as she took her mask off.

‘Woa-oh” Bob’s voice came from a far corner.

Nessa turned to him.

“You guys hear that?” he asked.

Nessa nodded

His gaze shifted towards her. 

His expression was gentle, as the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

He furrowed his brows as his gaze landed on the side of her face, “Are you- you alright?” he asked.

Nessa realised what he was talking about. A bruise had begun to form near her jaw where she’d been hit, she could feel the pain blooming inside now.

“Oh, yeah” she nodded. “I’ll be okay, don't worry” she offered him a smile, small but reassuring.

Slowly, hesitantly, he stepped out from the corner, closer to her.

“I’m-” she pursed her lips briefly. "I'm Nessa” she tilted her head briefly.

He nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. “Yeah I know you”.

“I mean I don’t really know you-” he interjected. “It’s just-”he lifted a shoulder. “I’ve heard about you”.

“And I've seen you on the news once” he nodded.

Nessa parted her lips, nodding in understanding.

“You’re-” he began. “You’re really cool” he grinned slightly. 

Nessa’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Oh” she said.

“I don’t really” she lifted a shoulder. “Do that stuff anymore, you know…” she pursed her lips. “The hero thing”.

“Still-” Bob nodded. “Like, you’re still cool though” he smiled as he tilted his head, lifting a shoulder.

Nessa felt her heartbeat grow loud,ever so slightly. “Oh” she said.

"I-um” she waved her hand uselessly. ‘Thank you,” she offered him a smile.

He nodded, grinning slightly.

“Hey job or not, could you have some respect please?’ Yelena's voice cut through the conversation.

Both Nessa and Bob turned to see Walker and Ghost plucking off the dead masked woman’s weapons like a pair of vultures.

“Oh Jesus,” said Walker as he strutted towards the woman, picking up a gun.

Yelena raised a hand in question.

“What? She’d want me to have it” he said.

“I need it”

Nessa rolled her eyes, pressed her lips in annoyance.

Suddenly, the room turned red and a series of alarms began blaring.

Nessa put her hand in front of Bob.

“The hell’s that?” Walker asked.

“Doesn’t sound like a shredder,” said Ghost.

“More like an incinerator” Nessa added, as she realised it.

“Two minutes” Yelena turned to a timer counting down.

“Then Valentina’s plate is cleaned”.

“You don’t know that for sure,” Walker interjected. “It could be anything”.

“It could be for when they come to pick me up”.

Nessa pressed her palm to her forehead, “Dude how big of an idiot can you be?” she groaned.

“You feel that?” Ava turned to him. “The temperature rising dramatically as if heat is involved?”.

Walker then shifted uncomfortably before finally accepting, “Well it is an incinerator".

“Oh boy, that is not a way to go,” Bob said from behind Nessa.

She looked at him.

“Oh yeah?” Walker spoke, yet again. 

“How would you like to die, Bob?”

“Shut up asshole” Nessa snapped at him.

“Alright Ghost Lady” Yelena began.

“Ava” the woman corrected her. 

“Sure whatever, I don't care”.

“We need to help you phase through these walls so you can open the door”.

“She already tried,” Walker added.

“I know she did, but we haven’t tried shutting down the sound barrier” Yelena reasoned.

“They built it just for her,” Nessa began. “So there must be an independent power source” she realised.

“Come on let’s go” Yelena nodded to her.

Nessa paced around, searching for the power source.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Bob asked from somewhere behind Nessa.

“We’re looking for, not stupid questions, Bob,” Walker responded.

Nessa’s brows knit together.

“I think I found it!” Yelena’s voice rang out.

Nessa and Ava ran towards her.

Ava used a piece of metal to pry the barrier to the power source open.

“Alright I can override this” said Yelena.

But before she could move towards it, Nessa jerked her left hand towards the glowing box in the wall, sending a blast it's way.

“Well that works” Yelena waved a hand.

“Go go go” Nesa turned to Ava who then rushed towards one of the doors.

Nessa ignored the pounding in her chest as she saw the woman phase out and the time running out.

She glanced at the timer

20 seconds

“You think she’s gonna come back?” Bob asked her.

But she could only offer him a shrug and a sombre gaze.

Nessa stared ahead

She exhaled deeply as she closed her eyes.

The sound of the timer, the bright red lights, the people around, it all faded away.

The world faded away

She was standing in front of her now. Her golden curls blowing in the wind.

“I can finally make it up to you” the voice deep inside Nessa’s heart spoke as she gazed at the girl in front of her.

But the girl only looked at Nessa, her jaw set, “Not yet” she said.

Suddenly, a loud alarm blared out.

“Come on!” a voice rang out to her right, Bob’s voice.

He gripped her hand and rushed towards the door.

Taglist- @sunflower-0180 @unavoidabledirewolf

[meldarkthrop]

Francesca and Michael from the Bridgerton series remind me of Elucien at some points.

Michael is an ex rake; a charming, sarcastic and handsome man, who is the spare, not the heir. Lucien coded.

Francesca is the sixth sibling, quiet, elegant and beautiful; often ignored or overlooked by her family, but she possesses a dry sort of humour. Elain coded.

Obviously, there are differences in the story, but here are some moments from When he was wicked by Julia Quinn that are not just giving Elucien vibes, but fit Elain and Lucien individually as well:

• "In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and clear that one feels as if one’s been hit in the chest, all the breath knocked out, and one knows, absolutely knows without the merest hint of a shadow of a doubt that one’s life will never be the same.

For Michael Stirling, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton."

So very 'Lucien meeting Elain's gaze for the first time' coded.

—

I can imagine Lucien telling this to Elain

• “I can’t bear this halfway existence,” he said, his voice so low she wasn’t certain she’d heard correctly.

—

Francesca talking about her family overlooking her. Also the banter here could fit Elucien. Lucien teasing her and Elain glaring at him.

• “It’s as if I don’t exist,” she said, irritated enough to shoot him her most ferocious glare.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say—”

“Oh, yes,” she said with great flair, “Francesca.”

“Frannie…” He sounded quite amused now.

“Has someone told Francesca?” she said, doing a rather fine group impression of her family. “Remember her? Sixth of eight? The one with the blue eyes?”

“Frannie, don’t be daft.”

“I’m not daft, I’m just ignored.”

“I rather thought you liked being a bit removed from your family.”

“Well, yes,” she grumbled, “but that’s beside the fact.”

“Of course,” he murmured.

She glared at him for his sarcasm.

—

This screams Lucien Vanserra

• She didn’t have to love him. But she did have to feel free. Free to be happy.

Because if she wasn’t happy…

Well, that would kill him. He could live without her love, but not without her happiness.

—

Francesca's confession to Michael. Now tell me this isn't Elain confessing to Lucien—

• She looked up at him, her eyes bright. “I love you.”

Michael touched her cheek. “I have no idea what I did to deserve you,” he said.

“You didn’t have to do anything,” she whispered. “You just had to be.” She reached up and touched his cheek, the gesture a perfect mirror of his own. “It just took me a while to realize it, that’s all.”

—

This quote from Michael = Lucien gets emotional over finally having a happy ending with his mate.

• “For the rest of my life,” he vowed, “I will love you. For the rest of my life. I promise you. I will lay down my life for you. I will honor and cherish you. I will—” He was choking on the words, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to tell her. He just wanted her to know.

“Let’s go home,” she said softly.

—

And a letter in the epilogue where Francesca's previous mother-in-law talks about them:

"I do not profess to understand metaphysics, and in truth, I rarely have patience for those who claim that they do, but there is an understanding between the two of you, a meeting of the minds and souls that exists on a higher plane.

You were, it is clear, born for each other."

/end quotes

I just—

[amijulesenough]

untie my tongue (ch. 4) | luke hemmings

idk man i've been possessed by a writing demon or smth. enjoy bc this doesn't happen often lmao

- word count: 1.4k -

Thursday and Friday fade into obscurity, with me nursing my bruised heart and ego as I finish up another work week. Saturday offers an opportunity to shuck off the memories of heartache resulting from emotional maturity. Being a responsible adult is pure anguish, at times.

Natalie has me at some sort of girls night at a local coffee shop-slash-bar. We’re discussing literature, and I’m explaining, with the help of a haphazard slideshow, why Jane Eyre is the best classic and everyone should read it.

“But, see, that’s what makes it so great-” I giggle, realizing I’ve probably had one margarita too many tonight, “She- he- she hears him from across the moor-”

“You explained that part already,” one of the girls teases- I think it’s Nat’s cousin- “Why do they have that connection, anyway?”

“Oh, I see,” I shake my hands as if to start afresh, “So, essentially, Jane and Edward are-” my breath catches audibly when I grab a glimpse of golden curls and ocean eyes watching me halfway across the room. He waves at me to continue my rambling.

“They- they,” I whip my head back and forth, as if shaking an etch-a-sketch, “Uhm. Jane reaches into Edward’s heart and he loves the way she views the world. I’m… Sorry guys, I think I’ve had too much to drink tonight. I’m not making any sense.”

“Not at all,” Natalie snorts, coaxing me out of the spotlight, “You seemed to get distracted right there at the end. What’s up?”

But I’m not looking at Natalie, my heart and eyes are trained solely on the sunshine-haired boy walking in my direction. Natalie follows my gaze, smiling when she sees Luke.

“Hey, Lu,” she greets, “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Max said you’d be here,” he responds, eyes on me.

“You’re looking for me?” she asks, then glances at me, and realization hits, “Oh, Adelaide.”

“Yes,” he murmurs, trying to meet the gaze I refuse to point at his eyes, “Mind if we talk alone a moment?”

“She’s all yours,” Natalie offers me to him with a gentle nudge, “Have at her.”

Once she’s out of earshot, Luke’s face melts into something like despair. “I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” I ask, leaning against the counter, my stomach clenching in anticipation.

“Ads. I can’t not be with you. I wake up thinking of you, wishing you were in my arms. I see you in my dreams, dancing in your floral sundresses, hair windswept and cheeks flushed. I find myself zoning out during important meetings, imagining spinning you around the kitchen instead of sitting with agents and producers. I need to be with you as much as possible before I leave. I know it will hurt. But the joy we will have as a result will be worth every bit of pain we endure.”

My throat feels like barbed wire is wrapped around it. “Luke.” I swallow roughly, utilizing all self-control to keep my eyes from leaking. “Shit. I can’t tell you no when you’re standing in front of me looking like a lost puppy.”

His eyes crinkle. “What does that mean?”

My resolve melts like spring snow. “I… also need to be with you, if only for a moment. It’s been tearing me up inside knowing that the man of my dreams is right in front of me, but to claim him would be like falling into a mouse trap. But… I think you’re right. Let’s make the most of the couple of weeks we have together.”

“We’ll make thirteen days feel like forever,” he takes my hand gently and presses his lips to my knuckles, “And then some.”

“I wish we had forever,” I murmur, letting him pull me into an intimate embrace.

“Me too, sweetheart.”

I know I can’t, but the thought of resting here, against his strong chest, breathing in his sandalwood perfume for eternity is more enticing than anything else in the world.

“I think your friends want your attention, love,” he kisses the top of my head.

“Right. Nat’s gonna kill me for not telling her about you.”

“Good luck,” he pulls away from me, throwing a mock-salute my way as I walk back to the group.

As I predicted, Nat grabs hold of my shoulders and shakes me like a ragdoll. “Adelaide! Clair! Archer! You and Luke? What?!”

I giggle senselessly, the tequila and Luke’s affection making my head fuzzy. “Sorry. I didn’t think anything was going to come of it, but apparently neither of us can stay away from each other.”

“Did you guys… like, hook up or something?” Her brows are screwed in confusion.

“Oh, no! Goodness, no. We’ve just been, well, seeing each other, I guess. Talking and catching up. Spending time together. And we just realized we’re very compatible.”

“Except for the fact that he’s moving across the country in two weeks.”

“Well, yes. That’s why I tried to end things but we both feel like we would rather spend the next two weeks together instead of regretting what never happened.”

Natalie shakes her head, her caramel-colored face crinkling as she grins incredulously. “You crazy kids. You’re both gonna end up heartbroken.”

I nod. “I know. But there’s something beyond attraction here, Nat. Luke is so wonderfully introspective and we conjure up the most fascinating conversations together. He’s deep, he’s poetic, he’s sensitive. He’s safe, you know?”

“Oh, I know, hon,” she laughs, “Neither of us can escape the high school sweetheart disease, apparently. Luke was pretty sweet on you in school, wasn’t he?”

“You know, he told me so, but I swear I must have been the only one who didn’t see it.”

“Must have,” she pats my arm, “Go on, go home. You spend your time with Luke; you guys deserve each other.”

“Thank you, Nat. Thanks for tonight.”

“Not a problem. You keep me updated now,” she jabs her index finger into my chest.

“Will do,” I salute before snagging my bag and moving back to the bar, where Luke watches me in amusement.

“You’re cute when you’re drunk,” he states mildly, his lips quirked up.

“Not, drunk,” I flick some curls behind my shoulder, “Just a little tipsy.”

“Right,” he says, “Want a ride home, tipsy?”

I narrow my eyes at him challengingly. “I would have accepted without the nickname.”

“Okay, would you like a ride home, darling?” He clasps my hand, pressing his peachy lips to my knuckles, “Is that better?”

I swallow thickly. “Mm. Much more befitting and gentlemanly.”

“Noted,” he wraps an arm around my waist, “Is that a yes, then?”

“Yes, I accept your offer to drive me home.”

“Fabulous. Let’s move out, then, shall we?”

“We shall.”

---

When we land back at my pad, Jellyfish is shockingly out and about, waiting to welcome us at the front door. She gives Luke a critical side eye, moving just out of his reach when he walks in. 

“Oh, there’s the other one,” he grins, carrying me into the house bridal-style, “I think she’s scandalized, Ads.”

I glance down at my tuxedo furbaby. “Jelly, this is not what it looks like.”

“Jelly, this is exactly what it looks like,” Luke hauls me to the living room and plops me on the couch, “I’m in love with your mother.”

Jelly follows us from a distance, her amber eyes reproachful as she watches our antics. I giggle as Luke falls down beside me, his flaxen curls all askew and baby blues alight with jubilance.

“In love with me?” I muse, tracing my fingers down his stubbled jawline, “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“Tell me why it wouldn’t be,” he cups my cheek gingerly, pecking my lips and leaving the lingering taste of strawberry chapstick.

“Hmm,” I hum into his kiss, “You don’t know me that well.”

“I grew up with you. I know you from years past. And I’ve got the next few weeks to catch up on what I missed.”

I melt underneath his devotion and loving words. “Lu…” I sigh, allowing him to pepper kisses down my throat, “How are you real?”

“M’real,” he murmurs, “M’here with you.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a prone embrace. “Just… be here. With me. Right here.”

Luke pauses his affections before readjusting me to be his little spoon. “Just us, here right now. You n me, sweetheart.”

“You n me,” I echo, my head resting against his t-shirt-clad clavicle.

[bearwriting]

Topstitch

Start Here Previous Chapter

Summary: Bruised and bloodied, you end up with the last person you thought you'd turn to, and now you're on the road with him.

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: Cursing

Next Chapter

You opened your mouth to protest, but he had already hauled your duffel over his shoulder and was halfway out the door. When he realized you weren’t behind him, he turned back to face you.

“Well? I don’t have all day,” he drawled.

You gave him the dirtiest look you could manage, but he hadn’t left you much choice.

Making your way into the parking lot, you and Sweeney fell into the familiar rhythm of sniffing out cars that would be easy to steal and hopefully wouldn’t be missed. Your hand instinctively went to the pocket of the hoodie Sweeney had given you and you sighed when the familiar weight of your keys wasn’t there. Your car was missing in action after the Jötnar had done gods knew what to get rid of it. Fortunately, you had been smart enough to take it to Circe when you’d gotten it to have her help you ward it. She had cast the proper protection spells but had also shown you a nifty little locator spell that you could use if it was ever separated from you. If the car was somewhere it could be found, the locator spell would point you in the right direction. If the car was at the bottom of a lake or stripped for parts, the spell would simply wink out.

Gods, you hoped they’d only sold it. The idea of your beloved car sitting at the bottom of a lake or being completely taken apart made you nauseous.

Sweeney waved you over to a particularly shitty old Toyota Corolla that he had popped open. He slung your duffel into the trunk and folded himself into the driver’s seat.

“So where’d you stash the old man’s trinket?” He asked when you had settled into the passenger seat beside him.

You shook your head. “Before we do that, we need to find my car.”

Sweeney stared at you. “And how d’you plan to do that? Do you have any idea where it is?”

You gave him a look. “Do you seriously think I’d get a car like that and not have a locator spell on it?”

He huffed. “Well, excuse the shit outta me, I didn’t realize you were a witch now.”

You swallowed the urge to clock him, forcing yourself to remember that he was the reason you were alive right now and not dead in a ditch on a backroad.

“I was not the one that put the spells and wards on it, dickhead. I took it to Circe.”

“Oh.”

“She just taught me the locator spell and how to maintain the wards. Bet you feel like a dick now, huh.”

His mouth pressed into a thin line and he stayed silent.

“I can do the spell now before we hit the road, just give me like fifteen minutes.”

He grunted and pulled out a cigarette, stepping out and leaning against the car to smoke while you worked and the scent of cloves filled your nostrils.

Asshole, you thought. Yet, despite your annoyance, you found yourself replaying the feeling of his warm hands carefully caressing your face as he dressed your wounds. Replaying the fuzzy memory of his bright green eyes filled with worry and anger on your behalf and the way all pretense of not being able to stand each other fell away as he tried to keep you alive. Your cheeks grew warm at the memory and you snuck a glance at him as he leaned against the car, puffing lazily at his cigarette.

“Goddammit,” you muttered to yourself, shaking your head to clear your thoughts.

Pushing all thoughts of Mad Sweeney aside, you turned your focus to the task at hand. You weren’t sure entirely how the spell worked. Other locator spells you had seen used burned away a map until the only thing that was left was the place they were looking for or had used a pendulum to indicate the whereabouts of what was being looked for. The spell that Circe had used didn’t involve a map at all. She had explained to you that your end of the spell would connect with the magic in the car and would just sort of…deposit a vision of the vehicle into your head. You’d never tried it before and you were nervous that it wouldn’t work. There was warding magic on that car that even the old man couldn’t wrap his head around and it kept you protected from all sorts of nasty things. You didn’t know what you would do if you couldn’t get it back.

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, letting yourself begin to drift into the space between sleep and wakefulness.

You had almost settled completely into your meditative state when Sweeney knocked on the window, jerking you out of your reverie.

“What’s takin’ you so long?” He asked. “We got places to go.”

You ground your teeth and stuck your head out the window. “If you would just shut up, I’ll be able to do this faster.”

He held his hands up and returned to brooding over his cigarette. You leaned back into the seat, once again letting your mind settle in the in-between space. You held an image of your car in your mind, focusing on the tiny details and the things that made it yours, like the protection sigils hanging from the rearview mirror or the small hole on the passenger seat that had been burned into the upholstery the first and only time Sweeney had broken your “no cigs in the car” rule. In his defense, you had slapped a lit cigarette out of his hand when you realized what he was doing, but if he hadn’t lit it in the first place, you wouldn’t have had to smack him.

With the image and the details in your mind, you began to repeat the make and model of the car, along with the name you had given it, and projected your intention to find it as much as you could, as per Circe’s instructions.

An image of your car flashed through your mind, beautiful and shining, with the skeeziest-looking dude you had ever seen sitting in the driver’s seat.

Thirty miles east in the parking lot of a Circle K, came a voice at the back of your mind.

Blinking out of your trance, you stuck your head out the window again. “Strange things afoot at the Circle K,” you said to him.

He stared at you blankly.

“Really?” You asked. “Bill and Ted? Most excellent?”

He shook his head and you sighed in exasperation. “Okay, there’s a movie night in our future.”

He looked at you in surprise. You were surprised at yourself, but you pressed on, ignoring the subtle shift in the energy between the two of you. “Car’s thirty miles east at a Circle K. The Jötnar sold her to the slimiest motherfucker I’ve seen in a while and I just know that asshole is stinking up my upholstery with cigarettes.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Thirty miles seems awfully close.”

You shrugged. “I dunno, but can we get a move on? He’s as like as any to be gone by the time we get there.”

Sweeney opened the door and folded his lanky form into the driver’s seat. “Do ye have any idea how many Circle Ks are along the next thirty miles? How will we know which one is the right one?”

You shrugged. “Go thirty miles and find a Circle K that’s got a gorgeous car and a scumbag in her driver’s seat. ”

He grunted and started the car, peeling out of the lot. “Dunno why I thought you’d have an actual plan.”

You glared at him. “I gave you our next steps, seems like a plan to me.”

“What if he’s gone? What if it’s the wrong Circle K?” He demanded.

“Then I do the fucking spell again,” you snapped.

“How much time are we going to waste looking for your damn car?”

You took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of your nose as you squeezed your eyes shut. “However long we need,” you said, your voice tight with annoyance. “The old man’s been alive for millennia, waiting on us for a little ain’t gonna kill him.”

“No, but it might kill us,” Sweeney grumbled.

You smiled smugly. “You, maybe. The old man loves me, as far as he’s concerned I can do no wrong.”

“Must be nice,” he said bitterly.

“It is.”

His lip curled in a sneer.

“Look,” you said, “I’m not doing anything until I find my fucking car. If you need to go to Eagle Point, no one is stopping you. I didn’t ask you to come with me, you did this to yourself. If you want to go, by all fucking means.” You refused to acknowledge the twinge in your chest at the idea of him leaving you.

He didn’t say anything, but pressed his foot to the gas a little harder. “I’m not leaving you by yourself,” he said quietly. “But if Grim—“

“Don’t say his fucking name,” you barked. “I don’t care if it’s not his true name or what the fuck ever. Names have power. You’re one of the Fair Folk, aren’t you? Why do I have to explain this to you?”

“Be serious. Are you really going to refer to him only as—“

“As the old man? Yeah. Names have power and he certainly does not need any more.”

“Fine. If the old man tries to string me up for it, I’m throwing you under the bus,” he said.

You cocked your head to the side and looked at him for a moment. He wasn’t looking at you, his eyes were on the road, but the tips of his ears had the barest hint of a blush.

“No, you’re not,” you said finally. “You won’t do that.”

His eyes stayed on the road. “Are you so sure of that?”

You turned your gaze to the road in front of you. “Your ears go pink when you lie.”

tagged: @@imaginethatneathuhpartdos @kind-wolf

[shoechoe]

oh yeah, i'll give my personal ranking of Bojack seasons from worst to best

Season 1 - This season is the weakest for all the reasons people say it is. The first few episodes are very "adult cartoon"-y with most of the important stuff just being establishing future episodes. I give the first half of this season some grace because it seems like they weren't really sure if the series was going to go on as long as it did so they were just doing goofy stuff until they could head in with the nukes. The emotional peaks are still extremely strong and I'm honestly quite fond of the payoff of sitting through the season until episode 8 hits and you realize it's turning into something a lot more than what you came in expecting.

Season 6 - Sort of mixed feelings on this one because while it has some of the most impactful things in the entire series and the finale is probably my favorite episode in the whole show, you can really feel some of the unfinished plot points and rushed character arcs in ways you don't feel for the rest of the show. I did not care about the detective characters at all lol.

I do have a specific criticism in that I feel like a lot of the final relationships weren't as developed as they could've been and once a character landed on their "endgame" relationship the show didn't really Show them together much. I felt disappointed that Judah's character kinda ended right when he confessed to Princess Carolyn. That being said Bojack's entire arc goes incredibly crazy hard

Season 5 - The main thing I really didn't care for was that I did not like how Flip's behavior was basically uncommented on despite him being both an abuser and kind of an enabler for Bojack (the "turn the camera back on" moment...) other than that it's a really good season and the experimental plots are very good

Season 4 - This season was basically a bit of a breather for "Bojack traumatizing people" while pretty much everyone else in the main cast gets wrecked. Time's Arrow is in the top 3 for best episodes in the series for me (alongside The View From Halfway Down and Escape From L.A.). Some of the side plots were a little weak considering the governor thing just fizzles out from my memory but still a really really strong season as a whole (obviously since it's Bojack)

Season 2 - Not much unique to say here. Very strong and tastefully-handled depiction of grooming, especially since it was the main character doing it. Does a lot of stuff masterfully that I feel like most television shows just can't. I will never forget the absolute dread Escape from LA made me feel

Season 3 - Again not much unique to say. Excellent episode after excellent episode and the final two episodes are both devastating and fantastic. Also I want to stop writing now because my hands are freezing it is cold as shit in here

[hinamie]

oh my god ok so i know im late I didn't talk about it because it happened during one of my Offline Eras but . but listen ok lisn the new former vandal album sent me THROUgh the FUCKINNG ROOF to be fair i knew it would like i joked about going upstairs to listen to it and cry when it dropped but i didn't think that every fucking song would hit me so hard in the kokoro it made me wail because I too have immense religious guilt ANYWAY im gonna rant incoherently and at length now hope u all missed me

ok first of all gotta shout out the fuckin album title i knew it was gonna be devastating when I saw it . fuckin. divine interference????? music for god's playthings indeed i eat that shit up i was like yoooooo hes also got a bone to pick with jesus go off bestie <333

so former vandal are artists visionaries kings so ofc tracklist is all mythology n religion-inspired (lazarus/goliath/ouroboros etc) and i think its so cool that theyre all in caps until u get to the end and the final song is denial and it's in lowercase and maybe its simple but i was like ART. ARTTTTTT. and it made me go back and look at the tracklist of their previous album and I realized that the whole thing was about vices and unhealthy coping with an overwhelming and forsaken existence but then the final song was Get Right (still my go-to comfort song to this day tbh tbh tbh) and it's like an acknowledgement that ok maybe none of this is the answer and something has to change anyway wrong album oops back 2 divine interference

i made a point of listening to the songs that hadnt been released as singles first so the first song i listened to was Lazarus and tbh probably my fav song on the album maybe tied with parables and maaaaybe even icarian. BUT LAZARUS SLAPS SOS SOSOOSO HARD god the theme of not knowing how to leave something behind even when it's bad for you,,, both criticizing but also mirroring the actual story of lazarus in the lyrics being like "wow kinda fucked up of god for resurrecting u without ur consent" but also acknowledging that he himself is guilty of holding onto the things that kill him.,,, GOD ITS SO FUCKING G GOOD I FDFGSADFGDG

salt also !!! BANGER not quite up there with the likes of lazarus but it gets bonus points because a. i lov the idea of starting to recognize that you're coming into yourself n an identity apart from your vices n traumas and b. for having two of the most RAW lines in the entire album imo which is reaaallly saying something: "now that everything's bright I guess I'm fine/but there's an art in the dark that took years to refine" and "the spark of divine intervention/that I'm still terrified I've left behind" (ALBUM TITLE DROP ALBUM TITLE DROP) god these two just dont miss and i love it but i am far too neurodivergent to contain myself they need to give me a break pls i am v i b r a t i n g

ok gonna move into the Chill(tm) tracks I think with goliath as well as shame/rotten I vibe more with the lyrics than the actual songs because i prefer my angsty alt pop to be Upbeat thank u very much but can i just say. the lyrics of these two songs ESPECIALLY SHAME/ROTTEN LIKE ok first of all i love the tonal shift halfway through that manages not to make them feel like completely different songs it's just jarring enough like there's been an acceptance of sorts,, like omg same i too am like 'god i feel like the scum of the earth might as well own it a bit',, "the fear of god/the need for blame" fuckin bullseye ow,, "I starve to feed the parts of me/far from who i oughta be/tell me are you proud of me yet?" FUCKIN BULLSEYE OWW

I know i just said i prefer my angst upbeat but crocodile tears (very upbeat very rock wuaw) is probably my least favourite track if i had to pick but it does have a lyrical BANGER of an opening verse ("holding the hand that's holding me under" g o d) i think i just don't dig the overall melody too much and find the ending a bit repetitive fr my tastes,, who knows though it took a while and many re-listens for ouroboros to grow on me maybe this'll b a similar story ,, but then again ouroboros had the advantage of echoing mine own mental health and self-destructive behaviours shdgj

ok so i was crying from the beginning right but the songs that made me ugly bawl were growing pains (very similar vibes to get right but in a "i know that i'm healing" way rather than a "i need to heal" way) and denial,, but starting w growing pains,, my god idk What they did with the mic/vocals after the bridge but it felt like the music was being injected directly into my ears secret direct path 2 my bloodstream god I hadnt felt chills like that in such a long time and idk just the whole Mood of the song having been hurting for so long and only now starting to recognize the damage you've done but also appreciate the progress youv made,,, i have so so many emotions but DENIAL (its funny saying it in caps bc its the only track in lowercase getit getit) oh my god ths going straight on the list of Songs That Make Me Think About My Relationship With My Dad but also Songs That Make Me Emo About All The People I've Grown Apart From and i think its so powerful to frame a personal transition away from faith as growing apart from an old friend and missing them despite any hard feelings holy shit though holy shit . the first listen by this point i had already been emotionally devastated by the Whole Album so i was like ok surely ill get a break by the last song lol nope sorry i ended up crying so hard i think i gave myself a headache

I think I must have yelled about the songs that they released as singles when they dropped individually but it's been so long that i forget what i said but honestly parables and icarian are still just as good as when i heard them for the first time (when parables dropped i spilled my tea on my fucking notes bc i was vibing too hard),, I love parables' msg of accepting the lessons ur (traumatic) past taught u and how it shaped u as a person even if u recognize that that person is someone hurt and in need of healing and maybe that has to happen alone! and i know for a fact i've gushed about icarian (still one of the most gojocore songs Ever imho dont fight me on this) but now looking at it in the context of the rest of the album i love that it's first cause it really frames the whole icarus thing of having flown too close to the sun or to god and getting burned and that pain essentially being the catalyst for the entire Journey tht the rest of the album outlines (obsessed w the fact that the next song is jaded like fr having these two songs one after the other is literally "fucked around/found out" gsfhjsh)

but all that being said not to b dramatic but this album destroyed me it rearranged something deep in my soul and i don't know who i was before it but i probably wont ever be the same :) i literally love these two so much im so appreciative of them its so rare to feel so Seen by a piece of media so to have an entire album hit so incredibly close to home for me and slap while doing so????? i feel so lucky . this entire album feels like taking the first step to address years of hurt and self destruction it feels like losing a friend it feels like finding yourself and i just . i love it so much

[robertdowneyhiddlesbatch]

Change of perspective {1/2}

Triggers: implied baby loss

Summary: Stephen's girlfriend takes a pregnancy test and reminisces how they got together.

The stick with the two lines on it was maybe the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Eliza was a realtor, so that was saying a lot. She loved, and got paid for, finding hidden jewels. That's how she had found Stephen in the first place. 

Eliza Gonzales was a top tier realtor, and true to her career, a pompous ass. Half the cast of Selling Sunset were her best friends. So when she set her sights on Greenwich Village, she wanted it. 

“Hello,” the familiar looking man answered before she even knocked on the door.

Eliza quickly tried to recall who he was. “You're… famous, aren't you?” She pointed an inquisitive finger at him. 

The man smirked. “You new to Greenwich?” his smirk told her he was intentionally being smug, and it irked her. 

Eliza chuckled to cover the scowl growing on her face. “Sort of. You haven't always lived here, have you?” For some reason, he didn't look like he belonged in an old money neighborhood. He looked like he would appreciate a penthouse better. 

“I haven't personally, no,” the man humored her and took a look back inside the house. “But it's been in the business for, well, forever.” 

Damn. “I see. Well, I was just walking by in the neighborhood and I am absolutely in awe of this beautiful brick stone. I'm sure it's equally gorgeous inside. Mind if I can get a little peak?”

“It's not for sale,” the man held the door and pulled it behind his shoulder. 

Eliza’s jaw dropped. “But I didn't…”

“I'm quite familiar with your type…”

“Well that's rude,” she didn't even try to hide her grimace as she folded her arms. 

“Says miss intrusive. Buh bye now,” he closed the door and she found herself in front of her car. What the?

Oh, did she hate this man! And she would never let him live it down. She was groveling about it for days, so her friend insisted on taking her out on a double date. Eliza dressed up to humor her friend and went, only to be blindsided when her friend's date was the man from Greenwich.

“Stephen, this is Eliza, my best friend. Izzy, this is Stephen Strange, and this is Matthew Perrywood. They're both doctors!” Janice introduced the two men. 

Eliza ignored Greenwich, who was clearly her friend's date, and smiled as she introduced herself to the one she was set up with. The plan was to not even acknowledge him, but halfway through the night, they could only acknowledge each other. Not positively, of course, as every topic of conversation was an opportunity for passionate argument for both of them. Janice tried to intervene at some point, but gave up and redirected her attention to Matthew. At some point, Janice and Matthew hit it off and left, leaving Eliza and Stephen with the bill.

After realizing they were ditched, Stephen and Eliza finally settled into silence. Stephen asked for the check and Eliza took out her wallet to split her meal, but the former doctor waved her aside and paid off the entire meal. Eliza blushed and reached out for her wallet, blindly putting her card back in before tucking her wallet back in her purse. 

“Thanks for footing the bill,” she told him as they were walking out. 

“The least I could do after ruining your date,” Stephen said, acknowledging the events of the night. 

“Well, clearly they didn't mind,” Eliza chuckled. 

“At least someone had got something out of it. I'm not really one for blind dates.”

Eliza gasped. “You didn't know her?” 

“Not before tonight. Matt dragged me out.”

“Oh. I see what happened. You were something once, weren't you?”

“Once,” she noticed he put his hands in his pockets.

“I…it's getting late. I should let you go. It's a drive back to Greenwich from here.”

“I'll catch a cab. How about you?”

“OH, I drove us here. I'll be fine. Have a good night, Dr. Strange,” she bid, heading toward her car.

“Good night,” he replied. 

She was keying into her car, parked in the lot beside the restaurant, and she saw him still standing there. He whistled, and a cab obediently pulled up, as if it was waiting for him. Eliza shrugged as she got into her own car. A cab in the first call, in New York city, was almost magic. 

The next morning was a Saturday, and she had planned to get up late, if the doorbell would let her. She groaned when the knocks started and threw off the blanket.

“I'm coming! I'm coming,” she shouted as she went down the stairs to get the door.

“Yes?” She asked sternly as she opened the door, not caring for whoever it was.

It was Stephen. 

“W-what are you doing here?” She asked, rubbing her eyes to clear up and make sure she was seeing right.

“I'm here for my wallet,” Stephen replied.

“Excuse me?” Eliza retorted.

“You took my wallet last night,” he explained.

Eliza scoffed. “Oh, you are so not accusing me of stealing!” She exclaimed and stormed into her kitchen to get her purse.

“W-well, you see how I got here…” he didn't get the chance to show her wallet in his hand. 

“Now look here, mister!” Eliza shouted as she was back with her purse.

“Doctor,” Stephen corrected her. 

“Whatever! This is clearly not,” she whipped out a wallet and thrust it in his face, but was able to clearly see it herself, “my wallet.”

Stephen smiled as she turned bright red in embarrassment of being caught in the wrong. 

“I… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to take yours. I thought I had grabbed mine!” 

“Oh, I wouldn't usually mind. It's just this one, it's an heirloom,” he pointed at the red and black checkered wallet she had again put back in her purse. 

“Ah, sorry. I'm still sleepy. Here's your wallet back,” Eliza finally handed him his item.

“Thank you. Here's yours,” he returned the favor. 

“It's still early. Wanna come in for breakfast?” She stepped aside to invite him in. 

“I won't say no,” Stephen smiled and helped himself inside. 

“Kitchen's down to the left. I'm just gonna go change real quick.”

Eliza ran upstairs to freshen up and put on some real clothes, and came downstairs to breakfast. He always made breakfast for them now, and had pared down her pompous realtor personality and made her smell some roses. Not that they didn't still quarrel. She actually loved the snide quips they shared. 

And she absolutely fell in love with the main staircase when he finally invited her in. 

But then she fell down it. And she hated it. Because it had taken away the two lines. The worst part of it all was that she was home alone.

Stephen had gone on another mission saving the world, and here she was losing hers. She had no idea how she would tell him. And if she would tell him. Normally, she didn't make an issue of him being gone most of the time. She figured that since she was busy with work too, it didn't matter much. They had made it work. 

But now her perspective had changed. Being physically alone, and then also emotionally all by herself, had her reevaluating their arrangement. Maybe he should've been home more. Maybe he should've given her more time. More attention. Maybe she wouldn't be going through this alone. Or maybe, he would have caught her when she tripped. 

But he wasn't there.  

Stephen was never there. And now it was a problem.

[nightmares-and-stars]

How I met the love of my life <3

Oh wow another long post from Starry! hehe

So I made a post about how I found out I was ficto, but I wanted to make one for how I met the most amazing girlfriend ever, my beloved Fade.

I had first started playing Valorant (the game she's from) in January of 2022 just after Neon was added to the game. Being one of my first fps after leaving Overwatch a while before that, I was going into the game by myself, learning how to play and dealing with other players who already knew the game. Being very anxious I would play only occasionally, trying to get used to it because it looked fun, but also nervous to do good every match so I didn't upset my team (thank goodness I don't feel like that anymore haha)

Anyways I had played off and on for a few months until a new agent was added near the very end of April. Fade. I had spent some time trying to unlock her, because I was immediately drawn to her character design, the sort of goth aesthetic, her pretty blue and brown eyes (I've always had a thing for people with heterochromia funny how Fade just so happened to have it hehe) and all the little cat details in her design. I'm the kind of person in games to pick characters to play solely based off how attractive I find them (not based on how well I think I'd play them haha oops)

So about halfway through trying to unlock her, I hit a bit of a burn out on Valorant. I'm struggling with the gun mechanics, not making any friends, and its just too much. So I take a break.

I can't quite remember when I actually started playing actively again after that, but I wanna say it was maybe a few months before I tried again. I slowly started getting better, enjoying the game more, and making more friends. And more importantly, I had finally gotten Fade unlocked, and oh my goodness. She was so much fun to play as. Her abilities were fun and useful, and she wasn't all that hard to get good at.

Now, me being me (and mind you at this point I still had no idea I was ficto) I had a tendency to make up scenerios in my head about dating the characters I was attracted to. I remember officially (kinda) back somewhere around Sept-Nov of 2023 I had started making these scenarios in my head about dating Fade. She even joined me on my 21st birthday trip. Month and months go by and I'm still thinking about her consistently. There's a couple other characters who pop up for a bit, but for the most part she just keeps popping up.

Its not until the last week of september 2024 when I eventually bring up all these feelings of being in love with fictional characters to my therapist. (I go more in depth on that in this post if you'd like to read! https://www.tumblr.com/nightmares-and-stars/782371308884344832/how-i-found-out-i-was-ficto)

And that's where I came to the idea of being fictosexual. And I had realized, maybe I didn't actually need to make up scenarios, but actually get to bring these to my own life.

That's when October 3rd, 2024 came. I spent the day hanging out and spending time with Fade, and had a plan to make us a nice dinner (it was a homemade pizza in the shape of a cute ghost because it was October hehe) and while we were getting ready for bed, I asked her if she would like to officially be my girlfriend. (she just laughed and said yes ofc <3)

And it has been an amazing few months since then! I still can't believe how blessed I am to have a girlfriend like Fade. The years of struggling, and loneliness are finally feeling so far behind me, and I cannot wait to see where life takes Fade and I in the years to come <3

[zezacle]

I just had a weird dream and I'm gonna try to recall it for you:

High-school gymnasium. Playing baseball and being way too serious about it. Especially since the bases are random objects and the ball is a little plastic football. Its our coach as our manager and another coach as other manager. For some reason the coaches step out halfway through the game and leave us to play.

We're sitting down on the sidelines (dugout) waiting for our turn to bat when I realize I am getting skipped. My (mostly girls) team is just skipping me because they know that I'm terrible. (I haven't had batting practice since my Tee Ball years after all) Next inning, I take up mantle as player-manager since Coach is gone. No one argues me. I put someone out and say I'm on deck.

She hits a triple and I walk up to the plate and pick up the red plastic wiffleball bat that is basically weightless. I focus in. I can't be shown up in this sport I claim to love. I gotta produce. Drive in this run... or at least not strike out. I stare down this massive senior girl pitcher who is intimidating as hell, take my stance...

Hit-by-pitch in the leg. (Doesn't hurt because again its a tiny plastic football) Oh thank fuck. I take my base. On first, I start to zone out and don't notice the grounder to pitcher who then walks to the baseline to get the tag out on me. She's standing there, menacingly, tossing the ball up and down to catch it, just waiting for me. I start walking, accepting my fate when I turn my head and see our runner score. She turns to look and remembers "oh shit there was someone on third" which makes her drop the ball. The football. The weird, egg-shaped ball that is known to bounce unpredictably.

I immediately sprint past her as she's chasing it and make it safe to second base. Second base is a plushie, so it slides around the gym floor as I step on it. My brain skips the next play (again dreamscape) so now I'm on third, bases loaded, 1 run scored, 0 outs. This giantess pitcher is mad, and most if it is directed at me, the worst player, who she HBP, then errored on, and now is about to score.

Suddenly she charges the plate and tags it (there isn't a catcher, its gymnasium dream baseball), she points to me and yells "You're out! Force out!" Everyone is a bit confused, including me. I'm like uh, no? That's not how it works? I'm safe on third (which is the end of a pool noodle btw) and the batter isn't on the basepath yet, so he can't force the runners to advance. An argument ensues. I call time and say I'm gonna get Coach to sort this out.

I walk over to the adjoining gymnasium (my HS had two gyms) to find the other gym class sitting on the floor while our Coaches (managers) are in a screaming match with each other about something. Not wanting to interrupt, I notice two adults spectating the argument, a female black teacher and the School Officer (who in the dream wasn't the white dude we had at our school, but instead an older white woman). I approach them, "Hey, either of you know baseball?" Black teacher says yes.

I explain the conflict that's happening in the other gym and ask who's in the right. She shakes her head at the situation and pulls out a massive pad of paper (the kind teachers use to draw venn diagrams and shit) and a sharpie, presumably to illustrate whatever she was about to say. This black woman then says: "That's what Joe Biden'll do to ya." And begins drawing her diagram.

"What?" I respond, incredulously. "The fuck does that have to do with anything? I'm asking about baseball, not politics."

She gives me a dumbfounded look like they are clearly one in the same.

"I don't give a fuck about Joe Biden! I justed wanted to know what the rule is when a pitcher steps off the mound and- wait a minute. That's a balk. Batter goes to first. On loaded bases. I score a run. Nevermind."

And that's when instead of turning around and returning to the other gym, I must've been raptured from the perspective of these dream people because I woke up after that realization.

[orangemoonxworks]

LIFTED EPISODE 001: NOTEBOOK NOSTALGIA — 3 WRITTEN BY: K. Reynolds --------------------

Christine woke to the doorbell ringing and reluctantly dragged herself out of bed to answer it only to be greeted by Lox whose high presence cast a shadow over her. And then, there was the mortifying realization that she wasn’t in a “presentable” state. Her hair was frizzy, there were bags under her eyes, there was a long-dried saliva trail from the side of her mouth to her chin, the strap of her tank top hung off her shoulder, and she was still in her pajamas. She didn’t need to see herself in a mirror to know she looked terrible, and that reality made her heart sink.

(Why!? Why the heck are you here?!)

Lox, who was dressed as if he’d already been out for a while, asked “Are you just gettin’ up? It’s like one in the afternoon.”

Her voice shook as she spoke, surprised by his sudden appearance before her. “W-Wha…what are you…doing here?”

“I came to see you.”

“You came to…” she immediately turned away then put her hands on her cheek to hide her blushing.

(To see me?! What in the…?! Why?!)

“Yeah, I came to scoop you today. I know you not doin’ shit plus it’s the weekend. So, it’s just gonna be me and you.” he explained then, seeing the confusion on her face, asked “You got a problem with that, or?”

“It’s just…um, w-whatever was it that prompted this act of k-k-kindness?”

Lox’s right brow raised. “What? I just told you.”

Only a few days had gone by, and I was starting to settle into my new life. Well, sort of. I didn’t anticipate that the boy who I’d embarrassed myself in front of, then proceeded to unload my sad story onto the next day, would be a recurring character.

This was all too sudden to be a kind gesture to her, and after years of being fooled by such gestures made her wary/ “Did my mom put you up to this? If so, then don’t bother. I-I’m fine, really.”

“Ya moms got nothin’ to do with why I’m here. So, I don’t know why you bringin’ her up.”

“But, then why?” She grew even more confused. “I don’t…I don’t get it. You have friends to hang out with, and a girlfriend too, right?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Then why would you waste your day with someone like me? I’m pretty sure your friends are way better and fun to be around. You already know what I’m like, so –”

“You got cheese doodle crumbs in your hair.” he interrupted, pointing at the orange specks stuck in the strands of hair on her left side.

She quickly dug them out, stroking her hair with her fingers. Seeing rainfall of crumbs fall hit the floor made her face go pale. She raised her head like a zombie with an undead look on her face.

(Oh universe, why must you torture me?)

He smirked and chuckled. “Anyway, get dressed. I’mma be back in like 20 minutes.”

And with that said he walked off. She grabbed the corner of the doorway and leaned halfway out. “Wait! But I never said I –”

Lox ignored her and haphazardly waved as he went up the stairwell. She sighed then hopelessly whimpered “Augh, never mind.”

+

After Christine reluctantly got dressed and left with Lox, she aimlessly followed behind him with no idea where he was taking her or what they were going to do for the day. It wasn’t long before they stopped to rest at the base of the statue at Lafayette Square – a triangular traffic island next to Morningside Park. She sat down, slightly hunched over, resting her elbows against her thighs, then twiddled her thumbs while Lox downed drank the bottled water he bought earlier.

She still couldn’t fathom why he dragged her along with him, nor why she chose to tag along. Thinking back on the past few days, she thought it was strange that he’d want to hang out all of sudden considering how their last conversation went. They briefly spoke to each other in passing a few times since, but that was about it.

Christine finally decided to speak. “So, tell me the truth – you feel sorry for me, don’t you? You know, after what I told you.”

He finished drinking then sat the bottle side him. “If that’s what you wanna believe. I said point blank I got no sympathy for people who cry about shit but won’t do nothin’ about it. And you made it clear the other day you’re that type of person. So, what I gotta feel sorry about?”

“Wow, harsh.”

“It is what it is.”

“Then, why? Why do you want me to hang out with you if I’m such a disappointment to you?”

“Because I don’t give a fuck.”

She stared at him, confused by his answer.

(What does that even mean??)

“I told you I got a homeboy just like you, right? Even though he gets on my nerves with the woe-is-me shit and be acting like a punk sometimes, we still cool at the end of the day. I don’t gotta like it but that’s where he at right now.” he explained.

Christine smiled. “Aw, that’s oddly sweet.”

“You not any better than him.”

“Hey!” she crossed her arms, glaring and pouting.

“I’m just telling it like it is. So, what’s good with you?” he shifted his body toward her. “I ain’t get to talk to you like I wanted to the other day. Since we got the time, and now we can chill or whatever, I can get to know you for real.”

Her eye grew wide.

(Wait, what? He wants to get to know me?? ME??? But why???)

She hunched her shoulders as if she were retreating into a shell, clasping her hands together, wiggling her fingers. “Uh, well, there’s not much to know. I basically told you my life story already.”

He sucked his teeth. “Bruh, all I know about you is that you a loner. That don’t count as your life story or whatever you talkin’ about.”

“You’re just a jerk at heart, aren’t you?” she said, side-eyeing him, then groaned. “Up until last week I lived with my grandparents in East New York which isn’t the best place. But I’m sure you know that already. I always hated it there because it was dirty, loud, stinky, and filled with crazy people. There’s always something going on there, and trust me, none of its ever good”

“Most of the time I’d stay inside because it was so wild. Plus, I got bullied every day so that certainly didn’t help. And to make matters worse, my older sister a.k.a. the devil’s spawn, tortured me at home.”

She grabbed her arms, tightening her grip, and shuttering. “Gosh, she was so cruel. She locked me in the closet for four hours one time, and then tried to force me to eat rat poison another time.”

“Damn, that’s crazy” Lox replied.

She continued, “Thankfully, she went to live with our dad after a while. And then it was just me and my grandparents. My mom left to live with one of her friends while she went to college. It sucked not having her around, but I understood why she was doing that. I mean, look at where we are. This is a dream come true.”

“What? To live out here?” he asked, curious.

“Yeah. There was this tall building nearby and, on the holidays, and we’d go up there and watch the fireworks and the stars. You could see the Twin Towers from there.” she said, a nostalgic spark in her eyes. “We used to fantasize about living somewhere close like Brooklyn Heights where we could see them every day. Funny enough, I ended up going to a school there for a while.”

“For some reason, I always liked staring at those buildings. I asked my grandma about it once, and she told me they were my symbol of hope.” she recalled then mimicked her grandmother, “She said, ‘If this place is the darkness, then those buildings are your light’. I didn’t know what she meant back then but looking back, I kind of get it. I always hoped things would get better someday, and I guess that’s what those buildings meant to me. Of course, things never got better so…yay for me, right?”

She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, then lowered her eyes to ground. She brought her left hand to the side of her face, her fingers curled and palm resting against her cheek. “My grandma was my only friend. Both of my grandparents were – well, are. She was the sweetest person I’ve ever known, and she was always happy. We’d watch stories together sometimes, talked about a bunch of stuff, took walks and what not, and she even taught me how to bake. Almost every day was fun.”

A sad smile crept on her face, and she tried her best not to choke up on her words. “She passed away two years ago. And yeah, it still hurts sometimes but what can you do, right?”

She paused for a moment, taking a silent but subtle breath. “I miss her. She always told me to never give up and always believe in myself. But after trying and being alone for so long, I couldn’t do it anymore. I feel like I let her down but, I know she’d never think that.”

“A-Anyway, fast forward a bit and here we are, he-he.” she hurriedly finished, ending her story, and wiping her eyes. “That’s all there is to know about me. Not much of a story, huh?”

She looked to Lox only to find him blankly staring at her.

(Wait, did I bore him or something?)

Having heard all she said, Lox’s eyes dimmed as he spoke. “So, your solution to the problem is to be by yourself even though you don’t wanna be by yourself? Bruh, what kind of backwards shit is that?”

(Annnd he’s back to mocking me.)

She gave him a strained smile then replied “It’s not all bad, really. I’ll just get a few cats and live out the rest of my life with them. Sure, they’ll probably gnaw at my corpse when I’m dead, but at least I won’t be alone. Heh, look at that – a silver lining.”

His left brow raised and his right eye squinted in surprise. Realizing what she said, she shamefully looked away then balled a hand into a fist.

(Great job Christine! Tell a morbid joke! Ha-ha! That’s not weird at all!)

“Aight, well, whatever you say.” he replied, ignoring her bleak joke, then grabbed his water bottle and drank some more.

She frowned then looked off to the side, pouting like a guilt-ridden child. “What I said was totally weird, wasn’t it?”

He sat the bottle down. “Nope. That’s just you.”

“Just me? What does that mean?”

Ignoring her confused question, he stood up then took the towel wrapped around his neck and wiped the sweat from his face. “Ay yo, you hungry? It’s a spot on the east side that I wanna show you. They be serving breakfast all day.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure”.

She got up then dusted off the back of her jeans. Standing beside him reinforced just how tiny she was compared to him. She’d noticed it before, but now that they were in broad daylight, it’d finally set in. It was the difference between a teenager and an eight-year-old child, at least to her anyway. She let out a dejected sigh then followed him.

“Aight, look, we not about to walk in silence again. So, you better start talkin’ yo.” he said, looking over his shoulder.

“Wha –” she started to say then pouted. “Excuse me for lacking the proper social skills, guy!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. And I told you what my name is, right? So, you better remember that too.”

Peeved by his demands, she mumbled under her breath “Hard to forget when you’ve got a weird nickname like that.”

“You said something?”

“Nothing. Never mind” she said then quietly groaned.

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

[berryylll]

Chaos

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a/n : wrote this as a prompt based off my friends cat ☆

CW!! : Explosions, wounds, gore, implied animal death, implied human death, intense situations

wc : 670

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

Chaos. Ok well not literal chaos but chaos the cat! Garrett was sitting in his bed with the cat, petting chaos as they scrolled through their phone. Then a loud buzzing came from outside, then a boom and next thing Garrett knows, his hand, previously petting the black cat, was gone. Blown off. As was the rest of the house, and chaos nowhere in sight. What happened? An unanswerable question at the time, no context known besides an obvious explosion had happened. Garrett couldn't think of much, ringing and dizziness filling his head like cotton stuffed in a jar. He stood up shakily, stumbling to find a solid surface until he made it to the crumbling door frame. Door burnt but partially intact. The rest of his room looked like a ruin from some kind archeological site. Dust, concrete, smote wood broken and trashed everywhere. Including his hand, just sitting there on the ground roughly blown off and halfway there. Oh shit. With the realization he was going to be sick, correction, apparently he already was, in the midst of throwing up as recognition came to him. Garrett clutched the frame for some sort of grounding, a sort of stability to at least keep him standing. ‘This can’t be happening’ he thought, trying to get his mind to focus.

It smelled like burning garbage and popcorn smoke from a microwave. It only furthered the nausea he was feeling. He had to find someone and get help, there's no way he could stay here without medical attention. His mom was a doctor, he's sure she could help. But she was at work last time he checked, hopefully she came home after the explosion. Was it always this hot? Garrett walks out to the living room, also crumbling just as he found out the rest of the house was. He could hear screaming outside but was too exhausted and unfocused to check. The sound felt like a car swerving on a rocky road. Garrett didn’t know how that was possible but didn't enjoy the sound of it hitting his eardrums either way. Thankfully he still had working eardrums. No one was on the ground floor so he made his way to the basement. He stood at the stairwell of the entrance internally hating the experience of what it was gonna be like going down the stairs. When he got down there after throwing up one more and two quick trips to grab his bearings he found Goose and his mom hiding. His mom was frantically trying to patch up the burn wounds and almost melting skin on Goose’s face. Goose was Garrett's younger sister, her real name was Gracey but 5 year old Garrett thought Goose sounded better then her birth name. So it sort of stuck. “Am I interrupting a cuddle session?” Garrett spoke hoarsely, surprised he could speak at all.

“Garrett! Oh holy shit!”Goose said, surprised at his very presence, their mom was quick to correct the vulgar language.

But she let it go quickly, getting up to usher Garrett over, checking him quickly. Her eyes landed on his hand and those same eyes widened in absolute horror, worry and shock all at once. It felt like he was being cared for by an angry crow. A squawking and trembling voice erupting from his mother as she got something to cut off the circulation quickly shoving a bottle of water and an apple in his face. To which Garrett ate though hesitating at some point because of his already upset and uneasy stomach. Despite her wounds, though already bandaged, Goose would not stop asking questions about what happened to him, he answered as many as he could with his head slowly returning back to a somewhat normal state. After his forearm had been wrapped in a tourniquet, his mom told him how they had ended up down in the basement, thankfully safe from all of the horrible radiation and damage. Oh man did they have a lot to catch up on…

[casspurrjoybell-33]

Wreckless - On the Way

*Warning Adult Content*

Emmett

Sunday morning, after he rides me like the pony express.

I tell Finnegan that I want to go to Peter's but he hems and haws and tells me he'll decide after mass.

Now he's making me pancakes. Pancakes.

He's even making a fresh blueberry syrup.

I'm sitting at the table and he's in the kitchen which is a bit unusual but he's made himself at home the past few days.

That's fine by me but I feel sort of lazy letting him do it today since I feel so much better.

I don't even have a stupid wrap on my head anymore, I lost that Friday night and I've been using a butterfly bandage.

I'm getting spoiled and tell him so.

"You are not. You're getting back some of what you do for me every day."

He comes over and runs his fingers through my hair.

"Feels good, doesn't it? Just relax and let me take care of you for once."

"You've been taking care of me for days, darling and I'm fine."

But yeah, it did feel nice.

Does. I admit it.

I'm glad he thinks I take good care of him because I really do try.

"Did I tell you about them shaving my hair?"

He spins, spatula in hand.

"No but they obviously didn't."

"Oh, this is a wig."

He doesn't buy it for a second.

"No, the EMT told me that if I needed stitches and he was sure I would, that they'd shave it. Luckily they used the glue. I'd already been in a wreck, I didn't need that stress too."

"Poor Emmett, it was a very hard morning for you," he teases.

I stick my tongue out at him and make a face. 

"But I'm glad you didn't lose your locks, Mr. Locke." 

Okay, that's funny.

The pancakes are delicious and afterwards he gets dressed up and heads out.

I get a shower and then decide to go online and look at houses because having those two cars parked outside is a recipe for disaster.

Mrs. Lewis tries but there's only so much she can do.

Nothing. Nada.

Hopefully we'll get lucky next weekend because it needs to happen soon.

One, he's still taking those stupid pills to sleep.

Two, the new cars.

Three, I hate being in limbo.

The decision has been made and I'd rather be moved already.

There was way too much 'hurry up and wait' in the Army.

He comes home, strips out of his dress shirt and slacks and declares that...

"It's hot out there."

"Which is why we should be in a pool."

Then I realize that he probably needs to work... he's lost so much time because of me.

Well, the moron who hit me.

"But if you have to work, that's fine."

"I actually don't but I'm not sure sun and chlorine is going to be good for you."

I walk over and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Darling, I'm a big boy. I won't swim for hours, no and I will stay in the shade for some of the day but I'm not as pale as you are, either. I will be fine."

"I haven't seen Tristan in awhile."

That's it, I'm gonna win.

"It's not that far, we can go for an hour or two and I'm sure Tristan would love to see you."

"Okay, let me call him real quick. He said it didn't matter either way but I want to let him know."

"Of course. I'll pack our stuff."

Fifteen minutes later we're in the car and heading up 695 but don't make it very far.

It's a mess near route 40 and I tell him

"I know a back way, get off here, go west."

It's probably backed up at 70 and we can just take Rolling road.

Our new, fancy GPS however has a different plan and I just shrug and tell him to follow the computer.

We can't get that lost, I know my way around here and I'm curious.

"It's pretty around here," he says as we turn off of Rolling and onto a little side road.

We pass a park, take a left and then onto a road with houses worthy of the title 'pretty'.

The past road was cute, post-war capes and the sort of thing I grew up in.

But these?

These are nice although certainly not mansions.

He slams on the brakes.

Slams so hard that I grab the handle and put one hand on the dash.

"Look."

There's nothing.

"Back there."

He points and I turn halfway around in my seat.

A woman is putting up a sign.

It's a for-sale sign.

And the house, wow.

"Looks nice."

"And it has a garage, I think that's the side of it. I'm going to see if it's online."

He sticks his tongue out, just the tip, while he's searching and it's adorable.

I'm tempted to poke it but I resist.

"I can't find it."

"May not be listed yet, maybe tomorrow. We can write down the address and check."

"Or I can go ask her right now."

He backs up and pulls into the driveway.

This boy is bold.

As soon as she straightens up I know she's the realtor because her picture is on the sign.

Ann Stowers.

Alrighty.

"Ann?"

Seriously?

He goes in with the first name?

"Yes?"

"Is it on the market yet?"

"Officially not until tomorrow. If you're interested, I have a spec sheet."

She pulls a paper out of her bag and hands it to Finnegan.

He leans over so we can both see it and the details seem right.

It even has some pictures.

"It's empty?" he asks.

"Yes."

"I'd like to see it right now."

He's not asking, he's telling.

Damn, go business Finnegan Walker.

My man the VP.

She looks at us, at the brand new expensive car and at the fact that he's blocking her in and doesn't seem to be willing to leave.

"Sure, come on in. I don't have long."

"It won't take long."