#and they’ll go somewhere private to yell at each other

[mountedeverest]

“I’m being professional.”

“You’re being cold!”

“Well, what else should I be! This is work! I’m putting my feelings aside, why can’t you!”

“Because YOU dumped me and even though I probably shouldn’t, I’m still in love with you!”

That last one hit Tommy like a bucket of ice cold water. By the wide-eyed look on Buck’s face, it seems like it took him by surprise as well. They were so close, yelling into each other’s faces only moments ago, now they were eerily silent, and forebodingly still. Tension started to seep out like a small leak at first, eyes dropping to lips, gloved hands reaching absentmindedly for the lapel of turnouts, then all at once, like a dam breaking.

They don’t know who moved first, sooty faces meeting hard, held by sooty hands. Buck kissed like fire, licking flames along Tommy own tongue, biting and pulling, two bodies awash in the flood. Buck pushed Tommy against the truck while Tommy cradled his face. They pulled apart only for a second, only to confirm in each other’s eyes that this was real, before they started kissing again. Hands slipped into open turnout coats, feeling hard muscle almost forgotten, bodies unknown but familiar, as if for the first time.

And just like that, after months of loneliness, Evan and Tommy were feeling each other’s heat again, their hard edges and grit and affection, hidden away between two fire trucks after a 3-alarm fire.

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for Marina; Tucker is having a normal one. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

So yeah, definitely coffee, Tucker decides. Sam'll catch up, again. Which–also again, right now they're probably the ones who need to catch up to her, considering. Her and the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick, specifically. Tucker always misses the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick when it’s not on deck, but he seriously misses it when it’s not on deck in situations like these. 

“So yeah, fyi, while we’re doing the running thing we gotta find my backup, she’s somewhere in the hall out there being a badass,” Tucker informs his hopeful weekend plans, pointing towards the door. “And possibly also our other friend, who she and I were looking for when we found you. So like, it’s very interesting, actually, that they were keeping you where they would’ve kept him, all things considered.” 

Very interesting. And probably concerning? Like, considering? 

. . . also possibly hot, though, Tucker realizes. Like, he’s very into situations like Sam going full anti-creep stick on the GIW and Jazz yelling down murderous ghosts and literally everything Val has ever done in her entire life, so if he’s more bisexual than previously assumed and this dude is, like, some kind of terrifying badass ecto-experiment with weird ghost powers or whatever, statistically speaking, Tucker is probably gonna be into that. And like, given the batshit sedative doses Tucker pulled and how quick the guy woke up and also the whole, like, literal flying thing, “weird ghost powers” seems pretty likely at this point. 

Well, forewarned is forearmed, he guesses. At least if Allegedly-Alive Amor is secretly some kind of dangerous anti-ghost weapon, Tucker’s gonna get to enjoy the experience of watching him get beat down by Danny. Like, as soon as they find Danny, he means. And also–

. . . actually, is it weirder that Tucker kinda wants to see this guy get a little messed up, now that he’s thinking about it? Like just in a minimally violent but definitively rumpled kind of way, maybe, or like, maybe kinda flushed and sweaty and out of breath and–

They should find Ecto-Babe some pants, Tucker decides privately, patting the guy’s chest in an attempt to distract himself and doing the actual exact literal opposite of distracting himself. 

Yeah, pants would be a good idea right now. 

Pants, fortunately–unfortunately, Tucker means–do not actually happen, because what actually happens is the guy takes off and zips out into the hall with Tucker all bridal style/princess carry in his wet, naked arms, and Tucker really needs to have a moment about that but definitely does not have the time to. Another reason to rip the security footage later, though, he figures as he types furiously at his PDA, making sure all his programs are still running in the GIW’s systems and showing the agents all the fake ghosts a Fenton could shake an anti-creep stick at. 

Probably he doesn’t actually need to check that, though, since they don’t make it through thirty yards of this surprisingly comfy high-speed flying experience before they’re coasting quick and easy over the heads of a hallway full of yelling and screaming agents who’re shooting each other more than any of the ghosts said agents think they’re seeing. 

That’s really unfortunate for them, gee. Tucker will have to send ‘em a “get well never, you xenophobic assholes” card. Maybe a fruit basket. One with nothing but cantaloupe in it, because the GIW deserves nothing but cantaloupe. Old cantaloupe, even. Like just old enough they’ll feel like they have to eat it before it spoils outright, but also the texture’ll be weird and–

“Uh, should we be worried about all that back there?” New Ecto-Boo asks, looking skeptically back at the GIW agents they’ve already passed–and also looking really fucking hot, still.

[ponstermenis-writing]

✩GETTING CAUGHT✩

johnny cade/curly shepard tim shepard / dallas winston

Tim loved Angela to bits, he truly did. But Jesus Christ she had not left the house in a week and it was actually going to kill him.

Darrel still wasn’t letting Dallas in the house on his own—he didn’t quite like him talking to the gang either. So now Tim still had the guy on his tail, but couldn’t do anything because his sister was always home. So, on a last ditch effort, he decides they’ll find somewhere else.

“Let’s go on a walk.” He says, tapping on Dallas’s shoulder. Dallas looked up from the couch—where he was no doubt flirting with Tim’s younger sister, the bastard—and gave him a weird look. They weren’t the ‘going on walks’ type.

”Huh?” He asks, looking at him like he’d grown two heads. Tim gritted his teeth, taking him by the jacket sleeve and dragging him off the couch. “We’re going on a walk.” He bites out, forcing the man out of the front door, yelling for Angela to lock it behind them.

They walked silently for a few moments—until, of course, Dallas had to open his big fat stupid ugly mouth.

“What the hell was that?” He asks, nudging him lightly.

“I need out of that house.” Tim sighs. “Usually Angela isn’t home for more than an hour. And now she’s here all the time because your girlfriend decided she was bored of her.” Tim groans loudly, enough so that a few alley cats come out to see what the commotion is. Dallas wastes no time in chasing them off.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard more complaints about my hygiene. God forbid there’s a single shirt on the floor.” Tim continues his complaints, not even sure if Dallas is listening. More often than not, he isn’t. “Usually she’s always on Curly’s tail. But now he’s never at home.”

“Maybe you should try bein’ cleaner.” Dallas shrugs. “Lord knows you need a few more showers.”

Tim turns to glare at him—sadly they were too far into the public eye to smack him. “Oh please, you take a single shower a month. There’s probably cheese growing on you dick, you nasty—“

”Wanna help me get it off?” Dallas interrupts, raising his eyebrows in at attempt to be endearing. He very much isn’t. Tim grimaces, walking faster just to get away from him. He spares a glance around, making sure nobody heard him.

Dallas catches up quickly, wrapping an arm around his shoulder—to any onlooker they’d seem like pals at best. Even if it wasn’t sodomy, Tim Shepard would never be caught hanging off of Dallas Winston like a broad.

“We outta get somewhere more private.” Dallas whispers, glancing around. “There’s been a lotta’ Soc’s runnin’ around our side of town lately.”

“Good.” Tim all but snarls, thumbing the switchblade in his back pocket. “I’m itching for a fight. ‘S been much too long, don’t you think?”

Usually, when either of them wanted a brawl they’d head out to the east side and beat the life out of each other. As of recently it’s just felt wrong to do—like they’ve gotten to close, their relationship is somehow more than just beating on each-other and stealing booze. Tim doesn’t know how he feels about it, he’d rather not look it in the face.

“Can’t.” Dallas mutters, pulling his arm off and shoving both hands in his pockets. “I gotta stay clean for the next couple a’ weeks. Darry still hasn’t let me back in and John’s worried he never will.” Tim can tell he’s upset—he’s probably waiting for Tim to ask about it—but he is no man’s solace, especially not Dal’s.

“Please,” Tim scoffs. “He’ll do anything if Cade begs him enough. You all bend at his will.”

It’s true, he knows it is. Dallas is the best example. When a kid like that has been denied so much, you don’t wanna deny him anything more. As much as people explained Dallas as Johnny’s keeper, Tim knew well enough to know it goes both ways. He found it funny—A little guy like Johnny having the ability to boss around a thousand pounds of man, but not doing it just because he didn’t feel like it.

“Do not.” Dallas frowns. “Darry’ll only listen if the whole gang begs ‘im. I already pissed Steve and Two off earlier this week, and Pony’s been on a hating streak since he met me.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Tim teases, pushing past him. He’s sure Dallas rolls his eyes from behind him. “Whatever, you love having me around.” Dallas pokes and prods right back, he always does.

“Nawh.” Tim spares a glance back at him, Dallas raising a brow—he does that a lot now that Two-Bit taught him, he thinks it makes him look tuff. Tim thinks he looks constipated. “I like the beer you bring around, though. You got any?”

Dallas rolls his eyes, making two bottles clink from under his jacket. “Course I do. ‘Was waiting for you to ask.”

“Well? Hand me one.” Tim puts out his hand, Dallas pushes it away. “Did you hear anything I just said? I gotta look squeaky clean.”

Tim groans. The two push their way into the old car lot, it’s covered in trees and goes right into a deep forest where no one would find them. It’s not the best—its already freezing cold out as they get into the later months, the ground it wet and squishy from a recent rainstorm—but it’ll do.

Tim actually finds himself looking around to see if little Johnny Cade is spending the night outside again. He wasn’t sure when he started caring about what happened to him—sure, he’s a good kid, but he’s none of Tim’s responsibility. It must’ve been sometime between Dallas getting out of the cooler and seeing his dad chase him out with a hammer.

Angela lovingly called them ‘reluctant co-parents’. Tim and Dallas cared for their own like it was second nature—eventually they started caring for the other’s. Tim would make sure Johnny wasn’t rotting away outside and Dallas would make sure Curly didn’t sneak out for the sixth time that week.

It was weird but nobody ever brought it up. Johnny gave him weird looks when he drove him to Buck’s, and Curly was no doubt suspicious of them. But oddly enough neither of the younger boys seemed to care. Johnny spent more time at the Shepards and Curly finally started warming up to Dallas—they were about as warm to each-other as a winter in the Antarctic, but it’s as better than nothing.

They walked into the deep forest, blinking a few times to get used to the darkness. Very soon the two wished they didn’t go—while the beer helped, their wet shoes and the sound of clay squeaking beneath them got old very quickly. Tim was sure the bottoms of both of their jeans were soaked and dirty, but neither of them seemed to care.

“Tim, Look.” Dallas said finally, nudging him. Tim looked up from his bottle, squinting at something in the trees. Sure enough, a dingy little treehouse was nestled on a thick one, a long rope ladder swinging from it. The two shared a look.

Going into a seemingly abandoned tree house in the dead of night was most definitely not a good idea. But they were wet and cold, a little tipsy, and curious. Against their better judgement the two took slow steps forward—it wasn’t long before they could hear voices coming from inside.

“We should go.” Tim said, even as Dallas took hold of the ladder and tugged to see if it was secure. “This is probably some fucked up midget trap house.”

Dallas looked back at him and laughed. “You scared?” He asked teasingly, slowly climbing up. Tim didn’t say anything, but soon enough they were both clinging to the wet rope with a scowl— trying to climb as quietly as possible.

Luckily, there was a little porch that they could both climb onto—The treehouse has one tiny door and a window that was so dirty they had to squint to see through it. There was a light coming from inside, one that Dallas quickly investigated.

Dallas froze up the second he looked inside, wide mouthed with furrowed brows. He looked like he had just seen a ghost, eyes flitting around the room in wide-eyed shocked. “What?” Tim whispered, pulling himself onto the porch. Dallas didn’t respond—he glanced down at him, taking a step back so he could also stand.

Tim cupped his hands around his eyes and peered in—also rather shocked with what he saw.

…

”You’re such a momma’s boy.”

“Yeah? Atleast I have one.”

“I’d much rather have none at all than one that beats on me.”

A low blow, but then again the two were known for it. It was weird how the could make jokes about each other that no one else could. It was somehow less offensive when it came from the other.

Johnny and Curly were, once again, lighting up in their dingy little tree house. They huddled up together under Curly’s stupid leather jacket for warmth—Johnny had left his at his folk’s place and he wasn’t dumb enough to go get it. Johnny had his legs atop Curly’s, the two leaning into each other and nursing the second blunt of the night.

“Do you listen to a thing I tell you? She doesn’t beat on me.”

“She yells at you all the time and chases you out of the house.”

”That’s different.” Johnny frowned, not looking up at him.

”Didn't she lock you in a cupboard when you were little cus’ she caught you stealing bread?” Curly raised a brow, handing the weed back to him. Johnny didn’t take it, looking at him weird. “How do you know about that?” He asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

“You told me. Like, last week. You were so high of your rocker you probably don’t even remember.” Curly laughed. Johnny deflated, finally taking the blunt and sucking in a long drag before blowing it back out in his face. “I gotta stop getting high with you. You know too much.”

”So do you. You know more about me than my own brother.” Johnny makes a weird noise, Curly elects to ignore it.

“Whatever.” He mutters, leaning slightly off of him. “But my mom doesn’t beat on me, that’s different.”

Curly just rolls his eyes, glancing down at him. “Whatever you say, Hansel.” He laughs so hard at his own joke he coughs, Johnny staring at him like he’s crazy. “Han—Who?”

”From Hansel and Gretel? That old children’s book about teaching kids to not steal.” The explanation doesn’t seem to help, Johnny looking more and more confused by the second. “You seriously never had to read that?” Curly asked incredulously. He remembered it only because Angela got so scared that she wouldn’t eat at restaurants for a year in fear that she would eat a witches food.

Fun times.

“Who’s gonna read it to me Curly? My mom?”

“…Fair enough.” He mutters, snatching the blunt from him in an attempt to busy his hands. They are quiet for a long while—Curly nurses the weed the whole time, it’s a miracle he didn’t choke. Johnny eventually gets tired of it, reaching over to try and pluck it from his mouth. Curly grabs it quickly, licking his fingers before he can pull back. Johnny makes a loud gagging sound, pulling away like it burnt him.

“You are such a freak!” He yelled, rubbing his hand in the boy’s shirt. “You’re gonna be on death row one day, mark my words.”

Curly leans in to him, smirking as he blows smoke into his face. “Nawh, I don’t believe in that.” He says—he’s just messing with him, but Johnny raises a brow and he feels like he has to keep talking. “I’m this close to becoming one of those hippies who go on strike for everything.”

”Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going on a toothpaste strike too?” Johnny asks, looking down at Curly’s mouth. Curly pulled back, rolling his eyes. “Ha-fucking-ha. You’re hilarious.” He muttered in annoyance, trying to discreetly check his breath. Johnny just laughed, leaning back into him. “ ‘M just messing wit’ you. But yeah, I am hilarious, aren’t I?”

“I wasn’t—“

The door bursts open a moment later, swinging on its hinges. The two quickly turn their heads to face it. Curly doesn’t even realize who it is until Johnny yells.

“Dallas! What—“ He cuts himself off, pushing off of Curly.

They are both acutely aware that Dallas had no clue either of them were smoking weed. Especially not together.

Shit.

This is where he dies, isn’t it?

Dallas takes Curly by the lapels, lifting him up off the ground. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?! You little—“ Tim quickly pulls him away, Curly hitting the ground with a thump. “Watch what you say.” Tim bites, barely loud enough for the two younger boys to hear.

”I’m sorry Dal, I—“ Johnny begins, trying to pull himself to his feet—probably to run. Tim holds him down, somehow being the level-headed one here. “I know you told me not to! I just—“ Johnny practically smacked Tim’s hand away in favor of pleading with Dallas.

Dallas freezes, interrupting him. “Told you not to? What?” He asks, incredulously. He and Tim share a look. He couldn’t remember ever telling Johnny not to—it’d be kind of hypocritical, seeing what he and Tim get up to.

“You told me not to—not to get high! Didn’t you?” Johnny asked, just as confused as he was. Curly and Johnny watch Tim and Dallas stare at each other. They both look at the younger boys, then to the blunt fizzling out on the ground, then back to them. Dallas breathes out a sigh that could only be in relief, practically collapsing to the ground.

“Oh, Thank god!“ He cries, putting his hand in a prayer motion. Johnny and Curly shared confused look, trying to understand what was going on. “Oh…” Tim mutters, looking between the two.

“You guys aren’t mad?” Johnny asked, furrowing his brows in an attempt to pick out what exactly is happening to Dallas. “Oh, no, I’m livid.” Dallas says, glaring at Curly. Tim kicks him lightly, hard enough to make Dallas finally stand back up.

“It’s just, we thought you were—“ Tim cuts himself off, seeing his younger brother’s red face. ‘Are you??’ He mouthed incredulously, Curly not responding.

Culry and Johnny share one more look before seemingly figuring it out—both of their faces burn red, immediately turning back to their older counterpart.

“You thought we were fucking?!” Curly yells, looking incredulously at his older brother.

Sure, they experimented—once or twice… but it wasn’t a set in place thing. They were both so high every time they did it that they barely remembered. Or maybe neither of them wanted to. They ever talked about it after it happened—not the first time, not the second time, not any of the times after that.

“Ew, Dal! You thought…?” Johnny frowns, kicking Dal lightly. Dallas shrugged, he and Tim were just as embarrassed as they were. “What was I supposed to think? You run off for hours at a time together, you come back wearing his jacket—“

“Wait—I didn’t know that.” Tim interrupted, raising his brows at his younger brother.

“I can’t believe you think that low of me! I’d never—gross!” Johnny rambled, seemingly losing half of his respect for Dallas. If he weren’t also roped into this, Curly would love it.

“Hey! I’m right here!” Curly frowned, glaring at the boy. Johnny glared right back. “So? Back up of you don't want to hear it.” He bites back, uncharacteristically sharp—at least, to Tim and Dallas. Curly was used to it. “You sure didn’t want me to back up when I—“

Johnny shut Curly up with a loud smack, sending the two into a long bickering match.

Tim and Dallas watched silently, sharing a knowing look. Sure, they didn’t beat each other like they did—but they certainly weren’t kind. “Jesus…” Dallas muttered, watching them. “They really are just like us.” He laughs, Tim agreeing alongside him.

That pulled both of the younger boys off of each other, once again staring at their older counterparts.

“Shut it, Macklemore! We are not!” Curly yells first, Johnny nodding in agreement. Dallas frowns, glaring down at him. “You little—“ Dallas begins, getting a smack on the back of the head by Tim. Tim holds Dallas back, giving everyone a moment to think and collect their bearings. Johnny and Curly share a petrified look—Tim bets they realized just how similar the four of them are.

Dallas doesn’t let them think about it much longer, circling back around to the reason they were here.

”You’ve been smoking weed?!” He yells, pulling Tim off of him and running up to Johnny. It’s not his turn to get grabbed by the front of his shirt—though he’s much gentler with Johnny. “With Curly Shepard off all people?!” He adds, making Johnny deflate a little. Tim sees it, placing a hand on Dallas’s shoulder, oddly pliant.

“Hey, at least they weren’t…” he trails off. Usually he has no problem saying it—Sex isn’t something to be weird about, especially not when you’re a Shepard. But it felt weird saying it now, hanging awkwardly off of his tongue.

“Stop saying it!“ Johnny yells—his cheeks are burning, trying not to look at anyone else in the room. Dallas let’s him go softly, turning back to Tim.

“Why are you so calm about this? I feel like I’m the only one yelling!” Dallas whispers to him. Tim glances back at the two, grimacing. “Who do you think he got the weed from? Besides, I already knew.” He replies, trying to sound casual. Which was, decidedly, the wrong move.

“You knew?! Why didn’t you tell me?“ Dallas yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders. Tim lightly shoved him off, eyeing the door. The two step out onto the porch, leaving too very confused boys in their wake.

“I didn’t tell you because this is exactly how I knew you’d react! You’re scaring that poor boy shitless!” Tim whisper-yells. He doubted the two were sitting obediently inside—Sure enough, when he glanced at the window behind Dallas’s head he could see the two whisper to eachother.

“Why do you care? You said it yourself, Johnny is my responsibility. Not yours.” He says, pausing to glare at him. “I’ll make sure he’s okay how I see fit. You can worry about yourself.”

Tim sucked in a sharp breath. He really was hoping this wouldn’t be a topic the two of them ever touched on. So he did what he did best, deflect the blame.

“Yeah? Lord knows you aren’t doing a good job at it! He’s terrified of you!” He bites back, crossing his arms and straightening his back. He and Dallas are almost the exact same height—it’s hard to loom over him, which just so happens to be his only intimidation tactic other than beating.

“And Curly isn’t?”

Tim stops yelling to stare at him, brows furrowing.

“Curly and Johnny aren’t the same.” Tim replies defensively. “Johnny gets enough yelling at home—“

”So does Curly.” Dallas interrupts. He knows he’s found Tim’s weak spot. And like always, he was going to keep poking and prodding at it. “Don’t throw stones in a glass house, asshole. At least Johnny likes me. Curly stays cus’ he has no where else to go.”

”He likes that you don’t hurt him. You said it yourself, he’ll do anything for your attention.” Tim bites back.

Dallas scoffed, rolling his eyes. “We’re getting off topic.” He mutters. “Johnny and Curly have been swapping smoke for months, and you’d better not make me the bad guy for yelling at him.”

Jesus, they really do sound like a married couple.

“You act like we weren’t doing the same thing at their age.” He knows how dumb that sounds—he and Dallas are both only two years older than one of them. That wasn’t too long ago—the only thing that’s changed in the substance.

“Yeah? And look where that got us.”

“You’re a dick.”

”So are you.”

…

“Somehow I feel like we’re the ones who walking on something.” Curly mutters.

The two watched through the window as they went from bickering to shouting once again, Johnny covering his ears as he watched. Curly spares a glance his way, frowning.

“We outta get out of here before we get dragged into it.” He says, nudging him.

It’s an escape masked as an offer—a helping hand amidst the yelling and fighting that they are both so achingly used to.

“Okay.” Johnny mutters, letting the other help him to his feet. They try to sneak past—the older boys are too busy fighting to notice. Dallas has his back to the door and Tim is staring right back into his eyes. Unluckily for the youngest two—Tim spares a glance at the door just as they are leaving, making direct eye contact with Johnny.

He tries to angrily signal for the two to get back inside, hopefully before Dallas notices. That plan is foiled when Dallas immediately noticed his weird expression and spins around.

“Where the hell do you two think you’re going?” He asks angrily, causing Curly to stop halfway on the ladder.

He could run. He could drop down and run all the way home, Tim wouldn’t even be pissed. But leaving Johnny alone with an angry Tim and an even angrier Dallas didn’t sound like a good idea.

“Get your asses back inside.” Tim and Dallas say in unison—they don’t even seem to notice it. Curly spares a glance back at Johnny, whose prettified gaze in staring at Dallas and only Dallas. He lets out a sigh and begins climbing back up.

“C’mon John.” He mutters, the two of them shuffling into the room and shutting the door behind them. Johnny practically collapses to the floor—it’s not common for Dallas to be mad at him. It never ended well when he was. Curly knew that too, leaning back against the door.

“They’re so angry at us they synced up.” He tried to lighten the mood—it definitely didn’t work, but Johnny smiled up at him anyways. “Maybe their cycles are next.” He says between gasping breaths. Curly let’s himself laugh, falling onto the ground beside him. Soon they are both giggling together like little girls, acutely unaware of the two just outside.

…

Dallas was still whispering angrily to him. He didn’t care to listen, it was just the same shit over and over again. He stared through the window—at first it was to make sure the two didn’t make another escape attempt, but then he was just watching them. His gaze softened, the two joining each other on the floor and laughing together.

He and Dallas were like that once. Back when they were just two asshole kids. Before humiliation and anger brought they both to a fighting stop.

“I just—what are you staring at?” Dallas asks incredulously, annoyed that Tim wasn’t listening. He didn’t respond, staring longingly through the window still. Dallas eventually looks too, his gaze softening all the same. “Oh.” He muttered.

The two boys were huddled up together again, whispering to each other like little kids. They looked so calm, happy. Like they were meant to be like that. Like the world couldn’t see them.

“Look,” Tim sighed. “I get that you don’t want Johnny smoking, I really do. But if you want them separated—you’re gonna tell ‘em.” He said with a sense of finality, uncrossing his arms. Curly looked at him through the window, frowning but not pulling away.

Tim would’ve pulled away if the roles were reversed. Curly stays holding on.

”I don’t…” Dallas muttered, leaning his forehead on the wooden frame. “I don’t want them separated, okay? Johnny seems a lot happier—I don’t wanna take that from him.” He breathed out a sigh, glancing at Tim with pleading eyes. “I just don’t want him smoking that stuff. We both started with smokes, then weed, then beer, and then…” Dallas frowned. Tim wasn’t used to seeing him sad, he was too quick to anger. “He’s got addiction in his blood. Poor kid already worried about turning out like his father.”

”Really?” Tim asks, letting himself chuckle.

“I know. I don’t see it at all, even when he’s angry.” Dallas laughs too. “Still, it’ll save a lot of heartache if he stays off. Y’dig?”

“Yeah, I dig.” Tim smiles for the first time in the last hour. “I’ll back you up, man. I don't need Curly getting any worse.” He finally says. The two share an appreciative look with each other. Dallas barely reaches for him—almost like he’s going if for a hug—but he glances back inside and quickly puts his arms back down.

Tim rolls his eyes, opting to wrap an arm around him and lead the two back inside. Johnny and Curly pull away from each other when the re-enter, looking up at them. Jesus, they really do seem scared.

“I don’t want you smoking that stuff anymore.” Dallas says first, crossing his arm. Tim drags his arm off of him, crossing his arms as well. “You either, Curly.” He adds. Johnny frowns. “But—“ he begins, shut up when Dallas holds out a hand to silence him.

“We’re not mad, okay?” He starts—Tim wants to add ‘just disappointed’ for shits and giggles, but decides this isn’t the time. “You two can still have your little spot, just no more smoking weed, okay?”

Johnny and Curly share a confused look—like they’re a shocked there’s an agreement at all.

“You’re not mad?” Curly asks, almost incredulously. Tim and Dallas look to each other and nod. “Not unless it happens again.” Dallas says—like a challenge—glaring down at Curly. Curly’s brows furrowed, looking between the two. He places a hand on Johnny’s shoulder and they both stand.

“Tim?” He says finally. “Can I talk to you?”

Tim and Curly split off to one corner of the room, Johnny and Dallas whispering to each other in the other. Curly spends a long time just staring at him, like he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. He speaks with a sense of urgency.

”You’re not gonna tell anyone are you?”

He doesn’t say exactly what Tim would be telling, but he has an idea what he’s eluding to. “Nawh.” Tim smiles, ruffling the boys hair. Curly doesn’t even attempt to fix it, furrowing his brows again—he never did that before he and Johnny met, it was the smaller boy’s quirk, not his.

“You won’t tell anyone about the tree house, will you?” He asks, again. Tim shrugs. “I don’t see why I would.” He pauses to glare down at him. “I’ve got no reason to tell. As long as you cut back on the weed, that is. I can’t defend you two if it happens again.”

Curly smiles—in the way every Shepard boy did when they didn’t want to be caught smiling. “Thank you.” He whispered, barely loud enough for his brother to hear. Tim ruffles his hair again, glancing back to Johnny and Dallas.

The two boys were hugging—he didn’t even realize the younger was wrapped up in Curly’s too big jacket. Tim spared one glance back at his brother, grabbing his by the shoulders and pulling his close.

Hugging each other wasn’t something they did. But at that moment it felt right. It felt right even as Curly’s ringed fingers gripped his sleeves, even as he buried his face in his older brothers chest.

There was a new air of hope when they all stepped out, climbing haphazardly out of the tree house. They joked, they walked through the woods light on their feet—Dallas and Tim trailed behind, pretending it was because they didn’t know where to go. They liked seeing the younger two boys poke fun at eachother like they used to.

“Y’know.” Dallas finally spoke, quiet enough for the other two not to hear. “I’m surprised you didn’t want them separated.”

Tim raises a brow. “Why would I?” He asks, though he knows the answer.

”Seeing as we thought they were, y’know…”

Tim shrugged, bumping into him purposefully. “It’s none of my business what they do behind closed doors.” A pause. “Though if I ever hear it, I’m definitely gonna ask them to get out.”

Dallas laughed, loud enough to make the younger two glance back at them.

”Besides,” Tim begins the second they turn back around. “Johnny cooks when he’s over. I can only handle so much of Angela’s over-cooked and under-seasoned chicken.”

Dallas smiled. “Darry was the one that taught him, y’know.”

”Really?”

”Yep. He learned just so he could make me a big ol’ New Yorkian breakfast for my sixteenth birthday.” Dallas says, pride in his voice as he watched the boy. Tim smiled as well, nudging into him. “I guess I have you to thank, then.”

Dallas smirked, leaning closer to him and taking one of his lapels between two fingers—tugging him closer.

“I guess you do.”

[marypsue]

Hello friends, foes, and followers, time for another Sneak Peek Sunday! As usual, here's an out-of-context teaser from former heroes who quit too late:

...

The gate across the entrance to the pool is shut and locked. But the door into the little office at the entrance is standing wide open.

Dustin gulps audibly as they peer through it. The office is empty. There’s no sign of Heather or Sara or the strawberry blonde girl or any of the other lifeguards. The July issue of Seventeen is facedown on the counter, and there’s a white bottle of something with a wordy label covered in hazard symbols lying open on its side on the carpet. The chlorine stink is strong enough to make Max want to sneeze.

Nothing moves.

“I don’t feel good about this,” Dustin says, as Max ventures into the office a step. No new and astonishing information presents itself.  

“When do you ever feel good about anything?” Lucas shoots back. “And why did you have to drag my sister into this?”

Erica Sinclair sticks out her tongue at him even as Max, privately, agrees. “Worried I’m gonna make your superpowered ass look like a scared, little baby?”

“Will said it was urgent, when he radioed,” Dustin says. “And I wasn’t just going to leave her at my house. Alone. With Russian spies after her.”

Lucas groans, and rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t say anything else to argue.

“Coast looks clear in here,” Max says, before the boys can find something else to bicker about. “Any sign of Will and El, yet?”

“Here they come,” Mike says, and then starts waving his arms at the road, like he’s guiding a plane in to land instead of waving at two people who definitely know how to get to the pool and can see them all standing outside. It’s Max’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Great. It looks like we can get through here to the actual pool. Come on, they’ll catch up.”

The actual pool, it turns out, is just as dead as the office is. There’s something deeply eerie about being out here, in the middle of a hot summer day, in the baking sunshine, with no one else around. And no sound but the rustle of trees outside the fence, and birdsong, and the odd car passing by, and the quiet slap of the gently-rippling water against the pool’s tiled sides. It’s almost like the whole pool is holding its breath. Waiting for something.

“Anybody else kinda tempted to do a cannonball?” Erica asks. Mike shushes her.

Max isn’t sure what makes her hang back, as the others head inside to the changerooms and the exercise room, talking about how they’re going to trick Heather into the sauna, whether they’re going to bake the Mind Flayer out of her or just find out what it wants, or maybe just find out if it’s really her it’s using at all. At this point, Max is pretty sure it is her, but she doesn’t really need to argue the scientific method with Dustin about it.

She’s not sure why she’s hanging back, staying in the sunlight, in the open air, to be able to hear the sound from the storage shed. But she is. And she does.

“Guys?” Max says.

She doesn’t think any of the others hear her. Lucas and Dustin are busily bickering about how the temperature controls on a sauna work, both of them talking over each other. They’ll be outright yelling in a second, despite Will’s attempts to referee – or maybe just egg them on. Max is never entirely sure with Will. El’s already disappeared around the corner into the building, with Mike close behind her.

“Guys!” Max tries, one more time, a little louder, before heading for the shed.

The sun must have passed behind a cloud or something, because the brilliance of the light fades a little as Max approaches the shed. The sky doesn’t get any less blue and blinding overhead, but all the colours around Max darken, ever so faintly, the shadows getting softer and less sharp in contrast. A little of the heat seems to leak out of the sunlight beating down on her back, making her shiver in the barest breath of breeze. Somewhere in the woods around the pool, a single cricket or grasshopper chirps almost frantically, before suddenly falling silent.

As she gets closer, Max can see that the storage shed door is ever so slightly ajar. The stink of chlorine is burning the inside of her nostrils again.

The sound that had made Max come investigate comes again. A sort of wet, rattling gasp, half-choked. This time, Max is sure it’s coming from inside the shed. It’s awful to listen to.

It sounds like somebody’s dying in there.

Max’s feet drift to a stop, just before they would have carried her around the door to where she could see through the inch or so it’s cracked open. To where who or whatever’s in there could see her.

She considers calling out for the others again. And quickly decides against it. They might not hear her. But whatever’s in there definitely will.

Slowly, cautiously, tensed and ready to spring back at a moment’s notice, Max starts to lean around the storage shed door –

And nearly jumps out of her skin when a voice behind her says, “Max?”

“Jesus!” Max claps a hand over her pounding heart as she whirls to face Lucas. “Holy shit, stalker, way to give a girl a heart attack -”

And then the door swings abruptly back, a rough grip grabs her upper arm, and she’s yanked off her feet and sideways into the storage shed.

[keykeep]

Kinktober Day 9: Teacher- Pansy Parkinson

Warnings:69

She was head Slytherin girl, evil and mean so what was she doing making you scream

You were in detention, text book open hoping to revise for your potions exam. Sitting next to you and the one to thank for your detention was black haired Slytherin Pansy Parkinson. She led the army of bullies, always leading her minions to assault you with their words. Whether it was your answers in class, your exam scores, your looks, the way you wore knee high socks. But today was the worst of it and you had had enough. Todays insult was teasing you about being a virgin.

It was like a knife to the chest as the Slytherins teased you about being pure, so in the middle of flying class you yelled out “enough Pansy, you’ve got the next three seconds before I beat the ever living shit out of you” her friends laughed, everyone crowded around you both seeing who would move first.

With a deep breath you counted “One” Slytherins still smirking finding it next to impossible for you to do anything, Pansy arms crossed with a smug look upon her face. “two” you said watching the Slytherins faces contort from smug to confusion, all your classmates stunned at the possibility.

“Three” you said launching at Pansy as you punched, kicked, bitten, scratched, pulled. You were cheered on by your fellow classmate’s, all except Slytherin house who were calling you all sorts of nasty names.

Madam Hooch had pulled you off each other inspecting the damage of both your wounds. “That’s 50 points of both your houses, detention with Mcgonagall, go get yourselves cleaned up now”.

So here you were in detention with Pansy. “Why do you care if I am a virgin or not?” You said to Pansy.

“Because I want to be your first” she whispered, you were stunned and speechless looking over to her to catch if she was joking but instead you caught her looking nervous as her brown doe eyes stare back at you.

“B.b.but why?” You stuttered after a long pause of silence. “you’re so confident it’s attractive as hell, and all I think about doing is taking care of you, I can make you feel good I promise” 

“I...I...I’ve never done anything like this before” you said after a while, “would you like to go somewhere more private?” she said enclosing her hand in yours. “but we are already in detention, we can’t just leave” you protested. “well they’ll say, that they are pleased that we are sorting out our problems” she said with a smile. 

Taking her hand, she led you into the nearest closet locking the door behind her.  She takes you into her arms as she travels down your neck making marks that will be hard to cover up later. 

Ripping open your shirt as buttons go flying around the room, “wow I always wondered what you had underneath there” you scrabbled to cover up embarrassed as she chuckled “you’re so hot” she said kissing you. She ripped her own shirt open “there, now you can’t be embarrassed”. 

She ran her fingers over your chest, her nails circling your nipples watching as they turned into stiff peaks. “you’re so sensitive” she said licking your puckering buds. Her hands cupping your breasts as she kissed you. 

Pulling you onto the ground until you were laying down as you both continued kissing with lust and passion. “we will take it slowly, it will feel good all you have to do is exactly what I am doing to you”, You nodded shyly as she got in position with her hot nervous breath breathing on her cunt. Her face mirroring yours. 

You felt her tongue drag over your inner thighs and climbing higher. You moan from the contact “now your turn” she said breathlessly anticipating the reaction. You run your tongue across her clit up and down slowly keeping rhythm. As you continued your sucking and licking, She wasted no time taking you in her mouth. you muffle the moans against her hearing her moans in response. 

Gaining a newfound confidence you inserted your tongue inside her as her nails gripped your thighs, you smirked to yourself as you continued to fuck her with your tongue making her abs tightened on top of you. her legs shutter as her breathing shallows. “I feel something happening to me” you confess “just ride it out and don’t stop now” she said harshly. 

Pretty soon you were both shaking and twitching as you both kept a fast rhythm while your hearts pounded and you felt ecstasy riding out your orgasm. 

She come undone as you felt a creamy white substance inside of her, you licked at her as she moaned loudly, enjoying the sounds of her and the taste of the sweet cum you continued licking in slow circles of her cunt until she had another earth shattering orgasm into your mouth. 

You were next to come undone as you gripped onto her thighs, your eyes rolled back and you shook as you let your body relax after the high you just experienced. 

Both of you were breathless and exhausted collapsing onto the ground as you both looked up at the ceiling in silence. After a couple of minutes you regained your strength to get dressed as you fixed the clothing that was ripped off each other in desperation with spells. You turned to Pansy. 

“why didn’t you ever tell me you like me?”, you said honestly stroking her hair and kissing her again. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up by thinking that we’ll ever be together someday” she confessed in a shy voice. “so you teased and bullied me?” you shook your head trying to comprehend her reasoning. 

“I tried to nitpick by using the things I like about you to tease you” she said softly. You looked into her eyes and saw genuine honesty. 

“so do you still think we could never be together now?” you asked, “I’ve got so much more to teach you” she said wrapping her arms around you pulling you closer to her and kissing you. 

[nev3rfound]

someone i once knew : b.b - p.5

with hydra in the compound and you left to fend for yourself, now would be the worst time to start remembering everything, right? (2.2k)

(anything in bold/italics are flashbacks/memories!)

masterlist / permanent taglist

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(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website without being credited, it has not been approved to be shared by me. all rights reserved.)

PART ONE . PART TWO . PART THREE . PART FOUR . PART FIVE . PART SIX

(also thank you again and again for the love and excitement for this series - crazy that there’s only one part left now ah!)

“Come on! You must know something!” The leader of the trio yells as he punches you in the stomach, watching you curl into yourself, falling into the broken glass as you suppress a cry.

With a shaky breath, you force your eyes up to meet the three men. “I, I don’t know anything!” You state the same thing you’ve been telling them ever since they found you.

“Sure you don’t, Princess.” One of the others huffs before stepping forward, picking you up by your hair causing you yelp, feeling various cuts form across your exposed skin. “Now, shall we try that again?”

Weakly, you look across the room to see one of the monitors starting to power up again; FRIDAY is coming back online. “Like I said,” You force confidence, despite feeling your body giving in. “I don’t know anything.”

“Wrong answer, Princess.” The leader sighs and as soon as he raises his fist, you close your eyes before his impact hits.

*

“You must have something, right?” Steve leans across the chair as Tony keeps his eyes glued to his phone, watching as FRIDAY powers back up and the security cameras begin to switch on, floor by floor.

Tony hums in response as he moves through the various rooms on each floor. “Come on, come on,” He mutters to himself, feeling Bucky watching him from across the jet.

“She couldn’t have left the lab, Tony, check the second floor.” Bruce calls out, still glued to his chair thinking about your question- “Do you think I’m evil?”

Bucky listens as Tony’s breathing halters upon finding the camera’s now active on the second floor. His eyes scan across the screen, watching as the cameras move across each room until they activate in the lab you’re in- or were in.

“Oh, kid.” Tony sighs, feeling his heart sink as he focuses on the screen seeing shattered glass covering the ground whilst you lie limply on top of it all.

“No,” Bucky speaks up, having stalked over behind Tony. “no.” Bucky repeats himself, shaking his head. “She’ll be fine, she has to be.”

*

“Anything?” One of the men speaks through their comms, swearing under their breath in Russian whilst you sit upright on the broken glass under close watch by the other two agents. “We have a hostage.” He states, looking over his shoulder to see you bruised and bloodied.

Yet, you spare a glance to one of the hidden cameras Tony warned you about when you first took on the job. One of the reasons why FRIDAY’s systems are so advanced is due to the cameras being barely visible to the naked eye. They’re fractions of dust that linger, capturing live footage without you knowing.

With the little might remaining in your system, you nod in hope someone somewhere might see it. Even if you don’t make it out of here alive, maybe they’ll at least know what went down.  

“Head down, Princess.” You feel a kick to your side, wincing at the repetitive action adding to the bruises forming crossing your skin.

“My name is Y/n.” You spit out, defying everything your brain is telling you. “I’m not your Princess.” Lifting your head up, you smirk despite the cut on your lip tearing. “And you, you’re done for.”

A laugh escapes your lips as you’re forced back to the ground, a cocktail of cries and laughs leaving you as your surroundings begin to blur and your eyes roll into the back of your head.

“What did you do?!” You faintly hear the leader bark at the two men watching you as your eyes close, a familiar voice pulling you in and this time, you can’t resist the need for an escape.

Sitting on the bench with your eyes remaining shut, you enjoy the breeze twirling through your hair and the laughter from children running along the docks; their giggles igniting another bout of heartache for something you’ll never have.

You don’t have to open your eyes to know who the clicking of heels along the sidewalk belongs to before she sits down beside you.

“There’s still time to change your mind.” Peggy states, glancing down to notice you rolling your ring in your fingertips. “I just, I want to make sure you know what this means, the implications of this.”

“I know what I’m doing.” You tell her sternly, slipping the diamond ring back on your ring finger. “Is he ready for me?” Glancing up, Peggy nods in response as you both head toward the car waiting for you.

“Come on then, Y/n.” Peggy can’t hide the sorrow in her expression as you eagerly climb into the car. After all this time, you still can’t be dissuaded from this decision.

As you arrive, you’re guided through the corridors that you know like the back of your hand. You smile at the scientists, their assistants and even the cleaners whom you know on a first-name basis.

“There she is,” Howard claps his hands as you walk in, Peggy following behind you. “how are you feeling?” He asks, guiding you past the lab filled with technicians, adding the finishing touches to the machine in question.

“I’m ready.” You respond, walking into a small office as Peggy closes the door, leaving the three of you to talk in private.

“We’ll run this as planned, alright? You’ll be woken up in six months to ensure the machine is fit for purpose and then a year, and so on.” Howard explains, and you nod along. “No going back once you’re in there, kid.” Howard chuckles, catching sight of you playing with the diamond ring on your finger once again.

“He’d be proud of you, Y/n.” Peggy comments, resting her hand on your shoulder as tears form in your eyes. “Both of them would be.”

Sniffing quietly, you remove the ring from your finger and place it on the table, knowing it’ll be placed with the rest of your personal belongings.

“What are we waiting for then?” You ask, pushing the chair back as Howard opens the door and silence ensues as you walk toward the machine.

You remain still beside Peggy as Howard runs over a few things with his team. “I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I, Peggy?” Your lip trembles as you focus on the brunette.

Trying to hide the frown forming on her red lips, Peggy reaches out for your hand, giving it a light squeeze. “You know I can’t say whether it is right or wrong, Y/n.” Peggy admits. “But, if this is what you want and need to do, then so be it.” She adds, seeing a hint of the Brooklyn boy she loved in you as you step forward, volunteering for the unknown.

“I will be brave.” You mutter to yourself as Howard motions for you. “Thank you for everything, Peg.”

Standing in front of the machine, you watch as the metal door opens for you to step in. With a shaky breath, you lean back into the moulded space built for you.

Lying back, three scientists strap you down, asking countless times whether the straps are too tight or not, but none dare to look you in the eye.

“Well done, team.” Howard speaks up as the scientists back away, leaving you strapped in and now the reality of this is weighing heavy on your mind. “Now Y/n, you can back down, there’s still time.” Howard explains as Peggy hovers behind him, her hands closed into each other.

“I’m good,” You assure him with a smile. “I’m doing this for those we all lost.” You admit.

“Alright then.” Howard nods. “See you in six months, Y/n.”

Closing your eyes, you can hear muffled conversations between the team before an overwhelming cool breeze captures your ankles and works it way upwards.

“I will be brave. I will be brave, James.” You whisper with your last breath before passing out, unaware of how long it would be until you awoke once more.

*

“Okay, the Agents are inside the compound and there’s a specialist team on their way to help Y/n.” Tony explains as he projects the footage from his phone for all the team to see.

Bucky remains glued to the projection, unable to take his eyes off your lifeless body as the three HYDRA agents talk amongst themselves, ignoring the slightest movements from you whilst their backs are turned.

“Help is on its way, Buck.” Steve mutters to Bucky, hoping to incite some form of reaction, but Bucky doesn’t respond. “Y/n will be alright, we both know she’s tougher than she looks.” Steve chuckles, picturing you chasing several bullies with a bin lid and a pocket knife you stole from Bucky after they gave Steve a split lip.

“I just,” Bucky uneasily raises his voice. “I can’t lose her again, Steve.”

Resting his hand on Bucky’s shoulder, Steve holds back the sigh from his lips as he watches the footage, noticing your body twitching. “I don’t think you will, look.” Steve motions and Bucky steps closer, eyeing the projection carefully.

“What’s happening?” Tony asks, looking up to the two soldiers as Bucky’s jaw clenches tightly.

“She’s remembering something.” Bucky states. “Come on, doll. Please, wake up.” He pleads under his breath, wanting to see you open your eyes, to wake up and be alright.

*

Voices rise with aggression around you as you begin to gain consciousness, the ruckus from before is only getting worse.

“No, we can’t!” One of the men yells whilst the other carries on conversing in Russian, unaware that you've woken up.

Remaining on the ground, you try to control your breathing as snippets of what you saw and what you said replay in your mind.

“I,” You breathe out as your cheeks become damp once more with a mix of tears and blood.

“And this is Bucky.” Steve nods to the taller brunette with the suave smile etched across his lips.

“James Barnes, but my friends call me Bucky.” Bucky steps forward, lifting your hand up and kisses it softly, never breaking eye contact from you despite the laugh of sheer disgust that left your lips.

“So what do I get to call you?” You ask, now crossing your arms over your chest whilst Bucky hums, taking the sight of you and the beauty you radiate in.

“Well, that’s up to you, doll.” He remarks with a wink before turning around, missing the sight of you rolling your eyes in response.

“You comin’ Y/n?” Steve calls out as Bucky walks ahead, expecting you like all the other dames in the city to follow him and hang on to his every word.

Yet, you stand your ground. “Not today, Steve. I’ve got more important things to do than pretend to be James Barnes’ play toy.”

Bucky turns on his heels quickly. “Oh?” He mutters, raising a brow to you as you simply nod. Unsure of himself, Bucky runs his fingers through his hair, combing his locks back as he tuts in bewilderment.

“Nice to meet you, James.” You salute the man before turning around yourself, hiding the smile forming on your face.

“She, she,” Bucky stutters over his words, a sight Steve struggles to fathom.

“Come on, Buck. I’m sure you’ll see her again real soon.”

“I remember.” You whisper, slowly reeling your hand to your mouth to hold back the snigger that dares to sound.

Echoes of footsteps rushing through the corridors pull you away from your own revelation as a series of Agents come into view with their guns are held up, ready to fire.

Within seconds, gunfire rings through your ears as you cover them, curling into yourself as the three men fall to the ground.

“Y/n?” Someone speaks up, and slowly you uncoil yourself. “Can you stand?”

Unsure of your own voice, you shake your head. “We need a medic, now!” Another calls out whilst you look over to the three men, crimson pooling around them.

“I, where’s Bucky?” You slowly ask, looking up at the Agent before you who blankly stares at you. “Where is he?” You repeat yourself.

The Agent rises to his feet and walks away whilst the medic rushes through, helping you onto a stretcher as you cry out in agony, whimpering for Bucky, your Bucky.

“She’s asking for him, Ma’am.” The Agent mutters to Maria Hill as they both stand by, watching as you’re taken toward the elevator, strapped into the stretcher.

Maria nods. “I’ll get Fury. See to the jet.” She explains before taking her phone and calling the last liable person for this. “Subject 359 is conscious, and has questions.” She simply states.

“And where is she now?” Fury asks through the line.

“Heading to the med bay. She was in bad shape by the time we found her.” Maria explains, passing by the bloodied shards of glass you fell into. “They’re all going to have questions, Nick.”

“I know,” Fury huffs. “and I guess it’s about damn time we answer them.”

L A S T  P A R T 

(thank you to the following for all the love so far! if you’d like to be tagged in this mini series do let me know)

@mellmellmell12@theofficialzivadavid @fandom-princess-forevermore @lokilovefoever @vivalakatee @chgevorgian @captainwinterwriter @carliewinchester @spn-obession @buckysquad @shower-me-with-roses @basicgukk @yasminwashere @sunfouler @feminist-fan-girl @stealapizzamyheart @soccer-100000   @sunflowerbunny2   @kickingn-ames @choerriesmotion @why-thats-just-delightful @officialfictionalwreck @romanoff-nataliaalianovna @hersilencedscreams @b-r-stark @dezzxmx @thearcher-temis @i-lost-my-shoe-down-a-drain @girl-obsessed-with-things​

[peachyyykid]

Deceivers Ch. 4 - Flit

Word Count: 3748

Chapter 3 - Noble

Chapter 5 - Pirates

One week had passed since the world noble Charlos bought you at the auction house. After the branding, the guards had put you into skimpy lace underwear that barely covered your nipples and ass. You had felt slight relieve when they brought out a piece of fabric to put around your waist, but it was completely see-through and therefore, useless. The exploding collar was still in its place and Charlos added a leash to it.

You would walk behind him with another woman next to you, whom you weren't allowed to speak to. He pulled you through the streets and alleys of Sabaody, the eyes of the people in town made you uncomfortable, their gazes lingering on your exposed body.

It was so utterly embarrassing and degrading. From time to time, you would feel tugs in your chest, but you managed not to cry. Tears meant him kicking or punching you in front of all these people, and that somehow embarrassed you more than being half naked.

Some looked at you with pity, some shady men enjoyed your private parts almost spilling out, but most people just looked away. You were walking with a world noble after all, and they probably didn't want to die. He was usually riding on the back of another slave, and although you were in the same predicament as him, your heart hurt every time he trembled under Charlos' weight. But how could you help him if you couldn't even help yourself?

Every time you spoke without being asked, he gave you a hard back handed slap and if he felt particularly angry, he kicked you until you fell to the ground. The first few days this hadn't stopped you from annoying him on purpose, but the bruises piled up and soon you felt a stinging sensation in your ribs while breathing. The branding on your back healed quite well, although whenever you saw it in a mirror you cringed. They called it "the hoof of the flying dragon", which would be a beautiful name if it didn't have such a horrid back story.

Death, either yours or his, became an option you considered every time "Saint" Charlos groped your ass or fondled with your breasts. The thoughts you had about him grew more and more violent each day. You just wanted to hurt him.

The worst day so far was today. He wanted to eat dinner at a very fancy restaurant, and you stood next to him while he ate, making disgusting smacking and slurping sounds and laughing about "peasants" with his father and sister, who you despised as soon as you met them.

"Dear son", Rosward whistled, "you must give wife 14 the infertility shot as soon as we are home. It would be a shame if our blood were tainted with an improper heir due to your activities."

Your eyes widened as he mentioned infertility shots and the "activities", but you didn't dare to speak. Actually, thinking about it, it didn't really surprise you that much. He gave you the name wife 14, and he most definitely doesn't just display his wives somewhere just to look at them. His intentions were clear as glass.

"It will be so much fun, wife 14! I will get good use out of you", Charlos cheered while grabbing a handful of your exposed ass, making you flinch. You just wanted to smash his head into the plate of food.

"I know a good doctor, brother. If she wears out, he can stitch her back up, my friend said his mistresses were just like new", Shalria giggled behind her hand and Charlos formed his mouth into an o-shape. The fact that they spoke so freely about these things as a family, while normal families talked about their kids' school days or something, made you shiver in fear of what he was ready to do in private.

Her mentioning stitching you up sounded so nonchalant, while this practice was nothing else than disgusting. Some of your medicine books mentioned it, but it was a really old tradition that was actually forbidden by the world government. And here were the world nobles, completely ignoring rules that applied to everyone else (and for a good reason that was).

Jeany was right and all your life, you had blindly believed all these great and noble things you learned about the government and the world nobles.

How could I have been this stupid..., you thought and lowered your head. Small tears were forming in the corners of your eyes, and you blinked them away before anyone could see them.

If you had told your past self about the life, you had now you would have laughed. It was kind of ridiculous. Suddenly, something dawned you: You definitely had to flee, but time was running out. As soon as Charlos took you to Mary Geoise it was over, there was no way to get away from there. Your escape had to happen on Sabaody, basically the sooner the better.

Carefully, you eyed your surroundings in the restaurant. It was a fancy place, white furniture and walls with floor length windows. All the waiters were dressed in suits and had impeccable posture, carrying shiny silver plates with dish covers.

According to their status, the world nobles were seated on an open landing above the other guests. A flight of stairs led to the ground floor, with the kitchen on the left. Waiters scurried in and out of the room, trying their best to satisfy the demanding customers.

The world noble's table was the only one on the landing. It looked very expensive, clad in a white satin tablecloth reaching the floor. They sat on comfy chairs that matched the table.

Charlos' disgusting smacking and slurping never left your ears and it was becoming unbearable. Neither him, nor his father and sister were paying you any attention while they indulged on their food. You would expect table manners from someone like them, but they just looked like hungry pigs.

You frowned and carefully glanced at Charlos' other wife next to you. When she looked back, you motioned towards the stairs with your eyes. She widened her eyes in shock and shook her head, telling you to stop having crazy ideas.

If you were honest to yourself, you didn't even know what your plan was. You went through some ideas in your head.

Plan A was running, nothing else. But you ditched that plan quickly, they would just catch you or make your collar explode. Plan B was better, attacking them to get a chance to get rid of the collar. But how? The guards in the auction house said even attempting to remove it would trigger the explosion. Both of these possibilities weren't perfect, but you didn't have a plan C either.

However, fate decided to play in your favour.

A young waiter was coming up the stairs with another plate for the nobles, which was filled up to the brim with food. He visibly struggled balancing the silver platter and just before he reached the safety of the table, the plate wobbled dangerously, and he lost concentration. With wide eyes you watched as the plate tipped over in his hands, comically slow. The waiter tried to catch it, but he only made it worse. Mid-air, he hauled the plate towards Charlos and his family instead of catching it and the dish landed on their faces with a splattering sound.

The whole situation seemed like a theatre play. Before you could even think twice about it, you used the confusion around you to roughly yank at the leash that was connected to Charlos' chair, resulting in it tipping over with him on it. With a loud thud, his body hit the ground. Shalria and Roswald shrieked, trying to wipe the food away from their faces. Charlos tried to get up, but he just rolled around on his back like a fat bug.

"Shalria!", he yelled from the floor, "get the remote!"

This was your cue. You made a beeline for the stairs, carefully not to trip over the poor waiter. You pulled him up by the collar.

"You need to run, they'll kill you", you said and then looked back at the other enslaved woman, who was still standing there motionless. She shook her head and didn't budge, and you knew that she was too scared to run. It was her decision though, you couldn't help her if she didn't want it.

The leash was rustling behind you as you hurried down the stairs. If Charlos got a hold of the remote to make your collar explode it would be over for you, but it would still be better than being tortured and raped in Mary Geoise until they disposed of you.

Since the nobles were still screaming their heads of, you figured that they still hadn't found it.

At the end of the stairs, you quickly jumped into the kitchen, past some waiters who wanted to attend the scene on the landing.

"Ok, what do I do now", you panted, running around the room hurriedly. While scanning the counters and appliances with your eyes, they fell on a big pot of cooking oil.

With no hesitation, you grabbed the pot and poured the oil over your head and the explosive collar. If you tried hard enough, you could squeeze your head through it with the help of the greasy liquid.

"Hot!", you swore when the oil hit your skin, but luckily it wasn't hot enough to burn you.

You sat on the floor, rubbing the oil over your head and neck. Suddenly, the collar started beeping and you put two and two together. It was only a matter of time until the collar would explode. Breathing heavily and stretching your neck as far as possible, you pulled on it with slippery hands.

"Please... please. Come. Off!", you cried and with one last pull, the collar slipped over your head, landing on the floor next to you. You felt a sharp pain in your ears from the collar going past them, but you had to ignore that for now.

Your breathing picked up when the collar started beeping faster and you kicked it mindlessly, to get it as far away from you as possible. You managed to kick it a good meter farther and the collar exploded with a loud noise. The impact pushed you to your back and your ears were ringing.

A sharp pain travelling from your foot up to your hip pulled you back into reality. The explosion had been too close after all, and you saw your leg bleeding.

"Oh my god", you panted, and tears were threatening to blur your vision. Reading about such things in books was way different than seeing yourself being actually hurt, and the pain was numbing your head.

I don't have time for this, you thought and pulled your leg up carefully, wiping the tears away. You had another look around the kitchen and found some towels and a roasted piece of meat with some string around it.

Somehow, you heaved yourself up, finding support on the counters. The string around the meat easily came off and the paper towels weren't far either.

"Ok, I know what to do. I learned this", you said while wrapping the towels around your injured leg. You hissed when the material touched the wound, but it couldn't be helped. You tried your best tying the string around it and when it felt like it could last a while, you started limping towards a door at the end of the kitchen that you assumed would lead outside.

It was only a matter of time until the nobles came after you, so you approached the door as fast as possible. Luckily, it wasn't locked, and you peered through the frame. You were right, it did lead outside and even better, you couldn't see anybody. When the door fell back, you could hear aggravated screaming outside the kitchen door.

"What am I paying you stupid bodyguards for! If you don't find that slut, I will feed your guts to the dogs!" That was Charlos, who had apparently called his bodyguards inside the restaurant for a little help.

You couldn't afford to think about the consequences of your escape if they found you, so instead you picked up your pace. Your leg hurt like hell, but you would have to deal with it later. Your primary goal was to survive.

When another wave of adrenaline hit you, you started running in the direction that would lead you the farthest away from the restaurant. Charlos and his guard dogs would surely find you in no time if you hesitated, although it was getting dark outside.

"Shit", you exclaimed when you saw where you had ended up after a good minute of running. It was the shore, and there was no way to run any further. Sabaody was made of several small islands, but there wasn't a bridge or anything that would lead you to the next island. If you ran along the shore, they would spot you instantly.

Anxiously, you looked around. The only thing you spotted was a ships mast behind a tree. No matter who this ship belonged to, it was your only hope. The furious voice of Charlos rang in your ears and you made your way towards the ship.

It seemed like there was no one aboard and when you were close enough, you wanted to shout out to them, but you decided against it when Charlos' voice came closer. There was no ladder on the ship, so you had to think quickly.

The adrenaline made the pain in your leg more bearable, and you managed to jump high enough to grab the gunwale. You lost the hold as soon as you wanted to haul yourself on deck, since your hands were still slippery from the oil. You tried to hold onto the hull, but to no avail. With a loud splashing sound, you landed in the ice-cold water.

"Shi-", you hissed and cursed Charlos' clothing choice for you. The coldness was all around your body and you were afraid that you'd freeze to death, although the sea water soothed your injured leg.

"Guards!", bellowed Charlos' nasal voice and your heartbeat picked up instantly.

They found me!

You pressed your body under water and as close to the bottom of the hull as possible. If they couldn't see you, they would maybe retreat. Your heart beat so fast that you thought it was impossible to overhear from where they stood. But instead of checking the water, the men jumped on the ship.

"Search that ship and then come back immediately!", Charlos ordered, and you prayed that they wouldn't sink it when they were done. It was your only hiding spot.

Shalria's shrill voice came from the distance. "Brother! Brother come back quick, wife 10 tried to escape but we managed to stop her!"

Charlos tsked angrily, turned on his heel and his guards left the ship. They slowly went back to the restaurant, and he muttered inaudible things under his breath, sounding very upset.

Wife 10 tried to escape... that poor woman, why didn't she come with me!

The other woman's fate was settled. It was surely over for her, and you felt guilty that you didn't take her with you, by force if necessary. But it was too late. It was a miracle that you managed to escape, and luck had really been on your side tonight.

By now, the sea water had washed away the oil, and you started another attempt at climbing up the hull, digging your fingers into the bumpy wood as hard as possible. Maybe you could treat your wounds on the ship and find something to eat, in the best case some new clothes. This was probably a ship belonging to some merchants or something. If you explained your situation to them, they'd surely understand.

It was a particularly dark night, so you did neither see that the bow was actually a dinosaur skull, nor the pirate flag swaying proudly in the breeze. A white skull with fiery red hair and goggles glanced down on you and watched you as you intruded the ship.

You didn't make it far because a wave of fatigue washed over you, so you decided to sit down first. Immediately you regretted that decision because it took away the adrenaline and you now felt the pain in your entire body. Your leg, your ears and your hands were the worst. You shivered in your wet, skimpy clothes and hugged your body tightly to gain some warmth.

For the first time since the start of your escape, you felt empty and lost. You had thought that it would become better, that being away from the world nobles would make your situation more hopeful, but nothing changed. You had nowhere to go. Your parents were still dead, everyone at home was dead. You didn't know where your brother was and no way of finding out. You had never been told where exactly Deku-sama lived and walking around on Sabaody wasn't an option either.

For now, you could only sit around on this ship. You wanted to stand up, to at least find a blanket and some food, but at the same time you wanted to sit in the freezing cold to numb the pain. Finally, you were able to cry. It was relieving to at least feel some kind of emotion.

Violent sobs racked your body and the planks below you turned dark with tears. At last, you could let it all out. You curled up into a ball on the wooden planks. It must have been pitiful to look at, and you wished for someone to pull you into their arms, rocking you back and forth to comfort you. You craved the gentle embrace of your mother or even just your father patting your back. Something, just some kind of physical comfort. But you would never feel that kind of tender care again because everyone was gone.

After what felt like hours of crying, your tears had dried and only occasionally you let out a quiet whimper. You didn't know if the physical or the emotional pain was worse. The makeshift bandage on your leg was merely a piece of cloth now, but at least the bleeding had stopped. You looked at the throbbing limb and tried to concentrate on something other than the obvious pain.

It was useless. The crying and the pain took a toll on your body, and you slowly slipped into a rough sleep, feeling as numb as never before.

You woke up startled, scurrying around on the deck because of one of many nightmares that you had since you were abducted. You blinked rapidly, trying to make out your surroundings. It was dawn already and you could finally see what kind of ship you climbed onto. It was quite colourful, a black mast and sail, a green galley, red quarters, and a giant yellow skull in the front. A very odd merchant ship.

A giant yellow skull in the front? A black sail... there's a skull with flames on said sail..., you thought, looking up.

"Holy shit, not again!", you exclaimed while letting your eyes roam the ship. Again, you had somehow ended up on a fucking pirate ship. A brutal looking one at that. It was a lot larger than the ship of that dirty captain and looked more special. There was no doubt that it belonged to a ruthless pirate crew.

Loud chattering and hoarse laughter shifted your attention towards the shore. Carefully, you peeked over the railing. You saw a group of men in the distance, making their way towards the ship. With wide eyes you watched them banter with each other, but soon your eyes fell on the tall man walking in the middle, who didn't engage in the playful antics of the others.

He just smirked, carrying a bottle of alcohol in his right hand, his left hand stuffed in his trouser pockets leisurely. He wore a dark, heavy looking fur coat with golden spikes and a thin leather bandolier around his chest, holding a dagger and a small gun.

You looked at the sail above you, then back at his face. No doubt, it was his jolly roger up there. The fiery red hair and the goggles on his forehead were definitely his trademark. You studied his appearance a little more, even though you were scared to your bones.

His height was impressive. He was the tallest among the crew and the fur coat didn't hide his bare chest, his muscular torso clearly visible. His amber eyes, no, his whole face was intimidating. It took you a few seconds to realise that he didn't have eyebrows, but it didn't look ridiculous. He had red lips, kind of matching his hair.

You found yourself staring at him a little too long, not really knowing why. Something just drew you to him. His face and demeanour screamed danger, but he somehow fascinated you with his confident stance and his fierce eyes. His presence was overwhelming, although not in a bad way. He was different from the other men you had met in your life.

You should have escaped the ship while you still had time, but you had lost yourself in the man's eyes. When you came back to your senses, the group had nearly reached the ship, and you hurried to the other side of the deck to jump into the water. Finding a hideout on Sabaody to look for an innocent soul to help you or the marines seemed a better option than staying on yet another pirate ship, even with the world nobles at your heels.

You wanted to run but your leg didn't really allow it. With a few last limps, you barely reached the opposite railing. A whooshing sound behind you made you halt and turn around. The huge shadow of the man in the fur coat blocked the rising sun as he jumped onto the deck. Frozen in shock, you missed the last chance of escaping into the water.

With doe eyes, you watched him as he landed in front of you, inspecting your sitting frame with a frown.

"Who the fuck are you and why are you on my fucking ship?"

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

The aftermath of Merlin snapping, and yelling at Arthur in the middle of the forest;

Arthur pushes for change, the gang takes bets on when Merthur will happen, and someone, somewhere, is grumpy.

Part 2 of Merlin’s Angry Outburst. 

Part 1   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5

Once Arthur has a first draft of the repeal, the first people he brings in on it (with Merlin’s approval, of course) are the 5 knights, Gwen, Gaius, and Morgana.

(Morgana, who later that evening comes back to Arthur's chamber in tears (Merlin is also there) to reveal her magic, and thank him for not being Uther.) 

All of them enthusiastically agree, after only a little conversation.

Elyan and Leon are the most... dubious, but only because of the practical factor, they don't disagree with the actual repeal.

After months of the gang working in secret, they reveal their best draft to the council. At least half the council are new members that Arthur appointed, the rest are left over from Uther’s time.

They argue back and forth for a while, half vs half. A few of the older members, who were around before the purge, slowly start changing their minds.

In the end, it takes them maybe a month to get a majority, and Arthur overrules the remaining opposition. He is King after all, technically, he doesn’t even have to have a council.

Days after the agreement is reached, Arthur goes out personally to collect a few specific Druids, who had been waiting just outside the border for the go ahead.

It takes maybe another month to go through all the laws thoroughly, changing and editing and altering what needs to be altered. With the help of Arthur's close advisors on the political aspects, and the help of the Druids, Merlin, and Gaius, on the magical aspects (what should be allowed freely, what should be monitored, and what should remain fully banned).

The city celebrates when the announcement is made, they all loved the new King anyway, and had been overjoyed with the drop in executions, and deliberate ignoring of small instances of magic.

After a feast to celebrate the new found freedom among the people, the gang gathers once more, in private, and Merlin tells a shortened version of the story he'd told Arthur all those months ago.

None of them are that surprised (Gaius, Morgana, and Lancelot already knew, of course).

If they hadn't suspected Merlin of being a sorcerer before this whole thing started (Leon, Gwaine, and Gwen definitely suspected) , then they had certainly begun to in the last few months. They cheer when Merlin finishes telling them "just how often I've saved your oblivious arses" .

They cheer even louder when Arthur announces that he would be made court sorcerer, and it would be made official in a ceremony before the week ended.

There are no cheers when Morgana stands.

Curious eyes land on her, probably due to how terrified she looks, but the small encouraging nods and little smiles she gets from her brother (her Brother), Merlin, and Gwen, give her the strength she needs to tell everyone of her magic as well.

They see she is frightened, they imagine how difficult it must have been, being at first Uther’s ward, and then his daughter. They smile gently, and she receives hugs a plenty. Once all the congratulations are out of the way, she sits back down next to Gwen, still shaky and full of adrenaline, but happy.

She spends the remainder of the group’s quiet celebrations with her hand gripped in Gwen's under the table.

(Read this how you want, I personally envision it as the start of something)

So the days draw on, Merlin is announced Court Sorcerer, Arthur hires another manservant and gives Merlin a large set of chambers in the same hallways as Arthur's, complete with all the books on magic Arthur can find, and several of the magical artefacts that had previously been kept locked away (Merlin and Arthur are the only ones who are able to gain access to the room, something magicky I guess).

(No one mentions that that corridor is supposed to be for royalty only. Leon figures they're bound to realise that they're in love with each other any day now, and then Merlin will practically be royalty anyway so... might as well cut out the middle bit of having to shuffle chambers again later on).

The kingdom is prospering, and for months after the initial announcement, and implementations of the new laws, sorcerers and nobles from all over Albion, visit Camelot, to give congratulations to the King.

They give gifts and provide knowledge.

The Druids, however, are a slightly different story.

The ones who had been helping with the paperwork, had been... odd(?) around Merlin. But they respected his wish to keep all of that under wraps, or at least until it was announced publicly.

Arthur and Gaius know the whole Emrys story. Lancelot and Morgana know bits of it... but other than that... as far as anyone is concerned, the newly promoted Court Sorcerer is just another wizard.

The new Druids entering the kingdom are paying brief respects to the Forever King (I mean... at this point, he's still only King of Camelot... which is what he was before the magic ban repeal), before staring in reverence at the Court Sorcerer stood by his side.

They respect his wishes to keep the worshipping and gift giving to a minimum, though they still come to him for requests of miracles and ask him to perform druid ceremonies (blessings and name-givings and weddings and funerals (though they prefer to call them celebrations of life, rather than commiserations of death) and such).

Merlin can only brush off so many displays of such awe before the rest of The Gang demands to know what’s up, at which point he has to come clean about the whole... “Most Powerful Warlock To Ever Walk The Earth” thing.

Much to Merlin’s chagrin (and everyone else's amusement) the Druids still insist on calling him Emrys. The stubborn ones sometimes even go for "My Lord Emrys", which gets them a scowl from Merlin (and barely concealed laughter from everyone else).

Maybe... later on... when Morgana is more comfortable with her magic, after a few months practicing with Merlin (with a supportive Gwen Always at her side) , she is announced as the Court Seer.

Merlin had never had much luck with prophetic visions, but once Morgana’s fear died down, once she learned to let it flow, and breathe through it, the visions come easier, and kinder.

She stops seeing only visions of doom, and worst case scenarios, instead she has dreams of the many paths the future may take.

She does not panic when a path seems grim and dark, for she has a King and a Warlock and Gwen, by her side. Always. And they work through the future together.

So the ban has been repealed officially for around 6 months.

Arthur is a couple months away from completing his second year as King. And he and Merlin are still beating around the bush.

The betting pool for when they’ll finally get together has been growing bigger and bigger. Practically the whole castle is in on it now, with Gwen and Morgana as the ring leaders. Whoever wins... will be very lucky.

(It's Leon in the end, he pays attention, and he know what his boys are like. But he's a noble and has no need for the money, he pays for a few rounds of drinks and donates the rest to one of children's homes in the lower town).

But the war comes first.

~

Camelot has been prospering, and has many supporters throughout Albion, but one of the kingdoms, it doesn't matter which, you decide, does NOT like this.

Scouts and small patrols have been needling Camelot’s borders for months now, and Arthur and his Council (and Inner Council) have been making quiet preparations. They know that some sort of... something, is coming soon.

Especially when Morgana begins to dream of battles and blood and lightening.

They prepare for, and expect, a full scale war, but they hope for some negotiations and a peace treaty with the opposition.

Their hopes are dashed, when a messenger is escorted into the throne room, wearing The Opposition’s colours, with a letter.

Said letter is an angry rebuttal of everything Camelot stands for, full of accusations of abandoning tradition, and spitting in the face of great leaders, of which this soft boy-king should NOT be counted as. 

At the end, there was an official declaration of war.

The messenger boy was obviously scared to death, and once Arthur read the P.S, which invited Arthur to torture and/or execute him to the whatever extent he wants, he understood why. Without any hesitation, he offers the boy a job in the stables, a new wardrobe of clothes, and a servant’s bed in the castle.

After the official council meeting on the matter, setting up war committees, laying out contingency plans, organising the distribution of emergency evacuation plans, and discussing potential aid that could be requested from allies, Arthur pulls the gang together, for their own meeting.

“We knew this was coming, and there is no need to panic yet. Our outer borders are well patrolled, and we’re still getting up to date reports. The city walls hold strong, but I want to send out patrols to warn the villages of what’s coming. Start closer to the border, and work our way in. Leon?”

“My Lord, I have teams prepared for exactly that already, I just need to give the word and they’ll go.”

“Good. Morgana, I need you to try and keep focusing your visions, if we have even a small idea of how they might try to initiate the first battle, it’ll be a huge advantage.”

“Me and Merlin have been practising some new techniques to control where and when I can see, we’ll write everything down, and ask the Druids if they’ve seen anything as well.”

Arthur holds in a smile at the confidence in her voice. He is unendingly proud of how far his sister had come, and made a mental note to tell her that when all this was over.

“Brilliant, keep me in the loop. Gwen, when we’re done here, go and let the forgery know, the Royal Household will pay them extra to push out as much long range ammunition as they can. Arrows and crossbow bolts, we need as many as they can produce.” Gwen nods, and Arthur finally looks towards Merlin:

“And Merlin, I need you to be ready. Don’t wear yourself out too much in the next few weeks, I need you in good condition, if we’re to win this with minimal casualties-”

He glances over at Morgana before he continues:

“If the two of you could also ask the Druids if they have any volunteer healers. Make sure they know they aren’t obligated to come, but any help in the infirmaries would be greatly appreciated.” Morgana nods once more, as does Merlin, before he speaks:

“There’s a camp a couple hours ride outside the city at the moment, we’ll head out at first light-” He pauses and closes his eyes for a second, tilting his head, before looking to Morgana:

“They’re expecting us.”

Arthur addresses the room again:

“Right. I think that’s all for now, anyone have anything to add?”

Gaius responds after a moment:

“My Lord, if I could make a request for a few servants to help me set up supplies for the infirmary? Extensive preparations will need to be made to ensure that I have all I’ll need. Preferably people with rough herbal knowledge, if at all possible.”

Arthur nods straight away, responding:

“Yes, of course, I’ll ask the Housekeeper and the Steward who they can spare this evening, and they’ll be ready for you in the morning. Anything else?” At the silence in the room, Arthur tells everyone to get to work.

Leon marches straight down to the training grounds (Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan following him) to ring the summoning bell and inform the knights of the developments, and their tasks.

Gwen heads straight to the forgery (her and Elyan still oversee work there, but they have employees (and a few trainees) to run it) to give the Kings order.

Gaius shuffles out, and makes his way back to his quarters, already making mental lists of ingredients needed, and work to be done.

Arthur, Morgana, and Merlin are left, the royal siblings thinking to themselves, and Merlin thinking to someone else. Arthur contemplates that the whole mental link thing he had going on with the Druids was extremely useful.

Both his and Morgana’s thoughts were interrupted by Merlin huffing, and clenching his fists as he opens his eyes, obviously unhappy with whatever was said:

“Merlin?” From Morgana has the Court Sorcerer looking up from scowling at the table. He replies after wiping the frown off his face:

“Oh, it’s fine. They just made a... stupid suggestion is all. Don’t worry about it.”

“Stupid? Doesn’t sound like the Druids. What was it?”

Merlin looks mildly uncomfortable at that, and replies slowly:

“It... doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you another time. It’s late, you should practice some meditation and head to sleep, no potions tonight. And remember to keep some parchment and a quill by your bed, so you can scribble down anything you see-”

Merlin stands abruptly and heads towards the door:

“-I’m going to check the wards on the outer wall, and push a little more energy into the wells. I’ll see you both bright an early.” With that, Merlin heads out the room swiftly.

Arthur looks to his sister questioningly, but she shrugs as she responds:

“Who knows. “I’ll tell you later” means he doesn’t want you to know, OR he’s hoping I’ll forget because he doesn’t want either of us to know. He’s right though, I should meditate for a while-”

Morgana stands at this:

“- hopefully I’ll see you before we head off, if not, I suppose it’ll be dinner in the evening. Good night, brother.” Morgana leaves the room gracefully, heading in the direction of her chambers.

Arthur thinks for only a moment, before rushing off, catching up with Merlin as he readied his horse, preparing for the journey to the outer walls:

“I’ll come with you. I find I quite enjoy watching you do magic, and to be perfectly honest, I could do with some fresh air to help me think.”

Arthur pretends to ignore the slight blush that dusts Merlin’s cheeks, and readies his own horse. The two of them ride out of the stables and make the journey down the cobbled roads in comfortable silence, side by side.

They take their time on the journey, and the 15 minutes of companionable silence is finally broken by Arthur, who looks at Merlin curiously, as he says:

“So what did they suggest?”

Merlin looks up sharply at that, broken from his deep train of thought as he dumbly replies “What?”

“The Druids. What was the stupid suggestion?” Merlin’s eyes widen at that, and he blushes once more as he looks determinedly forward:

“Oh. That. I told you, it doesn’t-”

“Merlin...”

“Oh fine! They suggested that I... that I forge a mental link with you. Like the one I have with them.” The sorcerer purses his lips at that, and continues to avoid Arthur’s gaze:

“You can do that? Well... would it be such a bad idea? I mean we aren’t going to be able to meet and discuss things as often as I’d like through this whole ordeal. AND you’re basically the Kingdom’s powerhouse, I’m sort of relying on your magical know-how here. Surely it wouldn’t be a bad thing? For us to be able to converse across the battle fields?” 

Arthur, in an effort to not be hurt, reminds himself that he doesn’t know all that much about magic, and it very well could be a stupid suggestion, instead of one that Merlin is just personally opposed to.

Merlin, in response, looks to Arthur in great shock, before sighing and looking down to his horses mane:

“It.... is possible. And fairly easy, technically. But it would be painful, AND permanent. I wouldn’t be able to undo it after we won. And a temporary connection takes far too much energy to maintain, even for a short time. I just figured you wouldn’t want me in your head for the rest of our lives.” He tries to inject a little humour into his words, but it falls flat, and he just seems sad.

Arthur pretends he doesn’t notice however, and responds quickly:

“How painful are we talking? I mean I’ve been hurt pretty badly before. And... how exactly does it work? Would we be able to read each other’s mind constantly, without the other knowing? Or what?”

Merlin raises his eyebrows in shock at that, and his answer comes out slowly as he looks at Arthur:

“Like... a really bad headache? Imagine the hardest you’ve ever been hit, without passing out. It would last for a few minutes after the connection is initially forged, but would fade slowly over the next day or so. And no. Once the connection is established we wouldn’t be in each other’s head all the time, we would just be able to sort of... project our voices to one another. Other thoughts would be safe, even if you were thinking about me, I wouldn’t hear it unless you were thinking to me... if that makes sense.” 

By the end of his explanation, he’s looking nervously at the King, who is deep in thought:

“Hmm. Ok. I... only if you agree but... it might not be a bad idea. Even after the war is over. There have definitely been times where I’ve needed your opinion on something but you’ve been elsewhere, or we’ve been in the presence of someone else. Of course we’ve been fine so far, if you don’t want to, but-”

Merlin interrupts him, speaking quickly:

“I’m fine with it. I agree, it would be useful. So... I can bring what we need back from the camp tomorrow?”

Arthur nods firmly:

“Yes. The sooner the better, we can do it tomorrow evening, if that’s enough time for you?” Merlin once again looks shocked at this, as Arthur stares at him:

“Oh! Yeah, Yes. That’s fine. Like I said, it’s not particularly difficult, and I can ask Gaius to prepare us something for the pain during the day. Are you... are you sure? It is Permanent.”

Arthur rolls his eyes and huffs:

“Yes, you said that already Merlin. Are you sure?”

Merlin nodded his head decidedly, and spoke confidently:

“Yes. You’re right, it’s not a bad idea. Come on, if we hurry, we’ll make it to the walls, and then to the main well, and then back to the castle, before dark.”

The pair of them hurry their horses, and after another 10 minutes of comfortable silence, they finally reach the City Gates.

The guards give a quick bow, and The King and The Court Sorcerer jump off their horses before handing the reigns to one of the Gate stablehands.

Arthur (and the guards) watch in barely concealed wonder as Merlin presses his hands against the rock of the wall, and closes his eyes.

The golden glow can still be seen from below his eyelids, and he hums slightly as he frowns in concentration, seeming to push into the wall.

Arthur sees a short of... sheen, ripple across the rock, and extend into the sky. Merlin steps back and nods, admiring his handy work:

“They’re holding strong, I’ve extended the height as well. Kilgharrah and Aithusa should be the only ones able to get over it without alerting me now, from the air at least-”

Merlin heads to retake his horse, Arthur following him, before he continues:

“Though I still want to check the tunnels again at some point in the next few days.”

“Of course. Relax Merlin, it’s barely begun, and the borders still hold strong. We’ve plenty of time before things kick off in any way.” He makes sure to speak quietly. A public announcement hasn’t been made yet, and it would be bad if rumours started spreading before The King had time to put together a proper disclosure.

Merlin nods distractedly, and urges his horse to go faster as he heads towards the main well, in the town square. It’s late, not long until sunset, so there shouldn’t be many, if any, people there. Arthur speaks again:

“Why are we visiting the well? I wasn’t aware of any problems?”

“There aren’t any, but once the announcement is made, and once the outer villages are told what’s happening, we’ll have hundreds, probably thousands, of people flock to the city for safety. I just want to make sure we’re prepared for such an influx, and boost our water levels a little.”

Arthur nods at his response, but doesn’t say anything. He chooses instead to admire the man Merlin had become. He held himself differently, more strong, confident in who he was. Just like he had back when he was still a manservant, he served Arthur, and his people, above and beyond his job description. Merlin took upon himself, not only the politics he was supposed to oversee, but the personal safety of both the King, and every Camelot citizen, and he did it all with an alarming amount of grace.

Arthur sometimes catches himself thinking that it was almost as if Merlin was built to be a king. He may not like the spotlight, but he was a protector, and leader, unlike anything Arthur had ever seen before.

“I don’t think I ever thanked you, Merlin. It feels like years ago now, that you yelled at me in a forest.” He says it with a grin, but Merlin flinches. He continues before The Sorcerer interrupts him though:

“Really Merlin. Thank you. You were right, I would’ve got there in the end, but it wasn’t fair for people to suffer in the mean time, and you took the fall in their place. You’re a hero to your people... and to me. You should be proud of your accomplishments, I know I am.” 

Arthur resists the urge to duck his head as Merlin looks at him in bewilderment, a definite flush on his cheeks as he replies:

“I... thank you, Arthur. I always had faith in you-” Merlin begins to grin before he continues:

“-and besides, someone had to knock you down a peg. Perhaps you should hire someone to take you into the forest and yell at you every once in a while.”

Arthur laughs at that, and Merlin tries to push down the blush as Arthur responds:

“Now Merlin, why on earth would I hire someone for such a job, when I already have you?”

Merlin chuckles as he answers:

“Yeah, and don’t you forget it, My Lord. Hold the horses, I’ll just be a minute.” With that, Arthur realises they’ve made it to the well, and dismounts as Merlin has, holding both of the horses reigns as he watches Merlin approach the well.

The Sorcerer crouches down, and once again closes his eyes in concentration as he presses his hands into the stone of the well. The glow is a little less bright this time, but Arthur admires it nonetheless.

Merlin finishes quickly, and gathers his horse from Arthur once more, nodding towards the castle.

Arthur follows as Merlin hurries towards the looming building. He wasn’t sure why he was in such a rush, but he only begins questions it when Merlin hurriedly hands the horses of to a stablehand, and continues to run up the castle steps.

Arthur can only just keep up with Merlin, not having the breath to ask him what’s wrong, before Merlin suddenly comes to a stop, catching his breath for a moment to go through a door leading to the highest balcony on the West of the castle:

“Merlin... what.... what are you-”

Merlin wordlessly interrupts The King as he points to the skyline, the sun only a few minutes away from touching the horizon.

There’s not a cloud in sight, and the sky is painted in oranges and pinks in front of them, bleeding into deep purples and blues behind the castle.

Merlin finally mutters, not looking away from the sunset:

“Call me a girl all you want Arthur, but nothing compares to this. It’s beautiful, I come to watch it whenever I’ve got the time.”

Arthur had only glanced briefly at the sunset before looking back at Merlin in wonder, a fond smile on his face (not that Merlin would notice).

He stares at the side of Merlin’s face, the orange sky making the gold in his eyes look even brighter, and the glare of the fading sun making his hair shine. A gentle breeze has Merlin shiver slightly, and Arthur’s smile widens as he responds, so quietly he’s not even sure if Merlin hears him:

“Hmm. Beautiful.” He doesn’t look away.

~

THIS IS COMPLETED! All 5 parts have been posted:)

If y’all want my thoughts on anything specific let me know✌️

[blu-joons]

DATING SUPER JUNIOR A⇴Z HEADCANON ⇴ Lee Donghae

A ⇴ AFFECTION

You can guarantee when Donghae gets affectionate with you, his cheeks are a dark shade of red. He finds affection very reassuring and comforting, so will often try and hold you against him or bury himself into the crook of your neck.

B ⇴ BEFORE DATING

Being a bit quieter than some of the other members, you were intrigued by him when you first met the group. Hyukjae could tell instantly that Donghae had taken a liking to you, he tried to often bring the two of you together in conversation because you were usually too shy to approach each other. He found himself talking around you a lot more which he loved.

C ⇴ CONFESSION

He was incredibly shy when it came to confessing, he was a perfectionist, and nothing could go wrong. He didn’t plan anything huge, just in case he got rejected, but he still put together a nice meal at his house, a casual movie night was all he had planned. When he turned to you at the end of the film, you had a funny feeling that something was going on. It took a while, but eventually he built up the courage to tell you exactly how he felt.

D ⇴ DATES

Your dates were quite typical, Donghae loved to pick you up in his car and drive you around before taking you somewhere nice. Your dates had a lot of variation too, sometimes you’d just go out for dinner, but other times you’d try something a little more competitive, maybe the arcade or bowling. He was super competitive and hated when you won, especially when it meant the loser paid for dinner. He’d often surprise you with little songs or poems that he’d written late at night whilst working on music for the group on your dates.

E ⇴ EXPERIENCE

For a long time, he’d been too nervous to date, he knew that the other members were louder, so girls tended to gravitate towards them. When you began to pay attention to him, he had a strong feeling that this was the world’s way of telling him he was ready to start dating. It had been a long time since he’d been in a relationship, and at times things felt very strange to Donghae, but you were very understanding. He loved being around someone, he hated being alone, so very quickly the two of you began to spend a lot of time together as Donghae learnt about love again.

F ⇴ FIGHTING

If the two of you ever argue, expect a lot of tears. One minute the two of you will be yelling across the room at each other, desperate to win the argument, and then the next minute, you’ll look across and see Donghae struggling to hold back his tears. He hates conflict and confrontation, it breaks his heart, and eventually gets him very upset. As soon as one, or both of you, start getting upset you’ll make the decision to sit down and talk about everything, preventing things from getting any further out of hand then they already are.

G ⇴ GETTING TO KNOW HIS FAMILY

He was very keen for you to meet his family, after only a couple of months he invited you to a family dinner with him. There were thousands of questions on your first meeting as everyone tried to get to know you, but luckily for you, they were very impressed by your answers, and very impressed that Donghae had found you.

H ⇴ HOME

Again, he doesn’t always like to be left alone in his own company for too long, so it won’t take long before Donghae mentions about moving you in. To begin with, you’ll just think it’s a bit of a joke, but after the fifth time of mentioning it, you’ll begin to realise he’s being serious, and start to talk about it properly together.

I ⇴ “I LOVE YOU”

Donghae was the first one to say it one night at the end of a date. As he pulled up in front of your house, he didn’t want to see you get out of the car. Before he’d even realised what he’d said, the words came from his lips as he tried to encourage you to spend the night at his. Your head snapped around with a wide smile, as you told him you also loved him too.

J ⇴ JEALOUSY

He’ll try hard not to get jealous in your relationship, but sometimes he just can’t help it. He knows he’s not the loudest person in the room, so there’s usually someone who has your attention more than he does. If he gets jealous, he’ll become very reclusive, he’ll usually walk away so he can deal with his emotions alone so no one else can see. When you look around and notice he’s not around, you’ll quickly walk around until you find him, recognising straight away what’s going on. He’ll always apologise for feeling that way, but as you always assure him, jealousy is only a natural feeling.

K ⇴ KIDS

He wanted kids at thirty-three, so when that didn’t happen, he was desperate for it to happen as quickly as possible. It didn’t take long before he brought them up for the first time, and when you moved into his apartment, the conversation became a lot more serious. The two of you would spend many late nights talking about how you imagined your lives in the near future, deciding that you’d wait for when the time was right.

L ⇴ LAUGHTER

Donghae laughs more than he talks most of the time, which you laugh. He’s got a bright smile, one of your favourite features about him, and seeing him happy always touches your heart. He’s very good with cheesy jokes, which as much as you don’t want to laugh at, you usually end up doing so. He loved to make you laugh, he’d always be tickling you or doing something funny to bring a smile to your face, especially when he knew you’d had a bad day. If he’s not making you laugh, he’ll somehow find a way to make sure that you do.

M ⇴ MISSING

He hated being away from you, it was incredibly hard on him. He’d always worry about you and fret that you were by yourself, checking up on you numerous times throughout the day. You’d have long phone calls whenever the two of you could find the time, usually they wouldn’t end until one, or both, of you fell asleep. He’d also send you plenty of photos so you could see all the fun things he was getting up to, expecting the same from you too so he could make sure that you were taking care of yourself. The minute he got home; he’d refuse to leave your side for quite some time.

N ⇴ NICKNAMES

He’s very affectionate with his nicknames, ‘bub,’ is his favourite as it’ll always make you smile. You love to tease him with nicknames, knowing how hard he’s working on his body, ‘muscles,’ will always wind him up.

O ⇴ OBSESSION

Donghae is obsessed with your eyes, he feels like he can tell a lot about how you’re feeling from your eyes. He also loved to hold eye contact with you, even if he usually does end up getting too shy and looking away.

P ⇴ PDA

He’s quite shy when it comes to PDA, he hates to make a massive deal of pointing your relationship out to people. His affection is very subtle, he’ll usually hold your hand, so people know that you’re his without being obvious. If he’s in a playful mood, maybe he’ll peck your cheek or something, but that’s usually as far as he goes.

Q ⇴ QUESTIONS

One of the most frequent questions he’ll ask is if you’re busy. Whenever he’s worked on something, whether it be music, or a recipe, he’ll be desperate to get your opinion on it.

R ⇴ RANDOM FACT

After a little over a year into your relationship, Donghae began to introduce you to people as his wife. The people close to you always referred to the fact the two of you acted as a married couple, so Donghae would love to play on that. What he enjoyed more however, was the confused faces of people, who searched for a ring with no idea what he was going on about.

S ⇴ SEX

Very loving, he’s very attentive and very romantic. He’ll always work hard to make you feel special, he doesn’t care if he doesn’t get as much attention, you’re his priority. He loves to have your hands in his hair, it always makes him shy. He loves to take his time and pay as much close attention as he can to you.

T ⇴ TEXTS

He doesn’t text you often when he’s at home, but the second he leaves you for tour he’ll text, constantly. He tries to have as much contact with you as possible so it can still feel like you’re there with him.

U ⇴ UNIVERSE

Not many people appreciated his character as he was so quiet, but you were definitely one of them. He had plenty of quirks, and terribly cheesy jokes, but whilst others would tease him for it, you’d always laugh and make him feel special.

V ⇴ VACATION

He’s very keen on taking at least a few days out of his schedule in the year to take you on holiday. It’s his way of making up to you the many days you’re left waiting up for him to come home, or not even seeing him at all. He’ll tend to keep it all a secret, and surprise you that morning with tickets for somewhere he knows you’ll love.

W ⇴ WHINING

Donghae doesn’t whine often, but if he needs your help with something, he’ll be sure to let you know about it.

X ⇴ XXXXX

In private, he kisses you quite often. If you’re sat at your desk working, he’ll appear with a kiss to your cheek and a mug of coffee, or when he finds you sat reading, he’ll come up beside you and kiss the top of your head. His kisses are always when you least expect them, which in turn means they’ll always end up making you blush.

Y ⇴ YOU

You were his best friend, well, if Hyukjae would ever allow you to be.

Z ⇴ ZZZ

He loved to have you nice and close when he slept, especially if you were playing with his hair. You’d have many late nights staying up, laying face to face and talking about anything that came to mind.

---

Masterlist

[angelsxbelle]

haikyuu boys as your best friend.

part 1!!!

hey guys i thought i’d do some fluffy best friend scenarios since i’ve been feeling a bit down/anxious lately and i thought it would be fun to write something to cheer people up:)

pairings: tendou x reader, komori x reader, kunimi x reader x gn! reader

warnings: extreme fluff, maybe?? swearing

have fun and remember to stay safe on the internet kids :)

tendou, SATORI

now it’s probably obvious that being tendou’s best friend is already going to be one of the best things that could ever happen to you just by looking at him

i mean, mans is a walking ball of crackhead energy

and while being around tendou is a guarantee for having the time of your life, i feel like there’s a lot more to him than a lot of people realize, especially in the way he’d act in a close friendship

he knows what it’s like to feel left out, so he always wants you to feel like you belong somewhere and won’t let you feel alone anywhere

he’s the kind of friend that will facetime you during lunch if he’s sick so you don’t have to sit alone without him

he’s also very attentive and notices small details that other people may look over, he’s always the first person to notice if something’s bugging you or if you’re feeling down about something and he’ll ask if you want to talk about it after school when you’re in private

a very good listener, not the kind of person that will try to shove solutions down your throat, but he’s supportive and will help you try to feel better if you ask him to

also a master at cheering people up after a rough day, you can’t help but burst into giggles whenever he does something stupid to try and get you to smile, he’ll conquer anything that’s making you upset

with him around, you’ll never feel alone or unwanted because you know he’ll always be there no matter what

if you’re clingy or know how to show affection really well through acts of service or words of affirmation, you’ll make a really good pair since he likes to be reassured

will blush if you compliment him or say something you like about him, and he’ll say something nice about you immediately after too

if you give him a friendship bracelet that matches one you made for yourself, he’ll wear it every day no matter how girly or cutesy looking it is

platonic cuddling>>>>>

he also likes it when you’re close to him, even though there’s no romantic feelings attached he’ll hold your hand as you run down the halls when you’re late to your next class together

even if you don’t care for it (why wouldn’t you though),you read shonen jump with him every week while you eat snacks together in his dorm and then talk about it with him afterwards

as for stuff you do for fun together, life with tendou is always a blast

sometimes you go to convenience stores and get slushies and then run to the top of a grassy hill by the parking lot and then just talk for hours and watch the stars

during school, sometimes you guys make up dances or songs and perform them for ushijima and he just stands there like 🧍‍♂️ 

you guys like to go watch scary movies together at the theater and you always share one of those jumbo popcorn tubs

one time tendou accidentally dropped it on the person that was sitting in front of you’s head and you guys had to just  b o o k  i t  out of there

he always lets you borrow his hoodies if you ask for them since they’re huge on you and he thinks it’s cute

you’re one of the only people besides ushijima that he’s opened up to about his childhood, and if you’ve been bullied too it’ll make you even closer to him since you share it

you make sure he knows how special he is and how much you care about him all the time when he gets insecure

on the last day of high school he tears up while telling you how much you mean to him

you guys stay just as close after high school, calling each other every day

you end up visiting him in france, it’s the best two weeks of your life spent together with him and you eventually end up moving there with him

komori, MOTOYA

as a best friend, komori is the perfect person for someone that wants to have someone that’s caring and stable but also still fun to be around and knows how to lighten up

everyone knows komori is our favorite sweet boy that takes care of his icy cousin but i personally believe he secretly has a mischievous side to him you know???

like he’s still very sweet but he DEF knows how to pull a good prank

the kind of kid that’ll show up on exam day and get straight a’s and then give all of his teachers big thank you gifts but a week later someone will catch him drawing massive unicorns and care bears all over the school grounds with chalk like nothing’s wrong

he would never intentionally cause any actual harm to anyone though, he’s still very respectful and doesn’t want to actually break any school rules because he doesn’t want to get in trouble and make his teachers feel bad :’(

if you forget your lunch he’s the type to split his with you

he’ll also walk you to every class even if he’s all the way across the building bc he’s nice like that :’)))

will totally laugh if you trip over your own feet in the hallway but will always stop and help you up and ask you if you’re okay after

a sweetie, your parents probably love him because whenever he comes over he always asks if he can help with cooking and cleaning and stuff like that

together, you guys like to do stuff like study together as well as do stuff like reading horror mangas together and watching old disney movies

every once and a while he’ll ask you to go for a run with him in the morning if sakusa won’t go with him and he’ll go slow just so you don’t feel like you have to keep up with him bc he doesn’t want to wear you out right before school

he likes that you know you can find stability in him, you know he’ll always be by your side no matter what’s happening outside your friendship

also loves it when you come to his games, you yell at him from the stands really loud and he’ll wave back from the court and smile really big up at you as sakusa grumbles next to him :’)

even though your relationship is lighthearted, you can still come to him with whatever issues you’ve been going through and he’ll listen as best as he can, he’ll even open up to you as well and be vulnerable about whatever he’s struggled with in the past too

if you guys didn’t wear school uniforms, he would 100% match outfits with you no matter what your style is like

like tendou, he’ll also really appreciate it if you make him a friendship bracelet to wear and he won’t want to take it off

the day you graduate, he probably cries because he’ll miss you so much if you end up going to different universities

he doesn’t really have a hard time admitting it, but you really do mean a lot to him

even after high school, you guys still stay in touch and visit each other as often as you can, with you eventually moving back to your hometown so you’ll see each other often again and you end up staying close

you’re probably the closest friendship he’s ever had :’)

kunimi, AKIRA

token lazy best friend ™

while he has a laid back attitude, kunimi still cares very much about your friendship believe it or not

he’s very nonchalant about it, but would still die for you 100% if things came to that

as seen with his friendship with kindaichi, despite being a very chill person kunimi is still attentive to other people’s feelings and will notice if something’s wrong with you or if something’s upset you

if you’re feeing insecure or upset he won’t hesitate to reassure you, even though he has a hard time opening up he’ll still remind you how he feels about you and how much he cares about you

he’s definitely not overly sappy about it though, he just kind of says what he thinks and moves on

in school, people are probably intimidated by you because you’re so quiet around others plus mans is like 6ft tall-

speaking of 6ft tall, if some guys are creeping you out or making you uncomfortable he’ll intervene and scare them so you have a chance to slip away while he makes them question their life existence

not to mention if anybody ever tries to pick on you, he’ll say something simple but so rude they’ll be so taken aback they just end up leaving you alone in shock

the silent but protective type of best friend

also even though he acts indifferent towards most things, if you show him something you’re really excited about he’ll still make an effort not to seem like he doesn’t care or blow you off

for hanging out, he’s definitely more of a simple kind of guy, he just likes to go over to your house and talk or read/ study or watch tv with you, he just enjoys the quality time

also, he secretly enjoys it when you play with his hair like he doesn’t show too much emotion but a little blush creeps up his cheeks and his eyes squint a tiny bit

and if he trusts you a lot, he’ll open up about his past and his experiences in middle school or anything that had hurt him in the past

it makes him feel safe when he knows you’re just there to listen to him and help him feel better whenever he’s feeling down or something’s been bothering him

he’s hasn’t told you yet, but kindaichi probably likes you but he’s to shy to say anything to you about it

he’s perfectly content with having you all to himself for the time being

on the weekends you always go over to his house to watch horror movies and have a sleepover after, it’s hilarious because he makes the same cold expression at the screen the entire time

but if you get scared, he’ll squeeze your hand and tell you not to be afraid

if you need to keep a nightlight on when you’re trying to fall asleep he doesn’t care, he just doesn’t want you to feel scared

he doesn’t say it a lot, but he really does care about you

he’s uncharacteristically sad the day you graduate and hates to see you go, he doesn’t want it to end

hugs you tight and drives you home after your promotion ceremony and you stay over at his house like old times

you, him, and kindaichi still stay close in university and get together whenever you can:)

[honeybomb4thebear]

Full NSFW alphabet with our lovely Fuyuhiko? Thanksss 💕💕💕

Of course!! I apologize for the wait, here it comes!!

FUYUHIKO N//F*W ALPHABET

A=Aftercare - What they do/act like after sex. ⦁ A proud smirk appears on his face. But behind that smirk, you can see how much he loves you too. Will be clumsy while doing your aftercare, yet does his best.

B=Bondage - Are they into BDSM, and how far they’ll go if they have a green light. ⦁ WELP- Master OR a brat tamer. He isn't extremely into the master stuff, like Rantaro he'd prefer keeping it in bed, but he'd be your brat tamer if you were to completely act like an annoying brat 7/24

C=Cum - pretty self explanatory. ⦁ Kind of bitter? Cums a decent amount, knows how to hold himself back so takes a little bit of his time.

D=Dom - Are they dominant, submissive, a switch? ⦁ Dominant who seems like a sub but slowly yet surely will gain his dominance.

E=Edgeplay - Similar to ‘Kinks’ except it’s a lot riskier than usual kinks (knifeplay, breathplay, etc.). ⦁ If you were into it, he'd put on his tough guy mask and do it but isn't a big fan of the idea of hurting you. Will never say it, though. Tsundere ass mfer. He is worried af so he will not be rough, for example he probably won't be able to actually make you bleed during knifeplay. If you were like "be more rough", he would yell at you, afraid that the fact that he doesn't want to hurt you will be found out.

F=Fantasy - A fantasy of theirs (ex: a teacher/student fantasy). ⦁ Ok I know it contradicts what I said before, but maybe angry sex? Like his parents deadass tried to murder each other while arguing so if he and his significant other were to the exact opposite would make him kinda happy??? Like, you know that classic movie sex scenes. Characters yell at each other and then suddenly they start to kiss. Then fuck. Something like that

G=Got Caught - How they react when they get caught having sex. ⦁ Screams bloody murder. The person will be out of room in an instant.

H=Hot Spots - A place that drives them crazy when stimulated (EX: neck). ⦁ Collarbones and neck perhaps? Like, imagine leaving marks on his neck and collarbons, his button-up shirts first 4 or 5 buttons are undone and his tie is barely hanging from his neck. He makes the cutest sounds as you suck and kiss his sensitive spots.

I=Intimacy - How romantic they are, or can be, before, during, or after sex. ⦁ If you obey him, he will try to convey you his true feelings via sex. So it will be pretty romantic, the way he touches you will scream the words "I love you". And who knows, if he is feeling it he will smile gently and say it aloud as well. You mean so much to him yet he can't convey it properly, this is the best he can do right now. Please be patient with him, he is doing his best.

J=Journey - Their ideal way of leading up to sex. ⦁ You behaving well so he has no chance but to reward you. You are so cute when you are behaving, so it's not like he could resist it anyway.

K=Kinks - I’ll list a few of their kinks, be they the normalized ones or kinkier kinks. ⦁ Revealing nightwear? Silky smooth fabric loosely covers your skin, but it doesn't do a very good job with it... Especially considering you aren't wearing any underwear and sleeping next to poor Fuyuhiko. ⦁ Oh also, I feel like stocking suspenders. Especially if they are in a pretty pink shade. He thinks they are very sexy and will run his hand on your thighs without realizing, which says a lot since he is usually very careful with his touches.

L=Location -  Where they like to have sex at, do they like risky locations, etc. ⦁ Bed and bed only, please. Somewhere private, definetly.

M=Masturbation - How they are when they get themselves off, what they get themselves off to. ⦁ Not often. Only does it when he needs to and even though he doesn't want to, he thinks about you while doing it. Along with his hitching breath and low grunts, he'd say stuff like "you do this while thinking about the person you love, and still call yourself a man?". So yeah he feels VERY guilty about it.

N=NO - A few things that they will absolutely, under no circumstances, ever do. ⦁ He wouldn't take any risks that would put you in danger. Like, c'mon. This man already is a yakuza he LIVES with danger, but you getting even slightly hurt because of him? It would hurt this guy even more than it hurts you, so no no no you are under the wings of baby gangsta, getting protected 7/24.

O=On’s - Their top turn on’s that they have (things that’ll get them super horny super quickly). ⦁ Submission. Like you behaving well and obeying him quietly. Especially if you are bratty, he will tease you but will be turned on so bad nonetheless. ⦁ You sitting on his lap and resting your head on his chest. It doesn't matter whether you fit or not, you look so cute like that.

P=Position -  Their favourite position to have sex in. ⦁ Spoons sex position. He will still make you look at him as he fucks you though.

Q=Quickie - Do they like it, do they prefer quickies over actual sex, etc. ⦁ Ahhh, he doesn't like quickies much and will scold you for trying to initiate it, while still going along with it. He likes them- as long as they don't include penetration.

R=Rough - How rough they are, or get, when in bed. ⦁ Like I said, baby gangsta doesn't like hurting you too much. But he does like it when you are enjoying yourself. So he will go rough. As rough as he can anyways.

S=Stamina - How long they can go before they tap out. ⦁ 1 to 2 rounds oop-

T=Toys - Do they use toys, do they own them, what kind, etc. ⦁ Nope, he doesn't. Imagine if they found a vibrator in a yakuza's house... I'd cry

U=Unfair - How much they tease you, how they tease you, etc. ⦁ He is kind of pure so he isn't that big of a tease. Unless you piss him off, though...

V=Volume - How loud they get when having sex, things they might say, etc. ⦁ Stifles his moans. Is too embarrassed to let them out. And prefers listening to your voice more- which causes him to moan without noticing lol.

W=Wild Card - a random letter for the character of your choice. ⦁ He wants to sex after marriage- like for real. Premarital sex is no-no for him, since he is surprisingly pure. But surely, with enough teasing, you'd be able to change his mind..?

X=X-Ray - How they look with their clothes off. ⦁ Kinda toned. ⦁ He has a cute dick. Like seriously it's aesthetically pleasing somehow. And he knows how to use it too.

Y=Yearning - How often they need to have sex. ⦁ Once a week, not too often. Seeing deadbodies that much doesn't do wonders to your sex drive lol

Z=ZZZ - How quickly they fall asleep after having sex. ⦁ Has to take a good shower before falling asleep... Will die if you cuddle him in your sleep.

[agftheorist]

Guess who's here with another fic? This was my first attempt at writing a fic and seeing this in my Wattpad drafts gave me first hand embarrassment... Here is the version where I edited the grammar.

Stuck In Time

Summary: During the Time Traveler's Pig, Mabel and Dipper gets stuck in a past winter with their uncle who isn't as they thought.

•••••••••••••••••

Dipper's Pov:

Mabel wants to get that time thing from me because she wants her dumb pig back. But I need it to correct my mistake. I mean, she'll eventually get bored of him? Her? And then I'll be the one with the burden... We went to the middle-age, age of dinosaurs (wow they're bigger than I expected!) and now running in front of the mystery shack when there's a snowstorm.

Mabel came onto me and punched my hand as an attempt to get it back but things didn't happened as she planned and the machine felt, obviously broken.

Both of us stared at it with shock until Mabel turned to me and said "What will we do now?"

Actually I'm wondering the same thing too...

Then the worst thing happened.

The door opened and we saw our Grunkle's young version, looking no less shocked than us.

Oh no, this is bad. This is so bad. We shouldn't have altered with time, he shouldn't have never seen us! Just when I was thinking things couldn't be worse, I slipped on ice, tried to hold Mabel, and fell ONTO the machine! Now this thing will never work again.

Grunkle Stan is coming to us! We can't escape now, is he... is heangry? He is so angry and yelling at us.

"What are you doing in my yard? Who are you? This is private property, you kids should go and play in somewhere else and... why you kids are wearing such clothes in the middle of the winter?"

I can understand why he's angry, our Grunkle gets mad when Wendy's friends are around too, but there's something odd about the Mystery Shack of... how many years ago? Gotta check the calendar. First of all, Grunkle Stan had told us that he's been running the Mystery Shack since he came the town, but this place looks nothing like the Shack.

On the other hand, we have to make a decision. Will we tell him the truth? The time police kinda scares me but even if we don't tell him there's a good chance that they'll still come for us. Plus, to be honest, all I want now is warm place.

Mabel and I started whispering to each other.

"Do you think we should tell him?"

"What other choice do we have? The machine's broken so bad we can't fix it."

"It's so cold..."

"He's Grunkle Stan... he'd help us. Right?"

"Okay..." Mabel turned to Stan and took a deep breath before talking.

"We'reyournieceandnephewfromafuturewhereyoureoldandgrumpyandweneedyoutohelpusnow."

"Could've said it better."

"I know."

Well, I think we might've broken his mind. Even if nothing, he probably got the words 'niece', 'nephew' and 'future'.

"Oh. Okay. Come in." He said in a somewhat distant, almost hypnotized way.

"So, you believed us?"

"Excuse me? I'm freezing here!" Mabel might have a sweater but I'm about to die!

"Ops, sorry bro..."

Ford's Pov:

"Yeah, I too believe we better go inside."

Meanwhile, my mind was filling with thoughts, each weirder than before. How did they managed to time travel? I'd probably believe anything after all the time I've spent this town! The boy gave me what's left of the time machine. As far as I see, this isn't supernatural, more like advanced science.

They followed me inside the house and we sat around the table.

"Do you kids need anything? You seem very cold, maybe I can make you some tea or..."

Well, they weren't listening me. As far as I saw, the boy's eyes were locked on my journal and the girl (should ask their names probably) was looking at me, mouth gaped.

"Okay, is there anything you need to tell me?"

••••••••

Part 2 will come

[wornoutmouse]

You weren't against soulmates, in general, you were just against yours. Like a few others, your mark was there when you were born meaning that your soulmate was older than you. You weren't upset about them being older you just felt that you would make them uncomfortable or hold them back. Also, your soulmate mark wasn't even fully developed only being a dot which meant your soulmate was somewhere far from you making it less likely you'll meet putting you at ease. Now here you were in Japan in horror as your soulmate mark takes full effect. 

You were traveling with your mom for a business meeting since it was mid-summer the heat was unforgivingly forcing you to wear tank tops. You felt nothing but a slight itch on you back and were startled when your mother threw her shoe at you and told you to take your clothes off. She was now sitting behind you recording your how your mark was spreading. "Your soulmate must have just come back to Japan or something?!" your mom squealed making your ears hurt and silently thanking the gods her quirk wasn't sound-based like this Present Mic you kept seeing on T.v. "What is it, mom?"

"Hell if I know, it's in Japanese!?" you deadpanned, "We are in Japan, but you don't know Japanese?" all you got was a knock on the head as your mom snapped a picture, "I think it's done!" you turn around and hold the phone staring in awe at the picture, "It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked trying to gauge a reaction. You only grimaced, "It's big and it's obvious." you say as you pull your shirt back up. "Oh come on Y/N!"

https://images.app.goo.gl/sE5UoRMFYN2XL21c8 This is the soulmate mark once it develops.

You stand up walking to your closet looking for clothes that weren't too heavy but would hide the mark. "You know how I feel mom!" she sighed, "Yeah but you didn't even give it a shot!" You turn towards her and in a fit of anger, you burst. "Yeah well dad didn't give it a shot now did he!?" your mom smacked upside your head and you instantly regretted your words as you saw the tears in her eyes. "That is exactly why I'm telling you to stop waiting! I waited and he was shipped away!"  You reached out for her only to pull back for you knew you had nothing to say. You scratched the back of your neck and kicked the air, 'I'm...I'm going to go for a walk, give you some space you know?" your mom only nodded as she fiddled with the promise ring your father gave her before he had to leave for 'family' business. 

As you walked you thought of ways to say sorry to your mother. "Flowers won't do since she's allergic, maybe food." you muse as you walked out of the hotel. Walking the route you knew led to a mom and pop dinner, you absent-mindedly kept scratching your neck where you assumed the top Japanese character was. "Why is it so damn itchy?" you asked aloud but you just summed it to the fact that your skin was adjusting to the pigment change. You groan when you realize that your mark was only partially covered.

"No one should look too hard if I'm lucky they'll think it's a tattoo." You made it to the mom and pop shop and ordered some Chicken Karaage with your broken Japanese that you were sure even a toddler would laugh at. As you were waiting you couldn't help but notice a tall, blond, scrawny man staring at your back making you uneasy. His gaze was broken when a young boy with green hair came and sat down with a tray of feed. 'These Japanese people just love their wacky hair colors.' you smirked laughing with yourself.

Once you got your food you took your leave ignoring the skinwalker as you now referred to him. On your way back you hear a loud scream coming from a playground and you quickly run over. There was a strange creature that had ahead of what you could only assume to be a cat with its brain revealed bashing a large globe that held two little boys. Quickly putting the food on the ground you hop over the small brick wall surrounding the playground and take out a sword from your eye before jumping and trying to stop the thing through the back. Before you could land the blow the thing turned around and swiped at you barely missing as it ripped your shirt a bit tearing through the skin above your left breast. "It's always the weirdos with the brains," you growl.

You weren't a pro by any standards but you were a hero, in theory, you just graduated so you were still interning so the closest thing you came to is being a lifeguard of the hero world you jump in when no one else could. "I know I can't take this bastard on my own, but how the hell am I supposed to get a hero's attention?" you grumbled as you pulled a flaming bow and arrow kit out of both your eyes. You quickly took aim as the creature came barrelling towards you shaking the ground under is three-toed feet.

You take slow breaths deciding to aim for the eye, nerves becoming calmer the closer the thing got. You shot the arrow and it hit it's eye making it wail into the sky. As you expected it promptly pulled the arrow out and seemed to regenerate almost immediately. It didn't matter to you, all you were trying to do was get the kids out of there as you situate them on your back. You weren't the fastest but damn it you'd try. Suddenly a shadow cam over you and you looked up to see some beefy guy in red white and blue standing tall and proud in a protective stance in front of you. The kids on your back suddenly got stars in their eyes, "All MIght, All might."

The man threw his head back and laughed, "Have no fear, because I am here!" he announced to the world and you couldn't help but snort at how corny it was. You didn't miss how the man suddenly lost confidence at the sound of your amusement.

"I uh.." he trailed off, tan skin suddenly tinged red with embarrassment.

"Excuse me ma'am!" you looked forward and there stood the green-headed boy from earlier. "Could you please come over here where it's safe, the police are on their way. You look over at the tall man and your eyes widen as you see him use his head to slam into the creature. "Yeah that sounds like a great idea.." you trailed off following the boy. As you sat a distance away from the scene you give your witness statement when the police arrived and showed them your hero license when they questioned why you were using your quirk instead of running, it was a bit hard considering how you fumble with your Japanese but you pulled through. It took the man, All Might, 45 minutes to talk the creature down and for some reason, you could tell that this was not his best performance but every so often he would glance over you like a child showing that they could dress themselves.

You hand the kids over to the police and you head towards the park entrance face lighting up when you see that the food remains unharmed, cold, but unharmed. "Excuse me young lady!" came the broad voice of All MIght. "Yes?" you ask thinking he had more questions for you, "Can I speak with you in private?" you shrug seeing no harm in it only to yelp as your scooped up bridal style into his arms as he leaps about 50 feet in the air onto an apartment complex. "What the hell was that!?" you yelled swaying as you were set back on your feet. "I do apologize but I didn;t want any press involved"

You quirk your eyebrow, "Involved with what?" your eyes widen as the man began rolling off his hero onesie. "What are you doing!? I know Japan has different rules but I'm pretty sure streaking is a no-no!"

Your breath caught in your throat as he turned around and you saw the exact same soul mark as yours. 'So much for no one noticing.' you thought with a small frown. "I'm sure you know what this means." All Might said with a hopeful smile. You nod before snapping your finger realizing you just acquired the perfect forgive me gift, "Yeah can you come home with me?!" All Might suddenly backed up form you, hands up in a defensive position. "Waoh now young lady, I'm just as excited about finding each other as you are but I'm not sure if we should jump to that just yet, are you even of legal age?!" you scoff and stick your tongue out I am 18 for your information!" All MIght relaxed the slightest bit, "That's great but can we wait til a solid 19?!" you doubled over laughing when you realized the problem. 

"That's not why I want you over All MIght! I want you to meet my mom!" All might completely deflate at that revelation and you've never seen someone at peace in such a fast instance "Oh okay."

When you arrived back to your room you open the door shocking your mother from the large man taking up all the space. "Mom this is..." you look at your soulmate realizing you didn't know his name, "Yagi Toshinori." he coughs awkwardly. "Yes, and he is my-" you were cut off as a loud hiss sounds off from Toshinori's direction, and before you can ask there is a puff of smoke and blood and suddenly the large man ou knew as all might disappeared and became the skinwalker that was watching you in the restaurant. "SkINNY MAN?!" you yelled pointing at him. 

Yagi awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and laughed, "I thought that if you have my name you might as well have all my secrets." he said making your heart flutter. "This is cute and all but who the hell are you?!" both ou and Toshinori turn to face your mother. "We're soulmates."

your mother passed out

[commanderserwin]

magic pill!

↦ pairing(s): eren yaeger x reader

↦ word count: 2k

↦ anon request: 

Summary for skittish Eren and Reader: Hange’s experiments went wrong on Eren after he took the pills given to him which caused him to turn 15cm tall, but retained his human form and ends up completely nude as a predicament. Next Eren felt nervous and scared with his current form and frantically tried to ask Hange, Mikasa, Armin, and Reader on when he’s going to change back, but no luck. Later at night Reader stayed with Eren to comfort him until the next morning where he turned back to normal.

↦ author’s note(s): is this skittish enough for you?? teehee here we go!! had so much fun with this! although i don’t know if you wanted literally 15 centimeter eren or 15 meter eren, assuming that the cm is just a typo? but i went ahead chose for myself, and voila! here you have a 15 meter tall eren! thanks for the request, i hope you like it!

magic pill - two

╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍

"Hange... how," Eren nervously asked, looking at the pill and at Hange holding it with a wide smile, "How sure are you that it's going to work?"

"Well," Hange chirped, holding the pill between her fingers, "That's what we don't know since we are experimenting. And you are our test subject." 

Eren looked around, his anxious eyes setting on Mikasa, Armin, Hange, and yours as he looked back again at the pill. He has mused at how much he is nervous of the experiments but anything to help the cause of humanity. He still have no idea what this pill was supposed to be for, but he heard the words between the lines of 'titan,' 'big,' 'small,' and 'unsure,' that he really is unsure of what's supposed to happen. 

Mikasa and Armin looked at Eren anxiously as well, setting a tense silence between you all. Mikasa looked nervous, as she fiddled with her scarf while Armin is almost close to puking, thinking of what the pill is. Hange looked fairly proud of her work, as she should as most of her experiments have greatly added to the titan and human histories. You... well, you were also nervous and proud since you were here to witness the use of the pill, so you gave soft pats on Eren's shoulder. 

"Hange worked hard on it," you boasted, looking at the section commander who is smiling in thanks for your comment, "I'm sure it's safe. Right, Section Commander?"

"Of course," Hange squealed, adjusting her glasses. She handed Eren the pill and he took it with trembling fingers as he twirled it around his hand. "Go on, we'll be here." 

Eren looked around once more as he walked a couple of steps away from all of you. He looked at the menacing pill, and swallowed it. You nodded and smiled softly, clutching your clipboard and pen for any drastic changes to him, as Hange assigned you to take notes. Hange pushed you all back, backing up with her arms at a safe length, and called on to Moblit to 'Hurry up, Moblit! Come here quick!' with Moblit's faded voice replying, 'No, wait!'

"What?!" Eren yelled, holding on to his throat, he looked nervously at Hange, "Did I take the correct pill?"

Moblit finally entered, panting and bent over as he handed Hange a similar pill. "This... take this, not that." 

Hange shrieked, and pinched Moblit on the arm, "What do you mean not that? Eren's already swallowed i!"

You smiled apologetically, and slowly looked up at Eren. He's... turning into a gigantic, Eren. Still human, very much so as he shouted loudly, covering his privates as his clothes broke from the seams. All of you looked up, silent, and in shock. There he was. Eren. Huge. Nude. Going crazy out of his damn mind. 

"Oh,oh," Hange repeated, nervously chuckling as Moblit sighed deeply, and they both said it, "Shit."

╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾

They all left the both of you and Eren alone. Running back to the laboratory for help of others and science. You scribbled notes on your clipboard, uneasily, being left alone with huge Eren, and he's stark naked. 

You sighed embarrassingly, looking up quick with a blush on your cheeks to examine Eren for not too long for him to be uneasy as well. Eren chuckled nervously, and cleared his throat in attempt to converse. "How long until you finish, uhm, writing?" 

"In a minute," you answered nonchalantly as you scribbled, but the truth is you are shaking in embarrassment, tips of your ears red.

"Like you haven't seen me naked." 

"Oh?!" 

"No!" Eren hurriedly sputtered, holding out one arm as he clucthed his privates, "No! What I mean, is you know, my titan form is naked, so it's not like you haven't seen-"

You were properly blushing. Full-on. You fiddled with your pen and clipboard, trying to keep your eyes on your hands.

"-me naked? Right? Oh! Oh!" 

Eren chuckled, "I shouldn't really wave my hand around."

"Yeah," you agreed, chuckling as well, looking up for a second and back down again. 

"You think," he began, his voice shy, "Do you think you could turn around for me so that I could sit down without..."

"Of course!" You blurted, turning around quickly, and covering your eyes with the clipboard. "Just tell me if you're okay. Or if I should just face away, because, you know." 

"Can you move a few steps to the left?" 

"Sure." 

"More?" 

"Okay." 

"Just a little bit?" 

"Oh, yeah!" 

"Okay, that's fine," Eren sheepishly said. 

You felt the ground shake underneath your feet as Eren moved around, sitting down on the ground, his knee right at your face. Even when, he's sitting down, you still looked so small. He lifted his index finger, comparing the size of his finger and you behind your back. He smiled, joking with himself, "My index finger is still bigger than you."

He doesn't know why he said that when you stayed quiet. He wants to beat himself up for it. He rubbed his hands over his face, contemplating still. He cleared his throat, placing his hands on his private. "You can turn around now."

You did slowly, chuckling seeing how closer and yet so far away he still is. You stood infront his big toe, comparing the size of his toe to your clipboard. "Your toe is still bigger than my clipboard."

Both of you laughed, thankful that each of you are trying to make things a little bearable. He's grateful you joined him at his silly joke, and laughed even harder, sure that everybody from within the raidus could hear it, "Let me take a note of that, then." 

Eren nodded, chuckling as he watched you playfully do so. The sun was already starting to set, watching the orange skies grace the horizon. "When do you think they'll be back?"

"Soon, I hope," you yawned, taking off of your jacket in the summer heat, waiting when they'll be back. "How's the weather up there?" 

He laughed, yawning as well. It was pretty stressful day. Eren thought it was just going to be an another easy experiment day, the usual with his Section Commander, experimenting with his titan form and writing notes. But he didn't imagine in a thousand years that this is what will hapepen. He could still feel the horror of feeling his clothes shrink and break, and his limbs elongate as he felt himself grow taller, and taller, and taller, until he's at the level of the trees. He watched you scribble rapidly on your clipboard, while the rest shouted and repeated asked Hange what happened, as she also didn't know. 

Eren watched you yawn again, and you looked up at him hesistantly, avoiding looking at his crotch, "Do you want me to go and find them?"

"No!" He said, shaking his head, eyes wide. He's actually scared of this whole situation, and he didn't want to be all alone. "No, actually, can you stay with me? Until this is over?" 

You looked up, nodding, walking towards his lower leg to pat him gently. "I'll stay with you, don't worry." 

He smiled, thankful. "The night's settling in," he commented, tilting his head towards the low sunset, "Do you want to sleep in first? I'll keep watch." 

"That'd be nice," you nodded, putting away your clipboard and pen next to your jacket. "Although, you can sleep in too? We're fine right here so no need to keep watch. But if you... prefer?" 

"It's okay," he replied. You turned around quickly, stepping away again and feeling the ground quake under his large body. 

Eren manuevered around, hiding his junk while he tried to find a pefect way to lay down. He laid down on his side, his knees to his chest, trying to hide his privates, and his arm was sprawled on the ground , while his other arm was tucked beneath his cheek for added comfort. He watched you turn around a few seconds later to face him, and he watched with his large green eyes as how you gingerly lay down beside him. 

You picked a perfect spot, laying down below his sprawled arm and beside his neck. You looked up quickly, tucking your hair behind your ear, surprised that Eren was also looking at you. "Good night, I guess?" 

He needed, mouthing a little 'Good night,' watching you look away, and folding your knees upward, while you kept your hands under your cheek. He closed his eyes as he saw you settle in, trying to fade away the sounds of the ground, but everything was too loud, probably from his bigger ears as well. He opened his eyes slightly, keeping focused on the tree ahead, waiting for the others to come. He peaked down at you, smiling gently when he saw you scratch your legs, face, and swat awat your hair to keep it out of your face. It continued in intervals, and he chuckled soflty not to scare you. 

"Can't sleep?" 

You turned around, laying on your back with your hands clasped behind your head. "I could feel you inhale and exhale through your nose," you mused, scrunching up your nose as you smiled, "It feels like I'm somewhere in the air with all the wind." 

Eren laughed, his chest shaking as he laid down on his side, still looking at you. He blew softly, laughing again when he saw your hair just swoop past your face. He chuckled even deeper when you looked up, with an incredulous look on your face. 

"I might just get myself blown if you do that again," you joked, fixing your hair, as you looked up at the stars. You listened to his chest rumble in steady beats, feeling the flow of it as it lull you into a sleep you tried to fight. You feel your eyes closing, and you sighed deeply to mask the yawn that was supposed to be. 

"Just go to sleep," he whispered against your whole body, making you stare at his green eyes. 

You yawned loudly, covering your mouth. You nodded, turning again, but facing him. You looked at his bare neck, as you curled up again, slowly listening to his steady breaths, as it lulled you once more, your body welcoming the rest. 

╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾

In the morning, you woke up to someone breathing heavily down your cheek. You whipped your head in question, surprised that Eren has turned into his normal self, but still naked. His naked body covered yours, creating a shadow over you. You moved quietly, careful not to touch his arm above your head, as you stretched to get your jacket from behind it. Eren stirred in his sleep slightly, his face twitching, and once he steadied, you reached out and covered his privates with your jacket. You also grabbed your clipboard and scribbled quickly to not awaken him. 

Eren stirred again, and this time he yawned loudly, scratching his cheek as he surveyed his surroundings. He saw you scribbling and you looked up sheepishly, quickly fixing your hair and clothes. "Good morning." 

"Good morning," he repeated, adjusting the jacket covering him, blush appearing on his cheeks, "Reporting again?"

"Yes," you gently said, as you finished up. He watched you finish your work, and you yawned again. You looked over at the horizon, the sun rising. 

"Glad to see I'm back now," he sighed, relief flooding his face. He turned to you as you sat on your knees, "I'm sorry for all the naked-."

"No!" You blushed, waving your hands, "It's okay." 

Eren perked up, blushing as well, wanting to comment some more but then he heard and saw the hurried bodies of people running towards the both of you. He propped himself up on his elbows, his back on the grass, as he tilted his head to get a better view. You inclined your head over, watching the people gather quickly. Both of you watched them ran, screaming 'We've got it! Don't you worry!'

Both of you laughed, waiting for them to come closer to just see Eren back to normal. 

[badacts]

So for the prompt thing? Kandriel debating over whether it's time for them to retire. They know that they're nearly at the end if their exy life-span, they just have know idea what comes next for them. Kevin's saying coaching, Neil wants to get his doctorate in mathematics and Andrew would be very happy eating ice cream professionally but that's not really an option. Reasonably, they have a couple of years left in them at the max but retirement is looming and they're not happy about it.

*

Of their college cohort, Jeremy Knox is actually the first to bow out of the professional leagues. After his Court retirement, he has another few years of playing privately for a club in the South of France before going into coaching instead. 

Andrew knows this because Kevin knows this. Kevin knows this because since hitting 35, he’s been having one long continuous crisis of faith about the longevity of his career, and also because he’s in love with Knox in a way that would be disconcerting if their relationship hadn’t spanned a decade and a half and multiple near-death experiences

No professional athlete’s body can hold out forever, as Kevin well knows. It’s more the process of making the leap between the concept of retirement, that looming boogeyman, and the concept of a life that comes after. And for Neil, quieter but no less concerned, it’s facing another dead stop that he’s running for head-first, no idea how to put down brakes and sure it’s about to kill him.

It doesn’t go unspoken about - their shared life would have fallen apart years ago if they hadn’t figured out how to talk. The problem is that talking about it tends to devolve, and end with yelling and storming out and sullen silence. They’re stupid arguments, focussed on the ‘when’ rather than the ‘what next’. Months and months of it, over and over.

Andrew, ever the catalyst, comes home from another afternoon of the apologetic trainers clucking over his ruined shoulder and dodgy knee, and says, “I’m retiring.”

This is greeted by silence. It’s Neil who eventually swallows and says, “When?”

“At the end of the season or when I can’t raise my arm anymore,” Andrew replies. “Whichever comes first.”

He’s been quiet during the ongoing debate. He thinks they probably assumed that whatever they decided, he would follow. But he’s thirty-six years old, and this is his body, and he’s done.

Kevin is flexing his left hand. “And after?”

Andrew’s world is small in many respects - this apartment and the men he shares it with, two cats, a brother and a cousin, a car, a goal and a racquet. But he’s thirty-six, and there’s no part of him capable of fooling the rest that the loss of any of those things wouldn’t leave a hole. 

He says, “Learn sign language.”

Kevin blinks. Neil frowns. 

“That’s not a job,” Neil states.

“I’m a millionaire,” Andrew replies. With their style of living, he could never work another day and live out his life without worry for any of them. Even if they took up bi-yearly international travel, or eating out for every meal.

It’s lie watching two robots attempt to compute information. Kevin is nodding like this is news, while Neil stares down at the table. He’s a million miles away.

“I want to go back to school,” he says eventually, “I think.”

Kevin turns to look at him, gaze piercing. “Not coach?”

“Not yet,” Neil says. “Maybe afterwards. But you should. I know Court will want you.”

Kevin nods thoughtfully. Then his brow pinches again. “When?” The two of them are staring at each other, tentative but brave. Neither of them seem to have an answer.

“While you still have some working joints,” Andrew suggests.

Unexpectedly, that makes Neil twitch a smile. “We could do it together. See out the season, win the title. Have a proper summer break afterward.”

There’s no more chance they’ll win finals this season than any other, apart from Andrew can abruptly see both of them on court together for their last game, Andrew himself behind him. It would be theirs to lose, he thinks.

“Yeah,” Kevin says, a little hoarse. “Yeah. Okay.” He takes Neil’s hand. “We could go somewhere. In summer.”

“Andrew gets to pick,” Neil says. “He’s the smart one.”

Andrew, turned away now in favour of investigating the fridge for food, says, “Disneyland.”

*

They don’t go to Disneyland. 

They go to Mexico instead, and drink watered-down cocktails to Neil’s sloppy toast to their team, and Kevin’s new eight-figure contract, and Neil’s post-grad admittance, and Andrew learning to sign cursewords. Then they fall into bed afterwards, just the same. 

It’s good. Better than.

[yumpty-dumpty-inactive]

ranting because i need to get my feelings out (don't pay attention to this this is all bullshit |8>)

so my parents, both undergoing unbearable stress from their jobs (one at risk of losing their job) have just been getting worse and worse in general. they never have time for each other anymore, and every time I'm around them I have to fucking walk on eggshells because if i do ONE thing wrong they'll go insane. i don't wanna blame them for anything,, but when your parents yell at you more and more it gets hard to feel loved. it gets hard to feel like you're doing enough when you get screamed at for the smallest things. i just can't get a grip on anything, and it's affecting my mental health.

another thing that's been bothering me is...more of a private thing. i won't mention it specifically, but I've worked really fucking hard every single day for this ONE thing,,, this ONE goal,, and now it's being snatched from my hands.

it feels good to be at the top, not gonna lie. but it doesn't feel good when after years of struggle, you finally accomplish your goal only to be yanked back and thrown down the mountain you worked so hard to build.

it's just so frustrating, seeing someone you try so hard to be nice to purposely avoid you and secretly mock you even if they think you can't tell. it's humiliating. especially when that person is the one who keeps yanking you down.

I can't even tell if they mean to or not, as they drop hints for both sides. I just wanna be happy for once... not on here but in the real world with my real life,, not just my online one.

I can't even take it anymore, I just want to go. i wanna run away from all of it, somewhere else. run away from my home, my parents, my schoolwork, my life, everything.

the worst part is my fucking anxiety. it's so stressful just having that on my shoulders. my stress turns into even MORE anxiety which channels into depression. depression is not just bad in general, but especially for me.

depression is bad in itself, but (and i don't know exactly why) it affects me really badly. at this point, I'm sobbing writing this because it's embarrassing. it's childish and selfish, and I have no right to say this. (referring to what's said below)

adding onto my happiness bullshit, I just want to fucking get a longer end of this stick. this is just me and my selfish bullshit, but i feel like i always end up with the short end of the stick. I just want, for ONCE to be told by a real person in the real world I'm loved. it's different through a screen because it's so easy to lie, and sometimes the things people say about me i feel are too good to be true. i just want someone to grab my shoulders and just tell me they love me. i haven't heard an irl "i love you" for so long,, besides from family members and stuff.

i also just want a significant other to be honest, or someone to lean on. it gets so lonely on a day-to-day basis, and i just want someone to talk to and depend on. people laugh and joke when i say i want a fictional character to be real, but seriously, i do.

okok im done and bored goodnight |:)