#and uhh i got both official confirmation that he did go into this planning to groom me + rape me AND that i did mean something to him

[sillyfreakx5]

chatttt i just had A Conversation with my ex bf *vacant stare*

[chaolie]

Fundy Week, Day 2 - Family

Here's what I managed to write for the 2nd prompt of @fundyfiles' Fundy Week! Instead of going by blood family, I decided to pretend that the adoption arc actually ended good and all is well. So yeah! Just some Fundy & Eret fluff! Again, this is also on my Ao3!

Characters: Fundy, Eret

Words: 1k

Warnings: none

Summary: Fundy prepares to spend some time in another SMP, but he still finds some time to spend with his adoptive parent, Eret, before he has to leave. And for once, things feel great.

Fundy slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying in a big, comfortable bed placed in a rather spacy room. He sat up and looked around, it sometimes took him a moment to remember where he was after waking up, he moved around quite a bit after all… as soon as the sleepiness left his mind, he felt stupid for forgetting. This was his room. His home.

He got out of his bed and walked over to the window, pushing away the curtains and letting the sunlight into the bedroom. The sun was quite high, he must’ve slept in a bit, but it’s not like he was in rush, he had nothing planned until the evening. While watching the world outside, he noticed a familiar person enter through the gate, and found himself smiling. ‘Familiar’ was an understatement.

He grabbed his jacket and hat before leaving the room, quickly going down the stairs and to the main entrance, managing to make it outside just before the person he spotted through the window could enter. They stopped before Fundy crushed into them, and smiled upon seeing him.

“Hi! Good morning!” Fundy greeted them, fixing up his hat as he came to a full stop.

“Hey, it’s good to see you awake.” Eret, the person Fundy saw, answered. “How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well, pretty well,” the fox hybrid admitted. “Though I did wake up just a couple of minutes ago…”

“Of course,” Eret nodded, it was something she expected to hear. “In that case, you must be hungry. Let me just put this bag away and we can have a late breakfast.”

“Sounds great! What are we eating?” Fundy asked as he stepped out of Eret’s way, allowing them to enter the castle. They shrugged in response.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked while walking inside and heading towards one of the storage rooms near the entrance.

“I don’t know, uhh…” Fundy hesitated. What did he want to eat? Eret seemed to wonder about that for a moment as well.

“How about some bread and carrots? We can get some more fulfilling foods for dinner,” they suggested eventually. Fundy nodded, he didn’t have that for quite a while.

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed.

Eret quickly put the blocks she had in the bag into one of the chests in the room before heading towards the room they usually ate in, Fundy following her not far behind. The food didn’t take long to prepare, so within moments, they both sat at the big table and both enjoyed their very-late breakfast. Despite its simplicity, it was tasty and Fundy felt lucky to have woken up just in time to have it. After eating in silence for a bit, Eret finally spoke up.

“So… you’re leaving today, aren’t you?” he pointed out. Fundy nodded to confirm.

“Yeah. But I’m not going until the evening, so I still have a bit to spend here,” he clarified before going back to his food.

“I see… so what do you want to do today?” Eret asked. Fundy shrugged, he wasn’t sure himself. “...I could show you the progress I’ve made on my building project, if you’d like? Who knows, it might be completed when you get back.”

“Oh, yeah, we should do that. I also want to drop by my old place, if you don’t mind? To make sure I didn’t leave anything important there,” he explained. That seemed to confuse Eret a bit.

“Sure, but… you can’t bring anything with you, can you?” he reminded. Fundy nodded.

“Well, yeah, that’s how it works. But without me here, what’s stopping anyone from walking in and taking anything they want?” he explained his concern better.

“Oh, I see. If you find anything, I’ll look after it while you’re gone,” Eret promised. Fundy smiled upon hearing that.

“Thanks, mum ,” he said, adding the last word somewhat jokingly, but it still felt somewhat accurate.

“You’re welcome, son ,” Eret shot back. “Are you done eating?”

“Oh, yeah! We can go now, if you want,” Fundy confirmed, getting off his chair and stepping back from the table. Eret did the same.

“Great, let me just grab some things and we can be on our way.”

It was a good day. Fundy got to see all the progress Eret made on their latest build, and happily listened as they described all the things they still planned to add. With him away, they could probably focus on bringing their ideas to life… and he couldn’t wait to see the results once he’d get back. They also stopped by his old house, checking the chests for any valuables, but except for an iron ingot or two, there was nothing there. It wasn't too surprising, most of Fundy's belongings were already stored in his room, in Eret's castle.

As the sun started to linger over the horizon, they both headed back home, and Fundy quickly went to his room to leave his things and grab the device that would allow him to travel. He was heading to a different SMP, where he’d meet some of his old friends, but without the small machine, it would be impossible to get there. Once he made it downstairs again, Eret was still waiting for him, and offered to walk him into the woods, where he intended to use the device. He gladly accepted that offer, and the two of them quickly made their way further from the castle, until the surroundings seemed just right. There, they’d have to part ways.

“Stay safe, and have fun,” Eret said before they’d have to turn back.

“Yeah, yeah… don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I know some people there, and from what I heard they don’t have any lives limit there either,” he explained as he pulled out the device from his pocket.

“I’m glad. Take care of yourself, Fundy. And good luck,” they wished him, putting a hand over his shoulder.

“Thanks. Have fun building,” he answered before going quiet for a moment. “...I’ll miss you,” he admitted finally.

“I’ll miss you, too. But you can always come back, right?” Eret reminded him. And she was right, from what Fundy heard, traveling back and forth shouldn’t be too complicated after the first time doing so.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he nodded. After hesitating for a bit, he leaned forward and gave Eret a short hug before turning around and walking a bit further. “Bye, re-” he cut himself off before he could finish.

That didn’t sound like the ‘teasing’ kind of way they usually said those things. Of course, they were a family, but ‘official titles’ like that didn’t appear in their conversations too often, and they were mostly said jokingly. But this time, it wasn’t a joke, but a slip-up. Though maybe Eret wouldn’t notice? He looked back at him and found him smiling.

“Goodbye, son,” they waved at him. So they did notice.

Fundy felt embarrassed, in a way. Technically, Eret was his parent, she adopted him after all. But he didn’t plan to call her that just now, it just happened somehow- It shouldn’t matter, should it? Eret didn’t seem bothered by that, so he shouldn’t worry about it either. Brushing the embarrassment aside, he focused on getting his traveling device working. It didn’t take long to figure it out, and soon enough he could feel it starting to pull him into the other world.

He looked back at Eret, at his parent, at one of the few people he considered family, and found them waving at him. He waved back before disappearing. It was nice, having somewhere he could always come back to and having someone he could always depend on.

***

To be clear, Fundy stopped himself from referring to Eret as "ren", which is short of paRENt! I saw it used a couple of times and I really like the term!

Also, I didn't have any specific SMP in mind while writing this, so where Fundy's heading to is up to your interpretation. Is it cogchamp, is it vault hunters, who knows! At least he'll have fun!

[detectivecarlosreyes]

Series: Part 2 of Hidden Truths  / Link to Part 1: The Secrets We Keep

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Chapter summary:

It's official Eddie and Buck are dating but they aren't ready to tell anyone just yet, too bad the team had other plans for them.

read under the cut

After the events of that morning, Buck had migrated from his bedroom to sleeping in Eddie’s bed, it seemed only natural for him to do so. And Eddie was right, it was far easier to sleep against the threat of nightmares when there was someone sleeping next to you, especially when their body is snuggled up against yours and they were holding you close.

Now when he went to sleep he had an arm wrapped around his torso anchoring him in the present and allowing him to experience the memory without being immersed in it. If he focused on it, Buck was able to pull himself out of the dream and when he did, he took comfort in taking hold of Eddie’s hand, holding it close to his chest.

Sometimes he would wake to their positions reversed, and in those cases Buck would bury his face into Eddie’s back, placing a hand over his heart. He learned pretty quickly the steady rhythm of Eddie’s heartbeat settled his own.

And in both instances, Eddie would stir and press himself closer, sleepily planting a kiss on his body if the opportunity presented before going back to sleep. It was safe to say the nightmares were less aggressive and were dying off again now that he had Eddie there as a reminder that he wasn’t alone with the memories anymore.

During the day, their life had become even more domestic than it was before. They told Christopher almost immediately, knowing that there was no point in hiding it from him with them all living under the same roof. He seemed pretty excited about it, commenting that “Bucky won’t have to find a new place now!” And then went on with his day, pleased with the prospects of having his Buck living with them forever.

Buck was also pleased knowing that didn’t have to withhold from his desire to be close to Eddie anymore. Now he got to hug him from behind when he was brushing his teeth, he was now allowed to lean against Eddie when they had movie nights without it being weird, and he could pepper him with kisses him whenever he wanted. It was a whole new dimension to their relationship and all of it was so easy to fall into.

Eddie seemed to thrive off the close contact too and gave as much as he got. Pressing himself up against Buck and dropping a kiss on his shoulder as he peered around him to see what he had cooked, absentmindedly trailing his fingers along Buck’s arms or shoulders when they inevitably sat leaning against each other on the couch to watch tv, or just planting a chaste kiss to his cheek when Buck would hand him his morning coffee before they left for work.

It was familiar and comfortable, and gave Buck the feeling of home, exactly what he had been searching for but had seemed just out of his reach.

Surprisingly, their work-life hadn’t seemed to change much since they’d become boyfriends. They were already protective of each other as partners as it was, now it was just dialed up a little higher. No one seemed to notice the difference in their attentiveness towards each other, and they supposed that was a blessing because they were still figuring things out and taking things slow and didn’t want the scrutiny that would be sure to follow that announcement.

Unfortunately for them, the way the team found out about them, however, was far from how they expected to bring it up. Namely, because it happened only two weeks after that first kiss.

It was at one of their monthly afternoon team gatherings at the Grant-Nash household, having everyone come together with their families on of their day’s off. It was always nice to see each other in a relaxed setting and catching up with the family members they wouldn’t often see outside these gatherings.

Buck, Eddie, and Christopher had all come in the same truck, it would have seemed impractical if they didn’t when they were all coming from the same house. They shared a fleeting kiss at the door before entering, finding everyone gathered out in the backyard, relaxing on the deck while the kids played out in the grass.

Greeting everyone, Buck migrated towards the cooler and picked out a drink for him and Eddie, taking off both the caps before sidling up to Eddie, who had just started talking to Karen and pressed one of the bottles into his hand with a light pat to the shoulder. Instinctively taking hold of it, Eddie brought it up to his lips without looking at it, keeping focused on Karen who was updating him on how things were going with Nia.

Buck left him to it and moved to sit beside his sister who seemed to be having a quiet moment, half-listening to Chim, Hen, and Athena sharing stories of their most disastrous cooking attempts. As soon as he took his seat she leaned into him looking mischievous as she eyed Eddie.

“You look happy little brother. That wouldn’t have something to do with you arriving with the Diaz boys would it?” She asked, murmuring to him quietly, being sure that the others didn’t overhear.

Buck had to suppress a grin by pursing his lips, but that did nothing to stop the smile from reaching his eyes. He turned his head, close to her ear, keeping his voice low but his words light, “They might have something to do with it.”

She took in his expression, reading between the lines and let out a minute gasp. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

He nodded, ducking his head to hide his warming cheeks. “We haven’t told anyone yet and we hoped to keep it that way for a little while longer.” He gave her a meaningful look.

“My lips are sealed. I promise.” She said smiling at him in delight. “I’m happy it worked out.”

Buck looked across at Eddie on the other side of the deck, “Me too Mads.”

** ** ** ** ** **

With their bellies full and bathed in the lazy afternoon sunshine, all the adults had drifted into one group blending their conversations until they became one as they claimed their spots on the outdoor furniture.

The kids had disappeared inside some time ago and Eddie had kindly offered to check on them to see if they needed anything. Now Buck wished he came back sooner because he’s not sure he was liking the direction of the current topic, making him the subject of everyone’s attention.

“Buck, what been up with you lately, it’s been a while since you’ve talked about dating. What happened? Did somebody lock you down and you’ve just been hiding her from us?” Bobby asked good-naturedly when there was a lull in the conversation.

Buck leaned back into the sofa cushion, nursing his beer. “Ah nope, I’m happy with where I’m at right now.”

“Ooh yeah, let’s get you back into the dating scene. A guy like you shouldn’t be single for this long.” Remarked Hen.

“I know of a couple of singles ladies at the precinct who you might like to meet.” Piped in Athena offhandedly as she raised her wineglass, “I’d be happy to put in a good word.”

Realising that he had been unconsciously scratching his thumb against the paper label of his beer, Buck set it down by his foot, not wanting anyone to see his nervous habit. “While I appreciate your concern, I am more than capable of finding a date on my own.”

Chim wasn’t ready to give up that easily as he chimed in with, “Aw come on Buck, let us set you up with someone-.”

As much as he loves this group of people, they did have a tendency every so often to get attached to an idea, turning into a snowball effect when they all start piling onto each other’s thoughts. And to his dismay, it seemed his efforts to stop them were falling on deaf ears.

“I’d really rather you didn’t.”

At that point, Eddie had reappeared and Buck could see him out of the corner of his eye as he took in the scene before him before slotting himself in the last available spot next to Buck. As Buck continued to push back against the idea of being set up with a random woman, he felt Eddie’s hand slowly slide into his before pulling it onto his lap.

Feeling calmer from that action alone, Buck relaxed slightly into the sofa until he realised what Eddie had just done. Sitting upright again, Buck turned to look at him asking the unspoken question. The answer he got from Eddie came in the form of a small smile and the barest of nods with his thumb rubbing his knuckles comfortingly.

“Uhh, hold up.” Karen who had been quietly observing them up until this point held up a finger interrupting whatever Chim had started to say before gesturing at their linked hands drawing everyone’s attention who at this point hadn’t yet noticed, “What’s going on with this. Am I missing something here?”

“I- uh, well, we-“

“Wait, are you guys together? Like together, together?” interrupted Chim, confusion written all over his face.

“Uh, yes?” Buck looked to Eddie for confirmation, who didn’t say anything, instead bringing their joined hands to his lips and kissing the back of Buck’s hand.

“Yeah...” Buck exhaled, lost for a moment in Eddie’s eyes until Eddie cleared his voice, indicating with his eyes that the others were waiting for him to elaborate.  

Shaking himself out of his lovestruck stupor over the simple tender act, Buck turned his attention back to all the equally surprised and questioning faces staring back at them and opened his mouth before Eddie beat him to the punch. “Yeah, Buck and I are dating.”

The reaction was instantaneous with everyone talking over the top of one another.

“You guys are dating?!” “How did this happen?” “I didn’t know you were attracted to guys?!?”  “Is that why Buck hasn’t found a new place yet?” “How long has this been going on?”

“Guys, jeez one at a time please!” Buck raised his voice over the cacophony, feeling slightly overwhelmed with the number of voices speaking at once. Thankfully it worked like a charm because everyone was quick to quieten down looking at him expectantly.

“This was not how I or Eddie pictured us announcing our relationship to you, but yes, Eddie and I are dating, and have been for about two weeks.”

Hen raised her hand, “I’m probably not the only one thinking this, and please don’t take this the wrong way but I didn’t know either of you were attracted to guys. Is this something new, or have we just been completely oblivious?”

Buck looked to Eddie before answering. “I’m not going to speak for Eddie, but personally, I’ve known this for quite some time from back in my teenage years. There was a period of time that I wasn’t proud of my sexuality.” He sighed and bit his lip, “So when I joined the 118 I chose not to openly announce my bisexuality, but I also didn’t keep it a secret either. I dated a couple of guys in my 1.0 phase and when I talked about them I didn’t use pronouns. I just let you guys assume what you wanted, which, just so you know, I was totally fine with.”

There were a few contemplative nods, and Buck could see each member of their team internally replaying those moments, while the others turned their attention to Eddie. Probably unconsciously, Eddie had tightened his grip at the attention, so Buck leaned into him and whispered into his ear, “You don’t have to tell them if you’re not ready.”

“No, it’s alright. I made my choice when I took your hand. I’m just nervous.” Eddie murmured back under his breath.

Buck shifted so that his body angled towards Eddie, giving him his undivided attention. “You can tell them as little or as much as you want, they’ll accept anything you’re willing to offer.”  He gathered up Eddie’s hand, encompassing it between both of his and brush his lips against his knuckles before settling them back in his lap.  

Buck watched him as he did this, seeing Eddie close his eyes and taking in a slow calming breath and relaxing his grip before opening them to address everyone else who had been patiently watching their inaudible exchange with looks of fondness.

“I’m going to start by saying that I’m not very good at reading relationships. It takes me a long time to know whether the love I have for someone is purely friendship or could be interpreted as something more.” Eddie paused, clearing his throat, “Yes, I had a wife and we had Christopher, but there was no one before or after her because I never felt the attraction towards anyone else.”

He sucked in a deep breath and continued in a rush. “It takes a lot of familiarity and or a deep emotional bond for me to really know for sure and I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m demisexual and up until about two weeks ago, I didn’t know that I was into guys either.”

There was a long pregnant pause after Eddie’s speech and up until this point Buck had only been watching his face. Buck turned to look at the others to gauge their reactions at both of their confessions and the best he could describe is that they were all looking at them and each other in various degrees of fondness and pride.

Finally, it was Athena who broke the spell as she cleared her throat. “I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you for trusting us with this and we are so happy for you both.”

The rest of the group followed suit echoing Athena’s sentiments in a chorus of appreciation and word of thanks, and those closest to them reached out to pat their shoulders or give their knees a squeeze in support and gratitude of their trust.

Michael, who had been the quietest of the group since the team had started coercing Buck into being set up on a blind date, got up from his seat and moved purposefully to stand in front of them.

Buck had always liked Michael from the moment that they met, despite the fact that they weren’t exactly close. So, he was surprised to see the man sporting the widest of smiles as he reached down to pull them both from their seat and into his arms.

It was firm and warm, and so fatherly that Buck all but melted into it. Peeking around Michael’s back he could hazard a guess that Eddie felt the same way with the way his forehead was pressed into Michael’s shoulder and arm pressed tightly against his back.

And then Michael spoke, loud enough that they could both hear him but intimately quietly enough that no one would overhear, “My door will always be open to you both, should you ever need it.”

“Thank you Michael, you have no idea how much that means to us.” Mumbled Buck, doing his best to hold back happy tears at such a familial reaction from Michael.

As if on cue, all at once everyone stood up and joined their small huddle transforming it into a huge group hug. It was awkward and squishy with so many bodies pressed up against each other, and yet it was so comforting to know that that the family he chose accepted him and Eddie as easily as he hoped they would.

After enough laughing and more love and words of pride sent their way, the group broke apart with each person sporting a glowing smile as they all retook their seats, falling back into light-hearted chatter. Maddie caught his eye, with eyes twinkling as she mouthed to him “proud of you.”

And he answered in kind with a simple “love you.”

After some time, its Chim who caught everyone’s attention bringing up a very important question. “Did we have a bet on this?” he asked gesturing towards Buck and Eddie who had been leaning into each other, quietly letting the chatter wash over them as they took it all in together.

Bobby chuckled at Chim, “I think we had one for how long it would take for Buck to find a new place, but I’m pretty sure that we didn’t have anything on them becoming a couple.”

“Seriously? You guys had a bet on me!” Buck exclaimed, feeling somewhat offended.

Hen shrugged her shoulders, “Honestly, considering how many bets we’ve had over the years, you shouldn’t be so surprised.”

Beside him, Eddie laughed at their antics, “Well whoever bet the longest should get the money because Buck will be staying with me for the foreseeable future,” Eddie announced before looking uncertainly at Buck, “if he wants to that is.”

“For as long as you’ll have me,” Buck answered with a grin before cupping his cheek and gently touching his lips to Eddie’s in the briefest of kisses, not wanting to be that kind of couple with excessive PDA.

Nonetheless, there were still cheers and wolf whistles directed at them, and when they parted they discovered Karen collecting her reward. Noticing their gazes on her she shrugged at them with a smug smile, “What? Just because I’m not in the firehouse doesn’t mean I can’t be part of the bets.”

Buck grinned back at her, pleased that she at least won a decent amount from his inability to leave the Diaz household.

** ** ** ** ** **

It was late afternoon when the families started heading home, bidding their farewells and taking home leftover food that Bobby and Athena insisted they take lest the fridge would overflow.

Soon enough, Buck, Eddie, and Chris had made back to their place and settled in for the evening, feeling pleasantly drained from being out for the day and keen to just relax on the couch together, still full from the afternoon of eating.

As much as he wanted to relax, Eddie found himself locked in a daze, now that the reality of the events of the afternoon had caught up with him. He had not only come out to his close circle of friends in one go but also announced that he had a boyfriend who happened to be his best friend; both things he never thought would ever happen.

Never before had he felt so exposed and yet so relieved at revealing so much about himself. He’s thankful that the team and their families are such wonderful and accepting people, but it could have gone completely differently if they weren’t. So much and so little has changed that Eddie is at loss, feeling both mentally and emotionally drained over that conflicting notion.

He could tell Buck was worried from the glances he kept catching out of the corner of his eye while he stared mindlessly at the tv. Thankfully, Buck let him be, instead carrying the conversation with Christopher for the evening until it was his bedtime. And while Buck tucked Christopher in for the night, Eddie found himself staring off into space holding an untouched full glass of water by the kitchen sink.

Its Buck’s voice that breaks through his thoughts, “You doing okay?” He asked softly, slipping his arms around his waist as he dipped his head down to pepper butterfly kisses along his shoulder before touching his cheek to Eddie’s temple as he slowly swayed them side to side.

Eddie couldn’t help by smile at Buck’s gentle approach and set down the glass before overlaying his arms over Buck’s and leaned back against him. “Yeah,” he replied, “just trying to wrap my head around everything today.”

Buck hummed, “It’s a lot to process.”  

“Knowing that you’ve just trusted a lot of people in one go with a long-held secret, yeah, it is.” Eddie agreed.

“Do you regret it?”

Eddie turned in Buck’s arms, touching a hand to his cheek. “Not at all. This is the most open I’ve ever been about myself with anyone else and I have you to thank for that.”

Buck shrugged bashfully, placing his hand over Eddie’s as he turned his face to kiss the palm of his hand. “All I did was run into you at a Pride festival, the rest was all you.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Eddie said tenderly.

Buck smiled warmly and took a step back, out of Eddie’s reach but kept a gentle grip on his hand, “Come on,” he said quietly, “Let’s go to bed, you’ll feel better in the morning after a good nights sleep.”

And Eddie, trusting the man implicitly, let Buck lead him to the bedroom already feeling more like himself just from talking to him and feeling so lucky to have such an amazing person in his life that is able to put him at ease with just a few choice words and actions.

They slotted themselves easily into each other arms as the settled under the covers, falling asleep happy and content, feeling more at peace with themselves knowing that all would be well as long as they were by each other’s side and had each other’s back in the moments that mattered most.

~ Fin ~

Tagging:  @buck-eddie @bisexualbuck  @benjisvictor  @seaofashes @chimbuckleys @maysgrant @pan-buck @adamngoodbuck @buckleydiazs @vampirebuckley @oliversstark @brilliantbanshee @eddiediaz @gracieli 

[21-idiotic-stories]

Story #3: When The Students Ran Away From School

Who doesn’t want to go on an adventure!? Take paths unknown, roads uncharted, peaks unclimbed (is that even a word?), beaches unswimmed (I’m pretty sure this is not a word), tuktuks unridden, trains untrained and what not. That’s what life is all about, right? Having the adventure bug and being a wanderlust and writing ‘travelholic’ on your Instagram bio.

At least that’s what they make you believe today.

But… I’ve known all this for far too long. Longer than any of you my fellow millennials (aka basic bitches) who have discovered the true meaning of life only recently.

And thus begins the story of the greatest adventure any kid could possibly imagine going on. And if you’ve read the previous 2 stories of mine, you’ll know that I will have absolutely no part to play in this magical adventure that I’m going to talk about.

The year must be 1996, I was in 6th standard and we had moved to the new school premises. It was just another day at school. We had just gotten back from recess when we noticed that two of our classmates were not back in class. The new period had begun and we all assumed that they were bunking or some such. Some time went by and a couple of kids were sent to look for them. Alas, they returned empty handed.

Something was fishy. Another period came and went and the students never returned. The word spread and multiple kids started looking for them but the missing kids were nowhere to be found. Panic started to grip the teachers gradually. Our class teacher was informed and she came along with a couple of more teachers. They announced in an official capacity that the 2 students were missing and their parents had been informed as well.

We were all shocked and aghast and astonished and astounded and stunned and agape and other synonyms of shocked. We all started khusaring pusaring amongst each other wondering what had happened. But I kept silent.

Someone later verified that they say two kids crossing the boundary wall of the school from the back side - I’m not sure who that person was or why that person didn’t do anything about it - but at least that’s the only eyewitness testimony we had. So it was confirmed, they did indeed run away and were not hiding anywhere in the school building.

Our class teacher was in tears. She herself had two kids who studied in the same school so I can only imagine what she must have been feeling. Couldn’t have been easy, right? Two 6th standard kids from your class run away and nobody has a clue where they’ve gone.

They went missing while they were at school so it was the school’s responsibility for their safety and well-being. And they were both in our class so it all came to our class teacher who was held responsible for their disappearance. Well, not really responsible for their disappearance but responsible to get them back, in a way. And that’s when it got interesting.

One of the runaway kids used to sit with me. During all the commotions I was only thinking WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WHY WASN’T I EVEN CONSIDERED TO BE A PART OF THIS PLAN? When the teacher was crying and the students were figuring out theories, I was just sitting there, annoyed like anything, wondering why my ‘friend’ didn’t even bother asking me to come with him. I’ll concede that I wasn’t the coolest kid around but I know I wasn’t the lamest either. I remember I used to chill with him and we used to laugh together and eat lunch together.

So wasn’t I even worth an invitation? I couldn’t believe it.

Now I get hassled quite quickly. So the moment the teacher asked me if I had heard anything about their plans, because I used to sit with one of the kids, I freaked out and started mumbling “Uhh yes ma’am, uhh he said something, uhh like packing food, uhh, ooh aah uhh ooh aah uuhhh.” I don’t know what I said but I told her that I heard a bit of planning.

I hadn’t heard anything. I think I was having FOMO in 1996.

I remember receiving the teacher’s call at home for a more detailed discussion but little did she know that I didn’t know anything at all. It was probably just my jealousy acting up. I kept most of the stuff vague, nothing of too much help nor anything that would derail the real investigation but I think I just wanted some amount of attention for myself.

I felt I deserved to be on that adventure. Be out there with them at that moment. But I was wronged.

I considered him a friend. And he ran away with someone else. I couldn’t stop imagining their adventure. Walking the streets. Taking lifts. Sleeping at bus stops. Riding on trains without tickets. Doing odd jobs at hill stations. Cooking food at a dhaba. Trying your first cigarette with a truck driver. Growing up in the valley. Setting up your own business. Having a great story to tell your kids.

I could have been that kid. But no. Apparently, I was not good enough.

Thankfully, the kids were found in a day or two. They were indeed trying to run away from the city. They were caught at the railway station and brought back to school the next day. They all acted as if nothing happened and I don’t think they were allowed to give us too many details for the fear of inspiring others.

I felt happy. Not because they were back. But because they couldn’t go on their adventure. Bloody fake friends.

[soundofseventeen]

Friends to More (Vernon Chwe)

Hello! I am home sick today (my mom literally told me no about going to class) so Erin’s going to update two days in a row! Here’s the last of the hip hop unit, next moving onto vocal unit! Enjoy memesol! 

So get this

You became friends because Seungkwan got a new phone

He gave Vernon his new number

But Vernon mixed up two of the numbers that Seungkwan gave him

And guess who

You were very startled to receive a text from an unknown number yelling about leaving him at some fair with someone named Hoshi what kinda name to spy on someone else named Woozi seriously what kinda name suddenly

He was sending a lot of messages

Like a lot

You just sent one in the spew of messages saying

Uhhhhhhhhh who is this

You got a few more yelling messages before you got a calm one

...this isn’t Seungkwan is it

Nope. Don’t even know a Seungkwan.

It was a couple minutes before you got one back

OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY MY FRIEND GOT A NEW NUMBER AND I MIXED IT UP I AM SO SORRY I SWEAR I DON’T USUALLY START CONVERSATIONS BY YELLING

That at least made you laugh

It’s alright. Who even are you??

OH YEAH my name is Vernon

Hi Vernon, I’m Y/N

And suddenly you had a new friend

You two literally talked all night

You figured out you guys went to separate high schools but in the same town

You learned exactly WHY Vernon was rage texting you

He learned that his texting did not in fact wake you up, you were already up trying to finish an entire drama in one night

Once you stopped you expected to never hear from him again

But then in the middle of one of your classes you got a random text message

Do fish have feelings

Uhh.. I don’t know why?

We’re testing stuff on fish in my science class and mine looks kinda mad

He then sent you a picture of the angry fish

You actually snorted in your history class, causing your friend to look at you

You waved them off

It wasn’t until you went to a soccer game with them that you actually met Vernon

Your friend was dating a guy at another school, and wanted to bring you to one of his games because, to quote

“A lot of his friends are really cute so who knows what could happen”

So grudgingly you went

Jokes on your friend you ended up texting Vernon the whole time

During different parts of the game his friends kept shuffling around, and eventually you were sitting next to a pretty smiley boy with dirty blonde hair.

It was about 10 minutes when you noticed something

Every time you would respond to a text from Vernon, he would pick up his phone.

Every time he put his phone down, yours dinged

So you did a test run

You don’t happen to be a soccer game right now, do you?

As soon as he checked his phone, his eyes widened and he started looking around the crowd

Of course, it was a high school game so a lot of people were on their phones

Maybe… Are you?

“So you ARE Vernon.” You said, and he jumped next to you

“Wait… Y/N?”

“Hi nice to officially meet you” You laughed, and he just grinned at you

“Wow, you do not look like I imagined”

“Oh really?”

“Seungkwan said you might be like 50 or something”

“Right okay which one of these people is Seungkwan” He looked at the boys around him then pointed at a brunette two seats ahead of you

“KWANNIE” Vernon said, and the boy turned around “This is Y/N. They’re not 50.”

“Wait Y/N’s real???”

“Yeah hi” You just waved at him and Vernon just laughed at Seungkwan’s reaction

So then you and Vernon became actual friends

You know the kind that hung out and stuff

It started small

Walking the mall or just getting junk food or something

You eventually started hanging out more and longer

You became the only person Vernon let touch his beanies

To be fair he was the only one allowed to steal your sweatshirts

It was a good thing you got going

Except one small thing

Vernon was pretty sure you were his dream person

He thought so when you two were just texting

And he walked into Mingyu’s room one day and fell on his bed

“I think I’m in love”

“Sure bro”

So then he went Joshua’s

“Remember when you called me about liking your friend?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m feeling that”

“Oh… With who?”

“I’m not really sure”

“Alrighty then”

When he actually met you he literally went up to Seungkwan the next day and put his head on a locker

“HOW can someone be so funny, so sweet, AND so attractive what the heck”

“Vernon, I need my math book and your head is blocking my way”

“SEUUNNNGGGKKWWAAANNNN”

“Oh my god okay look just talk to them a little more, then you can determine if you actually have a crush or if it’s just brief feelings”

“Like you did?”

“OKAY RUDE YOU IGNORE SOMEONE FOR 3 YEARS ONCE AND NO ONE FORGETS IT”

Except talking to you more and hanging out with you only confirmed that he definitely liked you

Except you liked some guy from your school

So Vernon with a deflated heart settled for being your friend

But he loved every second of it

He was so excited when you agreed to go see a play with him

you had plans to hang out and he totally forgot that he told Jun he would go see his play and it was the last night it was running

Seungcheol and his girlfriend sat with you guys, and at one point Seungcheol and you went to the bathrooms, when his girlfriend leaned over to Vernon

“You know, you should ask Y/N about their crush”

“What? Why?” Vernon said casually at least he hoped

“Just ask, trust me” She winked as Seungcheol and you came back. You settled into your seat between Vernon and your friend, and smiled at Vernon

“So…” Vernon said, flipping through his program “How’s that guy you like?” You looked at him then towards the stage

“Oh… He started seeing someone, so that’s over. Never really had a chance though. Besides it’s been kind of over for a while. He’s not really my type anymore.” You shrugged, and Vernon got very excited.

“Oh yeah? Sorry about that…”

“It’s no problem. Besides I like someone else so it really doesn’t matter.” You said before your brain caught what you were doing and you internally slapped yourself

“Oh really? Who’s the new guy?” He asked, still flipping through the program

“Just… a friend of mine…” You said, not making eye contact with him and it took all of his self control to not grin like an idiot then and there

Seungcheol and his girlfriend were watching you two like ‘yes babies please start dating already’

So then the show started

Except neither of you could actually focus

Being honest you weren’t even sure which one of the actors on stage was Jun anyway

Last time you had a crush you at least told Vernon his name

This made it sound very suspicious

How were you going to explain yourself

Meanwhile Vernon was trying to figure out what he should do

Should he pretend you didn’t say anything

Should he ask you out

Should he hold your hand

Who knows

It was a very long first act for the both of you

During intermission he went to the lobby with Seungcheol, and that’s when his idea came to him okay Seungcheol talked him into it

You were very confused when he came back with a single yellow rose

He must have bought that for Jun

The second act was just as long as the first

And became even more awkward when a confession scene came up 

Finally curtain call came and everyone was clapping

And you were congratulating everyone after the show and everything was fine

Then when you were walking back to Vernon’s car you noticed he still had the rose

“Oh shoot, you forgot to give that to Jun.” You said, and he just looked at you

“Hm?”

“That flower, you never gave it to Jun”

“It’s not for Jun”

“Oh… Then why did you get it?” His face turned slightly pink in the darkness even

“It’s actually for you.”

You stopped walking

“Y/N?”

“You got me a flower?”

“Yeah but it has an ulterior motive”

“And what would that be?”

“I got the flower just in case you would agree to go on a date with me...” He grinned and held the flower towards you

You stared at Vernon with wide eyes

“And if I say no?” He shrugged

“...You still get the flower”

“Okay.” You said, taking the flower and walking away

“Wait… I don’t know what that was an okay to”

“That’s for you to figure out” You smirked as Vernon caught up to you

You two were official within like a week, it took Vernon a little longer than he cared to admit to figure out what you meant

[lixxiecorn]

Totally Normal - Steve and Bucky

Part two of Totally Normal. Like I said with part one, Totally Normal is a multi-chaptered fic I’m writing on ao3 but since the chapters function on their own as one shots, I’m posting them here as well. 

This chapter features The Lightning Thief-The Percy Jackson Musical which if you want to know more about their official website is here. I really enjoyed it and if it’s coming to a town near you I would definitely recommend seeing it!

Read the entire story on ao3

…

It had started out with a simple statement from MJ at lunch one day.

MJ always had a book on her no matter what. Gym Class? Book. Fire drill? Book. End of the world as we know it? Book. Which is why it didn’t surprise Peter to see her reading during lunch. What did surprise him, however, was what book she was reading.

“Are you reading Percy Jackson?” Peter asked as he and Ned sat down across from her.

“Yeah.” MJ responded, not even looking up.

“Uhh, don’t you read stuff that typically have a bit more meaning?” Ned pointed out, confused.

“I’m preparing.” MJ told them.

Peter and Ned shared an exasperated and confused look. “For?” Peter prompted.

MJ sighed and put a bookmark in her book before setting it down.

“My dad was going through current Broadway shows because why not and he came across Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief: The Musical. Since he knew that I enjoyed the book when I first read it, he got us tickets for this weekend and I’m rereading the book to prepare.” MJ explained, then picked the book up and began to read again.

“Wait, Lightning Thief is a musical? Is it any good?” Ned asked. MJ ignored the question, seemingly having had enough of the conversation. 

“Let’s google it.” Peter suggested.

He pulled out his new Starkphone, he used to have an older one, but DUM-E had accidentally broken it, and pulled up google. He quickly typed in the musical’s name and hit search, surprised with all the results that came up. Going to YouTube, Peter found the trailer for the musical and with one earbud in his ear and the other in Ned’s, they watched it.

“Oh my god. Or should I say gods? This looks amazing.” Ned said in disbelief.

“Yeah, and I know just the people to go see it with.” Peter responded, an idea forming in his mind.

…

“There’s a musical!” Bucky exclaimed, excitedly. Peter had just told him and Steve about the musical, and as he expected, they were extremely excited.

It wasn’t overly surprising that the supersoldiers were excited, they both had enjoyed the Percy Jackson books and they liked going to musicals. They said it was something they could do that made them feel like normal citizens for once instead of superheroes.

“And we have tickets for this weekend?” Steve asked in slight disbelief.

“Yep!” Peter confirmed, popping the p.

“How did you manage to make that happen?” Bucky asked.

“I asked my dad who is a billionaire, he does nice things for people sometimes.” Peter said, shrugging.

…

Both Steve and Bucky dressed up nicely for the show, while Peter wore his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and kakis. They made their way to their seats, third row courtesy of Tony, and sat down. Peter spotted MJ and threw her a wave. She barely got a chance to wave back before Steve pulled Peter down into his seat. The lights dimmed and the show began.

The three Avengers laughed all the way through ‘The Day I Got Expelled’. Peter agreed wholeheartedly with Percy in ‘Strong’ when he talked about ADHD. Bucky seemed to find ‘Another Terrible Day’ quite funny. They all loved ‘The Campfire Song’, especially when Percy sang about his dad and owned it. Peter really related to Percy in ‘Good Kid’ about how he didn’t deserve what was happening to him, because with all the hardships in Peter’s life, he understood that frustration. Steve’s face when Percy said hell in ‘Killer Quest!’ was hilarious, and Peter could hear Bucky whisper “Language” tauntingly to Steve.

…

“So, what do you guys think so far?” Peter asked at intermission, munching on some skittles.

“Steve must have hated it because Percy said a bad word.” Bucky teased, looking at his friend.

Peter giggled as Steve rolled his eyes. “That was one time!” Steve exclaimed.

“One time’s enough.” Peter informed him, grinning.

“I thought I’d see the three of you here.” A voice said. Peter spun around and came face to face with MJ.

“Miss Jones.” Steve greeted, extending his hand to her. She shook it and gave Bucky a small wave which he returned.

“Hey MJ.” Peter said, smiling.

“Hi loser.” She responded, stealing one of his skittles.

“Hey!” Peter squawked, pulling the bag away from her. “Don’t you have a random bag of M&M’s or something?”

“No, I left those at home today.” MJ replied, her lip twitching up in a smile.

The lights flickered, signaling intermission coming to an end.

“Well, I better go back and find my dad.” MJ decided, grabbing another skittle before walking off with a wave.

“She took my skittle.” Peter said in shock, staring at the bag.

“Come on Peter, wouldn’t want to miss the rest of the show.” Bucky prodded, giving Peter’s shoulder a slight push.

Peter got up and followed the supersoldiers back to their seats. They sat back down, and the second act began.

All three agreed that ‘Lost!’ pretty accurately described most of the Avenger’s missions, which was basically saying they were a mess. Bucky and Steve told Peter that he was the squirrel, which Peter agreed with. ‘My Grand Plan’ was another one of Peter’s favorites, Annabeth reminding him of MJ and Nat, two of the strongest women he knew. Everyone enjoyed ‘Drive’ because one, it was a bop, and two it really encompassed the different events that occurred throughout the book. Both Bucky and Steve got a little emotional during ‘The Tree on the Hill’, Thalia’s sacrifice reminded them of when Bucky fell off the train many years ago. Peter politely pretended not to notice their tears or the face they were tightly gripping each other’s forearms. Bucky liked ‘Son of Poseidon’, he identified with the accepting yourself aspect of the song due to his own struggles with accepting his past as the Winter Soldier. The part Steve wasn’t a fan of (Peter and Bucky liked it but that’s besides the point) was ‘The Last Day of Summer’. He liked the song in itself but the fight between Luke and Percy reminded him too much of his own fight with Tony and he didn’t ever want to go back to that. All three loved ‘Bring on the Monsters’ and the message of unity and hope it brought, plus the references to all the different songs at the end was amazing.

As soon as the curtain dropped and the lights came up, Peter ran around collecting the confetti that had been shot out over the audience, as well as some of the toilet paper that had been blown out during the water scene. Once satisfied, the trio went to the souvenir shop. Steve insisted on buying everyone a tour t-shirt, as well as buying one of the squirrel stuffed animals. Peter rolled his eyes but couldn’t deny the fact that he loved the squirrel.

“On a scale from one to 10, how much did you guys love it?” Peter asked once they had gotten into Bucky’s jeep.

“I’d say a solid 9.” Steve decided.

“I give it an 8 because Percy didn’t wear the flying shoes in the book, Grover did.” Bucky pointed out.

“But the references! Like Bianca was the one talking in the Lotus Casino in Drive and they mentioned the dam snack bar in that song too!” Peter exclaimed.

“True, but the shoes…” Bucky said, glancing in the rear-view mirror at Peter.

Peter dug through the bags to find his squirrel stuffed animal and was surprised to find two of them.

“Steve, you got two squirrels by accident.” Peter said, holding up the stuffies.

“No, I bought two on purpose.” Steve corrected.

“Why?” Peter asked, confused.

“Tony’s squirrely.” Steve said, shrugging. Peter laughed at that the entire way back to the tower.

[adotblog]

Brave Part 11

Pairing: LMM x Reader

Requested: nope, here lie the spewings of my tiny brain.

Warnings: NSFW (Here be smut, please only read if you’re 18+), cursing.

Words: 2641

“Should we attempt to get up?”, you ask unenthusiastically. “Shit, no.”, answers Lin. “You just rest up for round 3 lady”, he jokes. “You insatiable today?!”, you say. “Round 2 was just a quickie, it doesn’t count!”, he jokes. “Tell that to my vagina!”, you exclaim. “BAhahaha!”. You both roll around laughing. “Yo, vagina-listen up...”, Lin can’t finish for laughing.

When you finally calm down you flip over onto your front so you’re almost face to face. “Really, though-what do you want to do now?”, you ask as you run your fingers over his lean arm muscles. “Seriously, I’m not leaving this bed.”. You laugh. “Really!”, he insists. “Do you know how rare it is for me to have a day off and no deadline looming? It’s FANTASTIC”, his face is just pure joy and you can’t resist leaning over to kiss him. “Alright but we can’t just have sex all day long, our genitals will fall off.”, you assert. “Spoilsport. Alright, I’m officially making a fort.”, says Lin, throwing the covers over his head to puff them up with air.

“What’s got into you today?”, you laugh. Lin grabs you and rolls you into an embrace. “I’m just...really happy”, he says. “You make me happy.” “Same.”, you say as you pull his face to yours.

You really do spend the next four hours in bed, which feels incredibly indulgent. Lin reads to you from a book of essays he’s reading. You play him a new track from a local artist you saw with Jas. You read the Sunday papers, spreading them all over the bed. In between, you kiss his soft mouth, he cradles you in his arms, your bodies constantly touching in some way.

At some point the conversation turns to the week ahead. Lin laments being back on Crazy Theatre Schedule “Except Thursday, of course”, he says. “What’s Thursday?”, you ask absently. “Umm, Thanksgiving, dummy!”, he says. You roll your eyes. “Yeah that’s not a thing where I’m from, remember?”, you say. “Well, sure but I just assumed you’d be having a Thanksgiving with your Mum”, he says, brow furrowed. “Nah, she’s out west anyway but we don’t usually do anything.”, you say. “So what do you have planned?”, he asks. “I’m not sure-either go out, since I’ll have everywhere to myself, or maybe do a movie marathon. Oooh! Or a musicals marathon!”, you say excitedly.

Lin is quiet for a second. “You could come have dinner with my family, I know they’d love you”, he says. “That’s sweet, but you should just go yourself-I’ll be fine”, you say. “It’s kinda just another Thursday for me”, you shrug. “You’re making me sad, man!”, Lin says. “Hey I thought your parents were in Puerto Rico anyway?”, you ask. “Oh they are, they’re flying back Wednesday morning”, he confirms. “I guess I could come...”, you say uncertainly. “Yay! I’ll call Mom tomorrow, but I know she’ll be excited”, Lin says. “Wait, did I just agree to meet your parents?”, you joke.

“Yup. Sucker!!”

—————-

“Lin! Lunch!”, you call from the kitchen. He sticks his head round the door and indicates that he’s on his phone. You give a thumbs-up apology and sit down to eat. Lin appears a couple of minutes later. He takes his sandwich, kissing you on the cheek as he sits down beside you. “Sorry I was talking to Mom”, he says. “Of course. How is Mama?”, you ask. “Great, everyone’s great and would love for you to come to dinner.”, he smiles. “Oh, good!”, you exhale. “You’re gonna love it”, he says.

——————————

Tuesday

00:03am

Lin: Did you get home Ok? x

You: Lin, I just literally got through the door lol

Lin: Sorry, just checking x

You: S’ok. Hold up while I just get ready for bed.

Lin: Oh ho! Woman, are you stripteasing me from the other side of town?

00:07

Lin: Uhh without the visual this isn’t as exciting.

Lin: Y/N?

00:11

You: Sorry, sorry! I needed water, then I fell over the table, then I had to brush my teeth...

Lin: You...fell over the table? The one that’s always been there? You...uhh...missed that?

You: :|

You: I was just gonna be all romantical, too.

Lin: Romantical! Ha! ^-^ Go ahead...

You: Pssshh. I was *gonna* say...

You: ...that Sunday was just about the most favourite day I’ve had in my entire life. So thank you.

Lin: It was high on my list too.

You: Waffles, you, books and honestly, the best sex I ever had.

Lin: Stop. You’ve said that before.

You: Oh and it was true before-but now you’ve outdone yourself again.

Lin: Me? You know that there were two of us there, right?

You: Lin.

Lin: I’m sayin...it was the best ever for me too.

You: I guess we’re pretty good together xx

Lin: Not bad at all. On that note, I have to get some sleep.

You: Sweet dreams, love.

Lin: Lo mismo, mi cariña xx

————————————

Tuesday

11:03am

You: Good morning, handsome.

Lin: Hello, hello! Did you sleep well?

You: Never so well as with you beside me.

Lin: You’re being romantical again.

Lin: It suits you ;)

You: Just stating the facts. Wanna sleepover tonight??

Lin: Absofuckinglutely.

You: I’ll be at the theatre around 5, want me to bring anything?

Lin: Just yourself. See you then, love.

—————————————

12:13pm

@lin_manuel

Life is good, y’all. Here’s a mix...I was feeling all romantical. Spotify.com/24601/gh/25gnb

@ytwitterhandle @lin_manuel

That’s...a fucking beautiful mix.

@lin_manuel @ytwitterhandle

I guess I was just feeling...fucking beautiful.

————————————

“Places In 5!”

“Y/N?” Lin calls from the wing. “You cross to join him. “Can you keep my phone while I’m on? I can’t get in touch with Mom-Sure it’s nothing but just in case?” he asks. “Sure, no problem”. You slip it in your back pocket and forget it til it vibrates during “Yorktown”. You quickly pull it out and see it’s a text from Lin’s mom. Phew.

At the interval Lin checks the text and immediately calls her. When he comes off the phone he asks “You still up for an alternative Thanksgiving?”. He gives a sad smile “There’s a storm-won’t hit the island but they’ve grounded all flights”. “Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry you won’t get your family dinner”, you sympathise. “Me too”, he says as you hug him. You pull back and kiss his nose “I promise to come up with something awesome to do”, you vow.

———————————————

Wednesday

16:21

@lin_manuel

If your thanksgiving plans got cancelled, what would you do instead? *sadfaceemoji*

@ytwittername @lin_manuel

SO many of these replies are NSFW *blushemoji*

@lin_manuel @ytwittername

Uh huh.....

————————————

Thursday

The morning light cracks through the curtain. You look over at Lin, lying on his back, hair flopping into his face. His chest rises softly and evenly. The sheets rest just above his hips, you know that he’s naked underneath. He looks delicious, and you consider waking him.

You give yourself a harsh word and tiptoe off to the bathroom. You have on one of Lin’s Wesleyan shirts and in the bathroom you steal one of Lin’s hair ties to pull your hair into messy bun. You brush your teeth and daydream.

You fully intend to go back to sleep but when you re-enter the bedroom, and you see Lin all laid out in front of you, all you can do is think about kissing every inch of his olive skin. You crawl up the bed and peel back the sheets, exposing him. You start to gently kiss at his neck and he murmurs softly. You kiss his chest, running your hands down to his waist. He makes a sound somewhere between confusion and pleasure. You move between his legs and lay kisses across his inner thigh, watching him rub at his eyes as he wakes. “Umm, Good morning...”, he says, looking down at you. “Good morning”, you grin up at him. “C’mere”, he says softly, holding out his hand. You move up the bed to hover over him. He lays a hand across the side of your face and leans up to kiss you. “You stole my shirt”, he says, as he runs a hand under the hem.

“Ok this is the least sexy thing in the world but I have to pee.”, he groans. “Do you...also need to shower?”, you ask as you bend to kiss neck again. Lin chuckles ”Perhaps I do.”, he says, and flips you over, kissing you roughly before jumping up and running to the bathroom. A minute later you hear the shower start and Lin yells for you to join him.

He is naked, with a hand under the water, testing the temperature while he brushes his teeth. You lean against the door frame, arms folded across your chest. He looks incredible. He turns to you and smiles. “Perfect temperature”, he says as he holds out his hand. You cross the room, pulling your shirt off and untying your hair along the way. “Mmph, you are quite the sight to wake up to”, he says as he strokes his hands down from your rib cage to your hips, his gaze following.

Lin takes your hand and leads you into the shower. You sigh as the warm water rushes over you and you soak your hair. When you open your eyes you see Lin is just leaning against the wall, staring at you. Your hands drop from your hair and you step towards him. You press your body up against him and tilt your face to his. He lowers his mouth to yours, hands either side of your head. His peppermint kiss is firm and assured, his tongue meeting yours as his hands trail down your wet skin.

Lin gently pushes your pelvis away from his as he slips a hand between you. He cups you and when you moan into his kiss he dips his middle finger inside you. You run your hand up his thigh and take him in your hand. He breaks your kiss to gasp as you slowly stroke him up and down. “I need you now”, he says in your ear as he kisses behind it.

He turns you both around, reversing your positions so that he is pressing you into the wall. You flinch at the coolness of the tile against your skin but when Lin pins your arms above your head and lays kisses across your collarbone you forget the cold-all you can think about is how much you need him inside you. Lin brings his hands down to cup your breasts and you arch into his touch. He strokes his left hand down your ass cheek and over your thigh, raising your leg until it’s pressed up against your stomach. Just like the first time.

That first time...that electricity between you that still fizzes every time he touches you. That absolute compulsion to join your bodies together. Is he remembering too? The look he gives you before he kisses you suggests so.

Lin once again gently presses into you, holding your leg in place with one hand, the other at the back of your neck. He groans as your bodies meet, his full length inside you. He shifts his weight to start to thrust up into you, angling himself so as to sink as deeply into you as possible. Your soft moans echo around the glass cubicle as he shifts into a faster pace.

Lin buries his face in your neck as he works in and out of you, his lips grazing your skin and sending tingles through your body. He is relentless, never slowing the pace or gentling the force of his thrusts. The hot water runs in rivulets between your bodies, in the few places you aren’t fused together. You know he’s getting close when he cries out your name and you look him in the eye as he gasps and starts to falter. His upper body collapses into yours as he shudders with his release and he pants his recovery into your shoulder.

———————————

Drying off in a fluffy towel, Lin wraps his arms around you. “So that was a nice way to wake up.”, he says. You murmur your agreement as you kiss him, your own arousal not yet sated. “C’mon”, Lin says as he pulls at your hand. He flops onto the bed and tugs your arm to join him. You lay alongside him and he immediately untucks your towel, exposing your body. He is resting his head on one hand, leaving the other free to explore you. He smiles as he sees you arch your back when his hand slips below your navel. “You need something, love?”, he asks as he teasingly avoids touching you where you want it most. You half-turn to face him, pulling him into a kiss that leaves him in no doubt.

Lin pulls himself up to be leaning over you, in a better position to alternate kissing you with sucking and gently biting at your nipples. His left hand rubs small circles on your clit, building a tension inside you. There’s a tightening in your abdomen as he finds the right spot and keeps up a steady rhythm. You begin to squirm and his eyes light up; when you begin to moan he whispers in your ear “Don’t hold back, I want to hear you”. You feel your composure unravel as he coaxes you towards you climax. You surrender to the first swell of your orgasm when his lips close over your nipple again and you cry out as you raise your hips to grind against his hand, prolonging the pleasure. Wave after wave comes over you and you moan through them. As you flatten your back to the mattress once more, Lin kisses you gently but you pull away “Don’t stop!”, you manage to breathe out, knowing there’s another orgasm a few seconds away. He smirks and continues to stroke your clit. You move his hand slightly, finding the right place and then your body contorts as the second, shorter, more intense orgasm rips through you as you squeal.

When you collapse back onto the mattress, you’re red-skinned, hot and breathless. Lin scoops you into his arms and you lay together, legs intertwined, his strong arms clutching your body to his. He kisses your forehead after a few minutes. “So uhh, Happy Thanksgiving?”, he jokes. “I fucking love American holidays”, you breathe.

————————————-

You wipe your hands on the apron, wondering if there had been any point trying to protect the midnight blue dress underneath-Lin’s kitchen is covered in flour. Surfaces, floor, and most of Lin. “Gnocchi seemed such a simple plan...”, you muse. Lin laughs, swiping flour from your nose with one hand as he stirs the sauce with the other. “You planned a great day-Singing in The Rain was particularly inspired.”, he says.

He turns the heat off under the pans and drains the gnocchi so he can throw it into the sauce. “So what’s next?”, he asks. “Well after the gnocchi, I figured we could eat dessert while we listen to the mixtape I made you”, you say slyly. He looks up from his pan “You made me a mix?”, he asks excitedly. “Nuh-uh, mixTAPE.”, you correct. He raises an eyebrow. “Actual tape, Maxell 90”, you grin. “Oh my god, I love you!”, he cries.

You both freeze as his words hang in the air. His eyes are wide, your jaw has dropped. “Well, that’s the first time I’ve said that...”, he says uncertainly. He nervously runs a hand through his hair, eyes avoiding yours. “Look, Y/N..”. You interrupt him “Lin.”, you say as you close the distance between you. He falls silent as you look him in the eye and in the moment before you bring your lips to his, you say “I love you too”.

[khymer-vulture]

Part 2 of the double update.

This one is a request by @luvsandy1​! :D

Set during Last Chapters, giving more detail with their experience as first time parents.

Starting a family, that was something the couple had been talking about for a while, yet struggled to find the nerve to prepare for it. They had all the time in the world to get the needed supplies, but it was the mental and emotional preparedness they struggled with the most.

 Rachel found reassurance after a heart-to-heart with Gray, but Zack still felt uneasy. He like the idea of Ray being a mom, he knew that she’d treasure the child, but he couldn’t picture himself being a father. The man took lives long before he even met Ray, and continued to take them when they did meet. Being a bringer of life was frightening, especially with the thought that it would be his as well. Yet, he did feel this urge to not let history repeat, not let the kid go through the same ordeals he once did, and let them have some sort of normal life that he’d never have. Thoughts such as these must be just as scary for Rachel as it was for him, but she was there to help quell his fears. Just because Isaac was unsure of his role of being a parent one day, doesn’t mean he was going to be completely alone.

 Eventually, the two felt comfortable enough to continue their plans. When they made love, the couple took their sweet time with it, sometimes going for another round because they enjoyed each other’s embrace so much. This went on for a good period of time, with Rachel checking the status of their attempts every now and then, however, their efforts didn’t seem to show any progress.

 “Hey, don’t get mad over it, Ray…yer’ not getting any older,” Zack softly spoke to reassure her, “if you wanna keep trying, we’ll keep trying.”

 Ray gently caressed her belly with concern, grazing an old scar on her body, “I’m more worried than angry…like…what if getting shot messed something up inside me?”

 Isaac lightly grit his teeth as he thought about that event, then held his spouse in his arms, “Fucking prove that thought wrong, Ray…”

 If Zack was refusing to give up, neither should Ray, she shouldn’t start to doubt now because they weren’t getting results, they had to continue to try. Days came and went, the pair continued on with their lives during their attempts to conceive, it did give them plenty of time to stock up on items they would need in the future.

 One fateful morning, as the couple peacefully slept in their bed, Rachel woke up earlier than usual, feeling an uncomfortable churning within her stomach, and quickly got up to deal with the problem. Isaac felt the immediate shuffle of weight on the mattress, then quickly glanced about the room to figure out what was going on, and why Ray left so suddenly. Soon, he heard a door slam shut, follow by coughs and heaves.

 “Ray? What’s up? Did ya’ get sick?” he shouts. Despite being tired, he was very concerned.

 He rolled off the bed and dressed himself in a pair of boxers, then grabbed a robe for Rachel as he went to check up on her. She really sounded like she was terribly ill, and worried what could’ve caused her to get sick.

 “Hey, y’ alright in there?” Zack asked, as he lightly knocked on the door.

 “I feel terrible, Zack…” Ray murmured, “my stomach was churning so much…”

 “Need me to get you some water?”

 “Please…ice water…”

 “Got it, I’ll leave your robe at the door,” Zack replied, then dropped the piece of clothing. “Don’t push yourself, kay?”

 As soon as Ray got dressed and had her fill of water, the illness felt a little less harsh, Isaac chose to let Rachel sleep in while he cared for her. Gray was going to visit today, talk about timing, he could ask him to fetch some medicine to help soothe Ray’s discomfort. He stayed at his wife’s bedside, running his fingers through her hair, and watched her try to regain the bits of sleep she lost from her nausea. As the sun rose, Zack closed the blinds to dim out the bright light, then completely dressed himself, knowing that company would arrive any moment. Zack hoped this illness wasn’t anything major, and was something that would come to pass – honestly, he didn’t want to admit, he was panicking on the inside about her health.

 A couple hours passed, and Gray arrived at the household, seeing it was Zack that greeted him first instead of Rachel.

 “Ah, hello Isaac, is it just you at home?”

 “Nah, Ray’s here too…she’s just sleepin’, woke up feeling like shit. She probably caught a bug or something, that’s what I’m hoping it is,” Zack replied. “I wanted to ask if you could get us some medicine to make her feel better.”

 “Hmm, I could…does thou know of her symptoms?”

 “Uhh…she was pretty queasy this morning, ain’t got a fever or anything. She sure felt weak like she had one though,” Zack spoke.

 Gray thought about it for a moment, then glanced to Zack, “I may need to have a private conversation with thy spouse to get further details of this illness. I do not wish to bring thee the wrong medication.”

 Sounded reasonable, though he hated the fact that Ray would need to wake up.

 “She’s in the room, I’ll go wake her up…just wait there, old man.”

 Gray was patient as ever, letting the couple get situated for his diagnosis, he had suspicions, but he’d rather get information from the ailing Ray herself. When given the all clear from Zack to enter, the two traded places as he entered the room to speak with the woman, while Zack impatiently waited on the couch.

 “Hello Rachel,” Gray politely greets.

 “Hello Reverend,” Ray weakly replied with a smile.

 “Isaac has informed me that thou hast been stricken with an illness?”

 “Yeah…I still feel a little under the weather, but better than how I was early in the morning,” Ray replied, “It could just be a stomach bug…he shouldn’t worry too much.”

 “Yes, that could be a possibility, but may I pose thee a few questions?” Gray asked.

 “Go ahead.”

 “If I recall, thine both have been attempting to bear a child, correct?” the old priest inquired.

 “Yeah…we’ve been trying, and haven’t been having too much luck,” Ray replied with a slight somber tone.

 “When has it been the last time thou hast checked?”

 Rachel thought it over, last time she tested was when she was feeling disheartened.

 “Mmh…it’s been a while, a couple weeks, I believe. I stopped testing for a while, so I wouldn’t stress about it,” Ray replied, then the thought occurred to her, “Y-you don’t believe that…it finally happened?”

 “That may be the situation…if thou has the need to confirm it, I shall be waiting with Isaac,” Gray spoke as he readied himself to leave the room.

 Isaac saw the Reverend leave the room, he had a confident expression on his face as he sat himself on a chair near the couch.

 “So? What’s the deal? Is Ray gonna be okay?”

 “I believe so, but we shall wait and see,” Gray replied. “If suspicions are correct, then I shall tell thee that there is nothing to fear, such a symptom is normal.”

 Zack grumbled under his breath, he hated when Gray acted so cryptic when he needed answers right way. The two quietly sat in the living room, Isaac was hating the wait, while Gray remained calm and collected. Eventually, both men heard the door open with Ray sheepishly peeking from the opening, then she quietly beckoned Zack so she could speak with him. The brash man was quick to hop to his feet and hurry over to his wife’s side, then felt Ray gently pull him in the room for some privacy.

 “Hey, what’s up? Your illness isn’t anything serious, is it?” Isaac quietly asked.

 Ray lightly nods to answer, “It’s not serious at all…there’s something I need to show you…”

 Zack raised a brow as the woman held out a small device of sorts, he didn’t understand what it was or why Rachel wanted to show him.

 “What is this?” he asks.

 “Read it.”

 The words were rather small but not illegible, one side showed symbols, followed by what they meant, and on the other side were what the symbols were implying. One stripe said Not Pregnant, while two showed Pregnant – the device showed two. Two stripes, Ray’s mystery illness, and what the stripes meant, Zack felt his heart stop for a moment. Rachel could see the growing look of shock on her husband’s face, knowing that he had gotten the message, she could even feel the heat emit from Zack’s face.

 Zack couldn’t say anything, as he was still stunned by the realization, but before Ray could break the silence, he quickly enveloped her in his arms. Their prolonged attempts at conception finally paid off and the couple were finally going to have a child. Their hearts were beating rapidly, from both excitement and nervousness, especially for Zack, knowing he helped bring a life into the world still freaked him out a little. However, it was still an experience he would willingly accompany Rachel with.

 Gray watched as the two left the room hand-in-hand, he needn’t ask what their conversation would’ve been, he could simply tell by the hidden look of pride in Zack’s eyes. The old priest got up from the chair as the couple approached him, Ray was eager to tell him the news, while Zack couldn’t look the man in the eye. He was very coy about the issue, now it was no longer between the both of them anymore.

 “So, has the source of thy illness been confirmed?” Gray asks.

 Rachel lightly nodded with a faint blush, “W-We’re expecting.”

 Gray uttered a soft and proud chuckle, “I see, then there must be some preparations for such a miracle. I shall arrange for a midwife to aid thee when the time comes.”

 “Th’ fuck is that?” Zack asked.

 “Someone to help the mother when the child is being born,” Ray answered.

 “Wait…so, we’re gonna let some fucking stranger in here? How are we gonna know they ain’t gonna stab us in the back?”

 “Rest assured, Isaac. My acquaintances are to be trusted, they shall be sent to do their duty, but thy identities will not be provided to them. Everything else to make thy child official to the outside world, I shall provide with necessary paperwork. You shall have a family with little worries of thy whereabouts being known,” Gray spoke.

 Both Isaac and Rachel seemed unsure at first, but Gray had no motive to betray them, he’s helped them out for so long, and looked out for them. So, the plans were finalized.

 Zack still felt unsure of himself being a father, but Ray often reassured his doubts, telling him that she too felt nervous, but eager. They were both going to prove that they could be better parents than those who brought them into the world and emotionally abandoned them.

Over time, physical changes began to appear much more noticeably, Rachel’s simple body seemed much curvier than before and Zack had definitely paid attention to that detail. Her waist and chest were much rounder, and Ray often caught Zack sneaking needy glances at her.

 ‘Shiiit, she looks incredibly hot…o-oh fuck, she spotted me…’

 Eventually, Isaac caved and would capture the woman in his arms, she just looked too damn attractive for him to just gawk at. Plus, she had this glow about her that he’d never seen before, it allured him every time he saw it, and found himself commenting the gorgeous aura she had about her.

 The couple were often very flirtatious to each other because of that.

 Later stages began to show more changes in Rachel, the baby bump showed, and emotions were becoming a little harder to control due to her hormones. Zack didn’t understand this, to him, he thought that something was upsetting her.

 “Hey, Ray…what’s up? How come you’re crying?” Zack asked, as he gently rubbed her back.

 “I’m not crying…please leave me alone for a moment,” Rachel whimpered.

 “Nah, ain’t gonna leave til ya’ tell me what’s wrong,” Isaac bluntly replied.

 Rachel was being emotionally stubborn as she kept wiping tears from her eyes, honestly, she didn’t know herself why she was crying, it just happened out of the blue. Zack huffed to himself, if he wasn’t going to get an answer, he had to think of a way to cheer her up until she would tell him - Ray always did like when Zack would cuddle against her. Soon, he wrapped his arms around the woman’s waist and lightly pressed his body against hers, letting his lips gently stamp her neck.

 “No more of that crying, smiling suits ya’ better…” Isaac softly whispered.

 Ray felt like protesting, but then she felt Zack’s fingers sweetly trail along her growing belly, this made her face grow a little hot, but also the tears stopped flowing. The woman quickly turned around and captured Zack’s lips, which caught him off guard, but he didn’t resist. The two were in lip-lock for a moment until they pulled back for air, and Rachel gently nuzzled against Isaac’s chest.

 Now, he was both puzzled and a little amused.

 “Heh, what the hell, Ray? First, you were sobbing and now you’re acting all lovey,” he said with a chuckle.

 “Mmh…I can’t help it, Zack…my emotions feel like doing whatever it wants to do,” Rachel softly replied, “right now, I just want to cuddle…”

 This was already becoming quite the experience for the both of them. It may take Zack a little longer to figure out what is going on with her most of the time, right now, he was trying his best to rely on what he’d usually do to make Rachel feel both comfortable and loved. It did work, but he would be very confused when Ray acted out of character for no reason.

 When Rachel showed weakness or fatigue, that was when Zack stepped in the most. He didn’t want her to overwork herself, knowing it wasn’t just her that she had to take special care of. Sometimes, he’d feel guilty that Ray would often become faint because she was carrying their child, he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable at all. Isaac couldn’t let himself stay in the dark about this whole situation any further, during Rachel’s small round of naps, he’d attempt to read a couple of her books so he’d figure out how on earth to better handle Rachel’s pregnancy. Too many big words made him want to stop, but he had to push himself for Ray’s sake.

 Even though he was still confused, and a little panicked most of the time, he did get a better idea on what to do. When Ray had a rare moment of nightmares, he soothed her fear to lessen her stress and anxiety, knowing now that such negative emotions wouldn’t be healthy for the child.

 As further stages progressed, it was obvious that their unborn child was very active, Rachel often let out small grunts, followed by soft little conversations to herself as she caressed her belly. Isaac thought that she was feeling faint again and carried her to the couch to relax.

 “I’m alright, Zack...”

 “Ya’ sure? You looked like you were about to buckle for a second,” Zack replied.

 “I’m okay, I’m just caught off guard,” Ray said, then let out another grunt.

 “Hey…what’s wrong?”

 Rachel gently grabbed Zack’s hand, then placed it on her stomach, the man was unsure of her gesture until he felt something nudge against him, which made him quickly withdraw his hand.

 “W-what was that?”

 “That was a kick, the kid’s been pretty fussy lately,” Ray replied.

 “Jeez…” Zack sighed, then knelt down to be within the level of Rachel’s stomach, “Hey…just cuz ya’ ain’t born yet, doesn’t mean you should go beating your mom up. She’s already working hard enough to haul ya’ around.”

 Such a gesture made Rachel laugh, but it was sweet of him to do it.

Nine months seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, when it time for the child to be due, Isaac really felt panicked. Ray was in so much pain and he had no fucking idea what to do. When Gray was called, and the midwife had arrived, Zack’s disguise had to be put on hastily to divert suspicion and bring her over to his spouse.

 Being shut out from Rachel’s side caused the biggest spike in Zack’s anxiety, she was in so much pain, he could hear it through the door, and he felt a strong urge to just kick it down to be by her side to soothe the pain away.

 “Shit, shit, shit…it’s my fault she’s suffering. I put her in that state, fuck, fuck…please be okay…”

 It almost felt like a stressful and agonizing eternity, but when he noticed a calm in the atmosphere, that was when he was finally allowed in. Rachel appeared very exhausted, but happy. Isaac noticed something else, in her arms were soft blue blankets snugly bundled against her, he was curious and actually a bit scared to find out what it was. He slowly approached her, with a sense of feeling timid, and when Ray noticed her husband inching closer, she beckoned him to her side.

 “Meet Caleb…”

 Caleb, that was what they were going to name their child if it was a boy. So, they had a son. Zack’s mind still couldn’t process that the child finally came and he was right in front of it. He helped make this, it was a part of him that was brought into the world. He felt terrified but also proud, hell, his emotions were in a huge stir just by looking at the child – his child.

 “C-Caleb…”

 He sat on the edge of the bed to get a better look, the infant was sleeping so calmly, bundled up in their mother’s arms, especially after such a struggling and miraculous event that just took place.

 “Would you like to hold him?” Ray softly asks.

 Zack felt panic mode threatening to kick in yet again, his heart was racing in his chest, and he didn’t know what the fuck to do around kids – how do you even hold one? Ray seemed to sense this, then quietly laughed to herself, she’s never seen Zack act to uncharacteristically frightened of something so small.

 “Here, hold your arms out…”

 Isaac was hesitant, but slowly complied to her request, Ray slowly motioned his arms in a proper position before carefully placing Caleb in them.

 “Don’t tense up, relax…he can’t bite you…yet,” Ray teased.

 “I seriously don’t know what the fuck to do, he’s so small…I could squish him on accident…” Zack muttered.

 Caleb lightly stirred in Zack’s arms, which startled him for a second, but he refused to move his limbs from the position Ray had set them. The infant opened their eyes for a moment before closing them yet again as it snuggled in the plush blankets.

 “See? You’re doing good…” Ray softly spoke, “…I really need to rest…I’m so exhausted…”

 Before Zack could say anything more, she already felt sleep claim her, his words would fall on deaf ears for the time being. He couldn’t blame her, from what he heard, it must’ve been such a battle to bring a kid into the world. Isaac glanced at Caleb yet again, sure, he continued to feel confused and timid, but he felt a swelling warmth within his chest, along with an inner thought – this is mine. I made this.

 “So…yer’ my kid now…well…damn…I don’t know much about…y’ know being a parent or anything…but…I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure ya’ never go through the same shit I did…” Zack quietly said to Caleb. “I-I know Ray’s gonna be a good mom to ya’…but I hope I do alright as a dad…f-fuck, it feels so weird to say that about me…”

 He was a father now, that was a fact he’ll have to come to terms with. Right now, it felt awkward, especially given his history, he’d never thought in a million years this would happen to him – he didn’t feel any regret in his choices though, he may never get a chance like this ever again to feel loved and accepted, and to even feel normal enough to start a family.

 As days passed, Zack had to learn to watch his language in front of Caleb, Ray had to remind him a lot about it, telling him that kids are impressionable, and Caleb would one day swear like a sailor if Zack kept it up. The thought amused him a little, but he knew Rachel wouldn’t have it – one foul mouthed person was enough. Rachel was quick to hold onto her maternal instincts, and treated Caleb with love and absolute care like a real mother would. Isaac was still a little wary around their son, he was a large man after all and was afraid of his big size accidentally harming the kid, yet he remained gentle without thinking too much about it. Perhaps his own instincts knew of this latest role.

 When Caleb was slowly being transitioned into eating baby food, Ray had to show Zack how to feed him before letting the man have a try, she did need to start dinner after all. As Isaac watched Caleb eat a little bit of the mushed food from a small spoon, he saw the disapproving scowl on the small child’s face, it was pretty funny to see, but he did feel a little bit of sympathy.

 “Sorry kiddo, I wouldn’t eat this junk either, trust me…and I’ve eaten worse things in my day,” Zack said to Caleb, “when those teeth of yours show up, I’ll introduce ya’ to some better stuff. You’ll forget about this garbage in no time.”

 The couple were also very surprised with how quiet Caleb was most of the time, he did do a lot of baby chatter, but he rarely cried. Isaac was confused by this, when he often saw kids or babies when he hid in the shadows, they were always very noisy, but Caleb was different.

 “…He’s not broken, is he?”

 That made Rachel let out a small laugh, “No, he’s not broken. Just better mannered. Be thankful for that, Zack…he’s actually letting you sleep.”

 Isaac could agree with that, maybe Caleb valued sleep as high as he did.

 Zack’s shyness around Caleb was slowly diminishing over time, he felt a little more comfortable being around his son, he’d calmly lay down on the couch or the floor as he’d watch the child play with their toys, or just laugh at the simplest of things. He had to admit, the laugh was a little contagious.

 “Kid, yer’ gonna kill me with those crazy antics of yours…” he laughed.

 Even Rachel found humor in Caleb’s easy amusement, followed by Zack’s need to snicker at the sight. Sometimes she’d get Caleb into a small laughing fit with an entertaining dance of a toy or noises he would find funny. It was humorous, but it was also very adorable. Plus, getting Zack to laugh as well was a good bonus.

 During one of the days that Zack had to keep an eye on Caleb, he noticed the child doing something different this time, he had let him lean against the couch to hold himself up, and when he’d let go, he would be there to catch him – yet, when Caleb let go, he was still standing. Zack watched a little wide-eyed, he was ready to catch his son from faltering, but Caleb stayed perfectly balanced, and began to move.

 “No fucking way.”

 Rachel heard Zack call her name, and was worried it might be something serious. As she entered the living room, Zack quickly sat her down and told her to watch closely. Caleb was set up against the couch like before, and when he let go, he carefully shuffled over to Rachel - even she was stunned.

 “He just started doing that,” Zack said with amazement. “That’s so damn cool.”

 “I can’t believe he’s already starting to walk…”

Gray decided to return to check up on the couple, he felt he could give the two a period of time to adjust to their new roles and bond with the child before he could visit them again. When he happily greeted Rachel at the home, the first thing he also noticed was Isaac calmly sleeping on the couch with Caleb snoozing away against him.

 “I take it Isaac has learned the role as a father?”

 “I believe so, in his own way. I can see he’s pretty fond of Caleb, but he can still be a little nervous around him too,” Rachel replied.

 “I wouldn’t doubt that, the knowledge of creating a life instead of taking it must still be something he’s having troubles adjusting to, but seeing quite an innocent sight such as this, Isaac is adapting quite well,” Gray spoke. “No negative incidents?”

 Ray shook her head, “Not a single one. Unless you want to count Zack being afraid of Caleb as one of them.”

 “I’d rather not, I can see that he’s quickly gotten over that phobia.”

 No incidents have occurred for a while, but when Ray felt it was a good time to let Caleb play outside in the fresh air, that’s when a problem arose. Rachel had set up a blanket for her and her child to sit on within her garden, letting Caleb take in all of the new sights as he played. It was then she spotted something coming towards their direction, it was a large snake slithering about – harmless or no, Ray was not going to take any chance.

 Caleb was quickly scooped up in her arms as Ray called out for Zack, the man rushed to her side, but was immediately handed their son before he could inquire what was wrong.

 “Hold him,” she firmly said, then picked up a large stick.

 Zack raised a brow, then heard a hiss, his eyes caught sight of the snake as it coiled defensively and sent out mock-lunges to scare his wife. Rachel was not scared in the slightest, all she saw was a threat to her kid. Isaac watched as Ray ignored the snake’s threatening posture and proceeded to pummel the serpent with the large stick. Zack could see in the woman’s eyes that familiar red gleam, and covered Caleb’s eyes as Rachel ruthlessly slain the snake - just looking at her angered expression sent chills down his spine.

 When Ray said not to do anything around Caleb, he was damn sure he was going to listen, he didn’t want to see that frightening side of his wife be directed at him, who knows what crazy strength she would be capable of.

 That was Ray’s supposed “mama bear mode”.

Caleb grew pretty fast, not only had he perfected walking, but he began to talk as well. It was amazing to see something Isaac and Rachel created together grow and learn so fast. Zack quickly learned that Caleb enjoyed roughhousing as much as he did, and would let the kid pounce and attempt to wrestle him down. Sometimes Zack would gently pretend to do his own set of wrestling moves with Caleb, holding him up in the air, then slowly brought him to the ground as he made fake slamming noises. Rachel could see this pure expression on Zack’s face, like he was letting his inner child out from hiding behind his old killer aspect, and do something he hardly ever got to do, have a moment of innocent fun.

 One day, Zack had a strange feeling as he looked at his son, it was a sense of both nostalgia and sadness.

 “What’s wrong, Zack?” Ray asked.

 “…Caleb looks just like me, yeah, he’s got your eyes…but when I see him, I see more of myself,” Zack replied.

 “That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

 Zack paused for a moment and shook his head, “Nah…it’s just…I don’t know how to explain this shit…it just feels like there this me that should’ve been right here…it’s kind of scary…and a little comforting.”

 “I guess it’s like a part of you that’s being given a second chance at a proper childhood,” Rachel said.

 “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

 “So…he’s also like your little clone too?” Ray teased.

 That comment deserved a bonk on the head.

 “Smart ass…”

 Eventually, Caleb did get curious about why Zack wore bandages on his body and Rachel didn’t, he may still be very young to fully understand things, but it showed that he picked up his mother’s intelligence. It was almost a little scary.

 During a round of roughhousing outside, Isaac playfully buried Caleb in his hoodie with a devilish laugh following as the kid squirmed to get free. Once Zack released Caleb, he felt the young boy tackle him to the ground - for a child, he really had some crazy strength. The man let himself fall to the ground with a calmed laugh, then ruffled his son’s hair, Caleb mostly felt the cloth of Isaac’s bandages, and wondered why he even wore them in the first place.

 “Hey dad?”

 “Mmh?” Zack grunted.  “What’cha want, ya’ little munchkin?”

 “How come you wear that stuff on your face?”

 That question threw Zack off for a moment, but he felt uneasy to answer.

 “Because I look scary without em,” he quietly replies, “…last thing I wanna do is scare ya’ with what I look like.”

 “You’re not scary at all���can I see, please?”

 Zack glanced away with hesitation on his face, showing Rachel his scars was a big challenge for him, but this was his son, a piece of him, and he didn’t want to frighten him.

 “If I show you just my arm, ya’ promise not to get scared?”

 Caleb eagerly nodded, and waited patiently to see what was hidden underneath the wrappings. Zack took a deep breath as he tried to sum up the courage to show him, then began to slowly unravel the cloth around his arm. Little by little, more of his burn scars appeared until his forearm was bare in front of the child. Instead of fear, there was concern as Caleb trailed his small fingers against Zack’s scars.

 “You got hurt?”

 “These are old, but yeah, when I was little,” Zack replied.

 “What happened?”

 Zack hated to remember it, and it wasn’t a story to share with Caleb at the moment, “I’ll tell ya’ when you get older. It’s kind of a sad story, I guess…”

 “I’m sorry…”

 “What are ya’ sorry for? It ain’t your fault,” Zack replied with a quiet chuckle.

 “Cuz’ you’re hurt, and it makes you think you’re scary when you’re not,” Caleb replied, before giving Zack a hug.

 Isaac froze for a moment, then slowly brought his arms up to hug Caleb in return. It wasn’t just his appearance that made him worry about being scary to his son, it was also his past deeds, something he’d wish Caleb would never find out about one day. However, it was nice that someone else accepted his true appearance, despite his scars.

 “Thanks…”

 “Promise not to wear them so much?” Caleb asks.

 “Yeah, I promise. I’m not a liar.”

As time came for Gray to visit, Caleb would get very excited, he knew not of the history between him and his parents, so he quickly started referring to him as Grandpa, to which Isaac began to laugh hysterically. Gray didn’t argue or correct the boy, rather, he seemed pleased to a familial role. The old priest did help out with the child’s pre-education, while wanting to get to know Caleb a little more, even he seemed to think how similar the child looked to Isaac. It kind of made the Reverend wish to spoil him a little.

 When Caleb wasn’t learning, roughhousing, or even chowing down on snacks with Zack, he was outside exploring. Zack figured the kid would start to get adventurous, and he was always the one who knew where he’d wander off to when he fetched him. Caleb rarely went out far, only enough to satisfy his curiosity, then go back home to tell his parents of his findings.

 Then that one fateful day came when he strayed too far. It was the first time both parents showed a fearsome, protective side for their child. Zack was ready to kill anything that posed a threat, while Ray took no chances when their child was in danger. Seeing the threat was a fragment of their past, they must be eliminated without a second thought. The former psychiatrist didn’t even stand a chance, she came between a child and their parents, and posed a huge threat with the knowledge of their identities. It would be a cold day in hell to let someone like that live.

 The couple were more worried than angry at Caleb for wandering off so far, they knew he was driven by wanderlust, and children were always naturally curious, but he did try to do the right thing by heading back home immediately when he felt threatened. He was smart for his age, and rarely felt the need to get into trouble, except for a couple bits of playful mischief. With how good-mannered Caleb was, he was proof enough that Zack and Rachel were capable parents.

 Despite fears, nervousness, and doubts they had in the beginning, their hard work and preparations paid off, Caleb was living the life as a normal child, and they were all built to be a perfect family. Isaac and Rachel may have had a rough beginning in their life, but they had a chance to restart and live a life they had longed for so long, and now there was Caleb to add to it.

[kateofthecanals]

For The (Not)Watch: Episode 7.1

The Great YAWN Begins

For all the jokes I made about needing Xanax for this, what I really needed was a handful of NoDoz... PRO TIP: If you’re gonna write endless scenes with nothing but dialogue, try to at least make the dialogue GOOD?

Anyway, let’s get on with it...

After an interminably long Previously On (which I guess is supposed to suggest that there are things that happened in previous seasons that will matter this season??), we get to our cold open. Why, WHAT THE HECK is Walder Frey doing there?? We just saw him killed I can’t possibly imagine what’s going on!! Fake!Walder has gathered his bros together to celebrate being total heroes and serves them all the finest arbor gold... all except for his new child bride, whom he says he doesn’t wanna “waste” good wine on. Everyone takes a good hearty gulp -- all except Walder GOSH IT’S SO WEIRD WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?? Then they start whooping it up about totally murdering the shit out of the Starks and everyone gets kinda awkward when Walder starts throwing some passive-aggressive shit out there about killing a pregnant woman, a mother of five, and violating Guest Right. Then it’s the Big Reveal -- as the Frey dudes start choking on their obviously poisoned wine, Walder's like

BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY ARYA ALL ALONG ZOMG!!! But she actually waits until they’re all dead before revealing this, which.... is even dumber and more pointless than serving Walder a Frey Pie he never actually eats. So, she saves the reveal for the wife only, which contradicts the earlier “spoiler” than Arya spares ALL the women, when, in fact, she only spares the child bride (who, admittedly, was in all likelihood blameless) in order to have someone bear witness. Arya then walks out of the room but not before doing the obligatory post-murder smug smirk that is mandatory of all female characters now.

So I GUESS this scene was supposed to be “dramatically satisfying”, but it left me cold, since (a) the Frey bros never actually got to know that they were being killed by a Stark, and (b) why does Arya have to always go for the most Extra™ method possible?? Oh that’s right, according to D&D, every decision Arya makes is based on “what's the most BADASS thing I could do??” Well, for starters, taking your Walder mask off BEFORE all his men died so they could see the true face of their killer would have been pretty badass, but what do I know, I never dropped out of Faceless Men School...

Credits roll, where they still insist that this is “Based on ASOIAF by GRRM”.

We then fade in to about 3 hours of a cold plain and a snowstorm, followed by a Wight Power March that culminates in learning that the Others have giants. Good to know.

Cut to Meera Reed and Bran ringing the doorbell at the Wall, where Edd answers with a couple bros in tow. He’s all “state your bizness” and Meera’s like “yo this is BRAN MUTHAFUCKING STARK” but Edd’s like “nah, prove it.” So Bran pulls down his breeches to show him the birthmark on his ass shaped like a direwolf. Just kidding, he goes full Miss Cleo on Edd and reads his diary out loud and Edd is like “sounds legit” and lets them pass. Not sure how that proves Bran is Bran though? Like, how does Edd even know that Bran is a greenseer? How does Bran saying “I know you fought at The Fist & Hardholme” prove he’s Bran Stark? Hello? Well, it doesn’t, but I guess it’s enough for Edd to know that Bran knows about the Night’s King. Though Edd would be a real shit to leave two kids on their own north of the Wall.

Then we move down to Winterfell where Prom King Jon is holding court, telling his peeps they gotta get theyselves some dragonglass to kill the white walkers. Then he announces that women and girls will be expected to fight as well cuz he #woke and Lyanna Mormont proclaims that she doesn’t “plan on knitting by the fire” while men fight for her -- another PRO TIP: if you’re a white male bro who wants to spew gross sexist rhetoric, just have a little girl say it and feminists everywhere will cheer! Anyway, let’s just hope SOMEONE is left behind to do some knitting, young lady, otherwise your sassy ass is gonna freeze to death. She then declares they’ll begin training every man, woman, boy, and girl on Bear Island... as if that’s something they don’t already do on Bear Island. Jon goes on to suggest that they need to man all the castles in the path of the white walkers, which Tormund is cool with but apparently Yohn Royce has something to say?? Uhhhh who let him in?? Sandra speaks up for the first time and Jon gives her a look like “bitch did I say you could talk?” Sandra thinks it’s a good idea to undermine Jon in front of the rest of the North, like yeah we get it he’s a usurper but can we save the bickering for later?? Basically Sandra wants all the Northern kids to pay for the crimes of their fathers and gosh hmmmmm where have I seen that before...?

So, cool, after absorbing Ramsay’s evil powers, Sandra seems to have taken on Joffrey’s as well...

Sandra then confirms that the Karstarks and Umbers died fighting for Ramsay; as we now know, the “original” ending to the Battle of the Bastards involved the Karstarks and Umbers turning on Ramsay but it was never filmed because D&D are hacks with no sense of realistic time management, so it appears that they just went ahead and officially retconned their own original intention and I guess it worked out well for them because it gives Sandra another thing to be a bitch about. Anyway, Jon’s like “I will not punish a son for his father’s sins and my decision is final GOT THAT SIS?” and to prove that everyone is cool now, he calls up Alys Karstark (why is she a redhead?) and an Umber kid (TinyJon?) and makes them swear fealty right there on the spot, which they do, and Sandra stares at them like she’s the witch from Hansel and Gretel... Insert random shots of Creepy Grinning Littlefinger and Slightly Concerned Davos.

Afterwards, Jon and Sandra go for a little stroll and, out of nowhere, Sandra invokes Godwin’s Law by comparing Jon to Joffrey --What??? Even Jon’s like “did you just fucking compare me to Joffrey?” And Sandra’s like “lol j/k you’re totes a good leader.” Then she goes on to drag Ned and Robb and outright calls them “stupid”.... Sigh. You know, if this show had GOOD writers, they could easily find a way to acknowledge Ned and Robb’s fuck-ups without having their daughter and sister call them stupid. Like, say, “Hey, Dad and Robb were great men but they made mistakes that we shouldn’t repeat. Let’s learn from them and do better.” Done, NO SLANDER NEEDED. Then Jon’s like, “You think Imma be smarter listening to YOUR crazy ass?” She says “Would that be so terrible?” YES, SANDRA, IT WOULD. Then Maester Whatshisnuts delivers a raven from Queen Cersei saying “come here and bend the knee, bitches” and Sandra’s like “yeah dummy, there’s a war to the South too!” Jon’s like “uhh I have bigger to fry” but Sandra insists that Cersei should be addressed because she’s found a way to murder all her enemies. Which, for some ungodly reason, prompts Jon to say “It sounds as if you admire her.” Which Sandra, instead of slapping him in his face for suggesting such a vile thing, replies almost wistfully “I learned a great deal from her.”

So add Cersei to the list of abusers that Sandra has decided to personify. #NOTMYSANSA

Speaking of, we jump to Cersei supervising the painting of a big floor map when Jaime comes in and she asks him if he’s afraid of her and his mouth says “no” but his eyes say “yes but it turns me on tbh”. Somehow she knows that Tyrion is Dany’s Hand and Jaime knows they will definitely land at Dragonstone, which apparently Stannis left unoccupied(!!?!?!). Cersei calls the girl whom not a minute ago we saw infer that she respected Cersei “that murdering whore Sansa Stark”, because Game of Thrones & Girl Power™. Cersei’s like “Literally everyone outside of the Red Keep is an enemy, how do we defeat them?” Jaime’s like, “Ummmm” and Cersei’s like “Nevermind, I have a totally awesome full-proof can’t miss idea!”

Very conveniently right at that moment, the entire Greyjoy fleet rolls up into the Blackwater. Jaime’s like “Seriously?? These jerks never keep their promises and always betray their friends” And Cersei is literally like, “Meh, everyone does.” (!!!!!???) Jaime’s like “No for real, the Greyjoys suck at life” and HE LITERALLY ADMITS THAT THE GREYJOYS DON’T GROW ANYTHING ON THE IRON ISLANDS AS THEY STAND THERE STARING AT A FLEET OF SHIPS THAT EURON TOLD HIS MEN TO “CUT DOWN TREES” FOR.

Cut to the throne room where Euron Both-Eyes proceeds to launch a thousand Twitter memes with his tight leather pants and guyliner, looking for all the world like a MCR reject. Or maybe I should say Mystery, as he attempts the Pick-Up Artist routine on Cersei. He and Jaime proceed to have a pissing contest involving faux-backstory (apparently Jaime was the reason Euron went into exile? lololol okay), and Jaime points out at that Euron kills his own kin as if that’s something that matters anymore. Euron’s like, “Cersei baby, I got a thousand ships and TWO GOOD HANDS!”

However, Cersei decides to play hard-to-get and is like “nah, you’re not trustworthy and you’ve broken promises and murdered your own brother and shit” and Euron’s just looking at her like “bitch didn’t you just blow up a church?” But Euron won’t be dissuaded! He says he’s gonna go out there and get Cersei a gift, a gift that she will be so HAPPY to receive that she will immediately divest her smallclothes. I WONDER WHAT IT COULD BEEEEE....

We then kick it Oldtown where Sam’s days are filled with books, shit, and soup. We are then treated to a soup-and-poop montage that lasted longer than Arya’s training at the HoB&W. (And no, D&D, the juxtaposition of books with shit was not lost on us, go fuck yourselves.)

Elsewhere at Hogwarts the Citadel, Sam goes to visit Professor Slughorn to ask him for access to the restricted section of the library (no, I am not making that up). Archmaester Slughorn (is this supposed to be Marwyn?) is like “sorry kid no acolytes allowed” so then Sam tries to sweeten the deal by revealing that he’s seen the White Walkers, and Slughorn quickly believes him and proceeds to pick up where the High Sparrow left off by launching into some long-winded nonsense that comes down to “don’t even bug about it, the Wall will protect us forever!” Sam doesn’t buy it, though, so that night he grabs his invisibility cloak and sneaks into the restricted area of the library!! And all I could think was, if Walder Frey suddenly pops up with a lantern complaining about acolytes being out of bed, I am gonna have a stroke.

We then jump back to Winterfell where Brienne is filling her 3-seasons-long wish of beating the snot out of poor Pod, which gets Tormund aroused (bleh). Speaking of creepy ships, Sandra is watching from overheard where Littlefucker comes up behind her and divulges how Brienne “beat the Hound in single combat” (how would he know that?), and Sandra’s like “Whoa she fought the Hound?? Is is okay?? OMG is he the ‘man’ that Brienne said was with Arya????”

HAHAHA just kidding she had no reaction at all.

So LF is basically like “pay attention to meeeeeeee” and Sansa is just like “creepers to the left please” until Brienne materializes and gives him stank-eye so he’ll leave. Brienne’s like “why the fuck is he even still here?” and Sansa says “we need his men” (by “his” I’m assuming she means Robin Arryn, Lord of the Vale??) and then is like “Littlefinger saved us! heehee” OMFG MAKE UP YOUR MIND, SANDRA.

Over in the Riverlands, Arya stumbles upon a free Ed Sheeran concert in the woods. Apparently, when it comes to mass murder, Arya is like a snake -- after a feeding, she’s good for like 6 months because girlfriend just rolled up on a handful of Lannister men just chilling and instead of immediately shanking them decides to hang out. Gee, D&D sure do like to show Arya bonding with Lannister surrogates, don’t they? And in the same episode where Sandra declares her respect for Cersei. Mixed messaging much...?

Anyway, Arya tells Sheeran his song is lit but she never heard it before and he’s like “just dropped my new single, download it on iTunes!” and then another guy offers her some rabbit. Turns out Arya happened upon the only decent Lannister men (or, MEN, period) in Westeros as none of them try to kill, molest, or bother her at all and are in fact very generous and sympathetic. Ooookay. They ask her why she’s going to KL and Arya “Faceless Men Dropout” Stark just casually states that she’s going to kill the queen, which they find hee-larious!

So, what exactly are we supposed to be taking away from this scene? On its own, it’s fine, but it lines up more with GRRM’s messaging than it does D&D’s and therefore feels out of place here. Which brings me to...

... the only scene in this episode I really give to shits about! So, while it’s brisk and sunny in Arya’s part of the Riverlands, it’s a goddamn blizzard over where Sandor and the BwB are journeying. Auntie Thoros is like “brrrr it’s cold!” and Sandor’s like “THANKS CAPTAIN OBVIOUS”. Thoros calls him a “grouchy old bear” and asks him why he’s always in a bad mood and Sandor’s like “um have you met me?” They then come upon a familiar farm that they think looks inviting but Sandor’s like “NOPE” and Thoros is like “what, are you SCARED?” and Sandor’s like “NO YOU ARE!!! AND YOUR TOP-KNOT IS STUPID TOO!!!” Thoros tries to entice him with the possibility of ale inside and Sandor’s like haha joke’s on you they have no ale cuz I fucking stole it all...

They make their way inside and Sandor sees the frozen corpses of the farmer and little girl he robbed back in Season 4 in a corner. Detective Dondarrion C.S.I. deduces that it was a murder-suicide and Sandor tries to brush it off, saying “It doesn’t matter now.” They sit down while Thoros builds a fire and Sandor points out that Beric is not special and actually kinda lame, so why did the Lord of the Light choose him when there are better men who deserve it more? Beric’s like “fuck if I know” but he knows that there’s a reason. Sandor’s like “why doesn’t the Lord of Light just tell you?” and again Beric has no answers. Sandor opines that it’s not fair that Beric is still alive but that little girl is dead...

Then Thoros is like “come stare into the flames with meeeee” and Sandor’s like “I don’t wannaaaaaaaa” but Thoros convinces him, and after a few moments of some skeptical squinting, Sandor’s like

And also a mountain shaped like an arrowhead. Sandor is SHOOK and Beric is like “TOLD YA.”

Later that night, Auntie Thoros wakes up to a ruckus outside, so he throws on his shawl goes out to see Sandor digging a grave for the farmer and the little girl. Yes, folks, after 2 seasons, we finally get The Gravedigger. Sandor is especially reverential as he lays the small bundle of the little girl into the hole. Thoros helps him fill the hole, then Sandor attempts to recite a prayer to the Seven but he doesn’t know the words. So he leaves it at a simple “I'm sorry you’re dead. Both of you. You deserved better.”

Am I... even watching the same show here?? I mean, aside from all the “cunting” and the “cocksucking”, this is the first time in a LONG time that I felt like we were seeing the REAL Sandor Clegane... the one from the books. The sequence by the gave in particular rang completely true for me. Now, as y’all know, I hate hate HATE that scene in Season 4 with a fiery passion, so I was actually glad to see some actual CONSEQUENCES being addressed. Yes, the same show where there is literally never any fallout for people’s shitty, nihilistic decisions, here we watch Sandor having to face the brutal reality of something extremely vile he did 3 years(?) prior. And not only did he confront it, he attempted to atone for it, of his own volition, in the only way he knew how. Here’s a man who realized his own hypocrisy in railing against an unjust system while simultaneously making these two innocent people a victim of it himself -- which, granted, NEVER should have happened in the first place, because Sandor would never do such a thing... but if the payoff for it was seeing this more compassionate, repentant side of Sandor, then I’ll take it.

Anyhoo, back at the Citadel, Sam is poring over some books with Gilly (why is she still there exactly?) when he flips a page and is like “EUREKA! Here’s a thing Stannis told me about 2 seasons ago that I conveniently forgot about until now!” Namely that Dragonstone is sitting on a goldmine of dragonglass. Sam immediately begins writing a letter to Jon.

Later on, Sam is on poop duty again and is cruising down the Hallway of the Damned when the busted arm of Jorah comes shooting through the wall. (Wow, somehow Jorah managed to get alllll the way to Oldtown but Dany’s not even to Dragonstone yet OH WELL!)

Speaking of which, AT LAST, 55 minutes in, we finally arrive at the location the entire episode is named for! It’s an extremely long, drawn-out sequence of Dany checking out her new digs, including the Stone Throne™, culminating with her running her hands all up and down the Westeros map table where Mel’s naked butt once was. Tyrion very generously allows her to have her moment and doesn’t get a single line. Then finally, Dany sits down at the table and asks the question I was asking the entire freaking episode: “Shall we begin?” YES, THAT WOULD BE NICE.

And there you have it. An insufferably boring beginning to what is supposed to be the penultimate GoT season. Just too bad they can’t afford to film in color anymore, otherwise this might have actually seemed rather grand...

Until next week!