#but i think we've found a compromise that makes us more comfortable doing so | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rainbowtvz · 1 year ago

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Fire and balance for the self ship Wizard101 ask game!!!

@pr0minenceburn

fire;

sal: music! and art. both listening to/looking at and making it. we've made plans to have a jam session together when we can. and I also found a nice violin that i'd love to get my hands on and i think he wants to gift it to me. and for art, he's not the best at drawing but he definitely loves watching me do so, and paint. it feels like i'm bearing my soul to him and he takes extra care of it for me when i do :3

absynthe: definitely art, food, and gardening, more so the latter two. absynthe and i are both artists so we take turns showing each other what we've drawn, but we definitely connect more over gardening and our love of food :3. she has a big green thumb and while i'm not an expert i'm pretty good at growing stuff myself. i'm always in awe at how simple and easy she makes it all look lol. and as for food, well we're both foodies and the way to someones heart is through their stomach, supposedly.

johnny: music as well as punk culture and sticking it to the man. the way we approach this has similarities as well as differences, since he's more selfish and in it for revenge, as well as just being anti-corpo in general. wheras i am more concerned about fighting for the underdog, serving justice, and the environment and the future of the planet. we get into arguments about it sometimes because of how strongly we feel about our stances.

eddie: eddie and i are practically twinsies in the things we're both passionate about, ranging from music, alt culture, nerd culture, to both being queer in the 80s. like we have so much in common that sometimes we finish each others jokes.

john: john and i are still getting to know each other and learning how to navigate our relationship but we are both extremely passionate in our own ways, just in very different directions. we both care so much about doing the right thing. the way it manifests in our words and actions couldn't be more night and day though. it makes it tough to compromise and meet each other half way but true love isn't overnight and it takes work.

balance ;

sal: sal is the introvert and down to earth go with the flow guy to me ambivert head in the clouds worrier self. where my weaknesses lie he steps in to provide strength and vice versa. of course i don't have to go it alone and neither does he because i am also dating absynthe. and while he's not, they're still good friends.

absynthe: she and i are definitely two peas in a pod! it's hard to find differences between us in a way that we balance each other out. i guess it's more her energy in general vs mine? or the way we approach and handle things. she's more shy and introverted than i am, but not exactly like sal is. sal is way more reserved and harder to open up to others. so i guess i'm sort of a bridge between them and that world since i'm an ambivert. i love being social when i am in my comfort zone, but i have to go home and recharge too. and i always know that she's my safe person. i can be around her even when i'm low on social battery.

johnny: johnny has energy for days. like he is just. so extremely extroverted. and he's an asshole. but he takes care of the social and people aspect when i can't and he barely complains about it because he knows that i need breaks from dealing with others. it's more of a snarky complaint anyway because he likes to tease me and get me riled up. it's fun for him. he fills in gaps that i have, knowingly or not, and i keep him grounded and level headed. i guess it's sort of a moirailegence (or however u spell that) in terms of what a pale relationship is from h.omestuck lol. but definitely not platonic. far from it. when he's out of line i bring him back down to earth and calm him and he does the same for me when i end up splitting. he knows he can't get this kind of care and compassion anywhere else and while things can be tumultuous between us, what we feel for each other is real and worth all the headaches, and the heart palpitations.

eddie: eddie is also extroverted! but in a fake it til you make it way. and he's so good at it. it has me in awe. he's my inspiration and muse and my safe person, my home away from home. and i'm his safe space, the keeper of all his secrets and worries, and his voice of reason. i'm also his idea guy and second opinion that he goes for when he wants to pen up a new song or bring something new to the dnd table. the relationship between us is very easy going and light hearted, which is something we both need what with everything going on in hawkins :3. no matter where he goes or what trouble he gets into he can always come back home to me, and that's only part of why he loves me.

john: john is the business man. whether it's clean or dirty. whether it's his profession, past, or how he engages in relationships. his love language is acts of devotion and domesticity. he takes care of the spiders, of the things i can't engage with without becoming squeamish or nauseated, he takes care of me when i am fatigued, in pain, and/or sick. he takes care of me when i break down and he does it without complaint, because his love is unconditional, and it is never transactional between us, at least on his end. i always feel guilty that he does so much for me without even having to ask him and try to give back as much as i can, and he tries to tell me it's not necessary but i do it anyway. my love language is acts of generosity and physical affection. so i get him gifts that make me think of him or remind me of him, whether it's bought, free, or handmade. i make sure he's taken care of as well when he needs it. whether it's learning how to patch him or massage him when he's sore and hurting, or forcing him to take a break and let me take care of him. i remind him that i'm there for him every time i kiss him or run a hand through his hair, when i hold him, when we listen to each other's heart beat. we're sort of a shaky team when it comes to matters not heart related, but we're still a team.

#i kinda dont want to answer balance bc i just woke up n i dont have the spoons BUT ILL TRY #I HAVENT DECIDED IF MY S/I IN CYBERPUNK IS A V OR NOT BUT IM LEANING TOWARDS THE FORMER #i fele like im answering it wrong also but shhh take it. take the lore #selfship #safeship #selfshipper #selfshipping #safeshipper #safeshipping #sal fisher x s/i #eddie munson x s/i #john wick x s/i #johnny silverhand x s/i #if u dont wanna see this then block one of the above tags

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kyrodo · 12 days ago

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Once again I connect with someone I just met falling asleep to my pets and such and even talking about con stuff. So that was fun. And very cute. Mango... Ugh I hate his political stances tbh. I think it's too easy to dismiss nationwide protests when you're not living in the country doing it. But that's diehard asmondgold for you. If you can't think for yourself this is what happens. You just ride along someone else's beliefs so you don't have to think at all. This is your voice of truth, yet another somebody who doesn't give a shit about any community he's not a part of.

I like that we've connected. But I'll probably hang out with people like kippi and friends I meet there before I visit mango. I like that I am comfortable to talk to for him and I'll at least do that for him, but I'm not initiating. If I can give good enough advice to keep him from losing his boyfriend I would feel a sense of accomplishment there. Compliance is generally how I maintain mine with Red so easily, because I'm submissive etc. Because it is easy to poke fun at each other and interact with our master pet dynamics.

But I know communication is the big thing. When couples get mad at each other, a large majority of those conflicts have to do with lack of compromise, but more importantly failures in communication. It's always something like why didn't you tell me this, why didn't you say something, etc etc. Given how little I send messages I occasionally have that issue too. But I do try to sort things out when I do that and it makes Choskey mad or Red mad, I do actively try to maintain our trust. Spending time with each other at least semi regularly and communicating and maintaining a light atmosphere whenever possible, that is all there is to it really. Like it's not hard.

But I have a decade and a half of experience. I found it easy to just tag along with Red since I had such social difficulties and he was my only key to having a social life, as well as handling the more difficult aspects of adulting like driving. I looked forward to meeting up with him every chance we got because it made us happy. It always gave me something to look forward to. And I felt a warmth and closeness I could not feel from my family. I might be absolutely shit at engaging in a parasocial twitter relationship, but I'm good where it counts. Whenever there is a conflict I am always thinking outside the box of my perspective when we talk about it, whatever my grievances are, and if more people did that more people would have stable relationships poly or not.

I know keeping the full details of my interactions with Ronnie was not great, but when Choskey and I confessed, I told Red by the end of the weekend. I learned. I was scared what would happen but I remembered how mad Red was at me when I didn't tell him I was being harassed, hacked, or was chasing a crush, and he highlighted communication of all things, not the fact that I'd been letting my heart free. I'm lucky to have him cause I know not anyone would react the same way. But it is through pain and suffering that we learn and grow. Communication is the key, and obstructing that is how we fall apart.

And yeah, I'm still kinda ehhhh when Choskey is in his gremlin mode but I guess we'll see what happens. At least at the new place there might be enough space that laying down in vr will be easier among other things. I do have way too much energy at night though. And I don't always want to be locked into watching random videos etc, but I'll maintain a balance.

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chaisarinawat · 3 months ago

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"Chai, calm down. It might not matter to you if you got sick but it does to me. You've helped me a lot the past two days. You're the only one who could handle things for me right now without going crazy yourself - If you got sick, who am I going to rely on? I'm sorry that I'm saying this to you right now - I haven't found your replacement and I don't have a choice but to force you into this position right now…"

Chai's worried and pleading expression did not leave, as he listened to Khun Dan talk him down from his panic. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't Chai be the one trying to comfort Khun Dan? His boss was the sick one after all, not Chai, yet was still somehow more composed even in his weakened state.

"I wanted you to go home and rest not because I don't like you or don't want you around… I'm not your responsibility. I'm used to getting sick and recovering by myself. It's been an unwritten policy not to hung around me when I'm ill or staff will get sick, too. We've just had a bug going around the office. You can't be sick, too."

"Khun..." Chai sighed, exasperated, knowing that if he and Khun Dan continued this conversation then they'd probably be running around in circles. Both of them seemed to be as stubborn as each other, unrelenting in what they wanted, but one of them had to compromise so that they could make some progress in their day. Chai felt that it would have to be him, he had all the odds stacked up against him, with how Khun Dan was shutting him off from helping him around as much - though it was nice, to hear that his boss was recognising what he had done for him the past two days. The young assistant's cheeks dusted a little pink at the compliment, which for some reason had his heart swelling in happiness. He just wanted to help in any way he could, and it looked like his hard work was paying off.

At least Khun Dan said that he could stay. That had Chai's ears perking up, because thankfully that was now a conversation they could shelve. He was adamant on not going anywhere, especially with Khun Dan still being so sick. Chai could see it written all over his stubborn boss' face, all pale, eyes rimmed with dark circles.

Chai was asked to follow the crew and support them, to which the young assistant nodded, face still red when Khun Dan thanked him for being a big help. "You can count on me Khun, for anything," Chai assured his boss, hoping that the other knew he also meant taking care of him if he was sick again, and not just with the production crew duties.

"I promise to take the medicine as soon as I'm done talking to some crew..."

Why not take it now!? Chai wanted to whine, stopping himself from raising his voice again at Khun Dan because it would just be the same old story - Khun would reject the help in favour of speaking with the agent and finalising the contract. Goodness! Chai never remembered Khun Dan being this stubborn before! Strict, stern, punctual, hard-working, dedicated - but not stubborn like this!

"Alright Khun, I'll be around," Chai told his boss, thinking that's the best he could do at this stage. "But please, please call me if you need anything okay? I might not be your assistant like before but I like this kind of job. So don't hesitate Khun."

With that, Chai reluctantly watched as Khun Dan left to get to work. The best thing he could do was follow instructions and check up on the other throughout the rest of the day.

When about an hour had passed and dinnertime rolled around, Khun Dan encouraged Chai to eat with the team before leaving to go back to the guesthouse. He probably was looking to rest, even if he was not admitting it. The young assistant nodded, chewing his bottom lip from the worry as his boss left.

The dinner provided by the staff was great, but Chai didn't feel as enthusiastic as earlier, thoughts about Khun Dan and his sickness preventing him from focussing on the conversation. He mostly listened, still interested in the stories that the older workers had about past projects, chiming in here and there but mostly keeping to himself as he ate.

"You're eating really fast there Nong! Got somewhere to be?" One of the staff asked after Chai had cleaned his plate.

The young assistant glanced down, not even noticing how fast he had been going. "O-oh, sorry." He said, a little embarrassed. "I guess I'm just worried about Khun Dan, I want to go check on him soon."

"Why?" One of the female production staff asked, eyebrows furrowed. "P'Dan is always like this when he's sick, and always recovers on his own. There's nothing we can do except wait."

"Plus, this is when P'Dan comes up with the best ideas!" Another staff said. "Last time he was sick, he managed to edit an entire script on his own, and pointed out a plothole in the story that would have ruined everything if left unchecked!"

"I know, but Khun Dan needs to rest too," Chai argued.

"Are you still calling him Khun?" Another staff member said with a giggle. "You know you can call him P'Dan instead. We're all like a family here, he wouldn't mind."

Chai wasn't sure about that. He'd rather ask Khun Dan if he was comfortable if he changed to a more informal honorific when talking to him, but even that was something he wasn't brave enough to do yet. There was a bit of a barrier between them - maybe relaxing around each other would help get along better?

"O-okay. I'll try that next time," Chai said, mostly to get the staff off of his back. He stood from his seat, turning to one of the kitchen workers of the estate to ask for a bowl of soup he could take up to the guestroom. Since being awake, Chai still hadn't seen Khun Dan eat anything and thought maybe he was feeling hungry. With that in mind, he bid the rest of the production team a good night, leaving the kitchen with a tray in hand to take up to the guest bedroom for his feverish boss.

The moment he entered the bedroom he knew that something was wrong. Khun Dan seemed to have collapsed - on Chai's bed - and was calling out the assistant's name, his breathing heavy and laboured.

"Khun!" Chai exclaimed, rushing to the bed, some of the soup splashing onto the tray with the movement. He set the entire thing down on the bedside table before reaching for his boss, feeling the other's forehead. Chai's eyes grew wide when he realised that the fever had returned. "Oh Khun, I knew this would happen!" Chai whined, upset that he hadn't been able to prevent this with his warning, and immediately switching gears to once again nurse Khun Dan back to health. "Khun, listen to me. I know you said it's not my responsibility but this is ridiculous. I'm here to help and that's what I'm going to do, okay?" Chai told him firmly. "You need to take medicine and eat something - just a few bites, so that it works. Then you can sleep it off. Come on, let's sit up-" Chai was careful as he placed one of his knees on the bed to lean forward and help Khun Dan sit up, gently pulling the other so he was in a seated position by the headboard. It took a bit of time because Khun's body was so heavy and Chai was so small, but they managed.

Remaining seated on the bed, Chai picked up the tray and placed it in front of Khun Dan, wondering if it would be too much if he fed the man. He felt like he needed to though, because his boss had been awful with food lately and also seemed to weak to feed himself. "Just a few bites Khun," Chai repeated, lifting up the spoon to his boss' lips. "Please? Then it's medicine and bed, okay?" Chai told him softly, hoping that he wasn't overstepping his boss' boundaries.

There was a bustle of activity when the production crew arrived, with Khun Tar instructing them to stay to finalise the deal they wanted to make with the agent. He had asked Chai one more time if he was sure the other didn't want to come with him back to Bangkok, where he was needed to hold down the fort while Khun Dan was out of commission but Chai once again politely declined. He restated that he would remain here with Khun Dan and the production crew, assuring Tar that he'd keep an eye on everything. He might not be experience with the production side of things, but he could at least support by taking notes down and double-checking in the information so that nothing was missed.

That's what Chai did, throughout the day. He greeted the different people from the crew who had arrived, following them around with his note book and pointing out the kinds of things he remembered Khun Dan being interested in when they toured the place the day before. His boss should still be sleeping, and Chai was insistent that he remain undisturbed, even when the members of the team said they would liked Khun Dan's opinion on certain details. Chai told them it could wait until Khun Dan was feeling better.

When it was time for a break, Chai joined the others outside. The outdoor space at the back of the estate was beautiful, with one of the staff pointing out there was plenty of space to film scenes. There were seating areas too, some open and some covered with a roof, and Chai sat down to enjoy some fruit provided by the estate staff with the production team. He typed up his notes on Khun Dan's laptop, listening happily to the stories the older workers had about projects in the past and asking questions.

"Khun Daaannn!"

Chai and the others turned around when Khun Dan approached them, their boss looking as though he had just been on the phone. Some stood up to greet the man, asking him questions about his health and how he was doing. Chai could only frown - both an Khun Dan for being out of bed while still unwell, but also at the staff who encouraged this kind of behaviour by saying he worked best when he was sick. They had even told Chai that they were used to seeing Khun work himself to the bone, that it was normal for the other to ignore all these important health signs in favour of getting a job done. Were they crazy??? Khun Dan should be resting, not working!

Khun Dan, ever polite, thanked the crew and still continued to talk about work, despite his voice sounding rough and scratchy. Had he even had any water to drink? Tea? Honey to soothe his throat?

Clearly not, Chai thought to himself as he listened to Khun talk, making a mental note to ask the estate staff to make his boss something hot to drink.

It was announced that they'd leave for Bangkok tomorrow afternoon, and the crew invited Khun to join them, not worried about getting sick. Most of them would have been recovering from their own stomach bug, which took out a lot of the staff this week. Khun Dan however, told them to enjoy, wanting to go and check something. Chai was about to jump up and join his boss of his own accord, worried that the other might faint or something, but Khun Dan called him over anyway.

"Bye everyone, thank you for the stories!" Chai told the other workers, hopping up from where he was seated and closing the laptop lid, tucking the device beneath his arm. He had put himself in charge of it while Khun Dan was asleep, getting a lot of the more annoying and time-taxing tasks out of the way to make it easier on everyone when it came time to finalise the deals.

Chai walked alongside Khun Dan, about to ask him how he was feeling until the older man spoke to him first in a low voice.

"Why didn't you go home?"

"I told you Khun," Chai answered. He'd say the same thing over and over again if Khun Dan needed to hear it. "I'm not leaving you alone when you're unwell."

"I don't want you getting sick and I told N'Tar to take you back to Bangkok... I can have one of my crew drive you home. Take the next two days off, make sure you're alright."

"Oh, Khun, honestly!" Chai huffed, not angry but a little annoyed that he was once again being pushed away and told what to do. "I told Khun Tar to leave me here, I'm not going back with anyone but you. If I get sick, then I get sick - but I'm feeling fine right now and can actually help. Won't you let me?" Chai asked. "I'm worried about you, Khun! Did you get enough rest? Did you drink enough water? I left medicine next to the bed, did you take it? Oh, you really shouldn't be walking around like this..." Chai's voice was laced with genuine concern, despite the stubborn nature of his words. "I... I know you don't like me Khun, but please let me take care of you so that you don't get any worse. If you're worried about all the paperwork and contracts, I promise you there's no need! Khun Tar did everything, I've typed it all up and emailed all the right people, and the production crew are very happy. Everything is going fine. Please Khun, please rest. I can sit with you and keep you company if you want - but don't push yourself or you'll collapse." Chai pleaded with the other, looking up at him with his big brown eyes.

#dan006 #CHAI THINKING IF HE CALLS DAN PHI INSTEAD OF KHUN DAN WILL LIKE HIM MORE SKFJLSFA #BECAUSE HE THINKS DAN HATES HIM #AND DAN THINKS CHAI HATES HIM #AHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT'S PAINFUL XD #hope it's okay chai moved him around a little!!

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thesiltverses · 3 years ago

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Just finished season 1, and I’ve really been thinking: there are a lot of anti-capitalist themes tied up with the worship of…a lot of the unsanctioned/older gods, but of course we see more of the Trawler-man than anything else. In my initial listen, I also picked up pretty heavy aromantic themes associated with the Trawler-man— obviously Carpenter is aro, and this heavily influenced her initial relationship to the River, but there’s also Mason’s sermon at the beginning of Chapter 6 about the promised bride who runs to the river to avoid her wedding. I just wanted to ask if you could speak on the intersection of those two themes, (especially when it comes to that tale?)

This is a really interesting question and I'm not sure how well I can answer it!

The Promised Bride's story is meant to be riffing on the myth of Cupid and Psyche, with an implied comparison between the Bride getting married to a human (as a kind of death) and sacrificing herself to a god (as a kind of marriage).

I didn't necessarily see it as a specifically aromantic theme, then, so much as posing a challenge about how effective any of the setting's faiths can be as an individual escape from / a threat to existing power structures.

As the Bride herself notes, neither option is a genuine escape for her; either way she belongs to someone, and either way her present self will be destroyed and transformed into something far more confining.

And that is a significant recurring theme throughout the series; how do you make yourself a part of anything that involves other people - whether it's a family, a movement, a society, or a faith - without compromising part of yourself, without being manipulated or used (or using others), without becoming complicit in actions you can't excuse? Can you truly ever reconcile the gulf between yourself and everyone else around you? How do you build a better alternative to the capitalist status quo without resorting to the master's tools of disposable underlings, external scapegoats and unequal power, and without being swallowed up by those who will inevitably make use of these things?

And if there's no comfort to be found in other people, can you truly accomplish anything alone, or is it just a case of wandering off into the wilderness to die as a hermit? What's the consolation in believing that you have a personal connection to the true face of the divine, if nobody else agrees with you or can ever understand you?

And so there's a whole lot in the show about the characters struggling less with their gods than with the problem of other people, needing them and resenting them, working hard to connect with them or to impose their way of seeing things upon them, obsessing over lost and imagined familial bonds and roles...

(As an aside, I do think all of this plays into a wider preoccupation I have with portraying traditional relationships as a dangerous mirage that characters chase after because they've been societally conditioned to believe this will complete them and resolve the problem of themselves, when in fact the other partner can't be trusted / doesn't truly understand them / is in some way or another a ghost, and as such the relationship becomes either an anchor dragging them down or the cause of their own self-destruction.

Between 50 episodes of Eskew and TSV, we've had maybe three absent partners who form the basis of a harmful obsession, three onscreen relationships which have all ended horribly and with detachment between the two parties, and a vast majority of characters who are fundamentally alone. I am actually very happily married, so hey, it's a contrast.)

There are a lot of connections you could make with Carpenter around all this stuff, certainly when it comes to her loss of faith.

But we also wanted to be very clear about framing her aromanticism as a fundamentally straightforward part of who she is, and not something that the narrative is going to pathologise or pick at as thematic fodder or subtext. (Which is why she basically turns to camera in Ep 4 and says outright that it's not about her religion, it's just about her.)

Anyway, I hope that answers your question! Sort of.

#relistened to the upcoming episode and actually i don't know what i'm talking about #don't listen to me why would you listen to me #death of the author is so good and so important

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downwiththemutantnjnjaturtles · 4 years ago

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We Met Within This Screen (chapt. 4)

[Donnie x fem reader]

sfw, chapt. 3, pt. 4 here

Sighing, you set your phone face-down after sending your last text to Bo. What an abrupt end to something that had been so good. You were confused, a little taken aback and honestly sad. You'd thought the two of you were getting along well. Bo was smart, well-spoken, funny, and all around, a really nice person. He listened to your venting and seemed like he had a response to everything. Always, he had some random fact to hit you with whether it was about biology, chemistry, astronomy, language—you weren't sure where he got all his knowledge from. He'd never mentioned school, if he went. He didn't mention a lot about himself, actually.

People come and go, someone had once told you. You guessed that he was one of those passersby, as much as you wanted it to be more.

More?

When had you started thinking that? More what?

You were tempted to pick your phone back up, to check and see if there were any new messages. Not that you could expect much; Bo had been so curt about his exit from your friendship that it was left at his last text, "Again, I'm sorry." You wanted to say something, but what was there to say? It was his decision. A sudden, uncharacteristic, and frankly odd decision, but still, his. Thinking back on it, you tried to remember any instance you might have crossed a line, or maybe said something you shouldn't have. That's what made you open up the messages again, scrolling up and up and looking for anything weird, but finding nothing of the sort. It had all been normal up until when you texted him about the clamor you'd heard outside your apartment building. And then it went flat—he didn't even respond to it, just said his apology and his goodbye before going offline.

You wanted to take your mind off it with a game, but as you looked through your list and saw the one you and him had played together, you knew it was near ruined for you. It just wasn't the same to play alone or with your acquaintances. An otherwise boring game made fun by one particular person, but now it was barely what it used to be.

Unfortunate.

The next morning might have felt more normal if it weren't for the fact that everyone was pretending like it was. For the sake of secrecy from their father. As far as Donnie knew, Splinter still didn't know anything was or had been going on, and he intended to keep it that way, too. He wanted to tell his father, he did, but all he saw coming of that was reprimanding, or at the very least an awkward discussion, and possibly, time in the Hashi. He was already feeling the aftermath of his actions; he didn't need any more. Especially as he checked the messaging app one last time, only to find it empty, aside from her goodbye.

Donnie stood at the kitchen counter, mask off and groggy as usual, scrounging for something to eat. Maybe a cup of coffee (if they had any), which he was looking for when Mikey bounced in. Normally, his brothers would avoid him when he was in one of his "moods". He hadn't a passionate temper like Raph but a slow-brewing one, the kind that festers until it's alleviated or boils over. Cold quiet was his thing.

But Donnie knew why he was here. So did Mikey. He had that familiar glint of mischief in his eye.

There was no coffee, so he settled for some kind of pastry they'd found while looking through the dumpsters. Really, the item was fine—only the packaging and appearance was defective. It was a wonder just how much food grocers wasted over arbitrary reasons, but regardless, he was happy to oblige his secret sweet tooth.

From the corner of his eye he could see Mikey waiting eagerly for him to turn around and regard him. To listen to whatever he was about to talk his ear off with. Their youngest brother was more often than not bright-eyed in the morning, something Donnie's morning fog could not always entertain. He picked at his food at the counter for a moment, mind wandering back to his night and subsequently, the unresolved feelings. Dreadfully unresolved, he groaned inside. And they probably would continue to be, as after sleeping on what had happened the previous night, thinking about her, he realized something that made his face flush. Oh, no.

He froze in his place, suddenly very awake. He looked over his shoulder and found Mikey was distracted rummaging through the food for his own breakfast, and with a faint cringe, tried to sneak out of the kitchen undetected. No way would he admit to Mikey's words on the rooftop that night, the ones that made him flinch with embarrassment. The same ones that bounced around his head despite all attempts to stuff it down. "You like her, bro."

Things involving him could never be simple, could they?

Abandoning his plate, Donnie began tip-toeing out of the room right behind Mikey. His foot hit the leg of a chair and caused a creak—he winced. As he thought, Mikey looked back, "Why are you sneaking around? You didn't finish your breakfast. Can't go on patrol on an empty stomach, dude."

Before Donnie could even answer, he continued in a whisper, "Plus—"

"Whatever it is, Mikey, not now," he cut his brother off, "last night was the end of it, alright? You need to let it go." It sounded harsher than he would have preferred, but he felt the need to drill it into Mikey's skull that it was over, that it was just something he'd have to deal with. There were a lot of things they dealt with despite not liking it. With time, he'd forget—more accurately, be able to ignore— and maybe he could find the same enjoyment in his brothers once again. That sort of friendship. But at the moment, it was ruined for him—he got a taste of something more and it was taken away what felt like second later.

Mikey's face fell. Donnie couldn't stand that, seeing him upset over something he'd said. He had a bit of a soft spot for their youngest, no doubt. Just wasn't always obvious.

"Aren't you afraid you'll regret it?" he asked, voice soft.

Fear was a strong word, but of course Donnie was anxious. It was the thing holding him back from being able to simply compartmentalize everything, to put it in a box and on the metaphorical "deal with this later because it's uncomfortable right now" shelf. Or to deal with it at all, as ignoring his problems with studying and unrelated research and experimentation wasn't exactly prime management. He knew that.

After a while of thought, Donnie was able to give him an answer. "Well…I mean, how could I not be?" he inquired in return before leaning out of the doorway to scan the lair. Everyone was either in their room, the dojo, or there, in the kitchen. Mikey has always made him feel most comfortable, and he was sure that was the case for the other three, just that they had other ways of showing it. He was certainly easy to talk to; if Donnie weren't so careful of his mouth and what came out of it, he could probably spew way more to him than he liked. Mikey could come through sometimes, though, which prompted him to keep going, "It was a big thing for me. We've been disconnected from everything else for so long that it was just...exciting, to get a look into what it's like. Being 'regular', you know?"

Mikey sat down on one of the bar stools, feet idly shuffling against the floor as he folded his arms and rested on them. "You didn't hear it from me, but I'm a little jealous," he said playfully, but Donnie was aware that it was the case. "Maybe I'm pushing you to go after her because I'm trying to live vic–vicrous–v–…"

Donnie smiled, he couldn't help it. "'Vicariously'?" he suggested.

"Yeah! That," Mikey beamed, nodding. "You get what I mean."

"I understand."

The conversation died off soon after as Donnie decided to get breakfast over with and do whatever needed to be done before they left for patrol that night, darkness falling earlier due to the upcoming winter. It wasn't too cold for them to be out yet, though, so that still meant a chilly patrol in the Autumn breeze. He hated the cold.

As Donnie was making himself busy at a circuit board in his lab, he heard the beads in the doorway shift, and to his surprise, Splinter came shuffling in.

"Sensei?"

He put down his soldering iron, spinning around in his chair. "Something the matter?"

Splinter ran his fingers along a shelf on the wall as he wandered by, careful to not disturb any of the items lining it. Beakers, recently-repaired electronic parts, projects put on pause, things that would loathe to be broken.

"There is always something," Splinter replied enigmatically, "I would not be here if that weren't true. Would you agree?"

I'm compromised!

Donnie had a strong but hidden dislike for vague speaking, even if he did it himself sometimes. When spoken to you it's much more bothersome.

Splinter waited for his answer, looking at him expectantly. "Donatello?"

"Yeah, um…yes, I would—I would agree. I suppose. So...what is it again?" Damn his stutter, he couldn't get away with anything, hardly. He was only able to stifle it just enough.

Picking a random pipette on the desk next to Donnie, Splinter studied the green liquid close for a second before his nose twitched, and he put it back down. "You have been very busy lately, it seems. What is it that you work on all day in here? Or are you playing games?"

Donnie's heart thumped. His hand found that particular spot on his neck and began to scratch, and Splinter looked at him dead in the eye. He should have known; there was no hiding anything from their father, he was too good. Stupidly, infuriatingly perceptive. Donnie caught himself scratching that spot and slid his hand away, he hadn't even noticed he was picking at it again. He knows, Mikey told him, I probably look like a guilty idiot right now, I'm—

"I haven't been playing games," Donnie blurted out.

Quizzically, Splinter gestured at the computer screen on the other wall, which had the menu of the game he'd opened up just earlier. Reminiscing over it even though it had been only a couple of days since he and his friend had last played together, but he stared at the screen as if it had been years. It made him realize how easily he'd gotten attached to that. Well, to her. He was on the fence about whether he wanted to try playing again or not and left it on.

Oh, you have to be kidding. I'm a fool in a man's shoes.

Donnie laughed uncomfortably, "You caught me, Sensei," he said, "I guess I have been playing games more often lately."

It was honest enough, right?

Splinter hummed and cupped his hands behind his back. "I see."

Straightening out, Donnie dipped his head a little. "I'll...lay off on them. Sorry for lying. I've just been really distracted recently."

"Liars never prosper, my son. Take care of yourself."

He then left.

So he didn't know. Donnie still couldn't say it with any degree of confidence, because Splinter would trip them up here and there, but it was assurance enough to know that if Splinter was aware of what had gone on between the four brothers and his new—rather, former—human friend, he would have confronted Donnie about it. Or all of them, considering it was now a secret they were all in on actively hiding. And on top of that, Raph and Leo didn't know Mikey was conspiring. Layers and layers, he sighed.

With Splinter gone, he let out a breath of relief. Too close. Much. But, swiftly evaded. A chuckle left him, not of humor, but more because he was actually feeling a little confident. Just a little. They were really hiding something from Splinter; it was reason enough to pat himself on the back, nothing got past Splinter. Except for him.

Briefly, he thought of Mikey's outlandish idea as he spun back around in his chair. "Mikey, you are crazy," he mumbled to himself as he took his soldering iron, resuming his work from before. "But..."

Chapter 5

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huaxxian · 4 years ago

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Stone Skipping || CH2 ; 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯

Half a year had passed since [name] and Senku had been revived at the very same day. Experiments were conducted, their home slightly improved, but the two had still made no other progress with the revival serum. Despite that, neither had given up, instead opting to continue trying.

The two teenagers had been gathering sticks in an area near their home, each having an axe of their own. “[nickname],” Senku looks down at their form, who sat in the very same branch he was standing on. Said person looked up at him, tilting their head. “You brought the basket, right?” They nodded in response, silently pointing at the basket below their branch. He nodded thankfully, adjusting the sticks gathered in his arms.

He could see them move to take it from his grasp, but he gave a pointed look, saying, “Don’t you dare take it. I already made you carry three other baskets back home.” A pout overtook their face, but nonetheless, they nodded and sat back down as he cut even more sticks from the upper branches.

rustle, rustle

step, step, step

[name] perked up at the sounds, turning their head to look past Senku’s form. Not even a moment later, an oh-so-ever-familiar form popped from the bushes as he pushed it aside, breathing heavily. The smile on their face widened as Taiju’s eyes widened at the sight of the duo. “S-Senku..! [nickname]!” His eyes teared up.

I found them! They’re alive!

From beside the shorter teenager, Senku smirked at him. “Kukuku, so you finally woke up, eh? You great big oaf, stop making your sibling worry for so long. You don’t want to see them with white hair so quickly, now do you?” He quickly moved down from the tree, offering his hand to [name] after, helping them down.

Immediately upon the teenager’s safe landing on the floor, Taiju started wailing, opening his arms to hurriedly give a hug their way. Not even concerned in the slightest, all [name] did was open their arms, beaming right back.

"You're alive, you're alive!! Senku, [nickname]! I c-can't believe it.."

Well, if [name] wasn't the slightest bit concerned, Senku most definitely was. Placing a foot on his face, the male hurriedly pushed the shortest out of Taiju's way, which ended up being behind him. "Don't hug either of us when you're buck naked, idiot! I'll fucking kill you!" [name] gave his back a pat, shaking their head. "Sen-chan, don't be too mean. You know it's completely just how Tai-chan is." They smiled, turning to the said person. "It's nice to see you after so long.. I would give you a hug, but.. I don't think Sen-chan would let me."

Taiju returned his sibling figure's smile. "It's okay! I get it.." He scratches his head sheepishly, laughing it off. "I think?" They giggled in response, motioning their head to follow them, which he did. Starting their trek back home, Senku spoke, "As of today, it's October 5th, in the year 5738 AD. How long you planning on sleeping in, huh?"

He pointed at [name], who was beside him, skipping as they went. "We've been awake and working for over a half a year now." Taiju blinked in surprise, the information slowly processing in his brain as seconds passed. "Huh?" The brawn of the group looked over to the other brain, confusion evident on his face. "How does Senku know just precisely what the date is..?"

[name] closed their eyes and smiled at him. "Sen-chan just counted, is all." Senku picked at his ear, scoffing. "As if there's another way of keeping track."

Another slow moment of processing.

"..So then, inside that darkness.. the whole time, you.." He glanced at [name] once more. "Did you too..?" His tone of voice had softened considerably, and so had his features. They shook their head. "It was just him, and I knew even then." They smiled and looked forward as Senku pushed aside the branches ahead of them.

"Even if I was able to wake up through sheer willpower alone.. If I were to wake up without means of survival in the midst of winter and with no food supply, it'd be game over. That's why, in order to survive, it was essential that I start in spring."

"That's also precisely why Sen-chan needs an accurate calendar," [name] added, "He wouldn't be able to know otherwise, and luck would be too much of a risk to depend on." Taiju placed a hand under his chin, opening his mouth to ask another question when Senku jerked his head to the front. "Hey, we're here. Don't just stand around gawking, get your ass over here and help out."

Brown eyes widened in astonishment. It wasn't no fancy house, but it was stable and enough. A simple rack made of sticks and vines leaned on the tree's huge trunk, holding several stone spears. "I haven't had enough manpower. [nickname] was of great help, but I didn't want to burn them out than what was necessary. That'd be stupid, I'd be working the only other person in this world death. It took up to an entire day of just drawing up life and survival plans on my own, while they hunted for food and materials. To progress forward into some kind of civilization from here.." He trailed off, glancing behind him to where the two stood, listening to his explanation.

"We've been waiting for you all this time," Taiju pointed to himself, confusion heavily lacing his face. "Yes, you, damnit Taiju. We waited for you because we were both ten billion percent sure that you were alive!" [name] walked forward, now beside the scientist. "You decided to tell Yuzu-chan about your feelings prior to the petrification, and we both knew Tai-chan well enough to know that you wouldn't give up after deciding so."

"Especially not after being cut off in the middle of a man's resolve," he huffed and smirked. "You weren't ball-less to the point of giving up and throwing in the towel after just a measly thousand years!"

Taiju looked down, clenching his fist. It was silent for a few seconds, but as always, with them, it doesn't last long. The fiery determination they had gotten accustomed to seeing had returned ten-fold, and they could only stare as he agreed.

"You're damned right!"

The scientist of the quartet looked over at his assistant. "Can ya get him some damn clothes already?" His nose scrunched in disgust as he pointed shakily at the muscular student, earning a confused and completely innocent look in return. [name] laughed at his obvious disgruntlement, nodding. "I'll go get clothes for Tai-chan!" They waved before carefully climbing their so-called ladder and hurrying inside.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

It didn't take long before Taiju had gotten his clothes, and before [name] was forced to rest by the one and only scientist of the group. The two had bickered back and forth repeatedly; Senku insisted that they take a break, since they apparently wouldn't be getting a lot even with Taiju around. Despite his confusion, Taiju agreed with this, making them reach a compromise.

[name] would rest just as the two wanted them to, but not up in the hut. Instead, they'd be napping on a covered area on the ground near the fire Senku was trying to make.

"When we need to use our heads.. I'll leave the thinking up to the two of you, Senku." Taiju glanced at his napping sibling. "And when we need to use our bodies.. you leave that to me." Senku glanced over as well. They looked comfortable enough, not at all irritated by the grass or the fire crackling nearby. Sleeping like a baby, they simultaneously thought, amused.

Senku turned towards Taiju once more. The time humanity took to climb from the stone age to our previous civilization.. was two million years. But, we're going to dash all the way back to the top all at once. "We'll take back the world and I'll identify the scientific cause on why we turned into stone, and how we were revived.. with the help of [name]."

Careful not to shout as he usually does, Taiju nodded and added, "And then.. I'll save Yuzuriha!"

"Three high school kids.. are going to build civilization from zero. We'll become the Adam and Eve of this world." Senku smirked widely, standing up and placing his hands on his waist. "Now, things are starting to get exciting!"

The two were calm and quite frankly, inspired by each other's goals, only to panic as [name] sleepily moved around, adjusting their place during their sleep. They covered each other's mouths and stared worriedly down at the shortest of them three, but fortunately, they didn't wake up. Taiju and Senku looked at each other and nodded, vowing not to cause anymore noise.

Senku pointed at their tree house and mouthed, "Bring them up." The other caught on to this instantly and carefully scooped them up in his arms, making sure that they were comfortable and left asleep. Then, without much difficulty, Taiju brought them upstairs, his friend following in tow. He placed them down on their make-shift bed, pulling the extra animal skin they had used as a blanket over them not long after, patting their head affectionately.

Taiju blinked and turned to Senku. "Wait, so was it just you guys this whole time?" The male in question raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, it's just been us." Taiju stared at him, expecting him to say something. "Why are you staring at me like that for??" He opened his mouth, pointing as he whispered, "You didn't tell them about your fee—"

Senku quickly put a zip on his mouth, grumbling.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

The next morning, [name] had woken up to Senku and Taiju still sleeping. It must be pretty early still.. They pushed the blanket away from their form, standing up silently. The teen carefully walked down the ladder, keeping an eye out on the two until they were out of their vision. A yawn escaped their mouth as they stretched their arms and shoulders, shaking their head as they did. What to do..?

[eye color] eyes looked around. They could go hunting for food like mushrooms and animals, but it would be more efficient for Taiju to do it, because he was literal brawn. Though, maybe I should come with Tai-chan later on if he does end up gathering food.. He might take poisonous mushrooms along. [name] could make more jars or baskets, but Senku would most definitely scold them for working too hard. Again.

Honestly, they can't see what he's talking about.

So instead, they opted to walk towards the high school primate's statue. If they could remember correctly, which they could, Tsukasa Shishio's statue was not too far from Yuzuriha and the camphor tree.

True to their memory, it really wasn't far. No animals in sight, nor any other statues in his area. Nature's green, green, and more green is all that could be seen. Pretty, [name] smiled to themselves, gathering the bunch of dahlias and other flowers into their arms. Without much struggle at all, they weaved the bunch into a gorgeous flower crown, one that would surely fit snugly on Tsukasa's head.

They brought it on the male's head, fixing the vines and the petals softly, making sure that his vision wasn't obscured whatsoever. Next, they took a few steps back, admiring their work. As I thought, it does fit Tsuka-chan. [name] nodded in approval and sat down on a nearby root, humming a song they especially liked from back then.

I wonder how everything became like this.. A time-lapse would be interesting to see.

They looked down on the dirt. It was devoid of rocks, unlike the last few areas they've been in. Upon realizing, the teen immediately takes a stick and begins drawing on the ground. Three pairs of nubs.. three heads too. Leek for hair, spiky hair, wavy hair.. Rocket ship. Proud, they grinned and tilted their head, staring down at their work.

It wasn't the best of art, of course. It was merely three little chubby figures that represented the trio that they so deeply treasured. Their proud green faded, and soon, a frown had taken its place. Something's missing.. Quickly, [name] erased the rocket ship outline with their foot to make space. Then, without a shadow of a doubt, they added one more figure.

Long hair and buffy arms.. It's Tsuka-chan!

The grin from before returned anew. The rocket ship outline was quickly drawn again, and for this time, they were satisfied.

"I wonder if Tai-chan is already awake.. or Sen-chan.." They yawned and stood up, brushing away the not-so imaginary dirt around of their skirt. [eye color] eyes glanced behind to check on the statue one last time before smiling. "I'll see you soon, Tsuka-chan.."

With that, they turned back, walking back home.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

When they had arrived, the two were already awake and kicking, arranging their respective areas. Taiju had noticed them first, and with a happy shout, had alerted Senku as well. "You're back," the scientist nodded towards them in greeting. In contrast to his reaction, Taiju immediately got down from their little hut and bounded towards his sibling, hugging them tightly.

"Keep hugging them like that and they'll run out of air, you big idiot." Senku retorted as he followed suit, albeit less enthusiastically and more calmly. [name] only smiled in return, patting the taller on the back. "Big oaf, you up for gathering food?" Enthusiastically, the male in mention nodded his head, quickly taking a basket from nearby. [eye color] eyes glanced at the scientist, as if waiting.

Feeling their expectant stare, Senku snickered and picked at his ear with his pinky. "Of course, you're joining him too [nickname]. Keep him out of trouble, and make sure the idiot doesn't get himself attacked or poisoned." He pressed a hand against his mouth, as if trying to block the snickers.

Not that he was actually trying, though. It was actually the opposite.

Satisfied and amused, [name] closed their eyes and smiled, taking a basket as well. Taiju immediately dashes off, leaving a trail of dust behind him, and causing it to spread everywhere. [name] coughed and looked away from all the sand and dust before waving at the scientist. "We'll make sure not to take too long, Sen-chan.."

Senku gave another nod before turning away. The [hair color]-haired teen hurried, and with some effort, was able to catch Taiju before he could get too far from them.

"[nickname], what should we gather first?" [eye color] eyes looked around cautiously, taking in the environment. From what they could tell, there were some pigs nearby. The rustling as well as their familiar grunts is what gave it away. They quickly pressed a finger to their mouth, to which Taiju immediately silenced himself, waiting for their next order.

"There are pigs nearby. We don't know where the mushrooms are at right now, and since the pigs seem to be a closer choice, let's go with that.." [name] spoke as softly as they could, but loud enough for Taiju to still understand their message. He nodded in determination and moved to single-handedly take any pig on, but stopped as they placed a pale hand on their arm, halting him in his position. He looked towards his sibling in confusion, tilting his head.

[name] smiled at him and shook their head, motioning him to stay still, so he did. Taiju watched curiously as the teen quietly grabbed onto a branch and pulled their upper body up, causing them to now stand. Surprisingly enough, despite all the movement, the rustle of leaves seemed natural, as if it was just a rustle of the wind and not a teenager climbing a tree. He could only watch as [name] looked down at him from their position above, saying, "Please stay here, Tai-chan.. I'll bring them to you, so brace yourself to catch one or two, okay?"

Taiju beamed up at them. "Okay." He responded, lowering his stance and opening his arms wide. His sibling smiled at his determination and switched from tree to tree, getting closer to the area of the pigs, as evidenced by the growing sound of grunts. Few adults.. few young ones, [name] mused to themselves. Some squeals were pitched, but majority weren't.

I can't overwhelm Tai-chan with too many pigs. I can't trap them when they're this close either. The very best I can do is to get one or two younger pigs.. But how do I? They glanced around. They moved to another tree, one that was to the left of the pigs. Tai-chan is to the right. The pigs can't move to the north, there's no entrance or exit there. It's blocked. [name] quickly stood still and observed keenly from above.

There were four adults, but only two piglets to be seen. Sen-chan would be satisfied with one, or at the very most, two of them.

And so, they formulated a plan.

Without further a do, they dropped from the tree, not bothering to cover the noise. The pigs became alert, and soon enough, their eyes had caught on to the teen's form. They grew increasingly loud in sound and scattered, moving towards their left, the other remaining direction for escape. Quickly reacting, [name] ran towards the two mini-groups (stomping and making loud noise with their feet all the while), forcing the piglets to separate from their adults. This time, they moved towards Taiju's direction, just as they had planned.

[name] immediately began creating even more noise, as well as increasing their speed. In panic, the pigs hurried even closer towards Taiju's direction.

Any moment now. [eye color] eyes made contact with familiar brown ones, and they nodded. Taiju shouted as he tackled the two piglets into his grasp, making the shorter of the two smile and stop abruptly. With heavy breathing, they helped him place one piglet in each of their baskets.

"That was a good idea, [nickname]!" Taiju laughed and gave them a particularly hard pat on the back in congratulations, causing them to lose all the air they had regained and double over, coughing all the while.

"Ack— I'm sorry [nickname]!!"

"Wow, you guys got so much," Senku stared down at the two's baskets, which now sat on the floor. "You got some crazy cheats going with your endurance there, Taiju.." He trailed off as he glanced to his assistant. "You didn't just dash wherever did you? [nickname] looks like they went through a hurricane." The scientist laughed as he pointed at them.

He wasn't wrong there. The poor [hair color]-haired teen had their hair all over their face, with tangles way more than they'd like. Leaves, petals, and even sand had gotten into their hair as well; Senku could only wonder what the hell Taiju had put them through to come back this haggard. [name] only smiled patiently as Taiju turned red in embarrassment, causing him to laugh even more.

"He did exactly that, actually.." Their words only made Taiju shout apologies, to which they shook their head at in amusement. "I couldn't stop him at all, sorry Sen-chan.." They chuckled and jokingly bowed their head in apology. Senku snickered again and walked towards them, patting away all the sand away from their hair. He removed the leaves and petals along the way, tugging gently at the strands that had gotten tangled.

"Don't you worry about it at all. I can't blame you when he's like this." He ignored Taiju's pouting at the side and only continued fixing his [hair color]-haired friend's head. It didn't take much arranging to actually clean [name] up, and soon enough, all was well. They smiled at him gratefully and he returned it slightly before backing away and moving towards the baskets.

Taiju watched in curiosity as he sat on the ground, expecting him to do something completely different, only to see him blatantly separating what they had found. [name], on the other hand, watched in amusement at their brother's reaction as Senku began listing them all off. "Amanita virosa, poisonous! Hypsizygus tessellatus, brown clamshell, edible! Amanita muscaria, Fly agaric, poisonous! Can't you just tell that thing's no good?! It looks like it came from Mario!"

With every mentioned name, Taiju's confused and aghast expression worsened, making them chuckle. "Calm down, Sen-chan.. That was a pretty good haul for the first time. I'm sure Tai-chan will take that into mind next time?" The two looked over to him. One stare was filled with doubt, and the other was one of utter patience and belief. Taiju doesn't respond, only choosing to blink at them in confusion. Senku sighed, "He probably won't, you know. Oh well, I'll bid you good luck when the time comes."

The scientist takes a few of the edible mushrooms and placed them on the sticks over the fire. The trio surrounded the fire they had made in silence, waiting for Senku's word. He first handed a decent-sized one over to Taiju, then proceeded to give an even bigger mushroom to the other teen. [name] blinked slowly as Senku gave them a stern glance. "Get some more fat in your bones, you look like you could get blown away by the wind any moment now."

From beside the [hair color]-haired teen, Taiju also added, "You always ate too less during lunch time too! Get some more food!" He immediately begins handing more mushrooms over to them, with Senku following right away. "I don't think I can stomach t-this much, you two.." [name] gently pushed the food away and just stuck with the one the scientist had given them. "But, I guess I can try eating this one at least..?" they smiled.

It wasn't the best compromise, but it satisfied the two males enough to leave them alone for now. Taiju took the first bite, making [name] and Senku stare expectantly. "D-Delicious!" He shouted in glee, "What'd you season these with?!" Senku grinned and begin taking normal-sized bites into his food as well.

"Just regular old salt that [nickname] and I extracted from the sea water. With just salt added, humans can eat just about anything. Salt is also indispensable when preserving food, and probably was the primitive man's greatest discovery." He explained. Taiju, upon finishing his mushroom, thanked the male whole-heartedly. "For all the things things I'd never be able to figure out! Both of you. I'll repay you in kind with determination and strength!"

He then finished his food and stood up, puffing his chest out in determination. Without even a warning, he took a basket and scurried off, shouting, "All right!! Time to go gather on the back side!"

Senku had opened his mouth to tell him that it was okay, but he had already been too far from their sight. He shook his head and turned to his side, where they sat with an amused smile and a still completely unfinished mushroom. "I don't get how you can keep up with him. He has too much stamina, he has got to be cheating with something." He grumbled, and gathered the sticks his friend had left into his hands. "Should you really be asking me that, Sen-chan? You have known them longer than I have, if anything, I'm surprised you've survived this long.." [name] chuckled and continued eating.

"Speaking of which, the back side is near towards the cave where you came from, right, Sen-chan?" The scientist hummed in confirmation. "Yeah, why?" He glanced over his shoulder, seeing them stand up and brush away any dirt that could have gotten on their skirt. "Maybe we should follow Tai-chan, he might assume there's someone else out there aside from us if he sees the pot.." Not expecting it, Senku let out an amused scoff. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did, he is a big oaf after all. Sure, let's go. His mind can go to absurd places and it'd be easier to explain when we're there."

[ Author's Note ] // So far, these are all the chapters I've pulled from quotev. As of this very moment, I'm working on two separate chapters: a 100-hearts special, and the next regular chapter. For those of you who found this in Tumblr, I made a poll before on what the readers would like for the special. As it turns out, 'Crossover Traveling' won. No one really expressed what they wanted aside from my friends, who I asked personally. I ended up choosing Kimetsu no Yaiba as your destination. That's all for this note, thank you so much for reading, and for your time!

#dr stone #dr stone x reader #anime #x reader #senku ishigami #gen asagiri #shishio tsukasa #tsukasa shishio #fanfiction #chrome dr stone #dr stone ukyo #dr stone ryusui #dr stone kinro #dr stone ginro #dr stone ruri #kohaku dr stone

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underworldbar · 3 years ago

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It's been a long, long day. The heat is becoming intolerable and though I'm no longer down in the mine, running a company is still long, hard work. The sun is going down as I return home, but the days are drawing out longer so I know it's nowhere near as early as it seems, and I'm prepared to make an apology to my betrothed for staying away for so long.

If I'm honest, since Persephone has come into my life and my home... work appeals less and less to me. I can see now that I used it as a distraction; something to keep me occupied and out of that empty home. But now my home is full of light and softness, flowers and gentle singing and this beautiful energy that Persephone brings. I'm now relishing coming home because I know she'll be there. We're learning how to coexist - I've made a conscious effort to adopt manners that I had long since forgotten because I know that these formalities make Persephone comfortable, and I like to think that she's learning to... unwind. To be a little more free, to adjust to Elysium.

I'm also making a conscious effort to not push her. I don't want to make Persephone uncomfortable, and as much as I would like to do more with her - kiss her deeper, feel her skin against mine, even take her to bed - I know that waiting until marriage is the done thing in the civilised world and I won't push her into intimacy before she's ready. But regardless of how far we go, kissing her is my new favourite thing - that and making her blush as I tell her how sweet she is. That's what I look forward to the most about coming home these days; the soft kisses from my fiancée and her cheeks going pink.

I hang up my jacket and my hat as I walk through the door, immediately feeling lighter. We keep most of the doors and windows open this time of year, trying to cool the house down - Persephone isn't used to the heat out here and even though I'm used to it, I don't like it. But propriety dictates that I shouldn't, for example, wander around the house with my shirt off, so we've found a way to cool the house somewhat without me... compromising Persephone in some way. I can hear talking coming from the drawing room and I remember that I allowed Hecate to come over to help March with their aches and pains. I don't pretend to know how Hecate's needles work, but they do seem to work so there's no harm in allowing her to use them to help March.

It's easy enough to feel comfortable with these people in my house. For a start, it's our house - Persephone's and mine. Hecate is my oldest friend, eternally by my side, and March is Persephone's closest companion. It's... nice. Pleasant. Having a home filled with company, constant comings and goings, Electra staying when she's in town as well as visits from March and Hecate... I like the company more than I ever thought I would. And I think it helps Persephone as well - I don't like the idea of her being alone in such a big house whilst I'm at work.

Ordinarily I would join them. Settle into the sofa beside my fiancée whilst Hecate tells some story or March makes everybody laugh so hard that we can't breathe. But today has been so long and hard that I'm not sure I'd be very good company. What I need is a cold drink and a cigarette, but nothing is cold these days - I settle for whiskey, heading out to the back porch and lighting a cigarette. Tonight... tonight is a night where I wish more than ever that Persephone would come to bed with me. Not so that we could... enjoy each other, but so that I could feel the comfort of closeness. To fall asleep with her in my arms and wake up feeling her body against mine.

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karlajoyner · 4 years ago

Text

Edge of Great (Luke Patterson x Reader)

A/n: Hey guys so this is my first imagine on tumblr. I know it’s pretty long but my fingers just kept typing.🙃 Definitely let me know if I should make shorter ones or longer ones or even a series! Also let me know if you guys have any requests or plots that I could write and for who! Finally finally let me know if you like it in a first reader POV or if i should try a third person POV! Oh and if I should post them in a book on wattpad or keep the content strictly on tumblr!!!😁 (Ps. I’ll most likely be adding a song to every chapter whether it goes with the chapter or not!) Check out my last post for more information on my writing.

Warnings: None

————

I sat in the studio along with my bandmates tuning my guitar. We were currently waiting on Julie to return from school so we could begin to practice for tonight. Her dad got us a gig playing for a couple of her friends to start a following. Which made a lot of sense when Julie explained it to me. Right after Luke sent me into a frenzie of confusion.

"Hey y/n/n you think you could help me with these lyrics for tonight?" Luke called from the couch. I stood up from my comfortable spot on the chair under the loft and flashed myself onto the spot right next to him.

"Sure Lukey" I said taking his writing journal in my own hands and sitting back to scan over the words.

Y/n- I believe, I believe that we're just one dream

I mumbled hearing Luke start to strum on his six string the melody of the song.

Away from who were mean to be that were standing on the edge of

Y/n, L- Something big something crazy our best days are yet unknown that this moment is ours to own

He joined in.

Y/n- Cause we're standing on the edge of great

L- (On the edge of great)

Y/n- Great

L- (On the edge of great)

Y/n- Great

L- (On the edge of great)

Y/n- Cause we're standing on the edge of

We sang to each other back and forth with smiles plastered on our faces.

Y/n, L- Shout shout. C'mon and let it out, out. C'mon and let it out, out. Don't gotta hide it. Let your colors blind their eyes. Be who you are no compromise. Just shout, shout. C'mon and let it out

We paused running out of lyrics. My mind racing searching for the next line.

Y/n- What doesn't kill you makes you feel alive

I sang softly as he leaned in closer with a smirk plastered on his face.

Y/n, L- Ooh-oh. I believe, I believe that we're just one dream. Away from who we're meant to be. That we're standing on the edge of great

We finished out of breath. My smile grew as Alex and Reggie began to clap.

"That was great"

"Yeah we’re gonna rock Julie's garage tonight" Reggie said making it sound less cool than it actually was.

"Definitely" Luke said standing up.

"Thanks for the help boss" He said sending me a smile.

"Anytime" I grinned before turning around to go take my previous seat to finish tuning my guitar.

"I'm gonna go find Julie and let her know we've got the song ready for tonight thanks to our amazing rhythm guitarist"

"Sounds like a plan" Alex said.

"Don't forget to mention how beautiful I am as well" I teased earning a smirk from Luke.

"I never do baby" He winked at me before disappearing. A small laugh escaped my lips before going back to my guitar.

"So" Alex said catching my attention.

"So?" I repeated looking up at the drummer boy.

"So you and Luke?"

"Me and Luke what?"

"You and Luke are like in love each other"

"We are not. Well I'm not. Can't say the same about pretty boy" I said teasingly.

"Yeah sure you're not. Reggie back me up here. Please tell your best friend that she's totally in love with Luke"

"You're totally in love Luke"

"I am not. Reggie your supposed to have my back"

"And I will. Once you admit you have a thing for Luke" He said smirking at me. I glared at the two boys in front of me who weren't as oblivious as I had thought they were.

"Okay so I have a thing for Luke. So what?"

"So you should tell him"

"Why on earth would I do that?"

"So he can admit he's in love with you too"

"And why would he do that when he's clearly not"

"Seriously? Didn't you see the way he was looking at you when you were singing? It looked like Reggie when he sees pizza"

"Pizza?" Reggie perked up excitedly. "There no pizza" Alex said a frown appearing on the bassist face.

"Just because looks at me a certain way does not mean he loves me"

"Really because last time I checked constantly touching each other means you like each other, constantly flirting means you like each other, and when was the last time you wore one of your own shirts" Alex said pointing at my outfit. I sunk back into my seat. He was right about everything down to one of the many shirts Luke had let me have.

"Come on y/n just admit it after we died something more changed with you two. We all see it. Even Reggie sees it and that's saying something"

"Yeah. So it's not like he's ever gonna say anything. So why should I put myself out there to possibly get rejected and heartbroken by my best friend? I mean how do we even know for sure if he's in love with me. Or even likes me for that matter?"

"We don't. Yet" Alex said smirking.

"Oh that's his thinking face. I haven't seen that since 94" Reggie said backing up slightly.

"I think we're in trouble"

It had been a couple hours after Julie had gotten out of school. Yet her or Luke were nowhere to be found. I groaned walking out of the bathroom in the back of the studio.

"Seriously Alex. This is your great idea"

"No my great idea is to have you and Reggie flirt like there's no tomorrow. This is just small details" He said fixing the fit of the flannel on my body. It was Reggie's lucky flannel that took a lot of convincing to get off his body.

"Okay but why'd I have to change my shirt" I said looking down at my own crop top that I hadn't worn in a very long time.

"Because it was Luke's. We need him to think that you don't need his clothes anymore"

"Why did I let you drag me into this?"

"Because deep down you want him to say something about it don't you?"

"Well yeah but-"

"Hey guys!" A familiar voice popped into the garage.

"Luke" I spoke pushing Alex away from me.

"Hey man what happened to practice?" Alex asked casually.

"Julie had some stuff to do after school so I went along. But she's on her way so we should get a few runs in-" His words slowly came to a halt sending me a strange look.

"Isn't that Reggies lucky flannel?"

"Uh yeah. He let me barrow it. For good luck. Here's your shirt back by the way. I don't think I'll need it anymore" I said trying to hand him back the shirt I was wearing previously.

"You know you don't have to give it back. It's yours" His lips simpered.

"I know but Reggie said if I needed to I could just barrow his"

"Oh" was all Luke before taking the shirt out of my hands.

Suddenly the garage door opened and in walked Julie.

"Hey guys" She smiled.

"Ready for tonight?"

"Definitely"

"Flynn's coming over before to help me get ready. Girl time?" Julie asked looking at me.

"I'll be there" I smiled.

"So are we ready to rehearse?"

"Where's Reggie?"

"He went out said he would be back in a bit"

As if on cue the other ghost popped in with a smile on his face.

"Luke" He said his eyes going wide.

"Your back"

"Yeah I am. Who are the flowers for?" Luke asked eyeing the bouquet of roses in his hand.

"They’re for y/n. You know she deserves the best" Reggie said nervously sticking his hand out for me.

"Thanks Reggie" I smiled lightly.

"She also deserves her favorite flowers. Sunflowers in case you were wondering"

"Luke" I scolded him taking the bouquet.

"I think it's a sweet gesture Reggie. Seriously thank you"

"Your welcome" He smiled pulling me into a light hug.

"I think we should rehearse before it gets any later" Alex suggested trying to ease the now very notable tension in the room.

"Sounds good" Julie said awkwardly stepping past Reggie and Luke who were standing a few feet apart. I looked at Alex who gave me a small nod.

"Uh Reggie can you come here for a sec I need your help" I said pulling him away to my guitar stand. I placed strap around my body waiting for the brunette to turn his attention to me.

"Uh sure. Cutie?" He spoke in a questionable tone before looking down at me.

"You need his help with guitar?" Luke asked clearly confused.

"Well yeah"

"But I always help you with guitar" "He offered earlier if I needed help to come to him"

"Yeah. I did that" Reggie said trying to act tough.

"Whatever" Luke scoffed.

I watched as he swung his guitar around his shoulder aggressively. I glanced at Julie who was sending me a confused look so I quickly shrugged my shoulder not knowing what else to do.

It was mere minutes before we were heading out to perform. The tension in the air was now overpowered by excitement.

"I'm so nervous" I said bouncing my leg up and down anxiously.

Suddenly I felt a hand land on it stopping my movements. I looked up to see Luke smiling down at me.

"Don't be nervous your gonna do amazing out there"

"Thanks" I smiled back.

"Yeah. Your always amazing. Did I mention you look beautiful tonight? Wearing my flannel. My lucky flannel" Reggie said with a pestering smile as he swung an arm around my shoulder.

"We get it. It's your flannel" Luke interrupted immediately removing his hand from my leg. I looked at Alex who was stifling a laugh.

"Uh thanks Reg. You look good too"

"Oh I know. And I'm gonna look better singing up there with you. It'll be like old times. You and me. And a microphone"

"You and me. And a microphone" Luke mimicked him. I almost laughed only to be startled by someone walking in.

"Hey guys are you ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be" I spoke. Julie simply nodded her head walking out.

I stood up pacing around as I heard Julie begin the opening notes on the piano outside.

"Hey your gonna do great out there" Luke said stopping me from walking anymore.

"Thanks. You are too. You and Julie have great chemistry"

"Well yeah. But I think we have great chemistry too" He said taking my hands in his.

I finally looked into his eyes see him staring into mine in. A small smile forming on my face.

"Guys!" Alex called knocking us out of our trance. I panicked immediately flashing outside with Luke. Landing beside Reggie with my guitar at hand. Luke only a few feet away in his own place.

J- I believe

I believe that we're just one dream

Away from who we're meant to be

That we're standing on the edge of

Y/n- Something big, something crazy

Our best days are yet unknown

That this moment is ours to own

I joined in singing into Reggies microphone beaming with excitement. I scanned the crowd seeing smiles on people faces. This is all we ever wanted.

J- Cause we're standing on the edge of great

All- (On the edge of great)

J- Great

All- (On the edge of great)

J- Great

All- (On the edge of great)

J- 'Cause we're standing on the edge of great

L- We all make mistakes

But they're just stepping stones

To take us where we wanna go

It's never straight, no

Luke sang sending me a wink before continuing to sing with Julie.

L,J- Sometimes we gotta lean

Lean on someone else

To get a little help

I giggled as Reggie leaned on me. Back to back. Both of us playing our guitars to the same beat.

J- Until we find our way

I believe

I believe that we're just one dream

Away from who we're meant to be

That we're standing on the edge of

Y/n- Something big, something crazy

Our best days are yet unknown

That this moment is ours to own

J- Cause we're standing on the edge of great

All- (On the edge of great)

J- Great

All- (On the edge of great)

J- Great

All- (On the edge of great)

J- 'Cause we're standing on the edge of...

J- Shout, shout

C'mon and let it out, out

Don't gotta hide it

Let your colors blind their eyes

Be who you are no compromise

My heart rate picked up. The scene from earlier replaying in my head as Julie sang the next lines. Taking a chance I looked in Luke's direction to see him already looking at me with a grin on his face. I smirked walking over to the piano.

J- And Just shout, shout

C'mon and let it out, out

J, Y/n- What doesn't kill you makes you feel alive

Ooh-oh

J- I believe

Julie sang as Luke and I let off a similar guitar riff making me laugh.

I believe that we're just one dream

Away from who we're meant to be

That we're standing on the edge of great

Making my way over to Luke I let out a giggle as I pulled his beanie down slightly messing up his look. Before making my over back to Reggie. I looked back at the brunette to see him grinning from ear to ear.

All- Something big, something crazy

Our best days are yet unknown

That this moment is ours to own

Cause we're standing on the edge of great

(On the edge of great)

J- On the edge of great

All- (Great, on the edge of great) On the edge

All- (Great, on the edge of great)

J- 'Cause we're standing on the edge of...

L- Running from the past

Y/n- Tripping on the now

J- What is lost can be found

It's obvious

Luke, Julie, and I finished singing towards the audience.

Making eye contact with a few kids before flashing out myself back into the garage where Alex and Reggie were already waiting. Adrenaline coursing through our veins as another presence poofed into the room.

"That was amazing!" Luke shouted excitedly.

"I can't believe we just did that. Did you see how pumped they were?" I asked falling back onto the couch besides Reggie.

"Yeah. They loved us!" "Remind me to thank Julie for playing our CD later"

"Tonight it's her garage tomorrow it's- it's clubs, dances, and worldwide tours" Luke said eagerly. Taking the free spot to my left.

"God I wish we could feel like this all the time" I said leaning into Luke.

"Me too y/n/n" He said placing an arm around me. A sudden fake cough erupting from Alex's lips. I looked over to see him staring at me with a look.

"Oh uh- Reggie you were great out there" I complimented the boy sitting up.

"Thanks. You uh- you looked hot" He tried to sound cool but failed miserably.

"You think?"

"Oh yeah- I mean the sweat on your forehead and like the heat and-"

"What are you going on about?" Luke asked confusion plastering itself on his face.

"I think what he means is y/n is attractive. Right Reggie?" Alex asked.

"No, no don't answer for him. Reggie be straight with me do you like y/n or not?" Luke asked standing up.

"Why does it matter if I do or don't?" Reggie questioned standing up as well.

"Because you out of everyone know that I like her so why are you letting her wear your clothes, buying her flowers, and calling her hot. I thought I made it clear she was off limits" Luke said my mouth widening in shock.

"I'm off limits?" I asked looking at him.

"How many people did you make it clear to that I was off limits?" I asked not really wanting an answer I was expecting.

"A few"

"A few? Micheal Brookes?" I asked remembering a guy I began to talk to at the beginning of our senior year who randomly stopped talking to me one day. I watched as his head dipped in a short nod.

"Jacob Miller?" I continued watching his nod once again.

"Grant Dean?" Nod.

"Nick Harper?" Nod.

"Derek Johnson?" Nod.

"Seriously Luke? Your the reason I never had a boyfriend my senior year. To make it worse I died a virgin. You asshole" I shouted standing up. I was fuming at this point. He had no right. And he still did it. My head whipped towards the garage door heading it creak open.

"Hey guys" Julie and Flynn smiled walking it.

"You guys did great out there" Flynn said happily. Julie immediately noticing the tension in the room and the frown upon my lips.

"Are you okay y/n?"

"I don't know why don't you ask Luke?" I spoke before flashing out.

I landed in the only place I could think of. A single tear escaped my eye as I sat on the marquee of the Orpheum. Our dream. His dream. I stared out onto the lit up street of Sunset Boulevard. If he didn't want me seeing anyone he could've said something. For the longest time I wondered why guys were such assholes. It wasn't them. It was Luke. It was always Luke.

"I know your mad" I heard his voice speak from behind me.

"I think I'm beyond mad Luke. How could you?" I asked standing up and turning towards him.

"I came crying to you all those times wondering why guys didn't want me. And-and you made me think that it was all me when it was really you. Telling them to back off. Why? Why would you do this to me?"

"Because-" He was at a loss for words. Looking like a kicked puppy.

"I-I wanted you" He finally spoke up.

"You what?"

"I wanted you" He spoke more confidently.

"I wanted you to myself. I- I every time you came and told me you were talking to someone new it hurt because I know it should've been me who asked you out. Who got the courage to just tell you that I-" He went silent the anger in me evaporating in a matter of seconds.

"That you what?" I asked quietly.

"That I love you. I know I'm late but I can't hold it in anymore. After seeing you and Reggie today I got jealous just like I used to back in high school. I know this'll probably ruin our friendship but I don't want to lose you so I really need you to say something right now before I go insane not hearing your beautiful voice" He finished off finally looking at me. The look in his eyes was as hurt. And I wanted to be mad. But I couldn't be. Not when he just admitted what I had been wanting to hear for so long.

"Your 25 years late. But I think we have an eternity to make up for that" I said his eyebrows flying up in surprise.

"Really?"

"You really think I wanted to wear my own shirt today Patterson? Alex told me that if I kept wearing your clothes I'd only fall deeper in love you" I spoke a smile reaching both our face.

He quickly made his way towards me. Leaning forward until his lips attached themselves onto mine. I giggled as he lifted me in his arms holding me close. Our lips molding perfectly like they were made for each other.

"This isn't real" He whispered putting me down.

"Your mine. God your mine" He mumbled pressing open mouth kisses down my neck before connecting his lips back to mine.

"It's definitely real Lukey"

"I love it when you call me that" He mumbled into my lips.

"Don't get all soft on me now Patterson" I laughed pulling away.

"I'm sorry for what I did before I really am. For making you upset and I'm gonna spend an eternity making it up to you"

"It's okay Luke. It's in the past now. I just would've preferred if you would've not scared away every guy that tried to talk to me"

"I promise I'll never hurt you like that again" He said holding me close by the waist. As I began to suck on his neck to begin leaving a hickey.

"And I promise you won't be a virgin for much longer" He whispered reattaching our lips again.

#Spotify #Luke Patterson #julie and the phantoms #Owen Joyner #Jeremy shada #Charlie Gillespie #Madison Reyes #Alex JATP #Reggie JATP #Luke JATP #sunset curve

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the-coffee-story · 4 years ago

Text

Rise of the Forest God

Chapter 17 - Professor Tally Winchester

Winchester Hall was a beautiful, dark Victorian mansion á lá Addams Family that rested proudly upon the tallest hill around. The windows, grey with age and dust were tall and skinny and a rusted iron gate, with weathered carvings now indistinguishable rested half swallowed by dirt and uncut blades of long dry grass. The whole thing blended rather well with the crawling forest behind it.

The team was waiting by the gate, curious and giddy with half-numbed nervousness.

"Well, now I'm definitely interested," Walther commented, peeking through the towering, rusted gate. "This looks like it's haunted by at least three ghosts who died a horrible death. They never found the heads."

October laughed.

"Seriously October, imagine the Addams Family's mansion, now scale it down a little."

He raised an eyebrow. "Can't wait for Morticia to pop out."

"Well, Morticia was definitely not on the phone," Violet noted.

Suddenly, the carved, dark-oak door that rested comfortably in the centre of the home's front opened, and a young man peeked out, adjusting his glasses as he took a moment to assess the situation. After a few moments passed, he noticed the team waiting by the gate, waved to wordlessly grab their attention, and quickly scuttled over.

Tally Winchester was a medium-heighted, slender and bald individual with large, wildly blue eyes behind thick glasses and a countless amount of scattered silver piercings dotted in and around his earlobe. Despite the fact that it was it had just dawned early spring, his skin was sunburnt and tanned, as if he spent most of his days somewhere lost outside. He walked with a noticable limp, and Walther didn't need to wait long for an explanation, when a prosthetic briefly appeared between his worn brown converse sneakers and faded jeans.

"Hi!" He flashed a toothy smiled at the group and opened the gate. "Great to see you, I'm Professor Tally Winchester!" He shook everyone's hands as they trickled past. The sleeves of his petrol flannel were rolled up, revealing a rather out-of-place, faded tattoo of a crawling lizard and a bunch of old scars. "You can call me Tally though."

Violet held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Violet, we talked on the phone."

"Great to meet you all!" He grinned. "Are you coming inside?"

***

"Before anyone asks, I inherited the house," Tally explained while leading them upstairs. "It's rotten and I hate it and the bills are a naked horror but I doubt I can find anything that has more capacities for a library." He opened a door. "Intrate, everyone."

"Remarkable," Doc commented.

Remarkable was indeed an understatemt. The room they'd entered was a library- with a beautiful brick fireplace and huge windows that let in the sparse afternoon sun, bookshelves brushed against the webbed ceiling and sunk into every wall. The floor was carpeted, through incredibly uncomfortable to walk on, and the furniture antique. One wall was plastered with photographs and notes.

"Nice," Walther mumbled, taking the second to once again soak in their surroundings.

Tally grinned, idly brushing aside pages and old notes compromised of incomprehensible scribbles and drawings. His teeth were somewhat crooked. "I didn't replace any of the furniture, but I did sell a chunk of the old books. There was just no space for mine." He closed the door behind them. "So anyway, you wanted to know about the cult?"

"There's been a bunch of murders in Forest Lane that were eerily similar to what it did, so yeah." Thasfield shrugged his broad shoulders. "We suspect the cult might be involved."

"Oh, I heard about that on the news!" Tally sorted the files on the table until he found what he was looking for. Then he looked up. His face was serious now. "At this point I'd like to admit I have a slightly selfish motivation in this."

"What is it?", Violet asked.

"You see..." Tally leaned against the table. "For context, I'm a history professor, but my focus is on cryptids and modern legends. Historical context, potential explanations, yada yada. A few years ago I stumbled across the legend of the Forest God."

Walther's face lit up. "Oh, I remember that story, my parents used to tell it to me when I was a kid! This one guy got lost in the woods, was found dead and after his funeral his reanimated corpse came home and his wife who loved him very, very much-" They side-eyed Violet and Coffee, who in turn glared back. "-couldn't accept that maybe it's not exactly normal that your husband's corpse is vibing around, then after a while he started killing people, then he killed her and then the neighbours buried him in an iron casket in the woods so he would stop randomly murdering people. Right?"

"You summed it up." Tally nodded.

"But who believes in that?!" Violet frowned. "I mean... it's just a legend, right? Somebody finally snapped, had a rough week or something, and people straight up believe his bullshit?"

"He came back from the dead and started murdering people, Violet," Doc commented.

She shrugged dismissively. "We've all been there."

"I don't want to meet you after a bad week," Tally remarked with mild discomfort, absentmindedly flipping through pages of notes and nonsense. "The existence of the man who allegedly became the Forest God is proven. His name was Eustace Wyndham and if you ask me he had rabies and some things were added for drama. But that's not even relevant, because the cult came almost a hundred years later." He slid around the table and opened another scattered file. "1969 they started to worship the Forest God. At first it was nothing special, you know, just the average college student nonsense." He held up an old photograph, subtle wonder in his eyes as he stared into it, before handing it to Walther. "Here, you can take a look at this! That's the entire cult. The guy in purple with the long hair is one of the founders. The other founder left in 1970 after getting a bad feeling about the whole thing. I caught him for an interview five years ago. Lovely guy, sadly died of cancer shortly after. It's a shame. You can pass the photo around! Notice how they're all wearing cow parsley wreaths. That was the flower associated with the Forest God and the flower scattered all over their murder victim's body, or rather what was left of it."

"All the victims had cow parsley in their mouth," Doc realized, dragging a hand up to rest in his soft ginger curls, staring blankly into the distance, thinking.

Tally nodded hastily. "Exactly! And now please look at what I found on my windowsill this morning!"

He limped over to the tallboy, half relying on the nearby furniture for support. Leaning down and throwing open a drawer, after a short while of sifting through papers and photographs, he took out something else. Then he held it up.

It was a wreath of cow parsley.

"That's....not good," Walther murmured after a long moment of stunned silence.

Tally nodded, twirling the flowers between his thumb and forefinger. "You get it. You know..." He leaned heavily against a dusty, worn table and heaved a small sigh. "When Wilhelm called me at first I was very sceptical of it all. I'm not a group project person, if you know what I mean. But this is just the tip of the ice berg and I have a feeling that I might be next, so I decided to work with you." He shrugged his shoulders.

While he'd been talking, Coffee had been furiously typing. He handed Tally his phone and Tally read it out loud.

" 'How about we use you as a bait?' Um... Can you...can you please explain what exactly you mean? That doesn't sound particularly safe-!"

He handed Coffee's phone back to him, paranoid he might accidentally drop it, and the detective started typing an answer, this time with significantly more determination.

Hear me out. So my idea was basically that tonight we let the killer come, but were going to be prepared. In other words, we gather a big group that's going to protect you, and we're going to arrest the murderer once he's here. What do you think?

Tally hesitated for a short moment and chewed his lip, opening his mouth to reply, then closing it again.. "I mean... I guess you have a point, sooner or later he's going to get me either way."

"I mean, let's be real, you can't run forever," Thasfield said, leaning forwards. "Even if you move, it's still going to take a while, and judging by what we know you're being pretty actively stalked, so it's quite possible he'll just follow you and then you'll be killed by a Forest God in a hotel room in Central Graytown. Which probably makes for an interesting plotline in a noir film, but we're talking real life here and I highly doubt you're so keen on landing in the morgue anytime soon. Although the Doctor is an expert at autopsies."

Doc smirked.

".........yeah," Tally admitted. He sat down on the table and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that sounds...icky but realistic." He closed his eyes took a deep breath. "Alright. Who's gonna be on this team?"

Doc's phone's rang loudly to shake up their newfound confidence, and he excused himself, stepping back into the dusty hallway to take the call.

"I mean, most of us for starters," Violet said. "But I was also thinking of grabbing Gary Fox and Wilhelm. Strength in number, you know?"

Doc eventually came back to the group. His weathered face was stricken with subtle anxiety. "Bad news."

"What is it?", Walther asked.

"Alice found her mailman by the stables."

Walther frowned. "Okay, and what's so special about that?"

"His left arm was by the stables. The rest of him was scattered across the field."

"Dear God, is he okay?"

"He's okay, but he's dead." Doc turned to Tally, lowering his voice just enough. "Can we settle on tonight?"

Tally nodded. His sunburnt face had notably paled, turning his skin a somewhat pasty yellow. "Sure. What time are y'all coming?"

"Is five o'clock alright with you?"

Tally shrugged his shoulders. "Sure."

#reviews are welcome ;)#remember to listen to the song #the coffee story #rise of the forest god

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watchoutforthefanfics · 5 years ago

Text

Shortie

Inspired by this post.

@royalnerd829 I know you wanted this, and small Roman was just to precious to pass up.

Hope you don't mind I added a lil' ship in there. (*cough* LOGINCE *cough*)

\\\

"Oh," Roman groaned, pouting, "-you've got to be kidding me."

On his cabinets highest shelf, was the icing he had been frantically searching for. For the past hour and a half.

Roman stared at it, squinting ever so slightly; as if he had mind powers to bring it down into his hands, to spare him from the embarrassment.

Virgil, the tallest, lankiest emo he knew, had been over that morning and probably had a scoop without asking.

Thing was, Roman didn't know if he had done it out of spite or just because of his constant appeared height.

Roman had really, really, really short legs, compared to everyone he hung out with, and he hated it with a burning passion.

So, as long as another person was in his apartment, Roman always wore a pair of significant height-atlering shoes.

Whether it be a pair of stilettos, thick-bottomed boots, wedges, or just heeled dress shoes, not a single person saw Roman without something adorning his feet.

And nobody ever asked about it either, which was pure bliss.

With all that being said, his barefooted self could not reach the shelf --not even on his tippy toes--.

"Princes are-" Roman pulled himself up onto the counter, "-elegant! What kind of "prince" has to get all up on the grimy counter, to reach the top shelf?"

Grabbing the icing, he chastised himself, "I'm much better than climbing on a counter. I am worth so much more than-"

A knock echoed throughout the house, it was quick, clear and precise without any hesitation or uncertainty.

It was calming sure, but it still made Roman jump and knocked the icing right out of his hands, busting it open onto his fantastic hardwood floors.

Roman growled at himself, sliding off the counter with a swift gesture and begrudgingly leaving the mess for future Roman to fix later.

Clearing his throat, he spoke with his normal tone, "Just a minute!"

Slipping on his --somehow heeled-- house shoes, he adjusted his hair ever-so-slightly and prepped for whoever had decided to visit his house at... 1:30 on the dot.

Opening the door, Roman was caught quite possibly by the most attractive man he had ever laid eyes on. He was tall (a big check on Roman's list), perfected hair, and rectangular glasses that captured his eyes --which were a deep, dark, ocean blue-- perfectly.

Roman was in a trance, this was quite possibly the best day of his entire life.

The man, who seemed a little confused, spoke, "Hello, I'm Logan. I believe we've been discussing plans on rental services? No?"

Roman furrowed his eyebrows, "Logan? Um, I'm not sure I've ever..."

He paused, this was the biggest romance cliché in the entire world, he was not going to lose this subtly elegant yet awkward man of his dreams: no, no.

"I don't think I've ever talked with you directly, I'm sure I would've remembered that face... but-" Roman gestured inside, "-please, do come in."

Logan pursed his lips, "Are you sure? If you're uncertain, I might just be at the wrong door. Which is easily fixabl-"

Roman tapped his chin, compromising, "How about, if you're comfortable with it, you just come in until we can figure that out? I can lead you in the right direction, if you wish."

Logan hummed, a little uneasy, Roman could tell by the fidget with his tie and how he kept adjusting the paper in his hands.

Roman chuckled, winking, "I don't bite, I promise."

Logan cleared his throat, "It would be beneficial, I suppose. As long as I'm not... intruding on so-"

"No, no-" Roman spoke, holding back his flirting because this situation didn't feel entirely appropriate for that, "-I'm not busy! We can work this out quite smoothly with the both of us, don't you think?"

Logan nodded, sitting where Roman had pointed earlier in the conversation; but not without handing him the paper that he had gotten for the shared rent.

Roman glanced over it, each word matching his apartment, him, his email address, and even right down to his phone number.

He arched a brow, trying to understand this; or rather, how this happened.

Just until, he got a ding on his phone; "Oh, I'm sorry, let me just-"

Emo Nightmare: yw, princey

Roman hummed, nodding, "So, all of this is accurate; I am Roman, this is apartment 134, and I do have an extra bedroom. But, I'm not the one who put up the signs. My friend, Virgil, did."

"Oh." Logan frowned, "So you're not looking for a roommate?"

Roman bit his lip, looking at the man before him: this is your chance for a lifetime of romance, just like the movies.

Come on, Roman! One cute roommate couldn't hurt, right?

"Not initially," Roman answered, "-but you're welcome to stay, if you'd like? We can work out our own plans, or go through what my friend suggested?"

Logan paused, "That would be satisfactory. If you don't mind, I have an inquiry."

"About the apartment? Or?" Roman asked, with a but hope on his tongue and a flirty smirk.

"Well," Logan continued, unbothered by Roman's advances, "-why would your friend get you a roommate? If you were fine on your own and didn't need to split the rent, what was his point per say?"

"I'd say either to prank me, or-" Roman smiled, "-because I kept complaining about my absence of romance for the past 3 years. He gets sick of listening to me talk about the Prince of my dreams, I'd assume."

Logan's ears burned bright red, "So... he found me to be a suitable --ahem-- partner for you?"

"I believe so," Roman smirked once more, "-and I have to say, he doesn't have bad taste."

"Anyway-" Logan cleared his throat, "let's get planning."

So, Roman had a cute new roommate, which was a plus; but he entirely shut down every advance Roman tried to make on him.

Well, that's what he thought he was doing; he couldn't really tell with Logan.

Logan was nice enough, a little uptight if he was really honest, but their personalities didn't tend to mend well at all.

Logan studied a lot, and he preferred peace and quiet when he did so, and Roman was a music/theater major and those two didn't mend well.

Still Roman found himself relishing in Logan's presence, drinking up all the deep morning voices and sparkling, passionate eyes he could.

With these feelings abound and arguments on the edge, Roman found himself in a bit of a predicament almost everyday. Because he had to wear shoes essentially every second of everyday.

Because Logan was hot, and there was no way that Roman was ever going to let a hot man ever see his true height. Ever.

He was supposed to be flirty and confident, how as he supposed to that at an astounding 5'2?

So, he had a pair of some type of shoe by his bed every morning; and kept his shoes on all throughout the apartment until he went to bed that night.

Logan hadn't said anything about it, which Roman was grateful for. He would die of embarrassment if Logan ever even so uttered the word "shoe" to him at this rate.

Just until and early morning, Roman tumbled out of bed slipping on whatever shoe he left by his side and wandering down into the kitchen.

He was specifically wanting something sweet, a bagel maybe? Pancakes? Waffles?

Just until a smell wafted into his nose, sweet and a subtle sense of savory; it had smelt like a diner you'd stop by because of all the good reviews.

It smelt... professional.

And sleepy Roman was entranced, so his feet kept moving and his nose led the way.

Thing was, Roman hadn't paid attention to which shoes he had adorned, and he hadn't been extra cautious with his steps because of it.

He got to the kitchen, squinting at the figure just across from him with a sense of curiousity and true childish wonder. Because god, did that smell good.

If that was Logan, he swore he would marry him on the sp-

"Greetings, Roman-" Logan hummed, barely flinching at the presence of his roommate, "-I didn't mean to wake you. I was going to let you know when it was all finished, so you didn't have to wait. As that seems not to be your... best quali-"

Roman interrupted, "No, no hush, Nerd Alert. You had something going there for you, just look hot and cook."

"I-" Logan's ears were bright red, as he sputtered to respond.

Ah yes, this was the best part about Logan, he was so easily flustered, Roman reminded himself, just quietly watching Logan cook, and he can cook. That's a plus.

Roman watched the sun frame his face, and his glasses fall just a tad bit farther down on his nose. It was truly, truly entrancing.

"Roman? As much as I imagine you enjoy staring at me without blinking for 5 minutes straight, I'd just like to let you kn-" Logan looked up at him and stopped, squinting at him for just a second.

Roman could've sworn that he was checking him out, which was incredibly... exciting. Until, he watched Logan's mouth quirk up, just as he focused on Roman's feet.

He was going to cry, to truly die of embarrassment; he hadn't even honestly remembered what shoes he put o-

Logan asked, quirking an amused brown, "Why... Why are you wearing hot pink stilettos with your silk robe at 7 in the morning?"

Roman bit his lip, shuffling slightly to the left behind a kitchen counter, "I-I have no idea what your talking about."

Logan smirked, and Roman felt himself go weak in the knees; he was confident, and Roman found that way, way too attractive.

"You know," Logan switched off the stove, with a stride towards Roman, "-it's kind of offensive that you'd believe me to be so... ignorant? I'm much smarter than you think."

Roman flushed, his heart practically bursting out of his chest, suddenly getting defensive, "I... I said no such thing. Tha-That's preposterous!"

Logan leaned in, "Don't play dumb, Princey. Since the moment I met you, you've never existed without a pair of heeled shoes. No matter what time of day, or what outfit..."

"I-It's just-" Roman stuttered, taking a few steps backward, "It's just a fashion statement. I don't even understand what you're proposing! Can you even- you don't have any evidence."

Logan was confident in every step he took, and Roman could feel the control slip from his fingers, "Roman, it's no use. I know you wear heels because you are incredibly short. There's truly nothing to hide."

"Pfft," Roman spoke, shakily, "-as i-if."

"It's a shame, truly-" Logan rolled his eyes, roaming in so close to Roman's face that he could feel him breath, "-that you don't embrace your height."

Roman was a little on edge, he wouldn't lie, but he was curious, so he asked, "Why is... that?"

Logan smiled, standing up straight again with a flirty gleam in his eye --Roman swore he was going to faint at this point--, as he walked just past him, "I've got quite the thing for those of short stature actually, shortie."

This was probably the first time Roman would ever be proud of his height; and it was only the beginning.

Who knew a guy you've been crushing on for months on end, could say one thing and change your whole world, huh?

#ts logince #platonic prinxiety #sanders sides fic #watchoutwriting #short roman #i love him

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welcome-to-the-petting-zoo · 5 years ago

Note

1) Myself and my husband are bisexual and we've talked a lot about poly. A couple of years ago, after our first conversations, we met someone he wanted to start a relationship with and I told him that while I didn't like her that way I thought she was nice and that he was more than welcome to pursue her if he wanted, which he did. Sadly it didn't end well. Now I've become close with one of our friends and a few months ago my husband really pushed for me to start something with friend, so I did..

2) but now he's upset that friend and I have feelings for each other. Thinks we're too close. Now he's not sure he wants me to continue seeing Friend. My husband and I both have mental health issues which I know is part of it but right now I feel like he was only interested in being poly because he wanted this other woman, and now that I've found someone instead he's upset. He says he feels like I don't care about him as much and that's not true within me but nothing I do seems to show him.

----------------------------------------------

Hi Anon,

TP here. First of, thank you for reaching out, and sorry for the long response time. I have to admit, part of the reason it took me so long to get back to you was because initially I was really upset on your behalf and I had to move past my own emotions in order to be able to sit down and look at your issue from a more constructive angle.

My most important piece of advice would be, don’t give up just yet. Even though your situation is very difficult at the moment, I believe that with trust, love and hard work you, your husband and your friend will be able to come to a solution that would be satisfactory to all people involved.

Generally speaking I view jealousy as a symptom. I know that many people like to treat the feeling of jealousy as this big, untouchable emotion that’s just a given and there is nothing to do about it, but I don’t think that’s the case. Most of the time when people get jealous it just means that they perceive as if someone else got something they also wish for but don’t have. So as a starting point, I would advise you two to dig into the exact reasons why he feels this way. He says he does’t feel like you care about him while this is not how you see it, so let’s ask him what exactly are the things he’s missing. What are the situations that feed into his jealousy?

He says “you are too close” to Friend, which to me suggests that maybe he feels like you’re channelling all your affection and attention into this new flame and your relationship with him feels lacking in intimacy. It’s also quite normal that an old and established relationship can’t quite compare in terms of excitement and passion to a new romance and in many cases it can be saddening or hurtful to a partner to see their loved one engage in something that’s more exciting or emotionally charged than the “old relationship”. This is not even necessarily true, but if he feels like that, it can make him feel like he’s inadequate or make him feel insecure about the stability of your relationship. It’s also quite common to compare one’s self to another partner so if he sees you being all happy and excited about Friend, he might feel like he can’t make you as happy anymore or that he in some way is not enough or not good enough for you. And these inner anxieties can lead to misplaced anger where he would lash out towards you or Friend, instead of voicing what’s actually bothering him.

It might be helpful to ask him what would make him happy or what he’d need you to do to show him how much you care. Giving him extra special attention or making sure he doesn’t feel left behind is super important. Keep reassuring him about your love and affection towards him, but at the same time, I wouldn’t give up on your new relationship either. As I understand it, this person is your mutual friend, right? Maybe spending time together the three of you where you’re doing activities together not as a couple but as the friends you are might also help, so your husband can feel included and kinda be reminded why he liked this person to begin with.

I firmly believe that open communication is the key to every relationship, so make sure you also talk to him about YOUR feelings. Tell him about your fears and insecurities, turn to him for emotional intimacy so the two of you can tackle this issue together as the awesome team you are. It’s never him vs. you, it’s the two of you against a problem. And I’m sure you’ll be able to overcome this, but it might take a while to reach a point where everybody’s 100% comfortable. As much as it sucks, you’ll both have to be patient and trusting with each other, and spend a lot of time testing out things, like what’s each person’s limit on a certain subject, and possibly you’ll both have to compromise on occasion, but in the end I’m sure you’ll be able to find a solution that works for all of you!

I wish you the best and if you have any follow-up questions, feel free to get back to us any time.

- TP

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iris-writes-things · 5 years ago

Text

Two Guys and a Baby: Day 11 part 1

Read on AO3, FF.net or under the cut, or read up to 1 chapter ahead as a $1 Patreon patron!

"Oh my God…" Anthony mumbled, rubbing his hands in his face. "I've known you for ten years, how did I not see this coming?" "What do we do now?" "Well, obviously, I'm going to teach you how to cook. Starting with dessert."

Or, it's going to be a long night.

Chapter 14 of 20 Ongoing 2265 words Romance/Humor

That Tuesday morning, Crowley really wished he’d woken up by golden rays of sunlight filtering through old, dusty windows, surrounded by the warm smell of old books and the even warmer presence of Ezra at his side. But alas, Crowley had a responsibility and no way to move Adam’s travel bed to the bookshop, so they’d said — and kissed — their goodnights late the night before, and each gone home with a lighter heart and a spring in their step. And so he woke a tad colder and slightly more lonesome than he would have liked between his Egyptian cotton sheets to the sounds of Adam fussing. It was still an improvement to a few nights before.

And so he got up to feed Adam his breakfast.

Dunroamin Bakery & Patisserie smelled of butter and freshly baked goods. The fragrance met Crowley halfway around the block and if he hadn't already planned to swing by for a pastry or two, he sure did now.

Marjorie Potts, nicknamed Madame Tracy for reasons unknown to Crowley*, greeted him from behind the counter while Sgt. Seymour Shadwell** was scuttling about, preparing the cinnamon rolls. Crowley liked the older couple. Not just for their superb pastries, but for their story. Both widowed at sixty-five, they had found each other, fell in love, married and invested their life savings into opening a bakery to give them both something to keep busy. That was five years ago. Now, their little shop was a staple among London’s top food bloggers, even if the two only knew them as their regulars and neither of them really knew what a blog was.

(*Though, legend has it that she frequently earned some extra cash in uni by holding séances and reading people's fortunes and her stage name kind of stuck.)

(**Drillsergeant, retired, never deployed.)

"Good morning, love. What can I get you? That caramel coffee again?" Madame Tracy asked, already reaching for the coffeemaker. Shadwell prattled behind her with a vague air of jealousy. The man should know by now that he didn't have anything to fear from Crowley, but Madame Tracy insists he does that with everyone she calls 'love'.

"Please," Crowley said with a sigh that sounded more tired than he had hoped.

"Little Adam keeping you up all night?" she asked, handing Adam a dry biscuit. He ate it gratefully.

"What? Adam? No, he's better than I could have ever expected." He carefully took the paper cup of coffee Madame Tracy handed him over the counter and took a sip. His jaws tensed from the sweetness. It was perfect.

"Is it about your crush in the bookshop, then? Giving you sleepless nights?"

Crowley's face broke out in a wide, snake-like smile. "Well…"

"Ooh, so it is," Madame Tracy cooed. Shadwell murmured something that sounded suspiciously like 'bleeding southern pansy'.

"He loves your chocolate croissants. Adam, too," he added. "We've… had something of a breakthrough."

"Have you, now?"

Crowley blushed. "He kissed me. Then we had brunch, and he held my hand the entire time...”

“But that’s wonderful!”

“Oh, and I quit my job."

Madame Tracy paused. She had already been bagging the chocolate croissants. Even the sergeant turned around with a wide-eyed stare. "You what?”

“I was just so done with their bullying, so when they came to fetch me yesterday I just handed in my resignation, effective pretty much immediately.”

“I didn’t think you had it in you, lad,” Shadwell remarked out loud for the first time that day.

“Frankly, neither did I,” Crowley shrugged. “But I’m glad. I mean, I can finally focus on my art again. And I’ll have plenty of time to spend with Ezra, until he gets sick of me.”

“Of course he won’t get sick of you, you old silly. But we’re very happy for you, aren’t we, sweetheart?” Madame Tracy said, turning to Shadwell and back to Crowley again as she handed him the bag of pastries. “You take this, love. On the house.”

“I… uh, thank you. That’s very sweet of you. Are you sure…?”

“Yes, we’re sure. Your coffee, too. Now, go on and surprise that young man of yours while the croissants are still warm. Oh, and do give him our regards.”

“I will,” Crowley said, starting on his way to the door. “Thanks again, really. I mean it.”

“We know, love,” she said, and waved him goodbye.

“Honestly, I wouldna’ have trusted that southern nancy boy to stand up for himself if someone held a gun on him. Lad might have a pair of stones on him after all,” Shadwell told his wife when he must have thought Crowley was out of earshot.

Madame Tracy shushed him.

By the time Crowley arrived at the bookshop, Ezra’s agent was there again. The bell over the door rang, but neither of them seemed to notice.

“Then it’s decided. No book tour, but you’ll sign a number of them in private. It’s really the perfect compromise.

Ezra nodded. “I’m inclined to agree with you, Gabriel.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” Crowley said as he walked up to them. “I could help out, you know,” he suggested.

Ezra turned around and smiled at him. “Anthony!” he exclaimed. Crowley swore he was going in for a kiss, but he refrained from going through with it. Crowley blamed it on Gabriel. “How were you planning on helping out?”

Crowley smirked and shrugged. “Give me a year and I’ll forge your signature flawlessly.”

“Of course, you could.” Gabriel rolled his eyes.

Ezra patted Crowley’s shoulder, hand sliding down to rest at the small of his back. “Thank you for your offer, but I think my readers would prefer for it to be authentic.”

Despite very nearly jumping out of his skin, Crowley simply shrugged, putting on an air of fake nonchalance. After all, there was a warm hand on the small of his back and that was not something he had anticipated for that morning. “If you say so. It’s your wrist, angel.”

Gabriel glanced at them in a way Crowley knew all too well, but quickly hid it with the empty smile the American seemed to wear so often and clapped his hands with a gaiety that was just as synthetic. “Well then, now that we’ve cleared that up, I’ll leave you two to your brunch,” he said gesturing at the bag of pastries under Crowley’s arm. “But I do hope you’ll feel more comfortable with public appearances in the future.”

Ezra smiled softly, wrapping his arm around Crowley’s waist. “Well, who knows what the future might bring. I’ll see you around, then.”

“Right,” Gabriel said and turned on his heel, making for the door. “I’ll see you around.” And the door fell shut.

“Good morning, by the way, Anthony,” Ezra said, unable to suppress the smile that fought its way to his face.

“I… Morning, angel,” Anthony said, almost stammered, with a slight look of disbelief on his face.

Ezra tilted his head and looked up at Anthony. “Is something the matter?”

“You just…” Anthony tried and seemed to struggle to find the right words. “You just touched me, like that, in front of another man…” he nearly hissed, finally turning his surprise and panic outward.

Ezra, on the other hand, quirked an eyebrow. “Should I not have done that?”

“No. I mean, yes! I mean-- I just didn’t expect it, is all. I thought you were, you know, the slower type…”

“Oh, my dear Anthony...” Ezra smiled in genuine amusement as he removed Adam from Anthony’s arm and carefully placed him on the floorboards of the shop before turning his attention back to the other man. “Anthony, I've wanted this, you, for so long now, I can't bring myself to hide or hold back now. Besides, Gabriel knows. He doesn’t care that I’m the way I am. In fact, he encouraged me to confess to you. Sort of. He said watching my pining was painful, and he’s put up with it for seven years.”

“Ah, so with Gabe it’s fine, but with, for example, your family…"

A chill ran down Ezra's spine. "Out of the question," he said firmly.

"Just checking," Anthony mumbled, putting down his coffee and the bag of pastries on the shop's counter before snaking his arms around Ezra. "I shouldn't have said that."

"I appreciate the effort, my dear, but there's nothing to check," Ezra whispered, returning the embrace and burying his nose deep into the scent of Anthony's cologne. It calmed his nerves ever so slightly. "They were abundantly clear when I was fourteen, and when my ex-wife and I divorced, and they would be if they could see us now. And the worst part is, they would do it with the best of intentions."

"You know what the road to Hell is paved with," Anthony whispered in Ezra's ear as he petted a hand through his hair.

"Reasons their youngest won't show up to birthdays and Christmas anymore, or even return their phone calls."

Anthony chortled, which made Ezra smile.

He pulled back from the embrace to give the man a better look. "Anthony James Crowley, I hereby swear on my life that you will never have to formally meet my family."

Anthony laughed and kissed him, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Ezra Zacharie Fell, I wish my mum was alive to meet you. She would have loved you more than I do," Anthony joked. "But for real, Angela and Anathema have pretty much already adopted you as their new brother-in-law slash uncle, so if you'd be up for it, once Adam is back with his mothers, you could join us for family dinner, this Friday night?"

"I would love to."

Ezra had decided quite early on that he liked Anthony's family. If only because they were so different from his own. They were just so… Ezra wished informal wouldn't be the right word, but it was.

For starters, no one ever seemed to call anyone by their actual first names, unless for dramatic effect when someone was in trouble. But then again, Ezra wasn't under the impression that anyone ever got in trouble in their family in the first place. Mum and dad were just mum and dad, not mother and father. But none of that was even what Ezra liked best about them.

'Angie? Hey, it's me…' he heard Anthony from his usual window seat.

No, what he liked best was that their bonds were based on mutual trust and respect. That Anthony got what he needed to flourish as himself in his home situation. When they had nothing else, they had trust and respect, and while Ezra had practically everything else, he never had that.

'Yes, I know you're working, I'm sorry, but I just wanted to ask…'

Had he been younger, he might have resented Anthony for that. For his freedom. For having experienced everything Ezra had missed. But by now, thirteen years after just letting himself be himself, he had done the catching up he needed. At least, he certainly hoped so. Although, having dinner with one's technically-in-laws was not something he had planned on doing by the end of this week.

‘Would you and Annie mind if I brought along a plus one? Yes, I know it’s technically a plus two, shush...’

Of course, he knew Anathema and he knew of Angela. They were exceptional human beings and ever so like Anthony. Some say hate breeds hate, but Ezra could now say with absolute certainty that love breeds love as well. But even that knowledge didn’t stop his hands from shaking. He’d done the whole in-laws dance fifteen years earlier with Michaela and her parents. It had gone swimmingly then because he didn’t have any, as they say, ‘intentions’ with their daughter. Just a nice, kind, if a but bookish kindergarten teacher. But with Anthony, he did. Very much so. He wanted to hold Anthony's hand, for example, and hug him and kiss him and cuddle him in bed on cold days and go for trips to the beach on warm days. But more than any of that, he wanted to love Anthony in the way he could never love anybody else.

'So it's okay then? If he brings dessert? I'm sure that can be arranged.' Ezra became vaguely aware that Anthony was looking at him. 'Alright, Angie, you're the best. Thanks. See you on Friday.'

"Dessert? Me?" Ezra cried.

"Well yeah, it's your favourite course, so I figured it would be perfect," Anthony stated matter-of-factly. Then his face paled and grew slack with panic. "Oh no, was that wrong? Should I not have said that?"

"It's just--" and Ezra felt his cheeks grow red. "Dessert is usually the most complicated course to make…" he sighed. "And I haven't cooked for myself. Ever. Apart from maybe eggs and bacon, cold sandwiches," he thought for another second “and instant pasta.”

"Oh my God…" Anthony mumbled, rubbing his hands in his face. "I've known you for ten years, how did I not see this coming?"

"What do we do now?"

"Well, obviously, I'm going to teach you how to cook. Starting with dessert." Anthony smiled and patted Ezra’s cheek. It didn’t calm him down one bit. “Adam and I will leave a bit early today, since we’ll have to get groceries. Dinner at mine, 7 PM, no excuses. I’ll do the main course, then we’ll make dessert together, alright?”

By the time Anthony’s hands reached Ezra’s own and clasped them firmly, he remembered how to breathe again.

“Alright.”

#fanfic #EN #Good Omens #Ineffable Husbands #Human AU

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