#can't wait to see how the hells deal with delilah. if at all

[skeine]

i mean. i get the situation between laudna and orym was delicate. she was upset and under delilah's influence. the hells had a fine line to ride between sussing out wtf was going on and sending her running. they had to support her or be carefully neutral to do that. and that meant leaving orym to defend himself alone, to challenge laudna's actions on his own. i get it. who better to handle it? the guy's got plenty of practice.

still. it would have been nice if at least someone had spoken up to support orym before he felt he had no choice but to back down. before he felt he had to sacrifice his emotions and convictions and safety for the sake of the group and the mission. yet again. as per usual.

it's remarkable how even in a group of seven living in each others' pockets, orym has always felt so fundamentally alone. and for all the heart to heart talks in the rain, how this exchange played out shows that not all that much has changed really. still shouldering the ugly battles himself, doing the dirty work, taking the hits so his friends don't have to. until he just can't anymore.

in the midst of friends and still so alone. deliberately, willingly, so much of it by choice. and somewhere in the back of laudna's mind, delilah laughs and laughs... and waits for her opportunity to strike.

it's his role i guess, he chose it himself. i just really hope it doesn't end up killing him.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Halt & Catch Fire: Final Part

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.3k

Warnings: canon angst and violence, extra angst

Summary: You're done being a puppet in their plans. You're done letting them control you. You're finally going to take back your life by becoming something you didn't know was possible. your eyes are opened to something better and God forbid anyone who disrespects you.

Season Ten Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. I love seeing any and all comments <3

x

Dean locks up behind Sam and Delilah yarns tiredly.

"You getting tired?"

"No, I'm used to it. I stay up all night studying. It is mostly to avoid the nightmares. My mom's thrilled with my GPA, but I'm just miserable. I think about Andrew all the time, and I've never even met the guy."

"This is what you get for leaving the scene of a crime. Idiotic move is what it was."

"Watch it," Dean glares at you but you flip him off.

"It's pretty crazy to obsess over someone you've never met."

"It's not that crazy. The truth is, I can relate. I have made more mistakes than I can count. Ones that haunt me day and night." He immediately turns to you. "I don't need to hear it."

You put your arms up in defense and turn away from him.

"How do you deal?" Delilah asks.

"Whiskey. Denial. I do my best to make things right, whatever that may be. For you, maybe it's coming clean. You know, finding a way to ask for forgiveness and not breaking the bank at your local florist. I mean real forgiveness. You can't just bury stuff like this. You have to deal with it." His phone rings and he picks up Sam's call. "What do you have?"

"Dean, Andrew's not using power lines to move. He's using Wi-Fi."

"Come again?"

"The wires that electrocuted Andrew feed directly into a Wi-Fi tower right across the street."

"Even ghosts are online?"

"Apparently. It would explain the truck kill. Billy's cell must have been using the local Wi-Fi signal so Andrew's ghost must have just hopped on to Trini, the navigation app."

"Julie's death was by computer and Kyle's death was by stereo with wireless speakers."

"It makes sense, Dean. We're all just a bunch of electrical impulses, right? Whenever Andrew died, his impulses just transferred to another current. You got to get Delilah somewhere safe. Turn off all the routers in that Sorority."

"Yeah, sure, Sammy. We'll just kill the internet. Wait, can we?"

"No," you roll your eyes.

"Alright, how the hell are we gonna deal with the lawnmower man?"

"I have an idea. Do what I said. Stay safe. I'll call you back."

"Do you know where the routers are?" Dean asks when Sam hangs up.

"I have no idea."

Suddenly, the lights and her computer start flashing on and off. Looks like Andrew is here to play. Delilah is the last one. It gets so cold in the room that you can see your breath. Andrew's face, albeit burnt, appears on all electronic devices that connect to the internet. Delilah screams just as Dean starts smashing the devices one by one.

"Is that gonna work?"

"It's worth a try. I need you to turn off everything that's connected to Wi-Fi." Dean takes Delilah's phone and smashes both his and hers. "Give me your phone."

"Come on, this is the new one," you complain. Dean yanks it from your hand and smashes it. "You're getting me a new one.

"Fine. Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

You leave her dorm room and see Andrew showing up on every computer screen that you pass by. He won't let Delilah out of his sight.

"Someplace that doesn't have a Wi-Fi signal."

"Head to the basement. The reception sucks down there."

"Alright, go, go, go!"

When you finally get to the basement, Dean starts to salt the doors and windows.

"I thought the salt didn't work."

"Because of the Wi-Fi. There's no signal down here. There are no computers, tablets, or cell phones. Andrew can't bypass it. At least, I don't think he can. Just try to stay calm, alright?" Suddenly, something starts buzzing in the room. It sounds like a phone that's on vibrate. "What was that?"

"Sounds like a phone to me," you say.

Dean shoves his hands under the couch cushions only to find someone's cell phone in there. Andrew uses this to appear in the room so he can take vengeance on Delilah in person. Delilah screams and you turn to see Andrew in the room next to her. Dean approaches Andrew from behind but he smacks Dean into the pillar as hard as he can.

"Please don't kill me. We didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident. I swear. If I could do it over again, I would have done the right thing!"

Andrew grabs Delilah's throat and starts to choke her out. You stand there and watch this happen for five seconds before Dean screams your name.

"Y/N!" You grab the iron poker and swing it through his body until he disappears and Delilah is saved. "Let's go."

"Where?"

The door is locked so there is no way of getting out of here if the ghost is using its powers on the door.

"Andrew, listen to me. You have every right to be pissed." Dean takes the cell phone he found and dials a message to Sam. "Take it from me, the more you kill, the crazier you'll get. The blood fuels the rage. So, it looks like to me you've got two choices. You can keep killing and become something that you won't recognize or you can move on cause that is the only thing that is gonna give you peace. So it's up to you, man. Pain or peace."

Andrew appears behind Dean and shoves him into the closet door, breaking it into pieces. He turns to Delilah but you speak up before he can hurt her.

"Some ghost you are," you scoff and he looks at you. "Getting revenge on kids? Lame." He goes after you but you duck out of the way easily. "Death by electrocution? Lame! Maybe it sparked some life into you."

Andrew appears in front of you and slams you against the wall. He wraps his hands around your throat, pushing the device further into your neck. Maybe he might be able to get it off for you. You're not scared of Andrew but you do become concerned at the thought of him killing you.

Thankfully, you don't have to know the answer to that because his wife's voice fills the room. You and Andrew look at Delilah who has the phone in her hand which has his wife's face on it. Sam must have FaceTimed to get her to speak to Andrew.

"Andrew? It's Corey. Please listen to me. You have to stop this. Revenge is hollow, and it's pointless. It won't bring you back. I should have said this earlier but I couldn't let go. Now, it's time for me to let go and for you to do the same. Please. I'm begging you." Andrew lets you go and turns to her. "Do this for me. Do it for us." He nods slightly. "Goodbye."

Apparently, this is enough for Andrew to find peace. He closes his eyes and disappears in a flash of white light.

In the morning, Sam and Dean bring Delilah to Corey's house so she can talk to her and seek forgiveness.

"Looks like Andrew wasn't the only one who chose peace."

"Yeah, looks like. I think I'm gonna follow his lead, too."

"What do you mean?"

"My peace is helping people and working cases. I can't do that with this thing on my arm. I can't do that with my wife being the way she is. If I stay down this path, it'll be my downfall and I'll bring her with me." Dean looks at you who is across the street on your phone. You're absentmindedly picking at the device on your neck while looking at your phone. "I have to find this cure. If not for me, for her."

"Cas is so close to finding Cain. He has to know of a way."

"I believe there is a way. You said it yourself. You got through the literal devil and made it out alive. There's a way and we're going to do whatever we can to find it."

"What if she won't take it?"

"We'll make her. You should have seen her when we first met Cain. She was so determined to take it with me. I shouldn't have let her."

"You know her losing her soul isn't your fault."

"How is it not?" Dean asks with tears in his eyes. "Tell me how this is not my fault."

"Whether she had the Mark or not, she would have been soulless either way."

"Yeah, because I took it from her. Do you want me to be honest? I'm scared I'm gonna wake up one day and she'll be gone. I'm scared that when we finally do shove her soul back in her, it'll be too late."

"You don't have to shoulder this burden alone," Sam says and places his hand on Dean's shoulder. "We're going to find this cure. We'll cure you both."

"Thanks," Dean whispers.

He looks at you again and prays to God you don't get any worse.

You don't care if they have a remote that will activate your shock machine. You're leaving this Bunker tonight with or without their permission. As soon as you get back, you pack a bag as light as you can carry. You'll get more stuff along the way. Where will you go? You're not sure but it sure as hell isn't going to be here.

Sam and Dean are in the library when you walk past them into the war room.

"Where are you going?"

"Parading all over the country is not what I want to do. I'm sick and tired of you two controlling me. I'm done." You turn to face them by the base of the metal stairs. "I'm leaving and I'd really like to see you try and stop me."

Dean takes the remote out of his hand but you're a step ahead of him. You swiftly take out your gun and point it at him. Sam freezes in his steps because he's nervous you're actually gonna start shooting.

"What are you gonna do?"

"You can't press the button if you're dead."

"Do it. You're not leaving this Bunker."

Your finger twitches against the trigger like you're going to pull it. Then you see Sam with wide eyes and you know that if you kill his brother, all you're asking for is a Winchester up your ass. You'd rather not spend your entire life running from one of them. Instead, you aim at the remote and shoot. The remote explodes into pieces and Dean jumps back from the shock.

"What are you gonna use now?" you smirk.

You turn to the stairs but both Winchesters jump into action. They run out in front of you, effectively blocking your way.

"You might have a chance with one of us but not both," Dean glares.

"Oh? Just because you're big and tall, you think you'd win in a fight against me?" you scoff and take a step back.

"You've relied on magic all your life. You're not as good a fighter as we are."

You smirk and toss your bag and gun to the side. "If I beat you two, I leave."

"If you don't?" Sam asks.

"Back to the dungeon I go, and I won't fight you anymore on this cure for the Mark."

Sam and Dean look at each other before lunging at you. You see their moves coming from a mile away. While Sam and Dean are fighting to subdue you, you're fighting to kill. You have nothing to lose. They have everything to lose.

Sam swings his hand to punch you but you grab it at the last second and twist it behind him. Dean comes running at you two so you kick his ass and they go crashing into each other. Dean is the first one up and runs at you. He grabs you from behind thinking he got you but you're two steps ahead of him. You let them believe he got you so when Sam comes over, you kick off his chest and swing over Dean. You land on the floor and punch Dean to the ground, almost breaking his jaw.

The problem with the Winchesters is you're too damn flexible for them. You roundhouse kick Sam in the face, and he sprays a line of blood as he goes down. They start to think you might win this so they have to pick up their game or you will kill them. Dean ignores the pain in his jaw as he grabs one of the chairs and smacks you in the back.

You crumble to the ground in a grunt of pain. He and Sam grab you on either side and refuse to let you go. You struggle as hard as you can to get away from them but it's looking like you might lose this fight. The more you struggle, the more you get angry. The more you get angry, the more your Mark flares and burns. The metaphorical pot inside your body is bubbling over, and the only thing fueling it is the Mark.

"Let me go!" you yell.

"Admit it! You lost this one!" Dean grunts.

"Let go of me!"

"You lost, Y/N, just give it up!" Sam yells.

"I said. LET. GO!"

Bright red magic explodes out from all sides of you, causing Sam and Dean to go flying into the walls behind them. The entire war room is covered in a red hue, and you look down at your hands to see red magic flow out of them. The power you feel right now is so... exhilarating. Your Mark is burning so much but it's the good kind of pain. The kind of pain you crave. The kind of power you crave.

You look at the brothers with an evil smirk. They're too scared to do anything. They know you've fallen over the edge. There is no coming back from this. You lift the brothers with your magic and fling them so hard into the wall again that it cracks from the pressure. Both of them are too weak to do anything which is exactly what you want.

You reach up and peel off the device from your neck like it's a goddamn sticker.

"You don't control me anymore. I win. I'm leaving. If you want to try and stop me, well, you can't. No one can," you laugh.

You grab your bag and head to the metal stairs.

"This isn't you!" Sam yells loudly. You pause by the stairs but don't face him. "You're the Sapphire Witch! You help people!"

"Honey, the Sapphire Witch is dead."

"Yeah? Then what are you?"

You face the brothers with a smirk and bright red eyes.

"I'm the Scarlet Witch."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[theplatinumcritter]

Episode Three.

The Feast of Realms.

Oh? Flashback?

TINY PERCY

Well not tiny but young

Uh... What the fuck is happening.

HOLY SHIT-

Ok. They're all dead. His family is dead.

I must sound so stupid for anyone who has seen Campaign 1 but I'm serious I'm getting here super blind I have zero context I only know random clips.

Keyleth is such a Disney princess I adore her.

I want a bear now... Where's my Trinket.

D O O R S.

Percy looks so excited over a fancy party omg

This man is trying so hard to sell this group as behaved while Vax and Grog have a punching balls competition.

Oh they all look so pretty! I WANT A BALL IN CAMPAIGN 3 FOR THIS REASON

IS THAT MATT?? AGAIN????

Scanlan has eyeshadow? We stan.

Wait... Percy? Why are you doing the Shit Is Going Down anime face

DID THOSE FUCKERS DID IT

NOW I GET ALL THE DEAL ABOUT KILLING THE BRIARWOODS

Wow they're... Not subtle about being evil. At all.

They'll spend the night here? KILLING TIME!

Okay I'll be patient but I know it's coming.

They're at the dinner table as well. I wouldn't eat a thing if they're there ngl

They probably don't even remember him and that's even worse.

Pike wdym "what does that mean",it means they're assholes...

No you're not fine BUT THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT THIS TOPIC

Grog. I love you. But shut up you can't just talk with murderers nor punch people at a fancy party out of nowhere.

The Briarwood servant looks dead as hell.

OH SNAKE WITH EYEPATCH SO CUTE

Wtfdym the messenger didn't come back...

Ayo what's this hypnotizing fuckery

Did only Keyleth notice that??

SHE'S NOT SUBTLE AT ALL

So this is the bitch in Laudna's head...

PERCY CALM DOWN

Easier said than done but you gotta TRY AT LEAST

Oh... It's clothes... Okay.

OR IS IT

Holy shit these two are ready to murder

Delilah I swear to GOD-

SHE'S NOT SUBTLE. AT ALL.

THEY'RE NOT FUCKING SUBTLE IS NOBODY ELSE NOTICING THIS SHIT.

Uh... Why does only Delilah has a reflection-

Oh no. OH NO. VAX GET OUT OF THERE!!

Oh so they do remember him. That's... Not a relief but they're not the kind to just forget who they hurt...

VAX!! GET OUT!!!!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BOY YOU ASSHOLE-

The song title is what now

OF ALL YOUR SONGS,SCANLAN-

WHAT. IS. HE. DOING. TO. MY. BOY.

HE'S A FUCKING VAMPIRE?!

VAX!! NOOOOOO!!

HE'S NOT DEAD!

Oh but he's probably about to be,fuck

EAGLE KEYLETH

KILL THEM

KILL BOTH OF THEM RIGHT NOW

LET'S GO HE GOT SHOT

FUCK HE REGENERATES

His... His sword does WHAT

Scanlan how long is this song- at least someone is digging it I guess...

THIS FIGHT LOOKS COOL BUT I'M FRIGHTENED

And at least I got a slight idea of them not dying how did people felt when watching it on campaign??

PIKE NO

THE MUSIC IS SO COOL THO

LET'S GO KEYLETH

Oh this poor boy

DELILAH SHUT THE FUCK UP

Ayo Percy no blaming your friends

PERCY. DO NOT.

P E R C Y.

Uh... What's that black thing

WHAT'S THAT BLACK THING

PERCIVAL IDK WHAT THE FUCK ELSE DE ROLO STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

Oh hi Scanlan you uh... Missed a lot.

... Holy shit the credits what a way to give me whiplash...

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE!! I WANT MORE RIGHT NOW!!!!

AND I WANT THAT DAMN BALL IN CAMPAIGN 3!!!!!

[gorgynei]

So many people are expecting there to be some drama with Laudna’s possible revival because of the De Rolo’s history. Personally, I’d love to see them automatically agree to try bringing Laudna back for 2 reasons. 1, she was an innocent victim forced to suffer just to hurt Vox Machina (guilt angle/doing the right thing by helping her). 2, bringing Laudna back would give VM a shot at permanently destroying Delilah. And I feel like Vex & Percy are both petty enough to want that last chance to fuck with her. That said, between Imogen & Ashton, I don’t know if the Hells will trust VM right away, since Orym is really the only one that KNOWS them at all. So we shall see.

oh yeah, im a hard believer that vm won't hesitate to bring laudna back for a second. they didn't fight tooth and nail to save people their entire adventuring careers (and guilt over people they accidentally hurt, especially keyleth) just to go "oohh but delilahs in her head. so... no!"

i really can't wait for the juicy conflict this entire party meet will bring though, i 100% want imogen and ashton specifically to be super untrusting of the de rolos (ironically LOL). with all of ashtons deals with hexum i could even see him immediately offering to be sworn into their service or something just bc thats how all rich people are in their eyes

[etheraella]

The Lost Letter for Love

(Fred Weasley x Reader)

Summary : 10 years of friendship through letters, and being a hopeless romantic didn’t help you realise your feelings for your best friend, until it might be too late.

Warnings : MUGGLE!AU slow-burn, angst, violence if you squint, best friends-to-lovers, a few cursing you probably won’t realise.

Feet shuffling against the living room carpet, you finally let your body slump on the sofa with a sigh. The sound of wrinkling leather waves through the empty corridor of your shared house. You ignored it, knowing that one of your housemates (who also happen to be your best friends) might come huffing into the room for continuously abusing furniture. With the same occasion happening countless number of times that week, you expected them to grow tired of your mood swings.

You reached for the nearest cushion beside you, digging your fingers onto the sides of the rough object, before stuffing your face into it; rage burning in your chest for a peculiar Weasley. You lift your face from the cushion furiously, running your hands through your hair.

"Is it that hard for that git to take time and write to me?" you cursed under your breath.

You heard a scoff before lifting your head and meeting eyes with your friend, Delilah. She was leaning against the archway of the living room. "Go on, explain yourself." she said, walking to the couch beside you -- leaving a gap, knowing you might blow off any minute if bothered. Before you could reply, she shakes her head. "And don't lie to me, you've been acting like a maniac, plotting a murder for a week now."

"She probably is, It's been 3 weeks since she last received a letter from her long-distance boyfriend. Of course she's gone mad." You needn't turn around, knowing it was your other roommate, Sara.

"Fred." you say gripping the sweat-stained pillow and throwing it at her. "Is my best friend," pausing before adding "Nothing more," then leaning against the couch.

You bit your lip in frustration, pulling off a few loose threads from the hem of your sleeves in anger, "Be patient, Y/N," Delilah says, patting your back. "He might be busy with his shop or dealing with.. well, whatever he might be doing," You rolled your eyes, seeing the now sitting Sara looking at you, sympathetically.

"Well, he can do whatever the hell he wants for all I care. No actually--I don't care, they're just letters." You stood up and stormed up to your room. Shutting the door with a click, you hear muffled voices of your two friends, one of them saying "Wasn't she enraged three minutes ago".

You feel your head spinning before pulling out a specific letter from a wooden box and leaning against the desk. The words that were inked on the paper still enliven the butterflies in your stomach, even after you've memorised them. It was the last letter you received from him before his gifts came to an abrupt stop. You felt like a 16 year old teenager feeling giddy over a crush. Your eyes widen -- reminding yourself "NO Y/N, he's just a friend!" Suddenly remembering you weren't supposed to be 'caring', you cringed to yourself before shoving the letter back in the box weighing a heavy heart.

━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━

You let your body fall against the soft mattress with a squeal, staring up the ceiling whilst clutching the new envelope up to your chest. Without realising the rapid rate of your heartbeat, you impatiently tore open the envelope and unfolded its content.

Dearest Y/N,

I hope this letter finds you in the best of spirits.

I deeply apologise for this delayed reply as I have been quite busy with the joke shop here. Formalities aside, I'm going to be making a few business arrangements in your town. George thought I should go instead of him, and I definitely agree with him. I can't wait to see you, and expect me to ring your house phone tomorrow to discuss. Sadly, I'd have to make this letter short, pumpkin.

P.S bring along that beautiful smile of yours when we meet.

Yours lovingly,

Fred G. Weasley

A smile forms across your face as you read his words, your heart doing summersaults. Before you could trace his signature, you hear a knock on your bedroom door. Sighing, you opened the door, seeing an eyebrow raised Delilah and Sara. Seeing your friends just makes you want to squeeze them in a hug of joy. The smile on your lips didn't falter as you tried forming words "I-"

"We know, Y/N." Delilah interrupted. "We guessed the moment you turned all giddy when coming home. You even fell from the entrance stairs! What'd he say?" Sara asked, smirking. You stared at them, the red mark on your ankle feeling suddenly obvious.

"He said he's going to be dealing with a few business things here. I think he's coming in a few days." You say, your smile growing wider as the words escape your lips. Fred and you have met before. Only, it was twice or trice a year from a long-distance decade of friendship.

Your friendship with Fred was a rather complicated story that even to you, seems a little cliche of how it started with a single complication.

A letter,

The letter had somehow mistakenly ended up to your address, knowing that a 'Hermione Granger' doesn't exist in your household. Being the hopeless romantic you are, you thought it was some kind of love letter so you tore open the letter and read it. In the midst of the paragraph, you feel a pang of guilt as the letter has only to do with family matters. You cursed yourself, and felt sorry for the sender and immediately returned the letter to the signed name 'Fred Weasley' with an attached paper for explanation.

A few days after, you received a letter a letter from him, this time with your name as the addressee. Fred apolagised and offered his gratitude for returning his letter, as it was his mistake for writing the wrong address after all.. And that ladies and gents, was the story on how your friendship was formed.

Although the two of you had exchanged numbers on paper, you fancied the idea of continuing to use the old method with letters, as it was a reminder of how the two of you had gotten to know each other. Fred had always been open about his family and business to you. The both of you admitted that you weren't romantically involved with anyone, but decided to leave that topic 2 years ago. Surely, if he was in a relationship, he'd let you know anyway.

The more often you and Fred exchanged letters, the more you felt a tinge of excitement as he expresses his life and thoughts to you, hoping he'd feel the same. Sometimes, you'd spend endless nights rereading a few old letters of his which you cherished in a wooden box, paragraphs memorised.

Fred took you to meet his family on the third year of your friendship, even Hermione who was Fred's future sister-in-law back then was there. Molly Weasley had sent you presents for Christmas since then, which contained her self-made sweaters. You wondered how much Fred mentioned you to the Weasleys.

━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━

Later that week, Fred gave you a call, arranging your meeting for an evening. As soon as you saw the red-head arrive on your front door, you smiled and embraced him in a friendly hug. Fred, who was towering over you, looked the same as he always did; charming, with freckles painted on the bridge of his nose, enough to sway any girl’s feet.

"How's my pumpkin doing?" he grins, with a raised brow. You feel your face heating from the sound of his low-pitched voice calling the nickname he gave you 4 years ago. "I'm doing fine, Freddie." you said, returning his grin. The two of you immediately caught yourselves in a conversation on the journey. Clueless as to where Fred was taking you.

"Are you trying to kidnap me?" you scoffed jokingly, after the fourth time you had asked Fred for the destination while he was continuously refusing. "Pumpkin, I would have ordered someone to bring you to my hotel if I was." he winked, glancing sideways at you, making your cheeks blow bright pink in the shadow of the night. "But then again, I won't be kidnapping if I don't do it myself".

Finally, the two of you arrived at a coffee shop, "Is this the 'surprise', Freddie?" you asked him, getting out of the car.

"Not exactly." he smiles. The smell of baked muffins hit your nostrils as you enter the shop. Fred led you to a seat while you silently followed him, he stopped at a corner table next to a huge window, a girl with long black hair was already occupied.

"Y/N, I'd like to introduce you to Grace, my girlfriend." Fred turns to you with a prideful grin plastered across his face. "Darling, this is my best friend, Y/N." You felt your heart stop. Following his gaze, your eyes landed on the girl appearing to be his girlfriend, smile up at you, showing her pearly white teeth. Quickly pushing your overfilled thoughts away, you shook her hand, the room suddenly became insufferable. You forced a smile as you hesitantly took the seat opposite to them.

"Since, you're my best friend and all, I thought the two of you should meet." Even though he sounded as if it was meant for you, he didn't spare you a single glance. "Yes, Y/N. Seeing how much you meant to him and all." Grace smiled slightly, "I mean.. as friends." Grace added pressing the word 'friends'. You could’ve sworn you saw a sly look in her icy blue eyes, but shook it off, trying your best to act natural, smiling back at her sweetly.

━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━

Every time you glanced at Fred, you felt a stinging pain in your chest; maybe you were just feeling protective over him? But does that include wanting to have him all for yourself, as selfish as it is? It felt wrong with the idea of loving your best friend, but it felt right loving him.

Regretfully, you felt like an idiot for not recognizing your feelings sooner and denying them. The missed opportunities you could have experienced if you had just revealed your true feelings to him whether it was on paper, on phone or even in person. Were you just scared of ruining your friendship?

Sara and Delilah noticed your change in behaviour when Fred’s name pops up in random conversations, until one night you burst into tears and poured your bottled-up feelings onto them. It didn't help matters when you and Fred met, the blue-eyed minkle always tagged along. When Fred wasn't around, she bared her venom-like teeth. "I've seen the way you look at Fred, I'm not stupid."

And from there onwards…

"You're too immature for Freddie."

…you started knowing her more than Fred ever will.

"The two of you have been friends for what? A decade? He's known me a year, guess we all know who he sees as his lover and who as a friend."

That last statement hurt enough for you to have to restrain yourself from slapping the smirk off her face as she said it. You tried your best to act normally in front of Fred, but you knew seeing them together was a pain too unbearable for you to handle, so you declined his hangout calls and started seeing him less and less.

The last thing you wanted was to destroy their relationship by breaking down in front of the person you cared for, and revealing Grace's true colours. Knowing Fred, he'd side with you and break up with Grace, but seeing them together made you realise how happy they were. Fred deserved the happiness Grace brought him. And you’re well aware that the feelings he shared with her were much more in depth than the ones he shared with you, because when he looks at her, his face says it all

.

.

.

A/N : Hi ! This is Luna, SO the ending wasn’t what I had in mind but overall, this story gives me victorian era vibes idk why lmao. OMG all my love goes to Celeste for helping me edit this, please reblog and comment if you like this fic :) We haven’t been active lately due to studying and all, but now we’re back with more fics. + taglist form up soon 🤝

[newtsies]

Hey There, Delilah || JackCrutchie One Shot

a/n: based off the song 'Hey There Delilah' by Plain White T's,, modern AU in which jack leaves to santa fe for art school! (he also knows how to play the guitar)

i'll be taking out some of the 'hey there delilah' lines but most of the song is there :) i also won't be doing the chorus,, also i changed girl to boy :D,, alsoalso i changed some of the wording to make more sense to the story lol

i would also like to say sorry in advance to any guitar players because i 100% butchered the slang

also so many also's i do not write songs so i probably got it completely wrong on how to release a song, so i'm sorry that it's probably not that realistic in that aspect lol

hey there, delilah, what's it like in New York city?

Jack spent every day regretting his choice to leave New York city. Sure, he was successful and doing well in his classes. Hell, he had even gotten better at playing guitar. He was writing songs, and the songs were good. But he wanted to achieve all of those things with Crutchie by his side.

Every night, without fail, he would pick up his phone and facetime his friend. Crutchie would usually answer, it would send Jack into a frenzy when he didn't, with a smile and ask about his classes.

So that night, as usual, he picked up the phone and called his best friend.

"Hey! Crutchie!" He grinned as the curly haired boy answered the phone.

Crutchie smiled back. "Hiya, Jack! How's school going?" He looked around and then whispered into the phone as he wiggled his eyebrows, "How's your cute roommate? Where is he?" Crutchie picked his head up and looked around his screen as if that would help him find said roommate.

Jack's heart tugged but he passed it off with a chuckle, "Davey's out right now. Probably playing violin for his boyfriend."

"He's got a boyfriend now?" Crutchie frowned, "Darn. I would've come over and everything just to see him!"

"And not me?" Jack attempted to joke, but a lump formed in his throat.

Crutchie shrugged. "Eh, guess it wouldn't be too bad to see you again." Jack gave him a small smile.

"How's New York, huh?" He asked.

"Same as always, Jack!" Crutchie grinned, "We won't change too much without ya, promise."

i'm a thousand miles away but, boy, tonight you look so pretty. yeah, you do.

Crutchie smiled widely and his laugh sounded exactly like an angels laugh to Jack. The blonde hair that framed Crutchie's face bounced as he shook with happy laughter. Jack grinned and admired how the light from the phone illuminated Crutchie's face perfectly.

"It night for ya, Crutchie?" Jack asked.

Crutchie nodded. " 'Course it is, Jack. Not that big of a deal though."

"How late's it? Did I wake ya?"

"Nah," Crutchie smiled and shook his head, "Not that late. Anyways, I was waiting for ya call! So you didn't wake me. Haven't slept yet today."

Jack sighed, "Sorry for keeping ya up late, Crutch. Get some rest, yeah?"

Crutchie nodded, "Not tired right now. But I'll get to sleep soon, Jack. Hey, guess what happened today!"

"What happened?"

"Race and Albert finally got together, only took them forever to realize they liked each other!" Jack didn't miss how ironic the statement was, considering Crutchie hadn't noticed Jack's crush on him. Crutchie continued to talk, "Oh! Mush and Kid Blink finally got to adopt the kid they were fostering."

time square can't shine as bright as you

Crutchie's face glowed with happiness for his friends. His face was lit by the phone's brightness but his smile made him glow even brighter. He looked genuinely happy and proud for his friends.

Jack had genuinely never seen anything as bright and beautiful as Crutchie. Which was saying something, considering he had lived in an apartment not too far from Time Square.

"Jack?" Crutchie called out. Jack shook out of his thoughts and blinked.

"Sorry, Crutch," He sighed, "Miss all them. They were pretty alright."

Crutchie smiled, "They miss ya too, Jack. We all do. Maybe call me during the day and you can see 'em!" He joked

"Maybe," Jack laughed, "It's just so stressful. I can't even get a plane ticket out for Christmas break, I barely have enough money to keep paying tuition. Apparently, a resume that consists of going to art school and throwing newspapers from your bike when you were 8 isn't that great."

don't you worry about the distance

"It's alright, buddy. We were hoping to see ya for Christmas, but don't stress it, yeah?" Crutchie said with a reassuring smile, "We can just facetime you. 'Kay? When's your Christmas break anyways? Christmas is coming up like next week."

Jack ran a hand through his hair, "Today was my last day of class 'til like January. I might try to sell some of my art, maybe sing on the corner of a street and hope for some change."

"Right," Crutchie sighed, "At the corner of the street? C'mon, Jackie boy. I'd be worried out of my mind. You're so far. What'm I to do if you get hurt? God, couldn't have chosen a school that isn't almost 2,000 miles away, could ya?"

Jack chuckled, "Sorry, Crutch. You know it was my dream for, like, ever. I promise I'll try to get back as soon as I can. And I'll stay safe, just for you."

i'm right there if you get lonely

"All the guys are great," Crutchie started, "Don't get me wrong. Love them all too death. But, you're my bestfriend, Jack. Even with all these people around me, I feel so alone."

Jack laughed a little and gave him a small grin. "I know, bud. I do too. But I'm just a call away, all right? I promise, I'll pick up every call from you."

"Promise?"

"Promise, Crutch."

"Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

Crutchie scratched at his neck and offered a smile. "Think ya could sing me a song? Makes it feel like you're here sometimes."

"Tell ya what," Jack said, "I'll record it, yeah? Then you can listen to it whenever."

Crutchie smiled widely. "Yeah! Thanks, Jack."

"It's 12 here, 'means it's probably 2 back home. Get some sleep. I'll call ya tomorrow," Jack promised.

"Same time?"

Jack shrugged. "Might take ya up on that offer and call ya during the day. Say hi to the boys, and Kath."

"Oh! Speaking of Kath! She finally got to work for the New York Times!"

"Jeez, I'm missing everything. Gotta get back soon. Call ya tomorrow."

Crutchie grinned and gave a nod. "Gotcha! See ya tomorrow."

And the call ended. Jack felt alone again.

give this song another listen, close your eyes. listen to my voice, it's my disguise.

Jack pushed back his feeling and kept his word by immediately grabbing his guitar as soon as the called ended. He propped his phone up to face him and turned on his ring light. The guitar strings sang a lovely tune as Jack strummed them.

He started to hum along before actually singing. He didn't really think about the lyrics, words were just falling off his tongue. If you asked him what he said later, his honest answer would be; "I don't know."

Finally, his strumming and singing came to an end. He flashed a bright smile at the camera before he stopped filming. "Night Crutchie," He said to the phone and then stopped recording.

As soon as Jack sent the video, a little read popped up underneath it. He grinned as he typed: were you waiting for the video?

i'm by your side

A reply: maybe. i know i said it earlier, but i miss ya

Jack answered: i know. but i'm always gonna be next to ya, physically or not. you always got me on your side

A few seconds later: thanks , jack. for that and the video. g'night :)

Jack grinned and then sighed. He shut his phone off and tossed it on top of his bedside table. Tiredly, he pushed up and turned off all of his lights before flopping back down onto the bed.

He stared at the ceiling until a giddy Davey stumbled through the door; He was giggling and down-right swooning.

"I assume you had a nice date?" Jack called out.

David paused and inhaled sharply before turning on a light. "Christ Jack. You scared the living daylights out of me! Honestly, sitting in here in the dark. Laying down like you're in a coffin! Might as well be a vampire." Jack let out a short laugh. Davey had been shuffling things around the room to straighten it out more. Finally, he sighed happily and fell onto his own bed. "But yes, my date was nice. More than nice, he was great. The date was great, everything was great! I think I really like him, Jack."

Jack looked over at him and smiled. "That's good, Dave. Real good. Real happy for ya."

Davey shook his head, his grin faltering only slightly; it turned into a more sad and pitiful smile. "You called Crutchie again, didn't you?"

" 'Course I did! You know me, I'm a man of traditions," He said with a sigh.

"It's not good if those traditions hurt you." Davey sighed too and ran a hand over his face. "You should tell him, Jack. I may not know him all too well, but I've got a feeling that boy wouldn't leave you for anything. You could kill someone and Crutchie would still be right by your side."

"Maybe I'll tell him one day," He said, "It's fine. I actually want to hear all about your date." Jack sat up and waved his hands to signal Davey to start talking.

David grinned again and started to ramble on and on about his date. Jack sat and listened to him talk for what seemed like hours. Eventually, it got late and the boys both tiredly laid in their beds. The light was still on but neither of them wanted to get up.

Jacks voice was full of sleep. "Got enough money to go home for Christmas?"

"Nope. You and I will be stuck here together for a while," David said with a tired chuckle. Jack hummed to prove he had heard the statement.

"Should call Crutchie with me 'morrow. Meet the others too," Jack stated with a yawn. He could hear David nod against his pillow. Tiredly, Jack reached out an arm and switched the light off. They exchanged 'nights' before falling asleep.

i know times are getting hard

"Crutchie's calling!" David called from outside the restroom door.

" 'll be ou 'n minught!" Jack yelled back, his mouth full with toothpaste and a toothbrush.

"Huh?"

Jack sighed and threw open the door. He continued to brush his teeth as he answered the facetime. He waved at the camera.

"Talk ta Davey!" Jack said through a mouthful of foam before shoving the phone into Dave's hands.

"Hey Crutchie!"

"Hiya, Dave! Heard you finally got a boyfriend! Went out with him last night, right? How'd it go?"

"Well- He isn't my boyfriend. Just went on a date with him."

"Oh! Jack said he was your boyfriend!"

Davey sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course he did."

Jack rolled his eyes as he spit out the toothpaste. He ran a wet towel over his face then tossed it back into the sink. He straightened out his shirt before walking back into the room and taking his phone.

"Crutch! What's up? Usually I'm the one calling you!"

Crutchie's bright smile immediately fell as he scratched at his neck. "Well- They upped the rent for the apartment. Again. Dunno how much longer I'll be able to keep it if I'm relying just on my disability check. 'Specially if they keep jacking up the price."

Jack shot Dave a look, to which he responded by nodding and leaving the dorm.

just believe me, boy, someday i'll pay the bills with this guitar

"It's alright. We just got to keep it 'til I get out of school. I'll get another job, 'kay? I'll send money to ya," Jack promised.

Crutchie shook his head. "I can't ask that of ya, Jack! Ya already got so much on your plate. Taking a second job along with school will be too much. You'll die of stress!"

Jack nodded with a sigh. "You're right, I wouldn't be able to handle it all. But listen, one day, I'll make it with the big shots. You'll hear me and my guitar on the radio! All our rent and bills will be paid. And maybe, I can sell my art if this god forsaken school teaches me enough."

"I believe ya, Jack." Crutchie said with a smile.

we'll have it good. we'll have the life we knew we would

"We'll both be livin' 'mongst the big shots, Crutch. Have a nice house. Won't have to live off your disability check," He stated.

Crutchie shook his head and grinned. "Sounds nice. Livin' the good life. The American dream. We bringing our friends along?"

" 'Course we are! Race and Albert'll live a few houses down. Kid Blink and Mush and their kid'll live right next door! Kath will bunk with Dave's sister once we meet her. All of 'em. We'll have our own little neighborhood!" Jack gushed, "Davey can stay with you and me. As long as you promise not to flirt with him."

"Oh, 'bout that," Crutchie started, "David told me he didn't have a boyfriend! Was just going on a date with a guy last night. Why'd you tell me he had a boyfriend?"

"Uh- Well- I mean- No reason. Same type of thing when we called Albert and Race boyfriends before they was even dating! Ya know? Besides, with how much Dave gushed to me about that guy last night- I'd assume they'll be dating soon."

Crutchie grinned. "That the only reason you told me he had a boyfriend?"

Jack flushed. " 'Course it is. Besides, that's not important. Just- We'll be livin' good, alright? I promise you that. I gotta go, but I'm gonna call you in a couple hours. Text me when you're with the others?"

"Will do!"

And once again, the call ended. And once again, when the phone beeped, Jack's heart ached. All he wanted to do was talk to Crutchie for hours. To be with him every day.

my word is good

But, he had a promise to keep. Immediately, he took out the song he had been working. Changed the name 'Crutchie' to 'Delilah' to keep his secrecy, which he was sure he needed. He was certain he'd be able to get the song out. He was certain it'd be popular enough that; 1. they would make good money, and that 2. Crutchie would hear his name on the radio if he didn't change it.

And so he worked for hours, changing the song a little in hopes that no-one would guess it was about Crutchie. He worked with different notes to find which ones would fit best. Davey had finally come back, so Jack went over the song with him. Asked him if sounded alright to which he received an exasperated sigh from his roommate.

"It sounds amazing. Even after the 10 different versions you made me listen to. You should change the name to Crutchie, though." Jack shot him a glare. "What? It's obviously about him. Whatever. I think it's great. I'm gonna look up how you can get the song on the radio."

Jack thanked him shortly before continuing to mess around with the notes and lyrics. He finally figured out the exacts notes and lyrics he wanted to be in the song. Davey recorded him singing and they immediately got to work in looking up how to get his song out. They found out that they needed to start by getting a producer.

After a couple of hours, he received a text from Crutchie: With everyone now.

"Dave!" Jack called from the couch in the living room.

The tall and lanky boy looked over the top of his computer. "What? I'm trying to get you a producer!"

"Whatever! It can wait! Crutchie's with the whole gang. I want ya to meet them," Jack said and waved him over, "Come on!"

Dave snorted and slid into the spot next Jack on the couch. "Do they all have dumb accents like you do?"

Jack waved him off and facetimed Crutchie.

"Jack!" A wave of multiple voices cheered.

Davey snickered and whispered to Jack, "They do all have your dumb accent!"

Jack smiled and shook his head. "Hey gang! This is the David Jacobs I'm always talking about." He turned the camera to Davey who waved and smiled.

"Nice to meet you all! Hopefully I can actually formally meet you all in person one day!"

A chorus of 'Hi Davey!''s and 'Nice to meet you!''s came from the other end of the phone.

"Hey! Congrats Albert and Racer! The other's are probably so happy to have the tension all gone. One thing good 'bout leaving was not having to deal with you two idiots and your obliviousness!" Jack joked.

"I'll come over and personally beat ya, Kelly!" Albert shouted.

"Thankya, Jack!" Race called from the back of the crowd.

"Mush! Blink! Jas officially yours?" He asked.

The two boys nodded eagerly. "That's what the state says!"

"Happy for ya all," Jack said earnestly, "Wish I could be there for Christmas. Miss ya."

"We miss you too, Jack." Specs admitted.

"Come back as soon as you can, 'kay?" Katherine added.

"Kath! Congrats on getting into the Times!" Jack smiled. "Promise I'll be back soon."

"Famous Jack Kelly never breaks his promises!" Romeo stated, "We're counting on you, man!"

"I hate to cut this meeting short," Dave said whilst staring at his phone. "But I got you a producer and everything! We gotta go!"

"Producer?"

"Whatcha planning, Jack?"

"What kind of producer?"

"Jack?"

"We barely got to talk!"

Jack looked at Davey, his excitement glistening in his eyes. "Guys! I'll explain it later, okay? I'm sorry! I love you all so much! Take care of each other for me! I'll call again soon!"

So he hung up the phone again. This time, he was too excited to be sad. He was going to help Crutchie with the rent. He was going to take all of his friends to live in Hollywood.

They quickly sped through the streets and raced towards the address the producer had sent them. They arrived at what appeared to be a studio and were quickly escorted inside.

"Hello dear!" A lady said. She leaned over and shook Jack and Davey's hands. "My name is Medda Larkin! But please, call me Medda!" She turned to fully face Jack. "Your friend here- Davey, was it? Sent in your song! It's incredible! I'd like to offer you a contract! For 5 years, you'll work for me. I'll go over your songs and help you produce and release them!"

"And how much do you want? Money, I mean." Davey asked.

"10% of all profits," Medda stated. Davey and Jack looked at each other with a smile.

Jack leaned over the table and firmly shook her hand. "You got yourself a deal, Ms. Medda!"

-

Jack recorded the song in the studio. It sounded a lot better, but it was still his song, there were no major changes. Medda was a great producer. For the most part, she let Jack do whatever he wanted with the song. She gave advice but that was mostly it. She was great to talk to too.

For days, his phone blew up with messages.

'What was that all about when we called?'

'What'd ya need a producer for?'

'Don't leave us in the dark, Jack!'

'You're the reason Race keeps me up at night! Won't stop guessing what you're up to. Tell us what's up when you can, man.'

'Ya gonna be in the pictures? Producing a movie? A book? Jaaack!'

'Jack! Let me know when you can come in, mkay? We want to go over some things with you!'

'You always tell me stuff, Jackie!'

He still called Crutchie everyday. But suddenly, he was always busy. The calls continued to go on later and later each night. Still, Crutchie waited. No matter how late it got for him.

Jack constantly got asked by Crutchie what the whole producer thing was about. However, he always dodged the question. He wasn't ready to share.

On Christmas Eve, he received a text from Medda. Jack! Tune into the radio!

He immediately turned on the radio they had in their room.

Davey jumped out of his bed and ran next to Jack. "Is it finally happening?"

"Dunno!" Jack replied. The song came to an end and the person on the radio began to speak.

"Next up, we have a song from the up and coming artist: Jack Kelly!"

David and Jack exchanged looks before squealing as they jumped up and down. The first few notes started to play. Shaking, Jack called Crutchie.

"Ja-"

"Crutch! Quick! Turn on the radio! Right. Now!"

"I'm with everyon-"

"Even better! Turn it on!"

"Okay! Okay! Does this have something to do wi-"

"Just turn it on!"

He could hear his friends all muttering from the other end of the line. They turned on the radio right after Jack's own voice sang, 'My word is good.'

The radio on the other end played the song, the song Jack's voice was singing.

'Hey there, Delilah I've got so much left to say If every simple song I wrote to you Would take your breath away I'd write it all Even more in love with me you'd fall We'd have it all A thousand miles seems pretty far But they've got planes and trains and cars I'd walk to you if I had no other way Our friends would all make fun of us And we'll just laugh along because we know That none of them have felt this way Delilah, I can promise you That by the time we get through The world will never ever be the same And you're to blame'

The song continued to play in the background as Crutchie spoke, his voice full of awe. "That's you Jack! That's ya voice!"

"Yeah, Crutch. It's me," Jack choked out, his eyes filling with happy tears. "I told ya, man. I told ya. We'll be living the life, bud."

The song came to an end and all of his friends at the other end cheered.

"See ya, Jack."

"Wh-"

The call ended. Jack froze. His mind swarmed with thoughts. Did he not like it? Could he tell it was about him? Is he mad I didn't tell him I put out a song?

Davey pulled him out of his thoughts as he grabbed him in a tight hug. "You did it, Jack! I'm so proud! Congrats!"

He smiled slightly at him. "Thanks, Dave. Really. I couldn't have done it without ya." He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text: You're amazing, Ms. Medda.

He got a quick answer: You did this all by yourself, kid. You're great. You're gonna make it. I'm really proud of you.

Even with all of the support, Jack couldn't help but feel anxious. Crutchie had just hung up on him. He'd never done that before. And he said "See ya" like people in the films do when they're leaving for good.

Jack spent the day thanking people for their congrats and biting his nails. He had confided in Davey, who gave him a pat on the back and told him everything was going to be okay. It wasn't very reassuring.

But that night, when the clock hit 12 am and David had left for another date, he got a facetime from Crutchie. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly got up to turn on a light before he answered the call.

you be good, and don't you miss me

"Crutchie!"

"Hiya, Jack."

"Where are you?"

"No where important."

That didn't make Jack feel any better.

"Alright."

"I miss you, Jack. So much," Crutchie admitted quietly.

Jack's heart tugged at his voice. "Don't. I'm always with you, Crutchie. We could be in different planets or whatever. But my soul? It's forever with you. It'll never leave your side. Trust me, I've tried to take it back. You got a pretty strong hold on it."

Crutchie chuckled and wiped at his eyes. "Good to know. Your song was amazing. Delilah. She sounds great, Jackie."

Jack's heart skipped another beat. "Yeah. Delilah. She's a doll." He sighed.

two more years and i'll be done with school

"How much longer are you away anyways? You've been gone for so long. Least I got to see you last year during summer break. Haven't seen you in months. It's different, you know? I used to see you everyday. It sucks not waking up to you painting in the living room."

"Two more years, Crutch." Jack said with a sad smile, "Then I'll come home to you. And I promise I'll stay. If for some reason I have to go, you'll be going with me."

Crutchie nodded. "Promise?"

"You know me. Of course I promise. I'd never lie to you, okay? And anything you want, I'll give it to you. If you seriously want me to come home, I will drop everything for you."

"I want you home, Jack. But I need you to do this. You need to do this. I know you can. You're gonna be great. Your art, your music. You'll go down in history."

and i'll be making history like i do. you know it's all because of you

"Crutchie." Jack started, "Everything I do, everything I am, is because of you. You know that? I live for you, Crutchie Morris. And to hell with it all if I don't get to come back to you at the end of these two years. You'll wait for me, right?"

"Jack. The second you walk through the doors of our apartment, I'll be there. I'll be waiting there on the couch for you. And I'll throw you a great big graduation party. Of course I'll wait for you, Jack. All I care about is seeing you come home."

Jack grinned. "Thanks, Crutch. For everything. I never would've pursued art school if it wasn't for you. I would've never bought this guitar from that garage sale if it weren't for you. You're the reason for everything."

we can do whatever we want to

"We made it," Jack stated.

"You made it."

Jack shook his head. "We're together in everything, Crutchie. Even our success. So we made it. Together."

"Yeah?" Crutchie smiled as he walked. Jack still couldn't tell where he was. "What do we do now that we've made it?"

Jack shrugged. "Go to the Bahamas. Go skiing, climb Mt. Everest. Go rock climbing or scuba diving in Hawaii! Buy a thousand acres and make our own little city with all of our friends. We do whatever we want. No more getting controlled by anyone else."

"Sounds good to me."

hey there, Delilah, here's to you. this one's for you.

"You able to get a drink?" Jack asked, "Wherever the hell you are?"

"Not right now, why?"

Jack sighed. "Whatever. I'm giving a toast anyways." He picked up his cup of water and lifted it. "To Crutchie. The boy behind it all."

Crutchie smiled. "Behind it all? It's not like the song's about me."

Jack's heart skipped a beat for the third time. "Right, but I wouldn't have made the song without the guitar. And I wouldn't have the guitar without you. So! The boy behind it all!"

Crutchie grinned again and shook his head. He walked into a building but Jack was too busy sipping his water to notice.

"Crutchie. Listen to me. I get paid next week. I promise, the second I get that money. I'm getting a plane ticket and coming to New York for you."

"You won't need to."

"Wha-"

"Jack?" Crutchie asked, his voice sounded serious. "The song was about me, wasn't it?"

And the call ended.

But Jacks heart didn't tug. Which was odd. He wasn't excited. Nothing was happening. Why didn't it hurt? His head turned to the door, he didn't know why but it did. Seconds later, he heard a knuckle knocking against the same door.

His heart pounded against his chest- again, he didn't know why- as he got up to open the door.

The second he opened it, arms were thrown around his neck and he was pulled down. His lips were met with someone else's. He started to pull away, until he smelt a familiar scent. Vanilla and dust.

Crutchie.

He opened his eyes to confirm. And he was right. There was the small boy that he had yearned to be next to. The boy he had missed for months.

Jack pulled away and hugged the boy tightly.

"I can't believe you're here. Oh my god," He pulled him into the dorm as he continued to hug him. "How did- How did you know the song was about you?"

Crutchie smiled. "You don't remember what the lyrics of the song you sent me last week were, do you?" Jack tried to wrack his brain for the answer, but he couldn't find it. He shook his head. "Same song. You just forgot to change the name to Delilah that time."

"Oh," Jack said. His cheeks burned and he knew they were bright red. Crutchie shook his head and pulled him down for another kiss.

Their lips met again and suddenly home didn't seem like their apartment in New York. No, Jack thought, this is home.

In fact, the apartment had never been his home. Crutchie was. He always was. From the day they had first met, Crutchie was home.

And as for Crutchie? Well, his home was Jack.

Because no matter where they went, it would never be home without the other.

"Merry Christmas," Crutchie muttered against Jack's lips.

Sure enough, it was 1 am on Christmas day. And Jack was sure that the greatest Christmas present he had ever and would ever receive, was Crutchie.

[portiaphan]

DV Characters as Things Hannibal Buress Has Said

Alex: "I'm a gangsta, and gangstas don't ask questions." Yes they do ask questions! I thought that was a main point of being a gangster. "Hey, mothafucka, where's my money?" That's a question. "Do you want to die tonight?" That's a question too. "What? What?" That's two questions.

Alva: Gibberish rap is - I freestyle all the time, just hangin' out with friends. And sometimes when I'm freestyling, I'll lose my flow, you know, but I'll still wanna - I don't wanna just stop rapping because I lose my flow. So I'll just put in nonsense words till I can bring in regular words again.

Brielle: I couldn't imagine only being an actor or a writer. Because what the hell do I do when I'm not working? Mope?

Battista: I’m a dumb guy. My point of view is limited.

Bellamy: Why are you booing me? I'm right!

Beau: SIX PACK ABS! TEN PACK ABS! TWELVE PACK! What if I want an odd number of abs? What if I want a five pack to show people I'm still humble?

Bernadette: My other airport nemesis is airport security. I don't like them at all. They seem so dedicated to keeping bottled water out of the sky.

Calina: I acknowledge that I jaywalked, I apologize not for the act of jaywalking but how my jaywalking made you feel. I'll try not to jaywalk in the future while you're watching but trust that I'll do it for the rest of my life - it's the best way to go about being a pedestrian.

Castora: There's a lot of dudes in my neighborhood that have handlebar mustaches. Which is cool if you want to have a handlebar mustache but don't try to have a conversation with me like you don't have a handlebar mustache.

Catherine: He said, "Man, we are right by the Adige River. These buildings are 200-300 years old, they have rats everywhere. Even the five-star restaurants have rats!" Somehow he made me feel like the asshole for bringing up rats! I don't know what kind of jedi mind trick that was - it confused the hell out of me because I still ended up ordering food then.

Cyrus: So we talk for a little bit. She says stuff, I say stuff, she says stuff, I say stuff. You know how a conversation works.

Celeste: I get upset easily by people. I saw this guy- he was on the phone. He had the phone between the ear and shoulder like that, but he didn't have anything in his hands. Which is really upsetting! Who the hell do you think you are? This action for people that are multitasking. Where's your other task? You're not doing anything else.

Daphne: He'd be the worst real estate agent ever. "Right here we have a 34 bedroom house. Let me show you around the property. Great features to this place, some of the rooms have extra, smaller rooms in them."

Delilah: I was in Scotland for all of August and it was the darkest time of my life. Mostly 'cause they call cookies biscuits. I don't like that at all. It was an incredible culture shock for me, tough to adjust but I tried for a few weeks. Pass me the chocolate chip BISCUITS. Let's have biscuits and milk, everybody. I love Oreo biscuits. But, in the fourth week, I couldn't handle it no more. THOSE ARE COOKIES THOSE AREN'T BISCUITS. Those are cookies. Cookies are cookies and biscuits are biscuits. If you call cookies biscuits, what do you call biscuits 'cause I'm not saying scones.

Everett: I did not move to Verona with a plan. The first time I moved to Verona, I just popped up. My sister was living here in Verona. I just popped up. She had her baby and a husband, and I just popped up. "Hey, what's up? I got $200 and dreams. Let's do this."

Genevieve: I can't just look at a status and move along. I see a status got 36 'likes' — can't accept it got 36 'likes' and move along. I got to click on it and start reading the names of the people that liked it. "Oh, yeah. Jim would 'like' some shit like that."

Grace: Yo ma, money over everything.

Halcyon: Awe man, I gotta get a team. I don't have a team, I just have friends. I call up my friend, "Hey man, I know you're my friend but I need you on my team right now."

Hazel: You have a regular-sized tub and a miniature tub, the sink.

Henry: You never know what could happen when you go into a store - somebody might pull a Tonya Harding on you and break your knee cap. And now you got your knees all fucked up just ‘cause you wanted to get that vinyl.

Hugo: It sounds like God owed someone some money and they couldn’t get to him, so they murked his son. That’s what I really think happened. Jesus got stabbed up in an alley… but it’s easier to sell crucifixes. You can’t sell a pendant of someone getting shanked up in the alley. It’s a marketing scheme.

Ivan: Come to your place at 5:00 in the morning, eat your food, drink your drinks, leave at 6:30 without fucking like it’s cool. That’s a passive burglary.

Isabelle: Two separate charges $400 at Barnes and Noble. Who balls out of control at Barnes and Noble?

Juliana: Believe in yourself like one of those weird-ass clothing stores that only have six shirts in them. So many questions. How much do these shirts cost? How long have y'all been here? Why is there a DJ?

Katarina: Kill people, burn shit, fuck school, I hate spam emails! That's annoying! You think you have an email from a friend but it's spam.

Lucien: I believe in my ability to not spill food in my pants 'cause I'm a goddamn adult. And I've mastered the art of getting food from my plate to my mouth without messing up my jeans. You need to believe in yourself, too and get your life together, that's for babies. Have some confidence in your eating abilities and hand/eye coordination.

Lucrezia: I'VE ALREADY SEEN LIMITLESS.

Lillian: I'm not a club person, I'm more of a bar/lounge type of person. But, I'll go anywhere if you give me a free bottle of alcohol.

Mikael: I have weird aspirations. Like, I really want to kick a pigeon.

Matthias: It's a weird emotion when you're flattered and cynical at the same time. "Oh, that's nice that you would say that, but what the fuck are you up to?"

Marcelo: I just wear black and gray all the time. If you Google Image me, you'll just see a bunch of black and gray. It's simple. If I like a shirt, I'll buy six or eight of them, wear them back-to-back, and just wait for somebody to say something. "That's the same shirt you wore yesterday." "Yeah, but this one is fresh."

Maeve: When people go through something rough in life, they say, "I'm taking it one day at a time." Yes, so is everybody. Because that's how time works.

Nikolai: But this time, it was me and this old lady we were jaywalking together. We weren't together like that. But if we were, so what? Mind your business.

Odessa: It was a phone interview and sometimes when I do phone interviews and the journalist is boring, I just start saying crazy stuff to make it fun for me.

Olivio: There have been times I’ve been out, and my phone battery is at nine percent, and I was like, "Time to go home."

Orion: Don’t thank the lord. I gave you that compliment, thank me.

Priam: I lost my debit card recently, had five charges on it before I caught it. First charge, $30 Chuckee Cheese. Who goes to Chuckee Cheese as soon as they find a debit card? Are you serious?

Paola: I applied for a job at Starbucks. One of the questions was, 'Why do you want to work at Starbucks?' Uh, because my life is in shambles.

Pandora: I don't even know how to use a semicolon to this day, I use a comma every time. And you know what? If I email somebody and they get upset about me using a comma instead of a semicolon, that's not a person I want to work with anyway. And that's how you weed people out of your life.

Ramona: I went into this restaurant in Verona called The Two Gentlemen. Went into the bathroom at The Two Gentlemen, huuuuge rat in the bathroom at The Two Gentlemen and the rat looked at me like "the fuck you doing here?" That was his vibe, very negative vibe.

Rafaella: Sometimes I get drunk and I get into arguments with taxi drivers. And I get out the cab and I slam the door. That's not the way to win an argument with a taxi driver. The way to win is you get out of the cab and you leave the door open.

Regina: And that was the first time in my life, without any sarcasm, I could say, "What? You want a cookie or something?" Because any other time you say that, you being mean, but I meant it from my heart. "How many cookies you want, man? You want seven cookies? That's way too many cookies. You're being ridiculous right now. You can take, like, three or four cookies and get out of my face. Otherwise, you're taking advantage of my generosity."

Ronan: Wack.

Roman: In my hometown of Verona, I'm kind of a medium deal.

Theodora: We got interns at the job. You can just tell them to do stuff. You gotta be nice, though. I had this cat fax something. I handed him a couple of pages, and I handed him another page. I said, "Hey, man, fax something for yourself, too."

Tomas: Rap videos confuse me cause they have to be continued at the end but the never make a sequel. Where’s the second video? There’s so much suspense!

Trinity: I was at the airport and there was this kid, four or five years old walking with his mommy, fixed his fingers in a fake gun, and then took a shot at me. And I'm looking at the wall to see if there's something on the wall he could've been shooting at 'cause I'm in denial. I look back at him, he looks me in the eyes and takes too more shots. Now I'm hit three times, that's an act of aggression. I need to defend myself.

Valentina: Morpheus, Dorpheus, Orpheus, go eat some walruses. Orifices, porridges. Morpheus, Morpheus. Going to the Buffet and Walruses. Confidence, corpseses. Worcestershire sauce. Go into your orifices. Red pill, blue pill. Morpheus, walruses. Seashells by the seashorpheus. MORPHEUS DRINKING A FORTY IN THE DEATH BASKET.

Vivianne: "We'll keep you in our thoughts" With the other bullshit in your heads? No, keep me out of your thoughts, because I hear some of the stuff you talk about and if that's close to what you're thinking about, I don't want to be around that, so keep me and my family out of your thoughts, unless you're thinking of making me a sandwich.