#but god hes just a funny little guy. ive been rotating him in my mind for weeks ajskfdksfns

[glassphinix]

this has been on my mind for like two weeks at least 💀

@dynamite124 @nevermorepjm

[luminous-shifting-vibes]

*sequel* to actual fucking quotes from the shiftblr coffeehouse discord server

once again, it's out of context because x1000 funnier

also x1000 longer than previous post

"ur satan is gnc af"

"Bestie I’m already having gender envy over a fucking demon please"

"O_O ODEPIJHFbavevisdpvfhzdcnjawedsidjksjdkoeirjfmkdsoeirujdksodifjndmksoidfjdksidfj ITS" NOT IN MY FRAFTS IS SPEDNT 1 hour PN THAT SHIT"

"AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

"ohoho sexy"

"I am very proud of myself"

"himbo x edgy fuck"

"YOU COULD SQUISH HES CHEECKS"

"he has teefs"

"SQUASH"

"good for biting 📷"

"he's a himbo basically"

"B͂̒̄iͫ̍̈tͧ̓ͯè̄̇"

"bifth"

"i havent watched blue exorcist in years but mr okumura my beloved </3"

"MY LIFE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED"

"is it important information to mention that the person i put up for my turn is the son of satan" "I know like 1 thing about everyone who isnt ranboo lmfao"

"crimes"

"tumblr sexyman"

"idk why but my first thought was cowboy onceler"

"I vibe with him but he is very long and twisty"

"steampunk e-girl"

"steampunk tumblr sexyman"

"Canonically bi crimelord I agree!!"

"OOO FRIEND SHAPED"

"ARTIST SIGHTED"

"they look like someone i would want to be friends with but is way cooler than me so i'd never actually talk to them"

"babby..... would die for him"

"honestly i probably kin him"

"i'm sure he's lovely but he looks way too much like my ex i'm sorry-"

"i'd be down for another rotation! i have another twink to show y'all"

"Also :00 blonde friend"

"Let us all infodhmo"

"Hsjagdvbs shhh im on phone"

"Nix woukd you like to joon?

"skitters away"

"I have two braincells and they both drink dumb bitch juice"

"oof wait whats the order again i have 0 memory"

"i want to bond with him over cosplay-"

"Awkwardly watches in band kid"

"One day I'm gonna a broadway star"

"which isnt to say they were bad. they were just fortnite dancing during rehersals"

"I threw it so hard my glasses flew off and slid under the stage right divider"

"anyway heres my boi"

"emo"

"haha emo"

"virgil sanders kinnie"

"he looks like he listens to my chemical panic at the fallout boy"

"Bro I bet he'd kick my ass with his deck"

"bird man my beloved"

"fuck i had so much to say and then i forgot it all"

"Birds!!"

"guiguhuh"

"crabrave"

"She sounds like someone I would end up stealing her personality"

"yess name collector gang"

"alias glass aiden haven absinthe fish brick rice"

"But I have Cypress, Remure, Genesis, Lemres, and Comet"

"And she's named after a mars candy bar bc alien"

"Hey, if plato went by plato, you can be king thief"

"im not dissing my gramma like that shfojd"

"My dad has seven legal names" "bitches be like *looks at fictional character* *steals their name* it's us we're bithces"

"coraline lowkey traumatized me but i adore it regardless"

"mmmmmm magic man :]"

"°0° green man"

"criminal (affectionate)"

"he would shoplift a candy bar from walmart and then brag to all of his friends about the sick stealing he did"

"despite the fact he's canonically been capable of overpowering a minor deity"

"i would commit so many crimes for him"

"Very babey"

"Yes please tell green man he is very pog"

"he also keeps a lot of dumb secrets"

"but I will sorely miss the chaos and energy of this here chat until I wake again" (by request XD)

"i just say words and if they're funny then they're funny"

"* or extremly chaotic either works"

"at this point we are just taking turns rambling"

"oH--"

"bc my brain has a schedule"

"Hopefully they have gyoza there or I will lose my mind"

"hehe yes spooky man"

"my ghost glucose guardian"

"the head of the undead group that lives there, and we end up dating. (yes I date a ghost, no I will not be taking constructive criticism /lh)"

"ghosts r just inherently sexy"

"i mean im becoming a squid thing so"

"Raven quirk raven quirk!!"

"ł â m p"

"łæmp"

"mothman: ooh lamp you look very nice today! do you come here often? mothman: wait shit no"

"I'd date a ghost"

"mine is still accurate, i am still sobbing (/j)"

"p e e p e e"

""@nick wilde is a tumblr sexyman" is the best thing i have ever seen"

"im sorry im cackling like a dying hyena"

"you're all 12 year olds"

"PEENIE"

"He once caused global warming on accident so he could get a tan"

"god, what a himbo. i love him"

"that reminds me of my friends kin assigned me jesus"

"Man outside of battle be like: princely crying but then in battle hes like: "CATACLYSM! DISASTER! DEVASTATION!" Chill out man"

"Every time I talk about satan it never fails to shock people it's my favorite thing to do"

"im kin assigning him roman sanders" ""Oh yeah he caused global warming because he wanted to get girls" "he what""

"oh damn i forgot satan was straight"

"twink appreciation club"

"give us the twinks"

"my first thought was bottom-"

"so many people to try and get his dad to love him"

"daddy issued"

"OH MY GOD ITS WILBUR"

"Big boy but"

"anyways janus is swagggg"

"........................."

"gib twink"

"give twink then i will share"

"holds him gentle like hamburger"

"This dumb bitch opened a book that said "do not open" and got possessed by a little bastard"

"he is. fragile creachur"

"klug is beauty klug is grace i would let him step on my face"

"If I'm playing swap and I have to hear one more "Pwanet Powew" Im gonna lose it"

"Who is to blame? Pandora or the box?"

"Bakugo isnt my type but I respect the drip"

"i say like my type isnt long-haired pretty boys and girls that look so gnc that people have a history of confusing them for men"

"hes a gremlin and i can appreciate a pretty gremlin"

"that is to say i am attracted to VFlower vocaloid. This is a confession."

"note i am a lesbian"

"You may like Schezo wegey"

"why does he have one single expression"

"soul soul eater passes the vibe check"

"magic wand"

"I Want To Hold His Hand"

"i would commit a war crime for him any war crime idc which one"

"my favorite one is when he sounded rlly gay because he said "Muscular bodies keep me satisfied""

"p e a n u t"

"Klug is a homophobic homosexual its just facts"

"grug from the croods is peak male performance"

"jaw drops to floor, eyes pop out of sockets accompanied by trumpets, heart beats out of chest, awooga awooga sound effect, pulls chain on train whistle that has appeared next to head as steam blows out, slams fists on table, rattling any plates, bowls or silverware, whistles loudly, fireworks shoot from top of head, pants loudly as tongue hangs out of mouth, wipes comically large bead of sweat from forehead, clears throat, straightens tie, combs hair Ahem, you look very lovely."

"tag yourself im the fireworks shooting from the top of the head"

"i like essays"

"central time gang"

"11:11 pog-" (wait... is that a suprise angel number?? yes it is lovelies just for you <3)

"Then again im also a dumbass bitch who wonders what the souls in soul eater taste like. SERIOUSLY THOUGH. THEY LOOK TASTY AS HELL!!!! LIKE GODDAMN BRO YOU'RE MAKING ME FUCKING HUNGRY. Like. that shit- it's Bone Apple motherfucking Teeth. hell yea my guy. Im hongy now.... shlorp I'm seriously considering this. Like. They seem kinda like a liquid? But a solid? Are they like jello? The fuck they taste like my guy???? I keep imagining they're like sour, like sour candy maybe? Or do they taste salty? Sweet? Maybe some combo of two? Do they even have a taste or is it about the texture? The sensation? God my mouth is watering what the hell. I am starving. I think I need to go get a cookie. I'm gonna go get a cookie. Brb. I'm better. I'm still craving souls though. Which is a weird-ass cringey thing to say but I'm being dead-ass rn. They just.... look tasty???? And I wanna eat one. Thus. I am shifting to Soul Eater for the express purpose of satisfying my fucking cravings. enjoy"

"points were made"

"jello? more like helloooo schloooAHFJDSDAIDWNALDHSJKDAIDANDM"

"WAIT I THINK I HAVE AN ANIME GIRL BITING VIDEO TOO"

"anime girl voice: mmm! mm... ahhhhmp!! mmm, mmm... aaahmp!"

"i think it sounds great i'm going to start eating like that"

"several people are typing"

"do these look edible to you"

"forbidden gummies"

"when I was on lsd I couldn't eat my fruit gummies because I thought they were alive because they had little faces on them"

"oh shit yeah don't do drugs"

"anyways general consensus is puyos are edible, ty for your input everyone"

"everypony is a word so powerful it can bring nations to its knees"

"pls the self control it's taking me not to say "hewwo everypony" in gen chat when someone new joins-"

"hewwo evewrypony uwu deaw cewestia i hopwe it doewsnt wain owo"

"ive cooked up a sowution wiwth the knowwege ive acwued. they say a kitcwen time saves niwne, but im just savwing two. Ive gathewwed the inwedients to make a time sowbet. Thewe's hawdly woom fow seconds when the seconds mewt away."

"I had a ten year old sister... you know what happened to her??? very sad, very tragic... she turned eleven....."

"NIIICE"

"Guts dont say the secks word :( /j"

"watch your fucking language in front of the president"

"im so sorry lumi"

"i think you're like ehhhh 8/10 funny"

"now me???? 10/10. Hilarious"

"sometimes i have to take a step back and remember that this is the same guts i follow on tumblr /lh"

""ok every here's some good shifting advice!!! uwu have a good day" "yeah i did lsd and ate fruit gummies""

"i have one setting and it's whatever this is"

"my bitch ass cat just pushed the door open with his fuzzy face and now my sleeping dad is being lulled into dreams by Cosmo Sheldrake's 'Pliocine'."

"me on discord: nick wilde"

"me on tumblr: shifting water! haha funne! me on here: my hermit crabs are cannibals also i want to eat souls."

"im sorry yOUR VIBESA RE JUST SO DIFFERNT"

"u give off older cousin ive never spoken to but always admire at the family gatherings vibes"

"what the fuck"

"BC I HAVE LIBERTU"

"If you adopt me then yes"

"am I qualified for dad jokes???"

"we're all a lot smarter on tumblr"

"I'm like "awww... sweet... sweet little shiftlings... posting such sweet shiftling content... so pure, so wholesome... does not even know abcs....""

"can't think before you speak if you never think B)"

"I'm not responsible enough to be a mom"

"cat pet"

"show us pictures of the cat or i will do Crime"

"maybe thats me being a coward tho"

"MOTH!!!! MOTH MY BELOVED"

if y'all want I can make this a series bc shiftblr keeps giving me more content

[smooshjames]

forget you not (iv)

you knock on my door and tell me you don’t wanna fight (or: inside jokes and invitations)

word count: 4.5k

a/n: part four of forget you not! this is the second to last part as it stands right now, but i am toying with the idea of writing an epilogue. i haven’t made up my mind on that front quite yet, it’ll probably depend on if there’s any demand for an epilogue once the parts i’ve got written are all finished up. anyway, the usual disclaimers: i didn’t write any of the songs mentioned, they all belong to little mix, this chapter’s songs are here and here (no new ones this time, but i figure i’ll link them anyway for the sake of easy access). here is a link to my ko-fi, which, as usual, is never an obligation. thank you for taking the time to read this, and i hope you enjoy!

warnings: more angst (surprising, right?), an author who is very bad at sketch comedy trying to write characters who are very good at sketch comedy

previous parts: one, two, three

With the red dot on the cameras blinking, you knew it was even more important now that you kept up that positive facade. You did your best to think about good things, hoping your smile wouldn’t look too forced.

To your right, Shayne launched into an energetic intro where he explained the rules of the game and introduced you guys as guests. Once he had given his little speech, he turned to you, though his eyes were fixed on the partition over your shoulder. Still, his smile didn’t waver for even a second. “So, are you guys ready to play?”

You nodded enthusiastically and laughed in easy agreement as you were elected to be the first person in the stool. You filled your mouth with water and flashed a thumbs-up, and out came Alexis. She used an inside joke, which was probably cheating, but it made you spit your water out anyway.

The game went on like this for a while, until finally, the only person yet to try to make you laugh was Shayne. You braced yourself as he asked if you were ready, humming an affirmative and doing your best to keep your breathing even.

He came out holding a red telephone, which he set on top of the bongos.

“Watch this,” he said, flashing you a shit-eating grin. For a second, you felt yourself tilting forward into that grin, into those eyes. Your heart jackhammered in your chest. It was the first genuine smile he’d given you all day, and God it was beautiful. “Hi, Dominos? You’re my favorite pizza place.”

You knitted your eyebrows in confusion.

“Watch this though,” he said. He mashed his finger against the phone buttons and lifted it again. “Hi, Pizza Hut? You’re my favorite pizza place.”

And then he nodded at you a little, smiling expectantly. When you didn’t laugh, he held up one finger. “Watch this though.”

With his free hand, he made a sort of waving motion in the direction of the partition, and out came Damien holding an identical red phone. He handed it to you and then went back to where all the props were. Shayne dialed his phone and made a little ringing sound effect for emphasis. You picked up your phone.

“Hi, Y/N?” he asked. You hummed something vaguely resembling “hello” into the receiver, figuring you might as well play along with the bit. In the same voice, with that same shit-eating grin, he said, “you’re my favorite singer.”

You weren’t sure why, maybe it was the strange vocal inflection or the mirth in his eyes as he said it, but sure enough, you sprayed water all over the soundstage. Shayne laughed gleefully as you did so, and the sound of it made you forget to breathe for just a second; you hadn’t heard that laugh in years. It made your chest ache to hear it again. In a sort of daze, you handed him your prop and he took it backstage.

Everyone came back out and you had to choose who made you laugh the hardest. You picked Damien, who had pranced out in an insanely tangled red wig with a stuffed flamingo in one hand, partially because he had made you laugh really hard and partially because you were trying to procrastinate Shayne's turn as much as possible.

Damien’s round passed quickly, and you managed to make him laugh after a few seconds. He chose Piper to go next, so she took her place on the stool. You went backstage with everyone else and started sifting through props to think of a bit.

And then Shayne fully took his shirt off.

You froze halfway through picking up a cowboy hat. You were pretty sure that anyone listening closely enough could’ve heard the gears in your brain grinding to a halt.

You wondered, if you started running now, how far into the ocean you could get before anyone noticed you were gone.

Carly nudged you with her elbow and asked you to help her with a bit, forcing you to turn away from Shayne, which was probably for the best. You took the opportunity to remind yourself that not only did he have a new girlfriend, but that the two of you didn’t work. You never had and you never would.

And before you knew it, Piper’s round was over, and Shayne was up next. You felt a bolt of panic. You knew you could make him laugh, but you weren’t sure how to go about doing it and you were rapidly running out of time to figure it out. Finally, you decided against every bit of logic you had. You decided to just go with an inside joke.

He probably wouldn’t remember it, anyway. It didn’t really matter. If you didn’t make him laugh it wasn’t the end of the world. At the end of that day, you were just here to promote the band. 

At least, this is what you told yourself as you stood behind the partition waiting for your turn. But your hands were trembling anyway.

Your turn came up. Alexis gave you a little high five on your way out. You walked up to Shayne’s right side and leaned in close to him, careful not to touch him. You looked at him through your eyelashes and shifted your weight from foot to foot. “Hey,” you said, voice low and sultry. Shayne’s brows knitted in confusion, and you feared for a moment that he had forgotten. You were probably only half-audible to the mics, but you didn’t care. You were focused single-mindedly on making Shayne laugh. “I was just wondering… do you like tacos?” You were careful to drag out the vowels on the word ‘tacos.’ You heard Damien start giggling behind the partition.

At least he remembered.

And then Shayne’s eyes widened and he surged forward as he tried to keep the water in. Your heart skipped a beat, though you couldn’t quite pin down why.

“Do you like tacos, Shayne? Do you?” you asked, leaning a little closer. You felt more confident now that you knew he remembered the joke. “Tell me how much you like tacos, Shayne.”

That did the trick. He sprayed water everywhere, shrieking with laughter as he did so.

Once the water was cleaned up, everyone else came back out from behind the partition and Shayne chose Alexis to go next.

After Alexis, it was Carly’s turn, and then you were all done. You had even finished a little bit ahead of schedule.

Ian came over once the cameras were cut, smiling brightly. “That was really good, you guys! Thanks so much for coming in today.”

“Thanks for having us!” Alexis said. “It was a ton of fun.”

You nodded in agreement but you were only half-listening. Shayne had somehow ended up right next to you during the outro of the video, and he hadn't made an effort to move away after the cameras stopped rolling. He was close to you, maybe a little closer than necessary, and that fact was all you could focus on.

As you were listening to Ian talk about when the video would be released, you felt Shayne wrap his hand around your forearm, squeezing lightly to get your attention. That one simple touch set your entire right side on fire. You felt like he’d lit off a fireworks display under your skin. You turned to face him, and you couldn’t help noticing that he looked more than a little bit like a kicked puppy.

“Can we talk?” he asked. His voice was soft, a stark contrast to how loud he’d been just minutes before as you were filming the video outro. “Just for a few minutes, please?”

At these questions, a knot of mixed emotion -- fear, anger, a little misguided hope -- gathered in a knot at the base of your spine and squeezed so hard you went lightheaded with it.

You glanced around for Michelle, who was watching you like a hawk. You tilted your head toward Shayne and shrugged. She nodded.

“Okay,” you replied. In all honesty, you weren’t sure why you said yes. You didn’t know what he could possibly have to say to you. Your mind raced with all the worst-case scenarios; that he would rub his new girlfriend in your face, that he would say something mean or insulting, that he would tear down what little you had managed to build yourself up. You wrestled those ideas into submission, though. Shayne had made his mistakes, but he had never been intentionally cruel.

He led you back through the office until he found an empty conference room. You closed the door behind you as you entered.

“What’s up?” you asked. You cringed as it was coming out of your mouth. Really? What’s up?

Now that you were alone, some of his forced Funny Man bravado seemed to crumble away. His shoulders slumped and the shine went out of his eyes, and the look he gave you was sad, exhausted.

You felt like the earth was rotating the wrong way, like God had vacuum sealed the room shut, like Saturn was crashing into Jupiter and imploding on impact.

“I, um…” he mumbled. He shoved his hands into his pockets and chuckled nervously. For a moment, you were reminded of the first time he’d asked you out. You’d both been so young then, and he had been all nerves and goofy smiles. You knew even from that first conversation that you were a goner. “I should’ve planned out what I was gonna say, huh? I had all weekend to think about it.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” you said. “This weekend has been… a series of really fucking weird, awful coincidences. You don’t have to, like, apologize. We’ll just chalk it up to being a series of unfortunate events.”

His brow furrowed and his head tilted slightly, which really intensified the whole kicked puppy vibe he had going. Your heart ached, and there was a moment where the muscles in your legs twitched, where your body tried to move itself over to him without your brain’s consent.

You stayed rooted to your place.

“What?” he asked, voice small, barely even audible over the hum of the air conditioning.

You shrugged. “It’s okay, Shayne. I’m not, like, upset that you moved on --”

Bold-faced lie number one.

“Wait,” he said, but you couldn’t hear him over the blood roaring through your ears.

“-- and Courtney seems really nice, so I’m happy that you’re happy --”

Bold-faced lie number two.

“No, just --” he tried to interrupt you again, but you kept going.

“-- and I’m sorry that we had to see each other again in this context, it’s been… really fucking weird. But that doesn’t mean you need to try to make it better, okay? Don’t worry about me.”

Bold-faced lie number three.

Before you could conjure up more ways to end the conversation and escape the room, Shayne took a halting step forward.

“Courtney and I aren’t dating,” he said. Your mouth snapped shut as your brain slammed on the brakes. “We’re just friends. I went to the concert with her because the person she was supposed to go with canceled last minute and she couldn’t find anybody else.”

Oh.

“And I’m sorry we had to see each other again in this context, too, but not because I want to patronize you by telling you that I’m sorry things didn’t work out. I mean I am sorry things didn’t work out, but not in like a My Life Is Better Now, Sorry About That kinda way --” he stopped, faltering, obviously unsure of how to put his thoughts into words.

Oh.

“I mean, if anything, you’re the one who’s better now; --” wait, what? “-- you’re successful, doing what you love, surrounded by your friends, and you’ve clearly moved on. --” wait, what? “-- But I just wanted to talk to you because… I don’t really know why, honestly. Because a part of me is still twenty-one and in love with you, I guess.”

So that was what it was like to have every organ in your body simultaneously crushed under a hydraulic press. Interesting.

You couldn’t think of anything poetic to say, so you settled for what seemed the most pressing. “You think I cried on stage singing Towers, a song I wrote about you, because I’m over you? You think I’m the one who’s moved on?”

He shrugged meekly. “I don’t know. That was just one song. You sang a hell of a lot of other songs about how you don’t need a man, about how your life is great. And those aren’t bad things! They were really good songs, but I just assumed --”

“Carly and Alexis wrote all those songs,” you said flatly. He fell silent. “I just sing them.”

There was a moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity, and then there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Shayne said, his eyes still locked on yours.

A tall brunet man with a thick beard opened the door and stuck his head inside. “Hey,” he said. “There’s a meeting in here in five minutes.” And then he looked between the two of you, and his eyes narrowed. You figured the tension in the room was so palpable, even a stranger could pick up on it. “Everything okay, Shayne?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Shayne replied. “We’ll be out of here in a minute. Sorry, Matt.”

“No problem,” the man, Matt, said. He nodded at you in acknowledgment, seeming more than a little confused at your presence. The door closed softly as he left.

“It’s probably for the best,” you said. “Michelle will have a coronary if I’m gone for too long. Places to be, people to see, insanely specific and personal questions to answer.”

He laughed a little bit, nodding, and for a moment the heavy awkwardness that had settled in the room seemed to lift just slightly. “Is your number still the same?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you replied. “Why?”

“I’ll text you my new address. Um, if you can, if you want to, it would probably be good for you to come over tonight to talk a little more. I can order some dinner for us. Only if you want to. I just don’t think… I don’t want to leave things this way.”

A sudden bolt of anger streaked through you, fiery hot. You clenched your jaw. He didn’t want to leave things this way? He had no qualms with leaving things this way when he’d let your entire relationship go down the drain all those years ago. And now he just got to waltz back in and invite you over for dinner and pretend he didn’t cause you the worst heartbreak you’d ever felt? After you had finally gotten yourself close to okay again, he got to come back in and ruin everything, knock you right back down to where you started? That wasn’t fucking fair.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to,” you said, and it wasn’t a lie. You still had one more interview after leaving the Smosh offices. You’d be completely worn out by the time that was done, especially on top of the exhaustion from the emotional rollercoaster that you’d boarded against your will.

“I’ll send the address anyway,” Shayne said. “Don’t feel pressured to come. If you don’t, I completely get it. You can delete the text and block my number if you want. I swear that after this I’ll never bother you again. But just in case.”

“Okay,” you replied. You really didn’t want to argue with him. You just wanted to track down Michelle and the band and go on your way to the next interview and try to forget about everything that had happened in the last three days. “Fine.”

He nodded and pulled out his phone, and after a moment you felt your own vibrate in your back pocket. You wondered briefly if he had your number memorized, which would have been kind of weird, or if he’d just never deleted your contact information. The notion that the latter might be true made your heart skip a beat.

Once he had repocketed his phone, he looked up at you. There was a moment of lingering silence where it was clear that neither of you knew what to say.

Finally, you lifted your hand in farewell. “It’s been, um… it was good to see you again, Shayne.” Bold-faced lie number four. “Bye.”

“Bye, Y/N,” he said.

Doing your best to ignore the tightness in his voice, you walked past him out of the room and scurried off to meet up with the band. You found them talking to Courtney, Damien, and another girl that you didn’t recognize. She was about Courtney’s height, Chinese, with brown hair and eyes.

“Ready to go, Y/N?” Piper asked.

“I think so,” you said. You turned to Damien and nodded your head over your shoulder. “Got a minute for goodbye?”

He nodded and the two of you retreated away from the rest of the group, not leaving their view but definitely out of earshot. “I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you,” he said.

“It’s okay, Damien, really,” you replied. You reached out to squeeze his arm reassuringly. “This weekend was wild for everybody involved. At least we got to see each other again, right? This has been really nice.”

He grinned and pulled you into another bear hug. “Yeah, it has been,” he said, and you felt it as a rumble in his chest more than you actually heard it. When you parted, he left one hand lingering on your arm and squeezed lightly before it dropped to his side. “Call sometime, okay? I’ve missed you.”

“Will do, Dames.” You glanced over your shoulder and saw Michelle looking at you expectantly. She tapped her wristwatch. You sighed. “I gotta run. I’ll see you around.”

He nodded and said a final goodbye before you turned to make your way back to the band. You noted on your way that Shayne had returned from the conference room. He was talking to Courtney and the brunette now.

You ignored the feeling of his eyes on you as you walked out of the offices and into the LA sunlight beyond.

***

Shayne came back from the conference room a few seconds after you did. He did his best not to watch you and Damien saying goodbye, did his best to push down the surge of jealousy as you hugged him. You were smiling up at him and it seemed easy, carefree. It was like you’d just seen each other yesterday. He wished he could be like that with you, even though he knew why he couldn’t. He was doomed to sad smiles and airless rooms and awkward tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

If time travel was real, he’d go back to that final night with you and kick his own ass.

Damien’s hand on his shoulder startled him out of his self-loathing. He turned to face his best friend and didn’t bother concealing the hurt on his face; Damien would see right past it even if he tried.

“You okay?” Damien asked. Shayne let out a strangled laugh. Of course he wasn’t okay.

“I feel like somebody tried to wring all the water out of my body,” he replied.

“What’s up with you today?” Courtney asked, and Shayne startled. He’d sort of forgotten she was there.

Shayne sighed. He figured he might as well tell her; she’d probably find out at some point anyway. That or she’d piece it together herself.

“Y/N and I used to be a couple, way back when,” he said. Courtney’s eyes went almost comically wide. “And it… didn’t end very well. Seeing each other again has been really fucking weird for both of us.”

“That’s why she cried when she sang Towers,” Courtney said, more to herself than to anyone in the room. She looked at Damien. “Is that why you know her? ‘Cause of her and Shayne?”

Damien shook his head. “Me and her were friends first. I introduced them.”

Courtney nodded slowly, obviously trying to process this new information. “Oh,” she said. Shayne couldn’t tell where her brain was (he rarely could). If he had to guess, he’d say she was probably combing over her every memory of the past weekend and looking for any indications of the history between you and Shayne. Sure enough, she continued after a moment: “that’s why she looked so constipated when we were at the photo op, and why you ‘needed some air’ halfway through the concert, and why you got all weird when I put my arm around your shoulders before, and why you disappeared after --” she stopped, her brows furrowing for a moment and then raising suddenly. She smirked. “Where’d you go after you finished filming, Shayne? You both came back pretty much at the same time.”

“Courtney --” Shayne said, voice scolding, trying to get her to stop whatever hellish train of thought she was getting onto.

“You’re still in love with her, huh?” Olivia said. She’d been silent for most of the conversation, but she was looking at him like she could see into his soul. Shayne froze. Was he that fucking obvious?

“Still in love with who?” Ian’s voice to his left startled him.

Courtney and Olivia stopped talking now, which Shayne was grateful for. They at least had the decency to let Shayne tell Ian on his own. Everyone looked from Ian to Shayne and back.

“Uh --” Shayne said. “I, um…”

“Is this about whatever weird shit is between you and the girl from the band?” Ian asked. Shayne threw his hands in the air, frustrated. Did the whole world know? Was he that easy to read?

“How did you…?”

“I’ve known you for almost five years, Shayne,” Ian replied. “You looked like you wanted to die during that entire shoot. There were a couple of moments it was so bad that I almost asked Courtney to come in and take your place. But the crew people said it didn’t come through on camera, so I just chalked it up to the fact that I know you so well. You also left with her right after we were done filming. Putting two and two together here doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist.”

Shayne sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, which made it look even more insane than it usually did. “We dated years ago. The way it ended was my fault. I shouldn’t have broken up with her. I shouldn’t have let her go. She was… she is one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met. This weekend has rubbed everything I did wrong right into my face.”

“Is that it, then?” Courtney asked. “She walks out of here and you let her? After the universe, fate, whatever you wanna call it put in all the effort to bring you together again… you let her go? You repeat your biggest mistake?”

Shayne had to force down an anguished sound at that. He knew Courtney was trying to get him to chase after you, but in reality, she was probably right. You wouldn’t want to come to his apartment to talk things out. You wouldn’t want to see him after everything. You wouldn’t forgive him. And he didn’t deserve your forgiveness, anyway. You were absolutely right to ignore the invitation.

“I asked if she would come over,” he said. He was trying to be hopeful. But he’d seen the way your eyes narrowed when he invited you to his place. Your jaw had dropped and then tightened in that way it did when you were torn between anger and disbelief. “If she does, maybe we can talk things out. But it’s been years. I don’t know if she’ll… I don’t know, you guys.”

He was breathing, that much he knew, but he was sort of starting to wonder if someone had poked a hole in his trachea because he was pretty sure the air wasn’t making it to his lungs. He looked around at his friends, all staring at him like he should know the answer, like he should be able to just whip a magical solution out of his ass and call it a day, a happy ending with a neat little bow.

“I’m gonna take a walk,” he said, a little louder than necessary, because the room was suddenly way too fucking small. Before anyone could object, he walked quickly away from the group and down the hall until he found an empty soundstage. He slumped against the wall and slid down onto the ground. The events of the last three days were piling onto his shoulders like bricks. Memories of you were branded onto his brain and he couldn’t stop replaying them, a highlight reel of what he’d had and what he’d lost. You, years ago, laughing and looking at him like he was the only person in the room. You, years ago, standing in the living room, looking at him like he’d just driven a knife through your heart.

In an instant, he felt like Atlas, holding the weight of his own mistakes. Holding memories both good and bad; your first date, your first kiss, your first fight. You had said ‘I love you’ first because he wasn't brave enough, and you’d looked terrified as you did it, like you were afraid he’d laugh at you and push you away. You’d always looked half-scared, he realized; scared of rejection and pain and heartbreak. And he’d gone and thrown those fears right back in your face.

It took about three seconds for Shayne to collapse in on himself. He barely made it to the couch before his knees gave out on him. He stared up at the ceiling for a long while, desperately trying to process whatever the hell had just happened.

You were gone, and the apartment felt empty without you. It was a new type of loneliness, one he’d never experienced before. He felt a little like his chest was caving in and little like he was astral projecting, like he wasn’t quite contained within the walls of his body. He reached for his phone and sent you a barely-coherent text, apologizing and asking you to come home. And then he texted Damien and asked if he was home. He needed someone’s company.

He stared up at his ceiling while he awaited a response, considering all the things that had led him to this newest, most monumental fuck-up. Suddenly, the time he’d forgotten your birthday made him look like Boyfriend of the Year.

And then he reached into his pocket and he produced the little blue box he’d gotten just yesterday, and he opened it and looked at the ring inside. Not too flashy -- he didn’t have the money for any big diamonds, and you’d once joked that you didn’t want your engagement ring to weigh five tons. He smiled at the memory and traced his finger over the small diamond at the center of the ring.

God, what the fuck had he just done?

Shayne’s head thumped against the wall behind him, and he cried.

[stimmypaw]

stimmypaw reads the apprentice’s quest, a blog post

A big one, just a bunch of thoughts as I’m reading it, of course, lots of spoilers for the first book in the Warrior Cats series A Vision of Shadows. This will be covering just the first book tho, it’s all in the Read More, let’s gooooooo!!!!

Vision Of Shadows time

Lots of new cats!!! I don't remember these guys as kits or anything wrow!!! I like their names but itll take a while to get used to them

Also cant believe they printed stormcloud's dead name

Omg there's a cat named beepaw

I love these cats all of them so much im going 2 cry

All new names are perfect

I FORGOT HOW GORGEOUS THE CAT VIEW IN THE RECENT BOOKS WAS, LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT

I'm glad leafpool smokes weed

I love reading from Jayfeather's point of view, his grumpiness hasn't grown on me ever but thats just me, I still enjoy it lots he's great and its fun

Firestar and Leopardstar's characterizations are On Point i love it

OOF i feel so bad when jayfeather is mean to others, poor kestrelflight, I love those two

Lovely Jayfeather moments now its time for the first chapter

I like this duo! Also I didn't think I'd ever say this but shut up squirrelflight one can have fun AND learn with their mentors

Sparkkit sounds nice she makes jingling bell noises when she walks around

Alderkit is chadphobic /j

I can see Alderkit taking deep breaths to relax its rotating in my mind its beautiful

God this first chapter feels so good and comfortable, like eating noodles and chicken nuggets. I am so so deeply in love with it, its gorgeous!

Sparkkit is so perfect too, and Graystripe remembering Firestar aaaaaa

DUSTPELT SAID WHAT? PHDHAHAHHA OH NOOOO I don't remember their relationship much, must have been fun, I love young little creature squirrelflight I MISSED HER SO BAD WOW

I started reading the second chapter and died, I think ill take a break now 2 sleep heehhee

I love them describing twoleg stuff its always so fun and alien, like watching an animal planet show about funny sea creatures.

Also I have determined sparkpaw is my favorite, might be my favorite cat ever next to hollyleaf??? I really identify with her and also she's autistic i have decided that

Alderpaw baby noooo hhhh their mentor at least is trying to show its okay, he seems very emotionally distant so far and alderheart feels very emotionally needy, actually both of them do, did I mention I love Sparkpaw??? I might be imprinting myself 2 much on her

I love how like, its clear both of them are absolutely anxious and worried about others opinions on them, which is clearly something they got from being Firestar's grandkids, deputy kids and leader kids. And bramblestar too, I recall him being quite the anxious lad ahhah. Sparkpaw will be showing confidence and being loud but the second anyone isn't approving of her or she does something "wrong" she gets small and quiet, and she ended up setting a high bar for herself by being good at hunting and fighting so I'm curious to see how that will go. Also there's nothing wrong with being guided through a crowded place to meet others Sparkpaw!!! I bet the two of them would be stuck without not knowing how to talk to others had Needlepaw not shown up. I love them, my gf is mocking me saying I'm a Sparkpaw kinnie.

Apprentices will like learn about a thing and tell everyone about it all the time and assume its always true in every situation and thats valid I love kids like that. Also in my head Needlepaw kinda looks like a porcupine. Oh boo she's fatphobic >:(

I love apprentices they are so fun and silly, just making fun of the leaders like its nothing. The way they are clearly learning and absorving everything their warriors say and do like sponges its just ***chefs kiss***

Omg shadowclan is just full of 12 year olds help

And then the old person said "it sure is hard being old!" And everyone clapped

Shout-out to pretty Riverclan apprentice #481977 I love her

Leafpool: 👁👁

Alderpaw: I knew it im cursed and awful and terrible and I will never amount to anything

I wish the cats didn't seem to be giving up on him so easily though

Ah yes the classic thunderclan move "you suck, into the medicine hole you go"

The way sparkpaw changes the things she says and how she does when it isn't the status quo around her oooooooooooooyeaaaaaaa I love 1 autistic cat

Alderpaw considering your problems lesser than other cats won't help you deal with them better bro

I love Needlepaw's excitement about Alderpaw being a medicine cat apprentice, and her sarcasm, she feels like a preppy teenager

Ahhh this is so good, I am so thirsty for family moments like this, just Alderpaw bonding with grandma, I’ll definitely want to draw this one it’s so sweet.

Oh to be young and silly.

I really am enjoying like, Alderpaw’s struggles to seeing how he fits in the clan, how he fits in himself, how he wants to be seen and what he wants to be, it’s really good. I Am Engaged(tm) With This Plot.

SPARKPAW NOOOOOOO but also Yes I want her to be shown vulnerable and weak please 

POP, god watching this stuff always awful, the cats must have thought he broke her ahahah

Also, really great that they learned from Dovewing and now like leave choices and discussions about prophecies between adults

And plus Brambles seemed to take the time to explain stuff to him, seems he wont be going alone either the 1 thing is that he will be the only one knowing what the journey is really about, why though??? I didnt read Firestar's Quest or whatever why does Skyclan need to be secret??? Seems quite silly really!

YESSSS SANDSTORM GET HIS ASS FIGHT FIGHT LOVE THIS LOVE SANDSTORM

I could feel squirrelflight nearing explosion here, this was very fun, i wish they werent hiding this though!!!

The secret thing is showing to be a plot point so I am once again Very Engaged

Also, wonderful dialogue bit, someone asked Bramblestar why an Elder is going and:

Lovely perfect perfect

I miss you dovewing

SQUIRRELFLIGHT LOVE YOU

Oh boy this is it

Traveling book moment

Graystripe: Soooo you're excited to go on the journey to the old territories and Skyclan?

Sandstorm: Yes! It's been ages and-

Graystripe: I'm sure the tribe will love the visit too

Sandstorm, groaning: Oh noooo I forgot about how the tribe is in the way of every journeyyyyy noooooo they're such a racist caricature, please tell me you have a plan

Graystripe: Yes don't worry about it the writers forgot about the tribe in my comic book so you can just use the excuses i did to actively avoid it

Sandstorm: Oh thank Starclan

Sparkpaw's desperation to prove herself oof, her anxiety with understanding the prophecy, oh boy, and Alderpaw feeling too overwhelmed by the questions and not managing to talk!!!! I am so glad they are both autistic

Hoping "Being Leader" wont mean theyre putting nonsense responsibility on the apprentice again

Ah good Sandstorm is on the lead again, as she should, she should have been leader she would have been great

I can't believe Alderpaw thinks I look stupid and diseased :( /j

Everything about this twoleg scene was scandalous I loved it, Sparkpaw just toppled over a trash bag and they are eating from it, iconic, also did those twolegs throw out a whole turkey? Damn

Its not that Sparkpaw is freakishly good at hunting she is very hungry and constantly on the watch for things to eat

BRO Ive never been in a road where the drivers are this wild, throwing bottles out of the car????? Ive seen Fruit being thrown like once or twice, what the fuck!!! I'm glad they are going to wait until the morning to continue

Okay I was not expecting Needlepaw to show up this girl is chaotic I love her

ACTUALLY YEAH WHY DIDNT THEY TELL THE OTHER CLANS ABOUT THIS SINCE THE PROPHECY IS ABOUT ALL THE CLANS???

Needlepaw is like Rono from Bambi 2 if he wasnt a mean bully and thats very epic

Very curious character though, how come her mentor isnt teaching her the warrior code properly? Is that an issue with all apprentices?? Is the clan overwhelmed by 12 year olds and they won?

Having lots of fun trying to play the game "what animal are they describing this time" the erins made here, im glad they're in a farm. Worried about Sandstorm though :c

Fuck im worried about sandstorm a lot, her wound hurt on Me

Yeah water is good youre right sandstorm

Aw man I hope she's okay let her at least survive to meet skyclan please

NOOOOOOOO SANDSTORMA A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sandtteooonrjrbbbmmnnnnnnnnnn

I am so sad

Alderpaw denying it, Starclan shining upon their vigil, everything crushed me i cried

Alderpaw considers Nihilism

Haven't seen a cat thank starclan for prey in a while its

Oh look they time skipped a journey! They don't tend to do that thats nice

I'm so excited to be meeting The Skyclan that everyone in the fandom knows now

So far they seem kinda mean but thats most clans at first glance really

Okay somethings up

I uh have heard of Darktail pretty sure he's a bad guy so yeah something really bad happened to Skyclan

Am worried

Darktail sounds like an evil himbo* i may be enjoying him actually

*himbos are usually nice by default so he's just evil and stupid and strong

Does needletail know these cats already?????

Ah

Shit

Oh okay fuck

I've been quietly reading the rest because I am just concerned and I want them to be okay as quickly as possible

Waterfalls are a classic nice

Oh boy time for our unlikely duo of Alderpaw and Needlepaw to get out of a Mess!

I did not expect this to end up with the two of them journeying into parenthood, but I'm happy it did

Well actually I'm very unhappy theyre so lost and there's no sign of Skyclan I am very worried for everyone involved Sparkpaw must be feeling awful!

Twigkit is a great name

Yeah this ended terribly

Overall! Frigging loved it this book was GOOD and a great start for the series I am very excited to read the rest, SO WORRIED ABOUT SKYCLAN THO AAAA the characterizations were great the characters were great the pacing was fun and I didn't get bored once!

I think o only wish I had read this sooner really so I could look up others thoughts without getting heavily spoiled about the last books, I can watch a few videos already though thats a start ahhaha. But yeah it was great and it felt very good to read, haven't swallowed up a book so quickly in a very long time!!! Very happy I finally got my hands on this 💕💖💕💖💕💖 cant wait 2 start the next one

If you read all this, hope you had fun hahaha, ill be making more of these cus theyre fun and I like talking about warrior cats thats just my thing

Til next time

[selfignitingimagines]

Derek- I’m Right Here

Request-  Can you write an imagine with Derek Hale? Reader is dating with him for a long time and she starts to notice that a stranger man is following her everywhere. That man seems very scary and he even tries to catch her, so she doesn't want to go anywhere alone. But reader hasn't told Derek about that man, so one night Derek texts her to meet him in the woods. That man follows her again and even tries to hurt or rape her, but Derek saves her at time. I know it's a mess, but I hope you'll understand!

A/N- I’m three days away from my last day of EMT class, I passed my final, and I realized I need to do more things for myself. I’m trying to get back into writing, so if you guys are here to read, I’m here to give you some stories. Hope you like it!

“Y/n, two at fifty-four!”

Your brow furrowed as you whisked past the dark-haired hostess at the front of the restaurant. You paused in the breezeway and adjusted your grip on the tray you were carrying. “That’s not even in my section.”

“Trina went out to smoke,” she whispered, leaning across her stand. “She said if the managers asked to say she was in the bathroom, and to not seat her until-”

You sighed. “Reese, she’s not supposed to be doing that. I know you’re new, but you can’t let the other servers walk all over you like that, okay?”

Reese frowned, and looked down at her sandaled feet. “I’m sorry. I kind of have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Look,” you told her. “I’ll take it for now, but as soon as I give sixty-two their drinks I’m telling her to get her ass inside and stop making your job any harder than it has to be. God knows this fucking place makes it hard enough.”

You muttered that last part under your breath, but she smiled as she heard it. You winked at her and headed over to your table, placing down the cokes you had been carrying before pulling out your pad. “Have you guys decided yet?”

You smiled as the couple you were serving told you their order, and glanced out over the railing of the outside seating area. Water from the marina splashed gently up against the deck, and the sun shone brightly down on you and the customers. Perhaps the only glamorous thing about your job, the view that accompanied the restaurant was an excellent distraction from the stress that came with it. It also helped to keep your mind off of how much you missed your boyfriend.

While you were at work half an hour from Beacon Hills, Derek was even farther from home, helping an old friend named Argent defeat whatever supernatural creature was plaguing the Bay Area. It was only six months ago that you had learned all the scary stories you heard growing up were true. Your town was more than just a little bizarre, and the moment you figured that out was the moment that almost ended your life.

You had just started working at the restaurant, and when you when to pick up a tray from the kitchen, one of the cooks happened to drop a searing hot pan of oil nearby. Your arm had been splashed, and while the burn hadn’t been that serious, it was enough for the manager to send you to the hospital.

“Can’t have you suing us later,” he had grumbled, rushing you out the front doors.

You had ended up stuck behind a curtain at Beacon Memorial, waiting in a bed you didn’t need for an hour, when suddenly a man with glowing white eyes burst through the room. He was making strange, animal-like noises and you noticed that he had a mouthful of sharp, jagged teeth.

The hospital must have been slow that day, because after several other patients had been checked out, you were the only one left in the room with the strange creature. That was until Derek Hale burst in, tackling him to the ground and fighting him off.

If anyone asked him about it, Derek would always say that it was you who had saved him. You didn’t really remember it that way, but you did admit that the way you slammed a metal IV pole over the thing’s head was pretty badass. Derek had simply been tossed onto the ground for a few seconds, but you had taken the chance to help him out, and that bravery was what spurred him to ask you out after.

Once you had gotten over your shock, it was no surprise that you said yes. He had basically stopped you from being eaten by a supernatural creature.

You missed him now, and hoped he was being safe fighting monsters. Meanwhile, the most dangerous thing you had to worry about was your bitter manager Stuart. The man was in his late twenties and already balding, and nothing seemed to be good enough for him. He was picky and rude, but you’d take him over a wendigo any day.

“Y/n!” He called as you headed into the kitchen to place your table’s order. “Phone call for you in the office.”

Your heart leap with hope. “Who is it?”

He rolled his eyes. “Who do you think? Make it quick, and tell that goddamn boyfriend of yours to stop bothering you at work. I don’t pay you to take phone calls all day.”

You gritted your teeth and forced a smile. “Sure, Stuart.”

You turned your back on him and headed into the office, picking up the phone and taking it off of hold. “Derek?”

“Hey.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “How’s work going?”

“Not too bad,” you told him, thinking. “Could be a lot worse. How’s the hunting?”

“I’d call it a success. I made it out with most of my body intact last night.”

You swallowed. “Are you okay?”

He laughed softly. “Yes, Y/n. I’m all healed by now.”

“You should still be careful,” you complained. “Derek, I need you home in one piece.”

“I will be. I promise I’ll grow back any limbs I lose.”

You sighed. “That’s not funny. I wish you were coming back sooner.”

“I’ll be home before you know it, baby.”

“I know. Look, I have to get back soon, but be careful, okay?”

“Of course. I don’t have you here to save me this time.”

You rolled your eyes, but smiled nonetheless. “That’s not how it happened. I have to get back, okay?”

“I know,” he said sadly. “I love you, Y/n.”

“I love you too. You promise you’ll be careful?”

“I swear. Have a good shift, babe.”

“Thanks,” you whispered. “Bye.”

You hung up the phone and headed back out to the front of the restaurant, but before you could walk through the doors, Reese came through them.

“Hey, sorry. I got a phone call. Two at fifty-four, right?”

She shook her head. “Trina came back after one of the busboys said something to Stuart, but someone is sitting in your section.”

“Wait I thought Zach was next in the rotation,” you told her. “Did they just sit down?”

“Sort of. I told him Zach would be his server, but he wouldn’t really listen. He just kept asking for you, so I sat put him in your section. Should I not have done that?”

Reese frowned as she watched your entire body go stiff. “What does he look like?”

“Uh, he’s got dark hair and stubble. He looks like he’s in his thirties. Oh, and he has these really blue eyes. They’re kinda pretty, actually. Did I do something wrong?”

You took a deep breath and shook your head. “No. But this guy, if it’s the one I’m thinking of, he always comes in and asks for me. And everytime, he just tries to get really personal and asks me all these weird questions. Sometimes I don’t even know how he knows things about me. Stuart never listens to me because he’s never tried to touch me, but he’s creepy.”

Reese blinked, suddenly looking worried. “Should I tell someone?”

“There’s no use. Last time he complained to Stuart when JD tried to take the table for me.”

“Are you sure?” You sighed. “Yeah. Just seat Zach next okay?”

She bit her lip and nodded. You shot her a weak smile and headed outside. As soon as you pushed the door open, the customer turned his head and smiled at you from across the deck, as if he somehow knew you were coming despite his back being to the restaurant.

Your short heels clicked softly against the wooden floor, but you walked as slow as possible to his table. It was him, the man that came in about every two weeks just to be waited on by you.

He was tall, with light brown hair and icy blue eyes that always seemed to stare right through you. He looked to be in his late thirties, early forties, and he never came with anyone else.

He first showed up about four months ago, and in the beginning he was harmless. He made a few comments about your appearance, but it was never anything crude, and you had had customers say much worse to you. His questions weren’t anything too bad at first, but they quickly became way too personal for your liking, and it began to make you uncomfortable.

“Can I start you off with something to drink?” you asked weakly.

He tilted his head. “No smile for me today?”

“It’s been a long day,” you lied.

“Missing the boyfriend?” he inquired.

You froze in shock. You had never told him anything about Derek, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by your discomfort. He actually let out a soft laugh.

“Your new hostess said you were taking a phone call. I just assumed it would be someone special. After all, if it were me, I’d want to keep an eye on you. Wouldn’t want anyone else whisking you away.”

His blue eyes were bright and sharp, suggesting something you had no desire to understand. “If I’m remembering correctly, we had a conversation about me not wanting to share my personal life.”

The man held up his hands and smiled gracefully. “Right. I apologize. I was only making an observation. I’ll take a coffee, please.”

“I’ll be right back with that.”

“She’s new, isn’t she?”

You gritted your teeth and turned back to him. “Our hostess? Yes.”

“Most of your coworkers seem to be...reluctant to seat me with you. But not her.”

“Most of them prefer to be sat in order.”

“But I prefer you.”

You fought off an uncomfortable shiver. “Yes. I’ve noticed. I should go get your coffee.”

“Of course,” he said with a smile. “Look at me, keeping you from working. I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll be staying for awhile anyway.”

He picked up his menu and began to flip through, but as you turned away, he called out to you. “And Y/n?”

“Yes?”

He didn’t look up from the menu, but there was a small smirk on his face. “I think that’s my new favorite dress on you. It fits your body incredibly well.”

You ignored him and started to walk away, but his fingers suddenly snatched your wrist. You let out a small gasp, visibly shaken. You tried to yank your arm away, but his grip never faltered, and he just smiled politely up at you. “Sorry. I think I’m ready to order now.”

“O-okay.” You hated the way your voice faltered, and you bit the inside of your cheek as he dropped your wrist. You suddenly wished Derek had called later. He would have been the perfect excuse to get away from this guy.

While he didn’t know about it, such perfect timing might have spurred you to finally tell him. You had held off since the man first started worrying you, always convincing yourself that he had never done anything too unsettling or inappropriate. Your own manager didn’t take you seriously, always telling you that he was probably just a lonely man who found you attractive.

“That’s not fucking normal, man,” your coworker JD had commented to him one day. “The dude’s stalking her or something.”

“JD, do you want to keep your fucking job or not?” Stuart had asked. “The only reason we’re still in business is because of guys like him who keep coming in, and my expert managing skills. If he wants Y/n as his server, that’s who he’s getting.”

That was as much of a response as you were ever going to get from Stuart, so you had stopped complaining to him a long time ago. You knew Derek would never have the same response, but you were still skeptical. You weren’t even sure he could do anything about it. It wasn’t like he could be there while you were working.

That was a big reason why you had never told him. You didn’t feel like he could intervene, and you would figured it would only make him worry more than anything else.

Dealing with creeps was practically in the job description of being a waitress, and you just kept telling yourself that you had to deal with them until something better came along.

As you headed back into the restaurant, you couldn’t help but wish that something would hurry up. The day dragged on, and even after the man left, you couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling he had left you with. Honestly, you weren’t sure you could take much more of it, and you thought about it the entire drive home.

When you finally rode the elevator up to Derek’s loft, all you wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep the day off. You were beginning to feel a sense of relief, but as soon as you pulled open the door, you felt your stomach drop.

The upstairs light from the kitchen was shining down the steps, but the problem with that was that you hadn’t left anything on when you left that morning. Derek was still in San Francisco, so you knew it wasn’t him. The only other person with a key was Scott McCall, Derek’s protege and one of his only friends. Although you always told him he didn’t have to, he normally called and asked, and you had a feeling it wasn’t him.

You opened your mouth to call out, but then thought better of it. The man from the restaurant was still on your mind, and while you knew it wasn’t logical that he followed you home and somehow got into the loft, you couldn’t help but worry.

Nervously, you took a step forward, conscious of every small sound you made. Even your breath sounded loud. As you crept closer, you attempted to peer up the steps, looking for any shadows or movement as your heart slammed against your ribcage.

Was it possible that you had forgotten to turn off that light? Maybe you had, and the man from today was just freaking you out. But if  it was something worse, you thought, was someone waiting up there for you? What would you find if you walked up those steps?  You were just beginning to wonder when a pair of arms wound around you from behind.

“Boo,” a voice whispered, but it was drowned out by your shriek. You fought against the arms, desperate to shove them off. To your surprise they dropped instantly. You stumbled forward and whirled around, at the same time Derek reached for you again. “Woah, Y/n, it’s me!”

You froze, breathing heavily as he placed his hands on your shoulders. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, and leaned forward to bury your head in his shoulder. “Y/n? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” you whispered shakily. “You just scared me. I thought you were still in San Francisco.”

“I wanted to surprise you,” he explained, his voice apologetic. “Guess I’m not very good at it.”

“No,” you breathed. “No, it was sweet that you wanted to. I just...I wasn’t expecting it.”

You reached up and ran your hands through your hair, shooting him a small smile. He was back, and everything was okay, and there was nothing for you to worry about. Not even the man from earlier.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “I’m glad you’re back.”

He grinned. “Me too.”

“And you’re all in one piece too.”

“I told you I would be.” He kissed your forehead. “God, I missed you. Do you wanna come shower with me?”

You smiled. “Is that a serious question?”

He chuckled softly, and wound his arms around your waist. He yanked you close, and swept you up in one effortless move. You wrapped your legs around his torso as he pressed his lips to yours again, and you felt a wave of joy wash over you. He carried you up the steps and into the bathroom, and everything that had happened that day was completely and utterly forgotten. For now, it was just you and Derek, and nothing else mattered.

“See you tomorrow, Y/n!’

“Bye Reese,” you called, as you dumped your apron in a bin at the back of the kitchen. You waved goodbye to  her, and weaved around cooks and other servers carrying precariously balanced trays of food.

The hostess smiled at you as she finished writing all the reservations for the night on the kitchen board, and you grinned back. Although you weren’t just happy to be getting off early. Derek had planned a romantic night for you two a couple days after he got back, and you had found someone to cover the last half of your shift that day.

       You headed out into the parking lot, smiling as you went  walked to your car, keys in hand. Tonight was going to be amazing, just you and Derek, and after the few stressful weeks you had had, that was what you needed.

Your job seemed to be incredibly mixed when it came to the experience. Some of your best and worst moments had been spent at the restaurant, but even when work made you want to pull your hair out, coming home to Derek was enough to help you decompress.

His last text was running through your head as you headed to your car, making your smile even brighter. Meet me in the preserve at 8.

You could practically feel the stress melting off your shoulders, but maybe you were a little too distracted, because you nearly collided with a figure coming out from behind a blue SUV. A gasp flew past your lips as two firm hands caught you by the shoulders, and your stomach dropped violently as you looked up.

“Y/n.”

The color drained from your face as the man from the other week grabbed you. Words seemed to escape you as you thought of some response, anything to get him to stop touching you, but your mind was blank.

His expression was neutral, but his icy blue eyes were sharp and suspicious. “Are you leaving?”

Finally, you managed to brush away his arms, but you still couldn’t think of anything to say.

“I came in to see you,” he continued. “I thought you always worked a double on Sundays.”

You fought to keep a choking sound from leaving your throat. How did he know your schedule?

“I-I’m just going to my car,” you managed to get out.

“I can walk you,” he offered, although the way he said it didn’t seem like he intended to give you much of a choice.

“No,” you said firmly, regaining some composure. “I’m fine. If you go inside, I’ll be in there in a second.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes narrowing. “I hope you’re not trying to trick me. That wouldn’t be very nice, considering I do come here for you, and I always tip you well.”

You felt the urge to wretch at how slimy his words were. As if you owed him anything just for that. “I’ll be back.”

He eyed you carefully, but finally relented. “I’ll see you inside then.”

You gave him a shaky nod, and continued to walk to your car, even though you were aching to burst into a run. Once you got to it, you calmly opened the door, locked the doors. Then you peeled out of there.

As you exited the parking lot, you dared to look back in your rearview mirror, and when you did, you could see the guy standing in the parking lot, staring at your taillights.

Your heart was racing, but you forced yourself to stay calm. Everything would be fine and once you saw Derek, you would tell him everything.

There had been no one in that parking lot, and while the sun was still up, he could have done anything to you. You doubt you could have overpowered him, let alone outrun him. For a middle-aged man, he seemed to be incredibly fit.

You turned on the stereo as you drove, cranking the station to the most calming thing you could find. As talk radio droned on and the miles to Beacon Hills Preserve lessened, the tightness in your chest began to ease. You began to think how good it would feel to be in Derek’s arms, and to finally be honest about what was freaking you out so much.

Your tires crunched on the gravel of the parking lot as you pulled in, and you breathed a sigh of relief as you spotted Derek’s Toyota. You parked next to him and hopped out, switching out your flats for comfortable hiking boots. You shrugged on your jacket, then headed toward the path leading to Lookout Point.

Derek had taken you here about three times, and you always stopped there when you went for hikes in the preserve. You knew right where he’d be, and you couldn’t wait to make it there.

You pulled your flashlight out of your pocket, ready to head out, but a flash of light from behind you caused you to pause. Once you glanced over your shoulder, you saw a sickeningly familiar dark SUV, shining its headlights directly toward you.

However unlikely it was that the man from the restaurant had followed you there, your stomach lurched in response. You heard the door open, but you didn’t stick around to see if you were right.

Your boots slammed on the gravel path as you ran, and soon the rocks under your feet gave way to dirt. Heavy breaths flew out of you as your flashlight bounced along the trees in front of you, and you quickly glanced over your shoulder.

It didn’t look like anyone was following you, and you couldn’t really hear footfalls, but you doubted you could hear much of anything over the sound of your own heart slamming against your ribs.

You shined the flashlight back up ahead, praying you were getting closer to the preserve, just as you heard a branch snap behind you. Panicked, you looked behind, searching for a threat, but there was nothing.

When you turned back though, you slammed right into a warm body, and just like before, hands came up to grip your shoulders.

You screamed and struggled, but the hands were strong, impossibly so.

The light from your flashlight cast an eerie glow on your attacker’s face, and much to your dismay, you had been right. The man was right there, staring down at you, and smiling politely.

“You lied to me.”

Your heart stuttered in your chest, and you could feel terrified tears pooling in your eyes.

“All I wanted was to see you, Y/n.”

Your trembling fingers were still gripping the flashlight, and it was only then that you realized you still had some fight left. This man had not only made you uncomfortable for months, but now he was terrorizing you. No matter how much you wished Derek was there to save you, it was time to be your own hero for once.

“I just don’t understand,” the man continued. “I just wanted to show you what you could-”

Without waiting for him to finish, you slammed the metal flashlight down on his head. He faltered, causing him to release you for a second, and you took off down the trail.

Once his fingers snagged in the back of your jacket, you knew your victory was short-lived. You screamed again as he dragged you to the ground, scrambling for any hold as you were pulled farther and farther from your dropped flashlight.

You kicked out when he pulled you back, and your boot connected with his jaw. A low growl came from his throat, and you glanced back in terror. His eyes were suddenly glowing a bright blue, causing panic to grip you even tighter. He was a werewolf just like Derek.

“Stop fighting me,” he snarled in your ear, gripping your hair and yanking your head back. He growled low in your ear and clapped his hand over your mouth when you screamed once more.

A whimper slipped from your lips as you felt sharp claws digging into your cheek. “Shhhh.”

He whispered in your ear, causing you to let out a disgusted shiver. You squirmed in his arms. “Derek made a good choice. Beautiful and  a fighter. He seems to have a type.”

It took a few seconds for his words to register, but once they did, you froze. He chuckled low in your ear at your reaction. “I bet he didn’t tell you anything about me. He probably thought he was doing what was best for you. His mistake.”

You were shaking with fear, but confusion had still wormed its way into your head. He knew Derek?

Another growl ripped through the night air, and you only shook harder. Then suddenly, the man’s arms were ripped off of you, leaving you with only the stinging scratches from his claws. You fell forward, palms hitting the forest floor.

You darted forward, yanking your flashlight from the dirt and shining it toward the snarling figures rolling around on the ground.

“Derek,” you whispered.

He was on top of the man, pinning him down after a short struggle. “Peter!”

His voice was low and dark, and he looked like he was actually going to kill him. The look on his face was murderous. There was something in his eyes that you had never seen before, not even that night in the hospital when he saved you from the wendigo.

“She had no idea,” The man-Peter-spat. “She had no idea you had any family.”

Family?

“How did you get out of Eichen House?” Derek snarled. “How?’

“It was too easy!” Peter cried. “And when I did, I found out that you were living happily ever after, playing house with Scott and your lovely little girlfriend.”

“I’m going to rip your throat out.”

“You already did,” Peter said with a bloody grin. “Didn’t seem to stick.”

With a low growl, Derek slammed his fist into Peter’s jaw, over and over again, and you closed your eyes. Your flashlight dropped from your trembling hands, and you didn’t pick it up. You listened as the struggle stopped, and everything was still. You were dimly aware of Derek talking softly into his phone, but you were too dazed to care.

“Y/n?” Derek’s soft voice asked.

You looked up carefully, but your eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the darkness of the preserve. You felt his fingers on your cheek, soft and gentle, and that was when you burst into tears.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Derek whispered as you collapsed into his chest. “It’s okay, you’re safe. He’s out cold.”

He ran a hand down your hair, smoothing it out and carefully picking out the sticks and dead leaves that had stuck there during the struggle.

“He was watching me,” you whispered into his chest.

“What?”

“He came to the restaurant. He was following me and he was watching me, and this whole time he was your family?”

“My uncle,” he informed you. “But it’s complicated. He’s not...you said he was watching you?”

“He wouldn’t let anyone else seat him,” you explained shakily. “For months he came in, and I just thought he was some creep.”

“Fuck,” Derek breathed, squeezing you tighter. “But you didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know what to say,” you told him, breaking down into a sob. “No one else listened.”

You picked your head up, pulling your face away from his tear-stained shirt. Peeking over, you saw that Peter was still on the ground, like Derek had said, out cold.

Derek reached up, placing a hand on your cheek and turning your face back toward his. “Scott’s going to be here soon to take him back to Eichen House.”

“Eichen House? The mental hospital?”

He was quiet for a moment as he nodded. “This was why you were so jumpy wasn’t it? He was scaring you.”

You nodded. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, placing both hands on your cheeks before kissing you on the forehead. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I just want you to know that I’m here, okay? I’m right here and I’m not letting anyone hurt you.”

You nodded and buried your face in his shoulder once more. Your cheek was still bleeding from Peter’s claws, but Derek didn’t seem to care that it was staining his shirt. He held you close until you were ready to pull away.

“We can go home as soon as Scott gets here,” Derek promised.

You sighed and rested your head back onto his shoulder. “And I was so excited for tonight.”

“Do you not want to go home?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “You’re hurt.”

You thought for a moment. “Not that badly. I just want my night with you.”

Derek’s lips turned up. “We can stay then. As soon as Scott takes Peter, we can head up to Lookout Point.”

You smiled against his skin. “You’re amazing.”

“I think you’re pretty amazing too. After all, you did save my life.”

You sighed and shook your head at the inside joke. “Well, now you’ve officially saved mine.”

He pressed his lips to your forehead and smiled wider. Sitting there in the dark, with Peter’s unconscious body behind you and the bloody scratches on your cheek, the situation might have seemed horrible and terrifying. But you could also hear the sound of Scott’s motorbike approaching in the distance, and of crickets chirping softly from the grasp.

Derek was right next to you, wrapping you up and making sure you were safe and sound. After all the chaos, everything suddenly seemed still and peaceful, just for the two of you. You leaned back into his arms and gazed up at the stars peeking through the trees, thinking you didn’t mind staying a little bit longer.

[carrickbender]

A Sunday 7 kinda Sunday,

So its been a while since ive actually posted stuff here. Ive been lurking, but it's been for a reason. A lot is going on.... - Too many people dying. Yeah, you heard that right. First it was a high school friends baby, who we were all rooting for to have a child, who died of SIDS. As someone who is childless , I hurt for them. Then it was the man who helped shape my personal spiritual journey as a kid growing up, our parish priest. Now before I hear the guffaws about religion, he was pretty big on being mostly socially progressive. But what he gave to all of us was the idea and the feeling of spiritual awakening, teaching about why we did things the way we did them and truly blending the mysticism of traditions with a search and openness for the spirit. I always thought this was an incredible thing, because as I get older and see God in things like whales, the laughter of friends, the look of love on the faces of an older couple, I think he really got that right because I'm still curious and im still open to not just my own interpretation of the divine, but others. And lastly, my fathers brother, my uncle Marty. Our relationship started the same day that I met my father. He had come along to make sure there was not anything bad in my intent with my dad. And I think the second that my dad and I hugged, Marty knew he was just along for a cup of coffee. He knew my mom pretty well, as like most people who go to small schools and know each others siblings, and oddly enough he was part of the pipeline of people who were secretly checking in on me growing up. He was a good and honest man, was an expert at dad jokes, a hard worker, and left everybody with a smile on their face. And while he had ALS, my last memories of him are of he and his wife having a sweet moment together in the kitchen. I will miss him greatly. -Both of my parents are going to require surgery this summer. My moms is pretty minor(lymph node removal, thanks to a spider bite LAST YEAR!). My dad however, his is a bit more drastic. His knees are destroyed from, much like me, having an invincibility complex. So Hes having both of them replaced this summer. Not a huge deal, but he has Parkinson's, and both of my other brothers are elsewhere in the US. Sooooooo.......yeah. Not to mention He's having his heart stopped and restarted on the 23rd(rhythm issues), so im kinda worried about that. -im doing my best to find a quick season of work so that I can take a good part of the summer off, but its been a challenge so far. Im probably going to gave to head to AK as early as Friday, but not doing what I had in mind. I need to have this time for my parents, but I also need to pay bills and move AND......go do my maritime stuff. Which means - trying to set up a meeting with a local tug boat owner who is looking for people to get into the rotation. His company is experiencing severe burn out. They work in the long beach, ca harbour, offer full benes, its union, and it would be a great job to get me out of Alaska for the most part and get me onto tugs.if I can get them to hire me right away and help me get my merchant mariners credentials, that would be pretty awesome.Then I can have a real life again, including music... -Music is just a blur for me. Ive been playing lots of little local gigs since ive been back, and applying for many northwest festivals. I have 2 so far, and we are putting on a third in Aberdeen, "songwriters gone coastal". There are 4 groups playing, including one of the recent contestants on "the voice"(who is super cool, btw), and im trying to throw together a thing at the end where we all have a sing a long(may sound hoaky, but we are all becoming a family. Plus, a rousing version of "pastures of plenty", which was written in Washington state by Woody Guthrie, is appropriate) im not tooting my horn when I say this(and please don't take this as being conceded), but there's some serious talent taking the stage that night. Im really excited because we are all doing a CD this summer, and its like a 400 seat show, and im going to do my best to sell it out. The new songs on mine are solid, the other folks are amazing, and its going to be broadcast on Facebook(hint hint). -But no matter what, im learning that Facebook, no matter how good a tool it is for marketing myself, is just a pit. I had a guy the other night send me a message about my mom, more or less saying she needed to not be so crass in he opinions and be quiet. I didn't know this guy from Adam, so I asked a few questions, and he said he didn't know whether I was her husband or that i might be her brother. I LET HIM FUCKING HAVE IT Im going to post this one of these days, not because I want a pat on the back but because this guy really thought it was ok to shame a woman by talking to a male relative and getting her to "understand" . I told him in explicit terms that he was no better than the Taliban, and that his puny words would have no effect on a true feminist like my mom. The stumbling on his retort was typical of a complete copy and paste politibot. You might enjoy the rant, it was kinda funny.... -anyhow, enough of my ranting. I just want to say thanks for reading this, and I seriously hope you are all doing ok. I know, I kinda go nuts on the hearts thing but y'all have great content. Seriously! Keep it up!!!! be kind to yourselves and to those you love, and I hope this finds you all ok, if not well.