#au nobody in the band knows how cloud saving works

[arctixout]

HFJM part 6: due to technical problems the new single won't be out in February

B: so we were being dumb and fooled around next to the laptop with Jan

and we accidentally spilled my coffee on it

and now it won't turn on

so we gotta record the song again

B: so, sorry about that

J: it was Bojan's fault

B: shut up

[absentcaryatid]

Mingi’s New Job

An ATEEZ fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

1K words, Content note: food, unelaborated mention of harassment

This demon AU was on my mind after a delightful conversation with @smileysuh yesterday in which she commented that Mingi would not make a good demon. Thank you so much for the laugh and idea.

~

It was a rare day off and Mingi did not know what to do with himself, partly because demons never got the day off. After the latest incident reuniting a dog with their tearful owner, Mingi was about to lose his job but it was difficult to feel bad about that. Although born into a very well respected and devilish demon family he had always been a misfit and grown to be a sweet young man no matter how much they tried to change his nature.

He was tall but never intimidating about it. The deep voice which could have been so effective literally damning people was always cheerful and his face made to sneer menacingly was often found with a grin breaking into frequent laughter.

Getting fired would probably improve his life even if he had no idea what demons could do to be self-supporting. Perhaps an ice cream cart in the park bringing people pleasure would be something he would like to do. He had grown up around them when practicing the dark arts making the ice cream fall right off the cone at the first lick. Even that taste of the power to menace the lives of humans had left him empty save for the few times he judged the person deserved it for yelling at their child or being rough with their pet. Along these lines he had developed a flair for getting birds to deposit on the heads of street harassers interrupting their frightening behavior.

So, Mingi had skills, just not ones most demons would think bragworthy. He tried, he really did, but his heart was not cut out to be a demon. His older brother was great at it, making it hard to follow in his cloven footsteps no matter what, but it made Mingi's pathetic attempts look even sadder. During the job's trial period the worst Mingi could come up with to torment humanity was paper cuts and the occasional lemon juice afterward for those who truly deserved it, but more often he was found running over to provide welcome comfort in the form of a Hello Kitty band-aid.

The sting of disdain from the observer grading him was still felt months later. At the time Mingi thought it was only as a favor to his notable family that he was allowed to graduate to independent work but he was beginning to wonder if that really just meant there was nobody left who would put up with him in a training placement at their side.

He decided then and there that the demon life was not for him. In a rare twist, he was the first person ever to call forth a demon to make a deal for a soul, not giving one up but hoping to receive one. His brother had appeared on demand happy to see Mingi who was so easy to love despite all his shortcomings that made him a wash out as a demon. Listening to the problem, his brother came up with an offer. “I shall give you a soul and make you fully human at the cost of your powers.”

Mingi's eyes shone at the possibility of a life much more suited to his gentle heart. “I would like to make people happy if I can, bring a smile to their faces and help them feel strong when they are low.”

Thinking a moment his brother had an idea. “Lots of folks sell their soul to become an idol. I have placed quite a few in the Korean pop industry myself. Would you like me to make that happen?”

“Oh yes, please! I could bring joy to so many people!” The little brother flung himself into the arms of his sibling and cried in thanks.

In a rare moment of tenderness, his brother wiped a tear rather than his usual activity of gleefully causing them in people. “Be right back.” The elder vanished in a dramatic cloud of sulfurous smoke Mingi was never able to manage, his own transportations to the underworld somehow left a delicate pink cloud with a hint of bubblegum.

A thunderclap announced his brother's return. “Okay, I cleared it with mom and dad who agree you can make them proud as an idol in a way demon work was never going to suit you. I have set you up for an audition with KQ Entertainment. They will be forming a group called KQ Fellaz which will later become ATEEZ. I know it is a lot to take in right now but you will be great at this and I have made sure the other members are people who will come to love you like I do.”

Ruffling the hair of his little brother he added, “I know you will be happier on Earth and I will still be keeping an eye on you and visiting regularly. You are of course welcome to come home for the major holidays because it would not be the same without the whole family. Call out for me anytime and I will pick you up.”

A very heartfelt “Thank you” was all Mingi could manage in the circumstances as his brother looked at him fondly. It came to pass as planned and Mingi's life with ATEEZ suited him perfectly. Still getting the hang of being human, he did look a little lost from time to time and needed more support than his teammates in some things but all in all his life was a far more fitting one than his previous work. Mingi's family took a little heat from the big boss for their role in making the world a better place with ATEEZ in it but they weathered it well and everyone in demon clan Song, even the human one, lived happily ever after.

~

Mingi Masterlist

General Masterlist

[thewritingdesk]

It Had to be You ~ Part One

Summary: Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world she walked into hers.  Lin Beifong saw the world in two colors; black and white. That changes though when she meets the siren working with one of the largest gangs in Republic City. 

Azami never had a choice. Didn’t have a way out. But she could destroy things from the inside. She could move information around. She could lie and smile with the best of them. 

Neither needed anyone. Neither needed love. So what happens when fate ties them together? Can they save each other? Or will a smoking gun end something before it begins

A/N: A 1930s/40s LOK AU. Note that there will be themes that were present during this time including smoking, drinking, underlying homophobia, and potentially smut later on down the line. Writer’s views are not that of the characters. 

Word count: 1659

~This is my first time publishing anything I’ve written, please be kind and enjoy! ~

If there was one thing that chief of police, Lin Beifong, detested, it was the gin bars on the outskirts of the city. They were loud, they smelled, and they were full of the two faced assholes that she’d been trying to get behind bars for years. And yet here she found herself. 

Pushing the door open, the smells of alcohol and cigarette smoke filled her nostrils causing the woman’s nose to wrinkle. Muted voices surrounded her, eyes turned to watch her. Sharp jade eyes making their way around watching for the man she’d been sent to observe.

That is, until a voice rang out over the rest. A voice that sat softly in a mezzo register and rang clearly above the rest. A siren’s call tugging at the normally untouchable woman. 

“Some others I’ve seen

Might never be mean

Might never be cross, or try to be boss

But they wouldn’t do,

For nobody else gave me a thrill

With all your faults, I love you still

It had to be you…”

 The woman standing on the stage had caught her eye and held them firmly. They were a deep, forest green that stood out from the pale tones of her skin, golden rings holding the light, popping the  color to stand out. Deep brown curls tucked neatly in a twist, adorned with a blossom tucked against it. Lips upturned in a smile when she had caught Lin staring. 

Grunting, Lin tore her eyes away from the woman and instead made her way to the bar. Ordering a whiskey she leaned against the bar as she felt the music shift from vocals to the band. It was seamless, people beginning to discuss business again rather than drawn in by the haunting voice that had pulled them all in. Ears stayed open, looking for any tidbit of information, anything that could tip her off, until a wafting rose smell slipped into her senses. 

Looking from her whiskey she found the woman on stage joining her on her left. The willowy form of the woman encased in a deep, dark green that glinted when the light caught it. Sitting off her shoulders and her shoulders bare, Lin watched the woman pull the black velvet gloves off her hands before she ordered herself a drink. 

“Gin and tonic, Tsung.” The woman said, offering the man a smile. 

Her lips were stained wine red and seemed to turn up easily enough. Glass in hand, she seemed to only just realize Lin was standing next to her and offered her a salute once her glass was in hand. “Now isn’t this a sight? What’s a gal such as you doing in a gin bar such as this?” 

Lin snorted and took another long drink from her whiskey. “You know who I am?”

“Who wouldn’t know the great chief of police?” The woman asked, a perfectly manicured brow arching. “What’d you think of my little show?”

“It was fine.” Lin grunted as she motioned the bartender for another. 

“She’s with me, Tsung.” She announced as she sipped her own drink. 

“That’s not necessary.” 

“I insist, after all, you keep us all safe. Someone should buy you a drink.” The woman answered, a delicate shoulder shrugged. “Besides, drinks are on the house when you’re with me.” 

“You know the owner then?”

“I’m their star attraction chief. Not all of us get to have the upstanding job that you do.” Finishing the drink, the woman began to push away from the bar. The smile she offered Lin said so much, and yet hid everything behind the painted mask she wore. “Thanks for the company chief.”

She was turning to walk away, and Lin shouldn’t have cared. Her heart shouldn’t have been skipping a beat when the smooth voice spoke. Shouldn’t have thumped when painted lips upturned in a smile that she knew she’d given away to others before. 

But dammit it did. 

“What’s your name?” Lin found herself asking, without asking herself permission to do so. 

The woman stopped when she heard the voice and turned. She’d slipped into the facade she’d worn on stage, smile quirked and head cocked. Eyes were sharp, wondering just what she’d gotten herself into.

“People here call me nightingale, you can call me Azami.”

When Lin woke the next morning, she tried to shake the encounter from the night before from her head. The voice had followed her to sleep, eyes watching her quietly. Maybe she should stick to brandy before bed. 

Dragging herself out of bed, the woman dressed in her standard black sweater, the mock high neck covering just enough of it to keep the wind off before dressing in the high waisted dark pants. Belting them off, the last thing she slipped into were the ankle boots that offered her enough of a small heel that she stood above her men. Hair pinned in its immaculate bun at the base of her skull she moved into her kitchen for breakfast. 

The paper sat waiting for her on her table caught her eye: 

Agni Kai Gang faces off against Triple Threats! 

“The turf wars continue! Businesses bought, neighborhoods divided. With more people reaching out than ever before, could the gangs be our only hope for those left on the bottom?!”

Crumpling the paper, Lin tossed it with more force than necessary into the waste bin. Taking her coffee she downed it and stormed out of her apartment, slamming the door behind her. 

Across town, in a dressing room with lights that were much too bright, Azami sat in front of her mirror brushing her hair. Humming to herself, she was glad she’d forced Takao to give her a night off for once. Standing from her seat, she’d smoothed out the silk blue blouse she’d worn tucked into white linen pants when said man opened the door. 

“There’s this lovely etiquette most people know called knocking, Takao.” Azami said, reaching for her bag. 

“Only applies to real ladies. Not bought off orphan call girls.” The man answered, stepping forward to pluck one of her curls between his fingers. “What’d the chief say to you last night?”

Rolling her eyes, she jerked her face away from him. “Nothing. Pleasantries only. Can I go now?”

“Not yet, doll.” Strong cologne filled the other’s nostrils as he gripped her wrist. “I need you to watch her. Tell me her movements. What she knows.” 

Scoffing, Azami pulled her wrist free. “I don’t have to do a damn thing for you! I pass letters and information, I don’t do that backstabbing shit. And besides, everyone knows that no one gets close to the Beifong.”

“None of them are you though, pet.” A finger stroked down the pail cheek. “And if you don’t want to find yourself in some hospital for freaks like you, or worse, then you’ll do exactly as I say.”

Pulling her face from his hand, Azami made quick work leaving the bar. Stepping outside, the cool wind brushed against her face and had her slipping into her coat to tie around her waist. Of course that jerk would force her to try and get close to Chief fucking Beifong. The stone wall of Republic City. Did the woman even leave the police station for things outside of work? 

Shaking her head, Azami found herself at the boardwalk and leaning against the railing. The waves always soothed her in these moments. Closing her eyes, she didn’t hear the quiet steps come up beside her. 

“Didn’t think you came to this side of town.” 

Opening her eyes slowly, a smirk crossed Azami's features as she found the owner of the voice standing next to her. “Didn’t think you graced the streets with your lovely presence anymore, chief.” 

Snorting, Lin crossed her arms and watched the woman dig around in her bag. Figuring the woman was looking for a mirror or her lipstick, she was surprised when the woman pulled out a silver cigarette case. The flowers etched into it were elegant, and Lin had to guess it was older than what it appeared. Watching thin fingers open it and pull one out, she took one herself when offered and reached for her lighter. Lighting hers first, she reached over to light Azami’s as well before taking a long drag off hers and released the rings of smoke into the air. 

“You shouldn’t be out here, they say the gangs are fighting over turf again.” Lin said when the silence had fallen between them. 

A short laugh left the other woman and she blew her own cloud of smoke from her mouth. “Hate to break it to you, chief. Not all of us grew up in a place that kept us away from that sort of thing. I know how to handle myself.”

Looking at the woman, Lin had no doubt of that. “You singing at the club again tonight?” 

The question took the other by surprise and she paused in bringing the cigarette to her mouth as she looked over. “No, gotta give the old pipes a break every now and again. Why, you looking to see another show?” 

Hook 

“Got some business to attend to there. You’re not the worst of the talent.”

“Quite the compliment coming from you, I’ll be back tomorrow night if your business can wait until then. I’ll even plan a set, just for you.” 

Line 

Jade green eyes studied the other woman as she put the cigarette out. She had work to do still. “Keep an eye on who comes in and out that club’s door that night and I’ll be there.” 

Caught 

“It’d be my pleasure to help the chief of police.” A delicate hand stubbed out the cigarette, hand reached across to Lin’s, resting hers on the woman’s even as the tension in the muscles built. “However I can.” 

A wink, a smile, and the singer was lost to the beginnings of the afternoon crowds. 

[1dsource]

Ziam writers in this fandom need a lot of love, just like our larry writers, so here is our first Ziam fic rec! The theme of this fic rec is Friends to Lovers!

Please show these authors some extra love and leave a kudos, and even a comment if you have the time. It’s important we also give the newer, unknown authors a chance so they keep having motivation to write more amazing stories for us all to read <3

Fools, and Worthless Liars. by aliceninetyfive I 115K I Haunted hotel, winter

Louis and Liam decide to go work a winter season in a snow resort in the Alps during their gap year. They get placed in Austria, where they meet a bunch of familiar faces including Zayn, Harry, Niall and various others you're bound to recognise doing the same thing!

Featuring our old favourites angst, pining, self discovery, ot5, and a side helping of a haunted hotel & gorgeous alpine scenery.

Compartment 451 by ziamhaze I 88K I Harry Potter universe

Zayn’s a muggleborn wizard whose parents leave him to fend for himself once he’s made aware of his magical abilities. The Payne’s are an open minded wizarding family, who take him in and provide the boy with a loving home before he and their overly excited son Liam, go off to Hogwarts for the first time. Liam introduces Zayn to the wonderful world of magic, while Zayn teaches the pureblood about a way of life he’s never known. Somewhere between laser tag tutorials and petting Hebridean Black dragons, Zayn falls for the newly appointed Head Boy, but his three other nonconforming friends aren’t about to let the Ravenclaw go through his last year of school without letting Liam in on his feelings once and for all.

Money Moves by mmaree I 74K I Fake Relationship I Boss/Employee

“I’ll cut straight to the chase,” Liam announces. He leans forward, and Zayn is met with steely eyes and steepled fingers. “I’m willing to offer you fifty grand if you’ll enter into a small…partnership with me. This would be in addition to your salary at Payne Innovations, of course. Think of it as a bonus.”

Zayn narrows his eyes. “What kind of partnership?”

“A fake engagement.”

“Oh,” Zayn says, relieved it’s nothing illegal. “Wait—what?”

“A fake engagement,” his boss repeats slowly, as if he’s convinced Zayn’s comprehension skills are significantly lacking. “For six months. Maybe less if I can pull it off sooner but don’t worry—you’ll be paid the full sum regardless of how long it takes.”

Zayn’s suspicious, and he doesn’t even know why. There’s nothing to be suspicious of because, clearly, Liam’s lost the plot. Zayn’s having a conversation with a complete nutter. There’s no other reasonable explanation.

He clears his throat, searches Liam’s eyes for a sign he's taking the piss. “How long what takes?”

A smile plays at Liam’s lips. “For me to be hired as the CTO at Titan Technologies.”

Half A Heart by ginger_with_a_black_cat I 68K I Friends with Benefits

Zayn is an English student who doesn't want to fall in love because his biggest fear is to get hurt again. Liam is a resident bad boy and everyone's wet dream on the outside, but in the inside he's a secret even to himself. Harry's Liam's best friend with a secret of his own. Louis likes to party hard, get drunk and get everyone in trouble but everybody loves him nonetheless. And then, there's Niall, who's the youngest of them all, but still has the most brains and keeps them all in order all while being in love with an impossible girl.

Or where Zayn gets hit in the head by his own actions, Liam finds himself falling for an idiot, Harry gets dragged out of the closet by the love of his life, Louis wants Harry and only Harry and Niall just wants all of them to get their shit together, so he can get his own life back.

and you take me the way i am by orphan_account I 54K I Fake Relationship

It’s incredibly relaxing, even in this small space, the way they’ve always been. Such a distraction that he doesn’t think, not for once, about agreeing to lie to his family and Zayn pretending to be his date and how easy all of this might be.

(Liam needs a date to a wedding. His family loves to match him up with blind dates. He doesn't want that. He needs a date... and, well, why not Zayn. Pretending to be boyfriends for a weekend isn't the worst idea he supposes. Liam is horribly wrong.)

some moments are rare by orphan_account I 46K I Uni au

The city blinks awake outside but Zayn falls asleep with his nose pressed to Liam’s coffee-stain of a birthmark.

(or, alternatively: Zayn is spending a summer studying aboard; thirty days across Europe, with his best mate by his side. It's always been like this ― Zayn and Liam. And he's always been a bit daft about love, or the fact that Liam's always been in love with him. It's all a bit of a mess, actually.)

Just As Fast, Twice As Dangerous by lightswoodmagic I 45K I Superpowers

When he realised it was only him and Liam in the hallway, he felt safe enough to drop his shield. Oh. Lovely. Liam was emanating affection and fondness, his primary emotions filled with warmth and love. Zayn let himself bask in it, how it would feel to be loved by Liam. He knew Liam loved him, but he wasn’t in love with him; Zayn had felt that emotion too many times to count, and this just wasn’t it. He dug slightly deeper, could feel that Liam was excited and nervous, and when he hit a wall Liam had built himself, he dropped back. He wasn’t supposed to know everything.

Or, Zayn's a normal student by day, and a superhero by night. When a mysterious man seems to target him at the same time a natural disaster strikes, Zayn has to figure out a way to save the day, protect his heart, and convince the boys he's not a vigilante all at the same time.

down the vista of years by ohthathurt I 30K I Time Travel

Zayn whispered, ��So where do we go from here?”

Liam shrugged, seemingly lost in thought. Then he smiled down at his boyfriend, “Forward?”

Zayn smiled serenely, eyes twinkling like gold in the sun seeping through the open windows.

He nodded, “Forward.”

Just the two of us and a cute little cup of cyanide by orphan_account I 17K I Accidental Marriage

“I definitely need something alcoholic if I’m going to watch my two best mates divorce,” Niall says, yanking a top over his head.

“We’re not actually married,” Liam says, with slightly more force than intended. “It was an accident. Obviously I wouldn’t ever get married to Zayn if I was sober, that’s fucking ridiculous.”

The bathroom door opens suddenly and Zayn stands there in nothing but a towel, bottom lip trapped between his teeth. Liam opens his mouth to say something but Zayn holds up his hand, shaking his head. “You don’t need to be a dick about it, Liam. This isn’t exactly how I envisioned my first marriage going either.”

Or an I-accidentally-married-my-best-mate-in-Vegas fic, where Liam's completely oblivious, Zayn's completely in love, Harry's had enough, Louis plays mediator and Niall just wants his best friends to be with each other.

i'm watching you run from the sidelines by thebeehive I 17K I 

“One week,” Zayn cajoled. “C’mon Leeyum. After one week if you hate it that much, you can go. But just stay one week.”

“In Pennsylvania. On your farm. In the middle of nowhere.”

Liam looked at his phone, but it held no answers. Zayn couldn’t be serious. Liam hadn’t stopped traveling the world after the band went on hiatus. He never stopped. Dubai one week, London the next, and then L.A. It didn’t really matter where, as long as he kept moving. But he missed Zayn, missed his former band mate. His former friend. He hadn’t seen him in person in years. And it couldn’t be that bad, on a farm, could it?

Liam sighed. “Fine. A week. But your wifi better be fucking spectacular, mate.”

{Or, Zayn invites Liam to his farm for a week to help him relax. Things don’t go as planned.}

fooled around and fell in love by tachycardia I 15K I Fake Relationship

“I have a proposal - a proposition,” Liam corrects quickly. “For you.”

Liam and Zayn pretend to be engaged.

a river flows so surely to the sea by kettering I 14K I Uni au

It’s August, not a cloud in the sky, and two boys who’ve been smitten with each other for going on a decade are tying the knot.

get a little bit nervous by louistomlinsons I 14K I 

Liam goes to say something, probably something dumb, but he chokes on his spit, coughing loudly. The man in front of him is one of the prettiest people he’s ever seen in his life; he’s got thick eyelashes that fan out and frame his dark eyes and tanned unblemished skin. Liam forgets all of his previous thoughts.

“You okay, mate?” he asks, concern filtering into his voice.

“Yeah, yeah,” Liam says, still choking and coughing. “Sorry.”

“We all reacted the same way we saw Zayn for the first time,” Niall says from next to him, laughter evident in his tone. “He’s a god, isn’t he?”

or, ziam farmer's market au where liam, louis, and niall work at the produce stand, harry and zayn work at the bakery stand, and nobody's straight

Tell me tomorrow (I'll wait by the window for you) by orphan_account I 13K

“You’re, like, beautiful,” Liam says, and it’s said so earnestly and with such conviction that Zayn can hardly believe that they don’t know each other in real life. “God, I’m cacking it now.”

“Don’t,” Zayn says shyly. “We’re both people, it… it will be what it will.”

“Can’t wait,” Liam says softly. “I’m nervous, yeah, but I really can’t fucking wait.”

“Me neither,” Zayn grins. “Less than seventeen hours to go now, babe.”

Or a Gavin and Stacey AU where Zayn pines, Liam's nervous, Louis's loud, Harry's a little odd and Niall just loves an omelette.

This Is Somethin' Real by lightswoodmagic I 5K I 

Zayn had felt it before, felt the hope and the possibility of something brewing, but where he usually pushed it down, he let it consume him now, let it take over everything until he was swinging his feet and grinning when Niall finally walked through the door.

“Lads!”

“Nialler!” Louis shouted, wrapping him up in a hug.

“How is everyo – woah, why are you so happy?” he asked Zayn, cackling when Zayn kicked out at him.

“He’s going to tell Payno he’s in love with him tonight, that’s why,” Louis explained, and Zayn saw Harry’s nose scrunch as he smiled.

Again, if you read, please remember to leave kudos and/or a comment so we keep motivating our lovely, talented writers and make them feel valued

[mysterioh]

Saajan Ji Ghar Aaye - Chapter One

Bucky Barnes x Desi!Reader

Synopsis: After a brisk romance in London, Bucky follows you back to your home in Upstate New York where the preparations for your marriage to the son of a family friend are well underway. As the inevitable countdown to your wedding begins, Bucky remains optimistic in his pursuit of your love and your family’s acceptance.

Arranged Marriage/Forbidden Lovers AU

“Saajan Ji ghar aaye” means “your beloved has come to your home”.

Masterlist

I. Koi Mil Gaya

Koi Mil Gaya. Mera Dil Gaya. 

There’s a peculiar charm to airports. The continuous hum of cheerful chatter, luggage wheels rolling softly on shining white tiles, and cell phones ringing create a lively atmosphere. The pungent aroma of coffee beans wafting from cafe stalls brings the comfort and warmth of home to a junction where different parts of the world connect.

It’s late in the afternoon. The sun pours through the large ceiling to floor windows that curve around the place.  Streams of people flow through the terminal building while others sit in the lounge, either excited or bored.

"Oho, Ummi, I'll be fine,"  you groaned on the phone, pulling your carryon as you made your way to the gate. "I've been on a plane before.”

Ummi replies with a snarky remark, but you know she's just worried underneath it.

“Okay, maybe not alone, but how hard can it be? I’ll be fine. Stop worrying,” you replied. Ummi releases a deep sigh and hands the phone over to your father. "Hello? Abbu?" you said, "Hanji, main thik hu. Hanji, hanji, sab kuch meray paas hi hai.”

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"  Abbu asks one last time just to make sure.  

You sigh deeply. "Yes, I promise. I’ll be fine. It's a direct flight to London. I just have to get on the right plane. That's it.”

Unfortunately, your word wasn’t enough for him. He goes on to lecture you about the dangers of the airport with the classic “young girls shouldn’t be traveling alone” spiel.  After hearing the very same lecture for years, reiterated with a new subject matter so many times, it automatically goes through one ear and out the other.

You knew he meant well. He always did. Every step he took had the wellbeing of his family in mind. But sometimes he overdid it; and it was those certain moments that made you cringe.  

Your ears perked up when the PA system spoke overhead. “Passengers for Flight 9B4 to London, please go to Gate 36.”

"Abbu, I’ll talk to you later!” you exclaim. “They're calling my flight. I gotta go. Bye!"  You hang up on him before he can say anything with a mischievous grin. 

You speed walk down the terminal, using the overpass with directions as a guide. Another announcement has you running through the crowds, slightly pushing and whispering sorries as you do. By the time you get to the gate you’re a heaving mess. You give your boarding pass to the gate agent while bending over to catch your breath.

“Made it just in time,” she chirped with an amused smile.

You reply with a breathy laugh, unable to say a word.

Damn, I’m out of shape.

She verifies your boarding pass and hands it back. “Enjoy your flight.”

You thank her before entering the air bridge and into the plane. A gorgeous blond attendant at the door greets you warmly then guides you up the aisle towards the first class seats. You find your seat by the window. Slipping your carryon into the overhead compartment, you take your seat then pull out your phone to message your dad about successfully getting on the plane.

From the corner of your eye, you see a guy lifting his bag to place it in the compartment above. The hem of his shirt hovers just above his waist as he stretches, showing the band of his Calvin Klein boxers and a teaser of what seems to be a very sculpted torso.

You whip your head towards the window, embarrassed by yourself for looking at him.  You hear the seat next to you dip and groan inwardly. You give him a side glance as he rustles through his backpack for something.

His side profile is gorgeous. Short, fluffy brown locks just begging your fingers to run through them. A perfectly straight nose and a sculpted jaw.

A phone notification forces you to look away. It's a message from Abbu wishing you safe travels. A grin spreads on your face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 9B4 with service from New York to London," the head attendant announces.

"Mind if I squeeze this right here?" he says, already pushing his bag between your legs and his.

I mean you already did?

"Yeah, that's fine," you reply.

"Thanks," he grins.

"We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and please turn off all electronic devices, including laptops and cellphones," the attendant drolls. "Thank you for choosing British Airways. Enjoy your flight."

You listen to her directions and securely strap yourself in. You take a deep breath and relax into your seat as the plane begins to move.

"Nervous?"

You turn over to find the guy looking at you with a goofy smile.

"No," you replied, a bit harsher than you intended to.  

"I was just asking," he chuckles. "I'm nervous."

"First time?" You asked.

"No," he denied with a shake of the head. "I always get nervous. You never know what can happen y'know? Like what if the engine bursts when we're over the ocean? We're all fucking screwed."

He had a point and it was a plausible fear, but what decent human being would actually come out and say it while the plane was taking off?

You look at him completely dumbfounded.

"Didn't mean to scare you."

Your lips contort into a pout. "I'm not afraid."

He shrugs. "Looks like you are."

"Well, I'm not," you affirm.

"Alright, so when the plane takes a nosedive into the ocean, I'll count on you to save me 'cause I'm going to be scared out of my mind."

"I'm not going to save you," you reply flatly.

"Ouch," he chuckles, his eyes crinkling at the corners when he does. "Whatever happened to being a Good Samaritan?"

"We'd both die instantly. There's no point in helping."

"Geez, you're depressing."

You fall back into your seat as the plane begins to rise.

"Oh, this is it," he announces with exaggerated excitement.

"Can you please be quiet?"

"Sorry," he whispers apologetically.

You look out the small window, watching the plane lift off the ground and rise into the sky.  Even as the engines rumbled and the ringing in your ears grew irritating, the scenery through the little window made your heart feel at ease. The clouds flowed constantly like sheets that stretched to the horizon.  As the wings sliced through the dense layer, a brilliant evening sun scattered a hazy pink over the clouds, leaving you in awe and admiration. The plane levels and sets on a steady course over the clouds.

You reach down into your handbag and pull out the novel you've been trying to finish.

"Is that the Kite Runner?" he asks.

"It is," you reply with a smile. The first time you've smiled in your short time with him and he has to admit it's a pretty one.

"That's a great book! I finished it in three days."

"Oh wow," you exclaimed, slightly embarrassed that it was taking you weeks. Not your fault though. You were busy.

"Yeah," he sighs, reminiscing a good memory. "I don't read many books, but that one," he points at the book in your hand. "It moved me to tears."

Your hand brushes over the cover. "Yeah, I like it so far. I love how flawed Amir is and how he strives to be better. It's so relatable."

"Yeah, it's so realistic," he replies. "I cried when he found out Hassan died."

"Hassan dies?" You gasped.

From the dumbfounded look on your face, he realizes that he's committed one of the greatest sins. "What? No!" He laughs nervously. "I meant Baba dies."

"Baba dies too?"

"No," he shakes his head. "Nobody dies. They all live—happily. They all live a happy ending."

He can feel a thousand curses shot in his way just by the way you're glaring at him.

"Aha," he laughs awkwardly. "I'll just shut up now."

"Good idea," you mumble.

"Would you two like anything?" The flight attendant asked.

"Uh, yeah I'll have some water," he replies then turns to you. "Do you–"

"No thank you," you replied curtly, opening up your book to where you left off.

Bucky takes the bottle from the attendant with a sheepish smile. He decides not to bother you anymore and pulls out his air pods to listen to some music that would hopefully lull him to sleep. He puts on his slow playlist then shifts into his seat until he feels comfortable. He closes his eyes, allowing the music to relax him and just as his consciousness begins to ebb, a heavy thud on his shoulder brings him back to reality.

He turns to find you fast asleep with your head resting against his shoulder.

Bucky couldn’t stop his lips from stretching into a wide grin. There's just something so intimate about someone —stranger or not— falling asleep on your shoulder that makes your heart flutter. It made his insides flip and a light blush scatter on his cheeks. He sits quietly, making sure not to move too much so he doesn’t wake you.  

Wide awake, he twiddles his thumbs, wondering what to do. He sees the book in your lap and slowly slips it out from underneath your hand. You wouldn't mind if he borrowed it. He flips to the first page and starts to read, delving deep into a distant world that rested in his hands.

As Bucky travels back to 1970’s Afghanistan through the memories of his flawed storyteller, Amir, a brilliant idea pops in his mind.

It's a stretch, but it might just work.

All he needs is a piece of paper and a pen.

"Farhan!" You wave in excitement.

"Y/N!" He shouts back, weaving through the crowd to get to you.

You jump into his arms and give your brother a tight hug.

"I've missed you so much!" you whined, shaking him from side to side.

"I've missed you too," he says, a chuckle coloring his words. You push him back to have a good look at him.

"You look kinda skinny," you comment, "have you been eating?"

Farhan rolls his eyes. "You sound like mom." He takes the suitcase by your side and pulls it along. "Now come on, let's get out of here."

Farhan was your mother's pride and joy. She loved all her children, but she loved him just a little bit more.

He was the trophy child of the family, and as the heir to one of the largest enterprises in the world, he had to be. He was the best in school, the best on the field, and had a magnetic personality that attracted crowds from miles away. If it wasn't his personality that attracted others it was his looks. He was the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome with the most gorgeous hazel eyes that fringed with smooth green under the right light. You can't recall how many times your friends asked if he was single. As if you'd actually give them a chance with your brother.

After graduating from Oxford with an MBA degree, he decided to stay in England and work at the London branch of the company, honing his skills before he took his throne.

Farhan was perfect in every way and your parents wouldn't miss a chance to boast about him. He was the envy of the elite. His name was clear of scandals and only marked with achievement after achievement, raising the family name to soaring heights.

Only problem he had was that he refused to get married. He wouldn't even look at the pictures of girls your mother offered him. When she'd asked him why he didn't want to, he always had the same answer.

"They don't want me, they want my name."

Sometimes, you wished you had his boldness.

"How was the flight?" Farhan asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Good," you replied. You cringe from embarrassment, remembering how you slept on that guy's shoulder the entire flight.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," you turn to look out the window, watching raindrops racing down the side of the window. "It's kind of weird sitting on this side of the car," you laugh.

He chuckles. "It is, but you get used to it after a while. How's the wedding going?"

You exhale deeply while leaning against the window. "I don't know, ask Ummi."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Ummi does everything. I just sit there and look pretty."

Farhan laughs from his stomach. "Why not tell her to ease back a bit?"

"I don't mind it,” you explained. “Honestly, I'm grateful. I can't plan shit, but I just wished she wouldn't talk about it so much."  

Farhan’s brows crease in confusion. “You’re not getting cold feet are you?”

“N-no!” you stammered. “It just gets me anxious, that’s all.”

He sighs, waiting at the light. “You bring it on yourself, Y/N,”

Your head whips towards him. “And what do you mean by that?”

“You try so hard to please everyone else, that you end up not caring for yourself."

“That’s not true—”

“We both know this wedding is only to please Abbu," he interjects with a sad chuckle. “You’re only marrying Ayan for him.”

You scoffed. “I’m marrying Ayan because I want to," you counter. “He’s sweet and really nice—”

“But do you love him?”

You fall back against the window with a sigh. “Farhan I don't want to talk about this," you mumbled.

"But don't you think you should?" He questions.

“Yeah, Abbu picked Ayan for me. So what about it?" you lectured, waving your hands around. "He's always done what's best for us. So what’s to say he won’t pick the one that’s the best for me?”

“But shouldn’t you be the one who knows what’s best for you? Not Abbu?” he contended, eyes fixated on the street. “You say you’re an independent adult, Y/N, but you’ve never stepped out from underneath his wing. You've never tried anything for yourself, it's always what he wants," he jabbed, hitting you harder than he had intended to.

You retreat to your window in defeat and shame.

“Hey," he whispers, shaking your arm. You don't look at him cause you might just cry; and that's one thing you'd never do in front of him. At least not anymore.

"I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I just worry about you sometimes," he confesses. "I want you to be happy doing what you want to do and not what others want from you."  

You turn just a little to peek over at him with a quaint smile. He smiles back, holding your hand tight. “This is what I want. Really it is. Don't worry."

He laughs in defeat. "Whatever you say, Aloo."

You smack his arm. "Don't call me that!"

You plop onto the bed after unpacking your bags. Farhan had to take a business call, leaving you to your own devices. You scroll through different apps, bored out of your mind and a bit sleepy.

A notification drops down.

Ayan

Have fun on your trip! Call me when you get the time. 😊

Your insides twist at the message and not in the excited, butterflies in your stomach kind of way. It’s more like a dreadful duty that you don’t want to do right now.

You swipe the notification away, promising yourself that you’d call him tomorrow, and decide you should go to sleep. You reach over for your bag on the bedside table to get your phone charger. You pull out the novel you quickly shoved inside before leaving the plane, and notice a paper sticking out at the top of the book. You raise a brow in confusion. You never had any bookmarks, and just folded the corners to save the page. You pulled it out and weren’t expecting a message.

Sorry about spoiling the book. Maybe I can make it up to you? If you’re staying in London, hit me up.  

917 - 569 - 2156

- Bucky

Translations:

“Hanji, main thik hu. Hanji, hanji, sab kuch meray paas hi hai.” - Yes, I’m fine. Yes, Yes, I have everything with me.

Aloo - Potato ( a nickname)

Taglist: @anjali750​ @desibarnes​ @regainedworld​ @saintsebastian-stan​

[griffinnblake]

A couple of you have asked for it, and Part II of my Bellarke fanfic rec is finally here! 

This is suuuuuuper late considering I promised it a while ago, but I blame moving to a new house, teaching a new course, and getting sick at least twice in one month. What can ya do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

These fics are in no particular order because one) I don’t have any particular favorites and two) I ain’t got time for that.  I hope y’all enjoy! 

P.S. If y’all missed the first part of my fanfic rec, you can find it here!

P.P.S. This is my disclaimer that I obviously haven’t included all the Bellarke fics out there. If you have a favorite that I did not include, I probably haven’t read it yet, in which case, please share!

a castle in the clouds by @pawprinterfanfic Star Wars AU. Bellamy is Han. Clarke is Leia. Oh and did I mention that there’s some fake dating? That doesn’t normally do it for me, but I can make an exception this time. *kisses fingertips*

We’ll Paint the Town Blue by @animmortalist

Clarke wants to ruin her reputation in this College AU and who better to do it than resident heartbreaker Bellamy Blake? They enter a friends with benefits/Bonnie and Clyde arrangement (it works I swear), but oops, they like like each other.

(clumsy) ‘cause I’m fallin’ in love by skai_heda

Sometimes you just need a cute little S1 AU where Bellamy faints and Clarke gives him a hard time for it. Oh, and feelings. 

small dot among infinite stars by @kindclaws

This is a really interesting take on how one change can drastically affect future events. It’s a S2+ AU where Dante shoots Cage and Clarke doesn’t irradiate Mount Weather, but the end of the world still comes.

someone let the poets out by @kindclaws (WIP)

This one’s hella meta and I love it. Even though it’s based on the GoT cast, I could totally see it also applying to the 100 cast given how S7 may or may not go. Fingers crossed for a decent ending. Anyway, Bellarke and co. are the stars of a popular show in its final season, and they are horrified by what Jaha comes up with story-wise. (Think those final GoT table reads. C’mon, we’ve all seen the footage of Conleth tossing his script aside when Varys is killed off). So they decide to recreate their own low-budget version of the final season. And Bellamy may or not be having a crisis regarding his feelings for a certain blonde co-star. OH! And how could I forget the social media tie-ins? Brilliant. Definitely read this one on a desktop to get the full experience.

how I learned to stop worrying and love the apocalypse by @kindclaws 

Another kindclaws fic. I’m sorry but the writing is just so good. I can’t help but include them. This one’s a Praimfaya AU fic and also an exes fic and also a time loop fic and also an angst fic and I love it so much. I personally recommend the 2nd person POV version (chapter 1), but if 3rd person is more your jam, then just read chapter 2!

An Evening I Will Not Forget by @octannibal-blake

Bellamy is a soldier who has a “one night stand” with Clarke the night before he’s deployed, but these losers can’t have a one night stand to save their lives, so of course there’s emotion involved. I’m a sucker for military AUs, so of course I liked this one.

i would give my life just to hold your hand (i’m your number one fan) by @captaindaddykru

Bellamy’s an actor. Clarke’s a singer. He likes some of her photos on Twitter. She slides into his DMs. It’s the start of a beautiful friendship love story. These idiots I swear. I’m actually surprised this is the first safeandsound13 fic I’ve listed on here considering the first part of my other fic rec was basically a love letter to her Hunger Games AU series. That, and I’m subscribed to her as an author. Seriously. Go read everything she writes.

so i sing a song of love by @hiddenpolkadots

Clarke gets pregnant and Bellamy’s the father, but they’re not together. Oops. They figure it out.

It’s All Coming Back by @johnmurphysass

Clarke receives an invitation to Octavia’s wedding, but the problem is that she hasn’t seen Bellamy or Octavia in over 5 years. And Clarke and Bellamy are both hiding secrets. Y’all. This one was emotional af. But so good. I will say, heed Tricia’s author tags and warnings.  Just in case.

a beam in darkness: let it grow. by starsonfire

I’m not sure if this user has a tumblr, so I just linked their ao3 profile. This is a S6 Finale AU where Clarke gives up and Bellamy helps her. Again, heed the warnings just in case. But it’s really good.

like you mean it (like it’s splitting you in two) by @talistheintrovert

Talis lets them sleep. She lets tHEM SLEEP. That’s all you need to know. 

as moonlight through the pines by @hiddenpolkadots

Clarke and Bellamy get matching tattoos while drunk and now all the Grounders think they’re married. Heh. Sign me up.

guess it’s never really over by @captaindaddykru

Bellarke + exes + Bellarke kid + Bellarke trying for another kid + angst + fluff = Bingo for Lindsay. Looking back at it, I think it was written for Bellarke Bingo. An ACTUAL bingo fic. So basically this just means you really need to read it. 

All tomorrow’s parties. by @robotmango

This is a really cool take on a Praimfaya AU. Bellamy is for intents and purposes the Time Traveler’s Husband. I LOVED this one.

Kiss It Better by delinquents

This is a really cute S1 AU with forehead kisses. Forehead kisses! It’s the only work by the author, but I hope they write more.

speedin’ into a new sunrise by @carrieeve

Clarke participates in a night of speed dating and ends up reuniting with an old college friend slash huge what if. It’s super cute and fluffy and totally the type of fic needed to break up an angst session. I love angst like nobody’s business, but sometimes you just need something happy.

everything will bring a chain of love by @lost-n-stereo

Another cute fic but this time with Bellarke as parents! These are short little fills combined into a one shot, and they’re just perfect. I love it.

A Safe Place to Land by @octannibal-blake

Bellarke as parents but the Angst™ version. Basically Marper dies and Bellarke take care of Jordan. It’s sad but so good, I promise.

Still Yours by @arysafics

Bellamy and Clarke agree to be friends after they break up. Angst ensues. Being friends with your ex is hard y’all. I promise it has a happy ending. 

when it all comes together by soundtracktomysoul

Jasper wants Bellarke together and creates a group chat that includes all the delinquents. Plotting and shenanigans ensue. This one was super fun, and in going back to it, I discovered that this author also has a Bellarke Rock Band AU. Haven’t read it yet but definitely going to check it out!

gone til november, on my city come december by @jamesstruttingpotter

Bellarke are cops and Bellamy goes undercover. Angst. Pining. Gah, I love it.

we’re never done with killing time by @bestivals

The angst. The angst. This is a post-s5 AU fic where they’re onboard the Eligius ship but didn’t go into cryo. Bellamy and Clarke have a series of 48 conversations and we get what they were supposed to do which is TALK.

I think I’m going to call it for now. I hope you enjoy all these wonderful fanfics! And if you have additional favorites, please share!

[starryandersen]

pirates of the carribean?

hi lol long time no see this is the first chapter to a fic i’ve been working on (see i promise i’m trying to write!!) so lemme know if y’all want me to continue it it’s pretty much a pirates of the caribbean sidgeno au lmfao so anyway

 It’s a beautiful spring morning that Sidney awakes to, the coals at his feet long gone cold only to be replaced with the gentle breeze drifting in through the opened windows, bringing with it the warm ocean air tinged with seasalt. The sounds of young Jake rummaging through his wardrobe in preparation of today’s events are what had brought him from his slumber, but they are nearly vacant now under the song of the gulls and the thrum of the waves at the manor’s foundation.

 “Master Crosby, your father instructed me to dress you for tea with Mr. Johnson at noon. I’ve been sent with a gift from the captain himself.” Jake calls from behind the dressing screen, before appearing with a flat white box in his arms. Sidney sits up, allowing him to set the box at the foot of his bed before folding the sheets back. He holds the jacket out for observation, a stunning navy blue that will pair perfectly with Sidney’s favorite undershirt, a gentle cream blouse with lace ruffles to fall below his chin. It’s tailored crisply at the waist, detailed with classy gold buttons and neat white trim. It’s certainly a tactful gift, one to show just how much money one is able to be at play with.

 “It’s beautiful, really, but wow.” Sidney breathes, earning a meek chuckle from Jake. “Oh, come on. You must admit, it’s a bit much.” The young servant frees the laugh he’d been keeping in his chest. He lays the coat back in the box and purses his lips.

 “It’s flashy, is what it is. Were he a less respectable man, I would even go as far to suggest that he be compensating for something.” That punches an inappropriate snort from the young heir, a sound that would make his mother clutch at her pearls at the impropriety of it. Jake doesn’t continue, only flits from the dresser to the foot of the bed as he arranges this morning’s attire. The corset hangs menacingly off of his arm as Sidney finally pulls himself from underneath the covers.

 “I’d say he’s just respectable enough to hold true to that assumption.”

 The tea is bitter and the captain is far too eager to discuss politics with the governor for tea to be deemed a success, but the sunshine feels nice on the back of Sidney’s neck and the fresh air clears his head of thoughts riddled with marriage and decorum; the afternoon could have been worse. After his father has unsubtly excuses himself to attend to a new skill his youngest has mastered with the lance, Sidney is eager to make an escape back to his chambers, or simply to sit with his mother and stitch. He rises from his seat in the courtyard, brushing off his new jacket— which sits stiffly on his shoulders, making it notably difficult to move his arms as usual— and glancing between the captain and the entrance.

 “Shall we perhaps take a stroll through the gardens? I hear the roses are lovely at this time of year, and would hate to waste such a day.” The captain suggests, unabashedly unaware that his company is no longer desired, but Sidney hasn’t the heart to reject him, so he accepts the outstretched hand pristinely gloved in white silk, and follows Mr. Johnson out of the courtyard, near the back of the estate. He’s right when he says the roses are lovely, now in the late weeks of April is when they bloom their fullest, flushed and upturned towards the sky to accept the warm kiss of the sun, to all they can reach. Velvet pinks and crimson reds and petals the color of a splendid merlot invite them into the evergreen of the bushes, their fat and smiling faces spelling out a private welcome. The pair walks slowly, towards the white marble fountain near the center of the garden, and Sidney stops to trace the delicate petal of a blush pink rose. His heart aches at the familiar sight of the blossom, among the waxy leaves that he had learnt so well as a boy. The flowers that hold the whispers of his first love, the roots that breathe his deepest secrets, the thorns that were the first to watch his heart break. He can’t seem to look away.

 “Sidney, are you alright?” Jack calls from a few steps ahead, having noticed the absence of a presence on his arm. The young heir shakes his head, presenting him with a pleasant and fabricated smile; one saved for dinner parties and soirées with the Nova Scotian elite, that pleases his father and his band of socialites alike.

 “Yes, just many memories of this garden from my youth. These were the old stomping grounds of— of me and an old friend.”

-

 The telltale bounce of pebbles off his window shakes Sidney from his studies, rushing to the sill to push the shutters open and lean over the thin railing of his balcony. As he’s done every day for years, Evgeni stands on the pathway below, cradling a variety of small rocks in his palm. The sun that filters through the branches of the great oak tree overhead dapples across the young boy’s cheeks and shoulders, warming the honey color of his eyes that call to Sidney from high up on his balcony. He feels as though he could jump from the heights of his window and float gracefully down like the wispy dandelion seeds carried by the gentle breeze. Evgeni would still be there, waiting to catch him.

 The moment they retreat to the seclusion of the gardens, Evgeni boldly takes Sidney’s hand, curling strong fingers around it. It feels as though Sidney’s heart is filled with spring sunlight, and that his chest is moments from bursting open, the rays of warmth shot between his ribs.

 “Beautiful Sidney, spends all day inside and never gets to breathe the sun. Now I fix.” Evgeni will say, when they’re curled around each other in the meadow, watching the clouds drift slowly over their heads, making their way on their own journey. Sidney envies their freedom and their lack of conformity. No one tells the clouds how to act, who to love, what to say. No one tells the clouds who they are. They just glide by, at their own meandering pace, going nowhere in particular, wherever they please. It’s one of those days that Sidney is so fed up with aristocracy, and that his only momentary reprieve is to breathe in the sweet scent of lavendar and thyme Evgeni’s housemaids use to soak his clothes to rid them of the day’s sweat and dirt and ink. One of the things Sidney loves the most about him, he never went anywhere without leaving a trail.

 “Personally, I don’t want to marry anyone right now. I’m so— don’t they know how much time I have? I haven’t even turned fifteen!” He gripes, burying his face into the crook of Evgeni’s shoulder, soft cotton drying away the night’s tears of frustration. “They treat me like, like I can’t think for my damn self! Oh, Zhenya, why can’t they be more like your parents?”

 “I won’t let them marry you. I tell them, Sidney so young! Sidney so child! Nobody want to marry him.” Evgeni tightens the arm wrapped around Sidney’s shoulders, pulling the boy closer against his chest. The words first settle stiffly in his own head, not quite offering the empty comfort that they were meant to.

 “You think nobody wants to marry me?” The young boy pushes himself up onto his hands, staring down at Evgeni with all of the intensity he can muster. Some of his curls fall into his eyes, and something on his face must allow for the fond chuckle Zhenya lets out, reaching up to cup his hand over a rosy cheek. He’s quiet for a moment, sweeping his thumb across Sidney’s cheekbone. “Zhenya, say something!”

 “Of course they want marry you! Sidney is… perfect, everyone want! But you don’t want, so I’m not let them. Lies, make them seem like there is no point.” This is somewhat comforting, but the shrieking gulls and plump clouds remind him of the true uncertainty on his mind. They give him the strength to speak it aloud.

 “Would- would you marry me? If we were free, no one telling us what to do. No rules.” He asks hesitantly, keeping his eyes on the tall, limber stems of the wildflowers within the grass. He can feel the way Zhenya’s heart stops and picks up with a skipping double pace.

 “Sidney… of course. I would leave everything for marry you. But you too important to throw life away for me.” He finally answers, voice even softer than before, barely above a whisper. He brushes a curl from Sidney’s eyes, gentle and sleepy gaze looking at him in a way Sidney can’t place but it makes the butterflies in his stomach flutter. He can’t look away either, the soft features of Zhenya’s face warmed so beautifully by the yellow sun, pink dancing across his nose and cheeks. He’s beautiful, Sidney’s always known this, but he’s never looked so perfect as right now.

-

 “Oh, Jake, it was dreadful!” Sidney cries the moment the door to his chambers is finally closed. He falls onto the bed sideways, feet and head hanging off either side. It feels good to finally loosen up after such a stiff and proper meeting. He will forever be grateful for the young first mate to come dashing across the gardens, calling the captain urgently to the fort on the edge of the shore. Sidney thought nothing of it save for the flawless escape it had made for him.

 “I’m sorry to hear that Master Crosby.” Jake shakes his head, moving away from the laundry he’s folding to sit at the foot of the bed. “I knew you wouldn’t like him from the moment I saw him. Far too boring, he is. What did you think?”

 “I think I’d put my hand on a hot iron before marrying him. Imagine spending the rest of your life with someone so plain.” Sidney sits up to strip himself of the coat Jack had gifted him, desperate to change into something a little more informal. “I couldn’t get rid of him, it took an urgent call from my father to free me of his company. He’s a very nice man but I’m not sure I could’ve talked about sailing for much longer.”

 “You need a man not only wealthy, but engaging. To keep you at your wits. I spoke to the blacksmith about his daughter this morning, and he said the same thing. Marriage is changing, these days.” Jake loosens the corset as he speaks, relief pushing out Sidney’s back and hips, spine settling back into place. “I’ll have one of the dinner maids let your father know you wish to speak to him.” After each failed suitor— typically a genial man with no personality or taste of fun—, he’s grateful for a servant like Jake who understands his unspoken necessities. He hasn’t grown this close to anyone since his youth. A nasty bubble of bitter nostalgia floats to the roof of his mouth, and he hastily swallows it down and prepares his reasoning for refusing Jack’s proposal.

[eziocauthon89]

Mighty Nein Cyberpunk AU

This thought occurred to me the other day after hearing Amaranthe’s song “Digital World”, and I spent yesterday’s downtime at work working on it in tidbits, and here it is! Mostly put under a Read More, cause there’s A Lot! (Tagging @criticalrolo, who let me randomly blurt the parts out at her over the day!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Consider, if you will, an Exandria very akin to the one shown in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 game; very post-transhumanism world, cybernetic augments are beyond accepted, they're virtually expected.

It's a world of corporations, where The Company is all, and the little guys either work with them or get ground up in the gears. The most powerful one is the Rexxentrum Assembly. They've stood solid For decades, having fingers in every profitable venture imaginable.

The only ones to oppose them are the Xhorhasian Conglomerate, a collection of smaller corporations who've banded together to survive, and possibly someday defeat, the mega-corp that is Rexxentrum.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beau works for the Cobalt Soul, an ancient order of hackers that have existed since before the transhumanism event began, keeping their eyes in every corner of the web. They used to be activists, but these days, they're largely archivists and data/info brokers. Beau thinks they should return to their roots and join with the Conglomerate against the Assembly, and is actively working to that end.

Like much of the party, she's an expert hacker, specializing in getting access through stolen info. Physically, she is the least augmented of the party, save for a few tweaks to make her blows a bit faster, and an analysis system to be better able to determine weak points and the "stats" of her enemies.

Her hacking signature is the sigil of the Cobalt Soul, positioned in front of a pair of wrapped fists crossed at the wrist as though over a chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jester Lavorre is a young and fresh hacker. Daughter of the owner of that digital and physical smut empire, known only as The Ruby, and heir to the vast network of anything one could want in that arena. After inadvertently destroying the career of a local prominent politician with a cyber-prank, it was decided that she needed to get out and experience more of the world.

As a hacker, she predominantly focuses on digging up embarrassing secrets of high-level individuals, and then broadcasting them on the web, in her signature saccharine pink and unicorn-decorated infodumps. In the real world, she does her best to make sure her team is in the best shape they can be, getting supplies to help with that whenever she can.

As mentioned, her trademark is the infodump, usually in the form of a bullet-pointed video, coated in sickly sweet pinks, with unicorns and the like dancing in the background.

Aside from the usual strength and endurance mods that basically everyone has, she also has a mod in her skin that lets her shift colors and patterns to almost anything. It's usually not good enough for any proper stealth, but it's fun as hell! She has a similar mod on her horns, but stronger, where she can brighten them and basically become a living rave lighting system. The tips of her horns can also become the most literal version of "headlights" ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fjord is one of the more interesting party members. Heavily augmented, he once followed the orders of his patron, an entity named Uk'otoa who he only had contact with through the deep web. This entity led him to great troves of augmentations, each with a nugget that Uka'toa itself desired. These troves helped to find the efforts of the party, leading to at least tolerate the presence of the outside force.

Recently, however, his new circle of friends led him to realize that Uk'otoa was, in fact, an incredibly malicious AI from beyond The Walls. With effort and some excising hacks from his friends, he cut off his ties with Uk'otoa. Unfortunately, many of his augments required an external AI to continue to function, and so he let himself be connected to another AI, dubbed the Wildmother by another of his party, one with a far more gentle motivation.

Fjord remains the least hack-savvy member, preferring reality to anything cyberspace can offer. Among his augments, he can deploy a macro-molecular bladed sword seemingly out of thin air, sharp enough to slide between the molecules of most materials, neatly slicing them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caleb's story is simple enough. He was a Company Man. See, though, the thing about being a Company Man, is you can't ever really stop being a Company Man. Especially when that Company is the Assembly.

After one of his tests to enter the upper ranks resulted in the immolation of his family, he snapped. Gathering what he needed, he disappeared, a truly impressive feat in such an interconnected world, and doubly so when not even the Assembly could find him again. Now, he seeks a way to burn them down from the inside out.

Caleb's hacking signature has been dubbed "Scorched Earth", because when he's finished getting what he needs from a target, if he so chooses, he will burn them down, leaving them nothing behind, right down to the system files, and even the hardware itself if he can swing it.

Physically, his augmentations reside chiefly in his arms and his head. Highly experimental neuromods that boosts his already almost eidetic memory, letting him pick out any memory since installation and recall it in perfect clarity, and even overlay filters to uncover further information. Additionally, mini-producers across his body and microjets imbedded in his forearms allow access to his secret weapons: nanites and plain ol' fire.

The micro-producers scattered across his body can generate a cloud of nanites under his control, allowing him much of his near-magical feats. As a way to maintain an at-hand supply of them, he usually forms them into the form of a small animal, granting a measure of hivemind capabilities to allow it to impersonate said creature. The microjets allow him to be as near to a pyromancer as he can without using actual magic. Additionally, he has two small computers, resting in holsters under his arms, that together hold enough power to brute force hack into nearly any system he needs to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where Caleb's story is one of the simpler ones, Nott's can be argued to be the most tragic. On the face of it, she appears to be a Goblin, a faction of heavy augmenters who actively renounce form over function, and typically change their bodies as far from conventionally attractive as they can. Sure, the way Nott openly despises other Goblins is a bit odd, but who's to say what that kind of modding does to ones brain?

Except. She isn't a Goblin by choice. Due to some unknown reason, perhaps for an experiment, or as recompense for some perceived slight, Nott's original form was destroyed, and her brain and mind supplanted and locked into this Goblin form. Now, she follows Caleb, in the hopes that someday, he can learn how to let her leave this body behind and return to one more like her original.

Not to say this form is without it's pros, of course. An enhanced stealth suite and active targeting means that when she hits you, you won't have a clue where it came from.

Typically, Nott doesn't do much hacking, favoring the real world and protecting Caleb (and eventually, the rest of the party) as they do their deep dive hacks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Molly and Yasha were strangers, drifting in from another distant city, claiming to be entertainers, but far more capable at defending themselves online and off. The pair came together and bonded over their lost histories. Yasha, having had a section of hers stolen and sealed away, unsure what she was or did during that time. Molly, having no recollection at all before waking up in that shallow grave. 

Molly's mods were as flashy as the man, able to produce holographic fancies from his fingertips on command, making for a handy show (and distraction) as needed. When he fell, on a mission to rescue their fellows, it nearly broke the team apart.

Yasha's mods were more straightforward; she relied largely on brute strength to overcome her foes, both in reality and in the web. Nobody cheered when her memories were finally unlocked, as they changed her, turned her on them. The team still hopes that, someday, they might bring her back from that dark place she found herself sucked into, but they know, that day may well be far off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caduceus was something of an enigma. Where Beau was one of the most human of the group, Cad was very much the most inhuman. Not even he was entirely sure how much of himself was still organic, but he doubted it was even near 15%. He spent nearly all of his time plugged into the web in some capacity, resulting in a more distracted and absent-minded demeanor than the others were used to.

Nobody was quite sure what all his mods could do. One thing that they were (relatively??) sure about, was that he had a direct line to some powerful AI, one that he called the Wildmother. She seemed to have good intentions for those who followed her, but the party was still wary. They'd been burned before, with Uk'otoa.

Cad's hacking signature was... Well, actually, nobody was quite sure what his signature was. Every now and then, he'd take credit for some random hack, usually one that someone else also claimed shortly after, and always it turned out to have farther reaching implications than anyone else thought it might have.

[razieltwelve]

Substitute (RWBY AU Snippet)

Gone but not forgotten. 

X     X     X

Death sighed as she took in the massive statues that filled the area. Every single one of them was of Zwei. At least now she knew what he’d been doing in his spare time.

Right on cue, her dog appeared. Rather than walking, he was sitting on the lap of a young woman who bore a vaguely disturbing resemblance to Weiss. They were being carried on a palanquin, and she was feeding him treats. Death’s eye twitched. She was really going to have to talk to him about this.

“Zwei…” Death trailed off as she realised why the courtyard looked so familiar. Apart from the giant statues of Zwei, it was an almost perfect replica of the courtyard Weiss had liked the most in her palace.

The dog gave her his most innocent look as several people began to wave banners and flags in the air to signal his approach. There was even a marching band accompanying him, and he had his own herald too.

“Zwei… did you found some kind of religious empire in your spare time? It’s one thing to sneak treats from butchers, but they’re worshipping you like a god.”

In fairness, Zwei was a god, or at least a Divine Beast of similar standing. But wandering over to another world to start what looked an awful lot like his own empire-sized cult? That was a little too much. Knowing Zwei, he hadn’t done it out of megalomania. Instead, he’d most likely done it, so he would have a comfortable place to hang out where his every whim was indulged and to ensure that he always had a nice, comfortable lap to nap on.

“Greetings!” his herald boomed. “Master of Zwei!”

Death raised one eyebrow. “Master of Zwei?”

“Yes! Supreme Overlord Zwei has told us much about you.” The man gestured animatedly, and several of his fellows hurried to unfurl a vast tapestry that had been made with exquisite craftsmanship. “Many years ago, we were a people living in constant terror. Demons and horrors from beyond the mortal world assailed us without mercy, and we could only dream of a life without such terrible suffering. One glorious day, Zwei appeared before us on a cloud of fire and ushered in an era of peace and prosperity. All that we have today is because of him, so it is only right that he should be held in the very highest esteem!”

Death studied the tapestry. Although the artwork was highly stylised, it was still easy to follow. Zwei had appeared in his cute and cuddly form and had proceeded to slaughter the demons and horrors with little more than the occasional bark or growl. He must have known that appearing in his titanic, Divine Beast form would not have produced the kind of devotion he was interested in. Nobody was going to pamper a colossal hound that looked like it had been born from their worst nightmares. However, people would pamper an adorable corgi that just so happened to annihilate their enemies.

“I see… and how often does Zwei visit?”

“He comes and goes, for he has many other worlds to save. However, there is always one day each year that he visits.” The herald beamed. “We keep a retinue waiting to attend to him upon his return, and we celebrate his return each year on Zwei Day.”

“And when is Zwei Day?”

The herald replied, and Death sighed. That was the day Weiss had died. “And his choice of young women to carry him upon their laps?”

“Nobody knows why he seeks out young women of this particular appearance,” the herald replied. “But we do our best to find them.”

Death knew exactly why Zwei picked young women who looked like Weiss. Zwei had met many mortals over the years. It was inevitable in their line of work, but she could honestly say that he’d loved Weiss most of all. Oh, sure, he’d had mortal friends before, but none of them had been as dear to him as Weiss had been.

Having someone who liked Weiss pamper him in a courtyard that resembled Weiss’s favourite courtyard let him pretend, if only for a little while, that his favourite mortal was still around. Divine Beasts were mighty, but they were not unfeeling creatures devoid of emotions. Certainly, she had not made Zwei that way. She had given him a heart that could feel love and hate and sorrow and joy and all the things in between. For him to remain steadfast to his duty through all the long and endless aeons, he would need a reason.

And what better reason than because the worlds he watched over contained people that he loved?

Death did not have the luxury of pretending. Hers were the eyes that saw the truth. No deception could fool her, and no illusion could deceive her. She would know Weiss when she saw her, when the great cycle turned and she was born into the world again. Until then, she would not - could not - accept any substitutes.

Such was the majesty of death: it permitted no lies even the ones that spared the heart.

“I see.” Death’s expression softened. “Well,” she said quietly. “I’ll be leaving now. Zwei has other duties to attend to, but they can wait a while, I think.” She paused. “You should build a garden near here, one with a large oak tree in the middle and a small stream nearby with trout in it. Zwei would like that.”

One of Weiss’s favourite places to go that was outside the palace was a small stream with a large oak tree nearby. Weiss had tried to go fishing there, but she’d hardly ever caught anything. She’d been awful. Death, of course, had no such problems, and Zwei had enjoyed many a freshly cooked trout while Weiss grumbled about Death cheating and using her powers.

“And see if you can find roses, white and red. Zwei knows the ones I mean.”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

Death is an expert in waiting. After all, she’s done a lot of it over the years. After Weiss’s passing (the Weiss mentioned in most of the snippets is the first one to encounter Death), Death ends up waiting millennia before Weiss is reborn. But it’s worth the wait, and what are a few thousand years to a god?

You can find me on fanfiction.net, AO3, and Amazon. If zombies, humour, and action sounds interesting, check out my newest story on Amazon. It’s called Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City. It’s the fourth part of The Unconventional Heroes series, and if you like my sense of humour, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

[wernerherzogs]

there it is, finally! the list of my favourite hl fics of All Time.

disclaimer: some of these i have read only once and forever ago, but i’ve got them saved in a folder, and i vaguely remember them Meaning something to me when i read them, but basically -- if you read something from this list and end up not enjoying it, sorry not sorry! i operate on nostalgia sometimes, it’s possible i wouldn’t be that into some of them now, too, but whatevs!

i made myself stick to one work per author, otherwise this would be endless, but if an author’s nickname is bolded, it means i’ve had the time to read all of their works, and recommend them all.

i’m fairly certain i’m forgetting stuff (especially those stories that i’ve never saved/bookmarked), so i’ll try to keep this updated fairly regularly -- whenever i remember an old fave, or fall in love with something new. i’ll make sure to reblog this post then.

the order is completely random. this is a list where every work carries equal significance, even if not always for the same reasons. it was supposed to be alphabetical, but turns out i’m far too lazy for that. (shocker.) i took the liberty of shortening some of the original summaries, because this post is going to be Too Long anyway. rip.

enjoy! hopefully.

***

blackjacks running down my back | sequel by dangerbears (+ lj) (~10,000) 

AU. university stuff. best friend stuff. music stuff. sappy stuff.

try to not remember (rather than forget) by hereforlou (59,602)

He hadn’t left, but that’s what it had felt like most of the time. Just as if one day Harry had up and left him.

(Or, the one where Harry wakes up.)

Like Real People Do by moodlighting (58,469)

Harry is Louis' soulmate but Louis isn't Harry's - it takes Harry a while to figure it all out.

a prayer for which no words exist by Eliane (34,313)

Louis is a few seconds away from blowing up a rather important section of the New York subway when he sees Harry for the first time.

Who Painted the Moon Black by throughthedark (requires an ao3 account) (95,697)

“People died,” Harry whispers so quietly Louis strains to hear. “People died, and I killed some of them. How does life just go on after something like that?”

Louis shakes his head. “I don't know. It just does.”

hold on to your stars before they fade by adelagia (31,740)

The first time they meet, it is sunrise, and Harry is naked.

(Or, the one where Harry is a lost fairy, and Louis takes him in.)

Lambing Season by HelloAmHere (24,544)

“Shut up,” Louis says, an involuntary grin tugging at his mouth. It’s not every boy who will stand in the middle of a cold barn in a suit and play musician trivia. “I’m Louis.”

//lambing season brings sleep deprivation, noisy alarms, cold barns, demanding animals, and warm strangers.

Wild And Unruly by 100percentsassy, gloria_andrews (123,655)

Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.

Walk That Mile by purpledaisy (149,570)

A Route 66 AU where falling in love was never part of the plan.

the dead things we carry by MediaWhore (25,316)

“Oh,” Mrs. Padley says, clearly taken aback. “You two know each other?”

There are some things people never fully come home from. Until, one day, if they’re lucky, home comes to them.

i believe him when he tells of loving me by bitterlee (28,894)

louis doesn't remember harry. harry takes him home.

Come Along With Me by darkofthenights (28,032) (requires an ao3 account)

An AU where Harry is a magician and Louis doesn't believe in such a thing.

Dust Off My Wings by eravain (19,882) (+ download)

AU where the boys are cottage neighbours, Louis develops an obsession with the mysterious boy next door, and the end of summer is really just the start of everything else.

Boys of Summer by sharktoothedfawnskinned (49,545)

What he wants is for this to be a forever thing, not someplace Harry spent the summer once.  What he wants is for this to be more than a memory.

(New Jersey beach town AU.)

ever ever after by hattalove (22,645)

“Happily ever after, huh?” he can’t help asking, in a voice that’s softer than he’d like. Harry seems to sense the fragility of the moment. He settles down, containing the excited flailing of his hands, and mirrors Louis’s position. “Of course,” he says. “Don’t you have those here?” Louis bites his lip. “M’ afraid not. It doesn’t really work out that way for most people.”

or, an enchanted AU. sort of.

heroes of the orange skies by queenmcgonagall (30,656)

Louis likes bathroom walls and Sharpies, Harry likes metal, Zayn likes Liam and Liam likes Zayn, Niall is wise, and they all go to the zoo.

Empty Skies by green_feelings (134,048)

For three years, Harry has been running from his past. Now, he is moving to London and pledges to fulfil his only dream -- making it big in the music industry. Not everyone has a place, though, and the competition is tough. As is his past catching up on him.

Louis is part of the biggest boy band of the world, and getting there had meant a lot of hard work, as well as sacrificing parts of his heart and soul. He's still happy. Maybe not as happy as he could be, but who is he to complain?

nocturne in silver and blue by tinyweirdloves (97,594)

louis is a fallen star and harry brings him home. told over the course of fourteen years.

life does not go backward, nor does it tarry in yesterday by bottomlinsons (4568)

Louis and Harry are Knights of the Round Table and Camelot has a dragon problem. (Arthurian AU)

In This Light by exhilarated (99,234)

Harry is a wardrobe stylist who likes to live in the moment, and Louis is a popstar who looks dreamy in double breasted jackets. Harry never stood a chance.

our little corner of the world by brownheadedstranger (29,913)

AU. Louis is stuck in his mom's diner for the summer. Harry is the line cook with a pickup truck.

Every Arrow That I Aim Is True by estrella30 (24,890)

Louis doesn’t say anything again so Harry whispers, “Just stay here with me for a while, yeah? I’ll take care of you.”

Louis is quiet. He never picks his head up, but Harry can see the pillow move from where he’s nodding and his fingers tighten around Harry’s. “Yeah,” Louis says. “Yeah, all right.”

i'm not calling you a liar (just don't lie to me) by hazmesentir (33625) (requires an ao3 account)

Louis can't stop lying. Harry runs a farm. Somehow, he squeezes the truth out of him.

An Eternal Enigma by goldenquill (67,478) (+ download)

Louis is a reluctant king with a head full of fairy tales, and Harry is an emotionally challenged musical prodigy. Zayn is a hopelessly romantic painter, Liam is the castle’s resident ghost with sporadic amnesia, and Niall is the accidental head of the kingdom’s most prevalent spy ring. Very loosely based on the lives of Ludwig II of Bavaria and Richard Wagner.

all my love was down in a frozen ground by navigator (16,033)

Louis goes to the woods.

AU very loosely inspired by the creation of Bon Iver's first record.

walk my days on a wire by sunshiner (38,586)

“We’re here because we have inventive managers,” Louis says, giving Harry’s leg a little nudge with his knee, but all that’s going around in his head is, I think I'd be in the same spot in every possible universe.

or, when actor Louis Tomlinson used to daydream about dating Harry Styles, this is not what he had in mind.

take my hand (and my heart and soul) by bananasandboots (45,623)

"I – yeah. Hi," Louis finally answers, slowly, awkwardly. "I um. Sorry. I heard about your accident. You're alright?"

Or, the one where Harry hasn't spoken to his best friend in sixteen months and can't remember why.

These Inconvenient Fireworks by wontsitstill (190,000) (+ download)

Future AU in which nobody tries out for X Factor but the boys end up finding one another eventually anyway. Louis is a jaded bastard who owns a cat named Duchess and teaches drama to teenagers, Harry is an idealistic aspiring photographer/part-time footy coach, Zayn teaches English lit and wears leather jackets, Liam saves people from burning buildings, and Niall is Niall.

things have gotten closer to the sun by starseas (49,276)

when a solar flare is announced to end the world in twelve days, harry reunites with the people that he used to know better than the back of his own hand.

Harry Styles Cooks... by sunsetmog (ongoing)

In which Louis Tomlinson can’t cook, there’s a very special shower curtain, and Harry Styles used to be a baker.

Or: Louis owns all of Harry Styles’ cookbooks, and he never intends to cook a single thing out of any of them.

101 Uses For Dragon Eggs by colazitron (42,249)

Louis just got back from a three week assignment yesterday and today was only supposed to be paperwork he needs to do to finish that up, before he was going to leave early and enjoy the weekend. And then Zayn, the traitor, emailed him about a bloke who was rumoured to have found a dragon egg and apparently live tweeting the whole thing.

Don't Want Shelter by FullOnLarrie (ongoing)

Louis and Harry have known each other all their lives. Friends as children, they danced around each other as teenagers, and have spent the last twenty-five years either screaming at each other or not speaking at all. Except for that one time ten years ago…

When Hurricane Nicole threatens the coast, they end up stuck together in their families' old vacation home that they begrudgingly co-own.

Escapade by dolce_piccante (requires an ao3 account) (146,241) (+ download)

In the grand scheme of things, finding a date for a wedding should be no problem for Louis Tomlinson. He's rich. He's handsome. He's reasonably well behaved. But when the wedding is for his lifelong best friend (and former boyfriend), and is happening in under a month, finding a date for the ceremony and accompanying festivities becomes more of an adventure than he ever could have planned for.

Whether Clouds or Clear Skies by onewasturning (25,861)

“Harry,” Louis says, “last night I had an experience bordering on profound.”

“You’re making it sound like you did something sexual with my muffin,” Harry says.

Or, Louis gets into the habit of stealing baked goods while Harry’s busy keeping tabs on the weather.

the dead of july by whimsicule (117,446)

Being an Avenger means continuing to be Captain America and smiling and being honorable for the public and Harry does his best. But it doesn’t give him time to figure out who he is supposed to be once he takes off his uniform and puts the shield to the side. Just being Harry had always involved Louis, and Harry fears he doesn’t know how to exist without him.

or: Harry is Captain America, and Louis’ been dead for 70 years.

In the Clear by aclosetlarryshipper (80,751)

After Princess Gemma and her fiance Niall are captured by the witch from across the land, Harry and Louis are forced on a journey together to save them.

Featuring Lumberjack Liam, Magical Zayn, unsolicited tattoos, and untangling the past.

Also known as The Larrietale.

a house built out of stone by robpatFF (22,486)

Louis has a used bookshop and Harry has a habit of claiming things that don't belong to him.

out of the blue corner by fallingaway (85,422)

Louis is a boxer banned because of doping. Harry is a journalist following the story.

with your love we could breathe underwater by luminescents (28,542)

Harry’s brow furrows, a look of confusion spreading over his face. “But I am real. I exist, see,” he says, raising a hand out of the water and wiggling his fingers at Louis.

AU where Harry is a mermaid, Louis is a human, and they both discover a lot more than they anticipated.

dancing in the dark by clairdeloune (74,709)

Harry comes out and it brings more than he's expected.

Untangle Me by suicxne (103,000) (requires an ao3 account)

Or the one where Harry and Louis finally get it right.

California Sold by isthatyoularry (123,536)

Notoriously closeted boyband member Harry Styles is famous on a global scale, meanwhile Louis, as his best friend, is back home in Manchester, living the typical life of a 24 year old. When Harry needs Louis with him in LA, a publicity stunt gone wrong changes their friendship forever.

A fake-relationship AU between two lifelong best friends.

you came into my life by disgruntledkittenface (57,180)

When the Queer Eye cast and crew sweep into Louis’ small town and fire station to make over his best friend and coworker Liam, Louis’ carefully constructed walls start to fall down and he has to face his fears – and the only guy he’s ever been able to see a future with.

like cabbages and kings by you_explode (60,875)

When Louis was a kid, he had a series of very vivid dreams about a place called Wonderland.

Loyal Knight and True by rainbowninja167 (51,569)

Oh, Harry thinks, mouth open on a silent gasp. This is how it happens.

In contemporary Oxford, Harry Styles and Niall Horan run a magical bookshop, unbowed by an entire academic establishment that insists magic doesn't even exist.

for now (and forever) by orphan_account (sadly can’t remember the actual author) (83,283)

"Listen to yourself," Harry laughs, shaking Louis' shoulders. "Don't you think it's a bit weird to con the country you're supposed to be serving?"

Louis is going into the Army, Harry is going nowhere, and there's nothing like a little identity fraud between friends.

Say You'll Remember by whisperdlullaby (93,521)

au. louis and harry are best mates that are only half aware that they're also soulmates. alternatively, louis goes to university and harry travels the world, and they always manage to find their way back to each other.

takes place over nine years, in which they love and hurt, make mistakes and learn, and above all, grow.

Faking It by TheCellarDoor (46,173)

A uni AU in which Louis has been Harry’s best friend since he offered him cubed fruit on the playground, and they spend more time cuddling in their dorm beds than they do apart, but it’s not like that. Or is it?

Battle Cry by Velvetoscar (21,377)

Harry's got a heart, a soul, and a band. And with that, obviously, comes a future paved in great success, right? So all he has to do is win the Battle of the Bands, right? Simple.

What's not so simple is the fact that Louis Tomlinson is his biggest competition. And also happens to be made of everything that Harry's ever wanted.

Take Me Where I Cannot Stand by LoadedGunn (13,988)

Harry can agree that being husbands in space presents some challenges. Sometimes they have to escape mindless cannibals, sometimes they're being held hostage, sometimes Louis doesn't want Harry to get pregnant, and sometimes someone slips on a banana peel. But that's all part of the fun, isn't it? They could have been juggling geese.

(Firefly AU where Harry and Louis are co-pilots in life.)

Just Me, You, And This Box of Matches by tomlinsunshine (87,020) (requires an ao3 account)

Louis is fairly sure that his new neighbour is going to destroy him. And also their apartment building, and the dumpsters outside, and all the forests within a thirty mile radius. But. Mostly him.

you're an egg if im an egg by giraffesaretall (1252)

au where one direction are eggs.

[tiaragqueen]

Yandere BTS Masterlist

A/N: To organize my main masterlist and make the whole access easier, I’ve decided to create a separate list for each band.

Main masterlist in here

Last Updated: 09-08-2020

R = Requested

Kim Seokjin [Jin]

On A Silver Platter

Dating an eternally curious woman comes with the risk of disloyalty. Jin is aware of it, but still pursues you anyway. However, he doesn’t know that his fear will come soon. Very soon.

Bound By Pledge

Happy ending exists, if you’re willing to work hard for it. And Jin is more than willing to make it happen.

Hang By A Thread {R}

An attempt to achieve the much desired freedom gone wrong.

Come Around {R}

This wasn’t what you wanted, but at least it’d stopped Jin from wailing to your face.

Min Yoongi [Suga]

On The Sly

As a bodyguard, it is his duty to protect you from any harm. Unfortunately, your refusal to abide his ‘order’ forces him to do something drastic. All in the name of loyalty.

Up The Creek {R}

Yoongi is well known at school for being the typical aloof boy. However, he’s also surprisingly hesitant to approach his crush. But he’s not stupid; he knows an opportunity when he sees one. And he’s certainly can’t let this slip through his fingers.

His Favorite Song

[Name] [Last Name]. That was the name of Yoongi’s first love. As much as he hated his father sometimes, being the son of a CEO had its perks. One of them included ordering someone to gather information about you.

Jung Hoseok [J-Hope]

In His Sights

Perfection is an illusion, is what you learned the moment you witness firsthand Hoseok’s violent side.

Kim Namjoon [RM]

Bee In Bonnet

Their relationship is forbidden, Namjoon knows it well. But if it can guarantee a happily ever after, then why should he reject the opportunity?

Benefit Of The Doubt [Discontinued]

Chapter 1

[Office! AU] It never occurred to you that your stalker has been under your nose for a long time.

Park Jimin [Jimin]

Silent As The Grave

If there’s one thing that Jimin can’t stand is silent treatment. Then, why do you still insist on torturing him like that?

Yaksok {R}

Jimin has always keep his words; that’s one of the many things that you love from him. However, you’ve made a mistake on thinking that he was joking this time. And the consequence is far from pleasant.

Off The Deep End {R}

There’s nothing that hurts you more than seeing your boyfriend wallow in his insecurities. Thus, you take it upon yourself to show him how much you love him. Who knows, maybe it can change his perception for a bit?

Cave In {R}

For a long time, Jimin has been your close friend. After his girlfriend broke up with him, you’ve decided to comfort him. What you haven’t expected him to do, is to take advantage of your selflessness.

Parting Of The Ways {R}

All Jimin wants in life is to always be with you. But when you’re growing sick of his constant manipulation and thus decides to break up, he knows that he no longer has you in his arms. Nor is he able to ‘convince’ you any longer. Well, what’s life without you anyway?

Cloud Nine

What mattered was that you were finally with him now, away from the people who would separate you both. For once, Jimin was able to use his job for good, and the thought alone made him feel strangely giddy.

Give and Take

Being the girlfriend of a mafia boss was surprisingly… relaxed; or maybe because it was Jimin. Regardless, it wouldn’t take long for him to reveal his true nature.

Kim Taehyung [V]

Tiger By The Tail

Love can be such a scary thing and blinds you from any logic. With a great wealth and wide connections, Kim Taehyung is more than capable of luring you into his toxic affection.

See The Light [Discontinued]

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

[Supernatural! AU] He had always hated the lights, until he saw her.

At Leisure {R}

Affection is imperative in their relationship. But a single, damned book ruins everything of what could’ve been an amorous weekend for the both of you. Taehyung, of course, refuses to stay put. After all, your attention should always be on him. Just like he always do to you.

Give The Lie To {R}

In an attempt to allow a bit of freedom in your life, you unknowingly plunge yourself into a much worse predicament.

Give Way {R}

For months you’ve been running from Taehyung, thinking that you’ve finally gained your freedom back. However, you should’ve known that he will find a way to capture you. Even if the way involves mess in his hands.

For The Sake Of You {R}

Somehow, the determination behind those words managed to make you sicker than you thought possible. You knew you should’ve been flattered, instead. Nobody would take the time to help you, especially when it involved something as ‘trivial’ as your insecurity.

Jeon Jeongguk [Jungkook]

Dubious Honor

A royalty has never been given much freedom since birth. You know and hate it, being a princess yourself, but you don’t have much choice in falling in love with another person. Especially when you already belong to Jungkook.

Apple Of His Eye

Without your knowledge, your vulnerability to the dangers of outside world has triggered Jungkook’s overprotective nature.

Bun Bun [Discontinued]

Prologue Chapter 1

[College! AU] The history repeated itself.

Gehenna {R}

It’s not easy to forget a traumatic event, especially when it involves someone you love. However, when your bastard of an ex comes haunting your dream, Jungkook decides that it’s the right time to stop being merciful.

Hidden Blessing {R}

For the longest time, Jungkook has worked hard to gain your attention and affection. So when you suddenly start declining his invitations, he’s beyond frustrated. Turns out, there’s always a hidden blessing in every predicament.

Champing At The Bit {R}

You’ve always been jealous of your little brother, as silly and immature as it sounds. However, the encounter with a Tarzan forces you to push aside your insecurity and be the older sister he needs of. And with that, you also unknowingly catches his new friend’s eyes.

The Lion’s Den {R}

You wouldn’t say that you were a good person. Being a ghoul had skewed your moral compass so far, but you weren’t entirely heartless. Unfortunately, one of the people you’d saved turned out to be quite... obsessive.

[jonstarks]

It's Yours

Relationship: Jon Snow/Sansa Stark

Characters: Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, Samwell Tarly, Dickon Tarly (mentioned), Rhaegar Targaryen (mentioned) , Lyanna Stark (mentioned)

Additional information: Meeting for the first time, Jon was a bastard until his father making him an heir, lyanna is a snow, sansa is his personal angel, not literally, she’s just too sweet, modern AU

Rating: General audience.

Chapter:1/1

Summary: This is it. The moment of truth. He promised to himself if he come home with nothing to proof, he would go back to his life. Working for his father and forget about his dream.  He waiting anxiously as nobody paying attention to his work. He just want to proved that his dream mean something to anybody. He just need for someone to take a pause to admired his work. Just one person who could give him hope for doing something that he love. 

Just a glance and I would leave my family’s fortune for good.

A server offered him a drink, he took it as he felt an overwhelming sense of defeat clouding over him. This is it. He could go back now and pray that somebody would stab him in the parking lot.  He stopped looking at his work to put an empty glass on the nearest surface, and when he was about to look at it for the last time, somebody obstructing his view, a woman in a grey silvery dress with a long red hair. He didn’t realize that he’s been walking towards her, staring at her in close proximity, but she didn’t look like she noticed how close they were, too busy admiring his work.  

[moar under the cut] 

He staring at his work from a far. It’s been an hours and nobody even showed any interest in it. He didn’t have a high hope for his work to attract any buyer, but just once he want anybody to noticed it, just to proved that his dream mean something to other people.

“Don’t worry, Jon. It was just bad timing, putting your work in the same time when the centerpiece is a  Tanselle’s” Sam squeeze his shoulder to reassured him. He knew that putting his work the same time of the famous photographer in all of westeros showing her latest masterpiece was not a wise move, even Dickon, the owner of this gallery asked him to wait for another opening. But he didn’t have the time to wait, it is now or never.

His father already gave him an ultimatum, working at his company ,continuing his family legacy, and forget about his dream, or he would cut him from his family forever. He knew that he is lucky to come from a wealthy family, and it’s not like he didn’t try, he followed his father’s step going to business school and  try to enjoy his life as an heir of the Targaryen Empire. But he was miserable. He was cooped up in his office when there were so many beauty and wonder outside his world. He barely has a life of his own, his only friend, Sam was the only one that still stick around after he’s been bailing from too many hang outs. The last straw for Edd was when he forgot to met him at their usual bar, making him wait for hours.

“Jon, where are you? I’ve been here for three hours. Are you coming or not?” Jon looking at his watch, completely forgot about Edd after 5 hours of dull meeting.

“Sorry mate, I’ve been busy, I forgot I couldn’t make it. Sorry I didn’t tell you” He heard a sigh from the other side of the phone. He knew that this would be another friend that he sacrificed in the name of his father’s legacy.

“It’s alright, it’s not like you never done this before.”

He didn’t know if Edd meant to hurt him with those words or he simply just telling the truth. It is true that this is not the first time he abandoned his friend, but still, he want to make it right.”We could reschedule, how about next week? We can go to a better place than that dingy bar, my treat.”

“Jon, this is the fifth time you making a rain check on me. I get it, you busy, It is fine really, I was just trying to reach you out for old time sake.”

“I’m sorry” He didn’t know what to say. Losing a friend feels harder than losing a girlfriend, but he wouldn’t know, he never found a girl who worth his time.

“It’s alright, just drop by sometime at our place, if you had the time. Me, Grenn and Pyp still hang out every weekend at the same dingy bar for the last 10 years. Just… Take care Jon.”

After that, he living his life in autopilot. Sometime he looking at his father and wondering if he is as miserable as him. His mother used to say that back in college he like to play music and singing, he even won a couple of band competition with his college band. And then he remembered the man that he know, the one that almost never come home, always sulking in his office drowning in whisky and regret. Is that supposed to be me in the future? Do I have to be miserable just because he is miserable? No. He didn’t want this, he never want this life, so he go to his father’s office and tell him the truth.

But this is the real moment of truth. He promised to himself if he come home with nothing to proof, he would go back to his life. Working for his father and forget about his dream. He waiting anxiously as nobody paying attention to his work. He just want to proved that his dream mean something to anybody.  He just need for someone to take a pause to admire his work. Just one person who could give him hope for doing something that he love.

Just a glance and I would leave my family’s fortune for good.

A server offered him a drink, he took it as he felt an overwhelming sense of defeat clouding over him. This is it. He could go back now and pray that somebody would stab him in the parking lot.  He stopped looking at his work to put an empty glass on the nearest surface, and when he was about to look at it for the last time, somebody obstructing his view, a woman in a grey silvery dress with a long red hair.

He didn’t realize that he’s been walking towards her, staring at her in close proximity, but she didn’t look like she noticed how close they were, too busy admiring his work.  

My work

She wiped the tear from her face, instinctively he gave his handkerchief to her.

“Oh, thank you.” She took the handkerchief from him , smiling at him and then looking at her feet as she wiped her tears. “This is embarrassing”

“What? Bringing a handkerchief in the 21th century is embarrassing?” He didn’t know where he found the strength to tease her, or just simply open his mouth and not blurting something silly to her.

She’s laughing as she look back to his work. “ No, crying in public place is embarrassing.” She took a  pause before she offering her hand. “I’m Sansa Stark”

He looking at her hand like a fool before all the senses finally coming back to him. “Jon Snow” His father might as well already kicked him out from his family, this might be the perfect time to get used to using his mother’s name.

“You’re not looking at the centerpiece?” She ask him after he finally let her hand go, averting his eyes from her so he didn’t look like a creep. “ No, I was just lurking around, drinking champagne” He took two flutes from the passing server and gave one to her.”How about you?”

“Thank you.“ She take a sip and then looking at the crowd. “No, It’s too crowded, and I don’t really see what’s interesting about it.” She looking back at his work.”But this. This is beautiful. Don’t you think?”

He was stunned staring at her eyes and couldn’t believe that not long ago he was feeling down as ever, and then this angel coming out of nowhere and save him.

“What? You don’t agree with me?” She probably misreading his expression as a disagreement when he literally just lost at word.

“No! No, no, no! I was just…” He took a deep breathe, didn’t realized he’s been holding his breath the whole time. “I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s alright, I don’t really know about photography that well, I was just coming here to support my friend. He’s the owner of this gallery.”  She tilting her head towards Dickon.

“You with Dickon?” He looking at her in disbelieve, suddenly feeling a little unease. He never really close with Sam’s brother but somehow he felt a little envious toward him. Dickon got to know her longer than him.

If you could bother to spending more time with your brother’s friend you probably get to know her earlier than this, you idiot!

“I’m not with him. I was just said that he’s my friend… Wait, you know Dickon?”

“I know his brother” He staring at her face, try to see if she was flushed after he assumed her relationship with Dickon, but as far as he can tell, she didn’t look flushed or uncomfortable, she probably tell him the truth, or he was just hoping too much for her to told him the truth.

But why?

“Huh, small world.” Her eyes were sparkling as she smiled at him. But he didn’t think it was small enough. If it is, he would have met her earlier than this.

She cleared her throat to break the tension after he’s been staring at her for what it feels to be an eternity. “Why do you think it is beautiful?” He asked her suddenly, blurting the word without even thinking it first.

She looking back at the picture. It was the picture he took long time ago when he was in spring break before he went to business school. His last taste of freedom. He went with Sam, Edd, Pyp and Grenn backpacking beyond the Wall. He met an interesting native folks in there and took  a picture of a mother tossed her daughter mid-air, with the mountain of snow as a background. He thought it was beautiful with the vibrant color of their messy red hair contrast with the background of white blurred covering the ground and the mountain behind them. And their smile was so pure, like they were live without burden on their back. It was not just a good picture for him, it was the last time he ever felt happy in a long time.

“It remind me of home.” She told him without looking at him, her eyes still glued to the the picture. “My mother used to pick me up like this every time I feeling down. Until I was too heavy for her.”Her smiled faltered and the tear coming back from her eyes. He didn’t need to ask about her mother, he already know the answer and he wouldn’t want to make her more upset than this.

She wiped her tears with his  handkerchief that she was still holding, when she was about to give it back to him, she noticed the embroidery on it. It was made by her mother back when he was still a Snow, when his father was not realized yet that he had fathered a bastard from his little fling in Dorne. His mother has the same handwriting to him, down to their signature. It was the same “S” as his signature on the picture. She looking at it and the embroidery back and forth until she decided to look at the description of the picture.

“This is yours?” She open her eyes wide, it still glimmering from her tears. It looks as blue and as deep as a sunlit sea. He could’ve easily drowned in it.

“Yes this is mine.” She opened her mouth in disbelieve and playfully slap his left shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been gawking at it and tell you how much I love it, and you didn’t say anything.”

“you didn’t say you love it, and I gave you my name, if you bothered to look at the description you would’ve know right away after I told you my name.” He smiled at her as he took the handkerchief from her hand. “So you love it then? Still think it is beautiful?”

“Eh, I take it back. it’s not that good.” He stared at her with a smug look on his face, waiting for her real answer. “Alright, I admit it. It is good. Now you can wipe that smug out of your face!”

He laughed with her, feeling all kind of emotion in his chest. Most of it feels strange to him. Now he just realized how beautiful she is. Her silky red hair looks smooth and vibrant, her dazzling blue eyes, and those lips, those full red lips.

“So…”  Her voice brought him back to the ground, but he still looking at her lips, imagining how it feels like to kiss her, smearing her red lipstick all over her face. He tried so hard not to look at her chest, it didn’t help that her dress showing a generous amount of cleavage to him. He just swallowed hard as he concentrated with her voice. “Since I know the photographer, do I get a discount?”

“You want to buy a copy?’ He stopped looking at her lips, to stared at her eyes feeling dumbfounded.

“Of course I do. Didn’t I said that I love it?”

“You don’t need buy it. It’s yours” He stared at her as he said those words without a blink.

“You can’t do that! I don’t have anything in return. It feels like I owed you.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Sansa.” He wanted to say that she already gave so much to him. He almost gave everything that matter to him, his dream, his friends, his life, and crawl back his old life as a living zombie, just to please his father, but he didn’t want to scared her, even he is feeling a little scare by this strong emotion. “I want you to have it. This is not just a portrait for me. This is a part of me, the one that still matter, anyway.” He didn’t lie about it, that time beyond the Wall was the best time of his life.

Until now.

“I still feels like I owed you something. How about I bought you dinner?’

[This is what I imagine what they wearing when they met, but sansa’s dress probably a little more grey than this]

[stimstriders]

the one where he's not popular

davekat - high school au

Player, charismatic, funny, outgoing, hot, desirable, popular.

Dave Strider is unmatchably full of character and coolness, except that he’s not. That’s online, on a computer screen, thousands of miles away from him in three directions and only three directions. Over a chat client Dave likes to think that he oozes cool from every pore if only to distract from the fact that it’s obvious he doesn’t.

His friends might be onto his game a little bit but that’s all clouded by the miles and miles of distance between the four of them. They could very well all be perfectly aware of just how uncool he is (I mean, look at their conversations) but there’s a hella thick layer of plausible deniability bundling him up like a safety blanket. They don’t see him every day, they only know what he shows them, he’s been wrong before about people’s impression of him.

That last bit of criteria in equal parts unnerves Dave and comfort him because yeah, he may be hella bad at reading people (especially through the internet,) but it stirs the whole situation in the unreliable narrator’s shitty brain. My friends all hate me and think I’m annoying here, I’m just thinking that because my brain is fucking weird there, I could be excusing them actually hating me with my shitty brain but in reality they really, really do hate me there.

Damn, when did this all get spun from “uncool” to “hate?”

Either way Dave shakes the thought from his head like he’s whipping a pesky gnat away from buzzing in his ear. There are some ways he could alleviate these concerns in a, like, healthy manner. But most of them get swept under the rug and he settles into familiar albeit anxious passivity all over again.

Dave Strider isn’t classic cool, isn’t popular, and honestly isn’t even often noticed. That’s probably a good thing for a multitude of reasons, ranging from the sunglasses he wears when he’s allowed all the way to his general physical state. Bruises that would be harder to hide if he had more contact than just brushing up against people in the halls, the way he scarfs down gross school meals like nobody’s fucking business because he’s probably, definitely not going to get a meal even half that substantial at home. Much less as fattening or having any significant nutrition. The jury’s still out on whether or not school food actually satisfies his super necessary food-pyramid (or whatever they’re using now) needs, but it’s a better bet than the shit he eats at home.

It’s probably good that he isn’t popular. Which is a huge stroke of fucking luck.

Not like he just struck unpopularity as a fluke and he’s really a super cool guy or anything, but he clearly remembers when arguably the most popular kid at their school rolled his ass into this institutional hellhole in the middle of the spring semester freshman year. Hell, he still sees him fucking daily and even has a few classes with him, plus the same lunch period. It’s not a small school or anything, but they run into eachother a whole fucking lot.

Day one, Karkat had just moved to Texas from Washington State (why was completely beyond him) and had absolutely no one, just like Dave. Karkat had planted his ass at Dave’s reject lunch table for about a week before scooting out to a more respectable one.

Dave's overly chatty, make no mistake, but... not publicly. Yeah, it'd be nice to have someone to talk to outside of his phone and his computer, but that's a whole lot of reaching out and extending himself that's just all kinds of not cool.

Needless to say, they didn't say shit to eachother in the first week or so that they sat together. For the most part they just pretended the other wasn't there. It's always been that way, it's kind of their thing, Dave likes to think. They're pretty comfortable with eachother, right? Like silent bros, silently acknowledging their broship from a respectable, silent distance.

Nah. 'Cause with Karkat's real friends he's talkative as hell. Even with the people he doesn't like he shouts up a storm or rambles on about something to keep the air free of awkward silence. Karkat's just treating him like everyone treats him with a few more sideways glances.

Dave isn't so broken up about it. Karkat isn't even the cool kind of popular with Daddy's money and shitty high school parties pumped full of alcohol. Karkat's the kind of popular that has him flush with project partners and people to get him in trouble for talking too much. The kind of popular where it's easy for him to rope two or three people per class period into after school events, student council meetings, book fair organization, debate team spots...

Karkat's the nerdy, uncool kind of popular that has him flittering from clique to clique without a second thought because to him, cliques are a myth.

Dave sees them. Sees the sports kids and the camo-decked red-necks, the hipster druggies and the trailer-trash druggies, the theater kids and the band kids, the Advanced Placement kids and the weebs.

And then he and Karkat, who are outliers in completely different ways. Karkat, who can sit with everyone. Dave, who's cool enough to have his own table.

Don't get him wrong: he's not bitter about it. Honestly, he's above all of that grouped up trash. Yeah, sometimes he thinks about how it'd be neat to be able to bounce between the hipsters and the trailer-trash, (he'd probably fit in just fine with both,) nabbing a joint or a cigarette when he could, but he didn't need it. Especially when the cell-phone ban got lifted and he was free to kick up at the back of the cafeteria and shoot the shit with John, Rose, and Jade looking properly fucking insouciant.

School was just a better place to be at than home, and if he made a habit of not going to school it might get Bro in legal trouble. He went to school sick, bruised, tired, mentally vacant - and saved the off days for when he really needed them.

Today’s a combo day: bruised and tired. Approaching the bus stop, Dave’s already thinking on walking right past as he thumbs the contact-case in his pocket. A big factor here is that he hasn’t put his contacts in yet and he’ll probably have to be late to first period in order to slip away and put them in.

Karkat shuffles up to the bus stop next to Dave and boy does he look like shit. He’s slumped over, eyes half-closed, dark circles bruising up under his eyes and a deep furrow to his thick eyebrows. Dave shifts his hands in his pockets, giving the other boy a quick once-over before looking back to the cars passing on the city road in front of them.

A few minutes pass before he looks back, thumbing the pause button on his music app. “You look like shit, dude,” are probably the first words he’s ever said to this guy.

Nah, they had a project together at the beginning of sophomore year for some bullshit class. Geometry? Karkat’s shit at math, probably one of the only non-advanced classes he has.

Karkat squints back at Dave, and if possible the deep-set furrow in his brows only squishes deeper. It takes some effort to swallow back the laugh bubbling up his throat in response to that. “Gee, thanks for your completely fucking unasked for opinion. That sure is the one thing I needed to hear at 6 o’clock in the morning on a fucking Monday. What a fantastic way to start my week!”

At that Dave does actually snicker. “No one looks good this early on a Monday,” he points out, “you know, except me.”

“You look like shit, too, dick-for-brains. Don’t delude yourself. I shudder to imagine what’s under those tacky glasses you insist on wearing before the sun’s even properly up.”

Time for a curve-ball. “Let’s go down to 19th street.”

Karkat is satisfyingly shocked. Dark brown eyes widen and thick eyebrows smooth out long enough to lift comically high. His lips part into a little ‘o’ and damn do they look weirdly girly with how full and soft they look.

Wait. Dave mentally shakes himself back into awareness. Curve-ball rebound, damn.

For once Karkat doesn’t even seem like he knows how to respond at first. After a few more seconds of being stunned, he manages. “Are you asking me to skip school with you? I’m competing for valedictorian, I can’t just miss school for no reason.”

Dave pulls his earbuds from his ears and winds them around his phone before sliding it back into his pocket over his contact case. “You can more than afford it, dude, don’t bullshit the king of bullshit. You clearly feel like crap, that’s more than enough reason to say screw it for one day and skip out. Plus you, like, never miss school.” Hiking his bag up higher on his shoulder, Dave leans over to press the cross signal on the pole beside them. 

“We’re gonna get caught,” Karkat cautions as the signal blinks green and Dave leads the way across. As Karkat jogs up beside him to fall into pace with his long strides, Dave’s chest shivers with a foreign tremble of relief.

“Nah, I’ve done this before. Nobody outside of school gives a shit who you are or what you’re doing.” They hit sidewalk and swing right, starting down toward Yale. “You think everybody knows you’re skipping, but plenty’a kids could be out for plenty’a reasons. We could be college kids for all they know. Nobody assumes you’re not doing what you’re supposed to and nobody asks. As long as you stay away from the school.”

They lapse into silence and Dave bumps his shoulder into Karkat’s every time he tenses when someone walks too close or a car drives by too slow. When they come up on 19th street Dave pulls his camera from his bag and loops the strap around his neck, grinning when Karkat sidles a few steps away from him suspiciously.

“Chill out. You should be all about my delinquent ass whipping out some school work while we’re misbehaving, shouldn’t you?”

“Keep your fucking voice down?” Karkat stage-whispers. Or maybe that’s him actually whispering. Fuck, that would be gold. “And who the hell refers to themselves as a delinquent outside of anime? You’re not some fucking hentai trope.”

“Dude, did you just say hentai? You- you know that’s not synonymous, right?”

Dave leads them into a coffee place, Karkat’s complaining shifting topics to the heavy scent of smoke lingering in the cafe from the cigar bar next door. They order coffee and Dave buys them both breakfast before Karkat can shoulder him aside to pay for himself. Karkat makes fun of him for taking a few pictures of their mugs and Dave babbles over his embarrassment. 

They hit the record store and Karkat’s ribbing intensifies until Dave gets some revenge in a hole in the wall bookstore that they slip into. Both of them walk away with a reasonable haul and banter their way to an arcade down the street. 

Guitar Hero and a shitty DDR rip-off eat up some time. Dave really tries not to seem like he’s showing off or anything, but even stiff from ten layers of bruises he does better than Karkat’s willing to loosen up for. They turn up about even in the racing games, if only because Dave intentionally spins out and turns it into a game of bumper cars.

Karkat laughs a lot. It’s really nice.

They end up in a cramped ice-cream shop with Karkat still struggling to shove an ugly rainbow teddy-bear in his bag alongside all his school shit and the books he bought earlier. Dave picked it out for irony’s sake as a blaring wow, look how gay it is joke, but once Karkat started expressing that he genuinely liked it he... lightened up.

“I had a really good time today,” Karkat is mumbling around a spoonful of Chai Tea Coconut ice cream - (seriously, what the fuck) - his cheeks flushed up, and it takes everything Dave has in him not to lift up the camera hanging around his neck.

Tuesday, Karkat smiles at him from across the aisle on the bus. He’s already two thirds of the way through one of the shitty romance novels he picked up on their trip. At lunch he sits down at Dave’s VIP table followed by three other people and Dave swallows down his discomfort, keeping his eyes locked down on his phone until Karkat starts elbowing him and asking his opinion about shit.

Wednesday, repeat. Thursday, repeat.

This might’ve been a big mistake.