#both part of a sequel continuation of something else that can be considered not as good as the original

[mispelled]

Idk if there are enough overlapping fans to get this but that's ok because I cater to myself

[writingwithfolklore]

Sequels and Series

              On one hand, a sequel can be easy because you already did the worldbuilding, character creation, etc. in the first book.

              On the other hand, expectations are high—both that the sequel be as good and consistent as the first book, while offering something new. There’s generally two kinds of sequels, ones that continue the world and characters but within a new journey (think Frozen 2 or the Percy Jackson books), and ones that continue the same journey set up in the first book (Hunger Games, or Divergent). Either way, your sequel is about your MC’s arc, so let’s get into it:

1. Leave room for greater change in the first book

              The first thing to consider when writing a sequel comes in writing the first book—obviously the world should leave room for more story in either style of sequel, but so should your character arcs. The first book needs to follow an arc that’s satisfying and fulfilled by the end, but still has room to grow and change in subsequent books.

              It’s important not to go backwards in the sequel and make your character forget what they learned just to learn it again.

              So, if in the first book your MC learns to be confident in themselves and trust their instincts, maybe in the sequel they are too overconfident, and need to learn to trust others’ ideas and suggestions. Or maybe a new situation means adjusting their old instincts that no longer apply. They shouldn’t start as unconfident again and have to relearn their lesson—they’re a changed, grown person continuing to change and grow.

              Otherwise, they may not fully complete their arc in the first book if you’re continuing the same journey in the second—this means you’ll have to plan out a lengthy and difficult arc that has the ability to hold up across several books.

2. But they’re still the same character

The arcs between books should be somewhat related—it would be odd if in the first book a character gets confident, and in the second, they learn something completely new and unrelated to their backstory or personality. If you feel like you’re creating a new character when working on the sequel, you’re probably adding too much.

This goes the same for continuing the same journey. Characters need to be relatively consistent across books, and their gradual change throughout the series should feel consistent, with none of the development happening off page.

3. Sequels/Series are harder to get published (as a first time author)

If you’re looking to get traditionally published for the first time, unfortunately your novel likely won’t/can’t be part of a series or made to have a sequel. It makes sense that an editor is putting a lot of trust and hope into your story to get it published—they aren’t going to sign on to a longer series (or even duology) that they don’t know will be successful. This means that you’re probably unable to do the second type of sequel (by ending on a major cliffhanger).

What you can do is have an ending that wraps up the story satisfyingly, but leaves a little bit of room to continue onto a sequel. If the first book is successful and your editor wants to sign you on for a sequel, you have room to write it. Or, in a lot of cases, you have to publish a few standalones before you build the reputation and trust to write your sequel.

Anything else I missed?

[noffy96]

Kustard Mer Au~

Finally, the direct sequel to 'Can't Stay'. I really loved writing the first, and i hope people will like this second part. And I am hoping to keep updating it in the future!

The Return.

Word count: 9,356

Chapter 1/1

Summary:

It was his move then.

He took a sip. The beer was nice and cold. Perfect with the weather they were having. Better to wash away their junk food.

Instead of leaning back this time. This time he tipped himself towards Red. Landing onto Reds side.

It obviously shocked him. But he adjusted quickly enough. Arm wrapping around him once more. As he still wore his own grin. Not looking up he spoke up

"So when are you gonna tell me we are on a date?"

Red froze beside him, his mouth falling open and he could feel the hot puffs of air on his neck.

or

Sans returns to the Island and Red. They talk about seeing if they can get a relationship between them to work. Now that the secret is out. And he is living back home in the ocean. A direct sequel to 'Can't Stay'

--link here to AO3--

or continue below the read more line

He swam a little loop around a school of fish coming his way. And it made his hammering soul beat even faster. Papyrus might have been right to tease him, that he was acting like a teenager going out for their first date.

And yes he was equal parts excited as he had been nervous. He really hoped they could work something out. Going back home did make it clear he couldn’t just. Up and leave. There had been so much to do, after his year-long absence. It was a small miracle he was able to leave at all.

But Papyrus said he would cover for him, and he trusted no one more than his brother. And it was awesome to see him again after all this time. It had kept him distracted for a good while. Hearing all the wild stories he had gotten up to on his world trip. And his brother hung to his every word when he told him about Red. But it was also when the overthinking began. There were times when the nerves were getting to him.

Afraid that Red might have grown mad at him again. Now that the shock of discovering each other's secret had worn off. Not that he had been able to contact him and check…not that he would have. He is too stubborn for his own good. One of the reasons they really should talk.

There was also a part of him, that hoped that they talked about something else. But knowing the both of them. He kinda doubted it. For now, he hoped they would come to a better solution of meeting each other, that would keep both their families safe as well as contact each other.

Cause as amazing as it was that Red was also a Mer like him. The look of fear that had crossed his face as he realized he had jumped into the ocean. It was kinda haunting him.

But now he was on his way to see him. He had woken up far before the sun had begun to rise. That was weird enough, that his brother, who he sometimes swore only slept for an hour. Had been surprised to see him moving around their little grotto.

He had not been desperate enough to leave early. But he had rechecked everything for his small journey multiple times. Then with nothing else to do, he started to rearrange his part of the grotto. For a second he even debated picking up the hunting nets they always argued over. But no, he couldn’t break tradition, he just moved it an inch more to the left than normal.

Eventually, Papyrus decided the only way to calm him down was to start wrestling with him. And yeah it had gotten rid of the restless energy and the nagging voices in his brain. Hopefully, he could be his lazy ass self when he was with Red again.

He had seen the proud shine in his brother's eyes. And he just knew he would be in for some painful fraternal pestering when he returned. Considering the years of him doing the same, Papyrus earned it. He could still his brother's loud voice calling after him to

“Have fun with your boyfriend and see you tomorrow”

He felt his face flush blue at the words, shaking his head as finally saw the island appearing in the distance. He flicked his tail and sped up. Enjoying the feeling of the water rushing by him. Weaving, dodging, and looping around multiple obstacles just to get there faster.

Until he reached the rocks that were the base of his old island home. For a moment he stopped, touching the rock. It had only been a month. But somehow it felt much longer, yet shorter than that. He glanced up and saw distorted globs of green that were from a tree hanging over the edge.

Then he swam down towards the cave. Hand gliding softly against the familiar stone wall beside him. He felt his soul rate speed up as he felt the familiar slightly faster current at the cave entrance.

He remembered when he had entered with Red clinging to his back. Hands digging into his back trying not to show how afraid he had been. And all he could have focused on was getting Red out of the water as soon as he could. Somewhere where he could safely transform back.

He briefly wondered if he would get answers about why he was so afraid today. But then he squashed that thought. He didn’t want to bring it up if he could help it. And while learning his secret explained part of it. Together with the vague comments that had been made throughout their friendship. It had opened so many new questions. Questions that could wait, and didn’t need answering this second.

The fact that Red had trusted him enough to show him despite his fear was not something he would take lightly. He would listen to Red whenever he was ready, his curiosities be dammed. Even if he never got to see Red’s Mer form again. He is fine with that.

He surfaced with a gasp, then launched into a coughing fit. He had momentarily forgotten how to breathe with his lungs. After a few more rough coughs he got it under control. And he looked around the cave.

It looked the same as it always had. He reached the edge and took his time to listen to see if nothing was coming near. Then lifted himself out of the water with a big huff. He took great care to not scrape his side fins against the harsh rocks. As he crawled to the hidden corner of the gave.

Only to freeze when he lifted the rock that normally had hidden his towels and set of extra clothes.

Because there was nothing there.

Fuck! He had lent them to Red after he fell into the ocean. And since he immediately went home afterward he didn’t restock. Fuck! Didn’t even think of it when he and his brother went to gather the rest of his stuff.

He sat there perplexed. Fuck what was he supposed to do now?!. He could hardly wait to dry up, and even if he did. What then?! Walk around naked on the island?! That was not something he could do!

They had arranged to meet at the bar. Might there be a way to signal him from the water before he reached there? If he could get his attention from his car! But shit! there were likely other people. It would be right to the entrance of the town where a lot of tourists take pictures. Not a fucking safe idea.

He heard something scrape against the stone ground. Combined with the sound of ragged breathing. Fuck a person!? NOW!?. He glanced at the water. Too far away, a shadow appeared from the cafe opening. Instead, he gathered up his tail and curled as close to the corner as he could manage.

Knowing that you could only see around it if you stood at the water's edge. There was the sound of another grunt, and then something heavy hit the floor.

Fuck, Just his luck.

Of course, now would be the time for people to stumble upon his little hiding space. When he could really not use it. He had to create a distraction, and then find a way to get to Red. Fuck this was already going horribly.

He looked around, there was not much in this tight little corner, Except some small pebbles. He grabbed what he could, it was better than nothing. The person who arrived was oddly quiet.

Had this person stumbled onto this cave before? Had he just been lucky all this fucking time? He tried to glance and check, but he knew he would likely be spotted. He had to create a distraction somehow. He glanced at the pebbles in his hand and concentrated.

He used his magic to hopefully as subtly as possible drop a couple of them at the other end of the water, luring whoever was near away far enough for him to dive in. He heard the sound of rough boots hitting the floor. They seemed to be moving towards him!

His soul was pounding in his chest, coiling in tight ready to lash out. And hit whoever was near in the face with his tail if it came down to it. He could still escape. Then he would figure out how to get to Red. he wasn’t gonna give up on him he wasn’t

“Sansy?”

Wait…that was

“Sansy…that you?”

The words were whispered almost hesitantly,

He took a big breath and glanced around the corner. Only to slump in relief to see Red standing there.

“Fuck, Asshole what are you doing here?! You almost scared me to death! I thought we were meant to meet at Pub!”

Red rolled his eyes

“Yeah, but I realized I hadn’t brought your clothes back yet, so that would mean you didn’t have any”

He felt his face flush, cause of course that is exactly what happened

Red walked over to the bag he dropped at the entrance and pulled out a towel, shorts, a T-shirt, and some slippers. And he crawled out of the corner before his tail started to cramp. Smoothing out some of his scales in the process. Red handed him the small pile of clothes with a smug grin. And the annoyance must be visible on his face cause Red’s grin just got sharper. Oh, how he wished he could push his friend into the water as revenge. It’s because he knew how much he feared it that he didn’t

But he had a feeling Red knew that too. So instead he just quietly dressed himself as quickly as he could. While Red wandered back over to his bag rummaging through it.

He slowly used to wall to stand up and wobbled over towards him as he got used to the legs again. And he was handed a soda bottle

“To wash away the salt taste”

Red grunted and he had to abort a huff of laughter at the gesture. He took the offered bottle and decided to take only a couple of sips and then handed it back. As Red put his bag back on.

“Ready to go?” Red said clearly wanting to be away from the water's edge if he could help it.

Sans gave a nod and followed Red out of the cave and couldn’t help the small smile as the sun beat down on his face again. It was slightly overcast, but not terribly so.

With some difficulty, they got from the hidden path to the cave to one of the small trails around the island. Slippers weren’t the best footwear for climbing across some rocks but he managed anyway.

After taking an almost hidden sidepath they reached a cliffside with a bench that was looking out over the ocean. He looked down for a moment, some motorboats were speeding by below. The water was rougher here than on the other side of the island. He had liked this place and had visited many times in the past. Sometimes alone, sometimes with Red. It was a perfect place to talk, and not be overheard.

His grin quirked further up, as Red sat down spreading his legs obnoxiously. Somehow he took up half the space despite his small frame. He decided to do the same letting their knees brush together. Red eyed him from the side of his eye, but only let out what could be classified as an amused huff.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth and the soft breeze. Trying to figure out a way to get this talk started.

“How is your brother?” Red rasped

While that was indeed as good of a place to start as any

“A manic ball of energy, “ Red snorted a laugh and he chuckled as well as he continued on.

“But good, It's nice to see him again after all this time, He must have gotten into a few scuffles, cause he got a couple more nicks and marks on his body. But mostly he is just rambling about everything he did. It’s awesome”

He was smiling fondly, he couldn’t help it. He was really proud of Papyrus going off on his own.

“Tell me a story then, I am curious”

He glanced at Red who was also wearing a lazy grin, and he felt his soul ease. Seems Red, was also not eager to get into the big topics right away. But this is what he liked doing with Red anyway. That somehow easy way of communicating that happened between them. That genuine interest. Fuck, he had missed him.

He grinned and tipped his head up looking at the leaves above them.

“Well…it ain't a story…but I think he got a Crush”

“On a scale of one to ten how bad?”

“Solid eight, he met this mer on his travels named Blue, They traveled together for a few months. And just. .” He let out a sigh “ I never heard him talk about anyone like this. Well maybe Mettaton but that doesn’t count “

“Hold on!” Red sat up straight and pointed a finger at his face

“You told me your brother never left your home city, which I am thinking now meant never left the ocean? So how the fuck does he know Mettaton?!”

He let out a startling laugh.

“Found some merchandise near a dumping side. he became obsessed with it. Also for a long while some fisherman kept blasting it from their boats. You don’t wanna know how many times I had to drag him back down, because he was getting too close for my liking”

Red laughed loudly

“Is that a trait shared with little brothers?!, Edge was doing the same when we first started living here. Always sneaking off to try and sneak into the club where they were playing his music. Honestly, we where enough hot water as it was, without the bouncer chasing down”

He burst out laughing.

“Fuck, it must be a shared trait then. But yeah. All he can talk about is this new mer. Apparently, he even convinced Paps to go on land a couple of times when they traveled together. When I tried to ask about how that was he turned quite red in the face.”

He snickered as he recalled Pap's face. Red was chuckling as well.

“Sounds like when Edge first got his crush on Stretch. He was trying so hard to hide it, but it was so obvious. To everyone but Stretch of course”

He continued to snicker

“Do I need to be happy that I only met them after they started dating?”

“Definitely”

Both of them laughed loudly before it slowly trickled out.

“So this Blue guy? Did he come as well? Or is he visiting later or something”

He shook his head.

“From what I understand, Blue will keep traveling. Apparently, he lost his family somehow and is trying to find them. Has been searching for years if I understand Papyrus correctly. “

“Oof that’s…that’s rough”

Red frowned, and he bet that they thought the same thing, that if it was their brothers being taken. Would they do the same.

“Yeah, But Papyrus kinda offered that if he ever needs it. That he could stay with us. So he might be coming but. If or when is a bit…up in the air”

There was a silence as they stared over the water, eyes being drawn to the small motorboats sailing past before disappearing around the cliffs as they further circled the island

“Difficult guy to get a crush on…”

He gave a hum. He was unsure of how this was gonna unfold himself. He didn’t want his brother to get hurt by longing for someone whom he could barely see. For someone who would always have a bigger purpose maybe.

But he also didn’t want to be meddling too much in his life not more than he had. For now, he just keeps an eye on how Paps is feeling.

“Wait a sec…”

He looked to the side to see Red staring at him

“Something the matter?”

“No not exactly, it’s more…I could be wrong, it’s been a long time. But….”

Red scrunched his eyes clearly struggling to find the words he was looking for.

“Fuck, what were they called…Overseerers? ..are they still a thing?”

That was a title he hadn’t heard in a long while and seemed to confirm his suspicion that Red hadn’t returned to the ocean after he and his brother made landfall however many years ago that was.

“Guardians is what we call them nowadays…”

Red seemed relief that he got what he meant

“Okay..but…if you want to invite someone to stay in the territory under its protection…you need their permission, right? You can’t just invite someone to stay long-term. Unless you meet with them right?”

He gave a nod,

“That is true under most circumstances yes. But Papyrus knows he has that kind of permission”

Red’s eyes widened looking slightly scared

“But wait. How did he ask permission if he was gone?! Is he like? Friends with them or something?! But even then, that be a huge ass gamble! Your brother might get hurt because of this. You should really-”

He raised his hand before Red could go list all the things he could do to fix it. And dread filled him. Knowing they were gonna step into their serious talk within the next few seconds

“I assure you, he can”

“Isn’t there like a whole, ceremony thing of having to meet the overseer? That was how it was when I was still” Red swallowed thickly and moved on

“And you couldn’t just casually swim up to an overseer. That is asking for retaliation”

With a sigh he said

“Considering he told me everything, And I have no intention of sending Blue away when he does come over. Nor do I have any reason for hurting my brother…or anyone that comes with such a simple request really”

It was quiet for a couple of seconds. Then his t-shirt was grabbed and he was pulled closer as Red stared at him angrily

“Are you fucking telling me!? You! Are the overseer?!”

He had expected the reaction and leveled his friend with an even look. Not reacting to his anger at all.

"Yes, got a problem with it"

Red’s red eyes stared him down. Like he trying to see if he was bullshitting him. Then to his own surprise a grin split on Red's face.

"Fuck me, you really are something Sansy,"

He could feel a light flush forming on his face. The way Red's voice dropped was sending chills down his spine in the best of ways.

"W-what?"

Red's grin got sharper, pushing himself closer, towering slightly over him. Their foreheads touching. He was definitely blushing at this point.

"You always put up the harmless act, you even got me fooled there buddy. But…to be an overseer. You must be one of the strongest around. I knew I liked you for a reason"

He let out a dry laugh. Okay, that tidbit of knowledge was going over far better than he ever expected.

He didn't really think his role as guardian was that impressive. But well…there was also a reason it hadn't been taken from him in all these years.

Red's grin stayed. Looked like he just won the biggest prize ever and it made him swallow thickly. Red pulled away slightly as his gaze dropped to his mouth.

Then he noticed one corner quirking up. And before he could react. Red was leaning forward again. But he didn't get a kiss like he thought.

No instead, Red's mouth brushed his cheek. Surprisingly soft and gentle. Then lingering just above him, their hot breath fanning over his face.

He let out a questioning sound. Which made Red laugh. And he pulled back with a shit-eating grin. Sitting back against the bench staring over the horizon again.

He started at him.

Oh

Oh, that fucking asshole.

He couldn't help the grin himself. Letting out a few flustered chuckles before settling back into his lazy sprawl. If a bit closer to Red than before

So this is how it was gonna be? Then two could play that game. Red had laid his arm over the back of the bench. As he had sprawled again. And he very subtly leaned into it.

He saw the look of surprise pass over Red's face and a quick glance. He gave his own grin as Their eyes met briefly..

Oh yes….the game was on.

Red let out a sigh as the arm dropped from the bench to around his shoulders.

"That explains why staying wasn’t really an option for you though"

Red Murray looking a bit sad. And he gave a nod. It was. He had duties back home.

"The fact that I could make a deal with the neighbor guardians so I could leave for a year. Is already… a lot. That's built on years of trust. And even then I had to regularly check back"

Red nodded. " I always wondered where you went…but then most things I found for communication are a total no-go then, as most of them use a tracking signal.."

He sighed helplessly

"Anything that might track…it ain't … good. Too many lives are at stake. What had you found?"

Red waved his free hand around.

"Nothing much honestly. The thing is if you try to communicate that deep underwater. You usually try and get back out. So they track it. So they can search for it in case something goes wrong. I might be able to reverse-engineer something. But then…I don't know what I would use in its place…"

He picked at some loose thread in his shorts. It wasn't like he had many other ideas. Try and stay in touch with an actual ocean between them. It'll be hard either way they would go about it.

Of course, that would be if he decided that he would keep coming back to Red. And….he had made his decision a month ago. He would want to. He wanted to at the very least give it a fucking shot

He might have been making fun of Papyrus Crush earlier. But he had been on the receiving end of the teasing as well. Apparently, he talked a lot more gushingly about Red than he realized.

But when Papyrus had stopped his teasing to just quietly tell him that he really hoped that this hopefully new relationship would work out for him. He could feel the weight of that.

Papyrus had always wanted the best for him. But he always, always out his brother first. It's why he became a guardian in the first place. To protect him. And keep him safe.

Papyrus was coming for his title…he knew. And one day he might get it. But for now, it was still his to carry. He never thought he might get a chance at a relationship. It was part of what made him want to leave without returning last time.

But Red. Red had chased him down. Even after he had hurt him. He hadn't wanted to leave in the first place even though he knew he was gonna, he made that promise But that...that kinda sealed the deal. Even if red hadn’t been a Mer. If had jumped in after him and he had been a normal monster still. He would have given it a shot.

Because Red braced his fear for him. That he could get over himself and truly. Actually, truly give this a shot. He wouldn’t give up his role. He couldn’t not after all this time. Not to just anybody. He wasn’t gonna leave the people under his protection without someone he couldn’t a hundred percent trust

Suddenly he was cut off from his thoughts by a rumbling sound. Red let out a laugh

'You hungry Sansy?'

He chuckled lightly as he indeed realized that sound had come from him.

"Starving, honestly".

Having realized he hadn't really eaten anything since before he left. And then it had only been a little with his nerves so high.

Red removed his arm from around him. Much to his disappointment. To pull his bag up, opening and rummaging around. Pulling out a plastic container, and handing it to him.

He took it carefully. Eying it from all angles. Whatever was inside was wrapped tightly in tin foil. Trying to guess what it was.

"What ya waiting for? dig in"

Red had pulled a second container from his bag, dropping it back on the ground between them. Opening his own with a satisfying pop.

He glanced at his own container for a moment longer. Before doing the same. The tin foil packaging was slightly warm. Then he started to carefully unwrap whatever was inside surprised to find

A burger

Fuck it had been a while since he had a burger. He tried not to start salivating as the smell hit him. Glancing to the side seeing Red unwrap his own burger as well.

And then he stared in awe as Red took a bite. He had a bit of fascination with Red's mouth. Or more specifically those razor-sharp teeth. So he watched fascinated as Red opened his big Maw, that one gold tooth glistening in the sun. And watch it bite through the burger with ease. And not for the first time he wondered what Red would look like if he feasted after a hunt.

He had imagined that often even before he knew Red was a mer like him. But In the last month. He had thought about it way more…that and other places he could bite.

He quickly looked away before he could get caught. Taking a bite of the burger. He let out a Groan of satisfaction as he realized it had been covered in his favorite ketchup.

Beside him, he heard Red make a satisfied ‘heh' sound. Half between a laugh and something else. And he couldn't even be mad. The burger was just too good. It wasn't one of Grillby's burgers. It wasn't greasy enough. And normally he would complain. But the juiciness of this one was making up for it in spades.

As he wolfed down the burger, Red bent down to grab something else from his bag. Whatever it was made a hissing sound and was set next to him.

He glanced down to find a can of beer. Condense was dripping down its side. And as he watched the droplet hit the bench. Something clicked inside his brain.

Well played…seems Red had an ace up his sleeve. And it had been there before they even started. The thought made him smile.

He finished the last of his burger licking his fingers one by one. Not wanting to waste anything. Before grabbing the offered beer. Glancing over.

Red had returned to his sprawl. Legs spread wide. Arm thrown over the length of the little Bench. Sipping his own beer with a lazy sort of grin. As he watched the sky.

It was his move then.

He took a sip. The beer was nice and cold. Perfect with the weather they were having. Better to wash away their junk food.

Instead of leaning back this time. This time he tipped himself towards Red. Landing onto Reds side.

It obviously shocked him. But he adjusted quickly enough. Arm wrapping around him once more. As he still wore his own grin. Not looking up he spoke up

"So when are you gonna tell me we are on a date?"

Red froze beside him, his mouth falling open and he could feel the hot puffs of air on his neck. He recovered quickly

"What makes you think this is a d-"

"Oh please, " He cut him off "Food and alcohol, I remember you telling me that's all you needed for a good romance"

He glanced up at Red's face. Happy to see him. now trying to fight a blush.

"We did that all the time before.." Red argued though it sounded a bit weak

"Yup," he popped the p at the end. And they stayed quiet for a few seconds letting Red stir for a bit

"But you didn't usually give me, homemade food"

He glanced up. And he knew he won. Cause they both knew. That, that part was kinda of a big deal.

Red treated a lot of people. To drinks, a burger, some fries. Usually, he did it to get something he wanted.

Heck, that was how their own friendship started. Red had offered him a beer to learn about the new guy.

But something he made. Yeah, that was special. For most of their friendship, he thought Red couldn’t cook. Until Edge got sick one day. And Red was the one cooking for him. The smells had been amazing. Even if he never had tried any of it. And even when Edge could technically make his own again. Red bullied him out until he was fully recovered to the amusement of Him and Stretch

Red avoided his gaze.

"So what if it is…"

He laughed softly. It might have meant the homemade food. It might have meant the date. It didn't matter. In the end, it was all the same thing. And he didn't feel like playing anymore.

It was fun while it lasted. He gave this win to Red though. Actually planning something romantic.

Well romantic for them at least

Instead of just talking about…everything. Bit more his style too. So he turned to face his friend. Dropping his grin In favor of a smile.

"If it is…I'd ask him for a second"

Red eyes widened slightly. And he leaned forward and brought their mouths together. It started softly. As their first kisses a few months ago. Well, all Except that very first.

But it quickly turned hungry, filthy even. Red's hand came up to the back of his head. Keeping them pressed together harshly. Red's other hand was fisted into his t-shirt as he licked into his mouth.

Which, he allowed without question. Letting out a soft groan as their summoned tongues touched. Red was tasting strongly like mustard. So unlike the cherry hard candy he had tasted like last time. But just as addicting.

His hand kept stroking at Red's face. Feeling the rougher bone. The other is at Red's shoulder trying to pull him closer and closer.

They pulled away slightly. Huffing their breaths in each other faces.

Red chuckled softly

"Fuck, this is real? ain't it, sweetheart?"

He was blushing again. And he leaned closer.

"Yes, and we will make this work somehow…Promise "

Red eyes got a determined glint in them. A fiery sort of.red glow. And he leaned forward to claim.his mouth once more.

They kept making out for several minutes. Just like that. Hidden away on their little overlook. Away from anyone who would walk the path unless they knew the area.

But they forgot. Not so hidden from if you were on the sea.

"Whoo! That's hot! Keep it up!"

Both of them sprung apart at the sound. Looking down at the water a speedboat with laughing teenagers tore off.

Red threw a bone attack after them. It only made them.laugh.louder as it landed in the water. He dropped beside red again. The mood is completely gone. And Red angrily mumbled about people minding their own damm business.

But he fell quiet as he slowly intertwined his own hand with his. He gave it a squeeze. After Red stared at their hands for several seconds. Like he couldn't believe it. Squeezed back.

He swallowed thickly

“I think I have an idea, that could still keep us in contact somewhat. It is not perfect. But better than setting up meetings and hoping that we will always make those."

Red was still not speaking. Eyes still on their hands. Before letting go to his surprise. Only to warp that arm back around him and intertwine it with his other hand.

He let out a huff of surprise. Leaning more against his….boyfriend? Is that what they are now? Feels too juvenile really. The word at least.

" mmmm let's hear, better than the nothing I have"

He gave a nod.

"So let’s still make arrangements to meet. But if we know. We ain't gonna make it…we should leave a message in the cave for the other to find. Maybe where I used to leave my clothes. We can hide a stack of papers and a pen. And leave a message for the next available meeting time. I know that still leaves last-minute errors. And to drive or swim all the way to here to leave a message. Is a bit much maybe. But"

He got cut off by a kiss on the top.of.his.skull.

"It's a good solution until we find something better. One that's also safe to use"

He nodded. So that discussion was over for now at least. He glanced down at the hand that was holding his. Should they actually talk more about that too? Well … maybe in one way.

" I’ll plan the next one" he mumbled but since they were so close he knew Red heard it.

"Huh?'

"Our next date…I dunno how. But I am the one planning that one. Since you got this one"

Red's grin widened and he knew what he was gonna say before the words even left his mouth

“I never agreed to one".

He glanced back up with a grin of his own.

"You kinda did when pulling me back in for a third kiss, and a fourth, and a sixth and a -"

He was cut off by a kiss on the cheek.

"Cheeky little shit"

"Annoying asshole"

He was held just that big closer as they grinned at each other. Yeah…they were gonna be fine. New and kind of scary territory But somehow it also felt old and familiar in an odd way.

Red gained a frown slowly

"Not. That I want you to go…but. When do you need to leave?"

He gained a frown of his own. He had kinda thought he'd return tonight. But now it felt like that would be too little time spent together. As suddenly his brother's words rang in his ear. As teasing as they had been. It seems he had an answer

Slowly gaining a grin

"Well, my brother said. See you tomorrow… and I think I can leave my basic duties in His care for one day. So…." He leaned Closer

"Tomorrow afternoon? "

Red's grin grew.

"Wanna go to my place and watch shitty action films?"

His own grin came back

"Lunch and a movie. You spoil me"

Red shoved him off with a fond laugh.

"Asshole"

He hummed not denying it. they packed Red’s bag again. They turned around to walk the rest of the way back to the little town on the island. Only to see the dark overcast clouds.

It seemed a storm had been brewing on the other side of the island. He had forgotten how quickly the weather could. change here sometimes.

They gave each other a brief look, before nodding and hurriedly taking off As they made their way further down. It started to rain. First softly, making the ground more slippery. And combined with the fact he was still only wearing slippers. That didn't go well. The amount of times he almost fell on his ass where too numerous to count. Those slippers were discarded and he just carried them, after the 3rd time being stuck in the mud.

The rain started really coming down as they reached the cobblestone path that led into town. Red had his hoodie over their head trying to shield himself from the rain. But He didn’t have that luxury. The thin white t-shirt clinging to his bones. As they ran through the water-covered streets as the wind picked up. In the end, they were sprinting towards Red's beat-up truck.

It, of course, was parked in that same place it always was. Red struggles a bit with the keys, but manages to throw the door open and they clambered inside. Just as the first clap of thunder sounded.

Red cursed starting the car. "There is an extra towel in the back. But we gotta go before this storm closes the bridge."

He nodded, and quickly buckled himself. As Red sped off as fast as he dared with this weather. He managed to get the towel free as they reached the bridge. Quickly drying his face.

They were not wet enough to trigger a transformation. Not by a long shot. But doesn't mean it was comfortable or wanting to risk it. He wanted to hand Red the towel.

But Red’s eyes were focused on the road. Eye lights little pinpricks. The wind picked up splashing water here and there over the bridge. The rain was hard enough that even though they were halfway over the bridge they still couldn't see the mainland.

Red let out a shuddering breath as a wave crashed just behind them. Not big enough to be any danger of being pushed off. But it wouldn't be that way for long

Red was clearly freaking out. Hiding it much better than when he had actually been in the water. He brought a hand over to Red's knee holding it softy hoping to provide some sort of comfort.

Red's grip on the wheel Loosened a tad. But not much. He kept his hand steady. Not letting go and letting him know he was here. As the rain clattered loudly against the car. It sounded almost deafening. Another clap of thunder sounded. It was much closer than before. Then several flashes. And he saw a lightning bolt hit the water in the distance to their right.

Slowly lights from the city came into view through the thick curtain of rain. Another wave crashed behind them as they left the bridge. Seeing officers at the other side leading people away. Clearly not letting anyone cross. He pretended not the hear Red let out a sigh of relief as they turned into the city centre.

Traffic in the city was awful. With the storm. It was busier than he had ever seen it. The sound of traffic horns where everywhere. Cars were driving slowly. People were running across the sidewalks trying to find shelter. He turned to Red, giving his knee another squeeze.

Water was still dripping off his face. And he must be getting cold As he hadn’t had the chance to dry off. Heck, he was shivering lightly. The heating of the car only doing a little. And while Red's eyes weren't pinpricks anymore. He was still quite tense. Clearly, the bridge had been a bit too close for comfort.

As they came to a stop by a traffic stop. He sat up and quickly warped the, slightly damp towel around Red’s shoulders. It probably didn’t do much, but it was better than nothing. His own shirt might be clinging to his ribs still. And there was likely a puddle forming at his feet. But he was dryer than him.

Red eyed him, probably about to protest, when the cars in front of them started to move and he concentrated on the road again. He rubbed his own arm in the hope of staying warm. But not letting go of Red At this rate, it'll be at least another twenty minutes before they arrive at Red's place. If not longer.

"If you got some more questions, I can answer them now…not much else to do"

He suggested, in the hope to distract Red's thoughts a little more. Red let out a gruff hum. Both are still silent. And he thought Red wouldn't take him up on the suggestion. With how hard he was staring out the front. It was a completely different look from the lax laid-back way he usually sat in while driving. Every bone on his body was tense. Ready to spring to action.

"How….long have you been the oversee- eh I mean guardian? "

He smiled at the correction. And he had kind of expected that question back at the cliffside. But he was fine with answering it now

" I was fifteen back then. So…twelve years now"

They were in front of another red light and had been slowing down. But it felt like Red had stepped on the break a bit harder than intended with the way the flew forward.

"What?!"

He rubbed his shoulder where the seatbelt had duck in. Red had turned to face him and if he wasn't driving he was sure he would have been grabbed again.

"What?" He answered back at Red's wide-eyed stare.

"How the fuck did you get into that position that young!? And then keep it for so long!? The longest overseer I knew only had the position for three years. And there was a rumor of one going on five. But those were old guys. And giant mers. I saw you….how the actual fuck…I didn't think they would let anyone challenge that young either?!"

He chuckled dryly. Well…it wasn't that Red was wrong necessarily.

"You can when the previous one is your Dad, and he's an asshole," he said with no form of amusement

And he heard Red's mouth click shut as he murmured "Fucker had it coming, " As he remembered what it had been like back then. His father had been more obsessed with his own ego and how he was perceived than actually protecting and providing for the community.

His father had trained him. It had been brutal, and painful. Leaving him without food as he didn't meet his expectations. And had left him in a ditch somewhere far too often to count. Somehow always surprised when he returns but never pleased. But as he tried to do the same to Papyrus. Try and make him fight people several years older than him. He stepped in to protect his barely ten-year-old brother.

His dad must have thought it would be an easy win. It hadn't been. It had been the hardest and most brutal fight of his life. But as his father's body sank to the bottom of the sea. And he could feel that power of the position passes over to him.

Well, it felt like he had made the right decision. And made a promise to his brother. Who had been hiding in fear Luckily didn't see a thing. That he would keep him safe. That this place would be good for any young child. So that they didn't suffer like he did.

And he kept that. There had been challenges to his rule. But they were nothing like that first fight. At some point, his reputation proceeds him. And as he didn't extend the territory. And just generally kept to himself. Other guardians didn't bother him too much. The reef blossomed. More mer of all different species moved in. Some just stayed as part of a migration cycle. .

He had done what his dad refused to do. And he was proud of that.

He shrugged lightly.

"And as for challenges, they stopped after a while. The only one that does at this point is Paps."

Red made a chocking sound

"Wait..your brother?"

He hummed "It's green by the way"

Red's gaze snapped forward and started up before the people behind them started to honk

"But to answer yes. He isn't trying to kill me if that's what you are thinking"

He cocked his head a bit to the side. Squeezing the other's knee

"I know that is the main way most people know of how the power changes. But it really is just by defeating them. It's only that for most gardians only see death as a defeat. I don't see it like that. But doesn't mean I am gonna make it easy. He has been trying to take the posting for the last five years."

Red drummed his fingers against the wheel

"You sound proud of that"

He laughed.

"Fuck yeah I am, I am honestly looking forward to the day he does beat me. I think it means I've done my job well And the fact that he is not giving up? Honestly, it's awesome. I think he would be much better at this whole job than I am honestly. But like I said I ain't gonna make it easy for him. And he wouldn't want me to"

Red let out a gruff laugh

"Reminds me of Edge."

It was said with a proud smile. That left him feeling all kind of fuzzy.

And with that, they fell into another silence as they pulled up into Red's neighborhood. The rain hadn't let up and it didn't show any sign of stopping soon. As water seemed to be streaming down some streets. The drains doing their best to take everything away. And as they pulled up in front of the garage they sat there. Staring at the door.

"Fuck". Red muttered knowing one of them had to go through the rain again to open it

He checked the glove compartment. Checking if Red still kept the house keys there like always. Smiling as they indeed were. He grabbed them and went to open his door as he was pulled back.

Red having unbuckled himself as well

"And what do you think you doing?"

He was about to answer when Red clashed their mouths together. Surprising him. He was still staring wide-eyed. However, he didn't mind this sudden change. Until he felt the keys plucked from.his.hand.

"H-hey!"

He stuttered.

"My date, my rules. Too bad sweetheart. You sit ain't lifting a finger"

While normally he didn't mind getting too lazy. There was still a slight manic look in Red's eyes. He wasn't gonna let him deal with more fear of transforming than he had to

So he pulled Red back. And kissed him as well. He was fully aware that the same trick wouldn't work. But he had to try.

But like he expected, Red had clenched his fist tightly around the keys. And then brought it to his back so he couldn't reach it.

That's fine. He kept on kissing his…boyfriend.. really need.to.find something better to call him..Anyway. Licking at his mouth to let him in. If he couldn't get it. At least he wanted to enjoy the sloppy make-out.

They both sprung apart at the sound of the Garage doors opening. Only to see Edge near the door, being clear that he was the one who opened it. And Stretch was in the door leading into the rest of the house.

He was happy he was back in his seat by the time their faces came into few. He wasn't intent on hiding …. Whatever you call this new relationship…was. But that didn't mean he wanted Red's younger brother watching them suck face.

He got a surprised raised eyebrow from Edge. Clearly not expecting him. And Stretch waved happily after noticing him as well. The two went inside without so much as a word. As Red drove the car inside with a slightly embarrassed red tint.

If that was because of the kiss. Or that his brother felt the need to open the door with his known fears of water...or more accurately transforming into his Mer form. He couldn't tell.

As Red turned the engine off. He mumbled

"My brother knows…but Stretch still doesn't"

He gave a nod. He had expected Red to tell Edge after he given the go-ahead. Red didn’t like keeping secrets from his brother. He was surprised Stretch still didn’t know. He thought Edge might have told him Since they’ve been dating for so long. But he supposed they might not want getting the secret of their true nature out.

"As in me. Or anything" He asked for clarification, just to be safe.

"Anything"

He gave another hum.

"Well, then nothing changed. "

Red let out a huff of a laugh and got out, and he did the same. Putting the dirty muddy slippers near the door. He didn’t need to drag mud into the house in addition to the water. Luckily their little sprint through town had washed away most of the mud that had caked to his feet.

"That's true."

He answered Red’s statement. He walked towards Red. Who after closing the garage, got the bag out from where it was tossed into the backseat in their haste to get in the car. He gave a small smile quickly kissing Red's cheek as he walked past. And continued

"Well…not nothing"

Red gave him a playful shove. And they both grinned at each other. Before walking inside.

"Asshole"

"Prick"

"Dickhead

"Bastard"

He heard a long-suffering sigh as they entered the living room.

"Good to see nothing has changed at all Sans"

Edge said tiredly. And he grinned up at the taller skeleton. Who threw a towel at the both of them. He wrapped his own around his arms. Warming himself up. As Red removed his hoodie, draping it over a radiator.

"You thought I would change in a month's time. I am almost hurt Edgelord"

Red snickkered passing his brother and flopping down on the couch. And he followed suit as Edge let out another long-suffering sigh. Seeing that it was covered in towels as well. He didn’t feel too bad about it.

"You want anything to drink Sans?."

He said instead, diverging the conversation entity. And as always the good host.

"Nah I am good, thanks"

Red opened his mouth. But Edge spoke up before he could even start.

"Get your own shit you lazy ass, he is the guest. You should be doing this anyway"

Red shrugged sinking further into the couch.

"And have you yell at me for somehow doing it wrong? No thanks, boss. "

Edge bristles and Stretch laughed at the brothers' antics. Before turning to him.

"I thought you be moving back home. Permanently? Didn't think you be back so soon"

He shrugged lightly

"well…that was the plan..but".

He glanced at Red, with a half-smile

"Plans change, I ain't staying long. Going back home tomorrow. "

Stretch grinned as he clocked the glance and laid back with a huge all-knowing grin.

"I see…sad you can't stay longer. Otherwise, I would have asked for that Mario Kart rematch"

It seems Edge had caught his reaction too. Because it seemed the brothers were doing Their, having a conversation without words bit. Which seemed to end, with Red really sinking his full weight into the couch. And maybe not so subtly leaning towards him.

Seems the cat was out of the bag for this one. So he only hesitated for a moment. Before deciding fuck it...and grabbing Red's hand again. Considering Red’s grin only grew. It was the right choice to make

The taller two skeletons didn't make any comment on it. Instead just catching up on the month he had been gone. All of them were eager to hear stories about his brother.

All the while leaning more and more into Red. A couple of times. When Red was listening to one of Stretch’s wild stories. He caught Edge's gaze. He was looking hopeful and happy. But…it seemed not for himself.

And he hid the look the second Red even seemed to be moving his gaze towards him. Then glancing at his own boyfriend with a sort of hopeful desperation.

He wondered how long Edge had been desperate to tell his boyfriend about his true nature. And he studied his face, a answer to his previous thought question was answered. Edge probably didn’t tell Stretch so there would be no chance to reopen Red's old wounds.

Red hadn't told him anything. But the panic after he transformed told enough of a story. These two had completely cut themselves off from their former lives in the ocean. But it seemed Edge might still hold a fondness for it he really wished to share. He hoped he would be able to soon.

He glanced at Red again there was only a faint hint of the earlier panic left in his gaze. And he doubted he could fully remove it. But he was willing to learn. Willing to be here.

But for now, all the distractions seem to have helped. And as they all decided it was about time to get ready for bed. And the two lanky skeletons disappeared behind Edge's door.

He wasn't all that surprised to find Red's mouth on his own again. A little desperate, like he thought he might just leave right this second. He had to stop himself from making a noise as Red's hands traveled down his waist and squeezed.

Red pulled away with a smug grin, crowding into his place and pushing him further against the couch.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

He gave a glare back. Glancing up at Edge's room. Before turning back to Red who still grinned sharply.

"Shut up, and kiss me again"

"My pleasure."

And kiss they did. They probably should move this somewhere else before either one of the other skeletons came out of the room to use the bathroom or something.

But he couldn't quite care. He cared more about the mouth beneath his own. The taste of mustard was gone and again there was that faint flavor of hard cherry candy.

When Red let out a loud groan. They both pulled away panting. Then holding still making sure no one was coming before Red got off him and started dragging him to his room.

He was pushed against the door the second it closed behind them. But Red didn't kiss him again. No, he was staring straight into his eyes.

"Where you serious….about-" Red glanced away briefly refeling how nervous he actually was "Trying to make this….us work?"

He recalled his words from the cliffside conversation. He moved a hand up stroking his cheek.

"Yes…I was. "

Red gave a tiny nod and let out a shuddering breath.

"Good"

He leaned up and softly clicked their teeth together briefly. Which made Red flush more than the entire makeout had done.

"It ain't gonna be easy " he breathed out “I really can't leave much. Maybe once a month…so we are doing this long distance basically. But I am willing to fucking try okay. "

Red nodded again

" so am I." Red hadn't pulled away an inch. Both their words were whispered but it also felt like they were screaming it at each other. And he gave Redd a nod back.

The tension between. Them was thick. Both seemed to wait for something. Probably hoping the other would say it first. Eventually, he tilted his head up.

Their teeth brushed together again. And it felt suddenly easy to breathe those four scary words out

"I fucking love you".

Red's eyes widened. And he pressed forward a bit harder. But Red pulled back. Eyes like steel. Staring right down into his soul

"And I fucking love you too"

His soul seemed to decide to become a gymnast with how many summersaults it was doing.

And he dragged Red further down changing their chaste kiss to a Hungry one. Before slowly being dragged to the bed. He doubted something was gonna happen with the other two in the room next to theirs

But he had a feeling both were creative enough. To have some fun in their own right. Planning the next meeting can wait till morning. Beside for both of them. Actions were much louder than words.

[elvisabutler]

it's an apology house

summary: being a part of elvis's memphis mafia for years honestly has taken a bit of a toll on you and your partner. as it turns out, him and jerry make it up to you. fandom: luke bracey | elvis ( 2022 ) rating: t pairing: jerry schilling x gn reader word count: 1215 warning: use of the nickname kitten. injury to one mr. schilling. elvis being elvis. talk of exhaustion. author's note: so consider this a valentines sequel to my kinktober pieces 1 and 2 with jerry. you don't have to read the kinktober pieces or the christmas piece for this ( click the tag and you'll find it ) to make sense because it kind of stands on its own. and yes elvis really did buy jerry his house in california and to this day jerry actually lives in it. the fact that he does will make me cry until the end of time i swear. obligatory this is for @blurredcolour mention because hey i did say i wouldn't forget these two.

"Your arm is broken and you're telling me to calm down? The doctor said six weeks on the low side and I'm supposed to not want to murder EP." You can't help the way your voice raises an octave the more you look at how in pain Jerry looks. "It's Valentines and we spent half of it in the ER. I was planning on-"

"Kitten." Jerry's voice sounds so exhausted that you have a hard time keeping up your anger, the worry you feel for him overriding damn near everything else. "I- He didn't mean to do it- We didn't mean for it to happen. You know how he gets. Meant to reel him in and got he busted my arm. We'll celebrate tomorrow."

"That's not the point, Jerry. That's never been the point. I know he doesn't care because he can throw Linda something fun or shower her in something that makes up for everything but- do you know how terrifying it is to have Red calling me and Joe and Lamar and everyone as soon as I hung up the phone with each of them. I thought-"

"You're working yourself up." He cuts you off again, knowing that he can't give you exactly what you need in that moment. Knowing that you require a certain touch that the pain medication is dulling and shoving under a haze. "Come here." He uses his healthy arm to pat the couch's open spot next to him. "Sit next to me." He looks to see you still standing far too far away looking just as angry as you had been. "Please, Y/N? I can't- I'm not about to drag you over here."

One day you might be able to resist him, one day you might be able to tell him to shove it because you're not at his beck and call but today isn't that day. Today is the day when you sit by your partner and make a move to snuggle against him and frown. "This is why I want to get out, you know. Why I want to quit. Why we both should."

A hum is the answer only answer you get back as you and Jerry stare at the television screen plays something neither of you are paying too much attention to. "We can't both leave at once- anyone get back to you about-"

You shake your head, squeezing his hand before running your thumb over his wedding ring. "No. We can't all be in demand, Jer."

There's a hint of jealousy before he kisses your forehead. "They just think I did all the work. You're gonna find something but in the meantime- he's willing to let you stay. I know he would. And he might. He might have given me something of a bribe to convince at least one of us to stay."

"A bribe. I know he calls us a Mafia but that's a bit much." You try to joke only to look up at Jerry and see just how serious his face is. "What- What was it?"

"It not- A bribe might have been the wrong word. Especially after today. It's more of an apology present for you. Just a thank you for me and him trying to do right by me." Jerry continues to dance around telling you what it is and for a brief moment you consider making his broken arm worse to get him to focus and tell you just what he's talking about. "I actually meant to show you it today. It was going to be a nice set up, maybe a picnic."

"Jerry Schilling." You squeeze his hand in yours as you say part of his full name to get his attention before frowning. "What was it? Don't leave me in-"

"He bought us a house." The words come out in a bit of a rush before he elaborates, seeing how you're doing a fair imitation of a fish. "He bought it because I've- you know the story behind my life, Kitten. I've never really had a place to call home."

"So he bought you a house." You try and keep your tone level but the shock colors it no matter what you do. "Are you sure your pain medication isn't-"

Jerry shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "He bought us a house. Told me to settle in it if I wanted. Put down proper roots like he kinda has with Graceland." You both share a look before he shrugs. "I think that's the best permission he's going to give me to actually leave, Kitten."

You stare at Jerry for a long time, trying to figure out what to say, how to react to what he's said to you before you finally bite your lip. "We can actually make a home? We decorate and do gardening and all those stupid little things." We can fill it with stuff that's just ours is what goes unsaid. We can be just ourselves there is what goes unsaid. So much just goes unsaid that you just have to look at Jerry when you're silent.

"It's ours, so we can do whatever we want. We can grow old there. Love Memphis but LA could do us so much good." He says that part a little quieter like he's scared to admit it. "It was supposed to be your gift for Valentines."

The grin that forms on your face could light up the entire East Coast if you asked Jerry while he looked at it. He thinks maybe this is a good apology gift even if Elvis didn't intend it that way. "We could still make it my gift."

Jerry can't help but raise an eyebrow and tilt his head. "What are you planning?"

You don't answer as you move to go use the phone, leaving Jerry to worry just what shenanigans he has essentially allowed you to do. It's another ten minutes before you return to him, looking positively giddy. "Get up. We're going to our house so I can see what horrible taste Elvis is trying to pass on to us."

Jerry stays on the couch for a moment before he holds out his good arm for you to pull up. "It's not that bad, and you don't know where it is."

"But Lamar does. And Red does and a lot of people do." You pause. "It's not going to be the California house for the Mafia. But, I can whip up some snacks and E owes me for today. I want to see our house and we're going to go do that right now."

There's a moment where Jerry looks like he's going to argue with you before he shakes his head and instead uses his good hand to pull you in for a kiss, gentle as can be before nuzzling at your nose. "Let me grab a sleeping bag and we could just sleep in it overnight. If that sounds like a good Valentines date to you."

You can't help but laugh. "Why Mr. Schilling, that sounds perfect. Not as good as my original plans, but I suppose I can live with it for you. Since I love you that much." You slap his ass gently. "Go on, go grab it."

"Aye aye, Kitten."

taglist: @rosepresley, @floralcyanide

[rayalltheway]

A New Approach (LWAU Fic)

Aka, Zhuāng Jié (LMK OC) meets MK and the gang.

------

MK was trying to figure out how to function as a hero and as a mostly full-grown person by himself for more than a few minutes at a time. He really was. 

So the fact that the worst things seemed to happen when his friends were out of his general vicinity for as much as five seconds was seriously putting a damper on that endeavour.  

They had only left their last campsite half-a-day prior on their journey to the west (MK had spent a good part of those hours trying to think of a cool sequel name to give their adventure),  but a sudden engine problem with T.E.A. had forced them to take refuge at an abandoned mountainside castle so Sandy could fix it up, everyone else discussing staying there for the approaching night. 

“I dunno….” Pigsy huffed as everyone stood in the entryway of the castle, looking up at the old, likely structurally unsafe building apprehensively. “I thought the plan was to limit our stops more and more. Specially’ considering what we got on our heels.”

“Yeah, and we’re only a week away from Lantern City.” Mei chimed in, sitting on a rock and stretching out her legs after sitting in the van for the last several hours. “I want this to be over already….” She sounded particularly restless at that moment, which MK chalked up to van fever.

“To keep going would certainly be ideal…” Tang began, adjusting his glasses, looking out over the cliff the castle stood upon, built into the mountain. “But Lady Bone Demon’s power can only spread so fast across the world when she isn’t there herself, and we got a considerable head start.” He explained, going to Pigsy’s side in assurance. 

“Smart guy here is right.” Monkey King spoke up, drifting between Tang and Pigsy (inadvertently pushing the two apart, much to both their charaign) on his somersault cloud, which he had hardly left once he found himself able to summon it again earlier. “We can afford to stay here a night. Not like there’s anything out there we don’t already know about, or can’t see coming from miles away.” He continued, leaning casually back on his cloud.

His nonchalance earned another huff from an already-irritated Pigsy. “Yeah, you seem to know a LOT of things…” He grumbled, but everyone agreed to pitch camp, and Sandy was content to join them after finishing work on the van. 

The others entered the castle, intent on finding materials to start a fire – MK briefly hearing Monkey King muse that he might have recognized the castle as one he came upon during his own journey west, with Mei in turn remarking that the numerous signs of damage around the place was a fairly good indication of that idea. 

MK spent some time looking around the place, but he wasn’t too curious – night was coming, and given recent events, darkness in general was becoming something that MK was adding to his ever-growing list of anxieties. He didn’t feel nervous yet – Monkey King had to be right, there couldn’t be anyone else watching them that he didn’t already know about, but staying on the move mostly kept those thoughts at bay. Even so, he felt they were actually doing better than ever so far, given they had a head start they were only getting more miles on, and were about a week away from the Lantern City. 

MK felt himself become more at ease with that in mind – they were getting all the more closer to finally ending this nightmare. They could afford to have a spontaneous pit-stop, eat the rest of the mooncakes they got from Chang’e and pretend this was just a regular road-trip for a few hours – 

Oh, wow, it was cold here. 

MK felt himself shuddering as the sudden frigid draft pricked his fingers and neck. He let out a shaky breath as he quickly adjusted his jacket collar before jamming his hands under arms, turning back to call out to the others – not realising he had wandered into another room of the castle while lost in thought. 

“Heeyy, guys?” He called out, beginning to walk back from where he thought could hear the others, as it sounded like Monkey King and Mei were still arguing. 

“Come on pony girl, those wall-holes could of been left by anyone–”

A cracking sound filled the air, halting everyone where they stood, including MK – with more booming cracks followed by the castle groaning discontentedly. The air got colder, and sharper – and MK finally remembered where he had felt this chill before, just as a sharp, jagged spike of ice shot out from the floor at his feet. He yelped and fell on his behind, using his feet to propel himself backwards in fear. 

It was her power. The sounds of the castle straining and breaking against the ice continued all around as more began to jut out of the floor, and MK gasped when he saw the ice was growing near the entrance of the room. His legs practically pinwheeled as he leapt to his feet, running out with mere moment to spare, straining to hear where his friends were.

“Lady Bone Demon?! Is she here?!” MK heard Pigsy shouting, a couple rooms away.

“This is her power – it’s caught up to us!” He then heard Tang respond, before hearing his trademark shrieking telling everyone that they had to get out of there. Well, obviously.

“Wait, where’s MK?!” He then heard Mei yell. That was enough for him to finally snap out of his confused panic, running to where he thought their voices were coming from, feeling the ice nip his heels, catching the sight of ice crawling up the walls.

“Guys, get out! I’m right behind you!” MK called out, running as fast as he could to reach them. He almost had to bite back tears as he thought about how he still wasn’t back to full strength with his powers, and he couldn’t hope to tap into anything with this invasive, chilling bone demon power pressing around him. He turned a corner – and screamed when he saw an array of icy spikes blocking his path, and heading right for him as an extra touch. Whipping his head to look at the way only promised a similar fate – he had nowhere to go unless he jumped out the hall’s windows and hoped his powers wouldn’t falter on him. 

With the ice spikes reaching up to his head, he decided he’d take that chance. He began to move –

– Before he felt something grab the collar of his jacket and jerk him backwards. He didn’t anticipate the feeling of falling, panicking as his hold of gravity left him momentarily. But he soon found himself being held up on stone steps after hearing a doorway slide shut, realising he was dragged into a dark passageway going down that he hadn’t noticed, away from the path of ice. Any relief he might have felt was quickly dashed when he felt himself getting picked up once more, only able to let out a startled yelp as he was pinned against the wall with nothing to do but stare up at –

“Mac–”

“No.” 

MK’s panic was immediately silenced by the deep voice under the red hood he had glanced at, immediately making him assume this assailant was the shadow monkey in question, until his eyes actually took in the looming figure. While their expression was shrouded in shadow, MK could still see the shape of a face, and a dark, cold, human eye glaring at him in a way that utterly froze him where he was. It wasn’t Macaque – but whoever this was sure wasn’t any less intimidating. 

“You should know better than to isolate yourself, Monkie Kid.” They hissed through their teeth – before pulling MK from the wall and into the descending passage. 

——————————————————————————————————

MK soon found himself getting dragged by the male stranger through a secret entrance to the castle tunnelled through the mountain, coming into a small forest side clearing bathed in moonlight. It was there the man finally released him, MK recoiling out of his grasp and nearly tripping against a rock as he tried to resolve his bearings enough to take up a defensive stance. “What do you want?” He demanded. 

“A bit more caution from you, for a start.”  Came the man’s response, his hard but weary tone steeped in impatience as he scanned the exit they came from, seemingly checking whether or not they were followed. “You could have killed yourself in two completely different ways back there.”

“Hey, I’m the Monkie Kid, guy.” MK retorted, putting a fist to his chest as he mustered up as much of his superhero confidence as he could manage. “You don’t know that.” 

“You’d be surprised by what I do, kid.” The man shot back, still not looking at MK, circling the clearing expertly as he continued to examine for any sign of intrusion. With his back turned, MK finally noticed the long, bladed polearm weapon strapped to his back — the pointed reminder that he didn’t have his staff sinking into his gut. 

“I know that while you have power on your side, it’s not as much as it could be, thanks to her.” The man continued, and MK’s eyebrows shot up, and an icy chill passed through him, thinking of the pain in his head whenever Lady Bone Demon was around. But he didn’t feel it now, so…

“How do you know Lady Bone Demon? O-or me?” He asked, his voice shaking despite himself.

“I’ve been following her trail for a long time, and yours for days.” His blunt reply came as he pressed his ear against a tree, while MK did a double take at that last bit. 

“Hah??”

After a moment on his end, the man seemed satisfied that they were alone, standing back upright and turning so MK could feel that glare on him again – but rather than threatening, it felt more…scolding, something like the looks Pigsy would give him when he slacked off instead of delivering his noodle orders. 

“Nice to know you never even noticed.” Came the man’s chiding tone – and MK, in spite of this being a complete stranger with no reasonable authority over him, felt himself shrink a little. 

“You’re dealing with a spirit, not just a demon.” He continued, and with that baffling statement spoken, he turned to face MK completely, throwing back his hood. “So you and your friends are going to have to get better at knowing when you’re being watched by one.”

He was…old. A truly old man, with at least a decade on Pigsy or Tang – wrinkles lining his sharply handsome features, with long grey hair partly tied in a bun on the back of his head. Strangely, he wore a suit of armour under his weatherworn red cloak – the traditional kind of armour that MK recognized from illustrations in Journey to the West, but much more simple and way more worn out. Monkey King always wore clothes from centuries in the past, but this guy fully looked like just stepped out of a completely different time period. 

But aside from the dated fashion, he would look like a completely normal human…if it wasn’t for the fact that his left eye, which had two jagged red scars running over it, was a empty black, with an glowing red pinprick where an iris and pupil should be – directed at MK in a piercing glare.

“…..What??” MK wondered aloud, his mind spinning at the assault of all this new, confusing information. “Why would – who – ok, time out.” The young man stammered out, shaking his head and throwing up his hands. “So, apparently you’ve been following us, but you’re not with Lady Bone Demon, and just now you kidnapped me to…to give me advice?” He questioned, fully vexed. 

“To get you out of there.” The man replied as he pointed into the distance, MK looking behind him at the castle – it was now completely overtaken by ice that slowly spread over the rest of the mountain. “You couldn’t have foreseen this.” He explained, MK looking back at him quizzically. “Something new has set Lady Bone Demon off. It will slow back down soon, but it won’t stop. Though, her power is still escapable for now.”

“Wait, you – you only got ME away?!” MK protested, officially becoming angry now. “What about –“

“Your friends are fine.” The man stated, stopping MK.  “I saw them leaving the castle, they’re looking for you.” He paused before nodding in though after a moment, taking his eyes off MK to adjust his right wrist guard. “It’ll be easier to explain things when you’re all together.” He said, more to himself than to MK.

MK, for his part, stared at the man…but now felt his sense of trepidation was slowly waning. Most new people he met these days tried to kill him – but this stranger really might have just saved his life back there. It suddenly seemed this whole drag-around and lecturing was his way of…helping.

“Who are you?” MK finally asked. 

The man’s gaze quickly darted back up to meet MK’s, who instinctively stiffened at the stony expression completed by the man’s glare. His eyes were intent and predatory as they studied the younger one, like those of a hawk. 

“Are you frightened?” He asked, with an interrogative edge. 

“W-What? No!” Came MK’s immediate defensive reply, but the man’s unchanging expression put a crack in that facade quickly. 

“….Okay, yes. Why?” MK asked, returning the man’s look with his own suspicious look.

“Because you should be.” The man replied, taking a step closer to the nonplussed MK – 

– Before the impact an unstoppable force meeting rock struck the ground between the two of them, winding MK and making him stagger backwards, while the man dug his feet into the ground and drew his guandao in a single, swift motion, facing two figures that MK quickly recognized.

“Wait, M-“ he started. 

“Get away from him!” Yelled the voice of Mei, her blade drawn and eyes glowing a ferocious electric green. Next to her, Monkey King raised himself up from the kneeling position he landed in, his teeth bared ferociously.

“I have had it with you, you shady, sixed-eared–“ Monkey King snarled – before actually registering the man in front of him, who had lowered his weapon upon seeing who the new arrivals were.

“…Random old guy?” The monkey finished, dropping his aggressive posture in bemusement.

Mei was less placated, still pointing her sword at the man, while MK heard the distant sound of the team’s van bursting through the trees, coming to a halt as Sandy, Pigsy, and Tang burst out hurriedly.

“MK! Are you alright?!” Pigsy shouted, him, Tang, and Sandy making their way over to him in concern and looking towards the one sided stand-off with Mei and this stranger in confusion. 

“You do have a bold heart, Young Mei. You should save that for when you really need it.” The man said towards the dragon girl, spinning his guandao once before positioning it upright next to him. Mei only bristled further in response. “How do you know my name?!” Mei growled, thrusting her blade forward, the end coming to life with that familiar green glow. 

“Mei, wait!” MK called out, and Mei did turn to him at that, if only in confusion. 

“MK, what’s going on here? And who the heck are you??” Pigsy questioned the man irately, directing everyone’s accusing gazes. The man surveyed each of their faces with, his stony expression unchanging – before landing on MK’s unsure expression. Surprisingly, his own softened by a degree. He shook his head, and raised up his hands.

“Look, it’s a long story, but to keep it short – I’m not good at this.” The man began, kneeling to place his guandao slowly on the ground, keeping his arms above his head as he stood back up, facing the group. “But I know what hunts you all. By coincidence, I have walked along the path that intends to put an end to what she is for a while now. And I didn’t know anyone else was, until now, so…” The man trailed off, glancing off and pressing his lips together, looking conflicted for a moment…before dropping his head with a sigh, stepping back, and giving the group a greeting bow.

“I am here to help you, MK. All of you.” He states, directly towards the core of the group. 

Everyone was silent, and a bit hesitant – before turning to MK to see his reaction.

“…Oh.” MK sounded numbly after a moment, before dropping his arms lazily as he arched a brow at the man. “Oh. Why didn’t you just start with that?” He asked. 

The man’s eyebrow twitched with an untold emotion, before he sighed, putting his fingers on the ridge of his nose. “Like I said, I’m not good at this.” He responded, murmuring something under his breath. MK thought he heard him say a name…Chang something. 

“Alright, gramps –” Monkey King suddenly spoke up, cutting through the moment. “Whatever it is you’re good at, you’re lucky I didn’t kill you just now." Everyone looked to see his suspicious expression directed at the old warrior, his bafflement set aside as he moved to be in front of MK. “So you know about Lady Bone Demon, and showed up just after her power appeared where it shouldn’t? Real convenient, that.” He challenged.

A silent stare down ensued, and MK looked over his master’s shoulder — honestly shocked to see how the man was indeed matching Monkey King’s golden glare, without even flinching. 

“Uh – okay, hold on now – “ And then another surprise appeared when Tang opted to step between the two, halting whatever friction was starting to build. He gave a still-glowering Monkey King a shaky smile before clearing his throat as he turned to the man. 

“I think what Monkey King means is, if you really do have more, uh…expertise when it comes to Lady Bone Demon, then we’d be glad to accept your help – but we’ve also been victims of her trickery. How…exactly are you planning to show us we can trust you?”

The clearing was silent in the pause that followed, everyone waiting with bated breath to see the Warrior’s potential reply. He, for his part, kept up that frown that MK was starting to think was just his natural expression, before lowering his eyes in thought. But before he could speak, any ensuing conversation was interrupted by a series of loud booms sounding in the air. Everyone turned to see the castle practically breaking in half, the ice splintering the supports and sending the lower half of the structure crashing down the mountain – a sight punctuated by icy spikes climbing up the nearby cliff, towards them. The group quickly began to step back.

“Uh, maybe we can save this for when we get out of here?” Mei suggested, and they all heard the van horn honking, turning to see Sandy had already gotten into the driver's seat.

“Hop on in, guys! You too, sir!” Sandy called out, and everyone began to follow suit – until MK had a thought, and turned to the man.

“Uh, quick question – you said something about spirits earlier…do you know how to, like, uh – I dunno, sense this stuff?” MK asked, pointing to the encroaching ice. “To sense anything all spooky and weird and Lady-Bone Demony after us?”

The man took a moment to think again, before letting out a resigned huff. “I’m not the expert at it — but I can do it well enough to get you all to safety.” He responded.

“But…there is?” MK questioned, catching the way he worded that. “An expert?”

Before the elder one could respond, the van horn honked again, more continuously.

“MK, come on! We gotta get the brick outta here!” Mei yelled from the open back door, and the two could both see the grass frosting over.

MK gave the man one fully purposeful look. “You promise to help us?” 

“I swear it.” the warrior responded, resolute.

“What is your name?”

“Zhuāng Jié, kid.” He stated, collecting his guandao from the ground.

“Do you like Monkey Cop movies?”

“I – what?” He looked perplexed.

“Good enough, lets go!” MK decided, running to the car with their new teammate behind him. “Pigsy, move! Mr. Zhuāng Jié here needs to sit in the front!”

“What?!?”

[shipsgaysfordays]

Mid Night (Remus POV)

next chapter of although i am broken, my heart is unchanged still

Links to the other chapters here

we’ve got another chapter soon after the last one boyz!!! i’ll be honest that i cried way too much while writing this chapter, so like, be prepared with that knowledge. also, there’s a part of me that’s considering having this be the final chapter. now, i do have more planned. but i wonder if that should maybe be a sequel fic, please let me know in the comments. if y’all agree then i might make some edits to this chapter because i had something planned for the final that could fit in here.

love y’all, again this is really emotional so like be prepared.

Remus POV:

Zer screaming had been going on for a while, ze used to do this when they were kids too, it stopped for a while but it seemed that given all that’s happened these past few years, night terrors returned to plague Sirius and accompany their many other issues. 

At first ze tossed and turned, when Remus heard the creaking of the bed he woke. Not too long after the yelps and mumbling began, then full on screaming. 

Remus got to his knees to see what was going on. Small tears started in their eyes. He slid onto the bed and next to Sirius. Gently touching zer hand until deciding to firmly grasp the other wizard’s hand in his. 

“Shhhh,” Remus pet Sirius’ hair, “it’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay. We’re here for you, I’m…I’m here.” He wiped the sweat from zis forehead. “I’m sorry for it all, I’m here now. I won’t….it’s going to be okay. We care about you, I…I lo–” 

Sirius started to stir. Zeir heart quickened. 

Remus’ eyes widened. Why, why, why? I’m such an idiot. As gently yet quickly as possible they slipped out from underneath Sirius and back to his spot on the floor, laying on their side, facing the wall rather than the slowly waking person, pretending to be asleep as the weight of Sirius’ stare is crushing and burning all in one. Like a cannonball. Like a meteor. Like a star thrown at his chest.

“Remus,” zis voice was dry, but still able to hold the weight of that one word, hold and hurl it. Hurt and deep, abandoned within seconds. “Remus, come back.”

Silence overtook the room.

“I know you’re awake.”

How, Remus started to wonder, but immediately his question was answered.

“--you snore when you sleep.”

“Come over here, please. I need…no, I….at least turn around, I can’t keep talking to the back of your head.”

Eyes shut tight, Remus rolls over.

“I know I should stop loving you when you obviously don’t–” Sirius started, zis voice resigned with hurt.

“I love you,” Remus interrupted instantly with a whisper.

“–but then I see these pieces of you and…what?” Sirius continued.

“I love you.”

“Again? Still?”

“I don’t know, but I love you.”

“Look at me,” there’s hope in zer voice, hope Remus knows they’re destined to crush, if not now then eventually. It’s got to happen, it always does.

“I don’t think I can.”

“Gone blind all of the sudden?”

“If I look at you, that makes it real. It means I have to switch any lasting hate into love, I have to accept that everything was wrong and I was wrong. And I was wrong. And I hurt you. And lived off hating you. Looking at you means you could trust me again and I could hurt you again,” their eyes are as tight as possible, straining their face, eyebrows arched. 

 “We’ve both hurt each other, probably will again in small ways, I’d rather you look at me and love me because this is killing me, Moony. Loving you and watching you torture yourself, separate yourself and fragment pieces of you so you’re toned down, it wounds me more than you ever could.” 

Remus sighs, sits up, and opens his eyes to see the star with tears glistening down their face from red veined eyes. A mess of curly black hair going everywhere, bedhead that ze was so insecure about as a child. Mouth instantly moving from something else into a small smile.

“See, it wasn’t so hard,” Sirius speaks after a long time of staring into the other man’s eyes.

“It was.”

“Why?”

“I can always see you, you’re always in my mind. And in every single painting and every single photograph I would search for a glimpse of you. And the burden in that, Sirius, is that I would see you, in every stroke of the brush or movement of the trees I would see you,” Remus paused for a moment, and then looked up, “but those images and memories are such a vast difference from now, we’ve both changed.”

“We both still love each other.”

“What if I just forget?”

Sirius’ eyebrows lower, “What?”

“The-the past few years, what if I just obliviate myself and then I’ll be who I was then. I’ll be the person you need, who you all want me to be. Or…forget everything, become a new man, a better one,” Remus whispers the last sentence, an idea for later, for a worse night, for a more desperate and self hating Remus.

“No, no…” Sirius choked out, zer eyes becoming an ocean during a thunderstorm, water spewing out after only 5 minutes of relief. Dehydration would be an issue soon.

“Mary brought up the idea once, early on…I wonder if she would have done it, I wonder if I should have. Just imagine, all of that pain, everything that never happened–gone.”

Sirius crawls across the bed looking like a man on a mission, zey sit on zer knees next to Remus, hands on his shoulders. “No Moony, I love you how you are now. I need you,” Sirius pulls them closer and despite a part of Remus wanting to stay stiff and cold as a statue, he lets himself be moved and clung to, tightly. 

“We could be happy, simply happy.”

“We can find our own happiness as ourselves, I love you as you are now, not just some former self.”

“You can love a man who hated you that deeply.”

“You love me?” it was spoken by zem as a look for reassurance. 

“I do.”

“Then I can do anything.” 

“Your confidence and use of the word anything is frightening, conjures horrifying hilarious pranks on slytherin in my mind.”

Sirius breathes a laugh, “Maybe it’s time for the marauders to come out of retirement.” 

“In the morning,” Remus yawns.

“Can I tempt you to bed with me?” Sirius, still clinging onto Remus, started to stand, picking them both up. 

“Do I have a choice?”

“Of course, I asked the question.” 

“...I still can’t.”

...

Soon after Remus fell into the throes of a deep sleep, Sirius lay across the room, listening as best as ze could to the sound of their heartbeat.

[miladythewinter]

absolutely no offense because it’s actually, like, “canon” so i’m not surprised at all that people share that belief but. when people say that the Jedi are uniformly good and pure and that there’s nothing wrong with that Order or anything like that..... man that is SO boring from a storytelling perspective. i actually wanna see that entire Order being questioned, their methods questioned, some Jedi clearly not being “good” or “nice” and i want to see the development of the ideia that they can easily fall down the slippery slope given their powers and PR and fall into “the ends justify the means” mentality etc. we have the Sith as the opposing faction yes but that doesn’t make the Jedi 100% good (and the Sith should not be 100% evil either) (also even though i’m not super familiar with the lore, i’m pretty sure both the jedi and the sith have the same origin).

it’s why the story of the prequels really resonates with me and how it’s exemplified in Anakin’s inner turmoil. i loved how the Jedi’s methods are called into question (also the whole ethics of the clone army), how they’ve become the republic’s police force and army and how Yoda is a hardass and mean and stuck in his ways as well as the Order and all that. I LOVE it. it makes SENSE. and Anakin’s fall to the dark side is so tragic but i love how to Sidious and the Sith, that’s what the Chosen One / “bring balance to the Force” prophecy meant - like that WAS his destiny after all (to them). and they may even believe (Sidious did in the legends canon) that it was the Force ITSELF that created Anakin specifically to do that! it really shows how it’s a matter of opinion. sure the dark side is evil (or is it just used for evil means?) but the jedi are sentient beings and they all feel both good emotions and bad emotions and while what the Jedi stand for is Good that doesnt mean that the Order and them as people are that Good.

The light side of the Force =/ the Order and the Republic. in my opinion it should also be The dark side of the Force =/ the Sith and the Empire. also it isn’t clear that the Order & the Sith really understand the Force. it’s not really something to be understood/known and to me that’s the whole point: you’ll never have answers and especially not as a whole organization with rules and precepts that shuns everything else as Wrong... is bisecting the Force even a good thing? see this is what i’m obsessed with

in this sense, i really love Anakin’s whole story but it continues with Luke. again, i’m not that familiar (yet) with the lore, both canon and legends, but we can see that 1) he rebuild the Order without the ban on marriages & relationships; 2) that he accepts, or at least doesn’t immediately reject, the dark side; 3) his situation in the sequel trilogy, while i’m not completely happy with it, demonstrates in part his struggle with the Order vs the Force vs being a Jedi and what it means. i mean he, of all people, knows what the dark and light sides really are like and how no one is completely evil or completely good. basically we arrive at the ultimate question: should there even be a Jedi Order? anyway give me nuance and moral ambiguity or give me death!

(also this is neither here nor there but i’m obsessed with the idea that Padmé actually knew Very Well what Anakin was becoming and how their relationship hurt him in his divided loyalties and drove him deeper into turmoil but she just. didn’t care. i mean. it’s kinda implicit that she didn’t considering she never ended the relationship and was super naive (lying to herself) about it. so was Anakin. anyways give me a padmé that isn’t just a passive love interest who dies after childbirth)

[pomrania]

((WARNING: pedantic rant ahead. Press J to skip this post if you don't want to see me ramble.))

Okay, FIRST OF ALL, 'Two Towers' is NOT a sequel, it's part two of a trilogy AND it was filmed at the same time as the other two parts. And its literary source material wasn't a "sequel" either.

A sequel is what happens when you've made a thing, it's good and people like it, so you decide to make another thing. It might end up being the second part in a continued series, if people want more after that, but it's not MEANT to set up future parts (although canny creators might put in seeds they can develop in further installments, if those end up happening). A sequel is its own complete story, with some connection to the story an came before it.

'Empire Strikes Back' might or might not count as a sequel, depending on whether it was made with the HOPE of doing a third movie, or the INTENTION of doing a third movie (and knowing it might not happen). But personally, since it's these days mostly considered "part two of a trilogy", I'd reject it from the classification of "sequel" under grounds of "ambiguous whether it belongs here or not, but unambiguous that it can be better defined as something else".

Also, there's the phrasing of the question "which is the best sequel". Does that mean "of these sequels, which is the best movie"? Or does it mean "of these movies, which is the best sequel"? Because "best movie" gets judged on, well, things people have been writing about for a LOT of years; but "doing a good job as a sequel" means that it takes something from the first part, expands on it, doesn't throw away everything that had happened, gives a new adventure or a new perspective or both; DOESN'T require encyclopedic knowledge of the first part, at most a vague familiarity.

I've only definitely seen five of the listed movies: Empire Strikes Back, Addams Family Values, Two Towers, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and Evil Dead 2. I might have seen Shrek 2, but if so it wasn't something I sought out specifically, maybe playing on a screen in a waiting room, or someone put it on at a movie night and I had nothing better to do; either way, I have insufficient knowledge of that movie to rank it. Of the other five, TT is the best movie, but it's not a sequel so shall receive no further consideration. GotG2, I had to consciously think just now what it was about; I remember finding it enjoyable, but it wasn't MEMORABLE, so it's out of the running. ESB was good, and I think it works well as a sequel, I'm just not sure if it IS a sequel or rather part two of a trilogy. AFV was a good movie and a good sequel. ED2 was a good movie, but I'm also not sure if it counts as a sequel.

So that leaves me with three movies. Addams Family Values wins "best job as a sequel" by virtue of "I'm not sure the other two count as sequels". But putting aside that factor... ED2 doesn't follow or continue anything from the first Evil Dead movie, so that's out of the running. And I genuinely can't look at ESB strictly in its relation to A New Hope, because I can't put "the entire rest of Star Wars" out of my mind, just like it's hard to consider it as a MOVIE instead of "what cool things it brought to the Star Wars sandbox to play with".

When it comes to the movies which I haven't seen... from what I've picked up, Princess Diaries 2 or Terminator 2 would be considered the best.

[usagirotten]

Tv Series: Batman: Caped Crusader the reinvention of a classic

Talking about reboots, prequels, and sequels these days has become a cliché that we are all exposed to as an audience and that we have promoted, this is due to the lack of original ideas and the entertainment crisis that we have talked about more than once. On the other hand, there are the studios that believe that anyone can lead a division that has had things established for years and I am referring specifically to those who with their plan to renew things in a universe that will surely leave much to be desired and much to talk about, from Walter Hamada to James Gunn things have gone from bad to worse. It is not news that now the plans they have for the future do not include more live-action series, and the animated ones have been relegated to only a few that can have the success and rating that they have already lost for years, on the part of Warner Animation they continue to develop a universe based on the popularity that the comics had and that now they intend for it to be part of a canon apart from what we all already know. The idea of ​​making a multiverse is complicated if you don't have fixed and concrete objectives of what you want to present, without a doubt the '90s gave rise to many productions looking to the future about themselves, in 1989 and 1992 and the transition of an important era for cinema and specifically for the superhero genre Batman and Batman Returns opened more way for this character to develop more both on the big screen and the small screen, the results of this we all already know. Batman: The Animated Series is a very important point of reference in terms of animation and the presentation of stories and characters making its protagonist have a radical change without losing its essence, more mature plots that today we could say are not so childish, after 32 years of its premiere a lot has happened and things have changed a lot.

The particular and elegant style that Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski contributed to its development has remained as a classic that, although it has not been and will not be surpassed, has had transformations over the years. Timm's style is very recognizable and highly appreciated by both fans and strangers without falling into clichés of wanting to modernize things for a new generation. Before the original broadcast ended, a continuation was immediately planned to continue with the same aesthetic, expanding this universe further and introducing new characters. While this was still in development, Batman: The Mask Of The Phantasm quickly became one of the most popular Batman animated films to date, a film that explored in more detail the first adventures of Bruce Wayne as a vigilante, and although its story is based on the Batman Year Two (1987) comics, it also introduces a new villain, an almost original character. Then came The Batman & Robin Adventures, which tried to follow up on the original series with lighter stories and more youthful touches.

The radical change in aesthetics came with The New Adventures Of Batman, which could be considered a direct sequel to its original story, which is no longer just about Batman and his crusade against organized crime and the villains of Gotham City, in which greater importance and focus was given to developing the other characters, mainly a new Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing, classified and aimed at more mature audiences. At the end of this series, things had been left with the bar very high, it was thought that there could not be anything that could surpass this success, a great surprise has been the undervalued Batman Beyond, something that could well be an else world or a separate world within the same chronology of the series, it is now where Terry McGinnis is a new and young Batman under the tutelage of an elderly Bruce Wayne facing new challenges and new villains in a new era, with the participation of some already known ones such as Bane, Mr. Freeze, Ra's Al Ghul and Joker, which is presented and concluded in the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

It would take 4 years before everything changed and a new creative team would be in charge of the next installment, Michael Goguen and Duane Capizzi made a turn with The Batman, with artist Jeff Matsuda now being the art director and character designer, a series that oscillated between more mature themes with childish traits to others that can be considered disturbing, without completely leaving aside the line they had previously taken. This also had a film that seemed to be more of a joke, in Batman vs. Dracula this hero and his villains face this iconic vampire from classic gothic literature having a medium success.

Producers and creatives come and go and after closing a cycle that started very well and ended up diluting, now James Tucker and Michael Jelenic are the ones who present Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a project in which two or more superheroes are presented who join together to solve a crime or face a supervillain, a series that has a tone more of youthful adventures with elements of humor and comedy that was completely far from previous animations, although it had very interesting chapters it did not manage to be liked by both friends and strangers, so after 65 episodes divided into 3 seasons the project came to an end and until 2018 an absurd movie would be released Scooby-Doo! Batman: The Brave and the Bold only fulfilled the purpose of entertaining the little ones but not satisfying the fans.

The crisis that the studio was beginning to have needed a new turn, something more risky to present, Glen Murakami, Sam Register, Mitch Watson and Butch Lukic develop one of the strangest and least popular projects of the character Beware the Batman a series with 3D animation that caused controversy when it was removed from Cartoon Network's programming four months after its premiere without any official explanation, after being on pause the remaining episodes were broadcast on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on Fridays starting at midnight, this not only meant a hard blow to the studio but also to the series itself, it was considered one of the pioneers in the field of the multiverse, in this peculiar world there were no classic villains and no metahumans, there was never any reference to the existence of more heroes of the company such as Superman, Flash or Wonder Woman, its episodes narrate adventures that were more on the action side than the detective side that characterizes the central character, with this is that this studio closes the possibility of continuing it in a film and canceling all projects to future.

There is no doubt that this chronology of animated series has had its ups and downs, what we cannot deny is that Batman has been a character that has remained current over the years and is the one who has saved the studio in its different divisions and representations from stagnation and bankruptcy the most times. In 2020, DC Comics in its eternal creative crisis tried to rescue Batman: The Animated Series in a comic book format that would be a sequel to the sequel to series that would be in charge of one of the best writers Paul Dini would return to write these new adventures titled Batman: The Adventures Continue, while Dinni's idea was developed in collaboration with Alan Burnett in the scripts they wanted to present everything that was left out of the original animated series, characters like Jason Todd/Red Hood, Deathstroke and Azrael among others would be the villains to beat, a series that passed with more pain than glory remaining only as a project that we would have liked to see more in an animated series than in cartoons. The idea of ​​recreating this fantastic universe was in the studios for some time without anything happening, finally Warner Bros. Animation approached producer and creator Bruce Timm again with the idea of ​​producing a remake with the aesthetics of Batman: The Animated Series that would be set after the events of The New Batman Adventures, it was to be expected that Timm would give up developing something that he had done successfully and to which he no longer wanted to return, James Tucker made a new offer making it clear that Timm could use several of the ideas he had for The Animated Series that he could not do due to the target audience and the budget that the studio had assigned him in those years, particularly the idea of ​​having a more pulp, serial, mystery, film noir and detective representation was what set in motion one of the most ambitious projects of the studio and one that would have much controversy. Batman: Caped Crusader is a series that reinvents what we thought could not be surpassed, a reinvention of the character inspired by noir and detective films focusing on a young Bruce Wayne during the early stages as a night vigilante in his crusade against crime in Gotham City, also taking inspiration from the Batman stories of the 1940s and 1960s respectively without leaving aside the noir and dark aesthetics, the series emphasizes a darker, gloomy and melancholic tone, the incursion of new reinterpretations of classic villains such as The Penguin, Catwoman, and Clayface or allies like Barbara Gordon James Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth assume their roles differently, the series has many notable things in its narrative and production design, detective cases that are built to form a broader narrative throughout this first season with a more realistic and less extravagant vision of its characters in its style and context while integrating new and diverse twists in classic situations. The controversy began in May 2021 and a global crisis when it was announced that this new series would be developed by Matt Reeves, J.J. Abrams, and Bruce Timm to premiere on Cartoon Network and HBO Max. This series would have ten episodes in its first season, then in January 2022 it was officially announced that comic book writer Ed Brubaker would join the team as lead writer and executive producer of the series, apparently a team of great talents that had everything to gain and almost nothing to lose, a project that little by little was taking shape and that would put Batman again now on a streaming platform. Nobody expected that in August 2022 the end of a global crisis it was officially reported that the series would no longer be broadcast by HBO Max as part of its programming but that production would continue while it was offered to another platform, the economic crisis that the studio was going through and the bad decisions of its executives led them to first offer it to Apple TV +, Hulu and Netflix who were supposedly interested in broadcasting it, in September of the same year the series officially began to be offered to the highest bidder, Netflix and Apple TV + foolishly resigned, with Amazon Prime Video being the one who would keep the scoop, in March 2023 and after much deliberation, it was officially announced that this platform will be the new distribution house for this project that without being released had already been renewed for a second season. A fundamental part so that this project did not have a fate like the Batgirl film and end up in oblivion or worse yet destroyed, were the fans of the character who on social networks, mainly on Twitter / X and TikTok, made various campaigns in support of the creators and producers so that the series could be released and the work of the team made up of Bruce Timm, J. J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, Ed Brubaker, James Tucker, Daniel Pipski, Rachel Rusch Rich and Sam Register could be appreciated, but above all to see if this met expectations and was at the level of what it represents, this is how on August 1 of this 2024 and after a long wait Amazon Prime Video premieres the 10 episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader. The opinions after the premiere have been mixed while some say that it is good others say that it is not what they expected, meeting the expectations of some and disappointing others, Batman: Caped Crusader is a playful journey through origin stories that have been well told and structured but not always in a way that can be liked by everyone, for example, the very significant changes in the aesthetics of characters like Harley Quinn who is presented as the psychologist Harleen Quinzel and Bruce Wayne's psychiatrist before revealing her dark intentions completely removed from her toxic relationship with the Joker, or the foray of Oswalda Cobblepot as The Penguin in a female and exaggerated version of a mobster, the inclusion could not be missing in a character like Renee Montoya of which we know what her sexual preference is or the development of Harvey Dent, who we can see how he goes from being a district attorney to a candidate for mayor of Gotham City to an aggressive and psychopathic villain while we have as a framework a Batman He is a mysterious spectator on the fringes of what happens in Gotham, a vigilante and vigilante whom the police and citizens consider to be more of a danger than corruption itself. While what we see here has origin stories that are undeniably exaggerated they don't lose that element of surprise with the return to basics, here this feels fresh and novel after seeing different representations and development, it is noticeable that the writers Jase Ricci, Bruce Timm, Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Halley Gross, Marc Bernardin, Adamma and Adanne Ebo play with the characters they are reinventing in a way that combines classic versions with a more modern tone and that works for everyone, at this point it should be noted that not everything here is perfect, we can say that a couple of episodes of this first season feel a little flat and that they are out of the rhythm that the series itself proposes but that they serve as a transition to develop a deeper subplot that explores more than one or more interactions between those involved, the fact of having Batman as the protagonist leaves out at least for now the idea that in this world there are more metahumans with whom he could end up teaming up. The animation benefits from technical advances and mixes the classic with the digital, fixed, and gloomy environments that give the impression of being painted, which gives an overall even more unique setting than the original series, everything is designed to look like a decadent city where even any corner can take on importance, the designs are just as personal as their characters and we identify them as such, the animation boasts itself of being clean and impeccable to frame what they want to present. The voice cast is made up of Hamish Linklater, Jason Watkins, Eric Morgan Stuart, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, Gary Anthony Williams, and Michelle C. Bonilla among others, a new team where each one does a great job that reflects what it is to have a good script with good dialogues. The music is composed by Frederik Wiedmann who has previous experience in Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Beware the Batman and in animated films such as Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, and Superman: Red Son among others, each of his works has its style and personality, in Caped Crusader he moves away from the spectacular and the orchestral and goes for more discreet, dark and neutral tones paying homage to film noir with pieces that, although they are not remarkable, are another character in the series. In conclusion, Batman: Caped Crusader does not pretend to be a tribute or to match what we have already seen, it is an independent project that despite all its problems was able to premiere and present a new universe in which there is still much more to tell and we hope it continues to be with the same excellent quality and level. Batman: Caped Crusader is now available on Amazon Prime Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdzSiO-7LyM Read the full article

[balsamfir-fics]

a hope at risk (prelude)

Genres: angst, 99% canon (eps 6-9), more angst, eventual smut, established childhood crushes to strangers to lovers, post-pining, becoming machine herald (sort of)

Pairing: Viktor/Female Reader

Warnings: series will have eventual smut. none in this preview.

Summary: For nearly two decades after you waltzed out of Viktor's life as the childhood friend who broke his heart, he hoped to forget you. Now that you're back, firmly settled in his life and his arms, he wants nothing more than to live, to love, to dream. With a terminal diagnosis you've yet to learn about in a city waiting to erupt into war, however, Viktor realizes this is a fight for survival against all odds.But he can't lose you again. He won't. He hopes.

Chapters: Prelude | Part 1 | Part 2 [M] | Part 3 | Part 4 [FINAL]

Chapter Word Count: ~2k

Author Notes: Unedited. Sequel to a hope never forgotten. This work can be read independently of its predecessor – though reading that first will more thoroughly contextualize Viktor and YN’s relationship. Prequel summarized below for those who don’t have time to read it!

Prequel summary: If you are reading this without having seen the previous work, this is the debrief: YN is Heimerdinger’s adopted daughter; YN and Viktor are childhood friends who grew up together between the ages of 10-16 and separated at 16 immediately after an unspoken confession of love. The uncertainty and cowardice of youth prevent YN from keeping contact until twelve years pass. Over the next five years the two keep orbiting each other, gravity pulling them closer, until Viktor’s hospital stint as per Episode 5 forces YN to reckon with their lifetime of love. The end of A Hope Never Forgotten sees Viktor’s seventeen-year-long hope and longing fulfilled.

A Hope Never Forgotten follows Arcane canon up to Episode 5; this work will follow Arcane canon until the end of all currently available content (Episode 9). This piece borrows themes from prior League of Legends lore, but following the events of Episode 9 it will become an imagined ‘what comes next’ as we wait for the events of Season 2.

The prior work deals primarily with holding onto hope; this one deals with themes of loss and survival. Both are about decisions made and avoided.

It is a strange thing, Viktor thinks, to graduate from Have-Not to Have – to cross from the fields of the Hopeful into the lands of the Fulfilled.

To have hope was to face forward, gazing wistfully into the future with hands clasped and breath bated. Hope was fickle, but familiar; science relied heavily on hope, though science preferred the term ‘hypothesis’ to hide wishfulness behind empirics. Viktor was no stranger to work that was fueled by something so equally powerful and fragile; he toiled at the chalkboard in the hope that discovery might come to him, and he long ago conspired with a disgraced young scholar in the hope that magic could be effectively controlled. And if not for work, then Viktor still considered himself intimately acquainted with hope. Against his best efforts, it continued to return to him on lonely nights or during awkward reunions. For seventeen years he danced with hope, losing it only to find it again, and finally – finally! – he was rewarded for maintaining it when you stopped running from him and admitted your love. You were now his, and he was yours, a joining that was long overdue. Viktor was given the love his soul craved for so long. He became a Have.

He should be happy now. He should be wrapped up in blissful communion, eyes towards you and focused on little else than the triumph of a love re-established. But while being on this side of hope surpasses his every expectation and brings him joys he thought he would never have, it simultaneously eats away at him, unearthing insecurities that only the Haves can experience.

Those with something to lose live every day trying to prevent loss. In the dead of the night, you sleep soundly next to him, cuddled around his seated form. You are delightfully unaware that he is not, in fact, in dreamland with you. Your warmth transfers to his skin, but it’s only where you make contact that he feels remotely comfortable. Everywhere else, he is icy, fading, creeping ever-so-steadily towards the end of his existence. The chill of his apartment engulfs him as he muffles another cough into one of his many on-standby handkerchiefs, and his gaze flickers towards you as you stir and mumble something incoherent. You don’t rouse – good. Viktor prefers to have as few witnesses to his deterioration as possible, and especially avoids allowing you to lay eyes on any evidence of his failing lungs.

You still think he’s having a slow recovery from his bout in the hospital; Viktor still hasn’t found an acceptable way to tell you that his days are numbered. Everyone else knows his secret, and everyone else knows you’ve yet to find out (Heimerdinger has already warned Viktor that he’s quickly losing the ability to spend the rest of his life living honestly). Jayce looks like he’s about to let the secret out every time he sees you – only Viktor’s measured glare (or plea of desperation) keeps Jayce’ lips tight.

It’s stupid, Viktor knows, but he had never intended to tell you in the first place. Never in his wildest dreams did he think you’d end up not only in his bed but in his heart, firmly embedded in his life and not running away from him. He thought you would leave after his many efforts to push you away in the weeks following his hospital stay, and that he’d fade from your life by becoming a memory of a happier childhood, never again to resurface. It had seemed kinder to leave his prognosis quiet when you had made it painfully clear over the past seventeen years that some secrets were near impossible to share with each other.

Viktor became a Have mere weeks ago, not a fortnight after receiving his death sentence, when he learned the truth of your feelings and the love you never lost for him. Your admission had never been part of the plan; he was supposed to die in much the same fashion as he’d lived his life after you left in your youth: he should have been a forgotten part of your periphery, not a central component of your life. He wasn’t supposed to find out you loved him. You weren’t supposed to find out he still loved you. He should have been allowed to die alone, unaware that his hope had been correctly placed and that his life of longing would smile upon him. And yet – he was happy not to die a martyr for love, happy to give up his less-than-blissful ignorance of your true feelings. He sighs to himself in the dark, rounding his shoulders as he tucks the blankets around him tighter. It was much easier to justify keeping secrets when you were hiding from him as well– when he thought his affection was unreturned. But now? With your heart in his hands and his in yours? How can he reveal the cruelty of fate when he knows he cannot bear to see the distress on your face? Viktor twists to reach for you now, brushing an errant strand of hair from your forehead. His heart seizes as you unconsciously nestle into his touch, wanting more warmth from his fingers even in your sleep.

The terminal fate he had resigned himself to burns in his mind. He was weeks away from his final breath and ready to walk towards the final door. But now? Viktor shifts in his seat, scuttling himself back down into bed and tucking the blanket around you. His thumbs brush against the rise of your cheekbones as he marvels in your subconscious reactions. His hair falls to his pillow in a million different directions, but he doesn’t care; he merely reaches up to brush his locks from his eyes so he can continue to view you unobstructed. You exhale, shiver, and roll closer into his side. His heart seizes and clarity strikes.

Now, he wants to live. Now, he wants to borrow time, if only to make up for so much of it that was lost before you told him of your love. He is angry – at you, for withholding crucial knowledge; at his lungs, for failing him; at Piltover, for leaving the undercity’s health unconsidered – but most importantly, he is angry with the stars for placing him in an unmaneuverable position.

There is no way out. He has to tell you eventually; he will die, soon.

His shoulders shake as he feels a cough coming on; he twists himself—painfully—and grapples for another handkerchief from the nightstand. Everything hurts: his throat is raw from sputum, his ribcage aches from the exertion of each hacking breath, and even his arms protest as strength leaves them. But when you curl around him, shifting closer and molding your skin to his back, he feels none of the pain. He wipes at the side of his mouth, squinting in the darkness to ensure that the handkerchief caught every drop of blood.

Then he turns back to you, leaning slightly over you with one arm propped on his elbow. Viktor presses his lips to your forehead, his ministrations imbued with the gentle whisper of his affection. Your throat makes a contented noise that fills Viktor’s overworked heart, and he allows himself another kiss before he slips out of bed to hide the  soiled handkerchieves at the bottom of his hamper.   He’s not ready to return back to bed, though every cell of his body screams to be wrapped up in your embrace. So he tenderly limps into the kitchen instead, deducing that a spot of warm chamomile might help quiet his thoughts or at least help him move past them. Water begins to boil in a pot on the stovetop; this avoids the scream of his kettle, and completely subverts the risk of you waking.

Tired elbows keep him stable as he sits on the other side of the counter, watching the steam rise from the pot as the water bubbles. Only the stove lights are on; the dim yellow glow warms him just as much as the water vapor, and allows him the space to assemble his mind. He shifts back in his seat, the movement making the light bounce against something on the counter. His eyes drift toward the glint, and he recognizes a stack of your stationery at once, haphazardly nestled in a box of your writing supplies. On the stove, water gurgles to signify its readiness.

Viktor puts the notepad on hold as he gets up to prepare himself a steaming mug, but returns to his seat quickly and lifts a sheet from the stack. Steam rises from the mug, long yellow rays of light catching the wisps. Long fingers rummage for a writing utensil in the box; Viktor finds one, takes a sip from his cup, and places the nib on the page.

There’s so much I want to tell you, my Sparrow, he writes. So much left unsaid. He pauses, blows on his tea, and waits before taking another sip. I’m so scared. Now that I Have, I only find myself briefly at peace. You are in my heart, against all odds, despite all the secrets you tried not to reveal. But now that you are mine, I fear loss. When I had nothing to lose, it had been so easy to accept my lack of future. It wasn’t the least bit frightening. But with you in my arms and wishes granted, I have become supremely aware of how all this will be taken away. Viktor lifts the end of the utensil to his lips, biting the tip as he searches for the words to express all he feels. The pen drifts back towards the page, but he stops here, not able to find the words that will allow him to continue. He stands, finishing the rest of his tea as he leans his hip against the counter for support, then he places the dish in the sink. The unfinished letter is folded away and walked over to his bookcase, where Viktor tucks it away in one of his old journals.

Tomorrow, perhaps, he’ll sit you down and tell you he has to leave soon. But tonight, he elects to return to the bedroom and slide back under the covers. Tonight, Viktor wraps his arms around you as you sleepily burble beneath his chin. He smiles at the ridiculous noise, tucks you into his frame, and closes his eyes.

Tonight, he indulges in being alive.

[syllvane]

halfway- kaz brekker x reader

a/n: the unofficial sequel to wanting but also a standalone piece. a little ooc at the end, as a treat

“Why don’t you just say something?” Jesper asked, getting tired of the way Kaz looked at you when you weren’t looking. Kaz didn’t say anything, his hand gripping the cup that he was holding tightly. “I mean you both like each other, so why don’t you just-”

Kaz cut him off with a withering glare, a promise that Kaz would cut his tongue out if Jesper continued speaking.

Kaz finished the rest of his drink and although he tried his best, he found his gaze constantly being pulled back to you, as if you were a planet with your own gravitational pull.

Saints, he had it bad for you.

The worst part was that you didn’t even know what you were doing to him- or maybe you did and maybe you liked seeing Kaz Brekker suffer, maybe this was punishment for him putting as much distance between the two of you as humanely possible, or as much distance as Kaz could bear, anyways.

He ordered another shot and he didn't wince as it went down.

He managed to pull his gaze away from you, looking at Jesper, who had found better company in the person sitting on the other side of him.

Kaz tapped Jesper’s shoulder, who turned around and looked at him with wide eyes.

“I’d disappoint her,” Kaz said, the words falling out of his mouth before he could even register what he was saying. “That’s why I don’t meet her halfway. I’d disappoint her, and she deserves better than that.”

“You’ll disappoint her if you don’t meet her halfway,” Jesper argued and Kaz nodded solemnly, as if he had considered this.

“Maybe. I don’t think I could watch her fall out of love with me up close though. It’s better this way,” He said, motioning to the distance between the two of you.

Jesper didn’t say anything to that, mostly because he’s seen how the two of you look at each other when the other isn’t watching and he isn’t all that confident that this is the best way to handle this situation.

Kaz signaled the bartender for another shot and Jesper grabbed the shot from him, holding it high above his head.

“Jesper,” Kaz said warningly and Jesper might have been scared if Kaz wasn’t slurring his words.

“Why don’t we just slow down- do you want to go back to the Slat?”

“I’m fine,” Kaz said defensively, though it sounded as if he was not only trying to convince Jesper but himself as well.

“Kaz-”

“I said I’m fine,” He growled and Jesper frowned, drinking the shot that Kaz had ordered before wandering off, no longer interested in his company.

Kaz stood up from the bar as well and walked to his office, closing the door behind him and sitting on his chair, waiting for his mind to clear.

When you saw Kaz the next day, he was stumbling into the kitchen of the Slat, bleary-eyed.

His clothes were disheveled and you were given the distinct impression that he spent the night in his office.

His eyes met yours and he gave you a look that you think was supposed to be threatening.

“Not a word.”

The threat didn’t stop the small laugh that came out of your mouth and you saw him soften as he stood next to you, leaning his cane against the cabinets.

“You look cute,” You said, handing him the cup of coffee that you had just poured moments before. “Your blush is even cuter.”

He nearly spat out his coffee, settling for choking on it and coughing instead.

“I-”

“You hate me, you love me, you hate me for making you love me, I know. Don’t waste your breath.”

The coughing subsided but the glare he was giving you did not.

“If anyone else said that, I would’ve hit them with my cane.”

His gloved fingers brushed over yours as he handed you his half-full coffee cup.

“That’s just it though, isn’t it?” You asked, staring at the cup of coffee. “I’m not just anyone.”

He looked at you carefully, studying you closely in the morning light.

He has stolen many things before; precious jewelry, artwork, you name it.

These moments with you are the most valuable out of all of them, he thinks.

“No, you’re not just anyone,” He finally said, trying to memorize the way you looked. “You should really find someone who will meet you halfway, you know. Someone who can say ‘I love you’ back.”

You smiled, though there was an undeniable twinge of sadness in your voice as you spoke.

“I really should,” You conceded, taking a sip from his coffee mug. “You're not just anyone either, though.”

You handed him the mug back, your hands brushing against each other again. He took another sip.

“Do you think Pekka is single?” You asked thoughtfully and this time he did spit out the coffee.

“Don’t even joke about that, or I’ll…” His voice simmered out, because what could he do? Break-up with you? The two of you weren’t dating. Hurt you? You would see his empty threats for what they were.

“You’ll what?” You asked, your eyes flickering over to him, daring him to finish the sentence.

“I hate you,” He said, because it was easier than saying the truth.

“I hate you too.”

A moment passed between the two of you. He took another sip of the coffee.

“Don’t go after Pekka,” He said suddenly, the same intensity in his voice as before. “You can date anyone you want, I just… not him. Anyone but him. He is…”

“I know,” You cut him off, taking the coffee back from him. “I would never.”

You didn’t know, if you were being honest, why Kaz hated Pekka Rollins so much. You didn’t know about Jordie or about the Reaper’s Barge or about why he wore the gloves. All you knew was that it mattered to him and that was the beginning and end of everything.

A smile tugged at Kaz’s lips.

“Besides, he’s a total creep. I wouldn’t date him for a million kruge,” You added, mostly so that you could see the smile on Kaz’s face grow.

“You deserve better than him anyways,” He said, stealing back the coffee cup and taking another sip. “How’d you know I would be coming down here?”

“What?”

“The coffee. You made it the way I take it.”

He didn’t realize how much he enjoyed making you flustered until a strange expression appeared on your face, followed by a sheepish laugh.

“Oh. I… I started taking my coffee that way. So that there would be some for you if you ever wanted it.”

He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t know what to say, because what is love if not that?

What is love if not the countless pots of coffee that you’ve made in the hopes that he’d have some too, one day?

Standing there, he can see that you’re waiting for him to call what you’ve been doing childish or stupid, but he doesn’t.

He just stands there next to you and finishes the rest of the coffee. You turn back to keep unloading groceries.

“I’m sorry, for putting so much distance between us. For not meeting you halfway and for not even trying to,” He said shakily, the words spilling out of him before he could talk himself out of it, before he could convince himself that the two of you would be better off standing there in silence. “I don’t… I don’t know if I can love you in the way that you want to be loved- in the way that you deserve to be loved.”

You turned around to face him, tears welling in your eyes, and Kaz got the horrible feeling that he had said the wrong thing.

Instead, you grabbed both of his gloved hands tentatively.

“Saints Kaz, don’t you get it? Any way that you love me is how I want to be loved,” You said softly and Kaz let out a sigh of relief, releasing a weight that he hadn’t realized that he had been carrying. “And as for putting distance between us, you can make it up to me.”

A laugh escaped from his lips.

“Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”

“Well, for starters, finish putting groceries away with me.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“Yeah, well…”

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Fury

Prompts: Could we get a sequel to rage? Because I really enjoy batshit Roman and Logan, along with supportive Virgil and Remus. Preferably Patton and Janus continuing having their head in their asses, and Roman and Logan knocking some sense into them. - anon

Both Roman and Remus give tank vibes (in the RPG sense) to me, and also tend to have self-destructive issues. Could I request a fic or AU where both of them keep trying to take the hits for everyone else, and tell each other "you need to stop getting hurt" but can't recognize it in themself? And eventually the rest of the group sits them down and goes "we love you, we want you to be safe, please don't do this?" - anon

May I please request some c!thomas angst? Maybe some my-sides-are-arguing-and-it’s-getting-painfully-overwhelming flavored? - anon

I am way late, I know, but Thomas's birthday is tomorrow, from my timezone at least, so something centered around character him would be lovely (especially in your awesome writing!!) Maybe something with the sides showing the their love for him and/or him expressing it back somehow? I think their relationships can be so cute but from what I've seen people don't often write about them sadly. Thank you for considering this, and extra thanks if you write it! (Ps: sorry this was long 😅)

happy b-day thomathy sand dollar

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: some allusions to manipulation and guilt tripping

Pairings: logince, platonic or romantic i don’t care

Word Count: 5278

His ears are ringing. That’s funny. They don’t normally do that.

His ears are ringing. That’s funny. They don’t normally do that. Maybe there’s a bell going off somewhere. Or there are sirens driving by outside. No, no, this is a bit too high-pitched for that. What was it that Logan called it again? Oh, right. Tinnitus. That’s what’s going on. Wait, does he have tinnitus? He doesn’t think so. He keeps his headphones on a reasonable volume thanks to Logan anyway, it’s not normally quick onset like this, is it?

“All I’m saying is—“

“All you’re saying is we completely disregard the progress we’ve made in favor of sliding back into patterns of thinking that have done nothing but harm us, yes, I can see why you think this is a perfectly rational course of action.”

“That’s not what I’m saying! Stop twisting my words!”

The ringing is getting worse. His temples start to throb. He doesn’t remember that being part of Logan’s description of tinnitus. Maybe that isn’t what this is. But then what could it be?

“Janus, if you don’t have anything useful to contribute—“

“Wow, perhaps I should’ve imitated you again, then I would be listened to, right?”

“Hey! Not cool, you slippery snake, that was out of line!”

“And you never color outside the lines, do you?”

He blinks. That’s funny. He thought he was looking up at the Sides. Why is he staring down at the carpet? It’s a nice carpet, though, so maybe he doesn’t mind looking at it. There’s a stain there. Did he spill something?

“Kiddos, kiddos, let’s all just calm down now. There’s been a lot of aggression from both sides, so let’s just—“

“Both sides?”

“There are more than two of us talking, Patton.”

“Both sides of the argument, Logan, that’s what I mean. So let’s all just take a deep breath and—“

“Are you kidding me? He’s the one who’s insulting us! We’re just standing here!”

“You aren’t just standing there, you’re disagreeing with him.”

“And disagreeing is enough to be insulted and degraded like that?”

“Wow, Roman, so sensitive. There’s no need for you to get so upset.”

“Yeah, kiddo, you just need to calm down. Then we can talk about this calmly and rationally, just like Logan wants, okay?”

“You realize we’ve tried that already, right? That’s how we started this conversation!”

Someone snorts. “You remember three years ago when we started this conversation?”

“I believe it’s only been about thirty-five minutes.”

“I was exaggerating for dramatic effect, L.”

“Ah.”

“But Roman, you aren’t being very open-minded about this.”

His chest hurts now. Why does his chest hurt? Is it because he’s thinking about how long it’s going to take to clean the carpet? It’s not that bad of a stain. It must’ve just been tea he spilled. Or juice. Maybe that’s it. Maybe he spilled some juice and he has to clean it up. If he could move, he would go and do that. He should go and do that now. 

But there’s something he’s forgetting. 

“You have to try and compromise, Roman, that’s the only way this is going to resolve amicably.”

“Come on, kiddo, you’ve done so well with it before, just calm down and then we’ll keep going, okay?”

“Well, I’m not sure I can wait that long, as long as he’s not about to fire off on all cylinders…”

“Janus, just be patient with him.”

A sharp pain shoots through Thomas’s chest and an ache blooms on his cheek. 

Right. 

Right. 

He’d been having trouble deciding whether or not to go to one of his friend’s gallery openings. It was on a day they were free, by design, and they should be able to go. But the reason that day was free was because they’d arranged his schedule so he could have a free day, absent of any obligations or work requirements. If he went to the gallery opening, it wouldn’t be a free day anymore. 

Right, right, that’s why everyone’s so mad. 

Thomas winces as he feels a hand rub against the warmth on his face. His eyes still haven’t left the carpet, head pounding and chest aching. They’ve been fighting for—oh, what was it that Logan said, over half an hour now? And they’d made no progress. 

Because Roman had suggested that one two-hour commitment might be nice since it was something Thomas would enjoy anyway and supporting his friend would be nice too, but Janus had doubled down on this being a free day and Patton had agreed that it would be wrong of them to go to make themselves feel better and—

“Holy shit, Princey, that—that looks bad.”

“It’s fine.”

Patton sighs, disappointment strong enough for Thomas’s chest to ache with renewed zeal, “Roman, you don’t need to be so dramatic.”

“Faking a bruise? Really?” The condescension and scorn in Janus’s words make his stomach turn. “Next you’ll be telling us you need time to ‘recover’ before we can continue.”

Thomas feels cold. It isn’t cold in his apartment. Why does he feel cold? It is always cold? He tries to open and close his hands but they won’t respond. That’s weird. 

“Hey, assholes, why don’t you back off for a second?”

“Language!”

“Not the time, Patton, now shut up and let Roman be.”

“My, my, Virgil, how rude. You shouldn’t talk to your father like that.”

“We’re all the same age, you dick!”

There’s a shocked inhale. How did Patton manage to breathe in so sharply? He should try it to see if it’s possible. 

“There’s no need for such rudeness, Virgil, look what you’ve done.”

“What I’ve done? What about what you’ve done?”

“I’m not the one shouting!”

“You’re shouting right now!”

“But we didn’t start it, Virgil, you know that—“

“Actually, if we’re counting ‘who started it’ by who devolved into petty insults and making things personal, I believe you did start it.”

“And I’d never dream of disagreeing with you, Logan, what kind of monster would I be if I did that?”

Try as he might, he just can’t mimic the gasp Patton did. Why not? His chest doesn’t want to expand. That’s annoying. What if he needs to breathe?

What if he needs to breathe?

He needs to breathe?

He needs to breathe. 

Oh. 

Oh, no. 

He needs to breathe. 

The realization of what’s going on slams into Thomas. He can’t breathe. He’s not breathing. His head is pounding and his chest is aching and his face stings and his ears ring and he can’t breathe. 

He can’t breathe. 

“Hey.”

The noise of the room dulls out into a soft mumble as someone speaks into his ears. 

“Hey, Tommy-Boy. Thomas. Thomas.”

Remus. That’s Remus he’s hearing. 

“Sure is, Thomas. Just me. You’re not doing so good right now, and that’s okay, but I’m gonna need you to focus on me for a moment, ‘kay? You’re doing great right now, just stay with me.”

Remus. Remus. He can hear Remus. Remus’s voice is soft and careful and he grabs onto it with both hands. 

“That’s it, you just stay with me here. I know breathing is hard but you gotta take a breath, okay? Go slow, then it won’t hurt so much.”

Remus begins to guide him through breathing. This is good. This is fine. He can do this. 

“You sure can, Thomas, you’re doing really good. Just another slow breath, okay? That’s all you gotta do. Just like that.”

Thomas closes his eyes and draws another slow breath in through his nose, out through his mouth. It stings a little as it hits the back of his throat but Remus shushes him carefully. 

“It’s okay, Thomas, just keep it nice and slow. You’re doing great, just keep coming out of it for me. Shouldn’t be too hard, you’ve done it before, yeah?”

What’s happening? What’s happening to me?

“Your Ego is taking the brunt of the battering that’s happening right now,” Remus explains softly, “so you’re not feeling too good. Roro’s doing his best to keep the worst of it away from you, but there’s only so much he can do while he’s getting treated like this.”

His mind drifts to the throbbing in his cheek. 

“Yeah, that’s a bruise. Not on you, on Roro. It’s okay, Thomas, you’re okay. Just keep breathing and come out of it, okay? This is temporary, it won’t last forever.”

After what seems like forever, but can’t be longer than a few minutes, Thomas finally takes a deep breath that reaches all of his lungs and blinks. 

Wow, okay, his neck is sore. How long has he been staring at the ground? He winces, rolling it around a few times before looking up at the rest of the room. 

The Sides are looking at him. Some of them look sympathetic, some of them look curious, some of them look annoyed. At him?

“No, Thomas,” Remus says, still speaking softly, “not at you.”

“You got overwhelmed,” Virgil says, usual growl softened to a low rumble, “that’s all. Sorry it took me so long to notice.”

Thomas shakes his head. “I, uh, that hasn’t happened to me before. Not like that.”

“My guess is that having all of us—“ Logan motions around the room— “arguing like that was…doing the equivalent metaphysically ripping you apart.”

Thomas winces. “Yeah, that, uh…mhm.”

“My apologies for not noticing sooner.”

“No, no, you guys were…busy.”

“'Were,’ yes,” Logan says, a little sharper, before turning to address the others, “but we’re done for today.”

“What?” Patton blinks. “But we haven’t come to a decision!”

“That is correct,” Logan continues, the chill in his voice making the hairs on Thomas’s arm stand on end, “but we will not make a decision at the expense of Thomas’s well-being. Ergo, we are finished for the day.”

“And you get to make that decision all by yourself, do you?”

“He’s not by himself,” Roman says lowly, turning to face Patton and Janus, “I agree with him.”

“Well, there’s a surprise.”

“Me too,” Virgil growls. 

“And me.” Without waiting for anything else, Remus stretches his arms out—Thomas hides a gag—and grabs Patton’s shoulder and Janus’s elbow. “Bye!”

Virgil rolls his eyes a little fondly as the three sink out, shooting a look at Thomas. “You gonna be okay if I leave?”

“Y-yeah, Virgil, uh, thanks.”

Virgil tips a lazy two-fingered salute as he sinks out. Logan glances at Roman. The two exchange a look and a nod that—okay, Thomas is missing something here. But then Logan turns to him and his expression softens. 

“Do you want one of us to stay with you for a little while?”

Thomas rubs his arm, trying to get the goosebumps out. “Um…”

“Let me,” Roman says softly, “I can help, if you want. Seeing as it’s…well, me that’s hurting.”

“It’s not your fault, Roman.”

“I didn’t say it was.” He takes a step closer. “But I am the part of you that’s hurt.”

Thomas falters and Logan nods carefully. 

“Roman will take care of you,” he promises, “or…perhaps you will take care of each other.”

Thomas looks between them. “Will you two…explain? Later, maybe? You seem…something feels different.”

Roman huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Later, Thomas, we will do our best to explain. But for right now, why don’t you take care of yourself?”

“Okay.”

Logan smiles, a soft thing that he hasn’t seen in a long time, and sinks out. 

“Thomas,” Roman says, his expression still soft and compassionate despite the—ouch, despite the huge bruise on the left side of his face, “can I come over to you?”

“Uh, yeah, buddy, you can do what you want.”

“Thank you.” Roman walks over to him and whoa, okay, that’s a bit weird. Yeah, he knows the Sides can move and stuff, but he’s not normally this close to them. “Thomas?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.”

“You sure?” Roman tilts his head and frowns. “You seem a bit…well, discombobulated.”

The memory of the ‘discombobulate’ clip from that one Sherlock movie springs unbidden into his head and he can’t help but giggle at it. Roman smiles with him. 

“What?”

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just…discombobulate.”

Roman throws his head back in a louder laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to discombobulate you.”

“That’s such a good word.”

“What, discombobulate?”

“Yes.”

“I have to say it in the accent, don’t I?”

Thomas screws up his face and puts on the worst posh British accent he can think of. “Discombobulate.”

“Discombobulate.”

“That’s it!”

Roman shakes his head, still laughing. “RDJ would be proud of us.”

“We’ll put it on the list of things to do if we meet him, right?”

“When, Thomas,” Roman says grandly, his hands sweeping up into his normal dramatic gesture, “when we meet him.”

“Yeah, okay.”

At the quietly resigned note in his voice, Roman softens, the brazen grin going back to something a little kinder as he stands up and nods to the couch. Thomas goes, sitting down and putting his head in his hands. After a moment, he feels the couch sink as Roman sits next to him. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“What is there to talk about?” Thomas groans and flops back onto the couch. “If I go, I’m either being selfish and doing it to make myself feel better, or I’m putting someone else’s wants above my needs again. Or I’m being selfish by staying in and not going to support my friend, or I’m taking care of myself regardless of how bad I feel about not going.”

“That wasn’t what I meant,” Roman chides lightly, “I meant do you want to talk about how you’re feeling right now.”

Thomas blinks. “I…um…”

“I’m your Ego, Thomas,” Roman says when Thomas can’t find any more words, “I’m the you that gets hurt when things go wrong. I can tell you what I’m feeling right now, but it might help more if you do it.”

“Um…well, my face still kind of hurts.”

Roman nods encouragingly. “What else?”

“My chest feels…heavy? Almost like there’s a weight attached to it?”

“Mhm.”

“And, um…my ears are still ringing. I can’t…it, um…it’s not good.”

“Here,” Roman suggests, prompting Thomas to sit up a bit, “cover your ears with your hands and drum your fingers on the back of your head, just here.”

Thomas tries, a little doubtful, only for the soothing taps on the back of his head to banish the worst of the whining from his ears. His eyes widen and he looks up at Roman. 

“Better, I take it, yeah?”

“Yeah, loads better, how did you…?”

“Logan,” Roman says, “he and Virgil—since they’re both part of the Left Brain, they can get into feedback loops with each other and I don’t know if you know this about Virgil, but he really likes to crank the volume on his headphones.”

Thomas shudders. “I can imagine.”

Roman chuckles. “So…Logan taught me how to cope with it and it helps me when Remus and I are bleeding too much.”

“Wait, what? You bleed?”

“Shh, shh, not like that, calm down. Just ‘cause we’re both Creativity, sometimes when we get excited we tend to, uh, the lines between our parts of Creativity can get a bit messy.”

“So it…doesn’t hurt?”

“No, Thomas, it doesn’t hurt.”

Thomas accepts it with a nod. They sit on the couch in silence for a bit, as the throbbing pain begins to ease and they can relax into the cushions. Thomas glances over to see the bruise fading away from Roman’s cheek. His eyes are closed and he looks…peaceful. 

“I’d tell you to take a picture,” he says out of nowhere, startling Thomas, “but you see our face every day, don’t you?”

“Sorry, I, um…”

Roman chuckles. “It’s your face, Thomas, you’re allowed to look.”

He cracks an eye open when Thomas stays quiet. 

“Or ask me any questions you have.”

“What…happened?” He shifts a little closer on the couch. “You and Logan and Remus, you…last I remember, you were all a bit…”

“At each other’s throats?”

“Yeah.”

Roman sighs, some of the peaceful energy slipping away and for a moment, Thomas wants to retreat the question, try and give some of it back, but Roman speaks. 

“We had a talk.” He shifts. “Or, well…talking was involved. Basically, we went to a rage room Remus made.”

“A…rage room?”

“A room full of things designed to be broken so you can let your anger out.”

Thomas blinks. That…doesn’t sound like the Roman and Logan he knows. Remus, sure, but…these two? “…why?”

Some part of him bristles and the question and he winces. 

“Sorry if that was rude, I just—“

“No, Thomas, it’s alright, I don’t mind telling you.” Roman sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I just—the last time someone asked me that question, it wasn’t with the same—they didn’t ask it like you did.”

“…how did they ask it?”

“The same way you would ask someone why they still wholeheartedly support the Harry Potter franchise even after all that’s happened and the new game has been announced.”

“Oh.” He frowns. “Wait, who—“

“One question at a time,” Roman laughs, sitting up a little more. “Logan and I went because Remus and Virgil suggested it. And they were right, it did feel good. We, uh, had a talk before and realized we were more on the same side of things than we thought. It was nice. A good bonding experience.”

Despite himself, Thomas smiles. “Baby’s first act of civil disobedience?”

Roman grins. “Exactly. Ooh, I should look for Captain America’s shield next time. Really beat the toast out of some anti-homeless architecture for flavor.”

“I’m sure Logan would be down with that.”

“Me too.”

They laugh for a moment before Thomas swallows. “…so who…?”

The last of the humor disappears from Roman’s expression and he sighs. “I’m not telling you this because I think it’s your fault, I’m telling you this because you asked for it, okay?”

“Uh…do you want me to un-ask for it?”

Instead of the laugh he thinks he might get, Roman just sighs again. “No, Thomas, you…you have a right to know. It’s your Sides that are the problem.”

Thomas sits up a bit more as Roman turns to face him. 

“Can you answer me one question before I tell you? Honestly?”

“Yeah, Roman, I can.”

Roman hesitates. “Do you…do you think Patton and Janus treat me or Logan fairly?” 

Thomas blinks. And blinks. And blinks again. Not the question he was expecting to have to answer. 

Do they?

Roman is…well, Roman isn’t really shy about what he wants, is he? He’s loud and extravagant and insists on things, so…

Wait, is he?

Thomas furrows his brow. 

The last time Roman wanted something it was…the callback. And he didn’t—the whole point of that was that he sent Thomas to the wedding. Which he didn’t want. And then with the wedding, he…well, after the wedding he didn’t do much. That was Patton and Janus fighting. 

But hasn’t it always been Patton and Janus fighting? The two of them disagreeing over what was going on? What Thomas was doing? Since when did Roman come into it?

The last time Roman stood up for what he wanted until Thomas shut it down was…was…

Guys and Dolls. 

And then Janus had impersonated Patton. And then there had been the wedding. And then—and then—

And Logan, gosh, what happened to Logan? 

They’d excluded him from the trial, Janus had impersonated him so many times, they’d…

Oh, god. 

Roman is still looking at him, waiting for an answer. 

“No,” Thomas whispers, “no, I don’t think they do.”

The sudden wave of relief that crashes over Roman takes him by surprise, especially when the bruise suddenly vanishes and the pain fades. Another smile comes to his face but it glows now, it looks—Roman looks at him and smiles and Thomas smiles back. 

“You have no idea how much that means to me,” Roman murmurs, still smiling, “thank you, Thomas.”

He nods. 

“So…Logan and I were talking about that, and uh, we got…a bit frustrated.”

“I think that’s fair.”

“And then Remus and Virgil heard what we were talking about and they suggested the rage room.”

A bit of dread curls in Thomas’s stomach. “Did…did Patton and Janus…?”

A darkness flitters across Roman’s gaze. “They weren’t the most receptive to the idea.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it,” Thomas says bitterly, “they’re my Sides.”

“Yes, they represent part of you and how you think, but you’re not completely responsible for them.”

“So what do I do? I don’t want them to be mean to you! If you—if you need something, I should listen to it!”

Roman just stares at him, a soft smile playing on his lips again. 

“Oh.” Thomas’s eyes widen. “Oh.”

“In a roundabout way,” Roman says quietly, “I think I’ve just done what Janus has been pushing you to do. Take care of yourself.”

“I’ll try,” Thomas promises, reaching out as Roman rests a hand on his shoulder, “I promise, I will.”

“That’s the spirit.” His mouth curls up higher. “You know what I think we should do now?”

“Watch that discombobulate clip until I can’t stop laughing at it?”

“You read my mind.”

“My mind.”

“You’re in charge!”

As soon as Remus sinks them into the Mindscape, he squares his shoulders and lifts his chin. Into battle. 

“Remus!” Patton crosses his arms and glares at him. “That was inappropriate! We do not sink other Sides without their permission!”

“You’re fine, Dad-bot, you’re not hurt.” Remus flicks a speck of grime from his sash. “Besides, I was helping Thomathy, doesn’t that count for something?”

“Oh, sure,” Janus drawls in that voice that never fails to set Remus’s teeth on edge, “you did just what we wanted, how very good for you.”

Remus grits his teeth. “Like you can talk.”

“Oh, but I can.” Janus grins and his teeth glimmer. “Quite well, in fact.”

“We were in the middle of a conversation, Remus, you can’t just sink us mid-conversation!”

“Wrong!” Remus bounces up and down on the balls of his feet. “You were in the middle of being giant whale penises to Logan and Roman. I was in the middle of trying to keep Thomas from dissociating so hard we ceased to exist. We are not the same.”

“You don’t need to exaggerate, Remus.”

“He’s not exaggerating,” Virgil says, appearing next to Remus, “that was bad, you guys. Like, really bad.”

“Mm.” Janus fixes him with a look. “Bad enough that you didn’t notice it?”

Virgil glowers. “Yeah. If it’s bad enough that I can forget Thomas exists, that’s how much he’s out of his head, me, the literal embodiment of worrying about Thomas, then yeah, Janus, that’s bad.”

Janus looks at Virgil for a long time, before nodding once. Silent. A concession, not an apology. 

“Well,” Patton says, clearly doubling down, “then that’s even more reason why you shouldn’t have done that, Remus! You know that speaking directly to Thomas like that can be dangerous, just look at what happened last time?”

Remus growls. “What, me showing up? Is that the big bad boogeyman that you think about? Just me? I don’t know whether I should be flattered or insulted.”

“My, my,” Janus says, his voice sharper now, “how polite, Remus, it seems your manners haven’t gone anywhere at all.”

“Oh, I’ll show you manners.”

“Remus,” Virgil says quietly, “don’t, you’ll just do what they want.”

“Yes, Remus,” Janus drawls, “don’t do what we want, we’re the bad guys, remember?”

“Don’t,” Virgil says sharply, pointing a stern finger at him, “you don’t get to play that card. Not now, not after what just happened.” “And of course, I wouldn’t dream of doing anything without your express permission.”

Virgil is saved from having to respond to that when Logan rises up next to him. “Hey, how are they? All good?”

“Yes. Roman is going to stay and help Thomas recover a little more.”

“Good. You okay?”

Logan nods as Virgil knocks their elbows together. 

Their attention is drawn back when Patton straightens up and fixes Remus with a look. “I just don’t understand why you did that. We all could’ve helped Thomas recover, but you didn’t let us make that decision.”

“You did,” Remus growls, “you did make that decision, when you didn’t look at the consequences of your little argument long enough to realize what you were doing. That disqualifies you from helping. Go straight to gay baby jail, do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred goat testicles.”

“Yeah, that’s how I remember the game going too,” Virgil mutters. 

“It was going fine!” Patton pushes his glasses up his nose. “You just messed things up like you always do!”

Remus goes still. 

“Is that what you think I do,” he asks in a soft, dangerous voice, “you think I just mess things up?”

Patton falters. “W-well—“

“No wonder Roro’s so fucked up,” Remus spits, making Logan flinch, “if this is who he grew up with. At least Janny’s honest about being a lying liar who lies about things.”

Patton recoils as if Remus has struck him and Janus moves protectively in front of him, glaring at Remus. Remus returns the glare with equal fervor. 

Janus is the first to look away. 

Virgil just shrugs and glares when he tries to look at him and eventually, his gaze comes to rest on Logan. 

“Come on, Logan,” he says, trying for coaxing and missing, “surely you don’t think this is all necessary?”

Logan just blinks. “Do you think my opinion will be valuable in this situation?”

“You’re Logic, aren’t you? What does Logic have to say about this?”

“I’m confused, are you asking for Logic or Logan?”

Janus rolls his eyes. “What’s the difference?”

“The difference is Logic would be able to tell you how rude and inconsiderate you’re being without getting upset,” Logan says, his control over his voice beginning to slip, “I as Logan, however, will not. And I will add that you are being cruel.”

“Oh, for the love of—if this is about—“

“Yes, this is about that,” Logan snaps, “and about impersonating me, and about everything else you’ve done in the name of Thomas when all you’ve been doing is clawing your way into a better standing with him at our expense.”

“You get them, L,” Virgil mutters.

“Logan,” Patton says quietly, a hand on his chest, “I have never—“

“Oh, fuck off,” Remus sighs, “you pressed the ‘skip all’ button, and a shit ton of other stuff.”

“And, in case you’ve forgotten,” Virgil says, “you did just bruise Roman right in front of everyone.”

“You have no proof that was me!”

Remus opens his mouth to snap at him when he feels a familiar tingle in his fingers. “Why don’t we ask him?”

Indeed, Roman rises up into the Mindscape and Logan has to blink. 

Roman is glowing. 

Not just because he’s wearing white, there’s a soft light emanating from him that makes Patton and Janus take a step back. Although judging by the hunch of his shoulders, it’s equally likely that he’s glaring at them so hard they move back. 

“Congratulations, Janus,” Roman says and oh, that’s new, “I think I’ve just gotten what you’ve been pushing for this whole time.”

Janus swallows. “And what would that be?”

“Thomas is going to start listening to himself,” Roman says as he walks toward him, “he’s going to start paying attention to what he wants and what he needs. He’s going to start making sure he’s kinder to himself about that.”

Janus blinks. 

“That is what you want, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes?”

“Good. Then yes, Janus, you’re welcome.”

Patton clears his throat. “And why are you taking credit for this?”

Next to him, Janus goes white. 

“Oh,” he breathes out, “oh, oh, oh, no, Roman, I’m—I’m so sorry.”

Roman turns to look at Patton. “Because the part of Thomas that wants, that is the loudest about when Thomas needs taking care of, that part that Thomas hasn’t been listening to, is me.”

“Roman is the Ego,” Logan supplements quietly, “and he’s the one that gets bruised every time Thomas gets hurt.”

“Oh, Roman,” Janus mumbles, staring at him like he’s never seen him before, “Roman, I’m—I—“

Roman’s hands tremble where they’re clenched next to his sides. “I know.”

Patton looks back and forth between Roman and Janus, his gaze growing increasingly frantic. “But—but Roman, we do listen to you, we—“

Roman just lets out a mirthless laugh. 

“—you’re always arguing with us,” Patton tries instead, protests growing weaker by the second, “and we—“

“You’re so preoccupied with the fact that you and Janus are agreeing after so long that you’ve forgotten it’s your fault we’re all like this.”

Patton does flinch at that, his mouth open, staring at Roman. 

“It’s true,” Logan says, a little kinder, “you and Janus…when you started to disagree, you split us up. And your disagreement filtered down to all of us. And now that you both agree again…”

He trails off. 

“They’re telling the truth,” Janus says very quietly. 

Patton looks around at all of them. “No…no, no, that can’t be right, it can’t…no—“

Roman’s fists shake. Remus steps forward and pulls him back a few paces, muttering in his ear. 

“Don’t. We’re both bad about taking hits, you’ve taken enough today.”

“He’s not going to understand,” Roman hisses, “not right now, we...I’m done for.”

“You aren’t,” Logan says as Virgil nods, “you’re going to be fine.”

Patton raises his head slowly. His fists tremble at his sides too. “We’ve all had a very hard day,” he says instead of addressing anything that’s happened so far, “so we’re all going to calm down—“

“Aren’t you tired of being nice?”

The room pauses. Roman looks at Logan. Logan looks back. 

“Aren’t you tired of being nice,” Logan repeats, “don’t you just want to go apeshit?”

Roman grins. “Yeah, Specs. I really do.”

Remus cackles with glee and sinks them out.

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[sunder-soul]

As requested, a Part II to the prompt from @riddles-wifey​​ about jealous Tom!

PART I HERE! 💖

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

Jealousy

Summary: Reader tries to avoid Tom following their strange confrontation, fails miserable, a very different kind of confrontation ensues.

Word count: 1.5k Content warning: making out, nothing too serious.

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

“Something weird happened,” you say bluntly, falling into the seat next to Margot in Transfiguration the next morning.

She immediately looks up from her textbook.

“With Riddle,” you add quietly, glancing around the classroom to check for onlookers and potential eavesdroppers.

Margot’s brows shoot up and a wide grin splits her face. “Are you serious?” she whispers excitedly, leaning in.

“Yeah,” you mutter, pulling out your Transfiguration textbook and some parchment. “I think he thought that me and Varrowe were dating…”

“And?” Margot says immediately, so focused on you that she doesn’t notice Dumbledore stride into the room (which is rather impressive considering he’s dressed in vibrant lime green robes with glittering gold fastenings.)

“He got all mad last night when he saw us together, but then when I told him that I was Varrowe’s tutor, he…” You trail off, twirling your quill in your fingers, very unsure how to even describe what had happened.

“Yes?” Margot prompts, still grinning.

“He got all up close and… intense,” you mumble with a wave of your hand, feeling your cheeks grow warm.

Margot looks delighted. “And?”

“And nothing,” you shrug, dejectedly writing the date at the top of your parchment. “After that he just… left.”

“Sweet Snidgets above,” Margot says, shaking her head with a wry smile on her face. “You snagged Riddle.”

“I haven’t snagged anyone!” you whisper hastily, glancing around again. “And keep your voice down!”

“I’m so proud of you,” she says theatrically, completely ignoring your panic. “Merlin’s beard, wait until poor Olive Hornby finds out, she’s been planning their wedding since first year –”

“She’s not going to find out anything,” you say pointedly, narrowing your eyes, “because there’s nothing to find out!”

“Sure, sure,” Margot winks, “so what are you going to do?”

“Dunno,” you mutter, “I guess just avoid him for the rest of time.”

“Avoid him?” she repeats, looking scandalised. “Are you completely stupid? Why would you –”

“My deepest apologies, Miss Droope,” Dumbledore calls from the front of the room, making the both of you jump and wheel around in your seats as the entire class turns to look at you. “I’m afraid I must interrupt your conversation with the minor inconvenience of today’s lesson,” he continues with a sparkle in his eye. “Perhaps you two might find a time outside of class to continue your discussion.”

“Sorry Professor,” you both mutter, hastily bending over your notes.

Dumbledore resumes the class, but the side-eye grin that Margot shoots you assures you that you are most definitely not off the hook yet.

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

Your plan to avoid Riddle works right up until the exact moment that it doesn’t.

It’s a rainy Monday night about a week after the strange conversation with Riddle and you’re holed up in the library with the most gruelling History of Magic assignment you’ve ever had – a sixty inch dissertation on the contributing factors of the Giant Wars.

You throw your quill down and sigh, staring up at the droplets trickling down the dark window and listening to the relentless thrum of the rain. Your eyes are aching and your brain feels like fuzz – it’s definitely time for a break.

You get up and wander down the nearby shelves, vaguely searching for a particular text and fully intending on taking as long as possible to find it, when just like that you round the corner and see Riddle standing in the middle of the aisle.

You freeze.

He hasn’t seen you yet, peering attentively at a text open in one hand as the other traces down its table of contents. You take a slow step back, and right as you think you might get away without drawing his attention, his head swivels around and his eyes flash to yours.

There’s a very loaded pause in which you must look a lot like a deer caught in headlights.

“Evening,” Riddle says smoothly, snapping his book shut with one hand and sliding it back onto the shelf.

“Hi,” you say awkwardly.

“I haven’t seen you around very much lately,” Riddle says casually, leaning against the bookshelf beside him.

“I’ve been busy,” you mutter, avoiding his even gaze as you scan the shelves for the book you’re looking for.

“Oh I’m sure,” he says softly.

You grit your teeth and squint at the books in front of you, determined to ignore him.

“What are you looking for?” Riddle asks.

“Modern Gigantomachy,” you say reluctantly.

“Which edition?”

You glance around at him. He’s still leaning against the bookshelf, looking annoyingly attractive, the waves of his black hair contrasting with his skin, the fine angles of his brows above his dark eyes, the knowing curl on his lips as he watches you –

“Fourth,” you say quickly before you can get too distracted.

Riddle pushes off the bookshelf and is suddenly mere inches in front of you. Your heart immediately lurches as you take an instinctive step away and your back hits the shelf behind you. Riddle delicately arches a brow at your reaction, his eyes fixed on yours as he slowly reaches up to a shelf far above you and slides a book off of it. He hands it to you and you take it automatically.

“Thanks,” you breathe, staring at him wide-eyed.

“Of course,” Riddle says softly.

There’s another silence. Neither of you have moved an inch, and you begin to wonder exactly how many times you’re going to end a hair’s breadth away Riddle before one of you finally caves –

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he murmurs, a smirk building on his lips.

Your heart stops for a second. “You were jealous of Varrowe,” you blurt out.

Riddle’s smirk falls. He lifts a hand to rest on the shelf above your head, leaning over you very unnervingly. “Jealous?” he repeats sharply

“Yeah,” you breathe, slightly horrified that you’d actually said it out loud. “You were.”

Something works in Riddle’s jaw as he glares down at you, and you hug the book he gave you closer to your chest.

“And why would I be jealous of Varrowe?” he whispers.

You blink at him. Riddle is close, too close, his eyes raking across your face as he looms over you, something almost possessive about his hand above your head. There’s no mistaking the sudden shift in the air between you.

You’re leaning up onto the balls of your feet without thinking twice.

Your lips brush against his, so softly that the kiss is barely there, but enough to send your heart hammering as you pull back just far enough to check his reaction. Your cheeks are aflame and your lips are tingling, unable to believe what you’ve just done as the silence stretches on and on, as Riddle stares back at you, frozen in place with something you can’t recognise burning in his dark eyes.

The faintest frown appears between Riddle’s brow, and then slowly, very slowly, he’s leaning down towards you. Your breath hitches. His lips meet yours at the exact same moment that he steps in closer, crowding you back against the shelf, soft and warm, kissing you with a smooth, relentless pressure and you’re leaning up into it without even realising what you’re doing, thoughts swirling, heat on your skin, stomach twisting –

Riddle is pulling the book from your hands and carelessly dropping it to the floor, taking you by the waist and lifting you up as he steps in again, pinning you to against the bookshelf without breaking the kiss. Your hands card into the soft waves of his hair and his grip on your waist tightens as you wrap your legs around him. The first touch of his tongue makes you gasp against his lips, and Riddle’s fingers immediately tangle in your hair to pull you harder against him. Riddle’s mouth is moving against yours, hungry and unyielding, and you’re getting dizzy as heat curls in your stomach –

He pulls away very suddenly. You stare at him in surprise, breathing hard. Riddle’s lips are slick and his eyes have gone black, one of his hands still buried in your hair and the other gripping your hip so tightly that you’re sure that you’ll have bruises in the pattern of his fingers tomorrow.

“We are in the middle of the library,” he murmurs against your lips. It takes a lot to resist shivering at the sound of his voice.

“We… could… go somewhere else…” you manage to say, your heart racing so hard that he can surely hear it.

A small smirk builds on his face. “What about your essay?” he says smoothly, so close that your lips start aching to close the scant distance between you –

“I think technically I just had my textbook confiscated by a prefect,” you whisper with a flicker of a smile, “so there’s my alibi.”

Riddle breathes a laugh, and then his lips are on yours once more.

Thanks for asking for a sequel @bluehydrangea-cherry​ and @the-almond-dinger 💖

[greatwyrmgold]

Caught up on Ice Queendom (again), and...is it just me, or is Nega-Blake mostly winning her argument with Nega-Weiss? Nega-Blake keeps explaining all the reasons the faunus have to distrust/hate humanity in general and Weiss in specific, but all Weiss can say is "I didn't personally do any of that, don't take it out on me!"

I kinda wish Blake actually countered that point, though. There are lots of options, from "You're still benefiting from the continued exploitation of faunus!" to "What else are we supposed to do? Nobody else is going to fight for us!" to "Do you expect me to dig up the corpse of Big Nicholas to punish him for his crimes?"

But even without that...I love how Ice Queendom is focusing less on the White Fang's terrorism than on the genuine injustices that it's a reaction towards. You could argue that that's just because it's Weiss's story, but...no? Both sides of that conflict are equally part of Weiss's story. The only reason that the injustices faunus face are given more focus than their terrorism is that the narrative considers a few wrecked trains less important than the oppression of an entire ethnic group.

There are quite a few reasons I hope Toshimasa Suzuki, Kenjirou Okada, Tow Ubukata, and everyone on the Ice Queendom team that Wikipedia doesn't mention in the sidebar keep remaking RWBY under the guise of telling side stories. Their treatment of the White Fang is a big one! I could see it falling into the same traps Original RWBY did with regard to the White Fang, but things are looking promising so far!

(I also like the detail that faunus were forced to fight Grimm to defend the human upper class. I don't recall anything like that being mentioned in Original RWBY, but it's a neat idea.)

Other random thoughts:

The use of splitscreen shots is a neat aesthetic touch. It would be weird if just one episode or some scattered scenes were like that, but Ice Queendom uses them enough that it feels like a deliberate artistic choice.

Not sure how to feel about Grandpa Nick's presentation. On one hand, it makes sense that Weiss remembers him as a kindly old philanthropist. On the other hand, he built a company renowned for its exploitation of faunus workers, and that's not something that just springs out of nowhere. I don't feel like the Big Nicholas looming over the story gets enough focus to say anything as nuanced as "He was nice to his family but callous towards others"; it kinda comes off as suggesting that Jacques was a bad apple, and the SDC just needs the right Schnee plutocrat in charge. I feel like the best solution to this would have been to let Nicholas fade into the background. (For instance, cutting that dream-flashback-thing where Weiss talks with her grandpa, and replacing it with a conversation she has with some present-tense character. Maybe she could cover some of those points in that conversation she has with Ruby?)

Revealing that Ruby has some special anti-Grimm power in her eyes before it's absolutely plot-critical is a good idea! The implementation is weird, though. Ruby has her epiphany, her moment of triumph; then the Nightmare suddenly restrains her after being shot a bunch; then Ruby's eyes give her a different moment of triumph, one that feels a bit less earned.

The Silver Eyes also prove that the IQ team is, on some level, preparing to do an Ice Queendom sequel if it's greenlit. There is no reason for that double-reversal-of-fortune ex machina unless it's establishing the Silver Eyes as something Important and Magic.

Jaune defeating Weiss's internal image of her abusive father feels like it's symbolically significant, but damned if I could say what it means! He did it with the help of Silly!Pyrrha and the Silly!Weisses, the latter of which definitely represent the childlike parts of Weiss that she locks away under her icy facade, but I'm still not sure what the former means, symbolically.

[twjournals]

So Wrong It's Right

Sequel: What's Wrong is Right

Warning: dark!Peter Parker x reader, DUB-CON, manipulation, age gap, drinking

PLEASE READ MY WARNING BEFORE CONTINUING. I am not responsible for your media consumption. Any and all negativity will be blocked.

Word Count: 5.4k

Summary: You're an old troubled friend of May's. Your life consists of being a workaholic, a party animal, and bringing home the shittest of guys for a one-hit-wonder. Just when you get your life in order, you're knocked right back into your old habits. Peter has watched you suffer long enough. He can make it all better.

Your life was far from where you thought you would be. It was sad to say, but you were anything but a role model. Yet May still tolerated you, regardless of Peter. Maybe she used you as an example to show Peter what not to be or maybe she was just too good of a friend to leave you on your own. To say the least, your life was a mess but you could not be more grateful to have a friend like May.

"Peter, go get me a wet rag, please," May spoke quietly. Peter left your side once he helped May get you over to the couch. You were beyond the limits that someone should be drunk.

You were in a fit of hiccups, giggling to yourself as May bent down to take off your heels. You had far too many drinks, that much was clear.

"Maaay, you.." you hiccupped, "are suuuch a good.." you hiccupped again, "friend."

May shook her head with a sigh, taking in the drunken sight of you. She was not sure how you managed to let yourself get this far gone, but every time you would drink, this is how you ended up. Either you had zero limits or you loved to push the limits you did have.

"Pet-" May started to call over her shoulder, but Peter was already hurrying in the room with his hands full.

"I'm here, Aunt May." Peter reminded and she watched as Peter sat the trash can nearby the couch. He then placed the bottle of water on the table with some medicine for the headache he knew would come with your awake in the morning. He kneeled down beside you on the couch, pressing the rag to your forehead.

May only smiled to herself as she pulled the blanket from its spot on the back of the couch and pulled it over your figure. She didn't say anymore. Peter had seen his Aunt May take care of you many nights when you were so shit-faced it was a wonder you could still see faces.

Your head was propped up against a pillow on the couch as Peter wiped your forehead with the cool rag. Your skin was burning up. Peter could not help but wonder how you let yourself get like this. You were quite a few years younger than May, but it amazed him how different the two of you were to be the best of friends.

You were fast asleep in no time, making Peter smile as his eyes gazed over your face. He had always thought you were so beautiful. Too precious to be taken advantage of by the guys you went after. He witnessed many nights when you had told Aunt May about a new guy you had hooked up with. Everyone knew it was nothing more than a one-night stand, but Peter could not help but hate any guys that touched you only for only their benefit.

It was not until you had eventually settled down with a guy you had met from one of your nightstands that you finally stopped ending up on May's couch. You had moved on with your life, still keeping in contact with May every now and then. You were happy. Not just the sex but he was truly seemed like a guy you could see yourself spending forever with.

You had stopped drinking. You had stopped going out to parties. After the first year, you had moved into the city and got an apartment together. Another year later, you guys were engaged and everything seemed to fall into place. After 3 years, the wedding was right around the corner.

Your world moved at a quicker pace now considering all the things you needed to get done before the wedding. In between work and house chores, you were planning for your big day.

As time went by, you were so wrapped up in your own little world you did not notice the slow-burning flame in your partner slowly being put out. While your plans had been coming together, your relationship was falling apart. You had for the most part ignored all the signs and assumed he was having a bad day. It amazed you how many he was having. When you would try to talk to him, it seemed useless since you could never get him to talk about it. In reality, it all brewed into something bigger. It all hit you like a ton of bricks.

You had been working later hours than usual for extra money. It wasn't cheap, but you had told yourself it was okay to want the things you wanted. After all, this was going to be your first and hopefully wedding. You wanted everything to be perfect. You even tried to get opinions from your fiance to include his vision of it, but he insisted you were better at this sort of thing. You couldn't argue with that.

You wrapped up your work at the office fairly early so you decided to call it a night and surprise your fiance. You felt like everything was on track. One night worry-free was much needed. You had earned it.

You pushed open the front door to your apartment before walking through the living room into the kitchen. You sit your keys on the counter, placing your bag on the stool by the counter. You peered around the apartment for a moment. All the lights were off and it was quiet. Had he already gone to bed? You checked the time.

7:13pm

You were surprised you did not hear his game or at least him yelling at it. You started down the hallway to the bedroom you shared, staring at the closed door. Why was it closed when it was just him? You shook the thought a little too soon. Maybe if you had just thought a little longer, you would have prepared yourself for what was on the other side.

You pushed the door open just a little to see inside when you heard a faint moan from the other side. Your heart stopped. You stood in shock taking in the sight of the man you were in love with hovered over another girl in your bed under your covers. Your face was hot in embarrassment, anger. You were feeling so many things right now you could not think straight. You were hurt.

"Are you serious??" You blurted out, causing them both to jump to try and cover themselves.

"You're sick, Chris." She shoved his chest, pushing him off of her as she quickly got out of the bed. "He told me you guys were no longer together."

She scowled as she hurried to gather her clothes off the floor and pulling them on. If it were even possible, your eyes could have burned holes through the girl. You were in disbelief. Your jaw would have already been on the floor if it wasn't connected to your face.

"I'm so sorry." She mumbled, embarrassed as she hurried past you out of your apartment.

You were left to deal with Chris. You starred at him with tears kissing your eyes.

"I-"

You took a deep breath, shaking your head. "Don't."

"I can explain." He started to get out of the bed to dress.

"There's nothing to explain, Chris." You stared at him, trying to restrain yourself from coming across the room and punching him in the face for acting like an explanation could even justify his actions.

"She meant nothing to me." He started to walk over to you.

“You told her we weren’t together. How is that nothing?”

“It felt like we weren’t. You were so busy.” He tried to touch your arm but you shoved his hand away.

"Don't you dare think about touching me when you were just touching another woman." You looked at him with dark eyes, struggling to fight back the cry. He wasn't worth your tears. "I want you to get out."

"Get out?! Where am I gonna go?"

"I don't know." You shrugged your shoulders. "Maybe you could have thought that through."

He frowned, running his fingers through his hair frustrated. "It doesn't have to be like this. Can't we just talk this out?"

"No!" You shouted at him, making his eyes grow wide. You could tell he wasn't telling this as seriously as you. "I don't want to look at you right now." You turn to leave the room, but he grabs your arms to turn you to face him.

"Please. Look, I can- I can stay on the couch tonight. I'll give you your space and when you're ready we can talk about it. I was wrong for that. I fucked up and I'm sorry." You yanked yourself from his hold.

"You can give me space by leaving. Pack yourself a bag and go."

"I love you, Y/n. I never meant to hurt you."

You shook your head as your eyes wandered over the bed to where they once were before meeting his eyes. "You mean you never meant to get caught."

He sighed before hanging his head in defeat and walking by you to gather up some of his things. You didn't move from your spot. Only stared at the mess of a bed. The place you made love to him while he made love to another. You listened to the front door close behind him on his way out before you finally covered your face, letting the tears fall.

For days, weeks, all you could seem to do was feel sorry for yourself. You couldn't find the strength to get out of bed. No matter how many calls you received, you let them ring through to voicemail. Everything you had felt for him was in ruins. You changed for him. You let yourself grow for him and even that wasn't enough. After all the time you spent picking up after him, cooking, cleaning, planning, staying loyal for crying out loud. You didn't know what else he could of you.

You had called off the wedding in the time you stayed closed up in your apartment. Even took some time off of work to handle it all. You took that time to gather every piece of him scattered around the apartment and packed it up. You wanted to end this as painless as possible aside from the pain you were already feeling. You had thrown away the sheets and replaced them, even get a new comforter and it still didn't feel the same anymore to lay in your bed. You stared at your phone beside you as it lit up for what felt like the hundredth time. You finally sighed, lifting the phone. You knew without even looking at the name it was from him.

You canceled the wedding? It doesn't have to be like this. I still love you, Y/n. You were so busy with work and all the planning. You abandon me. Whenever I wanted your attention, you were always too tired to pay any attention to me.

It's like the girl I fell in love with was gone. Some time ago, you couldn’t keep your hands off of me now it’s like I have to beg you to touch me.

You're being selfish.

You can't be THAT mad, Y/n. I’m a man. I have needs. You were busy and she was willing to help. We can fix this. Don’t give up 3 years. Don’t give up on me.

There were loads more, but you could not care to bother reading the rest. You tossed your phone back down on the bed, rubbing your hands over your face. You didn't owe him anything, not even a response. The girl he was talking about was not gone. She was only on hold to plan a wedding by herself and it was more stressful than he knew. You wanted to forget everything that had happened. You wanted to forget you wasted 3 years of your life planning on growing old with this man.

--

You weren't sure how you had got this far and with that being said, May wasn't either. You had talked May into joining you to a night out at a club. She needed a night to herself and you needed a break from everything. Along with that, if you had stayed inside that house a moment longer, you might have gone insane.

"You're going to be hammered if you keep on like that." May reminded with a laugh, both of you clinging onto the bar and each other for the extra support. You thanked the bartender as he pushed your last round of shot glasses in front of the two of you.

You smiled, passing a glass to May before keeping one for yourself.

"We can only hope." You winked at the bartender who only chuckled before clinking your shot glass with hers and downing your shot.

Your throat was already numb from all the alcohol you had already numbed it with. May wasn't far behind you. You took your final shot, grinning and pulling May along with you to the dancefloor to get lost in the sea of people. You threw your arms around May's, moving your hips as you both danced to the music.

This was the therapy you needed. Sometimes you had longed for nights like this. You had freedom. You had no worries, aside from worrying who you might wake up beside. But you had fallen in love and even though you had grown up, you had not nearly grown out of this lifestyle. It was all too familiar.

"Hey! I'm going to the bathroom! I'll be back!" May moved closer to you, raising her voice to be heard over the loud music. You nodded, watching her pushing her way through the crowd of people to get to the ladies' bathroom before easing yourself back into your dancing.

You swayed, grinding your hips with the rest of the crowd. You weren't the slightest bit bothered to be dancing by yourself. You used to lose yourself on the dancefloor for hours days after days years ago.

"I've missed this." You heard a familiar voice speak from behind you, startling you when their hands landed on your hips with your sway. They pulled you back against them, catching you off guard. "I've missed you." He mumbled in your ear, sending chills down your spine.

You peaked over your shoulder to make sure your mind was not playing tricks on you. It wasn't. You prayed it was an old one-night stand, but of course, it was the one person you were trying to get away from.

"It doesn't work like that, Chris." You dropped your hands down to his on your hips, trying to push them off your hips but they only hold you tighter. "Get- get off of me." You gritted through your teeth as your eyes glared at him. "Get off!" You raised your voice.

"Now, now, let's not cause a scene. You've had quite a bit to drink haven't you?" He wrapped your arms around your figure, making your blood run cold as his body pressed to yours.

"That's none of your business."

"I'm your fiance. You are my business."

"Ex." You corrected him. His nose flared slightly.

"You really want to go there? You're nothing without me. You're shit-faced in the middle of the club and you can't even accept my help?" He growled and you pushed on his arms.

"I don't need your help."

"You're drunk. You don't know what you need." He spat.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted your argument. "I think I've got it from here." You looked up to put a face to the voice, your eyes widening slightly.

"And you are?" Chris didn't budge while staring down Peter as if challenging him.

Peter was reaching his hand out for yours. "Her boyfriend." You stared up at Peter in shock at how much he had changed over the years and he smiled reassuringly.

Chris stiffed slightly and you could feel his eyes burning a hole into you. "Is that true?"

You didn't take your eyes off of Peter, taking a hold of his hand and letting him pull you out of Chris's arms. "Yes." Your voice was hushed.

Chris scowled. "Wow. I wish you luck there, man. She's a real catch." He laughed, making you look down. You couldn't believe he was really trying to ruin your night when he had already ruined everything else.

Peter only snaked his arm around your waist, letting his hand settle on your hip while his eyes never left Chris's. "She certainly is." He agreed. He gave your body a warm squeeze, grabbing you closer into his embrace. "Now, if you'll excuse us."

With that, he guided you through the crowd off of the dance floor.

"You okay?" He finally broke the silence once he got you back to the bar, sitting you down on one of the stools.

You nodded, letting your eyes wander up to him as he motioned the bartender over. "I'm just curious as to why you're here right now. Aren't you supposed to be in college?"

He smiled as he pulled out his wallet to pay your tab and you grabbed his hand, shaking your head. "No, no. I can pay for my own."

"What if I insist?"

"You don't have to, honestly. I have money."

You started to reach into your purse for some cash but Peter covered your hand, giving you another reassuring smile.

"You'll have plenty of other times to pay. I'll get it this time." He reminded you and you sighed in defeat, giving him a playful scowl. He only grinned, proceeding to pull some cash from his wallet to give to the bartender.

"You didn't answer my question." You continued as he turned back to you.

"I'm still college. I just sometimes stay with Aunt May on the weekends."

"And you just so happened to be here?"

Peter chuckled, pointing in May's direction as she stumbled over her feet returning back to the two of us. "Aunt May called."

You raised your eyebrow, looking over at May as she stood beside you now. "You called Peter?"

"Someone has to get you back home." She reminded you and you hit her arm slightly, tilting your head.

"May, I could have got a taxi or an uber. You didn't have to call him for me." You scowled at her and she shook her head in a tsking manner.

"No, no, no. I called Peter so I can rest assured you got home safely and not by some random stranger."

You rolled your eyes slightly and Peter butted in with an awkward chuckle. "I really don't mind. I don't consider this anything out of the way. I'd rather it be me than some stranger or someone." He noticed him giving the floor a swift scan around the three of you.

"Fine." You pouted your bottom lip slightly before rising from your seat at the bar. "You guys make me feel irresponsible or something." You grabbed a hold of May's arm and pulling her with you to the exit of the club while Peter followed behind the two of you.

"Are you coming?" You muttered over to May and she shook her head.

"Happy is here." Just as the words left her mouth when you started out the door, you spotted Happy parked in front of the building to pick up May. "Peter isn't too bad of a driver." You stopped in front of Happy's car.

"Oh goody, rest secured." You muttered and she laughed. Your arms looped around May's neck, hugging her tight. "I'm so glad to have you back. Message me when you get home." You told her and Happy a quick goodnight before letting her go.

Peter led you over to his car, unlocking the car and opening the passenger side for you. You settled comfortably in the front seat, leaning your head back against the headrest. You didn't like how it felt as if you couldn't take care of yourself, but you were in no position to complain when Peter Parker had yet again saved the day.

--

Peter glanced over at you in the passenger seat from time to time as he drove the distance to your apartment. He tried to keep the glances quick to keep you from noticing. You were just as beautiful as he remembered. It had been years since he had actually seen you, but you seemed like the Y/n he still remembered. Not that it was anything bad. He adored you then, and now a bit more.

He had always had the hots for you for as long as you remembered. Of course, you never minded when you ended up staying with him and Aunt May. You were always kind to Peter and he did his best to nurse you back to health to take on the hangover that awaited you the next morning.

He had never forgotten what you said to him one day while you were sick from the night before. You had been clinging onto the toilet and he had taken the opportunity to hold your hair back out of your face to keep from getting anything in it.

You sighed as he rubbed your back in soothing circles. You leaned against the toilet miserably. That was the day you learned to stay away from tequila.

"I hope I meet a guy at least half as amazing as you someday, Peter."

No doubt did the compliment find its way to his cheeks. He blushed a deep shade of red. He tried to restrain himself from making a big deal but it was a big deal to him. Though he knew he didn't stand a chance right now with his age, it meant if he had been of age, he had a chance. He thought about it even when you had stopped coming around so much. He knew this was all a coping method for you. You were hurting then and he could tell by the way you seemed toward the guy back there that there was more to that counter.

He noticed your shiver as you stared out the window. You mentally cursed yourself for wearing something this revealing. You rubbed your arms to try to warm yourself a little. Peter reached behind him in the back seat to retrieve a hoodie of his he always forgot in the car and handing it to you.

"Here." He offered before fumbling with the heat in the car. He smiled at your quiet thank you, putting your arms in the hoodie and pulling it close for warmth with putting it all the way on. He tried to control the big grin threatening to break across his face.

"I'm sorry you had to keep seeing me like this." You looked over at Peter as he kept his eyes on the road. He didn't realize how thankful you were for him in times like this. It was embarrassing how many times this had happened but you were still thankful Peter didn't think any less of you.

"You really don’t have to apologize.” He smiled at her before turning his attention back to the road.

“I really do though. I feel like you’ve taken care of me enough. I’m grown, you know? It should be the other way around.” You giggled and Peter glanced over at you.

“I’m 21.” He reminded you.

“And I’m pushing 30.”

“You’re 28. You’re still young.” He chuckled.

“Almost 29!” You huffed as he pulled into the parking lot to your apartment. “My point is- you know what my point is.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at your frustration. Your age didn’t matter to him. He could always settle for his MJ, his best friend, but seeing you tonight relit the flame to his crush for you. There was just something about you.

He parked the car in the parking lot, walking around to your side to open the door for you. You slid your arms out of his hoodie and leaving it in the seat as he helped you out of the car. You could feel the shots hitting you all at once when you stood. You stumbled out in your heels, grabbing onto Peter’s arms for support.

“Easy now.” He held onto your waist as he guided you to your apartment, asking for your keys. He took your keys when you dug them out of your pocket, letting you in your apartment.

You couldn’t help but notice all the little things he did for you. You kicked off your heels at the door, stumbling over your own two feet again as you wandered down the hallway to your bedroom. You could hear Peter in the kitchen getting you a bottle of water from the fridge along with some medicine from the medicine cabinet.

You sat on the bed when you hear his footsteps coming down the hallway toward the bedroom. You looked up at him, pouting your bottom lip out slightly when you saw him with a bottle of water and medicine for the headache to come.

He set them down on your nightstand, noticing your pout. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Peter, you’re seriously too good to me.” You sighed.

“How’s that?” He looked down at you as he towered over you.

You motioned over to the stuff he had placed on your nightstand and frowning. “All of this. You- you really didn’t have to do this for me.”

“You’re right I don’t. But I want to. I would want it done for me if I were ever in your shoes.”

You laughed slightly at the thought of Peter drunk and you smiled to yourself. “I would definitely be there anytime you needed me.”

You thought back to all the time you had ever been drunk, remembering all the time you woke up to water and medicine from him. Only from him. Even a trash can in case you were to ever get sick, but you never got that with Chris. You always took care of him, but no one ever took care of you. You shook your head with a frown. You had tried so hard to hold it together, but it felt like you were slowly falling apart. He wasn't worth your tears, yet he was always the cause of them.

He kneeled down in front of you, tilting your head up to meet his gaze. “Talk to me. Everything okay?”

You couldn’t stop the words from coming out. “Why am I never enough?”

His eyes widened at your words. “You are more than enough and anyone who doesn’t see that, who doesn’t appreciate you and the things you do for them doesn’t deserve you.” He corrected you, his thumb stroked over your jaw as he held your face to keep your attention.

You didn't know what to say. All you could do was stare. Your eyes scanned over his face before stopping at his lips. Don't. Don't you do it. You mentally told yourself. You couldn't control the effect the alcohol had on your mind and your actions. You tried to fight back the urge but the alcohol only pushed down the buriers you had built.

Your lips smashed against his firmly, catching him by surprise. He was frozen about your lips for a first, in shock, this was actually happening but he surely gave in the kiss. Your hands grabbed at the back of his neck and pulling him onto the bed with you without breaking the hungry desperate kiss. His body hovered over yours as your fingers curled against his shirt, gripping on it. You knew it was wrong. It was so wrong, but you couldn't bring yourself to stop.

Your smaller hands slid underneath his shirt, brushing your hands over his defined abs. He was sculpted by a God. He knew he should stop, but he couldn't find it in him to stop. He didn't want to miss his chance to prove himself to you. He wanted to take care of you.

Your lips parted for air even though you left like you could hardly catch your breath when his lips started to kiss down your neck. Your hands tugged on his shirt until you started to pull it up and over your head.

His hands pushed your tight dress up the curves of your body, tossing it beside the bed once he peeled it from your body. Your lips still tingled from the loss of his and you whined quietly, your hand grasped the curls at the nape of his neck to bring his lips back to yours.

He kissed your lips passionately and letting your lips mold together. He could taste the alcohol on your tongue but it didn't bother him any. He had dreamed of this moment since he was a teen. Your fingers worked desperately to undo his jeans, feeling his bulge already through his pants before your hands pushed his pants off of his hips along with your boxers.

You were so desperate. You couldn't stop the whine that escaped against his lips. "Peter, please..." His cock twitched at the sound of his name falling from your lips.

He dragged your panties down your legs swiftly, placing himself back between them when he spread them open again. He peppered light kisses to your lips as he dragged the tip of precum-coated tip through your folds, not wasting any time to give you what you wanted.

You cried out as you clung to Peter's bareback, feeling his cock stretching you in all the ways you craved. You moaned out, letting him swallow them in a kiss as his hips rolled into yours again and again. He sighed in pleasure against your lips as your walls invited him in. You were even better than he could have imagined.

He couldn't believe this was actually happening. His lips covered your body in his kisses, admiring every part of your body as it sang for him. This was nothing like what you used to. He pressed small kisses against your bottom lip, nibbling on it as your core ached with a building climax. Your legs wrapped around his hips, causing you to gasp at the deeper strokes.

Your head fell back against the pillows, a loud moan drawing from your parted lips. Your fingers held onto Peter's hair as he hit that spot over and over, making your eyes roll slightly. You needed so badly for him to stop, but you couldn't bring the words to the surface.

"Oh my god..." Your core tightened with every deep thrust. His cock touched parts of you no guy had ever. You had never felt a climax so fast or so strong. "Please don't stop..." You couldn't fight the words from coming out. Your grip tightened on his dark hair, feeling yourself falling apart with an orgasm with every thrust.

"You're so pretty when you cum." He couldn't stop even if he wanted to. He was not far behind you by the way your walls sucked him in, milking him for all he was worth.

"Do it again. I want to make you cum again." He groaned against your chest as his tongue dragged over your hardened nipple, flicking his tongue against it teasingly before letting out a groan against your warm skin. He didn't want it to stop. He didn't want it to end. "You feel so good, Y/n..."

His hand reached between the two of you, rolling his fingers over your clit in circles. You gripped onto his wrist at the overpowering feeling. You were soaked to the core. This man made you crumble.

"I-I'm gonna cum.." His voice cracked slightly as your walls clenched around him tight In your second orgasm, pushing him over the edge into his first. His cum filled you full, marking you as he pressed delicate kisses across your neck while praising you in the process. "So beautiful, so perfect."

Your eyes were heavy with exhaustion, smiling to yourself when Peter laid down on the bed behind you. He wrapped an arm around your body, pulling you back against his chest.

It only took a matter of seconds for sleep to claim you as Peter pulled a blanket over the both of you tiredly. It was only a matter of time before the morning came to rain on your parade. Bringing along the guilt and regret that followed.

[itsallyscorner]

Baby Mix → Baby Holland

The sequel to Baby Mix

Pairing: Little Mix member!reader x Tom Holland

Summary: The youngest member of Little Mix has something to reveal after not seeing the girls for months.

A/n: Set in Corona times, I know London lifted their lockdown restrictions for a while then initiated them again after. But anyway, this is set around that time when lockdown rules were lifted. I had so much fun writing this! I hope you all enjoy it🥰

You felt a rush of excitement and nervousness through your veins as you walked around your home, making sure every corner was clean. You entered the dining room and double checked each plate, checking to see if they all had the essential utensils, a napkin, and a wine glass. You trusted Tom to set up the table, but today was a big day and you wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

“Darling, you don’t need to triple check everything in the house. Nothing’s moved since the last you’ve looked at it.” Tom teases you as he enters the dining room from the kitchen. He wore a tight black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with dark blue jeans. During the time in lockdown, his hair has grown out and he’s been working on his facial hair. You smiled at the 5 o’clock shadow that graced his face; it’s been known that he took forever to grow out facial hair, so to see that there was some light stubble on his face made him really happy. He was very proud of it.

“You look extremely hot right now.” You comment, meeting him in the middle of the room. His hands instantly place themselves at your waist, before one hand moves to rest on your growing stomach and the other on the small of your back.

“Is that the hormones talking?” He squints his eyes playfully at you. You gently shove him, only for him to pull you back closer into his chest. “No? I mean you always look good in whatever you wear. But it could possibly be the hormones?” You ramble.

Tom chuckles, his eyes gazing at you like you’re the only woman in the world. Well technically, you are the only woman in his world; besides his mum and grandma of course. But you were it for him, he wanted nobody else but you. Sure, you guys weren’t married, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t committed to you. The baby might’ve came before the wedding, but he will marry you one day.

“How are you feeling?” He asks you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Ever since the two of you have discovered you were pregnant, the morning sicknesses have gotten worse and worse. You were really hoping you’d be one of those lucky mothers who wouldn’t experience morning sickness, but with your luck it never happened. This morning you stumbled out the bed and into the toilet; today’s puke was probably the most horrible one this week, as gross as that sounds. Tom was behind you in an instant, tying your hair into a ponytail and rubbing soothing circles onto your back. It pained him to see you like this, he couldn’t do anything but hold your hair back, help you get your puke out, and whisper comforting things into your ear. He considered on canceling today’s event after you cleaned yourself up in the bathroom and snuggled back into the sheets, eyes red and puffy. Though when he mentioned on canceling, you declined immediately. You had both been anticipating today and you weren’t going to let some morning sickness postpone such a special event.

He looked at you concerned, scanning your face for any discomfort. Your lips quirk up to a fond smile as you kiss the worry away from him, “I’m doing much better than this morning, we’re both doing good.”

“That’s great, that’s all that matters to me right now.” He responds, pulling you into a hug. One thing you’ve noticed about Tom and your pregnancy was that he was very touchy and protective. Though he was already like that, it seemed like the pregnancy intensified his protectiveness, or just him in general. He was very alert of his surroundings, making sure everything was clean, that you were always comfortable, and that you weren’t experiencing any pain from the pregnancy. He was dedicated to making sure you were treated like a princess, you and your baby.

“You’ve got everything handled just in case they all come early right? I’m gonna head up and get dressed.” You pull away to look at him.

He nods at you, ensuring that he had everything under control, “Yeah, I’ve got it.” He pecks your lips before you pull away and head for the stairs. He watches your figure go up the stairs, just in case you trip or something, he would be there to catch you. When he sees you round the corner safely he yells, “Just give me a shout when you need something!”

He hears a faint “I know!” from upstairs and the sound of a door closing. He took that as his sign to get back in the kitchen and continue cooking. With the help from Sam, over FaceTime, Tom was able to get around the kitchen and make some proper food for your guests

~⏰~

You take one last look at yourself in the mirror. You wore leggings and an oversized knitted sweater that hid your small bump. You had light make up on, not bothering to put much since it was just the girls and you were all just having a casual lunch. You could already hear the commotion downstairs, Jesy’s contagious laughter, hints of Perrie and Jade’s voices, and Leigh-Anne gushing over some decorative piece in your house. You take a deep breath, preparing yourself to give them all the good news. In fact, they’re one of the first ones that will get to know about your and Tom’s secret. Your family and Tom’s being the first to find out the moment you both left the doctor’s office. The girls deserved to be part of the group who found out first, they were like your older sisters and have always been there for you since you’ve known them. They’re basically family.

You giddily head down the stairs with delight as the girls finally come onto view. Perrie screams, throwing herself off the couch and pulling you into a hug. You were stunned by the sudden force, though you tightly wrapped your arms around her, careful to not press your stomach against her.

“Oh! I’ve missed you so so much! It’s been so long, I hate being away from you all for months.” Perrie cried, pressing kisses onto your face. You laughed trying to dodger her.

“Let me smother you with love, I haven’t seen you in so long!” Perrie objected, hugging you one more time. “I miss you too, Pez.” You giggled kissing her cheek.

Jesy comes from behind Perrie and detaches her from you, “Babe, you look beautiful! You’re glowing, look at you!” Jesy cupped your cheeks then wrapped her arms around you.

“Oh my goodness, let me tell you, I didn’t even realize that was Tom.” She said when you both broke the hug. You burst out laughing, placing a hand on her arm.

“No seriously! I didn’t even know he can grow facial hair? I was expecting to see a boy answer the door not a man!” Jesy admits making you laugh even more at her genuinely shocked face.

“Are you still on about Tom and his beard?” Jade asks as she approaches you, Leigh-Anne right behind her.

“Isn’t it a shocker? I live with a man now.” You joke, wrapping your arms around Jade. She squeals, swaying the two of you side to side.

“Babe, your house is stunning!” Leigh-Anne compliments, hugging you and kissing your cheek. You wave her off, “You literally have a whole mansion. I still don’t understand how we have the same paycheck.”

You all settle in the living room for now, waiting for Tom to call for lunch. You could smell the delicious aroma of whatever Tom was cooking in the kitchen and your stomach couldn’t help but growl. Jesy eyes your stomach, “What’ve you got in your stomach? That sounded like an animal.” For a moment you were caught off guard at the mention of your stomach. You eyes widen for a second as you glance down at where your sweater was bunched up.

“Uh—I’m just really hungry.” You brush off her comment, face getting flustered. Jade playfully shakes her head glancing at the kitchen, “Has Thomas not been feeding you right?”

“No—he’s been absolutely amazing! Spending lockdown with him was a dream.” You answer chuckling. Perrie crosses her arms, “Lucky, I had lockdown with a football player. Do you know how difficult it is to live with one?”

“It couldn’t have been that bad?” Leigh-Anne chimed in, sipping on a glass of wine. Perrie huffs leaning forward in her seat, “I felt like a bloody housewife the whole time. I had to keep restocking my fridge every week because he eats everything—like seriously, our food never lasted till the weekend. Alex kept on eating my snacks that I had to start hiding them from him.”

“Are we not going to talk about how Jade found love during a worldwide pandemic?” Jesy mentions pointing at Jade, who has a teasing smile on her face.

She waves her finger at Jesy, “Nuh uh, we aren’t talking about that yet.” You gasp, “And why not?”

“We’re still getting to know each other, I don’t want to rush into things, ya know?” Jade’s face contorts in thought. “Like we’ve done a virtual date on Zoom and have been texting each other back and forth, we’ll see where it goes.”

“You’ll be fine and you’re taking things slow, you should be familiar with each other first before fully committing.” Leigh-Anne assured her. All eyes fell on Leigh-Anne then down to her left hand.

“HOLD ON—LET ME SEE THE RING IN PERSON!” You yell jumping off the couch to where Leigh-Anne was sitting. You sit beside her and take her left hand admiring the giant diamond on her ring finger.

“I can’t believe you’re engaged, I’m so happy for you Lee.” You gush pulling her into a side hug. She nudges your shoulder, gesturing to Tom, “You might be next.” She winked.

“You know, I think Perrie’s gonna be the next one actually.” You smirk at the blonde who rolls her eyes. “Like what Jade said, we’ll see.” She hums shrugging. Your stomach growls again making Leigh-Anne glance at your stomach.

“Oh my goodness” she laughs, moving to look for Tom. “Tom, is lunch ready yet? Your girlfriend’s stomach keeps growling!” You hear something clang in the kitchen before Tom pops his head out, “Lunch’s ready, I was just waiting for you ladies to wrap up the chit chat.”

You all move to the dining room where Tom had laid out the food. He’s made pasta, with some steak, Caprese salad, and garlic bread. Jesy makes a content sound as she scans the food on the table before taking a seat.

“I must say Tom, I’m quite impressed with the food.” Jesy compliments Tom. A proud smile forms on Tom’s face, his eyes switching between you and Jesy. “You heard that darling? Jesy just complimented me.”

“I know, I heard her Tom.” You laugh patting his chest. He pulls your seat out for you, then sits in the chair on your right side while Jesy was on your left. Across from you three were Perrie, Jade, and Leigh-Anne.

“We could eat now right?” Jade asks while reaching out for the pasta’s serving fork.

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” Tom nods his head at the food. You hear a whine behind you distracting you from the delicious food Tom made. Behind your chair was Tessa who tried to nuzzle herself between your and Tom’s chairs. Not only had Tom grown even more protective of you, but so has Tessa. The sweetheart trailed after you everywhere you go, she stayed in the same room you were in and would lay beside your feet. Though Tom was her rightful owner, she would bark at him whenever he got a little too close to you or your stomach. Tom wasn’t going to lie, he did feel upset and envious that his precious princess barely paid him any mind anymore. But to know that she was only doing it to protect you and her future sibling warmed his heart, so he got over it in an instant.

“Tess, no.” Tom softly scolded the dog trying to shoo her away from the table. She only let out more whines making your heart break. You placed a hand on Tom’s, “Just let her stay, she won’t bother anyone.” Tom nods and pats Tessa’s head.

Lunch goes by splendidly, it was full of laughs and catching up with each other’s lives. It was nice to finally be surrounded by your favorite people in the world after months being apart. Everyone enjoyed the food, complimenting Tom on his excellent work and not burning the kitchen down. Wine and drinks were passed around except for you, who stuck with a water and a small amount of soda. Usually you would also be drinking, clinking glasses with Jade as you down your drinks, but thankfully no one had caught on yet.

“Sorry, we’ve all been rambling about our experiences during the lockdown, what about you two? (Y/n)? Tom? You’ve both been quiet about your experience together.” Leigh-Anne apologized shifting the conversation to you and Tom.

“You could leave the shagging parts out, we already know what went down in this poor house.” Jade poked at you, sending an over exaggerated wink your way. You shake your head and turn back to Tom. The two of you share a look, the look, and make a silent agreement that it was time to announce the big news.

“Well we’ve been busy. You know, we’ve both been doing lots of promo. I’ve been promoting my new film and (y/n)‘s promoting the album with you guys.” Tom started, making normal conversation.

“Most of the time was spent resting, we took advantage of the free time before we have to go on tour and he has to go away for filming.” You continue. The girls nod understanding the situation.

“What did you guys do on the daily though?”

“Lots of puzzles!” Tom answers. “We had the typical move nights and shit.”

“We did lots of baking too!” You add glancing at Tom, who nods along with you. “We’ve actually got a bun in the oven right now!” You say, emphasizing your words. Leigh-Anne and Jesy share a look instantly catching on. Jade’s mouth gapes, her hand holding the wine glass going limp.

“After all this time! Thomas, it’s probably burning by now, shouldn’t you go and check on it?” Perrie scolds, turning back to the kitchen to catch a peek at the oven. She looks excitedly at you two, “What kind of bun have you guys made?”

Jesy’s eyes pan over to Perrie in disbelief, it was like the salad in the box situation all over again. Leigh-Anne holds her palm up to her mouth as the news sinks in. Jade swats Perrie’s arm, “A human one!”

Perrie’s eyes widen in fear, “A human bun? Like cannibalism?” Tom made a sound of confusion, his brows furrowing at her. You stifle a laugh behind your hand as you wait for Perrie to realize.

“They’re having a baby, Pez!” Jesy yelled making Perrie’s eyes grow in shock. The gears move in her head, “OH! Bun in the oven—BUN IN THE OVEN? You’re pregnant?” She screams shooting out of her chair.

You laugh hiding behind your hands. Jesy grabs onto your wrist, pulling it down, and holding your hand. “Wait, are you actually pregnant? You’re not tricking us?”

You shake you head, a giant smile gracing your lips, eyes getting glossy. “I wouldn’t lie to you guys, you guys are gonna be aunts.” You confirm squeezing Jesy’s hand. She gasps pulling you into a hug. Behind you she reaches a hand and playfully shoves Tom, “As if turning her into you wasn’t enough, you just had to insert yourself into her and make another one of you?”

Tom shrugs, though a smile was also on his face, “Hey, to be fair, you might like this one more than me.” Jesy gets up from her seat and approaches Tom.

“Give me a hug, you div.” She ruffles his hair like an older sister would and wraps her arms around him. Tom chuckles hugging her back.

“I know I give you a lot of shit, but I’m so happy that she ended up with you and not some dickhead. Congrats Tom.” She mutters into his ear, before pulling away from the hug and patting his back. Tom looks at her teary eyed, “Thank you Jes.”

“Wait—no! You’re our baby, you can’t have a baby yet. Stop growing!” Perrie cries coming around the table to engulf you in her arms. This time she was actually crying, tears of joy streaming down her face.

“But Pez, I’m already growing.” You giggle, pulling away from her to lift you knitted sweater up to reveal your small baby bump. The girls gasp, while you and Tom stare proudly at your stomach. Jade and Leigh-Anne join Perrie to hover over your stomach. Jesy looks from over your shoulder, staring at the top of your stomach.

“Can we please touch it?” Leigh-Anne asks quietly, looking up at you and Tom for permission.

“Go ahead.” You assure them. Jesy squeezes your arms, resting her chin on your shoulder. Leigh-Anne, Perrie, and Jade’s hands delicately come into contact with your stretched skin, fascinated by your little bump. Jade pouts as she strokes your belly with her thumb, “Oh, you’re so precious.” She coos.

Perrie rests her palm against your belly, “How far along are you?” You look at Tom over your shoulder, who’s been watching the special moment unfold between you and the girls.

“Four months.” Tom answers, the grin on his face feeling permanent as he talked about his little bean.

“Four months?” Jesy shrieked whipping her head to look at you and Tom.

“Yup, we wanted to tell you guys as soon as we found out but we decided to keep it a little secret for as long as we can.” You explain. “But then my stomach began growing and it’d be obvious, so we decided to tell you guys now since it’s still early.”

“Does anyone else know?” Leigh-Anne asks, hand still resting on your belly.

“Our families know, along with his best mates. But you guys are part of the first few people who know about it.” You reply. Perrie hums softly, cupping your cheek and pressing a kiss onto it.

“You’re the first people I’ve told who aren’t my immediate family.” You laugh. The girls began tearing up again.

“I can’t believe you guys told us.” Jade wipes her eye with the pads of her fingers.

“Why wouldn’t I? You guys are important to me and I love you all so much! You all deserve to know about it before everyone else.” The girls “aww” at you and pull you into a group hug, one of their hands still resting on you belly.

“I can’t believe you’re pregnant, oh my god.” Leigh-Anne expressed, her hand still on your bump.

“It’s hilarious how we were saying you were gonna be the first one to start a family. All of a sudden little missy over here gets knocked up.” Jesy points at Leigh-Anne before giving Tom the stink eye.

“Did they not teach you how to use protection in school?” She playfully teases Tom, back to her usual picking on him. “Or is your pull out game just that weak?” Perrie gasps, covering your belly with both her hands, “Jes! There’s a baby!”

Tom’s mouth drops, his face feigning shock, “You know, I really thought we were having a great moment here, Jes.”

Jesy scoffs, “Moment’s over—have you never heard of ‘Don’t be silly, protect your Willie’?” Everyone pauses before bursting out laughing at Jesy’s comment.

The night ended with the girls making plans of who would be the fun aunt and who would spoil Baby Holland the most. Jesy and Jade debated over being the fun aunt while Perrie and Leigh-Anne tried to outdo each other on who would spoil the baby with the most toys and clothes. Your belly was the main star of the night; the girls occasionally stroking your belly or pressing light little kisses onto it. As you both listened to the girls argue about who would be the baby’s favorite, you and Tom knew that your little baby would be in good hands with four amazing aunts to watch over them.

🦋tags:

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@waxingmoonwrites @slutforsebstan @starslazyandcosy @xkonpinkx @dummiesshort @gypsystuf @kielemarie @wroetospidey @thatgirlangelb @have-aheart @adayasgeorgia @xeniarocks @sarcasticallywitty15 @agustdowney