#as if it hadn’t already imploded lmao

[pinetreevillain]

I think in HLVRAI2 Dr Coomer should be a woman

[aries-online]

Someday

Authors note: Sorry for taking such a long, unannounced hiatus. Had alot of stuff happen irl that got in the way of writing. Gonna start working on requests after this is posted lmao. The plot is kinda cliche, but i had fun writing it anyways. This is alos loosely based on the song someday from the movie Zombies. my two sisters wont stop watching it and the song someday is hella good for a movie that first aired on the disney channel.

Word count:1106

You were hopelessly optimistic in this new world you were brought to. People thought of you as strange, not only for being magicless, but for being sickenly hopeful about your place in Twisted wonderland. But despite how strange you were, you couldn’t help but capture the hearts of all those you encountered.

“Good morning” Kalim greeted, giving you a small wave as him and Jamil passed by you. “Morning” You replied with your own smile and wave “we still on for the tea party with the other dormheads after class?” you asked. He gave you an excited nod “of course! Even malleus is gonna come this time!” he replie, his smile only growing wider. You exchanged goodbyes, making your way to your separate classes. Your first class you had with your first two friends, Ace and Deuce. As you entered Trein’s classroom, you could hear them bickering over something random. “Morning you two” you greeted as you passed them by, making your way to your seat. They paused their bickering for a second to greet you in return, before shortly returning to their argument. You let out a soft chuckle as you sat in your seat. You wouldnt be too upset if Crowley never found you a way back to your world.

With a small basket of cookies you made, you started off towards the mirror hall. Waving at those who called out your name. “Heya, Little Shrimpy” Floyd called out, waving his hand high in the air, motioning you over. Beside him stood his twin, Jade. “Hello Prefect” Jade smiled as you approached. You chuckled “i thought i told you to call me [NAME], Jade” you replied. “My appologise” he replied. “Whatcha doing, shrimpy?” floyd asked, leaning down to your level, a toothy grin on his face. “Im heading to a tea party with the dormheads” you replied, a smile on your face as well. Floyd stood back up and sighed “Boring” he replied. You chuckled, pulling two cookies out of the basket. “I gotta go, but here” you said, handing each one of the cookies. “Have a good day” you continued, heading on your way once again. “Bye Shrimpy” Floyd called out after you, albeit a bit muffled from the cookie in his mouth. You let out a quiet laugh, shaking your head as you walked off.

About a week after the tea party, you were holding a water balloon fight at Ramshackle. Several students from across dorms ran around the spacious courtyard area, eaveryone was laughing and screaming and chasing eachother around. You sat on the back porch, taking a moment to calm a dizzy spell you had been feeling for the past few days, something you attributed to the summer heat. You chuckled to yourself as you watched Sebek get pelted in the face by Lilia. You grimaced slightly, your head suddenly feeling like it was about to implode. If you hadn’t already been sitting down, you would have more then likely collapsed. Once the headache subsided enough you could move once more, you stood up to make your way into your dorm, only to have your vision blur out and for you to faint. When you awoke, you were in the infirmary. Your vision was still heavily blurred, but you could hear the hushed whispers of the headmaster and the handful of people who stuck around in the infirmary with you.

“The high levels of magic they have encountered in this world has seemingly accumulated inside of their body” an unfamiliar voice explained “without magic of their own, its causing them to slowly wither away”. You hear several gasps, your vision still blurred. “Will they make it?” one of the people asked, their voice barely above a whisper”. It was silent for a moment before you heard the person respond “it is highly unlikely,but they would have the best chances in an environment that is magic free”. You knew what that meant, and you hated the thought, closing your eyes once again.

After your time in the infirmary, you were released back into the school, your vision having yet to return to normal. Grim had become sort of a guide to you, leading you by the hand wherever you had to go. “Henchman, your gonna be okay” grim said, sure of himself as you both sat at a table in the hall “after all, you have the great grim beside you. You chuckled, bringing your spoon up to your mouth. The truth was bitter, but you knew crowley was hunting for a way for you to return hom, Now more then ever.

The time of your return ceremony was in under an hour, and you couldn’t compose yourself. Warm tears had begun to stream down your face and you couldn’t stop them no matter how hard you tried. “ i dont wanna go” you muttered, furiously wiping at your face “I wanna stay”. You could hear the headmaster sigh before feeling his hand on your shoulder. “I understand how attached you got to this world and its inhabitants” he replied gently “but for the sake of your life, the student body would rather see you go home then watch you slowly perish”. You could feel his hand gently wipe away a few tears. You gave a small nod,sniffling as you did so. You let him guide you towards the mirror chamber. Despite your poor vision, you could see the very blurry outlines of your friends. One thing you were slightly happy about in this bitter moment was that you couldn’t see the crying faces of everyone around you. One by one, they each pulled you into a hug, whispering their goodbyes to you. When that was all over, crowley led you towards the big mirror in the center of the room. He spoke a few words in a language you didn’t recognize before saying the same things he did when you first arrived in their world. When it came time for you to maifest your home in your mind, you turned behind you , your vision clearing up. As the last second cleared, you gave a weak smile and whispered “i’ll be back one day”. After your last word spoken, you reached out to the mirror, feeling yourself being pulled through.

When you awoke, you were in a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages. “Oh [name]” you heard a woman whisper, causing you to turn your head slightly to the side. “Hi mama” you whispered, a grimace on your face “what happened?” you asked. You could see tears streaming down your face as she spoke. “An accident, sweetheart” she whispered “an accident”

[uglypastels]

English lit zoom class concept where you’re pushed into groups and you tell your group how come professor Holland gotta look hot as fuck even on zoom meetings wtf and your group laughs but Tom was actually checking in on your group when you said it. LMAO 🥴💀he’d probably not say anything but would go out of his way to tease you during the rest of the semester, make subtle comments about your room or how you look that day during the one on ones. ughhhhhhhj

jeeesh, I already die at normal interactions with teachers, this would make me implode lo. 

> blurb night? prompt: English Lit professor!Tom (online classes)

____________________________

“Alright guys, let’s split you up into subgroups and you can answer the questions on the story. Let’s give it... 30 minutes? And then we can all come back here and discuss what you all found.” Professor Holland said, his microphone was acting up again but you could hear him just fine. 

You quickly messaged your friends and started a sub meeting, all their faces popped up and by their grins, you could tell what they were all thinking. 

“He looks sooo good today,” one of your friends said. “Who would have thought he can even make a turtleneck look good.” 

“Guys, we should probably work on the assignment. We looked like idiots last time,” you referred to the last class you had to do answer questions individually. You and your friends spend most of the time gossiping and gigging, getting zero work done, and then Professor Holland had called on you to discuss your theory about the story... which you obviously did not have, which concluded in an awkward silence that felt like a lifetime. 

“You’re no fun, y/n.” another friend of yours said, but you all went to work without any other complains. However, what did happen, is that whenever one of them was talking they would suddenly burst out their opinions about your English Literature professor, prodding you to agree or comment yourself. Eventually, you couldn’t help but join in. 

“Oh my god, of course, he looks hot,” you said, a bit annoyed that you gave in anyway (at least you got a little work done). “I don’t even understand how someone can look so good through a laptop camera.” 

“Did you see the quality!” one of your friends remarked. “I can see every single of his perfect freckles.” You hadn’t noticed that he did have them, but you would certainly going to be on the lookout the next time your professor would show up on the screen. 

You leaned your chin on your hand, thinking about him. He really was an interesting man. So clever and funny, and so good looking. 

“Alert! I think y/n has a cru-ushh.” you couldn’t tell which one of your friends it was, but they could all see you flip them off, so it didn’t matter. Right then, you noticed that someone had left a message in the chat. You clicked and opened it and immediately froze. 

T.Holland: I didn’t want to disturb your charming chat, ladies ;) Just a reminder to be back in main at 12:30. 

[infallibleimperfection]

bakucamie sick hcs

lmao i was not going to post these but i thought i would just go for it~ I wrote these for Meg, my precious daughter (@teenytraveler), and i’ve already seen (and heard lol) your reaction but here they are again! :)

Camie hears from the bakusquad that Bakugou didn’t attend school that day because he was down with a fever and despite his angry protests, his mum knocked him out and made him stay in

Because she’s a good friend (and totally wants to see the Bakugou sick) she offers to take his handouts to him (yes, Mina handed them over willingly with plenty of winks too)

When she gets to his house, Mitsuki opens, “Oh my! Are you one of Katsuki’s friends?” “Yep! I’m Camie and I’m here to drop some stuff off!” “OH! You’re Camie! Katsuki has mentioned you before! Please come in!” Camie enters and straight away, Mitsuki puts on a coat, “Now that you’re here, please take care of my son whilst I attend a meeting! Thank you, Camie!”

Camie just rolls with it, walking towards the direction Mitsuki pointed in before she left and when she opens the door, she’s greeted with the sight of Bakugou half out of his bed, his face red and he scowls, “What the fuck are you doing here?!” Except he’s cut off by the sound of his own coughs so Camie runs over to him and pushes him back into bed.

“I’m totes gonna nurse you back to health!” “Fuck no!” “Awww, Bakuboo, you sound totally adorable with your hoarse voice, fam!” “Piss,” cough, “Off!” “Nope~!” And she proceeds to tuck him back into bed.

Camie then borrows his kitchen to make him some congee and Bakugou is forced to listen to her rummaging around his home because as much as he wants to, he’d rather not get up and possibly fall over from dizziness in front of her.

“Here is Camie’s famous congee!” “Are you sure you can cook?” “Bakuboo! Don’t be rude.” “Don’t blame me for not trusting you!” “This is totes not cool, bro! Just get up and eat, ah~” “Knock it off!”

After he eats, albeit warily (but he can’t really refuse her when she pouts at him), Camie tells him to go to sleep and he’s super stubborn at first because he doesn’t trust her in his house whilst he’s unconscious but she says that she’ll sing lullabies until he does sleep so he concedes.

Before that, he needs to change his clothes because they’re sweaty and in his moment of feverish mind, he asks Camie to get him some clothes, forgetting that it’s Camie.

“Oooo, you have some lit clothes, Bakuboo!” “Oi!” “They all smell super-duper nice too!” “Stop!” “OMG, is this your underwear-,” “JUST GET ME SOME PYJAMAS!”

It doesn’t end there though, because when Bakugou sits up to get changed, Camie’s just sitting there with her legs tucked under her and she just watches him with a smile and he’s so confused because “Isn’t she going to leave?!”

“Get the fuck out.” “Do you need some help?” “What?” “Here.” And she just starts pulling his top up, exposing his stomach and covering half of his head and he almost implodes, “NO! JUST LEAVE!”

He does finally go to sleep, however, and Camie is just in awe of how quiet Bakugou can be. He does have a deep set furrow between his brows though and she laughs because he looks angry even when he’s sleeping. Carefully, she touches the centre of the furrowing in curiosity and she smiles softly when the wrinkles dissipate and his expression becomes more peaceful.

“He looks adorable,” she whispers, and he does - who knew King Explosion Murder could look anything but that. The worst part (for Camie’s heart) is when he turns his head, nudging towards her hand as if instinctively looking for her touch and she has to stifle her squeals when he rests his head on her palm, turning enough that his lips are grazing the heel of her thumb.

Soon enough, Camie also falls asleep seeing as she can’t move her hand from under Bakugou’s face. Bakugou awakes before Camie though, and he blinks a few times because Camie’s face is so close to his and he has no idea why.

“Oi,” he croaks out, his voice tinged with the cold he’s housing and it’s not until he feels the warmth of her skin on his cheek that he realises why she’s sleeping so close to him. With as much speed a sick person can muster, he shoots upwards to put distance between him and the sleeping girl.

He manages to shake her awake in the end and she rowses from her sleep, one side of her face red from laying on it and eyes blinking sleepily as she remembers where she is.

“Bakugou?” “Don’t get so close to me!” “Huh? Why not?” “I’m sick and hot, who knows what could happen. I might even fucking explode or something.” It’s safe to say that Camie hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time and Bakugou’s countless threats to quieten her did nothing to stop her chuckles.

“Bakuboo.” “What?” “Did you know that you look like an innocent child when you sleep?” “The fuck?!” “Lol, I’m totes kidding, you still look angry.” “What-.” “Still super adorable though.” “...” (cue Bakugou’s fever increasing.)

Camie then insists she take his temperature and he begins to reach for the thermometer on the bedside table but before he can grab it, Camie suddenly pushes him back down. Before he can protest, she shoves his bangs up with one hand and presses her forehead against his.

“What the actual-.” “Hmmm, you still seem a bit warm~.” “G-get off me, you hag!” And then just Bakugou wrestling against Camie’s strong hold to push her off him because her breath is washing over his face and her hair is falling in tickly motions across his face and he just can’t.

After much convincing, Camie finally takes his temperature the normal way but Bakugou does not trust her so after a minute or two (to let himself calm down) he snatches the thermometer from her to check his own temperature.

“Why the fuck did you come here anyway?” “Oh! Some of your gang let me take your handouts to bring them to you!” “Those fuckers.” “Aww, Bakuboo, don’t act like you weren’t glad to see me!” He scoffs. “AWWWW! YOU DIDN’T DENY IT!” “GO HOME!”

At last, Camie does pack up to go home, telling Bakugou that there’s some congee leftover and that if he needs her then she’s only a phone call away (she winks too and he rolls his eyes.)

Begrudgingly, Bakugou does say thanks - “You were really fucking annoying but the congee was good enough, I suppose.” “Look at how a mere cold has made the Bakugou actually somewhat nice!” He scowls and she giggles, messing up his hair affectionately.

Despite her telling him to stay in bed, he still gets up to walk her to the door and the gesture warms her heart. This is precisely why she can’t be held accountable for her next action.

“You need to turn left, okay?! Don’t get fucking lost ‘cause I’m not coming to help you!” “Bakugou.” “What?” She places a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the weirded out expression on his face and she presses a soft kiss to his parted mouth, drawing back to see him rigidly frozen in place.

Winking, she says, “If I catch a cold, you’ll be responsible for taking caring of me~!” Walking out the door, she hears his furious spluttering, “WHY THE FUCK WOULD I BE- YOU KISSED ME!”

Unbeknownst to Camie, Bakugou remains at his doorstep for a further five minutes in absolute confusion over what happened and he wonders if that was just a one-time Camie thing or if it would be a recurring thing. Not to mention his bemusement over the accelerating thudding in his chest.

“Katsuki? What the hell are you doing just standing there?!”

Unbeknownst to Bakugou, Camie returns home just to jump into bed and muffle her squeals into her pillow because as bold as she may come off, even that was too much for her to handle. She presses her lips together, attempting to savour the feel of his warm lips against hers before her line of thought is interrupted by the small sneeze that escapes her.

(8:23) oi, you home yet?

(8:24) yep x

(8:24) i guess you’re gonna have to nurse me back to health soon though ;)

[bartsugsy]

Help my useless ass out! so i dont understand what happened in Roberts head during their ex husband awkward thing they had at valentines. He didnt genuinely rmbr they spent their last vldays having sex or he pretended he didnt so aaron had to spell it for him? Was he really that naive and "fallen out of love" that he basically said "chill aaron you and alex are perfect almost you just need time to get to know each other. we did everything wrong"??? Hmm

i think, in terms of whether robert had forgotten or not about their valentine’s day together in 2017 (which would have been their first and only valentine’s day together), i tend to think it was more along the lines of robert just trying to sort of make conversation and keep things light, because they’re obviously reminiscing and also because this is literally the most amount of time they’ve really spent together since they broke up outside of whenever they were working together, which at least had the safety of ‘we don’t have to talk bc it’s a workplace’

so rob was just like oh haha what did we do, but not really thinking through what he was saying lmao

and then aaron reminds him exactly what they did and he realises that he has made.... a mistake. not exactly the best subject to bring up while you’re trying to keep a conversation light and airy, is it, the day long fuckfest you had with each other when you were together.

and as far as why robert was encouraging alex and aaron:

the show made a few things clear between christmas - valentine’s day:

christmas: robert is still very much in love with aaron and wants to be with aaron. the ofc he undergoes the emotional journey of getting hit by a car and having a psychic dream, which leads aaron to coming to visit robert and the two of them having that conversation at the end of christmas; aaron makes it clear that he’s not ready to go back there with robert even though he clearly still loves him and robert accepts that and they agree to be friends (and it feels like a literal break up even though they’re already broken up)

aaron makes a concerted effort to do as he said to robert he would and decides to get down and dirty with alex a lil

robert for his part, uses that conversation as like... a goodbye, i guess. he actively decides to finally step back and allow aaron to move on with his life (rather than letting his heartbroken feelings for aaron drive him to try and kill people lmao)

robert still loves aaron, but he’s matured enough to know that aaron’s happiness is more important. he literally helps to save aaron’s birthday by helping alex choose a present - he doesn’t do that to benefit aaron and alex’s relationship, he does it because he knows it will make aaron happy and that’s worth the pain it causes him to help progress aaron and alex’s relationship

it’s like... one of the most selfless things robert has ever done in his life, that moment

and then he finally finally takes his wedding ring off, because he knows he needs to move on

no more destroying families, no more crashing aaron’s dates, no more doing things that will inevitably end with him ruining both his own and aaron’s lives

robert also is then immediately distracted by the fact that he’s suddenly a literal single parent (who low-key sort of caused a car crash that killed his ex-wife and father-in-law and put the mother of his kid in a coma) (or so he thinks lmao) (lachlan

robert and aaron continue to be friends to one another. aaron sees that robert is having like... the worst time in the world and offers to watch over seb twice, but doesn’t tell alex bc uh

uh aaron thinks alex would think there are ulterior motives bc

obviously there are

bc obviously aaron is in love with robert

and uh

it turns out he’s not actually bothered by the existence of little seb anymore and emotionally he too has moved past what happened the year before

rob notices that aaron didn’t tell alex what was going down, but literally

LITERALLY HE IS SLEEP DEPRIVED AND DEALING WITH SOME LOWKEY TRAUMA AND HE’S LITERALLY JUST LET AARON GO AND JUST HAD TO DEAL WITH FINALLY CLOSING THE DOOR ON THEIR RELATIONSHIP

AND SO HE DOESN’T LIKE

REALLY THINK 

THAT MUCH

OF AARON NOT TELLING ALEX

not in the way he would have just a few months prior lmao

AND HE GOES TO APOLOGISE TO AARON BC HE DOESN’T ACTUALLY WANT TO COME BETWEEN AARON AND ALEX BC HE WANTS AARON TO BE HAPPY AND THEN BC HE’S GENUINELY TRYING TO BE A GOOD FRIEND

HE HELPS AARON FIX THE MESS HE’S MADE OF THE PASTA 

bc robert is the cook in this family 

and then we get the valentine’s day content

but so like

it’s not robert not being in love with aaron at all

it’s that robert spent the better part of a year refusing to shut the door on aaron and finally, finally he’d reached a place where he could and still after then, had to deal with even more repercussions of his actions during the period where he couldn’t (severe, awful, people-literally-died, his-son’s-life-has-been-changed-forever repercussions) 

PLUS the break up was literally driven by the fact that robert and aaron’s relationship imploded on itself in the most dramatic, fraught way - aaron ended up in hospital, robert almost ended up getting fucking murdered, a literal baby was made, aaron was in prison 

like, they were a fucking mess

and robert has finally reached the point where he’s really able to acknowledge that breaking up was the right thing for them to do (something he really hadn’t been able to do all the way until he got hit by larry’s car at christmas lmao, given that he was literally in the pub that night drunkenly begging for aaron to take him back) 

and so rob.... he had grown a lot and realised a lot and was trying his absolute and complete best

to the point where EVEN WHEN AARON LITERALLY WENT TO KISS HIM

HE STILL WAS LIKE

,,,,,may,, b e??

ROBERT OF A FEW MONTHS BEFORE WOULD HAVE LITERALLY FUCKIN

FAKED ANOTHER CAR BREAKDOWN OR SOMETHING

but this robert let aaron not only completely take the lead, but then actively tried to refuse aaron when he finally broke and tried to get robert back

they’d just been through a lot and robert had genuinely, genuinely closed the door on them both ever getting to spend the rest of their lives together

luckily, aaron on the other hand had done no such thing and now it’s been a year and they’re stupidly happy and stupidly stupidly in love

and they’re trying to have another baby

robert had so many opportunities to sabotage things between aaron and alex and the thing is, we know that a robert from an earlier time in his life would have done that and more, because robert is that conniving and sneaky and he wants what he wants and he’ll go to extremes to have it

but he didn’t and that’s the point

it’s not that he loves aaron less, it’s that he’s finally realised how to love aaron right

and luckily it worked out really well for him

[krustywhore]

beat and broken spirits

ok i made you guys wait long enough for this lmao (title is from the musical jasper in deadland)

tw: violence and depression (mild suicidal thoughts if you interpret them that way)

thanks to the lovely anon that requested this fic!!! here’s a little long-anticipated au in which jack goes to the refuge instead of crutchie

Jack knew it was stupid. He knew he was abandoning his newsies and virtually all of Manhattan, but he couldn’t care less. He knew Race had been dying to actually do something as his second in command and with Davey there, they’d be able to hold down the fort just fine.

Davey.

God, it had only been a day and he already missed him. Besides, he had no way of knowing if he was okay or not and the suspense was tearing him apart.

Davey was a part of him. They fit together like puzzle pieces, as cheesy as it was. They were two opposite pieces that fit perfectly when they were together, but now they were apart and there was nothing he could do.

Still, he didn’t regret it. Crutchie was his brother. The oldest family he’s ever known and he’d be damned if he ever let anything happen to that boy.

So into the refuge he went. It was a small price to pay, really.

But being away from them all was absolute torture. He’d been with all of those kids every day for as long as he could remember, but they had all spent nights apart in the past. Some more than others with a few kids going home to their folks like Davey or others like Race spending as much as weeks in Brooklyn at a time. Nonetheless, he missed them all when he didn’t have a choice if he could see them or not. Back home he could always spend the night at Medda’s theater if he wanted or even go visit other boroughs occasionally, but he could always go back home afterwards.

Not anymore.

So he kept his mouth shut and tried to make his stay as short and painless as possible.

That proved to be extremely difficult when Snyder came in for his first night. It had been nearly five years since jack had escaped from the refuge, but all of that pent up anger still remained and he held no mercy.

Jack woke up on the floor the next morning with more bruises than he could count.

Despite it all, he kept to himself, biting his tongue when he felt like spewing insults and holding his breath when he felt like crying. It wasn’t healthy, he knew that, but there was one way he would survive in there and that was by hiding anything they could use to hurt him.

He had a few things keeping him going; his family of brother and sisters and David Jacobs.

Davey was really something else. He was someone Jack would’ve never thought he’d find himself caring about, but that boy had a monopoly over his heart and Jack had no idea what to do. He didn’t know what to do with those feelings, but he sure as hell couldn’t make them known here if he wanted to live to see another day.

He was glad he did. Every time he decided to live one more day, there was something that made him regret it. He’d get picked my Snyder yet another time or he’d get sent to solitary for a day, but every time something made it feel like hell was sunshine and rainbows, something else would come around and he’d have a little sliver of hope again.

About three days in, he saw Specs at the barred window and nearly wept with relief. He wouldn’t have cared who they sent, but to see a friend was like a miracle. Still, that wasn’t all as the boy slid a small bundle of papers through the bars and told Jack he would be back with some of the others in the morning. He hadn’t been so happy in ages.

So he tucked the bundle under a mattress and waited until after Snyder had came to make his final rounds for the night. He climbed up to the windowsill once he was sure everyone else was asleep and read every page under the dim streetlights outside.

There was a letter from nearly everyone he loved.

‘Heya Jack, I guess ya’ could say I’s doin’ alright takin’ over for ya’, but it really ain’t the same without ya’. Don’t tell any a’ tha’ others I’s sayin’ that, but you’s way better than I could eva’ be. Wish me luck, Jackie. You’s gonna’ make it outta’ there, I promise ya’, and when ya’ do, I’ll do my best ta’ make sure you’s got somethin’ left ta’ come back to. -Racer’

He knew there was no way Race wasn’t selling himself short, but it was nice to know he’d at least still have a borough to come home to.

‘Jack these kids is losin’ they’s shit without you so hurry up and get ya’ ass outta’ there. -Spot Conlon’

That one was a surprise. Well, not what he wrote, but the fact that Spot Conlon took the time to write something was, well, something.

‘Jack, I don’t even know what ta’ say. I could say thank you’s, but I wish ya’ hadn’t done it. I could say I miss you’s, but that’s not even close ta’ how badly I need ya’ back. Specs n’ Race won’t let me come see ya’, but jus’ know I’d be there if I could. I’ll be here waitin’ for ya’ for as long as it takes. Your brother, Crutchie’

Okay that one he really had to try not to cry. He knew he wouldn’t if it meant it would ruin the writing, but he wanted to so bad.

He could tell exactly what the next one was without even reading a word. It was perfectly written with impeccable spelling and handwriting so neat it could’ve been printed.

‘Jackie, I need you out of there. I don’t know what I have to do, but I can’t do this without you. I can’t seem to bring myself to say anything I need to, but I guess that’s just because I trust you enough to get yourself out of there. I’ll be there to see you soon, I promise. Just hold on. I need you around so don’t you dare think about anything less than coming back home. I’ll wait as long as it takes. -David’

God, Davey just…did things to him. Feelings things. Disgusting, annoying, and painful feelings that would get him killed in a heartbeat if anyone found out.

He quickly stuffed the letters under his mattress and curled up on the windowsill. The next morning couldn’t come soon enough.

So he stood through beatings and woke up to yet another fist to his stomach. The blood in his mouth had become almost natural at that point as he added to the stain on the cuff of his sleeve and collected himself off the ground.

The other kids in the refuge weren’t cruel for leaving him alone, he was the only one they touched and for them to get a break from the never-ending torture of Snyder’s hand, they would take it gladly. Jack understood. The first time he was in the refuge, he would’ve done the same, he didn’t blame them at all.

But he wanted to get out. He wanted to be able to go home. He wanted to be back in the lodging house and lecture the kids about leaving the door open and probably stop Finch from shooting rocks at pedestrians out the window with his slingshot and he wanted to slip a few pennies into the pocket of a kid who’d had a slow day. He wanted to go home and take a head count of all of his kids as they came back from selling and tuck the little ones into their bunks like a real dad and tease the ones cuddled up and sharing together like a real big brother would. He wanted to pretend like he didn’t know what Race was doing when he snuck through the window past midnight with his hair ruffled and his suspenders hastily buckled. He wanted to chase around one of the younger kids that decided to try on Specs’ glasses. He wanted to save Katherine from Romeo’s never-ending advances when she came to visit. He wanted to go home so he could leave again in the morning to go with all of his kids to the circulation gates and see Davey again.

That was the only thing keeping him going as he crawled his virtually-useless form up to the window and grinned at the boys climbing up the fire escape.

He could see the sun spots refracting onto the metal bars and the bright red waves from a mile away but before he knew it, there they were right outside the bars and he finally felt a little closer to home.

“Jack, holy shit!” Albert practically screamed as he climbed up to the window, jack quickly slipping his thin wrist through the bars to quiet him.

“Shut up, ya’ hear? If Snyder comes back ‘ere I ain’t got a chance,” Jack hissed, relaxing a little when he was sure no one was coming. “I can’t have ‘im gettin’ the two a’ you’s too.”

Specs crawled up beside Albert and nodded solemnly. “Yeah, we’s sorry. It’s jus’…ya’ look terrible Jack.”

He rolled his eyes to hide the fact that he knew just how bad he looked and that wasn’t even the worst of it.

“Thanks, real charmers, both a’ you’s,” he teased before they decided that the two weren’t having any of it. “I’s fine, I’ll be out a’ here in no time, jus’ make sure Manhattan doesn’t implode while I’s gone.”

That got a smirk out of Albert at least.

“I think when ya’ get back you’s gonna’ need a new second,” he chuckled knowingly, nudging Specs who groaned.

“What? Don’t tell me Racer cracked unda’ pressure,” Jack exhaled, running his hands through his hair.

“Nah, he’s doin’ jus’ fine, but he’s got some competition now ’s all,” Specs clarified, intriguing Jack.

“Crutchie?”

“Davey,” he revealed, Jack grinning at the mention of the boy.

“Oh,” he spoke softly, a slight redness covering his cheeks as he couldn’t shake the smile. “How is he?”

The two boys looked between each other before shifting towards the ladder.

“He made us promise not ta’ say anythin’ until he could come visit,” Albert started, swinging down onto the ladder. “He’s comin’ by in a few hours. He jus’ had ta’ make sure Les got home okay, but he’s been real worried ‘bout you’s.”

And with that he dipped down out of view and Specs took his place, descending down the ladder after the other.

“Jus’ try ta’ stay safe, Jackie. We’s got a plan in tha’ works ta’ get you’s outta’ there, don’t worry,” he winked, slipping down the ladder and leaving Jack sitting there with a giddy smile on his face.

Davey. Davey was coming to see him. He was going to get to see Davey.

He couldn’t shake the smile off his face for the rest of the afternoon. In fact, he waited on that windowsill all day until he heard the rattling of the ladder and all of a sudden…there he was.

“Jack?” Davey’s shy voice broke Jack from his awe-like trace as he just stared at the boy with childlike wonder.

“Oh my god you’re real,” he spoke, unintentionally out loud.

The other boy’s smile was enough to make Jack feel like he was already out and running free. He made him feel like he was already back home. Davey made him feel at home.

Davey felt like home.

“Jackie…what have they been doing to you?” Davey looked horrified as he slipped his wrists through the bars on the window as let his fingers brush gently over the bruises covering the other boy’s face and neck. He could feel his face heat up at the touch, but shied away, his heart pounding out of his chest.

“It’s nothing, Dave. Serious, it ain’t that bad,” he mumbled, trying to keep the smile on the other boy’s face as long as he could. “How’s tha’ strike goin’?”

Davey looked disappointed at Jack’s sudden change of topic, but shrugged it off anyway.

“We’re managing. We had an idea to hold this rally at Medda’s theater with all the city’s newsies,” he spoke, brightening a little talking about their plans.

“Tha’ rest a’ tha’ city? You mean they’s all with us?” Jack couldn’t help but feel a rise of hope in his heart as Davey confirmed.

“It wasn’t worth it though,” Davey grumbled, his excited expression crumbling.

Jack froze, looking up and reaching through the bars to place his hand on Davey’s knee.

“What d’you-“

“Losing you wasn’t worth it, Jackie,” he whispered, leaning his head against the bars of the window, Jack doing the same. “I…I can’t do this without you.”

Jack felt his eyes burning and his throat close up as he reached through the bars, clinging to the other boy’s hands for dear life.

“I need you’s all ta’ make this work, Dave,” he started, his voice cracking as tears spilled down his cheeks. “I can’t stay in this place, I’s running out a’ things that make me want ta’ keep goin’, I don’t…know what to do without you here.”

As soon as those words left his lips, the tears he was held back for so long just cascaded down his cheeks in an unstoppable flood.

“I-i’s s’pposed ta’ be strong n’ get out a’ here so’s I can get back home, b-but I jus’ want out. Not just out a’ here, but jus’…out in general,” he whimpered, a small sob cracking Davey’s own ragged breaths as he grabbed Jack’s hands, clutching them tightly.

“No, no no no, Jackie I need you! I can’t do this without you much longer, I-I’m nothing without you here. I’m gonna’ fix this, I promise you,” he whispered, neither of them daring to look at anything other than their intertwined hands.

“P-please help me…,” he choked out. “I don’t want to feel like this, it just…hurts.”

Davey nodded shakily with their foreheads pressed together.

“I know, I know, but we’re gonna’ get you out of here in no time and then once we do,” he exhaled, sniffling slightly. “I’m never letting you go again, I promise.”

Maybe it was a mix of all of the loneliness and the finality of their conversation, but for whatever reason, this felt like his only chance. Jack leaned back, Davey’s hurt expression appearing the moment they separated, but Jack simply pulled him close with their hands clasped together as their lips met gently through the bars over the window.

When they separated, it only seemed to hurt more that, yes there definitely was a chance that they’d never be able to do that again, but with one heartbroken smile from each, they promised each other that they’d make sure it wasn’t. Davey slipped out of view, tears still running down his cheeks as he climbed down the fire escape and reluctantly left Jack alone up on the windowsill to sit with his thoughts.

One more day, he told himself. Just keep going one more day.

[macgregorhoughton]

First off, thanks for sharing your headcanons, I love them! I'm really hoping theres gonna be ride references too, from the clips we're getting the puns at least. I'm gonna be watching the backgrounds for any sneaky references to the Society but I bet you're right, its going to be in there somewhere. I’m the same with the Native issue, I’m a bit worried how they’ll deal with it but hope they might have a bit of awareness and address how messed up some of the stereotypes the ride had were- cont

Response under the cut! (following asks copied there too for reference)

First of all before I respond to anything, you do not have to apologise. This is quite literally my dream way to spend my time- talking to someone about a thing I like at length. The fact that you checked all the posts I made and took time to respond to them with your thoughts means the world to me.

2- I’m also really hoping we get a lot for McGregor (wtf is with that alternate spelling Disney?? But I do want the other two to call him Mac, I’d love that), learning to relax and find his place. I LOVE that Lily gets to do physical comedy, you’re right female characters often only get to be funny so long as that means they can still be sexy while doing it. Lily looks like she just goes “nope” to that and dives headfirst into a bit of slapstick and I love her already- cont

3- I really like Dwayne, hes got a warmth to him that comes across in Frank, even if hes trying not to show it to the siblings at first. I really want proper sibling moments too and I love that little one we got in the clip. Like, “you don’t get to laugh at my sister, now excuse me while I go give her a hand while laughing at her”. Like thats a great example of having siblings, I’ll help you out, but I’m totally going to mock you while doing it, but no one else can. BTS have me hopeful too- cont

4- I love your idea for the coming out scene. I think they’d be walking a very fine line in order to get it right, but if they did it could be wonderful. I really really hope we get that scene, no skirting around it or making vague illusions, I want McGregor to say “I’m gay” outright. Like, we’ll all know he is even if they don’t let him say it but for once I want Disney to live up to what they promised and let an actual main character be actually gay.- cont

5- I love the connection with the lights for our trio in the posters, I didn't put that together. I really want them to be a proper Trio, I’m really hoping this is a success so we can get sequels. Even if they’re terrible I still want them to see these three together. FRANK IS HUGGING MCGREGOR, I’VE GOT A GOOD FEELING ABOUT THIS ALREADY. I don’t really have many thoughts on our three villains, other than I'm getting evil musketeer, smug plantation owner & WWII in that order- cont

6- I LOVE THAT GIF SET OF THE PUNS SO MUCH!! McGregor’s little smile and his laugh, hes loving it, Frank is loving getting a reaction, Lily is going to eventually find it funny how unfunny they are. I can’t get over how much I love McGregor’s little face in this, I can’t want for this scene, I’m gonna join you in imploding. Also, in your protective brother gifset, is he wearing a little tartan/ plaid suit? Love it. And on that note, I adore Lily’s costumes- practical and realistic but flattering

7- ok so thats me taken up far too much of your ask box, I haven't even property looked at the press tour things yet, but I do have one more thing, I have a theory about how Jack ends up in the middle of Emily and Dwayne's kiss if you'd like to hear it. Thanks for kickstarting this fandom and the wonderful gif sets, we're so close now! - Skip

So on to my very long response!

I've watched SO much about the ride just so I'm prepared to catch any reference. They just released Behind the Attraction on Disney+ and ep 1 is about the Jungle Cruise ride (Dwayne Johnson is in it too!). He talks about how much he loved the ride as a kid and used to imagine himself as a skipper which is SO cute and I'm so happy his dreams came true (and I find it very relatable as someone who dreams about being a raptor handler at Universal).

I'm genuinely a lil mad that the spelling changed. Because if you google it really everyone thought it was McGregor, they must've at some point released something on the movie for the press with that spelling and then changed their mind. Now everyone has it wrong because I suspect these featurettes are also gonna be the DVD/Bluray extras so I'm confident this is the final spelling. However I will continue to live in denial until I see the other spelling ON SCREEN.

"I really like Dwayne, hes got a warmth to him that comes across in Frank, even if hes trying not to show it to the siblings at first." Yes! I love that every character is a trope that I ADORE. Frank is the cynic who thinks everyone just wants to cheat you anyway and miracles don't exist who eventually cracks and warms up to people and shows that there is a soft, warm person in there after all. Lily is wildly optimistic and aggressively individualistic, not trying to fit in or caring about what anyone thinks and will probably have a moment of losing that optimism and doubting herself after all. And McGregor is the person who appears to think he's better than everyone, who's pampered and refuses to sacrifice any of the luxuries he's used to until he reveals he's gay and you realise most of it was just a show to cover up how hurt he really is. Three PEAK character tropes we're working with here and COMBINED with a reluctant-allies to lovers and a siblings trope.

"Like, “you don’t get to laugh at my sister, now excuse me while I go give her a hand while laughing at her”. Like thats a great example of having siblings, I’ll help you out, but I’m totally going to mock you while doing it, but no one else can" I have a gifset for that queued already, I love that you also focused on that rightaway bc I really went "Siblings! peak sibling energy!!" and gifed it immediately.

Based on the reports (that I cannot stress enough I have no idea how accurate they are) he doesn't say "gay" but it's unambiguous what he's talking about. Let's hope that's true! I'm imaginging some sort of "relationships with men" or "no interest in women but rather men" or sth like that. I hadn't really considered that it might be ambiguous to someone who doesn't know he's supposed to be gay so that's a new fear unlocked lmao

I'm going to be so sad if we don't get sequels cause so many franchises with several movies don't have a core group of actors that are just friends and get along as well naturally as these three. Or if we get more movies and Jack isn't in them or sth like that. Like any future where these three aren't the leading trio in more movies is a nightmare.

"I'm getting evil musketeer, smug plantation owner & WWII in that order" this sent me I swear. I'm most interested in Edgar Ramirez bc I'm curious abt the whole "conquistador alive "today"" thing. also what's up with the snakes lmao.

McGregor laughing at Frank's puns alone could sustain me another year if I had to wait that long for the movie. Luckily I don't have to. It is so wholesome tho, like the fact that they're gonna get along and also get closer and McGregor won't end up sidelined for being a bitch until the last minute or sth is so wonderful.

And yes! It's tartan! We've seen p little of the beginning of the movie in London and since that's gonna be focused on just Lily and McGregor I'm so excited bc we got so little content so there's gonna be SO much in the movie to look forward to that I can barely even piece together!!! (All we know is lily will steal the arrowhead before falling out of the window which mcgregor sees and he immediately follows her so I assume he knew to come there and that there's a scene where she asks him in one of their bedrooms about wanting to go on an adventure. So I'm assuming the bedroom scene comes first and she'll tell him about the arrowhead, he'll refuse to help her but decide to come last minute because he's worried about her (and the worry is immediately proven right as she falls out of a window lol). But we know so little that it's a really loose theory.

And yes!! Lily's costumes are so good. Frank calls her Pants so they will absolutely address that she's dressed very unusual for a woman of her status in 1916/17 and I hope they explore that a little and address where she even gets her clothes and everything. I mean Emily Blunt looks good in everything but the costume department really made something gorgeous with this. She is, for the time the movie is set in, very gender nonconforming which I love in a female lead. And Emily described Lily's fighting style as very Indiana Jones and brutal without much tactic or thinking and just brute force and I really would die for this characterisation. Like when I compare this to similar female leads like in The Mummy for example they're usually highly feminine, aggressive only in their attittude and witty banter but always emphasised to be beautiful and wearing dresses and lots of (usually historically inaccurate) makeup and they get like one scene where they smack the bad guy with sth heavy or sth so noone can say they're a damsel in distress even though they are. But Lily feels very much like a coherent person to me. She's very unusual for a woman at her time, her desire for adventure is in line with how she fights and dresses but she doesn't seem to have the "uwu I'm not like other girls" thing going on, she's just exactly who she is and wants to be.

and of COURSE I wanna hear your theory are you kidding! Cause I still haven't figured it out at all lmao. I just settled on "she probably meant he was off screen but right next to them while they filmed it" or sth bc I couldn't make sense of it otherwise.

also I haven't posted everything new directly here I think, but you probably know where to look for the new stuff. like there's some clips on their instagrams and most stuff is on youtube.

[femslashy]

begin again | chapter seven

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It’s been three years since Baz left the sleepy Isle of Mage to attend university in London, and he hasn’t regretted a thing–except maybe leaving Simon behind. Convinced he’ll never be forgiven, Baz refuses to even visit until a frantic phone call from his stepmother sends him running home. Once there, Baz is forced to confront his past, question the future, and maybe, just maybe, get that second chance he’s always desired.

genre(s): angst+fluff+smut (ya passed it bub)

chapter length:  1208 words

triggers/warnings: none for this chapter

author’s note: a giant thank you to @amandaisnotwriting  & @rainbowbaz (who should probs be listed as a co-writer for this one lmao) for the beta/britpicking! full acknowledgments will be posted with the last chapter

“My arm is asleep.”

“Deal with it,” I say, “I’m not moving.”

“I’m serious. It’s gone all tingly,” Simon complains.

“Stop being so comfortable then.” I’m not prepared for what happens next, which is Simon using his other hand to shove my shoulder, forcing me to roll off him and onto the carpet. “What the hell, Simon!”

“My arm was asleep.”

“My arm was asleep,” I mimic, rubbing at my hip where it collided with the door frame. “That fucking hurt.”

Simon has the decency to look apologetic, and offers me his arm again, only this time it’s the opposite side. I accept his silent invitation, burrowing back into the warmth his body provides.

He kisses the top of my head. “Better?”

I nod, and he kisses me again, this time closer to my forehead.

“So, what’s the plan for the week then?” he asks, “You are planning to stay the week, right?”

“If you’ll have me,” I say, and he chuckles because the answer is obvious.

“What about after?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re coming back for Christmas, right?”

“Right,” I answer slowly, already starting to dread where this is going.

“What about after that? What about…my birthday?”

“You mean summer?”

“Yeah.”

“Most likely,” I say, and then decide I need to get the next part out quick before I lose my nerve. “But I won’t stay. I’ll be…I’m going to be looking for jobs. In the city.”

Simon inhales sharply. I’m dislodged once again as he sits up, raking his fingers through his hair and looking taken aback by my confession. Shocked, like he’d really had no idea. “So you’re not moving back?”

Quick. Like a band-aid. “Of course not,” I say, “why would I? What reason is there to do that? Why would I want to be stuck in Watford forever? There’s nothing here, Simon!” I’m shouting now. “No opportunities!” I’m breathing heavier now, getting angrier as I ask, “Is this really the future you want for yourself? Working at the cafe for the rest of your life? Spending your days milking fucking goats? Did you ever stop and consider that this is not the future I wanted? That I don’t want that?” I feel exposed, sitting in front of him in just my pants, so I feel around for the trackie bottoms. I find the top first, and then Simon finally speaks up.

“Me.”

My hand finally closes around the bottoms, and I whip my head to look at him. “What?”

“You wanted a reason to stay. Me.”

I don’t say anything, and there’s a horrible silence as it dawns on him.

“I’m not enough, am I?”

“Simon…”

“Save it, Baz.” His voice is terse, but there’s enough of a wobble there to let me know he’s trying not to cry.

My world, everything we've built up to these past five months, feels like it's about to implode. My heart is pounding. This can’t be happening again, not after everything I’ve done to get him back. We’re finally in a good place and I’ve gone and fucked it up.

My thoughts are scrambled; I can’t make anything coherent come out of my mouth except a broken, “please.”

“Please, what? Please understand that you’re choosing London over me? Again? I trusted you, Baz. I opened up and trusted you and you broke it. Again! Do you not get it? Do you really not get it? I love you, Baz! I never stopped loving you, not once! But I— ”

“Why do I have to choose?” I say, interrupting him.

Now it’s his turn to be speechless, and it’s obvious the thought never even occurred to him. “Come with me,” I say, “come to London. Why do we have to stay in Watford to be together?”

“Because Watford is my home.”

“And London is mine. Why should I be the one to give that up? Why can’t you just come back to London with me?”

“I...I just—I just can’t, Baz, okay? I can’t. And I think—I think you need to leave.” The words sound thick on his tongue, like he’s fighting to get them out.

I can’t tell if he means the island or his house, but I don’t stick around to find out before I’m yanking my clothes on and searching out my suitcase. I hadn’t even have a chance to unpack it, which only serves to help me make a cleaner escape.

I can hear footsteps behind me, and a thrill goes up my spine at the prospect that it’s Simon, that he’s followed me to beg me to stay, but instead he asks, “When were you going to tell me?” and then, smaller and more resigned, “were you ever going to tell me?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Summer.”

“What the fuck? That long? What the fuck?”

“I didn’t realise you needed a warning 10 months in advance,” I say sarcastically, and his face hardens.

“Get out,” he says, and my heart breaks when his voice does. “Get out,” he repeats, and it sounds like he’s about to force me.

So I do.

***

I don’t know where to go. I can’t go to my family’s house; they don’t even know I’m back, and this isn’t exactly the headspace I want to be in when I tell them. There’s a ferry leaving soon, and while it’s tempting to wait and see if Simon comes after me, I know he’s far too stubborn. And I know I’ve fucked up too badly. He’s not coming. So I’m leaving.

I reach into my pocket for my phone so I can call Andrea, and I start when my hand brushes my leg, because I don’t feel denim. The material is soft and grey and there’s a pit in my stomach now because I’m wearing his fucking tracksuit.

And that’s when I finally let myself cry.

***

The stars are different here.

That’s the first thing I said to Andrea when she picked me up from the train station, and the only thing on my mind since being home.

The stars are different. Everything is different.

I still haven’t told Andrea exactly what happened with Simon, but I figure the fact that I left six days before schedule is enough of an explanation to tide her over for now. I know I can’t keep it in forever. But saying it out loud makes it real. I don’t want it to be real. Not yet.

Looking back, I should have seen this coming. I should have known it was an impossible dream, that I couldn’t just be with Simon again. Not that easily. Not like that. (Possibly not ever.)

I’ve learnt the truth: happy endings aren’t real. No one actually goes riding off into the sunset with their true love at the end of the story. Life isn’t a romantic comedy with the main character risking life and limb to get to the love interest in time. There’s no happily ever after, no desperate kisses, no tearful resolution. No second chances.

London has stars, too. London has a lot of things. But London doesn’t have Simon.

And right now, neither do I.

chapter eight