#but i'd have to speed read to get through a whole one while i pause work for lunch

[thevioletcaptain]

as someone who normally reads a script over on the tv writing site every day while eating breakfast like it's the morning paper, but who didn't have time today because i'm trying to meet a deadline on my own script that i've been slow to work on due to an assortment of fire related stress as a resident of los angeles this week........ i am experiencing some severe fomo over these new spn script drops

[captainsophiestark]

Who You Gonna Call?

Platonic!Ahsoka Tano x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2024! Requested by @ghostofskywalker! Hope you like it Tori! It took longer than planned lol, but it was very fun to write!

Fandom: Star Wars

Day Twenty-Nine Prompt: "How did this happen?"

Summary: When Ahsoka and R2 find themselves in a bit of a scrape, Ahsoka knows exactly who to call.

Word Count: 2,343

Category: Fluff, Humor, Chaos

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

Briiiiiiiing. Briiiiiiing.

I sighed at the sound of my communicator beeping for the third time in a row. I'd ignored incoming calls twice now, but apparently I was suddenly much more popular than I wanted to be. Or else, someone wasn't taking the hint.

It was supposed to be a rare day off for me from the duties of a Jedi and the war as a whole. One day was all I'd asked for, one day of true shore leave rest here on Coruscant without anything else going on or anyone bothering me. The morning had been lovely, and I'd found my way up to my favorite spot in the Coruscant Gardens to lay in the sun, read, and now nap. I'd barely managed to close my eyes, however, when my comm had started ringing like crazy.

When the rings repeated, I huffed a frustrated sigh and snapped my eyes open. I grabbed my communicator off the table beside me, then picked it up with a frown.

"Hello?"

"Thank the Force you finally answered!" Ahsoka's voice came over the line, sounding a few pitches more shrill than usual. I sat up, some of the annoyance fading to concern.

Ahsoka was Anakin's padawan, but I spent so much time with both of them that she was like a surrogate little sister to me. And I knew her well enough to notice the note of panic in her voice.

"What's wrong?" I asked, shifting forward in my seat and getting ready to stand. I didn't need to be Force sensative to get the feeling that my relaxing afternoon was just about over.

"I'm taking care of R2 for Anakin while he's away for the day, and the little guy's going absolutely crazy! He took off on me, and I barely managed to follow him through the Senate building to Senator Amidala's room. He's beeping and screeching and I can't figure out what's wrong! Anakin's gonna kill me if I don't get this fixed before he comes back. I need your help!"

I let out a long, long sigh, then stood on the inhale.

"Alright, I'm coming. I'll be there as fast as I can, just hold tight."

"Okay, but hurry!"

I hung up, quickly collecting my stuff before heading out of the gardens. I didn't want to deal with any crisis on my rare day off, but at least it was Ahsoka and R2 I'd be helping, and not Anakin after he got into an avoidable bar fight or something. If I had to pick between interruptions, I'd always choose one from Ahsoka.

Luckily, it didn't take me too long to get from the gardens to the Senate. Even more luckily, nobody even gave me a second glance as I speed-walked through the hallways to Senator Amidala's quarters.

Nobody was in the hallway outside her room, so I paused to knock on the door. After a moment's delay, the door opened just enough for Ahsoka to peek out into the hallway. She let out a breath and swung the door open as soon as she saw me.

"Thank goodness it's you. Come on, get in here before anybody sees you."

I did, stepping into the familiar space as Ahsoka shut the door behind me. My jaw dropped.

Padmé's living room had practically been torn apart. Cushions from the couch were scattered around the room, papers littered the floor, and a few of the chairs were actually upside down. I shook my head, then turned to Ahsoka in astonishment.

"How did this happen?" I asked. Ahsoka just threw up her hands.

"I don't know! R2 found a way in here by himself, and he wasn't that far ahead of me, so I can't imagine he had time to do this. Not to mention, I can't think of any reason he would. But now he's in the closet in the next room screeching and beeping like crazy, and he won't listen to me or come out! I can't even understand what he's trying to tell me!"

"Okay..." I said, my mind working on overdrive. Ahsoka was clearly no more than a few steps from panic, so for her sake, I had to keep it together. I thought of her as a little sister, and as the older sibling, it was on me to keep it together and help her as well as I could. "Alright, let's deal with R2 first. That way, we can hopefully figure out what's going on, and maybe get some help from the little guy putting all this stuff back."

Ahsoka nodded, following me closely as I headed in the direction she pointed. R2 had apparently holed up in the closet in Padmé's bedroom, and lo and behold, when I opened the closet door, there he was in the corner. His dome whipped around to look at me, and he started screaching so loud and fast that I couldn't make out anything he was trying to say.

"R2! What are you doing?" I asked, shaking my head and moving further into the closet. He screamed back at me, but again, the pitch was so sharp and so fast that I couldn't understand. I sighed. "Buddy, I love you, but you know Anakin's the only one who can understand you when you talk that fast. Slow down."

R2 didn't have lungs, but I swear he huffed at me before trying again. His words still weren't perfectly clear, but I distinctly made out "trap" and "Padmé" amongst just about every profanity in Basic and then some.

I frowned, dropping to my knees and scooting closer to the droid as he continued to whir and beep. Ahsoka spoke from behind me, and I didn't need to see her face to know she was frowing.

"I still couldn't understand most of what he just said. What's going on?"

"I heard the word 'trap'," I explained, leaning down to try to look more closely at the floor R2 was currently resting on. "Not sure what he's talking about, but that's what we're gonna figure out. Can you get me a little more light?"

Perfectly on cue, Ahsoka lit up her lightsaber. I grinned.

"Thanks."

I used a few tools provided by R2 to examine the part of the closet he was currently occupying as well as I could. I wasn't quite up to the same level of mechanical tinkerer as Anakin, but I could definitely make do in a pinch. After a few moments of squinting and finding ways to redirect Ahsoka's lightsaber light, I noticed the slightest depression in the floor, beneath the carpet.

It matched exactly where R2 was resting his weight, like some kind of sensor plate. I swore and leaned back quickly.

"What? What is it?" asked Ahsoka, dancing around me and glancing into the closet to try to see what had caused my reaction.

"R2's on some kind of pressure plate or something. I have no idea what it's connected to, or what will happen if he rolls off of it, but... I think we better figure that out, and quick."

Ahsoka and I immediately set to work trying to unearth whatever mechanism R2 was on the verge of triggering. I had enough forethought to ask R2 if he'd been responsible for any of the mess in the living room, to which he answered "of fucking course not". Since Padmé was one of the Senators most often targeted with threats or attemtps on her life, and her room had been torn to shreds before any of us had gotten here, Ahsoka and I were both on the highest of high alerts.

"R2, what made you come in here in the first place?" Ahsoka asked as I took out a pocket knife and started tearing up the carpet. Not great for putting this place back in order once we were done, but necessary for tracing back this mechanism to whatever it was linked with.

R2 responded, his beeps marginally calmer now that Ahsoka and I understood the problem and were working on solving it. He said he'd been plugged into one of the building's computer terminals and had found some electronics that weren't supposed to be there, along with a few suspicious messages. So, he'd come here to do something about it.

"But why didn't you tell me what you were doing?" Ahsoka continued. "You know I could've helped you, little buddy."

R2 screeched his response again, something along the lines of concern for Senator Amidala, since he hadn't been sure whether or not she was in her chambers. If she had been here, every extra second wasted could be enough for Padmé to unknowingly trip the trap and suffer whatever terrible fate someone had tried to set up.

I very carefully resisted the urge to point out that, almost certainly, Padmé was with Anakin today. We all knew it was probably true, but we all had a silent agreement not to talk about it unless Anakin finally brought it up himself.

After a little more work, I finally managed to trace some wiring back to the back wall of Padmé's closet. R2 was in a position that made examining where the wires led incredibly difficult, but we also didn't have much choice but to leave him where he was. I climbed on top of the little droid, leaning and manuevering to get the best angle possible, which still wasn't very good. This time, it was Ahsoka's turn to come to the rescue.

"Let me switch places with R2."

I straightened up immediately, facing her with a glare.

"Do you know how dangerous that would be? Both in the immediate, and in the long term? You're lucky I haven't thrown you out of this room yet to keep you safe, since R2 and I are the only ones who have to be in here."

Ahsoka feined shock, then looked around from side to side in sarcastic astonishment. I frowned more deeply as she looked back at me.

"That was strange. My master's not here, but I could swear I just heard him speak."

I huffed a long sigh and rolled my eyes. Ahsoka comparing me to Anakin was a low blow, and she knew it.

"Come on," she continued, moving forward and putting her foot next to R2's on the floor. "We both know I'm easier to maneuver around than R2, and there's no other way for you to get to whatever's back there."

I let out a long, long sigh, but stepped back out of the closet for a moment anway.

"Fine. But if I say run, you run."

"Got it."

I watched as R2 and Ahsoka carefully switched places, ready to help in an instant if either of them needed me. After some very cautious maneuvering, we finally landed with R2 out of the closet and Ahsoka making herself as small and out of the way of the back wall as possible while still keeping one foot on the pressure plate, pushing it down. Just like she'd said, I had much more room to look at and work on the back wall of the closet like this than with R2 crammed in here.

I pried back one of the panels of Padmé's closet, and I almost ruined everything by jumping back and taking Ahsoka with me. Someone had put a bomb in Padmé's closet.

"What? What is it?" demanded Ahsoka as I did my best to get a grip on myself. I swore and took a few deep breaths, then shook my head as I responded to her.

"It's a bomb. Holy shit, don't move. We need to get rid of this, now."

Ahsoka froze as I took my tools and got to work. There was no time or room in my mind for doubt, I just had to trust my skills and the Force and get this thing disarmed.

Time seemed to stop while I worked, but finally, I disconnected the last wire. I pulled the thing out of the wall, gently, and let out a long sigh.

"Okay, you can move," I said, stepping back into the bedroom with Ahsoka while R2 waited anxiously. "We need to get this down to the Coruscant guard, now. And obviously tell Anakin and Padmé when they come back. But, on the bright side, the trashed room is evidence. Which means we can't clean it up."

Ahsoka and I shared a smile, then she nodded, and the three of us headed out of Padmé's room, taking extra care to secure the door behind us. After a few steps, Ahsoka spoke up.

"When we tell Anakin the story... can we leave out the part where R2 almost got away from me, and I called you in a panic about it?"

I grinned. "I don't know. What do you think, R2?"

He chirped and hummed in a way that told us he was happy to go along with Ahsoka's idea.

"That sounds like a yes to me. For Anakin's sake, the three of us were being responsible and calm when we discovered the threat, and we almost immediately brought it to the Coruscant Guard. Without ever tripping any traps or sensor plates."

R2 gave a happy little chirp of agreement, and Ahsoka shot me a relieved smile while giving R2 a little pat on the head. We made it another few steps, R2 getting a little further ahead of us, before Ahsoka spoke up again, keeping her voice quiet.

"So why do you think R2 was checking Senator Amidala's wiring and security so carefully?"

I fought the urge to smile, and ended up with something closer to a smirk.

"Technically, he's her astromech, isn't he?" I said mildly. When I glanced over at Ahsoka, I found her grinning without bothering to try to stop it.

"That's right. Can't imagine there's any other reason."

"Of course not."

The two of us glanced at each other and shared a smile, then carefully returned our attention to the task ahead. Still, I don't think either of us were going to be surprised when Anakin and Padmé returned here at almost exactly the same time tonight.

We were just too good of friends to say anything about it. And Anakin knew us well enough to hold his own in the sibling war, if either of us decided to start it.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen @misshale21

[rosanna-writer]

Fic Writer ask game

Thanks for the tag @whatishowedyouinthedark!

Describe your writing process from idea to posting/publishing For longer fics, I usually start with an outline. It's usually just a bullet point list of events with sub-bullets for random notes about the event (things to make sure get mentioned, scraps of dialogue I'm already thinking will be included, etc), and sometimes I'll write the summary first and throw that at the top of the document. Then I just follow the outline, mostly in order, and decide on chapter breaks as I go based on vibes. I draft pretty slowly because I clean as I go, and for canonverse-fic (especially anything that's first person Feyre POV), I stop to refer to PDF copies of the books pretty frequently to make sure things "match." Then I do a once-over, usually reading aloud, to catch typos and awkward phrasing, and then post!

Are you a plotter or a pantser? I'm a plotter for sure! I like to do all my thinking in the outline, so drafting is a brain-off, "just refer to the notes" type of deal

What do you listen to when you are writing? Nothing! I find it distracting, and I'd pause it all the time to read things out loud anyway.

What’s your drink of choice(while writing)? Coffee! I usually try to take myself on a coffee shop writing date once a week.

Promote yourself! What’s your favorite thing you’ve written? It's so hard to pick! But I have a soft spot for everything that gives me warm fuzzy feelings because I wrote it specifically with friends in mind, like I Knew You Were Trouble, The Great War, and Love At First Sight's For Suckers <3

Share a fic of yours that you think is underrated/deserves more love. with you i serve, with you i fall down, there's just not much of an audience for genfic centered around Mor's frienships (and it's a short drabble). But I think it works really nicely as a missing scene from canon

Do you have any advice for new writers? "Just keep going!!!!" feels like trite, unhelpful advice, but I think it boils down to this: it takes a loooooooong time to get decent at identifying problems in your work and fixing them because that's a skill in and of itself. There will be literal years of feeling like your work is meh but not really knowing why (that sort of "something is off, but idk what" thing), and it's frustrating as hell. All you can do is just keep going and practice until you get past it. Creative writing classes or feedback from a knowledgeable beta (i.e. someone who actually reads in your genre AND knows how to deliver criticism kindly) can speed the process along, but ultimately, the only way out is through.

What is a writing style/technique that others do really well that you'd like to get better at? "Atmospheric" writing that whisks you away somewhere else/pieces that feel "dreamy." There are SO many writers I admire who do it well (@bloomingdarkgarden, @thesistersarcheron, @popjunkie42, and @foundress0fnothing have all killed it with the otherworldly fairytale vibes), and I feel like I'm just sitting here writing the Generic Airport Novels of fic lol

Is there a character you were surprised you enjoyed writing as much as you did? Azriel! I've always liked him because a character archetype I adore is Very Sad But Very Sexy Spy. But in we said hello and your eyes look like coming home, I really didn't anticipate how healing having a quietly helpful "loyal attack dog" kind of person in her life would be for Feyre, who has her whole "years being the breadwinner burned me out because no one came through for me" complex at the forefront of her mind in that AU. Rhys combats it in more of a caretaking/mother hen/"let me be soft and spoil you because no one else did" kind of way, which I LOVE, but there's also something about Azriel's love language being a grim "it's handled" that goes so hard.

The Az that exists in my head is more or less the Night Court's Olivia Pope, and I want to write more of him quietly assassinating people/planting evidence/leaking damaging things to the press on the High Lord and High Lady's behalf.

Everyone I mentioned above can consider themselves tagged <3

[the-bau-quinjet]

Secret's Out

Summary: Request! Reid and Y/N are secretly dating, but their business doesn't stay their business for long.

Warnings: Criminal Minds level violence

Word Count: 2974

a/n: Thank you for the request! I hope you like it :)

Sorry this took forever! It took me a while to think of case details that I liked and then I kept rewriting parts. I think I'm finally happy with it though!

Masterlist

"Spencer!" You pushed him away. "The doors could open at any moment! How are we supposed to keep this a secret if Morgan walks in on us kissing in the elevator?" You raised a brow at him.

"On average, elevators travel at a speed of 200 ft/min or about 4 seconds per floor. Being on the fifth floor means we have about 20 seconds to ourselves." He smiled triumphantly.

"Yeah, until someone surprises us on floor 3." You rolled your eyes, stepping out of the doors once they opened.

"I can't help it. I'm just... really happy with you." He whispered softly.

"I'm really happy too." You smiled at him. You were about to lean in when the elevator doors opened once again to reveal JJ and Emily.

"Hey guys, ready for another case?" Emily glanced between you suspiciously, but thankfully didn't ask any prying questions.

"Yep, let's go!" You turned quickly, walking into the round table room without so much as a glance back at the three agents by the elevator.

"What's with her?" JJ questioned.

"Said she didn't sleep well last night. Must be all the caffeine." He held his own cup off coffee up in solidarity before also walking to the round table room.

"Alright, we've got 3 dead in Billings, Montana. All three were law enforcement, and all three were found this morning around the city." You listened as Penelope introduced the details of the case.

"Could be someone who feels the police didn't do a good enough job protecting a loved one?" You threw out a theory.

"Or someone who feels wronged by the criminal justice system as a whole." Rossi added on.

"Either way, they likely won't stop until we catch them. Wheels up in 20." Hotch rose from his seat as he spoke, wasting no time in preparing for take off.

You all dispersed briefly to grab your go bags, meeting back at the SUVs to head to the jet.

Once boarded, it didn't take long for the conversation to start up again.

"When we land, L/N go to the morgue. Dave, Prentiss take the first and second crime scenes, they're only a mile apart. Morgan and Reid, check out the third scene. I'll head to the precinct with JJ."

With Hotch's instructions set, you took what little time you had left on the flight to go over the causes of death.

-

"Anything stand out to you on the bodies?" You asked the ME after going over the blunt force trauma and bullet wounds.

"There's tape residue and bruising on the wrists and ankles. Based on the state of bruising, they were likely held for about 3 days before they were killed."

"Thank you for your help." You shook hands, pulling out your phone to call Hotch.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch, they were held for days before they were killed. How did nobody notice they were missing?" There was nothing in the reports that indicated the victims were reported missing prior to being found.

"We just found the same pattern. They all used vacation days for various reasons in the days leading up to their deaths. Meet us back at the precinct and Reid can explain the whole pattern."

"Okay, I'm leaving now." You hung up just as you reached the SUV. Throughout the drive, you couldn't stop thinking that something wasn't adding up.

The victims were taken in the same day. It didn't make sense for the unsub not to escalate. So, why aren't any officers unaccounted for?

Suddenly, a truck crashed into your SUV, sending you flying off the road. A figure dressed in black opened the door and dragged you from the car.

"Agent L/N, it's so good to see you again." A male voice spoke, but you couldn't place it.

He hit you over the head with a handgun before dragging you to his own vehicle.

-

"Where's L/N?" Emily questioned when her and Rossi returned from the second dumpsite.

"On her way back from the ME." Hotch answered. "Did you find anything useful?"

"They truly are dumpsites. Both bodies were found by dumpsters, sending a pretty clear message." Dave replied.

"Same for the third site." Derek added on.

"All three victims were single and took time off leading up to their death. Nobody would've notice that they were missing until it was too late." Reid supplied the final bit of information gathered.

Hotch's phone rang before anyone else could comment. The frantic sound of Garcia's nails clicking against her keyboard echoed through the phone. She was talking before anyone could greet her.

"You need to see this, check your tablets."

Confused glances were exchanged as everyone, barring Reid, opened their tablets. Reid glanced over Morgan's shoulder to observe as well.

A seemingly live video that Garcia received a link to was streaming to the tablets.

A single woman sitting in a chair could be seen in the frame. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the chair with thick, gray tape and a bag was over her head.

"Garcia, what is this?" Hotch asked almost immediately.

"I was emailed the link just now. It's not streaming anywhere else online." Her reply came quickly, the sound of typing still filling in the silence.

"Can you trace it?" Rossi questioned.

"I'm trying, but it's being routed through multiple proxy servers."

"Did the email say anything?" Emily chimed in.

"No, it was just the link- Wait. I just got another email." She paused as the new email loaded. "It's addressed to Reid."

Every set of eyes in the room turned to Reid.

"What does it say?" He felt the nerves beginning to grow waiting for Garcia to read the words aloud.

"Dr. Reid,

I hope you remember me. What am I saying, of course you do. I've got something of yours that you might want back. You see Dr. Reid, you and your team ruined me. My family, my career, all of it, just gone. I thought I'd return the favor. A person's phone can be so informative. Tell me, does your team know about your girlfriend? I've so enjoyed getting reacquainted with her.

Happy hunting."

Spencer's face went white as he looked at Morgan's tablet again. His thoughts were racing. How did he not recognize you before? Even with the bag over your head, he should've known it was you.

"It's her." His words were barely a whisper.

"This is your girlfriend?" Morgan gestured to the screen again. Spencer could only nod in reply, his mind unable to focus on anything except you.

"Reid, listen to me. You've got to tell us everything you know about her. We'll have to split up. You can go back to Quantico with Emily and Morgan, the rest of us will stay here to work on our current case." Hotch was already devising a strategy to work both cases.

"There's no need." His words made sense to him, but sounded cryptic to the rest of the team.

"Kid, of course there is. We'll help you get her back." Morgan placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively shocking him back to the present situation.

"There's no need to split up because she's here. She's in Montana." Before he could continue, everyone was asking questions.

"Give me a phone number and I'll get you a location." Garcia was already typing away again.

"Are you sure she's here?" JJ's brows furrowed. She did her best to hide the hurt of her best friend hiding his girlfriend from her, again.

"Why would she be here?" Rossi added.

"How did she get here? Maybe we can track the transportation and figure out means of abduction." Emily was the only one thinking about the case.

Like ripping off a bandaid, Spencer blurted out the truth.

"It's Y/N."

He was met with silence in the room as everyone absorbed the information.

Garcia caught up first, a sudden gasp sounding through the phone.

"So, then that's Y/N... in the video..." Her voice wavered.

As if a switch was flipped, the team was back on the case.

"Garcia, get me a list of anyone who would have a grievance with the team." Hotch ordered.

"Go through anyone who was falsely accused. Start with cases in or around Montana. He would want to keep this close to home." Rossi specified.

"We've only had one case in Montana since Y/N joined the team." Reid supplied the knowledge as it came to him. "A name, I need a name." He muttered to himself, pulling his hair as he roughly ran his hands through it and over his face. "Garcia, look into Jameson Braddock."

"Got it." She immediately began a background check, searching through case files and news articles for additional information. "i'll get back to you with locations." With that, she hung up.

"Fill us in, kid. Who is Jameson Braddock." Morgan lead Reid to a chair, gently easing him into it.

"Our last case in Montana, Emily and I went to interview a witness." Emily nodded, the memories slowly coming back to her.

"He wasn't very forthcoming, and then he tried to run." She added on.

"Exactly, except he didn't make it very fair. We arrested him, but it turned out he was only guilty of selling alcohol to minors. When word of his arrest got out, the whole town thought it was for the serial rapes and murders we were investigating even though it was never confirmed."

"By the time we corrected the media, it was too late." JJ supplied, also remembering the man.

"So, he killed three officers just to draw us out back out here?" Morgan refocused the conversation on the current case.

"It looks that way now. The media knew we were coming, so he must have as well." Emily theororized. "If he followed us from the airport, he would've seen Y/N leave by herself."

"He likely didn't know about your relationship until he abducted her and went through her phone." Hotch paced the room.

"He's flaunting his power over us." Rossi chimed in just as Hotch's phone rang again.

"Garcia, what've you got?"

"Three addresses in Billings, Montana. Jameson Braddock has been on a downward spiral since your last trip there. His entire life fell apart, like he said. Divorced, his wife moved to Nebraska with their two kids. He lost his job at the high school, and was evicted from his house when he could no longer pay the bills." She listed the information quickly.

"He has ties to three addresses. Nobody has moved into his previous house, so it's vacant. He's got a small apartment in the northern part of the city which he pays for through working odd hours at Taco Bell. Finally, he briefly worked security at a now abandoned warehouse."

"An apartment wouldn't be enough space to hold her without the chance of someone hearing. She's not there." Rossi eliminated the location as an option.

"We'll split up to cover the warehouse and the house-" Hotch began, but Reid cut him off.

"No, we shouldn't split up. She's got to be at the house. The warehouse has no connection to his previous life. He wants revenge for our perceived wrongdoing, he wouldn't make his last stand at a new location." Reid was already putting on a bullet proof vest. Despite how his mind was racing, he refused to show how afraid he was.

"You're sure?" Morgan asked, on the fence about committing to one location.

"Absolutely." With that, Reid was out the door heading for the SUVs.

-

"Rossi, Emily head around back. I'll take the front with Reid. JJ and Morgan, the side door." Hotch instructed the team to split up upon arrival at the house.

Reid wasted no time in approaching the house. He was confident you were inside, but he didn't know what was happening to you.

The main floor was cleared quickly. Again, the team split up to cover the upper level and the basement.

Knowing you were likely downstairs, Reid immediately started that direction, JJ and Hotch following him.

It wasn't hard for him to find you. You were still tied to the chair in the middle of the room, bag over your head.

Before anyone could stop him, Reid lowered his gun and ran to you. He gently maneuvered the bag off your head, stopping his movements only when he felt something press into his back.

"Dr. Reid. So kind of you to join us." Braddock spoke maniacally, pressing the gun against Reid's head.

"Drop your weapon." Hotch commanded, but the man only cackled in response.

'Y/N... Y/N." Reid gently shook you in an attempt to wake you up.

"She can't hear you." Braddock singsonged.

"What did you do?" Reid tried to turn to him only to feel the gun press further into his head.

"Like I said in my email, you people ruined my life. They took everything from me, so I thought I'd try to return the favor." During his short speech, Braddock shifted just enough for JJ to get a clean shot.

He fell to the ground, gun clattering across the floor.

Reid moved quickly to remove the tape binding you to the chair while Hotch called for a medic in the basement.

The entire team watched as you were wheeled into the ambulance, still unconscious, none more scared than Spencer.

-

"She's going to be fine, Spence." JJ tried to reassure him, nonetheless his pacing continued.

"You don't know that. We don't even know what he did to her." He had one hand anxiously running through his hair, the other pinching the bridge of his nose in distress.

Just then, a doctor emerged from behind closed doors.

"F/N L/N." She called into the waiting room, slightly taken aback when the group of agents rushed to her.

"It was touch and go for a while, but she got here just in time." It was visible to even the least qualified profiler how relieved the team felt. Their previously tense shoulders relaxed, frowns turned to small smiles, wide eyes and raised brows pinched together with joy.

"What happened?" Emily posed the question everyone was thinking.

"In short, she was drugged. It's not clear what exactly was used, but it was likely a mix of drugs that attempted to stop her heart."

"Can we see her?" Morgan spoke next, cautiously eyeing Reid.

"You may, follow me." The doctor lead them through a series of hallways to your room. "She should be waking up soon."

With that the doctor left, allowing the team to file into the room. You looked strangely peaceful for someone who almost died.

"So..." JJ glanced between you and Spencer. "Girlfriend, huh?"

His eyes went wide. Instinctively, he turned to you for help, but you were still asleep. He opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out.

"Relax, kid." Morgan grinned. "We're happy as long as you two are happy."

Spencer smiled gratefully, looking at you with an adoring gaze. "We are happy."

"How long?' Emily gestured to your joined hands. Just before Spencer could answer, you groaned.

"I want to hear your guesses first." Your voice was raspy, but there was a clear smile on your face. "Also, what happened?"

The quickly explained the email Garcia received and the events that followed.

"Now that that's cleared up, do tell us how long you think we've been together. I know you've got a bet going." You narrowed your eyes, playfully glaring at each team member.

"4 months." Hotch begrudgingly admitted. JJ followed with 3 months, Derek and Rossi both betting 10 weeks, and Emily going with 6 weeks.

"Ha, you're all wrong." You smiled triumphantly, leaning closer to Spencer.

"Wait, we haven't heard from Garcia." Derek smirked as he rung her on speaker phone.

"Oh, my beautiful crime fighters. Y/N, are you okay?" Your smile widened at the concern in her voice.

"I am indeed, but I have a very important question for you." You glanced as Spencer briefly before continuing. "How long do you think Spence and I have been together?"

"Oh, I know this one!" Her excitement caught everyone but you off guard. "7 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days."

Spencer's jaw dropped as he stuttered out, "that's exactly right..."

"How'd you figure it out?" The group of profilers wore matching expressions of surprise as Penelope explained.

"Well, we had just finished testifying in the Bigelow trial. The whole team went out for drinks, and I could just see it in Y/N's eyes the next day that something wonderful happened. At first I just thought that she got some, but then I saw her and the good doctor in the kitchen getting coffee and I knew." Penelope's voice held a mixture of smugness and pure excitement.

"Babygirl, you didn't tell me?" Derek sounded genuinely offended.

"Y/N asked me not to." Even though you couldn't see her, you knew she punctuated the statement with a shrug.

"You knew, she knew?" Spencer turned to you in shock.

You nodded. "I could see it on her face the second I walked out of the kitchen. But she promised not to tell, so I didn't either."

"The two of you, thick as thieves." Rossi lamented.

"I love you so much." Spencer whispered into your ear as he pulled you in for a hug.

"I love you too." You whispered right back.

"Honestly, I'm glad the secret's out." You smiled at Spencer before looking at the rest of the team. "Although, I wish I didn't have to be kidnapped to tell you."

You spent a few more hours in the hospital before being cleared to go back to the hotel.

The next morning, you smiled to yourself as you were finally able to cuddle with Spencer during the flight home.

Permanent taglist:

@averyhotchner

@jesuswasnotawhiteman

@strawberryspence

@sebastnstn

Criminal Minds taglist:

@mac99martin

@goldeng1rl8

@measure-in-pain

[mtfstuff]

Becoming Officer Bradley part 1

I was sitting alone in the room I'd rented for my special project. Some days ago I got pulled over and should have gotten a speeding ticket. Of course I did this intentionally. I looked out for the cop who was on oatrol that day and drove with 18mph over limit past him. He pulled me over and wanted to give me a speeding ticket. I excused myself that my child was sick and that I had to drive home fast. I gave him a card that he could get some free massages if he would let me go with a warning. Of course He didnt know that this was all a bait. He agreed.

Now waiting in this room I hoped that this hunk would enter. And he finally came.

It already got dark outside but I saw how his police car drove onto the driveway. As he entered with big steps I remembered why I chose him. Standing about 6"4, he was intimidating with his muscular physique, big biceps, broad shoulders, big hands, muscular calves,...

He had this cheeky but nice grin no one could resist. As he entered he looked around.

"Looks like you have nothing to do.", he said. His deep baritone voice made me shiver.

"My last customer left an hour ago.", I lied.

He pulled the card out of one of his vest pockets.

"I want to redeem this.", he said.

He holds it into the air. I acted as if I didnt recognise it from the start.

"Oh yeah, of course.", I answered. I gestured towards a massage bench. "Which ones do you want?" I handed him a card with multiple kind of massages. He sat down on the bench and reads the card. He chuckled at one point, looked at me and then read further. I bet he read my feet massage.

He handed the card back and looked at me, again with his cheeky smile.

"You know, after such a long day of work, my feet are really tired. And after that I'll take a back massage.", he said quiet cocky.

"Good choices. Do you want anything else? Maybe something to drink?", I said.

He laid down onto the bench, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I'll take a glass of water."

I went into a back room and mixed a sleeping pill into a glass of water and brought it to him. It would make the future process easier. He took and glass and a big sip out of it.

"Do you want me to straighten up the bench?", I asked. I hoped for a yes so he would see how I'd work on his feet until he was completely servant.

"Yeah, that'd be great.", he answered.

I pulled up the head part of the bench and sat down at his feet. They looked incredibly massive in those black combat boots. I could no other than letting out a gasp because of it. He chuckled.

"I know I have big feet.", he said. From this position he looked really nice. What a shame.

I took his left foot in my hand and searched for a zipper but it didnt have one so I untied his laces. It took some time as it was tied really tightly. As I finally managed to pull his first combat boot off by having one hand at the heel and one at the tip, his formerly tucked in pants fell onto his ankle. I wanted so bad to raise his boot to my noise but it had to wait as he was watching. I put it to the ground and as I turned to his ither boot I could finally smell his sweaty feet. It was a real turn on and I was happy that he couldnt see how my dick raised against my pants. I untied his second boot. This time I had to wiggle it a bit more to get it off. He finished his glass water and relaxed.

"Do you want me to keep your socks on?", I asked. I just wanted to see his bare feet.

"Ehh... keep 'em on.", he said. His face looked kind of confused.

"Alright. I always ask customers what they prefer.", I said. He nodded and leaned back again. I started to massage his left foot. I made sure to hit the spots to make him completely servant. He started to moan silently and closed his eyes. It looked like he enjoyed it. I finished his left foot and took on his right one. He must've liked it so much that he started to touch his dick beneath his good looking pants. Good, he's loaded there too. It showed that my technique started to work. As I finished I took both of his combat boots in my hands. Without opening his eyes he said:"If you're finished, you can put my boots back on."

"Well, there is this thing I always wanted to do.", I said.

He leaned forwards and opened his eyes. He looked incredibly tired. Another proof that it's working.

"What exactly do you want?", he asked not so nice anymore.

"It feels so wrong to bribe a cop.", I said holding a $50 bill. I made a pause. "I'd love to smell your boots and socks."

"Oh, you're one of those. I've heard of you guys. People who live to smell people's dirty feet.", he gestures to hand him the bill. I do so. "Go ahead. Knock yourself put.", he said, putting the bill away.

I raised his boot to my nose and took a deep breath. His smell overwhelmed me. Such a manly smell. I could imagine just by this smell what he did the whole day with his imposing, good looking body in this sexy uniform. I licked the inside of his boot and he didnt notice it. Next, I rolled up one of leg of his pants till I reached his knee. He wiggled his toes on the yellow tip of his sock. I ran my fingers down his leg until I reached the start of his black otc socks. I pulled it over his muscular calve to his feet and then off of it. I took a deep breath as he said:"Now put 'em back on."

"Well...", I pulled out another bill.

"Yeah?", he didnt seem to be turned off by me.

"Can I lick your sole?"

"Hmm... I'll do it for twice of that.", he pointed to the bill. I took out another and handed them over.

I let my tongue slide over his bare foot, from heel to his toes. I started to suck on each toe as his body started to twitch slightly. That was it. It was done.

I stood up, the young cop's eyes followed.

"Who are you?", I asked with my firmest voice.

"Police off... I-I'm your boy. Aiden Bradley.", the cop stammered.

"Good boy."

I pulled off my shoes and put his combat boots on. They were way too big for me but it still felt great and got my blood pumping through my dick. I tucked my cargo pants in and tied the laces. I walked around the bench so I could stand behind him. I took his police badge and waved it in front of his face. "Looks like you wont need them anymore."

I started to take off his heavy vest by opening the velcro and the zipper beneath it. I pulled both of his muscular arms out of the vest and put it next to me on the ground.

I opened his heavy equipment belt and put it to the ground. I unzipped his pants to pull his shirt out of it. I started to unbutton it slowly, feeling his chest muscles beneath the tight fitting shirt. I pushed him forwards to pull it off of him. I grabbed him by his breast muscles and pulled himself back towards me. I walked around the bench again.

I started to peel off his other sock. Next I grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him towards me, his calves now hanging in the air. I grabbed his uniform pants und pulled them off of him. I pushed the crotch area against my face and took a deep breath. The sweet smell of cum and sweat filled my nose. I dropped them to admire that beefcake in front of me. Aiden Was just sitting there wearing nothing but a small jockstrap, smiling at me.

"Who's the boss now?", I asked with a devilish grin.

"You are.", he answered.

"Stand up boy."

He got off of the bench and stood in front of me. He was towering over me by at least 8 inches. Even though I was wearing his boots and he didnt. I ran my fingers over his sweaty abs until I reached his jockstrap. With a quick pull it was laying on his feet. He stepped out of it.

"Now be close to me and strip me off my clothes.", I ordered and he followed.

He turned me around and pressed his hips and dick against my back. I felt how it pulsated and pre-cum dripped against my shirt. He carefully unbuttoned it with his massive hands. Standing there I could smell his manly sweat.I turned my head to smell his armpits. He pulled my shirt off and opened my belt pants. He turned me around again. His dick now touched my flat and pale belly and mine grazes his inner thigh. Only now being so close to him, I realised how tan he was. It definitely complemented his abs.

He bowed down to lift at first my left and then my right feet to untie and pull off his old boots and my socks. After that he pulled off my pants. He looked surprised that I didnt wear something beneath as my dick popped out of it right in front of his head.

While I bet that his beautiful lips would give an amazing blowjob I pulled him up on his feet and pushed him onto the bench again.

"Spread your legs boy!", I ordered. He lifted his massive legs to reveal his hole. I couldnt believe I was losing my viriginity to this beefcake.

[danhoemei]

Are there any danmei novels that you would want to see made into a drama or an anime that haven't already been produced/being produced? Or contrastingly are there any that you wouldn't want to be adapted despite liking them? Idk why this sounds so formal lol

yeah tons of them, totally, I love watching stuff, let me just-

*runs away*

anyway, I'm a bookworm

don’t shoot, but tbh i haven't watched any dramas or anime adaptations yet (except the untamed, but i’m on hiatus for the time being, as uni and life came knocking on my door x/). I do love manhua adaptations however, and I'd like to see them for literally everything i read or plan to read. Maybe guardian, lmw, reader & protagonist must be in love, all of mxtx novels (I think only svsss doesn't have its own? except those 2 abandoned chapters), definitely all priest novels omg yes, TYK MANHUA PLEASE TAKE ALL MY MONEY GIVE IT TO ME, HOLY SHIT I GOT SO EXCITED, I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE AND NOW I AM IN NEED WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ANON. TYK AND QI YE

sjhfbsdkjf ANYWAY to sum up: manhuas 👌👌👌 pls gimme. Donghuas? I may not feel like watching them. Dramas? Like donghuas, with the addition of me not being used to asian acting and special effects which ngl make me cringe sometimes xd

I really love reading because I slowly weave myself into the world and the characters, I can see them in detail, imagine their voices and expressions as if I’m standing among them, catch all nuances and get into their heads, either through their thoughts or by detailed descriptions of their actions. I feel as if I get to know the world and the characters really well.

When I watch stuff I feel more like a spectator looking from afar, kept behind a barrier of appearances and limited by my own senses. Did I miss something on the screen because I blinked, or because it was too dark, or too quiet for me to hear, or voices were overlapping? What does this person feel, why did they make that face? What are they thinking during that pause? I think I know, but then I get surprised by something and learn that I really don’t understand this character as well as I thought. And it doesn’t really matter when I’m okay with being a spectator, but if I wanted to write about them, I wouldn’t feel as confident and comfortable as after reading the book.

And where do manhuas come into this? Well, my imagination is limited so I like to see fuller visualizations by someone more knowledgeable and skilled, who could aid my blurry images in becoming more full. I have fun comparing my own visuals to others’. Also manhuas tend to be faithful to the original, so it’s like reading the book one more time but with pretty images <3 Only good stuff

It could be similar with anime/donghua adaptations, because they’re almost like animated manhuas, but I have problems with watching stuff xd Idk if it’s my attention span, but I get fidgety and impatient if I’m watching something alone (I’m fine when it’s with friends but we’re all busy recently), so I often watch on 1.25x or 1.5x speed (once I even reached 1.75x). I don’t really know why that is, maybe it stimulates me too little? 

With books or comics you have to imagine a lot of things, hear voices in your head, focus on intonation, create the whole world with the feeling of the wind on your skin, cold or heat seeping into your body, smells in your nostrils, small noises around you. In movies many of those things are already in front of you and you just have to absorb it. I noticed that I don’t imagine smells or touches while watching something, as if everything is behind the screen where I have no access to. You can also go by your own pace while reading, slow down when you want to zoom in on something, speed up when you get impatient, or easily go back to double-check something. While watching, I am forced to comply with the movie’s pace, and can only change the speed (if that’s even an option) because skipping forward gives risk of completely missing an important part. I am also painfully aware how much it’ll take me to finish the whole thing. And it doesn’t matter that when I read I can fly away for much longer than an episode would last, somehow it doesn’t feel as confining and doesn’t stab me with the notion how much time I’ll spend on ‘leisure’ instead of Doing Something Productive.

For dramas they can stray pretty far off the original, and I do quite like that they create almost another version of the story. But they usually get much more popular than the novel and people don't keep the tags separate, tagging drama stuff with the novel tag and effectively flooding it. So what if you want to look just for novel fanart or meta? Good luck lol.

It's really great that many people get into the story thanks to the adaptations, but searching for content when you’re primarily the novel fan can get very frustrating... So yeah, I’d like to see manhua and donghua adaptations, but I’m not really looking forward to drama adaptations 🙃

[marchioness-caprina]

You Like Me Not?

Pairings : Takami Keigo (Hawks) x Reader

Writing Style : 3rd Person

Warnings : Mild Cussing

Word Count 3290

3rd Person's POV

" Hawks. I'll ask you Nicely ok? Can you Please Please keep your distance from That New hero in your agency? That Foxy bimbo bitch what's her name again? " Y/n ranted narrowing her eyes towards Keigo who was casually lounging down on the couch with an amused look on his face.

" Now now Little Dove, I can't avoid her if you don't even know her name. But if I must say it then... Hmm" Keigo's eyes gleamed mischievously at the female in front of him as he uttered a word that made y/n go red with anger .

" Enchantress? "

" Keigo. " Y/n gave him a stern look and he just laughed at her face like it was a joke.

" Listen Kid. Looks like you gotta have another reality check. I can't avoid her because.... " Keigo paused his eyes never leaving y/n's angered face.

" Because? " Y/n growled impatiently as she crossed her arms.

" 1. We're Not even dating but here you are acting like you're MY girlfriend when you're clearly you're.... Not. " Keigo chuckled and y/n who knew that it was a fact flinched; feeling as if a million bricks were dropped on top of her head. The way he said it was like a harsh blow to the gut but she kept her usual strong expression.

" 2. We're working under the same agency so getting paired up with her isn't avoidable... Plus as her hero name states... She is enchanting " Keigo's smirk only grew as y/n's face became flushed with anger. Her eyes burning up dangerously as she gave a venomous glare at Keigo.

" And last but not the least... 3. I'm not interested in a first year kid. So chances of the two of us of ever dating is a Big fat No. Plus I think Enchantress is a lot more prettier than the average and if you ask me... I'd go after adults like her than Kids like you so stop acting like we're---" Although Keigo's Tone was indeed playful and the smirk on his face made it even more clearer. His words stung like hell.

Y/n who was visiting their agency and went straight up to his office to complain had taken in the harsh damages and blows. Yes she may be a first year brat in U.A but was it really terrible to love someone older than her by a few years?.

Apparently she was a little naive in terms of love so when Keigo saved her when she was still in middle school she fell in love. Who wouldn't? He's got undeniable charms, a pretty face , a well sculptured figure but most of all. He made her feel safe and protected, setting she never felt before so when she finally began studying in U.A she decided to pursue Hawks so it was very common for her to come by the agency. Almost everyone knows who she is by now.

So this was the usual; but it was the first time she walked out on Keigo who was still Talking.

Because it was honestly too much. After she confessed to him and started pursuing him, Keigo decided to be a Jerk and gave her a very hard time. When she'd come over to give him lunch he'd purposely fly away and call her to deliver it to a specific place but when she gets there he calls her again to either say that she was taking too long and left or he had 'accidentally' gave the wrong address and he needs her to send it on this one instead.

And he keeps doing that everytime. He even went as far as to go to another town to have her chasing him like a madman. Yet her determination never faltered. Something Hawks had came to acknowledge her for.

He sends her on wild goose chases and one time he gave her 3 wrong addresses even though he was only sitting in his office the whole time.

And if people think his wings are sharp then his words are sharper. He may be sweet to the media or the other people outside but when talking to her, his words are venomous, sarcastic, and over all it's just rude and pretty painful to hear.

How y/n had managed to stand strong until now was a mystery and everyone in the agency had grew to respect her for this but also carrying a little hatred for Hawks who purposely plays with her.

Keigo who was left in his office was speechless, he blinked a few times and even pinched himself to see if he was dreaming and when he found out that he wasn't he gave out a sigh.

It was quiet, far too quiet. His mind drifted off to y/n who had stormed out of his office awhile ago. Yes he was very much aware of the cruel treatment he was giving her but that's only because he wanted to see how persistent this girl was with her love for him, he thought she'd give up within the second time but when she never did he grew even more intrested and began testing her a lot more than intended and when he found out that her affection for him was too strong.

He didn't know what to do and began running away like a coward. It was wrong in so many levels. She was younger than him not to mention she's still studying in U.A, His job isn't necessarily designed to have a normal life and finding love and making a family IS normal, and he might die one day and he didn't want her to carry the burden of losing him so it's better to make her hate him.

But boy was he wrong when she kept coming back stronger than before. She was already forcing her way in his heart that he became distressed with his emotions.

And poof, he suddenly realized that he loved her back.

Something about her allured him to no ends and curse his animalistic instincts when it comes to mates because as much as he hates to admit it, he had already acknowledged her as a Mate. HIS mate. He can't help but be greedy and possessive of her, and the the mighty knows how many nights he had to lock himself in, restrain himself while his self control was being brutally tested on ; because with one wrong move he may have already infiltrated U.A causing a security distress, Crashed inside her dorm room , fucking bred her like a feral animal and claimed her like the pretty little mate she was.

Everytime he sees her, his control weakens and he had to hit himself and punch his face multiple times literally to remind himself that she was still a goddamn minor and he can't have his way with her yet.

She's not making it any easier for him so he developed a bad habit of taking it out on her because if his words can't do the talking then he might as well jump her bones and have her screaming his name.

Keigo groaned as he planted his palm on his forehead.

He was beginning to feel anxious. Like something bad was about to happen; something he didn't like at all.

He turned on the T.V and started reading through a few papers works but he couldn't hold himself back anymore.

He jumped out the window and began feverishly looking for the h/c haired girl.

" Fuck me and my Fucking Hormones... God.... Kid what have you done to me? " He mumbled but it came out as a growl instead. He was agitated, frantic and nervous, he couldn't get her out of his head even if he'd hit his head on a fucking billboard.

His eyes darting to every direction he knew she would take to get here. As creepy as it may sound but he knows every single route she'd take to get to his agency including the transportation she'd take to get there every time.

After some time he finally spotted her after dashing and flying at jet speed throughout the city like a mentally deranged patient he had finally spotted her .

A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he tried to regain his cool.

" Hey Kid" He yelled out once he was near enough and he got no answer.

Y/n had purposely ignored him. His words still rang inside her head and everytime she remembered. It made her heart clench in pain.

And when she heard her name being called out by the said Male . She wanted to turn around. hell she even wanted to run to him like a love sick little puppy but she can't let him see that she was crying.

So she ignored him and began walking at a faster pace.

" Oohh~ playing hard to get now aren't we? You know you gotta try harder. A little silent treatment isn't going to have me falling for you ya know" keigo casually stated with a hint of playfulness but he knew any better; he was desperate to have her attention back to him.

God, what did he do? Did she finally wake up and decided that she was sick of his bullshit treatment? Shit now what?.

After minutes of no answer Keigo began to feel frustrated and without thinking he landed behind her and grabbed her by the shoulder. only to whirl her around to face him.

" Kid---"

Keigo froze after seeing here blood shot eyes and tear stained cheeks.

He did it this time and he felt like a full blown jerk for doing this... For hurting her.

Y/n avoided any form of eye contact and placed her eyes on anywhere but him, lips quivering in a mixture of anger and sadness. She looked like a mess.

But Keigo thought otherwise though, he felt so sick of himself. The face she was making, teary eyes, flushed cheeks, quivering lips. It had disgustingly turned him on even though the situation screamed otherwise. His thoughts began to drift into the dirtiest part of his mind wondering if this face would be the reward he'd get if he'd have her under him, sprawled all over his sheets, sweaty and needy for him while crying-- no begging for him to give her more while he rearranged her guts. Damn he really was Messed up in every possible way.

He wanted to slap himself for thinking that way but a part of him couldn't blame himself because ever since she started coming over he had been so pent up it was a miracle he hadn't fucked her on the spot. And he didn't even have the guts to fuck another woman because he already acknowledged her as a mate; HIS mate.

He swallowed hard before forcing himself to speak.

" What's this? Now you're giving me a Sad and Pity worthy face? If you're making me feel guilty then it's working. I didn't think you'd stoop this low th---"

" Takami leave me alone. I don't want to see you right now, if you came here to insult me even further then just Go. " Y/n cut him off, she was unable to bring herself from listening to another one of his remarkable insults again when the wound was still fresh.

Keigo paused as his once playful stare began to change into a more intimidating and stern look.

' Leave you Alone? After what you've done to me? Oh~ what a naughty baby bird... No Never.... I'll keep this in mind when I finally claim you, I'll punish you for ever thinking of leaving' those thoughts circulated through Keigo's head as he silently stood there. Staring at her.

Y/n who was unable to handle the pressure tried to yank herself away from his hold but he had a grisly grip on her shoulders and his gaze managed to intimidate her enough to stop moving.

" Listen.... Y/n---"

" Senior Hawks! " Keigo was cut off from speaking and to top it all up he was taken by surprise and his reflexes kicked in; pushing y/n away quite harshly.

Their gazes were flung to the left where Enchantress, the new Hero in their agency was running towards them with a devious smile.

Keigo groaned and y/n rolled her eyes after seeing the pink haired female make her way towards them.

" Hey " Keigo muttered but again; he was caught by surprise when Enchantress had wrapped her arms around his while smiling proudly at y/n.

" Who's This Senior? " She asked pointing at y/n but the look on her face made it obvious that she already knew who y/n was.

" She's y/n...a fan" Keigo's persona shifted in a heartbeat and was now wearing his natural and charming smile.

" Oh? She's a Fan? Well nice to meet you. I'm the new Hero Enchantress, Say... You have a pretty face " Enchantress smirked making y/n fight back a scowl.

" Thanks " As much as y/n wanted to drop all the pleasantries and Immediately move to the part where she's ripping of Enchantress's left boob.... She can't.

So she decided to keep it neutral and gave Enchantress a small nod and a smile.

" You have a pretty face... But... Senior if you were given a chance to pick, which one of us would you choose? I wonder" Enchantress cheered innocently but her question got Hawks cornered.

She was doing this on purpose; placing him in a situation where he'd most likely fuck up and judging by the looks the two females were giving him... He can't smooth talk his way outta this. Not this time.

" Of course.... I'd pick you-- " Keigo's eyes we're settled on y/n but he pulled his gaze away from her and towards enchantress. " Enchantress" Keigo finished and The look of triumph on The pink haired female's face was floor-bash worthy.

Y/n stood in place, for a moment there she had her hopes up. Keigo was cruel enough to pull that stunt on her; giving her false hope only to bring her down and rub it in her face.

" Or course you'd pick me, miss y/n is still a kid and she's... Take no Offense in this miss y/n but Senior Hawks is a bit... Hmmm... Out of your league?" Enchantress smirk grew wider and Hawks who was already lying through his teeth was still fighting his Pride for dominance.

With a sharp glare sent towards Enchantress who didn't seem to notice only scooted closer towards him.

" Oh, Really? Ok then "

Keigo blinked at how nonchalant and uncaring y/n's reply was. He was genuinely expecting her to explode like usual but this time it's different.

Y/n was fighting back the new batch of tears, heartbreak was a real pain in the ass. Couldn't he just put her down slowly? Why is he taking pleasure in hurting her this way? Now he's rubbing salt onto the wound.

In which area did she lack in? Her face? Body? Skill? Intelligence? Now that she thought about it, Enchantress tray lived up to her Hero name. She was perfect in every angle.... Perfect for Hawks. Enchantress had a nice body, a seductive face and y/n heard of the achievements done by the Female Hero.

She can't beat her even if she tried. She's mentally, physically and emotionally drained to even give a reaction. She'd just get hurt even more.

Maybe this is a sign.

For her to finally give up, move on, shift her focus and concentration to something more beneficial.

This was hopeless and all she ever got was pain. She's not a masochist who yearns for the continuous and brutal impact of emotional pain. Heck even masochists needs a little love too.

She's tired and y/n knows better than to put herself down with her own insecurities. So she needed to make a move fast because she'll only get hurt again.

It's wise to forget him.

With a deep breath she pulled out a strong front with a genuine smile on her face as she gazed at Keigo and Enchantress.

Keigo wore an anxious look while Enchantress held a surprised expression.

" Well, you two do look compatible and you're right he is out of my league.... That's why I'll look for someone else within my reach. He's not the only fish in the pond.... I'm sure I'm holding you guys back.. Carry on with your hero duties, I'll go back now Bye~" Y/n turned around and gave them a wave before skipping away from the two.

Her tone along with her smile looked far too cheerful that it scared Hawks.

Did she just say she'd look for Someone Else?, she had the guts to say that right in front of him?.

He balled his hand into a fist, and for the first time in his life he had never felt this scared to lose someone. He was breathing heavily while throwing a mental tantrum.

" You know.... I thought you'd finally stop that bad habit of yours Hawks.... I learned from the rumors and wanted to see for myself and probably give you a hand to confess to her but now that I've witnessed it, You really are a Fucktard" Enchantress shook her head as she crossed her arms gazing at Hawks with disappointment.

" Fuck off. This was your fault to Begin with. It's not as easy as you think"

" Really? You're blaming me for all the fuck ups you're responsible for? A girl's heart is fragile Hawks... I didn't live for a hundred years buried in the shelter of naivety. Her love was true and I think you just lost your chances.... If you wanna fix it. Fix it fast because once a girl has enough, she'll leave you like you're worth nothing. "

" I... I know I fucked up but your meddling wasn't necessary "

" Really? I was getting tired of watching you hurt her. I'm a woman too and I don't appreciate seeing other men hurt a woman who clearly loves them.... I did her a favor by giving her the ultimatum to let go... Looks like she took it in the end " Enchantress chuckled while Hawks stood there, his demeanor turning darker by the passing second.

" You're saying it's better that she leave me? " Keigo muttered Darkly , a dangerous look in his eyes began to resurface.

Enchantress kept a calm expression and nodded her head.

" You're Toxic Hawks. And it's better for her to leave you than seeing her get hurt over and over again... I've been in that stage before... And it hurts more than any injury I've suffered... "

" Since you're so knowledgeable about this then why not tell me how to fix it? Before I decide to go rogue and slit your throat" keigo threatened as he plucked out a feather which turned rudged and sharp; pointing it at Enchantress .

" Hmm... You seem to Love her judging by how strongly you reacted ... But you're worst than shit in showing it... But here's a tip . If you wanna fix it then fix yourself first. Learn how to treat a woman you like as if she's greater than a queen and remember that I'm not the one who hurt her...it was you." With those words being uttered Enchantress disappeared in a puff of smoke.

........ To be continued

[emily-the-fae]

Sound of a Heartbeat

Part 6. The Devil's Hospitality

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

And I am back from celebrating the summer solstice. Mosquitoe-bitten, red-haired and with a new chapter. Thanks for following the story if you still are, I'm very sorry that editing takes me so long. (STILL IN NEED OF A BETA). So yes, please enjoy and like&reblog&comment, because interaction with readers makes me extremely happy. Also please write in comments if you want me to tag you so that you don't miss the new parts.

Pairing: Dracula x OC

Warnings: none, a little bit of death threats and the usual tuberculosis part

"Maps used to say there'd be dragons here. Now they don't, but that doesn't mean dragons aren't there." ~ Lorne Malvo, "Fargo"

Shari began to open her eyes hesitantly, slowly when nothing rushed at her in the first few moments of her presence inside the castle. The healer was still extremely tense, ready to jump aside and try to fight off anything that tried to attack her. Nothing. Dark, still, terrifying, but also quiet and…empty. Lisa hadn’t told her a complete lie. Apparently, Dracula wasn’t home. Shari looked around the dark place she found herself in - she was standing in the middle of an enormous hall, columns going way up, she needed to raise her head to see the gothic arcs of the dark ceiling above her; two large round marble staircases in front of her led to the opening on the second floor and behind that space she could see a darkened entrance to an inner corridor. Shari could hear nothing but her own heartbeat and Rodo's husky breathing, the silence was almost ideal, her own quiet breathing echoed around the wide halls - the castle appeared to be completely empty, apart from her, Rodo and her ghastly companion. Lisa seemed frozen in awe for a while, looking around too, but with a kind of familiar melancholic look on her face - staring once again at the place she had spent so much time in must have felt odd. Odd and slightly painful. All the memories of her life, all the “what if”s of her never leaving this peculiar home or never finding it in the first place rushed in, frustrating her for a few moments. The ghost quickly recalled she needed to keep collected – for the sake of her new guest and the adventure she was planning ahead.

- Wait, Lisa! - Shari rushed to her side, afraid to be left alone even for one moment. Rodo hopped behind her easily. - We will go and grab books, yeah I get it, but... How do I... Where do I rest? I mean I need a bed and preferably next to a chimney and then after I wake up, I can study through whatever we need and search for whatever other materials I can need, sure, but I'd there... I mean it's kind of a vampire castle... - Shari trailed off and in a moment she was coughing again, heading to the supposed library entrance, but barely seeing her way.

- Wait, Lisa! - Shari rushed to her side, afraid to be left alone even for one moment. Rodo hopped behind her easily. - We will go and grab books, yeah I get it, but... How do I... Where do I rest? I mean I need a bed and preferably next to a chimney and then after I wake up, I can study through whatever we need and search for whatever other materials I can need, sure, but I'd there... I mean it's kind of a vampire castle... - Shari trailed off and in a moment she was coughing again, heading to the supposed library entrance, but barely seeing her way.

- That is quite funny of you, - Lisa responded, when Shari quieted down a bit. - To be asking me if you can have a normal bedroom in a vampire castle, especially since you know I've lived here for quite a long time.

- Yeah and married the host, - Shari argued breathlessly.

- What do you think vampires sleep in?

- Coffins?

- Don't be shallow.

- Well, sorry if didn't live with them for twenty years and didn't realise they may as well use beds... - Shari hesitated. - They do, right? Because if you were implying that you want me to sleep in your old room, then thanks I'd better sleep on library floor.

- You'll take one of the guestrooms, - Lisa rolled her eyes. - And you have to get there soon, otherwise you'll collapse and I am in no form to drag you up the stairs.

- Oh, you've finally noticed, - Shari huffed. - I hope there will be a very - no, extremely - warm chimney, - she added, shivering.

- As you wish, - answered the ghost, pushing the heavy door. They walked into the library together, careful not to make any noise and Shari had to catch her breath: of course she had expected something like this, but neither the size of the room nor the abundance of different apparatuses and strange objects could have ever been embraced by her imagination - it seemed like one lifetime would never be enough to study through all the centuries of knowledge kept in these walls.

- Wow.

- Well, that… is one way to place it, - Lisa laughed, amused with the healer's surprise. - Come, - she beckoned. - Take this, this... oh, and this, - she walked to one of the tall shelves, pointing to several books for Shari to take. - Oh, wait, I forgot, can you...?

- Read? You ask only now? You offend me, - Shari threw the ghost an unamused glare, her hands loaded with heavy foliants. Lisa laughed, obviously the question was only poorly hidden sarcasm. Rodo behind her back was running around the room, smelling the air with curiosity - if he ever visited the castle before, she doubted that he was let anywhere near the living areas.

- Well, you never know with people these days, - Lisa replied. - These must have something on your lung disease, as far as I remember - or some similar things - you'll need to go through lung sections, compare the symptoms and check what might work for you.

- Will try to, - the girl nodded, weighting the books in her arms and already estimating how much time she may possibly have for all that study.

- Come on now, don't waste time, - Lisa was too enthusiastic to be a ghost inside of an abandoned vampire castle. Far too enthusiastic. Something must have been off, but Shari couldn’t place what and couldn’t possibly be able to do so in her exhausted state.

Shari followed her down another large door and out of the library; there was a narrow staircase leading somewhere upstairs, dark and empty, just like the rest of the place – the golden lights of the library couldn’t reach into its curves, so Shari had to watch her step carefully. She was not sure how many floors they passed before they finally left the stairs and turned into a dark corridor lit only by the moonlight, falling from a small window way in front of them. Shari felt cold and slightly anxious for no evident reason - the whole place had an intense, intimidating mood to it – as expected. Lisa made a few more steps and stopped in front of a heavy wooden door. Shari hesitated once more, but Lisa nodded towards it encouragingly; the girl then freed one of her hands from underneath the books and pushed the door open, stepping into the room more confidently.

A big four-poster bed, a fireplace, a wardrobe and a table with a chair placed by the window. Old, slightly dusty, but more than enough for her to rest her head. Shari threw the books on the table and lit the fire in no time, sinking down on her knees to warm her freezing fingers. After several days of survival and freezing, she could finally heat and rest. Rodo crawled to the corner of the room and lay down there calmly, hiding his clawed paws beneath himself and seemingly beginning to drift off, Lisa stood by the window, facing away, staring into the darkness, seemingly already detached from what was happening within the walls of the castle. The door was locked - pointlessly, as a bow to paranoia - the fire was burning nicely - how good it was to finally feel its warmth - the room was silent apart from its creaking and Shari knew she herself was starting to fall asleep.

She stood up from her place by the chimney, checked the door once more and threw herself on the bed, kicking off her boots and crawling under the heavy blankets. Now she wanted nothing more than sleep - sleep and warmth of the chimney to ease her cold, the soreness of her limbs and the pain in her lungs. Lisa slowly dissolved in the corner of the room, but even that didn't seem to be a problem to the healer - she would catch up with the ghost tomorrow, get to her reading and preferably medicine. Now - rest.

Shari rolled into a ball under the covers and surrendered to the long awaited sleep.

***

Dracula was returning to his home after two days of absence; following his son proved counterproductive - apart from assuring, that the boy didn't have it easy with the demons, there was not much more he could do. The group held together, never separated - not after they became three instead of four. That was almost a pitiful chain of events. Though it did make them less vulnerable to his attacks and he decided not to rush things - the speed at which they traveled bought him more than enough time for any further proceedings.

The world outside was crushed and burned by war. The world inside his castle was dark and hollow as usual. At least it was so normally - but surprisingly, not that night.

Dracula knew there was an intruder in his castle the moment he entered – there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed; the vampire had to stop on his tracks, trying to detect what caught him off guard, and then he finally felt it - the smell of the human was very subtle, but still there. He tracked her down(undeniably this one was a female, he could almost recognize that mix of cinnamon and lavender as if he had encountered it before) - from the main entrance to the library - pausing by the shelves for a moment, a few foliants were missing here and there with the traces of her human warmth still hovering around the place - and upstairs to one of the rooms - just like the guestroom Lisa stayed at when she first found him.

The door was expectably locked, but as soon as the vampire's nail trailed along the keyhole, the lock clicked by itself, opening up. Dracula expected a lost and tired stranger or a hopeful witch seeking out his help and teaching, but when he opened the door, letting himself inside, he finally understood why her smell seemed so familiar to him. The girl from the forest camp, his son's willing helper, witch and healer by her own words. The vampire was surprised to say the least. He had been quite sure she was gone for good; in the end he had tried his best to give her a peaceful death and yet here she was: alive, breathing and in his castle. Sleeping peacefully, having willingly crawled under his roof and left herself at his mercy.

The vampire entered the room quietly, shutting the door behind him and sitting down in the chair by the table, his eyes observing the human figure on the bed. Petite, blond haired and pale - the girl looked so similar to Lisa, but yet was nothing like her - no, the darker tint to her hair and the weakness of her tired body drew the distinction quite clearly, as well as the reddish mark standing out against her pale neck. A mark he left on her.

He briefly wondered how that weak creature managed to survive his bite, but he would set the question aside for the time being. He needed to decide what to do with his guest: the easiest option was to finally enjoy the remnants of her sweet living blood without interruption now, but one look at the pale sleeping form made him suddenly feel doubtful: her chest heaving as she breathed, her heartbeat slow and peaceful, she coughed in her sleep dryly and turned on her back, her arms spread across the bed, she faced away from him with the crook of her neck so temptingly open to his view - so calm and vulnerable. How are you still alive? Dracula suddenly for himself felt rather than decided that he would not end her, not yet and not here, that he wanted to know more: how she found him, what she wanted and what may come of her - after all, he hadn't had such bold human visitors, ever since...

***

Dim light was shining through the window, strands of it falling onto her face and disturbing her peaceful sleep. Shari moved about a bit, wincing at the pain in her limbs and the full ache somewhere deep in her chest, letting a few (thankfully) dry coughs pass her lips, trying to hide away from the morning rays, hoping for a few more minutes of the blissful unconsciousness, then finally stilled, opening her sleepy eyes and sitting up. The instant she did so, she knew something was very wrong: the room was identical to how it looked the evening before, but she felt it still – even the air seemed denser, more dangerous and alert. She felt a shiver run down her back – as she finally noticed it, on the wall before her, next to the door, she could see a large dark shadow of something standing in front of the window, cutting off the light. Please let it be something outside. Shari turned her head slightly to the left and saw Rodo crouched on the ground - worried and tense, looking in the direction of something behind her back; the healer suddenly had absolutely no wish to turn around. Maybe if she would stay still the thing - whatever it was - would go away and leave her alone.

The sound of movement behind her back announced her that her stillness would most probably not protect her - whatever it was, it was inside of the room and very much uncaring of whether she moved or not.

- I think I have already killed you once this week, - Shari jumped on the spot and turned abruptly to finally face her host: Dracula was leaning against the table and staring down at her, his sharp face unreadable. - You are quite persistent for a human, I dare say. And bold.

Shari leaped out of the bed, as if a bucket of ice cold water was spilled over her, and backed away from him until her back hit the stone wall, her eyes searching for Lisa frantically – but the ghost was nowhere to be seen. Not this again. The vampire crossed the room in a swift, undetectable motion, his figure appearing in front of her in a matter of seconds. Rodo growled at his master, but remained motionless, still afraid to step out against the vampire.

Shari tried to move away, slip out of his grasp before he could properly get ahold of her, possibly even reach the door and run down the stairs - anything - but a large clawed hand grabbed her throat suddenly and firmly and the healer found herself unable to breathe properly, gasping and coughing in his hold, trying to wriggle away. Where was Lisa when she was so needed? "Oh no, Dracula is rarely visiting this castle nowadays!" Sure, like there was ever any point in believing that.

- How did you find this place? - Dracula growled rather than asked. His grasp was tight and Shari felt panic rise inside as if she was already in the claws of Death itself. Not far from truth.

"Your dead wife dragged me all the way here."

- Rumours. Mostly. And a bit of luck, - she rasped, out of breath.

- What do you want?

"Out."

- Shelter. And knowledge. I know there are books here that can help me heal, - she coughed and tried to free herself, once again unsuccessfully.

- And you expected the castle to be empty? - he almost laughed.

"No, but your beloved wife is a big liar."

- I recognize it was incredibly stupid of me, but back then it seemed like a plan, - oh yes, a plan of a very annoying and untrustworthy ghost.

- Are you alone here?

"Apart from a mean ghost and your demon..."

- Yes! - she gritted her teeth, as his hand pressed her farther into the wall.

- Give me one reason, human, not to finish now what I started a few days ago, - he was growling now even deeper, his face close to hers and she wondered how painful it may be this time. She did not want to find out.

- When I'm here I can't help Adrian! - she replied quickly, rasping each word.

- Same as when you are dead, - came the answer, his head leaning down to the crook of her neck. She shrieked.

- Repeating the same action and awaiting a different outcome of it is the definition of insanity, - Shari blurted out, not fully aware of her own words. What the hell was this even about? - You have ready killed me once, remember? I should have died back then, but something kept me going. You killed me and it didn't work. And you are not insane, are you?

Dracula suddenly removed his hand from her throat, laughing and took a small step back - as soon as he did so, she could feel against herself the growling form of Rodo who jumped in front of the human, protecting her from his master. Shari slid to the floor and threw her arms around the creature's neck, holding it to herself and caressing the dark fur. The vampire stared at the demon with a dissatisfied gaze, but the beast held his ground firmly now.

- You are a particularly peculiar human being, healer, - the vampire laughed. - That was the most unsettling answer you could have given.

- Was it? - she rasped, catching her breath. He smirked, knowing well he would not eat her now; he was too amused to make her his meal. - I can leave if you want, I will... - Shari searched for words. What exactly was she going to do if he made her leave? Crouch down on his porch and die?

- You are a curious specimen... Besides it likes you for some reason, - Dracula nodded towards Rodo. - You may stay until you annoy me out of my patience, - he stated blankly, instantly hating how welcoming he was being towards the human.

- Thank you. Making me leave would have been unfortunate and embarrassing to no limit, - Shari spoke quickly with no intonation, calming her rapidly beating heart. That was unexpected, but appreciated and she tried to be as short and non-annoying as possible as to not make him change his mind.

- Rest, use the library, and try to stay out of my line of sight. And remember I could still decide to draw a conclusion to our previous meeting, - he walked out of the guestroom, almost slamming the door behind him. So much for hospitality, but at least she wasn't being kicked out. Or eaten, for that matter.

Shari breathed in deeply and caressed Rodo's head and neck. What has she gotten herself into? Where the hell did Lisa disappear to?

[likeshipsonthesea]

I dare you to post their get together from chowder's perspective because you're an amazing and magical writer and I'd love to read it at any level of editing

well u did dare me :P inspired heavily by this post

the thing is, chowder really, really loves his new friends.

nursey is so cool and funny and nice and he knows all this poetry that sounds so cool and he always saves chowder a piece of pie when he isn’t there and bitty’s on a baking binge, and he helps chowder write Important Emails and doesn’t even complain when chowder asks him about the exclamation point in the third paragraph for the fourth time

and dex is really smart and has a dry sense of humor and he cares so much about people even when he pretends he doesn’t, he does his laundry when chowder does and lets chowder match all the socks while he folds both of their clothes with like retail level precision and he’s great to sit and work on coding with and never gets upset when chowder interrupts him to ask him why a certain part isn’t working right and he helps bitty make him soup and pastries when he gets sick right before finals week their frog fall semester

and they’re both swawesome at hockey, they do their very best to keep the dirty puck away from his net, and they are such swawesome people and literally the only thing he doesn’t like about his new friends is how adamant they are about not liking each other

he tries, at first, to correct their complaining when they come to him. “the guy refuses to listen to anyone who isn’t himself,” nursey groans, muffled, because his face is pressed against chowder’s pillow, and chowder very kindly explains that dex is a bit stubborn sometimes but he always listens to chowder, even when he has a differing opinion, and when dex wraps himself in chowder’s duvet like a burrito and grumbles out, “he acts like he’s chill all the fucking time just to fuck with me,” chowder says that nursey acts like he’s chill even when dex isn’t there and also, why do you think he’s acting?? i think he’s just that chill

but as time goes on he realizes that neither of them believe him because they haven’t seen it for themselves and, look, he could try and orchestrate some plot where they secretly see one another being good people and miraculously change their opinion about each other and they all become a happy trio of friendos with no animosity at all, but chowder is also an ncaa athlete, a stem major, and someone who likes to party a fair amount. he’s got no time for that kind of bullshit.

and so they go through spring term and things aren’t greeattt all the time and sometimes nursey and dex get into screaming matches on the quad and chowder just has to pretend like he doesn’t know them, but most of the time it’s good, it’s fine, and he really does love his friends.

then they lose the frozen four, something happens that neither of them will tell him about, and the fuckers go and gang up on him

it seems, after all the times chowder told them about how they’re both funny and good at hockey and passionate about school and all the other things they have in common, they decide instead to bond over their mutual love of chirping their very best friend in the whole wide world.

to be honest, he’s just glad they’re getting along.

and they still show up at his room all hours of the night and day to burrow into his bed and complain about each other, but at least now chowder lives in the haus and he can eat pie as he pretends to listen to them.

and maybe he starts noticing how some of the complaints aren’t necessarily the kind of thing you’d expect, like “how are his eyes so fucking green, it’s impossible to win an argument when he’s staring at you” or “have you seen how many freckles he has after summer break?? he’s like one giant freckle, it’s unfairly distracting” and despite not really paying attention, he starts to notice when the tone of complaining changes from i hate this guy to i hate how pretty this guy is

he never brings it up. once again, he does not have time to try and get his two best friends together on top of all his other responsibilities, but he notes it down anyway. for being-a-good-friend-purposes. like when ransom sets nursey up with a girl on the volleyball team, chowder spends the whole night watching monty python movies with dex on the couch, and kindly ignores the relief in dex’s shoulders when nursey shows up to breakfast the next day and relays that the date was a bust. and when they’re doing workouts at the gym, chowder very deftly navigates nursey away from the weights when dex is using them to spare him from turning into a mumbling mess at the sight of dex’s arms

and maybe he notices when they start becoming more self aware and the complaining-about-appearance becomes complaining-about-good-things, like nursey saying, in the middle of a rant, “you know he’s fixed betsy like fifteen times in the past two weeks? how the fuck can you fix an oven fifteen different ways? that’s insane” or when dex pauses his recount of nursey’s ridiculous chill behavior to mention, “he’s been editing ransom’s thesis because he knows how much ransom stresses over grammar and he’s like, really good at it”

and it’s probably at this point that chowder breaks the bro code and tells farmer all about his dumb friends and their dumb mutual infatuation, because lbr here the boy cannot handle all this pining on his own. “they’re in love with each other but they think it’s hate”

“i know, i know” farmer soothes, running her fingers through his hair

“why are boys so dumb” chowder laments

farmer, who is currently wearing her best bra and pantie set under her clothes, sighs deeply. “i don’t know,” she says, equally forlorn.

then, well, then the dib flip happens and nursey and dex are literally shoved together and either one or both of them -- chowder has an inkling that it’s dex, but he’s not sure -- seems to freak out and neither of them comes to his room to complain for the rest of the term.

and then chowder has the greatest summer of his life, his former captain wins the stanley cup, and bitty and jack get to kiss on center ice, and chowder gets to attend a training camp with the falcs and jack and he’s on the ice with twenty stanley cup champions and chowder doesn’t come down from this high until he shows up at the haus and finds out that something has gone horribly wrong.

despite the frequent texts, calls, and facetimes, dex and nursey didn’t seem to have as great summers as they’d made it appear. they don’t really tell him directly -- that’s another thing they have in common, never talking about their emotions plainly -- but from what chowder can glean from what they do tell him, is that dex’s family seemed to take jack and bitty’s coming out as evidence towards dex’s queerness and they were dealing with it... less than great, and nursey’s parents had a fight and had since been jettisoning around the world for “work” in an attempt to avoid one another and, as a result, nursey

the living together thing goes.. not swawesome. chowder is obviously disappointed that he no longer has his two best friends just a bathroom away, but after dex moves into the basement, both nursey and dex start coming back to his room for complain sessions again and it’s -- chowder wants to say it’s a good sign.

it starts out mostly complaint complaining, the familiar stuff from their frog year, but slowly but surely as the year goes on the old “his fucking hair” and “he literally helped a little old lady carry her groceries to her car” come back into play and chowder lets go of some stress he hadn’t realized he’d been holding

“they’re going to make me go gray before i’ve even hit 25,” chowder says, another night when he’s complaining to farmer, and farmer says, “you’d look sexy as a silver fox,” and, well. the rest of the night is spent very much not complaining

senior year, they’ve got an ncaa championship under their belt and dex is the captain. he stops coming to chowder’s dorm, probably out of some sense of loyalty to his team that chowder finds both ridiculous and sweet. nursey seems to have no qualms complaining about his captain, on the other hand, but soon even the thin veneer of complaining he’d covered all his pining with has washed away.

“he’s so good with the baby frogs,” and “never tell this to another living soul, but his cherry pie is even better than bitty’s,” and, one memorable night, “do you think i’m in love with dex?”

it’s after sunset, the world dark outside chowder’s window but he’s not exactly sure of the time, and nursey’s lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and he looks -- chill. he doesn’t always look chill anymore -- looking back, chowder can admit that maybe the ever-present chill from their frog year had been more a show than anything else -- so this chill means something important, chowder thinks.

chowder thinks, smiling a little, that nursey is finally ready.

“of fucking course i think you’re in love with dex,” chowder bursts out with the frustration that’s a by-product of having patience for three and a half fucking years. “you’ve come into my room at all hours of the day since we were freshmen to complain about how pretty his freckles are, you’ve been in love with the dude for years, and i’ve had to sit here and deal with all of it.”

nursey’s staring at him with a slightly open mouthed, wide-eyed expression.

chowder gathers his poise and then says, very calmly, “yes.”

nursey nods, once or twice slowly and then picking up speed. “wow. okay.”

“i’ve been holding that in for a while.”

“i could tell.”

“hmm.”

a stupid, hopeful, optimistic part of chowder thought that would be the end of it. nursey realized he’s in love with dex, he’d tell dex, and they’d be all stupid and gross and finally chowder would get them back for years of fines.

but nothing seems to change. nursey still comes in and ostensibly complains while pining and dex still doesn’t, instead apparently baking away his frustration (and it’s not like chowder’s going to complain about that) and really, chowder should’ve known these two idiots would need more than a few sentences to get over their combined stupidity

it comes to a head a week before graduation. never let it be said that chowder’s friends are anything less than Dramatic Fuckers

he’s helping dex pack away everything he won’t need in the next few days so when he and nursey leave for new york after graduation there won’t be much to do. he finds a random green beanie in a drawer with dex’s workout clothes and says, “hey, where should i put this?” and dex gets the most ridiculous sappy look on his face.

he hasn’t technically been chowder’s captain since the season ended with a back to back ncaa championship a month ago, and it’s not like dex has any authority over him after how many times he bugged chowder about nursey’s nose, so it’s without hesitation and with purely dex’s best interests at heart that chowder says, “you know you’re in love with him, right?”

dex surprises him then by saying, “yeah.”

a vein in chowder’s neck nearly pops. “then why the fuck have i been listening to nursey pine about your eyelashes for months.”

dex’s eyes widen and, when he gets over the surprise elation whatever, he stumbles over some stupid explanation that captains shouldn’t date their players and it wasn’t the right time and all this other absolute crap, and so chowder does the most meddling he’s ever allowed himself to do and tells dex that he will finish the packing as long as he goes and finds nursey right this fucking second

when nursey and dex tell the story to him and farmer later -- dex blushing and nursey embellishing with his arm curled around dex’s shoulders, pulling him close -- chowder will laugh and tease them and play his part as their very best friend in the whole wide world.

but that night, when he’s gross and sweaty from packing up dex’s entire fucking room and he can’t even sleep in his own goddamned bed because his friends are being exceptionally loud just one bathroom away, he shows up on farmer’s doorstep and says, with all the sincerity in the world, “i hate my friends”

[prettyblfan]

Coffee Shop Boy

Chapter Three

~

Sorawit flipped over the sign on the door, which read in bold.

The Pink Lily is now open for business.

And once again Sorawit found himself cleaning tables and organising coffee at 4.20am.

~

Whilst restocking the last row of coffee Sorawit couldn't help but ponder over the conversation he had with Nam yesterday, not only did Pong seem like a bad guy his ego was way too big. Which of course was a big red flag, guys like him won't take no for an answer.

Letting out a huge sigh Sorawit laid his head on the counter and pouted, all this thinking and worrying was giving him a headache.

'Should I tell P'Bun about this?'

The pout on Sorawit's face only seemed to grow bigger.

A low cough broke the silence in the coffee shop abruptly pulling Sorawit out of his thoughts.

Straighting up Sorawit lifted his head to greet the customer which he hadn't hear enter. Standing in front of him yet again was the same bruised boy, the face that was almost healed yesterday now had a purplish blue mark across his left cheek.

Casting his eyes downwards Sorawit saw that the hand he treated yesterday as well was now in the same condition or even worse.

Sorawit looked up smiling helplessly at the boy infront of him.

"Same as yesterday I take it" Sorawit began moving before the boy could even rely.

"Yeah" That said taking a seat in the exact same place, the table closest to the door.

"Why did you fight this time?" Sorawit asked adding the whipped cream to the top of his caramel iced coffee.

"Just now why were you pouting" That responsed with another question.

"You're strange" Sorawit fired back also not responding to his question.

As he brought the coffee over and placed it down on the table That locked eyes with him.

"How so." That questioned eyes not once leaving Sorawit's.

"It's like you don't actually exist" Sorawit spoke softly feeling his heartbeat speed up, ripping his eyes away from That's he went to retrieve the first aid kit.

"What if I don't." That teased pulling the same exact smile as yesterday but today's one was a little more playful.

"Then I'd be talking to myself like a weirdo, you do exist right" Sorawit said his voice clearly showing his sudden worry.

As he made his way back over to That he reached out the hand that wasn't carrying the first aid kit to touch his hair.

"I'm real" That replied softly tilting his head up at Sorawit smiling, this time it was a lot softer like if you weren't looking closely you would miss it.

Sorawit paused his hand lingering for a second longer before pulling it back. He was flustered everything That seemed to do caught him off guard.

'P'Bun was right handsome people are dangerous' Sorawit thought pulling out the chair next to That.

He started off by treating the wound on his knuckle that he had treated the other day. He slowly took his time bandaging each finger until he had finished.

Looking up at That Sorawit couldn't help but wonder,

"Who are you?" Without noticing Sorawit had let his thoughts out into the air.

"I told you yesterday, That." That replied laughing lightly at his bluntness.

"Not what I meant and you know it, you're so mysterious like I know nothing about you. Until yesterday I didn't even know that you lived in Viangpa Mork but all of a sudden you should up in my coffee shop. The curiosity is killing me." Sorawit said after all he got himself into this conversation he might as well see it through.

"There's no simple answer to that I can't tell you everything in one day, so I'll answer a question a day" That said calmly this time letting his laugher out.

To Sorawit That was just as cute when he laughed so much so that Sorawit didn't know how to react. So of course he did what solved most of his problems, not dwelling on it and just living in the moment.

Sorawit returned the smile letting his eyes curve up along with his mouth. Excitedly he got up to return the first aid kit almost falling over in the process. However, he managed to pull another laugh out of That which in Sorawit's eyes was totally worth it.

Once he had successfully put away the first aid kit he quickly went to the kitchen in the back to retrieve an ice bag.

By the time he had reached back That had fishished his ice coffee and was waiting quietly, it was moments like this when That looked slightly intimidating.

Smiling at that thought Sorawit gently pressed the pack of ice against his bruised cheek which pulled a soft wince out of That.

"Why haven't I seen you before, where do you live?" Sorawit quickly asked not giving That a chance to complain about the sudden coldness on cheek.

Leaning his hand over the table Sorawit continued to press the ice bag against his cheek as he sat down, smiling brightly at That he continued to wait for his response.

"Until recently I was in Bangkok, as for your other question I'll answer it tomorrow remember only one question per day." That responded staring clearly into Sorawit's eyes.

"What??? That was barely even an answer let alone a whole question" Sorawit sulked his innocent eyes looking straight back at That.

"Then be wiser with your questions." That answered his eyes showing no hint of guilt.

"Wow, what a scam atleast tell me what you were doing in Bangkok" Sorawit continued to sulk.

He was upset, of course he was, why... That he couldn't really answer, he just really wanted to figure out the boy in front of him.

"Studying mostly but I dropped out." That replied moving his hand to his cheek to hold the ice pack himself. The movement in itself caught Sorawit off guard especially when their hands met but he was slightly relieved, his wrist was starting to hurt.

"Why did you drop out, do your parents still live in Bangkok" Sorawit fired out questions knowing the chances of them being answered were slim, he was just dying to know.

"Too many questions, ask them next time" That smiled leaning back in the chair.

"Aww~ what if you don't come. Oh wait," Sorawit whined before continuing,

"Give me your number in case you can't make it I'll text you."

There was no way he'd miss out on finding out more about the very odd and mysterious That.

That nodded completely amused he took the phone handed to him by Sorawit and typed in his number.

"Ah one more question how old are you?" Sorawit asked after all this was a very important question that he had somehow not thought of earlier. Dropping out of highschool can't possibly be that easy P'Bun would never let him.

"19" That said finally having enough of the ice pack and placing it down if the table.

"Ah so then it should be P'That, cause I'm still in my last year of high school" Sorawit said tilting his head.

It was then for the first time Sorawit saw That show an expression he'd never seen before, it was like a mix between embarrassed and surprised.

"What???" Sorawit spoke not quite understanding That's reaction.

"Nothing, you're right it should be." That mumbled.

"Umm then wanna ask me a question." Sorawit requested, as it only seemed fair.

"Why were you pouting earlier?" That asked, Sorawit wondered why he cared so much but to be fair why did Sorawit care so much about him.

"Are you sure, like that's really what you want to know" Sorawit teased lightly, he honestly thought That would ask a more practical question like something about him.

"Umm, don't wanna tell" That teased back leaning in across the table locking eyes with Sorawit.

Once again Sorawit was caught off guard and left rather flustered, although he played it off by looking more confused then anything he still didn't really like the funny feeling it left. It was very foreign to him.

"I don't mind i mean its the question that you asked" Sorawit laughed awkwardly.

Sorawit proceed to recount what had happened yesterday with Nam and Pong, as well as why it worried him so much. Of course all the while making sure to avoid the intense eye contact That was making with him.

"Pong?" That probed.

"Umm, you know Pong" Sorawit asked,

well of course he did Viangpa Mork was a small village but then again he didn't know That until only recently.

Then before Sorawit could get That's response the usual early morning customers began to flood in. He got up quickly to greet them, quickly sending That an apologetic glance he returned back to the Counter.

Once he had managed to get everything under control, in which he may of may not have dropped 3 cups of coffee in the process. He glanced at the table closest to the door,

And just like yesterday the only thing left in sight was money.

~

Arriving home from school Sorawit felt as if his soul had left his body.

Not only had his shift been chaotic it also turned out that he had two surprise tests at school, which he left both of them half blank. The worst part of it all is that when he gets them back tomorrow Nam would tease him to the ends of the earth, after all he did make a promise that he would be her top competitor.

You see Nam isn't the pretty type with a flaw, she has absolutely no short coming what so ever (Nam is that bitch period). This meant she was just as smart as she was pretty. So as soon as she found out Sorawit was aiming to work in the medical field just like she was, she always made sure to show her test results him (which she never failed to get the top results in). This all resulted in him making that very impulsive promise he'd compete with her.

Sorawit sighed as he stepped into the Pink Lily and of course Ploy somehow magically heard this all the way from the counter seeing as she quickly made her way over to the door to greet him. More like question in Sorawit's eyes.

'Maybe I should stop coming home before her shift starts' Sorawit thought briefly before dismissing the idea getting home early was always better he could get more sleep and study.

"What's wrong~" Ploy teased lightly squeezing his cheek.

Pulling Ploy's hand away he plops himself down on one of the chairs.

"Ploy I'm staring to think I should tell P'Bun that you have a lot of free time" Sorawit said smiling sweetly at her.

"There's absolutely no need to do that I'll get straight back to work" Ploy laughed sheepishly before returning back to work, the last thing she wanted was for Bun to nag her.

Finally getting rid of Ploy Sorawit aimed to start on his homework and attempt to go over some of the topics that he didn't really understand.

However, that plan was quickly interrupted.

BUZZ.BUZZ.BUZZ.

Pulling out his phone Sorawit looked at the text on the screen.

TheRealThat: I'm busy tonight so I might not make it tomorrow.

Sorawit laughed at the name he chose. It was fitting but strange.

Sorawit: Why??? 🤔

TheRealThat: Just text me a question tomorrow if I don't show.

Sorawit paused and thought about his response. That always seemed to make things difficult. He pouted before relying.

Sorawit: Fine just be careful, no more injuries.

The conversation basically ended there That never responded or looked at the last message he sent.

So without any other distractions Sorawit continued to work peacefully until Bun came in complaing about that same guy from yesterday, it was at that point he gave in and decided to return to his room.

~

Just as Sorawit was about to call it a night he received a text from That.

TheRealThat: Umm I'm uninjured.

Sorawit: That's good 👍

Sorawit despite wanting to bombard That with question he knew he wouldn't answer, Sorawit could basically feel his eyes begin to close but before dozing off he sent his last message.

Sorawit: Night That sleep well 😴 💓.

Sorawit didn't pay much attention to what he had typed and fell asleep straight away even missing That's response.

TheRealThat: Night.

In his heart as he fell deeper and deeper into sleep Sorawit couldn't help but hope That showed up tomorrow.

~

Have I taken a century to write this chapter, yes. But what you fail to consider is the amount of procrastinating that took place 🤔. So when you think about it this chapter was actually released kind of fast.

On a side note i like really want to do a chapter later on from That's perspective but until then have fun guessing what he's thinking and how he feels.

😘😘😘😘😘😘

Trigger Warning ⚠️ i don't proof read that throughly so feel free to point out mistakes and correct me.

[katedrakeohd]

One Handsome Devil (TRR)

(Rated M 18+ for sexual content)

Chapter 21: Pumped Up

Monday morning at 6:30 am Drake was in the elevator on his way to the Ritz-Carlton's gym facilities. When he had left the room Kate was still sleeping, but he'd written her a note in case she awoke in his absence. Ever since he had left home a few days ago he had missed the training gym, especially after seeing Nicholas during his angry workout. Normally he spent time in the gym every two days, and if he was away traveling with the Royal court he found a way to fit in a workout of his own. Drake flexed his pectorals, then stood up straight and flexed his left and then right biceps. He was happy with how his muscles strained against his t-shirt, but he was looking forward to a good sweat and to see what the hotel gym had to offer. When he makes it to the exercise room he heads to the 'gentleman's locker room' to change into his shorts. Based on the lack of other guys in the room he assumed he would have the gym to himself. He removes his shirt and leaves it with his pants.

Stepping back out of the locker room he doesn't hear any machines running. He checks out the equipment. There are several treadmills, steppers and elliptical machines. And a lot of mirrors. Not a good place to feel insecure about how you look. Good thing he didn't. He sees a basket of newspapers next to a water cooler and a table with towels. Drake picks up a newspaper and a towel, and chooses a treadmill. He steps up onto it, searches through the programs for a light workout and a timer for 30 minutes. After about 20 of those minutes he hasn't broken a sweat, but his legs are definitely warm. He bumps the speed up a few notches and jogs out the last few minutes of his workout.

Megan Price and her teenage daughter Claire exit the ladies locker room, they can hear the sound of someone using one of the machines as they turn the corner to enter the exercise room. They stand and watch Drake for a minute or two, whispering between themselves:

Woah, he's hot.

Sshh, he's going to hear you.

What do you think, Pro Athlete, police officer, military, model..

Claire, he's probably married, or at least has a girlfriend..or a boyfriend.

Drake slows down the treadmill to low, breathing heavily as he walks, grabbing his towel he wipes his face and neck. Suddenly aware he's being watched he can feel the heat rise in his face, he clears his throat looks to his left.

"Good Morning ladies."

Megan blushes, smiles back.

"G..good morning. Sorry for staring."

Drake powers down the treadmill and then steps off.

"I apparently have that affect on people. I'll be out of your way shortly, just need a drink of water."

Claire pulls a paper cup out of the dispenser, fills it with water from the cooler and hands it to Drake.

He smiles, accepting it, "Thanks."

Drake throws back the cool water in a single gulp. Meanwhile Claire is mesmerized, can feel the heat emanating from his body. She steps back. "You're welcome."

"Um Claire, let's leave the man alone. We'll find a couple of step climbers to use."

Drake nods, grabbing his towel and newspaper and then goes over to where the weight benches and free weights are. OK, that was awkward. He hoped he didn't run into anyone else.

--------

Meanwhile back in the hotel room, Kate is awakened by the sound of her phone ringing and buzzing at 7am. She flounders out of the blankets and picks it up.

"Hello?"

"Oh my goodness Kate did I wake you?", says Hana.

Kate sits up in bed, realizing Drake is gone.

"It's Ok Hana, I don't mind. What's up?"

"I'm assuming you've heard the horrible news about what happened here in Cordonia."

"Yes, we saw it on CNN. Nicholas called. We were both shaken by the news of the shooting."

"We? Who else is there with you?"

"Drake and I, here in New York."

There's a pause for a moment on the other end.

"Hana, are you still there?"

"But Drake said he was going to Texas, for a family reunion. Oh my goodness! Maxwell was right. So you and Drake are..."

Kate can hear the excitement in Hana's voice, it practically bubbles out of the phone.

"Yes, yes. Me and Drake are a thing now. It's been a whirlwind of a weekend."

"Oh Kate that's wonderful! But poor Nicholas does he know?"

Kate bites her lip, "He and Drake have talked. I'm not sure if Drake went into details. I know he must be upset though."

"Nicholas has been hiding in his room since yesterday. Apart from taking the occasional meal, he hasn't been talking to anyone. Now that Madeleine is gone, he must be beside himself with grief and anger."

Kate gasps, suddenly feeling cold all over,

"Gone? I heard she'd been shot, but we hadn't heard anything else. You don't mean..Oh my goodness she's dead??"

Hana sobs , "Oh my Gosh Kate. The whole City, no the whole country is in shock right now over the shooting. We just got finished celebrating the Coronation, and everyone was looking forward to the engagement tour... But..but now everything has been torn apart."

Kate gets up off the bed, wondering where Drake is.

She sees a note next to the television.

---

6.30am Gone down to check out the gym, be back soon. Order us some breakfast.

love,

Drake xoxoxox

---

Kate smiles after reading Drake's note. "Hana sweety, I'll pass the news onto Drake when he comes back from the gym. Go see if you can get through to Nicholas. I think he could really use a friend right now."

"I'll try Kate. I miss you guys so much. Please tell me you'll be back home soon."

"We are hoping to be back in a day or two. Nicholas is supposed to be sending the Royal jet to come pick us up, maybe you and Maxwell could hitch a ride."

"Oooh Kate, I'd love that. I've never been to New York before."

"Ok well, I need to go for now. Talk to you soon Hana."

"Buh bye Kate, give Drake a hug for me."

Kate laughs, "Ok will do."

While Drake pumps iron somewhere else in the building, Kate flips open her suitcase and checks through her remaining unworn items, trying to decide what to wear for maximum comfort and cuteness. No doubt Drake was going to punish himself with his workout, so she intended to keep her promise of giving him that massage he was going to need. Kate chooses a pair of comfortable yoga pants, a tank top and a cozy hoody for later. Before Drake returned to have breakfast she wanted to do some Pilates and stretches of her own.

Down in the exercise room of the hotel more patrons were starting to show up, so Drake decided it was time for him to go. He wanted first choice at the locker room showers before there was a line up of other sweaty people. As he makes his way back to the locker room he passes by Megan and Claire who are both using treadmills. He nods and waves to them and Claire giggles, blushing. Being eye fucked by teenage girls made his skin crawl, and he couldn't wait to get out of there. Recalling the disdainful expressions on the GQ models in the barbershop magazine he sympathizes with them. Drake pulls another paper cup and fills it with water before he downs it and escapes for the privacy of the shower.

Continue on >>

[mattcullen]

I too am procrastinating!! I'd really like to see Dex and Nursey sharing Lardo's room, Dex becoming more comfortable with himself and Nursey, and realizing that the team has his back

hooray for procrastination! okay room sharing, lets bullet point this shit (also i kind of stuck to the prompt but the main focus is on room sharing and being comfortable with each other and less on everyone having each others’ backs, sorry it kind of ran away from me)

to start, dex gets the top bunk and nursey gets the bottom obvs bc honestly can you imagine nursey successfully climbing up to the top without falling off the ladder at least once a week?

music is a big point of contention for the first month 

dex blasts dad rock whenever he’s coding and nursey listens to his indie shit so loudly that even when he’s using headphones dex can hear it from the top bunk

they reach a weird understanding one day when nursey puts a playlist on shuffle and they end up both singing along to the middle by jimmy eat world and they discover they both  are still in  went through a punk rock/pop phase (yes i have been reading @heyfightme‘s punk au)

from there on they reach a pretty easy agreement that when they’re both in the room and neither are studying, it’s tb punk from the 2005 era or anything they’ve recently discovered

(for the sake of avoiding arguments) 

(also because both love watching the other get lost in the music as they scream the lyrics)

(please take a moment to imagine two 6′2″ hockey players yell the words to i don’t wanna be an asshole anymore by the menzingers to each other as they jump up and down in the middle of their bedroom at 4pm)

it takes a while to get a bathroom routine down bc nursey has A Lot of skincare products and he likes to bathe william, not all of us are neanderthals that enjoy feeling crusty

the rest is under the cut bc i got carried away

eventually they come to the agreement that as dex is usually the first one up he showers first, then chowder, then nursey

if it’s early morning practice you can often find all the frogs piled into the bathroom at once - nursey trying to shave while dex elbows him brushing his teeth, chowder squatting in front of them trying to wash his exfoliator off before dex needs to spit

nursey also has a large collection of lush bath bombs that he stores in one of those chrome metal baskets because ~aesthetic~ 

he tries to get dex to use them but baths aren’t really dex’s speed so nursey buys him a bunch of those shower jellies for dex’s birthday

dex begrudgingly accepts them and says he’ll probably never use them 

(they’ve run out by christmas and nursey starts adding them to his monthly lush haul)

nursey insists on fairy lights

everywhere

surprisingly dex doesn’t fight him on it

this is because dex wants to put glowing star stickers on the ceiling above his bunk and he figures the best way to avoid nursey chirping him is to indulge him in something else

it kind of works - nursey is so distracted by how adorable he finds the idea of dex loving glow in the dark stickers that he forgets to tease him (poor dude)

after christmas nursey returns with a huge stack of books he got from his moms and when he puts them on the already crowded shelf it breaks, like immediately

this leads to a trip to ikea, bookshelf building, and maybe the most ridiculous argument they’ve ever had 

“it’s upside down dex”

“it’s not, you’re looking at it wrong”

“no look the instructions say it should slide in here”

“well derek i don’t know what instructions you’re reading but it clearly goes here”

eventually they have to give up before someone throws a punch and they get bitty and jack to finish it for them

the first time one of them gets injured while they’re living together is during a game against yale

dex gets crushed against the boards by an actual giant and fucks up his knee

while it’s not broken or dislocated he can’t really put pressure on it for a couple of weeks which means he can’t reach the top bunk

which means sleeping in nursey’s bed

the first week is alright, tho the pillows smell like nursey and dex honestly can barely handle it

but then there’s a party and nursey comes back kinda tipsy and goes through the motions of getting ready for bed, forgetting that they’ve switched bunks for the time being and gets into the bottom bunk where dex is already asleep

losers don’t even realise whats happened until they wake in the morning cuddled round each other

it’s awkward but it also happens again a couple of times before dex’s knee is better

for nursey’s bday/valentine’s day dex covers nursey’s entire bed in pink glitter while nursey’s in class 

nursey gets back and flops down on his bed completely oblivious

he becomes immediately less oblivious when a huge shower of pink sparkles fly up and coat him in glitter

dex observes all of this from the desk chair, snorting as his laptop, set up to record, films the whole thing

what he doesn’t predict is nursey tackling him onto the floor and rubbing glitter all of his face and in his hair

he also doesn’t predict nursey pausing and looking down at him from where he’s lying on top of dex, pink glitter in his curls and spread across his cheek bones, and dex’s heart basically stopping

he definitely doesn’t predict nursey leaning down and kissing him like he’s the most precious thing in the world

(when they eventually emerge from their room no one says anything but everyone is clearly aware of the smudges of glitter around their lips and the way they keep finding excuses to hold hands and grin sheepishly at each other)

(they also forget that their entire ‘get together’ was recorded, chowder finds this about a month later when he borrows dex’s laptop)

(chowder screams)

(the video’s not exactly completely PG)

they end up starting a huge wall of polaroids after nursey gets a polaroid camera from chowder and farmer for his birthday

they don’t even mean to do it but nursey pins up a few from his bday kegster and then dex steals the camera to take a few candids of nursey sleeping and adds them to the wall and by senior year the display has spread the entire back wall

photos include:

nursey and chowder at team breakfast, flicking bits of scrambled egg at each other

dex as he makes his first pie solo while bitty watches him smiling in the background

ransom holster and lardo saluting the haus before they get in the car to leave after visiting during spring break

the whole team squashed into jack’s living room while jack’s in boston playing the bruins - a photo of the the smh sending jack photos of them watching him play on tv 

nursey and holster in an intense sing off in the living room

dex and nursey snuggled up on the armchair in the living room, completely oblivious of the camera

nursey, dex, chowder and farmer at the pond sunbathing, nursey and chowder wearing ridiculously oversized sunglasses and dex and farmer watching them pretending to look exasperated 

at the end of senior year they’ve decided to move to nyc together but they can’t help but feel sad about leaving

as a graduation present nursey reveals that he kept the coin from the re-dib-flip and cut it in half, making two necklaces so they can each have one

nursey doesn’t even get to finish explaining before dex is sobbing into nursey’s shoulder

but it’s okay because nursey is crying too

[raedas]

Theme music plays.

Carmen sneaks through the museum.

Chase: Freeze! Right there!

The video pauses, revealing that we have been watching a recording.

Chase: Now rewind. Stop. Zoom in on her face. That is not Carmen Sandiego.

The culprit has a similar silhouette, but wears an eye patch and has straight white hair.

Chief: She calls herself the Duchess. A.C.M.E. had no record of her existence... until late last night when she sashayed out of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum packing a painting valued at over 30 million euro.

Chase: 30 million euro for that?

Julia: "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" is one of Johannes Vermeer's most important earlier works. SEe the hallmark of his style? The way he paints natural light makes his subject look so realistic.

Chase: Ms. Argent, need I remind you that you're the only one who cares about such dull facts?

Chief: Excellent eye, Agent Argent. Attention to detail is the very cornerstone of A.C.M.E. surveillance.

Chase: Uh, um, precisely why we should further analyze the particulars of this, uh, uh... hmm.

Julia: Swipe here.

Chief: I highly suggest acquainting yourself with our CrimeNet technology, Agent Devineaux. You're not with Interpol anymore. Your first mission as agents of A.C.M.E. will be to recover that painting and ascertain whether or not this Duchess is working for V.I.LE.

Chase: Or, whether she is an accomplice to Carmen Sandiego.

Carmen: Blue isn't really my color, but I have to admit... I've never stolen anything so luminous.

She's looking at the painting stolen by "the Duchess."

Player: Enjoy it while you can, Red. You have a whole hour before you need to get back in character.

Carmen: Right. Let's get the crew up to speed. Zack, Ivy!

Zack, wearing the eye patch: Avast, me mateys! Arr!

Ivy, wearing the white-haired wig: Is this a good look for me?

Carmen: Those aren't toys, people. They're my disguise. Now pay attention. Here's what we know: Player's decryption of the V.I.L.E. hard drive revealed details of an intricate ongoing operation. V.I.L.E. operatives have been quietly stealing paintings by the artist Vermeer from museums all over the world and replacing the originals with amazingly accurate forgeries.

Ivy: What? Why would they bother leaving fakes behind?

Carmen: To ensure museum security would never realize the originals had been stolen to begin with, which would allow the entirety of Vermeer's collected works to slowly and steadily be amassed by V.I.L.E. mastermind Countess Cleo.

Zack: What's the big whoop about these paintings anyway? No cars, no clowns, no dogs playing poker?

Ivy: Yeah, and she's reading. Snore.

Player: You aren't the only ones who thought that. But after some research, I began to see things in a different light. The Netherlands isn't only known for its tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes. It's famous for its painters from the Dutch Golden Age of the 1600's, Vermeer among them.

Carmen: But the ordinary people of his portraits weren't the stars of the show. That would be the mind-boggling way Vermeer captured natural light with his paintbrush. Only 34 confirmed paintings by the maestro exist. Not a whole lot for a major artist. That makes each one an extremely rare and valuable treasure.

Player: Which is why we freaked when we learned there was only one last Vermeer left for Cleo to steal, from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands.

Carmen: So I had to act fast and got to it first and made my escape through one of Amsterdam's 165 canals, masquerading as the Duchess. "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" is our only shot at stealing back the other 33. We need Cleo to take the bait so we can push for a direct face-to-face, in the hopes of figuring out where she's keeping the rest.

Player: And if she had any suspicion that she were dealing with the master super thief Carmen Sandiego, she'd never let you anywhere near her stolen prizes.

Carmen: That's why, when Cleo's courier arrives to authenticate the painting, it'll be the Duchess who meets him at the door.

There's a knock at the door.

Player: Whoa, that can't be him. He's an hour early.

Zack: Yowza! Room service is wicked fast here.

Carmen: Wait! Don't open that doo--

Zack does. Carmen and Ivy hide. Player disconnects the video call.

Dash: Oh, still running on Moscow time. Hmm. Um... you're not a duchess.

Zack: You're not my sandwich.

Dash: Ahaha, I must have the wrong room. I...

He spots the painting.

Dash: Oh... there she is. "The Woman in Blah"... I was to meet a duchess. You would be her...?

Zack: Duke. Ah, yes. Ahem. I'm the Duke... ahah, of, uh, uh, uh... Vermeer! Vermeer. Yes. Haha.

Dash: That's a pace?

Zack: Um, yeah. I-In Boston. B-Boston. And you would be, mate?

Dash: Dash Haber. Executive courier to Countess Cleo.

He uses an electronic monocle to check that the painting is authentic, then starts to walk off with it.

Dash: I'll wire the funds immediately and take her off your hands.

Carmen motions for Zack to stop him by motioning her finger across her neck. Zack runs to Dash and repeats the gesture.

Zack: Does, uh, this mean anything to you?

Dash: Heh. I'll inform the Countess.

Cleo: Mr. Haber, report.

Dash: The painting checks out. But I think the Duke would prefer to deal directly with you?

Cleo: Duke? I promised a complete collection. If I don't have number 34 in my hands tomorrow night, I'll be laughingstock of the criminal underworld.

Dash: The Countess wishes to invite you to a dinner party and auction.

Zack: Great! Yeah, text me the address.

Dash: Good. A car will pick you up tomorrow, 5pm sharp. And no plus-ones, just the painting.

As soon as he closes the door, Ivy throws the wig at his head.

Ivy: Is your brain made of Swiss cheese? Yes, the kind with the holes.

Player: Why would Cleo auction the Vermeers after going through so much trouble to complete the set?

Carmen: The thrill of the hunt doesn't last long for her. And the combined value of the art could easily surpass one billion dollars.

Ivy: [whistles] Hello, V.I.L.E. slush fund.

Carmen: We'll only have a brief window to steal back all 34 while they're under one roof before they scatter to the winds. The good news is, we're invited to a party.

Player: And... the not so good?

Carmen: We only have 24 hours to transform Zack into a convincing duke.

Zack is standing in front of a mirror.

Carmen: Cleo will expect a duke to speak in proper diction. Repeat after me: "Park the car in Aardvark Yard."

Zack, with a Boston accent: Park the car in Aardvark Yard.

Carmen, moving his mouth up and down: Park the car in Aardvark Yard.

Zack: Park the car in-- hold on, hold on. I'm gonna get it.

Carmen: Cleo will expect a gentleman to wear appropriate wardrobe.

Zack: Aw no, not a monkey suit.

Ivy: It suits you. You're way more monkey than man.

Carmen: Salad fork.

Zack: Okay.

Carmen: Table fork.

Zack: Got it.

Carmen: Dessert fork.

Zack: Yum, dessert!

Carmen: Fish fork.

Zack: Yuck! F-F-Fish? Oh, come on! You never said I'd have to eat fish.

Carmen: If they serve it, just keep telling yourself it tastes like chicken. You need to learn enough talking points about art history to fit in.

Zack: Oh come on. Why?

Carmen: Because if Cleo thinks for even one moment you are not who you say you are, she'll feed you to her dogs.

Zack: Just don't let her feed me any fish. Okay, okay, okay. Small fork, salad, dessert fork, cake. Small fork... Park the car in Aadvark Yard. Park the car in Aardvark... Park the fork in Salad Yard. Park the fork in my mouth.

Carmen: Zack, you ready?

Zack: Ready to park the car in Aardvark Yard.

Ivy: Dude, that's weird, right?

Carmen: It's showtime.

Zack goes to the limo. Carmen and Ivy watch from the car.

Cleaner: Arms?

He extends his arms. They use a wand to check him for contraband.

Ivy: No tracker?

Carmen: First thing they check for.

Cleaner: Clean.

Cleaner: We go.

He puts a bag over Zack's head. When they drive off, Carmen and Ivy follow.

Carmen: You're doing great, Ivy. Just keep a safe distance. ...We have a tail.

Ivy: Would you look at that. A tail tailing a tail.

Chase: This A.C.M.E. technology is more my speed.

Julia, on a screen: Agent Devineaux, the hotel guests registered under a fake name, but I was able to connect the payment source to the van rental. You may very well be following the Duchess.

Chase: Or, Carmen Sandiego.

Julia: I suppose that is possible.

Chase: Ohoho! Delighted to hear that you agree for once.

Julia: But depriving the world of historic works of art does not seem to be Ms. Sandiego's M.O.

Chase: Bah! Just see what you can learn in the hotel suite. I am driving.

Julia: But Agent Devin--

Carmen: Hmm, an old admirer... in a new set of wheels. Player, there's a bridge half a klick southeast of us. Can you hack into it?

Player: I'm on it.

Carmen: Take this turn.

She does. Chase follows.

Player: Ah, a drawbridge. Coming right up.

He starts to raise each side of the drawbridge from the middle.

Carmen: Straight ahead. Step on it.

Ivy: Really?

Carmen: Make the jump, Ivy. We can't let our tail blow Zack's cover.

Chase: You jump, I jump.

Ivy: Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh! I can't!

She slams on the brakes. Chase sails ahead.

Chase: Nooooo!

The car half makes the jump. Then he sees Carmen in his rear-view mirror.

Chase: You! Haha, I knew you were behind...

His movements cause the car to start falling backward.

Chase: No, no, no, no, no... noooooo!

The car plummets into the water.

anon did you. did you type this all out yourself because i would like to shake your hand