#anyway MAN. everybody leaves huh

[regicidal-defenestration]

CHARLEY: The Tardis seems to have repaired itself.

DOCTOR: Yeah, everything's back to the way it was before.

CHARLEY: Before what?

DOCTOR: Time and place, Charley. Come on. Where to next? How about a spot of Commedia dell'Arte to cheer you up? Harlequin, Columbina. Of course, my favourite's always been II Dottore.

CHARLEY: How can you be like this?

DOCTOR: What?

CHARLEY: Doctor, C'Rizz is dead. He just turned to dust in front of us, and look at you, all smiles and where to next, Charley.

DOCTOR: I'm sorry.

CHARLEY: Sorry? Just now you said, back to the way it was before. You meant before C'Rizz, didn't you? It's almost as if you're glad. Glad he's gone. Is that it?

DOCTOR: Charley, | don't know what to say to you. | know what's happened is painful for you. CHARLEY: Painful for me? What about you?

DOCTOR: I-

CHARLEY: You never really cared for him, did you, Doctor. Well? Oh, come on, admit it. DOCTOR: Charley, that's just not true.

CHARLEY: Isn't it? Look at yourself. You're perfectly happy to just, | don't know, to carry on as if nothing has happened. How can you do that? Oh, it's because you liked it the way it used to be, before the Divergent Universe. Just you and naive little Charlotte Pollard hanging on your every word.

DOCTOR: Charley, Charley, stop it.

CHARLEY: The little girl you saved from the Web of Time.

DOCTOR: Stop, stop this now.

CHARLEY: The only thing you really care about is this wretched machine. (laughs) Look at you. Now you're hurt.

DOCTOR: People come and go. It's not. Look, it's not that | don't care about them, but CHARLEY: Oh, but what, Doctor?

DOCTOR: Charley, everybody leaves. Everybody. When it comes down to it, there's just me and the Tardis.

CHARLEY: Take me home.

DOCTOR: What?

CHARLEY: | think I've had enough. Yeah, I'm finished.

DOCTOR: Charley, home means somewhere over France, back aboard the R101.

CHARLEY: Does it? | thought this was home.

DOCTOR: Look, | think you just, you need

CHARLEY: I'm going to my room now to pack. | would appreciate it if you could let me know when we've arrived.

DOCTOR: Charley?

CHARLEY: No, Doctor. Remember, everybody leaves.

[snaileer]

I’m a Size Medium, Thanks.

Danny is irritated. No actually he is beyond irritated. He is annoyed, he is frustrated, he is…. He’s really fricking irritated and can’t be bothered to remember any more of Jazz’s SAT words.

He continues his glare out the window as he searches for his straw with his mouth.

He just- where is it- thinks it’s a stupid fricking-stupid ass milkshake-he shouldn’t have to basically-gah! Danny snaps his head down to find his suddenly missing straw, only to successfully poke it directly into his eye.

“Ow! Fricken-“ He groans, throwing his head back, and putting his hands to his face, “Mother-tucker, Holy Taming of A Shrew!” He pounds his free hand not cradling his eye on the table, trying not to make more of a scene. Of course, this utterly fails because it immediately tips over his milkshake glass with a clatter as it spills onto his pants, making him jump up with enough force to knock the table over and drop the milkshake glass the rest of the way to the floor.

Danny stares at it with blurry vision and a watery eye. He sighs, “At least-“

The glass shatters.

Danny sighs again, deeper. “Of course.”

He looks up at the restaurant around him. Noticing the many, many people staring at him.

Wonderful.

Danny grimaces, “Sorry, I so didn’t mean for that to happen, uh-“ Danny reaches to straighten the table, fumbling for a second before it stands upright, he steps away from it, “If there’s any way I can help or.. like fix it. I can pay for the cup..” a server comes over to him, “if you want..?”

The server’s dead eyes don’t waver as they silently place a wet floor sign over the spilled milkshake.

“Thanks.”

“Uh huh.”

The server walks away, leaving Danny to sigh all on his own. He leans over to grab his backpack from the booth, checking it over for milkshake before slinging it on his back, thankfully clean.

He makes it one step forward before he feels the floor go out from under him. Ah gravity. His greatest enemy. This is karma for all those times he’s ignored it, isn’t it?

The wind is knocked out of him when his back slams to the floor, cushioned by the dulcet sounds of his bag crunching against broken glass.

He looks up at the wet floor sign.

The man on the yellow plastic mocks him.

Danny sighs.

He curses his stupid luck.

He curses this stupid city.

Then he curses himself because he knows any of this stupid city’s curses end up affecting him anyways.

Danny gets to his feet, ignoring the feeling of milkshake on his hands and his… everywhere.

He trudges out of the diner without looking back. At least he’d already paid for it.

He grimaces at the milkshake handprint on the door, trying to wipe it away with his shirt and only succeeding in making it worse.

Danny catches the eyes of the server inside, staring at him, eyes progressively more annoyed.

Danny puts his hands up in surrender and backs away.

Directly into a person. Only his milkshake covered self prevents him from being hit with anything more than the man’s scathing glare.

He puts his hands back up and moves away to dodge everybody else on the sidewalk. Along with the occasional ghost. Visible only to him of course.

By the time he has managed to escape the sidewalks into an alley, he is certain there is a trail of slightly sticky businessmen behind him.

Danny crouches to swing his backpack down in front of him and take stock. Okay, he could put his sweatshirt on over it… but it would also get ruined… damn it.

Danny looks around, checking every inch of the alley for cameras and then backing himself into a corner just to be safe. The flicker of intangibility is barely noticeable except for the wet squelch of milkshake remnants dropping to the alley floor. Lovely.

And of course, the flash of every single Gotham ghost in the area becoming visible and almost tangible for a split second. Also… lovely. There’s a couple startled shouts on the street.

Maybe an alleyway was not the best place for that.

Danny slides his sweatshirt on over his shirt to at least pretend like he was covering a mess and then shimmies out of the alley while trying to make as little contact with ghosts as possible.

He’s almost completely certain he looks crazy as all get out if the stare he gets from a passerby means anything.

Of course… now he’s left glaring across the street again.

He can feel the Infini-Map burning a hole in his backpack. It said this was the next place a natural portal would open and get him back home.

It just didn’t say… when that portal would open.

But of course, it’ll be right in the middle of somebody’s store. Usually not an issue. Except again, this stupid city’s curses are attracted to his energy, so of course the store couldn’t be literally ANYTHING ELSE!

Danny glares at the stupid fricking sign and the stupid predictable pun and the stupid neon hand in the front window waving at him.

‘The Claire Witch Project: psychic, medium, and Claire-voyant’

Danny is on day three of simultaneously avoiding the entire building while remaining close enough he can be there when the portal forms.

He is dirty, tired, and running out of money. In short, Danny is starting to lose hope on this endeavor.

The worst part?

He has the perfect solution.

There’s a pathetic little piece of printer paper taped to the inside of the window.

‘Help wanted’

When he’d first gotten here, Danny had followed the infini-map all the way to this horrific city, seen the sign, and turned a quick 180. He’d rather die again thanks.

He’d smacked into two billboards just coming into the city, and there was literally no stars, why would he want to stay here till the portal opened when he could just find another?

Except.. Danny’s eye twitches dangerously as he thinks back on it- except there wasn’t another portal. This was it. For the foreseeable future, he either caught this portal or was stranded for whoever knows how much longer.

Danny sighs again and dreads his continued existence. He looks both ways on the street, takes a step forward, nearly gets run over, steps back, and turns for the nearest crosswalk.

Fine. He could follow rules if it meant increasing his chances of leaving.

He tries to hold in the sigh this time, he really does, he swears.

Not the one before he opens the shop door though, that sigh deserved freedom from his trials. It joins the myriad of whispy translucent shades lingering in the store. Because of course there was just enough spiritual energy in here for them to be visible to him.

“Hey there!” A girl in loose fitting colorful clothing appears from behind a corner, “I’m Claire! How can I help your life journey today?” He can see the way her bulky crystal hair accessories sway with her movements. What was he getting into here again?

Danny tries to ignore the incense shoving itself up his nose as he speaks, “Hey, I was…” He was really doing this huh? “Hoping that the help wanted position is still available?”

The girl looks him over as she moves to the back of the checkout counter. The clear observation makes him nervous, and he takes his hands out of his pockets to try and look marginally more… candidate-able.

“You have experience?”

“Sure d-“ He wants to throw up in his own mouth, ancients this is so cringe, just let him die, “Sure do!” He says through choked back vomit and false cheer, “I’m a…” -barf- “I’m a medium.”

“Oh don’t worry about that, you don’t need a uniform, I don’t need your size silly!”

Danny blinks. What? Also. What?

“Wait-I’m hired?”

Claire pauses from getting something from under the counter, “Didn’t I already say that?”

“Uh…” Danny’s eyes dart around the shop, “No?”

“Oh well, you are, you have the right vibes, don’t worry,” she slides a few papers onto the glass counter, and Danny is abruptly, horrifically reminded he has no legal documents to speak of here. He thinks. He hasn’t actually checked.

Crap.

“Of course, most of my clients pay in cash, so I’ll pay you in cash too just to make it easier, and any crystal sales I’ll just add to it. Sound good?”

“Sure?” Oh no, is this gonna be Danny’s first real job? “But I don’t know anything about crystals. I have a goth friend but she’s not into that stuff.”

Claire waves his comment away, “Oh no worries, I can leave a packet.”

Danny nods, “Thank- wait, sorry. Leave?”

Claire laughs, pulling out a bag from behind her counter, “Yes I leave for a trip in two days. Family things you know,”

Danny feels like his brain is being scrambled, “Oh, what, what happened? Is everything okay?”

Claire looks at him, blinking wide, “What? Why would anything have happened?”

“Because… you said, you were leaving for-“

“Just don’t want to get caught in a bad position, you know how it is.”

Some of the shades stir in the air, their misty movements twitching with agitation enough to draw his eye for a second.

“Right. Well I’m glad I came when I did then,” Danny says, because he still doesn’t want to be rude.

Claire smiles at him.

Danny pats his hands against his sides awkwardly, trying not to look up at the movement of the shades intertwined with incense smoke at the ceiling.

There’s a little jingle behind him, which he belatedly realizes is the door when Claire moves to greet them before he can even turn around.

“Ms. Jives! Wonderful to see you! How’s the goldfish?”

Ms. Jives turns out to be a slightly older woman, maybe early seventies with a cane but she looks good. The coffee brown hair is almost certainly a dye job but it frames her wrinkled face well.

“Oh Jim is lovely dear, much better this way, I bought him a new plant just the other day, he just loves it.”

“Good, here for your reading right?”

“I am! But you can finish up with your customer first if you need,” Ms. Jives says. Claire waves her concern away.

“No need, this is Danny, I just hired him, he has a similar mystical connection.”

“Oh that’s lovely,” Ms. Jives says as she passes by him, “Would you like to come with dear? Claire is going to do a reading for me.”

Danny grimaces, “Sure.”

In the end, by the time Ms. Jives makes it slowly to the back room, Danny is trying to think of where he’s gonna sleep tonight. He mostly zones out when Claire dims the lights and starts talking nonsense.

All he heard was “something something card, something something magician something reversed something something balance something something chihuahua.”

Ok, maybe he wasn’t listening. But he was trying to focus on not staring at the movement of the shades, and the incense was mega strong and Claire had some weird ass music playing. He’s almost certain she’s faking everything. Down to the atrociously bright bead earrings.

Danny sags when she finishes, all too happy to leave the weird little curtain covered room.

He stands in the front awkwardly while Ms. Jives pays, twiddling with the various crystals and trying to figure which ones are actually y’know.. mystical or whatever.

Answer? Surprisingly most of them. That he could tell, at least, but it’s not like he actually knows how to sense that out on purpose. He’s pretty sure a couple of the heart shaped rose quartzes are complete duds but what does he care.

He’s thoroughly bored by the time Claire calls him back over. Apparently to tell him that he’ll do a reading tomorrow.

“Tomorrow?!” Danny blurts, “Don’t you want to like- I don’t know, make sure I can- or like.. I don’t know, but tomorrow?”

Claire just smiles at him, “I believe you can handle it, trust me.”

‘Trust you? Lady, I just met you and you’ve been nothing but crazy the whole time!’ Danny wants to say, instead, he keeps his mouth shut and nods with what he’s sure is fear in his eyes.

Then she’s pressing something into his hands and when he looks down it’s a key. A key. There’s no way-

“So be here 9am sharp, Danny! You can open up and I’ll come in later!” Claire starts pushing him towards the door, “And Mr. Wayne should be waiting for you when you get here!”

Danny turns around to catch himself in the doorframe, “Mr who will be what now!? Wait, Ms. Claire, Ma’am- why-!” He stops to lower his volume and ask politely, “Why am I doing this? You don’t even know me,” Danny says, one leg still in the store.

Claire smiles, “Because the universe told me to silly! See you tomorrow! Here’s my number!” Then she slaps a sticky note to his chest with enough finality that Danny takes a step back. The door closes with a click and ring of the bell inside.

Danny stares at the door with his eye twitching for at least a minute.

What the hell did ‘the universe told me to’ even mean, you kook!?

Danny sighs and looks down at the sticky note, quickly inputting the number in his phone before something happens to it.

He’s barely hit save when he finally steps away from the shop front and…. is immediately drenched to the bone.

Because apparently it’d been pouring rain and he simply hadn’t noticed from under the awning.

He watches as blue ink slides off the sticky note in little sad face streaks.

Danny sighs.

[evilminji]

You know what? I just had A Thought(tm)~☆

Danny. Our bby boy. MINDING HIS BUSINESS. Maybe visiting one of his buddies in the Realms after he graduates. When he just?? Get full on tackled from the sky.

And like?

Huh.

THIS hasn't happened in a bit. Not since he's become king. Legit, no one dares. He's honestly kinda missed it. Alright, square up... Mr. Uuuuuh.... Who are you?

And it's this barely formed New Ghost. Still in that glitch-y goopy blob phase and everything. Is Baby. Why... why does this infant Want To Fight God? I mean. He Respects It(tm), no lie, but? Not exactly usual for him?

And it turns out? This dude is some rando hero. He basicly JUST died. By all rights SHOULD be resting and gathering his strength to Form Right. But he's so worried for his team mates and everyone else he CAN'T. Recognized a fellow Hero's Costume even at a distance.

Please. PLEASE! You have to help him! We have to WARN everybody!

And Danny is just? Oh no. This Actual Infant Baby is gonna Anxiety himself to Actual Second Death at this rate. Yes! Sure! Just CALM DOWN! Anything you need buddy! BREATHE.

And this dude? Who died? Is legit a minor player who got WAY too deep but refused to abandoned People In Need(tm). It happens. It HURTS. But he saved a LOT of lives before he went down. Him and his team were just some Minor Heros from Belarus. How they ended up in deep space? Even THEY couldn't tell you.

They couldn't even bring him home.

He forgives them.

He could NEVER blame his friends. Not for this. The planet is in danger. Some... some THING. An invasion. The League has to be made aware. He DIED helping a planet try to evacuate all that they could. He... at least he...

He can't remember if the Eggs got out. They... they're like babies. A whole room full of toddlers who couldn't run. They had to de-connect from the main building to lift it out. He can't... can't...

He saved them... right? Held on.. long enough? Why can't he.. he...

Danny has to make him focus be for the kid spirals. Don't think of your last moments. Purpose. You NEED to do something right now, right?

Right! The League! We gotta warn them! And... okay. Danny can totally do that. (What LEAGUE??!) He DEFINITELY knows who you are talking about and will tell them Right Away. YOU however are gonna rest up.

So he leaves the kiddo with Lunch Lady. Mother and Frightening Matriarch Extraordinaire. Lunch Box promises to SIT on him if he tries to sneak off. Good kid. Now eat your soup before you BECOME soup.

Time to bully the eyeballs. Whoms't the F*ck is this "league"? And where does he find it? Talk. He has sand and he's not afraid to use it. Don't MAKE him get out the pepper grinder! Yeah. That's what he THOUGHT.

After much, prolonged and unnecessary, whining and dramatic threatening... he gets a printed out map. Cheapskates even used flimsy paper. He gets there. Jaunt is even kinda nice. He says hi to a few folks he hasn't seen in a while.

Opens a portal.

Steps out.

Gets punched in the face. RUDE! He punches the flying blue man back. Dents their wall. Not even a LITTLE sorry about that now! See if HE does you a favor aga-... is that his Ex? John?

John! Constantine you B@STARD. YOU OWE ME 20 BUCKS. *Ten different hands slap a twenty on the table at his feet, including Constantine. Who is refusing to look at anybody.* Well, okay then. Debt payed. Gonna buy himself a shake or something, after this.

ANYWAY~ Good News Or Bad News?

He is met with silence. It's like they've never seen an ethereal, giant, glowing man with a suit that looks like a cut out of the night sky, step out of an eye searing rip in reality before. Man they're lives must be boring. But frankly? Danny can wait. It's not HIS reality that's gonna get messed up. He can take care of it if the wanna be Wah Babies. Good News or Bad News??? Pick one.

He sits back in the air and waits.

@stealingyourbones @cyrwrites

[soapsilly]

Oblivious - Zoro Imagine

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Summary: Zoro isn't known for being nice. Quite the opposite actually but with (Y/N) it's different. The problem? Everybody seems to notice but her.

Requests are closed

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

"Hey, can I get a Cuba Libre, please? But could you maybe use lemonade instead of cola?", (Y/N) leaned over to the barkeeper to order her drink.

"No", the man deadpanned.

"What? Why?", the girl furrowed her brows.

"Because that's not a Cuba Libre", he retorted.

"Well, yes obviously. That's why I'm asking to put lemonade instead", she questioned him - seemingly more confused than angry.

"No accomodations. Just order what's on the menu"

"But Cuba Libre is on the menu?", she inquired.

"Yes"

"And you do have limonade?"

"Yes"

"Then just swap the two ingredients?", her voice grew louder, not understanding why the barkeeper was being so difficult.

Zoro silently watched the interaction. He was sitting only a few barstools over drinking his rum.

"It's easy, sweetheart", (Y/N) and Zoro both pulled a face at the condescending nickname, "if I start accomodating your request, soon everybody in this dump will want to have their own special creations", the barkeeper ended.

"Fine! Just a beer then", she exclaimed.

"See? Was that so hard?", the barkeeper said as he slid the bottle over towards her.

(Y/N) sent him a mocking smile as she slammed a few coins on the counter, grabbing her beer and then leaving before she did something that would result in a house ban for her and the crew.

Zoro's eyes followed the girl as she took a seat with the others, who managed to find a table in the corner of the room.

It only took a few minutes for Zoro to follow her aswell - in his hand a drink that, for some reason, was still full.

"Here", he shoved the drink towards the girl.

"What is this?", she asked but didn't even wait for an answer as she already took a sip. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was that she was drinking, "That's a Cuba Libre with lemonade! How did you do that?"

"I asked nicely", he grinned.

"Oh god. What did you do to that poor man?", she scrunched up her face, knowing her friend likes a hands-on approach to conflict.

"Nothing he didn't deserve, sweetheart"

"Uh, don't call me that...", she shuddered, "Anyways, what do I owe you?"

"Oh no, it's fine...", he shrugged.

"Are you sure?", she asked again just to make sure but when he confirmed yet again, her face spilt into wide grin, "You're the best! Next round's on me!"

Nami raised her brow at the interaction. It wasn't like Zoro to be so nice - especially not without any type of reward.

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

"Oof, I'm tired", (Y/N) moaned not feeling like doing the night watch at all.

"Too bad, it's your turn", Usopp mocked the girl, a happy laugh leaving his lips which earned him a raised middle finger.

"I need my beauty sleep", she whined knowing there wasn't a chance to get out of the situation.

"What? No! You don't need any beauty sleep, (Y/N)-san! You're already so beautiful ~", Sanji gladly protested.

"Oi, whose side are you on?", she scolded the cook, "Do you want me to suffer?"

Sanji started to back paddle immediatly. It wasn't his intention to upset her further but rather to compliment the girl.

"I'll do it", Zoro's voice cut through the discussion.

"Huh?", (Y/N) thought she misheard the swordsman.

"I'll do the guard duty for you", he repeated.

"What? No!", now it was her time to protest, "I can't ask you to do that for me! It's not that bad... you know, I was just being silly"

"It's no problem at all. Really!", he insisted.

"Are you sure? You love sleeping even more than I do", she wasn't quite convinced yet.

"Yeah, yeah! Don't you even worry. You said it yourself, you need your beauty sleep and I'll be napping anyways", he shrugged.

"Hmmm", she seemed to consider it for a moment before finally shaking her head.

"If it's that important to you, you can keep me company until you get too tired. That way you didn't completely abandon your responsibility while still getting at least some sleep", he grinned sheepishly.

The girl hugged the taller man happily, "You're the greatest!"

"Oi, how come you never offer to take over my guard duty", Luffy furrowed his brows.

"Do I look like a charity to you?", Zoro's voice was harsh. The kindness replaced by a holler.

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

"You're tired, go to sleep", he told (Y/N). He had lost count of how many times he's seen the girl's eyes flutter shut only for her to jolt awake immediately after. She was struggling to stay awake.

"Nu-huh", she weakly protested.

"It doesn't make sense for the both of us to lose sleep", his voice was soft.

"It's fine, I'm awake. You can go to sleep", she mumbled, eyes already half-closed as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I can see that", he chuckled but didn't get an answer anymore as her even breaths indicated that she had finally fallen asleep.

He looked down at her. There was a strange feeling in his chest and he thought to himself that he could get used to this. He laid his arm around her to make sure she wouldn't start freezing later on as he prepared to spend the rest of the night like this - his plans for a nap long forgotten, not wanting to miss any moment of this.

The sun was already out when Nami found the two of them like this.

"You really like her, huh?"

"Do you even know what you're talking about, woman? I was just helping her because now she'll have to do me a favour in the future... Quid quo pro or something", he denied Nami's accusations but couldn't hide the soft blush that turned his ears a deep shade of red.

The navigator defensively raised her hands. Usually she would've kept pushing but she noticed how uncomfortable the swordsman was.

"Well, night watch is over. Sanji is serving breakfast as we speak. Wake her up and come eat before Luffy eats your portion"

With that Nami left Zoro to deal with waking the sleeping girl tucked underneath his arm.

"Hey, uhm... (Y/N)?", if he was completely honest, Zoro didn't feel like disturbing their togetherness just to be confronted with these other idiots, but he knew that wouldn't be fair to her as she was probably pretty hungry, "You have to wake up now... Uhm, breakfast is ready..."

(Y/N) groaned as she woke up not wanting to leave her perfect pillow but when she realized what position she was in, she immediately slipped away from him.

"Oof, Zoro, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you! Why didn't you wake me?"

"I uh- Don't worry about it. It was only for like twenty minutes. We had to be up soon anyways so I just didn't bother", he lied, not wanting her to think bad of him for not re-positioning her.

"Oh... Still though. I owe you one", she laughed happily, "Twice actually. Once for saving me from guard duty and twice because of the absolutely amazing nightsleep I just had"

Zoro was glad that the girl was already stood up with her back towards him so that she wouldn't see the stupid smile that he couldn't fight back. What was wrong with him? He already gathered that he had a crush on (Y/N). As much as it pained him to admit but he couldn't deny it any further. The thing that bothered him about it was rather that he couldn't conceal it better.

"I sure hope Sanji made pancakes", she said more to herself than to him.

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

Zoro stared daggers across the room. The bar was loud but he still clearly made out (Y/N)'s laugh - he would've loved the sound if it weren't for the guy who was the reason for her happiness.

The swordsman knew he should probably look away. That he'd only hurt himself if he continued. But still his eyes were glued to (Y/N) and the way her hand reached out to touch the stranger's arm.

"You should ask her out, you know?", Nami seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Usually he'd be more aware of his surroundings but at the moment he wasn't thinking straight.

"Don't you have anyone else to annoy?", he answered her without taking his eye off of their target.

"You know? I'm just trying to be nice here. You're making it hard though", she retorted.

"Did I ask you to be nice?", his question was clearly rhetorical.

Nami raised her hands in defense and left the man standing. If he wanted to stay there and wallow in his self-pity, then so be it.

Zoro's heart skipped a beat as (Y/N) came over towards him and the crew - her little flirt seemingly forgotten. The swordsman felt stupid when he realized how giddy it made him.

"Hey guys", she smiled at her friends, "We're staying here a little longer, yes?"

"Uh, sure", Nami was confused, "We're staying for at least another night until the Log Pose recalibrates"

"Great, don't wait up for me", (Y/N) grinned, "Because this gentleman over there has asked me to dinner"

(Y/N) turned around and sent a flirty wave towards her suitor, who was already waiting for her by the door.

"My drink's empty", Zoro murmured.

"Can you bring me another one, aswell?", Usopp shouted after the swordsman.

"No", his answer was short as he left the group to make his way towards the bar. Nami's eyes following him closely.

"Uhm, (Y/N)? Can I talk to you for a minute?", she didn't even wait for an answer as she already grabbed (Y/N) by the elbow, dragging her away from the group.

"So what's up?", the other woman furrowed her brows. What was the problem?, "Do I look bad?"

"No, no, no! You look great actually"

"So what's the problem?", (Y/N) didn't want her suitor wait for too long.

"I'm not trying to spoil the mood but you do realize Zoro's got a crush on you, right? I mean, you can do whatever you please but maybe don't do it infront of the mosshead" - there was no sensible way to soften the blow, so the navigator just said it.

"What? Zoro? Nah, he's just being nice", (Y/N) waved away her concerns.

"Yes, exactly!" - how oblivious could one person be? - "When did you ever see Zoro being nice to any of us? Except for maybe, MAYBE sometimes Chopper?" - Did she have to spell it out for her?

(Y/N)'s eyes moved rapidly as she thought about what her friend just told her. But when she finally realized what Nami was not so subtely implying, her eyes widened.

"Oh my God! I think you're right...", she could've slapped herself.

"Yep", Nami popped the 'p'.

"Shit, I-I need to go", and with that (Y/N) let Nami stand there as she made her way towards the man that was still waiting for her by the door.

Nami shook her head. She didn't have a problem with innocent flirts and sometimes even one-night stands but to say she wasn't at least a little disappointed would be a lie. The red-head shrugged as she made her way back to the table - she did her due diligence in telling (Y/N) about Zoro's feelings, now it wasn't in her hands anymore.

Back at the bar, Zoro downed his cup for what must've been the fourth or fifth time. He stopped counting after a while. He didn't even know what he was so upset about. (Y/N) didn't owe him anything. She had every right to go back home with that guy. This didn't mean that it hurt any less though.

"Hey, is this seat taken", he didn't look up from his drink as (Y/N) greeted him.

"Shouldn't you be with your date?", he asked bitterly.

"Nah, told him I changed my mind", she said almost nonchalantly.

Zoro was shocked when he heard that - finally looking up from his drink.

"Why?", there were a thousand thoughts running through his mind. He was happy to hear that she decided against leaving with some stranger. He knew that she could take care of herself and he knew that he didn't have a chance with her anyways but the thought of some random man placing his hands anywhere near her made his blood boil.

(Y/N) shrugged, "I thought, I'd rather spend my evening with you"

"You- you don't have to", he hated how insecure she made him feel. He was a master swordsman goddamnit! Why couldn't he think clearly whenever she was close to him?

"I know that I don't have to, Silly!", the little nickname made Zoro's heart skip a beat, "But I want to"

(Y/N) slowly maneuvered her hand towards his own, interlicking their pinky fingers. Usually the swordsman would've pulled his hand away - not a big fan of physical touch - but with her it was different. When she realized that he allowed her advances, she decided to test the waters a little further. Almost gently, she leaned her head against his shoulder like she had during their guard shift together. The position felt right to her.

As she looked up at him, she met his eye. His gaze was so full of love and she asked herself how she didn't notice sooner.

"Zoro?", she casually continued, "You know, I was promised dinner..."

"Dinner?", he didn't catch on to her proposal immediately, which made her chuckle.

"Yeah... I don't think I should have to miss out just because I changed my mind"

Finally the pin dropped and a goofy smile lit up his features.

"I could eat", he said as he hopped off the barstool, helping (Y/N) down in the process.

With his hand on the small of her back he guided her towards the entrance.

"Oi, where you going?", Luffy yelled over to the two lovebirds when he noticed them leaving.

"Dinner", (Y/N) yelled back - a happy smile on her face.

"Oooh, dinner sounds good", he already was about to join the two when Nami held him back.

"Nope, leave them alone. Sanji can make us something back on the Sunny. Right Sanji-kun?", she knew how to play the cook to get what she wanted and of course the blonde man was like putty in her hands with the way he immediately started to assemble a possible menu for the crew. Nami only listened with one ear though - too occupied with patting herself on the back for successfully playing matchmaker.

Once outside, (Y/N) turned towards Zoro. That same happy smile that made his heart beat fast and his mind go blank still on her face. She laced her fingers with his calloused ones and decided she liked the feeling of it.

"So, where are we going?", he awkwardly asked. He still couldn't believe that this was really happening.

"I think I passed a nice little restaurant on the way here", she already pulled him with her towards the direction she remembered the restaurant to be. But then she stopped abruptly. She didn't want to overwhelm the poor guy but decided to press a sweet little kiss on his cheek anyways. A dreamy smile lit up his features and (Y/N) asked herself yet again how she never noticed how handsome the swordfighter was.

"I'm sorry for not noticing sooner", she almost whispered but Zoro didn't care at all. What mattered to him now was that he finally had the girl of his dreams right next to him, holding his hand.

"You should probably thank Nami though", (Y/N) continued, "If it weren't for her I'd probably still be oblivious..."

"Ugh, she already has such an inflated ego to begin with", he dismissed the thought - not wanting the red-head to boast about her achievement. In fact, he didn't even want to think about her at all at the moment. The only thing on his mind was getting (Y/N) to that restaurant and having dinner.

"C'mon let's go", he told her as he lead the way.

A soft chuckle disrupted his plans though.

"Zoro... the restaurant is the other way!"

[misc-obeyme]

nightbringer lesson 41

Welp. That sure was a lesson. As always, my unfiltered thoughts and spoilers are below the cut. There will be screenshots, you have been warned.

Everybody still doesn't know we were gone. The only one who is aware of the fact that MC was in a different timeline is Solomon, as far as we know. It's possible that someone is hiding their knowledge, but I see no evidence of that currently.

HOWEVER. All the bros are SUPER clingy. Lucifer is constantly getting on their case about the fact that they can't leave MC alone. And at one point, he says he's feeling inexplicably giddy and he thinks that's what his brothers are feeling, too. So there is something that's changed and they can all kinda feel it... but nobody knows what it is and they all kinda just brush it off.

There's a lot of "huh we just saw each other but for some reason..." kinda stuff.

When Luke first sees us, that poor boy just bursts into tears. Simeon wants to pet our head, but we can also choose to hug him.

I have been known to have this affect on children, but still.

Overall, the brothers are being very much themselves. Beel is eating things and relating everything to food, Belphie is sleepy, Asmo loves pretty things, etc etc.

See what I mean? We did have some excellent one liners like this and I'll get to more of those lol.

My point is, nobody is acting off except for the thing where they all react a little weirdly to MC.

For a good chunk of the lesson, I was like... and where the HELL is Solomon after all this, huh?? But I'll get to him, too.

Because guess what? Diavolo has had another great idea and this time it's... the RAD Science Fair!!!

...

WHAT.

This feels very much like the usual thing they do where MC always has to have some kinda goal that requires them to spend time with each brother individually. I'm still not entirely sure how that's gonna shake out with this, though.

There are seven categories or "fields of study" as they're called. They all start with Devildom, so it's like Devildom math, Devildom geography, etc etc.

Diavolo tells them that the student council members are required to enter.

So they spend some time thinking about what category they want to go for.

There's this part where they're all heading home from RAD and MC starts to leave with Simeon and Luke. They tell you that not long ago, Simeon and Luke tried to go "home" to the HoL. Weird. All very weird. They all decide to go to a cafe instead.

They're talking about which category they're going to choose and then... Thirteen shows up!

Thirteen is so excited to see MC she has to give them a hug! Huh. How weird. (It's not weird, my love, you can throw your arms around me anytime.)

ANYWAY, they have a whole discussion and I loved how involved she was. Though we never have enough Thirteen content. And of course, she's still not dateable...

Then we find out that Lucifer has just chosen his brothers' categories for them anyway. MC gets to choose who they want to pair with. I chose Mammon, but I don't know if this actually matters or not. Usually I go back and try different options, but I decided to leave this one for now to see if it seems like it's going to make a difference in upcoming lessons. I'll report back if it seems to change anything later.

At this time, you also find out that Diavolo has decided to enter all seven categories, too. Barbatos is also entering, but only three categories. I almost lost my shit at this part but at least Barb gets to do only three. Diavolo is a crazy man who enjoys doing this sorta stuff, but Barb needs to take it easy he already works to much!

And that's basically it! There's this one cute part where you're finally at the HoL where you can choose to hang out with a set of brothers. No matter who you choose, it's a cute little scene and it always ends saying you had a lovely time together~ (Personally I thought the one with Asmo, Belphie, and Lucifer was the most entertaining lol.)

You talk to Solomon on the phone at some point too and he tells you...

Yeah. I was like ARE YOU KIDDING ME. GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW I NEED YOU.

And then he hits us with this:

And I was like, fine I forgive you.

BUT THEN. Spoilers here for the locked lesson (41-A, not the hard mode):

The locked lesson is of your very first night back. You're in your room at the HoL with Solomon. He tells you he's going to stay the night because the fact that the two of you suddenly appeared in this timeline might make things unstable. And if you're together, it'll be easier to tell if something's going wrong. Sounds like a feeble excuse to me, old man. I know what you really want.

But he also says this:

OH. Here I am like, it's a couple hundred, maybe a couple thousand? NOPE. SEVERAL MILLENNIA.

But then the brothers burst in and they're like we are not going to let you stay here alone with MC! So they have a gaming tournament in the common room.

Then when it's really time to go to bed, Lucifer stops you and Solomon before you get back to your room. He straight up kisses you on the forehead and says sweet dreams with a stupid smug grin before leaving and Solomon is like huh. That just happened.

YEAH WELL.

Solomon is back on his, you'll never be mine bullshit. (I'm not blaming him, it's not his fault, but it bothers me how often this narrative comes up because we never get the choice to resolve it. By telling him how much we love him.)

Of course if you tell him to cheer up, though...

Yeah, right after this we got a fade to black because you know he might've been talking about something innocent, like a kiss. But if I'm left to fill in the blank myself... well, let's just say I'm still in my smut mode.

Spoilers for the hard lesson now:

It's silly times with the Little Ds! I'm just glad we got more Dia and Barb content, to be real with you. They're pretty cute with the Little Ds.

Right after Barb says this, looking super aggrieved about it, Diavolo just laughs happily. Classic.

Extra stuff:

After the second story node, you get to see a chat between Raphael and Simeon. Raphael tells Simeon that Michael has summoned him, so he needs to go back to the CR for a few days. Simeon says okay and hopes that everything's all right. Then he tells Raphael to tell Diavolo. Raphael is like why? And Simeon says you're an exchange student from the CR, you have to get his permission to leave. And Raph is basically like okay, fiiiiiine lol.

Also, there is a very brief moment at the end of the last story node where we see Simeon acting odd. He's not really doing anything, he's just sorta grunting... like grh and frowning. If you ask him if he's okay, he says he's fine, he must not have gotten enough sleep. You get a chat between Luke and Simeon where Luke also asks him if he's okay and Simeon gives him the same excuse.

Sooooo what does any of this mean? I have no idea. Is it possible that the hard mode focusing on the Little Ds means there may be more to the Little Ds coming up? Is Simeon acting weird somehow related to Michael wanting to see Raphael? Does any of this Science Fair stuff mean anything or is it just another tactic to have MC spend time with their bro of choice? When is Solomon coming back? Why doesn't he have to enter the Science Fair? Simeon said that Diavolo wanted him and Luke to participate, so what about Solomon? Is he really out there gathering herbs? That feels like a weird thing to be doing at this particular moment.

And perhaps the most telling of all, what it does mean that this version of our characters remember things from the timeline we just left as if it only just happened to them?

All through the last two seasons, I have been trying to figure out why the characters from the past seemingly had memories of a future they haven't experienced yet. And now it's happening again. You could say they remember those past events, but they don't really seem to, do they? And even so, we now have confirmation that it would have been MILLENNIA ago for them. So this feels less like them remembering something that happened and more like they're just getting feelings that are related to the things that MC just experienced in the "past."

Ugh, okay, if I keep going I'm gonna make myself crazy. As always, we have not enough info and more questions than what we started with.

Onto my fave one liners:

Mammon's response to this is "Yikes!" And like... yeah, but damn Lucifer that's one hell of a threat lol.

Barbatos! Don't lump me in with them! :(

That was me in high school.

This part was just cute and wholesome in my opinion. This is the found family content that keeps me coming back to this game.

Anyway, after everything, I still just wanna know...

... where the FUCK is Nightbringer?

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[petew21-blog]

The NEW McDreamy

Derek spent most of his days roaming the Seattle, observing the lives of his children, sometimes making it all the way to his sisters to see how they're doing. But most of the time he was in hospital. Wishing to be back in the OR, to be THE McDreamy everyone respected. The neurosurgeon. One of the best in the whole world.

His death was a tragic accident. His wife, Meredith decided to unplug him to not prolong his suffering. But he still had unfinished business on Earth, so he stayed as a ghost.

He traced Meredith’s steps, sometimes eaves dropped on his ex-colleagues conversations, but the most interesting thing that caught his attention recently was Meredith dating again. He was in the corner of her bedroom, jealous of the young doctor having a passionate sex with her.

He used to have that to. A hot body, hot steamy sex with his wife. Now a strange man, that slightly resembled Derek, was having sex with her in the bed that he used to.

Meredith spoke up to the guy:”You need to go, my children can’t see you.”

The guy:”I don’t really want to leave yet.” Meredith:”Seriously. You have to leave.”

The guy:”Could I at least take a shower before I leave? I don’t want to go to the hospital all sweaty again.”

Meredith:”Fine, but hurry.” The guy:”You’re more then welcome to join me.”

Meredith:”Go!”

The guy left to the bathroom in his briefs, while Derek followed him.

Derek:”What’s so great about you, huh? I was hotter then you. She just has sex with you because I’m not in the picture.”

The guy didn’t hear a thing and just proceeded to take his shower.

Derek’s jealousy grew. He got close, TOO close. Closer than he ever tried before. A force pulled him inside of the guy.

Derek:”No…” he couldn’t even finish his screaming as his soul was dragged into the body

Derek opened his eyes. Wait. Derek could open his eyes again. He felt the warm water falling on his body. Derek stretched his hands over to the head of the shower. It was real. His hands could feel the temperature again. He looked down.

Derek:”No way. I’m you.” He explored his new body. Still being more proud of his previous one, but not dening, that this body was attractive as well.

He got out of the shower and looked into the mirror. He kind of could see himself in this guy’s eyes. He inspected his new face.

Derek:”I don’t even know your name. How am I supposed to do this?”

He exited the bathroom and entered the bedroom again. Meredith was asleep. This gave him a chance to find out a bit more about himself. He took the guy’s jeans to his hands and found a wallet. Inside of it was his ID card and other documents. “Andrew, Deluca. Exotic.” He said to himself out loud which woke up Meredith.

Meredith:”What are you still doing here?”

Derek:”I was wondering if you were interested in second round?”

Meredith:”You’re bad influence, you know that?”

Derek:”What can I say.”

He jumped on the bed to get closer to Meredith. They started making out.

Derek made his way with his fingers to fondle her breasts.

Meredith:”Andrew. We have a lot of appointments for today. We shouldn’t be late.”

Derek:”We won’t. And besides. I kind of thought about switching to neuro anyway.”

Meredith looked at him suspiciously, but Derek didn’t give her enough time to think it through and used his finger to explore his way down.

Meredith was falling in love with Andrew more and more every day. He treated her kids as if they were his own, he exceeded in work and even after switching to neuro, he made unbelievable progress. And the sex. God the sex was amazing. It made her remember how Derek and her used to have sex all the time before the kids.

One day, she went to observe on one of Andrew’s first solo neuro surgeries.

He looked up at her, happy to see her in the audience, winking at her. She never saw him this happy before. He looked at everyone else. “All right everybody, it’s a beautiful day to save lives. Let’s have some fun.”

Meredith eyes widened. The catchphrase. His catchphrase. Deluca wasn’t there when Derek used to say that. Unless someone told him. But then Meredith recalled all the moments from the past weeks. How he treated the kids. His change of clothes style. The different sex moves. “Wait… Derek?”

Another anonymous request from Inbox

Could you do a story where Derek Shepherds ghost possesses Andrew Deluca after finding out he has started dating Meredith?

[kyojurismo]

— SECRET MEETING

# sanemi shinazugawa

synopsis : you are in a secret relationship with the wind hashira and his desires become unbearable right before he’s about to leave for a new mission.

tags : fem!reader, nsfw, kissing, nipple play, oral sex (f receiving), unprotected sex (don’t be silly), 1.2k words, not proofread.

a/n : COME GET YOUR FOOD !!! alright okay uh, i decided to finally finish one of my wip and it turned out like this. pls lemme know if i missed a tag, i’m actually pretty bad at tagging smutty works lol. pls keep in mind that english is not my first language so i’m sorry for any error . . . anyway, i hope you guys enjoy <3

you walked out of the hashira meeting beside shinobu, chatting with her. you smiled at her, nodding, before someone grabbed your arm and stopped you. “uzui-san, i swear–” you turned and met sanemi’s face, stopping mid sentence. “shinazugawa-san,” you offered him a smile.

“i need to talk to you… about that mission,” his tone was low, since shinobu was still near waiting for you. his eyes silently communicated with you and when realisation hit you, you nodded and turned to your friend. “shinobu-chan, i’ll see you later. i need to speak with shinazugawa about an important matter,” you explained, bowing to her. “oh, no worries! see you later,” she grinned at you, confusing you a little, and turned around to walk away.

what— your thoughts were interrupted when sanemi started pulling you with him towards a more private place, away from prying eyes.

“i told you to meet after the meeting because i’ll leave soon, dumbass.”

you sent him a glare, offended. “shinobu was talking with me, it would have been rude if i–” you gasped as sanemi leaned closer and kissed your lips fervently. his hands grabbed your hips, as he moved even closer to your body. you didn’t protest as you put your hands on his shoulders, gripping them as his kiss became more heated.

“i missed you so much,” he groaned as his hands started pulling at the buttons of your uniform, desperate to feel your skin under his palms. “d-don’t tear it again,” you tried to help him, careful not to ruin your uniform once again. once your chest was free, his hands moved to caress your skin and he started kneading your breasts. a soft moan escaped your lips as you closed your eyes.

sanemi’s lips traced the skin of your neck before he moved lower and started biting your skin, his fingers pinching your hardening nipples enough to make you gasp. “w-we shouldn’t… you need to stop,” you noticed him kissing down your body until he reached your belt. “i’m not gonna wait two weeks or more to have a taste of you,” his voice was gruff, but full of desire, and it was enough to make you clench around nothing — and of course agree with him. you gulped and noticed him glancing up at you before kneeling in front of you.

his warm hands started caressing your legs, moving up under your skirt before pulling it up to expose your underwear. your cheeks grew hotter as he smirked at you, noticing a wet patch on it.

“needy, huh?” he licked his lips before removing your underwear, fresh air hitting your center. his eyes stared at your most intimate part with pure lust and hunger. he looked so hot, you couldn’t—

"..sanemi!" you gripped his hair, your head hit the wall behind you. your eyes were closed now, your parted lips caused a few whimpers to slip out before you had to cover your mouth with your own hand. sanemi held your thighs with urgency, as if his life depended on giving you pleasure. you pushed your hips towards him, making his head completely disappear under your skirt. "you taste so good," he groaned against your cunt, lapping and sucking like a starved man.

you tried hard to keep any sound from escaping your mouth, knowing damn well anyone could pass and hear the two of you. not only you two were doing something indecent right under the sun, but no one knew you two were dating — no, everybody thought sanemi could barely stand you, his fellow hashira.

“n-nemi!” you whimpered, securing your hand around your mouth once more as you got distracted by the approaching orgasm. “you close?” you nodded eagerly, your legs quivering. at that, sanemi stopped and lapped at your throbbing clit one last time before getting up. “what the hell?!” you whispered angrily, annoyed. you were so close and sanemi had the audacity to leave you hanging on the verge of flooding his mouth with your sweet essence. it was a loss for him too, though.

“i just remembered the master asked uzui to come back a few time later, that jackass could hear us loud and clear and you know he won’t keep it to himself.”

oh. oh! you were quick to move your hands and undo his belt, pulling his pants open and moved the fundoshi enough to grab his hard cock. “shit baby– should have told you sooner,” he half groaned, smirking at your sudden eagerness. you pulled him into a kiss, shutting him up. sanemi got the hint and cupped your cheek with his hand, caressing your hot skin. you stroked his tip, gathering a few drops of precum before starting to pump him a couple of times before sanemi pushed your hand away as a low grunt escaped his lips.

“turn around,” he said gently, kissing your cheek. you did as he asked and felt him pull up your skirt, sanemi spanked your ass as he lost himself for a moment, admiring you. you bit back a moan, feeling the familiar sting. he pulled your hips towards him, making your hands rest against the wall for leverage. he didn’t hesitated further, pushing his cock into you.

you both moaned, a bit too loud for your judgment. as he started thrusting into you, sanemi’s hand wrapped around your mouth letting you moan freely against his palm. your warm walls clenched around him, making him groan. “fuck— you feel amazing,” he rested his forehead between your shoulders. his other hand gripping your hip hard enough you were sure it was gonna leave a handprint.

sanemi’s thrusts grew desperate both for the fear of someone hearing and for the approaching orgasm, for the both of you. you cried out right into his palm, wetting it with your saliva as one of your hand desperately grasped at his wrist. you came hard around him, your juices starting to run down your thighs as sanemi kept moving, his hips slapping against your ass. he was good at keeping quiet, while you were crying from the burning sensation coming from between your legs — a very pleasant sensation.

sanemi hand moved to grope your chest, suddenly needing to feel more of you. his lips met your neck, as he groaned into your skin while he painted your gummy walls with his seed. the feeling of his cock twitching inside you while he came made you clench around him. you shivered when he whimpered at the feeling, as you milked him until he finished emptying himself.

as he removed his hand, you gasped for breath. sanemi pulled away and shivered as he slipped out of your warm and welcoming pussy, already missing the feeling. you turned around slowly and noticed him smiling at you. “lemme help, mh?” he helped you fixing your clothes and silently thanked him.

“good luck on your mission, shinazugawa-san,” you winked at him and then you two shared a final kiss, before parting ways. you bumped right into tengen and tried your best to act casual.

“oh, [l/n]… i thought you left with kocho,” tengen smirked down at you, as if he knew something. “i uh… forgot to speak with oyakata-sama about an important matter,” you replied, a bit taken aback. “ha! right, always focused on your duty as a slayer,” uzui teased you, chuckling, and you tried to not make him suspect anything more as you smiled and bowed to him before walking away.

sanemi too bumped into uzui, but he pushed him out of his way and simply walked away. “you and [l/n] are bonding, huh?” sanemi stopped right in his track, but tried not to turn around. “i still despise her, uzui.”

“what a couple,” he said to himself, chuckling.

reblogs & comments are super appreciated! thank you for taking your time reading it, i hope you enjoyed it. have a good day / night <3

[blueishspace]

Looped Sun 11

Loop #365

Joel: Grian what the hell is wrong with you today!??

Grian: I'm sorry Joel, I just can't right now.

Joel: No way, I'm not letting you leave just like that.

Grian: ... Fine.

Joel: A timeloop?

Grian: Yeah...

Joel: How many times-

Grian: I keep score, this is loop 365... Around 900 years now.

Joel: Guess that makes you an old man then!

Grian: What, I'm not old?

Joel: Did talking about it make it better.

Grian: But you are not going to remember-

Joel: You idiot, this isn't about me.

Grian : ... I guess.

Joel: I ask again, did it?

Grian: ...Yeah.

Loop #367

Grian had to admit that watching himself play games on a screen was weird...he just looked so cube-y. Wasn't even the first time he had gotten to watch his youtuber self but it was just as uncanny as the first time he did.

He even got to see some of the "au's" people made, just to prepare for eventual variant loops that might happen sooner or later of course.

Loop #369

Mumbo: G, mate, do you happen to have ab infinity gauntlet to give away...to me?

Grian: Why do you want an infinity gauntlet?

Mumbo: Well... I ...need the power stone.

Grian: ... Why?

Mumbo: I'm working on a project and redstone isn't going to be enough to power it.

Grian: And you want to use the power stone?

Mumbo: Yeah...?

Grian: ... Sure! It better be cool though.

Loop #372

False: You know G, I never tought about it but why are your eyes purple?

Grian: Oh? That? That is... because of a reason.

False: Huh uh?

Grian: I uh...

False: You?

Grian: I have Alexandria Genesis.

False: Huh?

Grian: ...

Pearl: I can't believe you said that!

Grian: It's not my fault you spent the last loop making Tumblr references.

Pearl: Ok, ok, ok but admit it, It's funny.

Grian: Nope.

X: Grian? False told me you are ill?

Grian: She did?

X: What is an... Alexander genesi?

Grian: It's Alexandria's Genesis.

X: That, how did you get ill? Is there a glitch in the code-

Pearl: It's his fault don't worry, he ate a moonmelon.

X: A what!?!

Pearl: A moonmelon, like a watermelon but blue.

X: How did you- where did you get that.

Grian: I... it was a gift?

X: From who? Was it a prank.

Pearl: It was from our... ... cousin!

Grian: Yep!

X: Cousin?

Grian: Oh you wouldn't...know them. They go to a different server.

Pearl: Yeah...just our dear cousin...Ebony Darkness Dementia Ravenway.

Grian: And then everybody clapped.

Scott: Huh uh. Sure thing.

Pearl: I would have clapped but it would have revealed the bit.

Grian: THANK you. At least someone here has my back.

Loop #375

Scar: Ok, ok, new plan.

Grian: I'm listening.

Scar: What if you betrayed me?

Grian: I can't betray you if you ... know about it? And who would I even betray you for? And why?

Scar: Oh no! Not a real betrayal...a fake one!

Grian: You want me to be a spy then?

Scar: ... Yes.

Grian: Crastle or Dogwarts?

Scar: Oh! I want to see you trick King Ren.

Grian: Hmmm, alright. I'll have to make it convincing. I'll need you to kill me.

Scar: Uh?

Grian: Think about it, you're red, it wouldn't be that surprising right?

Scar: Are you ...sure?

Grian: Yeah, I'll be fine. I do need a realistic reason. Just push me off a cliff.

Grian was doomed to fall by Goodtimeswithscar.

Martyn: Grian? Why are you here?

Grian: I assume you saw the news.

Martyn: Your death you mean?

Grian: What do you think?

Martyn: Just making sure, what about it?

Grian: Scar betrayed me because of red life his bloodlust. I want revenge.

Martyn: Revenge? Oh we'll get you that revenge.

Scar: What if you started spreading false info?

Grian: I'll need to share true info first or they'll catch on Scar.

Scar: Then I'll just make fake traps fir you to reveal! Everyone knows I'm not good at redstone anyway.

Grian: Huh. That could work.

Scar: I'm a genius I know. No need to praise me...

Grian: ...

Scar: ...

Grian: Are you sure you don't want praise?

Scar: ... No.

Grian: My lord, it seems the enemy has rigged the enchanter once more.

Ren: Has he? Martyn?

Martyn: I saw the trap with mine eyes.

Ren: How has he penetrated our private areas in such a way?

Grian almost let out a groan, he should have expected this but still.

Grian: I believe it might have been during our earlier trip.

Ren: Impossible, Skizz was at guard, he would have seen Scar I'm sure.

Grian knew Scar had used one of his loop abilities but maybe...

Grian: Perhaps Scar did not sneak in but was...let in.

Ren: Explain yourself.

Grian: I escaped from Scar's manipulation and joined your side my sire...perhaps one of ours has fell for them instead.

Martyn: Skizz... he definitely could have

Ren: You believe Skizz to be a traitor? Then his loyalty shall be tested.

Grian: Scar?

Scar: Yes?

Grian: Tomorrow Ren is going to give Skizz fake info. I'm going to tell you it so you can follow it.

Scar: Ohhh! You are making it seem like he's a traitor?

Grian: That's the plan.

Ren: Skizz, I didn't want to believe it.

Skizz: I'm not-

Martyn: Silence, you have betrayed the crown. You will pay!

Skizz: I didn't I promise! I don't know how Scar knew, I only-

Impulse: Stay away from him!

Ren: Impulse, you too?

Impulse: I'm not letting you do this!

Ren: Then you too shall perish.

Impulse starter to run dragging a shocked Skizz when.

Impulsesv was shot by Grian

Skizzleman was shot by Grian

Ren: Good job.

Grian: Thank you. Impulse still has a life however, we will see him again.

Grian: Seen Impulse recently?

Scott: Yeah, don't know what the two of you are doing this loop but whatever it is caused Impulse to steal my bit.

Grian: ...?

Scott: Yeah, you know, the grieving husband thing. Impulse is the one doing it now.

Grian: What are you going to do then?

Scott: I don't kno, I still have to figure it out.

Martyn: My lord, they have entered the castle-

Inthelittlewood was slain by Goodtimeswithscar

Ren: Me hand! No! ... Grian, protect your-

Grian: ...

Ren: Grian?

Grian: Long live the king.

Renthedog was slain by Grian

Loop #376

Scott had an... ok loop thus far. It started in Empires and then...nothing happened. And it continued not happening? And it was ok really, peaceful in a way, but it was also unusual and even a bit grating. Lizzie found the phropecy book ...and it didn't go anywhere. Then Xonorth arrived...and then disappeared randomly and didn't come up again. Scott was a bit on edge at this point.

Loop #378

Scott had started to get suspicious after the second loop of strangely nothing happening, especially after Jimmy started becoming distant. At the third loop of it happening again and Jimmy being even more isolated is when Scott finally made up his mind and cornered Jimmy.

Scott: Jimmy.

Jimmy: Uh- Hi Scott-

Scott: Don't "hi Scott" me, where the hell have you been for the last few weeks?

Jimmy: I... had important things to do-

Scott: Like...What?

Jimmy: Uh...

Scott: Jimmy, are you looping in time?

Jimmy: Wh-wha? Where...where did you get that idea? Weird...crazy-

Scott: I am too.

Jimmy: You are?!? Oh I'm not alone! Wait were you here the last time?

Scott: Yep, the one before that too.

Jimmy: How did I not notice?

Scott: I'm used to lying about it, It's hardly your fault.

Jimmy: But... how are you..used to it? This is like the 4th time back...

Scott: I have a lot to tell you.

Prev Next First

[spidrzfall]

Bus ⤑ Peter Parker.

This fic is heavily inspired and taken after the Bluey Episode 'Bus' !! which is just the cutest episode in the whole show that i have the biggest inspiration for it hehe !! Enjoy you guys, Love A.

☆° Peter Parker x Male Reader

☆°• fluff!

°•▪︎ Fem readers DNI ♡♡

♧ warnings: none! !!♧

♡ NOTES: none !!

╔⏤⏤⏤╝❀╚⏤⏤⏤╗

The second (M/N) stepped out the door he could feel the nerves in his body consume him whole. His leg bounced up and down as he waited at the bus stop, trying to locate where the bus was and when it would arrive. For the past month and a half (M/N) has been taking the bus…more specifically the 4-11, usually at this time it was empty, with no passengers and if there were it would only be a few which was a miracle! Nevertheless (M/N) appreciated the idea that there weren't any passengers…especially because he had the biggest crush on the bus driver, Peter. 

As the bus pulled in at the same time as always causing (M/N) to stand up and walk up to the two front doors of the bus that hissed open as Peter announced, “Bus stopping! Doors opening!” As his eyes made contact with (M/N) a bright smile saw his usual passenger on the other side as he began to speak, “Mornin’ Passenger, where are you headed off to today?” Peter glanced at the man seeing him insert some coins into the slot of the bus before hurriedly making his way to one of the seats closest to the window in the 2nd row. “The Art Museum, Please!” (M/N) managed, his voice somewhat high pitched and quick feeling the familiar nerves hit him at once as he spoke to the brunette.

“Huh…okay?” Peter murmured to himself before grabbing one of the stick gears next to him and announcing that the doors would be shut close now as he hummed a small tune as he continued to drive. Unknowing to him about the nervous wreck that was (M/N) who occasionally glanced in Peter’s direction the air inside thick with awkwardness and clear silence the only sound coming from the city as Peter took note of the lack of traffic, “There isn’t much traffic today, so it should be a smooth drive to the Museum. That is unless something get’s in our way but I doubt that’s gonna happen, we shouldn’t take that long to get there” Peter broke the silence as he continued to drive, his eyes on the road as he spoke to the man behind him who replied shortly afterwards “Oh, That’s…great”

(M/N) would be lying if he said he didn’t wish that something would make the bus ride a smidge bit longer, sure he and Peter never talked and it was just a silly distant crush but he liked Peter regardless that even if they had to sit in silence the whole ride, (M/N) would enjoy it anyways. The bus taking it’s usual course as Peter made a stop towards on of the bus stops nearby, “Yeah, it’s most likely going to be a smooth trail from he…” Peter cut off as he opened the bus doors to let in passengers as he groaned softly, Richard and Gladys. “Oh no..” Peter murmured as he ran a hand through his face, a look of boredom and slight annoyance crawled its way to him seeing as Richard and Gladys slowly approach the buses entrance.

Peter didn’t know where to begin with Gladys and Richard, two old folk he had picked up roughly 4 different times in the 2 years he’s been working as a bus driver but even from those few interactions boy did they leave an impression on Peter. For two old people they were quite annoying, Richard was always up in everybodys business and everybodys lives concerned him which was sweet but highley overbearing especially when the older man always tried to take matters into his own hands. Gladys was almost the opposite, a very sweet woman but just as colorful as the older man. She was hard of hearing and would constantly not pay attention to almost anything anybody would tell her as well as being incredibly clumsy and unfiltered. 

“We’re on our way to bingo, darling” Gladys began as he opened up her coin purse grabbing a fist full and just chucking them at Peter’s feet a small chuckle escaping her lips “Awh, My coins…” She spoke her voice catching (M/N)’s attention. Peter couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he set his foot down “Alright listen, you two. I do not want any trouble! I expect you two to be decent.” Pointing his finger as he glared at the two, Richard raising his voice as he had a smile on his face “I don’t know what you’re referring to, son.” before walking towards the seats of the bus his eyes making contact with (M/N)’s as he sat next to him “Hope you don’t mind if i take a seat here do you, son?” – “All yours” (M/N) replied as he scooted over seeing as how Gladys took a seat in the row in front of them.

“Where are you headed to, Love?” Richard asked as he turned to face the younger man. “Oh to the Art Museum” (M/N) replied as he saw Richard shake his head “You should take the 6-17 bus, It’ll take you there faster.” the older man suggested as he pointed to a nearby bus stop where the 6-17 usually stopped at before Gladys commented “No, Love. You’re thinking about the 8-10 bus” – “Oh you don’t know what you’re talking about!” Richard replied as he shook his head before his attention being retracted back to (M/N)’s. “Well actually I take this bus because…I’m secretly in love with the bus driver” (M/N) confessed as he whispered the last bit to Richard seeing the old mans eyes widen in surprise and interest as he ‘ooh’ed at (M/N)’s confession, “Really? He seems a bit dorky to me” Richard spoke as he adjusted his glasses catching a glimpse of Peter “Oh no, not for me.” (M/N) spoke, his voice only proving just how smitten he was over the other. “Isn’t that just wonderful, young love I say. You two could get married and have bus babies. I’ll let him know” Richard spoke as he stood up clearing wanting to make his way towards Peter only to be pulled back in by (M/N).

“No! I’m not ready to tell him! I’m not even sure if he knows me well or if he likes me back” (M/N) spoke clearly worried and slightly embarrassed. “This generation…you have to tell him you love him! We’re almost at your destination” Richard spoke as he adjusted himself back into the seat. “I know…I just- I need more time” (M/N) replied shyly as he rubbed his arm, Richard on the other hand had a look that he had a plan as he quickly nodded, “well if it’s time you need. We got you covered. Oh bus driver next stop, please!”

Peter glanced through the mirror as he heard the familiar stop bell ring as he raised a brow “The next stops a pasta shop, what happened to bingo?” Peter asked as he began to slow the bus down so they could reach the right stop. “Well what do you expect me’ missus to cook when I get home after bingo?” As Peter nodded taking that into consideration as he stopped the bus, opening the doors up for the older man. As he saw Richard go up to the sliding doors and staring at the shop before turning back around and into the bus “I forgot, I don’t have a missus” The man spoke as he went back to his spot next to (M/N). Peter rolling his eyes as he shut the doors shut once again and went back to driving towards the museum.

Only for a few minute second for the stop bell to ring again as Peter raised a brow yet again looking at the next stop. “The next stop is a dealership!” Peter spoke as he slowed the bus down again and as before Richard was to speak again “Well you expect me to show up to Bingo empty handed in a crummy bus?” Peter only shaking his head at the reply as he stopped the bus again, opening the doors once again as Richard made hos way towards them again…and once more not getting off and going back to his seat “I forgot I don’t know how to drive!” Peter just about had enough as he muttered out a soft curse from under his breath shutting the doors back up as he drove once again but not before scolding the passengers, “Passangers should only ding the bell if they intend to get off! Is that clear?”

“Tell him you love him!” Richard murmured to (M/N) as (M/N)’s eyes widned a sense of warmness coating his cheeks as he shook his head “No!” (M/N) practically yelled as Peter furrowed his brows “What do you mean no?” – “I mean yes! We understand!” 

The ride went by smoothly only for 3 seconds later for the same bell ringing again as he let out a frustrated groan “The next stop is a junkyard!” Peter expressed his patience slipping everytime he spoke. “I need to throw some things away!” Richard’s voice boomed as the bus instead of slowly stopping made a harsh stop as the doors opened “Theres the junkyard, get out and throw your junk away” Peter spoke as he stared at the older man and again Richard made his way to the doors only to turn back around “I didn’t bring any of it with me” 

“That is it! We are not making any more stops until the museum and than you could ALL get off!” Peter spoke frustrated as he shut the doors and started up the bus, speeding his way through the road. “You need to tell him now, honey. You’re almost out of time” Richard spoke to (M/N) as he saw the man hesitate shaking his head in confirmation he wasn’t going to. “Where’s Marmalade…” Gladys whispered in front of them which went unheard as (M/N) and Richard spoke. “I’ll just do it tomorrow” (M/N) spoke to Richard as he shook his head. “Oh no deary, Todays so much better than tomorrow.” – “Marmalade??” 

“Bus Stopping! There, Museum, now all of you out!” Peter spoke as the doors came open only for Gladys to speak up again “Where’s Marmalade?” (M/N) raising a brow as he looked at Richard “Who’s Marmalade?” – “Gladys pet tarantula” Richard replied as all 3 of the passengers looked at Peter who had a huge tarantula crawling in his shoulder as Peter screamed out trying to get it off, getting up and trying to shake it off him.

“There you are, Marmalade”

“Get it off!!” Peter screamed as he walked backwards only to fall off the bus and onto the pavement of the crosswalk. (M/N) watching the scene unfold as he stood up in concern as he shouted at Peter from the window “It’s right there!! Suck the poison out!!” As he was caught up on the scene from outside before his attention was drawn to the bus starting up as he turned to Richard who was looking at the scene from the window as well “Who’s driving?” 

“Gladys is driving”

“Oh okay…”

“GLADYS IS DRIVING?!” (M/N) shouted as his eyes widned turning to the front of the bus as he saw the shorter older women drive recklessly as he saw Peter follow right after shouting after the bus “Hey thats my bus!!” could be heard from outside as (M/N) turned to Richard. “DO SOMETHING!!” he spoke panicked as he saw the older man lie down “time for a grandad nap…” – “Richard!!”

(M/N) made his way towards the front of the bus as he slowly brought Glady away from the steering wheel, trying to lift her up “Cmon honey…give me the wheel” (M/N) spoke panicked and softly as he pried the women away only for the steering wheel to come off as he took it in his hands, Peter chasing them from behind yelling at (M/N) “Push the brakes!” as (M/N) scrambled with it trying to push the brakes only for them to not work “They don’t work!!” he screamed back “Pop the wheel back in place!!” Peter screamed as (M/N) quickly popped the steering wheel back into place as Peter threw himself at the open doors, stumbling into the floor of the bus as he groaned but quickly got up as he put a hand on the side of the drivers seat where (M/N) was sitting.

(M/N) took note of just how close Peter really was as he blushed softly, what a great time to be so close to your crush as (M/N) occasionally glanced at him “Hi…” he finally spoke as his voice “Hey” Peter replied back as he looked at (M/N) “How’s your day going?” The two exchanged a look as Peter finally spoke up “Pretty slow day.”

“Tell him!”

“Richard!”

“Tell me what?” Peter smirked as he looked at the slight redness in (M/N)’s face as he leaned in only slightly. “Nothing! I’ll uhm…tell you tomorrow.” (M/N) replied as he tried to take control over the steering wheel “Well there isn’t going to be a tomorrow! We’re going to hit that custard factory!!” Peter shouted as pointed straight ahead. The two exhanging a look as Peter grabbed the two older people in the back as they shouted in surprise before he leaped out the bus (M/N) following from behind. All 4 of them hitting the pavement below as Richard and Gladys laid on the ground groaning in the background a large crash sound most likely the bus hitting the factory as Peter and (M/N) landed besides each other the two relived that they didn’t die their hearts racing.

“We’re alive…” (M/N) spoke in disbelief as he panted. “I can’t believe it…” Peter murmured as he tried to breath. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you! I keep putting it off for tomorrow but now…i think i’m going to tell you” (M/N) spoke out of breath as he smiled, the adrenaline rush clearly getting to him “I want to get married and have your bus babies!” Peter looked up at the sky as he tried to process what he had just been told. “Oh.

“Richard, i did it! I told him!” (M/N) spoke as he walked up to the older man who was helping Gladys up from the ground “Oh i told you, son. Now go on and have your bus babies.” Richard laughed softly as he shooed (M/N) away. “Oh no. He’s already married to a giraffe.” 

And just like that (M/N) stood in the middle of the living room of his and husband’s shared home. Two children standing in front of him pretending to be old people. Their older son, Jose and their youngest daughter, Amelia dressed up and hunched over as if wanting to give the illusion they were much older than what they really were as the two faced their dad. “What?” Jose spoke imitating an older mans voice “We’ll see about that! C’mon Gladys!” Jose’s voice echoed in the room as he grabbed his little sisters hand and ran up to tackle Peter, rough housing with the man. A wide smile on (M/N)’s face as he saw their kids mess around with his husband who was getting ‘kissing’ a huge plush giraffe before getting tackled down by their son, his playful scream echoing in the room as he looked at (M/N) for ‘help’. “Babe!!” – “Kids!” 

╚⏤⏤⏤╗❀╔⏤⏤⏤╝

[gay4abby]

hey baby, can i request a jealous jordan li x reader? ❤️

Green Eyed Monster !!

masterlist. requested, yes. warnings, slightly sexual(?). pairings, jordan li x reader. i hope u like this 😭 i wrote this at like 5am

As a Libra, you can’t help it that your charisma is through the roof. It’s what got Jordan snagged up by you in the first place and the exact reason why it’s the bane of their existence. Everybody wants you. Even the ones who don’t even realise it until they meet you. And it’s…not necessarily your fault. It’s not something you can easily turn off and the fact that it puts you in some sticky situations can make you look like an asshole. But, to be clear, telling someone straight forward is your forte. Some people just tend to not listen. Unfortunately for you this time, Jordan was there to see.

The gala was in the middle of its most active period. You were off to the side by the bar, shimmering with silver underneath the light. You were oblivious to your surroundings, nursing a drink that certainly wasn’t appropriate for your drinking age, (you were one year from the big one two, who gives a shit?) but didn’t have a care in the world. Jordan wasn’t feeling the best (fucking parents, am I right?) and he decided to find you so you both can get the hell out of there. It was getting boring anyway. They searched for you, knowing little about where you went off to. And they were getting impatient.

Your drink was about to finish, so you waved your hand for the bartender to give you a refill when you felt someone slide in next to you. At first you didn’t pay any mind, but then you felt as though they were getting a little to close. “Can I help you?” You ask with a light tone. You turned slightly to give them some semblance of eye contact and attention when in reality all you wanted to do was get out of there. It was only a matter of time before you and Jordan were able to do that. “You can help me in more ways than one actually.”

Oh, brother. You rolled your eyes, hoping it wouldn’t be seen by the man trying so desperately to appear slick. On the other side of the room, Jordan had walked away from Marie and Cate after having an almost heartfelt conversation (trauma dump royalty at its finest). They wanted nothing more than to have their hands on you, away from the world after enduring a two hour long engagement with his parents. They always managed to hit the one nerve that Jordan knows will never be accepted, no matter how much therapy they go to as a family.

“Hm, is that so? Why don’t you go ‘head and name ‘em for me,” you sounded bored, but to the guy invading your personal space didn’t seem to catch on. Aloof pest. You drowned out what he had to say after hearing ‘make me feel good,’ not knowing that Jordan had set eyes on you, watching the whole thing unfold. He was seething, their big brown eyes blown as it settled on the man reaching over to place his arm on your chair. Near you. In your space, breathing your air. No, that can’t just do! Long legs began striding towards the pair of you, breathing getting rougher with each step.

The man was about to be in for a very rude awakening. “What do you say we get outta here?”

“And what do you say about me beating the living shit out of you, huh?” Jordan’s voice was stern that it made even you jump a little. It broke through your trance, realising the man was still around and now has to endure the wrath of Jordan Li. The man was taken aback just a bit as his eyes laid on Jordan. They were the same height, but Jordan’s demeanour was as intimidating as they come. Oozing out an authority that required to not be messed with. His jaw ticked, crazed eyes never leaving the man that didn’t seem to get the message of moving away from you.

You turned in your chair, hand immediately meeting the Supe’s forearm and squeezing it as you tried to grab their attention. “Hey, baby. I was wondering where you were,” you said softly, pushing the intruder away from you to stand in front of Jordan. You can tell he was livid and honestly? Nothing turned you on more, but first you must stop them from tearing the persistent man apart.

“Is he bothering you, love?” He spoke without so much as taking his eyes off the offender. Jordan’s body figure was rigid and no amount of force you added was going to make them move. “We were just talking actually, until you interrupted us.” Oh, brave one then? “Is that so? I fucking interrupted you guys? That’s funny. You hear that, babe? I interrupted your fucking conversation.”

You had to deescalate the situation before it got out of hand. “Yeah, haha, that’s so funny. Hey, listen–”

“You think you can just walk up to any random unsuspecting person and think you’re entitled to their time? What the fuck is wrong with you, dude?” Jordan’s eyebrows furrowed, feeling them move closer to the man. “Dude, I don’t want any trouble.”

“Well that’s unfortunate ‘cause I wanna give you trouble!” Jordan yelled, almost knocking you over. You know he probably didn’t mean to, but fuck was he strong. And quite frankly, you’ve had enough. “I think we should–” you were cut off before you could finish, the man squaring his chest and stepping to Jordan. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into, you knowing he wouldn’t last point three seconds in a fight with your partner.

Jordan moved you swiftly to the side before swinging at the man, not even hitting the ground yet before he knocked out. “Jordan!” You exclaimed, pulling them by their arm as they switched to their female form. It was easier to pull her out of the ball room and out of the building as a whole. You were furious, but you couldn’t deny that was really hot. “Jordan, what the fuck!”

“What the fuck? He was flirting with you! I couldn’t just stand there and let that happen!”

“I was barely paying him any mind. As soon as I saw you did I not have my full attention on you?!” You screamed at the top of your lungs you were sure that the passer-by’s were to look in your direction with a crazed look. But it didn’t matter, Jordan just punched someone! “Yes, but that doesn’t matter! He was doing too much I couldn’t let that slide!”

“That’s besides the point, you punched him! You knocked him out!”

“And I’d do it again.” She said sternly. If it didn't make your legs clench, you would've been pissed. More pissed than you are now. Your anger was slowly diminishing, your eyes becoming softer as you look at Jordan. No matter how hard she tried to look tough, their eyes told the whole story to you. It was hard for Jordan to hide their true feelings to you and it was both amazing and annoying at the same time for them. You slowly reached out to grasp at her tiny hands, squeezing them ever so lightly before pulling her closer to you, noses almost touching.

Jordan smiled small, "I know you will, that's the problem," you said with a huge smile on your lips as well. It made you want to eat her right up. You both stood there for awhile not caring about the world around you. Hands intertwined and lips ghost meeting each other every once in awhile. Jordan squeezed your hands back, lifting their head. "Let's go back to my dorm, yeah?" Your eager nod alone had her quickly pulling you away.

[kalopsicanna]

last angel in kyoto

is this how it would end?

no.

she wouldn't make a liar out of him.

pt 3!

pt 1 , pt 2

there's an old cartoon playing somewhere, the sound transcending the four walls of whatever room it’s coming from and filtering into Utahime’s bedroom.

it’s probably Gojo.

she rubs at her tired eyes and stretches her limbs after, unintentionally snuggling into the oh-so-warm covers. she could probably just go back to sleep but she knows him too well. knows this is a nervous habit. and she can't just leave him with his thoughts.

so with a resolved sigh, she rises from her bed and carefully pads, barefoot, to the living room.

“Satoru?” she calls when she gets there.

the man only grunts in response, his mop of white hair peeking slightly from underneath the duvet that he's wrapped around him.

he looks like a kid with the glow of the flatscreen illuminating his face.

she softly chuckles at this and joins him on the sofa. he opens up his covering and she fits right in too.

this is warmer than the bed, she decides. he's always warmer.

“are you okay?”

her eyes watch his face as she asks, but his expression betrays nothing.

“it’s all good now” he softly mumbles, head coming to rest on her shoulder.

Gojo could be such a kid when he wants to be.

“getting cold feet?” she questions again, an attempt at a joke (not really), and this time, he shoots up to give her a look.

“cold feet?”

he'd proposed right there in the hospital room, even before they'd had the chance to discharge her. Shoko and Suguru were off somewhere, if she had to guess, he was likely keeping her company while she smoked. she was snacking on a pudding cup from lunch, happy to finally have something sweet (she would only later realize that Gojo was rubbing off on her) when he'd blurted it out, out of the blue.

“i want to marry you. do you?”

he hadn’t even been looking at her, eyes fixed on his fidgety fingers.

“huh?”

there had been no ring. no big speech. he hadn't even gotten down on one knee. it wasn't how she had ever imagined getting proposed to but there was just something about how messy his hair was, how dishevelled his clothes were and how he looked like sleep escaped him.

in all her years of knowing him, Gojo Satoru had been nothing if not calm and collected, even in the face of trouble.

but seeing him then, like he could probably fall over if pushed even just a little, there was this air of vulnerability she knew he didn’t show everybody. or anybody at all.

besides her, that is

to think she'd ever see him be beside himself all because of her.

without a doubt in her mind then, she’d said yes.

Gojo’s almost in disbelief at the question and she doesn't blame him. it‘s a wild assumption anyway considering how much he makes it a point to tell her every day that he loves her.

she thinks he might hold a small grudge against her for saying the three words first.

still, a tiny voice in the back of her mind tells her that it really doesn’t mean much. who’s to say love won’t fail?

“just a thought” she murmurs in response.

they go back to watching the cartoon he’s put on. one of the older episodes of shin-chan.

“you know i love you, right?”

she almost doesn’t hear it. his voice is so low, so gentle that it blends with the show.

he’s looking at her again. this time not in disbelief. no. his eyes are softer too.

“i know”

their locked eyes speak volumes of what their lips can't, an effortless communication that surpasses words.

“you don’t” he simply tells her.

in a swift movement, he uses the remote to turn off the television and swamps them in darkness.

his hands seek hers out and he places one of her open palms on his chest.

“my heart beats like crazy anytime you're near”

indeed, his heart palpitations are a bit erratic, she notes.

“Satoru-”

“i’ve loved you since high school”

the confession quickly shuts her up.

“i was a dumb kid. i didn't know how to get you to notice me so i just stuck to teasing you to get your attention. it made me happy, when you would look at me with those pretty eyes for all those five seconds you would yell, even if they were filled with rage. at least, you looked at me”

he pauses to let out a short laugh at the memory of the antics of his younger self.

“seeing you that night on that cold floor, covered in blood, scared me. terrified me. it’s been three months and i still can't stop thinking about it. just the idea of you being gone is daunting. i know i don't want to do this life without you, Hime”

it sure is a miracle that he can't see her. can't see how the tears are pouring rapidly down her face.

who would've thought that she would have, by some twist of fate, Gojo Satoru, the same junior who made fun of her pigtails and had made it his mission to annoy her daily, here in her living room, professing his love for her?

“Satoru…”

her voice gives her away and he cups her cheek almost immediately, making quick work of wiping at her tears.

“so you see” there's a slight pep in his voice now. “i can't possibly get cold feet. not when i’ve loved you so for all these years”

she wants to say it back. she really does. but an ‘i love you’ simply won't do. not after all he's said. it sounds too cheap and it’s not enough to quantify all she feels in her heart.

so she hugs him.

she doesn't need to say anything. he understands.

the wedding is a month after that. a small gathering of friends and family, loved ones who wish nothing but the absolute best for the couple.

their friends all have smiles on their faces and Gojo can swear that he sees Shoko and Geto sneak off together right after the ceremony. he decides to keep their rendezvous to himself.

that doesn't mean much though because it’s proven, once again, at the reception that a drunk man has no secrets.

they're dating. his two best friends.

Shoko and Geto.

the news only makes him happier.

and then finally, when he and Utahime share their first dance as a married couple, she leans in and tells him a secret that she too has kept for a long time.

“i was the one who ate the watermelon gummies”

for the first time since the incident, Gojo throws his head back and laughs.

[heretyc]

Horror [Trager, Eddie Gluskin, Val]

Horror: A collection of small fics, consisting of Outlast's most iconic antagonists [in my opinion].

The poll I started isn't over, but "canonically" is winning and I love it. Dark shit here we come lol. I will be writing for my beloved Terror-iffic Trio [aka my favourite antagonists from each game]. A party with these 3 would be lit.

Drabble ideas here.

Content Warnings: Uhhh...Outlast Antagonists lol. That is your warning.

Trager: Gore, awful jokes, his bare ass.

Eddie: Gore, murder, injury, mentions of his...lovely little display, sexual assault [minor, just a slight touch, no penetration]. [Please lord don't let him teach an art class.]

Val: Sexual assault [slight penetration w/ fingers], gore, murder, mud, Val's bare ass, mud breasts and mudgina.

I mean it, this is pretty heavy shit. It isn't too graphic, but if SA triggers you...either look away or read with caution. Trager's section is safe. Unless you're afraid of his ass...cause me too, man.

MINORS GTFO. Miners can stay as long as they're not minor miners.

Read with caution, I condone none of this. Fics underneath the cut.

You/MC take the place of the protagonist. So...you are Miles/Waylon/Blake. Yayyyyy....? Or nay? Depends on how you feel. MC is gender neutral, but is referred to with fem pronouns in Eddie's section for obvious reasons. You do not talk in Trager or Eddie's sections as Miles and Waylon were "mute". You speak in Val's section, though. You are described as having breasts in Val's section as both sexes/all genders have breasts. Tiddies for everybody!!

Enjoy.

Drabble idea: "See, this place isn't haunted!"

Sometimes, a saving grace can be your one way ticket to hell. And this had been an excellent example of that. The angelic voice over the dumbwaiter was a dream come true; after running and hiding for so long, it was like you were granted a break.

Only for your face to fall as the scarred face of a man greeted you. The air around him reeked of danger.

This was not the haven you were lead to believe was waiting for you.

"You made the right choice here, buddy," he declared before punching you in the jaw, a pained yell leaving your throat, and he was quick to take advantage of your shocked state to haul you into a wheelchair.

He must have done this a dozen times, as he was quick to lock your wrists into the cuffs attached to the chair. They were tight, and he merely chuckled at seeing your attempts of getting out of them.

He looked fucked up.

He stood in front of you, hands behind his back, and his eyes were scanning you like a wolf scans its prey before it mauls it to bits, "You're not a variant...huh. Well, buddy...you can call me...Trager. Everyone else does, anyway."

As Trager made noises looking you up and down, you looked at his face. Coated by some half-assed attempt at a mask and some strange glasses upon his face, you come to the conclusion that he was some doctor here.

He clicks his tongue and smacks you on the back, "You've got a lot of things to learn here, buddy. I am honoured to be your teacher."

Teach you about what, exactly? You didn't want to know. But he started to push you forward, and you only questioned where your hell would be.

This place was already hell, but...at the hands of some crazed madman, it was different.

Trager hummed to himself, making jokes here and there, and he once grumbled when you didn't laugh at a stupid impression, before he finally made it to an elevator. It was...somewhat cleaner up here, for some reason.

However...

You could feel a breeze upon your skin, and upon hearing the howl of wind and torrential rain, you saw an exit. Pitch black and windy, yet so much more welcoming than in here. You questioned if there would be a tornado warning or something by how violent the wind seemed to be.

The rain out there was intense, torrential, heavy and oh so divine, and Trager only chuckled.

"You want to take a quick walk, bud?" He leaned down next to you, eyes looking into yours like he was an old friend, despite also looking feral. "Run free, like Forrest Gump? Unfortunately, we're running out of time." He clicked his tongue once more, pulling you into the elevator.

This was a cruel joke. Even the Elvis impression - awful impression, mind you - wasn't as bad as this.

Standing beside you, Trager pressed a simple button on the control pad before clasping his hands together behind his back. After a moment of movement, he looked back toward you, his voice a tone that suggested jest, "Did you know they call elevators a "shaft" in other places of the world?" He chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

Looking at him, you realized his skin looked...awful. Like he was a draugr from that video game you used to play.

His scalp was scarred, and after spending an hour in this place, you realize you're lucky your scalp was untouched.

Wires upon wires were wrapped along his arm, and upon closer inspection, you were horrified to notice that they weren't wires, they were tubes.

Of his own blood.

How did he not feel that?

A man like him probably enjoys that, to be honest.

His nails were quite long as well, albeit you couldn't blame him...hygiene in a place like this was laughable. He probably had to exert his inner wildcat to defend himself in this shit hole.

You nearly sobbed when the elevator came to its destination, and he took hold of the handles once more.

It smelled of death and lost hope up here.

Choruses of screams reached your ears and you flinched. He seemed to notice, as he violently shushed the poor bastards trying to break free of their confines, "Sh. Shshshsh...you weren't putting your tongue to good use anyway!"

Tongue...??

The man shrieking had a bloodied mouth, and he soon quieted after choking on, what you assume to be, his own blood. Trager only sighed, muttering to himself, "Really, I just needed something to lick my stamps."

This...was a cruel joke. Taking someone's tongue for stamps?? You were deep in thought, only for Trager to notice and grin evilly, "You should see what I do with the balls."

...Dear god.

"Yeah, this weird...cannibalistic guy downstairs begs for them...the guy knows what he wants, I gotta give him that. He reminds me of somebody...eh, buddy?"

He poked you in the shoulder as he pushed, and it appears he was referring to you.

"I saw your camcorder. You're some sort of journalist, here to...what, expose one of the biggest experiments in history?" He laughed at the notion, shaking his head. "I admire the bravery, really. Braving through disturbed masses...I have to admit, I'm impressed."

You only gulped.

"People love to say this place is...haunted." Trager noted, pushing you into a bathroom of some sort. Bloodied, smelled of decay and looked like a paradise for bugs and bacteria.

What had scared you the most was the array of torture devices he had laid out on a tray. This man was deranged, one way or another.

He continued his one-sided conversation, focusing on the aforementioned tray as he walked over to it, "I mean, who wouldn't? People love to paint asylums as haunted. They hear a ghastly noise or a terrified scream and immediately tell the papers that a house of human suffering is haunted."

Trager's hand hovered over each instrument of torture, trying to pick which one, but he hadn't stopped talking.

"And I am more than sure that's your entire...reason for coming here. Trying to prove it was haunted. But guess what, buddy?"

He finally picked up a blade, long and serrated, and he pressed it against a finger of yours, the edges sharp against your thin flesh. He leaned in close, his dry lips forming into a smile, "This place isn't haunted."

He moved away, the blade removed from your finger, and you breathed a sigh of relief as he placed it back down onto the tray.

"No, no. It's worse."

He finally picks up a gigantic pair of scissors, much like something you'd see picking away at a shrub, and he was more than eager to shut them and open them, metallic hisses invading your senses, much like the feeling of doom.

You will die here.

"This place is an example of human cruelty, my friend," he announced, voice loud and cheerful as if he wasn't about to maim you, and he placed the blades around some of your fingers. He cared not for your horrified shrieks and begs, he only leaned in once more and whispered,

"And you will be nothing but an example of what happened here."

Slice.

...

"Oh, come on, buddy...it's not like you needed your middle finger anyway. Now open up...I have some stamps to lick."

Drabble idea: "Oh my god, are you okay?!"

"Darling, please! You act as if I've done something rancid! What have I done to you to make you so afraid of me?!"

The bloodied behemoth on your tail was quick and hurried as he chased after you, his feet slamming against the rotting floorboards. You almost couldn't hear the music that played alongside the horrific display he handmade. The smell was awful, but the sight of it was enough to make you vomit.

You would not be the victim to the Groom. Not now. Not ever.

You would not have your pelvis slit, or your chest stuffed like you were a sex doll [ironically, that's all you would be to him], and you would not let him confess his undying love for you. It was fake and corrupt like this entire asylum.

Despite the smell of mildew and death, adrenaline filled your blood and you could tolerate the disgusting scents as you breathed in, your legs not yet faltering.

You've heard what he's done. The man who so giddily chased you rambled about it as you snuck around, and you were not pleased.

This was the only way out. Sometimes you have to take risks...right?

This wasn't worth it, though.

And sometimes, luck runs out. Like right now, as you are stuck in a dead end.

There was only an elevator. And it was not on your current floor.

Shit.

You could jump and risk a broken leg...or...

The emergency ladder. Broken and rusted, but it's tetanus over death.

You could explain all of this to the news with lockjaw.

"Wait, what are you doing?! Don't, don't-!"

You had leaped, gripping onto the ladder as your bottom half slammed against it. With a hiss you tried to pull yourself up, only for the ladder to break underneath you.

The top had snapped, and you tried to grab onto what remained on the wall, only to fall, your heart stopping.

Of all things to die from, it was a rusted ladder.

Oh well.

As your body slammed onto the top of the elevator, a sharp pang began to blossom from your ankle, and you look to see shards of glass sticking out of your flesh. Now coated in blood, you cried out and ripped the shards out, piece by piece. Blood pooled around your foot as you cradled it.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!"

The behemoth above looked down at you with a horrified expression, his hands out and wanting to hold you.

"I hate to see you suffering without me! Why would you do something like that to yourself?!"

His voice was full of panic and concern, and for a moment it seemed wholesome, until the panicked silence became one of anger. There was...tension.

"You would...rather die...than be with me...?"

His tone had shifted so quickly. He was unpredictable, and that's what had made him so...scary. In general, he had looked like he crawled from a 1940s horror series. Sweeney Todd had come to mind, actually...

"You're just another whore, aren't you?" He growled out, only to sigh, like this was a normal occurrence. "It's quite alright, darling. A good man can turn a whore into a house wife...and I have faith in us. Let me just..."

The elevator roared to life, and you panicked even more, now. Your poor heart would likely kill you before he had the chance to. But as you rose, he merely hummed to himself, waiting for the elevator to rise to his floor.

You had no chance at moving or escaping, as when you reached the proper floor, he was quick to grab you before you became sandwiched between the top of the elevator and the ceiling.

He dwarfed you. Instantly. He carried you bridal style, an eerie smile on his face, "Come, now. I must make sure you look perfect for our wedding."

You had no chance, now.

He clicked his tongue, footsteps hard against the rotting boards, and his voice was quieter as he spoke, "And I need to wrap up your foot...you are a silly one, darling."

It didn't feel silly. It felt like your ankle and foot were on fire, stinging like mad.

You had accepted your death already, but if there was also one thing you could accept, it's that he wasn't actually half bad.

Minus the...anger fits and the "whore" bit, he would have been wonderful. Looking up at him, you see a man soiled by corruption.

His eyes would have been a beautiful, shiny blue if not for the pools of hemorrhage. They had looked...empty. Dead. But whenever he looked at you, they shone like his soul had been revived.

Is this what he had wanted? Love?

Everyone in this hell hole had been deprived of it.

It was sad. Really fucking sad.

But you had read about what Eddie had done, and seen it too. And he was past the point of no return. He had done too much to be redeemed.

Dread made itself a home in your stomach as you were laid upon something cold and wet, and you were strapped in. Arms and legs spread, and your clothes were ripped off.

You were now nude, and being touched by the Groom himself.

His hands were gentle as he caressed a calf, "You have such soft skin...you will look absolutely beautiful," he cooed, hand gliding itself upwards toward your knee, then your thigh, and then...

You only flinched when you felt his hand begin to caress your genitals, as gentle as could be, as if he wasn't violating you. T'was the touch of a lover.

But he was no lover, no.

His fingertips merely grazed along your private flesh, rubbing it as if he had wanted to stimulate you, and you wanted to scream.

Eddie sighed dreamily, like he was a married man and his life would be filled with nothing but happiness, and he, luckily, let his hand glide up to your navel. "You look divine already, but when I'm finished with you? Oh, darling..."

He removed his hand, thankfully, but he was quick to turn on the saw, and all you could feel was cold air from its rapid movements and doom.

He gripped the sides of the table you were on, and he was smiling like this wasn't totally fucked up, "I know this will be hard..."

You felt the table move, slowly but surely, and you began to wriggle, but he continued, "You will have to deal with this...and then the conception, which I promise, will be wonderful," he winked as the saw came closer, "Then the pregnancy...and oh, I can just imagine the birthing. You will look so beautiful, darling...like a goddess. Mothers are goddesses in their own right."

And all you could feel was the sting of the saw, and your soul fading from your body.

...

"You're just like the rest. Filthy whore."

You're lucky you weren't alive to see your mangled body, tossed with the rest.

Ready to rot.

Drabble idea: "I want to go home..."

Val, in a sense, had been an angel to you.

They did not have a halo, made of purity and gold, or have pristine, white wings to wrap you and hold you close, no. They did not bear robes of white or play a golden harp or sing a divine chorus.

But they had wanted you all to themselves. And they would not let Knoth's guard dog, or his sickly bastards he called "friends", ruin you before they had a chance to.

Because unlike Knoth, or Marta, or Laird or Nick or whoever the fuck, Val would put you back together.

They are a loving mother, dedicated to spreading love.

It had been painted in blood on your way to the mines, 'LOVE SET US FREE'. Bottles encasing candles, bodies strewn up like Christmas decorations...

What were they trying to do, exactly? Make their cause look homey? Elegant? Acceptable?

You had felt oddly welcomed. Every single enemy in your way was slain, journals and notes left in your path to urge you to come to them.

"Come to me," the red ink beckoned you on the dirtied paper, "and I will show you my love."

They had been so kind as to leave batteries and bandages. Before you had taken the small, makeshift raft, a final note had been placed in one of the small shacks, the bed made and smelling of firewood,

"I am waiting for you."

You did not want this. But you needed to find a way out.

The mines were not welcoming. You were not alone. And you had been chased into the underground, where you are now; held down by Heretics as they muttered, "mother, burn..."

Like the fallen angel ready to relieve the sinners of their pain, their martyrdom, Val had approached, coated in mud and looking like the demon of the mountains.

In their hand was a torch, raging with fire, and it made their white eyes so much more intense.

They had hummed eagerly, the hum evolving into a laugh as the torch was placed down and the Heretics were shooed away. You were too afraid to move or notice their cold, dirtied hands leaving your flesh.

Their eyes were wide, pupils tiny, and they smiled as they strutted to you, "We are creatures of appetite..."

They moaned, feeling up their body and their fake breasts, like they were a porn star and giving you a show.

"I want to feel your hunger," their voice became quiet, something only you could hear, and they leaned close, your eyes staring frantically into theirs, searching for any fragment of humanity.

There was none. And you felt saddened, knowing that the Val in those journals was not this Val.

This was something different.

"I want to know your desires...and show you what true pleasure feels like," they rasped, pushing you down and straddling your hips, grinding against your clothed stomach. Your fear had aroused them.

"I want to go home..." you whispered, tears rushing from your eyes, and they only laughed, leaning close to your face and whispering, "This is your home, my love," a muddy hand came up to caress your cheek and wipe the tears away, "and I...will be doting."

You had no chance to respond or even acknowledge the powder blown into your senses, or the tongue forcing your mouth open, and immediately, they sought dominance over your own muscle, wrestling with it. It had ventured to each nook and cranny of your mouth, like they wanted to taste everything about you, and they eventually pulled away with a moan, saliva connecting you two.

They licked their lips, humming in delight as their hands rushed to push up your shirt and reveal your chest. "Your body...is delightful," they breathed out, squeezing your breasts and rubbing your nipples with precision.

That powder did something to you. You had hated the feeling of their hands, but now you were overheating; desperate and quiet moans leaving your throat and making the cultist above you grin.

"I don't..." You couldn't even finish your sentence, as they pinched a nipple and made you shriek. It made them chuckle, and their hands moved south, ripping your zipper and breaking it. They got off for a second to completely rip your pants and undergarments off, and their naked thighs wrapped around your bare hips.

"Did you enjoy my gifts?" They questioned, hands now massaging your thighs, "You needed those batteries so badly...to document the lies of Sullivan, didn't you?" They purred, their hands tight and knowing just where to touch to get you to cry out in pleasure.

"That's why you came here. Fell from the sky, wrapped in flame..." they bit their lip, feeling aroused at the notion, "To record his bullshit."

You had even forgot about your camera, and you questioned where it was, until Val snorted, "It's gone, my love," their hands moved upwards to your genitals, "taken away...by my children. You won't need it anymore."

There was no pain when you felt their finger enter you. It was more pleasurable than anything you had ever felt, and it made you moan the loudest, and Val had revelled in this.

With precision their fingers located your pleasure spot, and sped up.

Your pleasure was their pleasure.

"God doesn't love you...not like I do."

And in time...you would know it to be true.

[evilminji]

You know what's my JAM?

Extremes being treated as the Serious Dangers they ARE, even when they aren't "oooh its a spooky Grey morality and BADness!" Extreme.

Like? No, people. ALL of them are bad. They are ALL face melting dangerous. The void may crush your soul, but look upon the Face Of GOD? Not gonna be having a fun time! Doesn't MATTER if he's a cool dude! Face melting!

We are creatures of BALANCE. Tiny, fragile, little motes of dust. That can only exsist in the careful, blended, dances of territories and powers that be. We squishy.

Ghosts? Less squishy.

Poor impulse control, too. Especially ones with Fenton genetics. ABSOLUTELY ones with Fenton genetics and a trauma based aversion to therapy. That one? Pretty hardy. Made pretty tough, what with being Fates third favorite chew toy. But? Still gets the Sads, you know? The slightly longer then just seasonal depression.

Would medicine and some therapy help? Oh like a dream!

If medicine WORKED on his Ectoplasmicly contaminated ass. And he TRUSTED therapists.

But... surely, Danny thinks, as he sits grossly in his Depression sweatpants and eats suspect pizza on the floor of his moldering shoebox of an apartment, there must be SOME way to address his Depression? He should... he should DO something about it. Take a break maybe. Look up some ghost doctors or something.

.....

Oooooooooor..... >.>

He could break out that OMENIOUS af, bound in suspect leather, Big Book Of Forbidden Knowledge(TM) that he got from Pariah's.... what, fourth? Fifth? Library? Fuck that Lair is huge. He's STILL cleaning it out and it's been over half a decade. He swears it spawns more floors just to mock him. Bastard. Don't know HOW a building can be a Bastard, but it sure found A WAY.

Anyway!

Book it is! *horrifying Eldritch light as he opens it* huh. Neat. Comes with its own visual effects. *another bite of suspect pizza* Funky.

And so! Danny, the depressed King Of The Zone... fucks of to go cheer himself up in the Fields Of Bliss(TM), an area of Absolute Bliss. Which! Sounds GREAT in theory, now don't it? Lovely even.

Remember that little comment about extremes?

You can ENTER those fields. But no one leaves. No one CAN. The deeper you go? The more doomed you become. Less will to do anything at all. Eat, talk, move. So much as think. Like ALL extreme "Goods", it sounds lovely, but the reality is no gentle little thing.

It's a glue trap.

But how could Danny have known? Honestly, who would have TAUGHT him? Textbooks can only go so far, after all. And placing blame will not rescue the young monarch.

I imagine it's one of his helpers that pieces together what's happened. Come for further clarification on WHERE exactly he wants certain statues moved. Only? Your Majesty? Your Majesty...? Where ever could he BE? Oh? He's left out some of his books. Well, I'll just assist by putting them away for-.....

Oh.

OH ANCIENTS, NO.

But! What can the poor man DO? Ghosts are Beings of Will, Emotion, and Obsession. Were it some sort of Holy Blade or Sentient Tree, you know, something INDIVIDUAL with a will they could FIGHT? Oh no problem. But an area of effect? Especially an EMOTIONAL area of effect!? Ooooooh, this is bad. The Zone can't AFFORD to lose ANOTHER King!

We JUST GOT THIS ONE!!!

Wait. He's heard that there's an organization for this! That loudly cursing fellow who got violently thrown back into the Zone. "Ruined his fun" and all that! Perfect! He'll just hire THEM!

Smashcut? To a nice, peaceful, everybody's screaming Justice League Meeting. John's cursing life, extremely hungover. Zatana still has three cracked ribs. Wonder Woman is enjoying the new sword she... liberated... mid battle. Truely stunning craftsmanship. When?

Knock Knock!

Heads swivel. There... is a glowing green... accountant? Dandy? Dandy accountant. With an equally radioactive day glow green Actual Pirate's Chest Of Treasures, floating next to him. In the void of space; Just beyond the glass. What, the, fuuuuuu-

He seems to be under the impression they are some sort of Heroic mercenaries. And has come to request the retrieve-

"NNNNNOPE! Pariah can SHOVE it!" Snarls a suddenly very awake John Constantine, sitting up straight for the first time in hours. The rest of Dark grimly nod in agreement. Let the fucker rot. It's a kinder fate then he deserves.

No, no, NO! King PHANTOM! Pariah's SUCCESSOR by right of combat! They are not, and were never, allied in any way!

Well, all right then. Road trip to save a young idiot then.

@the-witchhunter @hdgnj @hypewinter @lolottes @mutable-manifestation @nerdpoe

[georgeweasleyslostearhq]

YOU'RE THE ONE I WANT

Pairings: George Weasley x Fem!reader Summary: George denies his feelings for you because he's self conscious but you want to know he wants you or not Warnings: a bit angsty i guess? NOTE: this is pretty long so i might have to make a part 2

Part 2

you have been Friends with the twins since first year, and a lot has changed in those 6 years.

especially your feelings for the younger twin, George.

the way he'd smile at something Fred would do that wasn't even funny, or the way he's always check up on you when noting even wrong in the first place.

he was sweet and gentle, way more than Fred was.

you had accompanied the Weasley's at the Quidditch world cup and the whole time you kept glancing at him, right beside you, his cheeks covered in green and white paint as he cheered for the Irish and booed for the Bulgarians

you kept looking at him until Fred noticed and caught you, giving you a look. only then did you focus and not look at George the rest of the game

Later while walking back to the tent, Fred caught up to you and walked with you

"so.. George, huh?" he snickered

"what?" you furrowed your eyebrows

"I mean come on, there's a way more attractive twin right next to you and you chose the funky, fuglier one? you must be blind, Love" Fred teased with a smile

"George is not fugly" you rolled your eyes

"so you like him" he smirked

"just because I said he's not ugly doesn't mean I like him, Fred" you sighed

"but you do" he whispered over the loud cheers and celebrations

you looked at him tiredly and fought back your smile, he knew you too well

"he fancies you quite a bit too, you know" he nudged you

"he does not, Fred" you shook your head

"how would you know? you don't hear what we talk about when you're not around" he crossed his arms.

"I'll believe it when I see it" you chuckled

"oh you will"

you both walked into the tent and started celebrating with the others when George came up from behind you, scaring you. you screamed in surprise and hit his arm lightly, making him laugh

"what were you and Fred talking about?" he asked after calming down

"well- I- I don't kno- nothing" you stuttered like a fool, making you cringe

his smile faltered "oh, ok" he nodded vigorously

he walked away from you, thinking you were keeping secrets from him

after celebrating and teasing Ron, you all set into panic when you were getting attacked

Fred took Ginny's hand before running away

but you were focused looking around at the fires to notice George's panic when he couldn't see you

he called out your name loudly, refusing to leave without you.

you turned around and tried looking for him through the people running past you

"George!" you yelled out to him, letting him know you heard him

you didn't hear anything back from him but you felt a tight grip on your wrist before getting pulled along with the crowd

-

that was almost a month ago and your 6th year had began

George was still the sweet, gentle and caring young man he has always been and it made you swoon over him most nights

and you made sure you let Angelina know that, she would hear about George all the time from you and she would tell you about Fred.

and despite what Fred says, George still hasn't shown any liking towards you other than friendship

but you took Fred's advice anyway and did it yourself, flirting and being more affectionate with George. but he would just smile it off

until you started to feel hopeless and pathetic

you found Fred in the common room by himself for a change and decided to bring it up again

"Fred have you been messing with me?" you questioned, sitting beside him

"in what way?" he smiled, knowing he messes with everybody

"with George, I've done everything you told me to do but it seems like a waste of time, I really don't think he fancies me" you sighed

"I don't know what to tell you love, He tells me about his feelings for you almost every day, I think he's just too much of a coward to act upon it, I don't get why you like him when the better looking twin is right in front of you" he teased

you didn't reply to him, you just stood there feeling like an idiot

"hey, it'll be fine, He would be stupid to not like you anyway" he assured you, pulling you into a hug

he pulled you closer until you were basically on him, trapped in his arms.

he had a smirk on his face as he looked at you, and you knew what he was gonna do

he started to tickle you, making you laugh and squirm around, trying to get away from him

"stop!" you squealed

"never" he chuckled evilly

"hey guys"

Fred stopped tickling you and helped you sit up right. an awkward look came across Fred's face as he looked at George who stood in the middle of the room.

you sat up and looked at George, who looked uncomfortable

"hey, George" you cleared your throat, looking ahead of you, fiddling with your fingers

"was I interrupting something?" he replied, looking a bit aggravated

"no, not at all mate" Fred shook his head, noticing his twins face

"ok then" George nodded before walking towards the couch, squeezing in to sit down in between you and Fred, which made Fred smirk as he looked at you with his eyebrows raised

"I'm just gonna go to bed, see you tomorrow, Love" Fred said, getting up, placing a kiss to your head, and walked away to the stairs, looking back to see George glaring at him

"go for it" Fred mouthed to him, making George roll his eyes

George refused to move away from you.

"what was that about?" he asked you

you were still sat there, fiddling with your fingers as he talked

"just playing around" you mumbled

"cool" he clicked his tongue

he was still pressed up to you, making you feel boiling as the warmth of his side and the fire warm you up

"i should probably call it a night too. had a long day" you announced as you stood up.

"oh, ok then. goodnight" he frowned

"night" you rushed before going up to your dorm. without giving him the usual kiss on the cheek you normally give him before going to bed

George sat there alone, thinking about the past month, how he would catch you and Fred together, attached by the hip

he knew something was going on, he felt left out and you didn't like him as much.

he was starting to suspect something was going on between you two, something he wished he had with you

he couldn't blame you, Fred was the better looking twin, and after all the nights talking about you to Fred, he probably started to feel the same things George felt.

Fred was funnier, more outgoing, he was the more popular twin, the one that everyone thinks of first. how couldn't you like him? all the girls did.

but he was mad at Fred, he knew his feelings for you, he knew how much he liked you, yet he still went off to be with you. George didn't think Fred would do anything like this to him, they were brothers, twins.

-

the past week you would see George talking to all these different girls, he would lean against the wall as they tucked their hair behind their ears nervously, giggling softly and hitting his chest, obviously flirting with him.

it made you confused, he would never really show any girl attention unless they were his friends, not to say he wasn't friendly with people, but this was something else.

he wasn't hanging out with the group at all and when you all walked around you would find him with a girl, flirting.

you weren't going to lie and say it didn't hurt, because it did, the other night were he squeezed between you and Fred where he looked jealous must've been nothing.

you weren't able to talk to him as he was always out and about with different people and it kind of annoyed you.

Fred even said the only time he sees him is after curfew when he's already in bed, where he would sneak in after hours and head to bed

it was starting to piss the older twin off as he was without his partner in crime

Fred was going crazy as he couldn't do any pranks and you told him you would gladly help, so that's where you were, out in the corridors with Fred, getting ready to prank his brother.

not the brother they usually prank, Ron, but George. it was Fred's idea to get payback for abandoning the group.

he set it up and you kept look out for him, looking through the door to see him and a new girl talking, close together, her beginning to get touchy with him, you watched as he smiled down at her smugly

"which girl do you think he'll ask to the ball?" Fred asked you quietly

"I couldn't really care to be honest" you sighed, still peeking through the door

"I know you do, either way I'm sure Lee would take you if you end up without one" he replied

"they're coming!" you whispered loudly, not getting a chance to react before Fred grabbed your hand, pulling you around the corner, snooping as you poked your head around the wall to see.

as George walked out the door, he was greeted by quill ink pouring all over his body before stink pellets dropped on him, making him reek for at least a week, getting worse when you shower it off.

then lastly, slugs dropping from the ceiling that pooled at his feet and collected in his hair and going down his shirt

you and Fred began laughing until you heard the high pitched scream

for it hadn't been George being the victim, but the girl he was with getting pranked.

she screamed and yelled out at George, he stepped back and covered his nose from the stink and cringed at the look of her

the girl cried and she jumped up and down and shook herself to get the slugs off herself. making you and Fred snicker at the sight

George must've heard you through the screaming and crying because he locked eyes with you, making you go wide eyed

he looked pissed, like he was gonna yell at you

"come on" Fred panicked, grabbing your hand and running away from the scene, you both ran to the common room and sat out on the couch puffed out and tired from going across the school.

"do you think he's mad?" you quizzed him

"he looked pissed, but he won't yell at us, she'll probably think he did it himself" Fred chuckled

you heard loud footsteps coming from the entrance as you and Fred starting laughing again, barely being able to breath.

Fred fell of the couch and began wheezing when he saw George standing at the side of the couch, looking at you both angrily

his arms crossed and a frown on his face as he glared at you

"what the bloody hell is wrong with you two?!" he yelled at you both, making your laughs die down, looking at him shocked

when you didn't answer him he continued

"do you guys seriously not know how to grow up? she went to her dorm crying covered in ink and not to mention she stank, she hates me! she thinks I did it!" he didn't look mad anymore, he looked livid.

and then he caught a glimpse of your hands that were together as you looked at Fred as he sat on the floor.

you were trying not to laugh as you looked at George's mad face.

the small airy giggles slipped from your lips and Fred started shaking from holding his amusement in.

you covered your lips and looked at the ground, trying to calm down again

George looked at you and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion

"stop bloody laughing, Y/n! it's not funny!" he shouted at you

you stopped giggling and you looked up at him

"what is wrong with you? we were having fun" Fred interrupted

"it's not fun when they get hurt, Fred" George defended the girl

"we pranked people everyday and they always got somewhat hurt and you didn't care, why do you care now?" Fred faught

"that doesn't matter now! just leave me and any girl i talk to alone" George scoffed, his hands dropped to his side, he began walking to the stairs to get to his dorm.

you looked at Fred and smiled "someone's got their wand up their arse" you mumbled, wiggling your brows as he snickered

"you know what? you guys are perfect together, you are such a bitch, Y/n, and you both ruin everything" George came back and pointed at you as he told you off loudly

"don't yell at her" Fred got up and stood in front of him, trying to defend you

"Fred leave it, he's just being an asshole because he thinks he's finally mature and grown up" you rolled your eyes

"piss off" George grumbled

"go ahead" you snapped

he sighed before leaving, shaking his head, deciding to turn in for the night

George didn't mean what he said, he felt horrible as soon as the words left his mouth, but it's in the past now, and his words had already affected you both. he knew you both hated him in that moment for that.

he was just trying to get you out of his head by putting other girls in there, he was allowed to. you were off with Fred so why can't he go off and be with other people too without you ruining it.

he knew he would have to apologise, after tonight that girl would probably start telling people and the word would spread out that no girl should be around George or he'll just prank you.

and because of this he'll probably end up without a date to the yule ball, which he was hoping he would be able to go with you, but it seems impossible for that to happen, as you're probably going with Fred

-

it was the weekend and you and Angie went out to Hogsmeade to find dresses for the ball. before you left you saw George by himself on the couch, when he saw you, he looked like he wanted to say something but you were quick out of there, not letting him have the chance

"soo, Fred huh?" you smirked at the girl as you searched the rack

"you don't mind do you? I know you guys are really close" she smiled nervously

"no not at all, he's my best friend, and you guys look so cute together" you reassured her with a warm smile

you had told her about what happened with George as she woke up to you sobbing about it

"are you going with anyone?" she asked

"no, but I'll be ok if I go alone, Fred said who would save me a dance" you shrugged

"oh that's nice, you could just stay with us the whole time if you want" she beamed

"I wouldn't do that" you chuckled lightly

"oh my, look at this dress!" she ushered you over to her, making you let go of the rack and go over to her to see the beautiful purple velvet dress

"you should try it on!" you pushed her towards the changing room with the dress in her hand.

you waited for her and looked through the dresses

"I quite like this one" you heard from behind you, curiously, you turned around to see George holding a dress, looking at you

you looked him up and down and turned around

"it's ugly" you replied shortly

"I'm really sorry, Love. I don't know why I said any of that last night, I didn't mean it I swear, I'm an idiot I know, you can remind me all you want. please forgive me, It'll never happen again I promise" he pleaded as he walked to stand beside you after putting the dress down

"why are you here?" you sighed, not looking at him

"I came here for Zonkos, I just saw you through the glass and I wanted to apologise" he answered

"what do yo- oh" Angie spoke as she walked out wearing the dress

"Ang it looks beautiful, he's gonna be all over you" you clapped your hands as she twirled

"what's he doing here?" she looked at George weirdly

"he came to apologise" you smiled tightly

"well, we don't accept" she crossed her arms

he nodded his head and stood there uncomfortably for a moment before backing away

"ok, well, I'll see you around then"

you heard the bell above the door ring and the door shut

"does he have a date?" she asked, leaning against the rack

"not sure, he's been talking to a lot of girls, he could've asked any of them."

-

George started sitting with your group again and stopped talking to new girls every day.

you had forgave him when Fred did and you guys were good again.

you would notice that George would still seem to break you and Fred apart but he also seemed more affectionate and whenever you would start to bring it up with him, he would deny it and just say he was always like that.

you started to think he was playing with your feelings, that maybe he found out about your feelings for him and wanted to mess with you.

and you got tired of it.

you were sat with Fred near the black lake as you talked about it, and he told you that George started talking about you again

he decided to change the subject by telling a joke making you wheeze of laughter, you were huddled over, holding your stomach as you struggled to breathe

"you look so stupid" he teased

you hit his arm making him wince in pain

"hi guys" George spoke as he walked up to you both, making you pause what you were doing

"Hi George" Fred answered, nudging you to respond

"hi" you mumbled

"can I sit" he asked, waiting for a response, we nodded our heads and he sat down with you.

"so the ball" he started, playing with his fingers

"ah yeah, you excited Freddie?" you nudged his side, making him smile

"yeah" he muttered

you looked over at George for a moment and saw his upset look on his face

"I have to say that Angie looks beautiful in her dress and you're gonna be drooling when you see her" you teased him, making him roll his eyes

"Angie?" George tilted his head in confusion

"yeah, her and Fred are gonna dance the night away, hand in hand all lovey dovey" you giggled.

Fred pushed you and you fell onto your side as you laughed at him

"piss off"

"you're going with Angelina?" George asked

"yeah, I asked her ages ago" Fred answered him

"I thought you two were going together" George whispered.

you and Fred looked at each other and burst out laughing at the younger twins words

"never" you both said at the same time

"oh" he nodded his head slightly in response, making you and Fred look at each other wondering what he's getting to

"you two should go together" Fred suggested, subtly winking at you

"I would rather go with moaning myrtle then her!" George laughed a little too much, slapping his knee and he chuckled

"I'm gonna go, I need to help Hermione study" you awkwardly got up and said bye to them as you started walking away

you heard footsteps approaching you and you sped up

"wait up!" you heard George yell out to you, you rolled your eyes and slowed down

he get to you and walked along with you

"so how are you?" he questioned

"why?"

"can't i ask my beautiful best friend how she is?" he wondered, tilting his head

his words made you stop in your tracks, leaving him confused as he stopped and looked back at you

"what?" he smiled

"what are you doing?" you glared at him

he frowned at your words

"what do you mean?" he stepped towards you

"you've been doing this for so long now and I'm getting tired of it" you replied annoyed at him

"tired of what? what did I do?"

"you come in and break me and Fred apart like your jealous then insult me and then go back to being nice, make up your mind" you huffed

"I'm not jealous" he denied

"ok well then, what was all the sitting between us and pushing him out of the way to be next to me? are you playing with me?" you crossed your arms defensively

he sighed, not knowing what to say

"you act like you like me and then you completely shut me off. make up your mind or just stop talking to me" you demanded

he swallowed deeply

"did Fred tell you?" he wondered

"he told me months ago" you responded

"I thought you were with Fred, so I gave up trying," he started "I do like you"

"doesn't seem like it" you moved past him, walking away

"what do you want from me? you told me to make up my mind and then I told you how I felt, is that not what you wanted?" he questioned, keeping up with you

"George, you just insulted me not even 5 minutes ago? if you fancy me then show it! or I'm not going to believe you" you spat, annoyed by him

"why do you think I went off talking to other girls? love- I-" he started before you cut him off

"George, I don't care anymore. I really don't. you can't say you like somebody to then act like a complete arse after, if you fancy me then prove it!" you spoke angrily before walking off, leaving him there

-

George had tried his best to show you his feelings. giving you little gifts, sending you owls, going with you everywhere you went and telling you sweet things he liked about you

but you didn't yet trust him fully, he was only doing this because you told him to show his feelings, if you hadn't said that, what would he be doing instead of being with you right now?

you were heading to the library when you heard the all so familiar voice call out your name from behind you

you turned around, bracing yourself for more gifts and compliments

he caught up to you, his hands holding something wrapped in brown wrapping paper

"mum made you it, for Christmas, you can open it now or on the day" he cleared his throat, handing you it

Christmas was in 2 days- and the Yule ball

you took the package, knowing what it is and smiled, thanking him, making a mental note to send Molly an Owl to thank her

"so, I was just wondering if you'd like to go to the Ball with me?" he asked, rubbing his hands on his jeans

"I'm sorry- I'm uh- I'm going with Lee" you frowned. Feeling bad when his face fell

"Oh- right ok" he nodded vigorously and you noticed his Adams apple bob as he gulped

"Sorry- he asked me a few weeks ago seen as we both didn't have dates" you apologised

"Well, you can ditch him if you want. Seen as though it's not a romantic type of date" George suggested selfishly

"How could you ask me to do that? Just because it isn't a romantic date means I'd trade him for someone who wants me romantically" you shook your head.

"I'm sure he'd understand, he's one of my best mates" he shrugged

"George if you wanted to go with me you should have asked me instead of going off with other girls just because you were jealous of me and Fred" you exclaimed

"Well you were the one who told me to prove my feelings. I could of asked you ages ago!" He argued

"Then you should of! And instead of getting mad at me for having another date because YOU WOULDN'T ASK ME! You could learn from your mistakes and not get caught up in ugly emotions. They don't suit you, George" You raised your voice "and next time there's a ball you can pack up the courage before it's too late!"

"I thought you and Fred were together" he spoke sadly

"Well instead of going off with other girls yuu could ask me and talk to us yourself!" You yelled

"Yeah but I never wanted them, you're the one I want! You're the one I've wanted for years!" He cried out

"Yeah well next time you know what to do then, don't you?"

He stayed silent for a moment "yeah" he whispered nodding his head slowly

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

[eddiestightywhities]

SNIPPET SUNDAY

so there i was minding my own business working away on my s08e08 coda when BAM! charlie @playinginthunderstorms goes and drops THIS SHOW-STOPPING FIC and completely derails my efforts by inspiring me to write a completely different fic that is also a coda for s08e08 lmao. having writer friends is never, ever boring, amirite?!

anyways here's an excerpt seeing as i thought i'd get it finished tonight but didn't and need the motivation to keep going with it asfhjhsk

ps pls be kind as it's completely unedited xp

.

“Take it off.”

Buck looks up to where Eddie is standing in the door jam, big hands on slim hips and pink lips pinched.

“Huh?” he replies.

Because huh?

Eddie gives him The Look; his patented Buck look.

“Buck,” he says in the exact same way Buck just heard it in his head.

Then Eddie's eyebrows shoot up in the way Buck knows to mean you know what I mean, and although most of the time Buck knows precisely what Eddie means with just one pointed eyebrow-raise, right now he has zero clue of whatever it is Eddie is trying to tell him.

“What?” he says, his own brows asking half the question for him.

Eddie sighs, and it's kind of pained and long-suffering, which—fair.

“The hoodie, lover-boy. Take it off.”

The penny-drop is immediate.

For some reason, Buck blushes a little under Eddie's gaze—and maybe a little at his use of the weirdly alluring moniker.

Buck is wearing one of Tommy's hoodies.

He doesn't pout, but it's a close thing.

“But it's—Eds, it's the only thing I have left of him,” he protests, voice pathetically brittle and small.

Eddie's eyes go so soft you could top hot chocolate with them and cover them in squirty cream.

“Look, Buck, keeping it is bad enough. But wearing it? That's some pretty solid self-sabotaging behaviour, man. Trust me; I should know.” His words are cleanly direct, as they always are, only his mouth treats them with such gentleness, and such care, that Buck kind of wants to cry.

Eddie always looks after him. Always works hard to keep Buck's heart safe from harm.

Buck pictures it now, his heart laying uselessly in his friend's cupped hands as it continues to pump Buck's blood out of its floppy ventricles, even though there's nowhere left for it to go.

Tommy left him.

They all leave, eventually. Because everybody leaves Buck, he should know that by now.

Everyone except Eddie.

Adversely, though, it was only yesterday that Eddie had told Buck about his absolutely batshit crazy idea of moving back to El Paso, after which Buck's brain had consequently stopped sending messages to his body to tell it how to breathe.

He remembers picturing Yesterday Eddie crushing Buck's heart in a tight fist, blood and viscera oozing out from between his fingers and dripping down over his knuckles, right onto the sparkling white kitchen tiles. Then, rounding the table and chairs to step on the pedal bin pedal, he'd proceeded to throw Buck's heart away into the trash bag along with the rest of the trash.

Somehow though, in the space between the last of Buck's now-crushed heartbeats and him blinking back to reality, Buck had managed to snap out of the fucked-up vision to remind his body to keep working in the way that it's supposed to.

He'd then forced a plastic smile onto his face and painted it with as much selfless understanding as he could muster, before coming out with, “Well, we should move this party to the couch,” and offering himself up as a Realtor Virtual Meeting Wingman like a certified insane person.

Buck loved Eddie—he was his best friend in all the world—so what the fuck was he doing helping the guy turn his life into a living hell?

But helping being his first instinct was what made him realise he loved Eddie and Christopher enough to give them up, if that's what it was going to take to facilitate them getting their happiness back.

…Or so he thought.

As much as he had tried—and by god, he had really, really tried—Buck just couldn't keep up the Supportive Best Friend charade for very long.

That's when all hell had broken loose.

.

tags are under the cut, play or nay:

@inell @rosieposiepuddingnpie @sortasirius @angela-feelstoomuch @woodchoc-magnum @kitteneddiediaz @buddiebeginz @watchyourbuck @treasurehuntbuck @daffi-990 @colonoscopys @shitouttabuck @lamardeuse @idealuk @veronae-buddie @isaacthedruid @team-118 @wildehacked @playinginthunderstorms @kyoteugly @hotshotsxyz

[cosmicanamnesis]

everybody loves a coffeeshop au

[part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [read on ao3]

October 10th

The first time the cute metalhead came into the Waystation, Steve was on bar and didn't catch his name. His order wasn't complicated, but it was long. Three medium black coffees, one small London fog, a large half sweet vanilla latte with soy milk, and a small hot chocolate. He'd paid in cash, leaving the change in the tip jar, and left in a hurry balancing the drink carriers on top of each other. If it hadn't been in the middle of a rush, Steve would've run around the counter and offered to hold the door for him.

Fortunately for Steve, he came in the next day, at the same time, with the same order, and Steve was on register this time.

"And can I get a name for the order?" Steve asked, punching the drinks into the computer.

"Eddie," the man said.

"Awesome. We'll have that all at the end for you," Steve said with a smile. Eddie dropped his change in the tip jar and wordlessly walked away. 

One of Steve's favorite parts of the job was getting to talk to beautiful people. Not everyone was, of course, but a few times a day a customer would come in with long curly hair or beautiful eyes or a charming smile and Steve would fall in love with them for thirty seconds and then usually never see them again and it was fine. It was fun. It was harmless.

Eddie had all those things, all the things Steve was a sucker for, but unlike all the others, Eddie kept coming back.

It took a month or so, but eventually everyone in the shop had either taken or made Eddie's order so many times that they all knew what it was and could start making it before he'd even reached the counter. Or rather, immediately abandon Steve and force him to make it.

It was fine with Steve, though. He didn't mind making long orders, and it gave him a chance to chat with Eddie, not that he ever did. If he were a little braver, maybe he would talk, maybe ask where Eddie works, maybe get the story on why he comes in alone every day to carry an entire office's worth of drinks out.

Maybe get his number.

But Steve wasn't braver, and instead of talking to him, he contented himself to just make the drinks and sneak glances whenever he could to admire the way Eddie's hair fell over his shoulders, the way his rings glinted and drew attention to his hands, the way he would sometimes stick his tongue out, just a little, if he was really absorbed in whatever he was doing.

Steve really wanted his number.

December 3rd

“Steve!” Robin yelled from the register. “Your boyfriend’s here!”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Steve huffed, but came up front anyway as the bell on the door chimed. “Hey Eddie. Usual?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Eddie nodded, handing Steve a wad of ones and fives. He dropped the change in the tip jar, like every day, and went to the end of the counter to wait. Steve watched him as he made the order. He wasn’t doing anything, just looking at his phone, but the cold outside had flushed his cheeks bright red and Steve couldn’t help but stare.

“Is it snowing out there yet?” he asked, putting lids on the plain coffees and popping them into a carrier.

“Huh? Oh, no. Is it supposed to?” Eddie seemed surprised that someone was talking to him, but he looked up anyway, slipping his phone back in his pocket.

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Steve shrugged. “Pretty much every old lady in here this morning has complained about their arthritis and the weather, so I just assumed.”

“Oh, yeah?” Eddie laughed, leaning on the counter. Steve wanted to listen to him laugh all day.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Perks of the job, y’know? Never have to check the weather, just wait until somebody with a bad knee comes in.”

“I always thought that was a myth.”

“I dunno, man,” Steve shrugged again, sliding the drink carriers onto the counter. Eddie was smiling at him, wild curls framing his face. “They only had to be right a couple times to make me a believer.”

“Well,” Eddie said, carefully stacking the drinks on top of each other. “If it starts snowing later, I might start believing it too.”

Steve could’ve sworn Eddie winked at him on his way out.

“Oh my god, that was pathetic,” Robin said, reemerging from the back. “If you’re gonna flirt with him, just flirt with him. Is it snowing yet? Fuck off.”

“Wait, did Steve finally talk to that guy?” Chrissy, their assistant manager, poked her head out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, sorta,” Robin chided. 

“I honestly don’t know what you see in him, Steve,” Chrissy said, bringing a tray of pastries up front to put in the case.

“What? What do you mean?” Steve crossed his arms.

“Nothing! Just… He’s kinda weird, isn’t he? Like, standoffish?” She looked to Robin, who nodded. “I mean, you do you, but…”

“Wait, is this why you guys always shove me up front when he’s here?”

The girls looked at each other and then at Steve.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Chrissy admitted.

“You’re the only one that doesn’t mind him, so… He’s your problem,” Robin agreed.

“Proud of you for actually working up the nerve to talk to him, though.”

“Yeah, even if it was just about the stupid weather.”

Sure enough, it started snowing within the hour.

December 30th, Afternoon

Robin had begged Steve to swap shifts with her so she could go on a date. Normally Steve was an opener. He liked it, because he was naturally an early riser and opening meant more time after work to get shit done. But she had begged, and she was his best friend, so even though taking her closing shift messed with his whole routine, he agreed to swap. Plus, it meant he would have all of New Year’s Eve off, and that was pretty cool too.

It also meant accidentally finding out where Eddie worked.

Steve lived close enough to the cafe to walk there, and the walk took him past places that were usually still closed when he came in in the mornings. Antique store, jeweler, boutique, boutique, hair salon, tattoo parlor…

Steve took a couple steps back and looked in the front window of the tattoo place. Eddie happened to look up from whatever he was doing at that exact moment and gave him a confused sort of look. Steve just smiled and gave Eddie a small wave before going back on his way.

Well, it could’ve been more awkward.