#because im having a giggle remembering early fandom me

[reverie-starlight]

*sneezes* so uh, I saw you were willing to write for girlies in the fandoms too…. also don’t worry about my stalking, worry about the weather-

N e ways…. May I ask for a morsel, a crumb, a sliver of some ururaka x gf because she’s underrated and I love her and I, too, would love a gf (if you want to supply o b v i, no pressure) 🥹🥹💍💍

YES. YES. YES. YES. Y E S.

ABSOLUTELY 1 MILLION TIMES YES IM SO EXCITED TO WRITE FOR HER OMFG. also congrats emmy for being the first official request for a female character on my blog I’m SO HAPPY!!

also??? you can stalk me WHENEVER you’d like. i’m so serious rn. i’m definitely guilty of stalking your blog as well, dw abt it

fem!reader, but no physical description is given!! fluffyyyy, prohero!uravity, nonpro!reader, non-sexual nudity (they take a bath together), one maybe two if you squint suggestive jokes, lots of love. todoroki and uraraka are besties bc I say so.

first time writing for a girl kinda nervous, so if it feels slightly stiff in the beginning or slightly ooc dw abt it (but i pulled up her character wiki so i think it should be okay <3

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

OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY

let me compose myself I’m too excited rn, she would be the S W E E T E S T gf ever you’re turning me into a full fledged simp for her with this-

pro hero uravity who got all of her paperwork done for the day AND brought in some wannabe villains, even if it meant cutting her lunch break with pro-hero shoto a bit short. she tells her interns and sidekicks to call her if anything serious comes up, but since things seem to be going smoothly, she’d be going home an hour early.

she’s so excited to get home, regardless of whether or not you’d be there- both are good options to her because on one hand, you’d be there, ready and willing to cuddle on the couch. on the other hand, if you weren’t there, it’d give her an opportunity to cook something nice for the two of you- she’d been wanting to try this one recipe for a while now.

opening the door to her condo, she took note of your shoes being absent from the front hall. you weren’t back from work yet. 

she wishes she could take care of more things around the house on a regular basis, it wasn’t in her nature to sit idly by when things needed to be done, but with her hours being so unstable most of the time, it meant leaving it to you more often than not. so when she had time to do something nice for you, like cook dinner, she took full advantage of it.

she just wanted to take care of you, someone who has stood by her since pretty much the beginning of her hero career. you always did such an amazing job at caring for her after her shifts, all she wanted was to return the favour. she had always had the motivation to spoil you, but now she had the means as well. 

after changing out of her hero attire, she headed straight for the kitchen and got out the recipe on her phone. soon enough, she was fully absorbed in what she was doing. so much so that she didn’t even hear the door open 20 minutes later.

“well this is a nice surprise,” you snuck an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, causing her to squeak and almost drop the pan she was holding.

“baby, you’re home! I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner, did you call for me?”

you shook your head and smiled at her. “saw your shoes by the door and wanted to scare you.”

she huffed out a laugh. “you menace.”

giggling, you stole a slice of the pepper she had been cutting up. “you love me for it.”

uraraka gasped. “and a thief! I should take you in for that, you know.”

“hmm, you wouldn’t dare, I make things interesting for you.”

“yeah, yeah, just don’t steal any more ingredients please, I’d like to have enough left for our ultra-romantic, super tasty meal later.”

your eyes lit up as if you just remembered something. “oh yeah! what are we making anyway?” 

“we are not making anything, you always handle dinner, let me do it this time. and I’m following that recipe I told you about a couple weeks ago.”

she put the peppers in the pan and turned the heat on low before turning to face you again. giving you a once over, she frowned slightly at how worn you looked, even behind your faux-peppy mask. “how was your day, baby?”

you shrugged. “not the best, kind of rough but nothing I can’t deal with.”

uraraka made a disapproving sound but let it be. you weren’t in need of a lecture about how much you could deal with on your own, she could tell you just needed to be taken care of. 

she pushed herself up onto the counter and held her arms open. you gladly took her invitation and nuzzled into her chest. “how was your day, ochaco?” 

“it was good, thank you for asking. things were running smoothly today so I figured I’d come home early. I’m glad I did, I get to make you feel better now.”

she felt you smile into her skin. “I’m glad you had a good day, my love.” 

“I’m sorry yours was shitty. anything I can do to make it better?”

you hummed. “just having you here is already making it better... but if you’re offering...” you looked up at her and she immediately identified the look in your eyes as mischievous. 

“what is it, my love?”

“maybe while you’re cooking our ultra-romantic meal, I could run us an ultra-romantic bath to relax in after we eat?” you were playfully running your nose up and down her neck as you spoke and she squealed a bit at the tingly sensation. 

“I like that idea a lot,” she giggled. “go get changed into something comfy, I’ll let you know when dinner is almost done so you can start the bath.”

she took your face in her hands and peppered kisses to your squished cheeks before sending you on your way.

an hour later, stuffed with food and dishes done, you were both sat in the bath together, basking in each other’s company. times likes these, when you were cuddled up close and whispering sweet nothings to each other, always made her reminiscent of a time when you hadn’t even started dating yet. 

you were both fresh out of high school, her just starting pro-hero work and you starting your own life, but you clicked so easily, it would have been criminal to not give it a shot. 

it was cute for her friends to see at first, when you happened to see her off duty in a small café with some of her old classmates. you were both stumbling over words- over each other, as she tried to get out of your way to accommodate what direction you wanted to go in.

but they soon grew tired of her pining for a girl who so obviously reciprocated her feelings. so an intervention was held.

“uraraka, I can see that this girl likes you, too. you’re just scared of making a move. don’t be.” said shoto.

“yeah, ochaco, if todoroki of all people can see that y/n likes you, then you know it’s true. you need to make a move!” prompted mina. 

“what’s that supposed to mean, ashido?”

and she was so incredibly glad she did. 

months into the relationship, the shyness finally went away and you quickly realized neither of you had ever felt more at home with another person. that’s not to say you two never got flustered anymore though. any bit of flirting from one of you could render the other speechless and panicked to no end.

for example, how uraraka could feel how warm her cheeks were. it was better now that you were submerged in the water with her, your back leaning against her front, but she was still calming down from before that. 

and of course you just had to tease her. 

“pretty girl, what’s the matter? you’re all red from that? you know we’ve had-”

your girlfriend hid her face in the crook of your neck and secured her arms around your waist. she whined. “stooooppp!”

you laughed and carded a damp hand through her hair. “I’m very sorry, sweetheart, I’m just teasing. you know I love it when you get like this.”

yeah, she smiled slightly into your skin, a new determination to fluster you back arising. I know exactly what you mean.

she raised her head from it’s hiding place and relished in the look on your face when you turned your head to the side and saw a familiar expression. 

she maintained eye contact and brought a hand up to brush her knuckles against your cheek so gently, her other hand still on your wait, thumb caressing your skin. “it’s okay, but... with the day you’ve had, I wonder if you’ll let me... take care... of you for the rest of the night, my pretty girl?” a kiss was placed behind your ear and you squeaked.

uraraka let out a loud laugh as you took in a deep, but very shaky, breath and promptly face-planted into the water. 

she loved you so much and absolutely nothing could ever change that.

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

kind of a crap ending BUT. I DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE IT TOO LONG. IT WOULD HAVE WENT IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT DIRECTION IF I CONTINUED. SHHH.

but anyway, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!!! TY FOR REQUESTING, AND P L E A S E GO CHECK OUT EMMY, THE WRITING ON THAT BLOG IS TOP TIER. and I am so lucky that this fic got partially deleted when everything was still fresh in my mind BC. I WOULD HAVE CRIED IF I HAD ANOTHER KAGAMI TAIGA  INCIDENT. do you all remember how upset I was that day? that was heartbreaking and I still have not returned to it. it’s still in my drafts bc tumblr decided to be a bitch that day </3

[tragicclownwrites]

im curious, when did you first get interested in squidbob?

Ooh, my first ask 🤗 and what a great question to start with!

It's honestly such a weird story lmao but the short version is that I didn't find SquidBob. SquidBob found me. 🧽🐙

As for the long version, answering/rambling below the cut!

I think it happened just under a year ago or so? It was definitely sometime in late 2022/early 2023. Before then, I wasn't even remotely in the fandom and was more or less part of the group who had seen SBSP but wasn't involved beyond that.

When we were younger, my sister and I played Battle for Bikini Bottom on the PS2. So when the "Rehydrated" version came out, she hit me up and was like "omg they made a remake! we have to play it!" and I was all "hell yeah! nostalgia ftw!" (def worth it - it's a good time and everyone looks so damn adorable 🥹).

If you've played that game and you're in the fandom, you're probably pretty familiar with this moment (clip actually starts at :12). 😉😂 HOWEVER, this wasn't even the moment that initially caught my attention. In fact, it was actually THIS one between Robot Plankton and Robot Spongebob (who is terrifying btw). My sister and I got to this part in the game and were just...👀👀. Like, why was Robot Plankton (who is essentially a clone of real Plankton) thinking of Robot Spongebob like that? Kinda gay if you ask me. Long story short, I shipped PlankBob (ironically) for a hot minute lmao.

I started looking online to see if anyone else was crack-shipping it up like I was and I think that's when I came across SquidBob in earnest. I had remembered seeing some rather interesting moments between them in the past, but strangely never thought anything of it until I started looking below the surface. A few YouTube clips later, my memory was beginning to refresh - and those clips weren't even close to exhaustive! I just couldn't believe how unsubtle these two were! Like, HOW COULD I BE SO BLIND!?

For shits and giggles, I then decided to check AO3 to see if there were any fics about them. One of the fics I came across was none other than NBYF - the very fic that inspired my first work in this fandom! After reading it like four times, I was HOOKED. I needed more. So, I ended up on Tumblr and have been here ever since. 🥰

For added backstory, I've been in and out of fandoms over the years, but never felt the need to be active in any of them. Whether it was fandom discourse, fleeting interest, etc., I didn't want to get involved in any of that and, oftentimes, the canon just didn't inspire me to create my own works.

Needless to say, I'm so thankful to have found this small corner of the internet. Everyone has been so cool thus far and it's been really fun to write fics for SquidBob. I've always been a bit of a sucker for the grump x sunshine ship dynamic, so this pair is just perfection. 🌧️❤️☀️✨ One of these days I'll do an entire post about why I ship them. Someday lol. And given how episodic the SBSP show is, that actually helps a ton for writing - it's great to be able to stay true to the canon while not committing to any solid timelines or anything like that. I mean, even the actual show has continuity issues, so no one can fault me if I decide to switch things up a bit. 😜 I tend to prefer canon divergence vs. AUs when it comes to fanfiction as well because I really enjoy the challenge of working with an existing world/characters and creating a unique story for it all.

So, that's my fandom origin story. Not the most cut-and-dry (and probably not what you were asking) lmao but that's essentially where it all started! I'd be interested in hearing when/how you got into SquidBob hell, if you haven't already posted about it. 😊

[rckyfrk]

3, 6, 8, 11, 21, 50 for fanfiction writer asks :)

I am SO very sorry for taking so long to reply to this. I double checked the date you sent this to make sure I was doing the right one.

3. Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I really don't do either. I usually stick with characters from the source material, so I don't end up having many OCs. There are only two stories I've worked on that include an original character - Claimed and Summer of Learning. In Claimed, I added in a high school aged girl in "honor" of the exchange student that was staying with my family at the time and she had a great big crush on Aaron Paul/Jesse Pinkman, so I wrote them together just for shits and giggles. Summer of Learning is based off a prompt (Imagine your dad's best friend is Sean Patrick Flanery and he teaches everything you want to know about sex.) So I ran with it as an OC (but it's in first person, so technically kind of a reader insert?)

6. If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Yeesh. I don't even know if it's still posted anymore, so... Anyway, it was from the very early days of Bethyl, and there was a song prompt for every day of the week, and I fell in love with "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars. I was a very new writer and I'd never done a prompt before and I took it fucking literally and made every reference to the song that I could. I mean, it wasn't cringey or anything, at least I don't remember it being so, but it was just so...very very literal to the song. Now I can look back on it and say, "Oh...prompts don't have to be word for word. That's just where you get the idea." Lesson learned.

8. Where do you take your inspiration from?

Anywhere I can get it. Inspiration doesn't seem to be a problem for me. It's motivation.

11.Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

The most I've ever amended was adding tags that I hadn't realized I needed. I've never actually changed any of the content once a story is posted.

21. Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

We are so fortunate in both the Bethyl and Hellcheer fandoms to have so many talented writers. I hate to leave anyone out, but you asked, so...in no particular order...

@gneebee for posting every single week like clockwork. I wish I had an ounce of your discipline? organization? time to yourself?

@piper1016 for how far she's come as a writer, and for never giving up, even when fandoms are waning.

@im-immortal for writing stories that suck me in, even when I have to read them in between my fingers because I can't look directly at them

@pipergirl17 for taking on that enormous task of creating 26 AUs in the yellow pages series. What I’d give for a fraction of that creativity.

@hangon-silvergirl @cunnninghams for writing stories that make me absolutely melt and swoon over Eddie and Chrissy

@majicmarker for taking my favorite characters and writing them as if I'm actually inside their heads, looking around at what makes them tick. And the smut. Dear GOD the smut.

50.If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Fluff. All the way. I don't think I'm great at writing angst (although, fluff without angst is just...kind of filler, isn't it?) I've gotten incredibly gun shy about writing smut. (I think it's been close to three years since I've written a sex scene. Not sure how to get back into the groove at this point...) But cute, fluffy moments between these idiots in love, showing them fall for each other over and over and making sure they get the happy ending they deserve? Yeah. That's my bread and butter, right there.

[tetsusgoing]

yes that anon who sent

"tag all of your mutuals and put beside it the kind of person they are im really curious :)"

WAS ME AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA 😏😏

anyways im ready for that kiss 😚

I love u for sending in this ask but my stupid self accidentally posted it when I wasn't done so now I'm answering this one instead. Ok where do I start,

@icedhoneyy : my #1 my 4 lifer my online best friend at this point. Isa is such a sweet and bright person it's amazing to be around her, she had a way of reassuring me that things were fine and making me feel better. Her ideas are all so cute and her writing is so so good she's terribly underrated, once she is back from being inactive I will be the happiest woman alive ok.

@boo-kugo : one my early made mutuals, so so nice and I know she will always be reblogging something of mine. Such an interactive mutual I love that you're always in my notifications and that I can feel so easy with you (read: not wonder if you actually like me or not as I usually do with people) and that your themes are always so CUTE

@kurootosis : lem where do I even start. One of my special kuroo made mutuals (read : we bond over our love for the silly guy) I love the ideas you implement into your writing so much and I love how we both write to comfort ourselves like girls who think about their fictional boyfriend to cope relate to each other so hard yk (I have some of ur work in my drafts but forgive me for not having enough time to read and appreciate it I am heart broken </3)

@mushiemin : my FIRST haikyuu mutual, and when you followed me I was jumping up and down and giggling from excitement cause wow your art is so amazing and if someone like that follows me then I must REALLY be something. I hope you're having a wonderful day whenever you're seeing this !!!

@rayesloveletters : my dear friend ray reblogs all the cutest stuff in the world, whenever she's on my dash I just experience visually pleasant thing like God I am SO thankful we are mutuals. Plus you've been so sweet and so nice to me, especially by reaching out first because I'm deathly afraid of rejection so I'm terribly glad you talked to me first otherwise idk where we would be rn (silent mutuals probably)

@sunamour : I can't put into words how much I love your work. I've probably told you before but everytime I feel like hurting my own feelings I go through your masterlist because your writing is THAT good!! I couldn't believe myself when you followed me actually, because wow.. it's like Beyoncé herself acknowledged my existence okay. Definitely check scar out for suna related works she's amazing 10/10

@sookisaurus : risu is one of my early mutuals too and I remember stumbling across your blog and also feeling excited about having a kuroo mutual. When you wrote me that one shot?? My god I died and went to heaven. Risu is so easy to interact with and she is so talented if you ever don't know where to start in the haikyuu fandom she's an amazing person to talk to!!

@tahdashi : I think everytime sayu reblogs something of mine I get more recognition than I've gotten the whole time I had this blog, safe to say I couldn't believe when she followed me because??? The sayu?? Liked my work?? That one winter kuroo piece is my most popular one now. I also love the way your mind works and I associate you with study boyfriend akaashi (rip sunkeiji)

@wakatshi : miss daria... so cool, so amazing, I feel like she's a huge star and I'm this journalist who she will talk to from time to time and I'm actually just her biggest fan. Amazing themes, amazing energy, such a cool person, and no one is more worthy of the mrs ushijima title. Can't picture him without her popping up in my head actually

@miyasann : I remember when you answered my first ask ever and you called me by my name and I was so surprised that you knew my name like it wasn't right in my pinned post... but basically another incident that felt too good to be true because you are so nice to be around and your Journaling will always have a special place in my heart. You remind me of orange blossoms ok I don't know where that came from but it makes sense !!!

@rinoomi : she's inactive as far as I'm aware but GOD I loved her art so much, I remember coming back from school and checking her blog to see if she drew kuroo again and those were the good old days

I feel like I've forgotten some so I will return to edit them in if it's necessary!!!

[starglow-xx]

owning a bakery and being discovered by the ada and the port mafia (part 3)

platonic! yosano akiko x f! reader

type of writing: head canons !!

this is part of my head canon series, flour & fluff !!

tag list is open !! go to this google form and fill it out to sign up!

series synopsis: owning a bakery at 20 is tough; even more so when you have to handle members of two opposing organizations! this is your journey to meeting those fools and creating an unlikely bond with each of them. but only at the cost of your peace and sanity.

fandom: bungou stray dogs

content: fluff & platonic stuff but trigger warning!! there may be a sensitive topic for others

*getting grabbed and pulled to an alleyway! alcohol mentioned!*

please remember that yokohama isn’t the friendliest place, especially at night.

previous: part 2 : their beloved president

author’s note: same ages as last time!! (so that means everyone is one year younger than canon; that makes yosano 24)

this one is actually pretty long :0

i got info abt her likes on her wiki page (careful! there’s spoilers!)

and yosano is a queen and no one can tell me otherwise

the doctor is in the house (quite literally)

going grocery shopping was an okay chore in your opinion

it honestly depended on your mood or whatever kind of shit happens when you go shopping

cause like something always, always happens whenever you go do groceries

sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and sometimes it’s just plain weird

one time some weirdo proposed to you in the middle of the store asking for a double suicide

he was good looking you’d admit but it’s not like you’d ever see him again

or so you thought

a n y w a y s

every so often, you’d run out of real person food in your apartment

you mostly survive off all of the leftover bakery treats and ingredients—which works out pretty well actually—but bakery supplies unfortunately also run out quite often

and also unfortunately, one time when both fukuzawa & ranpo took a visit to Sakura’s, fukuzawa argued that “no you can’t live off sweets for the rest of your life”

ranpo was scandalized and scrambled to cover your ears

you guys were at it for a while

in the end you sided with fukuzawa causing ranpo to go off about “betrayal from the people he cared most abt” or smth like that

you guys were okay again after bribing him with sweets :)

for bakery supplies you usually have them delivered bc you order them in large quantities bc ahaha no way were you gonna carry like 15-20 50 pound bags of flour no way

when days like those happen, you close up the bakery early so you aren’t walking home when it’s too dark

you scheduled it to happen every first saturday of the month

on those saturdays, you close at 5 instead of at 8

currently, you were at the grocery store looking for basic cooking ingredients such as proteins, vegetables, fruits, and most importantly, snacks

ranpo’s been rubbing off on you

the sun was starting to set and you were walking home with your two bags of groceries when shit went down

tbh you were kinda expecting it cause your grocery run was peaceful for once

but what you weren’t expecting was a wack-a-do to appear out of goddamn nowhere right when you were opening the side door to get to the staircase up to your apartment

like honestly

let a woman do her own thing

the man who grabbed you tried to covered your mouth so you couldn’t scream but you didn’t exactly make it easy for him

you kicked and thrashed around even using the grocery bags—that were somehow still in your hand—as a weapon and the man struggled but he was still bigger than you and was able to bring you to a nearby alley

he reeked of alcohol and you spotted a wedding band on his left hand

not that you cared about the detail in the moment

you kicked him in the groin and in response he let you go only to fall on broken glass that was in the alley way

using the wall to help yourself up, you grabbed a nearby wooden stick and struck him right on his back

your attacker fell and you immediately turned on your heels to escape only to fall back down on the hard cold ground once again

you lift your face up and look back to see the man holding onto your ankle

grabbing a shard of glass—cutting yourself in the process— you begin to swing it at him only for him to easily grip your wrist and stop you

you get ready try and kick him in the groin again but you’re interrupted as your attacker gets sucker punched and flies to wall

you look up to see your savior and you’re blessed to see a beautiful woman, probably not that much older than you are—she’s probably around ranpo’s age— donning a white long sleeve button up, a matching black necktie, knee length skirt, and gloves, along with tights, red heels, and a pretty butterfly clip in her short black hair

but what you really notice is her eyes

ranpo’s eyes were pretty but you like hers just a bit more

you’ve always liked the color magenta

the pretty lady holds out her hand and you take it graciously and thank her as she helps you up

as that’s happening, your attacker gets himself onto his feet and his groan catches both of your attention

he struggles to stand and the pretty lady simples saunters over to him and delivers an uppercut knocking him out cold

you’re stunned and you breathe out a “thank you” making her turn towards you

she notices the condition you’re in

bleeding scrapes on your hands, arms and legs, small rips in your clothes like your tights, blouse, and skirt, and the ruffled state of your hair and clothing

she asks if you live nearby and you tell her that you own the bakery that’s one or two buildings away

when you tell her that, it clicks in her mind that you must be the bakery girl ranpo’s been talking about and the friend fukuzawa was cat sitting for

it’s been abt two weeks since ranpo and fukuzawa first met you and since then, they’ve seen lucky in the office plenty and the boxes of your signature sweets even more

if those two trust you, she has no reason not to

she smiles at you, holds out her hand for you to shake, and introduces herself as the doctor of the armed detective agency

your eyes widen and you smile back at her shaking her hand

“ah! you must be yosano-sensei then! ranpo-san and fukuzawa-san have talked about you! it’s so nice to meet you! im (l/n) (y/n)!”

“they’ve talked about you too, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you (y/n)”

after that exchange she insisted on bringing you home to treat you wounds which you told her it wasn’t necessary

she gave you a pointed look and that was when you realized what state you were in

you sighed and weakly gave in to which she only grinned at

before leaving the alley she walks over to the unconscious man and pulls out his wallet for some sort of identification and home address as you try to see if there’s any groceries still salvageable

after texting the details to kunikida, yosano turns to you poking around the now ruined grocery bags

she simply rubs your back and tells you that the both of you could go buy more groceries together as she was meaning to get some anyways; she even said she’ll pay for you

you refused obviously but she, unknowingly, used the same tactic fukuzawa used with you

“so you’re saying you don’t need groceries?”

“...”

*cue an eyebrow raise from our resident queen*

“...you agency members don’t like making things easy for me huh.”

you gave in reluctantly and at this point you don’t even know why you try negotiating with them

and that’s only three of them

apparently, she was on the other side of the street on the way to buy groceries for the agency when she noticed different produce items on the other sidewalk leading to the alley and she went to check out what happened

ironically, the way to the grocery store from the agency makes you go past Sakura’s but she didn’t realize it until after the two of you had met

before you know it, the two of you are in your apartment kitchen as she cleans and patches up all of your wounds

as she does so the two of you have a little girl talk

you find it quite comforting bc since you opened up Sakura’s you haven’t really had the chance to connect to many people much less other women

you definitely see yosano as your cool, loving, badass older sister

she thinks you’re adorable and agrees with ranpo’s opinion

yup 

that’s right

the opinion that you’re like a little kid </3

you called it a betrayal and all she did was laugh at you <//3

“awhh that’s really cool yosano-sensei!—MFPH?!?”

*squishing your cheeks the same way ranpo did* “ranpo-san was right (n/n)-chan, your cheeks are squishy!”

“?!”

after that small fiasco, the two of you talked some more and bonded over your love for flowers, japanese sweets, and much more!!

you even made a date to have a girls day to go shopping and eat out!

you’re internally squealing a bit bc it’s been a while since you’ve gone shopping

yosano notices and she giggles behind her hand not saying anything bc she knows you’ll only throw a fit

the two of you came around the topic of ranpo when lucky passed by

lucky quickly warmed up to the doctor and cozied up in her lap

“i wish ranpo-san was able to meet lucky when he came by the first time, but then again, he’d probably throw a tantrum if i don’t pay attention to him for 5 seconds”

she snorted at that and like fukuzawa, she shared stories abt the slightly older male

“ranpo-san doesn’t know how to ride a train?”

“unbelievable right?”

“for someone so intelligent i expected more from him”

“i’ll be telling that to ranpo-san, (n/n)-chan”

“wha—?! yosano-sensei please don’t!”

like ranpo, she’s also a tease </3

but you love her anyway <3

eventually, she finished patching you up and promised to treat you to a new set of clothes when the two of you go out

“you don’t need to lose a good set of clothes just because of a sleazy man (n/n)-chan! you deserve better!”

you were going to argue that the rips in your clothes were fairly small and could easily be fixed—except the tights—but you stopped in your tracks when you remembered that it was practically useless to argue against an ada member

the two of you walked to the grocery store and bought both of your needed supplies—along with some extra goodies—and then she walked you back to your place bc it was already a bit dark out

but even if it wasn’t, she would walk you anyways

besides, if anything happened to you, she’s 1000% positive that ranpo and fukuzawa are gonna flip the fuck out not that she wont cause she most definitely will

speaking of which

you were drinking a bottle of water as the two of made your way back to Sakura’s when all of a sudden

“(y/n) you do realize that i have to tell shachou and ranpo-san about what happened today right?”

you choked on your water

“yosano-sensei you can’t! if you do they’ll freak! they won’t leave me alone for at least two weeks! one if im lucky!”

“exactly the point”

you just accepted your defeat already knowing that you’d lose

but maybe you can simmer down their anger towards the bastard with sweets and lucky

you arrived at Sakura’s shortly after and after bringing groceries in, you packaged a bunch of pastries leftover from today—bc you closed early—and bc you’re well aware that ranpo doesn’t share any of the sweets you send him with

you even gave yosano her own special box filled with goodies she loves, and a thermos of fukuzawa’s favorite, your special hot honey lemon tea

other than the sweets, you prepared lucky to spend the night at fukuzawa’s

you really really hoped that doing these things would make them calm down

you shivered at the thought of what their responses would be

you felt really bad for giving yosano all these things to carry and that you were keeping her very late

she assured you that she was fine and that if someone tried to mess with her she’d kick their ass

and after exchanging numbers, the magenta eyed queen bid you a good night and walked back to the agency with lucky walking by her heels

arriving back at the agency, yosano was greeted with some concerns asking if she was alright bc she came back from her grocery run pretty late

(she usually goes in the mornings but today was pretty busy so she left in the late afternoon but now it was already dark)

she waved off the concerns and plopped a couple boxes of your signature bakery boxes at ranpo’s desk, the one for her at her own, the last few boxes in the kitchen for any other agent or clerk to grab, placed the thermos on the desk fukuzawa was by, and picked up lucky and handed him to the president

the two males were pleased with what yosano had brought them, and pleased that another agency member had the chance to meet you

fukuzawa was rubbing lucky and ranpo already snacking on treats as yosano expected

but here comes the hard part

or maybe it’s gonna amusing who knows

“i met (y/n) today.”

“we could tell.”

in goes another treat in the green eyed man’s mouth

“would you like to know how?”

“you bumped into each other, had girl talk, made plans to go out, went grocery shopping, and you brought me and shachou presents.”

“great job ranpo-san, you’re almost completely correct.”

this caught the attention of basically everyone bc they knew ranpo was never “almost completely correct”

“we ended up meeting bc she got attacked on her way home from grocery shopping, i treated her wounds, then we had girl talk and did all the other stuff”

ranpo and fukuzawa froze right in their tracks

“i sent all the info of the bastard to kunikida”

“kunikida.”

“yes shachou”

“find out everything about that man and bring it to me and ranpo”

“...yes shachou”

“and yosano”

“yes?”

“text (y/n) and tell her that her cat, tea, and pastries aren’t going to work as a bribe”

just as you finished taking a shower you sneezed

<<previous // next >>

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[i-will-physically-fight-you]

Are you going to finish the Tiny Virgil AU? Cause the last chapter ended on a cliffhanger. If you don't feel like finishing the whole thing, you could maybe give us bullet points of what was supposed to happen?

Ahaha whoops, I kinda forgot that fic. at the rate I'm going, it'll take like ten years for that or any of my other fics to get finished. Tbh, I actually have a whole outline for that one? Acantha (@theeternalspace) and I brainstormed the rest ages ago and then I took our thoughts and bullet-outlined it out.

The thing is? Like, emotionally I want to hold onto my thoughts and finish it, but if I am to be completely honest, realistically it probably won't happen. Because I wanna prioritize Gibbous over it and all.

so tldr: I'd like to write more installments, but in the case I never finish it and/or you don't care about spoilers, check the read more for what happens.

warnings: hurt/comfort, crying, morally grey sides (all sides are present so beware idk its been awhile im not up to date with how the fandom handles this sorta thing)

Chapter 5

Anx cant believe he forgot about Thomas!

He was so caught up in Creativity wanting to play with him, he's forgotten about his whole purpose

He goes to the real world, worried about all the things that could've befallen his host without his guidance

Anx is confused to be faced with adult Morality and another...side?

"Thomas?"

Thomas is big, Anx is not

This can't be real, can it? How can he protect Thomas like this?

Roman shows up, but the damage is dealt (Ro and Pat converse a bit)

Virge starts panicking and panics even more when he sees Thomas affected by it

Ro & Pat try to comfort Virge but no use

It's Thomas who gets to him. Who is...helping? Why?

"Wh-why are you so nice? I'm bad, I hurt you--I do bad things."

Thomas looks sad at that. He tries to explaining that he doesnt think Virge is bad, he can be good

Virge doesnt really understand but at the same time...Thomas loves him??

Thomas offers him a hug and he accepts it. Still so confused but at least his host loves him.

Chapter 6

Virgil ends up tuckered up in Thomas' arms

"Crying is exhausting, don't like it" He complains to Roman.

"I know. You've been very brave, little prince."

It's not that late but Thomas seems nervous. "I should go to bed." (Basically feels like if he doesnt adhere to his childhood bedtime, he'll get in trouble aka lil Virgil's influence)

Patton asks if he'd like for him to accompany him and Thomas nods

Roman and Virgil end up back in the mindscape with Patton promising to follow soon after

Roman tucks him into bed

Patton comes back, looking tired, and both Roman and Patton agree to talk with Logan in the morning about things

in the morning with Virgil still asleep, Lo, Pat and Ro talk briefly

Logan shares some theories (Age regression maybe?)

Patton tells them what's up with Thomas

Roman decides to bother the Dark Sides. "If this happened before in the past, they would know, wouldn't they? And if they're behind it this time then I can get them to stop it"

They decide to have Patton look out for Thomas again and for Logan to watch over Virgil while Roman ventures out to the Dark Sides

Chapter 7

Logan mulls over what is happening

Grateful that Thomas is going to bed early at least

He is not worried, he is Logic

Tries focusing hard on his book

Virgil wakes up, disappointed to see Logan and not Roman

Roman ventures through the dark mindscape

infodump detail on how it differs vs. the regular mindscape, quiet, silence nobody is around

"HELLO" Roman screams as his brother pops up

"What do I owe brother dear for this visit?"

Virgil is worried about Roman, but Logan placates him a bit

The two end up doing a puzzle

During which Virgil randomly hugs Logan

When Logan asks why, Virgil explains "You're scared. Hugs make me feel less scared"

Logan thanks him for the sentiment but insists he is not scared

"You're scared, I can feel it. It's okay, I get scared lots of times so you don't have to." Virgil says

And then Logan's fear dissipates

He stares at Virgil, shocked, because did tiny virge take his fear away??

And if so, if tiny virge knows how to do this, has adult Virgil been doing it without them knowing??

Chapter 8

"I know you did it" Roman growls. It makes sense really. Remus did random things for sh*t and giggles

Remus blinked "Oh! You found out about ____, didn't you?"

"What no!" Roman says, disgusted. "I'm talking about Virgil."

"Wait, you think I did it with Virgil? Mr. Emo?"

"NO!" Roman snaps. "Stop playing dumb!"

The two have a scuffle, ending up with Remus having a sword at Ro's throat (who is stuck in green goop)

"I really don't know what you mean." Remus says, "What is it exactly do you think I did again?"

Logic must hate him, Anx thinks, otherwise why would he be looking strangely at him?

but its okay, even if it really really really hurts, Anx has done it before and would do it again to keep from any of them feeling pain

He asks if Anx took his fear away and he nods

surely this must be a happy thing but Logic seems even more upset

the fear grappling tiny virge is foreign. It's so different than fears he's taken before. He finds himself drowning in it. he doesnt quite understand most of it. But there's fears about himself, Logic being scared for him, not of him. (basically oh boy adult fears are much harder to process for a child Anxiety)

Logic grips his hand and asks for his fears back

"I can't" Tiny Virge says, shaking like a leaf

Logan asks it again. Virge shakes his head "I can't, I--I don't know how!"

He really doesnt know how. Usually he just holds it all in until it explodes.

Logic echoes some of what the fear is telling him, that Logic cares for him. And weirdly, it means a lot for him to hear that Logic actually cares.

But noooo he must only care because of Thomas, right?

Anyways this is resolved somehow idk lmao and then Logan is called to help with Thomas

Virgil promises Lo he'll be okay, not wanting to stop him from being able to help their host

Logan promises he'll back momentarily

Virgil squeezes Zola and tries his best to stay calm

Previously on Rem and Ro

Roman spills the beans on whats up

Deadbeat silence

Remus then babbles about how he has no clue what Roman is talking about, but is super intrigued and wants to check this out for himself

He sinks out as Roman grabs onto his ankle, but isn't enough to stop him from sinking out.

Chapter 9

"Hiya!"

Little Anx squeaks, shadows gathering at his feet, ready to strike at....

A Green-Dressed Creativity? He dresses fancily like him.

"Princey?"

Green laughs. "No, I'm The Duke! Princey's my brother!"

And Lil Virge is kinda confused but rolls with it because Creativity pretending to be someone else/splitting himself into two is a very Creativity thing to do and isn't too worried about it.

Roman shows up, fuming

However, because of Virgil, he has to play nice

They end up having a pretend tea party

Roman finds himself shocked that Remus is decent with kids? Or at least a Kid Anxiety??

He still says outrageous things but Virge giggles at them (Basically kids really have no baseline for moral right-or-wrong, they find talk of murder funny)

Roman feels a bit guilty/regretful realizing he never played much with Remus growing up

Eventually, Logan pops up slightly frazzled

He's relieved to see the twins there looking after Virgil

Explains the situation w/ Thomas to Roman while Remus and Virgil play

Patton pops up, looking slightly weary, leading Roman and Logan to insist he take a day off from watching Thomas

Upon seeing Logan & Patton, Virgil runs up to hug Logan, but shies away from Patton

Patton tries to hide his disappointment about this

Remus tries to leave upon seeing Lo and Pat are here

but Virge clings to him, insisting he stays

The Others agree, and Remus perks up a bit.

Somewhere, there's a discussion about Virge again, late at night?

Logan reveals Virgil taking fears from him

At some point it's decided to leave Janus out of it as it's unknown how little Virge would react to him and the fact that Janus most likely knows what's up and has chosen to stay out of it

It's decided that Remus and Roman will traverse the Imagination to see if there's a solution there

Logan will be with Thomas

Meanwhile Patton will look after Virgil

Chapter 10

Patton's POV

Little Virge is upset about both Remus and Roman leaving

they try to placate him but it does little. (Telling him how they'll stay safe and they don't want him going because they want to keep him safe)

Patton's heart breaks but he has to holds back Virge.

Eventually the two have heart-to-heart

Apparently the two had a classic childhood spat, that means a lot to Virge even tho poor Pat doesnt remember the spat at all.

Pat tells them they're the best of friends now, even shows him evidence

Virge feels a little better

Sees a snake stuffy in Pat's room, asks about Dee

Patton deflects

The two end up making cookies together

The Imagination is a bust, although the twins return squabbling in a good mood

And Remus has a "present" for Virgil, who delights in it.

They chat, when suddenly Virgil screams

Chapter 11

Virgil's POV

He's been trying his best to stay calm, to hold back the anxiety gained from Logan and also the other fears swelling inside of him

But it's too much, and push comes to shove. A burning sensation occurs

And it explodes

He has a panic attack and realizes it extends into the real world

Overwhelmed and upset, he runs off.

He runs off to his hideaway and sits there

Getting bombarded with fears

He's there for what feels like hours when--

"Oh my dear Anxiety" A crooning, unfamiliar yet familiar voice says

Virgil looks, surprised, to see Deceit!! There's a lot more scales and he's wearing a funny outfit but it's him

He is happy to see him albeit sobbing into his capelet because of what happened.

Dee holds onto him going, “Shhhh everything’s alright. Shhh it’s not your fault. It’s my fault, I’m sorry—“ and Virgil interrupts shrieking it can’t be his fault, because in his mind Dee would never do anything bad and it hurts Dee to know that young Virge has so much faith in him.

"You'll hate me" But Little Virge refuses to accept that. "You're lying, you don't mean that"

"Okay, you caught me. "We stay best friends forever" OR something along those lines

Dee convinces him to bring back to the others, that they don't hate him

When they return, the others "freaking out" is a mild understatement.

Dee slowly produces tiny Virge out of his capelet.

Hisses at them to keep their distance because crowding Virge will only freak him out

Apologies and misunderstandings are made clear

Thomas summons all of them and they all have a sleepover

Virgil falls asleep snuggled between Remus and Dee

Chapter 12

Maybe Roman's POV?

Along with Thomas, they have a discussion

Dee waits a bit, before revealing that he's behind the reason for Virge's current state.

As his role Deceit, he has access to both truth and lies. One lie is that Virgil believes his kid self died and is no longer a part of him--attempting to actively repress those memories

He then points out the childish aspects of each side's function. (Maybe Logan input something about growing up and stuff)

P: "But why would Virgil think this?" J: "oh gee, I wonder why. It isn't like he was made to feel like an outcast from a very young age or anything"

Instant Guilt for all

Anyways Dee explains some mishap occurred, thus reverting Virgil back to this state

You get the sense Janus isn't telling the whole truth.

Janus says he has a way to fix things, and that's when there's a noise

"Anx?"

Virge is there, standing incredibly still, slightly heavy breathing

"Anx, it's okay, we're not upset"

Little Virge heard everything and is upset but he understands

He knows Thomas needs big him, and the others reassure him that they'll be there for him, each having a small moment with him

Then he starts glowing brightly, causing them all to be alarmed, Janus included

Chapter 13

Virgil is back and boiiiiiii is he freaked the heck out

The Others including Thomas are all there, F*CK how can he ever recover after they saw him like that?

He's both embarrassed and mortified

Not to mention it hurts to have two sets of childhood memories rattling inside his head. One that was lonely and painful, and the other that was happy but fake

He snaps at Janus and ends up fleeing in his room

He doesn't duck out

He cant do that

He just doesnt....go out. He doesn't want to hear the jokes start. He doesnt want the babying or the pitying to start.

He does his job and that is that.

(inwardly he knew this would happen, but not like this)

They try summoning him (Thomas included) but he wont come out. His door is locked.

Patton slips a note under the door but Virge refuses to look at it.

Blares MCR

Somehow Zola appears in his room, and he'd like to tear it apart or something, but he can't help but squeeze the stuffed bat tight and cry for the childhood that never was.

A week passes, and there's a very sad prince at his door

Virgil ends up letting him in because look, he's not a monster

it's very...awkward at first

but they eventually have a heart-to-heart and some snarky banter

and Virgil is very confused when Princey feels the need to apologize to him

They also discuss Janus and Virgil very reluctantly agrees to talk to him

Virgil ends up talking with Janus over tea

Janus doesn't really look at him, staring at his teacup as he explains himself

and dammit, Janus has hurt him (but then again so has Virgil hurt Janus)

But a part of him really misses him. A part of him that has always missed him.

Janus explains he just wanted to know where he went wrong in their friendship, that he went the round-about way because knew Virgil wouldn't talk to him but messed with things he shouldnt and accidentally caused Virgil to revert to the age before their friendship started fraying by accident.

He admits that he almost wanted to leave Virgil that age, to take advantage of it as a way to start again, but ultimately couldnt let himself take advantage of virgil in that way

He also apologizes, telling Virgil "Showing weakness isn't bad. I told you once that you had to stay strong and not let anyone see it, but I was wrong" and that he understands if Virgil doesnt accept his apology right away or if ever

And Virgil doesnt completely accept, not yet, but he's willing to try

It ends happily with them going down to dinner with the others. (possibly Virgil having moments with the others??)

the end

BONUS, Written Scene from Chapter 11 w/ Virge's and Janus's reunion because I was self-indulgent and wrote ahead

“Oh my dear Anxiety,” A silky voice croons, so achingly familiar.

He sniffles, raising his head to meet eyes with the much older face of his best friend; Deceit. It has to be, there is no other side whose left side of face is reptilian in nature. He’s crouching beside Virgil, only one set of arms present at the moment. He’s wearing a funny outfit, but then Deceit has always dressed funny, just like Creativity. Neither of them have ever been worried about standing out.

“Dee!” Anxiety cries out, all but flinging himself onto the older side. The velocity of it flattens the two onto the ground, with Deceit letting a small grunt from the impact. He’d be more worried about possibly hurting Deceit if he wasn’t too busy bawling his eyes out into the strange cape Deceit is wearing.

Deceit strokes his hair, so soft and gentle. Then two sets of arms hoist Anxiety upwards, settling him onto Deceit’s lap. Deceit hugs Anxiety, cocooning him in a warm embrace. For a moment, everything feels normal again. As if they’re all kids still and Anxiety had sought Deceit for comfort after a bad nightmare.

Then Deceit speaks, saying words meant to be comforting. They are comforting at first, until Deceit says things that don’t make sense. And Anxiety knows Deceit is a liar, that he says things that aren’t true. But he knows when Deceit isn’t lying. They’re best friends after all.

“Shhh, it’ll be alright. Shhh, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I hurt you and I’m--”

“No!”

“No?” Deceit repeats.

“No, it--it--you didn’t do anything bad, you wouldn’t!” Anxiety says, nearly shrieking, “You’d never, ever, hurt me. We’re best friends and best friends don’t do that.”

A strange, choking noise erupts from Deceit. Anxiety looks to see Deceit’s human eye glistening. His best friend’s lips quiver, like Anxiety gets when he gets too scared to speak. Except Deceit is never scared. He always knows what to say in a situation, confident in ways Anxiety could never be.

“Oh, I’ve forgotten what you were like at this age,” Deceit whispers, so low that Anxiety thinks he wasn’t meant to hear it. Then Deceit shakes his head, a weird laugh escaping him. “You’re going to hate me, Anx. Or rather, you’re going to hate me more after this is all over.”

“You’re lying,” Anxiety accuses, his fingers tightening around the fabric of Deceit’s cloak, “You don’t mean that. I love you, Dee, you’re my best friend and--and...Big Me is still best friends with you, right?!”

Deceit inhales sharply, as if there’s something stuck in his throat. Before Anxiety can even grow concerned for his well being, he breaths out a long dramatic sigh.

He rolls his eyes, smirking, “Alright, you caught me.”

“I did?”

“Yes. I was only lying to scare you out of crying,” Deceit assures him, “I didn’t mean to scare you into thinking we weren’t best friends still. Of course we are.”

“G-good,” Anxiety huffs, “don’t scare me like that, Dee, I don’t like it!”

“I won’t do it again, I promise,” Deceit says, his smirk fading a bit as he takes on a somber expression, “it still isn’t your fault for what happened, Virg--Anxiety. Neither I or any of the others think it is. They certainly despise you for it.”

“Despise?” Anxiety’s heart jumps a bit, “Oh! You mean...you’re saying...they don’t despise me?”

“I don’t know,” Deceit raises an eyebrow, “Why don’t you try reaching out? See what their fears tell you.”

Anxiety closes his eyes, sticking his tongue out in concentration. If he thinks super hard, he can envision everyone's fears like spider webs, branching all over the mindscape, interconnected in some ways and in others, completely disconnected in each side's little corner.

And he is the itsy bitsy spider, that scuttles about and maintains the webs to some degree. Because a little bit of fear is good, it helps keep Thomas alive. So he traces the webs and searching for what Dee suggested. There is one thread present, in every nook and cranny of the web, he searches, even in the splinter-offs. One fear that repeats and loops through the whole network that he has never seen before.

"Oh." Anxiety breathes, eyes widening. They're not afraid of him. They're afraid for him, worried about his safety and wellbeing. Anxiety doesn't know what to think of that.

[spookysweet-heart]

Sing To Me

Request: None, just thought it would be sweet if Luke’s song for his mother inspired the reader to write their own song to accompany it with the reader also being able to see the ghost boys.

Fandom: Julie and The Phantoms

Pairings: Luke x Psychic!Reader

Warnings: None!

A/N: This is my first time writing for the fandom so I hope you guys like it! I was inspired to write this when I was listening to my playlist and the song “Sing To Me” by With Confidence came on and it immediately made me think of Luke. You can find the link for the song by tapping the name above to hear it when it gets to that part with the lyrics of the story so you can follow along! The collage was made by me! Edited by @semiproeagle23​! Im also gonna tag @meangirlsx​ Thank you Sam you brought me into another fandom lmao

You and Julie just got to her place. Julie hands you her bag. “Can you take it with you to the studio? I’ll be there in a bit. I’m gonna make some food, do you want anything?”

“Just something to drink if that’s okay.” Swinging the strap of the bag onto your other shoulder, you smile at her. “I’ll let the boys know we’re here.”

Julie nods, smiling back as she makes her way into the house. You giggle a bit before heading to the studio. When you reach the door, you can hear the tapping of drumsticks on the table, accompanied by three voices humming and the sounds of someone playing notes on a bass. 

Poking your head in, you grin when you see the boys. “Hey, guys! We’re back!”

The three of them grin as they look up at you when you walk in. “Welcome back!”

Tossing the bags in the empty spot next to Reggie on the couch, you take a peek at what they’re working on. “Is that what you guys are going to perform at the festival next weekend?”

Reggie smiles excitedly when he looks up at you. “Yeah! We can play some of it for you, if you want.”

“Sure! I’d love to hear it!”

Alex looks around a little confused before he looks over at you. “Hey, where’s Julie?”

“Oh! She’s inside getting some food for herself.”

Standing up, the boys fix their sweaters. Luke picks up his notebook, looking over the lyrics once more. “We’re gonna go talk to her before we rehearse for you. There’s something that needs a little work.”

You smile at them and nod, leaning back into the couch and taking out your phone. “Alright! I’ll be here whenever you guys get back.”

As they disappear from the studio, you look through your phone and scroll through Instagram for a bit. When your feed automatically refreshes, you huff, a bit annoyed because you were about to like Julie’s new post. Putting your phone on the table, you look towards the piano and see a stray paper on the floor. 

“Someone must have dropped it…” Sighing to yourself as you get up, you don’t notice Alex coming back into the room. Kneeling on one knee, you pick up the paper and see its lyrics to a song called Unsaid Emily. 

Alex raises an eyebrow, feeling curious as to what you're looking at. Just as he's about to speak up, the rest of the group comes back in, startling you. Quickly, you fold the paper and stuff it in your back pocket, standing back up on your feet.

“Hey guys, welcome back!” You smile over at Julie, who’s putting a tray of snacks and your drink on the table.

Reggie raises an eyebrow and looks at Alex, who shrugs.”What were you doing on the floor there, (Y/n)?”

“Hm? Oh! I was just uh...looking for a quarter! Yeah, I was looking for a quarter, it fell out of my bag and rolled somewhere over here but it looks like I lost it.”

Luke and Julie shrug it off, believing you, but you knew Alex and Reggie didn’t with the way they were looking at you. 

Casually walking over to the tray, ignoring the boys’ stares, you pick up the glass of water, taking a drink from it. “Are you guys going to rehearse the new song?” 

Luke instantly turned very energetic when you asked. “Yes! Of course!”

“We worked out a few things he was unsure about before we came in here. Should’ve seen him when it finally clicked. It’s like you could see a literal light bulb turn on in his head.” Julie and you both laugh. You honestly think it’s cute when Luke gets so excited about any performance of any kind, especially if he’s been struggling on a part for a while.

Julie moves a chair over so you can take a seat while they set up. Taking the seat, you excitedly smile almost bouncing in place! You always get excited when the group performs, it’s like a burst of energy just runs through your body. 

As the song starts, you feel like there’s nowhere else you’d rather be, like you’re in your own little world. Though it seems like you can’t get those lyrics you read out of your head.  ‘First things first, we start the scene in reverse. All of the lines rehearsed disappeared from my mind. When things got loud, one of us running out….’ 

For a moment, your thoughts drifted till it formed something, not realizing you softly speaking to yourself. “We’re flying at the speed of sound. Two hands colliding faster now...and I just can’t believe it…”

Luke gives you a weird look when he realizes you're in your own little world. He recognizes that look and only hears what you said last. “What can’t you believe?”

Startled, you look up at him with wide eyes. “I- um I uh can’t….” Looking over at your phone, you grab it and look through it. “I can’t believe I have to go home! My dad’s getting on my case. I totally forgot it was my turn to help with dinner!”  Quickly picking up your bag, you start to head out of the studio. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Julie! You guys sound amazing! Can’t wait to hear the rest at the festival!”

The group watches you leave and then look at each other. 

Alex looks over at Julie, putting his drumsticks down beside him. “Are they okay?”

Julie only shrugged. “They forget things easily sometimes, so this isn’t anything to really worry about. They’re okay.”

“Oh okay. Hey do you mind if we rehearse again tomorrow?”

Julie raises an eyebrow and smiles. “Why? Do you have a date?”

Alex blushes, a small smile on his face appearing. “No, but I think Reggie and I need to work on something. You and Luke would be fine here by yourself, right?”

Reggie looks confused at his bandmate. “Wait, we do?”

Alex quickly glares at Reggie and nods towards the door. “Yes… we do. Remember? That thing we talked about?”

Reggie realizes what Alex is referring to and nods. “Right, that thing! Of course! Julie, you don’t mind do you?”

“Uh, I guess not, since we got some progress done today.”

Both smile at her and jump out of their seats. “Great! We’ll see you two later!” Without another word, they disappear to wherever they're off to.

Julie looks over at Luke, who is strumming his guitar. “Are those two being weirder than usual?”

Luke shakes his head, laughing to himself. “I don’t think they can be weirder than they already are.”

Reggie and Alex appear in front of your house just as you were reaching the front door.  Alex runs up to you, almost phasing through the door itself. “Heeeey, we need to talk.”

Taking a step back, you look up at Alex. “About?”

Reggie walks up the steps and stands next to Alex, leaning in a bit. “We saw you pick up the paper that was by the piano.”

“Wh-what paper?” Looking at the two boys, you feel a little uneasy.

“The paper you put in your pocket after everyone came in.” Alex points at you before he opens his palm, making a grabbing motion.

Sighing, you relax your shoulders. “Alright, alright. Just…go up to my room I’ll be right there.”

Smiling and feeling satisfied, they disappear. You hear them talking upstairs when you enter the house. “Dad? I’m home! Is mom still at work?”

Your dad pops his head in from around the corner from the living room and smiles at you. “Yeah, she should be out soon. You’re late to help with dinner though.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I forgot and I was over at Julie’s watching her rehearse and I lost track of time.”

Your dad puts his hand up, letting you know to stop talking. “It’s fine. Just text or call me next time. Go to your room and I'll call you down when your mom gets home.”

“Okay, I’ll try to remember next time…” Heading upstairs to your room, you hear Alex’s voice talking about something. Opening the door to your room, you see them hunched over your laptop, looking through your music playlist. “Having fun snooping through my things?”

They both jump to their feet, giving you apologetic smiles. “Sorry, we just wanted to see what you were listening to…”

“It’s fine, but next time, just ask. I can play it for you instead of you guys trying to read it.” Tossing your bag to the corner, you dig into your pocket and hand the folded-up paper to Reggie. “Do you know whose lyrics these are?”

Alex leans in, his cheek almost touching Reggie’s. “This is Luke’s writing, isn’t this what he wrote for his mom?” He whispers and glances at Reggie.

Nodding, he pulls away and looks over at you. “What were you planning on doing with this?”

“Uh, I-” You look down at your shoes and slowly look back at them. “I started reading it and I don't know...my mind drifted and I started to think of some lyrics in my head because I couldn’t get this out of my mind.”

“You thought about lyrics?” Alex raises an eyebrow in confusion. “Like a song of your own?”

“Yeah, like I started thinking of a song that can go along with this, and part of the lyrics just came to me when I was watching you perform today.” Nervously, you rub your arm. “You guys aren’t mad, are you?

“No! We aren’t, but now we kinda just have one question to ask you.” The boys have an excited smile on their faces as their eyes shine with passion.

“What’s the question?”

“Can we help with the song?”

All the nervousness you felt washes away almost instantly when they ask the question. The three of you end up working on the song for half the night and wake up early to get the finishing touches before you head off to school.

Alex and Reggie get back to Julie's studio, only to see an irritated Luke glaring at them.

“Hey, there, what’s wrong?” Alex tried to be a bit sympathetic so that maybe it would rub off on Luke.

“You guys said you’d be back soon, I got worried. I thought maybe something happened to you two.”

“Awww, he does care.” Reggie playfully ruffles Luke’s hair. “Don’t worry, we were with (Y/n) all night. We were working on stuff that we know you’d appreciate.”

“Me? Why me?” Luke looks at Alex and Reggie, confused.

“Just trust us! You’ll see when they get back from school.”

Catching up to Julie after her last class, you run to her almost out of breath. “Hey….oh my god that was a long hallway to run. I just… I just wanted to give you this.” Handing her the paper with Luke’s lyrics, you look at Julie apologetically. “I found this on the floor by the piano yesterday and I took it home with me. I wasn’t planning on doing anything with it but the lyrics kept repeating in my head and then it inspired me to write this.” Opening your notebook, you show her the song you, Alex, and Reggie worked on last night.

“Whoa…this is amazing, (Y/n).” Julie takes the notebook to read more of the lyrics. “You gotta sing this for Luke when we get back!”

“Wait, me? Are you sure?.... I was kinda thinking you could sing it.”

Julie shakes her head, smiling at you. “No way, you’re definitely singing this! C’mon, let’s go!” Taking your hand in hers, Julie starts to run with you following behind to her house.

The guys are startled when you two suddenly rush into the studio. Julie immediately grabs the mic stand, placing it in the middle of the room. She smiles reassuringly when she looks over at you. 

You look over at Alex and Reggie, nodding, signaling that you’re ready to do this. 

While you three get ready, Julie and Luke watch as you readjust the mic and make sure your guitar is still in tune.

“Um, this song actually goes out to you Luke. I want to apologize for taking something that was yours, but I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Because of that, I wrote this song overnight with these two. So I hope you like it.” Glancing over at the other two, you give them a smile as you three begin to play.

(Ba ba ba, ba ba bada da)

We're flying at the speed of sound

Two hands colliding faster now

And I just can't believe it

(Just can't believe it)

Everything that I needed

(Everything that I needed)

All things do surely fall back down

(Fall back down)

Fall back down

Fall back down

Sing to me, won't you Emily

Cause I know that time is on your mind

But time is just a construct

I can't wait to see all that's meant to be

And I know the doubt is close behind

But honestly, you're right where I wanna be

(Ba ba ba, ba ba bada da)

(Ba ba ba, ba ba bada da)

Lost and then slowly come undone

(Come undone)

Will you wilt underneath my sun

(Will you wilt underneath my)

Cause I just can't believe it

(Just can't believe it)

All these things that I'm seeing

(All these things that I'm seeing)

No, no, I'll give you everything I've got

(Everything I've got)

All I've got

Take everything if you want

Sing to me, won't you Emily

Cause I know that time is on your mind

But time is just a construct

I can't wait to see all that's meant to be

And I know the doubt is close behind

But honestly, you're right where I wanna be

(Ba ba ba, ba ba bada da)

(Ba ba ba, ba ba bada da)

I see the light get darker now

Don't breathe it in I'll push it out

(Don't breathe it in I'll push it out)

I see the light get darker now

(I see the light get darker now)

Don't breathe it in I'll push it out

(Don't breathe it in I'll push it out)

Sing to me, won't you Emily

Cause I know that time is on your mind

But time is just a construct

I can't wait to see all that's meant to be

And I know the doubt is close behind

But honestly, you're right where I want to be

The room is silent when you finish, but it isn’t an uncomfortable silence. Everyone’s eyes are on Luke. When you see him, you realize he’s crying. It takes everything in you to stop yourself from going up to him to give him a hug because you know you’ll just go right through him.

Luke stands up from his chair and makes his way to you, tears still flowing down his cheeks as he leans in. His head is just inches above your shoulder, and you can feel his cold breath by your ear when he whispers in a shaky voice, “Thank you so much, (Y/n).”

[thewritingstar]

Like Fallen Snow

ahhh im super excited because I was @empress-of-mischief secret Santa for the Powerpuff secret Santa! I hope that this fic fills you will joy my dear. I rarely write for the blues and wanted to give it my best. I hope you had a wonderful xmas too. 

Pairing: Boomubbles

Fandom: PPG

---

Christmas was an exciting time of the year. Even Boomer who would rather be alone in his room blasting rock music in his headphones could be found sitting in the living room with his brothers early in the morning. It would start with them racing out of their bedrooms at an ungodly hour and putting on a pot of coffee for their monkey of a father before summoning their demon dad for gifts.

Having super villains for dads had some perks like giant lasers, rocket ships and enough weapons to destroy entire cities as if they forgot that the boys themselves were better than any military grade weapon. So when it came time to open gifts, even Boomer could give enough to smile as he unwrapped a taser gun that he automatically shot at Butch and blue fuzzy socks that matched the red and green ones.

Making sure the superpowered boys were happy on the holiday was something that Mojo and Him had decided was the best, not to keep them entertained but also to keep the running feud of who the best father was. Even though Boomer was happy to accept anything wrapped up with a bow, he had always felt something missing. He had to give Him and Mojo credit because as they got older, the gifts actually became personal.

They were now in their junior year of high school. The boys ‘bad-boy’ vibe wasn’t really cutting it with them and giant machinery wasn’t going to be the hot ticket for the year. Instead Brick ended up with a ton of books and gourment coffee, Butch calling him a big ass nerd of course, which was to prove his point that he was smarter than all of them and may or may not have been to either aggravate or impress a certain puff. For Butch his collection of vinyl recorders, skateboard parts and sport equipment was enough to keep him satisfied and have enough to spark envy with Buttercup. Boomer appreciated the brand new wall of guitars that he had been begging for, drums and a flute that he didn’t remember knowing how to play but hey, how hard could it be?

“Boomer, my dear boy, you keep looking at your phone. Is there somewhere else you’d rather be?” Him asked as he narrowed his eyes in a way that made Boomer snap his phone off.

Embarrassment crawled through him as all eyes were on him and even Mojo who was in the kitchen making pancakes but more or less listening in.

“Oh um, it was just I had a present for a couple friends and was wondering if I could give it to them before it gets dark.” Boomer responded.

“It's eight in the morning, dumbass. It's not close to being dark yet.” Butch said as he threw a football at the blondes head and let out a scream when the rubber turned to dust from the blue laser beams.

“You can say Bubbles.” Brick snorted and Boomer shot him a glare. That was a secret!

“Oh? She is quite the cutie.” Him smirked and Butch barked out a laugh as he smacked Boomers side with a wag of the eyebrows.

“Forget it, you all are weird. I’ll see you for breakfast, I’ll be quick.” Boomer huffed and went up to his room to change before flying out the window.

“Tell your little girlfriend hi for us!” He heard Butch shout and he knew damn well the whole neighbor hood could probably hear him.

“Not my girlfriend.” He mumbled to himself as he found his way to the park.

--

Since the beginning of his life it had always been the ruffs vs the puffs. Destined by his fathers orders and demands, Boomer always followed in that direction no matter what. He didn’t waver from the line drawn in the sand. Even though his brothers began to tip toe around it when they got older, stupid hormones, and yet he never strayed.

He could maybe understand their reasoning. It would make sense to be drawn to the enemy in a way he rarely understood, but still his blood flowed with destruction and determination to rule the world and some girl with pigtails wasn’t going to change that. Or so he thought.

He would consider himself an introvert to his counterpart’s over the top bubbly personality, her name truly suited her. Unlike their siblings, they seemed to rival the most in the sharing of traits.

And yet they had become friends first. It was a bonding experience over milkshakes and a painstaking talk about how they don’t live up to their siblings' powers, how they felt like they were the weak ones. He thought about how Brick and Butch had more muscle power but to hear Bubbles have her own doubts made his stomach turn and for some reason, their friendship bloomed.

Boomer could say that she was his best friend. Not too many people had gained the title of being his friend compared to her, who had most of the school fawning over her charm even if she didn’t notice. But that's what he liked about her. She was like him and while he was confined to her and shared his fears, she could do the same because at the end of the day, they were counterparts. One half of the same coin that would understand the other without any words.

So maybe that's why he was extremely nervous right now. They had been besties, as she called it, for a while and even though gift giving wasn’t out of the ordinary, he wondered what it would be like to be more.

Tell your little girlfriend hi for us!

Much more.

His thoughts were interrupted when the blue puff landed at the foot of the gazebo and sat on the bench next to him.

“Hey Boomie.” She smiled brightly and at first the nickname bothered him but now it was stuck like honey. It was weird when she didn’t say it.

“Hey Bubs.” He returned the smile. “How was your morning?”

“The usual. Blossom with her books and magazines, Buttercup and her weights and well I now have a new spring wardrobe. How about you?”

“Exactly that but I got a new guitar to tune.”

“Oooo you’ll have to play for me sometime.” She gushed and he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. It was the cold's fault, not the pretty blonde, he swears! “Now it's time for the present!” She clapped and put a tin that smelled that vanilla and cinnamon on his lap.

He already knew what they were as he had been bugging her to make her signature holiday cookies for months. Worth the wait.

“So I made you all some cookies, without my sister's help of course and then this is for you.” She handed him a box. The box was black with a navy blue bow. It was so perfect that it was almost comical. Opening the box, he removed the sparkly blue tissue paper.

“Oh wow, guitar picks.” He smiled as he took one out. It was wooden and had a small B with a heart engraved on it. “It's almost like you knew.”

“I had a feeling. You had been talking non stop about wanting one and whether I’d admit it or not, Him makes sure his dear baby boy gets a good present.” She giggled as she poked his cheek.

He rubbed his thumb over it, examining it and thinking about how nice it's going to feel while strumming. “These are really nice quality.”

“I made one from each adventure we went on. That’s made from a pine tree from our first camping trip with our friends. And this one is from the beach last summer.” She held up a slightly white one and at a closer look he realized that it was probably made from sea glass.

“You made these?” He asked in disbelief. “Is this made of bamboo?” He gasped. “When we raced to China?”

“Yep! I know it’s kinda lame but those places meant a lot for us, as friends.” She stumbled over the last part.

“I don’t think it’s lame at all. Pretty cool.” And he meant it. It was probably the most thoughtful gift he had ever received because it took him back to those happy days they had spent together.

“Cooler than a rocket?” She giggled.

“Even cooler than a rocket. Thank you.” He said and fished out her present from his pocket. “Mines not homemade but, ya know.” He scratched the back of his neck and handed her the small poorly wrapped box. “Don’t even comment on the wrapping.”

She held in a laugh. “I’m not.” Liar.

Carefully she tore off the paper and opened the box. “Boomer.”

“I hope it's the right one.”

She stared at the silver chain that had a silver pendant of the moon. When they walked through the mall, it had caught her eye and she spent the next hour talking about astrology and the phases of the moon. The minute that she went into another store, he ran back to purchase it. In the middle of August mind you.

“It's beautiful.” He could hear the sincerity in her voice as she turned her back to him and he helped her with the clasp. “Thank you, I love it so much.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes, taking a few bites of the cookies. The peaceful morning in the park with no one around was perfect, he wasn’t a fan of crowds and maybe that's why she chose this spot because she knew they would be the only ones here.

“Oh look, it's snowing.” Bubbles gasped as she held out her hand to catch the small flakes coming in. “Isn’t it beautiful?” She asked and when he said yes, his eyes hadn’t come off of her.

She stood and walked a few feet out to twirl in the new snow and he shoved his hands in his pocket to keep them warm as he watched her with a smile. If she would have asked him to join her a couple years ago, he would have probably said no and told her to shove off, and now, he would have gone anywhere if she just asked.

Staring at her made him realize that he wanted something more with her. There had been a few occasions where the air around them shifted and for a single second, it was like she thought the same thing, but they would get interrupted and that moment would die and he would sit there and remember that he is her best friend, nothing more, nothing less. But what if he was?

He got to his fit and joined her, kicking around some snow with his shoe as his mind kept racing about every single possibility. Does he just tell her? Just ask? What if he read the signs wrong? What if he messes everything up?

“Isn’t it romantic?” His thoughts were ripped away as he turned towards her. She was looking up at the sky. “Like a Christmas movie. The first snow of the season is said to bring promise to a new love, funny huh?”

Boomers eyes widened suddenly. Was...was she wanting this to turn romantic? This entire time had he been pining from a far when she was ready to take the leap? No. they had talked about relationships before, well hers at least. She was probably just saying it because she was a hopeless romantic.

But then again, Bubbles had always been the bold type. Always telling him that she had been dropping hints for some guy and now come to think of it...had she been talking about him?

“Yeah, romantic.” He decided to finally respond.

He watched as her smile turned down slightly as she looked at him with a gaze he didn't recognize. “Well, I should probably be heading back home now.” She said somewhat sadly.

“Oh yeah, before the snow sets. Thank you by the way.” He held up the boxes and she gave him a better smile.

“Of course. And thank you for this.” She tugged on her necklace. “I’ll see you soon.” She said as she turned around and began to walk.

Something within him was yelling. An eternal battle now raging in his mind. What if he? No, he shouldn’t. But, imagine the positives.

He was hoping for a Christmas miracle.

Boomer ran up behind her, matching her speed as he grabbed her hand and turned her towards him before dropping it and rubbing his arm.

“Hey Bubbles?” Boomer asked nervously. His cheeks had decided to betray him and turn a pretty pink shade as Bubbles tilted her head.

“Yes?”

He sent his boxes down as her eyes remained on him. His hand shook nervously at his sides while her baby blue eyes looked at him. Butterflies were doing cartwheels in his stomach now but he was already here so...

“I have one last present but-” He gulped. “Y-you have to close your eyes.” He said as he took a step forward.

“Close my eyes?” She said with a small smile as he came even closer to her. His hands took hers softly as his thumb rubbed a slight circle on her hand.

“Yeah but if you don’t like it, you can return it.”

“Is that so?” She giggled as she stared into his eyes almost knowingly. “Well, I shouldn’t keep waiting then.” She said as her eyes closed and he felt like the world had disappeared around them, leaving them in the snowy park.

Boomer calmed his breathing as he stared at her. The soft pink of her cheeks from the bitter cold and how the smallest bit of snow landed on her lashes. Never before had his heart pounded as heavily as it did now as he closed the gap and kissed her with the gentleness of the first fallen snow.

He felt the sudden push against his lips. It was a beautiful sensation that he never thought would happen as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him further. It was an answer to a question he had been asking for months, hell, maybe even years. Wondering if he could step over this line in the sand and it would be okay. That their friendship, trust and loyalty wouldn’t be corrupted but instead, stronger. It was clear that the line had been stepped over, no, completely erased without a second thought.

Their lips pulled apart and he couldn’t tell if the redness up her neck was from the cold nipping at their skin or the intense blushing from what just happened. All he knew was that she was smiling at him, just like she always had before.

“Boomer?” Her voice was just loud enough for his ears.

“Yeah?” He said almost out of breath.

“I don’t need a gift receipt.”

That fluttering in his chest began again as his face broke out into the brightest smile she had ever seen.

“That's great news.” Boomer smirked as he spun her around and dipped her by the waist like he saw in all those cheesy romance movies. “Because the return date had just expired.” He said just as he kissed her again.

---

His hand was warm from the take out cup of hot chocolate while his other hand was laced with hers and it felt more natural than breathing. She took her own cup to her lips, tasting the sweet chocolate as it helped to heat up the rest of her body and he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not because he was still in disbelief that he was here with her.

Bubbles caught him staring and instead of a playful scold, she inched closer to him and placed a quick peck on his cheek.

“Merry Christmas Bubbles.”

“Merry Christmas.”

---

I hope you liked it <3 

[goosewhisker]

russetfur vs. the entirety of skyclan || ch. 3

read this on ao3 || read this on fanfiction.net

chapter one

chapter two

summary:  After enduring months of Turtlekit and Kitekit’s abuse, Rootkit finally snaps and accidentally awakens his powers. This has the unfortunate side effect of reviving the ghost of an angry Shadowclan warrior who: 1) is personally offended by Skyclan’s existence, and 2) has magnanimously taken it upon herself to relieve the world of that burden. Or something

okay so its been a minute since i posted. a lot of things happened, i got a kitten, a job, a new fandom, and i speedran a full semester of calculus in like the past four weeks. im sorry about how late this is and i cant promise when the next one will be up but its half written already so uh hope springs eternal. anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk

also shoutout to @turquoise-tulip for reminding me that ive had this chapter in my drafts for half a year now this ones for you im sorry its so stupid

Chapter Three: In Which Rootkit Practices the Art of Blackmail 

The morning after is quiet.

...is what Rootkit would like to say. Actually, he gets woken up by Tree at what his mom likes to call 'the butt-crack of dawn' to go talk to Leafstar, thereby ruining his chances of being a normal warrior forever.

When they get to the leader's den, Violetshine is already there. Rootkit discovers this by walking into her while his eyes are closed in the middle of a yawn.

"See, he's about to fall asleep on his paws," his mom points out, sounding pretty close to yawning herself. "It's too early for this. Morning, kid."

Rootkit mumbles something that's unintelligible even to himself and falls asleep on his mother's paws. A few minutes later, he's woken by gentle paws on his back.

"Hey, kid. Kiddo. You gotta get up."

Rootkit hums absently, still mostly asleep, before realizing abruptly where he is. Mouse dung! Suddenly, he's completely awake. He jerks his head up, almost colliding with Tree's jaw before he pulls out of the way. Rootkit, too busy panicking, doesn't notice. He just fell asleep in Leafstar's den! After she'd brought him over to talk specifically to him! After seeing this humiliating display of incompetence, she'll really never make him a warrior, and Kitekit and Turtlekit will-

"Rootkit." The single word cuts through the panic. Rootkit looks up to see Leafstar, looking very serious with only a hint of amusement seeping through. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes!" The answer bursts out of him before he really thinks it through. And, well, it's not entirely true, but it's not entirely untrue either. Either way, he's up for answering any questions, which is probably what she's asking.

Leafstar looks at him just long enough for him to start fidgeting before she begins. "I've already spoken to your parents, Rootkit, so I know most of the story. I just need to know your side. What happened yesterday with the ghost?"

Rootkit looks at his paws, then back to Leafstar's calming gaze. "It started when I was at the grave. I was just- just talking, and then Kitekit found me..."

He tells her the whole, stupid story. How he'd lost it at Kitekit and Turtlekit and turned around to find a ghost looming over him; how he'd asked Tree for help, only for her to disappear; how she'd attacked him and Tree, announced her intentions, and vanished. At last, the story runs dry and he falls silent to watch her expression change.

Leafstar hums thoughtfully. She turns to Tree. "Do you think she's likely to hurt someone?"

Tree shrugs, looking uncomfortable. "If she's serious, yes. Most ghosts can't touch the living. Those who can - like this one - usually died violently or thinking they were wronged. And angry ghosts tend to be... volatile."

"Ah." Leafstar considers this.

"If it comes to that, what'll you do?" Violetshine asks. "Will you be able to stop her?"

Rootkit watches Tree watch his mom, and something in his dad's eyes soften. He leans over to swipe a tongue over her ear. "You want to help her, don't you?" he says quietly. "Because she's Shadowclan?"

Violetshine flushes, but she doesn't back down. "Many of them weren't kind to me," she says, "But Shadowclan was still my home once. I can't just forget that."

Tree purrs and winds his tail with hers. "That's why I love you," he whispers.

Rootkit sticks his tongue out in disgust. Bleh. Grownups!

"To answer your question," Tree adds, "I don't know what I'll do. I suppose-" he pauses, eyes tight with worry. "I've never exorcised a ghost who didn't want to move on before. I don't know if I even can. This may be something of an experiment."

The grownups look at each other for a long moment. "I will do whatever it takes to keep my clan safe," Leafstar says. There's something like a warning in her voice that makes Rootkit shiver.

"What should I do?" he asks. All three adults look at him like they've forgotten he's there.

After a moment, Leafstar's face breaks into a smile. "Tell you what. You can help by keeping an eye out for this Russetfur and letting one of us know when she's nearby. But listen, Rootkit," and her voice goes stern. "You must stay away from her. Russetfur is dangerous, and she may hurt you to get what she wants. Do you understand me, Rootkit?"

Rootkit looks into Leafstar's amber eyes - warm and worried and burning with a fierce, protective fire - and knows what he has to do. "I understand, Leafstar," he says, and just like that, his mission clicks into place.

From somewhere else in the camp - probably the warriors' den - someone screams, followed by Russetfur's haunting cackles.

Rootkit ignores it.

As he double checks his supplies, Rootkit runs through a mental checklist. He's talked to the ghost - check. He's figured out what she wants - check. He's given her what she wants - well... no. Tree's three-step-plan hadn't exactly accounted for what happened if what the ghost wanted was unobtainable.

Well, it doesn't really matter now. This plan is sure to work.

"Are you sure this is gonna work," Needlekit says again.

"Yes, I am, Starclan above will you stop nagging me," Rootkit says.

His sister makes a disgruntled noise and hauls the next bramble into place with a particularly vicious tug. "I'm just concerned you have no idea what you're doing, is all."

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

Rootkit doesn't have any idea what he's doing.

"Hmm." Needlekit seems thoroughly unconvinced, but she gets on with the task anyway. The trailing brambles she's weaving into place will form a turtle-shell-shaped cage laced with warding herbs over the grave when they're done. The plan is more or less to summon Russetfur into a cage she can't phase through, leaving her unable to escape. In Rootkit's opinion, it's a pretty solid plan for someone who has no idea what he's doing. "Why're you so set on doing this, anyway? Didn't Leafstar tell you not to mess with Gingerpelt?"

"Russetfur," Rootkit corrects her automatically. "And, well, yes, but..." he hesitates. "It's just... you know. I was the one who set her free in the first place, and..."

"Yes?" Needlekit prompts him. She's given up on the brambles and moved to stuffing moss and bracken into the gaps.

Rootkit fidgets uncomfortably for a second before the truth bursts out of him. "And now Russetfur's running wild everywhere and it's all my fault, and what if Leafstar decides not to make me an apprentice? If I don't become an apprentice, I can't be a warrior! And if I can't be a warrior-" he cuts himself off. He can't repeat what Kitekit and Turtlekit had said; even saying the words aloud seems like tempting fate... and he can't burden Needlekit with that, anyway.

Needlekit looks at him, though, and her gaze goes soft. "And being a warrior is your dream," she says, and starts stuffing the gaps with renewed vigor. "Well, come on, then! If we can trap Scarletfuzz then Leafstar will have to make us both apprentices! I can't be an apprentice without you; then I'd have to share the den with just Kitekit and Turtlekit. Can you imagine?" She pulls a disgusted face that has Rootkit giggling despite himself.

"Alright, alright," he says. "While you're doing that..." He shoves aside the piles of bracken they'd collected and settles down on the dirt. In his stories, Tree had never really talked about summoning ghosts - his work had been more about getting them to leave - but Rootkit is pretty confident about his ability to summon her again if necessary. More importantly, one or two of his stories had been about things the average, non-ghost-seeing cat could do to ward off spirits.

Rootkit spreads out his supplies, most of which had been scavenged from the medicine cats through a combination of tag-teaming and white lies. The herbs really are going to help his mom, just not in the way Fidgetflake thinks.

Thistledown. Rosemary. Lavender. Thyme. All plants that either attract or repel spirits, according to Tree (from what Rootkit can remember, anyway). Plus a lot of spiderweb.

"Hey, are you sure that's right?" Needlekit asks, leaning over his shoulder. "I thought we were gonna get some sage. And why'd you pick up the thistle?"

Rootkit frowns. "Well, Fidgetflake was coming back too soon and I panicked, alright? If you've got a problem you can get some more yourself."

Needlekit snickers and prods the massive pile of spiderwebs. "No thanks. I think you could've gotten a little more spiderweb, Frecklewish might still have some left over... yeesh, alright, I'll leave off the sarcasm. You don't have to glare at me."

Rootkit rolls his eyes. The immaturity of some cats. "Maybe I went a little overboard, but we need it. Frecklewish can just send the 'paws out to find some more. Now help me apply it; we need to cover the entire cage so there's no chance of getting out."

It's the work of a few minutes to paste it over with cobwebs, and the work of a few more to weave in all the protecting herbs. With luck, they'll prevent her from just phasing through. By the time they're done, it's so dense that a living cat would find it impossible to escape; Rootkit can only hope that the same goes for a dead one.

"Alright, fire 'er up!" Needlekit commands.

Rootkit closes his eyes to focus, trying to recall the feeling of power rushing through his being. Once, Tree had told them of a time when he'd jumped onto a wire fence and been struck by something he'd called electricity- what lightning is made of, apparently. Rootkit imagines it feels something like that.

The power lying dormant in his veins leaps forth eagerly at his call. It swells like a crescendo of sound, rushing out through his paws into the ground.

Rootkit focuses on the grave with every fiber of his being and wills it to summon its spirit. "Russetfur!" he cries out.

For a moment, nothing happens.

Then, something shifts.

It's like a hole is briefly torn through space; instinctively, Rootkit reaches in, grabs something, and drags it through.

Beside him, Needlekit gasps. "What the heck was that?"

But her voice is wavy, distorted. Rootkit opens an eye and finds his world is tilted sideways. Needlekit makes a high pitched noise that scrapes its claws across the most inner parts of Rootkit's ears.

"M'fine," Rootkit mumbles. His words are slurred, he realizes distantly, because half his face is pressed into the dirt.

Needlekit jabs him. "This is no time for sleeping, Rootkit. Did it work?"

Rootkit blinks. For a moment, he has absolutely no idea what she's talking about; then, the memories start to flood back. He narrows his eyes, remembering the feeling of hooking a soul on his clawtips like a fish. "I think-"

He's interrupted by an infuriated caterwaul that drowns out whatever he was going to say.

"What is this?"

The cage shakes as its captive throws her entire weight against the wall, but it holds steady. The herbs have done their job; even a ghost can't pass through.

Needlekit laughs triumphantly. "It's bad kitty jail for bad kitties!"

Russetfur snarls back something absolutely obscene and proceeds to attack the inside of the cage with a ferocious determination. At least, Rootkit thinks she is; it's kind of hard to tell since they can't actually see her.

"Can she get out?" Rootkit wonders.

"No," Needlekit says at the same time Russetfur snaps, "You bet your kittypet hide I will."

Rootkit blinks.

"Literally," Russetfur adds. "Because I'll strip it off your back to line my nest."

"Oh." Rootkit drops his head back on the ground. The dirt here is very comfy, he realizes. Maybe he should just sleep here from now on. "Yeah. That was kind of unclear."

"It'll become very clear in a few minutes, runt. I'll even give you a demonstration."

Needlekit leans against the cage with a smirk that probably would have been infuriating, if Russetfur could actually see it. "Don't worry, Redpelt, you're clear as crystal."

Rootkit freezes. Even the scraping sounds coming from inside the cage cut off. "What was that," Russetfur says suspiciously. "Did you just-"

"Keep your spirits up," Needlekit says. "I'm sure you'll be back to your old haunting grounds in no time."

Rootkit tries to slam his head into the ground and discovers that it's really much harder to do when you're already lying on it.

Russetfur doesn't say anything.

"What's wrong, ghostie? You're as silent as the dead in there."

Then a translucent ear rises out of the ground right next to Rootkit's face and he screams loud enough to be heard halfway to Riverclan, probably, and scrambles out of the way. Needlekit screams, too, and then Russetfur is climbing out of the ground like a corpse emerging from its grave.

She shakes herself off and grins down at them with more teeth than a cat should rightfully have. "You forgot to ward the bottom," she says. Rootkit makes a very small sound that definitely qualifies as a whimper. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

All the fur on Needlekit's body has bushed out so she looks twice her size - which, compared to the full-grown warrior before them, is almost nothing. She's shaking like a leaf, but undaunted, she spits at Russetfur's feet. "Drop dead!"

Rootkit could kill her.

In a blur of movement, Russetfur pins Needlekit to the cage wall with one paw. "I admire your spirit, kit," she hisses. "But if you want to sass me, you're digging your own grave."

That's it. Rootkit has had enough. That is the final stars-damned straw. "Shut up with the stupid ghost puns, I swear to Starclan," Rootkit screams.

The wind rustles gently in the treetops as the two she-cats stare at him.

"The next person to make a single stars-cursed ghost pun, I am going to snap your fleabitten neck. Is that clear?"

Needlekit makes a stifled noise muted by the heavy paw slowly crushing her windpipe.

"Ah." Russetfur looks to be considering it. "Would you say we're dead m-"

Rootkit makes a very aggressive series of throat-slitting gestures.

"...you've got your father's spirit in you, I see."

"I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it," Rootkit snarls.

That gets her attention. Russetfur's eyes widen, then narrow. "Oh?" Her voice is considerably less friendly.

This is where it gets tricky. Rootkit's at a disadvantage - he's just seriously ticked off a relatively powerful ghost with a grudge against his relatively powerless clan, she's got his sister by the throat, and his only bargaining chip is a bluff. But there's an opportunity somewhere here; he just has to navigate a very prickly, very dangerous minefield and pray he doesn't blow them all up.

Time to channel his inner Tree. "Look," Rootkit says, in his best diplomat voice. "Clearly, we both want something here, something that we can provide for each other. What do you say we make a deal?"

Russetfur narrows her eyes and tightens her grip on Needlekit. "I don't think you're in a position to bargain, here," she says.

"On the contrary." Rootkit raises a paw. "I am in every position to offer a deal... as you just experienced yourself."

Russetfur scoffs. "What could you possibly have to offer me?"

"Your life."

That gives her pause. "If you could exorcise me, you'd have done it already."

Rootkit gives his best imitation of her knife-sharp smile and proceeds to lie through his teeth. "What do you think we were doing just now?"

The ghost narrows her eyes and says nothing.

Rootkit seizes his opportunity and plows onward. "You don't want to be exorcised, and we don't want you in our camp. So here's the deal - you leave and we don't follow." The last few words are growled out, like Leafstar whenever someone threatens the clan.

It's very intimidating, in his opinion, but it doesn't seem to have an effect in Russetfur. If anything, it only seems to make her angrier. "I won't sacrifice my honor as a Shadowclan cat to run from a bunch of kittypets," Russetfur snarls, leaning closer. "Even if you kill me again, I'd sooner die fighting for my clan than kowtow to some coddled housepets."

Rootkit grits his teeth. She hasn't called his bluff, but they can't have her running loose and hurting people. Think, Rootkit! "Another deal, then," he says. "If you won't leave the camp, then you just can't hurt anybody."

"No deal," Russetfur snaps.

"That's the final offer," Rootkit says coldly. "Under no circumstances are you allowed to hurt or injure any Skyclan cats. I'm not going to compromise on that point. And you can't really afford to bargain, anyway," he adds with a shrug. His heart is pounding so loudly he's almost sure Russetfur can hear it. "If you don't, I'll just summon you into the cage again and exorcise you for good. Or who knows? Maybe we'll leave you in there for a while. And this time we'll cover the bottom." He finishes with the nastiest, most hateful smile he can muster - which isn't particularly difficult, right now.

Russetfur goes silent. He can practically hear the gears in her brain ticking as she weighs her options. There's clearly only one real option here; he just hopes she isn't too prideful to take it.

"Fine," Russetfur growls, voice so low he has to strain to hear it. "Fine. I agree to your terms." The hatred seeping from her voice is almost palpable.

Well, the feeling is absolutely mutual. Rootkit dips into a little bow and bares his fangs in a farce of a smile. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Russetfur disappears into the air, leaving Needlekit to slump to the ground, wheezing. Rootkit waits until he's certain the ghost is gone before sinking onto the ground himself, body shaking with all the fear he couldn't allow himself to show before. Holy crap.

"Are you," Needlekit begins, then cuts herself off with a raucous bout of coughs that makes him wince. "Are you... okay?" she whispers hoarsely.

Rootkit makes a high-pitched, keening noise before breaking into nervous laughter. "No, no, not even a little bit. Oh, Starclan, I can't believe I'm alive, I thought she was going to kill us both. Oh stars..." he trails off with a giggle and buries his face in the dirt.

They lie there for a couple minutes, the silence broken only by Needlekit's wheezing and Rootkit's trembling.

"I want Mom and Dad," Needlekit whispers.

Rootkit couldn't agree more.

[profoundchaoscomputer]

The Fandom steps on grief

The day it broke out destiel was canon I was so out of it I went through negation the whole day, so shocked I was just nope, lets make it as it didnt happen, and I went to study.

The next day I was like... Hm, so spn did that?... Why the fuck? And I legit got angry at supernatural, like why the fuck? Even if they did that, it uncalled for, just finish the series with your averange apple pie white fences life, we all were prepared for it. Or what, did they want to foking give us what we always wanted? We never actually thought of the possibility, we dreamt it, we just wanted better subtext because you know, its too early for society and we were aware of it.

So then I foken bargained. Yes, thats how supernatural will end (apple pie generic american suburb happy family dream), we always knew that. So I went on and wrote a little fickle of fiction like I always do (its like a coping mechanism).

Because right now wasnt the times, just wasnt, maybe wait for a couple of decades to finish it up gay, maybe when discrimination is barely an issue and most boomers have died off angry elders.

Yeah, like a cameo on a new supernatural series.

Next day I was busy studying so it wasnt until after tea I just said, hm, lets install tumblr? And I logged in, and just read like I used to do when in the fandom, before the tumblr armaggedon.

And damn if I didnt laugh, I was estatic, high with a entoxicating mix of nostalgia and absurd simple happiness, I was more or less euphoric, all the news crashing and I was giggling while also incredibly...sad? No, it wasnt sad per se, but it did ache, it was bittersweet, I had to study but I couldnt stop scrolling, I was skipping the actual scene with the gifs though, I wasnt ready for them. Neither with the codas, I was  having a free wild ride of emotions just by knowing cas had said I love you so I still needed time. (May I pressent you a sub step of euphoria(?))

On the next moring I was ready to see the gifs and read further what had happened, I still am not able to watch the actual scene, maybe in a couple of days I will. 

My thoughts about it have been mixed since Ive seen the gifs. 

First I was angry of course, its been like 2 years since I dont watch supernatural so I forgot dean and cas's expression repertory and the overall ambience of supernatural. But after seeing the gifs closely and remembering everything in the series, the pacing, some scenes, it was just natural for dean to behave like he did. Constipated and veteran of hunters as he is, just after loss after loss, it was very in character. 

And then I was kinda sad and let down, for the series, for us, for everyone, it hurted... but then I thought, the bury your gays trope, even if sad, its to be expected. Lets think it as a step forward, rather than something to lament on. lets be grateful they did what this era is still trying to grasp on. Remember this is a 2005 series based on 90' american stereotypical behavior, of plaid wearing manly man with guns and no chick flick moments and sleeping around with the local sexy lady while butchering monsters and fixing your vintage car. I bargained, I was depressed and slepless for this whole week, I bargained, read codas hopeful but at the same time hopeless. "something I know I cant have (that I wish I had)".

So today I was finally able to watch the scene (I wrote the whole thing like on monday and now its sunday) , Ive endulged a lot about the series and now I remember most things, the whole trip, the road so far...

But ya know?

Even if not knowing whats gonna happen, either way Im anxiously happy, just like Cas said: its not about having, its about being. 

Its not about having what we might or not have (destiel) ....Im happy being on this whole spn ride so far, it took me low and high, and Im thankful, for the text and the subtext and the metatext and all that we fandom wrote...so yeah, ultimate last step of grieving acceptance.

 With the last breath of spn, the series (Cas) has yet again managed to teach me a last lesson on life. And that is something I will always stan for.

[littlebitoffanfic]

No Neighbours

Fandom: Original Works Relationship: Goblin (Erx)/reader Request: perhaps a goblin x reader but the goblins the same height as the humans just with the same facial features? I always love the librarian meets an author plot line

The library of your childhood village had always been your favourite place to go. When you were little, and lived with your parents, you loved the library and even when you moved to a different town, you were sure to visit the libraries. You could argue it was research, as you were a writer. You mainly wrote under another name, a male one, because you found it helped. You had only lived in this small village for 3 weeks, having just moved here after a dispute erupted in your last village that you simply didn’t want to be part of. The village was welcoming, to say the least. You had a small cottage in a quant lane with neighbours who seemed to spend most of their time in their garden, or chatting to each other. You had a sneaky suspicion that you wouldn’t be able to do anything without someone knowing, but luckily your childish days were behind you. The only exception to this seemed to be your neighbour to your left. A goblin, he seemed to be a breed of the ‘giant goblins’. They weren’t giants at all, but compared to their normal counterparts, they were about double the size, but still bore similar features. A normal goblin was about 3-4 foot tall, whereas your neighbour was about 6 foot tall. He had a long, crooked nose, grey/green skin and grey eyes. He wore a pair of spectacles that always sat perched on the edge of his nose and had jet black hair which was always in place. You assumed he was only in his early forties, as goblins aged quickly in their early years then live for a while without changing. He owned and solely ran the local library, unlike most of your retired neighbours. You had found out from Ms Little, a lovely Naga who would bring you apples from her trees, that his name was Erx Biddier. Unlike the others, he never came round and introduced himself to you. The other told you that he kept himself to himself, very rarely talking to them, but he had a good heart despite his constant scowl. That was why you put off going to the library to begin with. You didn’t want him to think you were stalking him. So you gave it some time before venturing out. You knew your way around the village fairly well now, and you had eyed the library well before now. Much like the rest of the village, the building was old, but had a lot of character in it. It stood almost as large as the church, with a few stone gargoyles on the very top of the building. Stepping inside, you couldn’t help but smile as you saw the rows upon rows of books. You were excited to see what gems you could find. Villages like this had lovely books, that had never left the town. There was a few desks in the centre of the library, with shelves of books around the outside with the back half of the library being dedicated purely to books. You all but walked right by the front desk, only having your attention caught by someone clearing their throat, rather annoyed. You turned back, seeing Erx sat behind a desk, looking at you over his glasses, a book open on the table. “Oh, sorry.” You apologised, walking back to the desk. “Is it possible to get a library card.” Erx shut his book and stood, turning away from you to go into a back room that was behind the desk. Part of you thought maybe he had just walked away from you. But after a few moments, he came out with a few bits of paper and a pen on a clipboard. “Fill this in.” He held out the clipboard to you, and you took it with smile. Of course, you had filled in these sorts of forms before. Glancing over it, your eyes landed on the address. “Do you really need by address?” You laughed a little, trying to make the atmosphere a little less tense. “Yes.” He grunted as he sat down, opening his book again and finding his place. You managed to stop yourself from sighing before walking up to the desks in the centre of the room. Sitting down, you scribbled down all your personal details, only pausing as you tried to remember your postal code. “1DH 349A” Erx spoke without looking up from his book, making you giggle as you scribbled it down. Once complete, you walked back up to the main desk and holding out the board. Erx glanced up at you over his glasses before taking the board. “Neat writing.” He commented, placing it down on the desk before pulling out some blank cards. “My mother always told me that she judges someone based on their handwriting.” You giggle fondly at the memory. “Shes not the only one.” He mumbles, writing out your name and the date on the card. You admired his own handwriting. Despite his long fingers that seemed to curl unnaturally around the pen, his handwriting was lovely. He handed you the card, and you took it with a smile before venturing into the library. You took a good 45 minutes before returning to the desk with 3 books in your hands. Erx looked up at you over his glasses, a twinkle of enjoyment flashed in his eyes as he glanced at the books in your hand. You couldn’t help but feel a spark in your chest. He was certainly handsome in his own right, and you wouldn’t deny you had noticed him when he was leaving and returning to his own home. He always dressed like a gentleman, with a suit and tie. As you left the library, you decided to nip into the show quickly. When you came out, you saw Erx closing up the library for the day. You thought about just heading straight home, but something about your early exchange left you craving his company. He had a sharp tongue and a witty mind, something which you enjoyed in conversation. So. you took a chance. “Hello.” You smiled as he descended the few steps that lead to the building. You paused at the bottom, waiting for him. “Did you get lost?” He looks at you over his glasses and seemed genuinely concerned. “No, I had to get some groceries.” You held up the small bag to confirm your reasoning for still being out. “ahh.” He hums, but you notice something. He moved his weight from foot to foot, almost as is he were nervous. “Although, im still not sure about my baring’s yet. Do you mind if I walk home with you?” You ask, lying through your teeth this time. You knew the town fairly well, and the way home was pretty straight forward, but it was a bit of a walk. “You’ll follow me whether I say yes or no.” He states, raising an eyebrow. “you got me.” You giggle and shrugging your shoulders. “Very well. But hurry up. It will rain soon, and I don’t need those books being returned damaged. Theres fines for that.” He gave you a harsh glare, but you saw right though him. Despite the glare, you saw the way his eyes lit up at the offer, or how quickly he raced to add about the books to make it seem as if that’s the only reason hes worried about the rain. you nod, and the two of you walk side by side. Erx holds his hands behind his back as he walks. There was a comfortable silence as you walked, one you didn’t want to break because it was nice. No forced conversation, no awkward small talk. As you approach your homes, you saw the curtains twitch of a neighbour. “Good evening, Miss [l/n].” Erx bows slightly. “Good night, Mr Biddier.” You return the words, keep the tone as formal as his. But as you start to continue your walk to your home, Erx pauses. “How did you know my name? I haven’t introduced himself to you.” He asks, a mixture of genuine concern and confusion in his eyes as you turn back to him. You panic, quickly deflecting his question back. “How did you know my name?” You ask. “Your form.” He raises an eyebrow at you, knowing he had you cornered. Feeling a little sheepish, you came to stand in front of him. “Ms Little told me.” You confessed. “I hadn’t met you and felt guilty not knowing who my neighbours were, so I asked her.” You added, not wanting to get her in trouble. “Well, some fault lies with me, I suppose. In any case, my first names Erx. Now, have we passed introductions? I am not like the others around here who still demand you call them by a title.” Erx showed no signs of irritation or annoyance for your snooping, instead offering a way forward. “Im [y/n].” You smile and nod. “I know.” Erx looks over his glasses at you, amusement in his eyes. “oh, the forms.” You cover your face with one hand out of embarrassment. “I’d better be getting home before you think me completely stupid.” “Do you know which ones your house?” He chuckles, and you feel it set your heart racing. “I think I have a 1 in 3 chance. If you hear screaming, assume I guessed wrong.” You fire back, eager to show him you could match his wit.

From then on, you grew close with Erx. you visited the library frequently, and he was more than happy to sit and discuss books for hours at a time. Only a few people seemed to visit the library each day, so you had him to yourself without feeling guilty of stealing him away from his work.  You found yourself reading books quicker, just so you could race back to him and discuss characters, plot points and themes. You noticed that you seemed to be the only person that Erx really spoke to. He greeted people as they passed him, and wasn’t mean to anyone. But you got the feeling that they somewhat annoyed him. Idle chitchat and small talk was something he seemed to loath, and you truly saw that when he started speaking about something he was passionate about, like books. One day, you went to replace your book. “Do you have any suggestions?” You call from the back of the library. By this point, you had discovered that he had quite the knowledge of most books there, and he seemed to know what you would enjoy. “hmm.” He stands from his desk. “There was one which I thoroughly enjoyed.” He walked past you before stopping and picking a book off the shelf which you instantly recognised. “Here we are.” As he holds it out to you, you couldn’t help but laugh. “Have you read it?” He asks, confused by your reaction. “Read it? I wrote it.” You take the book which had your pen name on the front and the title in golden letters. “You…” Erx trails off, looking at the book. “Yes, this is my pen name. anything with this name is mine.” You tap the name, looking up at Erx again. You saw a smile pulling at his lips, apparently impressed by your work. You felt your chest swell with pride at the thought of him reading and enjoying your books. You now held his options quite highly. “well, that is quite the turn of events.” He mumbled, looking back to the shelves. “Perhaps, I could ask about your next piece?” “I could do you one better. I’m about half way through. I normally ask my friends to read over what im doing just to make sure it all makes sense and whatnot. Perhaps, you could act as a proof-reader?” You cock your head to the side, stepping close so you were right by his side and nudging his arm a little. “I’d be honoured.” He grins with a nod.

You never could have predicted the turn your friendship would take with Erx. You would spend nearly every evening in his company, either had your or his. You much preferred his home. You were still kind of living out of boxes, while his was homely and warm. His book collection was vast, and he had his own personal library, compete with every one of your books so far. You signed every single one with a quote from books that you both enjoyed and your real name. But as you got closer and closer, you felt yourself yearning for him. You hated when you left him and would try and stay with him as long as possible. Not that he was pushing you out the door. You found yourself staying at his till late into the night, just talking or sitting together reading. You knew people were starting to speculate something was happening between you two. Ms Little had mentioned it while she was pouring tea. But you shrugged it off, saying you were just friends. But you were sure she could see you wanted more. One evening, you were round and noticed he seemed off. He couldn’t seem to settle, or was deep in thought. You tried to ask if he was okay, but he denied anything was wrong. “Its getting late.” He suddenly said, drawing you up from your book. You were sitting on the floor by his fire, your back against the couch while he sat in his armchair in his library. “Its only 7.” You frown, looking to the clock. You had come over to his at 6pm, so you hadn’t been here long at all. At least compared to your normal visits. “Its late, [y/n]. perhaps you should go home.” He says this time more pointedly. “Oh, okay.” You nodded, getting to your feet. “Is everything okay?” “No.” he answered, not looking at you. He stared at the fire, staying sitting. “I don’t think we should continue spending so much time together.” The words hit you like a ton a bricks, and you felt yourself sway a little. But things had been going so well. You thought it might even lead to something romantic. “Did-did I do something wrong?” You couldn’t help but ask, unsure why he would put a wall up between you so quickly and suddenly. Immediately, you saw his eyes soften as he looks up at you. “No, its nothing you’ve done, [y/n]. it’s the people around here. You don’t want to get too closely associate with a goblin.” He stood, turning away from you with a sign. “I don’t care what people might talk about. I cant control their tongue.” You try to reason with him, unsure how you could change his mind. You knew him well enough to know he thinks things through carefully, methodically. “People are already talking.” Erx shakes his head, glancing towards the window and out into the street. Then to you. You couldn’t think of a way to persuade him to think otherwise without confessing how deeply you had grown to love him. And that wasn’t something you were ready to admit to. You felt your heart ache as you knew the best thing to do now, is to follow his instructions. At least for a bit. Give him some space, and speak to him against perhaps at the library. “People will talk, whether or not you give them a reason to.” You shrug, picking up your book. You hated the ache in your chest as you headed towards the door. More so, you hated the tears that were pricking your eyes as you avoided his eyes. You walked straight passed him, keeping your head low. A hand grabbed your forearm, stopping you. You turned your body slightly, looking up to Erx. He seemed just as surprised as you had. Like he didn’t mean to grab you, yet he couldn’t let you go. A soft sign left his lips, as if he had given up, as he stepped closer and used his free hand to reach up, using his thumb to wipe away some fallen tears from your left cheek before settling his palm on your cheek. You leaned into his touch, your eyes falling shut as you did so. His hands were cold normally, but the coolness was welcoming. You felt his hand loosen on your forearm as your arm dropped back to your side. You opened your eyes, looking up at Erx. Your eyes darted to his lips before back to his eyes. ‘fuck it’ a voice mumbled in your head. He’d already made it clear you couldn’t be friends, might as well know what its like. going up on your tiptoes, you kissed him. You expected him to pull back, chastise you and push you out the door. But he didn’t. his hand grabbed your waist, pulling you tight against his chest. You stumbled a little, catching yourself by putting your hands up onto his chest. You dropped your book in surprise, but the clatter didn’t stop his own action. Slowly, he kissed you back. Painfully slowly, and passionately. You grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in a weak attempt to keep him as close as possible. His hand left your cheek, slipping around to the back of your head. You couldn’t help a soft moan that left your throat as you allowed yourself to enjoy the kiss. and Erx groaned against your lips, deepening the kiss further as he pulled you against him with a new found need and desperateness. You were the first to pull back, gasping softly for air as you tried to make sense of what just happened. It would seen Erx came to a conclusion before you did, letting you go as he retreated away from you and turning his back to you. “You should go.” He mumbles, removing his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose in frustration and… regret?. You couldn’t believe it. He had just kissed you like that, like nothing else mattered, and he was sill telling you to leave. grabbing you book from the floor, you couldn’t help but feel frustrated and angry as you gave up. Walking to his front door, you made a point of slamming it behind you.

Time flew, and before you knew it, you would have to face him sooner than you had hoped. Your book was due back, and you didnt want to leave it any longer, so you went to the library. You were dreading it, having not seen him in a week. Yet the kiss was still fresh in your mind. The weather was horrible. The winds were strong and nearly knocked you off your feet a few times, but you just managed to get into town without being swept away. As you entered the building, you noticed Erx sitting at his desk with a book open. But he wasn’t reading it, instead he was looking intensely at the shelves of books. So intensely that he didn’t seem to notice you had came in until you cleared your throat. “[y/n].” He breathed, standing up as you approached the desk. “I came to return this.” You presented him the book. Erx took it, but he seemed to linger as his hand brushed against your fingers in the exchange. He quickly checked in back in, placing it in the pile of book that were to be put back out. You also noticed that the pile seemed a lot bigger than he usually allowed it to get. In fact, you had helped him put them back out before… “Do you have any suggestions?” You ask, trying to regain some scraps of the friendship you had had with him from before. “No, Im afraid I do not.” He answered, shaking his head as he avoided your eyes and sat back down. You couldn’t contain the hurt look that spread across your face, but you pulled yourself together to go into the shelves. You eventually chose an old favourite of yours. You had checked it out a few times and, since it was a classic, there were normally 2 copies on the shelf. But this time, there was only 1. Shrugging it off, you took the book back to the front desk. Erx opened it and, after noticing that the date slip was full, he got to his feet to grab some more from the back office. Looking down at the book he was reading, you realised something. Careful as to not loose his place, you picked it up and looked at the cover. It was the duplicate of the very one you were about to check out. You heard him in the other room and quickly but the book back down in its original place just in time as he came back through. You decided to try again to connect with him as he stamped your book. “What are you reading?” You asked, noticing how he glanced at the book. “Nothing.” He shut you down again, not wanting to discuss the book or analyse it. Not even wanting you to know it was your favourite book. You knew he knew because you had spent many nights speaking about it and its beauty. “Oh.” You signed, your shoulder sagging as you gave up. He handed you back the book and you nodded goodbye to him. Walking towards the door, you opened it and immediately regretted it. The heavens had opened and the wind was now accompanied with lashing rain. You let out a grown, looking up to the sky for any chance at a hint of blue. “You can stay and read. There a charge for returning books damaged.” Erx’s voice suddenly spoke with an unfamiliar softness that you hadn’t heard in a while. You wanted to say no, but you wanted to stay with him. To speak with him. But in truth, you were far too chicken to be rejected or shot down again, so you muttered a thank you and closed the door. Taking a seat at the desks in the centre of the room, you opened your new book. But you couldn’t shake the feeling that he was watching you. Looking up, you noticed his eyes dart back to his own book. How had you gone from being so close to like strangers, unable to say a word to each other. You knew neither of you were reading, and he hadn’t turned the page of his book in a few minutes, conforming to you that he was simply staring at the pages. Sighing, you knew you had to say something. “I never cared.” You mumbled, not looking up at him. “[y/n], you know as well as I that a relationship between us would be looked down on.” Erx countered you, sounded like his own frustration was building. He knew exactly what you were talking about, because he had been thinking about the same thing. “By who? You?” You snapped, finally looking up at him. To this, his brow furrowed as he glared intently at you. “Don’t accuse me-“ He started to snap at you but you cut him off. “I’m calling it as I see it. You don’t seem to care about what others think of you normally, except when it came to us. I don’t care, either way. I do what makes me happy as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone in the process. If you don’t want to be in a relationship with someone of another species, then just say it. Stop hiding behind a veil of what other people say.” You slam your book shut, ending your argument. As you stood to leave, you wished he would grab your arm again, like he had the other night. You walked up to his desk and he stood. You placed the book down (no matter how angry you were, you couldn’t take it out on books). You wanted him to tell you to stay because HE wanted you too. But he didn’t. Glancing back as you neared the door, you saw him sitting back down with his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose before his head fell into his hands. You left the library with tears running down your cheek.

--------time skip -----------------

You knew better than to stay somewhere that had given you such heart ache. You didn’t have any ties to the village, so you could up and leave without issue. You had weighed out everything in your mind and decided it would probably be for the best. You saw Erx nearly every day and every day made your heart ached for him. You knew it would be best to get some space from each other. You started with small things, deciding to tell the neighbours that you had to go home to help family and do it suddenly. One evening, you were packing up some boxes when someone knocked on your door. pushing the boxes under your table, you got up and walked to the door. Opening it, you were surprised to see Erx. you hadn’t seen him since the library three weeks ago. “you’re moving.” He didn’t pose it as a question. He knew. “how-how…” you trailed off as Erx quickly came inside. Apparently, he had more to say rather than confirming what was being said. “the neighbours. They are all speaking about it.” He nods towards where the street was on the outside of the house. “Oh my god, they really do know everything.” You frown, wondering how they had figured that out. Then you remembered the boxes you had bought at the store. Someone must have seen you. You quickly pulled yourself back into the moment, knowing he was here for a reason. “I have to go back to my family.” You state. A very simple excuse that no one would question. “Don’t lie to me. Im not some withering old fool.” Erx snapped at you. He seemed genuinely angry about it. “I don’t see how its any of your business if im moving or not.” You cross your arms, not impressed at all by how he had barged into your house and called you a liar. He looks at you, in the eyes, for the first time in a while. All the anger and frustration visible left his body as he looked at you. “I wont see you again.” He flinched at the words, dropping your eyes as he frowned to himself, as if he had finally let the realisation dawn on him completely. You let your own arms drop to your side, the hostility no longer in the room. “I-I thought it would be easier. For us both.” You admit your true reason for leaving. “Easier.” He let out a breath of disbelieve as he turned back to you. “It was easier before you came here. I didn’t care about anything other than my library. I kept to myself and everyone left me alone.” “Everything will go back to normal after I leave. You’ll be alone again.” You tried to assure him, to comfort him but he just got adjected again. “No, I don’t want to be alone again. I want you.” He said, his voice dropping as he finally confessed something he hadn’t even let himself indulge in. Suddenly, Erx felt like a pitiful creature. He backed away from you, ringing his hands together as he fought every instinct he had to run. You stood there, your mouth having fallen open from his words. “You want me?” You repeat back to him, unsure if you had heard him right. “But you-you wanted me to leave. You’re the one who said it couldn’t be between us.” “it cant. It wouldn’t work.” He shakes his head, contradicting everything he was saying. “I don’t understand.” You throw your hands in the air in frustration. “Ive told you, people don’t approve of relationships between humans and goblins. They look down on my kind and I’ll never be good enough for you.” He matches your frustration as he starts to pace in your living room. but something he had said stuck. “Is that what this is all about?” you breathed, walking up to him as he freezes. “You don’t think you’re good enough.” “I don’t ‘think’ it. I know it. And so does everyone else.” Erx shakes his head, shutting his head as if trying to hid from you. Walking up to Erx, he opens his eyes when he hears the floorboard creaking. You saw a bit of fear in his eyes as he saw you approach him. But you threw your arms around his shoulder and locked them around his neck. You buried your head into his neck, unsure if you could look him in the eyes without crying. It took him a moment to respond, but his arms wrapped back around you securely. “You’re so wrong.” You mumble as you press a soft kiss to his neck, feeling him tense up. “I don’t care if you’re a goblin. Goblin or not, I love you for who you are, not what you are.” “Love?” He pulled back staring at you with wide eyes, his eyes only enlarged under the glasses. He searched you for any sign of hesitation or regret for your words. He signed, looking away from you. “Im afraid romance isn’t my speciality. I never had any interest in the books nor have I had any personal experience.” He confessed, and you felt yourself prepare for rejection again. “But, you? I fail to find the words to describe how I feel for you.” “Then show me.” You look up at him, pulling back enough so he could turn his head towards you and capture your lips in a kiss. This kiss wasn’t as slow as your first. It was desperate, and needy. Both your hands settle on the back of his head as he pulled you tight against his chest. it felt so right, kissing him. You loved it so much, you loved him so much. You pulled back for a moment for breath before kissing him again. You felt him smirk against your lips, enjoying it as much as you did. When you finally pull back for a proper breath, you cheeks were bright red and you were panting slightly. “Perhaps, I do know a word which is adequate. However, I feel its meaning is played with too loosely by many nowadays. You must understand that I have yet to say it to a romantic partner, ever. So it isnt something I say lightly.” “What word.” You basically begged, clinging to him as your heart fasted. “I love you.” He breathed, making you smile and kiss him passionately again, despite to show him you felt the same. You felt him growl softly against your lips, and you answer with your own moans. You ran your right hand down the side of his head, your fingertips gently passing over his long, pointed ears and causing him to shiver under your touch. You were so glad that the rumour that all Goblins ears are super sensitive was true. “I love you too.” You smile as you pull back, over the moon that he had told you such a thing. Because you knew he truly meant it. He smiles softly, his eyes flickering with love and joy for a moment before he seemed to realize something. “I should go. They are probably watching the house, waiting to see when I’ll leave.” He glares at the closed curtains. Yet he seemed to pull you tighter, as if his mind was fighting his heart. “Or you could just… stay.” You partly shrug, drawing his attention back to you. He studied your face, unsure if you were just joking or being earnest. Erx seemed unable to find any words, so opted to lean down and kiss you softly as he silently accepted your offer. The neighbours were certainly in a tizzy and, because the next day was a Saturday, neither of the two of you left your home. It wasn’t till Sunday evening when he left to go home. It was shrugged off that you were moving, most people thinking you had just been using the boxes to sort something for the attic or something. And as you continued to live in the community, you noticed that they mainly gossiped out of worry. No one seemed to care when Lisa, the daughter of the baker married someone she had known for 6 months. But they did gossip when Marcus ran off in the middle of the night. Occasionally, the older people would give you and confused look, especially when you were out with Erx, but he took those looks more personally than you did. Until, one evening 8 months later, you all but ran to his door. He opened it and you only just got inside when you told him that there was a cottage on the outskirts of the town. It overlooked most of the town, with its own land and road into the village. “No neighbours?” Erx asked, raising his eyebrow at you with a smirk on his face. “No neighbours at all.” You grinned and nodded. Within a month, the deed was signed with both your names. Although, you did have to admit, you always came back to your own street, to sit with Ms Little on her porch and ‘discuss’ everything you had missed.

[theprophecysaid]

Though at the same time that (regarding my previous post) is exactly why i wrote a specific black reader x bucky... The fandom space is so dominated by white fangirls and its so tiring and infuriating to try to be a fan of color. No fanfics are made with you in mind, no art either, and all the hot takes have just a dash of racism.

God forbid these people step out of their box and try to write for the characters of color. I accept that fanfic is full of cliche and there is always gonna be that one person who needs to cling onto the things like "thor loves poptarts XD" (which... to each their own, if that makes you smile go for it) but when they try to write rhodey and t'challa and sam its just...so flat and weird honestly. I mean..points for trying i guess? Then you have the ones who also write that way with female characters. All females are either villains because they get in the way of their crush or they are sleepover giggling teens despite being grown women. I dont know what im even complaining about honestly... I'm getting older (im in my early 20s and i started this blog when i was like...16 maybe? Cant remember exactly but i assume that age) and i'm realizing there may not be space in fandom for me anymore...but i would love to see the space change for the young poc coming up. Inclusivity in fandom would be amazing to see. If not for my enjoyment, then for the young people out there who also want to go to these worlds to escape. Its such a great getaway but going and finding you aren't welcome or you don't fit in (which seems like it will always be a problem for black nerds honestly) is just...so disheartening.

But I'll finish that fic eventually.

[fandom-collective-writers]

Reader x Nobunaga Oda - Midnight Confession

Requested by: @shunichirosgirlfriend (either im typing these wrong or people change their names) 

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Nobunaga Oda

Genre: Romance, comedy (?)

Warnings: NSFW talk, but no action

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience

Word Count: 1671 words

Shameless Self-Promo: check out my dA

Other comments: I did a bit of research on the time period to add more details; please note that the warlord’s view of women is meant to semi reflect gender values at the time!

“And we didn’t stop until morning,” Masamune concludes before he raises his the ceramic sakazuki to his lips to take a sip of sake. Obviously, the story telling had made his throat dry, so he had to remedy himself by indulging in the alcohol.

          In fact, everyone had been relishing in the pleasures of liquor for a few hours. As the warlords became more and more drunk, they revealed more stories about how many kills they had made in the past month. You didn’t like the violent talks, so you direct the conversation elsewhere, but you never thought that it would end up at the topic of how they lost their virginity…

         “I didn’t think you could hold out for that long, Masamune,” Hideyoshi jokes as he pours himself more sake. “You’re still rather young, are you not? Who would have thought you had... experience to do that.”

         Masamune looks like he’s ready to throw the pillow to his right at Hideyoshi, but you doubt that his aim is good enough to hit him on the other side of the table. The warlord realizes this as well and releases his grip on the frayed edges of the pillow. “You’re one to talk, old man. How did you go then– have you even bedded a woman yet, actually?”

         Hideyoshi clears his throat as Mitsunari and Ieyasu laugh, blushing slightly from the alcohol. Even Nobunaga seems intrigued by this, but Hideyoshi waves his hand. “I refuse to reveal my techniques… and unlike you, I do not want to take away from that woman’s beauty. Telling you would spoil that memory.”

         Everyone whines, but you can’t help but appreciate his resolve to respect this woman. Your mind drifts to the time, and you wonder if you should let them know that it’s getting late. Before you have a chance to bring this up, Mitsuhide begins to pry at Nobunaga.

         “My Lord, would you tell us again about that minx you lured? Was it before or after you grew out of the name The Fool of Owari?” His eyes narrow as he looks at you, making you flush.

         All eyes are on Nobunaga, and he removes his arm from inside his tunic to reach for a konpeito. “I’ll need more of these and more alcohol if you expect me to share.”

         “Surely you’re not too shy to share because it was.. embarrassing?”

         Hideyoshi slaps Mitsuhide upside the head. “If our Lord does not wish to share, he doesn’t have to.”

         Nobunaga laughs at their dispute, so he raises a hand. “Fine, fine. Yes, I was young… to be honest, I don’t remember if I had turned sixteen yet, but I remember seeing one of the concubines leaving my father’s room in the middle of the night.”

         You didn’t think that Nobunaga would actually retell the story, so it catches you off guard. Shifting on the pillow, you lower your head, letting your hair obscure your face as you force yourself to listen.

         “I thought, why would such a pretty creature be leaving so early? Especially from my father. So I called her to my room and asked her. She told me that he had found a new toy, which made her sad – to think, a mistress feeling jealous?!”

         Ieyasu hiccups as his chin slips from his palm. “To think that women have feelings in general.” You shoot him a glare, and he realizes his mistake.

         Mitsunari takes Ieyasu’s cup away with a curt nod direct at you. “You’ve had enough. Watch your tongue from now on.”

         Nobunaga continues, ignoring the disruption. “So I offered her the chance to spend the night with me. She could barely keep her tongue out of my mouth after that!” He laughs at the memory, but you only boil with anger. You cannot control your fists as they tighten, your nails cutting into your flesh. It stings, and your muscles tense, so you stand up abruptly, leaving the room without permission.

         You run to the garden, only stopping to breathe once you’re surrounded by the beautiful flowers basking in the silver moonlight. Trailing your fingers over the petals, you try to erase everything you had heard to save your heart from hurting. Why does it bother you so much? He’s from a different time that has different societal expectations… and it’s not like you hadn’t participated in such activities either… but it still pained you to listen to him.

         Perhaps it is the notion that he would only see you as a chandelstine that gnawed at your insides… Or that he only toyed with you the same way he likely toyed with every other woman in his life. Just like his father who had kicked out the courtesan when he had found a better partner.

         This makes tears prickle in your eyes, so you raise your hands to wipe them away with the sleeves of your kimono.

         “(Y/n)?”

         You whip around, startled by the voice.

         Nobunaga stepped forward, the light illuminating his honey-colored eyes. A breath escapes from your lips, and you feel exposed, like a deer caught in front of a tiger.

         “Y-Yes, my Lord?”

         “Why did you leave?” His voice is soft, but firm. And yet, could he really not put the pieces together? Surely he was smart enough to have noticed you becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation. He was a man built for war – he knew social cues and what to pay attention to. Or was he really clueless because you were a woman?

         “I needed some air, my Lord. I apologize if I have interrupted the evening.”

“So now you act formal with me?” Nobunaga strides across the stepping stones, standing in front of you within a few moments. “What happened to the fire in your spirit? Have you found your place?”

         You swallow hard. “I do not feel well. I would like to retire for tonight.”

         When you try to leave, Nobunaga catches your hand and pulls you back. You tug to get away, but he only tightens his grip. “Don’t forget that I own this hand. I can sense your discomfort from earlier. But I do not understand why.”

         “I don’t want to listen to you or the others talk about objectifying women!”

         “Is that all?”

         Biting your lip, you look up at him, his gaze deep and steadfast. He had left his intimidating aura inside, bringing his more vulnerable side to the garden.

         “Yes.”

         Nobunaga leans forward, his lips dangerously close to your ear. “Don’t lie to me…” He entwines his fingers with yours as his other hand ventures inside your kimono and rests on the back of your thigh. “Is. That. All?”

         You explode. “No! I don’t want to listen to you with other women. Even if it happened a long time ago. I don’t like it. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

         His breath tickles your skin, and you realize what you’ve finally confessed. A curse falls from your lips, but you’re cut off. “Ah… I see… I told you that I would conquer you entirely…”

         “Don’t.”

         Nobunaga releases your leg, but lets his fingers run through your hair. “Finally you admit something that I’ve known for the past two months… something that I’ve felt as well for the same time.”

         You open your eyes and look at him. “What?”

         “I resorted to childish measures to see if you would react this way. I didn’t think it would work. But now that it has…” he curls his finger under your chin, tipping your head up, but you don’t move.

         “I don’t understand,” you admit, your brows furrowing. “You’re not just using me?”

         “Not in the slightest.”

         “Are you sure?”

         Nobunaga laughs, his lips brushing against your jawbone as he leans back. “If I would have admitted that I fell in love with you the second you rescued me… well that would be a weakness for me. And in these times, I cannot afford to put both of our lives on the line. But I have grown impatient. I needed to know… if you felt the same. This has confirmed it.”

         You feel your cheeks grow hot, and you want to slap the smirk off of Nobunaga’s face. “And the great warlord Nobunaga Oda could not bring himself to simply ask me?”

         “Would you have revealed the truth to me if you did?”

         “Good point…” you say. Your body relaxes, now that you realize why the evening had panned out as it did. You force yourself to look at him again, now that you’re flustered and shy.

         “Do I need to win your lips in a game of Go? Or will you allow me a kiss to prove to me fully that you indeed feel for me?”

         You can’t help but giggle at his language. He was acting like a child, but you found it sweet. He presented himself to you in the most delicate and vulnerable of ways, a silent way of telling you that he trusted you. Standing up on your tiptoes, you press your lips gently to his, melting into him as his arms wrap around you. Unlike before, his aura does not overwhelm you, but rather mingles with yours until you feel like a united force. Your heart wells with happiness – you no longer have to carry the burden of liking him in secret, but you also had the opportunity to share it with him.

         Nobunaga did not take advantage of the situation, but rather wished to respect you, as he had done before. His lips moved deftly, but tenderly. And when you break away, his thumb caresses your cheek.

         However, this version of Nobunaga that you fell in love with shatters the moment the two of your hear Masamune hooting from the doorway, celebrating that the two of you had finally confessed.

         Nobunaga cranes his head around and gives his vassal a nasty glare. “I will give you a reason to wear two eyepatches if you do not leave this instant.”

[gingywritesimagines]

Twin Trouble

Title: Twin Trouble

Fandom: Newsies

Pairing: Mike x fem!reader

Request: “Is there anyway you could write a Mike or Ike x Fem!Reader? Maybe something a bit fluffy? There’s really not much with the twins out there but they’re such cuties. Sorry for the lack of context to the request, I’m drawing a blank on plot ideas at the moment.” - W anon

Description: You and Mike have been dating for a while and the newsies see this as an opportunity to prank you with his twin brother. Unfortunately for them, you’re the one person who can tell the two boys apart.

Warnings: pranks (?), language, overuse of commas as per usual

A/N: this is based off of my prior experience with dating someone who has a twin, except it’s a bit more cheerful… and it actually has a happy ending. Also, I agree completely, the lack of Mike and Ike content is gross. Enjoy!

It had been just a few months since you and your favourite newsie had started going out. Mike had sold you papers every morning since before you could remember. You two became friends very quickly, and one day Mike realized that his feelings for you were much stronger than friendship. It took him a whole year to work up the courage to ask you out to dinner (with encouragement from his brother, Ike, the only other newsie who knew about you two). The way his face lit up when you said yes, after all that time of pining, proved just how relieved and how happy he was. Now, most people would assume that that glow had only lasted until the end of the date, but all these months later and Mike’s smile was still as bright as the sun. You were finally his girl and he couldn’t be happier, especially since you got along so well with Ike when he’d first introduced you two. However, the more evident this joy was, the more Mike’s fellow newsies got suspicious. He still hadn’t told anyone other than Ike about you, and the other boys were all very perplexed as to why their friend was so much more cheerful than usual. They knew the only way they were going to get answers was to ask his brother, so a few of them launched a plan.

Racetrack woke up early that morning, sneaking over to Mike’s bunk and tying all of his clothes together before moving to get himself ready. As the boys woke one by one, Mike noticed the state his clothes were in and grumbled- it was going to take him forever to untie them and get to the circulation gate. Ike offered to help his brother, but after a quick you’s can’t both afford to lose a day’s pay speech from Jack, he joined the other newsies in filing out of the lodging house and into the streets of Manhattan. As they reached the gates of The World, Race started to snicker.

“What’s so funny, Racer?”

“I tied Mike’s clothes together.” the blonde giggled.

Ike’s eyes widened, but he wasn’t quite sure why he was surprised- this was Racetrack Higgins after all, “Wait, what?”

“I tied his clothes together.” Race repeated, “I’s needed to talk to ya alone so I messed with his stuff to give us alone time to talk.”

Romeo piped up, arching an eyebrow, “Ya couldn’t just ask ‘im to talk?”

Albert stepped forward, shaking his head, “That was the plan, but Race had other ideas.”

“The plan?” Ike asked.

Elmer nodded from his spot ahead of them, “Ya brother’s been actin’ funny, Ike. We wanna know why.”

Ike realized what they were talking about almost immediately, and he hoped that wasn’t evident on his face as he tried to lie his way out of the situation, “Funny? Mike ain’t actin’ funny. What’re ya talkin’ about?”

“Wait, Mike’s been acting funny? I didn’t notice anything.” 

The boys all turned to see Davey standing behind them, a confused look on his face and his little brother Les at his heels.

Most of the boys muttered their hellos to the Jacobs brothers, but Race just rolled his eyes, “You’s tellin’ me you ain’t noticed Mike smilin’ all dopey while lookin’ at nothin’?”

“Or his face lightin’ up like the fourth a’ July no matter what’s happenin’?” Albert added. 

“Or him mutterin’ to himself all the time? Or him disappearin’ once sellin’s over for hours and comin’ back lookin’ like he just won the lottery?” Elmer pressed.

“Wait.” Davey put his hands up and thought for a moment, “Mike’s been doing all that?”

“Yes, he has.” Jack confirmed, ushering the boys through the gate since the Delanceys had just unlocked it, “Has been for tha past few months.”

“Months?” Davey gulped, “Gee, I- I never noticed.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t spend as much time with ‘im as we do.” Jack shrugged. nudging Ike, “So you gonna tell us why or not?”

Ike gulped as he contemplated his options; on one hand, he knew Mike had a reason for not telling the boys about you, and he had trusted Ike with the secret of your relationship- he couldn’t betray his brother’s trust. On the other hand, though, Mike never really said that it was a secret, and he never made Ike promise not to tell anyone. Before Ike could make a decision, however, Davey spoke up again. 

“Well, I’m not certain, but it sound to me like Mike is acting this way because of a girl.”

Ike froze as the other newsies whirled around at Davey’s statement.

“What did you just say?”

“I think Mike might be in love.”

The boys turned from Davey to Ike, waiting to see what he had to say. Ike simply sighed, “If he finds out I told you’s about his girlfriend, he’s gonna kill me.”

There was a pause in the conversation before a single voice cried out, “His WHAT?!”

Ike spent his day selling with Race, telling him everything and selling as much as he could while Race ran off to tell the other boys. Being the last one at the circulation gate, Mike didn’t get to leave with his brother and ended up selling with Crutchie- who was kind enough to sit on a wagon and wait for him to arrive. It took all of five minutes for Mike to convince Crutchie to sell at his usual selling spot; he wasn’t about to miss out on seeing you just because Race thought he was funny (and yes, he knew it was Race. Who else would tie all his clothes together?). This new position allowed Crutchie to get some extra information on you that Race and the other boys couldn’t- such as how Mike’s face molded into pure bliss as you approached, and exactly what you looked like as you skipped towards him.

“Mikey!” You greeted, beaming as you threw your arms around his neck.

“Hiya, gorgeous!” Mike beamed back, his arms wrapped happily around your waist.

“I missed you!“ you giggled, handing him a small basket, “My mother made you these, in case you get hungry during selling.”

“Snickerdoodles!”

“Just for you! So, how’s the headline today?”

Mike chuckled, shaking his head, “I already told you, baby, headlines don’t sell papes-”

Before he could finish, a loud voice pierced through the air, “IKE!!”

Both Crutchie and Mike turned around in confusion to see Ike, Racetrack, and about 15 other newsies marching their way.

Ike stepped forward, gesturing accusingly at his brother, “Ike, what the hell is you doin’ with my girl?”

Mike stared, still very much confused, “What? I’m Mike, you’re Ike, and she’s my girl.”

“Ike, don’t be ridiculous, she’s my girl. Right, babe?”

You glanced between the two brothers, completely confused, “Ike, what are you doing? What are you talking about?”

Albert stepped around them, gesturing to Ike, “Your boyfriend here is worried that his brother is stealin’ you from him.”

“But that’s not my boyfriend.” You shook your head, pointing at Mike, “That’s my boyfriend. I can tell; his dimples are more subtle. Plus he’s got that cute button nose.”

You poked Mike’s nose, giggling as he smiled and blushed at your actions. The rest of the boys gawked at the scene, completely stunned.

“You’s can tell them apart?” Race muttered in shock.

You nodded, “Well, of course! It’s not that hard; Ike’s dimples are more profound, Mike has more of a button nose, Ike tends to wear more blues while Mike normally wears browns and reds, and their hairlines are totally different-“

As you rambled on, the newsies stared at you like you were speaking Chinese at high-speed. The boys had lived with Mike and Ike for years but they’ve never been able to tell the two apart, and here you were- a girl who’d been dating Mike for only a few months- getting telling them apart down to a science. It was so easy for you, and as you explained it, the boys wondered how they’d never noticed these things before. While the other boys stared in shock, Mike looked at you with more love and adoration than he knew was possible. He knew you could tell him and Ike apart, but he never knew you’d noticed all those little things about him. He watched as your face lit up with love at every new detail you mentioned and he could tell that you not only noticed the little things, but they were part of why you fell in love with him. His heart was so full from these discoveries that he almost burst. He couldn’t wait until your rambling was over, Mike just had to show you how much he appreciated this.

“Plus, they both have very different tastes; Ike prefers chocolate chip cookies, but my Mikey just loves snickerd-”

Before you could even finish your sentence, Mike grabbed your waist and gently pulled you closer, trying to squeeze every ounce of love and appreciation he had for you into a single kiss. You, of course, didn’t hesitate to kiss him back, cradling the back of his neck in one hand. The other newsies smiled, happy that Mike had found someone that he loved so deeply, and disappointed with themselves for trying to mess with that. All in all, it was a moment of pure peace and happiness... or it was until Racetrack piped up from his spot between Specs and JoJo, eliciting laughter from everyone present:

“Alright, alright, get a room!”

Taglist: @berry-kitten-paws @tina20213 @fandomsneverdie14 @mcoomcoo

[celeryw]

Fandom: Naruto, Naruto Online

Words: 1.2k

Pairings: BD/AF/MB/CF/SB the usual lol 

Summary: Breeze Dancer goes on a lot of missions with and without the squad. He’s never had fanart before. 

ao3 link

it starts out with a simply courier mission some small town wants this small delivery of like industrial material and apparently according to Tsunade he’s the right person for the job don’t mess this up i don’t even know how you would and if you do you better pray to the gods that i dont cut your pay. Breeze doesn’t really understand because B-ranks don’t pay very well and the rent is split five ways so the money he gets is for Pampering his beloveds. 

The town is right in the middle of the Land of Rivers, Takumi village is quaint compared to Konoha and the villagers look... not as nice as konohans but also aren’t as mean looking as people from Iwa. 

There’s a huge shopping district and he can see the money leaving his pocket. (He very carefully avoids there until he sees the village head about the bridge and the well, because we all know he is the best person to ask about building things also isn’t there a story about how wolves eat pigs and have wind elements? no? just him then) 

He does eventually go to the shopping district and there’s a lot of people, he’s in his element really. Breeze goes to almost every store. He also meets a tiny boy who says he’s eight years old and likes drawing and you’re from Konoha? Do you know Sai he’s part of Team Kakashi and uses his drawings for fights! The kid rambles a lot and Breeze just tells him small details he knows about Sai and his fight style and how he has really nice skin and how they have a rivalry.

The kid has stars in his eyes (his name is Taku and he wants to become a strong shinobi) and promises to draw a really epic battle scene you’ll love it Breeze-san i’m a huge fan of you too! You and your partners are S rank in the bingo book and my mom reads that to me before i go to bed, of course i know what it is it’s just the really awesome details about really strong shinobi i want to be in it when i grow up. Breeze grimaces a little but he can understand how the mistake could be made, he does want to talk to this kid’s mother though.

When he returns to Konoha he has full pay for a B-rank and a lot of souvenirs, he even gives Tsunade a print out picture of TonTon the pig (the lone survivor of the brick house he always privately thinks to himself) and she’s delighted and puts it up in her office with a bit of tape, its a little underwhelming but the picture itself is almost microscopic anyways. 

He opens the front door to his home, Scarlet is sat at the dinner table with scrolls set in front of him they cover the whole dang thing (which seats 10, half of which are for the people in the relationship the other half is for team kakashi except naruto, he has to bring a folding chair it’s an in joke) a quick mental count and skim over deems the 20 maybe 30 scrolls are all about the physical wellbeing of an uchiha. Breeze is interested but not going to touch that, he knows that uchiha are sturdy but he does not want to know how they get their hair to shine thank you very much. So he very quickly kisses Scarlet on the forehead and heads to the bedroom. 

Azure is there, doodling. He thinks about that kid who showed him a huge sketch “it’s actually a folio and im sending it to a publisher” book and it was filled with real masterpieces and annotations. Azure notices him and puts her pen down with a hey lovely how was the mission you were gone for two whole weeks do you want to see what me and Scarlet got up to because we destroyed one of the training grounds and had to get Tenzou to rebuild it again look i have pictures. He settles in next to her and grins at the pictures taking his time to survey the damage, it’s a lot and he knows its because the two have been trying to do some sort of combo move that incorporated Fire and Water dragons. 

Midnight walks into the room then and rolls his eyes, he leans down for a kiss from Azure and then a kiss from Breeze. He slumps into the bed and goes right to sleep. They both smile fondly at him and then Azure gets off the bed saying something about wanting to a few muscle loosening exercises and she kisses Breeze softly and murmurs against his lips that she’s glad he’s back and she’s out of the room in a flutter of blue hair. Breeze is sickly in love with all of them. 

He should not be surprised when he is awaken by loud laughter. Crimson, Midnight and Azure are laughing, it’s nice when it’s not in the early hours of dawn. He turns over and goes back to sleep.

He really should’ve checked what they were laughing at before he closed his eyes again, but he did not and he regrets it a little bit. It’s the kid, the kid who had sent by a summoned wedged tail eagle a huge portfolio of just artistically drawn pictures of him. they’re really good and he wants to pay the kid now, so he does he gives him thirty thousand ryou delivered by the eagle of course. His partners giggle at him and tease him about his popularity, although they too send him money and ask for requests. They all get a portrait each and they’ve hung them up in the dining room. 

Tsunade gets wind of this, he’s not sure how but she’s a huge fan of this kid’s work. She’s gotten him to come down to Konoha with the jounin protection of Sai and the kid is a sobbing mess when he gets to meet his heroes, it’s really cute. Taku becomes famous and Genma decides to take this civilian boy and let him live his dream. It’s the best thing Breeze has ever seen and he’s itching to tell Jiraiya so he can write a book and Breeze can read it and be overcome by emotions and drama. 

The pictures get really famous and Taku starts to expand his artistic ability he starts doing backgrounds. They’re really good and Breeze throws more money at him and gets beautiful desert paintings and it’s just like how he remembers it. He gets forest paintings with the sunlight filtering through the leaves and he can almost see the moisture on the leaves slip off and patter on the ground. He loves it, he loves the paintings. 

Taku is eleven, he’s been drawing professionally for two years and it’s really all thanks to his most favourite shinobi the Breeze Dancer who was supportive over the years and let him follow his dreams while keeping up with his hobbies. Taku knows that his hero worship won’t go away, because now he really knows Breeze, he knows how much Breeze doesn’t like when people lick their fingers after they finish a meal, and how Breeze misses Sunagakure a lot but loves Konoha so much he wouldn’t leave, and when Breeze smiles at him and his art his heart squeezes and he can’t help beaming back. 

[dreamingoffairys]

True Beauty (Chapter 2)

AO3: Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Yes, I know. What the fuck Ever? It’s been ages since you’ve posted anything! And wasn’t True Beauty just a oneshot? A oneshot you wrote like...a year ago?

Yes. I did write the original oneshot a year ago. Buuut then I got inspired and ran with it. I edited chapter one, by the way, so if you ever read the original oneshot, you should go click on the link above and re-read chapter one. The edits are super subtle, but important. And if you haven’t read chapter 1, you’re going to need to in order to understand this chapter.

(You can skip this author’s note if you want, but it’s pretty important explaining my intentions with this story. But I get it if you don’t wanna read all that, I’m rambly.)

I’ve had an idea in mind for a long time, and I decided to go for it. I've noticed there's a lot of stories, particularly in this fandom, that portray depression totally wrong. Now, it isn't necessarily the author's fault: depression is a hard thing to write and understand when you haven't experienced it yourself. That's part of why I've decided to write this story. I have depression and anxiety myself, and not only is this story a great coping method, it's also a way to show people who may not fully understand mental illness what it's like being in our heads. I also hope to portray how society treats mentally ill people: especially schools. I'm trying to show the signs you can look out for, how to help a mentally ill person, and how sometimes, people truly are oblivious.

Of course, this means this story is going to be a difficult read at times. The first scene in this chapter could be potentially very triggering, and perhaps there will be more scenes like this, or even more graphic scenes. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. Things may not have gotten this bad for me, but I've seen it happen to many close to me. Too much media romanticizes mental illness, thinks that a relationship can cure it. News flash: people in relationships may be happier, but nothing can magically cure mental illness. It takes time, a lot of hard work, and potentially medication.

In summary, I'm trying to portray this as realistic as possible. This is a very extreme case, so not everyone who is mentally ill will act like Rogue does, but I figured after a chapter like the first, Rogue's situation is a difficult one. His actions also add to the common misconceptions that depressed people are just lazy or bad students.

I am not perfect in any means, there will likely be some inaccuracies or in some spots it'll be a bit dramatic. But that's to be expected, as no author can write something completely and totally flawless, no matter how informed they are.

Without further ado, Chapter Two of True Beauty: You're Proud, but I'm Getting Nowhere. I hope you enjoy.

WARNING: SELF HARM. SKIP THE FIRST SCENE IF THIS TRIGGERS YOU.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

A leaky faucet in a bathroom illuminated only by the sliver of moonlight spills icy cold onto pale skin, scratched like fragile porcelain. The clear purity is disrupted by crimson, the heat disrupting the flow of liquid cold, a dance of fire and ice. Only a hiss of recognition and the dripping of water from rusted pipes whispers through the silence of the night, so late that it was early, a cold dark silence that engulfs those inside it with an almost protective embrace.

A pure white sheet descends on stained silver, staining red until the sharp edge shines in the moonlight, reflecting the eyes of its owner, dark as the thick liquid that flows down his skin. The sheet falls into the still water encased in porcelain, only to be taken away in a swirling pattern, sucked out of sight with a single flush.

The deadly sharpness that glimmers with a strangely appealing beauty is hidden away, concealed by a zipper, then shoved behind piles of meaningless things humans insisted on pampering themselves with. Out of sight, out of mind...and yet, his fingers felt empty without it, twitching in the need to retrieve it again, to feel the weight of guilt and release in his palms, to feel it's sharpened edge bring him to actually  know  pain instead of remembering it.

As he slips out behind the closed door, minding the creaking hinge, the numbness is back, starting at his fingertips and spreading throughout his blood, not hot, not cold, not anything.

As his head hits the sunken, tear stained pillow, his fingers trace the fresh lines that pattern his skin, almost artistic against the paleness of his underarms, a little splash of color to give him  something  to look at, to remind himself he is still moving, that he can feel the slightest bit of something.

His battle scars. For the first time in the dead of night, the corner of his mouth twitches as if to smile. It did not come, only a single tear, but as he pulls black fabric over the visual pain, he does not feel shame, only exhaustion from today’s fight, the enemy he could not defeat. Tomorrow was a new fight, and he would be ready with words of steel and eyes of resolute determination. Tomorrow...is a new chance for renewal.

The day breaks and Sting Eucliffe is awake the moment the sun rises above the horizon, blue eyes wide and body filled with restless energy. He had a reason to dress up today, and a reason to be excited for school, which is a rarity saved for field trips and movie days, which happened maybe twice a semester.

He had a boyfriend.  It was something hard to believe or process, for their school is 97% straight and all of the gay guys are taken. Not only was he in a relationship now, but it was with Rogue. Rogue, whom he’d been crushing on since he’d found out his sexuality, although sometimes it seemed it was even before that. Rogue, who crinkles up his nose when he laughs, whose eyes smile when he scolds you for silly little things, whose laugh could make anyone’s little gay heart melt.

“Sting!” his mother calls from upstairs. “Are you dressed? Normally you’re down by now!”

Sting blinks rapidly and slowly comes to the realization that he’s been dazedly lying on the floor in his boxers daydreaming of Rogue for fifteen minutes. “Fuck whyyyy?!” he whines, cursing his sappy brain and climbing up off the carpet. “Coming Mum!”

He throws on a pink t-shirt, white shorts, his converse, and slides two hair-clips into his hair. By “dress-up” he simply meant wear clothes that showed himself off, like the tightness of this shirt and pants, and then the hair clips for a bit of a cute flare. He skips down the stairs and screeches into the kitchen, taking the wheat toast with butter and cinnamon sugar from his mother’s hands. “Thanks Mum!” he beams.

She chuckles happily as he devours it down, moving to move her husband’s dishes into the sink. “You’re awfully cheerful today.” She smiles at the hairclips, adding, “And you’re dressed all cute… Hmm…” She puts on a fake pondering expression. “Could it be that my little boy is trying to...impress someone?”

“Oho, no need, my dear mother,” Sting grins, setting his plate into the sink. “Already impressed ‘im.”

She laughs, ruffling his hair, to which he loudly protests. “I should've known. I knew you could do it. You two have been so close for so long it was only a matter of time…”

“Yeah, well, I really-wait, how did you know it was Rogue?”

Mrs. Eucliffe laughs joyously. “I just said anyone could’ve seen it coming, didn't I?”

“True,” Sting shrugs, checking the clock on the oven. “Time for me to head out. I hope I can catch Rogue so he doesn’t have to walk alone.”

“You do that, sweetheart,” his mother smiles warmly. “Your father wanted me to tell you to have a good day today and good luck on your test!”

Sting freezes, eyes widening. “Test? Oh  shit .” He bolts out of the house as fast as he can, trying not to show his desperation. His feet hit the sidewalk as he moves in the direction of the High School. He sees a familiar figure slightly up the street from him, shoulders hunched in that same gray sweatshirt as always.

Sting runs up behind him, throwing an arm around him and placing a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek. “Rogue~!” he says cheerfully.

Rogue turns his head sharply, looking over at Sting with wide eyes. “O-Oh, hi.” He blushes shyly, eyes downcast out of embarrassment.

“Hi beautiful,” Sting flirts, kissing Rogue’s cheek again and watching the red flood his cheeks. “How are you this morning?”

“Not good…” Rogue mumbles, and Sting’s face falls. “This is kinda cheesy but...it's better now that you're here with me.”

“I love cheesy,” Sting smiles, brushing Rogue’s hair from his eyes. “I am the  definition  of cheesy, after all.”

“You're the definition of  dork is what you are,” Rogue replies softly, and Sting giggles in response. They were nearing the campus now, and Sting takes Rogue’s hand in his and swings their joined fingers.

A rough voice suddenly sounds in their ears as a group of three other teenagers approaches them. “Hey there, Cheney,” one of them sneers.

Rogue freezes up beside Sting, hands shaking slightly. Sting instantly senses trouble. His eyes narrow as he shoots the trio his scariest glare, jaw set and face turned in a fierce scowl.

The boy gulps. “Wh-Whoa, not trying to start something or anything...just sayin’ hi to a classmate.” The three of them quickly rush off, leaving the couple alone on the sidewalk.

Rogue turns to look at Sting in amazement. “How did you do that…?”

“My scariest glare,” Sting throws an arm around Rogue’s shoulder and continues to walk with him towards the front of the school. “But it also was a little bit of the secret art of ‘Touch My Boyfriend and I’ll Fuck You Up’, which emits a magical aura of fear-”

“Shut up!” Rogue laughs, elbowing Sting in the ribs. Sting’s heart flutters, because like always, Rogue looked beautiful blushing and laughing. There is relief on his features not there before, the pressure those three boys put upon him lifted from his burdened shoulders.

Sting smiles softly, “Don’t you worry, Rogue. I’ve got you.” He squeezes Rogue’s hand tightly. “No matter what happens, I’ve got your back.”

Rogue smiles thinly, “You sure you want to have that job…?” He looks down at his feet, shoes shuffling against the pavement. “You’ve basically just signed yourself up for a world of hurt.”

“I know,” Sting says boldly, staring straight forward. The clear morning sky felt refreshing both on his lungs and his eyes. “I’m prepared to do pretty much anything to get you smiling like that again. I miss it. You look beautiful.”

Rogue flushes again, “Would you stop? We just started dating and you’re already pouring it on like it’s been a year.”

Sting shrugs, “I mean...it almost has been many.”

“Oh, shut up.” Rogue bares the hint of a smile. “You were too cowardly to say anything.”

As they approach the school together, Sting can feel eyes on them, as well as whispers. Instead of shying away, Sting simply stands taller and prouder as if to say:  hell yeah, that’s my boyfriend. I bet you’re jealous .

“I’ll walk you to your first class, okay?” Sting pecks Rogue’s cheek softly, then squeezes his hand.

“Are you showing off right now?” Rogue asks, raising an eyebrow. “I know you can see the people staring.”

“Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?” Sting looks genuinely concerned, stopping for a moment to look into his eyes.

Rogue looks away shyly, “You know I don’t like people staring at me…”

“I’m sorry,” Sting mumbles, dropping his hand. “I’m excited, that’s all…”

“I know,” Rogue takes Sting’s hand again. “This is fine...let’s just keep walking…”

Sting smiles and squeezes his hand, then starts walking towards Rogue’s class. Rogue leans on Sting slightly, breathing uneasy, eyes drooping. Sting watches Rogue’s expression, seeing the exhaustion written all over his face, both physical and emotional. It must’ve been another bad night… Sting bites his lip, feeling awful and wishing he could’ve helped. I should ask to stay the night again soon...hold him all night so he feels safe…

The bell rings loudly, snapping the couple out of their daze. Sting awkwardly turns to Rogue, “Well uh...yeah. I’ll seeya later...bye…”

To Sting’s surprise, Rogue takes the riskier move. “I love you.”

Sting blushes brightly, ducking his head slightly, “I love you too, Rogue…” His hand hesitates, fingers brushing against Rogue’s palm as he slowly pulls away and walks down the hall alone.

Rogue sat silently in his desk, pencil tapping against his hand to try and calm his nerves. Usually, he would listen to music to calm himself down, but this teacher was rather strict and didn’t allow it. It caused mild turmoil in him, stuck in a weird limbo of trying to find some inner peace on his own while also longing for the rush of sound to block out the foreboding silence.

Rogue wants to smile, but his mind is too full of anxieties to allow that. But he doesn’t let it win today, not yet, at least. Rogue closes his eyes and remembers Sting’s flustered reaction to those powerful three words:  I love you . Rogue said them without even a moment’s hesitation, heart certain and strong. Scared of everything else in his life, this was the one thing Rogue would not shy away from.

Sting meant everything to him. Rogue wanted Sting to know that, he wanted him to see how much love his broken heart could hold. It was bursting at the seams where it had been stitched, ripped long ago by people who did not take care to cherish it. But in this case, Rogue didn’t mind. The warmth of love, like thick blood, flowed like power into his veins, like gasoline finally being pumped into an old, worn down machine. Now all they needed was some happiness to oil the rusted gears.

Easier said than done , Rogue thinks to himself, fidgeting with the sleeve of his favorite sweatshirt, trying to conceal any trace of the mess of bandages stuck to his scarred skin.

The class drags on and on, the class working in almost eerie silence on their worksheets, the only sound besides the click of calculators and the scritch scratch of pencils being a soft  tick...tock...tick...tock . That sound was the only thing keeping Rogue tethered to reality, an echoing sound that resonated in his mind, helping him slow the agitated heartbeat within his chest that would not cease.

His fingers twitched. His eyes were unfocused and empty. His breathing was uneven and shallow. He wanted his music. He needed his music. He needed an escape.

A loud gasp escapes his lips at the sound of someone dropping a pencil, breaking the silence. Rogue sits bolt upright in his seat, loudly dropping his own pencil against the desk. It felt like all eyes were on him when he stood up, legs weak and unable to support his weight, hands and fingers twitching and shaking, eyes darting everywhere, trying to avoid looking at anyone’s face. I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here now.

Mrs. Johanson frowns, standing up and peering over the rim of her glasses. “Is there a problem, Mr. Cheney?”

Something she said made it worse. Rogue wasn’t sure if it was the words, the tone of voice, or the fact she was drawing more and more attention to him, the silence breaking down into pieces, with him the sole source of the chaos.

Rogue tries to speak, tries to stammer out an excuse concerning the bathroom or feeling sick. But the only sound that comes out is a strangled half-sob, and before he knows what is happening, his fingers are hooking around his backpack, and he bolts out the door.

“MR. CHENEY! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Rogue knows he should’ve left his backpack: now she’d think he was just skipping class for a joyride. But he needed his music...he was not going to leave it behind. Still running, Rogue’s left hand scrambles around in his backpack until his fingers coil around the tangled mess of black wires, fishing out his earbuds from the mess of paper and old wrappers. Dragged out with them, his phone nearly drops to the trash-littered cement below.

Mrs. Johnason stopped chasing him. Rogue would be relieved, but he knows this school too well to be fooled by that. She called the hall patrol, perhaps the on-campus police officer. This wouldn’t be the first time. He had been suspected of drugs once before, because of his weird, spastic freakouts and spacy behavior. But they had found nothing but piles and piles of crumpled pieces of paper, covered in frantic handwriting grouped into incoherent scribbles. Look all they like, but they would never find the source of Rogue’s supposed insanity.

The chaos is all in his head, after all.

Rogue finds himself outside of the art classrooms, one of the quietest, most isolated places in the entire school. There was an old supply shed out of use now, supposed to be locked tight with a coded lock impossible to crack. But desperation had overtaken Rogue one day, and he’d fumbled with the lock until he found the code just by chance. It was one of the few miracles that kept him alive.

Quickly inputting the code now embedded in his mind, 7246 , he pushes open the old, creaky door, and steps inside. The shed looks the same as always: dark with only a single stream of light flowing through the small window near the roof. Cans of old paint, tubs of broken crayons, buckets of painted rocks and cracked busts...the room provides a surprising amount of comfort.

Jamming the earbuds into his ears and turning on his headspace playlist, he sits down amongst the pencil shavings and paint chips and closes his eyes, back hitting the old wooden wall behind him. He didn’t care how long he was here now, didn’t care if they called home to report his absence, didn’t care if people panicked and called the police. They would never find him here, he was sure of it. He was simply a shadow on the wall, melting into the darkness effortlessly. They thought this shed hadn’t been opened in years, and it was their ignorance, that for once, kept him safe.

Rogue breathes in slowly, smelling wood and old paint. He finds it soothing, in a way, to know that creativity used to be born here, amongst the wood shavings and dim sunlight.

Rogue feels a bit of sweat on his brow, the warm, stuffy surroundings catching up with him. Nervously he removes the sweatshirt he always wore, trembling slightly at the sight of the revealed bandages plastered to his underarms. Biting his lip, he reminds himself he is alone here, alone and safe from judgemental, preying eyes.

Usually, Rogue sets an alarm so that he could go to his next class, but today is not one of those days. Instead, he shuts his eyes and lets himself slip into a meditative state, trying to think of nothing as music washes over him and drowns out all of the shit in his mind.

Sting hears whispers and rumors bouncing from mouth to mouth all throughout the hallways. Something about it felt wrong, far too familiar. Normally, Sting only butts into gossip if it was something that interested him (which was not very often: in his point of view, the lives of teenage girls are boring as hell) but there was something about this that felt important.

“Yeah, apparently he just jumped out of his seat, grabbed his backpack, and bolted,” a girl with pink lipstick on smirking lips says to her friend.

“Maybe he really is on drugs,” laughs the friend, rolling her brown eyes. “I mean, I know the school searched him and found nothing, but maybe he does ‘em before he gets to school, then sneaks out at lunch to a dealer somewhere down the street.”

The usual drug rumors did not spike Sting’s interest. He turns away, about to head towards his locker, when a single word stops him in his tracks.

“Yeah, what an emo freak.”

Sting whirls around immediately, mind flashing back to the night before. “- the bullies pull me behind the school and call me a faggot and beat me for being the worthless trashy gay emo piece of shit that I am-!”

Sting immediately gets in their faces, preparing to intimidate and defend, “Who are you talking about?!”

One of the girls yelps and jumps back, but the one with pink lipstick smiles flirtatiously at him. Sting controls the urge to roll his eyes.  Great, another girl fishing for what she knows isn’t there.

“Who? Oh, just that weirdass guy in my first period who’s probably on drugs.”

Sting grits his teeth, his hands curling into fists at his side. This girl is pushing all my buttons...   “What’s his name?”

“Rogue Cheney,” she replied easily. “I thought you’d know that by now, considering half the school’s in a bu-”

Sting growls and grabs the front of her shirt, “Shut the fuck up! Rogue’s not on fucking drugs, okay?! I know this for a fact! Ever consider that your words are what’s causing all this shit?”

She snorts loudly, not looking intimidated in the slightest. “Oh Sting, baby, let me guess.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” Sting growls, eyes narrowing even more.

“You’re gay for him, aren’t you?” she laughs, acting like this is some sick joke, like she’s trying to insult him. “You could do so much better than trash like th-”

Sting can’t help himself, losing it immediately and punching her straight on the jaw. “MAYBE I FUCKING AM! SO SHUT IT!”

Multiple people scream, stepping back from the scene with wide eyes. A few others whip out their cellphones and start recording. The girl Sting hits falls to the ground, blood streaming out of her split lip, eyes wide in rage.

“YOU BASTARD!” she screams, getting to her feet, trying to wipe the blood off of her face. She springs at him, trying to use her nails to scrape up his face, but he grabs her by the wrist and shoves her back to the ground.

“Don’t you DARE touch me!” Sting shouts, trying to stop the tears from falling.  No one fucking understands...all of these people...they’re just making it worse.  Addressing the crowd, he shouts, “If any of you wanna end up just like her, go ahead, keep talking shit!”

Eyes widen all around the hallway, holding their phones up and continuing to get it all on record. Sting hears shouting and the sound of teachers and hall monitors running towards the scene.

After that, everything is a blur. Dragged to the principal’s office, they sit Sting in a chair in front of the principal’s desk and leave him there. Sting looks down at the dried blood on his fist, cursing his own lack of impulse control. He used to get in trouble all the time before high school for fighting, and he’d been doing so much better since he arrived here. But that bitch’s words had brought him back, and he’d been unable to help himself from shutting her up like many others before her.

Principal Poher peers over his desk at Sting, sighing softly. “Sting Eucliffe...I thought you’d fixed this.”

“So had I,” Sting says softly. He looks up at the principal straight in the eyes. “But I don’t regret it, Sir.”

Poher groans. “Sting, you need to learn that punching people is not the way to solve problems.”

“They did the one thing I can never accept...” Sting does not break eye contact. “Anyone who hurts Rogue deserves it.”

Sting watches as the principal sighs again heavily, leaning back in his chair and looking highly disappointed. “Rogue breaks a lot of school rules as well, Sting. I’m not surprised the school’s talking about him.”

“They bully him,” Sting grits his teeth, “they bully him like we’re back in middle school! It’s immature, rude, and if they would shut their damn mouths then maybe Rogue could actually handle being in class!”

Poher’s expression darkens. “Sting. That is Rogue’s business, not yours. If he’s having a problem, he needs to come talk to us himself.”

“Am I not allowed to defend my best friend? My boyfriend?!” Sting snaps back, anger rising in his chest. “All the anti-bullying stuff around this school says to not be a bystander, to stick up for those in trouble! But once I do that,   I  get in trouble, and nothing changes!”

“What we mean by that is to come tell an authority.” The principal starts filling out a form, not looking at Sting, having given up.

“You just said he has to come tell you himself!” Sting shouts, standing up and shaking angrily.

“Sit down, Sting!” Poher commands, and Sting falls back into his seat with venom in his eyes. Clutching the seat’s armrests with both hands, Sting tries to contain his anger and stop the shaking. “Sting, please listen to me.” Poher’s eyes are fixed upon the boy’s face, and Sting refuses to break eye contact, not backing down. “If someone was bullying Rogue to his face, if someone was physically hurting him, and you came to me with names and evidence, we would put a stop to it. Rogue has not been seen since his little stunt this morning-”

“Wait, what?!” Sting cries, sitting up straighter in the chair. “Rogue’s missing?!”

The principal groans softly, “I shouldn’t have said that. But yes, Rogue is currently missing.”

Sting jumps out of his chair and heads for the door, “I’ve got to find him, he could be in trouble-!” Sting grabs the door and tries to open it, only to realize it’s locked. “Dammit!”

“Sting.” Poher’s voice is surprisingly calm. “You cannot go around punching people anymore, unless it is self-defense. If someone is bullying Rogue, have him come to me. It’s just difficult to take your side of the story as pure fact when you are this riled up and Rogue is missing, breaking school rules. If you both come in later this week, I will have a talk with you.”

Sting hangs his head, shaking violently. “P-Please let me go look for Rogue...likely, he doesn’t want to be found...a-and when he doesn’t want to be found, n-no one’s gonna be able to find him but me...I-I’m the only person he trusts...please…”

Poher sighs softly. “I’m sorry, Sting.” He pushes the form out in front of him. “I’m afraid we have to suspend you for two days for fighting. Stay here, and I’ll call your mom.”

“N-No!” Sting tugs on the door again. “Y-You have to let me out, R-Rogue could be in danger-”

“We have people looking for him now,” the principal says slowly. “I’m calling your mother, Sting. Please sit down and stay as calm as you can. Rogue is going to be alright.”

Sting sinks back into the chair, holding back angry tears. Suspended? Rogue’s going to be alone at school for two days… That is, unless he gets suspended too…

“C-Can I text him…?” Sting whispers, but Poher has already picked up the phone to call Sting’s mother. Biting down on his lip hard, Sting sinks into himself and picks at the dried blood caked onto his fist. Why do all of his attempts to help just make everything worse? Rogue was in a bad place, he couldn’t come to the office himself, he couldn’t tell anyone about the pain he had, about the struggle going on inside his mind. They were basically asking Rogue to do the impossible. People this far gone would never show it, never admit it. They would only hide it inside, hide it until someone they trusted pushed just a bit, and then they’d break into pieces in their hands.

Drowning out the world, Sting buries his face into his hands and tries not to cry. I’m sorry, Rogue...